What the World Was Watching: WWF Monday Night Raw – October 2, 1995

Reviews, Shows, TV Shows

-Recap of last week’s tag team title win by the Smoking Gunns.

-Our hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry “the King” Lawler coming to us from Grand Rapids, Michigan again.

“The Bad Guy” Razor Ramon vs. The 1-2-3 Kid:

They show clips of the Kid beating Ramon in 1993 and then of their match two weeks ago. Ramon starts by tossing the Kid out of the ring after a lock up. Back in, Ramon pushes the Kid into the corner and elbows him in the face during a hammerlock. Ramon whips the Kid into the corner but a blind charge eats buckle and the Kid kicks away. However, when the Kid tries a body press off the ropes he gets caught with a fall away slam for two. The Kid comes back to catch Ramon with a spinning heel kick for two and Ramon’s kick out sends the Kid to the floor. The Kid limps as Dean Douglas appears in the aisle taking notes. Back in, Ramon gets a right hand for a two count. The Kid hits another spinning heel kick off the ropes for two. The Kid hits a quick series of leg drops off the ropes as the crowd chants for Razor and the Kid ends up missing another spinning heel kick. Ramon then hits a clothesline out of nowhere and that finishes at 2:55. The Kid complains about the count and then slaps Ramon so Ramon just tosses him around like a rag doll and humiliates him with an abdominal stretch. The Kid slaps Ramon again and we got to a commercial break.

We come back to see that Ramon has pinned the Kid a second time with a powerbomb after the Kid tries to leap onto him from the top rope. Ramon nails the Kid with a side suplex off the second rope. Ramon thinks of giving him a Razor’s Edge but thinks better of it and pins him with a small package at 6:13 shown. Afterwards, Ramon slaps the Kid and they shake hands but the Kid schoolboys Ramon out of it for two. The crowd chants for a Razor’s Edge and the Kid asks Ramon to give it to him. Ramon refuses and they shake hands to end the whole thing. Interesting booking but it made sense based on the storyline that had been taking place over the last two weeks. Grade: C

Barry Horowitz vs. Hunter Hearst-Helmsley:

Helmsley is in the locker room and says there’s a “fat chance” Horowitz will defeat him. McMahon hypes a phone poll to see if people think O.J. Simpson is guilty or not guilty because this was a day before the verdict came out. Talk about tasteless. Helmsley works the arm to start and hides in the ropes when Horowitz wants revenge. Helmsley and Horowitz then go through a wrestling sequence that sees Horowitz get the advantage. Vince argues that last week’s Raw was the highest rated Raw in history which is a lie. Helmsley nails Horowitz with some European uppercuts in the corner and then a snapmare. The crowd chants for Horowitz as Helmsley nails him with a knee drop and then a suplex. Horowitz works in some forearm shots and gets a fluke sunset flip for two. Helmsley takes Horowitz to stomp city and gets a spinning elbow off the ropes. Horowitz turns a backslide for two. Helmsley hits a clothesline shortly after he kicks out for two. Helmsley whips Horowitz into the corner but Horowitz comes out of it with an elbow and a Thesz press gets two. Horowitz cradles Helmsley for two. However, Horowitz makes a fatal mistake of putting his head down too early on a whip and that gets him Pedigreed and pinned at 5:36. Helmsley’s slow offense made this match hard to watch. Grade: D

-We head to commercial by being shown a preview of the action that we will see later in Bret Hart-Jean Pierre LaFitte’s match.

PG-13 vs. Sonny Rogers & Al Brown:

PG-13 are the USWA tag team champions and this is their WWF debut. JC Ice gets on the mic and tells the crowd they don’t care if they like them or not. We get some pre-recorded comments where PG-13 tell the Smoking Gunns that they are coming after them. Rogers and Wolfie D start and PG-13 quickly nail Rogers with a double dropkick. PG-13 deliver a double elbow off the ropes to Rogers and Wolfie gets an elbow drop for a two count. Wolfie hits a slam and tags JC Ice. PG-13 get an inverted atomic drop/clothesline combination and Ice hits an elbow off the ropes and a running double stomp for two. A Wolfie D running elbow drop misses and Brown is tagged in. However, his blind charge eats buckle and he gets side suplexed. Tag Ice and as he distracts the referee Wolfie hits a bulldog on Brown from the top rope. When Ice covers he gets a two count. PG-13 hit a double bulldog and Wolfie D slams JC Ice tilt-a-whirl style onto Brown for the pin at 2:43. The crowd was dead but this match was more exciting than their TV matches in Memphis.

