Rebooking the WWF in 1993

[JaymeFuture]

So for this week's podcast we are returning to our booking committee format for a discussion Rebooking the WWF in 1993, a very interesting time that saw the company struggle to decide on a new direction. We're looking to get some feedback on what you think needed to be done to make things succeed during a period where popularity fell.

Starting as everything was on January 1st 1993, what do you book for WrestleMania 9? What do you do with the returning Hulk Hogan? Do you stick with Bret Hart as a top guy or try with somebody else? What do you do with the titles? Who would you be looking to use better than they did at the time?

As always, we'll be reading the best feedback/ideas on the show and crediting you accordingly. So what would you have done?

 

EDIT - Our show Rebooking the WWF in 1993, featuring many of your contributions, is now online and available to listen to at the following link: http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/angm69/SCG_Radio_99_-_Rebooking_The_WWF_in_1993.mp3

[peachchaos]

Love this topic. Thought about it for 23 years now.

 

I would have kept Flair as champion until the Rumble where he drops the title to Bret. Savage wins the Rumble, setting up a face-vs-face WM main event for the title. Throughout the buildup, Savage slowly heels it until the match (much like Piper-Bret).

 

Hogan comes in for WrestleMania and loses to Yokozuna, setting up rematches for the European tour.

 

I'd try to keep Flair happy so he sticks around until WM (maybe a nice payday or something) to lose the feud to Curt on the grand stage. Hennig with a big win like that at Mania would be catapulted to main event status.

 

Steiners should win the belts from Money Inc. at Mania and I'd put the Nastys into a Street Fight with the Samoans for a little variety.

 

Not sure what Marty Jannetty's issue was around Mania in '93 but man it would've been great to see the Rockers explode at Mania, with Luna and Sherri in their corners as was planned. If not, I guess Tatanka will do.

 

Honestly at this point I don't think it matters who the Untertaker's opponent is. The match with Gonzalez was awful on every level but anyone else you stick in there would be terrible too.

[JerryvonKramer]

1/2/93 - Superstars: Virgil over Razor Ramon

 

1/10/93 - Challenge: Virgl over Repo Man

 

1/18/93 - Raw: Virgil over IRS

 

1/24/93 - Royal Rumble: Virgil over Bret Hart to win WWF World title

 

1/29/93 - MSG: Virgil over Ted DiBiase to retain WWF World title

 

1/31/93 - Maple Leaf Gardens: Virgil over Bret Hart to retain WWF World title

 

2/6/93 - Boston Garden: Virgil over Ted DiBiase to retain WWF world title

 

2/13/93 - Superstars: Virgil issues open challenge for his WWF world title, Ric Flair answers. Virgil over Ric Flair to retain WWF World title

 

2/20/93- Landover, MD, Capital Centre: Virgil over Bret Hart to retain WWF World title

 

2/22/93 - Raw: Virgil issues open challenge for his WWF world title, Mr Perfect answers. Virgil over Mr Perfect to retain WWF World title

 

[holding pattern over next month, Virgil takes on all comers on TV and on major house shows defeating everyone from Skinner to The Undertaker]

 

3/22/93 - Raw - Virgil issues open challenge for his WWF world title, Hulk Hogan answers! It's going to be Virgil vs. Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 9!

 

4/4/93 - Wrestlemania IX - Virgil over Hulk Hogan to retain WWF world title

[BrianB]

I'm assuming I can't rebook the insanity that was the end of 1992, so with that in mind...

 

First, I'd have Savage win the Rumble in 1993, Bret-Savage for the title at WM9 where Bret retains.

I'd have kept the title on Bret for most of the year, maybe the entire year. Taker and Savage were probably the two most mismanaged 1993 figures. Taker just being stuck in awful stuff, but still staying over. And Savage where subtracting him from commentary would've been a positive, and he still could have had some interesting programs on TV with Bret, Shawn, Razor, Luger, down the line. The Taker and Gonzales program went on way too long and was awful. WM9 would've been a necessary and painful blowoff but you've got to do it. Then I'd quickly transition to Yokozuna vs. Taker for the late summer through the end of the year since they had a great dynamic together. Bam Bam and Taker could've been interesting too later in the year.

