WWF at Madison Square Garden (1-17-94) Incomplete

After in essence a month of hype, it is now time for one of the most famous house shows in WWF history, The New York Rumble! This card was hyped up for a month to have a double main event of Tatanka taking on Yokozuna for the WWF Championship and a 30 man Royal Rumble as a preview of what was coming the following Saturday night in Providence. Also on the card was newcomer Jeff Jarrett taking on Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship. Then came the extra added bonus a week before this show. Marty Jannetty and 123 Kid upset The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team Championship on Raw and the rematch for the belts was scheduled for tonight. With the Royal Rumble this coming Saturday night and a month's worth of hype, let's get the party started with the New York Rumble.

NEW YORK RUMBLE
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

NEW YORK CITY

JANUARY 17 1994

Match 1

Scott Putski (with Ivan Putski) vs "Iron" Mike Sharpe

Even though this is the first match on the card, it was never recorded. Guess whoever recorded this show got stuck in traffic and missed it. Putski got the win.

Winner: Putski

Match 2

Ludvig Borga vs Rick Steiner

The fallout from Survivor Series continued as All American Steiner battled Foreign Fanatic Borga here. A huge USA chant breaks out as the bell rings and Borga stalls to taunt the crowd.  The two men circle each other for more stalling until Steiner gets in a headlock. Borga counters with a back suplex and Steiner bails to the outside. Back inside Borga gets a headlock but Steiner counters with a back suplex of his own. Steiner goes upstairs and nails Borga with the top rope bulldog and covers for a 1 count. Steiner locks in an armbar but Borga grabs the tope to break. Borga drives Steiner into the corners with a few knees before whipping him across. Rick counters with the Steinerline for a deuce but Ludvig recovers and nails Steiner with an uppercut to the ribs. Borga continuously drops Rick with right hands to the face before headbutting him into the corner. Borga whips Steiner and nails a lariat of his own. Borga goes upstairs and drops Rick with a top rope clothesline, but Rick kicks out of the pinfall attempt at 2. Borga runs into a powerslam by Rick but Borga kicks out of the cover at 2. Rick locks in an armbar before sending Ludvig off and dropping him with an elbow. Rick drops an elbow and covers for a two count before hitting another Steinerline. A cover gets two and Rick locks in another armbar. Ludvig ducks under another Steinerline attempt and nails Rick with a lariat of his own. Ludvig puts his feet on the ropes on the cover attempt and the alert referee Tim White catches him. Borga punches Rick to the outside and goes outside to brawl with him. Steiner clobbers Ludvig with a chair as White completes the count to end the match. Howard Finkel gets in the ring and says the match is a double count-out. Borga bodyslams Rick on the floor after the bell but Rick gets in a low blow. They brawl to the back and Borga visibly slips during it. That slip ended up causing this to be Borga's last singles match in the company in the midst of his big push due to the ankle injury he suffered and quitting shortly after. Bye bye Borga!

Time of Match: 7:07

Winner: No one (double count-out)

Fink hits the ring and tells the crowd to go buy the program in the concession stands where Mo & Mabel of Men on a Mission is featured on the cover.

Match 3

"Double J" Jeff Jarrett vs Razor Ramon for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

Jeff comes out in the purple male stripper outfit while Razor comes out in the purple trunks. Razor was headed toward an IC title showdown with IRS this coming Saturday so they had him meet the newcomer Jeff here for the MSG house show. For weeks on Face To Face Razor had claimed he was undefeated at MSG so he puts his streak and the title on the line. Razor sticks a finger in Jarrett's face and says he's gonna throw him over the top rope. They lock up and Razor shoves Jarrett on his ass much to the crowd's delight. Razor does it again and Jarrett bails outside to stall and nearly gets counted out. Jarrett grabs Razor, pulls him outside, dumps him on retaining barrier and sends him into the stairs. Jarrett sends Ramon into the ringpost before throwing him back in the ring. Jarrett puts the boots to Razor before nailing Razor with a second rope fistdrop. A cover gets a deuce and Jarrett sends Razor off the buckle into a snapmare. Jeff locks in a chinlock before Razor eventually gets up and arm drags Jeff. Razor puts his head down and Jarrett slams it to the mat. Jeff chokes Ramon on the second rope and lands a dropkick. A cover gets a two count and Jeff yells at referee Earl Hebner to count faster. Razor rolls up Jarrett for a surprise two count before Jeff goes back to work on him. Jeff lands a punch off the top rope, goes to the opposite corner and lands another top rope punch. Jeff goes to the top rope but this time Razor counters with a punch to the ribs. Razor sends Jeff off but once again Razor puts his head down, eating boot as a result. Jeff locks in a sleeperhold but eventually Razor powers out of it. Jeff goes for a hiptoss but Razor counters with a chokeslam. Razor covers but Jeff kicks out at two. Razor rallies with right hands that drops Jeff until he begs off. Razor sends Jeff off but misses the clothesline. Jeff goes for a bodypress but Razor ducks and Jeff cleans out Earl Hebner. Razor goes for the Razor's Edge but Shawn Michaels runs out to stop him. Razor punches Shawn off the apron and nails Jeff with the Razor's Edge. Razor covers but Shawn pulls him out of the ring, earning a DQ from the awake Hebner. Razor keeps the title and the streak as Shawn helps Jarrett up in the ring. Jeff and Shawn celebrate until Razor gets in the ring with the belt and chases them out of the ring. Fink announces Razor the winner and his music hits with Jeff and Shawn teasing a run-in. Razor chases them away with the belt and puts it on. Good match and it was a nice sneak preview of their epic IC title match a year later at the Royal Rumble.

Time of Match: 12:29

Winner: Razor Ramon by disqualification.

Fink gets in the mic and promotes Wrestling Challenge on Fox 5 before Harvey Whippleman comes out to yell at him. The crowd boos Harvey as he calls Fink and the crowd losers. Harvey calls Lawrence Taylor and the Giants losers. Harvey runs down New York City and puts over Memphis, Tennessee. Harvey says Adam Bomb will win the New York Rumble later. Harvey then rants and raves about how awesome Bomb is until Fink cuts him off and says to go fill a parking meter because his time has run out. The crowd cheers Fink and Harvey is forced out of the ring by Tony Garea and Dave Hebner. Harvey pushes Tony and Garea shoves him back. Harvey retreats and Fink says its time for the main event.

Match 4

Tatanka vs Yokozuna (with Mr. Fuji) for the WWF Heavyweight Championship

With Yokozuna locked in to the main event of the Royal Rumble this coming Saturday, Tatanka is the sacrificial lamb for Yoko tonight in the Garden. For continuity purposes, it was Yokozuna and Ludvig Borga that knocked Tatanka out of Survivor Series and Tatanka had a date with Ludvig at the Rumble. Here he gets a crack at the WWF title which would be the highest he'd be on the card for the next year and a half. Tatanka hits the ring and immediately attacks Yoko as the bell rings. Tatanka chops him out of the ring and sends him into the steel steps. Yoko slides in the ring and Tatanka punches away at him. Tatanka rocks Yokozuna with a series of chops but Yoko drops the challenger with an elbow. Yoko misses the leg drop but Tatanka misses a dropkick. Yoko misses an elbow drop and Tatanka goes upstairs, hitting a crossbody for 1....2...nope. Tatanka locks in a headlock but Yokozuna sends him off the ropes into a shoulderblock. Yokozuna is dazed but drops Tatanka with a chop. Yokozuna locks in a nerve hold but Tatanka powers out of it. Tatanka rallies with chops but eats a clothesline to kill the momentum. Yoko locks in another nerve hold but Tatanka eventually powers out of it. Tatanka runs off the ropes but eats another clothesline. Yoko chops Tatanka down and applies yet another nervehold. Tatanka powers out of this one, ducks under a clothesline and hits a series of his own. Tatanka goes upstairs but eats a big punch to the ribs. Yoko drops an elbow and punches Tatanka into the corner. Yoko sends Tatanka across the corner and calls for the avalanche...but misses completely. Yoko Flair flops but Tatanka drapes an arm across him for 1...2..nope. Yoko snap mares Tatanka and goes back to...you guessed it...the nerve hold. Tatanka does the "fade then revive" routine and begins to power up when Yoko rams him into the buckle. Tatanka hits a series of chops before going upstairs, dropping Yoko with a clothesline. Tatanka covers for another near fall before Yoko deadweights an irish whip. Yoko then reverses a whip and sends Tatanka into referee Earl Hebner. Mr. Fuji hands Yoko the salt bucket and goes to waffle Tatanka with it. Tatanka blocks the attack and nails Yoko with it. He covers and Earl makes the count 1....2....NOOOOO! Yoko kicks out at the last second and Tatanka goes back upstairs. Fuji knocks him off the top with the Japanese flag and Yoko does the Aftershock for some weird reason. Yoko then hits his standard leg drop and covers for 1...2....3 its over. Yoko retains the title thanks to Mr. Fuji and he puts the exclamation point on his victory with a post-match banzai drop. Yoko hits a second one before the referees hit the ring to halt the attack. Yoko ignores them and stomps away at Tatanka until Garea and Hebner hit ringside to tell him to knock it off. Yoko instead goes apeshit with the flagpole on Tatanka before leaving. Yoko makes an example out of Tatanka showing that no normal man could beat him. Tatanka gets stretchered out but Yoko runs out to beat him up some more for more heat. Bret Hart wrote in his book that Yoko had gotten completely out of shape following King of The Ring around this time and it showed here. Even though it wasn't as bad as it would get in 1996 where Yoko would be winded just walking to the ring, this was pretty bad for the world champion of your company. Either Bret Hart or Lex Luger was going to be your champion after Wrestlemania 10 and the only question was which one was it gonna be?

Time of Match: 14:54

Winner: Yokozuna by pinfall

After a tape-cut, Fink sends us to the most important match of the night. The tag team title match with would be simultaneously be talked about on tonight's Monday Night Raw. This all goes back to the October 25th Raw when a routine match by Marty Jannetty against the 123 Kid was ruined by Johnny Polo. 2 months later with help from Quebecer Pierre, Polo defeated Jannetty in a one on one match on the December 27th Monday Night Raw. One week later with Polo on commentary, Kid and Jannetty challenged Polo to put the belts on the line in a tag match the following Raw. With The Quebecers scheduled to face The Hart Brothers at the Royal Rumble for the belts, it seemed like an ordinary tune up match. Shockingly Kid and Jannetty beat the Quebecers for the belts and just with Shawn Michaels at King of The Ring after he lost the IC title to Jannetty, the Royal Rumble tag match became non title....which is a clue that the Quebecers were getting the belts back. After all, if there were any long term plan to keep the belts on Jannetty and the Kid, why not put them against the Harts at the Rumble? 

Match 5

The Quebecers (with Johnny Polo) vs Marty Jannetty and 123 Kid for the WWF Tag Team Championship

Jannetty and Kid jog out with the belts to a huge ovation. Even though he wasn't booked to win that many matches since his May return, Jannetty won the IC and tag titles inside of 8 months. The Quebecers start by posing for the irate crowd before the faces mock them to loud cheers. The Quebecers attack while they're posing with Pierre pouncing on Marty while Jacques nails the Kid. Quebecers go to whip the faces together but Kid leapfrogs Marty and clobbers Pierre. Kid and Jannetty do the 10 punch in the corner before whipping Jacques and Pierre together. They do a do-se-do and eats dropkicks by the champs. Jannetty and Kid clothesline Jacques and Pierre out of the ring and they regroup with Polo. Kid gets a "123" chant going as the heels stall outside. Jannetty and Jacques get in and Jacques fools Marty with a test of strength before shouting at someone in the crowd. Jacques puts the boots to Marty but Marty flips over him and goes for the schoolboy. Jacques blocks it and ducks under a clothesline, but eats a right hand from Marty who tags in Kid. Marty and Kid hit a double hiptoss and drop elbows on Jacques, but eat a double clothesline from Pierre when they nip up. The heels throw the faces out of the ring and hug. Jannetty and the Kid get on the apron, slide under the heels and hit double crescent kicks to knock the mout of the ring. Jannetty goes to take Jacques, Pierre and Polo out with a bodypress but they catch him in midair, forcing Kid to dive out of the ring on top of them. Kid catches his foot on the rope on the way down but gets back in the ring as Marty tosses in Jacques. Kid ducks under a clothesline but Pierre pulls the rope down and Kid crashes over the top to the floor. Pierre sends Kid into the guardrail then the steel steps. Pierre throws Kid inside and Jacques makes the cover, but Kid kicks out. Jacques drops Kid with an elbow smash then puts the boots to him. Jacques rams Kid into the corner then distracts the ref allowing Pierre to choke Kid with the tag rope. Jacques slams the kid and tags Pierre. They tease the Tower of Doom but Pierre drops a knee as Jacques leaves. Pierre hits a snap suplex but misses a second rope leg drop. Jacques tags in and Kid tags in Jannetty. Marty goes to town on both Quebecers and nails Polo off the apron for good measure. Jannetty rams Jacques head into the buckle but Polo distracts the ref. Pierre grabs Marty but Jacques knocks him off the apron by accident. Jannetty hits a running roll up but Pierre clotheslines Marty off Jacques. Jacques hits a roll up but Kid flies off the top onto Jacques. Pierre then belly flops on the Kid before Marty sends Kid to the corner. They recreate the move that won them the tag belts the week before but Polo distracts the referee, allowing Jacques to nail Marty with the polo stick. Jacques rolls Pierre out and covers Marty for 1..2...nope. Jacques sends Marty into the buckle where Pierre tags in. They hit a double stun gun on Marty and Pierre covers for 1...2.. and no. Pierre taunts Marty to get up before locking in a chinlock. Marty powers out of it but eats a knee to the ribs. Jacques tags in and they double team Marty some more. Jacques applies a rear chinlock. Jacques goes for an avalanche but eats a double knee to the gonads. Marty crawls toward Kid but Pierre tags in and clobbers Kid off the apron. Pierre nails a swinging neckbreaker and covers for a deuce before jumping on Marty on the middle rope. Pierre then sells an elbow to the gonads that Marty never actually threw and tags Jacques back in. Jacques hits the jumping elbow and covers but Kid makes the save. Jacques baits Kid which allows him and Pierre to make the switch. Pierre hits a back drop on Marty and tags in Jacques who covers for a deuce. Marty goes for a sunset flip but Jacques stops him with a punch that misses. Jacques clotheslines Marty and tags Pierre back in. Pierre locks in a bearhug but Marty escapes with a bellringer and a hip toss. Marty misses an elbow drop and the heels double team him some more with a another nearfall. Jacques locks in another rear chinlock as the crowd chants "123". Jacques and Pierre do a number on Marty in the corner but Marty fights back. Jacques backdrops Marty over the top to the floor and Polo throws him back in. Jacques covers but Marty gets the foot on the rope. Jacques hits the piledriver and tags in Pierre. Jacques goes to back drop Pierre onto Marty but Jannetty moves out of the way. Marty rolls up Jacques but only gets two. Pierre tags in and hits a sidewalk slam before going up to the second rope. Marty gets the boot up to stun Pierre then crawls toward the Kid. Marty FINALLY tags Kid in who lays waste to the bungholes of the Quebecers. Kid drops both of them with martial arts kicks then goes up top...only to be crotched by Polo. Pierre hits a superplex and tags in Jacques. Jacques tells Pierre to go upstairs and they hit the Tower of Doom. Pierre covers for the 1..2...3 to win the match despite not being the legal man. The Quebecers are once again the tag team champions heading into the Royal Rumble and they leave with the belts. Marty would never win another belt in WWF again while Kid had to wait a calendar year before his next one.

