WrestleFest 1992
Hosts: Gene Okerlund, Bobby Heenan
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes

I’ve done most every other show in this series so we might as well do the last one. This is a Coliseum Video without much of a particular theme and that means we could be going in all kinds of directions. We’re a bit past my favorite time but odds are there is going to be some Bret Hart and/or Shawn Michaels goodness to carry it through. Let’s get to it.

Dig that old Coliseum Video intro. It’s not the 80s version but I can always go for this one too.

Gene Okerlund is on the tennis court and we have a theme for the tape. Now of course he’s going to need a partner, so here is Bobby Heenan, complete with a sweatband. Gene offers a lesson but Heenan has a table tennis paddle. Heenan: “You play with a Chinese guy and he brings you egg rolls. It’s a heck of a game.” Heenan, in a sweater, complains about the heat but let’s go to our first match.

From New York City, New York, March 23, 1992.

Shawn Michaels vs. Virgil

Sherri is here with Michaels and Mooney calls Virgil (still with his broken nose) “one of the most popular Superstars in the World Wrestling Federation”. Hayes calls him one of the most improved wrestlers of the 90s, which has me wanting these two checked into a sanitarium. Shawn and Sherri take their time getting rid of the gear and after a minute plus, we’re finally ready to go. Michaels takes him into the corner and punches the nose guard in a moment of general stupidity.

We now pause for Sherri to kiss Shawn’s hand before a slap to Virgil’s face has Shawn bailing to the floor. Virgil isn’t having that and throws Shawn back in as we see Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan at ringside for the original commentary. Shawn punches out of a headlock but gets pulled right back into another one to keep him in trouble. Back up and a clothesline puts Virgil on the floor and Shawn gets a rather needed breather.

With Virgil back in, Shawn gets evil by lifting the nose guard for a shot to the face. Stomping and facial ripping ensue as things slow down and we hit the chinlock. Virgil fights up and is quickly dropped with a right hand to the exposed nose. You can’t blame Shawn for going too complicated here and it’s going to get the fans to hate him even more. A clothesline cuts off the comeback attempt but Virgil manages a quick faceplant.

Now the comeback is on, with an atomic drop sending Shawn into the buckle. Virgil even takes off his own nose guard to hit a dropkick (I guess the guard was weighing him down?) for two. A knee misses in the corner though and Shawn hits the teardrop suplex for the pin at 12:13.

Rating: C. Completely fine match here but the biggest problem with Virgil is that he’s just…..there. Nothing about his work in the ring made him stand out whatsoever because he was just a guy in gear doing basic moves. That wasn’t going to last long and every day that he spent away from Ted DiBiase made him feel less important. Shawn was coming along as a heel, but he needs to heed Razor Ramon’s advice: just use the kick.

From Toledo, Ohio, April 7, 1992.

Tag Team Titles: Money Inc. vs. Bushwhackers

Money Inc., with Jimmy Hart, is defending shockingly enough. The champs jump them to start but a pair of Battering Rams break that up. Stereo biting of the pants/trunks have Money Inc. on the floor and we pause for a breather. We settle down to IRS taking over on Butch and sending him into the buckle.

A missed charge allows the tag off to Luke though and the champs are rammed into each other. Back to back Battering Rams send Money Inc. outside again and it’s time for some Hart advice. That actually seems to work for once as IRS takes over on Luke back inside, including an abdominal stretch.

We get the classic heel cheating behind the referee’s back, because that’s what good villains are supposed to do. IRS grabs the chinlock but Luke fights up and kicks DiBiase in the face. The hot tag brings in Butch to clean house as everything breaks down. Hart offers a distraction though and IRS gets in a knee to the back. An elbow drop of all things is enough to retain the titles at 8:31.

Rating: C. This felt entirely like a house show match and that’s more or less what it was, despite airing on Prime Time Wrestling. The fun team got in a few moments before the villains cheated to keep their titles. They didn’t bother doing anything overly complicated here and let their talent shine through, which is something that is going to work more often than not.

Back at the court, Gene tries to explain the idea of serving to Heenan, who is more interested in the Freebird Sisters. Gene’s serve is fine enough (though Heenan thinks he hit an old lady), but Heenan uses his racket to pick up some drinks. Gene thinks his has been spiked but Heenan reminds him that it’s free. Ok then.

From Biloxi, Mississippi, March 10, 1992.

British Bulldog vs. Rick Martel

Martel sends him into the corner to start and flips backwards because he likes to show off. Bulldog isn’t having that and grabs a headlock, which kills the crowd a good bit. An armbar doesn’t get much more of a reaction but an accidental referee distraction lets Martel send him outside.

Some shots to the back have Bulldog in trouble and Martel, like anyone paying attention, stomps away back inside. Bulldog fights up and starts a rather basic comeback, only to have Martel bail outside at the threat of a right hand (that’s the moneymaker you see). That doesn’t work for Bulldog, who throws him back inside for a sunset flip (including Martel grabbing the ropes and getting caught) and the pin at 5:21.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one as it was a quick match with neither getting to do very much. Bulldog didn’t even get to use the powerslam, which made it feel a little lame. At the same time, they weren’t given the chance to really do anything, which is a shame as the talent is there for a good match. Bad circumstances here and they led to a not so good match.

We get a special profile on Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart. This includes the last few minutes of his title win over Mr. Perfect at Summerslam 1991 (an absolute classic) and the last few minutes of his defense against Skinner at This Tuesday In Texas.

From Springfield, Massachusetts, November 12, 1991.

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. Barbarian

Barbarian is challenging and tries to put the title around himself to start the match. We’re ready to go with Bret fighting out of a headlock but getting shouldered out to the floor in a big crash. Back in and another shoulder drops Bret again, but this time he manages to stay inside (baby steps).

A crossbody goes badly as well but Barbarian misses an elbow drop. An armbar slows Barbarian down a bit, at least until he comes back with a hot shot to drop Bret again. Some rams into the post keep Hart’s back in trouble and Barbarian slowly chops away back inside. There’s the required chest first buckle shot and Barbarian grabs the bearhug.

Bret manages to fight out pretty quickly and cuts off a corner charge with a raised boot. A clothesline into the backbreaker into the middle rope elbow gives Bret two but the kickout sends him outside (that’s rather strong). Barbarian grabs a suplex for two and tries another one, only to get small packaged for the retaining pin at 12:28.

Rating: C+. This was as 1992 Bret Hart of a match as you could get and that means it went pretty well. Bret could be put in there against anyone and do a nice job, with the Barbarian fitting the bill pretty easily. One of the big appeals for Bret is being able to wrestle a good match with any opponent and it was on full display here. Barbarian might not have been a major star, but he knew what he was and played it the right way for a very long time.

Heenan isn’t doing so well against a woman sitting in a chair hitting balls to him. He’s off to get a new racket and leaves us with this.

From Biloxi, Mississippi, March 10, 1992.

Natural Disasters vs. Nasty Boys

Jimmy Hart is here with the Nastys. We pause for the Nastys to argue with a kid in the front row until Sags slugs away at Typhoon. With that not working, it’s off to Knobbs vs. Earthquake, which isn’t as much of a disaster for the Disaster. Earthquake shoulders him down a few times but Sags gets in a cheap shot with the helmet (Hayes: “Now there’s a nice move.”) to put him down for a change.

As commentary debates how horrible the Nastys really are, Sags slowly hammers away in the corner. Earthquake shrugs off some running elbows so Knobbs comes in to cut off a tag attempt. The referee misses the tag to Typhoon, who comes in anyway as everything breaks down. Earthquake hits a quick elbow to finish Sags at 6:33 as Typhoon throws Hart at Knobbs.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here between two teams you don’t see together very often. The Natural Disasters were a heck of a monster team for a little while, as the visual alone made them work. The Nastys were really starting to click around here too, and having the whole Jimmy Hart jumping around from team to team deal made it all the better. Not much of a match, but at least it didn’t last long.

From Kalamazoo, Michigan, April 8, 1992.

WWF Title: Randy Savage vs. IRS

IRS, with Jimmy Hart, is challenging three days after Savage won the title. They hit the stall button to start as IRS won’t let go of the briefcase. Back in and they finally lock up, with Savage grabbing a headlock. A Hart distraction lets IRS get to the floor as Sean warns Hayes to watch what he says because Savage is going to see this tape.

IRS gets back in and is quickly atomic dropped to the floor, where Savage can knock him into Hart. Back in and another Hart distraction lets IRS get in a knee to the back to finally take over. Savage is sent face first into the steps and Savage is in trouble. They get back inside and we hit the abdominal stretch, complete with a pull of the rope. The referee manages to catch him this time though and Savage gets in a few shots.

Another knee to the back drops the champ again though, as IRS continues his usual steady but not so interesting offense. The chinlock goes on, as do IRS’s feet on the ropes, but Savage fights up again. With nothing else working, Hart gets on the apron with the briefcase, only to have Savage ram IRS into it instead. Hart is knocked down and the top rope elbow retains the title at 11:17.

Rating: C. This was getting into the lamer version of Savage, as it was take a beating for a long time and then get in one shot, followed by the elbow for the pin. Savage still felt like a major star, but save for the Flair match, he wasn’t quite the same in the ring. If nothing else, I do like the idea of giving him a fairly easy title defense, especially as he had only won the title in the huge match a few days earlier.

And now, a special feature with Mr. Fuji and the Berzerker, showing us…..how to throw a party? First step: turn down the music so we can actually hear Fuji. First official step: getting the invitations right. Or in Berzerker’s case, find someone in the back and kidnap them. Then you need “lots of little gimmicks and stuff”, like streamers and balloons. You also need good food, like finger sandwiches, which means sticking your fingers in peanut butter and ribbing them on bread. That’s all you need to know! This wasn’t funny.

From Kalamazoo, Michigan, April 8, 1992.

Repo Man vs. El Matador

Feeling out process to start with Repo taking him into the corner and then working on an armbar. You don’t try to armbar Santana (commentary calls him that so I can too) as he reverses into one of his own before hammering away. A running crossbody gives Santana a quick two but Repo is back with his basic shots to the face. The slam into a legdrop gets two but Santana is back with a clothesline. Repo gets knocked outside and grappling hooks Santana in the ribs for the DQ at 7:30.

Rating: D+. Blech. This was rather boring and never got out of maybe first and a half gear. Their offenses were both very basic, which is rather sad when you consider just how good Santana could be with almost anyone. Granted Repo was never known for burning up the mat, but how do you have a lame match with Tito Santana?

Post match Repo chokes with the hook again, making Santana foam at the mouth.

From Niagara Falls, New York, April 28, 1992.

Legion Of Doom/Natural Disasters vs. Money Inc./Nasty Boys

Jimmy Hart is here with the villains and the other side has Paul Ellering. It takes over a minute to decide who starts until we get Hawk shoving DiBiase into the corner. DiBiase has some better luck with chops but Hawk cleans house with chops. Everything breaks down and the bad guys are sent to the floor and we slow down again. Sean: “This really is a classic tag team match.” First off, no it isn’t and second off, it’s just over three minutes in. That’s some rather fast classic designating.

