If you look back at the chaotic, smoke-filled landscape of 1993 professional wrestling, you'll find a company in total flux. WWE RAW Episode 19 didn't just happen; it felt like a desperate, gritty pivot toward a future nobody quite understood yet. It aired on June 14, 1993. This was the era of neon spandex clashing with the gritty, Manhattan Center atmosphere that defined early Monday Night RAW.
Wrestling was weird then.
Honestly, the "New Generation" wasn't even a fully formed concept yet. Vince McMahon was still trying to figure out if he wanted technical masterclasses or cartoon characters. On this specific night, we got a bit of both, wrapped in that low-budget, high-energy aesthetic that makes 1993 RAW so much better than the over-produced stuff we see now.
What Actually Happened During WWE RAW Episode 19?
The main event wasn't some five-star classic that Dave Meltzer would drool over. It was Mr. Perfect taking on Doink the Clown. You have to remember, Doink wasn't always a kid-friendly mascot; in June '93, Matt Borne was playing the character as a borderline psychotic, miserable heel. He was genuinely unsettling.
Mr. Perfect was arguably at the peak of his second run. He was crisp. He was fast. But the match ended in a draw because of a double count-out, which was a classic 90s trope to protect both guys. People often forget that RAW used to be only an hour long. Because of that time constraint, every minute felt like it was moving at a breakneck pace compared to the three-hour slogs fans deal with today.
The undercard was a fever dream of mid-carders and legends.
- The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) took on some enhancement talent.
- Tatanka, who was still in the middle of that absurdly long undefeated streak, dismantled a guy named Mike Bell.
- Adam Bomb, managed by Johnny Polo (who would later become Raven), showed up to squash some poor soul.
It’s easy to dismiss these matches as "squashes," but they served a purpose. They were building stars. They weren't trying to give away the WrestleMania main event for free on a Monday night in June.
The Razor Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid Saga
The most important thread running through WWE RAW Episode 19 was the fallout from the most famous upset in wrestling history. A few weeks prior, a scrawny kid named Sean Waltman had pinned Razor Ramon. This changed everything.
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In this episode, we saw the continuation of Razor's absolute meltdown. Scott Hall played "The Bad Guy" with so much charisma that the fans started to turn him babyface despite the writers' best efforts. Razor was offering $10,000 for a rematch. He was desperate. This storyline is the blueprint for how you build a mid-card feud into something people actually care about. It wasn't about a title. It was about respect and cold, hard cash.
Why This Specific Era of RAW Still Matters
Most fans think the Monday Night Wars started when Nitro debuted in 1995. That's wrong. The war started in the heads of the WWF producers back in 1993. They were moving away from the "Superstars" syndication model and realizing that live (or taped-to-look-live) television was the only way to survive.
WWE RAW Episode 19 represented a bridge. You had Marty Jannetty, fresh off his incredible Intercontinental title win over Shawn Michaels, appearing on the show. You had the King of the Ring 1993 hype reaching a boiling point because that pay-per-view was happening the very day before this episode aired (or was taped).
Actually, let's clear up a misconception.
A lot of people think RAW was always live. Nope. In '93, they would often tape two or three episodes in one night at the Manhattan Center to save money. This meant the crowd was sometimes exhausted by the time the "main event" of the third episode rolled around. But on June 14, the energy was still there. The Manhattan Center was a tiny ballroom, but it sounded like a stadium because the acoustics were so raw.
The Commentary Dynamics
Listening to Vince McMahon, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and Randy Savage on the call is an experience.
It was chaotic.
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Vince was the hype man, "The Brain" was the cynical genius, and Savage was... well, he was Randy Savage. He would go off on tangents about Slim Jims or whatever was on his mind. They didn't have producers screaming in their ears to "mention the hashtag" every five seconds. It felt like three guys watching wrestling and having a blast. That authenticity is what's missing from modern broadcasts.
The Technical Reality of the June 14, 1993 Episode
If you go back and watch this on the WWE Network (or Peacock), you'll notice the lighting is dark. The ring looks smaller. The ropes are red, white, and blue. This was the visual identity of a company that was struggling financially but winning creatively.
- Match Pace: Very slow compared to the "Indie" style of 2026.
- Commercials: Often featured promos for the WBF (World Bodybuilding Federation) or ICOPRO, which are hilarious to look back on now.
- The Crowd: They weren't "smart" fans. They didn't chant "This is Awesome." They booed the bad guys and cheered the good guys. It was simple.
Mr. Perfect vs. Doink was the "technical" highlight, but the character work of Ted DiBiase and Money Inc. lurking in the background gave the show its stakes. DiBiase was transitioning out of his full-time in-ring role and into a manager/elder statesman position, and you can see him passing the torch to younger heels during this period.
Misconceptions About the Early RAW Days
A huge myth is that RAW was an instant hit.
In reality, the ratings were decent but not world-breaking. The show was an experiment. Many people in the industry thought giving away big stars on "free" TV would kill the house show business. WWE RAW Episode 19 proved that the opposite was true. By giving fans a taste of Razor Ramon or Mr. Perfect every week, they were more likely to buy a ticket when the circus came to their town.
Another misconception is that the "New Generation" started with Bret Hart winning the title. Bret wasn't even on this specific episode in a wrestling capacity, yet the show felt like his. The DNA of the technical-heavy, workrate-focused 90s was being coded right here in these early Manhattan Center episodes.
Key Statistics and Notables from the Show:
- Location: Manhattan Center, New York City.
- Main Event: Mr. Perfect vs. Doink (Time limit draw/Double CO).
- Key Appearance: Razor Ramon (segment).
- Surprise Fact: The show was actually taped weeks earlier, which was common practice to manage travel costs for the roster.
How to Analyze This Episode Today
If you're a student of the game, you look at WWE RAW Episode 19 and see the birth of the "episodic" format. Before this, wrestling TV was just a series of random matches. Here, we had "segments." We had "angles."
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We had a reason to tune in next week.
The 1-2-3 Kid storyline is the perfect example. It wasn't just a match; it was a saga. By June 14, everyone was asking: "Where is the Kid? When will Razor get his hands on him?" This cliffhanger storytelling is what eventually led to the 10.0 ratings of the Attitude Era. You can't have Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon without first having Razor Ramon vs. The 1-2-3 Kid.
Actionable Insights for Wrestling Historians
To truly appreciate this era, you have to stop comparing it to the modern product. The 2026 wrestling scene is about athleticism; the 1993 scene was about theater.
- Watch the background: Look at the fans in the front row of the Manhattan Center. You'll see the same people in almost every episode from that year. They were the "regulars" who helped define the RAW atmosphere.
- Listen to Bobby Heenan: Pay attention to how he puts over the babyfaces while pretending to hate them. It’s a lost art form.
- Focus on the selling: Mr. Perfect could make a simple headlock look like he was being decapitated. Study his movements to understand why he's considered one of the best of all time.
The best way to experience this is to watch it in context. Don't just watch Episode 19 in a vacuum. Watch Episode 18, then the 1993 King of the Ring, and then this show. You'll see a company that was scared of the future but accidentally building the greatest era in the history of the business.
Go back and find the original broadcast version if you can. The music edits on the streaming versions often take away from the gritty, 90s hip-hop influenced vibe the original show had. It was a time of transition, and Episode 19 was the perfect snapshot of that chaos.
To dig deeper into the 1993 archives, cross-reference the taping dates with the Wrestling Observer Newsletter archives from that month. You'll find the behind-the-scenes drama—like locker room tensions and the real reason certain stars were being pushed—that the cameras never showed. Understanding the "why" behind the booking makes the "what" on screen much more fascinating.