WWF Monday Night RAW (April 5, 1993)

Original Airdate: April 5, 1993 (Taped March 22)

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Randy Savage. Rob Bartlett is ‘stuck in Las Vegas’ after WrestleMania – which is even weirder when you consider that the show was taped, and Bartlett was on the previous show. Vince immediately starts hyping ‘last nights’ WrestleMania as the greatest of all time.


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Opening Match: Bam Bam Bigelow v Virgil: Bigelow overpowers him in the early going, so Virgil pops off a (truly shitty) dropkick, and tries a wristlock. He screws up a dropkick to the knee next, but Bigelow misses a falling headbutt anyway, and Virgil schoolboys him for two. Crucifix, but Bam Bam drops him like a Samoan to counter, and slaps on a chinlock. Bigelow runs through a few more restholds with a headvise and a bearhug, but Virgil manages to stay awake long enough to hit a 2^nd rope clothesline. Missile dropkick gets two, but a bodypress off the middle rope misses, and Bam Bam finishes him with the flying headbutt at 6:59. Too many restholds, and Virgil looked especially sloppy here. DUD

Jerry Lawler v Jim Powers: Well, almost. See the crowd chants 'Burger King' at him, so Lawler refuses to lockup until he gets some respect, and walks off.

Gene Okerlund is with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji for pre-recorded comments regarding Hulk Hogan winning the title at WrestleMania IX. Weird, in that the comments were actually recorded after the rest of this show, yet are presented as 'pre-recorded' as if this show is live. I'm getting a time travel headache.

Bob Backlund v Kim Chee: Backlund wants a handshake at the bell, but Kim Chee isn't going for it, so Bob uses his speed to run circles around Kim Chee, and knock him to the outside. Kim Chee with a cheap shot on the way back in, and he hits a pair of bodyslams, but Backlund blocks a suplex - only to get smacked with a backelbow for two. Chinlock, but Backlund hiptosses free, so Kim Chee gives him a sunset flip for two, and goes back to the chinlock. Backlund uses a side suplex to escape this time, and he follows with another hiptoss. Bodyslam, and he hooks a nice looking bridging cradle for the pin at 3:58. Yawn. DUD

Damien Demento v Jim Brunzell: Brunzell tries a wristlock early on, and hits a sunset flip for two when Demento powers out, but gets clobbered with a short-clothesline. Legdrop and an elbowdrop get two, but Brunzell manages a turnbuckle smash and an atomic drop. Dropkick gets two, but he puts his head down too soon on a backdrop, and takes a neckbreaker, followed by a kneedrop for the pin at 5:07. Yeah, this was actually on TV. DUD

Jerry Lawler v Jim Powers: Second try, but the crowd is still hammering him with those pesky chants (kind of like the law does, with those pesky rape charges), so the King walks out again.

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The Steiner Brothers v The Beverly Brothers: Scott Steiner starts with Beau Beverly, and Beau stalls after taking an armdrag - complaining of a hairpull. Steiner responds with an overhead wristlock, but Beau scrambles for the ropes, and accuses him of cheating again. A criss cross ends in Beverly jamming him with a kneelift, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and takes a butterfly powerbomb before bailing for the tag. Blake Beverly is none-too-eager to get in, and Scott loses patience - tagging brother Rick. Blake manages a powerslam, but a criss cross ends in Rick returning the favor. Scott tags in with an overhead suplex, but walks into a cheap shot from Beau on the apron, and the Beverly's cut the ring in half. Scott manages to reverse a suplex from Blake, but can't get the tag, and has to give Beau a tilt-a-whirl slam before he does. Rick is a doghouse of fire, and it's four-way brawl time - Scott finishing Blake with the Frankensteiner at 10:56. A total formula TV match, but a decent one. *

Jerry Lawler v Jim Powers: Powers doesn't give him a chance to bail this time, attacking him during the entrances, and ramming him into the post. Inside, Jim hits a flying axehandle, and a pair of cross corner whips set up a clothesline - Lawler wisely bailing to the floor to regroup. The crowd hounds him with 'Burger King' chants, and inside, Powers hiptosses him. Bodyslam, and Lawler bails again - stopping to bitch at Randy Savage for encouraging the chants. Back in, Powers keeps the momentum with a backdrop, but Lawler dodges a dropkick, and blasts him with a backelbow. Fistdrop, but a blind charge misses, and Powers unloads turnbuckle smashes. Kneelift and another backdrop, but he stupidly tries it a third time, and ends up in the Piledriver at 6:16. Afterwards, Jerry goes back to bitching at the Macho Man, and they look about ready to come to blows as we go off the air. Match was more competitive than I expected. ½*

BUExperience: I can’t even imagine the RAW After WrestleMania being a canned show today, and it didn’t really work then, either. Sure, them were simpler times, but even with Vince McMahon’s constant babble about it being the ‘greatest WrestleMania of all time,’ and their attempts to give vague highlights, it just fell terribly flat – especially so since none of the guys involved in any of the big angles at ‘Mania were involved here.