WWF March to WrestleMania IX (March 28, 1993)

Original Airdate: March 28, 1993 (taped March 7)

From Fayetteville, North Carolina; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan

Earlier this weekend on Wrestling Challenge, Yokozuna attacked WWF Champion Bret Hart during their contract signing for WrestleMania, and destroyed him with a Banzai Drop. Bret does this wonderful sell job afterwards, where he fights to get up, only to fall at Yokozuna's feet. Weird seeing Sgt. Slaughter as one of the suit wearing officials intervening here, just months removed from being an active competitor

Randy Savage v Yokozuna: Savage is sporting boots from a totally different outfit, and the color mismatch with his tights is garish even by his standards. Macho is eager to get going, and uses his speed to dodge Yoko a couple of times - only to end up on his ass during a lockup. Yoko blasts him with a shoulderblock (Randy selling it wonderfully - like he was hit by a truck), and casually dumps Macho over the top for a little abuse on the floor. Inside, Yoko keeps hammering him with chops, so Savage fires back with a series of jabs, but takes a shot to the throat, and gets bodyslammed. Yoko with a legdrop, but an avalanche misses, and Savage drops a flying axehandle on him. Another one, but this time Yoko manager Mr. Fuji whacks Savage with his flagpole while he flies through the air, and Yoko finishes him with a belly-to-belly suplex at 6:30. Far from good, but served its purpose of putting Yoko over, with Savage really working hard to sell for him, and put him over as a monster. It's worth noting that Savage was still drawing major pops for his comebacks, and it's kind of amazing how far and fast he fell down the card. I mean, he was headlining major pay per views as WWF Champion some six months prior, and now he's doing a job to set up a guy for a match on a show he won't even wrestle at. ¼*

We take a look at Lex Luger's run of squashes thus far, since his debut at the Royal Rumble in January. Interesting how he was throwing the loaded forearm a totally different way in the beginning, compared to later, once he turned babyface

Mr. Perfect v Skinner: Skinner attacks from behind as Perfect plays to the crowd, and rams him into the corner, then tosses him over the top. On the floor, Skinner smacks him into the steps, but a second try is reversed, and Perfect posts him. Back in, Skinner manages to fend Perfect off by whipping him with his belt, but a blind charge misses, and Perfect hits an atomic drop. Chops and a ten-punch count in the corner, followed by a kneelift, and the somersault necksnap. Skinner whacks him with his gator claw to take the pep out of his step, but puts his head down too soon on a backdrop attempt, and takes the PerfectPlex at 5:30. DUD

WrestleMania IX ad. As opposed to the rest of this show? It's a commercial within a commercial! Will the wonders ever cease?

Kamala v Kim Chee: Reverend Slick gives a full sermon while introducing Kamala here, complete with multiple shouts of 'can I get a witness' and 'amen.' Honestly, he was pretty good at what he was going for, and it might have had some legs, but Kamala was such a dead gimmick. Kim comes in strong, beating Kamala into the corner at the bell, and pulling on his beard while talking down to him. He keeps smacking Kamala around, until finally the Ugandan Giant starts fighting back, and he slaps on a bearhug. Kamala with a knife-edge chop and a savate kick, followed by a bodyslam and a splash for the pin at 2:07 - once the fans manage to explain to him that he needs to roll Kim over onto his back. Harmless fun for the live crowd, though not great TV. But it was quick, so whatever. That aspect of the gimmick definitely works better as a babyface, that much is for sure. DUD

WrestleMania music video! Using every goofy early 90s editing trick under the sun! Big Boss Man is heavily featured here, despite no longer being with the promotion. Though, that's not really a goof you can fault them for, since he'd JUST left

Review of the Money Inc/Mega Maniacs angle, that led to the return of Hulk Hogan. Honestly, seeing Hulk in the Manhattan Center is almost as strange as seeing him at Center Stage

Money Inc v Reno Riggins and Jerry Sabin: Money Inc's WWF Tag Team Title is not on the line here. I really like that version of the tag belts, with the black 'world' lettering, as opposed to the standard red. It only lasted for a short while in '92-'93, but it was really sharp. Pretty energetic squash here from the tag champions, with both jobbers going out of their way to sell shit tonight. Like, Riggins nearly does an extra half flip while taking a backdrop, and it's pretty glorious. They're selling for Money Inc like they're the Road Warriors in 1988. Ted DiBiase finishes Riggins at 2:54. ¼*

