It's the last Raw before In Your House 5. Tonight we have a stacked card with Bret Hart taking on Bob Backlund in a non-title match. Diesel is in the building, plus Ahmed Johnson is in action. But opening action is Owen Hart vs Brother Nero. It is kind of weird to see Jeff Hardy in a jobber match now, especially considering he and Matt are the freaking Raw tag team champs as of this blog entry.
Strikes by Owen to start thing off. Shoulder block from Owen. Some criss crossing until Jeff gets in a hip toss. Diesel watches on in the back as Owen gets a knee lift to Jeff. Owen lands a backbreaker as the crowd chants "USA". We see Dianna Smith at ringside, since she'll have to choose what side she's on in the WWF title match at In Your House 5 between Bret and Bulldog. Owen lands a snap suplex. He tries to ram Jeff into the Buckle, but Jeff counters with one of his own. Owen comes back with a massive clothesline that sends Jeff spinning. Owen follows with a missile dropkick off the top rope. He teases a sharpshooter, but choses to roll up Jeff instead for the win in a decent squash.
Post-match, Yokozuna makes it into the ring as Owen drags Jeff in position. He lands a massive Banzai Drop to Brother Nero. Owen locks in a sharpshooter as Diesel eventually comes in to make the save. Owen runs off as Diesel lands a clothesline and a boot that sends Yokozuna tumbling out of the ring.
Up next it's Chaparita Asari taking on Aja Kong. Kong rushes Asari to the corner. Asari dodges a clothesline and lands some beautfiful handspring dropkicks. But her offense is stopped by a hard charge of Aja Kong. She hits some hairpull slams. Vince mentions that Canada is finally airing Raw on Mondays while Kong lays in some stiff boots. Suplex from Kong who covers, but picks her right up. Package Piledriver from Kong. Cover, but she again breaks the cover. This is all great ring work ruined by Lawler who cracks fat jokes.
Kong lands a massively stiff kick to the back of Asari and one right to the sternum. Splash by Kong who breaks her cover yet again. Asari tries to fight back, but her dropkick is ineffective. Kong mocks Asari as Asari tries to fight back, only to eat a headbutt. Hard slam from Kong. She goes for a middle rope splash, but misses. Asari tries a corkscrew moonsault, but Kong avoids. Spinning back fist finishes it off and earns Kong the win in a brutal squash. Boy, I can't wait for the big match between Aja Kong and Alundra Blayze for the women's title. Shoulde be a classic.
Or it would, it it weren't time to say goodbye yet again. Not just to one woman, but to an entire division! Yes, the WWF women's divison officially dies as of December 13th, 1995, with this being the final women's match on Raw. Due to the WWF's financial troubles in the mid-90's, and concerns that the women's division was becoming way too stiff (as seen in this match with Aja Kong) McMahon released women's champion Alundra Blayze and the rest of the division. Despite the division offering a hard hitting and energetic alternative to the men's wrestling, it was ultimately considered by the company worth writing off. And women's roles within the company would focus more on sex appeal than athleticism. Makes you appreciate the modern WWE women's division now more than ever.
From Aludra Blayze to Bull Nakano to Bertha Faye to Aja Kong, Heidi Lee Morgan, Chaparita Asari, Kyouko Inoue, Sakie Hasegawa, Tomoko Watanabe and Lioness Asuka, it was a hell of a ride as these women busted their asses and offered matches that more often than not outclassed what the male wrestlers had to offer at the time. Hard hitting moves, high flying offense, exciting action from bell to bell. And a lot of that praise has to be given to Alundra Blayze who always tried her best to put on a hell of a show. I'm definitely going to miss this division and I hope that more people, through this blog or not, check out the matches from this era as they are very much worth a watch. But what is the ultimate fate of the women's championship, and where will Alundra Blayze wind up? Find out in a month or so when WWF's blunder becomes WCW's opportunity to get one over on Vince.
Todd Pettengill interviews Shawn Michaels in his first interview since the collapse three weeks ago. Shawn tells the fans thank you for the outpouring of concern for him and that it means a great deal to him. He says he's not suffering from the symptoms that his doctor has been concerned about. He claims to be feeling fine. Pettengill asks when Shawn is coming back, to which Shawn is still unclear of. He says that he's going to ignore authority and promises to be back soon. He still has some goals left to attain and says that he wants to stick around to see them through. Pettengill asks if that's in jeopardy if Shawn may be forced into retirement. This finally gets to Shawn as he says that this whole thing isn't about any concern for him, but them getting a reaction to that question on camera. He chooses not to dignify the question with a response as we end the interview in a very awkward manner.
Ahmed Johnson is in action next. We get a promo from Dean Douglas who tells Ahmed to hold his family close because at In Your House his meteoric rise comes to an end. Ahmed's opponent Rick Stockhauser gets in a sneak attack to Ahmed, but nothing fases the big man. Ahmed pummels Rick to the corner and catches him in one of the sloppiest spinebusters ever. It's so bad that Ahmed does it a second time. Pearl River Plunge finishes off this mess of a squash match.
