WWF House Show 7/9/1994

Written by: Bob Colling

World Wrestling Federation House Show
Date: 7/9/1994
From: Long Island, NY

There were two matches not filmed…
Duke Droese pinned Rick Martel
IRS pinned Tatanka

Opening Contest: 1-2-3 Kid vs. Kwang: They start off going with a marital arts style attempting to kick each other but they don’t make contact and for some reason the referee breaks them up as if he is afraid of martial arts. Kwang backs Kid against the ropes and slaps him. Kwang drops Kid with a spin kick to the chest and works over Kid in the corner with strikes. Kwang misses a splash in the corner and Kid kicks Kwang to the floor. Kid knocks Kwang to the floor following a series of kicks. Kwang works over Kid with several strikes upon his return to the ring. Kwang locks in a Boston Crab but isn’t able to get a submission. Kid kicks Kwang to the floor and takes Kwang out with a somersault dive to the floor! Kwang stops Kid with a spin kick on the outside. Kwang yanks Kid down by his hair and continues to deliver overhand strikes. Kid fights back with strikes and nearly wins with a sunset flip. Kwang nails Kid with a standing spin kick for a near fall. Kid battles back with kicks in the corner but Kwang comes back with a spin kick in the corner and they both go over the top to the floor. Kid nearly wins by countering a pin attempt into his own. Kid kicks Kwang in the corner and hits a spin kick for a two count. Kid almost gets a three count with a backslide. Kid ducks a spin kick but Kwang hits on a second attempt and wins the match. (***1/4. Yeah, that just happened. A good paced match and some good high spots that weren’t insane. Probably the best Kwang match I’ve ever watched. This is the ideal way to start a show.)

Second Contest: Yokozuna vs. Typhoon: Oh boy, this should be drastically different then the opener. They are going with a sumo style start but Yokozuna is stalling as if to suggest Typhoon is intimidating him. After several moments of stalling, Yoko knocks Typhoon down with a shoulder block. They charge at each other again and this time Yoko gets knocked down. Yoko sends Typhoon into the ropes and the ropes snap. Yoko delivers a leg drop and that’s it. I can’t imagine this was going to go long, but the ropes breaking didn’t help. (DUD. That was just bad and an awful way to followup from the opener.)

Third Contest: Jerry Lawler vs. Randy Savage: Savage hammers away on Lawler knocking him to the floor. Lawler decks Savage with the referee out of position and controls Savage sending him into the corner. Savage fights back sending Lawler head first into the corner and goes after the referee. Lawler has something on his fist and is hiding it from Savage and the referee. Savage kicks Lawler into the corner and is decked with brass knuckles due to the referee being out of position. The referee is unaware of Lawler’s usage of the bras knuckles, which I believe are still on his hand. Savage is sent into the ring post but grabs a chair only for the referee to grab it and Lawler hits Savage with the knuckles again. Lawler misses a fist drop off the middle rope. Savage attempts a top rope axe handle but Lawler hits him in midair. Savage backdrops Lawler to avoid a piledriver, but Lawler does the same only for Savage to hang on for a sunset flip and pins Lawler. (*1/2. The big negative with Lawler is that he stalls way too much as that’s a main way he gets his heat. The brass knuckle angle was fine, but the match was slow and largely uninteresting action wise. Savage didn’t get to hit any of his big spots and that’s a bummer when that happens.)

Fourth Contest: WWF World Tag Team Champions The Headshrinkers vs. Double Trouble: The Heavenly Bodies were originally scheduled to get a title match but they are replaced by a jobber tag team Double Trouble for whatever reason. The champs deliver a double super kick and that’s enough to win the match.

Main Event: WWF World Champion Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart in a 60-minute IronMan Match: Considering they have an hour to kill, the start of the match is a slow and features some stalling, which has to be expected. Owen slaps Bret and goes to the corner where Bret spanks his younger brother causing Owen to go to the floor embarrassed and upset. Bret has control of the match working on the left arm tossing Owen around the ring. Owen slams Bret but isn’t able to break the hold that Bret has on the left arm. Bret nearly gets a pin with a crucifix pin. Owen gets control of the bout delivering a knee drop to Bret’s elbow, but that doesn’t last long. They are keeping it mat based for obvious reasons. Owen tries to get out of a head scissors but can’t remain free long enough to get control. Owen gets free but misses an elbow drop and Bret keeps control of the match. Bret hip tosses Owen, who rolls to the floor and stalls for a little bit. Owen runs back into the ring at the count of nine but is met with a drop toe hold. Owen cuts off Bret’s offense with a knee lift to the midsection. Owen sends Bret hard back first into the corner and stomps on the champ. Owen jumps onto the back of Bret while he was across the middle rope for a near fall even using the ropes for leverage but is unable to get a three count.

