As 1995 continued to be a disappointing year for the WWF, their pay per view quality began to suffer along with house shows and other revenue sources. After Wrestlemania 11 and In Your House disappointed, Vince turned to King of the Ring to turn things around. After all, the last 2 years featured memorable tournament matches, deserving winners of the finals and other memorable events along the way. Unfortunately the same inept booking and writing that had plagued them for much of the year would haunt them again in this one. They were in hostile territory to begin with (Philly was ECW country) and with Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Yokozuna involved, there was no way they could screw it up.....right? Not only do we have the tournament, we also got a Kiss My Foot match between Jerry Lawler and Bret Hart and a peculiar main event tag match featuring Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow against Tatanka and Sycho Sid (yes that's how they spelled it).
JUNE 25, 1995
PHILADELPHIA SPECTRUM
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Commentators: Vince McMahon and Michael "PS" Hayes (I refuse to call him Dok Hendrix)
We go to Stephanie Wiand who tells us due to Razor Ramon's injury, a qualifying match between Savio Vega and I.R.S. had to be held during the Free For All to fill his spot, and we are now going to see this match as a Coliseum Video exclusive (yes this is the official tape). This match came about due to a rib injury to Razor Ramon, thus (no pun intended) royally screwing up most people's King of the Ring brackets. People thought it was going to be Taker vs Shawn in the semi-finals with the winner meeting Razor in the finals. With Razor out and the new Savio in, something fishy was going on.
Match 1
I.R.S. (with Ted Dibiase) vs Savio Vega (with Razor Ramon) in a King of the Ring qualifying match
Irwin hadn't won a big match in forever it seemed and Savio Vega was hyped up as the next big latino star. I'm not kidding, Savio was ALL OVER television during this time period, guess it was a reward for having to stick around Harvey Whippleman as Kwang the ninja the last year and a half. Razor is the cornerman for Savio and everyone knows I was a huge Razor fan so I rooted for Savio by association. I notice in the front row are the ECW superfans, you remember the guy in the straw hat and the other two guys flanking him at the ECW arena? Well they're in the front row tonight at the Spectrum just to give you an idea how powerful ECW was in the Philly area. Savio and Irwin circle to start before Savio gets a quick small package to surprise Irwin. Savio sunset flips him for 2, rolls him up for 2 and headlocks Irwin high school style for another two count. During downtime, Michael Hayes speculates an IRS vs Kama finals showdown and who Dibiase would root for....whatever he's smoking I want some. We get a camera shot of the French and Spanish announce teams before Irwin tosses Savio to the outside in front of Razor. Michael Hayes then redeems himself by saying if Razor was only to wrestle once, he'd be allowed but with his injury so severe the doctors wouldn't allow him to further injure himself by wrestling 2 or 3 matches in a night. Back inside IRS scoop slams Savio and goes upstairs, but Savio gets the foot up just in time. Savio rallies with right hands and a back elbow smash before a suplex rollover gets 2. IRS rolls outside and heads for the exit but Savio throws him back inside. Irwin goes off the ropes but runs right into a spinning wheel kick (Vega/Kwang's finisher). Savio covers for 1....2...3 and Vega wins it. I don't recall seeing IRS on pay per view again so lets all wave goodbye and thank you for 4 1/2 years of service from the tax man.
