wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WWF King of The Ring ’93
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-WCW had been adding PPVs to their calendar for the past few years, and Vince finally responded by adding a 5th PPV to his rotation. They felt they needed a gimmick attached to it, so The King of The Ring concept was dusted off. Being Vince though they pretend this is the first King of the Ring Tournament. Let’s get to it!
-Written: 10.08.25
-Announce Team: Jim Ross, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan
-June 13, 1993
-Nutter Center, Fairborn, OH
-Attendance: 6500
-PPV Buys: 245,000
2nd Round Match: King of The Ring Tournament: #1 Bret Hart vs. #8 Razor Ramon
-Bret was announced as the #1 seed, so that makes Razor the 8 seed unless Bill Watts and the NWA are putting this tournament together. Bret had a bye since he was the #1 seed. Razor got a win over Tito Santana in the first round. These two met earlier in the year with Bret successfully defending his WWF Title at The Royal Rumble. Ramon is fresh off his monumental loss to The 1-2-3 Kid, so the crowd is all over him with chants. The winner gets the winner of Perfect and Hughes. Bret tries a shoulder block, but Razor shakes his head at him. Bret ducks a clothesline and starts firing off right hands. He goes to the arm and drops a knee before taking a top wrist-lock to the mat. Razor gets to his feet and buries a knee to the ribs. Bret tries to counter with a hip-toss, but Razor rips his head off with a clothesline. Nice! Bret goes right back to the arm though to regain control. Razor misses a charge in the corner and Bret takes him back to the mat with an armbar. Razor tries to slam his way out, but Bret holds onto the arm and rolls to maintain control. Razor with a thumb to the eye and he catches Bret with a back elbow. He goes for a reverse chinlock, but Bret counters into a hammerlock. Bret runs into a knee in the corner and then Razor sends him shoulder first into the post. Heenan breaks out his first Oklahoma joke and I assume we will have more later. The crowd starts a “1 2 3” chant as Razor stomps Bret’s hands. SOS Slam gets two! Running powerslam gets two! Razor drops a series of elbows as Heenan tells a joke that lands flat with Ross and Savage. Yeah, not Bobby’s best there. Another elbow is missed and Razor keeps trying, but Bret keeps moving out of the way. Bret with an inverted atomic drop followed by a clothesline for two. Side Russian Leg Sweep gets two. Backbreaker gets two. Elbow from the second rope gets two. Bret gets a roll-up off a Razor swing and miss for two. Bret goes for the bulldog but Razor shoots him chest first into the corner. Razor’s Edge, but Bret fights his way out and we get a battle over a backslide. Bret flips over and gets a small package for a great near fall. The place is rocking now. That was beautiful! Razor sets Bret up top and tries a belly-to-back, but Bret floats over and lands on top for the pin at 10:28.
Winner: Bret Hart via pin at 10:28
-I actually liked this match better than the one they had at The Royal Rumble. This one got rolling towards the end, but these first round matches only have 15 minutes so they didn’t get a chance to kick into an even higher gear. ***
-We go back to Superstars this past weekend as The Giant Gonzalez attacks Undertake while Mr. Hughes steals the urn and blasts Taker in the back of the head with it. Lawler, Vince and Savage on commentary had to be something.
2nd Round Match: King of the Ring Tournament: #4 Mr. Perfect vs. #5 Mr. Hughes
-If Bret is the #1 seed then this has to be a 4/5 matchup even if only Bret was listed with a seed. Perfect got a win over Doink while Hughes beat Kamala by count-out. Heenan nearly calls Ross, Monsoon. I am sure that had to be hard for Heenan. Ross immediately mentions Hughes used to play football for Kansas State. Hughes throws Perfect into the corner as JR talks about The Big 8 Conference. I am in my mid 40s and I know of the Big 8 Conference, but wasn’t following college football as close when the Conference was around. Heenan takes credit for making Perfect the star he is today. Hughes with a right hand that Perfect sells by jumping over the ropes and landing on the floor. Neck crank from Hughes as I guess they need to slow this one down after two minutes. Perfect gets free and ducks a clothesline, but runs into a big boot to the face. Clothesline from Hughes. Whip to the corner and Perfect bounces out with a front flip. Bret is joins us picture in picture and says he would rather wrestle Mr. Perfect. We get something messed up as they kind of fall down with each other. Ugly! Hughes crotches himself on the ropes and now Perfect can make his comeback. Chops followed by a hip-toss. Backdrop shows some power. Neck Snap follows. Hughes gets desperate and blasts Perfect with the urn for the DQ at 6:02.
