The Fan-Cam Files: WWF @ Providence, RI – 09.07.1991 (KING OF THE RING)

As a youngster first discovering the internet and going down the rabbit hole of professional wrestling, it was cool to see that the King of the Ring concept existed before it became a Pay-Per-View event in 1993. I remember combing through the results of each tournament and trying to make sense of some of the matches and winners. When I discovered Fan-Cams, this was one of the first shows that caught my attention, just for the curiosity of watching a tournament I have never seen before. Back in the day, I LOVED tournaments, but I really am more a fan of one-night events, not stretching them out for weeks.

Before we get to the action, I should address something that I’ve mostly ignored in the last two shows, and that is the quality of the recording. When you’ve seen shows from a specific location, you get a good idea of what to expect from one show to the next. Stuff taped at MSG or San Jose usually has a higher quality, maybe a 1st generation copy with a good spot to catch the entire ring and surrounding areas. On the other hand, if the show is from Providence (or overseas), then the quality is usually at the bottom of the barrel, and this show is no different, looking like 3rd or 4th generation, making it a little more difficult to identify people when zoom isn’t in use. Also, this show drew about 2,400 fans, on the low end for this market.

One last note: The WWF ran a DOUBLE SHOT with this crew! Later that night, the Springfield Civic Center was treated to the following card: The Dragon defeated I.R.S., Jim Duggan and Berzerker 2xCO, The Warlord defeated Virgil, The Beverly Brothers defeated The Bushwhackers, Skinner defeated Mario Mancini (sub for Kerry Von Erich), Bret Hart defeated Ted Dibiase, and Sid (subbing for Warrior) and the LOD defeated The Undertaker and Nasty Boys. And how weird is it that the other touring group is ALSO running in Massachusetts? Lowell, to be precise.

1st Round King of the Ring Matches:

Legion of Doom’s Hawk vs. Nasty Boy Jerry Sags (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Kicking things off with a real barn burner! At least you’re getting that Road Warrior pop for the first reaction of the afternoon. Hawk has his Tag Team Championship belt with him, having won them with Animal at SummerSlam about two weeks earlier from the Nasty Boys. The LOD were already transitioning to a feud (in TV time) with the newly formed Natural Disasters, but continued working the loop with the Nasty Boys into mid-October.

The bell rings and Sags immediately does his usual shtick, playing to the crowd for a game of “boo me, cheer the opponent.” Lockup and Hawk sends Sags out of the ring, complaining about a hair pull. Back inside, Hawk blocks a boot, sweeps Sags off his feet and punches him questionably low. We have a cut in the action, with Hawk struggling to get to his feet outside the ring. He re-enters the ring, just to get thrown out again. He climbs the ropes while Sags is looking away and comes off the top with a flying FIST attack. Jimmy Hart tosses in his megaphone, but Hawk intercepts and bonks Sags, drawing the DQ at 3:02 (shown) and sending Sags to the next round. I don’t know what was edited out, but what was here was the bare minimum of effort. There isn’t enough to give a fair rating, but you can read between the lines.

The Dragon vs. “Million $ Man” Ted Dibiase:
OK, I’ll take this as a make-good for that first match. Ted Dibiase recently lost his unsanctioned million dollar belt to Virgil, who he feuded with for most of 1991 and continues to do so going forward. The Dragon is a gimmicked out Ricky Steamboat, who made his return at the TV tapings shortly before WrestleMania VII. Similar to the Mountie being acknowledged as Jacques Rougeau in his first appearances, the name Ricky Steamboat was spoken as was his reign as Intercontinental Champion, but like Rougeau, soon the gimmick name was all that remained, and any past accomplishments were completely ignored. For all the crap people give about this run for Steamboat, how many people were given elaborate entrances, or won pretty much every match they had? Yeah, The Dragon checks both of those accomplishments. Ted Dibiase is introduced from his Summer residence of Hyannis Port, MA. I’ll always get a kick out of his seasonal homes (and for the life of me, I can’t remember all of them as I type this… 50 points to whoever can name them below in the comments).

