WWF 1995: IYH: Collision Course Up

[Deleted]

Roster

Wrestler	Hometown	Finisher	Manager?	Tag Team?	Title?
The 1-2-3 Kid	Minneapolis, MN	Moonsault
Adam Bomb	Three Mile Island	The Meltdown
Aldo Montoya	Portugal	Unknown
Bam Bam Bigelow	Asbury Park, NJ	Greetings from Asbury Park	Ted DiBiase
Bart Gunn	The Great State of Texas	The Sidewinder		The Smoking Gunns
Billy Gunn	The Great State of Texas	The Sidewinder		The Smoking Gunns
Bob Backlund	Princeton, MN	Crossface Chickenwing		w/Owen Hart
Bob Holly	Mobile, AL	Pit Stop Plunge
Bret Hart	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	The Sharpshooter
The British Bulldog	Manchester, England	Running Powerslam		Allied Powers	Tag Team Champion
Butch	New Zealand	Unknown		The Bushwhackers
Chris Kanyon	Long Island, NY	Stylizer
Diesel	Detroit, MI	Jackknife Powerbomb
Doink the Clown	The Circus	Whoopee Cushion	Dink
Duke "The Dumpster" Droese	Baltimore, MD	Trash Compactor
Eddie Fatu	San Francisco, CA	Top Rope Splash
Eli Blu	Appalachia	Unknown	Uncle Zebekiah	The Blu Twins
Fortune	Palm Beach, FL	Double Chokeslam	Ted DiBiase	The Million Dollar Team
Henry O. Godwinn	Bitters, AR	Slop Drop
Hunter Hearst Helmsley	Greenwich, CT	The Pedigree
Irwin R. Schyster	Washington, D.C.	The Write-Off	Ted DiBiase
Jacob Blu	Appalachia	Unknown	Uncle Zebekiah	The Blu Twins
Jeff Hardy	Cameron, NC	Swanton Bomb		The Hardy Boyz
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett	Nashville, TN	#1 Smash; Figure-4		w/The Roadie	IC Champion
Jerry "The King" Lawler	Memphs, TN	Piledriver
Kama	Reno, NV	Shoulderbreaker	Ted DiBiase
Lex Luger	Atlanta, GA	Torture Rack		Allied Powers	Tag Team Champion
Luke	New Zealand	Unknown		The Bushwhackers
Mabel	Harlem, NY	Big Splash	Ted DiBiase
Man Mountain Rock	Seattle, WA	Whammy Chord
Mantaur	Parts Unknown	Corner Splash
Marty Jannetty	Los Angeles, CA	Rocker Dropper
Matt Hardy	Cameron, NC	Twist of Fate		The Hardy Boyz
Mo	Harlem, NY	Big Splash	Oscar
Owen Hart	Calgary, Alberta, Canada	Sharpshooter		w/Bob Backlund
Rad Radford	Philadelphia, PA	Death Valley Driver
Razor Ramon	Miami, FL	Razor's Edge			WWF Champion
Rick "The Model" Martel	Coco Beach, FL	Quebec Crab
The Roadie	Nashville, TN	Pumphandle Slam		w/Jeff Jarrett
Savio Vega	San Juan, Puerto Rico	Spinning Heel Kick
Shawn Michaels	San Antonio, TX	Sweet Chin Music		w/Sycho Sid
Skip	Philadelphia, PA	BodyBuster	Sunny
Solomon Jacobs	Parts Unknown	Chokeslam
Steven Dunn	Boston, MA	Unknown		Well Dunn
Sycho Sid	West Memphis, AR	Powerbomb		w/Shawn Michaels
Tatanka	Pembroke, NC	End of the Trail	Ted DiBiase
Timothy Well	Boston, MA	Unknown		Well Dunn
Tom Pritchard	Gattlinberg, TN	Unknown
Undertaker	Death Valley	Tombstone Piledriver	Paul Bearer
Virgil	Patterson, NJ	Right Hook
Watts	Palm Beach, FL	Double Chokeslam	Ted DiBiase	The Million  Dollar Team
Yokozuna	Japan	Banzai Drop	Mr. Fuji

Some things to note:
- Scene began on January, 1995
- Various jobbers and enhancement talent will pop up from time to time, without being listed in my roster.
- I have excised the Women's division for now. Consider the title to have been honorably retired sometime in December, 94.
- Chris Benoit has been signed, and will debut sometime after Wrestlemania.
- Doug Furnas and Phil  LaFon have also been signed. They will debut as Jean-Paul (Furnas) and Phillipe (LaFon) as the North Star Lumberjacks soon.
- James E. Cornette is taking some time off following Wrestlemania.
- Crush has been suspended indefinitely, following Wrestlemania XI, due to legal problems.

Championship History
WWF Title
Diesel January 1, 1995-April 2, 1995
Razor Ramon April 2, 1995-

Intercontinental Title
Razor Ramon January 1, 1995-January 23, 1995
VACANT January 23, 1995-February 26,1995
"Double J" Jeff Jarrett February 26, 1995-

Tag Team Titles
Smoking Gunns January 1, 1995-January 22, 1995
Owen Hart & Bob Backlund- January 22, 1995-April 2, 1995
The Allied Powers- April 2, 1995-

[underjohngrohs]

please ohhh pretty please stick with this cause 1995 was a bad year in the WWF please make 1995 good, please push people and please get rid of the one-year title reign of Diesel, I beg you please, please, please, please, please with a sugar on top

[DTP.]

Promising time for the industry, as WWF reached 1995. It turned out to be a suckish year, but started with some promise, given some talented guys on the roster. I hope you make Diesel's reign worth it, I enjoyed parts of it, in all honesty. Don't rush the strap off of him. Also, perhaps work on the layout a little, make it look nice.

[Deleted]

WWF Monday Night Raw
January 2nd, 1995

Vince McMahon & Jerry "The King" Lawler welcome us to another great edition of Monday Night Raw. They hype the main event for that evening, as the #1 contender for the WWF Championship at the Royal Rumble will square off with "The Human Fighting Machine" Kama. Also we will see Owen Hart one-on-one with Billy Gunn this evening, and The Undertaker will be in action as well. Without further adieu...

Match #1: Mantaur w/James E. Cornette d. Greg Davis with a Corner Splash
Mantaur, the latest concoction from James E. Cornette lays waste to the veteran Greg Davis in a few seconds flat, not really giving the man a chance to do anything. It is quite literally a squash match. Vince makes note that Mantaur will be in the Royal Rumble, and he may be a dark horse candidate to lay his claim to the title shot.

We cut to a vignette airing in a luxurious mansion where a man sits by the fireplace, two women by his side. He says his name is Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and soon he will be entering the World Wrestling Federation to bring some degree of class and dignity to it.

Match #2: Men on a Mission d. Bull Payne & Buck Quartermain with a second-rope splash from Mabel
Men on a Mission continue their winning ways, as they make short work of the makeshift team of Payne & Quartermain. Mabel and Mo continue to grow in popularity in the WWF, making their stated goal of winning the tag titles a possibility in the near future.

Match #3: Owen Hart w/Mr. Bob Backlund d. WWF Tag Team Champion Billy Gunn w/Bart Gunn with the Sharpshooter
Owen Hart has made its explicit goal to win a title in 1995, and his first target is the WWF Tag Team Championships held by The Smoking Gunns, who won the vacant titles at a recent WWF live event. Owen has sought the aid of his ally over the last few months in Mr. Bob Backlund to achieve this goal, and the two have challenged the Gunns to a match at the Royal Rumble. Here, Owen Hart manages to score a victory over Billy thanks to some help from Bob Backlund, who's arguing with Bart at ringside led to a distraction that allowed Owen to disconnect the turnbuckle pad. Owen then whipped Billy into the exposed turnbuckle, knocking him out. He hooked on the Sharpshooter as a formality and picks up the big win.

Shawn Michaels is interviewed backstage by Doc Hendrix, who asks the Heartbreak Kid what he thinks the year 1995 will bring for him. Michaels points out that so far in his career he's been a tag team champion and the Intercontinental Champion, leaving only one prize left to get. Michaels says he is throwing his hat into the ring for the Royal Rumble, and after he survives 29 other men, he will go to Wrestlemania. When Doc points out that, if Diesel gets by Bret Hart at the Royal Rumble, that means Shawn will have to face his former bodyguard, Shawn smirks and says that's an awfully big "if."

Match #4: The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer d. Tony DeVito with a Tombstone Piledriver
During the match, Ted DiBiase joins McMahon & Lawler at ringside. DiBiase notes that he brought The Undertaker into the WWF, and the kind of embarrasment his Million Dollar Corporation has received at the hands of the dead man will not be tolerated any longer. He notes that he is making it his New Year's Resolution to make the Undertaker suffer, and suffer mightily at the hands of the Million Dollar Man. As for the match itself, Undertaker makes short work of Tony DeVito, finishing him off with the Tombstone. He then motions over to DiBiase, who scurries away in fear.

Match #5: Bret "The Hitman" Hart d. Kama w/Ted DiBiase with the Sharpshooter
Kama's strength and power advantage allowed him to take control in the early parts of the match, while Bret Hart struggled to get any offense into the equation. Bret managed to rally though, and he finished off the human fighting machine with the sharpshooter, showing that the former champion still has quite a lot of gas left in the tank heading into his title opportunity at the Royal Rumble. After the match, WWF Champion Diesel is shown in the entryway, clapping his hands at the victory for Bret Hart. Bret then motions for the championship belt, which Diesel then holds up high while pointing at himself as we go off the air.

WWF Superstars
January 7-8, 1995

We are welcomed to WWF Superstars by Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon as we get set for more great WWF action, including Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon in action in the main event.

Match #1: Jacob & Eli Blu w/Uncle Zebekiah d. Barry Horowitz & Duane Gill with a double sideslam    
The Blu twins are relatively new to the World Wrestling Federation, and they show just how ferocious they can really be as they take Horowitz and Gill to the cleaners. The two men have no answer to the power and teamwork of the Blu Twins, and they are finished off in short order with a double sidewalk slam.

Match #2: Crush w/ Mr. Fuji d. Dennis Knight with a Heart Punch
Crush certainly showed his mettle once again, and established himself as a favored candidate in the upcoming Royal Rumble match, making short work of young Dennis Knight with a Heart Punch. Crush then got on the microphone and called out every WWF Superstar in the back, saying that he is sick and tired of playing second fiddle to anyone. He says that at the Royal Rumble, not only will he go through 29 other men and go on to Wrestlemania, but he will do it without breaking a sweat. And at Wrestlemania, he adds, no matter who the champion is, he will be crushed.

A vignette airs saying that next week, right here on Superstars, we will see the debut of Skip and Sunny, the Body Donnas, as they show the World Wrestling Federation exactly how the beautiful people in the world get along...and they will prove that they are better than everyone else.

Match #3: Fatu w/ Afa & Sionne d. "Doctor" Tom Prichard w/James E. Cornette & "Gigolo" Jimmy del Ray with a crescent kick
Representatives from these two veteran teams faced off against one another, and in this case it was The Headshrinker that came out on top. Fatu didn't seem to have any trouble with the type of "civilizing" that Afa has been attempting over the last few months, and while the Heavenly Body did manage to mount some offense, Fatu finished him off with a sharp crescent kick that left him lying on the mat.

Match #4: WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon d. Rad Radford with The Razor's Edge
Ross and Monsoon announce that the Intercontinental Champion has entered his name into the Royal Rumble match as well, potentially making this Royal Rumble one of the most star studded in WWF history. Ramon has little difficulty with Rad Radford, finishing him off with the Razor's Edge and celebrating his victory afterwards.

Current Royal Rumble Card

The 30-Man Royal Rumble Match

WWF Championship Match
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel (c) vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
The Smoking Gunns (c) vs. "The King of Harts" Owen Hart & Mr. Bob Backlund

[Deleted]

Not a bad first week. The amount of detail is good, considering you're still in the time where the shows consisted mostly of enhancement matches. Nothing else to comment about really. You're just starting so that is to be expected.

[Deleted]

WWF Monday Night Raw
January 9, 1995

Vince McMahon and Jerry "The King" Lawler welcome us to Monday Night Raw, now just 13 days away from the Royal Rumble. Several superstars, from Razor Ramon to Lex Luger to Crush have all made their intentions known that they want to win the 30-Man Over the Top Rope Match and go on to main event Wrestlemania. On top of that, we also know that the WWF Title will be on the line as Bret Hart challenges Big Daddy Cool Diesel. Last week we saw Bret Hart in action, tonight we get the champion in action in a non-title match against The Model Rick Martel. Plus the other half of the tag team title match will take place, as Bob Backlund will face Bart Gunn. And here we go!

Match #1: Marty Jannetty d. Doink the Clown w/Dink with the Rocker Dropper
Marty Jannetty made his return to the World Wrestling Federation this evening, and he made the most of it with a victory over Doink the Clown. Certainly no one doubts the abilities of the former Intercontinental Champion, but after a rather unsuccessful year in 1994, Jannetty is determined to set things right in 1995. After the match Jannetty celebrated, heading out through the crowd and raising his hand in victory.

Match #2: The 1-2-3 Kid d. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett w/The Roadie by countout
Jeff Jarrett is one of the few who has not made his intentions towards entering the Rumble clear, and now can add running scared from the 1-2-3 Kid to his list of hits. Jarrett was puzzled by the fast moving, hard hitting kid from the get go, and after taking a tumble over the top rope and to the Outside, Double J decided he had just about enough of this whole affair, making his way to the locker room with the roadie following behind him, as the 1-2-3 Kid picks up the countout victory.

Jerry Lawler is in the ring for another edition of The King's Court, and he welcomes his guest for tonight, Lex Luger. Lawler mentions to Luger that its been almost two years since he arrived into the World Wrestling Federation, and in that time, though Luger has had a lot of success in the ring, he has never won a title. Lawler asks Luger what he thinks about the fact that he can't seem to win the big one. Lex reminds Lawler that he was the co-winner of the Royal Rumble last year, and furthermore if it hadn't of been for a crooked referee, he would have won the WWF Title at Wrestlemania. Lawler says that Luger has more excuses than the Million Dollar Man has C-Notes. He goes on to add that he thinks Luger's best days in the WWF are behind him. Luger says he will prove he's still the best anytime, anywhere, against anyone...starting next week with The King. Lawler laughs, saying he has better things to do then fight a never-was like Luger. Lawler turns to leave, but then tries to sucker punch Luger. Lex blocks it and hits a couple of hard right hands, before clotheslining the King out of the ring. He shouts at Lawler who scurries off to the back, as Gorilla Monsoon joins Vince McMahon at ringside to finish the broadcast.

Match #3: Bart Gunn w/Billy Gunn d. Mr. Bob Backlund w/Owen Hart with a powerslam
Bart Gunn managed to do what his brother couldn't do last week, and that is pick up a win over 1/2 of their opponents at the Royal Rumble. Billy Gunn made certain that a repeat of last week didn't happen, keeping Owen Hart at bay for most of the match. This allowed Bart to use his power to his advantage and outmuscle the wily veteran Backlund. Bob had a few good moves on Bart, and at one point nearly had the Crossface Chickenwing locked in, but Bart managed to get to the ropes. He then ducked a Backlund right hand and turned it into a powerslam to score the victory over the former WWF Champion.

