WWF Monday Night RAW (December 26, 1994)

Original Airdate: December 26, 1994 (Taped December 12)

From Liberty, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels

Opening Match: Davey Boy Smith v Tatanka: Davey grabs an armbar right away, but Tatanka grabs the ropes. Hammerlock gets the same result, so he tries the armbar again, and this time as Tatanka tries to escape instead of grabbing the ropes, Smith blasts him with a shoulderblock. Hiptoss draws an insane pop, which upon visual inspection was clearly added in post production, because the crowd is barely moving. Smith with a sloppy crucifix for two, but Tatanka chops at him, so Davey delivers a hanging vertical suplex, and he goes for the Running Powerslam, but Tatanka pushes off the ropes to topple him for two. Tatanka stomps him to turn the tide, and a knife-edge chop gets two. Chinlock, but Davey escapes with a bodypress for two, so Tatanka tosses him out of the ring to cutoff the comeback. Back in, Tatanka bodyslams him to set up a flying tomahawk chop, but Davey gutpunches him on the way down, and unloads clotheslines - only to have Ted DiBiase pull down the top rope as he bounces off them, and Davey to go flying out. That draws Lex Luger out to protest, and he attacks Tatanka. That draws Bam Bam Bigelow out to even the odds, and the referee calls it a double disqualification at 8:51. Never really went anywhere, as they were basically just killing time until the big finish. ¾*

Royal Rumble Report! I like how the big draw is supposed to be Pamela Anderson showing up

Henry Godwinn v Mike Khoury: What you're smelling there, kids, is history, as this is Godwinn's debut. And, boy, does the crowd not give a shit. Have they not been watching the vignettes?!?! He's a hog farmer with a pun for a name! Henry O Godwinn! HOG! Get it?!? Idiots. Speaking of idiots, would you believe that WCW (and more specifically, Dusty Rhodes) insisted Godwinn wear a mask during his run there because, get this, he was deemed 'too good looking' to work as a heel otherwise. I'm no woman, but SERIOUSLY?! Really dull squash here, as Godwinn just plods around the ring for a few minutes before finishing with the Slop Drop at 3:45. Oh, and this was still early in the character, so they actually have him 'root' the jobber around the ring before the pin. Heh, almost forgot about that. DUD

Hakushi vignette

Holiday Wish Tour promo

Jerry Lawler hosts The King's Court, with guest Diesel. I get that they were doing a house show run, but they really would have been better off promoting the Diesel/Hart match for the Rumble in these bits, instead of the Diesel/Backlund matches, since that was where the potential to draw was. Perhaps they were worried that the crowd (who were already showing apathy towards Diesel) would turn on him completely if they focused on Bret too much? Yet another reason they should have done Diesel/Michaels (or Diesel/Backlund, if they really, really wanted to) at the Rumble, and saved Bret for later

We see clips of The Heavenly Bodies going over The Bushwhackers on Superstars to advance into the semifinal round of the tag team title tournament

Kwang v Rich Myers: Much like Jim Neidhart last week, here's another pointless squash. Why bother? Kwang wasn't engaged in any feuds, had no matches to build, and in fact, they'd repackage him as Savio Vega less than six months later. He's in the Rumble, at least, I guess. Oh, I see what this is about... Harvey Wippleman is Kwang's manager, and this gives them a chance to promote the stupid 'feud' with Howard Finkel - complete with split-screen promo from Howard. Well, that's something, at least. Not much. But something. Kwang with a spinheel kick to finish at 2:44. DUD

Vince and Shawn interview boxer Vinny Pazienza (who would show up again as the referee for the Brawl for All at WrestleMania XV, interestingly enough) via satellite to promote an upcoming fight against Roberto Duran. This got a better build that most of the Rumble card thus far, actually

Kama vignette. Apparently, he's like Mike Tyson, Steven Segal, and JCVD all rolled into one, and he's coming to the WWF!

Backstage, Stephanie Wiand (looking like a deer in the headlights (of a Diesel truck?)) catches up with Ted DiBiase, who accepts Lex Luger and Davey Boy Smith's challenge to a tag match with Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow for next week

The Undertaker v Brooklyn Brawler: Hey, Undertaker! Surprising how little they used him on TV during this period - I think this is his first in-ring appearance on RAW since August. And he's got the money jobber, too. Unfortunately, he's got the anti-money feud, as they're still pushing the lame IRS death-and-taxes saga at this point. Tombstone polishes off Brawler at 3:12. DUD

BUExperience: And that’s 1994, everybody! Another boring show to wrap up the terrible final quarter of this year, but hopefully 1995 will be better, right?