What the World Was Watching: WWF Survivor Series Showdown 1993

Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Jim Ross, and Gorilla Monsoon are the commentators for this special, which aired on the USA Network on November 21. Matches on tonight’s program took place in Bushkill, Pennsylvania and Delhi, New York on November 8 and November 10. McMahon and Heenan are paired together and Ross and Monsoon are together as the WWF makes it seem that tonight’s show is originating from two separate locations.

Opening Contest: Doink the Clown (30-7-3) beats Bastion Booger (15-7) with a schoolboy roll up at 7:34:

This is when the Doink character transitions away from Matt Borne. It is not clear who wrestles as Doink on this show, but some theories are that it is Steve Lombardi, who worked as the character on house shows, until the WWF hired a long-term replacement.

Doink rides a scooter to the ring that Booger also tries to ride but falls. Longtime watchers know that someone else is working as Doink because the amateur wrestling that Borne used is no longer part of the character. The match is terrible with lots of stalling and nothing going on. Booger catches Doink with a clothesline for two near the end but mistakes it for a three count, so Doink rolls him up for three in what is the worst match of the year. It is not a promising start for the rebooted act. Rating: DUD

When the match ends, Doink puts hot sauce on Booger’s pizza and Booger eats some of it, spazzing out as Doink laughs.

Ray Rougeau is back as a platform interviewer, talking to the All Americans. They give generic comments about being ready to face the Foreign Fanatics. The Undertaker promises that their foes will rest in peace. Again, it is not good that the Undertaker is outshining Lex Luger in these team promos.

Crush (w/Mr. Fuji) (25-4-2) beats Virgil (8-10) via submission to the head vice at 7:55:

The match is an extended squash for Crush. Virgil gets a few hope spots like a plancha or a sunset flip out of the corner on a blind charge but Crush just punches and kicks him for minutes on end. Virgil knocks Crush out of the ring late but his dive off the apron is caught and he is rammed into the apron. Virgil will not stop fighting, though, as he gets a surprise small package for two and even tries to apply the Million Dollar Dream. However, Crush escapes before it is locked in and puts Virgil in the head vice, which Virgil submits to after about 20 seconds. Virgil’s effort is what made this match watchable. Even if he was not always proficient in the ring, crowds loved him. Rating: *

Monsoon tells Heenan to get his affairs in order because of bad comments that Heenan has made about Monsoon.

On a segment called Reo’s Roundup, Reo Rodgers is with Shawn Michaels outside of the alleged home of Stu and Helen Hart. It was actually Howard Finkel’s house. Michaels, making his first appearance in close to two months, is still carrying the Intercontinental title belt even though he is not the official champion. “Helen Hart” answers the door, which is someone in an old woman mask. The heels try to stir things up as Bret Hart has a massive poster on the wall and Owen gets a small picture. In the living room, “Stu Hart” is sitting in a wheelchair. His mask looks like a George Washington mask with Bret Hart shades on it. Before Stu says anything, McMahon has the cameras cut away, doing a mercy killing for a bad segment. This was reportedly filler for a Jerry Lawler King’s Court that took place at the original taping that featured Johnny Polo and Harvey Wippleman as Stu and Helen Hart.

Irwin R. Schyster (10-3) beats Marty Jannetty (25-5-2) after the Write Off at 12:32:

The first six minutes is a feeling-out process that ends with Jannetty getting thrown to the floor. Like IRS’ match with Bret Hart on Superstars he is facing a skilled competitor but his rest holds kill fan interest. One can hear the proverbial groans when IRS switches from a lengthy chinlock to an abdominal stretch. Things finally pick up at the 10-minute mark when IRS misses a blind charge and Jannetty scores near-falls from a knee lift and sunset flip. But Jannetty gets caught with the Write Off, which he sells in his classic 360-degree fashion, when running the ropes. Rating: *¼

Rougeau interviews the Foreign Fanatics. Jim Cornette promises payback for Lex Luger taking out Pierre, something that Johnny Polo echoes. Ludvig Borga promises to crush Lex Luger, turning the segment over to Crush, who puts over the Fanatics as “A well-oiled team of destruction.”

