Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are commentating today’s episode, which kicks off a new taping cycle in Springfield, Massachusetts. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping took place on November 12 and drew a sellout crowd of 8,900.
A replay of WWF President Jack Tunney’s Survivor Series comments about Randy Savage and Jake Roberts is shown. Tunney’s later comments ordering a rematch between the Undertaker and Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship are also shown.
Opening Contest: The Berzerker (w/Mr. Fuji) (28-0) beats Russ Greenberg via count out at 2:54:
The Berzerker suffered his first loss at Survivor Series, but he remains undefeated in singles competition. Monsoon does a hard sell for This Tuesday in Texas, arguing that fans are getting a bargain with the price. The Berzerker gives Greenberg a few powerslams and then throws him to the floor to win via count out.
The New Foundation defeats Barry Horowitz & Duane Gill when Owen Hart pins Gill after a Rocket Launcher at 3:42:
The New Foundation is composed of Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart, both of whom are wearing checkerboarded jackets and parachute pants. Owen was trained by his father, Stu, and started working in 1983. He started in Stampede Wrestling like his brother, Bret, and also worked for New Japan, becoming the first non-Japanese talent to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship in 1988. The WWF signed him shortly after that and put him under a mask as the Blue Blazer, but Owen never got out of the lower midcard status. After losing to Mr. Perfect at WrestleMania V, Owen left the WWF and wrestled in Mexico, Japan, Canada, and Europe. He also wrestled a handful of matches for WCW in early 1991 but never signed a contract. He rejoined the WWF and the New Foundation team was a way for Neidhart to get revenge on the Beverly Brothers, who attacked him after he lost to Ric Flair on the November 9 episode of Superstars.
Hart looks good in his return and Monsoon and Heenan put over his athletic ability on commentary. He messes up a kip up spot but recovers well, giving Gill a few nice suplexes. The New Foundation have some kinks to work out as the end of the match becomes aimless. The finish comes when Neidhart slams Gill and launches Owen off the top rope.
A replay of the Undertaker and Paul Bearer’s promo on Superstars is shown.
The end of the Virgil-Ted DiBiase Million Dollar Championship Match on Survivor Series Showdown airs.
Virgil (20-1) beats Brian Costello via submission to the Million Dollar Dream at 2:59:
Virgil struggles to get Costello up for atomic drops but makes the crowd forget about it when he clotheslines his opponent over the top rope and pescados onto him. In the split screen, El Matador tells Ted DiBiase and Repo Man that he and Virgil are going to come at them with a lot of firepower in Texas. Even though his feud with DiBiase is past the endgame, Virgil is still using the Million Dollar Dream as a finish.
A replay of Sergeant Slaughter saving Hacksaw Jim Duggan from the Nasty Boys last week is shown.
Colonel Mustafa (w/General Adnan) (14-4-1) defeats Al Phillips via submission to the Camel Clutch at 2:19:
Like Superstars, Jamison is shown in the crowd. There is a small “USA” chant as Mustafa suplexes Phillips several times before trapping him in a Camel Clutch. This is a squash to remind fans that Mustafa exists, but he has no credibility after taking a quick pin at Survivor Series.
A replay of Randy Savage’s promo from Superstars airs. It is followed by a new taped promo from Jake Roberts, who tells Savage that there will not be a fairy tale ending for he or Elizabeth in Texas.
Non-Title Match: Bret Hart (Intercontinental Champion) (24-0-3) beats Chris Duffy via submission to the Sharpshooter at 2:50:
Bret quickly deconstructs Duffy with the moves of doom but does not go through the jobber so quickly that Monsoon and Heenan cannot hype This Tuesday in Texas. Heenan gets mad that Monsoon knows the card for the show while he knows nothing.
The British Bulldog does a taped segment where he tells the Warlord that he gets lots of good tips from WBF Magazine so his opponent for This Tuesday in Texas needs to read it well.
The Natural Disasters (w/Jimmy Hart) (15-0) defeat Jason Heddings & Mario Mancini when Earthquake pins Heddings after the Earthquake Splash at 3:25:
Heddings is destroyed by the Disasters and Mancini gets off easy with a double shoulder block. After squashing Heddings against the buckles, each Disaster does their respective finisher to remain undefeated.
A replay of Hulk Hogan’s promo from Superstars is shown.
