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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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 24, 1995
Location: Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska
Attendance: 5,800
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’ll wrap up the month with a pretty big show, as Diesel is defending the WWF Title against Bam Bam Bigelow. The winner of that goes on to face Sid at In Your House in about three weeks, so there is already quite a bit on the line. The rest of the pay per view card could use some build of its own though and we might be seeing that come together this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We look at Bam Bam Bigelow’s recent issues, including losing at the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. Bigelow is going to do better, such as getting a WWF Title match tonight. That’s quite the punishment for a high profile loss.

Opening sequence.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Smoking Gunns vs. Barry Horowitz/Brooklyn Brawler

Billy works on Brawler’s arm to start and Bart comes in with a top rope ax handle. A double Russian legsweep lets Bart stay on the arm before a neckbreaker/belly to back suplex combination finishes for Billy at 2:16. Short and sweet.

Bam Bam Bigelow, with a very black eye, is ready to win the WWF Title for the Million Dollar Corporation.

Diesel is ready for Bigelow.

Bertha Faye vs. La Pantera Serena

Faye is the woman who attacked Alundra Blayze a few weeks ago. This time though she’s in bright rainbow colors and a skirt rather than all black for quite the downgrade. Faye kicks away to start and Serena can’t do much with the power. Serena comes back with some kicks but Faye sits down on her to block a sunset flip. A legdrop crushes Serena and a sitout powerbomb drops her again. Faye’s falling splash finishes at 3:54.

Rating: C-. And we’re done with Faye being someone who can be taken seriously. She came in as a monster a few weeks ago and felt different but here she’s little more than a comedy monster who does some good power stuff. The presentation makes a huge difference, but why go with someone serious when you can do something goofy?

The In Your House report runs down the card, which now features Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid vs. Jeff Jarrett/The Roadie and Bret Hart vs. Hakushi. And you can win a house!

Sid is ready for In Your House.

WWF Title: Diesel vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Bigelow, with Ted DiBiase, is challenging. Diesel actually wrestles him to the mat to start and Bigelow needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Diesel unloads on him in the corner before dropping a big elbow for two. A boot choke in the corner sets up an armbar but Bigelow slams his way out of trouble.

Diesel shrugs off a falling headbutt and hits a running clothesline so they can head outside. Bigelow posts him and hits a Samoan drop for two back inside. We take a break and come back with Diesel fighting out of a chinlock so they can collide for a double down. Diesel is up first to drop an elbow, setting up the running crotch attack against the ropes.

A snap suplex gives Diesel two and he grabs a neck crank. That’s broken up and Bigelow gets his own suplex into his own neck crank. Tatanka comes out to ringside as Diesel fights up, only to get stomped back down. We take another break and come back with Tatanka accidentally tripping Bigelow. A big boot and the Jackknife retain the title at 16:04.

Rating: C+. We’re pretty clearly on the way to a Bigelow face turn and that’s not the worst idea. He’s having the year of his life and it is easy to see why he is getting this kind of a chance. The fans are going to respond to someone who looks like that with that kind of movement and it’s why he was pushed this strong. Just do something with him and it could work.

Post match DiBiase and Tatanka get in the ring to yell at Bigelow. DiBiase can’t believe that Bigelow lost to a FOOTBALL PLAYER and now this. DiBiase slaps him and Tatanka jumps Bigelow from behind, only to get dropped. Bigelow quits the team so here is IRS to help with the beatdown. Sid (in blue for a weird look) comes in as well and a rather horrible powerbomb leaves Bigelow laying. Diesel runs in for the save.

Aldo Montoya vs. Black Phantom

Montoya hammers away to start and sends him to the floor for a slingshot dive. Back in and Montoya works on the arm but Phantom fights up. A middle rope crossbody puts Phantom down again and Montoya’s middle rope bulldog finishes at 2:45.

There’s a new star coming to the WWF. Some Connecticut blue blood.

We look at Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow shaking hands during a commercial earlier tonight.

Overall Rating: C. Well, there was a big angle and that helped a bit, but the rest of the show was the run of the mill stuff we’ve seen around here forever. The show needs something interesting to spice it up and while the Bigelow turn was close, it was only so good. It’s going to take a long time for the company to get out of this rut and that’s making for some rough times.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 10, 1995
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re still dealing with the fallout from Wrestlemania, which last week saw Shawn Michaels dumping Sid, earning himself a beating in the process. That isn’t going to go well for Michaels, whenever he’s back to deal with Sid. Other than that, we’re about a month away from the first In Your House and the show needs to be put together. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We preview tonight’s show.

Owen Hart and Yokozuna are ready for tonight’s six man tag. Hakushi stands there.

Opening sequence.

Commentary hypes up the show.

Adam Bomb vs. Tatanka

Ted DiBiase is here with Tatanka, who hammers Bomb up against the ropes to start. A single right hand knocks Tatanka outside, followed by a running clothesline for two back inside. We take a break and come back with Tatanka knocking him into the corner, followed by a DDT for two. Bomb fights out of a chinlock and slugs away, with the clotheslines sending Tatanka outside. They fight to the floor and that’s enough for a double countout at 7:43.

Rating: C. Not much that can be done with so little time shown and that kind of an ending. As usual, the heel version of Tatanka was just lame as he was the exact same thing he was before the turn, albeit with a lot less energy. I’ve always liked Bomb, but he wasn’t getting to do much in this situation.

Headshrinkers vs. Tony DeVito/Mike Bell

This is Fatu and Sionne (Barbarian) as Samu has left. DeVito rams their heads together to start and it goes as well as you would expect. A clothesline actually takes Fatu down but Sionne gets in a cheap shot from the apron. Bell gets knocked into the wrong corner and the Superfly Splash finishes for Fatu at 2:54.

Jean-Pierre Lafitte talks about having his treasure stolen and seems to want revenge.

Bob Holly won a race.

We look back at last week, with Shawn Michaels seemingly blaming Sid for the loss to Diesel at Wrestlemania. Sid laid Michaels out, and we see the beatdown, which took place during a break for some reason. Vince just walking away as Sid beats Michaels down is rather funny for some reason. Diesel made the save after some powerbombs.

Kama vs. Scott Taylor

Before the match, Kama holds up a gold chain, which is the melted down urn (that can’t be a good idea). Kama rolls him up for a fast two but Taylor manages a quick armdrag. Back up and Kama sends him into the corner and chokes on the rope, followed by a Vader Bomb for the pin at 2:43.

We look at Alundra Blayze winning the Women’s Title last week but then being attacked by an unnamed woman. As a result, Blayze needed surgery to repair a broken nose.

The 1-2-3 Kid, Bob Holly and Bret Hart are ready for the six man tag.

You can win a house!

Yokozuna/Owen Hart/Hakushi vs. 1-2-3 Kid/Bob Holly/Bret Hart

Bret and Yokozuna start things off with Bret slugging away and handing it off to Holly. Some arm cranking doesn’t do much and it’s off to Hakushi as we take a break. We come back with Owen coming in to kick Kid down for two before Yokozuna comes in for a nerve hold. Hakushi chops away and we take another break.

