Matt Speaks Out – King of the Ring 1994

WWF King of the Ring 1994
June 19, 1994
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Arena

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Bret Hart (3/20/1994)
Intercontinental Champion: Diesel (4/13/1994)
World Tag Team Champions: The Headshrinkers (4/26/1994)
Women’s Champion: Alundra Blayze (12/13/1993)

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon, Randy Savage & the completely uninformed Art Donovan.

The lead singer of Blackfoot sings the national anthem. IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT HIS NAME IS! Sorry, just bought the new Rock DVD.

– Razor Ramon vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (w/Luna Vachon) – First Round King of the Ring Match

Razor Ramon is Art Donovan’s pick to win the King of the Ring, yet he asks who Razor is as he comes down to the ring for almost every match he’s in throughout the evening. Luna distracts Ramon long enough for Bigelow to nail him from behind. Ramon avoids a Flying Headbutt and posts Bigelow’s balls to set up a flying bulldog. That gets two. Bigelow misses an enziguri, but throws Razor over the top rope to the floor. Bigelow headbutts the lower back and grabs a torture rack. Razor’s arm falls twice, but not three times! He flips out of the hold and delivers a back suplex. Razor slams Bigelow and tries for the Super Back Suplex, but Bigelow elbows him back. Bigelow heads up for possibly a moonsault (?) and Razor powerbombs him down for the 1-2-3. (8:26) Not bad. They pretty much substituted Bigelow for Razor this year. Last year, Razor lost in the first round while Bigelow went to the finals. **

– Irwin R. Schyster vs. Mabel (w/Oscar) – First Round King of the Ring Match

All the on-screen WWF people (Monsoon, Savage, Pettingell) have picked Mabel as the odds on favorite to win the tournament. To begin things, Mabel sidesteps a charging IRS. Wow. Now I’ve seen everything. Mabel takes over with actual wrestling moves like a suplex! IRS refuses to be squashed in the corner, so he does sidestep that and kicks Mabel out to the floor. Back in, IRS hits the WRITE-OFF (jumping lariat) and follows with a pair of elbows for two. Mabel blocks a slam into a small package (!) for 1-2-NO! IRS got a shoulder up! IRS actually doesn’t cheat using the ropes with a chinlock. Mabel fights out and hits a Bossman Slam for 1-2-NO! Mabel wants to splash IRS from the second rope, but IRS pops up and shakes the ropes until Mabel comes-a-tumbling down. IRS covers and grabs a handful of the ropes to pick up the win. (5:40) SWERVE~! This match was more funny than anything. ¾*

– Owen Hart vs. Tatanka – First Round King of the Ring Match

Art Donovan REALLY needs to know how much Tatanka weighs. Don’t really know what that was all about. Savage and Monsoon basically ignore him. Tatanka tries to pick up the win early, so Owen goes to the eyes and slows the match down with a headlock. Tatanka escapes and delivers a Japanese armdrag. They go to the floor where Tatanka gets whipped into the post. Owen tries for the easy countout victory as we see Razor and IRS getting into an argument backstage. Back in, Owen delivers the Bossman straddle. Man, Ray Traylor is all over this show. Owen follows up with a gutwrench suplex and a missile dropkick for 1-2-NO! Tatanka runs into a sleeper and fights out as he hulks up – Indian style! Chops abound for two. Owen runs into a boot in the corner and takes a DDT for 1-2-NO! Flying Judo Chop gets 1-2-NO! Tatanka catches Owen trying to flip over him out of the corner for a running powerslam for 1-2-NO! He tries for a sunset flip, but Owen kneels down on his shoulders and hooks the legs for 1-2-3. (8:18) Nothing wrong with that. **½

In the back, Todd Pettingzoo talks with Diesel and HBK. He recalls Bret saying that the Jackknife Powerbomb was the most painful move ever done to him when Diesel left Bret laying on Raw a couple weeks back.

– Jeff Jarrett vs. 1-2-3 Kid – First Round King of the Ring Match

Jeff Jarrett upset Lex Luger to get into the Elite 8 of the King of the Ring after Crush ran some interference and cost Luger another chance at WWF gold. Kid goes into karate mode to start, so Jarrett bails and trips him up. Jarrett whiffs on a dropkick and the Kid manages a victory roll for 1-2-NO! Jarrett goes right back to work on the Kid with a stomp and a slingshot suplex. Kid catches Jarrett with a Roundhouse Kick, but meets the mat trying a flying senton. Jarrett can’t deliver with the Bossman straddle (there he is again) and gets caught with a Flying Bodypress for 1-2-NO! He hits his Three-Kick Combo in the corner, but misses a corner charge and takes a nasty bump on his neck. Jarrett takes the Kid to school and sets up for the FIGURE-FOUR, but Kid blocks with a small package for 1-2-3. (4:39) Match was okay, but the aftermath makes the most difference on the overall rating. Pissed for losing to the Kid, Jarrett gives him THREE piledrivers! I mean, if this were in Memphis, Kid would be stretchered out and gone for weeks! **¾

WWF: The New Generation! Yeah, nothing says “suck it, old timers” quite like a new ad campaign that treats them like yesterday’s garbage. I mean, it’s not like Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant, or Hulk Hogan were the ones responsible for any success that the WWF might have ever had. Nooooo, not those guys!

