WWF Monday Night RAW (March 6, 1995)

Original Airdate: March 6, 1995 (Taped February 20)

From Macon, Georgia; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette

Opening Match: Shawn Michaels v Davey Boy Smith: Nice visual touch, as both guys are wearing the same gear as they did at the Royal Rumble. Davey controls with some power stuff in the early going, so Shawn tries sticking and moving, but runs into an inverted atomic drop, and gets corner whipped out of the ring. Another nice visual touch there, as that would have been an elimination had it happened at the Rumble. Davey toys with Shawn by not allowing him back into the ring, but it backfires when Michaels sweeps him, and takes a shot at the knee. Inside, Shawn keeps it going, but misses a corner charge, and Davey clotheslines him out of the ring - over the top. Sid helps him back in, so Davey slaps on a side-headlock, and powers Michaels down to the mat in the hold. Shawn manages to counter into a short-armscissors, but Smith powers to his feet in the hold, and drops back to break. Shawn takes a few cross corner whips to tenderize him for a surfboard, until Davey decides to shift into a chinlock instead. Bulldog backdrops him out of the ring as Shawn escapes, but Sid catches him on the way down, and puts him back on the apron to surprise Davey with a punch. Slingshot splash follows for two, but Michaels telegraphs a backdrop, and takes a hanging vertical suplex for two. Shawn gets desperate and uses the tights to dump Davey out of the ring, and he lands on the knee Shawn weakened earlier. Back in, Shawn struggles with his back as he hammers Bulldog in the corner, and a diving backelbow gets two. Chinlock, but Davey starts to escape, so Shawn bodyslams him, and hits a 2^nd rope elbowdrop for two. Of course, he'd start doing those off the top at WrestleMania, and never looked back. Speaking of 'looking back,' Shawn apparently feels nostalgic for all the good times he had with the chinlock earlier, and slaps it on again. Davey escapes, so Shawn tries a sleeper - Sid helpfully pulling the ropes out of Bulldog's reach. Hey, guy works hard for the money. That forces Davey to side suplex his way out, and a criss cross ends in both men looking up at the lights. Bulldog manages a sleeper of his own as both guys struggle to their feet, but Shawn dumps him into the corner for a quick escape. Davey dodges a corner charge to allow him a series of clotheslines for two, and he presses Shawn into a crotching on the top rope. Michaels takes the Flair flip in the corner to setup a headbutt for two, but Davey ends up on the floor, and Sid knocks him into the post. That's usually it for these TV matches, but Davey actually beats the count back in, AND manages to kick out of an inside cradle – so Shawn Superkicks him to finish for real at 21:30. Nice finish there, as they didn't copout with the weak win for Shawn, established Sid's role, AND built up the Superkick as his new finisher all at once. Good booking. These two were always at their best with the heel Shawn/face Davey dynamic, and this was no exception. A bit too heavy on the restholds, but still solid stuff, with Shawn pinballing around like a... pinball... and selling like crazy. ** ¾

We get a look at the WrestleMania XI Press Conference from the previous Tuesday, as Lawrence Taylor shows up to accept Bam Bam Bigelow's challenge to a match, and Diesel continues to look like a smiling corporate drone instead of a badass champion. Vince's loving smile as he looks up at a promo cutting Shawn Michaels is something to behold, too

WrestleMania Fan Fest promo. Looks so shitty compared to the ones they have today (stand next to a poster of Andre the Giant!), but man oh man did I want to go to this back then

Bob Backlund v Buck Quartermaine: Though a blowoff with Bret Hart was still good, logical booking, Backlund had really gone past his shelf life at this point. It's their own faults, of course, as they booked the title switch with Diesel so damn poorly that it destroyed the character beyond repair. Extended squash this week, as they trade off on the mat until Backlund slaps on the Crossface Chickenwing at 5:13. ¼*

Duke Droese v Steven Dunn: So... is this supposed to be another squash, or are they actually hoping we'll buy this as a second feature match? Yep, looks like they're actually pushing this as a feature match, and that means I have to do play-by-play. Fuck you, 1995 WWF. Duke controls with an armbar and some shoulderblocks, as Jerry Lawler joins us via telephone to promote his match with Bret Hart for next week. Meanwhile, Harvey Wippleman hops onto the apron to allow Dunn a cheapshot, and he hits a northern lights suplex, followed by a diving axehandle. Seeing the Well Dunn guys out there without Shawn Michaels to make fun of their outfits just isn't the same, sorry. Dunn with yet another diving axehandle, and a chincrusher, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and takes the Trash Compactor at 4:00. Afterwards, Duke finds a mysterious hundred dollar bill in his trashcan - which according to Cracked, is nothing particularly uncommon or mysterious. Match was total house show fare. DUD

NYPD Blue's Nicholas Turturro interrogates Mr. Fuji and Paul Bearer - in drag. Um...

We take another look at the WrestleMania Press Conference, as they grasp for even the most minor of mainstream recognition

BUExperience: Shawn/Bulldog is good, literally everything else is a waste of time, or Paul Bearer in drag