WWF Prime Time Wrestling – September 14th, 1992

September 14, 1992

Vince McMahon is your host. Panelists include: Bobby Heenan, Mr. Perfect, Hillbilly Jim, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

This show we will see the title match between Ric Flair and Randy Savage.

Clips of Ric Flair’s celebration that we saw on Superstars.

We go to the panel as Duggan is all pissed off over how Flair won the title.

Nasty Boys & The Mountie w/ Jimmy Hart vs. The Bushwhackers & Hacksaw Jim Duggan

This took place at SummerSlam but not shown on the PPV. Both teams play to the crowd then the Nasties & Mountie attack from behind. The Bushwhackers & Duggan clear the ring then march around for a bit. Things settle down as Luke and Knobbs go at it but that leads to the faces once again cleaning house. We get some comedy with the heels using miscommunication spots and a few triple battering ram spots as Heenan asks if this is a tag match. We go to break then return as the heels work over Luke in the corner. Luke continues to get beat down as Heenan pisses off Vince by saying The Bushwhackers are garbage men from New Zealand. Sags runs interference so Luke can get double-teamed behind the ref’s back then Luke is able to tag out after getting his foot up on a flying attack from Knobbs. Duggan runs wild on Mountie then everyone is in the ring. Hart runs up on the apron then Sags tries to break up Duggan’s pin on the Mountie with a flying elbow drop but accidentally hits his partner and gets tossed outside then Duggan covers Mountie for the win (12:37) 1/2*.

Thoughts: This was the first match in front of the crowd and they were jacked but the match itself was not good at all. It started off with your typical house show comedy spots but went on for too long.

Papa Shango defeats Justin Taylor in a match that aired on the 9/12 edition of “Superstars.”

Back to the panel as Vince plugs the Coliseum Home Video release of SummerSlam on September 24th. Duggan loved the fans at Wembley Stadium chanting USA but Heenan taunts him about not being a champion like Flair. Duggan & Hillbilly Jim then surprise Perfect & Heenan by saying Warrior is looking for the title and Vince adds that Warrior is the #1 contender.

Razor Ramon’s interview from the 9/13 edition of “Wrestling Challenge.”

Gene Okerlund welcomes Randy Savage to the interview platform. This was from the 9/1 “Superstars” tapings in Hershey, PA. Savage said that his match at SummerSlam was the most brutal and toughest of his career. Savage then says that Warrior is as much a part of the WWF World Heavyweight Title as himself. Okerlund asks Savage about neglecting to hit Warrior with a flying elbow drop then flying out to attack Flair when he learned of Flair & Perfect messing with their heads. Savage promises to take on all comers then says there is nothing wrong with his knee but Razor interrupts. Razor was not impressed with Savage at SummerSlam and that everyone knows Razor Ramon wears the gold as he promises to take away Savage’s gold. Razor says he “oozes machismo” and that Savage needs lessons in machismo and tosses his toothpick at Savage, who picks it up and tells Razor he dropped it but instead knocks Razor down. Razor is then held back by several officials while Savage hobbles around on one leg. You can tell how strong they are pushing Razor by having him debut and a few weeks later coming out to confront Savage. The segment itself was really good as we are now creating a top feud for the Fall.

Jim Powers vs. Shawn Michaels w/ Sensational Sherri

This was from the 7/20 “Superstars” tapings in Worcester, MA. Shawn hammers away on Powers to start. We get an Irish whip sequence as Shawn pulls up on the ropes but ends up getting clotheslined outside. Shawn regroups with Sherri then heads in to talk trash with Powers but ends up in a headlock. Shawn comes back with a clothesline then Sherri puts the mirror in front of his face for some added inspiration. Shawn hits a dropkick and then a high knee as Sherri is all smiles on the outside. Powers avoids a punch after a failed sunset flip attack but Shawn takes him back down and works a headlock. Shawn gets kicked after ducking his head for a back drop then eats boot on a charge. Powers wins a slugfest and runs wild until he misses a corner charge and runs into a super kick then Shawn hits a teardrop suplex for the win (6:01) **.

Thoughts: Decent action in this match. They seemed to establish the super kick as Shawn’s setup move but there was no talk about his feud with Martel.

Back to the panel as they discuss Savage’s knee injury that occurred at SummerSlam.

WWF World Heavyweight Title Match: Ric Flair w/ Mr. Perfect vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (c)

