WWF 1993

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

WWF Monday Night Raw Report

April 30, 1993

Lex Luger is the subject of major controversy (more on that in News and Rumors), King of the Ring begins, and HARVEY'S IN CHARGE...it's Monday Night RAW, with the brand-new announce team of Vince McMahon and Jim Duggan!

And to kick it off, the man who must hold the record for most MNR openers, Owen Hart, is in the ring, as the Hart Foundation (w/Jim Neidhart) takes on Blake Beverly and the Brooklyn Brawler. (Vince: This should be a hotly contested battle...Duggan: Yeah, right.) Good job, Jimmy. Obviously, a squash. Unfortunately for the Harts, our announcers spend less time discussing them and more time extolling the virtues of Jim Duggan as a wrestler. Cowboy Rick Titan pinned the Brooklyn Brawler following a DDT at 5:14. At least the Harts are on the winning end.

Vince McMahon introduces us to highlights of Jack Tunney's address from In Your House II! Even shortened like this, it still seems to take too long. We see Tunney's ovation, Harvey's interruption, and all the interference. Yay for Bob Backlund!

CUT BACKSTAGE! We're in Jack Tunney's office! Only it's no longer Jack Tunney's office, now it's Harvey Wippleman's office! Harvey is celebrating his first day on the job, when the Steiner Brothers barge into his office! Rick Steiner thanks Harvey again for putting him in the King Of The Ring tournament, but Scott is baffled. Last night at IYHII, Harvey said that 'he had something better for Scott'. The Steiners are here to find out what that 'something better' is. Wippleman informs Scott that there will be a six-man battle royale at King of the Ring, with the winner getting a WWF Championship shot that night! And Scott Steiner is the first participant! The Steiner Brothers leave, placated. We hear Harvey mumble "Besides, it's a lot easier for my boy to win with someone like you in that match."

Speaking of Harvey's boy, we get Rick Martel (w/Jimmy Hart) taking on Craig Pittman in our second match of the evening. Hart tries to get Martel psyched up, but Martel doesn't seem that interested in listening to his new manager. Still, Martel has no trouble with the hobo. He takes Pittman down quickly, and goes to work on his leg for some reason. Vince and Duggan talk about Harvey Wippleman. They agree that Harvey was in the right to sell Martel and Kamala's contracts, but disagree on the appointment of Wippleman as president. Duggan thinks he's a crook, while Vince thinks we should give him a chance. Back to the match, as Martel has kept his control throughout, and Pittman taps out to the Boston Crab at 3:52. Post-match, Jimmy Hart raises Martel's hand in victory, but Martel doesn't look all too happy with it.

CUT BACKSTAGE! Money Inc. are standing in a generic room! They're watching footage their loss to the Steiner Brothers at IYHII, and of IRS screwing up and costing them the match. Sean Mooney romps in, and the team is glad to give an interview, in which they state that they've buried their differences, and they're a force to be reckoned with!

Time now for 1993's first King Of The Ring Qualifying match, as the Big Bossman squares off against Leonardo Darsonio! Bossman offers to shake Darsonio's hand at the outset, but Darsonio retaliates with the Kiss of Death. I like how the thing most identified with the guy doesn't hurt at all. Vince and Duggan again ignore the match and talk about the KOTR tournament as a whole. Vince thinks that either Eduardo Guerrero or Ricky Steamboat will win, but Duggan flat-out says that The Undertaker can take either of them. Easy segue into hype for the other KOTR match of the night. Match itself is bland, but it looks like the two big men have some good chemistry. Finish comes at 5:34, when Darsonio hit the Bossman with a DDT and made the cover. A DDT really doesn't work as his finisher. Hopefully they'll have something else by next week.

CUT BACKSTAGE! We once again are in Harvey Wippleman's office, where he is going over some paperwork. Yay, paperwork. Jimmy Hart bursts into the office. Harvey asks how 'Project Manager' is going along. Jimmy replies by saying that they both knew there'd be some problems at first, but Kamala's already following him, and Martel hopefully won't take too much longer. You know, this would make more sense a month after Hart became their manager than a day after.

Bret Hart (w/o Hart Foundation) is out to the ring next. Hart grabs a mic, and runs down Ric Flair a bit. But apparently that's not the reason he's here tonight. The Harts are Canada's First Family of Wrestling (my editor would agree), but in Mexico, they're barely on the radar screen. Conversely, nobody in Canada has heard of the Guerrero family, but in Mexico, they are the Single. Greatest. Wrestling. Family. Ever. (Would make a lot more sense were this not taking place in the US, especially in Seattle...) With that, Bret introduces his good friend, Eduardo Guerrero, who does actually get a bit of a pop. Eduardo talks about how thrilled he is to be in the WWF, and the crowd just eats it up. Eduardo reminds us that his WWF in-ring debut will come two weeks from now against The Mountie in a KOTR qualifier...the very same Mountie who proceeds to come out to the ring with his own mic! Mountie tells Bret that them Canadians should look out for each other...Bret responds with "I put my country first, but I'm embarrassed to share that country with you."...Bret and Eduardo chase The Mountie out of the ring, and we go to break. Just in case you still thought they might try to push The Mountie as something serious, there you go.

Hey, I know! Let's take the OTHER King Of The Ring match, and put it right now! Bam Bam Bigelow against The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer). Should be interesting to see how Taker is booked, and if he is punished for last night (more on that, again, in our News and Rumors section)...looks like it, as Bigelow, not exactly on the fast track to stardom, holds his own against the Deadman...don't know why, but this is a crappy match, even crappier than you'd expect from these two...actually, I know exactly why, but I want you to turn to the News and Rumours section (how many plugs can I get?)! Match goes 5:51, but it feels like at least four times that much...Taker wins it with a schoolboy. Undertaker beating Bam Bam Bigelow with a schoolboy? Actually, I'm surprised he won this one at all.

CUT BACKSTAGE! Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna are there! Fuji shows just how bad the WWF Championship picture is by cutting a promo on Scott Steiner. Geez. But he does throw in a line about 'nobody else, from Hulk Hogan to Jake Roberts, can defeat the massive Yokozuna'. That does not mean that Hogan and Roberts are actually in the six-way, but it seems pretty likely. Looks like the KOTR final is gonna be the focal point of the show, which is just fine with me.

