On paper only two great wrestlers in this first King of the ring Mr Perfect Bret Hart. Then it surprised me a better tournament than I expected and strong event with some a good mix of different styled additional matches and a magic night on the mics with the brain JR & macho facing off.
12 Reviews
First PPV King of the Ring
amanwhorocks6 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
1. Razor Ramon Vs. Bret Hart Decent match with some upsets. 7/10
2. Mr. Hughes Vs. Mr. Perfect - Hughes totally screwed Spinebuster. Hennig won by DQ. 6.5/10
3. Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. Jim "Insult" Duggan 6/10
4. Lex Luger Vs. Tatanka - Draw match, but I must admit I expected it worse. 6/10
Semifinals: 5. Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect - That was nice match full of technic and strategy, pity that Mr. Perfect didn't win. 8/10
6. WWF Championship: Yokozuna Vs. Champ: Hulk Hogan - I give this match 6 points only because of Yokozuna won and squashed another American Hogan's stupid dream, but beating from The Undertaker was far better. 6/10
NOOOOOOOOO! NASH Appeared, omg save me from another few PPVs.
7. The Steiners/Smoking Guys Vs. Million Dollar Man/I.R.S./Headshrinkers 5.5/10
8. Intercontinental CHampionship: Greatest Mullet in the game-Crush Vs. Champ-Shawn Michaels 6/10
Final 9. Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. Bret Hart - Unpredictablly wins Bret Hart. 6/10
2. Mr. Hughes Vs. Mr. Perfect - Hughes totally screwed Spinebuster. Hennig won by DQ. 6.5/10
3. Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. Jim "Insult" Duggan 6/10
4. Lex Luger Vs. Tatanka - Draw match, but I must admit I expected it worse. 6/10
Semifinals: 5. Bret Hart Vs. Mr. Perfect - That was nice match full of technic and strategy, pity that Mr. Perfect didn't win. 8/10
6. WWF Championship: Yokozuna Vs. Champ: Hulk Hogan - I give this match 6 points only because of Yokozuna won and squashed another American Hogan's stupid dream, but beating from The Undertaker was far better. 6/10
NOOOOOOOOO! NASH Appeared, omg save me from another few PPVs.
7. The Steiners/Smoking Guys Vs. Million Dollar Man/I.R.S./Headshrinkers 5.5/10
8. Intercontinental CHampionship: Greatest Mullet in the game-Crush Vs. Champ-Shawn Michaels 6/10
Final 9. Bam Bam Bigelow Vs. Bret Hart - Unpredictablly wins Bret Hart. 6/10
Hitman Shines - so long Hogan!
BimmerDude7 January 2001
The 1993 King Of The Ring saw Bret"The Hitman"Hart once again create WWF history by winning the first ever King of the Ring tournament by defeating Razor Ramon, Mr.Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow in one night to be crowned the first ever King of the Ring. It was also Hulk Hogan's final PPV match with the WWF as he defended the WWF title against Yokozuna.
A Pretty Good Show in a Bad Year? Shocking!
morantjavonte13 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
King of the Ring 1993 Thoughts
King of the Ring 1993 was the first ever King of the Ring PPV event produced by the WWF. It took place on June 13, 1993 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio with an attendance of 6,500. The buyrate was 245,000 which was very good at the time and would be the most brought KOTR PPV till 99 which was the company's peak years. Of course the concept wasn't new as it started in 1985 as a tournament would be held annually every year with the winner being crowned the "King of the Ring." There was one year of an exception. However the tournaments were held at house shows for attendance boost. Adding a fifth PPV would make King of the Ring one of the most important PPVs for the next 9 years. Last this event is notable for being the last WWF appearance of Hulk Hogan who departed to start a movie career only to join the rival promotion WCW 1 year later. He would finally make his return in 2002.
Show featured 9 matches at the event. Buildup to this PPV saw qualifying matches to see who would be part of the tournament thus we were scheduled to have an 8 man tournament to see who be our King of the Ring. Hulk Hogan defended the WWF Championship to Yokozuna in his last match of his original WWF run. This was originally not the plan as originally Hogan was suppose to defend the belt sometime around here against the Hitman but 2 stories by both men are out of why it was changed. It's a long story but let's just say this, it's easy to choose who to believe considering one is a huge liar and the other despite being a crybaby sometimes is usually not afraid to share anything. Additional matches also included was an Intercontinental Championship match featuring Shawn Michaels defending his belt against Crush and an 8 man tag team match.
