Countdown to 10th Anniversary - Raw in Review 1994

[EinBebop]

Don't forget that not everything happened on Raw in these days; Superstars was still considered the 'A' show, and I did not discuss PPV's except how Raw was building up to PPV matches. If your favorite moment didn't happen on Raw, you won't see it here.

Actually, everything was becoming more Raw-centered around this time, but it seems like most anything involved with the World title or Undertaker still happened on Superstars.

By the way.... during the mid-nineties, EVERY MATCH ON RAW took two to three segments!!!

January – February 1994
1-2-3 Kid and Marty Janetty fueded with Johnny Polo’s Quebecers, winning the tag titles on the one-year anniversary show. They only held the title for a few days before the Quebecers regained. 1-2-3 Kid got injured, and Ramon (who was fueding with Irwin R. Shyster for repossessing his gold chains) teamed up with Janetty to attempt to regain the titles. Ramon and Janetty finally got the tag title shot in late February, so Shawn Michaels and Diesel came out to cost Ramon the title, lest we forget who the *real* Intercontinental champion is. Incidentally, Shawn Michaels wore his old Intercontinental title from his return in November all the way to Wrestlemania, when both belts were suspended above the arena in the big ladder match. I thought the better part of this fued was at the end of last year, so I left it in that poll.

Raw wins it’s first #1 cable ranking with the pre-Rumble show.

Jim Ross debuts as Vince McMahon’s co-commentator on the post Rumble show, albeit for only one week.

March – April 1994
Tatanka is awarded a special native American headdress by Jay Strongbow, Wahoo McDaniel, and some real Indian chief, meaning some special honor as a warrior or something.

Captain Lou Albano issues a challenge to Johnny Polo: Johnny’s Quebecers against Lou’s mystery team, who turns out to be: The Headshrinkers! Lou lobbies for weeks before he actually gets his shot. The Headshrinkers take the titles, and it’s the 20th time that Lou Albano has taken a tag team to the gold.

May 1994
Diesel, who beat Ramon for the Intercontinental title just two days prior on Superstars, announces that while being the Intercontinental champ is nice, being the World champ would be a whole lot nicer. Look out, Bret Hart.

Yokozuna and the Earthquake (the latter apparently being the real sumo wrester, go figure) have a sumo match on Raw, with Earthquake coming out the winner.

Ted Dibiase begins forming the Million Dollar Corporation, starting with Nikolai Volkoff. Nikolai’s first match back? Beat some guy named Matt Hardy with a Boston Crab. Ted also promises to bring back the Undertaker, who’s been missing in action since losing a casket match to Yokozuna (and every other villain on the roster) at the Royal Rumble. By the way, this jobber named Matt Hardy shows up several times this year

June – August 1994
Gorilla Monsoon joins Randy Savage (who had kind of become permanent Raw commentator again by this point) to replace Vince McMahon on the Raw announce team. Vince was knee deep in the steroid trial around this time. In July, Jim Ross temporarily took over until Vince “pinned the U.S. Justice systerm”, as Randy Savage put it, in August.

Raw is pre-empted the week before KOTR, for “Countdown to the Crown”!

Duke “the Dumpster” Droese (don’t worry if you don’t remember him, he doesn’t matter) rubs Jerry Lawler the wrong way, and so Lawler takes Droese’s trashcan, and beats him senseless with it! Later that night, WWF President Jack Tunney calls in and announces that foreign objects are not to be used in wrestling and pledges that we will never again see such violence on a family show like WWF Raw. I guarantee this won’t be on the 10th anniversary show.

Ted Dibiase claims to have signed the Undertaker, and sure enough, he delivers. Paul Bearer comes out with the urn during an Undertaker, and Undertaker starts to go towards Paul, but Ted Dibiase lures him back with a wad of money. Paul declares that Dibiase’s Undertaker is not the real Undertaker (which was already plainly obvious to the rest of the world.) Paul promises to bring back the real Undertaker to challenge Dibiase’s fake at SummerSlam.

Dibiase (who also claimed Bam Bam Bigelow) also claimed that he had signed Lex Luger, which Luger vehemently denied. Luger’s best friend, Tatanka, is shocked and hurt by the development, and noone else seems to believe Luger either. Tatanka is so angry at Luger, that he challenges Luger to a match at Summerslam! Of course, it turns to to be Tatanka that “sold out”.

1-2-3 Kid wins a #1 contenders match and gets a shot at Bret Hart. Much to the chagrin of Owen Hart, Jerry Lawler, and about a half-dozen other people who want a piece of Bret Hart. One of the two best matches on free TV that year.

Alert! Vince McMahon believes that Dibiase’s Undertaker is fake, because Dibiase’s Undertaker just uses a chokeslam, while the REAL Undertaker uses a tombstone piledriver!! Who is that biker claiming to be the Undertaker these days, and what’s he done with the real Mark Calloway! But why hasn't Vince said anything? VINCE MUST BE BEHIND IT!

Boring skits of Leslie Nelson looking for the real Undertaker plague our TV screens until Summerslam.