Before our main event, Vince McMahon informs us that The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase has issued a challenge to the Undertaker to fight Irwin R. Schyster at the Royal Rumble, something that the Undertaker has agreed to. Monsoon points out that DiBiase is up to something but nevertheless the match has been made. Also, next week right here on Raw we will see Lex Luger go one on one with Jerry "The King" Lawler!

Match #4: "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel d. "The Model" Rick Martel with a Jackknife Powerbomb
It was easy pickings for the WWF Champion, as The Model was easily overpowered by Big Daddy Cool. Despite his experience, Martel couldn't stand up to the powerful moves that Diesel employed, and the champ finished him off with a Jackknife. Afterwards, as it was last week, Bret Hart showed up in the entryway, clapping for Big Daddy Cool as a sign of mutual respect. Diesel again lifts the title belt high in the air, as Bret Hart points at it and then points at himself. Suddenly from behind, Shawn Michaels attacks Diesel with a Steel Chair! Bret Hart immediately runs down to the ring to chase Michaels off, and HBK darts out of the ring with a smirk on his face, pointing at the both of them as we close out the show.

WWF Superstars
January 14-15, 1998

Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon run down what happened this past Monday Night on Raw, as Shawn Michaels attacked Big Daddy Cool with a steel chair. There seems to be an inevitable confrontation building for the two, and if it comes to pass that Diesel beats Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels wins the Royal Rumble, it could be the main event of Wrestlemania XI. Nevertheless though, Shawn Michaels is in action this week on Superstars as he faces the Mighty Kwang. Also this week we get the debut of Skip of the Bodydonnas.

Match #1: Irwin R. Schyster w/Ted DiBiase d. Charlie Hunter with The Write-Off Clothesline
After the announcement that was made on Monday Night, IRS was looking for a good tune up for his match against the Undertaker. Young Charlie Hunter did make a good showing for himself, attempting to upset the taxman with a variety of rollups. But IRS was too much and he quickly finished off the young man and now moves on to the Royal Rumble.

Match #2: Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly d. David Sierra with a Top Rope Dropkick
Bob Holly scored a decent win here over the self-professed "Cuban Assassin" David Sierra, leaving him in the dust. Sierra did manage a few power moves and looked early on as if he might score an upset, but Holly quickly quashed that idea with the victory.

We get another vignette for the soon to be debuting Hunter Hearst Helmsley, complaining about the rough and tumble crudeness of the World Wrestling Federation, and how he will at last bring class and dignity back to the WWF.

Match #3: Adam Bomb d. Duane Gill with the Atom Smasher
Total squash match for Adam Bomb, who continues to look impressive here in the WWF. Ross and Monsoon comment that, in addition to the Luger/Lawler match this coming Monday night, we will also see Adam Bomb one on one with the Human Condominum himself, King Kong Bundy.

Match #4: Skip w/Sunny d. Kenny Kendall with a Superplex
After a few weeks of vignettes announcing the imminent debut of the Body Donnas, Skip shows that the wait was indeed worth it, as he makes short and impressive work over Kenny Kendall. Skip doesn't even take his opponent seriously, performing pushups and jumping jacks during the course of the match, before finishing him off with a Superplex.

Match #5: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels d. Kwang with Sweet Chin Music
Michaels has recently stated that he has a new finishing maneuver, the Superkick that he has dubbed "Sweet Chin Music." And Kwang certainly felt the tune loud and clear on this night, as Michaels beat the karate expert at his own game and danced all over his chin. After the match, though, Diesel started to wander his way down the aisle. Shawn Michaels saw him and quickly hightailed it out of there, leaving Diesel grinning where Michaels had been standing as he shouts out "I'm comin for ya Shawn!" as we close out Superstars.

Current Royal Rumble Card

The 30-Man Royal Rumble Match

WWF Championship Match
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel (c) vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer vs. Irwin R. Schyster w/"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
The Smoking Gunns (c) vs. "The King of Harts" Owen Hart & Mr. Bob Backlund

[Zigzag]

This is pretty well done so far. WrestleMania 11 was the first WM I ever saw in person, so I'm curious to see how the card eventually shapes up in this diary. Can't wait for more!

[Deleted]

WWF Monday Night Raw
January 16, 1995

Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon welcome us to Monday Night Raw, the last big show before the Royal Rumble this weekend at Tampa. Tonight we will see the match that was promised last week as Lex Luger faces off with Jerry "The King" Lawler plus we will see Adam Bomb one on one with King Kong Bundy in our main event. Let's go to ringside for our opening match!

Match #1: Mantaur w/James E. Cornette d. Mark Starr with a Corner Splash
Mantaur's winning ways continue as he crushes Mark Starr in the corner. Despite troubles with some of his other clients as of late, it would appear that James E. Cornette might have a winner with Mantaur. He celebrates the easy victory in his usual fashion, and McMahon notes he will be in the Royal Rumble this Sunday.

Todd Pettengill is backstage and gives us a rundown of the Royal Rumble card this Sunday. In addition to the Royal Rumble match itself, we will also have the WWF Championship on the line between Big Daddy Cool Diesel and Bret The Hitman Hart. The WWF Tag Team Championships will be decided, as The Smoking Gunns defend against Owen Hart and Mr. Bob Backlund. The Undertaker will battle I.R.S. and, in a match just announced by WWF President Jack Tunney "Double J" Jeff Jarrett will team with The Heavenly Bodies to face the 1-2-3 Kid & The Headshrinkers in a big six-man tag.

Match #2: Lex Luger d. Jerry "The King" Lawler with a Torture Rack Backbreaker
Lawler starts the match with some trickery, with a thumb to the eye of Luger. The veteran king gets a good amount of offense in the back and forth matchup, even hitting his trademark fist drop from the second rope. But Luger fights back against The King and hits his running forearm shot before hooking Lawler in a Torture Rack backbreaker and securing the submission victory. After the match though, Luger is attacked by Crush, who comes running in from the back. Luger and Crush start brawling, getting all the way down the aisle before security finally breaks them apart. The two old enemies squaring off before this Sunday's Royal Rumble match where they will both be two of the favorites.

Match #3: "Double J" Jeff Jarrett d. Nick Barberry with the Figure-4 Leglock
Double J manages to redeem himself after last week's performance against the 1-2-3 Kid, with an easy win over Nick Barberry. During the match the Kid calls into Raw, and interviews with McMahon & Monsoon, telling them that in the six-man tag this Sunday there will be nowhere for Double J to run.

WWF Champion Diesel comes out for an interview. He talks first about last week when Shawn Michaels nailed him with a chair. He tells Shawn that he's playing with fire, and that he'd better be careful or he's going to get burned. At this Bret Hart comes out from the back. He says that what Shawn Michaels did last week was cowardly, but that Diesel shouldn't be concerned about Michaels right now, and that he should be focused on their match this Sunday. Bret says as far as he's concerned, he should have never lost the title back at Survivor Series. Diesel says he agrees with that statement, but what's happened is happened, and now that Big Daddy Cool is the WWF Champion, he's not going down without a fight. Bret nods his head, stating that he would expect nothing less. He reminds Diesel that when they fought at King of the Ring, the only reason that he won that night was because of outside interference, and that won't be the case this Sunday. This Sunday they are going to find out once and for all who the best in the World Wrestling Federation is, and Diesel had better be on his game. They close out by shaking hands and staring eye to eye with one another, as Gorilla Monsoon comments that it's going to be a fantastic matchup at the Royal Rumble.

Match #4: Adam Bomb d. King Kong Bundy w/Ted DiBiase by disqualification
This was a knockdown drag out brawl, with little to no technical expertise required. Bundy seemingly had the match won with his Avalanche in the corner, but Adam Bomb was able to sneak a shoulder out. Bundy then began to choke the life out of Bomb, necessitating the disqualification. In short order, Lex Luger came out to even the odds, only to be intercepted by Tatanka. Men on a Mission soon joined the fray, as did the team of Well Dunn. Within minutes the ring filled up, and Raw went off the air as participants in the Royal Rumble match brawled amongst themselves.

WWF Superstars
January 21-22

Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon welcome us to WWF Superstars this week, as we are getting set for the 1995 Royal Rumble this weekend. Tonight the world tag team champions are in action, as is The Phenom The Undertaker.

Match #1: Skip w/Sunny d. Ray Hudson with a Frankensteiner
The Bodydonnas made it two in a row as Skip defeated longtime veteran Ray Hudson to kick things off on Superstars. After verbally berating the crowd and demeaning their apparent lack of fitness compared to themselves, Skip proceeded to showcase his finesse, easily outwrestling and outmanuevering the slower Hudson. After the match, Sunny again berated the crowd, and said that the Body Donnas are going straight to the top of the World Wrestling Federation.

Match #2: Kama w/Ted DiBiase d. Dick Murdoch with a Shoulderbreaker
Veteran grappler Dick Murdoch is attempting a comeback, ala Bob Backlund, however he seemingly hit a roadblock in his first outing against the Human Fighting Machine. Kama showed why Ted DiBiase is so high on his talents, dispatching the veteran Murdoch with a variety of boxing moves that left the veteran battered and bruised. He then finished him off with a shoulderbreaker, Ted DiBiase cheering him on from the background.

A vignette is shown concerning the imminent arrival of Hunter Hearst Helmsley. He says that, once he arrives in the WWF, things will never be the same again. Never again will simple plebians be allowed to run roughshod and dominate as they once did. The era of class and respectability has finally arrived to the World Wrestling Federation.

Match #3: Henry O. Godwinn d. Mike McReynolds with the Slop Drop
The hog farmer from Bitters, Arkansas has racked up an impressive series of wins in recent weeks, and he adds to it here with victory over Mike McReynolds. During the match, Ted DiBiase was shown watching on the monitor backstage, as if he were scouting the talented hog farmer as a possible future acquisition for his Million Dollar Corporation.

Match #4: WWF Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns d. Well Dunn w/James E. Cornette with the Sidewinder
The Smoking Gunns certainly continued their winning ways and showed that they are ready for the Royal Rumble this Sunday, as they will defend their tag team titles against Bob Backlund and Owen Hart. Billy and Bart have little difficulty disposing of the team Well Dunn, finishing them off with the Sidewinder.

Match #5: The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer d. Matt Hardy with a Tombstone Piledriver
Undertaker makes short work of young Matt Hardy by way of a tombstone. During the match, however, IRS makes his way to ringside, and attempts to repossess the urn from Paul Bearer. Undertaker catches him and forces him back to the locker room, before finishing off Matt Hardy. As The Undertaker and Paul Bearer celebrate in the ring, JR makes note that the Deadman is ready for the Royal Rumble, as we close out Superstars.

LIVE! from Tampa, FL January 22, 1995

The 30-Man Royal Rumble Match featuring:
Adam Bomb, Aldo Montoya, Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly, British Bulldog, Bushwhacker Butch, Bushwhacker Luke, Crush, Dick Murdoch, Doink the Clown, Hakushi, Henry O. Godwinn, Jean-Pierre LaFitte, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Kama, King Kong Bundy, Kwang, Lex Luger, Mabel, Man Mountain Rock, Mantaur, Marty Jannetty, Mo, Rad Radford, Razor Ramon, Rick "The Model" Martel, Shawn Michaels, Steven Dunn, Tatanka, Timothy Well & Virgil

WWF Championship Match
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel (c) vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer vs. Irwin R. Schyster w/Ted DiBiase

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
The Smoking Gunns (c) vs. "The King of Harts" Owen Hart & Mr. Bob Backlund

The 1-2-3 Kid & The Headshrinkers w/Afa vs. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett & The Heavenly Bodies w/The Roadie & James E. Cornette

[Deleted]

WWF Royal Rumble
Tampa, FL
January 22, 1995

Pre-Show Match: The Roadie d. Duke "The Dumpster" Droese with a piledriver

---------

Vince McMahon and Jerry "The King" Lawler welcome us to the 1995 Royal Rumble, where indeed it will be every man for himself. Tonight 30-Men will enter the ring with one goal, to headline Wrestlemania XI. Plus tonight we will see the World Wrestling Federation Champion, Big Daddy Cool Diesel defend his title against the former champion, Bret "The Hitman" Hart. All this and more, but first, we are set for tag team action.

WWF Tag Team Title Match
The Smoking Gunns (c) vs. "The King of Harts" Owen Hart & Mr. Bob Backlund

Owen Hart and Bob Backlund make their way to ringside first, much to the chorus of boos from the crowd. Owen signals that he's #1, as Vince McMahon points out that so far a championship belt is the one goal that has eluded Owen Hart. Lawler says that it's only a matter of time before Owen Hart is a champion, and it will happen tonight. After all, in his corner is the former 2-time WWF Champion Bob Backlund, who though he's never held tag team gold, is certainly far more experienced than anyone else in this match. Vince wonder aloud how well Backlund and Owen will work as a team against the brothers Billy and Bart, as the music for the champs hits.

The crowd comes alive for the fan favorite tag team champions, and McMahon hypes them as easily the best tag team in the World Wrestling Federation today. They've only been champions for a little under two months, but Vince is certain that the Smoking Gunns will continue to dominate the division. Lawler rains on Vince's parade, saying this is the Gunn's first real challenge as champions, and that tonight is Owen's night.

The match begins with Owen Hart against Bart. Bart forces Owen into the corner and uses his hard hitting style to his advantage, pummeling away at The King of Harts. A quick whip to the corner followed up by a hot tag to Billy allows the early domination to continue. Owen comes back though, reversing an Irish Whip and hitting a hard spinning heel kick to the face of Billy Gunn. He tags in Bob Backlund who starts to go to work on the neck of Billy Gunn. Lawler notes the injuries Gunn has had in the past to his neck, and says this proves Backlund is the smartest man in wrestling. Backlund drops his knee across the forehead of Billy and gets a quick two count before tagging Owen back into the ring. Owen puts the boots to Billy as the crowd tries to rally the Gunns back into the match, and Billy seemingly gets a short burst of offense, only for Backlund to hold the top rope down when Billy goes for a clothesline, sending Billy careening to the outside.

Bart chases into the ring, distracting the referee and allowing Bob Backlund to climb down and put the boots to Billy Gunn, before ramming him into the ring post. Owen comes out and brings Billy Gunn back into the ring, tagging Backlund back in legally in the process. Bob hits an atomic drop to Billy Gunn and again gets a near fall on the two count. He hooks a modified sleeper onto the tag team champion, trying to knock him out. Billy fights out of it though and hits a back suplex on Backlund. Owen takes the opportunity to come into the ring, causing the referee to chase him back into the corner. This means that referee Tim White misses the tag between Billy and Bart, allowing Owen and Backlund to double team Billy Gunn in their corner. Bart can only stand by and watch as Backlund continues to put the boots to Billy Gunn. Finally, Backlund tries to cinch in the Crossface Chickenwing, but Billy counters by running Backlund back first into the corner. With both men down, Backlund gets to Owen first and tags him in. Owen tries to stop Billy from making the tag, but Bart manages to get in just in time and goes to work on Owen. A high back drop followed by several right hands on the ground has the Gunns back in business. Backlund comes running in, only to get taken down with a powerslam from Bart Gunn. The distraction allows Owen to hit a thumb to the eye, but Bart quickly gets back on track. Billy tags back in and the two of them double team Owen with a double flapjack off the ropes. Billy climbs up to the second rope and hits an elbow drop across the sternum of Owen, getting a two count after Backlund makes the save.

