WWF Royal Rumble 1993 (Version II)

Original Airdate: January 24, 1993

From Sacramento, California; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Opening Match: The Beverly Brothers v The Steiner Brothers: Beau Beverly starts with Scott Steiner, and immediately needs to hide in the ropes and accuse Scott of cheating, as Steiner looks to school him on the mat. A cheap shot allows Beau to take him down, but he walks into a tilt-a-whirl slam moments later, and Beau bails to the outside. Tag to Blake Beverly on the way back in, but he antagonizes Rick Steiner, and gets him instead of Scott. Rick overpowers him, so Blake throws a cheap shot of his own to allow for a powerslam. Criss cross ends in Rick returning the favor, and Scott tags in for a nasty overhead suplex. Butterfly version looks to follow, but Beau comes in without a tag to clothesline him before he can execute it, and Blake capitalizes with a backbreaker. The Beverly's cut the ring in half, but Beau telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a tiger bomb to allow the hot tag to Rick. He's a doghouse of fire, and Roseanne Barr the door! Both Beverly's eat Steinerlines, but they overwhelm Scott - only for Beau to walk into the Frankensteiner at 10:45. Nowhere near on par with the tag matches that opened the previous two Rumble cards, but solid action nonetheless. ** ¼ (Original rating: *)

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Marty Jannetty: Marty's outfit here would have even Randy Savage questioning his judgment. Shawn tries pushing his former partner around at the bell, but Marty won't take that shit, and chases him around ringside. In, Jannetty hits a facebuster and an inverted atomic drop, and he sends the champion over the top with a kneelift. Michaels is bumping around like a madman here! Jannetty uses the top rope as a slingshot to bring Shawn back in, then a clothesline to send him right back out, over the top! Jannetty dives after him with a tope, and a flying punch off the apron is sold with a full spiral by HBK! Jannetty goes to the top to try another flying punch on the outside, but this time Shawn manages to whack him on the way down, and he rams his challenger into the post a couple of times for good measure. Back in, Michaels goes after the bashed shoulder with a shoulderbreaker, and hammers Marty until he bails. Shawn follows him out with a running axehandle in the aisle, and a bodyslam on the floor. Marty beats the count, so Michaels keeps relentlessly hammering the shoulder, and he delivers a flying axehandle to it. Armbar has Marty tapping out, but since this is only 1993, it doesn't mean anything. Single-arm DDT gets two, and a bodyslam sets up a 2^nd rope flying splash - only for Jannetty to lift his boot to block! Shawn tries to keep control with a corner whip, but Marty dodges him coming in, and controls a slugfest. Shawn thinks fast by dumping him to the outside before the challenger can put together a finishing sequence, but a suplex back in from the apron is reversed to the floor! That brings Sensational Sherri over to slap Michaels across the face, and Jannetty is able to capitalize with a side suplex in from the apron for two. Cross corner whip sends Shawn flipping over the top to the outside, and Jannetty follows to ram him into the steps before bringing it back inside. Marty with a powerslam to setup a flying fistdrop - Shawn dodging, but Jannetty thinking fast, and landing on his feet! He hits Michaels with a DDT for two, so Shawn tries a superkick, but Marty ducks, and hits his own for two! Backdrop, but Shawn counters with a sunset flip - Jannetty able to counter back with a slingshot into the corner for two! The referee gets bumped, so Sherri comes in again, but a shot with her high heel shoe ends up hitting Jannetty, and the match stops dead so Shawn can dress her down. Superkick retains at 14:20. Jannetty's timing was way off, and he looked lethargic, but Shawn was bumping like crazy to make up for it, and the psychology was sound. The storyline heavy finish was annoying though, and killed the groove the match was settling into. *** ½ (Original rating: **)

