WWF Monday Night RAW (June 7, 1993)

Original Airdate: June 7, 1993

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, and Randy Savage.

Opening WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Russ Greenberg: Michaels won the title back from Marty Jannetty the night before (ending his epic twenty day reign), with the help of his new 'insurance policy': Diesel. This marks Kevin Nash's WWE TV debut, though he hasn't mastered the black leather look yet, and is dressed in a more colorful tracksuit, looking like an extra on The Sopranos. Shawn trades wristlocks with Greenberg to start, and uses a backdrop to take control on the mat. Shoulderblock and a pair of bodyslams, but Russ blocks a suplex with an inside cradle for two. Shawn freaks out on him right punches in the corner, softening him up for that suplex - a hanging vertical version. Backbreaker sets up a chinlock, so Greenberg slugs free, but telegraphs a backdrop, and takes a swinging neckbreaker. Shawn with a 2^nd rope elbowdrop, and a piledriver finishes things at 3:53. Nothing match, but this was an interesting period for Shawn, as he was still honing his moveset (different finishers, a middle rope version of his proper flying elbowdrop), and the evolution is interesting to watch. Plus, Diesel's debut is certainly historically significant. ¼*

King of the Ring Report. It's this Sunday, but the only real news is that the Shawn Michaels/Crush match is now for the Intercontinental Title. 

Shawn Michaels and Diesel come back out to bitch to Vince McMahon about having to put the title on the line at King of the Ring. Shawn berating McMahon is actually pretty funny ('I know you don't like me, and it's 'cause you're jealous!') though his logic that he should be 'on a beach sipping a Blue Hawaiian, not wrestling a 300-pound Hawaiian' doesn't get him anywhere. These segments always confused me as a kid, because from a kayfabe perspective McMahon was just a broadcaster, so I never understood why guys would come out and yell at him about stuff like this. It makes more sense now, of course.

Cute RAW Girl Sign of the Week: Get RAW or Get Out

Adam Bomb v Tito Santana: Heenan: 'the last time I saw a mushroom cloud with that much force, I was at Tito Santana's house - his mother had made enchiladas.' Awesome. Tito tries a wristlock, but Bomb runs for the ropes - which is kinda weak, considering the size difference. Bomb with a powerslam, but an elbowdrop misses, and Tito goes back to the wristlock. He shifts into an armbar on the mat, but Bomb makes the ropes again, and tries a backdrop, but Santana uses a sunset flip to counter for two. Bomb decks him, and goes to work with stomps, as I notice that literally half the crowd have Burger King crowns on. Obviously, that's to tease Jerry Lawler later, but holy shit, can you imagine coordinating that field trip? Bomb with a sidewalk slam, but Tito comes out of the ropes with the diving forearm for two. Dropkick, but Bomb blocks a rollup, and finishes him with a slingshot clothesline at 5:32. Not a bad match, but Bomb really should have squashed him in under three minutes here. Having him run to the ropes to break wristlocks wasn't doing anyone any favors, and it's not like Tito needed to be protected by this point. ¼*

King of the Ring Promo

Tatanka v Peter Weeks: Weeks looks like a fatter Kenny Powers crossed with Phil Margera, which is both awesome and depressing. Tatanka controls with a hammerlock to start, and hiptosses captain jobber clear over the top rope. He follows out to blast him with chops, and inside, Tatanka bodyslams him. Tatanka with a backdrop, and Weeks appears to be so gassed he can barely run across the ring - really shattering the illusion. More chops, and a flying tomahawk version finishes the fatty at 3:16. Not only was he terrible, but I think Weeks may have shit his pants at some point, too, because suddenly there are all these random brown splotches all over the mat. DUD

Jerry Lawler joins us to host the King's Court (at this point not done in-ring like it would be later, but on a special set near the entrance area). His guests this week: Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji, who announce that Yoko is now up to five hundred fifty five pounds (from his previous five hundred five), so now Hulk Hogan stands no chance on Sunday. I mean, he was training for 505, he's fucked now, boy! Thank God they got Jim Cornette onboard not long after this, because Fuji is just terrible as a mouthpiece.

IRS and Fatu v Rick Steiner and Billy Gunn: The idea here is that all four men will be competing in an eight-man tag with their respective partners at King of the Ring. IRS tries to tuck some cash into Fatu's tights to make sure he get the job done right, but Fatu doesn't know what money is, and tries to eat it. Cute. Anyway, Fatu starts with Billy Gunn, and tries a suplex, but Billy slips out, and dropkicks him. Swinging neckbreaker gets two, as Headshrinker manager Afa fellates a Randy Savage ice cream bar on the outside. Gunn with an armbar, and he tags Steiner to powerslam Fatu for two. 'Fatu for two' - try saying that ten times fast. Tag to IRS, but Steiner ducks a charge, and the taxman goes flying over the top. Gunn helps him back in for Rick to clothesline, and he goes back to the arm. IRS goes for the tag, but a miscommunication ends with him hitting Fatu, and a brawl is teased on the floor between the two teams - DiBiase able to calm everyone down by offering the Samoan's more of that delicious money to eat. Inside, Steiner gets IRS in a mat-based headlock, but a criss cross ends in Rick getting dumped out to the floor, where DiBiase and Samu double-team him. Inside, the heels cut the ring in half on Steiner, but Fatu misses a pump-splash, and Rick gets the tag. Gunn comes in hot, and we get a four-way brawl in short order, but Billy's barn of fire is put out when IRS whacks him with a clothesline to the back of the head, and pins him at 11:30. Hmm, surprised they didn't do a big brawl no-contest here, actually. Decent match, though - about on par with (and actually longer than) the King of the Ring version. ¾*

Vince McMahon brings Razor Ramon out for a ringside interview, with Ramon offering the 1-2-3 Kid (or 'stickman,' as Razor calls him) $7,500 to get him back in the ring

BUExperience: Pretty weak as far as a go-home show goes, but that’s about par for the course for how they’ve been building King of the Ring anyway. Nothing significant in-ring either, but the debut of Diesel is certainly notable.