Match #3: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Big Boss Man
The bell rings and Bam Bam ambushes Boss Man from behind, shoots him to the corner and runs in with a splash, then sends him hard back across. The Beast from the East pummels Boss Man into mat, whips him to the corner sternum-first, delivers a forearm to the kidneys and he spills to the outside. Bigelow goes out after him, rams Boss Man head-first off the apron, rolls into the ring and has some words for the people. Big Boss Man pulls himself inside and is met with more clubbing shots, Bam Bam shoots him to the ropes for a big right, Boss Man ducks and staggers him with a clothesline, hits the ropes for another and drops the big man.

He unloads with a barrage of right hands, puts Bam Bam in the corner and climbs to the 2nd rope for more fists, then utilizes a side headlock. Bigelow counters with a back suplex, drops a headbutt and misses, Boss Man sends him hard to the corner, hits an uppercut off the rebound, then hits the ropes for a bulldog. He goes back to the ropes to get a head of steam, The Beast from the East elevates him with a back body drop near the ropes, Big Boss Man falling to the floor. Boss Man drags himself back in the ring, Bam Bam meets him with stomps to the back, switches to a double axe and maintains total control.

He goes to a waistlock to punish the lower back, Boss Man finds his footing, breaks the grip, hits the ropes and Bigelow drops him across the top with a hot shot for a count of 2. He brings Big Boss Man back to his knees and reapplies the waistlock, Boss Man works back to his feet, Bam Bam with another kidney shot, then attempts a vertical suplex. It’s blocked, Boss Man delivers one of his own, Bigelow to his feet first and he drops a headbutt to the lower spine. He hits the ropes and scores with a shoulder knockdown, goes back to them for a crossbody, Big Boss Man ducks it, sends him to the ropes and elevates Bam Bam with a back body drop.

He connects with a big uppercut, Bigelow falls across the 2nd rope, Boss Man drops all his weight on the back, slides outside and delivers another uppercut to the jaw. He rolls in, whips Bam Bam into the corner, The Beast from the East gets his foot up, climbs to the top rope, connects with the Diving Headbutt and gets the 1-2-3.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow (Diving Headbutt)

• EA’s Take: Arguably two of the most agile big men in wrestling history, I was hoping for more from both parties, but Bigelow really dominated throughout. The Beast from the East had returned to the company as a heel in late November 1992 and was positioned as one of the most ruthless heels in the company. This was really just a showcase match for him, Big Boss Man’s popularity seemed to be fading and soon he would be out the door, leaving the company less than two months later. He would go on to work for All Japan Pro Wrestling under his previous name “Big Bubba” before signing with WCW and debuting as The Boss at the end of the year.

Video: Two weeks ago on WWF Mania, Razor Ramon would attack Owen Hart during an interview to get under the skin of WWF Champion Bret Hart.

Match #4 for the WWF Championship: Razor Ramon vs. WWF Champion Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart
The Hitman does the usual and gives away a pair of his shades, the bell rings and Razor takes his toothpick, throws it at the kid from the ring, Bret going right on the attack with right hands. The challenger fires back with heavy rights of his own, backs Hart into the corner and drives knees to the ribs, whips the champion across hard into the turnbuckles, shoots him back across and charges in with a high knee, but misses. Bret targets the left knee now, picks the leg and springs off the bottom rope to drive all his weight into the joint. He locks The Bad Guy in a figure four, Ramon drags himself to the bottom rope to force the break, Hart relentlessly going back to punishing the left leg.

He pulls Razor towards the post in the corner, goes to the outside and wraps the knee into the steel, slides back in and wraps the limb up in the ropes to deliver more damage. Irish whip across is reversed, Razor doubles Bret back, tosses him under the bottom rope in the corner and the champion slides abdomen-first into the post. The Bad Guy looks to take control now, brings Hart to the outside for multiple backbreakers, rams him into the post again, tosses him inside and casually steps in, knowing he has the advantage. Ramon drops elbows to the lower back, buries kicks to the ribs, then hammers him head-first into the top turnbuckle. He picks Bret up and tosses him with a fallaway slam for a 2 count, Stu & Helen Hart watch on from the front row, The Bad Guy sending their son sternum-first into the corner for another count of 2.

