*** 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 #16

May 10, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York, NY
Announcers: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage & Bobby Heenan

*** The show opens outside the Manhattan Center where Lord Alfred Hayes is interviewing Shawn Michaels. As he is bragging, Mr. Perfect attacks him and they brawl amongst the fans into the street, where Perfect slings Michaels on to the hood of a card and through the windshield. The brawl would continue until the two were broken up by officials. ***

1) Bam Bam Bigelow defeats Typhoon in a King of the Ring Qualifying Match after the diving headbutt at 7:00

Scott: This almost seems like a foregone conclusion as to who is the more over guy and who will win this match. The show got off to a hot start when Shawn Michaels and Mr. Perfect started brawling outside the building in the Manhattan streets. Typhoon looks like he’s lost some weight over the past few months, not looking as plump has he had been throughout 1991-92. When you’re the butt of Bobby Heenan jokes instead of being somewhat taken seriously, you know you’ve been shoved down the card. I wasn’t expecting this match to go as slow and plodding as it has. Bigelow got Typhoon on his shoulders for a Samoan drop, then hit the flying headbutt for the victory. So Bigelow moves on to June 13 in Dayton and the tournament. Who he faces? Brackets haven’t been released yet. Grade: *

JT: We are back live inside the Manhattan Center for a very well hyped Raw with a nicely built main event. But first to start things off, we have our first Raw King of the Ring Qualifying Match. The tournament is about a month away but the brackets were already filling up quickly. Bam Bam Bigelow is still humming along through the roster looking for some sort of direction so he preps himself for a shot at the crown. Typhoon is still floating around, notching yet another Raw match to his resume in a battle of the big men. The two locked up and twice collided to a stalemate in the center of the ring until Typhoon grabbed hold of the wrist. Bigelow broke free of that and impressively slammed Typhoon before dropping an elbow. Typhoon battled back with some offense, including going back to the wrist, but Bigelow took him over with a back suplex. Typhoon shook that off too and shoved Bammer to the floor but Bigelow baited him over and rammed his head to the post to take over. Bigelow slowly worked him over as Bobby Heenan noted that he had a gash on the top of his head. Typhoon tried to mount a comeback, but Bammer cut him down with a Samoan drop and landed the headbutt for the win. They gave it a go but this one moved quite slow outside of a spot here or there. The final sequence was pretty good and Bigelow was the easy choice to advance here, looking to perhaps deliver a career night in Dayton. Grade: *

*** Another vignette airs warning of the impending debut of the Smoking Gunns, which is coming this Saturday on Mania! ***

2) Yokozuna defeats PJ Walker with the Banzai Drop at 2:12

Scott: Seeing the former WWF Champion here reminds me of one thing: Hulk Hogan, our proud WWF Champion hasn’t been on camera since WrestleMania. It’s been six weeks now, SIX WEEKS. No tv appearances for the WWF Champion. And other than Randy Savage mentioning it, no one is talking about Bret Hart’s deserved rematch. More of that soon. Yoko wins easily. Grade: DUD

JT: As Yokozuna saunters to the ring, the announcers discuss the former champion’s upcoming rematch in Dayton against the absentee Hulk Hogan. Keenan speaks confidently as this time around Yoko will be prepared to face the Hulkster. Vince even notes that Hogan hasn’t defended the belt since Mania and won’t until KOTR. Heck of a champion. It is revealed that Yoko will be back next week for a big tussle with Kamala. Savage would mention that Bret Hart deserves a rematch too while Heenan rips him for being too active as champion, leading to him finally dropping the strap. Yoko mows through Walker with his always fun heavy impact squash offense, picking up the win with the Banzai Drop. It was the definition of a squash but Yoko’s are always entertaining to watch. Grade: 1/2*

*** Gene Okerlund is on the scene with this week’s King of the Ring Report, brought to you by ICOPRO! You gotta want it! The following matches are discussed:

Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna – WWF Championship

The following superstars have qualified:

Bret Hart
Lex Luger
Razor Ramon
Jim Duggan
Bam Bam Bigelow

Three slots remain and the following qualifying matches are upcoming this weekend:

