RAW History of WWE: Raw Episode 13

Welcome to RAW History of WWE where this time we look at episode 13 of RAW. If you want to read previous instalments the archive is here. Before we begin here are our Champions and Commentators.

Champions

WWE World Champion Hulk Hogan (5th Reign)

Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (1st Reign)

Tag Team Champions Money inc. Ted DiBiase (2nd Reign) Irwin R. Schyster (4th Reign)

Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage and Rob Bartlett

The first match is Razor Ramon versus Virgil. This match is all about Ramon who shows off his ability so well, it is a shame Ramon was never awarded with a world title after the hard work he put into the early years of RAW.

The next match is Giant Gonzalez versus L.A Gore. This is just a jobber match. While this is supposed to make Gonzalez look impressive he is another wrestler whose momentum had been tarnished by Wrestlemania 9. It is not so much that Gonzalez could not defeat the Undertaker or even cheat it’s the use of the chloroform that really damaged him as with his impressive size and power he should not have need it even in a losing effort.

This match is followed by a promo with Luna Vachon which seems to be just an opportunity to promote the Wrestlemania video release and the footage of Luna’s attack on Sherri from that video.

The next match is Tatanka versus Art Thomas. This is another jobber match from Tatanka who was like Razor Ramon one of the big stars from the early years of RAW and unlike Ramon never really got a lot of recognition title wise. Sadly Tatanka is like Gozales in that his momentum was shattered by the events of Wrestlemania where he won the match but failed to win the title.

The next match is Money Incorporated versus the Beverly Brothers. This match stems form the two teams beef from the previous week and it is a very good match that sees a lot of back and forth action. It is the peculiar thing that both teams were heels a week ago with Vince McMahon commenting that the fans do not know who to cheer for. the match ends when DiBiase gets a roll up.

After this match there is an interview with Bret Hart. The point of this interview is that Bret is going to bounce back from his defeat at Wrestlemania and that his next target is Lex Luger after the attack before Wrestlemania.

The final match is Bam-Bam Bigelow versus Phil Apollo.This match is dominated by Bigelow which is not a bad thing as Bigelow was one of the all time greats who deserved a better chance. After the match Bigelow attacks Apollo further before Friar Ferguson makes the save who attacks Bigelow. Yes you read that correctly Bigelow was beaten up by a man dressed as Friar by a dropkick no less.

This episode of RAW was not spectacular with only one major match worth mentioning among a sea of jobber matches. It also shows the tragedy of Wrestlemania 9 as two potential big stars are seen after the loss of their momentum at the show. Join us next time for episode 14 of RAW where we examine Crush versus Lex Luger.

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RAW History of WWE: RAW Episode 12

Welcome to RAW History of WWE where this time we look at episode 12 of RAW. If you want to read previous instalments the archive is here. Before we begin here are our Champions and Commentators.

Champions

WWE World Champion Hulk Hogan (5th Reign)

Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (1st Reign)

Tag Team Champions Money inc. Ted DiBiase (2nd Reign) Irwin R. Schyster (4th Reign)

Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage and Rob Bartlett

The show opens with Money Incorporated getting tips about the Steiners from the Beverly brothers as IRS is facing Scott Steiner in the first match. Strangely the match advertised for last week was the Bushwhackers takin on Money incorporated not the Steiners. The Steiner versus IRS match is a great opener for the show, both Steiner and IRS are great technical wrestlers and show it off in this match. The match ends in a disqualification and then the Beverley Brothers come down to join in the beatdown leading to a miscommunication when they accidentally hit Ted DiBiase leading to the Beverleys turning on Money Incorporated. This is a greta action packed opening for the show.

The next match is Tatanka versus Von Krus. This sia nother match to add to Tatanka’s undefeated streak which seems a bit pointless at this point considering the one win that mattered in this streak led to Tatanka not winning the Intercontinental Championship. Surely the point of a streak is to win a belt. The other point of interest is the appearance of Doink during the match.

The next segment is an interview with Luna Vachon. This is a very cheesy interview that leads to a very good ringside brawl with Sensational Sherri that leads into the crowd long before that sort of thing regularly happened especially with women wrestlers. Afterwards Sherri is being interviewed until Luna returns and the brawl continues.

The next match is Papa Shango versus Scott Taylor. This is just a filler match for two future stars of the Attitude era. Shango was near the end of hos gimmick before returning as Kama.

