WWF Mania (9/4/93)

Host: Todd Pettingill

We are officially in the aftermath of Summerslam and what a disaster it was for Vince McMahon's babyfaces. Jerry Lawler is the undisputed King of The Ring despite a heroic effort from Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels is still the Intercontinental champion after a dud of a match with Mr. Perfect and Yokozuna is still the WWF Champion despite one of the most bizarre endings to a ppv ever. For those that don't know, see the Summerslam 93 write-up. Todd welcomes us in Beetlejuice pants and says he's proud to wear the red, white and blue and Lex Luger did what he'd say he was gonna do. He runs down today's show saying we'll see a Lex Luger video and a Mr. Perfect match. He sends us to "Macho Man" Randy Savage who cuts a promo bouncing back and forth behind a tree. Randy says he's got an interview with Bret "The Hitman" Hart that none other reporter has, whoomp there it is. Yes he legit said that. Todd says he misses Randy in the studio so he does a dead-on impersonation of Randy. After that we send us to our first match.

Match 1

Mr. Perfect vs Duane Gill

Commentators: Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon

Ross and Monsoon are doing the overdub for this one even though this is the exact same match from the August 28, 1993 Superstars. Perfect grabs Duane by the face and backs him into the corner before chopping his chest. Duane hits a hiptoss and taunts Perfect only to eat a right hand. Perfect chops Duane in the corner before snapping him and hitting his Perfect neckbreaker. Perfect hits a dropkick as Ross and Monsoon discuss what happened at Summerslam. Duane bails to the apron and Perfect slingshots him back in the ring the hard way. Perfect says now we're gonna see the Perfect Plex. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex for 1..2....3...that's it. Perfect makes short work of Gill.

Time of match: 1:21

Winner: Mr. Perfect by pinfall

After the match we're sent to a WWF merchandise catalog commercial. Ironically they're still selling Hulkamania items, but the problem was the t-shirt designs were kind of lame. It wasn't until a few years later that black t-shirts with print was the way to go. Back to Todd who has Macho Man's hat and he tries to play hackey sack with it. Todd sends us to our next match.

Match 2

Well Dunn (Timothy Well & Steven Dunn) vs Mike Khoury and Scott Amonte

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross

This match was from the July 27th show in Plattsburgh but it's the Mania exclusive this week. Dunn starts with Amonte and Dunn gets an armringer but Amonte does a go-behind only to eat an elbow to the head. Almonte shoulderblocks Dunn down bit Steven throws him through the ropes to the outside. Monsoon and Ross says they need a manager as Amonte misses a sunset flip attempt but Well tags in. Well sends Dunn into Amonte in the corner then Well gets in a roundhouse kick. They make frequent tags doing snap suplexes as Well says "What do you think about that?" Well hits a belly to belly suplex as Dunn tags in. A double atomic drop is followed by a double clothesline. They club Khoury off the apron as Dunn sends Amonte in the corner. A charge eats boot and Amonte makes the tag to Khoury who rallies with punches and kicks. Well makes the tag without Khoury seeing it and he runs under Dunn right into a Well lariat. They hit a double DDT and Dunn covers for 1...2....3 that's it. Least Khoury & Amonte got in some offense in this squash but Well Dunn take it. They did need a manager but it wouldn't be Jim Cornette as Gorilla Monsoon insisted.

Time of match: 2:51

Winners: Well Dunn by pinfall

Back to Todd who's production assistant completely ignores him before Todd plugs the Summerslam encore this coming Monday night. This would be the third and final week that Raw would not be on the air due to USA programming so they're going to show the encore that night to make up for it. Todd sends us to that "I'll Be Your Hero" music video from the Lex Express which is once again too late since Lex choked the title match. Back to Todd who says Lex didn't have to be on that bus, he wanted to. Yeah right.....although Todd tries to spin it to saying Lex beat Yokozuna even though he didn't win the title. Promotional consideration paid for by the following: Ico-Pro you've gotta want it! Jurassic Park toys and Street Fighter 2 Turbo featuring the live action Chun-Li.

Match 3

123 Kid vs Brooklyn Brawler

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross

Its the exact same match from last week's superstars only with Ross and Monsoon on the overdub. Bell's gone as Ross puts over Kid's valiant effort against IRS at Summerlam as Brawler takes Kid down by the hair. Kid goes for the hammerlock then sends Brawler off the rope into a spinning heel kick. Brawler drops kid with a clothesline and drops him throat first off the top rope. Brawler takes his shirt off and chokes Kid with it before heaving Kid across the ring. Brawler hits a swinging neckbreaker and goes upstairs. Kid slams him off the top before hitting a snap mare. Kid goes to the top and drops a leg before covering for 1..2....3...its over. Kid wins another match albeit against the Brawler. Short and sweet for the Kid who's a regular star now.

Time of match: 1:59

Winner: 123 Kid by pinfall

Back to Todd says nice win for the Kid and sends us to Ludvig Borga. He cuts a promo in front of a burnt down house and says this represents America; its crumbling and means nothing. Borga says what's happening to the decrepit house is going to happen to WWF superstars that get in his way, happy Labor Day. Back to Todd who says happy Labor Day and Borga doesn't know anything. He does speculate what would happen if Borga and Luger would meet. Todd says Bastion Booger is in action next when we return.

Match 4

Bastion Booger vs Phil Apollo

Commenators: Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross

This is the exact same match from the August 15th episode of All-American Wrestling also from the July 27th Plattsburgh show. Monsoon says he ate a dozen eclairs from Dunkin Donuts a half hour ago. Booger starts with forearms to the back before sending Apollo off the ropes. Apollo ducks under a clothesline and dropkicks Booger who barely sells it. Booger blocks a second dropkick before landing another forearm to the back. Booger rams Apollo's head into the buckle then sends him off the ropes. Booger hits a clothesline and steps on Phil in the corner. Booger hits a back drop and drops the big leg. Booger goes up to the second rope and splashes Apollo but he tells referee Tim White he's not done yet. Booger hits a right hand but Phil kicks Booger in the gut. Booger rakes Apollo against the middle rope before landing another right hand. Booger sends Apollo off and catches him in a power slam. Booger then takes Apollo on a Trip To The Batcave (that Monsoon calls the Chubby Checker Drop) for 1....2.....3 to win the match. Booger makes quick work of Apollo and establishes himself as a grotesque looking fella.

Time of match: 2:35

Winner: Booger by pinfall

Back to Todd who hilariously mimics Booger's dance still wearing Randy's hat and we finally go to Savage himself who's with Bret Hart. Savage asks what he thinks of Summerslam and Bret says it bothers him that all the guys he beat at King of The Ring and damn near snapping Lawler in half....yet Lawler is the undisputed King. Bret says he's humiliated him, his family and his fans yet he's the winner. Bret says this isn't over yet and the big battle is coming. Bret says he's going to obliterate Jerry Lawler after he's done with him. Randy says Lawler crossed the line talking about family and Bret says his whole family hates Lawler and Bret has a fire inside thinking about him and they're gonna face off one more time, next time there is no way out. Randy and Bret shakes hands as Randy says he doesn't want to be in Lawler's shoes. This was definitely setting up for Survivor Series but that was still 3 months away. Not to go off on a tangent but sometimes having monthly or frequent ppvs is a double edged sword because while it showcases feuds better to have something to build toward every few weeks, a lot of it gets oversaturated and loses its mojo. Nowadays it would be Lawler vs Owen on the September ppv and maybe Bret & Owen vs Doink & Lawler in October but back then you had to wait for the payoff. Back to Todd who says Bret looks mad and says King's Court tomorrow is going to be interesting. Todd sends us to a Smoking Gunns match.

Match 5

The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) vs Barry Hardy and Reno Riggins

Gorilla Monsoon & Jim Ross

Once again we're pilfering a match from last week's Superstars only with Monsoon and Ross on the overdub. Bell's gone as Billy starts with Hardy. Billy yells at the crowd and locks in an arm-ringer. Bart quickly tags in and keeps up the arm-ringer before tagging Billy back in. Bart does a drop-toe hold and Billy delivers a leg-drop to the back of the leg. Billy hits a half-bulldog/half lariat before Bart tags in. Bart tosses Hardy into his corner as Monsoon asks if they've seen the last of the Heavenly Bodies. Ross says no as Riggins tags in. Bart unloads on Riggins and hits a scoop slam as Monsoon puts over the Bodies match at Summerslam. Billy tags in who hits a jumping leg-drop. Ross says we haven't seen the last of James E Cornette and Monsoons says unfortunately that's true. The Gunns hit a double russian leg sweep before Billy hits a powerslam off the ropes. Billy tags in Bart then sends Riggins off the ropes. Billy backdrops Riggins into a piledriver by Bart. Billy takes care of Hardy as Bart covers for 1...2....3 that's it. Kind of hinting at a Bodies vs Gunns showdown in the future by Ross and like I said earlier, in the pre-monthly ppv days tag team feuds had to have something special behind them.

Time of match: 2:18

Winners: Gunns by pinfall

After the commercial break we go right to the main event

Match 6

The Headshrinkers (Samu & Fatu) with Afa vs Virgil and "El Matator" Tito Santana

Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross

Jesus Christ this match was shown on the last ever Prime Time way back in January plus it was taped last December to boot. They're literally broadcasting a match that aired 8 months earlier, that would have been ridiculous in 1998 yet alone today. Santana's last match was on August 13th so he was technically not even in the company anymore. Anyway the bell rings and the Shrinkers aren't ready yet as they do their ceremonial last rites with Afa. Samu starts with Santana and they lock up to start with Samu throwing Tito backwards. Samu throws Santana down and threatens to hit Virgil but Matatdor hits a series of arm-drags and dropkicks. Santana wants a piece of Afa as Samu confers with Fatu. Santana gets in a side headlock but gets sendoff only to drop Samu with a shoulderblock. Samu leapfrogs Santana but gets caught with an arm-drag. Virgil tags in who comes off the top with a smash to the left arm. Virgil continues to ring the arm but Samu counters with a right hand and a headbutt. Samu misses an elbow drop as Virgil locks in an arm-ringer before tagging Santana. They hit a double elbow smash as Santana goes back to the arm but Samu chops Tito against the ropes. Tito goes for a backdrop but Samu hits a forearm to the back before tagging in Fatu. Fatu misses a falling headbutt and Virgil tags in with left jabs. Virgil uses his agility to evade Fatu and catches him with a crucifix for 1...2...nope. Fatu no-sells the left jabs then hits a back suplex on him. Fatu scoop slams Virgil and chokes away on the ground. Fatu bites the head of Virgil before sending him into a thrust by Samu. Samu tags in and hits a thrust kick before taunting the crowd. Samu bites the nose of Virgil before chopping in the corner before sending Virgil across the ring. Samu misses a splash in the corner and Santana tags in. He rallies with right hands before backdropping Samu. He dropkicks Fatu then backdrops Samu, He goes for the flying forearm but Afa trips him up. Samu clotheslines Santana from behind. Fatu tags in and they execute a double chop. Fatu chokes Tito on the second rope but Santana counters with an uppercut. Virgil gets in the ring and the Shrinkers double team Santana while referee Bill Alfonso shoos Virgil away. Samu clotheslines Fatu by accident and Virgil gets the hot tag. Virgil dropkicks Fatu then Samu. Virgil stomps on their toes and does a double DDT but they no sell it. So he foolishly tries to ram their heads together which they also no-sell. They double headbutt Virgil as Samu tags in Fatu. Fatu hits the top rope splash and covers for 1..2......3 that's it. The Headshrinkers win it as Afa yells at the camera. Jim Ross says they deserve a title shot against the Steiners. Even though the match was essentially almost a year old, their Wrestlemania 9 showdown did show that the two teams looked good. Wouldn't be a bad idea to have the Steiners defend against the Headshrinkers.

