December 7, 2025 • 30 mins
The 1993 King of the Ring was a turning point in WWE history — a night where Bret “The Hitman” Hart proved himself as the company’s true workhorse while Hulk Hogan’s era came crashing down. From behind-the-scenes tension and controversial booking decisions to Bret reportedly telling Hogan to “F off,” this event marked a massive shift in WWE’s power structure. Join us as we break down the matches, the real-life drama, and the lasting legacy of King of the Ring 1993 — the night Hulkamania died and the New Generation began.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
History Channel, Legends History Channel, Time, and Bustling History Channel.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
From Hogan refusing to do the job to photographers having
exploding cameras. Welcome to the history of the King of
the Ring nineteen ninety three, right here on the Wrestling
History Channel. I'mc Fall and boy, we have a show
for you today because the nineteen ninety three King of
the Ring some people love, some people hate, and we'll
(00:40):
discuss the historical facts all around this event. And one
of the big ones is around this time, WCW has
expanded its pay per views. No longer are they sitting
on just Halloween Havoc and starcads and Super Bowl things
of that nature. They keep adding more and adding more
and adding more. Well, suddenly WWE only has Roy Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam,
(01:04):
and Survivor Series.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
The Big Four.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Traditionally we've been used to this, but now the WWF israelized. Whoops,
we are losing some of our pay per review by
rates to WCW.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
So let's up the annie.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So they add King of the Ring nineteen eighty three
to the pay per view lineup, starting this sort of
the Big Four. I guess the Big Five up until
two thousand and two, King of the Ring was a
annual pay per review and people really looked forward to
it because if you weren't watching early WWF, we weren't
really seeing tournaments on television that much. We got to
(01:40):
see the Wrestling Classic, which is the second ever WWF
pay per view, have a sixteen man tournament, WRESTLMINGI a
four head a tournament for the vacated world title. But
reality tournaments weren't a big thing, and now it's a
pay per view, and I really enjoyed having another event
to watch as a kid as an adult because the concept,
(02:01):
though was not new. The WWE was having King of
the Ring tournaments and house shows dating back to the
early eighties. Most of them took place in New England.
If you go to the history, New England seems to
be the place where the WWE really likes to supply
you with weird concepts, even though we rumble took place
(02:23):
at other house shows and live events. WSW did the
same thing with the Wargames type style cages where they
were trying these things out. Go back and look, there's
an entire Wargames house show circuit for like thirty days
of wargames matches, they don't really count those in history.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
The King of the Ring they counted a few times. Now.
This King of the Ring took place in the Nutter.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Center in Daytona excuse me, in Dayton, Ohio. Now, the
WWF sometimes loves to promote where we are.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
We're in Boss, We're in Chicago. Where in New York.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
They didn't really want to know the fans to know
that they are in Dayton, Ohio, so they kept calling
it on commentary the heartland of America.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
It's just so funny that sometimes the.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
WWF is obsessed with naming places. And honestly, if you
were at home and you already bought this event, or
you were interested in watching it after watching Monday Night
Raw or Superstars or Primetime Wrestling or Wrestling Challenge or
one of those shows all American Wrestling, I think was
still a show as well.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
At the time.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I don't think anyone's gonna think to themselves, well, I
shouldn't watch this or I shouldn't buy this because it's
in Dayton, Ohio.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
No problems there. Now.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
The commentary team is Jim Ross, Bobby the Brain, Heenan,
and matcha Man Raindy Savage. Now these three did nine.
WrestleMania nine historically is one of the worst events. I
know that WWE tried to do a documentary about Wrestmany nine,
and even my co host of the Golden Era podcast,
Shan Mooney, he was a host of a panel at
(04:15):
ww World building up to Wrestling A forty one when
they kept highlighting that how important wrestmany In nine was and.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
How historic it was. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Rewriting history is the number one thing the WWE loves
to do. From how Austin three to sixteen was the
biggest thing the next night after he said it, no no, no, no, no,
to degeneration next, no, no, no no. There's so many
things where the ww loves to rewrite history. In this
rest Men nine is one of those. So the commentary
(04:46):
team wasn't very good for wrestmeny and nine. And that
was also Jim Rossell's debut. So we're gonna have them
all together again at kinder Ring nineteen ninety three. I
was looking forward to that. But also during the broadcast,
you can clearly hear that they're having issues with their headsets.
They can't hear cues, they don't know exactly what's happening next.
(05:07):
So they kind of just improve a couple times and
it's noticeable.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
It doesn't really hurt the broadcast.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
But this three man team not the best, and macho
man Bobby Heenan his years are go on randomly. They
would have interviews in Jim Ross too. They would mention
how it was difficult to work with Heenan and Savage
because Heenen loves to get his one liners in. Savage
is trying to shut down heen And it wasn't the
same combo with Gorilla mons Soon and Bobby.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
He didn't doing that, but that was historic. That was classic.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Savage, who wasn't that great on commentary to begin with,
now has to sit there and try to feed Bobby
Heenan material to give him one liner back to him,
while Jim Ross, who's relatively new, is supposed to be
the referee in this group. Jim Ross in reality has
no legs to stand on. He's not a He's been
in WSW for a while in NWA, but he's not
(05:58):
in the WWF, so really has no seniority where he
can just take over the commentary booth. He has to
let Bobby in Macha man kind of run wild for
a little while, because what's he gonna do?
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Tell them to stop talking because he's more important. No,
he can't do that. He cannot do that. Also, around
this time.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
The WWF really was extending the olive branch to small organizations.
Smoky Mountain Wrestling will make an appearance at the SummerSlam
Excuse Me Surviversaries nineteen ninety three, but at this event,
the us WA the Memphis Championship is on the line,
but it's a dark match. Papa Shango, who is the
(06:40):
current at the time USWA champion, defends the title in
a dark match against Owen Hart before the pay per
of view. Hilarious to think that the WWE was obsessed
with hating on WCW as years would go on. But
around this time you can clearly tell the WWE is
trying to guard relationships with smaller organizations. Because WCW already
(07:05):
had a relationship with New Japan, WCW already had a
relationship with TRIPAA. The WWE has been in its own
sandbox for years now. They took out all the competition.