We settle down to Hawk elbowing IRS in the face but Sags comes in for an elbow of his own. The villains start taking turns on Hawk, including DiBiase grabbing a neckbreaker for two. We hit the chinlock, because that’s what the match needs right now. Hawk fights up, gets caught in the wrong corner, and everything breaks down. Earthquake beats on Knobbs before sitting on Sags for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: D. Egads this tape could not have ended any faster and even these guys felt like they wanted out of there. This was another dull match to end a tape of them and there was no way around it. I know they didn’t have a ton of time, but they should have ha enough talent in there to have some kind of a wild fight. But then again, why do that when you can just stand around in slow motion?

Heenan believes he has mastered tennis and tries to jump the net, only to crotch himself. Some women show up to talk to Gene and that’s how we wrap it up.

Overall Rating: D. Bret vs. Barbarian is a rather basic match that was well done with Bret being good enough to make it work. It’s also the best match on the tape by a good margin, which should tell you about all you need here. They really couldn’t put in a better Shawn match or something with Flair or Piper? I like Money Inc. and the Natural Disasters, but I really didn’t need to see them this much. Savage’s match was even against half of Money Inc. to make sure they’re on there again. This wasn’t so much bad as much as it was completely uninteresting, which made this a much harder sit. Watch anything else.

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WWF House Show
Date: June 27, 1986
Location: Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Attendance: 14,348
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Gene Okerlund

Welcome to “I feel like watching some 80s wrestling”, as we have a house show from almost three months after Wrestlemania II. This is a bit of a strange time for the WWF, as Hulk Hogan is ruling the world and there are good feuds beneath him, but he is going to need a big challenger to come after the title. That might be taken care of tonight. Let’s get to it.

Gorilla and Gene welcome us to the show and run down the top of the card.

Based on cards I can find, this show is not in the same order that it aired, but I can’t imagine it makes that much of a difference.

Les Thornton/Tiger Chung Lee vs. US Express

Unfortunately this is the Dan Spivey version of the Express. Thornton and Rotundo start things off and Thornton drops him with a running shoulder. Rotundo pulls him down into a headscissors as Gene talks about a recent golf outing. With that broken up, it’s off to Spivey to headlock Lee over. Spivey grinds away a bit but Lee gets in a shot of his own, allowing Thornton to come back in. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Spivey powers up, only to get caught in a front facelock.

Commentary talks about some of the great teams at the moment, including Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff and George Steele/Junkyard Dog. I question commentary’s definition of “great” as Spivey gets taken down again. Lee comes in for a slam, only to get slammed off the top for his efforts. Rotundo comes in to finally pick up the pace, including a legdrop between Lee’s legs.

We lose the camera feed for a bit before coming back to Lee driving Rotundo into the corner so things can slow right back down. Thornton grabs a chinlock until Rotunda fights up, only to have Lee offer a distraction so the tag doesn’t count. Rotundo finally kicks him away and brings in Spivey for the house cleaning. A backdrop into a jumping elbow gets two but Lee gets dropkicked out to the floor. Back in and it’s Rotundo getting caught in the corner AGAIN as this match just won’t end. This beating doesn’t last as long as it’s back to Spivey for the bulldog to finish Thornton at 12:17.

Rating: D. Oh sweet goodness this was boring and I have no idea why it went on this long. It’s a match where you could cut the time in half and do the same thing that much better. The Spivey version of the Express didn’t work out very well and you could tell that the team was on the downside here. The action was slow and uninteresting and I was begging for it to end, making the last five minutes rather awful. Terrible choice for an opener.

Tony Atlas vs. Harley Race

Race has only been around here full time for about a month and a half now. They trade headlocks to start, with Atlas grinding him down to his knees. Back up and Race tries a headbutt but goes down to the power of racial stereotypes. We’re right back to the headlock but this time they fall outside, with Atlas being knocked over the barricade.

Atlas takes his sweet time coming back inside so Race suplexes him back in for two. Back up and Atlas grabs a suplex of his own, only to miss an elbow. Race puts him down with a swinging neckbreaker and drops some elbows. A dropkick gets Atlas out of trouble and a middle rope headbutt puts Race down again. The splash hits knees though and a sunset flip finishes for Race at 8:27.

Rating: C-. Well, it was better than the opener, at least partially because it was a bit shorter. Atlas came off as confused more than anything else, as he spent a lot of time standing around, allowing Race to either move or block it. Race is of course able to have a good match with just about anyone and he was holding it together until they finally just stopped.

King Tonga vs. Pete Doherty

Tonga is the future Haku/Meng and is currently owed $50,000 for slamming Big John Studd, which he does not seem likely to collect. Doherty is a local heel who was a bit of a mainstay around Boston and even did commentary on some of these shows. Tonga powers him around to start and Doherty is complaining about a non-existent hair pull.

Back up and Tonga kicks him away before glaring Doherty off for trying a ram into the buckle. Doherty has a breather on the floor before coming back inside to miss a charge in the corner. Tonga hammers away and hits a dropkick, followed by a superkick. A flying headbutt finishes Doherty at 4:20.

Rating: C. This was little more than a squash as Tonga ran over him and Doherty got in a grand total of nothing. That being said, that’s kind of the point of someone like Doherty, who was never going to be any kind of a threat to anyone. Tonga was at least a more interesting star and someone who moved around better than almost anyone else on the show so far, though that isn’t a high bar to clear.

Moondog Spot vs. Pedro Morales

They lock up as Gorilla talks about his matches with Bruno Sammartino here in the Garden. Morales starts fast with some backdrops and Spot needs a breather. We pause for Spot to yell at the fans before he grabs a not exactly cranked on headlock. Morales breaks that up without much effort and they stare at each other a bit more.

Spot gets in a shot of his own though and the chinlock goes on. Said chinlock is about as lazy as you can imagine but it stays on for a good while. Morales fights up and gets a sunset out of the corner for no count, allowing Spot to punch him in the face. Not that it matters as Morales small packages him for two, followed by an O’Connor roll for the pin on Spot at 7:27.

Rating: D. Is the WWF mad at Boston for some reason? There have been four matches so far and the best one has been ok at best. Morales is a legend and the fans are going to respond to him, but how interested can you get in a few punches and some rollups? Spot was even worse though, making this another lame match in a show long series of them so far.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Jake Roberts

Ok this HAS to be better. Steamboat chases him to the floor and the fight starts out there as they don’t quite like each other. They get back inside with Steamboat being sent inside but easily blocking a DDT attempt. With Roberts on the floor again, the referee almost hits Steamboat, with commentary NOT being happy with such an action.

Back in and Steamboat sends Roberts into the corner and is rather fired up. Roberts gets tied up in the ropes and hammered some more, only to break free and drop Steamboat with a hard right hand. A clothesline and a heck of a whip into the corner have Steamboat down and Roberts says hit him. Not one to be rude, Steamboat slugs away but gets punched down again as Roberts wants to box.

Steamboat is knocked through the ropes and barely hangs on from crashing out to the floor. Back in and Roberts grabs the sleeper, which he switches into a chinlock to avoid drowsiness. With Steamboat fighting up, Roberts slams him down and hammers away some more. The referee breaks that up as well and commentary still isn’t pleased.

It’s time for the snake but it takes too long, meaning Roberts has to try/miss a running knee lift. A neckbreaker drops Roberts again and Steamboat does it a second time for a bonus. Back up and Roberts hits the knee lift, sending Steamboat outside again. Roberts follows him out but gets posted and sent inside….as Steamboat is counted out at 13:28.

Rating: B. I’m not sure if it was the anger between the two of them or the fact that the show has been so dull until now but this was a rather good match. They were beating each other up and Roberts felt like he was tormenting Steamboat and trying to hurt him at the same time. On the other hand you have Steamboat getting ticked off and fighting back, which is something he does rather well in his own right. Rather strong stuff here, as most of their feud wound up being.

Post match Steamboat stays on him, even sending Roberts into the barricade to bust him open. Back in and the referee has to drag Steamboat off so Roberts can escape.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage

Hogan is defending and Savage’s (with Miss Elizabeth) Intercontinental Title (which he isn’t carrying) isn’t on the line. Savage jumps Hogan from behind and gets in a belt shot to the back to start rather fast. The top rope ax handle has Hogan in more trouble but Liz gets up on the apron for some reason, allowing Hogan to pop up and start throwing the right hands.

Hogan even takes Savage’s sunglasses and hammers away while wearing stolen property. Savage is sent outside and rammed shoulder first into the post to keep him in trouble. Back in and Hogan drops him again as the fans are rather pleased with these happenings. Liz runs to the back for some reason as Hogan chokes Savage in the air to make it worse.

Hogan hits a suplex and Savage’s arm gets tied in the ropes. That’s fine with Hogan, who bites away (what a monster), only to get sent outside. Savage comes off the top with an ax handle to the floor, allowing Hogan to adjust his trunks a bit. Back in and Savage hits the top rope elbow (to no reaction from commentary) for two, as it’s Hulk Up time. All of the usual sets up the legdrop to retain the title at 7:13.

Rating: C+. Stolen property and attempted cannibalism aside, this wasn’t exactly a classic but Hogan vs. Savage is always worth a look. The most telling part though was the non-reaction to the top rope elbow, as the Intercontinental Champion hitting his finisher had almost no chance of beating Hogan. That’s how big Hogan was at this point and it was rather telling for what was going to be the reality of this feud for, well, ever.

Post match Adrian Adonis comes in to beat on Hogan, who fights off both villains (Adonis’ bra is exposed). Hogan even takes Adonis’ wig as the parade of thefts continues. A lot of posing ensues.

Moondog Rex vs. Billy Jack Haynes

They take their time before locking up, with Haynes grabbing a headlock to take over. Rex powers up and gets in a cheap shot in the corner, only to have the referee block another one so Haynes can take over (commentary still isn’t pleased). Haynes grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back (a rare sight from the good guy), which is broken up with a quick belly to back. A backbreaker stays on the back as Haynes starts staggering around. Rex grabs his own chinlock before missing his own elbow, allowing Haynes to slug away. A dropkick….I think misses Rex (now busted open a bit), but Haynes slaps on the full nelson for the win at 6:08.

Rating: C-. It was better than the other Moondog match, but there were a few parts there where they didn’t quite seem to be on the same page. Haynes was a decent power guy with a good full nelson but there is only so much that he could do. At least it was short, which is rarely a high compliment for any match and it isn’t here either.

King Kong Bundy vs. Junkyard Dog

Bundy bails from the threat of a chain because, you know, it’s a chain. Gorilla says we’re in for a classic, suggesting that he doesn’t know the definition of the word “classic”. They hit the stall button for over a minute before Bundy drives him into the corner for a clean break (though the referee yells at Dog for a bit). Bundy knocks him down but misses the elbow, allowing Dog to fire off the elbows to the head.

After a quick trip tot he floor, Bundy comes back in so he can win a slugout. The splash misses but so does Dog’s headbutt as we’re getting some trash thrown inside. Bundy takes him into the corner for a short form splash, plus a chain shot to the ribs as more trash is coming in. More choking ensues as the referee takes some trash to the head.

