Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, and Jim Neidhart call today’s action, still coming from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Opening Contest: The Legion of Doom (10-0) defeat the Orient Express (w/Mr. Fuji) (6-3) when Hawk pins Kato after the Doomsday Device at 5:14:
In the split screen, WWF Tag Team Champions the Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart tell the Legion that they had better prepare for the nastiest time of their life. These two teams had a feud in late 1990 and early 1991, which the Legion dominated, and this match is no exception. The Legion sell little of the Express’ offense as Hawk shows no ill effects from a spile piledriver and Animal quickly recovers from being laid over the top rope and splashed. As was the case for their Main Event match in February, the Express bump well for all of the Legion’s offense and make them look great. However, the cost is that the Express look like jobbers and that makes the Rockers look weak for showing any vulnerability to the Express in their existing feud. Rating: *
Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report segment recaps Slick’s failed efforts to get Andre the Giant as a client.
Colonel Mustafa (w/General Adnan) (5-0) beats Red Tyler via submission to the Camel Clutch at 1:44:
Mustafa does two gutwrench suplexes and a backdrop suplex to set up the Camel Clutch. Surprisingly, the commentators do not make a big deal out of Tyler’s American flag tights since that fits the context of the Hacksaw Jim Duggan-Mustafa feud.
The British Bulldog (15-0) pins Gary Wild after the running powerslam at 2:02:
Winston breathes hard in the split screen and that somehow contributes to the Bulldog’s feud with Mr. Perfect. The Bulldog plants Wild with a vertical suplex and ends things with a running powerslam.
Virgil (4-0) defeats Dale Wolfe via submission to the Million Dollar Dream at 1:37:
Ted DiBiase and Sensational Sherri do an insert promo where DiBiase says that Sherri has the class he wanted Virgil to achieve. Virgil gets through an awkward squash where Wolfe is not sure whether he should get up after Virgil’s punches. Virgil then applies a sloppy Million Dollar Dream to remain undefeated.
Gary Strydom lifts dumbbells and insists that the competition is going to finish in second place at the WBF Championship.
Irwin R. Schyster beats Dan Robbins with the Write Off at 2:10:
A champion amateur wrestler, Schyster, better known to fans at Mike Rotunda, was trained by the Destroyer and made his wrestling debut in 1981. After working through Lutte Internationale, Jim Crockett Promotions, and Florida, he made his way to the WWF in 1984, where he teamed with Barry Windham as part of the U.S. Express. The duo won the WWF Tag Team Championship twice before Windham left the company in 1985. In 1986, Rotunda left the WWF and wrestled in the AWA and Florida before heading back to Crockett Promotions. As a member of the Varsity Club, he won the Television Championship and NWA World Tag Team Championship with Steve Williams. In 1990, Rotunda adopted a babyface ship captain gimmick and feuded with Kevin Sullivan and then turned heel to become Michael Wallstreet, aligning himself with the York Foundation. After a good run with that gimmick, Rotunda decided to come back to the WWF and refashioned elements of the Wallstreet gimmick into Irwin R. Schyster, a tax collector based out of Washington, D.C.
Before the match, Schyster gets on the microphone and promises to go after people who have filed for a tax extension. Schyster’s does not look good because of an awful long brown tights-black boots combination. After some token pounding, Schyster hoists Robbins up for a Samoan Drop to win. Heenan says that move is called the Write Off. This squash did not impress but Schyster did look smooth in the ring.
Brutus Beefcake hosts Jake Roberts on this week’s Barber Shop. Roberts says that Damien might be dead, but the true snake, himself, is still standing. Roberts likens what Earthquake did to rape, a stunning analogy for the WWF’s audience in this era. He tells Earthquake that he has replaced Damien with his bigger brother, Lucifer, repeating the developments of the latest Saturday Night’s Main Event.
The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) (16-0) pins Buck Zumhoff with the Tombstone at 1:13:
This match features a new move in the Undertaker’s arsenal – a flying clothesline off the ropes – and the Undertaker uses it to set up the Tombstone and notch a quick victory. After the match, the Undertaker and Bearer shove Zumhoff into a body bag and the Undertaker carries the bag to the locker room.
Highlights of the Legion of Doom segments on Prime Time Wrestling are shown.
Jimmy Snuka (5-2) defeats Warren Bianchi with a slingshot suplex at 1:34:
Snuka has abandoned the long tights look but is still wearing a goatee. Monsoon and Heenan spend the match hyping the Hot Ticket pay-per-view offering of WrestleMania highlights. Snuka continues to do the slingshot suplex as a finisher, using it for a second straight squash win.
Tune in next week to see Bret Hart face the Warlord! Also, the Texas Tornado, the Berzerker, the Rockers, and Ted DiBiase in action! Also, WWF Champion Hulk Hogan will be a guest on the Barber Shop!
The Last Word: This was a decent episode as fans enjoyed the Legion of Doom defeat of the Orient Express since it was a glorified squash that got to showcase the Legion’s power moves. Irwin R. Schyster also made his debut and while pedestrian, he will get a push because the company desperately needs more heel talent. Next week’s feature match will be another big test for Bret Hart but he is riding a bigger wave of momentum than the Warlord, who lost at WrestleMania and is in a nothing feud with the Texas Tornado.
Here is a recap of the WWF’s house show action, provided courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:
Louisville, Kentucky – The Louisville Gardens – May 9, 1991: The Texas Tornado wrestled the Warlord to a double count out…Earthquake beat Jake Roberts via disqualification…The Berzerker defeated Tugboat…Sergeant Slaughter beat Hacksaw Jim Duggan…Power & Glory defeated the Bushwhackers when Paul Roma pinned Butch…Irwin R. Schyster defeated Jimmy Snuka…The Big Bossman pinned the Mountie.
San Francisco, California – The Cow Palace – May 10, 1991 (7,300): The Dragon beat Haku…Ted DiBiase defeated Virgil…The Mountie beat the Big Bossman…Sergeant Slaughter defeated WWF Champion Hulk Hogan via disqualification…The Berzerker beat Tugboat…Irwin R. Schyster defeated Jimmy Snuka…The Legion of Doom beat WWF Tag Team Champions the Nasty Boys via count out.
Long Island, New York – The Nassau Coliseum – May 10, 1991 (14,000): The Texas Tornado won a 17-man battle royal, last eliminating the Warlord, to earn an Intercontinental title shot later in the evening. Other participants in the match included Andre the Giant, the Bushwhackers, Power & Glory, Koko B. Ware, the British Bulldog, Colonel Mustafa, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Earthquake, Jake Roberts, the Barbarian, Greg Valentine, Bret Hart, and Kato…Hacksaw Jim Duggan pinned Kato…The British Bulldog beat the Barbarian…Hercules pinned Koko B. Ware…Bret Hart pinned Paul Roma…Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect defeat the Texas Tornado via count out…The Ultimate Warrior beat the Undertaker via disqualification after the Undertaker used the urn as a weapon.
Backstage News*: The location for WrestleMania VIII will be Indianapolis, Indiana. The WWF has booked the Hooiserdome as the venue.
*Recent reports suggest that the WWF/SWS Tokyo Dome show gave out more paid tickets that originally quoted, with less than 20,000 people buying their way into the event.
*Tito Santana is going to repackaged with a gimmick to freshen him up.
*In talent relations news, Rick Rude has been granted a release from his contract but it will not allow him to work for WCW until the fall. Steve Keirn has been signed and will be wrestling as “The Gator.”
*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for May 20.
Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for May 14!