WWF at Madison Square Garden (November 30, 1991)

Original Airdate: November 30, 1991

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Lord Alfred Hayes, and Bobby Heenan. We’re going out of order here because WWE Network mistakenly lists the date as 12/22, but this is actually the 11/30 card. To make matters even more confusing, there was no 12/22 event at MSG to begin with

Opening Match: Tito Santana v Kato: Santana knocks him around to start, sending him to the outside following an atomic drop and a dropkick. Back in, Kato suckers him into a cheap shot, but misses an elbowdrop, and Tito clotheslines him over the top. Inside, Kato takes another cheap shot, but misses a cross corner charge, and gets armdragged down into an armbar. Kato fights out with a backbreaker to turn the tide, and a 2^nd rope flying tomahawk chop is worth two. Another backbreaker gets two, so Kato grounds him in a reverse chinlock for a while. You know, if they really wanted to pass him off as Asian, the least they could do is ask him to shave that back and shoulder hair down some more. I mean, I know this was way before HD cameras, but the dude looks like an Italian longshoreman, not an Asian ninja. Dedication to your craft is what I'm talking about here, kids. Kato keeps working Tito over, but stops to argue a count with the referee, and gets schoolboyed for two. Santana follows up with a facebuster to turn the tide, and a few turnbuckle smashes batter Kato for the jumping forearm at 10:04. Typical opening match fare. *

Berzerker v Kerry Von Erich: Kerry looks like he's on another planet here. He looks so broken down that it's almost hard to believe that he's only a year removed from the Intercontinental Title at this point. Berzerker jumps him and absolutely drills him with a big boot, then adds a jumping shoulderblock for two. Berzerker misses a dropkick to allow Von Erich to get some right hands in, and he backdrops the viking over the top. Back in, Kerry keeps coming with rights, but a cross corner charge misses, and they spill to the outside. Berzerker rams him into the steps out there, but a second try gets reversed, and Berzerker is counted out at 2:00. This was quick enough that it didn't have a chance to become a total train wreck. *

Virgil v Skinner: Virgil sends him to the outside with his Golden Gloves routine, then hits an atomic drop as Skinner climbs back in, but runs into an elbow in the corner. Skinner dumps him to the outside, but a tenacious Virgil heads back in and throws a bodypress - Skinner ducking, and Virgil bumping to the floor off of it. Back in, Skinner drops him with an inverted DDT, but Virgil's in the ropes at two. This referee (who also officiated the opener) is terrible, and his count tempo is really annoying. He doesn't look like an official WWF referee, so I'm guessing we're seeing a last minute substitution here. Skinner keeps working Virgil over, but puts his head down for a backdrop, and Virgil counters with a sunset flip at 6:07. That's kind of a surprising result, given that Skinner would be challenging Bret Hart for the IC Title on pay per view a couple of days after this. * ¼

Main Event: Hulk Hogan v Ric Flair: The crowd is super hot for this one, of course. Flair stalls on the floor to start, suckering Hogan into a chase, and nailing him once he controls the high ground. Slick Ric, baby! Flair cracks him with chops in the corner, but Hogan responds in kind, then follows with a cross corner clothesline, and Ric is begging off. Hulk shows no mercy with a ten-punch count in the corner, and a short-clothesline leads to Flair taking an over the top bump. Hogan follows to send him into the guardrail a few times, and even busts out a vertical suplex on the floor! He beats Flair into the first row before finally dragging him back in, but Ric is ready with a cheap shot to setup a side suplex - only for Hogan to no-sell, and attack with a lariat! Corner whip flips Flair, but he keeps coming right an eyerake and some rights - Hogan no-selling those as well! Another corner whip sends Flair over the top to the floor, and he decides to retreat, but Hogan follows him up the aisle, and drags him back. Hulk is no-selling way too much here, no wonder the rematches on the second go around didn't do business. Hulk slams him off the top and hits a running clothesline, then big boots him to setup the Legdrop, but Flair is in the ropes at two! Hulk argues with the referee about it, allowing Ric to attack the knee, as Mr. Perfect appears at ringside to distract the official, and allow Flair to post Hogan's leg. Flair keeps working the knee to setup the Figure Four, but even with tons of cheating, Hogan is able to reverse. Perfect takes that as his cue to pass Ric a weapon, and he blasts Hogan with the loaded fist for the pin at 9:26! Unfortunately, Flair gets caught with the weapon, and the decision is reversed. Again, is it any wonder that the rematches didn't do business? Though, I'm not surprised with the result, given that Hulk just did a major high profile job (screwy or not) just days before this, and there's a yearly quota, brother. Really fun match, even if the booking was kind of frustrating. ***

