What the World Was Watching: King of the Ring 1993

Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, and Randy Savage are in the booth, live from Dayton, Ohio. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the show drew a “sellout” crowd of 8,000 fans but only 7,000 of them paid to attend. According to wrestletalk.com, this pay-per-view had a 1.1 buyrate (245,000 buys). That was the lowest number of buys for a WWF pay-per-view since This Tuesday in Texas in December 1991.

Opening King of the Ring First Round Contest: Bret Hart (3-1) pins Razor Ramon (16-2-1) after shifting his weight during a super backdrop suplex at 10:29:

Each man is reeling from their last battle of The Royal Rumble as Bret is no longer WWF champion and Ramon took a bad loss to the 1-2-3 Kid and is nowhere near his former number one contender status for the company’s biggest title. The crowd is hot for Bret, booing loudly when Ramon does a simple eye poke. The first half of the match plays to Bret’s strength in mat wrestling and the tide turns when Ramon tosses Bret shoulder-first into the ring post. After that, Heenan makes a terrible argument that Ramon cannot win the match on the arena floor because only winners advance, as if Ramon would not do so via count out. Bret survives a fallaway slam and running powerslam to go into the moves of doom for some hot near-falls. Ramon shoves out of a bulldog and goes for the Razor’s Edge but Bret kicks off Ramon’s shoulders and flips off the turnbuckles from a backslide position, trapping the Bad Guy in a small package. But that does not send things either. A frustrated Ramon clotheslines Bret in the back of the head when Bret complains to the referee but Ramon’s other big move backfires as Bret shifts his weight during a super backdrop suplex, stunning Ramon and pinning him to advance. Once this heated up there was no stopping it and the finish was a way to put over Bret’s cunning and protect Ramon. Rating: ***½

King of the Ring First Round: Mr. Perfect (18-1-2) beats Mr. Hughes (w/Harvey Wippleman) (12-0-1) via disqualification at 6:02:

Hughes has the Undertaker’s urn, which he took into his possession after the recent beatdown on Superstars. Heenan does a Brain Scan, illustrating a bat and a piece of gum that is hit foul. Jerry Lawler outclasses him as an artist. In the split screen, Bret Hart says that he would rather wrestle Perfect in the next round than Hughes. These two have no chemistry as Hughes lumbers around and Perfect’s offense is not enough to compensate. After Perfect clubs Hughes for a few seconds in the corner, Hughes gets frustrated and decks Perfect with the earn, losing his first match by disqualification. The result sets up a surprising babyface clash in the semi-finals between two former Intercontinental champions. Rating: ½*

Gene Okerlund interviews Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. Yokozuna says that Hulk Hogan and America will go down.

King of the Ring First Round: Bam Bam Bigelow (24-2-1) pins Hacksaw Jim Duggan (13-1) after the flying headbutt at 5:00:

Like Royal Rumble, Bigelow finds himself in a battle against a big, longtime WWF babyface talent. And like that match it is disappointing. Bigelow focuses his attack on Duggan’s ribs, preventing the American hero from slamming him. Duggan is finally able to do so but runs into the turnbuckles when he tries his three-point stance clothesline and Bigelow finishes with the flying headbutt. Rating: *

King of the Ring First Round: Lex Luger (19-0) wrestles Tatanka (22-0-1) to a time-limit draw at 14:58:

Luger is finally forced to wear protective padding over his forearm under threat of elimination from the tournament. More proof that preliminary wrestlers wellbeing is not important in the WWF! Luger attacks Tatanka after Tatanka enters the ring and tosses him over the top rope. He tries to get in some posing in front of his mirror but Tatanka turns it over on his opponent, giving Luger some comeuppance for his arrogant entrance routine. In the split screen, Bam Bam Bigelow promises to take Tatanka out in the next round if he advances. There are good near-fall exchanges when each man exchanges offense, with Tatanka coming closest with a roll up when Luger argues with the official and surprising the Narcissist with a sunset flip off the ropes. Since Luger shows no urgency on offense that telegraphs the finish, made more obvious when Ross notes that time is running out at the eleven-minute mark. Tatanka starts a comeback at that time but Luger kicks out of a chop off the ropes, powerslam, and flying chop and avoids a flying body press. However, he cannot finish Tatanka off with a clothesline, powerslam, suplex, and backbreaker and the time limit expires, eliminating both men from the tournament and sending Bigelow to the finals. The WWF booked themselves into a corner as they did not want to end either man’s undefeated streak. And Luger being eliminated was a surprise because the original bracket suggested that Bret Hart would face Luger in the finals to blow off their feud. But the WWF has neglected that program so it seems to be a dead issue. All that aside, the match was technically sound and there were enough near-falls to sustain interest throughout the time allotted. Rating: **½

Luger gets on the microphone and demands five more minutes but the referee refuses to let that happen. So a frustrated Luger knocks Tatanka out with his forearm after removing the pad he was forced to wear.