Now they have no one else to work with, so
they're trying to find people to say, Oh, well, I
have this. The w's notorious for doing this. Where we
(07:27):
have a wrestler he's coming back from injury. We don't
want him on TV yet, send him somewhere so he
can train again in the USWA with one of those places,
Smoking Mount Wrestling. A few other organizations did this as
well later on OVW FCW. There'll be lots of smaller
companies that get the rub by the WWE. But you
(07:49):
know Kaba Shanga so strange. The man was fighting Ultimate
Warrior on Superstars in nineteen ninety two, making black googe
from his head, and now he's in a dark match
as the us WA champion taking on Owen Heart. Owen Hart,
(08:10):
he is, he's been struggling. He was a Blue Blazer,
he was in High Energy, the Tag Team, he was
in the New Foundation Tag Team. They don't really have
anything for him yet. Owenhart would eventually get involved with
Brett Hart at Survivor Series nineteen ninety three, and then
Owen finally gets his legs, he finally gets world title matches,
(08:31):
and he's in from Survivor Series nine to tenenty three
until unfortunately Owenhart passed away. Owenhart was always a prominent
character on television. Now Brett Hart's performance this event, he
has to wrestle three different matches. Technically, Brett Hatt wrestled
forty eight minutes, forty eight minutes and three different matches
(08:53):
all combined together. Razor Ramone missed a perfect Bam Bam
Bigelow awesome, three opponents right, great matches. Now Bert Hart,
though he wrestled three matches forty eight minutes with an
injured ankle, because the night before at Madison Square Garden.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Bert Hart got injured.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Well, Bert at the hit Man Heart has wrestled multiple
times with injuries, plus SARV series nineteen eighty nine, his
brother or his brother's passed away the day before he
wrestled the.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Nineteen No Excuse Me.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
The nineteen eighty nine Sarve series, Bert Hart had injured ribs,
a ruptured kidney, came out. Wrestled nineteen ninety the day
before Bert Hart's father brother died.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
So in reality, I'm getting all tongue twisted here, folks,
if you can't tell.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
But Bret Hart always wrestles when he's.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Hurt emotionally or physically.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
But he has an injured ankle here, and he comes
in and he wrestles three matches.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Now.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
The night before, Bert Heart wrestled Bob Becklan for thirty
two minutes with an injured ankle.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Thirty two minutes, one nine injured ankle.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Next night forty eight minutes, three different style matches with
that injured ankle. Kudos to Hip. But what people always
talk about here at the King of during nineteen ninety
three is Hulk Cogan's controversy. Now, hok Cogan won the
world championship at WrestleMania nine. After that devious mister Fuji
(10:26):
costs Breadtha Hitman Hawk the world title against Yoko Zuna
in the main event.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Well, Hulk Hogan ran down. That's the good guy that
he is.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Hogan came down like Breder Ray brow the bread Are
you okay?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Mister Fuji suddenly challenges Yoko Zuna, says, Yokozuna, you're gonna
defend the world title against Holk Gogan right now.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Now. If I was Yoko, I'd say, excuse me.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Why will we just give the man Hulk Cogan, who
we know is the touriously very good at wrestling as
a character power of Bodice Levin onto the giant, be
not macho man, be not boss man. But yet mister
Fuji says, Houl Cogan your ring side, so we're gonna
challenge you to a match, world title on the line.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Hogan, ho ole brother brother brother brother.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Hogan comes in wins the world title from Yokozuna Rushman nine.
Is a strange, strange event, indeed, But Hulk Cogan has
not been on televisions for ten weeks since Wrestuming and nine.
And I went back and I watched the nineteen ninety
three Monday Night ros He's missing. He is missing, and
(11:45):
a kind of ignore that Hulk Cogan is the world
champion on Raw. If you watch RAS from ninety three,
the night after Wrestumening of nine up until King of
the Ring, they barely mentioned Hulk Cogan maybe a.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Couple of sentences here and there. Dude, he's your world champion.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
So clearly there's some heavy things going on backstage with
the Vince McMahon and Hulk Cogan. Because Hogan is off
doing TV shows, movies as the world champion. The business
in the WWF is not doing well. We need Hulk
Cogan to be our champion to carry the load while
He's barely around, so how is he carrying the load?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Now?
Speaker 2 (12:24):
At this King of the Ring, Hulk Cogan loses the
World championship to Yoko Zuna after one of the Japanese
cameramen gets on the apron.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
And his camera explodes.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
A fireball shoots out of the camera into Hulk Hogan's eyes,
which blinds him, which allows Yoko Zuna to pick up
the win to become the new world champion once again.
The photographer was Harvey Whippleman with prosthetics and a big
long fake beer and a hat and big crazy hair
(12:59):
and different outfit. You couldn't tell it was Harvey Whoopleman,
but he was a fake photographer. I find it funny
that they couldn't let Yoko Zuna five hundred and five
pounds this massive man just beat Holkung with the bonze,
drop a leg, drop, things of that nature. No, listen, brother,
(13:21):
we need an exploding camera. Dude, I can't imagine Vince Man. Well,
I guess, I guess we're gonna find a fireball camera.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Guy. Yeah, we gotta got that going.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
It's interesting to watch because you just it's so bizarre.
It's just so bizarre. Like I've never seen something like
this when a camera explodes in someone's face. Nice trick, right,
nice trick, and whole Cogan. He does not look like
he has twenty four inch pythons any longer. He does
not look like the whole Cogan of the Whole Comania,
the height of Whole Comania era where he's fighting Warrior
(13:56):
and Savage and Andre. The man has gone much smaller.
Why steroids. The steroid trial is coming up and things
are not looking good for anybody. Cogan and his face
has been all over local news promoting that the WWF
is evil and.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
That's why business is down.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
That's why Vince mc mahon brought back hold Cogan in
general to fix the business.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Hey, everyone loves you, bring you back. It didn't work.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
And when you're missing from television for ten weeks building
to your next pay per view, well that doesn't work either. Now,
Brett Hart claims that he was supposed to beat hul
Cochin at Summer Slam, but hol Cogan refused. Now, backstage,
we've had many stories. This is all from Bert Hart's perspective,
(14:41):
where Vince mc mann and Hulk Cogan clearly are having
issues with each other. So Brett Hart is that you
know the child in the middle, it's divorce, and Hogan
is telling Brett Hart one thing, and fincek Man is
telling Brett Hart another thing.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Well, and finally ho.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Cogin admits that he refuses to lose to breath the
Hitman hunt. He will not lose to him ever, not
at King of the Ring, not at SummerSlam, not ever well. Reportedly,
Bert Hart tells Hulk Coogan to go f himself backstage.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
I would too.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
I would too, because rest somebody in nine Bert Hart
building up to.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
That he was doing great as a champion. People liked him.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Business was down, of course, but business was going to
be down with Hoe Cogan's champion, or with Macha Man's
champion or.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Brett Hart's champion.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
It didn't matter who was champion, because guess what business
was going down no matter what.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I don't think vinsk Man saw it that way.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
He thought, well, Hulk Cogan did such great business before,
if you bring him back, he'll fix all of our problems.
