Meanwhile, here is what has been happening between SummerSlam '92 and now...
- The Legion of Doom made their final TV appearance on the 9/5/92 episode of WWF Superstars. In actuality, Road Warrior Hawk went AWOL immediately after SummerSlam in protest to the Rocco gimmick and never returned. Road Warrior Animal remained and completed their contractual obligations, teaming with Crush for house shows.
- At a television taping in Hershey, PA on 9/1/12, Ric Flair defeated Randy Savage (with an assist from Razor Ramon) to become NEW WWF Champion. Footage of this incident aired on the 9/12/92 episodes of WWF Superstars and WWF Wrestling Challenge.
- During the 9/19/92 episode of WWF Superstars, Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior formed a team called "The Ultimate Maniacs", with Savage endorsing The Ultimate Warrior in his bid for the WWF Championship.
- Also beginning with the 9/19/92 episode of WWF Superstars, Paul Bearer began wheeling a casket down to the ring during Kamala's matches, scaring Kamala and running him off.
- On the 9/26/92 episode of WWF Superstars, The Comet Kid (aka Max Moon), made his television debut.
- On the 9/26/92 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge, vignettes promoting the return of Bob Backlund began airing.
- During the 10/3/92 episode of WWF Superstars, Jimmy Hart was asked by Gene Okerlund about whether The Nasty Boys or Money, Inc were #1 contenders to the tag team championship, with Hart ducking the question.
- On the 10/10/92 episode of WWF Superstars, it was announced that The Ultimate Maniac vs. Ric Flair & Razor Ramon was the main event for Survivor Series '92.
- On the 10/10/92 episode of WWF Superstars, Lance Cassidy (aka Steve Armstrong) made his debut.
- Sgt. Slaughter was named the new enforcer for the WWF, as a senior official-type of authority figure, watching matches and taking notes.
- On 10/12/92, during a TV taping in Saskatoon, Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair to become NEW WWF Champion. This was officially announced on television during the 10/17/92 episode of WWF Superstars.
- During the 10/17/92 episode of WWF Superstars, more matches were announced for Survivor Series '92: The Undertaker vs. Kamala in a casket match; The Bushwhackers & The Natural Disasters vs. The Beverly Brothers & Money, Inc in an elimination match.
- During the 10/24/92 episode of WWF Superstars, more matches were announced for Survivor Series '92: WWF Champion Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels and WWF Intercontinental Champion The British Bulldog vs. The Mountie.
- Also during the 10/24/92 episode of WWF Superstars, The Nasty Boys were named #1 contenders for the WWF Tag Team Championship, and would face The Natural Disasters the next week; at the end of the broadcast, Jimmy Hart announced that it would actually be Money, Inc. who takes the title shot.
- Also during the 10/24/92 episode of WWF Superstars, Nailz and The Undertaker would have a staredown in the middle of the ring after Nailz finished off his opponent and The Undertaker was preparing for his match immediately after.
- Beginning with the 10/31/92 episode of WWF Superstars, vignettes promoting the return of Bam Bam Bigelow began airing.
- On the 10/31/92 episode of WWF Superstars, Yokozuna made his in-ring debut.
- Another match added to the Survivor Series card would be Tatanka vs. Rick Martel.
- Also during this episode of Superstars, Marty Jannetty would make his return to the WWF in the famous "Shawn sees him in the mirror" angle, with Sensational Sherri taking the accidental hit to the head with the mirror by Jannetty.
- During the 10/31/92 episode of WWF Wrestling Challenge, Money, Inc. would receive their shot at the WWF Tag Team Champions, The Natural Disasters. Prior to the match, The Nasty Boys came down to publicly fire Jimmy Hart and attack Money Inc, turning babyface in the process. Then during the match, The Headshrinkers would make their on-screen debut by distracting Typhoon, allowing Money Inc to double-team Earthquake and win the WWF Tag Team Championship.
- During this period, Doink the Clown was first seen in the crowd during broadcasts.
- During the 11/7/92 episode of WWF Superstars, it was announced that The Big Boss man would face Nailz at Survivor Series '92 in a Nightstick Match.
- The Bushwhackers agreed to step aside and allow The Nasty Boys to take their place with The Natural Disasters against The Beverly Brothers and Money Inc at Survivor Series '92.
- At this point, The British Bulldog vs. The Mountie was no longer listed for Survivor Series.
- Damien Dementio would make his debut on the 11/7/92 episode of Superstars.
- Both The Ultimate Warrior and The British Bulldog were fired from the WWF around this time as it was rumored that they were receiving shipments of HGH. This was during a time when Vince McMahon and the WWF were being scrutinized by the media and government during the steroid trials.