Doink vs. Mr. Perfect
Tatanka vs. Giant Gonzalez

Call your cable company today! ***

3) Mr. Perfect defeats Iron Mike Sharpe with the Perfectplex at 4:40

Scott: Always great to see Canada’s Greatest Athlete back in the ring. Sharpe isn’t acting like a normal jobber though, for after taking his licks he and Perfect go chop for chop for about 30 seconds which is pretty awesome. During the match, Bobby is watching other channels on the screen. Incidentally at ringside is a kid wearing a Sting t-shirt. That camera moved pretty quickly. Perfect, after some real work in the ring, hooks the Perfectplex for the victory. They are definitely setting up the eventual feud with Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship. Grade: **

JT: A big time Manhattan Center favorite is back this week as Mr. Perfect squares off against good old Iron Mike Sharpe. Of course, he was quite active already tonight with his brawl in the street, will return later to be a lumberjack for the main event and now has a major match this weekend too with Doink. Before the match, Perfect puts his gum in the mouth of one of the Rosatti sisters’ mouth. Quite sexual. Perfect frustrated Sharpe early, grabbing a headlock and pitching him to the floor. Perfect slung him back into the ring and messed with him a bit before the two traded chops in a fun sequence. Sharpe is really getting a few minutes to shine a bit here, which is a nice touch. To show his hatred for Perfect, Heenan flips around various channels on his alternate TV, which of course is just a way to show they are live. We also catch a glimpse of Bruce Pritchard parked next to Heenan, working producer duties. Back in the ring, Sharpe fell victim to the Perfectplex and ate another loss. Perfect is seemingly 2-0 on the night with more to come. Grade: DUD

4) Mr. Hughes defeats Cannonball Kid with the sidewalk slam at 2:19

Fun Fact: Harvey Wippleman debuts as Mr. Hughes’ manager here.

Scott: So The Kid continues changing his name after each loss, as both Vince and Bobby have pointed out. I forgot during these matches when Vince had to shill these dreadful USA movies, involving cops, hookers and crime. Maybe that’s where future storylines were coming from. Mr. Hughes, now managed by Harvey Wippleman, mangles the Kid for five minutes before pinning him. Another loss, and the legend grows. Grade: DUD

JT: The mysterious L. Kid is back yet again this week, this time under the moniker of Cannonball Kid. It was clear they had some sort of plan for him by the look and extra attention he is granted. We also get a surprise during Mr. Hughes’ entrance as he is accompanied by his newly minted manager Harvey Wippleman. Hughes wrecked the Kid, cutting him down with right hands and a powerslam. He followed that with a tree slam as Vince promoted the hot USA Original Movie “Sex, Love & Cold Hard Cash”. Check it out! Hughes laid in more aggressive offense before polishing the Kid off with a big sidewalk slam. Maybe next week, bud. That was another fun little squash, but the bigger story here is around what plans Harvey may have for his new charge. Grade: 1/2*

5) Shawn Michaels defeats Jim Duggan to retain WWF Intercontinental Title in a Lumberjack Match by disqualification at 17:20

Scott: After the schmozz that went down last episode, the IC Champion can’t run and hide from Hacksaw this week. I love the visual touch of all the lumberjacks wearing flannel shirts. Hacksaw cheap shots Yokozuna on his way to the ring. Michaels comes out on crutches to try and worm his way out of it, but Mr. Perfect will have nothing of it. Duggan and Michaels go all out and the match is much better than I remember it being. Shawn is wrestling with jeans, cowboy boots and some old 1991 WWF t-shirt that has the Ultimate Warrior and Legion of Doom. To Duggan’s credit, he really worked his ass off to keep up with Michaels and the lumberjacks are adding chaos to the match. Eventually Duggan gets disqualified and everyone starts to brawl in the ring. Michaels retains his championship but this was one of the most fun matches in a while and it made this one of the best endings to a Raw since the show started. Grade: **1/2

