10 Fascinating WWE King Of The Ring 1993 Facts
In 1993, WWE welcomed a fifth member to the PPV rotation.
By the early nineties, WCW expanded their PPV calendar to five or six events per year, and would end up holding seven in 1993. For their part, WWE stuck to the big four that they had established in the late-eighties, save for a novelty event here and there.
That changed in 1993, when King of the Ring was employed by the company to bridge the five-month gap between WrestleMania and SummerSlam. The concept was previously used as an annual house show special in the New England area, and would now be spun off into a piece of what was officially WWE's "big five".
The 1993 event came with its share of controversy, particularly in the World Championship scene. The defending champion was none other than a dusted-off Hulk Hogan, who had hastily regained the gold at WrestleMania 9, before skipping out on the television product for the next ten weeks, a development a 15-year-old Minnesota farm boy may have made note of.
Hulkamania on that night would be crushed under the weight of the mammoth Yokozuna, a curious booking decision in the mind of Bret Hart, who had been told he would be defeating the Hulkster for the belt at SummerSlam. The three-way political battle between McMahon, Hogan, and Hart would have been far more interesting than the PPV, had it not been for Hart's three excellent matches.
Here are ten facts about the 1993 King of the Ring you may not have known.
10. The Phrase "Heartland Of America" Was Used In Place Of The Location
The 1993 King of the Ring emanated from the Nutter Center in Dayton, OH, the sixth largest city in "The Buckeye State", and the birthplace of baseball legends Mike Schmidt and Roger Clemens. Tell that to WWE officials, who apparently felt insecure running a pay-per-view out of a veritable B-town.
Perhaps you've noticed on certain Raw episodes from time to time that no mention is made of what city they're in. This happens when they're in a smaller city like Fort Wayne, IN or Lafayette, LA or Columbia, SC. It's been said that Vince McMahon feels his product comes off as second-rate when associated with the littler towns, and nixes the mentions of them.
Add Dayton to that list, as announcers Jim Ross, Randy Savage, and Bobby Heenan would often use the catch-all phrase, "We're in the Heartland of America!" during the broadcast, instead of just saying Dayton.