Paid Members air_raid Posted August 12, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 12, 2022 To add to the above, that advance on petrol, hotel and eating at Dennys every night sure runs out when you're on $125 a night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted August 13, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 13, 2022 (edited) DECEMBER 1995 Welcome to the first full month of Bret Hart as WWF Champion again, the most transparently transitional reign in WWF history, as the march to Fresno and Shawn's inevitable victory begins. THE MAIN EVENTSBret Hart vs The Undertaker for the WWF title with interference from Camp Cornette blighting it goes on for most of the month to In Your House although 4th in Brantford Ontario and 7th in Clarion PA its Bret & Taker vs Owen Hart & Yokozuna. Anaheim on Boxing Day, 27th in Vegas, San Diego on 28th and Seattle on 30th its Bret with Diesel in a cage, inbetween on 29th in San Bernardino Bret's with old dance partner Yoko. 3200 in Chicago is all you need to know. THE CARDSDiesel works Davey Boy Smith every night til the PPV, and Undertaker is back wrestling Yokozuna every night after it. Razor Ramon vs Sid is most nights before In Your House then after it Razor's getting revenge on 1-2-3 Kid. The Smoking Gunns vs Owen Hart & Yokozuna is back on every night before the PPV but thereafter its finally Owen & British Bulldog tagging regular in the tag title spot. Marty Jannetty is losing to Kid early month then after TVs, inexplicably, to Isaac Yankem DDS. Goldust beating Bob Holly is all month. Savio Vega vs Bob Backlund, Henry Godwinn vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Ahmed Johnson crushing Rad Radford and a six man of Fatu, Barry Horowitz & Hakushi vs Skip, Kama and the dentist rounds out pre PPV cards. Thereafter its Hunter vs Savio, Fatu & Barry vs Skip & Backlund as a straight tag and Godwinn with Brooklyn Brawler. Sid isn't booked after TVs, neither is King Mabel. Writing's on the wall. VARIATIONS Brantford and Clarion are also wonky not just for main events but the Razor/Marty v Sid/Kid tag happening, Bob Holly with the Brawler, Mr Bob with Horowitz, Goldust with Savio. Skip works Hakushi one on one in Brantford, he and Rad swap in Clarion so Skip loses to Ahmed and Radford to the "White Angel." In Fort Wayne Holly is missing so Goldie works Barry and they draft a Doink into the six-man. Fatu misses Chicago so again there's a clown in the six man. Davey Boy misses San Bernardino so its a rarity - Diesel vs Goldust! It's a wonky card - Razor is back with Owen, Marty is pinning Kid (push over already), Hunter's back with HOG, Bob Holly is playing heel tagging with Backlund against Fatu and Savio, Skip and Radford are losing to the Gunns, Ahmed's with the Brawler, Taker's with the dentist and his future brother. TVs Dark at the In Your House PPV we have a thrown together 8-man of Yoko, the dentist and the Body Donnas losing to the Gunns, Barry & Hakushi - umm, spoilers much? Zip has neither debuted nor been explained on TV yet! Plus Savio going over Bob Backlund as he did fairly often, and Goldust beating Dumpster who's probably picking up the bins for real by now to make ends meet. Next night at the Raw taping they have Xanta Claus (ugh) beating jobber Brian Walsh, Ahmed beating Kid which bodes very badly for HIS heel run, and Bret/Taker/Razor beating Yoko/Sid/ Yankem. Of note from TV they tape the Raw Bowl and Diesel's squashing of King Mabel is as close to a burial as you can imagine even though he won't be gone til after the Rumble. Plus back in the ring is Hello folks! Double J here. That's J E double F ha ha ha! J A double R E double T, the worlds greatest singer, the worlds greatest entertainer, the worlds greatest wrestler. Aint he great? Also, Buddy Landell, and we're taping the first TV of the Ringmaster. ZZzz. Next night on the Superstars taping Savio Vega is going over future enemy John Hawk (soon to be Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw latterly JBL), Samu & The Tahitian Warrior (known as LA Smooth in ECW) are trying out with Afa & Lou Albano with them. The Samoan Gangster Party will be used in Fatu's storyline next year but not as wrestlers. Interestingly they beat the Arachnoids, who would later be the Headbangers, who under their own names