The Good - Bret Hart. Is it any surprise? The Hitman pretty much stole the show with his incredible in-ring technique. Him once more facing another of one of the greatest technical performers of all time, Mr. Perfect made what might have been the best match of 1993. I think it was even better than their outstanding match they had almost 2 years prior which was also an instant classic. We saw some callbacks during a few moments in the match and they had a hilarious backstage promo leading up to the match. Bret has said in an interview "Curt Hennings was one of his favorite co-workers to ever work with in the ring". I can see why. I also enjoyed his matches with Razor Ramon and Bam Bam Bigelow with the later being made into a big story of Bam Bam still being fresh for getting a bye in the semi-finals. The odd thing about it was the angle of referee Earl Hebner coming out forcing Joey Marella to make a reverse decision because of interference from Luna Vachon. I mean by logic why was this done for this match but never ever done for all the other billion times wrestlers had managers due damage behind a ref's back? I don't know.
The Meh - Majority of the show that didn't feature Bret Hart could have been booked better. The IC title match was above average. Was what with expected with HBK in the ring with an opponent not that solid in the ring. The WWF Championship match was your usual Hulk Hogan formula match with him dropping the belt to Yokozuna in a lackluster match with a good atmosphere all across the arena. You noticed Hogan being a lot slimmer. That's because of "juice" being under heavy watch around this period. The 8 man tag was forgettable and the Luger/Tatanka match was okay but too long for what it was to set up a cheap ending. Crazy Luger just out of nowhere was turned face weeks later in rush to find a top dog in replace of Hogan.
The Bad - Mr. Perfect vs. Mr. Hughes was what you expected. A bad match. Unfortunately it was smart to not have Mr. Perfect not go too long againt Hughes, who wasn't a good wrestler, in save of energy for his upcoming outstanding match against Bret. I won't give too much heat to the 3rd round match of Bam Bam vs. Jim Duggan as it was really a match to have Duggan put over Bam Bam Bigelow. It was still pretty bad as Jim Duggan by this point had nothing interesting left for the WWF to book him in.
Overall - A good show mostly because of one big name. I could dubbed this show under something of Bret Hart. I mean this PPV also progressed him into being a bigger star. The show also in its time period was also surprisingly good as 1993 was one of, if not the worst year in the company's history for in-ring quality and star power. The King of the Ring concept getting moved to as a traditional PPV also was a great idea and way to build up new stars for awhile so props as an inaugural event.
Score - 7 out of 10: Good
0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time
1. Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon: First Round - 3.5/5
2. Mr. Hughes vs. Mr. Perfect: Second Round - 1.5/5
3. Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Jim Duggan: Third Round - 2/5
4. Lex Luger vs. Tatanka: Fourth Round - 2/5
5. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect: Semi Finals - 4.5/5
6. Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna: WWF Championship - 2/5
7. The Steiner Brothers and Smoking Gunns vs. Money Inc. And Headshrinkers - 2/5
8. Shawn Michaels vs. Crush: WWF Intercontinental Championship - 2.5/5
9. Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bret Hart: Finals - 3.5/5
Best Match - Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect
Worst Match - Mr. Hughes vs. Mr. Perfect
Most Memorable Moment - Jerry Lawler's promo and attack on Bret Hart post the main event.
Top 5 Performers
1. Bret Hart - Outstanding Performance. His show
2. Mr. Perfect - Outstanding Performance
3. Bam Bam Bigelow - Good Performance
4. Razor Ramon - Good Performance
5. Shawn Michaels - Carried someone to a decent match.
King of the Ring 1993 was the first ever King of the Ring PPV event produced by the WWF. It took place on June 13, 1993 at the Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio with an attendance of 6,500. The buyrate was 245,000 which was very good at the time and would be the most brought KOTR PPV till 99 which was the company's peak years. Of course the concept wasn't new as it started in 1985 as a tournament would be held annually every year with the winner being crowned the "King of the Ring." There was one year of an exception. However the tournaments were held at house shows for attendance boost. Adding a fifth PPV would make King of the Ring one of the most important PPVs for the next 9 years. Last this event is notable for being the last WWF appearance of Hulk Hogan who departed to start a movie career only to join the rival promotion WCW 1 year later. He would finally make his return in 2002.