Lawler tries interviewing Ahmed again. Mostly it's just a rehash of the same jokes and references he made the last time. Ahmed says that if Dean did his homework, he wouldn't have signed up. He asks for Douglas who is nowhere to be seen. He tells Lawler to take a front row seat and let's get Dean Douglas out here already. Lawler says he'll go to his seat and promises that Ahmed has an appointment with the Dean this Sunday.
We get a weird ass anti-smoking PSA as we get a bunch of wrestlers dressed as Santa (Yoko, Razor, Ahmed and Hakushi) as a kid named Billy (same kid from the "BRET!" ad) picks out the one guy in the middle who told him that smoking's cool and that wrestlers are wimps. This leads to the wrestlers beating the crap out of him. I love bizarre WWF ads, especially around Christmastime.
Lest we forget.
Up next it's the Million Dollar Corporation in the ring with Vince. He brings up how Kid and Dibiase were run off by Razor last week. Dibiase calls Razor a whinin' cryin' bellyachin' greaseball. He's throwing TV sets and chasing the Kid around. He says that when the Kid's in the ring, Sid will be there. He says that there are people who doubt that this team can cut it, but he predicts they will be the next tag team champs after their performance at In Your House. The Kid doesn't worry about the people, he worries about winning and getting the money.
Kid says that Razor is a puppet master and has manipulated him. He praises Jannetty, but he promises victory for him and Sid at In Your House. Sid feels sorry for Marty for being a victim of circumstance. He doesn't feel sorry for Razor as he'll enjoy the things he'll do to him at In Your House. He says that he and the kid are family, and that Jannetty should think of that when they're begging them for forgiveness. He feels sorry for Marty as he doesn't enjoy what he'll do to Marty because he'll do it because he has to. But that's all a lie, becaue he really will enjoy it. The heels laugh as we go to break.
It's main event time up next. Bob Backlund (now coming to the ring to "Hail to the Chief") taking on WWF Champion Bret Hart in a non-title match. Backlund tries takedown on Bret, but Bret quickly avoids and tries to take down Backlund himself. Backlund makes it to the ropes with ease. Test of strength from both men, but Bret turns it into a go behind waistlock. Backlund turns it around, but Bret is quick to take him down, but Backlund gets a headscissors in. Lawler goes off to interview Dianna Smith who is still in the crowd.
Bret has a headlock in on Backlund as Lawler makes it to Dianna. He asks if she wants history to repeat itself from Summerslam 1992. She'd be okay with it. She also supports the new mean streak and gives credit to Jim Cornette for giving Davey Boy a title shot. A very wooden promo from Dianna. More waistlocks and holds from Bret and Backlund during the match. Bret gets a dropkick on Backlund as we go to break. When we return, Bret gets in a backslide for a two count. Backlund sells a bad back as he rolls in and out of the ring.
Bret drags Backlund back in and begins work on the arm with some elbows and some wringers. Backlund avoids offense from Bret and locks in the chicken wing, but Bret makes it to the ropes. After holding it in for several seconds, he finally breaks the hold. Backlund continues to work the weakened shoulderm yankind it out of the socket. Hard whip to the buckle from Backlund who is already trying to reapply the hold, but Bret makes it to the corner. Backlund continues shoulder offense, laying in an elbow to the shoulder and working the arm. Arm bar takedown from Backlund keeping the pressure in on Bret.
More arm-related offense from Backlund until Bret gets up and tries to turn offense around, only to be stiff armed by Backlund. Back to the arm bar from Backlund. Bret presses Backlund's face and wrings the arm. Backlund scoops him, but Bret outweighs Backlund, covering him for two. Roll up by Bret for two as we go to break. We return with a side Russian leg sweep by Bret. Backbreaker and the patented second rope elbow. Bret goes for the sharpshooter...
But British Bulldog enters the ring. Bret is distracted long enough for Backlund to lock in the crossface chicken wing. Bulldog lays in stomps on Bret as referees try to stop him. He takes every cheap shot possible in on Bret before officials finally send him back. Baclund finally breaks the hold as well, only to lock it right back in. Bulldog keeps offense on Bret as Raw goes off the air.
Kind of a boring match honestly. A shame since they've had great matches before (not so much Wrestlemania). Just a lot of basic arm spots and slow death spots. In the end it was more about an angle than an actual match since we need some heat going into this Bret/Bulldog match at In Your House. It worked to add energy to the upcoming match, but as a match itself, Bret/Backlund disappointed.
As for this Raw, it was a decent episode. Owen and Hardy was a decent squash, Ahmed's was a messy squash, we got a decent promo from the corporation and a decent angle building match with Bret and Backlund. The highlight of the show was the women's match for how stiff it was, and the fact that this was the final match for the division makes it a bit more important. Not important to earn this Raw high points like batty Backlund, but still enough to land this Raw a B- rating. When next we tackle the WWF it will be In Your House 5. A battle of In-laws, former friends, and a few more people make their leave. Find out who next time.
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