WWF UK Rampage 1992 (Version II)

Original Airdate: April 19, 1992

From Sheffield, England; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Opening Match: Tatanka v Skinner: Hot crowd here, popping for Tatanka like he's Hulk Hogan in 1987. They feel each other out to start, with Tatanka dominating him throughout. Tatanka with a sunset flip for two, and a hiptoss leads to a pair of clotheslines for two. He works a headlock, but Skinner throws a knee to escape, so Tatanka schoolboys him for two, and Skinner bails. He tries a cheap shot on the way back in, but Tatanka is wise to him, and hammers the arm before trapping him in an armbar. Skinner throws him into the corner to escape, and uses a drop-toehold to ground Tatanka for a stepover-toehold. Skinner with another toehold, and he's just a spinning-toehold away from running the toehold gauntlet here. He gets busted using the ropes, so Skinner bashes Tatanka's leg into the apron a few times instead, then into the post for good measure. He tosses Tatanka over the top, and a vertical suplex in from the apron sets up a 2^nd rope flying splash, but Tatanka lifts his boot to block. The bag leg slows down his comeback, but Tatanka powers through, and it's the End of the Trail for Skinner at 11:53. Pretty dull, but competent. * (Original rating: DUD)

The Legion of Doom v Dino Bravo and Colonel Mustafa: That is one weird heel team, to say the least. They try attacking before the bell, but the LOD easily fight them off, and clean house. The dust settles on Animal and Dino, and they measure each other for a bit. Animal gets the better of him, and man, Bravo is looking really slow and out of shape here, with all of his timing way off. Hawk comes in to blitz him with some offense, but he misses a charge in the corner, and ends up on the outside. Dino drops him across the guardrail out there, and inside, Mustafa works him over. Gutwrench suplex and an abdominal stretch wear Hawk down, but the Road Warrior vertical suplexes his way out, and there's the tag to Animal - Roseanne Barr the door! Neither of these goofs wants to take a bump tonight though, so no Doomsday Device - Hawk instead finishing Mustafa with a flying clothesline at 4:25. This was near the end of the line for Mustafa in the WWF, and was actually Bravo's last match period. They both looked terrible and out of shape here. –¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Undertaker v Sid Justice: Tim White is the assigned official for this, I assume because of his experience handling giants. Sid jumps him at the bell, and hammers the Dead Man in the corner, then ropechokes him. Undertaker fires back with a bodyslam, but he misses an elbowdrop, and gets dumped to the outside. Sid tries to pull him back in, but 'Taker blocks by snapping Sid's throat across the top rope, and he delivers the ropewalk forearm. Jumping clothesline leads to the Tombstone, but Sid slips free when Harvey Wippleman distracts the Dead Man, and Justice delivers a chokeslam. Sid with a sidewalk slam and more choking, but Undertaker rebounds out of the corner following a whip, sending Justice to the outside with a clothesline. Undertaker follows, but Sid reverses him into the post out there, and Undertaker gets counted out at 5:15. This was a real yawner. And that was basically it for Sid's first WWF run, this marking his last televised match. He took a few DQ losses to Ultimate Warrior at house shows the following week, and then disappeared from the promotion, not to return until 1995. ¼* (Original rating: -*)

