WWE SummerSlam 1993 (1993)

In terms of overall drama and pacing, SummerSlam 1993 is actually a pretty successful event. It has it's share of stinkers, but also a good deal of entertainment.The Good: -Razor Ramon as an established superstar (taking on Ted DiBiase). - Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels (budding star) vs. Mr. Perfect (on the way out) - The 1-2-3 Kid gimmick is actually kind of cool...taking a "jobber" and flipping the script. -Bret Hart vs. Doink the Clown. Once you get past all the Jerry Lawler crutches nonsense, the match is actually pretty good.The Bad: -WWF couldn't buy a good tag team at this point. Smokin' Guns? Heavenly Bodies? Headshrinkers? Yikes. -With the knowledge that the Hulk Hogan era was finally over, Vince McMahon tries to replace him with...a clone of himself (in Lex Luger). Unforgivable. Can't just have another cut guy to wave the flag. -Fat guys (like Yokozuna) just don't make good headliners. They just can't move well enough to carry a match.The Ugly: -Undertaker (always a good performance) vs. Giant Gonzalez (maybe the worst "wrestler" I've ever seen. The guy could hardly walk!)So, overall I was basically entertained by SummerSlam 1993. Besides some clunkiness and awkwardness, there are some really fun moments. It's too bad that Vince McMahon was still so enamored by the roided-up guys and Hogan clones that he couldn't adapt as fast as happened later. However, with WCW still a little ways off from mounting a challenge, the WWF could pretty much put any level of talent on the air and get eyeballs.

We start with "Hero" compilation of Lex Luger. That's so embarrassing beginning.1. Ted DiBiase Vs. Razor Ramon - Razor:fan favorite from heel, nice. 6/10 2. Tag Team Championship: Heavenly Boddies Vs. Champs-Steiner Brothers - Outstanding match. These suplexes from Scotty are legendary 8/10 3. Intercontinental Championship: Champ-Shawn Michaels Vs. Mr. Perfect - I like, how asshole Nash stands in the shadow of Shawn. At all good match, but another screwing with Mr. Perfect makes me sick. 7/10 4. 1-2-3 Kid Vs. I.R.S. - Decent match. I'm surprised, that they let Rorunda won. 6/10 5. Bret Hart Vs. Doink the Clown - Nothing special 6/10 6. Bret Hart Vs. Jerry Lawler - Better match than previous, Jerry is still the King by title. 7/10 7. Marty Jannetty Vs. Ludvig Borga - Marty again lose with totally idiotic Borga, that cannot wrestle much (maybe boxing is his domena) Jannetty laid again, pff, get him outta my face, he's like Iaukea in WCW, useless... 5/10 8. Giant "Stiff" Gonzáles Vs. The Undertaker - This is one of the worst feuds I've ever seen and it's mostly because of doll Gonzáles. I give 5* only for defeated that non-wrestler. 5/10 9. Smoking Guns/Tatanka Vs. Headshrinkers/Bam Bam Bigelow - I laughed hard when Tatanka start his idiotic dance across the ring like always and BBB took him down with head-kick :D This was the brightest moment, next that Yipee Indian won again. Blah... 5.5/10 10. WWF Championship: Lex Luger Vs. Champ-Yokozuna - We started with pathetic American disrespect for everything from Japan because of Yoko. Signing Japanese anthem accompanied with boos. Next on program was clumsy match, and Luger won by count out. 5/10

