Ryan's Dive into '95 - Part Six (2/5 - 2/11)
Lucha done family-style, plus promos, videos, and build galore!
If you haven’t read it already, please check out my introductory article that explains what this series is all about. As a reminder, footage is sourced from the Goodhelmet 1995 Yearbook, unless otherwise stated.
How ya now?
We have another week of wrestling happenings in February 1995. Not a massive lineup as we have one match this week, but it's a landmark for this series. We'll also make our usual Saturday stops, and get some more build towards the main matches at WrestleMania XI. Hopefully we don't get any injuries or racism THIS week.
Well, PITTER PATTER.
FEBRUARY 6th
AAA TV - Welcome to the Dive, AAA…and, well, lucha in general. This match was broadcast on February 25th, but taped February 6th, so we’ll cover it here.
WWA World Tag Team Title/Mexican National Tag Team Title: Juventud & Fuerza Guerrera (c) vs. Rey Misterio Sr. & Rey Misterio Jr. (c) - Our first lucha match of 1995 is a family affair as we have the uncle/nephew Misterios and the father/son Guerreras. Despite being 20 years old, Rey Jr. already has 6 years under his belt, and he’s still doing great stuff to this day despite already long cementing his status as one of the greatest junior wrestlers of all time! Dominik could NEVER! Rey Jr.’s rivalries with Juvi and Psicosis in particular drew acclaim and really helped put his style of wrestling on the map for a lot of people. Juvi, also 20 at this point, started wrestling in 1992 and carved himself out a unique legacy. The Juvi XPW promo is legendary shit. Fuerza and Rey Sr. still wrestle to this day; Fuerza in particular still works a regular schedule for CMLL at 68 years old!
The Misterios are the WWA World Tag champs while the Guerreras are the Mexican National Tag champs, and both sets of straps are up for grabs. As is mostly the case with lucha, this is 2 out of 3 falls. Can YOU tell which Misterio is which?
PRIMERA CAIDA: The crowd is into the Kings of Mystery as the junior members of each team start off. Rey Jr gets the initial advantage after a wheelbarrow into an armdrag, then we get some pretty fun mat wrestling. Juvi appears to go for a Muta Lock, but makes the mistake of SWIVELING HIS HIPS, drawing in the senior Rey to slap the impetuous youth. Rey Jr. snaps off a rana, but Fuerza breaks up the pin. Fuerza does appear to show good sportsmanship, though…
But it was a RUSE, as Fuerza decks Rey Jr.! The senior members come in and trade pin attempts before Rey Sr. slaps Fuerza in retaliation for his nephew! Fuerza milks that sell, then we hit the mat for a bit until Fuerza complains about a phantom hair pull. Juvi comes in and steps to Rey Sr., but the elder Rey gets the best of that fast-paced exchange. Rey Jr. and Fuerza check in and Fuerza gets the best of that with some strikes. Rey Rey comes back with a headscissors and a rana on the floor, which Fuerza sells like death! Rey Sr. gets beaten down for a bit until Rey Jr. comes back in and is immediately powerbombed by Juvi, then hit with a dropkick/powerbomb combo, but no cover from the rudos! Double superplex from the Misterios turns the tide, and simultaneous powerbombs (Sr. with a jackknife, Jr. with a sit-down) gets the first fall for the technicos!
SEGUNDA CAIDA: Fuerza and Rey Sr. start off the second fall. Fuerza is on his knees begging for a handshake, but it was a RUSE, as he attacks Rey Sr. with a kneeling bearhug. After some slaps and double-teaming from the Guerreras, Uncle Rey comes back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker (quebradora). An attempt at a second is thwarted by an enzuigiri as the younger competitors square off again. Juvi takes a MONSTER bump over the top from a monkey flip, then Rey Jr. gets a quebradora on the floor. In the ring, Juvi gets a frog splash, but he pulls Rey Jr. up at two! Fuerza then knees Rey Sr. in the junk out of view of the ref, then puts him in a Sharpshooter. Juvi hits Rey Jr. with a bridging fallaway slam for the pin and the second fall!
TERCERA CAIDA: Rey Jr. is run into all four ringposts to kick off the deciding fall, then we go back to the ring with the elders going at it. German suplex from Fuerza gets two, and Rey Sr. hits a big spinebuster and catches Juvi napping on the apron. Now it's Rey Jr's turn to make Juventud eat those non-delicious steel posts! The juniors are back in, but Rey Jr. quickly deposits Juvi to the floor, then follows up with a somersault plancha that nearly overshoot Juvi! In the ring, they catch each other's kicks, so they start slapping each other! They then kick each other in the nuts at the same time! THAT'S MY PURSE, I DON'T KNOW YOU!
Fuerza and Rey Sr. come in and pin their respective opponents at the same time! Now it's down to Rey Sr. and Fuerza, with the next decision netting the titles. Fuerza goes for a senton that misses, but he gets a powerbomb for a VERY close two! Rey Sr. applies a Romero Special (a surfboard), but Fuerza leans back, and they both end up pinning each other! The match ends in a tie, so neither title change hands.
**** - Man, that was a lot of fun. It's interesting to see watch guys like Juvi and especially Rey Jr. in Mexico doing their thing before they hit it big elsewhere in the world. This was well-paced, with a great story, some really tidy sequences, and the Guerreras were great antagonists. I would like to have seen a more decisive finish here, though I did pop at the double yambag kick. This one is worth checking out.