same night lose to the Body Donnas. This the night they actually tape Zip's debut, doing Skip/Radford losing to the Gunns, Sunny doing her nut and firing Rad, then Skip vs Radford filmed on the same night. Writing on the wall for Radford too. Plus Bret/Taker/Razor over Yoko/Sid/Owen. Interestingly one of the Superstars tapings has Razor lose by count-out due to Goldust antics. His opponent? Jeff Hardy. DEPARTURE Does this count? He's in and he's out. Buddy Landell tapes four matches in three nights, losing to Ahmed on the PPV, beating Bobcore on Raw, losing to Bret on Mania and beating Matt Hardy on Superstars, but slips on ice after the Superstars taping and gets injured so, he's out. Edited August 13, 2022 by air_raid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted August 13, 2022 Share Posted August 13, 2022 Man, Landell was there even less time than I realised! I’ve always been fascinated that there was another Nature Boy doing the circuit alongside Flair. Hakushi - he seems such an odd fit for WWF 1995. Why was he hired, is there a story behind it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted August 13, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 13, 2022 3 hours ago, Loki said: Hakushi - he seems such an odd fit for WWF 1995. Why was he hired, is there a story behind it? There is! Back in May 94 JJ Dillon and Akio Sato - former Orient Express, future Shinja - arranged a Japanese tour as a way of getting some good gates and scouting some talent. Sato arranged bookings for a fair few natives - some from WAR, Shinzaki from Michinoku Pro, a few of the gals from All Japan Women. Some of them didn’t get offered contracts and some of them - Shinzaki/Hakushi, Bull Nakano - did. I did a bit of detail on it ; Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted August 13, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted August 13, 2022 It’s bollocks that there wasn’t one Shawn Michaels vs Hakushi match in 1995. Didn’t have to be a thing like Bret vs Hakushi was, just a random short sprint on Superstars or Action Zone would’ve sufficed. I know there was that tag match with Bret & Shawn vs Lawler & Hakushi but they barely touched in that one. Shame it never happened in singles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshC Posted August 14, 2022 Share Posted August 14, 2022 I'm still not over them advertising Michaels vs Flash Funk for a Raw and it getting wrecked by Kane. Only been 25 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted August 15, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 15, 2022 JANUARY 1996 Oh shit. It's Vader Time. THE MAIN EVENTS We have a split before the Rumble of Bret Hart & The Undertaker VS Owen Hart & Yokozuna (just 5100 at Nassau Coliseum) and elsewhere, Bret Hart vs Diesel for the WWF title in a cage which gets 8000 paid into the Montreal Forum which they paper to a 10,000 head count. They also get a pretty good 15,000 gate, 12,000 paid at MSG which have Taker and HBK interfere afterwards to set up a fairly memorable tag match. For reasons unknown in White Plains, its Taker & Diesel in the tag match and Bret defending the belt against Goldust. THE CARDSThe Undertaker vs Yokozuna happens every night Taker isnt in the main event. Diesel & Razor Ramon (sweeeeet) vs Double J & Hunter Hearst Helmsley goes on when Big Daddy isnt in the main event. Otherwise Razor is a bit jumbled. After the Rumble your hero Shawn Michaels is back, working with his best mate ever, Hunter. Smoking Gunns vs Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith is still going on and in Montreal Owen has a falling out with Ray Rougeau who attempts to interview him - remarkably, this WILL get paid off at a later date! After the Rumble Owen moves onto Hakushi. Ahmed Johnson is often with Bulldog before the Rumble if Owen's tagging with Yoko, after the Rumble he's pinning Jarrett. Davey Boy doesn't get bookings post TVs until February. Gunns vs Body Donnas starts happening full time after the Rumble as does Goldust defending the ICT against Savio Vega. The midcard is muddled to fuck but if I had to pick matches that more regular than not, before the Rumble I'd say Goldust beating Henry Godwinn, Body Donnas vs Marty Jannetty & Barry Horowitz or Bob Holly & Aldo Montoya, Savio vs HHH, Fatu vs Bob Backlund. After the Rumble, Ringmaster is going over HOG, Tatanka is back and there is a mix of tags and six-mans with him and the dentist plus Backlund, against Holly, Fatu and Dumpster (finally getting a cheque again). Random occurance - Taker/Yoko usually ends with Yoko and Owen arguing after the match and Yoko chasing Owen off. At the Spectrum its reported that Double J is in the Owen spot, even though Owen's on the card. Random nonsense, or mis-report? VARIATIONS - FUCK Diesel & Razor vs Sid & Double J is the highest profile variation at Nassau, 1-2-3 Kid must be hurt again. 