We come back with Owen waving the Japanese flag and Kid fighting back against Hakushi, which is enough for the tag off to Bret. Yokozuna gets knocked down for the middle rope elbow and it’s back to Owen. Some stops have Bret in trouble but he dropkicks Owen into a rollup to give Holly the pin at 15:32.

Rating: B-. They’re trying to make Holly into a big deal and while I can appreciate the effort, there is only so much you’re going to be able to get out of someone whose deal is he drives race cars. At the same time though, it isn’t like they have many other options so this is about as good as it can be. The Harts and Hakushi were both good enough here, but the match was hardly great.

We see the introduction of Lawrence Taylor’s All Pro team at Wrestlemania as a way to entire you to buy the replay.

Overall Rating: C. A bunch of squashes and a decent main event make this a rather 1995 Raw. The show wasn’t interesting around this time and taking Shawn Michaels out of the picture wasn’t making things better. The main event felt like they were trying to do something bigger, but it only got them so far.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 10, 1995
Location: Danville High School, Danville, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 2,700
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

We’re less than two weeks away from In Your House II and that means we are firmly in the Sid Show. Sid is on his way to challenging Diesel for the WWF Title again, this time in a lumberjack match. Other than that, Shawn Michaels is ready to go after Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett, who feels more than in over his head. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video recaps Sid vs. Diesel, which is somehow about to headline its third straight pay per view.

Sid is rather menacing.

Opening sequence.

Roadie vs. Jerry Flynn

Jeff Jarrett is here with Roadie. Flynn grabs an armdrag into an armbar to start before Flynn strikes away in the corner. An enziguri misses though and Roadie pulls him into a half crab. Roadie gets caught holding the ropes, so instead he settles for countering a hurricanrana into a powerbomb for the pin at 2:39.

Jeff Jarrett shows a rather large man around some country music offices but gets thrown out. This was stupid.

Now it’s off to Las Vegas, where Jarrett is with a rather flamboyant man and goes in to see Paul Anka.

Just like last week, here’s the With My Baby Tonight video. That’s four straight segments featuring Jarrett if you’re counting.

The Allied Powers are ready for Tatanka and Henry Godwinn.

Merchandise shill.

Savio Vega vs. Mike Khoury

Vega wins an early battle over arm control to start and gets in a slam. Back up and Vega hits a running corner clothesline, followed by some hard chops in the corner. A rollup (actually what Orange Cassidy would call the Mouse Trap) finishes for Vega at 1:47.

The WWF was at the Special Olympics. Still cool.

Here is Sid, with Ted DiBiase, for a chat. DiBiase insists that Sid is NOT a coward and we meet the lumberjacks (the midcard villains of course). Diesel is going to find out that he can’t run and hide, but a DIESEL chant cuts DiBiase off. Sid hits the catchphrase and we get an extreme closeup of his face (that is some serious nostril flaring).

We look at Barry Horowitz beating Skip over the weekend in one of the biggest upsets in company history.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Matt Hardy

Helmsley takes him down for a knee to the back as Vince talks about all of the fans comments on the “internet” after King Of The Ring. I’m sure they were entirely positive of course. A suplex drops Hardy again but he gets a boot up in the corner. Hardy misses a moonsault though and the Pedigree (good one too) finishes Hardy at 3:03.

Rating: C. The Pedigree alone makes this work, as Helmsley took his time with it and cinched it in much more than would become his norm. Other than that, it was just a squash with commentary ignoring the whole thing. That’s a running theme around this time and that’s not the easiest thing to sit through, but what else are you supposed to do?

In Your House Control Center so we run down the card and look at Mabel beating up Razor Ramon at King Of The Ring, setting up a tag match with Ramon and Savio Vega vs. Men On A Mission.

Allied Powers vs. Tatanka/Henry Godwinn

Ted DiBiase is here with the heels. They start fast and Tatanka gives Luger a DDT to put him in early trouble. The stomping ensues before it’s off to Godwinn for a slam out of the corner. Godwinn chokes away and we take a break. We come back with Luger still in trouble and getting elbowed in the face for two.

The big elbow misses for Godwinn though and Luger makes the tag as Vince goes on about how safe the WWF is compared to wrestling in general. Everything breaks down and Godwinn trips Bulldog from the floor to cut off the comeback. Back up and Bulldog hits a quick powerslam for the pin out of nowhere at 9:19.

Rating: C-. Nothing to see here again, but what were you expecting? The Bulldog can work with anyone and Tatanka isn’t bad, but the other two are just big guys who work power styles. That doesn’t make for an interesting match and yet somehow it would have been worse under the original plan of King Kong Bundy rather than Godwinn.

We get a quick Isaac Yankem DDS vignette, as Jerry Lawler talks about Bret Hart while Yankem does some painful dental work to end the show. This stuff scared the heck out of me when I was a kid. Today it still scares me, but for entirely different reasons.

Overall Rating: D+. Bleh. I’m very quickly remembering why this time was sup bad and it’s not getting any better every week. At the end of the day, the wrestling is bad, the characters are worse, and the stories just aren’t there. While there are a few interesting people on the show, they’re not around enough to carry things and the lack of depth is showing very badly.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 18, 1993
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Randy Savage

The big deal this week is the Randy Savage/Crush summit, as the two of them have apparently been having some issues. This week they get to talk everything out, which I’m sure won’t go badly at all. We also have a new Intercontinental Champion in Razor Ramon, plus some issues between Ludwig Borga and Lex Luger. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at the Savage/Crush summit and recaps last week’s major stories, calling them summits as well. I sense a theme emerging.

Opening sequence.

Steiner Brothers vs. Corey Student/Tony DeVito

Scott and DeVito start things off with Scott snapping off a dragon suplex. Student comes in and gets clotheslined down, followed by the Steiner Screwdriver, which has commentary freaking out. A tilt-a-whirl slam sets up the Steiner Bulldog for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: C+. The match had the Screwdriver and that alone is going to make it worth a look. The Steiners were still one of the best teams around and getting to see them smash people was always fun. Throw in quite the collection of bumps, including the one off the Screwdriver, and this was a guaranteed success.

Commentary talks about Shawn Michaels’ suspension and you can call in (for 99 cents) to vote on whether he should be brought back. Diesel and Mr. Perfect argue either side.

Video on Yokozuna, stylized as an old Godzilla movie.

IRS vs. Scott Taylor

IRS starts fast with a suplex and an elbow to the face to drop Taylor again. Taylor gets two off a sunset flip but IRS is right back with another suplex. We hit the chinlock as the fans start up their IRWIN chants. The abdominal stretch doesn’t last long so it’s the Write Off to pin Taylor at 3:31.

Rating: C-. Nothing to see here, but what else were you expecting? IRS has always been someone who can have a competent match, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be the most entertaining. You can only get so much out of a guy whose offense is built around an abdominal stretch and a running clothesline, which was on display here.

