THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA

ARTICLE #29
MARCH 4, 2001

Out of Gas A Look Back At Diesel’s WWF Title Reign

On November 26, 1994 at Madison Square Garden, Diesel pinned Bob Backlund in just six seconds to win the WWF title, in a shocking booking decision by the WWF. His title reign lasted almost exactly one year, another questionable move. Diesel’s title reign was characterized by often lackluster main events (although there were some exceptions) and often disappointing box office results. In fact, the final few months of Diesel as champion included some of the biggest box office flops and some of the worst locker room morale in WWF history. I am not implying by the title of this article that Diesel’s title reign fell flat towards the end, but more that it was a reign that was doomed almost from the start.

1995 Royal Rumble: WWF Title: Diesel (c) vs Bret Hart

Diesel overpowered Bret early and won an exchange of blows. Bret tried a cross bodyblock but Diesel caught him and slammed him. Diesel missed an elbowsmash but scored with an elbow of his own and clotheslined Bret over the top rope to the floor. Diesel won another slugfest but Bret grabbed his leg and rammed it into the ringpost. Bret then attacked Diesel’s left leg for a while. Bret applied a figure 4 leglock on Diesel and held it for nearly a minute. Bret gave Diesel’s left leg an elbowsmash and a kneedrop before reapplying the figure 4 leglock. Diesel left the ring but Bret hit a tope suicida. Bret rammed Diesel into the ringpost but Diesel then whipped Bret into the ring steps. Diesel whipped Bret hard into the corner and gave him several elbows. Diesel side suplexed Bret for a near fall and drove his neck onto the middle rope. He gave Bret a backbreaker and gained a near fall. Bret tried to fight back but Diesel aborted his comeback and whipped him hard into the corner. Diesel then applied an Argentine backbreaker. Diesel gave Bret a high kick and an elbowsmash for a near fall. Diesel charged to the corner but ran into a knee and Bret gave him a second rope clothesline. Diesel caught Bret on the top rope and went for a press slam but Bret fell on top of him for a near fall. Bret grabbed Diesel’s legs, drove him crotch first into the ringpost, and tied his legs together around the post at ringside. Bret dominated Diesel in heelish fashion and gave him a bulldog for a near fall. Bret gained a near fall with a Russian legsweep. He gave Diesel a backbreaker and a second rope elbow for a near fall. Bret clotheslined Diesel over the top rope to the floor but Diesel landed on his feet. Bret went for a tope but Diesel caught him and rammed him back first into the ringpost. Diesel hit his jackknife powerbomb for a near fall but Shawn Michaels interfered and attacked Diesel. The ring announcer Howard Finkel announced the ref said the match must continue. Bret repeatedly kicked Diesel’s left leg and gave it a couple kneedrops. Bret applied another figure 4 leglock on Diesel at 18:19. Diesel fought back with several punches and escaped the hold. Bret continued to attack Diesel’s left leg but missed a running elbow in the corner. Diesel then attacked Bret’s ribs with punches and kneelifts. Diesel actually gave Bret a gut wrench suplex for a near fall. Diesel missed a high kick in the corner and as a result his left leg was draped over the top rope. Bret again went to ringside and rammed Diesel’s leg into the ringpost. Bret then hit Diesel’s leg with a chair. Back in the ring Bret applied a sharpshooter on Diesel but Owen Hart then ran to the ring and attacked Bret at 22:02. Owen removed one of the turnbuckles and whipped Bret into that corner. It was announced again that the match would continue. Diesel crawled over to Bret and covered him for a near fall. Diesel tried to ram Bret into the exposed corner bolt but Bret fought back and rammed Diesel into the bolt. Bret landed a series if punches but Diesel fought back with some forearms of his own. Bret staggered and fell through the ropes, with his legs caught in the middle rope and hung upside down outside the ring. Bret sold his knee enough to lure Diesel and roll him up for a near fall. Bret landed some blows and went for a rollup but Diesel ran into the ref. Michaels then attacked Diesel again while Owen and Bob Backlund came in and attacked Bret. The ref called for the bell at 27:16 and after a minute of chaos the match was declared a draw. Somewhat of a tough to match to rate, because it had some weaknesses but some strengths that were impossible to ignore. This was one of the most focused matches I’ve ever seen in the WWF, with Diesel’s leg and Bret’s ribs being the focal points. Both wrestlers sold their injuries very well and rarely strayed from their main focus. Almost everything they did was executed flawlessly, in part because they stayed within their physical limitations. However, most of the match was too methodical to register as a classic match in the 1990s. The pacing was generally slow with Diesel on offense, and Bret’s pace on offense wasn’t much quicker. As a result, while very little of the match was boring or pointless, much of it was perhaps not energetic enough to be exciting, which Pro Wrestling Torch publisher Wade Keller pointed out. He rated the match ***1/4, and I believe Meltzer from the Observer rated it ****1/4. This match would have been definitely ****1/4 if it had taken place in 1985, maybe even the late 80s, as opposed to 1995. I’ll go with Keller’s rating, since I liked the match but didn’t necessarily enjoy it. ***1/4

