TIMELINE Wrestling | 1993 | Tod Gordon (ECW) & Lex Luger (WWF) & Vader (WCW)

In "TIMELINE Wrestling | 1993", journey through a pivotal year with Tod Gordon (ECW), Lex Luger (WWF), and Vader (WCW). Explore ECW's gritty South Philadelphia roots with Gordon, witnessing the birth of an identity even major feds envied. Transition to WWF's challenging 1993 with Luger. Amidst controversy, Luger's transformation into an all-American hero, atop the "Lex Express," aimed to redefine WWE's image. Lastly, delve into WCW's tumultuous terrain with Vader. Holding the heavyweight WCW title, Vader navigated a year of dual championships, Eric Bischoff's ascent, and wrestling innovations. This edition of TIMELINE offers a deep dive into 1993's wrestling panorama.
00:00 WWF INTRO 1993
01:38 WCW INTRO 1993
02:39 WWF January 2nd, 1993
11:56 WCW January 8th, 1993
18:11 WWF January 9th, 1993
18:54 WCW January 10th, 1993
21:05 WWF January 11th, 1993
22:04 WCW January 15th, 1993
25:39 WCW January 16th, 1993
32:36 ECW January 23rd, 1993
39:36 WWF January 24th, 1993
48:48 WWF January 27th, 1993
50:56 WCW January 30th, 1993
57:08 ECW February 1st, 1993
01:00:40 WCW February 10th, 1993
01:02:36 WWF February 12th, 1993
01:04:03 WWF February 13th, 1993
01:05:01 WWF February 18th, 1993
01:05:42 WCW February 20th, 1993
01:10:55 WWF February 22nd, 1993
01:11:50 WCW February 25th, 1993
01:13:36 WWF March 11th, 1993
01:14:32 WCW March 11th, 1993
01:16:13 WWF March 15th, 1993
01:17:13 WWF March 21st, 1993
01:18:17 WWF March 22nd, 1993
01:20:45 WWF March 28th, 1993
01:21:51 WCW April 3rd, 1993
01:22:27 WWF April 4th, 1993
01:27:14 WWF April 5th, 1993
01:28:30 ECW April 6th, 1993
01:30:01 WWF April 12th, 1993
01:31:09 WCW April 14th, 1993
01:31:54 WCW April 17th, 1993
01:34:55 WWF April 24th, 1993
01:35:58 WCW May 1st, 1993
01:37:16 WWF May 3rd, 1993
01:40:41 ECW May 4th 1993
01:42:35 WWF May 4th, 1993
01:44:55 WCW May 6th, 1993
01:48:07 WWF May 10th, 1993
01:49:11 WWF May 15th, 1993
01:50:36 WWF May 16th, 1993
01:51:19 WWF May 17th, 1993
01:53:27 WCW May 23rd, 1993
01:58:58 ECW June 1st 1993
02:00:01 WWF June 5th, 1993
02:01:21 WCW June 5th, 1993
02:02:44 WWF June 6th, 1993
02:04:04 WCW June 6th, 1993
02:05:45 ECW June 8th 1993
02:21:22 WWF June 8th, 1993
02:22:28 WCW June 12th, 1993
02:24:42 WWF June 13th, 1993
02:26:40 WCW June 17th, 1993
02:30:28 ECW July 1st 1993
02:31:33 WWF July 4th, 1993
02:33:59 WCW July 7th, 1993
02:38:07 WCW July 18th, 1993
02:42:38 WWF July 19th, 1993
02:44:32 ECW July 20th 1993
02:45:37 WWF July 24th, 1993
02:48:39 WCW July 25th, 1993
02:50:01 ECW July 27th, 1993
02:53:41 WWF July 27th, 1993
02:55:47 WWF August 2nd, 1993
03:00:35 WCW August 4th, 1993
03:04:47 ECW August 17th 1993
03:06:15 WCW August 18th, 1993
03:10:45 WWF August 30th, 1993
03:15:23 WWF August 31st, 1993
03:17:03 WWF September 18th, 1993
03:18:11 WWF September 27th, 1993
03:19:06 ECW October 1st 1993
03:27:37 WCW October 1st, 1993
03:30:09 WCW October 3rd, 1993
03:34:03 WWF October 7th, 1993
03:37:34 ECW October 16th 1993
03:38:44 WWF October 16th, 1993
03:40:16 ECW October 19th 1993
03:44:08 WCW October 27th, 1993
03:48:59 WWF October 29th, 1993
03:50:53 ECW November 2nd 1993
03:54:13 WCW November 6th, 1993
03:55:35 WWF November 9th, 1993
03:57:42 WWF November 11th, 1993
03:58:53 WWF November 12th, 1993
04:00:01 ECW November 13th 1993
04:03:43 WCW November 20th, 1993
04:09:26 WWF November 28th, 1993
04:12:03 WCW December 16th, 1993
04:17:49 WWF December 20th, 1993
04:21:19 ECW December 26th 1993
Join this channel to get access to perks:
kzbin.info/door/OTZzb1tdtCzLBaOGczlLYQjoin

