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Post by JokerFC on Jan 14, 2021 11:33:34 GMT -5
I watched Summerslam 1993 yesterday & the ridiculousness of the celebration at the end never ceases to amaze me. So it got me to thinking what could have been done differently.
The official line here was there was never going to be a title change at Summerslam but there are plenty more say Vince got cold feet at the last minute. Combination of not feeling Luger and his lack of a good attitude on the Lex Express tour. The set up with the baloon's etc at the end certainly lends itself to scenario #2.
I think they should have put the title on Luger here at Summerslam 1993 and let him run with it the plan always being to have him drop it back to Yokozuna @ Royal Rumble 1994. its not like it would have made much difference to business.
If Lex got over like crazy with the belt & was every bit the heroic face & Hogan replacement Vince craved? Yoko has to cheat to beat him @ RR94.
If crowd apathy set in like we all seen in 1993 you have Yoko beat him clean & make him an even more dangerous opponent for Hart.
The story is set up already for Bret vs Yoko II. Bret wins the RR and goes onto face Yoko and defeat him @ WMX.
Nothing changes with Bret/Owen here either....The match with the Quebecers still happens and Owens slow turn still happens. Owen still beats Bret in the opener of WMX & Bret goes on to beat Yoko in the ME.
I realise this eliminates Yoko vs Taker but honestly this time off and revenge angle could have been achieved any number of ways. Undertaker eliminates Evil Crush from the RR & Crush pulls him out. Those evil foreigners then jump Taker and put the boots to him in a savage beatdown involving Yoko who UT had challenged. they don't want him to win the RR ya see so they maul him backstage.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Jan 14, 2021 11:41:55 GMT -5
I remember in the summer a topic of Lex and SummerSlam came up and this is what I said in regards of that whole situation of Lex in the WWF from SummerSlam on.
"If we are going to do fantasy booking, I would have done it like this.
Lex wins via count out at SummerSlam. But he's frustrated in himself. He knows he can pin the WWF Champion.
Survivor Series, Lex, Taker and Steiners vs. Yokozuna, Borga and Quebecers still happens. But Lex pins the WWF Champion to win the match.
Lex now knows he can beat Yokozuna.
Rumble time. Lex still has to earn that WWF Title shot because he didn't win the belt at SummerSlam. It comes down to Bret and Lex as the final two. Owen runs in to try and stop Bret from winning, and Bret turns his attention to Owen and throws Owen out of the ring. Lex then comes up and throws Bret out, winning the Royal Rumble that year. Bret looks up at Lex in disbelief as Lex celebrates in a heelish way but still playing to the crowd (much like when Daniel Bryan won the World Title when cashing in the MITB).
At Wrestlemania we get Bret vs. Owen and Lex vs. Yokozuna for the WWF Title. Owen wins, and Lex wins the WWF Title.
The following night, Lex comes out in a suit with the WWF Title on Raw. He says how he was very happy that the fans supported him on his quest to become WWF Champion.... and then proceeds to say how stupid those fans were to think he actually needed them. That it was all a ploy to finally win what was rightfully his, the WWF Title. He then calls out his new manager Ted DiBiase. Tatanka comes out and confronts Lex, and Lex lays him out with the bionic forearm so he is out for months.
Lex then holds the WWF Title until King of the Ring, where he loses it to Bret. The same night Owens wins KOTR thus making him the number 1 contender for Bret's WWF Title.
Tatanka comes back the following night on Raw after KOTR and attacks Luger, setting up for those two to feud at SummerSlam, and we get Bret vs. Owen in the cage for the WWF Title.
That is my fantasy booking for that entire program."
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Post by JokerFC on Jan 14, 2021 11:46:52 GMT -5
pretty decent.....
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Post by The Brain on Jan 14, 2021 12:02:55 GMT -5
If I had my way Luger would still be the Narcissist.
But anyway I do like the thought of him winning at SSlam then losing it at the Rumble back to Yoko.