Wrestlemania XI: WWF Title: Diesel (c) vs Shawn Michaels w/Sid

Michaels charged Diesel before the bell but Diesel backdropped him over the top rope to the floor. Diesel scored with a punch early. Michaels attacked Diesel’s left arm but Diesel pushed him into the corner. Diesel hiptossed Michaels and gave him a very high backdrop. Diesel whipped Michaels into the corner and Michaels took a crazy flip bump clear out of the ring to the floor. Diesel elbowed Michaels as he reentered the ring. Michaels spat at Diesel and Diesel missed an elbow in the corner. Michaels gave Diesel a series of punches in the corner but Diesel pushed him off and elbowed him. Diesel went for a press slam but Michaels raked his eyes. Michaels attempted a suplex but Diesel countered with one of his own. Diesel knocked Michaels for a loop with a kneelift and Michaels fell out of the ring. Michaels fought back and went for a sunset flip but Diesel picked him up by the neck and dropped him crotch first on the top rope. Diesel missed a high kick and Michaels gave him a cactus clothesline out of the ring to the floor. Michaels then hit a plancha on Diesel. He gave Diesel a baseball slide kick but missed a second and Diesel rammed him into the apron. Diesel missed an elbow and hit the ringpost. Michaels then hit a splash off the apron onto Diesel on the floor. Back in the ring Michaels attacked Diesel’s ribs and right leg. Michaels gave Diesel a bulldog off the second rope for a near fall. Michaels landed several blows and rammed Diesel into the turnbuckle. Diesel whipped Michaels into the corner but Michaels came off the second rope with an elbow for a near fall. Michaels hit a top rope elbowsmash to Diesel’s back for a near fall. Michaels went for a suplex but Diesel countered with a backdrop. Michaels recovered and grabbed Diesel’s head but Diesel backdropped him again. Diesel whipped Michaels into the corner, Michaels jumped up but Diesel caught him and went for a slam or something, but Michaels escaped and shoved Diesel into the opposite corner. Michaels applied a sleeper on Diesel and nearly gained a win. Diesel backed Michaels into the corner and escaped the hold. Diesel landed a couple elbows and clotheslined Michaels in the corner. He whipped Michaels into the opposite corner and gave him another clothesline. Diesel dropped Michaels head first on the top turnbuckle (snake eyes) and drove his neck onto the middle rope. Diesel whipped Michaels into the corner, Michaels took a flip bump and Diesel knocked Michaels off the apron to the floor with an elbow. Diesel gave Michaels several elbows in and out of the ring. Diesel missed a lariat and Michaels gave him sweet chin music (superkick) and went for the pin but the ref had been knocked out of commission. Michaels covered Diesel but only gained a near fall. Diesel fought back with a back suplex but Michaels then gained a near fall. Michaels came off the second rope but Diesel caught him and gave him a side suplex. Diesel grabbed Michaels and catapulted him head first into the second turnbuckle. Diesel gave Michaels several elbows and a high kick. Diesel then gave Michaels a jackknife powerbomb and pinned him at 20:36 to retain the title. A great match, almost entirely due to Michaels. He actually gave one of his best career performances here as he took great bump after great bump. If anyone forgot how great a bumper Michaels was or whether or not he belongs in the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, they should look at this match. Diesel simply kept up enough not to drag the match down too much. Not an excellent match, but that’s entirely Diesel’s fault. ***3/4

