Vince McMahon and Mr. Perfect are calling today’s action, starting a new taping cycle in Daytona Beach, Florida. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping took place on January 7 and drew a crowd of 12,000 fans.
The New Foundation squash from Prime Time Wrestling is the first match on the show.
Gene Okerlund does The Royal Rumble Report. Okerlunds talks about how Ric Flair is the new WWF champion and Roddy Piper is the new Intercontinental champion. Flair and Perfect do a taped promo where Perfect brags about his prediction of Flair winning the Rumble. Flair gloats about setting a Rumble record for ring time and beating 29 of the WWF’s best to become champion.
Rick Martel (0-1) beats Mickey Jay via submission to the Boston crab at 2:42:
Jay started working in the wrestling business in 1987, refereeing matches for Championship Wrestling from Florida. He credited Gordon Solie, Steve Keirn, and Mike Graham for breaking him in. He would achieve greater recognition later in the decade as a referee for WCW.
McMahon says that later in the show fans will hear from the top five contenders to the WWF Championship, who will tell fans why they should get the first crack at Flair. Martel spends the match moving around Jay and jawing with fans. He avoids a dropkick, delivers a backbreaker, and locks in the Boston crab for a submission win.
Bret Hart (1-0-1) beats Jack Owens via submission to the Sharpshooter at 2:27:
In the split screen, Bret assures his fans that he feels alright. He also congratulates Roddy Piper and warns the Mountie that he has not seen the last of him. Bret rolls through his moves of doom and locks in the Sharpshooter. Bret chooses to hold onto the Sharpshooter for a few minutes after the bell to put over how he is upset over losing the Intercontinental Championship last week to the Mountie.
Ted DiBiase (w/Sensational Sherri) (0-0-1) defeats D.D. Russell via submission to the Million Dollar Dream at 1:48:
DiBiase goes through his usual offense, setting up the Million Dollar Dream with a powerslam. Following the win, DiBiase stuffs $100 down Russell’s throat, which Sherri proceeds to take for herself.
The top five contenders to the WWF Championship address fans in taped promos. Hulk Hogan tells WWF President Jack Tunney that he would be blind to not see how Flair was scared of the power of Hulkamania in the Rumble. The Undertaker and Paul Bearer complain that they were never beaten for the title and the Undertaker warns Tunney that he will eliminate the contenders if he is not chosen and finish Tunney off after that. Intercontinental Champion Roddy Piper argues that he has always been a top contender and has never called Tunney fat. Randy Savage puts over the power of his name and reputation in the WWF. And Sid Justice says he should be the number one contender because he threw Hogan out of the Rumble, was the Rumble runner-up, and Flair has no chance in hell against him. When it came to promo quality, Sid won this by a mile.
Repo Man (1-0) defeats Kevin Katlin via submission to a leg grapevine at 1:57:
During the squash, Perfect complains about fans getting to call in and vote for who should face Flair at WrestleMania. In the split screen, Virgil says that he looks forward to giving Repo Man “the whoopin’” he deserves. That is a repeat of Virgil’s comments last week so this feud is already running on fumes. Repo Man swallows up Katlin and submits him. Then, after the match, Repo Man puts his rope around Katlin’s neck and drags him in a circle around the ring. That spot is much better than tying the jobber in the ropes and dropping them on their head.
Chris Chavis’ vignette from Prime Time Wrestling airs.
Sid Justice (1-0) pins Mike Casey after the powerbomb at 2:08:
Sid excites the crowd by chokeslamming Casey and giving him a big boot, which sends Casey flying over the top rope. Back in, Sid wows the crowd with a helicopter slam that Casey takes like a champ and the powerbomb finishes the jobber off.
Tune in next week to see Irwin R. Schyster, WWF Tag Team Champions, and the Undertaker in action! Also, Chris Chavis will be in action under a Native American name! Sensational Sherri will appear on the Funeral Parlor and WWF President Jack Tunney will hold a press conference announcing Ric Flair’s opponent for WrestleMania!
The Last Word: Everyone is grinding their wheels until the WrestleMania VIII card comes together. The first piece of that will take place next week. Since Flair will not face another heel that removes the Undertaker from the equation. Randy Savage has an ongoing feud with Jake Roberts and did not impress much in the Rumble so his possibilities of being chosen are slim. And Roddy Piper has the Intercontinental title and it is unlikely there will be a title-for-title match picked. That leaves the big decision for Jack Tunney between Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice as Flair’s challenger.
Up Next: Wrestling Challenge for January 26!