Main event puts Randy Savage against Jake Roberts. No background whatsoever is given. Probably a good thing. The match gets 8:10, and is a rather good match, like you'd expect from Savage and a sober Snake. Vince & Duggan actually call the match for the most part, deviating only slightly to talk about picks for the MLB season. Vince likes Toronto to repeat, while Duggan praises Andy Van Slyke and the Pittsburgh Pirates. I didn't think he had it in him. Back-and-forth match, both men spend time on top...eventually Roberts does hit Savage with his DDT, and goes for the cover. Using the ropes for leverage, he got the pin. The match is awarded to Jake Roberts, and Randy Savage isn't too happy about it, as he starts yelling at...well, quietly talking to the ref. The show goes off the air as Jake Roberts saunters to the back with a smug grin.

THE GOOD: A Savage/Roberts rematch, if that's what's in the cards, could help fill out the KOTR show...they're trying something different with Harvey Wippleman, whether or not it works remains to be seen...Leonardo Darsonio continues to impress me, and so did Eduardo Guerrero...

THE BAD: The Undertaker's character burial in the past forty-eight hours. One last time, read our News and Rumors section!

THE UGLY: Ricky Steamboat debuts last night, and then doesn't even appear tonight? All he gets is about 10 seconds in the video montage highlights Jack Tunney's retirement!

GRADE: A-

[Hewey]

Good show, Don't know why Taker is getting buried but it'll be interesting to read why. Surprised there was no Hogan on the show after such a big event. Eddie alligned with Bret Hart could work. Though I can't see Eddie getting pushed right now. Keep up the good work, Looking forward to reading more

[pigeon]

Just caught up with this, and I love it. Your recap style is fresh, and easy to read through, and your booking is very realistic. One of my favourite diaries on the board.

Disappointed to see the deadman get buried, but maybe when I see the reason I'll understand.

Edited November 11, 2004 by pigeon

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

WWF News and Rumors

April 30, 1993

What might be the biggest story of the year in the WWF happened this past weekend, involving The Undertaker and Lex Luger. Taker apparently injured his knee in a 'freak household accident' (no other details available) on Friday night. Not wanting to lose his push due to carelessness, Taker pretended he was fine before the PPV. During the match, he told Luger and referee Arnold Skalaand that he thought he had broke his knee, and they improvised the finish. The original plan called for Taker to win. We do not know how WWF officials learned of the charade, but preliminary estimates have Taker unable to work for at least six weeks.

Obviously, the above story is causing some major headaches for WWF Creative. The original plan was for Taker to win KOTR easily, and have a high-profile feud with Yokozuna heading into SummerSlam. Instead, they decided to make Bam Bam Bigelow look strong in their match this week, and will probably push him soon, while I'd expect some type of angle to injure Taker. This also leaves KOTR up in the air, but here's our look at the tournament...

1st Round

The Undertaker vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - Taker won.

Big Bossman vs. Leonardo Darsonio - Darsonio won.

Bob Backlund vs. Ricky Steamboat - There is no way Steamboat loses his debut match.

Rick Steiner vs. Rick Martel - Looks like the Steiners could be in line for singles pushes, and the Jimmy Hart thing provides an outlet for Martel to lose.

Marty Jannetty vs. British Bulldog - Face vs. Heel is the word, so we pick Bulldog, probably thanks to help from Jerry Lawler.

Eduardo Guerrero vs. The Mountie - With Taker injured, Eduardo could ostensibly win the whole thing. Definitely this match.

Koko B. Ware vs. Razor Ramon - Unfortunately, Koko will not get a win in his return match...or in any match that matters.

Mr. Perfect vs. 'Chilling' Charles Wright - Assuming they keep Yokozuna as champ, it'd mean a babyface wins the tournament. Perfect's a strong choice.

Quarter-Finals

The Undertaker vs. Leonardo Darsonio - I see Darsonio getting a bye by default.

Rick Steiner vs. Ricky Steamboat - Makes enough sense for Steamboat to lose here - he's not winning this tournament.

Eduardo Guerrero vs. British Bulldog - Could go either way...I'll call Eduardo winning to further boost his credibility.

Mr. Perfect vs. Razor Ramon - It'll be a great match, and I guess Razor would have to win...

Semi-Finals

Rick Steiner vs. Leonardo Darsonio - All of a sudden, this makes no sense. Rick Steiner ain't going to become the King of the Ring...so we'll take Darsonio.

Eduardo Guerrero vs. Razor Ramon - Eduardo wins, and we get a battle of new gimmicks...

Final

Eduardo Guerrero vs. Leonardo Darsonio - Eduardo wins, and gets pushed too hard too fast. Not looking good. I hope we're wrong on this one.

Congratulations to Baby Hewey, who won our In Your House II prediction contest! Our prize enforcement van is speeding to Mr. Hewey's house as we type this!

Here is your report from WWF Superstars...open to a video montage entitled "Harvey's Busy Day", as we see Harvey Wippleman talk to both Jimmy Hart and the Steiner Brothers...The Bushwhackers get a rare win, as they defeat the tandem of The Berzerker and Skinner (both on loan from WWF:NE) in 4:25 following a schoolboy from Butch to Skinner...moving right along...clips of Eduardo Guerrero's debut, not bad...Tatanka (w/Slick) moves to 101-0 by taking down Samu in a non-title match...Tomahawk Chop finish at 4:52...surprisingly good for Tatanka and Samu...highlights of the two KOTR matches from last week...edited to make Bam Bam Bigelow look less strong for some reason...Baby Hewey (how's that for a bizarre name) jobs to Lex Luger in 3:43, submitting to the Torture Rack...most of the Randy Savage/Jake Roberts match is shown again...main event has Bob Backlund take on Kamala (w/Jimmy Hart)...Jimmy has turned Kamala into something vaguely resembling a classic heel...Kamala wins it with a schoolboy at 5:22...Kamala just beat Bob Backlund...I'm in shock.

WWF house show results from Tuesday and Wednesday...Big Bossman d Blake Beverly...Money Inc. d The Bushwhackers...Rick Martel d Virgil...The Hart Foundation d The Headshrinkers...Earthquake d Scott Steiner...Tatanka d Leonardo Darsonio to become 102/103-0 and remain IC champ...Yokozuna d Marty Jannetty in a non-title match...The Undertaker vs. Razor Ramon never gets started as Paul Bearer refuses to let Taker wrestle...Bret Hart & Eduardo Guerrero d Jake Roberts & The Mountie...Eduardo said to have looked great...Ric Flair d Mr. Perfect in the main event.

