10 shocking moments from WWF (WWE) 1995

There was a period of time in the mid-1990s when the WWF fluctuated between having a strong year and then a weak year. 1993 is considered a particularly low point for the company, but in many ways, 1994 helped them get back on their feet. 1996 was a decent enough year in terms of entertainment value and ratings, but this only counteracted the damage done by 1995.

This was not a strong year for the company, with Vince McMahon very much trying to find his direction. The year would also officially signal the rise of the first legitimate contender the WWF had seen in years in WCW. This was certainly not the Hogan Era, and the pieces that would later form the Attitude Era were not yet in place either.

That being said, 1995 was not completely without its talking points, and with the benefit of hindsight, we are able to see where the very early green shoots of recovery began to grow. Here are the top 10 shocking moments from WWF 1995:

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#1 The Birth of WCW Monday Nitro

Battle lines are drawn

Given the sheer dominance of the WWF throughout most of the 1980s and early 90s, it was going to take something drastic for another company to come along and pose a real challenge to them. WCW owner Ted Turner obviously felt that Vince McMahon’s grip on power was slowly becoming more precarious after the departure of so many of his signature stars.

Turner reportedly asked Eric Bishoff, who he had brought in as Executive Vice President, how best to supplant WWF at the head of the wrestling table. Bishoff’s suggestion was to run a show at the same time as WWF’s Monday Night RAW.

Turner gave the company the green light, and on 4th September 1995, the first ever episode of Monday Nitro aired on TNT. This turned the somewhat tepid war between the two companies into an all or nothing game. The success of WCW as a company would now be dependent on how well it managed to challenge RAW on Monday nights, and sooner or later both companies knew there would have to be an ultimate winner.

Nitro, for a short time, was the signature wrestling show of the 1990s, bringing in old WWF names that Vince assumed were no longer relevant to the business. TNT also had the advantage of airing their show in real time, allowing them to give away the results of RAW beforehand as a way to draw people’s attention away from WWF.

It was a sly, underhand tactic that Vince strongly spoke out against, but as many commentators have since pointed out, Vince wasn’t exactly known for holding back when it came to destroying his rivals back in the day.

The battle lines were drawn, and over the next few years, wrestling fans were treated to some real-life shocking moments that well and truly killed kayfabe for good.

#2 Lex Luger appears on Nitro

‘’What’s he doing here?’’

One such moment came on the very first episode of Monday Nitro when former WWF employee Lex Luger fired the first shot of the Monday Night Wars by appearing on WCW television, seemingly from nowhere.

Luger had actually appeared at the WWF Summerslam event a week earlier, as well as at a house show the day before Nitro aired. His appearance was not only shocking but also made a small mockery of the WWF, having somebody the fans assumed was an active competitor appearing on their rival’s signature show. Luger interrupted the main event of Nitro, which consisted of a match between Hulk Hogan and Big Bubba Rogers.

Luger made an indirect reference to the WWF in a promo, claiming that he had once been at the very top of the wrestling business in much the same way Hogan was in the 80s. This related to the fact that for a number of years Vince McMahon attempted to make Luger into the next Hulk Hogan.

This was the first high profile steal from WCW, and there would certainly be more to come. Luger, while seen as a significant member of the WWF roster at the time, didn’t appear to be part of Vince’s long-term plans as guys like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were emerging as the company’s real future. The Luger experiment which began in 1993 was all but finished by this time, making the whole affair more of an embarrassment for Vince as opposed to a serious challenge to his business.

#3 Mabel wins King of the Ring

King Mabel

The King of the Ring PPV was a welcome addition to the WWF calendar that until 1993 had mainly relied on the so-called ‘big four’ shows of Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble, Summerslam and Survivor Series. It was also a good way to give the spotlight to an up and coming superstar who wasn’t quite at the level of the main event wrestlers. In 1993 we saw Bret Hart take the crown while a year later Owen followed in his brother’s footsteps, leading up to a Summerslam 94 main event between them.

So it was somewhat of a surprise to see Mabel, who had previously been a part of the less-than-serious ‘Men on a Mission’ tag team, become the 1995 King of the Ring. The man most of us now know as Viscera was not considered a good in-ring worker. In fact, numerous wrestlers had reservations about getting into the ring with him as he had built up a reputation of being reckless and inconsiderate of his opponent’s safety during matches.

Perhaps it was the sheer size of the man that attracted Vince to the idea of making him his top heel. McMahon clearly still had one foot in the past, where larger than life monsters would compete, in lieu of any real wrestling ability. Mabel’s King of the Ring victory earned him a Summerslam main event later in the year against the champion Diesel, in what is generally considered a poor event overall.