Time of match: 9:34

Winners: Headshrinkers by pinfall

Promotional consideration paid for by the following: The Simpsons Bart's Nightmare for Sega Genesis, snap into a Slim Jim, Spiderman & X-Men on Sega Genesis. Back to Todd who spins Savage's hat like a top before sending it back to Savage who is now with a bunch of kids. He signs off the show with the kids and we're done here. They were still showing old matches on Mania but Todd did his best to keep everyone updated without giving away too much since Vince still wanted to sell the encore to Summerslam that coming Monday night. That's how it was done in those days, the week after a PPV was usually a washout because they had to shill the encore. Nowadays with the internet, everyone's seen it anyway. We have three months to Survivor Series so its going to get real house show heavy moving forward. Superstars is literally only a few hours away from this show so I'll see everyone there.

WWF 1993 Summerslam (8/30/93)

SUMMERSLAM 93

The Palace at Auburn Hills

Auburn Hills, Michigan

August 30, 1993

Commentators: Vince McMahon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

The Lex Express has finally made it to Summerslam damn near two months after bodyslamming Yokozuna on the deck of the Intrepid. Lex Luger finally has his title shot against the WWF Champion but Jim Cornette has made sure this is Lex's only shot. Bret Hart and Jerry The King Lawler settle their feud in a one on one showdown after what happened at King of The Ring. Razor Ramon and Ted Dibiase settle their beef which started when the 123 Kid upset Razor. Speaking of Kid, he takes on Ted's partner IRS as well. The Undertaker takes on Giant Gonzalez in a Rest In Piece match to settle that feud once and for all. Smoky Mountain Wrestling's The Heavenly Bodies battle The Steiner Brothers for the WWF Tag Team Championship and Ludvig Borga makes his ppv debut against former Intercontinental Champion Marty Jannetty. Also we got a six man tag as Tatanka and The Smoking Gunns face off with Bam Bam Bigelow and The Headshrinkers. Last but not least is what should be one of the best matches of all time, Mr. Perfect vs Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship. Both of them had classics with Bret Hart so everyone is buzzing on what they can do together. All in all it sounds like a great show. Before the show officially started there was a dark match for the crowd.

Dark match:

"The Rocket" Owen Hart vs Barry Horrowitz

Apparently Bret's brother Owen opened the night with jobber Hall of Famer Horrowitz. No photo or video exists of this match but Owen got the victory.

Winner: Owen Hart

The show opens with Gene Okerlund making his final ppv appearance for 8 years in the form of a voice-over saying Lex Luger has arrived at Summerslam before we go to the opening graphic. Vince welcomes us with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan at ring-side and they run down the card. After that, its time for the first official match, let's go to the Fink.

Match 1

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase vs Razor Ramon

This all goes back to the May 17th Monday Night Raw where Razor Ramon was upset by the 123 Kid. One month later Razor put up $10,000 for Kid to wrestle him again which ended with Kid running off the with the money. Fellow heels Money Inc laughed at Razor causing him to turn face. Razor got his revenge by costing Dibiase a match on the August 1st episode of Wrestling Challenge against the Kid. Now they split up Money INC for tonight's show with Kid against IRS and Dibiase facing Razor. Ramon comes out in the pink tights and Ted attacks him in the corner before the bell rings. Dibiase kicks away at Ramon who still has his vest on and Dibiase slugs away at him. Ted chops Razor in the corner but Razor reverses a whip and backdrops him. Razor hits a fallaway slam and drops Ted with a right hand. Ted bails to the outside as Razor finally sheds his vest. Vince says 123 Kid will be making his ppv debut as Heenan cracks a joke saying Razor should have been a domestic servant for Dibiase. Ramon drops Ted with a series of clotheslines including one over the top rope to the floor. Razor brings Ted in the hard way and he begs off. Razor stalks him but Ted sends Razor tights first into the buckle. Ted chokes Razor across the top rope as Heenan screams for Ted to choke him. Ted snaps Razor of the top and chokes him on the mat as well. Ted catches Razor with a back elbow smash and a backbreaker. Ted covers for 1...2....nope. Ted drops Razor with a clothesline and covers again for 1...2....no. Ted snaps Razor over and locks in a chinlock as Vince says its a choke. Referee Jimmy Korderas doesn't seem to notice as Razor begins to fade. Vince says Razor is "having his problems" as Razor revives and rallies with elbows but Ted stops him with a knee to the ribs. Ted executes a swinging neckbreaker and Heenan says he's setting him up for the Million Dollar Dream. Dibiase hits a snap suplex and calls for the Dream. Razor counters with an elbow and a clothesline to drop Ted. Dibiase rams Razor to the buckle and Ramon falls out of the ring. While the ref counts Razor, Ted takes off the buckle pad from the far side of the ring. Razor counters and sends Ted into the exposed steel. Razor then sets up for the Razor's Edge as Heenan screams "TEDDY NOOOOOOO!" Ramon hits the Razor's Edge and covers for 1....2....3 that's it. Heenan scoffs but Razor is your winner. This was the end of the road for Dibiase as an active competitor as he had 2 bad cervical discs in his back and decided to retire after a one-off in Japan. He'd be back though, but for now he puts Razor over as a future star.

Time of match: 7:28

Winner: Ramon by pinfall

Now we go to a WWF Hotline plus with none other than The Undertaker taking a call. Thank goodness for Coliseum Video because this part is NOT on the Peacock version. After that's over we go to Todd Pettingill at ringside with Crystal Rechsteiner and her mother....as in The Steiner Brothers sister and mother, Bronn Breaker's aunt and grandmother. Apparently their dad couldn't be there because he isn't feeling well. Todd asks what childhood was like and she just goes with what Todd is saying. He asks Crystal what her life was like and she said "No boyfriends, they see Rob and Scott and go I'm outta here!" Love how she used Rick's real name Rob. Todd tries to continue but Jim Cornette cuts him off in the ring to get to the next match.

Match 3

The Heavenly Bodies (Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray) vs The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott) for the WWF Tag Team Championship

Cornette is wearing a neckbrace and Tom has a thigh bandage on to showcase injuries sustained in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Tom Prichard has the distinction of wrestling a ppv match in both WCW & WWF while working for Smoky Mountain. For those that don't know, Smoky Mountain Wrestling was a regional territory like ECW and USWA and by the middle of 93 had a working agreement with Vince McMahon to send him The Heavenly Bodies for shows here and there. Somehow they got a tag team title shot but that's more to do with teams like Money INC splitting up and The Beverly Brothers & Nasty Boys leaving. The Steiners hug their mom & sister on the way in and they're wearing Michigan University style singlets for the hometown crowd. The Bodies jump the Steiners before the bell rings and Jimmy throws Scott out. The Bodies hit a double suplex on Rick and nail Scott off the apron. The Bodies hit a double flapjack then dumps Scott again. They double team Rick in the ring but Scott comes in like a house off fire and drops Tom into the corner where he sends Del Ray into him. Scott monkey flips Jimmy then hiptosses Prichard. Prichard ducks a clothesline but Del Ray eats it and Tom walks into an overhead suplex by Scott. Scott hits a tilt-a-whirl slam on Del Ray as Vince yells at the ref to take control. Cornette throws a tantrum outside as referee Danny Davis gets order restored. Scott and Tom lock up but Scott hits a vertical press slam as Heenan pretty much doxxes the Steiners on national ppv. Rick punches Tom as Del Ray nearly hits the ceiling on a backdrop. Scott tags Rick in as Tom gets a thumb to the eye. Tom tries a hiptoss but eats a lariat and Del Ray eats one as well. Rick scoop slams Del Ray as Vince says they're manhandling the Bodies. Cornette screams at the camera man as the heels regroup outside before Prichard comes in. Rick locks in an arm-ringer and Scott tags in to kick him. The crowd starts a Michigan "Let's go blue" chant and Scott hits atomic drops on both men, but Prichard sneaks up and drops Scott with a bulldog. Tom hits an enziguiri and heaves Scott out of the ring. Del Ray cannonballs onto Scott and throws him back in. Del Ray tags in as he goes off the top with an axehandle smash to the back. Jimmy hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT which had never been seen on WWF TV before. Prichard tags in as Tom hits a knee drop after Del Ray drops Scott with a drop-toe-hold. Prichard chokes Scott but then foolishly tries to outslug Scott but Del Ray tags in with a knee to the head. Del Ray hits a superkick on Scott and covers for 1....2...nope. Prichard tags in and kicks away at Scott before raking the back. Cornette gets a cheap-shot in as Heenan asks Vince if he wants a Diet Coke because he didn't see it. Del Ray tags in and goes for another DDT but Scott counters with a northrn lights suplex. Prichard tags in but Scott counters with a double underhook suplex. Del Ray tags in and Rick gets the hot tag. Rick cleans house as Heenan says Mrs. Steiner just gave her daughter a clothesline. Scott hits dropkicks on both Bodies as Rick hits Jimmy with a top-rope bulldog. Rick covers for 1...2...nope, Prichard stops the count. Steiner goes to punch Prichard in the corner but Tom dumps Scott over the top to the floor. Rick hits a powerslam on Del Ray but Cornette gets on the apron. For some reason Korderas starts counting Scott out even though he's not the legal man and Cornette tosses Prichard the tennis racket. Prichard hits Rick in the back with it and dives out of the ring. Del Ray covers for 1......2...NOOOO. Prichard holds Rick for Del Ray's moonsault but Rick moves causing Jimmy to hit Tom with it. Scott gives the sign for the Frankensteiner and hits it. Rick covers for 1...2...3.....that's it. That was one of the BEST tag matches of the year bar none. No rest-holds, fast paced action and since it was 4 guys Cornette loved, no funny business either. The sad part was those kinds of matches were standard for Smoky Mountain but new to WWF used to slow paced, formulaic matches. This should have been the opener of the show but oh well, damn good match and hats off to everyone involved.

Time of match: 9:26

Winners: Steiners by pinfall (Still champions)

We're brought to a backstage interview with actor/newscaster Joe Fowler. If you don't know who that is, he was a legitimate broadcaster who got himself into movies such as Cobra, Independence Day and Mighty Ducks 2....of course the last two were after his WWF stint. Bottom line was this was Vince and Kevin Dunn once again forgoing actual wrestling announcers for legitimate newscasters with Mean Gene on his way out. Anyway Joe is with Shawn Michaels and his bodyguard Diesel. Joe asks if Shawn can hang on to the belt and Shawn hypes up what everyone was thinking at the time, who's the greatest IC champ of all time, him or Perfect. Shawn says obviously is he himself is the greatest Intercontinental champion. Joe makes a good point that Perfect cost him the belt but Diesel got it back for him. Diesel himself still talks like Vinnie Vegas and he says he's just here to keep the chicks off the champ. Joe sends it back to Vince. Vince asks Bobby who the greatest champ is but then sends it to Howard Finkel before he can answer, hahaha.