As you can clearly see, a lot can happen in the span of two and a half months. On to the show...
We are NOT LIVE (taped 10/27/92) from Terre Haute, IN. Your commentary team for this show is Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan. No opening theme and no introduction by Al Bundy from the original broadcast. BOOO!
Match #1: The Ultimate Maniacs (Randy Savage & The Ultimate Warrior) vs. Money, Inc. (c) - WWF Tag Team Championship.
Challengers rush the ring and all four guys are in as the Maniacs kick ass and clear the heels out. We finally start proper with Savage and DiBiase. Savage throats DiBiase using the top rope then tags in Warrior, who hits a suplex for a 2 count. Warrior misses a flying shoulderblock and IRS is tagged in to take control. Warrior misses a clothesline and IRS gets a sleeper, as we get a shot of Flair, Razor and Perfect watching in the back, as the cut a promo in a split-screen shot. Meanwhile, IRS and DiBiase have traded off on the sleeper, until Savage runs a knee to DiBiase's back to break it up. Warrior and DiBiase clothesline each other, then we get the hot tag to Savage as IRS comes back in for the heels. Savage goes up top and hits the elbow on IRS but DiBiase breaks up the count. All four guys are in the ring once again until Warrior clotheslines DiBiase over the top and IRS gets atomic dropped over by Savage. Jimmy Hart collects the belts and the heels hightail it for the count out. (9:54) **
WINNERS: Via count out, The Ultimate Maniacs. Disappointing, and all too short, match. It was energetic for sure, but these two teams are capable of tearing it up if they were given the chance. The Maniacs race after the champs and we have a brawl in the aisle until Flair, Razor and Perfect show up for the ambush and the 5 on 2 beatdown. It;s broken up by officials and referees, as we get the hard sell for Survivor Series.
Vince throws to a tribute video to Bret Hart, which I assume is Tom Petty's "Makin' Some Noise" but the Network conveniently cuts that as well.
Match #2: The British Bulldog (c) vs. Shawn Michaels - WWF Intercontinental Championship.
No Sherri with Shawn as she was discombobulated by a mirror-wielding Marty Jannetty a couple of weeks prior to this show. Bulldog shows his power early with some shoulderblocks. Michaels takes over with a hiptoss and a leg scissors on the arm. Bulldog has trouble powering out, but finally does and gets an overhead slam and press to the mat then clotheslines Michaels over the top to the floor. Back in the ring, they go through some quick reversals on each other until Bulldog gets a hiptoss. Shawn backs him to the corner, but Bulldog shoulderblocks him coming out but Michaels dodges another and Bulldog spills to the floor. Meanwhile, Michaels undoes a corner buckle to expose the metal. We take a break and come back with Michaels in control. He works on the back with knees and stomps then works in an abdominal stretch. Bulldog breaks free but misses an elbow drop and Michaels goes back to work on the back with another abdominal stretch. Bulldog hiptosses out and makes the comeback. Bulldog slingshots Michaels into the corner and then clotheslines him for a 2 count. Delayed vertical suplex, cover...1....2.....shoulder up. Michaels whips Bulldog into the exposed buckle and Bulldog crumbles to the mat. Bulldog manages to whip Michaels to the corner and climbs up for a superplex, but his back gives out with Michaels falling on top. 1....2....3! New champ!! (10:28) ***1/2
WINNER: And NEW WWF Intercontinental Champion, Shawn Michaels! Good match with the Bulldog powering Michaels around the ring, and Michaels resiliently hanging in there until he could work in his uncovered buckle spot. Good psychology with the Bulldog's back figuring in the finish. This would be the end of the Bulldog in the WWF, as he was fired after this show was in the can, as he was rumored to have received a shipment of HGH during a time when Vince was being investigated by the feds.
Gene Okerlund is backstage with Flair, Razor and Perfect. Flair throws down the gauntlet on the winner of Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels after Survivor Series. Perfect brags that the Ultimate Maniacs are easy to fool because of their lack of intelligence. Razor says that there is plenty more where the earlier beating came from. They promise someone is going to get hurt.
Match #3: Bret Hart (c) vs. Papa Shango - WWF Championship.
Backstage, Gene says that Bret made history in Saskatoon. That's good because there are no other historical occurrences in Saskatoon to be found. Bret says that he never thought he would achieve a higher goal than the IC title, while with tears in his eyes he promises not to back down from anyone. Technically, Papa Shango is in the Hall of Fame, you know.
