WWF at Sporthalle (November 13, 1994)

Original Airdate: November 13, 1994

From Cologne, Germany

Opening Match: 1-2-3 Kid v Kwang: From the angle the ring is being filmed, Kwang looks more like Sultan or Quebecer Pierre than Kwang. Kwang stalls to start, for an extended period, actually. They trade holds once things finally get moving, and Kwang dominates with a hammerlock, but Kid snapmares him to escape. Criss cross allows the fast moving Kid to knock him to the outside with a dropkick, but that just means more stalling from the Kster. Kwang manages to pound him down once climbing back inside, and a corner whip sets up a corner spinheel kick that ends with Kid on the outside. Kid beats the count, so Kwang snapmares him into a nervehold to really kick things up a notch. Kid slugs free and throws a bodypress for two, but Kwang cuts him off with a big boot before he can make a proper comeback. Back to the nervehold, until Kid escapes, and lands a spinheel kick this time. Kwang cuts him off again with a superplex, but Kid manages to block, and he dives with a flying bodypress - only to have Kwang roll through for two! Kwang with a bodyslam to set up a somersault senton splash, but Kid rolls out of the way, and makes a comeback. Backdrop gets him two, but a charge gets sidestepped, and Kid goes crashing out of the ring. Kwang tries suplexing him back in, but Kid counters with a rollup for two. That triggers a desperation spinheel kick from Kwang, but Kid ducks, and Oklahoma rolls him at 13:16. This got really good in the last couple of minutes, but man was it boring before then. ¾*

Pierre v Bob Holly: It’s interesting how Pierre was off TV for nearly a full year, during which time I always just assumed he’d gone to the indys, but in actuality he never left the promotion at all, he was just not working TV. Joined in progress with Pierre bodyslamming him, and unloading in the corner. Shoulderblock connects, but Holly gets the better of a criss cross with a hiptoss, and he uses a bodyslam of his own. Clothesline knocks Pierre over the top, and Bob is on him with a plancha! Holly tries a headscissors takedown on the way back in, but Pierre crotches him on the top rope to block, and he adds a legdrop to the groin. Elbowdrop gets two, so he works a bearhug, but Holly escapes, so Pierre dumps him to the outside for a baseball slide. Holly uses a series of turnbuckle smashes on the way back in, but Pierre rolls through a flying bodypress for two, and clobbers Bob with a clothesline for two. Sitout gutwrench powerbomb gets him two, so Pierre works a chinlock, but Holly slugs free. Pierre responds with a swinging neckbreaker for two, and a straddling ropechoke gets two. Backbreaker sets up a flying splash for two, and a bodyslam sets up a 2nd rope legdrop for two. Cross corner whip works, but the charge in doesn’t, and Holly barrels out with a clothesline. Pierre still recovers first, and gets to the top with a flying somersault senton splash, but Holly rolls out of the way. He makes a comeback, delivering a dropkick for two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying elbowdrop, but Pierre lifts his boot to block. Holly wasn’t afraid of the ball at all on that one. Pierre rolls over to make a cover for two, but he argues the count, allowing Holly a sunset flip for two. Pierre with a cradle of his own for two, but Bob reverses for the pin at 11:27 shown. I’m pretty sure only seconds were cut out of this one, so it’s basically complete, and a damn fine match, actually. Both guys were working hard here, and did a good job of telling their story. ** ¾ 

Diesel v Fatu: Diesel attacks as Fatu jaws with WWF Tag Team Champion Shawn Michaels, but the big man makes the mistake of trying a turnbuckle smash, and Fatu takes him down for a headbutt drop to the groin. Cross corner whip, but Diesel reverses, and clobbers him with a clothesline on the rebound. Shawn is quick with a cheap shot ahead of Diesel’s straddling ropechoke, and the big man unloads in the corner. Fatu ends up on the outside, so Shawn blasts him with a superkick out there, but Diesel makes the mistake of trying a facebuster as Fatu gets back in, and he ends up eating a pair of superkicks himself. Fatu goes to the top, but Shawn knocks him off before he can dive, and Diesel capitalizes with a big boot. Powerbomb, and Fatu is finished at 4:18. Little more than a squash, and that’s fine, considering where Diesel was headed before the month was out. Shawn was incredible during this period, working harder than the guys in the match when managing. And I realize that sounds like a big knock on Diesel and whoever his opponent is, but it isn’t - Diesel was working hard too, Shawn just enhanced his act tremendously. Afterwards, we get a bit of foreshadowing, as Diesel holds Fatu for Shawn to abuse, but Michaels ends up hitting his big buddy, and they nearly come to blows before cooling off. *