Time of Match: 4:00
Winner: Savio Vega by pinfall
Since that was a Coliseum Exclusive, NOW we run the opening firework display/montage. Vince and Michael hype up tonight's events as we are sent to our first match...technically
Match 2
Savio Vega (with Razor Ramon) vs Yokozuna (with Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji) in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match
Savio had won the qualifying match earlier during the Free For All while Yokozuna defeated Lex Luger by a count-out to set up this match. Yokozuna was one half of the tag team champions with Owen Hart as Savio Vega cuts a mile a minute promo with Todd Pettengill as Razor looks like he'd rather be somewhere else. Yokozuna waves the Japanese flag while Savio waves a Puerto Rican/American flag to a cheap pop. Yoko knocks Savio down with a shoulderblock to start then chops him into the rope. Savio ducks under a clothesline, runs into a back elbow smash but dodges an elbow drop attempt. Yoko backs Savio into the corner but Savio rams his head into the turnbuckle 10 times. Savio goes for the spinning wheel kick but Yoko wisely ducks under it to avoid the contact. Yoko beats down Savio in the corner as Vince tells us Owen Hart is chillin with Stan Lane in the back. Owen is shown yelling at someone on the phone while wearing a hilarious tuxedo with a bow-tie, his future Slammy Award winning outfit. Back to ringside Yoko goes for the banzai drop but Savio rolls out of the way. Yoko headbutts Savio and applies a nerve hold as Michael Hayes says Savio is at a severe disadvantage after already wrestled before then having to face the 2 time WWF champion Yoko. Savio rallies but Yoko heaves him over the top rope to the floor before Razor throws him back inside. They trade blows inside the ring before Yoko gets the upper hand and scoop slams Vega, but misses with the leg drop attempt. Savio rallies with right hands and clothesline before hitting his trademark spinning wheel kick. Cornette hops on the apron and his decked for his trouble by Savio. Razor comes over and taunts Cornette but all of a sudden Owen Hart runs out still in his tuxedo to attack Razor. Savio jumps out to follow Razor but is cut off by Yoko and they trade blows. Yoko pushes Savio against the ring post and charges, but Savio rolls out of the way into the ring causing Yoko to crash into the post. The referee completes the count and Savio Vega is your winner. Uh oh....with Razor out, the natural opponent for Shawn or Taker in the Finals was Yokozuna. With him out, who the hell wants to see Shawn or Taker against Savio, The Roadie or Bob Holly? Still, Savio gets his first ppv win (not counting the Free For All).
Time of Match: 8:23
Winner: Savio Vega by count-out
Back to Jerry Lawler's dressing room who was so confident that he's going to beat Bret that he was walking around in horse manure the whole month, he's completely grossed out by his own foot so he's spraying Lysol around then once again says he's going to beat Bret.
Match 3
The Roadie (with Jeff Jarrett) vs Bob Holly in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match
For whatever reason, the WWF IC champ Jeff Jarrett isn't even on the card while The Roadie is in the tournament....as much of a Jarrett hater I was, how can you have the IC champ not on the card, was he injured too? We see highlights of The Roadie beating Doink the Clown to qualify before Holly enters, which makes me wonder if that was Doink's last match in the company because he's really not heard from again after this. Bob had beaten another Wrestlecrap.com (cheap plug) inductee Mantaur with a flying bodypress to qualify, thus robbing us of the potential Doink vs Mantaur showdown. Michael calls this the dark horse match and he's got a point, none of the 7 of us had either one of these guys beating Yoko/Savio in the semi-finals let alone winning the whole thing....but then again if you told us 5 years later both of these guys would be featured stars we would have laughed at you as well. Roadie runs into a powerslam pinfall to start the match but kicks out at 2. Holly shoulderblocks Roadie for a 2 count and a sunset flip for a loooong 2 count before cradling Roadie for yet another 2....We;ve had more pinfall attempts in the last 30 seconds than in the last 2 matches combined. Roadie retreats to the outside and regroups with Double J as Michael claims he doesn't like Bob's driving ability. Roadie goes on the offensive but runs into a leapfrog and a shoulderblock. Holly's on fire so far after two hiptosses and a body slam, makes another pinfall attempt for a 2 count. Bob goes for a frankensteiner but Roadie counters with a powerbomb as Double J celebrates on the outside. Michael calls Holly a crash test dummy as Roadie whips Bob hard off the corner and tries to Indian burn him with his dreadlocks (BRILLIANT!), interesting move but Hayes does not approve. Roadie struts and dances before dropping a few elbows to the lower back area of Holly. Roadie applies a rest hold as Hayes brings up Holly's WWF tag team title win with 123 Kid at the Royal Rumble. Bob powers out of the chin lock then hits a running school boy but Roadie grabs the rope at 2. Roadie quells the momentum with a clothesline then dances again....and horribly too. Roadie finally makes the cover 1....2...nope, foot on the rope. Roadie applies another rest hold as Michael says Roadie won't win if he keeps singing and dancing. Holly counters a piledriver with a back drop but hits a flying head scissors to counter a sidewalk slam attempt. Bob ducks under a clothesline and hits a dropkick then goes on the offense going to the ol fisticuffs before a powerslam pinfall attempt gets two. Roadie goes for a superplex but his thrown off the rope by Holly, Bob goes for a splash but Roadie gets the foot up. Holly crashes and Roadie covers for 1....2.....3 that's it...or is it? You can clearly see Holly's arm come up at 2 but the referee says its over and Roadie's your winner. Somebody goofed but in any case the first semi-final match is set, Savio Vega vs The Roadie. Something's wrong, neither of those guys is a good opponent for Shawn or Taker.....unless......
