In 1991, the WWF added a fifth pay-per-view to their schedule, as Vince was once again looking to compete with WCW, who had begun airing five a year in '89. This Tuesday in Texas flopped hard, as the company couldn't convince their fanbase to attend a show or purchase a pay-per-view that took place during the work week. By '93, it was time to try again, this time staying on Sunday for the first King of the Ring pay-per-view. The King of the Ring tournament had been around since '85, utilized as a house show attraction. But now it could serve a dual purpose, as the final member of the Big Five and as a literal crowning moment for the leader of "The New Generation", Bret Hart.
- Jim Ross, Randy Savage and Bobby Heenan are on the call for this show as they were for WrestleMania 9, and the trio is fine but not anywhere near as good as just the Heenan-Monsoon duo. JR is certainly much better at calling matches than Gorilla, but doesn't have anywhere near his charisma, while Savage really struggles to add much, his great promo skill doesn't really translate to color commentary.
- The King of the Ring tournament kicks off with a doozy, as Bret Hart faces Razor Ramon. This match is pretty good, not the greatest work of either man's career but a good way to start off the show. Bret uses his mat wrestling skill to try and halt the momentum of his more powerful opponent, and does a great job putting over Razor's offense, looking very close to beaten on several occasions. The finish is really well executed, as Ramon attempts a superplex, only for Hart to land on top and score the pinfall, protecting Razor from having to suffer a decisive defeat. I appreciated putting two of the most likely winners on first, as it immediately forces you to pay attention, or risk one of the most important contests of the night, as well as opening things up for the rest of the field.
- Mr. Perfect is next to advance, picking up a win over Mr. Hughes, who is Harvey Wippleman's latest monster client. Hughes is very limited and just can't sell, making this one a chore to watch, with the best moment coming before the match, as Perfect makes an incredible behind the back toss to land his towel perfectly on Hughes' shoulder. Hughes gets disqualified after attacking Perfect with The Undertaker's urn, which he used prior on Raw to injure the Deadman, a finish that makes the big man look extremely stupid, but that's fine since he's a jobber.
- Bam Bam Bigelow arrived on the scene in late 1992, beating the Big Boss Man in his pay-per-view debut at the Rumble. He picks up a rare clean win over "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, after Duggan kayfabe injures his ribs, allowing Bigelow to put him away with the diving headbutt. This match was nothing special, just a brawl, but at least the right man went over and in decisive fashion, as Duggan was on his way out of the company.
- In the final first round match, undefeated talents collide, as Lex Luger faces Tatanka. They've been asked to go to a 15 minute time limit draw, which is immediately obvious after the first 5 minutes of the match. There's just an air of filling time, both guys waiting for the cue to actually starting taking the match more seriously. When they do, the final stretch isn't terrible, they can both deliver some decent power moves and the Dayton crowd is into it. But there's no real sense of urgency to be found, the clock just expires and both men are eliminated in rather meek fashion. In a bizarre move, Luger, the heel, demands 5 more minutes, but just uses it to clock Tatanka with his steel plated forearm, which he could've done anyway after the match had ended, so the distraction was useless. Even if this match just felt like filler, it gets Bam Bam a bye to the finals and sets up an intriguing story, so I can't be too mad.
- The only semi-finals match in the tournament is unquestionably the best match of the night, as Bret Hart takes on Mr. Perfect. They bring up their match at SummerSlam '91, very smart booking, where Hart defeated Hennig to win his first Intercontinental Championship. This is a wonderful 18 minutes of wrestling, starting off slow with some chain wrestling, before slowly into a brawl and a blitz towards the finish that had me the entire way. There is a tremendous spot late in the match, after Hennig attempts the Perfectplex, both men stay locked together and topple over the top rope to the floor, a great way to demonstrate the tenacity and talent of the duo. Perfect escaping the Sharpshooter by wrenching back Hart's injured finger was a fantastic piece of psychology, rewarding you for paying attention during his match with Razor. Bret gets another somewhat fluky win, reversing Perfect's small package into one of his own to advance to the finals, though given his reputation as the best in-ring technician in wrestling, I don't mind him scoring wins in this fashion. One thing that has really bugged me during these reviews is that I never got to witness a true classic from Mr. Perfect, and I finally got to here, just in the nick of time as he departs from the WWF next year. Great stuff.
- In what I suppose you could technically call a WrestleMania 9 rematch, Hulk Hogan defends the WWF Championship against Yokozuna. The match is pants, obviously, but I did enjoy so much of the presentation and pageantry the company put into this, making it look like a real sporting event. In a classic case of Hogan's egotism, even though his time in the WWF was drawing to a close, he still couldn't lose clean, as a cameraman explodes a camera into his face, letting Yoko become a two-time champ. I'm just so glad to be done with Hogan, so happy I never have to see him again, at least until 2002. I really enjoyed his work at the first few 'Manias, he really carried the WWF through some trying times, but I just grew so effing tired of him. He wasn't even a great face by the end of this run, threatening referees, insulting foreign countries for no reason and stealing the spotlight from Bret Hart. I've waited so long to say this, so let me say it loud and proud. Hulk Hogan has been defeated. He's no longer the face of the WWF. Hallelujah.
