What the World Was Watching: WWF Monday Night RAW – December 27, 1993 (Last of the series!)

Vince McMahon and WWF Tag Team Champions the Quebecers are in the booth for the last WWF broadcast of the year. They are taped from Poughkeepsie, New York.

Opening Contest: Lex Luger (25-0-1) defeats Barry Horowitz after a superplex at 4:26:

The champions are doing a gimmick tonight where Jacques speaks English but Pierre only speaks French, angering McMahon who wants to keep the broadcast in English. Horowitz gets to go toe-to-toe with Luger, a curious way to book a main event talent. He throws a lot of forearms until Luger comes out of a corner with a clothesline and wins with a superplex. Rating: ½*

After showing footage of Johnny Polo interfering in a Marty Jannetty-1-2-3 Kid match on RAW on October 25, Polo does a promo backstage that he is going to prove he can beat Jannetty and the Kid at the same time again.

Johnny Polo beats Marty Jannetty (27-6-2) after Pierre interferes at 8:19:

Longtime wrestling fans knew that Polo was more than a manager. A Larry Sharpe trainee, he started his career in 1988 and worked in Puerto Rico, Memphis, Florida, Vancouver, the Pacific Northwest, and Global. In the latter, he worked as a color commentator. Polo achieved his biggest fame prior to the WWF in WCW, working as Scotty Flamingo and winning the Light Heavyweight Championship from Brian Pillman in 1992 at Beach Blast. He wanted to be a full-time wrestler in the WWF but McMahon was not high on him in that role.

There is a fun bit on commentary where McMahon tries to go through some current events and Jacques demands what those have to do with wrestling, shutting McMahon up in the process. This turns into a free flowing, light heavyweight battle. Since Polo’s wrestling bona fides have never been hyped, though, it does bring Jannetty down a few pegs to be pushed to the limit by a manager. When Polo ends up outside of the ring at the six-minute mark, Pierre leaves the commentary position to help him and trips Jannetty when he runs the ropes. When that does not slow Jannetty down, Pierre pulls his manager to the floor so Jannetty cannot do the flying fist drop. Jannetty dives onto Pierre in response and sunset flips Polo from the apron but Polo sits down to block the move and Pierre gives his manager leverage to score the upset. Rating: **½

An angry Jannetty confronts the Quebecers after the match and grabs a chair. Referee Joey Marella ejects Pierre from the commentary position, which is enough to make Jannetty leave.

Doink the Clown (w/Dink) (35-7-3) pins Spike Gray with a German suplex at 1:02:

Dink offers Gray some gum before the match but when he reaches for it, something snaps his finger. Referee Danny Davis also lets Dink nail Gray, which leads to Doink winning with a German suplex. All the jokes of the new Doink are getting tiresome and the crowds are reacting less and less to his pairing with Dink.

Todd Pettengill’s Royal Rumble Report features a promo from Bret and Owen Hart. They hype themselves as a fine-tuned machine that is focused on beating the Quebecers for the Tag Team Championship. Pettengill incorrectly says that the match will be Owen’s first crack at a title in the WWF. Jacques does a rebuttal at the announce table, saying the Rumble setting will be too much for Bret and Owen to handle.

Crush (w/Mr. Fuji) (31-4-2) beats Mike Moraldo via submission to a claw hold at 2:12:

Jacques variation of English leads to a funny saying about how he looks forward to Crush applying the “squeezing brain” to Moraldo. Crush does not use the head vice to win, opting for a claw hold. Technically that still fits Jacques’ definition of victory.

Alundra Blayze and Heidi Lee Morgan give comments before highlights of their match from All American Wrestling air.

Non-Title Match: Razor Ramon (Intercontinental Champion) (39-3-2) pins Derek Domino after the Razor’s Edge at 3:51:

Domino was a Northeast independent wrestler who started working in 1992. He appeared on an ECW card in 1992 and wrestled for the East Coast Wrestling Association (ECWA).

Domino moves awkwardly in the ring, making it tough for Ramon to do a few of his moves in the first couple of minutes. As Jacques talks about teaching Pierre English as his New Year’s Resolution, Ramon wins the last televised match of 1993, which gives him 40 wins in singles competition.

Tune in next week to see the Smoking Gunns face Bam Bam Bigelow & Bastion Booger! Also, Jeff Jarrett and WWF Champion Yokozuna will be in action!

The Last Word: It seems fitting that Razor Ramon got the last televised match of 1993 as he had one of the best runs of anyone in the company, winning 24-straight singles match after going to a draw with the 1-2-3 Kid on Monday Night RAW on June 21. The Marty Jannetty-Johnny Polo match and Jacques’ commentary made the show watchable even if there was not a lot of storyline development for The Royal Rumble.