Time of Match: 22:12

Winners: The Quebecers by pinfall (new WWF Tag Team Champions)

Kid is unable to get up following the match and we tape-cut. Fink announces the next MSG show is none other than Wrestlemania 10 on March 20th. Fink says watch Superstars and Wrestling Challenge in the upcoming months to find out what the card will be for Wrestlemania 10....wow, no love for Raw? Fink then sends us to the final match.

Match 6

The New York Rumble

For whatever reason, Vince decided to hold a Royal Rumble five days before the ppv just for the MSG crowd. Fink explains the rules and since there's no scoreboard or clock, he's gonna lead the crowd in the countdown. Since this is going to be a legit 30 man rumble, it'll be interesting to see who's in it considering its just a house show where all bets are off.

Number 1 is Diesel and Number 2 is Mo from Men on a Mission with Oscar in tow. Oscar does his rap before the match and the bell rings. Diesel nails Mo with a knee to the ribs and a forearm to the back of the head. Another forearm drops Mo and Diesel tries to throw him out only to get stopped by an eye rake. Mo works over Diesel in the corner but eats an elbow to the face. The crowd chants for Mo but Diesel floors him with a clothesline. Mo fights back and goes to dump Diesel in the corner but is stopped. Diesel drops Mo with another big right hand and throws him over the top rope...only for Mo to get his foot stuck in the ropes. Oops! Diesel unhooks the foot and MO (1:55)  is eliminated with 5 seconds left in the countdown.

Number 3 is Bushwhacker Butch who gets a big ovation from the crowd before sliding in the ring. Butch caters to the crowd before eating a boot and forearms by Diesel. Butch counters with an eye rake and biting Diesel on the ass. Har de har har. Diesel is not amused and drops Bitch with forearms and a scoop slam. Diesel picks up and tosses BUTCH (49 seconds) over the top and out. Diesel stands and waits for his next opponent as Butch marches around outside for absolutely no reason.

Number 4 is the exhausted 123 Kid who still sells his injury from the previous match. Diesel unloads on Kid and chokes him in the corner with his boot. Diesel heaves Kid across the ring and hits the sidewalk slam. Diesel picks up Kid but eats a hurricarana. Kid kicks away at Diesel in the corner but crotches himself on the top rope. Diesel forearms 123 KID (1:32) to the floor and out. Having Diesel control the match and seeing the MSG crowd's reaction was a test run for what Diesel was going to do in the actual Rumble the upcoming Saturday.

Number 5 is Scott Steiner which means there's going to be a lot of tag team guys in this one since they need 30 bodies. Steiner doesn't even make in the ring as he's attacked by Diesel on the inside. Diesel steps over the top rope to the floor which logically should have meant he just eliminated himself. The refs ignore it as Diesel sends Scott into the ringpost and gets back in the ring to taunt the crowd. Scott crawls in and Diesel whips him into the corner. Diesel tries to dump out Scott but Scott breaks free only to run into a clothesline. Diesel nails Scott with another clothesline but Scott ducks under a third only to throw Diesel THROUGH the ropes. Scott bails to the floor and attacks Diesel with a chair. The crowd begins the countdown and Steiner becomes the first one to make it to the next number.

Number 6 is "Iron" Mike Sharpe as Scott botches the double underhook suplex since Diesel's too big for the move. Sharpe attacks Steiner and beats him down. Mike tries to throw Scott out but Steiner grabs MIKE SHARPE (19 seconds) and tosses him over the top. Steiner gives him the arm and the elbow but that allows Diesel to get in a knee to the ribs. Diesel sends Scott off the ropes and drops him with a big boot. Diesel tries to throw Scott out but Scott counters and hits a snap suplex. The officials at ringside carry 123 Kid out as he legitimately blew out his knee doing the kicks to Diesel. Scott tries to throw Diesel out but Diesel stops him. The countdown begins and who knows what is coming next.

Number 7 is Samu of the Headshrinkers. Diesel eyeballs him as he gets in the ring and they double team Scott. Diesel and Samu try to dump out Scott but Samu pushes on Diesel's back and the big man doesn't like it. Samu and Diesel circle each other and they lock up to give Scott a breather. Diesel hits the knees in the corner and tries to dump Samu but Scott tries to dump them both.

Number 8 is former WWF Champion Bob Backlund who immediately goes after Samu. Backlund nearly went the distance a year earlier so what's 6 more slots in this one? Samu and Backlund go at it and Backlund hits an atomic drop. Him and Steiner try to dump Samu but Diesel makes the save. Diesel damn near dumps Backlund as Samu chokes down Steiner. Steiner fights out of it and levels Samu with a clothesline. Scott hits a snap suplex on Samu as the countdown starts.

Number 9 is Jeff Jarrett who attacks Steiner and Backlund. Jeff then nails Samu only to eat a clothesline by Diesel much to the crowd's delight. Samu hits a gut-wrench suplex on Jarrett but is almost tossed by Backlund. Diesel hits gut-wrench of his own on Steiner and Jarrett tries to throw him out. Jarrett is press-slammed by Steiner as Samu tries to get out of the way. The countdown is nearly missed by the crowd as Samu drops Steiner.

Number 10 is Virgil to even the odds and he goes after Jarrett. Samu snatches him and Jarrett comes off the top with punch...only to be laid out by Samu. Jarrett and Samu then team up to try to get Backlund out as Diesel hits a backbreaker on Virgil. Everybody pairs off with Virgil against Jarrett, Diesel and Backlund & Samu and Steiner. Jarrett hits a snap suplex on Virgil then gets on the middle rope to punch Steiner. Steiner catches him with a reverse atomic drop as the countdown starts.

Number 11 is Bam Bam Bigelow and he goes to town on Steiner with his old buddy Samu. Bam Bam snatches Virgil for Diesel to pound on as Jarrett tries to dump Backlund. Bam Bam and Samu try to dump Steiner as Diesel tries to toss out Jarrett. Backlund jumps on Bam Bam as Samu drops Virgil. Samu hits a savate kick on Virgil as Diesel has passed the 20 minute mark. The countdown begins after Samu and Bam Bam hit a double headbutt on Virgil.

Number 12 is "Macho Man" Randy Savage who goes after anyone that moves until Diesel stops him cold by choking him with his boot. Diesel goes for a big boot in the corner but Randy ducks under it. Randy grabs DIESEL (21:22) and shoves him over the top and out as the crowd pops. Jarrett attacks Savage but Randy ducks under a clothesline and nails Jeff with a punch. Randy grabs JEFF JARRETT (7:04) and tosses him out to another loud pop. Back down to 6 men in the ring, everyone pairs off again. Steiner and Savage, Bam Bam and Backlund, Samu and Virgil. Backlund kicks Bam Bam in the face as the countdown starts.

Number 13 is Adam Bomb, Harvey Whippleman's pick to win it. Bomb gets in and goes after Backlund before Savage. Steiner attacks Bomb and Savage hits Adam with a second rope axehandle. Bam Bam picks up Virgil but he trips and falls. Virgil goes to work on him as Backlund tries to dump out Bomb. Savage grabs Samu and kicks him in the chest as Steiner helps out Backlund as the countdown starts.

Number 14 is Sgt Slaughter making his first appearance in god knows how long. Slaughter helps out Steiner and Backlund dump out ADAM BOMB (2:06). Harvey's pick to win instead lasted 15 seconds longer than Mo did. Slaughter goes to dump out Steiner as Backlund has Virgil halfway out. Savage clocks Sarge and kicks at Steiner. Savage sends Sarge halfway out and Steiner pounces, but fails to get him out. Steiner hits the 20 minute mark as Savage nails Samu with a running axehandle and sends him into Bam Bam. Samu rallies with fists and a dropkick to send the Macho Man down as the countdown begins.

Number 15 is Crush, look out Savage! Crush goes right after Randy and drops him with the help of Samu. Crush hits a tilt a whirl backbreaker on Savage and drops Steiner with a headbutt. Crush grabs and tosses out SCOTT STEINER (21:36) who lasted 14 seconds longer than Diesel. Crush goes back to work on Savage and they roll to the outside. Bam Bam sends Slaughter chest first into the buckle but fails to get him out as the countdown begins.

Number 16 is Mabel from Men on a Mission as Savage jumps into a bearhug by Crush. Slaughter nails Crush to free Randy as Mabel gets in the ring. Crush nails Slaughter, grabs and tosses RANDY SAVAGE (8:41) over the top. Mabel goes to work on Samu before Crush nails Slaughter again. Randy grabs a chair outside and has to be restrained by the referees. Bam Bam picks Crush and goes to slam him out. Crush counters by holding on to the rope as BAM BAM BIGELOW (11:11) hits the floor.  Mabel nails Crush in the middle of the ring and hammers him down. Slaughter and Backlund are tied up in the corner as Virgil pounds away at Samu. Crush sends SGT SLAUGHTER (5:55) chest first over the top and out. Samu hits the 20 minute mark as the countdown begins.

Number 17 is Jim Powers who had been nothing but a jobber the last 5 years since he and Paul Roma split. Jim goes after Mabel but Backlund grabs his leg. Jim ignores him and still goes after Mabel until Mabel grabs him by the throat and heaves him into the corner. Mabel hits an avalanche in the corner then tosses JIM POWERS (43 seconds). Talk about a wasted spot, they could have had a bum off the street do what Powers just did. Crush grabs Backlund and chokes him in the corner as Virgil chokes Samu on the middle rope. Mabel clotheslines Virgil as Bob Backlund hits the 20 minute mark. Mabel drops a leg on Virgil as Samu lands a few kicks on Mabel. The countdown starts as Virgil kicks at Mabel.

Number 18 is Bastion Booger who goes after Maabel. Everyone in the ring gangs up to try to dump Mabel but VIRGIL (17:12) is pushed out by Samu. MABEL (4:29) finally hits the floor as well as BOB BACKLUND (21:23) courtesy of Crush. All 3 faces dumped at once leaves just Booger, Crush and Samu left. Crush and Booger square off in the middle of the ring as Samu takes a breather. Booger headbutts Crush but is attacked by Samu. Booger rakes the eyes of Samu but foolishly turns his back to do his dance. Crush clotheslines BASTION BOOGER (1:14) over and out leaving just him and Samu who's been in there 24 minutes. They tease a test of strength when the countdown begins.

Number 19 is Bushwhacker Luke...of course. Luke walks into a headbutt by Samu and falls. Samu goes for the big splash but gets his head caught in the top rope. Luke pushes SAMU (24:52) to the floor but eats a clothesline from Crush. Luke tries to fight back with an eyepoke but stops to cater to the crowd. Crush punches down Luke then whips him into the corner. Crush hits a crescent kick that sends LUKE (1:00) to the floor, leaving him all alone like Diesel earlier. Too bad Savage is already out, otherwise he was the perfect guy to come out next. The countdown begins as Crush waits for his next opponent.

Number 20 is Owen Hart who runs right into a bearhug by Crush, Owen punches Crush down and goes to work on him. Owen hits a standing dropkick followed by right hands that stun Crush. Owen hits the spinning wheel kick to floor the big guy. Owen gets whipped into the ropes where Crush launches him 10 feet in the air. crush hits the side backbreaker and stops to catch his breath. The countdown begins as Owen moves out of the way of a Crush charge.

Number 21 is "The Model" Rick Martel who goes right after Owen. Martel and Crush double team Owen but Owen ducks and Crush decks Martel with a right hand. Owen hits a missile dropkick from the second rope on Crush and atomic drops Martel through the ropes to the outside. Crush stops Owen's momentum with an inverted atomic drop. Crush and Martel hit a double clothesline on Owen and they double team him in the corner. Owen fights his way out as the countdown starts.

Number 22 is Bret "The Hitman" Hart who saves his brother by going after Crush. The Hart Brothers fend off the heels as Owen gets the upperhand with Martel. With only 8 guys left, two of them have to be Fatu and Rick Steiner. The other 6 who the hell knows. Crush hits Bret with his kick offense whole Martel almost dumps Owen. A fan jumps the guardrail and security pounces on him off camera as the countdown begins.

Number 23 is IRS as Bret hits a dropkick that sends CRUSH (16:14) over the top and out before Irwin even gets in the ring. IRS goes after Bret as Crush complains to the ref outside the ring. Bret slugs it out with Irwin. Martel and Owen try to eliminate each other as the countdown starts.

Number 24 is Johnny Polo...yes of course I'm serious. Bret cuts him off and fdrops him with a series of right hands before trying to dump him out. Martel and Irwin doubleteam Owen but Bret makes the save. Polo goes to down on Owen but Owen reverses Johnny into the corner. Owen hit and inverted atomic drop on Polo and tries to dump him out in a fireman's carry. Martel and Irwin almost have Bret out but Owen makes the save. Polo and Martel then have Owen halfway out as the countdown begins.

Number 25 is Scott Putski, the son of Ivan. Like I said earlier, Putski vs Sharpe was the actual opener of the show. Scott goes to town on Irwin in the corner as Polo goes after Bret. Bret hiptosses Polo halfway across the ring as Owen avoids elimination. Putski is almost dumped by Irwin but Bret makes the save. Putski goes to work on Polo in the corner as Martel and has Owen down. Martel hops on the second rope but Bret stops him. Martel nails Bret with a second rope axehandle as Polo drops Putski. The countdown begins as Bret is halfway out of the ring.

Number 26 is Fatu of the Headshrinkers. Fatu goes after Bret Hart and nails him with a headbutt. Only 4 guys left and one of them has to be Rick Steiner. Irwin almost gets Bret but Owen makes the save again. Fatu stomps at Putski before trying to assist the other heels in dumping Bret. Owen makes the save again only to eat a headbutt by Fatu. Polo gets worked over by Owen and nearly dumped out but Irwin makes the save. Putski hammers away at Martel in the corner which gets a nice pop. The problem with Putski doing the 10 punch in the corner on Martel was it coincided with the countdown and the crowd missed it.