Winner: Mr. Perfect via DQ at 6:02
-Not good, but Perfect’s bumping is worth a star at least. I assume they didn’t want Hughes jobbing since he was in a program with Taker. So, the question becomes, why put him in the tournament field? *
-Gene is backstage with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. Fuji notes Yoko worked a 20 minute match with Bret before Hogan jumped him. That must be that WrestleMania IX from a different universe we talked about. Somewhere Bret is muttering about Yoko cutting the match from 20 minutes to eight.
Second Round Match King of The Ring Tournament: #2 “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. #7 Bam Bam Bigelow
-Yes, I am making up what the seeds should be. Savage and Ross keep saying Duggan is a big favorite, so we will call him the 2 seed. Duggan got a win over Papa Shango while Bigelow beat Typhoon. These two were involved in the WWF Title Tournament at Mania IV. Duggan gets a series of clotheslines which knocks Bigelow to the floor. USA chant as Bigelow takes his time on the floor. Savage lies as he notes this is the first King of the Ring to be crowned. I mean, he was The Macho King. Duggan fires off right hands and avoids a charge in the corner. Duggan is selling his ribs after being sent into the corner. He collapses trying to get a slam, so Bigelow goes to the ribs. He hooks a bear-hug because that’s what a four minute match needs. Duggan fights his way out, but Bigelow slugs him down. Kind of a snap mare followed by a head-butt, but Duggan rolls out of the way. Duggan tries for a slam, but the ribs are gone and Bigelow falls back on top for a two count. Back to the bear-hug. Come on man! Duggan bites to break and falls down again. Bigelow misses a kick and this time Duggan is able to get the slam. He goes head first into the buckle trying the shoulder tackle. Bigelow quickly heads up top and hits the flying head-butt for the pin at 4:59.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow via pin at 4:59
-Not a fan and I can’t even say at least it was short because it felt long due to the rest holds. The finish was solid though. 1/2*
2nd Round Match: King of The Ring Tournament: #3 Tatanka vs. #6 Lex Luger
-They keep calling it the first round, but they had the first round on TV leading up to the show. Luger is undefeated in the WWF, and beat Backlund by count-out. Man, Luger couldn’t get a pin over old man Bob? Tatanka is also undefeated and beat The Giant Gonzalez by DQ in round one. Refs wants Luger to put an elbow pad on to counter the loaded forearm. That seems unfair though that is a rather flimsy looking elbow pad. It’s more of a sleeve so that isn’t protecting anything. Luger poses with his mirror as Tatanka rushes to the ring. Luger sends Tatanka to the floor and goes back to posing. Tatanka rushes back in and tips the mirror over onto Luger. I mean, that should be a DQ. Tatanka gets a slam on the floor before heading back in the ring. Backdrop followed by a clothesline gets two. Tatanka goes to the arm as Ross questions why Heenan is called the Brain after making Indian jokes. Savage continues to talk about what an honor it would be to win The King of The Ring and wishes he was in there. This is like when Hogan and Andre never met before Mania III. Bigelow pops up and says he wants Tatanka as they had been having issues. Hammerlock from Tatanka which is countered by Luger and then again by Tatanka. Luger lands a right hand and kicks away in the corner as they mention again there is a 15 minute time limit with this round of matches. Luger drops an elbow for a two count. Ross gets to break out that Luger graduated from college with a 3.8 GPA. I feel like I’m back with my 1989 NWA run of shows. Another elbow drop gets two. More Indian jokes from Heenan as he has put Oklahoma on the back burner for this match at least. Tatanka gets a roll-up for two. Luger slugs him down and we get a reverse chinlock. Well, at least it makes sense here as they are being given more than 5 minutes. Luger asks Bobby what he thinks and that made me chuckle. Savage mentions that Tatanka relies on the fans to get him going more than anyone and Heenan notes you are in rough shape if you need the fans to get you going. Hello, Hulk Hogan is still in your company? Though not for long. Tatanka gets a small package for two, but Luger is up first and lays in the boots