WWE Survivor Series ‘92
November 24, 1992
Richfield Coliseum
Richfield, Ohio
Survivor Series returns to where the first two were located in Richfield, Ohio in the greater Cleveland area. As I spoke about during the SummerSlam review, a lot of changes happened between August and November. Vince McMahon was almost certainly going to get indicted by the federal government for the steroid scandal, so the housecleaning was rampant. Two notable casualties were the Ultimate Warrior and Davey Boy Smith, who were both headlining SummerSlam. This all happened less than two weeks away from this event where the Warrior was going to be teaming with Randy Savage to take on Ric Flair and Razor Ramon (Scott Hall for any of you that only saw him during his nWo days in WCW). This all led to Savage gaining some revenge on Ric Flair by blowing up the Flair-Perfect-Heenan trio and getting Perfect to align with him as Warrior’s replacement. WCW was really starting to pick up steam and had the backing of billionaire media mogul Ted Turner’s money. They were scooping up any former WWE stars left and right. It would really get into high gear a few years later, but they were poised to take advantage of McMahon’s imminent legal troubles. In other words, Survivor Series would continue its tradition of being a transitional show.
Commentators: Vince McMahon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Headshrinkers (Fatu and Samu) w/ Afa vs. High Energy (Owen Hart and Koko B. Ware)
Poor Owen. WWE just had zero direction for him and this was the best they could come up with. Put him in oversized baggy pajamas and team him up with JTTS (and future Hall of Famer) Koko B. Ware. This is merely a glorified squash match as the Headshrinkers had just debuted. They were very athletic for their size and I always enjoyed their high impact offense. Match is okayish. *1/4
Nightstick Match
Nailz vs. Big Bossman
And we’re off to a white hot start to the show. A squash match, and then this one. Nailz came into the WWE and brutally attacked the Bossman back in June or July I can’t quite remember and stole his nightstick. Bossman would return, and this match would get signed. Bossman goes over here in a predictably terrible match. Nailz is one of the worst workers in WWE history. DUD
Tatanka vs. “The Model” Rick Martel
Yes, it’s a rematch from their epic encounter at WrestleMania VIII only THIS time, Martel had stolen Tatanka’s sacred eagle feathers. Once again he did this long before SummerSlam. I guess I can give them points for long term booking, but by the time the payoff actually happened, the few people that did care about the angle, didn’t anymore. Tatanka wins here. This match is notable as the first PPV appearance by Doink the Clown. *1/4
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair and Razor Ramon vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect
Once again, the advertised main event happens on the midcard. This is actually a pretty good tag team match, but has no payoff at the end. Razor got included because he was the one who cost Savage the WWE title to Flair in September. So Savage and Razor were set to feud. The problem with the match is that Flair still had to wrestle Bret Hart on house shows, so he had to remain strong. Razor was a fresh new heel that Vince desperately needed so he had to be kept strong. The baby-faces weren’t going to lose not to mention, a returning Mr. Perfect wasn’t going to lose, so despite a well wrestled tag team contest, the ending was going to be disappointing, and it was as Flair and Razor lost by disqualification. Flair at this point had also given his notice that he was not going to renew his contract. He would wrestle basically through January, put over Mr. Perfect in a career match on the new Monday Night RAW weekly television show, and head to WCW for more money and a much lighter schedule. ***
Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Virgil
Yokozuna came in as a mammoth Japanese wrestler. He was definitely a phenomenon and was immediately pushed as a monster heel. This was a total squash match as Virgil gets virtually no offense. In fact it really wouldn’t be until WrestleMania IX that anyone got any meaningful offense against Yokozuna. Vince truly had big things planned for him. ¾*
4 Team Survivor Series Tag Team Match
Money Inc. (Ted Dibiase and IRS) and Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake) vs. Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) and Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs)
The rules here are that if one member of the team gets eliminated, both guys are gone. Jimmy Hart continued his managing carousel in 1992. He stabbed the Natural Disasters in the back, and then did the same thing to the Nasty Boys after SummerSlam. You could say he made the right decision as Money Inc. ultimately ended up with the tag titles. Since the Nasty Boys were the latest team to be screwed over by Jimmy, they were going to get the token win here to continue their feud with Money Inc. that had no payoff. Nasty Boys would be gone before WrestleMania. This match is just filler. *
Casket Match
Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer vs. Kamala w/ Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman
Basically take their SummerSlam match, add a casket, and take away Kamala’s top rope belly flops on the Undertaker and you have this match. Undertaker stuffs Kamala into the casket and unfortunately this leads to Harvey Wippleman wanting revenge on Taker, which in turn gave us Giant Gonzalez. Poor Undertaker. ¼*
Main Event
WWE Championship
Bret “The Hitman” Hart (champion) vs. Shawn Michaels
Of course this is 5 years before their much more infamous Survivor Series match. Here they were (according to them) still pretty good buddies and just went out and saved this show from being one of the worst ever. This was a classic back and forth contest between two of the greats. Not much more to add here. Bret was the new WWE champion and Vince pinned his hopes on Bret to carry the company through some turbulent times. Shawn submitted to Bret’s sharpshooter for Bret to retain. These two could dog it and still have a *** match. They weren’t dogging it on this night though. ****1/2
Final Analysis: This show has not aged well at least for me. I loved this show on original viewing, but man was there some complete and utter crap. I guess the booking was solid, although I wonder if my opinion would have changed if the tag main event had an actual finish. I have no idea. I also wonder if Vince had the same opinion of the show, because not long after this a certain guy would be returning that pretty much change any long term booking plans Vince had established in November 1992. That man of course would be Hulk Hogan. That’s for another time. My suggestion to anyone is get the Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels rivalry dvd if you really want to see their match here, otherwise, this is pretty much a throwaway show.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
WWE SummerSlam '92
WWE SummerSlam ‘92
August 29, 1992
Wembley Stadium
London, England
SummerSlam 1992 was billed as the “SummerSlam you thought you would never see.” It was indeed as it had an atmosphere that is normally associated with WrestleMania. Over 80,000 Brits filled Wembley Stadium and it made for my favorite atmosphere ever. It was also surreal because for the first time in almost a decade, Vince McMahon would be promoting a major show without one key figure… that being Hulk Hogan. Instead Randy Savage was carrying the torch and had been continuing his feud with Ric Flair. Elizabeth and Randy Savage actually divorced in real life after this, so that aspect of the hot feud was now gone. Ultimate Warrior was set to feud with Sid Justice after WrestleMania but apparently Sid failed a drug test and quit. This left Warrior to feud with Papa Shango in one of the silliest feuds of all time. Shango played voodoo tricks on Warrior and made him vomit. It was so stupid. Ironically enough the first show I ever saw live was headlined by Shango and Warrior. Thankfully the show also featured a classic between two of my all time favorites Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. At the time I was fully expecting to see Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam, and the rematch between Savage and Flair. Instead I got Savage vs. Warrior, and Bret Hart defended his IC Title against Great Britain’s own Davey Boy Smith. It truly was the SummerSlam I thought I would never see.
Commentators: Vince McMahon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Money Inc. (“Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase and IRS) w/ “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart vs. Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) w/ Paul Ellering
Here is a classic example of not being “smart” and what it was like before internet. I had no idea that the Legion of Doom (Hawk basically) were extraordinarily unhappy and were set to quit right after this show (well Hawk). I was a huge Road Warriors mark, so it drove me nuts that the commentators were never talking about LOD regaining the tag titles that they lost earlier in the year, despite them winning every match. The truth is, Vince wanted them nowhere near the titles, and after everything I’ve read about Hawk, I can’t blame him. As for this match, LOD comes out on motorcycles to a HUGE pop; probably only second to the one Davey Boy Smith would receive later in the night. Money Inc. had lost the tag titles to Natural Disasters not long before this show, so this was safely a non-title match, which only served to put LOD over. LOD as workers were pretty much past their prime in 1992 so this match was pretty much nothing. LOD continued to pile up wins as they did pretty much their entire tenure in WWE, but the tag titles would remain safely out of their hands. Crowd was very enthusiastic throughout the show, but definitely for this match. *
Nailz vs. Virgil
You know, a lot of people today like to compare Michael Cole to Vince McMahon as far as commentating. He’s nothing like McMahon. Yes, McMahon wasn’t the greatest in terms of telling folks at home what moves are, but what Vince was REALLY good at, was making every baby-face on his roster seem like Hulk Hogan. I say that because this match is a good example. Nailz was brought in with an ex-con gimmick, and a mean looking heel brought in basically to feud with Big Bossman. So the outcome here wasn’t in doubt and Virgil was fed to him as your classic JTTS. Virgil comes out, and you would think he was the Ultimate Warrior the way Vince was so enthusiastic about him. Does Vince know the difference between a wristlock and a wristwatch? You wouldn’t think so listening to his commentary. Does Vince do as good of job as any as promoting his own talent no matter where they were located on the card? Absolutely yes. I just thought it was worth mentioning, because for some reason, there is a lot of Vince hate on his commentating days. I enjoyed his enthusiasm, and paired with the brilliant Heenan, they were quite the duo. As for this match… it’s terrible. Nailz is one of the worst workers ever. All he does is choke guys. DUD
Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri vs. “The Model” Rick Martel
The interesting gimmick here was that hitting in the face was not allowed here. The story is that Sherri had created a quasi love triangle between the two guys. It was kind of hokey but Shawn is so awesome that he can make almost anything entertaining, and Martel is no slouch himself. This would be a fun little match that ended predictably in a double count out. The moment of the match was when Sherri “fainted” as Martel and Michaels were about to hit each other. The aftermath was kind of long and drawn out, but the payoff was kind of funny as Martel came out with a bucket of water and dumped it on Sherri. Mean Gene did an interview with the Nasty Boys after this match and they called her the wicked witch of the west. Harmless fun. Match was solid, as Michaels was trying to find himself as a singles star. ***
WWE Tag Team Championship
Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) (champions) vs. Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake) w/ Genius
The Beverlies spent most of the summer jobbing to LOD in regular tag matches and 6 man tags involving Genius and Paul Ellering. With LOD facing Money Inc. the Beverlies got a title shot here as a way to put the new champions over here. Match was ok, certainly nothing great as the Disasters pretty much beat them in a glorified squash match. Money Inc. would regain the titles from Natural Disasters not long after this show. *
Repo Man vs. Crush
Repo Man was formerly Demolition Smash for any of you that don’t know. For anyone interested, here is a nice little video of Repo Man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArFAswWa-1Q More harmless fun. Crush is of course, Demolition Crush, now hailing from Hawaii, but there is no mention of their previous partnership as Demolition. Crush wins pretty easily here in a pretty bad match. This was just filler, but the fans seemed to be enthused for Crush. ½*
WWE Championship
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (champion) vs. Ultimate Warrior
I still to this day think that Vince was worried about this show and putting on a show in the middle of the summer in London and drawing 80,000 to Wembley. Bret Hart may not agree with that, and maybe I’m completely wrong, but Savage v Warrior came literally out of nowhere and certainly the mark in me was pumped about it because I loved their feud in 1990-1991. This time both men were baby-faces. Since Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect had nothing to do, they implemented them into this match to simply cause havoc on both guys. The story was that Mr. Perfect got Warrior and Savage to believe that he was working for the other guy and would be their corner-man in the big match at SummerSlam. It made for a nice little storyline and added a fun dynamic. The match itself is a worthy successor to their previous classic at WrestleMania VII. It didn’t have the drama, but it was in other ways a better pure wrestling match. After 15 minutes or so, Flair and Perfect came out and basically caused a bunch of mischief up to the point where Flair nailed Warrior with a steel chair. Macho didn’t see it but he knew that he didn’t do it and appeared to have figured out the plot. Instead of dropping the big elbow on Warrior, he tried to jump on Flair but Flair hit Macho’s knee with the chair (which set up Savage losing the title to Flair in Hershey, PA not long after this). Warrior wins by count out. Apparently Warrior was supposed to win the title and turn heel here, but I haven’t heard that from truly reliable sources. This was a solid match overall though. ****1/2
Kamala w/ Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman vs. Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
And so begins a long line of big, slow heels that the Undertaker would be faced with for the next 3-4 years. Looking back and considering what sensational matches the Undertaker has had in the past few years, maybe this period of time extended his career. Who knows? Anyway, this match was pretty bad as you would imagine, and Undertaker wins by count out because he scared Kamala away. I will say Kamala’s acting of being scared was beautiful. It was also notable for a very cool Undertaker entrance coming out in a hearse down the very long Wembley Stadium aisle. ¼*
Main Event
WWE IC Championship
Bret “The Hitman” Hart (champion) vs. “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith
For my money, this is the best match in WWE history. I’ve stated before that Bret Hart is my favorite pro wrestler ever and this match was certainly his defining moment. Many have called this match overrated, but it’s my damn opinion. Davey of course is the fan favorite here as he’s wrestling in front of 80,000 of his countryman. The story is of course that Davey married Bret’s sister Diana and this match was tearing the family apart. The beauty of the match is the fact that within minutes of the bell, Davey blows up, which means he forgets everything. Bret literally (on camera several times) has to call out almost every major spot. My words don’t do it justice and Bret eloquently describes the match in his book. People knock it for some of the rest holds, but they are a very small gripe and at least they fit within the context of the story (and for Bret to bring Davey up to speed) and not like a Randy Orton headlock nowadays which serve no purpose. The match is back and forth and the crowd is hanging on every move. It just builds and builds until the big payoff of Davey winning in the end to an explosion from the crowd. Not sure that on this night anyone in the world could’ve done what Bret did in this match. After the match, Bret’s sister, and Davey’s wife, Diana comes into the ring and they all do the baby-face embrace and celebrate to fireworks and pageantry. *****
Final Analysis: I may have overrated Warrior-Savage a little bit, but I loved the match, and of course the main event is still my favorite to this day and nothing has topped it as far as I’m concerned in the WWE. To this day I really don’t know why the WWE hasn’t gone back to London. Maybe Vince fears he couldn’t pull something like this off again, or maybe it just cost too much money, I don’t really know, but SummerSlam ’92 had an electric atmosphere that hadn’t ever really been seen before and hasn’t been seen since. WrestleMania is a stadium show every year now, but it still doesn’t quite measure up as far as the atmosphere, as it mostly contains a lot more glitz and glamour. This match brings me back to a special time in my life as I was pretty much into wrestling more than ever in 1992. This show the very definition of my markdom from then. The aftermath was very weird as a lot of things happened in a very short period of time. All three titles would change at least once between now and the Survivor Series 3 months later. Davey would drop the IC title to Shawn Michaels. Money Inc. would regain the tag titles from Natural Disasters, and as I mentioned Flair would regain the title from Randy Savage shortly as well. Then in October the biggest change happened, as Bret Hart would win the WWE title from Ric Flair in Canada in a move that was very shocking at the time. It just goes to show you that even in defeat, you could come out way better. Bret may have lost against Davey Boy Smith, but Bret’s stock had risen because of it.