Any plans that Vince was harbouring to turn Mabel into a main event star were soon dashed as the realisation hit that the man couldn’t be trusted to carry the company going forward. That doesn’t take away from the fact that 1995 was, in many ways the year of King Mabel.

#4 Lawrence Taylor main events Wrestlemania

NFL meets Wrestlemania

Despite owning the largest professional wrestling company on the planet, Vince McMahon has always liked to portray himself as more than a wrestling promoter. Over the years, Vince has attempted to merge his company with wider popular culture, treating it more like a movie studio than a wrestling conglomerate.

As a result, we have seen numerous celebrity involvement over the years, starting with the ‘Rock and Wrestling’ connection in the mid-80s, with stars like Cindy Lauper, Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper appearing at Wrestlemanias.

Occasionally the celebrity involvement goes beyond making mere appearances or accompanying wrestlers to the ring. Sometimes, figures from the world of sport and entertainment end up stepping into the squared circle itself. The most extreme example of this came in 1995 when Wrestlemania was headlined by Bam Bam Bigelow and former New York Giants linebacker, Lawrence Taylor.

The animosity between Bam Bam and Taylor began at the Royal Rumble when the two came to blows at ringside. After much speculation, it was finally announced that Taylor would be facing Bam Bam in a match, leapfrogging the WWF Championship match between Shawn Michaels and Diesel into the main event. The match also featured other NFL players, and much to the dismay of many wrestling fans, the NFL player actually ended up going over.

While Wrestlemania 11 isn’t considered the strongest show the company has ever had, the main event will always remain the subject of controversy. It did help the WWF get some much-needed exposure at a time when interest in wrestling, in general, was on the decline. For that, at least, the gamble did almost pay off.

#5 Bret Hart regains the WWF Championship

Back on top

In 1995, the WWF did not have the luxury of having multiple main event stars to choose from as would be the case a few years later. Instead, the company had to work with what they had, which accounted for why Kevin Nash was once considered WWF’s next top guy.

That being said, it does take two to make a great wrestling match, and Diesel did end up putting on two more than impressive WWF Championship matches against Bret Hart in 1995. Their Royal Rumble match was essentially a Bret Hart showpiece with Nash at the other end of the ring, but their follow up at Survivor Series actually showed us why Vince had initially put his faith in Diesel so confidently. Ironically, this match signalled the end of Nash’s long title reign and once again propelled Bret to the upper echelons of the WWF.

It had been a strange year for Bret, considering he was very much the poster boy for much of 1993 and 94. His feuds with Owen and Bob Backlund during those years are now legendary, but Vince clearly needed someone to keep him company in the main event scene.

Even so, Bret was still the man to put on the stronger matches, even though he might not have featured in many main events in 95. Bret’s win here set up one of WWF’s most historic rivalries when Shawn Michaels stepped up as Vince’s next pet project after most of the appeal of Big Daddy Cool had evaporated.

#6 Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon’s Wrestlemania rematch at Summerslam

Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon – take two

When the WWF put on matches the calibre of a Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania 10, they always become very tempted to have a repeat of it further down the line. We saw that with Shawn and The Undertaker’s doubleheader at Wrestlemania 25 and 26. We also saw it again two years later when Triple H and Taker fought in a follow match from the year before.

In 1995, Vince was keen to follow up on the fan excitement of Wrestlemania 10 and scheduled Shawn and Razor to fight again at Summerslam 95. The dynamics of this match were slightly different from the first, Shawn going in as a babyface champion, on the cusp of being put in the main event scene.

This was the second example in so many years as to why the Intercontinental Championship used to be seen as such a major title for the WWF. It often gave the mid-card roster a chance to showcase their skills while the main event competitors were busy fighting over the main belt.

Naturally, fans are split as to which ladder match was better. The one at 10 will always have history on its side, but it can be argued that as a wrestling match, their Summerslam affair might have just pipped it. Razor’s involvement was a little more pronounced here, and the end result felt more important, considering Shawn was clearly on his way to becoming the next WWF Champion.

Return matches don’t always work in wrestling, often the second affair fails to live up to the first and as a result, leaves the whole thing looking slightly tainted. Thankfully for us fans, Shawn and Razor at Summerslam 95 was an example of a return match done correctly, and it paved the way for bigger, more extreme ladder matches to come.

#7 Alundra Blayze bins the WWF Women’s Championship on Nitro

WCW’s trash talk

With Lex Luger’s surprise appearance on Monday Nitro earlier in the year, the WWF was eager to keep their stars from jumping ship. It would be another year before the arrival of Nash and Hall would prompt the NWO ‘Outsider’ faction, but the company still did not manage to survive the year without any more casualties.