-Call 1-800-TITAN-91 to get your Bret Hart signature t-shirt. You can get it for $16 and you get the random WWF classic tape that doesn’t have a cover.

Jean Pierre LaFitte vs. Bret “the Hitman” Hart:

A lock up starts us off and then we get a slugfest. LaFitte wins it, whips Bret into the corner with authority, and floors him with a clothesline. LaFitte applies a chinlock and Bret elbows out but LaFitte just catches him coming off the ropes with an elbow. LaFitte whips Bret into the corner but blind charge eats buckle and LaFitte falls to the floor. Outside, Bret slams LaFitte on the steps and gives him a headbutt. Back in, a Lafitte blind charge eats boot and Bret gets a flying clothesline off the second rope for one before he chooses to just punch LaFitte instead. LaFitte catches Bret off the ropes and gorilla press slams him. LaFitte locks in another chinlock but Bret punches out. However, when Bret tries a hiptoss, LaFitte takes his head off with a lariat. LaFitte slams Bret and gives him a fist drop off the top rope for two. LaFitte argues with Earl Hebner over the count and then chokes Bret on the second rope. LaFitte jumps on Bret’s back while he’s lying over the second rope and gets a delayed cover for two. LaFitte whips Bret into the corner and this time he finally hits an avalanche in the corner. Bret gets a fluke small package when LaFitte puts his head down too early on a whip for a near-fall. LaFitte responds to that with a clothesline as we head to a commercial break.

We return with LaFitte getting a leg drop for two. LaFitte yells at the crowd some more and then hits a sidewalk slam. LaFitte goes for a leg drop off the top rope but Bret moves out of the way. LaFitte hits a forearm when Bret runs the ropes for two. They end up outside where LaFitte viciously throws Bret into the steps. Lawler taunts Bret from the announce table for obvious reasons and LaFitte goes to suplex Bret in from the apron but Bret floats over. Bret fails to rollup LaFitte from behind but then plays possum and catches LaFitte with an inverted atomic drop, clothesline, and side Russian leg sweep for two. Backbreaker and second rope elbow drop that never gets a three count well, doesn’t get a three count. Bret hits LaFitte with a headbutt but when he floats over on a blind charge LaFitte hits him with a rolling fireman’s carry slam for two. The crowd buys that as a finish and is relieved when Bret kicks out. LaFitte puts his head down too early on a whip and Bret fires away. However, LaFitte side suplexes him out of desperation for a brief double KO spot. LaFitte goes to the top for the Cannonball but Bret crotches him and hits a superduperplex. Bret then locks in the Sharpshooter and that gets the quick submission at 12:01 shown. A solid match here from both guys but I wish Bret had worked the leg before the finish. It’s unfortunate that LaFitte would quickly be gone from the WWF. Grade: B

-After the match, Bret yells at Lawler and Lawler dares Bret to fight him over at the announce table. Bret knocks Lawler into the crowd and that prompts Isaac Yankem D.D.S. to run out and DDS on Bret on the floor.

-Jim Cornette speaks for the heels to hype their six man tag match on next week’s RAW.

-Diesel, Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker respond to the heels.

-The OJ poll ends up 49% guilty and 51% not guilty.

-Tune in next week to see Diesel, Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker battle Owen Hart, Yokozuna, and the British Bulldog!

The Final Report: A great main event saves a very blah show. Ramon-Kid wasn’t as good as their battle two weeks prior but it told the story that it needed to with the Kid earning Ramon’s respect by refusing to give up. If I recall, the six man tag match next week is full of great stuff.

Show Grade: B-

Logan Scisco has been writing wrestling reviews for Inside Pulse since 2005. He considers himself a pro wrestling traditionalist and reviews content from the 1980s-early 2000s. Most of his recaps center on wrestling television shows prior to 2001. His work is featured on his website (www.wrestlewatch.com) and he has written three books, available on Amazon.com.