Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are in the booth, concluding the tapings in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
Opening Contest: Jimmy Snuka (17-2) defeats Black Bart after a big cover at 2:39:
WWF bookers love this match as this is the third time Snuka and Bart have wrestled this year. Snuka looks awful in this match, taking contrived and delicate bumps throughout. In the split screen, the Vipers vow revenge against the Visionaries at the Survivor Series. Bart dominates most of the bout, but Snuka catches him with a headbutt, a flying clothesline off the top, and finishes with an awkward big cover.
Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report recaps how Dustin Rhodes beat Ted DiBiase in a ten-minute challenge a last week. The Million Dollar Team promise a big hit at Survivor Series, while the Dream Team puts over their meanness and agility.
Mr. Perfect (w/Bobby Heenan) (31-3) pins Mike Shelton after the Perfectplex at 2:09:
As Perfect grounds Shelton, Demolition come to ringside to cheer on their Survivor Series teammate. Perfect talks trash and liberally throws slaps before using the Perfectplex to notch a sixth-straight win. The win also ties Perfect with Hacksaw Jim Duggan for most singles victories in the promotion. Afterward, Heenan helps Shelton up so Perfect can knock him down with another slap. It would have been better to have Demolition come into the ring and give Shelton Demolition Decapitation.
Gene Okerlund talks with some young fans about what is in the giant egg. One guesses money, another has no clue, and the last one says “a million dollar surprise.”
Sergeant Slaughter (w/General Adnan, Boris Zhukov, the Orient Express & Mr. Fuji) (7-0) defeats Gary Jackson via submission to the Camel Clutch at 2:06:
Like Perfect, Slaughter’s Survivor Series teammates are at ringside for the squash. Slaughter runs through a lot of moves in a short time span on Jackson, planting the jobber with a gourdbuster so that he can apply the Camel Clutch, his new finisher.
Okerlund interviews the Warriors. The Legion of Doom promise that reverse psychology will not work, while the Texas Tornado warns Perfect that the heel team is not perfect. Okerlund asks Warrior about Randy Savage and the Warrior asserts that Savage is hiding behind Sensational Sherri so that is why he is not booked for the Survivor Series.
Rick Martel (15-1-1) beats Tito Santana (16-8-1) via disqualification when Jake Roberts interferes at 3:49:
This is Martel’s first televised match since the July 30 edition of Prime Time Wrestling where he defeated Ronnie Garvin. Heenan clues new fans into the backstory of the match, talking about the breakup of Strike Force and blaming Santana for causing the split in the team at WrestleMania V. The match is angle filler as Martel and Santana do a basic wrestling opening and Martel works a chinlock, cueing interference from Roberts, who has poor vision and cannot get a hold of Martel. After the decision is announced, Roberts tells Martel on the house mic that he may not be able to see him but he can smell him. Rating: ½*
Okerlund does the Survivor Series Report.
Saba Simba (5-0) pins Dale Wolfe after the Lion’s Roar at 2:01:
Simba dances throughout the match but like Jimmy Snuka, he moves awkwardly in the ring, especially when running the ropes. Wolfe gets caught off the ropes with the Lion’s Roar, bumping correctly for it unlike other jobbers on the roster.
Tune in next week to see Koko B. Ware face Ted DiBiase! Also, Tugboat and Intercontinental Champion the Texas Tornado! And the Natural Disasters will give a special interview!
The Last Word: Fans who looked forward to a good match between Tito Santana and Rick Martel were disappointed but the build for an eventual encounter between Jake Roberts and Martel remains strong. Sergeant Slaughter’s in-ring work continues to improve by the week as well, which is good because the WWF needs reliable heels. And based on the Okerlund segment, it is weird that Randy Savage is not booked for Survivor Series. Based on storylines he should be captaining the Perfect Team with Mr. Perfect and two members of Demolition in support.
Here is a recap of the WWF’s house show action for early November, with results provided courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:
Long Island, New York – The Nassau Coliseum – November 9, 1990 (7,300): Dino Bravo beat Tito Santana with the Flair pin…Animal pinned Ax…Hacksaw Jim Duggan defeated Boris Zhukov…Sergeant Slaughter beat Nikolai Volkoff via submission to the Camel Clutch…The Orient Express beat the Bushwhackers…Earthquake pinned Tugboat with a splash after Dino Bravo and Jimmy Hart interfered…Roddy Piper won a nineteen-man bunkhouse battle royal that also included Dino Bravo, Tito Santana, the Black Demon, the Legion of Doom, Ax, Crush, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Boris Zhukov, Sergeant Slaughter, Earthquake, Tugboat, the Warlord, Saba Simba, the Bushwhackers, and the Orient Express.
Richfield, Ohio – The Richfield Coliseum – November 9, 1990 (7,700): Battle Kat pinned Buddy Rose…The Rockers beat Power & Glory via disqualification…The Big Bossman pinned the Barbarian (substituting for Bobby Heenan)…The British Bulldog pinned Haku…WWF Tag Team Champions the Hart Foundation beat Rhythm & Blues…Ted DiBiase pinned Dusty Rhodes…Intercontinental Champion the Texas Tornado pinned Mr. Perfect…Randy Savage defeated WWF Champion the Ultimate Warrior via count out.
Boston, Massachusetts – The Boston Garden – November 11, 1990 (6,500; 5,000 paid): Tito Santana pinned Boris Zhukov…Ted DiBiase pinned Dusty Rhodes with a roll up…Bret Hart beat the Honky Tonk Man with a piledriver…Hawk defeated Crush with a roll up. Crush originally won with a Flair pin but the referee ordered the match to resume…Hacksaw Jim Duggan pinned Greg Valentine…Earthquake beat Tugboat after hitting him with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone…Earthquake won a bunkhouse battle royal that also featured Roddy Piper, the Legion of Doom, Tugboat, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Saba Simba, Dusty Rhodes, the Hart Foundation, the Black Demon, Dino Bravo, Ax, Crush, Tito Santana, the Warlord, Boirs Zhukov, Ted DiBiase, Virgil, and Rhythm & Blues.
Backstage News*: Even though the WWF filmed the Rockers defeating the Hart Foundation for the tag team titles at the recent Main Event taping, the company is scrapping the title change. This was due to the top rope breaking during the match as well as other factors such as its length. The teams battled for more than twenty-five minutes and the WWF needed to cut that time for the next episode. As expected, the Rockers are unhappy with the decision. With the titles not changing hands, Jim Neidhart will be retained rather than pushed into an announcer role.
*Demolition’s planned departure after Survivor Series could leave the WWF with only two heel teams so there are rumors that the Legion of Doom will turn. Vince McMahon is reportedly disappointed at how the Legion of Doom-Demolition program has drawn as he thought it would last for six-months. Instead, it will end in half of that time.
*The WWF has struck a deal with Genichiro Tenryu’s SWS promotion, with the two planning to do a joint show next year.
*House show business increased over the past week when the WWF combined its B and C house shows. The Ultimate Warrior-Randy Savage program is also drawing more money than the Warrior’s program against Rick Rude in the summer. Hulk Hogan is still off the road to do reshoots for Suburban Commando, and early reports are that the film is terrible, with the studio thinking of dropping its theatrical run and sending it straight to video. However, television ratings are falling as Prime Time Wrestling drew a 2.3 rating, the lowest in its history, this week.
*There were some rumors that Andre the Giant would emerge from the egg at Survivor Series, but that is not the case. Andre is set to return to the ring for the Royal Rumble as McMahon signed him after Herb Abrams brought him in for an appearance at the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). The WWF is threatening legal action against the UWF for advertising Rick Rude, who is still under contract.
*Several WWF stars had legal issues resolved as Andre was found guilty of mischief and forced to pay $233 in damages to a cameraman who he stopped from filming a match last year against the Ultimate Warrior. Jake Roberts got a harsher sentence for knocking out a man in Florida. Roberts received ten years probation, a $10,000 fine, a $5,000 fine to the Florida government, 100 hours of community service, and will have to make an $11,000 payment to his victim.
*There is a double main event rumored for WrestleMania VII. The proposed card would feature the Ultimate Warrior defending the WWF Championship against a heel Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan wrestling Mark Calaway.
*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for November 19.
Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for November 12!