Welcome to the fourth, Tybo Talks 1995. We are continuing from (the first ever) In Your House with King of the Ring.
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 I’m watching WWE Raw, ECW’s Hardcore TV, and WCW Nitro (when it starts in September)… Wish me luck!
The PPV opens with the WWF blimp flying over Philly. I wonder what happened to the WWF Blimp?
FunFact: As the PPV was in Philadelphia (home of ECW) many fans brought ECW banners, and almost all were confiscated.
*Bonus Match*
(Pre-WWE Network this match was only available on the King of the Ring Home Video)
Savio
(Final KOTR Qualifying Match)
This match was only recently announced, Razor was meant to be in the King of the Ring but couldn’t compete due to a legitimate rib injury so the winner of this would replace him. This was an immediate push for Savio Vaga who had only debuted about five weeks before and could win the King of the Ring? although with this match included he would have to have four matches to get there.
The match is a quick one, Vaga is all business, and after a lot of roll-ups, Vaga gets the win. This one wasn’t going any other way, Vaga will be fighting for his buddy Razor.
Winner – Savio Vaga
The official show starts but there is no opening vignette, which is a shame a good vignette always helps the hype of the show. It’s just Vince McMahon and Doc Hendrix (Michael P.S. Hayes) on
FunFact: These ‘jesters’ are a young 20-year-old Matt and 17-year-old Jeff, The future Hardy Boyz.
Before we get into the show, below are the brackets for the King of the Ring 1995 tournament.
King of the King: Round One
Yokozuna vs Savio Vaga
Savio Vaga had only won his qualifying match 15 minutes earlier beating IRS to advance. McMahon goes over the rules on ‘sudden death’, It seems like there has been no change to the rules of King of the Ring in all the years it’s been around, a shocking feat when you think about it.
The match itself is very slow, although there are moments when Yokozuna is so sudden for a big (big) man. Vaga tries to use his speed to beat the power and mass of Yokozuna.
FunFact: It’s announced that Yokozuna is the heaviest WWF Superstar in history. This may not have been 100% true as Yokozuna was billed as weighing around 590lb whereas Haystacks Calhoon was billed as weighing upwards of 600+lb
The whole match is basically Vaga trying to get Yokozuna off his feet, he does eventually manage it, but after some interference from Own Hart (Yokozuna’s Tag Team Championship partner) and some brawling outside the ring, Vaga wins via count-out. Honestly, there was no other convincing end to this match.
Winner – Savio Vaga
Backstage – Jerry Lawler is cutting a promo with an absolutely rank foot in preparation for his ‘Kiss my Foot’ match later.
King of the Ring: Round One
Roadie vs Bob ‘Spark Plug’ Holly
(Roadie beat Doink the Clown on WWF Superstars three weeks earlier to advance
(Bob Holly beat Mantar on Raw six weeks earlier to advance)
Compared to the previous match this one is such a fast pace, Holly tried to get the pin at least four times in the first 2 minutes. There is no denying that Holly is clearly out-wrestling Roadie, he is rapid and makes everything count. Although when Roadie does finally turn the match around he keeps stopping to dance? Did someone say ‘Seven Second Dance Break?’
After a lot more back and forward, Roadie gets (what I think) is a pretty questionable pin and win. Holly clearly kicks out a milli-second after the three counts, was this meant to have a different finish?
Winner – Roadie
King of the Ring: Round One
Shawn Michaels vs Karma (With Million Dollar Man)
(Michaels beat King Kong Bundy on Raw five weeks earlier to advance)
(Karma beat Duke the Dumpster on WWF Superstars four weeks earlier to advance)
FunFact: This is the only year Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker were entered into the King of the Ring.
Karma comes to the ring wearing the huge chain he made from The Undertaker’s melted down urn. Karma is about 100lb heavier than Michaels so with Michaels’s speed this could be a show-stealer. The first thing you notice about this match is that the crowd’s reaction to Shawn is off the charts compared to anyone else. Michaels makes Karma look great, selling every move and cementing Karma’s dominance.
This really is a good match, so much so that you completely forget there is a 15-minute time limit on qualifying matches. There is a mad scramble for the last 2 minutes that really adds some excitement. The match ends in a double draw.
This is an interesting way of getting both Karma and Shawn Michaels out of the tournament early, meaning it opens the whole thing up to anyone
This also means the winner of The Undertaker vs Mable will get a bye to the finals.
Promo – A new promo runs with Bob Backlund announcing he is running for president, this is such a strange and awkward promo, but as far as I can remember there was no end to this story? Was he actually running? was he running for president of WWF?
King of the Ring: Round One
Mable vs The Undertaker
(Mable beat Adam Bomb at In Your House to advance)
(The Undertaker beat Jeff Jarrett on Raw four weeks earlier to advance)
This match just feels like a big deal, more so than any of the previous matches, it almost feels like neither man can afford the loss. Mable is one huge, angry dude and The Undertaker is… well The Undertaker!
