Week 1, February 1993
Manhattan Centre (New York, New York)
ATT: 1000
TV RATING: 3.58
Announce Team: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage & Rob Bartlett
The show opens with the sirens still blaring as Vince McMahon introduces his broadcast colleagues for the evening (Randy Savage and Rob Bartlett) before the trio as a whole welcome us to another episode of Monday Night Raw -
”- uncut -“
“- uncooked -“
“- and uncensored -“McMahon says to expect some high flying action as High Energy will be in action, along with a man you wouldn’t want to meet down a dark alley, Papa Shango -
”- not to mention Hacksaw Jim Duggan facing off against the man who defeated the Big Bossman at the Royal Rumble, Bam Bam Bigelow - and Randy Savage, this beast from the east has been very impressive since his arrival here in the World Wrestling Federation -“
“- impress he has, yeah, that’s right - but tonight he’s got to go in there with one of the toughest in the WWF, and my money is on Hacksaw, Oh Yeah! -“Rob Bartlett doesn’t agree, saying that Duggan is too attached to that 2x4 for his liking, but all the wood in the world won’t be a match for the man with the flames tattooed all over his head -
”- in fact if you ask me McMahon, I think old Hacksaw is going to go up in smoke tonight -“
“- well that remains to be seen, but on top of that I am also going to speaking to Brutus Beefcake, and I have it on good authority that “The Barber” has an update on when we can expect to see him Strutting and Cutting his way through the competition in the WWF once again -“Macho voices his approval at this, before telling us that it’s time to cut the chat and get to the mat, Yeah
”- because this might be Monday Night Raw, but we’re starting out hot -“I guess that means it’s time for our first match of the evening -
Rating: N/A
WWF Intercontinental Championship MatchAnd we open with a championship match, as the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels puts the Intercontinental Title on the line against one of the most prolific former WWF Champions of the last two decades (and a man almost two decades older than his 27 year old opponent) 43 year old Bob Backlund -
McMahon is quick to point out the impressive display of Backlund a few weeks back at the Royal Rumble (where he lasted a little over an hour in the Royal Rumble match itself) but Rob Bartlett is more impressed by the Heartbreak Kid -
”- sure, Bob Backlund lasted an hour McMahon, but he still lost - Shawn Michaels only needed about fifteen minutes to beat Marty Jannetty, and HE walked out of the Royal a rumble with the Intercontinental Championship - so you tell me who had the better night -“McMahon says that be that as it may, when all is said and done, Bob Backlund may well walk out of the Manhattan Centre this evening as the brand new Intercontinental Champion -
He came pretty close too - Shawn sold his ass off for the veteran here, as Backlund attempted to ground the fast paced Heartbreak Kid and keep the action on the mat - in fact there were a number of occasions that he probably could have benefitted from the presence of Sherri at ringside - unfortunately for him (since Sherri hadn’t been seen since the Royal Rumble event) he had to do this one solo - which was exactly what he did, grabbing both a handful of tights (as well as a handful of the ropes) to roll Backlund up and retain his championship -
Rating: C-
Winner: Shawn Michaels (retains the WWF Intercontinental Championship)
As Shawn Michaels dances his way out of the ring, we head over to the Event Centre, where Sean Mooney is standing by with an update -
Mooney says that we are only seven weeks away from Wrestlemania IX, and while we do know that the mammoth Yokozuna will be challenging for the WWF Championship on that night, we don’t yet know who his opponent will be -
”- because while the Hitman was successful in his World Wrestling Federation Championship defence against Razor Ramon at the Royal Rumble, that doesn’t mean he will still be the WWF Champion seven weeks from now - especially when we have the march to Wrestlemania to contend with, in the form of February’s Saturday Night Main Event -
“- that’s right, Saturday 26th of February, one month before Wrestlemania, you’ll get to see all the stars of the World Wrestling Federation in action - and while we don’t know if the WWF Champion will be competing yet, there are PLENTY of superstars lining up to appear on that show - including this man - Mr. Perfect -“
Perfect tells us that while 1992 ended on a high (with his in ring return at the Survivor Series) 1993 has already gotten off to the “perfect” start, after he eliminated Ric Flair from the WWF in their Loser leaves Town match on Raw last week -