Bart tags back in and drops his leg across the throat of the king of harts. Bart picks up Owen and tries to whip him into the ropes, but Owen reverse hit. Bart catches the boot of Owen, but then catches an enziguri kick straight to the back of his head. Owen then tags in Bob Backlund, who rushes in for the cover and only gets two. Backlund then whips Bart Gunn into the corner and rushes in after him, driving his shoulder into the midsection of Bart Gunn. Backlund tags Owen back into the match, who works over the ribs of Bart Gunn, only to attempt to apply the Sharpshooter to him. Billy comes in and breaks up the attempt, causing Owen and Backlund to double team Bart in the corner. Owen whips Bart into the ropes, who ducks the attempted back elbow by Owen and follows it up with a clothesline of his own. This enables Bart to tag in Billy, who comes in like a house of fire going after Owen. Backlund runs in and all four men start brawling, as the referee loses control. Bart Gunn and Bob Backlund wind up on the floor brawling. As the referee tries in vain to separate them, Owen sneaks over to the timekeepers table and takes the tag team title belt.

He sneaks back into the ring and tries to waffle Billy in the face with it. Billy ducks the title shot and kicks Owen in the gut, before attempting to legdrop his face into the canvas. Owen counters this and trips up Billy, getting him on the mat and locking him in the Sharpshooter right in the middle of the ring. The referee turns and sees the move, asking Billy if he wants to give up. Billy tries to hang on as Bart manages to get back into the ring and drill Owen in the back of the head. Billy slowly gets to his feet as Bart sets up Owen for the Sidewinder. Billy gingerly climbs to the top rope, only for Backlund to come from the outside and push him off back into the ring. Bart goes after Backlund, and gets hooked in the Crossface Chickenwing for his troubles. The referee tries again to separate them, and the distraction allows Owen to grab the title belt a second time, and this time he drills Billy in the face with it. Owen gets the cover as Backlund lets Bart go, and the referee counts the fall.

Winners and NEW WWF Tag Team Champions: Owen Hart & Mr. Bob Backlund

After the match Lawler says he told McMahon that tonight was Owen's night, as McMahon laments the underhanded tactics Owen had to resort to to win the titles in an otherwise fantastic opening match. Lawler goes on to say that this is just the first step in Owen finally stepping out of his brother's shadow in 1995. We then cut to pre-recorded comments by a few of the individuals in the Royal Rumble tonight, including Doink the Clown, Adam Bomb and The Bushwhackers. When we come back McMahon asks Lawler what number he drew for tonight's match, but Lawler is coy and doesn't reveal anything, as we are ready now for the special challenge match.

The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer vs. Irwin R. Schyster w/Ted DiBiase

I.R.S. and the Million Dollar Man make their way down the aisle, confident as ever. Vince reminds us that this challenge was laid out by Ted DiBiase recently on Raw to the Undertaker in response to the embarrasment that DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation has sustained at the hands of the Phenom. Lawler says Undertaker should be grateful to DiBiase, because it was DiBiase who brought Undertaker into the WWF in the first place. McMahon says that might be true but Undertaker has never been a slave to the almighty dollar, and he would argue that The Undertaker is far better off not being associated with the Million Dollar Man. I.R.S. gets on the microphone, cutting a promo about how the only thing that's unavoidable in life isn't death...it's taxes. And tonight, the Undertaker will have to pay up, and then put to bed. The light quickly go out though, and the bell tolls for the Undertaker...

Undertaker slowly makes his way to the ring led by Paul Bearer. He goes through his usual entrance rituals, raising the lights when he reaches ringside. DiBiase and IRS suddenly appear worried now that they are faced with the prospect of actually facing the Deadman. Undertaker has no sooner removed his hat though then I.R.S. comes bolting at him, trying to catch the Deadman off guard. IRS stuns him with several right hands, before whipping him into the corner and forcing him down with a clothesline. Irwin puts the boots to the Undertaker before letting up and showing off for the crowd. This allows Undertaker to sit straight up, as Irwin looks on in fear. He tries to hit another right hand but The Undertaker blocks it, delivering an uppercut of his own. After three or four more right hands by the Undertaker, he whips IRS into the ropes and hits a big boot to the face, causing Irwin to roll out of the ring and rethink his strategy.

Undertaker follows Schyster out of the ring and stalks him at ringside. He catches IRS and hits a couple more shots to the face before tossing him back into the ring. DiBiase looks to interfere, but one glance from the Undertaker causes him to shirk back to his corner. The distraction by DiBiase though allows Irwin to get back to his feet and hit the Undertaker with a clubbing blow to the back of the head. Irwin tries valiantly to stop the Undertaker from regaining a vertical base, and manages to back him into the corner. Irwin hits a short-arm clothesline by whipping Undertaker out of the corner, but barely gets a two count on the cover attempt. DiBiase gets on the ring apron, complaining about the count and drawing the referee's attention. This allows Irwin to remove his tie and wrap it around the Undertaker's throat, choking the life out of the phenom. He tosses the tie away and continues to work on the Undertaker delivering elbow drops and knees to the ribs and sternum area to keep the Phenom from regaining his breath. Another cover nets a two count, and IRS then hooks on a reverse chinlock to wear down the Undertaker.

Paul Bearer lifts the urn high in the sky as the crowd chants for the Undertaker to will himself back into the match. IRS abandons the rest hold and leaves the Undertaker sitting up, running off the ropes and hitting a neckwhip on Taker, causing severe whiplash to the Phenom. IRS then taunts Undertaker instead of going for the cover, slapping his face as he lay on the ground, when out of nowhere the Undertaker's hand reaches up and grabs IRS by the throat. Undertaker sits back up with new vigor, choking IRS, who counters with a boot to the gut. He hits two more right hands before whipping Taker into the ropes. Taker ducks Irwin's clothesline and then follows up with a flying clothesline of his own. Both men are down for a count of six, before Undertaker suddenly sits up. He blocks Irwin's attempted right hand and follows up with an uppercut. Another block followed by another uppercut. Undertaker scoops IRS up and then drops him face first into the turnbuckle, before following up with a scoop slam. Undertaker then drops a big leg across the head of IRS before standing up and holding his hand high in the air. IRS gets up and walks right into a chokeslam from the Undertaker, who covers him and gets the pinfall.

Winner by Pinfall: The Undertaker

Undertaker and Paul Bearer are now in the ring, celebrating the victory. Suddenly the lights come back up though and Undertaker turns around to see DiBiase with a steel chair, as if he was going to hit The Undertaker. DiBiase backs off, but Undertaker approaches him, scooping him up over his shoulder. From out of the crowd though comes Bam Bam Bigelow, who hits the ring and clubs Undertaker from behind. Bam Bam goes to work on Undertaker, who starts to fight back and the two slug it out. IRS has come to his senses though, and decks Paul Bearer from behind, taking the urn and hightailing it out of the ring just as Undertaker had Bigelow on the ropes. Undertaker quickly turns to go after Irwin, but Bam Bam clotheslines him from behind. Bam Bam then hits a belly-to-belly suplex on the Undertaker, before squashing him with a big splash out of the corner. The crowd looks on in horror as the Undertaker appears powerless without his urn, as Bam Bam climbs to the top rope and hits a headbutt across the skull of the Undertaker. Bam Bam again climbs to the top rope, and delivers a second headbutt for good measure, before leaving with Ted DiBiase. Paul Bearer pleads with the fans to will the Undertaker to sit up, and much to the delight of Jerry Lawler, he has difficulty doing so after the assault from the Beast from the East. Undertaker staggers out of the ring, and Jerry Lawler says that without his urn, the Undertaker is nothing.

There is a promo on screen for a new PPV extravaganza set to air next month, entitled In Your House: Battle Lines. Vince McMahon hypes the event as a way to see even more of your favorite WWF superstars, live on PPV. Jerry Lawler says its a great opportunity, but nothing compares to the opportunity that's about to unfold. Coming up next, the WWF Title is on the line as Diesel defends against Bret Hart. The history between the two is chronicled, and Lawler says that whatever mutual respect these two have for each other will quickly go by the wayside when the WWF Title is concerned. Vince says that we will have to wait and find out, as we are mere moments away from the title match.

WWF Championship Match
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel (c) vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

The crowd erupts as the former 2-time World Wrestling Federation Champion makes his way to the ring, slapping the hands of fans all along the aisleway. McMahon makes note that Bret Hart is likely the most celebrated WWF champion in history, which his longtime rival Jerry Lawler has to concede the point. However, Lawler says that while Bret has been champion before, he's never had to take the title off of someone as powerful and as athletic as Big Daddy Cool, and he speculates that Bret Hart's primary weapon, the sharpshooter, may even be useless against someone like Diesel. McMahon says we will find out shortly as Bret Hart takes off his glasses and hands them to a youngster sitting in the crowd nearby before getting in the ring again to await his opponent.

Big Daddy Cool makes his way to the ring with as strong a reaction as the one received by the challenger just a few moments ago. Wearing the WWF Title proudly around his waist, the seven footer makes his way down the aisle, slapping the hand of every fingerless black glove outstretched towards him. He climbs over the top rope, sticking his hand high in the air as fireworks go off behind him. McMahon calls Diesel the leader of the New Generation, and says that there may have never been as dominating a force in WWF history. Diesel removes his vest and the title belt, handing them to the referee as the bell rings and we begin. Bret and Diesel circle each other for a few moments, before hooking up in the middle of the ring. Diesel easily gets the power advantage, shoving Bret to the ground. Bret gets back up quickly and goes after Diesel again, but this time Diesel pushes him into the corner. Diesel smirks at Bret, shaking his head. Bret follows that up with a quick punch to the face, which catches Diesel off guard. Lawler celebrates the melee that follows, as Diesel and Bret Hart begin trading right hands, each one more ferocious than the last one. Hart eventually hits a headbutt on the champion, sending him staggering into the corner. Bret then puts the boots to Diesel, but Diesel pushes him away and follows up with a thunderous clothesline that sends the challenger down. Diesel picks up Bret Hart and whips him into the ropes. Bret ducks the clothesline and tries a cross body on the champ, but he is caught and Diesel slams him down to the mat. Bret staggers to his feet only to be clothesline to the floor.

Bret stays on the outside, trying to rethink his strategy, as Diesel lets him wait it out. Bret gets back into the ring and the two hook up again. Bret this time though counters the power of Big Daddy Cool by kicking him in the thigh. He follows that up with another shot right behind the knee, causing Diesel to limp around a bit. Bret climbs up to the second rope and hits a clothesline, driving the big man to the mat. He then grabs the long leg of Diesel and tries to hyperextend the knee, whipping it back and putting the boots to it. Diesel grabs the ropes and the ref forces Bret to back away, and Diesel pulls himself to his feet. Bret is relentless though as he runs after Diesel and clotheslines him to the floor. Bret then takes a running dive at Diesel, driving him down to the concrete below. As he sits there, pummeling away on Big Daddy Cool, Lawler says that Bret Hart will do anything to win the WWF Title.

Bret crawls back into the ring as Diesel struggles to his feet, but only to break the ref's count. Hart then tries to whip Diesel into the steel steps, but Diesel counters and Bret goes back first into the steel steps. Diesel picks him up in a bearhug position and then proceeds to ram him back first into the guard rail, before tossing him back into the ring. Diesel follows in after him and drops his elbow straight across the sternum of the challenger. Diesel picks up Bret and whips him hard into the corner, causing him to crumble up like a card table. He follows this up by lifting up Bret in a backbreaker over his shoulder, trying to get the challenger to submit. But Bret eventually fights out of it. He kicks Diesel in the knee again, but Diesel counters with a back elbow to the face. Diesel picks up Bret Hart and hits him with a sidewalk slam, netting a two count on the cover.

Diesel continues to target the back and ribs of the challenger, applying a surfboard stretch to Bret Hart and planting his knee straight in the small of the back. The crowd wills Bret into fighting back, and Diesel releases the hold. Diesel whips Bret into the corner and runs in after him, but Bret gets the legs up and stops him dead in his tracks. Bret then climbs the second rope and gets on the back of Big Daddy Cool, applying a sleeper hold on the champion. Diesel tries to break out of it, but soon the lack of bloodflow to his brain causes him to drop to one knee, and eventually onto the ground. The referee checks Diesel's arm twice, but on the second time Diesel keeps it up. He powers his way back up and lifts the challenger into the air, falling backwards on top of Bret Hart to break the hold. Diesel tries to shake the cobwebs loose and he gets Bret into the corner. He hits several elbows to the challenger, before scooping him up and dropping him into the turnbuckle again. He covers the challenger and again only gets a two count. Diesel, frustrated, whips Bret Hart into the ropes and hits the big boot. Diesel then signals for the Jackknife, but when he lifts Bret Hart up, Bret is able to fight his way out of it and hits the champion square in the back of the knee again. Bret then hits a running bulldog on the champ, driving him face first to the mat.

Bret then begins to systematically dissect the knee of Big Daddy Cool, stomping away at it and hoisting it on the ropes, only to slam his weight down onto the side of his leg. Lawler comments again that he doesn't know if Bret Hart can get the sharpshooter on Big Daddy Cool. Bret follows this up with a side russian legsweep, covering him for the two count. Bret climbs to the second rope and hits the elbow square across the sternum, following that up with a pendulum backbreaker. Bret Hart then tries to tie up the legs of Diesel in the Sharpshooter, but Diesel is able to power his way out of it. Undeterred, Bret Hart instead locks on a Figure-4, torking the knee of the champion. Diesel screams in pain and is nearly pinned by the submission hold twice before he is able to reverse the hold, and force Bret Hart to break it. Bret Hart slowly climbs up to the top rope, but Diesel catches him. Diesel tries to gorilla press Bret Hart, but his left knee gives out and Hart almost scores a pinfall right there. Bret and Diesel both stagger to their feet, and Bret hits several right hands. He whips Diesel into the corner and tries a running clothesline himself, but Diesel ducks underneath and Bret inadvertently hits referee Earl Hebner. As Bret is checking on the ref, Diesel gets his second wind, and when Bret turns around he kicks him in the stomach and delivers a Jackknife! Diesel goes for the cover but there is no referee to make the count. Frustrated, Diesel goes to check on Hebner himself.

