Monday Night Raw, Episode 1 Summary (1/11/93)

The first ever Monday Night Raw came to us live from New York City, which was fitting. An opening scene featured Bobby "The Brain" Heenan trying to get inside, and being told that he cannot. From there Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Rob Bartlett setting up the action. Right away, things get started with Koko B. Ware making his way into the right. "The Birdman" pumps up the crowd nicely. The at-the-time undefeated Yokozuna is his opponent.


Koko B. Ware vs Yokozuna (with Mr Fuji)

After a few jokes about Yokozuna's weight (including calling him a "big-butted oriental), things get underway. The power of Yokozuna is highlighted right away, with him tossing Koko across the ring a few times. The announcers are really hyping the show being live and uncensored, where anything can happen. The Birdman hits a dropkick, looking to get some offense going, but is dropped, then dropped on....in this case by Yokozuna's gigantic leg. A slam in the corner is followed by a Bonzai Drop for the win.

There was little technical wrestling in this match, but it was meant to show Yokozuna's dominance, which it did well. He was billed as a monster and a squash versus a popular face was a nice way to open the first Raw.


We're taken to Bobby Heenan for a quick promo where he hypes "Narcissus", who he plans on unveiling at the Royal Rumble. I won't spoil it here.


The Steiner Brothers vs The Executioners

A big pop goes to the Steiners as the enter the ring. Scott, and his glorious mullet, starts things for the good guys against, well one of the masked dudes. Who cares? Scott hits a flashy maneuver, then tags to Rick, who shows off some power. Doink the Clown is pointed out, dancing behind the ring, in the stands. I could describe the rest of the action, but it's really just a Steiner beatdown. They finish things off with the "Steinerizer" and the pin.

Again, this was a squash, with the face team winning this time. The crowd loved it, but it was just a chance to showcase the Steiners for the Raw audience.


We cut to outside the arena, where a woman claiming to be Rob Bartlett's aunt is trying, unsuccessfully, to get inside. Shawn Mooney quickly discovers that it's really The Brain in disguise. Funny stuff.


An in-ring interview with Razor Ramon set up their championship match coming up at Royal Rumble later in the month.


Max Moon vs Shawn Michaels (Intercontinental Champion)

The belt is on the line here. Michaels enters to a big pop. The match starts fast, with a flurry of arm locks, reverses, rope bounces, and leaps. Moon finally takes the initial advantage with a couple of takedowns. He hit another big move, and they went to commercial with Michaels on the receiving end of an armlock. After the break, the Heartbreak Kid regained the advantage by dropping Moon on the top rope neck-first. Doink was walking around ringside, and "Mike Tyson" was on the phone talking about being in solitary confinement. This mainly distracted from what was actually a decent match. After a couple of near-falls, Moon slingshot Michaels outside the ring, then nailed him with a high-flying attack on the floor. He pressed the advantage back inside and got another near-fall after some impressive attacks. Moon makes a mistake, though, and misses a flip that puts him on his back. Michaels hits a superkick, then a backdrop for the win.

This was a fun match, with a good showing by Max Moon. It had good pacing, and plenty of close calls before the inevitable happened. It was easily the best match so far.


A Royal Rumble promo showed quick takes from opponents-to-be Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannety. Jannety's was terrible, and it's easy to see why he never caught on after the Rockers break-up. This was followed by more hijinks from Heenan, this time dressing up as a rabbi.


Damian Demento vs The Undertaker

The Dead Man's entrance isn't quite as elaborate as what will come later, but he has Paul Bearer and the urn, so it's cool enough. Early on, we get Undertaker's signature rope walk. He dominates the early action, but gets kicked in the face and taken to the ground. This sets up him sitting up, and drawing a pop for it. A knockdown later, Demento is picked up and dropped on his head via a Tombstone Piledriver for the win.

It wasn't a good match, but featured the Undertaker looking strong. This was only of Demento's only appearances of a high profile. He didn't really look good, though his haircut was certainly attention-worthy. One of the announcers (I missed which one) said he got his hair cut during a power surge. Nice.


The show closed with an awkward confrontation between Crush and Doink, and then Bobby Heenan finally getting into the building...just as the show ends.


Summary

Overall, it wasn't a very good show wrestling-wise. Basically three squashes in four matches. The Shawn Michaels/Max Moon match was pretty good though. The announce team was pretty solid, and the Heenan bits were funny enough. They hyped Royal Rumble, and did a good job promoting the live nature of the show. The non-wrestling segments were mostly cringeworthy. Razor Ramon was Ok. Marty Jannetty was terrible, and Crush wasn't much better. It gets extra credit, however, for starting something that became the premiere show in wrestling.