7th in Albany Razor pins Double J, 12th in Montreal its Razor & Savio vs Jarrett & Hunter, Bangor on 13th its Razor vs Hunter, and 14th at the Wallace Civic Center in Fitchburg MA the last reported defence EVER of the Intercontinental title by the Bad Guy across four reigns, was also with HHH, getting himself disqualified. Henry Godwinn (a babyface) beats Rad Radford (who's just turned face) 5th in Long Island and 6th in New Haven, then Rad is a babyface ref 7th in Albany as the Body Donnas beat Holly & Horowitz. In Burlington and Cornwall 8th/9th, HOG is getting wins back from Isaac Yankem DDS. Bob Holly loses several matches to Goldust before the Rumble but 6th in New Haven he gets an unbelievable win over Sid. Also in New Haven Goldie beats Savio, who he will be with after the Rumble. Marty gets one win over Aldo in a babyface match, one over Sir Mo, and two over Backlund. The Mo match is in Montreal which also has Ahmed going over Yankem. DDS also loses a couple to Savio. The last of those is in Fitchburg which also has Fatu beating Sir Mo in another rare match for him (on his way out). The Gunns make a few defences against The King & his dentist but Lawler doesnt make Albany so its randomly Yankem & Bulldog - Owen does a one off job to Ahmed same night. 12th-14th Dumpster works three matches with Barry, guessing he played heel. 8th/9th Savio was with Barry too, last two nights before the Rumble he's with DDS. White Plains is an anamoly - there's no HBK, Hunter works Duke, Tatanka vs Holly and Fatu vs Yankem as singles, Savio back with Backlund, Austin with Hakushi. At MSG Duke fills in for Razor wrestling the Kid and - how odd is this booking? - pins him and puts him in the bin afterwards. Jake Roberts is not back on the road yet, he won't work again until next month's Free For All. TVs - FUCK Its like a whole different roster on the Raw taping in Stockton. As well as Vader getting himself immediately suspended by walloping Gorilla Monsoon because he needs shoulder surgery, Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw taping his first squash, the debut of everyone's second favourite pig farmer Phineas Godwinn, the return as the Godwinns manager of Hillbilly Jim, the slow burn face turn for Yoko as cock ups between Camp Cornette cause losses for Smithers to Diesel, Yoko to Shawn and in the subsequent tag, Bret going double duty with first Goldust then the Undertaker rematch with liberal interference from Kev, and a great forgotten match between Kid and Hakushi. Dark, Dory Funk Jr goes over Bob Holly and they have a look at the Headhunters (called the Squat Team at the Rumble) against Aldo Montoya & Avatar which goes to a double count-out which probably isnt as wild as you imagine. They'll get another look in 97, randomly. Next night dark at Superstars they have a tryout for Mike Modest of Beyond The Mat fame and dark, Bret beats Diesel in another cage match and Taker beats Goldust by count-out. It's worth pointing out these Raw tapings are where we start with Billionaire Ted and the Rasslin War Room, but we should note that there are hardly any squash matches on Raw anymore, just competitive matches. Like what you saw on Nitro. DEPARTURES - FUCKKing Mabel goes from King to WWF title main event challenger to GONE in seven months on account of being a reckless buffoon who kept hurting people ; his appearance in the Rumble is his last for two and a half years. Sir Mo is shitcanned too. New Haven on 6th they ask Sid to do a job to Bob Holly and he decides he's had enough again and quits, since for the second run in a row he feels he's been made promises that weren't kept. The Rumble is the last gig of this run for Kama. Rad Radford is finished after his ref gig Albany on the 7th. Shane