*** Scott & JT’s Vintage Vault Refresh reviews are a chronological look back at WWE PPV and TV history that began with a review of WrestleMania I. The PICs have revisited these events and refreshed all of their fun facts that provide insight into the match, competitors and state of the company as well as their overviews of the match action and opinions and thoughts on the outcomes. In addition, Jeff Jarvis assists in compiling historical information and the Fun Facts in each of the reviews. Also, be sure to leave feedback on the reviews at our Facebook page. Enjoy! ***
Monday Night Raw #41
November 29, 1993
Westchester County Civic Center
White Plains, NY
Announcers: Vince McMahon & Bobby Heenan
1) Steiner Brothers defeat Mike Khoury & Reno Riggins when Scott pins Khoury with the Frankensteiner at 3:45
Scott: We have a live RAW after a PPV and it definitely adds so much to the show, because we can get fresh commentary and somewhat reset as we get to the end of the year and into the Royal Rumble build. The Steiners do feel somewhat forgotten after losing the Tag Titles to the Quebecers, even though they were in the main event at Survivor Series. Vince has now noted the start of the Women’s Championship tournament, revitalizing the division that ended with that hack Rockin’ Robin as champion. Lest we be reminded of that Robin/Judy Martin match at the 1989 Royal Rumble? I’m curious to see who is in this tournament. Vince said it started that night at house shows. I know I’m not getting into the match, but as usual it’s a Steiners dissection. Grade: DUD
JT: We are officially in the wake of Survivor Series and now turn our sights to both the end of 1993 and the forthcoming Royal Rumble, which is about a month and a half away. The Steiner Brothers are on tap first here tonight and even though they both succumbed to elimination in Boston, they were part of the winning squad as Lex Luger survived the match on their behalf. And of course, they are also still looking to regain those Tag Team Titles that were stolen from them by the Quebecers back in September. Poor Mike Khoury and Reno Riggins draw the short straws tonight but is always good to see ol’ Reno as it has been a while. Scotty and Khoury opened things up and it didn’t take long for the suplexes to fly. Rick would tag in and level Khoury with a clothesline, sending him rolling into his corner where he could mercifully make the tag. Riggins landed one quick shot in but in the blink of an eye he was upside down and slammed into the corner with an Oklahoma Stampede. Scott topped that with a nasty Screwdriver on Reno and then a tilt-a-whirl on Khoury before polishing him off with a gross Frankensteiner that bent poor Mike in half. As always, a Steiner squash is worth a bump over your standard squash but can all these wins net them that elusive title rematch? Grade: 1/2*
*** We head back to Nashville, TN where Jeff Jarrett is back at Buddy Lee Attractions as promised. And with him in the elevator is Buddy’s cousin RP Lee, who set up the meeting. Jarrett and RP march right past the front door looking for Buddy but they aren’t able to track him down. They push past as many people as they can but are eventually shuffled out by security. ***
2) Razor Ramon defeats Diesel in a non title match by disqualification at 5:19
Fun Fact: Two nights prior at Madison Square Garden, Razor Ramon and Diesel were wrestling in another non-title match when Shawn Michaels came out to the ring and hit Ramon with his IC title belt (the fake belt). Michaels and Diesel would double team Ramon until they were forced to the back by referees. It was announced to the crowd that Michaels had been fined $5,000 for his actions.
Scott: As we’ve seen over the past few weeks, Shawn Michaels’ bodyguard has been working some singles matches while his boss was suspended. Before the match we’ve seen yet another Jeff Jarrett vignette. This is like five straight weeks of vignettes. Must have been some kind of no compete clause he had to wait on. Maybe not, but it just seems long. The match was pretty standard TV fare with Diesel doing a lot of power moves and such. After a few minutes of action in comes the no-longer suspended Shawn Michaels and tries to interfere, but in comes the 1-2-3 Kid to counter the interference and Razor wins by DQ. The match was fun TV fare but they would get better. Grade: *1/2
JT: And next up we have a pretty big matchup as our IC Champion Razor Ramon is set for a big non title match against the menacing Diesel. Diesel was pretty lost without Shawn Michaels but now that his buddy has returned, the big man seems to have his groove back, and a win here could go a long way toward a future title shot. Diesel used his power to shove Razor off early but the champ bounced up and tried to grab hold of the wrist. Diesel again pushed him off and then grabbed a side headlock. Razor fought free and landed a few blows but Diesel quickly turned the tide and started to grind away with slams and stomps. He would follow with a backbreaker and side slam for two counts before grabbing a tight bear hug. Ramon worked his way free but then ran into a hard big boot followed by a snake eyes for a Diesel near fall. Razor again broke free and after kicking Diesel in the face, he hit a bulldog off the middle rope for a two count. Ramon slugged away and started to prep for the Edge but before he could load it up, Shawn Michaels hit the ring and attacked the Bad Guy to draw the DQ. Michaels pegged Ramon with a superkick and then tried to piledrive him on the belt but 1-2-3 Kid showed up to make the save. Kid knocked Michaels to the floor and he and Ramon stood tall in the ring. That was a fun little match and Diesel actually showed more of arsenal than we are used to. Between the claim to the IC Title, the DQ finish and the brawl at the end, the feud between these four men seems to really just be heating up. Grade: *1/2
3) Bam Bam Bigelow defeats John Chrystal with an enziguri at 3:14
