Survivor Series (1993)

Infobox Wrestling event
name=Survivor Series (1993)


promotion=World Wrestling Federation
date=November 24, 1993
venue=Boston Garden
city=Boston, Massachusetts
attendance=15,509
lastevent=SummerSlam (1993)
nextevent=Royal Rumble (1994)
event=Survivor Series
lastevent2=Survivor Series (1992)
nextevent2=Survivor Series (1994)

Survivor Series (1993) was the seventh annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It took place on Thanksgiving Eve, November 24, 1993 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The buildup to the pay-per-view consisted of feuds scripted by the WWF's writers, and the matches that took place at the event had pre-determined outcomes that had been decided by the promotion. The event has been criticized by several reviewers, who have pointed to Jerry Lawler and Doink the Clown not appearing and a dull main event as problems that hurt the show.

The event featured four tag-team elimination matches and a bout for the Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Championship. The main event match saw the All-Americans, a team of face wrestlers from the United States, competing against the Foreign Fanatics, a team of heels that represented other countries. The All-Americans won the match when Lex Luger was the last man remaining. In an undercard match, four members of the Hart family competed against Shawn Michaels and a group of masked men. The original plan was for the Harts to face Jerry Lawler, with whom they were feuding, but Lawler was not able to appear at the event. The Harts won the match, but a confrontation between Bret Hart and Owen Hart after the match led to Owen turning against the family the following year.

The majority of the feuds remained unresolved and carried on to future events. Bam Bam Bigelow was scheduled to face his main rival, Doink the Clown, but Bigelow's team ended up facing four other wrestlers wearing clown makeup instead. Matches from the Survivor Series also helped set up feuds for Royal Rumble 1994, the WWF's next pay-per-view. Razor Ramon's rivalry with Irwin R. Schyster intensified at Survivor Series and led to Ramon defending his WWF Intercontinental Championship against Schyster at the Royal Rumble. This event also marked the beginning of The Undertaker's feud with Yokozuna, and Yokozuna defended his WWF Championship against The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble.

Background

Several feuds surrounded the opening match, which saw the team of Razor Ramon, Marty Jannetty, the 1-2-3 Kid and Mr. Perfect face the team of Irwin R. Schyster (I.R.S.), Diesel, Rick Martel, and Adam Bomb. Diesel made his WWF debut on June 6, 1993 as a bodyguard for Shawn Michaels in a match between Michaels and Jannetty. Diesel's interference in the match helped Michaels to defeat Jannetty and win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. [cite book|last=Davies|first=Ross|pages=31-32|title=Kevin Nash|publisher=Rosen Publishing Group|date=2002|isbn=0823934926] Diesel was also at ringside to help Michaels when Michaels faced Mr. Perfect for the title belt at SummerSlam 1993. Diesel attacked Perfect on multiple occasions during the match and ultimately caused Perfect to lose the match via countout. [cite book|last=Davies|first=Ross|pages=32|title=Kevin Nash|publisher=Rosen Publishing Group|date=2002|isbn=0823934926] In autumn 1993, Michaels was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship by WWF President Jack Tunney. A battle royal was scheduled to determine the top two contenders for the championship. Ramon and Martel were the last two wrestlers in the ring, and they faced each other in a title match on the September 27 episode of "Monday Night Raw". Ramon won the match and was awarded the championship belt. [cite web|title=History of the Intercontinental Championship: Razor Ramon's first reign|work=WWE|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/322472|accessdate=2008-07-16]

Schyster had initiated a feud with Ramon in May 1993 after Ramon lost a match to The Kid (later the 1-2-3 Kid), who was competing as a jobber at the time. Schyster and his tag team partner Ted DiBiase made fun of Ramon for the loss and offered him a job as a servant. [cite web|title=SummerSlam 1993|first=Scott|last=Criscuolo|coauthors=Justin Rozzero|work=The History of WWE|date=2007-01-04|accessdate=2008-07-16|url=http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/sslam93review.htm] In response, Ramon teamed with the 1-2-3 Kid for a series of matches against Schyster and DiBiase, and he also distracted Schyster during a match and caused him to lose to jobber P.J. Walker. [cite web|title=Wrestler Profiles: Mike Rotundo|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/m/mike-rotundo.html|accessdate=2008-07-16|work=Online World of Wrestling] Adam Bomb was not involved in any feuds with his opponents at Survivor Series, but there was animosity between Bomb and his teammate Rick Martel. Bomb's manager, Harvey Wippleman, was at ringside to help Martel in a match against Ramon. Wippleman was standing in the way of the match, and Martel ran in to him. While Martel was distracted, Ramon pinned him to win the match. Martel then yelled at Wippleman and pushed him. Bomb came to the ring to defend his manager, and an argument ensued until Diesel and Schyster came to the ring to calm their teammates.

