In my first list, I covered the 5 Greatest Mid-Carders of WWE‘s Attitude Era (1997 – 2002). This week, I will cover the 5 Greatest Mid-Carders of the New Generation (1993 – 1997).
One of the best things about reviewing this era for me is that I get to be emotional again. Wrestling is, for all intents and purposes, for children, and The Golden Era and the New Generation were the superstars of my childhood. The emotions I had watching these wrestlers was real because I thought it was real and kayfabe hadn’t been broken yet. Hulk Hogan wasn’t screwing over Bret Hart with backstage politics at WrestleMania IX. He was defeating the evil Yokozuna for all us little patriotic Hulkamaniacs.
Though the men on this list never captured the main title, these men captured our attention in a time when men like Bret Hart, Diesel, and Shawn Michaels were all establishing themselves. This was an era that made titans and these were the men that helped create them.
5. Savio Vega
Savio Vega started his career in the WWE as Kwang but, after losing a handful of matches, was soon re-packaged. Showing up in street clothes, Vega rescued Razor Ramon from a beatdown by Road Dogg and Jeff Jarrett. Billed as Ramon’s childhood friend, Vega would go on to have several memorable feuds and stable runs.
His first big feud was against Stone Cold Steve Austin, then managed by Ted DiBiase. Vega gave Austin his first singles defeat which Austin avenged at In Your House 7. The rubber match came at In Your House 8 during a Caribbean Strap Match which Vega won. If you don’t know what that was, it’s just a regular strap match. There’s just some weird rule about strap matches where the first word has to be something vaguely racist about one of the men in the match.
Savio’s victory meant that DiBiase had to leave the WWE. So really, we can thank Vega for Austin dropping the “Ring Master” gimmick and striking out on his own.
Vega would go on the be a big part of the first Nation of Domination, especially during their feuds with Ahmed Johnson and The Rock. In fact, Vega would give the Rock his first defeat as well, securing a pinfall while holding the tights.
As the New Generation moved into the Attitude Era stables were all the rage. After being expelled from the NOD, Vega and Crush would start their own stables, Los Boricuas and the Disciples of Apocalypse, respectively. The three gangs feuded until the leaders faced off in a triple threat match, won by Vega.
Despite being a key mid-carder and winning several top feuds, Vega never won a title in WWE. However, Savio played an important part in launching several superstars to the next level and had, himself, an amazing career.
4. Tatanka
As a child, I had two favorite wrestlers: the Undertaker and Tatanka. When the war cry hit and Tatanka came sprinting to the ring it was more exciting than VJ Day. Forget Hulking up, if my friend was beating me up, I did Tatanka’s war dance to make my comeback. I’d skip around the living room and deliver a tomahawk chop in some of the cutest cultural appropriations you’ve ever seen.
Tatanka’s undefeated streak was a big deal and kids tuned in every week to watch him beat down the evil Intercontinental Champion, Shawn Michaels. Tatanka failing to capture the title at WrestleMania IX was the first in a long list of disappointments for that event, and his eventual loss to Ludvig Borga was heartbreaking.
Borga hit Tatanka with a chair and ended his undefeated streak. It was at that moment, at the age of nine, I started a wrestling fan tradition: hating booking decisions.
Tatanka would go on to feud with Bam Bam Bigelow, Irwin R. Schyster (aka Bray and Dallas’ Father), and Money Inc. The storyline took place during Lex Luger’s big main event push and culminated in Tatanka accusing Luger of selling out to Money Inc. The two men would eventually face off with Tatanka turning heel and attacking Luger after the match.
Tatanka was also a man of integrity outside of the squared circle. He left the WWE citing family and spiritual reasons. After, he was even offered a lucrative contract by WCW but turned it down.
Tatanka flirted with the main event but never broke through. Despite having a limited move-set he was fun to watch in the ring. His matches against Shawn Michaels alone proved he could keep pace with the best.
3. Doink the Clown
There is only one Doink the Clown: Matt Osborne. “You don’t rake the eyes because you have to, you rake the eyes because you want to.”
Many people have gushed over the sinister tone that Osborne brought to the character that distinguished him from later iterations. If you watch it though, there truly is something sinister about the performance. Osborne’s Doink wasn’t a punchline, the fans and his opponents were. The original Doink had more akin to Pennywise and Ted Bundy than Bozo.
Doink would cackle as he made his way to the ring, then quickly turn to a scowl as he peered into the camera. It was damn eerie, man. Then he’d display a technical prowess in the ring that could rival the best. He certainly carried Crush in their feud from 1992 – 1993.
