Behind The Secret Classic WWE PPV Nobody Ever Talks About

4. Re-Establishing The Monster

Bret Hart Bam Bam Bigelow King of the Ring 1993
WWE.com

Obviously discussing a King of the Ring PPV is going to lead to a lot of chatter about the titular tournament, but one other way that KOTR '93 stands out as an all-time great event, is in how it re-established Mr. Fuji's Yokozuna as a monster.

The initial ascension of Yokozuna stands as one of the most impressive pushes in WWE history. Arriving on TV in October 1992, Mr. Fuji's new heel charge was immediately presented as a serious threat.

As was commonplace at the time, Yoko's first few weeks on television saw him squash enhancement talent, before he then dished out the same treatment to more established acts such as Virgil, 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan, Big Boss Man, and Koko B. Ware. And then, well then the kayfabe Japanese juggernaut emerged victorious at the 1993 Royal Rumble, last eliminating Randy Savage to win the over-the-top extravaganza.

From there, Yokozuna went on a further tear, wrecking fools on his way to facing WWF Champion Bret Hart at WrestleMania IX. Not just that, but Yoko - with some help from a salt-throwing Mr. Fuji - defeated the Hitman to win the company's biggest prize.

Then Hulk Hogan happened.

Bafflingly, Yokozuna's WWF Title reign lasted just a matter of minutes, losing that belt in just nine seconds to Hogan in an impromptu match.

With that, so much of the work that had gone into establishing Yokozuna as a genuine monster was undone, with him now just one of the numerous 'unstoppable' villains that Hulk Hogan had miraculously overcame over the years.

Thankfully, the King of the Ring '93 rematched Yoko and Hogan, and this time it was Yokozuna who got the win and embarked on a second reign as WWF Champion; a reign which would last for 280 days and see Yokozuna brutalise a bunch of top stars before dropping the title back to Bret Hart at WrestleMania X.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.