- I guess the company had absolutely no idea what to do with it's tag team division, so just threw a bunch of guys together to wrestle for a couple minutes. The Steiner Brothers teamed up with the Smoking Gunns, Bart and Billy, to defeat Money Inc. and the Headshrinkers in a match that certainly happened. The future Mr. Ass was the man to get the pin, rolling up DiBiase for the three count, which is incredibly depressing for poor Ted. All four teams brawl immediately afterward, making the actual result feel meaningless, but really, isn't everything?
- Shawn Michaels has had gone through quite a lot in just the last few months, losing the Intercontinental title to Marty Jannetty on Raw before regaining it with the help of his new bodyguard, Diesel, or that which makes a Mack Truck go. He's defending the gold here against Crush, and I'm here to tell you that this match is very good. Crush may have a terrible finisher, but his power repertoire is awesome and Shawn's the perfect guy to make it all look great. Michaels takes some tremendous bumps here, especially off a military press slam, as Crush is really presented to look like a legit main event player. Naturally, that means he needs to continue his feud with the evil clown, as Doink brah and Doink brah brah make another appearance to blow smoke in his face. Shawn, a clever little heel, works over the challenger's head throughout the match, slamming him in the steel ring post before finishing it off, delivering a superkick to the back of the distracted Crush's head for the win. This is probably the peak of Brian Adams' career, but a match of this caliber wouldn't be possible without a guy like Michaels as a dance partner as HBK is slowly approaching the main event scene.
- Main event time, as the King of the Ring tournament final sees Bret Hart and Bam Bam Bigelow face off for the right to be crowned King. Bret is really selling just how much his first two matches have taken out of him, and Bam Bam dominates. In a last ditch attempt to save himself, Bret mounts a comeback outside, throwing Bigelow into the steel barricade, but Luna Vachon interferes, hitting Bret with a chair before absconding into the night. Bigelow hits the diving heabutt, gets the three count, and is crowned King of the WWF, as Bret loses in the biggest moment yet again. Good night folks!
10/10
-All right, I was only kidding, but that false finish is a strange one. Bret just goes down, and even though he did get hit with a chair, Luna's swing was pretty weak and makes Bret look way too beatable as a result. I guess it was to really put over how much he had gone through on this night, but you didn't have to have him actually lose, Bigelow could've just gotten a visual pinfall following a ref bump. Either way, Earl Hebner runs in to tell Joey Marella to restart the match, and Bret continues to get more and more desperate. He even hits a flying crossbody over the top rope to the floor, which may as well be a 630 off Hell in a Cell for Bret, he never flies. In another creative finish, Bret is on Bam Bam's shoulders, and manages to roll him down onto the mat to score the win. It's certainly a memorable moment and a true star making performance for the Hitman, but the match before it was mostly just fine and the somewhat Dusty finish was very strange.
- Bret gets no real time to celebrate, as he's quickly hustled to the stage, receiving his new robe, crown and scepter. Hart is proclaimed the King, at which point Jerry Lawler interrupts, making his WWF debut to proclaim himself the true King. I personally don't really care about any of this, the title of King is useless without a title shot or monetary reward attached, but it is a very convenient way to start a new feud. Lawler delivers a beatdown to Hart that includes legitimately injuring Bret, I believe it was the attack with the throne but I might be mistaken. It's an odd way to end the night, somewhat devaluing the big tournament you just spent almost 3 hours trying to make the audience care about, though this is also a classic debut for Lawler, so I didn't mind that much.
8/10
Not everything about King of the Ring 1993 worked, with the WWF title match and eight man tag falling completely flat, the odd booking of the main event and the Luger-Tatanka match the most obvious negatives. In spite of that, the story told throughout the night is gripping, and Bret's journey to being crowned King makes him an easy babyface to get behind. Toss in an easy match of the year candidate between Hart and Perfect and you have the recipe for a very entertaining watch. This event was sort of a make good between Bret and Vince, not just for the WrestleMania 9 ending but also because Hogan had refused to drop the belt back to Bret, which is just classic Hulk. Once again, I'm just so happy he's gone. For that alone, King of the Ring '93 is worth a watch.
Next time on Henry's Pay-Per-View Reviews: I just ahead to 1994 for another Bret Hart showcase, as he wrestles in one of the two classic matches at WrestleMania 10. See you soon.
- Henry
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