Jeff Jarrett is in Nashville at the Country Music Hall Of Fame where he talks about being born into a wrestling family. He’s coming to the WWF to use it as a stepping stone to the country music injury. We get two spellings of his name, which Jarrett likes to do.

Tatanka vs. Iron Mike Sharpe

We see a quick clip of Tatanka running into Ludwig Borga for a mini argument over the weekend. Tatanka works on the arm to start as Savage says he doesn’t want his friendship with Crush to wind up like his friendship with Hulk Hogan. Savage goes into a rant about how Hogan is a primadonna and a backstabber who thinks he’s the greatest thing walking the face of the earth. Well that went hard fast. Sharpe fights back and sends him into the buckle, which sends Tatanka onto the war path. Some chops to the head set up the Papoose To Go to give Tatanka the pin at 3:02.

Rating: C. Again, there is only so much you can get out of a match like this, even with an established jobber like Sharpe. That being said, the Savage rant on Hogan was by far the most interesting thing here, as those two felt like they were about to explode at any time. With Hogan being gone from the company, things could be more open, which is certainly what Savage did here.

Survivor Series Report. My goodness I still remember that building skeleton theme from when I was a kid. Joe Fowler recaps the idea of Survivor Series and runs down the double main event: the All Americans vs. the Foreign Fanatics and the Hart Family vs. Jerry Lawler and three mystery knights.

Crush arrives and talks to Bobby Heenan.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Dennis Diamond

Diamond looks like an average guy off the street. Bigelow throws him out of the corner to start as Heenan rants about how Savage needs to beg Crush for forgiveness. Savage still has no idea what he did wrong as Diamond gets dropped with a suplex. A jumping enziguri drops Diamond and a slingshot splash finishes him off at 3:01.

Rating: C-. Now this is more the kind of show that makes Raw feel all the less interesting, as you have a bunch of short, nothing matches. Bigelow mauled him here and there was only so much to get out of it. The match wasn’t that long, but Bigelow beating people up while commentary talks about the show’s big story is only going to get you so far.

Diesel begs fans to call and vote to have Shawn Michaels brought back, though he seems to get the phone number wrong.

Here is Bobby Heenan in the ring for the Randy Savage/Crush summit and Crush has Mr. Fuji with him. Crush talks about how he and Savage (still on commentary) were best friends and Crush would listen to everything he said. Then Crush became Savage’s superior and people like Heenan and Fuji have shown him the light. Crush tried to face Yokozuna with a bad back and Savage didn’t help him from the Banzai Drops.

Crush’s career could have been ruined and that’s what Savage wanted. Savage called him….to see how BAD he was doing! Fuji owns the hotel in Crush’s backyard and his word is gold. Savage needs to stay out of his life and out of his way, which is enough for Savage to get in the ring. Savage calls Heenan and Fuji a couple of goofs and wants to talk to Crush man to man. If Savage is wrong, he’ll absolutely admit it, but he wants to talk to Crush one on one.

Savage offers a handshake but Crush isn’t sure. Heenan tries to say Savage is tricking him but Crush shoves him away. We do get a handshake and Savage holds the ropes open for Crush, who goes outside with Savage…and then lays him out. The huge beatdown is on, with Savage being dropped onto the barricade. Cue Yokozuna and Jim Cornette, with Crush bowing to them. Yokozuna crushes Savage with a Banzai Drop and Savage is carried out. This got intense in a hurry and you could feel the fans not being happy with Crush, which should be a good sign for his future.

Post break we’re told Savage has a lacerated…tongue. That’s not quite the devastating injury.

36% of people want Shawn Michaels back.

A preview of next week’s show takes us out.

Overall Rating: C. In a similar situation to last week, this was all about one big thing and the rest of the show was just time around that segment. At the same time, stuff like the blatantly pathetic “CALL AND VOTE, FOR MONEY!” thing was annoying and none of the matches were worth a look. While it’s always cool to see Scott Steiner bust out the Screwdriver, it wasn’t enough to carry the other half hour of the show. The big segment was good though, and like a lot of the shows from this era, that was about enough to get by.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 4, 1993
Location: New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
Attendance: 5,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

We’re finally coming out of the long valley that is the post Summerslam period and getting ready to start setting up the long build to Survivor Series. While there are only going to be a few matches on the card, there are going to be some main stories and side stories to go with them, meaning we have some work to do. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Battle Royal

Tatanka, Adam Bomb, MVP, Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, 1-2-3 Kid, Diesel, Jacques, Pierre, Bam Bam Bigelow, IRS, Randy Savage, Giant Gonzalez, Rick Martel, Bastion Booger, Marty Jannetty, Owen Hart, Bob Backlund, Jimmy Snuka, Mabel

The final two will face each other one on one for the vacant Intercontinental Title (thanks to Shawn Michaels being suspended). Savage jumps Gonzalez from behind to start fast and a bunch of people toss Gonzalez out. We settle down to the usual brawling around the ropes and the other giants try to get rid of Savage. Diesel finally muscles Mabel out and Ramon tosses IRS as we start getting rid of some people.

The Kid is gone too and Diesel beats up Tatanka in the corner. Diesel switches over to Perfect and misses a charge, allowing Perfect to eliminate him. We take a break and come back with Backlund and Snuka being eliminated, with Perfect following them. Jannetty is out and Tatanka misses a charge to put himself out. Booger and Bigelow are both out and we take another break.

We come back again with Hart dropkicking MVP out but getting tossed as well. We’re down to Bomb, Jacques, Pierre, Martel, Savage and Ramon and a 4-2 match breaks out. The Quebecers double team Ramon and Bomb tries to get rid of Savage, only for Savage to switch places and knock him out.

The Quebecers toss Savage and we’re down to four. A triple dropkick misses though and Ramon gets to make the comeback. The numbers get the better of him again and Martel even gets in some jumping jacks. Ramon avoids a clothesline and Jacques is out, with Ramon dumping Pierre, leaving Martel and Ramon to win at 19:21.

Rating: C+. Ramon getting one of the spots was a smart way to go as he is the kind of star who could use a boost from being the Intercontinental Champion. At the same time you have Martel, who is an established veteran who might not be the biggest star anymore, but he can make Ramon look good next week. The rest of the match was ok enough, though getting down to two is always a weird way to go.

Post match Ramon and Martel have to be held back.

Heavenly Bodies vs. Mark Taylor/Scott Thomas

Jim Cornette is here with the Bodies. Pritchard goes after the rather muscular Taylor’s knee to start and it’s off to Del Ray. A gutwrench suplex connects as Heenan talks about a team coming on Superstars: the Rock N Roll Express. Apparently they really don’t like Cornette. Pritchard hits a middle rope spinebuster to Thomas (though Vince has no idea which is which) and a double suplex takes him down again. A DDT finishes for Del Ray at 3:38.

Rating: C. I never quite got the appeal of the Bodies but they were good enough as a fresh heel team. The tag division was in need of some new blood so bringing in a team from Smoky Mountain makes enough sense. Other than that, though, just a squash with the Bodies getting to look decent enough.

