WWF Sunday Night Slam (August 1994)

Original Airdate: August 21, 1994 (Taped August 1)

From Youngstown, Ohio; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Randy Savage

Opening Match: Lex Luger v Crush: The sound sweetening is really obvious here, even right away, as the crowd sounds like they're popping for Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania X8 while Luger holds a standing side-headlock. Crush escapes with fists in the corner, and he tries a piledriver, but gets backdropped, and Luger shoulderblocks him out of the ring. Inside, Crush controls with a bunch of forearms, and starts targeting the back. Camel clutch and a bearhug draw Ted DiBiase out, as Luger starts powering up. He dodges a cross corner charge, and hits a shoulderblock, followed by a pair of clotheslines. Powerslam gets two, and a DDT follows for two. Crush stops the onslaught with a sidekick, and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. That draws DiBiase up onto the apron to try and pay Crush to leave Luger alone, but Crush kicks the cash back into his face. Unfortunately, the distraction allows Luger to clobber him with the Running Forearm Smash at 15:08. Kind of long and very house show-ish, but it served its purpose. ¼*

Call the WWF Voteline to weigh in on whether Lex Luger has sold out to Ted DiBiase!

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler review the Undertaker/Undertaker storyline

Bam Bam Bigelow and IRS v 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly: Bigelow starts with Kid, and Kid tries to use his speed advantage to make the Bammer run around, but gets caught and tossed into the corner, then launched out with a hiptoss. Flapjack, but Kid counters with a dropkick, and adds another. Missile version gets two, and the lightning kicks knock Bigelow to the outside. The sound sweetening is again just outrageous for this one. Like, someone get the editor some fucking Valium, stat! Kid with a baseball slide to set up a nice somersault plancha, so IRS decides to charge Holly on the apron, and ends up going flying out as well! The faces ram them together out there, and inside, Holly tags to dive at Bigelow with a flying backelbow for two. Bigelow fires back with a bodyslam before tagging out, but IRS misses a clothesline, and takes a bodypress for two. Dropkick gets two, and a sunset flip for two. Tag back to Kid for a flying axehandle, but a criss cross ends with Kid taking a nice bump out of the ring - where Bigelow is waiting to toss him into the steps. Inside, IRS capitalizes with a legdrop for two, and he slaps on a chinlock as they cut the ring in half. Bam Bam misses a flying moonsault to allow the tag to Holly, and he's a garage of fire! Flying bodypress looks to finish, but Bigelow catches him in a powerslam on the way down for the clean pin at 10:10 - which makes sense, given that IRS and Bigelow were still booked to get the tag titles at SummerSlam when this was taped. Really fun, fast paced formula tag action (1994 Kid was the perfect guy in the Ricky Morton role, and they really should have done more with him as a regular tag guy), and on par with their later battle over the tag titles at the Royal Rumble a few months later. ***

SummerSlam promo

SummerSlam Report! If you thought one Undertaker was a draw, wait 'till you get a load of the buyrate TWO will draw!

Razor Ramon v Todd Becker: This is from the same taping as the RAW episode where Ramon went over twenty minutes with Shawn Michaels in a WrestleMania rematch, so this should be quick. And, indeed, Razor goes through the motions before finishing with the Edge at 3:30. Nothing, but it gave the announcers a chance to hype Razor's match at SummerSlam, as well as Walter Peyton's involvement. DUD

Leslie Nielsen continues to hunt for The Undertaker, but he's not under any of the desks in his office, so apparently, the search continues!

Bull Nakano v Heidi Lee Morgan: Bull tosses her around with ease at the bell, but gets caught in a unique (and awesome) looking tarantula cradle for two. Morgan tries an armscissors, but Nakano powers up to her feet, and dumps her into the corner to break, then viciously whips her out with a snapmare. Dragon sleeper, but Morgan starts to escape, so Bull chokeslams her, and drops a leg for two. Modified crab, but Heidi won't give, so Bull turns it into her brutal looking inverted Sharpshooter. Ouch! That's not enough either, so Nakano tosses her out to the floor for Luna Vachon to abuse, and back in, Nakano slaps on an abdominal stretch. She shifts it into a cross armbreaker, but Morgan escapes, and manages a sunset flip for two. Dropkick sets up a flying bodypress for two, but another bodypress is countered with a slam, and Nakano vertical suplexes her. Bodyslam sets up a flying legdrop to finish at 7:30. Solid, but sadly, the Women's 'division' was all of four people at this point, because the four they had were actually a good base to build around. Nakano, for example, had a three-star plus match with Alundra Blayze on this same taping, but the 'division' never went anywhere, because there was never any new matches to build. And by the time they did start building it in late '95, Blayze was throwing the title belt in a trashcan on Nitro. * ½

On Superstars, Ray Rougeau interviews Bret Hart regarding the cage match with Owen at SummerSlam

New Generation promo. 'Go get 'em, Bret!'

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Diesel v Typhoon: Really? Typhoon? This late in 1994? They fight over a lockup to start, with Diesel controls with forearms in the corner, but gets bodyslammed and splashed for two. Diesel fires back with a shoulderblock and an elbowdrop for two, then slaps on a headvise. Typhoon escapes, so he bootchokes him in the corner, but a big boot misses, and Typhoon backelbows him. Avalanche, but Typhoon blocks with a big boot, and dives at him with a clothesline to retain at 8:00. Would have been worth it had he finished with the Jackknife. Typhoon was such a non-contender by this point, that I honestly forgot he was even in the promotion. Not sure why he was getting TV time, but I guess they figured he had something of a rub to give. DUD

Leslie Nielsen continue to search for The Undertaker. Hey, at least he's moved on to looking outdoors, instead of underneath his own desk. Baby steps!

The Undertaker v Sonny Rogers: Someone call Nielsen! This is, of course, still Ted DiBiase's Undertaker, played by Brian Lee. And he finishes the brisk squash with the Tombstone at 1:20. To the point. DUD

Nielsen continues to hunt at poolside, but enlisting Randy Savage backfires when he's more interested in hunting beaver

McMahon and Lawler eat up the remaining twenty minutes of airtime by taking calls from the Hotline to discuss SummerSlam. Notable: radio host (and future WCW star) Mancow calls in to trade barbs with the King

BUExperience: Didn’t really do anything to make me want to see SummerSlam, but there are a couple of good matches, at least – neither of which made it to the next nights RAW (which was made up of highlights), interestingly.