Big Boss Man v Bam Bam Bigelow: Bam Bam attacks before the bell, and hammers away in the corner ahead of an avalanche. Cross corner whip puts Boss Man down, and another one sends him to the outside. Back in, Boss Man manages to get the better of a criss cross to put Bigelow down for some mounted punches, and he unloads a ten-punch in the corner. Those poor ropes appear to be stretching to their very limits there. Headlock, but Bigelow escapes with a side suplex - only to miss a falling headbutt follow-up. Boss Man keeps on him with a one-handed bulldog, but a charge ends badly when Boss Man gets backdropped over the top! Boss Man beats the count, so Bam Bam puts the boots to him, and works the back in slow, plodding fashion. Boss Man escapes a waistlock, but runs into a hotshot for two as he tries to follow-up, and Bam Bam keeps hammering away. Back to the waistlock, as the crowd heads for the concession stands. Bigelow tries a vertical suplex, but Boss Man manages a reversal - only for Bam Bam to recover first with a headbutt drop to the lower back. Shoulderblock follows, but a bodypress misses, and Boss Man returns fire with a backdrop. Straddling ropechoke follows, but Bam Bam uses a boot to block an avalanche, and he clotheslines Boss Man down to setup the flying headbutt at 10:09. Kinda boring middle portion, but I've seen worse. * (Original rating: ½*)

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Razor Ramon: Razor flicks his toothpick at the kid Bret gives his shades to, so Hart attacks - blitzing Ramon with right hands at the bell. Engaging in a slugfest with the Bad Guy doesn't end well for the Hitman, however, and Razor cross corner whips him a couple of times, but a misses a high knee in the corner, and Bret capitalizes by going to work on the leg. Figure four, but Ramon quickly gets the ropes, so Hart goes back to pounding the leg, and bashes it against the ring post for good measure. Aggressive Hitman tonight! He tries a corner whip of his own, but Ramon manages to reverse, and Bret takes a bump into the post while trying to slide to the floor to avoid the corner. I love that spot! That injures his ribs, and Razor capitalizes by going to the outside with a two-alarm no-release backbreaker, followed by a ram into the post. Back in, Razor drops a pair of elbows to the ribs, and delivers a fallaway slam for two. Bret takes his chest-first cross corner bump for two, and the challenger slaps on an abdominal stretch to put pressure on the injured ribs. Hart manages a reversal, but the bad part allows Ramon to quickly hiptoss free, and he hits a shoulderblock for two. Hart throws a bodypress for two, and a slingshot sunset flip is worth two, but he's too battered to follow-up, and Razor grounds him in a reverse chinlock. Bearhug follows, but Bret escapes, so an angry Ramon charges - only to get backdropped over the top! Hart dives after him with a tope, then back in for a ten-punch in the corner! Inverted atomic drop and a clothesline get two, and a backbreaker sets up a 2^nd rope flying clothesline for two. Bulldog gets two, and a Russian legsweep is worth two. Sharpshooter time, but Razor pulls the referee into Bret to block, and he follows up with a shot to the ribs before Hart can return fire. Side superplex, but Bret counters by back flipping onto his feet, and hitting a normal side suplex to setup a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop - Ramon blocking by lifting his boot! Razor's Edge looks to finish, but Bret counters into a backslide for two, so Ramon kicks at the ribs again to cut off the comeback. Knucklelock looks to keep the Hitman down, but Bret powers to a vertical base, so Ramon corner whips him to soften the champion up, then reapplies the knucklelock. Bret escapes with a counter into a cradle so unique that the referee is caught completely off guard before counting two, but despite the kickout, the Hitman shifts it into the Sharpshooter to retain at 17:59. Good match, as Razor was clearly into making the most of his opportunity on top, and Hart worked a very realistic style match compared to what fans were used to after years of Hulk Hogan as champion. Easily one of Ramon's better WWF matches (that doesn't involve one of his running buddies). *** ½ (Original rating: *** ¾)

