The Kliq Rules (Disc 1)

Blu-ray Release Date: Tuesday, 7/28/2015

~Disc 1~

The documentary portion of the first disc is a decent presentation, just under an hour long. It’s definitely told from the Kliq point of view, but they don’t necessarily shy away from their reputation as colossal pricks at the time. Not essential viewing here, but a decent enough documentary and a breeze to sit through.

~Disc 1 Matches and Star Ratings~

1. Monday Night RAW, 5/17/93: The Kid defeated Razor Ramon at 2:12. **
2. Monday Night RAW, 6/21/93: Razor Ramon and The 1-2-3 Kid wrestled to a double-countout at 5:15 in a $10,000 Challenge Match. *½
3. Monday Night RAW, 11/29/93: Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon defeated Diesel by disqualification in a non-title match at 5:19. *¾
4. Monday Night RAW, 12/6/93: Shawn Michaels defeated The 1-2-3 Kid by disqualification at 15:00. ***¼
5. Monday Night RAW, 2/21/94: Razor Ramon & The 1-2-3 Kid defeated World Tag Team Champions The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre, w/ Johnny Polo) by disqualification at 16:05. ***
6. WrestleMania X, 3/20/94: Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon defeated Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match at 18:47 to retain the title. *****
7. Superstars, 4/30/94: Diesel (w/ Shawn Michaels) defeated Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon to win the title at 5:43. **¼
8. Action Zone, 10/30/94: World Tag Team Champions Diesel & Shawn Michaels defeated Razor Ramon & The 1-2-3 Kid to retain the titles at 22:02. ****½
9. Survivor Series, 11/23/94: The Bad Guys (Razor Ramon, The 1-2-3 Kid, Fatu, Sionne & British Bulldog, w/ Lou Albano & Afa) defeated The Teamsters (Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart & Jeff Jarrett) in a Survivor Series Elimination Match at 21:45. ***
10. Monday Night RAW, 1/22/96: Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Razor Ramon via countout at 8:01. **¾
11. In Your House, 2/18/96: Razor Ramon defeated The 1-2-3 Kid (w/ Ted DiBiase) at 12:01 in a Crybaby Match. ***¼

~JZ Says~

The first disc kicks off with one of the most famous matches in RAW history – Razor Ramon vs The Kid. WWE fans weren’t used to seeing anyone of Kid’s size as anything but a jobber, so most assumed this would be a squash for Ramon. That turned out not to be the case, as Kid survived any onslaught and hit a Moonsault Press from the top rope to get the shocking upset pin. Not much of a match, but it was quite a moment.

Just over a month later, The Kid, now known as The 1-2-3 Kid, got another shot at Razor Ramon, this time with $10,000 on the line. The crowd was hot for the match, but they ended it with a weird double-countout. Not nearly as satisfying as the prior match.

Later in 1993, Razor Ramon had turned face and was now fighting Diesel on RAW. Big Daddy Cool was super green at the time, and Ramon led him through a pretty basic TV match until Shawn Michaels ran in for the DQ. The 1-2-3 Kid ran out to make the save and even the odds. Hey, maybe those four should have a tag match together?

Instead of that, Kid and Michaels faced off in a singles match the very next week. They got quite a bit more time than their counterparts did the previous week, and they were clearly motivated to make each other look good. Late in the match, Michaels used Razor Ramon’s Razor’s Edge finisher, which drew The Bad Guy out to ringside. Michaels and Ramon brawled toward the entrance, where Diesel took a cheap shot to knock Ramon out. Michaels followed with a Razor’s Edge on the concrete, twice. The finish was a bummer, but this was a really fun match.

The first match on this set to include non-Kliq members is a Tag Team Title match pitting the Quebecers against Ramon & Kid. Ramon was the Intercontinental Champion at the time, so he was chasing Double Gold here. They followed the basic tag team formula in the early going, and then Ramon took an opportunity to hit Johnny Polo with the Razor’s Edge out on the floor, leaving the Champions without their manager for the rest of the match. Ramon and Kid dominated the match until Diesel showed up in the aisle to distract Ramon. When Ramon made the comeback and hit the Razor’s Edge, it looked like the titles were about to change hands. Unfortunately for Ramon and Kidi, Shawn Michaels ran out to break up the pin and cause the disqualification. Rock solid tag team match until the weak finish. I see why they did it with WrestleMania X coming up, but still.

Speaking of WrestleMania X, I just reviewed the ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon on The True Story of WrestleMania. I gave it five stars.

A few short weeks after the ladder match, Ramon was tasked with defending his title against Diesel on Superstars. I get hype every time I see a Superstars match (either iteration) on a DVD or Blu-ray set. This was six months after their RAW match, and Diesel had already gotten noticeably better at being a wrestler. Michaels helped Diesel by pulling a turnbuckle pad off, and Diesel whipped Ramon right into it. One Jackknife Powerbomb later, and Diesel won the Intercontinental Title.

Earlier in this review, I expressed a desire to see a Razor/Kid v HBK/Diesel match, and the Blu-ray provides that, with the famous Action Zone match from October ’94. Razor was once again the Intercontinental Champion, so he was seeking double gold for the second time on this set. This match is legendary for a reason – it rocks. The documentary went out of its way to establish that these guys would work extra hard to make each other look good, and the results definitely bear that out. The only thing that really knocks this down is how long Diesel stayed down after getting hit with the Sweet Chin Music. He was out for like, five minutes, which just felt way too long. Aside from that though, this is easily one of the best tag team matches of the ‘90s.

A few weeks after that excellent tag match, the Kliq foursome was joined by the Headshrinkers, Davey Boy Smith, Jeff Jarrett, Owen Hart, and Jim Neidhart for a traditional Survivor Series match. The action was pretty good, and Diesel eliminated everyone on the opposing team except for Razor. Then another mistimed Sweet Chin Music from HBK angered Diesel so much that he chased his partner out of the ring and to the back. Jarrett, Hart, and Neidhart tried to break it up and all five of them were counted out. I loved this match as a youth, and I still get plenty of enjoyment out of it now.

We skip all the way over 1995 and pick up the night after Royal Rumble 1996. Razor Ramon had just lost the Intercontinental Title to Goldust, thanks to the 1-2-3 Kid. His first match as former champion was against Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who was slowly establishing himself at the time. They had a decent little TV match, but the countout finish was a bit of a bummer.

The last match on the disc is the infamous “Crybaby” match between Razor and the Kid. Despite the stipulation that the winner had to wear a diaper, the match was the usual goodness between the two.

Disc 1 covers the highlights really well and has a good variety of the Kliq quintet matches. Two of them are ****½ or higher, though one of those matches is on a million other DVDs and Blu-rays.