WWF at Madison Square Garden (January 29, 1993)

 

Original Airdate: January 29, 1993

From New York, New York

Ted DiBiase v Randy Savage: Posturing to start, with DiBiase playing some mind games. Not hard to get in Savage’s head, after all. Ted stalls, but Macho catches up with him, and a series of jabs leads to a cross corner whip. Randy with a backdrop on the rebound for two, and he grounds DiBiase in a side-headlock. Ted fights to a vertical base and forces a criss cross, but Macho wins it with a hiptoss, and a hangman clothesline gets him two. Savage goes back to the back in another side-headlock, but DiBiase fights to a vertical base in the corner, and they takes a shot on the break. He tries a cross corner whip, but Randy reverses, and bootchokes him down. Jimmy Hart decides to distract Savage, and that allows DiBiase to get some traction, as he dumps Macho over the top. Ted follows to abuse him on the outside, and he rolls Savage back in to hammer with punches. DiBiase with a clothesline, and he chats with the referee, allowing Hart to get in some cheap shots. Backdrop, but Savage counters with a sunset flip for two, only for DiBiase to quickly cut him off. Ted puts the boots to him for two, but another attempt at a backdrop goes south, this time when Savage uses a backslide for two. Ted cuts him off again with a facebuster, and a vertical suplex gets DiBiase two. Ted goes to a chinlock from there, but Randy fights free, and again blocks a backdrop, this time with a facebuster. A high knee knocks DiBiase to the outside, and Macho follows to hammer him out there. Savage adds a flying axehandle on the floor, and a bodyslam sets up a flying elbowdrop, but DiBiase dodges. Both guys are staggered, but Ted’s up first, and goes for a bodyslam, but Randy hooks an inside cradle for two. DiBiase gets pissed, and slaps on the cobra clutch to put this thing away, but Macho manages to drop into the corner to break. Ted tries staying on him with a 2nd rope axehandle, but Savage blocks. Savage tries a rollup, but DiBiase blocks - only to walk into a DDT anyway at 13:03. I kind of wish DiBiase went for the backdrop one last time and got countered to the DDT there. It would have been a nice piece of booking. This would be the last ever match between these two, after years of on/off feuding. And it was a solid example of their chemistry as opponents. ** ½ 

Tatanka v Damien Demento: Demento pounds him at the bell, but Tatanka hooks a small package for two, and Damien backs off. Demento goes for an overhead wristlock, but Tatanka counters to a hammerlock, so Demento gets himself into the ropes. Demento goes to a standing headlock next, but Tatanka starts countering to an overhead wristlock of his own, so Demento slams him down to block, then stalls in the ropes and on the outside. Back in, Demento manages to grind with a side-headlock, but Tatanka forces a criss cross, and dumps him over the top. Tatanka tries dragging him back in, but Demento bails again to frustrate him, and he stalls some more. Back in, Tatanka gets a hammerlock on, but Demento quickly escapes. Tatanka manages a hiptoss and a bodyslam, and he takes Demento into the corner for chops. Tatanka with a cross corner whip to set up a clothesline on the rebound, so Demento goes to the eyes, and unloads in the corner. Cross corner whip, but Tatanka reverses, so Demento rebounds with a clothesline. Demento follows with a legdrop to the groin, and a backelbow gets him two. Chinlock, but Tatanka escapes, and goes on the comeback trail - finishing with a Samoan drop at 8:53. Decent from a storytelling perspective, but pretty dull from a workrate perspective. ¾*

