What the World Was Watching: WWF Prime Time Wrestling – April 13, 1992

Vince McMahon moderates tonight’s panel. Gorilla Monsoon returns to anchor the babyface side with Hillbilly Jim to face off with Bobby Heenan and Mr. Perfect.

Opening Contest: Rick Martel (7-2-1) beats J.W. Storm with a schoolboy roll up at 9:36:

Storm started his wrestling career in the Pacific Northwest in 1989, teaming with Art Barr in a tag team called the Juice Patrol. He wrestled for WCW in 1990 and was originally billed as the Silencer before taking on the J.W. Storm name. Storm’s biggest win was over Tommy Rich but he lost a lot after dropping a bout to Brad Armstrong at Halloween Havoc. The WWF gave him several tryouts in 1991 and early 1992 and he was used on house shows to replace the Texas Tornado.

This bout was filmed at Madison Square Garden on March 23. They work the crowd for a few minutes and Storm does some arm ringers and slams. Martel tosses Storm over the top rope to seize control and works the back. Storm starts a comeback after nailing Martel in the gut when Martel flies off the second rope with an axe handle. However, an aggressive blind charge misses and Martel wins with a roll up. This was just a basic match. While Storm did not look bad here he was cookie cutter in his approach and that is probably a big reason why he was not given a long-term deal. Rating: **

Promo time with Sean Mooney! Shawn Michaels and Sensational Sherri dispute the notion that Nick Nolte is the “Sexiest Man Alive.” Hacksaw Jim Duggan & Sergeant Slaughter talk about how they want to be the next WWF tag team champions.

Owen Hart (5-0) beats Dale Wolfe after a splash off the top rope at 3:39:

Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes put over Owen’s abilities to become a big star. Wolfe fights back after Owen works his arm but Owen skins the cat back into the ring after being thrown over the top rope. He dropkicks Wolfe over the top rope, planchas onto him on the floor, and rolls him back into the ring for a belly-to-belly suplex and a splash off the top rope.

Gene Okerlund’s Update segment recaps the Randy Savage-Ric Flair feud.

Heenan says that Hulk Hogan is history and that means Sid Justice was the real winner at WrestleMania. He puts over how the Ultimate Warrior is Sid’s next target.

The Beverly Brothers’ squash from Wrestling Challenge airs.

A replay of the Big Bossman’s interview on Wrestling Challenge is shown.

Chris Walker (2-2) wrestles Skinner (4-4) to a double count out at 9:27:

Skinner swallows Walker up for most of the match, which took place in Mobile, Alabama on March 9. There are some near-fall spots to break up the monotony after a shoulderbreaker, some knees to the back, and several headbutts. Walker gets his foot across the bottom rope to break a pin after a piledriver and Walker does not turn over fully for a swinging neckbreaker, which also gets two for Skinner. Walker nails Skinner when the man from the Everglades comes off the top rope and that leads to a comeback. Skinner quickly kicks out of a cover after a dropkick and both men end up on the floor, battling to a double count out. With more back and forth this would have been fine. Rating: *

After the match, Walker and Skinner do some awkward brawling as Mooney says that these two will fight again.

Heenan almost comes to blows with Hillbilly Jim after telling Jim that he looks forward to family reunions so he can get a date.

Papa Shango’s squash from Superstars is shown.

Heenan says that Lex Luger will be the next WBF champion.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match: Money Incorporated (Champions w/Jimmy Hart) (4-1) beat the Bushwhackers (3-2) when IRS pins Butch after an elbow drop at 8:31:

