SPORTS-(RASSLIN)
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What the HECK?/Intro- Rasslin Tape 13 (Winter 1991)
Gee whiz.. tape 13 already?! It was only 2 years ago that
I started typing about Hercules, Ted DiBiase and the Bushwhackers' debut.
Has it really been that long? Or, how pathethic is it that, aside from watching
TV, I've done little of note in those two years? While I contemplate slitting my wrists,
you can enjoy this compilation tape, featuring the 1991 Royal Rumble and
all the fun WWF crap that followed.
1991 Royal Rumble
Show starts with a silent image of the American flag for about 20 seconds.
Then, Howard Finkel is shown in the Miami Arena to introduce the National Anthem.
A recorded version plays and the show begins. Operation:Desert Storm
had begun roughly three or four days before this show. Also of note, this
event was actually shown on a Saturday night, instead of the usual Sunday.
Probably to avoid losing some audience to NFL playoff games. Gorilla Monsoon
and Rowdy Roddy Piper are the hosts.
Royal Rumble Match 1: Rockers vs. Orient Express (w/Mr. Fuji)
(Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty vs. Tanaka & Kato)
This is the "NEW" Orient Express, with Paul Diamond as the masked Kato.
Aside from the Express' costumes, this is this same as an early 1988
AWA Tag Team Championship- Midnight Rockers vs. Badd Company. Good stuff here, and
the Express even sets up Marty for their old Badd Company double-team finisher.
Kato tries to slingshot Marty into a Tanaka superkick. Marty flips out of it, hits
a sunset flip on Tanaka and gets the pin. And beause you care: during the match
"The Wonder Years'" Jason Hervey was shown in the audience.
A Very Special Mean Gene Podium Interview: Sensational Sherri
Randy Savage is backstage with Sean Mooney watching the monitor.
Sherri drags Gene out to the podium to call out the Ultimate Warrior.
Sherri announces that, should he win the WWF Title tonight, Sgt. Slaughter
has promised the Macho King Randy Savage a title shot. Sherri wants the
same commitment from the Warrior, who comes out in patriotic colors.
Sherri puts the moves on Warrior and offers to do "anything" to get the
Macho King a title shot. Sherri even gets on her knees while Warrior fights
a big shit-eating grin. Warrior screams "Noooooooo" and leaves. An irate Macho King
runs in, too late.
Royal Rumble Match 2: Big Bossman vs. Barbarian (w/Bobby Heenan)
Not sure, but original timeline booking may have had Rick Rude as Bossman's
opponent in a final grudge match for the "Bossman's mom" issue. Rude had
already appeared in WCW by now, but back then feuds would
be planned out months in advance. Barbarian hits his top-rope clothesline finisher, but
Bossman gets his foot on the ropes. Bossman swings Barbie to the ropes and hits
HIS sidewalk slam finisher. Barbie get his hand on the ropes to stop the count.
Barbie then goes up top for a high cross-body. Bossman rolls through and scores the pin.
Bossman immediately takes off for the dressing room and a fleeing Heenan.
Sean Mooney is backstage with Sgt. Slaughter and General Adnan. Slaughter
has some unkind words for the "ultimate puke".
Mean Gene is with the Warrior .....who talks.....
Royal Rumble Match 3: WWF Championship: Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. Sgt. Slaughter (w/Gen. Adnan)
HUGE upset as Sarge gets the win and the title. This was almost the
equivalent of the infamous 1999 Hulk Hogan- Kevin Nash "finger poke heard
around the world" match. Fans are pissed and a mild "Hogan" chant starts up
at the conclusion.
Royal Rumble Match 4: KoKo B. Ware vs. The Mountie (w/Jimmy Hart)
So how do you cheer the fans up? Send out KoKo and Jacques Rougeau! Crowd is absolutely
DEAD. It's so quiet you can even hear Frankie chirping. Not squawking, CHIRPING.
First high-profile match for Rougeau since his return and he's not totally into
the gimmick, just yet. He doesn't even have his Smokey the Bear hat or red jacket.
Piper spends the entire match talking about how Rougeau is not at all indicative
of the real RCMP (in "real life", the RCMP threatened a lawsuit against the WWF
for their negative depicition of the Mounted Police. Whenever "The Mountie"
appeared in Canada, he was announced as just "Jacques Rougeau"). This match wasn't
announced in the pre-show promos, and I'm not sure if it's on the official
video release of the Rumble. Very boring, as Mountie pins KoKo with
a clothesline/chokeslam thingie.