We recap Doink The Clown throwing confetti on Bam Bam Bigelow and water on Luna Vachon. A chase ensued but Bigelow tripped over a well placed wire.

Doink The Clown vs. Cory Student

Before the match, Doink teases throwing water on Heenan but it’s popcorn instead in the old Harlem Globetrotters bit. Doink starts with a dropkick and wrestles Student down. The Whoopee Cushion finishes Student at 1:53.

Post match Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon come out, with Bigelow destroying Doink’s wagon.

Heenan is annoyed at the popcorn as we preview next week’s show.

Overall Rating: C. This was all about the battle royal and that took up a good deal of the time and star power. That’s not the worst way to go as they had to take care of the title picture and it isn’t like there is a pay per view in just a few weeks. Survivor Series can come later, which is likely going to be taking place in the next few weeks. For now though, this was an acceptable show, even if it was rather top heavy.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: July 12, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 1,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan

We’re fresh into the summer of Lex Luger, but first we have to take a trip to Hawaii as Crush is getting a WWF Title shot against Yokozuna. That’s about all there is going on here as last week’s show focused on pretty much nothing else whatsoever. Summerslam is a month and a half away so we’ve got a long way to go. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

WWF Title: Yokozuna vs. Crush

Yokozuna, with Mr. Fuji, is defending and we spend over a minute doing the warmup ceremony. They fight over a lockup until Yokozuna slams him, only to miss an elbow. Crush knocks him to the floor and it’s time for an early breather. Back in and Crush strikes away but gets knocked down to cut that off fast. Yokozuna knocks him to the floor before grabbing a nerve hold back inside.

We take a break and come back with Yokozuna kicking him down and grabbing the nerve hold again. Back up and Crush avoids a charge into the corner and hits a dropkick, followed by a top rope shoulder for two. Crush goes up again but Fuji hits him with a flag (must be a Demolition thing) to cut that off. Back in and a belly to belly plants Crush, followed by the big legdrop. The Banzai Drop retains the title at 11:09.

Rating: C+. Yokozuna continues to be one of the most unique WWF Champions of all time as there was only so much stuff that you can do to him. Crush isn’t someone who can throw Yokozuna around (granted almost no one can) but he was mixing up his offense here. While Crush wasn’t going to be the big hero, he is someone who made for an entertaining and unique challenger and that’s a good thing to have.

Post match Yokozuna hits some more Banzai Drops, with Tatanka making a failed save attempt. Randy Savage, who is banned from getting physical, gets in to pull Crush away. Savage holds Yokozuna off with a chair as Bobby Heenan blames all of this on Lex Luger.

During the break, Crush is taken out on a stretcher with Savage going with him. Heenan goes on a rant about how this is ALL Luger’s fault.

Headshrinkers vs. Aaron Ferguson/PJ Walker

Afa is here with the Headshrinkers, who jump them from behind to start. Walker gets dropped hard and a heck of a clothesline drops him again. It’s off to Ferguson, who is knocked down just as fast. The double Stroke into the top rope splash gives Fatu the pin at 3:19.

Rating: C. I’m a sucker for the Headshrinkers and I always will be. There’s something about them coming in and smashing through people, which is what we got here. What matters the most is that they were a team who could be put into the title picture rather quickly, which has been the case for the Samoan teams over the years. Yeah it’s a simple idea, but it’s an effective one and that’s good to see.

Next week: Marty Jannetty gets another shot at Shawn Michaels’ Intercontinental Title.

Tatanka vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Brawler poses on the ropes to start and gets backed into the corner, meaning it’s time to bicker. Savage gets back to commentary and it’s time to talk about Yokozuna and Crush rather than the match. Normally that’s annoying but…well what would you rather talk about? Tatanka knocks him outside as Heenan rants about how this is Luger’s fault. Savage: “DON’T SWITCH THE HEAT! DON’T SWITCH THE HEAT!”

Savage all but says this match isn’t important as Brawler kicks him down and grabs a neckbreaker for two. Tatanka misses a charge into the corner and Brawler rakes the eyes a few times. We get a rare shirtless Brawler as Savage wants to face Heenan next week. Tatanka gets sent into the corner, which triggers the comeback. The top rope chop into the Papoose To Go finishes Brawler off at 7:03.

Rating: C-. Tatanka wasn’t a new star at this point but he needed that long to beat the Brooklyn Brawler? I’m not sure what the thinking is here, as Tatanka is a big enough star who should be able to smash through one of the most famous jobbers of all time. Just a weird choice, though Savage ranting and raving against Heenan was great, even if they all but said “this match doesn’t matter”.

Some fans are on the Lex train.

Mr. Hughes vs. Tony DeVito

Hughes is on quite the roll here, having taken out Undertaker, stolen the urn and injured Paul Bearer. The bell rings and a black wreath is delivered to ringside. Hughes slowly pounds him down and grabs DeVito by the hair to pull him down. One heck of a whip into the corner sets up a splash for two, with Hughes pulling him up. A dropkick and chokeslam, which Vince says is reminiscent of the Big Boss Man, finish DeVito at 1:52.

Post match Hughes sees that the wreath is from the Undertaker so he rips it apart.

It’s the Summerslam Report, which mentions that Lex Luger is about to start a campaign.

Video on Men On A Mission. They rap and seem to want to make things better for kids.

Adam Bomb vs. Scott Amati

Johnny Polo is here with Bomb, who takes Amati down in a hurry to start. Amati gets thrown into the corner and then over the top, where Polo gets to promise more destruction. Back in and the Atom Smasher finishes at 2:32.

Commentary wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C. I liked the Crush vs. Yokozuna title match but at the same time, there is only so much you can do when the main star isn’t on the show. Lex Luger not being around is a weird choice, but he’s on a bus so at least they’re doing…something with him. Other than that, Undertaker is stalking Mr. Hughes and I’m still going to need a bigger secondary story than those two. It’s just such a dead time for the company and you can really see why with these shows.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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King of the Ring 1993
Date: June 13, 1993
Location; Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, Randy Savage

It’s another WWE Vault special as we’re looking back at one of the company’s on again/off again concepts. That could make for a good way to go, but this show has a bit of a hit and miss reputation. Bret Hart is the #1 seed and that’s good enough for me, though this is hardly a strong time for the company. Oh and Hulk Hogan is defending the WWF Title against Yokozuna in a Wrestlemania rematch. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the tournament and runs down the brackets:

Bret Hart
Razor Ramon

Mr. Perfect
Mr. Hughes

Jim Duggan
Bam Bam Bigelow

Tatanka
Lex Luger

Commentary previews the show, including the non-tournament stuff.

King Of The Ring First Round: Razor Ramon vs. Bret Hart

Heenan and Savage bicker about the 1-2-3 Kid’s famous upset of Ramon so JR ignores them to call the match as Hart starts in on the arm. Hart works on an armbar but can’t get a hiptoss, instead getting dropped by a hard clothesline. An elbow misses though and Hart is back on the arm, including another armdrag into an armbar.

