*** Scott & JT’s Vintage Vault Refresh reviews are a chronological look back at WWE PPV and TV history that began with a review of WrestleMania I. The PICs have revisited these events and refreshed all of their fun facts that provide insight into the match, competitors and state of the company as well as their overviews of the match action and opinions and thoughts on the outcomes. In addition, Jeff Jarvis assists in compiling historical information and the Fun Facts in each of the reviews. Also, be sure to leave feedback on the reviews at our Facebook page. Enjoy! ***

Monday Night Raw #113

May 29, 1995 (Taped May 15, 1995)
Broome County Arena
Binghamton, NY
Announcers: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

Fun Fact: Kevin Nash recently suffered a legit elbow injury. In a Kayfabe Commentaries shoot interview years later, Nash indicated the injury was from wrestling Kama on the 5/15 Raw, although the injury could also have happened the night before when Diesel wrestled Sid at In Your House.

*** Jeff Jarrett and Roadie are in the ring to open up the show and threatens Undertaker about their King of the Ring Qualifying match tonight, saying he isn’t scared or afraid of the Deadman.The lights then go out and the gong tolls as Jarrett panics in the ring. ***

1) Psycho Sid defeats Mike Khoury with a powerbomb at 1:20

Scott: So apparently Diesel was injured at In Your House by Sid, as they show the WWF Champion with a bandage on his right elbow. Ted DiBiase’s crown jewel comes out to open the show and is ready to crush some stiff. There’s really not much more to this match, and after the match they go to Birmingham and an update on Diesel’s elbow injury. Grade: DUD

JT: As we edge closer and closer to King of the Ring, business has been picking up here on Monday Night Raw as of late. The tournament brackets are filling up, new stars have been debuting and current ones are padding resumes week to week. We are coming at you via tape once again this week, still from Binghamton and welcomed to the show by Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler, our now steady announce team. Kicking things off in the ring tonight is the man who failed to win the WWF Title at In Your House but has remained well positioned as the top contender, Psycho Sid. As Sid, Tatanka and Ted DiBiase head out, we find out that Diesel is currently recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery and we will check in with him later in the show. The injury occurred at IYH when Sid powerbombed the champion. The big man completely mauls Mike Khoury here and he is ready for the huge impending tag team match when he joins Tatanka against Sid and Bam Bam Bigelow. Grade: DUD

*** We head to Healthsouth Medical Center in Birmingham, AL, where Diesel is recovering from his reconstructive elbow surgery and talking about his injury sustained at In Your House. We also hear from Dr. James Andrews about the injury and subsequent surgery. He anticipates a quick recovery due to Diesel’s overall athleticism and attitude. Andrews then talks about his rehab center. ***

2) Adam Bomb defeats Bob Cook with a clothesline off the top rope at 2:04

Scott: Vince announces before the match that on NBC Sunday there will be a broadcast airing of WrestleMania XI, cut down to an hour. It will probably be the WWF Title match, Hart/Backlund and Taylor/Bigelow I would assume. Smart move by the WWF there. It took as long for Vince & Lawler to read the USA Thursday movie tag than for this squash match. Grade: DUD

JT: We head back to the ring as Adam Bomb marches out to battle Bob Cook. Vince tells us that this Sunday night, a special broadcast version of WrestleMania XI will air on NBC, so set your VCRs! Also, King tells us that this Thursday night on USA, the movie Twilight Zone will air at 9pm, so check that out too. Bomb makes quick work of Cook but really he is going nowhere fast and seems thrilled to death about it. Grade: DUD

*** Todd Pettengill is in the house with our King of the Ring report and the following matches are discussed:

Diesel & Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sid & Tatanka

Todd also asks Jerry Lawler if he will be accepting Bret Hart’s challenge but the King says it is none of his business. The big night in Philadelphia is less than a month away, so don’t hesitate to call your cable company and get that order in! ***

