The Rise, Near Fall, And Rise – The WWF in the 90s – 1994
After failing to win the WWF title at the previous year’s Summerslam, Lex Luger was looking to get another title shot by winning the Royal Rumble. The wily Jim Cornette had inserted a clause in the Summerslam contract that Luger had only one opportunity to beat Yokozuna for the gold. As a result, Luger needed to win the Rumble to get another opportunity at Wrestlemania 10, but even this was shrouded in doubt, as Cornette and Fuji petitioned President Jack Tunney to disallow the ‘American Original’ from competing. After some deliberation – and a concession made to Mr. Fuji to allow Tenryu and The Great Kabuki in the Rumble – Tunney granted Luger his spot.
Even with that out of the way, there were serious doubts as to whether Yokozuna would make it to Wrestlemania. Paul Bearer played a trick of his own, when Cornette failed to read the fine print of the Royal Rumble contract that stated that his man’s match with The Undertaker would be a casket match. Despite Cornette’s best efforts, it was clear that Yokozuna was gravely concerned.
Meanwhile, Bret and Owen Hart made up over the Christmas break, after their spat at the Survivor Series. Now, Bret decided to abandon plans to reclaim the WWF Title, and go after the Tag Team belts with Owen. They got themselves a shot at the Rumble against The Quebecers, who were still having their problems with Luger. On Superstars, Luger knocked out and beat Jacques, and then dished out similar treatment to Pierre and their manager, Johnny Polo.
To compound matters, Polo was confronted by Marty Jannetty and The 1-2-3 Kid on Monday Night RAW. With the help of his Quebecers, Polo had upset Marty in a one-on-one match, and was bragging about it with Vince McMahon on commentary. Marty and Kid forced Polo’s hand and made him give them a Tag Team title shot. It happened the following week on RAW (January 10) – which also marked the show’s one year anniversary – and resulted in Jacques and Pierre losing the belts. (Also, at the end of the show, a match was announced for the following week between Randy Savage and IRS. In classic wrestling tradition, the anniversary cake was planted in IRS’ face by the Macho Man).
The plan was not changed for the Hart Brothers to face Marty and Kid at the Royal Rumble, as Marty and Kid dropped the belts back to The Quebecers a week later at a house show in Madison Square Garden.
A new competitor entered the race in time for the Royal Rumble in the form of Thurman ‘Sparky’ Plugg. A NASCAR driver turned wrestler, Sparky Plugg was introduced by vignettes and then made his winning debut against The Brooklyn Brawler on the January 29 Superstars. It was not Bob Holly’s first time in the WWF, as he had appeared back in 1991 in a match as a preliminary wrestler, after having worked a few matches in the same role for WCW in 1990-91.
After approximately a year away from the Federation, Earthquake returned in January to stand in Bret Hart’s corner for a match with Shawn Michaels. Quake had left after the 1993 Royal Rumble and toured Japan and Mexico, respectively.
The Royal Rumble conjured up a number of surprises that would dictate the course of the company in 1994. In the penultimate match, history was made as, for the first time ever, there were co-winners of the Rumble match. (The intervals between appearances in the Rumble was also changed to every ninety seconds, as opposed to every two minutes as previously). Both Lex Luger and Bret Hart went over the top rope, and referees deliberated over who was the winner. The argument went back and forth, until Jack Tunney came down to the ring and declared that Luger and Hart had both won.
Diesel – who had mostly been presented as Shawn Michaels’ bodyguard – made a big impact in the Rumble. He eliminated seven opponents in a row until being put out by several wrestlers, including some assistance from Michaels himself. In the lead-up to the Rumble, the first stirrings of dissension between the two took place during an interview with Vince McMahon on All American Wrestling. Vince asked what they would do if they had to face each other in the Rumble, a scenario they had apparently not thought about. Diesel liked the idea of being a champion – Shawn also claimed to be the undefeated Intercontinental champion – and the two quarreled briefly. Now, with Shawn not helping his ‘friend,’ things could get ugly for the Heartbreak Kid.
Just as monumental was the effort of ‘The Hitman’ to co-win the Rumble after what happened in the Tag Team title match with Owen. During the course of the bout, Bret injured his knee after interference from Johnny Polo. Bret fought on valiantly but collapsed in pain attempting to apply the Sharpshooter, and so the match was called off by the referee.
Rather than show empathy for his injured sibling, Owen reacted angrily, just as he had done at the Survivor Series. Owen yelled at Bret for not tagging out, and then kicked Bret in his injured knee. As officials helped Bret to the back, it looked unlikely that he would be able to take his place in the Rumble. In a backstage interview, Owen blamed Bret for being selfish, and trying to hog the spotlight.
A week later on RAW, Tunney outlined the plan for Wrestlemania, which would see both Bret and Lex vying for the WWF title. First a coin toss would take place, and this was won by Luger. This meant that Luger would get a title shot first, while Bret would face Owen in the opening bout. (Had Bret won the coin toss, he would have got the title shot first, and Luger would have faced Crush).
The WWF champion appeared likely to be Yokozuna, who managed to beat The Undertaker at his own game. He didn’t do it alone; Undertaker was attacked by a gang of heel wrestlers and the casket locked shut. As the casket made its way down the aisle, smoke poured from the pine box, and the ghoulish face of The Undertaker appeared on the video screen. After ominously stating that he would not “rest in peace,” The Undertaker appeared to float up into the rafters (actually Marty Jannetty).
