What the World Was Watching: WWF Monday Night RAW – May 10, 1993

Footage shows Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels showing up to the Manhattan Center at 7:02 p.m. Michaels talks to Lord Alfred Hayes about facing Hacksaw Jim Duggan tonight until Mr. Perfect accosts him. The two fight and Perfect wins, throwing Michaels into the door of the car that he arrived in and slamming him on the car’s hood. That gets a good reaction from an assembled crowd of onlookers. The car actually belonged to Howard Finkel and Perfect destroying it in the attack was a rib.

Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, and Randy Savage call the action, live from New York City. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the show drew a sellout crowd of 1,200.

Opening King of the Ring Qualifying Contest: Bam Bam Bigelow (21-1) beats Typhoon (7-4) after the flying headbutt at 5:22 shown:

Bigelow beat Typhoon four months ago on Wrestling Spotlight. Typhoon does not use his power to his advantage, preferring to work wristlocks and headbutt Bigelow’s shoulder. The match loses its momentum halfway through as Typhoon ends up on the floor and Bigelow does not let him re-enter the ring. When action resumes, Bigelow locks in a chinlock. The end comes quickly after a commercial break as Bigelow does an impressive Samoan drop to the former Tag Team champion and qualifies for the King of the Ring Tournament with his finisher. This would be Typhoon’s last in-ring appearance for a year as he would leave to go to WCW. Rating: ½*

Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji) (18-2) pins P.J. Walker after the sit-down splash off the second rope at 2:12:

McMahon announces that Yokozuna will face Kamala on next week’s show. The squash is an opportunity for the commentary team to talk about the Hulk Hogan-Yokozuna WWF title match at King of the Ring. McMahon and Heenan say that Yokozuna is getting bigger.

Gene Okerlund does The King of the Ring Report, highlighting all of those who have qualified for the tournament so far.

Mr. Perfect (14-1-1) defeats Mike Sharpe after the Perfectplex at 4:38:

Before the match. Perfect spits his gum into the mouth of one of the Rosati sisters, who is doing ring card duty. The match is supposed to be a tune up for Perfect’s qualifying match against Doink this weekend on Wrestling Challenge but Sharpe gives as good as he gets. There is an entertaining exchange of chops, although Heenan begs to differ and opts to channel surf. One cannot blame him as Sharpe does little after that and fans wonder why it takes Perfect nearly five minutes to beat an enhancement talent. Rating: *

Heenan gets on the apron and tries to get the phone number of one of the ring card women.

Mr. Hughes (w/Harvey Wippleman) (4-0) defeats the Cannonball Kid after the sidewalk slam at 2:18:

Unsurprisingly, Hughes chooses Wippleman as his manager, quickly wrapping up the story of managers trying to get his services. The Cannonball Kid is the new name for the Kamikaze Kid. Despite his Global credentials he is squashed again by Hughes’ power moves. The Kid goes up well for Hughes’ sidewalk slam finish.

Tune into All American Wrestling as Okerlund and Heenan hit the road!

In preparation for the next match, lumberjacks come to the ring. All of them are wearing lumberjack jackets except for Yokozuna, who positions himself with Mr. Fuji on the hard camera side of the ring. When Duggan comes out, he surprises Yokozuna with some punches and knocks the big man down. Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels comes out in street clothes and on crutches, trying to get out of defending the title. Mr. Perfect has none of that, hitting Michaels and rolling him into the ring. When Michaels throws a fit over that his ruse is exposed. Heenan brings the comedy by screaming “It’s a miracle!”

Lumberjack Match for the Intercontinental Championship: Shawn Michaels (Champion) (11-3) beats Hacksaw Jim Duggan (9-0) via disqualification after Mr. Perfect interferes at 13:03 shown:

The layout of the match sees Duggan squash Michaels, scoring a few near-falls from basic moves. Michaels tries to flee halfway through and nearly escapes with the help of Terry Taylor and Mr. Hughes but Perfect and Bob Backlund haul him back to the ring. Duggan seems more tired than the champion at the end but still manages to hit the three-point stance clothesline. Unfortunately for him, Michaels ends up on the floor and after a commercial break is back in the ring and has recovered. Bam Bam Bigelow hops on the apron to provide a distraction and Michaels tosses Duggan to the floor where Yokozuna is located. The number one contender to the WWF Championship wastes no time dropping a leg on Duggan and rolls him inside. Michaels goes for a cocky cover but Perfect, who does not want to see that, rushes in and clotheslines Michaels, giving the champion a cheap disqualification win. The booking did Michaels no favors because the WWF was using Duggan to headline house shows with Yokozuna but at least the ending continued the Perfect-Michaels and Duggan-Yokozuna programs. Rating: **½

After another commercial break, the lumberjacks and Perfect and Michaels fight each other until Duggan clears the ring with his 2×4.

Tune in next week to see Yokozuna battle Kamala!

The Last Word: This was one of the first RAW episodes where an angle was weaved throughout the show. Mr. Perfect got a lot of exposure and the brawl at the top of the program and his fights with Shawn Michaels in the lumberjack match added heat to their program. And the lumberjack match was a fun novelty for fans in an era when gimmick matches rarely made television.

Up Next: WWF Superstars for May 15!

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!