What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – December 13, 1992

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are hosting today’s show, beginning a new set of tapings in Erie, Pennsylvania. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping took place on November 23 and attracted a crowd of 4,000 fans.

Opening Contest: Yokozuna (w/Mr. Fuji) (8-0) pins Chris Allen after the sit-down splash off the second rope at 1:52:

Allen stands no chance, wiped out by a belly-to-belly suplex and tortured for another minute after that. Monsoon screams “Aunt Jemima time!” for the sit-down splash off the second rope. The commentators do not agree on much but they both seem to enjoy Yokozuna’s destruction of enhancement talents.

The Beverly Brothers (22-3-1) defeat Bill Koby & Brett Tyler when beau pins Koby after the Shaker Heights Spike at 2:24:

Tyler was a trainee of Dwayne Gill and Larry Sharpe, starting his career in 1991. He worked matches during the 1990s in various Midwest promotions.

This is the Beverlys first match without a manager. And losing a manager as a heel act in this era was as good as death, especially when it goes unacknowledged by the commentary team. The clown makes an appearance in the crowd but his activities are insignificant compared to the day before on Superstars. After Blake powerslams Koby, the Beverlys finish him with the Shaker Heights Spike. The win ends a three-match losing streak for the Beverlys.

Slick has another message, talking about how The Royal Rumble represents how one’s friends can betray a person. He reminds people that tough times do not last but tough people do.

Tatanka (42-0) pins Laverne McGill after the Papoose to Go at 2:04:

When Monsoon tells Heenan that 1993 might have “slim pickens” for him, Heenan has a nice comeback that he does not care for country music. As Tatanka rolls through McGill, Monsoon talks up Tatanka’s chances in the Royal Rumble while Heenan puts over Tatanka’s unbeaten streak.

ICOPRO wishes all WWF viewers a happy holiday season!

Kamala (w/Harvey Wippleman & Kim Chee) (21-5) defeats Bill Baker after a splash at 1:37:

Once again, Kim Chee pushes Kamala and gets in his face before the squash. In the split screen, Wippleman and Kim Chee argue that Kamala will come back from his loss at Survivor Series stronger than ever because he is listening to them now. That is open to question as Kamala splashes Baker but wastes more than ten seconds rolling him over into incorrect positions for a pinfall.

Bob Backlund (3-0) pins Barry Hardy after a half nelson cradle at 2:30:

The clown reappears, eating a banana and scattering its peels in the aisle. Backlund showcases his strength by lifting Hardy out of a pancake position and putting his opponent in a full nelson. The former WWF champion plants Hardy with a double underhook suplex and pins his opponent with a half nelson cradle, shaking Hardy’s hand afterward.

On his way to the locker room, Backlund nearly slips on one of the banana peels, which amuses the clown. One wonders if Backlund was supposed to fall for this segment but he refused.

Non-Title Match: Shawn Michaels (Intercontinental Champion) (34-2-1) beats Kerry Davis after the Teardrop Suplex at 1:40:

Monsoon and Heenan wonder if Michaels and Marty Jannetty will be in the Royal Rumble. The squash is a quick, if uninspired effort from Michaels, who quickly annihilates Davis.

Joe Bevins interviews Ric Flair and Razor Ramon, who promise to stop at nothing to get Bret Hart’s WWF title.

Heenan tells fans that Shawn Michaels has left the building.

Tune in next week to see Marty Jannetty, the Headshrinkers, the Nasty Boys, Razor Ramon, and the Undertaker in action!

The Last Word: If fans saw the big brawl on Superstars between Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair, and Razor Ramon then there was no reason to tune into this show. But if fans did the Yokozuna squash was the highlight as he is quickly becoming a force of nature on the roster.

Here is where the WWF’s house show action stood in early December, with results courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

Los Angeles, California – The Sports Arena – December 12, 1992 (4,800): Max Moon pinned Repo Man with a small package at 8:43…Marty Jannetty fought Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels to a no-contest when Jannetty attacked Michaels before the bell and threw him to the floor. Officials deemed Michaels unable to continue but an announcement after the next match said that the bout would take place later in the evening…Bob Backlund defeated Papa Shango with a small package at 5:59…The Headshrinkers beat the Natural Disasters at 12:47…Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Marty Jannetty at 12:28…The Nasty Boys beat WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated via disqualification when Jimmy Hart interfered at 14:00…The Undertaker pinned Razor Ramon at 12:43…WWF Champion Bret Hart pinned Ric Flair by reversing a small package into one of his own at 27:30.

Moline, Illinois – Wharton Fieldhouse – December 13, 1992 (1,000): El Matador beat Skinner…Lance Cassidy defeated Terry Taylor…Kamala beat Hacksaw Jim Duggan via disqualification…Crush defeated the Berzerker…The Beverly Brothers beat High Energy…Tatanka defeated Rick Martel…The Big Bossman beat Nailz in a lumberjack match.

Backstage News*: The WWF is going to scrap Prime Time Wrestling after an eight-year run. It will be replaced on Monday nights by a one-hour live show airing at 9 p.m. called Monday Night RAW. The Saturday show will air in the morning from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and may not be called Slam Jam or Slam and Jam because of WCW putting out a record album with that name. Plans to go head-to-head with WCW Saturday Night were abandoned because of concerns about ratings against a more established program. Also, with syndication deals falling and syndicated shows being pushed into late evening time slots in various markets, a Saturday morning show lets the company better reach children. So Prime Time Wrestling’s two hours will be spread across two different shows that go one hour each. The WWF believes that this will prevent an oversaturation of its product and it has been in discussion with USA Network about these changes since the summer.

-The WWF’s recent West Coast house show tour drew poorly. As an example, the WWF drew 11,000 fans to San Francisco in 1989 for a Jake Roberts-Andre the Giant feud but the WWF’s stop there this week only drew a crowd of 4,000, of which 3,000 paid. Also, the audience had fewer children than in the past.

-To play off his working relationship with the WWF, Jerry Lawler is telling USWA audiences that it is the only way he can get a match with Koko B. Ware for the USWA Unified Championship. However, Lawler has not provided an explanation for why he is a babyface in Memphis and a heel in the WWF.

-In talent relations news, there have been reports that Hacksaw Jim Duggan has given notice because of infrequent bookings.

*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for December 21.

Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for December 14!