Top pops: 1) Bret Hart...2) The Undertaker...3) Mr. Perfect

Heat of the night: 1) Yokozuna...2) Ric Flair...3) Paul Bearer pulling Taker from the match

Best match: - Perfect/Flair

WWF house show results from Thursday and Friday...Owen Hart d IRS...The Steiner Brothers d The Headshrinkers...Rick Martel d Big Bossman...Leonardo Darsonio d Crush...Natural Disasters d The Nasty Boys to remain Tag champs...Ted DiBiase d Craig Pittman...Mr. Perfect d 'Chilling' Charles Wright...Bret Hart & Eduardo Guerrero d Jake Roberts & The Mountie...Tatanka d British Bulldog in a non-title match to become 104/105-0...Hulk Hogan d Yokozuna by DQ, same as IYHII match.

Top pops: 1) Hulk Hogan...2) Bret Hart...3) Tatanka

Heat of the night: 1) Yokozuna...2) Ted DiBiase...3) Jake Roberts

Best match: Eduardo's tag match

Finally, here is your preview for Monday Night Raw...

Ricky Steamboat will make his in-ring return to the WWF, as he takes on Bob Backlund in King Of The Ring Qualifying action!

Another KOTR qualifier puts Rick Steiner against Rick Martel! Who will emerge as the slicker Rick?

A huge main event puts the Mega Powers against Lex Luger and Jake Roberts!

Money Inc. has a special announcement!

Plus: Marty Jannetty, The Nasty Boys, Craig Pittman, and much more!

Edited November 11, 2004 by ryan_the_canuck

[Guest Prototype]

Good Raw. Sucks about Taker. A fued with Yoko would have been really good. Interested to see where you go now, especially with Hogan and Savage. If a face is to win the KOTR, Id go with Guerrero or Perfect.

[Hewey]

Here's my KOTR predictions

The Undertaker

Leonardo Darsonio

Ricky Steamboat

Rick Martel

British Bulldog

Eduardo Guerrero

Razor Ramon

Mr. Perfect

Leonardo Darsonio

Ricky Steamboat

Eduardo Guerrero

Razor Ramon

Ricky Steamboat

Razor Ramon

Razor wins the KOTR

The prize enforcement van hasn't arrived at Mr. Hewey's yet

Shit Luger squashed me

Edited November 12, 2004 by Baby Hewey

[The Dork Knight]

Excellent diary! Looks like I know what diary I'll be reading for the next few weeks...

TDK

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

WWF Monday Night Raw Report

May 7, 1993

Ricky Steamboat returns to the ring! Hulk Hogan returns to playing his political games! And Ted DiBiase returns to singles competition! It's all here, right on Monday Night Raw!

DiBiase (w/o IRS) is in the opener, against Craig Pittman (w/hobo bag). Vince McMahon and Jim Duggan, on commentary, can't figure out why DiBiase is wrestling a singles match. I suspect it's for storyline purposes. But what do I know? I'm just an unaffiliated fan. DiBiase controls the match, and the announcers put him over huge. Million Dollar Dream at 4:18 for the DiBiase win. After the match, DiBiase offers Pittman a handshake, only to take it back at the last second. He laughs as Pittman humbly walks to the back.

IRS' music hits, and he joins his partner in the ring. DiBiase grabs a mic, and informs the audience that "Money Inc is a force to be reckoned with...and like any force, united they stand...divided they also stand!" Who wrote that garbage? So to prove that they can stand divided, they each have singles matches tonight! We just saw DiBiase defeat Craig Pittman, and later tonight, we will see IRS take on Cowboy Rick Titan! I can see where they're going with this booking. So can you.

Time now for our first KOTR qualifier of the evening, as Rick Steiner (w/o Scott Steiner) takes on Rick Martel (w/Jimmy Hart). They should add in Flair and Steamboat, and have a tournament for 'Best Rick of the WWF'. I'd pay, just to see another Flair/Steamboat match. That'd be amazing. As it is, we're stuck with Steiner/Martel, which is decisively less than amazing. Still pretty good though. Steiner shows some inexperience as a singles competitor, while Martel is clearly in his element, and outclasses Steiner most of the night through. Interesting finish to take Martel out of the tournament, as Rick Steiner clotheslined Martel out of the ring...Kamala ran in, jubilant, and gave Martel and Jimmy Hart a big hug! Martel yelled at Kamala to let him go, but the giant Ugandan over-powered him, and Rick Steiner won by count-out! Jimmy Hart finally got Kamala to let go, and explained to him what he had just done, and Kamala seemed to be sympathetic.

Vince McMahon shows highlights of In Your House II's matchup between the Nasty Boys and Natural Disasters for the WWF Tag Team Championships, and informs us that there will be a rematch at King of the Ring! And the award for least build goes to...

CUT BACKSTAGE! Jerry Lawler is walking around backstage, despite not being a wrestler...we are not given a reason for this. Lawler bumps into Eduardo Guerrero, and immediately puts on his best used car salesman schtick, complimenting the entire Guerrero family, and telling Eduardo that he can become WWF Champion...but does an immediate about-face, and tells him "You know why Bret Hart's championing your entry, right? It's because he wants to make sure that the Hart family are always more respected than the Guerreros." Does this mean what I think it means?

Cowboy Rick Titan (w/Jim Neidhart) takes on IRS in our next matchup...and to the surprise of exactly six people, all of whom live on a houseboat in Arkansas, Titan has it pretty freaking easy. Other than his ten-gallon hat, he has no traits whatsoever that warrant the name 'Cowboy'. What's up with that? Regardless, the Cowboy dominates the evil tax accountant in this one, picking up a quick win, via a Titan Bomb (powerslam) at 4:14. After the match, Neidhart and Titan celebrated, while IRS walked to the back with his head hung low.

CUT BACKSTAGE! For the first time tonight, we are in Harvey Wippleman's office! Wippleman is just sitting there, watching MNR on TV. So he's watching himself watch a TV show in which he's watching himself watch a TV show in which...this could go on a while. But it doesn't as HULK HOGAN bursts through Harvey's door, looking upset! And he is. Upset, I mean. He says he had Yokozuna beat at In Your House II, but Yokozuna was able to cheat and keep his title - and now there's a 'six-man battle royale' for the right to become Number One Contender? Harvey, clearly intimidated, tells Hogan that he was prepared to offer him one of the spots in the match...Hogan accepts grudgingly.