again. Tatanka fights for a sunset flip and it gets two. Luger again up first and again, lands a clubbing blow. Straight kick to the ribs from Luger. Ross notes there are four minutes left and his timer is right out, so he didn’t bring the one they were using in the NWA. Tatanka gets sent into the top tope, but starts to rally with his War Dance and starts firing off chops. Knife edge chops gets a two count and the crowd was buying that as the finish. Powerslam gets two. I am diffing the way the ref is counting these falls. Tatanka off the top with a chop and it gets two. He heads up again but misses a cross-body. Luger with a clothesline for two as we have 90 seconds left. Powerslam from Luger gets two. Backdrop as we have 40 seconds to go. Vertical suplex gets two. Sadly, we don’t get a countdown from Fink. Backbreaker gets two and the bell sounds to end it at 15:00.
Time Limit Draw at 15:00
-This match was better than I remembered. It’s not good, but it was okay and probably could have had more drama if they counted down the time. The story is fine as both men were undefeated and they didn’t want either losing, so go with a draw. It also gives Bigelow a bye to the finals where a tired Bret or Perfect are waiting. **
-Luger wants five more minutes and then removes the pad so he can knock Tatanka out with the forearm. Cool!
-Gene is backstage with Bret and Perfect and Gene is a dick as he stirs the pot between the two. I mean, it’s entertaining and I appreciate it, but still a dick move. They then take snipes at each other over their fathers wrestling each other. Perfect fakes a handshake and Bret’s music hits so he heads to the ring. This was great!
Semi-Final Match: King of The Ring Tournament: Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect
-This round the matches get a 30 minute time limit. Perfect is healthier here than in their SummerSlam classic from 91. Perfect gets a go behind, but Bret gets to the ropes to force a break. Bret controls with a side headlock, gets pushed off so he runs Perfect over with a shoulder tackle. Perfect gets a head scissors but Bret counters back to a side headlock. Loud chop from Perfect in the corner, but Bret gets a slam. Perfect kicks away and gets a slam. Bret kicks him away and gets a headlock back on the mat. Perfect gets to his feet and throws forearms to break. Bret with a crucifix pin for two and then back to the side headlock on the mat. Perfect forearms out again so Bret gets a cross-body for two. The kick out sends Bret to the floor. He delivers a shoulder through the ropes and gets a sunset flip for two. Bret goes back to the side headlock. Perfect gets to his feet and backs Bret to the ropes to deliver a knee to the gut. That draws some boos from the crowd. Standing dropkick from Perfect sends Bret to the floor. A mix of boos and cheers for Perfect. Perfect opens the ropes for Bret to let him back in the ring and then kicks him as he comes through. Sweet! Again, more boos for Perfect. To the corner for another loud chop. He stomps Bret to the mat and picks him up to deliver a knee-lift for two. Straight kick to the ribs and Bret ends up on the floor again. Heavy chop from Perfect and he runs Bret into the apron. I assume these heavy chops are a way of making Ross feel like he never left the NWA. Bret on the apron, but Perfect uses the ropes to sling shot Bret off and he crashes into the railing. Bret would use that similar spot years later against Diesel but made sure a table was in the way. Bret is selling the knee as he hobbles back in the ring. Another knee-lift from Perfect gets a two count. He heads up top, which isn’t normal for him, but hits a missile dropkick for two as Bret lucks out and gets his foot on the ropes. Perfect sends Bret chest first into the corner and gets another two count. Perfect is showing some frustration as he heads back up top again. Bret was gold bricking though and lands a punch. Superplex from Bret gets two as he didn’t hook the leg. Bret kicks at the knee to set up The Sharpshooter. He hooks a figure-four just to spit on Ric Flair. Heenan gets caught cheering for Perfect and asks Ross to slap him. Ross: “I’d be glad to.” It would have been interesting to see what Ross and Heenan could have done if they had more time together. It could have been a disaster, but I would have been there watching. Perfect gets to the ropes to force