What the World Was Watching: WWF Superstars – April 10, 1993

WWF Mania had an exclusive match on Saturday morning.

Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji) (14-2) beats Typhoon (4-3) after the sit-down splash off the second rope at 1:51:

This match was filmed in North Charleston, South Carolina on March 8. Yokozuna squashes the former Tag Team champion, pulverizing him with all his big moves. Even though Typhoon does not mount much offense he gets some protection in defeat as he is only avalanched against the corner turnbuckles because of a Fuji distraction. The results snaps Typhoon’s four-match winning streak.

Wrestling Spotlight also had an exclusive enhancement match.

Doink the Clown (11-2) beats Bob Morgan via submission to the stump puller at 1:53:

Morgan wrestled four matches for the WWF in 1992, losing two of them to El Matador.

Doink squirts water onto a young fan as he makes his entrance. The crowd is deathly quiet for the squash so this must have been in the fourth hour of a taping. For some reason Morgan takes nearly ten seconds to submit after the stump puller is applied.

WWF Superstars had Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler, and Randy Savage on commentary. They are taped from North Charleston, South Carolina.

McMahon narrates some still photographs from WrestleMania IX. He highlights the controversy over the WWF Championship between Hulk Hogan and Yokozuna.

Opening Contest: Hacksaw Jim Duggan (2-0) pins Barry Horowitz after the three-point stance clothesline at 1:57:

This is Duggan’s return to the ring after Yokozuna put him on the shelf two months ago. Duggan throws several chairs into the ring during his entrance, forcing referee Danny Davis to clear them so the match can happen. Duggan screams for Yokozuna as he knocks Horowitz out of the ring with a clothesline and dismantles the ring steps so he can slam Horowitz’s head into them. Seeing Duggan display a more aggressive streak was a nice change of pace. The problem is that his feud with Yokozuna will play second fiddle to whatever program Yokozuna is going to work against Hogan. And McMahon’s argument that Duggan could be the number one contender to Yokozuna’s title, if he gets it back, is laughable.

Gorilla Monsoon does the Update segment. There is a replay of Gene Okerlund’s summary of Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji’s challenge to Hogan winning the title from Monday Night RAW. Afterward, WWF President Jack Tunney announces that Hogan and Yokozuna had an oral contract and the match was adjudicated by a WWF referee so that means Hogan’s title win at WrestleMania stands. Monsoon was not a good fit for doing Update as he did not convey the journalistic vibes a segment like this required.

Papa Shango (4-3) pins David Clements after the reverse shoulderbreaker at 2:08:

McMahon provides a cover story for Bret losing to Yokozuna at WrestleMania, explaining that Lex Luger laid him out with a running forearm at a brunch on the day of the event. Lawler dismisses it as an excuse because champions know not to eat before a big match. Shango does his best to look vicious, dumping Clements on a gourdbuster and having nice snap on the reverse shoulderbreaker. As Shango heads to the locker room, McMahon says that Mr. Hughes is coming to the WWF.

El Matador (3-1-1) beats the Brooklyn Brawler after El Paso del Muerte at 2:41:

El Matador still has something in the tank but outside of a heel turn there is nothing left for him to do other than wrestle competitive matches and put over bigger name stars. He vanquishes the Brawler with the usual. After the match, Lawler uses the Royal Magistrator to draw a Chiquita banana over El Matador’s bullfighting cape.

Gene Okerlund interviews some participants from WrestleMania IX. Crush is mad he lost because he dominated the match, promising “double revenge” for Doink. The Undertaker and Paul Bearer say they are going to get stronger while Giant Gonzalez is living on borrowed time.

McMahon narrates photographs of the Lex Luger-Mr. Perfect match at WrestleMania IX and how Perfect ended up in a fight with Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels afterward.

Lex Luger (12-0) pins Dale Wolfe after the running forearm at 2:51:

McMahon announces that Jack Tunney is launching an investigation into why Luger has been able to knock out wrestlers with his forearm. There is talk of a Bret Hart-Luger program starting. Lawler discounts Bret’s chances because he is an insomniac. There is a better flourish for the running forearm today as Luger whips Wolfe into the ropes and criss-crosses to blast Wolfe.

McMahon narrates photographs of Luna Vachon beating up Sensational Sherri at WrestleMania IX.

Kamala (w/Slick) (10-1) defeats Dwayne Gill after a splash to the back at 2:42:

Savage has a nice burn on Lawler when Lawler calls Kamala stupid for not figuring out how to pin someone after months of instruction, saying that Lawler is jealous “Because [he] can’t get anyone on their back.” McMahon insists that Kamala is coming along nicely but Kamala has never demonstrated that he has knowledge of how to pin someone since he came back to the WWF last year.

Sean Mooney does a WrestleMania IX Report to summarize what happened when the Undertaker faced Giant Gonzalez.

Bob Backlund (10-1) pins Anthony Howard after a cradle at 1:48:

Howard was trained by Jimmy del Ray and started working in 1990. He would later take on the name LeRoy Howard and get used by the WWF and WCW as an enhancement talent during the 1990s.

In the split screen, Backlund announces that Andre the Giant is the first inductee of the Hall of Fame and he hopes to follow in his footsteps. Lawler rightfully rips that, saying that Backlund is going senile because Andre was announced as a part of the Hall of Fame weeks ago. Howard tries to outwrestle Backlund and he is too inexperienced for that, getting wrapped up in a cradle and pinned. After the match, Backlund tells him not to get discouraged.

Okerlund does more post-WrestleMania IX interviews. WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated are not scared of teams gunning for them, even the Steiner Brothers. Doink the Clown stops by, denying that there were two Doinks in his match with Crush. He squirts Okerlund with water from his jacket when Okerlund asks him if it is loaded.

Tune in next week to see Owen Hart face Bam Bam Bigelow! Also, Mr. Perfect, Crush, the Headshrinkers, and Yokozuna will be in action!

The Last Word: There were clues about a few post-WrestleMania feuds on this broadcast as Bret Hart is going to be slotted against Lex Luger and Money Incorporated will be defending the Tag Team titles against the Steiner Brothers. Other programs like the Undertaker against Giant Gonzalez and Crush against Doink will be extended. The WWF is also toying with some of its broadcast team, moving Gene Okerlund out of the Update segment, moving Sean Mooney over to the WrestleMania IX Report, and moving Gorilla Monsoon out of a prominent commentary position for Jim Ross. So, while this show did not offer a lot of exciting action, it provides a look into what the post-WrestleMania IX landscape is going to look like.

Up Next: Wrestling Challenge for April 11!

And if you would like to read a compiled breakdown of 1990-1992 WWF, 1993 ECW, or of various promotions in 1995, check out my Amazon author page to purchase e-books or paperback copies!