Match 3

Mr. Perfect vs "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels (with Diesel) for the WWF Intercontinental Championship

The buzz for this match was something else as both of them were masters of the ring and great IC champs. Bret Hart put on a clinic with Perfect in 91 and topped it with British Bulldog in 92 so Vince tried to make it 3 in a row with Perfect vs Shawn. Now they did meet on Coliseum Video years earlier but this time its Shawn that's the heel. Heenan says Diesel taught Roberto Duran how to punch and Vince says Heenan has brains of stone, ha! Heenan says no one had ever 3-peated as IC champ and Perfect would definitely be the one to do it, problem is he has to face Shawn at the top of his game and Diesel outside. We also get shown Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon doing Radio WWF up in the balcony as Perfect makes his entrance. Heenan tries is his best not to knock his former protege while still showing bias to Shawn. Shawn Starts with an armringer as Vince says this is going to be one of the best matches ever as Shawn drops Perfect out of it. They exchange go-behinds before Shawn gets in a headlock. Perfect sends Shawn off the ropes as Shawn slides under Perfect, rolls over his back and they completely botch an arm drag spot. Shawn sells it anyway as Perfect drops knees on Shawn's left arm. Shawn and Perfect trade hammerlocks but Shawn runs up the ropes and does a nice headlock takeover that Perfect scissors out of. Shawn misses with an elbow drop and gets frustrated. Vince says the loser will be the one who makes a mistake. Shawn punches Perfect in the corner and he responds with chops to the chest. Shawn nails Perfect with a back elbow smash then rolls out of the corner only to do a 360 on a lariat by Perfect. Perfect covers for 1....2...nope. Perfect goes back to the arm-bar as Vince hypes up Mr. Perfect and Heenan once again tries his best not to diss Perfect but still put over Shawn. Shawn comes off the top but right into an arm-drag and Perfect takes Shawn down with another one and covers for 1...2.....nooooo, that was much closer than it should have been. Perfect works over the left arm again with the camera panning on Diesel. Heenan tries to diss the Steiner family as Shawn gets to his feet and misses with a clothesline. Perfect catches Shawn mid-air and slingshots him over the top rope to the floor. Perfect goes outside but sees Diesel stalking him and turns around. Perfect turns around into Sweet Chin Music and Shawn comes off the apron with an axehandle smash. Heenan tries to hand the monitor to Shawn and say "use this" but Vince stops him, hahaha. Perfect rolls inside and Shawn goes to work with knees to the back. Shawn rallies with elbow drops to the back and whips Perfect into the corner. Perfect sells the back and lands a forearm to the back. Shawn whips Perfect into the corner again as Heenan says "The ring moved us to Flint". Shawn drops down on Perfect's bad in the corner as Perfect shouts "Goddammit!". Shawn lands a backbreaker and holds him there for a submission attempt as Heenan says to snap him like a Slim Jim. Vince says this may be the first time Perfect ever submits completely forgetting he did it against Bret two years earlier. Perfect punches his way out of it and Heenan praises him for it. Perfect rallies with right hands, leapfrogs over Shawn and lands a dropkick followed by a back-body drop. Perfect lands a knee lift that nearly takes out referee Earl Hebner. Perfect then hits an inverted atomic drop and covers for 1...2....nope. Perfect lands a big forearm and covers for 1...2..nope. Perfect blocks an arm-drag then they struggle to get a backslide only for Perferct to catch Shawn with the Perfect Plex! 1....2....,noooo Diesel pulled out Perfect. Perfect clubs away at Diesel outside as Heenan says "HE HIT A MAN WITH GLASSES!" Shawn jumps off the apron into a forearm to the chest by Perfect. Perfect throws Shawn in but with the ref still counting, Diesel heaves Perfect into the ring post. The ref completes the count and that's it, Perfect is counted out. The crowd is livid as are anyone who thought this was going to be the greatest match of all time. Diesel celebrates with Shawn but Perfect gets in and knees Diesel in the back before dropping Shawn with right hands. Perfect clubs away at Diesel but Shawn grabs Perfect's arms. Diesel lands a knockout punch to drop Perfect as the heels leave. Shawn retains the title in a passable match but way too overhyped. I said it for years the reason Bret vs Perfect worked was both get down and mat wrestle and put on a believable second generation wrestling match. The reason Bret vs Shawn worked so well was Shawn could bounce around like a rubber ball and do the arial stuff Bret couldn't. Shawn couldn't get down with Perfect the way Bret could and Perfect couldn't rag doll Shawn like Bret could so Shawn could do his super bumps. It all added up to a disappointment, but Shawn is still the champion.

Time of match: 11:19

Winner: Michaels by count-out (still IC Champ)

Todd catches Shawn coming out of the ring and says he can't be happy with the way he won and Shawn says he just proved he's the greatest IC Champ of all time. Vince plugs the hotline with Razor Ramon and Jim Cornette on it with Perfect running to the back. We're back with Joe Fowler who's with the 123 Kid who says its both their first pay-per-view. Kid is nervous to wrestle IRS and he can barely talk. Fowler says IRS is bigger and stronger but so is anyone that's against the Kid. Kid says he's going to do his best and Joe says IRS is already in the ring, go get him. Fowler's style actually works, he'll never be Mean Gene but nobody can be.

Match 4

123 Kid vs IRS

Like I mentioned earlier, in the fallout of Razor vs Kid we saw Money INC turn Razor face and break off into side feuds with Razor & Dibiase being the first. Now the story here is can the upset Kid face a determined IRS that's not about to take Kid lightly like Razor & Ted did? IRS on the mic "Detroit used to be known as the motor city, now its known as the tax cheat city!" Heenan says this is the first time Kid's been up past 8 o'clock. Vince says he's an inspiration to kids around the country as the bell rings. Heenan calls Vince "tuxedo breath" and says Dibiase only lost to Kid because of Razor. They lock up with IRS backing Kid into the corner before waffling him. IRS gets a headlock, sends Kid off the ropes and drops him with a shoulderblock. He tries it again only this time Kid hits him with a spinning roundhouse kick. He covers for 1....2..no. Vince thought for sure it would be over as IRS slowly gathers himself. Heenan says not to take Kid lightly and Irwin gets a knee to the ribs. Kid takes a high faceplant bump as Heenan says he was thrown higher than Michael Jordan ever dunked a ball. We're in Detroit, not Chicago.....you were better off with Isiah Thomas. IRS sends Kid off but misses a clothesline and eats a dropkick. Kid covers for 1...2....nope. Kid goes off the rope but IRS stops him with an elbow to the jaw. Referee Tim White admonishes IRS for heaving Kid over the top rope to the floor. IRS lands a forearm to the Kid's chest and he falls off the apron. Kid crawls back on the apron and IRS nails him with a right hand, but Kid slingshots himself back in to roll up IRS for 1...2...nooooo. Even Heenan thought he had him that time. IRS drops him with another back elbow smash then drops an elbow on the mat. He covers for 1...2...nope. IRS locks in an abdominal stretch and uses the rope for leverage. IRS locks in a chinlock but Kid powers out of it and rams Irwin's head into the buckle. He does his kicks in the corner that drop IRS then goes up to the top. Kid hits a moonsault for 1...2..nooo. Kid rolls into a cradle for another near count as Heenan frantically screams for IRS to do something. IRS catches the leg and Kid hits an enziguiri then covers for 1...2.....nope. Kid sends IRS but IRS drops down and catches Kid with the Write Off clothesline. IRS covers for 1...2...3 that's it. Heenan goes to the Brain Scan to show the Kid was written off with the 1040. Anyway, IRS wins to show that luck doesn't last forever in a damn good crash style match. I hate to say it but the only dud so far was the IC title match hyped to be the best ever and even then it wasn't that bad.

Time of match: 5:40

Winner: IRS by pinfall

We go over to Todd who's with the Hart Brothers Bruce and Owen. The backstory to this feud was Bret Hart won King of The Ring only for Jerry "The King" Lawler to crash Bret's coronation and attack him. A month later Lawler berated Stu & Helen Hart, Bret's parents during a Bret match with Bam Bam Bigelow on Raw. Now Bret takes on Lawler to decide who's the real king of the company. I used to wonder why Owen's hair was so wet in this interview and now I realize it was because he wrestled earlier on the show. Bruce and Owen say Stu couldn't be there because he twisted his knee and needed surgery following Jerry Lawler's tirade on Raw. In real life Stu needed surgery anyway but Stu was more than happy to claim he hurt it because of a wrestling storyline. Owen and Bruce say they're there to support Bret tonight. Bret makes his entrance but all of a sudden Jerry Lawler hobbles out on crutches with a big ice pack on his knee. Heenan says he knew something was wrong with Jerry but didn't want to say something. Vince sends Todd to find out what's going on and Lawler goes into this fantastic promo. Referees Danny Davis, Bill Alfonso and Jimmy Korderas have to hold Bret back as Lawler claims this was going to be the biggest night of his entire life. He hates the whole Hart family and wants to snap Bret's neck but then says when he got to Detroit, the Detroit rental car he had didn't work and an old lady caused a 10 car pileup. Lawler goes on saying he pulled himself from the wreck and nurses claimed he couldn't wrestle, but he's going to Summerslam anyway. Lawler said the doctors in the back that he won't be wrestling as Vince says this is a ripoff. Owen, Bret and Bruce all shout at Lawler as Jerry says "Oh yeah I guess you'd come down here and beat up a cripple huh?" Lawler says Bret isn't getting off easy as a lot of wrestlers came up and said they'll take Jerry's place. Lawler says he picked his replacement, his personal court jester DOINK THE CLOWN!

Match 5

Doink The Clown vs Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Doink comes out with two buckets and smoking a stogie as he looks at Lawler's knee all concerned. Vince says "This is the biggest ripoff I've seen in a long time." Doink throws a bucket of confetti on the fans but throws a bucket of water on Bruce. Bret wrote in his book that Owen in the back said if Doink got a single drop on him he'd rib him till the end of time. Doink got it all on Bruce and Bret attacks him outside of the ring, dropping the stogie on the protective mat outside. The bell rings as Heenan laughs hystrically with the refs holding Bruce back. Bret unloads with right hands in the ring then clotheslines Doink over the top to the floor, guess this official now. Bret hammers away on Doink and clotheslines him to the ground. Bret rams Doink into the ring post as Doink crawls back inside. Vince says Bret is in the bad mood as Doink begs off as Heenan tries to confirm Jerry's story. Bret goes to town on Doink in the corner and snaps him into the other corner. Bret pulls Doink to the center, spins him around and lands a big right hand to send Doink through the ropes to the outside. Lawler hobbles over to help Doink who nails Bret on the apron before going upstairs. Bret stops him with the punch to the gut then snaps Doink off the top rope. Bret drops an elbow on Doink as Owen from the outside says save a piece of him for Lawler. Bret nails Doink with right hands and a headbutt before going outside to get a piece of Lawler. Doink nails Bret with a knee to the back and sends him into the ring post. Doink sends Bret back in the ring and Lawler screams to massacre Bret. Bret rallies with right hands but Doink counters with a one leg atomic drop. Doink works over the left leg and rams it into the ring post. Doink drags Bret to the center and covers for 1...2...no. Doink locks in an STF as the crowd chants for Bret. Bret makes it to the ropes so Doink drags him to the center and applies the stump puller. For some reason he lets go and stomps away at Bret on the ground. Doink scoop slams Bret and goes upstairs for the Whoopie Cushion. Bret gets his knees up at the last second....ow. Bret takes over and slugs away at Doink before running through his offense of forearm to the gut, russian leg sweep, second rope elbow and the sharpshooter. Bret taunts Lawler as he applies the sharpshooter and Lawler takes his robe off showing he's not hurt at all. He grabs a crutch, gets in the ring and waffles Bret with it for a disqualification. This was definitely shaping up to be a story tonight and this was a good first act. Bret and Doink had a solid match but this was not over. 

