WWF Monday Night RAW (December 27, 1993)

Original Airdate: December 27, 1993 (Taped December 13)

From Poughkeepsie, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and The Quebecers.

Hot RAW Girl Sign of the Week: Honk If You're RAW

Opening Match: Lex Luger v Barry Horowitz: Lex controls with a hammerlock early, so Horowitz goes for the ropes, and stalls. Luger with a wristlock, and he whips Horowitz into the corner, then schoolboys him for two. Barry pokes the eyes and hits a chincrusher, and shoves him into the corner for a bootchoke. You go, Barry! Headbutt, but Barry wastes too much time showboating, and gets clotheslined. Powerslam from Luger, and a superplex finishes at 4:22. What, was his bionic forearm broken, or something? Fun competitive squash. ½*

Johnny Polo offers words for Marty Jannetty (or 'Marty Confetti,' as he calls him) from backstage

Marty Jannetty v Johnny Polo: Polo's still got the Scotty Flamingo tights here, only he covers the lower half over with polo pants. Nice. They trade wristlocks to start, and Johnny takes him down with a hiptoss. Headlock reversed by Marty to trigger a criss cross - won by Polo with an armdrag. Another headlock, but Jannetty rams him into the corner, and hits a slingshot when Johnny tries to bail. Atomic drop and a side suplex get two, and Marty slaps on an armbar. Sunset flip gets two, but a bodypress is ducked, and Marty goes flying out to the floor. Johnny follows with a plancha, but Marty catches him with a slingshot bodypress on the way back in for two. Polo snapmares him into a chinlock to keep control, but Marty powers up, and both guys try a bodypress - crashing into each other for a double-knockout. Johnny is up first, but gets rammed into the corner, and caught with a jumping backelbow. Facebuster sets up a flying fistdrop, but Polo blocks with a superplex - blocked again by Marty with a flying bodypress for two. Schoolboy for two, and a dropkick knocks Johnny out to the floor. Pierre leaves the commentary table to help him back in, but Marty is on them both with a baseball slide. Inside, Jannetty hits a superkick, but Pierre pulls Polo out as Marty goes to the top to finish. Jannetty responds by diving onto Pierre, and goes back after Polo with a slingshot sunset flip, but Pierre helps his manager through a counter for the pin at 8:22. As a result, Pierre gets ejected from the building, but I'd say too little too late there. Good little match here, as both guys were game to work together, keeping it both fast paced and entertaining. ** ½

Yokozuna spends the holidays playing Santa Claus at Rockefeller Center, but wakes up and realizes it was all a dream. Unanswered: why Mr. Fuji spends the night at Yoko's side, in full ring gear

Doink v Spike Gray: Doink and Dink offer the jobber a stick of gum, but it ends up being a trap, and Dink kicks him in the shin. Dink punches him in the nose next, and Doink German suplexes for the pin at 1:01. Doink was legitimately entertaining/creepy as a heel, but this Dink stuff is just ridiculously bad. DUD

Royal Rumble Report. Todd seems to be really into the fact that it's going to be a Casio clock doing the countdown this year

Crush v Mike Moraldo: Crush with yet another new pair of tights this week, as it apparently took him a really, really long time to settle on a look after the heel turn. Crush with a press slam, and a clawhold finishes at 2:24. Apparently he couldn't decide on a finisher either, because I don't remember the claw going anywhere after this. What was wrong with the compactor? Simple, makes its point. Whatever. DUD

The Undertaker and Paul Bearer offer holiday themed puns for Yokozuna

Bret Hart offers a drinking and driving PSA. Hey, he said 'drinking and driving,' not 'infidelity'

We get highlights of Alundra Blayze defeating Heidi Lee Morgan in a tournament final to crown a new WWF Women’s Champion. That was actually taped as part of this cycle, but aired on All-American instead

Kwang Vignette. He knows karate, motherfuckers!

Razor Ramon v Derek Domino: Best. Jobber Name. Ever. For a finisher, he brings opponents to their knees. Domino tries a wristlock, but Ramon quickly escapes, and Domino botches taking a hiptoss. Razor gets annoyed and gives him a blockbuster superplex, and slaps on an STF as McMahon and Jacques get into a really weird conversation about Jack Tunney and Fidel Castro's daughter. Abdominal stretch and a side superplex, before Razor puts him out of his misery with the Edge at 3:50. Okay, so he had the greatest name ever, but he wasn't very good in the ring, unfortunately. ¼*

BUExperience: And so ends 1993, a year that gave us some great moments, and the birth of one of the most significant shows in all of wrestling history. While this episode wasn’t the best of the year, the Jannetty/Polo match was good stuff, and there was nothing offensive – if uneventful.

Unfortunately, the show would get stale as 1994 rang in, as they continued to rely on long taping cycles over live episode, and venues that lacked the exciting atmosphere of the early Manhattan Center shows.