WWF Superstars – April 18th, 1992

This is the first show that is just “Superstars” instead of “Superstars of Wrestling” due to a lawsuit won by promoter Albert Patterson who claimed rights to the name. Read all about that right here

April 18, 1992

From Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, MI

Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Mr. Perfect

In action this week are Money Inc., Texas Tornado, Bret Hart, and the Legion of Doom. Plus, an interview with the Ultimate Warrior and more!

Legion of Doom w/ Paul Ellering vs. Dwayne Gill & Barry Hardy

The LoD slam their opponents around as we hear from the Beverly Brothers & The Genius in an insert promo calling the LoD & Ellering “sissies.” The LoD stay in control as Ellering barks out orders then they put Gill away with the Doomsday Device (2:18).

Thoughts: Having the LoD/Beverly Brothers feud revolving around the LoD being called “sissies” is really lame. I get they are trying to repackage the LoD as being tougher than ever and having them mop the floor with people taunting them will in theory make that happen but this is the Beverly Brothers we are talking about and they have little credibility in the WWF and the state of the tag division in general is quite poor.

WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. We hear about the new issue of “WWF Magazine” that contain the photos Savage had with Elizabeth as they are the same as the ones Flair had as we now officially know Flair had in fact doctored the photos. After that the end of the Flair/Savage match at WrestleMania VIII is shown. Okerlund then tells Flair he would not want to be in his boots after what he did to Elizabeth.

Chris Hahn vs. Repo Man

Perfect claims that Savage had doctored the photos as Vince said Flair sent in the photos he had right before the publishing deadline so Savage could not have a chance to publish the real photos. If that was the case then why didnt Savage come out and say so once Flair started this whole thing? Repo Man dumps Hahn then uses a few guillotines until he slingshots Hahn throat-first into the bottom rope (1:52). After the match, Repo Man drags Hahn around the ring with his noose.

Thoughts: Just a backdrop for more talk of the Flair/Savage feud.

We see another vignette of a prison cell with the man narrating once again calling out Big Bossman as he promises to get revenge when he is released.

Tom Bennett vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart

The announcers talk about Shawn Michaels with Perfect saying he can beat Bret. The match starts with Bret taking control then we hear from Shawn & Sensational Sherri in an insert promo running down Bret then soon after that Bret uses the Sharpshooter for the win (2:19).

Thoughts: They are hyping up Shawn vs. Bret as the new IC Title feud.

We see a vignette for Crush. The same Crush that was part of Demolition but that was not acknowledged. He is decked out in neon colors with some graffiti in the background that reads his name. Crush tells us he got his name because he likes to crush things as we see some black-and-white footage of him crushing a toy as a kid. He then talks about being 6’7 and 320 lbs. Crush had a cool look here but this vignette was super corny.

The Berzerker w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Mark Roberts

We hear from Fuji in an insert as he issues a challenge to the Undertaker & Paul Bearer and promises they will get a “viking funeral. The Berzerker beats down Roberts as Vince cannot believe they are challenging Undertaker. Berzerker stays in control then uses a falling powerslam for the win (2:09).

Thoughts: They are starting to do something with the Berzerker now as he is challenging the Undertaker. Odd since they were mentioning Undertaker/Papa Shango as a potential feud just last week but the next few weeks brought a whirlwind of changes to the company.

We get an ad for the WWF Fan Club

Okerlund is on the interview platform with several kids who are all wearing Ultimate Warrior face paint. The Warrior himself comes out and has the kids surround him as Okerlund talks about his return and the electric atmosphere that followed. Warrior talks about being Hulk Hogan’s friend then Okerlund calls Warrior a threat to Sid Justice because Sid grabbed a chair to attack him. Warrior then says Sid will soon realize he will need friends and anyone who goes against his Warriors will pay a higher price. Warrior now picks up a kid in each arm and says he will stand proud while carrying the banner of the WWF. They really tried hard to make Warrior into Hogan with this segment. Warrior dropped the psychotic rambling promos he did prior to his return and was promoting friendship, which I get due to the recent bad press and having trouble attracting advertisers as a result but at the same time kids would not think this is cool at all so it wasn’t going to work in the long run.

Red Tyler vs. “The Model” Rick Martel

Martel beats down Tyler in the corner. Tyler comes back with a crossbody for a two count but gets punched in the gut. Vince plugs an article on Martel in “WWF Magazine” then soon after that Martel uses a Boston Crab for the win (1:49).

Thoughts: They pushed Martel a bit here but no mention of his feud with Tatanka.

Vince plugs the Coliseum Home Video Release of WrestleMania VIII including exclusive footage of Nasty Boys, Mountie, and Sensatinal Sherri singing on stage, WrestleFest Arcade game contest, and a WWF Superstar lookalike contest between a Bossman & Bearer imposter.

Texas Tornado vs. Warren Bianchi

Vince keeps putting over Tornado’s look and physique. Vince also says we will get a reply from The Undertaker regarding the challenge issued by Mr. Fuji. Tornado stays in control as he cuts an insert promo talking about rededicating himself to his family, country, and the WWF. Tornado stays in control as Perfect calls him “tapioca” then Tornado hits the Tornado Punch for the win (1:48).

Thoughts: Tornado is back and they are having him cut promos as if we all knew he was in rehab. At least he looks sober here.

WBF Bodystars Ad

Money Inc. vs. Jim Powers & Buck Zumhoffe

Before the match, IRS tells the crowd that cheating on their taxes is illegal. It got very little heat like everything else he has been doing since his debut. DiBiase and Powers start off by trading arm wringers. Powers uses a knee lift then hits a dropkick before tagging out. DiBiase rakes Zumhoffe’s face as we hear from the Natural Disasters in an insert promo telling Money Inc. they will not be so lucky next time they meet then DiBiase uses his Million Dollar Dream for the win (1:32).

Thoughts: More hype for the cold Tag Team Title feud.

We now hear from The Undertaker & Paul Bearer as they accept the challenge from Berzerker & Mr. Fuji as they promise Berzerker will pay a price. Next, Fuji tells Undertaker he fell for their trap as Berzerker says whatever does not kill him makes him stronger.

Also in action next week are Sgt. Slaughter, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair. Plus, an interview with Sid Justice.

Final Thoughts: They took the next step in the Flair/Savage feud and hyped a Undertaker vs. Berzerker match for next week but more importantly they went ahead to try and establish Warrior as the new face of the company. That is the main takeaway of this show as Warrior vs. Sid is the new top feud but that would not last long as we will learn about that soon.