– WWF World Champion Bret Hart (w/Jim Neidhart) vs. Diesel (w/Shawn Michaels)

For starters, this was the surprise return of Jim Neidhart to the WWF. Step one in getting to the top of the WWF for Diesel first was winning the IC title belt. We’re in step two: a PPV world title match with Bret Hart. Donovan has no clue who any of these people are and need to be explained everything prior to the match. One of his more hilarious questions of the night ~ “Who is this guy [referring to Shawn Michaels] on the outside? Is he a wrestler?” Diesel corners Bret and pounds away before a boot choke. Bret avoids a running boot in the corner and delivers a headbutt to the groin area. Bret slips out of a slam and rolls up Diesel for two. Diesel misses an elbow drop, but goes to the eyes. Diesel chokes and runs his knee into the corner, setting up an easy gameplan for Bret. He applies a Figure-Four in the middle of the ring, but Diesel still reaches the ropes. Bret stays on the leg and hooks a spinning toe hold until Diesel kicks him off to the floor. Diesel gets tripped up and his knee posted. Shawn interjects himself momentarily and runs Bret down with a clothesline. Neidhart chases him around the ring, but the ref puts a stop to it. Back in, Diesel botches catching Bret for a bearhug. He recovers okay, though. Bret bites his way out and dropkicks Diesel out for a pescado, but he splats on the outside mat. Diesel rams Bret into the ringpost and brings him in for a HARD whip into the corner. Side Slam gets 1-2-NO! Diesel applies a backbreaker and then hits an elbow drop for two. HBK sneaks in another cheapshot with Bret up against the ropes right before a Bossman straddle (more Ray Traylor!) from Diesel. Shawn continues to his awesome cocky self down on the floor. Meanwhile, Diesel sends Bret into the corner for the chest-first bump. That only gets two. Diesel is PISSED at the ref, so Bret sneak attacks with a rollup for 1-2-NO! Diesel grabs a neck wrench and when Bret starts to come out of it, he gives Bret another backbreaker for 1-2-NO! From there, Diesel grabs a Canadian backbreaker while HBK unties the top turnbuckle. He doesn’t get it off completely though because of Jim Neidhart intervening. Somehow, Bret slips out of the backbreaker and grabs a sleeper! Diesel backs him into the corner, but runs into a boot. He grabs the sleeper again only to be backed into the corner once again. Diesel punches Bret INTO the ref, which is cool. That allows Diesel to expose the turnbuckle for real now. Bret blocks the smash and sends Diesel into the exposed turnbuckle instead. Bret proceeds to punch Diesel all around the ring until the big guy FINALLY collapses. Awesome! It takes THREE clotheslines to take Diesel back down. Russian Legsweep! Flying Elbow Drop gets 1-2-NO! Bret hits a bulldog from the middle rope and looks for the SHARPSHOOTER. Shawn’s on the apron and gets punched down for a nice Pillman guardrail bump. Bret hits a clothesline from the middle rope for 1-2-NO! They get into a backslide battle, but Bret kicks out of the corner and flips over Diesel into a small package for 1-2-NO! Diesel catches Bret trying to flip out of the corner. Bret shoves off the Snake Eyes attempt, but runs into a Big Boot. Diesel stands over Bret and motions for the Jackknife Powerbomb, but Bret’s just playing ‘possum and trips Diesel up into the SHARPSHOOTER! Ohhh, but Diesel’s in the ropes. Bret dropkicks Diesel out to the floor. Neidhart is standing by and hopes Diesel notices him. Diesel sends Neidhart into the ringpost while HBK runs in and BLASTS Bret with a title belt from behind! Diesel crawls back in the ring and drops an elbow for 1-2-NO! Diesel calls for the Jackknife Powerbomb one more time. Neidhart nails Shawn and jumps into the ring to clothesline Diesel after the JACKKNIFE POWERBOMB for the DQ. (22:41) Without a doubt, Diesel’s best match to date. Diesel and HBK continue the beatdown afterwards, but Jim Neidhart heads to the back “frustrated” with the ref’s decision. Great storytelling and to witness Diesel carry Bret of all people (in 1994, no less!) to a great match is really something to see. ****¼

