WWF at Madison Square Garden (August 25, 1994)

Original Airdate: August 25, 1994

From New York, New York

Adam Bomb v Kwang: Looks like we’re skipping the Pierre/Thurman Sparky Plugg opener. Adam is a babyface now, apparently. I could’ve sworn that turn wasn’t until 1995, but there you go. Kwang attacks as Adam steps into the ring, but Bomb quickly fights him off, and a bodyslam sends Kwang bailing for the outside. Adam chases to smash him into the steps out there, and a slingshot clothesline finds the mark on the way back in. Adam goes for the mask, so Harvey Wippleman protests, and the distraction allows Kwang to recover with a legsweep. Powerslam sets up an elbowdrop, but Adam rolls out of the way, and delivers a standing dropkick. Cross corner whip, but Kwang reverses, then follows in with a spinheel kick. Kwang works him over, until they collide, and Adam gets to the top. Kwang cuts him off, however, and a vertical superplex gets Kwang two. Somersault senton splash, but Adam rolls out of the way, and makes a comeback. DDT finishes at 9:55. ¾*

The Bushwhackers v The Heavenly Bodies: Whole lotta nothing in the early going, as both teams play to the crowd. Finally, the Bodies just attack, but the Bushwhackers fight them off, and clean house. They do the usual stupid comedy match, until the Bushwhackers hit the battering ram, but get clobbered before they can put it away, and then pinned at 11:20. DUD

WWF Women's Title Match: Alundra Blayze v Bull Nakano: Blayze stupidly offers a handshake, and gets clobbered. Bull tries a powerbomb, but Blayze blocks, and throws a dropkick. Another one, but Bull blocks, and chucks the champion across the ring by the hair a few times. Matslam sets up a legdrop for two, and Nakano works a chinlock from there. She shifts to a mat-based abdominal stretch when Blayze gets too close to the ropes, but Blayze counters a pop-up powerbomb with a rana for two. Blayze adds a spinkick, but Bull ducks a second one, and delivers a chokeslam. Boston crab follows, but Blayze won’t quit, so Bull leaves her by the ropes for Luna Vachon to abuse. Bull slaps on a surfboard sharpshooter once Luna’s done having her fun, and a catapult under the bottom rope chokes the champion. Nakano with a bootchoke from there, but a whip into the ropes backfires when Blayze comes at her with a matslam. Another pair of them get the champion two, but Bull counters a powerbomb with a backdrop. Blayze quickly pops up with a schoolboy for two, but Nakano bodyslams her before she can proceed, and adds a splash for two. Clothesline connects, but a corner whip backfires when Blayze busts out a backslide for two. Rana, but Bull counters with a powerbomb for two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying legdrop, but Blayze rolls out of the way. That allows the champion a sloppy victory roll for two, so Bull tries clobbering her with another clothesline, but Alundra is ready with a bridging German suplex at 8:12. ** ¼ 

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Headshrinkers v Diesel and Shawn Michaels: This seems like kind of a waste of the Intercontinental champion. I mean, it’s not like they were going to put the… oh. Fatu starts with Shawn, and a big criss cross ends in Fatu delivering an inverted atomic drop. Samu comes in for a combo, with Michaels doing a crazy oversell, and bump over the top for them. The celebration is short lived, however, as Diesel comes in and clobbers both champions. He gets overwhelmed trying to fight both, though, and the champions clean house. The challengers stall, so the Headshrinkers drag them back in, and whip them into each other - only for Shawn to leapfrog Diesel, but then charge right into getting backdropped clear over the top rope! The champs deliver stereo headbutts to send Diesel out with him, and the challengers wisely regroup out there. Dust settles on Samu and Diesel, and they trade wristlocks. Samu gets the better of it, and he passes to Fatu for stereo chops, ahead of Fatu delivering a headbutt drop to the groin. Cheap shot from Shawn, but Fatu no sells, and Michaels ends up taking another big bump on the apron. The distraction allows Diesel to knock Fatu out of the ring, however, and Michaels drops him across the guardrail out there. Inside, Diesel adds an elbowdrop for two, and the challengers go to work on Fatu. They miss a rocket launcher, and Fatu nearly makes the tag out, but Shawn forces him into a criss cross to prevent it. The criss cross results in a double knockout spot, and that allows Fatu to finally make the tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Shawn goes into bump overdrive, but manages to knock Fatu off the top rope to save Diesel from taking a flying splash. Pretty nice bump from Fatu there, in his own right. Shawn grabs the title belt, but a swing accidentally hits Diesel, and Fatu knocks the belt away from him with a superkick. Everyone including the referee is left down after that sequence, and Fatu gets an arm across Diesel’s chest for a dramatic two. Small package, but Shawn rolls the cradle over to give Diesel two, so Samu takes HBK out. That allows Fatu to dive with a flying splash, so Michaels hits him with the title belt to save. Fatu no sells, and steals the belt away - getting some revenge with it just in time for the recovering referee to spot it for a DQ at 17:45. The timing on that finish, from all the players, was just impeccable. Say what you will about his politics, but you really can’t deny what a worker Michaels was. Bret Hart may be my all time favorite wrestler, but one thing I’m really appreciating more and more is just how hard Michaels would work on the house shows compared to him during this period. ***