This was done to give ‘Taker some time off to heal from injury. In the meantime, Paul Bearer stuck around to do promos and a return of the Funeral Parlor. In the middle of the year leading up to King of the Ring, ‘sightings’ of The Undertaker were reported by random people in shops or on the street.
Shawn Michaels caused mischief earlier in the event as well, when he almost decided the outcome of the Intercontinental Title match between Razor Ramon and IRS. With referee Joey Marella out cold, Shawn came to the ring and nailed Razor with his version of the Intercontinental belt. Marella made the count, but Earl Hebner came to the ring and informed Marella what happened. The match was restarted and as IRS celebrated on the second rope, Ramon snatched him in the Razor’s Edge. The start of the feud between the two had taken place when Razor accused ‘The Taxman’ of stealing his gold jewelry. On the January 31 edition of RAW, Jannetty and The 1-2-3 Kid stole the items back and returned them to Ramon.
In the first match of the night, Tatanka defeated Bam Bam Bigelow. Ludvig Borga was Tatanka’s original opponent, but withdrew due to an ankle injury, and would never return. Borga was also scheduled to be in the Rumble, and his place went to the masked ninja Kwang, who had just arrived in the WWF. Managed by Harvey Wippleman, the role was played by Puerto Rican star, TNT (the future Savio Vega). Ted Dibiase returned to the company as a colour commentator with Vince McMahon.
Play-by-play announcer Jim Ross was let go by the Federation on February 11, 1994, after suffering his first bout of Bell’s Palsy. Ross was hired by Smoky Mountain Wrestling, and also called Atlanta Falcons NFL games.
On the March 7 edition of RAW, a special ceremony took place in the ring with Tatanka, who received a war bonnet from Lumbee tribesman, Ray Littleturtle. Also on hand was Chief Jay Strongbow and Wahoo McDaniel (the latter of which was a real Indian, while Strongbow only portrayed one). It was an emotional occasion for Tatanka, who accepted the headdress with great pride. On the March 12 Superstars, he defeated The Brookyln Brawler. After the match, he was confronted by IRS, who demanded he pay a “gift tax.”
The tenth Wrestlemania returned to where it all began – Madison Square Garden. Bret Hart climbed his way back to the top of the mountain by reclaiming the WWF Title. This was despite being upset in the opening bout by Owen in a highly competitive match. Bret attempted a victory roll, but Owen blocked it into a pinning predicament and won. When ‘The Hitman’ went on to defeat Yokozuna – featuring special referee Roddy Piper – Owen appeared at the top of the aisle and seethed as his brother celebrated with other WWF superstars. (This was Roddy’s first appearance since Wrestlemania 8).
Earlier, Lex Luger stumbled again in his quest to become champion. He appeared to have Yokozuna beaten, but guest official Mr. Perfect became distracted as Luger made the cover. Lex became frustrated and shoved Perfect, who then disqualified him. They got into an altercation backstage and it seemed as if a rivalry between the two was going to take place. However, Perfect was gone as quickly as he returned, and Luger faced Crush in a series of matches after ‘Mania.
In a segment that did not make television from the February 22 Superstars, an experiment had been done to gauge fan reaction to Luger being WWF champion. Vince McMahon spoke to Yokozuna’s ‘American Spokesperson’ Jim Cornette, who had the belt over his shoulder. After insulting Luger and tearing down McMahon’s prediction that Luger would beat Yokozuna at Wrestlemania, Luger made his way over to the interview platform. Luger grabbed the belt and McMahon cued up the ring announcer to try introducing Lex as the champion. Apparently, Vince was not impressed with the reaction and decided to go with Bret, who was also markedly more popular at the Royal Rumble.
The dispute over who was the real Intercontinental champion was decided, with Razor Ramon claiming his AND Shawn’s unrecognised Intercontinental belt in a ladder match. During the course of the bout, Diesel got involved and was sent away by the referee. The high-class encounter ended when Shawn got his leg tangled in the ropes and Razor took advantage to claim the belts. Despite the result, Michaels would continue to antagonise Ramon in an attempt to get back the gold. (While it was built as being an historic match in the WWF, a previous, un-televised ladder match had occurred in 1993 between Bret Hart and Michaels).
In other bouts, Men on a Mission defeated Tag Team champions The Quebecers via count-out, Alundra Blayze defeated Leilani Kai (originally advertised to be Debbie Combs) to retain the Women’s title, Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna Vachon got revenge on Doink and Dink in a mixed tag team match, and Earthquake pinned Adam Bomb in under a minute. In the latter match, Wippleman accosted ring announcer Howard Finkel, and tore the pocket from his tuxedo. In response, Finkel shoved the scrawny manager onto his backside.
A ten-man tag team match – that would have seen Tatanka, The 1-2-3 Kid, Sparky Plugg and The Smokin’ Gunns go up against IRS, Rick Martel, Jeff Jarrett and The Headshrinkers – was cut due to time constraints. (This has been consistently blamed on the Michaels/Ramon ladder match going on longer than scheduled). The tag match took place on the April 4 edition of RAW, with IRS pinning 1-2-3 Kid to earn the win.
Wrestlemania 10 was Jerry Lawler’s first WWF pay-per-view as a commentator, and his return after legal issues kept him off television (and also prevented him appearing at the 1993 Survivor Series). He berated Roddy Piper as he officiated the main event, and he would continue these insults, leading to a match at King of the Ring.
During the WWF’s UK tour, Men on a Mission got a win over The Quebecers on March 29 in London to become the new Tag Team champions. Two days later, they lost them back to The Quebecers in Sheffield.