Time of match: 7:29
Winner: The Roadie by pinfall
We go back to Todd Pettengill who's with the star of tonight's show The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. We see highlights of Shawn pinning the massive King Kong Bundy to qualify as Shawn tells us he's going to beat Kama with sweet chin music.
Match 4
"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs Kama (with Ted Dibiase) in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match
Well, with conventional brackets out the window it was time for the saving grace. HBK had already been in the company for seven years but only now was he beginning to rise to the championship level after being a solid mid-carder for years. Kama had beaten yet another Wrestlecrap.com (yet another cheap plug) inductee Duke The Dumpster Droese to advance to this match. Come to think of it, I think this version of Kama is in Wrestlecrap.com along with his alter-ego Papa Shango. They take forever to start before exchanging go-behinds. Kama tries to throw hooks and jabs but Shawn dodges and hits some left jabs of his own, great now we're going into fisticuffs. Kama backs Shawn in the corner but Shawn leapfrogs over him then scoring with more left jabs. Hayes brings up Shawn's stamina and how he became the first man to enter at number 1 then win the Royal Rumble. Kama tries to throw Shane over the top but he skins the cat back in then backdrops Kama to the floor. Shawn goes to the arm-bar but is kicked in the ribs and clotheslined over the top to the floor by Kama. Back outside, Kama rams Shawn into the ringpost and rolls back in. The referee counts to seven before Kama breaks up the count, what an idiot! From a kayfabe standpoint there was no way Shawn was getting back in, but luckilly for the 5 of us he rolls Shawn back inside then taunts him. Kama goes on offense with boots as Straw Hat Dude gives him the finger. The camera shows former boxing heavyweight legend Smokin Joe Frazier in the crowd as Kama continues to beat down HBK. Kama continues to kick away as the crowd has gone silent, which isn't a good thing. We are now 7 minutes in and Kama has controlled the match from virtually the last 5 and he continues with boxing hooks in the corner. Kama locks in a Jesse Ventura style overhead backbreaker but Shawn counters into a reverse nothern lights for 1...2...nope. Kama whips Shawn who Flair flips onto the floor, where Ted Dibiase puts the clogs to him. Kama taunts Shawn from inside as Tim White begins to count 1...2....3....4....5...oh shit....6....7....8....9.....whew, just in time as Shawn rolls in. Kama hits a series of backbreakers as we get a shot of the French commentating team, I'd love to see Ray Rougeau come out of retirement to lock up with Kama but oh well. Kama puts Shawn in a backbreaker and we are now 11 minutes in.....this is kinda getting serious. Kama whips Shawn into the corner but a charge misses then Shawn flips off into a takedown. Kama gets up but Shawn rolls out of the way of the elbow drop attempt as a scrolling clock appears on screen showing 2 minutes left.....oh shit, the writing's on the wall folks. At this point I turned to Shayna and said, I think we're screwed as Shawn nips up to stomp away at Kama. Shawn goes upstairs and hits an axehandle for 1...2...nope, Kama gets the shoulder up. Shawn does the 10 punch in the corner with 1 minute left in the match and now Steve and Chris are on the edge of their seats. Kama rolls through a bodypress for 1....2..NOOOO, now Phil and Kevin are into at as they had Kama to win. Kama runs into a small package with 15 seconds left for a 2 count, then Shawn hits a sunset flip for 1......2.....ding ding ding ding ding. The referee tells the ring announcer that the time limit has expired and both guys are gone, the crowd goes LIVID. Shawn hits sweet chin music to send Kama out of the ring but too little too late. In terms of WWF storylines, the King of the Ring is coming down to The Roadie, Mabel, Savio Vega and The Undertaker. The Undertaker really didn't need the KOTR and the other 3 really didn't deserve it at the time which drastically lowers the standard the KOTR was (and will be again the next 3 years after this). The writing was on the wall folks.
Time of Match: 15 minutes
Winner: No one (time limit draw, both are eliminated)
We go to Todd Pettengill who hypes up the Mabel/Undertaker showdown with a highlight package. Mabel had beaten Adam Bomb at last month's In Your House to qualify as The Undertaker pinned Jeff Jarrett....and he's the IC champ no less. Back to Michael and Vince at ringside who go over the events so far a then sends us to Bob Backlund.....oh great. The whole vignette was supposed to get Backlund over as the next president of the United States.....yeah ok. Back to ringside we get even more stalling as the French and Spanish teams put in their two cents before finally getting the next match started.
