We open Raw with some major events from the Action Zone. There's a new member to the Million Dollar Corporation, it's none other than Sycho Sid. Didn't take him long to find new work. We're still deep in Poughkeepsie for this set of Raw tapings. Vince and Lawler are live via green screen. We learn from Lawler that next week Diesel will defend the WWF title against another Million Dollar Corporation member, Bam Bam Bigelow.
Opening action tonight is Duke "The Dumpster" Droese taking on the debuting Jean Pierre LaFitte. Vince and Lawler have an argument about gold coins and dubloons as LaFitte starts by denying a handshake and getting some strikes in the corner. Droese fights out, but LaFitte gets a flying forearm. Shoulder block by Drose followed by a hip toss and a body slam and a dropkick. He clotheslines LaFitte over the top rope.
Droese brings LaFitte back in with a back elbow and a knee drop for two. He whips LaFitte into the corner and goes for a charge, but misses and gets a sternum full of corner. Neckbreaker and a scoop slam by LaFitte followed by a big leg drop. Cover gets a two. He drapes Droese on the ropes and drops a knee. He then ties Droese into the ropes and hits some cross bodies. Vince asks if Lawler paid his taxes, to which Lawler replies "Kings don't pay taxes." Well that explains why Lawler voted for Trump, they have that in common.
Droese tries for a sunset flip over the ropes, but is stopped by LaFitte as we go to break. When we return, LaFitte is still in control with a facebuster, sending Droese into the mat. Vince is still hung up on tax talk as LaFitte stomps Droese in the corner, but gets met with a big boot and a double clothesline sending both men crashing. Cover by LaFitte only gets a two count. LaFitte goes off the second rope, but gets a boot to the face instead by Droese. Some strikes by Droese followed by a big back body drop. Clotheslines by Droese followed by a powerslam. Droese goes to the top buckle, but misses a splash. Sidewalk slam and a flipping senton off the top buckle gets the win for Jean Pierre LaFitte.
A surprisingly good match. Defintiely the best work that Droese has put on since his debut at the very least. LaFitte is very good in the ring, but then again I knew that from the Quebecer days. They gelled well together, the match never really dragged and both put in enough effort. I will say it was a tad long, but that argument aside, I think this worked well for a good redebut for Jean Pierre LaFitte.
Bob Backlund is on Spring Break, and he's trying to get the vacationing teens to pursue knowledge. Nice gag with Backlund trying to keep the cameraman from panning to the women in their bikinis.
Doink (with Dink) in action next against Roy Raymond. Roy goes for a go behind, and a clothesline, but Doink ducks. Doink gets a suplex over the ropes. Vince and Lawler are still shilling Duckman as Doink wrings the shoulder and follows with an arm bar. Body slam and an elbow drop by the clown who covers for two. Facelock by Doink followed by more offense on the arm. Roy goes for a charge in the corner, but misses. Back drop and Whoopee Cushion by Doink. Dink gets one of his own (complete with fart noises) as Doink covers for three in a boring squash.
It's the In your House report with Todd Pettengill. Our card is as follows so far:
Diesel defends the WWF Title against Sid (since Shawn's been taken out by Sid and can't get his rematch)
And The WWF will give away a house in Orlando, Florida.
Up next it's the WWF Tag Team Titles on the line. Owen Hart and Yokozuna defend against 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly. Lawler claims that the Kid's hair is similar to Marcia Clark. Some fast counters to start with the Kid and Owen. Both men counter with arm bars and hammerlocks. The Kid monkey flips out of an arm drag. Headlock by Owen, but the Kid gets in a hiptoss. Both men kip up, but the Kid is faster with a dropkick. Double back drop by Kid and Holly as Holly comes in. More back and forth, with some fast strikes and hiptosses from both men. Shoulder block by Holly, but Owen gets a knee to the sternum.
Tag to Yokozuna who punches Holly. But Holly comes back by slamming Yoko head first into the mat. Owen sends Holly tumbling to the floor and rams Holly back first into the post several times. He tags himself back in and brings Holly back into the ring. He hits a suplex (which Vince calls a Snapmare) and covers for two. Long chinlock by Owen is broken as Holly gets a backslide for two. Owen recovers and drops a knee to the back and rams Holly into Yokozuna's head as we go to break.
Yoko is in control as we return, locking in the nerve hold. Holly breaks out, but gets tossed quickly over the top rope. Owen rams Holly face first into the apron as Yoko knocks The Kid off the other end of the apron. Tag to Owen as he hits headbutts into the sternum. Roll up by Owen gets a two. Suplex is turned into a small package by Holly for two. Owen stomps the sternum of Holly and sets Holly up for a superplex off the corner, but Holly turns it into a cross body for two.
Owen keeps Holly from getting the tag and nails a massive enziguri, Cover gets a two. Tag back to Yokozuna as they hit a double clothesline and a falling headbutt. Another nerve hold from Yoko and a tag as Owen lands an ax handle and reapplies the chinlock. Holy breaks, leapfrogs, but both men collide into each other. Tag to Yoko and a tag to the Kid. Fast kicks by the Kid on both men. Several enziguris and spin kicks finally take Yoko down, followed by a plancha over the top. He leaps off the rope, but gets caught with a belly to belly to get the win for Yokozuna.
A pretty good tag match. Lots of fast offense from Owen, the Kid, and even Holly. While Yoko remains a lot slower due to his weight, he felt a lot more energetic in this match than the last couple. I will say the face in peril stuff went a bit too long, and there wasn't enough of the kid, but those issues aside, this was a decent tag title defense.
Hey kids! Vince wants your dollar! It's the Superstar Line as Jim Ross is interviewing Alundra Blayze. Plus a new Superstar Interactive Game. Play that for as long as you want, I mean what's the harm? It's only a dollar fifty a minute.
Henry O. Godwinn is in action against Rich Meyers. Speaking of pig-related items, Vince is talking to Cornfed from Duckman. I guess it's way easier to get Gregg Berger than it is Jason Alexander.
Wheelbarrow slam by Godwinn as Vince is talking to Cornfed as he tries to keep people from eating pork and going for beef instead. He says that he carries the show, and he says that Lawler should invite him to the King's Court. In terms of Henry Godwinn, he'd be fine with mud wrestling, but not with a hog farmer. Back in the ring, Godwinn gets a slop drop for the win in a forgettable squash.
They are really on full bore shilling for Duckman as we get our rundown of next week's show. Bertha Faye makes her debut and Diesel defends the WWF title against Bam Bam Bigelow.
Another decent edition of Raw. The squash matches were nothing special, but other than those, the in-ring was pretty good. Jean Pierre LaFitte has a solid re-debut against Duke Droese and the WWF Tag Title match, while not as good as I'd have hoped, still delivered enough in-ring. Plus as someone who is a fan of Duckman, I'm personally fine with this massive shill job that the WWF has done. Maybe I should do a rapidly reviewing on Duckman after I eventually finish Sonic SatAM... maybe. Other than that, this Raw gets a B-.
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