RAW Retrospective: Monday Night Raw 05.03.93

Posted by Trace Aber on 09.27.2009

We get a lot of Jim Duggan and the debut of Sean Waltman, but the most important thing is that Dwayne Gill has returned once more!

WWF RAW Episode Fifteen
May 03, 1993
Live from the Manhattan Center
Hosts: Randy Savage, Vince McMahon, and Bobby Heenan
Approx. Run Time: 41 minutes

Shawn Michaels(c) Vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan for the Intercontinental Championship
We kick the show off with Shawn Michaels’ music playing and he air-humps the ring girl. For some reason I always thought it was recently that champions would occasionally come out first in matches but now that I’ve been watching some older wrestling it seems like they just pick and choose who comes out first…though being a heel champion seems to get you out there first more often. Duggan is pretty over with the crowd, which is impressive for someone who carries around a 2x4 as a sign of patriotism. Shawn powders out to the ring early on, most likely so Duggan can say “HOOOO” a few more times. He starts a USA chant, which for some reason bothers Shawn Michaels. They finally lock up two minutes or so into the match and Shawn gets taken down with a couple of clotheslines, so he powders out once more. Duggan catches Shawn’s foot and hammers away with some fists, once again sending Shawn to the outside. Michaels tries to leave the ring but Duggan carries him back as we go to commercial. When we get back Michaels is in control with some rights then chokes him against the ropes. Duggan takes a couple of knees to the chest before getting choked with Shawn’s boots. The place erupts in “HOOOOOO’s!” and Duggan attempts the comeback but gets punched in the corner. Michaels hits an axe handle smash from the top for two. Hacksaw fights out of a chinlock but runs into a boot and about five or six elbows. Michaels goes back to the chinlock, though Duggan manages to escape and hit a shoulder block. Michaels sends Duggan to the outside after a running knee and hits him with an axe handle to the outside. Duggan gets revved up thanks to the USA chants but gets stopped after a turnbuckle shot. Vince asks what one has to do to keep Hacksaw down and almost instantly Heenan answers, “Stun gun.” Shawn goes back to the chinlock after going nearly eighty seconds without one, but then again there’s not much you can against a guy who’s main offense is yelling, “HOOOOOO!” and garnering USA chants. Duggan escapes that one and pounds away at Michaels in the corner and follows up with a spinning power slam. Duggan hits a clothesline that sends Michaels out, which gives him the idea to try escaping to the back again. They brawl outside for a bit until Duggan clotheslines Michaels into the crowd, leading to the countout at 11:17. * Dreadful match that was nothing but Duggan yelling and being put in chinlocks. Michaels seemed bored as hell, and I share the same sentiment.
Winner: Jim Duggan via Count Out

Duggan cuts a promo after the match and says that he should be the IC champion. And, as such, he’s staging a protest in the middle of the ring. He throws two chairs into the ring despite only using one. He tried to throw three in but something went wrong with the third one. We come back from commercial and Duggan is now walking around the ring, still waiting for Shawn Michaels. During all of this mess they announce Yokozuna Vs Hulk Hogan for the King of the Ring.

Doink the Clown Vs The Kamikaze Kid
We come back from commercial break with this match, so I guess Duggan gave up his protest? This would be the debut of Sean Waltman, though it doesn’t quite go his way. Doink throws the Kid into a couple of corners before hitting a belly to belly and a clothesline. Doink locks in an STF but quickly lets go because he’d rather smash Kid’s face in the ring. Kid tries to fight back but gets stomped some more. Despite being called The Kamikaze Kid he’s wearing his Lightening Kid tights. Oh, and Duggan is on the phone with Jack Tunney and that’s why he life. Doink hits some elbows and Kid gives up after a vicious looking Stump Puller at 2:05. DUD, but Waltman had better things ahead of him.
Winner: Doink the Clown