Here is a summary of some of the WWF’s house shows that ended 1993, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

Toledo, Ohio – SeaGate Center – December 27, 1993 (850): Jeff Jarrett beat Virgil…Men on a Mission defeated the Red Knight & the Black Knight…Owen Hart defeated Bastion Booger…The Headshrinkers beat the Smoking Gunns…The Undertaker defeated Adam Bomb…Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon beat Shawn Michaels in a ladder match.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh Civic Arena – December 27, 1993 (5,800): The 1-2-3 Kid defeated Johnny Polo…Diesel beat Bob Backlund…Irwin R. Schyster defeated Marty Jannetty…The Steiner Brothers beat WWF Tag Team Champions the Quebecers via count out…Crush beat Randy Savage in a best-of-three falls, falls count anywhere match…Doink the Clown defeated Bam Bam Bigelow…Lex Luger & Tatanka beat Yokozuna & Ludvig Borga at 24:49.

Chicago, Illinois – The Rosemont Horizon – December 28, 1993 (7,600): Owen Hart pinned Bastion Booger after a missile dropkick…Crush defeated Randy Savage in a falls count anywhere match after Ludvig Borga prevented Savage from returning to the ring 60 seconds after being pinned. In the match Crush scored two pinfalls versus one for Savage…The Smoking Gunns beat the Headshrinkers…Lex Luger pinned Ludvig Borga after the running forearm…Bam Bam Bigelow beat Doink the Clown after Luna Vachon interfered…The Steiner Brothers beat WWF Tag Team Champions the Quebecers via disqualification when Johnny Polo pulled Jacques out of the ring as Scott went to cover him…Bret Hart beat Shawn Michaels in a steel cage match after escaping the cage over the top despite Diesel’s interference.

Canton, Ohio – Canton Memorial Civic Center – December 28, 1993 (3,400): Men on a Mission beat the Red Knight & the Black Knight…Jeff Jarrett defeated the 1-2-3 Kid…Bob Backlund beat Mike Sharpe…Marty Jannetty defeated the Brooklyn Brawler…Tatanka beat Adam Bomb…Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon beat Irwin R. Schyster…The Undertaker defeated WWF Champion Yokozuna via disqualification.

1993 in Review:

Experimentation. That is the word that would best define the WWF in 1993. After years of a predictable cycle of television shows and pay-per-views, the WWF shook things up in January by debuting Monday Night RAW in place of Prime Time Wrestling. Although the WWF abandoned plans to air the show live each week from the Manhattan Center, the switch began the process of the WWF putting more of an emphasis on shows that aired on cable television. That change happened not a moment too soon as 1993 saw the WWF lose more syndicated markets. The WWF also added a new pay-per-view, The King of the Ring, which broke up some of the usual monotony that plagued the WWF’s booking from WrestleMania to SummerSlam.

The WWF also experimented with a new generation of talent. 1993 saw the phasing out of the last remnants of the Hulkamania era as Brutus Beefcake, the Big Bossman, Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Hart, Tito Santana, Earthquake, and Ted DiBiase wrapped up long tenures with the company. The purge extended to the broadcast team too as Gene Okerlund packed his bags for World Championship Wrestling shortly after SummerSlam and Bobby Heenan would follow at the end of the year. Other stars that had been the focus of the WWF’s programming a year earlier like Ric Flair and Randy Savage were eliminated or depushed as well, a consequence of poor house show business following WrestleMania VIII.

Unfortunately, the launch of a new generation of talent did not go smoothly. Bret Hart was the WWF champion at the beginning of the year and was starting to solidify himself at the top but he was booked to drop the belt to Yokozuna in a last-minute decision at WrestleMania IX. Yokozuna’s stature was hurt on that same show when Vince McMahon booked an impromptu title switch to Hulk Hogan. Realizing his mistake when Hogan wanted to limit house show appearances due to a desire to make a name for himself in Hollywood, McMahon switched the belt back to Yokozuna at King of the Ring. However, instead of getting Bret primed to regain the title from the sumo star, McMahon did an abrupt babyface turn for Lex Luger and sent him around the country in a patriotic, flag waving campaign reminiscent of the jingoistic 1980s. That may have worked except McMahon torpedoed Luger’s chances at the top by booking him to win via count out at SummerSlam and celebrate like he won the title. Then, he compounded the error by shifting Luger into a dead feud with newcomer Ludvig Borga instead of immediately setting him after Yokozuna’s title. While Bret found some traction again by winning the King of the Ring Tournament, he never got a satisfying victory in his feud with Jerry Lawler because of Lawler’s legal problems before Survivor Series. But the feud with Lawler drew some of the best WWF houses of the year. Shawn Michaels was Intercontinental champion for much of 1993 but struggled to have elite matches on pay-per-view. The tag team division floundered too as the WWF lost sight of giving lengthy feuds to other teams that were not pursuing the Tag Team Championship. And when the WWF rebooted its women’s division that was a poor effort, never putting any of the tournament matches on television except the final, placed on All American Wrestling, a D-show.