Sean Mooney tries to get a word from the locker room with Savage and Sherri. The Ultimate Warrior
can be heard pounding on the walls, so Savage and Sherri hightail it.
Intermission time, but here's Lord Alfred Hayes with a Very Special Announcement:
the WWF "Tour De Force" is coming to the United Kingdom! Pre-recorded
interviews from Mr. Perfect (w/Heenan) and Hulk Hogan are shown. Heenan is pretty
comical, as he drops in indigenous words like "Cheeri-o" and "Tally Ho!"
Interviews abound tonight, as we hear from several Rumble paticipants.
Borther Love is still with the Undertaker, and I think I prefer him over Paul Bearer.
(no offense to Percy Pringle...just thought the Paul character was a little over the top). Plus,
several promos for WrestleMania VII...still booked at the LA Memorial Colisuem.
Good seats still available!
Royal Rumble Match 5: Dusty Rhodes & Dustin Rhodes vs. "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
and Virgil
Before the match, Piper mentions that he took Virgil to lunch earlier,
and that the two had a little talk. You know something's up, 'cuz Gorilla and Piper
ignore the long-running Rhodes-DiBiase issue and concentrate on Virgil.
DiBiase rolls up Dusty for the pin, but the
post-match segment is still pretty famous. Virgil brains DiBiase with the
Million Dollar Belt
and finally turns on him. (DiBiase mentioned
Virgil's family and specifically his mother... but that was never explained).
Dusty and Dustin
left the WWF immediately following this match. I suppose it's ironic that
Dusty's final match involved Virgil, whose name was a shot at Dusty.
Mean Gene is backstage with Hulk Hogan. Gene interrupts Hogan to announce
that "unconfirmed reports" have Sgt. Slaughter desecrating the American flag!
Hogan is steamed and even blows his lines at one point. "if that's true, Gene,
then his reign is WWF Champion is going to be just like that of.. of.. well, you
know who I mean.." Gene suplies him with the name "Saddam Hussein". Hulk then dedicates
the Rumble to all the troops in the Middle East.
30 Man Royal Rumble
Bret Hart and Dino Bravo draw numbers 1 and 2, respectively. Managers are allowed
at ringside this year and that becomes somewhat important about five minutes in.
Number 3 is a re-blonded Greg Valentine, who attacks his old stable-mate, Bravo.
Valentine dumps Bravo then argues with, and chokes, his old manager Jimmy Hart.
Minor pop, as this officially announces Valentine's babyface turn. Greg Valentine breakss
Ted DiBiase's endurance record from the previous year. Valentine's record last about
five minutes, as Rick Martel then breaks it. Undertaker cleans house about midway through, but
is eliminated himself by a Legion of Doom doubleteam clothesline. Randy Savage is
supposed to be #18, but is too busy fleeing from the Ultimate Warrior and never makes it
out. Brian Knobbs of the Nasty Boys enters late in what
was his first high profile WWF spot. Andre the Giant was originally
announced as a partcipant in late 1990, but I think injuries hindered his return and
the slot went to Knobbs. Hulk Hogan wins the Rumle by eliminating Earthquake.
Hulk gets a big reaction from the crowd as he holds up
a "Peace in the Middle East" sign, and then the American flag. It's
implied that Sgt. Slaughter is Hogan's next target.
The Main Event (February 1991)
The annual prime-time Friday night "Hey, Buy Wrestlemania" buildup on NBC. This would become the final
year for "The Main Event" as NBC cut-off their WWF relationship later in 1991. Roddy Piper
and Vince McMahon run down the card. Footage is shown of Hulk Hogan's recent
USO tour.
Main Event Match 1: Hulk Hogan & Tugboat vs. Dino Bravo & Earthquake (w/Jimmy Hart)
Hogan and Baavo start with the Ultimate Shoving Challenge. Tugboat comes in
and throws a few rights, but gets bonked by Jimmy Hart's megaphone. Heels work
over Tugger for the rest of the match. Earthquake tosses Tugboat into the corner and
then applies a bearhug. Quake is about to drop ass on Tugboat. It makes Quake so happy
that he jumps up and down, then bounces off the ropes! Hogan runs in and hits an awkward clothesline/punch.
