WWF Mania (July 31, 1993)

 

Original Airdate: July 31, 1993 

Your Host is Todd Pettengill in the studio

We flash back to Monday Night RAW, where Doink the Clown taunted Randy Savage

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Steiner Brothers v Money Inc: From Superstars on July 24 (taped July 6) in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania. Scott Steiner starts with Irwin R Schyster, as Vince wonders how terrible it would be to go through life with a name you can’t stand, like Irwin. Well, he’s a grown man, I’m pretty sure he could change it if it bothered him that much. But I guess I get how that would appeal to their target audience, as kids do sometimes hate their names, but there is little they can do about it. IRS dominates him as they posture, but Scott finds some fire, so Ted DiBiase runs in, but Rick Steiner does as well - the champions cleaning house. The dust settles on Scott and Irwin again, and IRS throws a knee this time, allowing him to pound the champion. Into the heel corner for some abuse, but the Brothers come off the same top rope with dives, and they clean house again. The dust settles on Rick and Ted, and Steiner reverses a cross corner whip, and catches DiBiase with a backdrop on the rebound. Ted dumps him to the outside to buy time, and Schyster is right there to choke the champ with the tag rope on the floor, as Vince declares that we need three referees for tag matches. Even Gorilla would balk at that one. Money Inc work Rick over, until he and DiBiase collide for a double knockout, and Scott gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Everyone brawls to the outside, and IRS manages to slam Scott back into the ring from the apron, but fails to follow quickly enough, and is counted out at 10:27. This was another really weak finish, but it was all just set up for the cage match blowoff more than anything else. And that’s fine! If it builds to something, and that pays off, no beef. It’s part of the bigger story, as opposed to just a bad finish for something that never gets followed up on again, as became commonplace in the Attitude Era (on both sides of the Monday Night War). The match itself was fine, though not as good as the one from last week’s episode. * ½

Randy Savage joins Todd in the studio, but rains on Pettengill’s parade by denying him the scoop on his promised ‘surprise’ for Doink this coming Monday

Gene Okerlund is in the studio for the SummerSlam Report

Todd plays Mania Trivia, with the question being when and where was the first SummerSlam held. Sadly for Todd, Macho spoils it

Back on RAW, with Jerry Lawler messing with Stu and Helen Hart in the balcony of the Manhattan Center, as Bret Hart wrestles Bam Bam Bigelow

Jerry Lawler v Owen Hart: From WWF Wrestling Challenge, July 25 1993 (taped July 7) in Salisbury Maryland. They exchange verbal jabs to start, and Lawler stalls on the outside after Owen gets the crowd to chant 'Burger King' at him. Owen destroys him once Jerry finally steps in, and the King keeps stalling at every turn - using every old trick in the Memphis playbook. Slugfest goes Owen's way, and a standing dropkick sends Jerry hiding behind the official. Lawler pulls an object out of his tights to take control, and some kid in the front row is losing his shit trying to get the referee to search him! That's awesome! Jerry with a fistdrop, but he telegraphs and backdrop, and Owen blocks. Spinheel kick and a backdrop setup a missile dropkick for two, but a cross corner charge misses, and Jerry hits the Piledriver at 6:33. ½*

Ludvig Borga vignette

Ludvig Borga v Jason Headings: Also from the July 25 Wrestling Challenge. Borga goes in with zeal, and a jumping clothesline gets him the win at 2:03. Borga was not a good worker for proper matches, but he had great squash energy. ¼*

Let's take a look at pre-recorded footage, as Vince McMahon interviews Lex Luger in an empty Manhattan Center - assumingly preparing him for what his title reign will be like. I should note that Luger is less the next Hulk Hogan, and much more a prototype for what John Cena would be like later

Mr. Hughes v Russ Greenberg: From RAW on July 26 (taped July 19) in New York City. Snaro! Hughes kills him with a forearm right at the bell, and waffles him with a big boot in short order. Powerbomb, and the scrapbuster finishes at 3:03. I wish they'd get around to doing SOMETHING with Hughes (outside of his theoretical feud with The Undertaker), because these endless squashes are getting really tiresome, really fast. DUD

We close with a track off of the new WrestleMania: The Album

BUExperience: It’s very hard for me to ever not like this show.