WWF at Providence Civic Center (January 30, 1992)

 

Original Airdate: January 30, 1992

From Providence, Rhode Island

Jimmy Snuka v Shawn Michaels: Some posturing to start, until Shawn throws a cheap shot to take control. He tries a backdrop, but Snuka blocks with a sunset flip, and a clothesline sends Michaels to the outside to regroup. Back in for a criss cross, and Shawn launches Jimmy over the top to win it. Shawn keeps him on the outside with several blocks to keep Snuka from climbing in, before finally bringing Jimmy in the hard way with a suplex from the apron for two. Shawn with a cross corner whip to set up a backdrop on the rebound, and he pops Jimmy with a few jabs, then goes to the eyes. Another backdrop, but Snuka is ready with a small package for two, so Michaels quickly cuts him off with an axehandle. Shawn adds a snapmare to set up a chinlock, but Snuka escapes. He tries a cross corner whip, but Shawn reverses, though Snuka dodges the charge. A criss cross allows Snuka a rollup, but Michaels reverses, and scores the pin with a handful of tights at 9:29. Shawn still had a long way to go to becoming the master level worker he became, but he was already really great even here, carrying a washed up Snuka to a watchable match. Keep in mind that this is the same Snuka that’s one year away from bumbling around in early ECW. *

Bret Hart v Mountie: Stalling from Mountie early on, but Bret gets him in the corner, and unloads with rights. A Russian legsweep follows, and Mountie wisely bails. Back in, Hart hits an atomic drop and a clothesline, so Mountie tries bailing again, but Bret keeps him inside this time. Hart stomps the groin ahead of a backbreaker, but Mountie goes to the eyes to block him, and he hammers the Hitman into the corner. Mountie wastes time gloating, and gets nailed, allowing Bret to win a criss cross by blocking a monkey flip with a pointed elbowdrop. Hart with a series of turnbuckle smashes, but a cross corner whip gets reversed on him, and the Hitman takes the bump with his usual gusto. Can’t accuse him of phoning it on on the house shows with that bump. Mountie lands a jumping backelbow for two, and he goes to the ground with a reverse chinlock. Bret fights, so Mountie dumps him to the outside, and nails him with a chair out there. Hart beats the count, so Mountie gets him in a hammerlock, and returns the favor with a series of his own turnbuckle smashes. Mountie traps him in a tree of woe for some abuse, and it’s back to the reverse chinlock from there. Hart escapes, and tries a criss cross, but Mountie throws a knee to keep control. Backdrop, but Bret is ready with a knee of his own to block, and the Hitman makes a comeback. A 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop sets up the Sharpshooter, and Mountie is done at 8:54. Really strong chemistry here. ** ¼ 

Rick Martel v Virgil: Posturing to start, dominated by Martel. Virgil dodges him in the corner, however, so Rick starts teeing off on him. He wastes time gloating, though, and Virgil knocks him to the outside with a clothesline. Rick throws a cheap shot on the way back in, allowing him to take control, and he hammers away. A kneesmash in the corner misses, allowing Virgil to take him down in a toehold. Martel manages to escape and dump Virgil to the outside, and a clothesline back in gets the Model two. Rick puts the boots to him until Virgil falls back out of the ring, but Virgil comes back in strong with a sunset flip for two. Martel cuts him off, but a 2nd rope axehandle gets blocked, and Virgil properly goes on the comeback trail. Virgil with a kneelift for two, but Rick sweeps him into a leveraged cradle in the corner at 12:09. This was pretty dull. ½*

