One Year Ago on RAW: For my birthday, a live show from the Manhattan Centre. We start the show by finding out that Shawn Michaels has won the Intercontinental Title back, with the help of his new, as yet unnamed bodyguard. Shawn Michaels wins a squash for good measure. Turns out that the upcoming Michaels/Crush match at KotR will be for the IC Title. Adam Bomb shows off his new contact lenses and pins Tito Santana. Tatanka wins a squash. IRS & Fatu win against Billy Gunn & Rick Steiner after tons of distractions by everyone's respective tag team partner. Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna appear on the King's Court and promise to destroy Hulkamania for good. Razor Ramon predicts a swift victory over the Hitman at King of the Ring, and ups his ante to $7,500 for a rematch with the Kid. The King of the Ring is THIS weekend, and things are popping! Try to come down for this year's version of WWF Monday Night RAW, shown 6.6.94 (but taped 23.5) from Struthers Fieldhouse in Youngstown, Ohio, and broadcast on the USA Network. Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Randy Savage who provide all commentary. The lumberjacks are circling the ring, and everyone who is locked in a feud is making threatening steely glances where appropriate. Although there are supposed to be twenty lumberjacks, I can only get eighteen not counting managers: Double J, Doink, Mabel, Bam Bam Bigelow, the Bushwhackers, Thurman Plugg, Adam Bomb, I.R.S., Razor Ramon, the Gunns, the Kid, Virgil II (with DiBiase), Yokozuna (with Fuji and Cornette), Duke Droese, Kwang, and Owen Hart. I didn't see Harvey Wippleman. And, there is no plaid in sight. Some lumberjacks. The only actually fisticuffs we see are between Ramon and IRS, and that lasts about three seconds. Crush v. Tatanka II, a lumberjack match (oh, and also a King of the Ring Qualifier) - Everyone goes into the ring, and somehow referee "Blind" Dave Hebner manages to get the lumberjacks back outside. Meanwhile, Crush has taken control of the match, but Tatanka comes back until Crush throws him out to the bad guys. IRS gets in a cheap shot, but that's about all that happens before he's thrown back in. Crush with a 2 count followed by a lot of offense. The good guys start pounding the mat hoping to spur on the Native American. Crush with a slam, but he misses dropping the knee. Tatanka comes back with a series of chops. Whip into the ropes, Mexican arm drag (well, that's what Vince called it), and a dropkick, which sends Crush outside to the good lumberjacks. They do nothing to him other than set him back in. 2 count by Tatanka. When we come back from an ad break, Crush is in an arm bar by Tatanka, and it is the BAD lumberjacks pounding the mats. Let's examine this whole rationale for a minute. Why would you want to root for one or the other here? If you're in the tourney, you just might have to meet one of these guys down the line. Do you REALLY want Crush to win knowing you'd face him later? Or do you just root for Crush because of all that camaraderie that all heels share with each other? While you're thinking about THAT, watch Crush turn around this submission hold and put on one of his own, an arm scissors. This hold, by the way, looks completely painless. The good guys now pound the mat. The commentators mention that Lex Luger has been banned from ringside, so we should probably expect to see him later in the match. Tatanka pushed back, still in the hold, and gets a 2 count when Crush's shoulders brush the mat. Crush breaks the hold and slams Tatanka for 2. Crush with repeated 2 counts, applying a slightly better looking submission hold this time. Tatanka powers out, though, and whips Crush into the ropes, following it up with a clothesline for 2. Elbow by Tatanka for 2. Crush with atomic drop. After shaking off the cobwebs, Crush covers, but only 2. Repeat arm scissors, repeat good lumberjack mat pounding. Tatanka punches out, then goes after IRS for no good reason. Crush attacks from behind (of course). Savat kick. Headbutt. 2 count. Yet another submission hold by Crush. 2 count. Another 2. Tatanka again escapes the hold and chops away. Slam by Tatanka. Dropped elbow for 2. Let's take an ad break, I can't recover from all this action. It was all Tatanka during the ad break--kind of makes you glad there were ads, eh? It's still all Tatanka. Crush gets caught in the ropes, and Tatanka chops away. Finally, Hebner gets Tatanka to beg off while he undoes the ropes. Crush pulls another atomic drop from nowhere, and follows it up with an elbow off the second rope. Bam Bam hits the mat twice, and Tatanka kicks out, before Hebner even gets in position for the one count. Good thinking. Crush with an assortment of elbows and kicks. 