Sherri is barred from ringside according to the lineup sheet handed out at the event. Lockup to the ropes and they trade shoves. Another lockup and this time Dibiase jerks Dragon down with a handful of hair. Dibiase powders but Dragon gives chase and gives him a taste of the canvas. Another bail out, Dragon brings Dibiase in from the apron and sends him right back to the floor with an atomic drop. Dibiase thinks he’s outsmarted the Dragon, avoiding a second slingshot, but Dragon pulls him over with a side headlock. He controls with that on the canvas, with Dibiase making several attempts to cradle him into a pinning predicament. Dibiase forces a break, taking Dragon to the corner and burying a shoulder into the midsection. The action spills to the arena floor where Dibiase sends Dragon into the various ringside gimmicks. The punishment continues in the ring with Dibiase punishing the body. He cuts off a comeback attempt and lays Steamboat out with a clothesline for a two-count. Textbook vertical suplex and gut-wrench suplex for a pair of near-falls. Steamboat avoids the elbow from the second turnbuckle and gives Dibiase ten tastes of turnbuckle. He fires off a series of moves for near-falls. Slingshot to the corner and a roll-up, but the bell rings at 14:22 and both men are eliminated due to going the time limit. Not the greatest effort, but it was so much better than Sags and Hawks, so it looks like we’re grading on a curve. The crowd grew a bit restless when Dragon controlled too long with the side headlock, but once Dibiase took over and woke the crowd up, it was a good effort. **½

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs (w/ Jimmy Hart):
What are the odds that both Nasty Boys advance to the Quarter-Finals?! Jim Duggan is in mid-card limbo at this point, having not been part of any meaningful storylines since he was Hogan’s stand-in opponent for Earthquake during the Spring and Summer of 1990. He’s still over like Rover, despite being a non-factor to the big picture, and he’s not quite at the level of Tito Santana or Koko B. Ware, since he’s often protected in his losses. We’ve already covered the state of the Nasty Boys, so just scroll up to the first match if you need a Nasty Boy breakdown.

We cut ahead in the action, with Knobbs hiding on the apron. Considering how little difference there is between Knobbs and Sags’ styles, I doubt we’ve missed much, if anything. Lockup and Knobbs doesn’t waste time digging into the drawer of cheap shots. Whip to the ropes is reversed and Duggan unloads with a series of clotheslines. Duggan pounds away, but he telegraphs a charge and gets dumped over the top rope. Duggan fights back from the apron and takes Knobbs over with him. Jimmy Hart with a distraction, allowing Knobbs to knock Duggan into the post. Back inside, Knobbs slows things down with a chin-lock. Duggan escapes and meets the knee. Knobbs misses a charge to the corner and Duggan rolls him up for three at 5:05 (shown). It wasn’t good, but they at least did some stuff. *

Irwin R. Schyster vs. The Berzerker:
Did someone draw the names out of a hat to give us some of these matches? Even in my wildest dreams of playing with my hasbro figures, I would never book I.R.S. vs. The Berzerker. Of course, I never had I.R.S. as a kid, but this isn’t a Hasbro fantasy card, so we’ll move on from that topic. I.R.S. is positioned as the Big Boss Man’s next rival, and man that feud died a death. Berzerker seems to be mid-card filler for most of 1991. He doesn’t have much of anything going on until his brief program with the Undertaker the following Spring.

I.R.S. attacks from behind, choking the Berzerker with his necktie. HOLY CRAP, HE ACTUALLY USED IT AS A WEAPON! The referee should’ve called for the DQ for how long he’s using it without a brea. That’s probably Danny Davis, so now it makes sense (he’s an awful referee). He literally holds the choke for a solid 40-50 seconds. He finally lets go, dropping elbows and a leg across the midsection. I.R.S. with the flying nothing as Berzerker brings up the boot. Whip and Berzerker with a big boot, followed by a powerslam for two. He drags I.R.S. out of the ring and smacks him with a cheap ringside chair. I.R.S. gets rolled into the ring and the referee calls for the bell at 2:51, having counted out the Berzerker. We’re getting a lot of terrible finishes so far. They went out there and did some stuff, so it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. That honor went to the referee allowing I.R.S. to commit attempted murder. If we’re keeping track, it’s better than both matches involving a Nasty Boy.

Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Pete Doherty:
When they say “Card Subject to Change”, you hope for something a little better than dusting off the Duke of Dorchester. Originally advertised as Bret vs. The Texas Tornado, but Kerry Von Erich missed the show for whatever reason, giving us THIS. Since we got one heel vs heel match in the 1st Round, I guess this was our random face vs face match before the substitution. Bret is the newly minted Intercontinental Champion, being positioned for a house show run with THE WARLORD of all people, while Tornado was just another guy, so no mystery who would’ve advanced. Doherty is a local “legend” who looked like a homeless old man. Bret shrugs off a sneak attack, takes Doherty over with a snap suplex (while still wearing his jacket), and finishes with the Sharpshooter at 33-seconds. At least we got a clean finish!

Virgil vs. Skinner:
I’m just going to address it first: Skinner is one of my least favorite gimmicks of all time. He’s just so boring, and I don’t know what Steve Keirn was going for, but the matches were always the drizzling shits. The only promos I remember of him targeting a specific Superstar was “The Dragon”, but that was never anything set up with an angle on television. Just a lower-card heel you beat all the time. Virgil left SummerSlam with the Million Dollar Championship, but he hasn’t heard the last of Ted Dibiase (though his popularity took an extreme nose-dive because Dibiase was a miracle worker and the money was in the chase).

They have words before Skinner starts throwing punches. Virgil fires back with his jabs and follows with an atomic drop. They take the fight to the floor, with Virgil slapping on the Virgil Dollar Dream, only to get rammed into the post. Skinner tries using Virgil’s head as a battering ram and suffers the same fate. The referee is counting much slower than the one who screwed over the Berzerker. Skinner with pleas of mercy, suckering Virgil into the corner and ramming him into the post. I feel like the post spot has been used a lot in these matches. Snap mare out of the corner and Skinner rakes the face with the bottom of his boot. Whip to the corner and Skinner charges in to meet a FIST. Ted Dibiase makes his way to ringside, instantly drawing Virgil’s attention. This allows Skinner to attack from behind and put Virgil down with the Gator Breaker (reverse DDT) at 5:53. You could classify this as an upset, because Virgil was getting a steady push and Skinner was not. They did more here than I thought they would, so it wasn’t the worst match in the world. *½

Sid Justice vs. The Warlord:
We’ve got a DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION here. The original lineup advertised in the local market had, believe it or not, The Ultimate Warrior vs. Mr. Perfect as a first round match. Of course they had to know well in advance Hennig wasn’t making this show, having missed pretty much 2-months of action with a back injury and struggling to get through the match at SummerSlam, while Warrior was famously suspended/fired immediately after his match at SummerSlam in connection to his holding up Vince for financial compensation comparable to Hulk Hogan and no-showing TV as a result of the demands. Sid has yet to wrestle for the television audience, but he’s already connected to the main event picture, having come to Randy Savage’s aid when Jake Roberts and The Undertaker crashed the wedding reception. As we’ve covered earlier, the Warlord was lined up for a house show run with Bret Hart, the last time he would factor into any kind of significant plans before disappearing the following Spring. He’s also about to transition from Slick to Harvey Wippleman for a manager.

Sid is introduced from West Memphis, AZ. I’m just going to bury my head in this pile of sand I keep next to me. They slug it out before the bell. Whip to the ropes and Warlord counters a back body-drop by slamming Sid face-first to the canvas. Warlord with clubbing blows across the back. Whip to the corner and Sid comes charging back with a clothesline. Sid sends Warlord to the corner and meets a boot before getting wasted with a clothesline in return. Sid fights out of a chin-lock but is nailed coming off the ropes with a boot to the midsection. Whip to the ropes is reversed, Sid with a boot to the body and he puts Warlord away with the Powerbomb at 3:22! I did NOT expect Warlord to go up for that move, and the crowd popped huge for it. They had a decent little hoss fight, but half the match was a chin-lock, and when the match is 200 seconds long, that’s a little lame.

Legion of Doom’s Animal vs. The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer):
Barring some kind of miracle (or ridiculous finish), I think we know who is moving on to the next round. We’ve covered the LOD in the opening match, so no need to waste time and space going over it again. The Undertaker spent the majority of the Spring and Summer feuding with the Ultimate Warrior, going around the house show circuit with body-bag and casket matches. With Warrior out of the picture, Taker and Jake Roberts have formed an unholy alliance, targeting the recently forced-to-retire Randy Savage, with Sid Justice playing the role of the white knight.