[@RipcordVids]

Vader holding that tiny coffee mug is incredible unintentional comedy

[@SonicandTheTailsbrothers]

Lex and Vader were a nice changeup for interviews Sean. Both seem soft spoken and humble. I just wish WWE inducted Vader into HOF before he passed. I hope they induct Lex at some point as well he definitely deserves it. Tod Gordon as always is a good interview about ECW. The book was excellent too.

[@Adam-kn3tv]

A travesty that they waited until after his death, but not at all surprising. Vader was a big, scary and TOP heel in every promotion he worked in except WWF. Vince can't stand a gimmick he didn't create.

[@mattm7798]

I agree. Bit of a surprise Lex hasn't gone in the last 10 years. While never one of my guys, I can appreciate what he brought to the business and what a nice human being he is now.

[@jonbourgoin182]

I am legit shocked Lex is not already inducted. I would have assumed he was until I read your comment. Also, I wonder how Sean decides who and what to upload to this channel.... the choices seem kinda arbitrary to be honest

[@bb-gc2tx]

vader is to soft spoken all his shoots are hard to listen to he talks way to low pauses to much and mumbles

[@mikes.4136]

Lex and Vader are both, great interviews. They both seem very respectful and engaging.

[@derekvietro784]

I cant wait for this one. Lex luger has always and will always be my all time favorite wrestler. Hes a true hero to so many people and vastly underrated.

[@NLaBar]

Lex Luger was also Lex Luger’s all-time favorite wrestler… much like Bret hart if you replaced his talent with muscles

[@givemebackmypurse.6894]

Man, thank you for the laugh. I needed a good chuckle.

[@zacharytaylor3399]

When he slammed Yokozuna. That was for the USA

[@OfficialFingazMC]

OOC???

[@derekvietro784]

@@givemebackmypurse.6894 I'm sure you could make me laugh with your favorite as well

[@DavidMccallister65]

I was gonna say it but Vader said it for me. HE did legit moonsaults not half twists ect. His was legit and he's the greatest BIG man of all time.

[@wadekevin2074]

I love these interviews. Thank you

[@gregfreeman6118]

They really are great

[@Carelock]

Never would have guessed these two would be as captivating as they are. Great content!

[@devilxking2]

Vader and Luger both come across as really humble, nice guys in their older age here.

[@nichhodge8503]

31:07 White Castle of fear and the other WCW mini movies were all a Dusty Rhodes idea

[@flamingothunder]

thank you

[@brentbaker9125]

AWESOME episode!!!!!!

[@mattm7798]

So looking back at 1994-1996 wrestling, it's obvious now how bad some of it was, but as a 10 y/o kid, I ate it up, from the dungeon of doom, to the white castle of fear, to the undertaker vs undertaker etc. So they were definitely getting the child audience. Both Lex and Vader at points had a rep of being tough to work with but in their later life, really were gentlemen and all around nice guys. I remember Jim saying Leon was something to the effect of a big kid in WWF, and watching this I could see it.

