World Wrestling Federation: It's SHOWTIME

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Mach

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Have to say that Bret Hart turn still is great even knowing that it was coming.

It’s weird to be nostalgic for a version of alternate history I guess but looking forward to reaching where you were at WC and then pushing forward.
 

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Much like Mach, enjoying the trip down memory lane. Bret's heel turn, the introduction of Norton and Diesel, the Doink stuff, and even DiBiase trying to pay off everybody throughout the KOTR tournament. So many booking gems in here, can't wait for you to catch up and then start churning out some new content.
 

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WWF News Update - June 1993



WWF Champion:
Hulk Hogan (defeated Yokozuna; April 4, 1993)

WWF Intercontinental Champion: Shawn Michaels (defeated Marty Jannetty; June 6, 1993)

WWF Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers (defeated Money Inc.; June 6, 1993)


--------


The biggest on-going piece of news within the WWF surrounds the contract situation of the reigning WWF Champion, Hulk Hogan. Right now, Hogan's contract is set to expire at the end of the year. Right now, the lure of Hollywood is calling Hogan and he's becoming more and more in demand. The TV-movie he has been filming, Thunder in Paradise, is now being turned into a television show. Initially many thought it would only be a syndicated show, but apparently there has been a lot of interest from some major networks.

There has been a lot of concern about keeping the title on Hogan with so much uncertainty around both his future with the WWF and wrestling in general. That being said, giving Hogan the belt in the first place appears to be a tactic to try and persuade Hogan to stick around. There were many backstage surprised and somewhat upset about the way Hogan won the title at WrestleMania IX and also that he didn't drop the belt to Yokozuna at King of the Ring. The ending to the Yokozuna/Hogan match also was heavily criticized, but the reasoning was to try and keep Yokozuna as strong as possible despite losing to Hogan twice in a row while still giving Hogan the win he wanted/demanded.

While the ideal situation for the WWF is to keep Hogan and even renew his contract, there have been a lot of rumors circulating about some contingency plans to replace Hogan should the need arise. One rumor involved potentially turning Lex Luger into a patriotic face character, but with his recent alignment with Luna Vachon still being fresh - that route seems somewhat unlikely at this point.

More on this story as it continues to develop but right now the plan seems to be run with Hogan as champ for the time being, despite his limited availability.

--------

King of the Ring featured several new faces joining the WWF roster officially.

First, after weeks of teasing he was searching America for the "biggest and baddest" man he could find to take down The Undertaker, Harvey Wippleman seems to have found his man at a biker bar in Ohio. A man who prefers not to be called "Kevin" but instead by Diesel.

Diesel most recently was working for WCW under multiple failed gimmicks including a Wizard of Oz insired character...Oz and then spent most of 1992 as Vinne Vegas, a member of the Diamond Mine with Diamond Dallas Page, Diamond Studd (now Razor Ramon in WWF) and Scotty Flamingo (more on that in a moment). When Nash's contract came up earlier this year, Razor Ramon was a big influencer in getting him noticed by the WWF. The Undertaker, pining to feud with someone who wasn't absolutely atrocious (he had ironically left WCW himself in large part due to the fact that they were going to put him in a program with El Gigante...Giant Gonzalez himself), also took a liking to Nash and wanted first dibs on him when he signed.

Speaking of the Diamond Mine alumni, WWF now has 3 out of the 4 former members under contract. Scott Levy made his official debut with the WWF at King of the Ring as well. Levy, the former Scotty Flamingo in WCW, was seen portraying the Fake Referee who assisted Doink the Clown during his attack on Crush. While we can assume his actual character won't be "Fake Referee" moving forward, there isn't much insight yet as to just what role he will play moving forward but it does look like he will continue to be associated with Doink. Rumor has it he was initially pitched the idea of being a spoiled, rich preppy manager but turned it down due to not wanting to be a full time manager.

The other debut at King of the Ring as that of Scott "Flash" Norton. Norton has spent the last few years working with New Japan Pro Wrestling, mainly in the tag team scene where he developed a friendship with The Steiner Brothers during the NJPW/WCW partnership. When it became known that WWF wanted to give Shawn Michael's a big, bad bodyguard type - The Steiners pushed for Norton and when Michaels had the chance to see him in action, he was a fan. Besides his recent experience with NJPW, Norton is also a world champion arm wrestler and briefly used that as part of his gimmick during a run with AWA in the late 80's and was featured in the Sylvester Stallone arm wrestling flick, Over The Top. Rumor has it that this could be worked into his current character alongside HBK. And as Michaels mentioned, Norton has also served as an actual bodyguard in his past, and did in fact serve as Bodyguard during Prince's Purple Rain and 1999 tours in the 80's.

--------

The next Pay-Per-View spectacular is set to be Summerslam in late August, which is viewed as the second biggest event of the year for the WWF. We should find out in the next few weeks who will challenge for the WWF Championship. Some think we could be in line for another Yokozuna/Hogan match based on the finish of their KOTR putting. Others wonder if our King of the Ring, Razor Ramon, will be in line for a title shot. More to come on this in the next few weeks.

But before we get to Summerslam, WWF announced during the King of the Ring event that they would be holding it's first ever Stars and Stripes Challenge event on July 4th aboard the USS Intrepid. The event will be taped earlier in the day on July 4th and air as a special two hour event on the USA Network. The event is expected to be similar to WWF Saturday Night Main Event in that it will feature some higher profile matches than your typical weekly show while progressing us towards Summerslam.
 

DTP

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WWF King of the Ring 1993 - June 13, 1993:

I've been eagerly looking forward to this card after briefly spanning all of the different chapters leading up to it. The King of the Ring tournament was always one of my favorite shows of the year. I had the DVD for this show when I was young, so I've seen this show many, many times.

It's a fun twist to have the real life finals of the King of the Ring tournament go on first, in the quarter-final round. The story of Bret Hart leading into victory was expertly booked in real life, with Bam Bam Bigelow byeing his way there against a weakened Hart. I suspect this was very much prevalent here, and again with the flash pin, it allows him to slink his way to the next round. I think it's a no-brainer that Bret is probably at least reaching the finals after that, but even if he loses in the semi-finals he has an out to account for.

Chris Candido meddling with Shawn Michaels in storyline is amusing, but I do have to wonder what his role will be long term. Marty Jannetty assuredly won't be around forever, at least not by 1990s projections of that we know about the guy. Hopefully Chris doesn't pick up too many bad habits by association.

I'll bet that Tatanka and Jim Duggan was a slog, and I'm very unsure how this meeting of babyfaces would have played out. Sensational Sherri sticking by Tatanka is an interesting move, considering just how much potential remains for Sherri as a standalone character. Babyfaces with female managers is always unorthodox, with rare exceptions. Tatanka was the right man to win here, it doesn't bear repeating.

Another fuddy-duddy quarter-final match, but at least this one had storyline development. Doink the Clown as a heel produced some very fun angles, many of which that had never been done on such a major scale. While I think Crush in this incarnation had a lot going for him, this decision was probably the right move. I think that the apparent Fake Referee was a little much though, in a match where he literally relied on a taser to get the win. At least Crush was protected, and I'll bet Doink shall see his comeuppance sooner or later.

I don't know what it was about Harvey Wippleman, but the guy really never did much for me as a manager or a heel. May Giant Gonzalez' reign of terror be over, and whomever Wippleman's next threat to The Undertaker be prosperous. I hear Vinnie Vegas is on the market.

Pleasant twist to see Doink the Clown excommunicated from the King of the Ring tournament, even if it means a bye sends them to the final. I did like the attempts to pay off Razor Ramon, but I think anyone with good conscience would not allow Curtis Hughes of all people to reach the finals of a tournament. Razor Ramon with the evident babyface twist here was curious, but I now have to wonder how this goes when we have Razor evading the need for a third match in one night, opposite the knackered Bret Hart.

Shawn Michaels' interview was a fun one, and had another cool twist with Scott Norton taking the role of Shawn's heavy. The note about Prince was a sweet little pop culture reference to sprinkle in, here. I do think it would have been better to see Norton's reveal come at the finish of the WWF Intercontinental Championship match though, just for the effectivity of it.

Speaking of, on a card with so much going on, I don't feel like the two-out-of-three-falls stipulation was needed here. I'm sure it was a great match, as evident by the writing. I would figure this spells the end of Marty Jannetty's title prospects. It worked for establishing Shawn Michaels and his heavy, Scott Norton, if anything.

I feel like Doink the Clown would have been more angry after being barred from continuing in the King of the Ring tournament, but he's a crazy clown, so who knows.

I understand why Lex Luger got involved here, to thwart Tatanka's efforts and cost him his second ever loss in the WWF, but I don't think it needed it. I feel it hurt Bret Hart's ironman story of enduring battles to make it to the finals. Another meeting of fan favorites in 1993 really does lead one to question how the fans would have reacted.

It was definitely the time for the Steiner Brothers to become WWF Tag Team Champions, and I suspect they will be prominently featured going forward. Obviously, both Rick and especially Scott have great promise to be singles competitors in the distant future, but for now they are best suited driving solid quality matches in the tag team division. Money, Inc. had their day in the sun, and with it setting on Ted Dibiase's career at this point, it was for the best.

I really liked the interplay between Razor Ramon and Bret Hart in that interview, but some interesting comments from Bret. It's hard to imagine Bret taking the subtle heel role at what is arguably the peak of his babyface tenure.

Yokozuna losing by count-out was certainly a unique direction to take things, and obviously there are plans to keep Hulk Hogan around for a while beyond King of the Ring 1993. It raises major questions where the New Generation is concerned, as well with the steroids trial inbound in the coming year. I guess there is still time to mingle with the details, but there is of course that prospect of Hogan and Bret Hart having their much-prophesised match at SummerSlam.

It's a creative series to see Diesel align with Harvey Wippleman, but I have to wonder what this really means for his career. Obviously, Diesel having matches with The Undertaker has far more meaning than the series of matches 'Taker had with Giant Gonzalez, but by removing the Shawn Michaels' bodyguard angle and going a completely different direction with it, I wonder whether Diesel will have the career he had at all. Was he 'Taker's opponent of the month, or a mainstay star that would go on to eventually become WWF Champion?

Razor Ramon winning the King of the Ring tournament was a nice swerve from the norm, especially with Hulk Hogan previously having retained the WWF Championship. Another backslide finish protected Bret, but I can't help but feel that there have been a lot of flash pins in the tournament already. Turning Bret Hart was a bit of a baffling decision, considering just how high his star was shining in 1993. Razor being paraded and heralded despite the long night of work put in by Bret also felt a little flawed in execution. It's a few years early to be going with the jaded 1997 Bret Hart angle, though it does logically lead in to a future match with Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan. How you pull off Bret after this show is what I'll be keenly watching. To be fair to you, if Hogan is sticking around for the long haul, Bret may be best served as a heel rather than a number two or three babyface.

Overall, this was a corner-turning event for the project. I liked a lot of what I saw, but I can't help but feel there are some things that could have been saved for television. Namely, the Diesel and Harvey Wippleman segments, as well as the reveal of Scott Norton being the one to attack Chris Candido. Some things I would have handled differently, such as the two-out-of-three-falls match and the abundance of face versus face matches. All in all, it definitely sparks interest in the product and I will be watching to see how this influences the route to SummerSlam.
 

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WWF Recap - Week of June 7, 1993


The King's Court w/Razor Ramon
The biggest story coming out of King of the Ring was the official heel turn for Bret Hart after the grueling King of the Ring tournament finals with the eventual winner Razor Ramon. Bret interrupted the coronation of Ramon by first feigning respect only to attack Ramon from behind. In the end, it was Bret Hart standing tall to close out the Pay-Per-View.

On Raw, most of the night was spent selling the replays of the PPV of course - putting over the matches Bret Hart put on with Bigelow and Tatanka before the climactic battle between himself and Ramon.

Meanwhile, a previously scheduled King's Court segment had been planned with it fittingly being Jerry "The King" Lawler to get the first interview with the King of the Ring...but Ramon was not on hand for Raw thanks to the attack from Hart. But, the segment was still going on as planned...


“The Bogatyr Gates (In The Capital In Kiev)” brought out Jerry "The King" Lawler to nothing but boos from the crowd. Lawler, dressed this week in royal blue cape and matching king's hat, could only stop with his hands on his hips and shake his head in disgust at the reaction from the "peasants." He turned his back to the fans and headed to the his left where the interview platform has been decked out in royal columns and curtains with the same throne from King of the Ring now in the middle of the set.

Jerry Lawler:
Welcome one and all to a very...VERY special edition of The King's Court! Now normally here on the King's Court, I like to bring out a very special guest of honor. Someone with high honor and integrity...an individual with a lot of talent and ability. Someone who is well loved and well respected by the fans around the world. Someone who is on top of the career! UNFORTUNATELY, my guest for this week was supposed to be none other than...RAZOR RAMON. Hahaha!

Lawler laughed while the crowd cheered loudly for the King of the Ring winner.

Jerry Lawler:
BUT, it looks like that's not gonna happen, now is it! Because...well...you know, take a look!

Lawler paused as we headed to a clip from the ending of King of the Ring where Bret Hart assaulted Ramon from behind and then beat him with his own royal scepter. The shot ended before the attack concluded and we headed back to Lawler on his set.

Jerry Lawler:
I tell ya, there was absolutely NOTHING royal about that beating Razor Ramon took. Ramon is a slimy, greasy, little rat that doesn't have an ounce of royalty in his blood! I could not be any happier that he wasn't able to be here tonight thanks to that attack because there is absolutely no man in the world who deserved to be called King any less than Razor Ramon!

The King smirked as the fans began booing Lawler loudly once again.

Jerry Lawler:
So with Razor Ramon down and out...it goes without saying that I, JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER am once again your ONE AND ONLY TRUE...KING!

Lawler stood with his hands in the air, holding up his crown to the fans as they booed and began to chant "BURGER KING! BURGER KING!"

The chants were interrupted as
"Hart Attack" hit the speakers bringing out none other than Bret "The Hitman" Hart! The New York fans booed loudly as their former hero walked out from the back, ignored their responses, and headed straight for the platform.

Jerry Lawler:
Now this.....

Lawler had to stop as the boos were so deafening towards Hart's arrival.

Jerry Lawler:
NOW THIS - this is a special guest that fits everything I mentioned earlier. Bret Hart, this is a more than pleasant surprise. I didn't think you had in ya, but I loved every second of what you did last night!

Bret Hart:
You didn't think I had it in me? Who do you think I am, Jerry Lawler. Do you know anything about me?

Lawler, thinking the newly cemented heel Hart was going to be buddy/buddy with him, choked a bit on his words...

Jerry Lawler:
Well..uh, you know of course I know all about the you and your family...you know we go way back...and..

Bret Hart:
Just shut your damn mouth, Jerry Lawler. I know you've never liked me or my family...but that's okay, because that's not why I'm out here tonight. But don't sit there and disparage me about what I have or don't have in me. You know about the Hart Dungeon...you know what everyone who goes through that training has to endure. There is more FIRE and AGGRESSION INSIDE ME than anyone in that locker room. What happened last night was EXACTLY what I have been telling each and every one of you for weeks. When I told you there was only one thing I cared about - getting back the World Wrestling Federation Championship - and that I would do ANYTHING to get it back, it wasn't a joke, Jerry Lawler. If there's one thing you should know about The Hitman - I'm not here to joke around with you. When I said it was 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' - I meant every damn word of it. What you WERE right about was one thing however. And that's that Razor Ramon is nobody's King of the Ring.

Hart stopped again as the boos in response once again overwhelmed the arena.

Bret Hart:
Last night at King of the Ring - I worked my butt off. I went through an all out war with Bam Bam Bigelow. I then had to take on a much fresher Tatanka - a man who has only lost ONE MATCH in his entire WWF career, and I took care of business and beat him fair and square...and then, I had to take on Razor Ramon, who was GIFTED a spot in the Finals with a bye. Everything that happened last night I EARNED. I DESERVED to be King of the Ring. I busted my ass to get to the Finals while Razor Ramon was sitting on his butt backstage smokin' a cigar.

Jerry Lawler:

I couldn't agree more!

Bret Hart:
And you know something else? A lot of people seem to be benefiting from my hard work lately. Just look at our WWF Champion - Hulk Hogan. The reason he's sitting on top of the WWF right now is because he snuck in and beat Yokozuna after I had worn the big man down! But does the Hulkster give me the rematch I deserved for the WWF Championship? Of course not...because Hulk Hogan is the biggest phony of them all! He wants nothing to do with the Hitman - but wake up call, Hulk - I am sick and tired of the world revolving around Hulkamania!

Jerry Lawler:
Trust me, Hitman - you don't have to preach the gospel of how revolting Hulkamania is!

Bret Hart:
The fact of that matter is this, King. For years now, I've had to live in the shadows of Hulk Hogan. I've had to listen to these people blindly cheer for him like he's the savior of professional wrestler. But that time is over. Last night, some people think I turned my back on all my fans...but the fact is, none of you were ever really my fans to begin with. When it comes down to it...it's all about Hulkamania and it was only a matter of time before I became the "bad guy" in their eyes no matter what...because eventually, my goal was to take that WWF Championship back to my waist where it belongs...and you people can't have anything bad happen to your precious HULK HOGAN. My job isn't to cater to you people. My job...is to win matches and be the WWF Champion. I am the best there is. I am the best there was. AND I AM THE BEST.....THERE EVER WILL BE! And NO ONE is going to stop me from getting back to the top of the WWF...not you Hulk Hogan, and CERTAINLY not you - Razor Ramon. So as it relates to last night and King of the Ring, I'm looking to you Jack Tunney - you make this right. You fix the injustice that was the King of the Ring Finals. I want Razor Ramon one more time and I want it on FAIR terms this time...and how about we do it on July 4th at the Stars and Stripes Challenge! Go ahead, Tunney - make it happen!

Hart finished up, simply turning his back to Lawler and heading off the platform as the fans continued to respond with nothing but boos for the former fan favorite.

Jerry Lawler:
You heard it here, on King's Court! What a challenge! Jack Tunney, you better listen to this man!

“The Bogatyr Gates (In The Capital In Kiev)” played to wraup up The King's Court as Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Bobby Heenan immediately began putting over the possible huge rematch for July 4th!


That wasn't the last we would see of Bret Hart on Raw. In fact, after the break, as Bret returned to backstage...he ran into a familiar foe - the man he faced in the Quarterfinals, and a man he had so many heated confrontations with leading up to the King of the Ring Pay-Per-View, Bam Bam Bigelow.

Bigelow laughed as he approached Bret, and actually commended The Hitman for showing "that fire" at King of the Ring. Bigelow expressed some newfound respect for Hart after what he did to Razor Ramon, but Bigelow instructed Hart that they WOULD meet again someday, and the next time they faced off - the results would be much, MUCH different. Hart simply stood there and listened to Bigelow's spew before smirking and telling The Beast from the East that it would be different - next time Hart would finish the job and break Bigelow's leg completely off! Hart brushed past Bigelow, who surprisingly responded with with a smile and a chuckle.

For Bigelow, he would go on out and wrestle Mark Thomas in a winning effort, putting Thomas away with the Flying Headbutt.

As for Bret Hart's challenge issued on Raw...we would learn the response from Jack Tunney on WWF Superstars of Wrestling. In WWF Update, Jack Tunney issued a statement that the results of the King of the Ring were final - Razor Ramon is and will remain the King of the Ring. However, Tunney did go on to announce that a rematch WOULD INDEED happen on July 4th at the Stars and Stripes Challenge aboard the USS Intrepid - with even higher stakes...as the winner of this match between Bret Hart and Razor Ramon will become the number one contender to Hulk Hogan's WWF Championship - and will challenge Hulk Hogan at SUMMERSLAM!


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A Challenge to America

For Yokozuna, King of the Ring did not go according to plan. He was unsuccessful in winning back the WWF Championship from Hulk Hogan. Not because Hogan was able to do what the Hulkster had said he was going to do - and that's SLAM Yokozuna to the mat before picking up the 1-2-3...because Hogan joined a long list of people who have tried and failed at just that. In fact, Hogan spent most of the match struggling against the gigantic Yokozuna. In the end, Yokozuna was unable to respond to a 10 count outside the ring, allowing Hogan to win and retain the title by countout.

This clearly did not sit well with Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna. And on Raw, Mr. Fuji requested time with Gene Okerlund to deliver a new challenge and it wasn't for Hogan but instead for ALL of America!


Gene Okerlund:
Welcome back to WWF Monday Night Raw, I'm here with the man who has once again come up short against Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship, Yokozuna, and of course that means I'm also here with his manager, Mr. Fuji as well!

Mr. Fuji:
Gene! What do you mean COME UP SHORT? There was nothing about King of the Ring that was SHORT for my Yokozuna!

Gene Okerlund:
Well, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't see Yokozuna holding the WWF Championship!

Yokozuna glared a hole through Okerlund, causing Gene to back up a bit.

Mr. Fuji:
That is because - ONCE AGAIN - HULK HOGAN SHOW HIMSELF AS A CHEATER! Yokozuna should be the WWF Champion tonight! Last night, my Yokozuna was DESTROYING HULK HOGAN! Hogan's Leg Drop could not even keep my Yokozuna down! So what does Hulk Hogan do - he take the lazy way out...the cheap way out! But that is the AMERICAN way isn't it? Hahahahahaha!

Both Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji shared a laugh at Fuji's knock on America.

Mr. Fuji:
I am so sick and tired of you Americans and the way you treat my Yokozuna. The way you praise a cheater like Hulk Hogan but boo a honorable legend like Yokozuna.

Gene Okerlund:
Oh, give me a break! If you don't like America so much, how about you just go home! Is the only reason you requested this interview time to whine and complain about Yokoznua's loss - or do you actually have something interesting to say?

Mr. Fuji:
Gene, you are on thin ice! My Yokozuna could squash you and any other American like a little bug! But as a matter of fact - YES! You see, we want to show America what Yokozuna is really capable of! Yokozuna wants to be the best - not just in Japan but in the WORLD! And there's something that NO ONE has ever been able to do. NOT EVEN YOUR HERO.....HULK HOGAN! NO ONE has been able to SLAM YOKOZUNA OFF HIS FEET! Hahahahahahahaha!

Gene Okerlund:
Well, I suppose you're not wrong about that - he is a big, big boy!

Mr. Fuji:
And if Hulk Hogan couldn't do it - what American out there can?! There is no American bigger, stronger, and more dominant than my Yokozuna! BUT if there are those who think they can - YOKOZUNA CHALLENGES THEM TO TRY! Yokozuna would love nothing more than to crush so many American dreams...and on the most important day in America! Hahahahaha!

Gene Okerlund:
You don't mean..

Mr. Fuji:
That's right, Gene! JULY 4th - AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY! Yokozuna challenges ANY American who thinks they are worthy to try and SLAM him! Because we know...it's not going to happen! And in the end, it will be me and Yokozuna having the last laugh on such a patriotic day! Come on down - Yokozuna will DESTROY ALL COMERS! And then, all Japan will celebrate July 4th as the PROUD VICTORY OF MY YOKOZUNA! YOU TELL THEM YOKOZUNA!

Yokozuna:
American products...American....athletes...American...wrestlers...they all the same - NO GOOD! JULY 4th....YOU WILL ALL FAIL! BONZAI!


Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji both laughed as they walked off the shot, leaving Gene Okerlund to give the final thoughts...

Gene Okerlund:
The challenge is laid out! I sure think you're gonna regret this Mr. Fuji - because if t here's one thing you don't do, and that's disrespect America on Independence Day - and I have no doubt the pride of America will turn out and make you eat those words! And we'll see it all unfold, right here on the USA Network on July 4th! Let's go back to the ring!




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Speaking of Patriotism...a Hacksaw vs. Rougeau Rematch!



Jacques Rougeau vs. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan


Jim Duggan had to bounce back quickly from losing to Tatanka in the King of the Ring Quarterfinals, going up against Jacques Rougeau in a rematch from last week on Raw when Rougeau returned to the WWF on Memorial Day to disparage America which of course did not sit well with the patriotic Duggan. Duggan looked like he was eager to get his hands on Rougeau again this week, and the match got under way quickly with a collar and elbow tie up that saw Rougeau back Duggan into the ropes and then began unleashing some right hands to Duggan's midsection. Rougeau tried to take advantage by sending Duggan into the ropes only to have Duggan come back with a clothesline to rock Rougeau. Duggan bounced back off the ropesa gain and took Rougeau down with a big shoulder tackle! Rougeau rolled out of the ring, already looking for a breather.

Duggan stomped around the ring, leading the crowd in a U-S-A chant as Rougeau paced at ringside...and perhaps was thinking about another countout victory - but Duggan gave chase this time and the duo brawled at ringside briefly before Duggan sent Rougeau back into the ring. But this allowed Rougeau to strike first as Duggan entered the ring, stomping at Duggan's midsection before sending Hacksaw into the ropes. Off the ropes, Hacksaw went for a clothesline but Rougeau ducked and then caught Duggan coming back with a jumping back elbow! Hacksaw hit the mat and Rougeau went for the pine: One, Two, KICKOUT by Hacksaw!

Rougeau continued his control of the match, soon attempting a Piledriver, only to have Hacksaw backdrop out of it! Rougeau staggered back to his feet as Duggan charged in with a big lariat to take Rougeau down! Duggan gained momentum back as the crowd cheered him on and soon slammed Rougeau down to the canvas with a big body slam before walking to the ropes and getting down into the Three Point Stance. Rougeau rolled to the ropes and began to pull himself up...as Duggan charged in for the Clothesline, but Rougeau darted through the ropes to avoid it!

Rougeau once again headed up the aisle, accepting losing by countout
as Heenan made another Canadian's being quitters joke...but Duggan once again gave chase! Duggan caught Rougeau in the aisle with an axehandle to his back and walked back towards the ring with a handful of hair. Hacksaw would attempt to slam Rougeau into the apron by his head, but Rougeau blocked it! A back elbow from Rougeau allowed him to grab Duggan by the head and slam him into the apron...

But Duggan no sold it! Duggan's hard head was too much! A frantic Rougeau unloaded a flurry of right hands to Duggan, but Duggan was absorbing them and he now began to fire back with some right hands of his own to Rougeau...all the while, the referee was counting and neither man noticed....8....9....10! There's the bell!


Winner - Double Countout at 4:58



Duggan tried to roll back into the ring at the last second, but it was too late! Duggan was in disbelief, while Rougeau scurried up the aisle - not wanting anything else to do with Duggan at that moment!


So once again Jacques Rougeau lives to fight another day while Duggan doesn't get to to defend Old Glory the way he would like to. On WWF Superstars of Wrestling, it would be revealed that the two would meet again at the Stars & Stripes Challenge in a No Countout Match!



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The Clown & The Ringmaster

As mentioned extensively by Bret Hart during the King's Court segment, Razor Ramon did in fact receive a bye to the finals of the King of the Ring tournament. The reason for that bye occurred as a result of the outcome of the Doink the Clown and Crush Quarterfinal matchup. In fact, there was no actual quarterfinal...instead Doink and his associate had subdued referee Joey Marella and his associate had dressed up like a referee for the match, planting a taser on Doink that allowed Doink to electrocute his rival! While this Fake Referee would count the pinfall by Doink, the result was quickly determined to be a no contest.

Post match, Doink had declared the fun had just begun...and this week on WWF Superstars, we learned a little more about Doink and his new associate.



The camera cut to a pre-recorded video package that took us to an exterior shot of a "Big Top" style circus tent to set the scene before taking us to an interior shot of a three ring circus, the lights are all out but one sole light shines on a man we saw last night portraying a "Fake Referee" during the Crush/Doink the Clown Match. Gone is his referee costume, as he is now decked out in a black pants, a red coat, red bowtie and a black top hat.

Man:
Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages - gather round for to witness a spectacle like none other! Allow us to take you to a world where anything is possible! A world where SHOCKING THINGS happen around every corner. Allow me to be your host and guide on this adventure, for I am The Ringmaster! And without further a due, allow me to introduce you to the STAR of this show - the man who certainly needs no introduction - DOINK THE CLOWN!

A second spotlight cut on, shining down next to The Ringmaster to reveal a smiling Doink the Clown.

Doink the Clown:

Why hello! Thank you for that ROUSING introduction! What a FUN night we had at King of the Ring! If Crush was truly over his fears...I think we gave him a whole new set of things to be afraid of! Hahahaha! But the fun has just begun for us! There's so many wonderful things in this world to be afraid of! There are evils in this world that Crush and others couldn't even DREAM of! But that's what we are here for!

The Ringmaster:
Yes! Yes, that is absolutely right! The Time of Trepidation is here! So come one - come all - bring your anxieties...bring your worries...bring your consternation....your terror - your FRIGHT! Allow us to take you to the deepest and darkest places - places where there is no retrieval! Invite your friends, invite your family...no one is going to want to miss this...this...is CARNEVIL!

As creepy, slowed down carnival began to play over top, Doink and Ringmaster both began to cackle as the camera faded back to the ring.



And as we returned to the ring, it was Doink the Clown coming to the ring for in ring action, accompanied by his new "associate" The Ringmaster. The duo, appearing to call themselves Carnevil, were will in tune with one another as Doink took on Jerry Seavey in one on one action. But Doink didn't need much help here, putting Seavey away with the Stump Puller for a submission victory.


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Saddle Up

Since debuting a couple months ago, The Smoking Gunns - cowboys Billy and Bart Gunn - have had an impressive record. They have beaten each of their opponents with relative ease, but have drawn criticism lately from the likes of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Jerry "The King" Lawler on commentary on Raw/Superstars respectively about the fact that they had yet to face a true challenge in the ring.

This week on Raw, it was revealed that next week they would get such a test when they take on the now FORMER WWF Tag Team Champions, Money Inc - Ted DiBiase and IRS.

Part of the hype for next week's match, we got a vignette featuring the Gunns.



Before Raw headed to commercial break, we cut to a pre-recorded video featuring The Smoking Gunns. The establishing shot showed us at a place called "Gunn Ranch" where Billy and Bart were out in the pasture, each saddling up one of their horses.

Billy Gunn:
Ya know somethin' Bart, we've had a heck of a good time so far in the WWF, don't ya think.

Bart Gunn:
Ya right about that, partna. Ain't nobody been able to stop us yet!

Billy nodded as he finished saddling up his horse.

Billy Gunn:
But ya know, there's people out there who think we haven't really been challenged yet. That we need to beat a so-called "real team" to show we are for real here in the WWF.

Bart Gunn:
That's crazy talk!

Billy Gunn:
Oh, you don't gotta tell me, brother! But next week - we g'nna saddle up and head straight into battle with our toughest test yet.

Bart finished saddling up his horse and both men proceeded, in unison, to climb aboard their horse. Bart reached to his side where he had a gun holster.

Bart Gunn:
Thas' right! We got those city slickers next week, right?

Billy Gunn:
Oh, Bart - they ain't just any city slickers. They are the former WWF Tag Team Champions - Money Incorporated!

Bart Gunn:

Well Billy - you an' me both know - I didn't go to no business school. But there is one business we both are pretty good at...

Billy Gunn:
That's right - Hard Knox Inc!