Match 5
Mabel (with Mo) vs The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match
With Shawn Michaels gone, it had dawned on me that the winner of this match was going to be King of the Ring. Savio and Roadie were nowhere near the talent level of the Hart brothers or the star power of these two, so for all intents and purposes, the winner of this is your King. Mabel struts out as Stephanie Wiand hits ringside to interview Mabel, who says he's gonna be the next king. They stare each other down to start before Taker starts with thrusts to the throat of Mabel then whips him in the corner. Taker clotheslines Mabel but he doesn't go down, a second attempt does nothing but the third attempt floors him. Taker goes Old School down across the back and chokes him in the corner. Michael Hayes asks if Taker's strong enough to chokeslam Mabel as Mabel slams Taker down. Mabel clotheslines him over the top to the floor where Taker lands on his feet, then snaps Mabel off the top rope. Taker's foot gets tied in the ropes so Mabel takes advantage with knees to the back. Taker's really caught and even Mabel almost breaks kayfabe trying to set him free, but back inside Taker staggers around before going back on offense. Mabel hits a belly to belly suplex as the crowd deflates completely, they weren't happy that Shawn wasn't advancing but they're really quiet now the last real favorite is being dismantled. Mabel locks in a rest hold as Hawaiian Shirt Dude yells at Mo. Mabel hurls Taker outside then stalks him around the area before ramming him into the steel steps. Mabel stands on him then rolls back in to break the count before Mo puts the clogs to Taker. Back inside Mabel stands on him once again before whipping him hard off the corner. Paul Bearer says "ohhhh nooo" as Mabel hits a snap suplex and covers for 1...2..nope, near fall. Vince scoffs at Hayes for his expertise of the obvious as Mabel continues to go to work. Mabel goes for an avalanche in the corner but the charge eats boot then a clothesline sends the big man down. Taker goes for a back body drop but Mabel counters with a piledriver for 1....2...noooooo. Undertaker ducks under a clothesline then does a double clothesline spot as we are now 9 minutes in, begging the question if THIS match ends in a draw. Mabel misses an elbow drop as Vince asks if The Undertaker is weakened by the fact the urn is not in his possession. Taker hits an avalanche of his own in the corner before Mabel whips him into referee Mike Chioda....uh oh. Taker ducks under a clothesline and hits his flying clothesline before giving the signal for the chokeslam. Taker hits the chokeslam on the big man as Mo hops up on the apron only to be knocked off for his troubles. Taker goes for the cover when all of a sudden Kama makes his appearance and boots Taker in the head. Mabel rolls over and covers the dead man as Chioda revives......1......2...3......its over. With that instant, the entire pay per view is a complete washout as Mabel is now in the finals. Funny how Taker had only been pinned once in his entire five year (at the time) career in WWF by way of a cheap roll up by Hulk Hogan. He's taken every finisher known to mankind and yet a simple boot to the head by Kama was enough?? The crowd begins chanting ECW as Taker revives and chases Kama out of the arena, ugh. I get the idea of the monster heel vs never say die babyface, but they picked the wrong guys.
Time of match: 10:47
Winner: Mabel by pinfall
The next segment is the Class of 95 Hall of Fame ceremony, which wasn't the huge party it became since Wrestlemania 20 but a decent banquet nontheless. The seven inductees were Fabulous Moolah, George "The Animal" Steele, Ivan Putski, Ernie Ladd, Pedro Morales, The Grand Wizard and Antonino Rocca. Morales couldn't be there because he was working for WCW at the time so we had none other than Savio Vega accepting the award, told you he was all over the place. Grand Wizard and Antonino were long dead by this point but both of them were legends of their time, The Wizard was the precursor to Jimmy Hart in terms of flamboyant outfits and mic skills. Ernie Ladd, unlike Brock Lesnar was both successful in the ring and in the NFL and we all know the accomplishments of Moolah, Putski and Steele. It was a nice tribute to the old timers and the ceremony is now an annual tradition the night before Wrestlemania. After the feel good tribute to the past, its on to the semi-finals.