Number 27 is Marty Jannetty....oh, forgot about him since the Kid was number 4. Jannetty walks into a Fatun headbutt before going after his nemesis Johnny Polo. Marty beats Polo all around the ring and tries to dump him out. Marty almost gets Polo as Putski nearly had Fatu out. Owen clubs away at Irwin before hitting a top rope punch. Bret tries to dump Martel but fails as Fatu now has Putski almost out. Polo misses an elbow drop as the countdown begins.

Number 28 is Bart Gunn of the Smoking Gunns. This was supposed to be Ludvig Borga but he hurt his ankle in the brawl with Rick Steiner, thankfully Bart just happened to be at the arena so Vince plugged him in. Bart goes after Fatu and beats him into the corner as Putski looks for someone to beat on. Bret holds Irwin for Marty to hit with a top rope punch. as Owen, Martel and Polo cram into the corner. Putski and Martel try to dump out Fatu as Owen and Polo continue to go at it. Martel nearly has Bret out but Owen makes the save again. Irwin goes to town on IRS as Jannetty catches a breather in the corner. The countdown begins as Bret hits a headbutt on Polo.

Number 29 is "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels which would be my pick to win it if I were watching this live in 1994. Marty cuts him off and they start beating the daylights out of each other, Marty goes to town on Shawn in the corner but Shawn cuts him off with an inverted atomic drop. Shawn gets the upperhand as the crowd pops for the ex-Rockers going at it. Shawn hits Marty with a few elbows and whips Marty off the ropes only for Jannetty to duck under a clothesline and hit him withn the superkick. By the way Putski and Polo are still there as Marty has Shawn halfway out of the ring. Fatu comes over and nails Marty off of Shawn. Irwin comes over and holds Marty for Shawn to go to work on. Bret, Owen, Samy and Irwin cram in to the corner as the countdown begins.

Number 30 is NOT Rick Steiner...its actually Doink The Clown accompanied by Dink. Before Doink gets in the ring, MARTY JANNETTY (6:12) is backdropped to the floor by his old partner HBK. Owen Hart hits the 20 minute mark as the final field of ten is complete. Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Rick Martel, IRS, Johnny Polo, Scott Putski, Fatu, Bart Gunn, Shawn Michaels and Doink remain. Fatu nails Doink as soon as he gets in the ring as Putski clotheslines Polo down. Polo rakes the eyes of Putski as Jannetty finally leaves. Owen ducks under a roll up by Polo and Johnny goes over the top rope but lands on the apron. Polo goes upstairs but Owen cuts him off with a headbutt, sending JOHNNY POLO (13:11) crashing to the floor. Fatu ducks a charge and SCOTT PUTSKI (11:31) is backdropped out. Scott Putski wouldn't even be on WWF tv semi-regularly for another 3 years but he lasted 11 minutes in a Royal Rumble. Johnny Polo wouldn't be in another one until he returned as Raven in 2001.

Down to eight men remaining Doink pounds away at Martel in the corner as Owen has Shawn halfway out. Doink clotheslines Bret as Owen hits Shawn with a few European uppercuts. Martel then starts choking his Survivor Series teammate Irwin. Irwin then ducks under and backdrops RICK MARTEL (19:45) out of the ring. Shawn has Owen halfway out but Owen then pulls Shawn over the top with him. Irwin and Fatu try to dump Bret out but Bart Gunn cuts him off. Doink and Irwin go at it before he hits Bart. Doink begs off then clobbers Bart. Doink suplexes BART GUNN (7:10) over the top to the floor.

Down to the final six of Doink, IRS, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Owen Hart and Fatu as Doink laughs at Bart Gunn on the floor. Irwin knees Doink in the back and sends him into the corner. Shawn sees him staggering and clotheslines DOINK THE CLOWN (3:14) over the top and gone. Shawn and Irwin go after the Hart Brothers with Fatu assisting Shawn. Doink tries to get back in the ring but referee Danny Davis tells him to scram. Bret atomic drops IRS (17:40) over the top and out as the second rope looks broken.

The final four go into opposite corners and apart from Owen Hart, three of these guys are going to be in the final four this coming Saturday night. Bret hits the 20 minute mark as Bret and Fatu square off with Owen and Shawn the other. Shawn crotches himself on the top rope and Owen nearly rocks him out. Fatu drops Bret with a crescent kick as Shawn has Owen in the tree of woe. Bret almost has Fatu out but Shawn makes the save and dumps BRET HART (21:36) out. Fatu and Shawn circle Owen as Bret leaves. Fatu and Shawn double team Owen but Owen counters with a double clothesline. Owen dropkicks Shawn and tries to dump Fatu but Shawn cuts him off. Owen rams Fatu and Shawn's heads together and Shawn goes flying while Fatu no sells it. Fatu drops Owen with a headbutt of his own and Fatu picks Owen up to be superkicked by Shawn into a spinebuster by Fatu...nice double team. All of a sudden Razor Ramon hits ringside to taunt Shawn. Shawn climbs onto the middle rope to shout at Razor as Fatu whips Owen off the ropes. Owen hits a spinning wheel kick that sends Fatu crashing into SHAWN MICHAELS (10:30) that sends him over the top to the floor. Razor and Shawn brawl to the back as the final two are Owen Hart and Fatu....who saw that coming?

The middle rope finally breaks and Owen chokes Fatu with it when Samu runs back to ringside. Fatu hits a sidewalk slam and throws Owen over the top..but Owen catches himself on the apron. Owen clobbers Fatu and throws him over the top, but Samu makes the save from the outside. Gorilla Monsoon would be having a bird on commentary if he was there and where the hell is Bret? Owen punches Fatu in the corner but Fatu lowblows him. Finally Bret comes back to ringside to even the odds and cheer Owen on. Fatu and Owen slug it out in the ring with Fatu dropping Owen and delivering a falling headbutt. Fatu misses a charge in the corner and Owen slams him. Owen goes up to the top and hits the flying elbow. Fatu gets up and hits a backbreaker on Owen. Fatu goes up to the top but Owen pops up and nails him, forcing Fatu to crotch himself on the top turnbuckle. Owen grabs Fatu and goes to deliver a dropkick but FATU (20:27) already is throwing himself over the top to end the match. Owen Hart wins the New York Rumble after lasting 32 minutes! Bret gets in and celebrates with Owen as the Headshrinkers gather themselves outside. Bret and Owen celebrate until the Headshrinkers get back in the ring. Finally the Headshrinkers retreat and the Harts stand tall. 

Times:

Diesel - 6:57 - 28:19

Mo - 6:57 - 8:52

Butch - 9:24 - 10:13

123 Kid - 11:19 - 12:51

Scott Steiner - 13:12 - 34:58

Mike Sharpe - 15:25 - 15:44

Samu: 17:42 - 42:34

Bob Backlund - 19:26 - 40:49

Jeff Jarrett - 21:34 - 28:38

Virgil - 23:36 - 40:48

Bam Bam Bigelow - 25:57 - 37:08

Randy Savage - 27:47 - 36:28

Adam Bomb - 30:03 - 32:09

Sgt Slaughter - 31:55 - 37:45

Crush - 34:15 - 50:29

Mabel - 36:20 - 40:49

Jim Powers - 38:09 - 38:52

Bastion Booger - 40:14 - 41:28

Luke - 42:18 - 43:18

Owen Hart - 44:15 -

Rick Martel - 46:21 - 1:06:06

Bret Hart: 48:22 - 1:09:58

IRS - 50:32 - 1:08:12

Johnny Polo - 51:59 - 1:05:10

Scott Putski - 53:56 - 1:05:27

Fatu - 56:03 - 1:16:30

Marty Jannetty - 58:05 - 1:04:17

Bart Gunn - 1:00:05 - 1:07:15

Shawn Michaels - 1:02:08 - 1:12:38

Doink: 1:04:19 - 1:07:33

Winner: Owen Hart

That was definitely an unorthodox Royal Rumble for sure. I'm sure this was a test run for the real thing which showed Owen was just as good as Bret and guys like Diesel and Crush could dominate. Its too bad this house show is only remembered for the tag title change but keep in mind there was no internet in 1994 and the MSG shows were barely mentioned anymore on television. Only those in attendance saw Owen Hart's coming out party. One thing I should mention is one of the reasons the Rumble went so long was originally there was supposed to be a Rock n Roll Express vs Heavenly Bodies match that was cancelled because of bad travel weather. Jim Cornette wasn't going to risk his top two tag teams for a house show that wasn't even going to be mentioned on TV. As for the whole show, they had their first big house show of the year without The Undertaker or Lex Luger. Nothing was overly worth watching again, especially the Tatanka/Yoko match. Not only that both 123 Kid and Ludvig Borga got hurt and would both miss the Rumble ppv. As we head toward Royal Rumble weekend, the Harts will once again be gunning for the tag belts with The Quebecers regaining the titles. The funny thing was on the same night as the New York Rumble, Monday Night Raw was having Stan Lane give phone updates of the tag match throughout the night to Vince McMahon and Crush on commentary....which was obviously pre-taped since The Hart Brothers, Randy Savage, IRS, Yokozuna, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Tatanka and Crush were on that Raw card. That episode of Monday Night Raw will be up next just for continuity purposes. As for the New York Rumble, its worth a look if you can ever find it.

WWF Monday Night Raw (12/27/93)

Monday Night Raw

Mid-Hudson Civic Center

Poughkeepsie, NY

December 27, 1993

Commentators: Vince McMahon Jr, Quebecer Jacques & Quebecer Pierre

Ring Announcer; Howard Finkel

Welcome to another Monday Night RAWWWW. As the holidays in 1993 come to an end, we start gearing toward the next pay-per-view extravaganza the 1994 Royal Rumble. Before that happens, there's some business to take care of first. Months earlier Johnny Polo ruined a match between Marty Jannetty and 123 Kid and Marty finally gets Polo in the ring tonight. Unfortunately for Marty, tonight's guest hosts with Vince McMahon are the WWF Tag Team Champions, The Quebecers. The Quebecers laugh loudly in the opening intro with Pierre (in French) saying he's gonna get Lex Luger for putting him out of Survivor Series. Vince says who knows what's going to happen tonight as he sends us to our first match.

Match 1

Lex Luger vs Barry Horrowitz

Lex comes out smiling and Vince claims he's smiling because he body slammed Yokozuna again the previous week on Raw. Jacques says he won't be smiling this weekend on Superstars because they're booked for a 1 on 1 showdown. Jacques says it would be a surprise if Barry wins as Lex gets in a go-behind. Jacques and Pierre speak French to annoy Vince as Lex gets in an armdrag on Barry. Jacques asks why Lex and Bret Hart put so much oil on themselves. Vince says it makes them a little slippery to get out of certain holds. Lex poses for the crowd and Barry just lets him as Vince says Lex wants to be in the Royal Rumble. Barry gets the upperhand with several boots to the midsection but Luger whips him into a chest bump in the corner. Luger rolls him up for a deuce as Jacques mentions The Quebecers will be facing Bret and Owen Hart for the tag belts at the Rumble.  Barry gets a thumb to the eye, a back rake and a European uppercut. Barry gets a jawbreaker in before forearming Lex in the side of the head. Barry taunts the crowd and punches Lex in the face. Vince says the Quebecers may not make it to the Rumble and Jacques counters its the Hart brothers you need to worry about staying intact. Barry rams Lex's head into his boot and goes to work in the corner. Barry chokes Lex in the corner with his foot as Jacques speaks French to annoy Vince again. Jacques says he speaks English, French and Spanish as Barry does shoulderblocks in the corner. Lex roars out of the corner with a clothesline before powerslamming Barry. Jacques asks why he looks at the crowd after every move as Lex sets up Barry for a superplex. Lex hits the superplex and covers for 1...2...3 to end the match. Jacques says that's not gonna happen with him and Vince hypes up their match this coming Saturday. 

Time of match: 4:25

Winner: Lex Luger by pinfall

After the match Vince plugs the WWF Hotline and tells the fans at home to call Jack Tunney and tell him if Lex should or shouldn't be in the Rumble. Only 99 cents per minute so give them a call at 1-900-454-4WWF. Jacques says enough is enough and Vince switches gears to the main event of the evening, Marty Jannetty vs Johnny Polo. Vince with Jacques and Pierre laughing shows the October 25th Raw where Polo ruins the Kid and Jannetty's match. Polo on that Raw says he can beat both of them. After the montage is over we go to a live interview with Johnny. Vince "Johnny can you hear us?
 Johnny "Of course I can hear you Mc-Moron, whataya want?" Johnny says he can take "Marty Confetti" and the "Snot Nosed Kid" and beat both of them like he did on October. Tonight Johnny says he's gonna beat Marty "Confetti" in the center of the ring. Vince says "Thank you Johnny Hobo" which causes Jacques to correct Vince while Polo tries not to laugh. (Boston market commercials are for Auto Zone, Vicks Formula 44 cough syrup, National Education Centers, a promo for USA Up All Night with Gilbert Gotfried and a promo for the movie Day of The Jackal)

Promotional Consideration Paid For By The Following: Ico Pro (Razor Ramon lifting), Electronic Talking Battleship and Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition on SNES and Sega.

Match 2

Johnny Polo vs Marty Jannetty

Polo gives Howard Finkel bunny ears before going outside to hug Jacques and Pierre. Johnny also threatens to hit Vince with the polo stick. Jannetty enters wearing the green and black bodysuit with Polo in polo pants and striped singlet. Jacques and Pierre speak French to annoy Vince as the bell rings. Johnny backs off before getting in a go-behind to start. He hiptosses Marty as Jacques says he's the man. Marty and Johnny exchange wristlocks before running into an armdrag by Polo. Jacques says Marty is over the hill and did nothing since he split with Shawn Michaels....ouch. Marty tricks Polo into diving into the corner. Polo hops over the top rope onto the apron but Jannetty slingshots him back in. Marty delivers an atomic drop, ducks under a right hand and delivers a back suplex. Marty covers for a deuce as Jacques says Marty is good but Johnny was in Honolulu recently. Marty tilt-a-whirls into a sunset flip for a 1 count. Marty armdrags Johnny and works an armbar as Jacques says Marty has a black eye courtesy of Johnny. Marty goes for a bodypress but Polo ducks and Marty goes crashing over the top rope. Polo hits a plancha as Jacques claps for him. Polo looks at the camera and says "Polo fever...CATCH IT!" Jacques says "Polo Fever, Polomania." Johnny gets back in the ring as the crowd chants for Marty. Polo works Marty over on the apron but Marty slingshot presses onto Johnny for 1...2...nope. Polo snaps Marty over and works a chinlock. Vince taunts the Quebecers saying Marty will knock Polo out of action and the Harts win at the Rumble. Marty and Johnny both go for bodypresses but crash into each other. Vince asks if Jacques and Pierre were ever Arkansas State Troopers and Jacques has no idea what he's talking about and says concentrate on the match. Marty sends Polo chest first into the buckle and nails him with the flying back elbow. Polo puts his head down and Marty rams his head into the ground. Marty goes upstairs but Polo crotches him and goes for a superplex. Marty counters and front suplexes Marty down before hitting a bodypress for 1..2....NOOOOO. Jacques "Don't count your apples before they grow." Marty leapfrogs Polo and rolls him up for a two count and Jacques continues to annoy Vince with French. Polo kicks Marty in the head as Pierre gets up from the table. Jacques tells Vince to mind his business as Marty dropkicks Polo over the top rope to the floor. Pierre picks up Johnny and Marty baseball slides both men down. Jacques "That'll make him mad, shouldn't have done that." Jacques "Ou es Pierre?" He's right there you idiot! Pierre trips up Marty and he turns his attention to him. Polo goes to attack but Marty goes to counter with the superkick but Polo is too close so he grazes him in the stomach. Marty sidesteps and hits the real superkick and goes upstairs. Pierre pulls Johnny outside and Marty flies on top of Pierre and punches him. Polo goes back in the ring and Marty gets on the apron. Marty shoulderblocks Polo and goes for the sunset flip but Pierre assists Polo by grabbing on to him during the counter for 1...2....3 and its over. Johnny Polo needed a lot of help from Pierre but makes good on his pre-match prediction by beating Marty Jannetty. Jacques says they are the greatest and laughs about it. Vince says he's never seen anything like this as Polo walks away victorious as Pierre rejoins Jacques at the announce table.

