What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – June 6, 1993

All American Wrestling had a new exclusive match that was taped in Sydney, Nova Scotia on May 25:

Razor Ramon (15-2) wrestles Crush (17-2-1) to a double count out at 9:41 shown:

Most of the match is spent in holds as Crush works a long full nelson and Ramon throws in an abdominal stretch and half Boston Crab using the ropes. It has an uneasy flow but features some unique moments as Crush does an impressive gorilla press slam and traps his opponent in the head vice but Ramon has a smart counter by making himself small and kicking Crush in the face. Ramon does an impressive Razor’s Edge but Crush kicks out, becoming the only man to ever do so. A thrust kick sends Ramon to the floor and both men fight out there, preventing the other from re-entering the ring, and getting counted out. So once again Crush goes against a name wrestler and cannot get a win. It is a problem when his biggest wins this year have been against Damien Demento, Terry Taylor, and Blake Beverly. Rating: *¼

After the match, Crush leads the crowd in a “1, 2, 3” chant.

Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan are in the booth, concluding the tapings in Portland, Maine.

Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji are guests on the King’s Court. A problem that Jerry Lawler is having with this segment is that he wants to talk too much rather than allowing whomever he is interviewing to speak for themselves. Fuji announces that Japan will declare a national holiday when Yokozuna beats Hulk Hogan at The King of the Ring.

Opening Contest: The Steiner Brothers (20-0) defeat Duane Gill & P.J. Walker when Scott pins Gill after the Frankensteiner at 2:56:

The WWF decided not to run a Steiners-Money Incorporated match at The King of the Ring so the feud between the two has taken a backseat to hype for the eight-man tag at the pay-per-view. Heenan makes fun of Rick wearing two different boots but changes his tune when Rick powerslams Walker with authority. Scott busts out the Steiner Screwdriver on the future Aldo Montoya, enjoying the infliction of punishment so much he opts not to cover and tosses Walker into the jobber corner, allowing Gill to tag in. Since Gill can take the Frankensteiner bump, that is how the squash ends. The last few moves got a big reaction from the crowd.

Heenan cannot believe that the Kid will not take $5,000 from Razor Ramon for a rematch, arguing that he would fight Ross for $50.

Adam Bomb (w/Harvey Wippleman) (3-0) pins Chris Simpson after the Atom Bomb at 1:35:

In the split screen, Bomb and Polo tell fans that there is no escape from them. Bomb makes quick work of his opponent with a powerslam off the ropes and powerbomb. Ross says that Bomb’s finisher is called “The Atom Bomb.”

Owen Hart (3-2) beats Ricky Rich after a Northern lights suplex at 1:47:

Owen is just a guy on the roster right now, struggling to find his footing as a single with the dissolution of the High Energy tag team. His bread and butter was coming off the top rope but because of his recent knee injury that has been taken away from him. After some basic wrestling he tags Rich with a spinning heel kick and wins with a Northern lights suplex.

The Smoking Gunns have fun playing WWF Royal Rumble on the Super Nintendo.

Shawn Michaels (13-4-1) pins Greg Johnson with the Perfectplex at 2:29:

Michaels is already in the ring for the next match to avoid showing him with the Intercontinental title. He sleepwalks through the match, only adding personality at the end when he opts to pin Johnson with the Perfectplex after a superkick. According to Michaels, his version is better.

Gene Okerlund does The King of the Ring Report. Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji say that only one more week is left before WWF Champion Hulk Hogan is destroyed. Bret Hart says that it will take endurance, wrestling ability, and hunger to win the King of the Ring Tournament and he is starved. Crush, who is taking the double count out finish with Shawn Michaels personally, talks about how he can beat Michaels.

Mr. Perfect (17-1-2) defeats Tony Roy after the Perfectplex at 2:27:

Ross is the first commentator to bring up the possibility of Perfect facing Bret Hart in the King of the Ring semi-finals. He also notes that three of the competitors in the tournament – Mr. Hughes, Lex Luger, and Tatanka – are undefeated. Perfect deconstructs Roy with technical wrestling takedowns and chops. However, he does not attempt to replicate Michaels’ superkick, opting instead for his usual finisher.

Doink the Clown (16-3-2) pins Louis Armstrong with the stump puller at 3:03:

Since Doink does not have a King of the Ring match, the announcers prefer to talk about the WWF title match and how Yokozuna has been in ring shape for months and Hulk Hogan has been missing in action. Doink could win after folding up Armstrong, who Ross incorrectly refers to as Bert Centeno, with a backdrop suplex but he prefers to stretch Armstrong out like the toy that bears his last name.