Match 6
Savio Vega (With Razor Ramon) vs The Roadie (with Jeff Jarrett) in a King of the Ring semi-final match
This match can only be classified as filler since if you had either of these guys winning it all going in, you were either crazy or stupid. Before the match starts we go to Todd Pettengill who's with Roadie and Jarrett. Jarrett refers to Roadie as the "Road Dog"....could he one day be one half of the WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF THE WOOOOOOORLLLLDDDDDDDDD.....nah. Savio circles to start the match before Roadie backs him in the corner. Savio rallies in the corner with right hands before hiplocking him and clotheslining Roadie over the top to the floor. Roadie complains on the outside before slowly getting back in the ring. Savio goes for the top wristlock as Vince compares Vega to Rocky Balboa....um what? Savio chops Roadie in the corner as Hayes says Vega stole his hubcaps. Savio rolls through a bodyslam into a cradle for a near fall before Roadie hits him with kitchen sink. Roadie hits shake rattle n roll but the cover only gets 1 then Roadie chokes him in the corner then the second rope. Roadie kicks Savio in the head then applies a snap mare then hits a second rope headbutt. The cover gets 1....2...nope, Roadie gets the knee in the back then puts the boots to him as he says "How bout the Road Dog?" Roadie does his snap jabs but Savio fires back with chops of his own. Roadie irish whips Savio off the corner but goes back to the second rope where he misses the headbutt this time. Vince says Savio Vega will wrestle Jeff Jarrett for the IC title tomorrow night on Raw as Savio goes back on offense. Savio sends Roadie off the rope then hits a big boot but the cover only gets 2. Savio goes off the ropes but Jarrett holds on to the leg. Savio turns his back so Roadie clubs him from behind. Razor comes over to investigate as Jarrett hops up on the second rope to get away. Savio whips Roadie off but stops himself before he runs into Jarrett, but Savio knees him into Double J knocking him off. Savio rolls up Roadie 1....2.....3 that's it, Savio Vega's going to the finals. Jarrett can't believe it as Savio has now won three matches in one night....with one more to go. If he can beat the massive Mabel then the comeback story is complete....a long way from Kwang that's for sure. The match itself wasn't great but what do you expect, these guys probably never worked together before.
Time of match: 6:36
Winner: Savio Vega by pinfall
After the match Carlos Cabrera hits ringside to interview Savio in Spanish so Michael Hayes gets up to translate. Savio speaks Spanish as Hayes rambles off non-sense and says "I got no chance to beat Mabel" All of a sudden Razor Ramon appears behind Hayes and scares him away. Next is a highlight package of the upcoming Bret Hart vs Jerry Lawler showdown. Two years ago at King of the Ring he attacked Bret Hart after Bret had won the King of the Ring tournament and w all know the awesome storyline that was Summerslam 93. What's not in the highlight package is due to a never proven rape charge to Lawler, these two never got to settle matters. Bret winning the WWF championship also put a lid on this temporarily, but with Diesel as champ the opportunity presented itself to heat up the feud and last month at In Your House Bret wrestled a brilliant match with Hakushi only to lose to Lawler later in the night. Bret immediately called for a re-match and Lawler was so confident he was going to win, in the storyline (or not come to think of it) he wouldn't wash his feet until after the pay per view. We even get a glimpse of YET ANOTHER Wrestlecrap.com inductee (another cheap plug) Aldo Montoya losing to the King and having to kiss the disgusting feet. I've thrown out so many cheap plugs is it so hard to believe WCW began to kick the crap out of WWF in the ratings in less than a year? Yes WCW had their lunatic writing at the time but at least it wasn't TOTALLY geared toward children. Anyway, we go to Bret in the back who cuts a promo saying the feuds going to be over and he's prepared to not make mistakes or let anyone interfere.
