House Show/TV tapings random happenings

[SpykeDudlei1]

4 hours ago, air_raid said:

Post Mania, considerably. He’ll barely be wrestling by June/July, be sparingly used as a face in September-November in the Canadian market only, and have his first retirement match in January 1992.

I know this is a thread for house shows but on the subject of Bravo don’t forget his team with Sheiky Baby/Mustafa against LOD at European Rampage in April 92. Never have I witnessed two men look more plodding/immobile in the same ring at the same time….and I watched the ill-fated Heroes of Wrestling show.

Dear god, the UK fans - and in particular the 2 Sheffield TV special crowds got served some shite in 92 & 93 didn’t they? (I would say SummerSlam 92 being the exception but let’s not kid ourselves that was a 2-match show)…

- Mountie v Virgil (92)

- Duggan v Repo (92)

- Fatu v Knobbs (93)

- Doink v Kamala (93)

- Backlund v Demento (93)

- Typhoon v Brawler (93)

I was there for the one in 93. Utter dog turd. Serious dross.

[Chili]

Gorilla Monsoon delivers one of his funniest laconic put downs ever during that LOD /Mustapha & Bravo tag match when Shieky misses a clothesline. 

'Look at Mustapha, not a clue.' 

[air_raid]

April 1991

Hulk Hogan vs Sgt Slaughter for the WWF title is all over and it’s nearly always Hulk getting himself disqualified with a chair except in Minneapolis on 13th when Hogan actually wins. Otherwise DQ in all the usual places - the Horizon, the Spectrum, Boston, Maple Leaf Gardens, dark at two TV and at MSG before about 12,000 which must have been slightly disappointing. He catches a pin on Slaughter at the London Docklands for Sky and taped for the UK Rampage release but then back to the DQ for a month end Florida loop. Fuck Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin, Manchester and Birmingham. They don’t say their prayers or take their vitamins obviously.

Ultimate Warrior is, of course, still a main event attraction. He tops Honolulu with one last revenge match with Sgt Slaughter then it’s straight into his long term run with The Undertaker. They land a couple of decent venues like the Palace the Capital Center and the Montreal Forum but there’s nothing much to say - urn for the DQ and a foiled body bag attempt afterwards.

There are three shows without Hogan in Madison, Normal IL and New Haven where Slaughter goes over Jim Duggan in the Boot Camp match, they have excellent support from Nasty Boys vs Legion of Doom for the tag team title and two hot feuds, Jake Roberts vs Earthquake and Virgil vs Ted DiBiase.

For the initial UK tour aside from London the top two matches are usually Roddy Piper vs Ted DiBiase and British Bulldog vs Earthquake although they trade opponents in Dublin and the second of two Manchester shows. Piper goes on last every night except Davey Boy and Teddy in Dublin and in Belfast - I didn’t know this! - The Rockers with Andre the Giant vs Orient Express with Mr Fuji is a six man tag - Andre actually WRESTLES and pins Fuji! 30th in Birmingham the roster is refreshed, Davey Boy wrestles Taker and Mr Perfect is on last losing to Jake Roberts by count-out. Warrior sits on his arse, saving himself for London.

As for feuds…..
The Nasty Boys reign as tag champions kicks off with them walking off for the count-out every night against Legion of Doom. Mr Perfect spends most of the month getting dirty wins over Davey Boy but in Rochester, Providence and Orlando he’s back with old buddy Bret Hart. We all know how this will end. Brets singles run starts with mostly pinfall wins over Barbarian then when they come over here, 30th at the NEC, I assume advertised far in advance, the Hart Foundation is back together for the start of a three night run in England, beating Power & Glory with the same finish they did all winter. Jake Roberts vs Earthquake, Big Boss Man (usually) pinning The Mountie! and Ted DiBiase vs Virgil are pretty constant except Teddy sometimes works Piper who’s in and out. Ricky Steamboat’s going over Haku, the Rockers are (usually) beating the Orients. When Hacksaw isn’t with Sarge, he’s (usually) pinning Col Mustafa. Yes, sometimes the heels in question win. The Bushwhackers trade wins with Power & Glory when a member of one or the other isn’t injured.

Plenty of mini-feuds. Tugboats in for a rough month, he’s gone from losing to Taker every night last month to rehabilitating The Warlord after Mania, then doing a few jobs for Berzerker. Month end, it’s clear where his standing as a babyface has fallen to as he’s putting over the new guy - everyone’s favourite bore, IRS. Irwin came in with a run with Superfly including at MSG beforehand. Texas Tornado has a run of wins over Smash (in for The Model) before he inherits Warload for a run of crap count-outs.

One off fun - Bulldog wrestles Haku yet again at Maple Leaf Gardens taped for Prime Time and once with Berzerker in Montreal, at MSG Virgil teams with the Rockers to beat the Orients & Mr Fuji. Koko does a few jobs to Mustafa and Berzerker, Earthquake works once with Valentine. Jim Brunzell gets a call for Rochester when they need a body to lose to Irwin and incredibly Johnny Ace (yes, Laurinaitas) does a job for Mustafa in West Palm.

1st in Kobe is another night of the SWS team up, most notable happenings being Randy Savage vs Genichiro Tenryu which sounds decent but I suspect wasn’t, and the infamous Earthquake vs Koji Kitao match where Kitao gets fed up selling for Tenta and stops co-operating before getting on the mic and telling the crowd it’s fake. There’s a run at the start of the month through New Zealand just like last year full of jobbers and Don Muraco, and the Bushwhackers going on last against the Nasty Boys and beating them by DQ. The highlight of the month end SWS shows is Demolition still get used a team, losing to George Takano & Genichiro Tenryu on 23rd but beating George and Shunji Takano on 24th. I’d be lying if I said I ever thought I’d see Kendo Nagasaki, Minoru Suzuki, Tito Santana and Roadblock on the same show. Unless it was a 1998 Thunder.

Mid month TVs are fairly interesting, as well as the usual Coliseum stuff in Omaha they tape the Bret Hart vs Ted DiBiase match for SNME and The Model is on hand to do a loss to Piper for Superstars, The Destruction Crew get a tryout at Cedar Rapids ; they’ll be in shortly as the Beverly Brothers.

