WWF Superstars (January 7, 1995)

 

Original Airdate: January 7, 1995 (taped December 14, 1994)

From Newark, Delaware; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler

WWF Tag Team Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Well Dunn v 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly: Kid and Holly are replacements for the Smoking Gunns, as Bart Gunn has suffered an injury, and can’t compete. Steven Dunn starts with Kid, and Kid out moves him. Tag to Holly for stereo dropkicks, so Timothy Well runs in, but the babyfaces clean house. The dust settles on Well and Holly, and Well pounds him into the corner, but takes a headscissors, and Bob adds a bodyslam. Bob with a dropkick ahead of an armdrag into an armbar, and he tags to Kid, who promptly takes a bump over the top when Dunn pulls the top rope down during a criss cross. That turns the tide, and Well Dunn work Kid over, as Billy Gunn split screens in to wish Kid and Holly well. Kid fights off a double team to allow the hot tag, and Holly runs wild, Roseanne Barr the door! Well takes a bump into the steps on the outside, allowing Holly to dive at Dunn with a (sloppy) flying sunset flip at 6:39. I really liked Kid and Holly as a team (at the time, and now), and it’s a shame they didn’t do more with them. * ¼ 

Live Event News is a look at the upcoming Semifinal match between the Headshrinkers and Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka

Bob Backlund v Bob Knight: Vince hypes up Shawn Michaels in Backlund’s corner at house shows where Bob challenges Diesel for the WWF Title, which is a very weird pairing, to be sure. Bob with the crossface chickenwing at 2:08. DUD

Todd Pettengill is in the studio for the Royal Rumble Report. Diesel’s work is getting worse and worse by the week

Mabel v Iron Mike Sharpe: The announcers hype up the ‘big anniversary show’ for RAW… all of two years in. Gosh, hard to believe it was such a young show once. Mabel with a splash at 1:41. DUD

Shawn Michaels hosts the Heartbreak Hotel, with guests King Kong Bundy and Ted DiBiase. Apparently Bundy is the ‘odds on favorite’ to win - “except for Bob Backlund,” notes McMahon. Man, with star power like that, no wonder it did a massive buyrate

Davey Boy Smith v Mike Khoury: We get a fan doing the ring announcing here. Bulldog is also apparently ‘odds on favorite.’ The betting line on this thing must have been something. Smith with a running powerslam at 1:37. Bulldog came in with a lot of fanfare, but his run has been a total dud thus far. As was this match. DUD

Mantaur v Walt Snow: This is Mantaur’s debut, and the crowd is less than impressed. Mantaur with a clothesline and a splash at 1:44, as the crowd laughs at him. DUD

Live Event News is yet another look at the tag title tournament

BUExperience: A weak episode this week, as the Rumble build has been pretty forgettable thus far, and the tag title tournament isn’t exactly a classic.