WWF Superstars (July 3, 1993)

Original Airdate: July 3, 1993 (taped June 15)

From Huntington, West Virginia; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Jerry Lawler

Marty Jannetty v Tom Stone: I get that Lawler is a heel (and a great one), but he’s going way over the top on the anti-USA stuff to build up the bodyslam challenge. Luckily, he moves on to making fun of Bret Hart shortly after, which is always his strong suit. Stone looks like if King Kong Bundy lost a lot of weight, and grew his hair out. Jannetty with a superkick… to set up a chinlock. That was a really weird transition. And then Marty kills him with a rocker dropper and a flying fistdrop at 2:58. ¼*

WWF Champion Yokozuna is ready to not be bodyslammed

SummerSlam ad

Lex Luger v Rich Myers: Luger is still in full arrogant heel mode here, one day shy of the Stars and Stripes Challenge. I get that guys have been turning from heel to babyface for as long as professional wrestling has been promoted, but usually there’s at least some foreshadowing. Or, at the very least, some major incident that causes the turn. Here, Luger just showed up, bodyslammed Yokozuna, and suddenly he was an automatic babyface. Lex with the forearm smash at 1:45. DUD

Gene Okerlund is in the studio with Face to Face, with guests Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Luna Vachon. Our topic this week: Tatanka is still mad about the unwanted haircut Bam Bam gave him. Also, is Luna some sort of lowkey Tatanka stalker? She made her debut by randomly appearing in Shawn Michaels’ corner when he was wrestling Tatanka at WrestleMania, and now she’s magically with Bigelow the moment after he starts his own feud with Tatanka. 

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v Barry Horowitz and Brian Costello: Lawler’s weirdness continues, as he notes that the Steiner’s got college degrees, but couldn’t get jobs, and that’s why they had to become wrestlers (as if it was some sort of big step down). And, I mean, yeah, but kind of a weird take from a wrestler on a wrestling show. Brothers with the flying bulldog combo at 2:22. ¼*

Stars and Stripes Challenge ad

This past Monday night on RAW, Money Inc started taking shots at Razor Ramon over his loss to 1-2-3 Kid. And the announcers plant the seeds for Ramon’s babyface turn here, with Savage noting that Razor has been ‘oozing respect’ for Kid in the dressing rooms. Would it have been too much for them to do something similar with Luger? Even some throwaway line about how someone heard him grumbling about Yokozuna’s disrespect of America, and how it rubs him the wrong way, or whatever. Or even something after the fact would have worked. Instead, he just was suddenly a babyface, and everyone was supposed to accept it without asking any questions

1-2-3 Kid v Reno Riggins: This one was taped June 21 1993 in Poughkeepsie New York, at the RAW taping. It’s also got Jim Ross doing solo commentary, in another weird bit. I’m guessing they just really wanted to feature Kid somehow. I always liked how they didn’t immediately just make Kid into another superstar, but still had him fighting from underneath with jobbers for the first year or so of his run. It was fun watching him develop and improve in kayfabe. Kid with a tornado DDT at 2:50. ¼*

Bam Bam Bigelow v Rudy Gonzales: I’m surprised Vince would allow there to be two Gonzales’ like that. He could have at least brought in Koko B. Ware, or something. Even in, like, a backstage role. Like, ‘Vice President Koko,’ or whatever. Okay, I’m done. Bigelow is busy blowing kisses at Luna, and misses an avalanche, allowing Rudy some fire, but it doesn’t burn long. Bam Bam with the flying headbutt drop at 2:42. Dull squash. DUD

SummerSlam ad

Boni Blackstone brings Bret Hart out for an interview, and I’m honestly surprised she’s still around. She really made no impact at all in her time in this promotion. Bret wants to move on to calling Lawler the ‘Dairy Queen,’ though that one never quite caught on

Stars and Stripes Challenge ad

Men on a Mission vignette

Adam Bomb v Jay Sledge: Vince clarifies that whoever can slam Yokozuna will immediately become a great American hero of the same caliber as JFK or Thurgood Marshall. How could he say this stuff with a straight face? Adam with a powerbomb at 2:53. DUD

Gene is back with another episode of Face to Face, with guests Crush and Marty Jannetty. Crush will be facing Doink the Clown next week, and he’s not scared of multiple Doink’s this time, since he will have someone in his corner this time. Meanwhile, Marty is bitter about losing the Intercontinental title, and he wants revenge on Diesel. “Shawn Michaels has always been a spoiled brat. If he wants something and can’t have it, he’ll buy it!” Uh… what…? 

BUExperience: They were pushing the Stars and Stripes Challenge really hard on this show. Which I get since it was going to set up their big angle for the summer, but on the other hand, they weren’t actually televising it, which makes it a weird thing to hype for an hour.