August 29, 1992
Wembley Stadium
London, England
SummerSlam 1992 was billed as the “SummerSlam you thought you would never see.” It was indeed as it had an atmosphere that is normally associated with WrestleMania. Over 80,000 Brits filled Wembley Stadium and it made for my favorite atmosphere ever. It was also surreal because for the first time in almost a decade, Vince McMahon would be promoting a major show without one key figure… that being Hulk Hogan. Instead Randy Savage was carrying the torch and had been continuing his feud with Ric Flair. Elizabeth and Randy Savage actually divorced in real life after this, so that aspect of the hot feud was now gone. Ultimate Warrior was set to feud with Sid Justice after WrestleMania but apparently Sid failed a drug test and quit. This left Warrior to feud with Papa Shango in one of the silliest feuds of all time. Shango played voodoo tricks on Warrior and made him vomit. It was so stupid. Ironically enough the first show I ever saw live was headlined by Shango and Warrior. Thankfully the show also featured a classic between two of my all time favorites Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. At the time I was fully expecting to see Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at SummerSlam, and the rematch between Savage and Flair. Instead I got Savage vs. Warrior, and Bret Hart defended his IC Title against Great Britain’s own Davey Boy Smith. It truly was the SummerSlam I thought I would never see.
Commentators: Vince McMahon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Money Inc. (“Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase and IRS) w/ “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart vs. Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) w/ Paul Ellering
Here is a classic example of not being “smart” and what it was like before internet. I had no idea that the Legion of Doom (Hawk basically) were extraordinarily unhappy and were set to quit right after this show (well Hawk). I was a huge Road Warriors mark, so it drove me nuts that the commentators were never talking about LOD regaining the tag titles that they lost earlier in the year, despite them winning every match. The truth is, Vince wanted them nowhere near the titles, and after everything I’ve read about Hawk, I can’t blame him. As for this match, LOD comes out on motorcycles to a HUGE pop; probably only second to the one Davey Boy Smith would receive later in the night. Money Inc. had lost the tag titles to Natural Disasters not long before this show, so this was safely a non-title match, which only served to put LOD over. LOD as workers were pretty much past their prime in 1992 so this match was pretty much nothing. LOD continued to pile up wins as they did pretty much their entire tenure in WWE, but the tag titles would remain safely out of their hands. Crowd was very enthusiastic throughout the show, but definitely for this match. *
Nailz vs. Virgil
You know, a lot of people today like to compare Michael Cole to Vince McMahon as far as commentating. He’s nothing like McMahon. Yes, McMahon wasn’t the greatest in terms of telling folks at home what moves are, but what Vince was REALLY good at, was making every baby-face on his roster seem like Hulk Hogan. I say that because this match is a good example. Nailz was brought in with an ex-con gimmick, and a mean looking heel brought in basically to feud with Big Bossman. So the outcome here wasn’t in doubt and Virgil was fed to him as your classic JTTS. Virgil comes out, and you would think he was the Ultimate Warrior the way Vince was so enthusiastic about him. Does Vince know the difference between a wristlock and a wristwatch? You wouldn’t think so listening to his commentary. Does Vince do as good of job as any as promoting his own talent no matter where they were located on the card? Absolutely yes. I just thought it was worth mentioning, because for some reason, there is a lot of Vince hate on his commentating days. I enjoyed his enthusiasm, and paired with the brilliant Heenan, they were quite the duo. As for this match… it’s terrible. Nailz is one of the worst workers ever. All he does is choke guys. DUD
Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri vs. “The Model” Rick Martel
The interesting gimmick here was that hitting in the face was not allowed here. The story is that Sherri had created a quasi love triangle between the two guys. It was kind of hokey but Shawn is so awesome that he can make almost anything entertaining, and Martel is no slouch himself. This would be a fun little match that ended predictably in a double count out. The moment of the match was when Sherri “fainted” as Martel and Michaels were about to hit each other. The aftermath was kind of long and drawn out, but the payoff was kind of funny as Martel came out with a bucket of water and dumped it on Sherri. Mean Gene did an interview with the Nasty Boys after this match and they called her the wicked witch of the west. Harmless fun. Match was solid, as Michaels was trying to find himself as a singles star. ***
WWE Tag Team Championship
Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) (champions) vs. Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake) w/ Genius
The Beverlies spent most of the summer jobbing to LOD in regular tag matches and 6 man tags involving Genius and Paul Ellering. With LOD facing Money Inc. the Beverlies got a title shot here as a way to put the new champions over here. Match was ok, certainly nothing great as the Disasters pretty much beat them in a glorified squash match. Money Inc. would regain the titles from Natural Disasters not long after this show. *
Repo Man vs. Crush
Repo Man was formerly Demolition Smash for any of you that don’t know. For anyone interested, here is a nice little video of Repo Man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArFAswWa-1Q More harmless fun. Crush is of course, Demolition Crush, now hailing from Hawaii, but there is no mention of their previous partnership as Demolition. Crush wins pretty easily here in a pretty bad match. This was just filler, but the fans seemed to be enthused for Crush. ½*
WWE Championship
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (champion) vs. Ultimate Warrior
I still to this day think that Vince was worried about this show and putting on a show in the middle of the summer in London and drawing 80,000 to Wembley. Bret Hart may not agree with that, and maybe I’m completely wrong, but Savage v Warrior came literally out of nowhere and certainly the mark in me was pumped about it because I loved their feud in 1990-1991. This time both men were baby-faces. Since Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect had nothing to do, they implemented them into this match to simply cause havoc on both guys. The story was that Mr. Perfect got Warrior and Savage to believe that he was working for the other guy and would be their corner-man in the big match at SummerSlam. It made for a nice little storyline and added a fun dynamic. The match itself is a worthy successor to their previous classic at WrestleMania VII. It didn’t have the drama, but it was in other ways a better pure wrestling match. After 15 minutes or so, Flair and Perfect came out and basically caused a bunch of mischief up to the point where Flair nailed Warrior with a steel chair. Macho didn’t see it but he knew that he didn’t do it and appeared to have figured out the plot. Instead of dropping the big elbow on Warrior, he tried to jump on Flair but Flair hit Macho’s knee with the chair (which set up Savage losing the title to Flair in Hershey, PA not long after this). Warrior wins by count out. Apparently Warrior was supposed to win the title and turn heel here, but I haven’t heard that from truly reliable sources. This was a solid match overall though. ****1/2
Kamala w/ Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman vs. Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
And so begins a long line of big, slow heels that the Undertaker would be faced with for the next 3-4 years. Looking back and considering what sensational matches the Undertaker has had in the past few years, maybe this period of time extended his career. Who knows? Anyway, this match was pretty bad as you would imagine, and Undertaker wins by count out because he scared Kamala away. I will say Kamala’s acting of being scared was beautiful. It was also notable for a very cool Undertaker entrance coming out in a hearse down the very long Wembley Stadium aisle. ¼*
Main Event
WWE IC Championship
Bret “The Hitman” Hart (champion) vs. “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith
For my money, this is the best match in WWE history. I’ve stated before that Bret Hart is my favorite pro wrestler ever and this match was certainly his defining moment. Many have called this match overrated, but it’s my damn opinion. Davey of course is the fan favorite here as he’s wrestling in front of 80,000 of his countryman. The story is of course that Davey married Bret’s sister Diana and this match was tearing the family apart. The beauty of the match is the fact that within minutes of the bell, Davey blows up, which means he forgets everything. Bret literally (on camera several times) has to call out almost every major spot. My words don’t do it justice and Bret eloquently describes the match in his book. People knock it for some of the rest holds, but they are a very small gripe and at least they fit within the context of the story (and for Bret to bring Davey up to speed) and not like a Randy Orton headlock nowadays which serve no purpose. The match is back and forth and the crowd is hanging on every move. It just builds and builds until the big payoff of Davey winning in the end to an explosion from the crowd. Not sure that on this night anyone in the world could’ve done what Bret did in this match. After the match, Bret’s sister, and Davey’s wife, Diana comes into the ring and they all do the baby-face embrace and celebrate to fireworks and pageantry. *****
Final Analysis: I may have overrated Warrior-Savage a little bit, but I loved the match, and of course the main event is still my favorite to this day and nothing has topped it as far as I’m concerned in the WWE. To this day I really don’t know why the WWE hasn’t gone back to London. Maybe Vince fears he couldn’t pull something like this off again, or maybe it just cost too much money, I don’t really know, but SummerSlam ’92 had an electric atmosphere that hadn’t ever really been seen before and hasn’t been seen since. WrestleMania is a stadium show every year now, but it still doesn’t quite measure up as far as the atmosphere, as it mostly contains a lot more glitz and glamour. This match brings me back to a special time in my life as I was pretty much into wrestling more than ever in 1992. This show the very definition of my markdom from then. The aftermath was very weird as a lot of things happened in a very short period of time. All three titles would change at least once between now and the Survivor Series 3 months later. Davey would drop the IC title to Shawn Michaels. Money Inc. would regain the tag titles from Natural Disasters, and as I mentioned Flair would regain the title from Randy Savage shortly as well. Then in October the biggest change happened, as Bret Hart would win the WWE title from Ric Flair in Canada in a move that was very shocking at the time. It just goes to show you that even in defeat, you could come out way better. Bret may have lost against Davey Boy Smith, but Bret’s stock had risen because of it.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
WWE WrestleMania VIII
WWE WrestleMania VIII
April 4, 1992
Hoosier Dome
Indianapolis, Indiana
So after hyping up a big outdoor show at the LA Coliseum from WrestleMania VI to VII, the WWE had a big letdown on that front having to go to the much smaller LA Sports Arena. In 1992 the WWE would return to a big stadium, in hopes of catching some of that magic of WrestleMania’s 3 and 6. The atmosphere in Indianapolis was very good don’t get me wrong, but it was missing a little bit of mystique. Originally it was to be headlined by the dream match of the 1980’s between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Plans change, and it was soon announced that Hogan wanted to call it quits after WrestleMania VIII. So plans had to be changed on the fly and the event was made into a double main event. Ric Flair would now defend his title against Randy Savage, while Hogan and Sid Justice would play off their confrontation at the Royal Rumble and have their big blow off match here. A lot of fans are still hung up on the fact that Hogan-Flair didn’t happen, and although I can’t disagree with them from a dream match point of view, I think the ends justified the means as this turned out to be a pretty good WrestleMania. 1992 was the mother of all transition years for the WWE. That’s not surprising considering that this would be Hulk Hogan’s last WWE show for a year. The WWE was in need of a serious re-branding from top to bottom.