Show featured 9 matches at the event. Buildup to this PPV saw qualifying matches to see who would be part of the tournament thus we were scheduled to have an 8 man tournament to see who be our King of the Ring. Hulk Hogan defended the WWF Championship to Yokozuna in his last match of his original WWF run. This was originally not the plan as originally Hogan was suppose to defend the belt sometime around here against the Hitman but 2 stories by both men are out of why it was changed. It's a long story but let's just say this, it's easy to choose who to believe considering one is a huge liar and the other despite being a crybaby sometimes is usually not afraid to share anything. Additional matches also included was an Intercontinental Championship match featuring Shawn Michaels defending his belt against Crush and an 8 man tag team match.
The Good - Bret Hart. Is it any surprise? The Hitman pretty much stole the show with his incredible in-ring technique. Him once more facing another of one of the greatest technical performers of all time, Mr. Perfect made what might have been the best match of 1993. I think it was even better than their outstanding match they had almost 2 years prior which was also an instant classic. We saw some callbacks during a few moments in the match and they had a hilarious backstage promo leading up to the match. Bret has said in an interview "Curt Hennings was one of his favorite co-workers to ever work with in the ring". I can see why. I also enjoyed his matches with Razor Ramon and Bam Bam Bigelow with the later being made into a big story of Bam Bam still being fresh for getting a bye in the semi-finals. The odd thing about it was the angle of referee Earl Hebner coming out forcing Joey Marella to make a reverse decision because of interference from Luna Vachon. I mean by logic why was this done for this match but never ever done for all the other billion times wrestlers had managers due damage behind a ref's back? I don't know.
The Meh - Majority of the show that didn't feature Bret Hart could have been booked better. The IC title match was above average. Was what with expected with HBK in the ring with an opponent not that solid in the ring. The WWF Championship match was your usual Hulk Hogan formula match with him dropping the belt to Yokozuna in a lackluster match with a good atmosphere all across the arena. You noticed Hogan being a lot slimmer. That's because of "juice" being under heavy watch around this period. The 8 man tag was forgettable and the Luger/Tatanka match was okay but too long for what it was to set up a cheap ending. Crazy Luger just out of nowhere was turned face weeks later in rush to find a top dog in replace of Hogan.
The Bad - Mr. Perfect vs. Mr. Hughes was what you expected. A bad match. Unfortunately it was smart to not have Mr. Perfect not go too long againt Hughes, who wasn't a good wrestler, in save of energy for his upcoming outstanding match against Bret. I won't give too much heat to the 3rd round match of Bam Bam vs. Jim Duggan as it was really a match to have Duggan put over Bam Bam Bigelow. It was still pretty bad as Jim Duggan by this point had nothing interesting left for the WWF to book him in.
Overall - A good show mostly because of one big name. I could dubbed this show under something of Bret Hart. I mean this PPV also progressed him into being a bigger star. The show also in its time period was also surprisingly good as 1993 was one of, if not the worst year in the company's history for in-ring quality and star power. The King of the Ring concept getting moved to as a traditional PPV also was a great idea and way to build up new stars for awhile so props as an inaugural event.
Score - 7 out of 10: Good
0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time
1. Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon: First Round - 3.5/5
2. Mr. Hughes vs. Mr. Perfect: Second Round - 1.5/5
3. Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Jim Duggan: Third Round - 2/5
4. Lex Luger vs. Tatanka: Fourth Round - 2/5
5. Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect: Semi Finals - 4.5/5
6. Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna: WWF Championship - 2/5
7. The Steiner Brothers and Smoking Gunns vs. Money Inc. And Headshrinkers - 2/5
8. Shawn Michaels vs. Crush: WWF Intercontinental Championship - 2.5/5
9. Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bret Hart: Finals - 3.5/5
Best Match - Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect
Worst Match - Mr. Hughes vs. Mr. Perfect
Most Memorable Moment - Jerry Lawler's promo and attack on Bret Hart post the main event.
