1995 Discussion

Discuss Raw in 1995.

Bret Hart vs. Hakushi (WWF Raw 7/24/95)
-Lot of big moves in this one. They work at a leisurely pace for the first few minutes, but it picks up after the first commercial. Hakushi busts out all sorts of stuff that was impressive in 1995. Gutwrench Backbreaker, Sasuke Special, and a few different top rope moves. Even Bret got fed up and did a crazy type of asai plancha(trademark?) that I've never seen before. Shinja was amusing on the outside and bumped well for Bret, and the crowd seemed really hot. Very good 10 minute sprint, but I doubt it'll make my list. ***1/4

Owen Hart Vs Razor Ramon - Raw January 9th 1995
Nice start to this match, with Razor working over the arm, showing that he can be a technician inside the ring instead of just a power wrestler that you might expect just looking at him. Owen uses his rather awesome mix of athleticism and technical skills to create an opening, only for Razor to use his power and level Owen with a clothesline, then continue to go after the arm! Owen gains control after reversing a Razor's Edge attempt, and he begins to wear down the bigger man with a sleeper hold. A couple of false come back spots for Razor, but Owen keeps going back to the sleeper. A high end back suplex begins the real come back period for Razor, as he begins to hit some of his well known offence, but Owen does a nice counter to an attempted second rope back suplex, which leads up to a Sharpshooter! Razor doesn't have time to tap as Bret makes his return (first time back since Survivor Series) and tries to take out his brother! Jeff Jarrett comes out to even the odds, but Razor gets back up and the baby faces clean house. Solid match with a shitty ending. Nothing that stands out, but worth a watch if you like both guys.

Rating: ***

The Smoking Gunns Vs 123 Kid & Bob Holly - Raw January 23rd 1995
A real lengthy tag match, the night after the RR where Holly and Kid won the tag titles. Both teams are baby faces, so we get the typical face vs face stuff at the start with both teams getting in lots of quick offence but no team really gains the advantage. Its not until Kid takes the roll of a heel, making Bart distract the referee so he can control Billy. Kid and Holly control the match for quite some time, with everything flowing nicely and making the match pretty good. Billy finally gets the tag, and things go downhill a little from this point. Its not that the in ring action is particularly bad or anything, but it just feels really weird with the Gunns in control and still being face. That probably doesn't make any sense, but you would just have to watch the match to know what I mean (or to think something completely different to me, making me seem insane). The end does pick up though, with both teams going back and forth, before the Gunns hit an awesome double team move and pin Holly to become the new tag champs! It was nice to see a match get this amount of time on Raw, which was a regular occurrence back then, but tbh they could have cut some time from this match where the Gunns had control . Stopped the match from being better than it was. Oh, we do get a rather awesome line on commentary from HBK (who has been on every Raw of 95 so far along side Vince or Monsoon).
Bob Holly goes to the top rope: Vince: He's a risk taker, he's a stock car driver, he's a WWF superstar...
*Jumps off the ropes, and lands face first into Billy's boot*
Shawn: And now he's an idiot!

Rating: ***1/4

The Smoking Gunns Vs 123 Kid & Bob Holly - Raw January 30th 1995
Much shorter match here, and for the time they got it was a lot better in a lot of ways compared to their first match. No messing around at the start exchanging holds and moves, they just get right into it. The former champs gain control early on, determined to win back their titles, but the Gunns are still high from winning the week before and quickly take control of the match. Things heat up a bit as Holly and Bart (might have been Billy, I forget lol) start pummelling the fuck out of each other in the corner. End is shitty, with Kid coming off the ropes and Bart moving out of the way. Billy gets the tag, and is about to take it to the Kid, but stops. The Kid is apparently hurt (he rolls his eyes back and looks like he is having a seizure lol) and the match is stopped. LAME. If they went for a real end (unless Kid was legit hurt, then shame on me lol) this could have rivalled their first match, and maybe even done better.

