Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are commentating the action today, concluding the taping cycle in Syracuse, New York.
Opening Contest: Jake Roberts (24-2) pins Boris Zhukov (4-10) with the DDT at 2:08:
In the split screen, Roberts says that for Christmas he would love to get a piece of Rick Martel and a new eyeball. Zhukov is given a jobber entrance but still goes 50/50 with the Snake. Roberts counters a clothesline attempt with his own short-arm variety and then hits the DDT. After the bout, Roberts dumps Damien onto the Russian.
Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report shows how Mr. Perfect won the Intercontinental Championship. The Texas Tornado tells Ted DiBiase that he will not like what he does to him in the future.
Shane Douglas (10-1-1) defeats Barry Hardy after a flying body press at 1:48:
Douglas rolls to a fifth straight win, doing some basic wrestling to get Hardy out of sorts and using a belly-to-belly suplex to set up the flying body press.
The Warlord (w/Slick) (24-1) defeats Ron Cumberledge after the running powerslam at 1:58:
The British Bulldog does an insert promo where he says that the Warlord needs to prove to him that his running powerslam is better. The Warlord tosses Cumberledge around with ease and finishes with the usual.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan (34-1-1) pins Scott Colontonio with the three-point stance clothesline at 1:54:
In the split screen, Duggan dubs himself “Santa Saw” and wishes Merry Christmas to all of America’s armed forces in the Middle East. Duggan rolls through another formulaic squash to build to a future encounter with Sergeant Slaughter.
The Bushwhackers freak out while playing “WrestleMania Challenge” for the NES.
Gene Okerlund interviews the Undertaker and Brother Love, dropping the “Kane” part of the Undertaker name. The Undertaker vows to embalm his opponents and steal their gold teeth in the Royal Rumble. Love does not fit the Undertaker’s character since he is loud and obnoxious while the Undertaker is calm and deliberate.
The Legion of Doom squash from Prime Time Wrestling airs.
Sean Mooney’s Event Center segment hypes The Royal Rumble. The Honky Tonk Man promises to play twenty-nine hits, the Bushwhackers say they are going to get wild, Haku says that he wants to be number one while Bobby Heenan says that he does not mean that, and Andre the Giant laughs at having to go through Earthquake and Hulk Hogan to win.
Gene Okerlund does The Royal Rumble Report. Randy Savage says that the Ultimate Warrior will not be the WWF Champion by the pay-per-view. WWF Tag Team Champions the Hart Foundation say that the Rumble will be a big mess and there will be one winner. Rick Martel laughs about getting the chance to hit Jake Roberts from his blind side in the Rumble, while Hulk Hogan hopes that Earthquake attacks him first so he can slam him through the ring. The Rhodes Family warn Ted DiBiase and Virgil that they are coming for them in their scheduled tag team match. And Sergeant Slaughter and General Adnan vow to accomplish their secret mission of taking the WWF title, while the Ultimate Warrior says that Slaughter is a traitor but the Warrior can deal with his weapons because he is the commander-in-chief of the WWF.
The Gobbledy Gooker and Saba Simba dance, with Simba doing a half-hearted effort to look happy.
Dino Bravo (w/Jimmy Hart & Earthquake) (26-3-3) pins Scott Summer after the sidewalk slam at 2:04:
The Earthquake returns to Bravo’s side for this squash as Monsoon rants about them being inseparable and how he hopes they draw the first two numbers in the Royal Rumble. Bravo uses a stun gun and a few slams before doing his finish, allowing Earthquake to come into the ring and do a couple of Earthquake Splashes to send Summer to the hospital.
Mooney’s Event Center talks more about The Royal Rumble. Ted DiBiase & Virgil promise to wash their hands of the Rhodes clan. The British Bulldog says he is psyched up for the Royal Rumble, while Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect promises to live up to his reputation.
Tune in next week to see the Rockers, the Barbarian, the Texas Tornado, and Power & Glory in action! Also, Dusty & Dustin Rhodes will give a special interview!
The Last Word: This was another run of the mill Wrestling Challenge episode. The highlight was the Undertaker promo. It was cartoonish but it keeps the mystique of the character going, which is more than can be said of other gimmick disasters from the last few months like Battle Kat, the Gobbledy Gooker, and Saba Simba.
Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for December 24!