Time of match: 8:23

Winner: Johnny Polo by pinfall

After the match, Marty complains to referee Joey Marella and goes to attack The Quebecers. Joey says the result is final but throws Pierre out of the arena. Marty grabs a chair and Vince tells him to take it easy. Marty and Jacques look to square off as Marella tells Pierre to hit the bricks. I don't think I've ever seen a referee throw out an announcer before or since. We cut to commercial as Vince says Pierre is gone. (Boston market commercials include Nyquil, Butterfinger, 1994 Mazda 626 and 1994 F-150 Ford) We're shown the vignette where Yokozuna dreams he's Santa Claus before we get the next match.

Match 3

Doink The Clown (with Dink) vs Spike Gray

Doink brings Dink to the ring in a wagon as Vince celebrates Pierre being gone and tells Jacques he'll be next if he doesn't behave. Vince says President Jack Tunney won't tolerate them and Jacques says Tunney should worry more about Lex Luger's loaded elbow. Dink offers Doink some chewing gum before the bell rings. Dink offers some to Spike but its a trap....har de har har. Jacques "Oh my godddddd." (Me: Hahahahahaha) Dink kicks Spike in the shins and Jacques says if Dink gets hit everyone will complain but he gets to go around kicking people. Vince calls Johnny Polo a joke and Jacques says it won't be a joke when Bam Bam Bigelow gets ahold of him. Dink climbs to the top rope and Spike goes to punch him but Dink counters by punching him in the nose. Doink hits a German suplex and bridges for 1..2...3 its over. Jacques says to go check on Pierre as Vince sends us to the Royal Rumble report.

Time of match: 1:04

Winner: Doink by pinfall

Todd Pettengill says Doink got Dink for Christmas but imagine if Dink got Doink a dog....ha ha ha. Todd says he welcomes The Quebecers...or just Jacques to Raw and says they're 3 weeks away from the 1994 Royal Rumble. He shills the Rumble match itself and runs down the list of who's in so far. Bret Hart, Crush, Kamala, Owen Hart, Doink The Clown, Mabel, Scott Steiner, Shawn Michaels. Diesel, Adam Bomb, Bam Bam Bigelow, Macho Man Randy Savage, 123 Kid, Fatu, Samu, Rick Steiner, Bob Backlund and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine making his official return. Todd says Lex Luger may or may not be entered and shills the WWF hotline again. Todd then shills the Casket Match between Undertaker and WWF champion Yokozuna, Razor Ramon and IRS battle for the Intercontinental title and The Hart Brothers take on The Quebecers for the WWF Tag Team titles. We cut to a promo of Bret and Owen and Bret says they've patched things up and are focused on beating the Quebecers. Owen says there's no problems anymore and they're taking the belts. Todd says this is his first ever title shot before sending it back to Vince and Jacques. Jacques says Owen and Bret are temporarily together because at the Rumble they'll try to outdo each other which will lead to their demise....talk about foreshadowing. Vince says Crush is up next in action as we go to commercial. (Boston market commercials include Ricola, Sonic Chaos for Game Gear, Whitewater Zest soap, the Sci-Fi Channel and a promo for Hush Little Baby). Back from commercial, Todd hypes up next week's main event as The Smoking Gunns vs Bam Bam Bigelow and Bastion Booger.

Match 4

Crush (with Mr. Fuji) vs Mike Moraldo

Jacques praises Crush on his way to the ring and Vince praises Macho Man Randy Savage's victory over Fatu on Raw. Crush kicks Moraldo and drops him with a chop as Jacques says the only reason their team lost at Survivor Series was Randy Savage sticking his nose in. Crush over head press slams Moraldo and the still shot of that would later be used on the cover of WWF Magazine. Crush bows to Fuji as Vince says Savage is coming for him. Crush punches Moraldo down as Vince says Randy is back with Todd Pettengill on WWF Mania. Crush does his Chong Li kick combination as Jacques refuses to say what Pierre got him for Christmas. Jacques says what's with Vince suing Star Magazine for 5 million and Vince says that's not him that's ED McMahon as Crush locks in the Cranium Crush. Vince says Moraldo is seeing stars as the ref calls for the bell. Vince "Crush defeating Mike Moraldo rather handily." Vince sends us to The Undertaker's workshop.

Time of match: 2:15

Winner: Crush by submission

We got to Undertaker's workshop where Paul Bearer makes Christmas puns on Mr. Fuji, Jim Cornette and Yokozuna. Undertaker "Soon Yokozuna, you too will be gift wrapped. Merry Christmas Yokozuna...ho....ho...hooooooo" It was a good touch to have Taker stalk Yokozuna like this rather than have them get in the ring and attack each other like you see now. We cut to commercial (Boston market commercials include Slim Jim, Vicks 44 Liquicaps, the pay-per-view channel, Hollywood Hair and Bret Hart telling us not to drink and drive) before we go back to Vince and Jacques. Vince sends us to the WWF Women's Championship tournament finals where Alundra Blayze beat Heidi Lee Morgan in the finals. We get the pre-match promos and highlights of the match itself from the previous week. It was nice to see the women's division get a reboot since it had been dormant for the previous 5 years. Vince says up next is Razor Ramon and we go to commercial one last time. (Boston market commercials include Dayquil, V8 Picante juice, a movie trailer for The Air Up There and Nyquil). When we return we get a vignette of Kwang doing martial arts, soon to make his debut. Why the world needed a Puerto Rican ninja we may never know. Time for the final match of the night as Razor Ramon makes his entrance in the purple trunks. Vince asks where the gold around Razor's neck went and Jacques says IRS is going to win at the Rumble.

Promotional Consideration Paid For By The Following: WWF Royal Rumble for SNES and Sega, Electronic Talking Battleship and Mortal Kombat for Sega and SNES.

Match 5

WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon vs Derek Domino

Jacques says Domino made a promise before the match that he'd deliver Razor Ramon in 30 minutes or less....ha ha ha. Domino works over the left arm but Razor takes him down. Jacques brings up how Shawn Michaels attacked Razor a few weeks prior on Raw. Domino chops Razor in the corner and Razor counters with chops of his own before sending Domino flying across the ring. Domino ducks a clothesline and catches Domino mid-air. Jacques and Vince babble on about Fidel Castro's daughter as Razor hits a top rope fallaway slam. Razor does his STF slaparound as Vince says the gold around Razor's neck is in IRS' briefcase. Vince hypes up a USA made for TV movie called Fallen Champ about the life of Mike Tyson and Jacques says Razor's would be Falling Chump. Razor locks in an abdominal stretch as Jacques calls it an Ab-Domino stretch. Vince says Domino will be going to Pizza Hut after because Razor is no Little Caesar...good lord. Razor looks at the crowd and Vince asks Jacques about Razor and Castro's daughter and Jacques says to ask Jack Tunney. Vince counters by saying Tunney is Canadian, what does he know? Razor plants Domino on the top rope and hits the back suplex. Jacques says his New Year's Resolution is too teach Pierre how to speak English. Razor calls for the Razor's Edge and hits it. Razor covers for 1..2...3 to end the match. Jacques says this was the best Raw ever and Happy New Year to all the Frenchmen.

Time of match: 3:52

Winner: Razor Ramon by pinfall

We end the show with Vince hyping up a tag match between The Smoking Gunns and Bam Bam Bigelow & Bastion Booger next week on Raw. Jacques says its gonna be a big one and Vince says Double J Jeff Jarrett will be in action as well as Yokozuna. Jacques says Johnny Polo will be the special guest host with Vince and Vince rolls his eyes before saying goodbye. Jacques flexes his bicep and we fade to black.

It seemed like this was another lackluster show with the Polo/Jannetty payoff but things were just beginning. For those scoring at home, this coming Saturday on Superstars will be the big Lex Luger vs Jacques showdown and next week on Raw is the tag match. That's how things were back then, one "main event" per show with a bunch of squash matches. You had to catch each show if you wanted to see the big matches but the catch 22 is you didn't miss much if you didn't. See you Saturday for Mania.

WWF 1993 Survivor Series (11/24/93)

1993 SURVIVOR SERIES

BOSTON GARDEN

BOSTON, MA

NOVEMBER 24, 1993

Commentators: Vince McMahon Jr and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel

We've finally made it to the 1993 edition of WWF Survivor Series. After months of hype following the aftermath of Summerslam, here we are. Let's get to the feuds going into this thing. The opening match is supposed to be Team Razor featuring WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, Marty Jannetty and 123 Kid against Team IRS featuring IRS, Adam Bomb, Diesel and "The Model" Rick Martel. Razor & Kid have history with IRS while Razor beat Martel for the vacant IC title. Diesel helped cause Mr. Perfect to lose his IC title match at Summerslam to Shawn Michaels. Jannetty, Adam Bomb and Martel are pretty much throw-ins. Next is The Hart Family taking on Jerry Law....er.....Shawn Michaels and his Knights. After Summerslam it was supposed to be Bret Hart and Owen Hart teaming with their retired brothers Keith and Bruce Hart taking on Jerry Lawler and three knights. Then weeks before the ppv Jerry Lawler got indicted on a rape charge so Vince McMahon swapped Lawler out with the returning Shawn Michaels who served a 30 day suspension for a failed piss test. Shawn pretty much picked up where Lawler left off while carrying the IC title belt that he claimed he never lost, more on that later. Then we get a Smoky Mountain Wrestling tag team championship match featuring The Heavenly Bodies taking on the legendary Rock N Roll Express. Vince signed Jim Cornette in the summer and as a favor to Jim, allowed the tag match to be on this ppv to showcase both teams....problem was he barely promoted the Express who were gods down in Atlanta. Next is the Four Doinks taking on Team Bam Bam consisting of Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Booger and The Headshrinkers. When Doink The Clown turned babyface he started pulling his pranks on the heels with Bam Bam Bigelow being the primary target. Bam Bam had already teamed with Samu & Fatu at Summerslam so it made sense to put them with him along with Booger being another big ugly dude. Problem was Doink promised four of himself so nobody knew who was going to be on his team. Then the main event was originally supposed to be The All Americans consisting of Tatanka, The Steiner Brothers and Lex Luger against the Foreign Fanatics led by WWF Heavyweight Champion Yokozuna along with Ludvig Borga and WWF Tag Team Champions The Quebecers. Luger and Yokozuna was the primary feud while The Quebecers used chicanery to win the tag belts from the Steiners. Borga ended Tatanka's undefeated streak and was being booked as a secondary adversary so at least everyone matched up. Then the substitution factor came in which I'll explain later. With that out of the way, let's get to the event. Before the show started there was a dark match for the Boston Garden crowd.

Dark Match

Brooklyn Brawler vs Billy Gunn (with Bart Gunn)

If you ever wondered why the hell the Smoking Gunns would appear later in the show, this was why. Billy faced Brawler in the dark match and Billy won.

Time of match: 7:46

Winner: Billy Gunn by pinfall

The Coliseum Video tape opened with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Vince McMahon preparing to enter the curtain in the Gorilla position with Heenan nervous as all hell that he might run into Gorilla Monsoon. Vince makes fun of Bobby for being nervous as we cut to our opening graphic. The Bobby and Gorilla dynamic would be a theme all night and it was also going to lead to Heenan's departure from the company. Now the actual live broadcast opened with Lex Luger with his wife and kids in his house in front of a fire saying they're thankful for Thanksgiving and family. Isn't that nice? Then we cut to a guy singing the national anthem but no graphic saying who it is. Vince and Bobby open the show running down the card with Gorilla Monsoon sitting at the "radio" booth threatening to hit Heenan. After Heenan makes hilarious gestures, Howard Finkel sends us to our first match. Team IRS comes out first together and IRS gets on the mic saying this team of survivors will audit everyone. Then we get separate entrances for the babyfaces. 123 Kid and Marty Jannetty make their entrances before Razor Ramon comes out next, peculiar. Razor gets on the mic and says Mr. Perfect tagged out before the match started. In real life, Mr. Perfect's back acted up again and he wouldn't be seen for a while. Razor says he's got a surprise for the audience though, someone with as much "machismo" as he does.....MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE!