Top 5 Performers
1. Bret Hart - Outstanding Performance. His show
2. Mr. Perfect - Outstanding Performance
3. Bam Bam Bigelow - Good Performance
4. Razor Ramon - Good Performance
5. Shawn Michaels - Carried someone to a decent match.
King of the Ring returns and Hogan leaves for real
bh_tafe36 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
King of the Ring 1993 was a fine PPV. It was the night where Hart finally established himself as a big time star, and also Hulk Hogan's final WWE PPV appearance for nearly nine years.
The king of the ring tournament had actually been around for quite a while. Harley Race and Randy Savage were both famous wrestlers who'd taken on King gimmicks after winning the tournament in the 1980s.
Bret Hart had been the most recent winner of the event, taking out the tournament in 1991 (there was no tournament in 1992). This, and the screwy way he lost the WWE Title at Wrestlemania meant that he didn't have to wrestle a match to qualify but was granted a bye straight through to the PPV.
The night began with Bret Hart defeating Razor Ramon in a stellar match to advance to the second round. The match was entertaining and went back and forth. It ended with Ramon attempting to suplex Hart off the top rope, but Hart was able to land on top of Razor and get the pin.
The next match saw Mr Perfect defeat Mr Hughes by DQ after he used an urn he'd stolen from the Undertaker to knock out Perfect. Perfect would now face Hart in the next round.
Bam Bam Bigelow then won through with a victory over Jim Duggan following a flying head butt. He received a bye through to final after Tatanka and Lex Luger fought to a time limit draw in the next match. Both men were undefeated in the WWE at that stage.
This left Bret Hart to defeat Mr Perfect in one of the best matches in WWE history in the semi final. This was a thrilling, fast paced and absorbing match up, almost the equal of their match from Summerslam 1991.
This bought us to the main event of the evening as Hulk Hogan put his WWE Title on the line against Yokozuna. Hogan had defeated Yokozuna in a few seconds to win the title at Wrestlemania IX and hadn't wrestled since. Yokozuna kicked out of the Hogan leg drop (!) and then Hogan was distracted by a photographer and then had the camera explode in front of his face. Yokozuna hit a leg drop of his own and was the new WWE Champion in a pretty silly match really.
Next up it was filler time as we had an eight man tag match. The team of the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) and the Smoking Gunns (Bart and Billy) defeated Money Inc (Ted DiBIase and Irwin R Shyster) and the Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). Billy Gunn won the match for his team by pinning DiBIase who was busy bragging to the crowd about a perfectly executed million dollar dream. This was fun, but a little chaotic for some tastes.
In the penultimate match of the evening Shawn Michaels retained the Intercontinental Title against Crush. Crush had long been trying to win the IC Title from Michaels, but on this night was foiled by Doink the Clown, who came to the rung with a look alike to distract Crush just long enough for Michaels to hit a super kick and get the win. Doink had also been a feud with Crush coming into the match. This was a fun match.
And finally we end up with the tournament final with Bam Bam Bigelow, relatively fresh coming off a bye in the second round, taking on Bret Hart who'd wrestled two grueling matches earlier in the night. The two put on a classic big man vs little man match, with Hart winning with a victory roll to be crowned King of the Ring for the second time, and the first time on PPV.
This was a performance that really put Hart on the map as a star of the future, but he would not have much time to celebrate tonight as commentator Jerry Lawler, King of the Memphis Territory interrupted Hart's coronation. Lawler made it very clear that we'd have to wait and see who the real King of the WWE is when Hart and he got in the ring together.
The king of the ring tournament had actually been around for quite a while. Harley Race and Randy Savage were both famous wrestlers who'd taken on King gimmicks after winning the tournament in the 1980s.
Bret Hart had been the most recent winner of the event, taking out the tournament in 1991 (there was no tournament in 1992). This, and the screwy way he lost the WWE Title at Wrestlemania meant that he didn't have to wrestle a match to qualify but was granted a bye straight through to the PPV.