Douglas was out injured and though they advertising the Dean for the Rumble, depending on who you believe he either quits over pay or Vince tells him on New Years Day that he's done - either way, he shows up at ECW House Party on 5th, a former TitanSports employee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted August 15, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 15, 2022 (edited) What if there was a PPV every month? Well, in 1995 there near enough was, but plenty of them weren't as good as the house show lineups. JANUARY WWF TITLE Diesel vs Bob Backlund Bret Hart vs Owen Hart ICT Razor Ramon vs Double J The Undertaker vs Tatanka Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith vs Bam Bam Bigelow & King Kong Bundy Mabel vs IRS WT Bull Nakano vs Alundra Blayze 1-2-3 Kid vs Hakushi Headshrinkers vs Heavenly Bodies Bob Holly vs Henry Godwinn Doink vs Kwang Bushwhackers vs Well Dunn Dumpster vs Mantaur Aldo Montoya vs Brooklyn Brawler FEBRUARY WWF TITLE Diesel vs Double J Bret Hart vs Owen Hart (no holds barred) Davey Boy Smith vs Shawn Michaels Razor Ramon vs Bob Backlund The Undertaker vs King Kong Bundy Lex Luger vs Tatanka (cage match) WT Bull Nakano vs Alundra Blayze TTT Smoking Gunns vs Well Dunn Adam Bomb vs Henry Godwinn 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly vs Heavenly Bodies Headshrinkers vs Jacob & Eli Blu Dumpster vs Hakushi Kama vs Brooklyn Brawler Doink vs Barry Horowitz Aldo Montoya vs Kwang MARCH Diesel & Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels & Double J The Undertaker vs Bam Bam Bigelow Bret Hart & Davey Boy Smith vs Owen Hart & The King Adam Bomb vs Bob Backlund (submission match) Lex Luger vs Tatanka (cage match) TTT Smoking Gunns vs Heavenly Bodies WT Bull Nakano vs Alundra Blayze 1-2-3 Kid vs Hakushi Headshrinkers vs Jacob & Eli Blu Doink vs Henry Godwinn Dumpster vs Mantaur Aldo Montoya vs Kwang Kama vs Mike Bell APRIL (overseas tour only) Diesel & Razor Ramon vs Sid & Double J Bret Hart vs Owen Hart (No Holds Barred) The Undertaker vs Bam Bam Bigelow 1-2-3 Kid vs Hakushi Allied Powers vs Tatanka & Kama Adam Bomb vs Kwang Aldo Montoya vs Henry Godwinn MAY WWF TITLE Diesel vs Sid The Undertaker vs Bam Bam Bigelow Bret Hart vs Hakushi ICT Double J vs Razor Ramon (ladder match) TTT Owen Hart & Yokozuna vs Allied Powers Adam Bomb vs King Kong Bundy Smoking Gunns vs Men On A Mission Doink vs Kwang Headshrinkers vs Jacob & Eli Blu Aldo Montoya vs Kama Bob Holly vs Tatanka Dumpster vs Henry Godwinn Man Mountain Rock vs Mantaur Barry Horowitz vs Skip Jean-Pierre LaFitte vs Scott Taylor JUNE Bret Hart vs Hakushi ICT Double J vs Razor Ramon (ladder match) The Undertaker vs Kama Shawn Michaels vs IRS Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sid TTT Owen Hart & Yokozuna vs Bushwhackers Davey Boy Smith vs Tatanka WT Alundra Blayze vs Bertha Faye Adam Bomb vs King Kong Bundy Doink vs Henry Godwinn Man Mountain Rock vs Bob Backlund Headshrinkers vs Jacob & Eli Blu Dumpster vs Jean-Pierre LaFitte Bob Holly vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley Barry Horowitz vs Skip Tekno Team 2000 vs Heavenly Bodies JULY WWF TITLE Diesel vs Sid (cage match) ICT Double J vs Shawn Michaels The Undertaker vs Kama (casket match) TTT Owen Hart & Yokozuna vs Allied Powers Savio Vega vs King Mabel Bam Bam Bigelow vs King Kong Bundy WT Alundra Blayze vs Bertha Faye Adam Bomb vs Hakushi 1-2-3 Kid vs Brooklyn Brawler Smoking Gunns vs Jacob & Eli Blu Doink vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley Man Mountain Rock vs Bob Backlund Fatu vs Rad Radford Skip vs Aldo Montoya Dumpster vs Jean-Pierre LaFitte AUGUST Diesel & Shawn Michaels vs Men On A Mission The Undertaker vs Kama Bret Hart vs Jean-Pierre LaFitte Razor Ramon vs Sid TTT Owen Hart & Yokozuna vs Smoking Gunns (best of three falls) Bam Bam Bigelow vs Tatanka (strap match) WT Alundra Blayze vs Bertha Faye 1-2-3 Kid vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley Adam Bomb vs Henry Godwinn Savio Vega vs Hakushi Man Mountain Rock vs Bob Backlund Bob Holly vs Waylon Mercy Fatu vs Rad Radford Skip vs Aldo Montoya Dumpster vs Mike Bell SEPTEMBER ICT Shawn Michaels vs Sid The Undertaker vs Kama (casket match) Bret Hart vs Isaac Yankem DDS TTT Owen Hart & Yokozuna vs Smoking Gunns Razor Ramon vs Dean Douglas Bam Bam