Okerlund interviews Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect. They argue over whether their dads beat each other. Perfect promises to do whatever it takes to win and Bret counters that he proved he was better than Perfect at SummerSlam a few years ago.

King of the Ring Semi-Finals: Bret Hart (4-1) defeats Mr. Perfect (19-1-2) with a small package reversal at 18:55:

The time limit for matches increases to 30 minutes in the semi-finals, giving these men enough time to tell whatever story they want. Some of Bret’s fingers are taped, leading Ross to suggest that Bret may have dislocated some fingers against Razor Ramon in the first round. Sticking to his pre-match promo, Perfect goes back to his heelish ways by kneeing Bret out of a corner break to take control and kicks Bret after he opens the ropes for him to re-enter the ring. He also has no problem using the ropes to sling Bret from the apron into the guardrail. The match has multiple levels as a long wrestling sequence starts it and it goes into another phase when Bret re-enters the ring after a guardrail spot, with Perfect using a missile dropkick for a near-fall and Bret getting his own near-fall from a superplex. Then, Bret targets Perfect’s left leg but Perfect survives a figure-four and uses the ropes for leverage on a sleeper hold. The moves of doom pave the way for a Sharpshooter attempt but Perfect has a creative counter by grabbing Bret’s taped fingers and stomping them. Perfect tries to get the Perfectplex and the struggle for that move leads to Bret suplexing himself and Perfect over the top rope. Back in, Perfect plays possum with his left leg and when Bret shows concern traps him in a small package but Bret reverses his weight and wins. Lots of tiny nuances added up for an amazing match that eclipsed their SummerSlam encounter because Perfect gave as good as he got. And the best part of the match is that these guys made the crowd care about small technical spots that would be transition moves in other matches. Rating: ****½

A frustrated Perfect rolls to the arena floor and after blowing off some steam, gets back in and shakes Bret’s hand.

Okerlund interviews WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart. Hogan positions himself as defending America in the title match against Yokozuna.

WWF Championship Match: Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji) (22-2) pins Hulk Hogan (Champion w/Jimmy Hart) (1-0) after a leg drop at 13:09:

There was a rumor that New Japan referee Masao “Tiger” Hattori was going to referee the match but that never happened as the WWF decided to change course on the finish to this bout a week before the show. Several photographers surround the ring, which Ross says have been following Yokozuna around, even though they have not been seen on WWF television to this point. The crowd is happy to see Hogan but for fans of the 1980s his lean physique makes him seem old and tired. Some of the match layout is reminiscent of Hogan facing Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III, with his larger opponent beating on him for a long time and Hogan finding himself unable to knock his opponent down and slam them. After a long Yokozuna bearhug, Hogan hulks up after a belly-to-belly suplex and three big boots put Yokozuna down. The leg drop follows but Yokozuna kicks out, shocking the crowd. Fuji gets on the apron and is decked. Then, a photographer – Harvey Wippleman in disguise – gets on the apron. When Hogan approaches him, the photographer’s camera blows a fireball into Hogan’s face. Hart, like an idiot, chases after the photographer rather than interfering and Yokozuna uses Hogan’s own move to regain the championship. A Hogan superfan facing the hard camera is aghast at the finish, looking like he is going to cry when Yokozuna is declared the winner. Heenan cheerfully announces that Hogan is finished and Hogan would be, as this would be his last WWF match for more than eight years. The match was not good but it was historically significant and was a shocking result at the time. Oh, and Hogan did not get to slam Yokozuna during the match, something Heenan highlights as well, so that is going to be a big part of Yokozuna’s gimmick going forward. He does weigh 550 pounds, after all. Rating: *

After the match, Yokozuna knocks Hogan down and does the sit-down splash off the second rope. As Hogan is helped to the back, Yokozuna and Fuji pose for photographs in the ring.

SummerSlam will take place in Detroit, Michigan on August 30!

Okerlund interviews Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels and his bodyguard. Michaels jokes about the result of the WWF title match – calling Hogan “a fossil” – and gives his bodyguard a name: Diesel. The champion says that Diesel will give his title run the energy it needs to keep going.

The Steiner Brothers & the Smoking Gunns beat Money Incorporated & the Headshrinkers (w/Afa) when Billy Gunn pins Ted DiBiase after a small package at 7:01:

The crowd is still shocked from the outcome of the last match so this bout does not get much of a reaction. After Ross goes through lots of athletic credentials of the participants, Heenan throws a good joke his way by asking if he knows anyone who did not go to college. Usually in a multi-man tag team match all the participants get a chance to shine but that does not happen. Each of the Gunns spends some time in peril and Ted DiBiase traps Billy in the Million Dollar Dream. He releases the hold to gloat but that lets Billy recover and he small packages DiBiase for the pin. It was a tough Sunday for DiBiase, who ate three pins. While the action was decent, the ending was bad and the match lacked the chaos one would have liked to see in a match of this caliber. This was also an easy payday for the Steiners. Rating: *½

Okerlunds talks with new WWF Champion Yokozuna, Mr. Fuji, and WWF President Jack Tunney. Tunney congratulates the new titleholder and Fuji gloats about how everything he said prior to the match came to fruition. If he stopped there, it would be fine but keeps rambling about celebrating and what it means in Japan. Whoever is giving Fuji all this promo time lately needs to lose their job.