”- and as far as I’m concerned, that’s one down, one to go - and that means YOU Razor Ramon - Ramon, you already got a little bit of Mr. Perfect at the Survivor Series, and you clearly didn’t like the taste, because you ran off to beat up on Bret Harts baby brother instead of sticking around for round two -“
“- well as the old saying goes, you can run, but you can’t hide, and sooner or later you’re going to have to step into the ring with me - and when you do, you’re going to find out the same thing that Ric Flair found out last week, and that’s the fact that no one is better than Mr. Perfect - and I do mean no one -“Perfect says that goes out to Bobby Heenan (
”- that little weasel -“) and his “Narcissist” too - he tells Heenan that Razor Ramon isn’t last on the list, he’s just NEXT on the list - and if the Narcissist wants to drag himself away from a mirror for long enough to fight, well Mr. Perfect isn’t hard to find -
Back to Sean Mooney, who says that one man who’s desperate to stake his claim on the Intercontinental Championship, is the undefeated Native American Tatanka - and after Shawn Michaels was successful in turning away the challenge of former partner Marty Jannetty (and Bob Backlund this evening) Mooney sends us over to a video from the man himself, who has a challenge of his own for the Heartbreak Kid -
Tatanka says that the spirits of his ancestors grow restless, as he grows restless too - restless to win gold here in the WWF -
”- and after making my debut in the World Wrestling Federation exactly one year ago - and after turning back every opponent that steps in the ring with me - now the time comes to honour my ancestors one more time, by officially making my intentions clear - MY undefeated record, against YOUR Intercontinental Championship Shawn Michaels -“Tatanka says says that Shawn Michaels takes pride in being the Champion, but he does not display pride in defending the Championship - he takes every short cut and uses every cheap trick to keep that title around his waist, but all the dirty tricks in the book won’t stop Tatanka from fulfilling his destiny -
Tatanka finishes up with his trademark war cry, as we go back to Sean Mooney in the studio -
Mooney says that all eyes might currently be on Wrestlemania, but with Saturday Nights Main Event right around the corner, the superstars of the WWF had better make sure that they aren’t looking TOO far ahead - or their march to Wrestlemania might come to an abrupt halt - as he sends us back to the commentary team for our next match -
Rating: C+
Where High Energy are in action against the preliminary pairing of Louie Spicolli and Jason Knight -
This is a glorified squash match, which leaves the commentators discussing the challenges of Mr. Perfect and Tatanka from the previous Event Centre segment more than anything else, with Vince and Randy discussing the chances of Tatanka capturing the Intercontinental Championship - both men think that Tatanka would make a fine champion, while Bartlett is more confident in Shawn Michaels chances of retaining the title - that’s IF he accepts the challenge to begin with -
Back in the ring Owen and Koko are making short work of their opponents, with Hart picking up the three count following a dropkick from the top, as we head off to commercial -
Rating: D-
Winner(s): High Energy
And when we come back, the crowd is “treated” to the presence of the Narcissist, who (along with his full length mirror) proceeds to take his time in showing off his chiselled physique for the fans - who obviously aren’t impressed - and neither is Vince McMahon -
McMahon leaves the announce position to try and get word from the self-centred superstar (mainly off the back of Mr. Perfect’s words of warning from a few minutes ago) but Luger ignores, avoids and generally blanks both McMahon AND his questions - eventually Vince has had enough and positions himself between Narcissist and his mirror - something that doesn’t go down well, leading to Luger physically moving McMahon to one side as he continues to pose -
Vince finally gives up and attempts to encourage Lex out of the ring so that they can get their next match underway - unfortunately Mr. Luger doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to stop admiring himself, so much so that we eventually cut away to an ICO-PRO commercial -
”- ICOPRO - FOR EVERYBODY THAT CARES ABOUT THEIR BODY - YOU’VE GOTTA WANT IT! -“And when we return, Narcissist is STILL hogging both the ring and his mirror - so much so that our next competitor (El Matador) eventually makes his way out in an attempt to clear the ring for his match -