Mabel v Jeff Jarrett: Jeff stalls forever, the first contact not coming until about three and a half minutes in. Jeff tries messing with him during a criss cross, but Mabel stays focused, and lets him have it. Spinheel kick knocks Jeff to the outside, since I guess we haven’t gotten enough non-action yet in this one. More stalling, until Mabel gets hold of him, and slams him around a little. Jarrett’s speed allows him to avoid the big man long enough to hit a bodypress for two, and he works Mabel over. Mabel tries a sitdown splash, but misses, allowing Jeff to hook the leg for two, and he works a chinlock from there. Mabel escapes and delivers a bodyslam, and a shoulderblock knocks Jarrett to the outside. Mabel follows, but misses an avalanche against the post. That allows Jeff to go after Oscar, and the idiot gets himself counted out at 12:07. This was really boring, and had a dumb finish to boot. DUD

The Smoking Gunns v The Heavenly Bodies: Billy Gunn and Tom Prichard start, with Billy dominating. Tag to Bart Gunn with a press-slam, so Tom tags out to Jimmy Del Ray. Bart gets into trouble, allowing the Bodies to take control, and they cut the ring in half on him. Finally, Del Ray misses a flying splash to allow the hot tag to Billy, and Roseanne Barr the door, we’ve got a kettle on! Pinfall reversal sequence ends in a backslide on Del Ray at 17:16. This was every Smoking Gunns/Heavenly Bodies match you’ve ever seen, just longer. ¼*

Davey Boy Smith v Jim Neidhart: Lots of posturing and playing to the crowd early on, and Bulldog dominates some feeling out exchanges. until Neidhart manages to clobber him, and he takes control with a cobra clutch. Davey escapes and tries a sunset flip, but Neidhart blocks, and clobbers him again for two. Chinlock, but Smith fights free, so Anvil goes to a bearhug next. Davey fights free, so Anvil corner whips him, but hits Bulldog’s boot while charging. That allows Davey to make a comeback, and a hanging vertical suplex gets him two. Monkeyflip, but Neidhart counters to a leveraged cradle - the referee stopping at two when he sees the feet on the ropes. Jim thinks he’s won, however, and Bulldog is able to sneak up with a schoolboy at 11:05. This was absolute trash, with both guys turning in very lazy performances. DUD

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v King Kong Bundy: Bret tries slugging at the big man early on, but gets nailed with a backelbow, and Bundy goes to work in the corner. Cross corner whip works, but the charge in hits boot, and Bret fires off a series of rights. Bodypress gets him two, so he grabs a wristlock, but Bundy fights him off, and delivers a kneedrop for two. Chinlock, but Hart fights to a vertical base, and throws a pair of shoulderblocks, before getting clobbered with a knee. Bundy with another kneedrop for two, so he dumps Bret to the outside, and then just stands there like he’s trying for the countout. More like Dumb Dumb Bundy. Bret beats it, so Bundy tries yet another kneedrop, but Hart dodges this time, and starts making a comeback. Hangman’s clothesline gets the champion two, and a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop is worth two. 2nd rope bulldog gets two, so Bundy removes a top turnbuckle pad. Unfortunately for him, Bret sweeps the leg and hits a slingshot splash before he can use it, so Bundy goes low. That allows him to try for the exposed buckle, but Hart reverses, and hooks the leg at 7:43. Bret was trying here. *

BUExperience: There’s an interesting Holly/Pierre match underneath, but the rest is straight up terrible, and it really felt like almost the entire roster just didn’t give a shit anymore around this period, with the house show quality falling off a cliff.

DUD