What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – May 16, 1993

All American Wrestling featured an exclusive match on Sunday afternoon.

Crush (14-2) beats Blake Beverly (0-2) via submission to the head vice at 5:50:

This is another match from the Worcester, Massachusetts Superstars taping on May 4. Blake has shaved off his goatee, making him look ten years younger. The match is a way to give Crush a somewhat competitive win before he faces Shawn Michaels in a King of the Ring qualifying match next week. Blake does some token back work but after Crush powers out of a Boston Crab the Beverly Brother fails to stop any of Crush’s momentum and is submitted by a head vice. Rating: *½

Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan commentate today’s episode, concluding a lengthy taping in Phoenix, Arizona.

Opening Contest: Razor Ramon (13-1) pins Sean Dakota after the Razor’s Edge at 2:15:

Ramon easily rolls through Dakota, folding him up like an accordion twice with a super backdrop suplex and Razor’s Edge. While there is talk of Ramon’s King of the Ring chances, he drew the toughest first round opponent in former WWF champion Bret Hart.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s single “USA” on WrestleMania: The Album airs. Like many songs on the album, it is Duggan talking rather than singing and has a repetitive chorus. In this case it is “USA! USA! USA! Hooooo!”

The Nasty Boys (10-0-1) defeat Steve Vega & Barry Horowitz when Sags pins Vega after the Trip to Nastyville at 3:01:

The Nasties were already suspended from the WWF at the time that this squash aired because of their behavior on the WWF’s recent European tour. That scuttled plans for a Nasties-Headshrinkers feud, which Ross spends some of the match hyping. Vega and Horowitz fall victim to the Nasties “vintage” offense, according to Ross, and they win what turned out to be their final WWF match in a little more than three minutes. The Nasties would show up in WCW three months later and be Tag Team champions there by the end of the year.

Mr. Hughes (6-0) pins Dan Farren after the sidewalk slam at 2:18:

Like Superstars, Hughes does not have Harvey Wippleman with him and Ross and Heenan’s discussion of who is managing him sounds dated. Mr. Fuji does an insert about how he would make Hughes a lot of money. The WWF talks about Hughes’ former bodyguard background and that would be a great use of him with another heel act. That is why his pairing with Wippleman was disappointing. With this win, Hughes won matches on all three of the WWF’s prominent television programs this week.

Gene Okerlund does The King of the Ring Report. It is announced that there will be a coronation ceremony at the end of the pay-per-view. Bam Bam Bigelow talks of sending Hacksaw Jim Duggan down in flames. Duggan rebuts that he is not a punk that Bigelow can take out. Bret Hart channels former President Franklin D. Roosevelt by saying that “happy days will be here again” when he beats Razor Ramon, wins the tournament, and gets a title back around his waist. A new interview with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart airs from Clearwater, Florida where Hogan talks of washing his motorcycle in the shower and getting hit in the head by lightning. Silliness aside, he vows to slam Yokozuna and make him bow down in their title match.

King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Mr. Perfect (15-1-1) wrestles Doink the Clown (14-2-1) to a time-limit draw at 7:00:

Perfect attacks Doink in the aisle as Doink eats popcorn and squirts a young fan with water. The use of several long submission holds by each man telegraphs the finish. There is a fun exchange of blows between the two after Perfect fights out of an armbar and the bell rings. Perfect hits the Perfectplex afterward but that does not count. Why would the time limit expire after seven minutes anyway? Was the WWF even trying with that booking? Rating: *¾

Perfect asks for five more minutes on the microphone and Doink answers by charging in and knocking Perfect down. An irate Perfect then chases Doink to the locker room.

El Matador (6-2-1) pins Reno Riggins after El Paso del Muerte at 3:07:

Ross tells fans that Perfect and Doink are not eliminated from the King of the Ring Tournament although neither has qualified. He floats a third match between the two as a possibility. El Matador departs from his green tights, opting for a gold and pink look. It is going to take more than new tights to rejuvenate El Matador’s WWF run, though, as he is stale and dated in an evolving product. Ross and Heenan discuss El Matador’s football background as he wins his first match in close to a month.

Mr. Hughes puts himself over as the man. Kamala and Slick respond that they are going to get revenge for unkind comments Hughes has made about them.

Tune in next week to see Kamala face Mr. Hughes in a King of the Ring qualifying match! Also, the Smoking Gunns, Yokozuna, Tatanka, and Lex Luger will be in action!

The Last Word: Mr. Perfect and Doink have good chemistry but the layout of today’s match did them no favors as it was paced more for a fifteen-minute time-limit draw than the seven minutes they were given. It was a rough week for the syndicated shows as they were both at the end of four-hour taping cycles. Hopefully a new round and new location will inject them with some energy next week.

The WWF spent the week doing house shows in California and Texas. Here are the results of those shows, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

San Francisco, California – The Cow Palace – May 15, 1993 (4,000): Virgil pinned the Brooklyn Brawler with a sunset flip out of the corner at 12:16…Bob Backlund beat Damien Demento with a small package at 11:26…Tatanka pinned Razor Ramon after lifting his shoulder out of a back suplex and double pin spot at 6:00…Yokozuna beat Hacksaw Jim Duggan at 6:56…Bret Hart defeated Lex Luger via disqualification when Razor Ramon interfered when Bret had Luger trapped in the Sharpshooter at 15:53. Afterward, Bret was double teamed before Luger accidentally knocked Ramon out with the running forearm. Luger had to wrestle the match with a protective pad on his forearm, being told by the referee that he could not wrestle unless he wore it…Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Kamala with a roll up after Kamala was distracted by the referee at 6:25…The Steiner Brothers beat WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated via disqualification when IRS hit Scott with a briefcase that the Brooklyn Brawler brought to the ring at 15:40. The referee had previously ordered the briefcase to be taken to the locker room.

Austin, Texas – The Frank Erwin Center – May 15, 1993: El Matador pinned Blake Beverly…Papa Shango pinned Tug Taylor…The Undertaker defeated Giant Gonzalez via disqualification after Gonzalez used the urn as a weapon…Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Marty Jannetty (substituting for Mr. Perfect) after using the Flair pin…Owen Hart pinned Terry Taylor after an enziguiri…Crush wrestled Doink the Clown to a double count out after a second Doink came to ringside…The Headshrinkers defeated the Smoking Gunns (substituting for the Nasty Boys).

Backstage News*: New Japan referee Masao “Tiger” Hattori will be used for the Hulk Hogan-Yokozuna title match at King of the Ring. Some are reading that as a way to get the title off of Hogan while others see it as the beginning of a WWF-New Japan relationship. If it is the latter, that would encroach on WCW’s turf as they currently have a contractual agreement with New Japan but some say they violated it when WCW Champion Vader worked for a rival office. Proof of the former, though, is Hogan is going to work on a film called Bad Company this summer, which would limit his house show availability. Hogan is scheduled for four house shows in June and a set of television tapings.

-In talent relations news, the WWF is bringing back Marty Jannetty, which is the fourth chance that he has been given by the company. Jannetty substituted for Mr. Perfect on house shows this week in Texas and had been negotiating with WCW, Japan, and a promotion that Paul E. Dangerously is booking.

*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for May 24.

Up Next: Monday Night RAW for May 17!

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