Bart Gunn:
Yep! That's right! So it don't matter if it's IRS and Ted DiBiase, The Steiner Brothers or it's Jimmy and Jacob from down the street - The Smoking Gunns go into each rodeo lookin' to win. And like we've always said...

Billy and Bart both pull out their guns and fire "shots" into the air..

Billy Gunn:
When the smoke clears - The Smoking Gunns will be the ones standin' tall!

The Smoking Gunns:

YEEEEEHAW!

Billy and Bart both, in unison again, nudged the horses with their feet to get them to gallop off into the distance as the screen faded to an image of The Smoking Gunns and Money Inc - highlighting that match for next week on Raw.



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Other Highlights

Tatanka, joined by the Sensational Sherri, kicked off WWF Raw in singles action against LA Gore. After coming up short at King of the Ring thanks to Lex Luger, Tatanka got back on track with an easy victory over Gore after a Flying Tomahawk Chop. Meanwhile, Tatanka's rival, "The Narcissist" Lex Luger was in action on Superstars with his "beast" Luna Vachon by his side. A pre-match interview revealed Luger was all smiles after causing Tatanka to suffer both his first and second defeats in WWF...and Luger promised the "lucky number three" would be to Luger himself! Luger would put away Phil Apollo with a legal (padded) Bionic Forearm Smash.


WWE Update with Gorilla Monsoon provided an injury update to some of your favorite WWF superstars. Mr. Perfect remained out of action after the attack, perpetrated by who we now know is Shawn Michaels' bodyguard Flash Norton, re-aggravating a lingering back issue Perfect has been dealing with the past couple years. Perfect's timeline for return at this point was unknown. A more recent injury occurred this week at a WWF Live event and it was the now former tag champion Irwin R. Schyster suffering a broken leg that will keep him out of action for the rest of the year at least! This will effect the upcoming Tag Match on Raw between Money Inc. and The Smoking Gunns, with Mr. Hughes now taking IRS' place as The Million Dollar Man's tag team partner. Finally, after suffering a sprained knee during his match with Bam Bam Bigelow two months back, Owen Hart is getting very close to being able to return ring action!


As mentioned, Mr. Hughes will join Ted DiBiase as his tag partner next week on Raw, replacing the injured IRS. This week on Superstars, Mr. Hughes bounced back from his loss at King of the Ring to the eventual tournament winner by picking up the win over Mike Bell.


One man already putting his name into the bucket for the Body Slam Challenge at The Stars and Stripes Challenge was former WWF Champion Bob Backlund. Since returning to the WWF, Backlund has been on a mission to show he still had what it takes to compete in the WWF ring and get one more shot at glory...but thus far, his attempts had come up short. But being the one to bodyslam Yokozuna would represent a huge opportunity for him to get back into the WWF Championship picture! Backlund would go on to defeat Dan Dubiel with his Chicken Wing submission on Raw.


The hype for next week's Raw centered around Shawn Michaels being on hand to issue another one of his "open challenges" - with lots of reminders to what happened LAST time Michaels issued an open challenge. But also, we'd get our first look at Harvey Wippleman's newest client, Diesel, in action - plus the big tag match between The Smoking Gunns and Money Inc and more names are expected to come forward to defend America against Yokozuna at the Stars and Stripes Challenge!


Quick WWF Raw Results

  • Tatanka (w/Sensational Sherri) def. LA Gore by pinfall
  • Bam Bam Bigelow def. Mark Thomas by pinfall
  • Bob Backlund def. Dan Dubiel by submission
  • Jim Duggan vs. Jacques Rougeau ended in a double countout

Quick WWF Superstars of Wrestling Results

  • The Smoking Gunns def. Reno Riggins & Scott Taylor by pinfall
  • "The Narcissist" Lex Luger (w/Luna Vachon) def. Phil Apollo by pinfall
  • Mr. Hughes (w/Ted Diabiase) def. Mike Bell by pinfall
  • Doink the Clown (w/The Ringmaster) def. Jerry Seavey by submission
  • Marty Jannetty def. Joey Tempest by pinfall

Current Stars & Stripes Challenge Card

  • Winner Receives a WWF Championship Match at Summerslam: "The King of the Ring" Razor Ramon vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart
  • Body Slam Challenge: America vs. Yokozuna
  • No Countout Match: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Jacques Rougeau
 

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WWF Recap - Week of June 14, 1993


A Not So Open Challenge

After regaining his Intercontinental Championship at King of the Ring, Shawn Michaels announced last week that he would once again be a "fighting" champion, which meant he would once again be issuing an "open challenge" this week on Raw. This was surprising to many considering the last time Michaels issued an open challenge, Marty Jannetty showed up and took the Intercontinental Title from him! Michaels was lucky that he enlisted Flash Norton as his bodyguard, who helped him win back the title, so it all pretty much worked on in the end...but still, it seemed like a risky idea on his part.

Well, as Raw rolled around...we would find out that all wasn't quite what it seems as it related to this particular open challenge.


As we returned to Raw, Vince McMahon was now standing in the middle of the ring.

Vince McMahon:
Ladies and gentleman, my guest tonight is the now TWO TIME World Wrestling Federation INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION - "THE HEARTBREAK KID" SHAWN MICHAELS!


"Sexy Boy" hit the PA system to bring out Shawn Michaels, once again wearing the Intercontinental Title proudly around his waist amid the rest of his flashy attire. Joining him was the man we met at King of the Ring - a man who was instrumental in Shawn Michaels walking out of Ohio with the Intercontinental Championship once again - his new bodyguard, Flash Norton. Flash was stoic as he walked behind Michaels as he played to the booing crowd and stopped to cock his sunglasses down to give a sultry look to the camera. Definitely a tale of two personalities here. The duo climbed into the ring as Michaels joined McMahon in the middle of the ring, sporting a big smirk on his face.

Vince McMahon:
Now Mr. Michaels, I can certainly tell from your demeanor tonight that you are proud of what took place last week at the King of the Ring...

Shawn Michaels:
Well - Well- WELL, Vince - once again, I'm standing before you as the WWF Intercontinental Champion! OF COURSE I'm proud! I couldn't be happier with the way things went down last night...I showed once and for all that Marty Jannetty is a NOTHING and I, HBK, am the GREATESTINTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION in the history of the WWF!

The crowd booed as Michaels couldn't help but laugh.

Vince McMahon:
Now, I'm not sure about that - I'm sure there's some that wouldn't agree with that sentiment...

From commentary Randy Savage indicated that HE definitely wouldn't.

Shawn Michaels:
Well, McMahon, you and I both know that some people are idiots!

Vince McMahon:
And SOME people...if not MOST people would probably think that what happened last week at The King of the Ring had a lot to do with this man right here, Flash Norton!

Flash Norton showed some emotion for the first time as HBK gave him a pat on the back, getting a small smile from the brick house.

Shawn Michaels:
Oh, you bet'cha bottom dollar he did, Vince! That's what Flash is here for! I'd be disappointed if he didn't make sure that I walked away as the Intercontinental Champion once again! It's like I said before Vince, there is absolutely no denyin' that I am the biggest superstar in wrestling. And I deserve the BEST! And this man has a proven track record of being the best bodyguard in the world! And with Flash in my corner, there ain't no stoppin' The Heartbreak Kid!

Vince McMahon:
I suppose that brings us to why you're even out here tonight. You apparently wanted to once again throw out an open challenge, which, quite frankly, after what happened last time you did this, I'm a little surprised!

With the reference to the last 'open challenge,' the New York crowd began to chant
"1-2-3" in HBK's direction, much to the chagrin of the Intercontinental Champion.

Shawn Michaels:
Har har - you people can laugh it up all you want! But, I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am a fighting champion! That's what makes me the greatest. The whole Marty Jannetty thing was a fluke and I showed that last week. It's NOT gonna happen again! So I'll say it again - anyone in the back, who is ACTIVELY EMPLOYED by the WWF, can come on down and get try to earn yourself some 15 minutes of fame sharing the ring with Shawn Michaels!

Michaels turned to the entrance way as he, Flash, and Vince waited to see who would respond to the challenge. As some music hit the speakers, it was the sound of a storm rolling into the arena...the music of the Natural Disasters...as it was the BIG man Typhoon making his way out from the back! The crowd gave Typhoon a fair reaction just due to the fact that he was in opposition of Michaels. Typhoon, dressed for action, stepped over the top rope to join the trio in the ring.

Vince McMahon:
OH MY! Now Shawn Michaels, it looks like you have yourself a BIG challenge right here!

Michaels grinned and faced Typhoon, not showing any type of concern.

Shawn Michaels:
I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding. I said this was an open challenge, not an open "all you can eat" buffet!

Michaels can't help but laugh at his own joke as Typhoon grimaced and reared back for punch, but Flash Norton stepped in and faced off against Typhoon instead.

Vince McMahon:
It looks to me like there is no misunderstanding - it looks like Typhoon is here for a fight!

Shawn Michaels:
NOT SO FAST! Maybe I was a little, tiny bit unclear about the stipulations. You see...this is an OPEN CHALLENGE, but I'm a big enough man to admit that I learn from my mistakes. The Intercontinental Championship holds great prestige and not just anyone can challenge for it! That'd be absurd! Typhoon, you can EARN yourself a title shot...by completing an Open Challenge with FLASH NORTON...in an...ARM WRESTLING MATCH!

Vince McMahon:

Now wait just a minute! That's not what you...

Shawn Michaels:
Hey! I know the rules, Vince! After what happened last time, I had my lawyers give me a crash course in verbal contracts - I never said this open challenge was for my belt! If Typhoon wants his shot - he will have to earn it against a WORLD CHAMPION ARM WRESTLER!

Typhoon wasn't pleased but nodded his head, agreeing to the terms as some members of the ring crew entered the ring to set up a regulation arm wrestling table.

Vince McMahon:
Well, this certainly is a first for Monday Night RAW! AN ARM WRESTLING MATCH!

Flash Norton stepped up, placing his arm up on the table, wraping his hand around the grip with his left hand and challenging Typhoon to sit down and grapple with his right arm. Heenan commented on the tree trunk arms that Norton had, and said if this is what it takes to get a title shot, no one is ever going to get another shot at Shawn Michaels' title! Meanwhile, Savage pointed out that Typhoon was a big dude himself and if anyone is up for the challenge it was him!

Typhoon joined Norton at the table, gripping the bar while joining in right hand. Michaels taunted Typhoon from behind as a WWF referee joined the ring to make this official. We even got a ringing of the bell to start things as Typhoon and Norton both began straining against one another's arms.

Typhoon's face showed his level of effort as he grimaced and sweat rolled down his brow, slowly but surely inching Norton's arm towards the table...but Norton flashed a smile...and suddenly showed amazing strength as he overpowered Typhoon back to the evenpoint...and then began gaining momentum, pushing Typhoon back towards his own side of the table...and Typhoon's arm suddenly gave out and F
lash SLAMMED it down onto the table to win the contest.

Vince McMahon:

There it is! Flash Norton picks up this win on behalf of Shawn Mi...

Vince was cut off as Shawn Michaels came in from out of nowhere to hit some SWEET CHIN MUSIC to Typhoon before he could even stand up from the table! Typhoon dropped to the mat as Michaels leaped into Norton's arm in celebration, as if he himself had just won the match. McMahon was clearly irritated in the ring by Michaels action, but for now - Michaels had successfully avoided defending his Intercontinental Championship.




Now clearly this did not sit well with Typhoon. He was hoodwinked into thinking he was getting an Intercontinental Title shot, but instead he had to square off against one of the best Arm Wrestlers in the history of Arm Wrestling (hey, don't you go fact checking me - this is 90's era WWF).

There would be some good news for Typhoon, as later on Raw, it would be announced that Typhoon would still get a shot at Shawn Michaels, granted it would be a non-title match on Superstars of Wrestling.



Non-Title Match: Typhoon vs. Shawn Michaels (w/Flash Norton)

A
"1-2-3" chant once again greeted Shawn Michaels as he and Norton made their way down to the ring, much to the dismay of Michaels. And as Typhoon slowly walked out, it was revealed that a win here would earn himself a title shot no matter what happened on Raw in the arm wrestling contest, which from commentary Jerry "The King" Lawler revealed that he had spoken with Shawn Michaels and called it an "abuse of power" by Jack Tunney to even make that a stipulation!

As a result Typhoon looked hungry as he eyed up Michaels on the opposite side of the ring to start the match while also eyeing Michael's insurance policy at ringside, Flash Norton. As the pair circled the ring, McMahon and Savage put over the huge size advantage of the massive Typhoon, thinking this could be a big problem for the Intercontinental Champion. Clearly feeling a little uneasy about it himself, Micahels tried a "peace offering" to Typhoon to start the match, extending his hand for a handshake. Typhoon surveyed the crowd, who wasn't falling for it and neither was he...he instead grabbed HBK by the arm and WHIPPED him into the turnbuckles! Michaels bounced out of the corner into a charging clothesline from Typhoon!

Shawn Michaels was quick back to his feet but Typhoon quickly took him right back down with a big headbutt! Now planted on his butt, Michaels scooted backwards across the ring, reaching out his arm to ask for some grace. Typhoon stalked over Michaels who was given enough distance to back up to the ropes and pull himself back to his feet, but Typhoon immediately met him with some hard right hands before sending Michaels back into the ropes, but Michaels grabbed the ropes to stop his own momentum and ducked out to ringside!

Michaels paced along the ringside, looking to regroup, but Typhoon reached down and grabbed a handful of Michaels' hair to pull him back up onto the apron! "C'mon ref!" Jerry Lawler said, demanding the referee not allow such blatant "cheating" from Typhoon. But the match continued as Typhoon brought Michaels back into the ring and continued having some dominating control over the Intercontinental Champion. Typhoon soon lifted HBK up and body slammed him to the mat, which the announcers used as a segue to discuss the upcoming Body Slam Challenege at Stars & Stripes, wondering if a man the size of Typhoon could possible lift Yokozuna up!

Typhoon's momentum continued as he would send HBK into the corner and look to follow through with a running corner splash, but MICHAELS WITH THE KNEES UP to stop Typhoon in his tracks! With Typhoon staggering, Michaels climbed the turnbuckles....FLYING SPLASH...IS CAUGHT by TYPHOON into THE BEARHUG! We headed to a commercial break with Michaels trapped in the clutches of Typhoon.

Back from the break, Michaels was still trapped in the submission, now down onto the mat and barely hanging on, Typhoon positioning his weight down across Michaels, HBK's shoulders now on the mat while still in the bearhug - ONE, TWO, NO! Michaels was able to lift his shoulder up off the mat while crying out to sell the pain. "The champion is in TRRROOUUBLE!" Randy Savage declared as Typhoon overpowered Michaels in the bearhug once again, getting his shoulders back to the mat - ONE, TWO, SHOULDER UP!

With Michaels definitely in a precarious position, Flash Norton provided the distraction by climbing up onto the apron that caused Typhoon to release the hold. Norton was back down, his job done and avoided any altercations with Typhoon, but it was just enough to allow Michaels to roll out of the ring to try and catch his breath.

But just as Michaels was getting to his feet - Typhoon left the ring in pursuit! Michaels high tailed it around the ring and rolled back through the ropes to re-enter the ring as Typhoon gave chase. But HBK outsmarted Typhoon here, attacking Typhoon with boots to the back of he head as he climbed back in. Typhoon fought through the attack from Michaels but HBK would him with a standing dropkick that rocked the big man! Michaels recovered and went to whip Typhoon into the ropes, but Typhoon didn't budge and instead Typhoon countered and whipped Michaels into the ropes!

Typhoon charged in looking for a running knee to the cornered Michaels, but Michaels moved out of the way and Typhoon's leg collided with the turnbuckles hard! Typhoon was hobbled and Micahels wisely went after that leg with three straight kicks and then a legsweep from Michaels took the big man to the mat! With the behemoth now down on his back, Michaels continued his targeted attack by stomping away at Typhoon's leg. Michaels' confidence had returned as he continued to just attack that leg as Typhoon tried to get back to his feet while Flash Norton watched on from ringside.

Michaels looked to lock Typhoon's massive legs into a figure four, but as he tried to lock it in, Typhoon reached up and grabbed Michaels into a small package! ONE! TWO! KICKOUT by Michaels!

HBK was right back to his feet, attacking the legs once again and Michaels looked ready to attempt another leglock, but Typhoon shoved Michaels backwards with his feet, sending the Intercontinental Champion into the turnbuckles! Typhoon had found his second wind as he summoned the strength to get back to his feet and unload some punches to Michaels before hitting a big shoulder tackle to HBK that sent Michaels to the mat! HBK rolled back to his feet right into another big clothesline from Earthquake.

This time when Michaels got back to his feet he as SCOOPED up by Typhoon - BODYSLAM! Earthquake favored the leg as he took Michaels to the mat, but he shook it off and bounced off the ropes! TIDAL WAVE SPLASH TO MICHAELS...





NO! HBK Rolled out of the way!



Both men were down but it was Typhoon starting to get to his feet first...only to find himself staring down FLASH NORTON on the apron once again!

Norton and Typhoon traded some words on the apron, as Norton lifted his arms up, daring Typhoon to come after him...but this all only allowed Michaels to get back to his feet. And when Typhoon finally decided to ignore Norton, he turned around right into SWEET CHIN MUSIC! Down went Typhoon and Michaels dropped down to make the cover!

ONE - TWO - THREE!

Winner: Shawn Michaels at 9:53


Flash Norton nodded his head with a slight smile as Michaels was declared the victor in the ring. A worn out Michaels staggered to his feet and demanded to be handed his Intercontinental Title...but an upset Typhoon was also back to his feet and shoved Michaels, clearly not happy with the way he lost the match...

But Typhoon was blind sided from behind by FLASH NORTON with a huge axhandle smash that sent Typhoon falling to the canvas. Norton unloaded some boots to Typhoons back before pulling him up...and a BIG RIGHT HAND from Norton dropped Typhoon to the mat!

With Typhoon down, Michaels leaped over, joining in on the attack now with both men putting the boots to the fallen Typhoon.

With the damage done, Norton and Michaels finally plled off and Norton lifted up Michaels' arm in victory as the crowd showered him with a chorus of boos.



Flash Norton once again earned his paycheck this week, keeping Michaels off the hook of defending the Intercontinental Championship this week. With Flash in his corner, the champ was certainly as cocky and confident as ever, and he seemed to, for now at least, have every reason to be.



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A Dominating Debut

King of the Ring saw us following Harvey Wippleman as he searched for a new client to replace Giant Gonzales as the man who will take out The Undertaker once and for all. Wippleman's quest was for the "biggest and baddest" man in America...which led him to a Biker Bar in Ohio called The Country Club where he met a man who simply desired to be called Diesel. After learning of the fame and fortune that could come with taking out The Undertaker and then potentially becoming WWF Champion...Diesel was on board.

This week on Raw, Diesel was set to make his in-ring debut.

But first, earlier on Raw, we'd get a chance to get some more footage from the meeting at the bar between Diesel and Harvey Wippleman.


The camera faded back in to the interior of the Country Club bar where the wreckage from the bar room brawl that saw Diesel take everyone out single handedly was being cleaned up. Diesel was still standing with Harvey Wippleman and motioned towards the bar.

Diesel:
Have a seat, lil' man!

Harvey Wippleman didn't have any interest in saying no to his new client, despite clearly still being very uncomfortable in the environment...especially as many of the bikers and other patrons were still eyeing Wippleman in the background.

Diesel:
Have a drink! What's your poison?

Wippleman took a seat at the bar next to Diesel, adjusting his tie before answering.

Harvey Wippleman:
Erm, I'll take a Long Island Ice Tea.

Diesel couldn't help but break out into laughter as the Bar Tender also joined in while Harvey Wippleman at first seemed confused but also joined in with some extremely nervous laughter.

Diesel:
We'll have two whiskeys - neat.

The Bar Tender nodded, poured whiskey into a couple of glasses and placed them down in front of Wippleman and Diesel.

Harvey Wippleman:
How about a toast? To a beautiful new business relationship..

Diesel:
Nah...not that...

Harvey Wippleman:
Uh...to fame and fortune...to becoming WWF Champion?

Diesel:
That - yeah, I'll drink to that!

Harvey was now all grin as he clinked his glass with Diesel. Diesel downed his whiskey in one gulp with ease while Wippleman took a sip...only to grimace and spit the whiskey out all over the Bar Tender!

The husky Bar Tender reached over and grabbed Wippleman by his jacket, lifting him off the barstool with a growl, but Diesel stepped in, punching the Bar Tender out with a single blow. Wippleman stood back up and dusted off his suit.


Diesel:
Listen, how about we get you outta here before your too dead to follow through on these promises of yours.

Wippleman nodded in nervous agreement and the duo headed out of "The Country Club" biker bar. Outside the establishment, Diesel headed over to his Harley and stepped on.

Diesel:
Hop on, lil' man. I'm gonna need you tell me all about this Undertaker of yours.

Harvey Wippleman:
That's okay. I'll just take my car..

Diesel:
I said..HOP ON. You're ridin' with me now, boy. Do you want my business or not?

Harvey Wippleman:
I suppose I can handle a little ride.

Harvey cautiously climbed onto the back of the bike.

Harvey Wippleman:
These things are pretty safe as long as you have a helmet on, right?

Diesel:
A what now?

Diesel fired up the hog...

Harvey Wippleman:
....A helmet!

Diesel:
Haha! You're a funny guy, Henry - just grab on and you'll be fine!

Harvey Wippleman:
Wait..waaah.....

Before Wippleman could finish his objection, Diesel was pulling out of the bar's small parking lot and speeding down the road...Wippleman's screams being heard even over the roaring sound of the Harley's engine. We faded out as the motorcycle disappeared in the distance.



The epilogue to the events at King of the Ring led perfectly into this week's match on Raw, featuring the debut of Diesel.

Koko B. Ware vs. Diesel (w/Harvey Wippleman)

The timing of his return to the WWF may not have been the best, according to Vince McMahon as Koko B. Ware, made his way down to the ring - because this man recruited by Harvey Wippleman, Diesel, looked to be no laughing matter. The sound of Diesel engines roaring through the speakers brought out the motorcycle riding, big rig drivin' Diesel. The big man standing at nearly 7 feet tall and 300 pounds was decked out in denim pants and jacket with black biker gloves on as the more formal, suit wearing diminutive Wippleman accompanied him down to the ring to boos from the crowd.

To his credit, Koko B. Ware looked up for the challenge as he waited in the ring. Koko was no doubt looking to impress and get a second chance with the WWF, and what better way to do that than by taking down this giant in his WWF in-ring debut. Ware wasted no time as the bell rang, going straight at Diesel and reaching up to deliver some elbow shots to Diesel's chest, but Diesel would completely no sell the offense from Koko.

After absorbing the blows, Diesel came back with a knee to the midsection to Ware that sent him falling back into the corner. The cornered Koko was now in a lot of trouble as Diesel just exploded on him in the corner with repeated knee lifts followed by multiple back elbows to the cornered Ware. Wippleman was watching on, pleased as Diesel was looking dominant from the opening bell. Diesel then transitioned to wailing away at Koko with some right hands before leaning him out of the corner and delivering a big clubbering forearm to the the back that dropped Koko to the mat.

Diesel slicked his hair back as Wippleman egged him on from ringside. Diesel waited as Ware slowly pulled himself up before he went back on the attack, whipping Koko into the opposite corner - following him in from behind closely with a running clothesline!

Koko stumbled out of the corner, trying to regain some sense of composure but was clearly out of it as he took two wild right hands but Diesel was not even close to where Koko was swinging! "He's discombobulated!" Heenan stated as Diesel closed back in with another knee lift to Koko and then whipped him into the ropes...Koko bounced off the ropes and ran right into a BIG BOOT TO THE HEAD from Diesel!

Diesel stalked around Koko as Ware was now very slow to try and recover...Wippleman gave instructions from ringside to finish him off! Diesel smirked and lifted one arm in the air as he waited for Koko up to his feet. BOOT to the midsection from Disel doubled Ware back over before Diesel lifted Koko up into the air and just let him DROP to the mat from 7-feet in the air with a release Power Bomb! Vince McMahon noted that Diesel called it the Jackknife!

Diesel walked over to Ware who was laid out cold on his back and simply placed his one right boot on Koko B. Ware's chest, Savage calling it an insulting way to pin someone...but the deed had been one.

One. Two. Three.

Winner: Diesel at 3:03




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WWF's Most Wanted

Money Inc did not have a good night at King of the Ring. First Mr. Hughes lost in the King of the Ring Quarterfinals when Razor Ramon turned down Ted DiBiase's offer to forfeit...and then he and Irwin R. Schyster lost the tag titles to The Steiner Brothers. Things didn't get much better the following week, when IRS ended up breaking his leg and is now expected to miss the remainder of 1993.

On the other side of the tag division, the young upstart team The Smoking Gunns, have nothing but momentum on their side. They are undefeated since debuting two months ago, but have yet to face a true test. This week on Raw, they would face off against Ted DiBiase and Mr. Hughes, certainly their toughest match up to date.


Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Mr. Hughes) vs. The Smoking Gunns (Bart Gunn & Billy Gunn)

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase was without his usual tag partner, IRS, who suffered a broken leg last week at a WWF Live event. So the former tag champion was now teaming with his "Problem Solver," Mr. Hughes. The duo made their way out first as we kicked of Raw, garnering plenty of boos from the Manhattan Center crowd. DiBiase did not seem too concerned about not having his partner by his side, and Bobby Heenan was quick to point out that Mr. Hughes was no slouch and he'd feel pretty confident having him in his corner too! Out next was one of the newer tag teams in the WWF, Bart Gunn & Billy Gunn - The Smoking Gunns! The duo walked to the ring, all smiles while firing their pistols in the air (calm down, they are just blanks, though Heenan acted as if were really - yelling for Vince and Savage to HIT THE DECK!). Vince McMahon put over the impressive streak they have been on since debuting two months ago, while Heenan reimphasized the build up to this match from last week centering around the fact that The Gunns haven't faced a true challenge yet - and Money Inc. are going to be more than just a little test...The Brain expected DiBiase and Hughes to walk away with the win tonight.

DiBiase and Billy Gunn started the match off for their respective teams. The duo circled the ring before moving in for a collar and elbow tie up. DiBiase pushed Billy into the corner. The referee stepped in to break up the tie up which they did but DiBiase quickly struck with a knee to the midsection before lighting up Gunn's chest with a couple of backhand chops before pulling Billy into a headlock and giving him a punch between the eyes. DiBiase laughed in the ring as he took the early control, pulling Gunn back down and punching him right between the eyes again. Gunn was staggered as The Million Dollar Man grabbed him and slammed him head first into the top turnbuckle!

Gunn was strugglign early as DiBiase continued to work him over in the corner with some punches and knees to the midsection before finally attempting an Irish Whip into the opposite corner, but Billy reversed it and sent DiBiase into the corner instead! Dibiase bounced off the turnbuckles and ran right into a HIGH back body drop by Billy Gunn! DiBiase rolled back to his feet...DROPKICK from Billy Gunn took DiBiase right back down to the mat! Billy made the tag to Bart and the Smoking Gunns duo sent DiBiase into the ropes - DOUBLE DROPKICK from the Gunns!

Billy and Bart were full of energy as they both celebrated having taken DiBiase to the mat, hitting each other with a pair of high fives before Billy left the ring. DiBiase got to his feet and backed to the corner, tagging in Mr. Hughes! The powerhouse stepped into the ring. still sporting his sunglasses, as Bart Gunn eyed him up...and moved in taking the big man on with some right hands! Hughes absorbed the blows and quickly slowed Bart down with a knee to the midsection before using an uppercut to take Bart to the mat! Hughes lumbered about the ring, using his size and strength to get the upperhand - soon dropping a big elbow down across Bart's chest and making the pin: One, Two, BROKEN UP by Billy Gunn! As the referee admonished Billy, DiBiase lifted his boot up on the turnbuckle as Hughes grabbed a handful of Bart's mullet and tossed him head first into DiBiase's Million Dollar boot!

The referee now back in position, Bart stumbled out of the ropes into a bearhug from Hughes! The referee checked in on Bart, who was still with us...and he began to try and fight his way out of the hold - hitting some punches to Hughes' head to break free. A boot to the midsection from Bart doubled Hughes over, allowing him to grab Hughes by the arm and wrench the arm back into a wristlock - securing Hughes in place long enough for Bart to make the tag to Billy! With Hughes trapped in the wristlock, Billy came into the ring with a boot to the midsection and took over, replacing Bart by grabbing the wristlock and then wrenching the arm once again, but Hughes fought back this time with a knee to the midsection and then hit a big HIPTOSS to send Billy to the canvas!

Billy staggered to his feet and was met with a right hand from Hughes before The Problem Sovler sent Gunn into the corner. Hughes now worked over Billy in the corner with some more hard right hands. Hughes backed up and charged into the corner, but Billy moved out of the way! Hughes crashed into the turnbuckles and stumbled out of the corner and Billy made the tag to Bart! Bart was back in and the duo teamed up to grab Hughes...and show off their strength with a DOUBLE VERTICAL SUPLEX to Hughes! Bart made the cover! One, Two, KICKOUT by Hughes!

Bart sat up on his knees, waisting no time to put the boots to Hughes as the big man tried to get to his feet. Bart made another quick tag to his brother, bringing Billy in as Hughes pulled himself up using the ropes...only to have the Gunns charging in with a CLOTHESLINE to send Hughes OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR!

Billy and Bart "yehaw'd" in the ring and climbed the turnbuckles, celebrating for the crowd as DiBiase regrouped with Hughes - DiBiase giving Hughes an earful for how much offense the Gunns were getting in! The Gunns waited in the ring as eventually Hughes climbed back in before getting counted out. Billy grabbed Mr. Hughes in a headlock as he entered the ring, but Hughes shoved Gunn off into the ropes and powered him to the mat with a big shoulder tackle! Billy rolled back to his feet and charged at Hughes, but Hughes side stepped Billy and then sent him falling through the middle ropes to ringside! Hughes quickly headed over and sucker punched Bart as well, drawing Bart into the ring but also drew the referee over to intervene.

Meanwhile, DiBiase had jumped off the apron and approached Billy at ringside, grabbing Billy by the mullet and tossing him head first into the ringsteps! DiBiase then pulled Billy back to his feet and walked with him around ringside to his corner before slamming Billy head first into the apron and rolled him back into the ring. Hughes returned to the corner where DiBiase wanted to be tagged in and Hughes obliged. With Billy down from the attack, DiBiase pulled him away from the ropes and then dropped a knee down onto Gunn before making a cover:


One - Two - Thr...KICKOUT by Billy!


DiBiase was undeterred by the nearfall as he continued on the offensive, soon sending Billy into the ropes and taking him right back down to the mat with a big clothesline. Instead of going for the pin, this time DiBiase dropped down and began to blatantly choke Billy right infront of the referee. The referee began to count to warn DiBiase but DiBiase broke it up before the 5 count....only to go right back at it with another choke! This time it was Bart Gunn, having had enough, coming in to berak up the choke! The referee once again had to admonish Bart, sending him back to the corner - allowing Hughes to enter the ring as DiBiase locked in a Full Nelson to Billy, Hughes entered the ring and went for the BIG BOOT, but Billy ducked and HUGHES TOOK OUT DIBIASE WITH THE BIG BOOT! Randy Savage chalked it up to these two not being familiar with one another in tag team action.

