WWF Monday Night Raw - February 22, 1993
by SamoaRowe
-Rob Bartlett opens the show and is impressed that wrestling fans know how to spell, pointing to their signs as evidence.
-Vince McMahon and Randy Savage are also on commentary, and boy are they jazzed for tonight’s program. Hulk Hogan is in the house tonight!
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Scott Taylor
Bigelow drops Taylor with a standing clothesline. Taylor attempts a headlock, but Bigelow reverses and hits another clothesline. Taylor dodges a clothesline and hit’s a flying forearm, but it’s no-sold. Bigelow drops Taylor again. Taylor escapes a suplex but gets finds himself trapped in the electric chair. Bigelow applies a chinlock, because this match really shouldn’t be robbed for time, right? Double underhook backbreaker by Bigelow looked brutal. Bigelow goes high risk and connects with a diving head butt. Bigelow repeats and gets the win at 3:01. This was a heavy hitting squash, ¾*.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow
-We get a very special pretaped interview with Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon. Hogan is very excited about the future of Hulkamania and the fans who supported him in his absence are his heroes. Hogan confesses to being a human being and making mistakes in his past. Hogan trashes the “tabloid terrorism” of journalists who attacked him and made up garbage about him to make money. Hogan promises to spend even more time talking later.
The Beverly Bros. and Shawn Michaels vs. Nasty Boys and Tatanka
Hot opening sequence has all three men brawling. The Nasty Boys elevate HBK so Tatanka can dump him to the floor. The Nasty Boys get right to work making quick tags to dominate the Beverly’s. Brian Knobbs introduces the Beverly’s to his armpits, which is simply lovely. HBK gets a tag and kicks Knobbs in the head. HBK taunts Tatanka, who unwittingly distracts the referee as the Beverly’s double team Knobbs. Tatanka gets a tag, HBK flees the ring, and Tatanka cleans house on the Beverly’s. Sags gets a tag and continues to dominate with a shoulder breaker. Tatanka tags and works the arm of Blake Beverly. Tatanka is cornered in the heel corner, the Nasty’s storm the ring, and all hell breaks loose. Beau Beverly attacks Tatanka but gets chopped to the mat and finds himself in an armbar. Knobbs tags and slugs it out with Beau as we head to a break…
… after the break, Knobbs is still in control of Beau. Blake assists in helping to dump Knobbs over the ropes to the floor. The Beverly Bros. continue a beat-down on the floor, as Sags takes his time wandering over to check on his partner. HBK tags and slugs it out with Knobbs. HBK taunts Tatanka, as the Beverly’s double team Knobbs. The Beverly’s swap tags, with a double team and then a bear hug by Blake. HBK tags and continues the pounding. Knobbs ducks a charging HBK, who hit’s the turnbuckle hard. Beau Beverly prevents the tag by Knobbs. Blake gets the tag, but Knobbs takes him down with a desperate clothesline. HBK tags in, but gets kicked in the face for his trouble. Knobbs runs into HBK, and both men hit the mat hard. Tatanka gets the hot tag and cleans house on HBK. Tatanka’s cover is broken by Beau, but Tatanka responds by chopping the hell out of both Beverly’s. Tatanka smashes HBK down to the mat and goes high risk. Tatanka crowns HBK and gets a painfully close 2.99999 cover. Tatanka drops HBK with a Samoan drop. The cover is broken by the Beverly’s as all hell breaks loose. The Nasty Boys and the Beverly’s battle at ringside. In the ring, Tatanka finally pins HBK at 12:38 (shown). Tatanka needed this momentum heading into his match against Michaels at Wrestlemania. This was a fun, energetic match, **¾.
Winners: Tatanka and the Nasty Boys
-Sean Mooney interviews fans for their reactions to Hulk Hogan returning to the World Wrestling Federation. Needless to say, they are excited and optimistic about this.
Crush vs. Terry Taylor
Taylor talks some smack and gets shoved and locked in a side headlock for his troubles. Drop-kick by Crush and a press slam. Taylor retreats to ringside, but gets pulled back into the ring by the hair. Taylor reverses, dropping Crush neck-first onto the ropes. Taylor uses this momentum to apply a chinlock. Taylor hit’s a swinging Neckbreaker and gets a cover for 2, but Crush tosses him off! Crush is fired up and drops Taylor with a head butt. Atomic drop by Crush and a running clothesline. Tirt-a-whirl backbreaker by Crush, and then the head vice. Taylor submits at 3:29. Good enough for a squash, ¾*.
Winner: Crush
-They replay footage from last week, when Jimmy Hart tried to stop Money Inc from beating down Brutus Beefcake.
-Vince McMahon welcomes Hulk Hogan to the ring for an interview! Hogan has a lot of things he wants to talk about, especially the beating his best friend, Brutus Beefcake, took last week at the hands of Money Inc. It turns out Beefcake only suffered a minor broken nose, so Hogan is relieved. Hogan thanks God for being there for Brutus. Hogan also wants to thank Jimmy Hart personally, since he helped stop further abuse. Hogan is glad to be back in the WW(beep) and he wants his friend out here with him. Beefcake comes to the ring, sporting some funny looking bandages on his face. Beefcake also thanks God and Jimmy Hart for being there for him. Hogan says he hopes that Money Inc are watching this, because they are going to seize their assets. For starters, Jimmy Hart is their new manager! Hart proclaims this to be the greatest day of his life, because he’s always dreamed of wearing Hogan’s colors. Hogan says that Hart’s first job as the manager of the “Mega Maniacs” is to set them up with matches against Money Inc.
The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) vs. Skinner
We got the Undertaker’s entrance, but the match got started during the commercial. We immediately head to another break, as we see Skinner dumping Taker to the floor. After the break, we see Skinner driving Taker’s head into the barricade. Skinner chokes Taker with a cloth. However, they are out of time for the show, so we’ll get the conclusion next week. Lucky us. No Rating, since we didn’t really see the match.
Final Thoughts: I’m guessing Hogan’s segment went long, as they ran out of time for the main event. I think the easy solution would have been for Taker to choke slam Skinner and pin him after 15 seconds, but they had other plans. This awkward finish did not ruin what was otherwise a very entertaining show. We got the unification of the Mega Maniacs and a spirited six man tag.
Thumbs up.
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