WWF Battle Royal at the Albert Hall (Version II)

 

Original Airdate: October 3, 1991

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

Opening Match: The Nasty Boys v The Rockers: Rockers clean house, leading to some stalling from the Boys on the outside, as Jimmy Hart works the crowd. The stalling goes on for three full minutes before the first contact is made, with Jerry Sags able to pound Shawn Michaels in the corner. Criss cross goes Jerry's way with a bearhug, but Shawn quickly escapes, and throws a superkick. That draws Brian Knobbs in without a tag, so Marty Jannetty dives at them both with a flying bodypress, and the Boys bails back to the outside. Dust settles on Knobbs and Jannetty, and Marty dives off the middle with a bulldog, drawing Sags in to try an illegal double team, but Shawn cuts him off, and the Boys bail again. More stalling as they tease walking out, and Marty hooks a sunset cradle on Knobbs for two once they make it back in. The announcers sound surprisingly subdued here. Tag to Sags, but Marty takes him right down in a front-facelock, then armdrags him into an armbreaker when Sags tries to escape. He switches off with Shawn behind the referee's back to antagonize the Boys/work the crowd, and these fans are great, because they're actually super into it, and participate with the gag. Sags goes to the eyes to shake Shawn off, but Michaels dodges him in the corner, and he crotches Jerry on the post. Shawn with an inverted atomic drop, so Sags whips him into the ropes, where Knobbs is ready to pull it down, sending Shawn crashing over the top. The Boys go to work on Michaels, until Shawn manages to escape a reverse chinlock from Knobbs, but the referee misses the tag. Shawn fights off a double team to make the real one, and Jannetty comes in hot - Roseanne Barr the door! Rockers whip them into one another for two, and Shawn press-drops Marty onto Sags, but Knobbs bashes Jannetty's head in with Hart's motorcycle helmet for the pin at 17:20. The crowd was into it, and they did a phenomenal job of working them, and that was mostly what this was about, since the actual wrestling was nothing. * (Original rating: ½*)

Ric Flair v Tito Santana: This is only Flair's second televised match in the promotion (sixth overall), and he's still got the NWA World Title belt with him. They feel each other out to start, and Flair's cheating game is top notch here tonight in London. Finally, Tito has enough and punches him right in the nose, and a corner whip sets up a backdrop on the rebound. Pair of dropkicks flop Flair, and the Nature Boy bails. Santana chases for a smash into the apron and the guardrail, but he makes the mistake of turning his back on the dirtiest player in the game, and Tito gets a helping of rail. Well, he started it. Santana manages a slingshot sunset flip on the way back in to turn the tide back in his favor, and he goes to work on the leg, but Ric hooks a leveraged pin for two. Tito responds by taking him into the corner for a ten-punch count, but Flair fights him off with an inverted atomic drop, and a kneedrop gets him two. Ric unloads in the corner ahead of a pair of cross corner whips, and a snapmare gets two. Ric constantly using the ropes for leverage and then yelling at the fans about it is the kind of old school stuff I really miss seeing in the modern product. It's so simple, but always effective. Tito with a corner whip of his own to flip Flair out to the apron, and Santana clotheslines him out there. Tito with a vertical suplex to bring Flair in from the apron, so Ric tries a hiptoss, but Santana counters with a backslide for two. Flair goes to the eyes to end put an end to that run, however, and he blasts Tito with a chop for two. Side suplex sets up the Figure Four, and of course Ric uses the ropes for leverage. Santana manages to reverse, but Flair escapes before being forced to submit, and he goes after a limping Tito's leg. Santana is fired up, however, and he knocks the Nature Boy over the top. Tito follows for a bodyslam on the floor, but Flair returns fire with chops, and we have a full on slugfest out there! Ric gets control, but a trip to the top rope on the way back in ends badly when Santana slams him off for two. Elbowdrop, but Ric rolls out of the way, and hits a cross corner whip - only for Santana to rebound at him with a clothesline for two. El Paso looks to finish, but Flair is in the ropes at two. Heenan is losing his shit, of course, and it's glorious. Santana with a rollup for two, but Flair reverses, and scores the pin with a handful of tights at 15:46. Solid match, but nothing particularly exciting about it. ** (Original rating: *)