The referee returned to see Hughes in the ring, his jaw dropped from decking his own boss with his huge foot. The referee now tried to get Hughes out of the ring as Billy made it to the corner and tagged in Bart!

The hot tag to Bart had him going straight for the recovering DiBiase, but the referee never saw it! He was too busy with Mr. Hughes! The referee ordered Bart back to the corner which allowed DiBiase to score a LOW BLOW to Billy Gunn from behind! And a ROLL UP with a handfull of tights from DiBiase to Billy...



ONE! TWO! THREE!




NO! KICKOUT by Gunn!
DiBiase slapped the mat in frustration before getting to his feet. DiBiase headed to his corner and barked some orders at Mr. Hughes, clearly upset about the miscommunication earlier and told Hughes to not mess up this time. Hughes snarled his nostrils as he nodded in agreement and placed his big boot on the ring ropes as DiBiase lifted Gunn up to his feet. DiBiase looked to Irish Whip Billy into Hughes boot, but instead BILLY REVERSED IT - DIBIASE COLLIDED WITH HUGHES ON THE APRON!


HUGHES dropped off the apron as DiBiase stumbled into an INSIDE CRADLE from GUNN!




ONE! TWO! THREE!





"WHAT AN UPSET!" Vince McMahon bellowed out "THE SMOKING GUNNS HAVE DONE IT!"


Winners: The Smoking Gunns at 12:08



The party was on for Billy and Bart, who celebrated both in the ring after the match and also backstage in a brief post match interview with Boni Blackstone. Bart and Billy could barely contain their excitement over picking up a huge win over the former tag champion DiBiase and his new partner tonight, Mr. Hughes. They went as far as to declare their intentions of going after the WWF Tag Team Titles held by The Steiner Brothers!

As you might expect, the other team weren't as thrilled by the results. In fact, Gene Okerlund caught up with them post match as well.


We cut to the back where Gene Okerlund was standing by with the losers from tonight's feature match, Money Inc. Ted DiBiase was pacing back and forth, clearly infuriated, while Mr. Hughes stood next to Okerlund, once again flaring his nose as if he just caught a whiff of something just awful.

Gene Okerlund:
"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase - tonight you no doubt were hoping to bounce back from the loss at King of the Ring...and looking to do so without your normal tag team partner, IRS...but instead, you find yourself on the losing end once again tonight, this time to the rookie tag team Smoking Gunns! I can tell you this, the mood in this room is not nearly as jubilant as it was earlier when we spoke to the Smoking Gunns!

Ted DiBiase:
Enjoy that victory, Smoking Gunns! You got lucky tonight! VERY LUCKY! You two cowboys are nothin' but a flash in the pan! The Million Dollar Man doesn't take kindly to being made a fool of...and I promise you this, you BOTH will PAY THE PRICE! Hahahaha!

Gene Okerlund:
Now just what do you mean by that?

Ted DiBiase:
Tonight....Billy and Bart Gunn, you just made a powerful enemy in the Million Dollar Man. Tonight - you two just became America's MOST WANTED! Because I'm putting up my own money to put a HIT OUT on them...any tag team that takes out the Smoking Gunns will get a very.....VERY generous reward! Hahahahaha!

Mr. Hughes lifted up the steel briefcase to illustrate the reward before the pair walked off screen.

Gene Okerlund:
Well, ladies and gentlemen - the hit is out and the Smoking Gunn's are Wanted Men here in the WWF! But for now, let's head back to the ring!




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Crush's Challenge

The last time we saw Crush, he was not in good shape after he was sneak attacked by Doink the Clown with a taser given to him by an impostor referee who we learned last week goes by the name The Ringmaster.

This week on WWF Superstars, we got the chance to hear from Crush for the first time since King of the Ring...



Backstage, Todd Pettengill was standing by with Crush.

Todd Pettengill:
Crush, first and foremost, it's good to see you looking in much better shape than last we saw you at King of the Ring. I was there that night and found Joey Marella tied up backstage just before Doink and The Ringmaster struck, I wish I could've acted faster! But you look good here tonight!

Crush:
Oh, bruddah - don'tcha worry 'bout it! But you're right about one thing - I am good and I am feelin' good, bruddah! Doink keeps tryin' to put me down but I keep gettin' right back up again! This ain't over, not by a long shot! Hey - wait just a minute!

Crush acted like he saw something in the distance, pushing his way past Todd - noticing a man in a top hat from behind.

Crush:

You again! Stay outta this!

Crush grabbed what he clearly thought was The Ringmaster, but when he spun grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around...it was just some old dude with a monocle wearing a fancy suit and a top hat. The old man scoffed at Crush, turned his nose up at him and walked away as Crush tried to apologize. Sadly, we would get no other explanation as to what such a formerly dressed man was doing randomly backstage. Todd Pettengill caught back up with Crush.

Todd Pettengill:
These guys have really gotten to you, haven't they Crush?

Crush:
Nah, you know me, Todd. I'm a calm...cool...collected kinda guy. Nothin' gets to me, bruddah! But I do know if I see either two of those clowns around, I'm gonna give them a piece of my mind, ya know.

Todd Pettengill:
I can understand that for sure. So what's next for Crush - it sounds like you're aiming for another rematch...

Crush:
You got that right. I will get a REAL rematch with the Clown, fa sure. But what I'm really gonna do next, bruddah - is step up to the plate and do somehting for Hawaiaa...do somethin' for the U S A! That's right, Todd - July 4th, I'm throwin' my name into the hat...I'm gonna lift up Yokozuna and SLAM HIM TO THE MAT!

While Todd's face showed his excitement, he didn't get a chance to react as Bam Bam Bigelow walked into the shot, already laughing.

Bam Bam Bigelow:
Hahahaha! Boy, you think you have a shot at slammin' YOKOZUNA? Give me a break! You can't even beat a clown! I bet you couldn't even body slam ME!

Crush:
You wanna see me try, bruddah?

Crush looked eager to fight, but Bigelow stopped him in his tracks.

Bam Bam Bigelow:
Woah! What happened to being calm and cool? It looks like that clown has done a number on your mind! And if you're mind ain't there - then neither is your body. You got plenty of muscles, boy - but you're not firing on all cylinders! You want to step into the ring with the Beast from the East, you're gonna need to bring your muscles AND your brain! So tell ya what, you watch what I do tonight in the ring because next week - I have no problem bringin' the pain to you. If I was you, I'd just head back to Hawaii before you end up biting off more than you can chew!

Bigelow laughed before walking of screen as Crush could only stare him down as he walked off.



And just as he promised, Bigelow headed out to the ring for his match against El Matador. Matador managed to get in some offense against the Beast from The East, but Bigelow was just too much and he finished him off with the Diving Headbutt for the pinfall victory. It was revealed during that match that Bigelow vs. Crush had in fact been signed for next week on Raw!


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More Challengers Come Forth!



As Raw came to a close this week, we got some pre-recorded promos from a mixture of WWF stars and professional athletes all putting their name into the hat to attempt to slam Yokozuna alongside the already mentioned Crush and Bob Backlund. In the green screen background of each of these promos the American flag waved proudly while the Star Spangled Banner played overtop each promo.

First up, it was Super Bowl XXI champion Defensive End from the New York Giants,
George Martin.

George Martin:

Oh the 4th of July - hamburgers..hotdogs...and 500 pounds of Yokozuna...flat on the mat. In 1987, I took home the Superbowl for the New York Giants, but this time I'm gonna be doin' this for the good ole US of A. I'll see you on the Intrepid!

Next up it was current Center of Green Bay Packers offensive line, Jim Campen.

Jim Campen:

Wow...what an opportunity! July 4th - the Stars and Stripes - the WWF! I'll tell you this Yokozuna, I catch 1600 pound grizzlies in the off season with these arms...so I have no doubt that I can slam you to the mat!

Up next, we got a WWF Superstar joining the ranks, the Native American Warrior - Tatanka!

Tatanka:

YOKOZUNA! Your challenge to slam you is a DISGRACE to an American National holiday! I can gaurantee you this one thing! On July 4th, I will summon the great spirits - I will use their STRENGTH to lift you up into the air and SLAM YOU DOWN on the U.S.S. INTREPID!

Tatanka let out a war cry as the Star Spangled Banner continued to play in the background. And finally, it was the new WWF Tag Team Champions, Rick and Scott Steiner.

Scott Steiner:

We did it, Ricky - we finally did it! We've become the WWF Tag Team Champions!

Rick Steiner:
It was only a matter of time, brother! There is no tag team that can touch the Steiner Brothers when it comes to our wrestling background!

Scott Steiner:
You got that right! These belts are going no where any time soon! But let's talk about something just as important as these tag team titles...and that's Independence Day!

Rick Steiner:
Yokozuna! You want to try and embarrass this great country on it's birthday! The Steiner Brothers aren't gonna let that happen!

Scott Steiner:
Whether it's me or my brother, one of us will do what needs to be done on July 4th...Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji, this WILL NOT end the way you think it will! America will overcome just like it did all those years ago!

As Rick and Scott high fived one another, the Raw credits rolled as we faded out to a still image promo hyping up The Stars & Stripes Challenge on July 4th on USA.





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Other Highlights


Diesel wasn't the only person making his in-ring debut this week on Raw as The Ringmaster also was in action for the first time. Accompanied to the ring by Doink, The Ringmaster took on Louis Armstrong. While the result certainly was never going to be in doubt, Armstrong showed some fight but ultimately The Ringmaster won with a DDT.

This week on WWF Update, Marty Jannetty was interviewed about his disappointing loss to Shawn Michaels at King of the Ring, but promised that eventually Michaels was going to get what was coming to him. Jannetty then brought up that he was working with his pupil, "The 1-2-3 Kid" as he was dubbed by Gene Okerlund, Chris Candido, to put the finishing touches on a WWF rookie contract! Jannetty hoped it would be finalized by next week!

The Beverly Brothers returned to action this week on WWF Superstars, picking up a win over PJ Walker and Duane Gill. Also on Superstars, "The Narcissist" Lex Luger took on Virgil in a match that saw Luna Vachon getting heavily involved, showing off her own strength as she actually lifted up Virgil outside the ring and body slammed him to the ground! Luger probably didn't really need the help, but as he's said before - why get your own hands beautiful hands dirty when he has Luna to do it for him. Luger would finish Virgil off with the padded Bionic Elbow. And finally, Bob Backlund defeated Tommy Boy with his chicken wing submission.

Hype for next week: Razor Ramon makes his first appearance since winning the King of the Ring tournament and being attacked by Bret Hart. Ramon will be on hand for a special interview with Vince McMahon to discuss the upcoming rematch with Bret Hart at the Stars & Stripes Challenges. We'll also hear from Yokozuna and other competitors will emerge for the Body Slam challenge. In the feature match on Raw, Bam Bam Bigelow and Crush will collide in singles competition. And we'll also see Tatanka defending America against Jacques Rougeau!

On WWF Superstars, we'll see more of Diesel as he takes on El Matador plus Lex Luger, CarnEvil, and Marty Jannety all in action. Plus, what teams will be looking to collect on the bounty put on the heads of WWF's "Most Wanted" - The Smoking Gunns?




Quick WWF Raw Results
The Smoking Gunns (Bart Gunn & Billy Gunn) def. Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Mr. Hughes) by pinfall
The Ringmaster (w/Doink the Clown) def. Louis Armstrong by pinfall
Diesel def. Koko B. Ware by pinfall


Quick WWF Superstars of Wrestling Results
The Beverly Brothers def. PJ Walker & Daune Gill by pinfall
Lex Luger def. Virgil by pinfall
Bob Backlund def. Tommy Boy by submission
Bam Bam Bigelow def. El Matador by pinfall
Mr. Hughes (w/Ted DiBiase) def. Scott Depres by pinfall
Shawn Michaels def. Typhoon by pinfall


Current Stars & Stripes Challenge Card
Winner Receives a WWF Championship Match at Summerslam:
"The King of the Ring" Razor Ramon vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart
Body Slam Challenge: America vs. Yokozuna
No Countout Match: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Jacques Rougeau
 

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WWF Recap - Week of June 21, 1993


The True King of the Ring

One of the most anticipated moments leading up to this week's Raw was the fact that we'd get to hear from King of the Ring winning Razor Ramon for the first time since winning and subsequently being beaten down by Bret Hart at King of the Ring. With a rematch with Bret just two weeks away, the world was ready to hear from "The Bad Guy."


As we returned to Raw, Vince McMahon was now standing in the middle of the ring.

Vince McMahon:
Joining us now, ladies and gentleman, the 1993 KING OF THE RING....RAZOR....RAMON!

"Bad Guy" hit the PA system and brought Razor Ramon out for the first time since winning the King of the Ring tournament. The New York crowd greeted the freshly face turned Ramon with big cheers as he sauntered out from the back. The mannerisms were still mostly the same, still had the toothpicks in his ear and mouth and he doesn't really interact with the fans - but the fans still seem to love him. Razor climbed into the ring to join Vince in the middle of the ring.

Vince McMahon:
Razor Ramon, it was two weeks ago that the world witnessed your Herculean effort to fight through the vicious attack put onto that seemingly injured shoulder of yours by Bret Hart to come back and still win the first ever King of the Ring Tournament - only to have The Hitman steal you moment of glory with his heinous assault after the match...first and foremost, how is your shoulder doing?

Razor smirked before starting to rub that left shoulder with his other hand and then rotating it back and forth.

Razor Ramon:
Let's just say, Vince...it's good ta go.

The crowd cheered as Ramon once again gave a smirk.

Vince McMahon:
I think we can all agree that that is some good news, especially in two weeks when you once again have to face off with Bret Hart aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid, with a shot at the WWF Championship on the line!

Razor Ramon:
Ya see Vince...thas what it's all about, my friend. That's what this whole King of Da Ring...was all about. Getting to the W...W...F... World Championship. Hitmang....

Ramon paused, as the crowd began loudly booing at just the mention of their former hero.

Razor Ramon:
At King of Da Ring, Hitmang, you showed everyone your true colors. Ya know, all this time - you had everybody fooled, didn't ya Hitmang. You thought you could be these people's favorite. You thought you could play nice. But ya see, the thing about me is - Da Bad Guy never had to hide who he was. You want to ask me "who da bad guy is now?" - Hitmang, you think you're some kinda tough guy cuz you can attack me from behind? You ain't no bad guy, chico - you're just an asshole.

The censors quickly caught Ramon's wording, but the crowd certainly loved it.

Vince McMahon:
Oh my! I apologize for that but this is RAW, after all! Razor Ramon not afraid to let us know how he really feels about Bret, and who can blame you after what he did to you? Two weeks ago, you two met after a grueling tournament...this time, you both have had weeks to prepare for this HUGE match up, we all know how meticulous Bret Hart is about his studying of his opponents - what is Razor Ramon doing to prepare for The Hitman this go around?

Razor Ramon:
Heh, ya know, I'll be ready for whatever Hitmang once to bring at me. He wants to wrestle, mang I can wrestle. He likes to talk about his Dungeon and the Hart Family....ever'body knows Da Bad Guy doesn't come from some world class....fancy...legacy like him. But, ya know what I do have, I got the street smarts. I came up from fightin' to live on the streets - and ya have'ta fight big guys...lil' guys....brawlers...speedsters...I've seen it all, mang. So whatever Hitmang wants to throw at me, you can believe me...I'll be ready.

Vince McMahon:
And the world certainly will be ready to see you two in action again. And I know your goal is that WWF Championship currently held by Hulk Hogan...

Razor Ramon:
I've always been told...Razor...mang, you look good in gold. It ain't no secret, that I love my gold...I got the chains 'round my neck....and pretty soon, I'll have the gold 'round my waist too. After all, now that I'm King of Da Ring - it only makes sense for me to have some gold...

"The Great Gate of Kiev" interrupted, bringing the crowd to boos as it meant Jerry "The King" Lawler was making his way out from the back. Vince seemed confused in the ring while Ramon placed his hands on his hips, but remained otherwise calm and collected as Lawler strolled out from the back wearing his royal robe and crown. As Lawler finally entered the ring, Vince was quick to question him.

Vince McMahon:
I don't believe this has much to do with you Jerry Lawler, what are you...

Jerry Lawler:
Nothing to with me? From where I'm standing, VINCE, it has EVERYTHING to do with me. There's a whole lot of blasphemy going on in this ring, and I wasn't going to stand for it.

Vince McMahon:
I'm sorry - blasphemy?

Jerry Lawler:
Referring to this man as any type of "King" - it's pure blasphemy, Vince! Look at this thug - this man is NOBODY's KING! Now look at me...the PICTURE of royalty...the TRUE KING OF WRESTLING!

Lawler extended his arms in the air as the crowd rained in the boos and mixed in a "BURGER KING" chant.

Razor Ramon:
I dunno mang, sounds to me like these people think you're the True King of the Burgers!

Ramon laughed as Vince tried to hide a smile cracking on his face. The crowd ate it up while Lawler pitched a fit in the ring.

Jerry Lawler:
Nobody cares about what these people think! You think these people know ANYTHING about ROYALTY? They live in this Hellhole with all the smog, pollution, and sewer rats! These people are the scum of the Earth! If you want to be THEIR KING - well, then enjoy being the King of the Sewer Rats!

Razor Ramon:
Ya know, last I checked you sold your spot in the tournament, like a lil' coward. Prolly 'cuz you didn't want anything to do with Da Bad Guy.

Jerry Lawler:
I sold my spot because I didn't need no stupid tournament to tell me I'm the King. I ALREADY AM THE KING! Look at you - you look like something that just crawled out of a grease pit and was knocked in the mouth with the ugly stick! God knows who you stole those gold chains from because we all know you couldn't afford them yourself!

Ramon's cool demeanor started to fade away as a slight snarl crossed his face.

Jerry Lawler:
So, listen - I think we can all agree that there's only one King here in the WWF. So let's stop all this pretending, and bring the hierarchy back to its proper state...

Razor Ramon:
Oh yeah? And what's that?

Jerry Lawler:
You kneel before your King and KISS...MY....FOOT!

Ramon looked down at Lawler's feet and promptly shook his head in disagreement.

Razor Ramon:
Nah, mang - the Bad Guy don't kiss nobody's feet. But I tell ya what, I WILL kick your ass!

Ramon positioned himself to fight, but King quickly back tracked, stepping out of the ring.

Jerry Lawler:
Not so fast, Razor! I'm not prepared for a match tonight!

Vince McMahon:
Well, how about NEXT WEEK?!

Ramon signaled Lawler to "bring it" with his hands...Lawler was still hesitating, but Ramon instigated further.

Razor Ramon:
Surely a King like you could handle a thug like me with ease - maybe you really aren't a King after all!

Jerry Lawler:
You know what! YOU'RE ON! AND NEXT WEEK, AFTER I WIN - RAZOR RAMON, YOU WILL KISS MY FOOT!

Lawler left the ring in a huff as Razor Ramon smirked and nodded his head.

Vince McMahon:
What a match set for next week! King vs. King - Lawler vs. Ramon - right here on Raw!

"Bad Guy" played once again as we headed to break with Ramon staring Lawler down from the ring.



It would be confirmed later on Raw that it was set for next week - Lawler vs. Ramon! One had to imagine Bret Hart would be watching that one closely.


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The Hype Continues!

With just two weeks to go until America's birthday - the hype for the Stars and Stripes Challenge was hot and heavy this week, especially as it related to Yokozuna's Bodyslam Challenge. This week on Superstars, we would get to hear from the man himself, Yokozuna - but also some more entrants looking to bodyslam the behemoth.


A series of promos once again aired hyping up the Bodyslam Challenge at WWF's Stars & Stripes Challenge, first by the men throwing down the challenge - Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna. Their pre-recorded clip featured Fuji and Yokozuna standing in front of a green screen that showed the U.S.S. Intrepid in the background.

Mr. Fuji:
It's so close, my Yokozuna is so excited! Stars and Stripes Challenge...that's right, my Yokozuna is challenging all of WWF's professional wrestlers and all the professional athletes from your little American sports - baseball, basketball, football, track - you name it. One stipulation - YOU MUST BE AMERICAN, HA HA HA HA! We want to celebrate a new Japanese holiday - the day Yokozuna defeat ALL OF AMERICA! HA HA HA HA! Because we know there is no one who can pick up my Yokozuna. Not even HULK HOGAN could pick up my Yokozuna! All of Japan is ready to celebrate our victorious victory! July 4th - we challenge all the athletes to show up so that we can make you Americans look like big fools! Hahaha - that's right! Yokozuna!

Yokozuna:
AMERICANS......WEAK!

Mr. Fuji:

Yes, Americans very weak - Japanese are very strong! And on July 4th, Yokozuna will survive. YOKOZUNA!

Yokozuna:
BONZAI!


From Yokozuna and Fuji we cut to some words from the Pittsburgh Penguins' Defenseman - Peter Taglianetti.

Peter Taglianetti:
Yokozuna, you've put down the American athlete long enough! Come July 4th, I'm comin' to slam you. You may be as big as a horse, but you smell like one too!

We then transitioned to 4-time NFL Pro Bowler from the Detroit Lions, Bill Fralic.

Bill Fralic:
It's every professional football player's dream to play in the Superbowl. Now, on July 4th, every professional athlete in America wants do to done thing - slam 550 pound Yokozuna on his back, and I think that it's gonna be me to do it...for America!

One more athlete to hear from this week and it was the young point guard from the NBA's New Jersey Nets, Kenny Anderson.

Kenny Anderson:

Ya know what, I'm used to dealin' with some big guys in the NBA - Yokozuna, you're nothin' more htan a 550-pound marshmellow. So on July 4th - Yokozuna - you're goin' down!

From the athletes, we cut to "The Macho Man" Randy Savage, who had a somewhat surprising declaration to make...

Randy Savage:
July 4th, such an important day in this country's history! You know the Macho Man wouldn't miss this date for the world. I'm gonna be decked out in the red, the white, and the blue...Stars and Stripes Challenge...whattaya tryin' to do Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna...make us look like FOOLS on INDEPEDENCE DAY? Nu uh - I DON'T THINK SO! THE MACHO MAN has been sittin' on the sidelines for a while now - but I can only take so much of watchin' you run your mouth about this great country! SO YA KNOW WHAT...SUNDAY JULY FOURTH...THE MACHO MAN...IS GONNA TAKE OFF THIS HAT AND THESE GLASSES...AND THE MACHO MAN IS GONNA THROW IS NAME INTO THE HAT! THAT'S RIGHT - The Macho Man is gonna be on the U.S.S. Intrepid, not just to call the action but to SLAM YOU, YOKOZUNA! YOU DIG IT? OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH YEAH!

Cutting back to the in-ring action, Vince McMahon acted shock alongside Savage on the commentary booth that Savage had decided to enter the Challenge, and Savage just repeated that it was time someone shut Yokozuna up and maybe it needed to be him!




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She's SNAPPED!

At WrestleMania, Luna Vachon and Sensational Sherri found themselves on opposite corners of the Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka Intercontinental Championship match that ended with an intense brawl between the two, with Sherri needing medical assistance only for Luna to once again attack her in the back...and since then, the two have continued to find themselves at odds. Luna has aligned herself with Lex Luger in a feud with Tatanka and Sherri - which to this point it has been Luger and Luna getting most of the last laugh. While Tatanka did cost Luger a spot in the King of the Ring - the once undefeated Tatanka now has not one but two defeats on his record, both thanks to Luger and Luna's distraction. And for Sherri, she even finds herself in an eye patch thanks to being sent head first into Luger's mirror...

It was only a matter of time until Luna Vachon and Sensational Sherri would once again get their hands on one another...and for Sherri, enough was enough this week on Raw when a match between Tatanka and Jacques Rougeau would once again be effected by the "Beauty and the Beast" duo.



"I'm The Mountie" brought out the former Mountie, who clearly needs some new music. As Jacques Rougeau made his way out, scoffing at the fans at ringside, the commentary team hyped up his upcoming match at Stars & Stripes against Jim Duggan. To this point, Rougeau has escaped an official "clean" loss to Duggan thanks to countout, but on July 4th - it will be a No Countout Match...meaning Rougeau would have nowhere to run against Hacksaw!

Rougeau would take the microphone as he entered the ring.

Jacques Rougeau:
STOP THE MUSIC! STOP THE MUSIC!

"Thank God!" Randy Savage declared from commentary as the music mercifully is shut off.

Jacques Rougeau:
You filthy Americans - you make me SICK! Do you even know who I am? I am a WORLD CLASS athlete from the great city of Quebec in the greatest country in the world - CANADA!

Big cheap heat for the anti-American gimmick.

Jacques Rougeau:
Boo me all you want, but one by one your American heros will fall to me! In two weeks, I will disgrace "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan on America's birthday...and TONIGHT, I'm looking forward to crushing one of your heroes who has been STUPID enough to live in this wretched country since the very beginning...

"WAR DANCE"

Tatanka wasted no time RUSHING down to the ring, slapping a few hands at the ringside but climbed right into the ring, fired up to be defending America against Rougeau, who ducked to ringside quickly when Tatanka darted out. Sensational Sherri, still sporting the eyepatch thanks to Luna Vachon, made her way out to join Tatanka in the ring, taking his ring gear with her to ringside as Rougeau slowly climbed into the ring to start the match..


Jacques Rougeau vs. Tatanka

Rougeau and Tatanka circled one another to start the match, before Rougeau decided it was wise to openly taunt Tatanka by mocking Tatanka's war dance right in front of him...Tatanka stared on, clearly unamused at Rougeau's antics as Rougeau danced his way back towards Tatanka...who met him with an OPEN HAND SLAP right to the face! Rougeau was stunned by Tatanka's slap, but fired back with his own chop that was BLOCKED by Tatanka who then fired back with another chop that sent Rougeau to a knee! Rougeau was back up quickly but Tatanka fired away with a pair of backhand chops to Rougeau's chest before Irish Whipping him into the ropes, but Rougeau reversed it and sent Tatanka into the ropes. LEAP frog by Rougeau over Tatanka who bounced off the opposite ropes, charging back as Rougeau hit a BACK ELBOW to Tatanka...that was completely NO SOLD by the Native American warrior!

Rougeau was dumbfounded as Tatanka was not phased and found himself once again getting lit up by Tatanka's stiff chops - repeated back hand chops from Tatanka sent Rougeau back into the ropes again...off the ropes, Tatanka lifted Rougeau up into an Atomic Drop! Rougeau was left bouncing, holding his crotch in pain before Tatanka lifted him up - BACK SUPLEX! Tatanka made the cover!

One - Two - KICKOUT by Rougeau.

Tatanka wasted no time going back on the offfensive as Rougeau got back to his feet, hitting him with another pair of chops before sending Rougeau into the ropes...but Rougeau hooked onto the top rope to stop his own momentum...only to have Tatanka charged in with a CLOTHESLINE that sent Rougeau over the top rope to the floor!

Tatanka was fired up in the ring as Sherri cheered him on from ringside. Meanwhile, Rougeau tried to take a breather on the outside of the ring. After playing to the crowd, Tatanka turned his attention to Rougeau at ringside, who was taking his sweet time to go back to the ring. With his back to the aisle, Tatanka began calling out for Rougeau to re-enter the ring...but suddenly it was LEX LUGER rushing down to the ring, sliding into the ring and attacking Tatanka from behind - drawing a disqualification!

Winner: Tatanka by Disqualification at 4:02


Jacques Rougeau seemed fine with the outcome, smiling as he watched on from ringside as Luger worked over Tatanka in the corner. Luger then backed off...and reached his right arm in the air and REMOVED THE PROTECTIVE PADDING from his "Bionic Forearm!" Sherri cried out from ringside to Tatanka as Luger CHARGED into the corner looking for his Forearm Smash...

But TATANKA MOVED OUT OF THE WAY! LUGER SMASHED THE TURNBUCKLES!


The crowd came alive as Tatanka worked over Luger with some stiff chops..LUGER AS REELING from the stiff attack from the Native American as Tatanka began the WAR DANCE...

TOMAHAWK CHOP TO LUGER!

Down went the Narcissist! Luger was back to his feet - another TOMAHAWK CHOP! Luger staggered back to his feet again as Tatanka stomped around the ring before coming back in to lift Luger up.....

PAPOOSE TO GO!

"Luger's attempt of once again attacking Tatanka has backfired here tonight!" Vince McMahon declared as Sensational Sherri joined Tatanka in the ring with a microphone.

Sensational Sherri:
LUNA VACHON! THE PLAN DIDN'T WORK, DID IT?!

Tatanka stood tall in the ring, nodding in agreement whit Sherri as he looked down at the struggling Lex Luger.

Sensational Sherri:
If your little "BEAUTY" is here in the ring with me, that means you can't be far away! SO COME ON LUNA! YOU STARTED THIS AT WRESTLEMANIA - LET'S FINISH IT - RIGHT HERE! RIGHT NOW!

From the back, Luna Vachon indeed show herself as she very slowly walked out from the back...as the announce booth wondered if she was really going to answer the challenge, Sherri decided to not wait to find out as she LEFT THE RING, RUSHING AT LUNA TO MEET HER HEAD ON IN THE AISLE!

Sherri met Luna in the aisle with a boot to the midsection but Luna fought right back as the two began to brawl towards ringside. The referee tried to intervene, but the enraged Sherri SHOVED HIM INTO THE GUARD RAIL! But as Sherri disposed of the referee, Luna came back with a rake to the eyes of Sherri!

Luna grabbed Sherri by the hair and went to slam her head first into the ring apron, but Sherri blocked it! KNEE to the midsection from Sherri as she grabbed Luna in a front facelock...VERTICAL SUPLEX ON THE FLOOR FROM SHERRI TO LUNA!

Luna rolled up to her knees, a semblance of a smile on her face as she winced through the pain - but Sherri wasn't letting up! She grabbed Luna and leaned her up against the apron..."ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" Sherri cried out before hitting a RIGHT HAND to Luna! But Luna fought back, hitting a knee to Sherri to make some space before ripping away Sherri's sports jacket and lighting up her upper chest with a big front hand chop!

The referee once again tried to intervene, but this time it was Luna - grabbing the referee by the throat and then kicking the referee right between the legs! But meanwhile, Sherri had grabbed one of the camera cable cords...and LEAPED ONTO LUNA'S BACK, wrapping the cord around her throat!

"These two women are going to kill each other!" McMahon declared, insisting help come out to stop them...

As Sherri had Luna down onto the ground, continuing to choke her with the camera cord, Tatanka finally left the ring to try and pull Sherri off of Luna - the damage clearly been done...but Sherri was clearly not pleased by her client intervening! Sherri shoved Tatanka, who was not phased by it!

"Let 'em fight! C'mon Tatanka, it was just starting to get good!" Heenan implored.

"Sherri has LOST IT, McMahon! Even Tatanka knew when it was time to draw the line!" Randy Savage stated from commentary.