[@davidcieslinski2642]

Fantastic seeing Lex in a Sabres jersey. Buffalo area native!

[@jayb-clay2724]

Luger seems like a great guy. Not cocky or arrogant at all. He either changed a crazy amount or gets a bad rap from jealousy. Either way I hope to have Lex kinda peace with myself someday.

[@rickylucas6503]

many people that have interracted with him in the past have said he was coccky, arrogant, and spent alot of time in the mirror making sure everything from his physique to his ring gear looked perfect. but many of them have had interractions with him since he left the business say that he's one of the nicest, most humble people they know. i think between the incident with elizabeth (r.i.p.) and his physical ailments, he decided to change for the better. sometimes that's all it takes, it's unfortunate about elizabeth which i'm sure haunts him to this day.

[@TheHannibalTV]

👍 miss Vader

[@nichhodge8503]

2:53:48 being English I can remember that the songs from the WrestleMania album (Slam Jam which I think got to number 2 in the charts, definitely top 10. And obviously the WrestleMania song itself but didn’t do as good as Slam Jam) got quite a bit of playtime on MTV and I saw the video on Top Of The Pops which was the show on Fridays (used to be Thursdays) that showed videos and performances in the BBC studio by singers/bands who had records in the singles top 40 (not all 40 as it was a 30 minute show). And from late 60’s to some point in the 2000’s it was on and the only tv show to show the top 40 (BBC Radio 1 did the rundown of the singles top 40 every Sunday)

[@nichhodge8503]

2:22:00 I had WWF Royal Rumble on the SNES, I didn’t have the previous SNES game Super WrestleMania but my friend had it and I’d played it loads of times. But when Royal Rumble came out I was so excited because for the first time wrestlers (Lex Luger wasn’t in the game and there wasn’t 12 wrestlers to pick from only 6-7) could do their finishing move in a game and I thought that was amazing. The next wrestling game I got was WCW Vs nWo on the N64 and that game blew my mind all the wrestlers did have the same moves with just their finisher being different, all wrestlers being the same size (like Undertaker and Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels were the same size in Royal Rumble), you could end a match by submission, DQ or KO which was all new, loads of different types of matches, wrestlers could bleed for the first time, you could edit a wrestler’s clothes, moves or change what group they were in WCW, nWo White, nWo Red, Raven’s Flock, LWO etc and finally you could create a wrestler and they had several spaces for created characters

[@robinhood-s7g]

Good times

[@Hit.man2211]

I like this one ☝️ interesting 🤨

[@drock6287]

Maybe it’s just me but that sounded like some Steiner Math on that Moonsault story from Vader 2:39:58

[@jasoncoward-aintscared]

I think it's really telling that Vader will go out of his way to put over HBK. Sweet guy.

[@Ditka-89]

Vader seemed so soft spoken and humble. Hard to believe so many wrestlers said he was a dirt bag

[@RavenOutcasts]

You talking about Vader or Luger?

[@ConnieLynchitzWhoElse]

@@RavenOutcasts lol

[@briandenapoli3250]

Prob luger

[@Ditka-89]

@@RavenOutcasts Vader was supposedly a jerk. He injured a lot of guys, could be reckless in the ring. Seems very nice. I heard Luger was a dick but he was just mostly an arrogant loner. Not exactly a jerk to anyone

[@RavenOutcasts]

@@Ditka-89 yes Vader was unnecessarily stiff

[@firstroundboxing7649]

At 1:27 who did he say ordered Seabreaze lol

[@TheNeonParadox]

I never get sick of the Humpbacks story. I've heard it from too many people for it to be fake, but it's still hard to believe they thought that would get over. 😂😂

[@edwells4769]

It would get over in early 2000s, it's a hilarious premise.