That's not the case at all. It wasn't Hoke Cogan's fault,
it wasn't Vince com Man's fault. It wasn't Brett Hart's fault.
It's just the WWF was on a hot streak for
a good five six years and now we're cooling down.
We don't get hot again until nineteen ninety eight. I
(16:02):
think people forget about that. That, like wrestling, businesses go
up and down, up, and any business goes up and down,
up and down. In today's world, when business goes down,
they just fire like three hundred people and then raise
o their prices and suddenly, oh, we're making more money.
Well no, you just raise all your prices. No one's
buying more product. It's just they're buying the same product,
but now instead of ten dollars is twenty dollars. And
(16:24):
that's how stockholders kind of own the business in a way.
But Hole Cogan after losing to Yokozuda at King the Ring,
the myth though, is Hogan just leaves, he's done boof
King the Ring's over and he's out. Well, Hulk Cogan
works a few matches. He even goes to England August sixth,
nineteenenty three and wrestles. The whole idea of Hulk Cogan
(16:47):
becoming World Champion was to boost European audiences.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
The ticket sales weren't doing that great. So Hogan is champion. Wow,
that sounds.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Amazing, right, Well, Hogan doesn't even work those European dates.
He does worked the European dates after he's world champion,
but not while.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
He is world champion. Yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Now let's talk about the matches for a second, because
the highlights of this are Brett Hart defeats Razor Ramone
and Rasor Ramone is a babyface. Now Rasor Ramon and
Brett Hart were the world title match.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
It's the nineteen ninety three Royal Rumble.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
So they've already wrestled this year and now they're doing
it again, and I might say this one's better than
the Royal Rumble match. Mister Perfect in the next match,
he fights mister Hughes. Now Perfect wins by disqualification after
mister Hughes uses the urn that he stole from the Undertaker.
(17:49):
So we're building other storylines within matches. Bam Bam Bigelow
defeats Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Hacksaw Jim Duggin. He's not
the the ho He's no longer the guy that everyone
was going for at this point.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
He's not that old but he looks like.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
A grandpa compared to the Razor Ramones and Brett Hard
and Tatanka and even Lex Lugar, Like it just feels
like Hacksaw Jim Duggan feels so out of place at
this event. And I don't really know why. It just
feels like he looks like, I'll say it again, he
looks like a grandpa.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
He's not a grandpa, but he's the Golden.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Era character and now we're kind of floating into this
new generation era where Hacksaw doesn't really fit in that anymore.
Big boss Man, Earthquake, even Hogan Savage. They feel like
so long ago, but it wasn't just a couple of
years ago.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
These were your main babyfaces.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
These were the main guys pushing revenue streams, not in
mom And one of the matches that bored me to
death was Lex Luger taking on too Tanka. It goes
to a fifteen minute time Lemit draw yuck. Lex Luger
was undefeated. They didn't want him to live Tonco's undefeated.
They didn't want him to lose. It's hilarious though, because
(19:05):
Lex Lugar here is the narcissist. He's a bad guy.
And flash forward to August. Well, flash forward to July
July fourth, that is where Lex Luger suddenly loves America
and he shows up with a helicopter on the USS
and Trepid, this big navy boat where Lex Lugar body
(19:26):
slam's Yoko Zuna and he suddenly is a babyface and
suddenly he's the main wrestler. He's suddenly the new Hulk
Cogan because Hogan's out of here, so we need someone
to replace him. Let's have it be Lex Luger should
have remember Bret Hart, that's just me. It's not a
good fifteen minute match. It's very boring. And they Theekwo
(19:49):
would wrestle again at SummerSlam in nine tenenty five ninety four,
setting up did Ta Tanka sella to the million of
the Man? Did Lex Luger Cela to the million dollar man?
Turns out with Satanka? So in a year from now
the wrestle again and actually have a story. This is
a story, but I wasn't feeling it. I wasn't feeling it.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Moving to the semifinals, though, Bert Hart takes on and
mister perfect.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
This is the rematch from SummerSlam nineteen ninety one, where
Bret Hart defeated Mister Perfect for the intern Continental title
in Madison Square Garden, Bert Hart's first singles championship. It's
a masterpiece. This match is just a masterpiece. I don't
know if it's better than Summer Slam ninety one, but
(20:35):
it certainly lives up there because in the lore of
Bert Hart Mister Perfect matches. Everybody talks about SummerSlam nineteen
eighty one.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
They barely bring.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Up King of the Ring ninety three because it's a
semi final match in a tournament. There's not a lot
of stakes here except getting to the finals. The first
time they wrestled was for the intern Continental title. Mister
Perfect had a back injury he needed to get surgery.
Is a lot of lore surrounding Summerslim ninety one, King
of the Ring ninety three not that much now. Earlier,
(21:08):
lex Luca Tatanka was a Tilermit draw. That means Bam
Bam Bigelow, who defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He gets too
advance to the finals immediately, so Brett Hart takes off
Bam Bam Bigelow. Storyline is brettye wrestled twice Bam BAM's
only wrestled once. It's it's impressive that Bamman Bigelow can
move around this quick too. Because the mids of perfect
(21:29):
razor and re mode matches with Brett Hart, they're great.
The Bam Bam Bigelow match with Brett Hart stupendous. It's
shocking to think that sometimes when you look at a
big man like Bam Bam Bigelow, man is doing damn
moon salts off the top rope. It's the perfect and
Brett was pretty good. But I think Bam Bam and
Brett stole the show for me because the story is,
(21:53):
can Brett defeed a man who's such a large mammoth
athlete like Bigelow who's only wrestled once, Brett's wrestled twice. Well,
Brett Hart wins with a victory role on his shoulders.
Brett Hart technically becomes a two time King of the
Ring winner because in nineteen ninety one they had a
(22:14):
King of the Ring tournament at a house show and
Brett Hart won that. So technically Bret Hart is a
two time two time King of the Ring winner. But
during the coronation, during the moment where Brett goets his
scepter and his crown in his robe. He's celebrating well.