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Tito Santana vs. Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri
Speaking of re-branding, this guy Shawn Michaels would turn out to be a major player in that re-branding. He of course had recently turned on his Rockers partners Marty Jannetty and instantly became a hot new heel. They couldn’t have picked a better opponent to give him that first major PPV singles match in Santana. As I’ve stated many times before, Tito Santana is a pro’s pro. He’s a good wrestler, and always makes his opponents looks good. This match is very good. It isn’t as good as we will come to know from Shawn Michaels, but it’s a decent singles debut for Mr. WrestleMania. The outcome isn’t in doubt as Shawn was being pushed, and would already be spending the spring and summer wrestling Bret Hart for the IC Title at house shows. ***
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
The story here is Jake was about to blast Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair, when the Undertaker stopped him. Undertaker and Jake were supposed to be friends, but apparently the Undertaker has no friends and was tired of Jake’s dastardly ways. The real world story was Jake was on his way out and heading to WCW soon after this. This was a decisive victory for Undertaker, tombstoning Snake on the floor and pinning him. Certainly not a technical masterpiece here, but the point was emphatically made. 2-0. *
IC Championship
*Rated #17 on my Top 50 WrestleMania matches of all time*
Rowdy Roddy Piper (champion) vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart
Oh hell yeah! Classic example of a match that has aged like a fine wine. The match is better today than it was the first time I saw it 15 years ago. The story is so simple that even a modern day fan could figure it out. Guy loses belt, other guy wins belt from the guy that the first guy lost it to, and the 1st guy wants it back. The difference here is that both guys come into the match as baby faces. This is Piper’s best match of his career, but I would argue it’s the most important match of Bret Hart’s career. This was the match that made people think that Bret Hart was a legit main eventer and potentially capable of winning the big prize down the road. You have to keep in mind, Roddy Piper doesn’t lose. He never lost clean to anyone, so this was a really big deal. What Piper did for Bret here was huge. He liked Bret so that’s why he did it. He never did clean jobs for Hogan. The match itself is a classic, as Piper teases a heel turn right up to the point where the ref gets knocked out and Piper has the ring bell and is about to hit Bret Hart, but decides not to. He gets his sleeper hold, but Bret leaps on the turnbuckle and pushes back onto Piper in a pinning maneuver and gets the 3 count. An absolute incredible match as Bret Hart continues to rise, and Piper did something that needs to be appreciated more by wrestling fans. It’s also yet another example for future (and current) pro wrestlers to watch to find out how to put another guy over. Bret and Piper do the baby-face hug. This would be Piper’s last time as a full time wrestler in WWE. ****1/2
8 Man Tag Team Match
Mountie, Repo Man, and Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) w/ “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart vs. Big Bossman, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, and Virgil
With the reduced number of matches now that WWE went to the 2 hour and 45 minute PPV time, this would be your match thrown together to get as many guys a WrestleMania payday as you could. It’s just filler. The only thing of note here is that Virgil is wearing a protective mask (thanks to Sid) and at the end Mountie threw Sgt. Slaughter into the steps which set off a feud that no one cared about that spring. Match was nothing, baby faces win. ½*
Main Event
WWE Championship
*Rated #12 on my Top 50 WrestleMania matches of all time*
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair (champion) w/ Mr. Perfect vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
1992 was the year of Flair in WWE, and this would be his big feud. After the plans for Hogan-Flair got scrapped, this match was made. This is a weird case of the storyline being developed after the match was made. Normally that doesn’t work, but with these two guys it was absolute gold. Shortly after the match was announced Ric Flair revealed some photos of him and Elizabeth. Now it turned out that he doctored those photos and they were really photos of Savage and Liz, but the damage was done and Savage raged. And trust me when I tell you, nobody plays the raged jealous human being better than Savage in pro wrestling. This match was a contest of Flair using Savage’s rage against him, but Savage wasn’t going to be denied. The interference from Perfect was, well, Perfect. Every time Savage came back Perfect was there to derail his momentum. The crowd was in it every step of the way too, and was ready to explode when Savage hit the big elbow but Perfect made the save. Flair was working on the leg at the end but got a little too cocky and Savage rolled him up with a handful of tights for the 3 count. The heel tactic by Savage was a nice touch too. It kept Flair strong, but it’s easily dismissed because everyone knew that Savage has in his words “Soared with the eagles, and slithered with the snakes.” An absolute incredible match. Easily the best match between these two guys, though they would go on to wrestle a 1000 times in WCW in 1995-1996. The aftermath was epic too, as Savage was selling his knee injury, Flair cornered Elizabeth, and planted a wet one right on her lips, which ENRAGES Savage. The whole thing turns into a crazy mess. Heenan was brilliant on commentary as usual, but he left the booth in disgust, and Gorilla didn’t have to say a word while the craziness was happening. Finally after all of the officials usher Flair out of the ring, Savage is able to celebrate his 2nd WWE title with Elizabeth, and this time without Hulk Hogan there sharing the limelight. ****3/4
“The Model” Rick Martel vs. Tatanka
Tatanka was in the middle of his midcard mega push. He was a stereotypical Native American character. Tatanka had recently debuted and Martel was at this point a heel JTTS. Match was not horrible, but it was pretty much just filler. The match is notable for Bobby Heenan melting down over Flair and Gorilla needling him. *1/4
WWE Tag Team Championship
Money Inc. (“Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase and IRS) (champions) w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon)
As previously mentioned in the Royal Rumble review, Vince was desperate to get the tag titles off of Legion of Doom, so Dibiase and IRS formed a team and called themselves Money Inc. Jimmy Hart managed them, and that pissed off Natural Disasters as they felt like they were being phased out. The booking makes sense, but the match isn’t that good. Disasters went over with a cheap count out win as Money Inc. took a walk to save the titles. Disasters would go on to win the tag titles in the summer before dropping them back to Money Inc. after SummerSlam, but I guess they weren’t ready to take the titles off of Money Inc. quite yet here I guess. *1/2
“The Rocket” Owen Hart vs. Skinner
We’re now pressed for time, so this match is a squash win for Owen. Nice to see Owen get the win here, but it was tough seeing Owen in general these years because they didn’t have any direction for him. He would start to team with Koko B. Ware soon after this and have matches with the Nasty Boys at house shows. DUD
Main Event
Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice w/ Harvey Wippleman
Sid predictably turned heel after the Rumble and this match was made. The match is pretty bad. It’s your standard Hogan match. Heel beats him down, Hogan makes his comeback. Then in one of the weirdest occurrences in WrestleMania history, Papa Shango forgets his cue to come out to interfere and Sid kicks out of the big leg drop. The ref calls for the DQ for no reason whatsoever. For the life of me I still don’t know why Hogan didn’t just go over here. Anyway, Papa Shango finally comes out and they are working over Hogan when the Ultimate Warrior’s music hits and he comes down and makes the save. Hogan and Warrior celebrate to close the show. Warrior’s return was a true and total surprise, and a total mark out moment. Even watching it today, it is pretty fun to watch even as a guy who wasn’t a big Warrior mark. ½* for the match ¼* for the surprise return from Warrior. ¾*
Final Analysis: WrestleMania VIII just flows real nice through the Savage-Flair match then sort of drags until the Warrior makes his surprise return. Still, with two matches clocking in over **** it makes it a top tier WrestleMania. Those two matches are definitely worth seeing, and the Warrior’s return was pure excitement. Hogan is gone though now, so the WWE was officially in full transition mode.
April 4, 1992
Hoosier Dome
Indianapolis, Indiana
So after hyping up a big outdoor show at the LA Coliseum from WrestleMania VI to VII, the WWE had a big letdown on that front having to go to the much smaller LA Sports Arena. In 1992 the WWE would return to a big stadium, in hopes of catching some of that magic of WrestleMania’s 3 and 6. The atmosphere in Indianapolis was very good don’t get me wrong, but it was missing a little bit of mystique. Originally it was to be headlined by the dream match of the 1980’s between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Plans change, and it was soon announced that Hogan wanted to call it quits after WrestleMania VIII. So plans had to be changed on the fly and the event was made into a double main event. Ric Flair would now defend his title against Randy Savage, while Hogan and Sid Justice would play off their confrontation at the Royal Rumble and have their big blow off match here. A lot of fans are still hung up on the fact that Hogan-Flair didn’t happen, and although I can’t disagree with them from a dream match point of view, I think the ends justified the means as this turned out to be a pretty good WrestleMania. 1992 was the mother of all transition years for the WWE. That’s not surprising considering that this would be Hulk Hogan’s last WWE show for a year. The WWE was in need of a serious re-branding from top to bottom.
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Tito Santana vs. Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri
Speaking of re-branding, this guy Shawn Michaels would turn out to be a major player in that re-branding. He of course had recently turned on his Rockers partners Marty Jannetty and instantly became a hot new heel. They couldn’t have picked a better opponent to give him that first major PPV singles match in Santana. As I’ve stated many times before, Tito Santana is a pro’s pro. He’s a good wrestler, and always makes his opponents looks good. This match is very good. It isn’t as good as we will come to know from Shawn Michaels, but it’s a decent singles debut for Mr. WrestleMania. The outcome isn’t in doubt as Shawn was being pushed, and would already be spending the spring and summer wrestling Bret Hart for the IC Title at house shows. ***
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
The story here is Jake was about to blast Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair, when the Undertaker stopped him. Undertaker and Jake were supposed to be friends, but apparently the Undertaker has no friends and was tired of Jake’s dastardly ways. The real world story was Jake was on his way out and heading to WCW soon after this. This was a decisive victory for Undertaker, tombstoning Snake on the floor and pinning him. Certainly not a technical masterpiece here, but the point was emphatically made. 2-0. *
IC Championship
*Rated #17 on my Top 50 WrestleMania matches of all time*
Rowdy Roddy Piper (champion) vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart
Oh hell yeah! Classic example of a match that has aged like a fine wine. The match is better today than it was the first time I saw it 15 years ago. The story is so simple that even a modern day fan could figure it out. Guy loses belt, other guy wins belt from the guy that the first guy lost it to, and the 1st guy wants it back. The difference here is that both guys come into the match as baby faces. This is Piper’s best match of his career, but I would argue it’s the most important match of Bret Hart’s career. This was the match that made people think that Bret Hart was a legit main eventer and potentially capable of winning the big prize down the road. You have to keep in mind, Roddy Piper doesn’t lose. He never lost clean to anyone, so this was a really big deal. What Piper did for Bret here was huge. He liked Bret so that’s why he did it. He never did clean jobs for Hogan. The match itself is a classic, as Piper teases a heel turn right up to the point where the ref gets knocked out and Piper has the ring bell and is about to hit Bret Hart, but decides not to. He gets his sleeper hold, but Bret leaps on the turnbuckle and pushes back onto Piper in a pinning maneuver and gets the 3 count. An absolute incredible match as Bret Hart continues to rise, and Piper did something that needs to be appreciated more by wrestling fans. It’s also yet another example for future (and current) pro wrestlers to watch to find out how to put another guy over. Bret and Piper do the baby-face hug. This would be Piper’s last time as a full time wrestler in WWE. ****1/2
8 Man Tag Team Match
Mountie, Repo Man, and Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) w/ “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart vs. Big Bossman, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, and Virgil
With the reduced number of matches now that WWE went to the 2 hour and 45 minute PPV time, this would be your match thrown together to get as many guys a WrestleMania payday as you could. It’s just filler. The only thing of note here is that Virgil is wearing a protective mask (thanks to Sid) and at the end Mountie threw Sgt. Slaughter into the steps which set off a feud that no one cared about that spring. Match was nothing, baby faces win. ½*
Main Event
WWE Championship
*Rated #12 on my Top 50 WrestleMania matches of all time*
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair (champion) w/ Mr. Perfect vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
1992 was the year of Flair in WWE, and this would be his big feud. After the plans for Hogan-Flair got scrapped, this match was made. This is a weird case of the storyline being developed after the match was made. Normally that doesn’t work, but with these two guys it was absolute gold. Shortly after the match was announced Ric Flair revealed some photos of him and Elizabeth. Now it turned out that he doctored those photos and they were really photos of Savage and Liz, but the damage was done and Savage raged. And trust me when I tell you, nobody plays the raged jealous human being better than Savage in pro wrestling. This match was a contest of Flair using Savage’s rage against him, but Savage wasn’t going to be denied. The interference from Perfect was, well, Perfect. Every time Savage came back Perfect was there to derail his momentum. The crowd was in it every step of the way too, and was ready to explode when Savage hit the big elbow but Perfect made the save. Flair was working on the leg at the end but got a little too cocky and Savage rolled him up with a handful of tights for the 3 count. The heel tactic by Savage was a nice touch too. It kept Flair strong, but it’s easily dismissed because everyone knew that Savage has in his words “Soared with the eagles, and slithered with the snakes.” An absolute incredible match. Easily the best match between these two guys, though they would go on to wrestle a 1000 times in WCW in 1995-1996. The aftermath was epic too, as Savage was selling his knee injury, Flair cornered Elizabeth, and planted a wet one right on her lips, which ENRAGES Savage. The whole thing turns into a crazy mess. Heenan was brilliant on commentary as usual, but he left the booth in disgust, and Gorilla didn’t have to say a word while the craziness was happening. Finally after all of the officials usher Flair out of the ring, Savage is able to celebrate his 2nd WWE title with Elizabeth, and this time without Hulk Hogan there sharing the limelight. ****3/4
“The Model” Rick Martel vs. Tatanka
Tatanka was in the middle of his midcard mega push. He was a stereotypical Native American character. Tatanka had recently debuted and Martel was at this point a heel JTTS. Match was not horrible, but it was pretty much just filler. The match is notable for Bobby Heenan melting down over Flair and Gorilla needling him. *1/4
WWE Tag Team Championship
Money Inc. (“Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase and IRS) (champions) w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon)
As previously mentioned in the Royal Rumble review, Vince was desperate to get the tag titles off of Legion of Doom, so Dibiase and IRS formed a team and called themselves Money Inc. Jimmy Hart managed them, and that pissed off Natural Disasters as they felt like they were being phased out. The booking makes sense, but the match isn’t that good. Disasters went over with a cheap count out win as Money Inc. took a walk to save the titles. Disasters would go on to win the tag titles in the summer before dropping them back to Money Inc. after SummerSlam, but I guess they weren’t ready to take the titles off of Money Inc. quite yet here I guess. *1/2
“The Rocket” Owen Hart vs. Skinner
We’re now pressed for time, so this match is a squash win for Owen. Nice to see Owen get the win here, but it was tough seeing Owen in general these years because they didn’t have any direction for him. He would start to team with Koko B. Ware soon after this and have matches with the Nasty Boys at house shows. DUD
Main Event
Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice w/ Harvey Wippleman
Sid predictably turned heel after the Rumble and this match was made. The match is pretty bad. It’s your standard Hogan match. Heel beats him down, Hogan makes his comeback. Then in one of the weirdest occurrences in WrestleMania history, Papa Shango forgets his cue to come out to interfere and Sid kicks out of the big leg drop. The ref calls for the DQ for no reason whatsoever. For the life of me I still don’t know why Hogan didn’t just go over here. Anyway, Papa Shango finally comes out and they are working over Hogan when the Ultimate Warrior’s music hits and he comes down and makes the save. Hogan and Warrior celebrate to close the show. Warrior’s return was a true and total surprise, and a total mark out moment. Even watching it today, it is pretty fun to watch even as a guy who wasn’t a big Warrior mark. ½* for the match ¼* for the surprise return from Warrior. ¾*
Final Analysis: WrestleMania VIII just flows real nice through the Savage-Flair match then sort of drags until the Warrior makes his surprise return. Still, with two matches clocking in over **** it makes it a top tier WrestleMania. Those two matches are definitely worth seeing, and the Warrior’s return was pure excitement. Hogan is gone though now, so the WWE was officially in full transition mode.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
EAST Region
Well alright, alright, alright (Matthew Mcconaughey voice) I guess we are back to some blogging. Well except Bam of course because he never left and if you're a WWE fan check out some of his latest posts. So I am here tonight to bring you my take on the east bracket and I'm glad I waited to write this because Fab Melo is too dumb to remain academically ineligible. So without further ado I bring you the stacked east region.