 

Hogan...I mean, I'm not sure there's much you can do. I'd let Hogan do whatever he wanted for WM9 outside of any involvement in the main event, since that would help business. Then at KOTR I'd have him job to Bret or Savage. If he couldn't be talked into that (I'm assuming he wouldn't because he never jobbed to either guy), then Yokozuna would fine--or possibly Undertaker, if he could be persuaded to do that again. After that, I assume he's leaving or not going to be until later in the year.

 

I'd agree that Mr. Perfect is a big X factor. But I'm not sure he could have stuck in the main event picture, even after that big Flair win, because he wasn't a very good face, but they maybe could have tried to give that some legs. If it was working, maybe he's the logical King of The Ring winner then, and you can have him face Bret at Summerslam. If not, you've probably got to use him to elevate a heel--maybe Shawn like they did, or start to work a double turn with Razor?

 

Tatanka was pretty worthless. I'd have him turn heel sooner, after WM9, so then you can use him to turn Lex face and have that be a program.

[flyonthewall2983]

I would have kept Flair around until WrestleMania, where you could do the loser-leaves-town match with Perfect. Or maybe even the returning Hogan, with Flair cutting promos about how good the place has been without him all these months anyway. Then put Hogan in a more light-hearted program with Lawler, ending with a satisfying match at King of the Ring. Then feed him to Yoko at SummerSlam.

 

Keep the title on Bret. Do what they eventually did in 1997 and work more and more Canadian shows. Give him more solid programs with Bam Bam Bigelow, Savage and Mr. Perfect. After SummerSlam start a feud with Yoko, who by this point amasses an incredible amount of heat from the Hogan program. Maybe let Yoko win the title on a Raw, which Bret wins back at WrestleMania X.

[Matt D]

Look at how over Crush was at the very end of 92 until

Doink took him out. That's the real answer of who should have been pushed.

[Loss]

Savage heel turn on Bret and title match.

[peachchaos]

The Evil Twin Doinks *needed* to be a tag team in the second half of the year.

[TheDuke]

I dont usually answer these, but I bought the WWE Razor Ramon DVD recently, and am still working my way through it, but it cause me to already consider a fantasy booking scenario for 93 WWF that is still fresh in my head, so here goes:

 

Razor Ramon and Yokozuna switch spots a bit for this one, so Bret beats Yokozuna at the Royal Rumble, then Razor beats Bret at the main event of Wrestlemania IX. Hogan comes out as he did for Yokozuna, but Mr. Fuji is not there to ruin things, so Razor just cuts a promo from the ring. He talks about how the world is his and how he takes what he wants and how Hogan is old and washed up. He challenges Hulk but not right there that night, rather he makes Hogan wait for King of the Ring. Razor beats Hogan at King of the Ring, and instead of the photographer with the flash bulb, Razor uses some kind of foreign object like a steel chair to win. Post match he continues to beat on Hogan with the foreign object leading to some career ending injury angle.

 

Razor is the one who body slams Yokozuna on the battleship through some kind of foreign object cheating causing Yokozuna to turn babyface. Lex Luger is outraged, cuts a promo on tv about how somebody has to stop that bad guy. He gets into his tour bus called The Lex Express and goes around the country getting support for him challenging Razor. Summerslam this time however does not end in a count out, it ends in Razor visciously beating Lex in the middle of the ring again probably involving some kind of cheating.

 

At Survivor Series it is Razor Ramon and his knights challenging the Hart Family, but this time things are again slightly reversed, and Bret, Bruce, and Keith Hart are actually all eliminated, while The Rocket Owen Hart has to fight valiantly all by himself against the odds against Razor's full team. Miraculously, Owen manages to eliminate all the other heels except for Razor, and they square off in the ring. It gets bloody, they end up brawling on the outside, until Razor hits the Razor's Edge on Owen on the announce table. However, Razor has been seriously hurt as well, and both men lay outside the ring while the ref counts. Both men slowly make it to the apron, then at the last moment Owen has a rush of adrenaline and barely makes it into the ring before the ref ends his count. At the same time Razor, selling his injury, loses his balance and falls off the apron before he can make it through the ropes. Owen collapses as soon as he is in the ring, but he beat the ref's count and is awarded the victory. The crowd goes crazy and applauds, and the announces wonder if this means Owen should earn a title shot, and if so, when.