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Bam Bam Bigelow: Hart uses his speed to frustrate Bigelow in the early going, but a lockup ends in Bam Bam dramatically shoving him out of the ring. Bret grabs a standing side-headlock on the way back in, but big Bigelow easily powers out, and knocks the champion out of the ring again with a shoulderblock during the resulting criss cross. Bret regroups, but gets nailed coming in. Bigelow tries a clothesline, but Hart ducks it, and rebounds off the ropes with a dropkick to knock Bam Bam on his ass for the first time. That allows Hart to go to a wristlock, so Bigelow corner whips him, but misses an avalanche. Back to the wristlock for the Hitman, but Bam Bam escapes. He tries a press-slam, but takes too long showboating, and Hart topples him for two. Hart stays on him with right hands, and a running backelbow knocks the challenger to the outside. Bret dives after him with a Thesz press from the apron, but Bigelow catches him, and rams the Hitman into the post. Bigelow rams him a second time for good measure, but Bret beats the count in, so Bigelow welcomes him with some stomps. A side suplex follows, and Hart is doing a characteristically great job of selling this all. Bigelow with a corner whip, and this time he opts to just come over and thump him instead of trying a charge. Bigelow goes to an overhead bearhug, but Hart fights, and Bam Bam has to shift to a regular bearhug. Bret keeps fighting, so Bigelow cracks him with a forearm, and goes to an overhead torture rack. Hart manages to kick off the ropes, allowing him to backdrop the challenger, but it takes so much out of Bret that Bigelow gets the cover for two. Bigelow keeps him grounded in a waistlock, but Bret escapes, and topples for two. A 2nd rope bulldog follows, and Hart goes for the Sharpshooter, but Bigelow blocks. Bret pops up and charges, but Bigelow is ready with a bearhug. Bret bites his way free, and tries a side suplex, but Bigelow topples him for two. A cross corner whip works, but Bigelow is either feeling arrogant, or he’s too dazed to realize, and tries the avalanche again - hitting Bret’s boot for his trouble! That allows Hart to get up with a victory roll for the pin at 12:42. I completely understand why Bigelow was one of Hart’s favorite opponents to work with. They had great chemistry. They really only had one match that they did every time, but they did that one match very well. ***

The Headshrinkers v Virgil and Jim Powers: Samu and Virgil start, and Virgil sticks and moves. Virgil catches him with a bodypress for two, so Samu wisely shifts into his home corner, and the heels double team. Virgil gets away, and Fatu tags in, calling for a test-of-strength. Virgil manages to get a wristlock on out of it, but he makes the mistake of passing to idiot Powers, and Jim immediately gets suplexed. Lucky for him, Fatu misses an elbowdrop, and Powers manages to win a criss cross as well. Jim looks so deflated here. Not, like, psychologically, but physically. Tag to Virgil, who promptly gets waffled in the corner, and the Headshrinkers double team to get full control of the bout. They work Virgil over, until Samu misses an avalanche, and Powers gets the hot tag. He runs wild on both heels, but makes the mistake of bashing their heads together, and gets killed. Serves him right. Fatu hits him with the flying splash at 9:48. ½*

Ric Flair v Mr. Perfect: This is Perfect’s first MSG match since SummerSlam 1991, and Flair’s last of this run. A criss cross to start, won by Perfect. Flair tries a hammerlock, but Perfect quickly reverses, so Flair uses a drop-toehold into a front-facelock, but Perfect counters back to a hammerlock. Flair fights to a vertical base in the corner, and takes a cheap shot on the break, then follows it up by going to town in the corner. Perfect turns the tables via chops, and he stays on Ric with jabs until Flair begs off. Flair goes to the eyes to shake him off, and he dumps Perfect over the top from there. Perfect beats the count, so Flair cross corner whips him, and Perfect takes another bump over the top off of it. Ric with a snapmare on the way back in, setting up a kneedrop for two. To the top, but Perfect slams him off, and goes to a figure four! Ric makes the ropes, so Perfect hammers him with punches after giving him a break, and Bobby Heenan passes Ric a weapon. That gets Bobby ejected by Sgt. Slaughter, and Perfect takes Ric into the corner for a ten-punch. Slaughter didn’t bother taking the weapon, though. No matter, Perfect backdrops Flair for two, but Ric manages to dump him to the outside to buy some time. Ric cracks him with chops as Perfect tries getting back in, and Flair uses a cross corner whip to rebound Perfect into a sleeper. Ric uses the ropes for added leverage, and Perfect fades, but manages to recover on the third arm drop. He drops Ric into the turnbuckle to break the hold, and Flair flops, but still recovers first. Flair whips him into the ropes, but Perfect reverses, and gets a sleeper of his own. Ric quickly escapes with a kneebreaker, and he goes to a figure four, but gets busted using the ropes. Ric stays on the leg anyway, and he takes Perfect into the corner to unload on, battering the knee. Back to the figure four, but Perfect cradles for two. Ric responds by going to chops, but Perfect throws punches, and wins the exchange. Ric tries a knife-edge, but Perfect ducks, and clotheslines him over the top. Flair pulls him out after him, and tries bashing him into the post out there, but Perfect reverses. Back in, Flair desperately tries a hiptoss, but Perfect counters to a backslide for two. Flair reaches into the bag of tricks and pulls out more chops, but Perfect is in comeback mode now. Rollup, but Ric blocks, so Perfect bashes him with a forearm instead, for two. Flair begs off, but Perfect stays on him in the corner, so Flair pulls out the weapon Heenan fed him earlier, and knocks Perfect silly with it for a dramatic two count. Ric decides to up the ante with a suplex over the top, but Perfect reverses it inside, and covers for two. Perfect tries a backdrop, but Flair blocks. He tries a backdrop of his own, but Perfect counters to the bridging fisherman suplex - only for Razor Ramon to run in for the DQ at 16:12. I’m not really sure why this couldn’t get a clean finish, considering Flair had already lost the Loser Leaves Town match to Perfect on TV by this point, and that he was on the way out. And if you’re doing that finish, would it have killed them to have it be Lex Luger who comes in? A really good match, regardless, and one of Ric’s last in the WWF before leaving a couple of weeks later. *** ¼ 