WWF Title Match: Randy Savage v Shawn Michaels: Feeling out process to start, with Savage dominating his challenger. Shawn ends up on the outside after doing some overselling, and he tries to sucker Macho into a chase so he can steal the high ground, but Randy responds by chucking a chair at him. Macho tries tossing him over the top, but Michaels skins the cat back in, so Savage clotheslines his ass right back over the top, then dives with a flying axehandle on the floor. Back in, Savage goes for a piledriver, so Sensational Sherri goes after Miss Elizabeth on the floor to distract him, and Michaels sneak attacks as Savage is dealing with it. What I liked there is that Savage would be wise to Sherri's distraction tactics, and she'd be fully aware of that, so she got physical with Elizabeth since, even though he'd surely know it's a trap, he still wouldn't be able to resist the bait. Inside, Michaels pounds the Macho Man, and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Don't see that one from him too often. He unloads in the corner, and a swinging neckbreaker gets him two. Savage tries to engage in a slugfest, so Michaels goes to the eyes, and he cross corner whips him - only to have a kick countered with a catapult into the buckles for two! Savage snaps his throat across the top rope and sends Michaels over the top with a high knee, then dives after him with another flying axehandle on the floor. Randy whips him into the post to allow Shawn to continue on his oversell streak, and Macho hits a flying axehandle for two on the way back in. Again, but this time Shawn is able to block with a gutpunch, so Savage tries a hiptoss to keep control, but Michaels counters with a short-clothesline for two. Superkick gets two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying fistdrop - Randy rolling out of the ring to avoid a cover. Michaels follows to return the favor from earlier with a trip into the post, and Sherri gets her licks in too before sending Randy back in - only for Michaels to toss his ass right back out, over the top. More abuse from Sherri, and Shawn returns another favor from earlier by snapping the champ's throat across the top rope. Michaels with a series of jabs for two, but the referee gets bumped on a criss cross, and Savage bodyslams him. Randy goes upstairs for the Flying Elbowdrop, but there's no referee, and here comes Sherri! She unloads on the world champion, but he chases her off, and he drags the official in to count a dramatic two! Sherri tries to get involved again, but this time Elizabeth shoves her off the ropes, and Randy hits Michaels with a flying bodypress for two. Charge misses, allowing Shawn a flying sunset flip for two, but he runs into a backelbow. That allows Savage to go up again, but Shawn is advancing on him, so Randy leaps over his head, runs to the opposite corner, and dives on a disoriented Michaels with a flying bodypress for three at 16:18! This was very good, and as good as you'd expect for the time period (Michaels was still finding himself in his new role), though you can't help but feel disappointed with it simply because of how good both guys were at their peaks, and how much of a dream match it is. Another match, another departure tonight - this show marking Miss Elizabeth's final WWF appearance. *** ½ (Original rating: ** ½)

Mountie v Virgil: Mountie tries to go after him with the shock stick before the bell, but Virgil is able to attack while the referee is busy disarming him. Virgil with a series of turnbuckle smashes and a series of jabs to send Mountie to the outside, and he follows with another punch before forcing him back inside. Mountie begs off, but Virgil keeps beating on him, and even tears Mountie's shirt off, whipping him with it. I'd say Virgil's really pissed with this Mountie fella. Mountie goes for the protective mask to turn the tide, and he beats Virgil with it, working the face. Bulldog connects, leaving Virgil howling in pain, and giving Mountie the time to stop and put his shirt back on - even bothering to tuck it in! That's a lot of effort. Series of turnbuckle smashes leave Virgil punch drunk, as Mountie continues to work him over in the slowest, most boring way possible. He takes another break to taunt the crowd, but this time it backfires on him when Virgil attacks. Virgil mounts a comeback, using a pair of dropkicks and a Russian legsweep for two, but getting tripped up by Jimmy Hart before he can polish Mountie off. That allows Mountie to get hold of the shock stick, and he zaps Virgil for the pin at 8:22. Really boring. DUD (Original rating: ¼*)