Quake immediately goes down and Tugboat is able to roll over and tag Hogan.
Bravo tags in and gets met with a few right hands. Hogan whips Bravo to the ropes,
hits the big boot, then rolls him up from behind with an underhook to get the pin. Weird finish, but
at least this match, in combination with Royal Rumble, ended the Hogan-Earthquake program.
Main Event Match 2: WWF Championship: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. Sgt. Slaughter (c) (w/Gen. Adnan)
Funny pre-match interview where Sgt. Slaughter declares himself "Champion for Life"!
Slaughter enters first, then Hacksaw comes out, seconded by Hulk Hogan and the
American Flag. Commercial break, and when we come back, referee Joey Marella
has sent Hogan back to the dressing room. PunchaMania VII for the entire match.
Hacksaw does manage a baaaaack bodydrop, but that's about the only offense worth
mentioning. Slaughter pounds away and drapes Hacksaw under the ropes. Sarge comes off the apron
and lands a flying elbow in Hacksaw's throat. Sarge steps on top of
Duggan and gets a nonchalant 2 count. Match spills to the outside, where Hacksaw takes Sarge on
a tour of the ringposts. Adnan distracts Hacksaw, allowing Sarge to grab a steel chair
and brain Hacksaw. Ref signals for the DQ while Sarge continues to gently tap
Hacksaw's back with the chair. Hogan runs in and gets the same treatment. Sarge beats
both guys with his riding crop and walks away triumphantly. A dazed Hogan helps an
exhausted Hacksaw to his feet while "Stars n' stripes Forever" plays.
Main Event Match 3: Legion of Doom vs. Orient Express (w/Mr. Fuji)
(Hawk & Animal vs. Kato & Tanaka)
LOD is in total no-sell mode here, as they toss the Express all over the ring.
Kato grabs the rope and avoids a Hawk clothesline by sliding out to the floor.
Kato makes the universal "Ain't I Smart" move by pointing to his head.
Animal is there and gorilla-presses him back in. Kato gets up, and is immediately
clotheslined over the top tope by Hawk. Animal throws him in again as the beatings continue.
Fuji finally sneaks up and tosses salt in Animal's eyes to turn the tide. Express works over
Animal for a few minutes with their doubleteam veg-o-matic and a Tanaka superkick.
Before it can register, Animal clotheslines both Express members, tags Hawk
and lifts Kato in the Doomsday Device. Hawk off the top. Clothesline for the easy
3 count win.
A Very Special In-Ring Interview: Mean Gene with Jack Tunney
Jack Tunney is in the ring to announce who will challenge Sgt. Slaughter in
the main event at Wrestlemania VII. "After intense deliberation and research...the
challenger will be... ahem... Hulk Hogan!". To the surprise of five. Hulk comes
out and seems really intent with his patriotic words. Hulk even refers to his
24" pythons as "patriots"... a line he would recycle 12 years later as
Mr. America. Busy night for Hogan as the Main Event ends.
Random Match 1: WWF Intercontinental Championship: "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich
vs. Mr. Perfect (c) (w/ Bobby Heenan)
From "Superstars of Wrestling" with more Vince and Roddy.
Kerry attacks Perfect from behind, strips the belt off and
parades around with it. Kerry lands several discus punches, then
drags Perfect's grill over the ropes while yelling into the cameras.
Kerry misses a charge into the corner, allowing Perfect to recover and
remove the turnbuckle pad from the other corner. But that trick NEVER works!
Perfect tries to ram Kerry into it, but Kerry resists and smacks Perfect's
head into it. Bobby Heenan runs back to the dressing room to get help, but
the Big Bossman is there to stop him. Bossman cuffs Heenan and drags him back to the ring.
Kerry's just been holding Perfect in the corner with a headlock, so Perfect has the
ideal excuse to hop out of the ring and dropkick Bossman from behind. Kerry follows
him out and the two brawl on the floor. Kerry rolls back in at 9.5 to win
the match by countout.
Kerry and Bossman hold hands and have a tender moment
after the match. Even though this was Curt Hennig, it was TERRIBLE.