Dog slugs back, reaches for the missing chain, and then punches some more. Dog finally grabs the chain and Bundy bails, leaving the referee to yell at Dog again. The chain is put back in the corner and they lock up again. Bundy pulls the chain in but gets headbutted, leaving Dog to toss the referee with the chain for the DQ at 7:39.

Rating: D. Not only was it a bad match, but the fans completely gave up on it about halfway through. Throw in a bad ending (along with the trash) and this was just horrible. I’m not sure what was going on here but it really didn’t work in the slightest. It’s so strange to see the fans rebel against a match like that, though it’s kind of hard to argue against in this case.

Post match Dog beats up the referee again, including a Thump (powerslam). Commentary REALLY is not pleased here as the oddness continues.

Magnificent Muraco vs. Paul Orndorff

Rematch of the Wrestlemania II opener. Fuji goes over to say something the microphones can’t quite pick up on commentary as the referee gets some of the trash from the previous match out of the ring. They fight over a lockup and break it up against the ropes as this feels like they’re taking their time. Muraco shoves him away as we’re already over two minutes in.

Some knees to the head and ribs have Orndorff in trouble and a Hennig neck snap of all things makes it worse. Orndorff knocks him to the floor for a breather though and Muraco is perfectly fine with hitting the stall button again. Back in and Orndorff starts working on the arm as we hear about his football career. The arm cranking goes on for a bit as they might as well have the clock counting down to the time limit draw on one of the advertisement boards.

More trash comes in (and is kicked out much faster this time) as Orndorff keeps the armbar going. The arm cranking reaches about three straight minutes so Gene talks about people he met on a recent flight. Muraco FINALLY fights up and sends him into the corner, setting up….a nerve hold.

Back up and Muraco sends him into the corner again, setting up another nerve hold as you can hear the fans getting REALLY fed up. One piece of trash can be seen sailing in and almost hitting the camera as this is deserving all of the anger it gets. Orndorff fights up and hammers away, accidentally showing some life in this mess. A top rope elbow to the head and an elbow drop have Muraco in trouble and the slugout is on. Orndorff grabs a small package for two as the 20 minute time limit expires at 15:11.

Rating: F. Orndorff showed some fire at the end but this was two guys going out there and more or less taking the main event off after an already horrible show. This was terrible and made me want to see their already bad Wrestlemania match again, as they weren’t trying and made no secret whatsoever about it. Just dreadful

The referee says Orndorff wins and commentary goes off about how little sense that makes, even calling it a “miscarriage of justice” to show you how serious they really are.

Overall Rating: D-. When the third best match of the night is a King Tonga squash, you know you’re in serious trouble. Roberts vs. Steamboat was rather good and Hogan vs. Savage was fun enough, but that is the grand total of anything you might want to see on a show that runs almost two hours. The fans throwing so much trash into the ring that the referee can’t get rid of it fast enough tells you everything you need to know here, as this was one of the worst house shows I’ve ever seen and most of the people involved should have felt embarrassed by what they did out there. They won’t, but they should.

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WrestleFest 1991
Host: Randy Savage
Commentators: Lord Alfred Hayes, Sean Mooney

Sometimes you need to get away from weekly TV and do some good(ish) old fashioned Coliseum Video. That’s what we have here, with another compilation tape released in July 1991. You never know what you might get on here but that can make for some interesting watches. Let’s get to it.

Randy Savage: Man Of Leisure (as the graphic says) is sitting by the pool as the audio from his career ending loss at Wrestlemania VII plays in his head. He was NOT asleep….or maybe he was, but just for a few seconds. Yes he lost, but he had a great career and wrestled some of the best of all time. The only one he didn’t get to face was the best of all time: himself (that’s such a Savage thing). Savage introduces our first match.

Jimmy Hart says Earthquake is ready to crush Ultimate Warrior in the Fan Favorite match.

From Fort Myers, Florida, February 19, 1991.

Ultimate Warrior vs. Earthquake

Earthquake slugs away from behind but can’t put Warrior down. Instead Warrior is back with some shoulders, including a flying one to send Earthquake outside. A Hart distraction lets Earthquake get in a cheap shot though and it’s a drive into the corner back inside. The slow beating, including that weird jumping stomp that Earthquake had, sets up the bearhug (you knew that was coming).

Warrior’s leg starts twitching so Earthquake picks him up (points for not going with the obvious escape route) to keep the hold on. The big elbow and the Earthquake connect for two as Warrior is ready to get going. Three straight clotheslines set up a slam and the Warrior Splash is good for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: C. This felt very much like a dark match at the end of a taping to get one of the biggest stars out there against a big monster. Warrior shrugged off everything Earthquake had and then won in just over five minutes. It was short, to the point, and did what it needed to do without looking bad. Nice choice for an opener, even if they had a very basic match.

Savage tells us where to write in to request a match. This will in no way be used to get on the WWF’s mailing list. With that out of the way, to the Manager Cam, which means Jimmy Hart is going to be mic’d with a camera on him during a match.

From Green Bay, Wisconsin, May 7, 1991.

Big Boss Man vs. The Mountie

No commentary for this one. Hart (expect to hear that name a lot here) demands that the referee take the nightstick from the Boss Man, who punches Mountie down to start. Mountie’s leapfrog is countered into a spinebuster and Boss Man steals Hart’s jacket (Hart: “MOUNTIE! MOUNTIE!”), which he threatens to send into the crowd. Hart gets the jacket back and Mountie goes outside for a breather, only to get punched down again. Boss Man chokes on the ropes for a bit (Hart: “GET OFF THE ROPE!”) and hits the running crotch attack to the back of the neck (Hart: “Referee, quit picking your nose and do something man!”).

A missed charge finally gives Mountie a breather, sending Hart into a rant about how Mountie has to get up and do something. Hart tells him everything to do to the leg, including wrapping it around the post. Boss Man tries to swing but falls down, prompting Hart to laugh at “the big hick”. Mountie grabs the mic to hit his catchphrase but Boss Man punches his way up and hits a one legged Boss Man Slam for the pin at 6:31.

Rating: C+. This was fun! The match itself was mostly a Boss Man squash with Mountie getting in a bit of work on the leg. Instead, we got a unique way to look at a match, with Hart playing it completely straight and making it a lot more interesting. I can go with something different like this, as the WWF so rarely went in a unique direction. Good stuff and very out of the box.

Post match Hart gets in the ring and tells Mountie that he’ll sucker Boss Man over so Mountie can zap him with the shock stick. And that’s exactly what they do!

From Omaha, Nebraska, April 15, 1991.

Power And Glory vs. Rockers

Slick is here with Power And Glory. We hit the stall button to start until Shawn and Roma lock up over a minute and a half in. Roma has to bail to the ropes early on before hitting Shawn in the face to take over. Michaels is right back with the hurricanrana into the right hands, followed by the double superkick to send Roma outside.

Back in and Roma dropkicks Marty down, only to get his head taken off with a clothesline. A Hercules cheap shot lets the double teaming ensue though and Marty is caught in the wrong corner again. Hercules actually stays in for a bit,, with his own clothesline getting his own two. Roma’s big running elbow (he always did that well) sets up the chinlock to keep Marty down.

That’s broken up but Roma clotheslines him again (a popular move here) and hits a top rope elbow to the head. Marty finally avoids a charge in the corner though and the diving tag brings Shawn in to clean house. The jumping back elbow hits Roma in the face and a swinging neckbreaker gets two. Everything breaks down and Hercules is clotheslined (geez) out to the floor, leaving Roma to get double hiptossed. Hold on though as Slick offers a distraction, which is enough to get the Rockers counted out at 12:06.

Rating: C. Not bad here as the Rockers were really starting to gel a few months before they split. Power And Glory are a good enough team, though you could see Hercules losing more and more steam as he just couldn’t move very well. The countout was fairly lame though, as you really can’t have Power And Glory get rolled up for a quick pin here?

Post match the fight continues with the Rockers cleaning house and stealing Slick’s hat. To be fair, it’s a pretty sweet hat.

We go to Randy Savage’s Tranquility Base (that’s Tranquility Base USA, because Savage might be nuts, but he’s an American nut) and it’s time to play some pool.

Ted DiBiase is ready to beat up the Texas Tornado, who is a great example of a Cadillac body and a Volkswagen brain.

From Orlando, Florida, February 18, 1991.

Ted DiBiase vs. Texas Tornado

Commentary points out the lack of DiBiase’s manager Sherri (which is code for “this was taped before Wrestlemania when Sherri and DiBiase got together). Before the match, Tornado brings out Virgil, who had broken up with DiBiase about a month ago. DiBiase yells at Virgil as Hayes talks about the rigorous process required to become a manager. That could be some fascinating paperwork.

Tornado goes outside to jump DiBiase and the bell rings for the second time. They head inside with Tornado sending him face first into the buckle over and over, setting up a rollup for two. Virgil has to send DiBiase back inside (Mooney: “He’s just giving his former employer a hand!”), only to have them go right back to the floor.

The Tornado Punch hits DiBiase but another only hits post, allowing DiBiase to send the hand into the steps. Back in and DiBiase elbows him in the face, setting up the always awesome falling punch. DiBiase knocks him outside again and tries a suplex to bring Tornado back inside. Virgil is right there with a trip to DiBiase though and Tornado gets the pin at 4:17.

Rating: D+. And somehow, Tornado would stick around for about another year. I’m not sure how many drugs he did to fall apart as badly as he did but a whole lot seems to be pretty low. This was a slow, boring match with the hand stuff not leading anywhere and Tornado sleepwalking through it, as usual.

From Fort Myers, Florida, February 19, 1991.

Haku vs. British Bulldog

Hayes talks about both of them having a rugby background and Mooney seems to have played as well. Haku grinds away on a headlock to start but a dropkick sends him outside. Back in and Bulldog grabs a sleeper, which is countered with an armdrag of all things. That’s broken up and Bulldog grabs an armbar, only to be reversed into an atomic drop. The piledriver gives Haku two and we hit the sleeper. Bulldog fights up for a double shoulder and Haku is able to grab a chinlock. With that broken up, Bulldog avoids a dropkick and gets two off a clothesline. Back up and Bulldog grabs a crucifix for the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was a nice power match and they worked well together. Matches like this are the reason I like seeing these tapes as you never know when you are going to find a good match that isn’t going to take place in a major feud. Smith was on his way up and Haku can make anyone look good so this was a fun mix that I was getting into by the end.

Randy Savage plays pool. While he plays, it’s time for a trip to the Barber Shop.

We go to the Barber Shop with Brutus Beefcake for some grooming tips. This includes putting mud (from the Dead Sea, as written on the container in marker) on someone’s face and then cracking an egg on top of said face. Then Beefcake blows it off with a leaf blower. This takes quite awhile but it’s the kind of character stuff that is at least a bit different. Can you imagine seeing something like this not being a total disaster today?

From Biloxi, Mississippi, March 12, 1991.

Greg Valentine vs. Rick Martel

This was part of Valentine’s face run and….well what are you expecting from a Valentine face run? They fight over a top wristlock to start with Valentine getting the better of things and knocking Martel outside. Some and actually start a HAMMER chant as Martel stalls on the floor even more. Back in and Valentine grabs a headlock before going after the leg.