If Luger really got over with the USA stuff then have em keep it until Mania where he faces the winner of the Rumble Borga. Yoko can face Quake and Bret/Owen stays the same.
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nibs92
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Post by nibs92 on Jan 14, 2021 16:09:17 GMT -5
It’s a difficult one. If Luger loses outright ar SSlam 93, it all but kills his main event status.
Working on the assumption that Bret gets the belt at WMX, if Luger wins the belt at SSlam, he either has to lose it back to Yoko (the logical choice, giving Hart his win back after WM9), or possibly lose it to Owen (Owen no where near ready and would have to win it between the Rumble and WM). Of course, Bret could face Luger himself.
If Hart faces Yoko, after the above scenario, having lost the belt to Hogan and Luger, it would somehow cheapen Hart’s eventual win against him. I liked the fact that Yoko came across as unstoppable back then, so a win against him meant something.
The Owen - Bret feud had enough heat, so throwing the title in the mix before Bret’s win would be senseless.
And if Luger were to face Bret at WMX, there wouldn’t be much of a beef between them to really sell the match. Face v face wouldn’t cut it and a Luger heel turn would take away from Owen’s turn. I guess this is a long winded fanciful way of saying I’d keep the booking as it was. Only change, take away the SSlam celebration.
The biggest problem I had with Luger was he just wasn’t a big enough name and lacked the charisma and personality to really connect with the WWF audience as the figurehead. He debuted as an arrogant heel heading in to the WBF in 92, showed up as the narcissist at RR93 and was an upper mid card (at best) heel. One slam later in July and a P.R. exercise and we were meant to accept that he was the one to carry the company forward. Maybe it’s because I’m from the uk but the patriotic American gimmick just wasn’t enough. He was limited in the ring and I struggle to see who he would face as baby face champion beyond Yokozuna.
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Post by The Brain on Jan 14, 2021 16:21:13 GMT -5
His whole transition from Narcissist to Patriot still doesnt make any sense. Just a day before on Superstars he was this guy looking at himself in a mirror then a day later here he comes to save the day for America.
His Narcissist gimmick had potential. Still ticks me off that they cut it short like that.And outta nowhere on top of it.
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nibs92
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Joined on: May 29, 2008 5:47:21 GMT -5
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Post by nibs92 on Jan 14, 2021 16:47:30 GMT -5
His whole transition from Narcissist to Patriot still doesnt make any sense. Just a day before on Superstars he was this guy looking at himself in a mirror then a day later here he comes to save the day for America. His Narcissist gimmick had potential. Still ticks me off that they cut it short like that.And outta nowhere on top of it. Totally agree. I get that the WWF was threadbare at the top of the card but the whole thing was rushed. If they really wanted to go the Luger route, have him team with Yoko at SSlam, an opponent miscommunication costs them the match with Luger to blame. Have Fuji hire several wrestlers to make Luger’s life a misery and refuse him title shots etc so he has to win the Rumble to get a title shot. At least that way he may have got the sympathy of the crowd. I |
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Post by LA Times on Jan 14, 2021 17:07:36 GMT -5
His whole transition from Narcissist to Patriot still doesnt make any sense. Just a day before on Superstars he was this guy looking at himself in a mirror then a day later here he comes to save the day for America. His Narcissist gimmick had potential. Still ticks me off that they cut it short like that.And outta nowhere on top of it. Hulk Hogan just left the company and they wanted a new USA loving babyface to replace him. |
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Post by MKSavage on Jan 14, 2021 19:39:53 GMT -5
I heard that the reason Luger didn't win at Summer Slam was because Vince wanted the win to be at WrestleMania so, at the last minute Vince went with the count-out win. That's why the balloons and celebration were there, he was supposed to win the belt that night. I like the idea of Luger winning the belt at Summer Slam 93 and holding it until Royal Rumble 94, then lose it to Yokozuna. Have Bret win the Royal Rumble outright by eliminating his brother or Shawn Michaels last. Then you build Bret vs Yoko for WrestleMania as Bret finally getting the chance to win the belt back that he lost at Mania 9. I do like the idea of Bret and Owen still wrestling at WM10 to continue setting up their feud. This means Yokozuna would need another match at WM10 as well. They could do a rematch with Luger and do the same match/ending they did that night. Or Yokozuna could face Earthquake. Then everything after WM10 would be how it was with Bret/Owen feuding and then Luger/Tatanka feuding. If they don't do the double match then you do Yoko vs Bret and Luger vs Owen. Bret beats Yokozuna for the title and Owen beats Lex (to help make him look like a number 1 contender). They could use the losses for Luger at RR and WM to make it seem like he might join the Million Dollar Corporation then do the same swerve at Summer Slam with Tatanka joining the Million Dollar Corporation.
