WWE King of the Ring 94'

WWE King of the Ring 94'

Baltimore, Maryland - June 1994

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Bret Hart was the reigning WWE Champion coming into this show (having won the title back at WrestleMania X), Diesel was the Intercontinental Champion, The Headshrinkers were the WWE Tag Team Champions, and Alundra Blayze was the WWE Women's Champion, though, according to Cagematch, she really only defended the title every couple of months (and was not featured on this show at all).

King of the Ring 94' begins with a not-so-rousing rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" by Ricky Medlocke of the country band Blackfoot. Gorilla Monsoon then welcomes guest commentator Art Donovan, an NFL Hall of Famer but not much of a wrestling fan based on his commentary. Instead of having Brain at his side, Monsoon is seconded by The Macho Man, who was never great at the desk either.

The opening contest is part of tonight's one-night tournament, Razor Ramon taking on Bam Bam Bigelow in the first round. This match is nothing special, just kinda "there." Bigelow applies an impressive backbreaker submission, showing off his considerable strength, but that's about the only noteworthy moment in the whole match. (2/5)

Mabel takes on IRS in the next match in the tournament. Mabel was still a babyface, supported by the rapping Oscar. Mabel takes control early, using his size and strength to dominate Schyster. The crowd is somewhat into the match - or at least they like chanting "Whoop! There It Is," which debuted a year earlier but was still popular enough to be heard at whatever bar/bat mitzvah you might've been attending in 94'. IRS attempts a bodyslam but Mabel manages to counter it into a small package, which was cool and should've been the finish (considering that IRS isn't even able to kickout and needs to be rescued by the ref). IRS applies a headlock, drawing heat from the crowd, but Mabel breaks free by backing up into the corner. Mabel delivers a Bossman Slam and then attempts a splash from the second rope, but IRS shakes the rope and steals the victory (with extra help from the ropes). Mabel looked strong, but IRS outsmarted him, which is the right booking. (2/5)

Backstage, Jim Cornette leads a promo with Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna, and Crush, who would be challenging the Headshrinkers for the WWF World Tag Team Championships later in the night.

Tatanka comes out next to a fairly big pop, set to take on "The Rocket" Owen Hart. On commentary, Art Donovan wonders aloud how much both guys weigh - a question he would ask multiple times through the show. Unsurprisingly, this is the best bout of the night so far, in large part because of Owen's work and Tatanka's overness. This has to be one of the worst "called" shows in WWE history, though, with only Monsoon tolerable. Tatanka's closing stretch of offense has the crowd biting on the nearfalls and the fact that Owen kicks out of some of his best offense really makes it feel like his eventual victory meant he'd actually beat somebody, not just a tomato can. Is this the best match of Tatanka's career? I'm not sure I can name a better one, though Tatanka wasn't really known for having barn-burners often. (2.5/5)

Backstage, Shawn Michaels and Diesel gloat about the Jacknife Powerbomb they delivered to Bret Hart on Raw in the build-up to this show. Hart promised that he would have a family member in his corner tonight as back-up. 

The final match of the first round is next - The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Jeff Jarrett. Art Donovan is super confused to start the match, referring to the Kid as "1-2-3" and then bizarrely saying that he "looks like a boxer" despite not looking anything like a boxer. Jarrett controls early, whipping the Kid into the turnbuckle hard. With Jarrett controlling most of the match, The Kid's shocking win is a genuine surprise. After the match, Jarrett destroys the Kid with a series of piledrivers that Waltman sells like death. This is a simple angle done right. (2.5/5)

