WWF Superstars of Wrestling – December 29th, 1990

December 29, 1990

From the Sundome in Tampa, FL

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

In action this week are Mr. Perfect, Big Bossman, The Undertaker, Jake Roberts, Tugboat, and the debut of the Nasty Boys.

Mr. Perfect w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Rico Frederico

Before the match, Perfect shakes the hand of George Steinbrenner, who was sitting in the front row. Frederico catches Perfect with a dropkick then Perfect rolls out and huddles with Heenan. Perfect re-enters and beats on Frederico in the corner but walks into a clothesline. Frederico ducks his head and gets kicked in the face as Perfect is in an insert promo telling us 1991 will be a perfect year and vows to win the Royal Rumble. Perfect stays in control then hits the Perfect Plex for the win (2:29).

Thoughts: Seeing Steinbrenner in the front row was something. This was just generic Rumble hype for Perfect here.

WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. We are shown a clip of Dusty & Dustin Rhodes on the “Brother Love Show” from last week to hype their tag match against Ted DiBiase & Virgil at the Royal Rumble. We then see Virgil massaging DiBiase, who is laughing about his opponents and what they said as money is a bond thicker than blood. DiBiase then makes Virgil massage his toes as Virgil reluctantly does so just to show us how much power he has with his money. We’ve now seen over the past few weeks a change in how DiBiase has been treating Virgil. He’s really been awful to him.

Tugboat vs. Bob Bradley

Piper talks about how he would refuse to do what Virgil did to DiBiase because he is not for sale. This is something to keep track of going forward. Bradley jumps Tugboat from behind but gets caught and tossed trying a crossbody. Bradley avoids an elbow drop and hammers away as the announcers talk about Tugboat and Hogan possibly facing off at the Rumble. Tugboat is shown in an insert promo apologizing to his fans and Hogan because at the Rumble it will be every man for himself then Vince lets us know that Andre the Giant will no longer be part of the Royal Rumble match because of an injury suffered while touring Japan then Tugboat puts Bradley away with a splash (1:31).

Thoughts: I have noticed here and for the rest of the syndicated TV Rumble hype that they pushed the every man for himself theme harder than probably any other year. You could have seen Tugboat possibly turning on Hogan as a direction with how they talked about this on commentary.

Vince voiceovers an ad for the Royal Rumble.

Jim Evans & Sonny Blaze vs. Nasty Boys w/ Jimmy Hart

The announcers all struggle to correctly say Sags’ name. The Nasty Boys beat on Evans to start then we hear from them with Hart in an insert promo telling us they are tough, mean, uncontrollable, and nasty. Blaze tags in as Honky finally tells us Sags’ name then the Nasty Boys beat him down until they beat him with a running powerslam/top rope elbow drop combo (2:45).

Thoughts: According to the Nasty Boys, they got into the WWF after Hogan called them due to the fact Vince McMahon was impressed by their match against The Steiner Bros. at Halloween Havoc. They also said that WCW had a deal on the table but Vince was offering a bigger opportunity/push and they said Jim Herd was a dick so they left. They also said when Hart went on the road with them he didnt last ten days as Hart was up early and never partied.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Kent Carlson

The camera cuts to a fan playing with a Jake action figure, complete with the detachable snake, and a girl holding an inflatable Damien doll. Jake sends Carlson down with a knee lift and follows with a slam. We then see Martel in an insert promo as he is not concerned about Jake and promises he will once again be in total darkness. The crowd now chants for the DDT as Jake hits the short-arm clothesline before hitting the DDT for the win (2:02). After the match, Jake dumps Damien on top of his opponent.

Thoughts: Besides showing off Jake’s newest merchandise they continue to hype his feud against Martel.

Gene Okerlund brings out Sgt. Slaughter and Gen. Adnan to the interview platform. Adnan holds up a box that is covered with a copy of “USA Today.” Okerlund brings up August 2nd as the date Iraq invaded Kuwait. Slaughter tells us that was the date Sadaam Hussein conquered Kuwait as Okerlund calls them disgusting. Adnan speaks in his native tongue as Slaughter translates as Hussein gave him a special gift. Slaughter points out how he wrapped it in “USA Today” paper then tears open the box and reveals a pair of boots with a hook on the end. Slaughter then promises to Hussein that he will wear the boots and conquer the World Heavyweight Champion at the Royal Rumble then after that he’ll go to Baghdad and ride down the streets with Hussein for a celebration. They are going overboard with Slaughter’s heel push now simply due to the fact there are no other top heels to feud with the likes of Hogan and Warrior. I find the promos themselves long-winded and repetitive among other things but you can feel the desperation here.

Big Bossman vs. Pete Sanchez

Bossman brings a ball and chain with him to the ring. Sanchez lands a punch but gets sent down with an elbow smash. Bossman beats on Sanchez then is shown in an insert promo telling Heenan that not even The Barbarian will keep him safe. Bossman takes Sanchez down with a big boot and hits a slam before putting Sanchez away with a sidewalk slam (1:41). After the match, Bossman puts the ball and chain around Sanchez’s leg and drops the ball on his chest.

Thoughts: The story heading into the Bossman/Barbarian Rumble match is that Barbarian is going to try and keep Heenan safe.

Royal Rumble Report with Gene Okerlund.

Terry Davis vs. The Undertaker w/ Brother Love

The Undertaker beats on Davis in the corner to start. Brother Love & Undertaker are in an insert promo talking about winning the Royal Rumble as we see Brother Love at ringside barking out orders. The Undertaker chokes out Davis on the mat then puts him away with the tombstone (2:28).

Thoughts: The Undertaker is still just unlike anything else in the promotion but Brother Love is doing nothing as his second.

The announcers plug “Bodybuilding Lifestyles” magazine with Honky saying he is going to pose for them as Vince replies “You’re kidding me.” Well, expect a lot more bodybuilding mentions going forward as this was Vince’s magazine that would lead to the World Bodybuilding Federation unveil a month later.

In action next week are Jim Duggan, The Orient Express, Texas Tornado, Sgt. Slaughter, and Hulk Hogan as the guest on the “Brother Love Show.”

Final Thoughts: The Slaughter segment was heavily pushed and we saw the Nasty Boys make their debut. We also saw the first mention of the “Bodybuilding Lifestyles” magazine as Vince’s obsession with that would be pushed on these shows for the next couple of years. Besides all of what I just mentioned we got more hype for the Rumble and continuation of other feuds.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

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 Superstars of Wrestling 1/12/91

Thursday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 1/13/91

Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 1/19/91