The debut of the Heartbreak Hotel segment took place on the April 4 edition of Monday Night RAW. Joined by Diesel, it was to be an interview segment hosted by Shawn Michaels. On this first edition, he explained the concept of the Heartbreak Hotel, and directed comments at Intercontinental champion, Razor Ramon. The segment was mostly shown on Superstars, and the following week, his first guest was WWF champion, Bret Hart.
After weeks of taunting by IRS over a supposed “gift tax,” the evil taxman struck on the April 16 edition of Superstars. IRS came to the ring during Tatanka’s match with Kwang and began to mess around with the headdress. Kwang blinded Tatanka with the green mist, and IRS took advantage, attacking the ‘Native American’ and tying his arms in the ropes. He began to mock Tatanka by wearing the headdress, and then proceeded to methodically tear it apart. Chief Jay Strongbow attempted to make the save but was also assaulted, as the headdress was completely destroyed.
Diesel would become more than the security guard at the Heartbreak Hotel, when he defeated Razor Ramon on the April 30 Superstars to become the new Intercontinental champion. Despite being knocked off the apron, Shawn managed to remove the turnbuckle pad, and Diesel took advantage by running Ramon into the exposed steel. Seconds later, Razor was hoisted up into the Jackknife Powerbomb and pinned. But Diesel wasn’t done, as a challenge was then issued to WWF champion Bret Hart for King of the Ring, which “The Hitman” accepted. After Bret was attacked by Diesel, Shawn Michaels and Jerry Lawler on RAW, Bret announced that he was bringing back a family member to nullify Michaels at King of the Ring.
Legendary manager Captain Lou Albano came back to the WWF and formed an association with The Headshrinkers. Nicknamed “The Guiding Light,” Albano led a number of tag teams to championship glory, including The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). Along with Afa, Albano became a co-manager of sorts, and lobbied for Samu and Fatu to face the Tag Team champions, The Quebecers. Jack Tunney made the match, and with their new management team, The Headshrinkers dethroned Jacques and Pierre on the May 2 edition of RAW. Dissension in the ranks of The Quebecers took place near the end, when Jacques accidentally hit Pierre, who then responded by not accidentally punching Jacques.
After the victory, the programme went to a break, and when it returned, Earthquake issued a challenge to Yokozuna. It would become a sumo match, and Earthquake’s time as a sumo wrestler was explained, when he went under the name Kototensan (Heavenly Mountain Harp). The match took place on the May 16 RAW and saw Earthquake triumph.
Qualifying matches started to take place in May for spots in the 1994 King of the Ring tournament, to take place on June 19 in Baltimore, Maryland. On the May 7 Superstars, IRS defeated Scott Steiner to be the first to qualify; Razor Ramon took down Kwang on the May 9 RAW, Mabel pinned Pierre on May 14, and on the May 16 edition of RAW, Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Sparky Plugg.
Roddy Piper cut a promo from the set of his latest movie to challenge Jerry Lawler for King of the Ring. Piper was incensed by comments Lawler made about sick children in a hospital in Toronto – coupled from other comments made at Wrestlemania – and wanted to have “one more fight.” Piper said if he won, his winner’s purse would go to the hospital. Piper made regular televised promos from his home to build up the match with ‘The King.’ Lawler had a Roddy impersonator appear on the King’s Court and try to get out of the match.
Ted Dibiase began to make the transition from colour commentator to manager during the Wrestlemania 10 Revenge Tour. In Albany, New York, Dibiase announced his first acquisition, that of Nikolai Volkoff. Volkoff had recently been seen in the audience and then interviewed on the King’s Court, where he was insulted about his bad financial situation by Lawler. Despite hating Dibiase’s guts, he seemingly had no choice but to take a job with the ‘Million Dollar Man.’ Volkoff returned to in-ring action beating Duane Gill on Superstars.
During the King’s Court on Monday Night RAW, Dibiase forced Volkoff to replace his old red tights and ring jacket with the American and Soviet flags with a pair of black tights and tuxedo shirt emblazoned with “Property of Million Dollar Man” in gold lettering, and gold cents symbols, as opposed to dollar signs. As the search continued for The Undertaker, Dibiase claimed that money would bring back ‘The Deadman.’ Paul Bearer called him a liar, as the trail had “run cold,” and even he had not seen The Undertaker.
Vignettes aired for Duke Droese, a garbage collector who was nicknamed ‘The Dumpster.’ He promised to take out all the trash in the World Wrestling Federation. He debuted on the May 23 Monday Night RAW, where he defeated Barry Horowitz. Droese went on to feud with Jerry Lawler, after ‘The King’ bashed Droese with his own garbage can shortly after KOTR. Lawler even offered an apology, but that still was not good enough for ‘The Dumpster.’
Further qualifying matches for King of the Ring saw Jeff Jarrett defeat Lex Luger by count-out on May 21 after interference from Crush, and Owen Hart advanced by beating Doink on May 23. Owen’s original opponent was Earthquake, but it was explained that he had had been injured during the sumo match with Yokozuna. (In reality, Quake had left the company once again, and would sign with WCW). The 1-2-3 Kid advanced by pinning Adam Bomb, after Kwang sprayed mist in Bomb’s face. Previously on Wrestling Challenge, there had been a breakdown between the two Wippleman-managed wrestlers when Bomb caused Kwang to be pinned in a match with Kid and Sparky Plugg. When the two had a singles match, Wippleman came to ringside and walked to the back with Kwang to give Bomb a count-out win.