Shango starts off by clubbing away. Bret reverses a corner whip and gets a monkey flip. A cross body gets a count of 1 before Shango kicks him off to the floor. Back in the ring, Bret clotheslines Shango over the top and to the floor, then follows with a plancha to take him out on the floor. After a commercial break, Shango whips Bret hard to the corner to take control. Bret tries to comeback but runs into a bearhug. Bret bites his way out, but Shango continues to pound on him. Shango gets a headbutt to the midsection then chokes the champ. Shango continues the mediocrity with a damn nervehold. Bret elbows out but runs into a big clotheslines and it's back to the nervehold. Bret elbows out and gets a sunset flip but avoids Shango's right. Bret gets a sleeper but Shango rams him into the corner to break. Shango with some big elbowdrops, then he climbs the middle rope and misses an even bigger elbowdrop. Bret with a clothesline from the middle rope for a 2 count. Shango misses a corner charge and Bret slaps on the Sharpshooter. That's enough for the voodoo master! (13:26) **1/2
WINNER: And STILL WWF Champion, Bret Hart. Solid enough match as this was pretty much all Bret was going to get out of Papa Shango. He sold Shango's plodding offense and made him look like he deserved the title shot.
As a bonus, we get an edition of The Funeral Parlor hosted by Paul Bearer. He states that The Undertaker has been busy building the casket for Kamala to be used at Survivor Series in their Coffin Match. We get footage of Kamala running in fear of The Undertaker at SummerSlam. The Undertaker appears out of the standing casket on the set and proceeds to cut a promo on Kamala. He paints a pretty picture involving worms, maggots and larvae feasting on Kamala's rotting carcass.
Gene is backstage with the champ, Bret Hart and updates him on his match with Shawn Michaels being champion vs champion. Michaels interrupts the proceedings to brag that he beat the Bulldog who was the guy that beat him at SummerSlam. It gets a little heated but we break away to Bobby Heenan on the phone. He breaks the news that Savage and Warrior will not be arriving to Survivor Series as a team and that one of them will need a new partner, leaving Vince and the rest of us in suspense. (Spoiler: The Ultimate Warrior was fired before this show hit the air.)
FINAL PARTING SHOT: This was really a sell job for Survivor Series and it did the trick, especially with the last bit with Heenan teasing the news. Bulldog-Michaels is the historical reason to see this show, and was also the best match. This would also be the final Saturday Night's Main Event until it was resurrected in 2006 on NBC. So it was the end of an era, for a while. That is, until Monday Night Raw showed up two months later on USA and made us forget about SNME.
UP NEXT: WWF SURVIVOR SERIES '92!
Match #1: The Ultimate Maniacs (Randy Savage & The Ultimate Warrior) vs. Money, Inc. (c) - WWF Tag Team Championship.
Challengers rush the ring and all four guys are in as the Maniacs kick ass and clear the heels out. We finally start proper with Savage and DiBiase. Savage throats DiBiase using the top rope then tags in Warrior, who hits a suplex for a 2 count. Warrior misses a flying shoulderblock and IRS is tagged in to take control. Warrior misses a clothesline and IRS gets a sleeper, as we get a shot of Flair, Razor and Perfect watching in the back, as the cut a promo in a split-screen shot. Meanwhile, IRS and DiBiase have traded off on the sleeper, until Savage runs a knee to DiBiase's back to break it up. Warrior and DiBiase clothesline each other, then we get the hot tag to Savage as IRS comes back in for the heels. Savage goes up top and hits the elbow on IRS but DiBiase breaks up the count. All four guys are in the ring once again until Warrior clotheslines DiBiase over the top and IRS gets atomic dropped over by Savage. Jimmy Hart collects the belts and the heels hightail it for the count out. (9:54) **
WINNERS: Via count out, The Ultimate Maniacs. Disappointing, and all too short, match. It was energetic for sure, but these two teams are capable of tearing it up if they were given the chance. The Maniacs race after the champs and we have a brawl in the aisle until Flair, Razor and Perfect show up for the ambush and the 5 on 2 beatdown. It;s broken up by officials and referees, as we get the hard sell for Survivor Series.
Vince throws to a tribute video to Bret Hart, which I assume is Tom Petty's "Makin' Some Noise" but the Network conveniently cuts that as well.
Match #2: The British Bulldog (c) vs. Shawn Michaels - WWF Intercontinental Championship.