The Figure Four is blocked so Valentine drops an elbow on the leg and cranks away again. Martel fights back and sends him outside, followed by a middle rope ax handle back inside. The abdominal stretch goes on for a bit before Valentine blocks a ram into the buckle. The comeback is on and Valentine clotheslines him outside. Valentine follows him to the floor for the brawl and it’s a double countout at 8:12.

Rating: C-. Martel was his usual serviceable self here but Valentine as a good guy still really doesn’t work. I’m not sure what the appeal there was supposed to be, other than maybe just seeing if they could get anything else out of him. All this showed me was that Valentine wasn’t going to be interesting no matter what he did around this time and there was no way around it.

Post match Valentine beats him down again, setting up the Figure Four. What a hero.

From Fort Myers, Florida, February 19, 1991.

Warlord vs. Koko B. Ware

Slick his here with Warlord, who powers Ware into the corner to start. There’s a choke toss to send Ware flying again but he comes back with some right hands. Ware heads outside to annoy Warlord, but Slick suggests that he is a chicken. Well they never said what kind of BIRD man Ware was so there may be something to that.

Back in and Ware goes to the eyes and hammers away, only to be sent sailing over the top. A sunset flip doesn’t work on Warlord and we hit the bearhug. Warlord finally lets it go for some reason (he never was known for his brains) and misses an elbow. Ware avoids a charge in the corner and rolls him up for two, followed by the missile dropkick (with Ware landing on his feet as only he could) for the same. That’s enough for Warlord, who powerslams him for the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C. This was the kind of match that fit a formula perfectly well as the power guy had trouble with the smaller opponent before finally catching him. It’s not a classic, but this was about as basic of a match formula as you could ask for and it worked well enough. If nothing else, Ware’s missile dropkick is always worth a look.

Despite being retired, Randy Savage watches his match against Ultimate Warrior to look for mistakes.

From Biloxi, Mississippi, March 12, 1991.

Hart Foundation vs. Legion Of Doom

Well ok, as this appears to be their only (recorded) match against each other. This is also non-title, as the Harts, who were champions when this was filmed but not when it was released, don’t even have the belts with them. Animal and Neidhart lock up to start and the power shove doesn’t get anywhere. Shoulders don’t do anything but a double clothesline puts both of them down.

Back up and Animal’s flying shoulder drops Neidhart and it’s Hawk coming in to work on the arm. Hart comes in as well but gets sent outside in a hurry as Hawk isn’t having any of this. Back in and Bret takes Hawk into the corner so Neidhart can come in to slow him down. It’s right back to Bret for two off the backbreaker, followed by the middle rope elbow for two more.

Hawk gets over to the corner for the unseen tag, leaving Neidhart to hit the slingshot shoulder for two. The chinlock goes on, with Mooney somehow trying to say this has been “even”, despite Hawk getting beaten down for the last five minutes. The Hart Attack connects with Animal having to make the save. Neidhart tries to whip Bret into Hawk in the corner but only hits buckle, allowing the hot tag off to Animal to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Hawk gets sent into the corner for a hard clothesline to Hart. The Doomsday Device is broken up though and Bret hits the backbreaker on Animal. Another slingshot shoulder looks to set up something like a Rocket Launcher but Animal powerslams Bret out of the air for the pin at 12:32.

Rating: B. This was a rare moment that lived up to the hype and I wouldn’t have bet on that coming in. You don’t see this kind of thing working most of the time but they pulled it off here, with the Harts dictating the pace and the LOD being there with the raw power. Normally this would be little more than a historical footnote but they had a very good match at the same time.

Respect is shown post match.

From New York City, New York, March 15, 1991.

Marty Jannetty vs. Tanaka

This is your main event because….I have no idea, though it’s nice to go to the Garden instead of random TV tapings. Mr. Fuji is here with Tanaka but neither partner is here. Tanaka strikes away to take over and kicks Jannetty around the ring. Jannetty comes back and knocks him to the floor before doing it again for a bonus. This time Jannetty dives out onto Tanaka for a crash as things slow back down.

Back in and Fuji offers a distraction, allowing Tanaka to get a turnbuckle pad off. Jannetty is fine enough to superkick Tanaka into the corner but a missed charge sends Jannetty falling outside. After the referee scares Fuji away from using that pesky cane, Tanaka drops a rather low looking headbutt. A rollup gives Jannetty a breather but a jumping forearm cuts that off rather quickly. There’s a chop to send Jannetty outside and Fuji smiles rather deviously. Back in and Tanaka tries a Tombstone but Jannetty reverses into the Owen Hart version to drop Tanaka on his head for the pin at 10:53.

Rating: C+. Two talented wrestlers were able to make this work but there is only so much that you can get out of a pair of tag wrestlers having a match without their partners around. The fact that Mooney announced the winner as “Shawn Michaels’ partner Marty Jannetty” kind of sums up the issue here, but they did have a perfectly watchable match. Granted the ending might make you cringe but Tanaka was ok so it’s acceptable enough.

Randy Savage gets a phone call from Elizabeth and that means it’s time to wrap up the tape.

Overall Rating: C+. This was on the more decent side of Coliseum videos, as you had mostly pretty good to solid matches and the only two which weren’t so strong were shorter. Throw in the unique Manager Cam deal and a near hidden gem with the Harts vs. LOD and this worked well. It’s nothing you need to see but if you’re in the mood for some lighter fare, you would be just fine with this one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Wrestling Challenge
Date: September 20, 1986
Location: Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Ernie Ladd, Johnny V

I’m not sure what to expect from this show and that is what makes the show so much fun. Instead of one big story, it’s more like they’re picking random wrestlers who have a little something going on at the moment and throw them into some squash matches. That’s how things worked in the Golden Era so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Quick host intro.

Opening sequence.

Here’s what’s coming this week.

Hart Foundation vs. Islanders

This is when the Islanders were still good guys and Jimmy hart is in the Harts’ corner. Of note: the graphics say this include “Hako” and “Brett” Hart. The Harts jump them to start and clear the ring until it’s Neidhart kneeing Tama in the ribs. There’s a bite to the face as Johnny V makes south Pacific jokes.

Something like a Demolition Decapitator drops Tama again as we get an insert promo from Jimmy Hart about how much better his team is than the Islanders. The referee doesn’t see the tag to Haku so everything breaks down, with the barricade being knocked down at ringside. Toma busts out a crazy dive over the top (In 1986!) and the referee throws it out at 2:39, which is a bit of a surprise.

Post match the Islanders clean house without much trouble.

This week’s Wrestler’s Rebuttal is from Adrian Adonis, who is ready for his debate with Roddy Piper in the coming weeks. The topic: who has the better talk show segment. So they’re talking about talking? This isn’t so much a rebuttal as much as a clip from Superstars.

Randy Savage vs. Tony Garea

Non-title and AGAIN Danny Davis messes up by distracting Garea. Not that it matters as Garea is right back with a crossbody for two and a sunset flip for the same. Back up and Savage knees him out to the floor, setting up the top rope ax handle. We get an insert promo from Billy Graham in the desert, where he says he’s coming back to hurt someone. Like Savage for example. Savage takes him back inside, hits the slam and drops the elbow for the pin at 2:26. Garea got in a bit there but then it was the Savage Show, meaning it was awesome.

Jake Roberts thinks Ricky Steamboat is stupid for coming after him after getting burned once before. And no, he didn’t get the Snake Pit by brown nosing, but because he has talent.

Machines vs. Tiger Chung Lee/Al Navarro/JJ Jackson

Oddly enough, Hayes doesn’t know Jackson’s name and has to ask him. Lou Albano is here with the Machines: Big Machine (Blackjack Mulligan), Super Machine (Ax from Demolition) and Giant Machine (I’ll let you figure it out). Lee and Big start things off as we get an insert promo from Bobby Heenan talking about how much smarter he is than Albano, who must have a machine for these machines. Jackson comes in and gets clotheslined by Super, who sends him into a right hand from Giant for the pin at 1:30. This team is hilarious in a way that would only work in wrestling.

Koko B. Ware, with music box blaring, gets Ken Resnick to dance with him. He is no stepping stone.

BUY WWF MAGAZINE!

BUY LJN ACTION FIGURES! No really, as those things are valuable today.

BUY WWF THUMB WRESTLERS! I think I had most of those.

Dream Team vs. Lanny Poffo/Dick Slater

That’s a heck of a random jobber team and oddly enough they get a full entrance while Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine are already in the ring. Poffo’s poem is about how Slater is a rebel from Dixie who will do his thing. Valentine slams Poffo to start as we get an insert promo from Mr. Fuji, who does NOT like Dixie. Slater comes in and elbows Valentine in the head for two.

That’s enough for Johnny V, the Dream Team’s manager, to bail on commentary and go take care of his team. A suplex gets two on Slater and a sunset flip gives him two on Valentine. Everything breaks down and Valentine snaps Poffo’s throat across the top rope so Beefcake can get the pin at 2:35. The V stuff made it a bit more interesting.

And now, the Snake Pit with Bobby Heenan and Paul Orndorff. Jake talks about fakers and Orndorff says Hulk Hogan wants to be him. The robe comes off so Orndorff can pose, with Heenan saying Orndorff’s thirst will only be quenched when he wins the WWF Title.

Sika vs. Rick Hunter

The Wizard is here with Sika. Hunter slugs away to start and gets choked down with no effect. Sika slaps him down and we get an insert interview from Honky Tonk Man, who is still on his way. Hunter tries to forearm his way out of trouble and gets choked into the corner. More choking ensues as the Wizard shouts at Sika, who finishes with the Samoan drop (with Sika more laying him down than dropping) for the pin at 3: 23.

Rating: D. When the Samoan drop isn’t looking great, there is only so much that you’re going to get out of a match. Sika was never much on his own but was quite great when he was part of the Wild Samoans. That being said, this was another weak match which got some time, partially due to Honky Tonk Man sucking any life out of the thing with his out of date good guy act.

Video on the Rougeau Brothers riding motorcycles and in a boat. Riveting.

Killer Bees vs. Terry Gibbs/Jack Foley

Ladd thinks the Bees have ants in their pants and Monsoon thinks the Dream Team is scared to put their “John Henry” on a contract with the Killer Bees. Brunzell and Gibbs trade wristlocks to start before it’s off to Blair. Gibbs misses a running elbow so Jack comes in, only to get fireman’s carried.

This lets Johnny get in another “Iwo Jima, out of ammo” line, which must have some other meaning. An atomic drop and jumping knee drop Jack and a double elbow does the same. The arm work continues as Ladd refers to the Dream Team as the “Dream Machine”. Johnny keeps talking about how ugly Foley is and a flying hip attack gives Blair the pin at 3:31.

Rating: D+. Another slow and nothing match, with commentary sounding WAY off being the main focus. There were all kinds of tag teams around this time and the Bees, while good, weren’t exactly going to stand out when the British Bulldogs and the Harts etc. were around. They were a big enough deal here and felt like something of stars. That being said, the Jack guy would get a bit better when he started going by something closer to his real name: Mick. Yeah I know it’s not much of a secret, but I need something to get me through these matches.