East Region:
Round of 64, it's not the second round.
1. Syracuse vs 16. UNC Asheville- Ok so no Fab Melo, no problem, for the Orange here because it's a 16 seed and I think they have some amount of talent to dispose of UNCA.
8. Kansas State vs 9. Southern Miss: Have you ever watched Frank Martin coach a basketball game? it's one of the funniest things ever. I highly recommend it. Why not make your first Frank Martin game this one? He's going to get angry when his team starts out slow and all that latino heat he's going to pile up on his players and make them beat Brett Favre's alma mater. Hopefully Favre's temper is longer than his... (Come on, you couldn't expect me not to make a Favre joke when it's his Alma Mater)
5. Vanderbilt vs 12. Harvard: Both teams here are feel good stories. Harvard is making it's first appearance in the big dance in quite some team and when their university found out they were going dancing they did nothing because they were all studying for midterms or playing chess. Vanderbilt was good enough to knock down the mighty Calimari's wildcats in the SEC final. I think I like Vandy here.
4. Wisconsin vs. 13 Montana: Ohhhh boy I get to talk about the one place/school I hate almost as much as I hate Missouri...Wisconsin. The Grizzlies are coming into this one on a roll having won their last 14 games and are a team very fundamentally sound on defense. Bo Ryan (douche) has himself a pretty solid defensive team but this team cannot rely on Jordan Taylor scoring everything. If Wisconsin's last loss to Sparty is any indication I don't see them scoring a ton of points. If Montana can overcome some stage fright I don't see a reason why the Grizz can't send Bucky back to Madtown. My upset special of the East goes here. BETTER DEAD THAN RED!
6. Cincy vs. 11. Texas: Cincy has been on a roll since that brawl against Xavier and Texas is one of those teams that you can never count on during the tourney. Mack Brown is one hell of a recruiter but when it comes to March, it doesn't matter how many 5 star recruits you have when you have a coach who can't get the job done. Cincy wins this one in a landslide.
3. Florida State Vs. 14. St Bonaventure: I know absolutely nothing about the bonnies but I do know that Florida State will play some defense in this game. With their ability to play solid defense, Florida State will create a lot of points in transition and will win this one easily.
2. Ohio State vs Loyola: Even though Jared Sullinger is a big, fat crybaby he's way too much to handle for Loyola. Ohio State in a blowout.
Second Round:
1. Syracuse vs. 8. K-State: No Fab Melo for this game means one of the nation's worst rebounding teams is in for a very long night. The way Syracuse plays defense doesn't allow for them to get a lot of defensive boards and they now have their best rebounder academically ineligible. If K-State can knock down some outside shots there's no doubt in my mind that they'll pull off the massive upset.
5. Vanderbilt vs. 13. Montana: After the Grizzlies pull off the massive upset over Wisconsin, they will have their hands full w the smarties from Vandy. I think Vandy makes it into the elite 8 and proves itself a threat to make it to the final 4.
6. Cincy vs. 3. Florida St.: Don't know a whole lot about these two teams but I do know that Florida St. knocked off the North Carolina 2 headed giant this past season. I think Florida State is a better team and see them winning a very close contest to move on to the elite 8.
10. West Virginia vs. 2. Ohio St: Ohio State could possibly exit the tournament in this game. They only play 7 guys and if they can't stay healthy they have no chance. West Virginia on the other hand, has the big east player of the year runner-up in Kevin Jones. If WVU can make this one a high scoring affair they should win. Ohio State is too good defensively though and will prevail and move on to the next round.
Sweet 16:
8. Kansas St. vs. 5. Vanderbilt: If Frank Martin's team manages to make it to the elite 8, I think a miracle would have to happen. They have the talent to be here but I just think that Vandy is a better/smarter team and a not-so angry coach. Vandy moves on to the elite 8.
3. Florida St. vs. 2. Ohio St: This game would not be a pretty one at all. Both these teams are solidly defensively minded that there is not a chance in hell this would be a high scoring affair. Florida State has already proven it can hang with the big boys and I don't see a reason why they can't beat Ohio State.
Elite 8:
5. Vanderbilt vs. 3. Florida State: I don't know what it is about Florida State but I can't find a reason why they won't be in the final four. This is probably a terrible pick but if I wanted to be lame I could've just went chalk all the way through like Jay Bilas.
That's my take on the East region, have fun calling in sick to watch basketball for the next 3 weeks!
East Region:
Round of 64, it's not the second round.
1. Syracuse vs 16. UNC Asheville- Ok so no Fab Melo, no problem, for the Orange here because it's a 16 seed and I think they have some amount of talent to dispose of UNCA.
8. Kansas State vs 9. Southern Miss: Have you ever watched Frank Martin coach a basketball game? it's one of the funniest things ever. I highly recommend it. Why not make your first Frank Martin game this one? He's going to get angry when his team starts out slow and all that latino heat he's going to pile up on his players and make them beat Brett Favre's alma mater. Hopefully Favre's temper is longer than his... (Come on, you couldn't expect me not to make a Favre joke when it's his Alma Mater)
5. Vanderbilt vs 12. Harvard: Both teams here are feel good stories. Harvard is making it's first appearance in the big dance in quite some team and when their university found out they were going dancing they did nothing because they were all studying for midterms or playing chess. Vanderbilt was good enough to knock down the mighty Calimari's wildcats in the SEC final. I think I like Vandy here.
4. Wisconsin vs. 13 Montana: Ohhhh boy I get to talk about the one place/school I hate almost as much as I hate Missouri...Wisconsin. The Grizzlies are coming into this one on a roll having won their last 14 games and are a team very fundamentally sound on defense. Bo Ryan (douche) has himself a pretty solid defensive team but this team cannot rely on Jordan Taylor scoring everything. If Wisconsin's last loss to Sparty is any indication I don't see them scoring a ton of points. If Montana can overcome some stage fright I don't see a reason why the Grizz can't send Bucky back to Madtown. My upset special of the East goes here. BETTER DEAD THAN RED!
6. Cincy vs. 11. Texas: Cincy has been on a roll since that brawl against Xavier and Texas is one of those teams that you can never count on during the tourney. Mack Brown is one hell of a recruiter but when it comes to March, it doesn't matter how many 5 star recruits you have when you have a coach who can't get the job done. Cincy wins this one in a landslide.
3. Florida State Vs. 14. St Bonaventure: I know absolutely nothing about the bonnies but I do know that Florida State will play some defense in this game. With their ability to play solid defense, Florida State will create a lot of points in transition and will win this one easily.
2. Ohio State vs Loyola: Even though Jared Sullinger is a big, fat crybaby he's way too much to handle for Loyola. Ohio State in a blowout.
Second Round:
1. Syracuse vs. 8. K-State: No Fab Melo for this game means one of the nation's worst rebounding teams is in for a very long night. The way Syracuse plays defense doesn't allow for them to get a lot of defensive boards and they now have their best rebounder academically ineligible. If K-State can knock down some outside shots there's no doubt in my mind that they'll pull off the massive upset.
5. Vanderbilt vs. 13. Montana: After the Grizzlies pull off the massive upset over Wisconsin, they will have their hands full w the smarties from Vandy. I think Vandy makes it into the elite 8 and proves itself a threat to make it to the final 4.
6. Cincy vs. 3. Florida St.: Don't know a whole lot about these two teams but I do know that Florida St. knocked off the North Carolina 2 headed giant this past season. I think Florida State is a better team and see them winning a very close contest to move on to the elite 8.
10. West Virginia vs. 2. Ohio St: Ohio State could possibly exit the tournament in this game. They only play 7 guys and if they can't stay healthy they have no chance. West Virginia on the other hand, has the big east player of the year runner-up in Kevin Jones. If WVU can make this one a high scoring affair they should win. Ohio State is too good defensively though and will prevail and move on to the next round.
Sweet 16:
8. Kansas St. vs. 5. Vanderbilt: If Frank Martin's team manages to make it to the elite 8, I think a miracle would have to happen. They have the talent to be here but I just think that Vandy is a better/smarter team and a not-so angry coach. Vandy moves on to the elite 8.
3. Florida St. vs. 2. Ohio St: This game would not be a pretty one at all. Both these teams are solidly defensively minded that there is not a chance in hell this would be a high scoring affair. Florida State has already proven it can hang with the big boys and I don't see a reason why they can't beat Ohio State.
Elite 8:
5. Vanderbilt vs. 3. Florida State: I don't know what it is about Florida State but I can't find a reason why they won't be in the final four. This is probably a terrible pick but if I wanted to be lame I could've just went chalk all the way through like Jay Bilas.
That's my take on the East region, have fun calling in sick to watch basketball for the next 3 weeks!
Monday, March 12, 2012
WEST REGION
IT’S MADNESS BABY!
It’s like a 2nd Christmas to me. Growing up I always seemed to come down with a little sniffle around this time and seemed to convince my mom to let me stay home from school. I love the Men’s College Basketball Tournament. I’ll sit in my grundies, eating Girl Scout cookies, watching the games, and if I died tomorrow, I’d die a happy man. Anyway, I’ve drawn the West Region for the Mendoza line, so let’s get to it!
WEST REGION
First Round (Officially the 2nd round I guess, but it’s always going to be the 1st round as far as I’m concerned)
1.Michigan State vs. 16. Long Island – Brooklyn
I know nothing about LIU other than they have no chance here.
8. Memphis vs. Saint Louis
The 8-9 match ups, by design, are always close. Rick Majerus leads the Billikans here against a very good Memphis team that is very much under seeded. I look for a game that will come down to the final moments, but the Tigers will prevail and move onto present Sparty with a formidable 2nd round opponent.
5. New Mexico vs. 12. Long Beach St.
Got a big battle between old B1G ball coaches here as former Iowa coach Steve Alford goes up against former Gopher coach Dan Monson. Look for a classic 12-5 upset here, as Long Beach St Wins. Should be a great game. I did catch LBS very early in the season and they are pretty solid.
4. Louisville vs. 13. Davidson
Rick Pitino HAS to have his Cardinals ready this year doesn’t he? Last year my bracket got obliterated on the first game of the first day when Richmond knocked off Louisville. Really hoping Pitino doesn’t shit the bed again this year, although spending the next 3 weeks listening to Charles Barkley poop on the Big East again could be good for a laugh. I think Louisville prevails here.
6. Murray State vs. 11. Colorado State
Colorado State was virtually unbeatable at home this year, but last I checked, this game isn’t being played in Colorado Springs. I’ve seen Murray State play twice this year. The first time was on Bracket busters Saturday a few weeks ago against Saint Mary’s which they were pretty impressive. That being said, I was very much underwhelmed in their tournament final against Tennessee State (the only team that beat them this year). I will reluctantly pick the Racers here just because I don’t know much about Colorado State.
3. Marquette vs. 14. BYU-Iona
Like Louisville, Marquette is another Big East team that could go boom or bust. I’ve seen Marquette play several times this year and I love their athleticism. This is a sleeper final four team that no one is talking about, but also has the potential to lose early and wouldn’t shock me. I really like Iona getting by BYU. Comparisons have been made between Iona and VCU of last year in terms of being the last team in the dance. Not sure about those comparisons as there isn’t the same venom over Iona being in from the likes of Dick Vitale on ESPN. Still, the Gaels are going to be a tough out for BYU or Marquette. I still like Marquette to get through though.
7. Florida vs. 10. Virginia
Your classic 7-10 match ups, as this bracket should feature a lot of close first round games. I’ve seen Florida play twice this year, and came away unimpressed both times. Virginia knocked off Michigan early in the year so they have a marquee win at least. Not sure what to expect here because it’s hard to bet against Billy Donovan, but I’m going to go with Virginia here, but this game is a true 7-10 tossup. I’ve picked Florida in many brackets as well.
2.Missouri vs. Norfolk State
A lot of people thought Mizzou was going to be a #1 seed after winning the Big 12 tournament. I didn’t think they were going to and was happy to see the selection committee give Kansas the St. Louis region for a much better overall resume. Missouri is good, but I’ve been burned by them in the past. Obviously they should easily get to the round of 32 here.
Second Round
1.Michigan State vs. 8. Memphis
The 2nd round is actually my favorite round of them all because you get match ups like this. I like Sparty here but look for a good game as a lot of these 1 vs. 8/9 match ups usually are. Memphis is no joke, and they probably should be a 5 or a 6 seed.