Earthquake v Big Boss Man: Loser has to go to WCW and change their gimmick 300 times. Boss Man sticks and moves in the early going, but Earthquake manages to get him into the corner, and he hits a bodyslam. Boss Man dodges an elbowdrop, so Earthquake tries an avalanche, but Boss Man dodges, and schoolboys for two. Boss Man works a standing headlock, and then decides to fly with an axehandle off the bottom rope. No, really. It goes nowhere, so he tries one off the middle, and that manages to knock Earthquake down. Well, you still suck, but at least now you suck at a man's game. Boss Man with a dive off the top, but Earthquake catches him in a powerslam, and works a ropechoke. Earthquake with a cross corner whip, and he goes to work in the corner, before slapping on a bearhug. Boss Man fights free, so Earthquake pounds him down again, and works a chinlock next. Boss Man escapes, so Earthquake dumps him to the outside to try for the countout, but Boss Man keeps coming, so Earthquake chucks him into the steps to make sure he gets the message. Boss Man still beats the count in, so Earthquake covers, but Boss Man is in the ropes at two. Earthquake pounds him with elbowsmashes, and a cross corner whip sets up an avalanche - putting Boss Man down for a bootchoke. Criss cross allows Boss Man to throw a leg-feed enzuigiri, and both men are left looking up at the lights. Boss Man rolls over to cover for two, so Jimmy Hart tries running interference, but it backfires. Boss Man with a schoolboy for two, and he starts making a comeback, so Mountie shows up. He trips Boss Man up as he runs the ropes, and Earthquake capitalizes with an elbowdrop for the pin at 15:08. This felt like it went on forever. DUD (Original rating: ¼*)

Kerry Von Erich v Mountie: Mountie smacks him around in the early going, until Kerry gets sick of him, and knocks him to the outside with a big shot. Mountie stalls, and ends up in a wristlock once he comes back in, so he grabs the hair to force a criss cross, but Kerry knocks him back to the outside. More stalling, and Kerry gets fired up, unloading with rights when Mountie finally returns, but Mountie manages to dive onto him with a sleeper to calm it down. Von Erich escapes and tries a sleeper of his own, but Mountie makes it to the ropes, so Kerry pounds him in the corner. Charge, but Mountie moves, and throws some kicks against the buckles. Snapmare puts Kerry down for a kneedrop, and a right hand knocks Tornado over the top. Mountie follows to send Kerry into the steps, but Kerry gets all fired up again, and returns the favor. I wonder why this Von Erich guy seems to get so randomly fired up all the time? Curious. Discus Punch hits the post, so Mountie works the hand, and uses a leveraged cradle at 12:42. Another really long, boring match. This felt like well over twenty minutes, I'm honestly surprised it was under thirteen, and wouldn't believe it if I hadn't timed it myself. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Undertaker v Jim Duggan: Hacksaw comes at him right away, and a clothesline sends Undertaker over the top, but the Dead Man lands on his feet. The crowd is surprisingly hot for Duggan, even passionately chanting 'USA.' Undertaker grabs a chokehold on the way back in, and that goes on for a while, since Undertaker was pretty useless as a worker before modifying the gimmick in the mid-90s. Undertaker with the ropewalk forearm, and then more choking. Duggan fights him off with an inverted atomic drop out of the corner, and he unloads a ten-punch, but it's not 2000 or later, so no Last Ride. Hacksaw's so lucky. Jim gets distracted by Paul Bearer stealing the 2x4 on the outside, allowing Undertaker to attack, and hit a jumping forearm. Someone should probably clue Jim in that it's a literal wooden board. It can be replaced. Maybe use the winner's end of the purse money? Instead, Duggan just grabs the 2x4, and tees off for the DQ at 6:17. Shit match, but the crowd was into it. What's wrong with these people? But, hey, at least it was short. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Legion of Doom v Power & Glory: Hawk starts with Paul Roma, and the champ wants a test-of-strength, but Paul is reluctant. Roma obliges, but quickly takes a cheap shot, so Hawk throws a dropkick at him, and Paul bails. Roma steals the high ground and pounds him, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Hawk uses a neckbreaker on him. Snapmare sets up a fistdrop for two, and both guys tag. Animal and Hercules do a power showdown, and Hercules actually gets the better of it with a clothesline. Cross corner whip works, but Animal rebounds out with a clothesline, and tags Hawk back in to unload on Hercules in the corner. Hercules fights him off with an inverted atomic drop, but Hawk reverses a turnbuckle smash with a series of them, and drills him with an uppercut. Tag to Roma to try a piledriver, since he's apparently never seen an LOD match, you know, ever. Hawk, of course, no-sells, and presses Roma into an incoming Hercules. Hawk adds a bodyslam to set up a flying clothesline, but Paul ducks, and the champ takes a spill to the outside. Hercules is ready with a drop across the rail out there, and the challengers go to work on Hawk. Collision in the corner allows the hot tag to Animal, and Roseanne Barr the door. Powerbomb on Roma gets two when Hercules saves, so Hawk brawls to the outside with him, allowing Paul to recover with a bodyslam. He heads up for a flying bodypress, but Animal catches him in a powerslam on the way down to retain at 9:06. And that was pretty much it for Power & Glory as a team, as they had one more televised match (that only aired in Spain) a few days later, and Roma was out of the promotion altogether by the time the European tour ended. * ¼ (Original rating: ¼*)