a break. Bret goes right back to the knee with a grapevine. Perfect forces Bret on his back and uses the free leg to smash Bret in the face to force a break. Nice! Perfect throws Bret across the ring by the hair. That’s awesome! Perfect with a sleeper which gets a good pop from the crowd. They start clapping and stomping their feet to get Bret back into the match. He pulls the hair, but the ref stops that. Bret is able to squirm enough to get to the ropes. Perfect holds to the count of five and Savage is a fan of that. CHOP! Back to the sleeper and Perfect uses the bottom rope for added leverage. Bret runs Perfect face first into the buckle to break. Ross notes Bigelow is King of the Ring if this match ends in a draw, double DQ, or double count-out. Bret swings for the fences with a shot that gets a big reaction. He then sends Perfect across the ring where he slides balls first into the post. Ouch! Atomic Drop followed by a Side Russian Leg Sweep gets two. Backbreaker from Bret and he heads to the middle rope. He drops a forearm for another two count. Bret goes for The Sharpshooter, but Perfect grabs the taped fingers to stop that noise. Perfect stomps the injured hand and looks for The Perfect-plex. Bret blocks and we get a SUPLEX OVER THE TOP THAT SENDS BOTH MEN TO THE FLOOR. Fantastic! Perfect gets in to beat the count and Bret barely makes it. Perfect is selling the knee, but gets a small package that Bret rolls to counter and gets the three count at 18:56.
Winner: Bret Hart via pin at 18:56
-This was great! I think it was better than their SummerSlam match, though that one had the hotter crowd. Man, these two were great together. I loved that both men were aggressive and Perfect had no problems slipping back into the cheating man we fell in love with years earlier. ****1/2
-Perfect is pissed after the match as it seems he was trying to fake Bret out with a knee injury. He rushes back into the ring and offers a handshake. Bret accepts and Perfect storms off. That was well done as Perfect is pissed, but was man enough to give Bret his due before heading to the back.
-Gene is backstage with Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart. It’s your normal Hogan promo with extra USA references. What blows my mind is Jimmy Hart notes Hogan “has red, white, and blue running in his veins and he was born and raised in the USA.” My man was spitting bars from Hogan’s WCW theme a year before we heard it. How long was Jimmy sitting on that song?
WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Yokozuna (w/ Mr. Fuji)
-Photographers follow Yokozuna as he makes his entrance as apparently they have been sent over from Japan. This match being in the middle of the card tipped me off that it wasn’t going to end well for Hogan. Heenan goes back to the idea that Yoko is fresh here and not coming off a 30 minute match against Bret. It didn’t even go 9 minutes. Big reaction for Hogan as you would expect. Hogan is wearing a different color bandana from the promo he cut a few minutes ago. There is a big fight feel to this one thanks to a red hot crowd. Slow start as Hogan seem cautious. Lockup and Hogan pushes Yoko back a couple inches. Another go and Hogan can’t get the big man back. Yoko shoves Hogan on his ass. Yoko lands a chop to the back of the head and follows with a shot to the throat. Back rake from Yoko followed by a head-butt. Another thrust to the throat and then a clubbing blow to the back. Yoko gets a slam with ease. This is a very different Hogan match as he usually gets an early flurry to get the crowd going before taking the beating to get the crowd behind him. Yoko sends Hogan into the corner and he falls at Yoko’s feet which Bobby mistakes a begging. Yoko misses the back splash in the corner. Right hands from Hogan as Heenan brings up George Foreman. That should have been Hogan’s grill! Hogan goes for the slam, but he didn’t even get a foot off the canvas. Yoko clubs him in the back and then a chop to the chest. Hogan ducks a clothesline and fires off “all American right hands,” per JR. Another slam attempt and again, no chance though a foot comes off the mat a bit. Hogan ducks a clothesline and elbow before hitting two clotheslines. Yoko is teetering, but he catches Hogan with a clothesline to drop him. Splash misses as Yoko is off his feet for the first time. Hogan tries a shoulder tackle, but Yoko