Match 7
Bret "Hitman" Hart vs Jerry "The King" Lawler in a Kiss My Foot match
Finally after 2 years this feud will finally be settled. King enters first and Stephanie Wiand hits the entrance way to interview him. King says he's gonna win and Stephanie is completely grossed out. Vince speculates if Bret loses this match he will retire due to the embarrassment. Even though this is a pro ECW crowd, the entire arena cheers for The Hitman, THAT'S respect. One sign says "Hulk Who? Hitman Rules." Lawler and Bret lock up as Hayes tells us Jerry cost Hart a match against Henry Godwinn the week before.....that's right, Bret jobbed to HIM. Bret hammers away in the corner as Hayes says "If Bret gets disqualified he's gotta kiss some feet!" Jerry bails to the outside but Bret cuts him off then throws him into the retaining barrier. Back inside Bret rakes him over the top rope then fires away in the corner again. Bret follows Lawler outside as Vince tells about the Hakushi interference last month at In Your House. Lawler sends Bret into the steel steps as Hayes asks if Shinja and Hakushi would make an appearance during the match. Lawler sends Bret into the retaining barrier then looks for something to hit him with. He throws Bret back inside then taunt the crowd as Hayes hopes the outcome is clear cut. Lawler calls for the piledriver and hits it...uh oh. Lawler wastes time but then goes for another piledriver and hits that one too. Lawler calls for a third piledriver and delivers it cleanly....that's 3 piledrivers. Goodbye Bret...the cover 1...2....NOOOOOOOO. Bret kicks out as the crowd barely makes a noise, do they not know that was his FINISHER? Lawler goes to attack but Bret rallies with right hands before Jerry heaves him outside. Jerry takes his shoe off as Michael Hayes pretends to gag. Lawler waffles Bret with the boot as Vince mentions how Hart's career is coming to an end. Jerry goes for the cover...1....2..nope, Hayes: "My nose is coming to an end" Lawler chokes Bret with the boot in the corner then takes the boot completely off as Hayes begs for him to keep it on. He goes to shove his stinking foot in Bret's face but he blocks it, trips him up and headbutts him in the lower abdomen. Lawler and Hart trade blows before Jerry crawls to the corner and whacks Bret with the boot again, then puts it back on. Lawler hops up on the second rope and hits the fist drop then covers for 1...2...nope. That's both finishers Bret has kicked out from, now Lawler goes to ram him nut first into the ring post but Bret counters. Bret goes on outside and goes to work on Jerry when all of a sudden Hakushi and Shinja make their appearance. Shinja distracts the ref but Hakushi misses Bret and chops Lawler instead. Back inside Bret runs through his offense....russian leg sweep, back breaker, elbow drop then calls for the sharpshooter. Bret locks it in and the crowd cheers, then Lawler gives up and the match is over. But wait....Bret refuses to break the hold, shades of Summerslam. Hebner begins to count...1....2.....3....4...nope, Bret breaks it showing he's learned from his mistakes. Bret hops up on the top rope and undoes his right boot and sock off as Lawler protests, his whole plan backfired. Hakushi and Shinja run back out to ringside. Lawler nails Bret from behind and holds him, but Bret moves out of the way and Hakushi hits a springboard shoulderblock on The King instead. Hayes "He's oh for two tonight" Hart knocks Shinja off the apron then clotheslines Hakushi over the top and out. Bret then shoves his foot into Lawler's mouth and Jerry begins to gag. Hart goes to leave but turns around, grabs Lawler's unzipped boot and takes it off, then shoves Lawler's stinking foot into Jerry's own mouth. Lawler continues to gag as Bret finally wins the feud, two years later. Bad match but they had to blow it off somehow, this was going for two years now.
Time of match: 9:20
Winner: Bret Hart by submission
We go to a highlight package of the WWF stars helping out at the 1995 Special Olympics, it was a nice gesture and if nothing else it showed they cared about the special needs program. After that we are showed the last two KOTR winners just to show you how far we've fallen in the last year. Anyway lets get to this impending debacle.....