Time of match: 8:53

Winner: Bret Hart by disqualification

Lawler goes to town on Bret with the crutch as the WWF referees & Tony Garea run out to keep Owen and Bruce from interfering. I can understand Bruce but Owen was under contract so why hold him back? Lawler continues to go nuts on Bret before gathering Doink up and walking to the back. Just before he walks through the curtain, WWF President Jack Tunney comes out and sticks a finger in Lawler's face. Doink walks of as Tunney backs Lawler back up the apron with Bret now trying to plow through the referees to get at him. Rene Goulet, Blackjack Lanza, Pat Patterson. Dave Hebner and Chief Jay Strongbow come out to assist Jack in getting Lawler to the ring. Tunney walks over to Howard Finkel to make a statement. Howard says if Lawler doesn't wrestle Bret then he'll be banned for life from WWF. Bret doesn't even give Jerry a chance to think about it as he attacks Lawler in the entrance as the Suit Brigade clears out. Bret stalks Lawler back to the ring with right hands and a headbutt. Bret hits Lawler with one of Doink's buckets and Jerry rolls into the ring. The bell rings and its finally official.

Match 6

Jerry "The King" Lawler vs Bret "The Hitman" Hart in a Winner is The Real King of the WWF match

Bret wastes no time and clubs away at Jerry as Heenan says every punch is for a member of his family. Bret bites Lawler as Vince says THIS is the match fans wanted. Bret backdrops Jerry and teases the sharpshooter but hits a headbutt between the thighs. Owen cheers on Bret as Lawler bails outside. Bret cracks Lawler in the back with the crutch and sends Lawler into the barricade. Lawler grabs the crutch and nails Bret with it which turnabout is fair play. Jerry tells the ref to deal with Owen as he chokes Bret with the crutch. Referee Bill Alfonso tells Lawler to get in the ring as he nails Bret with the crutch again. Jerry grabs Bret's legs and sends him nad first into the ring post. Lawler grabs the crutch and gets in the ring as Alfonso turns his back to yell at the Hart brothers. Lawler nails Bret in the throat with a crutch before ramming Bret into the buckle. Lawler poses for the irate crowd but Bret kicks him square in the balls. Bret pulls his singlet straps down which was ironically Lawler's babyface MO in Memphis. Bret rallies with right hands and a headbutt. Bret hits a backdrop and delivers a backbreaker before covering for a deuce. Bret hits a piledriver and a second rope elbow drop. Bret gives the thumbs down signal as Heenan knows the reference and says "they want to see the King slaughtered," Bret locks in the sharpshooter and Lawler gives it up to end the match. One problem, Bret won't let go despite the bell ringing and Alfonso telling him to release the hold. Bret's old pal Danny Davis gets in the ring to try to pry Bret off but can't. Tim White hits the ring to help out but Bret still won't let go. Referee Joey Marella joins in and still can't get Bret to let go. Owen and Bruce cheer Bret on from ringside and all four officials still can't get Bret off. The Suit Brigade hits the ring and tries to get Bret off and Bret wrote in his book some of them leaned on Lawler as a rib. Patterson tells Alfonso to do something and goes outside to talk to the brothers. Finally Owen and Bruce get in the ring to tell Bret to let go. Heenan frantically screams to get Bret off of Lawler and finally Bret let's go. The fans erupt as the officials talk with each other. Finkel then says the official has reversed the decision since Bret refused to let go and Bret has been disqualified. Lawler is now the undisputed king of the WWF as Heenan laughs it up. The Suit Brigade calls for a stretcher as Bret goes nuts and starts punching Lawler again. Lawler is placed on a stretcher and Bruce & Owen start throwing punches at him before Jack Doane hauls Lawler off. In an iconic image, Lawler is hauled off on a stretcher holding his finger in the air the winner. Bret, Bruce and Owen celebrate in the ring as we finally end this segment. That was an incredible half hour for sure with everything that happened from Doink to Lawler faking to Bret winning only to get DQ'd for not letting go. I loved that match even if the twist was not for babyface lovers.

Time of match: 6:30

Winner: Lawler by reverse disqualification

Vince sends us to a Ludvig Borga vignette of him walking around the slums of Detroit. Borga is front of an abandoned building and says Luger won't win tonight. Ludvig says the crumbling building is a sign of the times for the country with people dropping out of school to collect welfare checks. "You call this the land of opportunities, well I'm gonna take my opportunity to show all you show all you so called wrestlers and Marty Jannetty what Ludvig Borga is all about.

Match 7

Marty Jannetty vs Ludvig Borga

The former Intercontinental Champion takes on the new monster heel. Heenan says Borga is undefeated while Vince says he's only been around for a month. Bell rings and Jannetty yells at Borga before turning his back. Naturally Borga clobbers him with a forearm to the back. Borga then goes for the uppercuts to the ribs as Vince brings up Borga's legit boxing past as a teenager. Borga sends Jannetty into the corner who walks right into a lariat. Borga knees Marty in the ribs in the corner, sends him off the ropes and heaves Jannetty high in the air. Borga hits an uppercut on the way down like out of Mortal Kombat as Heenan is impressed. Borga continues to uppercut Marty in the ribs and then Vince calls him the Scandanavian deadlift champion. Ludvig sends Marty into the corner but misses the big splash. Jannetty clotheslines Ludvig but it doesn't faze him. Marty tries another but gets dropped by Borga. Heenan says Tatanka is undefeated too but Vince says Tatanka's been in the company for over a year while Borga's only been around since July. Jannetty goes for a sunset flip but eats a right hand before Ludvig applies the bearhug. Jannetty goes for a slam but gets caught with a 360 clothesline. Borga sends Marty off before Jannetty tries another sunset flip. Borga punches the mat and Marty rocks mhim with a superkick. Marty hits him with a second one but Borga still doesn't go off his feet. He tries a crossbody off the second rope but Borga catches and powerslams him. Borga punches Marty in the ribs and finally puts Jannetty in the torture rack. Jannetty gives it up and Borga is your winner. Heenan says that's the former Intercontinental Champion that Borga just destroyed. That felt like a Superstars main event where a top heel squashes the mid-card babyface. It was clear ability wise he had what it took to be a main event player but we'll see.

Time of match: 5:17

Winner: Borga by submission

We go to an ad for Survivor Series narrated by the departing Gene Okerlund as Vince says we're going back to tag team Survivor Series matches after last year wasn't. Vince says it will be taking place on Thanksgiving Eve and sends it to the Fink for the next match.

Match 8

Giant Gonzalez (with Harvey Whippleman) vs The Undertaker in a Rest In Peace Match

This was just a fancy way to say its a No Holds Barred match to finally end this feud. At the Royal Rumble Gonzalez eliminated The Undertaker and they got it on at Wrestlemania 9 with Taker winning by disqualification. Then just before the King of The Ring Mr. Hughes, Gonzalez and Harvey attacked Taker and Bearer, stealing the urn. This was supposed to be Taker vs Mr. Hughes who was Taker's main opponent after the urn was stolen, but Curtis left leaving Taker with one more match with Gonzalez. Harvey still has the urn as Taker makes his entrance without Bearer. Taker attacks Gonzalez at the bell with chops in the corner. Taker chokes Gonzalez as Heenan says this a new side of Taker being the aggressor. Harvey gets on the apron as Heenan says Harvey would knock Vince out in a minute. Taker charges but eats boot and Gonzalez hits slow forearms to the back followed by a headbutt. Gonzalez hits a forearm but Taker clotheslines Gonzalez twice. Taker goes for a third one but Gonzalez headbutts him down. Taker sits up but Gonzalez throws him through the ropes to the outside. Gonzalez continues to land forearms to the back with Taker trying to fight back. Gonzalez sends him head first into the apron then into the steel steps. Gonzalez grabs a chair and nails Taker in the ribs and back with it. Its no DQ so its all legal. Gonzalez sends Taker knees first into the steps. Never knew why he took that bump so much, that bump hurts. Taker slowly starts to get up as Vince speculates that without Bearer in control of the urn, he doesn't have his usual energy. Gonzalez throws Taker back inside as Taker crawls toward the urn. Harvey grabs it as Gonzalez drags Taker to the center of the ring. Gonzalez lands more forearms to the back but Taker rallies with throat thrusts. Taker reaches for the urn but Harvey snatches it away at the last second. Heenan says there's no way Gonzalez can lose as Taker takes a bump in the corner. All of a sudden Paul Bearer makes his way to ringside with Heenan screaming "He's aliveeeee!!!" Paul brings a black wreath as Gonzalez chokes Taker in the corner. Bearer hadn't been seen since the middle of June and Harvey takes his jacket off. Harvey charges Bearer and Paul decks him with a clothesline. Paul grabs the urn and the crowd pops as Taker's strength has been returned. Gonzalez scoop slams Taker and starts stalking Bearer. Bearer holds up the urn and Taker sits up. Taker chops Gonzalez and clotheslines him twice to stun the big man. Taker lands a third clothelsine then a fourth that still doesn't put him down. A fifth one has Gonzalez down to one knee as Taker goes up to the top rope. Taker lands a top rope clothesline and covers for 1....2.....3 that's it. Bearer sets up the wreath next to Gonzalez as Taker salutes the urn as Heenan says he's got the urn & Bearer back. Taker and Bearer leave as Gonzalez gets up with Whippleman in his face. Gonzalez stalks Whippleman around the ring and then grabs him by the throat in the corner. Gonzalez browbeats him and hits a poor looking chokeslam. Gonzalez gets a tiny pop from the crowd as he puts the wreath over Whippleman. Harvey's year long quest to find someone to beat Undertaker is over, and he failed miserably.

Time of match: 8:01

Winner: Undertaker by pinfall

Backstage Joe Fowler is with WWF Heavyweight Champion Yokozuna, Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette. Fowler sticks it to Cornette by saying he's 0-1 and Cornette responds by calling him a hatchet head. Cornette bitches about the Heavenly Bodies but segues saying its not gonna lose to Yokozuna. Joe Fowler says we've had surprises tonight and the next one could be Lex winning the belt. Cornette says the only surprise is Fowler's employment and Cornette says Yokozuna will be the last thing Lex Luger will ever see. Cornette says draw power from everyone he met on the Lex Express and all that strength won't be enough. Cornette says the last thing Lex will hear is Yokozuna who says "Banzaiiiiiii." Back to Heenan and Vince for the next match.