3) Hakushi defeats John Snakowski with a somersault splash at 2:34

Scott: We had our first KOTR Report before this match where the Diesel & Bigelow vs. Sid & Tatanka match was booked. Vince really puts over the Bret/Hakushi match from IYH as one of the greatest in WWF history. That’s actually true, but they are really putting over the fact that Bret was dejected over losing to Jerry Lawler later at that show. The match could be set at KOTR, but that hasn’t been announced. The squashes this week are just that. Grade: DUD

JT: Back to ringside, Hakushi and Shinja head out for a match with John Snakowski. Vince talks about Hakushi’s role in Jerry Lawler’s IYH win over Bret Hart and continues to needle the King about the Hitman’s challenge. Before the match, Hakushi pulls a fake Bret Hart head out of a burlap sack so it seems like he has some dark intentions in mind these days. Snakowski’s wrestling gear is atrocious, even by 1995 standards. Vince and King continue to talk about the fallout from IYH as Hakushi makes easy work of Snakowski and his ugly tights. The White Angel eventually nabs the win with a perfect somersault splash and he is still locked in on taking out the Hitman. Grade: DUD

*** Todd Pettengill discusses the 1995 Hall of Fame ceremony, coming at us the night before King of the Ring from the Baltimore Omni. He also announces two more inductees, Ernie Ladd and Ivan Putski, who will join Antonino Rocca in being honored. ***

*** Vince McMahon is in the ring for a chat with WWF Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze. Blayze discusses regaining the title from Bull Nakano on 4/3 and the subsequent attack by Bertha Faye that broke her nose. She says there are rumors that Bertha and Harvey Wippleman are dating and she is happy to announce that she is back, stronger than ever and will keep the title for a long time. ***

4) Men on a Mission defeat Gary Scott & Aaron Ferguson when Mabel pins Scott with a belly-to-belly suplex at 3:46

Scott: Before this match was an Alundra Blayze in ring interview, her return after Bertha Faye broke her nose the night after WrestleMania. She seems different. Oh I notice now, her nose wasn’t the only thing she had “fixed”. I know the show is building to the big KOTR qualifying match later on but these squashes have nothing to them. MOM wins. Grade: DUD

JT: And we get back to action as Men on a Mission are set to battle with Gary Scott and Aaron Ferguson. Mo opens things up and uses some angry power to dominate before tagging in Mabel. Vince says the Smoking Gunns are looking for a rematch with MOM after the rapper attacked them last month. He also reminds us that Mabel was the first to qualify for the KOTR tournament. We get a plug for the Superstar Line as MOM keep battering both of these goofs. Mabel finally finishes Scott with a belly-to-belly for the win. This surprisingly upstart hoss will look to stay hot as he hits Philadelphia in a few weeks. Grade: DUD

*** Todd Pettengill is back in the King of the Ring update center and he fills us in on the tournament brackets. Here is how the fall thus far:

Mabel
TBD

Kama
Shawn Michaels

Bob Holly
TBD

Razor Ramon
TBD

The other three slots will be filled over the next week so stay tuned to WWF programing! ***

*** Barry Didinski is here to promote a special Undertaker t-shirt and a Monday Night Raw hat to commemorate tonight’s show. Call and order now! ***

5) Undertaker defeats Jeff Jarrett in a King of the Ring Qualifying Match with the Tombstone at 10:00

Scott: This is the Deadman’s first Raw match since I have no idea when. He and the Intercontinental Champion battle here for one of the last three remaining spots in the tournament. Another spot will be filled next week on Raw when the British Bulldog takes on the defending King, Owen Hart. It’s all Taker early on as he stalks Double J and rocks him with strikes and headbutts. The Roadie tries to cheat but Taker shoves him off and keeps up the pressure. Finally Double J gets control when Roadie finally gets a full distraction. Jarrett’s tights are the worst I’ve ever seen, well maybe after Mantaur. Jarrett keeps working it and hits a move off the top rope for a two count. No urn with Paul Bearer as it’s around Kama’s neck. We haven’t really broached that storyline for a while. Jarrett works the legs over and cranks up the figure four. The Roadie tries to help with leverage but Paul Bearer stops that. The hold is broken and Taker slowly gets to his feet and tries to make the comeback but walks into a neckbreaker. Jarrett tries multiple pin covers but Taker recovers and hits a chokeslam. Taker hits the Tombstone for the victory and a slot in the tournament. I didn’t think Double J would lose clean, but it’s not an IC Title match, Vince announces that it will be Taker vs. Mabel in the first round. Grade: **