– Razor Ramon vs. Irwin R. Schyster – King of the Ring Semifinals

These two have about a years worth of history leading back to when Razor and the 1-2-3 Kid took on Money Inc. Razor meets IRS on the floor and posts him when he talks about him being a tax cheat. In the ring, IRS delivers the kitchen sink and attempts to drop Razor throat-first on the top rope, but can’t and decides on a backbreaker instead. IRS misses the WRITE-OFF and flies out to the floor. IRS eats the steel steps. Back in, he goes to the eyes and cheats on the chinlock by using the ropes. Razor fights out and drags IRS around by his tie. IRS hits the WRITE-OFF anyway. He makes sure to take time and re-adjust his tie before calling for the finish. IRS ducks low and pays for it with the RAZOR’S EDGE for 1-2-3. (5:13) Hmm, maybe Art Donovan knows what he’s talking about after all. ½*

Lucky for us, we’ve got a camera backstage following Bret around as he searches for Jim Neidhart. I mean, what is that guy’s problem?! Bret doesn’t have any luck though just yet.

– Owen Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid – King of the Ring Semifinals

Donovan did see Owen earlier, but now he needs to know how much he weighs. The Kid takes his time getting to the ring because hey, he took THREE piledrivers. What can he do? Just as he makes it to ringside, Owen SHOOTS through the ropes with a mean baseball slide. That was BRUTAL. He follows that up with a SWEET tope suicida! Owen tosses him in for a flying splash for 1-2-NO! Kid reverses a corner whip for a chest-first bump. Kid hits a Flying Bodypress for 1-2-NO! La Majistral cradle gets 1-2-NO! They exchange wristlocks and flip counters – ending with the Kid delivering a spin kick. Owen comes back with an enziguri for two. Northern Lights suplex by the Kid gets 1-2-3! Wait, now the ref sees Owen’s foot on the bottom rope. Match continues. Owen crawls out to the floor and gets caught with a somersault plancha. Back in, Owen catches the Kid in mid-air trying for a spinning heel kick and gives him a bridging German Suplex for 1-2-NO! Belly-to-Belly Suplex gets two! Kid flips out of a suplex into a victory roll for 1-2-NO! Owen rolls back into a pin attempt of his own for 1-2-NO! Owen blocks a rana with a powerbomb to set up the SHARPSHOOTER. That gets the Kid tapping. (3:37) Criminally short, but amazing for what it was. For what its worth, this is the best match on PPV that lasted under five minutes. ***¼

Roddy Piper has some comments for Jerry Lawler and his skinny Piper impersonator after Lawler came out on Raw to make fun of Piper’s movie “Hell Comes To Frogtown”. Never seen the film, but I hear its awful. My favorite Piper flick is still “Immortal Combat”. Anyways, this is the typical great promo from Piper.

– WWF World Tag Team Champions The Headshrinkers (w/Afa & Capt. Lou Albano) vs. Yokozuna & Crush (w/Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette)

I love it. Art is talking during the entire ring introductions. With the Steiners gone, the Headshrinkers were turned face with the addition of the lovable Captain Lou Albano as their second manager. Samu & Fatu beat on each other and then clear the heels out of the ring with headbutts. Samu can’t do anything with Yoko until he runs into a thrust kick. A dropkick still won’t put Yoko down. Instead, Yoko retreats out to Fuji and Corny. Crush gets a tag and goes nose-to-nose with Fatu. Crush face slams Fatu, but that doesn’t effect Samoan people! Crush turns around and takes a piledriver! Flying Headbutt gets 1-2-NO! Fuji jabs his flagpole (Ha ha!) into Fatu’s back – setting up a Crush clothesline to Fatu for the 360 degree sell. Now Crush returns the favor with a piledriver of his own for 1-2-NO! Yoko & Crush go Midnight Express on Fatu with a drop toehold/Yoko Legdrop combo. Crush works a nerve hold for a while. Fatu avoids a Buttalanche from Yoko setting up a HOT TAG TO SAMU! Yoko & Crush are whipped into each other. It takes STEREO THRUST KICKS from the ‘Shrinkers to put Yoko down and out on the floor. Fatu follows him out and shoves Yoko off into the ringpost. That sounds like a good thing, except that Samu was up on the top turnbuckle looking to fly down on Crush. Well, Samu gets crotched. Crush brings him down with a superplex. He knocks Fatu off the apron while Yoko *sneaks* in for a Legdrop! That signals Lex Luger. Of course, Art Donovan asks ~ “Who’s the fella with the American flag?” He was screwed by Crush with a loss to Jeff Jarrett that kept him out of the King of the Ring. Crush gets distracted and rolled up for 1-2-NO! Oops, looks like that was supposed to be the finish. Crush eats a thrust kick from Samu for 1-2-3. (9:34) Fun little match even if it doesn’t set the world on fire. The right guy jobbed at least. Luger wins a post-match slugfest with Crush. **¼