"Weeks of being tormented by Luna has taken it's toll on Sherri - and she doesn't want to let up!"

Sherri tried to jump back onto Luna, getting in some kicks before Tatanka scooped her up into his arms. Sherri was furious as Tatanka literally carried her to the back - literally kicking and screaming. Raw would come to a close with Luger and Luna both licking their wounds before we got a final shot of Tatanka carrying the screaming Sherri behind the curtains!



While it remained to be seen what the dynamic between Tatanka and Sherri would be like after this interaction, one thing was confirmed on WWF Superstars during WWF Update - a GRUDGE match had been added to the Stars and Stripes card...it would be LUNA VACHON versus SENSATIONAL SHERRI!

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GET YER POPCORN!

Last week on Raw, a backstage confrontation between Bam Bam Bigelow and Crush would lead to a match this week...simple enough right? Well, except for the fact that during Crush's interview last week, we saw a glimpse of the return of Crush's paranoia - which was initially over Doink the Clown, but had clearly extended to Doink's new associate of CarnEvil, The Ringmaster.

Would CarnEvil continue to play mind games with Crush this week?


Crush vs. "The Beast from the East" Bam Bam Bigelow


The bell rang to start the match and the two big men circled each other before moving in for a collar and elbow tie up. After a brief struggle, they broke the hold as neither m n could get the upper hand. Crush gave a confident smile, knowing that he had briefly matched power with Bigelow, which didn't set well with The Beast from The East, who in a fury went in for a right hand only to have Crush BLOCK it and fire back with right hand of his own to rock Bigelow. Crush went on the offensive quickly with some punches and kicks to Bigelow before whipping Bigelow into the ropes, but Bigelow came off the ropes with a big shoulder block to Crush that staggered the Hawaiian but didn't knock him down!

Crush responded quickly, charging back with his own shoulder block - but Bigelow was unphased! Bigelow exploded with some hard right hands to Crush before sending Crush into the ropes...CLOTHESLINE from Bigelow is DUCKED by Crush as he then bounced off the opposite ropes and leaped into the air with a jumping clothesline that staggered the Beast! Crush kept on the attack with another pair of right hands to get Bigelow into the ropes before Crush charged in with a clothesline - only to have Bigelow drop down grabbing the bottom rope and sending Crush SAILING over the ropes with his own momentum, crashing to ringside!

Bigelow rolled to ringside as well, stalking Crush as he pulled himself up to his feet. With a sadistic smile, Bigelow pointed towards the ring apron, playing on Crush's paranoia..."WHAT IS THAT?!" Bigelow shouted, easily drawing Crush's attention towards the apron curtains, only to have Bigelow shove Crush from behind, sending Crush colliding into the ring post head first!

Crush was in a daze as Bigelow continued his attack on the outside before rolling Crush back into the ring. Crush was trying to get back to his feet as Bigelow re-entered the ring and quickly stopped Crush's recovery with an elbow to the back of the head before grabbing a handful of Crush's long hair and running towards the turnbuckles...but Crush blocked the head slam attempt! He turned the tables on Bigelow, now slamming Bigelow head first into the turnbuckles before beginning to work the cornered Bigelow with some repeated knees to the midsection.

Momentum had swung in favor of Crush has he ran in with a clothesline to the cornered Bigelow, but when he pulled Bigelow out of the corner and attempted to hook him for a vertical suplex, Bigelow fought it off with a knee to the midsection and then delivered a big headbutt that sent Crush to the mat. Bigelow then bounced off the ropes and dropped a falling headbutt to Crush's abdomen!

As Bigelow continued in control, the camera began to spot a popcorn vendor in the crowd, which was only unusual because it's nothing something that the tended to show up on camera. Especially with the vendor being quite loud and obnoxious in his "POPCORN - GET YOUR POPCORN!" to the point that even commentary mentioned how distracting he was being, though Heenan noted he suddenly had a hankering for some popcorn. It should be noted we don't yet see anything but the back of the curly haired popcorn vendor.

Bigelow dropped another headbutt down to Crush in the ring before going for the cover - One, Two, KICKOUT by Crush! Bigelow was back up and quickly stomped on the back of Crush's head as he tried to get to his feet, before grabbing him and whipping him into the turnbuckles. Bigelow charged in...only for CRUSH TO GET HIS BOOT UP! Bigelow was left staggered as Crush ran out of the corner with a RUNNING BULLDOG to Bigelow! Crush made his first pinfall attempt of the match - One, Two, Bigelow with the kickout!

The crowd began to rally behind Crush as he suddenly found himself in control, attacking Bigelow as he tried to get to his feet before showing off his strength as he lifted the 300-pounder off the mat - BODYSLAM! Which, of course, was the commentary's cue to discuss the Bodyslam Challenge at Stars & Stripes, which Crush was competing in. Another cover by Crush resulted in a two count.

Crush continued on the attack, soon working Bigelow over to the ropes again with a flurry of punches and kicks...and he would once again charge towards Bigelow, but Bigelow countered again - this time with a BACK DROP sending Crush over the top rope to the floor once again! Bigelow stumbled away from the ropes and dropped down to the mat!

The referee checked on Bigelow as Crush got to his feet outside the ring, where right behind him at ringside as that annoying Popcorn Vendor....Crush, hearing his cries for "POPCORN", turned to see what the commotion was...as the Vendor turned around to reveal himself as The Ringmaster! The Ringmaster smacked Crushed across the head with his popcorn tray - popcorn flying EVERYWHERE! The Ringmaster leaped over the guardrail, smacking the tray across Crush's back before rolling the big man back into the ring as Bigelow got to his feet and the referee now was once again paying full attention..

With Crush struggling to recover, Bigelow lifted him up onto his shoulders and delivered a big RUNNING POWERSLAM before climbing to the top turnbuckle to deliver the Diving Headbutt off the top! Bigelow made the cover, hooked the leg, while The Ringmaster watched on with amusement.


One - Two - Three!


Winner - Bam Bam Bigelow by pinfall at 8:54



With CarnEvil, especially The Ringmaster, once again getting the upperhand on Crush and forcing Crush into yet another loss...it would be revealed on WWF Update on Superstars, that a match had been signed for Stars and Stripes that would see Crush taking on The Ringmaster in one on one action! No doubt Crush would be looking forward to getting his hands on this apparent master of disguise after this week and what happened at King of the Ring.


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Gunning for the Gunns

Last week, The Smoking Gunns got the biggest win of their young WWF career when they defeated Ted DiBiase and Mr. Hughes on Raw. Needless to say, this did not sit well with The Million Dollar Man. His response - something with nothing but a lot of money to spend would do...just putting a little bounty out on the heads of Bart and Billy Gunn.

This week, flyers showcasing Bart and Billy Gunn as "WANTED" were plastered all over the backstage area and even distributed to fans as they entered the Manhattan Center. The Smoking Gunns were no doubt wanted men and with a "generous reward" promised by the Million Dollar Man - there were bound to be plenty of people hungry to try and take out the Gunns.

It would definitely turn out to be the case, as The Gunns would find out during their interview time on Raw.

The cameras cut to backstage where Todd Pettengill was standing by with Bart and Billy Gunn - The Smoking Gunns.

Todd Pettengill:

Bart, Billy - after your, what some would call, upset victory over Money Inc. last week - you two have a literal bullseye on your backs after Ted DiBiase put a bounty on your heads - how does it feel knowing anyone and everyone could be, well...gunning...for the Smoking Gunns.

Bart Gunn:
How's it feel? HOW'S IT FEEL?! Well, gee - how do you feel right now, Billy?

Billy Gunn:
YEEEEEEEHHAAAWW - Bart, I've never felt BETTER!

Bart Gunn:
Some may call it an upset there, Toddy boy, but for us, we never had a doubt! And Billy and me - we say bring it on! We're saddled up and ready for battle!

Billy Gunn:
You think this is the first rodeo for me and Bart? We're no strangers to the 'Most Wanted' list, if ya know what I mean. And we don't care who you are or where yo...

Todd Pettengill:
Wait just a..

Todd was trying to get out a warning as he saw the incoming Blake and Beau Beverly jumping into the frame to attack Bart and Billy from behind! The Smoking Gunns quickly fought back - slugging it out with the Beverly Brothers and getting the upperhand quickly on the other set of brothers. Bart and Billy both lifted up one of the Beverly Brothers and slammed them to the hard floor!

With Blake and Beau seemingly disposed of, the two shook the "dust" off their hands as they rejoined Todd Pettengill.

Todd Pettengill:
Looks like we have our first to try to cash in!

Billy Gunn:
Tried and failed - just like anyone else. Todd, they can fire as many shots as they want as at us, but wheen the smoke clears, it will be the Smoking Gunns...

This time it was Billy getting cut off as now it was Fatu and Samu - The Headshrinkers coming in with the backstage attack on the Gunns! Billy and Bart once again fought back, though Fatu and Samu were not being disposed of quite so easily. Todd decided to check out for his own safety.

Fatu slammed Bart back first into the wall and kept on pounding while Billy had a front facelock on Samu, while Samu was still punching away to try and break free.

WWF Officials would quickly interject to break up this brawl between the two teams as we would cut to break with the officials struggling to hold these two teams back from one another!



As a a result of the attack on Raw, a match was made for WWF Superstars of Wrestling that would put The Smoking Gunns in tag team action against The Headshrinkers!

But before we get to that match, it wasn't just the current WWF roster looking to go get on Ted DiBiase's bounty...it would appear word had escaped outside the WWF as well, as we would find out in a vignette that aired on both Raw and Superstars.




The camera cut to a pre-recorded vignette that started out by showing us the outside of a rundown looking business inside of a strip mall in an undisclosed city. The sign on the outside of the building read "Men on a Mission Bounty Hunting." We faded to the interior of the building where we found a messy looking office space occupied by two African Americans - one being quite large, leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on a desk covered in food wrappers and scattered paper work, while munching on a beefy looking sandwich. The other fellow who was shorter but stocky was smoking on a cigar with his own feet propped up on the chair.

???:

C'mon Mabel, y'know that's Oscar's right?

The larger fellow, now identified as Mabel, simply chuckles and keeps on eatting.

Mabel:
Boy, I didnt see his name on it! Besides, Mo, both you and me know he ain't bringin' in the 'nuff business for us for me to be packin' my own lunch, anyway.

The stocky fellow, now identified as Mo, can't help but laugh himself.

Mo:
You ain't lyin', my brotha!

Mo took another puff of his cigar before the door to the office swung open as another stocky African American rushed in wearing slacks and a button up shirt, holding a file folder in his hands.

???:
You boy's betta be ready to work!

Mabel and Mo don't budge from their respective positions, clearly annoying the man who just walked in.

Mo:
Oscar, if you're hear to tell us about your cousin Leroy skipping his court date again - that don't count - he ain't no payin' client.

Frustrated, Oscar walked over and shoved Mabel's feet off the desk and then snatched the cigar from Mo and put it out on the desk.

Oscar:
How many times do I gotta tell you two? No smokin' in the building, no eatin' at the desks, and for God's sake clean up after y'selves! I'm tryin' to run a respectable b'ness here!

Mo and Mabel both looked at one another and laughed.

Mabel:
C'mon man, this will be a b'ness when you start being able to sign our paychecks.

Oscar:
Ok, very funny you two. You want s'mthin to do - well take a look at this!

Oscaro opened up his file folder, removed a paper from it and slammed it down on Mabel's desk. It was the "Wanted" poster of The Smoking Gunns seen earlier on Raw, highlighting Ted DiBiase's generous reward. Mo got up from his chair to join the trio around Mabel's desk.

Mo:
Maaaan - what the Hell is this?!

Mabel:
C'mon Oscar - thought you had something REAL for us.

Oscar:
You idiots just don't get it do ya - this IS real. You know they call Ted DiBiase the MILLION Dollar Man. MILLION - with an 'M.' Can you get that through ya thick skulls?

Mo:
I dunno man, this seems a lil' outside the world of catchin' criminals skippin' bail.

Oscar:
Look at these two smilin' cowboys - takin' these guys down should be nothin' compared to the low lives we've dealt with...

Mabel:
...yeah, and Leroy!

Oscar rolled his eyes before continuing.

Oscar:
C'mon boys - this could be the pay day we all need.

Mabel and Mo looked at one another, but before an answer could be given - the phone on Mo's desk rang. Oscar walked over and picked it up.

Oscar:
Men on a Mission, who can we get for ya? What....really? Ugh...okay, we're on it.

Oscar slammed the phone down.

Oscar:
Alright boys, let's table this for now - we gotta go get Leroy again.

Mabel and Mo both laugh as they start gearing up with what appear to be bullet proof vests.

Oscar:
But we WILL talk about this again...c'mon let's go.

As they are getting ready to leave, Mabel put the finishing bites on his sandwich...

Oscar:
Wait - Mabel - is that my roast beef?

Mabel just smilled and nodded.

Oscar:
God Da....

The video cut out before Oscar could finish as we faded to break.


With all eyes pointed towards the Smoking Gunns, they faced another tough challenge this week on Superstars against one of those teams that were gunning for that bounty, The Headshrinkers.


The Headshrinkers (w/Afa) vs. The Smoking Gunns

The Headshrinkers were looking to cash in on Ted DiBiase's bounty tonight after the attack on Raw. While we haven't really seen The Headshrinkers do much of note since WrestleMania, Vince McMahon did make sure to put over the fact that this is a hard hitting, savage tag team that took our current tag champs, The Steiners, to the limit at WrestleMania! Meanwhile, the Gunns, didn't seem too worried about the bounty as they made their way to the rings - still all smiles as they shot theirs blanks off to the delight of the crowd.

Bart started the match off with Samu, who quickly tried to overpower Bart into a lock up, pushing him into the ropes, but Bart escaped with a go behind and scored a roll up on Afa - ONE, TWO - NO! Almost ended it quickly there!

Samu got up in a rage, charging at Bart only to run into a drop toe hold from the dark haired Gunn! Bart quickly transitioned it into an armbar before dropping multiple knees down onto Samu! It was a hot start for Bart, getting the big man down and working to keep him there - locking back in that armbar until Samu started to find his strength and fight his way back to his feet.

Breaking the hold, Samu battled Bart off and sent him into the ropes, going for a hiptoss - but it was BLOCKED by Bart! Bart would attempt a hiptoss of his own, but this time it was BLOCKED by Samu! A brief stalement ended with a short arm clothesline from Samu, taking Bart to the mat! The size and strength of Samu now came into play as he took over - taking Bart to the mat with a bodyslam before going high risk...climbing to the top rope...looking for a SPLASH off the top rope, but Bart ROLLED OUT OF THE WAY! Nothing but canvas for Samu!

Samu was slow to get back to his feet and Bart took advantage, now climbing to the top rope himself...FLYING DROPKICK to Samu! Bart with the cover - ONE, TWO, NOT QUITE! Bart went right back to it, pulling Samu up and wrenching the arm to tag in his brother Billy. Billy would attempt to pick up where his brothet left off, but Samu shook off a boot from Billy and delivered a vicious headbutt to rock the blonde Gunn before bodyslamming Billy to the mat. Samu took the opportunity to tag in Fatu to get a fresh man on in on both sides. Gunn met Fatu with a boot to the midsection and attempted an Irish Whip, but Fatu held his ground and sent Billy into the ropes instead...off the ropes it was a big BACK ELBOW from Fatu sending Billy to the mat!

Fatu with his size and strength had taken control of Billy briefly, sending Gunn into the corner and working him off with some chops and kicks before attempting to whip Gunn into the opposite ropes, but Billy with the REVERSAL sent Fatu into the corner instead! Billy charged in with a head of steam, leaping onto Fatu looking for a Monkey Flip, but Fatu held onto the ropes to block it and Billy dropped backwards to the mat instead! Gunn rolled to his feet as Fatu charged out of the corner looking for a clothesline but it was countered by Gunn with an ARMDRAG takedown! Fatu was quick back to his feet but Billy charged off the ropes with a big clothesline to take the big man down! Billy looked for the pin: One, Two, KICKOUT by Fatu!

Gunn looked to continue the momentum, ascending to the top rope much like his brother earlier...Fatu was back up...FLYING FIST to Fatu right to the head...but it's NO SOLD by Fatu! And Gunn landed on his feet, holding his fist in pain! Absolutely no effect on Fatu who waited for Gunn to turn around to charged in with a MASSIVE CLOTHESLINE to take Gunn down! Fatu with the cover now - One, Two, NO!

Fatu was back in control, stomping away on Billy - slowing down the pace until he would whip Billy into the ropes only to have Billy leapfrog over Fatu, bounce off the opposite ropes where Bart got the BLIND tag...Billy would slide under the legs of Fatu, only to have Fatu catch him and pull him to his feet, but it was Bart who was the legal man coming in from beind wih a running forearm to the back of Fatu to free up his brother! Billy left the ring but Bart's momentum was short lived as Samu came in with a cheap clothesline of his own to take Bart down! The referee quickly jumped in to admonish Samu and get him back to the apron. That cheapshot had allowed the Headshrinkers to take control, now taking turns working over Bart in their corner.

Now the legal man, Samu would score a big sidewalk salm to Bart, going for the cover - One, Two, THRE - NO, another kickout by Bart Gunn. Samu went back on the attack, scoring some big chops to Gunn before sending hmi back to the ropes again before tagging in Fatu...the Headhsrinkers each grabbed Bart by the hair, walking him to the center of the ring before delivering a giant DOUBLE HEADBUTT to Bart! Fatu would make the cover - ONE, TWO, THREE! NO, Billy was in to make the save! As Billy had to leave the ring, Fatu continued on the attack until it was Billy now scoring a blind tag to Bart's back when Fatu sent his brother into the ropes ropes. Fatu hit a big backdrop to Bart, but never saw Billy climbing to the top turnbuckles - FLYING CLOTHESLINE to Fatu put Fatu on his back on the mat!


BILLY with the cover - ONE, TWO, THREE!



NO!
It was Samu making the save this time! Samu was forced out of the ring and Billy was fired up, running in and knocking Samu off the apron with a running shoulder tackle! Billy then ran in with a legdrop to Fatu before making another pin! No Samu to make the save this time! One, Two, Thr - SHOULDER UP by Fatu! Billy sat up, tossing his hair back and Lawler was quick to point out that that smile wasn't on Billy's face anymore as they failed to put away these Headshrinkers once again! Fatu began to get to his feet as Billy met him with a boot and then a DDT! But the hard headed Fatu NO SOLD the DDT, popping right back to his feet as Billy got to his feet, celebrating his move while his brother tried to get his attention...Billy turned around into a SAVATE KICK from Fatu! That could do it!



ONE, TWO, THREE!



NO, Bart broke it up at the last second!
Samu rushed in, clearly upset thinking they had it won - started attacking Bart in the corner! Fatu joined in, making it two on one to Bart until Billy had recovered to even the odds! The referee seemed to have lost all control of the match....and The Headshrinkers seemed to have things going their way as they worked both Bart and Billy into the ropes....Samu would charged in, only to get a DOUBLE BACKDROP over the top rope to the floor from The Smoking Gunns! Fatu charged in at the brothers, swinging a swight hand at Bart, only to have Bart duck and lift Fatu up in a bak suplex as Billy leaped into the air to make it a neackbreaker/suplex combo!

With Samu down, The Gunns took advantage - Billy climbed to the top turnbuckle as Bart showed off some of his own strength as he picked Fatu up into a sidewalk slam position - Billy came off the top rope with a diving leg drop - SIDEWINDER to Fatu! Bart would step out onto the apron, dive down onto Samu with an axe handle while Billy made the pin!


ONE - TWO - THREE!


Another big win for the Smoking Gunns!


Winners - The Smoking Gunns by pinfall at 9:53


The Gunns celebrated with a hug in the ring before lifting each others arms in the air...

But wait, it's THE BEVERLY BROTHERS! Once again looking to try and get in a sneak attack on The Gunns! But Bart sees them coming, and both men easily duck dueling clothesline attempts from the Beverlys before leaping into the air and delivering stereo dropkicks to both Blake and Beau Beverly! Bart and Billy each grabbed one a Beverly brother each in opposite corners...and IRISH WHIPPED them into one another! Blake and Beverly crashed into each other before rolling out of the ring...

The Beverlys had failed once again as Bart and Billy stood tall in the ring, climbing the turnbuckles to pose and celebrate for the fans as Superstars came to a close.




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Other Highlights


The WWF Tag Team Champions, The Steiner Brothers, returned to action on Raw this week - making short work of Reno Riggins and Barry Hardy in a non-title match. Scott Steiner would pick up the win for the champs after a Frankensteiner to Hardy. The biggest takeaway here was the continued push for the Bodyslam Challenge which both Rick and Scott would be taking part in.

After an impressive debut last week on Raw, Diesel was in action on WWF Superstars this week accompanied by the sleazy Harvey Wippleman, once again impressing as El Matador unfortunately stood no chance again the 7-footer. Diesel would put him away with the Jack Knife.

Also on WWF Superstars, former Intercontinental Champion Marty Jannetty took on Burt Centeno, winning with The Rocker Dropper. The big news coming out of this match was that "The 1-2-3 Kid" Chris Candido was not only officially signed to a rookie contract with the WWF, but he was coming back to Raw next week, with Jannetty in his corner, to attempt to earn a shot at the Intercontinental Title! Candido wanted his chance against Flash Norton's Arm Wrestling Challenge, where beating Norton would earn him the huge opportunity to take on Shawn Michaels!

Elsewhere, Typhoon bounced back from his loss to Shawn Michaels last week with a win over Kid Kamikaze, while Lex Luger also bounced back from a backfired plan on Raw to defeat Scott Dane with the legal Forearm Smash.

Finally, CarnEvil made their first appearance together as a tag team - with Doink and Ringmaster defeating the team of Mike Davis and Buddy Lane after Davis submitted to Doink's Stump Puller.

Hype for next week included the previously mentioned Razor Ramon versus Jerry Lawler match on Raw and Chris Candido challenging Flash Norton to an Arm Wrestling Match. Plus, The Smoking Gunns would be in action once again - this time taking on The Beverly Brothers who would hope it would be third time's a charm in trying to cash in on Ted DiBiase's bounty. It would also be the go-home show for the 4th of July Spectacular - so expect plenty more hype for Yokozuna's Bodyslam Challenge!


Quick WWF Raw Results

  • Bam Bam Bigelow def. Crush by countout​
  • The Steiner Brothers def. Reno Riggins & Barry Hardy by pinfall​
  • Tatanka (w/Sensational Sherri) def. Jacques Rougeau by disqualification​

Quick WWF Superstars of Wrestling Results
  • Diesel def. El Matador by pinfall​
  • CarnEvil def. Mike Davis & Buddy Lane by submission​
  • Typhoon def. Kid Kamikaze​
  • Lex Luger def. Scott Dane by pinfall​
  • Marty Jannetty def. Burt Centeno by pinfall​
  • The Smoking Gunns def. The Headshrinkers by pinfall​

Current Stars & Stripes Challenge Card
  • Winner Receives a WWF Championship Match at Summerslam: "The King of the Ring" Razor Ramon vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart​
  • Body Slam Challenge: America vs. Yokozuna​
  • No Countout Match: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Jacques Rougeau​
  • Grudge Match: Sensational Sherri vs. Luna Vachon​
  • Crush vs. The Ringmaster (w/Doink the Clown)​
 

Stojy

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Really enjoying reliving the build to when SHOWTIME really begins. Plenty of fun stuff in here. Although your treatment of The Beverly's is criminal. Hanging to get the new stuff, mang.
 
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WWF Recap - Week of June 28, 1993


King vs. King

While Razor Razor had a huge match scheduled for this Sunday at the Stars and Stripes Challenge when he would be facing Bret Hart in a KOTR rematch - with a World Title Shot on the line - this week he would be stepping into the ring with Jerry "The King" Lawler. Last week, Lawler interrupted Razor's first interview since becoming King of the Ring - declaring himself the true King of the WWF, and insulted Razor Ramon as nobody's King.

This all meant that this week we got a King vs. King match up to kick of Raw!


Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. "The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon

The sounds of
“The Bogatyr Gates (In The Capital In Kiev)” kicked off WWF Raw this week, bringing Jerry "The King" Lawler out from the back to a chorus of boos. Lawler made his way out to the ring, scoffing at the fans as the lights glared off of his sparkling silver and blue royal cape. Lawler would stop to have some heated words with a few fans at ringside, even acting like he was going to hit one of them, which only fired the crowd up even more in their heat towards The King. Once Lawler finally entered the ring, "Bad Guy" hit the speakers and the crowd quickly changed their tune as Razor Ramon sauntered out from the back, slicking his hair back and placing one of his two tooth picks behind his ears into his mouth. As Ramon made his way down to the ring, Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Bobby Heenan spent time hyping this Sunday's Stars and Stripes Challenge event which will see a King of the Ring finals rematch between Ramon and Bret Hart, the winner getting a shot at Hulk Hogan and the WWF Championship at Summerslam!

Ramon climbed into the ring, and took off his vest and gold chains, handing them off to the referee as Lawler had already removed his own cape, but still held his crown in his hands. Ramon and Lawler both walked to the center of the ring, as Lawler held out his crown for Ramon to see:

"SEE THIS?" Lawler shouted at Ramon, "I'M THE KING - NOT YOU! THIS IS MY CROWN!"

Ramon merely smirked before smacking the crown right out of Lawler's hands, drawing a pop from the crowd. Lawler's face wrinkled up, not happy with the treatment of his royal attire, and quickly started the match off with some anger as he sent his knee into Ramon's midsection! Lawler's first strick gave him the quick advantage, working over Razor with a few punches to back him up into the corner, but when Lawler came in for another, Ramon moved out of the way and Lawler punched the turnbuckle! Lawler turned around right into an open handed SMACK across the face from Razor that had Lawler holding the side of his face as Ramon responded with another smirk.

Lawler, growing more angered by Ramon's slap, charged in only to get sent to the mat with a BACK BODY DROP from The Bad Guy! Lawler rolled back to his feet as Razor went back on the attack, hitting a few right hands before sending Lawler into the ropes and taking The King back down with a hip toss to the mat. The King was quick back to his feet once again only for Ramon to take him right back down with a discus clothesline!

Not happy with the way the match had started, Lawler rolled out of the ring to regroup only to be greeted to a round of "BURGER KING" chants from the ruckus Manhattan crowd. Lawler covered his ears, trying to block out the chants as Ramon climbed out of the ring to go after Lawler at ringside.

Outside the ring, Lawler fended off an attack from Ramon and sent Razor crashing into the ring steps with an Irish Whip to slow The Bad Guy's momentum quickly. Meanwhile, the referee continued to count both men out, before Lawler rolled in and back out to break it up. With a renewed count, Lawler stomped on Razor as he tried to get to his feet before tossing Ramon into the guard rail! Razor staggered at ringside, holding his back...as Lawler pulled him and and set Ramon up for a...PILEDRIVER outside the ring! As Vince voiced his displeasure, claiming that could end a man's career...Ramon escaped with a BACK DROP, send Lawler crashing to the ground!

With The King now down at ringside, Ramon rolled back into the ring and got back to his feet...


CRACK!



STEEL CHAIR TO RAZOR'S BACK!



IT'S THE HITMAN!




Razor Ramon dropped the mat as the bell rang, signaling the disqualification as Bret Hart stood over "The Bad Guy," chair in hand.

Winner - Razor Ramon by disqualification at 3:44

Razor Ramon began to try and get to his feet only to have Razor crack the chair down across Razor's right shoulder to send him back to the mat.

Vince McMahon was quick to point out that was the same shoulder Bret had viciously targeted during their King of the Ring finals matchup - clearly Hart was out tonight to soften Razor up for their match THIS Sunday!

Jerry Lawler was all smiles at ringside, locking eyes with Bret and telling him "he's all yours for now!" before heading up the aisle. Bret stomped away at Razor's shoulder a few more times as the fans rained in the boos on The Hitman, who chose to completely ignore the heat and continued to go after Ramon, now placing the chair AROUND Razor's upper arm like a sandwich...as he began to climb the turnbuckle!

"Don't do this!" Vince cried out from the announce booth.

"There may not be a match this Sunday at this rate," Bobby Heenan pointed out as Bret prepared to jump off the top and deliver a devastating attack to Ramon...

But instead...Bret was stopped in the act as his own BROTHER - OWEN HART - rushed down to the ring, looking in much better shape than the last time we saw him - now free from any type of brace around his knee or crutch.

Owen climbed into the ring, standing between Razor and the turnbuckle, pleading with Bret to get down and put a stop to this.

"This isn't you!" Owen can be heard yelling. "This isn't my brother!"

Bret stared his brother down from the turnbuckle, before reluctantly climbing down. Owen embraced his brother with a hug, but noticeably The Hitman does not return the hug - his hands remaining by his side.

"C'mon Brother!" Owen can once again be overheard instructing Bret, hoping to get Bret out of the ring with him, but Bret shook his head "no" and pushed his way past the younger Hart, leaving the ring solo. Owen held his hands to his head, beside himself in the ring, watching his big brother head to the back while Razor Ramon was left lying on the mat as we headed to a commercial break.


A shocking return from injury for Owen Hart as he managed to be the voice of reason to prevent Bret from doing some serious damage to his opponent this Sunday. Razor Ramon would be checked out and on WWF Superstars, WWF Update would reveal he was cleared to wrestle on Sunday...and would no doubt be even more eager for this match with Bret. But the question remained about Owen's return and if he would be able to talk some sense into his brother.


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Can Lightning Strike Twice?

It was on the May 17th episode of Raw where we saw that truly anything could happen in the World Wrestling Federation. Marty Jannetty showed up to answer an open challenge from Shawn Michaels to win the Intercontinental belt from HBK...but then it was Jannetty's young and at that time, unsigned, student Chris Candido who scored a surprise roll up and faux pinfall on Shawn Michaels that has left the fans teasing Michaels with "1-2-3" chants for weeks and also earned Candido the nickname - "The 1-2-3 Kid."

Last week, Chris Candido officially joined the WWF on a rookie contract and immediately wanted to accept the Arm Wrestling open challenge Michaels has out - anyone that can defeat his bodyguard Flash Norton - a world champion arm wrestler - in an arm wrestling match, would then receive a shot at HBK's Intercontinental Championship.

Could the plucky underdog score the unthinkable once again?



A "regulation" arm wrestling table was waiting in the ring as we returned from the break along with a WWF referee to make this official.

"1-2-3!"

Some brand new theme music - literally spelling out the nickname of WWF's newest rookie - as "The 1-2-3 Kid" Chris Candido walked out to a warm reaction from the Manhattan Center fans. Joining Candido on the way to the ring was his mentor, Marty Jannetty. Both Jannetty and Candido slapped hands with the fans at ringside before entering the ring.


"Sexy Boy"

The cheers for Candido and Jannetty turned to boos as Shawn Michaels and Flash Norton walked out from the back. Candido and Jannnetty kept their eyes peeled in the direction of HBK and Norton as they made their way down the aisle. Michaels stopped to jaw off to some of the fans, with Norton eventually intervening - standing between the guard rail and HBK, staring down the fans with an intimidating yet emotionless look. Heenan thought the fan in question may have just wet his pants!