In the final qualifying match on the May 30 RAW, Tatanka and Crush went to a double-countout, in which both Mr Fuji and Chief Jay Strongbow got involved. Tatanka’s original opponent was Jimmy Del Ray, and it was explained that a deal had been made between Fuji and Jim Cornette to allow Crush to take Del Ray’s place. A lumberjack match was made for the following week on RAW, which the ‘Native American’ won after Lex Luger got revenge on Crush from their previous encounter.
Right before King of the Ring, Dibiase promised to deliver The Undertaker on the next installment of the Heartbreak Hotel. To everyone’s astonishment, a man looking and sounding very much like The Undertaker appeared. In reality, this was Brian Lee, who had recently turned heel in SMW after being a fan favourite and former SMW Heavyweight champion. Soon to be derided as the “Fake Undertaker,” Lee beat several preliminary wrestlers before the inevitable meeting with the real deal.
The very first WWF Hall of Fame ceremony took place on June 9, from the Omni Inner Harbour International Hotel in Baltimore. The WWF had first created a Hall of Fame the previous year, when Andre the Giant passed away and he was made the sole inductee without a ceremony taking place. On this occasion, those inducted included Bobo Brazil, Buddy Rogers (posthumously), Arnold Skaaland, Freddie Blassie, Gorilla Monsoon, Chief Jay Strongbow, and James Dudley. Unlike ceremony’s in recent years, it was a low key event, and only clips were shown on television (a condensed version of the ceremony was uploaded to the WWE Network in 2015).
Also prior to King of the Ring, the WWF launched their “New Generation” campaign, hyping up stars like Bret Hart, Diesel, Razor Ramon and The 1-2-3 Kid, while condescending the past, including Hulk Hogan. The timing of this new marketing strategy seemed to coincide with the news that ‘The Hulkster’ had inked a lucrative deal with WCW. In short order, a number of stars from the previous era would also make their way to Atlanta, as the WWF entered into a new phase of more athletic, fast-paced matches.
‘The Rocket’ became ‘The King of Harts’ after King of the Ring, where he emulated what his brother Bret had done the previous year. Owen Hart went through Tatanka, The 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon to claim the crown, after getting help from his brother-in-law, the returning Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart. At the end of the broadcast, Bret Hart was at a loss for words over the actions of his former Hart Foundation partner.
Earlier, Neidhart had been the surprise family member brought in by Bret to stand in his corner during the WWF Title defense against Diesel, to counter the presence of Shawn Michaels. As the referee dealt with Shawn, Diesel hit the Jackknife and looked set to become a double champion. However, Neidhart came into the ring and clotheslined Diesel as the referee turned around, and then called for the blatant disqualification.
Neidhart then provided aid to Owen in the final against ‘The Bad Guy,’ but not before Owen reached the final by cleverly pinning Tatanka in the opening round, and then using a Sharpshooter to submit The 1-2-3 Kid in the semi-final. Kid went into the match at less than a hundred percent. After pinning Jeff Jarrett with a small package, Kid was on the receiving end of three piledrivers from the vengeful Double J. The two would have a short feud as a result.
Razor Ramon was looking to go further than last year, where he had been beaten in the opening round by Bret. This time, he went close, beating Bam Bam Bigelow and then IRS – who advanced by beating the five hundred pound Mabel – before eventually falling to Owen in the final.
The Headshrinkers retained the Tag Team titles by beating Yokozuna and Crush, and in what was the final match of the show, Roddy Piper sent the fans home happy by beating Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler. Seconding Piper was the impersonator that Lawler had brought in for a segment of The King’s Court to humiliate ‘Hot Rod.’
After the event, it would become clear that Neidhart had “poisoned” Owen’s mind, and caused a disqualification so Bret would keep the title warm for the now-named ‘King of Harts.’
As noted in our previous articles, the WWF was rocked by a number of scandals that came to light in the early 1990s, going back to happenings that allegedly took place the previous decade. The most public of these was the steroid case, the genesis of which went back to 1989, when Pennsylvania physician Dr. George Zahorian III was investigated for distributing illegal steroids and illegally distributing prescription painkillers. The WWF was implicated when several of their wrestlers were outed as customers, including Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper.
Ted Smith, who had led the charge to convict Zahorian in Pennsylvania, had pondered whether there was enough evidence to go after Vince McMahon. A grand jury had been assembled to look into the case, and in the end, Smith decided to lay down the mantle, feeling that there was not enough evidence that McMahon had committed a crime in his jurisdiction.
Picking up the pieces was a colleague of Smith’s from New York named Sean O’Shea. As head of the Business and Securities Fraud section for the US attorney’s office in Brooklyn, O’Shea had already landed some big fish, including a speaker of the New York State Assembly for fraud, as well as John Gotti and other higher-ups in the Bonanno and Colombo crime families. His main contention was that Hulk Hogan – now employed by WCW – had received illegal packages at the Nassau Coliseum in New York.
Even though McMahon instituted drug testing for the WWF in 1991 – as well as the World Bodybuilding Federation that he would soon close – O’Shea was not convinced that McMahon was on the level. Indeed, many wrestlers claimed that steroids were readily available, almost like candy. Surely McMahon had to notice what was going on in the back rooms of the arenas?
McMahon put on a cool front for his employees, but privately, he believed he was going to jail; if convicted, he would have been slapped with a large fine and serious jail time. The USA Network were concerned, but still signed up the WWF for another year. But over a hundred stations did cancel WWF programming for the time being, and sponsors walked away. According to Sex, Lies and Headlocks, close advisers were even suggesting that McMahon sell to Ted Turner. Vince was not prepared to go that far, but as a precaution, brought in veteran promoter Jerry Jarrett to learn the day-to-day operations of the company.
