WWF Superstars (April 10, 1993)

Original Airdate: April 10, 1993 (taped March 8)

From North Charleston, South Carolina; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Jerry Lawler

Jim Duggan v Barry Horowitz: This is Duggan’s big return, following the injury angle with Yokozuna a while back. And he’s really diving right back into the deep end, ain’t he? Jim’s all fired up this week, throwing chairs around, and using the steps on Barry, before finishing with a three-point stance at 1:37. Duggan was looking mighty energetic this week. ¼*

President Jack Tunney issues a ruling that Hulk Hogan’s WWF Title win at WrestleMania was valid, and that he is rejecting Mr. Fuji’s formal complaint, as Fuji issued the challenge on behalf of Yokozuna, which became a verbal contract when Hogan accepted it. How did Yokozuna not eat Fuji alive for that one? Lucky for Fuj that Yoko didn’t speak English, I guess

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Papa Shango v David Clements: Shango is getting TV squash time at this stage? Savage notes that it’s “party time all over the world,” because Hogan is officially the WWF champion again. I guess Canada isn’t part of ‘the world’ in Macho’s view. They then get into a crazy conversation over which of the three commentators is a bigger liar, which ought to be quite challenging to settle. And Vince is still trying to sell WrestleMania by hyping togas! Shango with an inverted shoulderbreaker at 2:04. “Papa Shango a bit on the eccentric side,” notes Vince. That’s certainly one way to put it. But then, Vince has had a pretty wild life, maybe to him a voodoo practitioner who sets people on fire is ‘just a little out of the ordinary,’ nothing more. ¼*

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Tito Santana v Brooklyn Brawler: We’re really in the ‘taking what we can get’ era for this show as far as star/star matches go. Criss cross ends in Tito stomping him to block a monkeyflip, and he uses a hiptoss and a bodyslam to set up a wristlock. Brawler gets the ropes, as the announcers try to sell the Encore by promising that there will be two Doinks. With hype like that, no wonder the buyrate was way down. Tito with a jumping forearm at 2:37. I revoke Brawler’s honorary ‘star’ status for the week. DUD

Gene Okerlund catches up with Crush, who seems to think he beat Doink at WrestleMania. He then brings Undertaker in (without even so much as a cutaway, like it’s backstage at the Garden in 1984 again), and Undertaker also makes some pretty serious threats at Giant Gonzalez. These two should form a stable for guys as delusional as they are. Maybe they could even, I dunno, ride motorcycles, or something

Lex Luger v Dale Wolfe: It’s interesting that they spent months building up Luger/Mr. Perfect for the biggest show of the year, gave the heel a semi-clean pinfall victory followed by a cheap shot knockout, and then immediately transitioned both guys into different feuds without any resolution. No wonder Perfect was still holding a grudge at WrestleMania X! And, even worse, the Luger/Bret Hart feud never went anywhere either, and then Lex just turned babyface three months later anyway. Lex with the running forearm smash at 2:14. Luger’s gimmick was a winner, but the squashes were so boring. DUD

Kamala v Duane Gill: Kamala actually gets a pretty good reaction this week. Gill gets some shots in to start, but Kamala shrugs him off, and finishes with a splash at 2:43. But Gill would go on to win a title in the WWF, and Kamala never did, so who got the last laugh there? DUD

Sean Mooney is in the studio with the WrestleMania IX Report. They’re still hyping a show that’s already a week in the can. Now THAT’s dedication 

Mr. Hughes v JD Stryker: This is Hughes’ debut, and it’s from the April 11 Wrestling Challenge (taped March 9) in Augusta Georgia. Why are we getting still-unaired matches from another show here? Jim Ross and Bobby Heenan are on commentary for it, making this Jim’s Superstars debut. And between Hughes, Ross, and being taped in Georgia, this has a very WCW feel to it. Also, because it’s terrible. Hughes with a scrapbuster at 2:01. Hughes was such a weird fit for the WWF, as he was another dude who wrestled in office clothes, and didn’t really have any gimmick like IRS did. And he could just never seem to click in the promotion. He was only around for a few months in 1993, then,  like, two minutes in 1997, and then two more minutes in 1999. DUD

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Clip highlighting Andre the Giant’s induction into the WWF Hall of Fame. You could tell that Vince really loved the guy

Bob Backlund v Anthony Howard: Lawler makes crack after crack about Backlund’s age, which is especially strange considering they’re the same age. And poor Savage was just three years younger than both, and you have to believe those jokes were not fun for him. And, in fact, he defends Backlund, and you can just hear him gritting his teeth. Bob with a double-underhook cradle at 1:45. ¼*

Gene catches up with WWF Tag Team Champions Money Inc in the studio, so they can gloat about walking out of a WrestleMania without losing their title to Hulk Hogan. That’s a pretty rare feat, actually. Then Doink comes in, denying there was ever a second Doink, and laughing it up like a complete maniac. All of this is supposed to make you really want to buy the Encore, apparently

BUExperience: This wasn’t the best, as the post-WrestleMania direction isn’t really clear yet, and we didn’t even get an appearance from any of the three guys in the world title picture.