Random Match 2: WWF Tag Team Championship: Hart Foundation (c) vs. Orient Express (w/Mr. Fuji)
(Bret "Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart vs. Kato & Tanaka)
From "Wrestling Challenge" with Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan. Anvil starts out with
Kato, gets a standing side headlock and shoulderblocks away. Fuji's cane in hung up
on one turnbuckle as Bret is whipped into it. The Express takes over for a bit
until Bret double-clotheslines both of them.
Bret gets a reverse atomic drop and a backbreaker on
Kato. Tanaka tries to come in, but is tossed out by Anvil. Bret hops up on the second rope
and Anvil reverse-slams him onto Kato to score the pin. Pretty quick match as
the Express got almost zero offense.
Random Match 3: Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal) & "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith vs.
Power & Glory (Hercules & Paul Roma) & Warlord (w/Slick)
From PTW with Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes. Slick has one sweet
ass red leather pork-pie hat on! Hawk starts out with
Roma as they trade shots. Hawk goes up top, but
misses a top-rope clothesline. Warlord comes in and pounds away on Hawk.
Hawk rolls away and tags Animal, who trades shoulderblocks with Warlord.
Davey Boy is tagged in and he faces off with Warlord. Warlord gets the upper hand and
starts to lock in a full nelson. Davey starts to power out and right as he breaks it,
the remaining four wrestlers enter the ring and the match results in a lame
double DQ.
Random Match 4: Tugboat vs. Earthquake (w/Jimmy Hart)
From "Superstars of Wrestling" with Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper.
Vince talks about the two "BO-hememoths" in the ring. With Vince's love
for big guys, this had to have been his dream match. Opening has
both guys trading shoulderblocks, again (the move of the month for the WWF in
February 1991 I guess). Earthquake takes over with punches and kicks.
Tugboat reverses an irish-whip out of the corner and splashes
Earthquake in the opposite corner. He knocks Quake to the ropes, where Quake stumbles
and does the Andre the Giant Special- he gets his arms caught in the ropes. Jimmy Hart then
gets on the ring to distract the ref and toss the megaphone to Quake. Quake hits
Tugboat in the head with the megaphone and draws the DQ. After the match, Quake beats away on Tugboat and
drops ass on him. Crowd gets up and starts looking around, expecting a run-in, but
one never occurs.
Random Match 5: Legion of Doom vs. Demolition (w/Mr. Fuji)
(Hawk & Animal vs. Smash & Crush)
Here it is... the final round of the Paint Wars from "Superstars". Smash works over Hawk for a bit,
then pounds away. After about three minutes of PunchaMania, Fuji gets involved and draws
the DQ. LOD tries to hoist Smash into the Doomsday Device, but Crush saves him.
Demos run away, leaving Fuji to take the obligatory manager beating...this time
in the Doomsday Device! Terrible match that sum up how badly the WWF blew the
Paint Wars.
Random Match 6: Tag Team Battle Royal- Bushwhackers, Nasty Boys,
Legion of Doom, Power & Glory, Rockers, Demolition, Orient Express.
A feature match from "Superstars". Bell sounds immediately and everyone
goes to work. Two special stipulations: 1) if one member of team is tossed,
BOTH members are eliminated. 2) The winners
get a tag title match against the Hart Foundation at
Wrestlemania VII. Like most battle royals, there's alot of
punching and hugging going on. Both members of Demolition simultaneously
gorilla press both Rockers. Rockers escape, hit stereo superkicks on Crush,
then double dropkick Smash over the top rope, eliminating the Demos. Crush gets
a few shots at the Rockers before he leaves the ring. Kato ducks a punch from Luke, and
backdrops him over, elminating the Bushwhackers. Marty Jannetty holds Kato for a flying
dropkick from Shawn Michaels, but Kato breaks out and Marty is hit and sent over the top.
Orient Express is then dumped out by the LOD. Kato goes first, but
Animal gorilla-presses Tanaka out for good measure. It's down to
Nasty Boys, LOD and Power & Glory. Nasties work over Hawk in one corner, while
Roma & Hercules go after Animal. Hercules pounds away while Roma goes to the
top turnbuckle for a flying bodypress. Animal catches Roma in mid-air, and uses his momentum
to backpedal to the opposite corner and toss Roma out. Herc and Roma
are pissed and stew on the outside. LOD beats up the Nasties and hoists
Knobbs up into the Doomsday Device. Roma gets up on the apron and knocks
Hawk off the turnbuckles, sending him to the floor and
eliminating LOD. Nasty Boys win the match and the title shot, almost by accident.