Doink spent 1993 beating mid-carders like the 123 Kid and Marty Jannetty, but jobbing to the top guys. Eventually, Bam Bam Bigelow would snitch on Osborne for smoking weed and he’d be released from the company for reoccurring drug problems.
Doink would be played by other wrestlers and the character was always played as a goofy face thereafter, never again really capturing the magic Osborne did. Osborne was a severely underrated wrestler who deserves a Hall of Fame nod.
R.I.P. Matt 1957 – 2013.
2. Razor Ramon
Scott Hall joined the WWE in 1992 as Razor Ramon. Basically, Hall’s impersonation of Scarface. I mean they were a mound of Devil’s Dandruff away from getting sued by Al Pacino for copyright infringement. Razor made his first big impact by interfering in a WWE Title match between Randy Savage and Ric Flair, allowing Flair to beat Savage for the championship. He and Flair would go on to feud with Savage and the Ultimate Warrior before Warrior was fired from the company.
After, Razor would go on to challenge Bret Hart for his WWE Championship but ultimately tap to the Sharpshooter at the 1992 Royal Rumble. On an episode of Raw, however, Razor started one of the most memorable storylines in WWE history.
On May 17th, 1992, Razor did the job for babyface 1-2-3 Kid, launching Sean Waltman’s career. As they feuded Razor would turn face as he grew to respect the Kid, which led to a feud between the two and Ted DiBiase. The blow-off came after Razor defeated Dibiase in Ted’s final WWE match.
During this time, Shawn Michaels had been stripped of the Intercontinental Title during a suspension, and a 20-Man Battle Royal was held to determine the top two contenders. The last two men standing would get to face off one-on-one for the vacant title. The Battle Royal came down to Ramon and “The Model” Rick Martel. On an October episode of Raw, Razor pinned Martel to win his first WWE gold. That’s when things got good.
Shawn Michaels returned, claiming he was the real champion with his own copy of the Intercontinental Title. The story would culminate in one of the greatest matches in WWE history. At WrestleMania X, Razor Ramon defeated Michaels in the WWE‘s first ever Five Star match, a ladder match for the Undisputed Intercontinental Title.
While this wasn’t the WWE‘s first ladder match, it was the first televised ladder match for the company,and would help popularize one of the most dynamic match types today. Hall would leave the WWE in 1996 for WCW and start, arguably, one of the most influential stables in wrestling history, the NWO (New World Order).
Wherever Hall went he was able to maintain his status at the top while never actually reaching the pinnacle. The fact that he’s still mentioned alongside the greats without a WWE or WCW title run is a testament to his importance to the industry.
1. Owen Hart
This one is gonna be hard and I’ll do my best not to cry while writing this. I’m sorry if this entry is dry and missing jokes, but it doesn’t seem appropriate.
Owen Hart was one of the greatest heels in wrestling. He was better on a mic than his brother, Bret Hart, and maybe just as good in the ring. He had so many good feuds throughout his career and runs with many great stables. Other than early tag teams, Owen spent little time outside of an enthralling storyline.
After some time in the WWE, Owen began feuding with his brother Bret. The two had some miscommunications in the ring at the 1993 Survivor Series, and Owen was tired of living in Bret’s shadow. This lead to Owen attacking an injured Bret after the two lost a tag match due to referee stoppage. Owen would beat his brother at WrestleMania X, the same night Bret would go on to win the WWE Championship.
After Owen won the King of the Ring and adopted the “King of Harts” moniker, the two would go on to feud over the belt for a while. The feud saw the brothers face off in another Five Star bout, a steel cage match that Bret won. The feud between the Harts would end after Bret beat Owen at the 1995 Royal Rumble.
From here, Owen would be part of two different WWE Tag Team Championship duos, one with Yokozuna and one with the British Bulldog. Owen’s partnership with Davey Boy Smith would implode as the two began fighting over the new WWE European Championship. As they fought over the title, a heel Bret Hart would stop the match, appeal to the importance of family, and begin one of the best stables of the 90’s: The New Hart Foundation.
See how long this entry is with only a dry recap of his career?! Let’s try to wrap this up because I think the point is made. Owen may have been one of the most under-appreciated wrestlers of his time, always playing second fiddle to his brother or Shawn Michaels. However, it didn’t stop him from being one of the best either.
When Owen broke Stone Cold’s neck we hated him. When he turned on Bret we hated him. When he stole a Slammy, when he was the “Nugget,” we hated him and loved him for it. Consistently, over and over again, Owen put himself alongside main-eventers as one of the best heels of a generation.
That’s it for this edition of the High 5. Who were your favorite Mid-Carders of the New Generation? Tell me how I forgot Bam Bam on Twitter or in the comments below.
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