A Year In Brief: World Wrestling Federation 1995

A Year in Brief

No. 1 World Wrestling Federation 1995

The long term significance
This year saw the launch of the In Your House pay per views, which saw the WWF broadcasting monthly pay per views for the first time, a legacy that continues to this day. WCW wouldn't begin promoting a monthly schedule until Souled Out debuted in January 1997, but then continued to until the companies demise in 2001. In 2004, the now WWE began adding more events to the calendar reaching a high of 16 in 2006. This has since been cut back down to 14.



Story of the year
Diesel defended the WWF Championship at every pay per view in the year bar King of the Ring where he competed in a tag match and In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings, having finally lost the title to Bret Hart at Survivor Series. The pair had contested a title match at the Royal Rumble, ending in a draw due to outside interference. In the intervening time Diesel defended the belt against Shawn Michaels, Sycho Sid, King Mabel, Yokozuna and the British Bulldog (where he briefly became Tag Team Champion alongside Michaels)and finally The British Bulldog, where Hart would interfere costing the champion the match. After the loss at Survivor Series, Diesel began a heel turn, rounding the year out with a disqualification loss to Owen Hart at in Your House 5.

For the record books
Shawn Michaels entered the Royal Rumble first, and outlasted 29 other men to win. The man he last eliminated, The British Bulldog, entered second, and therefore began the match with Michaels. Although men have gone on to win from these positions in subsequent Royal Rumble matches, the only other time that the first two entrants were also the last two was in 1999 when Vince McMahon won by taking out Steve Austin. It should be noted however that McMahon spent the majority of that match on commentary, somewhat reducing the significance.

The pay per view that attracted the highest buy rate was WrestleMania XI with 1.0, approximately 400,000 whilst the lowest was In Your House 5: Seasons Beatings with just 0.3 approximately 120,000.

Went on to greater things
Isaac Yankem, after a brief detour as Fake Diesel, was repackaged as Kane and went on to become a firm fan favourite, holding 2 World titles, 2 Intercontinental titles and 10 Tag Team titles with a variety of partners. He also holds a number of records in the Royal Rumble; the most elimination's in a single Rumble (11), most appearances (15), most consecutive appearances (13) and quickest elimination of another competitor (1.8 seconds). He stands only two behind Shawn Michaels record of total elimination's, at 37 to Michaels' 39.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley shortened his name to Triple H, and went on to win King of the Ring in 1997 before forming D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels. Having held 23 championships in the WWE, including 13 World Titles, Triple H has been one of the most dominant wrestlers in the company, and one of the few capable of overshadowing the return of The Undertaker prior to Wrestlemania XXVII. A long standing backstage role was also officially confirmed in 2010 when he was appointed as an executive senior advisor, and the following year placed in charge of talent development.

Disappearing from view
Bob Backlund's career wound down this year, with his final match of note being an I Quit Match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania XI, where he lost without ever actually saying the words "I Quit". Special guest referee Roddy Piper called for the bell after Backlund screamed unintelligibly into the mic. He featured only sporadically thereafter, mostly as a manger, before leaving the company in 1997.