Jerry the King Lawler, who made his debut earlier in
(22:37):
nineteen ninety three, interrupts this, attacks Brett Hart and he
calls himself the only true king in the WWF. Now
Brett Hart is attacked with a scepter in the throne,
injuring Brett the Hitman.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Hearts back. Because if you watch this, Brett Hart.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Gets slammed hard by Jerry Lawler using all those weapons,
using the scepter, using the chair, using the crown. He
hits him hard and this injures Brett the Hitman hearts back. Now,
this launches the feud of Brett and Jerry Lawler.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
A lot of bad heat here, but also it builds
and builds over.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Years, be starting right here at King of the Ring
Summer sn ninety three, Jerry Lawler and Brett haw are
supposed to wrestle. Jerry's hurt so Brett in doing the
clown have a match, and then Brett has to fight
Jerry Lawler after that, when revealing.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Oh, Jerry Lawler was never injured.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Well, Bret Hart gets a receipt there because he locks
a sharp shooter on Jerry Lawler for three minutes and
he won't let go. He's pulling back as hard as
he can, clearly showing him that, you know what, maybe
you should have hit me so hard with all that
King crap at King of the Ring. Now I have
you in the sharp shooter. Now I'm gonna break your back.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Ouch. It's just so weird that all these.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
This Fireball and Brett Harr and Bret Hart has said
many times that he headed into this event wanting to prove
to Vince McMahon and to prove to Hate Coogan who
was the real worker, who was the real champion, because
Hogan might have been the world champion.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
He goes out there, has a so so match against Yoko.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Well, Brett Hart went out there and had three badass
matches with three different people, with three different styles, with
three different finishers while wrestling Bob Becklan the night before
with an injured ankle. I know Bret Hart want approved everyone.
He was the best there is, the best there was,
and the best there ever will be. But I don't
think Vince McMahon ever looked at Brett that way. He
(24:49):
looked at Brett as the guy who could hold the
title until Vince found somebody else. Yeah, Brett gets the
World titlet rust when he attend, Well, guess what he
loses to Bob Becklan Bob Beck loses the Diesel holds
it for about a year. What happens, business isn't doing well.
They give it back to Brett. Why because they want
to build up Sean Michaels. Brett Hart loses to Sean Michaels.
(25:12):
Shaw Michaels returns. Let me excuse me, sir. Sean Michaels wins.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
The world title. He carries it, lose the Sid loses it.
Sid loses to Shawn Michaels.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Shawn Michaels loses his smile, and there's a fatal four
way match.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Well, guess what. Brett Hart wins the world title again.
Then Sid beats Brett Hart. Then Sid loses the Undertaker.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Guess who Undertaker loses to Brett Hart? And then Brett
Hart loses to Sean Michaels and the Montreal screw job. Now,
listen to all those things I just said clearly in
that entire sentence, I just rattled off name very quickly.
But you come to realize Vince never believed in Brett
Hart as world champion. He just needed Brett Hart to
(25:54):
be the guy to hold the world title as he
found someone else to get it Diesel. Shawn Michaels sid undertaker.
He was never interested in Brett Hart being the best
there is, the best there was, and the best there
ever will be. The un cardinal title was also on
the line. Seaw Michaels defeated Crush. This is Diesel's first
(26:17):
pay per view appearance. Recently, on an episode of Raw,
Shaw Michaels introduced Diesel as his insurance policy and Diesel
is dubbed that name because Sean McMahon apparently came up
with it and Vince didn't understand it. But at the time,
you know, when you are pumping iron and work it out.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
He looks Diesel, Boom, Diesel and Crush.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
He used to be a member of Demolition is now
obsessed with being from Hawaii. Breda can't stop saying Brenda
I from Hawaii. Brenda Shaw Michaels wins. The sign of
Brothers are also here with the smoking Guns, taking on
Money Incorporated and the Headshrinkers. Ted Dibiassi would get paid
(27:00):
and then at SummerSlam ninety three would be the Million
of the Man, Tedy Biassi's last official WWF match. This
is just, hey, let's get some people on the card
and filing some time.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
That's really it.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
But the nine ten dy three King of the Ring
marks the end of the Hulk Cogan era and really
begins the New Generation era. They don't use that name yet.
They don't use that name until I think December of
maybe ninety three, maybe ninety four, but it doesn't happen here.
That name doesn't show up till years later. But people
(27:36):
usually kind of pick this pay per view the middle
of ninety three, towards the end of the New generation.
The Golden Era is dead, Hulk Cogan's gone Warriors, gone
Matchman is no longer wrestling full time.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
It's an end of an era.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
This pay per view really established that we have Brett Hart,
Yokozuna Shaw, Michaels Diesel as the future of the WWF
by I don't think Vince is ready to let go
of the reins of the Golden Era. And it definitely
showed you that Brett Hart was a top contender even
before this. The guy won the world title from Rick
Flair in October of ninety two. I know at a
house show too, wasn't it in a pay per review? Bizarre,
(28:17):
very bizarre. Now, if you're doing math here, Brett Heart
wrestled four matches in twenty four hours. It's a total
of one hour and twenty minutes across six hundred miles.
The man wrestled Bob Becklan and then he wrestled three
of the wrestlers the next night an hour and twenty minutes.
(28:38):
But it did give us their Brett Heart Jerry Lawler storyline.
You know, it did give us that from this event.
If you want to look back at Cyber Series and
Summer Slams and Royal Rumbles and WrestleManias, each one gives
us the storyline that continues on to the next. Well,
this one gives us Jerry Lawler and Brett Heart, which
will supply us for two and a half years of entertainment.
(28:59):
I kissed my foot matches and Helen Hart insults it's
too Heart insults, rape allegations. The nineteen ninety three service series.
There's a lot going on in ninety three with Bart
Hart and Jerry Lawler. But there you go, the history
of the nineteen ninety three King of the Ring. Let
me know your thoughts, because some people love this event,
(29:20):
some people hate this event. I, for one, I'm in
the middle.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
I'm the middle. I find it entertaining historically.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
But if you're watching it for big spots, you're not
gonna get that. You're gonna get a clinic of Bret
Hart doing what he does best, and that's wrestle. So
thanks again for watching me talk about King of the
Ring nineteenny three right here on the Wrestling History Channel.
