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WWF New Generation Thread III

I guess as much as we love Macho, there's layers to story. He "retired" in 91, so Vince may have lost some faith (ala Steamboat asking for time off, and other such examples like Akeem possibly being a punishment gimmick for OMG asking off for his new born)

Savage didn't draw bonkers in 92, and Vince may have seen it more as a Macho issue than an overall business softening problem. I mean he axed Warrior's run in less than a year after giving him a god push.

JR has several clips online talking about the difficulties of working at the booth with Savage. I believe others from the era have said similar.

Savage may have decided "fuck it" after his demotion ("A new generation" where he can't get pushed because he turned 40 at the end of 92...and suddenly Bob Backlund is World champ at 44/45.)
 
Age doesn't matter as much in terms of years as it does exposure. In that sense Savage being pushed off the card for Clique members or Canadian heroes pushing 40 makes sense, or Backlund coming back from falling off the earth, isn't bad necessarily. But he was still at least one of the three most over guys in the company during that time and still maybe in the top five best performers. No one draws in 1992, anyway, since the business was poison.

He's not a solution at all to any problem but he's a very needed presence on the card in any sense.
 
I know their hands were tied because of the once a month taping schedule, and I think Shawn and Ahmed had matches the next week so the backstage thing with Sid had to be done that night, but it was such a goofy way of handling things. “Sorry guys the Warrior doesn’t care about the fans, he’s been no-showing a bunch of events and he’s suspended forever…but he’s here tonight. Don’t worry.”
 
BUTT said:
I know their hands were tied because of the once a month taping schedule, and I think Shawn and Ahmed had matches the next week so the backstage thing with Sid had to be done that night, but it was such a goofy way of handling things. “Sorry guys the Warrior doesn’t care about the fans, he’s been no-showing a bunch of events and he’s suspended forever…but he’s here tonight. Don’t worry.”
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I was there live for it. A LOT of fans left once Warrior worked that match. They taped at least 1 or 2 more episodes after that - plus 3 rushed main events. Warrior worked again later in the night. Camp Cornette did an angle for the go home show to the PPV that ended with the faces chasing them off or something to close the show. That transitioned right into Vader eating a couple of clotheslines and getting pinned by Warrior.

Taker and Mankind had a decent little brawl for a few mins. I'm pretty sure Foley even took a chokeslam on the cement or something.
Then Shawn superkicked Goldust before his music even stopped and pinned him in seconds to end the night. I'd say it was almost 11:30 Central time by then if not later
 
They had no idea what to do with him during that run. Like he was awful and all kinds of problems were still going to exist but they had zero plans beyond keeping him warm until the Shawn match that needed to happen. There's no reason he shouldn't have taken the belt off injured Goldust.

We got the comic and the Warrior University scam, though. Mostly worth it.
 
Yeah those Goldust IC title matches were weird. They didnt wanna take the belt off him while he was injured so they just had Warrior manhandle him without actually giving him a dominant win for the strap?

Goldust was super protected during this run too. Even went over Taker in his own match. But even dense 10 year old me knew Taker wasn't going to challenge for the freakin' IC title.
 
Goldust needed to get destroyed for any of their idea to work. Like Ahmed not running through him in five seconds is terrible booking. Warrior not doing it when Goldust is injured is arguably wose. Even if you have Goldust get the belt back, you at least have the belt being featured in matches and have a big name defending it.

I really wanted Taker to win it, tbh. For me the IC title meant the most for most of the decade, though.
 

I wonder if they didn't have originally Summerslam penciled in as Steiners vs Money Inc otherwise why not just have that title match/change at KOTR???
I know....I know....House show biz driver.

Heavenly Bodies could have gotten a win over Kid/Marty at SSlam or something and have a banger along the way.
 
That Money Inc-Steiners cage match had to be the best of all these big sell tv cards (March to...). Impressive performance by DiBiase, especially, as he retired a little later.
 
snuffbox said:
That Money Inc-Steiners cage match had to be the best of all these big sell tv cards (March to...). Impressive performance by DiBiase, especially, as he retired a little later.
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You are likely correct. Other possible answers from what I recall:
https://www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=16972 Ron Garvin vs Perfect as Hennig plays the vulnerable NWA champ role and they have a fun little banger.

Flair vs Tito from Summerslam Spectacular 92


This will also leave you sport entertained if not on a catch as catch can style
 
Now I wanna know what Shawn could've carried Piper to in '96.
 
