WWF UK Rampage (April 1993)

To avoid the post-WrestleMania downturn, the WWF once again headed to the hot Europe market in the spring of 1993 – and along with a tour, held another UK-exclusive pay per view.

From Sheffield, England; Your Host is Lord Alfred Hayes, with Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan on commentary.


Opening Match: Fatu v Brian Knobs: They spend an eternity playing to the crowd before finally locking up - and Knobs clotheslines him early. Backdrop sends Fatu to the floor to regroup, and he comes back in calling for a test-of-strength. Knobs doesn't want any part of 'test,' however, and goes for a side-headlock instead. He gets distracted by Fatu manager Afa (Worth noting that Afa didn't lay a finger on him, Knobs just seemed to notice him on the floor, and stopped to yell at him), and that allows Fatu to take over. Piledriver, but Knobs backdrops out, so Fatu dumps him to the floor for Afa to capitalize on Knobs' greatest fears: a slap in the face from an old man. Inside, Fatu with a reverse chinlock, but Knobs powers out, and hits a kneelift. Backdrop and a bodyslam set up a clothesline, and he forces him into the corner for a ten-punch count. Blind charge misses, however, and Fatu pins him while using the ropes for leverage at 9:43. Odd choice for an opener, this was all punch-kick, but the heat was insane - the crowd treating Knobs like Hulk Hogan in 1987. This was one of Knobs' last appearances, leaving for WCW a few weeks later. DUD

Doink v Kamala: Doink was still wonderfully evil at this point, so the referee literally finds all sorts of tricks up his sleeve during the pre-match frisk. Kamala overpowers him to start, but gets taken to the mat in an armbar, and stomped when he tries to break. Kamala manages an avalanche, so Doink bails to the floor, and hides underneath the ring to get a cheap shot off on Kamala. Flying axehandle on the way back in, but another try gets him nailed on the way down, and Kamala splashes him - but covers him with his chest on the mat. He gets up to argue the lack of count with the referee, and that allows Doink to schoolboy him at 5:54. TV match with a really bad ending. I get that Kamala is supposed to be a primitive savage, but even the most casual fan had seen him wrestling forever - it just came off badly. Like Knobs, this was one of Kamala's last major appearances in the WWF. DUD

Mr. Perfect v Samu: Both guys feel each other out, and a big criss cross ends with Samu misses a bodypress, and Perfect hitting his own for two. Series of armdrags and dropkicks put Samu on the outside to regroup, and back in, Samu calls for a test-of-strength. Perfect won't go for it, and grabs a side-headlock instead, but gets walloped with a lariat, and pounded into the corner. To the floor, Samu manager Afa gets in a few cheap shots, and Samu fires off some chops - but bangs up his knee off of a blind charge. Perfect goes right after it, but gets his eyes raked during a spinning-toehold attempt, and dumped for more Afa love - getting rammed into the ringpost. Savate kick gets Samu two, and a series of headbutts allow him to sweep Perfect off of his feet for a falling headbutt to the nuts. Another falling headbutt (this time, to the face) gets two, but Perfect wins a dramatic slugfest, so Samu blows him low. Flying headbutt, but Perfect dodges him, and the Perfectplex finishes at 13:34. Odd match, as the pace was fine, the spots were fine - but it completely lacked flow. Also, it kinda turned into the plot of Brokeback Mountain there for a bit. ¾*

Bob Backlund v Damien Demento: Glad to see they're really busting out the pay per view caliber stuff, here. Backlund offers a handshake at the bell, but Demento is demented, and gets confused. Backlund further confuses him with a couple of quick takedowns, and a backslide for two. Forearm sends Damien over the top, and he hangs out there to kill Backlund's momentum. Back in, Demento with three bodyslams, and realizing a fourth would probably get him arrested for attempted murder, works a chinlock. Bob breaks with an armdrag, and returns the favor with a bodyslam of his own. Sunset flip gets two, so Demento bails to the floor again, and rakes the eyes on the way back in. Backelbow and a legdrop get two, so he tries a chinlock again, assumably because it worked out so well the last time. Backlund wrestles out again, but another bodyslam follow-up gets him toppled for two. Damien with a lariat, but Backlund ducks him, and cradles him into a bridge for the pin at 7:56. Really dull, house show stuff. DUD

Typhoon v The Brooklyn Brawler: Brawler tries to dodge the big guy in the early going, but ends up frustrating him, and getting shoved to the floor. Undeterred, Brawler charges in, but walks into a shoulderblock and a dropkick to send him back out. He regroups this time, and manages to get Typhoon on the mat for some stomping. Unfortunately, he can't seem to think of anything else to do, and just keeps stomping - to the point where Jim Ross is even wondering if he has anything else in his arsenal. Brawler delivers with a chinlock, but Typhoon wakes from his nap - only to miss an avalanche, and trigger more stomping. He shrugs that off, however, and avalanches him into a powerslam to finish at 9:49. Way too long (two minutes was literally Brawler stomping him), I'm surprised they even bothered, since Typhoon was on the way out as well - history beckoning him to WCW. Maybe concession sales were slow. DUD

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Crush: Shawn tries to evade the bigger man, but gets thrown across the ring off of the initial tie-up. Shawn puffs his chest out, and tries to bodyslam Crush, but that... doesn't work out. Side-headlock gets him tossed again, and Crush tries to hug him like a bear - but Shawn rakes the eyes. Off the rope, but Crush catches him with a backbreaker, and Shawn bails to the floor to regroup. He lures Crush into a chase, but the challenger no-sells, and press slams him. Clothesline sends Shawn tumbling over the top, but he manages to ram Crush into the rail, and that gets his attention. Trip to the post to make sure, and inside he drops a series of flying axehandles. 2^nd rope elbowdrop to the neck, and a DDT only get two, so Shawn hooks a chinlock. Crush powers up, so Shawn tries a superkick - but has his foot caught, and Crush with a big boot. Hanging vertical suplex, and Crush calls for his headvice finisher, so Shawn bails to the floor, and decides to head home with the title in tow. Crush goes to drag him back, but he can't do it fast enough, and ends up with a countout victory at 8:51. Standard Flair/Luger formula here - with Shawn running in fear, getting thrown around and having his stuff no-sold, then turning the tide with something cheap before whatever clusterfuck ending they settled on that week. * ¼

Main Event: Lex Luger v Jim Duggan: Duggan does me proud by once again bringing Old Glory out for a face pop on an international tour - and Luger must have liked it, too, since he stole the whole gimmick a few months later. Duggan catches him with a series of clotheslines out of an early criss cross, and Luger bails to the floor to break the momentum. Back in, Duggan wins a slugfest, but puts his head down too early during a backdrop, and gets a boot to the face. Luger with a chinlock, but Duggan FLAGS UP!! Fists of Fury! Ten Punch Count! Shoulderblock! - but Yokozuna (hanging out at ringside) buttsplashes him on the floor, and Luger blasts him with the Running Forearm Smash - only for Mr. Perfect to run in to break the count, and it's Luger by disqualification at 6:42. Afterwards, Luger and Yoko team to destroy Perfect and Duggan, but the 2x4 cleans house as we go off the air. Match was just filling time to build to the overbooking. DUD

BUExperience: With a lot of the roster back in the States, this was really bottom of the house show barrel stuff – though the crowd was insanely hot throughout (when Brian Knobs and Kamala are blowing the roof of the place, ‘insane’ is the only sane description), making for a nice atmosphere, at the very least. At under two hours, this show only needed to have one great match to save it – but no luck. DUD