Match 9

The Smoking Gunns (Billy and Bart) and Tatanka vs The Headshrinkers (Samu & Fatu) & Bam Bam Bigelow with Afa and Luna Vachon in a Six-Man Tag Team Match

Bam Bam and Tatanka have been beefing since before King of The Ring and the Gunns & Shrinkers were perennial opponents so it made sense to put the six of them together for a six-man tag match. Bell rings and the heels attack immediately with clotheslines. Bam Bam stomps Tatanka and we're starting with them. Bam Bam drops Tatanka with a shoulder block but misses a clothesline. Tatanka stuns Bam Bam with a shoulderblock but drops him with a dropkick. Tatanka backdrops Bam Bam but they hit each other with crossbodies. Bam Bam tags in Fatu as Billy Gunn tags in. Billy wins a slugfest but Fatu counters with a savate kick. Billy hits a facebuster and hits a reverse bulldog off the top rope. Fatu stops the momentum with a shoulderblock and Samu tags in. They do a double headbutt and Samu slams Billy off the top rope. Afa hits Billy on the outside while the ref is busy with Tatanka and Bart. Samu hits his own savate kick but Billy lands in his corner to tag in Bart. Bart hits a bodypress for a two count then arm-drags Samu. Samu denies a bodypress attempt with an elbow to the face then grabs Bart mid-air and slams him down by the neck. Bam Bam tags in and hits a big dropkick before covering for a two count. Fatu tags in and axehandles Bart in the back before executing a powerslam. The cover gets two as Samu tags in to land a punch to the body. Samu bites Bart against the ropes and chops him in the corner. Fatu tags in and they do a double head-butt. Fatu tags in Bam Bam who drops Bart with a shoulderblock. Heenan says the Headshrinkers are having so much fun out there against the Gunns that tomorrow they'll attack the merry-go-round horses kids ride on for 25 cents, hahahaha. Bam Bam rams Bart's head into both the Shrinkers heads before Fatu tags in. Bart rams Fatu's head into the ground and Fatu no-sells it before dropping Bart with a clothesline. Fatu tags in Samu for the double chop as Afa and Luna have a conversation outside....THAT I'd love to hear. Bart gets triple teamed in the corner with Samu tagging in for a throat thrust. Samu rams Bart's head into Fatu's head and Heenan says "they don't care and its hard to beat a guy that don't care how much you beat on him." Bam Bam and Samu drop Bart as Heenan sings "Happy trailllllsssssssss". Bam Bam sends Bart into the corner and Bam Bam misses so bad he hits the ringpost. Tatanka gets the hot tag and he chops away at Bam Bam. Tatanka scoop slams Bam Bam and hits a DDT before going up to the top rope. Tatanka hits the crossbody off the top for 1....2....noooooo. Samu was supposed to break the count but he was too late forcing Bam Bam to kick out. Tatanka then does the warpath dance Strongbow used to but Bam Bam drops him with an enziguri. Bam Bam tags in Samu who goes up to the second rope and hits a diving headbutt. Samu covers for 1...2...nope. Bart breaks up the count and he eats a savate kick from Fatu. Billy dropkicks Fatu in the corner as Bam Bam and Fatu double clothesline Billy out of the ring. Tatanka is sent into the corner as Vince says "this isn't the Survivor Series!" Ironic as Bam Bam & the Headshrinkers would be teammates at the upcoming one. Bam Bam is whipped into Tatanka in the corner as referee Jimmy Korderas orders the Headshrinkers out of the ring. All three men headbutt Tatanka as all three men go upstairs. Somehow Tatanka rolls out of the way of all three of them. Billy Gunn does a plancha on top of Bam Bam as Bart hits a plancha on Fatu. Tatanka rolls up Samu inside the ring for 1....2.....3...that's it. That was 10 times better than I thought it was going to be, helps that all three heels can move well for bigger guys. The Gunns and Tatanka leave together after a job well done. Good job to all six of them.

Time of match: 11:14

Winners: Tatanka & The Smoking Gunns by pinfall

Back to Joe Fowler who's with the driver of the Lex Express out in the parking lot. Wow, couldn't have at least let the guy in or something? The dude's name is Hank Carter and at least he's got Summerslam on the monitor in the bus. Hank says Lex is a genuine person especially with the children. Fowler asks which city was his favorite on the road to Summerslam and Hank answers Philadelphia because they went to a children's hospital. He says the kids lit up when he walked into the room even though they had terminal diseases. Fowler says he's going to ask a stupid question and asks who's gonna win. Hank naturally answers Lex as Fowler sends us to Todd Pettingill at ringside with some fan.....they could have had another match in the time they're wasting before the main event. The kids in the crowd chant USA as the fan's name is Bruce and he's wearing a red white and blue toga his mom made from material she got at Sears. Ha, least he's honest about it. Back to Vince & Bobby at ringside who tries to hype up the main event but Bobby gets in a funny quip saying President Carter drove the bus. Vince says HANK Carter drove the bus but Bobby says "well they sounded the same." Vince sends us to the Fink who has the crowd rise for the singing of the Japanese national anthem which gets a round of boos from the crowd. Kiotika Suzuki belts out the tune which is rather unfair since he's getting booed for no reason. R & B singer Aaron Neville and "Macho Man" Randy Savage come out to sing the US national anthem. After that's over, we sent it to Finkel for the main event.

Match 10

Lex Luger vs Yokozuna (with Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji) for the WWF Heavyweight Championship

For those that need the long backstory. Hulk Hogan had left the company and Vince was looking for a new American hero to go up against his monster heel representing Japan (by way of Samoa). Lex Luger had the best physique in the company so Vince decided to turn him face. On July 4th on the deck of the USS Intrepid, Luger came in last via helicopter and slammed Yokozuna. After that he was put on the Lex Express bus to gain steam for the main event of Summerslam. Vince was giving Lex all this hooplah when he could have saved money on the bus and campaign by putting Yoko with Bret Hart. Lex makes his entrance and gets a decent pop but not the deafaning pop that Vince wanted, that should have been a sign. Bell's gone and they have a staredown where Lex is actually taller than Yokozuna. Fuji sneaks in but Luger chases him away then moves out of the way of Yokozuna's charge. Luger sends Yokozuna off the ropes and rocks him with an elbow. Luger blocks a slam and goes for a running roll up, denied by Yokozuna. Yoko goes for the leg-drop but misses as Lex rolls out of the way Lex kicks the legs of Yoko who falls down. Lex hits an elbow drop and covers for 1...2....nope. Luger runs off the ropes but is caught and slammed by Yokozuna. Yoko misses an elbow drop and Lex kicks away in the corner. Luger rams Yoko in the buckle and sends him into the other corner. Lex hits a clothesline in the corner and hits 3 punches on the corner. Referee Earl Hebner pulls Lex off and Lex moves him out of the way only to eat a double chop to the throat. Yoko distracts the ref and Fuji goes to throw salt in Luger's eyes, only for Lex to block Fuji from doing it. Luger fires away at Yoko with right hands and goes for a slam, but can't do it. Yoko hits a savate kick and throws Lex through the ropes to the outside. Cornette and Fuji try to swarm Lex as Yoko headbutts him off the apron. Yokozuna goes to the outside and chokes him with his sumo straps. Yoko chops Lex in the chest against the ringpost and avalanches him. Yokozuna grabs a chair and swings, but misses. Lex moves out of the way and rallies with right hands outside. Yoko rolls back inside as Luger goes up to the top. Luger hits two straight axehandle smashes that don't drop him so he goes up for a third. This time he drops Yoko with a forearm from off the top and covers for 1...2.....nooooo. Lex hits a clothesline to the back of the head and covers for 1..2....nope. Yoko kicks out at the last second as Heenan calls Luger a dummy. Ha, it was Heenan that introduced Luger just 8 months earlier at the Royal Rumble. A double clothesline drops both men as Cornette hops up on the apron. Fuji throws the salt bucket to Yoko who waffles Lex with it. Vince pleads for the match not to end this way as Heenan says he's heard of kicking the bucket but not like this. Yoko covers for 1.....2.....noooooo. Yoko chops away at Lex and rakes the back with Vince cheering Lex on. Yoko hits a belly-to-belly suplex and covers for 1....2...nope. Fuji screams from the outside to end it as Yoko chokes Lex on the middle rope. Cornette yells at Luger from outside as Yoko hits a back suplex before covering 1...2....nope, not over yet. Yoko locks in a nerve hold before Lex rallies with elbows but foolishly goes for a slam. Yoko falls on top of him for 1...2....no. Yoko goes for the banzai drop but Lex moves at the last second. Yokozuna rams Lex's head into the buckle but Lex rallies with elbows. They slug it out but Yoko gets the upperhand with chops to the chest. Yoko whips Lex off and goes for the avalanche but Lex moves. Yokozuna walks right into a scoop slam and Lex punches Fuji off the apron. Lex calls for the forearm and he nails Yoko with it through the ropes to the outside. Yokozuna is out cold but Lex doesn't care to go get him. Lex punches Cornette off the apron as Hebner completes the count. Lex wins the match.....but not the title. WHAT AN IDIOT! Vince puts over Lex as doing the impossible as Savage, Tatanka and The Steiners come out to celebrate with Lex. They put him on their shoulders as Heenan correctly points out that Yokozuna didn't win the title. Lex waives the American flag as red white and blue balloons fall from the ceiling. Vince on commentary hypes up Lex as the next champion the next time they meet. Heenan frantically calls for someone to help Yokozuna as Vince calls Lex an American hero. The match itself was pretty decent given who was involved but this was a monumental miscalculation by Vince. His thinking was holding off Lex vs Yokozuna for Wrestlemania with Lex chasing him....only problem was that wouldn't be for another six months and a lot could go wrong. The excessive celebration with the babyfaces holding him up with balloons falling made this look foolish. If Vince wanted to book Luger chasing, he should have had had Luger hit Yoko with the forearm and try to get him back in the ring to no avail. He can pound the mat in frustration knowing he blew his chance then the babyfaces can come out and console him for not winning the title. You can still have the moral victory but at least have Luger aware that he choked.

Time of match: 17:55

Winner: Lex Luger by count-out (Yokozuna retains)

After the show, we get a music video montage for Lex called I'll Be Your Hero......little late on that now that he's blown his chance to be the champion. Then we go to Joe Fowler with Lex celebrating with the guys in the locker-room and Lex says it was an honor. All of a sudden Ludvig Borga barges in and says he's not impressed with Lex, his friends or the USA. Borga says if he steps in the ring with him, he'll crush him like America is crumbling piece by piece. Vince signs off and we're finally done here. As I said earlier, Vince's thinking was having Luger chase Yoko to Wrestlemania when it would have been a lot better for business to have Lex win and be the babyface champion, especially with Borga coming in to challenge him. As for the rest of the show, it was excellent. The opener was good, the second match was great, the IC match was a dud but everything else sans Gonzalez/Taker was solid. One of the few times Vince outsmarted himself as the ending is still being laughed at 30 years later. But at least we have a few feuds moving forward with Bret/Lawler, Lex/Yoko with Borga factoring in and Perfect/Shawn is far from over. Since Summerslam 93 was on a Monday night, we'll see you at WWF Mania this Saturday.

WWF Battle Royal at the Royal Albert Hall (10/3/91)

Royal Albert Hall

London, England

October 3, 1991

Commentators: Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

Ring Announcer: Mel Phillips

In between Summerslam 91 and Survivor Series, the WWF had a ppv worthy card....for residents of the United Kingdom anyway. The Royal Albert Hall was a concert venue usually reserved for orchestras but for some reason the WWF made its way there. We have a bunch of cold matches but the storylines did carry over like Roddy Piper vs Ric Flair and the rise of The Undertaker. Plus the star of the show was naturally "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. After all the matches, everyone that worked will be in a battle royal to decide who wins the Samovar Trophy....which is just an oversized urn used to boil tea. Before we do anything we actually had a dark match strictly for the home crowd.