Main Event: #1 Contender's 30-Man Royal Rumble Match: Two minute intervals this year. This is the first time that the now familiar stipulation of the winner getting a title shot at WrestleMania is in effect. Ric Flair and Bob Backlund start off, which is an interesting choice. Bob dominates with a series of takedowns, so Ric goes to the eyes, and starts unloading chops in the corner. Cross corner whip gets reversed, however, and Backlund hits a backdrop, then adds hanging atomic drop. He tries to toss Ric over the top, but #3 draw Papa Shango saves. That assist doesn't buy him any loyalty from the Nature Boy, however, as he comes from behind and dumps Shango out moments later! Hey, they don't call him the 'dirtiest player in the game' for nothing! With Papa gone, Ric and Bob can go back to their private war, until #4 entrant Ted DiBiase joins the fray. He works with Flair to beat on Backlund, but they fail to get him over the top - Bob hanging on until #5 draw Brian Knobbs runs in. He knocks Flair and DiBiase around, and Ric teases an elimination nicely. #6 is Virgil, and one guess who he goes right for. I love callbacks like that. Today, past feuds are rarely referenced, even in offhand ways like that. Knobbs gives Ted a charge, but DiBiase ducks, and Brian is outta here! Virgil pounds his former boss as Backlund nearly gets chopped out of the ring by Flair. #7 is Jerry Lawler, and Flair abandons fighting Backlund to chop it out with the King. Jerry gets the better of the exchange, and Ric ends up on the outside - albeit, not over the top. Back in, Flair rethinks his strategy, and pairs up with Lawler to work over Virgil - until the King turns on him, that is. Max Moon is #8, and he hits Lawler with a dropkick, then gives a backdrop to Flair. That outfit is something else. I mean, it takes a special kind of fashion sense to make Marty Jannetty's gear from earlier look sane by comparison. Luckily, we don't have to look at it for long, as Lawler backdrops him out following a charge. #9 is Genichiro Tenryu, and not surprisingly, he goes for Ric. A bunch of chops flop Flair, but DiBiase saves him from the buzz saw, and Ric repays the debt by beating up Virgil. For a history nut like me, it's awesome seeing Flair, Backlund, and Lawler all in the same ring. Not to mention DiBiase and Tenryu, too! Fuck Virgil, though. #10 is Mr. Perfect, and the crowd lights up as he guns for Flair! Big kneelift and a somersault necksnap hit, so Ric goes to the eyes, and starts chopping away. Perfect responds in kind, and deliver a ten-punch count before making an elimination attempt, but Ric hangs on. Tenryu looks totally confused as to what he's supposed to be doing out there. #11 is Skinner, and he helps Flair in his fight with Perfect, but it only delays the inevitable - Perfect getting Ric over the top anyway! Funny bit, as Virgil tries to hold Lawler for someone to hit, but no one gives enough of a shit about Virgil to notice, and he's left just lamely holding him for a while before finally just letting off. #12 is Koko B. Ware, and he goes after Lawler. This match is a lot more interesting if you know the pre-WWF history between a lot of these guys. Perfect dumps Skinner, as Koko suffers the same fate as Virgil while trying to hold DiBiase for someone to hit. Samu is #13, but he doesn't add much. Backlund breaks the curse by holding Lawler for someone to hit, and Perfect takes the bait. See, that right there should have put everyone on notice that Bob was heading for a career renaissance. The signs are all there if you're just willing to look for them. #14 is Berzerker, as Perfect backdrops Lawler out! DiBiase sneaks up and tries to dump Perfect, but he hangs on for dear life, so Lawler starts pulling him from the floor as well, and Perfect's done. That was a great, hard fought elimination. While all that is going on Virgil gets dumped as well, but even the camera doesn't give a shit. The Undertaker is #15, and he dumps Samu as Berzerker beats on Backlund with a chair! He takes Bob to the outside (not over the top) for a slam on the exposed concrete, as Undertaker clears Tenryu. Terry Taylor draws #16, and goes for Koko, so Ted sneaks up and dumps them both. He isn't laughing long, however, as Undertaker chokeslams him, then dumps him over the top. He slugs it out with (and eliminates) Berzerker, when suddenly the very large Giant Gonzalez lumbers out to make his debut. He stands over Undertaker and knocks him over the top with ease, then beats him all the way around ringside as #17 draw Damien Demento comes down to a now empty ring. He hangs out on the floor as Giant continues to beat up Undertaker, as does #18 draw Irwin R. Schyster. If Gonzalez wasn't so ridiculously terrible in the ring, he'd have been a huge - no pun intended. Once he's cleared away, Demento and Irwin bring the still battered Backlund back into the ring