WWF Superstars – May 15th, 1993

May 15, 1993

From the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, AZ

Your hosts are Vince McMahon,”Macho Man” Randy Savage, and Jerry “The King” Lawler

We start off promos from Giant Gonzalez and Tatanka to hype up their King of the Ring qualifying match.

Steiner Brothers vs. Jim Armstrong & Mark Ming

Scott takes Ming down as the announcers hype up the KotR qualifying match and how Tatanka’s undefeated streak is on the line. Scott then dumps Ming on his head with a full nelson suplex and after that Armstrong tags into the match. Rick tags in and dumps Armstrong on his head with a release German suplex then applies a chinlock. Vince then plugs the “Posters 6” magazine and says that Lawler did not make the magazine. Scott tags back in and hits a dropkick then he powerbombs Ming and after that the Steiners use the Doomsday Bulldog for the win as Savage says the Steiners will defeat Money Inc. (3:40).

Thoughts: Man, these poor two enhancement talents nearly got killed in this match. Anyway, the announcers talked about the King of the Ring and how the Steiners yet to be announced title match against Money Inc.

Okerlund is now doing the Face-to-Face with a different set than last week. Interesting thing here is that they are advertising Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon for the 6/12 MSG show. The two were shown split screen as they talk about the “chicas” at ring side as Razor wants Shawn to take the “fat ones” for a change. Funny stuff as the two were chummy and avoiding the fact they were facing each other in a match, playing it off as if the whole announcement was a mistake.

Mr. Hughes vs. Bobby Young

Unlike on RAW, Harvey Whippleman is not with Hughes for this match. Hughes chokeslams Young as Vince says there is little known about Hughes other than being a former bodyguard and High School All-American. Hughes beats down Young as Vince talks about the people who want to manage Hughes as we once again hear from Slick as he wants to guide Hughes into the right direction then Hughes hits a sidewalk slam for the win (1:50). After the match, Hughes tosses Young outside.

Thoughts: You’d think they would mention Whippleman accompanying Hughes to the ring on RAW five days ago but they are still going with the story of every manager wanting to acquire his services. And what would continue on Challenge too.

We get a black-and-white vignette to hype up the Smoking Gunns debut. They technically made their debut on the 5/15 edition of “Mania.”

Terry Zeller vs. Bob Backlund

Vince mentions how Backlund is not in the King of the Ring Tournament after being knocked out by Luger as Vince states Luger should have to wear protective gear over his forearm. This match starts on the mat as Backlund sends Zeller outside. Zeller turns his back after using a hip toss then Backlund runs wild. Zeller bails and Backlund slingshots him back inside as Lawler makes fun of his age. Backlund stays in control and turns a body scissors into a rollup for the win (2:38).

Thoughts: They are still pushing Backlund on a quest to become the World Heavyweight Champion once again despite losing in a KotR qualifying match. And Backlund is still floundering in this role.

Boni Blackstone makes her debut as she welcomes Lex Luger out for an interview. Luger poses as Blackstone puts over his physique, including the steel plate in his forearm. Blackstone asks if this gives him an unfair advantage but Luger says the ruling has been made and final. He then gets upset over the fact referees want a protective padding over his arm and yells at both Blackstone and the fans then promises to go to the top of the WWF. Luger then calls out Bret Hart and does not care who he has to knock out in order to be the man in the WWF. I thought Luger did a good job here and Blackstone was fine too as she challenged Luger at times. The set up was different than the usual platform we’ve been seeing for the past several years as the product is in the midst of a change. Blackstone, the spouse of Joe Pedicino of the syndicated show “Superstars of Wrestling,” had been out of wrestling for several months and sent audition tapes to WCW and WWF and the WWF ended up offering a job. Blackstone had also been on her husband’s show and worked for GWF.

Virgil vs. Jose Martinez

The announcers talk about Luger as Virgil takes control of the match. We now hear the announcers talk about the possibility of Luger and Bret facing off in the KotR as Lawler is once again teased about not entering the tournament. Virgil throws Martinez back inside and hits a flying clothesline then a suplex before he eventually puts Martinez away with a side Russian leg sweep (2:44).

Thoughts: More talk about Lawler refusing to enter the tournament as its getting evident this is going to lead to something more than just talk on commentary with how much attention its been receiving over the past few weeks.

Randy Savage shills for the WWF Fan Club.

Shawn Michaels vs. Billy Jones

Shawn toys with Jones to start as Lawler makes fun of Savage by stating Jones is a protege of his wrestling school. Shawn beats on Jones on the outside then sits next to Mike McGuirk and puts his arm around her shoulder before taking the match inside. Shawn then hits Jones with a vertical suplex and a backbreaker as Vince puts over how great a Shawn vs. Mr. Perfect match could be while Lawler makes fun of Perfect. Jones lands a few shots but misses a charge in the corner then Shawn follows with a flying clothesline and drills Jones with a super kick for the win (3:38).

Thoughts: The announcers are pushing Shawn vs. Perfect as a potential dream match as Shawn looked impressive and really amped up the arrogance here, adding more to his character.

King of the Ring Report with Gene Okerlund. We get another awful interview on location with Hogan then Okerlund is back in the studio talking about people who think Hogan is too preoccupied with making movies. We then learn that Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon and Jim Duggan vs. Bam Bam Bigelow will take place in the opening round of the tournament.

We go back to the announcers as they thank the fans for their support.

King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Giant Gonzalez w/ Harvey Whippleman vs. Tatanka

Gonzalez knocks Tatanka down with an overhead chop. Gonzalez puts Tatanka into the corner and chokes him out. Gonzalez now hits a big boot then taunts the fans but Tatanka fights back. Tatanka hits a few flying chops but eventually gets caught in a chokehold. The ref warns Gonzalez to stop and gets shoved down then the ref rings the bell for the DQ (2:52) DUD. Gonzalez continues to choke out Tatanka then chases off a few referees.

Thoughts: If you’re going to have a segment thanking fans for support then you might want to follow it up with something than this garbage. Gonzalez is just an abomination in the ring and while Tatanka’s undefeated streak is always mentioned its clear they have no plan for him other than mentioning the actual streak during his matches. Tatanka now gets to advance in the tournament and quite frankly Gonzalez did not have to wrestle in a qualifier since he was involved in a top feud.

Next week in action are the Smoking Gunns, Bam Bam Bigelow, Jim Duggan, and the debut of Adam Bomb. Also, Crush vs. Shawn Michaels in a KotR Qualifying match. We hear from Crush and Shawn to close out the show.

Final Thoughts: We have another spot taken in the KoTR Tournament with just two more left. Also, we saw the debut of Boni Blackstone as an interviewer and they continue to play up how Lawler is refusing to enter the King of the Ring tournament. With the PPV just four weeks away expect the hype to intensify and the rest of the card filled out.