Bob Backlund Vs Dwayne Gill
Awesome, my second Dwayne Gill sighting since reviewing these! Gill refuses the handshake to start things off and thus gets schooled on the mat. Gill tries charging but gets tripped up every time, and it looks like he lands on his head. They announce a lumberjack rematch for Michaels and Duggan, which I actually remember watching live when I was just a young mark. Gill traps Backlund in the headscissors for a bit but Backland hops out. The look on Gill’s face when he gets out is pretty funny. Backlund hits a shoulder block but gets taken down with a hip toss. Gill works on Backlund’s arm but in an impressive feat he deadlifts Gill and puts him on the top rope. Gill charges, gets back dropped, and pinned with the bridge at 3:39. * Out of all of the jobbers they chose Dwayne Gill to give Backlund problems with wrestling? Not that it was terrible or anything, mind you, it just seems kind of a weird choice in retrospect.
Winner: Bob Backlund

Vince McMahon is ringside with Hacksaw Jim Duggan (what, is he not good enough for an in-ring interview?). Duggan said that he talked to the President and that it wasn’t right that Shawn ran away. So, Jack Tunney made a rematch for a lumberjack match, which I never really got as a gimmick. They never make matches any better. Duggan continues to reveal clues about his secret love for Shawn Michaels, calling him pretty again. He also calls him tough guy about forty times and in the most annoying voice ever.

The Headshrinkers Vs Jay Sledge and Jim Bell
Captain Lou Albano comes out, talks to the jobbers, and then makes his way ringside for commentary. This is his first appearance in about six years. Albano and Heenan refuse to speak to one another on commentary, for those interested. The Headshrinkers attack the jobbers early on and give one of them a huge flapjack. Samu hits a clothesline on the jobber and he nearly has a seizure before getting tossed over the ropes. Outside, Fatu bodyslams the jobber on the ring mat. The jobber goes down with a superkick and forced to tag his partner, who also goes down with the superkick. At no point in this match do they discuss which jobber is which, so I’m just calling them jobbers. The Headshrinkers hit a double piledriver on the jobber, which causes Afa to bounce up and down. Samu hits a headbutt and elbow before tagging Fatu back in. Albano speaks in his crazy language, though it sounds like he’s just making noises. Fatu chokes the jobber out on the ropes and tags Samu back in, who chokes him on the ground. Fatu gets tagged in again and they hit a double stroke. Fatu hits the splash from the top for three at 5:43. DUD This match was just all over the place, and none of those places were good. After the match the Headshrinkers choke out the jobber as Albano says the Samoans have changed and he doesn’t know what happened.
Winner: The Headshrinkers

We get clips from the home video release, “Smack ‘Em and Whack ‘Em”, which features The Bushwhackers trying to repair a house with absolutely hilarious results.

Kamala Vs Rick Meyers
Something tells me Meyers won’t fare too well in this match. Meyers wants a handshake but tricks Kamala into a dropkick. That doesn’t do much so he runs into an elbow and Kamala’s ass, which, as it turns out, also doesn’t do too much. Kamala tosses Meyers around as Vince seems downright giddy about all of the wrestlers wearing lumberjack shirts. Kamala throws Meyers around some more before choking him. Vince points out that Slick isn’t out here and Savage, sounding as serious as possible, “Where is he? What happened? What’s the story?” Dude is fucking concerned. Meyers ducks a chop but runs into a superkick and gets splashed. Kamala can’t figure out the pin so the fans help him out for the three at 2:29. DUD Kamala never was my cup of tea.
Winner: Kamala

Next week we get Bam Bam Vs Typhoon, Shawn Michaels Vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan in a lumberjack match and more Sean Waltman!

Shawn Michaels is in the back with Heenan and desires to be treated better. Michaels doesn’t even have Tunney’s number, yet Jim Duggan does. Because of this injustice, Shawn has to defend his title in a lumberjack match. Heenan wants to know Michaels’ plan, so he turns his microphone off and they discuss it as we end the show.

The 411: Nothing really going out of the way for. The IC title match was terrible and while the match makes sense given the lumberjack rematch, there’s better ways of doing it. Seeing Sean Waltman’s debut was definitely interesting but not terribly exciting. All in all, pretty weak effort here.

Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]