Bret tries to fight back with elbows but Owen cuts him off with a leaping elbow shot and gets a two count. Owen connects with an overhead belly to belly suplex but Bret kicks out at two. Bret counters a knee strike with a rollup but Owen kicks out and quickly regains control with stomps and a neck breaker for a two count. Bret almost gets a pin fall with a backslide but Owen keeps control on the canvas. Bret tries for another pin with a sunset flip but Owen slips out at two. Owen sends Bret chest first into the corner and heads to the top rope hitting a missile dropkick but Bret kicks out at two. Bret goes for a go-behind but Owen manages to send the champ to the floor. Owen comes off the apron with an axe handle on the floor. Owen drives Bret back first into the apron. Bret knocks Owen into the ropes and Owen gets tied up in the ropes. Bret charges looking for a splash but hits the ropes chest first and bounces off. Bret counters a sunset flip by sitting down and pins Owen to get the first fall. Bret Hart: 1, Owen Hart: 0

After a rest period, Bret gets a few shots in on Owen in the corner but they continue the slow pace. Bret continues to work over Owen with strikes knocking his brother down, but Owen gains control following a knee breaker. Owen wraps Bret’s leg around the ring post a couple of times. Owen focuses his attack on the left knee delivering a dragon screw leg whip. Owen locks in a figure four in the middle of the ring, but Bret reaches the ropes. Owen locks in the hold a second time and Bret actually submits rather quickly. Bret Hart: 1, Owen Hart: 1

Owen quickly goes back on the attack focusing on the leg wrapping it around the ring post a few times. Owen puts the figure four on Bret again and gets another submission. Bret Hart: 1, Owen Hart: 2

Owen locks in the figure four a third time using the ropes for leverage but it’s during the rest period. Owen stomps away on Bret in the corner working over the left knee. Bret nearly ties it up with an inside cradle. Owen jams the knee and whips the leg of Bret against the canvas. Owen runs into a big boot in the corner and Bret leaps off the middle rope hitting a clothesline. Bret comes off the ropes to deck Owen with a clothesline for a near fall. Bret continues with a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Bret gets another two count with an inside cradle. Bret drives Owen down with a back breaker and leaps off the middle rope hitting a forearm drop for a near fall. Bret avoids a rollup by hanging onto the ropes and tries to go for the Sharpshooter but Owen rakes Bret’s eyes to counter it. Bret crotches Owen on the top and hits a superplex causing both men to be down for a few moments. Bret drags Owen to the center of the ring and locks in the Sharpshooter, which gets a submission. Bret Hart: 2, Owen Hart: 2

There are five minutes left in the match. Bret decks Owen with strikes and a head butt to the lower midsection area. Owen senses the Sharpshooter is coming and quickly reaches the ropes. Bret spikes Owen with a piledriver but only gets a near fall. Bret plants Owen with a DDT but only gets a two count on the cover attempt. Owen drops Bret with a kick to the head but Bret pops his shoulder up at two. Bret sends Own hard chest first into the corner for a two count. Owen almost gets a three count with an inside cradle. Bret gets a near fall with a rollup out of the corner. Owen counters a slam attempt getting a near fall on Bret. Bret blocks a dropkick and catapults Owen into the corner chest first for a two count. Owen counters a hip toss and plants Bret with a tombstone. Owen leaps off the top to hit a diving head butt for a near fall. Owen locks in the Sharpshooter right in the middle of the ring. Owen has the hold on Bret as time runs out and thinks he has won the match, but he hasn’t. Guess what? The match shall continue!

Owen starts the overtime session with a back breaker and works over the lower back of the champ. Bret counters a bow and arrow nearly getting a pin. Owen is trying to get a submission locking in an abdominal stretch. Owen rams Bret back first into the ring post. Back in the ring, they collide and Bret lands on Owen nearly stealing a victory. Bret puts a sleeper on Owen but Owen reaches the ropes and low blows Bret with the referee out of position. Owen puts the Sharpshooter on Bret but Bret isn’t giving in. Bret manages to counter the hold and puts the Sharpshooter on Owen causing Owen to submit. Bret Hart: 3, Owen Hart: 2
(**3/4. Iron Man matches are difficult to work and make them entertaining, especially on a house show. The first half of the match was boring and dull with a lot of stalling or limited action. Once they got into falls taking place, the action picked up and it was an easier watch. The overtime segment was kind of predictable, but it was a fine ending. Owen was made to look like a true contender and was believable in his role during the match.)

Final Thoughts:
It’s not a show you have to go out of your way to see, but it wasn’t a horrible experience. The opener was a pleasant surprise and the Iron Man match is decent given the circumstances. There are worse ways to spend two hours of your day. Or, just check out the opener and the second half of the Iron Man match and continue with your day.

Thanks for reading.