Mabel and Doink the Clown v Bam Bam Bigelow and Jeff Jarrett: Doink and Jeff slug it out to start, and Doink uses a hiptoss to send Jarrett into a tag. Doink passes as well, and we get the battle of the Bam Bams! Okay, no, but that’s still stuck in my head. Bigelow with an enzuigiri for two, but Mabel throws back a spinheel kick for two. Mabel with a shoulderblock to set up a splash, but Bam Bam rolls out of the way. That allows Bigelow a corner whip, but Mabel rebounds with a clothesline, and he tags Doink for stereo backelbows. Doink works an armbar from there, but Bigelow goes to the eyes, and tags. The heels try a double team, but Doink fights it off - only to waste time gloating, and get clobbered. That allows Jarrett to toss him over the top, and Bigelow is waiting on the outside to let him have it. The heels work Doink over, but he manages to reverse a vertical suplex on Jarrett, and that allows the tag to the big man. Mabel comes in hot, and he squashes Jeff with an avalanche, but takes too long following up, and eats a clothesline from Bigelow at 5:42. Thankfully they played this as a straight wrestling match, without all the Dink bullshit. *

Indian Strap Match: Tatanka v Irwin R Schyster: IRS attacks before they can hook up the strap, and he dumps Tatanka to the outside for a trip to the steps. Inside, they finally hook up, and IRS keeps the hurt on, using the strap to clothesline Tatanka down for a choke. Irwin randomly stops to go pose on the ropes (despite never doing that before in his entire career), and, of course, Tatanka uses the strap to pull him off. Tatanka chokes him down, and hogties IRS for a trip to the corners, but he only makes it to two before Irwin cuts him off. Irwin unloads with the strap, and they spill to the outside for a weak brawl. Tatanka gets the better of it, and uses the strap to crotch Irwin a few times ahead of an inverted atomic drop. He goes for the corners again, but stops after three, electing to whip him instead of trying for the fourth. Suplex, but IRS reverses, and adds an elbowdrop. IRS goes for the corners, and the referee is oddly fine with calling them even if he isn’t really ‘dragging’ Tatanka there, just touching them with Tatanka miles away. He makes three, but Tatanka catches them as well, and they slug it out for the final corner - Tatanka accidentally chopping him right into the win at 7:37. I don’t generally like strap matches, and this didn’t do much to change that. ¼*

Main Event: Bret Hart and Razor Ramon v Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart: Bret and Owen start, with Owen playing the usual mind games. They trade hammerlocks, with Bret getting the better of it, so Owen tries criss crossing, but the Hitman is ready with a crucifix for two. He grabs an armbar from there, so Owen goes to the hair, and tries a hiptoss, but Bret reverses. A frustrated Owen charges, but Bret is ready with an armdrag, and he schoolboys for two. Another schoolboy gets another two, and Owen is furious, bailing to the outside to regroup. Tags all around, and Anvil powers Razor around to start. Razor forces a criss cross to allow him a drop-toehold, and he gets an armbar on, so Jim tries a bodyslam, but Ramon holds on through the hold. Tag to Owen, but Razor is ready with a clothesline, and Hart bails. He tries to convince the referee that there was some cheating going on, and then gets Razor in a headlock, but Ramon quickly escapes. Dropkick, but Ramon blocks with a catapult into Neidhart - which they botch. Not sure what went wrong there, but it looked terrible. Razor's Edge, but Neidhart cuts it off, and the heels put Ramon down with a tandem clothesline. The heels work Ramon over, until Razor manages to fight Owen off with a chokeslam, and block interference from Neidhart to allow the tag. Bret comes in hot, hitting Owen with an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline for two right away. Small package gets him two, and a backbreaker sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Neidhart runs in, but Bret dodges the attack, and bashes their heads together. The heels manage to catch him with a Hart Attack, but Razor saves Bret from getting covered. That allows Bret to try a bodyslam, but Neidhart shoves him over for Owen to topple into a pin - only for the momentum to carry over into a reversal at 14:45. This was basic, but fine. * ½ 

BUExperience: Shawn Michaels going back on the road reaps immediate returns, as he works harder than anyone on the show, and has the best match. I wouldn’t call this a particularly noteworthy Garden card, but it was better than some of the other dogshit house shows from this period.

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