At this point, Shawn Michaels runs from the back, chair in hand. He clips Diesel in the knee and proceeds to go to work on it, drilling the knee with the steel chair three or four times. Michaels continues to work over the knee as Bret Hart comes back to his senses. He sees what Michaels is doing and goes after HBK. Hart pushes Michaels aside and asks him what the hell he is doing out here. Michaels motions as if he is trying to win the title for Bret Hart, and Bret shakes his head. Michaels says that this is the way to do things, and pushes Bret for emphasis. Bret delivers a right hand that sends HBK down to the ground. Bret Hart then goes to check on Diesel, but when he turns around he receives some Sweet Chin Music from HBK. At that point, the referee calls for the bell. Michaels looks down at Bret Hart and shakes his head before leaving the ring. The referee explains his decision to Howard Finkel, who makes the announcement. All Hebner saw was the superkick to Bret Hart, therefore he has disqualified Diesel due to outside interference, and awarded the match to Bret The Hitman Hart. As a title cannot change hands on a disqualification, however, Diesel retains the championship.

Winner by disqualification: Bret "The Hitman" Hart
Diesel retains the WWF Championship

Bret Hart looks back at Michaels leaving the ringside area with a frustrated look on his face, as Diesel struggles to get to his feet. Both men stand in front of each other, Diesel holding the WWF Title. Diesel extends his hand in friendship towards Bret Hart, who accepts it in turn. Diesel slowly limps to the back, while McMahon is outraged that Shawn Michaels just cost Bret Hart the WWF Title.

Backstage Todd Pettengill has intercepted Shawn Michaels. Michaels says that he was out there to help Bret Hart, but Bret Hart apparently needs to be saved from himself. Pettengill says that HBK has made a couple of very dangerous enemies this evening, but Michaels doesn't care. All he cares about now is going to tonight's Royal Rumble match and going on to Wrestlemania. When he hears Bret Hart is on his way to the back, though, HBK goes running from the interview area.

Six-Man Tag Team Match
The 1-2-3 Kid & The Headshrinkers w/Afa vs. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett & The Heavenly Bodies w/The Roadie & James E. Cornette

Double J and The Heavenly Bodies make their way to the ring together, flanked by The Roadie and James E. Cornette. Double J struts his stuff for the Tampa Florida crowd, as McMahon points out two weeks ago on Raw, Double J walked out on a match with the 1-2-3 Kid. Lawler makes excuses for Double J, saying that the Kid should be grateful that Jeff Jarrett doesn't put him down not only for the 1-2-3 but puts him down permanently. The three men stand waiting for their opponents...

The Headshrinkers make their way to ringside, flanked by Afa. Fatu and Sionne are ready to go, each one clamoring to get their hands on longtime rivals The Heavenly Bodies. After being held back by Afa, the crowd is cheering when the next theme hits.

The 1-2-3 Kid rushes down to ringside, and the three men quickly dive under the top rope clearing the other trio out of the ring. The referee quickly restores order however and we are underway, with the Kid starting off again the Gigolo Jimmy Del Ray. They hook up in the center of the ring and del Ray pushes the Kid into the corner. He backs off when ordered, but quickly slaps the taste out of the kids mouth. This inceses Sionne, who tries to run after Jimmy, but Afa calls him back. Jimmy del Ray smirks at the Kid, who brushes it off. The two of them hook up again and the kid this time executes a quick armdrag take over. Jimmy del Ray runs after him with a shoulder tackle, but the Kid leapfrogs him. Jimmy then is caught with a dropkick clean on the jaw, which sends him staggering to his corner. The kid does a standing spin kick, showing off his martial arts prowess. Jimmy del Ray tags in his partner Tom Prichard.

Prichard approaches things much in the same way, but this time hits a thumb to the eye on the Kid. Prichard then hits a couple of clubbing blows to the back of the Kid's head before delivering a scoop slam. He tries to drop the elbow on the 1-2-3 Kid's chest, but the kid dives out of the way. He follows that up with another dropkick to the slef-professed love doctor. The Kid backs Prichard into the corner and tags in Sionne, who goes to work on Tom Prichard, delivering hard chops to his chest. He tosses Prichard into the corner and hits a huge back body drop on Tom Prichard. Sionne then tags in Fatu who goes to work much in the same fashion, hitting a hard knife edge chop on Prichard before dropping his leg across the throat. Fatu nets a two count on that exchange, before hooking Prichard in a reverse chinlock. Prichard turns into the pressure upon standing and forces Fatu into the ropes. Fatu however ducks the attempted clothesline from Tom, and follows that up with a flying forearm. Fatu tries to run off the ropes again but there is an attempt at a trip up by The Roadie. Fatu goes after the Roadie on the outside, but Prichard uses the distraction to nail him with a knee to the small of the back.

Prichard tags in Double J, who now goes to work on the lower back of Fatu. Jarrett hits a hard scoop slam on Fatu, before hitting a running boot to the face of the Headshrinker. He then pulls out his famous strut, before pointing at the 1-2-3 Kid who yells at him to come over there and try it. Jarrett tags in Jimmy del Ray and then delivers a drop toe hold to Fatu, while del Ray drops an elbow to the small of his back. Jimmy del Ray then goes for the cover, only to get a two count. The Gigolo hooks on another reverse chinlock, going straight to work on Fatu as the crowd tries to get him back into it. del Ray breaks the hold and tags in Tom Prichard who puts the boots to Fatu. Cornette shouts instructions from ringside as Prichard climbs to the second rope and hits a fistdrop on Fatu. He goes for the cover, but the count is broken up by Sionne. Prichard then whips Fatu hard into the corner and follows up with a huge clothesline of his own. He lifts Fatu up onto the top rope and then executes an armdrag from the top, sending the near 300 pounder crashing to the mat. Prichard tags Jeff Jarrett back in, who drives his knee straight into the face of Fatu. Jarrett taunts the Kid again, as the kid is really starting to lose his cool on the outside. The distraction though allows Fatu a second wind. Fatu gets to his feet and blocks Jarrett's right hand with one of his one. A throat thrust follows. Fatu whips Jarrett into the corner, but Double J makes a hot tag to Prichard. Fatu hits a backdrop on Jarrett, only to be blindsided by the now legal Prichard. Tom Prichard executes a snapmare and then puts a knee to the back of Fatu, trying to get him to submit.

The crowd roars its desire to Fatu, as the Kid eggs them on from the ring apron. Fatu's leg starts pumping up and down. He powers Prichard over his head, breaking the hold. He gets to his feet and hits a straight kick right to Prichard, who staggers backwards. Fatu struggles over to his corner and tags in Sionne, while Prichard tags in del Ray. Sionne hits del Ray with a double knife edge chop, followed up with a hard headbutt. Prichard gets back in, only to find himself with a headbutt for his troubles. Double J hits Sionne from behind, but Sionne counters with a shot to the gut. He kicks Jarrett again and then whips him hard into the corner, before following up with a splash that sends Jarrett to the mat. Sionne then tags in the 1-2-3 Kid, who immediately goes after Jarrett. Double J tries to beg for some mercy, but the Kid has none of it, hitting Jarrett with several right hands in the corner. He gets off the second rope and allows Double J to stagger out, before hitting a martial arts kick to the head that sends the King of Nashville to the ground. Prichard comes running in after the Kid, which brings in Fatu. Sionne and del Ray then get involved, and we have a donnybrook on our hands. As the referee tries to separate the Heavenly Bodies from the Headshrinkers, The Roadie snatches the tennis racket from James E. Cornette and smacks the Kid in the back with it. This allows Jarrett to sneak from behind and drill the kid with a Forward Russian Legsweep, drilling his face to the mat. The referee goes over and makes the count, netting the pinfall.

Winners by pinfall: "Double J" Jeff Jarrett & The Heavenly Bodies

Double J and the Roadie quickly get the hell out of dodge, celebrating their victory here tonight. Again McMahon says that The Roadie was instrumental in Jarrett's victory over the 1-2-3 Kid, and he suspects that we have not heard the last of this rivalry.

We then cut to more vignettes from Royal Rumble participants, including the British Bulldog, King Kong Bundy and Lex Luger. Vince notes that the winner of the Royal Rumble will main event Wrestlemania and face Big Daddy Cool Diesel, assuming that Diesel retains the championship between now and then.

The 30-Man Royal Rumble Match

As Howard Finkel then explains the rules of the Rumble Match, Vince again asks what number Jerry drew. Lawler says he'll find out just like everyone else, before adding that he's the only one who knows about royalty, and that as such...it takes a king to win the royal rumble...as we find out who is the #1 entrant...

Yes, the #1 man in the Rumble Match is none other than Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler takes off his headset and his crown, shedding his royal jacket as well before getting into the ring. Vince says that Lawler is awfully happy for someone who is the #1 man to enter the Rumble match, a position from which no one has ever won the event. He then wonders aloud who was the unlucky soul who drew #2...

It's Doink the Clown! Jerry is upset by this turn of events, of having to face his nemesis alone for 90 seconds. Doink gets a good mix of cheers from the crowd as he makes his way to the ring, diving under the bottom rope. The King wastes no time in putting the boots to Doink. He pushes Doink into the corner and hits a knee to the gut, before dropping the clown with a scoop slam. Jerry drops the strap and climbs to the top rope, attempting his famed fistdrop. Doink though gets his boot up and plants it right in The King's face. Doink hits a right hand of his own on Lawler before tossing him into the corner. He hits several shoulder tackles into the gut of Jerry Lawler, before lifting his leg up and trying to get him up over the top rope. As the countdown winds down Lawler rakes Doink in the eyes..before #3 enters the ring. The Native American Tatanka enters at #3. Tatanka comes in, and immediately the two men start double teaming Doink. Tatanka whips Doink into the corner and delivers a hard tomahawk chop across the bridge of the nose. Lawler then drops his fist across Doink's face, as the two heels high five each other and seemingly form an alliance. Tatanka and Lawler pick up Doink and try to toss him out of the ring, but Doink bounces off the ropes and drills both of them in the back of the head with a clothesline. Doink then grabs both of them and slams their heads together, before focusing on Tatanka. Doink puts the boots to the native American, before Lawler comes back over with a rake to the eyes. Tatanka and Lawler again try to get Doink out of the ring, forcing him over the top and to the ring apron. The countdown starts from 90 seconds starts again as Doink hangs on for dear life, and the buzzer sounds a few moments later. Bushwhacker Butch is #4. Butch comes in and goes after Lawler driving him away from Doink. Butch hits hard elbows to the King in the corner, while Tatanka allows Doink back into the ring long enough just to get hit back in the corner. Tatanka hits a short-arm clothesline, driving Doink down to the ground. Tatanka then goes after Butch, whipping him into the corner and then delivering the End of the Trail to the Bushwhacker! Lawler intercepts Tatanka and clotheslines him to the mat, and the two heels are standing tall again. Lawler goes back after Doink as the countdown starts anew. The buzzer sounds and Jean-Pierre LaFitte is entry #5. As LaFitte dives into the ring, Lawler tries to clothesline Doink out of it. Doink however ducks the clothesline attempt, and then dropkicks The King up and out!

Jerry "The King" Lawler eliminated by Doink the Clown.

Lawler is incensed at ringside, but Doink can't rest on his laurels for too long as Jean-Pierre goes right after the wrestling clown. Meanwhile Tatanka is trying in vain to eliminate the Bushwhacker, but Butch has got his arm hooked under the middle rope and is refusing to budge. Jean-Pierre comes over to help, but Doink is quickly back in there to save Butch. Lawler rejoins the broadcast booth, with McMahon asking what the heck just happened in there, as Lawler was the first man in and the first man out of the Royal Rumble Match! LaFitte hits a hard belly-to-back suplex on Butch, before going back to Doink and hitting him with a corner avalanche splash. Tatanka meanwhile just puts the boots to Butch as the countdown starts for man #6. The buzzer sounds, and Man #6 is big Mabel. Mabel comes running in as fast as his 500+ pound frame can carry him, and McMahon says Mabel may be an early favorite in this match, asking who can eliminate that much girth. As soon as Mabel hits the ring, he is met by Bushwhacker Butch, who is quickly thrown out over the top rope and is officially Bushwhacked out of the match.

Bushwhacker Butch eliminated by Mabel.

He is soon joined however, as Doink's antics finally backfire on him. Doink jumps up to the 2nd rope and tries to hit an axehandle on LaFitte, but Jean-Pierre catches Doink in mid air and proceeds to toss him out over the top rope.

Doink the Clown eliminated by Jean-Pierre LaFitte.

Jean-Pierre and Tatanka look at each other and then look at Mabel, who dares them to come get some. They both rush the 500 pound man, who shrugs off their attacks as best he can. Mabel fights off both Jean-Pierre and Tatanka for a few seconds, but the numbers game quickly catches up to him and the two men start to wear down Mabel. They get the big man in the corner and try to lift one of his massive legs up over the top rope. Mabel fights out and pushes his way out of the corner, dropping Jean-Pierre with a clothesline. Tatanka though rushes up to the top rope and hits a tomahawk chop across the back of Mabel, dropping him down to one knee. Tatanka continues to punch away on Mabel as the crowd starts counting down for lucky number seven. And it does prove to be lucky for big Mabel, as when the buzzer sounds #7 is revealed to be Mo. Mabel's tag team partner rushes to his aid, going after Tatanka and getting him away from Mabel. Jean-Pierre, though, gets up and hits Mabel with a hard shot to the back of the head. Mo and Tatanka trade blows in the corner, and Mo tries to lift the Native American out over the top rope. Jean-Pierre backs Mabel into the corner again, as Mabel has been worn down by a two on one assault. However Mabel regains his footing and whips Jean-Pierre into the opposite corner, before delivering a thunderous splash to Mr. LaFitte. The buzzer sounds again and Marty Jannetty comes out at #8. Jannetty comes in like a house of fire, dropkicking everything and everyone in sight. Jean-Pierre is dropkicked by Jannetty as he struggles to his feet after the splash from Mabel. He bounces into the ropes and Mabel finishes him off, eliminating him from the match.

Jean-Pierre LaFitte eliminated by Mabel.

Jannetty is caught by Mo, who delivers a headbutt to the former Intercontinental Champion. Tatanka meanwhile is using the opportunity to rest for a brief moment, before being picked up and slammed back down to the mat by Mabel. The Men on a Mission appear to have things well in hand for now, as they give each other a high five. However, the Royal Rumble quickly turns friends into enemies and tag team partners into competitors, as Mo tries to make a run on Mabel, only to be shrugged off. Mabel looks at Mo incensed, but Mo just says thats the name of the game. Mabel clotheslines Mo down to the ground and says he's gonna toss him out, but is stopped by Marty Jannetty, who dropkicks the knee of the 500 pounder. Meanwhile the clock has hit 0 again, as Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly joins the fray at #9. Holly goes right after Mo, pushing him down to the canvas and putting the boots to him. Tatanka again is using the opportunity to rest, while Mabel catches Jannetty in midair after the former Rocker tries a crossbody, and then slams him down to the mat. Mabel follows that up with a huge legdrop across the chest of Jannetty. Tatanka comes in at this point and rakes Mabel across the eyes, before picking up Marty and tossing him out of the ring like yesterday's garbage.

Marty Jannetty eliminated by Tatanka.

