August 2, 1993 Taped show (on July 25, 1993) Location: Alexandria Bay, New York, USA (Castle Recreation Center) Announced attendance: ca 1000 TV rating: 2.9 (USA Network) [down 3.4% from the previous week’s 3.0 rating]
Hi everyone. Welcome to yet another Monday Night RAW review here on the blog. After the ending of last week’s show, Randy Savage returns to the ring to battle Doink the Clown. What is Savage’s surprise that he promised last week? Let’s tune in to find out! Plus, Mr. Perfect and The Steiners are in action tonight.
Here is the list of champions in the WWF heading into this RAW: (considering the air date)
WWF Champion: Yokozuna [50th day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Hulk Hogan
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Shawn Michaels [57th day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Marty Jannetty
WWF Tag Team Champions: The Steiners (Rick & Scott Steiner) [44th day of their 2nd reign] – previous champions: Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster)
Enjoy the review!
IMG credit: WWE & thesmackdownhotel.com
Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Bobby Heenan
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The show begins with a recap of Doink issuing the challenge to Randy Savage at the end of last week. Doink promised Savage won’t be seeing double vision, he’ll be seeing triple vision. But Savage replied saying he had a surprise of his own, which wasn’t shown in this recap.
Heenan and McMahon address the viewers by themselves while Randy Savage cuts a very short promo from his dressing room.
The Steiners (Rick & Scott Steiner) vs. Barry Horowitz & Dwayne Gill
Take a look at this all-time jobber combination! They were both great. Scott wastes little time sending Horowitz flying with a hiptoss out of the corner. Horowitz claims Scott used the tights. Horowitz tries a hiptoss out of the corner of his own, which is quite hilarious. Scott misses a blind charge leading to Horowitz patting himself on the back, which earns him an overhead belly to belly suplex when he turns around. Rick gets tagged in, Horowitz goes to punch him but nearly sh*ts himself when he sees Rick’s in there. That got a laugh out of both Scott and Rick, as well as the crowd. Horowitz tells the fans to shut up and tags in Dwayne Gill, who immediately eats a Steinerline. Rick brings Scott back in, who hits a pumphandle slam and the Frankensteiner for the win at 2:45. The commentators announce The Steiners have an open contract for a title shot at SummerSlam, in their home state.
Rating: Fantastic squash, one of the best in RAW history up until this point. Barry Horowitz was an extremely talented jobber, and the Steiners looked great to boot. *
We see a Lex Luger interview. He talks about his childhood, being shy as a kid and how his father wouldn’t allow him to participate in athletics if he didn’t get A’s in school. This had “CHANT LEX LUGER DAMN IT” written all over it.
Vince announces there will be a contract signing next week between Luger and Yokozuna. Heenan reminds us of the last contract signing Yoko had, with Bret Hart before WrestleMania 9.
Adam Bomb (w/ Johnny Polo) vs. Tony Roy
Bomb manhandles Tony Roy while Vince plugs the USA Network premiere of Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair, and Bobby says whatever you hear happened between him and Marilyn is not true! Bomb slams Roy on the ropes before hitting a backdrop suplex. Adam Bomb goes up top for the flying clothesline and the Atom Smasher finishes Roy in 2:18.
Rating: This was there. The interactions between Heenan and McMahon on commentary were more entertaining. 1/4*
Video package promoting next week’s featured match – Mr. Hughes vs. Tatanka.
But now, it’s time for tonight’s featured match…
Randy Savage vs. Doink the Clown
Savage looks under the ring before the match to see if there are more Doinks in there. He sees nothing and comes back in to start us off. Doink misses a cheapshot on the ropes and laughs at it. He mocks Savage’s mannerisms afterwards while the crowd chants “Macho” loudly. The crowd is into this match big time. Doink pulls the hair and bites Savage to get the advantage, and Savage goes outside to pick a chair. The referee gets it away from him, which in turn allows Doink to take over. Clothesline by Doink and he locks in a Boston Crab. Doink grabs the ropes for extra leverage until the referee eventually catches him. He goes to work on Savage’s leg, stomping on him. Savage tries to fight back, moving out of the way on a blind charge and driving the knee to Doink’s back, sending him all the way to the outside.
Commercial break
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We come back with Savage fighting a neckbreaker submission back inside the ring. Doink hits a dropkick and he puts pressure on the neck with another submission. Savage fights back by ramming him into the buckle. Doink whips Savage into the buckle in return, as Savage’s leg is too hurt for him to follow up on it, and Doink hits a belly to belly for two. Abdominal stretch by Doink, Savage reverses with a hiptoss but his back gives out again. Doink hammers away in the corner and goes to a reverse chinlock while ramming his knee to Savage’s back. Very impressive limb work by Doink in this match. Savage escapes the hold yet again, runs the ropes but charges right into a slam by Doink. He sets up for the flying buttsplash, but Savage moves out of the way and Doink lands on his ass. That finally opens the door for Savage’s comeback, but Doink whips Savage to the outside. Savage crawls under the ring and appears on the other side… except it’s a midget! Mini Macho Man throws Doink off his game, who leaves the ring to go after Macho Midget. That’s the cue for Randy Savage to reapper and slam Doink out on the floor. Savage brings Doink back in, but Doink is still distracted, and Savage cradles Doink for the win at 11:22.
Doink complains about the numbers advantage after the match, so Macho Midget attacks from behind and Savage knocks him down. They celebrate in the ring together while Doink walks away.
Rating: On one hand, this was ridiculous. One the other hand, it was pretty fun because of it! Doink had been using the numbers advantage to beat all of his opponents for months, so it was nice to see Savage outsmarting him. This was a very fun TV match that clearly showed Savage should still be inside those ropes and not on commentary. ***1/4
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SummerSlam Report w/ Mean Gene
The WWF Title match will be Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger, with Lugger wearing an elbow pad. They will be in a contract signing next week on RAW.
Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler will battle over “royalty”. Mean Gene thinks the Hart Family will be at the show.
Added to the show this past weekend, Shawn Michaels will defend the Intercontinental Title against Mr. Perfect.
The Undertaker will face Giant Gonzalez in a RIP Match.
Back to the broadcast, Ted DiBiase is on the phone after losing to The 1-2-3 Kid on Wrestling Challenge. DiBiase hangs up as soon as Vince says we’ll see a recap.
They proceed to show the recap, with Razor Ramon getting involved when Ted had him in the Million Dollar Dream. DiBiase did a cocky pin and Kid stole it with a crucifix pin.
Jim Cornette Debuts!
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Jim Cornette makes his unannounced WWF debut walking into the ring with the crowd booing him. Bobby Heenan loses his mind as soon as he sees him, joining Cornette in the ring. Heenan puts Cornette over big time, calling him the greatest manager in the sport. Cornette returns the favor, saying he’s only the greatest because Heenan doesn’t manage anymore. Also, Cornette thanks Heenan for the roses he sent to his mother! Heenan wants to know what’s going on with Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Cornette wastes no time in insulting the fans to establish himself as a mega heel. Cornette says he’s done it all in wrestling except appear in the WWF. He waited this long because now he finally has the knockout blow – the greatest combination he’s ever managed, Jimmy Del Ray & Tom Prichard, The Heavenly Bodies. But he’s got another surprise. He’s here in the WWF for one reason: the Heavenly Bodies have dominated Smoky Mountain for a year and a half, so they want to challenge The Steiners. They’re the WWF Tag Team Championship, but they’re not the best team in the world. Cornette says the Steiners can either take the challenge for SummerSlam (and get beat, of course) or overlook the challenge like cowards. Heenan puts Cornette over one last time, saying he’ll set the WWF on fire, before giving him a huge hug. The crowd boos them out of the building. This was a fantastic segment. Here’s a clip below.
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Bobby Heenan brings Jim Cornette over to the commentary table to announce the final match.
Main Event
Mr. Perfect vs. Barry Hardy
Perfect takes Barry to the corner and chops him. Barry Hardy hiptosses Perfect and spits his own bubble gum like Perfect. Perfect quickly turns things around and throws more chops. He does the necksnap while Cornette mocks McMahon already. Perfect removes Hardy’s singlet and finishes him with the Perfectplex in 2:40.
Rating: Pretty fun squash here. Hardy had a singlet and bubble gum like Perfect and tries to steal his mannerisms, and they worked around that. 1/2*
They show more clips of Lex Luger’s Lex Express on the road.
Next week: the Yokozuna/Luger contract signing and Tatanka vs. Mr. Hughes. Also, Cornette adds the Heavenly Bodies will be here as well.
END OF THE SHOW
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Final thoughts: Very entertaining episode of Monday Night RAW this week. Savage vs. Doink was a really fun match, as WWF continues to deliver at least one good match per week, the Steiners and Mr. Perfect squashes were very enjoyable, and Jim Cornette’s WWF debut was a fantastic segment. They did a very good job of building up to SummerSlam as well as next week’s episode. The only thing that was “just there” was Adam Bomb’s squash, but it wasn’t terrible either. I personally enjoyed this RAW a lot overall. 8/10
Terry Funk was renowned for being one of the greatest old-school wrestlers ever for his knowledge and ability, and also for being one of the toughest human beings ever in hardcore divisions around the world. Terry Funk gave so much of his life and career for the business, and there are so many wrestlers who benefited from working with the Funker.
The world mourned Terry’s passing, especially all of us at SmarkDown. And to pay tribute, we look back at the Top 10 matches of the Funker.
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10. Terry Funk vs. Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler – No DQ-match (CWA Memphis Wrestling – 23.03.1981)
IMG Credit: Facebook/Classic Memphis Wrestling
The King was one of the Funker’s bitterest rivals throughout the eighties. Two polar-opposites who had many vicious and violent bouts against each other, with perhaps their greatest being this No-Disqualification match from Memphis Wrestling. With such a white-hot crowd providing the perfect atmosphere, Lawler and Funk tore into each other again with intensity few could match.
Jerry busted Terry open in no time at all, with the Funker responding in kind…and THEN some. Vicious, stiff, swinging blows were thrown left-and-right, Terry grabbed a steel chair and dissected the King’s knee, torturing him even more with his patented Spinning Toe Hold. But Jerry again was able to turn the tables when he grabbed the chair to attack the Funker’s own knee. The wild brawl escalated to ringside where after beating Terry into unconsciousness with the chair, Jerry returned to the ring just in time to win via count-out (it was JUST No DQs!). Over 40 years on, this remains a hellacious fight with a molten audience!
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9) Terry Funk vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat (NWA/WCW Clash of Champions VII)
IMG Credit: WWE/Cageside Seats
It was a battle of world-title contenders in 1989, with former world-champion Ricky Steamboat having lost the Big Gold Belt to Ric Flair, and Terry Funk having delivered a piledriver to the Nature Boy on a table right after! More unhinged than ever, Terry was now No.10 in the contender rankings, and would jump right to the top of the queue…if he could beat the Dragon (who was No. 1).
Knowing what was at stake, the Funker and the Dragon both fought fiercely, delivering vicious knife-edge chops, spectacular dives, body slams and piledrivers outside the ring. Steamboat was in his absolute prime here, and Funk himself was enjoying a glorious comeback in 1989. Together, these two produced a fantastic brawl that ended somewhat disappointingly when the Funker grabbed a microphone and nailed the Dragon in the head, resulting in a DQ. Despite the iffy finish and booking, it’s more classic stuff from the NWA/WCW in 1989!
8) Terry Funk vs. Mick Foley (WWF Raw is War – 04.05.1998)
IMG Credit: WWE/YouTube
Mick Foley and Terry Funk; protege and mentor respectively. Who would also become best friends, better rivals and Hardcore Legends. They had had many classic battles throughout the years, and this particular match from Raw remains one of Mick’s personal favourites. With Mick Foley determined to earn favour with Vince McMahon and be the No. 1 Contender to the WWF Championship, Vince ordered Mick to earn the opportunity by tearing Terry Funk limb-from-limb.
The two best friends had one of the wildest matches on Raw from 1998. With the Attitude Era in full-swing, Mick and Terry brawled all throughout the arena – with the then-53-year-old Funker doing a moonsault from the balcony to the floor onto his foe! – but Terry ultimately lost the upper-hand to Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy. Mick dove from the ring-apron, driving a steel-chair onto Terry (who lay prone on the announce desk), and then finished him off with a piledriver onto a steel chair. This is a forgotten gem that also features brilliant guest-commentary from Stone Cold Steve Austin!
7) Chainsaw Charlie & Cactus Jack vs. The New Age Outlaws – Dumpster Match – WrestleMania 14
IMG Credit: WWE/Wrestlepedia Wiki
At the start of 1998, Mick Foley (in his Cactus Jack persona) and Terry Funk AKA Chainsaw Charlie (look it up and you’ll see why!) were sometimes teaming-together, sometimes fighting each other…until the New Age Outlaws (then-Tag Team Champions) placed the Hardcore Legends in a dumpster and pushed it off the Raw stage. Fast-forward to WrestleMania 14 (one of the best!), and Cactus & Chainsaw now had a title-shot against the Outlaws in the first-ever dumpster match, where the only way to win was for the first-team to throw the opponents in the dumpster at ringside and close the lid.
