WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI (November 1992)

Original Airdate: November 14, 1992

This was the final SNME for fifteen years, as a network change didn’t help the declining ratings and increasing scandals surrounding the WWF, and they weren't invited back (even to FOX! In 1992!) for another episode. The cancelation would, however, lead to the creation of Monday Night RAW a few months later, as the WWF’s main platform to develop angles.

From Terre Haute, Indiana; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan.


Opening WWF Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc v The Ultimate Maniacs: Boy, is that team name on the money. Money Inc jump them on the way in, but it's Warrior and Savage, so they easily clean house. Ted DiBiase and Randy Savage start proper, and the Maniacs try to pinball him - but, in a nice bit, they're so powerful that only one punch knocks him out. Tag to Ultimate Warrior, and he quickly hits a suplex, but misses a diving shoulderblock - allowing the tag to IRS. He dodges Warrior by grabbing a sleeper, but he has the power of delusional insanity, so DiBiase tries to properly finish with the Million Dollar Dream. Savage makes the save, and a double knockout allows both men to tag. Savage is a house of arson, and hits the Flying Elbow - but DiBiase saves. That triggers a four-way brawl, and the Maniacs clean house, so the champs bail – losing by countout at 9:54. This was about showing that Savage and Warrior could work together in preparation for facing Ric Flair and Razor Ramon at Survivor Series, but Warrior would be out of the WWF by the time this aired (they taped it in October), so, maybe it didn't really prove anything. Fun match, otherwise, from four experienced workers. *

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Davey Boy Smith v Shawn Michaels: Davey overpowers him in the early going, so Shawn uses his speed to evade him, and hiptoss Smith. Shawn locks a wrist...lock... but Davey impressively dead lifts him off the mat to power out into an electric chair. Press slam, and he dumps Michaels, then wisely hangs back to work the count. Shawn beats it, however, and goes for a series of sweeps to try and ground the Bulldog - only to get caught in an armbar. Shawn throws a cheap shot to break, and tosses Davey to the floor - in a nice bump. Shawn uses the opportunity to try and remove the turnbuckle pad - though stays mindful of the count - breaking it repeatedly, before he wins without winning. Finally, he drags Davey back in for some shots to the back, and hooks an abdominal stretch. Davey powers out, but quickly misses an elbow drop, allowing Shawn to continue to punish the back. Smith catches him with a faceslam, and Shawn takes a Flair Flip into a slingshot for two. Hanging vertical suplex gets two, but Michaels reverses a cross corner whip into the exposed buckle - further damaging the Bulldog's back. Davey struggles to his feet, and tries a super-duperplex - but his back gives out, and Shawn topples him in midair for the title at 10:28. Davey was just a holding Shawn's belt, as Michaels was originally booked to win it from Bret Hart at SummerSlam - back when the event was scheduled to be held in Maryland - but when they settled on England to host, they booked Davey to get the strap to play up the 'hometown hero' angle. These two would go on to have a bunch of matches together in 1996 - with the face/heel dynamic reversed - but this is, perhaps, their best battle. Psychologically sound - and not just in a 'work the part' nature, but also in the way Shawn distresses over Davey getting counted out, or Davey leaves Michaels for dead on the floor to happily retain by countout – stuff that sometimes gets lost with many, even talented, workers. Both guys looked great here, working crisp, well executed stuff – all of which was sold well. Shawn challenging Bret Hart for the WWF Title at Survivor Series was already announced prior to this, which was something of a red herring for ‘smart’ fans, as they figured that meant Davey would retain. Smart booking, though, as Davey beat Bret and Shawn beat Davey – so now the Survivor Series match has that much more intrigue. *** ½

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Papa Shango: Beforehand, they air a slightly different version of the semi-famous video package from WrestleMania X, set to Tom Petty's 'Makin' Some Noise' – which has always been a favorite of mine. Shango takes control early, but gets reversed off of a cross corner whip, and monkey flipped. Bret throws a series of shoulderblocks to daze him, and then a bodypress for two. Clothesline puts Papa on the floor, and Hart follows out with a slingshot bodypress. Inside, Bret tries a cross corner whip, but this time Shango reverses, and Hart takes his chest-first bump. Papa preaches, but Hart manages to counter the array of bearhugs and nerveholds with a sunset flip. He grabs a sleeper, but Shango drops him into the corner with a snake eyes variation. Poorly executed 2^nd rope elbowdrop misses, though, and Hart hits a Russian legsweep for two. Backdrop gets two, and a 2^nd rope clothesline for two. Sharpshooter, and Shango submits at 13:26. The Papa Shango restholdy heat segment was dull, but Bret carried the rest quite nicely - working a nice, psychologically interesting spots. * ¼

The Funeral Parlor: The Undertaker and Paul Bearer promote 'Taker's match with Kamala for Survivor Series. Perhaps only notable for its odd placement on the show - as usually these specialty, in-arena interview segments are reserved for between matches - not to close the show.

BUExperience: Well, they certainly went out with a bang! It may have been something of a requiem (hey, maybe that’s why they closed with the Funeral Parlor segment), but ended up as one of the better episodes of the program. Smith/Michaels is a great match, and the rest is solid - top-to-bottom - making good use of the time to promote Survivor Series. That was always when the show worked best – when it was pre-taped to air before whatever show they were pushing – as the episodes taped before pay per views, but airing after, never had any proper development, or intrigue.