1992 & 1993

[IrishCanadian25]

Everyone has their "time" in professional wrestling. When they became a fan. When they became a fan AGAIN. For many folks on the forums (and for many current fans in general) that time is the Attitude Era. 1997-2002. Give or take, I'm not interested in splitting hairs.

For me, however, as amazing as the late 90's were, my wrestling era of choice remains 1992-1993. And here is why.

I. Matches

'92 and '93 were STACKED with great matches. The matches were versatile - some power, some technical, some high flying - and they were often very complete. All participants were crisp, and the matches matters. Here are a few examples.

Bret Hart vs The British Bulldog, IC Title Summerslam 1992

[YOUTUBE]G1tXFzz1eXI[/YOUTUBE]​

Despite the fact that Ultimate Warrior vs Randy Savage was the WWF Title Match at SSlam '92, the main event this night was actually for the Intercontinental Title. Bret Hart, the champion who'd regained the IC Title 3 months earlier from Roddy Piper, was in enemy territory against Davey Boy Smith. The match was at Wembley Stadium in the UK, and Davey had home field advantage. To compound matters, Bret and Davey were related in real life, with Davey having married Bret's sister Diana. There was honest, palpable drama in this match. Bobby Heenan's commentary efforts saved a so-so effort from Vince McMahon, and the finish ended in one of the loudest pops in history. The match propelled Bret Hart into the WWF Title picture and gave Davey his major singles title run in the WWF.


Randy Savage vs Ric Flair, WWF Title, Wrestlemania 8

[YOUTUBE]m7_6BMLS0PU[/YOUTUBE]​

This was a match where the hatred between the men seemed legit, and it was vintage Flair. He had this match so hyped with his heel promos that fans couldn't WAIT to see him lose. He claimed that he had been with Miss Elizabeth before Savage, even going on Live with Regis & Kathy Lee to share the doctored photos. The idea was that Flair was going to drive Savage out of his mind, and Savage didn't disappoint. The match featured masterful managerial work from Mr. Perfect, amazing commentary from Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan, a tearful appearance by Ms Elizabeth, a cameo by a young Shane McMahon, and two of the best post-match promo's you'll see.

Roddy Piper vs Bret Hart, IC Title, Wrestlemania 8

Watch this video starting at 2:20 for the Piper Promo:

[YOUTUBE]vKyWOna_xgQ[/YOUTUBE]​

If someone can find the match on Youtube and post it, I'd appreciate it.

Royal Rumble 1992

[YOUTUBE]QP0AfWLeDok[/YOUTUBE]​

One of the greatest Royal Rumbles of all time, and the only one that awarded the WWF Title to the winner. It featured the Hulk Hogan / Sid Justice drama starting, and the fantastic finish which showed Ric Flair winning his first WWF Title. Heenan's commentary is PRICELESS.

The Rockers

The Rockers breakup was in December of 1991, but it was late 1992 and into 1993 that the fun REALLY began.

[YOUTUBE]bZA6h2ruNIw[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]_k_pPpCab4M[/YOUTUBE]​

These two matches were near-fall clinics and highlighted all of the best features of the Intercontinental Title. Jannetty could have been an all time great if he'd have just gotten out of his own way.

I'd like to post more from 1992 and 1993, but I want to give some of the rest of you a chance to have fun.

 

[The Brain]

I don't spread rep often so I'm unable to rep you right now but I definitely owe you for this. Ever since I joined this forum I have been a defender of the mid 90s WWF. Many times I have said the New Generation gave us the best matches of any era. You can stretch this through 1996 if we’re just talking about match quality. That’s mostly thanks to Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Those two guys were pure gold in the mid 90s. For whatever reason when people discuss the mid 90s they want to talk about Bastion Booger, Mantaur, and Duke the Dumpster Droese. I have no idea why the clinics that Hart and Michaels routinely put on are often either underappreciated or completely ignored. The common argument is they didn’t draw as much money as Hogan or Austin. Who cares? In my near 27 years of watching WWF I have never seen a dime of their profit so I don’t give a damn who made someone else rich. Hart and Michaels were always entertaining to me and as a fan that’s what I care about.

