Before we begin, I just wanted to apologize for the lack of a recap last week. The pay-TV connection in my area went out for an entire day, and it happened on Sunday, when Vintage airs. But, into the action for this week.
And we’re starting off with Bret Hart cutting a promo against Diesel, and then of course, Diesel gets his chance to speak too. Hyping their match at the 95 Royal Rumble.
Our first match comes from the 1992 Rumble, and is between The New Foundation (Owen Hart & Jim Neidhart) and the Orient Express (Pat Tanaka & Kato). Tanaka is in the ring with Neidhart, and he’s trying to knock Neidhart down. Hart is tagged in, Neidhart delivers a slam and Hart comes down from the top rope with a leg drop to a two count. A backbreaker leads to another two count, and Tanaka starts to fight back with a couple of punches, but when he tries to send Hart into the turnbuckle, Hart is able to flip over the top of Tanaka and deliver another slam. A massive kick to the side of Tanaka’s head and Neidhart is tagged in. Neidhart gets in a massive spear and Kato comes in to assist. A double clothesline knocks both men down and Neidhart makes the tag, gets the Orient Express to standing again, and Hart is able to hit a cross body that knocks both men down. Kato stays in the match and a spinning kick knocks him down and a suplex keeps him there. Hart is able to get in a chinlock briefly before Kato rolls out of the ring. When Kato comes back in, Hart is able to get a chinlock on again but as Hart runs the ropes, Tanaka kicks him from behind, and then Mr Fuji helps out with a strike from his cane to the neck. Again there is no tag, but Tanaka swaps places with Kato while the ref’s back is turned. A couple of strikes to the throat and Kato is tagged in. Kato is able to get in a kick and a shoulder to another two count. Neidhart distracts the ref again and the Orient Express team up to choke Hart out on the ropes. As the match gets going again, Tanaka is able to throw Hart into the turnbuckle and down as we go to a break.
Coming back in, all four men are in the ring, and the ref is distracted by Neidhart. Mr Fuji sticks his cane up against the turnbuckles and Hart is slammed into it. Kato goes for the pin but Hart is able to put his foot up over the bottom rope. An arm bar slam is delivered on Hart and Tanaka is tagged in. A headbutt to the shoulder and an arm bar is locked in. Hart is able to get back to standing but Tanaka is able to deliver a shoulder. As the men run the ropes, Hart is able to get a belly to belly suplex to a two count that is broken up by Kato. Tanaka is able to get the tag and Neidhart tries to come in and the ref is distracted again. Orient Express get in a double clothesline to a one count. Kato tries to lock in another arm bar and tags in Tanaka. A kick and the ref is distracted again by Neidhart trying to get in. Hart is choked out of the ropes again but is able to get some steam back and deliver a double dropkick to give him the chance to get the tag. Neidhart comes steaming in slingshotted over the top rope as he delivers a couple of scoopslams and a backdrop before he knocks Kato outside of the ring. Hart is sent through the ropes in a suicide dive onto Kato, and then Hart climbs up to the top rope and is assisted in getting a splash to a three count. The winners here, the New Foundation.
And now we’re going back to the 1994 Royal Rumble to see a match between Razor Ramon and IRS for the Intercontinental Championship. IRS gets in the first slap, but Razor comes straight back with a series of punches that cause IRS to drop out to the floor. As IRS comes back in, the men lock up quickly and IRS pushes Razor back into the turnbuckle and gets in a few punches. IRS runs the ropes and is stopped by the right hand of Razor as he goes down and Razor mounts him to continue the punches. IRS is able to drop out to the floor again and takes his time getting back into the ring. Razor is able to get a side headlock and he gets a shoulder block in, before going into an atomic drop, into a clothesline and a two count. Another side headlock, and Razor starts to run the ropes and IRS is able to use the motion to throw Razor over the top rope. On the outside, IRS sends Razor into the stairs and then hits a clothesline before getting back into the ring. And we go to an ad break.