Here’s that Earthquake vs Kitao mess for anyone who hasn’t seen it and is interested ;

 

[BomberPat]

3 hours ago, air_raid said:

1st in Kobe is another night of the SWS team up, most notable happenings being Randy Savage vs Genichiro Tenryu which sounds decent but I suspect wasn’t

It's good! Not a five star classic or anything, but a really fun little match, with more chemistry between the two than you'd expect.

[air_raid]

May 1991

Hulk Hogan vs Sgt Slaughter for the WWF title is continuing with disqualifications at the Omni, the Cow Palace and other less glamorous cities. Hulk does pick up the pin in at Boston Garden and dark at two TVs in Arizona in “Desert Storm” matches which won’t be the last you hear of those.

Elsewhere it's Ultimate Warrior vs The Undertaker. They do 11,000 at Wembley Arena on 2nd. As well as headlining St Louis, Houston, Dallas and Pittsburgh, they draw great houses at LA Sports (15,000) Nassau Coliseum (14,000 though they have big help) and the Rosemont Horizon (13,000). Detroit on the 11th is the first and only Bodybag match this month otherwise Warrior “urns” the win by DQ.

On Hulkster nights off Sgt Slaughter vs Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the Boot Camp match is our alternate main 8th in Youngstown (supported by two title matches), 9th at Louisville Gardens (with Jake Roberts vs Earthquake and Big Boss Man vs The Mountie!). 30th our old friends in Portland ME are supposed to have a double main with Rowdy Roddy Piper vs Million Dollar Man but there’s transport problems for Ted (and Bret Hart) so a shuffled card has Slaughter beat Duggan then a show closing battle royal won by Piper last eliminating Sarge. In Halifax 31st, both matches go on as scheduled and Hacksaw actually beats Bob.

In Kalamazoo (MI) and Austin 23rd/24th, it’s Piper vs DiBiase with Snake/Quake and Mr Perfect vs British Bulldog for the Intercontinental title. 25th in Anchorage they’re with Boss Man/Mountie and supposed to have Nasty Boys vs LOD but Hawk is out for a couple of weeks so it’s Animal vs Sags. Davey Boy vs Undertaker goes on last in Brighton on the 1st, atop Mr Perfect vs Tito Santana for the belt.

Who works who? Title matches are (nearly) straightforward. The Nasty Boys lose by count-out to LOD every night, Perfect is usually with Bulldog except in Detroit and at Nassau he’s against battle royal winner and old rival, Texas Tornado. More on those cards later.

It’s a very consistent month and most of it is what we had last month - Jake vs Earthquake, Boss Man vs Mountie!, Ted DiBiase vs Roddy Piper (or sometimes Virgil), The Rockers vs the Orients, Bushwhackers vs Power & Glory, Duggan vs Mustafa, Superfly vs IRS, Tugboat vs Berzerker, Bret vs Barbar, KVE vs Warlord, Dragon vs Haku. Hammer works several matches with Smash and at least once with Crush.

It’s almost the final hurrah for the Hart Foundation as they beat Power & Glory in Brighton and Demolition at Wembley. By coincidence it’s also the actual end for Demolition ; after three English defeats to the Bushwhackers and the Harts, it’s the end of the team. Smash will keep doing jobs until he lands the Repo Man gig but for now it’s back to the drawing board with Crush at the end of May.

It’s a good month for the Bushwhackers - as well as an occasional win over Power & Glory, they also beat the Orients in Albuquerque. 30th in Portland ME the rearranged card has Tugboat getting one of his final wins in the gimmick over Barbar. Same day in Champaign IL they send Berzerker to cover for Perfect against Smithers, they do the same next night in Chicago. Whenever Duggan has to work Slaughter, Mustafa gets wins over Koko.

Our pal Shane Douglas answers the call 8th in Youngstown subbing for Haku to lose to future tag team partner Ricky Steamboat.

Those Nassau and Detroit shows, as well as Perfect vs battle royal winner Kerry, just to be different everyone’s working different from their normal feuds - Duggan vs Kato or Hercules, Herc vs Koko, Bret vs Paul Roma, Davey Boy has two nights with Barbar, and Tornado works three times in Detroit, beating Kato underneath the battle royal. Despite not having an undercard match Earthquake is in the battles royal and it’s reported ANDRE is in the one in Long Island!! These shows were fucking huge given Warrior/Taker was on top.

Month end there’s a few more SWS shows where Randy Savage and Haku do a few tags against natives then end up on opposite teams for a few more after a falling out after a defeat. Still not retired then?

TVs at Tucson and Tempe AZ are very interesting. In Tucson not only do they tape Tugboat turning on the Bushwhackers and also the first Superstars squash for the Natural Disasters, but a dark match has them against Jake & Hacksaw. Hard to believe Jake will want to tag with Quake by Survivor Series. They also have a tryout for Scott Putski and I can’t imagine how green and shit he must have been in 1991. The Beverly Brothers make their debut with Coach. Most importantly unused segments have “open challenge” segments answered by Sid Justice clearing the ring of The Mountie! in Tucson and Earthquake the night after, including bodyslamming him! Wonder why that didn’t make air, brother?
 

[The Masked Poster]

On 4/27/2022 at 6:55 AM, air_raid said:

 

Here’s that Earthquake vs Kitao mess for anyone who hasn’t seen it and is interested ;

 

What’s the story behind this? Earthquake is proper pissed off. Did anything happen afterwards? 

[TildeGuy~!]

2 hours ago, The Masked Poster said:

What’s the story behind this? Earthquake is proper pissed off. Did anything happen afterwards? 

There were both previously Sumo Wrestlers and Kitao did very well for himself out of it getting the highest rank of Yokozuna.

From what I remember Kitao lost a match to Quake two days prior and was being wound up backstage by a bunch of the Japanese wrestlers about doing the job once again to the previously lower ranked Sumo in the Quakemuffin so just went into business for himself. 

I think he got on the Microphone straight after the match and said it was all fake and then just fucked off.

He’d been fired previously by New Japan and Sumo due to attitude issues also.