By the way, that Savage vs. Flair video is not WrestleMania VIII. I didn’t see a decent video of that match on youtube or I would have edited it.

Here's a great match that took place 20 years ago today. Has it really been that long?

[YOUTUBE]1YYlMYjyrR0[/YOUTUBE]

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

A good time in regards to in ring action no doubt. Also an intriguing time as it was a transition period for the company. This was the last hurrah for guys like Hogan, Macho, Warrior and Flair in the WWF, with new stars like Hart, Michaels, Razor, Yoko, Luger and Diesel being made. While I became a fan a few years earlier, it is around this time where my earliest memories of wrestling come from, and the 93 SummerSlam was the first ppv I watched live.

 

[oneofakind318]

WCW was providing some quality in-ring action as well until late 92. It seemed like every week the Dangerous Alliance was involved in a great tag or six-man match on TV. Any combination of Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, Brian Pillman, Tom Zenk, The Steiners vs Rick Rude, Steve Austin, Arn Anderson and the rest. Throw Cactus Jack and Vader in there sometimes. Kind of reminds of the matches going on with The Shield right now. Great stuff almost weekly, and the 92 War Games match was probably the best War Games, too. That was a fun time.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I don't spread rep often so I'm unable to rep you right now but I definitely owe you for this. Ever since I joined this forum I have been a defender of the mid 90s WWF. Many times I have said the New Generation gave us the best matches of any era. You can stretch this through 1996 if we’re just talking about match quality. That’s mostly thanks to Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Those two guys were pure gold in the mid 90s. For whatever reason when people discuss the mid 90s they want to talk about Bastion Booger, Mantaur, and Duke the Dumpster Droese. I have no idea why the clinics that Hart and Michaels routinely put on are often either underappreciated or completely ignored. The common argument is they didn’t draw as much money as Hogan or Austin. Who cares? In my near 27 years of watching WWF I have never seen a dime of their profit so I don’t give a damn who made someone else rich. Hart and Michaels were always entertaining to me and as a fan that’s what I care about.

I think it's mostly because while Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart were helping keeping the WWF in business at the time, the supporting players, did not help in the buy rate at all. The star players can only take you so far and it's the supporting players that will take care of the rest.

In the Attitude Era Austin was the main attraction but in 1998 you had DX, The Rock, Shamrock, D-Lo Brown, Kane, Mick Foley, Al Snow, etc. that helped the product from top to bottom.

 

[Hordriss]

I started watching in 1991, and it was indeed a great time.

I was lucky enough to be at Summerslam 92, only 4 rows from ringside and it was a great event. Bret v Davey was an awesome match to witness, and although I was only 10 at the time, the sheer volume of the pop at the end of the match is still vivid in my mind!

 

[Judah's Lion]

Ever since I joined this forum I have been a defender of the mid 90s WWF. Many times I have said the New Generation gave us the best matches of any era. You can stretch this through 1996 if we’re just talking about match quality. That’s mostly thanks to Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. Those two guys were pure gold in the mid 90s. For whatever reason when people discuss the mid 90s they want to talk about Bastion Booger, Mantaur, and Duke the Dumpster Droese. I have no idea why the clinics that Hart and Michaels routinely put on are often either underappreciated or completely ignored.

i must be the only person in the world that really liked Duke the Dumpster Droese. i'm not suggesting he should have main evented Mania for the World Title, but i still liked him.

onto topic -- as others have already stated, including Brain, this Era was amazing in regards to match quality. personally, i consider the Attitude Era to officially begin somewhere around Mania 13-Survivor Series 97. if that's the case, and the New Generation Era goes all the way up thru 96, then the matches to choose from are as enjoyable as they are historic.

HBK/Hart several times over with both the IC and World Title on the line. HBK/Razor for the IC Title at Mania X in a Ladder Match and their rematch at Summerslam. HBK/Jannetty for the IC Title on Raw. HBK/Mankind is a hidden gem from Mind Games for the World Title. Hart/Owen at Mania 10 and again at Summerslam in a Steel Cage Match for the World Title. Hart/Perfect and Hart/Bulldog for the IC Title at Summerslam. Hart/Piper for the IC Title at Mania. Hart/Diesel and Hart/Taker at the Royal Rumble for the World Title in back-to-back years. Hart/1-2-3 Kid and Hart/Hakushi, both from Raw. Hart/Lawler in one of the most under-rated feuds of all time.