Dark Match:

Brian Maxine vs Steve Regal

Two World of Sport stars have a match for the local crowd. Maxine was 53 years old and played a flamboyant character in British wrestling in the 70's. Regal was the inspiration for Darren Matthews to become Lord Steven (later William) Regal. Regal won the match.

Winner: Steve Regal

We start off with Heenan and Monsoon greeting us, "Sir Robert of Heenan" or "Lord Brain". He says he should be treated with dignity and Monsoon says he'll be sitting on his dignity in a few minutes. This is going to be a LONG recap with nearly 3 hours of their commentary. Monsoon says let's get to our first match.

Match 1

The Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty) vs The Nasty Boys (Knobbs and Sags) with Jimmy Hart

Oh boy, a preview of Survivor Series next month. Heenan says it feels like they're in Madison Square Garden and Monsoon agrees. Monsoon says the venue is 120 years old and Heenan says so is Alfred Hays. Shawn swipes Sags' jacket at the bell and whips him with it to start before Knobbs gets in to take a beating as well. Marty puts the jacket on then blows his nose in it to get Sags totally irate. They stall to start for crowd reaction and Sags finally starts with Shawn. Shawn backs him in the corner but Sags reverses it and gets in some right hands. Sags misses a clothesline but Shawn gets caught in a bearhug. Shawn fights out of it and hits the superkick on both Sags. Knobbs runs in to eat a superkick and Marty flies off the top to take them both out. The heels regroup outside and Sags gets back in to tag in Knobbs. He calls Marty "buttface" and demands he get in. Shawn tags in Marty and Knobbs gets in a knee to the ribs. Knobbs hammers away in the corner but a charge eats boot. Marty hits a second turnbuckle facebuster and Shawn does one to an interfering Sags as well. The heels regroup outside a second time as Knobbs tells a fan to shut its face. The referee starts counting the Nasties out with the Rockers counting with Joey Marella. Marty somehow trips up Knobbs with a single leg takedown then gets in a side headlock. Knobbs heads for the ropes and blocks the O'Connor Roll but Marty sunset flips for two. Knobbs makes a hasty retreat to tags in Sags who eats a drop toe hold. Marty gets in a front headlock as Monsoon says the Rockers have taken the Nasties off their game. Sags backs Marty in the ropes but eats an armdrag. Marty stretches the left arm and Sags makes it to the ropes but Shawn pushes him off. Hart screeches and the faces pull a switcharoo with Shawn taking over on the arm. Isn't that a heel move? Marella asks the fans if they tagged and naturally they say yes. Knobbs gets in to protest and they do the switcharoo again as Hart gets even more irate outside. Knobbs gets in a third time and we get a third switcharoo. Hart screams to the camera the referee is stupid. Sags powers out of it and boots Shawn in the ribs. Sags charges in the corner but Shawn slides under him and pulls him nut first into the ringpost. Shawn hits a reverse atomic drop and goes off the ropes, but Brian pulls the top rope down too early and Shawn HAS to go over the top to the floor despite looking right at him from across the ring. Monsoon says he'd love to go down there and sucker punch Jimmy Hart as the heels bait Marty in the ring so Knobbs can clothesline Shawn on the floor. Sags taunts the fans from inside the ring and pulls Shawn to the apron, snapping him off the top rope. Knobbs tags in to drop and elbow and cover for 1...2...nope. Knobbs clubs away in the corner but Shawn tries to fight out of it. Knobbs grabs Shawn by the leg and Sags makes the tag. Shawn is whipped off into a bearhug and does the fade then revive routine. Shawn hits a bell ringer but goes for the scoop slam unsuccesfully. Sags tags Knobbs who drops an elbow to the back before locking in a chinlock. Heenan "I think I heard him give it up." Monsoon "From HERE? Will you stop." Shawn picks up Knobbs and slams him backwards then gets the hot tag to Marty....but wait, Marty had one foot on the rope so Marella won't let it count. Knobbs whips Sags in to the corner but Shawn ducks him and clotheslines Knobbs. With both Nasties down finally Marty gets in. Jannetty cleans house with dropkicks and right hands. Marty moves and Knobbs runs right into Sags, causing Marty to cover for a deuce. Marty rams their heads together as Shawn revives to whip the Nasties together. Marty covers Sags for 1...2...nope. The crowd cheers thinking its over and it even fools Monsoon. Heenan says its not over yet and Shawn throws Marty on top of Sags. The ref tells Shawn to beat it and Knobbs uses the distraction to waffle Marty with the megaphone. Sags covers Marty for 1..2...3 to win the match. Monsoon blames "the pipsqueak" as Heenan says no, "Shawn put his hands on Jimmy and the megaphone went flying and hit Shawn." Wasn't too formulaic and the Rockers always made any tag team match better. The third man outside made the difference as the Nasties win it.

Time of match: 16:21

Winner: Nasty Boys by pinfall

"Mean" Gene Okerlund is with "Nature Boy" Ric Flair in front of the tea boiling urn.....sorry, "coveted Samovar Trophy". Gene asks him about his match with Tito Santana and the battle royal. Flair says Santana is going to find out why Flair is the greatest and Roddy Piper can run but he can't hide in the battle royal. Wooooo!! On to the next match.

Match 2

Tito Santana vs "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

Even though Santana was in the process of becoming El Matador, he still comes out in the white trunks and standard theme song. Heenan "There's a rumor Flair will be prime minister." Monsoon "Will you stop?" Flair opens his robe to reveal the WCW Heavyweight Championship, in your face Jim Herd. Heenan stands up and Monsoon says he'll have him taken out of there. Heenan "Want some tea and trumpets?" Monsoon "Its crumpets!" They lock up to start and Flair gets the advantage in the corner, saying WOOOO. Tito drives him to the other corner and slaps him down. Referee Danny Davis admonishes Santana as Flair gets dropped with a shoulderblock. Monsoon says Flair has never won the WWF title as Ric gets in a wristlock. Santana and Flair trade momentum then Flair gets in an arm-bar. Flair continues to pull the hair much to Danny's dismay. Santana nips up and Flair begs off in the corner. Santana unloads with right hands and whips Flair into the corner. Santana hits a back drop and two dropkicks causing a Flair Flop. Flair bails outside but Santana comes out and rams him face first into the side of the ring. Santana rams Flair's head into the barricade but Ric chops Santana and rams Tito's head into the barricade. Heenan says he smells picante as Santana gets elbowed on the apron. Santana goes for the sunset flip for 1...2....nope. Santana goes for a drop-toe-hold but Flair falls on his back instead. Tito goes for a leglock as Heenan cheers on Flair. Monsoon tells him to go to the ring and do that as Flair makes it to the ropes. Santana pulls Flair into the center and drops an elbow on the knee. Santana works the left leg as Flair begs off in the corner. Santana fires away but Flair trips him up and goes for the Flair Pin for 1...2....nope, Davis catches him. Ironic how just 4 years earlier Santana and Danny Davis were against each other at Wrestlemania. Santana does six top rope punches but Flair counters with a reverse atomic drop. Ric kicks Santana in the ribs and drops the knee. Flair covers with his feet on the ropes and Davis catches him again. Ric shoves Danny as Heenan says "No no no no no" and Davis shoves him back. Heenan "Don't touch the referee." Ric chops Santana in the corner and punches away before whipping Tito into the other corner. Flair whips him in the opposite corner and delivers a snap mare. Ric covers with his feet on the ropes again for 1...2...and Danny Davis stops the count without Tito kicking out, so Flair on the fly gets up and starts yelling at someone in the crowd. Santana rallies with chops and 90% of the crowd are children judging by the cheers. Flair does a Flair Flip in the corner and Santana clotheslines him on the apron. Santana suplexes Ric back in the ring and Ric begs off. Santana turns a hiptoss attempt into a backslide for 1..2.....noooo. Flair gets a thumb to the eye and a headlocked punch. Flair chops Tito down and covers for a deuce before delivering a back suplex. Flair applies the figure four as Heenan says to just ring the bell. Flair holds on to the ropes for leverage but the crowd rallies around Tito to roll over and reverse the hold. Flair breaks the hold and a regular forearm causes a Flair Flop. Santana belts Flair over the top to the floor and scoops slams him. Ric pulls Tito out and chops him on the floor. They slug it out but Flair rolls Tito back inside. Flair goes up top but Santana catches him and slams him off the top. Santana covers for 1...2...nope. Heenan starts gagging and Monsoon says to take it easy. Flair whips Santana into the corner but Tito runs out and clotheslines him. He covers for 1...2...noooo. The camera pans to Heenan going nuts in the broadcast booth but Santana hits THE FLYING JALAPENO!! Tito covers for 1...2....foot on the rope. Santana goes for the O'Connor Roll in the corner for 1....2...Flair reverses it and hooks the tights for 1...2....3 to win the match. Santana has always been a great babyface and he works perfectly with Flair, Tito would have fit right in 5-6 years earlier in the NWA and vice versa in the WWF. Great match between the two.

Time of match: 16:14

Winner: Flair by pinfall

Back to Mean Gene who's with Big Bossman. Okerlund wants to go see Suburban Commando for his birthday....ugh. He says the sheriff is in town and Bossman says the law applies all over the world. He calls Earthquake a piece of trash and he's going to take it out. He's going to celebrate by winning the match then the battle royal. Mean Gene says we'll be right back and we cut to Okerlund now out in the arena for an interview with Earthquake and Jimmy Hart. Hart says London needs earthquake insurance. Earthquake says its a really long boat ride to England, which is why they flew in a plane...ha. Quake says he came a long way to win this match and he and Typhoon will win the battle royal. On to the match.