As Tatanka squares up Mabel, Mo counters the shot from Bob Holly with a thumb to the eye. Mo runs off the ropes but Holly ducks the clothesline, and instead is hit by a beautiful dropkick from Sparky Plugg. The countdown starts yet again, as Tatanka gets some help from the clock this time, as his stablemate King Kong Bundy clocks in at #10. Lawler says that Bundy is his new pick to win this one. Bundy is immediately attacked by Mo, who tries to cross body him out of the ring, but Bundy merely tosses the near 300 pounder out without a second thought.

Mo eliminated by King Kong Bundy.

At this point, the two big men in the ring, Mabel and King Kong Bundy, square off right in the center. At nearly a thousand pounds of pure power, both men start trading clubbing blows, with neither seeming to get an advantage. The two men fight it out into the corner, while Tatanka and Bob Holly square off in the opposite side of the ring. Tatanka climbs to the second rope and starts to hit right hands on Bob Holly, but Holly stops him and delivers an inverted atomic drop, followed by another beautiful dropkick. The clock strikes double zero once more, as we see that entrant #11 is Bushwhacker Luke. Luke takes his time Bushwhacking his way to the ring, while Bob Holly goes over and beats on the back of King Kong Bundy, who has finally gotten the bigger but more worn out Mabel down to the canvas. Bundy shrugs off Holly's attacks though and whips him into the Corner, delivering a thunderous Avalanche to the Spark Plugg and then dropping the elbow down across the sternum. Mabel gets his second wind and hits Bundy with a hard right hand, but is stopped by Tatanka, who hits Mabel with a hard right hand. Luke finally makes his way to the ring, saluting the crowd as he does so, and goes to work on Bob Holly. Tatanka and Bundy work together, as they both try to suplex the 500 pound Mabel, but Mabel is able to fight out of it and drops Tatanka with a clothesline, and sends Bundy crashing into the corner. Mabel follows up with his own Splash in the corner, giving Bundy a taste of his own medicine. Finally the clock hits 00 once more, and we are joined by Hakushi as man #12. Bundy gets back to his feet and Bob Holly, who has survived his encounter with Cousin Luke, comes over and tries a dropkick on the human condominum. Bundy shrugs off the dropkick attempt as if it were nothing, and then clotheslines the dual-sports star up over the top rope, sending Holly crashing to the floor below.

Bob Holly eliminated by King Kong Bundy.

Mabel and Bundy then resume their fighting in the corner, before Tatanka comes over to help his stablemate. Meanwhile Luke has his hands full with Hakushi, as the White Lotus delivers several martial arts kicks to the Bushwhacker and leaves him lying on the mat. Tatanka and Bundy get Mabel hanging into the ropes, and they both agree to eliminate him. They try to clothesline the 500 pounder over the top rope, but Mabel drops down. Bundy is able to stop himself enough to prevent the move from working, but Tatanka goes flying over the top rope himself, seeing his night come to an end.

Tatanka eliminated by Mabel.

Mabel and Bundy resume fighting again, leaving Luke and Hakushi to their own devices. Hakushi delivers a sharp back elbow to Luke, and awaits the arrival of a new man as the crowd starts counting down again. The buzzer sounds, and lucky #13 is the British Bulldog. Bulldog rushes his way out to the ringside area, diving under the bottom rope and going to work on Hakushi. As they slug it out in the corner, Mabel and Bundy continue to fight it out amongst themselves. Mabel manages to lift the 400+ pound Bundy up and slam him down to the mat, nearly causing the whole ring to shake. He then runs off the ropes and tries his big leg drop again, but Bundy rolls out of the way. Meanwhile Bulldog lifts Hakushi up and tries to powerslam him out over the top rope, but the White Lotus hangs on to the top rope and nearly carries Davey Boy Smith over himself. Luke comes over and hits the Bulldog from behind, inadvertantly saving him from possible elimination. Both Mabel and Bundy struggle to their feet from their titanic clash as the buzzer sounds again and we are joined by #14, the Mighty Kwang. Kwang goes running in, immediately heading for Hakushi. The two martial artists trade hard kicks to their sides, as Bulldog gets back to his feet. Luke comes over in a moment of bravery and tries to throw Bundy out of the ring. Bundy merely reverses it and sends Luke out unceremoniously.

Bushwhacker Luke eliminated by King Kong Bundy.

Bulldog and Kwang each target Hakushi, while Mabel and Bundy continue their struggle uninterrupted. The other competitors are apparently content to let the two behemoths fight amongst themselves. Hakushi hits a chop to the throat of Kwang, only to nearly be clotheslined out of the ring by the Bulldog. Hakushi hangs on though, rolling back in and then nailing a hard thrust kick to the solarplexes, before following that up with a facebuster to Davey Boy Smith. Bundy finally manages to lift the leg of Mabel up in the corner, and is now trying to deadlift the 500 pound monster out of the ring using the corner for leverage. Mabel hangs on, hitting Bundy in the face and then clotheslining him down to the mat, as Kwang hits a thrust kick on Hakushi, temporarily dropping him to the mat. The buzzer sounds once more, and the halfway point is marked by the arrival of #15, Virgil. Virgil comes in guns blazing, going after anyone in his way. Kwang stops him with a shot to the throat, but the former boxer is undaunted, delivering right hands to the masked ninja. Bulldog then holds Hakushi from behind as Mabel comes over, eager to fight someone else for a change. Mabel hits a hard right hand on Hakushi, dropping the White Lotus down, while Bundy struggles to his feet, gassed from the gargantuan encounter. Kwang counters Virgil with a thumb to the eye before whipping him into the corner and nailing a spinning heel kick to the face. Bundy gets to his feet, resting against the ropes, a fact that's noticed by Mabel as the buzzer sounds again, and we see one of the favorites to win this match has entered, as Crush is #16. Crush slowly makes his way to the ring, while Mabel takes a running approach to Bundy. Bundy tries to duck down, like Mabel did earlier, but the sheer weight and momentum of Mabel causes Bundy to flip out over the top rope, while simultaneously carrying Mabel over the top rope as well. The two behemoths have effectively eliminated themselves!

King Kong Bundy eliminated by Mabel.
Mabel eliminated by King Kong Bundy.

While referees attempt to get the mass of humanity sorted out on the floor, Bulldog, Hakushi, Kwang and Virgil have stopped fighting amongst themselves and appear to have formed a tentative alliance against the new threat. Crush takes it in stride though, allowing the four men to come at him and striking them all down with right hands. He gets all four men down and then goes after Bulldog specifically, tossing him into the corner and nailing repeated right hands to the british powerhouse's forehead. Virgil comes over and hits Crush in the back, but Crush blocks his other right hand and lifts Virgil high in the air in a gorilla press fashion, before tossing him into the waiting arms of Kwang and Hakushi. Crush stands tall in the ring, and Lawler says that Crush is guaranteed to be going to Wrestlemania this time. McMahon says not to be so sure, because anything can still happen in the Royal Rumble Match. Crush goes over to Kwang and delivers a hard suplex to the ninja as the clock counts down again. The buzzer sounds and the crowd start to boo in unison as Shawn Michaels enters the Rumble at #17. Michaels slowly and cockily makes his way to the ring as Bulldog starts back after Hakushi, while Virgil struggles to get back to his feet. McMahon says Michaels is a brave man showing up here tonight, considering Diesel and Bret Hart are likely still looking for him, while Jerry Lawler says his sources have told him that both Diesel and Bret Hart have been told to leave the building. Michaels gets in the ring and immediately Crush turns to him, but HBK holds up a timeout sign. He strikes a deal with Crush and the two of them go over to work on Virgil, beating down the former bodyguard. Bulldog comes over though and pummels Crush in the back, finally making some headway against the Kona Destroyer. Kwang gets back to his feet and tries a thrust kick against Hakushi, but the White Lotus catches the foot and applies some kind of submission hold to the ninja. Kwang taps out, but as McMahon points out there are no submissions in the Royal Rumble. The buzzer sounds again and Steven Dunn comes in at #18. Michaels has Virgil nearly out of the ring, but he is interrupted by the Bulldog, who delivers a hard shoulder into the back of HBK. Crush comes over to try and finish the job, but Virgil slinks down to the bottom of the ring and prevents his elimination. Hakushi comes over and hits Crush from behind, only to be met by Steven Dunn. Dunn whips Hakushi into the corner and rushes in after him, only to be met with a foot to the face. Virgil gets back to a vertical base and dropkicks Crush from behind, almost sending Crush outside. Virgil quickly tries to rush Crush over the top rope, but Crush is to powerful and counters with a huge backbreaker to Virgil. Michaels and the Bulldog square off in the corner, Michaels raking the eyes of Davey Boy Smith. The crowd eagerly counts down the seconds as we soon learn that #19 is Adam Bomb. Adam Bomb comes in with no remorse, and immediately clotheslines Kwang out of the ring and out of the match.

Kwang eliminated by Adam Bomb.

Adam Bomb and Crush quickly find each other, and much like Mabel and King Kong Bundy earlier they start to trade blows with one another. Adam Bomb gets the better of Crush and clotheslines him to the ground not once, but twice, before he is attacked from behind by Steven Dunn. Dunn's attacks are shrugged off by Adam, but Crush comes back and attacks him from behind. Meanwhile Hakushi comes over and helps HBK with the Bulldog, both of them trying to get him up over the top rope in the corner. The attempt fails and HBK turns on Hakushi, kicking him in the gut and delivering a hard scoop slam. Michaels climbs to the top rope, but is caught by the Bulldog, who superplexes him back into the ring. Virgil dropkicks Steven Dunn, and then goes back after Crush, who is preoccupied with Adam Bomb. The clock buzzes again and #20 hits the ring...it's Rick "The Model" Martel. Martel comes in after Virgil, clubbing him from behind, and he and Dunn go to work on the boxing expert. Hakushi scoops The British Bulldog up and slams him to the mat, before applying the same submission hold he had used on Kwang before. Michaels joins Crush in going after Adam Bomb, but while Crush is distracted Steven Dunn attempts to clothesline him over the top rope. Crush backdrops him to the apron, and Dunn stops himself from hitting the floor. Dunn points to his head for his intelligence, only for Crush to hit a big boot to the face and finish the job, as Dunn is done.

Steven Dunn eliminated by Crush.

Bulldog is back up and goes after Martel, scooping him up and hitting him with the running powerslam! Hakushi goes after Virgil, while HBK and Crush continue the assault on Adam Bomb. Adam Bomb fights out of the corner though and lifts Michaels high into the air, as if he'll press slam him over the top. Michaels rakes the eyes of Adam Bomb, escaping this fate for the moment, while Virgil counters Hakushi's thrust kick with a hard ddt to the canvas. Bulldog tries to lift Martel out over the top rope, but The Model rakes the eyes of the bulldog and staves off elimination for the moment. Crush goes after Hakushi, delivering a hard shoulderbreaker to the martial artist as the clock winds down to double 00 once more, and the first of the final ten men arrive. #21 is Dick Murdoch!. Dangerous Dick Murdoch comes into the ring at #21, eager to make a comeback ala Bob Backlund. His comeback dreams are stopped short though as he runs right into Crush, who hits a Heart Punch on the aged veteran. Adam Bomb comes over for the save, and the two big men begin fighting amongst themselves again. Shawn Michaels goes after Virgil, hitting a slingshot suplex and leaving him lying in the middle of the ring before going back to Martel. The Bulldog and Hakushi, the two men that have been in their the longest at this point, trade chops in the corner, but Hakushi gets the better of the Bulldog in that exchange. Murdoch gets to his feet and goes over to HBK, hitting him from behind. He and Martel try to get HBK out of the ring in a hurry, but Michaels hooks the top rope and stays in, as Crush comes to his aid. Adam Bomb goes after Virgil again, trying hard to get him out of the ring, as the buzzer sounds once more. The crowd goes nuts as The Bad Guy Razor Ramon makes his way in at #22. At the same time, Adam Bomb manages to dump Virgil over the top rope, eliminating him.

Virgil eliminated by Adam Bomb.

Razor gets in the ring and immediately goes after HBK, hitting hard right hands to his old rival. Martel and Murdoch are engaged in battle in the corner, when Murdoch is saved by The British Bulldog and his dropkick to Martel. Hakushi kicks Crush in the thighs, and the Kona Destroyer falls to the ground. Hakushi then tries a cross body off the ropes, but Crush catches him and drops him down with a hard front slam. Adam Bomb clubs Crush from behind, taking him to the corner and lifting him straight up. Crush is nearly out of the ring when a shot from Razor saves him from elimination. Ramon instead goes after Crush, but a running flying forearm from Michaels catches him off guard. Dick Murdoch comes over to Hakushi and lifts him high in the middle of the ring, performing an airplane spin on the Japnese master. Meanwhile Crush picks up Adam Bomb and proceeds to pick him up with a press slam. The crowd is awed at his awesome power, as he drops Adam Bomb out over the top rope, eliminating him from the Rumble.

Adam Bomb eliminated by Crush.

Crush turns his attention to Hakushi, while Martel goes after Razor Ramon. Martel hits an atomic drop on the Bad Guy, displaying arrogance for the crowd afterwards. His arrogance does not pay off however, as he is attacked by the British Bulldog all of a sudden. Dick Murdoch goes after HBK, who defeats the aged veteran with a time honored tradition of the thumb to the eye. The crowd boos again as the buzzer sounds and #23 is revealed as the Human Fighting Machine Kama. Kama comes in and goes after Hakushi, who has been in the ring the longest. He and Crush double team the martial artist, only to have him saved by the British Bulldog. Martel rests in the corner, picking his spots where he can, while HBK tries to get Dick Murdoch out of the ring. Razor saves Dick Murdoch and holds HBK for the dangerous one. A right hand meant for Michaels however hits Razor in the jaw by mistake, and Razor responds by going after Murdoch. Kama peels off of Hakushi and goes after Razor, lifting him from behind and hitting a belly-to-back suplex. Within a few moments the buzzer sounds once more and #24 is Timothy Well, the other half of the Well Dunn combination. He runs in under the bottom rope, and immediately fares no better than his counterpart, as he is met by a clothesline from the Bulldog. Meanwhile Dick Murdoch is hit by a kick to the gut by HBK, who follows up with a hard superkick which sends Murdoch spinning out over the top rope.

Dick Murdoch eliminated by Shawn Michaels.

Hakushi has Crush down, hitting boots to the chest of the veteran big man. Kama and Razor continue to fight it out, but Razor catches Kama's right hand and follows up with one of his own, before delivering a chokeslam to the human fighting machine. He then notices Hakushi standing near the ropes and attacks from behind, tossing the White Lotus out without a second thought.

Hakushi eliminated by Razor Ramon.

Rick Martel and Timothy Well team up against the British Bulldog, trying to power him out of the ring. Kama joins the fray and suddenly its a three on one against the Bulldog while Razor and Crush duke it out amongst themselves and Shawn Michaels takes a breather. Bulldog somehow survives the triple team, hitting Martel and Kama with right hands and forcing Well to give up the ghost. The buzzer sounds, and out comes The Portuguese Man-o-War Aldo Montoya at #25. Montoya is in the ring heading straight after Kama with hard right hands to the human fighting machine. Timothy Well tries to help out, but he is unceremoniously tossed out of the ring by the British Bulldog.