Match 1 (2)

Team Razor (WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon, 123 Kid, Marty Jannetty and "Macho Man" Randy Savage) vs Team IRS (IRS, Adam Bomb, "The Model" Rick Martel and Diesel with Harvery Whippleman)

With Perfect out, Randy Savage subs in thus giving the babyfaces the advantage as Heenan points out not only is he a former IC champ like Jannetty, but he also was 2 time WWF Champion as well. Bell rings and Savage wants IRS but leaves. Razor himself starts with Martel and they shove each other to start. Martel slaps Razor as Vince brings up Razor's victory over Martel to become IC champ on October 11th. Martel gets in an arm ringer and they exchange reversals until Martel drops the champ with a drop-toe hold. Rick goes for a headlock but Razor slips out and goes for the hammerlock. Heenan says Kid, Marty and Savage should just leave so they can have a better crack at the IC title once the heel team is done with Ramon. Martel slaps Razor again but this time Razor slams him back. Martel gains the advantage but Razor reverses a whip into the corner. Martel goes up and over and runs to the other corner, hitting a bodypress that Razor rolls through for 1....2...nope. Martel ducks a clothesline and goes for a bodypress but Razor catches him mid-air. Razor hits the fallaway slam and covers for 1....2..nope. Vince goes over the rules as Razor blocks a kick and hits an atomic drop into his corner where Savage happily gets in a punch to Martel's head. Razor hits an inverted atomic drop and drops him with two consecutive clotheslines. Martel tags to Adam Bomb as Heenan says he smells napalm. Bomb is larger than Razor and he throws Ramon into the corner on a lock-up. They lock up again and Adam shoves him down. Adam wants a test of strength then locks in a headlock. Razor fights out of it but a shoulderblock sends him to the mat against. Adam once again wants a test of strength and this time Razor goes for it. Adam wins the game of mercy but Razor looks to power out of it, only to get a boot to the ribs. Heenan says "Razor would have given up" four times in a row to annoy Vince as Razor rises again. This time Razor powers out of it and delivers a northern lights suplex. He covers and spots Martel coming, moving out of the way as Martel drops an elbow on Bomb....D'oh! Harvey gets in the ring and shoves Martel. Rick shoves him down and Bomb clocks Rick for it. Diesel gets in and pushes Bomb back before IRS comes in and plays peacemaker. Razor's team has the crowd going wild at the dissention as IRS successfully calms his team down. Diesel, Martel and IRS leave with 123 Kid tagging in to face Bomb. Kid gets a headlock but eats a shoulderblock. Kid goes for a sunset flip but Adam turns it into a Baldo Bomb. Diesel tags in and hits Kid with a forearm before hiptossing him 3/4 across the ring. Heenan "I smell rubber burning, is that the Diesel?" Diesel hits a forearm to the back and delivers a gut wrench suplex with Heenan screaming for each spot done to Kid. Kid runs into a big boot but turns a sidewalk slam into a headscissors. Kid makes the tag to Macho Man who drops Diesel with an axehandle off the top rope. Savage intercepts Bomb and IRS with elbows before scoop slamming an interfering Martel. Savage hits an atomic drop on IRS that sends him into Martel. Savage whips Bomb into Diesel before a knee to the back sends Bomb to the outside. Savage scoop slams Diesel then goes upstairs. He hits the flying elbow and covers for 1...2....3 to eliminate DIESEL 10:20 into the match. The faces celebrate as Diesel can't believe it. 

The refs get Diesel out of there as Martel attacks Savage in the corner. Martel gets whipped into the corner and Savage backdrops him. Martel gets punched into his corner and IRS tags in. Vince says Irwin has lost the services of the mighty Diesel. They lock up but IRS gets a knee to the stomach. IRS rams Randy into the corner but Randy ducks the write off. Randy does a crossbody for a one count then two left arm clotheslines. Randy tags Razor back in and they work over the left arm. Razor locks in an arm-ringer as Heenan says everyone in the match would love to be IC title match as Vince says Shawn Michaels claims he's still the champ. Razor gets a knee to the back from Martel from the outside and Rick officially tags in with an axehandle from the second rope. Heenan asks if Vince ever cheat anybody with Vince saying no. Wait 4 years Bobby! Adam Bomb tags in and continues the onslaught before tagging Martel back in. Martel hits an axehandle to the back and IRS tags in to deliver an elbow drop followed by a leg drop. IRS covers for 1....2...nope. Heenan says Jannetty is fresh as Martel switches places with IRS as Vince bitches about it. Referee Joey Marella lets it go as Martel sends Razor off the ropes. Razor counters with a knee lift as again Heenan praises Jannetty. IRS tags in and Razor gets sent into the corner, only for the charge to eat boot. Razor tags in Savage who gets nailed in the ribs. Irwin puts his head down and eats a boot before a knee to the back sends Irwin sternum first into the buckle. Savage drops IRS throat first off the top rope then hits a scoop slam. Savage goes for the flying elbow when Crush makes his way to ringside. Savage spots him and makes a beeline to him. Kid, Jannetty and Razor try to hold Randy back and actually manage to get him back in the ring. Savage climbs to the second rope to point at the taunting Crush. IRS then sneaks up on Randy and does a schoolboy from the second rope for 1....2....3 and RANDY SAVAGE is gone 16:47 into it.

Savage immediately gets out of the ring and chases Crush to the back. The Coliseum Video version shows an irate Savage looking for Crush in the back but thankfully the live broadcast keeps the action in the ring. Jannetty tags in for the first time all match as IRS regroups in his corner. Jannetty gets in a headlock as IRS sends him off but gets hiptossed. Marty hits a dropkick and covers for 1....2...nope. Martel tags in and works over Jannetty in the corner before tagging in Bomb. Adam hits a back suplex and chokes him on the top rope. Heenan "A good big man will always beat a small little punk." Vince mistakenly calls Bomb "Diesel" as Martel tags in to apply an abdominal stretch. Bomb hangs on to Martel for leverage as Vince tells Marella to open his eyes. Martel sends Jannetty into the buckle but Martel's charge eats ringpost. Martel makes the tag to IRS as Jannetty makes it to Ramon. Razor cuts him off with punches and sends IRS into opposite corners before hitting a modified chokeslam. Razor gives the signal for the Razor's Edge. Razor gets him and nails the finisher before covering for 1....2....3 and IRWIN R SCHYSTER is out 20:32 into it.

Martel tags in to prevent Razor from tagging Kid in. Martel works him over in the corner but Razor reverses it. Bomb gets in to nail Razor so Kid & Jannetty get in to cut him off. Marella deals with Bomb, Marty and Kid as Razor gets Martel in the Razor's Edge. All of a sudden IRS gets in with his briefcase and nails Razor with it. Razor falls out of the ring as the camera shows Irwin is bleeding under his left eye as he leaves. Marella then counts RAZOR RAMON out at 21:42 to even it at 2-2 with both captains gone.

Martel, Bomb and Whippleman celebrate thinking they got this as the crowd chants 1-2-3. Heenan says its amazing the people in Boston can count to three. Now its a standard tag match as Martel starts working Kid over. Kid leapfrogs and drops down on Martel and Rick cartwheels to safety. Kid locks in a headlock, gets sent off, Martel leapfrogs, Kid drops down and Martel is armdragged vertitcally. Kid locks in an armringer but Bomb tags in. Bomb sends Kid off but Kid slides under him, pulling him down by the ankles. Kid ducks under a clothesline and does an elevated dropkick to stun Adam. Bomb bails to the outside and Kid goes for the suicide dive.....but Bomb catches and slams him. Heenan says this is where Larry Bird used to dribble a ball and now they're dribbling the Kid. Bomb rolls Kid back inside and hits the slingshot clothesline. Rather than cover Kid he taunts the crowd and calls for the Adam Smasher. Kid gets whipped hard into the corner and goes down to avoid the move. Kid is whipped into the other corner but moves out of the way of a charge, schoolboying Bomb for 1.....2..nope. Bomb drags Kid into his corner and tags Martel back in. Martel drops an elbow and goes to work on Kid, sending him off and delivering a punch to the ribs. Martel goes to the second rope but Kid nails him coming off. Jannetty gets the hot tag and comes in like a house of fire, dropping Martel with a flying back elbow. Marty sends Martel into the opposite corner before ramming his head into the buckle ten times. Marty snapmares Martel and covers for 1...2..nope. Kid tags back in and they do a double back elbow smash. Martel whips Kid into the buckle and charges, but Kid turns it into a sunset flip for 1...2.....3 and RICK MARTEL is eliminated at 26:50. Kid crawls to the corner and tags in Jannetty who sunset flips ADAM BOMB for 1...2...3 to win the match. Kid and Jannetty celebrate as Vince says "Can you believe this??" Bomb, Whippleman and Martel complain outside as Marty and Kid pull off the upset. Kid and Marty get the duke for Team Razor and Vince had big plans for these two. It should be noted this is the first and only match in Survivor Series history to this day to have an entire team score a pinfall or submission. All four members of Team Razor got a pinfall and nobody has done that ever again.

Time of Match: 26:58

Survivors: Marty Jannetty & 123 Kid

Vince sends us to Todd Pettengill for an interview with Shawn Michaels. Shawn says he should be the WWF Superstar of The Year. Todd calls him the former IC champ as Shawn rebukes him saying he's still the champ and is wearing the IC title belt. Todd puts over the upcoming Family Feud match featuring Shawn's team against the Hart family. Todd sends us to an interview with Family Feud host Ray Combs and the Hart family. Bruce, Keith, Owen, Bret and Stu Hart all flank Ray for this one. Stu is wearing a Detroit Pistons jacket...d'oh! Now we know who Bret and Owen are but how good were Keith and Bruce? Keith Hart turned pro in 1973 and was a mid-carder for his father in Stampede Wrestling before becoming a firefighter after retiring in 1989. Bruce had a bit more success as he could cut a good promo and was in a tag team with a young Brian Pillman called Bad Company. Bruce also promoted Stampede Wrestling when Stu began to get old but hasn't wrestled since 1991. Stu himself was a legendary promoter & wrestler in Calgary. His feud with The Stomper drew a ton of money and even scared a young Bret Hart which is a story I'll get to later. Ray puts over the importance of the match and asks Bret how he feels about Shawn's comments about the family. Bret puts over his brothers and Stu then says Stu has had it up to HERE with Shawn Michaels and his Knights. Bret says they don't care about the Knights, they just want Shawn and he's going to pay for the skit he did mocking the Harts on Raw. Ray says that this brought two brothers out of retirement and asks the others for their thoughts. Owen says this is the biggest family feud ever and they don't kindly to Shawn and his Knights. He says Shawn's team is going down and sends it to Keith. Keith says Shawn is going to need EMTs because there's going to be a massive Hart attack in the ring. Ray says the Harts will be there and Bruce says "everyone". Keith is ready for action, Ray "Survey says, this is a match you don't want to miss.

After the interview we go back to Shawn who laughs it off and says if he had parents that looked like Stu & Helen Hart, he'd have put them 6 feet under whether they were dead or not. In real life, Shawns mother was one of the best part of Before They Were Superstars. Shawn goes on to say he owes Bret for last year's Survivor Series but the difference is he's still got his gold while Bret's got nothing. Shawn runs down Owen and Keith saying he's so hot Keith can't put him out. He runs down Bruce as a substitute teacher and says he can't teach Shawn anything. Shawn says the Harts are going down and if Stu gets involved he's gonna waffle him and somehow make him uglier than he already is. Todd sends it back to ringside.

Before the next match starts Ray Combs is in the ring for the introductions. Also it should be known that ex-Hart Foundation member "Dangerous" Danny Davis is the referee, bad news for HBK. Combs says welcome to Martha and Georgia Hart along with Helen at ringside. Georgia is the mother of the infamous Teddy Hart who was 13 at the time and Martha was Owen's wife. Martha also happens to be holding their son Oje Hart who was just over a year old then. Heenan calls Oje ugly as Combs gives a shoutout to the other Hart brothers Ross and Wayne. Wayne Hart was a referee during Stampede's heydey and Ross as we know was the jobber Ross Lindsey who was doing jobs for WWF TV a few years earlier. Helen Hart gets a good ovation as she waives to the crowd as Vince calls her a super lady. Remember earlier I mentioned Archie "The Stomper" Goulding? Stomper was in a feud with Stu in the 60's and a young Bret was playing outside when Archie showed up to the Hart house. Bret made a mad dash to warn his mother that the Stomper was here to hurt his father but Helen just smiled and walked outside. She said "Hiya Archie, Stu has your money all set" and Stomper greeted her warmly much to Bret's confusion. Heenan says "Is that her rail hair?" Vince "Stop it Bobby Heenan!" Ray then says all this started because of Shawn Michaels and he makes a bunch of bad jokes about Shawn and his parents. Again, the real Mrs. Carol Hickenbottom was awesome but since Shawn was a heel, she gets the Mama Cornette treatment.

The sad part was this was all reserved for Jerry Lawler but he was in serious legal trouble at the time. I already mentioned what earlier so no need to mention again. Shawn was coming off a suspension for a failed drug test so they just threw him into Lawler's spot and everyone acted like he started this all along. Ray then says "Its time to play the feud!"

Match 2 (3)

The Hart Family (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Bruce Hart & Keith Hart with Stu Hart) vs Shawn Michaels, The Red Knight, The Black Knight and The Blue Knight

Guest commentator: Ray Combs

As we get started, who are the knights? The Black Knight was pro football player turned wrestler turned armed robber Jeff Gaylord. Jeff played for the Boston Breakers of the United States Football League in 1983 before becoming a wrestler. The Red Knight is Barry Horrowitz, we all know who he is. The Blue Knight is none other than Greg "The Hammer" Valentine who was due to return to the WWF for the Royal Rumble so this was most likely him just getting some work in. Shawn's team comes out first and HBK messes with the Harts at ringside, causing Wayne Hart to almost take a swing at him. The Harts come out next with Bret wearing olympic style singlet tights for the first time in his career although they're in his standard pink. Stu Hart now has a Boston Bruins jacket on so at least someone told him where they were. Vince said Stu wrestled in the Boston Garden back in 1945 while Heenan says it was 1845 at the tail end of his career. Stu was actually 78 at this time so he would have been 30 then. Bells gone and Shawn continues to heckle Wayne and Ross. Ray joins the commentary team as Shawn immediately runs over to heckle Stu. Heenan says Stu is 3 weeks older than Family Feud announcer Gene Wood and Ray says Gene could take Bobby in a fight. Heenan responds that Stu and Helen are Senile In Seattle and Ray says it won't take much for one of the Hart brothers to kick the living daylights out of him. Vince says the Harts are directly behind them as Heenan says "That's the smell!" Vince then says Gorilla Monsoon is nearby as well so he better behave. Owen starts with Shawn but Shawn wants Bruce instead. Bruce tags in and Shawn immediately gets in a headlock as Ray says some of the Hart women could take Bobby. Shawn brings Bruce to the corner and tags in Barry the Red Knight as he's sent off the ropes. Bruce and Red do drops downs with Shawn running the ropes and Bruce sends Shawn crashing into Red. Shawn shoves Red and tells him to get in hear before he tags back in. Bruce chops Blue before Shawn goes to whip him into the other corner. Bruce then ducks under Shawn and double clotheslines Blue and Red.  Black holds Bruce but Shawn nails Black by accident with Ray screaming for every spot. Bruce armdrags Shawn into his corner and Keith tags in. Keith works over the left arm as Heenan says "What a stupid name. You got nine months and you come up with Bruce?" Keith ducks under a Shawn leapfrog but Shawn dips the shoulder and boots Keith the rubs. Shawn goes for a suplex but Keith counters with an inside cradle for 1...2..nope. Keith takes down Shawn and locks in an arm-bar as Heenan says he's definitely Dungeon trained. The crowd starts chanting "Gomez, Gomez" because Keith looks strikingly like John Astin's portrayal of Gomez Adams. Heenan asks where Mary Hart is as Shawn bodyslams Keith. Red tags in but misses an elbow drop then walks into an arm-drag. Owen tags in and he works over the left arm before Red pokes him in the eyes. Owen arm-drags Red then overhead arm-drags him as Heenan calls Owen "The Shadow" since he's in the shadow of Bret. Owen arm-drags Red and hits a dropkick that sends him into the corner. Heenan brings up Reo Rogers as Black tags in only to get arm-dragged. Black gets slugged by each Hart in their corner before Black is hiptossed into his corner. Owen tags in Bret as Black tags in Greg the Blue Knight. These two were on opposite teams 3 years earlier and the on the same in 87. Blue rakes the eyes and he delivers some forearms. Bret catches the leg and hits both kinds of atomic drops. Bret clotheslines him down and covers for a deuce. Keith tags in and works over the left arm and hits a nice fireman's carry take down. Bruce tags in as Heenan says "HEY STU WAKE UP!" Vince says "He'll come over here next" and Bobby without missing a beat says "That'll take two hours, we'll be off the air."  Bruce is sent off right into a knee to the back by Shawn. Blue scoop slams Bruce before Shawn tags in to deliver a backbreaker. Shawn drops a sries of elbows to Bruce as Black says "Look at your boy now baby!" Red tags in and nails Bruce with an axehandle off the second rope. Heenan asks how many kids Stu had and Vince says 12. Unfortunately Dean Hart passed away in 1990 but everyone else was still here in 93. Red hits a double underhook suplex for a two count and two covers get nothing. Bruce tries to fight out of it but Black tags in. Black kicks Bruce in the sternum as Vince says Black is the biggest of all the nights. Jeff Gaylord had a great physique but too bad he was a better burglar than a wrestler. Black punches Bruce down but Bruce counters with a backslide for a two count. Shawn tags in and hits an axehandle to the back then works over Bruce. Bruce falls outside and Shawn comes outside to get him. Bret comes over but Shawn slides inside but Bruce hangs on from the apron then slams Shawn into his own corner. Bruce is knocked back inside by Red as Heenan calls the Harts the cowards of Canada. Bruce ducks under a Shawn clothesline then hits an absolute lariat on Shawn. Shawn tags in Black as Bruce falls and tags Bret back in. Bret O'Connor rolls Black for a two count then catches him with a small package for another two. Bret hits a backbreaker as Heenan praises Bret for winning every title in the WWF. Bret hits his second rope elbow drop and covers for 1,,,2,,nope. Shawn broke up the count as Owen tags in for his spinning heel kick. All 8 men get in the ring but the Harts take over. They send Shawn's team crashing into each other causing Shawn, Red and Blue to bail. Keith whips Bruce who clotheslines Black in the corner then Owen comes off the top with a dropkick. He covers for 1..2....3 and BLACK KNIGHT is eliminated 10:49 into the match. 