Randy Savage v Jake Roberts: Macho is on him immediately, of course, and Jake gets sent into the post right away. Randy chokes him a bit before throwing a chair into the ring, but the referee prevents its usage. No matter, Savage goes after Jake with another choke, but Roberts manages a cheap shot, and he tosses Randy over the top. Savage is so mad that he pops right back up and hustles in to give Jake a series of turnbuckle smashes, but Roberts fights him off again, and launches him back over the top. This time, Jake dollows to send him into the post out there, and he pops Macho with a few elbowsmashes on the way back inside. Jake adds an inverted atomic drop, but Savage claws his way to a vertical base, so Roberts hammers him in the corner. Roberts with a snapmare to set up a bootrake, so Randy starts throwing rights, but Jake dumps him to the outside before Savage can get too far. Back in, Jake with a series of jabs to put Savage on his rear end, and he continues hammering on the battered Macho Man. Backdrop, but Savage blocks, so Jake tries a short-clothesline, but Savage ducks. That allows Macho to pound him into the corner, and a cross corner whip rebounds Jake into a backelbow. Savage goes upstairs for a flying axehandle, and another cross corner whip leads to a charge, but Jake blocks with a knee. That leaves both guys down, and Jake recovers first with a short-clothesline. DDT time, but Savage blocks, and dives on Jake for the pin at 7:22. This was engaging, and in a lot of ways better than their higher profile meetings were. * ½ 

Kerry Von Erich v Repo Man: Lots of stalling from Repo to start, and he manages to cheap shot Von Erich after they engage. Repo with a ropechoke as her works Kerry over, but Von Erich reverses him into the corner, and uses a hiptoss. Discus punch, but Repo ducks, so Kerry settles for an armdrag into an armbar. Repo fights to a vertical base in the ropes, and takes a cheap shot on the break, but gets nailed during a criss cross. That allows Von Erich to go back to the armbar, but a corner charge misses, and Repo gets an armbar of his own on. He dumps Kerry to the outside for a smash into the steps, but Von Erich beats the count, so Repo tags him with a right hand. Kerry pulls him to the outside for a brawl, but a discus punch against the post misses, and Kerry smashes up his hand. Inside, that allows Repo a schoolboy at 8:30. The ending felt a little abrupt there, like they were missing the last leg of the match. Not that I’m complaining, I’m glad it didn’t last longer than it did. ¼*

The Nasty Boys v Sgt. Slaughter and Jim Duggan: The entrances take forever here, with the Nasties refusing to get in, and the babyfaces playing to the crowd. They finally start with Jerry Sags and Duggan… and Sags immediately stalls. Jim hammers him with rights once Sags engages, and an atomic drop leads to a pair of clotheslines, so Brian Knobbs runs in, but gets pinballed by the babyfaces. The Boys bail, and the dust settles on Sags and Slaughter. Sags manages to dump him to the outside for Knobbs to abuse, and the tide, she has’a turned! The Nasties work Slaughter over, until he fights off a double team with a double clothesline, and makes the hot tag. Jim runs wild, and hits Sags with the three-point stance, but Knobbs breaks the pin at two. That draws Sarge back in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Sags grabs the 2x4, but Duggan knocks it away from him, and the Nasties end up bailing to take the countout at 11:15. Long, boring, and had a bad finish. A real trifecta. ¼*

Main Event: Undertaker v Sid Justice: Undertaker chokes him into the corner at the bell, but misses a charge, and Sid throws a few chops. A clothesline sends Undertaker over the top, but he lands on his feet, and pulls Justice out with him. Undertaker hammers him against the guardrail, so Sid grabs a chair, and tees off. Inside, Sid tries a backdrop, but Undertaker blocks, and uses a ropechoke. Sid bails, and decides to go after Paul Bearer, but not as a way to sucker Undertaker out or anything, but as an actual strategy. That gets him clobbered by Undertaker, and rightly so, because he’s a moron. Back inside, Undertaker with another choke, but Sid escapes with an inverted atomic drop, and he corner whips him. Charge, but Undertaker lifts a boot to block, and comes barreling out of the corner with a clothesline. More choking, but Sid escapes, and goes after Paul again. That allows Undertaker to grab the urn, but Sid gets it away from him, and knocks Undertaker cold. Cover, but the referee calls for the bell, disqualifying Sid over the urn shot at 6:55. I mean, you weren’t expecting this to be good, were you? DUD

BUExperience: This version omits the Kato/Chris Walker opener, but who really cares about that? The rest is solid house show action, with pleasantly energetic Bret/Mountie and Savage/Roberts matches, but definitely nothing special, or really worth going out of your way to see. 

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