just stands there as Hogan falls on his ass. Bearhug from Yoko and Hogan knows what this holds feels like. The crowd is doing everything in their power to get Hogan on track, but so far he is getting smoked. Hogan is able to turn, but now the pressure is on the ribs. A very loud “USA” chant breaks out as Fuji continues to wave the Japanese Flag. This is the hottest the crowd has been all night. Heenan thinks the match should have been held in Osaka or Yokohama. I’ll not take the low hanging fruit and make a Tokyo Dome joke. I enjoy Dave’s work. Hogan escapes, but again, can’t follow up and Yoko PLANTS him with a belly-to-belly. It only gets two and Hogan starts to Hulk-up. Notice it wasn’t off Yoko’s finisher though. Hogan eats the punches and the crowd is on fire as he does his deal. Blocked punch followed by three Hogan punches. Big Boot but Yoko is still on his feet. Hogan punches away and hits another Big Boot. Yoko is rocking, but he’s still on his feet. More punches from Hogan and a third Big Boot and now Yoko drops. The Big Leg follows but Yoko kicks out and the crowd is in SHOCK. You could hear a hush come over them with the kick-out. Fuji gets decked off the apron. Hogan calls for the slam as a photographer is on the apron and he shoots a fire ball in Hogan’s face. Yoko decks Hogan and drops a Big Leg to pin Hogan with his own finisher at 13:10. The Hogan Super Fan (you know the one) in the front row looks crushed. Poor guy!
Winner and New WWF Champion: Yokozuna via pin at 13:10
-This match was better than I expected. It was a different type of Hogan match as he was dominated outside of the one hope spot. Yoko looked better here than at Mania as I wonder if the heat in Vegas and anxiety of being in a Mania Main Event got to him. Hogan knows how to work giants to suck the crowd in and that happened here. Was it technically great? Of course not, but it did what it needed and made Yoko look like a killer. **
-We aren’t done yet as Yoko decks a blinded Hogan after the match and hits a Banzai Drop. Say what you want, but Hogan put over Yoko huge in his last big match in the WWF (for nine years). We see shots of kids crying in the crowd as Hogan gets helped to the back by Patterson and other officials. I mean, this is still rather shocking to watch over 30 years later. If you are a Bret fan, you are obviously pissed he didn’t do Bret the favors on the way out, but he did lose clean as a sheet and got dominated by Yoko. He even lost with his own finisher. Something Bret didn’t do, oh wait!
-Gene is backstage with Shawn Michaels and Diesel. Shawn makes sure to get in a dig at Hogan as he calls him a dinosaur. Always found it funny that Shawn’s bodyguard goes and makes MILLIONS with Hogan just a little over three years later.
The Steiner Brothers and The Smoking Gunns vs. Money Inc and The Headshrinkers (w/ Afa)
-These poor guys have to follow Hogan losing the Title and getting turfed from the company. Heenan: “just seeing Hogan get beat is great.” Ted and Scott start, but while Ross tries to call the action, Heenan and Savage are still focused on Hogan/Yoko. Scott gets a clothesline that sends Dibiase to the floor. Rick sends him back in and Scott clotheslines him back to the floor. Rick with a right hand and Dibiase has had enough of this and brings in Fatu. Bart in and he hits a dropkick as Fatu falls down before it even connects. Ross goes over college backgrounds and Heenan wonder why he knows all this. Heenan tries to make a joke about IRS going to the University of Wallstreet and Ross immediately shoots back “Syracuse.” Heenan doesn’t respond to that which is surprising. Sorry, not much happening in the match at the moment. Shrinkers get a double team back drop on Bart. Head-butt to the ribs gets a two count. Fatu with a backbreaker as we continue to talk about Hogan’s health. IRS off the top with a right hand as we keep cutting to Afa holding the briefcase on the floor. Bart gets a sunset flip for two on IRS. IRS back with a clothesline but lands hard himself and both men are down. Hot tag is made to Billy and he pounds away on Dibiase. Backdrop followed by a clothesline. Ted catches Billy with a stun-gun and hooks The Million Dollar Dream. Ted releases for some reason which is pretty stupid. He goes for a slam and Billy gets a small package for the pin at 7:02. Savage: “That’s what you get for being stupid.”