Bigelow vs Davey Boy Smith 1-2-3 Kid vs Jean-Pierre LaFitte Henry Godwinn vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley WT Bertha Faye vs Alundra Blayze Bob Holly vs Goldust Savio Vega vs Dumpster Barry Horowitz vs Skip Fatu vs Waylon Mercy Hakushi vs Rad Radford OCTOBER WWF TITLE Diesel vs Yokozuna ICT Shawn Michaels vs Davey Boy Smith The Undertaker vs King Mabel Razor Ramon vs Dean Douglas Bam Bam Bigelow vs Sid WT Bertha Faye vs Alundra Blayze 1-2-3 Kid vs Goldust Fatu vs Owen Hart Bob Holly vs Waylon Mercy Henry Godwinn vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley TTT Smoking Gunns vs Jacob & Eli Blu Barry Horowitz vs Skip Savio Vega vs Kama Hakushi vs Rad Radford Aldo Montoya vs Jean-Pierre LaFitte NOVEMBER Diesel, Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart vs Yokozuna, British Bulldog & King Mabel ICT Razor Ramon vs Owen Hart TTT Smoking Gunns vs Sid & Kama Marty Jannetty vs Goldust Henry Godwinn vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley WT Alundra Blayze vs Bertha Faye Savio Vega vs Jean-Pierre LaFitte Bam Bam Bigelow vs Isaac Yankem DDS Bob Holly vs Bob Backlund Ahmed Johnson vs Skip Fatu vs Brooklyn Brawler DECEMBER WWF TITLE Bret Hart vs The Undertaker Diesel vs Davey Boy Smith ICT Razor Ramon vs Sid TTT Smoking Gunns vs Owen Hart & Yokozuna Marty Jannetty vs 1-2-3 Kid Henry Godwinn vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley Bob Holly vs Goldust Savio Vega vs Bob Backlund Ahmed Johnson vs Rad Radford Fatu, Barry Horowitz & Hakushi vs Skip, Kama & Isaac Yankem DDS Edited August 15, 2022 by air_raid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 Mike Bell getting two theoretical paydays there, much like most of the 1995 mid-card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted August 15, 2022 Paid Members Share Posted August 15, 2022 6 hours ago, air_raid said: New Haven on 6th they ask Sid to do a job to Bob Holly and he decides he's had enough again and quits What the hell? Asking Sid to lose to Bob Holly sounds mental. I know Sid wasn’t as hot as he’d be when he returns in the summer of 96 but, still, it’s fucking Sid. It’s even more baffling because from what I remember, Holly was barely on TV in 96 and definitely not on PPVs (other than the Rumble maybe) so it wasn’t like they had some big plans for a push for him. No wonder Sid quit. As for Shane ‘Dean’ Douglas, I saw an interview with him not too long ago where he went into detail that he had a back injury, that was so bad a “world renowned” surgeon said he could end up in wheelchair from if he wrestled. He said Vince threw a tantrum at him when he said he wouldn’t wrestle and that was when he got sacked. He also reckons Vince then calmed down and told him if he couldn’t wrestle, he should at least go out and cut one of those great promos “he’s known for”. He claims he went out and did a ‘Franchise’ promo, swearing the lot. Here’s the interview if you can be arsed. I mean, there’s probably bits of truth in there and I can certainly imagine Vince acting like a baby because a doctor messed with his show. But so many of Shane’s stories come across as bollocks to me it’s hard to take him seriously. Especially the bit about cutting a Franchise promo at the end. Surely that would’ve been all in the sheets at the time if a departing wrestler left the company like that. I’m sure he said it was at MSG as well so it would’ve been a bit of a talking point. Yet I’ve only ever heard the Dynamic Dude tell the story. Was there ever any record of this happening in the Observer or anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dart Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 7 hours ago, air_raid said: King Mabel goes from King to WWF title main event challenger to GONE in seven months on account of being a reckless buffoon who kept hurting people ; his appearance in the Rumble is his last for two and a half years. Sir Mo is shitcanned too. New Haven on 6th they ask Sid to do a job to Bob Holly and he decides he's had enough again and quits, since for the second run in a row he feels he's been made promises that weren't kept. Mabel goes from King to PPV Main Event World title challenger to gone in 7 months. Then Sid goes from quitting after losing to a nobody to being world champion in 10 