September – October 1994
Bob Backlund went completely off the deep end when he lost a title shot to Bret Hart over the summer, and the Backlund/Hart fued went into full swing here. Backlund promises to retire if anyone can get out of his crossface chickenwing. You think it’s great when Booker T stares at his hand? Well, Bob stared at BOTH hands! Bob put the crossface chickenwing on anyone he could get ahold of… Lex Luger even jobbed to the chicken wing! A fun irony note of irony for you Hitman fans… when Backlund turned on Bret, the big question was, “Why, Bob, Why?”

Jerry Lawler’s long fued with Duke Droese tranisitioned to a fued with Doink the Clown, when Dink was hiding out in Droese’s trash can. This built up to a Survivor Series match with Doink and three midget clowns versus Lawler and three midget Kings.


And you think today’s Raw roster is just a bunch of clowns?

King Kong Bundy joined Volkoff, Bigelow, and Tatanka in the Million Dollar Corporation. And it was pretty much all four of them versus Lex Luger. Eventually, British Bulldog teams up with Luger.

With the fakertaker finished, Undertaker turns his sights to the guy who put him out… Yokozuna. And just to make sure that there’s no interference this time; Undertaker brings in someone to watch his back: Texas Ranger Chuck Norris. Ugh.

November – December 1994
Bret Hart and Davey-Boy Smith versus Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart. This was the second of two best matches on free tv that year that I spoke of earlier.

Randy Savage leaves the WWF, and is replaced at the announce table by Jerry “the King” Lawler (one night only… going back to rotating guest commentators). Vince actually gives a very heartfelt goodbye to Savage. Then screams out, “Macho Man screwed Macho Man!” Okay, I made that last part up.


"I used to wear one of those in high school, but that's not where I wore it." - Shawn Michaels

P.J. Walker, aka Justin Credible, re-debuted as the Portugese Man-o-War, Aldo Montoya, and turns down a spot in the Million Dollar Corporation. The fool.

Bob Backlund, who held the world title for two days before losing it to Diesel, demands his rematch. Vince mocked the eight-second match that Backlund lost the title in, and Backlund promised that when all is said and done that he would put Vince McMahon in the chicken-wing as well. The Internet watched and waited, but the crossface never happened. Backlund’s nuts. He’s just the type to wait for a tenth anniversary show and then hit Vince when he least expects it.

Diesel, a rulebreaker until he won the title, immediately took on the mantle of the leader of the ‘New Generation’ and managed to destroy everything that everyone thought was cool about him up to this point.

Country superstar Jeff Jarrett got himself a “Roadie”, who later went on to become “Road Dog” Jesse Jammes.

Look for Raw in Review 95 on Monday... and find out who Triple H has been holding down for seven years.

Raw in Review 93

[Ordinary Guy]

I voted for Other. Because I really remembered Bret Hart putting the World Heavyweight title up against the 1-2-3 Kid. That was one of the best matches ever on Raw. 1-2-3 Kid, X-pac, Syxx-pac or whatever he want to call himself has not performed to the level him since that night.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Mmm...chicken wings! "Backlund’s nuts. He’s just the type to wait for a tenth anniversary show and then hit Vince when he least expects it." That would be incredible!

EXTRA INFO:

Earthquake, a.k.a. John Tenta, really was a sumo wrestler for a while when he was younger. He wrestled in Japan and Canada and even won some sort of championship. I believe his record was 16-0.

The fake Undertaker was a friend of Mark Calloway's named Brian Lee. He was an indy wrestler brought in by Mark for the angle. When asked about the angle earlier this year, Mark felt it was a good idea, but poorly executed.

[EinBebop]

Because I really remembered Bret Hart putting the World Heavyweight title up against the 1-2-3 Kid. That was one of the best matches ever on Raw. 1-2-3 Kid, X-pac, Syxx-pac or whatever he want to call himself has not performed to the level him since that night.

Crap. I originally had that on the poll, but I seriously didn't think anyone would remember it and decided to go with the second Backlund option instead. Bah.

Mark felt [the Underfaker angle] was a good idea, but poorly executed.

Really? I mean, the whole premise was kind of out there, but I can't imagine how they could've improved on the execution. Unless they started shooting lightning bolts and fire at each other, a la Undertaker/Kane 98.

[Good Ol' Batmanuel!]

Mark was asked on the show Off the Record before Wrestlemania what he thought of the Underfaker angle and he basically said that on paper it looked good, but they soon realized that it was kinda dumb. Oh well. So many angles turn out that way!

[Robin2099]

I concur that Bret's match against the 123 Kid was the highlight of Raw in 94. A five star match which helped me to stay into wrestling at a time when my intrest was going down. Backlund snapping was also very entertaining though.

[The Penguin]

I was this close to picking DiBiase and The Undertaker, but decided to go with Lou Albano's Headshrinkers win the tag titles, his 20th time managing tag champs I vividly remember this event and although I hadn't seen Captain Lou manage any other set of Tag Team Champions I really felt like I was a part of history when the hands of Samu and Fatu were raised.