WWF at Providence Civic Center (May 2, 1993)

Original Airdate: May 2, 1993

From Providence, Rhode Island

Bob Backlund v Blake Beverly: This version of the show omits the Brooklyn Brawler/Jim Powers opener, and the Tito Santana/Damien Demento match. Winner of this one earns the right to have ‘BB’ imprinted on their gear! Beverly tries suckering him into a handshake, with Bob not falling for it, which eats up several hours since Bob decides to poll every person in the building about whether or not to accept. They finally engage, with Beverly hooking a takedown, but Bob fighting him off with a waistlock. Beverly bails, so Bob chases him back in, but Blake hides out in the ropes. Blake gets a cheap shot during a ropebreak, but Bob sweeps the leg to annoy him, so Beverly stalls. They trade armdrags next, and this thing is just not going anywhere. Beverly with a hiptoss, Backlund with a hiptoss, Beverly bails. Beverly with a bodyslam, and he dumps Bob into the corner to hammer with knees. Cross corner whip, but Backlund reverses, and delivers a bodyslam of his own when Blake rebounds. Backlund with a backslide for two, but a punch puts Blake back on the outside. He sneaks in on the far side to attack while Bob is jawing with the referee, but a criss cross ends in Backlund hooking a cradle when Blake drops down - pinning Beverly at 9:55. This was total shit, but the crowd was engaged throughout, since both guys know just how to push the right buttons there. ¼*

The Headshrinkers v The Smoking Gunns: Man, they ran this one on the house shows forever. This is only the Gunns’ fourth match in the promotion, including the one they wrestled as Brett Colt and Kip Winchester in April. The Headshrinkers attack before the bell, but an attempt to ram the Gunns into one another backfires, and the babyfaces clean house. Dust settles on Samu and Billy Gunn, and they measure each other some. Billy wins a criss cross with an armdrag into an armbar, and he passes to Bart Gunn to hold a wristlock, but Samu goes to the eyes. Tag to Fatu, but Bart is ready for the charge with a drop-toehold, and he adds a bodyslam. Tag to Billy for a tandem Russian legsweep, so Samu runs in - only to suffer the same fate. Dust settles on Fatu and Billy, and they tease a test-of-strength, which is always a great way to engage a live crowd. Billy manages to get the better of the knucklelocks, and he delivers a clothesline for two during a criss cross. Tag to Bart to keep cranking on the arm, but Afa takes a cheap shot from the outside, and the Headshrinkers gain control. The heels work Bart over, until he manages to fight off a double team, and get the hot tag off to Billy - Roseanne Barr the door! Billy runs wild, but gets caught with a cheap shot while running the ropes, and pinned at 11:50. They regularly ran this match on the house shows for a full year (by which point the Headshrinkers were already tag champions - and babyfaces), and it was always decent enough. *

Yokozuna v Jim Duggan: Duggan attacks while Yokozuna is doing his ceremonial salt toss, and he unloads in the corner, but an attempt to go for the 2x4 allows the big man to recover. Yokozuna ropechokes him, but Jim gets back to a vertical base, and starts throwing closing fists. Yokozuna won’t go down, however, and he dumps Jim to the outside, with Mr. Fuji staying out of it, surprisingly. I thought that we were setting up for some interference there. Back in, Yokozuna with a legdrop, and he works a bearhug from there. Duggan slugs free, so Yokozuna clotheslines him, and then reapplies the hold. Into the corner for an avalanche, but Duggan dodges, and blasts him with a shoulderblock. Yokozuna won’t go down, so Jim tries again, and the big man is getting wobbly. Three-point stance takes him down for the first time, so Yokozuna bails, but Duggan is on his tail. Jim with right hands out there, but he gets distracted by Fuji, and counted out at 6:51. Well, at least he finally earned his keep for the night. ¼*