The brawl only lasted 10 minutes, but it was wonderfully-entertaining chaos from start-to-finish. The action ultimately spread to backstage with Cactus Jack knocking out both Road Dogg and Billy Gunn, and a cackling Terry Funk using a forklift truck to dump the Outlaws into another dumpster backstage and trap them there. Mick and Terry had won the tag titles! Although they lost them back to the Outlaws the next night, it was another fantastic moment from a superb WrestleMania.
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6) Terry Funk vs. Stevie Richards vs. The Sandman – Three-Way Dance/Terry Funk vs. Raven – ECW World Title (ECW Barely Legal 1997)
IMG Credit: WWE/WrestlePedia Wiki
In the 90s, Extreme Championship Wrestling had exploded onto the scene, galvanising a massive cult-following, and allowing the business to grow and evolve in ultra-violent, hardcore-glory. Terry Funk had led the way, giving so much of his life and career to the Philly-based promotion, and helping to establish the company and its roster. All the way to ECW finally getting it’s first pay-per-view.
On this historic, magical night…the Funker (AGAIN in his fifties!) had one last chance in the sun; competing in a three-way dance against the Sandman and Stevie Richards, with the winner immediately facing ECW World Champion Raven afterwards. With his insanity, toughness and resolve still in full-swing, a battered, bloodied & spent Terry Funk somehow overcame the odds to eliminate the Sandman and Richards, and finally upset the sadistic Raven to capture the ECW World Title. The ECW Arena exploded with cheers as the Living Legend again found himself on top of the world. It was a massive success that secured ECW’s future on pay-per-view. As well as being one of the most emotional stories ever in wrestling, and arguably the Funker’s finest hour.
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5) Terry Funk vs. Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart (ECW WrestleFest 1997)
IMG Credit: WWE/Handwerk Reviews
A live-event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling, WrestleFest 1997 gathered many legends of wrestling and drew a crowd of 3,800 people to say ‘Thank You’ to the Funker, who would finally retire at this show…for 11 days. Although this was NOT Terry Funk’s last match, it was nonetheless a truly special event event celebrating a man who meant everything to wrestling. And his opponent would be none-other than then-WWF Champion, Bret Hart.
Of course, Terry was long-past his prime at this point, but he was still the tough, maniacal old-school worker who would fight no-matter-what. With the Hitman wisely playing the heel (and at the top of his game), the result was a magical match that blended ECW-style brawling with technical wrestling. What makes this all-the-more special is the fact that it’s such a rare meeting between two of the greatest of all time. The match ended with Funk performing a bridging-belly-to-back suplex on Bret, who got his shoulder up in time, resulting in Terry pinning himself. Bret was the winner, yet showed his respect for Terry afterwards. Along with everyone else.
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4) Terry Funk vs. Cactus Jack – King of the Deathmatch Final (IWA Kawasaki Dream)
IMG Credit: wrestlingsc.com
Of all the times Terry Funk and Cactus Jack were in the ring together, their most legendary match-up was definitely in Japan at IWA Kawasaki Dream. An ultra-violent 8-man tournament was staged at this show in 1995, and the title of ‘The King of The Deathmatch’ would be awarded to the victor. Both Mick Foley and his mentor/best friend had fought through hell to get to the the finals. And now their greatest and most brutal test was against each other.
The ring-ropes had been replaced with barbed-wire. There were barbed-wire boards in the ring laced with C-4 Explosives. And there was a timer counting-down to a big explosion at the end. Although there have been more exciting and action-packed death-match battles in wrestling, this bout was legendary for not only the combatants, but the sickening sight of human-beings having their flesh ripped apart by barbed-wire and burnt by explosives. For over 13 minutes, Foley and Funk’s efforts enthralled the superb Japanese audience, and ultimately Cactus Jack defeated his idol to take his place in history as the King of the Deathmatch.
3) Edge, Mick Foley & Lita vs. Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk & Beulah McGillicutty (ECW One Night Stand 2006)
IMG Credit: WWE/Tape Machines Are Rolling – WordPress.com
One of the greatest things about ECW’s revival in 2006 (initially!) was definitely the second One Night Stand pay-per-view and the build-up towards that historic show. As incredible as this sounds, Terry Funk was STILL playing an integral role in the world of wrestling at the age of SIXTY-ONE! Rising to defend ECW’s honour with Tommy Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty against Mick Foley, who had renounced his ECW heritage, spat on the legacy of the promotion, and joined arch-rival Edge (with Lita).
On paper, this match SHOULDN’T have been as amazing as it was, given that Terry could barely take a bump anymore, Beulah wasn’t a professional wrestler (discounting her legendary match with Bill Alfonso!), and that Foley and Dreamer were past their prime. AND YET…thanks to superb booking, a brilliant plan, the talents of Edge and Lita, and the amazing crowd at the Hammerstein Ballroom, this extreme intergender tag-match featured everything that made ECW so great. This was an epic bloodbath, with Edge continuing to be the man of 2006 by spearing Beulah and then…ahem, ‘pinning’ her for the win. It was phenomenal stuff from all-involved, especially Terry Funk at THIS point in his life.
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2) Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair – NWA World Heavyweight Title (NWA/WCW Great American Bash 1989)
IMG Credit: WWE/Pro Wrestling Stories
Remember that infamous piledriver that Terry delivered to Ric Flair on the announce table? Right after he regained the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleWar 1989? After the Nature Boy had refused Terry’s challenge to a World Title match because he prioritised the Top 10 contenders’ list? Well…all that kickstarted yet another legendary feud for both men. The Funker was more determined than ever to get back on top, and climbed the mountain whilst the Nature Boy recovered from his neck injury.
With the long-awaited showdown finally on for the Great American Bash, Ric Flair wanted revenge as much as Terry Funk wanted the title. This was an intense, fierce clash from two of the all-time greats. Full of brawling, wrestling, knife-edge-chops, Gary Hart’s interference, Flair bleeding profusely, piledrivers, Figure-Four Leg Locks, Spinning Toe Holds, an excited crowd and a relentless pace. In the end, Flair managed to retain his World Heavyweight Title by countering the Spinning Toe Hold into a inside-cradle for the 3 count! But the amazing brawl continued even after the bell had rung! And things would get even better from there!
1) Terry Funk vs. Ric Flair – I Quit Match (NWA/WCW Clash of Champions IX)
IMG Credit: WWE/Ramblings About Wrestling
Really, what other choice could there be for Number 1? To this day, this match is still regarded as the definitive “I Quit” match. Even after his loss to Flair at the Great American Bash, Terry was NOT done with the Nature Boy yet. The Funker wanted to humiliate Ric Flair like never before, and wanted nothing less than to make him scream “I Quit!” to the entire world.
Flair’s World Title was no longer at stake here. It was all about the pride of these two legends, and they tore the house down in one of the greatest matches of all time. You simply couldn’t imagine either Ric Flair or Terry Funk saying “I Quit!” into a microphone, and yet as the Nature Boy and the Funker unleashed all-kinds of Hell on each other, you realised SOMETHING had to give. And ultimately, Ric Flair prevailed once again by trapping Terry Funk in the Figure-Four Leg Lock, and MAKING him yell, “YES, I QUIT!!!”. Thirty-four years on, this remains storytelling at its finest. Another masterpiece courtesy of Ric Flair, and the greatest match of Terry Funk’s career.
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What were YOUR favourite matches of Terry Funk? Please let us know in the comments below.
All of us at SmarkDown pay our deepest respects and condolences to Terry Funk’s family and loved ones.
REST IN PEACE, TERRY FUNK 1944-2023
IMG Credit: WWE.com
On the 23rd August 2023, the wrestling world lost another legend. One of the greatest of all time in Terry Funk. We look back on the Funker’s greatest matches.
July 26, 1993 Taped show (on July 19, 1993) Location: Manhattan, New York, USA (Manhattan Center) Announced attendance: ca 1 200 TV rating: 3.0 (USA Network) [up 3.4% from the previous week’s 2.9 rating]
Hi everyone. Welcome to yet another RAW review here on the blog. On the final episode of July 1993, Bret Hart battles Bam Bam Bigelow in a rematch from the King of the Ring final. Let’s get into it!
Here is the list of champions in WWF at the time: (considering the air date)
WWF Champion: Yokozuna [43rd day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Hulk Hogan
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Shawn Michaels [50th day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Marty Jannetty
WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner) [37th day of their 2nd reign] – previous champions: Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster)
Note: in title matches, the defending champions appear underlined
Enjoy the review!
IMG credit: WWE & thesmackdownhotel.com
Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan & Randy Savage
Clip from earlier tonight – Doink the Clown says if Randy Savage interferes in any of his matches again (Savage cost Doink’s 2 out of 3 falls match against Marty Jannetty a few weeks earlier) he will have a surprise for ‘The Macho Boy’.
We see Bret Hart’s parents, Stu & Helen Hart, in the crowd.
Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (w/ Luna Vachon)
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Bobby Heenan is on the phone with Jerry Lawler and reveals Lawler is on his way to the arena. Bigelow unloads on Bret to start. Shoulderblock by Bam Bam. They mess up a spot where Bret slides underneath Bigelow’s legs, but then Bret makes up for it with a fantastic dropkick. He follows it up with a clothesline that dumps Bigelow over the top to the floor. Bret takes the fight to the floor, where Sherri unsuccessfully tries to interfere. After a while, Bret takes him back inside and comes off the top with a flying bodypress, with Bret hurting his knees on the way down. We take a break.
Commercial break
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We’re back with Bret selling the knee injury on the outside. Bret makes his way back in, and Bam Bam hits a delayed backdrop suplex for two. Hard whip into the buckle leads to the classic Bret Hart Bump. Crossbody attempt by Bret is caught by Bigelow in midair, who turns it into a falling slam for two. Bigelow drops some headbutts on Bret, until he finally avoids one and comes back with a backdrop suplex. Great detail by Bret, who sells his own bad knee after delivering the move. Bret nails another dropkick and drops an elbow on the chest for two. Bam Bam turns things around and connects with his own dropkick. Chinlock by Bigelow as we go to a second break.
Commercial break
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We return with the crowd chanting ‘Let’s Go Bret’ while he’s still caught in the chinlock. Bigelow rakes the eyes to prevent Bret from escaping the hold, but misses a dropkick as Bret holds onto the ropes. Bret sends him flying with a huge backdrop and drops an elbow to the back of the head for two. Hart is limping around which is great. Bret with a few headbutts to the lower back, then hits the Russian legsweep for two. Flying clothesline off the second rope gets two. Bret goes to a sleeper, and Bam Bam rams his head into the buckle to escape. Bigelow misses a clothesline, though, and Bret comes off the ropes with a running bulldog to take Bigelow down. It’s Sharpshooter time… but we hear Jerry Lawler‘s voice on the microphone. He’s close to Bret’s parents, mocking Stu’s mumbling. Bret leaves the ring to go after Lawler, but Bam Bam catches him and rams Bret’s back into the post out on the floor. Lawler keeps mocking the Hart family while Bigelow whips Bret into the buckle for two. Slam by Bigelow and a splash. He goes up top, misses a senton bomb, and Bret hits a clothesline followed by an elbow for two. Bret with a DDT, but Lawler keeps ranting all the time, so Bret finally leaves the ring and goes after him, giving Bigelow the count-out win at 17:00. Lawler runs away before Bret arrives, and Bret goes up to his mom and dad for a hug.
Rating: This was a very good TV match used to advance the feud between Bret and Lawler. It wasn’t as good as King of the Ring since the action wasn’t the main focus, but it was still a very good match. Bret’s selling of the leg was very good throughout the bout. ***1/2
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SummerSlam Report w/ Mean Gene
Jack Tunney booked the Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger WWF Title match for SummerSlam last weekend on Superstars, but under one condition – Luger must wear an elbow pad to cover the deadly forearm of doom.
The feud between Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler has intensified after tonight.
The Undertaker will face Giant Gonzalez in a RIP Match.
Mr. Hughes (w/ Harvey Wippleman) vs. Russ Greenberg
Hughes still comes out with Undertaker’s urn. They sure tried to make a big deal out of this feud, but Hughes got fired before it could even begin. Most likely for the better. Hughes takes over with his exciting array of kicks and punches while the fans chant ‘Undertaker’. Powerbomb by Hughes. Instead of pinning, he slaps Russ and takes him back up for a headbutt. His Bossman Slam (or maybe it’s a Chokeslam, one of the two) puts Greenberg away at 3:06. Hughes destroys flowers handed by The Undertaker afterwards.
