WWF Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 14, 1992

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

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Money Inc v The Ultimate Maniacs: The Maniacs charge down the aisle for an immediate brawl, cleaning house on the tag team champions. The dust settles on Ted DiBiase and Randy Savage to start, and the Maniacs immediately pinball the Million Dollar Man for two. Randy snaps his throat across the top rope before tagging Warrior in to vertical suplex DiBiase for two, but a jumping shoulderblock misses, and Irwin R. Schyster gets the tag. He puts the boots to Warrior, and tries putting it away with a sleeper, as we get a split screen of Ric Flair, Razor Ramon, and Mr. Perfect observing the action from backstage - complete with promo. Money Inc continue to cut the ring in half, and Ted tries the Million Dollar Dream, but Savage breaks it up. Hot tag to Savage, and the Flying Elbowdrop looks to polish off IRS, but DiBiase saves. That summons Warrior, and Roseanne Barr the door! The challengers clean house, and Money Inc walk out for the countout loss at 6:10. The Maniacs chase the champs up the aisle for a brawl, but that brings out Flair, Ramon, and Perfect, and it's a big heel beat down until a gaggle of officials can intervene. This was really abbreviated stuff, but it was okay for what it was. ¾* (Original rating: *)

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Davey Boy Smith v Shawn Michaels: Feeling out process to start, with Bulldog overpowering him. Shawn manages to hang with him until he's able to get Davey down in a short-armscissors, but Smith powers to his feet in the hold for an electric chair. Press-slam follows, and a clothesline sends Michaels over the top. Shawn beats the count, and tries to unload in the corner, but Bulldog fights him off with a few monkeyflips, and he grounds his challenger in an armbar. Shawn slugs free in the corner, but a cross corner whip is reversed, and Davey blasts him with a shoulderblock. Another, but this time Michaels sidesteps, and Bulldog goes crashing out of the ring! Shawn uses the time to expose a top turnbuckle, and he snapmares Smith on the way back in to setup a couple of kneedrops to the lower back. Abdominal stretch keeps the hurt on the part, but Smith hiptosses free - only to miss an elbowdrop. Shawn goes right back after the back with an axehandle drop, and a springboard kneedrop, then slaps on another abdominal stretch. Smith manages to escape again, and this time does hit the elbowdrop follow-up, then adds a facebuster. Corner whip and a clothesline setup a slingshot into the turnbuckles for two, and a hanging vertical suplex is worth two. Cross corner whip, but Michaels reverses, and Smith hits the exposed buckle with the worked over back! Shawn tries another cross corner whip, but Bulldog reverses this time, and he takes Shawn to the top for a vertical superplex - only to have the back give out in the process, and Michaels toppling him for the title at 10:26! Good psychology here, with Shawn working the back, and Bulldog ultimately losing because of it. *** (Original rating: *** ½)

Gene Okerlund is backstage with Ric Flair, Razor Ramon, and Mr. Perfect, who continue to jab the Ultimate Maniacs - only this time verbally

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Papa Shango: Shango goes right to work on him with some rights, but Bret manages to reverse a cross corner whip, and hit a monkeyflip. Bodypress gets two, and an inverted atomic drop rattles the challenger enough for the Hitman to clothesline over the top. Hart dives out after him with a plancha, but a cross corner whip on the way back in gets reversed, and Bret takes his chest-first bump. Shango works a bearhug, but Bret bites his way free, so Papa backelbows him down. Nervehold is applied, but Hart escapes and tries a sleeper, so Shango drops him into the corner to quickly escape. Pair of elbowdrops setup a 2^nd rope flying version, but Bret rolls out of the way, and starts mounting a comeback. Russian legsweep gets two, and a backdrop is worth two. 2^nd rope flying clothesline for two, and the Sharpshooter retains at 7:09. Paint-by-number stuff, but watchable. * (Original rating: * ¼)

Paul Bearer is at the Funeral Parlor with the Undertaker to hype up the Casket Match with Kamala for Survivor Series. Hard to imagine a time when the Casket Match was still being hyped up as a NEW gimmick in the WWF

Backstage, Gene Okerlund wants to wrap up with Bret Hart, but Shawn Michaels interrupts to remind Bret that he beat Davey Boy, and since Davey Boy beat Bret, Shawn's got the Hitman right where he wants him for Survivor Series

We close with Bobby Heenan getting a cryptic phone call at the broadcast position, and informing us that either Savage or Warrior will have a different partner for Survivor Series

BUExperience: This ended up being the last SNME until the mid-2000s, but it wasn’t a bad episode. With a title change (one of only two title changes during the shows original seven year run), and focused booking to build up Survivor Series, it was entertaining enough – though not a ‘must see.’ I will say that I preferred these one hour Fox shows to the longer versions towards the end of the NBC run, where it felt like they were often stretching to fill time.