LOD has fightin' words for Power & Glory as they chase them down the aisle.
Random Match 7: Shawn Michaels (w/Marty Jannetty) vs. Crush (w/Mr. Fuji)
From PTW. I think there might have been a mini Demolition-Rockers feud going on
at this time. Crush tries to gorilla-press Michaels, but Michaels applies a leg-scissor
to take over. Drop toehold hits, but Crush is quickly back in control. Crush hits
his tilt-a-whirl backbreaker then a backbreaker/torture rack drop. Fuji tries to
argue with the ref, while Crush lifts up Michaels for a slam. behind the ref's back, Marty
Jannetty flies from the top turnbuckle and knocks Michaels on top of Crush
for the 3 count pin. Fun little ending and the crowd seemed to like it.
Random Match 8: FULL-NELSON CHALLENGE!- "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith vs. the Warlord
(w/Slick)
Set up by the six-man match, above. From "Wrestling Challenge". Has any
type of "challenge" or "super posedown" or "trivia contest" NOT ended in a beatdown?
Somewhere, Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules (Hernandez) are having flashbacks.
Anyways, Davey Boy offers to let Warlord slap on the full-nelson first. Warlord
almost applies it twice, but shies away. Slick argues with Davey Boy and
Warlord attacks from behind. Davey is beaten and choked, but finally comes to
and clotheslines Warlord out of the ring. Davey Boy settles for Slick, who takes the obligatory manager beating
by being the victim of the running power slam. This brings Slick's career total
of bludegeonings to 1,271.
Random Match 9: Virgil (w/Roddy Piper) vs. Haku (w/Bobby Heenan and Ted DiBiase)
From "Superstars", with Vince calling it solo. DiBiase always seemed like the welcome cousin
of the Heenan Family, so it's not unusual to see him hanging with Bobby once again. Virgil enters
to Piper's music and attacks Haku right away. Haku is whipped to both corners,t akes
two hiptosses from Virgil, then bails out to get a hug from Heenan. Back in, and he
dodges a Virgil charge, sending him through the ropes and to the floor. Piper is over to shout
encouragement, while DiBiase mocks Virg. Virgil makes it back into the ring
and receives some stiff clotheslines and a gut-wrench suplex from Haku. Piper is banging
on the canvas like Beegle the bongo player from the Banana Splits band. Haku stomps
and hits a reverse atomic drop. Evil backsracth is followed up with a vertical suplex.
Piper then gets up on the apron to argue with Haku. Haku walks over, allowing Virgil to recover.
Virg sneaks up from behind, underhooks and rolls-up Haku for the 3 count pin. The fans wave their
foam fingers in approval. Afterwards, DiBiase teases entering the ring, but leaves.
Random Match 10: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs. Dino Bravo (w/Jimmy Hart)
From "Wrestling Challenge" with Gorilla and the Brain.
You can tell Bravo's on the way out, 'cuz Jimmy Hart no longer has the Fleur-De-les jacket, just
a generic airbrushed number. Before the match, Bravo runs around the ring in his cape, doing his
best Adam West impression. Bravo kicks away at Valentine's midsection and chops him into
the corner. Valentine reverses an irish whip, sends Bravo the corner and
backdrops him on the rebound. A hiptoss and two clotheslines sends Bravo rolling to the
outside. Gorilla takes this moment to inform us that the NEW issue of
"Bodybuildig Lifestyles" is now on the stands... it even has ARTICLES in it. Bravo re-enters, reverses a Valentine armbar and hits a reverse atomic drop. Mammer drops to the mat
while Bravo stomps away and chokes him over the second rope. Bravo with a powerslam, but he misses
an elbowdrop off the ropes. Hammer hits an atomic drop, then goes to work on
Bravo's legs, softening him up for the figure four. Hammer is about the apply the figure four,
when Earthquake enters the ring, attacks and draws a DQ for Bravo. Bad guys beat away on
Hammer until The Masked Man arrives to save the day. He was never officially named, but
"The Masked Man" was Brutus Beefcake covered in several bandanas and some weird
wicker-looking chest piece. Some wrestling sites like to refer to him as "Furface"..
but I don't see any fur. Anyways, Masked Man gives Hammer a good luck
pat on the pecs as he leaves. Cameras deliberately avoid giving us a clear head shot of
"The Masked Man". The masked angle was dropped a few weeks later, but "The Masked Man"
seemed to be hunting Earthquake. Probably just coincedence that Beefcake helped out his
old Dream Team tag partner here, but who knows what the plans were.