Ray thinks its over but Heenan reminds him the match keeps going. Owen starts working over the left leg of the Red Knight before Bret tags in for a double wishbone. Bret then works over the right leg before Keith tags in for more damage to the right leg. Keith works over the left leg in the corner as Vince says there's 20 members of the Harts in attendance, Heenan says that's a ghetto. Stu can be heard yelling "Work on that leg, wear him down!" Keith and Bruce do another wishbone as Bruce shoves Red down. Bret tags in for yet another wishbone and now Keith tags in but gets kicked into the buckle. Red headbutts Keith down then delivers a snapmare. Red misses the knee drop and Keith locks in a figure four as Heenan says the only thing worse is to have JJ Walker as a tag team partner. This catches the announce team off guard to the point Shawn interferes to drop an elbow on Bruce with Ray saying "Get JJ out of there!" Blue tags in and chops Keith as Ray says he "weenie slapped" him. Keith delivers forearms as Vince slips and says "and Greg....having his problems here" referring to Valentine as the Blue Knight. Red trips up Keith and Shawn slingshot splashes Keith's left arm. Good teamwork by the heels. Blue works over the left arm as the crowd continues to chant "Gomez, Gomez." Shawn comes off the top with an axehandle then sends Keith shoulder first into the buckle. Shawn sends him shoulder first into the other corner as Heenan makes fun of the firefighter. Red tags in and drags Keith into the ring post. Bret kicks Red into the guardrail as Blue comes over to assist Red. Red yells "SHUT UP" to some fan as Bruce complains in the ring. Red slingshots Keith into the bottom rope then boots Keith. Blue drops a leg on the left arm and Greg slams him shoulder first to the mat. Blue drags Keith to the center then tags in Shawn. Blue goes for the Rocket Launcher (ironic) but Keith rolls out of the way to tag in Bret. Shawn tags out to Red but Bret cuts him off. Bret punches Red but is sent off the ropes only for Red to jump in his arms. Bret slams Red down and locks in the sharpshooter. RED KNIGHT gives up 18:06 in as Bruce literally gets in the ring and just watches as Blue clotheslines Bret after the bell.

Vince says Red Knight is out of here as Blue throws Bret to the outside with Keith trying to pick him up with his right arm. Shawn jumps off the apron with an axehandle smash. Shawn sends Bret back in who gets suplexed by Blue. Blue gets a deuce on a cover then drops an elbow on Bret. Blue tags Shawn and HBK whips Bret into the corner. Shawn puts the boots to Bret as Vince says the Harts are a good looking family causing Heenan to laugh. Shawn hits a diving back elbow smash then covers for 1...2...nope. Heenan says the Harts belong on America's Most Wanted as Shawn locks in a chinlock. Ray says Heenan's family would be on America's Most Unwanted, ha! Bret powers out of it but runs into a knee to the ribs. Blue tags in and he delivers a headbutt to the mid-section. Blue covers for 1,..2..nope. Blue attacks Bret in the corner but a charge eats boot. Bret clotheslines Blue down and tags in Owen who hits a dropkick on Blue. Ironic how 5 years earlier they were on opposite teams with Owen under a mask and now its Greg under a hood. Owen hits Blue ten times in the corner then scoop slams him Owen hits his top rope elbow but Shawn breaks up the count. Bruce gets in and he and Owen hit a double noggin knocker on Blue & Shawn. Shawn slides under Bruce and goes for Stu only to eat a left hand that sends Shawn 8 feet backwards. Owen hits a plancha on Shawn before sending HBK back in. Bruce and Owen whip the heels into each other and Owen hits a crossbody onto Blue. Shawn drops an elbow on Blue by accident and is double clotheslined over the top by Owen and Bruce. Owen hits a bulldog on Blue and locks in the sharpshooter. BLUE KNIGHT submits 23:55 into the match as Ray says "AND THEN...THERE...WAS...ONE"

Shawn is all by himself now and he throws a tantrum outside with Owen clapping in the ring. Bret nails Shawn and throws him in the ring with Owen. Shawn begs off but misses a punch. Owen atomic drops Shawn into the corner where all the brothers take a shot at Shawn. Owen drops Shawn with a punch before tagging in Bruce who drops two knees then covers for two. Bruce whips Shawn into the corner but the charge eats elbow. Shawn does a blatant choke as Danny Davis says he'll disqualify Michaels. Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music and covers for 1.....2...nope. Let it be known that the only Hart brother to ever kick out of SCM including Davey Boy and Niedhart was Bruce Hart. The camera shows Stu from the back and Heenan says there's a picture of Helen on the back of his jacket. Ray and Vince point out its a Bruin, hahaha. Bruce kicks Shawn in the face as Ray incorrectly calls it a dropkick as Bruce 3 quarter rolls over Shawn to tag Bret. Bret hits an atomic drop that Shawn sells like he got shot out of a cannon. Bret sends Shawn into the corner and slingshots him into the buckle. Bret drops an elbow then covers for 1...2...nope. Bret hits the russian leg sweep and covers for a deuce. Bret goes for the backbreaker but Shawn rakes the eyes. Bret tags in Owen and bails to the apron. Owen sends Shawn off and hits a beautiful over the head belly to belly suplex and covers for 1....2...nope. Shawn whips Owen off as Bret tries to make his way to the corner and Owen collides with Bret. Bret goes front first into the guardrail as Shawn rolls up OWEN HART for 1...2......3! Heenan proclaims "the shadow" is gone as Owen is out 27:36 into the match.

Bruce, Keith and Stu check on Bret as Owen throws a temper tantrum in the ring and yells at Bret on the outside for getting in the way. Owen says "Why are you worried about him, what about me?" Owen continues to throw a tantrum as Bobby tosses a water bottle to Shawn Michaels. Owen leaves saying "What about Bret, what about me?" Ray Combs screams and the camera quickly pans to the ring where Bruce is chopping Shawn. Bruce hits another huge lariat and covers for 1...2...no. Bruce delivers a jawbreaker as Heenan imitates Stu calling Bret a lazy, no good, bum. Vince "He did not." Bruce locks in a sleeperhold as Vince says Shawn's narrowed the odds a bit. Shawn sends Bruce face first into the buckle as Bret makes it to his feet finally. Shawn whips Bruce off and they shoulderblock each other down. Bruce tags Keith in as the crowd chants "Gomez, Gomez" again. Keith locks in an abdominal stretch but Shawn hiptosses him. Keith tags Bret in and he strikes Shawn in the corner before Shawn does a Flair corner flip into a right hand. Shawn is sent into the corner where he gets kicked nad first onto the top rope. Bret goes for the sharpshooter but Shawn squirms out of it and slides out of the ring. Shawn says the hell with it and runs to the back. SHAWN MICHAELS is counted out and the match is over. Bret, Bruce and Keith Hart survive as Heenan calls it a smart move. The Hart family celebrate as Owen comes back to the ring. Rather than celebrate Owen pulls Bret off the middle rope and shoves him. Owen continues to shove Bret and Vince says he's embarrassed. Keith and Bruce try to console Owen as Heenan says Owen is sick of living in the shadow. Owen sticks a finger in everyone's face and says he doesn't need them. Bret is holding back as Heenan says right in front of his mother and father. Helen starts crying as Bret says to let him go as the crowd boos Owen. Bret leaves as Stu wants to talk to Owen one on one. Owen says he had Shawn beat but Bret got in the way and he doesn't get any recognition. Owen goes to the second rope and gets booed as Ray says this is a REAL family feud. Bret, Keith and Bruce bail as Vince says Owen is being booed out of the Boston Garden. Vince hopes they can reconcile for Thanksgiving.....they're Canadian you divot head, their Thanksgiving was a month earlier. Anyway this was supposed to close the book on Bret vs Lawler and transition into the biggest push of Owen's career. It was a blessing in disguise as the Lawler feud would continue another day and Owen would still get that push. The Harts win the Family Feud match and the crowd was dead for most of it mostly because of the 3 knights, Bruce and Keith having no heat going into it. Its not any of their faults, its the promoters fault for not promoting them better. Keith and Bruce should have had matches on TV to showcase their abilities and the Knights at least could have made an appearance beating up 3 jobbers. Otherwise it was a solid match and heel Shawn bumping his ass off is always a good thing.

Time of match: 30:57

Survivors: Bret, Bruce & Keith Hart

Todd Pettengill tries to get a word with Owen but Owen tells him he doesn't want to talk about it. Todd sends it back to Vince who says they're about to switch commentary teams. Bobby and Vince are going to do radio while Gorilla and Jim Ross will do PPV. Gorilla says he's ready and says he might get his hands on "that poor excuse for a human." Bobby says how can he talk about Ray Combs like that. Gorilla "I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT RAY COMBS, BRAIN!" They send it over to Todd who tries to explain the Hart situation when the cameras pick up Monsoon grabbing Bobby and yelling at him. Monsoon goes to clobber Heenan but Heenan begs off. Gorilla goes back to his table as Bobby trips on the way to his. What the hell is this about? Unfortunately it was the beginning of the end for Bobby as he had planned to retire. But he's still with us for this show. We're sent to a Wrestlemania 10 commercial with Todd Pettengill doing the voiceover. "Sunday....March 20th and event so hot it'll bake the big apple. Sunday....March 20th...back where it all began, Madison Square Garden in New York City. Wrestlemania 10....ten years in the making. Sunday.....March 20th."

Back to Jim Ross who asks Gorilla what that was about and Monsoon calls Bobby a fountain of misinformation. Ross says he has to deal with him every week on Wrestling Challenge. Ross then sends us to a montage of events leading up to the main event with Todd in the voiceover. It was supposed to be Lex Luger, Tatanka and The Steiners against Yokozuna, Ludvig Borga and the Quebecers but on the October 30th episode of WWF Superstars, Borga pinned Tatanka for the first time in his WWF career then had Yokozuna squash him with the banzai drop. Lex Luger ran out to help but was intercepted by The Quebecers and Tatanka was put out of the match. For weeks fans wondered who'd be their replacement partner then on the November 13th episode of Superstars Lex Luger revealed The Undertaker was their new partner who famously had a Betsy Ross flag inside his jacket. Then it was the Americans turn to put someone out as Lex Luger knocked Quebecer Pierre goofy in their match on the November 15th episode of Raw. Jim Cornette and the rest of the Fanatics then announced literally days before Survivor Series on the November 20th Superstars that Mr Fuji's protege Crush would be taking Pierre's place. So now we got The Undertaker and Crush in the main event instead of Tatanka and Pierre which makes no sense storyline wise but does add star power to it. On to the next match.