Ramon gets evil by going to the eye before elbowing Hart in the face for two. The chinlock doesn’t work though as Hart reverses into a hammerlock and cranks away. Back up and Hart misses a charge into the post, allowing Ramon to really take over for the first time. A fall away slam gives Ramon two and he nails a running powerslam for the same.

Hart fights up and hits the atomic drop into the running clothesline for two as the fans are way into the comeback. The Five Moves Of Doom are cut off with the chest first crash into the buckle but the Razor’s Edge is blocked as well. A small package gives Hart a VERY near fall so Ramon takes him up top for the belly to back superplex. That’s reversed into a crossbody to give Hart the pin at 10:24.

Rating: B. It’s a good sign for Hart that he’s gotten this much better in just a few months, as this was quite a bit better than his match against Ramon at the Royal Rumble. This was Hart figuring out a bigger and stronger opponent, which is where he tends to shine. Good stuff here, though if Hart is the #1 seed, Ramon is dead last? Really?

We look at Mr. Hughes taking out the Undertaker, who needed a new monster to slay. The villains stole the Urn as well.

King Of The Ring First Round: Mr. Perfect vs. Mr. Hughes

My money is on Mr. Before the match, Heenan uses his Brain Scan to mock Perfect’s form on the gum swat, because he’s still bitter over Perfect deserting him. Hughes powers him into the corner to start and shrugs off a dropkick. Perfect is sent outside and comes back in to slug away with limited success. A neck crank keeps Perfect down for a bit and a big boot makes it even worse. The neck crank goes on again before a big whip into the corner has Perfect down again.

Bret Hart gets an insert interview, where he says he’d rather face Perfect in the second round. Back up and Perfect tries to jump over Hughes but both of them go down, with Perfect slugging away to keep things going. A missed charge in the ropes gives Perfect a breather and he manages a backdrop (Hughes doesn’t even lose his sunglasses) and there’s the necksnap. That’s enough for Hughes, who grabs the Urn and clocks Perfect for the DQ at 6:01.

Rating: C. Yeah there isn’t much that Perfect can do here, as they didn’t have time to go anywhere and the ending was just lame. Hughes is getting one of his biggest shots ever and he just hits Perfect for the lame DQ? It’s just a weird way to go, though Hughes was just a successful enough monster to feel like he could win, giving Hart another monster to slay in the semifinals.

Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna are ready for Hulk Hogan, who cheated at Wrestlemania. Not exactly but Hogan was hardly on fair footing there either.

King Of The Ring First Round: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Jim Duggan

Duggan is in the singlet style gear here so you know this isn’t going to go well. Bigelow grabs a headlock to start as JR is firmly in NFL resume mode. Heenan: “CAN IT! WHO CARES???” Duggan slugs back with a running shoulder to the floor, with Savage getting on him for spending way too much time playing to the crowd.

Back in and Duggan can’t pick him up, allowing Bigelow to start in on the ribs. The bearhug doesn’t last long and Bigelow misses a headbutt but Duggan still can’t slam him. The second bearhug works a bit better but Duggan fights out again. This time the slam works but Duggan misses a charge into the buckle. Bigelow’s top rope headbutt finishes Duggan at 5:01.

Rating: D+. I love Duggan but the magic was gone by 1993. That made this little more than a formality, though Duggan still did have the ability to slug it out with a big man. Bigelow was clearly the right way to go here as he was always worth a look and they didn’t waste an opponent on him, but yeah not much to see here.

The Steiner Brothers and the Steiner Brothers are ready for Money Inc. and the Headshrinkers in an eight man tag. This is from the Coliseum Video version of the show so it isn’t even the original broadcast.

King Of The Ring First Round: Tatanka vs. Lex Luger

Luger does his mirror entrance and has the steel forearm for a bonus. Hold on though as Luger has to put on an elbow pad or he’s out of the tournament. As Heenan panics over the pad ruling, Luger jumps Tatanka to start fast but stops to pose, with commentary losing it over how stupid he is here.

Tatanka is back in to chop him to the floor for a slam, followed by a clothesline for two back inside. The armbar slows Luger down again and Tatanka chops away at the shoulder as this is already feeling like the time limit draw of the tournament. Bam Bam Bigelow joins us for an insert promo which we can’t hear to start, but he seems to want to face Tatanka next.

The armbar goes on again but this time Luger fights out as you can hear the crowd getting rather quiet. A backbreaker out of the corner puts Tatanka down again and a rather delayed elbow gets an also delayed two (oh yeah the time limit draw is coming and they’re not hiding it). Luger actually hits his big jumping elbow for a VERY delayed two and we hit the chinlock.

Tatanka fights up and chops away as we have three minutes left. A big chop gets two as the fans are responding to actually seeing someone working faster. The top rope chop gets two but Luger knocks him down again and we get a double breather. A backdrop puts Tatanka down again and a suplex gives Luger a near fall with thirty seconds left. Another suplex gets another two and time expires at 15:00.

Rating: C-. This was one of the most frustrating things you can see in wrestling, as it was just a countdown until the obvious finish. There was no reason for them to do some of the things they were doing here other than killing time and that made for a tedious match. Tatanka’s comeback was good and they needed to do this to protect his undefeated streak, but find a more interesting way to do it.

Post match Luger talks about wanting to keep going and then takes the pad off to knock Tatanka silly.

Mr. Perfect doesn’t like Bret Hart saying he would prefer to face Perfect, with Gene Okerlund egging things on. Then they argue over whose dad could beat the other before bringing up Hart beating Perfect at Summerslam 1991. They do at least shake hands.

King Of The Ring Semifinals: Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect

Hart has a bandaged hand after the first round. They start slowly until Perfect takes him down by the head as commentary discusses whether or not Heenan was managing Perfect when Hart beat him for the Intercontinental Title. Ignore that he wasn’t, but Heenan seems to have forgotten that. Hart blocks a slam and kicks him away, setting up a headlock to grind away a bit.

Perfect gets up and gets pulled into another headlock, which is broken up as well. A nice dropkick sends Hart outside and Perfect hits a rather loud chop as the fans approve of what they’re seeing. Back up and Hart gets shoved off the apron for a huge crash (near a cooler full of ice, water and Pepsi). Hart is back in and Perfect’s missile dropkick gets a pair of near falls. Perfect goes up again but gets caught in a superplex, allowing Hart to start in on the leg. The Figure Four has Perfect in trouble until he makes the ropes, meaning Hart can grab another leglock to keep him in trouble.

That’s broken up and the sleeper goes on, with Perfect putting his foot on the ropes because he’s still a bit of a heel. Hart gets out again and starts the comeback, including the backbreaker into the middle rope elbow. The Sharpshooter is loaded up but Perfect gets smart by grabbing Hart’s bandaged hand. Back up and the PerfectPlex is blocked as Hart suplexes him out to the floor for a huge crash. Back in and Perfect tries a small package but Hart reverses into one of his own for the pin at 18:54.

