SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 30 years ago this week in the Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter paper copy…
KELLER’S WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT
JANUARY 23, 1995
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER (ISSUE #318)
-The program opened with a solemn, but less convincing than the night before, Vince McMahon apologizing again to Lawrence Taylor and announcing that “Scott ‘Bam Bam’ Bigelow has been suspended without pay.”
-The open to Raw aired.
-Shawn Michaels came to ringside to his intro music and much self-sustained fanfare. Michaels gloated over his win the night before and bragged about having Pamela Anderson accompanying him to the ring…
(1) The Smoking Gunns defeated 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly to capture the WWF Tag Team Titles. Michaels referred to Kid & Holly as the San Diego Chargers of the WWF. If so, The Gunns were definitely the 49ers because they didn’t sell for longer than a 10 second stretch throughout the 20 minute match. When Kid tagged in for the first time, the largely comatose crowd broke out into a “1-2-3” chant. After Holly tagged in and absorbed some punishment, Kid tagged back in. Bart appeared to be slow coming off the ropes as Kid bent over an uncomfortable amount of time waiting to backdrop Bart. The Gunns beat on Kid, making frequent tags, leading into a rare third segment of the Raw program for the opening match. In the end, Holly caught Billy with a knee coming into the ropes giving Kid the opening to tag Holly. Holly hit a strong dropkick, but then got caught coming off the top rope with a boot to the face. Holly landed hard, hitting his head on the mat, suffering a legitimate concussion as a result. Billy then pinned the dead-weight Holly after a top rope drop. The match was good, but too one-sided to be more than **1/2…
-In a post-match interview, Kid said he gave the Gunns a title shot on 24 hour notice. Vince interrupted and said that they knew the winner of the tournament would have to face the Gunns the next day. An obviously groggy Holly began to mumble about taking a beating the night before, but Kid interrupted him to ask for a rematch from the Gunns.
-Todd Pettengill recapped Royal Rumble in a long segment void of any footage of still photos, thus it dragged…
(2) I.R.S. (mgd. by Ted DiBiase and carrying an urn) beat Buck Quartermaine. During the match, Roddy Piper was interviewed on the phone. Piper will be hosting the Royal Rumble “Encore Plus” with a running commentary throughout the show and a first-run interview with Michaels. Piper said he was proud of the new generation, but once again wasn’t the least bit funny despite many attempts.
-A “Coming Soon” segment aired of Man Mountain Mike playing his guitar in a music studio.
-On “King’s Court,” Jerry Lawler interviewed Jeff Jarrett who displayed his new title belt. Jarrett then issued a challenge to Diesel for the WWF Title match, which Lawler said was rushing things a bit since he just won the IC Title.
-They announced Mania would be live next week from the Hartford Civic Center where WrestleMania tickets go on sale.
(3) British Bulldog defeated The Phantom. Before the match, Bulldog yelled at Michaels at ringside, but Michaels just mocked him in return. Phantom attacked Bulldog from behind to start the match.
-Vince McMahon then threw to Bigelow who was standing by in the locker room. He was supposed to apologize to L.T., but kept looking at his watch apparently not hearing McMahon. After a commercial break, Bigelow still couldn’t hear McMahon’s cue and said, “Let’s get this over with.” Another effective technique to make this angle look like a shoot.
FINAL THOUGHTS: It is hard to believe the same promotion put this and last week’s Raws together who produced the Howard Finkle-Harvey Wippleman bout.
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So, what else was the PWTorch Newsletter reporting 30 years ago this week? Listen to Patrick Moynahan & Alex McDonald discuss it in detail in their latest “PWTorch ’90s Pastcast.” CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Baron Corbin on his new ring name “The Nomad” Bishop Dyer, being released by WWE and whether he’s open to returning, his desire to work for NJPW
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