What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – February 14, 1993

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan provide commentary for a new series of episodes from Fresno, California. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping took place on January 26.

Opening Contest: Razor Ramon (4-1) pins Typhoon (0-2) after a couple of elbow drops at 3:53:

When Heenen tries to play the angle that Typhoon is in a weird environment as a single, Monsoon responds by noting that Typhoon’s WWF career started in singles competition. Seconds into the match, Mr. Perfect walks onto the interview podium to get a look at the match. Ramon is at a disadvantage because he cannot do his usual power moves against a bigger man. Typhoon squashes Ramon against the turnbuckles but misses the Tidal Wave. Ramon drops a few elbows for the pin, continuing the Typhoon jobber to the stars tour. Rating: *

After the match, Ramon gets on the microphone and urges him to come to the ring. Perfect obliges but when he gets close, Ramon slams him in the face with the microphone. He also uses a chair but Perfect fires back and throws lots of punches before WWF officials intervene. Unfortunately, the feud between these two at house shows got put on ice by Perfect’s knee injury in the Boston Garden a week before this show aired.

The Nasty Boys (4-0) beats Brian West & Dave Starr when Jerry Sags pins Starr after the Trip to Nastyville at 2:14:

The jobber team does a nice job feeding into the Nasties offense, making this an enjoyable squash for the top challengers to the WWF Tag Team Championship.

Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report segment recaps the Hacksaw Jim Duggan-Yokozuna segment from last week’s Superstars. Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji have a new promo where Fuji promises that Yokozuna will squash his future competition.

Doink the Clown (3-0) beats Bobby Young via submission to the stump puller at 1:49:

Young is like a doppelganger for Austrian actor and director Klaus Maria Brandauer. Monsoon talks up Crush’s return while Doink does a nice atomic drop variation where he drops Young on his rear end instead of bringing him across his knee and that is the setup for a stump puller submission.

A sweaty Big Bossman urges fans to support the “Headlock on Hunger” campaign.

Bam Bam Bigelow (8-0) pins Buddy Wayne after the flying headbutt at 1:37:

Wayne was a trainee of former WWF competitor Buddy Rose and Ole Olson. Starting his career in 1985, he worked in the Northwest for Vancouver All-Star Wrestling and Pacific Northwest Wrestling. He wrestled a couple of WWF enhancement matches in 1991. His son, Nick Wayne, later entered the wrestling business and competes for All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Bigelow rolls through Wayne with the usual as Heenan hypes Bigelow’s set of title matches on house shows against Bret Hart.

The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) (4-0) defeats Brian Boyer after the Tombstone at 1:36:

Boyer has a funny reaction during ring introductions, throwing his hands up like “What am I supposed to do against this guy?” The match provides an opportunity for Monsoon and Heenan to theorize about what will happen when the Undertaker faces Gonzalez at WrestleMania. Monsoon argues that fans are seeing a new version of the Undertaker but he does not do anything substantially different from past squashes. After the bell, he and Bearer stuff Boyer in a body bag.

High Energy talk about how they will be the new Tag Team champions on next week’s program. WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated and Jimmy Hart do a poor rebuttal promo about how High Energy will owe them some money.

Tune in next week to see WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated battle High Energy! Also, Virgil face Lex Luger! And Crush, Giant Gonzalez, and the Steiner Brothers will be in action!

The Last Word: There are two feature bouts on next week’s program, which is an upgrade over most Challenge broadcasts. It is not good for Virgil, though, that he did not get a promo at the end of the show against Lex Luger as that would confirm that he is not worth as much as other babyface acts at this point. In terms of this broadcast, the Mr. Perfect-Razor Ramon brawling was great and it overshadowed a poor Ramon-Typhoon match. Typhoon is reverting to his low status as a single now that the Natural Disasters are finished. Without a gimmick change, he is not going anywhere for the rest of his run.

The WWF wrapped up its European tour overseas and ran shows on the West Coast. Here were the results of some of those shows, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

Dortmund, Germany – Westfalenhalle – February 10, 1993 (13,000; sellout): Virgil pinned Repo Man…Rick Martel beat Max Moon (substituting for Marty Jannetty)…Bam Bam Bigelow pinned the Big Bossman…The Nasty Boys defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated via disqualification…The Headshrinkers beat the Bushwhackers…The Undertaker defeated Papa Shango…WWF Champion Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair via submission to the Sharpshooter in Flair’s last WWF appearance for nine years.

Oakland, California – Oakland Coliseum – February 13, 1993 (3,200 paid): Tatanka pinned the Predator after the Papoose to Go at 6:32…Kamala beat Kim Chee with two splashes at 3:49…Typhoon pinned Terry Taylor with a powerslam at 9:25…Bob Backlund defeated Doink the Clown via disqualification after Doink squired liquid into Backlund’s face…Yokozuna pinned Randy Savage after a belly-to-belly suplex following Mr. Fuji’s interference at 6:05…Damien Demento beat El Matador at 9:13…The Steiner Brothers defeated the Beverly Brothers when Scott pinned Blake after the Frankensteiner at 10:21…Crush (substituting for Mr. Perfect) beat Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels via disqualification after Michaels hit Crush with the title belt at 12:33. Sensational Sherri was at ringside for the match.

Backstage News*: The WWF is planning to have another pay-per-view this year, possibly due to signing Hulk Hogan to a new deal. There are also rumors of a new special on FOX that could air on March 7.

-Although fans have complained that the Westminster Dog Show kept Monday Night RAW off the air on Monday, the Dog Show drew a much better rating than Monday night wrestling has for the USA Network in several years.

-Ric Flair was officially given his WWF release after the European tour on February 10. There were paperwork issues that had delayed Flair signing with WCW as the WWF had sent WCW a written release but the papers were not signed. When WCW sent them back, the WWF returned them signed but the signatures were not notarized. Flair is expected to become part of WCW’s payroll on February 16.

-The WWF is gearing up for several lawsuits. A lawsuit for slander is planned against Nailz, who the WWF fired after he attacked Vince McMahon on December 14 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The slander allegations center on Nailz alleging that McMahon sexually assaulted him, a story that the WWF has many eyewitnesses prepared to refute in court under oath. McMahon, along with his wife Linda, have also filed a lawsuit against Geraldo Rivera and former WWF wrestler David Schultz for a televised segment last year on Now It Can Be Told that aired rape allegations against Vince from former WWF referee Rita Chatterton. The McMahons claim that Rivera and Schulz wanted $5 million not to air the story. Rivera has said he welcomes the suit, stands by his reporting, and that McMahon refused numerous offers to refute Chatterton’s allegations.

-In talent relations news, the WWF gave Louie Spicolli a tryout at its television taping in Long Beach, California. Spicolli was given a surfer gimmick and had a good match with the White Shadow. Paul Diamond has also been released from his contract following the European tour.

*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for February 15 and 22.

Up Next: Monday Night RAW for February 15!

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