WWF at ARCO Arena (October 24, 1991)

Original Airdate: October 24, 1991

From Sacramento, California 

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Legion of Doom v The Natural Disasters: Hawk and Typhoon start, and Typhoon controls with power, but hits a boot while trying an avalanche, and Hawk dives with a 2nd rope clothesline for two. Tags all around, and Animal gets the better of a power exchange with Earthquake, but stupidly tries a slam, and gets toppled for two. That allows Earthquake a belly-to-belly suplex for two, but an elbowdrop misses, so Typhoon takes a cheap shot, and Earthquake dumps the champion to the outside. The heels work Animal over, but Hawk gets the tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Hawk gets dumped, allowing the challengers to gang up on Animal, but they get overzealous: shoving the referee, and drawing a DQ at 8:06. This was well paced for what it was, and didn’t overstay its welcome. These two teams always had a surprising amount of chemistry. ½*

Jim Neidhart v Berzerker: Jim’s got the New Foundation gear, but he hadn’t started teaming with Owen Hart yet at this point. Jim dominates their power exchanges to start, and he works a standing headlock, but Berzerker catches him with a big boot after forcing a criss cross. Berzerker ropechokes him (which Neidhart sells with such zeal that he literally flies across the ring, and ends up on the outside), and Berzerker follows to the outside to whack him with a chair. Berzerker is keen to take the countout win, but Jim beats it in, so Berzerker puts the boots to him. Backdrop, but Jim blocks with a facebuster, so Berzerker clotheslines him for two instead. Cross corner whip, but the charge in misses, and Jim looks for a comeback, so Berzerker rakes the eyes. He puts the boots to Anvil again, and a backelbow sets up a legdrop, but Jim rolls out of the way. He drops Berzerker across the top rope to muster a comeback, and a clothesline gets him two. Cross corner whip sets up a corner splash, but Berzerker catches him with a spinebuster coming in, and he hooks a leveraged cradle at 7:35. This was a lot better than I expected, with both guys keeping it active, and not a single resthold. Which is a pleasant surprise, since I was all but certain that we were in for a chinlock and bearhug exhibition. *

Big Boss Man v Irwin R Schyster: IRS sneak attacks him, and unloads a few turnbuckle smashes, but gets reversed on the third of the series. That allows Boss Man to get fired up, and he knocks IRS around until Irwin bails. Boss Man drags him back in for more abuse, but ends up missing a corner splash, and Irwin capitalizes with an elbowdrop. Boss Man rolls to the outside to try and recover, but IRS is on him, sending him into the steps out there. Boss Man beats the count, so Irwin works a leveraged abdominal stretch, but gets busted by the official. That allows Boss Man a small package for two, but IRS quickly fights him off, and delivers a pair of elbowdrops for two. Chinlock follows, but Boss Man fights free, and starts making a comeback. Boss Man goes up for a dive, but ends up landing on the top rope instead of hitting Irwin, and IRS hooks a leveraged pin at 8:02. Oh, but then the referee decides that he saw the feet on the ropes, and Boss Man schoolboys a distracted IRS at 8:17. Nothing to see here, but the crowd was into Boss Man. ½*

Main Event: Ric Flair v Roddy Piper: Posturing to start, as Flair plays mind games with him. Ric tries grabbing a headlock, but Piper is ready with a hammerlock, and fights Flair off when the Nature Boy tries a takedown. Flair catches him with a chop in the corner, and he unloads on the Hot Rod, but Piper returns fire. Spinning backfist takes Flair off of his feet, and the Nature Boy bails. Piper is on his tail for a smash into the steps, and Ric begs off on the way back inside, but Roddy shows no mercy - unloading in the corner. Flair goes low to fight him off, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop for two. Inverted atomic drop gets two, so Ric works a headlock, but it turns into a pinfall reversal sequence that ends in Piper hooking a backslid for two. Ric goes to the eyes to prevent a comeback, and he dumps Roddy to the outside to beat on with chops. Piper beats the count, so Flair tries a suplex, but Roddy counters with a rollup for two. Ric responds with more chops, but Piper gives him the staggered no-sell, and nails him with a clothesline. Into the corner for a ten-punch, but Flair blocks a bulldog, with the referee getting bumped in the process. Piper manages a an inside cradle, but there’s no referee. Backslide, no referee. Flair responds by blasting Piper with a chair for a dramatic two, but Piper recovers with a sleeper. Flair quickly escapes with a side suplex, and goes to the top, but Roddy knocks him off. Cross corner whip flips Flair onto the apron, and Roddy is ready with a clothesline. Swinging neckbreaker follows, and he grabs the chair for a little payback, but by now the referee has recovered, and he intervenes. That allows Flair to nail him, and a leveraged pin finishes at 11:51. Boy, they were all in with the leveraged pins tonight, huh? ** ¼ 

BUExperience: This version omits three undercard matches (Davey Boy Smith/Col Mustafa, Bret Hart/Mountie, Greg Valentine/Hercules), but of those three, only one was of any interest anyway. 

I’ll refrain from officially rating such an incomplete show, but I would say check out the main event, leave the rest alone.