to work over, which is smart booking as it leaves the crowd someone they're invested in right away, as opposed to starting a whole new field. #19 is Tatanka, and he saves Bob from the two heels. Jerry Sags draws #20, and other than Backlund, the crowd has little to hold their attention at the moment, as things drastically slow down following all the relatively big names cleared around the Undertaker/Gonzalez bit. #21 is Typhoon, and he works over Demento, as Tatanka unloads chops on Sags, and Backlund tries to get IRS over the top. Fatu gets #22, and starts headbutting everything in sight. #23 is Earthquake, and he actually goes right for Typhoon. Like, RIGHT for him. He doesn't even warm up to it. Typhoon turns the tables and hits an avalanche on his partner, but a second try misses, and Typhoon is done. That was rather stupid strategy on 'Quake's part there. You're both huge, and the ring is filled with mostly JTTS. Team up and dump everyone, then continue to work together to try and get rid of the remaining guys as they come out one by one. Once you're alone, sort it out between yourselves. #24 is Carlos Colon, and that ends Demento's night. #25 is Tito Santana, as Bob dumps Fatu. Tito tries to toss Backlund, but Bob just won't stop hanging on, and IRS ends up saving him before he runs out of gas. Rick Martel gets #26, and he goes right for Tito! Again, love the callbacks. They slug it out in the corner as Earthquake tosses IRS, and the crowd actually seems to be pretty into Earthquake's chances. #27 is Yokozuna, and as the announcers note, 'uh oh.' Bye Tatanka! Bye Carlos! Bye Felicia! He settles into a showdown with Earthquake, and they bounce off each other for a bit as Owen Hart enters at #28. Earthquake gets the better of a few charges to allow an avalanche, but a second one misses, and he's done for. Kinda poetic that he went out the same way he put Typhoon out. Tito is next up to try and take down the monster, but Yokozuna shrugs him off, and pounds him down. Repo Man enters at #29, as everyone gets smart and tries to gang up to dump Yokozuna. Even with six guys on him, Yoko manages to fight everyone off, however. #30 is Randy Savage to round out the field, and he gets a big pop! I know he didn't set the world on fire as champion in 1992, but I feel like he still had a lot more to give at this point than as a lowly announcer. Bodies start flying, as Yokozuna tosses Tito, and Owen dropkicks Sags out. Hart tries to follow-up with a charge on Yokozuna, but gets tossed in the process (taking an epic bump), as Macho gets rid of Repo to leave a final four of Bob Backlund, Rick Martel, Yokozuna, and Randy Savage. Normally, only two of those would be possibilities, but they've done such a good job building Backlund's run through smart booking throughout this thing that he's a totally believable winner in the moment. Martel tries to dump the worn down Backlund, but Bob powers him up to the top rope, and manages to knock him to the floor! The crowd is totally behind the Bobster here. He attacks Yokozuna to get him off of Savage in the corner, and a pair of dropkicks nearly stagger the monster over the top, but a big charge goes badly, and Backlund is done - setting the longevity record with sixty one minutes and ten seconds in the process. Hell of a run - still the third longest Rumble performance ever. That leaves Macho alone with Yoko, and the big man pounds away on him. Randy fights back with a series of jabs, and a few clotheslines stagger Yokozuna into the ropes, but he's still far from finished. Macho tries a flying axehandle, but Yoko is still on his feet. Another flying axehandle gets him down to one knee, and Savage is ready to try a charge - only to run into a superkick! Yokozuna adds a belly-to-belly suplex and the big legdrop (still impressive, even all these years later), followed by an avalanche. Mr. Fuji wants one more, however, and that one misses! That puts him down, and Savage capitalizes with the Flying Elbowdrop - only to stupidly cover, and get pressed out over the top at 66:35. I know everyone tends to hate that finish, but I've actually grown to like it because the veteran was so battered by Yokozuna’s bombardment that he was left acting on instinct alone. Good Rumble (especially in the first half), despite the noticeable lack of star power. ** ¾ (Original rating: ***)

BUExperience: This is actually a much better show than it tends to be remembered as – even in my own mind, sometimes. Along with the official WWF debut of Lex Luger, the two title matches are great, the undercard is lean and solid, and the Rumble match itself is good, if a little light on stars. Overall very little downtime, and very focused programming – a show that would probably be more revered if it didn’t take place during such a low point in the promotions history.

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