Rating: A-. There are certain people who work very well together and these two have some very underrated chemistry. Hart continuing to get the better of Perfect is a cool thing to see as you know Hart had to work for this one. Perfect was game here too and I could have gone for a heck of a lot more of hero Perfect than we got over the years. He really was that good and it was on display here. Outstanding match.

Post match respect is (eventually) shown.

Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart give a VERY pro-America speech about how they’re protecting us from the evil Japanese threat. This would have been over the top during World War II.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna

Yokozuna, with Mr. Fuji, is challenging and there are a lot of Japanese photographers at ringside. Heenan says this is a fresh Yokozuna, not one who wrestled a “thirty minute match” before Hogan faced him. That’s a stretch even for Heenan. Hogan comes out and sweet goodness he’s probably….oh 40lbs down from his traditional size or so?  Happy steroids trial everyone.

Hogan can’t shove him around to start but Yokozuna can shove him down rather quickly. A big slam drops Hogan again and Fuji is certainly approving. Back up and Hogan avoids a charge in the corner before hammering away with right hands. The running corner clothesline rocks Yokozuna but it’s way too early for the slam. Another attempt gets a leg up but Hogan falls down and is in trouble again. Hogan fights up and hits some running clotheslines but Yokozuna drops him with a single clothesline.

The big splash misses and Hogan has an opening, which is cut off with a bearhug. That stays on for a good while until Hogan fires off some right hands to free himself. Yokozuna drops him again though as Hogan just can’t keep anything going. The belly to belly suplex gets two (and Yokozuna gets some height on the kickout) as it’s time to Hulk Up. The big boot rocks Yokozuna but doesn’t drop him and a second has the same result.

A third big boot finally drops Yokozuna and the legdrop connects…for two, with the kickout putting Hogan back on his feet. Hogan has to deck Fuji but a photographer (with a huge beard) gets on the apron. Hogan goes over to him and the camera causes a fireball to go off in Hogan’s face. The big leg gives Yokozuna the pin and the title back at 13:07.

Rating: D+. There is only so much you can do for a match like this, but that’s how Hulkamania officially ends in the WWF in the 90s. They went out of the way to make sure Hogan didn’t get to slam him and that’s the big sign that things are changing. Hogan never should have gotten the title back in the first place and he had some protection with the camera, but Yokozuna kicking out of the legdrop was a big moment. Not a good match as expected, but it certainly has the historical significance.

Post match Hogan tries to get up but he can’t see. Yokozuna hits the Banzai Drop and Hogan is helped out, not to appear on WWF TV for nearly nine years.

Mr. Perfect is disappointed with his loss but he’d rather not talk about it.

Gene Okerlund talks about the love that Detroit has shown to the WWF (I’m thinking there was a promo for Summerslam 1993 cut out here) but wants to talk to Shawn Michaels and his new bodyguard. Michaels dubs the new bodyguard as Diesel (who had been around for all of five minutes at this point) but says he (as in Michaels) does the talking.

Steiner Brothers/Smoking Gunns vs. Money Inc./Headshrinkers

Welcome to the death slot guys. Scott and DiBiase start things off with Scott getting the better of things and sending DiBiase outside. Rick sends him back in, where Scott hits a Steiner Line out to the floor. Back in again (thanks Rick) and it’s off to Fatu vs. Bart, with latter of whom hits a dropkick into an armbar. Bart makes the mistake of ramming him head first into the mat, earning a shot to the face from Fatu.

IRS comes in for a back elbow and it’s back to DiBiase for a nice suplex. Samu drops a headbutt and a backbreaker gets two. IRS’ top rope right hand connects as IRS is fascinated by Money Inc.’s briefcase. Bart gets in a shot of his own though and it’s off to Billy to clean house. The Million Dollar Dream cuts Billy off though, only for DiBiase to let him go for some reason. Billy grabs a quick small package for the pin at 6:50.

Rating: C. There’s nothing to see here as the idea was just to put people in the ring after the big devastating title change. That’s what you need to do in a spot like this, even if the match meant pretty much nothing. It’s kind of a shame too, as there were some good tag teams in there.

Post match the brawl is on with the good guys cleaning house in a hurry. The Steiners would win the titles from Money Inc. the next day (and lose then two days later, only to win them back again three days later).

Jack Tunney congratulates Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji on the win. Fuji brags about doing exactly what they said they would do.

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Crush

Michaels, with Diesel, is defending. They take their time to start until Crush grabs a headlock and then shoulders him down. The headlock goes on again before some leapfrogs frustrated Michaels. The superkick misses and Crush hits a pair of dropkicks to put him out on the floor. Back in and Crush gorilla presses him (with reps) and drops Michaels so casually that it’s kind of funny.

There’s the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and Diesel pulls Michaels to the floor for a breather. Crush goes after him but gets in a staredown with Diesel, allowing Michaels to get in a diving shot off the apron. Diesel sends Crush head first into the post and Michaels rams Crush’s head into the post over and over (GEEZ).

Back in and Crush actually kicks out so Michaels grabs a front facelock. That’s broken up with pure power as Crush sends him out to the floor and then swats away a dive off the top. Crush hits a big boot and drops the leg for two (not a good combination on this show)….and we have two Doinks. The distraction (it could be their cigars) lets Michaels hit a superkick to the back of the head to send Crush into the buckle and retain at 11:15.

Rating: C+. I’ve long since had a soft spot for Crush and I could have gone for seeing him do something more. Maybe not being the guy getting the Luger spot, but doing something else could have been interesting. This was memorable due to the RAM CRUSH’S HEAD INTO THE POST spot but there was pretty much no way that Michaels was losing when his new bodyguard was getting his big debut.

Bam Bam Bigelow is fresh and ready to become the first King Of The Ring. Short and to the point here.

King Of The Ring Finals: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bret Hart

Hart is pretty banged up with a band hand and a slight limp. Bigelow goes with the big forearms to the back to start but Hart counters a gorilla press into a crossbody for two. More pounding drops Hart again and Bigelow launches him over the top for a big crash. Back in and Bigelow slowly hammers away, setting up a hard whip into the corner (back first for a change). Thankfully JR is right there to sell the impact and the pain, which is where he shines like few others.

A jumping elbow gives Bigelow two and we hit the bearhug. That’s broken up and they go outside, where Hart reverses a whip into the barricade. Back up and Hart is rammed into the post so Bigelow goes back inside. Cue Luna Vachon with a chair to drop Hart again but he actually makes it back inside. The top rope headbutt gives Bigelow the pin and the crown at 9:27….but here is another referee to point out the chair shot.

For some reason that isn’t a DQ and instead we keep going. Bigelow isn’t happy and hammers away again, with a headbutt knocking Hart silly again. The bearhug goes on again so Hart escapes, only to get headbutted into an over the shoulder backbreaker. That’s broken up as well and somehow Hart manages a belly to back suplex. Bigelow misses a backsplash and Hart fights up again, this time with a dropkick out to the floor.