After cutting back to a commercial for the "New Generation," Bret Hart cuts a promo about his challenger tonight, stating that Diesel is a long way from hitting the Jacknife Powerbomb on him again. Diesel comes into this match as the Intercontinental Championship, backed up by Shawn Michaels. Hart, meanwhile, is backed up by his former tag team partner, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. Diesel controls early by using his size and power, but Bret starts tying him up and using his speed against the big man. I'm surprised by the pace they cut early, Diesel and Bret not taking their time getting to the good stuff (and the crowd loves it). Bret comes off as incredibly tough for bringing the fight to his much-larger opponent, while Diesel shines too as the inexperienced-but-worthy challenger. Diesel may not be able to outwrestle the Hitman, but he's no Bastion Booger, he's not just some big, dumb oaf - he comes across as a guy that actually deserves to be in this match and might actually even win the title. The crowd doesn't even need it to stay engaged, but Anvil gets a massive response for chasing Shawn around the ring. Good selling of knee damage by Diesel. Even a botched splash-into-a-catch works because it feels like part of a legit contest. The crowd is 89% behind Bret, but there's a smattering of Diesel fans in attendance too - unsurprising considering that he had a great finish and was an asskicker. Diesel sends Bret into the turnbuckle and Bret goes into it full-force, practically moving the ring into the stands. This is almost a spotfest by 94' standards, just a non-stop, action-packed match. Diesel seems to botch another move but I'm not sure what he was going for before he applies a backbreaker. It doesn't matter - again, the slop is excusable to me because it adds realism. Diesel dishes out more punishment and shows a bigger arsenal than I think many knew he had. Bret is sent back into the corner and goes into chest-first with gusto. Man, that always looks good when Bret does it (even if he does it twice in the same match). Diesel only gets 2 and hits him with a short-arm clothesline soon after. It wasn't Jake Roberts-level, but it still had to sting. Diesel applies a chinlock, but this ain't a resthold, Bret fights his way up almost immediately and they start teasing the powerbomb. Diesel hits another backbreaker for 2 and then lifts him up for an elevated backbreaker submission. Meanwhile, Shawn works to untie the turnbuckle. Again, Bret wrestles his way out, turning it into a sleeper! Wow. Diesel backs him into the corner and sends him into the opposite one, but Bret catches him with a boot and reapplies the sleeper. Out of frustration, Diesel tosses him into Hebner and Shawn distracts him so that Diesel can expose the steel turnbuckle. Diesel attempts to send him into the corner, but Bret counters and its Nash who eats the steel! Diesel swings wildly but can't catch the Hitman, Bret in full control. Bret gets him in the corner and unloads on him with a flurry of punches. Diesel won't go down until Diesel eventually stumbles back into the ropes like a boxer. Bret hits him with a series of clothesline, eventually toppling him with the third one for another 2 count. Bret hits the Russian Leg Sweep and goes to the ropes for his patented elbow - but only gets 2! Bret follows it up with a bulldog from the top and attempts a Sharpshooter, the crowd losing it. Bret can't apply the hold, distracted by Shawn. Bret punches Shawn off the apron and hits a clothesline from the second rope, but only gets 2 again, the crowd audibly gasping. Bret attempts a backslide, but Diesel is too strong. Bret turns it into an inside cradle and gets 2.99! Damn, this match is just relentless. Bret seems to be in control but Diesel catches him, eventually dropping him with a big boot. Diesel looks to finish him off, but Bret turns it into a modified Sharpshooter. Diesel grabs the ropes, though, and the match continues. Bret hits a dropkick, but Diesel lands on his feet. Anvil considers a cheap shot, but doesn't go through with it. Back in the ring, Shawn nails Bret with the Championship Belt from behind with the ref's back turned! Diesel hits an elbow drop - but only gets 2.9! Shawn can't believe it on the outside and Diesel calls for the powerbomb as Gorilla Monsoon gushes on commentary about this match. Diesel hits the Jacknife, but Anvil hits him with a tackle and this one is over by disqualification. Anvil gets sent to the lockerroom while, back in the ring, Shawn and Diesel work on Bret. Wow. I'm split on giving this match a really high score and deducting a little bit based on the disappointing, unclean finish. Is it just a 4-star match or is it a 4.5 or even a full 5? I'm going 4.5 for a couple reasons - the action is unbelievable, the false finishes are great, the finish isn't satisfying but it *made* Diesel, and somehow all of this happened on a show with maybe the worst mix of commentators ever assembled. (4.5/5)

