WWF Superstars (June 17, 1995)

 

Original Airdate: June 17, 1995 (taped June 6)

From Wheeling, West Virginia; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Dok Hendrix

Jerry Lawler is walking around barefoot in a horse stable to get his feet ready for the Kiss My Foot match at King of the Ring

Bret Hart v Henry Godwinn: Godwinn with a waistlock takedown, but Bret gets into the ropes, and manages an armdrag into an armbar. Godwinn escapes, and tries a clothesline, but Bret ducks, and gets a side-headlock on. Hiptoss, but Godwinn counters with a short-clothesline, and hammers on the Hitman. Backdrop, but Bret blocks. He looks for a rollup, but Godwinn dumps him to the outside to block, so Hart uses a slingshot sunset flip for two on the way back in. Another armdrag into an armbar, but Godwinn slugs free, and dumps him across the top rope. Godwinn adds an elbowdrop for two, and a bodyslam sets up another elbowdrop for two. Henry goes to a chinlock from there, but Bret escapes, so Godwinn corner whips him with authority. Godwinn with a backelbow for two, and he works a camel clutch, but Bret escapes. He uses another sunset flip for two, but Godwinn cuts him off with a right hand, and a bodyslam sets up a 2nd rope kneedrop, though the Hitman dodges. Hart makes a comeback, landing a bulldog for two, and a Russian legsweep for two. Hart with a backbreaker to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, so Henry tries bailing, but Hart keeps him inside with a headbutt drop to the groin. Hart hammers him on the ropes as Jerry Lawler wanders out, and Bret gives chase. That allows Godwinn to attack, but Bret reverses him into the post. But, instead of going in, he chases Lawler to the back, and we get a double countout at 8:10. Bret was outstanding, as usual, but Godwinn had his working boots on as well. It was a strong match before the storyline kicked in to overshadow the work, though I don’t fault the booking there, since the point is to sell the pay per view, not put Hart over Godwinn. ** ¼ 

Backstage, Dok catches up with a fuming Hitman

The Blu Brothers v John Smith and Gus Kantarakis: Hendrix is still doing foot puns here, as McMahon entertains himself by saying ‘Kantarakis’ as many times as he can. It’s lost all meaning! The Brothers at 3:37. DUD

Todd Pettengill is in the studio for the King of the Ring Report, and we have complete brackets! If Razor Ramon didn’t get legitimately injured, was he meant to make it to the finals to lose to Mabel? Because, if so, the ‘one night Cinderella story’ with Savio Vega was actually a much better story. It didn’t work, especially, but it was a better story

Man Mountain Rock v Kenny Kendall: That WWF logo guitar is actually pretty cool. I would totally own one. Meanwhile, Kendall looks like Matthew McConaughey if he were cast in Iron Claw. Rock with the fujiwara armbar at 2:13. I kind of think the wrestler/rocker gimmick has some potential, but Rock was going nowhere fast in this run. DUD

Backstage, WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett gets ready for his match. Why did they go back to the black leather version of the belt randomly here? 

Jeff Jarrett v John Syznowski: The title is not on the line here. We don’t get an entrance, so my guess is that Jeff had the white leather version of the belt here, and they didn’t want to show it. Jarrett with the figure four at 2:12. And nope, he has the black leather belt, so no idea why that was. DUD

Earlier this week on the World Tour deForce, Vince caught up with WWF Champion Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow to discuss King of the Ring. Diesel still seems completely miserable here

Jean-Pierre LaFitte v Reginald Walker: Some different jobbers on this show this week. And Walker is huge, he dwarfs LaFitte! I’m kind of surprised he didn’t get a shot just based on his look alone. LaFitte with a flying somersault senton splash at 2:35. LaFitte was fired up here. ¼*

The WWF blimp is flying over New York City. The promotion has officially entered a new boom period

Pedro Morales and George Steele are announced for the 1995 Hall of Fame class

Waylon Mercy vignette. That poor worm!

Savio Vega dances it up at the Puerto Rican Day festival in New York. But was the blimp there?

Barry Didinsky hypes the new Diesel t-shirt

Savio Vega v Bob Cook: We get a fan doing the ring announcing here, and Savio now has his name shaved into his hair. Oh man, talk about really terrible trends that hopefully stay in the 90s forever. Vega with a cradle at 1:15. DUD

Pettengill is back with another King of the Ring Report

BUExperience: Hart/Godwinn was pretty good, and the push for King of the Ring was mostly on point, though pretty much none of the guys featured this week even appeared at the pay per view.