Rating: Always very slow and boring, but it wasn’t terrible. 1/4*
They show clips of the launch party of WrestleMania: The Album and show Randy Savage giving Tiny Tim a new ukelele.
The Smoking Gunns (Billy & Bart Gunn) vs. Dwayne Gill & Glen Ruth
Billy with dropkicks to both guys. Crossbody by Bart on both Gill & Ruth gets two on Ruth. Slam by Bart, legdrop by Billy and an elbowdrop by Billy. Double Russian legsweep by the Gunns. Dropkick by Billy Gunn. Bart with a delayed vertical suplex and Billy comes back in with a clothesline. Just put the poor guy away already! Billy hits a scoop powerslam, tags in Bart and backdrops Ruth right into a Bart piledriver to finally end this at 4:23.
Rating: This was longer than necessary, as the Gunns had the match won about a minute into it and kept going forever. 1/4*
Ludvig Borga video. Oh boy…
We see a Lex Luger interview with Vince McMahon from earlier today. Luger says the response to the Lex Express has been amazing and had led to a WWF Title shot at SummerSlam. Vince asks about the stipulation that forces Luger to wear an elbow pad, but Luger doesn’t care about it. He says all he wants is a shot. Vince wants to know if Luger is an open book and Luger says he’ll answer all the tough questions about his past from the fans. Finally, Luger says the Lex Express tour is not over, even after he’s gotten his title shot.
Main Event
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Doink the Clown vs. Phil Apollo
Doink wastes no time in going after the arm. Belly to belly suplex by Doink who stares at the camera. Doink takes it to the mat as he maintains control. Suplex and an elbowdrop by Doink. He hits a powerslam, goes up top and comes down with a flying buttsplash to the chest for three at 2:31.
Rating: Dominant win for Doink. 1/4*
After the match, Doink grabs the microphone and challenges the ‘Macho Boy’ to confront him. McMahon reminds Savage of his commentary contract, so Doink goes to the commentary table instead. Doink challenges Randy Savage for a match next week, but warns him he won’t be seeing double vision – he’ll be seeing triple vision. After that, another Doink appears in the ring and a third one shows up on the stands. Savage accepts the match anyway and tells Doink to bring as many Doinks as he wants, because Macho has a surprise for Doink as well.
END OF THE SHOW
Final thoughts: It was similar to last week’s episode in a lot of ways, as the first match delivered big time (HBK vs. Marty last week and Bret vs. Bigelow here) and then it was mostly filler. This show didn’t do as good a job of building to SummerSlam, though, outside of Bret vs. Lawler. However, they did set up a small TV program between commentator Savage and Doink, which has everything to deliver in the ring. Again, not as good as last week, but still nice enough. 6/10
That’s all from me. Don’t miss the next reviews here on the blog. Next week, we enter August as we continue the build towards SummerSlam. See you next time, everyone!
July 19, 1993 Location: Manhattan, New York, USA (Manhattan Center) Announced attendance: ca 1 200 TV rating: 2.9 (USA Network) [up 7.1% from the previous week’s 2.7 rating]
Hello everyone. Welcome to my review of yet another episode of WWF RAW. Tonight’s featured match is the grudge match between Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty for the Intercontinental Championship. We also have the RAW debut of Men on a Mission. Let’s get to it.
Here is the list of champions in the WWF at the time:
WWF Champion: Yokozuna [36th day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Hulk Hogan
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Shawn Michaels [43rd day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Marty Jannetty
WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner) [30th day of their 2nd reign] – previous champions: Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster)
Note: in title matches, the defending champions appear underlined
Enjoy the review!
IMG credit: WWE & thesmackdownhotel.com
Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan & Randy Savage
They start the show with a clip of Lex Luger doing a campaign at the WWF Headquarters, and the Lex Express is officially on the road asking for your support!
RAW’s intro plays and the commentators talk about tonight’s IC Title match as well as Men on a Mission’s debut. Loud crowd tonight.
WWF Intercontinental Championship – Shawn Michaels (w/ Diesel) vs. Marty Jannetty
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Marty looks at Diesel at ringside which allows Shawn to strike first. Backdrop by Michaels is avoided as Jannetty lands on his feet. Marty misses a clothesline, Shawn can’t backslide him as Marty rolls through over Shawn’s back, and clotheslines Shawn for two. Marty with an O’Connor Roll gets two. Shawn blocks a powerslam and goes for an O’Connor Roll of his own, but Marty sidesteps it and Shawn sends himself flying to the outside. Michaels regroups before getting back in. They lockup with Shawn taking control. They each fail hiptoss attempts, Michaels with a thumb to the eye but Jannetty ducks the Superkick anyway, leaving Michaels frustrated. We get a stalemate. HBK cheapshots Marty, and chokes him on the ropes right in front of Diesel to get inside his head. Michaels misses a blind charge in the corner, though, and Marty makes the comeback with several hiptosses and a powerslam for two. Jannetty with an armbar. Michaels escapes and hits him with a back elbow smash. He eats Marty’s boot in the corner, who comes flying off the top rope with a flying clothesline. Marty goes up top again for a flying fistdrop, Shawn ducks it but Marty lands on his feet, Shawn turns around into a DDT for the one, two, three… but the ref sees Shawn’s foot on the bottom rope after the bell rings and eventually calls it off.
Commercial break
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We come back with the match resuming. Marty hits a suplex for two. Backbreaker by Marty gets two more. Shawn tries to reverse a whip into the buckle with a springboard leapfrog, but Marty knows it’s coming and simply stops, with Michaels landing right in front of him as Marty puts him in a sleeper. Shawn escapes the sleeper with a backdrop suplex. Blind charge by Marty only finds Shawn’s elbow, and Shawn dumps Jannetty with a knee to the back. Back in, a double collision puts both guys down, with Michaels taking a silly bump to the outside. Diesel gets involved by trying to put Michaels back inside the ring, distracting referee Earl Hebner long enough for Michaels to thumb Jannetty in the eyes just before we take a second break.
Commercial break
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We’re back with Michaels ramming Jannetty’s head into the buckle, followed by a flying double axehandle for two. Shawn goes to a chinlock for a while. Jannetty manages to escape, only to walk into a knee to the gut with Shawn going back to the mat with a front facelock. The people get behind Jannetty with “Marty” chants, with Michaels using the ropes behind the ref’s back for extra leverage. The arm drops twice, but Jannetty stays in it and crotches Michaels on the top rope. Leaping back elbow smash by Jannetty gets two. Shawn catches a charging Jannetty in powerbomb position, which Marty turns into a hurricanrana for a very close nearfall. Jannetty knocks himself out on the turnbuckle, though, allowing Shawn to come off the top rope with a crossbody, but the momentum puts Marty on top for two. Rocker Dropper by Marty, who sets up for a Superkick, but Michaels ties his arms on the ropes on purpose. Once Jannetty charges, Shawn unties himself and moves out of the way, with Marty taking a nasty bump on the floor. Diesel immediately puts Marty in the ring, and Shawn crawls and puts one arm on top for the win after 23:00.
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Rating: That was a fantastic grudge match with some amazing nearfalls near the end. The finish could’ve been a lot better, with Diesel hitting a move before putting Jannetty back in the ring. Still, the match was great and my personal favorite in the Michaels vs. Jannetty series. ****
Check out the match here:
Money Inc. interview with Vince McMahon
IRS hypes their rematch with The Steiners for the WWF Tag Team Championship on Superstars. Then, Ted DiBiase starts talking about Razor Ramon, who shows up. DiBiase offers Razor a job, such as cleaning toilets. Razor refuses to work for them, prompting DiBiase to grab some money while reminding Razor that everybody’s got a price. He makes the fatal mistake of hitting Razor with the money in the face, however, with Razor going after them and cleaning house. DiBiase gets on the microphone again afterward, and he challenges The 1-2-3 Kid to a match on RAW, wanting to prove a point. Fine segment.
And now, we get the debut of Men on a Mission here on RAW.
Men on a Mission (Mabel & Mo) (w/ Oscar) vs. Rich Myers & Hank Harris
Oscar raps on their way to the ring to introduce the team. The jobbers jump MOM from behind, with Mabel immediately clotheslining one of them over the top to the floor. The other one takes a drop toehold from Mo, and Mabel follows up with a HUGE legdrop to the back of the head. Mabel launches Myers with a slam, and MOM with a double-team back elbow smash as well as a double elbowdrop. Mabel slams Myers again, and then Mo comes off the top and basically bulldogs Mabel onto Myers, who’s clinically dead at 1:51.
Rating: This was effective, impactful and the fans were into it. Pretty solid debut. 1/2*
SummerSlam Report w/ Mean Gene
The Report begins with Mean Gene dancing to Men on a Mission’s rap. Yep, that happened.
Bret Hart will meet Jerry Lawler at SummerSlam
The Undertaker will face Giant Gonzalez in a Rest in Peace Match, with Undertaker not knowing the rules yet. I wish I didn’t know either.
This weekend on Superstars, WWF President Jack Tunney will announce whether Lex Luger will challenge Yokozuna for the WWF Championship.
Mean Gene mocks Tiny Tim, who will be on Lawler’s King Court tonight.
I wonder what Mean Gene had that night. It was definitely some good stuff!
They show us clips of Lex Luger‘s Lex Express on tour on the road.
Bastion Booger vs. Scott Despres
This gimmick is simply stupid. Booger with a clothesline and a running buttsplash to the back. Legdrop, slam, splash, and that’s it in 1:28.
Rating: Ridiculous. Just terrible. No one cares about his squashes. DUD
There’s a nice video package promoting a big match for next week – Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow.
King’s Court w/ Tiny Tim
Jerry Lawler says he’s very excited about his rival Bret Hart’s match with Bam Bam Bigelow next week, saying Bam Bam’s gonna squash Bret and he won’t to worry about him. The fans keep chanting Burger King, with Lawler telling them to shut up. Lawler introduces one of the best singers in the world… actually he’d be able to say that, but instead it’s Tiny Tim! Lawler mocks Tim for being from New York City, as well as his fashion. Lawler wants to hear Tim sing, only to cut him off instantly. Jerry asks if that’s his real voice or if his underwear is too tight. Tiny Tim says Lawler is not a Burger King… he’s the Dairy Queen. Lawler takes Tim’s ukelele from him and destroys it, leaving it in pieces. Tim sold that ending well, but his delivery wasn’t particularly great in the rest of the segment.
Main Event
The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Chris Duffy
The Kid with a takedown early on for a two count. Money Inc. show up on the ramp for a closer look, but Razor Ramon appears from the crowd to prevent a run-in. Duffy scores with a hiptoss, but The Kid spinkicks him and hits a series of running legdrops. Kid eats boot in the corner and a shoulderblock, but he comes back with yet another spinkick. Kid dropkicks Duffy in the corner, and sets him up for the flying legdrop off the top rope for the win at 2:17. Razor and Ted nearly get into a fight at ringside afterward.
Rating: Short squash with the big story being the development of the Razor/DiBiase feud. 1/4*
Then, in a really cool little moment, Savage takes a very young child from the crowd dressed as Macho Man, and the little kid gets to close RAW with the rest of the announcers.
We see a very small clip of the Lex Express on the road before going off the air.
END OF THE SHOW
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Final thoughts: This RAW was all about the Michaels/Jannetty match, really. That match delivered, so you can’t say this show wasn’t a success. The debut of Men on a Mission was short, but it was fine with the crowd reacting to them well. The Bastion Booger stuff is pure crap, but at least it lasted a minute or two. They did a good job of further turning Razor Ramon face, which was also good. Overall, this was a good episode. 7/10
That’s gonna be all from me today. Thank you all for reading. Make sure you don’t miss any of the upcoming reviews here on the blog, as we get closer to SummerSlam. Until next time!
MrDCWood and Ben Boorman breakdown the results of All In London!