Jim Duggan v Barbarian: They size each other up for a bit to start, and Duggan sends him to the outside with a series of rights. Back in, Duggan tries a backdrop, but gets clobbered, and Barbarian chokes him on the ropes - as Bobby Heenan makes every excuse in the book for Ric Flair on commentary. Barbarian with a bearhug, and at least Hacksaw's facial expressions are funny enough to prevent me from falling asleep at the wheel here. Duggan escapes, and hits a random clothesline for the pin at 7:51. Total junk. Basically one long bearhug, with punching and kicking mixed in for flavor. DUD

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Bret Hart v Mountie: Mountie tries to come at him with the shock stick before the bell, but Hart won't get into the ring until it's dealt with. The official is, of course, of no use, so Big Boss Man runs in to deal with it, and now we can get started! Hart goes right to work with an inverted atomic drop and a running clothesline, as Heenan is STILL going on about Flair! Hart with a few turnbuckle smashes and a bodyslam to setup a pointed elbowdrop, but Mountie rakes the eyes to escape a backbreaker. He can't turn the tide, however, and Hart hits a legdrop, then pounds him with a ten-punch count in the corner - only to miss a cross corner charge. Mountie capitalizes with a jumping backelbow for two, and a cross corner whip follows. Mountie then whips him into the ropes for a knee to setup a reverse chinlock, and he ties Bret in a tree of woe for some abuse. Mountie's offense is really fucking dull. They spill to the outside for Mountie to use a chair on him, then back in with a piledriver. Mountie with a series of turnbuckle smashes for two, but a 2^nd rope flying bodypress misses, and Hart mounts his comeback. Russian legsweep and a backbreaker setup a 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop, and that actually gets the pin at 12:58. You don't see that too often. Makes sense though, I suppose, since they wouldn't want to sacrifice Mountie to a submission. Plus, it's neat to see a signature move that actually finishes a guy, unlike today, where guys have dozens of signature moves, but only a certain one of them ever gets the pin. * ¾

Big Boss Man v Irwin R. Schyster: IRS stalls on the outside, but fails to sucker Boss Man like Flair did to Hogan earlier, and ends up getting knocked out of the ring when he tries. Back in, Boss Man keeps hammering him with right hands, and a straddling ropechoke leads to some turnbuckle smashes. Boss Man with a headbutt and an avalanche, but a second charge misses, and Irwin takes control with a legdrop downstairs. They spill to the outside, where IRS whips him into the post, then leaves him out there to eat the count - Boss Man beating it. IRS is ready with a series of elbowdrops for two, and he grabs his trusty abdominal stretch. What are you stretching? Boss Man doesn't have any abdominal muscles! He gets caught using the ropes to allow Boss Man to try a schoolboy for two, but IRS cuts off a comeback with a right hand and a legdrop for two. Chinlock wears Boss Man down, but he fights free, so IRS clips the knee, and goes to work with a leglock. Boss Man escapes, so IRS goes back to a sleeper - only for Boss Man to reverse! Irwin falls into the ropes to escape, so Boss Man tries another avalanche, but IRS dodges again, and hooks the leg for two. Back to the chinlock, but Boss Man escapes and hits a splash, then adds a pair of cross corner whips before IRS can cut him off. Boss Man with a windmill punch, but IRS manages to dump him to the outside before Boss Man can continue, where Mountie runs in with a sneak attack! Back in, IRS tries a flying splash, but Boss Man lifts his foot to block! He wastes time dealing with Mountie before following up, however, and a schoolboy only gets two as a result. Big boot is worth two, but Mountie gets involved again, and IRS blasts Boss Man with the briefcase for the pin at 13:46. This was really long for what it was, but I've certainly seen worse. *

The Nasty Boys v The Rockers: Jerry Sags starts with Shawn Michaels, and uses partner Brian Knobbs to sucker Shawn into a short-clothesline. Shawn responds by suckering BOTH Nasties into a flying clothesline from Marty Jannetty, and the Boys take a powder on the outside. The dust settles on Knobbs and Jannetty, and Marty pops him with a jumping backelbow before armdragging him down into an armbar. Tags to Sags and Michaels, and Shawn also armdrags him into an armbar, but Jerry quickly slugs free, so Shawn delivers a flying fist to soften him up, then goes back to the armbar. A cheap shot from Knobbs ends that effort, however, and the Boys cut the ring in half on Shawn. He fights Sags off long enough for the hot tag to Marty, and he comes in hot - Roseanne Barr the door! Inside cradle looks to finish, but Knobbs reverses, and Shawn accidentally reverses back the wrong way - Marty getting pinned at 16:20. Fine at points, but the heat segment was really restholdy. ¾*

BUExperience: Other than Hogan/Flair there’s nothing here to waste your time on, but that one match alone is worth checking out for a variety of reasons – not the least of which is that it’s a damn good little match!

DUD