12. Long Beach State vs. 4. Louisville
I think once Pitino gets by that always tricky 1st round game, look for Louisville to handle their business here. I look for Louisville to win this rather easily here sending Mr. Monson home.
6. Murray State vs. 3. Marquette
This one has all of the makings of being a nice little gem of a game further illustrating why I love the Round of 32. This will be the game for the Racers to prove themselves, but I think the Golden Eagles will pull this one out in a nail biter.
10. Virginia vs. Missouri
I don’t see how Mizzou will have any problem disposing UVA or UF in this round. Tigers in a laugher here.
Regional Semifinals
1.Michigan State vs. 4. Louisville
These two teams met up in 2009 in the regional final, and quite frankly Louisville didn’t come to play and were overwhelmed by the sheer physical nature of a Tom Izzo coached team. I honestly don’t see this result being much different. Louisville is tough, but I look for a game similar to what we saw with MSU against Ohio State on Sunday. Louisville will wear down against the depth, and Sparty will head to the Elite 8.
3. Marquette vs. 2. Missouri
This one has all the makings of game of the tournament. In typical Missouri-like fashion though, I think they will choke this one away and send Marquette to the elite 8. As I said before, Missouri has burned me in the past one too many times. I might be wrong, but I really like Marquette in what will be perceived as a giant upset by the geniuses on ESPN, but in reality, no one should be surprised if it happens.
Regional Finals
1.Michigan State vs. 3. Marquette
I’ve teetered in this bracket for the past 24 hours on all 4 of the top seeds in this bracket getting to the final four. I’ve decided to roll with Tom Izzo. History is on his side. They’ve made it to the final four every time they’ve been a #1 seed with him at the helm, and I think they will get the job done here too. It’s a remarkable story with them being unranked to start the year. I also want to point out that with the exception of 2010, I’ve picked Sparty to go to the final four every time they did go, and that includes picking them to win it all in 2000. History is on their side.
All in all, this is an excellent region, with some solid clubs as 1-4 are all top notch and capable of winning it all. Keep your eye on those first round games in this region. I think MSU and Mizzou will roll, but the other 6 games have the potential to be thrillers.
It’s like a 2nd Christmas to me. Growing up I always seemed to come down with a little sniffle around this time and seemed to convince my mom to let me stay home from school. I love the Men’s College Basketball Tournament. I’ll sit in my grundies, eating Girl Scout cookies, watching the games, and if I died tomorrow, I’d die a happy man. Anyway, I’ve drawn the West Region for the Mendoza line, so let’s get to it!
WEST REGION
First Round (Officially the 2nd round I guess, but it’s always going to be the 1st round as far as I’m concerned)
1.Michigan State vs. 16. Long Island – Brooklyn
I know nothing about LIU other than they have no chance here.
8. Memphis vs. Saint Louis
The 8-9 match ups, by design, are always close. Rick Majerus leads the Billikans here against a very good Memphis team that is very much under seeded. I look for a game that will come down to the final moments, but the Tigers will prevail and move onto present Sparty with a formidable 2nd round opponent.
5. New Mexico vs. 12. Long Beach St.
Got a big battle between old B1G ball coaches here as former Iowa coach Steve Alford goes up against former Gopher coach Dan Monson. Look for a classic 12-5 upset here, as Long Beach St Wins. Should be a great game. I did catch LBS very early in the season and they are pretty solid.
4. Louisville vs. 13. Davidson
Rick Pitino HAS to have his Cardinals ready this year doesn’t he? Last year my bracket got obliterated on the first game of the first day when Richmond knocked off Louisville. Really hoping Pitino doesn’t shit the bed again this year, although spending the next 3 weeks listening to Charles Barkley poop on the Big East again could be good for a laugh. I think Louisville prevails here.
6. Murray State vs. 11. Colorado State
Colorado State was virtually unbeatable at home this year, but last I checked, this game isn’t being played in Colorado Springs. I’ve seen Murray State play twice this year. The first time was on Bracket busters Saturday a few weeks ago against Saint Mary’s which they were pretty impressive. That being said, I was very much underwhelmed in their tournament final against Tennessee State (the only team that beat them this year). I will reluctantly pick the Racers here just because I don’t know much about Colorado State.
3. Marquette vs. 14. BYU-Iona
Like Louisville, Marquette is another Big East team that could go boom or bust. I’ve seen Marquette play several times this year and I love their athleticism. This is a sleeper final four team that no one is talking about, but also has the potential to lose early and wouldn’t shock me. I really like Iona getting by BYU. Comparisons have been made between Iona and VCU of last year in terms of being the last team in the dance. Not sure about those comparisons as there isn’t the same venom over Iona being in from the likes of Dick Vitale on ESPN. Still, the Gaels are going to be a tough out for BYU or Marquette. I still like Marquette to get through though.
7. Florida vs. 10. Virginia
Your classic 7-10 match ups, as this bracket should feature a lot of close first round games. I’ve seen Florida play twice this year, and came away unimpressed both times. Virginia knocked off Michigan early in the year so they have a marquee win at least. Not sure what to expect here because it’s hard to bet against Billy Donovan, but I’m going to go with Virginia here, but this game is a true 7-10 tossup. I’ve picked Florida in many brackets as well.
2.Missouri vs. Norfolk State
A lot of people thought Mizzou was going to be a #1 seed after winning the Big 12 tournament. I didn’t think they were going to and was happy to see the selection committee give Kansas the St. Louis region for a much better overall resume. Missouri is good, but I’ve been burned by them in the past. Obviously they should easily get to the round of 32 here.
Second Round
1.Michigan State vs. 8. Memphis
The 2nd round is actually my favorite round of them all because you get match ups like this. I like Sparty here but look for a good game as a lot of these 1 vs. 8/9 match ups usually are. Memphis is no joke, and they probably should be a 5 or a 6 seed.
12. Long Beach State vs. 4. Louisville
I think once Pitino gets by that always tricky 1st round game, look for Louisville to handle their business here. I look for Louisville to win this rather easily here sending Mr. Monson home.
6. Murray State vs. 3. Marquette
This one has all of the makings of being a nice little gem of a game further illustrating why I love the Round of 32. This will be the game for the Racers to prove themselves, but I think the Golden Eagles will pull this one out in a nail biter.
10. Virginia vs. Missouri
I don’t see how Mizzou will have any problem disposing UVA or UF in this round. Tigers in a laugher here.
Regional Semifinals
1.Michigan State vs. 4. Louisville
These two teams met up in 2009 in the regional final, and quite frankly Louisville didn’t come to play and were overwhelmed by the sheer physical nature of a Tom Izzo coached team. I honestly don’t see this result being much different. Louisville is tough, but I look for a game similar to what we saw with MSU against Ohio State on Sunday. Louisville will wear down against the depth, and Sparty will head to the Elite 8.
3. Marquette vs. 2. Missouri
This one has all the makings of game of the tournament. In typical Missouri-like fashion though, I think they will choke this one away and send Marquette to the elite 8. As I said before, Missouri has burned me in the past one too many times. I might be wrong, but I really like Marquette in what will be perceived as a giant upset by the geniuses on ESPN, but in reality, no one should be surprised if it happens.
Regional Finals
1.Michigan State vs. 3. Marquette
I’ve teetered in this bracket for the past 24 hours on all 4 of the top seeds in this bracket getting to the final four. I’ve decided to roll with Tom Izzo. History is on his side. They’ve made it to the final four every time they’ve been a #1 seed with him at the helm, and I think they will get the job done here too. It’s a remarkable story with them being unranked to start the year. I also want to point out that with the exception of 2010, I’ve picked Sparty to go to the final four every time they did go, and that includes picking them to win it all in 2000. History is on their side.
All in all, this is an excellent region, with some solid clubs as 1-4 are all top notch and capable of winning it all. Keep your eye on those first round games in this region. I think MSU and Mizzou will roll, but the other 6 games have the potential to be thrillers.
South Region
March Madness is the best time of the year period, and always seems to revive the blog. So let's get to it with a region by region breakdown.
Round 1 (2)
1 UK vs 16 Miss Valley St/WKU
First off I am picking Miss Valley St over WKU because WKU is under .500. Then since 1 seeds never lose to a 16 I'll take UK to move on easily. (This is a halfhearted attempt at a reverse jinx on dirty Coach Cal)
8 Iowa St vs 9 UConn
This game is a toss-up, as a lot of 8/9 matchups are. UConn relies heavily on Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier, and Iowa St's success this season has been largely due to the addition of (former Gopher) Royce "hey Paul Blart Mall Cop I paid for this jacket at Macy's" White. Anyway, Royce and good old Fred Hoiberg get the Cyclones to the 2nd round. I mean 3rd round. I think.
12 VCU vs 5 Wichita St
Another game that could go either way, but last year's surprise team VCU lost 4 of 5 starters and Wichita St won the NIT last year (I know) and returns all 5 starters. While this may be one of the 12/5 sexy pick upsets, I think Wichita State advances past the Shaka Smarts.
4 Indiana vs 13 New Mexico St
Indiana lost Verdell Jones III tore his ACL in the Big 10 and will now have to rely on Zeller and Watford for the offense. IU has played some shaky D at times and missing Jones III will undoubtedly affect their team play. Upset alert here, New Mexico St moves on.
6 UNLV vs 11 Colorado
Colorado stole a bid and doesn't deserve to be in the big dance and the Runnin' Rebels run all over Colorado in a blowout win. Also UNLV's fight song is Viva Las Vegas. How cool is that?
3 Baylor vs 14 South Dakota St
If it said 3 Minnesota instead of Baylor I would consider the upset given the history between the Gophers and Jackrabbits, but the Bears send the first team from the lovely state of South Dakota to make the tourney home in a big loss. If Baylor plays to their max potential they are a easily a final four team.
7 Notre Dame vs 10 Xavier
I'm picking Notre Dame here and I really don't know why. This game is probably a toss-up and a sure thing is that Xavier will "fight" to the bitter end.
2 Duke vs Lehigh
What's Lehigh? Duke advances easily and Doc Rivers gets really excited in the stands.
Round 2 (3)
1 UK vs 8 ISU
UK is too talented and Royce "I'm going to be a rapper" White can't handle the inside presence of the Wildcats, and UK gets another win that will inevitably be vacated.
5 Wichita St vs 13 New Mexico St
The Cinderella run for the Aggies runs out as the senior experience and leadership for Wichita St advances on.
6 UNLV vs 3 Baylor
Baylor stays consistent for another game and their athleticism in the front court shines in a win over the Runnin' Rebels.
7 Notre Dame vs 2 Duke
Duke stays hot again as well and their guards shoot the lights out against an overmatched ND team.
Sweet Sixteen
1 UK vs 5 Wichita St
This matchup could spell trouble for Coach Cal, and Wichita St will be in it at the end. But the better talent that UK has will prevail sending the Cats to the Elite 8.
3 Baylor vs 2 Duke
Two teams that are somewhat inconsistent at time, and the team that stays hot off their early tourney wins will punch a ticket to the Elite 8. And that team will be the Baylor Bears. Their talent in the frontcourt with Perry Jones III will outplay that of Duke's Seth Curry and Austin Rivers. The Blue Devils have looked shaky at points this year and the Baylor Bears stay hot and move on.
Elite Eight
1 UK vs 3 Baylor
Well we made it to the final of the region with the UK Wildcats and the Baylor Bears. Baylor got to this point by getting consistent great play from the Quincy's and Perry Jones III. UK got here by riding the talent that fills their roster, including the uni-browed POY candidate Anthony Davis. And the team that advances to the Final Four is the Kentucky Wildcats. Their roster is too deep and has too much talent for Baylor to stop. The Bears hot streak comes to an end here, and Coach Cal is cutting down a net when it is all said and done. Does he have to give that back once he gets busted in like 3 years?
Sunday, March 11, 2012
WWE Royal Rumble '92
WWE Royal Rumble ‘92
January 19, 1992
Knickerbocker Arena
Albany, New York
So after all of the mess involving the Undertaker and Hulk Hogan over the WWE Championship, we entered 1992 with no champion. The title would be put up in the 30 man Royal Rumble match here. Some interesting things also took place. Once every so often, Vince would take the titles off guys at house shows. Usually it is because of contract disputes and then it becomes a necessity to get the belt off of guys. Bret Hart lost the IC Title in such a manner to the Mountie in Springfield, MA not long before the Rumble. I’ve heard conflicting reasons. I’ve heard it was due to his contract being re-negotiated, but in his book he didn’t indicate that was the case. Whatever the case was, this opened up the door for Rowdy Roddy Piper to go after what would be his first and only singles title in the WWE. The show as usual however, would center around one match, and more importantly one man.