HBK & Hart -- those 2 guys put on clinic after clinic with competitors of all shapes and sizes and differing styles.

as these 2 climbed the ranks and became main event mainstays, their matches often revolved around the World Title, naturally. but looking at that quick list above, which is by no means exhaustive, it's amazing to me how many of these amazing matches were for the IC Title. it really was something of importance and oftentimes a stepping stone for bigger and better things in the future.

sadly, this Era is either ignored or flat out unknown by many on these forums, or so it appears. there was clearly plenty worth watching.

good thread, OP.

 

[Wald]

1992 was an insanely good year for the WWF and I really enjoyed the New Generation product, probably more than the Attitude Era even.

As has been said already by some though that was mostly down to Bret & HBK. Looking back on it now it's easy to see how those two became such rivals, they were absolute light years ahead of everyone else in America in the ring at that time

 

[FlairFan2003]

Having started watching in the 80s, my memories of this time are quite the opposite. This is really where I saw wrestling dying, or at least downsizing considerably. The mismanagement of WCW had so thoroughly destroyed it's quality, despite Sting, Steamboat, Rude, Arn Anderson, Vader, & Ron Simmons that it was almost unwatchable. WWE meanwhile basically went to S@#$ post 1992, Vince was pre occupied with the Steroid Investigation and the company was forced to purge top stars like Hogan & Piper prematurely due to their ties with the investigation. The return of The Ultimate Warrior was a complete dud, and any hopes of a major feud between him and Savage were dumped when Savage wanted time off following his divorce. All the build up to a Warrior-Flair Dream Match died when Warrior injured Flair in a bothced press slam spot, forcing him out of action for almost two months, this the final straw in a collection of major downsides to keeping Warrior around, he was gone soon after.

Vince's decission to steer away from the "Giant Muscle Builders" and focus much more heavily on quality wrestling matches did not sit well with his fan base and numbers continually declined, flat lining around 95-96. In some ways the focus on smaller, more athletic performers and match quality was reminiscent of the NWA in the 80s, but WWE didnt have the more mature storylines and more hardcore matches the NWA did. You got a much better "wrestling" product from The Jim Crockett JR NWA with plenty of great matches but you also got adult language, lots of blood, brutal Steel Cage Matches, The War Games, violent gang wars, WWE kept it's storyline focus on the small kids and tweens who werent as interested in the match quality as the characters and without the more adult themes WWE wasnt pulling in the older audience. To me this is really a sad time in wrestling, though it lead to the legends revival in WCW and eventually the NwO angle, forerunner to The Attitude Era, and the creation of several mega stars like Nash (started in WWE but reached his zenith in WCW), Austin & Rock & Goldberg interacting with past era giants like Hogan, Savage, Flair, Taker, etc.

There were some great matches during this time no doubt, and Im not a Brett Hart Hater who thinks he was the sole reason for the WWE decline. Fact is attendance and TV ratings were ticking down by late 1990, before he was the top star of WWE, and massive overhaul in roster and promotional style wasnt handled well with Vince & Company preoccupied with the very real possibility of going to jail. I dont think he had the charisma of HBK or prior top stars like Flair & Hogan (or succeeding top stars like Austin, Rock,) but he was more than capable on the mic and great in the ring. Booking during this time sucked but that wasnt his fault.

To me 1992-93 was a veritable dark time for US pro wrestling in general and WWE in particular. I fondly remember some matches (Royal Rumble 92, Hart-BD SS 92, Hart-HBK S-Series 92, Flair-Vader Starrcade 93, Sting-Vader feud, Ron Simmons getting a World Title run, continued evolution of Undertaker as a legit main event character, etc) but as a whole I cant say much for the era or this short window of time.

 

[Owen 3:16 says I just stole your Slammy!!]

I love the '92-'96 era. I think it was an underrated era in wrestling. I was born in '93, so i wasn't watching wrestling until '96. But, I was always found myself interested by everything in that era. When I was 10, I was watching old vhs's and loved what I see. I liked how the characters were cool, 'Taker was cool, Bret was cool, Shawn was cool, Owen was cool.