– Razor Ramon vs. Owen Hart – King of the Ring Finals

In mid-match, Art Donovan changes his mind about Razor winning the King of the Ring after backing him the WHOLE night. Which means, of all the established WWF commentators, he picked the freakin’ winner. Owen flips out of a back suplex when Razor goes to counter a headlock and slaps the taste out of Razor’s mouth. Owen smacks Razor again and then whiffs on a dropkick, setting up a catapult into the corner. Razor rolls him up for two. A s…l…o…w backslide sequence leads to another nearfall for Ramon. Owen hits the Spinning Heel Kick and grabs an ab stretch near the ropes so he can cheat a little bit. Razor escapes and hits a chokeslam for two. He follows that up with the Fallaway Slam. Owen flips out of a suplex into a Russian legsweep. Owen gets crotched on the top turnbuckle for a Super Back Suplex! RAZOR’S EDGE? Nope. Owen backdrops him out to the floor. While Owen gloats to the crowd and has a passionate discussion with the ref about Canadian politics, Jim Neidhart runs down to attempt and help Razor up. Well, he does help him and then clotheslines him down! Neidhart posts Razor and tosses him back in the ring as Owen hits a beautiful flying elbow drop for 1-2-3. (6:37) Neidhart cost Diesel the WWF title and helped Owen win the King of the Ring so we could have Owen vs. Bret at SummerSlam. Afterwards, Owen/Neidhart deliver the Hart Attack to Razor! Match was full of blown spots, but the finish was pretty important and helped make everything make sense. **

King of the Ring coronation: Owen did it and now he wants the respect of a king! WWF President Jack Tunney was supposed to present the cape, crown and scepter to Owen, but Owen wants his only trustworthy family member Jim Neidhart to do the honors. Thus, the King of Harts is born. Awesome stuff.

– Roddy Piper vs. Jerry Lawler

This was Piper’s first WWF match since WrestleMania 8. If he wins the match, some underprivileged Canadian kids get the money. The skinny Piper impersonator shows up with Roddy Piper to piss of Lawler. Piper beats Lawler in and out of the ring with all the usual Piper antics. Even the kid gets in an eye poke. Piper sets Lawler up and blocks a stomp so he can kick him in the “upper thigh”. An atomic drop puts Lawler on the floor. Piper avoids a punch by grabbing Lawler’s fist and ramming it into the ringpost. Lawler wants to beat something up, so he grabs the kid. Piper does all he can to save the kid. Lawler takes over with punches and hooks on a sleeper. Piper’s arm drops twice, but not three times. Lawler delivers the PILEDRIVER, but wastes time jawing with the crowd instead of covering him. Piper plays the rope-a-dope game and wins! He delivers a running bulldog, but gets shoved off into the ref when he tries it again. Lawler reaches in his tights and pops Piper with some international object. Lawler covers with his feet on the ropes while the ref crawls over to them. The kid shoves Lawler’s feet off the ropes, causing Lawler to turn his attention away from Piper. Piper hits a back suplex and rolls Lawler up for 1-2-3. (12:19) Yay! The poor Canadian kids will get their money now. All is right with the world. This match seriously shouldn’t have happened. ½*

The 411: They had a lot of talent that needed that PPV exposure (Owen, Diesel, Yoko, Headshrinkers) who had really changed since ‘Mania. Owen was getting a huge push, Diesel was getting an even bigger push than Owen, Yokozuna was just the world champ three months earlier, the Headshrinkers are the newly turned babyface tag champions that need to be seen. So all these things are happening, and we get a Piper/Lawler main event. Ridiculous in hindsight, because Owen on the throne should have been the last thing we saw. Not Piper holding the skinniest dude I’ve ever seen up on his shoulders in celebration. This is the “New Generation” that the WWF is pushing? Good thing we didn’t see any more main events like this anymore. Overall though, you’ve got a great Bret/Diesel match and Owen being awesome. I love how they did the first two King of the Ring PPVs where the story with a wrestler didn’t end with just one match, it continues all throughout the show. Not to mention Art Donovan was pretty unintentionally hilarious. Thumbs up for King of the Ring 1994, but what a disappointing main event.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]