Timothy Well eliminated by The British Bulldog.

Razor manages to get Crush up on the top rope and deliver a hard belly-to-back suplex to the Kona Destroyer. Michaels re-enters the fray, jumping the Bulldog from behind and teaming up with Martel temporarily to try and eliminate Davey Boy. Kama lifts Aldo Montoya high in the air with a double chokehold, only to slam him back down to the mat in impressive fashion. Crush is lifted back up by Razor, but Crush blocks an elimination attempt by placing his boot on the turnbuckle, and then slamming Razor's head into it. Michaels comes over to team with Crush against Razor, while Kama clotheslines Martel down to the canvas. Kama joins the fray again and this time there's a triple team on the Intercontinental Champion. Razor manages to hang on for dear life as he is saved by the timely intervention of Aldo Montoya. Martel scoops up the Bulldog and slams him out over the top, but Davey Boy lands on the apron. The buzzer sounds as Martel leans over, trying to eliminate the Bulldog. Entrant #26 is the big hog farmer Henry O. Godwinn. Lawler states that a guy this big, entering this late could be a threat to win the whole thing, but he's still sticking with Crush...and Shawn Michaels...and maybe Razor. Godwinn goes after Aldo Montoya, surpising him from behind and dropping him to the mat with the Slop Drop! Kama and Godwinn now team up on Crush, who was sitting in the corner catching his breath. Razor meanwhile sees the precarious position of The Model, and proceeds to claim the opportunity once again and toss Martel over the top rope!

Rick Martel eliminated by Razor Ramon.

Kama attacks Razor from behind, while Bulldog slinks back into the ring from the apron. Aldo Montoya slowly gets to his feet but is met from a superkick by Shawn Michaels, sending him back down to the mat. Crush, meanwhile, has his hands full with Henry Godwinn, who has one foot up and the other on its way. Crush hooks the top rope again to try and stave off elimination, and the attempt is thwarted by Shawn Michaels, who seems to be keeping Crush around as an insurance policy. Razor and Kama stand toe to toe with one another, neither backing down, and Kama is suddenly clotheslined from behind by The Bulldog. Razor thinks the Bulldog will help him with Kama, but Davey Boy instead kicks Razor in the gut and hooks him up for a high vertical suplex, driving the Intercontinental Champion to the canvas. The crowd starts the countdown yet again as we are nearing the end of entrants into the Royal Rumble. #27 is the one man band Man Mountain Rock. Rock gets into the ring, looking for Crush and instead finding Kama, who grabs him and hits a huge powerslam on the big man. Aldo Montoya gets back to his feet and hits Shawn Michaels from behind. Razor kicks Davey Boy Smith in the gut and looks to hit the Razor's Edge on him, but Kama interrupts the move. He gets Razor in the corner and builds up a head of steam. Kama comes charging in after Razor, who ducks out of the way and allows Kama to hit turnbuckle. Razor then runs off the ropes and clotheslines Kama straight out of the ring.

Kama eliminated by Razor Ramon.

Henry Godwinn comes out of his corner, smacking Shawn Michaels against the back of the head and whipping him hard into the turnbuckle, nearly causing HBK to flip inside out. Meanwhile Aldo Montoya takes a running leap at Crush, who ducks out of the way himself, causing Montoya to hit the top rope. Crush uses the disorientation to lift the Man-O-War up and out.

Aldo Montoya eliminated by Crush.

Godwinn and Michaels stop their fighting and instead go after the Bulldog, who is miraculously still in this matchup. Man Mountain Rock goes after Crush and finds him this time. Rock pushes Crush into the corner and climbs to the second turnbuckle. He hits five hard punches on Crush, when he is suddenly attacked from behind by Shawn Michaels. Crush using the distraction, powers the rocker up over the top rope and finishes him off with a clothesline, just as the buzzer sounds for #28, Rad Radford.

Man Mountain Rock eliminated by Crush.

Rad Radford hits the ring, joining the fray against the British Bulldog. Razor goes after Michaels again, and the two trade punches in the center of the ring, as Crush lays back in the corner resting from his ordeal. The Bulldog fights off both Godwinn and Radford, and then runs into the corner, going after Crush. Crush counters with a boot to the face, dropping the Bulldog to the mat. Rad Radford then sucker punches Razor from behind, only to receive a sharp right hand from Razor in response. Godwinn sees Michaels backing off to the corner, and goes to meet him, only to get a thumb to the eye for his troubles. The crowd is buzzing as the countdown begins for the 29th man, as their are only two possible men it could be. The buzzer sounds and the crowd is elated as Lex Luger makes his way down the aisle at #29. Luger comes in like a house of fire, clotheslining everyone in sight from Rad Radford to Crush to Shawn Michaels. Luger pumps his fists in celebration as McMahon says that Luger is now the odds on favorite to win it all. Crush tries to hit Luger from behind, but Crush gets another right hand from Luger for his troubles, and then gets powerslammed to the canvas. Rad Radford meanwhile tosses Razor into the corner and puts the boots to the Intercontinental Champion. Michaels catches a breather in the corner while Crush and Henry Godwinn gang up on Luger, only to see the British Bulldog jump back into the fray and save his good friend. The clock counts down for the final time for #30, and when the buzzer sounds, it is followed by a huge MOOOO from the back as Mantaur enters the Rumble at 30. Mantaur builds up a head of steam, running down the aisle and diving under the bottom rope, all the while Jerry Lawler saying Jim Cornette's boy is going to be in the main event at Wrestlemania. Those dreams are shattered though, as Lex Luger clotheslines Mantaur out of the ring no sooner than he had arrived in there, leaving Lawler stunned. At the same time, Razor Ramon grabbed Rad Radford off a cross body attempt and delivered a fallaway slam that tossed Radford clean over the top and out of the ring!

Mantaur eliminated by Lex Luger
Rad Radford eliminated by Razor Ramon

It is no set as one of these six men: Henry Godwinn, Shawn Michaels, The British Bulldog, Crush, Lex Luger or Razor Ramon will go on to headline Wrestlemania XI. Godwinn goes after the Bulldog, the two powerhouses fighting it out amongst themselves while out rivals Crush and Luger squared off in center ring. Razor and HBK traded right hands, as Razor manages to get the best of Michaels and whip him hard into the turnbuckle again. Razor then runs off the ropes and hits a hard clothesline to HBK, dropping him to the mat. Luger powerlifts Crush in the air, slamming him to the mat and following up with an axehandle to the back of the head. He and Razor continue to beat down on Crush, while Bulldog is in the corner with Henry Godwinn, trying to powerlift him out of the ring. He has the hog farmer over the top rope and nearly out, when Shawn Michaels comes rushing in and dumps both Bulldog and Godwinn out of the ring, dropping the final six to the final 4 in a hurry.

Henry Godwinn eliminated by Shawn Michaels.
The British Bulldog eliminated by Shawn Michaels.

Razor is dropped to the canvas by a Heart Punch from Crush, and Luger is dismissed by a boot to the face. HBK and Crush seemingly renew their agreement and double team Luger, Michaels holding the fresh man for Crush to pulverize. Crush delivers several right hands to Luger, wearing the all-american down, before lifting him up in the air and slamming him face first to the turnbuckle. Shawn Michaels and Crush high five each other for a job well done, when the crowd suddenly comes unglued as Bret Hart comes running down to ringside. Bret Hart dives in and attacks Shawn Michaels from behind, executing a double leg takedown and beginning to punch away at HBK's face. Crush, wisely, allows Bret Hart to do as he pleases, and merely goes over to the corner after Razor Ramon. Bret takes Michaels and tosses him through the ropes to the outside and follows after him as WWF officials try desperately to get the Hitman off of HBK. Hart whips Michaels into the steel steps and then tosses him back into the ring as if to deliver more punishment. Bret Hart is finally held back by WWF officials though, and forced to make his way to the back, as the action has nearly stopped in the ring for two minutes, with only Crush delivering a few boots to Luger and Ramon to keep them from interfering. Crush goes back to Razor slamming the Intercontinental Champion back to the canvas as HBK struggles to get to his feet. Technically he hadn't been eliminated by Bret Hart, but Luger makes that a formality when he clotheslines HBK over the top rope to the outside.

Shawn Michaels eliminated by Lex Luger.

We are now down to three in the Royal Rumble match, as Lawler makes a point to mention how unfair this was to Shawn Michaels. McMahon retaliates that HBK had no business getting involved earlier in the match with Diesel. But nevertheless the match does continue as Crush hits Luger from behind and seemingly controls this match. Razor struggles to his feet as Crush sets up Luger for a Heart Punch. Razor comes from behind and blocks the move from Crush, kicking the Kona Destroyer in the gut and setting up for the Razor's Edge. Crush counters with a backdrop though, and he puts the boots to the Intercontinental Champion. From behind though comes Lex Luger, who hits his running forearm to the back of Crush's head and sends him careening out to the floor below.

Crush eliminated by Lex Luger.

Crush is irate on the outside from Luger's elimination, but we are now down to the final two...Lex Luger against Razor Ramon. The two men stare at each other from opposite sides of the ring, before beginning to trade blows left and right, each one trying to be the one to go to Wrestlemania. Razor gets the advantage, having a size uptick on Luger, and manages to back Luger into the corner. Razor hits several knife edge chops to Lex before whipping him into the corner hard. Luger bounces off the turnbuckle sternum first, and walks right into Razor who scoops him up and hits a fallaway slam! Razor signals for the end, as he looks to hit the Razor's Edge on Luger. Lex counters with punches to the solarplexes though, and counters by whipping Razor into the ropes. Luger bounces off the opposite ropes and hits his running forearm shot to Razor, dropping the IC Champ clean in the middle of the ring. Luger struggles to his feet, as does Razor, both men tired from the outing, but Luger definitely the fresher of the two. Razor backs against the ropes and Luger takes a running dive at him, only for Razor to drop the top rope. Luger tumbles over the top but hangs on to it and lands on the apron. Luger gets up and blocks the right hand from Razor. Luger attempts to suplex Razor out of the ring, but Razor hangs on and suplexes Luger back into the ring. Both men struggle to their feet, but Razor kicks Luger in the gut and lifts him high in the air, delivering the Razor's Edge to Lex Luger! Razor then uses what strength he has left to pick up Lex Luger and toss him head first over the top rope. Luger tries to catch himself again, but to no avail, as he is eliminated.

Lex Luger eliminated by Razor Ramon.

Winner of the 1995 Royal Rumble: Razor Ramon

The crowd cheers loudly as Razor raises his hands in victory, letting out a huge sigh of relief. McMahon says history has been made here tonight as the Bad Guy is going to Wrestlemania! Razor plays up the crowd as fireworks explode overhead. Certainly Wrestlemania is now going to be oozing Machismo thanks to this result. McMahon says thank you to everyone watching around the world, and closes out the show with another shot of Razor Ramon celebrating his victory tonight, his road to Wrestlemania beginning now.

[Zigzag]

Awesome Royal Rumble. I like how you're not setting up the actual WM 11 main event, but giving Razor the nod instead. Should be a great WM match. Look forward to reading more. Great work!

[underjohngrohs]

Darbicus, my 1994 Royal Rumble Diary was great, but yours my man was even great, we've both had Great Rumbles in our Diaries, and this one didn't disappoint. Bigelow stealing the urn than King Kong Bundy, what can I say pretty good, the more I think of it, they should've had a Bigelow/Undertaker match at WrestleMania 11. It could've been epic than ever, Very wise decision to give the belts to Owen and Backlund. They make a pretty good team, I'm assuming we could see a HBK/Bret match at WrestleMania 11 since HBK cost Bret the WWF Championship, nice six-man tag to save some room before the Royal Rumble Match with Jarrett and The Heavenly Bodies winning. Great idea to have Razor win the Rumble. I am really looking forward to see Razor vs Diesel for the belt, please give Razor the WWF Title and make Diesel turn heel too after this, The First In Your House is Battle Lines, hmmm should be interesting, I'm planning to make mine Grand Opening on my diary, which speaking of, I'm plugging my own diary, go and return the favor my man.

[Deleted]

Great Royal Rumble. I too am happy to see you diverge from what really happened. WrestleMania 11 looks like it could be a good one, much better than what we got in real life. From your results, it looks like the main events for the big show will be Razor/Diesel, Bret/Shawn, and Bigelow/Taker. Can't wait.

[Deleted]

WWF Monday Night Raw
January 23, 1995

Raw begins with Vince McMahon in the center of the ring, welcoming us to an all live edition of Raw. On the heels of last night's Royal Rumble event, Vince McMahon at this time would like to bring out the winner of the 1995 Royal Rumble Match...THE BAD GUY...RAZOR RAMON! Razor comes out with the Intercontinental title belt around his waist to a thunderous pop, as the crowd of WWF fans all cheer the Intercontinental Champion's arrival to the ring. Razor shows off for the crowd, none the worse for wear after surviving 29 other men last night and coming out the #1 contender to the WWF Title. Vince approaches Razor and congratulates him on his tremendous victory last night in what was surely one of the most star-studded Royal Rumble's in history. Razor thanks Vince and but says that last night was just the first step. He knows that now, the hard part begins, as he goes to main event Wrestlemania and win the World Wrestling Federation Championship. Vince says that will certainly be a tremendous matchup as it stands now it would be the Bad Guy against his old nemesis Big Daddy Cool Diesel. Razor smirks and says that it doesn't matter who the champion is. Diesel. Bret Hart. Shawn Michaels. Whoever. All he knows is that come Wrestlemania, the Bad Guy will be crowned the new WWF Champion.

Vince says we will have to wait and see who the champion for that match is, however there is a bit of pressing business to get to tonight. Razor nods his head, the smile suddenly gone from his face. Vince explains that, due to a recent ruling by World Wrestling Federation Jack Tunney, we will not have a situation where the Intercontinental Champion shall be in a position to challenge for the WWF Championship and vice versa. With that in mind the decision was presented to Razor going in to last night's Rumble that should he win, he would have to forefit the Intercontinental Championship. The crowd boos this decision, and Razor holds up his hand. He says he knows about the decision he had to make, and he doesn't like having to do it either. But he understands what has to happen, and he is willing to give up the belt he has now for a chance at the biggest prize in the game. With that being said, Razor silently removes the Intercontinental Championship he had worked so hard to regain back at Summerslam and reluctantly hands it over to Vince. Vince thanks him for his humility with this difficult chance, and he wishes Razor all the best of luck in the coming weeks. Razor shakes Vince's hand and his music hits. He waves to the crowd, somewhat subdued from having to forefit the title, but ready to begin his journey to Wrestlemania. Suddenly from the back Crush comes running out. Crush clotheslines Razor Ramon from behind and begins to pummel away at the Bad Guy with reckless abandon. Officials come from the back to try and hold back the Kona Destroyer, but they can't control the big man. Crush finally pulls himself off of Razor, yelling at him that it should have been him going to Wrestlemania and not Ramon, as officials check on the fallen body of Razor Ramon.

