What the World Was Watching: WWF Superstars – July 27, 1991

Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper, and Randy Savage are in the booth, starting a new set of television tapings from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping took place on July 9 and drew a crowd of 8,500.

The Texas Tornado’s squash from Prime Time leads off the telecast. The only twist is it has new commentary from the Superstars team and Piper talks of getting in another motorcycle accident, thereby scuttling future house show appearances against Irwin R. Schyster.

Gene Okerlund’s Update segment recaps how Sid Justice is the guest referee for the SummerSlam main event. Sergeant Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa, and General Adnan insist that its just a matter of time before Justice wants to join their corps.

The Berzerker (w/Mr. Fuji) (16-0) beats Chi Chi Cruz via count out at 2:12:

The Berzerker barely breaks a sweat tearing apart Cruz, throwing his opponent over the top rope to maintain his unbeaten streak.

Bret Hart (13-0-3) beats Hutch Thomas via submission to the Sharpshooter at 2:09:

Thomas was a wrestler/manager who began wrestling in 1983 for Stampede, the territory owned by Bret’s father Stu. While in Stampede he wrestled as the Blue Demon and Dr. Drago Zhivago.

Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect and Coach appear in the split screen, repeating that Perfect is the perfect wrestler. Bret deconstructs Thomas, using a side Russian leg sweep to set up the Sharpshooter.

Sean Mooney’s Event Center provides SummerSlam promos. The Natural Disasters and Jimmy Hart warn Andre the Giant against interfering in their match with the Bushwhackers or he will become a piece of the ring. The Bushwhackers and Andre rebut that they are going to stop the Disasters. Andre looks so out of place with the Bushwhackers and does not appear to be having much fun.

The Warlord (w/Slick) (15-2-2) defeats Larry Williams via submission to the full nelson at 1:55:

There are lots of stars on the roster that are racking up television wins but getting no defined direction and the Warlord is among them. He takes Williams head off with a clothesline and ragdolls him with a full nelson. This marks the second time that the Warlord has beaten Williams this year.

More SummerSlam promos with Mooney! Sergeant Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa, and General Adnan tell Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior need to worry about how they are outnumbered. Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect and Coach say they have a plan to handle Bret Hart and will follow it.

A new Skinner vignette says people need to watch out in the swamp because he might skin them alive. He hides and the camera cannot find him.

The Bushwhackers (w/Andre the Giant) (12-2) beats Bob Bradley & Mike Starr when Butch pins Starr after the double stomachbreaker at 1:57:

Andre sits in a chair after walking to the ring with the Bushwhackers, wearing their hat and getting licked by them. Video footage also shows the massive scars on Andre’s right knee from a recent operation. In the split screen, the Disasters repeat their vow to go after Andre if he gets in their way at SummerSlam. The point of the match is to show that Andre is in cahoots with the Bushwhackers so things are kept short as the Bushwhackers blitz Starr with the Battering Ram and finish with the double stomachbreaker.

Jake Roberts is a guest on the Funeral Parlor. Roberts says that he wants to share the secrets of darkness and the Undertaker with the Ultimate Warrior. Bearer begs off but Roberts insists that he will so long as the Warrior releases his fears of death and trusts him.

Okerlund does the SummerSlam Report. Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior make the funny claim that WWF President Jack Tunney was senile in booking the SummerSlam main event as they put over how their combined power can beat Sergeant Slaughter and his allies. New matches added to the card include a Jailhouse Match between the Big Bossman and the Mountie where the loser will spend the night in jail and Greg Valentine against Irwin R. Schyster. Ted DiBiase and Sensational Sherri tell Virgil that his delusions of grandeur will end at SummerSlam. Virgil rebuts that he is getting under DiBiase’s skin and will take his most prized possession in New York City. Young fans say that they look forward to Randy Savage marrying Elizabeth.

The Mountie (w/Jimmy Hart) (20-0-1) pins Steve May with the carotid control technique in 39 seconds:

This was May’s first year in wrestling after being trained by the British Bulldog and Ross Hart.

In the split screen, the Bossman says that the Mountie needs to look forward to going to jail and enduring hard time after SummerSlam. The Mountie wins his quickest match to date by quickly chokeslamming May off the ropes and applying the carotid control technique. After the match, the Mountie handcuffs May to the ropes, reads him his rights, and shocks him.

And more SummerSlam promos with Mooney! Irwin R. Schyster tells Greg Valentine that it is time for him to be audited and pay his fair share with money or bones. Valentine rebuts that he is not nervous to face IRS and looks forward to beating a shyster. Bret Hart promises that Mr. Perfect’s Intercontinental title reign is coming to a close because Perfect is on the verge of making a “perfect mistake.”

Tune in next week to see the Natural Disasters, the Dragon, Sergeant Slaughter, and the Undertaker in action! Also, there will be a special interview with Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior!

The Last Word: The Jailhouse Match is a nice way to blowoff the Big Bossman-Mountie feud because it fits their characters. Having the match take place in New York City is a bonus because of the New York Police Department’s national reputation. The other big part of the show was the Funeral Parlor segment where Jake Roberts is being moved from his feud with Earthquake into the Ultimate Warrior-Undertaker angle. That is a significant upgrade for Roberts on the card. Aside from that, this show continued the build to SummerSlam and doled out the usual squash wins.

Up Next: Wrestling Challenge for July 28!