I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Undertaker’s entrance is longer than the match. Animal avoids the sneak attack and unloads with boots in the corner. Whip is reversed and Taker meets a boot charging in. Animal with a dropkick and clothesline, sending Taker out of the ring. He makes the mistake of pulling Taker to the apron and gets hung up on the top rope. After a hot 30-seconds, Taker slows it down with choking. Someone want to tell him I.R.S. already milked that one dry? I guess he switches it up by doing that smother hold. Animal with the comeback, hitting an atomic drop, clothesline and diving shoulder tackle. Whip and Animal with a powerslam. Paul Bearer pops on the apron to interrupt the pin attempt, allowing Taker to bash Animal from behind with the urn and cover for the three-count at 3:39. Did they really need to protect Animal so much in a loss to one of the top heels in the company? Like the Sid/Warlord match, this had a hot 45-50 seconds, and then a long rest spot.

First Round Recap: Nasty Boy Jerry Sags not only advances with a cheap DQ victory over Hawk, but gets a BYE TO THE SEMI-FINALS due to The Dragon and Ted Dibiase fighting to a Time Limit Draw… Jim Duggan pinned Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs in one of the few clean finishes, and meets I.R.S., who “beat” The Berzerker when Berzerker got himself counted-out… Bret Hart took advantage of a replacement opponent, barely breaking a sweat in dismantling Pete Doherty, and faces Skinner, who put Virgil down after a helpful distraction from Ted Dibiase… Sid Justice pinned The Warlord clean and will face The Undertaker, who needed to bash Animal with the urn in order to advance. We live in a world where one of either Sid or Undertaker cannot make it to the Semi-Finals, but JERRY SAGS does.

Non-Tournament Match: The Bushwhackers vs. The Beverly Brothers:
My therapist was right, God DOES hate me. The Bushwhackers had a brief feud with The Natural Disasters, stemming from an angle taped on Superstars where Tugboat turned his back on Butch and Luke and rechristened as “Typhoon”, a Plan B to Jimmy Hart’s failed attempt at recruiting Andre The Giant. The Beverly Brothers are Wayne Bloom (Beau) and Mike Enos (Blake), one of the last pushed acts in the dying days of the AWA. They’ve already ditched their first manager, “Coach”, and would soon introduce The Genius as their new mentor.

We’re off to a GREAT start, because the Bushwhackers lead the crowd into a derogatory chant directed at the Beverly Brothers that rhymes with MAGGOT. No, I’m not typing the other word. That stuff has no place anywhere, especially as cheap heat in the scripted world of entertainment that was more and more being targeted towards children. After some stalling, they start the chant AGAIN! This was common practice in their matches until one significant complaint reached headlines in Canada not long after this show. Blake attacks Butch from behind, unloading on him with forearms. The Bushwhackers quickly turn things around, running wild and clearing the ring with clotheslines and the battering ram. Beau and Blake tease an ambush but quickly run when the Bushwhackers see it coming. Luke ends up alone and confused in the ring, allowing Beau to whack him from behind. Butch distracts the referee, allowing the Beverly’s to work Luke over in the corner. Blake with a running clothesline, casually covering for a two-count. Whip to the corner and Luke pops out with a clothesline. Butch with the hot tag, running wild on Beau with rights and hitting a diving elbow. Butch attempts a roll-up near the ropes, but Blake hangs him across the top, allowing Beau to cover for three at 7:25. I’m not the biggest fan of negative stars, because it takes some truly awful matches to make me dip my toes into that water… but this was awful. Ignoring the terrible chants the Bushwhackers encouraged, the work here was light and lazy when they were actually doing stuff. -*

King of the Ring Quarter-Finals Round:

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan vs. Irwin R. Schyster:
Winner here gets to face Nasty Boy Jerry Sags in the Semi-Finals. We’re joined in progress, but I doubt we’re missing much, since it feels like they’re in opening bell shtick mode. Duggan pumps up the crowd and I.R.S. powders to get the desired reaction. Lockup and IRS with a knee to the midsection. Whip to the corner and Duggan pops out with a clothesline, sending I.R.S. to the outside. Back inside, I.R.S. counters a back body-drop, takes Duggan down with a clothesline and drops a leg across the midsection for a two-count. We get the patented Rotunda abdominal stretch, and yes, he uses the ropes for extra leverage. Duggan escapes with a hip toss but misses an elbow drop. Whip to the corner, Duggan meets a knee and I.R.S. rolls him up (with feet on the ropes) for three at 3:14 (shown). Short and inoffensive. Hard to put on a stinker after the mess we saw in the previous match.

Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Skinner:
Nice touch for Bret to come out without his entrance jacket. After that exhausting opening round match, I’m surprised he’s able to come out at all. Lockup to the corner and Bret gives a clean break. He goes to work on the arm until Skinner casually goes to the ropes, forcing a break. Bret with an arm drag into the arm bar. Skinner with a slam, but Bret rolls through with the arm bar still applied. Skinner back peddles to the corner and clocks Bret as the referee attempts to create separation. Skinner drops an elbow and slams Bret face-first to the canvas. We get some biting to get the crowd triggered, followed by a choke hold. Skinner with a shoulder breaker for a two-count. Bret fights from his knees to start the comeback. Whip to the ropes, fist to the midsection and a Russian leg sweep sets up for the Sharpshooter finish at 4:48. Wow, Bret didn’t even need the 5-Moves of Doom! At least it wasn’t bad, but there’s not much here to call positive attention to, either. *

Sid Justice vs. The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer):
Sid doesn’t fall for the ambush, but is dumb enough to lower his head for a back body-drop. Taker with some well-placed boots to the body, followed by choking. Sid teases a comeback, but meets a boot in the corner. I feel like I’ve seen that cut-off spot in every match (except Bret’s squash of Doherty). Taker with his signature diving lariat. They take the action outside and start trading chokes. The referee gets shoved around, and we’ve got ourselves a DOUBLE DISQUALIFICATION at 4:00. Post-match, JAKE ROBERTS shows up and we’ve got a little post-match beating for Sid until the referees sort things out. Holy crap, if any of this sounded good, I apologize, because this was a terrible 4-minutes of pro wrestling. Due to the result here, babyface Bret Hart, who already had a tomato can opponent, gets a pass into the Finals. This sounds a lot like The Wrestling Classic, where The Junkyard Dog got a ridiculously easy path to the Finals compared to the heel. -*

Quarter-Finals Recap: Irwin R. Schyster stole a victory from Jim Duggan, putting him into the Semi-Finals against Jerry Sags. Bret Hart made Skinner submit to the Sharpshooter to advance, and thanks to the Double Elimination of the Undertaker and Sid Justice, Bret gets a free pass into the Finals of the tournament.

King of the Ring Semi-Finals Match: Nasty Boy Jerry Sags (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Irwin R. Schyster:
Winner moves on to face Bret Hart in the Finals in about 10-minutes. I almost typed we had fellow stablemates fighting here, then I remembered I.R.S. didn’t enter the employ of Jimmy Hart until winning the Tag Team Titles in February of ‘92 from the Legion of Doom. Who booked I.R.S. to be in TWO matches with a heel vs heel dynamic?! Sags heels it up, because why not, you’re wrestling an even bigger heel to the crowd, but why use logic now. Lockup to the ropes, Irwin with a shove and Sags responds with a right hand. Sags and Hart have heel miscommunication on the apron, but it’s surprisingly not Sags’ downfall. He unwisely tries to open Irwin’s briefcase, allowing I.R.S. to sneak up with roll-up and grab the tights for three at 1:21. Good, we’re just blasting through the rest of this. No rating, it was 81-seconds and it wasn’t awful.

King of the Ring Finals: Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Irwin R. Schyster:
Just to recap, Bret Hart’s defeated Pete Doherty and Skinner, combining for about 5-minutes of in-ring work, while I.R.S. had to go through The Berzerker, Jim Duggan, and Jerry Sags, and he worked about 7-minutes. Combine those numbers and you’re barely getting Greg Valentine warmed up! Lockup and I.R.S. goes to work on the arm. Bret counters, sending Irwin to the ropes for a break. Bret with a side headlock takeover, with I.R.S. using the ropes in an effort to cradle Bret into a pinning predicament. Crisscross and Bret with a hip toss, followed by a clothesline for a two-count. Bret goes back to the arm and I.R.S. powders out. They must be going long based on this pacing. Every other match (except for one) moved at such a rushed pace. We cut ahead with I.R.S. working Bret over on the outside of the ring.

