While 1992 is seen as the last great year of the WWF Golden Era, 1993 can best be described as the start of a troublesome period which eventually led to the less impactful ‘New Generation Era’. By mid-1993, many of the WWF’s previous stars including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior and Andre the Giant could no longer be called upon.
Under pressure from the federal government to crack down on illicit steroid use across the business, Vince turned to a smaller, more athletic competitor to headline his company, turning professional wrestling into more of a ‘realistic’ form of entertainment.
And while many of these names are now important WWE Hall of Fame legends, the likes of Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Razor Ramon weren’t quite ready to run with the ball. Many of the main PPV shows in 1993 were very under-par, and it can be a struggle to list many signature moments.
There were, however, one or two things to look back on, and in many ways, 1993 was the birthplace of several important milestones that would help the company get back on its feet in later years.
Here are the top 10 shocking moments from 1993:
#1 Monday Night Raw is born
Today’s wrestling audience simply take it for granted that every Monday night they will be able to tune in and watch three hours worth of WWE action. If this isn’t enough, there are also two further hours to enjoy on Tuesday nights and a developmental show to watch on Wednesdays. Yes, the content each week isn’t always compelling, and we will forever complain about which Superstar was not featured enough and which ones we are tired of listening to, but generally speaking, we are very spoilt as wrestling fans in 2017.
Back at the start of 1993, the situation was very different. If there was not a PPV to look forward to that month, you would have to rely on a sporadic schedule where you might occasionally get Saturday Night’s Main Event or WWF Superstars. Even then it was not certain which of your favourite wrestlers you would see compete as there just wasn’t the time to fit the entire roster in. This all changed on January 11th, 1993 when the first ever episode of Monday Night Raw aired on the USA Network.
Raw was a revolutionary concept when it came to wrestling shows. Not only were audiences promised at least one hour of wrestling every single week, but the format was unlike anything the WWF had put out before. The show was filmed in front of a live audience with real-time commentary playing over the broadcast.
Also read: 10 shocking moments from WWF (WWE) 1992
Shows like Superstars aired pre-taped matches from weeks before, so the commentary and discussion were always retrospectives. Raw allowed for a much more direct experience with audience, wrestler and announcer all being involved in the action at the same time.
The vast majority of Raw episodes throughout 1993 were filmed in the same location in Poughkeepsie, New York, the spiritual home of the WWF/E. The very first episode saw Shawn Michaels defend his Intercontinental Championship against Max Moon, as well as The Undertaker, Doink the Clown and the very first Raw match-up, which involved Yokozuna and Koko. B. Ware (you can thank me later if this question ever comes up in a pub quiz!).
We also had some hilarious backstage segments involving Bobby Heenan who was forbidden from entering the building and thus decided to dress up in various costumes as a way of getting near the action. It was all a far cry from the days of Raw is WAR in the late 90s, but 1993 is where it all began.
#2 Brutus Beefcake attacked by Money Inc. on Raw
For those who look back at the early 90s era of WWF, one of the criticisms they have is that the action isn’t controversial enough. WWF from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s was mainly about lighthearted family entertainment. The beer drinking, monster truck driving Superstars of the Attitude Era were just not what Vince McMahon wanted for his main event scene at the time. However, there were still some segments back in 1993 which were difficult to watch.
In an early attempt to relate the onscreen action to real life events, Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake made his return to the WWF after a period of absence. Brutus had suffered serious real life injuries from a parasailing accident in 1990, which required him to have facial reconstructive surgery. While being interviewed in the ring by Vince McMahon on one of the very first episodes of Monday Night Raw, Beefcake was interrupted by Money Inc, a fantastic tag-team consisting of The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, and IRS.
In a shocking turn of events, Beefcake was manhandled by DiBiase, while IRS slammed his metal briefcase directly into the Barber’s face. After what was an emotionally charged and graphically detailed interview by Beefcake, this segment really did carry an impactful punch. One can only imagine how it must have come across to a live audience who were not used to seeing such callous, spiteful action by their WWF Superstars, whether they were heels or not.