Match 8
Savio Vega (with Razor Ramon) vs Mabel (with Mo) in the King of the Ring finals match
Anyone who predicted this going into the night was either high, insane or stupid, but with the inept booking and cartoon characters of the time period, are we really that surprised? From an in ring standpoint the 6'8 500 pound Mabel certainly had the size to be believable and at only 23 years old could be considered a "new star" but like I said numerous times the King of the Ring standard had been set so high because of the last 2 years that he didn't have the credentials, especially since he was still dressing in gold and purple. The fans were not going to get behind Mabel because his in-ring ability was limited meanwhile Savio Vega was a relative newcomer and after spending a year and a half as the Wrestlecrap.com (yes...another cheap plug) inductee Kwang, the fans were going to turn on him for rising to the top so fast. In terms of the match the massive Mabel was fresh after wrestling Undertaker in the quarter-final while Savio Vega plays the face long-shot who's wrestling his 4th match in the night. Mabel enters and turns to the camera then says "If the dead man couldn't beat me, nobody will" He's got a good point, if The Undertaker couldn't stop him how could Savio Vega? Savio's music plays for the 7th time tonight as Vince continues to hype him up on the same level as Rocky Balboa. Michael Hayes compares Savio in the finals to the 94-95 New Jersey Devils taking home the Stanley Cup the night before.....except Savio Vega is not Martin Brodeur or Scott Niedermayer. Mabel throws Savio in the corner to start the match but ducks out of the way of a charge. Savio fires away in the corner then sticks and moves, what he has to do to win I guess. He double chops Mabel in the corner then punches him 10 times as Mo protests outside the ring. Mabel whips Savio in the other corner but Vega once again ducks out of the way. Mabel scoop slams Vega but Savio rolls out of the way of the earthquake attempt, then clotheslines the big man over the top to the floor. Mabel pulls Savio out of the ring but Vega blocks a head ram attempt then rams Mabel's head into the steel steps. Savio rallies with fists but Mabel whips him into the steps, then rolls inside to break the count. Back inside Mabel chokes Vega on the top rope then whips him into the corner, then locks in a bearhug....BOOOOOORING. Razor tries to wake the crowd up but Mabel continues to work the bearhug spot. Savio does the fade then revive routine as Hayes says Mabel's fatigued after being chokeslammed by the Undertaker. Savio powers out of the bearhug as Hayes hypes up the tag team match coming up. Mabel whips Savio off the corner then locks in another bearhug....come on! Savio powers out of it but Mabel hammers him in the back then lariats him to the mat. Mabel covers for 1...2....thr...noooooo. Mabel locks in another rest hold as Michael Hayes gives us an anatomy lesson. Razor tries to wake the crowd up again and this time Savio powers out of it. Mabel avalanches Savio in the corner as the crowd chants ECW again....and Vince acknowledges it! Mabel charges in the corner but Savio moves then rolls him up for 1.....2...nooooo, Mabel gets the shoulder up. Savio bounces off the ropes and hits his Spinning Wheel Kick. Savio crawls over 1.....2.....Nooooo, almost. Mabel sends Savio off then catches him midair and front slams him down. Mabel covers for 1......2...nope, Savio kicks out and Hayes is shocked. Mabel bounces off the rope and big splashes Savio. Mabel covers 1....2......3 and its over, Mabel is your 1995 King of the Ring....what pathetic booking. After the match, Razor Ramon hops in the ring to check on Savio. Mo gets in Razor's face so Ramon begins to attack M.O.M. with right hands. Eventually they overpower him and Mabel hits a second rope elbow on him. 123 Kid hits ringside....begging the question why he couldn't have wrestled Jarrett for the IC title on the ppv but no matter. Kid goes to town before he too is overpowererd, Mabel is about to splash Kid but the referees save him. I wonder why Aldo Montoya didn't join in since he was friends with the faces but I guess Mabel squashing Razor, Savio and Kid was strong enough booking.
Time of match: 8:33
Winner: Mabel by pinfall (1995 King of the Ring)
We go to Todd Pettengill with the coronation ceremony and the fans are completely livid, Mo throws Pettengill off the stage (not literally though) and does the coronation himself. They chant ECW, throw garbage at M.O.M. and really send a message that this was NOT what they wanted to see, could you blame them? You had two former WWF champions in Yokozuna and The Undertaker as well as perennial star Shawn Michaels and yet finals featured the near immobile Mabel and the relative unknown Savio Vega. Mo reads from a scroll...and yeah, Mabel is the king. This is ECW country, so the fans pelting him with garbage is a sign of the times...maybe not now but years later booking like this will come back to haunt them. 123 Kid, Razor and Savio rush the throne but are held back by WWF referees as Mo taunts them, oh sure NOW the faces make the comeback. We cut to the backstage area to see Jerry Lawler puking his guts out in the sink....I'd rather see the coronation than that. We then go to Stephanie Wiand to interview Ted Dibiase's corporation about their upcoming tag match with Bam Bam and Diesel. Sycho Sid says he destroyed Diesel's elbow and he's going to finish the job while Tatanka says he's going to take out Bam Bam once and for all.
