WWF Superstars (August 5, 1995)

 

Original Airdate: August 5, 1995 (taped July 25)

From Evansville, Indiana; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Dok Hendrix

Shawn Michaels v Skip: The WWF Intercontinental title is not on the line here. And rightly so, this guy jobs to Barry Horowitz. Shawn’s white/gold gear here is one of his best. Sunny distracts Shawn to allow Skip a sneak attack, and he delivers a backdrop right away. A cross corner whip and a corner clothesline lead to a superplex, but Michaels blocks, and dives with a flying axehandle for two. A criss cross ends in Skip dumping him over the top, but Michaels skins the cat, and turnbuckle smashes him. Michaels with a cross corner whip, but the charge in misses, and Skip hits him with a clothesline. Skip with a suplex to set up a 2nd rope legdrop for two, so Michaels uses a sunset flip for two, but Skip cuts him off with another clothesline for two. A bodyslam gets two, so Skip goes to a bow-and-arrow, but a charge ends in him getting backdropped over the top. Shawn stops to mock him about Horowitz on the microphone, and Barry comes out for a distraction. Michaels drags Skip in, and a corner whip sets up a jumping forearm on the rebound. Rollup, but Skip blocks, so Shawn feeds him a superkick at 4:30. This was a decent little match for what it was, though Skip was made to look like a total jobber. Afterwards, Shawn calls Sunny in to cuck Skip over his unconscious body, and she’s totally game, before Michaels turns away to mock her, and Vince laughs it up. Layers. ** 

Dean Douglas vignette, in which he critiques Shawn’s performance in the last match. These continue to be terrible. Again, not the character, just this presentation 

Interim President Gorilla Monsoon promises to be the most ‘fan friendly’ President ever (all two of them), and to prove it, he’s dumping the Michaels/Sycho Sid Intercontinental title match for SummerSlam, instead making Razor Ramon the top contender. Oh, and it will be a ladder match. This was a welcome change at the time, and I wish we got more of this as things went on

Jean-Pierre LaFitte v David Haskins: Them openly talking about how the ladder match at WrestleMania X was the greatest, and that’s why Gorilla is booking a rematch is a new direction for the promotion, where they’re more focused on actively promoting good matches instead of just interesting characters meeting. The New Generation, for all its faults, was the perfect marriage of the storytelling and psychology of earlier eras with the crazy high spots and workrate of the later eras. LaFitte with a flying somersault senton splash at 2:17. Afterwards, LaFitte steals a pair of Bret Hart sunglasses from a kid at ringside. Poor Bret finishes his foot program just in time for his pirate and dentist programs. DUD

Todd Pettengill is in the studio with the SummerSlam Insider. Undertaker sounds so flat out exhausted here. Like, not ‘he’s a dead man’ whisper, but ‘he’s really tired and needs a nap’ whisper

Bam Bam Bigelow v AC Connor: Connor is a pre-fame D-lo Brown, and Dok suggests ‘AC’ stands for ‘air conditioning.’ Surprised they didn’t immediately repackage him as an AC repairman, or something. Maybe Bret could feud with him. Bigelow with a flying headbutt drop at 2:56. DUD

The Allied Powers v The War Machines: There appears to be a lot of clipping with the Network version of the episodes from this period, with almost every match joined in progress, and the total run time only thirty nine minutes, compared to the usual forty six. Apparently, there was an in-ring interview with Mabel that was cut here, though I have no idea why that got dumped. Davey Boy Smith with a running powerslam at 2:23. DUD

Backstage, Skip and Sunny are fuming over the earlier loss, and challenge Horowitz to a rematch

Isaac Yankem vignette

Henry Godwinn v Jerry Flynn: Godwinn shows good energy this week, as the announcers talk about Adam Bomb coming for him for revenge for the slopping. Henry with an inverted DDT at 1:51. ¼*

Goldust teaser

Kama v Scott Taylor: We get a fan doing the ring announcing for this one, and we have Undertaker’s ‘creatures of the night’ hanging around in the first row again. Taylor looks like Bob Holly cosplaying as Marty Jannetty this week. Meanwhile, Razor Ramon arrives at the building via split screen, and the commentators inform him about the SummerSlam match. Razor saying he’s sick of hearing about the ladder match already, just a year removed, is pretty funny, considering we’re still talking about it today. Kama with a spinebuster at 1:19, though the bulk of that was Razor focused. DUD

Todd is back with a second SummerSlam Insider

Backstage, Horowitz accepts Skip’s challenge for next week

BUExperience: A really good episode this week, with lots going on, and a decent feature match.