Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are in the booth, finishing off the tapings in Toledo, Ohio. Heenan tells Elizabeth that she needs to get close to the television screen because Ric Flair is appearing today. Monsoon looks at Heenan like he is crazy.
Opening Contest: The Legion of Doom (w/Paul Ellering) (4-1) beat Tom Stone & Eric Freedom when Hawk pins Freedom after the Doomsday Device at 2:10:
The Beverly Brothers and the Genius do an insert promo about how the Legion of Doom are the biggest sissies in the WWF. Stone gets the easier beating, only having to take a Hawk powerslam and big boot. Freedom gets the worst of it, getting lifted by Hawk into a gorilla press and dropped on Animal’s knee and viciously clotheslined against the buckles before being lifted and finishes with the Doomsday Device.
Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report recaps the emerging Undertaker-Berzerker feud.
Colonel Mustafa (0-3) beats George Anderson via submission to the Camel Clutch at 1:57:
Mustafa’s usefulness on the roster was nearing its expiration date as he had already done feuds with patriotic acts like Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Sergeant Slaughter. In the very definition of television filler he suplexes Anderson several times to set up the Camel Clutch and win his first match of the year.
A replay of Crush’s vignette about drinking milk and not liking rules is shown.
Ric Flair (w/Mr. Perfect) (2-1) pins Jim Powers with the figure-four leglock at 2:27:
In a nice bit of comedy, Monsoon mutters “Oh boy!” when Flair’s theme music is heard because he knows Heenan is going to lose his mind in hyping Flair. Continuing a storyline from Prime Time, Heenan says that Cameo Kneuer on WBF BodyStars is in love with Perfect. Flair tosses Powers over the top rope where Perfect uses a foreign object to knock Powers out. Heenan hilariously claims that his monitor went out as Flair locks in the figure-four and wins via pinfall. Monsoon educates the audience about how you can be pinned from the figure-four if your shoulders are on the canvas. He calls what the audience has just seen “A miscarriage of justice.”
The Natural Disasters (11-0) beat the Brooklyn Brawler & Warren Bianchi when Earthquake pins Bianchi after the Earthquake Splash at 3:09:
WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated and Jimmy Hart do an insert promo, reinterpreting WrestleMania VIII as them chasing the Disasters all over the Hoosier Dome. Earthquake gets some boos for lifting Bianchi at two after an elbow drop. The Disasters squash Bianchi against the buckles, shoulder block the Brawler out of the ring, and then the match with each of their finishers.
Gene Okerlund interviews Shawn Michaels and Sensational Sherri. Michaels puts himself over as a generational talent and warns his critics not to confuse conceit with confidence. Sherri tells Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart that Michaels is going to lay a bigger beating on him than Roddy Piper did at WrestleMania. She tells other women to stay away from Michaels before Michaels interrupts, dubbing himself “The wrestler of the 90s” that is “aerodynamically designed” to cut through the WWF’s competition. Michaels’ stock continues to rise as heel talents exit the company.
El Matador (14-1) pins Barry Horowitz after El Paso del Muerte at 1:38:
These two previously wrestled on Wrestling Challenge on January 26. Heenan insists that even though he has not seen the unknown convict that he was wrongfully imprisoned. Horowitz lasts about as long as he did in January, falling victim to a backdrop and El Paso del Muerte.
The British Bulldog (12-0) defeats Repo Man (11-1) via disqualification when Repo Man chokes the Bulldog with his tow rope at 3:54:
The Bulldog grounds Repo Man with some leg work and then hoists Repo for the running powerslam. Repo Man’s legs take out the referee, though, and Repo Man grabs his tow rope to escape the move as the Bulldog falls to the canvas. Repo Man hits the Bulldog with the rope’s metal hook and chokes him with the rope, eventually throwing him over the top rope and hanging him. WWF officials then race out to unleash the Bulldog as Repo Man gets in a few body shots. The Bulldog does a stretcher job to end the segment. There was not much here before the angle took over which was the pattern for sweeps month. Rating: ½*
Monsoon tells fans that the Bulldog will be alright.
Ted DiBiase tells Earthquake that he has wanted to face him for a while and will beat him because Earthquake has a brain the size of a peanut. Earthquake fires back that DiBiase better be ready to experience a quake.
Tune in next week to see Earthquake face Ted DiBiase!
The Last Word: The main event angle was edgy for WWF programming in this era. Repo Man is not as physically imposing as other acts but his recent run of choking people with his tow rope is making him look dangerous to other wrestlers on the roster. Since Wrestling Challenge was a show where fans would be lucky to see anything significant, that angle made this a good show.
Here is a summary of the WWF’s house show business as April concluded and May began, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:
Las Vegas, Nevada – Thomas & Mack Center – April 30, 1992 (2,300): Jim Brunzell (substituting for the Texas Tornado) pinned Bob Bradley…Tatanka beat Colonel Mustafa…The Undertaker pinned the Berzerker…The Natural Disasters beat WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated via count out when the champions walked out…Virgil pinned Skinner…Sergeant Slaughter beat the Mountie after Jimmy Hart’s interference backfired…WWF Champion Randy Savage pinned Ric Flair after the flying elbow drop at the 10-minute mark.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The Philadelphia Spectrum – May 2, 1992 (8,000): Crush pinned Kato…The Nasty Boys beat Owen Hart & Jim Powers…Hacksaw Jim Duggan beat Repo Man via disqualification…The Ultimate Warrior pinned Papa Shango (substituting for Sid Justice) after a flying shoulder block and a splash…Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart pinned Shawn Michaels after heel miscommunication…Rick Martel beat El Matador…The Legion of Doom defeated the Beverly Brothers after using a modified Doomsday Device.
Backstage News*: Poor advance ticket sales and riots over the Rodney King verdict caused the WWF to cancel planned house shows in Long Beach, California and San Francisco, California. The company also cancelled house shows in Fresno, California and Jacksonville, Florida. The WWF still drew well in its traditional territory, though, as 11,000 fans went to a show at the Nassau Coliseum on May 1 and 8,000 attended a card at the Philadelphia Spectrum a day later. The WWF is still hoping that more television time can get over existing angles and house show attendance will rebound.
-Sid is not expected to rejoin the company and his absence coincides with another softball season. Dave Meltzer writes that this is the third year in a row that Sid is not appearing in a major promotion in early spring, reinforcing his image as “Softball Sid.”
-The television tabloid program A Current Affair exposed a crack in Murray Hodgson’s lawsuit against the WWF, revealing that he sent Vince McMahon a letter asking to announce the WBF Championship next month. It is odd behavior to sue a company and then seek employment from them. Hodgson defended his request by saying that he needs money to cover his rent. It is also unclear whether Hodgson is pursuing more of a sexual harassment or wrongful termination claim. He has raised the idea of filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) but his lawyer has said they are suing for wrongful termination. McMahon, Hodgson, and Pat Patterson are scheduled to give depositions in the case in late May or June.
-The British Bulldog missed weekend house shows to sell his injuries at the hands of Repo Man on Wrestling Challenge.
-Jim Brunzell has had to fill in for the Texas Tornado on house shows. It is not clear why, though.
-WBF BodyStars is drawing a low 0.7 rating on USA Network but the WWF is paying for its airing so it is unlikely that low ratings would cancel the program.
-In talent relations news, the WWF is bringing in Kamala, who is currently the USWA Unified champion. Kamala will be managed by Harvey Wippleman. At recent television tapings the WWF gave the Roadblock (Joe D’Acquisto) two tryouts and they did not go well.
*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for May 11.
Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for May 4!