The storyline would eventually lead to the return of Hulk Hogan, the onscreen best friend of Brutus Beefcake. A tag-team match was then announced for Wrestlemania 9 between Money Inc and the newly formed team of Hogan and Brutus, who called themselves the ‘Mega-Maniacs’. This angle also saw Jimmy Hart turn babyface for the very first time, teaming up with Hogan after years of attempting to wrestle the WWF Championship away from him with the help of his heel faction.
The resulting Wrestlemania match might not have been anything special, but this segment will no doubt live on in people’s memories, especially if they were around to see it live.
#3 Lex Luger bodyslams Yokozuna
Yokozuna is, in this writer's humble opinion, one of the most underrated WWE Superstars of all time. The WWE has built a reputation of themselves as the land of the giants, and have traditionally relied upon babyface wrestlers stepping up and defeating larger than life villains, all in the name of the American way of life.
Yokozuna fitted into this narrative perfectly. He was an all conquering heel, able to (literally) squash opponents, and would constantly threaten to tear apart the hopes and dreams of all the young American boys and girls across the country. Along with his manager, Mr Fuji, he would wave the Japanese flag high above the WWF ring, tempting all would-be challengers to come and take his crown.
In actual fact, the Yokozuna character was portrayed Rodney Agatupu Anoa’i, a member of the historic Samoan wrestling family. Back in 1993, Anoa’i would secure his very first WWF Championship at Wrestlemania 9, defeating Bret Hart in the main event. The man went on to have one of the most dominant years in WWF history, all while weighing an incredible 568 pounds. And contrary to expectations, Yoko was no slouch in the ring.
He was able to carry out near impossible flexibility and athleticism despite his size and would put on matches that lasted well over 10 minutes. While a lot of people credit Bret Hart for wrestling two matches at Wrestlemania 10 a year later, most people forget that Yokozuna also endured two matches on that night, both for the WWF Championship itself.
In 1993, as the Summerslam period was approaching, Vince knew he needed a new babyface in a position to take on his monster heel. Hulk Hogan had now officially left the company altogether, and the pool of talent McMahon had left to choose from was fairly thin. He would, therefore, have to create somebody, practically from scratch. In an unexpected turn of events, Vince turned to Lex Luger, a Superstar mainly known for being a heelish member of Bobby Heenan’s faction, and decided to create a new Hulk Hogan for the 90s.
Mr Fugi was becoming so confident that nobody on the roster would be able to defeat Yokozuna for the WWF Champion, that he issued an open challenge to the entire locker room to attempt to bodyslam his Japanese giant. To add insult to injury, the event would take place on 4th July, America’s birthday, onboard the USS Intrepid. Numerous Superstars such as Crush, Randy Savage and Bob Backlund all attempted to slam Yoko but ultimately failed.
When all hope appeared to be lost, out stepped the re-packaged Lex Luger who, to the sheer delight of the viewing audience, picked Yoko up and slammed him to the ground. The scene was clearly an attempt to re-live the magic of Wrestlemania 3 when Hogan bodyslammed Andre, and while Luger’s attempt cannot be spoken about in the same light as Hogan’s, it was still pretty special in its own right.
Luger would go on to enjoy relative success for the remainder of the year but was never quite able to break out into the WWF’s upper echelons, despite Vince’s best efforts.
#4 Hulk Hogan closes out another Wrestlemania
Because of the shift towards promoting a younger generation of wrestlers, after so many of the former talent left the company in 1993, Wrestlemania 9 was supposed to be about ushering in and cementing new stars.
That appeared to be the case at first. We had singles matches involving Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon and Lex Luger, and crucially, the main event did not involve the former WWF Champion and Wrestlemania icon Hulk Hogan. After seeing him in the main event of the WWF’s signature PPV in 7 of the previous 8 occasions, it was a welcome relief to be able to sit down and enjoy the main event involving Bret Hart and Yokozuna, two of the most promising stars the company had at the time.