2 count. YASH by Crush. Pounding on the mat by the good lumberjacks has no effect this time. Crush throws Tatanka out to Yokozuna, who hammers him. This triggers off several skirmishes on the outside between the lumberjacks. Meanwhile, Tatanka is put back in the ring for 2. The lumberjacks break it up, sort of, while Crush takes over. Savage starts to wonder what happens if we go the time limit. Tatanka with some feeble chops. Crush with a souffle (Savage called it) and a leg drop o' doom- -well, it's gotta be over. Nope, only 2. Tatanka, desperate, tosses Crush out to the good lumberjacks. Of course, instead of going right back in, Crush decides to take on all ten faces right there. He does a pretty good job of it, too, until who should appear but Lex Luger. One punch and one loaded elbow later, and the good lumberjacks are putting a comatose Crush in to join the comatose Tatanka. Hebner, who apparently has been discussing trade relations with Kwang this whole time, turns and puts on the double count. EVERYBODY pounds on the mats, and Tatanka comes to at nine. He lays an arm over the prone form that is Kona Crush and gets the pinfall. The faces come in and surround Tatanka. Hebner fails to notice Luger and DQ Tatanka. This match was probably a lot better than I describe it, well maybe it's not. Tatanka claims the last slot in the King of the Ring Tournament. Todd Pettengill with *your* KotRR. The brackets are set, and in the first round, we have these matchups: IRS vs. Mabel, Ramon vs. Bigelow, Jarrett vs. the Kid, and Hart vs. Tatanka. The main event puts the WWF Championship belt on the line as the Hitman Bret Hart takes on Intercontinental Champion Diesel. Let's take you back one week as Diesel delivers a jackknife to the Champ. Angry Hart interview. There will be another Hart family member at ringside to serve as Equalizer to Shawn Michaels, but they won't say who. Another Piper interview accompanies the Lawler vs. Piper match. Piper: "I don't tell no lies." Two words for Piper: Glasgow, Scotland. Crush will still be at KotR, of course, as he teams up with Yokozuna to take on WWF Tag Team Champions the Head Shrinkers for the belts. The King of the Ring Hotline is up! This promo is the *only* time this hour that they plug it. Of course, this is indicative of the "bombardment" that Herb Kunze thinks is much, *much* worse than Gene Okerlund's constant hype for the WCW Hotline. Hey, somebody quote this and send it to Herb. He'll get a kick out of it, really. Next week, MNR is going to be pre-empted by the Countdown to the Crown. The main even is a Tag Team Title Match: Champs the Head Shrinkers fight in a rematch with former champs Les Quebecois (Who?) As a technicality, the winner will take on Crush and Yokozuna at KotR. Bam Bam Bigelow v. The Pope - Promos: ICOPRO (Hart), Nerf Jarts, SF2: SCE Sega carts Bigelow does a quick Max Moon impression (meaningless somersaults before the match). The commentators actually mention Alundra Blayze for the first time in forever, followed by Randy Savage setting his sights on winning the Ladies' Title, then wrestling Dink. Bam Bam wins with a splash that he hits after spinning around in the air for no reason. Well, it does look kinda cool I guess. WrestleMania Revenge Tour dates. None new. I guess they're going to change the name of the tour after KotR. Let us take you back to earlier today, as Bam Bam Bigelow, the Head Shrinkers, and Men on a Mission (sans Oscar) win the tug of war with the Armed Forces teams. Gee, all those wrestlers seem pretty chummy for all good guys hating all bad guys and vice versa. The King's Court. Having convinced nearly everyone that the guest is going to be Rowdy Roddy Piper, Lawler invites him out. It turns out to be a 98 pounder with a bad haircut, a Hot Rod T-shirt, an earring, and a kilt. To his credit, he does do a damn fine Piper voice. Actually, this whole bit is pretty funny. After some salaams and a quick kiss of the royal boots, "Piper" crawls out of the ring having gotten out of his KotR match with Lawler. rRazor rRamon v. Keith Davis - Promos: NBA Jam carts, Remington Triple Foil Shavers, Mortal Kombat carts You know, Davis looks just like Vanilla Ice. Well, maybe not. In case you're interested, Savage picks IRS, Ramon, the Kid, and Owen in the first round. Coincidentally, I agree with all four picks. Vince speculates that Stu Hart will be the equalizer at Bret's match, it being Father Day after all. Joe and I look at each other with disgust, since Vince just gave it away right before our eyes. Paul Bearer interview. He can't believe that Ted DiBiase has bought "his" Undertaker. DiBiase joins the commentators. He promises to deliver the Undertaker this weekend on "Superstars." Next week: The Countdown to the Crown. They didn't say one hour or two, but I'm guessing just one. Christopher Robin Zimmerman, that RAW guy / kzim@koko.csustan.edu / zimmerma@ucrengr.ucr.edu /