Flash Norton climbed onto the apron first, sitting on the middle ropes to let Michaels enter the ring. In the ring, HBK did his typically spin, showing off the Intercontinental Title to the less than adoring fans.

Michaels tossed the belt over his shoulder before asking for a microphone.

Shawn Michaels:
Well, well, well - what do we have here?

Michaels directed his attention to Chris Candido as the fans began to chant in unison "1-2-3!" in Michaels direction. Michaels ignored the fans this time.

Shawn Michaels:
So nice of you to show up again, pipsqueak. Where's that lil' ray of sunshine that you had with you at ringside the first time we met? I could use her to really brighten up my day!

Michaels laughed as Candido showed off some hot heatedness as some anger boiled up, looking ready to fight only to have Jannetty hold him back.

Shawn Michaels:
So here's the deal, lil' man! You're about to get the embarrassment of a lifetime! But there's still time to back out! Did you not see what this man did did TYPHOON - a man like five times your size?

Candido shook his head, clearly not ready to back down. Michaels walked over and gave Norton a slap on the shoulder.

Shawn Michaels:
Just look at this man! Look at these arms!

Norton scowled before lifting up his right arm and flexing.

Shawn Michaels:
My God! His bicep is bigger than your head! You're makin' a HUGE mistake here, kid. And listen, I'd love nothing more than to give you the beatdown you deserve for your little fun you had at my expense a few weeks ago...but at the end of the day, you're just NOT WORTH MY TIME! So Flash...don't bother goin' easy on'em!

Flash finally flashed a smile before nodding in agreement and taking his seat at the arm wrestling table. Jannetty consulted with Candido in the corner, coaching his pupil.

Shawn Michaels:
C'mon! We ain't got all day! I've got a private jet waitin' to get me out of this Hellhole!

Jannetty and Candido finally adjourned their huddle as Candido cautiously walked towards the table, stopping to stare down Michaels, before having a seat across from Norton. Norton put his arm up and challenged Candido to have at it.

Candido reached over, gripping Norton's arm as the referee stepped in and secured both men's arms in place and declared the match to begin!

Chris Candido immediately struggled mightily against Norton's arm, barely budging it as Flash sat there, not seeming to be phased at all by Candido's attempt. Sweat began to trickle down from Candido's brow as he put more and more exertion into trying to budge Norton's massive arm...and finally he started to show some progress, inching Flash's arm away from the upright position...while Michaels leaned back against the turnbuckles and propped his feet up on the ropes, showing no concern at all for his bodyguard.

Jannetty shouted on encouragements for his student as Candido now shouted out as he but another big burst of effort, only to once again barely budge Norton who didn't seem to be trying...and finally Norton decided to stop playing around with the youngster...and slammed Candido's arm down to the table, picking up the victory.

Candido held onto his arm as he stepped away from the table, Jannetty there to greet him and tell him it was a good effort...but Flash was just too much. Meanwhile, Michaels jumped down off the turnbuckles and lifted up his bodyguard's arm in victory.

Shawn Michaels:
Thanks for comin' out tonight, Chris...better luck next time!

Michaels laughed as Candido shook his head in obvious disappointment. As it looked like he and Jannetty were going to leave the ring, Michaels wasn't done yet.

Shawn Michaels:
Oh, and one more thing...

Candido turned back around to see what HBK wanted...



SWEET CHIN MUSIC!





BUT CANDIDO DUCKED!



ROLL UP TO SHAWN MICHAELS!


1-2-3!


The referee was still in the ring to make another quick unofficial count for Candido over Michaels!

"THE 1-2-3 KID STRIKES AGAIN!" Vince McMahon declared as Candido and Jannetty both quickly left the ring with Flash Norton chasing them out. Norton stomped around the ring, while Michaels slapped the mat repeatedly as he had a hissy fit in the ring, clearly not pleased with once again being bested by the young rookie.




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Some Final Hype

Besides Razor/Hart III (counting their Royal Rumble match), the main draw for Stars and Stripes is the Bodyslam Challenge by Yokozuna. Can any American - WWF star or professional athlete - do the unthinkable and BODYSLAM Yokozuna? This week on Raw, Yokozuna would be in action.

PJ Walker vs. Yokozuna (Mr. Fuji)

To close out Raw this week, we got one more push for the Body Slam Challenge as Yokozuna got some in ring time to allow Vince and company to put over the competition, with Randy Savage putting himself over as one of the competitors as well. PJ Walker was already nervously waiting in the ring as Mr. Fuji lead his Yokozuna out from the back. Bobby Heenan was skeptical that there was anyone in the world who could bodyslam Yokozuna, including the Macho Man. Heenan said if Hulk Hogan couldn't do it, a man he has seem bodyslam anyone and everyone he's faced....who can!?

Fuji and Yokozuna exchanged bows before Fuji helped Yokozuna out of his customary sumo robe before Fuji left the ring. Walker watched on as Yokozuna performed his sumo stretches pre-match. Once the match got underway, Walker bravely walked in for the lock up only to be tossed like a rag doll to the mat. Walker would get back to his feet only to have Yokozuna right there back on the attack with a knee, some punches and forearms before Yoko sent Walker into the corner...and a BODY AVALANCHE to the corner to Walker! PJ stumbled out into a big SAVATE KICK from Yokozuna that sent the youngster to the mat. With Walker now prone on his back in the corner...Yokozuna climbed the turnbuckles...

BONZAI DROP!

One - Two - Three!

Winner - Yokozuna at 1:22


Post-match, Yokozuna scooped up Walker and tossed him over the top rope to the floor with ease before Fuji climbed into the ring to celebrate triumphantly by waving the Japanese flag.


"WAIT JUST A MINUTE!" Vince McMahon bellowed out....


It was CRUSH making his way down to the ring....followed by RICK AND SCOTT - THE STEINER BROTHERS....BOB BACKLUND....TYPHOON!

"It's five of the men already signed up to take on Yokozuna in the Body Slam challenge - and maybe they don't to wait to board the U.S.S. Intrepid THIS SUNDAY!"

The five men surround the ring with Yokozuna keeping his eyes darting to each of them.

"OOOOOOH YEAH! LET'S DO THIS!" Randy Savage exclaimed as he put down his head set, leaving the commentary booth at ringside to join his fellow Bodyslam Competitors.

Raw came to a close as all six of the competitors climbed up onto the apron, as Yokozuna readied himself for battle in the ring! But of course, if you really want to see the action you'll need to tune in THIS SUNDAY, JULY 4th on the USA NETWORK -
WWF: STARS AND STRIPES CHALLENGE!



And if that didn't wet your whistle enough - how about some more random promos from people who probably won't win! We got them on Superstars!

Here's some more athletes cutting cue card promos in front of a green screen with the Star Spangled Banner in the background! First up it was NBA rookie Scott Burrell, just recently drafted to the Charlotte Hornets.

Scott Burrell:
Yokozuna - I may look like a rookie and yeah I may have just been drafted to the NBA...and I know you're a big boy, but I'm a world class athlete - drafted by both the NBA and the MLB - and on July 4th, I'm gonna add to my resume by BODYSLAMMING YOU for the U-S-of-A, baby!

Next up, it was Super Bowl winning New York Giants running back, Joe Morris.


Joe Morris:
It's time! 4th of July weekend - what a BLAST it's gonna be! Yokozuna, I can't wait to get on that ship and SLAM you to the mat for all of the New York Giants fans and America!

And finally, a familiar face to the WWF Locker room - the big man, Typhoon.

Typhoon:
Listen here Yokozuna! You think you're so big and bad! People think it's gonna be IMPOSSIBLE to slam you to the mat! It's gonna take some kind of act of God! Well let me tell you Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna..just take a look at me, - I'm as BIG as they come and this Sunday on July 4th - it's lookin' like it's gonna be a NATURAL DISASTER for you YOKOZUNA!




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The Bounty Continues

Two weeks ago, The Smoking Gunns had a bounty put on their heads after they scored an "upset" victory over the former tag champion Ted DiBiase and his partner Mr. Hughes. Last week - The Headshrinkers failed to cash in and the Beverly Brothers tried their hand at a sneak attack only to fail. This week, the Beverly Brothers would get another chance - this time in tag team action in the ring...but first, we got another vignette highlighting some new faces.

We faded back in to the pre-recorded vignette that took us to the same shady look strip mall we first saw last week, featuring the same "Men on a Mission Bounty Hunting" sign outside. We then transitioned to the interior of the business where Mo was once again leaned back, his feet propped up in the chair and was puffing on a cigar but also had the office's phone in his hand and up to his ear. Meanwhile, Mabel was at the other desk with a whole pizza box in front of him - chowing down on one slice of supreme.

Mo:
Stacy - listen baby, I promise it's gonna be dif'rent this time! Yeah, I still work there, why? Aw c'mon now, don't be like that....it's payin' the bills...I mean sorta....Stacy? Stacy? Hello?

Mo pulled the phone away from his ear, and tapped on the speaker...

Mo:
Damn - she musta got disconnected.

Mabel:
Mmmhmmm, I bet thas it.

Mo:
Man, shut up! At least I had a girl. Last date you went on was with Ms. Buttersworth!

Mabel:
Hey - don't be talkin' trash 'bout the Buttersworth!

The door to the office flung open and once again Oscar walked in with a head of steam.

Oscar:
You boys ready to get to work!

Mo:
Oscar, I swear to GOD - if you say the name LeRoy, I'm walkin' out and never comin' back.

Oscar:
C'mon now, Mo - you know LeRoy isn't getting out anytime after what he did this time...we need a REAL case...I'm barely keepin' the lights on. Speaking of which - Mabel - where's that money I left on your desk?

Mabel:
You're lookin' at it, boss...

Mabel grinned as he motioned to the pizza before stuffing it in his mouth for another bite.

Oscar:
W-w-w-WHAT! That was the last of our petty cash!

Mabel:
Mabel don't work if he's hungry, boss. It was best for da business.

Mo:
We need some work, man, and we need it now. How'm I suppose to keep a girl on $0 a week.

Oscar walked over and pulled out the file folder from last week, grabbing the "Wanted" flyer for The Smoking Gunns.

Oscar:

This. This is our ticket. We cash in on this bounty, boys, and we'll be set. No more failures.

Mo:
I dunno man, how do we even know how to find these guys?

Oscar:
That's the beauty of it...we know EXACTLY where to find them..

Oscar pulled out another flyer from the folder - an advertisement for the WWF Stars & Stripes Challenge.

Oscar:

THIS Sunday! THIS Sunday we can change our lives for the better, boys.

Mo:
You said they call this guy "The Million Dollar Man?"

Oscar:

Yup - MILLION!

Mo:
I like the sound of that.

Oscar:
C'mon boys...this Sunday, everyone is gonna know who we are...The Men on a Mission!

Mo:
Awww yeah!
Oscar slammed the flyer for Stars and Stripes down on the desk in front of Mabel before the camera zoomed in on it to give us another look at the event info before fading out.



The Beverly Brothers (Blake & Beau Beverly) vs. The Smoking Gunns (Bart & Billy Gunn)

The Beverlys made their way out first followed by the guns a'blazin' Gunns, Bart & Billy. Once they got to the ring, Blake and Beau wasted no time jumping Bart and Billy from behind to start the match, looking to get a jump on their opponents to try and score that bounty. However, Bart and Billy quickly battled back against Blake and Beau - getting the upperhand as Bart slugged away at Blake and Billy on Beau until both Gunns clotheslined their Beverly over the top rope to the floor! Bart and Billy both climbed a turnbuckle and celebrated to the crowd while Blake and Beau regrouped...clearly not the quick start they wanted after the sneak attack to start the match.

The Beverlys climbed back to the apron with Beau assuming the position outside the ring while Bart headed to his corner as well, settling things down now with a more standard tie up. Beau pushed Billy into the corner and worked him over with some forearms to the midsection before attempting to whip him to the opposite corner, but Billy reversed it. Beau bounced off the turnbuckles right back into Billy who hit a flip arm drag take down to send Beau to the mat. Beau bounced right back up but Billy was there waiting for him with a hiptoss back to the mat. And when Beau got back up - it was another hiptoss from Billy to send Beau back to the mat before applying an armbar submission.

Billy remained in control of Beau, working over the arm before tagging in Bart and the pair took Beau into ropes and took him down with a big double shoulder tackle. Bart picked up where his brother left off, all over Beau and not letting the Beverly get in any type of offense while Blake shouted to his brother to get back into it. Beau would eventually reverse an Irish Whip to sent Bart into the corner...but unwisely decides to showboat for a moment, as Bart charged out of the corner and took him right back down with a big running clothesline! "Don't take your eye off the ball!" Randy Savage instructed from the booth.

Beau was once again being dominated by Bart as Blake looked on with concern from the apron. The Beverlys would get their opportunity when Bart bounced off the ropes but ran into a knee from Blake on the apron. Billy, catching the act, decided to enter the ring but that only provided a distraction to the referee...allowing Blake to enter the ring and clobber Bart from behind with some forearm shots as Beau got back to his feet and they paired up to take Bart to the mat with a double vertical suplex! The referee returned as Blake went back to the apron and this time got the legal tag.

Blake took advantage of the double team, picking up some momentum and bodyslamming Bart to the mat before hitting a legdrop and going for the pin. One, Two, kickout by Bart. Blake went right back on the attack, blatantly choking Bart right in front of the referee and breaking it up at four. Blake would pull Bart to the corner to tag in Beau again. Beau and Blake shoved Bart into the corner before Irish Whipping him into the opposite turnbuckles. Blake then grabbed his own brother and Whipped him towards Bart for a corner slash...but BART GOT HIS BOOT UP! Beau staggered to the mat as Blake charged in right to a back elbow from Bart! Bart to the corner to make the tag in to BILLY!

Bart and Billy teamed up to take Blake to the mat with a double back suplex! Blake hit the mat and rolled out of the ring to the floor - leaving Beau all by his lonesome. Bart and Billy played to the crowd as Beau slowly pulled himself up to his feet, Billy jumped to the top turnbuckle as Bart scooped up Beau into the sidewalk slam position...flying legdrop from Billy - SIDEWINDER! Billy hooked the leg - One, Two Three!

Another impressive performance by The Smoking Gunns!


Winners: The Smoking Gunns in 7:16




With another failure down, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase wasn't too thrilled...and he let that be known this week on WWF Superstars of Wrestling.


Backstage, Boni Blackstone was standing by with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase who was flanked by Mr. Hughes.

Boni Blackstone:

Ted DiBiase, two weeks ago you put out a bounty on The Smoking Gunns - made them the WWF's Most Wanted...but no one seems to be able to put these two down. It certainly looks like you have a lot of frustration going on right now - what is going through your Million Dollar Mind?

Ted DiBiase:
Oh sweetie, I should've known better! You don't send fools to do a man's job! These idiots in the locker room can't get out of their own way, can they! Well, I guess the old saying rings true after all - if you want something done right, YOU JUST GOTTA DO IT YOURSELF! Ha Ha Ha Ha! So this Sunday - Money Inc will finish this themselves!

DiBiase stormed off, having nothing else to say while Mr. Hughes was left to stand there and stare awkwardly at Boni Blackstone, who nervously sent it back to the ring.




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Dueling Promos!

After their brawl last week on Raw, a match was made to finally put Luna Vachon and Sensational Sherri in the ring with one another. This week, as a last chance to hype up this particular match...they both had back to back promos during WWF Update on Superstars of Wrestling.

First up, just in front of a bland blue background - it was Sensational Sherri.

Sensational Sherri:
Luna Vachon! How'd it feel? HOW'D IT FEEL, HUH? To get a taste of your own medicine last week. You've attacked me from behind - you've put me in the hospital - you've tried to ruin my client's career by costing him his undefeated streak - and you've gone so far as to TAKE MY OWN EYE FROM ME! IT WAS TIME SOMEONE HELD YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS! IT'S TIME SOMEONE STOOD UP TO YOU. And oh it felt SO GOOD to be able to finally be the one LEAVING YOU ON YOUR BACK! LUNA VACHON - YOU WANT TO BE A BEAST...WELL THIS SUNDAY, I'M GOING TO SLAY THE BEAST ONCE AND FOR ALL!

The screen faded over to Vachon in front of the same background.

Luna Vachon:
SHERRI...SHERRI....SHERRI - do you really think it would be THAT EASY? Do you think you could get rid of me last week? SENSATIONAL ONE - I AM THE TRUE DOMINANT FEMALE FORCE IN THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION. When I am through with you will no longer be SENSATIONAL anymore. YOUR EYE WAS JUST THE BEGINNING! I WILL PICK YOU APART...LIMB BY LIMB...ORGAN BY ORGAN....AND IN THE END....THERE WILL BE....NOTHING...LEFT! I WILL ELIMINATE YOU FOREVER!

Luna laughed maniacally as we headed back to the ring.




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Other Highlights

With just one day before they would each attempt to slam the "unslammable" Yokozuna, the WWF Tag Team Champions - The Steiner Brothers - were in action on WWF Superstars to give the announcers time to continue to hype the event. The Steiners would defeat Barry Horowitz and Brian Costello with ease as they prepared for Sunday. Another competitor on Sunday, Bob Backlund, was in action on Superstars as well - getting a submission victory over Tom Stone.

At Stars and Stripes, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan would get another opportunity to get his hands on Quebec's Jacques Rougeau, this time with Rougeau having nowhere to run since it would be a No Countout match. On Superstars, in an effort to hype up that match...Hacksaw was part of his own...uh...music video? Check it out for yourself, if you dare.





After almost taking Razor Ramon out of the equation,
Bret Hart returned to action on Superstars in a match that saw him dismantle poor Jay Sledge before winning with The Sharpshooter.

And finally,
Bam Bam Bigelow was also in action on Superstars as he picked up a win over Rich Myers after a Diving Headbutt.

Hype for Next Week: The Fallout from Stars and Stripes - apparently something important might happen.


Quick WWF Raw Results
  • "The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon def. Jerry "The King" Lawler by disqualification
  • The Smoking Gunns def. The Beverly Brothers by pinfall
  • Yokozuna def. PJ Walker by pinfall

Quick WWF Superstars of Wrestling Results

  • Bob Backlund def. Tom Stone by submission
  • "The Beast from The East" Bam Bam Bigelow def. Rich Myers by pinfall
  • The Steiner Brothers def. Barry Horowitz & Brian Costello by pinfall
  • Lex Luger def. Rudy Gonzalez by pinfall
  • Bret "The Hitman" Hart def. Jay Sledge by submission
Final Stars & Stripes Challenge Card
  • Winner Receives a WWF Championship Match at Summerslam: "The King of the Ring" Razor Ramon vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart
  • Yokozuna's Bodyslam Challenge: America vs. Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji)
  • The Smoking Gunns (Billy & Bart Gunn) vs. Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Mr. Hughes)
  • No Countout Match: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Jacques Rougeau
  • Grudge Match: Sensational Sherri vs. Luna Vacon
  • Crush vs. The Ringmaster (w/Doink the Clown)
 

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We opened on a black and white shot of Yokozuna in the ring, starting at his feet and starting to pan upwards as Vince McMahon provided our opening narration.


"NOT EVEN 'THE IMMORTAL' HULK HOGAN COULD SLAM HIM!"


Cut to the clip from King of the Ring 1993 when Hulk Hogan attempted to lift Yokozuna up, only to have him coming crashing down on top of The Hulkster.


"AND HE HAS SQUASHED ALL OTHER CHALLENGERS!"


Quick clip of Yokozuna hitting Jim Duggan with a Bonzai Drop.


"THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY...ABOARD THE VENERABLE U.S.S. INTREPID..."


Panning shot of the U.S.S. Intrepid...


"YOKOZUNA...AND HIS MANAGER, MR. FUJI..."


Back to the black and white shot of Yokozuna in the ring, continuing to pan up now from the waist up to his face...


"CHALLENGE ANY AND ALL PROFESSIONAL AMERICAN ATHLETES TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE - TO BODYSLAM THE MASSIVE 550 POUND YOKOZUNA...."



"THE PRIDE OF AMERICA IS AT STAKE ON HER BIRTHDAY!"


"IT IS JULY FOURTH..."


"IT IS..."


"THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION..."



"STARS AND STRIPES CHALLENGE!"


il_340x270.2344613882_4rkf.jpg?version=0

WWF Stars & Stripes Challenge
July 4th ,1993
-U.S.S. Intrepid-

An overhead establishing shot of the U.S.S. Intrepid Battleship welcomed us - the ring set up with fans all around - both civilian and armed services alike have gathered and not a single one of them in their seat as retired NFL running back from the New York Giants, Lee Rouson, was completing the singing of the Star Spangled Banner. A unique site to behold as a wrestling ring sits just yards away from an assortment of naval guns and jets.

Jim Ross, along side "The Macho Man" Randy Savage, welcomed us aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid at Pier 86 on the Hudson River in Manhattan. Savage and JR discussed the heavily hyped Bodyslam Challenge by Yokozuna and Jim Ross had to believe that tonight, SOMEONE would step forward and defend America's honor and perhaps he was standing right next to that someone - because The Macho Man himself was returning to "action" tonight to attempt to do just that!

But just as important tonight, we would be kicking things off with a, no pun intended, bang, tonight in a match to determine the number one contender to the WWF Championship. It would be a rematch from the 1993 King of the Ring finals as Bret Hart and Razor Ramon squared off once again - to determine who would face Hulk Hogan at
Summerslam for the title!

But before we can go to the ring, we had some pre-recorded footage from that man himself, "THE IMMORTAL" HULK HOGAN!

We cut to a clip of Hulk Hogan, once again on the set of Thunder in Paradise. Delivering his interview while sitting aboard his "co-star" - the "futuristic, high tech" boat "Thunder."

Hulk Hogan:
"HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY TO ALL MY HULKAMANIACS OUT THERE!"

"You know something brothers, I would've LOVED to be there tonight...rockin' the RED AND YELLOW for the RED, WHITE, AND BLUE...everybody knows Hulk Hogan has the biggest GUNS in the business, BROTHER - they would've felt right at home on the INTREPID! Instead, I'm out here on a different kinda boat - the BOAT TO END ALL OTHER BOATS that you will soon be able to see in my action packed, thrill ride of a movie - THUNDER IN PARADISE - very soon."

"But Hulkamaniacs -have no fear, because we are wrapping up the finishing touches on this baby and I'll be back in no time at all! But I couldn't let America's birthday go by without stopping in to wish some luck to the American athletes takin' on Yokozuna tonight! I know it won't be easy...I've stood in the ring and faced his LARGE...SMELLY...WART INFEST....BUTT - but I know America will come out on top, jack!"

"And as for Summerslam - people keeping askin' me..."Hey Hulk! Who do you want to face at Summerslam? Razor Ramon? Or Bret Hart?!" Listen, brother - it doesn't matter one way or another! It doesn't matter if it's Razor or Bret - one thing is for sure...Summerslam, August 22...The Immortal One is coming in and putting on a show like NONE OTHER! So Bret Hart or Razor Ramon, good luck tonight because at Summerslam you'll need to take all your vitamins and drink all your milk because this Summer - HULKAMANIA...IS..ABOUT TO RUN WILD ON YOU!"

Hogan flexed for the camera as we headed back to the Intrepid where that match was about to get underway!

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Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. "The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon

Bret "The Hitman" Hart made his way down to the ring first as the fans aboard the Intrepid greeted the first superstar they are seeing for the evening with resounding boos. JR and Savage discussed Hart's attack on Ramon from Raw, and how it was Bret's own brother Owen coming in to prevent Bret from doing some serious damage to Razor. While they wondered if Owen could talk some sense into Bret, it was time for Razor Ramon to make his way down to the ring. The 1993 King of the Ring winner had a lot on the line tonight as JR and Savage would discuss - as a win here would give him the huge stage of battling Hulk Hogan in the Main Event of Summerslam for the WWF Championship!

But for Ramon, it was even more personal than that after being on the receiving end of two vicious Bret Hart attacks in the last month, Ramon looked as focused as ever as he climbed into the ring, keeping his eyes locked on Hart. Ramon looked ready to start the fight immediately, but the referee quickly stepped in to keep things civil before the match could officially get underway. As Ramon reluctantly returned to his corner, he removed his vest and gold chains as Hart walked to the center of the ring, holding out his arms - taunting Ramon...as Razor moved in and tossed his tooth pick right in Hart's face!

With Razor successfully getting under his skin, Hitman swung a right hand to start the match only to have Razor block it! A fired up Razor started the match off instead by hitting Bret with a pair of big right hands to work Hart to the ropes before attempting an Irish Whip, but Hart reversed it and sent Ramon into the ropes instead. Hart went for a back bodydrop off the ropes, but Ramon telegraped it and pulled Hart's head between his legs...holding his arms out in a crucifix - "This one could be over quickly!" JR said with surprise, but Hart quickly countered the Razor's Edge attempt before Ramon could lift him off the ground and instead took Ramon to the mat with a double leg take down before attempting to lock in the SHARPSHOOTER! But Ramon was able to shove Bret backwards with his feet, sending the Hitman to the mat!

With both men going for very quick wins, things looked to possibly settle down as Hart rolled to ringside to take a breather, but Ramon walked towards the ropes to talk some trash to The Hitman. Bret responded by reaching into the ring and pulling Ramon's legs out from under him and pulling The Bad Guy to ringside with him! Bret then went for another right hand to Ramon, but Ramon BLOCKED it once again! RIGHT HAND of his own to Bret Hart right in front of the fans at ringside! The Hitman was staggered as Ramon hit Hart right in the jaw again with another hard jab! Hart stumbled away, trying to create some distance but The Bad Guy was giving chase! Hart rolled back in the ring as Ramon followed him...ELBOW DROP from Hart landed on Ramon's right shoulder, looking to once again go after that same shoulder hart targeted both in their King of the Ring match and this week on Raw during his attack.

Hart pulled Ramon up by his arm and delivered pulled him in, driving his own shoulder repeatedly into Ramon's right one before sending Ramon into the ropes - but Ramon countered it this time and sent in Hart! Off the ropes, Hart avoided a clothesline from The Bad Guy, bounced off the opposite ropes and slid through Ramon's legs! But when Hart got back to his feet, Ramon spun around with a DISCUS PUNCH to Hart to take The Hitman down to the mat! Ramon stretched out his arm, selling his weakness as he went on the attack - both JR and Randy Savage impressed with how motivated and fiery Ramon looked to start the match.

Ramon grabbed Bret and began to pull him up, but Bret drove his shoulder into Ramon's midsection to creat some space before sending Ramon into the ropes...but as Bret leaped up going for a leapfrog, Ramon actually hooked the ropes to stop his forward progression...and then PUNCHED BRET RIGHT IN THE MOUTH AGAIN! The Hitman hit the mat once more!

"At this rate, The Hitman's gonna be lucky to have the taste back in his mouth for Thanksgiving!" Savage joked at the repeated punches to the mouth Ramon had dished out to the Hitman during the course of the match already.

"He is definitely taking the fight right to The Hitman, no doubt about that!" JR proclaimed as Ramon stomped on the back of the Hitman as he was trying to pull himself to his feet. Ramon then sent Bret into the ropes and went for a back drop of his own this time, but this time it was Hart countering and connecting with a SWINGING NECKBREAKER to The Bad Guy! This was the opening Hart had been looking for to take control of the match - and he did just that as he attacked Ramon from behind as he tried to get to his feet before dropping him down to the mat with an armbar, starting to once again go after that right arm and shoulder. Hart extended the arm back and dropped a pair of elbows down across the shoulder.

Hart methodically continued to work over the Bad Guy, lifting him up into the air and driving Razor shoulder first across his knee with a vicious shoulderbreaker! Hart went for the cover, focusing his efforts on holding down that right shoulder to the mat!

One!


Two!


Thre....Razor kicked his way out!


Hart climbed back to his feet and let Razor exert his own energy to get back up before he went back on the attack. Hart's targeted effort's this time saw him grab Ramon by the right arm and then climb the turnbuckles..before leaping off the turnbuckles out of the ring, whipping Ramon's arm hard into the top ropes! Ramon dropped to the mat, clutching his arm in pain as Hart landed on his feet at ringside! The fans at ringside let The Hitman have it, but Hart ignored them as he picked up the ring steps and tossed them aside before reaching into the ring and grabbing Ramon's legs. Hart pulled Ramon towards the steel ring post in the ring and, pulling Ramon crotch first into the steel ring post!

A collective grown went through the audience, feeling Ramon's pain but the pain was just beginning as Bret tied up Razor's legs into a FIGURE FOUR AROUND THE RINGPOST!

"A devastating but very illegal maneuver!" JR pointed as as the referee administered a five count before Hart would release the move, untying Ramon from around the ring post. Hart wasted no time as he climbed to the apron and up to the top turnbuckle while Ramon crawled from the corner trying to get back to his feet...Hart came off the top with an axe handle elbow right to the weakened shoulder of Ramon! Down went Razor again as Bret went for the cover:

One!


Two!


Thre...KICKOUT!


A slight look of frustration crossed the Hitman's face as he failed to put away Ramon again, but he didn't let up, now locking on a cross armbar submission to Ramon - stretching that arm for all it's worth! Ramon grimaced in pain as the referee checked in on him - but the Bad Guy was refusing to give up! But on the flip side, Hart was refusing to let up on the submission, continuing to wrench back and apply the pressure. Ramon inched his feet over, finally getting into the ropes to force Hart to break the hold. Hart got to his feet and placed some boots to Ramon's shoulder as Ramon rolled to the apron and dropped down to the floor.

As the referee began a ten count for Ramon, Hart smirked in the ring as he leaned against the ropes - growing more confident in his efforts as the crowd booed on loudly. Ramon was pulling himself up using the apron but Bret bounced off the ropes used a baseball slide to send Razor back down to the floor! Hart pulled Ramon to his feet outside the ring and looked to attempt a suplex on the outside...but Ramon fought it off! Ramon battled back using his left hand but Hart quickly came back with a knee to The Bad Guy's midsection! Hart grabbed Ramon by the arm and went to whip him into the ring post, but RAMON REVERSED IT and sent Hart colliding into the ringpost!

The Hitman was out on his feet as Ramon hit a pair of LEFT HAND jabs and then lifted Hart up and dropped him jaw first across the safety rails! Starting to feel the momentum again, Ramon rolled Hart back into the ring, rolled back in himself, and made the cover!


One!


Two!


Kickout by Bret!



The Bad Guy pulled Hart back to his feet, sending the Hitman into the ropes. BACKDROP attempt by Ramon was COUNTERED into a sunset flip from Hart, but Ramon held his ground....AND DELIVERED A FIST TO THE HEAD OF HART before sitting down on the sunsetflip attempt into a pinfall of his own!


One!


Two!


Thr - NO!
HART used his boots to pull Ramon backwards into his own pinning combination!


ONE!


TWO!


KICKOUT!