Tune in next week to see WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated battle the Smoking Gunns in a non-title match! Also, Mr. Hughes, Tatanka, and Lex Luger will be in action!

The Last Word: While the sole highlight of the broadcast was Shawn Michaels doing a Perfectplex, Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan provided more hype for The King of the Ring than any of the other commentary teams this week. One must admire the effort.

Here is a summary of the WWF’s house show action to start June, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada – Winnipeg Arena – June 4, 1993 (6,500): Owen Hart beat Terry Taylor…Luna Vachon defeated Sensational Sherri…Tatanka defeated the Brooklyn Brawler (substituting for Rick Martel)…Papa Shango beat Jim Powers (substituting for Typhoon)…Yokozuna defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan…Mr. Perfect pinned Shawn Michaels…The Mega-Maniacs beat WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated via disqualification in a match where Sergeant Slaughter was special guest referee.

Minneapolis, Minnesota – The Target Center – June 5, 1993 (3,300): Owen Hart pinned Terry Taylor after an enzuigiri at 12:00…Papa Shango pinned Jim Powers at 5:00…Luna Vachon beat Sensational Sherri after Bam Bam Bigelow interfered at 9:00…Yokozuna pinned Hacksaw Jim Duggan with the sit-down splash off the second rope at 10:00…Tatanka defeated Bam Bam Bigelow via disqualification when Bigelow used a chair as a weapon at 14:00…Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Shawn Michaels at 13:00…The Mega-Maniacs beat WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated via disqualification when IRS was about to use his briefcase as a weapon against Hulk Hogan. Sergeant Slaughter was the special guest referee and he hit the champions with IRS’ briefcase after the bell.

Orlando, Florida – Orlando Arena – June 6, 1993 (2,700): El Matador beat the Brooklyn Brawler…Razor Ramon defeated Kamala…The Undertaker beat Giant Gonzalez via disqualification…Rick Steiner & Bob Backlund (substituting for Scott Steiner) beat the Headshrinkers…Crush defeated Doink the Clown…The Bushwhackers & Tiger Jackson defeated Blake Beverly, Damien Demento & Little Louie…Lex Luger pinned Bret Hart.

Albany, New York – Knickerbocker Arena – June 6, 1993 (3,000): Papa Shango beat Jim Powers…Tatanka defeated Bam Bam Bigelow via disqualification…Owen Hart beat Terry Taylor…Yokozuna defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan…Luna Vachon beat Sensational Sherri…Shawn Michaels pinned Intercontinental Champion Marty Jannetty after a superkick to win the title. Michaels debuted a new bodyguard named Diesel, who distracted Jannetty to setup the finish…The Mega-Maniacs defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated via disqualification.

Backstage News*: The WWF has said that Vince McMahon resigning as President of Titan Sports and passing that to his wife, Linda, is not a big deal because Linda has typically handled business-related matters while Vince runs creative so the change formalizes existing roles. Vince has given the impression that his son, Shane, who is in his early twenties, will play a bigger role in the company going forward. He has also told WWF personnel that he is under federal investigation but does not know why.

-The WWF’s strategy for July seems to be re-entrenching as a regional business as its touring schedule is almost exclusive to the Northeast. Exceptions to this are shows in Dallas, Canadian cities, Seattle, Denver, and a few Florida towns in mid-July. In the wrestling business some talents think this could open up opportunities for the revival of territories, creating new jobs and opportunities.

-A deal has been reached with Kyodo-Tokyo, a Japanese concert promoting company, to run some WWF shows in Japan. Hulk Hogan would likely not appear on those cards because of his deal with New Japan. The agreement might be good news for the Undertaker and Bam Bam Bigelow as they are draws there while Bret Hart, Lex Luger, and Shawn Michaels are not.

-The next European tour will begin in late July, running in Austria, Germany, England, and France from July 29 to August 6.

-There is speculation that the WWF is preparing for a Hogan-Bret Hart main event at SummerSlam. However, there are reports that neither man wants to lose to the other. The company saw Hogan’s recent house show loop as a disappointment.

-Talent are not happy doing the “Face to Face” segments for local markets because they have to use their days off to go to Stamford, Connecticut to film them. There is also low morale because talent are only making $150 per RAW taping, which cannot cover expenses in an expensive city like New York.

-Scott Steiner missed house shows this week with a pulled hamstring.

-In talent relations news, Rick Martel wishes to return.

*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for June 8.

Up Next: Monday Night RAW for June 7!

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!