Welcome to the fifth, Tybo Talks 1995. We are continuing from King of the Ring with In Your House 2.
With the ease of access to pretty much all of WWE’s back catalogue on the WWE Network I thought it would be cool to change it up a bit and do some classic reviews (with a twist). As some of you may know I have already done this with WWE in 2002 and 2003, but this time I’m doing it a little different.
In the past, I have reviewed all the PPV (from the year) but watched all Raw and Smackdown episodes too. This time as it’s 1995 I’m watching all PPV but in between, I’m watching WWE Raw, ECW’s Hardcore TV and WCW Nitro (when it starts in September)… Wish me luck!
The show opens with the standard opening vignette but the song over it seems to be an original country music song with lyrics about Jeff Jarrett and his baby, I need to look on Spotify for this one.
Vince McMahon and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler are on commentary.
The Roadie vs 123 Kid
Kid has been out with a neck injury the last few weeks at the hands of Roadie so Kid obviously wants some measure of revenge. So, Kid attacks Roadie on way to the ring and this one starts quickly from there. I had honestly forgotten about this small rivalry, it’s always fun to see future D-Generation X team members mixing it up in their early careers.
It feels like the main story of this one is that Jarrett is backstage sorting out his ‘live’ performance, and seems completely uninterested in Roadie’s match in the ring.
That being said the match was good, although the Roadie doing a second rope piledriver on Kid seemed unnecessarily risky.
Winner – The Roadie
I love the little touches that Roadie always did that made him look like a real Roadie, after his match he heads over to the stage to mic-check for Jarrett’s performance.
Backstage – The Million Dollar Man cuts a promo about Diesel not having a chance against Sid and his Lumberjacks. The funniest thing about this promo is the locker room looks like a bunch of men. and it cuts to Diesel’s locker room and it’s like a bunch of boys having a party.
Men on a Mission (King Mable & Sir Mo) vs Razor Ramon & Savio Vaga
FunFact: Even though Razor and Vaga have been running buddies since Royal Rumble, this is the first time they have teamed together.
This match goes back to last month’s King of the Ring, Razor was legitimately injured so was removed from the tournament, and replaced by Vaga. Vaga had four matches that night but fell short of winning the tournament in the finals to Mable. It still blows my mind that WWE decided Mable would be the best King of the Ring.
This match falls quickly into a very standard tag match, they don’t even work ‘trying to get Mable off his feet’. The crowd really pick up when Razor gets the hot tag, it’s rare I will say this but Sir Mo is no wrestler (he’s so bad) Mable eventually uses his pure size to get the win on Razor.
Winners – Men on a Mission
FunFact: This is the last PPV appearance for ‘Sir Mo’ ever, for any promotion.
Post-match, Todd Pettingill is acting like a 5-year-old who has had too much sugar on Jarrett’s performance stage. I love Pettingill!
Backstage – Doc Hendrix is in Diesel’s locker room saying that he has heard one of the lumberjacks has been bought by the Million Dollar Man? Who could it be? (it’s disappointingly no one)
Jeff Jarrett Performs ‘My Baby Tonight’
The Roadie introduces Jarrett and Jeff comes out looking like Joe Exotic from Tiger King, in his animal print gear, cowboy hat and long golden mullet (Never thought I would be able to use such an up to date reference from something in 1995)
If you have not heard this song, treat yourself to this absolute classic!
Henry O’Godwin vs Bam Bam Bigalow
This is two big dudes, doing big moves. This match had little to no build, except Godwin cost Bigalow a match on Raw a few weeks ago to prove himself to the Million Dollar Corporation. Oh, and they are both lumberjacks for tonight’s main events if that counts.
This match is far quicker than you would think, Bigalow is more agile than anyone his size should be, he really is a talent. The issue with this match is that when it slows down, it really slows down. Bigalow gets the win with a cheeky roll-up.
Winner – Bam Bam Bigalow
Backstage – Pettingill interviews Shawn Michaels, this is a classic mid-90s Michaels promo, it’s fun and entertaining, I always think he wants to say something he shouldn’t. He clearly fudges his lines at the end, but Todd helps try to cover it.
Intercontinental Championship
Jeff Jarrett (c) (W/ The Roadie) vs Shawn Michaels
This match has a very slow start, with both of them showboating and trying to work the crowd, even doing each other’s signature poses.
When the match gets going its fast pace from the start, Michaels even ‘skins the cat’ a clear not to his Royal Rumble win earlier in the year.
It’s not long before the commentary team start talking about Jarrett’s performance earlier, and King jokes that Michaels can’t sing (Shawn actually sings his own entrance music).
It’s in matches like this that it’s easy to see why Michaels has been so successful for so many years, his showmanship is unmatched. He works the crowd with just a look or the movement between moves, which coupled with such great heel work from Jarrett shows that it’s the little things that are more important to get you over as a great heel. Even Roadie helping Jarrett without him knowing, all these components make this one a great hidden gem of a match.
