WWF Monday Night RAW (May 16, 1994)

Original Airdate: May 16, 1994 (Taped April 26)

From Burlington, Vermont; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Randy Savage.

Opening King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Bam Bam Bigelow v Thurman Sparky Plugg: Plugg uses his speed advantage to evade Bam Bam, but gets caught, and shoves out to the floor. In, Sparky wins a criss cross with a dropkick to knock Bigelow to the outside, and he hammers him on the way back in, then dodges a falling headbutt. Bodypress, but Bigelow catches him in a powerslam to counter, and gets two. Backelbow, but a cross corner charge misses, and Plugg fires off a series of rights - only to get clocked with an enzuigiri. Chinlock, but Sparky revs up, so Bigelow kneelifts him, and adds a falling headbutt for two. Vince claims that Bret Hart winning the tournament the year before 'catapulted him to the WWF Title,' though he wouldn't win it until the next year, and he'd already been champion before. I'm glad Vince doesn't edit dictionaries. Another blind charge misses, and Plugg bulldogs him. DDT sets up a flying bodypress for two, and an inside cradle gets two. Series of clotheslines, but Luna Vachon trips  him as he runs the ropes, and Bigelow quickly finishes with a slingshot headbutt at 6:27. Pretty much a squash, as Bigelow didn't give Plugg much here. ¾*

King of the Ring Report

Cute RAW Girl Sign of the Week: L.A. RAW

Diesel v Mike Moraldo: Squash squash squash squash, squash squash squash squash, squash squash squash squash, sq-sq-sq-sq-sq-Squash! SQUASH! Powerbomb at 3:00. Diesel was already announced as Bret Hart's challenger for the WWF Title at King of the Ring, so this was here to remind us that he's a threat. ¼*

Some small town mechanic claims to have seen The Undertaker surfing on the roof of a hearse

Jerry Lawler hosts The King's Court, with guest Ted DiBiase. DiBiase announces that he's 'acquired' the broke Nikolai Volkoff, but doesn't dig his 80s Soviet gear, and gives him a new uniform in tights similar to the one's DiBiase used to wear - only with cent symbols instead of dollars. Heh. Volkoff cries as DiBiase belittles of him, though I'm not sure how that's supposed to get him over. Like, 'a guy who cries because his boss yells at him' doesn't exactly sound like money to me

Owen Hart v Tony Roy: Owen's finally got tights with graphics on them, as opposed to just standard black with pink trim, so you know he's getting pushed. Hart takes him to school with a fireman’s carry, and a dropkick sets up a snap suplex. 2^nd rope fistdrop, and a gutwrench suplex follows. Reverse chinlock, but Roy escapes, so Owen blasts him with a kneelift. Sharpshooter finishes at 2:18. Energetic. ¼*

Duke 'The Dumpster' Droese vignette! He literally lives in a dumpster already, so the sewer that is the WWF should be nothing!

Sumo Match: Yokozuna v Earthquake: The ring ropes are removed, and the first guy to knock the other out of the ring wins. Fink explains it, in case you don't believe me. They take forever to get going with all the stretching and ceremonial salt, then finally charge each other. 'Quake with a pair of shoulderblocks, but he can't get him out. They lockup at center ring for what basically looks like long, loving embrace, and 'Quake manages to knock him out of the ring at 6:00. Crap, but it was certainly different, and memorable. Still, DUD

WrestleMania Revenge Tour promo

BUExperience: The Sumo Match is memorable, but it’s total crap, and everything else is forgettable.