WWF Championship Match: Yokozuna (Champion w/Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji) (25-3) beats Bret Hart (10-3) via disqualification when Owen Hart interferes at 13:26 shown:

This is Yokozuna’s first televised match since SummerSlam. Bret has a hot start but Yokozuna turns the tide by throwing Bret off his back when Bret attempts a sleeper hold. Yokozuna’s weight gain has impaired his work as he moves methodically and kills time sitting on the mat after moves and applying a long nerve hold. Several commercial breaks interrupt the action, with each taking place when Bret is getting beat up on the floor with a foreign object, first by Fuji using the Japanese flag and second by Yokozuna using a chair. Bret nearly wins the title after the Hart Attack clothesline, sending the crowd into a frenzy, and he knocks Fuji down from the apron. A flying bulldog gets another close near-fall, along with Bret’s second rope elbow drop. Bret fails to follow up after the elbow drop because he tweaks his knee and he runs into a Yokozuna belly-to-belly suplex off the ropes. The champion misses a splash, though, and Bret applies a modified Sharpshooter. Owen comes to ringside for some dumb reason, slapping hands along the way, and the referee jumps out of the ring to intercept him. Fuji takes advantage to clock Bret over the head with the salt bucket. That prompts Owen to run into the ring and attack Yokozuna, getting his brother disqualified. The finish made no sense but that was because Jerry Lawler came to ringside during the match when it was taped, which is why Owen came out and took out Lawler, which prompted the referee to be distracted. The WWF had to edit all of that out, though, and this was the mess viewers were left with. Rating: **¾

There is a bit of filler afterward as Heenan makes fun of Ross and Monsoon, oblivious to the threats Monsoon made earlier.

Men on a Mission and Oscar come out for a Survivor Series rap, which is not good.

The Last Word: There was nothing about this show that would make fans want to purchase Survivor Series in a few days. The wrestling on the program, save for the WWF Championship match, was bad too. Jerry Lawler’s legal problems messed with the big plans for this show, which explains its poor quality. It forced the WWF to splice footage in creative ways, like using Owen’s entrance for a match against Lawler for him coming to ringside in the main event, and it caused them to spike footage of Bret and Owen arguing after their respective matches (or planned matches). If that had been included it would have added intrigue for Survivor Series but again, plans had to be changed because of circumstances outside of the WWF’s control.

Here is a summary of the WWF’s house show action before Survivor Series, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

Grand Rapids, Michigan – The Grand Center – November 20, 1993 (1,000): The Brooklyn Brawler beat Brian Costello…Diesel defeated Bob Backlund…The Undertaker beat WWF Champion Yokozuna in a non-title casket match…Men on a Mission beat Tom Stone & Barry Horowitz…Bastion Booger defeated Virgil…Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon defeated Irwin R. Schyster.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The Philadelphia Spectrum – November 20, 1993 (6,800): The Headshrinkers beat Smoky Mountain Tag Team Champions the Rock N’ Roll Express in a non-title match…Adam Bomb beat the 1-2-3 Kid…Lex Luger defeated Ludvig Borga…The Steiner Brothers beat Johnny Polo (substituting for Pierre) & Jacques Rougeau…Doink the Clown beat Mike Sharpe…Owen Hart defeated Duane Gill…Bret Hart defeated Shawn Michaels (substituting for Jerry Lawler) in a steel cage match.

Backstage News*: On November 18, Vince McMahon and Titan Sports were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, defraud the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and illegal possession of anabolic steroids with intent to distribute. The charges against McMahon carry up to five years in prison (or eight if found guilty and sentences are not served concurrently). McMahon also faces a fine of up to $500,000. The government is seeking a $500,000 fine from Titan Sports and the seizure of everything in Titan Towers and the land it sits on, which is estimated to be worth $9.5 million. The charges are the result of a 20-month investigation by the Justice Department and focus on March 1988-October 1989. Jim Ross’ Radio WWF program went on the offensive, saying that the U.S. government has more important things to concern itself with and that the charges against McMahon were baseless. The upcoming trial could have damaging effects on the wrestling industry as it will further tarnish the WWF brand and force wrestlers to admit to their own steroid usage. Furthermore, if the WWF was forced to surrender everything in Titan Towers it could cripple it as a national wrestling empire.

-Jerry Lawler’s case is still ongoing in Louisville. Lawler’s attorney, William Massey, told the Associated Press that he has a four-page affidavit from the alleged victim and her mother recanting her story. Lawler and his attorney are confident that charges will be dropped at Lawler’s arraignment next week. Massey admitted that Lawler did talk with the alleged victim in the past when she came to his hotel room for about 30 minutes but that was the extent of their interaction. There are hopes that if charges are dropped that Lawler might make it back for Survivor Series but the timing will probably not work out.

-In talent relations news, the WWF has signed Stan Lane as a broadcaster.

*Backstage news is courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for November 29.

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