WWF Monday Night RAW 01-25-93

Who will be forced to leave the WWF? Will Savage repossess his hat from Repo Man? How will the New Yorkers treat Kamala? Let's find out!

Outside the Manhattan Center, Sean Mooney welcomes us to the show while Repo Man arrives in a tow truck. Repo Man then cuts a promo on Savage.

As you’d expect, Repo Man wore Savage’s hat to the ring.

Savage then attacked him from behind with a double axe handle.
When he took Repo Man outside the ring, Savage gave him a knee drop.
He then mounted the second turnbuckle and hit a flying knee drop.
After Repo Man tossed him over the top rope to the floor, Savage landed on his feet.
He then re-entered the ring and put a knee into Repo Man’s back. That sent Repo Man flying to the floor.
As Savage joined him, he nailed Repo Man from behind in the aisle.
He then tried to ram Repo Man face-first into the steps but ate them himself.
Upon making Savage HIT THE POLE, Repo Man gave him a cross corner whip.
When Bartlett made an awful joke, Heenan blatantly asked Vince: “Where did you get this guy?” HA!
After a commercial break, Repo Man delivered a leg drop for 2.
He then clotheslined the bejeezus out of Savage while the Manhattan faithful chanted “Mach-o.”
As he hit a belly-to-back suplex, Repo Man got another 2.
Bartlett then mimicked Rush Limbaugh, and Heenan intentionally confused it with Paul Harvey. HA!

When Savage rebounded with a clothesline, Repo Man gave him a backbreaker.
He then mounted the second turnbuckle, leaped, but ate a clothesline.
After Savage slammed him, he mounted the top turnbuckle and delivered the big elbow.
1-2-3.
Savage won.

Summary: Savage got his revenge for Repo Man’s thievery of his cowboy hat and retrieved it.

After the match, Savage tosses Repo Man over the top rope to the floor. He then mounts the top turnbuckle, but officials prevent him from flying.

Kamala gave Brawler a cross corner whip but came up empty on his follow-through.
When Brawler failed to slam him, Kamala had no difficulty slamming him.
While Slick encouraged the Manhattan faithful to chant “you are a man” to Kamala, Brawler ate a thrust kick.
Kamala then tried to pin Brawler who was lying on his stomach.
As he delivered a big foot, Kamala tried to pin Brawler with him on his front again.
He then gave Brawler a cross corner whip resulting in a Brawler shoulder bump to the ring post.
After he splashed Brawler, Kamala rolled him over a few times before figuring it out with some help from the Manhattan faithful.

1-2-3.
Kamala won.

At ringside, Vince interviews Slick alongside Kamala. Slick then warns Harvey Wippleman and Kim Chee about revenge from Kamala. Methinks Kim Chee just got the memo.

ROYAL RUMBLE REPORT: "Mean” Gene Okerlund runs down the results of the PPV from yesterday.

Match 3 (loser-leaves-the WWF): “Nature Boy” Ric Flair versus Mr. Perfect

Before the bell rang, Heenan temporarily left the broadcast table to shake Flair’s hand.
Perfect got the best of Flair at the onset, so Flair sought refuge outside the ring.
While there, Heenan offered him the timekeeper’s hammer. HA!
Perfect then gave Flair a series of chops resulting in a Flair flop.
As Flair tossed him over the top rope to the floor, he joined Perfect and grabbed a chair.
Before Flair could waffle Perfect with it, referee Earl Hebner took it away.

After a commercial break, Flair gave Perfect a cross corner whip resulting in a Perfect flip to the floor.
A BUSTED OPEN Perfect then re-entered the ring yet received a cross corner whip.
When Flair tried to pin Perfect with his feet on the ropes, he only got 2. SNEAKY!
Perfect then reversed a cross corner whip and delivered the Ax.
As he hooked a somersault roll-up, Perfect got 2.
He then countered a hip toss with a backslide for another 2.
After Perfect reversed another cross corner whip, he backdropped Flair.
He then gave Flair the ten-punch count-along, but Flair countered with an inverted atomic drop.
When Flair hooked a roll-up, he got 2.
He then sought refuge outside the ring before returning to the apron.
As Perfect suplexed him back in, he got 2.
Flair then applied a sleeper, but Perfect used momentum to send Flair into the top turnbuckle.
After Perfect reversed an Irish whip, he attempted a leap frog but switched to a clothesline for 2. Methinks they were not on the same page there.

Flair then countered a sleeper with a belly-to-back suplex.
When Flair hooked a rope-assisted figure-four leg lock, he got 2
Hebner then noticed the chicanery so Flair broke the hold.
As Flair mounted the top turnbuckle, Perfect caught and slammed him down to the mat.
After another commercial break, Flair discovered a foreign object in his knee pad and CLOCKED Perfect with it.
Do we say goodbye to Perfect?
Flair then hit an elbow drop but only got 2.
When Perfect no-sold some chops, he gave Flair a cross corner whip followed by a back drop.
He then delivered another Ax and a cross corner whip. The latter resulted in a Flair flip.
As Flair caught his balance on the apron, he mounted the adjacent top turnbuckle, leaped, but got nailed.
Is this last call for Flair?

1-2-NO!
Flair then attempted to pin Perfect with his feet on the ropes again but only got 2.
After Hebner caught Flair cheating again, Perfect flipped atop Flair for 2.
Perfect then hooked the Perfectplex and got the pin.

FLAIR MUST LEAVE THE WWF!

Summary: On his way out the door, Flair did the honors for Perfect. He would not return to the WWF until 2001.

After the match, Heenan swears like a sailor on leave. Thanks goodness it’s CENSORED. Wait a minute! I thought RAW was not supposed to be censored. Hmmm...

According to Vince, Flair must honor his obligations through the coming weekend. Next week, Typhoon faces Doink. In reality, Flair's last night was February 10, 1993 after wrestling nine tour dates in Europe.

Conclusion: Historical episode with a classic match for a main event. I enjoyed the contrast between the styles of the Savage and Perfect matches. Together they made for a solid show that I recommend wholeheartedly.

CORRECTION: I had originally supplied a 2.5 rating for the 1/18 episode, but, according to Meltzer, it scored a 2.8.