This is from the 9/1 “Superstars”tapings in Hershey, PA. Vince and Heenan are on commentary. Perfect grabs Savage’s leg and right after that Flair backs Savage into the corner and works the leg. Savage rolls out and returns but Perfect grabs his leg again as Savage is pacing and fighting off Flair in the corner. Flair goes after the knee and they go back-and-forth in the corner at a slower pace than you would expect. Savage keeps fighting off Flair’s attempts to work over his leg but Flair finally gets him down. Flair attacks the knee but Savage catches him with a press slam. Perfect swipes at Savage’s leg again but Savage avoids him then puts on an abdominal stretch. Flair escapes by attacking the knee then Savage comes back with a clothesline that gets two. Flair hits a delayed vertical suplex after kicking Savage’s knee and that gets a two count. Flair stomps Savage’s knee then Perfect also interferes as Flair is in total control of the match as he targets the knee of the champion. We go to break after Savage is tossed outside then return as Savage comes in and sends Flair outside with a clothesline after a flurry of offense. Savage sends Flair into the guardrail then suplexes him on the floor. Savage grabs a chair then drops it after being admonished by the referee. Savage punches away as Heenan keeps telling us Savage is trying to get himself disqualified in order to keep his title. Savage rolls Flair back inside and hits a flying double ax handle but is in too much pain to make the cover. Razor Ramon now comes out to ringside then Perfect once again grabs Savage’s leg. Savage yells at Perfect but then Flair sends Savage outside with a high knee. Flair distracts the ref as Razor kicks out Savage’s leg then stomps the knee as Heenan said that was the result of Savage sucker punching him from earlier. Flair rolls Savage back inside and puts on the figure four as Perfect is celebrating on the outside. Savage is going mental in pain and tries everything he can to escape as Vince screams about Savage refusing to submit but after a few minutes Savage is out on the mat in pain and the ref counts to three in one of the slowest counts you will ever see as Flair is once again the World Heavyweight Champion (15:58) **3/4. Vince says Savage defended the title in the most courageous way he has ever seen.

Thoughts: This match was infamous for the fact Vince stopped the match halfway by having Bobby Heenan come out to ringside with ring announcer Howard Finkle come out and say the match would be resumed when the referee was able to regain control (This was according to PW Torch’s Mark Madden who was in attendance). According to Flair himself, Vince did this because he hated the match and thought they lacked intensity. That first half was not shown here on TV. So, they did resumed the match but the crowd was cold and it certainly came across that way on TV and in no way felt like a major title match. The work in the match was fine as was the story they were trying to tell but disappointing considering who was involved. Savage in particular did not have a strong showing and the first five minutes of this felt like a waste of time. And Madden also reported that the crowd was about 30% pro-Flair with “Wrestling Observer Newsletter” writer Dave Meltzer adding that they had to pipe-in booing and carefully edit crowd shots to portray a really negative reaction. With Flair winning and Savage now feuding with Razor its clear that Flair will feud with the Ultimate Warrior. This match was featured on the “WWF 1992 Year in Review” Coliseum Home Video Release” for those interested.

Back in the studio as the panel talks about the match. Vince wants to know what kind of man Razor is to return to the ring and attack Savage.

Now, we see what happened after the match where Razor returned to the ring and destroyed Savage’s knee and slapped him around. This is what Vince was referencing in the prior segment. Savage tries to defend himself but is too hurt to stand then Razor finally leaves as some fan yells “asshole” a few times. The Ultimate Warrior then comes out in street clothes, with Vince saying he was not scheduled to be here, and carries Savage backstage. Vince goes off about machismo and how the one man with machismo is in fact Savage.

Back to the panel as Perfect says the bond between Flair, Heenan, and himself are the strongest as Duggan compares them to the three stooges.

Kamala defeated Burt Stiles in a match first shown on the “SummerSlam Showdown.”

We now see an interview with Bret Hart, who is via satelitte on TSN in Canada. Vince asks him about Papa Shango and SummerSlam. Bret said his match at SummerSlam was tough and he was proud but does not believe in Papa Shango and his curses. Bret says he lost to the British Bulldog because Bulldog was the better man that night. Bret also says his family relations have normalized but is now focused on proving that Shango’s curse is just a big myth.

Nailz and Sgt. Slaughter are scheduled to wrestle. However, Nailz knocked Slaughter off of the apron before the bell then beat him with the nightstick. Nailz then uses a steel chair on Slaughter and goes back to the nightstick and turns over the timekeeper’s table. A few officials run out but Nailz scares them off before tossing a chair at Slaughter’s back. Nailz heads into the ring and growls as the camera closes up on his face as Slaughter is wheeled out on a stretcher.

Big Bossman defeated Iron Mike Sharpe in a match that aired on the 9/12 edition of “Superstars.”

Next week’s matches include: Virgil vs. Razor Ramon, Tatanka vs. Mountie, Big Bossman vs. Rick Martel, and El Matador vs. Papa Shango. Plus, a special interview with Randy Savage.

Jameson now strolls through after making a mess and grosses everyone out with his food. Yes, he was still kicking around on Prime Time.

Kato vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer

This is from the 7/21 “Wrestling Challenge” tapings in Portland, ME. Lord Alfred seems to believe that a couple more wins will put Kato in line for a title shot. Undertaker brushes off a sneak attack and beats down Kato then stays in control until putting him away with a Tombstone (3:01).

Thoughts: Easy win for The Undertaker as his feud with Kamala continues.

We now see Jameson by himself in the studio eating his feud.

Final Thoughts: We got to see the title change in its entirety and that was a rarity to get a full-length title match and switch on TV. This show also pushed Razor as one of the top heels but the primary focus was on the title switch as Flair is once again champion. I’d seek out the title match if you can but do not expect a classic or something close to resembling what they did at WrestleMania VIII.