Hogan was himself involved in a tag-team match lower down the card. It’s not as if the WWF fans wanted to forget about the Hulkster, and many were still happy to see him appear on the show, but what we didn’t need was yet another Wrestlemania ending with Hogan standing tall. Unfortunately, that’s what we got.
After Yokozuna was crowned the WWF Champion after blinding Bret Hart with powder, Mr Fugi inexplicably decided to issue an on the spot challenge to Hogan. Why somebody would do that to their client who had just won you the biggest prize in wrestling is anyone’s guess.
Hogan entered the ring and defeated Yoko in a matter of seconds. When you look back at Wrestlemania 9 on the WWE network, you might be convinced that the crowd responded well to it. It was, after all, quite a shocking moment. But in truth, it was a shocking moment that nobody really wanted.
This should have been Yoko’s time to cement his position as the top heel in the company, or at the very least Bret should have retained in order to solidify his own position as the New Generation’s champion. Instead, we got one last rendition of ‘Real American’ and the characteristic Hulk Hogan posing to close out the show.
Wrestlemania 9 isn’t considered one of the better Wrestlemania events of all time, and that’s putting it politely. And rather than using its main event to at least help the company move forward, we instead got this rather uncalled for ending that helped nobody.
#5 The death of Hulkamania
If Wrestlemania 9 was not going to signal the end of Hulkamania, it would have to be left to King of the Ring 1993 instead. The story goes that Vince’s initial plan was to have Hogan drop the WWF Championship to Bret Hart in a passing of the torch moment to move WWF into the new generation. Hogan, still not quite ready to give back to the company that had made him a Superstar, refused to do the job for Bret, claiming that the Hitman was too small and therefore unworthy of ending such a historic era.
With Hogan planning to leave the company, Vince managed to convince him to drop the belt to Yokozuna at King of the Ring instead. This was not the kind of moment fans were hoping for, but at least it gave Yoko the honour of being the man to finish off Hulk Hogan once and for all (or so we thought at the time).
The match itself wasn’t anything special, and the booking of the finish was typical of the WWF. Rather than have Hogan succumb to a Yokozuna pinfall, the title ended up changing hands due to a dodgy cameraman who temporarily blinded Hogan with the flash of his camera, allowing Yoko to roll the legend up for the victory.
It’s hard to look back on the career of Hulk Hogan and not feel a little aggrieved at the man for failing to do the job for others. Even as he was leaving the company, he couldn’t help but make himself the hero and make the rest of the roster look undeserving of cleanly defeating him in the process. At least Yoko’s victory kickstarted a genuinely new era for the company, one in which guys like Bret, Shawn Michaels and Undertaker could truly excel.
It wasn’t the original plan for the death of Hulkamania, but at least we got it eventually.
#6 Jim Ross signs with WWF
With the possible exception of Mauro Ranallo, the current WWE commentary personnel cannot hold a candle to the legendary announce teams of old. If you grew up during the Hogan era, you would be used to the brilliant comedy duo of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan. You might also have fond memories of Jessie Ventura, and the chemistry he used to enjoy with Gorilla at the main PPV shows.
If you’re a slightly younger fan and were alive to see the likes of Stone Cold and the Rock go at it, you would no doubt owe much of your childhood to ‘Good Ol’ JR’, Jim Ross. JR will most likely remain the greatest ever professional wrestling announcer of all time. He has an ability to bring wrestling to life so that for 2 or 3 hours you can suspend your disbelief and enjoy wrestling through the eyes of a child once more.
The enthusiasm he puts into his work brings each character to life. If it was a choice between listening to Michael Cole commentate on The Undertaker Vs. Triple H, or Jim Ross talking you through Max Moon Vs. The Repo Man, it’s a genuinely difficult decision to make.