[@edwells4769]

It would get over in early 2000s, it's a hilarious premise.

[@cl-vision5029]

Metltzer was the one of a hand full of guys that did alot of damage to wrestling. Bill was just reporting and gave award's and stuff i like him.

[@FIXTREME]

It's impossible to hate Bill Apter, he's like everybody's favourite closeted uncle

[@nichhodge8503]

41:23 Lex is told when braking into the business “always use your body that’s your ticket, who have something most other guys will never have”. Scott Hall tells Kevin Nash when he sees him flexing his muscles in front of the crowd “never use your body as your gimmick as your body is the first that goes”. And I have to say that Scott Hall is right your body is the first thing that goes!

[@StevenJackson215]

Interesting given that Lex and Scott were both trained by Hiro Matsuda.

[@The495marauder]

Big van Luger and Lex Vader . Nice

[@nichhodge8503]

13:12 WCW World Championship Title in 1993 was definitely the number one title at the time the WWF Championship Title was number one, that’s like saying the AEW World Title is the number one title today in 2024. In fact the IWGP World Title was a stronger title than WCW’s title and AJPW’s title (was it called the Triple Crown? I don’t know what AJPW’s top title was) as well as AJPW was still a strong company fighting it out with NJPW to be the number one company in Japan unlike today where NJPW is clearly number one company in Japan

[@frednichols9851]

This is a great video with the exception of Todd. He's just rambling on & on & I don't know what he's talking about.

[@nichhodge8503]

1:47:41 the UWFI just like it’s original incarnation in the 80’s the UWF when a group left NJPW to form the UWF was to make to matches look like a shoot fight using legitimate submissions and chokes but it was all like pro wrestling, predetermined and not hitting for real like MMA today. But the UWF did get very popular it just had a bad financial people running it made so bad investments and were skimming of the top of the profits so it went bankrupt but later on some of the original UWF people who went back to NJPW (some went to AJPW) decided to have another go at the “shoot fighting” where as before you could win by KO, submission or pin for 3 count and formed the UWFI. Only problem was that the original UWF started up Pancrese in Japan which was a legitimate shoot fighting then UFC followed by Pride so when UWFI came around people knew it wasn’t legitimate shoot fighting and was pro wrestling as they’d already seen legitimate shoot fighting with Pancrese so the company didn’t last long but the original UWF proved that there was a market for shoot fighting. Vader was never in a legitimate shoot fight for Japanese TV

[@nichhodge8503]

1:41 I’m glad they explained that as when I hear Buffalo Bill I think of Silence Of The Lambs so Buffalo Bills is a NFL team I take it as he said the Dallas Cowboys went to the Super Bowl (never heard of any of those teams and have a vague sense the Super Bowl is the biggest game for the NFL)

[@Eierkneifer69]

So Vader's "pump" apparatus never seemed to happen, right?

[@jasoncoward-aintscared]

"Okay, Sullivan is gone, and we need a replacement who can wear a hood and fool people until the reveal in the ring..who do we got? Kerry Von Erich. He's 6 foot 3 and looks like a granite statue of Hercules. He's perfect." This is why pro wrestling is the greatest entertainment ever.

[@maur_sault750]

Is that Vader or Vampiro?

[@bigpasty1582]

Good to see lex smiling and feeling good💪

[@ThoughtPolice007]

Sean "the Pride Of New Jersey" Oliver is a cowboys fan, I just bought his book but he just lost a bunch of points.

[@richardclark7224]

This was a good one for me ….. but Todd Gordon … ouch for me I could do without him

[@richhaney2556]

Why?

[@devilxking2]

@@robv4936 I disagree. I like Todd's insights. Obviously he's no Paul E but, y'know.

[@gts8919]

Same here. Nothing against Todd but I don't care for the ECW product.