Both men got to their feet and Bret took a swing at Ramon, but Ramon ducked and sent Hart into the ropes. Off the ropes, Hart ducked a clothesline attempt from Ramon and with a go-behind, locked in a sleeper hold to Razor! Bret jumped up onto Ramon's back, adding extra pressure as Ramon was now supporting all of The Hitman's weight on his back while sleeper submission was still locked in. The weary Ramon looked like he was going to pass out right in the middle of the ring...but as the fans started a "RAZOR" chant, he found the energy to break free with a JAWBREAKER! Hart was now down on the mat while Ramon sat on his knees, trying to catch his own breath before making the pin.


One!


Two!


Three....NO!



The Hitman was still in it! Both men were slow to get up, but it was Ramon striking with a boot to the midsection as Hart was getting up and then The Bad Guy got Hart into position between his legs...stretching his arms out signalling for the Razor's Edge! Ramon struggled to get Bret up over his shoulders, and could not clinch in the crucifix with his weakened shoulder...


Allowing Bret to escape down Ramon's back.






BACK SLIDE! SHADES OF KING OF THE RING with the roles reversed!




ONE!












TWO!












THREE!!















NO! RAZOR KICKED OUT!



Bret Hart got up, getting in the referee's face about a slow count...allowing Razor to come up from behind with a ROLL UP!






ONE!








TWO!










THREE!








NO!
This time The Hitman escaped the pin!

As both men were getting back to their feet, Hart quickly charged forward and took Ramon to the mat with a big lariat. This only kept Ramon down for a moment as he pulled himself back up but Hart was waiting to hit him with a Big Atomic Drop that had the lanky Ramon staggering around the mat....allowing Hart to grab him from behind - RUSSIAN LEGSWEEP! Hart then grabbed the legs of Ramon, stepped through and turned him over into THE SHARPSHOOTER!

Ramon's face showed the agony he was in at Bret locked in his finisher, but he was refusing to give up as the referee checked in on him. Ramon struggled to try and reach the ropes, but Bret locked it on in the middle of the ring...nowhere for The Bad Guy to go...

Except he would lift himself up with that right arm...and slowly but surely make his way to the ropes...

And reach out...with that last ditch effort...to GRAB the bottom rope! Hart refused to break the hold, but after a five count warning from the referee - Hart released the submission.

Ramon rolled through the ropes and dropped down to ringside to try to regroup as the referee turned his back to Ramon to admonish Bret about not releasing the submission immediately...Razor began pulling himself up at ringside...




WHACK!





JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER
had arrived at ringside and nailed Razor across the back with Ramon's own King of the Ring scepter! Lawler picked up Ramon and rolled him back into the ring, walking backwards up the aisle as the crowd directed a lot of hostility towards him, which he seemed to relish in. Back in the ring, Hart took advantage, making the cover as the unknowing referee made the count...




ONE!




TWO!




THREE!





With a big assist from Jerry Lawler, Bret Hart has just booked himself a match with HULK HOGAN AT SUMMERSLAM!


Winner: Bret "The Hitman" Hart by pinfall at 16:35


The crowd let Bret have it as he lifted up his arms in victory - now knowing he had a date with Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship at Summerslam. A chance to win back the title he lost at WrestleMania!

Meanwhile, Jerry Lawler watched on from the end of the aisle, watching on and letting the camera know there was only "One true King in the WWF!"


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Prior to the next match and after the commercial break we were treated to the Jim Duggan "USA" music video in honor of the 4th of July. I won't link it again but I would encourage you to check out the previous update to see it in it's glorious entirety.


No Countout Match:
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Jacques Rougeau

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Nothing says we need to make the fans happy after a big heel win like trotting out the flag waving, thumbs up giving "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. And, of course, it being the Fourth of July only makes Duggan even more of a fan favorite aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid. Duggan stomped out with plenty of fanfare as he waved Old Glory proudly. Duggan made his way down to the ring with his 2x4 as well, stopping to pose with the flog for a photo opp with a group of Navy seamen at ringside.

The former Mountie, Jacques Rougeau, got perhaps the loudest heat of his career as he walked out onto the Intrepid, equipped with the heat generating CANADIAN FLAG! As Rougeau made his way to the ring, JR reminded us that there would be nowhere for Rougeau to run this time! "That's right, JR," Randy Savage added, "He can run all over this battle ship because there are No Countouts in this match!"

As the match got underway, Duggan and Rougeau met in the center of the ring once again as Duggan dared Rougeau to hit him. Not one to pass up a free punch, Rougeau laid into Duggan with a right hand...which Duggan absolutely no-sold. "C'MON TOUGH GUY!" Duggan belted out, daring Rougeau again. But the 4th of July makes Duggan some sort of "Superman" as he absorbs every blow Rougeau throws at him! With Rougeau's punches having no effect, Duggan finally took his turn - unloading some right hands to Rougeau that delighted the crowd. Duggan then sent Rougeau into the ropes and sent him off his feet to the mat with a giant shoulder tackle!

"HOOOO!" Duggan shouted out as he stomped around the ring. Rougeau pulled himself up only to eat another running shoulder tackle from Hacksaw - this one sending Rougeau falling out of the ring to the floor below!

Rougeau acted like he just wanted to turn tail and run, but there was nowhere to go this time! Duggan left the ring to join Rougeau, but at ringside - the Canadian was able to get the upperhand, sending Duggan crashing into the ring steps. Rougeau used the outside to his advantage, slamming Duggan into the safety rail before wailing into Duggan with some hard punches as he leaned back against the railing. Rougea then lifted Duggan up and dropped him face first across the apron before rolling him back into the ring.

Jacques stopped to argue with some fans at ringside before re-entering the ring and hitting a jumping kneedrop to Duggan. Rougeau went for the pin - One, Two, kickout by Duggan! Rougeau's control of the match continued until he had Duggan locked in a skull vice, and the fans aboard the Intrepid began a rousing "U-S-A" chant! The power of the red, white, and blue pulsing through his veins...Duggan began to find the energy to get back to his feet and fight free from Rougeau's submission! But Rougea kneeded Duggan in the midsection and grabbed him by the head, hoping to slow his second wind by slamming him head first into the top turnbuckle...

BUT IT WAS NO SOLD! Duggan shook his head, and a frantic Rougeau slammed Duggan down head first into the turnbuckle again...but NOPE! The American spirit was too strong inside Hacksaw! He suddenly unloaded some hard right hands into Rougeau before senting the Canadian into the ropes...BACK DROP from Duggan! Rougeau held onto his back as he staggered back to his feet to a waiting Hacksaw who scooped him up and SLAMMED him to the mat! "HOOOOOOO!"

Hacksaw stomped to the corner - now in complete control as he waited for Rougeau to pull himself to his feet....THREE POINT STANCE LARIAT took Rougeau right back down to the mat. Duggan then bounced off the ropes - OLD GLORY KNEE DROP!

That should do it! Duggan made the cover...


ONE!

TWO!

THREE!



Winner: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan at 6:58

Jim Duggan stuck around after the match to wave Old Glory in the ring, soaking in the patriotic Indepedence Day cheers.

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Coming back from the break, we found Todd Pettengill hanging out outside one of the jets aboard the Intrepid with one of the competitors in tonight's Bodyslam Challenge - Bob Backlund!

Todd Pettengill:

What a day this has been so far! And it's just gettin' started! And look who's joining me now, one of the men competing later tonight and former WWF Champion - BOB BACKLUND!

Bob Backlund:
That's MISTER Bob Backlund, boy.


Todd Pettengill:
Oh, yes - so, sorry Mr. Backlund.

Bob Backlund:
That's better. Your generation needs to learn some respect!

A sheepish Todd lowered his head slightly...


Todd Pettengill:
Apologies again, sir. As I was stating, tonight you look to defend America as a Former WWF...


Bob Backlund:
Let me stop you there, son. Yeah, I'm a former WWF Champion, but let's face it - how many people even remember me being champion, Todd? These fans today don't care about that. Again - they don't respect the HISTORY of professional wrestling. It's all about what's more fun...more HIP. I'm out here tonight to show that I belong here in the WWF...and sorry if this steps on some toes, but I'm not doing this for America! I'm doing this for ME! I am doing it to bring some RESPECT back to this business!

Backlund stormed away from Todd and the jet but Todd at least was able to give a sigh of relief.


Todd Pettengill:
That was certainly an unexpected response from the usually mild mannered Bob Backlund! We'll see how this new attitude of his benefits him tonight when he attempts to bodyslam Yokozuna! But for now, let's head to the ring!

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The Ringmaster (w/Doink the Clown) vs. Crush


With a cigar smoking Doink accompanying The Ringmaster to the ring, Crush locked eyes on his rival clown as Doink climbed onto the apron first. Crush asked the referee to send Doink to the back, but with no cause to do so, the referee abstained from doing so while Doink had a good chuckle...as The Ringmaster attacked Crush from behind with a dropkick to start the match! Giving up some considerable size to Crush, The Ringmaster showcased some speed early on to get an advantage - backing Crush into the corner and hitting him with a few punches and chops before Irish Whipping Crush into the opposite ropes....in charged Ringmaster only to run into a back elbow from Crush right to the nose!

Ringmaster grabbed his nose in pain and fell threw the ropes to ringside as Crush watched on. Crush followed him to the outside, but Doink quickly stepped over, providing a distraction as Crush backed him down before turning back and hitting a big knee to The Ringmaster as he tried to get to his feet on the outside. Crushed rolled him back into the ring and followed him in, keeping his eyes locked on Doink, who grinned while puffing away on his cigar. Crush went back on the attack, using a side hidelock takedown onto Ringmaster as he was getting to his feet. Crush kept the headlock applied on the mat, but Ringmaster reached over and pulled Crush's long hair to create some distance and broke the hold, reaching his own legs over around Crush's head for a head scissors submission!

Crush used his long legs to his advantage to power his way back to his feet - LIFTING RINGMASTER UP in the air...and running forward to put Ringmaster down across the top turnbuckles. But he battled back at Crush with a few right hands to send Crush staggering backwards, and off the top rope with an axehandle attempt, but Crush lifted his boot up to strike him off the ropes!

Crush continued in control with his size and strength, soon connecting with a Tiltawhirl Backbreaker! Crush would go for the pin:


One!


Two!


KICKOUT by The Ringmaster!



As Crush continued to control the offense in the ring, Doink the Clown got up from his chair at ringside and began to walk around the ring...Crush stopping dishing out punishment to Ringmaster long enough to follow Doink with his eyes, not wanting to be unaware of his location during the match. But Crush would go back to Ringmaster, striking him with a knee before lifting him up for a vertical suplex...but Ringmaster fought it off and came back down, rolling Crush up into a small package!


One!





Two!





NO! Crush escaped!



As JR and Savage suggested Crush gave The Ringmaster some time to recover to be able to sneak in that nearfall, an irate Crush charged and took Ringmaster right back down to the mat with a big clothesline. Crush was right back in control until he sent Ringmaster into the corner and charged in for a clothesline, but The Ringmaster moved out of the way! The Ringmaster grabbed a handful of Crush's mullet and sent him face first into the turnbuckles to stagger the big man before climbing to the middle ropes and jumping off with a BULLDOG to Crush!


PINFALL ATTEMPT:


ONE!


TWO!


THRE---Shoulder up by Crush!



Crush pulled himself back up to his feet where he was met by a series of jabs from The Ringmaster, who looked to conclude the combination with a discus clothesline...but Crush ducked...


KONA KLUTCH!


Before the referee could get into position to see if The Ringmaster was going to give up, DOINK THE CLOWN as on the apron! The referee was distracted, and so was Crush. Neither man saw a SECOND DOINK coming from under the ring! The second Doink entered the ring...

But Crush would spot him out of the corner of his eye and attacked the Second Doink and Irish Whipped him into Doink on the apron! DOWN WENT DOINK off the apron! Crush then lifted up the Second Doink into a Military Press...


AND TOSSED HIM OUT OF THE RING ONTO THE DOINK AT RINGSIDE!


Clearing the ring of all Doinks, Crush was SURPRISED FROM BEHIND WITH A ROLL UP!


HANDFUL OF TIGHTS FROM THE RINGMASTER!





ONE!





TWO!





THREE!





NO! CRUSH KICKED OUT!



Crush got back to his feet, ducked a clothesline from The Ringmaster...FULL NELSON SLAM to The Ringmaster! Crush was feeling it as Ringmaster tried to get up...making it to a knee before Crush locked in the KONA KLUTCH and he was quickly letting the referee know he was giving up!


Winner: Crush by submission at 8:08

Crush dropped Ringmaster to the mat and threw his arms in victory, Randy Savage congratulating Crush on finally getting back on track tonight after some tough losses this year. He suggested this could be the momentum Crush needs for later tonight when he tries to slam Yokozuna as well! We headed to commercials as Crush celebrated his big victory in the ring.

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Money Inc. ("The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase & Mr. Hughes) vs. The Smoking Gunns (Bart & Billy Gunn)

"Money, Money, Money, Money, Mooonnneeeeyyyyy"


"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase made his way out with a confident smirk on his face as Mr. Hughes walked in line behind, holding the ominous steel briefcase. DiBiase had a copy of the "Wanted" poster featuring The Smoking Gunns, showing it to the camera on his way to the ring, stopping to tell the camera that they were "taking care of business themselves" as he had indicated on WWF Superstars last night.

Once in the ring, the sound of guns firing and
"Smokin" meant Bart Gunn & Billy Gunn were making their way down to the ring! As usual, Bart and Billy were all smiles as they high fived the Intrepid fans on the way down to the ring...

But wait...The Gunns would never make it all the way to the ring.



It was MEN ON A MISSION!



"It's those darn BOUNTY HUNTERS we've seen the past couple weeks!" Jim Ross exclaimed.


Indeed, the rotund Mo and behemoth Mabel had come out from behind, decked out in their "bullet proof vests" (Savage surprised they made vests in Mabel's size!) and armed with nightsticks - Mo and Mabel whacked Bart and Billy from behind in the back with their weapons, sending both men to the ground. Oscar followed the men in from behind, directing traffic while Ted DiBiase watched on with a grin from in the ring. Mabel leaned Bart Gunn up against the ring post and jabbed the nightstick repeatedly into his midsection while Mo whacked away at Billy on the ground, all while the crowd voiced their displeasure at this new group's official debut.

Mo and Mabel both rolled their respective Gunn into the ring, continuing the assault in the ring as it was now clear this match wasn't going to be taking place today aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid.

In the ring, Mabel got the chance to show some of his dominance as he picked up Billy Gunn and handled him with ease, dropping him with a spinning sideslam before picking up Bart and slamming him hard into the mat with a Samoan Drop. Ted DiBiase was enjoying what he was watching as Men on a Mission weren't done yet, Oscar demanding more from ringside. Mabel bounced off the ropes and hit a big running elbow drop to Bart Gunn before pointing to the turnbuckles. The big 480-pound man climbed to the middle turnbuckle as Mo picked up Billy Gunn and hit him with an inverted suplex slam as Mabel jumped off the second rope with a diving legdrop to the back of Billy's head!

The duo wasn't done yet, setting their sights on Bart Gunn once again. Mo lifted Bart up and delivered an inverted suplex slam to him as well as Mabel bounced off the ropes, leaped into the air and brought down all his weight onto the fallen Bart with a BIG SPLASH with that bullet proof vest only adding to the impact!

Oscar entered the ring to celebrate with his boys, lifting up their arms in triumph while Ted DiBiase, with an emotionless Mr. Hughes by his side, gave M.O.M. a rousing round of applause while the audience were less than thrilled by the debut of the Men on a Mission.


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As it looked like Men on a Mission had successfully collected on the bounty, we headed over to Todd Pettengill's interview area by the jets where he was standing by with Crush.

Todd Pettengill:
What a big win for you Crush - you finally got one over on CarnEvil, that has to feel good especially as you gear up for tonight's Bodyslam Challenge!

Crush:
Ay, ya right about that, bruhda! I took care of that lil' geek Ringmaster. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! But Doink, y'lil' tricks weren't gonna fool me a third time, bruhda! And don't think I am done yet - I still am gonna get that clown, you betta believe that, Todd! And like you said, my night is just beginnin'! Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji, America has had enough of you two! And tonight, I look forward to bein' the one to slam you back to Japan where you belong!


Todd Pettengill:
Another fired up competitor for tonight - that Bodyslam Challenge is still to come! We'll be back after a word from our sponsors!

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Grudge Match:
Sensational Sherri (w/Tatanka) vs. Luna Vachon (w/Lex Luger)


After the break, Sensational Sherri and Tatanka made their way out to the ring as JR and Randy Savage reminded us of their feud with the Lex Luger and Luna Vachon - which started at WrestleMania when Luna was in Shawn Michael's corner for Tatanka's Intercontinental Title Match but in the end it wasn't as much about being in HBK's corner as it was Luna wanting to take out Sensational Sherri to be the dominant female in the WWF. Luna would go on to attack Sherri and send her into Luger's mirror, injuring Sherri's eye and forcing her to wear an eye patch as a result. We also revisited the all out brawl the two had two weeks ago on WWF Raw.

As Luger and Luna entered the ring, The Narcisist couldn't help but still do his flexing for the camera despite not actually being in the match. Sensational Sherri, not interested in watching Luger flaunt his muscles, decided to get in his face and began barking at Luger to get out of the ring so she could get her hands on Luna. Not appreciating having his flex time interrupted, Lex confronted Sherri...but the Sensational One was not intimidated by Luger at all, stood her ground and SLAPPED the taste out of his mouth! Luger responded by grabbing her by the hair until Tatanka slid into the ring and went right at Luger with some big knife edge chops! Tatanka worked over Luger, now hitting him with a Tomahawk Chop to have Luger staggered into the ropes before Tatanka charged and clotheslined Luger...sending BOTH MEN over the top rope to the floor!

The referee looked to calm things down, leaving the ring to confront Luger and Tatanka...meanwhile, Luna snuck up behind Sherri, jumped onto her back and began CHOKING Sherri from behind! The referee was oblivious as he tried to separate Luger and Tatanka - and once he got in between them...he EJECTED THEM from ringside! Luger and Tatanka reluctantly had to leave the ring, but in the ring...Luna still had a death grip around Sherri's throat...Sherri dropping to the mat as the referee finally entered the ring and pulled Luna off!

Luna paced the ring as Sherri struggled on the mat...but the match was officially underway with the women getting their time to shine with Luger and Tatanka both now gone from the ring. Luna went right on the attack, having weakened Sherri out of the gate, grabbing a handful of Sherri's hair and TOSSING her to the mat! On the mat, Sherri tried to back away...getting to the corner as Luna moved in and began stomping a mudhole into the cornered Sherri. Luna continued to have her way with Sherri in the corner until she tried to charge in with a clothesline, and Sherri got both of her feet up! With Luna now staggered, Sherri charged out and took Luna down with a clothesline...and then LEAPED ONTOP OF LUNA and began just delivering fist after fist to Luna's face! The crazed Sherri went from punches to wrapping her own palms around Luna's throat - CHOKING HER and SLAMMING HER HEAD INTO THE MAT at the same time!

The referee delivered warnings to Sherri before finally reaching in and pulling her off, threatening a disqualification. This allowed Luna some time to recover...as she reached out and raked the one good eye of Sherri before taking her to the mat with a double leg takedown. Now it was Luna delivering some elbows to Sherri's face! Luna let out some primal screams as she got back to her feet. Luna attempted a big punch to Sherri as she got to her feet, but Sherri ducked and delivered a knee to Luna's midsection before grabbing Luna by her long braids...and SNAPMARING LUNA over her shoulder using her own hair!

With momentum on her side, Sherri took Luna to the mat with a vertical suplex before she pointed to the turnbuckles! Sherri made the climb to the top rope....high risk move coming from The Sensational One.


BIG SPLASH OFF THE TOP!



BUT LUNA ROLLED OUT OF THE WAY!



With Sherri now down, Luna climbed ontop of her and once again began wailing away at Sherri before she beant down and began BITING SHERRI'S FOREHEAD - clearly looking to hold onto her promise of continuing to disfigure Sherri. Heading the referee's warning, Luna got to her feet, spitting on Sherri before looking to the crowd with a snarl. Sherri crawled towards the ropes, but Luna grabbed her by the feet as she reached the ropes, and then catapulted Sherri throat first into the bottom rope! Luna continued to control the match as she once again began to violently choke Sherri, this time across the middle ring rope.

Sherri appeared to be in trouble as Luna would soon pull her to the middle of the ring and slam her to the mat with a snap suplex! It was now Luna's turn to climb to the top turnbuckle...


LUNASAULT!


But this time it was SHERRI ROLLING OUT OF THE WAY avoiding the Moonsault from Luna! Both women were down!

As the referee performed a 10 count, both women got back to their feet around seven and they began to trade chops to the chest back and forth until it was SHERRI with a huge burst of energy and fire as she began a flurry of chop after chop to Luna, working her rival into the corner before continuing her barrage of offense with a multitude of knee lifts to Luna! IRISH WHIP to the opposite corner sent Luna in as Sherri followed through with a charging corner clothesline! Luna staggered out of the corner as Sherri came up from behind, locking in a SLEEPER HOLD to Luna!

But before Luna could succumb to the sleeper, she reached back and once again raked that good eye of Sherri to break the hold up! With Sherri momentarily blinded, Luna lifted her up and bodyslammed her to the mat before rolling out of the ring...and grabbing a STEEL CHAIR FROM RINGSIDE!

The referee warned Luna as she entered the ring, but she didn't seem to care as she eyed up the recovering Sherri...Luna lifted up the chair...only to have the referee grab it from behind to stop Luna! A tug of war ensued until the referee was able to snatch the chair away, Luna stumbled away...INTO A SMALL PACKAGE FROM SHERRI!


ONE!





TWO!






THREE!





Sensational Sherri has done it!


Winner: Sensational Sherri at 6:13



Sherri quickly rolled out of the ring as Luna got back to her feet, snarling and barking at the referee for costing her the match, in her mind. Sherri celebrated, arms raised high as she headed up the aisle...while Luna pushed the referee towards the corner. Luna looked as though she may take a bite out of the referee, but luckily for him, some more WWF officials came out to his rescue, pulling Luna away before any more damage could be done.

As Luna steamed in the ring, Jim Ross took us to break with a final hype that the Bodyslam Challenge was UP NEXT!

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BODYSLAM CHALLENGE:
YOKOZUNA (w/Mr. Fuji) vs. THE USA


Boos all around for the evil foreigner, Yokozuna, as he made his way down to the read lead out as always by Mr. Fuji, who added fuel to the fire by waving that Japanese Flag. JR and Randy Savage reminded us that today was all about embarassing the United States on it's birthday aboard the Intrepid as Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna believed no one in this country could bodyslam Yokozuna and he planned to make today Yokozuna Day in Japan!

I won't bore you with the full details - as there won't be much excitement reading about each and every competitor that comes out and fails...because already know that from our Prologue.

But among the highlights included WWF Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers kicking things off and rallying the crowd and showing soliditary, each taking turns trying to slam Yokozuna - Rick not even getting Yokozuna to flinch while Scott at least made Yokozuna stumble backwards a bit, but ultimately the Tag Champs would fail.

Next up were a couple local heros - Joe Morris and George Martin of the New York Giants and Kenny Anderson of the New Jersey Nets - but each failed but at least delighted the New York crowd while they were around.

The big and mighty Typhoon lumbered out and had himself a brief stare down with Yokozuna - giving us quite the spectacle of these two big behemoths going toe to toe...before Typhoon would attempt his slam but again, all for naught.

An ensuing commercial break would eat up a good portion of all the people who didn't have a chance, aka the non-WWF competitors but a quick recap by Savage and JR when we got back saw that Green Bay's Jim Campen, Peter Taglianetti from the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Bill Fralic of the Detroit Lions each tried but did not succeed.

As we came back from the commercials, Mr. Fuji had stopped the action in order to allow Yokozuna to have a much needed rice break. Yep.

Out came Mr. Bob Backlund as the former WWF Champion was looking for some career redemption once again, though the crowd wasn't too found of him this time after his comments from earlier in the night. Backlund was a bit too overconfident overhowever, as he could barely budge the big man and voiced his frustration afterwards with a temper tantrum at ringside.

The final athlete, Scott Burrell, recent NBA draft pick of the Charlotte Hornets, showed up and perhaps was the smartest of the competitors as he actually decided to not even try - citing not wanting to hurt himself before he signs his sizeable rookie NBA contract - but garnered some big boos from the crowd for not even trying!

Out came the Native American Warrior Tatanka, putting on a brief show in the ring as he performed his War Dance around Yokozuna as he stood in the ring simply watching on. Tatanka became the first to try and weaken Yokozuna first as he bounced off the ropes and performed a Tomahawk Chop to Yokozuna - not once or twice, but THREE Chops before climbing to the top turnbuckle...FLYING TOMAHAWK CHOP to Yokozuna! The crowd was digging it as Yokozuna was STAGGERING but still on his feet! HERE'S HIS CHANCE!

BUT NO! Tatanka still could not lift the big Yokozuna off his feet! Not accepting defeat, Tatanka delivered a stiff back hand chop before bouncing off the ropes...SAVATE KICK FROM YOKOZUNA! Yokozuna thanked Tatanka for coming by bouncing off the ropes and dropping a massive legdrop across the Native American. The defeated Tatanka rolled out of the ring to bring out...

CRUSH! The 300-pounder Crush worked the crowd as he entered the ring, leading the crowd in a U-S-A chant and feeling some momentum after his big win earlier in the evening. Crush and Yokozuna stared each other down and surprisingly showing a bit of a height advantage over Yokozuna! Crush wasted no more time, going for the SCOOP...AND GETTING BOTH FEET OFF THE GROUND...but couldn't sustain it and dropped Yokozuna back to his feet and dropped to a knee, clutching his back in pain!

Mr. Fuji laughed as Crush got back to his feet and slammed the ropes in frustration, as yet another American went down in defeat!

It seemed to all come down to "The Macho Man" Randy Savage! Savage, dressed in his Independence Day best - an outfit only The Macho Man could pull off - decked in red, white and blue stars and stripes both across his pants and long sleeved shirt, decked with red and white streamers coming off his arm, capped off with his red, white, and blue Macho Man hat.

A face off between "Macho USA" and Yokozuna ended with Yoko shoving the Macho Man back to the mat. An infuriated Savage popped back up to his feet and immediately went in for the scoop...but Yokozuna barely budged!

An upset and embarrassed Savage tossed away his hat in frustration and it seemed like the day had been lost. It appeared that, in fact, Yokozuna had humiliated America.

Mr. Fuji triumphantly waved the flag of Japan, taunting the fans in attendance aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid. Todd Pettingale seemed ready to admit defeat as he thanked the competitors and fans for coming out...


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One more competitor would step forward, arriving aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid by way of a chartered helicopter. One more competitor would step forward and attempt to save what "had indeed been an embarrassment for America."

Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji stood in he ring, staring as the helicopter made its landing. Wondering along with the fans in attendance and the rest of the world of just who, in Vince McMahon's words, had the "gal" and "audacity" to step forward at the very last possible moment.

A sea of people swarmed around the helicopter...the camera zoomed in to try and get a look. Finally the crowd parted and Yokozuna, Mr. Fuji, and the world would meet the hero stepping forward to redeem America.

The camera panned down low...at first just showing us the a pair of legs in blue tights...but as we panned up, those blue tights had on the right thigh...a RED AND WHITE SCORPION....and panning up past a patroitc red, white, and blue flag themed ring jacket...was the red, white, and blue face paint....the blonde crew cut...


"MY GOD, IT CAN'T BE!"


"IT IS JR! I DON'T BELIEVE IT EITHER!"
Randy Savage agreed, having returned to the announce position.


"IT'S THE MAN THEY CALL
STING!"


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The fans on the Intrepid were in awe, swarming around Sting as security helped escort him from the helicopter across the Intrepid while in the ring, Yokozuna awaited while Mr. Fuji appeared to be FUMING.

"This is unbelievable, JR! He doesn't even work for the World Wrestling Federation!" Randy Savage declared.

"You're right about that Macho Man, but this was an open challenge to ALL AMERICAN ATHLETES! And by God, Sting is as American as they come! And right now, he's America's last hope!"

A "Sting" chant was now making the rounds aboard the Intrepid as Sting hoped over the safety rail and climbed the apron before entering the ring. Sting stopped to look at both Yokozuna and Fuji before climbing the turnbuckles, bringing his hands to his mouth and letting out a gigantic howl...

"WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Sting pointed out to the fans at ringside as Todd Pettingale was in the ring as Mr. Fuji was outraged.

Todd Pettingale:
I don't believe my eyes - ladies and gentlemen, STING is here in the World Wrestling Federation! But Sting, Mr. Fuji is saying that you are too late! The competition is over!

Sting:

WOOOOO! Man, oh MAN - I thought this was an OPEN CHALLENGE, Yokozuna! I thought you said ANY AMERICANS, Mr. FUJI! Well, the Stinger is here to answer the challenge! Because if there's one thing the Stinger can't stand is people like you, Mr. Fuji and YOU YOKOZUNA - dragging this great country down! So let me ask you THIS, YOKOZUNA - are you gonna back down from some guy who doesn't even wrestle for this company - or are you gonna prove you're a DISGRACE to all of wrestling and go back to Japan with your TAIL BETWEEN YOUR LEGS?! C'MON - LET'S DO THIS!

Sting fired up the crowd, motioning his hands to the fans and demanding to get a shot at slamming the big man, but Mr. Fuji instead responded by SPITTING at the Stinger!

"THAT'S...NOT A GOOD IDEA!" Randy Savage pointed out...as Sting grabbed Mr. Fuji by his robe and PUNCHED FUJI OUT COLD! DOWN GOES FUJI!

A fired up Stinger pulled off his patriotic coat and tossed it to ringside, but Yokozuna blindsided Sting from behind. Yokozuna, looking to defend his fallen manager, attacked Sting with some blows to the back before shoving him into the corner. Yokozuna backed up and charged in with a Body Avalanche...


BUT STING MOVED!


YOKOZUNA COLLIDED INTO THE TURNBUCKLES!



Sting ran to the opposite corner and charged in...


STINGER SPLASH TO YOKOZUNA!


Sting once again played to the crowd as they enjoyed every moment of Sting backing back up and then charging in for a second...


STINGER SPLASH!


Yokozuna shook off the cobwebs in the corner as Sting taunted him, daring him to make a move...Yokozuna charged out of the corner as Sting used Yokozuna's own momentum to...LIFT HIM OFF HIS FEET...




AND STING FELL FORWARD, SLAMMING YOKOZUNA ONTO HIS BACK!





"YES! YES! HE DID IT!" Randy Savage shouted out.

"America will not be defeated here tonight!" Jim Ross declared, "and it's thanks to this man...Sting! Sting has shown up in the WWF tonight and accomplished the IMPOSSIBLE!"

The referee lifted up Sting's arm as the fiery Stinger relished every moment of the crowd in a frenzy, throwing their arms in the air and many waving their little American Flags given to them upon entry.


"The Star Spangled Banner" played in the background in celebration of America's victory tonight while Yokozuna rolled to ringside, exiting in disgust while helping Mr. Fuji up the aisle.

In the ring, Sting closed out the show by climbing each of the turnbuckles and howling out in victory as Fourth of July Fireworks began firing off in the background!
 