CM Punk (Champion) vs. Samoa Joe / “Real World Championship” Match
IMG Credit: AEW/Wrestling Observer
CM Punk def. Samoa Joe via Pinfall at 14:00
MrDCWood: Both these guys are 44-years-old now, so I doubted that they could produce a bout that was as epic as the ones they had when they were in their prime. Instead, I hoped for a match that was worthy of honouring their legendary trilogy in Ring of Honor, and that’s what I got. Both Punk and Joe wrestled smart, and told an excellent story. This was the best bout AEW could’ve chosen to kick off an event of this calibre, and it was high-quality stuff with Joe smashing Punk’s head through the announce desk to bust him open, and Punk parodying Hogan and Cena, and honouring Terry Funk with the spinning-toe-hold. Would’ve liked this to have gone another five minutes, but it was still an excellent opener. Punk doing the Pepsi Plunge was a great finish. Keen to see when the ‘Real AEW World Champ’ will go after you-know-who again. (9/10)
Ben: Punk/Joe was a brilliant opener with a hot crowd. Punk challenging his inner-Cena is hilarious to watch, Joe proving he’s one of the most consistent top wrestlers of the last 20 years…a match worthy of the trilogy. Cool to see the Pepsi Plunge as the finish, he should use it as his finisher more often. (9/10)
9/10
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Konosuke Takeshita & Bullet Club Gold vs. The Golden Elite / Six Man Tag Team Match
IMG Credit: AEW/FirstSportz
Konosuke Takeshita pins Kenny Omega for his team at 20:30
MrDCWood: This match started alright for me. There was good-action, a fast-pace, then it became too chaotic for its own good. And I’m with JR, here. It would have been nice to know who the legal man was a lot of the time! However, things did pick back up again for the final moments…and then Takeshita beat Omega with a roll-up of all finishes. Still a fun match, but could’ve been more coherent. And could’ve concluded much better. (6/10)
Ben: Golden Elite/Bullet Club Gold was a fun match, great showcase for everyone, Takeshita beating Omega sets up surely the 1v1 match at All Out between the two. My only gripe was Jay White seems to be in the background when I feel he should be at the forefront more often. Hopefully soon we get Jay/Kenny, what a feud that would be! (8/10)
7/10
FTR (Champions) vs. The Young Bucks – AEW World Tag Team Championship Match
IMG Credit: AEW/Wrestling Junkie
FTR defeat the Young Bucks via Pinfall to retain the titles at 21:45
MrDCWood: I absolutely love FTR. They truly rank among the greatest tag teams in wrestling over the last decade. The Young Bucks on the other hand…not really a fan. Amazing athletes, rubbish storytellers, incredible performers, lousy workers who hardly ever sell. And there was some of that present tonight which was annoying. But I will take my hat off to Matt and Nick here. They actually worked for the majority here, and the result was simply amazing. An absolutely epic tag-title match that had me on the edge of my seat with the right team going over. Amazing spots, a fantastic story…definitely in my Top 10 Matches for 2023! (9/10)
Ben: Easily the best match of the 3 these have had, FTR showing they can do flips, Bucks showing they can sell and wrestle. Amazing callbacks to the history books, including the finishes of the first two matches. FTR complete babyfaces and right call to have them win. Easily the best Tag Team in the world and the Bucks had their working boots on tonight! Fantastic to watch! (10/10)
9.5/10
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Eddie Kingston, Orange Cassidy, Best Friends & Penta Al Zero Miedo vs. Blackpool Combat Club, Mike Santana & Ortiz / Stadium Stampede Match
IMG Credit: AEW/Twitter
Orange Cassidy pins Claudio Castagnoli for his team at 21:30
MrDCWood: Ugh…I do love a good multi-man hardcore brawl. Honestly I do. But whenever AEW does stuff like a Stadium Stampede, there’s no method to the madness whatsoever. This was just yet another chaotic, sloppy mess, full of botches & unnecessary risks, and it wasted twenty-minutes. It was all over the place and not in a good way. Moxley bled again because he has to, there were sick spots that just made me cringe (do we really need skewers in the forehead and broken glass on taped fists in 2023?!). Also, the Blackpool Combat Club LOST AGAIN. I know there are fans who enjoy this kind of garbage wrestling but this isn’t the 90s and ECW is long gone. (DUD)
Ben: …Well I do love violent nonsense sometimes but this seemed over the top. Glass, forks, chopsticks…it all just seemed unnecessary. You can do wild hardcore brawls like this well and it’s a lot of fun, but it just looked like people doing stuff for the sake of it. Also, it’s impossible to keep track of 10 men at the same time so we kept missing spots. Keep them in one area, either ringside, backstage or in the stands so at least we could see what was happening. This just didn’t do it for me. (2/10)
1/10
Hikaru Shida (Champion) vs. Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs. Toni Storm vs. Saraya / Four-Way Match for the AEW Women’s World Championship
IMG Credit: AEW/Wrestlezone
Saraya pins Toni Storm to win the title at 8:50
MrDCWood: Pleased that all four of these ladies got the chance to compete on this show, and the result was a fine four-way that went the right amount of time, had some very good action, and some very good storytelling. The fallout between Saraya and Toni was very well-executed and Ruby Soho’s appearance helped the story. Loved the spot where Saraya had Toni in the P.T.O and Britt executed a curb-stomp on Toni, and the finish was brilliant with Britt trying to apply the Lockjaw on Shida, and Saraya using the spray-paint on Storm (who tried to use the belt), then hitting the Nightcap DDT to win the title. Saraya deserved this moment, but how long will the reign last? (7/10)
Ben: As a British person, Saraya coming out to Queen and with her family was a beautiful sight to behold and having her win the title as well felt perfect. Very solid match where Shida showed again she’s one of the best in the world, Storm really channeling her new character really well and Britt again proved a safe reliable hand in the match. Everyone got their moments in, there was the implosion of the Outcasts, so it had progression as well…this match exceeded expectations. (7/10)
7/10
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Sting & Darby Allin vs. Swerve Strickland & Christian Cage / Coffin Match
Sting & Darby close the lid on Swerve to win at 16:00
MrDCWood: Great London entrance from Darby & the Stinger to kick things off, Christian Cage still remains a legendary heel, Swerve is doing well…and unlike the Stadium Stampede, there were some decent spots. But this was another match that dragged, and at 64-years-old, Sting has nothing left to prove. I really don’t want to see him take anymore reckless bumps and endanger his health & wellbeing at his age. It happened too much at Forbidden Door and on Dynamite this year. Sting should be allowed to ride off into the sunset now. (5/10)
Ben: Sting defies human logic how he’s able to do this at 64. Insane, good action all around, Darby showcased the insane madman that he is, Swerve oozes a great heel and Christian is having an amazing run right now. Another fun match. (6/10)
5.5/10
Will Osprey vs. Chris Jericho
IMG Credit: AEW/Digital Spy
Will Osprey def. Chris Jericho via pinfall at 14:55
MrDCWood: I admit I wasn’t looking forward to this one but I really got in the mood once Chris Jericho started singing Judas on his way to the ring, and Fozzy were playing live on stage! The match itself was very good, with Jericho perfectly playing the heel and Osprey playing the beloved English hero. Some very good counters and nearfalls…this was definitely the finest Jericho match I’ve seen in a long time. Happy with the outcome given that Osprey is the hometown boy and Jericho can easily afford the loss at this stage in his career. However, Will was taking all these crazy bumps and wasn’t selling accordingly. And taking a baseball shot from Sammy Guevara whilst in the Walls of Jericho? That should’ve been used to end the match. Instead, Osprey just shrugged it off. That grates at me. (7/10)
Ben: Fozzy performing ‘Judas’ to the ring was sweet. Lovely story of Jericho, the clever veteran using tactics to try to keep up with Ospreay; the stronger, faster, in-his-prime star. They kept it simple and it worked a treat. Very good match and right that Ospreay won cleanly as well. (8/10)
(7.5/10)
The House of Black (Champions) vs. Billy Gunn & The Acclaimed / No Holds Barred Match for the AEW World Trios Championship
IMG Credit: AEW/WrestleTalk
Billy Gunn & The Acclaimed pin Brody King to win the the titles at 10:50
MrDCWood: This felt like another dose of filler. And another multi-man match to get various wrestlers on the show. As Tornado-style tag-matches go…this was alright but if it was supposed to be no-holds-barred, why not use weapons? I can understand the story they were going for after all the build-up, but the end result means Billy Gunn is a champion at 59-years-old. Is that a good thing? Kudos to the House of Black by bringing a lantern to the ring to honour Bray Wyatt. (4/10)
Ben: Lovely tribute from House of Black to Bray Wyatt. The Scissor Me Timbers to Julia was a cool moment…not much else to note. The Acclaimed win gold…nice for Billy Gunn, who can still go. (6/10)
(5/10)
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Maxwell Jacob Friedman (Champion) vs. Adam Cole / AEW World Championship Match
IMG Credit: AEW/Digital Spy
MJF def. Adam Cole via pinfall to retain the title at 29:00
MrDCWood: This storyline between Adam Cole and MJF is absolutely the single-best thing going on on AEW Television today! I’ve loved their chemistry over the last few months, and I hoped it would translate into the epic-main-event All In deserved. And by golly, it did! This was a masterclass in storytelling featuring so many exciting near-falls, psychology, counters and character-work with both Adam and MJF trying to out-cheat the other and then actually starting to feel guilty about the lengths they were going to to become AEW Champion. There was a lot of chaos, ref-bumps, false-finishes, and some illogical moments…but unlike the Stadium Stampede and other bouts, it all served the story perfectly! AND there was such exemplary wrestling and selling! Either one of these two could’ve walked out with the title and I’d have been happy! Roderick Strong’s interference was great, I loved the finish and the aftermath, and I’m really keen to see what happens next! WHAT a main-event! Another top contender for Match of the Year! (9/10)
Ben: WHAT a main event! One of AEW’s best! The lingering story of friendship/betrayal, the double pin from the double clothesline was a neat spot, MJF ultimately wins with a small package…they really teased that Cole would pull the trigger on MJF but neither did! And we got a happy ending! (9/10)
(9/10)
OVERALL THOUGHTS
MrDCWood: This is probably my favourite AEW PPV of the year, and a strong-contender for Show of 2023. Revolution was great, Double or Nothing I wasn’t fussed about, and Forbidden Door was alright, but a tad overrated. All In deserved to be a huge success after 81,034 people came to see it, and even though the Stadium Stampede was dire, and there was some dross on the card like the Coffin and Trios Title Matches, the rest of the card had a strong Jericho/Osprey match, a very good Women’s Four-Way bout, an excellent Punk/Joe opener, and BOTH FTR/Young Bucks and MJF/Adam Cole are serious Match of the Year Contenders! As with most AEW Pay-Per-Views, I felt this outstayed its welcome at four hours, but the atmosphere and crowd were amazing, and a big shout-out as well to the legendary Nigel McGuinness for calling this show. WHAT a night! (8/10)
Ben: Amazing show, hope AEW on-screen is going on the right track again and that they use this show to get better even more, They’re also coming back to London next year! Amazing news, and all in all, All In was a massive success. (8/10)
OVERALL: 8/10
What did YOU all think of AEW All In? Please let us know in the comments below!
Only 24 hours after the wrestling world lost Terry Funk…more tragedy befell us all. Triple H announced to the world that he’d received a phone call from Mike Rotunda (Irwin R. Schyster) that his son Windham Rotunda – famously known as Bray Wyatt – had died from a heart attack at the age of 36.
Like the rest of the world, all of us at SmarkDown are deeply shocked and upset by this news. All of us extend our deepest condolences to Bray’s family and loved ones, namely his father Mike (IRS), his brother Taylor (Bo Dallas), his partner Joseann (JoJo), all of Bray’s children, and his fellow Wyatt Family members Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan.
IMG Credit: WWE/Cageside Seats
MrDCWood (Daniel): Whenever a wrestler dies…it’s always a sad day. We’ve lost too many legends, stars and human beings. God knows we’ve lost too many more this year alone. And now only a day after losing Terry Funk…we lose Bray Wyatt. It’s not just that we lost Bray Wyatt, it’s also that it happened so suddenly – out of nowhere – that makes this all-the-more upsetting. And Bray was only 36 years old. I still can’t believe he’s not here anymore…
Immediately, Bray Wyatt made an impression on me. When Winham Rotunda moved on from Husky Harris to Bray Wyatt, allying with Erick Rowan, the late, great Luke Harper and (much later on) Braun Strowman to form the eerie, sinister Wyatt Family…it was such a far-out gimmick. Creepy, psychological and utterly captivating, the Wyatts were among the best acts in the glory days of NXT. It was no surprise that they achieved even greater success when they graduated to the main-roster.
IMG Credit: WWE/PhoenixFM
But it wasn’t just Bray’s creative genius that excited me, it was his ability to work that was equally enthralling. Bray Wyatt reminded me so much of Mick Foley as Mankind, with the way he moved inside and outside the ring. Stalking his prey and when he finally struck, it was always with such terrifying speed and shocking brutality. The way he matched-up against legends like the Undertaker and Kane, against greats like Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and John Cena…the man had such a grasp of psychology it was unreal.
I can talk about hilarious, sinister & brilliant those Firefly Funhouse segments were, I can talk about how utterly amazing his evolution into The Fiend was, how thrilled I was to see Bray Wyatt become WWE Champion at Elimination Chamber 2017, and what a five-star epic the Shield/Wyatt Family match was at Elimination Chamber 2014…but most of all, I can talk about how Bray Wyatt literally had the whole world in his hands.