Piper could have been good for HBK transitioning from the boyhood dream to an edgier character. Maybe keep the Sid switcheroo. Then, if HBK can cooperate, mix him and Piper into the title confusion, Austin's controversial Rumble win, Final Four, etc. HBK has the belt back going into WM 13, or Piper vacates it after a bunch of controversy, and do HBK-Piper in the main event. Move Sid-Taker a little down the card, or move into other matches, and obvs keep Bret-Austin.
 
Piper/Shawn is the perfect title match for Buried Alive. Doesn't headline, not the main draw, but there is no way Shawn would allow himself to get upstaged and not carry Piper to a great match. Also a good time to let Shawn be more heelish going into the Sid match.

The matches I wanted then were Piper/Shawn and Piper/Mankind. No idea how they would've gone but given the people involved there's no way they wouldn't try their hardest.
 
I had a total brain fart while looking up the Pre-PPV specials as they switched the name from "March to..." "__________ Spectacular" etc to the Sunday Night Slam and despite watching those live and over and over on VHS, I managed to forget they existed. So I spent a bit in my head trying to figure out how they would have booked the Summerslam 94 Spectacular.

So I was like "Well... put the Headshrinkers title change against Shawn/Nash as the TV main event instead of doing it on a spot show"
"They don't want to put Neidhart vs Bret on TV yet. Maybe we do Razor vs Anvil as the secondary main event to play off the KOTR...."
"Maybe UnderFaker can have a semi big time match since he's being written off anyway...."
Then I got to Luger vs Tatanka in my head and my brain went DING!!! and I said Ugh...there was a special on TV! They did the Lawler and Vince live call in segment and a fan guessed the proper heel turn.

----
I guess they could have done the Luger turn, with part of the excuse being that Dibiase was going to give him the killer edge since Lex fell short and SS 93 and WM X. Then Luger's bitterness over Bret succeeded where Lex failed could be the catalyst for Bret vs Lex at SSeries.
Lex gets the win, but then get his nuts cut off anyway as Nash squashes him for the title days later anyway.
Backlund just fades away in this scenario I guess.
 
Bret vs Jarrett for the WWF title
Shawn and Diesel vs MOM
Tatanka, Luger, and Savage vs IRS, Bigelow, and Underfaker
Anvil vs Bob Holly
Razor vs Crush
 
Valeyard said:
Bret vs Jarrett for the WWF title
Shawn and Diesel vs MOM
Tatanka, Luger, and Savage vs IRS, Bigelow, and Underfaker
Anvil vs Bob Holly
Razor vs Crush
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No Owen, but I figured you'd book him to interfere in the Bret match somehow
 
Exactly. You can even let MOM help Bret fight off Owen, Anvil, and Jarrett if you really want.

Otherwise, go Owen/Anvil vs Headshrinkers or even Owen/Savage.
 
You booked it a bit strong for their usual Special event. Need a squash or 2, a JTTS glorified match, and 2 decent main events.

====
www.instagram.com

Hacksaw Jim Duggan on Instagram: "#OnThisDay in 1993! I battled the dangerous Mr. Hughes in the main event at the West Palm Beach Auditorium on a card loaded with Hall of Famers! 👍 #OTD #WWE"

133 likes, 6 comments - wwehacksawduggan on July 17, 2025: "#OnThisDay in 1993! I battled the dangerous Mr. Hughes in the main event at the West Palm Beach Auditorium on a card loaded with Hall of Famers! 👍 #OTD #WWE".
www.instagram.com www.instagram.com

I screamed in horror when King Kamala sent me this. Then I looked at the full card and I'd watch the shit out this.
Party Marty is in potentially the worst match.

WWF House Show « Events Database « CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database

Internet Wrestling Database
www.cagematch.net
 
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I'm looking at it as something you can cut up easier into Coliseum Video exclusives. Maybe stuff you can slide into syndicated shows.
 
I like both of those cards (Vale's Spectacular and the Duggan-Hughes house show). Not that unusual for the card to be that loaded; the Survivor Series ones usually had 4 or 5 matches all with the ppv teams having representatives in singles matches, and the previous year's Spectacular had Yoko-Duggan on the undercard beneath that huge tag team cage match. I'd change the six man, though, or it needs some finessing on the booking. I think Underfaker should go into ppv with a win and it probably shouldn't be over Savage/Luger/Tatanka. Couple ideas for that match: replace Faker with Volkoff and he takes the pin (Faker squashes Holly or something in a singles), faces go over without Faker getting pinned with some Undertaker supernatural goings on, heels go over with Faker looking strong and Tatanka/Luger confusion advanced (I think this only works if Savage is also booked at Summerslam). Razor and Crush could've been a fun little brawl, both kept strong with a double dq or something.