Bobby Heenan says Mr. Wonderfulmania is running wild and Paul Orndorff comes in to talk about how jealous Hogan is. Hogan can’t lift like him so he stole Real American and the t-shirt ripping. Heenan chants WONDERFUL to wrap things up.

Here’s who’s coming next week.

Cue that musical review!

Overall Rating: D+. Randy Savage can only give you so much on a show with almost nothing else. The Harts vs. the Islanders felt like it could have had potential but then nothing came of it due to time. The Machines are always good for a chuckle, but I need a little more than the rapid fire short matches with almost nothing worth seeing. Still though, this is about as straight up my alley as I can get so we’ll definitely be back.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Wrestling Challenge
Date: September 6, 1986
Location: Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Ernie Ladd, Johnny V

It’s the debut episode so this is kind of a big one. This is one of those shows that is right up my alley as it is actually a standard show rather than a collection of house show matches. In short, Wrestling Challenge (the new form of All Star Wrestling) debuted at the same time as Superstars (the new form of Championship Wrestling), as the WWF takeover continues. Since there are 23 episodes on Peacock, we might as well have some fun. Let’s get to it.

Commentary welcomes us to the show. Well Gorilla does, as the other two don’t say anything.

Opening sequence. Dang that’s a lot of Hogan.

Here’s who you’ll see on the show.

US Express vs. Don Muraco/Iron Mike Sharpe

That would be Mike Rotundo/Dan Spivey, the lesser version of the team. Fuji is here with the villains and Lord Alfred Hayes is the ring announcer for some reason. Muraco stalls in the corner to start before grabbing a headlock as we get an inset promo from Billy Graham of all people, talking about facing the elements. He’s on his way back to the boogaloo on the scene, event as Spivey comes in for a slam into some armdrags on Muraco.

It’s off to Sharpe to send Spivey into the corner but a bad backdrop and not great dropkick put Sharp down. Rotundo airplane spines Sharpe and everything breaks down. A small package has Sharpe in trouble but Muraco turns it over, only to have Spivey turn it over so Rotundo can get the pin at 3:05.

Rating: C-. So that’s the first match in the history of Wrestling Challenge and it was as basic as you could get. The Spivey version of the US Express wasn’t very good and that was on full display here. They’re fine for a midcard team but you would think the WWF might want to start things off a bit hotter than this. The ending was good though.

We get a Wrestler’s Rebuttal from Randy Savage, who doesn’t like fans cheering for Elizabeth so much. They should be cheering for him instead, so GET ON THE BANDWAGON! Savage could make milk and cookies intense.

Adrian Adonis vs. Tommy Sharp

Adonis has Jimmy Hart and Bob Orton with him. Adonis rolls around to start and takes Sharp down, with Johnny V saying “Iwo Jima, out of ammo”. Monsoon says Adonis chewing gum during the match is dangerous before we get an inset promo from Orton, who says the money and working conditions are better under Adonis than Roddy Piper. He’s even starting to like the smell of the flowers!

Adonis works on the arm and sends Sharp outside for daring to try his own armbar. Hart offers a distraction so Orton can come in with a belly to back suplex/top rope clothesline combination to give Adonis the pin at 2:57. Commentary makes sure to point out that referee Danny Davis was more than a bit off with Hart’s interference. That was a big finish for a match that didn’t even last three minutes.

Bob Orton talks about how much better an offer he received from Adrian Adonis and Jimmy Hart. Roddy Piper went off to Hollywood and stopped sending him the checks so their contract was off. Yeah he wears a pink hat and he is well paid to do so. Orton stood behind Piper so he could say everything he wanted and now he’ll stand behind Adonis as well.

Koko B. Ware vs. Bob Bradley

Ware has been around for all of a few weeks at this point at most (he doesn’t even have Frankie yet). Dancing ensues on the way to the ring as Johnny V thinks Koko sounds like a breakfast cereal. We get an inset promo from Ware, complete with a mini boom box on his shoulder, where he says he wants everyone in the WWF to do the Bird. Feeling out process to start with Bradley grabbing a headlock but Koko is back up with a running crossbody. Bradley slugs away as commentary is a bit split over the idea of the match’s female referee. Koko elbows him in the face and hits a pair of dropkicks. A middle rope dropkick and a splash finishes Bradley at 3:03.

Rating: C-. You can see the skill in Koko but he needs to polish things up a bit. There are some things that can change him up enough and that will make things work. Ware can do the fast paced style and that is always going to get over, with the dancing making it even better. This wasn’t the best match though as Bradley got in a bit too much offense, especially with Ware being a newcomer.

Jimmy Hart says he needs a lot of bodyguards, which is why he hired Bob Orton. Oh and Adrian Adonis will be the next World Champion.

Paul Orndorff vs. Troy Martin

Orndorff has Bobby Heenan with him and comes out to Real American in an angle I would love to see used again. He even throws in the hand to the ear for a nice bonus. We get an inset interview from Honky Tonk Man, who doesn’t like Orndorff stealing from HIS FRIEND Hulk Hogan. Honky Tonk Man promises to get Orndorff somewhere as Martin is sent over the barricade. Back in and Orndorff hits him in the face before walking around a bit. The piledriver finishes Martin at 1:44. He would do a bit better when he changed his name to Shane Douglas (or Troy Orndorff, when he was billed as Paul’s nephew).

And now, the first ever Snake Pit, featuring Jake Roberts promising to bring us thunder. That would be in the form of Kamala, with the Wizard (King Curtis Iaukea) and handler Kim Chee. The Wizard brought Kamala 22,000 miles to unleash evil here. One day the Wizard was in the VIP lounge in Singapore (this isn’t where I was expecting it to go) and the Sultan of Brunei wanted Kamala to wreck people. That was a weird way to go but at least they had Iaukea’s creepy voice.

We go to a clip (which had aired before) of Harley Race being crowned King of the WWE. Bobby Heenan reading the proclamation. Race comes to the ring with Lord Littlebrook carrying his crown as the ring is full of various villains. Heenan officially crowns him the King and the fans are so incensed that they hold up signs that say BOO. The LONG LIVE THE KING chants are on (at least from Heenan) and Race is taken out on King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd’s shoulders. Well that was awesome in a rather 1986 way.

We see a clip of Lou Albano’s new team (yeah I’m shocked too): THE MACHINES! That was so stupid that it was hilarious.

British Bulldogs vs. Moondogs

Non-title and Lou Albano (he gets around) is here with the Bulldogs. The Moondogs jumps them before the bell and the fight starts fast. That’s fine with the Bulldogs who send the Moondogs into each other. We settle down to Spot tripping Dynamite from the floor before coming in for a suplex and a near fall.

Rex comes in and elbows Dynamite in the face but a sunset flip and crossbody get Dynamite out of trouble. Well for all of three seconds or so as the Moondogs take him back into the corner to keep up the beating. A clothesline drops Spot though and the hot tag brings in Davey to clean house. The suplex gets one on Spot as everything breaks down. The Moondogs double team Dynamite but Davey comes in off a blind tag for a high crossbody and the pin at 4:21.

Rating: C. Can we call it a dog fight? Anyway, the Bulldogs were a step ahead of just about everyone else and the Moondogs were little more than a quick opponent for them to fight off. It wasn’t even a title match so how much of a threat was this going to be? The Moondogs don’t get the attention that they deserve as they were rather decent as an oddball team and stayed around for a rather long time.

Jake Roberts, fresh off DDTing Ricky Steamboat on the concrete floor on Saturday Night’s Main Event, isn’t worried about the calls to ban the DDT. The DDT is cruel but fair and Roberts walks the way he wants to. He’ll drop you so fast that your whole family will feel it. Randy Savage comes in as Roberts says everyone has rainbows to look at. Savage: “I’ve seen rainbows before.” They march to their own beat because they’re their own men. Yep, that’s a scary team.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We get a musical review (Gorilla’s words) of this week’s action, meaning a quick highlight package.

Overall Rating: C. This is about as fun of a show as I could ask for and that was the case this week. It is such an 80s show, but it is a little weird to not have Hogan around in some way. For now though, we got a nice mixture of squashed and interviews, which is a nice way to spend about 45 minutes. This is about the fun instead of the quality, and I’m certainly good for twenty two more shows.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Survivor Series 1992
Date: November 25, 1992
Location: Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, Ohio
Attendance: 17,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

Vince and Bobby run down the card. There are multiple gimmick matches tonight.

Headshrinkers vs. High Energy

Big Boss Man vs. Nailz

Nailz chokes Mooney and says that was misjustice.

Tatanka is chanting to get ready for his match with Martel, which is over some stolen feathers apparently. Welcome to the 1992 midcard people.

Razor, still in his original persona of Al Pacino from Scarface (funny story about that: Vince is known for not seeing almost any big time movies. When Ramon was interviewing with Vince for his job, Vince asked him to come up with a character on the spot. Ramon went into a Tony Montana imitation from the movie Scarface without knowing Vince had never seen the move. Vince immediately thought Ramon was a genius and signed him), makes generic threats. Flair was AWESOME here.

Tatanka vs. Rick Martel

Razor Ramon/Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage/Mr. Perfect

Post match Flair puts Hennig in the Figure Four and Razor gets a chair, but Savage makes a save and chases both guys off.

Flair and Ramon rant in the back.

Yokozuna vs. Virgil

Savage and Perfect brag a lot.

Nasty Boys/Natural Disasters vs. Beverly Brothers/Money Inc

Rating: C. Not bad here but the ending kind of sucked. What was the point in having the Nasties beat Money Inc that fast when the majority of the match was about the Disasters vs. Money Inc? The Nasties were basically there to fill in a spot instead of being the focus of the match for their team. Odd indeed but it was entertaining enough.

We recap Kamala vs. Undertaker. Taker beat him at Summerslam so Kamala crushed him with a bunch of splashes, which Taker sat up from. This set up the Coffin Match tonight, which is a regular match but the winner gets to put the loser in a coffin.

Taker is building a special coffin.

Undertaker vs. Kamala

Kamala immediately runs from Taker and they head to the floor for more not fighting. Back in and Kamala pounds away with almost no effect. Taker hits the yet to be named Old School and Kamala is in trouble again. A clothesline sets up some choking by the dead man but Kamala chops him to the floor. This is really dull so far. Kamala rams Taker head first into the steps and hits him in the back before we head inside. A kick to the chest puts Taker down for all of a second. Kamala slams him a bunch of times and three splashes. The urn is knocked into the ring and Taker sits up. An urn shot to the head pins Kamala.

Taker nails the coffin shut.

Bret is ready for Shawn. Gene lists off all of the micarders Bret has defended the title against with the idea being that Bret will fight anyone.

WWF World Title: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels

Bret blocks the tear drop (finisher) suplex but the second attempt connects for two. Bret uppercuts Shawn into the ropes but Hart misses a charge and crotches himself on the top. Shawn goes up to the middle rope but he jumps right into the Sharpshooter (in the EXACT same sequence that ended regulation of the Iron Man Match) for the submission to keep the title on Bret.

Post ending of the show, Bret asks Santa for better competition. Ok then.

