What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – December 6, 1992

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are doing commentary, concluding the tapings in Louisville, Kentucky.

Opening Contest: Crush (23-0) beats Kevin Kruger via submission to the head vice at 2:05:

Kruger does a slow counter off the ropes into a sleeper hold but he is too short to give the hold leverage so Crush side suplexes out of it and rolls to another win.

Virgil (23-9) defeats Mike Krammer after the side Russian leg sweep at 1:53:

Monsoon notes that Virgil and Slick are close, making fans wonder if Slick will come back to manage him. In the split screen, Virgil wishes WWF Champion Bret Hart the best after Bret gave him a title shot. As Monsoon and Heenan talk about Ric Flair’s title hopes, Virgil blasts Krammer with a flying clothesline and ends a three-match losing streak with the side Russian leg sweep.

Damien Demento (3-1) defeats Jim Brunzell after the knee drop at 1:56:

In the split screen, Demento promises “unspeakable pain” for his opponents. One would expect Brunzell to put up a fight but he misses his trademark dropkick and Demento finishes with a neckbreaker and knee drop. On the bright side, this was Demento’s best match to date.

Marty Jannetty (6-0-1) defeats Spike Jones after the flying fist drop at 2:28:

Jones was a longtime veteran whose career went back to the late 1960s, working in Southwest territories. In the mid-1980s he started doing enhancement work for the AWA and had done prior stints as an enhancement talent for the WWF in 1989 and 1990.

Jannetty does an insert promo warning Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels that his reign will be short. This is not an exciting squash as Jannetty does not mix well with the bigger Jones. Jannetty uses the Rocker Dropper for the first time since his return and uses it as a setup move for the flying fist drop.

Rick Martel (28-7-3) beats Gary Jackson via submission to the Boston Crab at 2:22:

The unknown clown makes another appearance during a Martel match, pantomiming in the aisle. Martel has been facing WWF Champion Bret Hart in some house show matches for the WWF title but his on-screen booking has not made him a credible challenger. Jackson’s one attempt at offense, a dropkick, misses and he succumbs to the Boston Crab moments later.

Tune in next week to see Tatanka, Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels, and Yokozuna will be in action! Also, there will be a special interview with WWF Champion Bret Hart!

The Last Word: There was no new ground broken on today’s show, which also lacked a unique interview segment. The WWF is pushing for WrestleMania ticket sales early like it did in 1991 but fans might be wise to see what that card looks like, especially with all the roster changes, before paying.

The WWF’s house show circuit was concentrated on the East Coast for this week in its history. Here are the results of some of those events, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

Montreal, Quebec, Canada – Montreal Forum – December 4, 1992 (6,200): Skinner pinned Jim Powers…Rick Martel beat Virgil…Max Moon pinned Repo Man…The Headshrinkers defeated the Natural Disasters when Samu pinned Typhoon…Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels beat Marty Jannetty…Razor Ramon defeated the Big Bossman with the Flair pin…WWF Champion Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair.

Boston, Massachusetts – The Boston Garden – December 5, 1992 (2,400): Skinner pinned Jim Powers after the inverted DDT at 7:47…The Headshrinkers beat the Natural Disasters when Samu pinned Earthquake after a flying headbutt at 14:42…Hacksaw Jim Duggan (substituting for the Ultimate Warrior) wrestled Nailz for a no-contest when Nailz attacked Duggan before the match with a nightstick…WWF Champion Bret Hart pinned Ric Flair by reversing a vertical suplex into a roll up at 28:29. After the next match, Flair came to ringside and challenged Bret to a one-hour marathon match for the next card…Rick Martel pinned Virgil after reversing a sunset flip at 12:47…Max Moon defeated Repo Man after a moonsault at 8:28…Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Marty Jannetty at 13:44.

Philadelphia, Spectrum – Philadelphia Pennsylvania – December 5, 1992 (5,500): Lance Cassidy pinned Terry Taylor with a backslide…The Berzerker defeated El Matador after rolling through a flying body press…Tatanka pinned Damien Demento with the Papoose to Go…The Undertaker defeated Razor Ramon via disqualification when Ramon used the urn as a weapon…Crush beat Papa Shango via submission to the head vice…Bob Backlund pinned Kamala with a roll up after heel miscommunication. After the match, Kamala and Kim Chee fought until Harvey Wippleman intervened…The Nasty Boys beat WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated via disqualification when DiBiase broke up a pinfall after Jerry Sags did the flying elbow drop to IRS.

Backstage News*: Prime Time Wrestling will undergo another format change on January 11, 1993. This will be the third change since 1991 as the WWF attempts to rehabilitate the show’s ratings.

-The Big Bossman has injured ribs but wrestled house shows on Thursday and Friday before taking the weekend off.

-In talent relations news, the WWF has signed Jerry Lawler. Lawler will be a color commentator for WWF Superstars and will also have a role on Prime Time Wrestling. He is also expected to wrestle occasionally. Lawler, one of the WWF’s biggest critics, was said to have been surprised when the WWF reached out to him about a position and one of the conditions of his signing is that he would not have to go on the road full-time. That will allow Lawler to continue to work Saturday television and Monday events for the USWA, a promotion that he is part-owner of. Lawler was reportedly not the WWF’s first choice, though, as they auditioned Terry Taylor for the job. The WWF has also signed WWC owner Carlos Colon for a spot in the Royal Rumble.

*Backstage news was provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for December 14.

Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for December 7!