The Last Word: The big development of this show was the debut of the New Foundation. Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart could make a good team but they have a ridiculous look and anytime a team is named “The New (insert noun)” that is usually a kiss of death. The tag team division has turned over a lot since January as the WWF has welcomed five new teams into the fold. Aside from that, this broadcast did another sell for This Tuesday in Texas but nothing said about that card here was any different than what fans were told a day earlier on Superstars.
Here is an overview of the WWF’s house show results for Thanksgiving weekend, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – Ottawa Civic Centre – November 28, 1991 (5,000): The Beverly Brothers beat the Bushwhackers…Chris Walker defeated Hercules…WWF Tag Team Champions the Legion of Doom defeated the Natural Disasters via count out…WWF Champion the Undertaker pinned the British Bulldog after hitting him with the urn…The Warlord pinned Greg Valentine after reversing the figure-four leglock into a small package…Ted DiBiase beat Chris Chavis…Randy Savage pinned Jake Roberts with the flying elbow drop.
Lexington, Kentucky – Rupp Arena – November 29, 1991 (4,300): El Matador pinned Kato…Hacksaw Jim Duggan defeated the Warlord…The Nasty Boys beat the Rockers…Ric Flair pinned Roddy Piper…Virgil defeated Skinner…The Texas Tornado pinned the Berzerker…Irwin R. Schyster defeated the Big Bossman…Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart pinned the Mountie.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The Spectrum – November 30, 1991 (10,318, matinee): The Texas Tornado beat the Berzerker…The Nasty Boys beat the Rockers…Virgil pinned Skinner…El Matador defeated Kato…Hacksaw Jim Duggan beat the Barbarian…The Big Bossman defeated Irwin R. Schyster…WWF Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart defeated the Mountie…Hulk Hogan beat Ric Flair via reverse decision. After the match, the Rockers saved Hogan from an attack by Flair and Mr. Perfect.
New York City, New York – Madison Square Garden – November 30, 1991 (15,000): El Matador pinned Kato with El Paso Del Muerte at 10:04…The Texas Tornado beat the Berzerker via count out after ramming the Berzerker’s head into the ring steps at 2:00…Virgil pinned Skinner with a sunset flip at 6:07…Hulk Hogan beat Ric Flair via reverse decision after Flair was caught with brass knuckles at 9:25…Hacksaw Jim Duggan pinned the Barbarian after the three-point stance clothesline at 7:51. After the bout, the Barbarian knocked Duggan to the arena floor and Duggan came back in the ring with his 2×4 and drove the Barbarian off…Intercontinental Champion Bret hart pinned the Mountie with an elbow drop off the second rope at 12:58. Prior to the match, Bret refused to get in the ring until the Mountie surrendered the shock stick. When he refused, the Big Bossman charged into the ring, attacked the Mountie, grabbed the shock stick, and took it backstage…Irwin R. Schyster pinned the Big Bossman after hitting him over the back with a briefcase as the Mountie distracted the referee at 13:46…The Nasty Boys defeated the Rockers when Jerry Sags pinned Marty Jannetty with a small package after Shawn Michaels accidentally rolled it over to where Sags had the advantage at 16:20.
Fort Worth, Texas – Tarrant County Convention Center – December 1, 1991 (1,300): The Warlord pinned Greg Valentine…The Big Bossman beat Irwin R. Schyster…The Texas Tornado pinned the Berzerker…WWF Tag Team Champions the Legion of Doom beat the Natural Disasters via disqualification…Ted DiBiase beat Chris Chavis…The Bushwhackers defeated the Beverly Brothers…Ric Flair pinned Roddy Piper.
Backstage News*: Since WCW is looking to expand their pay-per-view offerings to eight shows next year, look for the WWF to follow suit. Both companies believe that as the number of homes with pay-per-view access grows that they will get more revenue.
*The Hulk Hogan-Ric Flair program came under expectations on the Thanksgiving loop in Philadelphia and New York City, auguring ill for its chances of being the featured program for WrestleMania VIII. A big test will be what number the Hogan-Flair rematch draws in Madison Square Garden when they return on December 29.
*The WWF had a scare at Survivor Series that Hogan suffered a neck injury when he took the Tombstone, fearing that it would scuttle their booking plans for This Tuesday in Texas.
*In talent relations news, the WWF is looking for a gimmick for Del Wilkes. When they find one, he will be signed to a deal. The Ultimate Warrior’s 90-day suspension, imposed after SummerSlam, is over so he could reappear soon.
*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for December 9.
Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for December 2!