And really, Bray…we’re so glad that you were our friend. And this is a friendship that will never EVER end. May he reunite with Brodie Lee/Luke Harper in the ever-increasing Royal Rumble in the sky. And my deepest condolences go out to Jojo, all of Bray’s children, the rest of the Rotunda family and all of Windham’s loved ones. We will always love you, Bray Wyatt.
IMG Credit: WWE/UPROXX
My favourite Bray Wyatt matches:
Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (Royal Rumble 2014)
The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family (Elimination Chamber 2014)
Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship (Elimination Chamber 2017)
Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena vs. AJ Styles (SmackDown 14.02.2017)
Tomas: Bray Wyatt is unquestionably one of the biggest wrestling stars of the last decade. Through his great creativity and storytelling, Wyatt was able to stay relevant in WWE for nearly 10 years, despite WWE’s best attempts to ruin everything at times over the years. From his entrance to his talking skills, even to his in-ring ability, there is no doubt Wyatt was a star. No one was expecting to get this news. Every single wrestling fan is in shock at the passing of Bray Wyatt at such a young age.
Personally, I found myself at a lost for words when I found out, and still do now. All I have to say is thanks for the memories, Bray. Sending all the love in the world to his young, beautiful family. Rest in peace, Bray Wyatt.
My Favourite Bray Wyatt matches:
Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan (Royal Rumble 2014)
The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan (Royal Rumble 2020)
The Fiend vs. Daniel Bryan (Survivor Series 2019)
Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena (WrestleMania 30)
IMG Report: WWE/Bleacher Report
Ben: In a time for WWE where faces and heels all felt very much the same people, when Bray Wyatt first emerged in 2013, it was something so fresh and captivating that no matter what he and the Wyatt Family did, it was so unusual and so out there that you had to watch. He added layers to his persona over the years that continues to make him someone who should always be remembered before creating maybe the most over character WWE has had in the 21st century; The Fiend, the ultimate showcase of Bray’s creativity and passion for the wrestling business.
It was so great and so consuming that he poured every idea and every facet he had into it. Bray’s return in 2022 (although cut too short) also showed his human side and we could see how grateful he was that he had the opportunity to do this for all of us fans across the world. A genius of a man who maybe gone but though his characters, memories and passion, will never be forgotten.
Thank you, Bray.
IMG Credit: WWE/Hindustan Times
My Favourite Bray Wyatt matches:
Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan (Royal Rumble 2014)
The Wyatt Family vs The Shield (Elimination Chamber 2014)
Bray Wyatt vs AJ Styles vs John Cena (WWE SmackDown, February 14th 2017)
July 18, 1993 Location: Biloxi, MS, USA (Mississippi Coast Coliseum) Announced attendance: ca 8 600 PPV buys: 100 000 (same as Slamboree 1993’s 100 000 buys; up 28.6% from Beach Blast 1992’s 75 000 buys; down 84.1% from WWF KOTR 1993’s 245 000 buys)
What’s up, people? Welcome everyone to my review of WCW Beach Blast 1993. It’s a pleasure to have you here! Barry Windham vs. Ric Flair for the NWA World Championship and a tag team match with Sting & The British Bulldog taking on Big Van Vader & Sid Vicious are the two featured matches of the night. Additionally, the former US Champions Rick Rude and Dustin Rhodes will battle in a 30-minute Iron Man Match for the vacant US Title. All that and much more!
Here is the list of WCW champions heading into Beach Blast:
WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Big Van Vader [123rd day of his 3rd reign] – previous champion: Sting
NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Barry Windham [147th day of his 1st reign] – previous champion: The Great Muta
WCW United States Heavyweight Champion: Vacated [for 50 days] – previous champion: Dustin Rhodes, before it was vacated
WCW World Television Champion: Paul Orndorff [138th day of his 1st reign] – previous champion: Scott Steiner, before it was vacated
WCW/NWA Unified World Tag Team Champions: The Hollywood Blonds (Stunning Steve Austin & Flyin’ Brian Pillman) [138th day of their 1st reign] – previous champions: Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas
Note: in title matches, the defending champions are underlined
Enjoy the review!
IMG credit: WWE & IMDb
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Your hosts are Tony Schiavone & Jesse Ventura
The show begins with Eric Bischoff and Missy Hyatt on stage saying… nothing essentially. They throw it to Schiavone, who’s announcing alone because Jesse Ventura is in good company! Ventura makes his entrance alongside the ladies and joins Schiavone.
WCW World Television Championship – Paul Orndorff vs. Ron Simmons
If Orndorff gets DQ’d he loses the title.
The ‘Paula’ chants distract Orndorff, who gets knocked off the apron before the bell. Simmons catches Paul with an elbow smash and a dropkick for two, and Orndorff bails. Cue the ‘Paula’ chants once more. Simmons regains control back in the ring with a wristlock, which Paul escapes with a back elbow shot. He misses a charge and eats turnbuckle, but Simmons misses a clothesline and Orndorff goes for the sleeper. Into the buckle goes Simmons and Orndorff takes him down with a backdrop suplex. Orndorff misses a move off the top rope and hurts his knee, and Simmons goes after the leg. Unfortunately, his stuff doesn’t look very good, but it’s the thought that counts. Orndorff kicks him away when Simmons goes for a Figure Four Leglock, throws Ron’s head into the announce table and brings him back inside for a rear chinlock. Simmons comes back but eats boot on a blind charge in the corner, and Orndorff goes back to the rear chinlock. Simmons escapes and explodes with a big powerslam for two. Sunset flip gets two. Orndorff completely misses a dropkick and eats a clothesline from Ron, who follows it up with a back elbow smash for two. Simmons hits a suplex with Orndorff grabbing the ropes to break the pin. Orndorff thumbs him in the eyes and sets up for the piledriver, which Simmons escapes with a backdrop over the top rope leading to the lame DQ finish in 11:15. Simmons beats up Orndorff some more after the result is announced.
Rating: The match is fine but there was really no rhythm or flow to it. Simmons went after the leg in the beginning yet they never really followed up on it nor did it lead anywhere. Simmons just keeps getting f-cked ever since he became World Champion with all these terrible finishes. **
2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. Tex Slazenger & Shanghai Pierce
Bagwell is unable to shoulderblock Shanghai to start, but a crossbody gets the job done. All four guys take the fight to the ramp for a while before the Texans regroup. Slazenger gets in (he’s the future Mideon, by the way) and he asks for 2 Cold Scorpio. Bagwell obliges and Tex takes 2 Cold down with a shoulderblock. A huge backdrop knocks Scorpio all the way to the top rope. Tex takes Scorpio to the top rope but Scorpio kicks him away and jumps off with a high crossbody. Scorpio & Bagwell with a double armdrag and it’s off to Bagwell, who catches Slazenger with an armdrag into an armbar off a criss-cross sequence. The ref gets busy with Scorpio not being in his corner, though, allowing Pierce to drive a knee to Bagwell’s back while he criss-crosses. The Texans go to work on the arm while using frequent tags. Bagwell sunset flips Tex for two, only to get up right into a clothesline from Tex. Pierce comes off the top with a knee for two. The Texans cheat behind the ref’s back some more and Pierce grabs a headlock with some assistance from Tex that the ref can’t see. The fans are into it as they keep building the eventual hot tag nicely. Pierce hits a nice gutwrench sitout powerbomb for two. Shanghai Pierce is the future Henry Godwinn in the WWF. The Texans with a nice double-team combo with Tex hitting a shoulderbreaker followed by a Pierce elbowdrop for two. Bagwell ducks a blind charge and makes the hot tag to Scorpio, who runs wild with his fast offense. 2 Cold superkicks Pierce and comes off the top with a flying splash, but Slazenger breaks up the pin which leads to a big melee. The faces knock the heels into each other, Scorpio dumps Tex with a dropkick while Bagwell backdrop suplexes Pierce in the ring. That sets up Scorpio’s 450 Splash for the win at 12:48.
Rating: That was actually pretty nice for a nothing undercard match. They set up Scorpio’s hot tag sequence quite well and the crowd dug it. Perhaps it was a bit longer than it needed to be, but I didn’t mind it. **3/4
Missy Hyatt interviews Paul Orndorff and “a man we’ve never seen before in WCW”. It turns out to be The Equalizer aka Dave Sullivan, who seems to be Orndorff’s new heavy. Orndorff talks about how he beat Ron Simmons because he plays by the rules and proceeds to call Ricky Steamboat old after Missy mentions him as a potential future TV title challenger. Well, this was there. It would’ve worked better had it been on the weekly television shows, especially considering The Equalizer was nowhere to be seen when Paul was in trouble of losing his title earlier.
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Lord Steven Regal (w/ Sir William) vs. Erik Watts
Watts comes out with American flags in an attempt to get over with the crowd. Yeah, good luck with that. Lockup to start with each man going after the other’s arm. Watts gets the better of that exchange by locking in a wristlock, Regal rolls through and monkey flips his way out of it, but Watts keeps him in the hold. Watts stays on the arm by dropping some knees on it. Regal finally wrestles his way out of the hold and takes Watts down for two. Watts tries to come back, but Regal twists the arm and takes him back to the mat for two. They trade nearfalls on a pinfall reversal sequence, but get no reaction and the announcers basically bash the crowd for it. The sequence was actually fine, but people just don’t wanna see Watts. He stays on the arm and sunset flips Regal for two. Regal switches gears by hitting some European uppercuts, and he removes the kneepad to drive a knee to the face but Watts ducks it. Watts puts him in the STF near the ropes, Sir William breaks it with a shot to the face while the ref was checking the submission, and Regal steals with a handful of tights at 7:31.
Rating: Regal did everything he could and then some to make Erik Watts look good. The match was actually fine, but the crowd couldn’t care less because it’s Erik freakin’ Watts. **1/4
Steven Regal gets interviewed by Jesse Ventura after the match. He claims he didn’t even break a sweat beating Erik Watts and issues a challenge to Paul Orndorff for the Television Championship.
They actually show us a brief recap from Clash of the Champions with Maxx Payne hitting Johnny B. Badd with the confetti at Clash of the Champions. No, really.
Johnny B. Badd vs. Maxx Payne
Johnny comes out with a mask to sell the “pain” of being hit with the CONFETTI OF DEATH. Seriously, I can’t believe this made it to the pay-per-view. Badd unloads on Maxx to start while Schiavone puts over the seriousness of this blood feud of epic proportions. Johnny misses a blind charge and launches himself all the way to the floor, though. Maxx brings him back in and hits a suplex. Hammerlock slam, running avalanche in the corner and an armbar by Maxx. Badd comes back but Maxx cuts him off and hits a backbreaker for two. Maxx catches him with the Payne Killer, but Badd just happens to land with his feet under the ropes and that breaks it up. Maxx Payne hits a suplex for two. Badd comes back with a sunset flip for two, Maxx turns it around with a slam but misses an elbowdrop and Badd dropkicks him to the outside. Badd meets him out there with a dive, only to get sent into the post. Payne ends up eating the post as well, though, allowing Johnny to throw him back in and come off the top with a high crossbody to win the “grudge match” at 4:50.
Rating: This sucked. The whole feud was dumb and simply goofy to begin with, and the match didn’t make up for it. Apparently Johnny got revenge for his “smashed face” by getting a pin with a crossbody. Good for him. *
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WCW/NWA Unified World Tag Team Championship – The Hollywood Blonds (Stunning Steve Austin & Flyin’ Brian Pillman) vs. The Four Horsemen (Arn Anderson & Paul Roma)
Pillman challenges a Horsemen fan into a fight, delaying the beginning of the action. Roma and Austin with the lockup to start and they reach a stalemate. They go for it again, Austin takes him to the corner and talks some trash to intimidate Roma. Roma responds with a closed fist, Austin bails so Pillman can check him and Brian plants a kiss on his cheek. That pisses off the crowd even more! Brian comes in to face Roma and he asks the referee to check Roma’s elbowpad, while adjusting his own tights with his back turned to the ref! Austin and Pillman are so charismatic. Anderson comes in to take on Brian, who quickly turns things around with a hiptoss out of the corner. Arn takes Pillman down with a handful of hair, and Pillman stops to complain some more. In comes Austin, Arn with a shoulderblock but he criss crosses right into a backdrop by Austin. Anderson dumps Austin to the floor, and Austin asks for a handshake back inside the ring. Arn stops to ask the crowd, grabs the hand… and unloads on Austin! Tag to Paul Roma, who comes off the top rope with a double axehandle before putting him in a wristlock. Ventura is constantly saying how it’s the Horsemen cheating while the Blonds have wrestled a totally clean match. So far, he’s right!