Edited April 29, 2022 by TildeGuy~!

[air_raid]

11 hours ago, The Masked Poster said:

What’s the story behind this? Earthquake is proper pissed off. Did anything happen afterwards? 

The story is Kitao was an asshole. He’d been expelled from Sumo for beating up/roughing up one of the youngsters on his team, he was let go from New Japan for being racist to Riki Choshu about his Korean descent whereupon he promptly went to SWS for the money, like they all did. Prichard tells the story that from limited interactions with him around Mania VII he had a massive chip on his shoulder and thought he was better and tougher than anyone and when asked to do jobs for Tenta declared he would “kill” him in a real fight, disregarding Tentas background as a sumo, rugby player and bouncer.

Depending on who you believe, The Great Kabuki (who was booking SWS) either told Tenta that they would condone Quake shooting back if Kitao threatened to turn it into a fight, or Meltzer is convinced Kabuki told John to work snug/stiff on him by design because he knew it would get his temper up and he was looking for an excuse to get rid of him because he was an asshole. That version got out and Kabuki lost his job as a consequence as well as Kitao losing his.

They did eventually have another worked match in December 96, which everyone forgets.

[air_raid]

June 1991

We’re still doing Hulk Hogan vs Sgt Slaughter for the belt. It’s Slaughter by DQ at the Capital Center, Hulk by pin at the Montreal Forum, the Spectrum (10,000) and the Palace, and we have the famous Desert Storm match at MSG, LA Sports (10,000), dark at Sacramento TVs (papered 13,000) and Fresno, Albany, and the Rosemont (a disappointing 6500). 30th at the Providence Civic Center it’s Hulkster & Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Sarge and Col Mustafa with guest ref Randy Savage who of course is involved in the finish.

Ultimate Warrior vs The Undertaker moves on to the Bodybag match, they’re so close to cracking 10k at Boston Garden (9500). They’re in Minneapolis and Orlando but most of the top towns go to Hulk this month. Not much else needs saying.

Hacksaw vs Slaughter occurs on 14th in Bangor in a flag match on flag day and Duggan actually pins the bastard - Rowdy Roddy Piper vs Ted DiBiase under. Slaughter also falls (no pun intended) to Hacksaw 24th in Niagara Falls, having beaten him 20th in Beaumont TX, Mr Perfect vs British Bulldog supports on both. Nassau Coliseum on 15th it’s Roddy Piper vs Million Dollar Man with Perfect vs Bulldog underneath. 19th in San Bernardino they do the five match card at the National Orange Show again - Jake Roberts vs Earthquake is top match, Perfect defends vs Bret and Takers  with Smithers. 24th in Springfield MA it’s actually Undertaker vs Roddy Piper - Piper does a stretcher job to a Tombstone on the floor and loses by count-out. DiBiase vs Virgil goes on last. 29th at a matinee in Flint, Piper beats Slaughter by DQ, atop Ted v Virgil again.

That’s the top… who’s with who?

Mr Perfect is predominantly pinning Davey Boy Smith again this month, but 10th in Wheeling he does a 20 minute draw with Hitman. He gives Bulldog the same in LA on 16th, pins him 17th dark at Sacramento TVs, 18th at Fresno it’s the DQ finish where Bret interferes from (US) Rampage 91, then some time between 24th and 28th he does his back in, leaving Smithers with Typhoon for the rest of the month.

Nasty Boys vs LOD is supposed to be a straightforward run but Hawks in and out so most of the month it’s Animal vs one Nasty or the other except 3rd at MSG it’s Animal vs Paul Roma (from Rampage 91) - same night in Hershey, Knobbs and Sags go over the Bushwhackers.

Earthquake vs Jake Roberts is consistent as is Big Boss Man swapping wins with the Mountie! and Roddy Piper vs Ted DiBiase happens very often with a variety of finishes - Piper by pin, Piper by count-out, Teddy by stoppage - but 1st at the Montreal Forum it’s a DQ when IRS interferes. On days Pipers off, Teddy wrestles Virgil, then the story peaks 22nd at Boston Garden with Ted & Irwin beating Roddy and Virg with what would become a Money Inc staple - briefcase for the win.

Brets all over the place. He does what you think is the end of his run with Barbar, works quite a few towns with Brooklyn Brawler, the Perfect gigs, a one off with IRS in Niagara Falls, a couple with Col Mustafa then starts up another run with the Warlord.

The Rockers start the month with the Orients and end it with Power & Glory aside from a double shot on 22nd, they work two matches with Haku & Barbarian as Herc & Jerk are in Boston. The Bushwhackers have the inverse month. Tanaka is in and out due to his fathers ill health and eventual death so there’s a fair few of Kato vs one Rocker or ‘whacker.

Hacksaw Duggan is always with Mustafa if he isn’t shoehorned into mains, Texas Tornado finishes his run with Warlord and is meant to move on to Haku but he’s out and makes none of those shows so Hammer picks up with Haku instead. Greg had previously alternated the Irwin burden with Superfly and had a little run with Smash. Ricky the Dragon finishes his run with Haku, does a few with Smash himself, then ends the month with Barbar. The Berzerker usually gets to beat Koko every night.

Boston Garden on 22nd is all mixed up with feuds and some subs make it nuttier. As well as some regular feuds - Warrior/Taker, Snake/Quake, Boss Man/Mountie! - the Dragon pins Paul Roma, Tornado is booked with Hercules but he’s injured so in from the cold comes Dino Bravo, and it’s said to be scheduled as a babyface match between “Tugboat” and the Hammer but either they’ve aired the heel turn or Fred misses it so Valentine wrestles the equally babyface Superfly instead.

1st-3rd Perfects out for a few so Davey works Berzerker instead, meaning our pal the Brooklyn Brawler replaces old furry boots for the last matches for “the big Tugster” in that gimmick. A couple of six-man tags for The Rockers, 23rd in Rochester it’s with Virgil against the Orients & Mr Fuji, 24th in Niagara Falls it’s with Boss Man vs the Nasty Boys & The Mountie! If that sounds familiar it’s because they tape it in Fresno too for Rampage 91 which feels exclusively filmed in June. Their attempt to close out the month with Power & Glory doesn’t go well, 29th in Orlando Hercules is injured so in comes Bravo to sub, then Shawn will miss a few dates too so 30th in Providence Greg the Hammer does double duty as the New Dream Team explode again with random partners Marty and Roma. It’s like Lethal Lottery! Dino will hook a match on 1st at MSG taped for Prime Time, I assume for a gratuitous payday. Hercs injury means there is a run mid month of Bushwhackers vs Roma & Brawler.