As we come back from break we see Razor being led from the ringside area, favoring his shoulder as Vince McMahon and Jerry The King Lawler recap what had just happened. Lawler says Crush has a point, but not as big a point as Shawn Michaels, who was screwed out of the Royal Rumble match by Bret Hart last night. Vince says there is certainly more to come with both of these stories, but tonight we have quite a night in store, as an 8-Man Tournament to crown a new Intercontinental Champion will begin tonight, with the finals to be held at In Your House: Battle Lines on February 26th. Tonight the tournament will begin in earnest as the 1-2-3 Kid will go one on one with Kwang and we will also see The British Bulldog against Native American Tatanka in the first round. Also, we will hear from Shawn Michaels concerning his actions last night at the Royal Rumble. But we are set for tag team action to kick us off.

Match #1: Men on a Mission w/Oscar d. Dennis Knight & The Brooklyn Brawler with a second rope splash from Mabel
The Men on a Mission followed up last night's impressive Royal Rumble performance, particularly by big Mabel, with a tag team victory over Knight and the Brawler, Mabel finishing off Dennis Knight with a huge splash from the corner. Vince notes that the new tag team champions, Owen Hart & Bob Backlund, need to pay special attention to Men on a Mission, as they could be the next in line for a title shot in the very near future. Lawler says they've been on the same mission for over a year now, and are no closer now then they were then. Vince comments it's only a matter of time before Mabel and Mo get their title opportunity.

We see a vignette for Hunter Hearst Helmsley, as he says he will be on Raw next week to make his official World Wrestling Federation debut. Hunter says that no matter who he faces, it's going to be a walk in the park for someone as refined and as skilled as he is.

Match #2: The 1-2-3 Kid d. Kwang with a Moonsault to advance to the semi-finals
The 1-2-3 Kid picked up the momentum after last night's disappointing loss in the six man tag, and moved one step closer to claiming the now vacant WWF Intercontinental Championship. Kwang managed to keep the Kid grounded for most of the match, but the high flying offense of the Kid coupled with his own martial arts prowess managed to prove enough to defeat the mighty ninja. The Kid now awaits the winner of our main event match still to come, as Tatanka will battle The British Bulldog. Vince points out the matches we will get next week as the first round concludes, as Double J will take on Fatu of the Headshrinkers while Adam Bomb will square off with former Intercontinental Champion Marty Jannetty. The semifinals will take place on a special Wednesday Night Edition of Monday Night Raw on February 15th.

We are joined as we come back from break by Shawn Michaels on the telephone from his home in San Antonio. Vince asks Shawn how he is doing, and HBK replies that he is doing lousy. Last night he was robbed of his chance to go to Wrestlemania and face Diesel for the WWF Title by a guy who couldn't appreciate what he was trying to do for him. Vince says that Michaels cost Bret the championship last night, but Michaels points out that if Bret had just stood back and let him do what he was going to do, he'd be the champion right now. Lawler chimes in, saying its obvious that Michaels was just trying to help Bret Hart last night. Vince makes two points, that Bret would never want to win the title that way and that second, he thinks Shawn Michaels is afraid to face Big Daddy Cool Diesel. Michaels laughs at that and says that when you are trying to become the WWF Champion, there is no moral line that you will not cross. There is no taboo you will not break. There is no place you will not go. If Bret Hart wants to talk to him about morality and fairness, then he can go become the champion of Sesame Street. As far as Big Daddy Cool and being afraid of him goes? Shawn drops a blockbuster announcement. He has petitioned WWF President Jack Tunney and Diesel has agreed to a match for the title at In Your House Battle Lines, because Michaels was unfairly eliminated from the Royal Rumble last night. Lawler cheers at this announcement, while Vince can't believe he just heard that. HBK finishes up by saying that he will go to Wrestlemania one way or another, and at Battle Lines your are looking at the next World Wrestling Federation Champion, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels.

Match #3: Skip w/Sunny d. A.C. Connor with a double knee gutbuster
Skip and Sunny come out for another quick match, though this time Sunny joins The King and McMahon on commentary. She talks up the skills of her man Skip, saying that he is heading straight to the top of the World Wrestling Federation. She says its a crime he wasn't included in this IC Title Tournament, but his time will come, and when it does The BodyDonnas will be at the mountain top. Skip puts Connor away with a rather impressive move, hitting a gutbuster out of a fireman's carry with both knees hitting the opponent in the breadbasket. Skip and Sunny celebrate the victory.

Match #4: The British Bulldog d. Tatanka w/Ted DiBiase with a small package
Ted DiBiase and Tatanka come to the ring arrogantly, the Million Dollar Man carrying the urn that Bam Bam Bigelow had stolen from Paul Bearer and the Undertaker last night at the Royal Rumble. Tatanka and the Bulldog square off, evenly matched between the two of them. The match goes back and forth several times, but Tatanka eventually gets the best of Davey Boy Smith, wearing him down with a reverse chinlock. The Bulldog rallies late, trying to get back into the matchup, and he hits a powerful vertical suplex that takes down Tatanka but only gets a two count. Tatanka counters the running powerslam attempt...shoving the Bulldog hard into the turnbuckle. The Native American follows this up with the End of the Trail, seemingly netting victory, when suddenly the lights start to flicker. Tatanka looks around, as does DiBiase as the lights continue to blink on and off in the arena. The sound of a crack of thunder is heard in the background, and Tatanka is startled by the noise. Suddenly the lights come back up and all appears to be normal. DiBiase motions for Tatanka to shrug it off and get the win, but when Tatanka heads to pin the Bulldog he is rolled up in a small package, and the Bulldog score the win!

Tatanka is incensed as the British Bulldog celebrates his first round victory. Lawler says why the heck didn't they pay the light bill for this show when Vince says it's clearly a sign. The Undertaker is still out there...and he wants his urn back. The show closes on DiBiase clutching the urn, Tatanka frustrated by the loss.

WWF Superstars
January 28-29

Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon welcome us to another edition of WWF Superstars, as they chronicle what happened last Monday night on Raw and last week at the Royal Rumble. They say that Razor Ramon did not suffer any serious injuries from last week's assault by Crush, and announce a huge main event for this Monday night on Raw, as Crush will face the bad guy one on one. With that said, we have a huge show ahead of us.

Match #1: Mr. Bob Backlund w/Owen Hart d. Chad Byrd with the Crossface Chickenwing
One half of the World Tag Team Champions kicks us off, and Bob Backlund makes short work of the Byrd-Man via his patented submission hold. JR notes that he doesn't think Owen has taken the tag title belt off from around his waist since he won it a week ago. After Backlund's victory, the two champions celebrate together in the ring, when they are approached by the former champions. Owen and Backlund hightail it out of there through the crowd, as the Smoking Gunns want their rematch, and want it soon.

Match #2: Mantaur d. Nick Tarentino with a Corner Splash
Conspicuous by his absence this week was manager James E. Cornette, as Monsoon speculates that maybe he's tired of all his guys losing in recent weeks. Mantaur may have been embarrased at the Royal Rumble, challenging the Warlord's record for futility, but he somewhat redeems himself here with a easy victory over Nick Tarentino, crushing him in the corner for the three count.

Match #3: Aldo Montoya d. Frankie Lancaster with a Full Nelson Slam
The Portuguese Man-O-War, not exactly one with an impressive win/loss record in his own right, does pick up a victory here over Frankie Lancaster. Lancaster did look good at times, hitting some offense on Montoya, but ultimately it proved futile as he fell to a full nelson slam.

Match #4: King Kong Bundy w/Ted DiBiase d. Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly with the Avalanche followed by an elbow drop
Though Tatanka apparently had difficulty with the spirit of the Undertaker last Monday on Raw, Bundy faces no such difficulty, but has his hands full with Bob Holly. Holly gave everything he had to the walking condominium, but the bulk and power of Bundy proved to be too much for the race car superstar to handle. Bundy finished him off with the Avalanche, and follows it up with an elbow drop and a three count for the win to finish off Superstars for the week. JR plugs Raw this Monday night, with the conclusion of the 1st round of the IC Title Tournament and the main event of Crush vs. Razor Ramon.

Current Card for In Your House: Battle Lines

WWF Championship Match
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel (c) vs. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels

The Finals of the WWF Intercontinental Title Tournament

[Zigzag]

It looks as though no matter what, Razor will be headlining Mania 11. It's interesting to see whether it'll be against HBK or Diesel. Looking forward to the crowning of a new IC champ. This is great so far, and fun to follow along to. Keep up the good work

[snickelodeon]

So looks like you've moved on from WCW or are you going to try and keep both running.

95 WWE was terrible. Early days but this is also looking promising. I will comment more on stories as they continue at the minute you have me intrigued but will comment more as they develop.

The effort you put into the Rumble was top class

[Deleted]

Mar 16, 2014 8:17:19 GMT -5 snickelodeon said:

So looks like you've moved on from WCW or are you going to try and keep both running.

95 WWE was terrible. Early days but this is also looking promising. I will comment more on stories as they continue at the minute you have me intrigued but will comment more as they develop.

The effort you put into the Rumble was top class

I'm gonna try and keep both going. I have the shows up to the Nitro through Uncensored simmed but not yet written, I'm not entirely certain where to go from here though, as most of my booking was up through the first three months of the year. I have a few ideas, mostly involving the world title and what to do with it. 

WWF 1995, since I bore witness to its sucktitude first hand, is a lot more fleshed out, and with fewer shows to deal with (two instead of three, and one of those is a minor show featuring mostly squash matches) is able to be booked a lot quicker. I actually have main event plans written up through the next Wrestlemania, on paper. For the structure of this diary (and please note this), current roster of "storyline caliber talent" can be found at the top of the first page. You've noticed a lot of jobbers popping up here and there, but unless they could potentially ever amount to anything more than a jobber, they won't show up on the main listing. As can be expected, green and red denotes face/heel alignment. I update it after every show posted to reflect any changes in the current roster.

As for crossover from some WCW stars and people leaving or staying in the WWF...you'll see some difference in reality for certain, but some things will also stay the same.

And thank you for all the kind words on the Rumble match. It did take quite a bit to make sure everyone was accounted for from moment to moment, but I think the end result was worth it.

[DTP.]

WWF Royal Rumble: Sunday 22nd January 1995...The Royal Rumble is usually make-or-break time for a simmer in a classic diary. It requires dedication to detailing and forecasting coming up to WrestleMania not long away from now. Your build for the Royal Rumble seemed strong and I sense your eagerness to get through this as soon as possible, but please slow down a little, as some readers may be put off by how much they have missed (like myself). Let's see what you have several weeks into the diary. The Roadie defeating Duke Droese made for a nice dark match, two competent workers, it surely warmed the crowd up. Moving onto the show, I'm not too keen on the usage of classic theme, as they make your layout look slightly cloddy and annoying to work through. If you could learn to hyperlink them, that would make things appear much more smoothly. I'm not very sure what to think of the Bob Backlund and Owen Hart tag team, but I suppose it makes sense given Owen helped Backlund win the WWF Championship at the Survivor Series. A decent opening contest with the Smoking Gunns, though I feel as though it needed more build up prior to Backlund and Hart winning the WWF Tag Team Championships. I don't feel connected to Owen and Backlund as a pairing, and so far I sort of wish Owen and Yokozuna had remained an item after they claimed the belts at WrestleMania XI. Moving on, it was strange to see the Undertaker used in a comedown match - but makes sense when I read that Irwin R. Schyster was used as his opponent. Pretty good usage of Undertaker and IRS here, given 'Taker's abysmal feud with the Million Dollar Corporation at this time. I hope that once this feud is out of the way, something bigger is in 'Taker's path - something decent, that he can stick his teeth into. Fascinated by Bam Bam Bigelow attacking 'Taker - it's much better than Kama or King Kong Bundy, I can say that happily. I suppose that we have our WrestleMania match in place for the Undertaker. I wonder what this means for Lawrence Taylor (it would still do Mania pretty good to use the NFL players for a publicity stunt). It's a strange thing for Shawn Michaels to get involved in Diesel's business, though it does make perfect sense. What I disagree with however, is your face of the company not getting the victory cleanly here in his first pay-per-view outing as WWF Champion. It makes him look weak, and I feel that he could have definitely used the win here, especially against previous number one guy, Bret Hart. I'm wondering what this means for all three guys - plus whomever wins the Royal Rumble headed into WrestleMania. Nice unpredictability touch here. I'm sort of stumped as to why the six-man tag team match happened, really. No doubt it would have probably been a really decent match, however I don't think it was needed on a show like the Royal Rumble, where all six men could have alternatively been involved with the match instead. Plus, was it used as a comedown after the WWF Championship match? I don't quite get the logic, especially when the Royal Rumble match would have been a fine follow-up from title bout with a dirty finish. Jeff Jarrett and the Heavenly Bodies made for a good win though. I liked the interaction between the Roadie and Jarrett and am wondering if this could mean anything...Moving on, we have what appears to be a pretty lacking Rumble line-up, with the British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, King Kong Bundy and Lex Luger being its' only star powers. But I like your original direction with Razor winning the Rumble. So, now to cut it down to make an even playing field going into WrestleMania. Passable Rumble at best, you did what you could with it at least, I guess. Now we have Razor, Shawn, Diesel and Bret all involved in the mix, but where do we go from here? A decent show, you're impressing me already.

[snickelodeon]

Mar 16, 2014 8:17:19 GMT -5 snickelodeon said:

So looks like you've moved on from WCW or are you going to try and keep both running.

95 WWE was terrible. Early days but this is also looking promising. I will comment more on stories as they continue at the minute you have me intrigued but will comment more as they develop.

The effort you put into the Rumble was top class

I was enjoying WCW so it will be a shame to see that come to an end but is rather you had 1 very good diary instead of 2 decent diaries.

Some quick Raw thoughts Razor has to give his title which is a little surprising because I don't expect him to win the WWF title at Mania.

You need to establish Diesel and the WWE title as the holy grail and by having the title change so quickly doesn't help this. Just because you no Diesel is the man doesn't mean we as readers do so if Razor is going to win the title you need to establish Diesel to make it feel like a big important moment. Titles mean nothing until you have established them. It's like some of the current WWE diaries they think having mid carders beat Cena means something but it doesn't because you to establish your roster/titles everything for it to mean something. Hopefully that makes sense.

Already if what I think are your top 3 Mania matches are correct then your Mania will top the actual Mania11

I'm hoping to have TNA May up soon so get your feedback in for April before you fall to far behind...

