Summerslam

On July 4, 1993, aboard the USS Intrepid, Yokozuna was making a mockery out of America by issuing a challenge to any American strong enough to bodyslam the 500-pound behemoth. The American efforts were futile, until Lex Luger made a dramatic entrance from a helicopter to the Intrepid, and proceeded to bodyslam Yokozuna! The events aboard the Intrepid earned Luger a shot for Yokozuna's WWE Championship at SummerSlam 1993. Touring the country via the `Lex Express,' Luger generated the support of an entire country, but he also knew the odds were against him. Not only did Luger have to pin the champion or make him submit, Yokozuna's manager, Jim Cornette, added a clause in the contract that this would be the one and only shot Luger would ever receive at Yokozuna's championship. Luger defeated Yokozuna - and celebrated with the rest of America - but the win was by countout. Therefore, Yokozuna was still WWE Champion. Only thanks an unusual set of circumstances heading into WrestleMania X did Luger receive a second shot at Yokozuna and the WWE Championship.

Razor Ramon pinned Ted DiBiase Tag Team Champions the Steiner Brothers defeated the Heavenly Bodies Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Mr. Perfect by countout Irwin R. Shyster pinned 1-2-3 Kid Bret Hart defeated Doink the Clown by DQ Jerry Lawler defeated Bret Hart by reverse decision Ludvig Borga defeated Marty Janetty by submission The Undertaker pinned Giant Gonzalez in a Rest in Peace Match Tatanka & the Smoking Gunns defeated the Headshrinkers & Bam Bam Bigelow Lex Luger defeated WWE Champion Yokozuna by countout

Overall Mark: B

Cowboys & Indians Giants & head shrinkers clowns & kings. I have always been a fan of a gimmick at this moment in time felt a bit like the gimmick was more important than wrestling abilities there was still great wrestlers there but like they say about dancing it takes two to tango.

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.