WWF Superstars (January 22, 1994)

Original Airdate: January 22, 1994 (taped December 14, 1993)

From Lowell, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Stan Lane

Ludvig Borga v Tom McNeany: I find it really odd that they didn’t cut Borga out of the show here, since on Mania earlier that morning, Todd Pettengill had already announced that he was injured, and thus replaced by Bam Bam Bigelow against Tatanka. I get that this match was already in the can for over a month, and that I’m probably the only one who even cares, but that’s just disappointing continuity. And then they even have Tatanka split screen in to hype the match they had no intention of delivering, to make it even worse. Borga with a torture rack at 2:18. DUD

Gorilla Monsoon is in the control center with Update, announcing that the Quebecers have won the WWF Tag Team title back from Marty Jannetty and 1-2-3 Kid, which means the Hart brothers are once again in the running tonight

Doink the Clown v Cory Student: Dink plays a prank on Student before the bell, since 1994. Meanwhile, Bam Bam Bigelow split screens in to hype getting his hands on Doink tonight. Doink with a quick cradle at 0:23. Well, that was abrupt. DUD

Jim Ross is in the studio for Face to Face with guests Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji

Paul Bearer has the casket loaded up on his… horse drawn carriage… ??... and is on the road to the Rumble. I sincerely hope that workshop isn’t more than a couple of miles from the Civic Center, otherwise there’s no way he gets there in time

Shawn Michaels v John Crystal: We get the guest ring announcer deal for this one. Shawn split screens in with his own Rumble hype, and he’s looking to be in much better shape now than he was prior to the suspension. Maybe he’s even feeling up to having an all time, business changing, generation defining classic in a couple of months, who knows? Michaels with a piledriver at 2:17. Shawn had a great piledriver, I’m not sure why he quit doing it. He had a habit of having really good signature moves that he dropped, and never brought back, not even as a reference later on. Flying fistdrop, piledriver, saito suplex to name a few. I always thought it would have been really cool if he busted out the saito suplex as a desperation move during his last match with Undertaker. ¼*

Todd Pettengill is in the studio for the Royal Rumble Report. Not much here, but it’s worth nothing that Todd openly references stuff that happened on Mania, while also still hyping Tatanka/Borga

The Smoking Gunns v Rick Martel and Adam Bomb: Bomb attacks Billy Gunn from behind to kickstart the contest, but Billy reverses a cross corner whip, and hiptosses him. Armdrag allows Billy an armbar, but Bomb quickly escpaes, and tags out. Rick charges in, but Billy hiptosses him as well, and uses another armdrag into another armbar. Martel slugs free, and grabs a headlock, but Billy makes a blind tag out, and the Gunns hit Rick with a combo. Bart Gunn holds an armbar from there, so Bomb takes a cheap shot, and that turns the tide. The heels cut the ring in half on Bart, but Martel misses a corner charge, and Billy gets the hot tag. He runs wild on Martel, so Bomb comes in, and Roseanne Barr the door! The Gunns clear Adam out, and hit Martel with a tandem Russian legsweep, but Harvey Wippleman runs in for the DQ at 4:14 before they can get the pin. This was energetic enough, but a total cookie cutter contest. Afterwards, Bomb and Martel get heated with each other, which never led to anything on TV, but they had some house show matches with each other. *

Ross is back with Face to Face, with guest Shawn Michaels, who takes offense to Ross asking him who will win the Intercontinental title match at the Rumble

Crush v Dan Dubiel: The Crush/Randy Savage feud remains interesting, though it feels like they’ve kind of been coasting with it in recent weeks. Crush with a clawhold at 2:33. DUD

Raymond Rougeay brings Bret Hart and Owen Hart out to talk about the match tonight, and Bret is rocking those weird short tights from Survivor Series again, though in black. I get that that’s the same thing he wears all the time just without the pants, but no, stop. Stop. Owen talks about all the times Bret came home with a title belt, and how proud the whole family was. Even Bruce? But tonight, he’s getting one as well, and finally mom will love him. Not Stu though, let’s be real

Men on a Mission close with a Royal Rumble rap. Not their best

BUExperience: Can’t say this didn’t fly by.