Typhoon v Berzerker: They measure each other a bunch to start, dominated by Typhoon. Berzerker takes a cheap shot during a test-of-strength, but Typhoon dumps him over the top before he can make much of it. Berzerker manages to pound him down on the way back in, though, and he uses a bunch of ropechokes. Cross corner whip, but Typhoon reverses, only to miss the avalanche in. That allows Berzerker to cover for two, but Typhoon fires back with an atomic drop, and he hits the avalanche on the next go for the pin at 5:46. Nothing to this one. DUD

Big Boss Man v Razor Ramon: Nearing the end of Boss Man’s run here, though he’s still over. Posturing to start, with Boss Man in control of things. Boss Man hooks a schoolboy for two, and a small package gets another two. A hiptoss sends Ramon bailing, and he stalls to buy some time to regroup. Razor calls for a test-of-strength on the way back in, and immediately takes a cheap shot, then hooks Boss Man in a bow-and-arrow. That drags on for a while before Boss Man finally reverses, but Razor quickly escapes. Ramon manages to knock Boss Man to the outside for a bit of abuse, and a cross corner whip rattles the ring on the way back in, getting the Bad Guy two. Razor keeps hammering, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets clobbered. Boss Man makes a comeback on him, but misses an avalanche, and Ramon schoolboys at 8:38. Dull stuff here. DUD

Irwin R Schyster v Undertaker: IRS forces him into a chase and attacks after securing the high ground, but Undertaker no-sells him. IRS tries a turnbuckle smash, but Undertaker no-sells that as well, and chokes him in the corner. Undertaker with the ropewalk forearm, and a bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, but Irwin dodges. Not that Undertaker really sold the miss, anyway. IRS clotheslines him over the top, but Undertaker lands on his feet, and beats up Jimmy Hart while he’s out there. That allows Irwin to attack from behind, and Undertaker is finally selling something. He’s worse than Scott Norton! Inside, IRS goes to work, and he hits the jumping clothesline pretty quickly, but Undertaker sits right up. IRS stays on him with a bodyslam to set up a pair of elbowdrops, and he decides to go to the top, but a dive lands on Undertaker’s fist. That allows Undertaker to recover with a tombstone at 4:08. This was more of a squash than I expected. DUD

BUExperience: This version omits Tito Santana/Skinner, Steiner Brothers/Beverly Brothers, and the main event of Shawn Michaels/Bob Backlund for the Intercontinental title.

This was a Headlock on Hunger benefit show, and man did they have a stacked card! I won’t rate it since there was just so much missing with this version, but what’s left is one of the better house shows I’ve ever seen, with guys turning it up, and having televised level matches. Lots of historical tidbits, too. Well worth a look.