WWF Monday Night RAW (October 16, 1995)

Original Airdate: October 16, 1995 (Taped September 25)

From Grand Rapids, Michigan; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. Vince immediately announces that President Gorilla Monsoon has fined both Mabel and Dean Douglas $7,500 due to their actions last week. Where did they come up with that figure? They BROKE UNDERTAKER’S FACE!! What would they have to do to crack $10,000? Stab him?


Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Doink: Danny Davis is the referee for this, and boy does he look old. Doink takes Hunter down with a hiptoss, then makes my day by leading HHH around by the nose for a bit. You know, if that horrible HHH/Shawn Michaels Hell in a Cell I just reviewed from 2004 had that spot, I'd totally have bumped it up a full star. Seriously, forty seven minutes and they couldn't work it in? Amateurs! Doink with an earringer and a sidewalk slam, but an elbowdrop misses, and Hunter drops a knee for two. Helmsley with a vertical suplex for two, and he slaps on a chinlock, as Lawler suggests that Bret Hart have to face Mabel at In Your House. Wow, thank God Lawler wasn't booking. HHH with the Pedigree at 3:40. Doink was actually looking good here, and the match was fine, but there was no saving that gimmick, and I don't know why they were even bothering using it anymore by this point. *

Backstage, Barry Horowitz (wearing an ICOPRO shirt!!!) tries to teach Hakushi about baseball, as part of his ongoing efforts to Americanize him. I don't know how active he was in the creative process at this point, but boy, this has Vince Russo's fingerprints all over it, as it's a skit, with no actual acknowledgment of the camera, which wasn't really the norm yet in 1995

President Gorilla Monsoon announces that Mabel will face Yokozuna at In Your House. So much for 'fan friendly' President

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Smoking Gunns v PG-13: Why did PG-13 ever beat to warrant a title shot? But hey, they're 'cool like the water in a swimming pool,' so I guess there's that to contend with. Though, I don't know that anyone even bothered to verify those claims. Billy Gunn controls both guys early on, as I have a hearty chuckle listening to Vince call this match, and saying 'Wolfie D' with a straight face. Bart Gunn tags in and press-slams JC Ice into Wolfie to clean house, as Vince compares the challengers to Beavis and Butthead. Oh dear. Cheap shot on Billy turns the tide, and PG-13 cut the ring in half on him, but a dropkick by Wolfie is countered into a slingshot by Billy, and he gets the tag. Bart is a house of arson, and the Sidewinder finishes Wolfie in short order at 7:00. This was basically an extended squash. ½*

Over the weekend on the Tour de Force, Dok Hendrix hosts an in-ring interview with Davey Boy Smith and manager Jim Cornette to hype up their match with Diesel for the pay per view. Nothing wrong with the segment, but kind of odd that they'd pull this from a random house show rather than just do it on RAW

Ahmed Johnson vignette. Watching the closed captions try to keep up with Ahmed is better than anything on the show thus far this week

Dean Douglas v Joe Dorgan: Vince announces that Shawn Michaels was attacked by 'ten thugs' in a parking lot since last week, in what was an 'unprovoked attack.' Interestingly, Lawler actually immediately calls him on it, and says he heard Shawn was in a nightclub and 'running his mouth,' causing Vince to snap back at him with a sharp denial. IT WAS UNPROVOKED, DAMNIT! Vince pours on the schmaltz, leading to Shawn himself calling in, and sounding absolutely miserable. Meanwhile, Douglas finishes the squash with a fisherman's suplex at 2:07. DUD

Dok Hendrix wants you to part with $23.95 for a Shawn Michaels and Diesel t-shirt. 'Shawn and Diesel on the front, and on the back, special writing!' SPECIAL WRITING?!?!? Sign me up, Dok!

Review of the Mabel/Undertaker feud, killing time as they setup the cage for the main event

Paul Bearer promises the Undertaker will return to action, and will 'crush the souls' of Yokozuna and Mabel. Well, that's morbid. Even more so now, of course

Cage Match: Bret Hart v Isaac Yankem: Vince announces that Bret will face whomever is the WWF Champion at Survivor Series, which pretty much gives away the ending of this one. Not that it was every really in any doubt. Yankem attacks right away, and hammers him in the corner, but misses a cross corner charge, and Bret hits an inverted atomic drop to setup a clothesline. Hart drops a headbutt down low ('pulling his groin muscles!' declares McMahon), and he goes for the escape, but Yankem pulls him back in, and drops an elbow. He makes his own climb attempt, but Bret pulls him back, and they do a foot race as they trade escape attempts. Meanwhile, we get a scrolling text bar on the bottom of the screen, encouraging us to call the WWF Hotline for a special update on Shawn Michaels' condition. He just called in during the last match! How much could have possibly changed since then? Bret slams Isaac off the top rope and hits a flying clothesline to setup the Sharpshooter, which should be enough to allow him an escape, but Jerry Lawler abandons his post, and knocks Bret back in. That draws President Monsoon out, and he has the King locked in a shark cage, and lifted above the ring. That's always a fun gimmick. Unfortunately, that leaves us with Vince doing commentary alone. Yankem crotches Hart on the top ropes as Lawler gets raised, and he bootchokes him in the corner. Hart manages a backdrop, and climbs, but Isaac returns the favor from earlier, and slams him down. Meanwhile, Lawler realizes he still has his earpiece, and rejoins us on commentary from in the shark cage. Unfortunately (for him) he's terrified of heights, and now has a nosebleed, so his commentary is less focused on the action, and more so on his sheer terror. Nobody can get shit like this over quite like Jerry Lawler. Slugfest atop the cage ends in both men falling down, and Hart hits a sidewalk slam, but Yankem pulls him back, and executes the DDS. He climbs, but Bret recovers, and manages to pull him back down for a ten-punch count in the corner. He gets reversed into the corner, however, and Lawler tosses a key down to Isaac. He uses it to open the padlock on the cage door, but Bret stops him with a bulldog. The wide shots reveal that the arena is almost entirely empty at this point too, which is kind of sad, actually. But really, this taping had been going on for hours, and on top of that, it's a school night. It's got to be going on midnight by this point. Backbreaker and a pointed elbowdrop, and the Hitman climbs out for the win at 19:30. Nothing special, but fun for what it was, and aided by Lawler's always entertaining antics. * ½

BUExperience: As far as hard selling the pay per view, or intrigue, this show was garbage, but the cage match is a decent blow off to the Hart/Yankem feud, if nothing else.

Monday Night Wars Rating Chart

	10/16/1995
Show	RAW	Nitro
Rating	2.6	2.2
Total Wins	3	1
Win Streak	1	n/a