SHAWN MICHAELS (C) VS. MR PERFECT

SHAWN MICHAELS (C) VS. MR. PERFECT 

(WWF Intercontinental Championship) 

WWF Summerslam 1993 (30th August 1993) 

 They start slowly and Michaels gets control of Perfect's arm, slamming him down to the mat. Perfect is straight to his feet as Diesel nods his head in approval. 

 Mr Perfect gets a hammerlock and snapmares Shawn down as McMahon says Shawn Michaels has followed in Perfect's footsteps. Michaels grabs a standing headlock, Perfect tries to push him off but Michaels uses Perfect's hair to keep it on. Perfect brings Michaels back by his hair and pushes him off the ropes. Michaels slides under and misses a wild right swing but backflips out of a back suplex attempt, Perfect ducks a clothesline, Michaels ducks one and then they flub a double down spot. Heenan asks who got the worst of it and McMahon blatantly says "Michaels, because he was in control." with the most deadpan tone. Perfect is in control of Michaels' arm now though on the mat and he drives his knee into the hammerlocked arm. Michaels works to his feet. They fight for hammerlocks and Shawn transitions into a side headlock. Michaels uses the corner to springboard back in the ring and takes Perfect down to the mat in the headlock. Perfect breaks it with a headscissors and Michaels kicks out but misses an elbow drop for a stand off.

They lock up and Perfect starts backing Shawn up, Shawn switches positions at the last second holding Perfect in the corner with some right hands. Michaels is put in the corner and Perfect hits him with knife-edge chops. Michaels is sent across the ring and he tries to float-over but Perfect stops in his tracks. Michaels hits a back elbow sending Perfect into the corner. Mr Perfect reverses an irish whip but Michaels climbs the ropes and backflips over him, turning into a clothesline. Michaels spins in the air from that and Perfect covers but only gets 2. He grabs control of Michaels' left arm on the mat, but Michaels eventually works to his knees and a standing position. He backs Perfect into a corner to break the hold and shoulder blocks him. Mr Perfect reverses an irish whip but Michaels avoids the charge. Michaels dives from the top into an arm drag. Perfect holds on after a second arm drag and tries to pin Michaels, still only getting two. HE COVERED FROM AN ARM DRAG!

Mr Perfect keeps hold of the arm, working it from different angles. Michaels fights to his feet and backs Perfect into the ropes and sends him across the ring, Perfect ducks a clothesline and a back elbow before catching Shawn Michaels in a dropkick and catapults him over the top rope to the floor. Perfect follows but Diesel is lurking nearby. Diesel distracts Perfect and the referee just from his presence and that causes Perfect to turn into a superkick from Michaels. Michaels flies off the apron with an axe handle and sends Perfect back into the ring. Michaels starts attacking Perfect's lower back before letting him get back to his feet. It's pretty funny hearing Heenan talk shit about Mr Perfect throughout this match considering their connection a few short years ago. Michaels sends Perfect into the corner with force, again adding more work to the lower back of Perfect. Michaels clubs at Perfect's back before sending him across the ring. The referee checks on Perfect and Shawn stands across his back before dropping like a cannonball on Perfect.

Shawn Michaels hits a backbreaker and stretches Perfect's back over his knee. I miss that. Perfect has to use Michaels' hair and some right hands to break himself free. Perfect fights back to his feet with more right hands. Michaels sends Perfect off the ropes but Perfect ducks a right hand then leapfrogs Michaels before catching him off guard with a dropkick. Michaels sent across the ring and he gets caught with a back body drop. Perfect runs into Michaels with a knee lift, making him shove the referee lightly. Michaels walks into an inverted atomic drop and Perfect covers for 2. Heenan says Perfect should have hooked the tights as Michaels runs into a right hand. Perfect covers for a nearfall. Michaels reverses an irish whip but Perfect blocks a hip toss. They fight for a backslide and Michaels is eventually flipped over, Mr Perfect hits the Perfectplex! Diesel drags Perfect out of the ring and they fight on the outside. 

 Shawn Michaels joins them as he recovers and Perfect sends Michaels in to break the count and knocking him into the referee. Diesel sends Perfect into the ring post and he gets counted out. 

WINNER: SHAWN MICHAELS 

(STILL WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION BY COUNTOUT) 

 For the whole match, I was waiting for it to get kicked up a notch. I'd heard this was more of an exhibition but it even seemed lacking for that. I'm trying to look at it objectively and not have the names dull the rating even more but this seemed like an intermission match to keep the crowd awake. I feel like I put more effort into writing this analysis than they did working the match. The none finish doesn't make sense with them not having a proper program afterwards either. It's a massive missed opportunity at the wrong time for WWF. – [½*] 2.5/10