Jim Ross made his debut for the WWF in the early part of 1993, just in time to commentate on Wrestlemania 9. At the time, this might not have felt like such a big deal, but in hindsight, this was one of the best signings Vince McMahon would ever make. JR was initially a part of the WCW broadcast team, working alongside Tony Schiavone.
His relationship with WCW executive Eric Bishoff was not a good one. There have been rumours directed at both of them that neither man was a joy to work with. When Bischoff became Executive Producer at WCW, JR would trigger an immediate release clause in his contract that he had cleverly secured a few months prior.
WCW’s loss was WWE’s gain, and the man would go on to delight audiences for many years. It was great to see him make his return to WWE this year, after being brought in to commentate on the main event match at Wrestlemania between The Undertaker and Roman Reigns, proving yet again that no current WWE commentator can get anywhere close to the magic that is JR.
#7 Ric Flair parts ways with WWF
When The Nature Boy Ric Flair made his first WWF appearance back in 1991, hopes were high for an ultimate showdown between the two biggest legends of professional wrestling. For one reason or another, the WWF decided not to go with Flair Vs. Hogan at Wrestlemania, and we instead got another, less anticipated match between ‘the Natch’ and Randy Savage.
Despite this, Flair’s first run with the WWF was not without success. He first gained the WWF Championship at the Royal Rumble 1992, defeating 29 other men for the prize. He would go on to compete against the likes of Bret Hart and Razor for the championship later on, and even gave a symbolic blow to the fortunes of WCW by parading its 'big gold belt' around like it was nothing. In theory, Flair could have stuck around with the WWF for a number of years, helping to fill the void left by Hogan, Warrior and Andre.
Instead, his title reigns, and his WWF career, in general, were short lived. Perhaps seeing the direction the company was going, he decided to jump ship and return to WCW in 1993. To his credit, Flair utilised his departure to help out another, younger talent -perhaps Hulk Hogan should have been taking notes.
Flair was involved in a storyline with Mr Perfect throughout most of 1992, as the two men were initially a part of Bobby Heenan’s faction. After working together to take the WWF Championship away from Randy Savage, the two of them had a falling out, resulting in the former friends competing against each other at Survivor Series of that year.
In the opening months of 1993, Flair, after failing to win the Royal Rumble for a second consecutive time, ended up putting his career on the line in a match with Perfect on Monday Night Raw. The angle for the match was that Flair and Perfect’s relationship had gotten so sour, that there wasn’t enough space for the two of them in the company any longer. Perfect ended up getting the win in a fairly surprising victory, and Flair was not to be seen on WWF television for a number of years.
Flair appeared on WCW later that month and became a central part of the company’s success throughout the late 90s. It must have hurt the WWF to see yet another Golden Era legend leave the company, but it did end up issuing in a new era, and the career of Mr Perfect was made that much more important from having the seal of approval from the Nature Boy.
#8 1-2-3 Kid Upsets Razor Ramon
Sean Waltman is undoubtedly a significant name in the annals of WWF/E. While he never really became the Superstar that fellow Clique members HBK and Triple H would later become, Waltman was always capable of making his presence known.
In 1998, he helped WWF fire a significant shot at WCW, after he made his return to Vince’s company, joining Triple H in the newly formed D-Generation X. On his first night back, Waltman, now known as X-Pac, cut a shoot promo on WCW and Eric Bishoff in particular, helping to build up the ‘Raw is WAR’ angle that led to a ratings fight back by the WWF.
Back in 1993, Waltman was trying his best to secure a contract to appear on Monday Night Raw. After a few failed attempts, somebody in creative decided to give him a shot, and he would be properly introduced to the audience in shocking fashion.
Waltman was given the name ‘The 1-2-3 Kid’ and wrestled as a small underdog character. In May 1993, on an episode of Raw, The Kid defeated the main event talent Razor Ramon in a shock upset. Razor had just completed a programme with Bret Hart for the WWF Championship earlier that year and was not supposed to be losing to a guy half his size. This led to a very enjoyable programme between the two, eventually culminating in a Razor face turn.
