What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – March 29, 1992

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are in the booth for a new round of Challenge tapings. This time they come from Biloxi, Mississippi. According to thehistorofwwe.com, the taping took place on March 10. Heenan freaks out when Monsoon tells him that Randy Savage has put him on a hit list.

Opening Non-Title Contest: Roddy Piper (Intercontinental Champion) (5-0) defeats Sandy Beach via submission to a sleeper hold at 1:04:

Beach started wrestling in 1985 and worked as a preliminary wrestler for the WWF going back to 1988. He had a token role in Hulk Hogan’s 1989 action film No Holds Barred. The year prior he wrestled in Herb Abrams’ UWF where he was part of a tag team called Wet N’ Wild with Steve Ray. He also appeared in Global, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and the American Wrestling Federation.

Piper traps Beach in a sunset flip for two and then there is an awkward exchange of punches, leading to Piper floating over a slam attempt and locking in a sleeper hold for the win.

Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report replays the Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect press conference that aired on Superstars.

Jake Roberts (4-1) pins Bill Golden with the DDT at 2:12:

Roberts’ opponent is not announced and references that say that he is facing Lee Armstrong is this match are incorrect. This is the first time that Roberts has wrestled on television since losing to Randy Savage on Saturday Night’s Main Event on February 8, a clue that he was about to leave the company. Roberts annihilates his opponent, opting to do the DDT once the crowd has quieted down.

A replay of a prisoner’s vignette against the Big Bossman airs.

The Natural Disasters (7-0) defeat Sonny Trout & Tommy Stevenson when Earthquake pins Stevenson after the Earthquake Splash at 2:22:

Trout was a Florida-based talent that did television enhancement jobs for WCW a year prior. He would continue to do that in 1992 while he also filled that same role for the WWF. He would later form an enhancement tag team with Rick Thames in WCW called the Southern Posse.

Stevenson is sandwiched against the buckles by the tag team title contenders and finished off after Trout makes an ill-advised attempt to come to his rescue.

Gene Okerlund interviews WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated and Jimmy Hart as the Disasters remain in the ring. DiBiase tells the Disasters that they made a bad business decision that cost them the tag team titles. The Disasters politely let their WrestleMania opponents finish their promo and then run them off the interview platform.

Handicap Match: Sid Justice (w/Harvey Wippleman) beats Mike Casey & Matt Burn when Sid pins both opponents after powerbombs at 2:45:

Burn was trained by the Sheik and started is career in 1990, wrestling for Michigan independents, the USWA, and South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW). He had made an earlier appearance in the WWF in 1987, participating in an angle with Ted DiBiase where he kissed DiBiase’s foot for $100. Later fans would come to know him as Rob Van Dam.

Casey pops fast after a Sid chokeslam but all is forgiven when Sid boots him in the face and flies over the top rope. The destruction continues as Burn takes a helicopter slam and Sid drops Casey throat-first over the guardrail. Sid gorilla press slams both opponents into the ring and powerbombs each of them so he can get a simultaneous pin. After the bell, Sid boots Burn off a stretcher, attacks a medic, and gorilla press slams Casey from the ring onto the stretcher, which buckles under Casey’s weight and sends him to the floor.

Okerlund does the WrestleMania VIII Report. Hulk Hogan says that he sees a lot of himself in Sid Justice as he was working to the top but Sid is making poor decisions and siding with the forces of evil. Hogan puts over his experience as the key to victory. Tatanka accuses Rick Martel of humiliating Native Americans and promises to avenge that. Martel rebuts that the Model Express will run over Tatanka.

Shawn Michaels (w/Sensational Sherri) (6-1) pins Scott Allen after the Teardrop Suplex at 2:26:

Allen did a couple of television jobs for the WWF the previous year and did the same for WCW.

El Matador does an insert promo says that Michaels is looking ahead to getting a shot at the Intercontinental Championship when he needs to be concerned with what is going to happen at WrestleMania VIII. Allen is no match for Michaels’ skills, giving Michaels an easy win a week before WrestleMania.

After a commercial break, ring announcer Mike McGuirk tells fans that Michaels has left the building.

Tune in next week to see the Nasty Boys, Bret Hart, and the Undertaker in action! Also, there will be a special interview with Ric Flair!

The Last Word: Sid Justice continues to be the MVP of many of these syndicated shows. His handicap match had an entertaining destruction of enhancement talent and it effectively put him over as a force to be reckoned with for WrestleMania. The Money Incorporated-Natural Disasters feud is flat as feuding over the services of a heel manager fans do not like is not an effective tool to get them to cheer for the Disasters. That is also why doing convoluted title change angles off-screen does not do talent any favors.

Up Next: WWF Prime Time Wrestling: March to WrestleMania VIII!