In the end, Ted Smith’s reservations became prophetic. The government could not prove that there was a conspiracy by McMahon and Zahorian to distribute steroids, as the wrestlers questioned stated that McMahon had never explicitly told them to take steroids. The prosecution’s star witness Hulk Hogan suffered memory loss on key details, as did Vince’s secretary Emily Feinberg, who crumpled under intense questioning from Jerry McDevitt.
On July 23, 1994, twelve federal jurors deliberated and returned a verdict of not guilty on all counts. Vince – who wore a neck brace throughout the proceedings due to recent surgery – was quoted as saying, “I’m elated. Just like in wrestling, in the end the good guys always win.”
The massive Warlord (Terry Szopinkski) said afterwards, “The best thing I did was just tell the truth. Vince never came to me, face to face, and said, ‘Terry, if you don’t take steroids, you don’t have a job.'” He also claimed the steroid trial was a “witch hunt.” The only wrestler to claim that McMahon told him to take steroids was Kevin Wacholz, better known as Nailz.
His testimony was torn to shreds based on his past issues with McMahon, including the famous incident that got him fired in December 1992. In 2023, he said he had told the investigators to “get lost,” before he was contacted by the Department of Justice. He said he still refused to have anything to do with the case, when federal agents descended on his home after he got back from work. A deal was then done for him to receive cash payment for his testimony.
Source: Sex, Lies and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment / WrestlingInc.com
Jeff Jarrett regretted not taking a count-out win against Tatanka on the July 4 edition of RAW, when he demanded the match be restarted so he could win “fair and square.” Double J even turned his attention to colour commentator Randy Savage, before referee Earl Hebner ordered that the match continue. Tatanka rocked Jarrett with a big Tomahawk chop that caused Jarrett to head down the aisle. He was stopped by Dink and Doink, who chased him back into the ring with a bucket of water. As Double J was distracted by the clowns, Tatanka scored a quick roll-up and the victory.
Jerry Lawler had The 1-2-3 Kid on the King’s Court, and discussed the Kid’s opportunity to face WWF champion Bret Hart the following week on RAW. ‘The King’ suggested he use every tactic in the book to beat Bret, but the Kid would have none of it. Meanwhile, on the same RAW, DIbiase’s Undertaker made short work of Mike Bell. Paul Bearer came to ringside to get a close look, and after the match, tried to persuade him to leave ‘The Million Dollar Man,’ but a handful of greenbacks guided The Undertaker to Dibiase’s side, as Bearer’s urn had done previously.
To show that he could do more then beat ham ‘n’ eggers, Dibiase’s Undertaker scored an impressive win over Tatanka on the following edition of Superstars. Alundra Blayze issued a challenge for any worthy opponent to face her for the Women’s title, and Luna Vachon stepped up. In their first encounter, Luna was pinned with a German suplex. A short time later, Jim Ross spoke to Alundra on RAW to discuss her next major challenge – Bull Nakano. Luna interrupted the interview and claimed she was responsible for bringing the dangerous Nakano from Japan.
As expected, the title bout between ‘The Hitman’ and The 1-2-3 Kid was a display of athleticism and sportsmanship. Before the opening bell, Owen and Neidhart came to ringside. Owen called a Bret “a chicken” for not giving him a title shot, before they both returned to the back. Bret was initially awarded the victory by Hebner, but saw that Kid’s foot had been on the bottom rope and waved off the win. A second official (Tim White) explained what happened, and the bout was restarted. Kid was on the verge of winning when he went to the top for a dropkick, but the champion caught his legs and turned him over into the Sharpshooter. Both men embraced and held up each other’s arm to the applause of the fans.
Owen did not have to wait long, as Bret agreed to face his younger sibling at Summerslam in a cage. Bob Backlund also saw that the time was right to challenge Bret for the belt. In a video promo, footage was shown of Backlund during his first run in the company, as well as him losing the WWF title to The Iron Sheik when his then-manager Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel. This was the end of Backlund’s incredible near-six year run with the gold, and he admitted it still bothered him.
Jerry Lawler attempted to get Ted Dibiase to be a guest on the King’s Court, but ‘The Million Dollar Man’ turned up his nose at the idea of appearing in front of the public. Instead, Lawler said he would come to Dibiase, away from the fans. When Lawler arrived at a private office, Dibiase was on the phone. When asked about the nature of the conversation, Dibiase boldly claimed that he was close to signing Lex Luger. On the Heartbreak Hotel, Tatanka made serious accusations that Luger had indeed “sold out.”
On the next Heartbreak Hotel, Tatanka and Luger spoke face-to-face, with Dibiase saying Tatanka was just “jealous” and “can’t compete with the top stars.” When Luger finally had a chance to talk, he told Dibiase there was “no deal” and that he did not “sell out.” When Luger walked off the set, the ‘Native American’ still claimed he had seen money exchange hands in the back, and heard the promises Dibiase had made to Luger.
A ten thousand dollar challenge match was made for Monday Night RAW between Tatanka and Nikolai Volkoff. Tatanka got the win and Dibiase handed over the bills. ‘The Million Dollar Man’ admitted he was impressed, but he still couldn’t beat “his Lex Luger.” Tatanka said he could beat him on his worst day, which brought out Luger. The ‘American Original’ took offense and agreed to face the ‘Native American’ anytime, anyplace. The match was made for the upcoming Sumerslam pay-per-view on August 29.
