Monday Night Raw
July 19, 1993
New York City
Manhattan Center

The current WWF champs were as follows:
World Champion: Yokozuna (6/13/1993)
Intercontinental Champion: Shawn Michaels (6/6/1993)
World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers (6/19/1993)

Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, and Bobby Heenan.

The Lex Express National Tour has begun! Get this man a WWF title shot!

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (w/Diesel) vs. Marty Jannetty
  

Does Marty have Shawn’s number? We’re about to find out. Our esteemed commentators wonder if Mr. Perfect is in the building. Heenan supposedly sends a stooge to go find out. Marty has a hard time with Diesel at ringside. This distraction allows Shawn to fire first from behind. Very quick sequence ensues from there as Marty tries to go for the fast win. Shawn tries to slow it down with a headlock, but Marty is one step ahead every time he breaks loose. Shawn takes a big shoulder bump in the corner and then turns around right into an armdrag to further damage. Shawn fights out of an armbar, but gets caught with a flying clothesline. He avoids a flying fist drop, but Jannetty lands on his feet and drops Shawn with a DDT. Cover, 1-2-3! (5:08) Shawn’s got his foot on the rope though. Diesel points that out to the ref while we take a commercial break.

Okay, so the match continues after the break. Savage feels this is the worst series of events he’s ever seen. I don’t know exactly how you can justify that feeling though, Randy. Jannetty is still in total control. Shawn fights out of a sleeper with a back suplex and knees Jannetty to the floor. Back inside, they double-KO each other, causing Shawn to take a tumble to the outside. Diesel tries to help him in, but ref Hebner won’t allow it. More commercials!

When we return, Shawn is wearing down Jannetty with chinlocks and headlocks. When he puts his feet on the ropes, Diesel leans on the ropes to justify the ‘shaking’ before Shawn gets caught. That’s actually really smart. Well, Shawn never gets caught, as Jannetty fights up and crotches Shawn on the top rope. Time for the Jannetty comeback. Jumping back elbow gets two. Shawn catches him telegraphing a backdrop and sets up for the Piledriver, but Jannetty counters into a hurracanrana for 1-2-NO! Flying bodypress by Shawn, but Jannetty rolls through for another nearfall! Rocker Dropper stuns Shawn as he falls back and gets tied up in the ropes. Jannetty actually punches him free before charging him, as Shawn ducks and Jannetty goes flying over the top rope to the floor. Nasty! Diesel puts Jannetty back inside, allowing Shawn to drape an arm over him for the 1-2-3. (14:21 shown) Jannetty was just awesome in 1993. Fast-paced, great execution by both guys, and a logical finish to boot. This match was awarded the PWI match of the year: Shawn’s first of eleven PWI MOTY awards throughout his career. ****

Vince McMahon introduces Money Inc. First things first, they meet the Steiner Brothers in a rematch for the WWF tag titles on Superstars this weekend. Next, DiBiase brings up Razor Ramon and how stupid he is for getting duped by some punk kid and how he’s willing to give him a job washing his cars. Well, that causes Razor Ramon to come out for a rebuttal. He doesn’t work for no mang, Chico. DiBiase thinks every man has a price and slaps him across the face with hundred dollar bills. Razor doesn’t exactly care for that kind of treatment and cleans house of Money Inc. Ohhh, boy.

• Men on a Mission (w/Oscar) vs. Rich Myers & Hank Harris
  

This is the Raw debut of MOM. While they are certainly men, this mission they speak of isn’t exactly as clear. It’s the summer of 1993, so the crowd singing “Whoomp! (There It Is)” is inevitable during this match. Mo pushes Mabel down on top of one of these ham-and-eggers for the win at 1:51. Oscar makes some threat to the Headshrinkers, but THEY DON’T WANT NONE OF THEM!

• Bastion Booger vs. Scott Despres
  

Booger sits down on this guy in about a minute for the win.

Time for the King’s Court with Tiny Tim. Lawler makes fun of his ridiculous Mickey Mouse suit and his career. Some radio show that Tiny Tim will be a part of in Des Moines, Iowa gets plugged. When Lawler asks Tiny Tim about people calling him a “Burger King”, Tiny Tim calls him the “Dairy Queen” instead. O RLY? Lawler breaks Tiny Tim’s stupid ukulele into a million pieces. I have no problem saying this segment should have never happened.

• The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Chris Duffy
  

Money Inc walks through the curtain possibly planning to do a number on the Kid, but Razor Ramon appears from the crowd to keep an eye on them. Flying Legdrop to the back of the head is all she wrote at 2:17. The Kid doesn’t want anything to do with either party and leaves through a neutral side of the crowd. Razor and Money Inc stage a stand-off. Shirts fly off, toothpicks are thrown. Before anything interesting can happen, we cut to commercial.

NEXT WEEK: Bret and his parents vs. Bam Bam Bigelow and Luna!