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Post by hbkjason on Jan 15, 2021 1:34:39 GMT -5
I have always liked Lex Luger, but this was some real strange booking by the WWE. SummerSlam 1993 is a really poor event all around for me, even as a kid I was not massively into it. Actually, now that I think about it, SummerSlam 1993 was probably the first PPV I saw as a kid where the shine started to come off just a tad. Before this, I legit loved every PPV I saw, but this one was rough and the ending to it made no sense to me at all lol.
I have always thought that a Bret Hart going against a heel Lex Luger for the title would have done much better business for the WWF. Plus when they had Luger going against the corporation, he came across as a complete loser and moron! There was no way people could take him seriously after that!
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Post by Mongo Bears on Jan 15, 2021 8:46:45 GMT -5
Wcw Lex > wwf Lex
I’m a Luger fan but I don’t like the Narcissist or the Lex express runs
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Post by The Brain on Jan 15, 2021 10:53:22 GMT -5
Wcw Lex > wwf Lex I’m a Luger fan but I don’t like the Narcissist or the Lex express runs Luger with Harley and Hughes was great. |
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Post by MKSavage on Jan 15, 2021 12:29:28 GMT -5
Wcw Lex > wwf Lex I’m a Luger fan but I don’t like the Narcissist or the Lex express runs Luger with Harley and Hughes was great. Yeah, I think arrogant heel Lex is better than baby face Lex. I think what they should have done was turn Lex back to the narcissist, or even closer to what he was in WCW in the early 90s and mid 90s when he returned. Let Yokozuna beat him fair and square at WM10, then have Lex throw a fit and assault Mr. Perfect - "putting him out of action". Then have Tatanka try to "reach him" on the Raws between WM10 and Summer Slam 94, then have Lex turn on Tatanka and join the Million Dollar Corporation at Summer Slam 94. After Bret is done with his feud with Owen at Summer Slam 94, have Luger face and beat Bret for the belt at Survivor Series 94 (have Owen still interfere in the way he did costing Bret the title). They could set up a return match with Bret and Luger for WM11 with Bret winning the royal rumble in 1995. Or, if they were big on Diesel, they could have Bret get his return match with Luger at Royal Rumble 95, have Owen interfere in that match to cost Bret the title, and have Diesel win the Royal Rumble - eliminating Shawn last - then go on to beat Lex at WM11 for the title. Bret and Davey could face Owen and Yoko at WM11 to get revenge on Owen for costing him the title at Survivor Series 94 and Royal Rumble 95. They can then have Owen and Yoko win the tag titles from the Smoking Gunns at the In Your House after WM11. Diesel and Shawn could also face each other for the WWF title at the In Your House after WM11. They could do the Diesel/Shawn/Sid angle here, then the next night on Raw have Sid assault Shawn with Diesel making the save, turning Shawn baby face. From here, Diesel could face Sid at the next In Your House and King of the Ring, and they could have Lex face Diesel at Summer Slam. Or, Ted could throw one of his big monsters at Diesel, like Bam Bam, and that could be the main event match at Summer Slam 95. |
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Warriah'
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Joined on: Dec 22, 2019 19:46:02 GMT -5
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Post by Warriah' on Jan 15, 2021 16:18:45 GMT -5
I think people forget that Lex was over as hell, and stayed over as hell for some time.