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted August 16, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 16, 2022 13 hours ago, wandshogun09 said: What the hell? Asking Sid to lose to Bob Holly sounds mental. I know Sid wasn’t as hot as he’d be when he returns in the summer of 96 but, still, it’s fucking Sid. It’s even more baffling because from what I remember, Holly was barely on TV in 96 and definitely not on PPVs (other than the Rumble maybe) so it wasn’t like they had some big plans for a push for him. No wonder Sid quit. As for Shane ‘Dean’ Douglas, (snip) Surely that would’ve been all in the sheets at the time if a departing wrestler left the company like that. I’m sure he said it was at MSG as well so it would’ve been a bit of a talking point. Yet I’ve only ever heard the Dynamic Dude tell the story. Was there ever any record of this happening in the Observer or anything? 13 hours ago, The Dart said: Then Sid goes from quitting after losing to a nobody to being world champion in 10 months. Here’s the thing with Sid, and with house shows, and two things seem to have combined to make a perfect storm. On the house shows there always seems to be a routine where heels weren’t as protected as they were on TV in terms of “the totem pole” because on TV you’re building them up to get beat, and at the live shows there’s slightly more emphasis on “send them home happy.” Just writing these posts I’ve come across results they’d have NEVER done on TV or PPV. Sid was no exception, he’d had to do jobs to Henry Godwinn despite going over him strong at In Your House in Saginaw, and lots of defeats to Bam Bam on the Europe tour even though Bigelow was being phased out. Late 95/early 96 there were plans for Sid, they taped him and Kid being the last team out to the Gunns in the Raw Bowl and the WWF Magazine went to print with Gunns vs Sid/Kid previewed for the tag belts for the Rumble. Some accounts even say they were going to win. An injury (or wellness?) looks like it put paid to those plans on Kids behalf because he misses the whole month of house shows leaving Sid without his set plan. It feels like they got to New Haven and thought “Fuck it, give Holly a win” as he’d been upset about his lot for a while, Sid was the fall guy, and for him even though he was driving with Bob, liked him, told him to his face (from Hardcores book) he had no problem losing to him, he just though “Fuck this” and enough was enough. As for Shane, the Observer has nothing interesting to say about MSG. The closest to the show says that he was backstage at November To Remember and everyone in ECW was expecting him to return, and the 4/12/95 one which was the first written after the show just explained he’d given his notice, wasn’t going to be booked again after losing to Ahmed at In Your House, and that his wife had been upset with how long he was having to spend on the road, plus the back injury wasn’t helping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted August 16, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 16, 2022 (edited) FEBRUARY 1996 "Motherfucker, not everything is about you!" MAIN EVENTS Early month we're off on a tour of India with Hitman defending the belt against a mix - Yokozuna, Hunter Hearst Helmsley and umm, Tatanka. 16th in Nashville, he's in the cage with local hero Jerry Lawler, they'll do the same the night after on a jointly ran USWA card in Memphis. After the PPV its back to Bret Hart vs The Undertaker - these are all promoted as triangle matches with Diesel involved but he's dislocated a shoulder so won't work house shows until mid-March, although handing in his notice and generally being fed up might have something to do with it as well. Business is back up, 8500 at the Meadowlands and 9000 in Pittsburgh are both strong improvements. It's as if having Diesel, Bret, Shawn and Taker all involved in the top spots is drawing crowds, who knew? Watching some of the dross those lads dealt with in 1995 is incredible. THE CARDS I'm a bit screwed this month as there are limited reports for India and Nashville/Memphis are basically the only full reports before In Your House. Let's have a go ; Goldust vs Undertaker is on before the PPV, non finishes. Goldie defends against Savio Vega late month. Shawn Michaels vs Owen Hart and Yokozuna vs Davey Boy Smith are two singles