Rating: **3/4

Shawn Michaels Vs The British Bulldog - Raw March 6th 1995
Shawn had won the RR a month ago, and as we all know, he eliminated Bulldog last to do so, after Bulldog thought he had won. So Bulldog has to be a little pissed, and he gets the chance to prove he is better than Shawn in this match. We also have Shawn's new bodyguard on the outside, Sid. Typical heel Shawn match start, as he bumps like crazy for the Bulldog, being send to the outside, and just getting embarrassed in general. A short arm scissors allows Michaels to slow down the Bulldog and control match as we got to a commercial break. We come back, and Bulldog powers his way out of the hold, and puts Shawn in a bow and arrow! He has to let go of the hold though, otherwise he would have been pinned. Shawn throws a punch, but ends up getting thrown over the ropes anyway! Sid is on the outside and catches Shawn, who places him back on the apron! Shawn gets control for about 10 seconds, before Bulldog stops any momentum he had and powers him up for the stalling vertical suplex! Shawn is able to throw Bulldog over the ropes, and since Sid ain't the Bulldog's bodyguard, there is nobody to catch him. Bulldog lands awkward and looks hurt, so Shawn takes full advantage of this and can finally begin to control the match for a good length of time. Nice offence from Shawn as you would expect, as he uses his athleticism and high flying ability to beat down the Bulldog before applying a sleeper hold to hopefully put him away. Sid finally comes into play after teasing interference at a few points in the match, when he grabs the ropes and pulls them back behind the referee's back, so they are further away from Bulldog (I guess that's where Shawn got the idea from during the JBL/Cena match... ). Bulldog fights out of it and lands a back suplex, and both men are down as we go to another commercial break! As we come back, both men are just getting up, and both men are hurting. They fight for control once again, and Bulldog ends up on the outside. Shawn distracts the referee and Sid interferes again, sending Bulldog into the ring post! Roll up inside the ring, but Bulldog kicks out! Superkick! Bulldog is out for the count. Really good TV match! Nice start, with Shawn bumping, then both men fighting for control for a little while, before transitioning into a Shawn control segment. Nice use of Sid on the outside, and the finish helped put over the superkick of Shawn going into WrestleMania, as Bulldog had kicked out of everything else up to that point.

Rating: ***1/2

Bret Hart Vs Owen Hart - Raw March 27th 1995
This match rarely, if ever, gets talked about when people mention their feud, so I wonder if there is a reason for that. Its No DQ and No Countout, and we are just 6 days away from WM 11. Both men have important matches on the show, but Owen Hart's interference during Bret's WWF Title match at SS and the RR has re-started their feud again, even if it is just for a short while. Bret brings the hate big time, especially for him, as he just pummels the fuck out of his brother inside the ring, then throws him into the steel steps, and even slams him on the concrete floor! Owen is completely overwhelmed by this, and is only able to mount an offence when Bret tried to turn the match into a wrestling match rather than a brawl. While Bret tried to wrestle now, Owen rakes the eyes of Bret and turns it into a brawl again, only this time he is in control. We got to a commercial just as Owen launches Bret into the guard rail on the outside. When we return, Bret is locked in a sleep hold, as Owen is trying to wear down his brother. This starts a small come back for Bret, but after a 2 count from a pin attempt, Owen goes right back to work on Bret. Owen sets Bret upside down in the corner, and goes to the other side to take off the top turnbuckle cover! Smart by Own to tie Bret upside down before doing it, giving himself some time and space away from Bret. Unfortunately for Owen, Bret throws HIM into the exposed turnbuckle, and Bret begins to hit his signature moves as he sets Owen up for the Sharpshooter. Owen makes good use of the No DQ rules again, with a thump to the eye to escape a Sharpshooter attempt, then finally throws Bret into the exposed turnbuckle that was meant for him in the first place! A missile drop kick misses though, as Bret moves out of the way, and seems to be doing a one-upmanship with Owen as he again sends his brother into the exposed turnbuckle! Sharpshooter is finally locked in, and Owen submits! Bret isn't done though, as he keeps the submission hold locked in, sending a message to Bob Backlund before their I Quit match! Well, this isn't anywhere near the level of their WM X match, or their Action Zone match, or even their cage match, but its still a good match and probably needs to be talked about a little more. Bret brings some nice hate, Owen wrestles a smart match, using the No DQ rules well, and the one-upmanship between the two involving the exposed turnbuckle is fun to watch, and is basically what their feud was about for the most part; trying to get the better of each other.