Booking issues aside the bigger issue that the WWF faced were worries about McMahon’s future. The Department of Justice concluded a lengthy investigation into McMahon and the WWF, levying criminal charges for alleged steroid distribution at the end of November. The WWF faced the prospect of its owner ending up in prison for years after a trial in 1994, and a conviction could deal the death blow to the WWF’s relationship with sponsors, merchandisers, and broadcast partners, none of whom would likely want to be affiliated with a criminal enterprise.

The WWF took a step back despite its best efforts in 1993. The loss of syndication and declining house show attendance in other parts of the country forced the WWF to run its television almost exclusively out of the Northeast, becoming a wrestling territory with a national television deal. Instead of running television tapings in venues that could seat 10,000 or more fans like the 1980s, the WWF was relegated to running tapings in high school gymnasiums or civic centers that had less than a 5,000-seat capacity, if that. The Royal Rumble and WrestleMania IX earned more buys than 1992 but SummerSlam and Survivor Series earned less. If 1992 proved that the Hulkamania wrestling boom was over, 1993 proved that a recovery was going to be a long process. There was no short-term solution for the WWF and its priority in 1994 was getting a not guilty verdict at McMahon’s steroid trial.

Year End Statistics:

Top 25 Win-Loss Records:

T1-Mabel (22-0)
T1-Mo (22-0)
T3-Butch (7-0)
T3-Luke (7-0)
5-Jerry Lawler (4-0)
6-Jeff Jarrett (3-0)
T7-Lance Cassidy (2-0)
T7-Tiger Jackson (2-0)
T9-Bruce Hart (1-0)
T9-Friar Ferguson (1-0)
T9-Jimmy Snuka (1-0)
T9-Johnny Polo (1-0)
T9-Keith Hart (1-0)
T9-The Macho Midget (1-0)
15-Lex Luger (27-0-1)
16-Adam Bomb (34-1)
17-Scott Steiner (50-1-1)
18-The Undertaker (16-0-1)
19-Rick Steiner (49-2)
20-Tatanka (45-2-3)
T21-Jimmy Del Ray (11-1)
T21-Tom Prichard (11-1)
23-Razor Ramon (41-3-2)
24-Mr. Hughes (24-2-1)
25-Mr. Perfect (37-3-2)

Top 25 Singles Records

1-Adam Bomb (34-0)
2-Jerry Lawler (4-0)
3-Jeff Jarrett (3-0)
T4-Lance Cassidy (2-0)
T4-Tiger Jackson (2-0)
T6-Brutus Beefcake (1-0)
T6-Friar Ferguson (1-0)
T6-Jimmy Snuka (1-0)
T6-Johnny Polo (1-0)
T6-Rick Steiner (1-0)
11-Lex Luger (26-0-1)
12-The Undertaker (15-0-1)
13-Tatanka (40-1-3)
14-Ludvig Borga (22-1-1)
15-Bam Bam Bigelow (43-3-1)
16-Razor Ramon (40-3-2)
17-Mr. Perfect (37-3-2)
18-Mr. Hughes (23-2-1)
19-Yokozuna (26-3)
20-Crush (32-4-2)
21-Shawn Michaels (29-5-2)
T22-Hacksaw Jim Duggan (15-3)
T22-Irwin R. Schyster (15-3)
24-Scott Steiner (2-0-1)
25-Doink the Clown (36-7-3)

Top 10 Tag Teams

1-Men on a Mission (21-0)
T2-High Energy (4-0)
T2-The Bushwhackers (4-0)
4-The Steiner Brothers (44-1)
5-The Nasty Boys (11-0-1)
6-The Headshrinkers (31-2-1)
7-The Heavenly Bodies (11-1)
8-The Smoking Gunns (26-3)
9-The Quebecers (12-3)
10-Money Incorporated (12-4)

Top 25 in Televised Match Appearances

1-Tatanka (53)
2-Scott Steiner (52)
T3-Bam Bam Bigelow (51)
T3-Rick Steiner (51)
5-Razor Ramon (48)
6-Doink the Clown (47)
7-Fatu (46)
T8-Mr. Perfect (43)
T8-Samu (43)
10-Irwin R. Schyster (40)
T11-Crush (39)
T11-Marty Jannetty (39)
13-Shawn Michaels (38)
T14-Adam Bomb (35)
T14-Bart Gunn (35)
T14-Billy Gunn (35)
17-The 1-2-3 Kid (33)
18-Owen Hart (31)
19-Yokozuna (30)
20-Virgil (29)
21-Lex Luger (28)
T22-Bastion Booger (27)
T22-Mr. Hughes (27)
24-Bob Backlund (26)
T25-Ludvig Borga (25)
T25-Ted DiBiase (25)

Final Thoughts

So now that we’ve wrapped up 1993 WWF, it is time to move onto 1994, which we will begin with the January 1, 1994 edition of Superstars next Monday. On a personal note, I appreciate everyone reading and checking in on these columns each week, even if you do not comment. I went through a tough divorce this year, so doing these columns and interacting with people’s thoughts on them provided me with a good outlet and gave me a sense of purpose. So, thank you.