 

Anyway, I know this is only for 93, but basically this storyline will end at Wrestlemania X, but this time with Owen beating Razor in the main event which is also a ladder match.

 

I know I only talked about the world title here, so lets just say that Ted Dibiase and Mike Rotunda held the tag titles the whole year and successfully defended them at each PPV. And lets say that instead of facing Giant Gonzales, Undertaker challenges for the Intercontinental belt this year, wins it, and then feuds with Shawn Michaels over it. Bret can still win King of the Ring.

[BrianB]

I wouldn't do Razor that hard. But I did think about if a Razor/Perfect feud in 1993 was a missed opportunity, especially since it might have solidified Razor as a main eventer. I wonder if they could've done a double turn too? On the other hand, I think how they did eventually turn Razor face was tremendously effective.

[JaymeFuture]

I want to thank everybody for the contributions, we got to read many of them on the show, which is now available at the following link:

http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/angm69/SCG_Radio_99_-_Rebooking_The_WWF_in_1993.mp3

Join us as we Rebook the WWF in 1993! Talking all the problems facing the company at a time of decline, we debate the best way to use Hulk Hogan, decide whether to go with Bret Hart or run with somebody else as the company leader, and book all the major shows leading to WrestleMania X in 1994! And as always, we take your comments and opinions on what you felt should have been done to steady the ship. So with roster depth a major issue and an industry-wide decline going on, is it possible to make things better? Does the Lex Express ride again? Listen in and let us know what you think!

[BrianB]

Good show. Hogan-Gonzales was a strong solution for saving the WM9 card. Good thinking there. I think your booking potentially sets up Diesel as the follow-up opponent for Bret after Owen, and that makes sense since in hindsight we know Nash and Bret put on very good matches together. I do think that's too many jobs for Savage if he's still going to have value. 2 losses to Bret, a countout or whatever to Razor, and then a loss to Taker at WM? That risks turning one of the biggest stars of the boom period into Ted DiBiase after WM4. I think it's fine for him to beat Razor and some other guys, just have it be like how Davey beat Bret or Bret beat Austin at SS96--a long match where the loser gets 60% of the offense and the finish is a pinning counter to a signature move. It makes more sense for Razor to beat Savage around late 1994 or 1995, if you're going to really get behind Scott Hall. Same logic applies to Shawn too imo.

 

Personally, for WMX, if Piper is coming back like he did, I'd have him wrestle Savage. That match sells itself. You've probably got to do a non-finish or a bollocks finish, but that match might actually draw, while you can have the title program main event above it, and still put on Razor/Shawn. Then maybe you can transition Savage, if you want to turn him back face , into a program later that year vs. Lawler, and then into a match where he puts over a heel--Shawn Michaels would be my pick-at WMXI.

[flyonthewall2983]

Look at how over Crush was at the very end of 92 until

Doink took him out. That's the real answer of who should have been pushed.

 

Yeah, but how far? He could have been a good IC champ, for a little while. Average ring skills. and not great on the stick from what I remember either.

[PeteF3]

Crush was pretty badly exposed when he actually had to work a real match. There's an alternate universe where he actually develops into something working mid-card for another year while Doink carries out his originally planned feud with Davey Boy, but as it was, I can't see it.

[flyonthewall2983]

He'd be a transitional guy at best with the IC belt. He worked a match with Lex Luger in February of that year on Raw that I remember not being half-bad when I watched it a few years ago.

 

The program he had with Randy Savage was about as good as it would get for him. Their match at X is a highlight for so many reasons now, and he did as good a job being the heel (as well as Mr. Fuji actually getting to be a heel manager as opposed to the guy who just waved the flag for Yokozuna), letting Savage truly shine in the ring for the last time for the WWF.

[Matt D]

Hey, over is over. Beefcake made them a ton of money as a #2 or #3 babyface and Crush was more naturally talented than him. Sid is who they should have pushed as a mega face in January 92. In-ring skills don't matter all that much when it comes to the early 90s WWF machine. Crush was inordinately over in four minute TV squashes. They should have figured out how to capitalize on that. Stooging for Doonk had killed his momentum by the time they pushed him against Michaels.