The matches were great too, Bret Hart can wrestle anyone. Shawn Michaels was having incredible matches during this era. This was an underrated era.

 

[HBsam31]

I was 12 at the beginning of this era, and grew up a Hulkamaniac so it was strange to me that there wasn't that larger than life wrestler anymore. I still loved the product, but I did feel the difference. The matches though were stellar, and I loved watching the rise of HBK. It seemed like we would get a classic match every other week. One of the first that comes to my mind is Bret Hart/HBK from Survivor Series 1992. Then of course you have the Royal Rumble of 92. 92 and 93 are some of my favorite years as a kid, and still think the matches them selves hold up against any era.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

I grew up watching this era, so I am biased here. I was exposed to wrestling during the Hogan/Savage eras, but I wasn't old enough to really be a fan until late 1992 when Bret took over as the guy. Big surprise, he was my favourite wrestler for years afterwards.

I think you can include 1994 in here as well as a lot of really good stuff happened that year too:
- Shawn Michaels vs Razer Ramon ladder match at WrestleMania
- Bret Hart vs Owen Hart at WrestleMania
- Bret Hart vs Owen Hart cage match at SummerSlam
- Undertaker vs Undertaker storyline
- Michaels vs Diesel split

I think you need to give a ton of credit to Bret, Shawn and Taker during this era. They kept the company afloat after their established stars like Hogan, Flair, Savage (in-ring) and Flair all left from late 92 - 93.

It wasn't really until 1995 and 1996 when things really got bad for the WWF. Nitro launched. Bret Hart was feuding with Bob Backlund, Jerry Lawler, Jean Pierre Lafitte and Isaac Yankem. Diesel was feuding with Mabel and Sid. Undertaker feuding with Million Dollar Corporation. It got worse in 1996. Outside of a few bright spots that year, they were hurt a lot... Razer left. Diesel left. Bret missed time. Warrior left (again). Michaels didn't have much to feud with. There was some good stuff in 1996 too, but not enough as meanwhile NWO was taking over in WCW.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Such good matches on those vids... This was the era I left school and was beginning to wrestle, so it always has fond memories. I was 4th row at Wembley and that match with Bret and Davey made me want to learn.

WWE wasn't perfect... On paper WCW had a better roster but Bill Watts skullfucked the show with his bizzare ideas. It was sad the roid scandal did for Davey... He was very well placed to co-headline the WWF with Bret and Taker but I always thought the big mistake was made earlier by letting Rick Rude leave... He was the best in the world bar none in 92 and had he been part of the WWE then Bret, Perfect, Davey and Savage all would have had great matches or teams with him.

Ultimately 92 was the year the game changed, a "midget" got the big belt, the IC title main evented a big 4 show and backstage shit finally went public...it cost us kayfabe, gave us sports entertainment and made Wrestling global for the first time.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

Ultimately 92 was the year the game changed, a "midget" got the big belt, the IC title main evented a big 4 show and backstage shit finally went public...it cost us kayfabe, gave us sports entertainment and made Wrestling global for the first time.

Just regarding your "midget" comment, which I'm assuming is in reference to Kevin Nash's comments regarding Guerrero and Benoit....

Google has Benoit and Guerrero varying between 5'8- 5'9 tall.

Bret was 6'0. Shawn was the same size. Sure they weren't Hogan and Warrior. But hardly "midgets", even in the sense that Nash was referring to. Hell even Savage was 6'0 - 6'1.

 

[king216]

i was born in 86, and i've been watching it since i was born lol. But yeah 92 was an epic year!!! Flair winning that royal rumble match was great. 1992 was one of the best years because it had such a great a great roster. U had Hogan, Flair, Savage, Taker, Warrior, Sid, Piper, Jake, Bret, Shawn, Bulldog, Dibiasse, Perfect, & the list goes on. 1993 was ok... It kinda went downhill...

 

[Matty~!]

No doubt all those matches you chose are legitimately good to great matches and I really like all of them. Unfortunately I saw all these matches in hindsight and whilst they still resonate with me I was only able to watch WCW at the time on terrestrial TV in the UK. At the same time period in WCW they were producing similarly stellar matches that hold a classic status in my opinion.