The night began with Bret Hart defeating Razor Ramon in a stellar match to advance to the second round. The match was entertaining and went back and forth. It ended with Ramon attempting to suplex Hart off the top rope, but Hart was able to land on top of Razor and get the pin.
The next match saw Mr Perfect defeat Mr Hughes by DQ after he used an urn he'd stolen from the Undertaker to knock out Perfect. Perfect would now face Hart in the next round.
Bam Bam Bigelow then won through with a victory over Jim Duggan following a flying head butt. He received a bye through to final after Tatanka and Lex Luger fought to a time limit draw in the next match. Both men were undefeated in the WWE at that stage.
This left Bret Hart to defeat Mr Perfect in one of the best matches in WWE history in the semi final. This was a thrilling, fast paced and absorbing match up, almost the equal of their match from Summerslam 1991.
This bought us to the main event of the evening as Hulk Hogan put his WWE Title on the line against Yokozuna. Hogan had defeated Yokozuna in a few seconds to win the title at Wrestlemania IX and hadn't wrestled since. Yokozuna kicked out of the Hogan leg drop (!) and then Hogan was distracted by a photographer and then had the camera explode in front of his face. Yokozuna hit a leg drop of his own and was the new WWE Champion in a pretty silly match really.
Next up it was filler time as we had an eight man tag match. The team of the Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) and the Smoking Gunns (Bart and Billy) defeated Money Inc (Ted DiBIase and Irwin R Shyster) and the Headshrinkers (Samu and Fatu). Billy Gunn won the match for his team by pinning DiBIase who was busy bragging to the crowd about a perfectly executed million dollar dream. This was fun, but a little chaotic for some tastes.
In the penultimate match of the evening Shawn Michaels retained the Intercontinental Title against Crush. Crush had long been trying to win the IC Title from Michaels, but on this night was foiled by Doink the Clown, who came to the rung with a look alike to distract Crush just long enough for Michaels to hit a super kick and get the win. Doink had also been a feud with Crush coming into the match. This was a fun match.
And finally we end up with the tournament final with Bam Bam Bigelow, relatively fresh coming off a bye in the second round, taking on Bret Hart who'd wrestled two grueling matches earlier in the night. The two put on a classic big man vs little man match, with Hart winning with a victory roll to be crowned King of the Ring for the second time, and the first time on PPV.
This was a performance that really put Hart on the map as a star of the future, but he would not have much time to celebrate tonight as commentator Jerry Lawler, King of the Memphis Territory interrupted Hart's coronation. Lawler made it very clear that we'd have to wait and see who the real King of the WWE is when Hart and he got in the ring together.
My favorite moment in wrestling history
jfgibson7320 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The King of the Ring 1993 is an uneven pay-per-view overall, as there are some matches that don't really deliver. All of those matches are lacking the same thing: Bret Hart. This show was all about the Hit-man. He wrestled three times this night, against three different styles, and each one was great in its own way. They call Bret one of the greatest storytellers in all of wrestling, and this is my favorite story: Bret had recently lost the world title that he still deserved to have, but now he had to climb his way back to the top of the mountain. This show was like a b-line to the top of Mt. Everest. I totally felt like I was watching a man claw his way to the top over the course of these three matches. The inspiring was the final match against the much larger Bam Bam Bigelow. There were so many times when it looked like Bret was beaten or couldn't keep going, but he never gave up. For me, this was as important as any championship or title. The outcome in wrestling is pre-planned. Most of the time you can guess who is going to win. You are fully aware watching that it is choreographed and discussed beforehand. Yet, every time I watch this back, I am charged with a feeling of wanting to go out and accomplish great things in my own life. For me, this was the best of all time.
Bret Hart shines and Hulkamania is dead until 2002
callanvass10 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Live from Dayton, OH
Attendance 6,500
Your commentators are Jim Ross, Randy Savage & Bobby Heenan
KOTR: First Round
Bret Hart Vs Razor Ramon
Bret wins after a countering a suplex from the top in mid-air. This was a fun opener. Bret was a godsend around this time, but the two really had good chemistry and the last 5 minutes are almost breathtakingly exciting. They have another good match at the Rumble.