CUT BACKSTAGE! Sean Mooney is with the British Bulldog! Bulldog doesn't actually say that much, just hyping his KOTR qualifier with Marty Jannetty next week. At least at first. But then he catches Slick out of the corner of his eye, and starts verbally berating home, including the extremely risky line "Oh, yeah, an African-American managing a Native American. People want to see that."

Here is your WWWF main event for the evening - I mean, a KOTR qualifier, as Bob Backlund takes on Ricky Steamboat. Steamboat is making his in-ring debut here, and he looks pretty sharp, easily on par with Backlund from a technical standpoint. The one clash occurs when Steamboat hits a swinging dropkick from the top rope, a manuever which Backlund clearly isn't used to. Still, match of the night, and I'd almost call it the best match I've ever seen on MNR. They went a strong 7:31, at which point Steamboat hit a rollup, and got the 1-2-3! A quick video replay, and Jim Duggan points out that Steamboat had a fistful of Backlund tights! Backlund realizes this, and yells at the referee to change his decision, but nothing happens, and Steamboat stands in the ring, victorious.

CUT BACKSTAGE! The Undertaker is laying on the floor, unconscious! Paul Bearer is there, and he is going berzerk, wondering who in their right mind could have done this to the Deadman. I suspect a pissed-off booking team. Vince McMahon ponders aloud whether or not Undertaker will be able to compete against Leonardo Darsonio at King Of The Ring in just under three weeks.

Main event time, ladies and germs! The Mega Powers against Lex Luger and Jake Roberts! Scott Steiner joins Vince & Duggan on commentary for this one, and immediately tells us that all four of these men are in the KOTR six-man battle royale along with him and 'someone else'. Match gets underway, and the Mega (Backstage) Powers get the advantage, as Hogan plays himself up like he's the greatest wrestler in the WWF...Lex Luger is definitely portrayed as the weaker heel, which is kind of strange...Hogan pinned Luger with a legdrop at 6:11, and after the match, the Mega Powers celebrated as Monday Night Raw went off the air!

THE GOOD: All the in-ring work tonight was solid, and the one match that wasn't was the main event, which had its own good points.

THE BAD: Eduardo Guerrero's about to turn on the Hart Foundation, by the looks of things...and he's a little too green still to be putting on top-flight matches.

THE UGLY: The Nasty Boys and Natural Disasters might not have many marketable skills, but shouldn't they at least be doing SOMETHING?

GRADE: A-

[Hewey]

Good show Ryan, I like the way you're taking Undertaker off of TV for now. Maybe whoever took him out will feud with him? The way Martel lost to Steiner was pretty neat as well, The six men match sounds good. I see Hogan winning it though, Keep up the good work, Looking forward to reading some more

[Guest Prototype]

Decent show. I like the six man battle royale idea. I see Hogan getting screwed out of the win somehow.

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

WWF News and Rumors

May 7, 1993

Good day, and welcome to SWD's News And Rumours, the one place where Hulk Hogan isn't holding others down.

First up, an update on the condition of Shawn Michaels. Michaels suffered a concussion back in February, in a match with Bob Backlund, and is still feeling the effects of post-concussion syndrome. However, rumour has it that Michaels could very well be returning as early as SummerSlam, however it will not be in a wrestling capacity.

Ric Flair is feeling rather upset these days. Flair has not actually done much of not since losing the WWF Championship to Bret Hart last October...both his feuds so far in 1993, with Hart and Mr. Perfect, have seen him come out on the low end. Flair recently stated in a radio interview that he is considering jumping ship to WCW. It is unclear whether Flair's non-appearances on TV lately are as punishment for those comments, or just WWF brass hoping he'll be more into it after a short break.

PJ Walker is your new WWF: New England Heavyweight Champion, winning the title from Jim Powers at a show in Providence, RI, this past Sunday.

Sticking with WWF:NE, look for a number of their talents to be called up to the active WWF roster before Summerslam, including Adam Copeland. Copeland is considered to be the best wrestler down there right now, with many saying that he could easily be champion material. Other names considered for call-ups include Jim Powers and Barry Horowitz.

Here is your report from WWF Superstars...before the opening credits roll, we once again see The Undertaker unconscious backstage, and Paul Bearer going berzerk...WWF:NE's Dale Torborg does the job to Craig Pittman in 3:51, Pittman going over with a schoolboy...higlights of the Mega Powers vs. Luger and Roberts match air...The Nasty Boys beat the Headshrinkers in 5:20...this is what, their tenth televised match this year?...quick recap of the two KOTR qualifiers, making Rick Martel look really weak...Bam Bam Bigelow squashes The Prophet (NE's Johnny Swinger) in 3:42 with his running headbutt...the Jerry Lawler/Eduardo Guerrero segment is played again...Rick Martel takes down the Big Bossman in 5:25 via the Boston Crab in the main event. No Kamala, this time.

WWF house show report from Tuesday and Wednesday...Brian Knobbs d Brooklyn Brawler...Natural Disasters d The Bushwhackers in a non-title match...Bam Bam Bigelow d Virgil...The Steiner Brothers d The Headshrinkers...Rick Martel d Big Bossman...Tatanka moves to 104/105-0 by beating The Mountie to retain IC belt...The Hart Foundation take down Money Inc. when Titan pins IRS...Mr. Perfect d Lex Luger...Randy Savage d 'Chilling' Charles Wright...Jake Roberts d Bret Hart in the main event.

Top pops: 1) Randy Savage...2) Bret Hart...3) Mr. Perfect

Heat of the night: 1) Lex Luger...2) Jake Roberts...3) Money Inc.

Best match: Hart Foundation vs. Money Inc.

WWF house show results from Thursday and Friday...Owen Hart d Fatu...Kamala d Big Bossman...Steiner Brothers d Bam Bam Bigelow & Blake Beverly...Rick Martel d Craig Pitmtan...'Chilling' Charles Wright d Marty Jannetty...Nasty Boys d Natural Disasters by DQ, do not become tag champs...Yokozuna d Bob Backlund to retain HW belt...Mr. Perfect d British Bulldog...Bret Hart & Eduardo Guerrero d Jake Roberts & The Mountie...Lex Luger d Randy Savage in main event.

