King of the Ring (1995) Poster

(1995 TV Special)

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5/10
A bizarre tournament highlights a rather lackluster event
bh_tafe310 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Bret Hart finally got some revenge on Lawler, Diesel continued his feud with Psycho Sid, Razor Ramon pulled out with injury and we got a bizarre winner on this third annual King of the Ring PPV, one that's frequently mentioned in discussions regarding the worst WWE PPV of all time, I think unfairly.

The big story going into the King of the Ring Tournament was that Razor Ramon, scheduled to face Yokozuna in the first round, had been forced out of the event by injury, so immediately before the event a match was held between Ramon's friend Savio Vega and the Million Dollar Corporation's Irwin R Shyster. Vega won the match and so advanced.

The first match of the event proper saw Vega in action again, taking on former WWE Champion, and currently one half of the tag team champions, Yokozuna. There were shenanigans aplenty with Razor, Mr Fuji and Jim Cornette all at ringside. Vega won a real rubbish match by countout.

Next up saw the Roadie, accompanied by Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett, taking on and defeating Bob Holly. Neither one of these guys was the most exciting to watch, even at this stage. While this isn't terrible, it isn't good either. So Roadie wins through and will Savio Vega in the semi.

Here's where things take a turn for the worse. In our next match we see reformed bad guy Shawn Michaels taking on the Million Dollar Corporation's Kama. In probably the best match of the night, Michaels and Kama fight to a time limit draw. Both are out, meaning the winner of the next match gets a bye through to the final.

The next match was between Undertaker and Mabel, unfortunately, the Undertaker was in a feud with Kama at this stage, who of course interfered in a poor match and Undertaker was defeated and knocked out. This meant that the only men who could win the King of the Riung in 1995 were The Roadie, Savio Vega and Mabel.

You can cross The Roadie off after our next match, in which he defeated the Roadie, overcoming the antics of Jeff Jarret at ringside. This was a decent match. So it would be Vega and Mabel in the King of the Ring final.

The next match saw Bret Hart finally get some revenge on Jerry Lawler. Hart and Lawler had been feuding on and off since Hart had won the King of the Ring Tournament in 1993. At the previous PPV, In Your House, Hart had been forced to face Yakushi and then later lost to Lawler by interference. But tonight saw Hart victorious in a Kiss my Foot match. And that on deep kiss I can tell ya.

Next up came the King of the Ring Final which saw Mabel defeat a gallant Savio Vega in a pretty poor wrestling match. All hail King Mabel, and that's all I've got to say about that.

Finally brings us to the main event which saw WWE Champion Diesel teaming up with Bam Bam Bigelow to take on the Million Dollar Corporation's Psycho Sid and Tatanka (with Ted DiBiase at ringside). This match also stemmed from the In Your House PPV. At that event Tatanka had interfered in a title match between Diesel and Sid to prevent Sid from winning. Tatanka and Sid then destroyed Diesel with a vicious beatdown before Bigelow, who had recently been kicked out of the MDC, came to the Champion's aid. Well there'd be no disqualifications here as the good guys won, with Bigelow getting some revenge on he group that betrayed him, pinning Tatanka in a passable main event.

This was not a great event. Mable was a strange choice for a winner, and Vega an even stranger choice as his opponent. The matches weren't great either. But there is a certain charm to this show, and, while missable, this is nowhere near the worst WWE PPV of all time.
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4/10
No crowning Glory
paudieconnolly10 May 2021
A poor time for wrestling. A very poor time on the mics reduced to kissing feet in the ring. If you remember something from this event it's probably not good.
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2/10
Hopefully The Bottoming-Out
zkonedog16 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The 1995 King of the Ring WWE pay-per-view is a mess almost all the way across the board, sinking to depths that the previous event (WrestleMania XI) never even stooped.

The obvious problem here is that KOTR '95 has absolutely no matches which are compelling combined with a complete and utter failure to even put together a decent card. Some examples:

-Two of the company's most versatile talents, Bret Hart & Jerry Lawler, are stuck in a gimmick "Kiss My Foot" match. Embarrassing for both wrestlers, to say the least.

-The tournament itself sees its best two performers--Shawn Michaels & Undertaker--quickly dispatched in the first round in favor of a Savio Vega vs. Mabel finale. What the thinking at the time was I"ll never know. Vega had absolutely no push behind him, while having a "King Mabel" does not seem justifiable no matter how one looks at it (he was a horrible performer with little charisma).

-Much like WM XI, the main event here is an enormous letdown. It's just a random assort of names thrown together in a tag match (Diesel & Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Sycho Sid & Tatanka) that means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Even the broadcasters (an integral part of any WWE event) are an enormous letdown. With Lawler limited by his in-ring duties, Vince McMahon is paired with Dok Hendrix, who is close to disastrous on the mic (at least compared to Ventura/Heenan/Lawler before him).

I can't quite remember where WWE PPVs go from here, but I would hope this event represents a bottoming-out, of sorts, as there isn't much further a company could fall.
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Not The Best King Of The Ring Event But Fairly Good
Big Movie Fan23 June 2002
Warning: Spoilers
King of the Ring was pretty average as far as King of the Ring events go but there was a bit here that could be enjoyed.

(SPOILERS AHEAD)

The King of the Ring tournament itself was fairly mediocre. The match between Shawn Michaels and Kama was awesome but the rest of the tournament matches were nothing special.

Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow beat Tatanka and Psycho Sid in the main event-it was okay.

