WWF Superstars (December 23, 1995)

 

Original Airdate: December 23, 1995 (taped December 19)

From Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Mr. Perfect

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Smoking Gunns v Skip and Rad Radford: Billy Gunn starts with Radford, and manages a few takedowns, so Rad tags out. Skip hiptosses Billy, but wastes time gloating, and gets taken down. A criss cross ends in the challengers colliding, and Billy rolls Skip up for two. Skip slides out of the ring to get in Rad’s face over the collision, but the dust settles, and Rad comes in with Billy. Billy gets a headlock on, and he passes to Bart Gunn for a bodyslam to set up a kneedrop. The Gunns with a tandem Russian legsweep for one, and they continue to dominate Rad with quick tags and combos, but Bart wastes time sexually assaulting Sunny, and Skip nails him. Well, he had that coming, frankly. Just because she’s a bitch doesn’t mean it’s okay. The challengers fail to capitalize on nailing Bart, and end up getting thrown into one another, before Billy pins Radford at 4:44. This was pretty much a squash. It’s kind of crazy that the Bodydonnas ended up with the tag title a few months later, because Skip’s run thus far has been a complete joke. Afterwards, a furious Sunny fires Radford from being a potential Bodydonna. *

Dok Hendrix is in his living room for the Royal Rumble Slam Jam. What’s the deal with the setting this week?

WWF holiday greeting spot

Xanta Klaus v Scott Taylor: I didn’t realize Xanta actually worked a match, I thought it was a one off. Though, apparently this was his one and only match, which makes it all the weirder. They obviously had no plans for the character beyond this, so what was the point? Meanwhile, Ted DiBiase split screens in to announce that he’s found a new Million Dollar champion. Xanta with a camel clutch at 1:31. DUD

Buddy Landel v Matt Hardy: The announcers discuss the real blizzard going on outside before the match, which is kind of fitting, since it was after this taping that Landel slipped on the ice and sustained the injury that killed his proposed push after only four matches. Buddy with an elbowdrop at 2:32. Even without the injury, I can’t see this gig working out for Buddy. DUD

Last Sunday, after In Your House went off the air, Todd Pettengill caught up with Undertaker in the locker room, moments after Undertaker had been announced as the top contender for Bret Hart’s WWF Title at the Rumble. But before he can say much, Diesel storms in to get in his face

Henry Godwinn v Brooklyn Brawler: No mention of the Hog Pen match, oddly. And even Godwinn’s split screen promo doesn’t mention it, instead focusing on wanting a spot in the Rumble match. Godwinn with an inverted DDT at 1:59. DUD

RAW Bowl ad

Davey Boy Smith v Marty Jannetty: A distraction from Jim Cornette allows Bulldog a sneak attack, but Marty blocks him coming into the corner, and backelbows Smith down for two. Jannetty goes to a headlock, but Bulldog reverses. A criss cross allows Jannetty a monkey flip for two, and he goes to an armbar from there. Davey forces another criss cross, but Jannetty wins it with a bodypress for two, and a pair of armdrags lead to a dropkick, and Smith begs off in the ropes. Smith stalls a bit, allowing him to regroup, and win the next exchange with a snapmare into a chinlock. Marty slugs free, but runs into a knee while charging, and Bulldog adds a matslam. Smith uses a tree of woe, and a hanging vertical suplex gets him two. Back to the chinlock, until Marty escapes, and uses a crucifix for two. Davey cuts him off, and goes back to the hold. Jannetty fights free, but runs into a press-drop across the top rope, and Bulldog puts the boots to him until Marty falls out of the ring - where Cornette is ready and waiting. Jannetty beats the count, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets nailed. Bulldog tries a backdrop of his own, but Jannetty counters with a facebuster, and a rocker dropper follows. Marty keeps coming with a snapmare to set up a dive, but Cornette pulls Bulldog out before Jannetty can leap. Jannetty responds with a baseball slide, and he dives with a flying bodypress on the way back in, but Davey catches him in a running powerslam at 9:08. Solid action, if a little low key. * ¼ 

Dok is back with another Royal Rumble Slam Jam

Hakushi with the ho ho hos

Shawn Michaels Tell Me A Lie music video. This was a hell of a deal

BUExperience: A pretty solid, holiday episode this week. Even with Xanta Klaus.