Back inside, I.R.S. slows it down with a chin-lock, using the ropes for added leverage, of course. He may be dull-as-dirt but he understands doing all the cheap heel tactics to get the desired reactions. Bret escapes with elbows to the body, but runs into a knee. I.R.S. leg drop for two, then back to the chin-lock. He misses a charge to the corner, and you know what that means… FIVE MOVES OF DOOM! Bret with an inverted atomic drop and small package for two. Back breaker and snap suplex for a pair of near-falls. He goes for a roll-up but gets sent through the ropes. Bret attempts a sunset flip back into the ring but I.R.S. counters with a well-placed blow between the eyes. I.R.S. attempts a slam but Bradle with a cradle for two. Whip is reversed and I.R.S. goes for the Samoan drop, but Bret counters with a sunset flip. Irwin tries holding the ropes to block it, but Hebner kicks his hands, allowing Bret to secure the three-count and the King of the Ring crown at 9:48 (shown). Textbook pro wrestling from two technically sound wrestlers. It wasn’t a great performance, but at least it was an effort in putting on a satisfying match. Looking at the list of participants, these two seemed most likely to have a good match once Dibiase and “The Dragon” were eliminated in the first round. **½

Strength of Card: Well, we’ve for a 16-Man Elimination Tournament, so we’re already playing under a new set of rules for this category. We don’t have Hulk Hogan anywhere on the show, so that automatically knocks it down a peg. Bret Hart and the Legion of Doom, the reigning Intercontinental and Tag Team Champions are present, as are two Main Event talents in The Undertaker and Sid Justice, and the rest of the field is a mix of mid-card guys with a steady push (Dibiase, I.R.S., Virgil, and Warlord to name a few), but we get some weak-sauce matches to fill out the later rounds, which makes it less enjoyable as we progress. Under normal circumstances, I’d probably go lower, but for the situation we are presented, this was fine. Grade: B-

Highs: *deep groan* We’ve got two matches that could be considered “good”, and that’s the finals between Bret Hart and I.R.S., and the opening round Time Limit Draw between the Dragon and Dibiase. To play devil’s advocate, as a paying customer in 1991, you were treated to 14-matches spread across a 2 ½ hour run time, so you definitely got your money’s worth as far as that is concerned.

Lows: Without singling out any particular (tournament) match, we’ve got one rush job after another with guys having the task of not only working multiple times, but working another show later in the day! So while we’ve got a bunch of matches, they’re a bunch of really short, forgettable matches. You’ve got I.R.S. of all people working TWICE opposite other heels, you’ve got a guy like Jerry Sags who is exclusively a tag team guy getting a ride into the Semi-Finals, and then that stinker from the Bushwhackers and Beverly Brothers… woof.

Final Thoughts: It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I regret covering this show. Once we get out of the opening round, there’s so little to talk about, and it becomes a boring time of straight match recaps since we’ve either used up all the interesting conversation pieces or there’s so little to enjoy and really dive deep into. The good matches aren’t good enough to make up for an otherwise poor show, and the most important factor is the quality of the video itself. It’s poor, like some of the worst video quality I’ve seen that isn’t from an overseas source. Even if you’re a big fan of the era, there’s no reason to revisit this one unless you desperately want to see a decent match between Ricky Steamboat and Ted Dibiase all washed out. Grade: D-

That was a rough one to get through. For the next Fan-Cam, I’m going to dig deep and look for something completely different, but before we get there, I was thinking of alternating reviews of Fan-Cam shows with reviews of WWF Shotgun Saturday Night. I know everyone loves looking back at the train wreck that was the first six weeks of the program’s existence, but as the only first-run TV other than Raw, it would be fun to dig into the pile and see what wasn’t good enough for Monday nights. Let me know in the comments if that’s something that would be of interest. As always, thank you for reading and have a great day.