House show looks fun! Duggan was involved in world and IC belt feuds in 1993 so putting him on top of a loaded undercard is how to draw 2k+ to a B show (A cards from both WWF and WCW could draw less in that era). It was probably a fun clubbering match. Steiners-Money Inc, Razor-King, Kid-Rooster, and the six man were probably good too.

I wish Kamala was still here to scarepost these house shows that don't have wrestlers that are super over right now.
 
I saw it as Tatanka and Luger arguing to the point of distraction (someone being too babyface to take a pin after a briefcase shot or something) and Savage being the big enough star to try and pull them apart while also a huge name not being used and thus able to eat a tombstone. Faker being able to hang with actual stars was a missing piece that could only have helped.

Considered Tatanka squashing Volkoff out of the company, as well. Some good storytelling and foreshadowing.
 
That makes sense. I guess I just wish Macho Man had a match at Summerslam.
 
Savage/Lawler is such an easy homerun. Low stakes but would surpass all expectations.
 
Lawler/Savage is definitely part of the WM 9 "What ifs"

- Rumble 93 was the 1st PPV I ever got my family to order (Boy I bet I had known Hogan was coming back I would have held out for Mania)
When Lawler screwed Perfect out of the Rumble, I assumed they were going to wrestle at Mania.
- Marty vs Shawn was supposed to go down before Party Marty got fired again. I can GUESS maybe Tatanka vs Bigelow was penciled in for Mania before the card had to be reshuffled. Their feud started right after Mania, so things would just be sped up a bit.
- I legit thought Marty and Razor were both going to win the titles at Rumble.

I probably maybe still have the notebook in a tote where I had my Fantasy Booked Mania from 1993 soon after watching the PPV.

The hook to Lawler vs Savage could start as easy as Lawler trolling him over going for a pin in the Rumble. Savage can retort that he was "loopy" (Concussed) from Yoko's legdrop and on auto pilot. After a few weeks of Lawler not shutting up, Savage can slap him on the King's Court or something and whammo, you have the 5th biggest match on Mania.

If Lawler works Hennig instead that babyface roster is even more depleted. Savage being a good soldier and doing the job for Luger to set up the teased Luger vs Bret feud works.
Let Backlund get a quick win over Terry Taylor in a cool down match on the show and let Razor throw down with Duggan or Kamala instead.
Razor can rough Slick up over losing his Machismo now that he's not the "Doctor of Style" during a random RAW segment during a Kamala squash.
Martel is still floating around as another option for a Backlund win.

The TMNT Knock off team worked their dark match heading into Mania, so I guess we should be blessed that didn't make TV much less a PPV


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Coincidentally, Savage vs Lawler was headlining the USWA heading into Mania:

USWA @ Memphis, TN – March 8, 1993 (1,500)
USWA World Champion Jerry Lawler fought Randy Savage to a double count-out at the 13-minute mark; Savage played the heel for the bout; after the match, Jeff Jarrett came out and threw Savage back into the ring, then counted the pin on him after Lawler rolled him up from behind

USWA @ Louisville, KY – March 9, 1993 (3,000)
USWA World Champion Jerry Lawler defeated Randy Savage via disqualification

USWA @ Leitchfield, KY – Grayson County Middle School – March 14, 1993
Jerry Lawler (sub. for Giant Gonzalez) defeated Randy Savage via disqualification when Savage hit a piledriver

HOLD ON HOLD ON HOLD ON

WWF @ New York City, NY – Manhattan Center – March 22, 1993 (1,000)
Monday Night Raw taping:
4/5/93
Jerry Lawler pinned Jim Powers at 6:16 with the piledriver and using the tights for leverage; following the commercial break, Vince McMahon conducted an interview at the commentary table in which Lawler insulted the crowd and Randy Savage, adding that Savage didn’t have the guts to face him; Savage responded by standing up from his commentary seat but the show ended before anything else occured
 
My favorite concept (maybe not in execution), of those shows when they did five singles matches between people that were on opposite teams at Survivor Series '89 & '90.
 
Savage/Lawler feels more at home in 1994 than 1993 for me. Status-wise they were equals, for better or worse, and capable of having good matches very different than the rest of the New Generation people.

That does make me think, though. Savage going nuts and getting the Backlund push would've worked beautifully in hindsight.
 
Haha and clearly I didn't read Snuffbox's post earlier in the thread! It is interesting though is that watching the 1993 SummerSlam Spectacular they had enough guys that were total scrubs that they could have all names in matchups.
 
So was Monsoon into the idea of Vader killing him or did he have to be talked into it?
 
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