The next match is Friar Ferguson versus Chris Duffy. Yes I am not making this up a Friar is in the main event of RAW. Ferguson is better known to WCW fans as Norman the Lunatic and later in WWE as Bastion Boogger. This match represents everything wrong with this period of RAW poor gimmicks for solid wrestlers and continuous jobber matches.

The show ends with an interview with Money Incorporated where they are jumped by the Beverley Brothers, a rarity for RAW at this time to end with a brawl.

This episode of RAW was better than some with a great opening match and also a great brawl stemming from an interview as well as a good ending if the main event left a lot to be desired. Join us next time when we will review episode 13 of RAW and see the Beverley Brothers take on Money Incorporated in a non title match, an interview with Bret Hart and Razor Ramon versus Virgil.

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RAW History of WWE: RAW Episode 11

Welcome to RAW History of WWE where this time we look at episode 11 of RAW. If you want to read previous instalments the archive is here. Before we begin here are our Champions and Commentators.

Champions

WWE World Champion Hulk Hogan (5th Reign)

Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (1st Reign)

Tag Team Champions Money inc. Ted DiBiase (2nd Reign) Irwin R. Schyster (4th Reign)

Commentators: Vince McMahon and Randy Savage

The first match is Virgil versus Bam Bam Bigelow. Interestingly about this match there are smatterings of Virgil sucks chants a rarity for this time to oppose the face. The match is nothing special Bigelow is great but Virgil nearly botches a couple of moves it is a Bigelow victory. After a match there is an interview with Yokozuna and Mr Fugi saying they have lodged a formal complaint with Jack Tunney about the loss to Hogan.

The next match is Kimchee versus Bob Backlund.  This is a good match for Backlund who shows off his great technical ability throughout.

The next match is Jim Brunzell versus Damian Demento. This is a strange match in the sense that neither wrestler would become big names in later years and seems to be just a  throw away match. Which is a very sad situation considering the talent of Brunzell.

The next match is The Beverly Brothers versus The Steiner Brothers. This is a great match that should have really been the main event. Both teams show off their abilities like they did at the Royal Rumble and put on a great tag-team match.

The next match is Jerry The King Lawler versus Jim Powers. This si a good match Lawler had refused a couple of times earlier in the night to wrestle if the fans did not stop chanting Burger King to the point that this is the last match. Lawler shows off his great heel tactics and tis leads to a great match from the King.

It is odd to see a RAW after Wrestlemania not having any big twists that the modern fans are more accustomed to. This RAW is also not the best the Steiner and Lawler matches are good but besides that it is not a spectacular RAW. Join us next time where we review episode 12 of RAW where we will see The Bushwhackers take on Money Incorporated

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RAW History of WWE: Wrestlemania 9

Welcome to RAW History of WWE where this time we look at Wrestlemania 9. If you want to read previous instalments the archive is here. Before we begin here are our Champions and Commentators.

Champions

WWE World Champion Bret Hart (1st Reign)

Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (1st Reign)

Tag Team Champions Money inc. Ted DiBiase (2nd Reign) Irwin R. Schyster (4th Reign)

Commentators: Bobby Heenan, Randy Savage and Jim Ross

The show opens with Julius Caesar and Cleopatra and commentators Bobby Heenan and Randy Savage coming down to the ring, this segment is well worth a watch just for Jim Ross on commentary giving a history lesson on Caesar, Cleopatra, and Ancient Rome in general (welcome to 1993 WWE folks).

The first match is Shawn Michaels versus Tatanka for the Intercontinental Championship. This match is worth note for the WWE début of Luna Vachon. This is a great opening match from one of the lesser Wrestlemanias. However, the match is spoilt by the terrible ending when Michaels attacks the referee and gets disqualified. This move derails all the momentum that Tatanka built up over the previous months, something he would never really recover from.  This match would definitely be remembered as a classic if not for the murky ending and its impact. After the match Sherri who was in Tatanka’s corner is attacked by Luna.

The next match is the Steiner Brothers versus the Headshrinkers. This is a great match that deserves a lot of credit and does not get it due to the Wrestlemania it was a part of. The Headshrinkers are a very underrated tag-team that show here that hey can keep up with an amazing team like the Steiner Brothers.

The nest match is Doink the Clown versus Crush. This is where the matches go from good to just plain weird. You know there is a sufficient lack of quality at tan event when a clown carries a match, which is exactly what Doink does throughout. The icing on the cake however,is a second Doink appearing the cost Crush the match this was an angle that would go on for quite some time and the worst part is the announcers debate whether it was an illusion.

