WWF European Rampage (April 25, 1993)

 

Original Airdate: April 25, 1993

From Milan, Italy; Your Host is Dan Peterson

Opening Match: Tito Santana v Doink the Clown: They feel each other out to start, with Tito dominating. Doink finally suckers him, and dumps Tito to the outside, where Tito goes on a selling rampage. He beats the count, so Doink works an armbar. For a long time. Like, settle into your favorite chair, because this armbar is staying for dinner. Tito finally escapes, so Doink charges him in the corner, but Tito dodges. That allows Santana to go on the comeback trail, and he pops Doink with the jumping forearm, but the clown is in the ropes at two. Santana stays on him with a corner whip and a ten-punch count, so Doink blasts him in the eyes with pepper spray, and hooks the leg at 8:28. Both guys could have a match in their sleep, and this was kind of that. ½*

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc v The Steiner Brothers: The champs try to prevent the Brothers from getting into the ring, but the Steiner’s out smart them, and clean house. The dust settles on Ted DiBiase and Rick Steiner, and Ted takes him to the mat in a headlock. Rick fights to a vertical base, and overhead suplexes Ted for two, before passing to Scott Steiner. Scott wrenches on the arm for a bit, and he throws it back to Rick, who uses a firemans carry into an armbar. The Brothers take turns working on Ted’s arm with quick tags, but Ted slips away long enough to tag Irwin R Schyster. IRS forces Scott into a chase, but it backfires, and Scott snaps his throat across the top rope for two. Ted throws a cheap shot as they criss cross, however, allowing Schyster to dumps Scott to the outside, where DiBiase is quick to feed him a helping of guardrail. That’s enough to turn the tide, and Money Inc go to work, cutting the ring in half. Scott manages to reverse a vertical suplex on DiBiase, but IRS hustles in to cut off a tag. He tries a backdrop, but Scott hooks a sunset flip for two - the count delayed due to a distraction from Ted. Ted tags in and tries holding Scott in a chinlock, but Steiner is too fired up, so Ted dumps him in the heel corner for some double teaming. They go back to working Scott over, but Irwin loses a criss cross to a bodypress for two, and the challenger is nearly able to tag before the heels cut him off again. They dump him to the outside for more abuse, but Schyster misses a dive back inside, and Scott is finally able to make the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Money Inc manage to isolate Rick, and Ted tries a piledriver, but Scott comes off the middle rope with a clothesline to block it. That gets Rick two, and he adds a powerslam on DiBiase. Scott adds a rana, and he covers, but Schyster comes in with the tag belt to force an intentional DQ at 14:26. This was very polished, well structured tag team wrestling. ** ¼ 

Yokozuna v Undertaker: It's weird seeing Yokozuna during this period, where he's already an absolutely enormous human being, yet he looks skinny to me because I'm familiar with how big he'd get later. Undertaker with a DDT early, but an elbowdrop misses, and Yokozuna clotheslines him over the top for Mr. Fuji to whack with his flagpole. Yokozuna follows to bash Undertaker into the steps and timekeeper's table, as I start to ponder where the fuck a guy like Yokozuna buys underwear. Seriously. Is he just free balling, you think? Inside, Yokozuna with a bodyslam to set up a legdrop, but Undertaker sits up. Yokozuna responds with a clothesline, but Undertaker sits up again, so Yoko just says 'fuck it,' and whacks him with the salt bucket for the DQ at 3:48. How quickly did he give up? Seriously, what kind of work ethic does this guy have? DUD

Tatanka v Papa Shango: Papa takes a cheap shot during the initial lockup to gain control, and he unloads on Tatanka in the corner, but Tatanka catches his breath, and turns the tables. Tatanka tries a cross corner whip, but Papa reverses - only to hit a boot while charging in. Tatanka with a pair of clotheslines to send Shango over the top, so the big Papa comes in calling for a test-of-strength. Tatanka obliges, and pays the price. Papa dumps him over the top, and he uses a sidewalk slam for two once Tatanka is back inside. Turnbuckle smash, but Tatanka no sells, and starts going on the warpath. A backdrop gets him two, so Shango throws a knee to try and cut him off, but Tatanka counters with a schoolboy at 5:51. ¼*

The Beverly Brothers v The Bushwhackers: Beau Beverly starts with Luke, and immediately pounds him down. That allows the Brothers some double teaming, but Beau misses a clothesline, and Luke bites his ass. That draws Blake Beverly in, but Butch cuts him off, and the babyfaces clean house. The Bushwhackers continue to knock the heels around, frustrating them (and me, since I want this to be over as quickly as possible), until Luke gets into trouble. The Brothers cut the ring in half on him, until Butch finally gets the hot tag, and Roseanne please Barr this door. The Brothers try some heel tactics, but they backfire, and Butch pins Blake at 12:33. Why was this so insanely long? DUD

Main Event: Bret Hart v Bam Bam Bigelow: Posturing to start, with Bam Bam using his size advantage to knock the Hitman around. Bret ends up on the outside following a shoulderblock, so he tries a dropkick on the way back in, but Bigelow dodges. Bigelow with an elbowdrop, but Hart dodges, and that’s all the opening the Hitman needs to seize an armbar. Bigelow slugs free, and tries a press-slam during a criss cross, but Hart topples him for two. Hart with a series of right hands, and a jumping backelbow sends Bigelow to the outside. Hart follows, but gets nailed with a cheap shot for his efforts, and Bam Bam runs him into the post out there. Bigelow threatens dropping the steps on him, but the referee intervenes, and Bigelow settles for trying for the countout win. Bret beats the count in, so Bam Bam goes to town on him in the corner, and a cross corner whip rattles the ring as only Bret can. Bigelow gives him another corner whip for good measure, and a pair of headbutt drops to the lower back follow. Bigelow with a hanging vertical suplex for two, and he slaps on a bearhug, but Hart looks to escape, so Bam Bam turns it into a side suplex for two. Bigelow with another headbutt drop to the back, and he grabs a backbreaker rack, and Hart fades. Bret manages to stave off the third arm drop, however, and he slips into a side suplex to break out of the hold. Hart looks for a bodypress to keep it going, but Bigelow catches him in a backbreaker, and adds a headbutt drop to properly cut him off. Bigelow with a bodyslam, and a butterfly backbreaker follows. That buys Bam Bam the time to go to the top, but a flying headbutt drop misses, and Bret makes a comeback! A Russian legsweep gets him two, and a 2nd rope clothesline is worth two. Hart adds a 2nd rope bulldog, and he tries for the Sharpshooter, but Bigelow blocks. That throws Hart off of his game long enough for Bam Bam to apply another bearhug, but Bret bites free. Bret tries a side suplex, but Bigelow has the presence of mind to topple him for two. He adds a corner whip, but an avalanche gets blocked, and Hart uses a victory roll at 19:51. They’ve had better matches with one another, but these two never had a bad match together. **

BUExperience: Definitely nothing to see here, outside of as a novelty.