Monday Night Raw – June 7, 1993: We Need A King
Monday Night Raw
Date: June 7, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan
We’re on the way to the King Of The Ring, with the show taking place this coming Sunday. That should be more than enough of a focus, and now we get to see if Yokozuna is ready to face Hulk Hogan. Other than that, there is a good chance that we get a look at the tournament so let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Russ Greenberg
Michaels, the brand new champion (having won the title at a house show last night), has a brand new unnamed bodyguard is defending here (in case there was any confusion). A hammerlock takes Greenberg down to start and Michaels gives him a slam. Michaels grabs a chinlock until Greenberg fights up, which is cut off just as fast. The middle rope elbow and piledriver finish for Michaels at 3:48.
Rating: C. This was exactly what you would have expected as Michaels smashed through a jobber shortly after winning the title. The good thing is that they kept it short enough to not be dull but let it go on long enough so Michaels could look good. That being said, Michaels using a piledriver still doesn’t feel right and that’s going to need to change.
It’s the King Of The Ring Report, which runs down the card, including the first round of the tournament. Also announced: Shawn Michaels vs. Crush is now an Intercontinental Title match.
Michaels, with the bodyguard, storms down to ringside where he is livid over having to defend the title.
Adam Bomb vs. El Matador
Johnny Polo is here with Bomb. Matador works on the arm to start and Bomb is already bailing over to the ropes. The quick breather seems to work as Bomb is back with a powerslam but Matador grabs another armbar. Bomb powers out again and kicks away before ramming Matador face first into the buckle. Matador fights back and the fans seem into it but Bomb cuts off an O’Connor roll attempt. A slingshot clothesline to the back of the head finishes for Bomb at 5:32.
Rating: C+. Better than I was expecting here though I’ve long since been a fan of both guys. Matador is someone who had been established as a good hand for a very long time and thankfully that continued after things changed from years as just Tito Santana. On the other hand you have Bomb, who always felt like he had potential but never got the chance to really do anything important.
Tatanka vs. Peter Weeks
They fight over arm control to start until a hiptoss puts Weeks on the floor. Back in and a big jumping elbow hits Weeks but he actually fights back with some forearms. Tatanka goes on the warpath for the quick comeback, with the top rope chop connecting for the pin at 3:15.
Rating: C. Another squash here, but not quite as entertaining as the Michaels version, though that might be due to the other one featuring Shawn Michaels. Tatanka was someone who basically give you just about everything he was going to be able to do in any given match. That’s not giving him much of a ceiling, though there were far worse options for a short outing.
Here is Jerry Lawler (in pink) for the King’s Court. He’s sick of being in the Rotten Apple and insults various people who live here. After a break (yes in an interview segment), Lawler says he’s not talking about the King Of The Ring tournament because the winner is nothing but an imitation of the real king. Instead he brings out Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna, who are ready for Hulk Hogan. Lawler insults Hogan and Fuji brags about Yokozuna’s weight. Even Yokozuna is ready to win.
Rick Steiner/Billy Gunn vs. Fatu/IRS
Their partners are all here too. Afa is here too…and he’s having a WWF ice cream bar. Those Samoans have all the luck. Afa isn’t sure what to make of the $50 that IRS hands him but gets distracted by the good guys taking over on Fatu. IRS comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Rick and Billy to work on the arm. That’s broken up and IRS accidentally decks Fatu, with the big fight being teased as we take a break.
We come back with the villains having calmed down, mainly thanks to DiBiase paying them off (the Headshrinkers ate the money). Back in and IRS sends Rick crashing out to the floor, with DiBiase and Samu sending him into the steps. Fatu drops Rick with a clothesline but Rick Steiner Lines his way out of trouble. The tag brings in Billy as everything breaks down, with DiBiase offering a distraction. That’s enough for IRS to hit a clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 11:35.
Rating: C-. What exactly were you expecting out of this? It’s a mixed up tag match to preview a King Of The Ring eight man tag which wound up being a heck of a lot shorter than this one. The match was rather long and nothing of note happened, which made for a pretty lengthy stretch of TV time.
Here’s what’s coming next week.
Here is Razor Ramon to offer the 1-2-3 Kid $7,500 for a rematch. As for King Of The Ring, he’s ready to make Bret Hart a Nutter Loser.
Overall Rating: D+. Well, King Of The Ring can’t get here fast enough, as a tournament show doesn’t exactly give you much to talk about on television. It doesn’t help that a bunch of big names are in the tournament and that leaves stuff like Hulk Hogan (not here), an eight man tag and Shawn Michaels vs. Crush. I’m going to need more to get hyped about than that and we didn’t see it happen here.
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