The slingshot dive hits Bigelow and Hart hammers away as this feels like his last shot. Back in and a middle rope clothesline gives Hart two and the middle rope bulldog gets the same. The Sharpshooter is broken up so Hart tries another belly to back, with Bigelow landing on him (nice call back to earlier in the match) for two. Back up and Hart gets a boot up in the corner and grabs a victory roll for the pin at 18:21.

Rating: B+. Just in case you needed another great Hart match to close things out. As usual, Hart can do some of his best work against a monster and also as usual, he knows how to make you believe that he’s near death before making the comeback. Having Bigelow get a pin in there was kind of weird, but Hart was cheated to make it happen so it hardly brought anything down.

Post match Randy Savage runs in to hug Hart and they RUSH him over to the platform for the coronation. Hart gets the robe and the crown…and Jerry Lawler comes in, saying he’s the only king in the WWF. Lawler offers him the chance to kiss his feet, but Hart asks why he was never in the tournament in the first case. Hart starts the BURGER KING chant and Lawler jumps him from behind, beating him down with the scepter and kicking off a two year feud. JR is AGHAST and Lawler kicks Hart in the face, which he says is making Hart kick the royal feet. Hart is out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. It’s so weird to see a show divided in half between Bret Hart and everything without Bret Hart. This was a one man all star performance from Hart, who had three awesome matches and…well everything else. What was the best match without him? The Intercontinental Title match I guess, and even that was just decent. Absolutely incredible work from Hart, with the Perfect match being outstanding, and not much else in the way of quality.

At the same time though, it’s a huge change of course though with Yokozuna taking the title back and getting rid of Hogan, who would be off to Hollywood and then WCW. That’s quite the big night, with Hart pretty clearly turning into the next star…but we had to deal with Luger’s face run first. In other words, 1993 WWF didn’t make a ton of sense, but Hart is awesome.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Superstars
Date: June 13, 1992
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Mr. Perfect

We’re off to the start of a new taping cycle here and that means…well very little but it’s still nice to see these things being released on occasion. They’re such an easy watch and that makes for some fun flashbacks. The big story continues to be Papa Shango cursing the Ultimate Warrior and the blowoff has to be coming soon. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

The hosts welcome us to the show with a bunch of horse puns before talking about the WBF Championships, because that’s still a thing.

We run down the card.

Tatanka vs. Barry Horowitz

Horowitz hammers away to start but Tatanka is back with some leapfrogs (and barely seems to get the landing on one of them). A hiptoss doesn’t do much to Horowitz, who sends Tatanka face first into his boot. Tatanka hits a not exactly smooth gorilla press and we get a Rick Martel insert promo, mocking Tatanka over the stolen feathers. Tatanka fights back, hits the top rope chop to the head, and finishes with the Papoose To Go at 2:24.

UPDATE!

We recap Ultimate Warrior’s issues due to Papa Shango’s curse. Then last week Shango blew smoke at Gene Okerlund and left him unable to use his right hand, which started spurting out more black goo. Okerlund does sell it rather well, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

The Warrior is willing to sacrifice his flesh so he can walk only as a skeleton. If he stands only as a skeleton, it is still as the skeleton as the Ultimate Warrior. I’m sure that’s answering a challenge. I guess.

Shawn Michaels vs. Graig Brown

Sherri is here with Michaels, who takes Brown down a few times. We get an insert interview from Michaels/Sherri, where he talks about how hard it must be to go through life being as ugly as Bret Hart. He’ll take that Intercontinental Title from Hart though. A ram into the buckle annoys Michaels so he rolls outside for a quick check in the mirror. Back in and the superkick into the teardrop suplex finishes Brown at 1:41. Naturally Michaels uses this as a chance to talk about the WBF. Let it go already man.

We go to the Event Center with Sean Mooney.

Repo Man doesn’t like dogs ruining his business and suggests a choke collar. That’s what he wants to do to the British Bulldog.

Texas Tornado has rededicated a lot of things, including his life, his friends and to Jesus, because he is doing it for you. You could hear him slurring his words a bit here, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

We go to the streets of Miami, where Razor Ramon talks about how he comes from the gutter. He has no education, but who needs it? Look at his gold and his clothes. Of course he is a success, and all he wants is the world.

Natural Disasters vs. Executioners

The Executioners (generic masked guys) charge at the Disasters to start and try some slams, earning themselves a pair of backbreakers. Typhoon splashes #1 in the corner and then throws him down, followed by some slow stomping. Earthquake comes in for the double splash in the corner and for some reason #2 tries a double clothesline (Perfect finds this amazingly stupid). The powerslam into the Earthquake into the Typhoon splash (ignore that Typhoon was already in the ring when he was tagged) finishes at 2:57.

Back to the Event Center, with Skinner talking about how he likes it nice and hot in the summer. Virgil and Crush (“Or Crunch, whatever his name is.”) are coming at him from different sides but he has all the time in the world. If he can beat up a bear or an alligator, he can beat up a WWF Superstar.

Paul Bearer and Undertaker warn Berzerker and Mr. Fuji against coming to the dark side.

The Mountie vs. Bill Koby

Vince’s “Oh no not him again” when Mountie comes out is great. Mountie takes his time to start before tying him up in the Tree of Woe for some stomping. We get an insert promo from Sgt. Slaughter talking about the importance of Flag Day. Mountie finishes with a dropkick at 1:27.

Post match the Mountie gets his shock stick out of the box and threatens Koby, who runs away just in time.

Ad for the WBF PPV.

We get an empty arena interview with Randy Savage, who will be defending the WWF Title later. There are allegations that he had to bend the rules to win the title, which makes Savage whistle. Yes he has bent the rules a time or two but he reserves the right to do it again in the future. He’s fine with wrestling scientifically but if he knows he’s going against a dirty player, he’s not going to be naive.

Savage isn’t going to forget anything Ric Flair has said or done and he’ll take it to the grave. He’s bad to the bone with a heart made of stone and he’s the WWF Champion and Ric Flair is not. Of course he’ll break the rules if it means beating Flair. It’s weird to hear a clear good guy talk like that, but it fits Savage perfectly well.

Kamala vs. Dale Wolfe

Harvey Wippleman handles Kamala’s introduction. Kamala chops away on the ropes to start and stomps him down, followed by a variety of choking. Commentary goes silent for a few moments before the splash finishes for Kamala at 1:24.

El Matador vs. Mike Samples

Of note: during Matador’s entrance, a man with a mustache and wearing a blue shirt can be seen holding up a four year old, who got a high five from Matador himself (no wonder I’ve always been a fan). Commentary finally stops talking about the WBF before going to an insert promo from Matador….so he can talk about the WBF. Matador takes him down by the arm and finishes with El Paso de la Muerte at 1:26.

IMG Credit: WWE

Mr. Perfect calls the Big Boss Man and we see shots of all of the bruises and injuries the Boss Man sustained at the hands of Nailz. Perfect is glad that Boss Man’s career is over but Boss Man says he’ll be back, which makes Perfect hang up.