After more back and forth Michaels pulls out all his greatest hits (flying elbow, kip-up, elbow drop and top rope elbow all in the space of 60 seconds). With help from a miscommunication between Jarrett and Roadie, and a ‘Sweet Chin Music’ Michaels is a three-time Intercontinental Champion. This one will not be beaten for Match of the Night.
Winner – Shawn Michaels
Backstage – Michaels celebrates the win with Diesel and his lumberjacks.
The camera cuts to Doc Hendrix losing his mind over an (apparent) fight between Roadie and Jeff Jarrett. Hendrix is like a 5-year-old with too much sugar, (clearly on the same stuff as Todd) but you never actually see Jarrett or Roadie.
FunFact: Both Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie legitimately quit WWE the day after this PPV, Jarrett didn’t return till December 1995 and Roadie was away for over a year.
FunFact: Although this wouldn’t be the final PPV of Brian ‘The Roadie’ Armstrong, he would return in 1997. It would be the final PPV of his Roadie gimmick.
Tag Team Championship
Owen Hart & Yokozuna (C) vs The Allied Powers (Lex Luger & British Bulldog)
It still shocks me that they didn’t do more with The Allied Powers, they were the ultimate babyface team and had the potential to be multi-time tag team champions, eventually turning one and having them feud for months. Or was this the plan and it didn’t happen because Lex Made the jump to WCW?
Although this match is a very standard tag team match, when Owen and Bulldog are in the ring together, their wrestling skill (and I do mean WRESTLING) is a thing of absolute beauty. I would recommend this match on the basis of watching them for the 2-3 minutes they wrestle.
Yokozuna is billed as the largest man in WWE(F) history, which I don’t think is completely true?
The pace picks up towards the end and the hectic nature of the finish actually works really well, there is miscommunication between Owen and Yokozuna, but they do get the win, the story being told is that they might not next time.
Winners – Owen Hart & Yokozuna
FunFact: This would be the last WWE PPV for Lex Luger, as he would make the jump to WCW (appearing on the first WCW Nitro)
WWF Championship
Diesel (C) vs Sid
Lumberjack Match
(There were 15 face and 15 heel Lumberjacks around the ring)
FunFact: This is the first WWF Lumberjack match on a PPV
There is a catch-up video package, showing that this feud goes all the way back to the first In Your House, but Diesel has had surgery since then. This could be the reason for the Lumberjack match stipulation, so Diesel wasn’t doing too much ‘heavy lifting’ in the match?
FunFact(s): This would be the first PPV appearance for Hunter Hurst Helmsley (Triple H). This would be the only PPV appearance for Man Mountain Rock. This would be the last WWF PPV appearance for King Kong Bundy.
Diesel comes out with Michaels… did someone say Two Dudes with Attitude?
The match starts with Sid getting thrown into Diesel’s lumberjacks, this is probably to show what they are doing there for anyone new to the stipulation. Lumberjack matches are known for being very stop-start, to my surprise this one kept its pace throughout, although there was a lot more interference than I think was needed, I guess you should expect that.
FunFact: Although The Million Dollar Man teased that he had bought one of Diesel’s lumberjacks, no one turned heel on Diesel.
The match isn’t bad, although the ending needed work. Sid hits a massive powerbomb and starts celebrating and high-fiving lumberjacks instead of pinning for the with, this not only makes zero sense, but it’s not even in keeping with Sid’s gimmick? Diesel hits the lamest looking big boot and gets the win, I would assume this was because Diesel’s arm isn’t strong enough to do the Jack Knife Powerbomb yet.
Winner – Diesel
FunFact: Both The Undertaker and Bret Hart had dark matches at the PPV, The Undertaker even has a Casket Match vs Kama.
Overall
This was another fun PPV, the In Your House PPVs work really well because they are not too long, so they don’t have unnecessary matches and they have PPV calibre matches. Although, I wasn’t happy someone didn’t win a house?
There were good and bad points to this PPV, I think the main event of the show actually hurt the flow of the show which actually seems like the trend in 1995. That being said it’s clear Diesel had restricted movement so maybe we can give this one a pass.
Having Diesel vs Sid after Michaels vs Jarrett was never going to look good, even with Michaels being involved, couldn’t save this one.
Match of the Night: This would have to go with Shawn Michaels vs Jeff Jarrett, this is a complete no-brainer. The story they told and the heelwork from both Roadie and Jarrett without communication with each other were perfect. I would go far as to say this could have been the best PPV match of the Year so far in 1995. It’s undoubtedly a hidden gem in the earlier career of Shawn Michaels.
There also needs to be an honourable mention for the wrestling when Owen and Bulldog are in the ring together, it’s truly something special.
In Your House 2 Rating: 3.5/5
Tybometer ’95
(1995 PPV’s scored out of a possible five)
Royal Rumble – 4
Wrestlemania – 2
In Your House – 2.5
King of the Ring – 0.5
In Your House 2 – 3.5
Look out for the next Tybo Talks 1995, where I review SummerSlam 1995
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