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
New Foundation (Owen Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart) vs. Orient Express (Tanaka and Kato) w/ Mr. Fuji
I remember being so pumped when Owen Hart showed up in WWE. Keep in mind I didn’t know at the time that he was the Blue Blazer back in 1988-1989, but I saw him during his very brief stint in WCW in 1991, and also picked up several copies of Pro Wrestling Illustrated during this time period and read about him. The New Foundation instantly became my new favorite tag team and I thought that they were on their way to the same type of success the old Hart Foundation had. I would be wrong, as Neidhart would leave the company shortly after this event leaving Owen to wrestle in singles competition until the WWE teamed him up with Koko B. Ware later in 1992. This match was very good, and for the 2nd year in a row, the Orient Express is in a match that absolutely needs to be seen to be appreciated. This isn’t near as good as the classic with the Rockers in 1991, but it’s still a great match. The foundation wins with their rocket launcher double team maneuver and like I said, at the time, I thought they were destined for tag team greatness. ***1/2
WWE IC Championship
Mountie (champion) w/ “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper
What we have here is a foregone conclusion. The plan all along seemed to be that Piper was going to ultimately put Bret over at WrestleMania, so Piper winning here was a formality. The match was nothing, but man what a mark out moment for Piper. He wins with the sleeper hold, and the crowd goes absolutely crazy. This, and WrestleMania III are my two favorite Piper moments as a baby face. You can tell it means a lot to Piper too, and it’s yet another shining example of why titles don’t make the man, but the man makes the titles. Piper wasn’t any more over because he won the IC title here. But the IC Title was put over because of the way Piper put it over. It’s a lesson that I wish the WWE would learn today, as the titles get de-valued by the minute nowadays. **
Bushwhackers w/ Jameson vs. Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake) w/ Genius
We go from a great opener, to a classic moment, to this. This is absolute garbage, even for a Bushwhackers match. And some genius (no pun) decided to give this 10 minutes. Just a putrid match. Beverly’s win to no one’s surprise. DUD
WWE Tag Team Championship
Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) (champions) vs. Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) w/ Jimmy Hart
Apparently Hawk was beginning to succumb to his personal demons at this time and was spiraling out of control. Vince desperately wanted to get the belts off of LOD. I thought at the time that the Disasters would come away with the title. I was shocked to find out the next day in school from a friend who watched the show that in fact LOD still had the titles, albeit in defeat. Disasters win by a cheap count out. Match was about as good as you could ask for from LOD at this point in their careers against a team like Natural Disasters. ¾*
Main Event
WWE Championship – Royal Rumble
This is what I’m talking about! Most people have this rated as the best Rumble of all time. I wouldn’t argue with anyone that thought that way. The title here is the prize after the Hogan-Undertaker debacle from Tuesday in Texas. The British Bulldog and Ted Dibiase start things off, and Bulldog eliminates Dibase right away. Dibiase does a REALLY good job selling how pissed off he is too knowing that he blew a big chance at winning the gold. #3 is Ric Flair and Bobby Heenan goes into meltdown mode screaming “NO… DAMMIT!” Gorilla Monsoon then proceeds to dig at him with comments like “No one has ever drawn numbers 1-5 and been there at the end!” Heenan replies “What?!” Gorilla repeats himself and Heenan screams “AH SHUT UP!” This match is Gorilla and Heenan’s masterpiece as a commentating duo and the match itself isn’t too shabby either as Flair carries this sucker like the great performer he is. Everyone that enters pretty much goes right after Flair which indicates that Flair is probably lasting a long time. Another funny Gorilla-Heenan moment is when Barbarian comes out. Gorilla says “Barbarian doesn’t like Flair.” Heenan classically replies “Barbarian doesn’t like anyone… when I managed him he barely liked me!” One by one everyone gets eliminated leaving Flair and Bossman. Flair eliminates Bossman and Heenan starts yelling in celebration… leaving Gorilla to tell Heenan that it’s not over. In fact they were only half way through, and #15 is Rowdy Roddy Piper and the place comes unglued. Evil Jake Roberts comes out next and lets Flair and Piper go at it until he sees the opportunity to attack Piper from behind, but he also goes after Flair too which makes it even cooler. One of the stipulations going into the match was that because Hogan and Undertaker were the two former world champions and the reason for this match; Undertaker and Hulk Hogan would get #’s 20-30. Undertaker didn’t fare too well in that deal, as he got #20, the worst possible number he could have gotten. Randy Savage is next and Jake slides out of the ring and hides. Savage coming in like a Wildman and looking feverishly for Jake was a great way to tell the story of hatred. Finally Hogan comes out at #26 and as Jim Ross would say if he was commentating “Business is about to pick up.” He immediately dumps out the Undertaker. They really made Undertaker into Hogan’s bitch after Survivor Series. To this day I wondered why Undertaker had such a limited role in this Rumble considering he was one of the main reasons the title was up for grabs here. Nonetheless I digress. The match continues until finally it boils down to the final four. Sid, Hogan, Flair, and Savage. Sid gets rid of Savage and Hogan has Flair dead to rights, but Sid sneaks up from behind and dumps Hogan. Sid is pretty pleased with himself and starts talking trash to Hogan. Hogan grabs Sid’s arm and Flair is able to dump Sid over for the historic win. Flair goes over 1 hour in the match and wins the WWE Title. Sid and Hogan almost come to blows but officials break it up. Sid was the one getting the cheers here, and like Survivor Series, the first cracks of Hulkamania were starting to show as people began to get tired of the super hero stuff and were clamoring for something new. As for Flair, he, Heenan, and Perfect celebrate, and Flair gives one of the best victory promos of all time with Mean Gene Okerlund, and puts over the WWE title as “The only real World Championship.” There it is again… the title makes the man, not the other way around. Remember that WWE the next time you decide to hotshot a title onto Miz or Jack Swagger. Those guys don’t benefit any more from getting a title. Anyway, personally speaking, this was one of the best matches of the 90’s, and one of the best Rumble’s ever. *****
Final Analysis: There’s only one reason to watch this show, and that one reason delivered. Ric Flair gave one of the best individual Royal Rumble performances ever and proved that he was still the man. Shortly after this, Flair and Hulk Hogan would get announced as the Main Event of WrestleMania VIII, and the dream match of the 80’s was going to happen… but it didn’t. Instead Hogan decided that he was going to “retire” and the show was re-booked into a double main event with Hogan taking on Sid Justice, and Flair defending the title against Randy Savage. Undertaker would turn baby face after this and turn on Jake Roberts. 1992 was one of my favorite years for wrestling as I was fully engrained into all things pro-wrestling at this point, but business was rapidly declining. The golden age was long since over and pro wrestling in general seemed directionless. This was a true bright spot though.
January 19, 1992
Knickerbocker Arena
Albany, New York
So after all of the mess involving the Undertaker and Hulk Hogan over the WWE Championship, we entered 1992 with no champion. The title would be put up in the 30 man Royal Rumble match here. Some interesting things also took place. Once every so often, Vince would take the titles off guys at house shows. Usually it is because of contract disputes and then it becomes a necessity to get the belt off of guys. Bret Hart lost the IC Title in such a manner to the Mountie in Springfield, MA not long before the Rumble. I’ve heard conflicting reasons. I’ve heard it was due to his contract being re-negotiated, but in his book he didn’t indicate that was the case. Whatever the case was, this opened up the door for Rowdy Roddy Piper to go after what would be his first and only singles title in the WWE. The show as usual however, would center around one match, and more importantly one man.
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
New Foundation (Owen Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart) vs. Orient Express (Tanaka and Kato) w/ Mr. Fuji
I remember being so pumped when Owen Hart showed up in WWE. Keep in mind I didn’t know at the time that he was the Blue Blazer back in 1988-1989, but I saw him during his very brief stint in WCW in 1991, and also picked up several copies of Pro Wrestling Illustrated during this time period and read about him. The New Foundation instantly became my new favorite tag team and I thought that they were on their way to the same type of success the old Hart Foundation had. I would be wrong, as Neidhart would leave the company shortly after this event leaving Owen to wrestle in singles competition until the WWE teamed him up with Koko B. Ware later in 1992. This match was very good, and for the 2nd year in a row, the Orient Express is in a match that absolutely needs to be seen to be appreciated. This isn’t near as good as the classic with the Rockers in 1991, but it’s still a great match. The foundation wins with their rocket launcher double team maneuver and like I said, at the time, I thought they were destined for tag team greatness. ***1/2
WWE IC Championship
Mountie (champion) w/ “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper
What we have here is a foregone conclusion. The plan all along seemed to be that Piper was going to ultimately put Bret over at WrestleMania, so Piper winning here was a formality. The match was nothing, but man what a mark out moment for Piper. He wins with the sleeper hold, and the crowd goes absolutely crazy. This, and WrestleMania III are my two favorite Piper moments as a baby face. You can tell it means a lot to Piper too, and it’s yet another shining example of why titles don’t make the man, but the man makes the titles. Piper wasn’t any more over because he won the IC title here. But the IC Title was put over because of the way Piper put it over. It’s a lesson that I wish the WWE would learn today, as the titles get de-valued by the minute nowadays. **
Bushwhackers w/ Jameson vs. Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake) w/ Genius
We go from a great opener, to a classic moment, to this. This is absolute garbage, even for a Bushwhackers match. And some genius (no pun) decided to give this 10 minutes. Just a putrid match. Beverly’s win to no one’s surprise. DUD
WWE Tag Team Championship
Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) (champions) vs. Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) w/ Jimmy Hart
Apparently Hawk was beginning to succumb to his personal demons at this time and was spiraling out of control. Vince desperately wanted to get the belts off of LOD. I thought at the time that the Disasters would come away with the title. I was shocked to find out the next day in school from a friend who watched the show that in fact LOD still had the titles, albeit in defeat. Disasters win by a cheap count out. Match was about as good as you could ask for from LOD at this point in their careers against a team like Natural Disasters. ¾*
Main Event
WWE Championship – Royal Rumble
This is what I’m talking about! Most people have this rated as the best Rumble of all time. I wouldn’t argue with anyone that thought that way. The title here is the prize after the Hogan-Undertaker debacle from Tuesday in Texas. The British Bulldog and Ted Dibiase start things off, and Bulldog eliminates Dibase right away. Dibiase does a REALLY good job selling how pissed off he is too knowing that he blew a big chance at winning the gold. #3 is Ric Flair and Bobby Heenan goes into meltdown mode screaming “NO… DAMMIT!” Gorilla Monsoon then proceeds to dig at him with comments like “No one has ever drawn numbers 1-5 and been there at the end!” Heenan replies “What?!” Gorilla repeats himself and Heenan screams “AH SHUT UP!” This match is Gorilla and Heenan’s masterpiece as a commentating duo and the match itself isn’t too shabby either as Flair carries this sucker like the great performer he is. Everyone that enters pretty much goes right after Flair which indicates that Flair is probably lasting a long time. Another funny Gorilla-Heenan moment is when Barbarian comes out. Gorilla says “Barbarian doesn’t like Flair.” Heenan classically replies “Barbarian doesn’t like anyone… when I managed him he barely liked me!” One by one everyone gets eliminated leaving Flair and Bossman. Flair eliminates Bossman and Heenan starts yelling in celebration… leaving Gorilla to tell Heenan that it’s not over. In fact they were only half way through, and #15 is Rowdy Roddy Piper and the place comes unglued. Evil Jake Roberts comes out next and lets Flair and Piper go at it until he sees the opportunity to attack Piper from behind, but he also goes after Flair too which makes it even cooler. One of the stipulations going into the match was that because Hogan and Undertaker were the two former world champions and the reason for this match; Undertaker and Hulk Hogan would get #’s 20-30. Undertaker didn’t fare too well in that deal, as he got #20, the worst possible number he could have gotten. Randy Savage is next and Jake slides out of the ring and hides. Savage coming in like a Wildman and looking feverishly for Jake was a great way to tell the story of hatred. Finally Hogan comes out at #26 and as Jim Ross would say if he was commentating “Business is about to pick up.” He immediately dumps out the Undertaker. They really made Undertaker into Hogan’s bitch after Survivor Series. To this day I wondered why Undertaker had such a limited role in this Rumble considering he was one of the main reasons the title was up for grabs here. Nonetheless I digress. The match continues until finally it boils down to the final four. Sid, Hogan, Flair, and Savage. Sid gets rid of Savage and Hogan has Flair dead to rights, but Sid sneaks up from behind and dumps Hogan. Sid is pretty pleased with himself and starts talking trash to Hogan. Hogan grabs Sid’s arm and Flair is able to dump Sid over for the historic win. Flair goes over 1 hour in the match and wins the WWE Title. Sid and Hogan almost come to blows but officials break it up. Sid was the one getting the cheers here, and like Survivor Series, the first cracks of Hulkamania were starting to show as people began to get tired of the super hero stuff and were clamoring for something new. As for Flair, he, Heenan, and Perfect celebrate, and Flair gives one of the best victory promos of all time with Mean Gene Okerlund, and puts over the WWE title as “The only real World Championship.” There it is again… the title makes the man, not the other way around. Remember that WWE the next time you decide to hotshot a title onto Miz or Jack Swagger. Those guys don’t benefit any more from getting a title. Anyway, personally speaking, this was one of the best matches of the 90’s, and one of the best Rumble’s ever. *****
Final Analysis: There’s only one reason to watch this show, and that one reason delivered. Ric Flair gave one of the best individual Royal Rumble performances ever and proved that he was still the man. Shortly after this, Flair and Hulk Hogan would get announced as the Main Event of WrestleMania VIII, and the dream match of the 80’s was going to happen… but it didn’t. Instead Hogan decided that he was going to “retire” and the show was re-booked into a double main event with Hogan taking on Sid Justice, and Flair defending the title against Randy Savage. Undertaker would turn baby face after this and turn on Jake Roberts. 1992 was one of my favorite years for wrestling as I was fully engrained into all things pro-wrestling at this point, but business was rapidly declining. The golden age was long since over and pro wrestling in general seemed directionless. This was a true bright spot though.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
WWE Survivor Series '91
WWE Survivor Series ‘91
November 27, 1991
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan
This would be yet another Survivor Series that would be sort of a transition show. As has been the case in previous Survivor Series PPV’s, it didn’t seem like they had much direction. Ric Flair was now in the WWE officially, and he and Hogan were seemingly on a collision course, but first Hogan had this test from the Undertaker. It was great that Bret Hart was the IC Champion, but the challengers were few and far between on the heel side, and he found himself in a nowhere feud with the Mountie. Flair spent his time waiting for Hogan by feuding with the newly returned Rowdy Roddy Piper. The hottest feud was without a doubt the Savage-Jake Roberts feud. Not long before this Roberts attacked Randy Savage in one of the most dastardly ways of all time. He had a king cobra, and had it bite Savage in his arm while he was tied to the ropes. The snake was de-fanged, but it is still one of the most gruesome scenes in pro wrestling history and still gives me chills to this day. All of that led to Randy Savage getting “re-instated” by President Jack Tunney (remember the Warrior retired him at WrestleMania VII). I still say they should have had Savage replace Sid Justice as captain of that team at this event, but they were promoting a PPV right after this show called Tuesday Night in Texas. The main draw of that show was Savage vs. Roberts. So they spent a good part of this show hyping up the next show, which is fine, so long as you put a little effort into this show, which simply wasn’t there.
