WWF Superstars of Wrestling – December 8th, 1990

December 8, 1990

From the Rochester War Memorial in Rochester, NY

Your hosts are Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper, and the Honky Tonk Man.

In action this week are Jake Roberts, Sgt. Slaughter, The Bushwhackers, and Earthquake. Plus, Dustin Rhodes as guest on the “Brother Love Show” and more.

The Bushwhackers vs. Troy Durham & Tony Ulysses

Butch licks Howard Finkel’s head before stepping into the ring. The Bushwhackers beat on Durham as the announcers put over the Ultimate Warrior. Ulysses tag in and soon after that The Bushwhackers hit the battering ram then the double gutbuster for the win (3:05).

Thoughts: Not much to speak of here. The Bushwhackers were on the bottom of the tag team totem pole and were not involved in any feuds. The fans were still into their antics a bit though.

Sonny Blaze vs. Sgt. Slaughter w/ Gen. Adnan

Honky tells us he was the first one to sign up for the Royal Rumble. Slaughter comes out wearing headdress then we hear from him in an insert promo as he talks about Jim Duggan needing to be “kicked back in line.” Slaughter beats on Blaze as Piper and Honky are going back-and-forth on commentary then Slaughter uses the Camel’s Clutch for the win (1:42).

Thoughts: More hype for the Slaughter/Duggan feud and we learned that the Honky Tonk Man would be in the Royal Rumble match. However, Honky quit the promotion before the PPV and was not on the card.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Scott Colontonio

Vince tells us about an article on Jake Roberts in the newest edition of “WWF Magazine” as Colontonio works over Jake’s blindside. Jake comes back with a clothesline then gets pissed before hitting a DDT for the win (1:30).

Thoughts: The Jake/Martel feud continues with Jake doing a masterful job with his character.

WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This is about the Royal Rumble PPV as Okerlund goes over the rules before letting us know of the first 20 competitors in the Rumble match. They include: Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, Hercules, The Undertaker, Texas Tornado, Earthquake, Animal, Rick Martel, Honky Tonk Man, Smash, Bret Hart, Luke, Crush, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Warlord, Jim Neidhart, Hawk, Mr. Perfect, Paul Roma, and Andre the Giant. The other ten participants will be announced next week. Big news here, especially with Andre the Giant billed as returning.

Glen Ruth vs. The Warlord w/ Slick

The announcers talk about the Royal Rumble as Warlord beats on Ruth. We then hear from Davey Boy Smith in an insert promo who tells Warlord he wants to see just who is the strongest. Warlord stays in control then puts Ruth away with a running powerslam (2:15).

Thoughts: It took about nine months but Warlord finally appears to have a singles feud with the returning Davey Boy Smith.

Big Bossman vs. Chris Duffy

Duffy attacks Bossman from behind but ends up running into a back drop. Bossman drills Duffy with a back elbow smash then we hear from Bobby Heenan in an insert promo as he talks about being suspended for life if he does not get into the ring with Bossman and how its ruining his holidays. Bossman stays in control then hits Duffy with a sidewalk slam for the win (1:55). After the match, Bossman cuffs Duffy to the bottom rope.

Thoughts: Bossman is really over with the fans but his feud with Heenan really has run out of steam.

Brother Love Show with guest Dustin Rhodes. However, Ted DiBiase & Virgil come out as DiBiase sees Rhodes’ potential and has an offer. DiBiase says there is no lower form of life than a “Texan” except maybe for his bodyguard Virgil, who shoots his boss a dirty look. DiBiase then tells Dustin he was not trying as hard as he could during the 10 minute challenge and insults Virgil again. DiBiase then has Virgil shine his shoes then Brother Love’s as he tells Dustin this could be his job as long as he takes the money in his hand. DiBiase says he wants to buy Dustin like he did his dad’s manager but Dustin slaps the money away. DiBiase & Virgil now attack Dustin and beat the crap out of him until the Texas Tornado runs out for the save then tells DiBiase he’s proud of being from Texas. Its clear they are setting up for a DiBiase/Tornado feud. And with The Rhodes Family already given notice and going to WCW they really pulled back pushing their feud with DiBiase. Also, DiBiase was taken shots here at Virgil almost out of the blue as he has never insulted him before on TV. That is something to keep an eye on in the future.

Scott Summer & Jim McPherson vs. Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji

Demolition calls out The Rockers in an insert promo as we see them take control of the match. Crush whips McPherson, who goes up-and-over in the corner and out to the floor. Fuji whacks McPherson with the cane then Crush press slams him back inside. Summers tags in and gets beat down until Demolition put him away with the Decapitation (2:47).

Thoughts: The Demolition act has run its course. The fans just do not care about them and never did care about Crush in this role.

Koko B. Ware is shown with the Gobbledy Gooker. He’s singing and dancing with Gooker. Vince really is an odd man to think people would like the Gooker character.

Mike Daniel vs. Earthquake w/ Jimmy Hart & Dino Bravo

Earthquake destroys Daniel then finally puts him out of his misery with a sit-down splash (1:01). After the match, Earthquake hits two more splashes.

Thoughts: Another easy win for Earthquake as he puts out yet another performer on a stretcher.

In action next week are Power & Glory, Jim Duggan, The Undertaker, Legion of Doom, and the Texas Tornado defends the Intercontinental Title against Mr. Perfect. We close out the show by hearing from both involved in that match then Vince asks Piper if he will be in the Royal Rumble but he decides to make fun of Honky instead.

Final Thoughts: The Royal Rumble hype kicked off here with 20 participants announced for the Royal Rumble match. We also saw an angle on the “Brother Love Show” and found out there will be an Intercontinental Title match next week. Over the next few weeks we will learn more about the Royal Rumble card as that will be the focus of the shows.

Here is my tentative schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/9/90

Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/15/90

Saturday: Mid-South Wrestling 5/12/83

Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/16/90

Monday: WWF Prime-Time Wrestling 12/17/90

Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/22/90

Wednesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/23/90