Match 4

Big Bossman vs Earthquake (with Jimmy Hart)

Big man match with two guys that can move, this should be good. Bossman sprints to the ring and the heels clear out instantly. Quake tells the camera he's not going in the ring until Bossman gets rid of the stick. Bossman puts it away and we begin with a tie up. Quake shoves Bossman into the ropes and then into the corner as Hart laughs maniacally. Bossman takes a walk on the apron before getting back in. Bossman punches Quake as Monsoon says that got his attention. Bossman lands an uppercut to stun the big man and the crowd cheers. Quake throws Bossman in the corner and scoop slams him. Quake goes for the big stomp but Bossman rolls out of the way. He rolls out of the way of an elbow drop and chases Jimmy Hart around the ring. Back inside Bossman punches away at Quake but gets whipped into the corner. A charge misses and Bossman schoolboys him for a deuce. Bossman gets in a headlock and works it for a full minute before getting shoulderblocked down. Quake misses the elbow drop and Bossman goes to the second rope. Bossman hits an axehandle and rams Quake's head into the buckle. Back to the second rope, a double axehandle by Bossman has the big man down on his ass. Bossman goes all the way to the top but Earthquake catches the crossbody attempt in mid-air. Quake powerslams Bossman and steps on him before posing for the crowd. Quake hits a forearm to the back and chokes him on the second rope. Quake shoulderblocks Bossman in the corner then whips him to the other corner. Earthquake smushes Bossman in the corner and he drops. Earthquake sits on him then slaps him. Bossman comes to life with right hands but a thumb to the eye stops the momentum. Quake again slams him against the corner then locks in a bearhug. Monsoons says the hold isn't applied well and Bossman escapes with a bell ringer. Quake lands a forearm to the back to drop Bossman then stomps on him. Quake locks in a chinlock as Monsoon asks who's bigger, Earthquake or Typhoon. Heenan says Quake by six pounds which causes Monsoon to crack up laughing. Bossman powers out of it and goes for shoulderblocks, but Quake goes nowhere. Bossman runs into a clothesline and Earthquake stomps on him. Quake chokes Bossman with his boot as Hart hams it up for the camera. Bossman rolls outside and gets on the apron but is kneed off. Earthquake sends Bossman into the steel steps and rolls inside. Bossman rolls inside and Quake covers for a 1 count as Bossman gets a foot on the ropes. Quake elbows Bossman twices and a clothesline sends Bossman off the ropes, but he doesn't go down. Bossman backs Quake in the corner and goes to town with a series of headbutts before he's whipped into the other corner. Quake hits the avalanche and chokes him with his boot. Bossman goes for a baseball slide but Earthquake trips on him. Bossman on the fly recovers to hit an enziguiri (!!!) to drop the big man. Monsoon "He kicked him in the external occipital pertuberance area" Heenan "He kicked him in the back of the neck!" Monsoon "That's what I said. Bossman covers for 1...2....noooo. Hart gets on the apron but is knocked off by Earthquake. Bossman rolls up Quake for 1....2...nope. Bossman hits a series of clotheslines as The Mountie comes down to help up Jimmy. Earthquake is tied up in ropes Andre style and Bossman crossbodies him. Mountie trips up Bossman and Earthquake drops the big elbow. He covers for 1...2...3 to win the match. Monsoon "Boy did that stink!" Both guys were out of gas at the end and that should have been better than it was. Bossman was about to feud with IRS on TV but Mountie gets the last word here.

Time of match: 15:47

Winner: Earthquake by pinfall

Bossman chases Mountie to the back after the match as Heenan yells at the director to follow them. We cut to Mean Gene with the trophy again. Okerlund gives the rules of the battle royal and "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich walks in. Okerlund says he's a favorite to win and Kerry says this is the toughest match and the winner will be king of the mountain. He says he's going to win and Okerlund says he's got The Mountie up next. Von Erich says Mountie is real tough with the shock stick but he won't have it in their match. Okerlund says they'll be back shortly. When we come back, Mean Gene is in the arena for an interview with The Mountie and Jimmy Hart. Mountie's music hits and they come out. Hart says the organization sticks together and Tornado will suffer the same fate as Big Bossman. Mountie says "forget about Terry Von whatever" and he's the only royalty around here. After he beats KEVIN Von Erich, he'll win the trophy too. Mountie can't get the name right to save his life, good for heel heat. On to the next match.

Match 5

"Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich vs The Mountie

Before the match even starts we get Monsoon saying "Gorrilla Monsoon along with Bobby Heen...." he's cut off by Heenan who says "Sir Robert of Heenan!" There must be a malfunction with the sound speakers because The Mountie comes in and there is no music. After The Mountie protests, Monsoon says "He doesn't deserve any music anyway." Oh wait, the speakers are fine because we hear the Tornado's music and he makes it to the ring. Tornado gets in the ring and as Monsoon is shilling him Heenan says "He's in great condition, I'll have to agree with you." Monsoon replies "But I haven't said anything about his conditioning yet!" Heenan says "Don't worry you will, just keep looking." The bell rings and Heenan says the Tornado is in for a very shocking experience and Monsoon scoffs. Referee Danny Davis has a hard time removing the cattle prod from The Mountie before he gives in. They lock up and roll around the ropes as Heenan tells us The Mountie is going to be a guest speaker at Scotland Yard tomorrow. Monsoon then brings up his time in New York jail after his loss to the Big Bossman at Summerslam 91. Mountie stalls and then Tornado goes to hit him but Mountie counters with a boot to the ribs. Tornado staggers into the corner and Mountie taunts him until Tornado catches him with a right cross to the face. Mountie slides under the ropes and stalls. Mountie finally gets in the ring and stalls again until Von Erich puts Mountie in a wrist lock. After a while Mountie sends Tornado off the ropes and leapfrogs over him twice before Tornado catches him with a right hand to the head. Mountie retreats to the outside and stalls again until he gets back in the ring about a minute later. Heenan makes up for the stalling by rambling on how Mountie is given a bad rap. Mountie gets out of the ring again and stalls....BOOORING. Tornado has had enough and once Mountie gets in the ring, Tornado drives him into the corner with shots to the head. Mountie recovers and whips Tornado off the corner and into a sleeper. Heenan then says "The weather forecast is clearing up!" Tornado finally gets to his feet and breaks out of it, bounces off the ropes and runs right into another sleeper as Heenan jokes about Sherlock Holmes. Tornado does the "fade then revive" routine as Heenan tells the ref to ring the bell. Tornado runs into the corner and ducks down and Mountie gets rammed into the turnbuckle. Mountie recovers but Tornado sends him off the ropes into a sleeper of his own. Lots of stalling going on in this match. Mountie makes it to the ropes and Tornado breaks the hold. Von Erich then corners the Mountie with shots to the head and then whips Mountie into the other corner. Mountie gets out of the way of the charge and Tornado goes shoulder first into the ring post. Tornado staggers into the corner where Mountie puts the boots to him. Mountie hits a snapmare and drives a knee to the lower back. Tornado gets up but Mountie clotheslines him over the top rope to the outside. Heenan tells us The Mountie is ahead on points as Mountie rams Tornado's head into the steel steps. Monsoon scoffs at Heenan and says that after all these years of broadcasting together that something should have rubbed off by now, so Heenan says "Nah I don't have a rash!" Von Erich climbs to the ring apron but Mountie punches him back down to the floor. Monsoon says he wants some fish and chips and tells Heenan to get some so Heenan says "Hey! I'm sir Robert of Heenan, I'm no errand boy." Tornado trips up Mountie and pulls him to the outside, catches him with a few right hands and sends him face first into the steel steps. Tornado sets up Mountie against the ring but misses his tornado punch and catches the ring post. Tornado gets in the ring in agony and the Mountie takes advantage by ramming his hand from the ring apron into the ringpost. Mountie gets in the ring and pounds on Tornado in the corner and sends him off the ropes but Tornado counters with a clothesline. Tornado corners Mountie and tries a monkey flip but the Mountie blocks it, hooks the legs and puts his feet on the ropes as the ref counts to 3 to end the match. Heenan tries to say that it was an accident that Mountie put his feet on the rope but Monsoon says "WILL YOU SHUT UP! THAT'S A LIE, HE CHEATED!" The Mountie gets back in the ring as Danny Davis yells at him but Tornado comes back and nails Mountie. Tornado sends him off the ropes and hits a back body drop. Mountie retreats to the back as the crowd cheers The Tornado. Not the best match and Von Erich had no chemistry with Rougeau. Mountie was being groomed for a run with Bret Hart so he needed a win here against the ex-IC champ.

Time of match: 13:15

Winner: The Mountie by pinfall

When we come back from break its time for the Funeral Parlor with Paul Bearer and The Undertaker. Paul says all the royalty that's passed through the Royal Albert Hall are in the cemetery. Paul says Undertaker will beat Jim Duggan and win the battle royal. Undertaker says the sands in Duggan's hourglass are running out and there will be a mass burial in the battle royal. Bearer ends up saying "Rest In Peace" as some guy dressed as the Phantom Of The Opera plays The Undertaker's theme as he goes to the ring. On to the next match.

Match 6

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs The Undertaker (with Paul Bearer)

Taker actually gets a nice cheer from the crowd even though Duggan gets the louder pop. Duggan bumrushes him but Taker catches him with strikes. A charge in the corner eats boot and Duggan goes on the offensive with big right hands. Duggan clotheslines him over the top to the floor but Taker lands on his feet. Duggan caters to the crowd and actually gets a USA chant from the London crowd. Monsoon acknowledges it but Taker stuns Duggan off the top rope. Bearer says "Its allllll overrrr" as Taker chokes Duggan inside the ring. Heenan "Taker gives a whole new meaning to "Jack The Ripper". Taker chokes Duggan on the middle rope as Bearer tells the crowd to shhh. Duggan tries to rally but Taker counters with another choke. The ref barely tries to stop Taker even with Duggan grabbing the ropes. Monsoon talks about what will happen later in the Battle Royal when Taker is in. Taker walks across the top rope and nails Duggan in the back. Monsoon yells at Heenan as Taker once again chokes Duggan in the corner again....and again....until Duggan catches him with an inverted atomic drop. Duggan then rallies with right hands into the corner and does 5 top rope punches. Duggan stops when he notices Paul Bearer running off with the 2X4 and goes outside to retrieve it. Taker stops him with a clothesline to the back before throwing him back inside. Taker hits the flying clothesline and calls for the urn. Duggan grabs the 2X4 and waffles Taker with it to earn the DQ....idiot. Duggan poses with the 2X4 but Taker doesn't sell it. Monsoon bitches that Taker should have been disqualified earlier for the choking as Duggan waffles Taker from behind with it, knocking him over the top rope. Duggan gets the babyface pop from the crowd but Taker walks out the victor. Bad match but Taker's original character was slow and methodical and Duggan was never the best worker, not much you can expect. Would have been nice for a decisive finish but oh well.

Time of match: 6:19

Winner: Undertaker by Disqualification

Monsoon sends us to Mean Gene who's with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper to talk about the battle royal. Roddy says he's "prouder than punch" to be at the Royal Albert Hall and says if the place let Heenan in, he'd be okay. Piper says Heenan lies more than the government does and he's gonna slap him. Roddy Piper compares Ric Flair to "Boy George Jr" and calls him a "feather wearing faggot freak!" which even Okerlund looks stunned to hear. Good luck saying that these days. Piper says he's going to beat Flair, win the battle royal and party with the football players.

After a break we come back with Gene standing by the trophy with Typhoon and Jimmy Hart. Jimmy says they have 5 chances to win the battle royal with the Nasty Boys, Natural Disasters and The Mountie all in it. Typhoon says if it comes down to him and Earthquake, they'll handle it themselves. Typhoon and Jimmy leave as Power & Glory arrive. Paul Roma says the LOD have nowhere to hide now and Hercules says they've come halfway around the world to win the belts. Gene says if they fail, they may not get another shot for a long time. Roma says they won't fail and they leave.

After another break the LOD walk in for their interview. Animal calls Power & Glory "little geeks" and says they've beaten everyone that they've faced. Hawk babbles on and calls them Sour & Gory and their own mothers won't recognize them. Gene asks them about the battle royal and if they were the last two. Hawk says "AERRGGHHHHHHH WHAT A RUSHHHH" Animal says they're gonna beat Power & Glory and win the battle royal. Just like the Disasters, they don't have an answer either.

Back to Monsoon who shills the upcoming matches and sends it to Mel Phillips for our next match.