Random Match 11: BLINFOLD MATCH!- KoKo B. Ware vs. Rick "The Model" Martel
From a special episode of PTW, "Superstars n/ Stripes Forever", hyping up WrestleMania VII. All the remaining
matches on this tape are from this same episode. Bobby Heenan and
Vince McMahon have the call.
In this case, "blindfold match" means "watch this match with a blindfold". Martel takes his time
donning the special blindfold hood. KoKo puts his on, but Martel attacks and kicks away at Koko.
Heenan cracks up and sez: "Koko's dumber than I thought! He thinks
Martel has a blindfold on! He won't take his off! No, Koko, Martel's blindfolded..
he just has an uncanny sense of direction!!" Martel presses KoKo into the
ring post and shoves him back in. MArtel finally dones the hood and
both guys roll around the ring, trying to feel something. KoKo is flailing away on the mat
and begins kicking his legs. Martel feels one KoKo's legs, grabs them and instantly
applies the Boston Crab for the submission win.
Random Match 12: Hulk Hogan vs. General Adnan
Adnan attacks Hogan from behind, slaps and scratches him. Adnan puts his head down
for a backdrop, but Hogan kicks him and pounds away. Sgt. Slaughter enters the
ring, dressed in his new Iraqi khakis, and attacks Hogan with the riding crop.
DQ win for Hogan, but Slaughter pounds away and hooks Hogan in the
Camel (yes, CAMEL, not COBRA) Clutch. Adnan holds the WWF belt in front
of Hogan's face. Strikeforce:Referee, Pat Patterson, Rene Goulet
and others storm the ring. Was this even a "match"?
Random Match 13: Bret "Hitman" Hart (w/Jim Neidhart) vs. Brian Knobbs (w/Jimmy Hart & Jerry Saggs)
Always liked these "half tag title" matches. Collar-and-eblow tie-up as Hitman forces
Knobbs into the corner for a clean break. Knobbs returns the favor but does not break
and punches away at Hitman. Hitman reverses an irish whip and lands a hiptoss. Hitman
connects with an atomic dro, then spins Knobbs around for a reverse atomic drop. Hitman off
the ropes with an elbow to send Knobbs flying out to the floor. Hitman slingshots
Knobbs back in, over the top rope. Knobbs gets in a cheap shot and rakes the eyes. Punches.
Punches. Hitman ducks a clothesline, then comes off the ropes with a flying bodypress
for a quick one count. Hitman sits on Knobbs's shoulders and pounds away. Knobbs
bails for a few seconds, then comes back in an receives an armdrag takedown. Armabr fun for
a few minutes until Knobbs rakes the eyes. Knobbs tries for a big boot, but
Hitman catches it. Saggs tries to enter, but Nedihart runs over, pulls him off the apron
and they brawl on the floor. Neidhart gets Jimmy Hart's megaphone
and chases him to the back. Hitman is distracted by Saggs and gets nailed in
the back of the head by a Knobbs clothesline. Knobbs kicks... punches
until Hitman hits another flying bodypress off the ropes. 2 count. Knobbs
over to punch...and punch. Shoulderblocks Hitman into the cornerand irish whips him
into the other. Hitman reverses a second irish whip, but Knoobs counters by sticking
his foot up and nailing Hitman's jaw. Cover for 1. Kick, punch, eye rake. Knobbs sends Hitman
to the ropes, but puts his head down. Hitman counters with a reverse facebuster, punch, punch,and the Russian legsweep. 2 count cover. Hitman with a vertical suplex for another 2. Hitman
hits his side backbreaker then comes off the second turnbuckle with the flying elbow. Hitman
tries to come off the ropes, but Saggs trips him, allowing
Knobbs to nail a piledriver for a 2 count. Ref is distracted while
Saggs holds Hitman for a charging Knobbs. Neidhart pulls Saggs down, and Hitman
flies off the ropes with a charging clothesline to get the pin.
 |
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Random Match 14: Tugboat vs. Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer)
First time we've seen the freshly relocated Percy Pringle III as
Paul Bearer on the tapes.