Bret Hart battled Jerry "The King" Lawler in a "Kiss My Foot Match." Hart and Lawler were bitter enemies (at least on TV)which made this a great match and the ending of the match was great where Bret Hart put his foot in Lawler's mouth before forcing Lawler's own foot into his mouth. Lawler then hurried back to the locker rooms almost spewing up-it was classic WWF comedy at the time.

King of the Ring 1995 is worth checking out for the "Kiss My Foot Match" and the Shawn Michaels/Kama match.
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1/10
The definition of stupidity
callanvass2 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Live from

Philly, PA

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Dok Hendrix

Attendance 16,590

KOTR qualifying match

Savio Vega (W/Razor Ramon) Vs I.R.S (W/Ted Dibiase)

Vega wins with a spinning heel kick. This is a pre-show bonus match that Coliseum Video gave us. The best compliment I can give this match is that I expected a lot worse. I.R.S would leave the WWF for WCW soon after this.

*

KOTR quarter-finals

Yokozuna (W/Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji) Vs Savio Vega (W/Razor Ramon)

Savio advances by countout after a brawl on the floor. This was a really boring match with hardly any exciting moments. Vega is certainly a decent wrestler, but he can't do much with Yokozuna. The Cinderella story continues for Savio.

*

A closeup is shown of Jerry Lawler's tattered looking sock over his foot. He promises that Bret will kiss his stinky foot later tonight.

KOTR quarter-finals

The Roadie (W/Jeff Jarrett) Vs Bob Holly

Holly leaps off the top towards Roadie, but Roadie gets his boot up in Holly's face, and manages to pin him with that to advance. The effort from both is commendable, but it failed to generate any true excitement. The first minute is awesome with several near falls, but neither could really take advantage of that no matter how hard they worked. It just felt inconsequential.

**

KOTR quarter-finals

Shawn Michaels vs Kama (W/Ted Dibiase)

The match ends in a time-limit draw, meaning BOTH are eliminated from the tournament. After the match, Shawn delivers Sweet Chin Music to Kama. It's such a shame that Kama had to bore the place to tears with his crappy offense for most of this match. Whenever Shawn was on offense, the match got better, which is why the last 5 minutes were good. The finish is one of the stupidest booking decisions you'll ever see! Shawn was way over with the Philly crowd and he would have been a great choice to win KOTR.

*1/2

KOTR quarter-finals

Mabel (W/Mo) Vs The Undertaker (W/Paul Bearer)

The winner of this match gets a bye into the finals. Mabel wins with a legdrop, thanks to outside interference from Kama. Another crappy match from this PPV. The Undertaker was the last hope the crowd had for somebody good to win the KOR. Mabel beating The Undetaker was simply inexcusable! Kama and The Undertaker would continue their awful feud after this.

*1/4

KOTR semi-finals

Savio Vega (W/Razor Ramon) Vs The Roadie (W/Jeff Jarrett)

Vega wins with a roll-up after failed interference from Jeff Jarrett. Yet, another boring match. The crowd revolted a bit during the match with loud booing. Nobody cared about Savio Vega's Cinderella story and they damn sure didn't wanna see a KOTR final between Vega and Mabel.

*

Kiss My Foot Match

Bret Hart Vs Jerry "The King" Lawler

Bret wins with the Sharpshooter. Bret shoves his foot in Lawler's mouth after the match. To add insult to injury, Bret forces Jerry's stinky foot with the tattered sock in Lawler's own mouth. I wouldn't exactly call it a good match, but it was fine for what it was. Many people wanted to see Lawler get his comeuppance and this was the perfect way to do it. The crowd enjoyed it and so did I.

*3/4

KOTR finals

Savio Vega (W/Razor Ramon) Vs Mabel (W/Mo)

Mabel wins the King of the Ring with a big splash. This match was so boring that Vince pleaded with Savio to "make a move" during a reverse chinlock.from Mabel. The crowd revolted big time as well with thunderous ECW chants. Mabel winning the King of the Ring is a complete joke in every sense of the word. Awful. Just awful.

½*

We get the coronation for King Mabel that nobody gives a rat's ass about.

Jerry Lawler literally pukes in the sink from having feet shoved in his mouth, then tries to get the taste out of his mouth by eating toothpaste.

Sycho Sid & Tatanka (W/Ted Dibiase) Vs Diesel & Bam Bam Bigelow

Diesel and Bigelow win after Diesel pins Tatanka with a jackknife powerbomb. Diesel wanted Sid, but Sid bailed. What a dull main event to cap off quite possibly the worst WWE PPV in history. This didn't have a big match feel to it, but you can blame that on the lack of depth in 1995. As much as I like Bigelow, he is not a very good face and he looked out-of-place with Diesel. I also couldn't take Tatanka seriously as a top heel.

*1/2

Final Thoughts:

This might just be the worst PPV in history. I saw it a few years ago and decided to give it another chance. What a mistake that was! This is an agonizing experience and something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. There are so many problems with this PPV. It features some of the stupidest booking decisions you'll ever see. I really don't see how Vince could pass over Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker to make Mabel KOTR. With all due respect, Mabel was a crappy wrestler and he had no business getting this kind of push. Second of all, Savio Vega's Cinderella run flopped miserably. I get that Vince wanted to give Savio the Rocky Balboa treatment, but in order for that to work, people have to actually ROOT for you. Savio got barely any reaction out of his four appearances all night. I could go on, but there is a word limit here. Unless you're a masochist, stay far away from this PPV. Life is too short.
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