The next match is Razor Ramon versus Bob Backlund. This is a short solid match that weirdly Ramon wins with a small package. After dominating the match one would think that a Razor’s Edge to Backlund would have made more sense.

The next match is Money Incorporated versus The Megamaniacs for the Tag-Team Titles. One thing worth noting before the match is Hogan’s eye it was sold as DiBiase arranging him to be jumped, Hogan claimed it was an accident that happened days before, thought there have been persistent rumours that it occurred due to an altercation with Randy Savage, you be the judge. The match is solid due to Ted DiBiase and IRS playing the roles of heels so well by cutting off the ring and being generally villainous. The surreal moment of this match is when the referee is knocked out cold and Jimmy Hart jumps in, reverses his coat to reveal a referee’s colours and makes the count, at which point Hogan and Beefcake act as if they had won before a disqualification victory for Money incorporated. This match is far too long and it just feels that the Backlund and Ramon match was cut short to allow this match more time. The afterwards of the match Hogan and Beefcake remian in the ring after chasing off the champions and again overstay there welcome.

The next match is Mr.Perfect versus The Narcissist Lex Luger. This is an ok match Perfect makes it as Luger is in the middle of a very poor gimmick especially with his metal plated forearm that is used to say he attacked Bret Hart with earlier in the day. after a dirty finish by Luger he hits Perfect with said forearm. perfect gives chase and gets attacked by Shawn Michaels. It is strange they can show this footage but not show footage of Sherri being attacked by Luna Vachon which is reported earlier in the night or make footage of Luger’s attack on Hart.

The next match is The Undertaker versus The Giant Gonzalez. This is a unique streak match for the Undertaker, match wise it is awful with a poor finish however, Taker’s entrance is fondly remembered and considered one of his best Mania entrances. This was during a period where all of Taker’s Mania opponents were monster heels as it seemed they thought they were the only people who would be considered formidable for the Undertaker. Interestingly Undertaker would reference this school of thought in a shoot during the attitude era.  As with most of the matches on the Wrestlemania 9 card one guy makes each match in the series of odd pairing and as usual Taker is that man. The match ends with a disqualification after Gonzalez uses a chloroform soaked rag to knock out the Undertaker.

The next match is Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart versus Yokozuna. This is actually a good match, Hart uses greta speed to counter Yokozuna’s power and size and the pairing works very well. Its is the ending and what comes after that is the problem. With Yokozuna in the sharpshooter Fuji throws salt in Hart’s eyes allowing Yokozuna to win. Yes Yokozuna is a heel and heels cheat but it makes it look like despite his side he cannot defeat Hart on his own. The other half of the disservice to Yokozuna and by extension Hart is Hogan cooming down to defend Hart and reveal the cheating and ending up winning the world title. This makes Hart look like he needs someone to fight his battles and costs Yokozuna all the momentum he had picked up and despite regining the title never really had the same level of hype in that reign due to poor booking.

Wrestlemania 9 is strange, there are matches putting together strange pairings and two wrestlers completely lose all their momentum due to poor booking or stroking another wrestlers ego. Also good matches are marred badly by poor endings, leading to a very poor Wrestlemania. Join us next time where we examine the first RAW after Wrestlemania ever.

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RAW History of WWE: RAW Episode 10

Welcome to RAW History of WWE where this time we look at episode 10 of Monday Night Raw. If you want to read previous instalments the archive is here. Before we begin here are our Champions and Commentators.

Champions

WWE World Champion Bret Hart (1st Reign)

Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (1st Reign)

Tag Team Champions Money inc. Ted DiBiase (2nd Reign) Irwin R. Schyster (4th Reign)

Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage and Rob Bartlett

The first match is The Bushwhackers versus Damian Demento and The Repo Man. This is a starnge match, The Bushwhackers are always unconventional albeit a good tag-team, the pairing of Repo Man and Demento is, however, an incredibly odd pairing. The match is solid and a win for Luke and Butch but it is sad to see Repo Man (Barry Darsow) who was such a big name in the 80s as Krusher Khruschev and Demolition Smash relegated to a named jobber.

The next match is Tatanka versus Reno Riggins. This is just another jobber match, however,  Tatanka is always a fun wrestler to watch especially here in the midst of his major push of 1993. This match is followed by a video package about Andre the Giant after his induction to the Hall of Fame.