[Deleted]

WWF Monday Night Raw
January 30, 1995

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler welcome us to this huge edition of Monday Night Raw. They recap last week's events as Razor Ramon had to forefit the Intercontinental Championship, setting up a tournament which will continue tonight. Furthermore after that forfeiture, The Kona Destroyer Crush brutally attacked the #1 contender. Vince informs us that Razor was originally scheduled to face Crush tonight in the main event of Raw, however Crush has suddenly pulled out of that match citing some kind of injury. Crush has said he has found a replacement opponent for Razor, and we will wait to see who it is. Meanwhile tonight we will continue our IC Title Tournament, as well as the debut of Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

Match #1: Adam Bomb d. Marty Jannetty with The Meltdown to advance to the semifinals.
The former Intercontinental Champion certainly had experience going on his side in this tournament, but sadly he ran into the bulldozer that was Adam Bomb in the first round. Jannetty's quickness and tenacity were no match for the pure power of Adam Bomb, who finished off the veteran in quick fashion with a combination Pump Handle Front Slam he calls The Meltdown. After the match Adam Bomb celebrated, motioning around his waist that he's coming for the gold.

Match #2: Hunter Hearst Helmsley d. Duane Gill with the Pedigree
Over the last several weeks the Connecticut Blueblood has made several appearences on WWF Television, deriding what he considers to be the lower classes of society and in the World Wrestling Federation. Tonight he showed that he just wasn't all talk, as he systematically destroyed Duane Gill and finished him off with a devastating move called the Pedigree...a double underhook facebuster that left Gill unconscious right in the center of the ring. Hunter showed that, when it comes to handling business in the ring, he was anything but civilized.

Vince McMahon hypes up the special Wednesday Night Raw coming up and already a couple of matches have been signed in addition to the semi-finals of the Intercontinental Title Tournament, as Owen Hart & Bob Backlund will defend their tag team titles against former champs The Smoking Gunns. This special 2-hour edition of Raw will air on Wednesday Night, February 15th.

Match #3: "Double J" Jeff Jarrett w/The Roadie d. Fatu w/Afa with the Figure-4 Leglock
Our final match in the 1st round of this tournament was completed, as Double J moved one step closer to WWF gold. This was, of course, with the aid of The Roadie, who provided a timely distraction against Fatu when Fatu made have had the match won after a brutal crescent kick. Double J though turned the tide and worked over the knee of the former tag team champion, sealing the deal with a picturesque Figure-4 Leglock. This fills out the brackets for the semi-finals, as Double J will square off with Adam Bomb and The 1-2-3 Kid will face the British Bulldog for the gold.

Jerry "The King" Lawler comes out for a new edition of The King's Court, and his guest this week is none other than The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase and Bam Bam Bigelow. DiBiase comes out with the urn in hand, while Bam Bam merely stares blankly into the audience. Lawler asks the two what their thoughts concerning some of the weird stuff that happened last week during Tatanka's match with the British Bulldog. DiBiase says it's nothing but cheap parlor tricks, smoke and mirrors by the Undertaker. He's had to resort to these mind games, because the real source of his power, the real object that he holds sacred, now rests in the arms of the Million Dollar Man. Bam Bam says that he is the true phenom of the World Wrestling Federation. The Undertaker is nothing but a phony. Bigelow says he proved it at the Rumble, when he left The Undertaker lying in a heap in the middle of the ring. He says that if the Undertaker wants his urn back, he knows where to find him. Suddenly the lights go out and thunder sounds in the background, as the voice of the Undertaker resonates through the arena.

"Ted DiBiase. You have trifled with forces that you cannot hope to understand or control. You have awoken the sleeping giant, and in my anger I shall wreak vengeance upon you and your Million Dollar Corporation. One by one, they shall all fall by my hand...starting at In Your House with Tatanka...and finishing with you Bam Bam. Then, and only then, when my vengeance is complete, shall I take back what is rightfully mine. And then, and only then Million Dollar Man, will you Rest....In....Peace."

The toll of the bell sounds and the lights quickly come back up, leaving DiBiase and Bigelow looking skyward for any sign of the Phenom as we cut to break.

Razor Ramon comes out for our main event this evening, however Razor's opponent Crush is not suited up for action. Crush comes out with a cast over his arm, with Mr. Fuji and James E. Cornette at his side. McMahon commes on Cornette's appearence, because Cornette had never been the manager for Crush before. Crush says that because of an injury he sustained when he beat the living snot out of Razor last week, he will not be able to compete tonight. However, he has found a suitable replacement opponent...the 500+ pound former WWF Champion...Yokozuna!

Match #4: Razor Ramon d. Yokozuna by disqualification
It was pretty clear from the beginning that this was essentially a 2 on 1 scenario with Razor being set up by Crush. Nevertheless the #1 contender fought valiantly against the much larger foe, even managing to move the mountain of a man and getting a few good shots in. But Yokozuna eventually turned the tide of battle, and nearly pinned the champion with a legdrop across the chest. Razor kicked out though and managed to survive, diving out of the way when Yokozuna attempted the Banzai Drop. Razor started to get his second wind, hitting several right hands to the sumo giant and finally knocking him to the ground with a thunderous discus punch. This brought in Crush though...who revealed his injury to be a ruse, striking Razor with the cast on his arm and getting his stablemate disqualified. Yokozuna and Crush then put the boots to Razor, only for the save to be made by Big Daddy Cool, running out to the ring to save his newfound friend and Wrestlemania opponent. The two of them stand tall in the center of the ring, as we close out Raw.

WWF Superstars
February 4-5, 1995

Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon welcome us to WWF Superstars, where the events of this past Monday night are shown. It is announced that Crush and Razor will fight at In Your House Battle Lines, while James E. Cornette has managed to get a WWF Title Match for his client at the special 2-hour edition of Raw, as Yokozuna will square off with Diesel. But for this week, Bret Hart will be in action against Jean-Pierre LaFitte in our main event.

Match #1: Skip d. David Thornberg with a Fitness Buster
Skip continued his winning ways with a victory over David Thornberg, finishing him off with the Finesse Buster...that double knee gutbuster that he has been using the win matches lately. Sunny gets on the mic after the match and demands that they start seeing some real competition here in the WWF. Not that they'll be able to find anyone who can match up to the Bodydonnas.

Match #2: Hakushi d. Doink the Clown with a brainbuster
The White Lotus showed that he is an up and comer here in the WWF, defeating Doink rather handily with a devastating brainbuster finisher. JR said that Hakushi is another man to watch in the future of the WWF, along with this man...

We open on the streets of San Juan Puerto Rico. Latin salsa music plays in the background of the lively party scene, and we see a man walking through the streets, being cheered on by his peers. He says his name is Savio Vega...and he is coming to the World Wrestling Federation very soon to represent all of Puerto Rico and Latinos everywhere.

Match #3: The Heavenly Bodies w/James E. Cornette d. Mike Bell & Ray Hudson with a double back suplex.
Camp Cornette seems to be back on the winning track, as the Heavenly Bodies come away with a win over the makeshift team of Bell and Hudson. Jimmy del Ray and Tom Pritchard will certainly be watching the February 15th Raw with great interest, as Monsoon reminds us, as we will see a tag team title rematch between the Smoking Gunns and Owen Hart & Bob Backlund that night.

Match #4: Eli Blu w/Jacob Blu & Uncle Zebekiah d. Phil Apollo with a sidewalk slam
It was one of the Blu Twins in action this week, as Eli made short work of Phil Apollo with a sidewalk slam. After the match Zebekiah issued a challenge to any team in the back to fight his boys right here right now. This brought out Men on a Mission, who accepted the challenge. The Blus were in no real mood to fight, however, as they left the ring before Mabel and Mo could really make their way into the fighting stance. However this match will certainly happen in the future.

Match #5: Bret "The Hitman" Hart d. Jean-Pierre LaFitte with the Sharpshooter
Bret Hart got back into the winning mode with a victory over Jean-Pierre this week. LaFitte has been rather impressive these last few weeks, putting up a decent showing at the Rumble, but the experience and skill of the Excellence of Execution was too much for Captain LaFitte to overcome. Bret Hart wins and signals that he's still after the WWF Title, as we close out Superstars.

Current In Your House: Battle Lines Card

WWF Championship Match
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel vs. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels

Razor Ramon vs. Crush w/Mr. Fuji & James E. Cornette

The Finals of the WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament
The 1-2-3 Kid OR The British Bulldog vs. "Double J" Jeff Jarrett OR Adam Bomb

The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer vs. Tatanka w/Ted DiBiase

[Deleted]

WWF Monday Night Raw
February 6, 1998

Vince McMahon alongside Jerry "The King" Lawler welcome us to Monday Night Raw. First off they give a rundown of what happened last week , as we witnessed the return of Yokozuna as he and Crush manhandled Razor Ramon. Tonight, we will here from Crush concerning the actions of late, and why exactly James E. Cornette was with him and Mr. Fuji last week. Also, we heard from the Undertaker...who is back in action tonight against Mantaur. All this plus in our main event this week, Shawn Michaels will team with the WWF Tag Team Champions against Bret Hart and The Smoking Gunns.

Match #1: Adam Bomb d. The Roadie w/Double J Jeff Jarrett with the Meltdown
In a bit of a preview to their semi-final match next week, Adam Bomb took on Double J's personal Roadie in one on one action. The Roadie showed that, when it comes to being a wrestler, he actually does have what it takes to make it in the WWF as a wrestler. His juking and jiving style throws Adam Bomb off kilter, allowing the Roadie to get a decent amount of offense in. Nevertheless, once Adam Bomb established his power game, The Roadie was made short work of, as he was finished off with the Meltdown. Bomb signaled to Jarrett about their match next week, causing Double J to head for the hills in lieu of a showdown tonight.

Match #2: Lex Luger d. The Black Phantom with a Torture Rack
A very simple match, as Lex Luger continued his winning ways with a quick victory over The Black Phantom here tonight. Afterwards Luger grabbed the mic and said that 1995 was going to be the year of Lex Luger. He may not have won the Royal Rumble, but his time is coming, and when it does you will see a new and improved Lex Luger, with a brand new moniker...champion.

Match #3: The Undertaker d. Mantaur with the Tombstone Piledriver
The Undertaker made his return with Paul Bearer, but sans the urn which is in the possession of Ted DiBiase. The Undertaker's power didn't seem to be too diminished though, as he took it to Mantaur and finished off the superstar with a thunderous Tombstone Piledriver. After the match though, the entire Million Dollar Corporation surrounded the ring, DiBiase leading them down their to fight the Undertaker. The lights suddenly went out and a bell tolled, and when the lights came back on the Undertaker and Paul Bearer had vanished seemingly into thin air.

Crush is in the ring with Vince McMahon. Firstly Vince asks him why the subterfuge last week, if Crush is afraid to fight Razor Ramon man to man. Crush says he's certainly not afraid of Razor...he's not afraid of anyone. He's just learned over the years that there's strength in numbers. That's why he brought back Yokozuna...and that's why he's hired Jim Cornette as his new manager. Cornette comes out to join his new client. Cornette says that Crush is an unheralded talent...a man who is as strong as Diesel, as quick as Shawn Michaels and as technically gifted as Bret Hart. He is championship material. And come hell or high water he will be the WWF Champion when it's all said and done. Vince reminds Cornette that his other main client, Yokozuna, will be the next one to receive a title match. Cornette says he remembers that, and it will be a titanic clash of the giants when the two men meet. But as good as Yokozuna is...Crush is also that good. It doesn't matter how or when, Crush will get his shot at the WWF Title.

Before our next match we get a reminder from Vince that Monday Night Raw will not air on Monday Night next week due to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on USA. However you can catch a very special 2-hour edition of Raw, airing next Wednesday Night. He says that in addition to the semifinals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament next week, we will also see the tag team championship on the line as Owen Hart & Bob Backlund will face The Smoking Gunns. Also we will see Diesel defend his WWF Championship against the mighty Yokozuna. But tonight, we are ready for six-man tag team action.

Match #4: Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart & Bob Backlund d. Bret "The Hitman" Hart & The Smoking Gunns [Michaels over Billy] with Sweet Chin Music
This match was all about one thing for Shawn Michaels...not getting in the ring with Bret Hart. The three of them focused on either of the Gunns for most of the match, doing their best to keep Bret out of the affair. Once Bret did get in though, all hell broke loose. He made a beeline for HBK, and the two men chased each other around the ring while the Gunns sought revenge against the tag team champions. Things took a turn down for HBK though, once Bret was hit on the outside by his brother Owen with the tag title belt, behind the referees back. This allowed Michaels (who was the legal man) to sneak in, hit the Sweet Chin Music on Billy Gunn and score the pinfall. After the match HBK looks to put the screws to Bret...but is chased out of the ring by Diesel. Big Daddy Cool stands over his former adversary, pointing at Shawn that the time of reckoning was nearly at hand.

WWF Superstars
February 11-12, 1995

Jim Ross welcomes us to WWF Superstars. He says that due to his desire to spend more time with his family, Gorilla Monsoon will no longer be the permanent co-host of WWF Superstars, instead saying that he has a new co-host...Mr. Perfect! Mr. Perfect joins JR at the broadcast position to great applause, as they then run down what happened this past Monday night on Raw before heading into tonights action.

Match #1: Hunter Hearst Helmsley d. Mike Khory with the Pedigree
The Connecticut Blueblood made it two for two with a victory over perpetual journeyman Mike Khory. Hunter showed his technical prowess and his deceptive power, manhandling Khory all night long before finishing him off with a well-placed pedigree.

We cut to a scene on the streets of Los Angeles, with a rap beat playing in the background. Over the shots we hear a voice talking about how when he was a kid, he moved to these streets and saw nothing but poverty and violence growing up around him. Now, he's tired of acting like someone he's not and he's out to make a difference in the lives of other youth in the world, through being a positive force in the World Wrestling Federation.

Match #2: Tekno Team 2000 d. The Bushwhackers with a double brainbuster
Fortune and Watts made their debuts this week, as Tekno Team 2000. Both men looked very impressive in the early goings, making short work of the unorthodox but veteran tag team of the Bushwhackers. Tekno Team 2000 has made their claim to the WWF tag division, which is looking more and more competitive by the day.

Match #3: Henry Godwinn d. Virgil with the Slop Drop
The hog farmer from Arkansas continued his winning ways as well, finishing off Virgil in near record time with the Slop Drop. During the brief match, however, Ted DiBiase made his way to the ring to watch Godwinn make short work of his former bodyguard a smile on his face. Perfect and JR speculate that DiBiase may in fact be looking for Godwinn to join his million dollar corporation.

Match #4: The 1-2-3 Kid d. Hakushi with a moonsault
Hakushi and the 1-2-3 Kid put on a tremendous matchup for the fans, full of high flying action throughout. The Kid certainly had his eyes on this Wednesday night's matchup with the British Bulldog, but he couldn't stay focused on that and overlook the White Lotus. The Kid eventually won to the delight of the crowd with a moonsault to Hakushi, putting him down for a rare loss. The Kid celebrates to close out the show.

Current In Your House: Battle Lines Card
WWF Championship Match
"Big Daddy Cool" Diesel (c) vs. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels

Razor Ramon vs. Crush w/James E. Cornette

Finals of the WWF Intercontinental Title Tournament
The 1-2-3 Kid OR The British Bulldog vs. Adam Bomb OR "Double J" Jeff Jarrett

The Undertaker w/Paul Bearer vs. Tatanka w/Ted DiBiase