-Vince McMahon and Johnny Polo are in the booth for today’s show.
-Opening Non-Title Contest: “The Bad Guy†Razor Ramon (Intercontinental Champion) vs. Steve Smith:
Ramon messes with Polo’s hat on the way to the ring, prompting Polo to threaten a lawsuit and he leaves the booth. Smith goes after Ramon’s arm, but Ramon slams out of it. Jerry “the King†Lawler joins McMahon in the booth as Ramon works the arm. Smith makes a brief comeback, but Ramon turns the tide and pounds away on him in the corner. After a boring armbar spot that goes nowhere, Ramon gives Smith a side suplex off the second rope and pins him after a Razor’s Edge at 3:19. This was the usual boring Ramon squash match.
-The ending of the Lex Luger-Yokozuna title match at WrestleMania X is replayed.
-Crush (w/Mr. Fuji) vs. Tom Alton:
Chris Williams is our guest ring announcer and he does a good job for a kid that’s only five or six years old. Alton outmaneuvers Crush and takes him to the buckle several times, but runs into a Crush chokeslam shortly thereafter. Crush pounds away as McMahon and Lawler discuss how Men on a Mission won the tag team championships on a recent European tour and held them for two days. There’s a rumor that that title change happened because Pierre forgot to kick out after Mabel splashed him, but I’ve never been able to verify its accuracy. Crush gives Alton a hot shot from a gorilla press position and that finishes at 1:50. Interesting finish, but there was nothing special here.
-Live Event News shows us an interview Bret Hart had with the media after WrestleMania. Bret says that he wants to face Owen again and that Owen can only beat him one time out of ten.
-“Double J†Jeff Jarrett vs. Thurman “Sparky†Plugg:
Jarrett stalls for the first minute of the match and works a headlock for much of the second. Plugg finally manages to turn the tables and get a couple of quick near-falls with some shoulder blocks. A flying body press off the ropes gets two. It’s so hard not to type “Bob Holly†for this match recap. Jarrett gets a cheap shot over the referee and slowly pounds away until a blind charge eats buckle. Jarrett nails Plugg with a dropkick and covers for three at 6:36, but Plugg’s foot is under the bottom rope and referee Earl Hebner waves it off. Is this where they got the idea to do a non-finish between these two a year later when Jarrett was Intercontinental champion? As Jarrett argues with Hebner, Plugg comes up behind him and schoolboys him for two. Plugg hits a suplex for a double KO and Jarrett misses a fist drop from the second rope. Plugg hits a knee lift off the ropes for two. A sunset flip gets two. A backslide gets two. Plugg decks Jarrett with a clothesline on a blind charge and gets the pin at 8:52. Jarrett’s foot was on the bottom rope, but Hebner doesn’t see that and refuses to reverse the decision. Was it really necessary to have a tainted finish here? This one never got going and I wasn’t a fan of the non-finishes. Rating: *
-Johnny Polo comes to ringside and tells Jarrett that he’s just witnessed a travesty of justice. Jarrett demands a rematch and pulls a Hacksaw Jim Duggan by setting up a chair in the middle of the ring and refusing to leave. Doink and Dink come out and when Jarrett is distracted by them, Plugg runs back into the ring and rolls Jarrett up for a Doink administered three-count. Uh, okay.
-Doink (w/Dink) vs. Mike Bell:
Dink squirts water in Bell’s face before the opening bell and when Bell trips when he tries to chase after him. Polo is back on commentary because Lawler left to file a protest with Jack Tunney over the Jarrett-Plugg match. Bell stops a hiptoss with a clothesline for one. Bell delivers a slam and hits a leg drop for two. Bell offers a test of strength, but Doink comes out on top and delivers an elbow drop for two. Doink wrestles Bell to the canvas for two. A Bell blind charge eats boot and Doink hits the Whoopie Cushion for the win at 3:16. If you need a competitive squash match just call Mike Bell.
-Irwin R. Schyster reminds us of why we need to pay taxes. After all, paying taxes is a privilege. If that’s the case can I opt out?
-Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Luna Vachon) vs. John Paul:
Paul tries to get the crowd fired up at the beginning of the match, but everyone knows he doesn’t stand a chance so they don’t bother. After ducking a Bigelow clothesline, Paul dazes Bigelow with a shoulder block, but when he charges a second time Bigelow catches him with a powerslam for the pin at 1:21. These two didn’t communicate well in the ring and it’s a good thing the match ended when it did.
-Earthquake vs. Reno Riggins:
Earthquake teases a confrontation with Bigelow on his way to the ring. Riggins takes it to Earthquake, but Earthquake waves off a dropkick and gives Riggins one of his own. Riggins misses a reverse body press off the second rope and Earthquake flattens him with a belly-to-belly suplex. Earthquake toys with Riggins for a long time before finishing him with the Earthquake Splash at 3:43. This match was given way too much time.
-Stan Lane recaps WrestleMania X.
-Jeff Jarrett crashes the announce booth and complains about the result of his match earlier in the show. He rants for a while before McMahon grabs the mic out of his hand.
-Tune in next week to see the debut of Shawn Michaels Heartbreak Hotel. Bret Hart will be its first guest. Also, Jeff Jarrett will get a rematch with Thurman “Sparky†Plugg!
The Final Report Card: Yet another bad show after WrestleMania X which is due in large part to the lack of storylines for most of the roster. Jarrett wasn’t coming off as a threat to the top tier of the roster and that made his Intercontinental title victory in early 1995 so puzzling.
Show Evaluation: Thumbs Down