Ratings Comparison

Headshrinkers vs. High Energy

Original: C+

Redo: C+

Big Boss Man vs. Nailz

Original: D+

Redo: D

Tatanka vs. Rick Martel

Original: C-

Redo: D

Randy Savage/Mr. Perfect vs. Razor Ramon/Ric Flair

Original: B

Redo: B-

Yokozuna vs. Virgil

Original: C
Redo: C-

Nasty Boys/Natural Disasters vs. Money Inc./Beverly Brothers

Original: D

Redo: C

Undertaker vs. Kamala

Original: C+

Redo: F

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels:

Original: A-

Redo: A

Overall Rating:

Original: C+

Redo: B-

Survivor Series Count-Up – 1992 (Original): Minus Survivor Series

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WrestleFest 1993
Hosts: Gene Okerlund, Bobby Heenan
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

It’s back to Coliseum Video and in this case we’re jumping to one of the weaker times the company has had. The good thing is that these tapes almost always have something worth seeing and there is always a hope that we could see the same thing here. There is no major theme here most of the time and that makes things more fun. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, featuring various stars of the era and yeah this was likely put together in late 1992.

Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan are on a road trip for the Coliseum Video headquarters, which I believe was a story that Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes did in a previous tape. The car breaks down but worry not because Heenan knows that he can fix it. After breaking the hood ornament, they get the hood open so Heenan can look around. But now, a match!

From Madison, Wisconsin, December 15, 1992.

Tag Team Titles: Money Inc. vs. Nasty Boys

Money Inc., with Jimmy Hart, is defending and IRS thinks the fans like the Nasty Boys because they ALL CHEAT ON THEIR TAXES! Sidenote: how did IRS and Repo Man not get together at some point? Shouldn’t that have been an obvious pairing? The brawl starts before the bell with the champs being knocked outside as Hayes starts making money jokes.

DiBiase and Sags start things off with DiBiase working on the arm. A hiptoss sets up a missed elbow drops and it’s Knobbs coming in to stay on the arm. The Nasties take turns on said arm but IRS is a good partner who breaks up the Pit Stop. IRS comes in and gets his arm cranked on as well but a drop toehold gets him out of trouble. Knobbs….wins a mat wrestle off (I’m as shocked as you are) and it’s time to work on IRS’ arm some more.

They head out to the floor with a distraction letting IRS drive Sags into the apron. Back in and the champs start taking over, including a bearhug of all things from DiBiase. A bite get Sags out of trouble but IRS makes the save and grabs a bearhug of his own. Sags manages to send the champs into each other and it’s Knobbs coming back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the champs are knocked outside, which is enough for the two of them to walk out.

Hold on though as the referee says not so fast, because if they don’t answer the ten count, the titles change hands (that was a Money Inc. signature spot). Back in and DiBiase gets in a shot to Sags and grabs the Million Dollar Dream. That’s broken up as well and a faceplant is enough to bring Knobbs back in. Everything breaks down again and Sags drops his always bad top rope elbow onto IRS for two. Hart offers a distraction though and DiBiase’s belt shot retains the titles at 13:23.

Rating: C. This took some time to get going but they went with what was more or less a house show finish. That makes enough sense given the situation but it is still a bit more than a disappointing ending. The Nasty Boys were getting warm again at this point but I don’t know if they were hot enough to win the titles.

From Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, October 12, 1992.

Crush vs. Papa Shango

This is a different one. Shango jumps him from behind to start and the beating is on fast. A running crossbody in the corner hits Crush but he manages a quick backbreaker. Crush hits a superkick to put Shango on the floor as Sean talks about Crush moving a bunch of wood in a barn. The story doesn’t have quite the impact as Shango wins a test of strength and takes him down. Hayes’ advice: cheat.

Crush doesn’t go evil and fights up for the comeback, only to miss a splash in the corner. The beating is back on until Shango misses a jumping legdrop and now the real comeback can be on. A big boot knocks Shango outside and there’s a clothesline to do it again. That’s finally enough for Shango, who grabs his skull staff and shoots fireworks into Crush’s eyes for the DQ at 6:48.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t much of a power match and the ending didn’t make it any better. Crush was getting bigger and bigger at this point but he was still beneath Shango, so this wasn’t the worst decision. The ending didn’t make things much better though and this was a pretty lame match.

Crush looks mildly perturbed. Not hurt or anything, but annoyed.

From Hershey, Pennsylvania, September 1, 1992.

Big Boss Man vs. Rick Martel

Boss Man knocks him around to start and Martel accuses him of a hair pull. Then he does it again, with the referee, who was looking right at them, taking Martel’s word for it. With that not working, Boss Man MESSES WITH Martel’s hair, which is enough to earn him some knees in the corner. A hiptoss sends Martel outside though as this is one sided so far. Back in and Boss Man starts working on the arm before sending Martel into the corner over and over. With nothing else working, Martel grabs the atomizer, meaning Boss Man grabs the nightstick and that’s a double DQ at 6:10.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t great as Boss Man more or less squashed him until the lame ending. You really can’t have Rick Martel take the Boss Man Slam in late 1992? Boss Man was on a downward trajectory at this point but he should be able to get a win here. Also, back to back DQ finishes after a cheating ending isn’t quite the hot start to a tape.

Bobby and Gene are still looking at the engine, with the sun rapidly going down.

From Dayton, Ohio, November 24, 1992.

Earthquake vs. Repo Man

Earthquake sends him into the corner for a splash as Sean talks about how this is an exclusive for WrestleFest 1993. The fact that this match is also on Smack Em Whack Em makes me think I need to reevaluate my thoughts on Sean Mooney. Earthquake charges into a shot in the corner and gets ax handled down but the beating doesn’t last long. Back up and Earthquake runs him over, setting up the Earthquake for the pin at 4:22.

Rating: D+. Aside from my faith in Mooney being shattered, this was a pretty nothing match, with Earthquake shrugging off Repo Man’s basic offense and winning with the usual. There isn’t much that can be said for Repo Man in the ring, but he was so over the top as a character that it became memorable.

From Louisville, Kentucky, October 28, 1992.

Intercontinental Title: Virgil vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels is defending in a match that appears on three different tapes. Shawn takes him down to start and gets in some taunting, which earns Hayes’ approval. Virgil fights back with an atomic drop into a dropkick for a fast two but a kick to the face cuts him off in a hurry. One heck of a dropkick drops Virgil again but commentary is too upset about Shawn chewing gum during a match. I mean….well yeah kind of.

Shawn grabs a chinlock for a bit, followed by a suplex to drop Virgil again. A faceplant gets Virgil out of trouble and he hits a clothesline to the back of the head. The rapid fire punches spin Shawn around for a delayed two and a middle rope clothesline gets the same. That’s a bit too much for Shawn, who grabs the Tear Drop suplex to retain at 7:07.

Rating: C. Completely watchable match as Virgil had a good comeback but wasn’t going to beat someone anywhere near as good as Shawn. That’s not a bad place to be either, as Shawn’s star was clearly on the rise at this point and few people were going to be able to give him a run for his money. Also, it’s nice to see a clean finish for a change.

From Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, June 1, 1992.

Undertaker vs. Berzerker

Paul Bearer and Mr. Fuji are the seconds. Hayes says that Undertaker is a sex symbol in Europe for your disturbing thought of the day. Berzerker jumps him to start and gets uppercutted right into the corner. Undertaker charges into a corner though and a running dropkick sends him to the floor. Brawling outside works fine for Undertaker but he misses the running clothesline back inside.

They head right back to the floor with Undertaker being sent into various steps and then the apron (the STEEL apron according to Hayes), setting up a big chair shot. Back in and Undertaker fights back, only to miss the big elbow. Berzerker goes outside again and chokes with a cord, setting up a running bulldog back inside. Undertaker gets laid against the ropes for some right hands but manages to backdrop him over the top.

That does nothing so Berzerker is right back in for a piledriver, which Undertaker no sells. Then he hits a piledriver, which Undertaker no sells. Then he hits a piledriver, which Undertaker….actually sells, allowing Berzerker to drop a knee. Fuji hands in the sword (because there’s a sword), but Undertaker takes it away, only to have Fuji grab the leg. That doesn’t work for Undertaker, who clotheslines him down and hits the Tombstone for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C. This was the kind of match where they knew there was almost no one paying attention so they had a pretty goofy match. Undertaker popping up from the piledrivers was funny but the sword stuff was so goofy that it didn’t make much of a difference. At the same time, at least it wasn’t ANOTHER DQ finish.

Post match Fuji comes in, earning a Tombstone (the safest I’ve seen in a long time) of his own.

Heenan and Gene still don’t have any luck with the car, though they do have some extra parts.

From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 9, 1991.

Jim Duggan vs. IRS

Well this is kind of out of nowhere. Duggan goes personal/business by stomping IRS’ briefcase before knocking IRS down. Back up and a running shoulder drops IRS again as he’s a bit shaken to start. There’s a clothesline to do it again as this is totally one sided to start. An atomic drop and an elbow to the face put IRS on the floor, where he is tossed back in but then gets thrown outside again.

IRS FINALLY gets in a shot to the face and we hit the chinlock with a foot on the rope (or maybe IRS just got caught by mistake). This goes on far longer than it needs to until Duggan fights up and rams him into the corner ten times in a row. The three point clothesline sends IRS outside again but he pulls Duggan outside for the brawl and double countout at 8:02.

Rating: D-. This tape is getting terrible in a hurry as three of the seven matches have ended in either a countout or a DQ. Again: is it that hard to have one of these two lose with a pin? It’s a stand alone Coliseum Video and after doing one of the most boring matches you could imagine, they have that ending.

From Portland, Maine, July 21, 1992.

Nasty Boys/Repo Man vs. Tito Santana/High Energy

Jimmy Hart is here with the villains, despite managing AGAINST the Nasty Boys about an hour earlier. Knobbs kicks Koko into the corner to start but misses a dropkick, allowing Koko to hit a jumping elbow/hip attack. Repo and Tito come in with the latter cranking on an arm and handing it off to Owen. Sags comes in and blocks a hiptoss before Owen flips backwards and gets the hiptoss on the second try.

Knobbs low bridges Hart to the floor though and that means a BIG dive over the top, because that’s what Owen would do in this spot. Back in and the beating continues, with the villains getting to take turns this time. Repo grabs a neck crank and yells a lot before finally missing a charge. That’s enough for Santana to come back in for a dropkick and flying forearm to Sags as everything breaks down. The Nasties and Repo are sent into each other, allowing Santana to hit another flying forearm. Knobbs tries to bring in the hook and that’s enough for the DQ at 7:35.

Rating: C-. This got better in the end but I’m trying to get my head around the idea of another DQ finish. Did they really have nothing better to do with a show like this? The Nasties were about to turn face so wouldn’t a loss help them move in that direction? I can always go for a good six man, but that wasn’t quite what we got here.

From Erie, Pennsylvania, November 23, 1992.

Randy Savage vs. Terry Taylor

Note that it’s TERRIFIC Terry Taylor, not just Terry Taylor. They go with the grappling to start and Savage manages an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and they shove each other a few times, which you know won’t sit well with Savage. Taylor is sent outside but manages to punch Savage out of the air to break up the top rope ax handle. Back in and Taylor hits a backbreaker as Monsoon says youth is the only thing Taylor has going for him.