Jerry Lawler spent much of 1993 building a feud with the Hart family. Lawler had been using the nickname "The King" since defeating Jackie Fargo for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship in 1974. [cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/lawler.html|title=SLAM Bio: Jerry Lawler|work=SLAM! Sports|accessdate=2008-07-13|date=2005-02-05] [cite book |last=Sugar|first=Bert Randolph|coauthors=George Napolitano|title=The Pictorial History of Wrestling: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly|pages=pp. 46|isbn = 0-8317-3912-6] After Bret Hart won the WWF's 1993 King of the Ring tournament, Lawler confronted him and claimed to be the only king in the WWF. Lawler then attacked Hart from behind, hitting Hart with the scepter and throne that had been set up for the coronation ceremony. [cite book|title=It's Good to Be the King...Sometimes|last=Lawler|first=Jerry|pages=279|date=2003|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=0743475577] The feud escalated when Lawler involved Helen and Stu Hart, Bret's parents, by insulting them while serving as commentator for WWF television programs. [cite web|title=WWF Raw: July 26, 1993|work=The Other Arena|accessdate=2008-07-13|url=http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1993/raw072693] cite web|title=Lawler sounds off on Unforgiven, divas and passing the torch|work=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=2008-07-13|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2005/09/15/1217515.html|last=Clevett|first=Jason|date=2005-09-15] In what was billed as a "Family Feud" match, Bret Hart was joined by his brother Owen, who also worked for the WWF at the time, as well as his brothers Bruce and Keith, both of whom had also wrestled professionally. [cite web|title=SLAM! Wrestling Canadian Hall of Fame: The Hart Family|url=http://www.canoe.ca/SlamWrestling/harts.html|work=SLAM! Wrestling|accessdate=2008-07-14] Lawler's partners were three masked wrestlers known only as the Blue Knight, the Red Knight, and the Black Knight.

Lawler was unable to appear at the event, however, as he was indicted after being accusing of raping and sodomizing a teenage girl, who later admitted to making up the story.cite web|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/info/faq/lawler.shtml|work=WrestleView|title=Jerry Lawler FAQ at WrestleView.com|accessdate=2008-07-14] Shawn Michaels, who replaced Lawler in the match, also had a rivalry with Bret Hart dating back to the previous year. Hart, who held the Intercontinental Championship for much of 1992, defended the belt against Michaels many times, including in the WWF's first ladder match. [cite web|title=Ring Results: 1992|work=The History of WWE|url=http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/93.htm|accessdate=2008-07-16] They had also wrestled each other in the main event of Survivor Series 1992, when Hart defended his newly-won WWF Championship against Michaels. [cite web|title=WWE Championship Match: Bret "Hit Man" Hart def. Shawn Michaels|work=WWE|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/1992/mainevent/|accessdate=2008-07-16]

The Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Championship was defended at Survivor Series as part of a working agreement between WWF owner Vince McMahon and Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) owner Jim Cornette. [cite web|title=Smoky Mountain Wrestling: Death Of A Promotion (Part One)|work=The Wrestling Gospel|last=Mooneyham|first=Mike|url=http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=8DDC5EEB-4D3E-4D74-BF82C78EA66E9288|date=1995-12-10|accessdate=2008-07-14] The Rock 'n' Roll Express, who held the belts going into the event, had been feuding with the The Heavenly Bodies over the title for over a year. [cite web|title=Smoky Mountain Wrestling Tag Team Titles History|url=http://www.solie.org/titlehistories/ttsmw.html|work=Solie's Title Histories|accessdate=2008-07-14] The rivalry had been violent at times, including a barbed wire cage match and a Texas deathmatch. [cite web|title=Tag Team Profiles: Rock 'n' Roll Express|work=Online World of Wrestling|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/r/rocknrollexpress.html|accessdate=2008-07-14]

