What the World Was Watching: WWF Prime Time Wrestling – December 7, 1992

Vince McMahon oversees tonight’s panel, which has new guests. Sergeant Slaughter joins Hillbilly Jim for the opening and Bobby Heenan sits by a chair with a white sheet on it. After Jim plays “Blue Christmas” Heenan welcomes out a man who is dignified: former AWA Champion Jerry Lawler. Heenan takes the white sheet off to reveal a throne for Lawler to sit on. Longtime wrestling fans knew Lawler for his feud with Andy Kaufman in Memphis in 1982. Getting Lawler to work for the WWF was a coup since Memphis had been one of the few territories that held out against the WWF expansion during the 1980s.

Opening Contest: Bob Backlund (2-0) pins Repo Man (24-10-1) after a bridging O’Connor roll at 5:21:

This match was filmed in Louisville, Kentucky on October 28 and it previously aired on All American Wrestling on November 29. Like many new talents of late Backlund is quickly thrown into his first feature bout. It is a clash of eras as Backlund faces a more cartoonish figure and the bout is not good as Backlund’s amateur-like offense is a styles clash with Repo Man’s preference for brawling. The match boils down to a long test of strength and Repo Man missing a clothesline, which allows Backlund to roll him up. The WWF appears to have given up on Repo Man as he is losing a lot recently and is not being given squash matches to recover. Rating: ¼*

Lawler takes umbrage at McMahon referring to Bret as a king.

Mr. Perfect joins the show via satellite form KITN-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Heenan is not happy to see Perfect and Lawler argues that Perfect fears Heenan. Perfect rebuts that Lawler is from a margarine commercial and thinks he hit the big time. He also tells Heenan that he made the best financial decision for him when it came to Survivor Series and that it was time for him to move onto bigger things.

Jim is critical of the way that Harvey Wippleman and Kim Chee are treating Kamala. Heenan fires back that Kamala needs tough training and points out that Slaughter would drive people to their limit. Slaughter says Kamala is different because he was placed in a coffin.

When the panel discusses the Rockers breakup, Lawler explains that Jannetty was dead weight and Shawn Michaels needed to cut him loose. Heenan does not like it when McMahon says that sounds like when Mr. Perfect dumped Heenan.

A clip of a Bret Hart-Rick Martel match that is on the World Tour 1992 Coliseum Video is shown.

Razor Ramon joins the show from WBFS-TV in Miami, Florida. Ramon tells Mr. Perfect that he is ready for the challenge facing him. Acknowledging that Perfect is a good technical wrestler, Ramon puts over his physical attributes as something that Perfect will not be able to overcome.

High Energy & Max Moon defeat the Beverly Brothers & the Genius when Moon pins the Genius after the reverse flying body press at 9:43:

This match took place in Dayton, Ohio on November 24. It is the first time that the Genius has appeared in a televised match this year although he participated in some six-man tag team matches between the Beverlys and the Legion of Doom and Paul Ellering during the summer on house shows. The babyfaces dominate the first five minutes until Beau hits Koko B. Ware in the back with a flying double axe handle when the referee is tied up with Owen Hart and Moon. The Genius is the weak man on the team, getting a few opportunistic shots during the match but retreating when the opposition fights back. Ware DDTs Beau when Beau puts his head down too early on an Irish whip and Owen gets the hot tag. Owen’s shine is stopped by a Blake powerslam but Moon gets another hot tag when the Genius is in the ring and Moon does his finishing sequence to the manager to cap off a fun, free flowing match. Rating: **½

Skinner (11-12-1) pins Jim Powers (3-12) after the inverted DDT at 5:13:

Skinner is 2-0 against Powers this year with all the matches between them taking place on Prime Time. There is a fun spot early where Skinner sits up and thinks he has avoided a Powers stomp, only to have Powers do a rolling snapmare in response. The match is better than their prior encounters because Skinner’s liberal use of chokes and rest holds is limited. Powers hits a dropkick for two, which Skinner breaks with his foot on the ropes, but Powers goes chest-first into the corner on a blind charge and Skinner transitions that into his finishing move. Rating: **

Heenan argues that the Undertaker does not intimidate Nailz because Nailz is used to rough times in prison. Jim says that Nailz cannot intimidate the Undertaker either.

Mr. Perfect and Razor Ramon both rejoin the show for a back-and-forth segment. Perfect promises to wear Ramon like a bow tie around the ring when they matchup. Ramon repeats that Perfect is going to pay for double crossing he and Ric Flair before Survivor Series. Heenan gets so flustered by Perfect’s comebacks that he spills a pitcher of water all over the table. That gives Perfect a good laugh.

Bam Bam Bigelow (1-0) beats El Matador (28-5-3) after a splash at 3:56:

The final feature match of the evening took place in Erie, Pennsylvania on November 23. Bill Dunn is the ring announcer for the show, making his first appearance in place of Mike McGuirk at a Wrestling Challenge taping. El Matador outmaneuvers Bigelow several times, punching out of a slam effort, using a flying body press for two, and then avoiding a blind charge. Bigelow blocks an O’Connor roll and when El Matador hits the canvas, Bigelow quickly comes off the ropes with a splash to steal a win. On the one hand, Bigelow beat a former top WWF star cleanly but his win was portrayed as more of a fluke so that does not make him look strong. Rating: *½

McMahon wonders who will beat Michaels to become the new Intercontinental champion. Lawler repeats the Marty Jannetty was dead weight on the Rockers and Michaels cannot be beaten by anyone.

Promo time with Sean Mooney! Tatanka talks about the WWF getting a lot of newcomers and he welcomes them so he can climb higher on the WWF ladder. He talks of wanting to challenge Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental title or Bret Hart for the WWF title even though both men are not newcomers. Heenan asks Mooney if he celebrates Hannukah and Christmas to guarantee that he gets one gift.

Jamison brings out dog food for Lawler because it is a meal fit for a king. Jamison eats it as Heenan and Lawler leave the set.

Tune in next week to see Marty Jannetty and Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels for interviews!

The Last Word: Jerry Lawler was a welcome addition to the panel, meshing well with Bobby Heenan to articulate the heel point-of-view. Sergeant Slaughter, though, was worthless, not uttering more than ten words the entire show. The six-man tag team match was good and Mr. Perfect gave good promos against Bobby Heenan. He was close friends with Scott Hall, so that also helped their “debate” segment because each man was trying to help the other get over.

Up Next: WWF Superstars for December 12!