Top pops: 1) Randy Savage...2) Bret Hart & Eduardo Guerrero...3) Mr. Perfect

Heat of the night: 1) Yokozuna...2) British Bulldog...3) Lex Luger

Best match: Perfect vs. Bulldog

Finally, here is your preview for Monday Night Raw:

King Of The Ring qualifying action heats up this week, with two great matches! The British Bulldog demonstrated last week that he might have other things on his mind, but he will try to advance in the tournament against Marty Jannetty!

Last week, Eduardo Guerrero received a pep talk from Jerry Lawler! This week, Eduardo makes his in-ring debut, in a KOTR qualifier against The Mountie!

The Undertaker was left unconscious backstage on last week's episode! This week, will he be looking for revenge? Will he be able to look for revenge?

WWF Intercontinental Champion Tatanka is scheduled to appear!

Plus: Kamala, The Steiner Brothers, Crush, and much more!

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

WWF Monday Night Raw Report

May 14, 1993

Welcome to Monday Night Raw, the show where...um...make up your own description to go here.

Opener put the Hart Foundation (w/Jim Neidhart) against the Headshrinkers. The WWF Tag Team division really needs a shot in the arm right now, and I'm not talking about Rick Martel and Kamala...seriously, when it's look like the Hart Foundation against Natural Disasters is your next title program, you're in trouble...the match itself is as predictable as you'd think, with the Harts easily coming out on top, via a Sharphshooter from Owen to Samu at 4:13...after the match, Money Inc. ran in swinging their briefcases, and cleared the ring! They grabbed mics and challenged the Foundation to a match at King of the Ring...challenge was accepted!

Leonardo Darsonio is out to the ring next, for reasons unknown. Those reasons become more clear very quickly, as Darsonio cues up the footage of The Undertaker being laid out backstage last week! Darsonio then rewinds the footage, and we see some new material...The Undertaker is walking, when Darsonio and three other wrestlers (John Nord, Steve Keirn, and Terry Taylor, if you care) come out of nowhere with lead pipes, and start bashing Taker...then they leave, and we see the same footage of him laying backstage. The video stops, and Darsonio grins smugly, before saying "there's one opponent down...".

CUT BACKSTAGE! Sean Mooney has his first scoop of the night - an exclusive interview with Koko B. Ware, who hasn't been seen in the WWF in nearly six months! I don't think anybody would have known that had I not said it. Koko gives some generic diatribe about how nice it is to be back in the WWF, and how he's going to become King Of The Ring...cue RAZOR RAMON, who walks in, stops in front of Koko, spits his toothpick at him, and leaves.

A non-title match puts the Intercontinental Champion, Tatanka (w/Slick), up against Blake Beverly. Tatanka is going for his 106th consecutive win here. Tatanka's music is now slightly different, same music, but now with a generic Indian band singing "Tatanka! Buffalo" ad infinitum. To absolutely nobody's surprise, this is a squash. Now that Barry Darsow and Kamala are being pushed somewhat, I think that Beverly is the lowest heel on the WWF food chain. And he proves it here, by getting in exactly three moves of offense - a weak push that sent Tatanka to the mat, and elbowdrop, and a pin, which Tatanka kicked out of at 1. Tomahawk Chop at 3:51, and this one was history.

Mr. Perfect comes out to the ring. He's perfect, you know. He takes a long time to walk down the ramp, so I scan the signs in the crowd, and notice "Leonardo Darsonio Ate My Pizza"...that better be an inside joke. Perfect cuts a promo on 'Chilling' Charles Wright, his KOTR qualifier opponent next week. No, Wright does not show up. I think this must have just been filler.

Speaking of KOTR, here's Eduardo Guerrero (w/big pop) making his WWF in-ring debut against The Mountie. They really picked this match carefully - Mountie's no slouch in the ring, and Guerrero, despite being green, is even better. Vinnie and Duggie play up Guerrero's ability to twist Mountie into all sorts of shapes, and eventually leave him on the canvas, at which point he climbed the top ropes, and hit his frog splash, which Jim Duggan called the Mexican Splash at 6:14 for the win! After the match, the Hart Foundation came out and celebrated with Eduardo.

CUT BACKSTAGE! We are in Harvey Wippleman's office! And so is Paul Bearer! Bearer is demanding that Wippleman do something about (read: fire) Leonardo Darsonio! Wippleman says no, Darsonio showed some great initiative, and if anything, he should be rewarded! However, since The Undertaker is unable to wrestle at KOTR, Harvey will allow Paul Bearer to find a replacement!

STILL BACKSTAGE! Gene Okerlund gets all the good interviews - this time, he's with Jake Roberts! He asks Snake flat-out about the six-man battle royal at KOTR. Roberts replies by saying "Everyone thinks it's about six men, all of whom want a shot at Yokozuna...but it's not...it's about three men, all of whom want to kick the stuffing out of Hulk Hogan. And those three men are myself, Lex Luger, and--" Roberts doesn't get to finish, as Hulk Hogan storms in and says "Who, Jake? Who's the sixth man?" The Snake tells Hogan to look behind him...Hogan does, camera doesn't...all we see is Hogan fall to the ground, while a 2x4 piece of wood drops beside him...the attack runs off.

Time now for the night's other KOTR qualifier, as Marty Jannetty squares off with the British Bulldog. Confusion abounds when Jim Duggan is not at the announcer's desk for this one, so Jerry Lawler, despite not being an employee of the WWF, takes his spot. Lawler just completely bashes Jannetty all through the match, saying 'even your grandmother could beat him, McMahon!'...match itself isn't as solid as it would look on paper, but Jannetty gets the surprise victory following a Rocker DDT at 7:06! After the match, Jannetty heads to the back celebrating, while the Bulldog also heads to the back, not looking too concerned with the loss. Vince McMahon wonders aloud if the Bulldog could be Paul Bearer's 'suitable replacement'.

Jim Duggan returns to the commentary stand, brandishing a slice of pizza, and Jerry Lawler leaves, heading backstage. Lawler brushes against Eduardo Guerrero backstage, and simply says 'remember what I told you, Eduardo'. Eduardo gets a bit of an apprehensive look on his face.