Match 7

Power & Glory (Hercules & Paul Roma) vs The Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal) for the WWF Tag Team Championships

LOD gets a big pop from the crowd as Monsoon calls the heels "Herc and Jerk". Hawk & Roma start and Hawk wants a test of strength. Roma stalls for some heat before slugging away at Hawk. Hawk counters with a dropkick then chases him around the ring. Back inside Hawk hits a neckbreaker and a snap mare before dropping the big fist. A cover gets two then Animal & Hercules tag in. Hercules and Animal shoulder block each other to no-avail but Hercules drops him with a clothesline. Animal counters with one of his own then tags Hawk in to work over the arm. Hawk chops Hercules in the corner but Hercules counters with an atomic drop. Hawk rams Herc's head into the turnbuckle 10 times and Heenan says that won't bother him. Hercules tags Roma back in and they doubleteam Hawk in the corner when Animal runs in. Roma hits a piledriver on Hawk who no-sells it. Hawk counters with a boot and an overhead press slam. He throws Roma into Hercules and Animal clotheslines Hercules out. Hawk scoop slams Roma then goes up top. Roma moves out of the way and Hawk flies across the ring to the outside. Hercules drops Hawk on the guardrail before getting in the ring. Roma drives Hawk back first into the ring apron before Hawk slides back in. Hercules punches and kicks Hawk before dropping him throat first off the top rope. Heenan "Where do they put the ice for the hockey here?" Monsoon "WILL YOU STOP??" Hercules throws Hawk chest first into the buckle and shoulderblocks him down. Heenan "Hawk got rear-ended". Herc then sells it himself and Hawk makes the tag as well as Roma. Animal beats up Roma then dropkicks Hercules. Animal hits a powerbomb on Roma but Hercules breaks up the count. Herc and Hawk brawl outside as Roma scoop slams Animal. Roma goes for a crossbody but Animal catches him mid-air and powerslams him. The cover gets 1..2....3 and its over. LOD wins it much to the crowd's delight. Roma claims Animal hooked the tights to no avail as Monsoon checks out the replay. A lot of people wondered why Power & Glory got a title shot after being virtually nothing since Wrestlemania 7, the answer is Vince didn't want to have another rematch with the Nasty Boys or start the Natural Disasters feud yet. It made sense that Power & Glory would be expendable in London. Ironically Roma would leave the company literally a week later on this same European tour in Paris. He's still in the battle royal though.

Time of Match: 9:07

Winners: LOD by pinfall (still champions)

Back to Mean Gene who's with the star of the show, hometown hero "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Davey is excited to be home and he says he smells victory over not only against The Barbarian then the battle royal. He says he's going to get both Earthquake & Typhoon in the Royal Albert Hall. We go to the ring where Mel Phillips introduces Lord Alfred Hays to introduce the next match.

Match 8

The Barbarian vs "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith

Heenan makes fun of Alfred as Barbarian makes his entrance. Alfred gets excited to announce Davey as the crowd pops for his entrance. Heenan claims there were more women cheering for Flair than the Beatles and Monsoon goes "Will you be serious?" Barbarian starts with a headlock and a shoulderblock spot goes nowhere. Another one does nothing so Barbarian puts the boots to him. Heenan "You know he's a disgrace to London, right?" Monsoon "Who??" Heenan "Davey" Monsoon "HE IS NOT!" Barbarian bails to the outside and shouts at the camera as the crowd chants for Davey. Davey locks in an armringer as Heenan says they're evenly matched.  Davey sunset flips Barbarian as Heenan tells Barbarian to just sit down. Barbarian punches nothing as Davey slides underneath the legs and arm drags him. Heenan talks about Grambling and Monsoon says "Will you stop??" Bulldog ducks a clothesline and walks right into a big boot. Monsoon says he thought Bulldog would put him away quick with the battle royal looming and Heenan said "Noooooo." Barbarian slams Davey up against the ringpost then rolls inside. Barbarian pounds on Davey's chest then locks in a chinlock. Heenan says Hays was here when the Royal Albert Hall first opened and Monsoon goes "Will you be serious?!" Bulldog does the fade then revive routine but walks into another big boot. Barbarian piledrives Davey and covers for 1..2....nope. Barbarian slams Davey but misses a second rope elbow drop. Davey rallies with right hands and clotheslines Barbarian over the top rope to the floor. Davey and Barbarian trade blows on the floor but Barbarian clotheslines the ringpost. Davey sends him off and drops him with a clothesline. Davey covers for 1..2....nope. Monsoon admonishes Davey for not hooking the leg but Davey nails the delayed suplex. Bulldog pounds Barbarian in the corner then gets sent off. Barbarian misses a charge and Davey hits the running powerslam and covers for 1...2...3 that's it. Davey wins it. The audio strangely cuts out as Bulldog celebrates in the ring. Finally Monsoon and Heenan go over the replay and how Davey won it. Remember Davey vs Warlord and how boring those matches were? This was only slightly better. Barbarian could move a bit better and it showed here. Still, not much you can expect from these two.

Time of Match: 10:04

Winner: British Bulldog by pinfall

We go back to Mean Gene who's with the Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart. Saggs says there's been a plague or two here but never has the UK seen the Nasty Boys. Knobbs says they're gonna win the battle royal like they won the tag match earlier. Gene says the battle royal is up next. Alfred Hays joins Monsoon and Heenan on commentary as Mel Phillips handles the introductions.

Match 9

20 Man Battle Royal

The participants are "Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich, Earthquake, Typhoon, Tito Santana, The Mountie, Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels, The Barbarian, Big Bossman, Hercules, Paul Roma, Jim Duggan, Knobbs, Sags, Ric Flair, Hawk, Animal, British Bulldog, The Undertaker and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Double duty for almost everyone as everyone that worked is back, including Barbarian who Monsoon acknowledges was just out there. The only two who didn't were "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Typhoon of all people. Could have cut a few minutes off each match to have them two work but oh well. Piper comes out last to a huge ovation and goes right after Flair without even taking his shirt off. Bossman beats the crap out of Knobbs as The Rockers go after Sags. Alfred calls it a "tremendous tussle" as Piper and Flair run around the floor. Piper chokes Flair with an electrical chord as Bossman chases Mountie around. Roma clubs away at Animal as Heenan says the first man out is the first man who makes a mistake. The camera pans around the ring as Flair and Barbarian double team Piper. Jannetty saves Bossman from Earthquake and Bossman gets back in. HERCULES jumps over the top and eliminates himself then grabs a chair to attack Hawk with it. Referee Danny Davis tells Hercules to beat it as Knobbs ducks a discus punch to eliminate TEXAS TORNADO. Piper throws Knobbs over the top rope but he stays on the apron. KNOBBS swings and misses and Piper uses two fingers to push him out. Bulldog brings Sags over to Piper who kicks away at him. Typhoon picks up MARTY JANNETTY and drops him out. Heenan points out Undertaker has taken it easy so far and its good strategy. Tito Santana dumps THE BARBARIAN as Mountie bails to the outside for a breather. Earthquake grabs TITO SANTANA and throws him out. Flair chops at Piper as Hawk and Sags slug it out until Sags ducks a charge to eliminate HAWK. Duggan and Animal come over to dump SAGS out and Hawk dropkicks him outside for good measure. The only tag team still intact are the Natural Disasters as Undertaker chops Animal. SHAWN MICHAELS skins the cat only to be dumped by Mountie anyway. Earthquake misses the avalanche in the corner and Duggan tries to get rid of him. Hawk press slams Flair down as Earthquake tosses JIM DUGGAN. Duggan pulls a sore loser and waffles EARTHQUAKE out with the two by four with an assist to Animal. Piper and Flair brawl on the floor as even Alfred admonishes Duggan for cheating. Piper ducks a charge and RIC FLAIR is gone. Heenan goes speechless after Flair is tossed. Roma saves Mountie from Bossman danger as Bulldog has Typhoon halfway out. Piper crotches Taker but Taker headbutts him away. Bulldog ducks a charge and PAUL ROMA is out. Say goodbye to Roma as he had a match in Paris then left the company.  Animal hits a running clothesline on Undertaker but Taker ducks a second attempt to eliminate ANIMAL. We're down to six, make it 5 as Piper ducks a charge to eliminate THE UNDERTAKER. Uh oh, Taker pulls a sore loser and pulls RODDY PIPER out. The final four are Bulldog, Bossman, Mountie and Typhoon. Jimmy Hart's crew are in one corner with him with Bossman and Bulldog in the other. Bossman and Mountie square off with Davey and Typhoon. Bossman chases Mountie around while Typhoon drops the Bulldog. Bossman punches Typhoon away and drops Mountie with a big right hook. Bossman sets Mountie up on the second rope and jumps on him. He then slides outside and decks Jimmy Hart. Back inside Bossman charges, but Mountie then pulls the top rope down and BIG BOSSMAN flies out. Typhoon headbutts Davey in the corner and Mountie joins in for the double team. Mountie holds Bulldog in the corner and Typhoon charges, but the Bulldog moves which causes Typhoon to avalanche The Mountie instead. Davey Boy goes nuts and drives Typhoon into the corner with right hands and proceeds to pick up Typhoon by the legs as Alfred Hays shouts for Davey to get rid of him as Heenan tells Hays to shut up. Mountie nails Bulldog from behind and the crowd goes silent. Typhoon puts the boots to Davey and Mountie comes over and slaps him in the face. Monsoon and Hays observe it as a sign of dissention but Heenan correctly points out Mountie is just firing him up. Mountie and Typhoon put the boots to the Bulldog for a while then fire him off the ropes and nails him with a double clothesline. Heenan tells us the place is gonna go quiet once the Bulldog hits the floor. Monsoon says Bulldog was in a war just before the battle royal with The Barbarian. Mountie holds Bulldog while Typhoon comes off the ropes for a clothesline....but Davey ducks and Typhoon waffles THE MOUNTIE over the top rope to the floor, eliminating him. Alfred Hays cheers and tells Bulldog to get out of the ring and get some rest as Bobby Heenan tells Typhoon to sit down so Bulldog can't pick him up. Bulldog and Typhoon do the Force meeting Object routine until Typhoon misses a clothesline and Davey hits a dropkick. Bulldog gets Typhoon in the corner but Typhoon reverses a whip to the other corner and hits an avalanche as the crowd gasps. Davey staggers and Typhoon catches him with a clothesline. Heenan says the people are making their way to the exit signs as Monsoon says that they are NOT! Typhoon charges but Bulldog ducks and TYPHOON flies out of the ring as Hays creams his pants. Davey Boy wins it as the crowd goes wild. Typhoon gets back in as Earthquake runs back as well. The Natural Disasters double team Davey as Earthquake hits the powerslam. Hays cries foul as Quake calls for the aftershock. Davey slides out of the ring but the Disasters corner and avalanche him. All of a sudden Andre The Giant of all people comes out and rams the Disasters' heads together. Andre whacks both of them with the crutch and they retreat. That was short for a battle royal but they were at the end of the show. It served its purpose of sending the fans home happy.

Time of match: 14:37

Winner: "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith.

Mel Phillips announces Davey the winner as Andre shakes his hand after the match. Davey is presented the trophy as the announcers sign off. The matches ranged from great (Flair/Santana) to holy crap that was BAD (Tornado/Mountie). Its a wonder why Typhoon and Piper didn't wrestle as they were the only two who didn't have a match prior to the battle royal. The battle royal and show itself was just to get British Bulldog over, so mission accomplished. This was also one of the last times Andre The Giant would be seen as well. If you're wondering where everyone else on the roster was, while this show was going on a separate crew was in Miami for a house show. I'll see you there.