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Bret Hart v Rick Martel: Battle of the Canadians who wear pink! Martel suckers him with a cheap shot early on, and goes to work, but Bret blocks a rollup, and unloads with a pair of clotheslines to send his challenger bailing for the outside. Back in, Martel latches on with a front-facelock, but Bret dodges a clothesline, and puts Rick down for a stomp the groin. Rick tries a high knee in the corner, but Bret dodges, and capitalizes by going to work on the leg. Martel manages to escape a leglock by shoving Bret hard into the corner, and he hammers away, so Hart starts punching at the leg from his knees to back him off. He goes back to the leglock, so Martel resorts to blatantly choking him to escape, but Bret fights him off again with a kneebreaker. He tries to bash Rick's leg into the post as payback for all the choking, but Martel reverses him into it, and then rams his face into the apron for good measure. Rick dives off the apron with a flying axehandle before taking Bret back in for a cross corner whip, and the Model works the back with elbowdrops. Backdrop, but Bret blocks with a boot, and pops off an inverted atomic drop to ignite a comeback. Russian legsweep gets two, and a vertical suplex is worth two. Backbreaker sets up the 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, but Rick is able to block a rollup by dumping the Hitman to the outside. He tries to suplex him back in from the apron, but Bret slips free into another rollup attempt, but Martel hooks the ropes to block again. Feeling confident, he goes back to the suplex, but this time Hart hooks a quick small package to retain at 12:35. I've seen these two wrestle each other a bunch of times, and while it's always fine, it's rarely very good. This was that. ** (Original rating: * ¼)

Jim Duggan v Repo Man: Duggan actually manages to get a 'USA' chant going here, which naturally gives Heenan lots to work with. Lots of measuring to start, until Repo just takes a cheap shot at him, so Duggan starts throwing clotheslines until Repo bails. Repo tries to sneak back in, but Duggan fights off the attack with an atomic drop, and Repo ends up back on the outside. This time Jim goes after him, allowing Repo to snap his throat across the top rope to block, and he hammers Hacksaw down. He exposes a top turnbuckle before smashing Duggan's face into it, and a ropechoke leaves Hacksaw down on the outside. Back in, Repo with more choking, and he smashes Jim's face into the exposed buckle a second time. I can see how the referee let him get away with it once, but twice?! Repo works a chinlock, but Duggan fights free, only to smash his own face into the exposed buckle while missing a charge. Repo tries another smash, but this time Duggan reverses, and he starts making a comeback. 3-point stance knocks Repo to the outside, where he grabs his tow hook - only to get busted when he bashes Hacksaw with it, and disqualified at 6:55. There was very little actual wrestling going on, but they did a great job of engaging the crowd with lots of theatrics. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Main Event: Irwin R. Schyster v Davey Boy Smith: Bulldog uses his power to dominate a feeling out process, so IRS stalls. They trade hiptosses next, with Davey dominating that as well, and sending Schyster to the outside with a clothesline. Bulldog chases after him to bash Schyster's head into Jimmy Hart's out there, and Irwin stalls some more. They trade wristlocks next - again dominated by Davey - so Schyster throws a leg-feed enzuigiri to knock him silly, and then tosses him to the outside while he's dazed. IRS pounds him out there, but Bulldog beats the count, so Schyster goes to an abdominal stretch. He gets busted using the ropes, allowing Bulldog to hiptoss his way out of the hold, and a schoolboy gets two. IRS cuts him off with a clothesline, however, and a jumping clothesline sets up a legdrop for two. Chinlock, but Bulldog manages to escape, so Irwin throws a knee to block a charge, and he tosses Smith to the outside again. Davey flies back in with a slingshot sunset flip for two, however, and Irwin has to think fast to cut him off again. Schyster with a legdrop to the groin for two, and he tosses Davey to the outside a third time, but a suplex from the apron gets countered with a hanging vertical version for two. Bulldog tries to add a splash, but Schyster lifts his knees to block, only to have a turnbuckle smash reversed - Bulldog adding a bunch more for good measure. Headbutt gets two, and a cross corner whip leaves Schyster trying to bail, but Bulldog grabs hold of the necktie to keep him inside. Another corner whip, but this time IRS reverses, and he grabs the briefcase while Jimmy distracts the referee. Unfortunately for him, Bulldog blocks it, and the Running Powerslam finishes at 12:48. Nothing special, but competent, and the crowd went home happy watching their hometown hero beat-up the bad guy, and that's what matters here anyway. * (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: Definitely give Savage/Michaels a look, and definitely skip the rest.

DUD