An atomic drop gives Savage two as we hear about Savage’s success in the company, which doesn’t make Monsoon sound biased at all. The sleeper is broken up rather quickly and Savage grabs a backslide for two, only to be neckbreakered back down. Something like a Vader Bomb hits raised knees though and Savage does the neck snap across the top. There’s the ax handle for two, setting up the slam and elbow to give Savage the pin at 9:44.

Rating: B-. By far the best match on the whole thing so far, which isn’t the highest bar to clear. Savage was well past his prime by this point but he was still good for a fine match against someone with Taylor’s skill. It’s amazing what happens when you have Taylor as just a guy in trunks instead of a wrestling rooster, but no one cared about someone named Terrific Terry Taylor and that was never going to change.

There’s a hamster in the car engine. That’s the big finish.

From Huntsville, Alabama, August 10, 1992.

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. Kamala

Kamala, with Harvey Wippleman and Kim Chee, is challenging. Commentary has no idea how Kamala is allowed to compete when he’s, you know, a savage. Bret works on the arm to start but a dropkick doesn’t actually drop him. With that not working, Bret goes back to the arm, sending Kamala to the rope (as you do in the dark jungle). Kamala wants a test of strength and Bret is way too smart for that, as he doesn’t go for it and eventually stomps on Kamala’s bare feet.

Some running shots stagger Kamala but he gets in a shot to the throat to take over. Back up and Bret charges into a bearhug before getting kicked in the face (Bret has a bad, bad history with superkicks). The chest claw goes on, then Bret fights up, then Bret gets knocked down, then the chest claw goes on again. Back up again and Bret ducks a leapfrog (ok that was cool) and grabs the Russian legsweep for two. The middle rope clothesline gets the same and the middle rope elbow connects, only to draw in Chee for the DQ (of course) at 10:04.

Rating: C. The chest claw aside, this could have been a lot worse. Bret knows how to make just about anything work and he did well enough here. Kamala was perfectly fine as a monster challenger who had no real chance and that is what we got here. Granted we also got….what, the fifth DQ on this thing? I was almost expecting it at this point.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kamala splashes Wippleman by mistake and gets knocked outside. Bret even steals Chee’s pith helmet.

From Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, October 13, 1992.

Razor Ramon vs. Tito Santana

Santana starts fast by hitting the flying forearm out to the floor before working on an armbar back inside. A dropkick and armdrag into an armbar have Ramon in more trouble but he manages a hot shot to take over. Some forearms to the back set up an abdominal stretch (it was a Razor signature even back then) but Santana reverses into one of his own. That’s broken up as well so Ramon tries a bearhug. Santana gets sent into the corner, where Razor’s pulls him out with the Razor’s Edge for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C. I like both guys and it was nice to see Santana when he was still able to do a lot of good in the ring, though Ramon was on the rise and not about to lose anything for a good while. These two actually have a bit of a personal history too, as Santana came up with the Ramon name after Razor had picked Razor. If that isn’t enough to give you chemistry, nothing else can.

From New York City, New York, January 18, 1993.

Ric Flair vs. Mr. Perfect

This is from Raw and Loser Leaves The WWF, with Flair looking very Tommy Rich. Perfect is serious here and drives him into the corner to start as Heenan is losing it early on commentary. Flair gets slapped in the face and knocked out to the floor, leaving Perfect to seem rather cocky. Back in and they fight over arm control until Perfect gets him into the corner for some chops, setting up the Flair Flop.

As Vince and Heenan argue about driving too fast and rock music, Flair takes him into the corner and hammers away, only to have Perfect punch him right back down. Flair is so frustrated that he goes outside and grabs a chair as we’re cut (via commercial, which isn’t mentioned here) to Flair sending Perfect face first into the post and out to the floor HARD. Back in and Perfect, busted open, gets caught in a chinlock for two (yes a chinlock) but Flair’s feet are caught on the ropes.

Perfect slugs back and hammers away with right hands in the corner (Heenan: “THAT’S A CLOSED FIST!!!”) until an atomic drop slows him down. A suplex gives Perfect two but Flair is right back with a sleeper. That’s broken up after two arm breaks and Perfect grabs a sleeper of his own as Heenan is panicking over the time limit. Flair breaks it up with a belly to back and the Figure Four goes on, with Flair grabbing the rope as you knew he was going to do.

The referee finally catches Flair so it’s time to kick at the leg even more. Flair goes up top and gets slammed down as we take another break. Back again with Flair loading up the foreign object and nailing Perfect, setting up an elbow drop for two, as Perfect’s foot is on the rope. Flair might want to look next time, as the foot was on the rope before Flair even covered him.

The hard right hands to the cut set up the chop in the corner, which is enough to fire Perfect up. The comeback is on with Flair getting backdropped and going up top, only to get clotheslined out of the air for two more. Flair sweeps the leg and puts his feet on the rope for some near falls. That’s broken up so Flair ducks his head, setting up the PerfectPlex for the pin at 24:11.

Rating: A-. This is a classic and the first great match in Raw history. Flair was on his way out and made Perfect look like a star, as Perfect’s 1993 run of awesome begins. You often hear about Perfect being an amazing talent and this was the time when he felt like he could possibly break through to the main event. This is absolutely worth checking out if you haven’t seen it before and dang it was a welcome end to this never ending tape.

Gene and Bobby hitchhike as the sun is coming up. A car pulls up and Gene leaves Heenan by the side of the road, as apparently this is the first car to drive by in about twelve hours.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event helps it a lot, but e pluribus gads the rest of this thing (save for Savage vs. Taylor and maybe Bret vs. Kamala, there is not much else to see here. I know I harped on it a lot but MY GOODNESS what was the point of all the disqualifications? It’s a Best Of tape and you really can’t have a few more definitive pins? This was one of the weaker Coliseum Videos I can remember, but the main event does help boost things up a lot.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 28, 1994
Location: Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Harvey Wippleman, Vince McMahon

Now we go back in time to a taped show following last week’s life show. I don’t know if it makes sense either but we have a big main event this week with Yokozuna defending the WWF Title against Randy Savage. Other than that, we are only a few weeks away from Wrestlemania and the show could use some more build. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the controversial ending to the Royal Rumble and the double title shot at Wrestlemania. But what if Randy Savage wins? I mean he probably won’t, but it’s a chance.

Opening sequence.

WWF Title: Randy Savage vs. Yokozuna

Yokozuna is defending and has Mr. Fuji with him but no Jim Cornette. Savage knees him in the back to start but gets hit in the face for his efforts. The big elbow misses though and a delayed cover gets two. Back up and Yokozuna chokes away in the corner before ax handling Savage rather hard. A headbutt misses but Yokozuna is fine enough to slam him right back down. This time the big leg misses though and Savage knocks him outside. Cue Jim Cornette and we take a break.

Back with Savage trying (and failing) to get the champ back inside so Yokozuna runs him over again. Savage gets sent into the steps and then back inside, where he gets to fire off some right hands. The top rope ax handle and a high crossbody give Savage two but Yokozuna (with his hair flipped forward so it looks like he’s wearing a big hat) knocks him into the corner for more choking.

The running splash crushes Savage, only to have Yokozuna miss (again) the big leg. Cornette offers a distraction so Fuji can slip in the salt bucket, which Savage takes and knocks Yokozuna silly. That gets a VERY delayed two so Savage drops both Cornette and the elbow but Crush comes in for the DQ.

Rating: C+. Savage was working but there is only so much of what you can do with someone as big as Yokozuna. Other than a few things from the top rope, the majority of Savage’s offense came from avoiding Yokozuna’s big shots. That is going to run out of time rather quickly and that was the case about halfway through this one. It is also one of Savage’s last big matches in the WWF and at least he went out with a good enough performance.

Post match the beatdown is on until Bret Hart and Lex Luger come in for the save.

Post break and we recap what we just saw.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Mike Khoury

Luna Vachon, with a crossed out Doink shirt, is here with Bigelow and Vince says she looks good next to the Fink. The good sized Khoury grabs a headlock to no avail and gets slammed down. Bigelow misses a headbutt (must be a Yokozuna fan) but hits some forearms to the back, setting up the enziguri for the fast pin.

Wrestlemania is coming, with a Broadway show theme that I don’t remember seeing.

Earthquake vs. Black Phantom

The Phantom is in the same gear as the old Blackhearts team and is probably one of the same guys. Earthquake runs him over and hits a splash into the corner. A dropkick of all things keeps Phantom in trouble as Earthquake is working here. Another splash misses but a powerslam plants Phantom again. The Earthquake finishes in a hurry.

Wrestlemania report time, starting with talking about Fan Festival. Then we get a talk about the matches and celebrities, because Wrestlemania is kind of strange at times.

Kwang vs. Jon Crystal

Harvey jumps of commentary to manage Kwang. Against this goon? Sy Sperling, the President of the Hair Club For Men, calls in to talk about giving the Fink a makeover at Wrestlemania, because this is where we’re going for celebrities. Kwang starts with some chops as Vince asks if Fink is going to become a sex symbol. Some choking keeps Crystal in trouble and a superkick finishes him off fast.

Stan Lane tries to talk to Shawn Michaels, but Shawn isn’t dressed (he’s in a towel). Hold on though as he puts on the Intercontinental Title and now he’s good to go. Shawn knows nothing about this whole Razor Ramon as Intercontinental Champion deal because Shawn is the only champion. He’ll prove it at Wrestlemania when he leaves with both belts.

Men On A Mission vs. Brooklyn Brawler/Steve Smith

Mo knocks Smith around as Harvey sounds like he is challenging Vince to a fight (I’d watch that). A double clothesline drops Brawler and Mabel drops the leg to crush him even further. There’s a big boot and a….something to Smith, setting up the double splash for the easy pin.

Rating: D+. Almost a literal squash here and that is is the kind of thing that you can use on a show like this. Men On A Mission was getting a Tag Team Title shot at Wrestlemania and that means they needed to get a boost up here. Nothing to the match, though there is always something to be said about seeing the Brawler out there, just for nostalgia.

We get the normal rundown of what is coming next week to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was all about the opener and then whatever else they could put together on the rest of the show. We are on the way to Wrestlemania and the show is mostly put together so that leaves a lot of time to talk about the celebrities. The show is a classic and it is rather cool to see how we are getting there.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 21, 1994
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage

This is a weird one as the most recent show (from two weeks ago due to the Dog Show) was taped from the previous cycle, then this one is live, and then next week is taped again from the previous location. Other than that though, we have Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty challenging for the Tag Team Titles, plus Bret Hart vs. a Heavenly Body. Which Heavenly Body? A Heavenly Body. Let’s get to it.

Here is the most recent episode if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Vince introduces Savage for commentary, which is a big update over Bastion Booger. Savage is excited to be here believe it or not.

Tag Team Titles: Quebecers vs. Razor Ramon/Marty Jannetty

The Quebecers, with Johnny Polo are defending. Actually hang on as we have a switch.