He got a massive pop at the Rumble in 94, at Wrestlemania 10 and even into Rumble 95. I put all the blame here on Vince for not pulling the trigger at SSlam but Lex's whole run was really just struck by a lot of unfortunate turns. I think at Summerslam he was still thinking something could be worked out with Hogan. By the Rumble it just became too apparent that while Luger was over, Bret was MORE over and had to be the guy.
Lex/Mr Perfect were gonna work a program following Mania 10, but that didn't happen so Lex was left with nothing.
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ClassicFan2
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Post by ClassicFan2 on Jan 15, 2021 18:40:06 GMT -5
I have always liked Lex Luger, but this was some real strange booking by the WWE. SummerSlam 1993 is a really poor event all around for me, even as a kid I was not massively into it. Actually, now that I think about it, SummerSlam 1993 was probably the first PPV I saw as a kid where the shine started to come off just a tad. Before this, I legit loved every PPV I saw, but this one was rough and the ending to it made no sense to me at all lol. I have always thought that a Bret Hart going against a heel Lex Luger for the title would have done much better business for the WWF. Plus when they had Luger going against the corporation, he came across as a complete loser and moron! There was no way people could take him seriously after that! i felt that too. esp seeing how KOTR93 just before it was so awesome! i loved maina9 & rr93 as well. there was def some kind of change that happened at tHIS event. i felt it on every event thereafter as well. |
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Post by CM Tusk on Jan 15, 2021 23:31:03 GMT -5
Lex was garbage. Yoko should have beat him at Summerslam and that should have been the end of the Luger main event push. Bret should have won the Rumble himself.
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TheEvilDoink1987
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Post by TheEvilDoink1987 on Jan 17, 2021 23:40:10 GMT -5
I think people forget that Lex was over as hell, and stayed over as hell for some time. He got a massive pop at the Rumble in 94, at Wrestlemania 10 and even into Rumble 95. I put all the blame here on Vince for not pulling the trigger at SSlam but Lex's whole run was really just struck by a lot of unfortunate turns. I think at Summerslam he was still thinking something could be worked out with Hogan. By the Rumble it just became too apparent that while Luger was over, Bret was MORE over and had to be the guy. Lex/Mr Perfect were gonna work a program following Mania 10, but that didn't happen so Lex was left with nothing. Lex was over like crazy when they strapped the bus to him, but he definitely lost some steam after not winning the belt at SummerSlam and once it came down to a popularity contest between him and Bret he didn't have a chance in 1994. Even though fans cheered for Lex, Bret was the guy everybody was truly behind. |
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Post by jason88cubs on Jan 22, 2021 10:44:05 GMT -5
Lex should have won it at Summerslam. That was a big mistake on Vince's part wanting to wait till Mania
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Warriah'
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Post by Warriah' on Jan 22, 2021 11:32:35 GMT -5
I think people forget that Lex was over as hell, and stayed over as hell for some time. He got a massive pop at the Rumble in 94, at Wrestlemania 10 and even into Rumble 95. I put all the blame here on Vince for not pulling the trigger at SSlam but Lex's whole run was really just struck by a lot of unfortunate turns. I think at Summerslam he was still thinking something could be worked out with Hogan. By the Rumble it just became too apparent that while Luger was over, Bret was MORE over and had to be the guy. Lex/Mr Perfect were gonna work a program following Mania 10, but that didn't happen so Lex was left with nothing. Lex was over like crazy when they strapped the bus to him, but he definitely lost some steam after not winning the belt at SummerSlam and once it came down to a popularity contest between him and Bret he didn't have a chance in 1994. Even though fans cheered for Lex, Bret was the guy everybody was truly behind. Yep, Lex was seen as a guy who couldn't get it done at SS, so it took the wind right out of his sails. He still remained very over right up until he left though. Vince squandered him even after SS IMO. |
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