Back into the action and IRS has Razor in a chinlock. As Razor is able to get back to standing he starts in on IRS with a series of punches before throwing IRS in a slam. Razor is able to get IRS into the corner, and as he goes to send IRS to the opposite turnbuckle, he’s able to reverse it, sending Razor flying back into the corner where he slams into the ref and knocks him down and out. IRS goes straight to his briefcase here trying to sneak up on Razor with it, but Razor sees him and delivers a kick to knock the briefcase out of his hands. Razor grabs the briefcase and uses it to smash over the head of IRS and he goes for a pin. But the ref is still out cold. Razor gets up and so does IRS, but as IRS misses a roundhouse punch, Razor is able to pick him up and sit him over the top ropes of the turnbuckle and climbs up behind him to hit a belly to back suplex. Razor starts to make the movements to signal the Razor’s Edge, but as he sets up, Shawn Michaels runs down and hits Razor on the back of the head with an IC belt. Now we focus on the three men inside the ring lying sprawled out. IRS is the first one up, and he crawls over to cover Razor. The ref is also slowly coming to life and is able to make the three count. IRS wins the match. But as IRS celebrates another ref comes out and a second IC belt is brought out. As this is happening, Razor is able to hit the Razor’s Edge to a second three count and this time the bell rings and the match is over. Still Intercontinental Champion, Razor Ramon.
As we prepare for our main event match, we get to see both Diesel and Bret Hart discuss things inside the dressing rooms. This match comes from the 1995 Rumble and is for the WWE Championship. Hart is working on the leg of Diesel and goes straight into locking in the sharpshooter. Eventually Diesel is able to reach the ropes and Hart has to break the hold. Hart grabs the leg of Diesel and starts to work on it again before going into a figure four leglock. Eventually Diesel is able to reach the ropes, but Hart refuses to break the hold. It takes the ref grabbing Hart’s leg to get him to break it. Hart goes straight back into working on Diesel’s leg as Diesel rolls to the outside. Hart follows him out with a suicide dive. He is run into the ring posts but is able to reverse things and send Hart into the steel steps. At this, we go to a break.
Coming back in, it seems that Diesel has turned things around, as he has Hart in the corner and then delivers a sidewalk slam to a two count. Diesel is then able to choke Hart over the second rope and then drops down onto him as his neck is over the second rope. Diesel then puts Hart over his knee as he stretches him. Another two count before Hart is thrown into the turnbuckles. Hart starts to fight back here with a series of punches before Diesel starts in with another series of punches. Diesel is able to literally throw Hart into the turnbuckle before lifting Hart up over his shoulder and into a submission hold. Hart is able to get down from it, but a snapmare leaves him on the ground. As Hart runs the ropes he takes a foot to the face, and Diesel delivers an elbow which leads to a two count. Hart crawls to the corner, and Diesel throws him to the opposite corner but when he goes to slam into him, Hart lifts his leg and hits Diesel. Hart hits a clothesline from the second rope here and he climbs back up to the top rope but Diesel catches him and lifts him up high. Hart uses some momentum to push down and land ontop of Diesel. Hart rolls to the outside and he is able to grab Diesel’s legs and pulls them to the outside. Hart takes the tape off his wrist and ties it around the legs of Diesel leaving him trapped around the ring post. Hart climbs back in and starts working on Diesel. The ref goes to the outside and unties Diesel’s legs. Hart delivers a bulldog as we go to an ad break.
Straight back into the action and Hart is just delivering punch after punch. Diesel manages to stay on his feet for long enough, and eventually falls. Diesel gets to standing again and delivers a series of forearms. Hart manages to get caught up in the ropes and get stuck hanging upside down. We see Diesel drop to the outside and go straight for a chair. The ref helps Hart out of the ropes and he walks to the middle of the ring before dropping down grabbing his knee. Diesel climbs back into the ring and Hart is able to get him in a small package for a two count. As the two men go to run the ropes, Hart pushes Diesel so that he knocks the ref down. All three men go down and suddenly Shawn Michaels flies into the ring and starts in on Diesel. Out of nowhere a crowd of people appear in the ring and Owen Hart and Bob Backlund are beating on Hart and Shawn Michaels, Jeff Jarrett and the Roadie are beating on Diesel. The match is announced as a draw, and everyone piles back into the ring again. Diesel is able to get Michaels, Jarrett & the Roadie out again before he saves Hart by getting rid of Backlund. Inside the ring, Diesel seems to be helping Hart to standing again, and it looks like they will attack each other, but a handshake and a hug ends the match.
That’s all she wrote for this week, and we’ll be back next week for our final look back at Royal Rumble matches.
