Written By: Bob Colling
World Wrestling Federation presents RAW
Date: 7/18/1994
From: Bushkill, PA
Jim Ross and Randy Savage welcome everyone to the show. Ross notes that tonight we will have a Intercontinental Championship match. Which, will kick off the show!
Opening Contest: WWF Intercontinental Champion Diesel fought Lex Luger to a double disqualification: They lock up but neither man gets the advantage and they let go, twice. Diesel backs Luger into the ropes and ends up shoving Luger to the floor through the middle rope. Luger with a shoulder ram from the apron and takes Diesel down with a sunset flip for a near fall. Diesel with a knee lift to Luger’s midsection and delivers a few right hands in the corner and follows up with some side elbows. Diesel chokes Luger for a few seconds. Luger drives Diesel down with a power slam for a two count. Luger manages to punch Diesel through the middle rope to the floor. Diesel talks to Shawn Michaels and they trip Luger. Diesel drags Luger to the floor but Luger rams Diesel face first into the apron. Luger goes for a backdrop but Diesel blocks and goes for the power bomb but Luger backdrops the champ. Luger charges but misses a cross body and flies over the top rope to the floor! Diesel scoop slams Luger on the floor and taunts the fans. The referee is distracted in the ring and Shawn Michaels is allowed to clothesline Luger on the floor. We see Ted DiBiase watching the match from a balcony of sorts as RAW goes to commercial. DiBiase has left the area he was watching the match. Diesel drops Luger with the snake eyes across the top turnbuckle and gets a two count. Diesel chokes Luger across the middle rope and jumps down across Luger’s back for another two count. Diesel controls Luger with a rear chin lock in the middle of the ring. Luger elbows out of the chin lock but runs into a big boot. Diesel drops an elbow and gets a two count. Diesel catches Luger coming off the ropes with a sleeper hold as the fans are strongly behind Luger. Diesel keep the hold on as Luger gets up. Diesel is able to send Luger chest first into the corner and goes back to the sleeper hold. Luger gets out of the sleeper hold with a back suplex! Luger with a series of right hands and clotheslines. Luger ducks a big boot and plants Diesel with a DDT for a two count! Luger leaps off the middle rope and clotheslines Diesel for another two count! Luger runs into a big boot in the corner. Luger sends Diesel into the corner and the champ runs into the referee. Luger has the Torture Rack on Diesel but Shawn Michaels enters the ring and super kicks Luger on the back! Michaels wakes the referee up and Diesel goes for the cover. The referee makes the count but Luger kicks out at two! They start trading right hands as Razor Ramon comes to ringside and chases Michaels around the ring. Michaels enters the ring and is punched by Luger. All four men are in the ring as the referee calls for the bell. *½
After the match, Ramon drops Diesel with a right hand. Michaels tries to get a shot in but Ramon spins around and Michaels backs off. Diesel double sledges Ramon from behind and Michaels super kicks Ramon! Michaels stomps away on Ramon and goes for the pile driver but Luger enters the ring and cleans house to save Ramon. We see a disappointed Ted DiBiase at the top of the aisle way.
Jim Ross and Randy Savage talk about the facial expression Ted DiBiase had when Luger didn’t win the title.
Second Contest: Mabel defeated Austin Steele: Mable drives Steele down with a side walk slam and picks up the win in a squash match.
Summer Slam 1994 Report with Todd Pettengill is up next. Todd goes over the event which will see the Undertaker vs. the Undertaker in the main event. Also, WWF World Champion Bret Hart defends the title against Owen Hart inside a steel cage! Todd asks Ross and Savage if the cage will help prevent the Hart family from getting into the match. Savage doesn’t think it will.
Third Contest: Owen Hart defeated Reno Riggins: Owen wins the easy squash match with the Sharpshooter.
A video promoting next weeks show is aired. Adam Bomb will wrestle Yokozuna! Also, Tatanka meets Nikolai Volkoff.
Fourth Contest: Sparky Plugg defeated George South: Plugg gets the pin following a top rope cross body.
Todd Pettengill returns and goes over the recent happenings with the Undertaker. We go back to the Royal Rumble where the Undertaker said he would not rest in peace. Several people have been claiming to have seen the Undertaker in public places. Last month on Superstars, Ted DiBiase revealed that he found the Undertaker and brought him back. Paul Bearer is not convinced that DiBiase has the real Undertaker.
Main Event: Bam-Bam Bigelow defeated Gary Sabaugh: Bigelow earns the win following a Million Dollar Dream bulldog.
Ted DiBiase is standing with Jim Ross and Randy Savage at ringside. Ross says that DiBiase was talking to Luger in the backstage area. DiBiase admits to have been talking to Luger backstage but doesn’t think it’s a big deal. DiBiase says he has a big announcement and will reveal that announcement this weekend on Superstars. Tatanka comes down and wants DiBiase to tell everyone the news. Tatanka says he isn’t stupid and has heard DiBiase promise Luger everything. DiBiase thinks Tatanka is jealous of Luger. DiBiase taunts Tatanka that he couldn’t beat Luger on his best day. DiBiase also offers a bet to Tatanka that he can not beat Nikolai Volkoff next week and puts up $10,000. Tatanka accepts the bet.
End of show.
My Take: The first ten minutes or so of Luger/Diesel was quite boring. Luger’s comeback was fairly entertaining but that only lasted a short time before the double DQ finish occurred. I thought the aftermath was pretty good but the match was just really lackluster and I fully expected that to happen. Also, Randy Savage was pretty bad on commentary for this match.
I could get behind a baby face Mabel push. The guy is really popular, as is the tag team Men on Mission. Steele, by the way, wrestled like a Ric Flair rip off. Several fans noticed that.
The finisher Bigelow used was the first time I ever saw someone use that variation of the bulldog. It kind of looked dumb and ineffective.
Tatanka really has a attitude to him now. He used to be a fairly innocent guy but he is turning into a real jerk. If Luger sells out and turns heel their could be interest in a brief feud with Tatanka. I do think Luger needs to turn heel so I hope that happens.
Overall, the show was mainly centered around the Lex Luger/Ted DiBiase angle. I’m not all that interested in the feud, so this show was pretty bland and uneventful to me.
Thanks for reading.