WWF Monday Night RAW (April 25, 1994)

Original Airdate: April 25, 1994 (Taped April 11)

From Utica, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Randy Savage.

Opening Match: Razor Ramon v Jeff Jarrett: They trade go-behinds to start, as the production guys really amp up the canned heat this week. Jeff with a turnbuckle smash, and an armdrag puts Ramon down in an armbar. Bodypress, but Razor counters by catching him in a blockbuster, and Jeff rolls out to the floor to regroup. Jeff suckers him into following, but loses a slugfest, and Razor hiptosses him. Jarrett bails again, and this time pulls Razor after him, dumping him into the steps out there. In, Jeff hits a backelbow for two, and a snapmare sets up a 2^nd rope fistdrop for two. Chinlock, but Razor escapes, and sunset flips him for two - only to get clotheslined as he follows up. Sleeper leaves Ramon breathing heavy, but he powers out with a side suplex, and covers for two. Ramon with a series of rights (Jarrett selling them all nicely), but Jeff manages to dump him as he tries to move in for the kill. Cue Shawn Michaels to come down and jaw at Razor, but he gets decked, and Ramon blocks an axehandle off the apron from Jarrett with a gut-punch. Back in, Razor hits a hiptoss and an inverted atomic drop, then clotheslines Jeff over the top. Shawn tries to interfere again, but Razor destroys him again - only to have Diesel rush out to stop the Razor's Edge on Michaels, and trigger a DQ at 11:45. They'd have better matches later on, but this was decent, well paced TV stuff - used to further the Ramon/Michaels & Diesel angle that would continue for the rest of 1994. * ¼

Backstage, Shawn and Diesel continue to taunt Ramon, and promise that Diesel will take the Intercontinental Title from him this weekend on Superstars. Given that the change was already in the can when this aired, I'd say their chances are pretty good!

Cute RAW Girl Sign of the Week: Honk If You're RAW

Bam Bam Bigelow v Tony DeVito: Total squash, as Bigelow tosses him around, while the crowd goes for snacks. Given that this was the third week of programming from this taping, can you blame them? Meanwhile, President Jack Tunney calls in to announce that indeed, The Headshrinkers will challenge The Quebecers for the tag titles next week, as Bigelow finishes the jobber with an enzuigiri at 2:00. DUD

Backstage, Johnny Polo and The Quebecers react to Tunney's decision

The Mayor of Stanford Connecticut announces that the WWF raised $60,000 to fund a local library. You can't BUY publicity like that!

The Heavenly Bodies v John Paul and Jason Headings: Tom Prichard starts with Paul, and gets slammed out of a criss cross. Tag to Jimmy Del-Ray, and Paul gets overwhelmed in a double-team. Del-Ray with a sitout powerbomb, as McMahon announces that Mr. Perfect backed out of a scheduled match with Lex Luger, and has therefore been suspended indefinitely. Given that Perfect had never actually agreed to comeback, that was kind of a ballsy booking move by McMahon, but then, he had bigger fish to fry at this point. The Bodies switch to working Jason over with tandem stuff, and Jimmy gives him a flying moonsault to finish at 5:00. The Bodies weren't really going anywhere, but they were always good for a squash. ½*

WrestleMania Revenge Tour promo

Jerry Lawler hosts another edition of The King's Court, with this weeks guest, Nikolai Volkoff. The angle here was that Volkoff was broke due to bad investments, and left stuck watching RAW from the first row every week. You'd think he'd be busy out trying to get a job rather than following a touring company around the country (and buying front row seats, no less), but when I was nine, I totally bought it. Thankfully, this all led somewhere, eventually

1-2-3 Kid v Duane Gill: There's ten minutes of airtime, and two matches left, so don't expect much here. They trade flip-flop counters to start, until Gill takes his head off with a lariat, and tosses him. High knee knocks him off the apron as he tries climbing back in, so Kid tries again with a springboard clothesline - which works. Lightning kicks and an enzuigiri discombobulate Gill, and Kid snapmares him to set up a sliding legdrop. More kicks in the corner set up the bronco buster, but it's still 1994, so nothing. Gill tries for a comeback, but Kid escapes a chinlock, and hits a spinheel kick at 3:08. Could have been good, given more time. ¼*

At a Deli, the kid making sandwiches claims to have seen The Undertaker, but he disappeared before eating his pickles. Anti-Semite bastard...

King of the Ring promo

Owen Hart v Rich Myers: Myers gets uppity, but Owen slaps him around, and unloads a series of turnbuckle smashes. Bulldog and a standing dropkick hit, followed by a gutwrench suplex. Reverse chinlock, as Vince calls Richard Nixon the 'greatest statesman in the history of this country.' Hart with a snap suplex, and the Sharpshooter finishes at 3:21. DUD

Lou Albano comes out to promise victory next week, which draws Johnny Polo out, and Albano decks him as we go off the air

BUExperience: Not much to see this week, as they haven’t gotten around to promoting King of the Ring yet, and this was mostly limbo between WrestleMania and King of the Ring – the advance taping really making everything rather uneventful.