matches that combine into a tag after the PPV. 1-2-3 Kid is doing more jobs for Dumpster before Louisville - after, they get Rowdy Roddy Piper to work - and beat - Waltman in what will turn out to be Piper's last WWF matches of his original on/off run, and for 10 years. Jeff Jarrett defends the USWA heavyweight title against Ahmed Johnson but injures his back in Memphis so Ahmed has to slum it with Tatanka end of month. Hunter Hearst Helmsley is off between India and IYH but he continues his run with Duke after it - unbelievably while Hunter wins at the Meadowlands, most cities have Dumpster winning him for a feel good result. The Ringmaster beats Savio before the PPV and Bob Holly after it. Godwinns vs Body Donnas is every night. Post PPV cards are rounded out with Fatu vs Bob Backlund and Marty Jannetty doing the job for Bradshaw. It's thought Razor Ramon is serving his suspension before the PPV and thats why Razor isnt having those matches with Kid but thats bollocks (see TVs). VARIATIONS Taker has transport problems so in Memphis Yoko pulls double duty - funny enough Paul Bearer does actually introduce Yoko to opponent Goldust as Taker's replacement. Also they have a look at Brian Christopher against Tatanka. Scranton takes place before they can persuade Piper to get in the ring so Fatu beats Kid, who's been near jobbed into oblivion on the road since Hershey. Shawn's also missing so Yoko beats Owen in a one on one, Davey Boy does a job for Ahmed and Tatanka hasn't had the call yet. Matches we can find on the India cards have Diesel with Owen or Hunter, Taker with Goldust, Yoko or Isaac Yankem DDS, Razor challenging Goldie or beating Kid, Ahmed beating Skip or the dentist, Savio beating DDS, Steve Lombardi reprising Doink to lose to Hunter or beat Zip, and Henry Godwinn in for injured Billy Gunn teaming with Bart vs Owen & Yoko or Kid & Tatanka. TVs Taker vs Goldust with the count-out finish happens again dark at In Your House as do Godwinns vs Body Donnas and Ahmed pinning Yankem. Next night on the Raw taping Hunter loses to Dumpster again inside a cage, and there's a remarkable tag of Shawn & Diesel vs 91 baddie duo Jake the Snake & Undertaker!! We're taping Hakushi getting buried by Bradshaw, hinting that Marty's getting a new tag partner and starting the build for Razor Ramon vs Goldust streetfight that will never happen, clearly they havent had Razor's test back yet. Next night in Huntington Tatanka goes in the cage with Ahmed because Jarretts injured, Razor & Jake beat Goldust and Kid, Bret PINS Taker after Diesel hits him with a chair and Shawn pins Bulldog. We tape Goldust beating Hakushi in the latters final TV match, Steve Austins last TV match calling himself Ringmaster, and three quarters in the tag title tournament including Razor & Savio advancing ; clearly as of 20th Feb, Scott wasn't suspended yet. Of course, here we're debuting the Leif Cassidy character after Al's finished doing the Avatar stuff and a handful of matches as Shinobi. New Rockers... yeah. Of note, Kev says that In Your House and specifically the conversation with Bret talking his way out of taking a Jacknife at the finish, is what finally convinces him it's time to leave, and he hands his notice in by the end of the month. DEPARTURE Jeff Jarrett is on the D/L for a bit and by May/June he’ll feel slighted that there’s absolutely no urgency from the company about finding out his return date or signing him to a new deal so he’ll quietly wait until October when he becomes a free agent, and signs with WCW. Of course, he’ll be back. Edited August 17, 2022 by air_raid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted August 17, 2022 Author Paid Members Share Posted August 17, 2022 (edited) MARCH 1996 MAIN EVENTS 1st/2nd we continue with Bret Hart vs Undertaker but thereafter we switch to a series of Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels in a lumberjack match where - foreshadowing - Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith interfere and Bret ends up getting the pin. In Springfield and Providence there are so many absences due to injuries, transport issues and suspension that they have the frankly incredible cards of Bret beating Smithers and Shawn pinning the Rocket underneath, THEN the lumberjack match later! Bret's back with Taker on a Texas