WWF Monday Night RAW (November 7, 1994)

Original Airdate: November 7, 1994

From Bushkill, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler

Opening Match: Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith v Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart: Bret and Bulldog actually shown some aggression, and attack before the bell - cleaning house when Davey press-slams Owen out onto Anvil. The heels stall, so Bret brings Anvil in hardway with a slingshot, and they criss cross - Hart getting caught in a bearhug. He quickly escapes and passes to Davey Boy, and Smith gets into a power-showdown with Neidhart, which he dominates before falling prey to a cheapshot. Tag to Owen, but he walks into a corner whip and a nice backdrop. Bulldog with a hanging vertical suplex for two, and he tries grounding Owen with an armbar, but takes a spinheel kick out of the deal. Inverted atomic drop, and Anvil comes in to wishbone the Bulldog. They proceed to cut the ring in half, and Jim hits Davey's own running powerslam for two. Owen lures Bret into a chase to set up a Hart Attack on Bulldog behind the referees back for two, but Smith manages to roll through a flying bodypress for two. Owen cuts off the tag with a reverse chinlock, but Davey manages to clothesline his brother-in-law during a criss cross for the tag - but Neidhart distracts the referee! He holds Bulldog for Owen to dropkick, but it backfires, and now Davey gets the real tag! Bret comes in hot, and takes Neidhart to school with a Russian legsweep and a backbreaker to set up the 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Owen fires off a cheapshot to cut off the Sharpshooter, and Jim capitalizes with a scoop powerslam, but Davey sneaks in to dropkick Bret into a bodyblock on Anvil. It backfires when Owen dives off the top with a flying elbowdrop to break the cover, and Neidhart gets two off of it. That's enough to trigger a four-way brawl, and Davey busies Owen on the floor to allow Bret to get Neidhart in the Sharpshooter for the submission at 20:13. Good TV tag match from the Hart family to effectively blow off the Bret/Neidhart issue that they'd been building since King of the Ring. Not an all-time classic, but still a lot of fun for what it was, and well worked. ** ½

Survivor Series Report! Chuck Norris Fact: Chuck will be at the 1994 Survivor Series! And if Billy Jasper shows up, Chuck will surely kick his ass good!

Bam Bam Bigelow v Tyron Knox: I still can't believe this guy headlined a WrestleMania in 1995. I mean, I know it wasn't for the title, and I know it was to job to a celebrity, but STILL. And that's not even knocking Bigelow (who I like), it's just that the guy spent the bulk of 1994 feuding with a literal clown, and then suddenly he's going on last on the biggest show of the year. What a weird era! Imagine if three years earlier, someone told you that Bam Bam Bigelow and Brutus Beefcake would headline WrestleMania and Starrcade within a three month period. Dull squash out of the Bammer, too, as he plods along before finishing with an enzuigiri at 4:40. Could have at least thrown in the headbutt or the moonsault in that pile of forearms, but whatever. DUD

In your bit of historical significance for the week, Vince stops the show to address the camera directly - announcing that Randy Savage couldn't 'come to terms' with the WWF, and has left the promotion. He looks legitimately emotional as he thanks Savage for the years of memories, and wishes him well in his future endeavors. This was so weird to see in 1994 (it's still weird to see, frankly), in an era when a wrestlers leaving usually wasn't acknowledged on camera, and even weirder considering Vince would have already known that Savage didn't just decide to retire, but to jump ship to the competition. Honestly, I think McMahon took Savage for granted, and then when he actually called his bluff and left, I think Vince realized what a grievous error he made in misusing him, and regretted it

Jerry Lawler hosts The King's Court with guest 1-2-3 Kid. Kid doesn't really have a feud going to promote, and just like any talk show, you don't show up if you don't have something to promote. Like, you don't see George Clooney showing up on Conan just to say 'hi,' do you? Luckily, Bob Backlund saves Kid from having to make awkward small talk - trying to attack with the Crossface Chickenwing, but getting cut off by Bret Hart

Doink v Pat Tanaka: Doink has his midget posse with him for moral support. Too bad they didn't keep those guys around into 1995, because God knows Diesel needed all the help he could get. In fact, maybe they were the secret ingredient. Maybe people didn't turn off to Diesel because he became a smiling babyface, but tuned out en masse because of the midget shortage. How has no one considered that?! Speaking of things to consider, they could have at least given Tanaka a different name to work under, unless the idea here was to confuse kids into thinking they were getting Doink/Tatanka, or something. Well, same shit, different stereotype, I guess. Speaking of Doink, he finishes with the Whoopee Cushion at 3:10, then steals Jerry Lawler's crown. ¼*

Call the WWF Hotline right now to waste two bucks voting on which submission hold is more effective: Backlund's Chickenwing, or Hart's Sharpshooter! Man, how did we ever survive before the internet?

Jerry Lawler brings his band of royal midgets down to stand guard in case Doink returns, which leads to a tense midget standoff. Someone should forward a copy of this show to Obama. Putin would stand down so fast it’d make his head spin!

Backstage, Bret Hart believes 1-2-3 Kid can take Bob Backlund, because the New Generation trumps the Old Generation

BUExperience: A good feature match, and the Savage moment are enough to carry this, but there’s not much else, unfortunately