WWF Saturday Night's Main Event - Nov 14, 1992
by Scrooge McSuck
- Originally broadcasted on November 14th, 1992, but taped on October 27th, rom Terre Haute, IN. This is the second episode to be broadcasted on the FOX Network, and would also be the last until the return to NBC in 2005. Vince McMahon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan are calling all the action, unless otherwise noted. Unfortunately, my copy doesn't include the opening video of Ed O'Neill, in character as Al Bundy, hyping the upcoming telecast.
WWF Tag Team Championship Match:
Money Inc. © (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. The Ultimate Maniacs:
(Ted Dibiase & I.R.S. vs. Randy Savage & Ultimate Warrior)As if this really needed to be a title match. You had to think at the time of this broadcast, Vince and Co. knew Warrior wasn't going to be at the Survivor Series. Quick research shows he was working shows up until a day or so before this telecast, so maybe not. I was just thinking... what do you call the Super-Stable of Warrior, Savage, Hogan, and Beefcake? The Mega Ultimate Power Maniacs? Sounds like a bad Japanese show.
The challengers bum rush the ring, only for Warrior to be dumped out and Savage double-teamed. Warrior quickly recovers and it's double clotheslines for all, then both Champions thrown over the top rope, to the floor. Savage with an atomic drop, sending Dibiase into the corner, allowing Warrior to lay him out with a right, for two. He hangs Dibiase across the top rope, and Warrior comes in, taking him over with a suplex for two. He goes for a shoulder tackle, but Dibiase side-steps, forcing Warrior to eat canvas. IRS tags in, and quickly slaps on a sleeper hold. Warrior escapes, so it's Dibiase's turn to work his sleeper hold. Savage with a high knee to break that up, and it's time for a double clothesline spot! Savage with the hot tag, and he lays into I.R.S. Savage takes him over with a back drop, then catches Dibiase coming in with a clothesline. Savage with a slam and the top rope elbow drop on I.R.S., but it's a pier-four brawl until the Champions take a walk, giving the Ultimate Maniacs the count-out victory at 6:13. Wow, making the Tag Team Champions look like complete jobbers... not something that WWE invented in the Attitude Era! Post-match, the Maniacs go after Money Inc., only for Flair and Ramon to get some cheap shots in on them.
- Bret Hart Music Video! Same song they recycled for WrestleMania X (Makin' Some Noise?), but with different footage, of course. I'm pretty sure they removed the ladder match spots with Shawn Michaels for the 1994 version.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
The British Bulldog © vs. Shawn Michaels:
Here's where the Warrior theory kicks in, again... this was taped the last week of October, and Bulldog was NOT staying (and rumored to be fired at the same time as Warrior), yet was still advertised as defending the Intercontinental Title against The Mountie of all people at the Survivor Series. Lockup, and Bulldog shoves Michaels down with ease. Shawn grabs a headlock, but a shoulder tackle doesn't go well in his favor. Shawn with a fancy hip toss, then slaps on a short-arm scissors. Bulldog uses his impressive (artificial) strength to hoist Shawn up onto his shoulders, then dropping him back down. Bulldog with a press slam, followed by a clothesline, sending Shawn to the floor. Shawn sweeps the legs, but Bulldog counters, takes him over with an arm drag, and settles in with an armbar. Michaels fights free, then side-steps a charge, causing Davey Boy to crash to the floor. He sells it like death, while Shawn undoes one of the turnbuckle pads.
We come back from a break with Shawn taking him over with a snapmare, and dropping a pair of knees across the back. He slaps on an abdominal stretch, but to Mike Rotundo's horror, DOESN'T use the ropes for extra leverage. The audio sweetening seems to be in full effect for this one. Bulldog escapes with a hip toss, but misses an elbow drop, and Shawn goes back to the abby stretch. Bulldog with another hip toss, and this time the elbow does connect. Whip to the corner and he connects with a clothesline. Slingshot to the corner, and Bulldog with another clothesline for a two count. Delayed suplex (shorter version) for another two count. Whip to the corner is reversed, and Bulldog takes a hard bump into the exposed buckle. Bulldog fights through the pain, crotching Shawn across the top rope. He climbs up for a super-plex, but the back gives out, and Shawn lands on top for three and his first Intercontinental Title at 10:26. Nothing impressive, but a solid performance. Looking back on history, surprise surprise, Shawn actually jobbed the title to end this reign.
- Gene Okerlund is backstage for more words from Ric Flair, Razor Ramon, and Mr. Perfect. Order Survivor Series, dammit! How many times do they have to tell us!
- Gene Okerlund snaps his fingers to be at a completely different set, this time interviewing WWF Champion Bret Hart. He's going to retain tonight!
WWF Championship Match:
Bret "Hitman" Hart © vs. Papa Shango:
Blech! Papa Shango went from doing a run-in to close out WrestleMania and feuding with Ultimate Warrior to being left off the PPV at SummerSlam, and wrestle almost exclusively in meaningless matches on PrimeTime Wrestling. Shango controls to start with clubberin' offense. Whip to the corner is reversed, and Bret takes him over with a monkey flip. Bret with shoulder tackles, followed by a body press for a one count. Bret with an inverted atomic drop and clothesline, sending Shango to the floor. He follows out with a plancha, then pounds away with rights as we take a break. We come back with Bret taking the chest-first corner bump. He offers a comeback, but Shango slaps on a bearhug. In an oddly cute spot, Bret shines his bald head like an apple and bites to escape. Shango continues to dominate, then goes to the ever-faithful nerve hold. Bret grabs a sleeper, but Shango slams him into the corner. He connects with elbows, but a trip to the second rope only leads to the obvious set up for failure attempt. Bret with a fist to the midsection and Russian leg sweep for two. Back drop for two. Second rope clothesline for two. Whip to the corner, Shango misses a charge, and the Sharpshooter finishes things off at 7:20 (minus the commercial break). Bret did all of the work, and made it watchable. Shango stinks, but we all know that already.
- The Undertaker and Paul Bearer are shown building a casket (or coffin, take your pick) for the match against Kamala at the Survivor Series. It's double wide, and double deep, to fit Kamala's fat ass.
- Mean Gene closes things out with Bret Hart, but Shawn Michaels quickly interrupts and promises to walk away from the Survivor Series with both the WWF Championship and the Intercontinental Championship.
Final Thoughts: When it comes to star power, a pretty stacked show to be featured on primetime network television. All three championships were on the line, with only the top performers (and Papa Shango) featured throughout the night. Unfortunately, quality matches wasn't exactly the in thing at the time, so only Bulldog/Michaels warrants consideration as a match worth checking out, just for the title change. Bret/Shango was OK, but the opening tag was practically a squash match. From start to finish, it's still a fun waste of 45-minutes.
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