We're fresh from an intriguing event that was In Your House 5: Season's Beatings. Tonight on the card, we have Razor Ramon defending his Intercontinental Title against Yokozuna. Plus, yet another look at the career of Shawn Michaels. But opening action tonight is the returning "Double J" Jeff Jarrett vs Make-a-Difference Fatu. Jarrett ducks a strike and a kick from Fatu early on and struts his stuff, only to eat headbutts, including one to the lower extremities. Jarrett exits the ring to cool off, but Fatu follows. Jarrett gets in some boots, and tries a DDT, but no avail because, you know, stiff Samoan skull. Hard rights by Fatu knock down Double J. Charge in the corner by Fatu, but Jarrett avoids and follows with a spinning neckbreaker.
Jarrett drapes Fatu on the ropes and begins to choke him, following with a knee to the head. Jarrett rams Fatu into the steps as we go to break. When we return, Jarrett goes to the second buckle and lands an ax handle. He succeeds with a second, landing force on the shoulder. Hard whip to the buckle from Jarrett followed by a second. Jarrett goes back up, but this time Fatu gets a strike to the gut. He reverses a whip and catches Jarrett in a powerslam. Big back body drop by Fatu. Clothesline out of the corner and a backbreaker. Cover only gets a two. Running neckbreaker by Fatu who favors the shoulder after landing. This allows for Jarrett to ram him into the corner. So after all the work on the shoulder, obviously he goes for the figure four leg lock.
Ahmed Johnson comes in and attacks Jarrett. He tries a spinebuster, but Jarrett retreats. Ahmed helps up the injured Fatu as the two walk up the entrance. Overall, an okay match, if not a bit bland.
Dok Hendrix is with Gorilla monsoon with news on the Royal Rumble. Hendrix brings up the WWF title match between Bret Hart and the Undertaker. When it comes to Diesel, Monsoon says that he's a big boy and he can wait for his title shot down the line. When it comes to the Rumble match itself, he has thrown out Jeff Jarrett from the match itself. Now Jarrett will face off with Ahmed Johnson instead. Names for the Rumble match will start being added over the weekend.
Video package with Goldust who quotes Romeo is Bleeding. He is watching Razor Ramon's every move as there's a special bond between them that is unbreakable, unimaginable and reeking of the smell of taboo. Razor claims to ooze machismo, so they should ooze it together.
Up next, it's Bob Holly vs "Nature Boy" Buddy Landell. We also get more Dok Hendrix who is still shilling the Wrestlemania Arcade game. Also being shilled is the Wrestlemania Arcade Game strategy VHS. Arm drag by Holly early on followed by a second. Knee to the midsection by Landell who takes Holly to the corner and works in some strikes. Holly comes back with some chops and boots of his own. Landell reverses a whip but eats a big boot from Holly. Another arm drag and some work on the shoulder by Holly, but Landell turns it around into an arm bar of his own followed by a clothesline.
Landell continues offense by ramming Holly into the buckle. Hard whip to the buckle from Landell who follows with a boot to the head and some face raking. Hard fist to the face by Landell and he returns to the arm bar. Holly comes back with a whip to the corner, but Landell comes right back with a boot. Both men exchange strikes, but Landell gets in an STF hold on Holly. He follows with a big back body drop. Cover, but Holly kicks out at two. He turns it around into a front facelock. He then goes for a whip, but Holly gets in a DDT.
Punches by Landell, but Holly jumps right back up. Holly blocks a punch and takes Landell to the corner, landing ten corner punches. Hurricanrana by Holly who peppers some punches to the head. Clotheslines by Holly who covers for two. Landell avoids a dropkick and hits an elbow drop to get the win in a really slow match. Not horrible, but way too long.
It's time for the Brother Love Show with his guest Ted Dibiase. Brother Love talks about Christmas being a week away, but Santa Claus was busy last night. Dibiase says that while it looked to be Santa Claus, but he's not Santa Claus, but Xanta Klaus, the evil Santa of the South Pole. He says that Xanta is like the million dollar man, he takes everything he has. He promises that Xanta will take victory after victory. Dibiase promises that 1996 will be the year of the million dollar corporation with Kama, Sid and the Kid, Xanta and more. This gimmick of Xanta is bad and thank god it has an almost shorter shelf life than Friar Ferguson.
It's main event time as Yokozuna takes on Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental title. Goldust and his usher arrive at the entranceway. He stares on from his director's chair as Razor mankes his way to the ring. Instead of Razor's pyro, gold glitter rains from the ring. This allows for Yoko to get a sneak attack on the bad guy. Razor ducks a clothesline and lays in some rights that send Yoko tumbling outside of the ring. When Yoko comes in as Razor tries for a headlock, only for Yoko to come back with a body slam. Elbow drop attempt by Yoko, but Razor dodges. Razor works the arm as Goldust watches on from the video wall.
Clothesline spot by Razor as he tries to knock Yoko down, only for Yoko to throw him out. Razor comes right back with the clotheslines. Sunset flip attempt, but Yoko jumps down, only for Razor to evade. Razor returns to the arm work, but Yoko takes a Razor to the corner and lands some headbutts. He rakes at the eyes and follows with the hiptoss and a patented long nerve hold. Razor gets up, only to be knocked right back down with a clothesline. Razor blocks a strike by Yoko and lands some of his own. Yoko is stumbling, but still on his feet. Eventually it takes one more strike to knock the big man down. Cover, but Yoko gets the rope.
When we return from break, it's Yoko back into the nerve hold. Razor recovers and gets some strikes, only for Yoko to pummel him in the corner. "USA" chants rain down as Razor finally starts fighting back out of the corner. Jumping clothesline to Yoko. Yoko reverses a whip, but eats a boot and a middle rope bulldog.
The lights begin to flicker as Undertaker comes to ringside with the casket. Good continuity as Yokozuna runs for his life. Taker runs off as Razor wins by count out. Decent match. Nothing amazing, but I liked the whole running shtick of trying to knock Yoko down throughout the match. It's basic slow Yoko stuff, but I feel both men put in a decent effort.
Dok Hendrix interviews Razor Ramon. He asks about the Goldust mind games. Razor says that Goldust sent him a letter that says he thinks he's handsome. He's right, but he don't play that. Razor only like women. Goldust can do his thing, but not with him. Razor says the content of the letter was not for children.
We end Raw once again attempting to garner sympathy for Shawn Michaels. A cheesy music video called "Tell me a lie." Looking back from the days of Rocker Shawn Michaels to his recent issues with having to drop the title from the Syracuse incident. It's stupid, it's 90's, it's shlocky, but dammit, this kind of crap is why I love wrestling to begin with. Only the WWF could take a guy getting his ass kicked for being a prick and treat it as if he's about to frigging die. And thus we end the bizarre year of 1995 in the WWF with the lasting image of Shawn Michaels possibly saying goodbye.
Perhaps the most average edition of Raw in a long time. The action was basic with nothing being too exciting or too offensive. Fatu vs Jarrett was fine and served to continue the feud with Ahmed Johnson. Landell vs Holly was fine, but way too long, and Razor/Yoko was a decent enough TV main event. Other than that, I still find the idea of an evil Santa Claus to be bizarre, even for the mid-90's WWF and I'm sorry, but now this whole Shawn Michaels stuff has jumped the shark from sympathetic to kinda pathetic. Final rating for Raw is a C average. But now with 1995 over and done with, next time we come back to the WWF, it's time for yet another RAWtrospective.
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