[@BiscoWho]

I like Tod as a person. But, I always skip every ECW timeline. It's just not THAT interesting due to it being SO tiny of a company until 96-97, which is when it went from being SO tiny to being small. And by 99 they were dying. The thing that ECW marks always avoid is the fact that all the ACTUAL best ECW talents became wayyyyy better in the fed. Once the ECW guys were forced into learning and using actual ring psychology, the ones who used it the most did the best in the fed. Everyone wants to give Paul Heyman so much praise for his creative abilities. But, he's actually not all that great unless he has a filter to keep him in check. Paul has the ability to make one fantastic supercard every once in a while. But, he's not that great at controlling the creative on weekly television. He needs a filter for that. And we all know about Paul being a horrible human being to his talent by lying constantly and not paying them large sums of money. Look at how many ECW guys died from the same sort of stuff at very young ages too. On top of that, ECW matches rarely ever had any psychology to them. Then, you have guys like Sandman who couldn't cut a promo and who DEFINITELY could not wrestle. He didn't even have the basics. Yet, you would regularly find Sandman in the main event in ECW on their supercards/PPVs. All in all, ECW actually had a real shot at developing into a solid company. But, Paul hotshotted constantly and he tried to play way above his weight instead of steadily growing and eventually being able to legitimately afford a decent roster. We all know he was a poor businessman. But, i don't think people realize that ECW did not have to fail and go bankrupt like it did. It had the chance to become the number 2 wrestling company in the world after WCW died. If Paul had just steadily grown things and he hadn't been a shady P.O.S., just imagine what could've happened if ECW had been in TNA's position and ECW had picked up some solid investors due to being a legitimate promotion. They would've been able to pick up so many amazing wrestlers and they would've been able to draw more viewers every week than TNA did, as well as draw way more PPV buys regularly, and put way more butts in the seats all the time.

[@reynaldoreyes9927]

Saturday, 1/23/1993 ( ECW: Eastern Championship Wrestling/WWA Battle of the Belts) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Radissin Hotel Kerry Von Erich( subbing for Kevin Sullivan wanted by The Police, Kerry committed suicide Friday, 2/18/93 ) battled Salvatore Bellomo to a Double DQ

[@snowjorden]

16 more hours.. cmon!

[@mattm7798]

About steroids, i still find it incredibly hypocritical for people to look down on wrestlers for being on gear but it's totally ok for male movie stars to do it?

[@chippedtoothtony9665]

Nobody is looking for Tod gordon

[@nichhodge8503]

I doubt some shitty Cadillac could do 170mph, American cars are shitty in the 2020’s let alone in the 80’s & 90’s! I would’ve have any American car even as a gift (well maybe as a gift and it was a new high end or as high end as Americans can do and then sell it on)

[@nichhodge8503]

Vader saying he thought in 93 that the WCW World title was more prestigious than the WWF World title, that like in football/soccer in England someone saying winning the Championship League is more prestigious than winning the Premier League which simply isn’t true. The number two company’s title isn’t more prestigious than the number one company’s title like the number two League isn’t as prestigious as the number one League in England/Europe/World

[@scotthalvorson1161]

Wrestling in general sucked at this time

[@robinhood-s7g]

He right I liked WCW in 93 more. 93 was decent it just was a transitional time period

[@timrobinson6573]

Lex seems like a dope

[@Chaz4543]

Sid, Lex Luger, and Vader. All 3 were great heels but Sid was the only one of the 3 who really got over as a babyface. Lex Luger and Vader as babyfaces weren't really accepted but Sid was much more so. Lex Luger as a babyface in WCW was nothing really. Vader was a natural heel. He didnt work as a babyface. Sid could pull off being a babyface or a heel very well.

[@broadstbullies]

Sean is a cowboys fan? unfollowed

[@edwells4769]

Dudes mentioned it hundreds of times in his videos

[@seanbonella]

Really hate this all in one format

[@No_Use_For_A_Name1981]

I love it.

