Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan are tonight’s hosts for the first Tuesday edition of Prime Time Wrestling. This show is a post-WrestleMania celebration that is originating from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Okerlund narrates still photographs of the career ending match between the Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage, the WWF tag team title match between the Hart Foundation and the Nasty Boys, and Virgil’s match with Ted DiBiase at WrestleMania. It is also announced that Hulk Hogan won the WWF Championship for a record-breaking third time. Footage shows Hogan’s entrance and post-match celebration. Then, Okerlund transitions to locker room footage where Slaughter tosses a fireball into Hogan’s eyes when he returns to the locker room and beats on him with a chair. This means that the feud between the two will continue.
Opening Contest: Hacksaw Jim Duggan (7-0) pins Rick Saxon after the three-point stance clothesline at 2:33:
Going into the match, McMahon says that Duggan still wants a piece of Sergeant Slaughter. Duggan beats on Saxon, tosses him to the floor, throws him back in, slams him, and finishes with the three-point stance clothesline. After the bout, Duggan leads the crowd in a “USA” chant.
Heenan is flanked by two women that feed him, women that Heenan says are a gift from Ted DiBiase. After the commercial break, DiBiase has the women take Heenan to the gambling tables so he can talk with McMahon. DiBiase argues that the only reason Virgil beat him was because of Roddy Piper.
The Big Bossman (10-0) defeats Hercules via disqualification when Paul Roma interferes at 1:39 shown:
This match comes from the WWF’s Madison Square Garden show on January 21 and is joined in progress. The Bossman fights out of a chinlock and flattens Hercules with the Bossman Slam. However, the Bossman does not go for a cover. Sensing that his partner does not have much left in the tank, Paul Roma runs in and tags the Bossman with a missile dropkick and that gets his tag team partner disqualified.
After the bell, Power & Glory double team the Bossman and knock the referee down several times. After Power & Glory wrap Hercules’ chain around the Bossman, Heenan comes into the ring and lays in a few blows until the Legion of Doom make the save.
Julius Caesar presents Heenan with a Caesar medallion, calling him “Erectus.”
The Legion of Doom (6-0) defeat Mike Casey & Bob Bradley when Hawk pins Casey after the Doomsday Device at 2:26:
Sean Mooney puts over the Legion of Doom as the number one contenders to the WWF tag team titles. The Nasties and Jimmy Hart do a split screen promo about how the Legion are not nasty enough to win the belts. Both jobbers take an equal amount of punishment, with Casey drawing the short straw and taking the Doomsday Device finish.
The Berzerker (w/Mr. Fuji) (4-0) beats John Allen via count out at 2:27:
The Berzerker is the new name for the Viking. The new name references ancient Norse warriors that worked themselves into a frenzy before battle. The Berzerker tears into Allen immediately after the bell sounds and after a few big boots he tosses him to the floor to win another match via count out. After the match, the Berzerker jumps from the ring to the floor, delivering a knee drop to his vanquished opponent.
McMahon announces that next week’s Prime Time Wrestling will take place in Venice Beach, California.
Fans are treated to a musical performance from Bobby Wade and the Imperials.
A replay of the badly botched Shane Douglas-Paul Roma match that originally aired on Prime Time on January 28 airs.
Koko B. Ware interrupts Wade’s musical performance, gets the mic, and sings his theme song. This leads to a dance off between McMahon and Heenan. This segment was given too much time.
The Hart Foundation (5-1) defeat Earthquake & Dino Bravo (w/Jimmy Hart) when Bret Hart pins Bravo after Jim Neidhart slams Bret on top of Bravo at 10:28:
This match took place at the March 15 Madison Square Garden show when the Foundation were tag team champions. However, no reference is made to it being a title match and the Foundation do not appear with the belts. Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes are surprised at Earthquake and Bravo’s teamwork, a silly comment when both of them have been on-screen allies since late 1989. Bret Hart ends up in peril when he tries to jump onto the Earthquake from the apron but gets caught and rammed into the ring post. Jim Neidhart has to make the save after an Earthquake elbow drop and later an Earthquake powerslam. A false tag spot allows the heels to double body slam Bret but Neidhart runs in and cuts off the Earthquake Splash with a clothesline, sending the big man to the floor. As the referee is caught up in what is going on with Earthquake, Neidhart slams Bret on top of Bravo and the Foundation escape with a win. Earthquake looked miles better than Bravo in this match and carried his team to something decent. This would be the Hart Foundation’s last match together. Rating: **½
After the bell, Earthquake knocks Neidhart out of the ring and gives Bret the Earthquake Splash before Neidhart clears the ring with a chair.
McMahon and Heenan chat with Randy Savage and Elizabeth. Elizabeth says she was at WrestleMania because it was the biggest match Savage had ever had. Savage adds that he hopes he had beaten the Ultimate Warrior and reunited with Elizabeth on the show too.
Sergeant Slaughter and General Adnan introduce a new member of their stable: Colonel Mustafa, better known to fans as former WWF champion the Iron Sheik. He had been gone from the WWF for more than two years, spending time in the AWA and WCW. His tenure in the latter is infamous for WCW failing to cancel his contract after a disastrous 1989, allowing it to rollover for an additional year. This reflects the WWF’s ignorance of larger geopolitics as they pair an Iranian with an Iraqi sympathizer despite both nations being enemies at the time.
Colonel Mustafa beats Billy Burke via submission to the Camel Clutch at 49 seconds:
Mustafa does not impress, sporting a larger belly than the last time he was seen in the WWF and moving delicately in the ring. Thankfully this is kept short, with Mustafa giving Burke a gutwrench suplex to set up the Camel Clutch. After the match, Slaughter whips Burke with his riding crop and Mustafa beats the jobber down some more.
Savage and Elizabeth get on the music stage and dance.
Kato (w/Mr. Fuji & Tanaka) beats Shawn Michaels (w/Marty Jannetty) (1-1) with a backslide after Tanaka hits Michaels with Fuji’s cane at 12:55:
This match also comes from the March 15 Madison Square Garden event. Although both men are skilled and have a good back-and-forth to start, the match quality is hampered by a long nerve hold spot in the middle. A blind charge finally lets Michaels make a comeback, using a superkick to set up a flying elbow drop for a near-fall. An O’Connor roll is reversed in a hot exchange of near-falls and then Fuji trips Michaels. Fuji hops on the apron to distract the referee and that allows Tanaka to sneak into the ring and blast Michaels with Fuji’s cane to help his partner prevail. It seems like the WWF might pivot the Rockers back into a feud with the Orient Express, but that is a step backward for them because they already beat the Express at The Royal Rumble. Rating: **½
The Koko B. Ware-Black Bart match that aired on the January 14 episode of Prime Time is shown.
Heenan decides to push all-in, along with his Rolex while he plays blackjack. He goes bust and loses everything he has won tonight.
Tune in next week to see Hulk Hogan, the Nasty Boys, and World Bodybuilding Federation star Mike Christian!
The Last Word: It was nice to put this show at Caesars Palace rather than Titan Towers but the non-wrestling segments did not land. The feature matches were good, though, and that is more than can be said of a lot of Prime Time Wrestling shows over the last few years.
Up Next: WWF Superstars for March 30!