Match 3 (4)

The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) with Jim Cornette vs The Rock N Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) for the Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Championship

Commentators: Jim Ross & Gorilla Monsoon

Here we have another case of Vince McMahon not having a clue on how to book outside talent. The Rock N Roll Express were one of the top teams of the 1980's in the NWA and were now working for Cornette's promotion. Rather than bring them in a month early for some TV tapings and interviews to get them over, Vince showed a smidgeon of SMW footage and expected them to sell some tickets for this tag match against the Bodies, who had a damn good showing at Summerslam against The Steiners. As it is, Ricky and Robert get almost no reception from the crowd during their entrance. Also keep in mind we're 11 months into the New Generation which was promoted strictly for children, kids were too young for the 80's Express so they didn't know who they were. Ross has to explain what Smoky Mountain is to the fans as the Bodies make their entrance. Ross actually gets in a dig at Jim Barnett by saying Cornette was on the phone earlier saying "any news?" which was Barnett's catchphrase. Now if you're watching the live broadcast or Coliseum Video tape, the Express make their entrance with the song Cornette would later come out with. If you're watching on Peacock, they come out to some generic theme with a clearly older Howard Finkel overdubbing the Express' names. The Bodies waste no time and attack the Express before they even get their jackets off. Prichard heaves Ricky outside and Jimmy heaves Robert out the other side. The Bodies slingshot Robert back in still wearing his jacket. They go to slingshot Ricky in but he blocks it and slingshots both Bodies over the top to the floor. The Express shed their ring jackets off as Robert holds the rope as Ricky suicide dives onto the Bodies. Now if Vince had them do that in matches leading up to this, they might have had a better crowd reaction. Cornette rips his jacket off as Ross makes fun of him for it. The camera man gets too close to Cornette who shouts "Get out of my face I'm trying to do something here!" Monsoon calls him a piece of work as Del Ray and Robert start. Monsoon asks how long they've been feuding and Ross says he was there from the start when it was the RnR Express against the Midnight Express. Its funny because Stan Lane was the original Heavenly Body tag team partner of Prichard for over a year but retired to become a WWF commentator. He was the link between the Midnight Express and the Heavenly Bodies feud with Gibson & Morton.  Jimmy eats a shoulder tackle, drops down, has Robert slip the hiptoss and Gibson flips over the buckle before hiptossing Jimmy.  Robert hits a head scissors as Joey Marella the ref tells Cornette to get away from the ring. Ricky tags in and Jimmy runs into a double back elbow smash. Prichard tags in and shouts "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!" Prichard pounds away on Ricky in the corner as Ross explains the feud that he himself was there to see. Thank God Jim is on commentary for this one because he knew the guys involved a hell of a lot better than Vince & Bobby. Tom blocks a hiptoss and Ricky almost botches the leapfrog but still hits the hiptoss. Ricky hip tosses Jimmy and Tom two more times apiece as Ross brings up Ricky Morton's father who was a legendary referee in the Tennessee territories. Jimmy accidentally clocks Tom with a superkick and Ricky & Robert whip Del Ray into the corner. Prichard is whipped into Del Ray and Ricky monkey flips Tom. Robert monkey flips Del Ray and they are atomic dropped into each other. Ricky & Robert row Tom and Jimmy as Del Ray bails. Ricky goes to work on the left leg of Prichard as Ross says he loves pumpkin pie. Monsoon "You resemble that remark." Ross "I certainly do." Robert tags in and he jumps into the ring directly onto the left leg. The Express roll over Prichard and clock Del Ray off the apron before Ricky returns to the left leg. The camera pans to Vince explaining to Bobby on radio that throwing someone over the top rope is an automatic disqualification in SMW. It was actually a universal rule in every territory but one going back decades....care to guess the only one that never had the rule? That's right, New York. The Express flip over Prichard again but Jimmy ducks this time only for them to wait a moment and clock him off the apron again. Robert kicks Prichard in the leg and tags Ricky back in who continues to work on the leg. Ross explains Robert's mother is deaf and they both know sign language because of it, often communicating with it. Prichard tags Jimmy in who runs right into an arm-drag. Jimmy gets the advantage in the corner and goes to whip Ricky into the other corner but Robert angles himself to block the impact. Ricky goes to whip Jimmy but Robert cuts off Tom trying the same thing so Ricky just whips Jimmy back into the corner much to Monsoon's delight. Ricky whips the Bodies together but they stop each other only to eat a double noggin knocker. The Bodies bail as Ross says they're confused and their timing is off leading Cornette to pound the mat in frustration. The Bodies regroup with Cornette as some idiot in the crowd chants "Boring! Boring!" Literally this is the most fast pace match of the night, the hell is boring? Then again this was the same guy chanting "Gomez" earlier for Keith Hart....and they say New York or Philly is a tough crowd? Prichard tags in and says he's gonna break Ricky's neck as Ricky goes to whip Tom into the corner. He goes for a backdrop and Tom counters with a sitdown powerbomb. Here comes the heat, folks. Cornette even wrote in his Midnight Express scrapbook "How to get rich beating on Ricky." Tom shouts "WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS" again as Cornette whoops it up. Tom puts the boots to Ricky and Del Ray tags in. Prichard scoop slams Ricky and assists Jimmy into a standing moonsault on Ricky for 1....2..nope. Del Ray elbows Ricky down the taunts Gibson. Tom tags in and throws Ricky outside. Cornette holds Ricky as Del Ray hits a second rope moonsault onto Ricky on the floor. Ricky is thrown back inside and Tom covers for 1...2...nope. No other team in the WWF was doing spots like this at the time. Tom and Ricky slug it out in the corner but Ricky gets whipped. Prichard hits a powerslam and covers for a two count before Jimmy tags in. Jimmy executes a snap suplex and poses for some heat before dropping a knee to the face. Del Ray drops Robert off the apron and Prichard runs in for a double team spot similar to the Smoking Gunns finisher only Prichard hits a bulldog instead of a legdrop. Tom covers for 1.....2..no. Prichard locks in a chinlock and the crowd barely makes a noise. Tom hits a delayed vertical suplex then tags in Del Ray. Jimmy goes upstairs and they execute a trash compactor (!!!) and Jimmy covers for 1.....2....noooooo. Jimmy goes for another powerbomb but Ricky counters with a frankensteiner for a two count. Jimmy tags in Prichard who eats an inside cradle for 1....2...nope. Prichard tags Jimmy for another moonsault and he hits for 1....2....nope, Robert breaks up the count. The Bodies send Ricky off but he catches them with a double ddt. Ricky rolls into his corner and Robert gets the hot tag. Robert cleans house to no crowd reaction at all as he wipes out both members. Ricky does the O'Connor roll even though he's not the legal man and Prichard heaves him over the top rope. Robert thinks the match is over and celebrates but Marella has to explain the over the top rule isn't in effect under WWF rules. Prichard heaves Robert outside but Ricky hits a flying bodypress on Del Ray but Prichard kicks him off. Ricky jumps over Prichard and the Express hit their finisher, the double dropkick. Robert makes the cover as Morton nails Cornette off the apron for 1....2.....NOOOOO! Somehow Prichard kicks out. Marella tries to get Ricky out but turns his back as Cornette tosses his tennis racket to Jimmy. Del Ray comes off the top and nails Robert in the back with it. Prichard rolls him over and covers for 1...2.....3 and we got new SMW tag team champions. That was an awesome match as Ross says if this was under SMW rules the Express would have won but it wasn't meant to be. Its a shame that the match was epic but underappreciated because of the double edged sword of failure to promote and kids having no idea who the Express were. Still, if you can set aside the crowd that's what a tag match should be.

Time of match: 13:41

Winners: Heavenly Bodies by pinfall (new SMW tag team champions)

Ross sends us to last weekend's Superstars to set up the next match, The Four Doinks vs Team Bam Bam. Its funny how this was only days before Survivor Series but its clearly Matt Borne doing the promo despite the fact that he was fired a month earlier. Doink says he knows who his partners are gonna be this Wednesday night, the nasty Booger and the Headshrinkers. Doink grabs his head and says "Oh no!" Then he says his partners are Doink, Doink....and Doink. Now the live broadcast and Peacock had an interview with Team Bam Bam as the Headshrinkers, Afa, Booger and Luna Vachon all devour cooked turkeys but Coliseum Video doesn't have it. Todd asks how Bam Bam can deal with four of the same person and Bam Bam says it doesn't matter if its four Doinks or a hundred Doinks, his team is going to take care of the job. Bam Bam says he's going to end Doink's shenanigans once and for all. Todd sends us back to Vince and Bobby as Vince says none of those guys will be WWF Superstar of The Year. Heenan says "Booger is my pick." Vince "I beg your pardon? We're on the air....its a family show!" Heenan "I know, I pick Booger to win. He's my pick." Now the Peacock version doesn't have this part but the live broadcast has Vince rolling his eyes and says if you want to make your pick, call the WWF Hotline and vote yourself. Its 1.49 for the first minute, 99 cents for each additional minute and kids ask your parents permission before calling.....which I didn't. Vince then sends it to the Fink who introduces Team Bam Bam. Booger, The Headshrinkers and Afa all come out with turkeys and bananas as Vince says we don't know who Shawn Michaels Knights were but we're gonna find out who the Doinks are. Heenan says he knows who the Knights were but he's not telling. Doink's music hits then cuts to the Bushwhackers theme as Luke and Butch come out in Doink makeup & wigs. Luke is riding a scooter and Butch lugs a wagon to the ring. Great....a bait and switch. The Doink music plays again before the Men on A Mission rap hits....sure enough, here comes Mabel, Mo and Oscar all dressed in Doink wigs & makeup. Literally they hyped up the four Doinks for a month and it turned out to be Men on A Mission and The Bushwhackers.

Match 4 (5)

The Four Doinks (Luke, Butch, Mabel & Mo) with Oscar vs Bam Bam Bigelow, Bastion Bookers, Samu & Fatu (with Afa and Luna Vachon)

So much for Matt Borne as the four Doinks turned out to be two babyface tag teams. My theory is that Borne was gone so it made no sense to have four random guys as Doink so may as well throw four babyfaces in there in Doink makeup. Heenan says that's the best the Bushwhackers and M.O.M. ever looked. Heenan also calls them Doinks On A Mission as Mo is carrying balloons to the ring. Jim Cornette on his podcast lamented the fact that the Express and Bodies put on a tag team match for the ages that got no crowd reaction yet the kids went nuts for The Doinkwhackers and Doinks On a Mission. He's got a point as all the kids cheer during the intro rap. Bells gone as Vince says Team Bam Bam couldn't have possibly prepared for this. Mabel pretends to moon Samu and pretends to be scared. The crowd chants "We want Doink" as Vince passes it off as a babyface cheer. Heenan says he can't pick a winner because The Headshrinkers are the toughest tag team in the WWF but how do you prepare for two lunatics like The Bushwhackers? He's got a point, Team Bam Bam has four monsters so to speak on the team but they're against guys that are wackier than they are....at least on this night anyway. Bastion Booger starts with Luke and hammers him down to start. Booger hits a forearm to the back to drop Luke again. Luke looks to get up but sees Booger coming off the ropes and throws himself back down so Booger can hit the big splash. Booger doesn't try to cover as Vince points out referee Tim White is out of position. Booger punches Luke down as Fatu inexplicably offers Booger a banana and Bastion goes to eat it much to Bam Bam's chagrin. Luke bites Booger on the ass all the way to his corner where Butch pokes Booger in the eyes 3 Stooges style. Luke steps on Booger's feet who retreats to his corner where Fatu laughs at him. Samu tags in as Fatu offers Booger a banana again as Samu clobbers Luke from behind. Samu stomps away on Luke as the Peacock broadcast inexplicably edits out where Vince agrees The Headshrinkers might be the toughest tag team in the WWF. Butch then hands Samu a green balloon off the stick Mo was holding earlier and Samu bites it. Samu headbutts Luke as Mabel hands Samu a yellow balloon. Samu bites that one too then kicks Luke. Mo offers Samu a blue balloon but when Samu bites it, its actually a water balloon. Heenan "Oh they set him up!" Luke rolls up Samu for 1....2.....3 and SAMU is eliminated just 3:02 into the match. 

The Bushwhackers celebrate in the ring as Fatu clobbers Luke out of it. Butch didn't actually make a legal tag but he's in there now punching away on Fatu. He goes for the headbutt and naturally hurts himself as Fatu doesn't sell it. Fatu hits a suplex on Butch and headbutts him on the ground. Heenan says you can tell them apart by counting their teeth, one's got four and one's got three. Bastion Booger tags in who kicks Butch in the ribs before dropping a big leg. Booger pounds on Butch's back and tags in Bam Bam. Bigelow headbutts the side of the ribs of Butch and taunts the crowd. Heenan says you don't make fun of these guys. Bam Bam chokes Butch on the top rope and Fatu snaps him off. Booger doesn't even tag in, he just walks in and takes over. Booger scoop slams Butch and goes for Trip To The Batcave (Or the Chubby Checker Drop as Monsoon calls it). Booger hits it but inexplicably gets up to eat the banana Fatu is offering. Bam Bam yells at Booger to just pin the guy as Booger with a banana in his mouth goes for a second attempt. This time Mabel pulls Butch out of the way and there's nobody home when Booger drops. The Bushwhackers hit the battering ram on Booger and Mabel drops a huge leg with the banana still in Booger's mouth. He covers for 1....2.....3 and BASTION BOOGER is done 6:02 into the match.

If you happen to replay this match again after a first time watch, check out the ushers in the aisle's reactions to the leg drop, its kind of funny. Heenan "Whoopsie there it is!" The crowd chants as Booger gets up with the banana still in his mouth. Vince says "Leaving with a banana, that's all he'll get out of this matchup, he's history."  Fatu gets in with a turkey carcass and offers it to Butch before waffling him with it, splitting his head open....guess Fatu forgot the bones were still in it. Fatu clocks Butch again with it as Mo then randomly gets in the ring and rides around on a scooter to distract Fatu. Heenan "This is Animal House!" Bam Bam gets in and dropkicks Mo down. Bam Bam throws the scooter out of the ring and Heenan says Bam Bam means business. Fatu hits a side backbreaker and throws a banana peel into the center of the ring. Fatu then goes upstairs for the top rope splash and hits it....but doesn't cover Mo. Instead he picks up the banana peel and shows it to Bam Bam as Heenan says "THEY'RE NOT COVERING THEM!" Even Bam Bam tells him to get the three as Fatu drops the banana peel and turns around to see Butch standing there with a bucket. Tim White completely missed that there was no tag. Butch fakes throwing something on Fatu which makes him slip on the banana peel. Butch rolls up FATU for 1....2......3 to eliminate him 8:33 into the match. Yes, they got so cartoony he literally slipped on a banana peel.

Bam Bam is by himself and he clears the ring of both Bushwhackers and Mo but Mabel walks in. Vince "Bam Bam is huge but look at the size of Mabel." The crowd chants whoomp there it is as Bam Bam goes nowhere on a shoulderblock. Bam Bam tries it again but Mabel doesn't move. Bam Bam ducks a clothesline but eats a shoulderblock. Mabel hammers away on Bam Bam and whips him to the corner. The charge misses and Bam Bam hits him with a flying shoulder tackle. Bam Bam intercepts Luke and scoop slams him then covers. White does go down for the pinfall attempt even though Luke isn't the legal man but Butch runs over and heaves a bucket of confetti on Luna. Bam Bam gets up to check on him as M.O.M. sandwiches Bam Bam in the corner. He falls backward and all four guys pile on top for 1,...2......3 to end this debacle. Team Bam Bam may have been the toughest team but they also were the dumbest as The Four Doinks earn the clean sweep. Vince "This is a cartoon." For some reason Peacock edits Vince's post-match speech of "Forget about Looney Tunes, forget about Hanna Barbara, they have nothing on the WWF." Heenan "Not tonight, this looks like the type of match Chief Jay Strongbow should have been in." The babyfaces celebrate and leave as Heenan points out the ring was a mess. Vince asks Heenan how much weight was on Bam Bam at the end. Heenan says Mabel is 500 and both Bushwhackers add up to 500. As Bam Bam and Luna leave the real Doink appears on screen and his voice gives away that its Ray Apollo for the live show. Doink makes fun of Bam Bam and Luna and barks at her. Bad, bad match and once again it shows that catering to children was ridiculous yet the sign of the times. Once again, a great tag match got no crowd reaction but funny ha-ha had the crowd cheering. This would actually be the first and last ppv appearance for Bastion Booger but I'll get to why another time. Say goodbye to Matt Borne too.

