WWF Monday Night RAW (January 11, 1993)

Original Airdate: January 11, 1993

With Saturday Night’s Main Event cancelled in the fall of 1992, and with the stale Prime Time Wrestling (around since 1985 and needing a replacement) going off the air in the first week of 1993, the WWF rolled the dice. What they landed on was Monday Night RAW – a gamble that paid off, and continues to do so over twenty years (and a thousand episodes) later.

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett, and Randy Savage. For those who weren’t around/were around and blocked it from your memories, Bartlett is a comedian from the New York area who was an absolute disaster on commentary. He was basically just a terrible fit for the WWF, not really knowing anything about the product, and basically just making jokes while McMahon and Savage were trying to get angles over. He lasted a couple of months, and then never appeared on WWE programming again.


Sean Mooney opens the show outside of the Manhattan Center with Bobby Heenan. Heenan is banned from the building, and tries to get in, but gets caught by Mooney. Something tells me we haven't heard the last of this...

Opening Match: Yokozuna v Koko B. Ware: Koko is less than enthusiastic about locking up, as Yoko stretches those giant legs of his in the corner. Ware gets launched across the ring when he finally ties up, and another try ends the same way. He tries a diving shoulderblock, but ends up bouncing off of the big man. Pair of dropkicks work a bit better, but he misses another diving shoulderblock, and crashes into the ropes. Yoko drives him to the mat from a legdrop (drawing 'oohs' from the crowd), and hits an inverted avalanche in the corner. Banzi Drop finishes things at 3:45. Just a complete and total squash, but Koko really bounced around to sell it, and it's certainly historically significant as the first match on RAW - ever. Still, DUD

Royal Rumble ad. Considering this comes right after Yokozuna's squash, and considering Vince was nearly creaming himself screaming about the Rumble when Yoko hit the Banzi Drop, it should have been pretty obvious who was winning.

The RAW Ring Girls debut. Man, could they not get hot chicks for this? Seriously, you're in New York City (home of the most modeling agents in the country), and you're hiring motel room skanks?

Bobby Heenan joins us with pre-recorded comments, lobbing threats at Mr. Perfect, and promising a big surprise for the Royal Rumble. That would be the debut of Lex Luger, of course.

The Steiner Brothers v The Executioners: The Executioners are both masked, and unnamed. Scott Steiner starts with one of them, and creams him with a tilt-a-whirl slam, then hits a snapmare as Doink shows up in the audience to mess around. Tag to Rick Steiner, who nearly knocks Executioner out of his boots with a punch, then hits a vicious lariat. Rick dumps him into the turnbuckles, and Executioner tries to bail, but Scott rolls him back in for Rick to powerslam. Tag back to Scott for an overhead suplex, but Scott is feeling frisky, and demands Executioner tag. He forces him to, and gives the other Executioner a double-underhook powerbomb before Rick finishes him with an elevated flying bulldog at 3:01. Sid squashes and Steiner squashes are in a class all their own - just awesomely brutal. ¼*

Outside of the arena, Sean Mooney is with a...very... homely lady trying to get into the arena. Of course, it turns out to be Bobby Heenan dressed in drag. Heenan's story of having to change into the outfit in a phone booth outside the arena (can be seen on the Monday Night RAW episode of Legends roundtable) is hilarious.

Back inside of the arena, Vince McMahon brings Razor Ramon out for an interview to discuss his WWF Title shot at the Royal Rumble, as well as his recent backstage attack on Owen Hart. Nothing of note, really, but I enjoy vintage Razor Ramon.

Tatanka promotes Headlock on Hunger.

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Max Moon: Well, the girls in the crowd really love Shawn, anyway. He catches Moon with an armdrag at the bell, but a criss cross ends in a reversal sequence - Moon hitting a Japanese armdrag. Bodyslam leaves Shawn begging off in the corner, and another criss cross ends in Moon dragging him to the mat in a hammerlock. Shawn powers into the corner to break, but misses a shoulderblock into the turnbuckles, and Moon wrenches the arm. Shawn drops him across the top rope to turn the tide, and hits a dropkick, as Doink reappears in the aisle to goof around some more. Shawn with a kneelift, but Moon counters into a cradle for two. Shawn casually whips him around a bit, but Moon shoots with an inside cradle for two. Shawn with a backelbow for two, and he slaps on a chinlock. Dropkick, but Moon catches the legs, and fires him over the top with a slingshot. He dives off the apron with a seated senton after him, and rolls Shawn in for a spinheel kick. Fireman’s carry cradle gets two, and a bodyslam sets up a somersault senton - but Michaels moves, and superkicks him. It's still 1993 though, so he doesn't even bother covering, and finishes with the Teardrop Suplex at 9:56. Nothing special, but if you really loved that Rockers/Orient Express match from Rumble '91, and were wondering what a singles version looks like, this is for you! * ¼

Gene Okerlund is at the Royal Rumble Control Center with an update. I miss these old Control Centers.

Sean Mooney is outside of the arena once more, this time with Bobby Heenan dressed as a rabbi, trying to get in and see his nephew. Heenan shouting about 'The discount! The discount!' is just brilliant stuff. Unfortunately for Bobby, his fake beard slips off, and Mooney figures him out.

We go back to WWF Superstars over the weekend, with Kamala getting berated by managers Harvey Wippleman and Kim Chee until Slick (of all people) makes the save, turning Kamala face. Yeah, this happened.

The Undertaker v Damien Demento: Give them this much, both guys are really into their characters. Damien tries slugging at 'Taker to start, but a backdrop is countered with a faceslam, and 'Taker hits the ropewalk forearm. Zombie chokehold in the corner, but a blind charge hits boot, and Demento fires off a 2^nd rope axehandle. Diving shoulderblock follows, but UT sits up, and hits a jumping clothesline. Tombstone finishes things quickly at 2:25. Were you expecting more than this, really? Really sloppy, but too short to truly fall apart. DUD

McMahon promises Woody Allen v Mia Farrow in a cage next week. Man, over twenty years later, and that one still works. He also brings Doink back out, but Crush is here to protest Doink making kids cry - and ends up getting shot with a water gun. That leads to a chase around ringside, but it goes nowhere.

Outside, Bobby Heenan is still trying to get in, and Mooney finally relents... just as the show goes off the air.

BUExperience:  No great wrestling yet, but it’s fun, historically significant, and totally watchable. Everything from Heenan’s antics, to the live crowd, to the atmosphere in the small, theater-like setting (resulting in a great, ECWish vibe) are magnificent. And, the whole show is only an hour long (about forty-five minutes without the commercials) – you can’t go wrong.