In Your House II: Lumberjack Match for the WWF Title: Diesel (c) vs Sid

Sid attacked Diesel before the bell but Diesel fought back and knocked Sid out of the ring. The face lumberjacks quickly threw Sid back in the ring. Diesel slammed Sid, who bailed out on the heels lumberjacks’ side, and naturally the heels bought him time. Sid pulled Diesel out of the ring and the heels attacked him. Back in the ring Sid gained a near fall. Sid dominated Diesel with his usual unspectacular offense and gave him a clothesline. While the ref was distracted the heels ganged up on Diesel. Diesel fought back with some punches and a clothesline. Diesel elbowsmashed Sid twice and then dove over the top rope onto the heels at ringside. A wild brawl erupted at ringside between most of the lumberjacks briefly. Diesel gave Sid a snake eyes in the corner. Diesel was tripped and dragged out of the ring by King Mabel, but Diesel fought back and rammed Sir Mo into the ringpost. Mabel splashed Diesel against the ringpost and slammed him on the floor. Sid gave Diesel a high kick for a near fall and applied a chinlock. Sid powerbombed Diesel for a near fall. He attempted another powerbomb but Diesel countered with a backdrop. Sid attacked one of the face lumberjacks but the other faces ganged up on him. Michaels came off the top rope with an axhandle on Sid at ringside. Some of the heels came in but Diesel cleaned house. Diesel gave Sid a high kick and pinned him at 10:05 to retain the title. The lumberjack involvement was actually entertaining and saved the match from being a disaster. Diesel wasn’t much worse than usual but couldn’t possibly carry someone like Sid. Even with all the lumberjacks and chaos it wasn’t a decent match. *

Summerslam 1995: WWF Title: Diesel (c) vs King Mabel (w/Sir Mo)

Diesel landed some punches to start but Mabel knocked him down with an elbow. Mabel landed a few chops in the corner and used heelish tactics against Diesel. Diesel whipped Mabel into the opposite corner and gave him two running lariats. Diesel landed some elbows and attempted a slam but Mabel fought back. Mabel missed a clothesline and Diesel gave him two clotheslines. Diesel then knocked Mabel out of the ring with a flying tackle and hit a tope. Mabel fought back and whipped Diesel into the ringpost. Mabel went for a splash against the ringpost but Diesel met him with a high kick. Diesel gave Mabel some kneelifts in the corner. Mabel whipped Diesel into the opposite corner and gave him somewhat of a Rock bottom for a near fall. Mabel hit a sitdown splash and applied a chinlock. Mabel slammed Diesel but missed an elbowsmash. In going for the elbowsmash Mabel tackled the ref out of the ring. Mo came in and he & Mabel double teamed Diesel. Lex Luger ran into the ring to help Diesel but Diesel slugged him, apparently not knowing who was in his path. Diesel then clotheslined Luger out of the ring and got the better of both Mo and Mabel. Mabel fought back and clotheslined Diesel out of the ring. Mabel legdropped Diesel on the floor. Luger then attacked Mo and fought with him to the backstage area. Back in the ring Mabel belly to belly suplexed Diesel for a near fall. Mabel missed a second rope splash and Diesel came off the second rope with a clothesline. Diesel then pinned Mabel at 9:14 to retain the title. As limited as Mabel was, at least his offense was better than Sid’s in the previous match, if only because he could use his girth as a visual aid. Diesel worked fairly hard and the match was fine given who was involved. *1/2

In Your House IV: WWF Title: Diesel (c) vs British Bulldog (w/Jim Cornette)

Bret Hart did color commentary for this match. When he came out he chased Lawler from the announcers’ area. Diesel scored with a forearm smash early. Bulldog tried a cross bodyblock but Diesel caught and slammed him. Diesel slammed Bulldog and Bulldog bailed out of the ring. He grabbed Diesel’s legs around the ringpost but Diesel pushed him off. Back in the ring Diesel hit a running lariat in the corner and one in the opposite corner. Diesel gave Bulldog some kneelifts and elbows. Bulldog fought back and dropkicked Diesel out of the ring. Diesel staggered into the announcers’ desk and shoved Bret. Bulldog clipped Diesel’s leg on the floor. Bulldog continued to attack Diesel’s left leg in the ring for a while. Bulldog knocked Diesel out of the ring and Cornette elbowsmashed Diesel’s leg on the floor. Diesel tried to fight back but Bulldog rammed his head into the ring steps. Bulldog continued his attack on Diesel’s leg and applied a half crab and then a Boston crab. Diesel reached the ropes but Bulldog then applied another half crab. Bulldog gave Diesel a legdrop for a near fall and applied a leglock. Diesel escaped the hold with several punches but Bulldog clipped his knee again. Bulldog elbowsmashed Diesel’s leg. Bulldog aborted another comeback attempt by grabbing Diesel’s leg and applying a leglock. Diesel fought back by kicking Bulldog out of the ring and woke up the crowd in the process. Bulldog quickly regained the advantage and went back to attacking Diesel’s left leg. Bulldog attempted a suplex but Diesel countered with one of his own. Diesel back suplexed Bulldog. Bulldog recovered and gained a near fall. Bulldog then applied a sharpshooter on Diesel but Diesel kicked him for a loop and broke the hold. Bulldog went for a powerslam but Diesel fell on top of him for a near fall. Bulldog again went for a powerslam but Diesel countered and gave him a high kick. Cornette got onto the apron but Diesel catapulted him into the ring. Diesel moved and Bulldog ran into Cornette. Bulldog rammed Diesel into the ringpost and slapped Bret. Bret then attacked Bulldog and the ref called for the DQ at 18:14. Diesel then confronted Bret about costing him the victory and attacked him. Bret fought back and a wild pullapart ensued. The postmatch fight was actually more entertaining than the match itself, which was one of the flattest WWF title matches on a major event I can remember. Even with Diesel’s limitations this was a huge disappointment as Diesel phoned it in and Bulldog barely mailed in his performance, as he should have worked much harder. *