I'm Steve. Have a wonderful day and we'll see you
next time. And all Hail King, Breath, the hit Man,
(29:51):
Heart
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Sleep Channel and Time and thirty three The Falls, the
Messing History Out
History Channel, Legends History Channel, Time, and Bustling History Channel.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
From Hogan refusing to do the job to photographers having
exploding cameras. Welcome to the history of the King of
the Ring nineteen ninety three, right here on the Wrestling
History Channel. I'mc Fall and boy, we have a show
for you today because the nineteen ninety three King of
the Ring some people love, some people hate, and we'll
(00:40):
discuss the historical facts all around this event. And one
of the big ones is around this time, WCW has
expanded its pay per views. No longer are they sitting
on just Halloween Havoc and starcads and Super Bowl things
of that nature. They keep adding more and adding more
and adding more. Well, suddenly WWE only has Roy Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam,
(01:04):
and Survivor Series.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
The Big Four.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Traditionally we've been used to this, but now the WWF israelized. Whoops,
we are losing some of our pay per review by
rates to WCW.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
So let's up the annie.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So they add King of the Ring nineteen eighty three
to the pay per view lineup, starting this sort of
the Big Four. I guess the Big Five up until
two thousand and two, King of the Ring was a
annual pay per review and people really looked forward to
it because if you weren't watching early WWF, we weren't
really seeing tournaments on television that much. We got to
(01:40):
see the Wrestling Classic, which is the second ever WWF
pay per view, have a sixteen man tournament, WRESTLMINGI a
four head a tournament for the vacated world title. But
reality tournaments weren't a big thing, and now it's a
pay per view, and I really enjoyed having another event
to watch as a kid as an adult because the concept,
(02:01):
though was not new. The WWE was having King of
the Ring tournaments and house shows dating back to the
early eighties. Most of them took place in New England.
If you go to the history, New England seems to
be the place where the WWE really likes to supply
you with weird concepts, even though we rumble took place
(02:23):
at other house shows and live events. WSW did the
same thing with the Wargames type style cages where they
were trying these things out. Go back and look, there's
an entire Wargames house show circuit for like thirty days
of wargames matches, they don't really count those in history.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
The King of the Ring they counted a few times. Now.
This King of the Ring took place in the Nutter.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Center in Daytona excuse me, in Dayton, Ohio. Now, the
WWF sometimes loves to promote where we are.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
We're in Boss, We're in Chicago. Where in New York.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
They didn't really want to know the fans to know
that they are in Dayton, Ohio, so they kept calling
it on commentary the heartland of America.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
It's just so funny that sometimes the.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
WWF is obsessed with naming places. And honestly, if you
were at home and you already bought this event, or
you were interested in watching it after watching Monday Night
Raw or Superstars or Primetime Wrestling or Wrestling Challenge or
one of those shows all American Wrestling, I think was
still a show as well.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
At the time.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I don't think anyone's gonna think to themselves, well, I
shouldn't watch this or I shouldn't buy this because it's
in Dayton, Ohio.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
No problems there. Now.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
The commentary team is Jim Ross, Bobby the Brain, Heenan,
and matcha Man Raindy Savage. Now these three did nine.
WrestleMania nine historically is one of the worst events. I
know that WWE tried to do a documentary about Wrestmany nine,
and even my co host of the Golden Era podcast,
Shan Mooney, he was a host of a panel at
(04:15):
ww World building up to Wrestling A forty one when
they kept highlighting that how important wrestmany In nine was and.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
How historic it was. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Rewriting history is the number one thing the WWE loves
to do. From how Austin three to sixteen was the
biggest thing the next night after he said it, no no, no, no, no,
to degeneration next, no, no, no no. There's so many
things where the ww loves to rewrite history. In this
rest Men nine is one of those. So the commentary
(04:46):
team wasn't very good for wrestmeny and nine. And that
was also Jim Rossell's debut. So we're gonna have them
all together again at kinder Ring nineteen ninety three. I
was looking forward to that. But also during the broadcast,
you can clearly hear that they're having issues with their headsets.
They can't hear cues, they don't know exactly what's happening next.
(05:07):
So they kind of just improve a couple times and
it's noticeable.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
It doesn't really hurt the broadcast.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
But this three man team not the best, and macho
man Bobby Heenan his years are go on randomly. They
would have interviews in Jim Ross too. They would mention
how it was difficult to work with Heenan and Savage
because Heenen loves to get his one liners in. Savage
is trying to shut down heen And it wasn't the
same combo with Gorilla mons Soon and Bobby.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
He didn't doing that, but that was historic. That was classic.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Savage, who wasn't that great on commentary to begin with,
now has to sit there and try to feed Bobby
Heenan material to give him one liner back to him,
while Jim Ross, who's relatively new, is supposed to be
the referee in this group. Jim Ross in reality has
no legs to stand on. He's not a He's been
in WSW for a while in NWA, but he's not
(05:58):
in the WWF, so really has no seniority where he
can just take over the commentary booth. He has to
let Bobby in Macha man kind of run wild for
a little while, because what's he gonna do?
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Tell them to stop talking because he's more important. No,
he can't do that. He cannot do that. Also, around
this time.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
The WWF really was extending the olive branch to small organizations.
Smoky Mountain Wrestling will make an appearance at the SummerSlam
Excuse Me Surviversaries nineteen ninety three, but at this event,
the us WA the Memphis Championship is on the line,
but it's a dark match. Papa Shango, who is the
(06:40):
current at the time USWA champion, defends the title in
a dark match against Owen Hart before the pay per
of view. Hilarious to think that the WWE was obsessed
with hating on WCW as years would go on. But
around this time you can clearly tell the WWE is
trying to guard relationships with smaller organizations. Because WCW already
(07:05):
had a relationship with New Japan, WCW already had a
relationship with TRIPAA. The WWE has been in its own
sandbox for years now. They took out all the competition.
