So, How would I have booked the WWF title scene in 1993 without putting Hogan in the title picture and ultimately culminating in a similar situation to what we got at Wrestlemania X? Let me explain it. Again, you may not agree, and that's fine. This is just a subjective opinion from someone who thinks they have a smarter grasp on things after watching how the company went in 1993. Hell, I reviewed the whole year, I at least can see what they did and try to do it a little better. Images will be provided through WWE 2k16
We start at the Royal Rumble match. Now, Bret Hart defeats Razor Ramon just earlier on in the WWF title match. We go through the match as normal, Bob Backlund setting a good time, Yokozuna being dominant, but no sign of Giant Gonzalez attacking Undertaker. Instead, it's Yokozuna who eliminates the Dead Man. Undertaker doesn't take this too well, and returns to the ring and brawls with the Samoan Japanese man. He manages to get Yokozuna over the top rope with some clotheslines and eliminates him. This sets up a Yokozuna vs Undertaker match at Wrestlemania IX instead of Gonzalez/Taker.
We get to entrant 30, and out comes the Macho Man. But before he can get to the ring, he's blindsided by Razor Ramon, who lays out Savage with a Razor's Edge on the concrete. He flicks his toothpick at the fallen Randy Savage and takes his spot in the rumble. In the end, it comes down to Bob Backlund, who comes close to beating Flair's record time, and Razor Ramon. In the end though, it's Razor who throws Backlund over the top rope, winning the 1993 Royal Rumble and securing himself a rematch against Bret Hart. This gives Razor Ramon a better spot than just a random match with Backlund at Mania, and secures Yokozuna a feud with Undertaker.
The Wrestlemania Card stays about the same, but there's no Razor/Backlund match and Undertaker wrestles Yokozuna. To preserve the streak, we get a similar ending to the Gonzalez match, but instead it's Yokozuna being disqualified for smashing the salt bucket over the head of the Undertaker. He lays waste to the dead man, which is the aggression he'll need for his feud with Hulk Hogan, which is now more about decimating the symbol of American pride than just the WWF title.
In the main event, it's Bret Hart vs Razor Ramon for the WWF Title. Earlier at the Wrestlemania brunch, Lex Luger attacked Bret Hart. In this scenario, it was a far more brutal hit, injuring the leg of Bret badly. Despite that, Bret puts in a strong effort, despite Razor constantly focusing on the injured leg. The finish comes with Bret going for the sharpshooter, but his leg's too injured to keep the hold in. He collapses, which gives Razor enough time to recover, hit the Razor's Edge and get the three count. Razor Ramon becomes the new WWF Champion. And we end on it. There is no Hogan involvement whatsoever.
Bret decides that he needs to earn the rematch, as well as get some revenge on Lex Luger, so he focuses on that and the King of the Ring. From here on in, Bret's destiny is about the same. He wins the King of the Ring, feuds with Lawler and begins the family feud with his brother Owen. He will still be a co-main eventer with Lex Luger for Wrestlemania X. Bret will still get the gold back in 1994.
As for Razor, he gets a bigger air about him. He's mainly targeting Randy Savage, calling him an old fossil and ready for the retirement home. We enter the May 17th edition of Raw, where the champion is in a match with the Lightning Kid, and just like in the main storyline, Razor ends up being upset by the Kid. Now, not only is this the upset of the century, it's even bigger because this random kid just beat the WWF Champion.
For the next few weeks leading to King of the Ring, Razor is furious. He wants one more match with the newly dubbed 1-2-3 Kid. He offers 20 grand, then 50, then a 100. But the Kid wants one thing and one thing only, a match for the WWF Title at King of the Ring. Razor begrudgingly accepts, promising that "this time chico, there will be no miracle for you. I'm gonna take those wings of yours and clip em."
So, King of the Ring is mostly the same, only it's Doink wrestling Bret in the opener and not Razor. Hogan wrestles Yokozuna and still gets the flash bulb to the face, which leads to the end of Hogan. Bret wins the King of the Ring as previously mentioned. And in the WWF title match spot, it's Razor Ramon vs The 1-2-3 Kid, with Macho Man in his corner. Despite the Kid's best efforts, even getting the moonsault spot on Ramon again, Razor still manages to get the win and retains the WWF Title. The fans are also slowly getting behind Razor, but he's still acting heelish.
Summer rolls in, and things are about the same. Luger wins the body slam challenge, and still has to petition to get his match with Yokozuna, who is refusing to let Luger get a second chance at humiliating him. At Summerslam, Luger gets his match and still wins by count out. This way, it's mildly less embarrassing to have Luger win this way, but yeah, still can't just pin Yoko. In the middle of this feud with Luger, Crush gets destroyed by Yokozuna as in the main storyline, which will lead into stuff later.
On to the title picture. With the Kid finally beaten, Razor now sets his sights on Randy Savage. He calls Savage a disgusting old blight on what should be the new generation of the WWF. He says that Savage isn't needed anymore, and that if it were up to him, Savage would have been gone long and ever ago. This angers Savage who says that if he thinks that so badly, why not try to do something about it. Razor says that he knows he can beat the Macho Man and puts his WWF title on the line at Summerslam, on the condition that if Savage loses, he leaves the WWF forever. Savage agrees.
This leads us to Summerslam. Razor vs Dibiase is off the card, and Dibiase just quietly exits from wrestling. In fact, when Money Inc lose the titles to the Steiner Brothers, that's the end of Dibiase's run. Undertaker is not wrestling Giant Gonzalez, but instead in a feud with newcomer Ludvig Borga, who gets a surprise win on the Undertaker at Summerslam, giving Borga some momentum through the fall.
The main event is Randy Savage vs Razor Ramon for the WWF title with Savage's career on the line. It's pretty back and forth for the most part. The finish is Razor going for the Razor's edge, but Savage turns it into a backslide for the three. Savage wins his third and final WWF title victory. Razor stays in the ring, looking dejected over his loss. Savage, being the better man, goes to shake the hand of Razor, who ultimately accepts. He raises Savages arm and exits, letting Savage soak in the moment. This leads to Razor becoming a full on babyface. He goes right into the Intercontinental title angle, where he wins the gold after it's been vacated. Savage winning the title in a feel good moment with plenty of build is much better than Hogan getting a title match just because and a win in under a minute. Plus, Savage deserves it more.
Savage's title run does not last too long. At a house show the following weekend, Savage defends his WWF title against Yokozuna. savage puts in a valiant effort, and even sets up Yoko for an elbow drop, but a returning Crush shoves Savage off the top rope, leading to Yoko regaining the advantage and winning his first WWF title. A title he'll hold until Wrestlemania. Savage will go into a feud with Crush, Luger will feud with Yoko for the title for a bit, and everything that had a place going into Survivor Series remains in the same spot.
And that's how I'd book the WWF title picture in 1993. Maybe you'd prefer Bret keep the gold, or even someone else, but I think this works well. Razor gets elevated, gets a title run that he never had, it elevates the Kid for a bit, gives alternate feuds for others and gives Macho Man one more great moment. And it all makes for a better and more exciting spring of 93 all around.