Survivor Series 1995: WWF Title, No DQ: Diesel (c) vs Bret Hart

Diesel undid one of the turnbuckle pads and Bret did the same in the opposite corner. Bret backed Diesel into a corner but Diesel overpowered him and landed several blows in the corner. Diesel landed some punches and forearms and Bret bailed out of the ring. Diesel attacked Bret in the aisle and dropped him neck first onto the barricade. Diesel dominated Bret for a couple more minutes. Bret tried to fight back but Diesel won a slugfest. Diesel knocked Bret out of the ring with a punch and whipped him into the ring steps. Diesel rammed Bret back first into the ringpost. He hit Bret with a chair. Back in the ring Diesel whipped Bret hard into the corner and gave him a short clothesline. Diesel went for a jackknife but Bret held on to his leg. Bret bit Diesel’s arm and applied an armbar. He attacked Diesel in heelish fashion and applied a sleeper while raking his eyes. Bret repeatedly kicked Diesel’s left leg and attacked it with an elbowsmash and a kneedrop. Bret continued to attack Diesel’s leg and applied a figure 4 leglock. Diesel reached the ropes but Bret didn’t break the hold due to the no-DQ rule. Bret attempted to apply a sharpshooter but Diesel poked his eyes. Bret grabbed Diesel’s legs but Diesel pushed him into the corner and Bret’s head crashed hard into the top turnbuckle. Diesel landed a couple shots but Bret grabbed his legs and rammed his left leg into the ringpost twice. Bret tied a cord to the ringpost. He tied Diesel’s leg with the cord but Diesel drove his leg onto Bret’s face and broke the leglock Bret had applied. Bret hit a second rope elbow strike. He went to hit Diesel with a chair but Diesel gave him a high kick with the leg that wasn’t tied. Bret recovered and hit Diesel repeatedly with the chair, especially Diesel’s leg. Bret elbowsmashed Diesel and gave him a backbreaker. Bret went to the top rope but Diesel punched him and crotched him on the top rope. Diesel slammed Bret off the top rope to the mat and untied his leg from the cord. Diesel limped but was able to side suplex Bret for a near fall. Diesel whipped Bret hard into one of the corners with an exposed turnbuckle bolt. Diesel dominated Bret, giving him a snake eyes in the corner but continuing to limp. Diesel barely lifted Bret and went for another snake eyes but Bret escaped and rammed Diesel’s head into the exposed turnbuckle bolt. Bret landed a number of punches and clotheslined Diesel for a near fall. Bret gave Diesel a bulldog off the second rope for a near fall and a Russian legsweep for another near fall. Bret landed more punches and clotheslined Diesel over the top rope to the floor. Bret missed a tope when Diesel moved. Bret got up on the apron but Diesel knocked him off the apron and, in a spot that would be repeated so many times in future PPVs, through the Spanish announcers’ table. Diesel threw Bret back into the ring and went for a jackknife but Bret collapsed out of his grip. Diesel tentatively picked Bret up and Bret rolled him up for the pin at 24:52 to win the title. After the match Diesel attacked Bret and gave him a jackknife powerbomb. He also struck several referees. While this was very similar to their Royal Rumble match, I enjoyed this match more. The pacing was often methodical, but the pacing and flow were a bit tighter here. They again worked a smart match, within their physical limitations, and with some very good and sometimes subtle psychology. A very good match. ***1/4

Next Issue: In Your House: Matches That Raised The Roof

BACK TO THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA MENU
HOME