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
8 Man Survivor Series Elimination Match
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair, “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, Mountie, and Warlord vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, and Virgil
This would be the PPV debut of Ric Flair. This is a really good match, and by far the match of the night, on what would ultimately be a forgettable show (with one minor exception later on). It’s also worth noting here that Ted Dibiase recently won back his Million dollar belt from Virgil at the Survivor Series showdown show before this. Interesting pairings here. In years past they would split a couple of these guys up and put some lower midcarders with them and have matches. This year it seemed like they took everyone else who mattered (besides Hogan and Undertaker) and threw them all into a match to have at it. It worked and this match was well on its way to classic territory, but then they had a very silly finish with Piper, Hart, Virgil, Dibiase, and Mountie all brawling on the outside and getting counted out at the same time, leaving Flair as the sole survivor. This had so much potential with Flair, Piper, and Hart in particular and they just had the goofy ending. ***1/4
8 Man Survivor Series Elimination Match
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, Tito Santana, and “Texas Tornado” Kerry Von Erich vs. Col. Mustafa, Berzerker, Skinner, and Hercules
And here you have the rest of the riff raff in WWE at the time. Departures and injuries (I’m assuming) changed this match several times. Sgt. Slaughter was now an American loving patriot again after his time as an Iraqi sympathizer for the past year. Ricky Steamboat was out, and Santana replaced him. The Beverly Brothers knocked out Jim Neidhart, so Tornado replaced him. On the heel side, Hercules subbed in for Big Bully Busick. Long story longer, they were scraping the bottom of the barrel in this match. Actually this match was fun for Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan’s commentary. Gorilla was crapping all over the heels, and Heenan had no defense. After putting up with Michael Cole for the last 13 years, I really long for the times of competent, entertaining commentary. Anyway, Gorilla’s premise is proven correct as the Duggan team becomes the 2nd team in Survivor Series history to have all of its members survive. This was as much of a nothing match as you’ll ever see though. *
WWE Championship
Hulk Hogan (champion) vs. Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
There was little doubt that these two would eventually come head to head after the Undertaker made his debut at the 1990 Survivor Series. I remember actually watching the Saturday Nights Main Event from May that year with my dad, and Hogan hit Undertaker with the belt, and Taker completely no-sold it, and my dad was in shock. I thought there was no way in hell that Hogan would ever beat Undertaker. After SummerSlam, they signed this match pretty early on in the fall, and there was a slow build to it. Ric Flair of course was playing instigator throughout the buildup. This match is absolutely awful, as the Undertaker was still coming into his own as a worker in the ring. What I mean by that Mark Callaway was still learning how to work within the confines of his gimmick, and really, this was the first marquee match he had. If you’re a Hogan-hater, then this match is glorious for you as the Undertaker emphatically wins the title from Hogan by tombstoning him into a steel chair. Heenan screaming “Hulkamania is dead, long live the Undertaker” adds to the effect. Historically significant for Undertaker’s first WWE Title win and a rare Hogan defeat, but this match is not good. *1/4 for the historical nature.
8 Man Survivor Series Elimination Match
Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) and Bushwhackers (Luke and Butch) vs. Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) and Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake)
What we have here is the beginning of the end for the Rockers. Over the next few weeks they would slowly break apart and eventually break up for good during the infamous Barber shop where Shawn threw Marty through the glass window and never looked back. This match was another classic case of the Rockers doing their best to carry this dog to a watchable match, and they do a good job for the most part but there is just so much they can do. Interesting commentating here, as it appears that Gorilla wasn’t even paying attention to the match and totally missed Shawn getting pinned, because he was getting on Shawn for leaving Marty to the wolves. Heenan correctly pointed out that there was an article in WWE Magazine indicating the Rockers were not getting along anymore, and Gorilla was disagreeing with Heenan. Very funny stuff. Match was decent enough, but too erratic at the end as if the guys didn’t know what they were doing all the way up until the end. **1/4
Main Event
6 Man Survivor Series Elimination Match
IRS and Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) vs. Big Bossman and Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal)
This was originally scheduled to be Jake Roberts joining the heel side, and Sid Justice captaining the Bossman side. Sid got injured and the fans wanted Savage to replace him, especially after the snake biting incident. Instead they went with a 6 man elimination match, and it was not very good. It served the purpose of sending the fans home somewhat happy as LOD went over. Had to do it considering what happened in the WWE title match (which is why it was on the midcard). Just an emotionless match. *1/2
Final Analysis: For the 2nd year in a row, the Survivor Series is an emotionless train wreck. The team concept was quickly becoming old and the show itself was becoming rather useless. Since I’m not going to review Tuesday in Texas, I figure I’ll let you know what happens. Savage beats Roberts, but in an insane edgy twist, Roberts actually slaps Miss Elizabeth. This was heavy shit at the time and Roberts was very much hated. In the title rematch, Hulk Hogan through ashes from Undertakers urn into his eyes and won his 4th WWE title. Because of the controversy, Jack Tunney vacated the title and put it up for grabs in the Royal Rumble in January. That show would turn out to be pretty good… this one is not recommended at all.
November 27, 1991
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan
This would be yet another Survivor Series that would be sort of a transition show. As has been the case in previous Survivor Series PPV’s, it didn’t seem like they had much direction. Ric Flair was now in the WWE officially, and he and Hogan were seemingly on a collision course, but first Hogan had this test from the Undertaker. It was great that Bret Hart was the IC Champion, but the challengers were few and far between on the heel side, and he found himself in a nowhere feud with the Mountie. Flair spent his time waiting for Hogan by feuding with the newly returned Rowdy Roddy Piper. The hottest feud was without a doubt the Savage-Jake Roberts feud. Not long before this Roberts attacked Randy Savage in one of the most dastardly ways of all time. He had a king cobra, and had it bite Savage in his arm while he was tied to the ropes. The snake was de-fanged, but it is still one of the most gruesome scenes in pro wrestling history and still gives me chills to this day. All of that led to Randy Savage getting “re-instated” by President Jack Tunney (remember the Warrior retired him at WrestleMania VII). I still say they should have had Savage replace Sid Justice as captain of that team at this event, but they were promoting a PPV right after this show called Tuesday Night in Texas. The main draw of that show was Savage vs. Roberts. So they spent a good part of this show hyping up the next show, which is fine, so long as you put a little effort into this show, which simply wasn’t there.
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
8 Man Survivor Series Elimination Match
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair, “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase, Mountie, and Warlord vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, and Virgil
This would be the PPV debut of Ric Flair. This is a really good match, and by far the match of the night, on what would ultimately be a forgettable show (with one minor exception later on). It’s also worth noting here that Ted Dibiase recently won back his Million dollar belt from Virgil at the Survivor Series showdown show before this. Interesting pairings here. In years past they would split a couple of these guys up and put some lower midcarders with them and have matches. This year it seemed like they took everyone else who mattered (besides Hogan and Undertaker) and threw them all into a match to have at it. It worked and this match was well on its way to classic territory, but then they had a very silly finish with Piper, Hart, Virgil, Dibiase, and Mountie all brawling on the outside and getting counted out at the same time, leaving Flair as the sole survivor. This had so much potential with Flair, Piper, and Hart in particular and they just had the goofy ending. ***1/4
8 Man Survivor Series Elimination Match
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, Tito Santana, and “Texas Tornado” Kerry Von Erich vs. Col. Mustafa, Berzerker, Skinner, and Hercules
And here you have the rest of the riff raff in WWE at the time. Departures and injuries (I’m assuming) changed this match several times. Sgt. Slaughter was now an American loving patriot again after his time as an Iraqi sympathizer for the past year. Ricky Steamboat was out, and Santana replaced him. The Beverly Brothers knocked out Jim Neidhart, so Tornado replaced him. On the heel side, Hercules subbed in for Big Bully Busick. Long story longer, they were scraping the bottom of the barrel in this match. Actually this match was fun for Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan’s commentary. Gorilla was crapping all over the heels, and Heenan had no defense. After putting up with Michael Cole for the last 13 years, I really long for the times of competent, entertaining commentary. Anyway, Gorilla’s premise is proven correct as the Duggan team becomes the 2nd team in Survivor Series history to have all of its members survive. This was as much of a nothing match as you’ll ever see though. *
WWE Championship
Hulk Hogan (champion) vs. Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
There was little doubt that these two would eventually come head to head after the Undertaker made his debut at the 1990 Survivor Series. I remember actually watching the Saturday Nights Main Event from May that year with my dad, and Hogan hit Undertaker with the belt, and Taker completely no-sold it, and my dad was in shock. I thought there was no way in hell that Hogan would ever beat Undertaker. After SummerSlam, they signed this match pretty early on in the fall, and there was a slow build to it. Ric Flair of course was playing instigator throughout the buildup. This match is absolutely awful, as the Undertaker was still coming into his own as a worker in the ring. What I mean by that Mark Callaway was still learning how to work within the confines of his gimmick, and really, this was the first marquee match he had. If you’re a Hogan-hater, then this match is glorious for you as the Undertaker emphatically wins the title from Hogan by tombstoning him into a steel chair. Heenan screaming “Hulkamania is dead, long live the Undertaker” adds to the effect. Historically significant for Undertaker’s first WWE Title win and a rare Hogan defeat, but this match is not good. *1/4 for the historical nature.
8 Man Survivor Series Elimination Match
Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) and Bushwhackers (Luke and Butch) vs. Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) and Beverly Brothers (Beau and Blake)
What we have here is the beginning of the end for the Rockers. Over the next few weeks they would slowly break apart and eventually break up for good during the infamous Barber shop where Shawn threw Marty through the glass window and never looked back. This match was another classic case of the Rockers doing their best to carry this dog to a watchable match, and they do a good job for the most part but there is just so much they can do. Interesting commentating here, as it appears that Gorilla wasn’t even paying attention to the match and totally missed Shawn getting pinned, because he was getting on Shawn for leaving Marty to the wolves. Heenan correctly pointed out that there was an article in WWE Magazine indicating the Rockers were not getting along anymore, and Gorilla was disagreeing with Heenan. Very funny stuff. Match was decent enough, but too erratic at the end as if the guys didn’t know what they were doing all the way up until the end. **1/4
Main Event
6 Man Survivor Series Elimination Match
IRS and Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) vs. Big Bossman and Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal)
This was originally scheduled to be Jake Roberts joining the heel side, and Sid Justice captaining the Bossman side. Sid got injured and the fans wanted Savage to replace him, especially after the snake biting incident. Instead they went with a 6 man elimination match, and it was not very good. It served the purpose of sending the fans home somewhat happy as LOD went over. Had to do it considering what happened in the WWE title match (which is why it was on the midcard). Just an emotionless match. *1/2
Final Analysis: For the 2nd year in a row, the Survivor Series is an emotionless train wreck. The team concept was quickly becoming old and the show itself was becoming rather useless. Since I’m not going to review Tuesday in Texas, I figure I’ll let you know what happens. Savage beats Roberts, but in an insane edgy twist, Roberts actually slaps Miss Elizabeth. This was heavy shit at the time and Roberts was very much hated. In the title rematch, Hulk Hogan through ashes from Undertakers urn into his eyes and won his 4th WWE title. Because of the controversy, Jack Tunney vacated the title and put it up for grabs in the Royal Rumble in January. That show would turn out to be pretty good… this one is not recommended at all.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
WWE SummerSlam '91
WWE SummerSlam ‘91
August 26, 1991
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York
I’m back after a brief break, with one of my favorite shows! It’s a MSG crowd so you know the workers are gonna be at their best. I love New York crowds, because more often than not they are electric. These were interesting times in the WWE. Ric Flair had just left WCW… with the World Title belt. I couldn’t believe this at the time, and was so excited at the possibility of the mother of all dream matches at the time between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Flair had not yet arrived yet officially, but he had Bobby Heenan running around with the WCW World Title. With no internet at this time (unless you’re Al Gore) this was surreal. The lead up to SummerSlam was some of my favorite times as a young wrestling fan. Jake Roberts had just turned heel and joined forces with the Undertaker against the Ultimate Warrior. Hogan was still in his feud with Sgt. Slaughter, but that was winding down and pretty much lost all of its heat. Bret Hart was in the middle of his singles push and had already won the heart of me as he would become my favorite wrestler of all time. He was on his way to SummerSlam for an IC Title shot against Mr. Perfect. Perfect had taken some time off before SummerSlam due to a serious back injury.
