WWF Wrestling Challenge – December 23rd, 1990

December 23, 1990

From the Onondoga War Memorial in Syracuse, NY

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

In action this week are Jake Roberts, Legion of Doom, Dino Bravo, and Jim Duggan. Plus, an interview with Brother Love & The Undertaker and more!

Jake Roberts vs. Boris Zhukov

Zhukov didn’t even get to sing the Russian National anthem. Heenan jokes that he does not think Jake can hit Zhukov with the DDT because of his big head as Jake is in an insert promo asking Santa for an eye this Christmas. Jake hits Zhukov with a knee lift but Zhukov escapes from a DDT attempt. Zhukov hits a clothesline for two but Jake comes back with a clothesline of his own then hits a DDT for the win (2:09). After the match, Jake dumps Damien on top of Zhukov as Heenan yells that the snake is also missing an eye.

Thoughts: Lots of jokes at Jake’s expense by Heenan. The Jake/Martel feud continues.

WWF Special Report with Lord Alfred Hayes. Same as the Update segment from “Superstars of Wrestling” that focused on the Intercontinental Title Change.

Barry Hardy vs. Shane Douglas

Gorilla tells us that Shane has captured the hearts of the WWF. Shane takes Hardy down and follows with a dropkick. Shane blocks a punch and works the arm for a bit. He then hits clothesline and a belly-to-belly suplex before putting Hardy away with a crossbody from the top (1:49).

Thoughts: Another TV win to build up Douglas as his lower card push continues.

An ad for the Royal Rumble airs.

The Warlord w/ Slick vs. Ron Cumberledge

Davey Boy Smith is in an insert promo challenging The Warlord to see who has the best powerslam. He then wishes him a “happy” Christmas. Warlord overpowers Cumberledge with ease then the announcers list off the 30 Royal Rumble competitors and actually name Buddy Rose as a participant but not Greg Valentine, who had been previously announced. Warlord stays in control then hits a running powerslam for the win (2:00).

Thoughts: Along with who is the strongest, Warlord and Davey will now compete to see who has the best powerslam.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Scott Colontonio

Heenan gloats over Mr. Perfect being the Intercontinental Champion as a “USA” chant erupts in the crowd. Duggan beats on Colontonio then grabs a chinlock. We hear from Duggan in an insert promo as he calls himself “Santasaw” while wishing our troops overseas a happy holidays. Duggan catches Colontonio with a slam then hits a Three Point Stance for the win (1:56).

Thoughts: A very “patriotic” Duggan here to put him over for his feud against Sgt. Slaughter.

The Bushwhackers are having a blast playing the “WWF WrestleMania Challenge” game for Nintendo.

Gene Okerlund welcomes Brother Love & The Undertaker to the interview platform. He was not referred to as “Kane” here. Brother Love tells us that we haven’t seen nothing yet then tells us to look at The Undertaker and see if he needs any friends to win the Royal Rumble. The Undertaker says there will be no resting in peace for the other 29 Royal Rumble participants in a good promo.Really, Taker cut a solid promo here but you can tell that having Brother Love as his second is just not enhancing his act at all. And really, Brother Love is past his expiration date here.

The Mountie vignette where he shows a guy how to get to the United States is shown.

Legion of Doom defeat Duane Gill & Tony Ulysses in a match first shown on the 12/17/90 edition of “Prime Time Wrestling.”

Royal Rumble Report with Gene Okerlund.

The Gobbledy Gooker and Saba Simba are shown dancing in a pre-taped segment. It was funny to see how awkward Simba looked here but again the new gimmicks introduced in ’90 have been a dud.

Dino Bravo w/ Jimmy Hart & Earthquake vs. Scott Summer

Bravo beats on Summer as Heenan predicts Sgt. Slaughter will become the next WWF World Heavyweight Champion. Bravo then hits a slam and a few stomps until the side slam gets the win (2:02). After the match, Earthquake hits a pair of splashes as Summer is carried out on a stretcher.

Thoughts: They are still putting over Bravo & Earthquake as a duo for their house show matches against Hogan & Tugboat.

In action next week are The Rockers, The Barbarian, Texas Tornado, and Power & Glory. Plus, an interview with Dusty & Dustin Rhodes and more!

The show ends with both announcers talking about how impressive The Undertaker looks.

Final Thoughts: Nothing new here to speak of as the Rumble hype continues. They are doing a great job with the Undertaker’s character but the rest of this show was repetitive for those who watch every week.

Here is my tentative schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: WWF Madison Square Garden 12/28/90

Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/29/90

Saturday: Mid-South Wrestling 5/19/83

Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/30/90

Monday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 1/5/91

Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 1/6/91

Wednesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 1/12/91