What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – December 20, 1992

Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan provide commentary, still broadcasting from Erie, Pennsylvania. Heenan shows off a massive stocking that he would like to have filled with the WWF Championship Belt and Mr. Perfect.

Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report segment replays WWF Champion Bret Hart’s interview with Gene Okerlund on Superstars last week. Bret tells Razor Ramon and Ric Flair that he will face both of them and hopes that they are as tough in singles as they are together.

The Headshrinkers (w/Afa) (9-0) beat Dave Morgan & Matthew Williams when Samu pins Williams after a flying headbutt at 2:16:

Williams has awful wrestling gear, wearing a brown body suit with white trunks. The clown is shown in the audience exchanging high fives with kids and hitting them on the head with his mallet. Williams takes the team’s big moves and the Headshrinkers opt to let Samu finish with a flying headbutt. In ten matches the Headshrinkers have shown that they can finish teams with three moves and that is a good way to build the team.

Slick reminds fans that Christmas is a time of sharing and giving.

Marty Jannetty (8-0-1) pins John Rechner after the flying fist drop at 2:29:

Heenan jokes that Rechner’s haircut is great if one is going to the electric chair. Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels does an insert promo about how he is not going to give away his title to Jannetty. Jannetty uses several arm drags into armbars to kill time before slamming Rechner’s face into the canvas and using the flying fist drop for his ninth win of the year.

Sean Mooney’s Event Center tells fans in the New York area that tickets are available for the Manhattan Center on Monday night, January 11 for a new television program called Monday Night RAW.

Bam Bam Bigelow (3-0) pins Mike Holland after a flying headbutt at 2:24:

The squash’s big highlight is Bigelow doing a long vertical suplex. Monsoon puts over Bigelow as a threat to any of the promotion’s titles. A double underhook backbreaker sets up the flying headbutt finish.

Joe Bevins does another interview segment with Santa’s helpers, except this time it is High Energy in Santa costumes. Owen Hart says Santa ran out of energy so he called them. They pull some merchandise out of their bag and Koko B. Ware leads fans in singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” as Owen tosses some of the merchandise into the crowd.

The Nasty Boys (25-1) beat Chris Allen & Gus Kantarakis when Jerry Sags pins Allen after the Trip to Nastyville at 2:25:

The clown walks into the aisle with a couple of Christmas presents. Monsoon appreciates the clown’s holiday spirit. After taking the Pit Stop, Kantarakis tags in Allen, who fares just as poorly and is finished by the Trip to Nastyville.

Following the match, the clown gives one of his presents to the Nasties. It has toy replicas of the tag team title belts, which the Nasties pass out to the crowd. They open a second gift and it is a picture of WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated and Jimmy Hart. The clown laughs about it.

Razor Ramon (16-0) pins John Paul after the Razor’s Edge at 2:47:

Monsoon makes a good point that if Ramon is so worried about what happens to his gold that he should not bring it to the ring. Ramon uses a new move in stretching Paul out in a modified STF as he slaps the back of his head. Heenan makes the crazy claim that Mr. Perfect is illiterate as the Bad Guy hits his signature moves, reinforcing why he is getting the WWF title shot at The Royal Rumble.

WWF Champion Bret Hart and all the babyfaces wish fans a Merry Christmas.

Tune in next week to see Nailz, Crush, and WWF Tag Team Champions Money Incorporated! Also, there will be a special interview with Yokozuna and a special piece about Mr. Perfect!

The Last Word: The Nailz match taped for next week would not air because of his firing from the company six days before this episode aired. The show featured some fun squashes but that was all.

Backstage News*: The U.S. Department of Justice is contacting past and current WWF wrestlers to come to New York for questioning. It is believed that the investigation is a joint effort by Pennsylvania and federal officials into illegal drug use and sex scandals in the WWF.

-For the time being, Papa Shango will replace Nailz in matches with the Undertaker on house shows.

-The WWF has booked the Manhattan Center, which seats 600, through February so it appears the Monday Night RAW concept will be a trial balloon and if it does not work then the company can pivot to something else. Not all the January shows will be live because the WWF has to do a different television taping in San Jose, California on January 25.

-Tickets are selling fast for The Royal Rumble, with 7,700 sold so far. If this pace holds up, the show will sell out.

-The WWF has put its partnership with the USWA on hold because of how much roster turnover has happened. The original idea was for the USWA to develop a small loop of five matches per town, with WWF talents on top and developing wrestlers in the underneath matches.

-There are rumors that the WWF is going to try to run its own show in Japan. Partnerships with SWS and WAR have not been to its liking. The WWF might also be looking to shore up its broadcasting rights in Japan as its syndicated shows are in danger of being terminated because of a lack of appearances by Hulk Hogan.

-Hogan’s negotiations with New Japan have gone nowhere. New Japan reportedly offered Hogan $250,000 to work three shows on January 4, May 3, and September 23 but Hogan turned it down because he earns that much money collecting royalties.

-There will be some changes in ring announcer assignments. Howard Finkel will do pay-per-views, Mike McGuirk will move from Wrestling Challenge to Superstars, and Bill Dunn will replace McGuirk on Challenge.

-Sensational Sherri was supposed to return to television before The Royal Rumble but that has been postponed because Sherri required eye surgery after a piece of glass from the mirror she was hit with by Marty Jannetty two months ago got in her eye.

-In talent relations news, the WWF gave a tryout to Johnny Smith at its recent television taping in Madison, Wisconsin.

*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for December 28.

Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for December 21!

And if you would like to read a compiled breakdown of 1990 WWF, 1991 WWF, or of various promotions in 1995, check out my Amazon author page to purchase e-books or paperback copies!