Razor locks The Hitman in an abdominal stretch, the champion works to reverse it into one of his own, can’t hold it and gets hip tossed over, but rolls away from a follow-up elbow drop. He goes to a side headlock, Ramon pushes him away to the ropes, scores with a shoulder knockdown and quickly covers for 2, gets back to his feet and continues to deliver kicks to the midsection, then plants Hart face-first into the canvas. He shoots Bret to the ropes for a back elbow, Hitman ducks it, scores with a crossbody and covers, the challenger kicking out with authority at 1 and the champion is sent to the outside. The Hitman pulls himself to the apron and drives a shoulder to the breadbasket, sunset flips back, Ramon drops down for a 2 count, Bret switching the momentum off the kick-out for 2 of his own.

The champion can’t capitalize and The Bad Guy stomps at his head, he grabs a chinlock, rips at Hart’s mouth and the ref forces him to release it. Irish whip to the ropes and the challenger grips Bret in a bearhug, the official checks the arm, Hitman keeps it in the air on the third attempt, then rips at Razor’s eyes to escape. He uses the ropes to get back to his feet, Ramon charges in and gets elevated over the top to the floor, Bret hits the ropes and goes to the air with a suicide dive. He deposits Razon into the ring steps, rolls him back into the ring, puts him in the corner and climbs to the 2nd rope for a barrage of punches.

The Bad Guy pushes him away, but Hart sticks with it and gets him reeling. The champion with more heavy shots, finally drops the challenger, picks him back up for an inverted atomic drop, levels him with a clothesline and gets a near fall. The Excellence Of Execution cracks him with a backbreaker, heads to the 2nd rope, floors Ramon with a clothesline, still only getting a count of 2. Hart plants Razor with a bulldog for another 2, follows with a side russian leg sweep, hurts himself in the process and makes a nonchalant cover, still unable to finish it. He grabs the legs for the Sharpshooter, The Bad Guy squirms to the ropes to avoid it, The Hitman drags him back to the middle and starts to put it on, but the challenger grabs the official and brings him down with them to create a distraction.

Ramon goes to the breadbasket with a fist and clubs away at the rib cage, props Hart on the top turnbuckle, climbs up and eats a back elbow, the champion flipping backwards to his feet and hitting a back suplex. He comes off the 2nd turnbuckle instead of making a cover, Razor gets his boot up under the chin, gets to his feet and says it’s over, setting Bret for the Razor’s Edge. The Hitman slides out of it, goes to a backslide for a near fall, Ramon delivers more kicks to the midsection, backs him to the corner and shoots him across hard into the turnbuckles. The champion struggles to his feet and Ramon is toying with him, keeps Hart on his knees in a test of strength, Bret surprises Razor with a roll-up for a quick 2 count, hooks their legs together on the mat, turns it into the Sharpshooter and The Bad Guy gives.
Winner and STILL WWF Champion: Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart (Sharpshooter)

• EA’s Take: Awesome title contest with two leaders of the WWF’s oncoming New Generation. Bret was always known as a technician, but he pulled off some athletic/aerial-type maneuvers that you didn’t see him from often. Razor was really getting a good push after his arrival in May of 1992, working his way up as one of the company’s top heels and taking the place of Ultimate Warrior for this match. The Warrior was the planned opponent, however that obviously changed after he was let go a couple months prior. The Hitman is steadfastly approaching the peak of his popularity and with Hulk Hogan gone for an extended period of time, a lot of the company’s weight had been distributed to Bret. He was not quite getting the pops that Hogan received, but it was clear that he had the fans’ affection. He really became a fighting champion as Gorilla alluded to in the commentary, defending the title more in his few months on top than most others did in an entire year.

In The Arena: Bobby Heenan has made his way down to the arena floor, asking if we’re ready for the moment the world has been waiting for. He’s talked about it for weeks and it’s his pleasure to finally unveil, ‘The Narcissist’ Lex Luger. A curtain raises and Luger is on a platform surrounded by mirrors, disrobes and shows off his tremendous physique as The Brain talks him up. He asks The Narcissist for a few words, Lex stating he’s truly incredible and this is history in the making. He vows to be the most dominant force the WWF has ever seen, claiming he knows everyone is impressed with him, but just wait until he steps in the ring. Luger issues a warning to Mr. Perfect, saying that inside the squared circle is where they can meet if he’s got the guts.

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