Bearhug attempt by Austin, Roma turns it into a sunset flip for two. Roma counters a gutwrench powerbomb into a backslide for two more and fires away with an armdrag. Roma goes for a crossbody, but Austin moves out of the way and tags in Brian. Pillman with a LOUD chop to Roma in the corner. Roma retaliates with a blatant chokehold that gets Jesse all worked up again! Clothesline by Roma gets two. Anderson comes in and goes to work with a wristlock. Pillman drives a knee to the gut to break the hold, but Arn catches him with a stungun of sorts. The Horsemen work together and Arn sets up for the spinebuster, but Pillman’s knee just so happens to buckle and Austin asks for a time out! The referee asks for some separation, allowing Pillman to take advantage and assault Arn’s knee. Pillman dumps him and goes for a flying move off the apron, but Arn ducks and Pillman eats the railing. Pillman beats the count back in and walks into a sunset flip from Roma, with Austin having to come in to break the pin at two. Austin rams Roma throat first onto the railing on the outside, putting the Blonds in the driver’s seat.
Gutwrench suplex by Austin, who challenges Arn so they can cheat while the ref is busy with Arn. Short clothesline by Austin and he stops to do some push-ups. Austin drives some knees to Roma’s throat, Roma tries to fight back but Pillman takes him down with a drop toehold. Roma gets his feet up on a blind charge by Austin, but Austin positions himself between Roma and Arn and punches the latter, enabling the Blonds to cheat some more. Roma sends Pillman’s face into the post and they blow the double dropkick double KO spot, clearly not making contact. Alas, Anderson gets the hot tag and he runs wild all over the champions. Great looking DDT by Arn seems to finish Brian, but Austin comes in with an axehandle to the back of Arn’s head. Pillman goes to steal it but it only gets two. Austin in with a bodyslam and a flying axehandle for two. Anderson comes back with a headbutt, although it ends up hurting Arn more than it does Austin, who remains in control. Pillman sends Arn into the railing and Austin goes for a piledriver on the floor, but Arn reverses with a backdrop. Arn tries a DDT in the ring, which Austin blocks by hanging Arn on the ropes. Pillman cheats while Austin has the ref distracted. Austin sets up for the Stungun, but Arn hangs on and hits one of his own. Pillman hits Roma, Arn cradles him but the ref is distracted and misses the pin. They collide leading to a double KO spot, but Pillman falls close to Austin, who comes in with a backdrop suplex for two. Arn gets caught in the heel corner, fights off both Horsemen and suplexes Austin over the top to the floor. Ventura calls for a DQ. Pillman stops the hot tag, but gets taken down by Arn eventually as well. Roma with the hot tag. Backdrop for Austin, gorilla press slam for Pillman and Arn hits the Spinebuster on Austin, with Roma getting two off of it. The ref misses an O’Connor roll by Roma since he’s busy with Anderson, and Pillman reverses and puts Austin on top, who grabs a handful of tights to retain at 26:14.
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Rating: It was a good tag team match, but I definitely think it dragged near the end. The first half of the match was great with the Blonds showing off their great charisma. Like I said, I think it dragged a bit near the end and the crowd weren’t really into Paul Roma, but it was still a good match. ***1/4
Eric Bischoff & Missy Hyatt promote Fall Brawl, the next WCW PPV coming up September 19.
WCW United States Heavyweight Championship – 30-Minute Iron Man Match – Rick Rude vs. Dustin Rhodes
They feel each other out for the first couple of minutes and get in each other’s face. Rude unloads on Dustin and adds the hip swivel early on. That ends up costing him, however, allowing Dustin to turn the tables. Rhodes goes to work with a reverse chinlock, returns the hip swivel from a while ago and goes back to the reverse chinlock. Five minutes have gone on by now and nothing particularly interesting has happened. Rhodes goes to drop his ass on Rude’s back, but Rude turns around and gets his knees up hitting Rhodes right in his Naturals. Yikes. Rude follows it up with a clothesline, goes up for a flying axehandle and does the hip swivel again, but he’s too hurt and can’t do it this time. That reverse chinlock really hurt him, I see. Rude slaps in a bearhug while Schiavone talks about how awesome Rude vs. Steamboat was last year. Rude with a reverse chinlock of his own and that goes on for a while, before Dustin powers out of it with an electric chair drop. He goes for a splash but only finds Rude’s knees. Meanwhile, Gary Cappetta announces 10 minutes have gone by. Rhodes goes to work on the leg with a long submission. Rude fights back with a backbreaker and the Rude Awakening gives him the first fall at 13:19.
Rude 1-0 Rhodes
Rude immediately goes to the top rope and comes down with a flying clothesline for two. We’re at the halfway point with 15 minutes left on the clock. Rude with a necksnap and Dustin takes a nasty bump on the long ramp. Rhodes breaks up the count at 7 and Rude goes for a chinlock back inside the ring. Dustin comes back but misses a blind charge in the corner, with Rude still in control. He sets him up for a tombstone piledriver, but Rhodes rolls through and hits it himself for two. Charge by Rhodes, Rude moves out of the way and Rhodes goes flying to the outside. Back in the ring, Rude hits a snap suplex for two. Rhodes with a suplex of his own as we have 10 minutes remaining. Flying axehandle by Rude as this keeps dragging. Knee to the gut and Rude poses once more. Rude goes back to the reverse chinlock with about 7 minutes to go. Rhodes fights out of it, slugs away only to walk into a sleeper from Rude. This would be good strategy if a good 50% of the match hadn’t been chinlocks up until now. Rhodes escapes the hold with a jawbreaker, but he’s too hurt to follow up on it and Rude stays on top. Rude rams Rhodes’ head into the buckle a few times, until Rhodes spits on him and makes the comeback. However, Rude thumbs the eyes and Rhodes gets knocked silly to the floor. Back in, Rude humiliates Rhodes some more, but it backfires as Rhodes explodes with the Bulldog to make it 1-1 at 26:56.
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Rude 1-1 Rhodes
The matches continues with less than 3 minutes left, and Rhodes hits a flying axehandle for two. Piledriver by Rhodes gets two because Rude makes the ropes. Rhodes with a series of running clotheslines for two with less than a minute left now. Rhodes with a sleeper as the clock keeps ticking. Rude escapes it with a jawbreaker, goes up but Rhodes ducks his flying move and hits a DDT… but the 30:00 time limit expires mid-pin. The crowd rightfully boos that finish.
Rating: For an Iron Man match this was way too slow and boring for the most part, which is a shame given how absolutely awesome Rude/Steamboat had been the year before. Sadly, there was no flow to this one and the wrestlers didn’t have much chemistry, which is also weird given how good both men are. This is one of those matches that had everything to be great but it just never clicked for whatever reason. Needless to say, keeping the US title vacant with a draw in the end didn’t exactly help. **1/2
They show us a recap from Clash with Ric Flair and Barry Windham getting into a fight at the end of the show. Then, a few weeks later on Worldwide Wrestling, they got into yet another slugfest that started in the ring and went all the way to the parking lot.
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NWA World Heavyweight Championship – Barry Windham vs. Ric Flair
Windham takes it to Flair with some blows to start, but Flair throws his classic chops in return. However, Windham catches him with a clothesline out of the corner. Flair with more chops, though, and Windham bails. Back in the ring, Windham clotheslines Flair, slugs away on him and throws him into the outside. Windham brings Flair back in the hardway with a suplex from the apron to the ring. Flair with a thumb to the eyes and some chops, shoulderblock by Windham but Flair comes back with a sleeper. Windham rams Flair’s face into the buckle to escape, though, and Flair goes down off the Flair Flop. Barry with a Samoan drop and a scoop powerslam for two. Legdrop gets two. Lariat gets two more. Flair nearly steals it with a quick jackknife pin, but Windham strikes with a cheapshot. A forearm knocks Windham to the floor, though. Flair follows him there, only to get slammed by Windham out on the floor. Windham brings him back in and goes for the 10 corner punches, but Flair cuts him off with an atomic drop. Kneedrop by Flair but he can’t suplex him, and Windham puts him on the top rope and brings him down with a superplex. Windham up top, but misses a flying elbowdrop and Flair cradles him for two. Windham whips Flair into the corner, Flair Flip and into the other corner for a high crossbody, but the momentum puts Windham on top for two. Backdrop suplex by Flair and he goes to work on the legs. He tries the Figure Four, but Windham’s on the ropes. Second attempt, but Windham kicks him off. Flair takes him down with a kick to the knee, applies the Figure Four and Windham gets his shoulders pinned to the mat, giving Flair the Big Gold Belt back in 11:15.
Rating: Good match with a strange finish. Windham didn’t get knocked out while in the hold, it just looked like he got distracted for a second and got pinned. I don’t know if he screwed up for real or not, but the fact is it looked odd. Aside from that, the match was good but nothing crazy. ***1/4
Main Event
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The Masters of the Powerbomb (Big Van Vader & Sid Vicious) (w/ Harley Race & Col. Robert Parker) vs. The Super Powers (Sting & Davey Boy Smith)
Sting slugs away on Sid to start. Stinger with a pair of faceplants and a clothesline, until Sid catches him with a Chokeslam. Sting gets caught in the wrong corner and double-teamed, causing Bulldog to get involved and the faces come off the same top rope with flying clotheslines in stereo. Vader and Sid bail with the crowd going absolutely crazy. The match resumes in the ring with Vader and Bulldog. Vader unloads in the corner with his scary barrage of punches knocking Bulldog silly. Clothesline by Vader, who sets his own pace. Bulldog is able to avoid a suplex by Vader and turns it into a delayed vertical suplex for two. That’s crazy levels of strength by Davey Boy! Bulldog knocks himself out by running right into Vader’s body.
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Running avalanche in the corner by Vader right into a big boot from Sid. Vader with another running clothesline. Sting challenges Vader from the apron, with Vader removing his mask and wanting to go at it. Sunset flip attempt by Davey Boy, Vader with an assdrop that Bulldog thankfully escapes, and Sid comes in with a double axehandle off the middle ropes. Sid with a nerve hold that Bulldog escapes with a powerslam. Vader tags in and Harley Race sets up Bulldog for an attack. Vader ends up hitting Race instead, tough, allowing Davey to make the hot tag to Sting. Dropkick to Vader, Sid gets knocked off the apron as well. Sting ducks a running avalanche in the corner, but Vader nails him with a regular clothesline. Sid chokes Sting on the ropes for a while, then brings in Vader so he can hit his series of punches in the corner. Flying clothesline by Vader, then he takes Sting up top for a superplex, which Sting avoids by biting Vader in the face and knocking him down to the mat. Vader stops the hot tag by driving an elbow to Sting’s body. Bodyslam by Sid, but Sting ducks an elbowdrop and makes the hot tag to Bulldog. He takes Sid down just to walk right into a kick to the gut. Samoan Drop by Vader gets two. Vader comes down with the Vader Bomb, but Sting saves the pin. Sid gets rid of Sting and they take the fight to the ramp, while Vader hits a Moonsault on Bulldog. However, Sting dives into the ring just in time to break up the count. Bulldog manages to counter a Samoan Drop by Vader into a crucifix pin for the win at 16:44.
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Rating: That was an electric match worthy of the main event spot that the fans were alive for. Vader getting pinned was a good ending that not many people expected since Vader was the champ and rarely got pinned. Vader was amazing in this match as usual, Sting was electrifying as always, Bulldog was impressive with great power moves, and while Sid was the least impressive part of this match, even he did his job nicely. I really like how they began the match with big moves that got the crowd into it right away, and the final sequence was great too. This was the match of the night in my opinion. ***1/2
After the match, a frustrated Vader nails Schiavone in the back of the head and throws some chairs around before leaving. They promote Fall Brawl, the next PPV that will feature WarGames, Jesse says he’s going back to his girls and that’s the show.
END OF THE SHOW
Final thoughts: Definitely not a PPV you need to go out of your way to watch right now. There are a couple of solid to good matches, but most are disappointing and underwhelming. Particularly the Iron Man match disappointed me, as I was expecting a lot more from that bout. The Blonds/Horsemen tag title match was good but I feel it dragged, Flair/Windham was good but had a very strange finish, and even the main event (which was good) had nothing on the line. It’s not horrible or even bad, but there’s really not much to see here – unless you’re curious to see Ric Flair winning his first title after coming back from the WWF. 5/10
Welcome to my second review of Home Video Classics! This time, I will take a look at a collection of Shawn Michaels matches from the New Generation Era and see if they’re any good or not. Let’s roll!