Scott: After that brutal match with the Four Doinks at Survivor Series, The Beast from the East takes on another forgettable jobber. Bobby is funny here, asking Vince if he wanted to hear Luna Vachon waking him up in the morning. Bobby also makes a Leon Lett dig, as this was right after Leon’s gaffe in that infamous Cowboys/Dolphins Thanksgiving game in the snow. URGH. According to Vince, President Jack Tunney said there can’t be more than one Doink. Well after this squash win we go to the past weekend’s superstars where Santa Claus gives Doink an early present: Dink. Yep, it begins. No wonder so many got frustrated. Grade: DUD
JT: If there is any guy that needs a post Survivor Series reset, it is definitely Bam Bam Bigelow. His feud with Doink has stalled his upward progress and he ended up being quite humiliated in Boston thanks to the hijinks of the clown show. As always, Luna Vachon accompanies her man and watches on as Bigelow just wrecks poor John Chrystal. As the beating went on, Bobby Heenan started picking on Gorilla Monsoon in a feud that has really been reheated as of late. He also made fun of Leon Lett, who had just had one of the most memorable fumbles in NFL history days before on Thanksgiving. Vince Mcmahon also reveals that Jack Tunney decreed the multiple Doink nonsense needs to finally stopped and said from now on there will only be over version of the Clown allowed. Bigelow grabs the win with an enziguri and based on the commentary it sounds like Bigelow isn’t quite done hunting clowns. Grade: DUD
*** We head back to Challenge where Doink the Clown was given an early Christmas gift by Santa Claus: Dink the Clown. Dink was a midget version of Doink, thus circumventing Jack Tunney’s decree of no more multiple Doinks. ***
*** Vince McMahon heads into the ring as it is time to present the trophy for WWF Superstar of the Year as voted on by the WWF fans. He first brings out the runner up, Lex Luger. Luger then reveals the winner of the trophy: Bret Hart. Hart heads out as well and after Lex takes off, he gives a heartfelt thank you speech to his fans that have always supported him through thick and thin. He dedicates the award to those fans and then holds the trophy up high to end the ceremony. ***
*** We revisit footage from Survivor Series that focused on the miscommunication between Bret and Owen Hart as well as the ending argument between the two after the match. ***
4) Owen Hart defeats Chris Duffy with the Sharpshooter at 2:48
Scott: So after we see what happened at Survivor Series, Owen Hart comes out with the black tights and the Bret shades, and he is getting some boos but still getting babyface cheers too. Right from the beginning you know Owen was ready to break out and be a star. Owen gets the quick win with the Sharpshooter. Owen was confident before and during the match, but then Bobby tries to get an interview and mentions Bret winning the trophy and Owen just walks off. This is only just beginning. Grade: DUD
JT: And speaking of the Hart Family, Owen is here tonight and set to tussle with Chris Duffy. Hart is still rocking the pink and black that he and his brothers wore in Boston. Of course, Owen did have his issues with Bret during and after their Survivor Series match but thing seemed to have settled down, despite the claims of Bobby Heenan. Owen went right at Duffy, cracking him with a leg lariat and a standing dropkick. As Owen kept working over Duffy, Vince reveals that Shawn Michaels has challenged the 1-2-3 Kid to a match here next week. The crowd fired up a “We Want Bret” chant as Owen peppered Duffy with a headbutt and an uppercut. Duffy landed a nice leaping back elbow and actually grabbed a near fall before Owen quickly came back and picked up the win with the Sharpshooter. Heenan notes that Owen is wearing Bret’s sunglasses and using his finishing hold so he goes and interviews him at ringside but Owen just blows him off. Grade: DUD
*** 1-2-3 Kid officially accepts Shawn Michaels’ challenge for next week. Razor Ramon is with him and issues Michaels a warning that Kid can beat anyone. ***
5) Ludvig Borga defeats Scott Taylor with the Torture Rack at 2:27
Scott: I wonder if Borga’s character was taken down a notch after having to eat the pin against Luger at Survivor Series. Is that feud over and Borga in essence starting over? Or was it just a throwaway pin in a tag team match and Borga continues rolling along? I’m not sure at this point. He makes quick work of Scott Taylor with a torture rack. After the match, the 1-2-3 Kid accepts Shawn Michaels’ challenge for a match next week after what happened earlier in the show. Grade: DUD
JT: Closing things out this week is our good friend Ludvig Borga, who is still licking his chops after suffering his first ever pinball loss at the hands of Lex Luger at Survivor Series. Vince and Bobby discuss Gorilla some more as Borga makes swift work of Scott Taylor, nabbing the win with the Torture Rack. Grade: DUD
Final Analysis
Scott: This is the first really fresh feeling Raw in a while. We leave Survivor Series and it feels like we are generating new feuds and utilizing talent that hadn’t been there in a while. Having Shawn and Bret on the same show for the first time in ages was a breath of fresh air. The fall was ok but still had that stale feeling, particularly since they were taping three shows in venues, by the third show it felt stale and boring. That sadly won’t go away but at least the roster is starting to freshen up and some feuds are really kicking in. This was a great “out-of-PPV” episode that seems to be a reboot of stuff. Grade: A-
JT: This was a pretty solid episode that was light on the in ring action but meaty when it came to establishing some new feuds and directions. The heavy focus was around the brewing issue between Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels, which also stars Diesel and the Kid. We also got a bit of development in the Hart Family saga as well. The squashes were all kept quite short and thus were effective in getting some heat back on guys that all lost at Survivor Series. We also had the nice Superstar of the Year segment that seemingly has repositioned Bret Hart as a top player again after he been sagging a bit throughout the fall. On top of that we have a big match already set for next week as Michaels and the Kid will go at it. Not a memorable Raw but an effective one in the scheme of its goal to be interesting episodic wresting TV. Final Grade: C+