Now they have no one else to work with, so
they're trying to find people to say, Oh, well, I
have this. The w's notorious for doing this. Where we
(07:27):
have a wrestler he's coming back from injury. We don't
want him on TV yet, send him somewhere so he
can train again in the USWA with one of those places,
Smoking Mount Wrestling. A few other organizations did this as
well later on OVW FCW. There'll be lots of smaller
companies that get the rub by the WWE. But you
(07:49):
know Kaba Shanga so strange. The man was fighting Ultimate
Warrior on Superstars in nineteen ninety two, making black googe
from his head, and now he's in a dark match
as the us WA champion taking on Owen Heart. Owen Hart,
(08:10):
he is, he's been struggling. He was a Blue Blazer,
he was in High Energy, the Tag Team, he was
in the New Foundation Tag Team. They don't really have
anything for him yet. Owenhart would eventually get involved with
Brett Hart at Survivor Series nineteen ninety three, and then
Owen finally gets his legs, he finally gets world title matches,
(08:31):
and he's in from Survivor Series nine to tenenty three
until unfortunately Owenhart passed away. Owenhart was always a prominent
character on television. Now Brett Hart's performance this event, he
has to wrestle three different matches. Technically, Brett Hatt wrestled
forty eight minutes, forty eight minutes and three different matches
(08:53):
all combined together. Razor Ramone missed a perfect Bam Bam
Bigelow awesome, three opponents right, great matches. Now Bert Hart,
though he wrestled three matches forty eight minutes with an
injured ankle, because the night before at Madison Square Garden.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Bert Hart got injured.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Well, Bert at the hit Man Heart has wrestled multiple
times with injuries, plus SARV series nineteen eighty nine, his
brother or his brother's passed away the day before he
wrestled the.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Nineteen No Excuse Me.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
The nineteen eighty nine Sarve series, Bert Hart had injured ribs,
a ruptured kidney, came out. Wrestled nineteen ninety the day
before Bert Hart's father brother died.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
So in reality, I'm getting all tongue twisted here, folks,
if you can't tell.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
But Bret Hart always wrestles when he's.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Hurt emotionally or physically.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
But he has an injured ankle here, and he comes
in and he wrestles three matches.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
Now.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
The night before, Bert Heart wrestled Bob Becklan for thirty
two minutes with an injured ankle.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Thirty two minutes, one nine injured ankle.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Next night forty eight minutes, three different style matches with
that injured ankle. Kudos to Hip. But what people always
talk about here at the King of during nineteen ninety
three is Hulk Cogan's controversy. Now, hok Cogan won the
world championship at WrestleMania nine. After that devious mister Fuji
(10:26):
costs Breadtha Hitman Hawk the world title against Yoko Zuna
in the main event.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Well, Hulk Hogan ran down. That's the good guy that
he is.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Hogan came down like Breder Ray brow the bread Are
you okay?
Speaker 2 (10:42):
Mister Fuji suddenly challenges Yoko Zuna, says, Yokozuna, you're gonna
defend the world title against Holk Gogan right now.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Now. If I was Yoko, I'd say, excuse me.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Why will we just give the man Hulk Cogan, who
we know is the touriously very good at wrestling as
a character power of Bodice Levin onto the giant, be
not macho man, be not boss man. But yet mister
Fuji says, Houl Cogan your ring side, so we're gonna
challenge you to a match, world title on the line.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Hogan, ho ole brother brother brother brother.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Hogan comes in wins the world title from Yokozuna Rushman nine.
Is a strange, strange event, indeed, But Hulk Cogan has
not been on televisions for ten weeks since Wrestuming and nine.
And I went back and I watched the nineteen ninety
three Monday Night ros He's missing. He is missing, and
(11:45):
a kind of ignore that Hulk Cogan is the world
champion on Raw. If you watch RAS from ninety three,
the night after Wrestumening of nine up until King of
the Ring, they barely mentioned Hulk Cogan maybe a.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Couple of sentences here and there. Dude, he's your world champion.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
So clearly there's some heavy things going on backstage with
the Vince McMahon and Hulk Cogan. Because Hogan is off
doing TV shows, movies as the world champion. The business
in the WWF is not doing well. We need Hulk
Cogan to be our champion to carry the load while
He's barely around, so how is he carrying the load?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
Now?
Speaker 2 (12:24):
At this King of the Ring, Hulk Cogan loses the
World championship to Yoko Zuna after one of the Japanese
cameramen gets on the apron.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
And his camera explodes.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
A fireball shoots out of the camera into Hulk Hogan's eyes,
which blinds him, which allows Yoko Zuna to pick up
the win to become the new world champion once again.
The photographer was Harvey Whippleman with prosthetics and a big
long fake beer and a hat and big crazy hair
(12:59):
and different outfit. You couldn't tell it was Harvey Whoopleman,
but he was a fake photographer. I find it funny
that they couldn't let Yoko Zuna five hundred and five
pounds this massive man just beat Holkung with the bonze,
drop a leg, drop, things of that nature. No, listen, brother,
(13:21):
we need an exploding camera. Dude, I can't imagine Vince Man. Well,
I guess, I guess we're gonna find a fireball camera.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Guy. Yeah, we gotta got that going.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
It's interesting to watch because you just it's so bizarre.
It's just so bizarre. Like I've never seen something like
this when a camera explodes in someone's face. Nice trick, right,
nice trick, and whole Cogan. He does not look like
he has twenty four inch pythons any longer. He does
not look like the whole Cogan of the Whole Comania,
the height of Whole Comania era where he's fighting Warrior
(13:56):
and Savage and Andre. The man has gone much smaller.
Why steroids. The steroid trial is coming up and things
are not looking good for anybody. Cogan and his face
has been all over local news promoting that the WWF
is evil and.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
That's why business is down.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
That's why Vince mc mahon brought back hold Cogan in
general to fix the business.
Speaker 3 (14:18):
Hey, everyone loves you, bring you back. It didn't work.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
And when you're missing from television for ten weeks building
to your next pay per view, well that doesn't work either. Now,
Brett Hart claims that he was supposed to beat hul
Cochin at Summer Slam, but hol Cogan refused. Now, backstage,
we've had many stories. This is all from Bert Hart's perspective,
(14:41):
where Vince mc mann and Hulk Cogan clearly are having
issues with each other. So Brett Hart is that you
know the child in the middle, it's divorce, and Hogan
is telling Brett Hart one thing, and fincek Man is
telling Brett Hart another thing.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
Well, and finally ho.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
Cogin admits that he refuses to lose to breath the
Hitman hunt. He will not lose to him ever, not
at King of the Ring, not at SummerSlam, not ever well. Reportedly,
Bert Hart tells Hulk Coogan to go f himself backstage.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
I would too.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
I would too, because rest somebody in nine Bert Hart
building up to.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
That he was doing great as a champion. People liked him.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Business was down, of course, but business was going to
be down with Hoe Cogan's champion, or with Macha Man's
champion or.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Brett Hart's champion.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
It didn't matter who was champion, because guess what business
was going down no matter what.
