WWF Mania (April 24, 1993)

Original Airdate: April 24, 1993

Your Host is Todd Pettengill from the studio. Todd is in a celebratory mood, since this is Mania’s sixteenth episode. Also this weekend, All American Wrestling’s five hundredth episode. But Todd isn’t on that show, so who cares?

Two weeks ago on Monday Night RAW, we saw the Steiner Brothers outsmart WWF Tag Team Champions Money Inc and the Beverly Brothers to get the better of an attack

Money Inc v The Beverly Brothers: From the April 19 episode of RAW, from Poughkeepsie New York. Money Inc are the WWF Tag Team Champions, but this is non-title. Big brawl to start, the Beverly's cleaning house, and the dust settling on Ted DiBiase and Blake Beverly. They trade wristlocks, and Blake controls with a bodyslam. Tag to brother Beau for a flying axehandle, and he takes his turn to work DiBiase's wrist. Tag to Blake for a diving headbutt to the wrist, and he tries an armbreaker. They keep taking turns working the wrist and arm, but Blake ends up taking a bodyslam, and DiBiase tags. IRS immediately misses an elbowdrop though, and the Beverly's take turn working his wrist now. IRS manages to get Beau in a mat-based front-facelock, and DiBiase switches in to work his own version. Backdrop, but Beau kicks him in the face to block, and catches IRS with a jumping clothesline. Tag to Blake, and it's backdrop time for DiBiase. Bodyslam and an elbowdrop get two, and Beau tags back in with a backdrop of his own for two. IRS runs in to trigger a four-way brawl, but the Beverly's end up colliding, and DiBiase schoolboys Beau for the pin at 12:59. Weird match, as it was heel/heel, but they still tried to work the standard tag team formula, and couldn't make up their minds who was playing the face team - both confusing the crowd, and ruining the flow. Odd match, but not poorly worked. ½*

Mr. Perfect v Barry Hardy: From the April 17 Superstars in North Charleston South Carolina. We take a look back at Luger knocking Perfect out at WrestleMania IX… which somehow led to a feud with WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels. I like when guys have more than one thing going on, but they did a lot of start/stop stuff during this period which they never bothered to follow up on ever again. Taking Luger, for example, as he had issues with Perfect and Bret Hart at this point, and neither of them were ever really resolved. To their credit, they did try bringing the Luger/Perfect issue back up in the aftermath of WrestleMania X, but then it never went anywhere again. They did a better job booking Michaels, as he had issues with Perfect, Crush, and Marty Jannetty that summer, and all of them at least led to some sort of resolution. Lawler calls Perfect ‘Curt Hennig,’ which feels like something that would not have pleased McMahon. Perfectplex finishes at 3:01. DUD

King of the Ring ad

Doink the Clown v Jim Powers: From the April 18 episode of Wrestling Challenge, taped March 9 in Augusta Georgia. Jim Ross just, like, doesn’t understand Doink, man. You’re just not cool Jim. Powers literally looks like a shell of his former self. He’s like a deflated balloon! Doink with the stump puller at 2:57. ¼*

Back in the studio, Todd wants to be a wizard

On RAW, Vince McMahon brings Bret Hart out for an in-ring interview, to discuss his losing the WWF Title to Yokozuna at WrestleMania. Bret says he's always been an underdog, but he always comes out on top. Next topic: Lex Luger, who Bret says is on the top of the hit list. Hart was starting to feud with him after Lex attacked him at a WrestleMania brunch, but much like a lot of stuff from during this period, they changed directions and it never really went anywhere

Bam Bam Bigelow v Owen Hart: From the April 17 Superstars. Owen has a knockoff version of Bret’s jacket here, in blue. Hart with a dropkick right away, but he gets suckered into a leg-feed enzuigiri. Well, he’d certainly learn something from that mistake. Criss cross allows Owen his own leg-feed enzuigiri, and a dropkick follows. That allows Owen to get to the top for a flying version, and a sunset flip gets him two. Hart works a wristlock, so Bigelow bodyslams his way out, only to miss an elbowdrop. That allows Owen to slap a fujiwara armbar on, as Savage suggests he try dumping a bucket of water on his head. Shit, the Doink feud now makes that much more sense! Bigelow escapes, and dropkicks Hart to the outside, but Owen uses speed to avoid Bigelow on the way in. Crucifix, but Bam Bam uses a Samoan drop to block, and he puts the boots to the Rocket. Bigelow press-drops Hart across the top turnbuckle, and a pop-up flapjack follows, as Owen bumps all around the ring. Owen really came up during the wrong era, he would have been an even bigger star if he’d broken out ten years later. Bigelow with a corner whip to set up a headbutt drop for two, Another corner whip, so Owen tries springboarding, but slips, and hurts his knee on the landing. That allows Bigelow a bodyslam, and the flying headbutt drop finishes at 7:35. Not surprisingly, this was good, with lots of energy. I think the knee injury was legitimate here, as Owen worked a tag match two days after this taping, and then didn’t wrestle again until two months later. ** ½

Todd wants to know what ‘the deal’ is with Bam Bam Bigelow. He has a ‘deal?’

Todd passes out party hats so everything in the studio can properly celebrate Mania’s sweet sixteen. Bless Todd, he could really sell this kind of silliness in a way that felt so welcoming and familiar

BUExperience: Weak episode this week. When does the King of the Ring hype start? It feels like it’s taking forever, I can’t even imagine how dull things would be if they didn’t have that as a bridge between WrestleMania and SummerSlam.