The next match is Money incorporated versus Jeff Armstrong and Scott Rich. This is another jobber match but well worth a watch, IRS and Dibiase were a great team and always shone together and individually.

The final match is Kamala versus Doink the Clown. This is one of the strangest pairings in a RAW main event and sums up the state of WWE in 1993, gimmicks, gimmicks and more gimmicks. The match ends in a count out when Doink distracts Kamala outside of the ring with a present. This has to be the worst way to give someone a victory and one of the worst main vents on RAW so far.The fighting continues in a ringside brawl that would not look out of place in Loony Tunes cartoon.

This RAW was one of the strangest in terms of matches yet, in a strange twist the jobber matches were the highlight of the episode with the main event leaving much to be desired. Join us next time for Wrestlemania 9.

 

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RAW History of WWE: Episode 9

9

Welcome to RAW History of WWE where this time we look at episode 9 of Monday Night Raw. If you want to read previous instalments the archive is here. Before we begin here are our Champions and Commentators.

Champions

WWE World Champion Bret Hart (1st Reign)

Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (1st Reign)

Tag Team Champions Money inc. Ted DiBiase (2nd Reign) Irwin R. Schyster (4th Reign)

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan and Rob Bartlett (Not Vince McMahon)

The first match is Razor Ramon versus Russ Greenburg. This is just Ramon showcasing his talent against a jobber, however, the match is worth noting for Ramon. For the first year of RAW Razor Ramon was one of the most featured big names to appear on the show. Ramon put on great matches and was involved in great angles like the 123 Kid storyline during this time. It is partly thanks to Ramon that the show was a success as a lot of the time RAW’s promise to be different fell flat resorting to just the usual jobber matches fans knew from other WWE shows and the competition.

The next match is Typhoon versus L.A Gore.  This is one of those literal squash matches that WWE were so fond of with their big men like Typhoon. Nothing more to say about it than that.

Next is a segment is an interview by Bobby Heenan with Harvey Wippleman and Giant Gonzales. This is quite a cheesy segment for one of the worst challengers to the Undertaker’s streak before it was a streak. it was a regular occurrence for Undertaker to get ill conceived opponents during this period. The highlight has to be Gonzales saying he has a ‘giant surprise for the Undertaker.

The next match is Papa Shango versus Bob Backlund. This is a solid match, Shango was a good performer who got saddled with poor gimmicks until he became The Godfather in the Attitude era. It is also an odd match as Shango was nearing the end of his gimmick before becoming Kama after a hiatus and Backlund was in transition before his Mr Bob Backlund gimmick.

The next match is The Nasty Boys versus The Headshrinkers. This is a very good match, while the Nastys for many are a required taste they put on a good match with the Headshrinkers and as always are very entertaining. The match is also interesting for ending in a double countout and all out brawl in the concessions, a precursor to the type of matches te Nasty Boys would become known for in WCW.

This episode of RAW was very good, with solid matches that were also entertaining this is an episode that is well worth a watch. Join us next time for episode ten where we see Money incorporated and Kamala versus Doink the Clown, Tatanka versus the Repo Man and The Bushwhackers.

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Adam Rose Released by WWE

WWE has announced today that they have released Adam Rose from the company. Rose has been a constant presence in the headlines these past few weeks. Rose was suspended several weeks ago for violation of the WWE Wellness Policy, soon after Rose made it clear on social media that he felt there had been a miscarriage of justice and produced doctors notes to prove his innocence. Soon after Rose was suspended indefinitely by WWE when he was arrested for witness tampering and domestic violence. The release comes as no surprise with all these factors considered. Rose was a member of the Social Outcasts before his suspension.

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Cody Rhodes asks for Release from WWE

WWE has announced to day of the release of WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes. Rhodes took to Twitter earlier this week to announce his intent to ask for his release from the company, which has been granted. Rhodes is the son of former world champion The American Dream Dusty Rhodes and brother of Dustin Rhodes who wrestles as Goldust.

Rhodes had been wrestling under the Stardust gimmick since 2014 and despite initial , success with a tag-team title win and subsequent feud with brother Goldust Rhodes was never given a real chance to show off his talent and character on television. The only signs of a push for Rhodes of the past 13 months for Rhodes were the two ladder matches of Wrestlemania 31 and 32 where despite great talent saw him lost in the rush and his feud with star of Arrow Stephen Amell who met in a tag team bout at last years Summerslam. The Summerslam match gave many hope of a push for Rhodes but sadly nothing ever came from it.