Nailz vs. Ron Cumberledge

For some reason, Nailz is one of the only things I remember about this show (likely due to being terrified of him). Nailz chokes away in the corner and kicks him in the ribs. A standing choke finishes Cumberledge at 1:07.

Post match Nailz beats him down with a nightstick.

Papa Shango talks about pain and how he’s hurting the Ultimate Warrior. The Warrior will become his mindless, thankless troll. How could you tell?

The Legion Of Doom are ready for every team around because they are the only great team around.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Shawn Michaels has left the building. McMahon: “What?”

Overall Rating: C-. This was a fairly weak show even by Superstars standards, but at the same time, there was some great nostalgia in here. It’s a show I haven’t seen since it aired live (or even being there in person) and it’s from a period that the WWF doesn’t talk about very often. The fact that McMahon and Perfect talked about the WBF so much rather than the show itself shows you just where the WWF was at this point.

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Superstars
Date: April 25, 1992
Location: Wings Stadium, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Mr. Perfect

The look back at Superstars continues on the WWE Vault and I’m certainly fine with that. It’s the former big weekly show and that means things might actually happen around here. I had fun doing a show from about a month after this one and it could be interesting to see what happens on this episode too. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Vince McMahon is on his own to start as Mr. Perfect has to be in Ric Flair’s corner as Flair tries to get back on track after losing the WWF Title at Wrestlemania.

Here’s who to expect on the show.

Ric Flair vs. Ron Cumberledge

Feeling out process to start with Flair backing him into the corner and slowly hammering away. Perfect calls Cumberledge “Savage”, with Vince correcting him because that’s something Vince would do. The Figure Four finishes fast at 2:13.

UPDATE!

We get a look at the concert in the park, featuring Sherri, Jimmy Hart, the Mounties and the Nasty Boys singing for charity. It’s as bad as you would expect. There was also a Wrestlemania Superstars Look A Like contest and…I’ve seen worse. We had a big reception, with Hulk Hogan bringing out his daughter and wife for a rare cameo. Finally, there was a brunch, which looks more like wrestlers just sitting around. This was actually rather cool and felt like the forerunner to Axxess.

British Bulldog vs. Kevin Kruger

Perfect joins commentary, thankfully getting us away from Vince doing a solo job. Bulldog armdrags him down a few times to start and hits a slam as Vince refers to Kruger as “the opposition”, likely not knowing his name. The delayed vertical suplex sets up the running powerslam to finish Kruger at 1:29.

You’ve got to want it! As in the WBF Bodystars. I don’t think many people wanted it.

Beverly Brothers vs. Erik Collins/Mike Freedom

The Genius is here with the Beverly Brothers. Beau beats on Freedom to start and we get an insert promo from the Beverlys, who dub the Legion Of Doom (and Paul Ellering) the Legion Of SISSIES. The jump onto the back hits Freedom and Beau calls him Animal (ala Mr. Perfect in the first match). The Shaker Heights Spike finishes at 1:48.

Post match Genius pours out some yellow paint so the Beverlys can do an LOD mockup on Collins. Actually make that LOS.

EVENT CENTER!

The Legion Of Doom is ready to wreck the Beverly Brothers.

The Repo Man can help the economy because he takes things from people so they don’t have to waste money paying for them. And he’ll be rich!

Crush is at a junk heap where he talks about his mom telling him to mind his manners as a kid. We see a black and white video of a child trying to pour milk but squeezing the carton too hard, sending the milk flying. Back in real life (and in color), Crush says he’s full grown, so who is going to teach him to mind his manners now?

Shawn Michaels vs. George Anderson

Sherri is here with Shawn, who hammers Anderson into the corner to start. A knockdown lets us hear from Bret Hart, who isn’t going to let Shawn tarnish the Intercontinental Title. The superkick connects (not really) and the Teardrop suplex finishes Anderson at 1:47.

EVENT CENTER TWO!

Texas Tornado knew there would be difficult challenges when he came here and gives a rather incoherent promo (I’m shocked) about how the two belts (or maybe one) are about honor and the dreams he is made of. Or something. I think.

The Nasty Boys want the Tag Team Titles back.

Sgt. Slaughter vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Slaughter hammers away to start and leapfrogs him, much to Perfect’s shock. The insert promo sees Slaughter promising to make the Mountie an international maggot. Does that include official paperwork? A gutbuster into an elbow to the ribs sets up the Cobra Clutch to finish the Brawler at 1:39.

Sid Justice, with Harvey Wippleman, comes out to the platform for a chat. Justice is sick of the Ultimate Warrior and the Little Warriors because he is the man that everyone fears. Warrior tried to save Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania but who is saving the Warrior from Justice? No one can do it because Justice rules the world.

Shawn Michaels has left the building!

Natural Disasters vs. Kent Carlson/Tom Stone

Earthquake knocks Carlson down to start and powers him into the corner without much trouble. The big elbow to the back connects as we get an insert promo from Money Inc., with Jimmy Hart, bragging about retaining the Tag Team Titles at Wrestlemania. A double splash in the corner to Carlson sets up a double splash in the corner to Carlson and Stone at the same time. The Earthquake into the big splash finishes Carlson at 2:30.

EVENT CENTER! WHERE THEY DON’T TALK ABOUT EVENTS!

Skinner is tired of having to prove himself and it’s time to beat people because he’s hungry.

Tatanka thanks everyone from the great spirits to the fans for their support. He wants to rise to the top and make his people proud again. Not a bad promo here.

Undertaker vs. Berzerker

Paul Bearer and Mr. Fuji are here too. Hold on though as Fuji steals the Urn and Berzerker hits Bearer with the shield. Berzerker hits Undertaker with the shield a few times and then hits him in the back with the sword (as you do). A stab sends the sword through the mat and Berzerker knocks Undertaker to the floor. Berzerker piledrives him on the exposed concrete and leaves, only for Undertaker to stalk him up the aisle.

Skinner is ready for the Ultimate Warrior on Superstars.

The Ultimate Warrior is ready for Skinner on Superstars.

Next week: an update on Undertaker! You mean the guy who got up and walked away? What kind of update do we need?

Overall Rating: C+. This is far from a good time for the promotion, but dang it’s fun to see how things can go with the company trying to find something that works. When you have things like Undertaker almost being stabbed and the LOD being called the LEGION OF SISSIES, you can tell they’re trying to find themselves. That’s what had to happen with Hogan stepping away though and it makes for a fascinating transitional period, which was just getting going.

Results
Ric Flair b. Ron Cumberledge – Figure Four
British Bulldog b. Kevin Kruger – Running powerslam
Beverly Brothers b. Erik Collins/Mike Freedom – Shaker Heights Spike to Collins
Shawn Michaels b. George Anderson – Teardrop suplex
Sgt. Slaughter b. Brooklyn Brawler – Cobra Clutch
Natural Disasters b. Kent Carlson/Tom Stone – Splash to Carlson

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