Some more fun for Boss Man, 28th in Augusta he does a double - loses to Mountie! but beats Earthquake later, subbing for Jake. Next night in Flint it’s Boss Man & Animal vs Mountie! & Jerry Sags while Hawk is still off. More sense than just Ray and Animal vs The Nasty Boys..? 22nd in Toledo and 24th in Springfield, Col Mustafa needs an appointment as Hacksaws off with Slaughter, so who do they call? Shane Douglas, ha ha ha! The office is grateful, it’s Shane they book with Dino at MSG. If you haven’t read enough cross feud six mans, 29th at the Palace Sheiky Baby teams with the Orients to face Hacksaw & The Bushwhackers. I really thought they’d moved on from Hillbilly Jim at this point but here he is getting a few cheques when they need someone to job to the Berzerker, whose month really has been all shapes and sizes. We've also got Superfly vs Haku, Superfly vs Smash, Superfly vs Warlord, Koko vs Warlord, Virgil vs Warlord, Bulldog vs Barbar, Hammer vs Barbar, Dragon vs Brawler, Mustafa vs Koko. Finally, 26th in Lansing, in isolation and without context - can someone explain this one? - Hacksaw drops a pinfall loss to The Genius.

Another couple of SWS shows happen mid month, the Randy Savage/Haku hostilities continue in tags plus the first night has The Rockers beating Power & Glory. Herc and Roma get revenge by eliminating Shawn & Marty in the first fall of a very un-WWF-like (for the time) gauntlet match, before losing to Savage & Tenryu, who lose to Haku & Yoshiaki Yatsu who in turn fall to the winners, Ishikawa & The Great Kabuki.

Mid month TVs have Coach start managing Mr Perfect though Hennigs injury will limit their appearances together. They repeat last months antics with Sid Justice clearing out heels after open challenges, this time it’s Mountie! In Sacramento and Ted DiBiase in Fresno, they don’t make air. 17th at Sacramento TVs is when they announce the SummerSlam main event, by which I mean, they tape Macho Man proposing to Elizabeth. Fuck doing Hell In A Cell every year, I need more of the Match Made In Heaven. Didn’t work the same when they recycled the song for Test and Steph though, did it?

Here's the Desert Storm match :

 

 

 

[air_raid]

July 1991

Hulk Hogan vs Sgt Slaughter for the belt in the Desert Storm match rumbles on. 13,500 for Calgary TVs with that on dark, a disappointing 8500 in Edmonton for Hogan & Hacksaw vs Bob and Col Mustafa. The match doesn’t draw particularly well in Vancouver, Tampa and elsewhere. 14th in St Louis it’s a huge “WrestleFest 91” (not the tape) before a papered 19,000 where Hogan pins Slaughter after an assist from guest ref Randy Savage. Randy is also the ref other towns like New Haven and Denver. Louisville and Lexington Hogan misses so SAVAGE WRESTLES and beats Slaughter in the Desert Storm match with the same finish Hogan used. Hogans back for San Fran. In Anaheim on 6th, it’s a little different - Hulk and Bob are in the show closing battle royal, Hogan comes back after he’s been eliminated to counter Gen Adnan trying to help Sarge, so Laughter is dumped out by winner, Bret Hart. 29th at Worcester TV Hulkster tapes his first defence against Undertaker for Coliseum.

It’s a shambolic start to the month for Ultimate Warrior - the Undertaker feud has drawn OK in some cities but only 8800 come to MSG on 1st, even with the attraction of local favourite Andre being advertised for Jake Roberts’ corner on the undercard. Mid month several towns have the straight match instead of Bodybag but in St Louis it’s actually the first casket match. They do draw 10,000 to the Spectrum, DQ finish. Warrior misses some dates so 30th dark at Portland ME TVs 31st in Moncton, it’s Randy Savage vs The Undertaker!!!! I’ll never call Portland unlucky again.

Here are some B shows! Saskatoon 10th/Regina 11th it’s Big Boss Man vs The Mountie! with Bret vs IRS and Ted DiBiase vs Virgil on 10th and Teddy vs Roddy Piper on 11th, on last. 31st in Scranton it’s Piper vs DiBiase with Nasties vs LOD underneath and due to substitutions, instead of Jake vs Quake it’s Anvil vs Barbar, which is basically the same.

Feuds?

Nasty Boys vs Legion of Doom with various non finishes is on and off because Hawk is still unreliable. WrestleFest has Animal and Boss Man beat the Nasties and Mountie in a handicap match but they manage the six man 26th at the Cow Palace and a couple of towns thereafter. 19th there’s a swap of opponents - LOD (yes, both of them) beat Power & Glory in Dayton, the Nasties go to a double count-out with the Rockers at the Capital Center. 29th dark in Worcester is supposed to be Boss Man/Jake/LOD vs Mountie/Quake/Nastys but Jakes out by that point so Anvil subs and it ends up on SuperTape 92 (LOL!).

The Million Dollar Man has a nutty month, wrestling both Roddy Piper and Virgil in singles matches, probably winning more than losing, though Virgil does beat him 12th in Winnipeg and in San Fran with hometown boy Brutus Beefcake in his corner. 1st in West Palm it’s another Piper/Virgil vs Ted/IRS tag (faces by DQ) and in Milwaukee 13th and a few dates month end Hacksaw substitutes for Piper, at WrestleFest 14th it’s Teddy and Irwin losing to Virgil and Bret Hart when DiBiase is pinned by the Hitman. The Jake Roberts vs Earthquake feud rumbles on but now Jake pins Earthquake (!) in most cities including MSG after distraction from Andre. Boss Man is swapping wins with The Mountie!, Bulldog is with Typhoon every night, Hacksaw Duggan is usually working Col Mustafa, Tornado is back with Warlord.