No Sherri with Shawn as she was discombobulated by a mirror-wielding Marty Jannetty a couple of weeks prior to this show. Bulldog shows his power early with some shoulderblocks. Michaels takes over with a hiptoss and a leg scissors on the arm. Bulldog has trouble powering out, but finally does and gets an overhead slam and press to the mat then clotheslines Michaels over the top to the floor. Back in the ring, they go through some quick reversals on each other until Bulldog gets a hiptoss. Shawn backs him to the corner, but Bulldog shoulderblocks him coming out but Michaels dodges another and Bulldog spills to the floor. Meanwhile, Michaels undoes a corner buckle to expose the metal. We take a break and come back with Michaels in control. He works on the back with knees and stomps then works in an abdominal stretch. Bulldog breaks free but misses an elbow drop and Michaels goes back to work on the back with another abdominal stretch. Bulldog hiptosses out and makes the comeback. Bulldog slingshots Michaels into the corner and then clotheslines him for a 2 count. Delayed vertical suplex, cover...1....2.....shoulder up. Michaels whips Bulldog into the exposed buckle and Bulldog crumbles to the mat. Bulldog manages to whip Michaels to the corner and climbs up for a superplex, but his back gives out with Michaels falling on top. 1....2....3! New champ!! (10:28) ***1/2
WINNER: And NEW WWF Intercontinental Champion, Shawn Michaels! Good match with the Bulldog powering Michaels around the ring, and Michaels resiliently hanging in there until he could work in his uncovered buckle spot. Good psychology with the Bulldog's back figuring in the finish. This would be the end of the Bulldog in the WWF, as he was fired after this show was in the can, as he was rumored to have received a shipment of HGH during a time when Vince was being investigated by the feds.
Gene Okerlund is backstage with Flair, Razor and Perfect. Flair throws down the gauntlet on the winner of Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels after Survivor Series. Perfect brags that the Ultimate Maniacs are easy to fool because of their lack of intelligence. Razor says that there is plenty more where the earlier beating came from. They promise someone is going to get hurt.
Match #3: Bret Hart (c) vs. Papa Shango - WWF Championship.
Backstage, Gene says that Bret made history in Saskatoon. That's good because there are no other historical occurrences in Saskatoon to be found. Bret says that he never thought he would achieve a higher goal than the IC title, while with tears in his eyes he promises not to back down from anyone. Technically, Papa Shango is in the Hall of Fame, you know.
Shango starts off by clubbing away. Bret reverses a corner whip and gets a monkey flip. A cross body gets a count of 1 before Shango kicks him off to the floor. Back in the ring, Bret clotheslines Shango over the top and to the floor, then follows with a plancha to take him out on the floor. After a commercial break, Shango whips Bret hard to the corner to take control. Bret tries to comeback but runs into a bearhug. Bret bites his way out, but Shango continues to pound on him. Shango gets a headbutt to the midsection then chokes the champ. Shango continues the mediocrity with a damn nervehold. Bret elbows out but runs into a big clotheslines and it's back to the nervehold. Bret elbows out and gets a sunset flip but avoids Shango's right. Bret gets a sleeper but Shango rams him into the corner to break. Shango with some big elbowdrops, then he climbs the middle rope and misses an even bigger elbowdrop. Bret with a clothesline from the middle rope for a 2 count. Shango misses a corner charge and Bret slaps on the Sharpshooter. That's enough for the voodoo master! (13:26) **1/2
WINNER: And STILL WWF Champion, Bret Hart. Solid enough match as this was pretty much all Bret was going to get out of Papa Shango. He sold Shango's plodding offense and made him look like he deserved the title shot.
As a bonus, we get an edition of The Funeral Parlor hosted by Paul Bearer. He states that The Undertaker has been busy building the casket for Kamala to be used at Survivor Series in their Coffin Match. We get footage of Kamala running in fear of The Undertaker at SummerSlam. The Undertaker appears out of the standing casket on the set and proceeds to cut a promo on Kamala. He paints a pretty picture involving worms, maggots and larvae feasting on Kamala's rotting carcass.
Gene is backstage with the champ, Bret Hart and updates him on his match with Shawn Michaels being champion vs champion. Michaels interrupts the proceedings to brag that he beat the Bulldog who was the guy that beat him at SummerSlam. It gets a little heated but we break away to Bobby Heenan on the phone. He breaks the news that Savage and Warrior will not be arriving to Survivor Series as a team and that one of them will need a new partner, leaving Vince and the rest of us in suspense. (Spoiler: The Ultimate Warrior was fired before this show hit the air.)
FINAL PARTING SHOT: This was really a sell job for Survivor Series and it did the trick, especially with the last bit with Heenan teasing the news. Bulldog-Michaels is the historical reason to see this show, and was also the best match. This would also be the final Saturday Night's Main Event until it was resurrected in 2006 on NBC. So it was the end of an era, for a while. That is, until Monday Night Raw showed up two months later on USA and made us forget about SNME.
UP NEXT: WWF SURVIVOR SERIES '92!
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