1. WWF Tag Team Championship – Shawn Michaels & Diesel (c) vs. Razor Ramon & The 1-2-3 Kid
IMG Credit: WWE
This match took place in White Plains, New York on September 28th 1994 in an episode of Action Zone. This match featured 4 of the biggest names of the New Generation Era and the tag team titles were on the line, so this was a huge match for a C-show of mid 90s WWF. The match started off with Razor & Kid gaining the upperhand, with Razor managing to connect with the Razor’s Edge on Shawn Michaels before Diesel pulled his partner out of the ring. After the heels took a short timeout on the outside, they took over the match by targeting Razor and keeping him away from his corner. Razor as the face in peril made for an acceptable dynamic, as the crowd were on the edge of their seat waiting to see the 1-2-3 Kid tag in and kick the heels’ asses with his lightning quick offense. Razor sold for the heels for a reasonable amount of time as Shawn and Diesel used underhanded tactics to prevent Razor from tagging in his partner. Razor did manage to tag in the Kid, but unfortunately for him, Diesel had the referee distracted so the tag didn’t count. Remember, only heels can tag in when the referee isn’t looking. After Razor connected with a Chokeslam on Shawn, he was finally able to make the tag and the 1-2-3 Kid made a very exciting comeback for his team. They set up some amazing near falls with Shawn kicking out of Razor and Kid’s patented moves in the last second, which the crowd ate up really well. The heels managed to take over again but Shawn made a huge mistake and accidentally superkicked Diesel right in the face, which left him completely knocked out for a few minutes. They were slowly teasing a dissension so this worked very well. After the faces went on another flurry of offense, Diesel came back into the match and hit the Big Boot on the Kid which allowed Shawn to pin him and retain the tag team titles for his team.
Thoughts: Wow. This match was incredible from bell to bell and the action simply refused to let up. The crowd helped this one too as they were really energetic. This one is a must see and it’s easily a MOTY contender for 1994. Superb hidden gem. ****3/4
2. Intercontinental Championship – Shawn Michaels (c) (w/ Diesel) vs. Crush (King Of The Ring 1993)
IMG Credit: WWE & Classic Wrestling Review
The first of 2 PPV matches on this coliseum video. Shawn was in the midst of his second Intercontinental Championship reign and had just introduced Diesel as his new bodyguard. Crush was still a smiling Hawaiian babyface. Both men were in a tough spot, as they were performing after some exciting King of the Ring tournament matches. The match started off with Crush displaying some very surprising athleticism. Diesel got involved a few times in this match, as he helped Shawn gain the upperhand of things by attacking him on the outside of the ring. Shawn Michaels worn down Crush by tossing him into the ring post and then throwing him back into the ring for a resthold. After the heat segment, Crush made his comeback with Shawn selling well for Crush’s power moves. After Crush sent Shawn to the outside, two Doinks showed up at ringside (Doink was feuding with Crush during this time), which distracted Crush and allowed Shawn to connect with Sweet Chin Music and win the match.
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Thoughts: An alright match for what it was. Crush looked really dominant as Shawn bumped well for him. Wasn’t a big fan of the finish though. **1/2
3. Intercontinental Championship – Shawn Michaels (c) (w/ Diesel) vs. Mr. Perfect (SummerSlam 1993)
IMG Credit: WWE
Two of the most polished wrestlers of all time going at it for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. This had classic written all over it, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to expectations. The story of this match was all on Shawn targeting Hennig’s back, which had bothered him for years. After Curt made his comeback, he connected with the Perfect Plex on Shawn but Diesel pulled Curt out of the ring. After Shawn and Curt brawled outside of the ring, Diesel sent Perfect into the ring post which allowed Shawn to come back into the ring and retain his title via countout.
Thoughts: As I said, the match didn’t live up to expectations, but it was far from being a bad bout. The WWF expected one of the greatest matches to date, and you can’t blame them either since both men are amongst the best in ring workers of all time. Curt wasn’t in his prime anymore and the finish didn’t help matters either, but this one was still a solid bout. This ended up being Mr. Perfect’s final WWF PPV match. **3/4
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4. Intercontinental Championship – Shawn Michaels (c) (w/ Diesel) vs. Bob Backlund (SummerSlam Spectacular 1993)
IMG Credit: WWE & Wrestling DVD Network
Talk about a clash in styles. This match took place on the 1993 edition of SummerSlam Spectacular, which served as a preview show for SummerSlam. Shawn started off by hitting 2 scoop slams on Backlund before showboating to the crowd. Backlund managed to gain the upperhand by connecting with some arm drags and a scoop slam that sent Shawn retrieving to the outside. Backlund chased Shawn on the outside before we went to a commercial break. When we came back, Shawn had Backlund in a front facelock which Backlund powered out of and began his comeback. Backlund hit an Atomic Drop and after going for the pin, Diesel stood on the apron distracting the referee. After the interference, Shawn rolled up Backlund by pulling his trunks and retained his Intercontinental Championship.
Thoughts: Nothing special to see here. It’s really difficult to rate a match that has a long commercial break in it, as we lose some parts of the bout and you simply don’t know how the competitors got to where they are once the action returns. The match was pretty bland and the finish came out of nowhere. *1/2
This match took place on the June 28th 1993 edition of Monday Night Raw. Shawn started off by trying to lure Kamala in for a handshake. After Kamala declined Shawn’s request, he went on a flurry of offense before accidentally injuring his left leg by ramming it into the turnbuckle. Shawn then went to work on Kamala’s left leg and Kamala did a good job selling and gaining vulnerability from the crowd. Kamala was able to send Shawn shoulder first into the post before he began his comeback. Kamala connected with a big splash on Shawn, but he didn’t know how to cover his opponent. Diesel stood on the apron to distract Kamala which allowed Shawn to connect with Sweet Chin Music and retain his Intercontinental Championship. After the match, Diesel and Shawn laid in a beatdown on Kamala to draw some extra heat.
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Thoughts: A pretty harmless bout. It was fun seeing Kamala work his gimmick and both men did the best they could in this situation and they pulled off a solid enough match. **1/4
6. Shawn Michaels (w/ Diesel) vs. Razor Ramon (Raw 1994)
IMG Credit: WWE & WhatCulture Wrestling
This match took place on the August 1st 1994 edition of Monday Night Raw, in Youngstown, Ohio. The match started off with both men exchanging fast paced offense, before Razor threw Shawn out of the ring. Once Shawn got back in, he connected with a swinging neck breaker. After Shawn got in a bit more offense, Razor connected with a slingshot that sent Shawn crashing to the outside of the ring. Unfortunately for Razor, he couldn’t get the control of the match because of Diesel’s interference on the outside, with Big Daddy Cool connecting with a clothesline behind the referee’s back. Shawn had a sleeper hold on Razor before Razor powered out with a back suplex. Razor made a nice comeback, connecting with a big back body drop and a vicious clothesline for a two count. Shawn managed to connect with the Superkick, which Razor kicked out of. Diesel got on the apron and Razor tried to punch him down, but after Razor ran into the ropes, Diesel connected with a big boot which led to Shawn rolling up Razor and scoring the win.
Thoughts: Great Raw match. Shawn and Razor stole the show at WrestleMania 10 in a ladder match, and even though this match wasn’t as good as the aforementioned classic, it was still nice to see Shawn and Razor battling under traditional rules. They had a lot of time for a 1994 Raw match and they took advantage of it. The action was great and they set up some nice nearfalls by the end. This one comes recommended. ****
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7. Shawn Michaels, Diesel & Tatanka vs. The Smoking Gunns & Lex Luger
IMG Credit: WWE
This match took place on September 28th 1994 in White Plains, New York. This was a month after SummerSlam 1994, in which Tatanka turned heel and so it impacts the dynamic of this match. Shawn and Luger started this match off for their respective teams. Luger hit a clothesline and sent Shawn into Diesel which gave the babyfaces an early advantage. Tatanka and Bart Gunn then continued the match. The Smoking Gunns hit a nice double team move on Tatanka. Luger tagged in for his team and was going after Tatanka, but the Native American tagged in Shawn before any damage was caused. Luger immediately made the tag to Bart Gunn and the babyface team worked on Shawn’s arm for a little bit. After Bart Gunn was sent into the ropes, Diesel pulled the ropes down which sent Bart Gunn crashing into the outside. Looked like a nasty fall. The heels then laid in a beatdown on Bart on the outside before Shawn slapped on a chinlock inside the ropes. Bart Gunn managed to escape and send Shawn crashing into the mat. Bart tagged in his partner Billy for the hot tag. Billy hit a succession of moves on Shawn before he went to the top rope for a huge bulldog, which got him a two count. After that, every competitor started brawling in the ring with Luger finally getting his hands on Tatanka. During the melee, Diesel managed to get in the ring and hit the Jacknife Powerbomb on Billy Gunn and Shawn took advantage and pinned him for the win.
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Thoughts: Really solid match here. The only complaint I have is that I wish Luger was more active in this one. It would’ve been nice to see Luger get the hot tag on Tatanka to get his revenge. Nonetheless, the match was solid enough for a coliseum video exclusive. **3/4
And that will be all from me today. In contrast to the Bret Hart one, this coliseum video featured some of Shawn’s best matches from the mid 90s along with some PPV matches. The only match that was coliseum video exclusive was the six man tag. This coliseum video easily comes recommended.
The next Coliseum Video I will take a look at will be the Undertaker: He Buries Them Alive! released in March of 1995. Until then, thanks for reading and take care!
The war between the Brothers of Destruction and the Two-Man Power Trip grows more intense in 2001, and it’s Judgement Day for the Game as Kane goes after the Intercontinental Championship!
IMG Credit: WWE/dailymotion
Welcome to part 9 of The Blog of Kane! My apologies for sidelining this series of the Big Red Machine for so long, but I endeavour to complete this on SmarkDown’s Blog before I tackle any other series.
Now we move on to Kane challenging Triple H for the Intercontinental Championship at Judgement Day 2001!
The entire WWF Landscape had changed again thanks to WrestleMania 17; the Attitude Era ended, Steve Austin was back on top as WWF Champion and had shockingly allied with Vince McMahon AND Triple H to form the Power Trip, the Rock had been brutalised and suspended (to write him off telly so he could go film The Mummy Returns)…and that really left only the Undertaker and Kane as viable threats to stop them.
The Brothers of Destruction fought the good fight, but the war was brutal. Kane lost the Hardcore Championship to Rhyno, thanks to a brutal attack from the Power Trip, which resulted in multiple-chair shots damaging Kane’s arm. Triple H had regained the Intercontinental Championship, Taker and Kane won the Tag Team Championship together, and in a Winner Takes All Match at Backlash, the Two-Man Power Trip (thanks to help from Vince) won the tag titles.
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The war intensified with Austin and HHH now in control of all the top gold. The Undertaker brutally retaliated by throwing Austin through a window after the Power Trip had made a hoax phone call saying that Taker’s then-wife Sara was in a car collision. Kane had returned after another assault from the Power Trip, to attack Triple H with a chain. It would again be Austin vs the Undertaker for the WWE Championship, whereas Kane would challenge Triple H for the Intercontinental Championship in a Chain Match.
Judgement Day was upon them…
The Match Itself
The Intercontinental Champion/Tag Team Champion comes out first with Stephanie…naturally to the harmonies of The Game by Motörhead (I miss Lemmy), and once again, it’s a glorious entrance. Kane comes out next, bandaged left arm and menacingly wielding the chain with his right. He comes in and immediately goes for Hunter’s head with the chain. Triple H scurries to safety like the magnificent heel he is. Kane completes his entrance, whilst Hunter’s back at the entrance, scared, defensive & angry.
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Referee Tim White is trying to calm the carnivorous, chain-wielding Kane down (Good luck with that!). Helmsley slowly ventures back into the ring, as Kane wraps the chain round his arm. Meanwhile, Jim Ross recaps the heinous actions of Austin & HHH (breaking Kane’s arm and hoaxing Taker over his wife). Kane goes for Triple H again with the chain; Kane clearly wants the Game’s head, and Hunter clearly wants no part of the Big Red Machine.
Eventually, Tim White manages to convince Kane to put the chain down so the match can start, but that gives the Cerebral Assassin the opportunity he needs to get another chain and smack Kane in the back of the head to put him down straight away! Nice going, Tim! The bell rings, and Triple H goes right to work on Kane’s heavily-injured left arm; torquing it round the ropes, slamming it on the ring-apron and bashing it against the ring post. Rich psychology, straight away! Right on cue, Steph’s being a b**** at ringside, as Hunter continues to punish Kane’s arm. They’re STILL not chained together yet! The Intercontinental Champion continues to press his advantage with a chair-shot, and then ANOTHER chair-shot on Kane’s arm whilst its lying prone across the Spanish Announce Table! Hunter, you B******! Once again, I’m reminded why I loved hating Triple H so much when he was this good a heel!
IMG Credit: WWE/dailymotion
Tim White orders the IC Champ to put the chain on, whilst JR protests that the bout has already long started and the combatants aren’t even chained yet! FINALLY, Triple H chains-up Kane’s broken left-arm to his own healthy arm, whilst replays show the spot where Triple H landed the chair-shot across the announce table. An injured Kane is back up on his feet, and knocks Hunter down with some powerful right hands. The crowd’s rooting Kane on as he looks some of the chain and whips Hunter across the back. Helmsley retaliates by yanking Kane’s left arm. The Big Red Machine goes down immediately, and sells the injury fabulously!
