Monday Night Raw
October 16, 1995
Grand Rapids, MI
Grand Center

The current WWF champs were as follows:
World Champion: Diesel (11/26/1994)
Intercontinental Champion: Shawn Michaels (7/23/1995)
World Tag Team Champions: The Smoking Gunns (9/25/1995)
Women’s Champion: Bertha Faye (8/27/1995)

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler. 

• Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Doink

Vince announces that the Undertaker has received a crushed face. By the way, this is the last we see of regular Doink on Monday Night Raw. Meanwhile on Nitro, Johnny B. Badd and DDP are doing an angle, so I know what I would rather watch. Let’s not forget Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero are about to hook em up as well. Hunter fails to excite or keep my interest in this quick squash as Helmsley puts away Doink with the PEDIGREE in 3:51.

Elsewhere, Barry Horowitz asks Hakushi who the best home run hitter for the New York Yankees ever was. Horowitz obviously wants him to say Babe Ruth, but Hakushi one-ups him with his knowledge of American baseball and says Hank Aaron. Barry gives him a big hug.

• WWF World Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns vs. PG-13

Even though they debuted on Raw just two weeks ago, PG-13 somehow have managed to still be the USWA world tag team champs, which is actually quite amazing considering how many times belts change hands in Memphis. They finally get their hands on the Smoking Gunns in WWF territory. On the split-screen, WWF President Gorilla Monsoon forces Yokozuna to sub for the Undertaker to battle King Mabel at In Your House on October 22. PG-13 bump around like crazy for the Gunns to start. Billy eventually gets distracted and kneed out to the floor by Wolfie D. PG-13 do a nice routine as they run around the ring stomping Billy while Bart tries chasing one of them away at a time. Jerry Lawler brings up the Syracuse incident involving Shawn Michaels. Commercials! When we come back, Billy manages to catapult Wolfie D into JC Ice. Hot tag to Bart, he grabs Wolfie D and decides to take it home with the SIDEWINDER for the win. (5:06) Fun, glorified squash as PG-13 provided something a little different for the Gunns. *½

They air an interview from this past weekend with the British Bulldog and Jim Cornette conducted by Dok Hendrix. Corny gives us a history lesson on Davey Boy Smith’s title chase. Next thing we know, Hendrix pisses him off when he mentions the possibility that the Bulldog only was able to pin Diesel because Yokozuna give him a legdrop. Bulldog doesn’t like the lack of respect he’s getting and vows beat Diesel again at In Your House.

Promo showing us Ahmed Johnson and how he feels about “honor”. Who knows what he is saying. Great googly moogly.

• Dean Douglas vs. “Hot Bod” Joe Dorgan

Little tidbit: you may know Joe Dorgan best as Johnny Swinger in WCW, ECW, and TNA. Vince still says that Dean Douglas will wrestle Shawn Michaels for the IC belt this Sunday at In Your House, but then brings up the Syracuse incident again. Lawler is foaming at the mouth to tell us about it. There was an unprovoked attack outside of a Syracuse night club by some ten thugs, says Vince. Lawler gets it closer to what we know as the truth telling us that Shawn ran his mouth a little too much, but Vince says that isn’t what happened. Shawn winds up talking to us via telephone from San Antonio because there’s no Skype. He says he doesn’t look good and won’t give a great performance like he usually does, but he will show up in Winnipeg for In Your House. Well, you can say that again. Douglas wins with the FISHERMAN’S SUPLEX at 2:08.

Dok Hendrix – the ultimate corporate tool that he is – tells us to buy the latest “2 Dudes with Attitudes” t-shirt for only $20 plus $3.95 S&H.

• Cage Match: Bret Hart vs. Isaac Yankem DDS

When Bret gains control, he delivers a few of his five moves on Yankem. After that, it’s essentially a climbing contest. Ref Tim White can’t unlock the door for Bret because apparently Jerry Lawler has switched the locks. Commercials. When we come back, Bret fights back on Yankem and applies the SHARPSHOOTER. Since there’s no submissions allowed, Bret keeps it cranked until Yankem is hurting too bad to get up. He starts to climb the cage wall when Jerry Lawler meets him up at the top to punch Bret back down to the mat. Here comes Gorilla Monsoon to point fingers at Lawler. Bret manages to punch Lawler down to the floor where WWF agents drag Lawler into the shark cage to be lifted up high in the air. Even though Lawler is completely incapacitated, Yankem is laying waste to Bret. Lawler whines from the shark cage and gets his nose to bleed. He’s only like 25 feet in the air. Can he not even make it to the second level of a mall? It’s just a tab absurd. More commercials. When we return, Yankem hits the DDT, but still can’t make it out the cage. Lawler tosses Yankem the key to the lock, but Bret stops Yankem and O’Connor rolls him so he can punch Yankem in the balls. NICE. Bret unlocks the door and pulls off the chain, but continues to beat up Yankem. He delivers the Running Bulldog and follows up with the Flying Elbow. Instead of using the door, Bret climbs out of the cage because it’s more dramatic that way. (15:34 shown) Not much of a match as this felt way more about Lawler than it did Yankem’s effectiveness. Thus pretty much ends Lawler’s feud with Bret as he no longer seemed to bother with the guy. Yankem quickly becomes a non-issue and JTTS before leaving and becoming Diesel 2.0. *½

The WWF presents In Your House on October 22 LIVE from Winnipeg, MB, Canada! Here is the card as it currently appears:

MAIN EVENT: WWF Championship: Diesel (c) vs. British Bulldog
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Dean Douglas
WWF Tag Team Championship: The Smoking Gunns (c) vs. Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid
Yokozuna vs. King Mabel
Fatu vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Debut Match: Goldust vs. Marty Jannetty

NEXT WEEK: Alundra Blayze looks to regain the WWF Women’s championship against Bertha Faye!