WWF Monday Night RAW (January 23, 1995)

Original Airdate: January 23, 1995

From Palmetto, Florida; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels. Shawn takes a victory lap around the ring to celebrate his Rumble win the night before

Vince opens the show with a somber apology to Lawrence Taylor for Bam Bam Bigelow’s actions the night before at the Royal Rumble, then announces that Bigelow has been suspended without pay, as well as sent to bed without dinner. Good bit, as Vince’s tone and use of Bam Bam’s real name made this seem like it was a legit shoot, and certainly sold it to the ten year old marks like me at the time

Opening WWF Tag Team Title Match: 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly v The Smoking Gunns: Okay, so Kid and Holly won the belts in a tournament final the night before, and since the Gunns missed the tournament due to injury, they are given the first shot. It should also be noted that Kid and Holly look really... wrong... wearing the belts, and while I liked them as a team, I can see why they didn't want to keep them as long term champions. Everyone shakes hands at the bell, and Holly starts with Billy Gunn - Gunn controlling with a standing side-headlock. Criss cross goes Bob's way with a quick armdrag and bodyslam, but Billy shakes him off, and we have a stalemate. Tag to Bart Gunn, but Holly bolts across the ring before they have the opportunity to double-team him. He controls Bart with a wristlock, but a tag to Kid prompts Bart to do the same trick - and he hides in the ropes before the champs can touch him. Kid still manages a headlock, but Bart wins a criss cross with a quick powerslam for two. It should also be noted that despite the cool Cinderella story build to the tournament win, the crowd is solidly behind the Gunns here, so yet another reason why I can understand the switch. Dropkick misses and Kid hits one of his own for two, then tags to Holly - making sure to hold Bart in an armbar so he can't put any distance between them. Holly with a bodyslam, but Bart tags, and Billy sneaks in with a bulldog on Bob for two. The Gunns utilizes quick tags to execute a tandem press-slam, but Bob manages to avoid the Sidewinder, and Kid rushes in to help him tandem superplex Billy for two. Neat spot there. Holly with a big boot (?) on Billy, and Kid tags in to chop at him in a little DX showdown! Billy no-sells it, so Kid starts unloading kicks, and a spinheel gets two. The champs continue to cut the ring in half on Billy, but Kid ends up taking a rocker dropper when he telegraphs a backdrop, and Bart gets the tag. He's a house of arson, and slams Kid around through a few nearfalls, and tags Billy for the Sidewinder, but Holly breaks up the pin. The Gunns keep after Kid with some more double-teams, and we slow down a bit as Bart tries grounding him with a chinlock, but they can't keep him down. He's spunky! They bust out a vertical suplex/dropkick combo for two, and even though the Gunns are just kicking the shit out of the much smaller Kid at will, the crowd is still firmly behind them here. Cheapshot from Holly allows Kid to avoid another double-team, and he gets the tag. Bob is a garage of fire, but a flying splash on Billy hits boot, and the Gunns finish with a powerbomb/flying elbowdrop combo at 21:18. As noted, I don't disagree with the decision to switch the belts, but doing it after one night might not have been the best execution. Too bad there wasn't a February pay per view back in 1995. Good match regardless, with Kid and Holly playing subtle heels, and keeping a good pace throughout. *** ½

Vince brings Kid and Holly over for a ringside interview after the match, and they challenge The Gunns to a rematch next week. Well, I'm game for that!

Royal Rumble Report, as Todd Pettengill recaps the event

At the announce booth, Shawn Michaels tells us that he now feels like a marked man, and will be looking for a bodyguard to guard his body ahead of his WrestleMania title shot

Bret Hart and William Shatner hype Shatner's USA show TekWar

IRS v Buck Quartermaine: This is basically just here to fill those who missed the pay per view in on the fact that IRS repossessed Undertaker's urn at the show, and is now carting it around. Yeah, I'm not positive that repossessing an urn is a gross violation of any official policy on its own, but then brandishing it as a trophy has got to be. Too bad that, as an official blowoff for the character later in 1995 when he was supposed to retire, they didn't run a throwaway angle where some babyface compiles all the video evidence of IRS' blatant disregard to policy, and forward it to his bosses to get him fired. I mean, working for DiBiase alone would have to be a big enough conflict to qualify as a fireable offense. Anyway, Write Off finishes at 2:16. DUD

Man Mountain Rock vignette

Jerry Lawler hosts The King's Court with new Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett. Again, this is pretty much just here to inform people that he won the title the night before. He also challenges Diesel to a WWF Title match, which setup a house show series between them, I believe

This weekend on WWF Mania, tickets for WrestleMania XI go on sale

Davey Boy Smith v Black Phantom: Davey, of course, was the runner up in the Rumble match, and naturally is still pissed at Shawn Michaels over the loss. Normally I'd tell him to go fuck himself, and that he should have made sure Shawn was definitely out of the ring before turning his back and celebrating, but given that they actually started playing his fucking music, what else was he supposed to think? But then, Shawn didn't break any rules either, so what's he got to feel guilty about? I hope some officials (or, at the very least, the sound tech) were fired over that one. And, again, if there was a February pay per view in 1995, they probably would have done a match to determine who goes on to WrestleMania there. And it probably would have been damn good, too, given that not only was Shawn a God in 1995, but their matches worked better when Shawn plays heel and Davey face - as opposed to, say, their 1996 series. Bulldog with the Running Powerslam at 3:00. DUD

WWF Superstar Hotline promo

Backstage, Bam Bam Bigelow puts on his best 90s boy band suit to officially apologize to Lawrence Taylor for his HEINOUS actions last night, but there are audio problems, so no go

BUExperience: The tag match is very good and very long, and the rest moves along nicely as they wrap up after the Rumble and start the march to WrestleMania