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Rowdy Roddy Piper
Power and Glory (Hercules and Paul Roma) and Warlord w/ Slick vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “Texas Tornado” Kerry Von Erich, and “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith
Great choice for an opener here as 6 man matches are always a great way to get the crowd fired up. Steamboat was just known as “The Dragon” at this point. It was actually kind of ridiculous. They rarely made mention that he was Ricky Steamboat, though I do remember an article in WWE Magazine where they made mention of it and talked about his classic with Randy Savage at WrestleMania III. He was only back in WWE for less than a year and then it was back to WCW not long after this where he would have one final great run. The baby-faces go over here as you would expect. Good opener. ***
WWE IC Championship
Mr. Perfect (champion) w/ Coach vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart
This classic is must-see for any fan. Moreover, it is must-see for any prospective pro wrestler. It’s interesting listening to the way Bret talks about Curt Hennig with so much reverence. Not just because of his untimely death in 2003, but just as a guy he looked up to and admired in the sport of pro wrestling. He talks about how much it meant to him that Curt made him look like a million bucks in this match. Mr. Perfect had severe back problems going into this match, no doubt to his insane bumping style in the ring. This is such a great match. Heenan points out some of the psychology used by Hart early in the match, as he gets knocked out of the ring and pays no attention to Coach, and goes right back in the ring. Almost like there isn’t going to be anything stopping him on this night. The other thing I love about Bret Hart matches is that because he used to be a heel, so he has no problems doing heel tactics in response to tactics being done on him, for example the hair pulling early on in the match. It’s a back and forth thriller and Bret even gets to kick out of the Perfect-plex, something only Hogan and Warrior had done before that. Hart gets the sharpshooter on and Perfect gives up. Perfect would take a long time off after this and become Ric Flair’s “Executive Consultant.” Bret was on his way to stardom. I’ve debated over the years what rating to give this, but I don’t see how I can do anything other than give this what it deserves, especially given the physical condition of Hennig going into this match. *****
Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) w/ “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart vs. Bushwhackers (Luke and Butch) w/ Andre the Giant
This would be Andre the Giant’s last WWE PPV appearance. They ran an angle where Earthquake injured his knee. I have no idea if Vince and Andre had plans to wrestle again, but there just wasn’t any way. His body was almost completely deteriorated at this point, and he would pass away a year and a half later. At this point though he was just the corner man for whoever was against Earthquake. Typhoon is the recently turned Tugboat. Tugboat turned on the Bushwhackers during a 6 man tag team match before this and joined up with Jimmy Hart. This match was a squash match. Bushwhackers actually do a decent job wrestling the behemoths, much to my surprise. But the match is a formality and the Disasters win. ¾*
Million Dollar Championship
“Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase (champion) w/ Sensational Sherri vs. Virgil
One of my all-time favorite storylines culminates here. This is what pro-wrestling is about to me. A well-built storyline culminating with the baby-face going over the dastardly heel in an epic showdown. The MSG crowd is totally into this, and adds to the sheer emotion of the match. Sherri gets thrown out of the match early on to the absolute delight of the New York crowd, and the crowd pops HUGE hen Virgil rams Dibiase in the exposed (by Dibiase) turnbuckle and pins him. This one never gets old and should be an example for today’s creative department of WWE on how to make the product better. ***1/2
Jailhouse Match
Mountie w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Big Bossman
Loser of this match spends a night in jail. Once again we have a purely simple storyline that once again can be used as a template for storylines (or lacktherof) today. Who is the real law and order in the WWE? Simple, yet very effective and the payoff is in Madison Square Garden. The match? It isn’t Hart-Perfect, but once again, because of the effective build, the crowd is emotionally invested in seeing the Mountie get his at SummerSlam, and that is exactly what happens. The aftermath is comedic gold, as Mountie gets handcuffed, shackled, booked, finger-printed, and finally the allusion of some of an inmate taking advantage of him is there. So funny, and still cracks me up today. **
WWE Tag Team Championship – No Disqualification
Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) (champions) w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal)
After being in the E for over a year, the Road Warriors finally got the big title win. Frankly I was surprised it took this long, but once again, thanks to an insanely hot MSG crowd, the payoff was worth the wait. The Nasty Boys were a perfect transitional team in retrospect, even though they held the titles for over 5 months. The match was pretty bad, and the no dq rules barely come into effect, aside from Hawk getting sprayed with mace. Match ends with the doomsday device and the pin. Crowd goes insane. *
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs. IRS
This is your classic come down match after so many matches in a row like that, the crowd was in need of a much needed breather to go to the bathroom and get some drinks. IRS is of course Mike Rotunda, recently coming into WWE after his long stint in WCW. Valentine was pretty much on his way out. He would head off to WCW shortly after this. Match is nothing more than a way to cool down the crowd and put IRS over. *3/4
Main Event
Handicap Match – Special Guest Referee Sid Justice
Sgt. Slaughter, General Adnan, and Colonel Mustafa vs. Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior
Weird match here, as this would be the end of Sgt. Slaughter as the Iraqi sympathizer. Col. Mustafa is the Iron Sheik. Vince is weird sometimes, as he actually thought we were going to forget that A. he is the Iron Sheik, but more importantly B. He was actually from Iran, not Iraq. Sid Justice (known as Sid Vicious in WCW not long before this) is the special referee, and it was clear that the WWE wasn’t quite sure what to do with Sid. He was a big heel in WCW, and all of the sudden he was being booked as a baby-face here. Finally, the Warrior apparently had a major contract dispute and legend has it that Warrior was getting his walking papers during the match by Vince. The match is about what you would expect. Hogan was going to go over Slaughter here and finally put that feud to rest. Hogan and Sid celebrate together after the match, which I guess is the rub Sid needed to get over as a baby face. Unfortunately he would suffer a bicep injury not long after this match, and never really take off as a baby-face. **
Finally, the wedding of the century takes place, as “Macho Man” Randy Savage marries his real life wife, Miss Elizabeth. During the reception, one of the gifts gets opened and out pops a cobra, and it sets off one of the hottest feuds ever between Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Savage as Roberts and Undertaker attack Savage. One of the most evil angles of all time.
Final Analysis: Hart-Perfect is required viewing, and what the rest of the show lacks in wrestling, it makes up for in a hot crowd, and brilliantly told storylines. In that respect, SummerSlam 1991 is one of the best shows ever, and a great example of how good pro wrestling can be, and certainly a shining example of why I’m personally such a big fan.
August 26, 1991
Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York
I’m back after a brief break, with one of my favorite shows! It’s a MSG crowd so you know the workers are gonna be at their best. I love New York crowds, because more often than not they are electric. These were interesting times in the WWE. Ric Flair had just left WCW… with the World Title belt. I couldn’t believe this at the time, and was so excited at the possibility of the mother of all dream matches at the time between Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Flair had not yet arrived yet officially, but he had Bobby Heenan running around with the WCW World Title. With no internet at this time (unless you’re Al Gore) this was surreal. The lead up to SummerSlam was some of my favorite times as a young wrestling fan. Jake Roberts had just turned heel and joined forces with the Undertaker against the Ultimate Warrior. Hogan was still in his feud with Sgt. Slaughter, but that was winding down and pretty much lost all of its heat. Bret Hart was in the middle of his singles push and had already won the heart of me as he would become my favorite wrestler of all time. He was on his way to SummerSlam for an IC Title shot against Mr. Perfect. Perfect had taken some time off before SummerSlam due to a serious back injury.
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, and Rowdy Roddy Piper
Power and Glory (Hercules and Paul Roma) and Warlord w/ Slick vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, “Texas Tornado” Kerry Von Erich, and “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith
Great choice for an opener here as 6 man matches are always a great way to get the crowd fired up. Steamboat was just known as “The Dragon” at this point. It was actually kind of ridiculous. They rarely made mention that he was Ricky Steamboat, though I do remember an article in WWE Magazine where they made mention of it and talked about his classic with Randy Savage at WrestleMania III. He was only back in WWE for less than a year and then it was back to WCW not long after this where he would have one final great run. The baby-faces go over here as you would expect. Good opener. ***
WWE IC Championship
Mr. Perfect (champion) w/ Coach vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart
This classic is must-see for any fan. Moreover, it is must-see for any prospective pro wrestler. It’s interesting listening to the way Bret talks about Curt Hennig with so much reverence. Not just because of his untimely death in 2003, but just as a guy he looked up to and admired in the sport of pro wrestling. He talks about how much it meant to him that Curt made him look like a million bucks in this match. Mr. Perfect had severe back problems going into this match, no doubt to his insane bumping style in the ring. This is such a great match. Heenan points out some of the psychology used by Hart early in the match, as he gets knocked out of the ring and pays no attention to Coach, and goes right back in the ring. Almost like there isn’t going to be anything stopping him on this night. The other thing I love about Bret Hart matches is that because he used to be a heel, so he has no problems doing heel tactics in response to tactics being done on him, for example the hair pulling early on in the match. It’s a back and forth thriller and Bret even gets to kick out of the Perfect-plex, something only Hogan and Warrior had done before that. Hart gets the sharpshooter on and Perfect gives up. Perfect would take a long time off after this and become Ric Flair’s “Executive Consultant.” Bret was on his way to stardom. I’ve debated over the years what rating to give this, but I don’t see how I can do anything other than give this what it deserves, especially given the physical condition of Hennig going into this match. *****
Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) w/ “Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart vs. Bushwhackers (Luke and Butch) w/ Andre the Giant
This would be Andre the Giant’s last WWE PPV appearance. They ran an angle where Earthquake injured his knee. I have no idea if Vince and Andre had plans to wrestle again, but there just wasn’t any way. His body was almost completely deteriorated at this point, and he would pass away a year and a half later. At this point though he was just the corner man for whoever was against Earthquake. Typhoon is the recently turned Tugboat. Tugboat turned on the Bushwhackers during a 6 man tag team match before this and joined up with Jimmy Hart. This match was a squash match. Bushwhackers actually do a decent job wrestling the behemoths, much to my surprise. But the match is a formality and the Disasters win. ¾*
Million Dollar Championship
“Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase (champion) w/ Sensational Sherri vs. Virgil
One of my all-time favorite storylines culminates here. This is what pro-wrestling is about to me. A well-built storyline culminating with the baby-face going over the dastardly heel in an epic showdown. The MSG crowd is totally into this, and adds to the sheer emotion of the match. Sherri gets thrown out of the match early on to the absolute delight of the New York crowd, and the crowd pops HUGE hen Virgil rams Dibiase in the exposed (by Dibiase) turnbuckle and pins him. This one never gets old and should be an example for today’s creative department of WWE on how to make the product better. ***1/2
Jailhouse Match
Mountie w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Big Bossman
Loser of this match spends a night in jail. Once again we have a purely simple storyline that once again can be used as a template for storylines (or lacktherof) today. Who is the real law and order in the WWE? Simple, yet very effective and the payoff is in Madison Square Garden. The match? It isn’t Hart-Perfect, but once again, because of the effective build, the crowd is emotionally invested in seeing the Mountie get his at SummerSlam, and that is exactly what happens. The aftermath is comedic gold, as Mountie gets handcuffed, shackled, booked, finger-printed, and finally the allusion of some of an inmate taking advantage of him is there. So funny, and still cracks me up today. **
WWE Tag Team Championship – No Disqualification
Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Saggs) (champions) w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal)
After being in the E for over a year, the Road Warriors finally got the big title win. Frankly I was surprised it took this long, but once again, thanks to an insanely hot MSG crowd, the payoff was worth the wait. The Nasty Boys were a perfect transitional team in retrospect, even though they held the titles for over 5 months. The match was pretty bad, and the no dq rules barely come into effect, aside from Hawk getting sprayed with mace. Match ends with the doomsday device and the pin. Crowd goes insane. *
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine vs. IRS
This is your classic come down match after so many matches in a row like that, the crowd was in need of a much needed breather to go to the bathroom and get some drinks. IRS is of course Mike Rotunda, recently coming into WWE after his long stint in WCW. Valentine was pretty much on his way out. He would head off to WCW shortly after this. Match is nothing more than a way to cool down the crowd and put IRS over. *3/4
Main Event
Handicap Match – Special Guest Referee Sid Justice
Sgt. Slaughter, General Adnan, and Colonel Mustafa vs. Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior
Weird match here, as this would be the end of Sgt. Slaughter as the Iraqi sympathizer. Col. Mustafa is the Iron Sheik. Vince is weird sometimes, as he actually thought we were going to forget that A. he is the Iron Sheik, but more importantly B. He was actually from Iran, not Iraq. Sid Justice (known as Sid Vicious in WCW not long before this) is the special referee, and it was clear that the WWE wasn’t quite sure what to do with Sid. He was a big heel in WCW, and all of the sudden he was being booked as a baby-face here. Finally, the Warrior apparently had a major contract dispute and legend has it that Warrior was getting his walking papers during the match by Vince. The match is about what you would expect. Hogan was going to go over Slaughter here and finally put that feud to rest. Hogan and Sid celebrate together after the match, which I guess is the rub Sid needed to get over as a baby face. Unfortunately he would suffer a bicep injury not long after this match, and never really take off as a baby-face. **
Finally, the wedding of the century takes place, as “Macho Man” Randy Savage marries his real life wife, Miss Elizabeth. During the reception, one of the gifts gets opened and out pops a cobra, and it sets off one of the hottest feuds ever between Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Savage as Roberts and Undertaker attack Savage. One of the most evil angles of all time.
Final Analysis: Hart-Perfect is required viewing, and what the rest of the show lacks in wrestling, it makes up for in a hot crowd, and brilliantly told storylines. In that respect, SummerSlam 1991 is one of the best shows ever, and a great example of how good pro wrestling can be, and certainly a shining example of why I’m personally such a big fan.
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