One Year Ago on RAW: Marty Jannetty survives an IC Title defense by countout against Bam Bam Bigelow, thanks to a timely distraction from Sensational Sherri. Afterwards, Luna takes care of Sherri, and Tatanka makes the save. The Steiners win a squash, as does Mr. Hughes, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan wins his squash and the leads the audience in the annual WWF Memorial Day Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Meanwhile, Razor Ramon has upped his ante to $5,000 for a return match with The Kid. He goes on to win a squash while McMahon starts to think the "1-2-3" Kid might be a good name. Yokozuna comes out with his flag but Duggan makes the rescue and the "USA" chant takes us out. WWF Monday Night RAW, coming to you from Struthers Fieldhouse in Youngstown, Ohio 30.5.94 (but taped 23.5) and broadcast on the USA Network. This week, Joe got a new television and I convinced him to turn on the Closed Captioning. It turns out that they caption it as if it were a live event (on the fly, missing practically all the commentary, especially when Vince McMahon really gets rolling.) Nothing special, although they seem to have a special macro for when Vince says "1, 2--no, only a count of 2..." Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Randy Savage who provide all commentary. Vince runs down the first seven Qualifying matches and mentions that tonight's match, which should fill the last spot, will take place between Tatanka...and Crush. (Kona) Crush v. ("Native American") Tatanka - those quotes are from the captioning, not from me. Apparently, Jimmy del Ray's absence is explained away by Mr. Fuji striking a deal with Jim Cornette to have del Ray replaced as Tatanka's opponent. Chief Jay Strongbow accompanies Tatanka to the ring. Wow, some equalizer for Mr. Fuji, eh? Arm wringer by Tatanka, Crush whips him out, and Tatanka hits a flying body press for 2. Crush asks for the test of strength, and hours later, Tatanka goes for it. Instead, Crush kicks away. After some vicious pounding, Crush sends Tatanka for a ride. Tatanka ducks, Crush leapfrogs, and Tatanka gets a series of clotheslines and Crush goes out. Back in, Crush takes control with a head to the gut. Illegal punches by the big Hawaiian. Chokehold. More punches. This man will stop at NOTHING! because he's so embarrassed from the treatment Lex Luger gave him last week on The King's Court. Crush whips Tatanka into the corner and follows it up with...a miss. Tatanka with a clothesline. Late cover for 2. Crush receives ten heads into the corner, while Fuji pretends to be sneaky and climbs up on the apron. Meanwhile, Strongbow has managed to walk all the way over to where Fuji is. Tatanka, knowing that Strongbow can't really do anything, decides to leave the ring and go between them. Crush snaps out of it, sees everyone having a party outside the rings, and joins them, stalking Tatanka. Strongbow sees him first, and encourages Tatanka to turn around just in time to meet a savat kick in the face. We take an ad break. We come back, and it's all Crush. Bearhug in effect. Tatanka's leg starts twitching, and he manages two chops. Crush with a headbutt and a slam for 2. Tatanka works a small package for 2. They trade blows, and surprisingly Crush gets the best of him. But then, he makes that cardinal mistake you just can't make in a Tatanka match. He takes Tatanka's head and slams it into a corner turnbuckle. Everyone knows that this makes Tatanka hulk up. Wisely, Crush decides that maybe the corner thing isn't working and axehandles him. This brings Tatanka to one knee. Whip into the ropes, but Tatanka reverses and drops him. Chop. Chop. Crush is down, Tatanka goes up. Top rope tomahawk for 2. Neckbreaker by Tatanka, 2. Fuji decides this would probably be a good time to get up on the apron again, except he does it like an old man and can't quite make it. Anyway, Strongbow has gotten his walker and makes it over to Fuji again, where he delivers a chop. Crush comes back with an atomic drop, and goes out after Strongbow. Almost instantly recovering, Tatanka follows and they go at it on the outside. Can you see the double countout coming? I knew you could. Both men go back in and continue fighting. Cue the WWF official officials. Todd Pettengill with *your* KotRR - The producers are feverishly trying to wake up WWF Prez Jack "Solomon" Tunney for a ruling on this whole thing. It seems pretty simple to me, of course. Neither man makes it and two other guys go for it next week. Well, anyway, Tunney should have a ruling by the end of the hour. Entire card run down, which you already know, yep. Interview with Owen Hart has the Rocket claiming he deserves a bye since neither Crush nor Tatanka got the win. Mmmmm hmmmm... The commentators discuss possible actions Tunney could take. Savage thinks they should go at it again. The Multimillion Dollar Man from a funeral parlor. He says he's made contact with the Undertaker. The 123 Kid v. George South - Promos: ICOPRO (Ramon), GI Joe Action Figures, SF2:SCE Sega carts Vince and Randy go on and on about Rush Limbaugh, and then talk about the Kid's victory over Adam Bomb which put him in the King of the Ring tourney, which leads into the dissension between Bomb and Kwang. Then they talk about Double J, then Jack Tunney. Finally, when the Kid wins with a cool looking bridge they comment on the match. The King's Court with WWF Champeen Bret Hart - Hart seems to have a new arrangement wrt his theme music. Of course, I think I liked the old version better. Lawler goads Hart until Hart gets ready to bop him one, when Lawler brings out Diesel and Shawn Michaels (aka Big Daddy Cool and the Heartbreak Kid). Hart does some jawing, Diesel does some jawing, Hart starts to respond but Michaels interrupts, and as Hart turns to listen to Michaels, Diesel delivers a right. Then a jackknife. Then, Diesel, Michaels, and Lawler beat the living tar out of Hart until the prerequisite semi full of WWF Officials restore some order. Diesel poses with both belts. Replay of the jackknife. We find out that Hart is so tough, he's already ok and recovered from the beating he just got. OK. The Smoking Scotsmen v. Austin Steele & Reno Riggins - "Tag team action all over the place!" sayeth Vince. Which fed is HE watching? Gunns with the Sidewinder on Steele after half an hour. WMX Revenge Tour dates - you know 'em. Jedoublef Jadoubleredoublet v. Chris Hamerick (sic) - Chris doesn't do his cool throughtheropestothefloor missed move, but he does do lots of other cool selling. Figure four. Promos: Champions World Soccer carts, Jurassic Park Action Figures, Mortal Kombat carts Jerry Lawler reveals next week's guest...well, actually he describes Roddy Piper without actually saying the words "Rowdy Roddy Piper." Of course, the commentators fall for it. I'm not going to until I see it next week. No Pledge this year. I'm bummed. Christopher Robin Zimmerman / kzim@koko.csustan.edu / zimmerma@ucrengr.ucr.edu