WWF Monday Night RAW - We get a prepared statement from Jake Roberts Bobby Cupo, Lawrence Taylor's agent. LT accepts the apology from the WWF for the actions of “Mr. Bam Bam Bigelow” for the incident at the Royal Rumble. LT's camp continues to demand an apology from The Bammer himself. LT declines Bam Bam's challenge for a match, then warns Bigelow that if he continues to denigrate the GOOD NAME OF LAWRENCE TAYLOR, legal action will be pursued. I dunno, Lawrence Taylor's done a HELL of a job of doing that himself over the years.
We cut to Vince McMahon and Diesel having a sitdown. Vince asks Big D some real soft questions and nothing of note is said. Vince runs down a laundry list of media appearances Nash took part in. Dude got to hang out with GERALD FORD! Did they watch football and consume nachos and beer? Diesel wasn't prepared for the GRIND required of a champion, but he keeps on truckin’. Vince plugs Diesel vs. Jeff Jarrett for the WWF title in two weeks. Not as cringe as the typical Diesel promo from this time, but this was bland as hell. Kevin Nash is a naturally funny guy, and his character was only cool after he lost the damn title! If they tapped into some of THAT, he could have drawn more than flies as champion.
We cut to Vince and Shawn Michaels on commentary, who announce that next week's RAW is pre-empted because of one of the WWF's greatest rivals: the dreaded Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. For those concerned, “Gaelforce Postscript”, a Scottish Terrier who answers to “Peggy Sue”, took Best in Show. AS SHE SHOULD. I mean, LOOK AT THIS BITCH!
Anyhoo, Shawn Michaels announces that he will no longer be doing commentary for RAW. I'll give you a moment to collect yourselves.
FEBRUARY 11th
USWA Championship Wrestling - I know the departure of Shawn Michaels from the RAW commentary desk casts a rather dark cloud over things, but we have to find the strength within us to carry on. No ECW or anything from Japan this week, so we're already in Memphis for our first Saturday stop on the Mac-son Park Express. “Here Comes the Hotstepper” signals the arrival of JC Ice (sans Wolfie D) who joins Dave Brown at the interview station. I love that both PG-13 and The Public Enemy use that song. Mr. Ice calls out perennial foes Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert for injuring Wolfie D. Gilbert and Rich come out and attack JC Ice, but Wolfie D comes to the rescue. The eyepatch and Oakland Raiders windbreaker is a hell of a look.
Wolfie reveals the blinded eye and swears revenge against Rich and Gilbert.
Smoky Mountain Wrestling - We start with Les Thatcher with Jerry “The King” Lawler. We are apparently building to TWO matches between Lawler and Dirty White Boy because I apparently did something horrendous in a past life to warrant this level of punishment. Lawler and DWB face off for the Smoky Mountain Wrestling championship on February 25th and 26th, and the winner of the 26th match faces Buddy Landel that same night for the title. Lawler continues to roast Kentucky and Thatcher for a bit.
We then cut to The Heavenly Bodies and…oh, boy, Jim Cornette. Corny states that, yes, he may have some personality defects (YOU DON'T SAY). He and the Bodies are PROBLEM CHILDREN, but they are READY for the Gangstas at the big February weekend shows. Thankfully, this wasn't as woefully racist as last week.
This week on CONFRONTATION WITH JIM ROSS, we have commissioner “Bullet” Bob Armstrong, and he’s got FINE to dole out! First one is levied at Tammy Fytch, $1,000 for ignoring her suspension. Hopefully, she’ll continue to live on the straight and narrow. Next, Eddie Gilbert is hit with $2,500 for assaulting Ricky Morton. Chris Candido gets $1,000 for his attack on Boo Bradley.
We get footage of The Gangstas attacking Tracy Smothers after a match, but Scott Armstrong comes to the rescue. They clean house until D'Lo Brown comes in to bail out the Gangstas. All three from the Gangstas camp are each fined $1,500, and they are NOT HAPPY. New Jack claims prejudice on the part of Bob, but Bob tells them that it's not about race, but it’s about the RULES.
The Gangstas attack Bob, who holds his own until they get they overwhelm him. Some babyfaces come out to chase The Gangstas off.
WCW Saturday Night - We are back on The Mothership to close out another week at The Dive. Get a video package on Ric Flair detailing his desire to get back in the ring after his forced retirement as a result of losing to Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc 1994. He wants back in the ring, so he calls out WCW commissioner Nick Bockwinkel for a tete-a-tete NEXT WEEK.
We now get a feature on The Man Called Sting. The Stinger goes through some of his favorite entrance jackets, paints his face with a ‘MURICA pattern, and reminisces while clips of him beating the crap out of people are shown. We then go into the finish of his match with Avalanche at Clash of the Champions XXX and Guardian Angel's heel turn, setting up his next program.
The video package train keeps a-rollin’ with Vader now in the spotlight. Vader beats the shit out of people as they want to present him as a threat to The Hulkster for their upcoming match at SuperBrawl V. Hey, you know what would have worked even better? Not having Hogan no-sell Vader's goddamned powerbomb. The package cuts that part out, but the damage was done.
Lastly, we cut to Mean Gene, who is with Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart. One week from this Sunday, Hogan is PREPARED FOR VADER, DUDE! As far as Ric Flair goes, he is going to sic his SQUEAKY LITTLE MOUSE Jimmy Hart on him to keep him in check. Hogan threatens to make Flair and Vader BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF HULKAMANIA, BROTHER!
Well, this was another match-light, promo-heavy week. However, we had a really fun lucha match and no legitimate injuries or horribly racist jokes, so that’s good!
NEXT TIME: Expect another easy, breezy week as the coronation of Gaelforce Postscript means there is no RAW, and ECW will be absent for another week. However, New Japan makes its triumphant return to the Dive, and we'll have the usual Saturday fare.
Until next time, keep your feet on the ground, a song in your heart, and, for the love of God, block Mark Madden and Disco Inferno on Twitter.
See you next time!