WWF Superstars (August 28, 1993)

Original Airdate: August 28, 1993 (taped July 26)

From Utica, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Jerry Lawler

1-2-3 Kid v Brooklyn Brawler: They feel each other out a bit to start, with Kid able to dominate by using his speed. He lands a spinheel kick, but a reversal sequence ends in Brawler delivering a short-clothesline, as Vince fails to get Lawler’s jokes. That’s a shoot, brother. Brawler drops Kid across the top rope, as Irwin R Schyster split screens in to hype SummerSlam. Brawler with a swinging neckbreaker to set up a dive, but Kid slams him off the top, and uses a snapmare to set up a flying legdrop at 1:58. Not much, but I’m digging that they still have Kid look like an underdog, and not just another ‘superstar’ that goes out and squashes guys. ¼*

Gene Okerlund is in the studio with Face to Face, with guests Ted DiBiase and Razor Ramon. Didn’t we see these two do this just a couple of weeks ago? Anyway, not much has actually happened in the storyline since the last time they did this, so it’s just a general hype interview without much for them to sink their teeth into

SummerSlam ad

The Heavenly Bodies v Tony Roy and Jason Headings: Jimmy Del Ray honestly doesn’t look any ‘better’ than these two jobbers. He looks like such a scrub, it’s hard to believe he’s getting a title shot on pay per view. And I think he’s a good worker, and that’s all that should matter, but since when has that ever been the case in this promotion? Meanwhile, WWF Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers split screen in with some SummerSlam hype. Del Ray with a flying moonsault press at 2:01. ¼*

Gene is in the studio with the SummerSlam Report. Boy, they’re really making it seem like you’re going to see Lex Luger win the title if you buy the show with all the harping on how this is the one and only shot he’ll be getting. And I’m sure he will. I mean, there’s no way they’re booking him to lose after that push, and what are they going to do, book a countout in the main event? That’s not their style. Honestly, they kind of painted themselves into a corner. They probably should have put the belt on Lex and tried to run with it, but at the same time, they’d already bounced the title around a lot over the last year (in an era when that wasn’t common), and jobbing Yoko now would probably kill him as a main eventer for good

Lex Luger ‘I’ll Be Your Hero’ music video. It’s actually not a bad song, but holy shit, after all that… a music video, a bus tour, sitdown interview segments that span multiple shows, all the other babyfaces wearing red/white/blue wristbands in solidarity, a write in campaign… all for a countout in the main event of the second biggest show of the year? 

Virgil v Ludvig Borga: This one is from a different taping, on August 17 1993 in White Plains New York. That taping would feature the next three episodes of Superstars, though I'm not sure why they needed to shoehorn this match in on this episode. They size each other up for a bit, and Borga shows off some power, so Virgil tries mixing it up with fists, but Borga knocks him silly. Borga unloads in the corner, but hits boot on a charge, and Virgil throws more punches. A pair of standing dropkicks fail to take Borga off of his feet, so Virgil tries a flying bodypress, but gets caught in a slam. That allows Borga a jumping clothesline, and Virgil is history at 2:51. Afterwards, Borga takes Virgil’s red/white/blue wristbands off, and stuffs them down his throat. I’m enjoying Borga’s work as a character, even if his ring work is total crap. ¼*

Undertaker is in a graveyard with words for Giant Gonzalez 

Mr. Perfect v Duane Gill: Perfect’s tan is pretty out of control this week. Vince again has trouble with Lawler’s jokes, though, to be fair, his bits this week are far from his best. Meanwhile, WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels and Diesel split screen in to hype SummerSlam. Perfect with the Perfectplex at 1:21. DUD

Gene is in the studio with another Face to Face with guests WWF Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers, The Heavenly Bodies, and Jim Cornette. Listening to Scott Steiner cut these laid back style promos after years of Big Poppa Pump is so odd

The Smoking Gunns v Barry Hardy and Reno Riggins: Tatanka split screens in to put over the Gunns here. They’re so shitty that their opponents can’t even be bothered, and we need their partner to hype the match? That’s just sad. The Gunns with a combo at 2:05. The Gunns were energetic out there. ¼*

Gene brings WWF Champion Yokozuna out for an in-ring interview, along with Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji. Cornette cuts a good promo to hard sell the pay per view, complete with a detailed list of all the big stars Yoko has squashed during his run of terror. That draws Randy Savage into the ring, and the crowd reaction is so good that I’m surprised Vince didn’t send him out on the bus instead of Lex. But, instead of saying something, like, ‘you listed all those names, but you never mentioned mine, because you never beat me, and I challenge you,’ he just cuts a promo on behalf of Lex Luger. Well, that’s certainly one way to sell a PPV, I suppose. So then Macho starts a ‘USA’ chant, and all the babyfaces appear in the crowd with miniature American flags to show their support for Lex as well. And that’s it, without so much as a token appearance from Luger himself.

BUExperience: The final segment was some tremendous hard selling for SummerSlam, though it did a better job of building Yokozuna/Randy Savage than the actual match that was happening. Oh well, close enough?