Doink the Clown had annoyed Bam Bam Bigelow throughout October and November with such pranks as throwing water and confetti on him and dumping a pail of water on Bigelow's on-screen girlfriend Luna Vachon. He also tied a tripwire across the aisle during one of Bigelow's matches; after Bigelow fell over the wire, Doink attacked him with a broom.cite web|title=WWF Raw: October 04, 1993|work=The Other Arena|url=http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1993/raw100493|accessdate=2008-01-18] Bigelow responded by coming to the ring during one of Doink's matches and destroying Doink's toy wagon.cite web|title=Ring Results: 1993|work=The History of WWE|url=http://www.angelfire.com/wrestling/cawthon777/93.htm|accessdate=2008-07-14] The character of Doink was played by several wrestlers, who occasionally appeared at the same time. [cite web|title=WWE Alumni: Doink|work=WWE|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/wwealumni/doink/bio/|accessdate=2008-07-16] The match booked for Survivor Series advertised Bigelow teaming with Bastion Booger, who portrayed an overweight and dirty glutton, [cite book|title=The WrestleCrap Book of Lists!|first=R.D.|last=Reynolds|coauthors=Blade Braxton|pages=336-337|publisher=ECW Press|date=2007|isbn=1550227629] and The Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu), a team of Samoans who were portrayed as savages, [cite web|title=A Brief Compilation of Racist Stereotypes in Wrestling|last=Carter|first=Mario|work=Online World of Wrestling|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/columns/misc/mariocarter01.html|date=2006-08-04|accessdate=2008-07-14] to face four Doinks. To promote the match, Doink appeared on the video wall that was part of the set during Bigelow's matches leading up to the event. The wall used a split screen to show multiple Doinks talking and laughing at the same time.

The main event match featured the team of the All-Americans, which consisted of Lex Luger, Tatanka, and the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) facing the Foreign Fanatics, which consisted of Yokozuna, Ludvig Borga, and The Quebecers (Jacques and Pierre). The main storyline behind the match began that summer when Yokozuna, a Japanese sumo wrestler, challenged any American athlete to bodyslam him on the deck of the USS "Intrepid" during an event on Independence Day. After several challengers were unable to lift Yokozuna, Luger arrived via helicopter and successfully performed what was termed "the bodyslam heard around the world".cite web|title=Triumph and tragedy on July 4th|last=Schramm|first=Chris|work=SLAM! Wrestling|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamWrestlingFeatures/july4-can.html|accessdate=2008-07-16] Luger was granted a match for Yokozuna's WWF Championship at SummerSlam. Luger got a victory via countout but did not win the title. [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/history/1993/mainevent/|title=Lex Luger vs. Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji for the WWE Championship|work=WWE|accessdate=2008-07-16] In the dressing room after the match, Borga, a Finnish wrestler, interrupted Luger's celebration by criticizing Luger and initiating a new feud.

The Steiner Brothers spent autumn 1993 feuding with The Quebecers, a Canadian tag team. They had faced each other several times since The Quebecers had won the WWF Tag Team Championship from the Steiners on September 13. [cite web|title=History of the World Tag Team Championship: The Quebecers’ first reign|work=WWE|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldtagteam/304454132111122|accessdate=2008-07-16] Since arriving in the WWF, Tatanka had been on a two-year winning streak. [cite web|title=My Interview with the "Native American" Tatanka|last=Nemer|first=Paul|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/messages1/176.shtml|work=WrestleView|accessdate=2008-07-16|date=2001-09-14] Borga ended the streak on the October 30, 1993 episode of "Monday Night Raw" by pinning Tatanka after hitting him with a chair. [cite web|title=Hart/Mania, Tatanka's streak, Oddities, Debra, Warrior, more|work=WrestleView|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/news2005/1126628554.shtml|accessdate=2008-07-16|date=2005-09-13|last=Nemer|first=Paul] After the match, Borga and Yokozuna attacked Tatanka, causing kayfabe injuries that forced Tatanka to withdraw from the match at Survivor Series.cite web|title=16 Years of the Survivor Series: Stats and Facts|first=Ite|last=Lemalu|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/wweppv/survivorseries-facts.html|work=Online World of Wrestling|accessdate=2008-07-16] The All-Americans recruited The Undertaker to replace Tatanka. On the November 15 episode of "Monday Night Raw", Luger defeated Pierre; as a result of a kayfabe injury in the match, the Foreign Fanatics had to replace Pierre with Crush, the sole American of the team.

Crush was feuding with Randy Savage going into the event. They had been on-screen friends, but Crush was angry that Savage had not saved him from an attack by Yokozuna on the July 12, 1993 episode of "Monday Night Raw". To make his injuries seem real, Crush did not appear on WWF television programming for several months. He made his return on October 18, accompanied by Yokozuna and Yokozuna's manager, Mr. Fuji, claiming that they sympathized with Crush's sense of betrayal by Savage. Savage tried to make amends with Crush, who then attacked Savage and announced that he had turned against Savage and the United States and was aligning himself with Yokozuna, Fuji, and Japan.