Brets all over the place AGAIN. He has a good run with IRS - mostly wins, some draws - but he also does another little run with Barbarian and works Haku, Brooklyn Brawler, Dino Bravo, Earthquake (as you’ll read below) and Paul Roma in Anaheim before his big battle royal win. He’ll work anyone. The Dragon spends most of the month with Brooklyn Brawler but he works Pat Tanaka at WrestleFest then month end he moves back to Haku. Superfly starts his month with Barbarian but switches about 10th to a regular loss to Berzerker. The Hammer does a fair few jobs to Typhoon (of all people, often doing double duty with Davey Boy) plus a couple to IRS at the Spectrum and Maple Leaf Gardens. Shane Douglas keeps getting the odd call to do jobs where required to Barbar or Mustafa and 28th in New Haven for the imminently repackaged Smash - Barry also loses to Tornado but beats Jim Powers on this run. Dino Bravo’s re-emergence as a team player for a crisis nets him not just his Prime Time win over Shane at MSG and various other subs but he’s taped for TV mid month as well, 18th in Omaha the New Dream Team explode yet again as he drops a fall to Hammer, and 21st at Maple Leaf Gardens he loses a Canadian derby to Hitman.

The Rockers, when at full strength, have a few dates each with Power & Glory and the Orients, then have a mid-month run with the Beverly Brothers, and end of month settle down with the Orients, including the Spectrum and Maple Leaf Gardens revisiting Virgil & Rockers vs Orients & Mr Fuji, but the last few nights Shawn misses so it’s back to Marty & Powers, winning some and losing some. In Anaheim Shawn does a double DQ with Brian Knobbs ; all four of the two teams are in the battle royal. The Bushwhackers work several matches each with (subs notwithstanding) Power & Glory, the Beverlys and the Orients and have a pretty good month - I don’t think they lose a match! At the Capital Center they have six man honours with Virgil against Kato, Tanaka and Fuji. Due to Hercs injury problems sometimes Roma has to tag with Brooklyn Brawler or Bravo.

There are some very interesting substitutions this month. 13th in Milwaukee Jake misses it so here’s a match I didn’t know happened - Hitman pins Earthquake after hitting him with one of Andre’s crutches. 14th at WrestleFest Duggan gets the task. 18th in Omaha and 19th in Landover it’s a rather less glamourous favour for Quake - he loses to Anvil in similar fashion! 25th at San Diego Sports Tornado gets the honour but 26th in Vegas it’s Hammer! Jakes back next night in Chicago and I bet Quake was happy to see him, but 28th it’s Anvil again in New Haven.

Last day of the month, while they’ll call Skinner unbeaten on TV until December, he jobs to Bulldog in Moncton. Big Bully Busick is in for Barbar in Scranton same night losing to Dragon. At that wacky Anaheim show young Louie Spicolli does a job for Superfly. There’s a selection of other one offs… Duggan vs Warlord, Tornado vs Berzerker, Anvil vs Hercules, Dragon vs Roma, Superfly vs Bravo, Warlord v Jim Brunzell, Warlord vs Hammer, Hammer vs Mustafa, Superfly vs Mustafa, Koko vs Mustafa or Bravo or Genius or Pat Tanaka or Berzerker or IRS.

AOB…

1st at MSG is finally, 100%, the last ride for the Hart Foundation. They lose their rematch with the Nasty Boys when Bret is caught using Jimmy Harts helmet. Ahem. Fun at MSG continues - there’s Mr Fuji/Brain tension over some wayward salt and then Bobby causes Fuji and Kato to lose to Haku & Barbar. Gotta love it. Interesting happening 21st in Toronto as Jacques Rougeau wrestles Boss Man as himself rather than The Mountie! - he’s still managed by The Mouth and uses the shock stick to win, mind. This by far isn’t the last time he jettisons the gimmick for a Canadian crowd as it causes unwanted tension with the real Canadian mounted police force... understandably.

At Calgary TVs Sid Justice debuts dark with Ted DiBiase which you may have seen on Unreleased and at Edmonton he goes over Warlord followed by two wins month end TVs over Typhoon. 29th in Worcester they do one of those phantom/overruled title changes as befell Warrior and Honky where Virgil wins the Million $ Belt so Ted can tape a squash without it later. Month end TVs we have debuts taped for Skinner and Busick and also have Mr Perfect winning two TV matches that are really short because of his back injury, in Worcester to air before SummerSlam he beats his job boy by count-out throwing him out of the ring in disgust. In Portland they do an untelevised bit where Bret steals the belt, then the camera starts as Hennigs music plays and he runs to the ring for a match to air post-PPV. He gets in Mike McGuirks face and is highly aggressive with his jobber, pinning him in under a minute with an amateur wrestling roll. For the live crowd, he’s pissed off that Bret stole the belt. On TV they will play it like he’s upset that he lost the title at SummerSlam, as they will the absence of Coach. The Observer thinks Perfect vs Andre was announced in advance for Portland, barely half an able body between them.

Also in Portland… here’s Repo Man!!!

Edited April 2 by air_raid
dead video

[air_raid]

On 3/20/2022 at 3:57 PM, air_raid said:

What if there was a PPV every month?

Here's the Mania-sized show they'd run for each month of first half of 1991 - after some chaos early on, remarkable consistency sets in. But it won't last.

