WWF Monday Night RAW (April 3, 1995)

Original Airdate: April 3, 1995

From Poughkeepsie, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette


We start with highlights of WrestleMania XI. Talk about ‘oxymoron’s’

Opening Match: Hakushi v Bob Holly: Cornette claims that Shinja is a great manager because he 'entered Hakushi slowly.' Okay, that was out of context ('entered Hakushi slowly into the WWF' was the actual line), but that should satisfy the kids reading, and it's important to stay hip. Holly wins a criss cross with a pair of dropkicks, and wins a second one with a hiptoss. Bob goes to work on the arm, but misses a flying bodypress, and Hakushi does some arm work of his own as Yokozuna and Owen Hart wander out to ringside to showoff their new tag team title belts. Hakushi with a kneedrop to the arm for two, and he slaps on an overhead wristlock as Owen Hart and Yokozuna get into a fight with 1-2-3 Kid (in Holly's corner) on the floor. Hakushi with a superplex, but Bob knocks him off the top to block, and follows with a flying clothesline. Hakushi tries to retain control, but Bob backdrops him for two, and plants another of his dropkicks for two. Bob starts firing off Luger-like clotheslines, but that ends up triggering some PTSD in Yoko, and he trips Bob to allow Hakushi a senton splash for the pin at 9:30. Decent, but mostly just angle to setup a match for next week. *

WrestleMania XI Report. You missed it! But you can still order the replay or the home video! And, hey, I may make fun now... but damned if I didn't beg my parents to order that show, AND buy the home video, so I'm really not one to talk

Vince McMahon brings WWF Champion Diesel out for an in-ring interview to discuss the possibility of a rematch with Shawn Michaels. Diesel's game, though sadly, we wouldn't get that match until the post WrestleMania In Your House the NEXT year. And probably for the better, because 1995 Shawn would have probably undermined Diesel's reign even more if given the opportunity

Backstage, Alundra Blayze prepares for her match

Some upper-class snobs (we know, because they have an accent, and speak like hipsters) discuss the WWF as if it were a rousing performance of La bohème. Silly, but cute

The Allied Powers v Well Dunn: Davey Boy Smith starts with Timothy Well, and quickly fights off an attack with a press-slam. Steven Dunn charges in for a cheapshot, but Lex Luger quickly tosses him to cut it off, then tags in to tandem backelbow Well for two. Cheapshot from Dunn allows Well a leg lariat to turn the tide, and they cut the ring in half for a bit, until Well telegraphs a backdrop, and gets bulldogged. Tag to Davey, and he's a doghouse of fire - the Powers finishing Dunn with a bearhug/running forearm smash combo at 3:44. Fun and energetic, actually - just what it needed to be to showcase the new team. *

Everyone from Pamela Anderson to Jenny McCarthy to Randy from Home Improvement had a great time at WrestleMania XI! See, that's how you know that was scripted. No one who actually watched WrestleMania XI had a great time

WWF Women's Title Match: Bull Nakano v Alundra Blayze: Bull attacks before the bell, and viciously faceslams her challenger a few times, but gets caught with a rana as she climbs to the middle rope. Alundra tries following up, but gets clobbered with a clothesline, and Nakano brutalizes her with a few hairtosses. Ouch. Short-clothesline sets up a legdrop for two, and she slaps on a modified anklelock. Alundra makes the ropes to escape, so Bull bulldogs her off the middle rope, then bashes her head into the mat a few times for good measure. Blayze sticks and moves to comeback, and hits a pair of 2^nd rope dropkicks for two. Sunset flip, but Nakano sit-down splashes her to block, and slaps on the inverted sharpshooter/chickenwing hold that Paige now uses. Alundra won't give, so Bull piledrives her for two, but another attempt to climb to the top gets her dropkicked out of the ring. Blayze is on her with a flying clothesline, then a rana on the way back in - only for Nakano to counter with a powerbomb for two. Bodyslam sets up a flying legdrop for two, but a German suplex is countered into a victory cradle for two, and a German suplex of her own gets two. Second one also gets two, but Blayze is so dazed, that Nakano casually swats her off the top rope as she tries a follow-up - knocking Alundra all the way to the floor! Nakano misses a tope, however, and Blayze manages a German on the floor, but still gets whipped into the steps. Back in, Bull bodyslams her to setup a flying moonsault, but Blayze rolls out of the way, and a bridging German wins her the title at 6:41. Wow, no wonder Nakano got fired for cocaine possession right after this... wild, breakneck match! The victory celebration doesn't last long, however, as Bertha Faye debuts - attacking Blayze, and setting up her next program. Blayze and Nakano always had some great Sting/Vader-like chemistry, and this was certainly no exception. *** ¼

WrestleMania XI Encore promo. Encore Plus, motherfucker!

Men on a Mission v Ben Jordan and Tony Roy: MOM are heels now, so they jump the jobbers from behind, and promptly destroy them. Also, they now have black mohawks instead of white. The goofy purple and gold outfits remain in full force, but baby steps I guess. Though, really, they never changed them, which was a lazy choice on someone’s part. Or, the company was just THAT broke in 1995. Mabel with a belly-to-belly suplex to finish at 2:00. Nothing, but it had a point, and made it quickly. DUD

In Your House promo, complete with a look at the Florida home that they gave away as part of the show. Well, no wonder Men on a Mission couldn't afford new tights!

Vince McMahon brings Shawn Michaels and Psycho Sid out to discuss WrestleMania, and Shawn is game for a rematch. However, he decides that Sid can have the night off, since he didn't do him any favors the night before. Hey, three-day weekend! Whoo-hoo! That doesn't sit too well with the big man, however, but it looks like someone ran long, because they cut to commercial right as Sid starts tearing into him, and when we come back, Sid is standing over him after delivering three Powerbombs (off camera), with Diesel running in to make the save. Great segment here, though the fans initial reaction was to cheer Sid (quite vocally, in fact) rather than Shawn.

BUExperience: Very good episode, with lots going on, solid wrestling, and a big, famous angle at the end.