Raw Retro Review: Episode 4: Lex Luger in Action

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The fourth episode in the history of Monday Night Raw has Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett and “Macho Man” Randy Savage were on the announce team.

Tatanka vs. Damian Demento

Tatanka picked up the victory with a Samoan Drop. This was Demento’s second Raw match, his first being on the first episode against The Undertaker, and he lost both matches, but he did a great job of making his opponents look good. There’s always room for guys like that on the roster.

Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake in-ring interview w/ Vince McMahon

Vince announced that this was the first time that Beefcake was on TV since he was in a near-fatal boating accident. Beefcake said he was ready to take on all challengers. Vince asked if the comeback was a good idea, and Beefcake told him that before the accident, both his parents died and he got divorced and explained that he became a desperate man. He explained his accident and what it was like in the moments afterward, and that the only person who was there for him was Hulk Hogan. Vince still has questions and Beefcake admits that it’s a fair question, but he says that Hogan told him to “go for it,” and that was the motivation that he needed. He compared his suffering in the accident to the pain he could suffer in the ring, and said there would be no comparison. Good interview. I like the format with Vince going into the ring and interviewing a Superstar. Vince is no Renee Young, but he does a good job of making sure the message stays on track.

High Energy vs. Von Krus and Iron Mike Sharpe

Owen Hart picked up the win after holding Von Krus up in air so that Koko B. Ware could hit a missile dropkick. The psychology of this match didn’t make much sense, but it was still a fun and really short match.

Doink the Clown vs. Typhoon

Doink picked up the victory with a flying shoulder block from the middle rope, and after he grabbed Typhoon’s tights. I love classic heel stuff like this, it can really add some depth to a character. That being said Doink was too creepy for my taste.

Andre the Giant 10-bell salute

Howard Finkel stood in the ring and announced that Andre had died a week earlier, he then asked the audience to stand for a 10-bell salute. Cool moment to honor a legend.

Yokozuna vs. Bobby DeVito

Yoko won a very short match with the Bonzai Drop. Devito got literally no offense in, poor guy. Hacksaw Jim Duggan was on the phone with the announce team to hype a match with Yoko, it was hard to hear him though because there were some technical difficulties.

Money, Inc. ringside interview w/ Vince McMahon

Ted DiBiase came out and recited the “Humpty Dumpty” nursery rhyme in reference to Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. He then answered Beefcake’s open challenge. DiBiase won a coin toss with Irwin R. Schyster to decide which one of them would take on Beefcake. Jimmy Hart then came out and questioned if one of these guys should get in the ring, because if they get hurt, that would end the tag team. Schyster and DiBiase were confident though. Finally, Hart pulled them away and said that they had stuff to talk about. Good heel promo, they had heat when they came out, and they had more when they left.

Mr. Perfect vignette w/ Steve Jordan

Jordan was the tight end for Mr. Perfect’s hometown Minnesota Vikings. Jordan talked about great NFL passers like Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton, then introduced “the perfect passer,” Mr. Perfect. Mr. Perfect then “threw” perfect passes to Jordan, and finished it off by throwing a long touchdown pass to himself. This might have been the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen while watching wrestling.

Lex Luger vs. Jason Knight

Luger picked up the win after a punch to the face. He covered Knight by simply putting his pinky on Knight’s chest.

Overall Impression

Watching these older shows is a lot of fun, they show how different wrestling used to be. The squash matches are something I feel they should be doing more of in today’s product, but that’s a discussion for a different day.

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