JANUARY 1991
WWF TITLE Ultimate Warrior VS Macho King
Hulk Hogan VS Earthquake
Hacksaw Jim Duggan VS Sgt Slaughter
ICT Mr Perfect VS Rowdy Roddy Piper
Jake Roberts VS The Model
TTT Hart Foundation VS Power & Glory
Big Boss Man VS Bobby Heenan
Texas Tornado VS Ted DiBiase
Legion of Doom VS Orient Express & Mr Fuji
British Bulldog VS The Warlord
The Rockers VS Demolition
Tugboat VS Dino Bravo
The Bushwhackers VS Nasty Boys
Superfly VS Greg Valentine
Shane Douglas VS Haku
Jim Brunzell VS Barbarian
Saba Simba VS Buddy Rose

FEBRUARY-MARCH
WWF TITLE, CAGE MATCH Sgt Slaughter VS Ultimate Warrior
STRETCHER MATCH Hulk Hogan VS Earthquake
ICT Mr Perfect VS Big Boss Man
Jake Roberts VS The Model
TTT Hart Foundation VS Power & Glory
Texas Tornado VS Ted DiBiase
British Bulldog VS The Warlord
Legion of Doom VS Demolition
Hacksaw Jim Duggan VS Gen Adnan
Tugboat VS The Undertaker
The Rockers VS Nasty Boys
Tito Santana VS Dino Bravo
Superfly VS Haku
The Bushwhackers VS Orient Express
Koko B Ware VS Greg Valentine
Jim Powers VS The Mountie

APRIL-JUNE
WWF TITLE Hulk Hogan VS Sgt Slaughter
Ultimate Warrior VS The Undertaker
Jake Roberts VS Earthquake
Rowdy Roddy Piper VS Ted DiBiase
ICT Mr Perfect VS British Bulldog
Big Boss Man VS The Mountie
TTT Nasty Boys VS Legion of Doom
Bret Hart VS Barbarian
The Rockers VS Orient Express
Hacksaw Jim Duggan VS Col Mustafa
The Bushwhackers VS Power & Glory
Tugboat VS Berzerker
Texas Tornado VS Warlord
Ricky Steamboat VS Haku
Superfly VS IRS
Greg Valentine VS Smash

Edited May 12, 2022 by air_raid

[air_raid]

August 1991, a month many of us will hold dear for being far from perfect for Perfect.

Hulk Hogan has the expected month with Sgt Slaughter. However Nassau Coliseum dares to be different on 2nd and Hulks in there with Warlord ; Macho Man is supposed to be the ref but he’s been sent to Pittsburgh to sub for Warrior again. Even with Randy turning up, the gates just aren’t there - 6000 at the Capital Center, 5000 at Maple Leaf Gardens. We’re at peak Zahorian/Arsenio fallout here but I think people are fed up of Laughter on top, exploiting a war long over.

Ultimate Warrior also has an unusual start to the month (which is nothing compared to the end) - he misses Pittsburgh so it’s Randy Savage vs Undertaker in the Bodybag match. 19th at Rochester TVs they have the Warrior/Taker casket match you can see on Unreleased. At LA Sports, the Dragon saves Warrior from being stuffed in the bag - I wonder if they already had their eyes on the program between Ricky and Taker which would cause Ricky to leave rather than be typecast as a jobber? Crowds are dismal - 6000 in Montreal, 3800 in Houston. Jim’s famously endeavoured at SummerSlam so last few of the month are Taker with Sid Justice in a casket match in Richfield and Bodybag matches on a Sacramento/Oakland double shot. Makes sense, they were about to pivot to Justice/Taker and Warrior/Jake anyway.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan V Sgt Slaughter is our alternative main event in Hershey, Jackson MI, Rockford IL, Davenport IA and Baton Rouge - support is one or more of the tag titles, Big Boss Man vs The Mountie! or Million Dollar Man vs Virgil.

22nd in Gainesville FL Teddy and his former stooge are the main event of a weak card hampered by subs. The Rockers vs Natural Disasters would have passed for support but sadly it’s Marty & Jim Powers. At least they also got Sid (v Hercules). And speaking of, Justice main events 24th at the Palace with DiBiase!! Randy refs that. There’s fuck all support again, due to injuries or other no shows instead of Mr Perfect vs British Bulldog and Nasty Boys vs Rockers it’s Davey Boy vs Smash and Marty/Powers vs the Beverly Brothers. Ouch.

That’s your main events…. here’s the rest.

The Nasty Boys see out their tag title reign with more successful executions of the Legion of Doom match than previous months although most cities get Nastys vs Rockers as we approach SummerSlam. In Pittsburgh and Youngstown we have the cross feud six man but in Cape Girardeau there’s Hawk & Boss Man vs Sags & Mountie and Animal wrestles Sags one on one plus Hawk vs Col Mustafa in Binghamton. There are two unsuccessful challenges for Knobbs and Sags post SummerSlam, in Oakland it’s Sags one on one with Bushwhacker Butch though their partners make the battle royal later. LOD also work six mans with Boss Man against Mountie and the Natural Disasters at the Capital Center, Spectrum and dark at both TVs.

Speaking of Earthquake, his month.. half the month he finishes the singles run intended for Jake but against Anvil (Andre in his corner). In Montreal they start doing Natural Disasters vs Bushwhackers with Andre in the corner - as well as six mans and substitute Rockers you’ll read below, they go over Hacksaw Duggan & Texas Tornado 23rd in Houston and Hacksaw & British Bulldog 25th in Albany. Typhoon works one of scheduled matches early month with Hammer and several more sub matches with Smithers until mid month.

Brets got another month all over the place. There’s a series where he and Virgil lose tags to not-yet Money Inc, but after that he’s wrestling Barbarian, Smash, Hercules and an impressive DQ win over Slaughter at the Spectrum, but oddly his IRS singles end in draws and losses. Post SummerSlam he makes two successful defences over Warlord and one against Ted DiBiase.

Bulldog does a few with Typhoon but most of his month he’s left with Smash, still donning the Demolition gear even though he’s been taping stuff as Repo Man too. Other than tags Teddy beats Virgil every night before SummerSlam then in two shots at the new Million Dollar Champion after it, beats him again by count-out. Hammer does a run with IRS but closer to PPV he’s with Col Mustafa instead. Koko does a series of jobs to Hercules, Texas Tornado is reduced to losses to Warlord, Superfly usually loses to Berzerker, The Dragon is still beating Barbarian. Hacksaw doesn’t have a regular opponent, working a couple with Mustafa but also perennial underneath guy Bob Bradley. Tito Santana gets a couple of calls, pinning Hercules and doing a broadway with Irwin.

The Rockers are setback by Shawn missing several dates but as well as a run with the Nasties they also get one win over the Orients before Michaels hits the bench. The Bushwhackers inherit the Orients and beat them often, then beat the Beverly Brothers regularly before SummerSlam but start losing to them straight afterwards. One scheduled match with Power & Glory ends up a win over Roma and Bob Bradley.