JT: I wonder what shifted around this episode because Vince McMahon is heavily hyping matches and appearances all throughout the upcoming weekend. Sweeps? Bix told me those don’t matter for cable, so who knows. We get quite the interesting mix of lumberjacks, with some decent star power blended into a some low mid carders. The best part is that they are all wearing the red and black lumberjack, sadly without the hat to match. Jim Duggan, still red hot from getting hosed last week, power walks to the ring and goes right after Yokozuna, dropping him with a big right hand before stomping around in the ring. Shawn Michaels was out next, but he hobbled out on crutches in his street clothes, trying to get out of the match with an injury exception. The ruse was quickly blown up by Perfect, who ran over and slugged him. Michaels hopped in the ring and jumped up and down in anger, exposing his poorly executed plan. The bell sounded and Duggan brought the fight right to the champ, showing lots of fire and energy. Duggan grabbed a near fall as the NYC faithful fired up their “Shawn is gay” chant that they stumbled across a week ago. Hacksaw really mauled Michaels, clobbering him with heavy blows and shooting him from corner to corner. Vince notes that all throughout his lengthy career, Duggan never really had much a chance to become a champion. That is a nice touch to add some importance to this match. Michaels was completely rattled, never getting on track at all as Duggan kept cracking him with punches and elbows before going to a rear chinlock and then a front chancery. At this point, the match may have been the biggest squash of the night so far with Michaels notching zero offense at all. The lumberjacks would finally get involved as well as Michaels got sent flying to the floor. He would try to escape but Perfect and Bob Backlund chased him down and carried him back into the ring.

After a break, Duggan was still on the offensive, slamming the champion hard to the mat but whiffing on a big knee drop. Michaels took advantage by pasting Hacksaw with his boot and then kicking him to the floor where the heel lumberjacks got a few licks in. Michaels grabbed a near fall before going to a chinlock but Duggan would break free and level Michaels with a clothesline. The hobbled Hacksaw was back on the attack, eventually catching Michaels on a cross body attempt and slamming him down hard for a close two count. Michaels would get dumped outside again and after another commercial break, he had returned in the ring and regained control. That was short lived, though, as he missed a charge in the corner. Before Duggan could take advantage, Bigelow hopped on the apron and distracted Hacksaw, allowing Michaels to drill him from behind. The champion then pitched Duggan to the floor, where Yoko squashed him with a leg drop. As Michaels put one boot on Duggan for the cover, Perfect hopped in the ring and cracked Michaels to draw the DQ. A moment later, all the lumberjacks spilled into the ring and brawled until Duggan cleaned house with the 2×4. That was a pretty fun match with tons of energy and brawling but the end was pretty soft. I don’t mind the DQ but it felt really flat and was a bit confusing too. I enjoyed the two week mini-storyline here as it got Michaels back front and center and ran concurrent to his hotly burning feud with Perfect. Duggan came oh so close but Michaels sneaks out with the gold yet again. Grade: **1/2

Final Analysis

Scott: An Iron Mike Sharpe appearance? He actually got some offense in that match too. The lumberjack match was a lot of fun with the controlled chaos. It’s also the first Raw that I’ve noticed the aura that the company is giving Yokozuna. He’s definitely feeling like the next WWF Champion, which is probably why Hulk Hogan is hiding under his bed and not on TV promoting their PPV match. Vince is probably starting to regret that stupid audible in Las Vegas and now is making plans to fix that mistake. Another great match for Shawn Michaels as well as the continuing growth of the “ADJECTIVE” Kid and next week that growth takes a spurt. Another fun episode as the road to the new shiny PPV continues. Final Grade: B-

JT: This was a pretty crisp little episode of Raw as it hummed along with five matches and no filler wasted time at all. All of the squashes were entertaining enough and the main event was quite fun and paid off a nice little mini arc of a storyline. I like when they do stuff like that, confined to the Raw neighborhood. It happened with this Kid stuff too They need more of it here as we move along. All in all, not a show that had much historical significance, but it was a fairly breezy 45 minutes and got a lot accomplished over the course of the episode. Final Grade: B-