After a word from Jerry Lawler, its time for our first semi-final match - Razor Ramon vs. IRS. These two guys had competed just a few months earlier at the 94' Royal Rumble in a match that I gave just a single point to. Considering they probably worked the house show loop against each other, one would expect these two veterans to know how to pop a crowd and keep them engaged, but they just have anti-chemistry. After a few minutes of decent-to-good brawling, IRS locks in a headlock and you see the opposite of what Bret did with it in the previous match as Hall seems to fall asleep rather than struggle his way out of it. Back on their feet, Hall and Schyster continue their brawling and even Ramon grabbing IRS by his tie doesn't get much of a reaction. Razor hits the Razor's Edge to a huge ovation and gets the clean win. This wasn't good, but at least we got a clean finish and it didn't overstay its welcome. (1.5/5)

Owen Hart takes on The 1-2-3 Kid in the next contest. The story going into this match is that The Kid is coming into this match as considerably less-than-peak shape after the beatdown he received from Jarrett. Awesome open to this match with Owen absolutely destroying Waltman with a dropkick before he even gets into the ring! Owen hits a huge splash from the top to follow it up for a nearfall. Brilliant. The Kid reverses an Irish Whip and attempts a splash from the top himself but only gets 2. The Kid tries a roll-up and the babyface is showing some serious fire! Owen counters with some snappy wrestling of his own. Wow. Great false finish a few minutes later with The Kid seemingly getting a 3 count with a northern lights suplex only for Owen to get his foot on the rope. Waltman hits a cannonball to the outside, but then eats a german suplex from Owen in the ring for 2. Nasty powerbomb from Owen into the Sharpshooter and Waltman has to tap. This wasn't super long, but this is a contender for the best sub-5 minute match I've ever seen. Just a brilliantly laid-out match that accomplishes every thing it needs to. (4/5)

Backstage, Roddy Piper cuts a great little promo about Jerry Lawler. Piper covers a lot of ground here and this isn't necessarily "peak Roddy," but he's still captivating and is so good that he takes a bad premise and spins it into seeming like we're going to see a bloody, personal brawl. Gotta give a point for shouting out Hell Comes To Frogtown. (+1)

The Tag Team Championships are on the line in the next bout - The Headshrinkers defending the gold against Yokozuna and Crush. Anything good in this match comes from Yokozuna, but there's really not all that good to mention. Seeing two piledrivers in one match is jarring in 2020, but nothing else really jumps out of this except for the finish - which is notably weird. Lex Luger shows up in the goofiest attire he's ever worn to continue his feud with Crush (a notable step down after challenging for the World Championship just a couple months earlier), but instead of his appearance causing Crush to get rolled up (which should've been the finish), the Kona Island native manages to kick out. Still distracted, Crush gets caught with a superkick that *does* do the trick. I'm guessing that Crush didn't want to just lose on a roll-up, but losing on a superkick doesn't make him look any better. Then, outnumbered 3-to-1, Crush shows his toughness by trying to get at Luger but gets beaten down for his efforts, which goes against the traditional story of heel cowardice. In summation, the booking of this match is befuddling in that the least interesting and least talented guy is given "the rub" but "the rub" isn't even booked correctly. An extra half-point for Luger's Old Glory-inspired spandex pants. (1.5/5)