Gene Okerlund brings Hulk Hogan, Brutus Beefcake, and Jimmy Hart out for a podium interview. Nothing notable here (just a standard hype interview for the match with Money Inc at WrestleMania), though I think this may be the first appearance of Hogan's weight belt that would become a fixture in his matches later on. So, there's that. Beefcake looked so out of his league with Hogan. I mean, I know they headlined SummerSlam together less than four years before this, but even then he felt like the weak end, and that was back before he was sidelined for several years by an injury (thus killing all of his momentum). What's especially perplexing is that Randy Savage was RIGHT THERE! It's not like he was otherwise engaged, the dude was literally sitting around during WrestleMania IX. I know the story is that Vince didn't have confidence in him as a top guy anymore, but given the state of the business, you'd think trying a Mega Powers reunion would be a slam dunk. I mean, at least try it! Honestly, Hogan and Savage as tag champs for the summer would have been fun, and might have even extended Hogan's shelf life with the fans for a while

Review of the Shawn Michaels/Tatanka feud, segueing into pre-taped comments with WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels, who threatens to scalp Tatanka at WrestleMania. That’s a lot

Tatanka v George South: I think the fans would have bought Tatanka as IC champ during this period, but I prefer the switches they ran with Marty Jannetty, so I'm glad they didn't go that way. I doubt it would have made much difference at the box office regardless, and anyway, the Jannetty angle was a lot more satisfying than Tatanka trading the belt with Shawn would have been. But, given how unsatisfying the booking of the top matches at WrestleMania was, it's almost surprising they didn't go with it to give the fans something to smile about. I guess they figured the Hogan win at the end was enough. Tatanka with the Samoan drop at 3:16. Afterwards, Shawn shows up at ringside with a microphone to talk some trash, so Tatanka challenges him to put the title up right now, but Shawn walks away after teasing it. Yokozuna should have been paying attention, rather than eating fries, or whatever the fuck his fat ass was doing backstage. DUD

WrestleMania IX Report! Why did they ever stop doing these? Such a quick and effective way to build up shows

Mixed Six-Man Tag Team Match: Tiger Jackson and The Bushwhackers v Little Louie and The Beverly Brothers: From a TV taping, March 1993. Luke starts with Blake Beverly, and it turns into a comedy match right away, as the 'Whackers start biting some Beverly butt, and the midgets get in on the 'fun' for a brawl. The dust settles on the midgets, and they get right into more comedy with a sequence that features Jackson going for the cover, but getting pressed off by Louie - and into the referees arms. The Bushwhackers play 3 Stooges with Blake next (including the mixed midget staple where one guys gets held in an armbar, and the midgets run across his chest), until, finally, the Beverly's cheat, and cut the ring in half on Luke. Unfortunately, in a comedy match, it's more 'cut the cheese on Luke,' and a big brawl breaks out - Jackson pinning Louie with a flying bodypress in the chaos at 9:57. This is the kind of match that would be hilarious to watch over drinks with a few friends who don't really like wrestling late some night, but that's a pretty narrow window of appeal, really. DUD

Review of the Undertaker/Giant Gonzalez feud. I know he sucked, and the matches sucked, but you can't blame them for trying to suck a few dollars out of us with this guy

Undertaker v Bam Bam Bigelow: I've been copying and pasting from my earlier RAW reviews for most of the matches on this, but let's give this one a fresh look. And speaking of 'fresh,' so weird to see referee Mike Chioda as a fresh faced kid. Bigelow slugs away at the bell, so Undertaker uses a drop-toehold to take him down, and Bam Bam bails. Undertaker chases, but loses the high ground in the process, and Bigelow is able to take control with headbutts, but he walks into a DDT. Undertaker chokes him in the corner ahead of the ropewalk forearm, but a clothesline fails to take Bigelow off of his feet. Undertaker tries a jumping version, but Bam Bam ducks, and 'Taker ends up on the outside. Bigelow follows for a bodyslam on the floor, and the Dead man eats the steps a few times, before going back in to take a side suplex. Bigelow with a cross corner whip to set up a powerslam, but Undertaker just keeps sitting the fuck up, and Bam Bam is getting flustered. He hammers away, and another bodyslam sets up a headbutt drop, but Undertaker aggravates him up sitting up again. Bigelow with another pair of headbutt drops to try and keep him down long enough for the flying version, but Undertaker sits up, and starts making a comeback. Chokeslam hits, so Bigelow bails, and decides to take the countout at 8:05. Pretty standard Undertaker match from the period. He ran this same basic match with Razor Ramon all over the place around this time, too. Afterwards, Giant Gonzalez makes an appearance, but is held back by WWF Officials. Really? He's, like, eight feet tall, and a couple of tiny referees are suddenly stopping him? What a monster! * (Original rating: ¼*)

BUExperience: These hypes shows can be fun in a lot of cases. This was not one of those cases.