Match 9
Bam Bam Bigelow and Diesel vs Sycho Sid and Tatanka (with Ted Dibiase)
As if the show couldn't get any worse, we got a completely random tag team match to finish off the night. Why couldn't this be earlier and the Kiss My Foot match be here? Tatanka in the four years he's been with WWF at this point had never main evented a ppv, Bam Bam had begun to fizzle out, Diesel wasn't drawing well as champion and Sid was not being booked properly. Bam Bam enters wearing a pyromatic armband set which shoot flames out, why didn't he just shoot those at Tatanka? They brawl in the ring to start before the faces clean house, that didn't take long. Sid and Tatanka stall outside for about a minute and a half before Tatanka gets in to start. Diesel clothesline him down but Sid interferes and nails the injured elbow off the second rope. Tatanka tomahawk chops the injured elbow as the kids in the crowd chant for Diesel. Sid tags in and picks up where Tatanka left off. Sid misses with a leg drop so Diesel tags in Bam Bam who cleans house with clotheslines. Bam Bam dropkicks Tatanka out of the ring and ddt's Sid before going upstairs. Bam Bam hits the top rope headbutt but Dibiase distracts the referee long enough for Sid to kick out at 2. Bam Bam hops up in the second rope to yell at Dibiase so Sid runs over and hammers him from behind with clubbing blows. Sid chokeslams Bigelow off the second rope and the older fans cheer for the big man. Sid poses then tags in Tatanka who covers for 1...2...nope. Tatanka puts the boots to Bam Bam and chops at Bigelow in the corner. Tatanka hits a back suplex and Hayes brings up how Bam Bam and Tatanka were beaten at the Royal Rumble by the Kid and Holly. Tatanka continues to put the boots to Bam Bam then tags in Sid who charges into Bigelow with a big boot. Nine minutes in I think we've seen 5 holds, all but one done by Tatanka. Bam Bam rallies to the outside but Sid boots him to the outside, who goes for the slingshot but Tatanka stops him in time. Sid gets outside and punts Bam Bam in the head, then rolls him back inside. Sid locks in a rest hold and Hayes messes up words during down time before Bam Bam makes the tag to Diesel. Big Daddy Cool cleans house with clotheslines and a scoop slam on Sid. Diesel drops a big elbow but it hurts him to the point where he rolls in pain before tagging in Bam Bam. Tatanka also tags in and chops away at Bam Bam and hits a flying bodypress for 1...2...nope. Tatanka locks in a rest hold as Vince asks if Diesel is too hurt to continue. Bam Bam runs into a jumping ddt and Tatanka covers for 1....2..nope. Tatanka continues to work over Bam Bam before BIgelow just stands up. They do a double clothesline spot and Bam Bam gets the cover for 1....2...negative. Sid looks very confused as Tatanka locks in yet another rest hold.....wow this is boring. There really is no point to this match because they were setting up Sid vs Diesel anyway and Bam Bam vs Tatanka had already happened a million times in the last 2 years. Bam Bam ducks under a leapfrog and front flips (!!!) onto Tatanka. Bam Bam hits an enziguiri (!!!) and tags in Diesel. Diesel hits a sidewalk slam and a big boot then taunts Sid. Diesel call for the jacknife and he hits it, then covers for 1....2.....wait, he pulled him up. Diesel points at Sid and calls him out, but Sid waves him off then leaves. Sid walks towards the entrance way, abandoning Dibiase and Tatanka as Vince calls him a chicken. That was the final straw for the crowd because the smart fans knew that this meant they were saving Diesel and Sid for the next In Your House. Diesel scoffs then drops an elbow on Tatanka and covers for 1....2...3 that's it. Diesel and Bam Bam celebrate in the ring as the crowd boos loudly, that was a horrible match and the fans knew it. Sid's got some explaining to do when Dibiase gets a hold of him in the back, that's for sure. The crowd has been angry all night but they become damn near riot like because now they have to wait another month before Diesel gets another crack at Sid. Again, bad match and a fitting ending to a ppv that made absolutely no sense and was pretty much the harbinger of the worst rated Summerslam of all time.
Time of match: 17:33
Winners: Bam Bam Bigelow and Diesel by pinfall
THAT SUCKED!!!! Other than the Kiss My Foot match, the whole ppv was a complete and giant let down. Razor Ramon was out with an injury and the whole tournament was a fiasco. Mabel was being groomed to feud with Diesel and no one wanted to see either one of them as champion at this point. This was without a doubt the lowest point in WWF history talent wise, the ratings may have been worse the next year or two but at least the cartoon era was finally over in 96. Other than Bret, Shawn and Bob Holly's performance, I can't think of one saving grace to this ppv. The fans were even chanting ECW at various points, now that's embarrassing. The very next ppv after this would be the July 95 In Your House, Buy this tape only to complete a collection because its AGOOBWA, or you're a major Savio Vega fan 1 out of 5
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