Speaker 3 (15:36):
I don't think vinsk Man saw it that way.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
He thought, well, Hulk Cogan did such great business before,
if you bring him back, he'll fix all of our problems.
That's not the case at all. It wasn't Hoke Cogan's fault,
it wasn't Vince com Man's fault. It wasn't Brett Hart's fault.
It's just the WWF was on a hot streak for
a good five six years and now we're cooling down.
We don't get hot again until nineteen ninety eight. I
(16:02):
think people forget about that. That, like wrestling, businesses go
up and down, up, and any business goes up and down,
up and down. In today's world, when business goes down,
they just fire like three hundred people and then raise
o their prices and suddenly, oh, we're making more money.
Well no, you just raise all your prices. No one's
buying more product. It's just they're buying the same product,
but now instead of ten dollars is twenty dollars. And
(16:24):
that's how stockholders kind of own the business in a way.
But Hole Cogan after losing to Yokozuda at King the Ring,
the myth though, is Hogan just leaves, he's done boof
King the Ring's over and he's out. Well, Hulk Cogan
works a few matches. He even goes to England August sixth,
nineteenenty three and wrestles. The whole idea of Hulk Cogan
(16:47):
becoming World Champion was to boost European audiences.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
The ticket sales weren't doing that great. So Hogan is champion. Wow,
that sounds.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Amazing, right, Well, Hogan doesn't even work those European dates.
He does worked the European dates after he's world champion,
but not while.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
He is world champion. Yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
Now let's talk about the matches for a second, because
the highlights of this are Brett Hart defeats Razor Ramone
and Rasor Ramone is a babyface. Now Rasor Ramon and
Brett Hart were the world title match.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
It's the nineteen ninety three Royal Rumble.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
So they've already wrestled this year and now they're doing
it again, and I might say this one's better than
the Royal Rumble match. Mister Perfect in the next match,
he fights mister Hughes. Now Perfect wins by disqualification after
mister Hughes uses the urn that he stole from the Undertaker.
(17:49):
So we're building other storylines within matches. Bam Bam Bigelow
defeats Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Hacksaw Jim Duggin. He's not
the the ho He's no longer the guy that everyone
was going for at this point.
Speaker 3 (18:03):
He's not that old but he looks like.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
A grandpa compared to the Razor Ramones and Brett Hard
and Tatanka and even Lex Lugar, Like it just feels
like Hacksaw Jim Duggan feels so out of place at
this event. And I don't really know why. It just
feels like he looks like, I'll say it again, he
looks like a grandpa.
Speaker 3 (18:23):
He's not a grandpa, but he's the Golden.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Era character and now we're kind of floating into this
new generation era where Hacksaw doesn't really fit in that anymore.
Big boss Man, Earthquake, even Hogan Savage. They feel like
so long ago, but it wasn't just a couple of
years ago.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
These were your main babyfaces.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
These were the main guys pushing revenue streams, not in
mom And one of the matches that bored me to
death was Lex Luger taking on too Tanka. It goes
to a fifteen minute time Lemit draw yuck. Lex Luger
was undefeated. They didn't want him to live Tonco's undefeated.
They didn't want him to lose. It's hilarious though, because
(19:05):
Lex Lugar here is the narcissist. He's a bad guy.
And flash forward to August. Well, flash forward to July
July fourth, that is where Lex Luger suddenly loves America
and he shows up with a helicopter on the USS
and Trepid, this big navy boat where Lex Lugar body
(19:26):
slam's Yoko Zuna and he suddenly is a babyface and
suddenly he's the main wrestler. He's suddenly the new Hulk
Cogan because Hogan's out of here, so we need someone
to replace him. Let's have it be Lex Luger should
have remember Bret Hart, that's just me. It's not a
good fifteen minute match. It's very boring. And they Theekwo
(19:49):
would wrestle again at SummerSlam in nine tenenty five ninety four,
setting up did Ta Tanka sella to the million of
the Man? Did Lex Luger Cela to the million dollar man?
Turns out with Satanka? So in a year from now
the wrestle again and actually have a story. This is
a story, but I wasn't feeling it. I wasn't feeling it.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Moving to the semifinals, though, Bert Hart takes on and
mister perfect.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
This is the rematch from SummerSlam nineteen ninety one, where
Bret Hart defeated Mister Perfect for the intern Continental title
in Madison Square Garden, Bert Hart's first singles championship. It's
a masterpiece. This match is just a masterpiece. I don't
know if it's better than Summer Slam ninety one, but
(20:35):
it certainly lives up there because in the lore of
Bert Hart Mister Perfect matches. Everybody talks about SummerSlam nineteen
eighty one.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
They barely bring.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Up King of the Ring ninety three because it's a
semi final match in a tournament. There's not a lot
of stakes here except getting to the finals. The first
time they wrestled was for the intern Continental title. Mister
Perfect had a back injury he needed to get surgery.
Is a lot of lore surrounding Summerslim ninety one, King
of the Ring ninety three not that much now. Earlier,
(21:08):
lex Luca Tatanka was a Tilermit draw. That means Bam
Bam Bigelow, who defeated Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He gets too
advance to the finals immediately, so Brett Hart takes off
Bam Bam Bigelow. Storyline is brettye wrestled twice Bam BAM's
only wrestled once. It's it's impressive that Bamman Bigelow can
move around this quick too. Because the mids of perfect
(21:29):
razor and re mode matches with Brett Hart, they're great.
The Bam Bam Bigelow match with Brett Hart stupendous. It's
shocking to think that sometimes when you look at a
big man like Bam Bam Bigelow, man is doing damn
moon salts off the top rope. It's the perfect and
Brett was pretty good. But I think Bam Bam and
Brett stole the show for me because the story is,
(21:53):
can Brett defeed a man who's such a large mammoth
athlete like Bigelow who's only wrestled once, Brett's wrestled twice. Well,
Brett Hart wins with a victory role on his shoulders.
Brett Hart technically becomes a two time King of the
Ring winner because in nineteen ninety one they had a
(22:14):
King of the Ring tournament at a house show and
Brett Hart won that. So technically Bret Hart is a
two time two time King of the Ring winner. But
during the coronation, during the moment where Brett goets his
scepter and his crown in his robe. He's celebrating well.
