Monday Night Raw
June 5, 1995
Struthers, OH
Struthers Auditorium

The current WWF champs were as follows:
World Champion: Diesel (11/26/1994)
Intercontinental Champion: Jeff Jarrett (5/21/1995)
World Tag Team Champions: Owen Hart & Yokozuna (4/2/1995)
Women’s Champion: Alundra Blayze (4/3/1995)

Earlier today, Bob Backlund was campaigning for POTUS. The people listening are actually laughing at him. Mitt Romney can certainly relate.

Three RAW debuts on the program today: Savio Vega, the Bodydonnas, and Jean-Pierre Lafitte.

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler.

• Savio Vega vs. Kenny Kendall
  

Kind of an awkward squash. Kendall looks decent to start, but then messes up a side slam and it’s all downhill from there. Octopus Stretch submits Kendall in 2:01.

Next up, we get a Diesel music video. He’s been here two years, folks!

Directly after, we go to Ted DiBiase who is standing by with Tatanka and Sid. They hope Diesel and Bam Bam have Doc Andrews number handy, because they will both need to see him again after the King of the Ring.

Before a break, Skip runs some stairs backstage to warm up before his match. Sunny says he’s not even breaking a sweat.

• Skip (w/Sunny) vs. Barry Horowitz
  

Vince is already throwing out the hints of Horowitz eventually winning a match. He gets a few hope spots on Skip, including a nearfall from a Thesz press. Skip comes back and wins with a Guillotine Legdrop at 2:41.

• Davey Boy Smith vs. Owen Hart (w/Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji) – KOTR Qualifier
  

For whatever reason, this was taped as a dark match during the first In Your House PPV. While this is airing, Chris Benoit is getting a tryout match with Bob Holly. Very strange way of planning. Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon are on commentary. Some great camera work here though to avoid showing the ‘In Your House’ set to give you the illusion that this is happening on Raw, even though the commentary teams are oddly switched. Winner faces Razor Ramon in the KOTR tournament. Slow start with wristlocks and hammerlocks. Owen does the always cool back flip over Bulldog to escape the hammerlock, but charges right into a press slam for two. Owen escapes an armbar and European uppercuts Davey Boy down. Vintage Stu Hart, says JR. WOO! Bulldog monkey flips Owen and returns to the arm. Again Owen finds a way out, but charges shoulder-first to the ringpost. Beautiful Hourglass Suplex gets 1-2-NO! Owen slows down Bulldog with a knee to the gut and puts the boot to him as we go to commercial. When we return, Owen is delivering the Spinning Heel Kick. Jackknife cover gets two. He wears down Bulldog with a sleeper. The arm drops once, twice, BUT NOT THREE TIMES. Owen stalls a comeback with the Enziguri, but he fails on a dropkick and takes a catapult to the corner. After a series of turnbuckle smashes, Davey Boy delivers a Fisherman’s Suplex for 1-2-NO! Bulldog tries the Surfboard (which looks brutal with someone that big and strong), but gets his shoulders counted and has to release the hold. Always hated when they did that. Owen wants to float over Davey Boy in the corner, but gets caught for the RUNNING POWERSLAM for 1-2-NO! Owen got a foot on the bottom rope. Under a minute to go, they both try for quick pins until the 15-minute time-limit runs out. (12:59 shown) With that finish, neither guy goes to the KOTR. In fact, not even Razor Ramon would make it to the tournament due to an injury he suffered in a ladder match with Jeff Jarrett. These two always showed great chemistry in the ring. Hidden gem, for sure. ***½

Meanwhile at Jerry Lawler’s throne, he shows us his feet that haven’t been washed in over two weeks, and he doesn’t plan to wash them until after the King of the Ring. Suck on that, Bret.

Vince McMahon introduces Bret Hart into this very ring. Bret has been doing a lot of thinking lately how embarrassed he was when he let his family down back at In Your House when he lost to Jerry Lawler. This is when Lawler takes off a shoe and waves his dirty feet in the air. He even sticks his feet in the face of the kids behind him! Bret can’t wait to beat Lawler and not just make him kiss his feet, but make Lawler kiss his *own* feet.

• Jean-Pierre Lafitte vs. Jerry Flynn
  

Very short squash highlighted by a somersault plancha and LE CANNONBALL as Lafitte easily picks up the win at 1:33.

The show ends just as it started with Bob Backlund campaigning. It’s dark outside though and he’s talking to nobody holding a flashlight under his chin.

Highlights of Yokozuna extinguishing Hulk Hogan from the WWF. Only one American athlete could slam him. Only American athlete could knock him out at SummerSlam 1993. That man – is LEX LUGER. Can he make it past Yokozuna to get to the KOTR? Find out next Monday night on RAW.

NEXT WEEK: Lex Luger meets Yokozuna in the final KOTR qualifier, Bam Bam Bigelow will be in action, and Man Mountain Rock will appear! Plus, we’ll see a training video put together by Jerry Lawler as he gets ready for his “Kiss My Foot” match with Bret Hart. Also, Bob Backlund will be here to stop Man Mountain Rock from his music ruining our society.