WWF Superstars (November 14, 1992)

Original Airdate: November 14, 1992 (taped October 12)

 

From Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Mr. Perfect

 

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Davey Boy Smith v Repo Man: At least we're finally getting a TV match between these two, after they were feuding through the spring/early summer. Repo tries a takedown to start, but Bulldog outwrestles him on the mat. Davey with a press-slam to set up a chinlock, but a criss cross ends badly when Repo catches him with a hotshot. Repo adds a legdrop for two, and he holds the champion in a short-armscissors, as the announcers note that Bulldog will be defending the title again tonight against Shawn Michaels on Saturday Night's Main Event, should he retain. Perfect, of course, notes how stupid this is of him. Repo works the arm/shoulder, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Smith schoolboys him for two. Repo responds with a clothesline for two, and he goes back to the armbar to cool the champ down. Backbreaker leads to a 2^nd rope axehandle, but Davey blocks, and covers for two. Bulldog with a hanging vertical suplex for two, and the Running Powerslam finishes at 4:52. Bulldog had already wrestled his last match for the promotion by the time this aired, and after the match where he drops the title to Shawn aired that same evening, we don't see Davey in the WWF again until SummerSlam '94. *

 

Another video on the life and times of Bob Backlund. Watching this, you'd never guess in a million years that he'd somehow end up with the WWF Title again when all was said and done

 

The Headshrinkers v Jim Powers and Bob St. Laurent: Doink the Clown shows up in the aisle as the match gets started, still not doing anything of note. I liked those slow build debuts from this era, though, with weeks and weeks of just nothing appearances to introduce characters. And I'm not being sarcastic. Not every debut has to go that way, but it was useful, and another casualty of the Monday Night Wars. Fatu with the flying splash at 1:50. I think maybe the Doink stuff was spliced in after the fact, because the crowd doesn't even seem to be glancing in that direction during the match at any point. DUD

 

Rick Martel is parading around like some sort of boat captain. Okay, I change my mind. I hope Tatanka fucks him up. Where I come from, you don't wear that kind of hat unless you've earned it. You just don't

 

Big Boss Man is still ready to crack Nailz's head open at Survivor Series. For all the big talk, the violent debut angle, and the 'viewer discretion' warnings, boy, that blow off ended up being really mundane

 

Bam Bam Bigelow is hot as hell

 

Marty Jannetty v Iron Mike Sharpe: Marty's back, and he looks like a Party City come to life! It's weird how many dead feuds they were resurrecting during this period, with Bulldog/Repo and Tatanka/Martel, while Jannetty/Michaels had been simmering even longer, yet was still a hot angle. Jannetty with a flying fistdrop at 2:02. DUD

 

Lord Alfred Hayes is in the studio to talk about what a fighting WWF Champion Bret Hart is. Yeah, well, how'd that work out for the British Bulldog? He defended against Berzerker on Prime Time Wrestling, will defend against Papa Shango tonight on Saturday Night's Main Event, and next week, he's got Virgil. How did VIRGIL earn a title shot? Especially since they're selling it like Bret having to honor Ric Flair's obligations to defend. This is why I can't take Tatanka seriously. He's got an undefeated streak of nearly a year, and Virgil is getting title shots ahead of him?

 

Nailz v Ken Johnson: Nailz goes right to the chokehold, which Vince notes is 'what he does best.' Wait, I thought that's Lex Luger? Hmm... didn't Lex have a non-compete clause in his WCW contract, which is why he was doing WBF instead of wrestling all year? And didn't the WWF have a world class makeup team? And didn't Nailz leave the promotion just weeks before Lex Luger debuted? Coincidences? I don't think so. Choke sleeper finishes at 2:04, as Doink dances around in the crowd. DUD

 

Saturday Night's Main Event ad

 

Joe Bevins brings the Natural Disasters and the Nasty Boys all out for an interview, in what is clearly from an entirely different set of tapings than the Saskatoon ones. It's hard to take the Disasters making threats seriously after seeing them get straight up squashed by Money Inc when they lost the title

 

Gene Okerlund is in the studio with the Survivor Series Report, featuring dueling pre-taped promos from Ric Flair/Razor Ramon and the Ultimate Maniacs. Thankfully they finally did some in-arena stuff at SNME, because all these socially distanced promos are not selling this thing

 

Kamala v Steve Gillespie: Vince hypes up the Survivor Series Hotline, where apparently, you can call in, leave your name and number, and a wrestler will call you during the pay per view. Did anybody ever try this, or those Cameo-like personalized greetings they were pushing a couple of years later? Kamala with the splash at 1:35. Did anybody seriously buy Kamala as a threat to Undertaker whatsoever? He can't figure out pinfalls, he runs away crying, Undertaker no-sold all his stuff at SummerSlam... were they seriously expecting that to get over? DUD

 

Speaking of Undertaker, he and Paul Bearer are in the workshop, putting together the casket for Survivor Series

 

Tatanka is feeling ornery. Well, maybe he should spend time with a model that isn't Rick Martel. Might help

 

WWF Tag Team Champions Money Inc and the Beverly Brothers are hanging out, sans managers. That's dangerous

 

BUExperience: After a string of hot episodes, this one was decidedly weaker. Not bad, but not a whole lot going on, mostly just passive hype for Saturday Night’s Main Event and Survivor Series.