Time of match: 10:58

Survivors: Men on A Mission and The Bushwhackers

After the match is over the Coliseum Video exclusive has Doink celebrating with Men on a Mission and The Bushwhackers, have to assume it was Ray Apollo for the live show again. The live broadcast was supposed to get a commercial for the upcoming WWF Royal Rumble on January 22, 1994....a Saturday night, but Peacock cut it for some reason. It should be noted 93-94 would be the last time shows would be on any time other than a Sunday for another 10 years until Taboo Tuesday 2004. Then we go to Todd Pettengill with The Foreign Fanatics and Jim Cornette handles the promo. He talks about a human body and how there's a mind, a heart and a soul. He says the heart are the Steiner Brothers, the mind is The Undertaker and Luger is the soul. Cornette puts over the faces as athletes but the Fanatics will take them out one at a time, mind, heart and soul. Yokozuna shouts "BANZAI" as Todd sends it back to ringside. That's why Cornette was the best, folks. Heenan says he watched the eyes of the heel team and says they look determined and ready. Heenan says the Bruins, the Celtics and the Boston Garden will never be the same. The live broadcast and the Coliseum Video had a montage of the history of Boston narrated by the All-Americans but its cut from the Peacock showing. Scott Steiner says Paul Revere made a midnight ride to give a warning and Scott warns the Foreign Fanatics they're not going to survive. Rick says this battle will be like Bunker Hill and a decisive victory for the All-Americans. The Undertaker says Samuel Adams and John Hancock are buried in the Granary Burial Ground and four new headstones will be prepared for the Foreign Fanatics. The montage concludes with President John F Kennedy saying "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Luger says we know what we can do for our country, we'll defeat the Foreign Fanatics." My only guess to why this was cut was (seriously) the term Foreign. Otherwise giving the rich history of Boston with the good guys saying they'll win was a great promo on the heels of Cornette's great promo. Anyway, let's get to the main event.

Match 5 (6)

The Foreign Fanatics (Crush, Quebecer Jacques, Ludvig Borga & Yokozuna with Mr. Fuji, Jim Cornette and Johnny Polo) vs The All-Americans (Rick Steiner, Scott Steiner, The Undertaker and Lex Luger with Paul Bearer)

Like I mentioned in the intro, this had months of buildup going back to Summerslam with Lex against Yoko and subsequently Ludvig Borga's challenge. The Steiners and Quebecers were supposed to be a feud but the additions of Crush and Undertaker kind of screwed up the chemistry, although it made sense on the heel side with Crush also being managed by Mr. Fuji. Then again, there was nobody left on the babyface side to use unless you wanted to go with Bob Backlund or Bart Gunn. Vince says Yokozuna was on Conan O'Brien the night before and Heenan asks if Conan is actually Bob Backlund. Vince brings up Survivor Series Showdown where Owen unknowingly cost Bret Hart the WWF title against Yokozuna. The Undertaker makes his entrance and Heenan apparently hid under the table for it. Heenan also claims the Steiners are from the University if Wisconsin since their jackets are on upside down. The camera shows Taker and Yoko having a staredown in the center and The Undertaker himself has gone on record saying Yoko was one of his favorite opponents ever. Cornette did an interview with Paul Bearer saying he loved that feud as well because he couldn't do anything to Taker and Bearer couldn't touch Yoko so he and Paul would just point menacingly at each other most of the time. We got all the managers in this one so ringside is certainly crowded for now. Heenan points out a sign in the crowd says Yoko-tuna. Heenan "I hate Thanksgiving, you don't get any gifts." Vince "Bobby Heenan!" Vince "You get a bunch of lousy food and relatives you don't even like, they hang around and kiss you with wet lips. Got to watch a lousy football game, nothing to do." He just described every child watching at home's Thanksgiving experiences growing up hahaha. Once you get older, you appreciate those times with family members that are no longer around but back then you're looking forward to the Burger King on the ride home and getting out of your dress clothes.....not that I would know anything about that. Heenan asks who the brains on Luger's team is as Cornette and Polo hilariously tell the camera man to buzz off in the other corner. Scott Steiner starts with Jacques and Jacques wants to shake his hand. Scott gives him the arm and the elbow then kicks Jacques in the ribs. Scott leapfrogs over Jacques and hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Scott covers for a two count and Jacques looks around confused. Vince "And Jacques trying to find a place to hide, there is no place to hide." Rick Steiner tags in and Jacques retreats to tag in Yokozuna. Heenan asks if either Steiner could suplex Yoko and Vince isn't sure they could do it together. The crowd chants USA and Yoko shakes his head at the crowd. Yoko chops Rick down and sends him off the ropes. Rick ducks the line and hits the Steinerline. Rick hits a shoulder tackle to stun him. Rick then hits a third tackle to knock Yokozuna through the ropes to the outside. Rick caters to the crowd as Heenan points out Rick only stunned the champ, he didn't knock him out. He says only an Amtrak train could knock Yoko out but Vince points out Lex did it at Summerslam. Heenan "That's cause he's got more steel in his arm than an Amtrak train!" Back inside Yoko brings Rick to the corner and tags in Ludvig Borga. Borga punches Rick then sends him through the ropes on top of one of the cameraman as Heenan points out. Rick goes up to the top and nails Borga with a forearm smash. The cover only gets 1 and Rick puts on an arm-bar. Borga punches Rick in the ribs and Ludvig scoop slams him. He misses the elbow drop as Rick goes upstairs again. Rick jumps off the second rope and I think Borga was supposed to catch and powerslam him but instead Ludvig took a crossbody and just kinda slammed him over on his hip. Borga covers for 1....2.....3 and RICK STEINER is out 5:05 into the match. 

Rick noticeably limps out of the ring looking hurt for real as the heels celebrate. Cornette points and laughs at Rick as Jacques points at him and says "Out! OUT!" Scott gets in with Jacques taking over for Borga. Jacques locks in a headlock but is sent off into a gorilla press by Scott. Scott goes to heave him in the corner but Crush gets in and catches Jacques one handed. Jacques taunts Scott as Crush is in now.  Crush wants a test of strength as Heenan points out all four heels have been in but Luger & The Undertaker haven't tagged in yet. Crush chops Scott and drops him before going to work with right hands. Scott ducks under a line and hits his double underhook suplex. Vince says Randy Savage is back in the building as Scott drops Crush with a clothesline. He covers for 1...2...nope. Scott sends Crush off who leapfrogs over Scott and drops him with a crescent kick. All of a sudden Randy Savage makes his way to ring side with Tim White, Joey Marella, The Suit Brigade and the Smoking Gunns trying to hold him back. Like I mentioned before, I wondered why the Gunns were there but never knew they had a dark match until recently. Crush press slams Scott over the top to the floor and taunts Savage from the ring. Crush pulls Scott back in and drops him with a right hand. Crush does his kick combo and drops a leg on Scott. Heenan praises Mr. Fuji for turning Crush into a monster (which was a great heel turn) as Crush hits a jumping headbutt and then locks in a standing leg-lock. Crush drops a leg on Scott and kicks him in the leg three times. Heenan goes to explain something but Vince butts in and says Randy's coming back. Savage this time almost makes it to the ring as Heenan says to let them go. Crush says come on but gets dropkicked by Scott over the top to the outside. Crush abandons the match and attacks Randy in the aisle. Crush goes to press slam him on the guardrail but Savage punches his way out. In the confusion, CRUSH has been counted out 11:36 into the match. 

After everyone clears Savage out, Borga and Yoko pound on Steiner in the corner. Crush walks back to the ring only to be told to get lost by Hebner. Crush bitches about Randy interferring but he's been counted out. Jacques puts Steiner in a rear chin-lock with Borga holding onto the ankles. Jacques hits a flying back elbow and covers for a deuce. Jacques hits a piledriver as Heenan says that won't work. The cover gets a two as Vince asks why it won't work, Heenan responds he got dropped on his head and there's nothing in there. Steiner flips Jacques with just a shot to the ribs as Heenan points out Luger and Taker still haven't been in the ring. Scott hits another press slam on Jacques and finally tags in Luger 13 minutes into it. Lex hits a scoop slam on Jacques, goes to the second rope and drives a forearm into the chest. He covers for 1..2.....3..to eliminate QUEBECER JACQUES 14:04 into the match. Wow, that wasn't even a high impact move.

Heenan says Luger took out both Quebecers in a matter of weeks. Scott drags himself back in as Borga wants Luger now. Steiner says he'll handle Borga who's not interested, he wants Lex. Lex leaves as Borga says "Ohhh....ohhhh...chicken huh?" Borga sits on the middle rope to invite Lex in but Scott is in there. They look to have fisticuffs as Vince updates that Savage has been thrown out of the building. Heenan "How is he getting in, what is he Batman? Does he come through the rafters, is he hanging from a flag?" Borga eats a left armed clothesline and is headbutted in the corner. Borga whips him off and hits a modified Stinger Splash before hitting a devastating lariat. Borga goes upstairs but Scott stops him with a forearm. Scott then hits a superplex. Scott covers but Yoko breaks it up at two. Yokozuna stays in as Vince says there was no tag made. Yoko one arm slams Scott but misses the elbow drop. Scott gives the sign for the frankensteiner, yeah right! Scott goes for it but misses and crashes on the mat. Yoko hits the big leg drop and covers for 1....2....3 to eliminate SCOTT STEINER 16:57 into the match.

Heenan says we're down to the nitty gritty as Luger gets in. Heenan says he's not going over to sit with monkey breath as Vince hypes up this showdown as a continuation of Summerslam. Yoko and Lex slap each other but Yoko gets a kick and a chop in. Yoko goes to work on Lex and slams him as Borga waives the Japanese flag. Yoko misses a big splash and Lex rallies with right hands. Lex rocks Yoko with a clothesline but Yoko drops Luger with one of his own. Borga tags in and he continues to punch away at Luger. Borga nails Luger in the ribs as Heenan says "Taker may have died on the apron...well he's dead anyway, I don't know." Borga kicks Luger in the ribs as Heenan says Undertaker is going to start a basketball team for people 6 feet and under. Yokozuna tags in to continue the onslaught. Yokozuna nails Lex into the corner then whips him into the opposite one. Yoko misses the avalanche and Lex FINALLY makes the tag to The Undertaker. The crowd explodes as Taker rallies with chops on Yokozuna before hitting a jumping DDT. Taker chops him again and clotheslines him again. Borga hits Taker but Taker chops him down. Yoko catches Taker with a belly to belly suplex but Heenan knows Taker will sit up. Yoko drops Taker with a clothesline and drops the big leg. Vince says he thought he saw fear in the eyes of Yokozuna and Heenan confirms it. Yoko drags Taker into the corner and says no one's ever gotten up from the banzai drop. He says look what it did to Tatanka and Duggan.....d'oh! Not supposed to mention guys no longer in the company as Jim Duggan was gone at that point. Yoko hits the banzai drop but hangs onto the bottom rope to negate the pinfall attempt. Fuji wants another banzai and Yoko goes for it....but Taker sits up and Yoko misses the second one. Taker hits the flying clothesline and Yokozuna bails to the outside. Yoko rams Taker head first into the steel steps but Taker snaps his head back and shoots Yoko a glare. Yoko looks absolutely terrified as Taker rams his head into the steps. Hebner ends up counting out both UNDERTAKER and YOKOZUNA out 22:26 into the match. 

They brawl until Paul Bearer grabs Taker and pulls him off. Meanwhile Borga and Luger are the only ones left as Borga drops a leg on Lex. Borga covers for 1...2..nope. For some reason Johnny Polo, Fuji and Cornette still hang around ring side even though their men are gone. Luger walks into a sidewalk slam and Ludvig covers for 1...2...nope. Borga hits a suplex and covers arrogantly for 1....2..no. Borga sends Luger off and hits a powerslam then covers for 1...2...nope. Borga drops Luger with two clotheslines and covers arrogantly for 1...2...no. Vince says Borga's arrogance is appalling as Borga goes for another suplex. This time Lex blocks it and hits one of his own. Lex ducks under a clothesline and they clothesline each other down. Heenan asks if he hit him with the "true value" elbow but Vince says no. Polo and Cornette distract the ref as Fuji hands Borga the bucket of salt. Borga clocks Luger with it and gets rid of it. Borga covers Lex for 1.....2....no.  Luger rallies in the corner, sends Borga off the ropes and Borga sells a punch to the ribs hilariously. Lex hits a DDT on Borga then drops him with an elbow smash. He covers for a two count before Lex hits a powerslam on Ludvig. He covers for another two count before Heenan says we could be here all night. Borga sends Luger off the rope but Lex jumps over Ludvig and nails him with the loaded forearm. Lex covers for 1...2....3..to win the match. Luger is the sole survivor. Snow starts falling from the Garden rafters as Heenan says its the worst case of dandruff he's ever seen. All of a sudden Santa Claus comes to ringside and gets in with Luger to celebrate to Jingle Bells. Even Vince didn't wait to cut the turkey before catering to the Christmas season. Either way the match was designed for Lex to stand tall and set up Taker vs Yoko at the Royal Rumble and it completed its task. It was a good main event with a lot of stuff happening at once. Savage vs Crush, Lex pinning Borga, Taker and Yoko....at least it was fun to watch. The Coliseum Video exclusive has Todd with Lex putting over Santa and the holidays, yippie.

Time of match: 28:02

Survivor: Lex Luger

Its funny how there was no real historical importance to this show other than bits and pieces here and there. Razor Ramon and IRS would settle things at the Royal Rumble, Bam Bam and Doink would settle it at Wrestlemania, Marty Jannetty and the 123 Kid proved to be a good team for future purposes, the spot with Yokozuna and Taker also led to the Rumble, the genesis for Bret vs Owen in 94 happened here and Lex Luger would get his crack at Yokozuna also at Wrestlemania. This was also the last ppv appearances for Bastion Booger and Ludvig Borga as both of them missed the Rumble for different reasons I'll get to another time. The Rock N Roll Express wouldn't be back for another 4 years for the god awful NWA invasion angle while Bobby Heenan wouldn't resurface until Wrestlemania 17. In terms of match quality the opener was good, the tag match was great, the Family Feud match was good, the Doink match sucked and the main event was good. It wasn't a bad show, there just wasn't anything iconic like Taker beating Hogan, or the Demoltion/Powers of Pain double turn, the return of Mr. Perfect or the debut of The Undertaker like previous shows had. With Survivor Series out of the way, now we point our attention toward the Royal Rumble. Some of the feuds were already known at this point while others needed time to play out. They had two months to get there so let's see how things play out along the way. Since this show was actually on a Wednesday, we'll see you this coming Saturday morning for WWF Mania. See you there!