Main event is as strange a match as you'll get in these parts, as the Steiner Brothers take on Ricky Steamboat (Rick's KOTR quarter-final opponent) and Lex Luger (in the six-man battle royal with Scott). Steamboat & Luger are portrayed as stronger than the Steiners, but the Steiners' teamwork is enough to overcome that. Geez, morals in wrestling. Really good match whenever Steamboat's in there, really awful match whenever Luger's in there...eveventually, all four men ended up brawling in the ring, and the ref declared the match a no-contest. Rick Steiner continued brawling with Ricky Steamboat, and Scott Steiner with Lex Luger, as the show went off the air.

THE GOOD: Eduardo Guerrero's already in the upper echelon of WWF wrestlers...Leonardo Darsonio deserves a push...they're trying to build for every match at KOTR, at least...

THE BAD: No follow-up at all to British Bulldog yelling at Slick last week.

THE UGLY: One week, The Undertaker is laid out by persons unknown. This week, it happens to Hulk Hogan. Do this one more time, and it'll be really predictable.

GRADE: B-

[Hewey]

Good show, Not sure if I like the Eduardo push, I think you might be pushing him too fast if he does win KOTR. I really hope Razor wins it. I am surprised Jannetty beat Bulldog, That's a big upset for Bulldog. I am also interested in seeing who Bearer brings in, I think it could be a new guy, Not someone from the active roster. Keep up the great work Ryan, Looking forward to the KOTR

[Guest Prototype]

Good show. Im surprised Jannetty beat Bulldog too. Interested to see who Bearer brings in as Taker's replacement. I hope the 2x4 was just a swerve. Duggan as a heel facing Hogan doesnt do it for me, but it might work if thats the way you're going. Looking forward to KOTR.

[Guest killacam2006]

Hey yo Razor to win King of the Ring chico!!

Edited November 29, 2004 by killacam2006

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

WWF News and Rumours

May 14, 1993

What a week it's been. Leonardo Darsonio's getting a push, someone else is about to get one, and...well, that's about it.

First off the mystery man who attacked Hulk Hogan is NOT, I repeat, NOT Jim Duggan. Although the WWF somehow has not set a plan for who the sixth man will be, they want Duggan to continue as a commentator. Names that have been considered include Eduardo Guerrero, who isn't that likely, because they want his first big feud to be with the Hart Foundation, Ric Flair, who they wanted to give more time off to, Ricky Steamboat, to get him in a big storyline, and a re-debuting Barry Horowitz. Obviously, one of these choices is very unlikely.

Got my hands on the WrestleMania IX VHS tape. Yokozuna winning the WWF Championship still seems kind of forced, but Tatanka winning the IC belt no longer does...Perfect/Flair will definitely stand the test of time...as for extras, we get all four pre-show matches (Hart Foundation/Headshrinkers, Jannetty/Bigelow, Bossman/Repo Man, Duggan/Razor), as well as kayfabe-ridden interviews of Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and Jim Duggan.

Here is your report from WWF Superstars...open up to highlights of the Steiner Brothers taking on Lex Luger and Ricky Steamboat...Typhoon squashes Pistol Pete (NE's Billy Gunn) in 2:56, winning with a splash...recap of Leonardo Darsonio's promo and Paul Bearer's meeting with Harvey Wippleman...Crush takes down Blake Beverly in 4:13 with a schoolboy...highlights of the two KOTR matches...Rick Martel & Kamala (w/Jimmy Hart) take on the Bushwhackers...Kamala powerslams Butch, and then makes the tag to Martel, who gets the pin...we're shown the Hulk Hogan/Jake Roberts/2x4 angle again...main event puts Bret "I need a storyline" Hart against Bam Bam Bigelow...Hart wins it via a Sharpshooter after 7:27 of good action.

WWF house show results from Tuesday and Wednesday...Leonardo Darsonio demonstrates his huge push by beating Virgil in the curtain-jerker...Scott Steiner d Earthquake...The Nasty Boys d Rick Martel & Kamala by count-out when Kamala wanders out of the ring...Razor Ramon d Koko B. Ware after a low blow...Jim Duggan & Bob Backlund d The Headshrinkers...Mr. Perfect d Bam Bam Bigelow...The Hart Foundation d Money Inc. when Titan pinned IRS...Bret Hart d The Mountie...Ricky Steamboat d Marty Jannetty...Hulk Hogan d Yokozuna by DQ in carbon copy of IYHII match.

Top pops: 1) Hulk Hogan...2) Mr. Perfect...3) Bret Hart

Heat of the night: 1) Ricky Steamboat...2) Yokozuna...3) Leonardo Darsonio

Best match: Jannetty/Steamboat

WWF house show results from Thursday and Friday...'Chilling' Charles Wright d Koko B. Ware...Money Inc. d The Bushwhackers, DiBiase pinned Luke...Lex Luger d Craig Pittman...The Steiner Brothers d The Headshrinkers...Marty Jannetty d Kamala by DQ...Leonardo Darsonio d Jim Duggan...Tatanka (107/108-0) d The Mountie to remain IC champ...Natural Disasters d Nasty Boys to remain tag champs...Hulk Hogan d Jake Roberts...Ricky Steamboat d Randy Savage

Top pops: 1) Hulk Hogan...2) Randy Savage...3) Tatanka

Heat of the night: 1) Ricky Steamboat...2) Jake Roberts...3) 'Chilling' Charles Wright

Best match: Savage/Steamboat

Here is your preview for Monday Night Raw...

Three of the four King Of The Ring quarterfinals are already set! Monday night, the fourth one will be decided, as Koko B. Ware makes his return to the WWF against Razor Ramon, while Mr. Perfect squares off with 'Chilling' Charles Wright!

Randy Savage will give us an update on last week's events surrounding Hulk Hogan!

Tatanka will be in action for the second consecutive week!

With six days until King Of The Ring, we will hear from Lex Luger!

Plus: The Nasty Boys, Bret Hart, Ricky Steamboat, and many more!

Edited December 3, 2004 by ryan_the_canuck

[Hewey]

I'm so glad it wasn't Duggan who attacked Hogan, My bet is on Flair. I don't think Steamboat could make a good heel so I don't think it's him. I would love it for it to be Razor, A Razor/Hogan feud might have bad matches, But it's something I'd mark out for. I do agree that Bret needs to do something since he hasn't been doing much, Maybe a face v face feud with Steamboat?