loop, near 9000 in Houston is an improvement. After TVs we've got Bret & Undertaker vs Shawn & Diesel (back at last) in Hartford and then 6600 at the USAir (formerly Capital Center) which is decent for a frugal market, which reports Bret beating Taker then beating Diesel as two separate singles but I believe this was actually one of the triangle matches that were advertised and mostly didn't happen. Underneath, as per the Texas loop, we have HBK against..... Stone Cold Steve Austin. The third night of this big run is at MSG where they SELL out for the much discussed final tag match involving the four main players, which while you know the outcome (Diesel heel turn) you ABSOLUTELY should watch. THE CARDS I've covered literally every match your top guys have above, and Razor Ramon spends the whole month suspended. Yokozuna vs British Bulldog is consistent as is Ahmed Johnson vs Tatanka (in for the injured/departed Double J). Near the end of the month we have Yoko with rotating partners Ahmed and Jake Roberts against DBS/Owen. Goldust is defending the ICT against Savio Vega in lieu of his storyline buddy sandwiching a run of Savio & Jake vs Goldie & 1-2-3 Kid. Early month Kid had been beating former partner Bob Holly. Sparky then does a run of jobs for Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw. Until about the 10th Hunter Hearst Helmsley is losing his matches to Duke Droese but then starts winning including the decisive no DQ match at MSG. Steve Austin beats Marty Jannetty most nights he isn't with HBK. We don't have tag team champions until WrestleMania but Godwinns vs Body Donnas is happening every night. Barry Horowitz gets a welcome run of wins as they have an extended tryout for Guido Falcone. VARIATIONS Yoko misses 1st/2nd so Scott Taylor does a job for Owen in Augusta and in Worcester its Aldo Montoya losing to Owen's short-term enzuigeri finish. Aldo also gets a cheque losing to Bradshaw in Maryland but pinning Isaac Yankem DDS at MSG. Ahmed pins the dentist in Landover and Kid at MSG. Future Kane even loses to Barry in Hartford! Kid loses to babyface for the night Bob Backlund in Hartford but beats Barry Horowitz at the USAir. Marty misses Austin (TX) so Austin (Steve) beats Barry, as he does at MSG, and in Hartford Stone Cold beats Avatar. Al also dusts the mask off to lose to Bradshaw in Landover and NYC. TVs Superstars taping in Corpus Christi is full of tryouts, including the guys that become High Voltage, plus the first blooding of Dwayne Johnson with the Brooklyn Brawler and a dry run for Mankind. They also get Bret vs Taker, Shawn vs Austin and two tags for Ahmed - with Yoko against Owen & Smithers, and with Savio against Kid and Tatanka. They tape the remaining rounds of the tag title tournament up to the final - Bushwhackers sighting! Alex Porteau does a few jobs, he'll hook a fairly regular gig soon. Next night in San Antonio - imagine this - Dwayne does a job for Skip and our dark matches are Bret/Taker, Shawn/Hunter, Goldust/Savio and Ahmed/Yoko vs Bulldog/Owen. Fatu gets a payday for a TV job for Goldust but those cheques are drying up for him. DEPARTURE TV is the last booking for ten years or so for Tatanka, who was lucky to get a second swing this time around, he got stale real quick once he teamed up with Ted. Here's that tag from MSG. Edited August 17, 2022 by air_raid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CavemanLynn Posted August 17, 2022 Share Posted August 17, 2022 2 hours ago, air_raid said: You really can't appreciate how much cocaine HBK was on until you see it up close and personal. It's also mad how perspectives change - he's a camp obnoxious himbo even working face, and it's incredible that Vince wouldn't have realised he'd be a headache to work with. These fancams and dark tapes you're turfing up are absolute gold. It's great watching how the stars of the day work when they aren't having to play for the camera, and on a strict time limit. I'm sure both were in place in some form back then, but it's refreshing and fascinating watching them really working the crowd, and getting as much as they can out of the fundamentals. If any current talent and trainees aren't watching these, they're sorely missing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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