Even though the Bushwhackers are 0-2 against name teams this year, they get this title match, which took place in Toledo, Ohio on April 7. Money Incorporated get a jump on the challengers but are sent to the floor when the Bushwhackers turn the tide and bite their opponent’s rear ends. A few minutes later the same happens again when the Bushwhackers drive the champions heads into the canvas, do a double noggin knocker, and use Battering Rams to knock them to the floor. Luke is placed in peril when IRS knees him in the back when he runs the ropes. The champions smoothly cheat to maintain an edge, taking turns choking Luke, assisting each other on abdominal stretches, and switching places without tagging. Eventually, Luke fights out of an IRS chinlock and kicks DiBiase in the head when DiBiase lowers his head too early on an Irish whip and that leads to the hot tag. DiBiase breaks up a pin attempt after a Battering Ram and Hart tries to het in the ring and hit Butch with a megaphone. Butch chases Hart out of the ring but IRS knees Butch in the back and drops an elbow to help the champions retain. The finish was weak but everything else was perfectly acceptable tag team wrestling. Rating: **¼

The Undertaker’s squash on Superstars is shown. Afterward, Heenan puts over how the Undertaker destroyed Jake Roberts at WrestleMania.

The Warlord (5-1-1) beats Jim Brunzell after the running powerslam at 10:19:

This battle also took place at Madison Square Garden on March 23. Warlord is growing back in his old Powers of Pain hairstyle. The Warlord dominates his smaller opponent, taking a long time between each move and angering the crowd, who starts a loud, sustained “Boring!” chant. Brunzell’s comeback is awkward, taking his own time between moves biting the Warlord and applying a sleeper hold. The Warlord rams Brunzell into the corner to escape but Brunzell soon fights back and takes the Warlord’s leg to the ring post. When that does not work well, Brunzell tags the Warlord with a few dropkicks for two but then he runs into a running powerslam. This would be the last singles match for the Warlord on WWF television. Rating: ½*

Virgil (7-1) beats Pat Tanaka (0-2) via submission to the Million Dollar Dream at 7:17:

This bout took place in Tampa, Florida on February 17. Hayes wonders why Mr. Fuji is no longer working with Tanaka and Kato considering it a shame that Fuji would desert the two for the Berzerker. Since the match happened before Sid broke Virgil’s nose, Virgil is not wearing a face guard. A backdrop spot is almost botched but Virgil covers up for it by doing a plancha shortly thereafter. A blind charge almost costs Virgil the bout as Tanaka blasts him with a superkick for two. Tanaka keeps spamming superkicks, using them to set up chinlocks. One fan at ringside is not a Virgil fan, yelling for Virgil to clean off his shoe. The finish gets sloppy when Virgil fights back, colliding with Tanaka when coming off the ropes and doing an awkward charge spot in the corner. Finally, Virgil floats over a Tanaka charge and wins with the Million Dollar Dream. A bad match that would Tanaka’s last in the WWF. Rating: ½*

The Mountie (w/Jimmy Hart) (7-4) pins Matt Burn after a dropkick at 2:02:

Hayes chastises Burn for keeping a shirt on while wrestling. The Mountie screams throughout the squash about who he is, yelling at the referee to count Burn’s shoulders down after a dropkick. After the match, the Mountie shocks Burn and sings his theme song on the house mic.

The panel hypes the WBF BodyStars on USA Network.

The British Bulldog (10-0) beats Kato (0-8) after the running powerslam at 1:14:

This match also took place in Toledo, Ohio on April 7. Hayes has a soft spot for Kato, lamenting how he has been abandoned by Mr. Fuji and Tanaka. The Bulldog catches Kato trying to float over on a blind charge and goes right to his finisher maneuver for a quick win.

Heenan and Perfect promise that they will soon deliver on the centerfold of Elizabeth that was supposed to go up on WrestleMania. Jim offers a snack to Heenan, who bites into one and gulps down lots of water because it is hot.

Tune in next week to see the Big Bossman face Rick Martel! Also, El Matador faces Repo Man! Sid Justice and the Legion of Doom will be in action! And photographs will be shown from Randy Savage and Elizabeth that discredit the narrative Ric Flair’s camp championed prior to WrestleMania.

The Last Word: There were some decent matches on this show but viewers probably tuned out as the Jim Brunzell-Warlord match dragged. The panel did not have much to talk about, typical of the post-WrestleMania period when the WWF slowed down for a few months before the build for SummerSlam began.

Up Next: WWF Superstars for April 18!