Its finals time - Razor Ramon vs. Owen Hart for the title of 1994 King of the Ring. There's some sloppiness on display early, but the wrestling is actually quite snappy and its clear that these two are working hard but just not clicking. Ramon doesn't catch Owen at one point, Owen doesn't quite nail a spinning heel kick, there's a bridge spot that's imperfect, an abdominal stretch that stretches too long by a couple beats - but when they do get things right, there are moments that are absolutely great (Owen flipping out of a move only to get chokeslammed, Owen getting crotched on the turnbuckle and brought back into the ring with a super back suplex). Jim Neidhart's interference is great too, clearly unexpected by the crowd as it draws mega heat for Owen. Very solid match capped off wonderfully by Jim and Owen delivering the Hart Foundation's iconic finisher on the defeated Ramon (leading to a loud "We Want Bret" chant). (3/5)

At the announce table, Randy posits that the reason Neidhart helped Bret hold onto his title earlier was because he wants Owen to win it. Donovan asks a question gets "no sold" by Gorilla and Mach, just completely ignored. 

On the stage, Owen cuts a promo demanding acknowledgement as the King of the WWE. Owen refuses to have Jack Tunney present him the crown, asking instead for Jim Neidhart to do it. He then tells Todd Pettengill to get on his knees as a sign of respect. Before the coronation ceremony ends, Owen proclaims himself "The King of Harts," a nickname he would hold onto for years and years to come. I liked this segment as Owen is just such an absolute jerk. (+1)

Main event time - Roddy Piper vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler. Oddly, after a video package,  Gorilla welcomes back viewers by saying that this match is what "The New Generation" is all about despite both these guys having their in-ring peaks in the previous decade. Before the match begins, Lawler cuts a promo to draw even more heat from the crowd. Piper comes out behind a stream of bagpipers, the crowd erupting once he does finally show his face. Piper is in much better shape here than he was a few years later in WCW while Lawler looks relatively slim (the King never being a "physique guy" anyway). Piper controls early, beating down on Lawler in the corner, booting him in the breadbasket, and then leveling him with a big right hand in the middle of the ring. Piper's offense is mostly rights and lefts so things get a bit dull after a couple minutes. In terms of marquee value, Piper/Lawler makes sense as the show's main event, but the action is so unimpressive and tedious that you can hear the crowd care less and less as the minutes pass. Lawler tries to re-engage them by going after Piper's cornerman, a scrawny teenager who had done a Piper imitation on Raw a couple weeks prior, but it doesn't quite work. Had these two actually had a real brawl with real emotion, this could've been good, but its too tame, too phony to work. Its also at least a couple minutes too long, a match that really should've played more like a "segment" than an actual contest with nearfalls and sleeper holds. Piper kicks out of Lawler's finisher, which would probably have felt like a big deal in Memphis 10 years earlier but because the King was never a "real" competitor in the WWE, it doesn't even register with the audience or commentators. Piper eventually goes into no-sell mood, putting Lawler on his ass with a haymaker. Piper follows it up with a pair of bulldogs, but gets tossed into the ref when he attempts a third (which would've been his third actual wrestling hold of the match). Lawler grabs a pair of brass knucks and hits Piper in the head, knocking him out for the visual pin when the ref can't make the count. Lawler puts his feet on the ropes to try to steal the win, but Piper's right-hand man breaks up the pin and the Rowdy Scot hits an awful-looking back suplex to get a very slow 3-count victory. Yeah, that wasn't good. (0.5/5)

This much-maligned show had some incredible lows, but calling it the worst WWE PPV of all time might be going too far. The World Championship match is excellent. The Owen Hart/1-2-3 Kid match is as good a sub-5-minute match as I've ever seen. The rest of the tournament isn't great, but what 1-night tournament in WWE or WCW history has ever actually delivered the goods? The main event is a disappointment, especially considering how much the fans were clearly invested and wanted to root for Piper. Why not make it a cartoonish, weapons-loaded, madcap spectacle if having a physical, violent brawl was not an option? Piper's entrance is really the only thing that captures the spirit of his character and mythology. With a surprisingly decent Kwang Score of 2.6-out-of-5, King of the Ring 94' isn't the worst show I've ever watched, but it'd be hard to recommend anything on it not involving a Hart brother...

FINAL SCORE - High Risk Maneuever