22nd in West Palm a Warrior show is blighted by absences - the Bushwhackers go over Pat Tanaka & Col Mustafa, Jannetty goes one on one with Nasty Boy Sags. The real interest is that after a long run with Anvil, here Earthquake opens by beating Hawk, only to be last man out to him in a show closing battle royal. Interestingly it’s stated as 13-man despite 14 wrestlers being on hand - maybe Sheiky Baby didn’t fancy the bump. Hercules actually wrestled Typhoon in a curiously random heel vs heel match in Davenport - and pins him! Probably to make up for Indianapolis on 3rd when he loses two matches to Duggan and to Snuka.

There are too many one off matches to mention except to say Koko works about six different guys on top of Herc, losing to most of them if not all. Various matches from the post SummerSlam shows at the end of the month have IRS upsetting Hacksaw, Tornado picking up wins over Berzerker and Skinner, and speaking of Skinner, Ricky the Dragon has to do two broadways with Skinner. Imagine. 20 minutes of Skinner. 2nd in Pittsburgh I believe it’s the last booking for the part time Shane Douglas but it’s exactly the match you’d want him to bow out with - he and Marty go over the Orient Express. At Nassau Coliseum they pay off last months MSG angle - The Brain pins Mr Fuji after salt backfires and brass knuckle. Main event anywhere in the world.

In Montreal there’s a reprise of Jacques Rougeau as himself vs Big Boss Man but this time popular Jacques loses when he has a falling out with guest referee and hometown hero Dino Bravo, looks like trying to make sure he’s a heel even in Canada. This is supposed to lead to Bravo vs Rougeau two nights later in Toronto but Bravo doesn’t make it so Jacques just loses to Boss Man again and the odd man out, Hercules, wrestles Tornado.

Another fake Million $ Belt win for Virgil 19th at Rochester TVs, this one featuring our favourite regular zebra, Macho Man. Similar next night in Erie but this one actually aired on French TV ; hopefully they aired the overrule as well otherwise it would have been fairly confusing for Antoine and chums.

Here's the Boss Man v Rougeau match with Bravo as the ref and some rather surprising afters ;

If you fancy the Warrior vs Undertaker bodybag match too ;

 

 

[air_raid]

September 1991

The WWF is upside down overnight and Sid Justice with all of two house shows to his name before SummerSlam, is the top main event babyface, beating the Undertaker in casket matches every night. 7th in Springfield MA it’s Sid & LOD (brilliant!) going over Taker & the Nasty Boys (umm, ok) when Knobbs takes a powerbomb. 8th in London Ontario there’s no gimmick, 9th/10th at Ottawa and Cornwall TVs it’s dark matches with the bodybag, there’s a bit of swapping of the gimmicks back and forth but they crack 11,000 at Boston Garden on 28th! 11th/12th in Halifax and Bangor ME, Sid steps aside and it’s Rowdy Roddy Piper stuffing Taker in the bag. Dark in Wheeling on 30th, the same night they film the El Diablo angle for Superstars, Sid pins Jake Roberts in a dark match. Undertaker wrestles Jim Duggan the same night.

Its the easiest month ever for main events, every other town it’s Big Boss Man vs The Mountie! in a cage and tragically calling any match the “support” would be an insult to the word. Rockers vs Orients might have been it but due to absences it’s Marty & Jim Powers vs Tanaka & Col Mustafa all month. 13th/15th there’s added Hacksaw Duggan vs Typhoon but boy do these shows suck.

Straightforward enough month for Legion of Doom - they’re rolling over the Nasty Boys every night on Sid cards except in Hamilton they beat the Beverly Brothers, Canada TVs they do two double DQs with the Natural Disasters then beat them by DQ dark in Wheeling on 30th. Wichita on 2nd is the only exception - Animal beats Sags one on one because Knobbs is subbing for Ted DiBiase against Virgil. In Hamilton, the Nasty Boys wrestle their only exception to this, against the Bushwhackers, who otherwise lose to the Beverlys every night.

Bret also has a simple month - he’s pinning Warlord every night except 7th in Springfield (which is wacky all over) he pins the Million Dollar Man with help from Virgil and at Boston Garden it’s Berzerker subbing in for Warload. Hitman also wins King of the Ring, which I’ll get to. Easy recap for the new Million Dollar Champion Virgil too - he’s usually with old boss Ted DiBiase, except 7th in Springfield he’s swapped with Hitman and drops a fall to Warlord when Ted interferes, which he avenges later. Hamilton on 8th is also wonky, Virg defends against Hercules. DiBiase is with Hacksaw Duggan that night and that’s Teds month covered too!

Hacksaw has an early and late month series getting himself disqualified against IRS or beating Hercules when Irwins off, apart from those mid month Typhoon matches on the Boss Man cards. When Irwins on those towns, he works Anvil. 7th in Springfield each are mixed with Sids crew - IRS loses to Dragon (remember that one) and Hacksaw works Berzerker. On that night in Lowell on the Boss Man card it leaves Anvil and Herc with each other. Plenty of other consistency with most guys wrestling every night - Dragon vs Skinner, Texas Tornado vs Berzerker, Superfly vs Barbarian, Koko vs Busick, Hammer vs Typhoon.

There’s a few jobber substitutes here and there, hilariously Tony Atlas fills in to do a job for Irwin in Allentown. One KVE absence leaves Berzerker with Herc which I bet was smooth as sandpaper. Tito Santana gets a couple of calls, pinning Bob Bradley but losing to Typhoon. You know your place there, surely.

King of the Ring on 7th is a bizarre mix of random matches too short to touch on (apart from Steamboat vs DiBiase which goes to a 15 minute draw) although they do get the marquee attraction of Justice vs Taker in the quarters, short and a non-finish. After beating fellow heels Berzerker and Jerry Sags - who’d had a buy in the quarters - IRS loses the final to the Hitman, who’d had a buy in the semis. Erm… does that make sense? Was the story “IRS, gallant loser?”