Jerry the King Lawler, who made his debut earlier in
(22:37):
nineteen ninety three, interrupts this, attacks Brett Hart and he
calls himself the only true king in the WWF. Now
Brett Hart is attacked with a scepter in the throne,
injuring Brett the Hitman.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Hearts back. Because if you watch this, Brett Hart.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Gets slammed hard by Jerry Lawler using all those weapons,
using the scepter, using the chair, using the crown. He
hits him hard and this injures Brett the Hitman hearts back. Now,
this launches the feud of Brett and Jerry Lawler.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
A lot of bad heat here, but also it builds
and builds over.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Years, be starting right here at King of the Ring
Summer sn ninety three, Jerry Lawler and Brett haw are
supposed to wrestle. Jerry's hurt so Brett in doing the
clown have a match, and then Brett has to fight
Jerry Lawler after that, when revealing.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Oh, Jerry Lawler was never injured.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
Well, Bret Hart gets a receipt there because he locks
a sharp shooter on Jerry Lawler for three minutes and
he won't let go. He's pulling back as hard as
he can, clearly showing him that, you know what, maybe
you should have hit me so hard with all that
King crap at King of the Ring. Now I have
you in the sharp shooter. Now I'm gonna break your back.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Ouch. It's just so weird that all these.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
This Fireball and Brett Harr and Bret Hart has said
many times that he headed into this event wanting to prove
to Vince McMahon and to prove to Hate Coogan who
was the real worker, who was the real champion, because
Hogan might have been the world champion.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
He goes out there, has a so so match against Yoko.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
Well, Brett Hart went out there and had three badass
matches with three different people, with three different styles, with
three different finishers while wrestling Bob Becklan the night before
with an injured ankle. I know Bret Hart want approved everyone.
He was the best there is, the best there was,
and the best there ever will be. But I don't
think Vince McMahon ever looked at Brett that way. He
(24:49):
looked at Brett as the guy who could hold the
title until Vince found somebody else. Yeah, Brett gets the
World titlet rust when he attend, Well, guess what he
loses to Bob Becklan Bob Beck loses the Diesel holds
it for about a year. What happens, business isn't doing well.
They give it back to Brett. Why because they want
to build up Sean Michaels. Brett Hart loses to Sean Michaels.
(25:12):
Shaw Michaels returns. Let me excuse me, sir. Sean Michaels wins.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
The world title. He carries it, lose the Sid loses it.
Sid loses to Shawn Michaels.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Shawn Michaels loses his smile, and there's a fatal four
way match.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Well, guess what. Brett Hart wins the world title again.
Then Sid beats Brett Hart. Then Sid loses the Undertaker.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Guess who Undertaker loses to Brett Hart? And then Brett
Hart loses to Sean Michaels and the Montreal screw job. Now,
listen to all those things I just said clearly in
that entire sentence, I just rattled off name very quickly.
But you come to realize Vince never believed in Brett
Hart as world champion. He just needed Brett Hart to
(25:54):
be the guy to hold the world title as he
found someone else to get it Diesel. Shawn Michaels sid undertaker.
He was never interested in Brett Hart being the best
there is, the best there was, and the best there
ever will be. The un cardinal title was also on
the line. Seaw Michaels defeated Crush. This is Diesel's first
(26:17):
pay per view appearance. Recently, on an episode of Raw,
Shaw Michaels introduced Diesel as his insurance policy and Diesel
is dubbed that name because Sean McMahon apparently came up
with it and Vince didn't understand it. But at the time,
you know, when you are pumping iron and work it out.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
He looks Diesel, Boom, Diesel and Crush.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
He used to be a member of Demolition is now
obsessed with being from Hawaii. Breda can't stop saying Brenda
I from Hawaii. Brenda Shaw Michaels wins. The sign of
Brothers are also here with the smoking Guns, taking on
Money Incorporated and the Headshrinkers. Ted Dibiassi would get paid
(27:00):
and then at SummerSlam ninety three would be the Million
of the Man, Tedy Biassi's last official WWF match. This
is just, hey, let's get some people on the card
and filing some time.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
That's really it.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
But the nine ten dy three King of the Ring
marks the end of the Hulk Cogan era and really
begins the New Generation era. They don't use that name yet.
They don't use that name until I think December of
maybe ninety three, maybe ninety four, but it doesn't happen here.
That name doesn't show up till years later. But people
(27:36):
usually kind of pick this pay per view the middle
of ninety three, towards the end of the New generation.
The Golden Era is dead, Hulk Cogan's gone Warriors, gone
Matchman is no longer wrestling full time.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
It's an end of an era.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
This pay per view really established that we have Brett Hart,
Yokozuna Shaw, Michaels Diesel as the future of the WWF
by I don't think Vince is ready to let go
of the reins of the Golden Era. And it definitely
showed you that Brett Hart was a top contender even
before this. The guy won the world title from Rick
Flair in October of ninety two. I know at a
house show too, wasn't it in a pay per review? Bizarre,
(28:17):
very bizarre. Now, if you're doing math here, Brett Heart
wrestled four matches in twenty four hours. It's a total
of one hour and twenty minutes across six hundred miles.
The man wrestled Bob Becklan and then he wrestled three
of the wrestlers the next night an hour and twenty minutes.
(28:38):
But it did give us their Brett Heart Jerry Lawler storyline.
You know, it did give us that from this event.
If you want to look back at Cyber Series and
Summer Slams and Royal Rumbles and WrestleManias, each one gives
us the storyline that continues on to the next. Well,
this one gives us Jerry Lawler and Brett Heart, which
will supply us for two and a half years of entertainment.
(28:59):
I kissed my foot matches and Helen Hart insults it's
too Heart insults, rape allegations. The nineteen ninety three service series.
There's a lot going on in ninety three with Bart
Hart and Jerry Lawler. But there you go, the history
of the nineteen ninety three King of the Ring. Let
me know your thoughts, because some people love this event,
(29:20):
some people hate this event. I, for one, I'm in
the middle.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
I'm the middle. I find it entertaining historically.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
But if you're watching it for big spots, you're not
gonna get that. You're gonna get a clinic of Bret
Hart doing what he does best, and that's wrestle. So
thanks again for watching me talk about King of the
Ring nineteenny three right here on the Wrestling History Channel.
I'm Steve. Have a wonderful day and we'll see you
next time. And all Hail King, Breath, the hit Man,
(29:51):
Heart
Speaker 1 (29:56):
Sleep Channel and Time and thirty three The Falls, the
Messing History Out
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