This was the first PPV in a new era for the WWE as Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Ric Flair and Sherri Martel had all left. A new crop of talent needed to be pushed. And this all started with Lex Luger, a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion being given a title shot against Yokozuna. Lex travelled all over the US in a bus called the Lex Express to inspire Americans into rallying behind him in his bid to beat the Japanese monster (who was actually Samoan) and get the WWE Championship back into American hands. As such there was much anticipation for this match.But every good PPV needs an undercard and this had some good stuff.The night started off with Razor Ramon defeating Ted DiBiase in a good match. The story going into this was that DiBiase had picked on Ramon and even offered him a job as a slave after his shock loss to the 1-2-3 Kid on RAW in July. Ramon, angry, had then teamed with the 1-2-3 Kid against the Money Inc tag team of Ted DiBiase and Irwin R Shyster. To settle their differences they were both given one on one matches DiBiase vs Ramon and Shyster vs The Kid. Razor was able to settle his side of the deal after hitting a Razor's Edge.Next up came the Steiner Brothers putting the WWE Tag Team Titles on the line against The Heavenly Bodies. Depsite the interference of "The Bodies" Manager Jim Cornette, who hit Scott Steiner in the throat with a tennis racket, they were able to pull out the win in a decent match.Shawn Michaels and Mr Perfect had been feuding since Wrestlemania IX when Shawn Michaels confronted Perfect after his loss to Lex Luger. Perfect had then cost Michaels the Intercontinental Championship when he distracted him in a title match against Marty Janetty. Michaels had won the title back and was putting it on the line against Mr Perfect, but Michaels now had a powerful ally in his corner in his 7 foot bodyguard Diesel. Micheals and Perfect had an excellent match here, but it was Diesel who proved the difference maker, pulling Perfect out of the ring and throwing him into the steel steps for Shawn to win by count out.Irwin R Shyster avenged the loss of his tag team partner earlier in the night, easily accounting for the 1-2-3 Kid.Next came one of the big matches of the night as Bret Hart prepared to battle Jerry Lawler for the title of undisputed King of the WWE. But Lawler came out with crutches, saying he'd been injured in a car accident earlier that day and that he'd arranged another opponent for Hart: Doink the Clown. Hart and Doink had a passable match which Hart won with a sharpshooter. He was then jumped from behind by Lawler. This bought WWE President Jack Tunney to the ring who told Lawler that he would receive a lifetime ban if he didn't wrestle Hart. Hart then destroyed Lawler, winning with the sharpshooter, but Hart refused to let go of the hold and the referee reversed his decision. So after all that Lawler was named the undisputed King of the WWE. This match was followed by Ludvig Borda destroying Marty Janetty in a short match.The Undertaker finished his long rivalry with Harvey Wippleman, which had started in 1992 when the Undertaker had defeated Wippleman's client Kamala at Summerslam and continued when Wippleman's latest monster The Giant Gonzales had destroyed Taker at the Rumble and then again at Wrestlemania, with a decisive victory over Gonzales here. Gonzales then turned on Wippleman, chokeslamming him after a poor match.Next it was time for six man tag action as the Smoking Gunns (Bart and BIlly) and Tatanka defeated The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu) and Bam Bam Bigelow with Tatanka pinning Samu.This brings us to the main event with Yokozuna, flanked by Jim Cornette and Mr Fuji, putting the WWE Title on the line against Lex Luger and it was all on board the Lex Express. Lex came out attacking, but Yokozuna took control. Lex came back though as he was able to avoid a banzai drop and then body slam Yokozuna before knocking him out of the ring. Luger then attacked Cornette and Fuji as Yokozuna was counted out. Luger had won a fine match!!!!! Balloons fell from the ceiling. The heroes all came out to congratulate him on his win. Yokozuna may have retained the title, but Luger had proved he could be beaten. The only question was, who could beat him in the ring and get that title off him?

SummerSlam made it's debut in 1988 and in my opinion it has always been an average event. It's never been in the same league as WrestleMania, Royal Rumble or Survivor Series. This event was one of the better SummerSlams.(POSSIBLE SPOILERS)Lex Luger faced monster heel Yokosuna in the main event for the WWF belt. Luger was really popular at the time and the fans were behind him throughout the match. He had a good match but it was a bit of an anti-climax to see the match end in a count out.There were some decent undercard matches as well such as Shawn Michaels defending his Intercontinental Title against Mr Perfect. Razor Ramon had a reasonable match with the capable Ted DiBiase. Another great match pitted the Steiner Brothers against the Heavenly Bodies.One of my favourites pitted The Undertaker against the really tall Giant Gonzalez. None of these guys could ever have a five star match but it was great to see the Undertaker vanquish the seemingly invincible Gonzalez.Bret Hart was on the card too facing Doink the Clown and Jerry "The King" Lawler in superb matches. As was the norm during his WWF days, Bret put on a good show.I give a huge thumbs up to SummerSlam '93.