Davey Boy Smith v Barbarian: Lord Alfred Hayes acts as the guest ring announcer for this one. Bulldog is, of course, over huge here. Bulldog blocks a corner charge, and uses a 2^nd rope axehandle, then a dropkick to knock Barbarian to the outside. Back in, Smith works the arm, and it's pretty crazy how hot the crowd is for a simple armbar. And it's not JUST because of Davey, they've been like this all night. It's just extra sauce now. Criss cross allows Barbarian to absolutely clobber Bulldog with a big boot, knocking Smith to the outside. Barbarian follows to the outside to send Bulldog into the post a few times, but Davey beats the count back in, so Barbarian welcomes him with a forearm across the chest. Heenan trying to start his own 'Barbarian' chant to counter the 'Bulldog' chants is pretty funny. Barbarian works a chinlock, as Heenan covertly calls Davey a cokehead. Bulldog escapes the hold, so Barbarian throws a boot to the gut to cut off a comeback attempt, and he uses a piledriver for two. Bodyslam sets up a 2^nd rope elbowdrop, but Davey dodges, and it's comeback time in London. Clothesline sends Barbarian over the top, and Davey follows to introduce Barbarian into the guardrail. Back in, Bulldog throws a clothesline for two, and a hanging vertical suplex is worth two. Ten-punch and the Running Powerslam finish at 10:19. Really basic, but engaging. * (Original rating: DUD)

Main Event: 20-Man Battle Royal: Lord Alfred Hayes joins the commentary team for this one. We've got: Kerry Von Erich, Tito Santana, Mountie, Barbarian, Big Boss Man, Jim Duggan, Ric Flair, Davey Boy Smith, Undertaker, Roddy Piper, Hawk, Animal, Paul Roma, Hercules, Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetty, Earthquake, Typhoon, Brian Knobbs, and Jerry Sags. So, basically, mostly just guys we've already seen. They've spent the entire show hyping up the 'royal samovar' trophy, and listening to Hayes try to explain why the prize is a fucking tea pot is pretty funny. It's weird how sweaty guys who worked over an hour ago still are. Surprisingly, the Nasty Boys look the most fresh. Usual battle royal action with the only real highlight being Flair and Piper getting into it. It gets down to Boss Man, Bulldog, Mountie, and Typhoon, and Boss Man is first to go, after missing a charge at Mountie. That allows the heels to double up on Davey Boy, but an avalanche from Typhoon accidentally hits Mountie, and Smith makes the comeback. The heels try double teaming again, but Typhoon accidentally runs into Mountie once more, this time knocking him over the top. And, of course, Bulldog backdrops Typhoon out to win it at 14:38. Just your average battle royal here. Afterwards, the Natural Disasters attack Bulldog, but Andre the Giant comes out to make the save, and the poor Giant just looks to broken down and miserable here that it's more depressing to see him than anything else. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

BUExperience: Just a bad house show, but with a cool venue and a great crowd.

DUD