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

WWF Monday Night Raw Report

May 21, 1993

Monday Night Raw...final one before King Of The Ring...I should use this opening paragraph for something, I really should. Maybe I'll start giving predictions!

Alas, there's no time for predictions, as we go straight into the opening match between The Nasty Boys and the jobberrific tag team of Blake Beverly & The Mountie. Vinnie and Duggie spent most of this one discussing the 'bad blood' between the Nastys and the Disasters. I'd like to know about this bad blood...to the best of my knowledge, the two teams haven't even touched each other since the last PPV. Actually, that all changed at the 4:22 mark in this one, when the Disasters came running in from the back and florred Jerry Saggs with a double-clothesline! The large duo then made their way to Knobbs in the ring, and Typhoon delivered a splash, but the ref called for the bell, and awarded the match to the Nasty Boys by DQ! After the match, the Nasty Boys left the ring really quick.

Vince McMahon introduces us to a highlight package of the recent in-fighting in Money Inc., and their challenge to the Hart Foundation last week, which was accepted. Yawn.

KOTR qualifying time, ladies and gents! Out first is Koko B. Ware, who proves that absence does in fact make the hart grow fonder, as he gets a surprisingly loud pop. Not star-level, but bigger than you'd expect for Koko. Razor's out next, and the crowd suddenly realizes how loud a pop they gave Koko, so he gets huge heat. Match starts...and then BOOM! Down goes Koko to a suplex! Razor with the STOMP of doom! Sadly, Koko B. Ware is squashing my dreams of returning to the WWF with a push, and is instead doing a blatant job for the Bad Guy. Razor wins it via a Razor's Edge at 2:51. Yes, that soon.

TATANKA (w/Slick) comes out to the ring to deliver what will no doubt be a stirring and memorable address. Or not. The Slickster talks about what a sham it is that the Intercontinental Champion of the World is supposed to be in action tonight, but he has no opponent! So he is issuing an OPEN CHALLENGE to anyone in the locker room! Cue the BRITISH BULLDOG, who comes out and accepts the challenge, once again reiterating that "I'll have no trouble beating a red man managed by a black man".

CUT BACKSTAGE! There's Sean Mooney! And he's with Marty "No Longer Calling Myself The King" Jannetty! Jannetty compliments Eduardo Guerrero on an impressive debut last week, but says that he's not going to take it easy on him at KOTR. Duh. Of course, this means that EDUARDO himself will show up (along with Bret Hart). Eduardo returns the compliment, and says that he's looking forward to their match on Sunday. To complete the picture, JERRY LAWLER comes in, and starts laughing, managing only to get out the words "you really don't get it, do you?". Vince and Duggan speculate that this may be part of Lawler's plot to influence Guerrero.

The Brooklyn Brawler is in the ring...not a good sign. Means we're about to see someone either debut or get a push. And out comes, um...CRUSH!!! No longer Kona Crush at all, he's got on some Bundy-esque spandex, and has somewhat louder and less joyous music. And, like I said, the match is a squash. Crush dominates the Brawler, eventually finishing him off with a powerbomb. Total time, one minute and forty-six seconds. Can't say I'm thrilled.

After the match, Crush stays in the ring...and Paul Bearer walks out! Bearer grabs a mic, and announces that Crush is the suitable replacement for The Undertaker, who will face Leonardo Darsonio at KOTR! Bearer goes on to tell us how Crush might not have the dark side of Taker, but he does have lots and lots of brute force, and brute force is more than enough to deal with Darsonio!

Back from commercials, time for the final KOTR qualifier, as Mr. Perfect takes on 'Chilling' Charles Wright. Wright's not that great in the ring, but he's good on the mic and such. Too bad they haven't given him a real program in a few months. And he's not going to get one here, as Perfect takes him down easily, culminating with a Perfectplex at 3:51. Lot of short matches tonight...not fun. Perfect moves on to face Razor Ramon in what should be a really good match.

CUT BACKSTAGE! Gene Okerlund puts himself over Sean Mooney by once again having a bigger name for his interview - Ricky Steamboat! And, to put it mildly, it's sad. Steamboat just can't play a realistic heel character - he tries to bash Rick Steiner in his promo, but winds up almost praising him. Let's hope they find something to do with him soon. This just wasn't a good promo.

Randy Savage makes his way out to the ring to the POP OF THE NIGHT. Once the crowd quiets down, Savage informs them that Hulk Hogan is not in the building tonight, but he will be ready to wrestle on Sunday! Sure, he won't BEAT Savage, but he'll be ready to wrestle. Cue LEX LUGER and JAKE ROBERTS, who come out and look poised to attack Savage, but instead, just grab his mic. Luger (the dumb choice) asks Savage "What do you mean, he'll be fine for Sunday? The N--I mean, the sixth man, was supposed to take him out!" Luger and Roberts are angry, so they go to attack Savage, but Scott Steiner runs out from the back, and he along with Savage is able to hold them back, until security seperates everyone!

Main event time, pitting Tatanka (w/Slick) against the British Bulldog in the non-title match that was set up earlier tonight. For the first time in his WWF career, Tatanka is seriously challenged, as the debatebly bigger Bulldog is pushing Tatanka around, and giving him some difficulty in going for his 109th consecutive win. Partway through the match, Harvey Wippleman made his way out to ringside, and started to watch. He was emotionless as the Bulldog kept Tatanka on the defensive, but the moment Tatanka looked to take control of the match, Wippleman got worried. Long match with both men hitting plenty of spots. Finally, at the 8:25 mark, Tatanka had managed to lay out the Bulldog and started to climb up to the top rope...when Wippleman blew a whistle, and announced that there was no time left! As far as Harvey was concerned, this match was 'adjourned', to be continued on Sunday night! Tatanka is still 108-0, and..."Oh, yeah, Tatanka? By the way...the title will be on the line come Sunday." Fade out to Tatanka and Slick looking worried at the thought of facing the currently-unconcious Bulldog.

THE GOOD: They're building up the mystery of the sixth man pretty well...Crush could be an interesting choice for Paul Bearer's replacement...main event was strong in ring.

THE BAD: This Jannetty/Lawler feud, Lawler/Guerrero angle, and Bret Hart/Guerrero friendship are all going to come to a head this Sunday, and I'm really afraid of where they could go with this.

