RAW Retrospective: Monday Night Raw 05.10.93

Posted by Trace Aber on 10.03.2009

It's the first ever lumberjack match on RAW and a bunch of nothing!

WWF RAW Episode Sixteen
May 10, 1993
Live from the Manhattan Center
Hosts: Randy Savage, Vince McMahon, and Bobby Heenan
Approx. Run Time: 42 minutes

We kick things off with Shawn Michaels in mid-promo when Mr. Perfect interrupts, leading to a brawl. Perfect throws Michaels into a car door and then flips him on the hood, which causes a bunch of random people to separate the two. They meet once again in the middle of the street, though the fight gets broken up again. I believe the car they used was Fink’s, for those interested.

Vince, Heenan, and Savage all put over the lumberjack match tonight. They talk about how Mr. Perfect and Yokozuna will be at ringside for the match.

King of the Ring Qualifier: Typhoon Vs Bam Bam Bigelow
They lock up and bump shoulders a few times, though nobody falls. Typhoon hits a bodyslam after an awkward brawling sequence then works on the arm. Bigelow fights out of it and hits a sloppy bodyslam but misses a headbutt. Typhoon takes control of the arm once more and hits a headbutt of his own. Bigelow hits a backdrop, which Typhoon sells like death one second and then completely no-sells it the next. Bigelow rolls outside and lures Typhoon face-first into the ringpost. Typhoon takes another shot to the ringpost. Typhoon crawls into the ring and gets pounded on by Bam Bam. Typhoon rams Bigelow into the corner from the chinlock position but Bam Bam locks it back on as we cut to break. When we get back Typhoon hits a sloppy clothesline, misses a charge and takes a Samoan Drop. Bam Bam climbs the top rope and hits the headbutt for three at 5:08. This match was really slow and sloppy…two things that you don’t typically look for in a good match. DUD
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow

Yokozuna Vs PJ Walker
They announce Yokozuna Vs Kamala next week…I can’t wait to review that match. Yoko spends a good thirty-forty seconds stretching before tossing Walker halfway across the ring. Walker, to his credit, keeps coming back but, to his discredit, keeps getting knocked down with forearms and chops. Yoko catches him in the belly to belly and follows up with a leg drop. Walker gets tossed into the corner, splashed, and then Yoko hits the Banzai Drop for the three at 2:12. Squash match to put over Yokozuna on his way to facing Hulk Hogan at the King of the Ring. I guess it’s a positive that it felt much quicker than 2:12. DUD
Winner: Yokozuna

Mr. Perfect Vs Iron Mike Sharpe
Mr. Perfect is distracted by the obese Raw Girl and throws his chewing gum in her mouth. This somehow gets a face pop and the Raw girl is smiling. What the fuck was wrong with 1993? Sharpe shoves Perfect to start things off but gets sent out of the ring with a dropkick. Perfect brings Sharpe in the hard way and the two exchange blows, ending with Sharpe meeting the turnbuckle about nine or ten times. Perfect snaps the neck but gets choked on the ropes leading to a pretty stiff chop exchange for a squash match. Perfect wins it, obviously. Sharpe charges an empty turnbuckle and kicks out of a roll up at two. They cut to Heenan changing the channels while Vince shouts that nothing is more exciting than Monday Night Raw. Heenan reasons that he would rather watch anything else than Mr. Perfect wrestling. Sharpe ducks and that leads to the Perfectplex for three at 4:40. Perfect always let the jobbers get some offense in to make the match semi-interesting, so this is already match of the night. *1/2
Winner: Mr. Perfect

Mr. Hughes Vs The Cannonball Kid
Before the match Heenan tries to get the ring girl’s phone number but has no such luck. Kid gets taken down early with a huge powerslam. Hughes follows up with a choke bomb and a kick to the head for good measure. Kid tries to fight back but knocks himself down in the process and gets whipped hard into the turnbuckle. A big boot and bossman slam finishes it at 2:19. After the match Kid gets tossed out of the ring as Hughes’ new manager, Harvey Whippleman runs in the ring. DUD
Winner: Mr. Hughes

Intercontinental Title, Lumberjack Match: Shawn Michaels(c) Vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Your lumberjacks include Mr. Perfect, Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji) , Terry Taylor, Bam Bam Bigelow, Typhoon, Bob Backlund, Mr. Hughes, and Tatanka. All of the lumberjacks are wearing lumberjack shirts. Think God they dropped that gimmick. There’s a lot of time left on this show…I have a feeling this match is going to go much longer than I feel comfortable with. Hacksaw cheapshots Yokozuna on the outside during his entrance, which really seems like a bad idea in retrospect. Michaels comes out on crutches so Mr. Perfect attacks him from behind, tosses him in the ring, and Michaels reveals himself to be A-OK! Duggan dominates early with an atomic drop and suplex. He rips half of Michaels’ shirt off before hitting a clothesline and working the shoulderblocks in the corner. Duggan hits a stiff-sounding elbow and goes to the camel clutch as Savage and McMahon yell that he needs to go for the pin. For some reason this amused me. Michaels gets trapped in the bear hug but Duggan turns that into a bodyslam for two. Michaels rakes the eyes and the two exchange rights with Duggan winning, which leads to a front face lock. Duggan pounds away at Michaels in the corner and I begin to wonder how long it will be before Michaels can try to do something to make this match interesting. Duggan tosses Michaels over the top rope, which prompts Michaels to try to leave the building. Perfect and Backlund catch him though and send him to the ring as we cut to break. Back in Duggan misses a knee drop. Michaels nails him with his boot and sends Duggan to the outside. All of the lumberjacks send him back in the ring, so Michaels kicks him out again. Michael stomps away (including the dreaded springboard stomp!) and chokes Duggan on the ropes. Duggan runs into Michael’s boot, which gets a two count for the champ. Michaels works the chinlock as Yokozuna looks on at Duggan with anger…and a deep deep passion that hasn’t been seen since. Duggan hits a clothesline and back body drop. He chokes Michaels right in front of Yokozuna, though nothing transpires. Michaels takes some forearms in the corner and gets bodyslam. That seems to be Duggan’s Go-To move. Duggan hits the charging clothesline, sending Michaels outside as we cut to break. When we get back Michaels has control but he misses a splash, meaning that son of a bitch Duggan has control again. Bam Bam gets on the apron which distracts Duggan, allowing Michaels time to throw him to the outside towards Yokozuna, who hits a leg drop before tossing him back in the ring. Michaels puts his foot on Duggan’s chest for the pin which causes Perfect to run in and attack Michaels, leading to the lame DQ to a lame match around 18 lame minutes of lame. Absolutely terrible experience, having to watch that. DUD. After the match all of the lumberjacks get in the ring and brawl until Hacksaw brings his 2x4 to clear the ring.
Winner: Shawn Michaels via DQ

The 411: This show was pretty terrible from start to beginning. The KOTR qualifier was slow and uninteresting and the jobber matches were, well, jobber matches. I’ll give Perfect credit for making his at least semi-interesting, but it’s still nothing more than a squash. The main event is on a completely different level of bad here. Maybe it’s because I can’t stand watching Duggan wrestle, or maybe it’s because I don’t like lumberjack matches, but there was nothing going on except boring offense from Duggan and Michaels seemed unmotivated. There is nothing worth checking out here unless you want to see Mr. Hughes in a lumberjack shirt.

Final Score:  4.0   [ Poor ]