RDT

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Who knew "Showtime" referred to Sting?! We need Yoko to squash this little Scorpion for good.
 

Stojy

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Ah what glorious memories. Enjoyed reading through this again. This is the last thing I truly remember from this BTB, so looking forward to reading on from here. Very hypocritical thing for me of all people to say but post more frequently please.
 

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With the "prologue" completed and we're now caught up to the "opening" post that teased Sting's debut in the WWF, I felt like it might be a good time to switch up my format and start writing Raw's out more traditionally. At this point, I was pretty much highlighting mostly Raw events anyway in my weekly posts while Superstars is now the clear "B-Show" at best. Superstars will be featured as a synopsis at the bottom as well, since there are still some note worthy events happening during that broadcast as well.


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WWF Monday Night Raw
July 5, 1993
Manhattan Center - New York City


Vince McMahon's voice welcomed us in to the post-Intrepid edition of WWF Monday Night Raw, and patriotism was still running rampant among the WWF faithful in attendance in New York's Manhattan Center. Little American Flags were prominent across the arena, waving proudly as the fans chanted "U-S-A" to open up the show. Even Randy Savage at ringside alongside Vince McMahon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan was once again dressed in his red, white, and blue garb.

The talk of the hour, of course, was that of Yokozuna's Bodyslam Challenge from yesterday's Stars & Stripes Challenge. Vince immediately kicked us over to a highlight package showcasing the Bodyslam Challenge and the many who came and went, failing to do what seemed impossible - lift up and slam the nearly 600-pound Yokozuna.

Among them: Peter Taglianetti of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Scott Burell of the Charlotte Hornets, Bill Frallic of the Detroit Lions, Bob Backlund, Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, Tatanka and Crush. The seemingly penultimate competitor, the Hawaiian Crush, actually got Yokozuna's legs off the mat but it was all for naught. It seemed to all come down to a fired up "Macho Man" Randy Savage, but ultimately not even the Macho Man could get the behemoth off his feet.

Just as it appeared as though America would be defeated on it's own birthday as Mr. Fuji triumphantly waved the flag of Japan in the air...

Something else happened aboard the Intrepid. "Something happened on America's birthday," Vince McMahon said with his emphatic growl.

And yes, as we all now by know it was STING stepping off the helicopter aboard the Intrepid. It was STING, a man with no WWF contract, stepping forward and doing the impossible. SLAMMING Yokozuna to the mat!

"WHAT A BIRTHDAY IT WAS" Vince McMahon declared as we the video package finished up with the same closing shots of Sting celebrating amidst a background of red, white, and blue fireworks in the skyline.

Vince was quick to point out that Mr. Fuji was refuting the finish of the Bodyslam Challenge and that we would hear more from him and Yokozuna later tonight. Randy Savage stepped in to disagree adamantly and on behalf of all the other athletes and WWF superstars who competed yesterday aboard the Intrepid, The Macho Man told STING, "We are all DAMN PROUD OF YOU, and as far as I'm concerned, that was the BODYSLAM HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD! OOOH YYEAAHH! DIG IT!"

DING-DING-DING!

"HERE WE GO!" Vince McMahon transitioned as the sound of the ring bell meant we were heading to the ring for our opening contest.


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Blake Beverly (w/Beau Beverly) vs. "The 1-2-3 Kid" Chris Candido (w/Marty Jannetty)

The Beverly Brothers
, both decked out in the sparking purple robes though it was singles competition, made their way out first to some moderate heel heat from the Manhattan Center fans as Vince hyped up some more events happening later this evening including a match between "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and "Mister" Bob Backlund, plus The Undertaker in action as well! And of course, as Vince had mentioned earlier, Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji would be out for an interview to discuss their DEFEAT at the Stars & Stripes Challenge!

But first, it was a much anticipated in ring debut of "The 1-2-3 Kid" himself - Chris Candido! Candido trotted out from the back with his mentor and teacher, former WWF Intercontinental Champion Marty Jannetty, right by his side. The pair high fived the fans on the way down to the ring, and around ringside before climbing into the ring. Jannetty hyped up Candido in the corner, rubbing his pupil's shoulders and telling him "you got this!" as things got under way.

Candido offered a handshake to Blake Beverly to start the match, but Beverly slapped it away and could be heard telling the "kid" to "go back home where he's safe." While at ringside, Marty Jannetty began to lead a "1-2-3" chant that quickly caught on with the fans, which Vince McMahon was quick to remind us of these same chants directed towards Shawn Michaels after Candido's recent "pinfalls" over the Intercontinental Champion! Blake was disgusted by the chants, grimacing as a smiling Candido offered another handshake to his opponent, but Beverly responded with an open handed slap to Candido!

Candido dropped to a knee as Beverly turned his back to his opponent and mocked the crowd, "I'll show ya 1-2-3!" Beverly laughed, as his brother Beau tried to get his attention...because Candido was back up and caught Blake with a standing dropkick that sent Beverly through the middle ropes to ringside! Candido was out of the gate with a quick upperhand in his debut, Beverly heading to ringside only for the Kid to use a baseball slide dropkick to ringside to send Blake crashing into the guard rails!

Jannetty shouted out some instructions to Candido during the match, including advising him to get the match back into the ring, knowing that outside could be trouble with Beau lingering around. But in the ring, Candido continued to impress, picking up a nearfall off of a sunset flip. A distraction from Beau at ringside would indeed allow Blake to get in a cheapshot to the Kid and turned the tables. Blake used his size and strength advantage to work over Candido, picking up a nearfall off of a short arm clothesline and a side suplex - but The Kid was showing a lot of heart as he battled his way back!

An attempt of a superplex from Blake was fought off by Candido with a few elbows to the head. Beverly stumbled backwards as Candid climbed to the top turnbuckle...FLYING CROSSBODY! It was enough for a TWO count, but didn't put Blake away. Candido retook control briefly until he missed a clothesline attempt, only to have Blake lift him up and slam him to the mat with a back suplex. A confident Blake Beverly climbed to the top turnbuckle, and was perhaps looking to put Candido away as he flew off the top rope...but The 1-2-3 Kid rolled out of the way! Nothing but canvas for Beverly!

With Jannetty shouting encouragements, Candido quickly took advantage...climbing to the top turnbuckle and coming off with a FLYING LEGDROP to Blake! Beau Beverly tried to intervene, but Marty Jannetty pulled him down off the apron as Candido made the pin...One! Two! Three!

The 1-2-3 Kid struck again and this time, it's in an "official" setting with the big win in his debut!

Winner: "The 1-2-3 Kid" Chris Candido by pinfall at 9:12

Big celebration post match as Jannetty quickly entered the ring to embrace his pupil with a big hug and raised his arm in victory as Savage, McMahon, and even Heenan had to give lots of credit to this young man on withstanding a beating from one half of the Beverly Brothers to come back and win in his in-ring debut.


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After the commercial break, the celebration had continued backstage where Chris Candido and Marty Jannetty where still pumped up from Candido's first ever win in the WWF.

Marty Jannetty:
Way to go Chris, you looked real good out there! I couldn't be more proud of ya!

Chris Candido:
Oh man, that felt good. REAL GOOD!

Marty Jannetty:
And let me tell ya - it's only the beginnin' my friend!

The fun was interrupted as "The Heart Break Kid" Shawn Michaels and his bodyguard Flash Norton entered the shot, quickly bringing the celebration to a halt as Jannetty and Candido lifted their guard.

Shawn Michaels:
Don't stop on my account! I just wanted to come over and congratulate you myself on that...IMPRESSIVE...victory tonight.

The sarcasm was soaked in heavily in HBK's less than half-hearted congrats that he gave out with a smirk.

Shawn Michaels:
I mean, how many people in this business can say they have a win over a BEVERLY BROTHER?!

Michaels cracked himself up, laughing so much that he had to burry his face into Norton's massive chest.

Shawn Michaels:
But in all seriousness, kid, you got a long way to go in this business - wake me when you're ready to play wit' "the big boys."

Marty Jannetty:
Hey Shawn, last I checked - The Kid has TWO pinfalls over you!

Michaels quickly snapped into his serious face as Jannetty brought up the two surprise roll ups Candido has on him in unofficial settings.

Shawn Michaels:
EVERYBODY KNOWS THOSE DIDN'T COUNT! And EVERYBODY knows that in a real match, you wouldn't stand a chance against the Heart Break Kid - the GREATEST INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION OF ALL TIME!

Marty Jannetty:

Sorry, Shawn - guess I struck a nerve, there - didn't I? If you feel so confident about it - then do it.

Shawn Michaels:
Do what?

Marty Jannetty:
Give the kid a one-on-one match. You know you just can't STAND that he's gotten TWO falls over you...

Chris Candido:
What'dya say? You gonna let the 1-2-3 Kid upstage ya - are ya chicken?!

Candido and Jannetty both make some not so great attempts at chicken noises, leaving Michaels fuming.

Shawn Michaels:
You know something, Lil' Boy - you want it, YOU GOT IT! But you better be prepared, 'cause the Heart Break Kid is gonna take you to school and send you packing back to that Jersey sewer you came from!

While HBK left the screen to the left in a huff, Flash Norton stuck around for a moment to stare down both Candido and Jannetty before joining his boss off screen. Once the threat of Norton was gone, Candido and Jannetty both went back to celebrating the night.


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DING-DING-DING!

While the announcers digested the possible Candido/Michaels match to happen in the future, Bob Backlund was making his way to down to the ring after the sound of the ring bell once again. As Backlund walked down to the ring, ignoring the fans at ringside, we got a quick replay of Backlund's interview at Stars & Stripes where he demanded to be called "Mister Bob Backlund" by Todd Pettengill and became the only competitor in the Bodyslam Challenge to outright indicate he wasn't trying to slam Yokozuna for America but it was about himself!

Bob Backlund entered the ring and stared a hole through ring announcer Howard Finkel after Finkel introduced Backlund as simply Bob Backlund...

Backlund walked over and snatched the microphone from the Fink.

Bob Backlund:
Listen up you scumbag! If you're gonna do you're job, you need to do it right! Show some respect where it's deserved - it's MISTER BOB BACKLUND!

Backlund shoved the microphone back into Finkel's chest, telling him to "re-do" the introduction. The nervous Finkel did just that, appeasing the former WWF World Champion and re-introducing him as Mr. Bob Backlund - this time getting a smile and a nod of approval from the grizzled veteran.

"Mister" Bob Backlund vs. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

"HOOOOOOOO!"

One man who Randy Savage said didn't appreciate the comments from Backlund was this man, Jim Duggan - who had his own battle for the pride of America at Stars & Stripes where he was successful in defending America on her birthday against Canada's Jacques Rougeau. Duggan stomped down to the ring, still getting the big patriotic pops as he marched out with the American Flag and, of course, his trusty 2x4.

The two veterans started the matchup with a lock up and after the two traded some go-behinds and waistlocks, Duggan showed that he made an early mistake by trying to match the more technical Backlund move for move as Backlund quickly got the upperhand. While trapped in a wristlock, Duggan would fight his way out with some back elbows and fire up the crowd as he unleashed a flurry of right hands to back Backlund into the corner. Duggan then had the fans counting along with him as he slammed Backlund's head repeatedly into the top turnbuckle 10 times before allowing Backlund to stagger out of the corner. Duggan followed through by bouncing off the ropes and taking Mr. Backlund down to the mat with a big shoulder tackle!

With the crowd solidly behind him on the day after 4th of July, Duggan looked firmly in control of Backlund and perhaps Backlund's losing efforts of late would continue. Duggan pulled Backlund back to his feet and sent him into the ropes again, but this time Backlund struck first, driving his knee into Duggan as he came off the ropes! Backlund took back control, slowing the pace down as he worked over Duggan's shoulder before locking in a reverse chinlock on Hacksaw. The referee checked in on Duggan, but Hacksaw was not giving up, rallying the crowd behind him as they clapped their hands to work Duggan back to his feet...and Hacksaw was able to break the hold with a jawbreaker!

Hacksaw had found his second wind and rallied, unloading some more punches to Backlund before sending him into the ropes and dropping him to the mat with a big Back Body Drop! "HOOOOOOOO!" Duggan shouted out as he stomped around the ring and got down into the 3-Point Stance. Backlund pulled himself to the corner to help get himself back up to his feet...as Duggan charged in for the running lariat...

BUT BACKLUND MOVED!

DUGGAN CRASHED INTO THE TURNBUCKLES - and as he staggered out of the corner...

CROSSFACE CHICKEN WING TO DUGGAN!

Duggan tried to escape, but Backlund had the submission locked in perfectly and there was nowhere for Hacksaw to go...he signaled to the referee...and it was all over! It was Mister Bob Backlund picking up the win tonight on Raw!


Winner: "Mister" Bob Backlund by submission at 6:48


Post match, Bob Backlund headed up the aisle, clearly proud of himself with the decisive victory over Duggan, while in the ring - Jim Duggan sat up on his knees, shaking his head in disappointment.

But Duggan would not have very much time to sulk in defeat..as he got to his feet, he was attacked from behind by JACQUES ROUGEAU!

But this time, Rougeau was not alone! He was joined by a slightly shorter but also slightly bulkier man, dressed in the same red top and black pants! Rougeau and his associate quickly pummeled Duggan to the ground as the crowd met them both with loud jeers. As his associate continued to stomp away at the fallen Duggan, Rougeau left the ring and grabbed Hacksaw's own 2x4, taking it into the ring as the other man lifted Duggan back to his feet, only to have Rougeau smack Hacksaw right in the head with it, sending him back to the mat!

Vince McMahon voiced just how sickening it was to watch Hacksaw get beat by his own 2x4, the day after America's birthday no less! But the pair weren't done yet...it was time to add a little insult to injury as Rougeau's partner left the ring and picked up the American flag and carried it back into the ring...and SNAPPED IT ACROSS HIS KNEE! Rougeau then took the flag part and proceeded to blow his nose in it before tossing it down to the ground as the crowd let both of them have it.

Raw headed to break as Rougeau and his partner stood tall in the ring in solidarity over the fallen "Hacksaw."


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Back from break, Vince McMahon was at ringside as the sounds of "Sumo" began to play.

Vince McMahon:
With me now, ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome the former World Wrestling Federation champion, YOKOZUNA!

Mr. Fuji walked out first, waving the Japanese Flag as Yokozuna lumbered out behind him. The crowd immediately ramped up a "U-S-A" chant that was not sitting well with Fuji as he walked Yokozuna down to ringside to join Vince McMahon.

Vince McMahon:
Mr. Fuji, how does it feel to hear this capacity crowd chanting U-S-A. How does it feel?

Mr. Fuji:
What you talking about?!

Vince McMahon:
Don't act like you can't hear that! Listen to these people! U-S-A! U-S-A! These chants are at you! All thanks to The Man they call STING!

Mr. Fuji:

Sting? STING?! I don't know what you are talking about Vince McMahon! Last I check, there is no STING in the W-W-F!

Vince McMahon:

Now wait just a minute, Mr. Fuji! You may be right about that, Sting is not a member of the WWF roster - but that wasn't part of the OPEN CHALLENGE! You said ANY AND ALL AMERICAN ATHLETES! And Sting is as AMERICAN an ATHELTE as I've ever seen! This was your attempt to embarrass America on her birthday, but your plan was spoiled by none other than Sting!

Vince's words seemed to agitate the big man, who began shouting some indistinguishable words at Mr. Fuji, who worked to calm his client down.

Mr. Fuji:
Look what you doin' to my Yokozuna! You are making him ANGRY! And, ha ha, you will not like him when he's angry, Vince McMahon! As for Sting - you Americans must not know what a BODY SLAM is - that Sting, he could not keep my Yokozuna up - HE FELL DOWN! That was NOT a BODY SLAM!

Vince McMahon:

Are you telling me you are claiming there was no slam? I have been in this business a long time, I think I know a slam when I see one!

Mr. Fuji:
It's quite simple you dumb Americans! - you pick someone up over your head and you DROP them down to the mat. STING FELL! STING DID NOT SLAM YOKOZUNA! Last night, my Yokozuna was victorious! My Yokozuna defeated AMERICA! So tonight - WE CELEBRATE YOKOZUNA, NOT AMERICA!

The Manhattan Center crowd's U-S-A chants only grew louder, becoming deafening in the arena.

Vince McMahon:
You can't hear yourself think in here! Mr. Fuji...

Vince didn't get to get his next phrase out as the interview was interrupted as one of the competitors from last night's Bodyslam Challenge - CRUSH - had came out to ringside!

Vince McMahon:
Wait a minute! Wait JUST A MINUTE...CRUSH! Another one of your challengers from last night - the man who came closest besides Sting to slamming Yokozuna to the mat!

Crush:

FIRST OF ALL - I want to come out here and thank a man I've not had the pleasure of meeting yet - a man that I have nothing but RESPECT and ADMIRATION FOR, BRUDDAH - A Man who did something I admit I couldn't even do...someone who made me PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN yesterday on the Intrepid...and there's no doubt about it, Bruh - HE SLAMMED YOU TO THE MAT, YOKOZUNA! So on behalf of the WWF and ALL OF AMERICA - we thank the STINGER, wherever he may be tonight!

"U-S-A! U-S-A!"

Crush:
And let me tell ya this too, maybe I wasn't able to slam ya last night Yokozuna - but before Stinger walked out, I was da closest, bruddah. And I'm feelin' good after yesterday - I'm on a ROLL - and I think if I got ya in the ring, bruh - the results would be much, MUCH DIFFERENT! So how about next week, here on Raw, me and you - YOKOZUNA! I want the chance to make America just as proud as STING did last night!

Vince McMahon:
Oh my! A challenge has been laid down for next week, Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. What do you have to say about that?

Mr. Fuji:
Crush - you already a failure! My Yokozuna has nothing to prove against you!

Vince McMahon:
Are you kidding me, Mr. Fuji! You sit here and talk about your defeat of America - BUT HERE ARE, GOING TO BACK DOWN FROM A CHALLENGE? IS THAT THE KIND OF MAN YOKOZUNA IS?

Mr. Fuji:
Now listen to me...

Vince McMahon:
Why am I even talking to you - YOKOZUNA, IS THAT THE TYPE OF MAN YOU ARE? ARE YOU GOING TO BACK DOWN FORM A CHALLENGE FROM AMERICA?

The ballsy Vince McMahon was right in Yokozuna's face as Crush eagerly watched on...the camera zoomed in close on Yokozuna as Mr. Fuji barked incoherent orders at him...but Yokozuna responded.

Yokozuna:
I ACCEPT!

Crush lifted his arms up in celebration, getting a huge, high profile match NEXT WEEK ON RAW!

Vince McMahon:
He accepts! Next week - CRUSH VERSUS YOKOZUNA! The PRIDE OF AMERICA at stake once again!

Mr. Fuji:

Let me tell you something Crush - you makin' a VERY big mistake! Next week, Yokozuna will CRUSH CRUSH!

Crush paid no attention to Fuji, continuing to celebrate at ringside, pointing to Yokozuna as Bobby Heenan insisted that he felt sorry for Crush and what was going to no doubt happen to him next week on Raw, while Macho Man indicated he had faith in Crush's ability to fight for America right here on Raw!


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This August.

Get ready for an event so HOT we couldn't show it until the end of Summer.

SummerSlam.jpg


FEEL THE HEAT.


August 30th - only on Pay-Per-Vie
w!



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At ringside, Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Bobby Heenan plug SummerSlam and reminded us that the Bodyslam Challenge wasn't the only thing that happened yesterday on the U.S.S. Intrepid. With a big assist from Jerry "The King" Lawler, Bret "The Hitman" Hart defeated Razor Ramon, which meant that at SummerSlam - FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER - it would be Hulk Hogan versus Bret Hart and it would be for the WWF Championship!

And speaking of Bret Hat, NEXT WEEK ON RAW, Bret's brother OWEN HART would be on hand for a special interview where Vince hoped to address Owen's return last week on Raw and what is going through his mind with his brother's recent change in attitude.

ALSO NEXT WEEK, Vince had received confirmation that Yokozuna vs. Crush would indeed happen and we'd also get to see the team who made their debut at Stars & Stripes - Men on a Mission - as they would be looking to receive their bounty payment from Money Inc for their vicious assault on The Smoking Gunns!


DING-DING-DING



That sound meant it was time for one last match of the evening!


Brian Costello vs. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer)

Already waiting in the ring was a nervous Brian Costello. A man who had every reason to be nervous because his opponent tonight, who slowly made his way down to the ring to the sounds of the funeral processional alongside his manager Paul Bearer was THE UNDERTAKER! The fans in attendance watched in awe at the sight of The Undertaker being on hand tonight - and perhaps his entrance would end up taking longer than the match itself. Because while Costello would strike first on Taker to start the match, each blow Costello sent the "Dead Man's" way, the Undertaker absorbed every blow - completely unphased. Needless to say, Undertaker made short work of his opponent tonight, laying him out with the Tombstone Piledriver before placing Costello's hands across his own chest, Taker then pushing down for the cover. One - Two - Three.

Rest in Peace Brian Costello.

Winner: The Undertaker by pinfall at 1:45


The Undertaker knelt down post match, lifting his arm up towards the ceiling as Paul Bearer climbed back into the ring...


"DIESEL BLUES"

"Wait just a minute!"
Vince McMahon once again declared...just as he was getting ready to sign off for the evening, things weren't over just yet as DIESEL emerged from the back, decked out in blue jeans with a leather jacket and leather fingerless gloves to complete his ensemble and was accompanied by his sniveling manager decked out in his loose fitting business suit, Harvey Wippleman.

The Undertaker stood to attention, staring down both Diesel and Wippleman as they made their way to the ring. Diesel stepping up onto the apron and over the top rope with ease while Wippleman nearly tripped over himself entering the ring behind Diesel.

Wippleman took the microphone from Howard Finkel.

Harvey Wippleman:
Undertaker! We meet again! And this time....

Diesel reached over and snatched the microphone from his manager.

Diesel:
So...you're this UNDERTAKER I keep hearing about, huh?

Wippleman quickly recovered from his client taking the reigns so quickly, now eager to mouth off to Undertaker and Paul Bearer while standing a safe distance behind Diesel, who inched ever so closer to The Undertaker.

Diesel:
Allow me to introduce myself...you can call me DIESEL.

The crowd met Diesel with loud boos as he continued to step in closer to The Undertaker, now almost nose to nose with the Dead Man, who remained stoic - watching with no emotion as Paul Bearer looked ready to order 'Taker to strike at any moment.

Diesel:
Y'know, where I'm from - when you're somewhere new...you find the biggest...baddest....man in the place and you walk right up to 'em....and you sock 'em right in the face!

Diesel lowered the mic briefly, smirking as Wippleman nodded his head in agreement from behind.

Diesel:
And from where I'm standin', Undertaker, you must be that man!

Diesel had barely finished his sentence before he had reared back and unleased a hard right hand to The Undertaker! Diesel kept the attack coming, hitting Undertaker with punch after punch, working the Dead Man into the corner as a concerned Paul Bearer headed for the safety of ringside.

Continuing to have his way with Undertaker, Diesel worked him over in the corner with some knees to the midsection before pulling Undertaker out by his hair, and then whipping him into the ropes...


BIG BOOT TO THE UNDERTAKER!


Diesel wasn't done with The Undertaker just yet, pulling him back up to his feet before lifting him up into the side slam position, showing off his strength as he walked around the ring HOLDING THE UNDERTAKER...and then SLAMMED HIM TO THE MAT with the Sidewalk Slam!

Wippleman voiced his approval for Diesel's handiwork as the big man got back to his feet and placed his boot across Undertaker's chest, holding up his fist in the air as the crowd rained in the boos.

With the job seemingly done, Wippleman and Diesel left the ring...heading back up the aisle, turning to face the ring and marvel at "their" job well done...when...


THE UNDERTAKER SAT UP!


"NOT SO FAST, DIESEL!"
Vince McMahon belted out. "You can't dispose of The Undertaker that easily!"

"Diesel may be one cool dude,"
Macho Man added, "but he has a lot left to learn about THE UNDERTAKER! OOHHH YEAH!"

"That's impossible!
" Diesel mouthed to Wippleman, clearly caught off guard by The Undertaker's supernatural ability to withstand a beating. As Diesel and Wippleman realized taking out The Undertaker wasn't going to be that easy, Raw came to a close on the site of The Undertaker sitting up in the ring, staring down his attacker with his cold, dead eyes.


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340?cb=20120130015623



THIS WEEK ON WWF SUPERSTARS:


WWF Update, hosted by Gorilla Monsoon, would provide us more insight into the appearance by STING at Stars & Stripes. Monsoon had the latest news that Sting had a meeting this week with WWF President Jack Tunney. Sting wants a piece of Yokozuna and he has asked for a MATCH AT SUMMERSLAM! But first, Sting will need to sign a WWF contract to do so...and in five weeks, Sting will be on hand at WWF Raw to do just that. And in the meantime, Sting will be embarking on his "Deadly Venom Tour" where he will be traveling by tour bus around the country and wants to meet with the WWF fans in your city, so be on the lookout in the coming weeks for your chance to meet Sting. Tune in to Raw next week for exclusive footage of Sting on his Deadly Venom Tour!


And speaking of WWF Summerslam, in Gene Okerlund's first WWF Summerslam Report, he revealed that another match would be joining HULK HOGAN vs. BRET HART. Gene Okerlund had received confirmation that it would be KING VERSUS KING as The 1993 King of the Ring "The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon would take on Jerry "The King" Lawler! No doubt Razor Ramon will be eager to get his hands on the man who cost him a shot at the WWF Championship. Lawler, being on commentary for Superstars, spent much of the episode insulting and running down Ramon at every chance he got.

Owen Hart made his in-ring return and was part of the "Feature Match" on Superstars taking on Samu of The Headshrinkers. A hard fought match which saw Samu dominant much of the action, Owen Hart persevered and would pick up the win with a Northern Lights Suplex. Plenty of focus on this match on Owen's brother Bret and the WWF Championship Match, but also on Owen Hart's upcoming interview next week on Raw where we would hear from Owen for the first time since Owen stopped his own brother from continuing a potentially devastating attack on Razor Ramon on Raw.

The WWF Tag Team Champions Steiner Brothers were in action, easily defeating WT Jones & Rok Werner, but in a pre-match promo - they voiced their disgust at the attack on Jim Duggan from Raw, calling Jacques Rougeau and his new partner disgusting for what they did to a "real American hero."

The WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels was also in non-title action, getting the victory over Kevin Kruger. We got confirmation that in two weeks time, Chris Candido would get his one on one match with Shawn Michaels but the title would not be on the line.

And finally, Ted DiBiase and Mr. Hughes, Money Inc, defeated Mitch Bishop and Chad Miller. Most of the discussion during the match centered around the attack on The Smoking Gunns by Men on a Mission who were looking to collect on DiBiase's bounty. Tune in next week on Raw, as Men on a Mission will be looking to collect on that bounty from The Million Dollar Man! Randy Savage had his doubts that DiBiase would actually pay up, while Jerry Lawler knew DiBiase was a man of his word! We'll find out next Monday night!



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WWF SummerSlam 1993
August 30, 1993
Live on Pay-Per-View from The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan



WWF CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
"The Immortal" Hulk Hogan (w/Jimmy Hart) (c) vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart

KING VERSUS KING

"
The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler
 

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This has always been one of my favorite BTB's. I am very glad that we are now at weekly shows. Very excited to see how SummerSlam shapes up.
 
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mondaynightraw.jpg?w=300

WWF Monday Night Raw
July 12, 1993
Manhattan Center - New York City




DING - DING - DING


"SUMO"



We opened up immediately on those sounds as we immediately saw Mr. Fuji waving the Japanese Flag while leading a very serious looking Yokozuna down to the ring as the Manhattan Center fans rained down a loud "U-S-A! U-S-A!" chant towards the evil foreigners.


"ON JULY 4TH," Vince McMahon belted out, "THIS MAN, YOKOZUNA, WAS EMBARRASSED BY THE MAN THEY CALLED STING!"


"Absolutely he was!"
'The Macho Man' Randy Savage agreed in earnest, "it was the BODYSLAM HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD!"


"I don't think so! It was the cheapshot heard 'round the world,"
Bobby 'The Brain' Heenena protested, "Sting, who doesn't even work here, came from out of nowhere after the challenge was over and then he doesn't even SLAM YOKOZUNA at all - like Mr. Fuji said last week - all he did was fall down!"


"Oh please!"
Vince McMahon disagreed, "Nonetheless, STING is coming to the WWF! And he has his eyes set directly on YOKOZUNA! BUT TONIGHT, the Pride of America is on the line again as Yokozuna answers the challenge of CRUSH! And I don't know about you but...wait just a minute, something is going on backstage..."


As Yokozuna was climbing into the ring, we cut to backstage where CRUSH was on the ground! And overtop of Crush was the CarnEvil duo of Doink the Clown and The Ringmaster putting the boots to the fallen Crush, while Doink was brandishing a steel chair in his hand!


"You think we were done with you?" The Ringmaster laughed as he put another boot to the fallen Crush's upper back..


"The fun is just getting started!" Doink cackled before lifting up the chair and bringing it down across Crush once more as WWF officials and medical team intervened to stop any further damage.


"This is sickening!" Vince McMahon declared, "Crush is in no shape to compete tonight!"


As the medics attended to the fallen Crush, the Raw opening aired...



wwfraw1.gif?w=412&h=244&crop=1




We faded back to ringside with Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Bobby Heenan who were at a loss for words as to what would happen next. Crush was clearly not going to be able to compete tonight to take on Yokozuna as planned, but Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji remained in the ring. Mr. Fuji took the microphone in the ring.


Mr. Fuji:
Where are you Crush? Afraid to step into the ring with my Yokozuna?


Mr. Fuji laughed as the crowd showered them both with more boos.


Mr. Fuji:
Typical American - you all talk but nowhere to be found now!


"U-S-A! U-S-A!"


Mr. Fuji:
But my Yokozuna is out here, right here and right now! After July 4th, my Yokozuna is on a very, very BAD MOOD. He came tonight to CRUSH AN AMERICAN so if there's any other Americans stupid enough to challenge him, Yokozuna wants to DESTROY SOMEONE TONIGHT!


"We may get a match after all here, Macho Man!" Vince McMahon noted, "an open challenge appears to have been issued to any American in the back who might want to take Crush's place tonight!"


"Do you see the look on at that man's face,"
Bobby Heenan said referencing the scowl on Yokozuna as he and Fuji stared down the ring entrance, "you'd have to be foolish to want to get into the ring with him!"


"WAR DANCE"


"See! What'd I tell ya?!"
Heenan said, matter-of-factly.


"Not so fast, Brain!" Vince McMahon declared, "we have an answer to the challenge!"


TATANKA rushed out from the back, slapping hands with the fans on the way down.


"It doesn't get more AMERICAN than a man with the Native American heritage of Tatanka!" Vince McMahon continued as Tatanka showed off his high energy as he lapped aroung ringside, giving out more high fives to the fans as Sensational Sherri headed out from the back as well to join his client at ringside.


Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji) vs. Tatanka (w/Sensational Sherri)


As this one got underway, Vince McMahon once again reminded us this was a great example of how "Anything can happen in the World Wrestling Federation" as our expected Yokozuna vs. Crush match has now turned into Yokozuna vs. Tatanka! And the fired up Tatanka got off to a quick start, going straight at Yokozuna with some stiff chops to the massive chest of Yokozuna and combining those with some hard hitting punches, though Yokozuna mostly absorbed the blows but did start to stagger as Tatanka laid on some more chops before running to the ropes only to run into a brick wall of a shoulder block from Yokozuna to take the Native American to the mat! Yokozuna looked to Tatanka down, bringing down a chop to the back of Tatanka's head as he tried to get to his feet. Yokozuna would then whip Tatanka into the ropes, but Tatanka DUCKED a clothesline attempt from Yokozuna, bounced off the opposite ropes and came in with a big running chop to the mighty Yokozuna! He bounced off the ropes for a second running CHOP to Yokozuna! Yokozuna was wobbling...off the ropes for a third time...


But NO! Tatanka ran into a big back elbow from Yokozuna instead! But Yokozuna wouldn't get the dominant upper hand just yet as he would attempt a big jumping elbow drop to Tatanka, but the Native American Warrior rolled out of the way, much to the delight of Sherri at ringside and the dismay of Mr. Fuji! Tatanka went for a dropkick only to have Yokozuna side step it! With Tatanka on the mat once again, Yokozuna tried to follow up with a big jumping splash, but once again Tatanka rolled out of the way!


As Yokozuna began to pull himself up, Tatanka ascended to the top turnbuckle for a high risk manuever….once Yokozuna was up, Tatanka leaped off with a high flying crossbody block to Yokozuna that took the big men down to his back! Tatanka lifted up Yokozuna's massive leg for the pin...


One!


Two!


Th - NO! Yokozuna with the kickout!



As Tatanka continued to try and hold his upperhand over the big man, Vince McMahon put over how huge this match could've been for Crush but now how huge it could be for Tatanka, a man who has only lost twice since arriving in the WWF and both times by nefarious means thanks to Lex Luger!


Yokozuna would retake momentum hitting Tatanka with a high knee as Tatanka had bounced off the ropes once again, sending the Native American Warrior flipping over and down to the mat, clutching his midsection. The behemoth sumo wrestler slowed the pace down tremendously as he worked over Tatanka with some stomps before reaching down and grasping both of Tatanka's shoulders in a shoulder nerve lock. The "U-S-A" chant kicked back into gear as the fans looked to rally Tatanka while Sherri slammed the mat at ringside in the same effort. Slowly Tatanka would begin to show life as he first lifted up his arm, shaking it showing the energy starting to come back as the crowd voiced it's approval...and then it was his legs beginning to rally as he made his way back to his feet and then used a pair of back elbows to Yokozuna's large midsection to break the hold! But Yokozuna responded by simply overpowering Tatanka and shoving him back down to the mat!


The 'Japanese' star was showing a mean streak in the ring as he stomped on the back of Tatanka's head as he tried to get to his feet, not letting up on his attack on the Native American while Sherri was shown in distress at ringside. Yokozuna would soon grab Tatanka and TOSS him through the ropes to ringside. As Tatanka struggled to get to his feet outside the ring and the referee began the ten count, Yokozuna headed to the corner and began to remove the padding from the top turnbuckle, exposing the steel beneath it! We headed to commercial break as Vince McMahon worried about what Yokozuna had in store for Tatanka!


Back from the break, Tatanka had returned to the ring but Yokozuna was still in control - delivering a massive bodyslam to send Tatanka back down to the mat. As Vince McMahon welcomed us back, he gave credit to Tatanka for having the guts to accept this challenge, but the Native American was in a world of trouble right now. Bobby Heenan was quick to point out he has never seen Tatanka in such a precarious position. Yokozuna continued to be relentless, dropping his weight down ontop of Tatanka and now choking him right in front of the referee! Yokozuna broke the hold before being disqualified, only to start choking him once again and again breaking it before the five count.


As Mr. Fuji watched on, pleased, from ringside, Yokozuna grabbed Tatanka by the hair to pull him back up to his feet, but Tatanka showed signs of life once again! Some elbows and chops created some separation, but Yokozuna fought back with a boot to the midsection and sent Tatanka into the ropes. Tatanka DUCKED a clothesline from Yokozuna, bounced off the opposite ropes only to run full speed into a clothesline that was delivered on point from the big man, once again sending Tatanka to the mat.


Looking to deliver some serious damage to Tatanka, Yokozuna lifted him up onto his shoulders, walking with Tatanka towards that exposed turnbuckle...the padding only slightly askew and seemingly undetected by the referee at this point...Yokozuna went to drop Tatanka face first across the steel, but Tatanka escaped down Yokozuna's back and placed a dropkick in the big man's back, sending Yokozuna chest first into the steel! Staggering backwards, Yokozuna found himself on the receiving end of a flurry of attacks from the revived Tatanka - knife edge chops to to the chest before Tatanka bounced off the ropes and hit the big man with a Tomahawk Chop!


The crowd was alive and solidly behind Tatanka as he delivered another big Tomahawk Chop to Yokozuna that sent the big man down to the mat! As Yokozuna began to get to his feet, Tatanka went high risk once again, climbing the turnbuckles but was unaware of the loosened turnbuckle pad below him as he got to the top...and as Yokozuna was getting up, he fell to the side, dropping all 550-pounds of his weight across the ropes...causing Tatanka to lose his balance and he found himself CROTCH FIRST across the exposed turnbuckle!


Tatanka slumped over off the turnbuckles, down to the mat, writhing in pain as Yokozuna got back up and went back on the attack, wrapping his massive arms around Tatanka after pulling him to his feet and delivering a big side belly to belly suplex! Yokozuna went for the pin, pressing his trunk like arms down onto Tatanka's shoulders..


One!



Two!



Three!



NO!
Tatanka somehow managed to kick out at the last second!


"There's still some fight left in Tatanka!" Vince McMahon cried out as Mr. Fuji was irate at ringside, thinking they had the match won. Fuji barked orders from ringside, telling Yokozuna to finish him off. Yokozuna grabbed Tatanka by the arm on the match and proceeded to drag him across the ring over to the corner. "It's about to be Bonzai Drop time!" Heenan pointed out as Yokozuna indeed began to climb the turnbuckles for his signature manuever....


BONZAI DROP!


That's gotta do it!


ONE!




TWO!




THREE!




NO!





No, Tatanka did NOT kick out...but Yokozuna stood up! Even Mr. Fuji seemed confused, but Yokozuna apparently wasn't done yet. He climbed back onto the turnbuckles again....


FOR A SECOND BONZAI DROP!


ONE!




TWO!




THREE!





Winner: Yokozuna by pinfall at 13:48



"A valient effort by Tatanka but the massive Yokozuna was just too much for the Native American here tonight!" Vince McMahon declared as the referee lifted up Yokozuna's arm while he still sat on Tatanka's chest.


Yokozuna finally stood up...but then shoved the referee away and lifted Tatanka up off the mat and up across his shoulders in a fireman's carry position. Yokozuna walked to the middle of the ring with Tatanka before shouting "STING!" as he appeared to issue a threat to the man who slammed him aboard the Intrepid, before he fell backwards with a Samoan Drop to the lifeless Tatanka! Yokozuna then started to drag Tatanka back towards the corner for perhaps a THIRD Bonzai Drop.

"Enough is enough!" Vince McMahon cried out.


Sensational Sherri climbed into the ring, pleading with Yokozuna to leave Tatanka alone. Yokozuna dropped Tatank's arm, but instead turned his attention to Sherri! "What has gotten into Yokozuna!" Vince wondered aloud as Randy Savage pointed out this all has to do with what happened to him on the Intrepid!


Sherri shreiked as Yokozuna grabbed her and lifted her up onto his shoulders! "Don't do this Yokozuna!" Vince McMahon demanded, despite not being heard...luckily for Sherri, a plethora of Raw faces rushed out to the ring - Marty Jannetty, Chris Candido, and The Steiner Brothers came to the aid of Sherri and Tatanka as Yokozuna let her go and decided to step out onto the apron as the four faces slid into the ring. Yokozuna stared them down as they dared him back into the ring, but Fuji talked Yokozuna off the apron. But in the ring, the damage had been done as Tatanka continued to lay prone on the mat, now being checked on by his fellow wrestlers.


Raw headed to break as Yokozuna walked up. "I hope you're happy Sting," Bobby Heenan said as we faded out, "you've created a monster!"


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Coming back from the break, we got to see a pre-recorded vignette. The establishing shot put us outside of a loading dock with a transfer truck backed up to it. As we zoom in, we found Diesel loading up his transfer truck - tossing in large boxes with ease (and also very little actual care for the contents). Alongside Diesel was his business manager, Harvey Wippleman.


Diesel:

C'mon lil' man - you just gonna sit there or are ya gonna help out?


Harvey Wippleman:
Yeah, yeah - sure thing, bud. Listen, we gotta talk about last week.


Diesel paused for a second, scowled, and slung the box he was holding even harder than the others - causing a crashing sound inside the truck.


Diesel:
What's there to talk about? I showed The Undertaker he's not the only game in town anymore.


Harvey Wippleman:
You got reckless out there. You're a big and tough dude, no doubt about it. But you've still got a lot to learn and if you underestimate him, your own arrogance is gonna be your downfall.


Diesel:
Yeah - well you didn't tell me we were dealin' with a freak show. Next time, it'll be different. Don't you worry.


Harvey Wippleman:
Ahhh, see now...now, you're onto something. You see, Diesel, I know The Undertaker almost as well as anyone...and I know his weakness. I know EXACTLY how we bring him down.


Diesel hopped up onto the loading dock, and smirked.


Diesel:
Boy, you've been holdin' out on me! Well, go ahead - spill the beans. What do we gotta do to take 'em out. Is it like a silver bullet...or like, a wooden stake?


Harvey Wippleman:
Heh, heh - not quite. We got a long drive ahead...let's finish loadin' up and I'll tell ya exactly how we're gonna do this. And next time you cross paths with The Undertaker, there will be no more sitting up for him! And when it's all said and done - we'll have him dead and buried once and for all!


Wippleman laughed as Diesel got down off the trailer and instructed Wippleman to help him out. Diesel went back to tossing boxes in with ease as Wippleman strained mightly as he attempted to lift up one of the larger boxes as we faded back to the ring.


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DING-DING-DING


Scott Depres vs. Bam Bam Bigelow



While Scott Depres awaited Bam Bam Bigelow's entrance, the trio on commentary provided us an update that Tatanka was able to be assisted to to the back during the break with the help of the Tag Team Champion Steiner Brothers and he was currently being evaluated by the WWF medical staff but it appears thanks to Sherri and some of his fellow wrestlers, Tatanka may have avoided some serious injury tonight. The same might not be true for Crush, who had to be sent to a local medical facility to further evaluations after the attack from CarnEvil.


Receiving jeers from the crowd, Bigelow quickly took the upperhand in the match after Depres attempted some futile offense in the opening seconds. The match was used to transition us towards the upcoming Owen Hart interview, as we're reminded that it was during his match with Bigelow that Hart was put on the shelf for a couple of months before returning to action last week on Superstars. Bigelow would wrap this one up with the Diving Headbutt to pick up the decisive victory.


Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow by pinfall at 2:20



The crowd met Bigelow's victory with boos, which seemed to bring a smile to the Beast from the East's face.


After the break, Vince McMahon would be joined by Owen Hart!


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As we came back from commercials, Vince McMahon was now in the ring.


Vince McMahon:
Please join me in welcoming to the ring, my guest this evening - "THE ROCKET".....OWEN.....HART!


"High Energy"



Owen Hart made his way down to the ring decked out in a bright blue windbreaker jacket overtop a black t-shirt along with the matching blue windbreaker bottoms. Owen was happy to slap hands with the fans at ringside as Savage and Heenan discussed Hart's recent return from injury and how he stopped his brother Bret Hart from causing some serious damage to Razor Ramon two weeks ago. Heenan suggested Owen needed to keep his big nose out of his big brother's business. Owen hopped up the steps and climbed into the ring to join Vince.


Vince McMahon:
I think it's safe to safe these people are glad to see you back in a WWF ring, Owen, and I certainly echo that sentiment. You've certainly shown to be an up and coming superstar in the World Wrestling Federation and the injury during the match with Bam Bam Bigelow may have slightly derailed it, but I think we all are looking forward to The Rocket blasting off to the top of the WWF!


Owen Hart:
Vince, you're too, too kind! But I agree - it is GREAT to be back!


With his typical high energy, Owen tossed his hands up in the air as the crowd gave their approval.


Vince McMahon:
We'll cut to the chase here a bit, because two weeks ago you had the wrestling world talking. We hadn't seen you in weeks and you showed up on Raw just as your brother Bret was about to seriously injure Razor Ramon. Obviously you've watched along with all of us as theBret Hart we have come to know has seemingly disappeared over the last two months...but as his brother, perhaps you better than anyone can give us some insight into just what's going on inside the head of The Hitman?


The gleeful look on Owen's face quickly disappeared as the discussion turned to his brother. Owen shook his head...


Owen Hart:
You know Vince, I wish I had all the answers about what's going on inside my brother's head. Because, you're absolutely right - that guy we're watching lately...that's not the Bret I grew up with. That's not the Bret I trained with in the Dungeon. That's not the Bret I've traveled this country with and been alongside night in and night out for years now. And just like the rest of his fans out there, what I've seen from Bret lately has made me sick to my stomach!


Vince McMahon:
I think we all feel that way, for sure. So two weeks ago, you came out to confront your brother - what was going through the mind of The Rocket at that moment?


Owen Hart:
Something had to be done, Vince. I was hoping I could, I don't know...maybe talk some sense into him. Maybe seeing the face of his little brother could calm him down...maybe I could bring him back to reality. I know how much the WWF Championship means to him...and WrestleMania....WrestleMania changed him. It's all he talked about...it's almost like he cared more about that belt than his own family anymore....


The camera zoomed in tight on Owen as he looked directly into it, now starting to directly address his brother Bret.


Owen Hart:
Listen, Bret...I know how badly you want that gold back...but you got to do it the right way, brother! Not like this...not like you were gonna do to Razor. You didn't get to the top like this...I just want you to do it the honorable way, just like ya did before.


"Hart Attack"


It would appear Owen would get to talk directly to his brother after all, as the man in question - Bret "The Hitman" Hart walked out from the back, sporting his usual sunglasses and leather jacket over his street clothes, while immediately getting an earful of boos from the New York crowd. Hart made his way down to the ring to join his brother and Vince McMahon in the ring.


Vince McMahon:
Well speak of the Devil - "The Hitman" Bret Hart has decided to grace us with his presence tonight. Bret, I take it you have some issues with your brother's comments here tonight.


Hart lifted his sunglasses up on top his head before smirking ever so slightly.


Bret Hart:
Vince, with all due respect, I'm gonna have to ask you to stay outta this. This is between me and my brother.


Bret placed an hand on Vince and moved him away, taking away the microphone and allowing himself to get in close to his brother as Vince willingly stepped away, now watching on from the background.


Bret Hart:
Little brother, you know how much my family means to me. You know how much YOU mean to me. But I'm going to need you to come down off your little moral high horse for a moment.


Owen cut his eyes at Bret as he paused, allowing the fans to get some more boos in at the number one contender.


Bret Hart:
Because you see, brother...how can you possibly talk like you can understand what's going on in my head. Yes - we are the closest of blood...brothers in the truest sense of the world. I would do anything for you, Owen...ANYTHING! BUT - you've never had a taste of the ultimate prize in wrestling. You've never worn that gold belt around you waist. You don't know what it's like to be the World Wrestling Federation CHAMPION! And more importantly, you don't know what it's like to have it STOLEN FROM YOU! And to make matters worse, it's stolen by the biggest PHONY in all of wrestling - HULK HOGAN.


The mere mention of the Immortal One sends a chorus of cheers through the crowd, but Hart ignored it as he continued.


Bret Hart:
I walked out here after WrestleMania and promised I would do WHATEVER IT TOOK to get back the WWF TITLE...and issued a warning to anyone who got in my way. Razor Ramon...was in my way. But that's all in the past now...because now there's only one man standing between me and the WWF Championship...and that's the guy who didn't deserve it in the first place, Hulk Hogan. But Owen, as much as I love you brother, I give you the same warning I gave everyone else...don't stand in my way.


Owen Hart:

Listen Bret, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see you with the WWF Championship again. I would love nothing more than to see you win the belt back and I'd love to be the first one to give you a big Hart Hug after you won it...but I just want to see you do it the RIGHT way.


Bret Hart:
The RIGHT WAY? THE RIGHT WAY?! I did things the "Right Way" my entire career Owen - and what did it get me? I've spent most of my career living in the shadow of the almighty Hulk Hogan! And you know....you've been doing things the RIGHT WAY, brother...and where's it getting you. You're suppose to be The Rocket - you're supposed to be shooting up the ranks, the next big thing in this business...but you make your TRIUMPHANT return from your injury...and you're return match isn't even getting a spot here on Raw? We've both put our blood, sweat, and tears into this business...and people like Hulk Hogan show up once a month to collect a paycheck, give out some high fives, and be given title opportunities they didn't even deserve. What the Hell did Hulk Hogan do to deserve a title shot? He waltzes back into the WWF after I carried it on my back while he was out galivanting around Hollywood and expects everything to be handed to him on a silver platter?! It's people like Hulk Hogan that prove there is no RIGHT WAY. Right now...there's only MY WAY!


The confrontational Owen had backed down from the intensity he had earlier when his brother had shown up, now looking slightly insecure from the thoughts Bret provided. Noticing his brother backing down, Hart smiled and reached out, putting a hand on Owen's shoulder.


Bret Hart:
Owen...like I said before, I would do anything for you. And I would hope you would do anything for me. After all, blood...is thicker than water. And I know you may not agree with everything I've done...you may not agree with the way things HAVE to be done...but I hope that in the end, you'll have my back. Because, believe me......I would have yours.


Leaving his brother with plenty to think about, Bret walked away from Owen, shoving the microphone back into the chest of Vince McMahon before leaving the ring as his music played once again. We headed back to break once again with a shot of Owen Hart alone in the ring, deep in thought.


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After the break, Jim Ross was backstage, attempting to get a word with Owen Hart as he returned from the ring.


Jim Ross:
Owen, I think we all wanna know what's going through your mind right now after those harsh words from The Hitman?


Owen stopped and ran his hands across his face and through his hair and let out a sigh of frustration.


Owen Hart:
Well...I...


He was barely able to get out those words before he was CLOBBERED from behind!


It was "THE BEAST FROM THE EAST" BAM BAM BIGELOW! The man who put Owen Hart on the shelf! JR quickly headed for higher ground as Bigelow knocked Owen to the ground and began relentlesstly stomping away on The Rocket's back.


Before Bigelow's attack could get too serious, it was in fact, Bret Hart coming over and confronting Bigelow that made Bam Bam stop.


Bret Hart:
What the Hell! What's this aboot?


Bigelow backed off, holding his hands up in the air with a toothy grin.


Bam Bam Bigelow:
Just doin' you a favor!


Bret Hart:
Just back off!


Bam Bam Bigelow:
You want the WWF Championship - you can't have distractions like him. Let me handle him and you worry about gettin' back that belt, Hitman.


Bigelow laughed as he headed off camera as Bret knelt down to help his brother up to his feet.


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DING-DING-DING


Back to the action, where Rich Myers was already in the ring. The announce team discussed what we had just witnessed, as Bobby Heenan pointed out Bret was man of his word, coming to Owen's aid there! But Vince wasn't convinced that Bret's words where completely sincere during the previous interview segment.


Coming to the ring, a pair that made a big impact on the show at the top of the hour - Doink the Clown and The Ringmaster - CarnEvil! Once in the ring, The Ringmaster - red tophat and matching jacket and all, took the microphone.


The Ringmaster:
Ladies and Gentleman! Boys and Girls! CHILDREN OF ALL AGES! WELCOME....TO THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH! THIS.....IS....CARNEVIL! HAHAHAHAHA!


The Ringmaster and Doink conferred in the corner before they both glanced over at Rich Myers, and then back to one another...and both started laughing hysterically before The Ringmaster finally left the ring and the match was ready to get underway.


Rich Myers vs. Doink the Clown (w/The Ringmaster)


As we revisited the attack on Crush at the start of the show, Doink quickly got the upperhand on Myers, showcasing his technical wrestling prowess. Heenan put over Doink as someone people think is a deranged lunatic but in the ring he can out wrestle just about anyone. As the commentators discussed that the on going saga between Crush and CarnEvil doesn't appear to be over after the attack tonight, Doink made short work for Myers and would soon have him submitting to the Stump Puller submission.


Winner: Doink the Clown by submission in 3:07



The Ringmaster climbed into the ring to lift up Doink's arm in victory. Randy Savage said they may be celebrating now, but he knew Crush would be coming back soon with the target squarely on their backs!


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Before the commercial break, a pre-recorded promo aired featuring Jacques Rougeau alongside his cohort that helped him in the attack on "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan last week - both once again dressed in matching Mountie-esque red shirt and pants.


Jacques Rougeau:
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan - you made a BIG MISTAKE! You thought you were the better man? I am a FORMER INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION! I am one of the BEST WRESTLERS ON THIS PLANET! Duggan, you are just as stupid as all the other Americans who cheer you on - because you may have gotten lucky on July 4th, but rest assured - it won't happen again. And that's why, this man - my old friend Pierre Oulette has come to join me in my crusade against you stupid Americans.


Pierre Oulette:
That's right! And this isn't just about Jim Duggan - it's about waging war on everyone in that locker room who represents what Jim Duggan stands for! And for the WWF Tag Team Division - you're on notice...Steiner Brothers, we got our eyes on you!


Jacques Rougeau:
You will recognize us as the greatest Tag Team in the World in no time at all! Because if there's one thing you DON'T DO - you Don't MESS with CANADA...you don't MESS...with...THE QUEBECERS!


Jacques and Pierre laughed in unison as we headed to commercial break.


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This August.


Get ready for an event so HOT we couldn't show it until the end of Summer.

SummerSlam.jpg


FEEL THE HEAT.


August 30th - only on Pay-Per-View!



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From the Summerslam ad, we were back at ringside with Vince, Macho Man, and Heenan as they promoted SummerSlam some more, and transitioned into whether or not we would see STING at SummerSlam? One thing was for sure, Sting was coming to the WWF and he would be right here on Raw in one month's time on August 9th to officially sign his World Wrestling Federation contract! But leading up to that huge day, Sting is hitting the road for his "Deadly Venom Tour" - traveling the US to meet with the WWF fans along the way.


A quick video aired highlighting Sting's travels this week as we get a good look at his tour bus, complete with a big painted red scorpion along the side of it made its way down a desert road as Sting's Deadly Venom tour got rolling this week in the Southwestern United States - we got shots of Sting posing with fans, especially kids from Phoenix and Denver, including a stop where Sting visited the Texas Children's Hospital with some nice shots of Sting signing autographs for the kids there. We get one final shot of Sting standing in front of the Grand Canyon, posing and cheesing for the camera before letting us know that it wouldn't be long before it was SHOWTIME for the WWF! WOOOOO!


Following the segment, Vince transitioned from hyping up Sting's upcoming contract signing to hyping next week's show as well. Next week would feature the much anticipated match between Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels and "The 1-2-3 Kid" Chris Candido! We would also be "treated" with another edition of Jerry Lawler's King's Court with a "special guest" that Vince indicated Lawler had only stated that his guest would help show the world just how undeserving of the "King" title Razor Ramon is!

Plus we'll visit Sting on his Deadly Venom tour as he hits the West Coast! Vince told us we won't want to miss a moment of WWF Raw!


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Backstage, the Money Incorporated duo of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Mr. Hughes were walking as Vince indicated that they would be in action up next! Mr. Hughes was handling the steel briefcase, which Macho Man indicated could contain the payoff for Men on a Mission after they had carried out the hit on The Smoking Gunns aboard the Intrepid on July 4th.


But on their way, they passed by the restrooms as Mr. Hughes stopped and indicated he needed to relieve himself before the match. DiBiase showed some brief frustration but told him to go ahead and he'd meet him in the ring. DiBiase continued on, off camera, as Mr. Hughes sat the briefcase down on a table next to the bathrooms before opening the door and shutting it behind himself. The camera zoomed in on the briefcase as we headed to break.


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DING-DING-DING


"MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!"



We returned as "The Million Dollar Man" was now making his way out to the back as Mr. Hughes emerged a few moments behind him with the briefcase, Dibiase encouraging him to hustle up and catch up with him. In the ring, their opponents - Aaron Ferguson & PJ Walker - awaited them.


Aaron Ferguson & PJ Walker vs. Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Mr. Hughes)


The backdrop here was setting the stage for what was to come as the commentators caught us up on Money Inc putting the hit out on The Smoking Gunns after the Gunns had pulled off the win over DiBiase and Hughes and it was the debuting Men on a Mission, a trio of down on their luck bounty hunters, who made a big impact at the Stars & Stripes Challenge, attacking The Gunns before they could have the scheduled rematch with Money Inc. In the ring, Walker and Ferguson got in some limited offense working over DiBiase but DiBiase would fight back and make the tag to Hughes who proceeded to clean house of the two enhancement workers. Mr. Hughes would put away Aaron Ferguson with his Spinning Sideslam to get the victory.


Winners: Money Inc by pinfall at 3:58


Post-match, DiBiase and Hughes celebrated briefly before Ted DiBiase took the microphone.


Ted DiBiase:
It don't get much better than that, now does it? Another job well done! and speaking of a job well done, I believe there's some other business at hand...Mr. Hughes, if you would.


Hughes nodded as he headed to ringside and retrieved the briefcase.


Ted DiBiase:
I am nothin' if not a man of my word. Men on a Mission, come on down and collect your reward!


"WE'RE ON A MISSION!"


Coming out to a decent amount of boos from the crowd, Oscar lead his Men on a Mission out from the back. Mo and Mabel were decked out in their armored vests and brandishing billy clubs much like they were the night they attacked The Smoking Gunns. The trio entered the ring to join DiBiase and Hughes, and it was Oscar meeting with DiBiase, greeting the Million Dollar Man with a big smile and a handshake.


Ted DiBiase:

I like to give credit where credit is due - you boys took care of business aboard Intrepid! I promised a generous reward to whomever collected on the bounty, so it is absolutely MY PLEASURE to present you with..that...generosity! Ha! Ha! Ha!


Oscar smiled as Mr. Hughes handed over the briefcase.


Oscar:
Ted DiBiase, you are too kind!


Mo and Mabel walked over with vested interest as Oscar unlocked the briefcase and opened it up...


To reveal...NOTHING.


The briefcase was completely empty!



Mo and Mabel quickly got into attack mode -


Mo:
The Hell is this?!


Oscar joined his men as DiBiase quickly tried to calm the situation down.


Oscar:
What's the meanin' of this? What kinda stunt you tryin' to pull here?!


Ted DiBiase:
Now hold on now...I can assure you there's been some kinda mix up!


Oscar:
Boy, you betta reach into those pockets and pull something out! We took care'a'business for you, just like you said!


"SMOKIN'"


The sound of pistols going off meant just one thing - it was The Smoking Gunns!


Bart and Billy Gunn walked out from the back...and in Billy Gunn's right hand was another steel briefcase.


Billy Gunn:

Hey! Hey! Hey! You boys lookin' for this?!


In the ring, Men on a Mission and Money Inc each turned their attention to The Gunns. Oscar continuing to bark at DiBiase in the ring about what was going on.


Bart Gunn:
Y'all need to be a lil' more careful about where ya leave your stuff!


The Gunn brothers share a laugh as Billy opened up the briefcase and marveled at all the green bills lined nicely along he interior of the case.


Billy Gunn:
My, my, my! That's alotta greenbacks! I tell y'boys what. Since, as you can see - The Smoking Gunns are still standin' - it looks like if anyone deserves this here reward, it's us! So I think...we're gonna just hold onto this baby.


Gunn smiled as he closed the briefcase.


Bart Gunn:
Thanks fellas! Pleasure doin' business wit' ya!


Billy lifted the briefcase in the air to some favorable crowd reactions as they left to the back with the money!


In the ring, the outraged Oscar, Mo, and Mabel kept confronting Money Inc with DiBiase working hard to difuse the situation. WWF Raw came to a close as the two teams in the ring continued to argue.


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THIS WEEK ON WWF SUPERSTARS:


This week on Superstars, WWF began featuring promos from WWF superstars where they gave their thoughts on Sting joining the World Wrestling Federation. First up for the interview was "The Narcisist" Lex Luger. Luger indicated that he was THRILLED that the Stinger was coming to the WWF because, what many people may already know, they go way back...in fact, Sting has always considered Lex Luger to be his BEST FRIEND and couldn't wait to greet his buddy with a big hug after he signs his WWF contract. Luger also took a moment to mock Tatanka's loss to Yokozuna on Raw and issued a challenge to Tatanka, and he didn't want to wait until Summerslam. Lex Luger, alongside Luna Vachon, would then be in action as well on Superstars, defeating Brian Constello with the legal Bionic Forearm.


Throughout the night, while on commentary, Jerry "The King" Lawler would continue to run down his SummerSlam opponent Razor Ramon and promoted his King's Court segment on Raw as he looked forward to showing the world just what kind of man Razor Ramon truly is!


The feature match of the night was a follow up to last week on Raw where "The 1-2-3 Kid" Chris Candido made his Raw debut and defeated Blake Beverly. This week on Superstars, the roles were reversed as Candido was now in Marty Jannetty's corner as he took on Beau Beverly with Blake in his corner. Another competitive match, but it would be Marty Jannetty picking up the win with The Rocker Dopper as the announce team again hyped the upcoming Candido/HBK non-title match on Raw.


Gorilla Monsoon's WWF Update segment gave us some injury updates from Raw. While Tatanka took a beating from Yokozuna, thanks to the likes of The Steiner Brothers, he avoided serious injury and will be cleared for action by next week. However, Crush's attack from CarnEvil on Raw will have him healing at home in Hawaii for the next 2-3 weeks.


Gene Okerlund's Summerslam Report revealed another match had been officially added for SummerSlam. After their altercation last week, it had been confirmed that The Undertaker will take on Diesel along with the already announced Hulk Hogan vs. Bret Hart for the WWF Championship and the King vs. King match between Jerry Lawler and Razor Ramon.


Speaking of Diesel, he was also in singles competition this week alongside Harvey Wippleman, allowing the commentators to discuss the newly announced match. Diesel would take home the win with ease after the Jackknife Powerbomb.


After Doink picked up the win on Raw, The Ringmaster got back on track with a singles victory as well on Superstars, defeating Hank Harris with a DDT.


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WWF SummerSlam 1993

August 30, 1993
Live on Pay-Per-View from The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan




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WWF CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
"The Immortal" Hulk Hogan (w/Jimmy Hart) (c) vs. Bret "The Hitman" Hart




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KING VERSUS KING
"The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler



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The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) vs. Diesel (w/Harvey Wippleman)