Winners: The Steiner Brothers and The Smoking Gunns via pin at 7:02
-This was just a match to give the shocked crowd a chance to get over things. Rick never got in the match and then the end was dumb with Dibiase looking stupid. *
-Gene is backstage with Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji. Jack Tunney congratulates Yokozuna and then Fuji says they will let everyone know about their big celebration in America. I assume that was a tease of what was to come on July 4 on the USS Intrepid.
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Shawn Michaels (c) (w/ Diesel) vs. Crush
-Funny enough Crush, Shawn, and Diesel all ended up in the nWo at some point. This show is actually full of men that would end up in the nWo. Diesel had only been in the WWE a little over a week at this point. Thanks to help from the debuting Diesel, Shawn had just regained the IC Title from Marty Jannetty at a house show. Crush hooks a side headlock, but gets shoved off. He runs Shawn over, and he goes flying to the floor. Shawn uses his speed to avoid Crush and then lands a jab. Shawn goes to work on the arm but gets shoved off. Crush with two leap frogs, ducks a super kick and hits two dropkicks. Shawn ends up on the floor again and he is wondering what he’s gotten himself into tonight. Heenan with advice only he can provide: “A friend in need is a pest.” Crush with a Gorilla Press Slam and he does some presses before slamming Shawn down. Savage thinks Crush can slam Yokozuna. Nope! Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker so Diesel pulls Shawn to the floor. Savage calls Crush the Total Package and says he will slam Yokozuna. He’s so close, but so far. Crush gets sent into the post by Diesel and things get nasty as Shawn just bounces the back of Crush’s head off the post. Brutal! Crush is dead weight as Shawn rolls him back into the ring. He gets Crush in position to go for a pin, but Crush is out at two. Shawn comes off the top with a double axe followed by a straight right hand. Shawn hooks a front face lock as Heenan and Savage question the decision to put Crush back in the ring instead of taking a count-out. Crush gets to his feet and throws Shawn across the ring to break. Shawn goes back to the front face-lock, so Crush throws him across the ring again. One more go for Shawn and this time Crush pitches him over the top to the floor. Big backdrop from Crush! Another backbreaker gets a two count. Big Boot from Crush followed by a leg drop, but it only gets two. Huh. Wonder if that had any meaning? A clothesline sends Crush to the floor. Double Doink is heading down and each is smoking a cigar. Savage: “What is this?” They distract Crush long enough for Shawn to hit a super kick to the back of the head and get the pin at 11:14.
Winner and Still WWF Intercontinental Champion: Shawn Michaels via pin at 11:14
-Another dumb ending tonight. This was fine, if boring, as Shawn knows how to work against big dudes and bumped all over the place. The ending sucked though and hurt the match. *1/2
WWF King of the Ring Tournament Finals: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart
-Savage thinks the winner should be #1 contender and get a shot at Yokozuna. Sounds fair unless someone gets repackaged and flies in on a helicopter to slam Yokozuna on a US War Ship on America’s Birthday, but how likely is that to happen? This match has an hour time limit though Ross notes they only have 25 minutes of satellite time left and hopes they can show us the finish. Now, these shows run as long as they want and can start any time of the day. There was something comforting about a 2:45 PPV twice a month on Sunday. Bigelow runs Bret down with a shoulder as he controls early. It makes sense as Bigelow is fresh while Bret has been through two battles. Bigelow presses Bret over his head and throws him to the floor. Not Spike Dudley going into the crowd, but still impressive and a crazy bump by Bret. Bigelow actually puts Bret back in the ring and drops a series of head-butts. Bigelow with a hard whip to the corner and Bret is screwed right now. Another head-butt from Bigelow gets two as Bret puts his foot on the rope. Bigelow hooks the leg and forces Bret to kick out at two. Nice belly-to-back suplex gets two. There was some STANK on that one. Bret lands one shot, but Bigelow fires him back into the corner. This has been a five minute ass kicking so far from Bigelow. Head-butt knocks Bret down and another one to the chest gets two. Bigelow hooks a bearhug and carries Bret around the ring. Bret actually goes to the eyes to force a break but Bigelow hits another belly-to-back suplex and again, that had some STANK on it. The story to this one has been great so far as Bigelow is dominating, but Bret is doing all he can to survive until Bigelow makes a mistake. They end up on the floor and Bret gets an opening as he sends Bigelow into the railing. Hart off the apron with a forearm to the back. Bret off the apron, but Bigelow catches him and runs him back first into the post. Slam on the floor where there’s a think carpet instead of the padding. Cool! Luna Vachon is here and she hits Bret with a rather weak chair shot. Well, that’s kind of disappointing. Swing that thing Luna! Back in the ring Bammer gets a slam and heads up top. He connects with the head-butt and Bigelow gets the pin at 9:27. What?