Tag Team Titles: Quebecers vs. Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid

The Quebecers, with Johnny Polo, are defending and we don’t get a reason for the switch. We start fast with Razor fall away slamming the Kid at Pierre and the champs need a breather on the floor. The stalling continues for a good while before they get back inside with Pierre slowing it down against Kid. He slows it down so much that Razor comes in for a top wristlock into a headlock.

Polo offers a distraction though, allowing the Quebecers to stomp away. Razor gets outside and Razor’s Edges Polo on the floor, which is about as big of the total destruction moves as you’ll see from this era. We take a break and come back with Razor handing it off to Kid to stay on Pierre’s arm. Razor comes back in to counter a leapfrog into an atomic drop, which Vince dubs accidental.

As I try to figure out what Vince would consider intentional, Kid starts working on the leg to mix it up. Razor gets kicked into the corner so Jacques comes in, earning himself a leg crank of his own. Cue Diesel to watch as Vince doesn’t approve of the refereeing. We take a break and come back with some heel miscommunication allowing the hot tag to the Kid.

A spinwheel kick bangs up Kid’s already injured knee and the champs drop him ribs first across the top rope. Jacques slams Pierre onto Kid for two but they try it again and get broken up, allowing the tag off to Razor. The belly to back superplex drops Jacques and there’s the Razor’s Edge to Pierre….but Shawn Michaels comes in for the DQ.

Rating: C. This got a LONG time but it wasn’t exactly exciting stuff for a long stretch. Shawn running in for the DQ is a fine way to retain the title and Razor/Kid would have been a better option to challenge for the titles than Razor and Jannetty anyway. Not a great match, but it felt big and that is a good thing.

Next week: Randy Savage vs. Yokozuna for the WWF Title. Well that’s an upgrade.

Jim Cornette comes out to shout about how Yokozuna will crush Savage, who disagrees.

Bret Hart vs. Tom Prichard

Jim Cornette is here with Prichard. Vince goes into a discussion of the Dallas Cowboys, which I would call an upgrade. Feeling out process to start with Bret’s headscissors not getting him anywhere. Bret does it again and we get another standoff. Back up and Bret grabs a headlock but gets drop toeholded down, setting up a hammerlock. A backdrop sends Prichard outside and Bret works on the arm back inside.

Vince points out Nikolai Volkoff at ringside, with Savage deeming him as ugly as ever. As you try to figure out why Volkoff was getting a story in 1994, Bret works on the arm, including a snapmare into an armbar as we take a break. Back with Prichard raking the eyes as we hear about Donny Wahlberg coming to Wrestlemania. We’re so lucky that he calls in to the show as Vince talks about listening to the new New Kids On The Block album.

Prichard grabs the chinlock as Donny denies having any jealousy of his brother Mark Wahlberg. A jawbreaker gets Bret out of trouble and a backslide gives him two. Prichard snapmares him down into a chinlock with a knee in the back. Cornette goes to get in a cheap shot with the tennis racket but Savage sends him into the steps to cut that off.

We take another break and come back with Bret grabbing a small package for two. The backbreaker into the middle rope elbow gets two as Savage has stolen the tennis racket, leaving Cornette looking really weird. Prichard knocks Bret outside and here is Owen Hart to throw him back inside. Bret doesn’t seem to mind and grabs the Sharpshooter to win.

Rating: C+. Bret got some time here and that is always often going to work. It helps when you have someone as talented as Prichard in there. I know he’s remembered as part of a pretty middle of the road team in the WWF but he really was good at what he did and could work just fine in this spot.

Post match Bret and Owen yell at each other a lot.

It’s the Wrestlemania Report with Todd Pettingill. Rather than matches though, we talk about the celebrities, because they’re what really matter. This includes two Showtime movie critics who used to be cab drivers, though I don’t think they were on the show. We get around to the matches, which is just a big list of them. This whole thing went over five minutes and didn’t add anything significant.

Little Richard is ready for Wrestlemania.

Jim Cornette and Yokozuna come to the ring to yell at Randy Savage, who is ready to go right now. Yelling ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a rare show with two long matches and it set up some things for next week. The fact that next week is last week is a different story, but this was still in the formative years of the show. You can feel Wrestlemania season starting to come together though and I’m wanting to see how the build goes to one of the most important shows the company has ever had.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Wrestling Spotlight
Date: August 14, 1988
Commentator: Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura,
Hosts: Vince McMahon, Lord Alfred Hayes

This is one of the low level WWF shows from back in the Golden Era and upon seeing an episode of it pop up on YouTube, I figured it was worth a look. This is my favorite era of the company’s history and we would be coming up on the first Summerslam around this time. Odds are this is going to be promo based so let’s get to it.

Dang I love that WHAT THE WORLD IS WATCHING voiceover.

Opening sequence.

Vince and Alfred hype up the Summerslam main event and talk about who we might be seeing here.

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 14, 1988.

Rick Rude vs. Billy Brown

Bobby Heenan is here with Rude and before the match, Rude shows off his Cheryl Roberts tights. Brown actually tries to fire up the crowd as we get a voiceover from Howard Finkel for an upcoming show, which sounds like a fundraiser. The beatdown is on as we get an inset promo from Rude saying that Jake Roberts should get some WWF binoculars (because there are WWF binoculars) to see just how ravishing he REALLY is. Oh and Cheryl has never looked so good either. The Rude Awakening finishes at 1:15.

Post match Heenan brings in a woman (who is NOT like Cheryl Roberts) to get the kiss from Rude.

And now, the Brother Love Show. Love is SO excited this week because his personal benefactor, Ted DiBiase, is his guest. Instead though, here are Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth to interrupt, with Savage saying they have some very different definitions of love. Savage LOVES being the WWF Champion but he also loves his partner at Summerslam, so here is Hulk Hogan (in a weird looking red shirt/yellow trunks combination).

Love goes to leave but Hogan says hang on, because he has a different definition of love too. Hogan loves being the Hulkster and the Hulkamaniacs, but for now he would LOVE to get his hands on Love. That’s enough to send Love running off and the Mega Powers LOVE the idea of beating up the Mega Bucks at Summerslam. They lift up Liz and pose, with Hogan’s music playing because he’s still the real star.

From LaCrosse, Wisconsin, July 13, 1988.

Tito Santana vs. Tim Dixon

Jesse Ventura doesn’t buy that Tito is a singles star again because there is no way Rick Martel is STILL injured, but rather he’s just scared of Demolition. Santana works on an armbar to start before running Dixon over with a shoulder. Another armbar sends Dixon over to the ropes as Jesse insists that he will NOT be intimidated by Andre the Giant at Summerslam (which was a great story to the match as even Jesse was intimidated by Andre because, you know, it’s Andre).

Santana grabs the armbar again so Dixon makes it to the rope for the break. The armbar goes on yet again and Vince gets bored listening to Jesse talking about not being worried over Andre and acknowledges how boring this is. Tito FINALLY finishes with the flying forearm at 4:01.

Rating: D. Tito is one of my all time favorites but my goodness this was boring. They went four minutes and most of that was spent on various armbars. This is a match that could have had probably three minutes cut off for the same result. The match was there as a way for Jesse to talk about not being intimidated by Andre and that got old almost immediately.

We go to the Event Center with Sean Mooney to run down a card at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland (remember that this would be the show for the local market so this part would be different depending on where you were). Therefore, let’s hear from some people on the card.

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers are sure they’ll beat the Hart Foundation because they’re really brothers.

Ultimate Warrior is ready for Honky Tonk Man, who won’t be a challenge.

Video on Honky Tonk Man.

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 14, 1988.

Greg Valentine vs. Ken Patera

Joined in progress with Valentine begging off and getting punched in the corner. Valentine kicks him down though and hits a headbutt between the legs to take over. The Figure Four (with the Heartbreaker shin guard, which was a big deal for Valentine around this time) is loaded up but Patera kicks him away. A clothesline gives Patera two as commentary mocks the cover and Patera’s skills in general. I mean fair enough but you could be a bit nicer. Patera misses a charge in the corner so Valentine loads up the Heartbreaker, only to have Don Muraco come in and jump Valentine for the DQ at 2:58.

Post match Muraco goes after the Heartbreaker but has to deal with Jimmy Hart, allowing Valentine to escape. Muraco holds up Patera’s arm, even as Valentine is announced as the winner. Patera was AWFUL at this point and it was showing badly here.

The Mega Powers know how big Summerslam is going to be because…..kids have been asking for their allowance before doing their chores? Anyway, there are plans of elbows, bearhugs, slams and the Kiss Of Death. You can figure out who is going to do what.

Here’s how you can order Summerslam!

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 14, 1988.

Rockers vs. Dave Wagner/Tom Burton

Jannetty hiptosses Wagner down into an armbar to start before a drop toehold sets up Michaels’ legdrop to the back of the head. A belly to belly drops Wagner again as Heenan is teasing his own team. Brown comes in as Monsoon doesn’t seem to know which Rocker is which. Michaels drops a running elbow, setting up the top rope fist (off of Jannetty’s shoulders….so I guess it’s a top shoulders) fist drop for the pin at 2:59. Total and complete squash.

Vince and Alfred talk about Jesse Ventura being the guest referee for the Summerslam main event, which has been a major topic for this show.

UPDATE with Gene Okerlund looks at Summerslam, or at least the main event. This show is starting to look like a one match card. We do at least get some more matches discussed, which has barely been done all show.

From LaCrosse, Wisconsin, July 13, 1988.

Terry Taylor vs. Chris Todd

Taylor armdrags him down a few times as Jesse compliments Todd’s tights. We get an inset interview from Taylor, where he brags about being so handsome and thanks his parents for making him into Scary Terry Taylor. Vince: “Thanking his mom and dad? For what?” Anyway Terry keeps hammering away and we talk about Jesse being guest referee AGAIN. Some stomping and an awful looking spinebuster (Taylor dropped him) sets up the Scorpion Deathlock to finish Todd at 2:24. This was BAD and Taylor would actually get worse as the Red Rooster.

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 14, 1988.

Brutus Beefcake vs. Warren Bianchi

Bianchi is rather short and….I guess we’ll say ugly. We get an inset interview from Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart, who aren’t happy with Beefcake being on the cover of the new WWF Magazine instead of Honky Tonk. Beefcake unloads on Bianchi with the usual array of right hands and stomping before finishing with the sleeper at 2:01. Total squash and Gorilla says this is a win on Wrestling Challenge, as this was from a taping of another show (and probably aired on there too).

Post match, Bianchi gets an unwelcome haircut.

King Haku is ready for Tito Santana at the Capitol Center, with Bobby Heenan demonstrating proper bowing procedure.

Randy Savage is ready for the taller and heavier Andre the Giant, also at the Capitol Center.

We get the rest of the Landover card and….yeah I think I’m good.

Vince and Alfred wrap us up and give us one more Summerslam push to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s pure nostalgia and I’m not even going to pretend it’s anything else. This show was all about Summerslam (mainly the main event/Jesse’s referring) and that got a bit old fast. Other than that, this is basically the poor man’s version of Superstars or Prime Time and that didn’t exactly make for a fun 45ish minutes. That being said, it’s late 80s WWF and I’m always in for that, so odds are I’ll be back on this period sooner rather than later.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.