Returning to the fold in the summer was Jim Ross, who had been released back in February. This was due to Vince McMahon being unable to fulfill all his commitments as an announcer, due to the steroid trial. It would not last long, as after McMahon was acquitted, Ross was let go again for allegedly leaking inside information to journalists, and he returned to SMW.
A terrible and tragic loss took place on the night of July 4, 1994, when beloved WWF referee Joseph ‘Joey’ Marella died in a car accident. He was just 31. The son of Gorilla Monsoon, Marella fell asleep at the wheel on the New Jersey turnpike, after working a show at Ocean City, Maryland. Also in the vehicle was Harvey Wippleman, who suffered serious injuries. Earl Hebner revealed in an interview that he was scheduled to officiate the last match on the card, but Marella had offered to take his place so Hebner could catch an earlier flight home.
Following his death, the WWF instituted rules that WWF personnel had to check into hotels when working late. Furthermore, they would no longer travel alone and everyone traveling together had to agree to travel.
A vignette aired on the July 16 RAW heralding the arrival of a classic, old-style baseball player named Abe ‘Knuckleball’ Schwartz. This was another gimmick portrayed by Steve Lombardi (The Brooklyn Brawler), who wore a baseball uniform and face-paint like The Furies from the film ‘The Warriors.’ During the promo, he insulted modern baseball players Ken Griffey Jr and Barry Bonds. In 1993, Lombardi had debuted the character, only for it be quickly wound up when Matt Borne was let go and he filled in for a time as Doink. The impending Major League Baseball strike in the middle of 1994 saw the opportunity arise to bring back the character.
An investigation took place in the lead-up to Summerslam to determine the whereabouts of The Undertaker. Doubts had filled people’s minds about the legitimacy of Dibiase’s version, and they were particularly voiced by Paul Bearer. On the case was Lt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) of Naked Gun and Police Squad fame, who hoped to tie up the investigation at Summerslam.
Still, Dibiase forged ahead and acquired the services of Bam Bam Bigelow, when he took advantage of a spat between Bam Bam and Luna on the June 27 RAW. He had been distracted after Luna was accidentally knocked off the apron by Mabel and been counted-out. ‘The Beast from the East’ and Luna would be separated, and she focused on Alundra Blayze. Around this time, Dibiase’s former Money Inc. partner IRS also joined the Million Dollar Corporation and teamed with Bigelow.
Bret Hart defended the WWF Title against Bob Backlund on the July 30 Superstars, in a battle of the Old Generation versus the New Generation. After Bret won the match, he put out his hand, only for Backlund to snap and place him in his painful crossface chicken wing. Afterwards, Backlund stared at his hands in astonishment at what he had done. On the King’s Court, Backlund had nothing good to say about the ‘New Generation’ of the WWF.
The extended Hart family made the trek to the United Center in Chicago to see Bret defend the WWF Title against Owen in a steel cage. The structure was designed to prevent outside interference, but it did not stop mayhem from taking place after the result. Seated in the front row with the rest of the family was Davey Boy Smith, who had not been seen since he was released in late-1992. The “black sheep” Jim Neidhart sat a few rows behind. Fighting near the top of the cage, Owen’s leg got stuck between the bars, and Bret took advantage and climbed down to the floor.
‘The Anvil’ leapt into action and clotheslined Davey and Diana Smith over the guardrail, before throwing Bret back into the cage. With the door padlocked, Jim and Owen worked over ‘The Hitman’ as the Hart family desperately tried to get in. Finally, Davey Boy made a breakthrough and the two antagonists were chased out of the ring.
What followed was something completely different. Paul Bearer delivered on his promise to bring back The Undertaker, now incorporating some purple into his attire to stand out from Ted Dibiase’s Undertaker. The crowd were mostly silent as the two dead men went back and forth, until a series of Tombstones from the genuine article got the job done. Dibiase ran away as his Undertaker was put in a casket and wheeled away by druids, never to be seen again. Leslie Nielsen and his Naked Gun co-star George Kennedy appeared in a series of skits to solve the mystery of the two Undertakers.
After many weeks of Tatanka claiming that Lex Luger had sold out to ‘The Million Dollar Man,’ it turned out to be the ‘Native American’ all along. Luger got distracted by Dibiase, who came to the ring with a bag of money, allowing Tatanka to roll him up for the win. After the bell, Tatanka capped off the betrayal by putting Luger out with the Million Dollar Dream, and leaving with Dibiase.
Razor Ramon recaptured the Intercontinental title from Diesel after an errant superkick from Shawn Michaels. To help nullify Michaels, Ramon drafted in NFL Hall of Famer, Walter Payton. Alundra Blayze won a hard fought battle over Bull Nakano to retain her Women’s title, when Nakano missed her top rope leg drop. The Headshrinkers – sans the Tag titles – lost to IRS and Bam Bam Bigelow by disqualification. The night before Summerslam, Samu and Fatu had lost the belts to Diesel and Shawn Michaels.
After Summerslam, the WWF embarked on a ‘Hart Attack’ tour, which took them to the UK and around the United States and Canada. The Undertaker and Yokozuna battled, as did Lex Luger and Tatanka. Bret Hart and The British Bulldog faced Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart in a series of tag team bouts. Bulldog had been let go by WCW and returned to England before re-signing with the Federation and appearing at Summerslam.
