What the World Was Watching: WWF Monday Night RAW – November 15, 1993

Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan are commentating, taped from Bushkill, Pennsylvania.

Opening Non-Title Match: Razor Ramon (Intercontinental Champion) (33-3-2) pins the Brooklyn Brawler after the Razor’s Edge at 2:54:

For the second straight match, Ramon is attacked before the bell. However, he gets on track after raising a boot to block a blind charge and bulldogging his opponent. Big news is broken during the match as McMahon announces that Shawn Michaels has been reinstated by WWF President Jack Tunney and will replace Jerry Lawler at Survivor Series because of Lawler’s legal problems. Heenan tries to frame the new bout as Michaels trying to get revenge for losing to Bret Hart at last year’s event. That is a stretch but it is the best thing the company could lean into. After giving the Brawler a lot of offense, Ramon fights out of a chinlock and dishes out his finisher when the Brawler puts his head down too early on an Irish whip.

Crush does a taped promo where he laughs about Randy Savage losing his broadcasting job. He says Savage will lose more if he keeps wanting to get into scrapes with him.

The Headshrinkers (w/Afa) (26-2-1) beat Mike Bucci & Mike Moraldo when Fatu pins Bucci after the splash off the top rope at 4:25:

Since Lawler is sidelined that means McMahon does not have a co-host for WWF Superstars. Heenan announces that Reo Rodgers will take the role, who he described as a gruff individual. Some of Bucci’s selling stops when Samu rips some of his trunks off. The Headshrinkers get a babyface reaction throughout the match because of their hard-hitting offense.

Lex Luger (24-0-1) beats Pierre (w/Johnny Polo) (0-1) after the running forearm at 13:27 shown:

Luger has not wrestled on television since SummerSlam. Since he rarely appeared after the pay-per-view and was not in a hot angle it blunted whatever bounce his Lex Express tour gave him. His body language does not reflect well on his character as he seems disinterested slapping hands with fans down the aisle. Luger’s work is also disinterested as he spams clotheslines and awkwardly applies wristlocks. Pierre’s work is good enough to elevate the match as he nearly wins with a corner slingshot splash, piledriver, and flying leg drop, respectively, but a somersault senton misses. Luger wins an exchange of blows, knocks Polo out of the ring when he tries to stop his late rally, and uses the running forearm, which is not covered by an elbow pad, to win the match. Rating: **½

When the show returns from commercial, Pierre is wheeled out on a stretcher because Luger knocked him out.

Diesel (4-0) beats Sid Garrison after an elbow drop at 3:27:

After McMahon hypes an “Apes All Night” special on USA Network where a Planet of the Apes marathon will take place, Heenan jokes that it will star Gorilla Monsoon. Diesel wins a plodding squash that serves as filler for McMahon and Heenan to talk about Shawn Michaels’ return.

Todd Pettengill does the Survivor Series Report, revealing that Pierre suffered a mild concussion from the running forearm and might not make the show.

Jeff Jarrett is in a recording studio, complaining to Miss Texas of the USWA about how he cannot find good musicians. He promises to do so well in the WWF that they will rename the promotion the JJF.

The Last Word: Survivor Series has become a cursed pay-per-view over the last three years because talent issues have plagued scheduled main events. In 1991 Sid Justice got hurt before the show, causing a reshuffle of an elimination match that was supposed to include Jake Roberts. In 1992 the Ultimate Warrior was fired less than three weeks before the show, leading to an abrupt Mr. Perfect babyface turn to replace him in a main event tag team match against Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. And this year’s show is worse as Jerry Lawler’s legal problems have scrapped what is arguably the hottest angle in the company, the original Doink the Clown has been fired, and Perfect has left. Taken together that means that three of the four elimination matches will have to be reworked. One could tell that the WWF was scrambling with this RAW as they were trying to put a good spin on Shawn Michaels replacing Lawler. The All Americans-Foreign Fanatics storyline also played out as Pierre will likely not make it to the pay-per-view due to his injury, forcing the Fanatics to make a substitution like the All Americans did with Tatanka. Instead of Pierre getting concussed from the finish that angle would have had more teeth if they had Luger beat Pierre with a powerslam or something and then he stood Pierre up for a kill shot afterward.

Up Next: WWF Superstars for November 20!

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