Tito spends a few moments attempting to convince Luger to leave the ring (to no success) before finally snapping and snatching up the full length mirror of the Narcissist and laying it face down on the mat - Luger isn’t happy about this at all, berating Matador for interrupting his pose down routine (which does give the referee time to get the mirror out of the ring and to the back) and the two men ALMOST come to blows, before Luger eventually waves off a fired up Santana, choosing to head to the back instead -
Presumably to find another mirror -
Let’s finally get the next match underway -
Rating: B
Papa Shango makes his voodoo themed entrance, and now that we have finally cleared the ring of he Narcissist, this match can finally happen - I would argue that no one was clambering to see El Matador and Papa Shango mix it up to begin with, but this match was actually the match of the night - not that that’s saying much considering the match listings -
Tito might be winding down in terms of his spot on the card, but he’s still a technically sound worker, who can drag a half decent match out of anyone - and Shango has enough presence to overshadow any shortcomings in the ring -
It was agility against power, as Tito used his speed advantage and technical ability to keep out of the grasp of Shango early on - avoiding the bigger mans grasp and taking him down to the mat when the opportunity presented itself -
Eventually Shango was able to take control, hammering down the veteran with power moves and focusing his attack on the upper body in preparation for his patented Shoulder Breaker -
Finally Tito was able to make a comeback, leading to the voodoo man reaching for his smoking skull in desperation -
The official (rather bravely) takes the skull from Shango and turns to remove it from the ring, as Tito stands poised waiting for his opponent to turn around so that he can deliver that flying forearm of his -
Which is when The Narcissist makes his presence felt, sliding into the ring behind the officials back and blasting Santana with a running forearm blow of his own - clearly Luger is still furious about his personal admiration time being interrupted -
Lex slides back out of the ring and heads to the back, leaving Matador as easy pickings for Shango - he lifts up his opponent and drives him down with a shoulder breaker for the one, two and three -
Rating: C
Winner: Papa Shango
McMahon and Savage voice their disapproval at the actions of Lex Luger, before sending us to a quick promo shilling Wrestlemania -
With the ring cleared out again Vince steps back between the ropes to introduce a man who’s sidelined from in ring competition for over two and a half years - Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake -
Brutus makes his way out (cutting and strutting down the aisle) to join McMahon in the ring, where the two men briefly run over the parasailing accident that completely shattered his face back in July of 1990, as well as the rehabilitation that the Barber has had to go through just to be standing here today -
Brutus says that the fact that he’s even alive is a minor miracle in itself, telling the crowd that it was touch and go on whether he would even survive for quite some time - but not only did he survive, but he thrived too - and after 31 months away from in-ring action, he’s ready to get back in there and cut and strut his way back to the top of the World Wrestling Federation -
Which surprising brings out the current WWF Tag Team Champions, Money Inc -
DiBiase cackles at the thought of a Brutus Beefcake return to the ring, telling him that as far as he can make out, the Barber should stay far away from the WWF rings -
”- because while Money Incorporated can afford the finest medical treatment, from the best surgeons in the world, a bum like you probably had to go down to a drunk backstreet quack in Tijuana, to get your face glued back together with duct tape and used gum (hahahahahahahaha) -“Irwin tells Brutus that he’s never liked him from day one, and if he knows what’s good for him, he would hightail it back out of the WWF, before IRS has to check what medical expenses that Beefcake has been trying to sneak through as tax deductions -
”- and then maybe we’ll give you a few more medical bills too -“DiBiase and Schyster circle Brutus, who doesn’t look like he’s planning on leaving anytime soon (despite the odds being far from in his favour) and it seems as though Beefcakes return to in ring action may come slightly sooner than he thought -
At least until the Nasty Boys (Knobbs and Sags) come rushing out from the back -