Also making his way back to the WWF was King Kong Bundy, after last being seen back in February 1988. He went into semi-retirement, only wrestling occasionally. In November 1993, he appeared on ECW’s November to Remember card, and in 1994 turned up in the USWA and WWA, respectively. Shortly after his return, Bundy was accompanied to the ring by Ted Dibiase for his match with Mitch Bishop on the October 8 Superstars, revealing that he was the newest member of the Million Dollar Corporation. In a unique approach to beating an opponent, Bundy would demand of the referee a ‘five count,’ as opposed to the normal three count.
After that match, as the show was wrapping up, Doink appeared on the video wall and challenged commentator Jerry Lawler. ‘The King’ stood up, and took off his robe, only for Doink to back down and tell him to sit and relax. Lawler claimed Doink was too scared, but sat down on a pie placed there by Dink. In response, Lawler introduced his own little sidekick on the next King’s Court, in the form of Queasy. As more incidents continued – including Lawler breaking Dink’s tricycle – Doink introduced another pint-sized pal, Wink. Others would be added on both sides to form enough to make teams for the upcoming Survivor Series.
The new Tag Team champions Shawn Michaels and Diesel continued to antagonise The Headshrinkers, after having defeated them for the gold right before Summerslam. To bolster their ranks, Afa and Capt Lou Albano drafted in Seone. As McMahon wrily remarked on the October 10 RAW – where The New Headshrinkers defeated Cory Student and JS Storm – Seone was the ‘more barbaric’ cousin of Samu and Fatu. Indeed, this was the former Barbarian from his earlier stint for the WWF. He had worked for WCW after leaving in early 1992, and returned at a house show on June 6, first as a substitute for an injured Samu, before permanently replacing him in the team.
Bob Backlund’s mental state continued to decline, when he snapped while confronting his former manager Arnold Skaaland on the October 15 Superstars. Skaaland explained his reasoning for throwing in the towel back in 1983, which cost Backlund the title. He said that Backlund was “like a son” to him, and he was thinking about his future, knowing he would never submit on his own. Skaaland extended his hand to Backlund, but it was refused. As Skaaland turned around and was helped out of the ring by McMahon, Backlund applied the cross-face chicken wing.
Backlund laughed maniacally as referees and officials swarmed around in an attempt to break the painful hold. Sparky Plugg also came into the ring, and only after the damage was done, Backlund finally released the hold. Just as he had done when he attacked ‘The Hitman,’ Backlund stared in wonderment at his hands, providing an opportunity to get Skaaland to the back. Even Jerry Lawler expressed his shock at the violence, and said that Backlund needed serious help.
With Bret and Owen’s series of matches coming to an end, the closer it came for another clash between the old and the new generations. Backlund challenged Hart to a submission match for the Survivor Series, where the bout could only end when a towel was thrown in. Bret chose Davey Boy to be in his corner, while Owen aligned with Backlund. Meanwhile, The Undertaker would lock horns once again with Yokozuna in another casket match, with ‘Texas Ranger’ Chuck Norris to be on hand to ward off any outside interference.
At the end of October, the WWF bid farewell to one of their all-time greats, the ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. On September 13, he wrestled his last match for the company during their European tour, teaming with Bret Hart against Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart in Germany. When his contract expired, Savage chose not to renew, and signed with World Championship Wrestling, where he made his first appearance in December. In a quiet and seemingly bittersweet moment, Vince McMahon told the televised audience on RAW that the reason the ‘Macho Man’ was no longer beside him on commentary was because he had chosen to finish up with the WWF, and wished him all the best for the future.
Alundra Blayze made a grand entrance into the Tokyo Dome on the back of a Harley-Davidson, but went down to Bull Nakano in one of the main attractions of All Japan Women’s Big Egg Wrestling Universe on November 20. The mammoth show went for ten hours, and consisted of twenty-three bouts, featuring wrestlers from several different promotions. Nakano’s manager and sometime tag team partner Luna Vachon left the company shortly after, but still became the first female to be featured in a WWF video game (WWF RAW), when it released that month.
The eighth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view took place on November 23 in San Antonio, Texas, and was host to a couple of big matches, including the WWF championship bout between Bret Hart and Bob Backlund in a submission match, and another casket match between The Undertaker and Yokozuna, with Chuck Norris as special enforcer on the outside.
In a scientific bout incorporating many different holds and technical maneuvers, the treachery of Owen Hart – coupled with the maniacal ruthlessness of Backlund – saw the end of ‘The Hitman’s’ title reign. Owen interfered, and was then chased around the ring by Davey Boy. However, Davey collided with the ring steps and was knocked out. Backlund ensnared Bret in the crossface chicken wing, but the champion refused to give up despite the tortuous pain. Owen began to act concerned for his brother, and pleaded with his mother and father – seated at ringside along with other Hart family members – to throw in the towel. Stu refused, but Helen could take no more and threw the towel to signify the end of the bout. Owen showed his true colours again, and was elated over his brother’s loss, and claimed it was the “best Thanksgiving ever.”
In the final match, The Undertaker sent the fans home happy by successfully stuffing Yokozuna into a casket. Norris was tested when Million Dollar Corporation members attempted to come down the aisle to interfere on Yoko’s behalf. The distraction was enough though for IRS to sneak through the crowd and attempt to put Taker out with a sleeper. Taker’s lifeless body was rolled into the casket, and it appeared he was about to rest in peace for a second time. But The Undertaker prevented the lid from being closed, and went on the offensive. Jeff Jarrett tried to test Chuck Norris and was side-kicked in the mouth for his efforts. After a big boot sent Yoko through the ropes into the casket, Taker took the Japanese flag from Fuji, snapped it half, threw the remnants into the casket as well and closed the lid.
