The Disturbing Truth Behind The Worst Month Of Vince McMahon’s Life
The 1993 feud between Bret Hart and Jerry Lawler had been a shining light in an often-dim and dull summer. Hulk Hogan's June departure (more on that later) had left the company with less fuel than the broken down Lex Express that had sat in a parking garage after Luger's failed attempt to dethrone Yokozuna at August's SummerSlam. A tepid tribute act to 'The Hulkster' despite his talents, the 'Made In The USA' gimmick wasn't taking in an era where fans were still broadly responsive to whatever they were given.
Underneath a main event that felt far too attached to what had worked before, Hart and Lawler were bringing something brand new to the upper midcard. The 'Hitman' had won the inaugural King Of The Ring pay-per-view in an effort to keep him at the top level without the actual title, whilst Lawler's presence on television at all was still brand new to younger fans and older Memphis-savvy audience members that never imagined it possible.
Lambasting, Bret, Owen, Bruce and Keith Hart along with the rest of the seemingly endless siblings, Lawler saved his sharpest barbs for the parents, Stu and Helen. Positioned by WWE as patriarchal figures of pro wrestling rather than just their own family, it was as if 'The King' had gone for the industry's genuine monarchs. A blistering series went unsettled in a fabulous extended segment at SummerSlam 1993 leading to a planned Survivor Series payoff in which the four maligned brothers would kick the f*cking sh*t out of 'The King' and three mysterious "knights".
The company hadn't been the best at setting a stage when nothing was commercially clicking, but this, at long last, was something fans were desperate to sink their teeth into.
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