[YOUTUBE]gAFG6bqVEGI[/YOUTUBE]

A totally different match than Sting had ever had to wrestle before, the insane offence and wildness in general of Cactus is still something to behold to this day. Sting proves though that this sort of match brings out of the best of him, much like the brutal beatings Vader gave him,

[DM]x1uack_sting-vs-vader-great-american-bash_sport[/DM]

This is probably my favourite Sting vs. Big Van Vader match for a number of reason this is their first big PPV and Sting has taken beatings off Vader before and is still coming back for more. Vader is such a badass here too wanting to take Sting's title and does it in brutal fashion.

http://vimeo.com/42803762

Bit of a change of pace with Too Cold Scorpio and Chris Benoit putting on a master class of wrestling that was as good as anything in North America at the time. Scorpio was so over in 1993 and it's just another one of those WCW stories of having no real clue what do with him.

[YOUTUBE]yocTOwvepS8[/YOUTUBE]

Probably the most famous Hollywood Blondes match in their short spell together, their chemistry is so fluid and they are so in tune with each other they had so much heat as well for something that was given really no proper start and just throw together. Not to mention their working with a master like Ricky Steamboat here.

I have no idea why the clinics that Hart and Michaels routinely put on are often either underappreciated or completely ignored. The common argument is they didn’t draw as much money as Hogan or Austin. Who cares? In my near 27 years of watching WWF I have never seen a dime of their profit so I don’t give a damn who made someone else rich. Hart and Michaels were always entertaining to me and as a fan that’s what I care about.

I totally agree with you on the money issue never makes me like a match any more or less. WCW wasn't making money in 1992 and 1993 and there is so much good stuff from Worldwide and PPV's in that time period.

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were definitely golden during this period. However, I never really liked them wrestling each other it just felt strained, both were fighting for the spotlight and they never seemed to really co-operate in matches. Wrestling clinics to me are matches like Destroyer vs. Giant Baba, Jack Brisco vs. Dory Funk, Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat, Bret vs. Owen.

I'm not a big fan of the Iron Man match at Wrestlemania XII it was an exercise in futility if you ask me. Both guys had proven they were amazing at working 15 - 20 minutes matches and then they get thrown in with a gimmick that suits neither man's style. The first 40 - 45 minutes really drag and nothing feels like in that section that it leads to the really good last 15 minutes or so. It just feels like they want enough left in the tank to have the big finishing stretch.

Their match at Survivor Series 1992 is a far better example of what they were capable of. My preference though would still be to watch Bret vs. Owen, Bret vs. Perfect, Bret vs. Lawler, Michaels vs. Jannetty, Michaels vs. Razor, Michaels vs. Jarrett during that middle 90's period.

 

[Goldie]

1992 is perhaps my favourite year... there was real star power on the roster at the time... the '92 Rumble was the best ever... Wrestlemania 8 was thoroughly entertaining!... the Davey vs Bret match at Summerslam was immense, in fact it remains the highest attendence (80,000) Summerslam card ever... as a Brit I wentr mad for it! .... and I think Gorilla and Bobby were at their prime as an announcing team.

In late 1992 and 1993 we lost Hogan, Flair, Piper, Davey, Jake, Dibiase, LOD, Sid, Tito .... Savage was relegated to commentary.... and some of the guys coming in weren't up to replacing them... certainly in terms of name value.... there were dozens of silly gimmicks, as the booking team threw everything agaisnt the kitchen wall to see what would stick. Much of the established WWF talent went over to WCW... and it was a rebuilding stage for the WWF.... a far less successful rebuilding phase than they had in the late 90s (where several stars were made)

Sure there was Bret, Shawn, Curt to keep putting on entertaing matches... but 1993 saw a big decline in the WWE's popularity in the UK .... alof of the big names were gone, we had the desperate Lex Luger push, silly gimmicks (Giant Gonzales, Papa Shango, Doink, Max Moon, Damien Demento etc).
At the top of my head... there was maybe only Hall. Nash & Lawlar who came in that I ended up caring about.

There were still moments in 1993... but I think it was a huge drop down after 1992 being such an awesome year