If that all looks a bit pale, it is. Hulk Hogan is off because - scandals? Film? I don’t know. Sgt Slaughter is off TV preparing for a babyface turn. Roddy Piper barely wrestles. Warriors sacked, Savage isn’t back yet, Bulldogs injured, The Models still gone, Perfects long term benched. No idea why Earthquake or Jake the Snake are used for TVs but aren’t on the road. Shawn makes TVs too but doesn’t make any dates on the road. Guessing he’s sick of Marty, they’re already taping stuff for tv that will lead to the split.

Who’s this recording first TVs on 9th? It’s Ric fucking Flair. He’s not on the road but dark in Wheeling on 30th, he’s pinning Piper. Whooo!!!

[air_raid]

October 1991

Immediately after TVs 30/09-01/10 we’re off with Sid Justice vs Jake Roberts as a new main event! There’s Bret for support while a Bulldog/Piper/Flair/LOD crew do a European tour. 8500 at Nassau Coliseum isn’t great. Sid gets injured halfway through so Randy Savage (!) substitutes including Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Montreal. Portland ME also gets this match, definitely not the unlucky town any more. In Tucson on 25th Savage can’t make it so here’s a Hasbro main event - Jake the Snake vs Texas Tornado.

Halfway through the month we start getting Ric Flair vs Rowdy Roddy Piper and 9000 plus at the Spectrum is encouraging and another 9000 at MSG is OK for the time. 25th/26th an Oakland/LA double has papered crowds totalling near 29,000 fans for Hulk Hogan VS Ric Flair, WWF title and even with comps near 26,000 paid to see it. They’re Dusty finishes but in Tempe AZ (huh) it’s Flair by count-out.

Other feuds..... Bret Hart defends the Intercontinental belt against Warlord again for most of the month then the last week of October he’s moved to The Mountie! - sometimes winning, sometimes losing by count out after being zapped - except in Tempe and at MSG, it’s Berzerker. Mountie is with Anvil at MSG, his whereabouts on 27th I’ll get to. Big Boss Man is finished with Mountie after the Europe trip, takes a week off, then kicks off his run with IRS, winning some but doing many jobs to the briefcase. At MSG it’s Mustafa who Boss beats despite Irwin distraction and Schyster does a broadway with Bulldog. Prior to Boss Man, IRS had been slumming it with Anvil. The Undertakers month is filled with wins over Jim Duggan. Virgil and Million Dollar Man swapping screwy wins although Virg does earn a pin in Montreal. Davey Boy comes back to the States with a run over Big Bully Busick then moves on to Col Mustafa ; Texas Tornado has a week off after Europe then he picks up with Bully. The tag team scene couldn’t be simpler. Legion of Doom are defending every night against the Natural Disasters with screwy finishes, the Nasty Boys beat the Rockers, the Bushwhackers putting over the Beverly Brothers. Exception - 28th in Portland ME, Shawn & Marty actually beat Knobbs & Sags. Hammer spends the month (usually) losing to the Berzerker. After Irwin, Anvil has a nice little run of wins over Hercules although Herc does beat him in Oakland. Ricky the Dragon beats Skinner every night before TVs except the night before in Saginaw he jobs to a Gator Breaker so I wonder if he’s on the out by then? Brooklyn Brawler fills in once he’s gone.

There are fewer exceptions than normal. The Mountie! works Brawler in Kalamazoo MI then Tornado in Saginaw right before he moves on to Bret and Kerry starts with Busick. In Valparaiso IN and Sacramento there’s a swap and it’s Valentine getting to beat Hercules and Anvil losing to Berzerker. In Tempe Herc does a job for Kerry and Anvil opens with Tim Patterson (?). 28th in Portland ME, Tony Capone (?) opens jobbing for Hammer. Finally at MSG Herc rounds off a busy month with a loss taped for Prime Time to El Matador - Olé! At the Montreal Forum on 27th, Dino Bravo finally gets revenge on The Mountie! by pinning him with his “side suplex” that’s actually a sidewalk slam.

What else happens on the Euro jaunt? Outside of Albert Hall, stuff you may have seen on other Coliseum tapes and Tito pinning Undertaker in Barcelona which we’ve all seen on YouTube, Taker will get some DQ wins over Roddy Piper, Texas Tornado will do jobs for old rival Ric Flair, but KVE will also pin Typhoon in Paris which is a pretty big win for him at this point. Paris also has another battle royal won by Smithers OF COURSE. This tour is the last high profile use of Andre for the WWF and it’s also the end of the road for Power & Glory - after losing to the Rockers in Paris, Roma quits. As an aside, that Albert Hall tape was rough watching as a kid. Five matches in a row, the heels win. Rockers lose, Tito loses, Boss Man loses, Tornado loses, Hacksaw loses. You’d think Bulldog and LOD were the only ones with gimmicks to sell.

TVs are interesting. 21st in Fort Wayne they have another look at Chris Chavis who will be in soon as Tatanka. This is also where they tape the Jake/Savage cobra angle, and Ricky Steamboat gives his notice because he knows he’s going to be job fodder for Undertaker. When they tell him he’ll do a job for IRS during his notice, he refuses, so they endeavour him. Next night in Dayton the crowd is there for the Hulk, on dark with Flair, but there’s a Bret vs Undertaker match taped that he has yet to see the light of day. Speaking of Bret, he beats Skinner which airs on 18/11 Prime Time yet when Tuesday In Texas occurs, Gorilla and Bobby still act like Skinners “undefeated” even though he’s lost on TV. Huh. But the most important thing in Dayton is they tape the TV debut of Repo Man.

Mr Madness vs Jake from Montreal ;

 

 

Four matches from Sacramento including LOD vs Disasters and Flair vs Piper ;

 

Here's Hogan vs Flair from Oakland ;

 

Edited May 9, 2022 by air_raid

[Loki]

That Hogan-Flair match looks like a fantastic event - the crowd were loving it, both of them seem to have their working boots on.  It still beggars belief that they never went with this feud on PPV.  To have the two arguably biggest wrestlers ever at the same time, both in their prime more or less, and NOT put that on tv or PPV...

I predict their house show numbers over your next few posts will be massive.