THE UGLY: I know I said it before, but Ricky Steamboat as a heel just doesn't work. When he's on the mic, you can tell he wants to be a babyface, the fans want to pop for him...just turn him already!

GRADE: B

[Hewey]

Good show, KOTR is gonna be awesome and I hope Razor wins it. The Guerrero/Hart/Lawler thing is going along nicely as well as the mystery of the 6th men, Can't wait to see HBK return as well

I also hope Tatanka drops the title soon, He just sucks real badly............

[Guest ryan_the_canuck]

WWF News and Rumours

May 21, 1993

First things first, here is SWD's preview for King Of The Ring:

KOTR Quarter-Finals

Crush vs. Leonardo Darsonio - This match should be very telling. Look for whoever wins it to get a big post-tournament push. Darsonio has the edge of having taken out Undertaker, but Crush is Paul Bearer's latest protege, and you don't want to make Bearer look week. We'll go with Crush.

Rick Steiner vs. Ricky Steamboat - Although Steamboat clearly needs to be a babyface, a loss to a tag-team wrestler would hurt his credibility in either alignment. Steamboat's our pick.

Eduardo Guerrero vs. Marty Jannetty - All the signs point towards a Guerrero heel turn, and one of them should be heel for this match...look for Lawler interference and/or an illegal move leading to a Guerrero victory.

Mr. Perfect vs. Razor Ramon - Sleeper pick for match of the night. Both of them should have major pushes by this time next year, but I think Razor's needs to start first, so he's our pick.

KOTR Semi-Finals

Crush vs. Ricky Steamboat - Again, all booking logic states that if you don't want to ruin Steamboat's reputation, he needs to win here. That said, the other match is heel vs. heel, and the same idea would never work for the final, so we'll say Crush wins.

Eduardo Guerrero vs. Razor Ramon - Well, yeah. Whoever wins this match will beat Crush and get the title shot. Neither of these two are champion material yet. Razor would be hurt much less by a loss than Guerrero. We'll take Razor.

KOTR Final

Crush vs. Razor Ramon - Razor wins. See above.

Hart Foundation vs. Money Inc. - There's been enough hinting in the past few months that IRS will turn face on DiBiase very soon. I could easily see it being now, with a grudge match between the two set up for Summerslam. So we'll take the Harts.

Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage vs. Scott Steiner vs. Jake Roberts vs. Lex Luger vs. ??? - Winner of this one faces Yokozuna for the WWF Championship that night. As far as we know, the WWF brass is still debating between several stars, including Ric Flair, a turning Rick Steiner, and a debuting Terry Taylor, for the sixth spot, but nothing has been finalized. A babyface should win this one, and Hogan's had the spotlight on him for the past few weeks, making him our pick.

Winner of above match vs. Yokozuna - WWF Championship on the line. Hogan should win, for various reasons, including his backstage politics and a heel KOTR winner. Hogan/Razor would thus become our feature program of the summer.

Nasty Boys vs. Natural Disasters - This match, which, by the way, is for the WWF Tag Team Championships, has had roughly no build-up since their match at In Your House II. Taking a look at the tag division, the Harts look to be the next serious contenders, especially if they beat Money Inc., so we'll take the Disasters.

Tatanka vs. British Bulldog - This is supposedly a 'continuation' of their match on Monday night, although the IC belt is now on the line. Story on Monday was that the Bulldog was bigger than Tatanka, and was able to push him around, so expect more of the same here...but Tatanka will wind up on top, and go to 109-0.

Don't forget about SWD's PayPerView Prediction Contest! Send in your picks for all eleven matches, along with answers to the following tiebreakers!

1) Who will be 'the sixth man'?

2) Will anyone debut?

3) How many titles will change hands?

4) Will anyone turn?

5) Will Jerry Lawler make an appearance?

6) Will Harvey Wippleman make an appearance?

Here is your report from WWF Superstars...open up to highlights of Crush squashing the Brooklyn Brawler and being introduced as Paul Bearer's new client...the Big Bossman squashes Blake Beverly, winning via the Bossman Slam at 3:41...quick recap of the two KOTR matches...despite the recap only getting two minutes, I think I saw every single offensive move Koko B. Ware hit...The Bushwhackers take down The Dancing Fools (WWF:NE's Moonwalkers) in 3:52 with a schoolboy...nice to see the Aussies win a match for a change...a special bonus, we see almost all of the original Tatanka/Bulldog match from MNR...Rick Martel (w/Jimmy Hart) beats Jim Powers in 4:51...Kamala tries to come out and hug Martel again, but Hart is able to restrain him...good match...we see Randy Savage's stirring and unmemorable address again...main event puts Bob Backlund against Ted DiBiase (w/o IRS)...DiBiase wins via the Million Dollar Dream at 6:22.

WWF house show report from Tuesday and Wednesday nights...Owen Hart d Blake Beverly...Leonardo Darsonio d Virgil...Money Inc. d Bushwhackers...Mr. Perfect d Fatu...Ricky Steamboat d Craig Pittman...Nasty Boys d Natural Disasters in non-title match...Crush d Rick Martel by DQ when Kamala interfered...Steiner Brothers d Bam Bam Bigelow & 'Chilling' Charles Wright...Lex Luger d Bret Hart...Hulk Hogan d Jake Roberts

Top pops: 1) Hulk Hogan...2) Bret Hart...3) Mr. Perfect

Heat of the night: 1) Ricky Steamboat...2) Jake Roberts...3) Leonardo Darsonio

Best match: Pittman/Steamboat

WWF house show results from Thursday and Friday...Scott Steiner d Blake Beverly...Rick Martel & Kamala d Koko B. Ware & Craig Pittman...Razor Ramon d Virgil...Hart Foundation d Headshrinkers...Crush d Bam Bam Bigelow...Eduardo Guerrero d The Mountie...Ricky Steamboat d Big Bossman...Nasty Boys d Natural Disasters in non-title match...Jake Roberts d Randy Savage when man in mask interfered...Yokozuna d Bret Hart in non-title match.

Top pops: 1) Bret Hart...2) Randy Savage...3) Eduardo Guerrero

Heat of the night: 1) Yokozuna...2) Jake Roberts...3) Razor Ramon

Best match: Savage/Roberts

Finally, there is no preview for Monday Night Raw the night after KOTR.