Chip Kessler tells the audience that today’s broadcast will recap the events of the Bluegrass Brawl where fans were turned away in Pikeville, Kentucky.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – April 15, 1995
the Undertaker
What the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – April 8, 1995
Jim Ross and Les Thatcher are in the booth and they are concluding the television tapings in Council, Virginia. Tonight is the big Fright Night card in Johnson City, Tennessee, so Ross spends a lot of the match hyping it.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – April 8, 1995
What the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – April 1, 1995
Jim Ross and Les Thatcher are doing commentary and they are still in Council, Virginia.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – April 1, 1995
What the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – March 25, 1995
Jim Ross and Les Thatcher are in the booth and they are taped from Council, Virginia.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – March 25, 1995
What the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – March 18, 1995
Jim Ross and Les Thatcher are tasked with commentary and they are kicking off a new set of tapings in Council, Virginia. According to prowrestlinghistory.com, the shows in this new round of tapings were held on March 6 and drew 425 fans.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: Smoky Mountain TV – March 18, 1995
What the World Was Watching: Sunday Blood Sunday II
Like Super Saturday Night Fever, this card was taped from a fan in the crowd. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the show drew 1,100 fans to Knoxville’s Civic Coliseum.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: Sunday Blood Sunday II
Review of WWE Untold: That’s Gotta Be Kane! (WWE Network Special)
A new episode of WWE Untold aired on WWE Network on Sunday night that told the story of Kane’s WWE debut at the Badd Blood 1997 pay-per-view. I am watching on-demand on WWE Network in their “Originals” section.
Here’s the synopsis from WWE Network: “That’s Gotta Be Kane! In Your House: Badd Blood was a pay-per-view that changed WWE forever. Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Kane and more reveal behind-the-scenes stories from that night’s main event: the very first Hell in a Cell Match and the debut of The Big Red Machine, Kane.”
Read moreReview of WWE Untold: That’s Gotta Be Kane! (WWE Network Special)
TJR Retro: WWF Raw Deal 07/03/00 Review
The WWF in 2000 reviews are back. I took the month of July off from writing these reviews because I needed a bit of a break. I figured if I stopped at the midway point it would be a good time for it. Here is the synopsis for this episode on WWE Network:
“Shane McMahon goes one-on-one with The Rock for the WWE Championship in the main event. While Triple H’s quest for the WWE Championship is put on hold, he is given an opportunity at Rikishi’s Intercontinental Championship. But when Chris Jericho makes presence felt at The Game’s expense, Y2J finds himself in a Handicap Match. Kurt Angle in action.”
TJR Retro: WWF Raw Deal 06/19/00 Review
This was the go-home edition of Raw heading into the King of the Ring PPV on Sunday, June 25, 2000. Due to that, they had six King of the Ring second round matches on this show.
The synopsis for this episode on WWE Network is: “As the King of the Ring tournament continues, CEO Linda McMahon makes an announcement regarding Triple H’s WWE Championship at Judgment Day.” They screwed up the synopsis. It should say “King of the Ring” at the end, not Judgment Day.
What the World Was Watching: WCW Main Event – July 2, 1995
–Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan are at their desks in the studio for today’s broadcast, headlined by Randy Savage against Big Bubba Rogers.
–Okerlund hypes the Dungeon of Doom as a threat and how they are sending Vader out on a roadkill tour before Bash at the Beach. Heenan says Vader could show up at any major sporting event to beat people up.
–A video package recaps the Hulk Hogan-Vader feud going back to Clash of the Champions in January. Some footage from the USWA is spliced in as well, where Vader beat up some preliminary wrestlers in Memphis.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: WCW Main Event – July 2, 1995
TJR Retro: WWF Raw Deal 06/12/00 Review (The Rock vs. Kane)
The synopsis for this episode on WWE Network is: “CEO Linda McMahon makes a huge announcement about King of the Ring. The Rock battles Kane in a No Holds Barred Match. Plus, Y2J and more!”
Read moreTJR Retro: WWF Raw Deal 06/12/00 Review (The Rock vs. Kane)
What the World Was Watching: WCW Main Event – June 25, 1995
–Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan do their usual studio duties. They hype Bash at the Beach, namely the Hulk Hogan-Vader main event.
–Okerlund says that Diamond Dallas Page was recently looking for a house in Malibu. Heenan refutes the rumor floating around WCW that the Diamond Doll won the money that Page is spending as his own.
–Heenan openly wonders why the Nasty Boys are so popular when they do a move like the Pit Stop.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: WCW Main Event – June 25, 1995
TJR Retro: WWF Smackdown 06/08/00 Review
The road to King of the Ring 2000 continued with The Rock, The Undertaker and Kane all having a common enemy as they tried to get a title shot against the WWF Champion, Triple H.
Here’s the synopsis from WWE Network: “As the McMahon-Helmsley Faction celebrates their success, The Rock interrupts the festivities leading to a Six-Man Tag Team main event.”
TJR Retro: WWF Raw Deal 06/05/00 Review
The synopsis for this episode on WWE Network is: “The Rock battles The Undertaker and Kane in a Triple Threat match for the chance to challenge Triple H for the WWE Title in the main event.”
TJR Retro: WWF Raw Deal 05/29/00 Review
The synopsis for this episode on WWE Network is: “Mr. McMahon forces The Rock and The Undertaker to meet in a Lumberjack Match. WWE Champion Triple H saves Shane McMahon the smell of defeat.”
TJR Retro: WWF Smackdown 05/25/00 Review
This is first Smackdown after Judgment Day 2000, which was the return of The Undertaker. Here’s the synopsis from WWE Network: “The McMahon-Helmsley Faction looks to get even with The Undertaker when Shane McMahon battles the American Bad-Ass in the main event.”
TJR Retro: WWF Judgment Day 2000 Review
It’s time for WWE Judgment Day featuring a WWF Title match that saw The Rock defending the gold against Triple H in a 60-Minute Iron Man Match with Shawn Michaels as the referee. There was also a huge surprise return in the main event of this show as well.
What the World Was Watching: In Your House 5
(My reviews are a little out of order as I accidentally posted the Monday Night RAW that happened the night after this show on Friday instead of posting this In Your House review. So if you missed that review, you can read this one and then go back and check that one out. I will finish this series of 1995 WWF columns on Friday).
–Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are doing commentary and they are live from Hershey, Pennsylvania.
What the World Was Watching: Monday Night RAW – December 18, 1995
–Vince McMahon narrates a video package that shows highlights of In Your House 5.
–McMahon and Jerry Lawler are doing commentary and they are live from Newark, Delaware. This is the last RAW of 1995 since the WWF was pre-empted for Christmas.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: Monday Night RAW – December 18, 1995
What the World Was Watching: WWF Superstars – December 16, 1995
–Razor Ramon reads an adaptation of A Night Before Christmas to preview In Your House 5.
–Vince McMahon, Mr. Perfect, and Jim Ross are in the booth and they are concluding the tapings in Salisbury, Maryland. The Superstars theme song has been updated to reflect some of the changes in the company’s roster as Dean Douglas and Waylon Mercy have been removed from it.
Read moreWhat the World Was Watching: WWF Superstars – December 16, 1995