JT: And now we head right back to the ring for our final match of the evening, a bout with a coveted KOTR slot up for grabs. Jeff Jarrett and Roadie strut to the ring and looking calm and collected as the lights dim and Undertaker and Paul Bearer then stride down the aisle. Vince is hard selling the WrestleMania special once more before the match gets rolling. Jarrett bails off the bell but Taker follows him outside and stalks him right back inside. Jarrett lands a few shots but Taker mows him down with a clothesline and then chokes away in the corner. The Deadman continues to dominate, battering Double J in the corner and then slamming him down hard to the mat. Jarrett would dodge an elbow drop and then clothesline Taker to the floor. Taker turned to Roadie and grabbed his throat but that gave Jarrett an easy opening to level him from behind and shove him into the steps. Back inside, Jarrett kept the pressure on, focusing on the neck and back and doing whatever he could to keep Taker grounded and in trouble. Jarrett turns his attention to the leg and pummels it through a break, eventually locking in the figure four. King wonders if Taker has ever submitted as Roadie gives Jarrett an assist. That fires up Paul Bearer, who rips off his jacket and chases Roadie away. Taker forces a rope break and fights to his feet and then slugs away at Jarrett. He shoots the IC champ into the corner but Jarrett comes back with a DDT and some hard right hands. Instead of covering, Jarrett started strutting, allowing Taker to sit up and land some chops followed by a big leaping clothesline. Jarrett recovered and tried to leap off the middle rope but Taker caught him and planted him with a chokeslam. He followed that with another chokeslam and then a Tombstone for the win. That was a fun little match and it really made Jarrett look strong as he took it right at the Deadman and had him in the figure four at one point as well. Taker advances to his first KOTR tournament but this ended up being a tougher bout for him than many may have expected. Vince tells us Taker will be battling Mabel in the first round. Grade: **1/2

*** Bob Backlund rants about “rock and roll music” and says as President he will ensure that children only listen to classical music instead. ***

Final Analysis

Scott: They really express-lined the squashes this week, but frankly I’d be perfectly happy with some in-ring interviews pumping up KOTR, or even some more qualifying matches instead of these boring squashes. I actually dig Jeff Jarrett as Intercontinental Champion and it was nice to see Undertaker back on Raw in who knows how long. Still, the same problem persists that the roster is in pretty sad shape and that shows in the show because they have all these pitiful jobbers. Even the crowd can’t deal with all this shit. These main eventers need to come out more and get their feuds over. The main event was solid but the rest of this show is crap. Final Grade: D+

JT: So, this was a bit of a tough episode to break down. They have found a pretty good pacing of late, really humming through the show without much time wasted and it keeps things feeling exciting. They have also found a way to make the canned shows still feel lively, so good on them for that. However, the content itself is still lagging. We had a parade of squashes that all felt a bit aimless and all were quite quick. There is a lot of deadwood hanging around too. The KOTR hype has been focused and well executed but what is laid out in front of us feel uninspired at the moment, especially that tag team main event. I mean, why is Tatanka still getting any level of push at this point? He is so washed up as any type of legit threat. The main event here was solid and despite the overall feel of the PPV, they are loading the tournament with some big names this year, so they are trying to get things going for sure. I have said it before, that the pieces are all here but they just don’t seem to be fitting together very well at the moment. Hopefully they figure out a good configuration soon. Final Grade: C