Alundra Blayze, formerly known as Madusa on WCW, decided to make her return to the company after a contract dispute with the WWF. These were not the brightest days for women’s wrestling, as the WWF had to let Blayze go due to financial concerns. Clearly, their women’s champion wasn’t a priority in late 1995.

That being said, it wasn’t the departure of Blayze, per se, that really hurt the WWF product, as few people were interested in the division back then anyway. It was her actions during her first appearance on Nitro that really caught people’s attentions.

Following recommendations from Eric Bischoff, the newly named Madusa appeared on WCW television and dropped the WWF Women’s Championship in the bin. This was a hugely symbolic act, showing that WCW was now in a position to publically insult their rival without fear of repercussions. Blayze was blacklisted from the WWF for nearly 20 years after this incident but has since been welcomed back into the fold, joining the Hall of Fame class of 2015.

#8 Triple H makes his WWF debut

The birth of a star

With many of its former employees leaving Vince’s side in the mid-90s, the WWF responded by signing young, hungry athletes in an attempt to build for the future. While WCW might have convinced a veteran like Luger to join them, a relatively unheard of star under the name ‘Terror Rising’ ended up going in the other direction and became a WWF superstar for the first time in 1995.

At the time, if you wanted to make it as a WWF superstar, the best thing you could do was get in with The Kliq, a real life group of friends consisting of Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. For one reason or another, these four had the ear of the owner and convinced him to put them in the main event of PPVs. Shawn was being lined up for Championship glory at the time, so things were due to get even cosier between the Kliq and the McMahon family.

Luckily for Terror Rising, now known as the ‘Connecticut Blue Blood’ Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the Kliq took an instant shine to him and invited him along for the ride. Helmsley was given a lot of the mid-card focus, feuding with superstars like Goldust and Mark Mero initially. Helmsley’s luck would eventually run out a year later, but in 1995 his fortunes were very much on the up.

Sometimes it is worth taking a chance with an unknown superstar, rather than just rely on name recognition. Given the central role the man went on to play for the WWF, the signing of Helmsley was certainly a prime example of this.

#9 The ‘Wild Card’ Survivor Series Match

Survivor Series with a twist

They say you can always judge how strong a year the WWF/E had by looking at the big four PPVs. 1994, for example, had shows like Wrestlemania 10 and an impressive Summerslam card involving the Hart brothers inside of a steel cage. By this logic, 1995 was not a good year for the company. Arguably the weakest show from that year was Survivor Series 95. In fact, only the main event between Bret and Diesel saved it from being the worst of all time.

One novel concept from that show, however, was the traditional 5 on 5 elimination match which had one noticeable twist. Rather than pitting a babyface team against a heel team, the match involved two teams made up of both heels and faces. The match saw the likes of Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson, The British Bulldog and Psycho Sid team up to face Razor Ramon, Yokozuna, Owen Hart and Dean Douglas.

The match soon descended into chaos, with members of the same team attacking each other, adding another layer to the standard Survivor Series match we are otherwise used to. It’s difficult to say whether the same concept would work in 2017.

One problem would be navigating the issue that babyface and heel dynamics don’t work in the same way as they used to. Fans already treat heels like faces and vice versa. But for a lacklustre year like 1995, this match definitely stood out as a highlight.

#10 Shawn Michaels (and The British Bulldog) lasted the entire Royal Rumble Match

From beginning to end

Of all the major WWE PPV events, The Royal Rumble is always an occasion that will allow certain superstars to stand out. Roman Reigns currently holds the record for the most number of eliminations in one match; Stone Cold has the most number of Rumble wins of all time, and Rey Mysterio is known for lasting the longest amount of time in a Rumble.

One record that has not yet been matched is that of Shawn Michaels, entering in at number 1 in the 1995 Royal Rumble match and going on to win it altogether. Shawn’s endurance on this night in January 95 cemented his ascension to the upper levels of WWF after spending most of his time in the mid-card throughout the early 90s. Considering the lack of depth on the roster, Shawn was one of the more recognisable names in the match, and perhaps this is why Vince wanted him to last so long.

What often gets overlooked, however, is that the man who entered at number 2, also made it to the very end. This means that technically, both Shawn and Davey Boy Smith lasted the exact same amount of time, considering numbers 1 and 2 begin the match together.

The sight of Shawn dangling from the top rope, narrowly avoiding having to put both feet on the floor is now synonymous with the Royal Rumble event itself. It also meant that Pamela Anderson, another celebrity involved with WWF in 1995, accompanied Michaels to the ring for his match against Diesel at WrestleMania. For saying 1995 was a poor year in terms of big four PPVs, there were certainly a few memorable moments along the way.