This one starts off quick, really quick, Undertaker doesn’t give Mable a second in the early going with a mix of speed and power. Unfortunately, this doesn’t last and the match slows down a lot. The wheels fall off a little when Undertaker somehow gets tanged in the ropes and is hanging upside down outside the ring and needs Mable to help (obviously looking like he isn’t)
After this one goes from a quick pace to almost agonisingly slow, it’s Karma (who melted Undertaker’s urn to make his chain) who makes the difference, interfering and costing Undertaker the match.
Winner – Mable
FunFact: The Undertaker took his first TV pin-fall loss in over three years. The last time he was pinned on TV was at This is Texas in 1991 when he dropped the championship to Hulk Hogan.
There is a Hall of Fame vignette as they were the night before, it’s not anything like what they do now. Looks like the highlight of the night was a video message to George ‘The Animal’ Steel from Bill Murrey.
King of the Ring: Semi-Finals
Savio Vaga vs Roadie
Pre-match Roadie and Jeff Jarrett are interviewed by Todd Pettingill, Roadie refers to himself as ‘Roadogg’ and ‘King Roadogg’ could this be the first time he does that?
The match feels like more of a ‘wrestling’ match than any of the previous matches, but neither superstar seems like a legitimate winner of the King of the Ring, nothing against either man but neither seems ready to be carrying a ‘king’ mantle. Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if it was Razor Ramon who was meant to win the tournament and they had to change it on the fly with his injury.
After some miscommunication between Roadie and Jarrett, Vaga gets the roll-up and advances.
Winner – Savio Vaga
(The First Ever)
Kiss My Foot Match
Bret Hart vs Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler
For weeks now Lawler has need making sure his feet stink for this match, not washing and walking through mud and crap. the commentary team double down on this saying the smell is overpowering.
Lawler is in control for most of the early going, he is such a solid heel that is great to watch, and Hart is so over with the crowd it’s honestly unreal. Anything Lawler does they absolutely hate and anything Hart does they absolutely love, the crowd are 100% into this match. It’s easy to forget just how vicious Lawler could be, before all the ‘dad’ jokes.
Lawler finally takes his boot off and the commentary team sell it more than ever, this is a great touch from both McMahon and Hendrix, it’s pure pantomime.
After interference from Hakushi and Shinja, who inadvertently help Hart, Lawler taps to the Sharpshooter. Winner – Bret Hart
After the match, and some back and forth Bret eventually gets his foot right in Lawler’s mouth, then Bret folds Lawler up and gets Lawler’s own foot in his mouth. Who kn
King of the Ring: Finals
Savio Vaga vs Mable
This is Vaga’s fourth match of the night. It’s interesting that they put this push on Vaga so soon, I think they were backed into a corner a little with Ramon being injured, but he has had a great showing in one night.
You can see (and understand) that Mable is coming into this match already tired. The match is very slow and very short. There are no big moves until the two huge splashes Mable hits to win the match.
King of the Ring 1995 Winner
Mable
Post-match Mable beats down Vaga, Ramon and even 123 Kid come to help and take a beating. Mable, who has wrestled all night in ‘king colours’ (Gold and Purple) officially sits on his thrown. He is given his cape, crown and sword, yes in 1995 WWF gave their King of the Ring a sword! He is officially proclaimed to be ‘King Mable’
Backstage – Lawler is in the bathroom cleaning his mouth out and eating toothpaste, even throwing up everywhere.
FunFact: The King’s sick was chewed up graham crackers and cola.
Million Dollar Corporation (Tatanka & Sid) vs WWF Champion Diesel and Bam Bam Bigalow
This match feels a little pointless right from the off, this could have been the main event on a Raw or even lower on the card and having the King of the Ring finals on last. With nothing on the line, it all feels a little fruitless.
FunFact: This was the only King of the Ring PPV without a single Championship match.
That being said the crowd seem into it, Bigalow has become a solid face in a really short time. This is just a standard tag team match, Bigalow is in the ring a long (long) time and Diesel is itching for the hot tag. Diesel finally gets in the ring and goes hard, while still selling his elbow injury.
It’s not long before Diesel wants Sid, and Sid walks out. Diesel and Bigalow beat Tatanka and get the inevitable win.
Winners – Diesel and Bam Bam Bigalow
Overall
King of the Ring 1995 is widely considered one of, if not the worst WWF PPV of all time. After watching it that is a hard one to argue.
FunFact: The PPV set the bar for the lowest buy-rates of the Federation Era (150,000 buys) one of only three PPV’s not to get 200,000 buys in the era.
There were moments that felt like a big deal but they were very few and far between. The PPV actually took me about a week to watch all together so that says more than I can explain when it comes to quality.
I think the biggest issue was the booking, with the talent pool in WWF at the time, why they decided to make Mable the King of the Ring, back when it meant something is beyond me, I understand that they may not have wanted the obvious guys to win but with talent like Bam Bam Bigalow, Karma, Lex Lugar and British Bulldog why Mable?
Match of the Night: (if I was put on the spot) would have to be Shawn Michaels vs Karma, and that is only because of the clever time limit finish. A finish like that is something you don’t ever see in WWE these days and it was actually refreshing to see as I couldn’t remember the finish.
I can honestly say I will not be going out of my way to watch this one any time soon.
King of the Ring Rating – 0.5/5
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
Look out for the next Tybo Talks 1995, where I review In Your House 2
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