Rhodes in his Stardust character was considered a highlight of WWE house shows, he was at the most recent one in Dublin Ireland where he opened the show and delighted fans with high jinx before showcasing his excellent talent. Hopefully Rhodes will gain some experience in the independents before returning to WWE as a hot independent star.

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Upload Update: RAW 04-05 Uploads Near Completion

This week saw great headway made into RAW from 2004 and 2005. 2004 is now almost finished, while 2005 has more than half to go. This is nothing to worry about the upcoming week will probably see a mountain of uploads so that they can start afresh with June’s upload in the first week of that month. While this upload did not have any pleasant surprises it was still a welcome one as it means one less upload of RAW before it is complete.

At this point if the RAW uploads continue in their previous pattern it will be three more uploads before the show is as up to date as possible. With the way the last few months have alternated between RAW and Smackdown uploads we could see the shows completed by the end of the year. While this may not be a popular choice with many as quality is up and down especially in the more recent years but it will leave a gaping hole in the upload schedule in 2017 to be filled with yet unseen shows.

As the month and collections near their end questions have to be asked as to what is next. Logically and going by the last few months the next upload should be Smackdown. However, the Network has thrown some curveballs in the past, and the Vault has been left ignored since the February/March upload of ECW. The strongest options for this would be Nitro, to complete it or to start Thunder. Thunder would be the start of a unique set of uploads as it can be finished in two uploads tops so it will be interesting to see i tarrive and how it is handled. Another curveball could be more retro material like World Championship Wrestling, WCCW or something off the wall with little material like Mid-South or AWA. Of course if it is in the Vault a whole different curveball could be thrown like Sunday Night Heat a shows that was integral to the Attitude era and with RAW and Smackdown now moving beyond that period it is a strong contender for the future. The wildcard in all this is of course the ECW supershows that Joey Styles announced last month which are always a possibility, and with ECW’s original run now finished as much as it will be it is an even stronger contender.

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RAW History of WWE: Episode 8

Welcome to RAW History of WWE where this time we look at episode 8 of Monday Night Raw. If you want to read previous instalments the archive is here. Before we begin here are our Champions and Commentators.

Champions

WWE World Champion Bret Hart (1st Reign)

Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (1st Reign)

Tag Team Champions Money inc. Ted DiBiase (2nd Reign) Irwin R. Schyster (4th Reign)

Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage and Rob Bartlett

The show opens with a recorded promo from the Megamaniacs. This is very long and drawn that comes across as very weird in places, such as the training regiment of hitting Brutus in the head with a steel suitcase and Hogan and Beefcake’s training song being getting to know you. The whole piece would have bee n perfect in 1988 but even by 1993 standards looks dated in its style.

The first match in Money inc versus Virgil and Tito Santana. This is a very strange pairing of Virgil and Santana, however, the match is a good opener with the tag-team champions. The match ends with DiBiase and I.R.S using dirty tactics to win a good match. The result is important as with Wrestlemania getting closer Money inc need to make themselves out to be able to stand up to Hulk Hogan where other villains have not at Wrestlemania.

The next match is Tatanka versus Phil Apollo. Before the match the match Tatanka’s previous vicories over Michaels are shown it is strange that with such a strong pus atthe start more was never made of him after 1993, the only other highlight is the Luger feud in 1994 and that is marred by him joining DiBiase’ Million Dollar Corporation. Tatanka dominates the match, the only other notable point is Michaels’ phone-in promo about his match with Tatanka.

The next match is Papa Shango verus Mike Edwards. This is another quick match dominated by the future Godfather. in his most ill concieved gimmick he was given. The next match is Bob Backlund versus Tony DeMoro nothing special about this match except Backlund showing off his exceptional grappling ability.

The next match is Rick ‘the Model’ Martel versus Mr. Perfect. Martel had had a presence all night by bullying the RAW girls over their cards. This is a great match between the two former A.W.A World Champions. Both display a greta back and forth style that is a hidden gem o the early episodes of RAW, not as good as the Flair match but still very good. The major downside of it though is a commercial break is taken and when the match returns it is over.

This RAW was a very good show with a strong beginning and end, while the mid card is still very much lacking of what we are used to now and the endin is very much marred by the loss of the conclusion of a very good match. Join us next week where we will cover episode 9 of RAW to see Kamala, Razor Ramon and Typhoon versus Bam-Bam Bigelow.

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