***1/4 out of 5
KOTR: First Round
Mr. Perfect Vs Mr. Hughes
The battle of the Mister's! Perfect wins by DQ after Hughes foolishly nails Hennig with The Undertaker's urn. Personally, I would have had Perfect win clean here. Hughes was garbage. That said, Perfect did his best to get a good match out of him. He was semi-successful.
** out of 5
KOTR: First Round
Bam Bam Bigelow Vs 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan
This is gonna suck, big time. Bigelow wins with a diving headbutt. Well, this could have been a lot worse, considering Duggan was wrestling. That's about the best compliment I can give it.
*1/2 out of 5
KOTR: First Round
'The Narcissit' Lex Luger Vs Tatanka
The match ends in a draw after the 15 minute time limit expires. This was actually well above average. Both men worked pretty hard and this was much better than I remembered it to be. The finish makes sense since you had to protect both men. Tatanka had the undefeated streak and Luger was a new heel.
**3/4 out of 5
There is a great interview segment between Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect.
KOTR: Quarter Finals
Bret Hart Vs Mr. Perfect
Bret wins with a small package. Perfect teases a heel turn after the match but ends up shaking Bret's hand and patting him on the back. This was one beautiful match. Amazing action, perfect storytelling, and flawlessly executed. Not quite as good as their Summerslam match, but it's a classic for sure. It's got everything. I love how desperate Perfect was and I loved Bret's resiliency. Close to 5 stars as you can get.
****3/4 out of 5
WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan (C) Vs Yokozuna
As much as I love Heenan, he makes one of the stupidest comments I've ever heard. "The longer the match goes, the advantage goes to Yokozuna. He'll wear Hogan down" Bahahahahahaha. Yokozuna wins the title after a photographer flashes fire in Hogan's eyes. Yokozuna beats Hogan with his own leg drop. Man, even as an adult, this is still upsetting. Hogan put Yokozuna over big time and I'm not sure people realize that. Yokozuna kicked out of the leg drop, beat Hogan with Hogan's own maneuver, and looked very strong. Hogan barely got in any offense. Personally, I think Hogan should have done the honors to Bret Hart, but that's just me. The match was pretty awful, but it wasn't expected to be a masterpiece. Hogan did the job and that's the last we would see of Hulkamania in the WWF until 2002.
*1/4 out of 5
Promos from Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels, where Michaels introduces Diesel as his bodyguard.
The Steiner Brothers & The Smoking Gunns Vs Money INC & The Headshrinkers
The Steiner Brothers and The Gunns win. This was a throwaway match if there ever was one to calm the crowd down. The crowd was completely dead and still in shock from Hogan's demise. Don't blame them either. I barely paid attention to it.
* out of 5
Intercontinental Championship
Shawn Michaels (C) (W/Diesel) Vs Crush
HBK retains with a superkick to the back of the head after three Doinks come out and distract Crush. This was actually decent stuff. Shawn bumped like a mad man for Crush and Crush looked solid as well. Much better than I remembered.
**1/4 out of 5
King of the Ring
Bret Hart Vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Bigelow initially pins Bret with a diving headbutt after Luna Vachon interferes. The referee reverses the decision when Earl Hebner tells the main ref what transpired. The match restarts and Bret wins King of the Ring with a victory roll. This was a very good big man vs little man match. It was a tad overbooked, but the match quality cannot be denied. This was Bret's consolation prize after kinda being screwed out of the WWF Title.
***1/2 out of 5
Jerry 'The King' Lawler says Bret is a pretender and doesn't deserve to be king. He'll make Bret a prince if Bret kneels down and kisses Lawler's feet. Bret calls Lawler a Burger King. Lawler responds by beating the crap out of Bret to end the show.
Well, this was a memorable show for a lot of reasons. Bret winning King of the Ring, multiple great matches, and the end of Hulkamania in the WWF for 9 years. Hart Vs Perfect is worth watching for the PPV alone, but there is plenty of other great stuff too. It may have been the end of Hulkamania, but this was Bret's night. He proved he was the workhorse. One of the best King of the Ring PPV's and the best PPV of 93 by far. Highly recommended.