-Another ref comes down to let the ref in the match know that Luna uses a chair. Fink says the decision has been reversed, but that’s wrong and they correct him that the match will continue. Well, that’s some crap. Bigelow was robbed here! Where was the ref to let restart the Hogan match after the fireball? Bret got pinned clean. Weird decision to run the match like this. Bigelow with a bearhug and another head-butt. He hooks an over the shoulder backbreaker as commentary goes crazy making sure we understand how tough Bret is and how he won’t give up. Heenan notes Stu was a quitter and somewhere backstage Jerry Lawler was taking notes. Bret frees himself and gets a belly-to-back suplex to leave both men down. Bammer misses a back splash. Bret lands a punch to the gut, but Bigelow goes to the eyes. Another hard whip to the corner. Bigelow goes back to the over the shoulder backbreaker. Bret rakes the face to force a break and is able to counter to a sleeper. Bret with a shotgun dropkick to the back and he dumps Bigelow to the floor. Slingshot plancha lands and Bret fires away with right hands. Back in the ring Bret comes off the middle rope with a clothesline for two. Side Russian Leg Sweep and Bret heads up to the second rope again. He comes off with a bulldog as Savage is begging for a cover. Bret goes for The Sharpshooter, but Bigelow powers out. Bigelow back to the bearhug, but Bret bites at his head. Bigelow drills him with a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Hart gets a boot up to block a charge in the corner and gets a Victory Roll for the pin at 17:18 (I stopped the timer when Bigelow won and didn’t start again until the refs restarted the match).
Winner and WWF King of The Ring: Bret Hart via pin at 17:18
-I wasn’t a fan of the false finish as it made Bret look like a beaten man, but it was still a good match. Bret deserves credit for having three good matches in one night with each one having a different feel. This was better than the Ramon match, but the restart annoyed me. ***
-Time is running out, so they rush Bret to the stage where Gene is there to put the cape on him, give him a scepter and crown him. Gene proclaims Bret as The King of The Ring and here’s Jerry “The King” Lawler. I mean, it’s only natural for him to be out to contest this. Lawler is kind enough to let Bret be a prince if he will bow to the real King and kiss his feet. Bret shoots that down and leads a “Burger King” chant. Lawler decks Bret with his scepter and destroys his crown. He slams the throne on Hart and that looked like it sucked. He chokes with the scepter and this crowd is pissed. He throws a stool at him for good measure and boots Bret in the face, which knocks him down a set of stairs from the stage. Great stuff and a strong way to end the show.
-Thanks for reading!
More Trending Stories
- Note On Reason For Chad Gable Adding Clap Routine To Entrance
- Big E Says Fans ‘Crossed The Line And Went Too Far’ With Their Criticism Toward Ridge Holland
- Note on Possibility of AEW Having Its TV Specials On CBS Following Paramount-WBD Merger
- Backstage Update on Kairi Sane’s Status Amid Being Featured in Recent WWE Supercard Mobile Game