Rating: ***

Sid Vs Razor Ramon - Raw 01/05/1995
Lol, this is on my little piece of paper with a list of all the Raw 95 matches that I was interested in seeing, and I was very disappointed. Not because it blew... but because it went like this: Sid attacks Razor from behind. Sid Powerbombs Razor. Sid Powerbombs Razor again. Diesel chases Sid away. Match never starts. I *think* they have a match in 96, so hopefully that turns out better .


The Undertaker Vs Jeff Jarrett - Raw 29/05/1995
No idea why I am watching this, since Undertaker doesn't start being good until 1996 when Mankind shows up. 'Taker stalks JJ before he finally gets hold of him, and from there we see some basic power offence from the Dead Man. Roadie tries to make a difference on the outside when he grabs the leg of Undertaker, but not even that can stop the Phenom. Its a missed elbow drop, followed up by a distraction from Roadie that allows JJ to gain control of this one. Jeff might be in control, but he is far from dominant. It takes multiple shots to put The Undertaker down, and even then, JJ can't even complete his strut before he has to turn his attention back on 'Taker. Undertaker finally looks to be in trouble as JJ goes for the legs and even locks in a Figure Four. Comedy relief segment here now as Roadie tries to help JJ out, causing Paul Bearer to RUN after Roadie and take his jacket off as if he wants to fight him. Oh, this is also a KOTR Qualifying match lol, so its not a random Raw match. Would have been nice if I knew that from the start . Comeback for the Dead Man now, as he chokeslams JJ TWICE, and then decides to Tombstone him still!!! This one is over. Nice TV match here. Jarrett looked good against 'Taker, constantly taking the fight to him and even putting the Dead Man in a bit of trouble.

Rating: **1/4


Owen Hart Vs British Bulldog - Raw 05/06/1995
Another KOTR Qualifying match, between the two brother in laws. They would go on to form a fantastic tag team, and in 97 they had one of the best TV matches I have ever seen, certainly the best WWF/E TV Match. I just wonder what they are capable of doing here. They start off similar to their 97 match, doing some basic, yet cool looking sequences from the arm bar and hammer lock. Its slowed down considerably compared to the 97 match, but here they have the heel vs face dynamic to work from instead of 2 team mates trying to out-do each other. Bulldog controls the first part of the match, using his power, until Owen somehow gets control (honestly, I don't recall when it happened lol). Owen gets some decent offence in, then we go to a back and forth finishing stretch which is probably the best part of the match, as the middle section is kinda forgettable. There is a time limit for the match, and both guys realise that they don't have long, so they go into high gear to try and pick up the win. Bulldog hits his powerslam, but Owen gets his foot up on the ropes. From there, they exchange numerous pin attempts until the time finally expires. End sucks, and the middle section is just kinda there, but the early going and the finishing stretch make up for that, and in turn this match is actually pretty good. Its got nothing on their 97 match (both of them, actually), but its still a good watch.

Rating: ***

Raw 1995 (07/24) - Bret Hart vs Hakushi
It's hard to separate it from IYH, but the fact that this was 5 minutes shorter and felt a little less significant pushes it down a small step lower. As far as action and communication goes, this one was actually stronger and crisper across the board. Bret took a few massive bumps in this and once again they sold Hakushi as a death defying Kamikaze machine who was hard to maintain control against. The big moments in this are a touch more "wowing" than at IYH but it has a bit less character. It felt like an extension with the pace lifting up another gear so that made it tie in well as the follow up to their previous encounter. Obviously it couldn't be as fresh or innovative as the first one, but it's still a classy match and entertainment galore compared to what was surrounding it at the time.

***1/4