8/10
Attendance 6,500
Your commentators are Jim Ross, Randy Savage & Bobby Heenan
KOTR: First Round
Bret Hart Vs Razor Ramon
Bret wins after a countering a suplex from the top in mid-air. This was a fun opener. Bret was a godsend around this time, but the two really had good chemistry and the last 5 minutes are almost breathtakingly exciting. They have another good match at the Rumble.
***1/4 out of 5
KOTR: First Round
Mr. Perfect Vs Mr. Hughes
The battle of the Mister's! Perfect wins by DQ after Hughes foolishly nails Hennig with The Undertaker's urn. Personally, I would have had Perfect win clean here. Hughes was garbage. That said, Perfect did his best to get a good match out of him. He was semi-successful.
** out of 5
KOTR: First Round
Bam Bam Bigelow Vs 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan
This is gonna suck, big time. Bigelow wins with a diving headbutt. Well, this could have been a lot worse, considering Duggan was wrestling. That's about the best compliment I can give it.
*1/2 out of 5
KOTR: First Round
'The Narcissit' Lex Luger Vs Tatanka
The match ends in a draw after the 15 minute time limit expires. This was actually well above average. Both men worked pretty hard and this was much better than I remembered it to be. The finish makes sense since you had to protect both men. Tatanka had the undefeated streak and Luger was a new heel.
**3/4 out of 5
There is a great interview segment between Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect.
KOTR: Quarter Finals
Bret Hart Vs Mr. Perfect
Bret wins with a small package. Perfect teases a heel turn after the match but ends up shaking Bret's hand and patting him on the back. This was one beautiful match. Amazing action, perfect storytelling, and flawlessly executed. Not quite as good as their Summerslam match, but it's a classic for sure. It's got everything. I love how desperate Perfect was and I loved Bret's resiliency. Close to 5 stars as you can get.
****3/4 out of 5
WWF Championship
Hulk Hogan (C) Vs Yokozuna
As much as I love Heenan, he makes one of the stupidest comments I've ever heard. "The longer the match goes, the advantage goes to Yokozuna. He'll wear Hogan down" Bahahahahahaha. Yokozuna wins the title after a photographer flashes fire in Hogan's eyes. Yokozuna beats Hogan with his own leg drop. Man, even as an adult, this is still upsetting. Hogan put Yokozuna over big time and I'm not sure people realize that. Yokozuna kicked out of the leg drop, beat Hogan with Hogan's own maneuver, and looked very strong. Hogan barely got in any offense. Personally, I think Hogan should have done the honors to Bret Hart, but that's just me. The match was pretty awful, but it wasn't expected to be a masterpiece. Hogan did the job and that's the last we would see of Hulkamania in the WWF until 2002.
*1/4 out of 5
Promos from Mr. Perfect and Shawn Michaels, where Michaels introduces Diesel as his bodyguard.
The Steiner Brothers & The Smoking Gunns Vs Money INC & The Headshrinkers
The Steiner Brothers and The Gunns win. This was a throwaway match if there ever was one to calm the crowd down. The crowd was completely dead and still in shock from Hogan's demise. Don't blame them either. I barely paid attention to it.
* out of 5
Intercontinental Championship
Shawn Michaels (C) (W/Diesel) Vs Crush
HBK retains with a superkick to the back of the head after three Doinks come out and distract Crush. This was actually decent stuff. Shawn bumped like a mad man for Crush and Crush looked solid as well. Much better than I remembered.
**1/4 out of 5
King of the Ring
Bret Hart Vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Bigelow initially pins Bret with a diving headbutt after Luna Vachon interferes. The referee reverses the decision when Earl Hebner tells the main ref what transpired. The match restarts and Bret wins King of the Ring with a victory roll. This was a very good big man vs little man match. It was a tad overbooked, but the match quality cannot be denied. This was Bret's consolation prize after kinda being screwed out of the WWF Title.
***1/2 out of 5
Jerry 'The King' Lawler says Bret is a pretender and doesn't deserve to be king. He'll make Bret a prince if Bret kneels down and kisses Lawler's feet. Bret calls Lawler a Burger King. Lawler responds by beating the crap out of Bret to end the show.
