Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura are in the booth, kicking off a new set of tapings in Birmingham, Alabama. These tapings took place on January 2.
The opening match is the Jimmy Snuka-Brooklyn Brawler bout that aired on Prime Time Wrestling.
Gene Okerlund provides The Royal Rumble Report. Most of the singles matches get dueling promos, with the Big Bossman saying Hacksaw Jim Duggan hides behind his 2×4, while Duggan says that 2×4 will guide him to victory. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers argue they will blow the Bushwhackers house down and the Bushwhackers retort that the Rougeaus are “a pair of sissies.” And the Genius hypes his IQ versus Brutus Beefcake looking forward to cutting the Genius’ hair.
Dino Bravo (w/Jimmy Hart & the Canadian Earthquake) (2-0) pins Alan Reynolds after a sidewalk slam at 1:13:
Before the squash starts, Bravo and the Earthquake hype the Royal Rumble and Bravo says he looks forward to getting his hands on the Ultimate Warrior. Reynolds did jobs in the CWA in the second half of the 1980s and appeared in squash matches for the AWA when it was on ESPN in 1988. He would do the same in the WWF from 1988-1991. Bravo makes quick work of Reynolds to continue appearing as a threat to the Warrior’s Intercontinental Championship.
After the match, Earthquake gives Reynolds the Earthquake Splash.
A replay of the Ronnie Garvin-Pablo Crenshaw match that aired on Prime Time Wrestling airs.
Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil) (1-0) beats Lee Peak via submission to the Million Dollar Dream at 1:13:
After ring introductions, DiBiase holds up the Million Dollar Championship belt and puts it over as the only thing that matters to him. He says that if Jake Roberts wants that title then he needs to come and get it. DiBiase works a lot of offense into his squashes relative to other talents, dazing Peak with a fist drop and powerslam before locking in the Million Dollar Dream.
As the match finishes, Roberts says in the split screen that he welcomes DiBiase’s invitation and he runs into the ring. Roberts trades blows with DiBiase as the crowd goes nuts and after clotheslining DiBiase over the top rope he steals the Million Dollar Championship.
Brother Love welcomes WWF Champion Hulk Hogan as his weekly guest. Hogan repeats the claims of his earlier promos about how he wishes to draw the first number. He says that Intercontinental Champion the Ultimate Warrior will be in there for a while, and he looks forward to throwing him out and taking off his makeup. When Love interjects about Mr. Perfect’s chances, Hogan says he will ruin Perfect’s efforts at securing a perfect victory.
A replay of the Rick Rude-Dale Wolfe squash from Prime Time Wrestling is shown.
Okerlund provides another Rumble Report which features some Rumble promos from the participants. Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri put over how he is going to win. Roddy Piper says he has been chasing the Huns to get ready and he will make Rick Rude feel like former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Hercules hypes his strength since it will help him win. Mr. Perfect and the Genius argue that the Rumble will be a perfect opportunity for him to showcase his skills. The Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart say that his guitar will be tuned up for some hits. Dusty Rhodes argues that his secret recipe to win will be his “brown sugar” Sapphire, who comes into the segment and screams a lot. WWF Tag Team Champions the Colossal Connection and Bobby Heenan say that they are ready to Rumble. And Intercontinental Champion the Ultimate Warrior says the Rumble is another challenge that he will overcome.
Demolition (1-0) defeat Alan Martin & George South when Ax pins Martin after Demolition Decapitation at 2:26:
In the split screen, Demolition call out the Colossal Connection and say that they will try to survive just long enough in the Royal Rumble to get even. Demolition continue their winning ways from Prime Time Wrestling, wearing out Martin with elbow and
Tune in next week to see Roddy Piper, Bad News Brown, Jake Roberts, Mr. Perfect, and Intercontinental Champion the Ultimate Warrior in action!
The Last Word: It was disappointing that several of the matches carried over from Prime Time Wrestling and the WWF did little to disguise it since Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes called those matches instead of Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura. The big highlight of the show was the tease of Hulk Hogan squaring off against the Ultimate Warrior in the Rumble, a dream match for fans that had yet to see the two work together. And fans loved Jake Roberts taking Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Championship belt, providing more progression for their feud.
Up Next: Wrestling Challenge for January 21!