“We used to think Kane was invincible! Invulnerable! Impervious to pain! But he’s obviously in a world of hurt right now!” says Paul Heyman brilliantly. Hunter exits the ring, and uses the full length of the chain to yank hard on Kane’s arm! Creative and more brilliant psychology! HHH follows up with a double-axe handle (using the chain) to take Kane down, then follows up with a cover. Kane POWERS out at two, but that clearly hurts him even more as he nurses his left arm! Kane’s selling is on-point here!
IMG Credit: WWE/WhatCulture.com
Triple H then uses the chain to shove Kane arm-first into the ring-steps, then ruthlessly persists by slamming Kane’s face into the steps, then whipping Kane’s arm with the chain right across the steps! Steph is still being the perfect evil cow with her expressions…Kane is still selling the arm fabulously…Triple H now dumps Kane back in the ring, and gets the steel chair to finish the job…
But then it’s KANE’S TURN TO YANK THE CHAIN! Triple H goes hurtling out of control face-first into his own chair as it collides with the ring-post! SICK spot! The crowd comes alive! Kane has now bought himself some precious time! And he’s till selling all the punishment he’s taken! NOW Stephanie’s worried and fearful! NOW Triple H is BUSTED OPEN! NOW the b******’s gonna GET IT! AND HE DOES!
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Kane’s back up on his feet! He grabs Triple H by the head and SMASHES the IC Champ’s head in on the steps AGAIN & AGAIN with such brutality! Hunter sells his long-awaited comeuppance beautifully, as Kane now uses the chain to clothesline the Game at ringside! Kane brings Hunter back into the ring, as Hunter begs Kane to back off! Kane’s not interested in mercy! The crowd comes alive as Kane now wraps the chain around Helmsley’s FACE and tortures him with it! Kane then wraps the chain round his right fist and decks Hunter with it. HHH tries to get away, but Kane has him now!
IMG Credit: WWE/BleacherReport.com
The Big Red Machine – back in the ring – has wrapped the chain round Hunter’s neck (whilst he’s on the floor) and then uses all his strength to HANGMAN the Game! ANOTHER sick spot! Stephanie screams in despair! The crowd’s loving this! Kane eventually lets go, as Hunter slumps to the floor. Kane then wakes up the Game by viciously whipping him across the bare back with the chain! Hunter screams in agony! I can’t get over just how good the selling, psychology and storytelling from both guys has been here!
Kane delivers another chain-wrapped fist into the open wound on Hunter’s forehead and then brings them both back to the ring. Kane tries to go up top for another attack, but the Cerebral Assassin turns the tide by using the chain to pull his challenger off the top rope to the canvas, aggravating the arm again. Steph is worried, Hunter tries to bounce back with a chain-assisted clothesline to take Kane down again. The action spills back to ringside, Kane’s right-hand sends Triple H over the barrier into the enthusiastic Sacramento audience. HHH again targets the arm, Kane responds by slamming the IC Champ off the barricade onto the floor! Another sick-bump!
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Both these guys are hurting like hell as the commentators are sure to note the brutality of this match. The fighting resumes back in the ring. Hunter’s face buster and clothesline puts Kane down, but both are visibly spent. Triple H tries to finish things with a Pedigree, but Kane powers out. Then delivers a nut-shot with the chain! OUCH! Another yank of the chain. Another clothesline follows. Kane goes on top, and then flies with the chain to take Hunter down! He signals for the end! The crowd are ready! MONSTROUS CHOKESLAM!
IMG Credit: WWE/TikTok
Damn it! Stone Cold runs-in for interference, but eats a big boot from Kane, then gets thrown out of the ring. Triple H takes advantage again with a low blow and tries to finish things off, but Austin’s back in with a chair! HE MISSES! HE NAILED HUNTER IN THE FACE!!! Kane then nails Austin to get rid of him and makes the cover! 1-2-3! KANE IS THE NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION AT 12:27!
Verdict
In my personal opinion, in terms of one-on-one singles matches…this bout is the greatest of Kane’s career. His matches with the likes of Undertaker and Austin were more famous, but in terms of story-telling, psychology and selling…THIS Chain Match is what I use to state my case that Glenn Jacobs is one of the greatest, most underrated workers of all time. Kane was well in his prime here, and he showed that he truly belonged in this main-event picture, as part of the biggest storylines, against one of the greatest of all time.
IMG Credit: WWE/Retro Pro Wrestling Reviews
Say what you want about Triple H. I certainly have over the years! But in the latter half of 1999, he was READY to carry the company as WWF Champion. 2000 was undoubtedly the year of the Game, and before he got injured the next night on Raw, he was still tearing it up in 2001. To me, Triple H is the greatest heel of all time, and this was another classic example. Making people despise him, working superbly, and then helping to deliver the long-awaited moment where he gets his arse thoroughly kicked. Kudos to him, and Stephanie for being such good heels!
As for the Austin interference…I’m alright with that. It helped set things up for Two-Man Power Trip’s showdown with Jericho and Benoit the next night on Raw, and (of course) their destruction…when Triple H would get injured and shelved for the rest of 2001. As for Kane, he would be a fighting IC Champion; defending the title successfully on Raw and SmackDown against the likes of Kurt Angle, Edge, Christian and Rhyno before losing it to Albert after some incredibly good matches between the two!
IMG Credit: WWE/Wrestling Observer
OVERALL RATING
9/10
That’s it for 2001! Next time we move onto 2002! Stay safe, all! See you next time!
July 12, 1993 Taped show (on July 5, 1993) Location: Manhattan, New York, USA (Manhattan Center) Announced attendance: N/A TV rating: 2.7 (USA Network) [down 7.1% from the previous week’s 2.9 rating]
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Hey there everyone. Welcome to another Monday Night RAW review. This week is pretty huge, featuring the second ever WWF Championship match in RAW history, with the newly-crowned champion Yokozuna defending against Crush. Plus, we have Tatanka, Mr. Hughes, The Headshrinkers and Adam Bomb in action.
Here is the list of WWF champions heading into this RAW:
WWF Champion: Yokozuna [29th day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Hulk Hogan
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Shawn Michaels [36th day of his 2nd reign] – previous champion: Marty Jannetty
WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner) [23rd day of their 2nd reign] – previous champions: Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster)
Note: in title matches, the defending champions appear underlined
Enjoy the review!
IMG credit: WWE & thesmackdownhotel.com
Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan & Randy Savage
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We go straight to Yokozuna’s entrance for the tonight’s title match, with the RAW intro only playing afterwards. When we return, the announcers plug tonight’s events, followed by Crush making his entrance.
WWF Championship – Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. Crush
Crush is getting this title shot after he managed to lift Yokozuna off his feet in the bodyslam challenge. They lockup with Crush taking it to Yokozuna early on. Yoko slams a charging Crush, but misses an elbowdrop and Crush big boots Yoko to the floor. Back in, a bunch of running shoulderblocks by Crush have no effect on Yokozuna, and a running corner splash doesn’t do much better. He knocks himself out on the turnbuckle while trying a second one, however, allowing Yokozuna to take control. Yokozuna locks in the DREADED NERVE HOLD OF DEATH while we go to break.
Commercial break
We come back with Crush attempting to make a comeback, only to run into a thrust kick as Yoko goes back to the nerve hold. Yoko himself releases the hold and chooses to slug away instead, setting him up for a running buttsplash in the corner that misses, and Crush takes him down with a dropkick followed by a clothesline. Crush goes up top and lands a flying clothesline for two. Crush climbs up again, but Fuji attacks him with the Japanese flag behind the referee’s back, knocking Crush to the outside. Yokozuna meets him out there and slams him on the floor before taking him back inside the ring. The belly to belly sets up the massive legdrop, which pretty much knocks Crush into the middle of next week. The Banzai Drop is academic and Yokozuna retains in 12:00.
The beating continues with Yokozuna absolutely destroying Crush with three more Banzai Drops. Tatanka runs out to save day, but Yokozuna clears house and sends him flying off the apron with a simple shot. Some other babyfaces come out but get knocked down as well, until Randy Savage leaves the commentary table and pushes Crush out of the way of yet another Banzai Drop. Crush eventually gets taken out on a stretcher while Bobby Heenan blames Lex Luger for all of this. Heenan puts Yoko over in a massive way afterwards.
Rating: The match was nothing crazy as I expected, but the angle that followed was fantastic and made Yokozuna look like a world beater. Crush did get to look good too with some spots where he was able to knock Yokozuna, but this was all about elevating the champ heading into the showdown with Lex Luger. **
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The Headshrinkers (Fatu & Samu) (w/ Afa) vs. PJ Walker & Aaron Ferguson
Walker is PJ Polaco aka Justin Credible. The Headshrinkers jump both guys before the bell, dumping Ferguson and nearly KILLING Walker with a double backdrop. Walker landed so hard that it even hurt Vince, who keeps calling him Ferguson! Samu runs over Walker with a clothesline and proceeds to trade headbutts with Fatu as some form of Samoan motivation! The Headshrinkers drag Walker into his own corner for the tag, and then Fatu throws Ferguson to the middle of the ring so he can clothesline him. The Headshrinkers plant Ferguson and Fatu splashes him off the top for the win at 3:23.
Rating: Honestly this was a pretty fun squash with The Headshrinkers bulldozing their opponents and looking great in the process. Props to PJ, who sold like a champ. 3/4*
Next week: Marty Jannetty’s IC title rematch against Shawn Michaels. Nice video package.
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Tatanka vs. The Brooklyn Brawler
Tatanka avoids Brawler’s shots to start and runs wild, leading to Brawler bailing. Brawler gets back in, gets in a shoving battle with Tatanka and slaps him, running away from Tatanka only to get caught with a scoop slam back in the ring. Tatanka goes after the arm, hitting a hammerlock slam. However, Brawler fights back with a clothesline and connects with a neckbreaker. Tatanka comes back with some fists, but Brawler ducks a charge and clotheslines him back down. Brawler takes off his shirt and uses it to choke Tatanka, then applies a chinlock. Some smack talk is going on between Savage and Heenan on commentary, with Savage challenging Heenan for a match next week, but Heenan refuses because it just so happens to be his farther’s birthday! Tatanka finally makes the comeback as HE’S ON THE WARPATH BY GAWD. He comes back with the usual and finishes with the Not Samoan Drop at a whoopin’ 7:13. Yikes.
Rating: This was brutal. I dig the Brawler as one of the best jobbers of all time, but there’s no reason he should be going 7 minutes with someone who’s supposed to be unstoppable for more than a year. It didn’t work. DUD
A video is shown with some kids asking for Lex Luger to be the next challenger for Yokozuna’s WWF Championship.
Mr. Hughes (w/ Harvey Wippleman) vs. Tony DeVito
The match begins with Hughes in control, as a staff member brings a wreath to ringside, with “rest in peace” written on it. Vince says The Undertaker isn’t present, but his presence is clearly felt. You don’t say! Hughes takes Tony down with an Irish whip into the buckle, and follows it up with the nicest falling headbutt ever. He covers DeVito, only to release the pin. Hughes hits a dropkick, trash talks Undertaker and puts DeVito away with the Bossman Slam at 2:13, which Vince says it’s reminiscent of The Undertaker. I’m assuming he’s comparing it to the Chokeslam, which is a bit of a stretch to say the least. Hughes destroys the wreath afterwards, having seen it was sent by The Undertaker. I’m so glad this feud went nowhere.
Rating: Not awful. 1/4*
SummerSlam Report w/ Mean Gene
Loyalty will be on the line when Bret Hart faces Jerry Lawler at SummerSlam
Lex Luger has a major announcement to make on WWF Superstars regarding a campaign (it would be the Lex Express).
Men on a Mission are coming to the WWF next week.
Main Event
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Adam Bomb (w/ Johnny Polo) vs. Scott Amati
Randy Savage gives us an update with Crush, who is breathing much better although he might have permanent damage. Savage yells at Heenan when he tries to make jokes to put the angle over as a serious deal. Meanwhile, Bomb takes it to Scott in the ring. He takes Scott outside and slams him on the floor, then brings him back in for a flying clothesline and beats him with the Atom Smasher powerbomb in 2:39.
Rating: The squash wasn’t bad, but it was really just background for the commentators to talk about Crush’s attack. 1/4*
Next week: Men on a Mission debut, Jerry Lawler hosts The King’s Court with Tiny Tim as his guest, and Michaels-Jannetty for the Intercontinental Title.
END OF THE SHOW
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Final thoughts: Well, this week’s episode was definitely a couple of notches below the recent ones, but I wouldn’t call it a total bust. Yokozuna destroying Crush was the obvious highlight this week, with the squashes being nothing special. Catch the beatdown if you’ve never seen it, but feel free to ignore the rest of the episode. 3/10
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