WWF at Madison Square Garden (June 10, 1995)

 

Original Airdate: June 10, 1995

From New York, New York

Bob Backlund v Man Mountain Rock: Bob with lots of stalling to start, literally four minutes of it, until Rock grabs him in a waistlock takedown. Bob flips out, allowing Rock a schoolboy for the pin at 4:37. Yes, one takedown and a cradle. That’s it for four minutes. Was there an injury they were dealing with, or something? DUD

Owen Hart v Savio Vega: Yokozuna distracts Savio, allowing Owen to sneak attack, but Vega reverses a cross corner whip, and backdrops the rebounding Hart. Savio with a bodyslam to set up mounted punches, and a cross corner whip leads to a ten-punch count. Vega with another backdrop, and a clothesline sends Owen over the top! Vega follows to smash Hart’s head together with Yoko’s, and Savio keeps control as they head back inside, but stupidly gets distracted by an angry Yoko, and Owen dropkicks him out of the ring. Yokozuna sends Savio into the steps out there (hey, fair, payback), and Owen rolls him in to put the boots to. Hart with a leg-feed enzuigiri for two, and he grabs a sleeper, but Vega manages to escape. Hart responds with a turnbuckle smash, but Vega reverses, and goes on the comeback trail. Savio goes to the backdrop well one time too many, however, and gets kicked in the kisser, but still manages to reverse a cross corner whip to set up a schoolboy at 7:23. These two always had chemistry, but never had great chemistry. Like, you could reliably book them and know that the match would be decent, even if it was never beyond just that level. * ¾ 

Bam Bam Bigelow v Tatanka: Tatanka tries a sneak attack, but gets launched over the top, and Bam Bam follows for a bodyslam on the floor. Bigelow adds a vertical suplex out there, and he leaves Tatanka to take the count, but Tatanka stalls, so Bam Bam chases… and gets his eyes poked. That allows Tatanka to put the boots to him on the way back in, but Bigelow reverses a whip into the ropes, and throws a shoulderblock. Clothesline, but Tatanka ducks, and delivers a bodypress for two. Again, but this time Bam Bam catches him in a spinebuster, and he adds a headbutt drop for two. Bigelow with a cross corner whip, but an avalanche misses, and Tatanka uses a Samoan drop. No cover, and Bam Bam gets to his feet, so Tatanka clotheslines him over the top. Bam Bam beats the count, so Tatanka puts the boots to him. Bam Bam tries a leg-feed enzuigiri, but misses, and Tatanka goes to a chinlock. Bigelow fights to a vertical base and escapes, but a bodyslam ends up bumping the referee, and there’s no one to count after Bam Bam delivers the flying headbutt drop. That allows Ted DiBiase to come in, but Bigelow chases him away, and keeps Tatanka at bay with a DDT. Bam Bam goes upstairs for a moonsault, but DiBiase knocks him off the top rope, and Tatanka hooks the leg at 6:38. Another pairing with reliably solid chemistry. **

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Jeff Jarrett v Adam Bomb: It’s just not the same without Vince McMahon marking out over Jarrett’s gear. Bomb powers him around to start, so Jeff tries to hold an overhead armbar, but Bomb shrugs him off. Jeff tries a side-headlock, but Bomb throws him off, so Jarrett just decides to bail. Bomb gets frustrated, so Jeff sweeps the leg, but then blows his lead, and Bomb uses an atomic drop to set up a clothesline for two. Adam with a wristlock from there, so Jeff tries to criss cross, but gets powerslammed. Bomb adds a clothesline over the top, so Jeff decides to walk out, but Savio Vega blocks his path. And then Bomb stupidly wastes time celebrating with him, and Jarrett clobbers him. Jeff with a straddling ropechoke, and a cross corner whip follows. Jeff adds a swinging neckbreaker for two, and a 2nd rope clothesline finds the mark. Bomb manages a bodypress for two, but Jarrett nails him with a dropkick for two before Adam can follow up. Sleeper, but Bomb escapes, so Jeff tries a backdrop, but eats a DDT. Bomb makes a comeback from there, so Jeff tries a leveraged cradle, but Vega snitches to the referee. Jeff goes after him, allowing Bomb a schoolboy for two, but he misses a charge, and goes spilling out of the ring. Instead of going after him, Jarrett goes to fight with Savio instead, and ends up getting himself counted out at 11:26, since he didn’t notice Bomb getting back inside. This was okay. * ½ 

Main Event: Cage Match: Shawn Michaels v Sycho Sid: Shawn is a sub for WWF Champion Diesel, who is injured. Shawn jumps in and attacks the big man to kick start the match, and he delivers a bodypress to set up some matslams. A jumping backelbow connects, and Shawn sends him into the cage, then delivers a facebuster. Shawn tries to escape, but Sid pulls him back in, and Michaels takes a big bump down, of course. Sid tries to climb, but Shawn hooks a waistlock to block him, so Sid tags him with an elbow. Sid corner whips him a couples of times to rattle the ring, but misses a charge in, and Shawn tries climbing. Sid follows, and they slug it out on the top rope, won by Sid (with Michaels again taking a big bump down). Sid swings over the top of the cage, but Shawn hooks the inside leg to keep him in, and he manages to get Sid crotched on the top rope. Shawn crawls for the door, but Ted DiBiase slams it in his face, and Sid recovers. Why did they keep saddling Sid with managers, anyway? Like, what did DiBiase or Harvey Wippleman add to that guy’s act? Sid goes to town in the corner, and a cross corner whip sees Michaels flip into the buckles. Sid climbs, but Michaels pulls him off again, so Sid stomps him. Shawn throws a few rights to the gut to buy time, but Sid clobbers him before he can get anywhere real, and he gives him a trip into the cage ahead of a backbreaker. Sid climbs, but Shawn pulls him off, and makes some desperate attempts for the door that Sid easily cuts off. He chucks Michaels into the cage, and then decides to climb, but Michaels cuts him off as he’s nearly out. Sid tries a backdrop, but Michaels counters with a DDT, and he scrambles up the cage. He makes it over the top, but Sid grabs a handful of hair to stay in the game. He drags Michaels back to the top of the cage for a slam off, and before they actually completed the spot, I thought there’s no way in hell Michaels would take that kind of bump on a house show, but there it is. Just wild! You can’t say he didn’t deserve his push. Sid adds a chokeslam, and the powerbomb kills Michaels dead. Sid goes for the door, but DiBiase makes the classic heel mistake of telling him to do another powerbomb first. And, indeed, Shawn blocks by sending him into the cage, and Michaels climbs out at 15:12. Shawn was selling and bumping his little chili pepper heart out here, but Sid wasn’t game to do much aside from whatever Shawn held his hand through. * ¼ 

BUExperience: This version omits Aldo Montoya/Skip, Smoking Gunns/Men on a Mission, Doink the Clown/Jean Pierre LaFitte, and Duke Droese/Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and other than missing HHH’s Madison Square Garden debut, I wouldn’t call that any real loss. 

What’s left certainly isn’t anything special, but everything is decent enough, and it’s a watchable house show.

**