[JaymeFuture]

Good show. Hogan-Gonzales was a strong solution for saving the WM9 card. Good thinking there. I think your booking potentially sets up Diesel as the follow-up opponent for Bret after Owen, and that makes sense since in hindsight we know Nash and Bret put on very good matches together. I do think that's too many jobs for Savage if he's still going to have value. 2 losses to Bret, a countout or whatever to Razor, and then a loss to Taker at WM? That risks turning one of the biggest stars of the boom period into Ted DiBiase after WM4. I think it's fine for him to beat Razor and some other guys, just have it be like how Davey beat Bret or Bret beat Austin at SS96--a long match where the loser gets 60% of the offense and the finish is a pinning counter to a signature move. It makes more sense for Razor to beat Savage around late 1994 or 1995, if you're going to really get behind Scott Hall. Same logic applies to Shawn too imo.

 

Personally, for WMX, if Piper is coming back like he did, I'd have him wrestle Savage. That match sells itself. You've probably got to do a non-finish or a bollocks finish, but that match might actually draw, while you can have the title program main event above it, and still put on Razor/Shawn. Then maybe you can transition Savage, if you want to turn him back face , into a program later that year vs. Lawler, and then into a match where he puts over a heel--Shawn Michaels would be my pick-at WMXI.

 

Thanks very much - and I'd agree I think Diesel is actually fairly organic in that position. As for Savage, I agree you don't want to kill the guy, and we're walking a fine line with him to not try and just kill his star aura off, so I think you'd have to balance out the losses on the major shows by protecting him with wins on television. I think after the pre-Summerslam scenario we painted (where Kid gets a countout win beforehand to set up Kid/Shawn and Savage/Razor), it'd be wise to do a rematch post-Summerslam where Savage wins a close one just to re-establish his position.

 

Lawler as a motormouth to get Savage back on the side of good to give him another win before he puts over Shawn is nice as well. Surprised they never did Piper/Savage, always wanted to see that as a kid as well, though I suppose they were two guys they would create opponents for to keep them over rather than to have them clash.

[BrianB]

 

Good show. Hogan-Gonzales was a strong solution for saving the WM9 card. Good thinking there. I think your booking potentially sets up Diesel as the follow-up opponent for Bret after Owen, and that makes sense since in hindsight we know Nash and Bret put on very good matches together. I do think that's too many jobs for Savage if he's still going to have value. 2 losses to Bret, a countout or whatever to Razor, and then a loss to Taker at WM? That risks turning one of the biggest stars of the boom period into Ted DiBiase after WM4. I think it's fine for him to beat Razor and some other guys, just have it be like how Davey beat Bret or Bret beat Austin at SS96--a long match where the loser gets 60% of the offense and the finish is a pinning counter to a signature move. It makes more sense for Razor to beat Savage around late 1994 or 1995, if you're going to really get behind Scott Hall. Same logic applies to Shawn too imo.

 

Personally, for WMX, if Piper is coming back like he did, I'd have him wrestle Savage. That match sells itself. You've probably got to do a non-finish or a bollocks finish, but that match might actually draw, while you can have the title program main event above it, and still put on Razor/Shawn. Then maybe you can transition Savage, if you want to turn him back face , into a program later that year vs. Lawler, and then into a match where he puts over a heel--Shawn Michaels would be my pick-at WMXI.

 

Thanks very much - and I'd agree I think Diesel is actually fairly organic in that position. As for Savage, I agree you don't want to kill the guy, and we're walking a fine line with him to not try and just kill his star aura off, so I think you'd have to balance out the losses on the major shows by protecting him with wins on television. I think after the pre-Summerslam scenario we painted (where Kid gets a countout win beforehand to set up Kid/Shawn and Savage/Razor), it'd be wise to do a rematch post-Summerslam where Savage wins a close one just to re-establish his position.

 

Lawler as a motormouth to get Savage back on the side of good to give him another win before he puts over Shawn is nice as well. Surprised they never did Piper/Savage, always wanted to see that as a kid as well, though I suppose they were two guys they would create opponents for to keep them over rather than to have them clash.

 

 

Good points. The drawing power of Piper-Hogan in WCW in 96/97, despite how awful those matches were, makes me wonder if Savage/Piper would have drawn money and helped return business. After all, Savage/Flair and Liz helped heat WCW's business up too before the nWo, so while Piper and Hogan was special, I wonder if Piper and Savage with the right story would have helped WWF turnaround some.