Well, this was a memorable show for a lot of reasons. Bret winning King of the Ring, multiple great matches, and the end of Hulkamania in the WWF for 9 years. Hart Vs Perfect is worth watching for the PPV alone, but there is plenty of other great stuff too. It may have been the end of Hulkamania, but this was Bret's night. He proved he was the workhorse. One of the best King of the Ring PPV's and the best PPV of 93 by far. Highly recommended.
8/10
Too Many Dull/Stupid Matches To Be Good
zkonedog25 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The introduction of a new event into the WWF canon should be cause for excitement. Unfortunately, that isn't necessarily the case with "King of the Ring", as the tournament format comes in with limitations of its own.
Let's start with the "single" matches (non-tournament):
-A six-man tag jumble that is exactly that...a jumble -Shawn Michaels vs. the wooden Crush -Yokozuna vs. Hulk Hogan in perhaps the dumbest ending I've ever seen in a match
Of course, the KoTR tournament is the big draw, and even that is uneven. If you don't want spoilers, stop reading here.
The trouble here is that Bret Hart has to carry the whole show, so his matches have to be paced accordingly. All three contests (Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, Bam Bam Bigelow) might have been epic confrontations had they been on a single card each, but in this tournament format they had to pace Hart to make it through the night. Of course, that means a lot of headlocks and "rest time" outside the floor and on the mat.
Thus, my final verdict on this event is that it seems like it should succeed but never really does. The tournament format zaps the energy out of many matches, and the singles/tag matches are total duds.
Let's start with the "single" matches (non-tournament):
-A six-man tag jumble that is exactly that...a jumble -Shawn Michaels vs. the wooden Crush -Yokozuna vs. Hulk Hogan in perhaps the dumbest ending I've ever seen in a match
Of course, the KoTR tournament is the big draw, and even that is uneven. If you don't want spoilers, stop reading here.
The trouble here is that Bret Hart has to carry the whole show, so his matches have to be paced accordingly. All three contests (Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, Bam Bam Bigelow) might have been epic confrontations had they been on a single card each, but in this tournament format they had to pace Hart to make it through the night. Of course, that means a lot of headlocks and "rest time" outside the floor and on the mat.
Thus, my final verdict on this event is that it seems like it should succeed but never really does. The tournament format zaps the energy out of many matches, and the singles/tag matches are total duds.
End Of An Era, Beginning Of An Era
Big Movie Fan18 June 2002
Warning: Spoilers
King of the Ring 1993 was a great card of action which also marked the ending of one era but the beginning of a new one.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
This was Hulk Hogan's last WWF PPV match and he defended the title in a mismatch against the late Yokosuna who dominated the match throughout and finally crushed Hogan for the WWF Title. Following King of the Ring, Hogan went on to battle Yokosuna in the United Kingdom in arena matches but this event was Hogan's last televised match until his return early in 2002. At the time of seeing this back in June 1993 I was very sad to see Hogan leave.
Bret Hart advanced through the King of the Ring tournament to become King of the Ring for a second time (although when he won the King of the Ring crown in 1991 it was not televised). Hogan may have wrestled his last match at this event but seeing Bret win the crown made you realize that he would soon be WWF Champion again.
All in all, a brilliant event. Rent it on video when you can.
(SPOILERS AHEAD)
This was Hulk Hogan's last WWF PPV match and he defended the title in a mismatch against the late Yokosuna who dominated the match throughout and finally crushed Hogan for the WWF Title. Following King of the Ring, Hogan went on to battle Yokosuna in the United Kingdom in arena matches but this event was Hogan's last televised match until his return early in 2002. At the time of seeing this back in June 1993 I was very sad to see Hogan leave.
Bret Hart advanced through the King of the Ring tournament to become King of the Ring for a second time (although when he won the King of the Ring crown in 1991 it was not televised). Hogan may have wrestled his last match at this event but seeing Bret win the crown made you realize that he would soon be WWF Champion again.
All in all, a brilliant event. Rent it on video when you can.
THE FIRST EVER KING OF THE RING!!!!
tarovan28 November 2003
This World Wrestling Entertainment Pay-Per-View features Bret "Hit Man" Hart winning the Final Round of the First Annual KOTR Tournament, crowning him as the first ever KING OF THE RING!!! This was also Hulk Hogan's final WWE Pay-Per-View where fought and lost against the late Yokozuna.
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