Later that year, Waltman would find himself as a member of the Clique, a real life backstage group consisting of Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and later Triple H. While the Clique was pretty much detested by the rest of the locker room, being a part of it was a sure fired way of being featured prominently. Waltman’s career would benefit greatly from being involved in that initial feud with Razor, as this, arguably, was the reason why he was later invited into the DX fold.
1993 shocking moments were in scant supply on Raw, at least in comparison to later years, but this victory by the 1-2-3 Kid certainly lives on in many people’s memory.
#9 Andre becomes the first Hall of Fame entrant after his death
1993 began with tragic news, as one of the industry’s biggest, most roundly-respected legends, Andre the Giant, passed away from heart failure. Andre’s health had been deteriorating for some time, especially during the latter part of his in-ring career, and he finally found peace in January while visiting his mother in France.
It is difficult to do adequate justice to the legacy of Andre, but in summary, the man was born to be a star of professional wrestling. Standing at 7ft 4inches, and weighing 520lb, Andre spent most of his career as a lovable, gentle giant who would only show his aggressive side when a dastardly heel needed taking down a peg or two. His early career saw Andre wrestle all over the world, including in his native France, Japan and Canada, before eventually being signed by Vince McMahon Sr., head of the WWWF.
McMahon, and later, his son Vince McMahon Jr., knew how best to showcase Andre, and made him appear sporadically for their company. When you have such a massive Superstar on your roster, the worst thing you can do is overexpose him. Andre became WWF’s star attraction throughout the 1970s and 80s. His name would be a guaranteed ticket seller, and for very good reason.
Perhaps Andre’s greatest contribution to professional wrestling came in 1987 when after almost 15 years of being a WWF babyface, he would be convinced by Bobby Heenan to turn heel on Hulk Hogan and set up one of the biggest wrestling main events of all time. The bodyslam Hogan gave to Andre at the end of Wrestlemania 3 truly cemented Hulkamania, and the WWF never looked back.
Andre became the very first entry into the WWE Hall of Fame soon after his death. This was an honour worthy of such a legend; however, no actual ceremony or acceptance speech took place. Today we are used to seeing Hall of Fame red carpet events and a night of speeches and celebrations, but Andre’s entry was announced with a video package on an episode of Monday Night Raw in March 1993.
#10 Owen turns on Bret
In terms of in-ring action, 1993 was a fairly poor year for the WWF. In one of the worst Survivor Series of all time, the Hart family, consisting of Bret, Owen, Bruce and Keith took on the team of Shawn Michaels and three Knights. And while the match wasn’t anything to remember as a whole, one moment did trigger something that would later become one of WWE’s greatest ever rivalries.
The Hart Family won the match after eliminating Shawn and all of his Knights, but in the process of doing so, Owen became the only Hart to be eliminated. Bret inadvertently knocked into Owen, causing a distraction. Shawn would capitalise on this and roll Owen up for the 123. After the match when the Hart family were all celebrating together, Owen came to the ring visibly angry with his big brother. The two got into a shoving match, and the King of Hearts ended up going backstage without his family.
This would all be a small sign of things to come. Owen challenged Bret for a match on the very next night on Raw, which Bret refused. The two seemingly had mended bridges by the start of 1994, only for Owen to physically assault Bret at the end of their Royal Rumble tag match. This, of course, led to a match between the two at Wrestlemania 10, in one of the best opening bouts to a Mania card. The feud would continue through Summerslam and Survivor Series 1994, all the while showing just how talented a performer Owen was.
1993 is very much seen as the birth of the Owen Hart character. He began the year as part of High Energy, a lower-mid card tag team, with Koko. B. Ware. His future was far from certain soon after, as it seemed Vince had little to no idea what to do with Owen as a performer. Thankfully, he was eventually given an opportunity as a singles star, and by the end of 1993, Owen found himself in the upper brackets of WWF television, a trend that would continue for many years to come.
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