Intercontinental Championship Match: Shawn Michaels (Champion w/Diesel) (15-4-1) pins Crush (17-2-2) after a superkick to the back of the head at 11:14:

Diesel’s significance is emphasized in the match as he pulls Michaels out of the ring after four minutes of action where it seems like Crush is about to squash the champion and take the title. Diesel also distracts the challenger, which allows Michaels to ram Crush’s head repeatedly into the ring post for a close near-fall. The problem for the match is that it is tough for Michaels to be a heel when fighting a much bigger man and he does not do anything too dastardly to make Crush sympathetic. Michaels being a heel also prevents him from doing too many athletic-looking spots lest he get a babyface reaction so he settles for time killing spots like a front facelock. After Crush clotheslines Michaels over the top rope, two Doinks walk down the aisle smoking cigars. The distraction allows Michaels to get back in and superkick Crush in the back of the head, retaining the title. So Doink outthinks Crush again, further killing the big Hawaiian’s status as a babyface fans should care about. Rating: *½

Okerlund interviews Bam Bam Bigelow, who screams about getting the job done in the King of the Ring finals.

King of the Ring Finals: Bret Hart (5-1) defeats Bam Bam Bigelow (25-2-1) with a victory roll at 17:15:

In a nice touch, Bret gingerly walks to the ring because he has wrestled for nearly 30 minutes already against two tough opponents. That becomes the match’s story as the fresher Bigelow devastates Bret with moves like a falling headbutt and backdrop suplex but Bret keeps kicking out. The physicality also increases as Bret whips Bigelow hard into the guardrail, which moves a lot on impact and nearly hurts a young fan sitting nearby, and Bigelow catches a Bret dive off the apron and rams him into the ring post. Luna Vachon runs some interference for Bigelow, running down and hitting Bret in the back of the head with a chair. The big man takes advantage by delivering the flying headbutt and gets a three count but the match is restarted when referee Earl Hebner rushes out and tells his counterpart Joey Marella what happened. One wishes this whole bit was avoided as it takes a while for the match to find its groove again. A sleeper hold dazes Bigelow and finally lets Bret sustain offense after fourteen minutes of ring time. Bigelow pushes out of a Sharpshooter attempt and falls on top of Bret to block a backdrop suplex effort. However, a blind charge eats boot and Bret traps Bigelow in a victory roll to become the King of the Ring. Or one could say retain as Bret had won the last King of the Ring tournament in Providence, Rhode Island in 1991. Rating: ***¾

Since the pay-per-view is running out of time, road agents Tony Garea and Rene Goulet hustle Bret to the interview podium where Okerlund coronates him. Jerry Lawler interrupts the ceremony, calling Bret an imposter. When Lawler orders Bret to bow down to him and kiss his feet, Bret calls Lawler gutless for not entering the tournament and calls him a burger king. After Bret leads the crowd in a “burger king” chant, Lawler attacks Bret by hitting him several times with a septer and throwing the throne on Bret’s back. Lawler also stomps on Bret’s crown. According to Bret, Lawler was stiff with him during the beatdown and hurt his back. He vowed to return the favor later.

The Last Word: The significance of this pay-per-view is that it thrust the WWF headlong into the New Generation era as Hulk Hogan would be gone after the WWF’s tour of Europe and the main event scene would open to a new class of stars like Bret Hart, Yokozuna, and Lex Luger. If there were any doubts about Bret’s value to the company, this show ended them as he wrestled for more than 40 minutes in three unique matches with creative finishes. That alone made the pay-per-view worth watching. However, instead of the tournament immediately springboarding Bret into title contention it seems like he is going to have to go through Jerry Lawler first. That makes it an open question of who Yokozuna’s next challenger will be.

Backstage News*: Papa Shango beat Owen Hart in a dark match before The King of the Ring went on the air.

-Bret Hart reportedly wrestled his three matches at The King of the Ring on an injured ankle. Bret suffered the injury in his match with Bob Backlund at Madison Square Garden a day before the pay-per-view. Typhoon has been off the road because he separated his shoulder wrestling Shango in Houston, Texas a month ago.

-In talent relations news, Jacques Rougeau will be returning. The WWF is also giving a tryout to David Heath at its television taping in Columbus, Ohio on June 14.

*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for June 21.

Up Next: Monday Night RAW for June 14!