The Bad Guys (Razor Ramon, British Bulldog, 1-2-3 Kid and The Headshrinkers) defeated The Teamsters (Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart and Jeff Jarrett), when Razor became the sole survivor. Diesel went on a tear, eliminating all but one of The Bad Guys, with the exception of the Bulldog, who was counted out. Razor was left alone against an entire team, and was also Jackknifed by Diesel, only for Michaels to insist he not pin him yet and hold him for a superkick. Ramon ducked and Michaels nailed Diesel instead, the same thing that had happened at Summerslam to cost him the Intercontinental title. The two argued on the outside of the ring, and when the rest of the team joined them, the referee counted them all out to give Razor an unlikely victory.
In other Survivor Series matches, Guts n Glory (Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, Mabel and The Smokin Gunns) were defeated by The Million Dollar Team (Tatanka, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy and The Heavenly Bodies), when Bundy pinned Luger to end the match. Luger was then triple-teamed by Bundy, Tatanka and Bigelow until his teammates returned to make the save. In another team elimination bout, The Royal Family of Jerry Lawler, Queasy, Cheesey and Sleazey) defeated Clowns r Us (Doink, Dink, Pink and Wink). After the match, Lawler criticised his team for taking all the credit, which led to his own team turning on him, along with the clowns. When ‘The King’ tried to escape, Doink returned and hit him in the face with a pie.
Backlund’s dream of regaining the WWF championship turned into a nightmare, when he was put down by Diesel three days after Summerslam at a house show in Madison Square Garden. Not only that, but the match – which consisted of just a boot to the gut and a Jacknife – ended in just eight seconds. This gave Diesel the distinction of being the third wrestler – after Bret Hart and Pedro Morales – to have held all three WWF championship belts, and all in the space of only seven months. It was a nice rebound for Diesel, since the break up with Shawn caused the vacating of the Tag Team titles.
Back in May, the WWF embarked on a tour of Japan, which featured Michinoku-Pro star, Jinsei Shinzaki. So impressed were WWF officials that they signed him to a contract, and he began working for the Federation in November. Cast as ‘Hakushi,’ he wore white robes and traditional Japanese hats (suge-kasa), and carried a wooden staff, with Buddhist symbols covering his face and body. His manager Shinja – who wore white facepaint – was formely one-half of the Orient Express, Akio Sato. Sato also played a role behind-the-scenes, helping the WWF arrange tours of Japan, including the one in May.
Also turning up in November was hog farmer Henry O. Godwinn. Mark Canterbury was signed from WCW, where he went under the name ‘Shanghai Pierce,’ and teamed with Dennis Knight (Tex Slazenger) in a mid card tag team. Now an Arkansas pig farmer, H.O.G routinely brought a slop bucket to the ring, and would dispense its vile contents onto a hapless opponent.
PJ Polaco had been an enhancement talent for the WWF for two years before being given a full-time contract in late-1994. He was put under an unusual mask and named ‘Aldo Montoya,’ which was then quickly changed to ‘Portuguese Man O’ War.’ He made his televised debut as Aldo on the November 14 RAW, and was approached by Ted Dibiase to join the Million Dollar Corporation, but he refused.
The 1995 Royal Rumble took shape on the December 17 edition of Superstars, with the announcements that Diesel would defend the WWF Title against Bret Hart, and that Baywatch star Pamela Anderson would act as host of the pay-per-view. IRS had words for The Undertaker, setting the stage for their series of matches on the Holiday Wish tour, as well as the January 1995 event. The opening match of the tournament to crown new Tag Team champions also took place, with Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow defeating Men on a Mission.
Shawn Michaels hosted Jeff Jarrett on the Heartbreak Hotel, who spoke about his upcoming Intercontinental Title match with Razor Ramon, also taking place at the Rumble. During this segment, Brian Armstrong made his televised WWF debut as Jarrett’s gopher, ‘The Roadie.’ Jarrett had just launched an album titled ‘Aint I Great,’ and needed someone to run errands for him. A member of the Armstrong wrestling family, the future Road Dogg debuted in 1987 with South-East Championship Wrestling, before putting that career on hold to serve in the US Marine Corp. He finished his service in 1994, but had still worked with WCW and SMW prior to joining the WWF.
In recent times, ring announcer Howard Finkel had his issues with manager Harvey Wippleman, who routinely snapped the microphone away from Finkel in order to announce his charges. These included the team of Well Dunn, who had feuded with The Bushwhackers the last few months. On the December 19 Monday Night RAW, Finkel swapped his tuxedo for Bushwhacking attire and accompanied Luke and Butch to the ring. When Harvey tried to get involved, Finkel pulled him out of the ring, bringing down his trousers in the process.
In what had been a very tumultuous year for Jim Ross, he was rehired in December. He worked on the company’s syndicated programmes. It would be two years before JR would be made a primary announcer once again on Monday Night RAW.
In the shadows of 1994, on the December 31 Superstars, The Headshrinkers (Seone and Fatu) defeated Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart by disqualification to advance in the WWF Tag Team title tournament.
Other Articles in the Series – 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993
Will business pick up with Diesel as the leader of the New Generation in 1995? Can Lex Luger turn his fortunes around? What are those rumblings coming from down south? Will The Undertaker be prepared for a year of feuding with the Million Dollar Corporation? Find out the answers to all these questions when we return with part six of The Rise, Fall, and Rise of the WWF in the 90s!
Special thanks to the Wrestling With Paul YouTube channel which was a great help in constructing this article.
