SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 18:14 Min.
At In Your House 4 on October 22, 1995, at Winnipeg Arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, WWF World Champion Kevin “Diesel” Nash would face “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith. In addition to the ringside presence of Smith’s wily manager, Jim Cornette, the announcing team consists of Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and guest commentator Bret “Hitman” Hart (at this point, he is a two-time WWF World champion).
It is repeatedly teased that, as an impartial observer, Hart awaits the match’s winner in a month for a World Title showdown at the 1995 Survivor Series.
REVIEW:
Describing this main event as an unwatchable ‘DUD’ probably isn’t the fairest assessment. Make no mistake: clearly neither Kevin Nash nor Davey Boy Smith are striving here for ‘Match of the Year’ consideration. Still, their battle conveys an aura of painful realism (i.e., countering Nash’s overwhelming size, Smith & Cornett’s ground game repetitively target his knees) rather than the polished big-league choreography that fans are expecting.
The power-packed Smith, hence, fails to accomplish what Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels seemingly made look easy: maximizing Nash’s in-ring limitations to justify his position as Vince McMahon’s World Champion. Another factor hampering this dull title match is that neither competitor affects an ounce of charisma.
Aside from Bret Hart’s match-ending contributions, this match’s disappointing quality resembles mid-card filler for a forgettable house show.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE
