Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan handle commentary, doing the last show of the taping cycle in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Opening Contest: The Undertaker (w/Brother Love) (2-0) pins Sonny Blaze after the Tombstone at 2:23:
Any hope that Blaze has is extinguished forty-five seconds in after he eats a Mafia kick. Mark Calaway still has some work to do on the gimmick as the Old School ropewalk is not a good setup move and he does the Tombstone too close to the ropes, forcing him to reposition Blaze for the pin.
The British Bulldog (1-0) defeats Randy Hunter with the running powerslam at 2:21:
The Bulldog sleepwalks through a lot of the squash, using a chinlock ninety seconds in. The lone highlight is the Bulldog using a vertical suplex in the match’s early stages.
The Orient Express (w/Mr. Fuji) (2-1) beat Terry Davis & Cliff Sheets when Tanaka pins Davis after a superkick-German suplex combination at 2:42:
Sheets was an independent wrestler in Florida, who wrestled a few enhancement matches for the WWF in 1991.
The Express look good in this squash, running through some crisp moves on their opposition. Davis takes the worst of the beating with Tanaka sweeping him off his feet, Kato hitting him with a spinning elbow off the ropes, and the Express beating him with their finisher.
Jimmy Snuka (1-0) beats Spike Jones with the Superfly Splash at 1:59:
Snuka knocks down Jones with some palm strikes, slams him, and hits the Superfly Splash to remain undefeated.
The Texas Tornado’s squash from Prime Time Wrestling airs.
Rick Martel’s squash from Prime Time Wrestling is shown.
The Bushwhackers (1-0) defeat Black Bart & Joe Burton when Butch pins Burton after the double stomachbreaker at 3:23:
It takes two minutes for the Bushwhackers to engage their opponents. They befuddle Bart and then vanquish Burton shortly after he tags in. This would be Bart’s last televised appearance, never winning a match during his year-long stint with the company.
The Last Word: With The Royal Rumbleairing the previous night, the WWF was not going to put anything special on this telecast. During this era it would usually take until the next Superstars show to find out the results of big shows if you did not order them.
Here is what the WWF house shows were running during the WWF of The Royal Rumble. Results are courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:
Lakeland, Florida – Lakeland Civic Center – January 18, 1991: Koko B. Ware pinned Haku with an inside cradle…Greg Valentine beat Saba Simba with the figure-four leglock…Smash defeated Marty Jannetty…Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect defeated the Big Bossman…The Legion of Doom beat the Orient Express & Mr. Fuji in a handicap match when Hawk pinned Kato…The Barbarian defeated Jimmy Snuka…Ted DiBiase beat the Texas Tornado via count out…Hulk Hogan defeated Earthquake.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The Philadelphia Spectrum – January 20, 1991 (6,000): The Barbarian pinned Koko B. Ware…The Big Bossman beat Dino Bravo…WWF Champion Sergeant Slaughter pinned Hacksaw Jim Duggan…The Nasty Boys defeated the Bushwhackers…Earthquake beat Hulk Hogan via count out…Jake Roberts defeated Rick Martel via disqualification…The Warlord pinned Jimmy Snuka…The Legion of Doom beat the Orient Express & Mr. Fuji in a handicap match.
Hartford, Connecticut – Hartford Civic Center – January 20, 1991: The British Bulldog pinned Haku…The Rockers beat Demolition…The Texas Tornado (w/Virgil) pinned Ted DiBiase…Greg Valentine beat Shane Douglas…The Undertaker defeated Tugboat…WWF Tag Team Champions the Hart Foundation beat Paul Roma & Hercules…The Ultimate Warrior defeated Randy Savage.
Backstage News*: Greg Valentine was booked to go a long time in the Royal Rumble as a punishment for going to Herb Abrams’ UWF even though the WWF did not renew his contract and he was free to make his own bookings.
*Sergeant Slaughter is uncomfortable working as an Iraqi sympathizer, especially when the Gulf War is happening, but he wants a front office job so he is willing to play ball for a while. Dave Meltzer faults Hulk Hogan for not shooting down the Iraqi heel program because he should know better and is in a position to influence Vince McMahon’s decisions.
*Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura’s pilot for their aborted “Tag Team” television show will air on ABC as its “Movie of the Week.”
*In talent relations news, McMahon recently saw “Dances With Wolves” and wants a Native American character, so that is a big reason Chris Chavis got his recent tryout.
*Backstage news provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for January 28.
Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for January 21!