Event

Prior to the televised broadcast, Billy Gunn defeated The Brooklyn Brawler in a dark match.cite web|title=Survivor Series 1993|work=Pro Wrestling History|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/survivor.html#93|accessdate=2008-07-16] The first match on the pay-per-view event saw Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, the 1-2-3 Kid, and Marty Jannetty face Diesel, Irwin R. Schyster, Rick Martel, and Adam Bomb. Prior to the match, Ramon announced that Randy Savage was taking the place of Perfect, who was unable to appear. [cite web|title=WWF Survivor Series 1993|work=p.W.w.|url=http://www.pwwew.net/ppv/wwf/november/1993.htm|accessdate=2008-07-16] Martel and Ramon began the match in the ring, but Martel soon tagged out to bring Bomb into the match. Ramon performed a suplex on Bomb and attempted to pin his opponent. Martel tried to rescue his partner but ended up hitting Bomb instead and causing an argument. The 1-2-3 Kid entered the match but was overpowered by Bomb and Diesel. After the Kid tagged out, Savage performed a diving elbow drop on Diesel before getting the pinfall to eliminate Diesel from the match. Ramon was attacked by his opponents but eventually tagged Savage back into the match. Savage got distracted when Crush appeared in the aisle, however, which allowed Schyster to eliminate him from the match. Ramon then performed a Razor's Edge on Schyster and pinned him. Ramon attempted the same move on Martel, but Schyster snuck back into the ring and hit Ramon with a briefcase. Ramon fell out of the ring and was counted out of the match. The remaining four wrestlers fought back and forth, but the 1-2-3 Kid eventually pinned Martel after a sunset flip. Almost immediately, Jannetty performed a sunset flip on Bomb to win the match for his team.cite web|title=WWF Survivor Series '93 Re-Revued|url=http://www.oowrestling.com/columns/ooldtyme/20040708.shtml|last=Gutschmidt|first=Adam|work=Online Onslaught|accessdate=2008-07-16|date=2004-07-08] cite web|title=Survivor Series '93|work=The Other Arena|url=http://www.otherarena.com/htm/cgi-bin/history.cgi?1993/wwf112493|accessdate=2008-07-18]

The next bout was the "Family Feud" match that saw the Hart brothers (Bret, Owen, Bruce, and Keith) facing Shawn Michaels and His Knights. The knights wore masks to hide their identities, but it has been revealed that Jeff Gaylord was the Black Knight, Greg Valentine was the Blue Knight, and Barry Horowitz was the Red Knight. [cite web|title=Shawn Michaels FAQ|work=WrestleView|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/info/faq/michaels.shtml|accessdate=2008-07-16] Ray Combs, then host of "Family Feud", told jokes to insult Shawn Michaels prior to the bout and later served as guest announcer for the match. Michaels began the match by wrestling Bruce Hart. Although Michaels was able to go on the offensive against the Hart brothers, the knights were unable to achieve much success against the Harts. At one point, all four wrestlers brawled in the ring, but Owen was able to eliminate the Black Knight after performing a missile dropkick. Michaels and the knights regained control of the match, but Bret turned things around by eliminating the Red Knight via submission to the Sharpshooter. Bret sustained a kayfabe injury after being thrown out of the ring and sat out of the match for a few minutes. Meanwhile, Michaels provoked Stu Hart into punching him. Inside the ring, Owen forced the Blue Knight to submit to the Sharpshooter, which left Michaels by himself. While Bret was standing on the ring apron, however, Owen ran in to him and got distracted. This allowed Michaels to pin Owen and eliminate him from the match. Bret dominated the rest of the match against Michaels until Michaels walked back to the locker room. As a result, Michaels was counted out, and the Harts won the match. After the match, Owen returned to the ring and yelled at Bret, blaming Bret for causing him to be eliminated from the match.cite web|title=Must Rugged Roads to WrestleMania: Dis-Owen-ed|work=WWE|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/listthis/ruggedroadstomania/roadstomania7|accessdate=2008-07-16|first=Mike|last=McAvennie|date=2007-03-24]

All four men began the SMW Tag Team Championship match in the ring. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) controlled most of the opening of the match with aerial maneuvers against The Heavenly Bodies (Jimmy Del Ray and Tom Pritchard). Del Ray tried to help his partner but superkicked him instead. The Heavenly Bodies gained the advantage after Pritchard performed a powerbomb on Morton, which Del Ray followed with a moonsault. Del Ray and Morton fought back and forth, with Del Ray performing another moonsault and Morton executing a hurricanrana. After all four wrestlers brawled in the ring once more, Del Ray hit Gibson in the back with a tennis racquet. Pritchard then pinned Gibson to win the belts for The Heavenly Bodies.

²

References

Further reading

*cite news|title=2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts|work=Wrestling’s historical cards|publisher=Kappa Publishing|date= 2007|pages=91-92
* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/1993/ Official 1993 Survivor Series website]