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Mr. Perfect: Perfect goes right at him, beating the champion into the corner, and bieling him across the ring. Perfect swings him around and chucks him until Michaels bails, and Shawn sneaks back in when Perfect is distracted by the official. Shawn pounds him in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Perfect delivers a bodyslam. Michaels responds in kind, but Perfect fights him off, and clotheslines the champion over the top. Shawn stalls, so Perfect chases with a clothesline on the floor, and Michaels takes a trip into the post out there. Whip into the steps, but Shawn reverses, and he puts the boots to Perfect on the way back into the ring. Shawn with a pair of elbowdrops, and Perfect takes a cross corner bump like he’s paying tribute to Bret Hart. Shawn works an abdominal stretch, but Perfect hiptosses out, and a criss cross ends in Perfect blocking a dropkick. Perfect goes to work on Shawn’s leg, so Michaels swipes at the eyes to escape a hold, and he pounds his challenger into the corner. The knee slows him down, however, and Perfect sweeps the leg again, slapping on a figure four. Michaels makes the ropes, and he bails to the outside to buy time. He decides to walk out on the match, but the referee rules that he’ll lose the title if counted out, and Shawn is forced back in. Perfect tears into him, so Shawn goes to the eyes, and launches the challenger over the top. Shawn catapults him under the bottom rope from the apron, and then Michaels dives with an elbowdrop on the apron before taking it back inside. Shawn with a turnbuckle smash and another cross corner whip, but the charge in misses. That allows Perfect to corner him with a ten-punch count, but another cross corner whip reversal results in the referee getting clobbered. That allows Michaels to bash him with the title belt, and the crowd is freaking out. Shawn covers, and stays there as the groggy official crawls - only for the Smoking Gunns to run in and stop him from counting. They tell him what happened, but another referee comes out, and ejects those two tattletales. A cowboy should know better. The match continues, and Shawn nails the groggy Perfect with a superkick for a dramatic two count. Pair of jumping backelbows get two, and a dropkick is worth two. Sleeper looks to finish, but Perfect comes to life on the third arm drop. He fights Michaels off, but a criss cross results in a double knockout spot. Perfect recovers first with a facebuster, and a kneelift sends Michaels spiraling. Perfect with chops in the corner, and a somersault necksnap inspires another brilliant sell from the champion. Perfect with a biel to send Shawn retreating into getting crotched on the post, and a cross corner whip flips Michaels into a right hand. Catapult into the corner gets three, but the second referee spots Shawn’s foot in the ropes and calls it off. Undettered, Perfect hooks a rollup for two - reversed by Michaels for two. Shawn tries a backdrop, but Perfect stops short with the Perfectplex - only for time to expire at 21:59! Watching this, I can totally see why they were hyping the SummerSlam match as being a classic before the fact. This was just a simple house show, but these two had it fully in gear, and it was significantly better than the famous match. If I’d seen this, I too would be expecting them to knock it out of the park on the bigger stage. I mean, most time limit draws (even televised) were just excuses to sit in restholds, but these two were working. I think the biggest problem with the pay per view bout was that it felt like they were trying too hard to live up to the expectations, whereas here there were no expectations, and it was just two workers cutting loose, and tearing it up. ****  

Bam Bam Bigelow v Kamala: Bam Bam attacks before the bell, hammering Kamala into the corner. They spill to the outside, where Kamala gets the better of a brawl, and he sidekicks Bigelow on the way back in, but then Bam Bam dumps him back to the outside. Bigelow follows to feed Kamala the post, and a pair of headbutt drops connect as they head inside. Bigelow climbs with a flying headbutt drop, but Kamala shakes the ropes, crotching Bam Bam across the top. Kamala makes a comeback, and delivers the splash, but can’t figure out how to pin him. Yeah, where’s Slick now? Left him high and dry, that punk. So Kamala gets confused, and Bam Bam schoolboys him at 4:03. Bigelow should not have needed anything less than a blistering victory here, I have no idea why they were protecting Kamala. DUD

Main Event: Bret Hart v Lex Luger: Luger refuses to get into the ring, so Bret chases him around on the outside, and forces him in for a stomp to the groin. Bret goes to town in the corner, and a snapmare sets up a legdrop for him. Bret’s execution is flawless here. Hammerlock keeps Luger grounded a bit, but he wrestles to a vertical base, so Bret throws a bodypress for two, then armdrags him into an armbar. Lex fights him off in the corner, and gets Bret into the corner, stomping the Hitman down. Luger dumps him to the outside, and follows to ram Bret into the rail, but Hart reverses. Back in, Bret unloads in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed on him. Lex hammers the back ahead of a bearhug, and a backbreaker gets him two. Lex argues the count, allowing the Hitman a schoolboy for two, but Luger cuts off the comeback by grounding him in a chinlock. Bret fights to his feet, so Luger clotheslines him, and delivers a pair of elbowdrops for two. Vertical suplex, but Hart reverses, and he slaps on a sleeper! Luger drops into the corner to break before Bret can really sink his teeth in, however, so Bret tries a rollup, but Luger blocks that. Bret still pulls off an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline anyway, and a Russian legsweep gets him two. Small package is worth two, and a backbreaker sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop. Sharpshooter looks to finish, but Razor Ramon runs in for the DQ at 11:17. I’ve been fascinated by this pairing since the WWF teased a proper feud between the two around this period, but we never got more than these house show matches, and one that was taped for Coliseum Video (which was terrible). They didn’t seem to have a whole lot of chemistry in the ring, though I’m fairly certain Bret could have gotten a very good match out of him on a big stage. *

BUExperience: Most of this was standard, skippable house show fare, but the Michaels/Perfect draw is a must see, especially if you, like me, keep watching that SummerSlam match back, hoping that this time it will live up to the potential. 

Also, how crazy was their road schedule in those days? This was a matinee, and then they worked the same card later that night (with some different finishes) in Springfield Massachusetts. 

 

**