McMahon tells us on commentary that the Nasty's are set to face Money Inc at the upcoming Saturday Nights Main Event, in a match for the WWF Tag Team Titles - it looks like they are just trying to get into the heads of their opponents here as they chase them out of the ring, but in reality all they do is tick off the champions, who clearly had visions of taking out an “easy target” in the form of a (in their eyes) competitor with a huge target on his face -
DiBiase snatches up a microphone and tells the Nasty’s that they’ll take care of them in a few weeks time, but for now, they want to break that face back into a million pieces -
And they’re willing to put the titles on the line to do so -
”- so Beefcake, next week - live on Monday Night Raw - find yourself someone, anyone - anyone that doesn’t mind having a liability as a tag team partner that is - and we’ll give you your first match back in a WWF ring - but just so we’re clear, if you accept - it’ll be your LAST match back in A WWF ring too -“Beefcake DOES accept - and just like that we have a tag title match booked for last week - AND a tag title match booked at Saturday Nights Main Event - the Nasty Boys will get their shot, but will it still be against Money Inc? I guess that remains to be seen -
It’s time for our final commercial break of the evening -
Rating: B
Followed by our final match of the evening - as Hacksaw Jim Duggan faces off against Bam Bam Bigelow -
Make no mistake, there’s no finesse in this one - this is just two big powerful bulls butting heads in the middle of the ring - and they hit hard -
Bam Bam has always been one of the most impressive (and under-utilised) big men in the sport, while Hacksaw - well - I’ll let you in on a little secret - I can’t (and never have been able to) stand Hacksaw Jim Duggan -
The USA chanting imbecile goes through his usual tactics of threatening his opponent with his two by four to start the match (real “tough guy”) but Bammers isn’t so easily intimidated - the two men bounce off each other as they take it in turns to attempt to shoulder barge their opponent off their feet in the classic unstoppable force/immovable object spot, with neither man giving an inch -
Bigelow takes control of the match after sidestepping Duggan’s Three Point Stance Clothesline attempt that sees Hacksaw collide with the turnbuckles - Bam Bam beats on his opponent until Duggan begins to rally back, but it’s eventually for naught - Bigelow is able to score the pinfall after a diving headbutt from the top rope -
Rating: C-
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow
The announcers start to wrap up the show, when the snarling figure of Bam Bam Bigelow appears at ringside, snatching a microphone from the hand of Rob Bartlett - as he tells McMahon that the show ain’t over till he says what he has to say -
”- because the way I see it, I won at the Royal Rumble when I beat the Big Bossman - and I would have won the Royal Rumble match too, ‘cept no one had the guts to put me in it - so the way I see it, since I didn’t get the chance to go to Wrestlemania, I want Bret Hart at Saturday Nights Main Event - and I want the WWF Title - you hear me Vince McMahon? -“McMahon says that he does hear him, but he doesn’t make the matches around here - instead he suggests that Bigelow take it up with the WWF President Jack Tunney -
Savage tells Bigelow that he might not need to - because if he knows Bret Hart as well as he thinks he does, then he doesn’t think the Hitman will back down from the challenge -
”- Bret Hart has faced them all and beat them all, yeah - maybe be careful what you wish for Mr. Bam Bam Bam, or you might get excellently executed, yeah -“Bigelow doesn’t take kindly to the words of the Macho Man, knocking Savage’s hat off his head and telling him to sit down, shut up, and call the matches like a good little commentator, before the Beast from the East executes HIM -
Now - no one ever accused Randy Savage of being a laid back individual - in fact, that fiery temper has got the better of him on more than one occasion - so it should perhaps be no surprise that he throws down his headset and looks ready to go -
Bigelow doesn’t help matters, taunting the Macho Man as Vince McMahon pleads with Savage to calm down - McMahon tells Macho that he’s a commentator now and can’t be getting physically involved with the WWF Superstars, as Bigelow walks away laughing -
Will the Hitman accept the challenge? I guess we’ll find out next week -
Hopefully Randy Savage will have calmed down by then -
We’ll see you Saturday for WWF Superstars folks -
Rating: B
Final Rating: C-