[@edwells4769]

It's chronological and is interesting to see exactly what's going on at each company at the same times

[@Berniegurslow]

Vader is delusional as hell thinking the wcw belt was the #1 belt in 93or anytime he had it😂 thank god Shawn buried that delusional whale and got him out of wwf so fast

[@richhaney2556]

Uh huh right buddy

[@Berniegurslow]

@@richhaney2556 delusional obese whale got the ending he deserved 😂

[@dachronicalalittlebitofeve6630]

Lex comes across as a wonderful guy, to hear others talk about him makes you believe you’re going to see the most arrogant human being ever. Someone who didn’t get the business and had no place in it. B/S….. lex was and is an amazing guy, maybe his more recent issues have humbled him but I just think it’s nothing more jealousy that make other’s criticism so harsh. Certainly guys like him and Sid had amazing looks, bodies that stood out as special. Guys like sid could’ve been the greatest ever but guys like flair hated him because of jealousy, nothing more nothing less, like how he would become upset when ppl asked him if he knew hulk hogan was while he was NWA chanpion, really flair absolutely hated hulk, he’d criticise him any chance he got because he couldn’t enderstake why hulk attracted such massive crowds and commanded such attention on a global scale. Billy Graham tells it, he describes flairs annoyance in great detail. Sid was money, the only really credible candidate to follow up after hulk in the wwf. Sid was never taught, never shown what he should be doing, at this point in time those others wouldn’t help him, they hated that a guy who had a look could be perceived by the fans as the greatest even tho he couldn’t actually work and take bumps, sid shouldn’t have ever been taking bumps. His sid Justice character was amazing and should’ve been booked as impossible to hurt, that he would just “hulk up” instantly, chokeslams, powerbombs, press slams, suplex, body slams, and bug thunder punches which shoupdve only needed one to out a guy down, a big boot….. that’s it. The “Goldberg” push, or warriors early stuff where he didn’t get hurt, just powered his way through and squashed whoever he went down to beat up. He didn’t even need actual matches, he should’ve been the enforcer, if a ref got bumped, or duped, sid could just walk down and beat down the cheater….. So much potential. I can without sid, another humungous giant should have that gimmick, the ref gimmick with a finisher named the rulebook or rule breaker/ or the death sentence/ or No Parole, the lockdown, solitary confinement etc etc…… It’s a shame ppl like flair and so many others would do what they could to both hood him back and to make him look difficult to work with. Nearly everyone who knew him and worked with him say it was a night off, he was light, he didn’t hurt you, he was easy to talk too, easy to manipulate and wind up, he also didn’t get how he needed to be a face and become the hulk of the time but describing himself to Vince he literally said “well ye vince I get you want to out me in hulks spot but I see myself as a big vicious heel!”…… he didn’t get it, just how big he really could’ve been. I feel he could’ve possibly have been bigger than warrior and hulk or least been able to carry the company through its transition period. They went with the “new generation” and had Brett fart and The fart break kid as it’s spearhead, as it’s leading stars….😂😂😂firstly they were far from new, at least HBK changed his gimmick up from being a rocker so you could believe he was different, but Brett was just the same, only now he spent a little more on costume and finally got rid of the old hand me down college stuff that he wore up to wrestlemania 4 😂😂 you know, the blue one, like the old bulldogs tights, in fact they were probably passed to him from dynamite 😂 hulk moving into wcw and some of the other superstars vince had written off and fired being on free tv again made all the difference in terms of ratings…..that was the only reason wcw won so many viewers and wwf started losing them, we didn’t want to see 124 kid against doink or skinner vs max moon….. we wanted hulk and bossman and hacksaw…..etc etc….. They had been behind a paywall of “sky” tv and weren’t available to everyone, once wcw signed those guys and was on free tv, playgrounds started buzzing with wrestling talk again… Lex is cool, as I said I don’t know if he’s changed but based in this the Criticism is unfair.

[@mh43]

Seems pretty safe to assume he has changed a lot. He might have been a prick back then. And.then there's the Elizabeth stuff...