Several spooked (or bored) kids are shown as Undertaker enters. Taker attacks Tuggboat as
soon as he enters the ring, backing him into the corner. Taker irishwhips
Tugboat to the other corner and follows up with a flying elbow. Taker misses the followup
on another whip, and Tugboat tries with a powerslam, but falls down. Taker gets a
quick 2. Taker ducks a clothesline and flies off the ropes with one
of his own. Tugboat tries the slam again, and fails once more. Taker chokes
Tugboat on the ropes and works him over. Taker with a kneedrop, but misses an elbowdrop.
Tugger sends him to the ropes and finally gets the powerslam. Irishwhips Taker into
one corner, but misses a charging splash into the other. Taker goes up top,
walks out on the second rope to drop and elbow and gets the 3 count pin. Essentially
a squash for the Undertaker.
A video package is shown for the Hogan-Slaughter buildup. Scenes from Hogan's
USO tour and one of Slaughter and Adnan posing with "Saddam Hussein" via
photo manipulation or lifesize cut-out.
Random Match 15: Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect
Heenan's in the booth, so Perfect's flying solo. Non-title, by the way.
Perfect pokes Michaels's pecs in a menacing manner before the intial lock-up. Michels
goes behind with a waistlock, but gets an elbow in the mouth. Second lock-up
and Michaels gets in a foreamr uppercut to send Perfect spinning. Michaels puts up his dukes
for the Ultimate Boxing Challenge and both guys box for a bit. Perfect is pounded out
of the ring, where Michaels flies over the top rope with a charging
bodypress. More punching until the ref pulls Michaels off. Michaels
charges Perfect, but Perfect ducks and lifts Michaels onto the ringside barrier. Marty Jannetty
wanders down to check on his wounded buddy. Commercial break, and when he come
back Perfect is punching away at Michaels in the ring. Standing dropkick from Perfect gets
2. Perfect punches some more, then tosses Michaels out. Back in, where
Perfect applies a snapmare, then dives over to snap the neck. Michaels with a brief comeback
until Perfect hooks in a sleeper. Michaels breaks by dropping down and banging
Perfect's jaw with his noggin. Perfect comes back with a kneelift, then reachs out to slap
Jannetty. Heenan is irate at Jannetty's "interference" and leaves the broadcast area to argue
with the ref. Jannetty points a menacing finger at Heenan, but Perfect smacks him from behind
and sends him into the post. Back in the ring, Michaels
ducks a Perfect kick, slides under the corner and applies a reverse ringpost jockstrap.
Michaels kicks away at Perfect's legs, hits an atomic drop, clothesline and covers for 2.
Sends Perfect to the ropes for a superkick and another 2. Perfect reverses
a whip to ropes, but Michaels conncets with a swinging neckbreaker. Goes up top for
something, but Heenan interferes. Perfect-plex is then applied. Big Bossman immediately
runs in and it results in a DQ loss for Michaels. Bossman chases
Perfect away with the nightstick. Bossman and both Rockers share a tender moment
as the match ends.
After the replay, Bossman is seen walking back up the aisle. Suddenly,
Andre the Giant appears from behind the curtain! Andre smiles, offers a
handshake and raises Bossman's hand. I had completely
forgotten about this little episode. Fun little surprise to end this tape
with.
Why'd you tape this??
Standard "paint by numbers" PPV, but the fact that the Slaughter-Iraqi angle suddenly received top billing
still makes you roll your eyes. At the time, I just blocked out the Iraqi junk
and tried to make myself believe that it was plain ol' heel Sgt. Slaughter out there.
Sarge has always been one of my favorite wrestlers, and I was a bit bummed that he
was fed to the jaws of this ridiculous angle. Plus, his Iraqi khakis
looked like a Boy Scout uniform.
Two other featured issues were the Warrior-Savage feud and the LOD's rise
to the top of the WWF tag scene. A third, smaller issue can also be seen- Shawn Michaels
begnning to compete on his own.
Come back soon for tape 14, featuring WrestleMania VII and other residual
stuff. You can
still e-mail me your own
rasslin' reviews
or you if ya' wanna see these matches on YOUR TV you can
set up a trade for this tape!
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