Introduction:
Welcome back to Television Rewind. I hope you enjoyed our last episode where we reviewed the very first WCW Monday Nitro. We had a lot of shocking debuts but I bet they pale in comparison to the shock factor that we are about to experience on this episode. Thats right, we are heading back to the beginning of 1992 and heading to the Barber Shop. Thats right we are going to do the WWF Wrestling Challenge where Shawn Michaels throws Marty Jannetty through the Barber Shop Window. One of the most memorable moments in wrestling history and we are about to witness it right here on Television Rewind.
Show Opening:
The show opens up with Gorilla and Bobby talking about the following weeks Royal Rumble show. Heenan says in a week they are going to crown a never WWF champion. Heenan says it has to be somebody that no matter where they go, they point and say there is a champion. Heenan says there is only one guy who fits that bill and it’s Ric Flair. We get the opening video and then we run through the guys who are going to be on the card. We got Roddy Piper in action. We also have the Undertaker as well as Jake Roberts in action. They announce that the Rockers will be in the Barber Shop as well as the New Foundation in action.
Match 1: The Undertaker vs. Scott Bazo
Taker starts the match with a choke hold and then he whips the guy into the ropes and hits him with a choke slam. During the match they show a promo by Bearer and The Undertaker. Taker says that his workers in his crematory are preparing for the largest cremation in history with 29 superstars from the Royal Rumble and they will snap crackle and pop. Taker nails Bazo with a flying clothesline and then starts choking him out some more. Undertaker picks Scott up and dumps him with the Tombstone and the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall…..The Undertaker!
Recap:
This is nothing more than a squash and it looked like Taker was going to take it easy on this day. He did very little work and just dropped the guy with the Tombstone. I was hoping to see some more Undertaker’s athleticism but it just wasn’t there for this one.
WWF Special Report:
Hayes talks about how fast the Rumble is approaching. They show Savage and Elizabeth’s promo from this past weeks Superstars. During the promo Savage says at the end of the Rumble he will be the winner and the snake man will be history. Elizabeth says the one sound she wants to hear at the end of the Royal Rumble is the new WWF Champion Macho Man Randy Savage….Oh Yeah!!!
They have comments from the following WWF Superstars:
IRS Promo:
IRS calls out the Boss Man and asks him if he can take the pressure. IRS says just think about what it is going to be like looking up to him as the next World Wrestling Federation champion.
Repo Man Promo:
Repo says the Rumble is going to be great. He says he can sneak right up into that Royal Rumble and nobody is going to know what he is doing. He says he can repossess the World Wrestling Federation championship.
British Bulldog Promo:
The Bulldog says he is psyched up and pumped up for the Royal Rumble. He says the belt is up for grabs and that he is going to power his way through the Royal Rumble.
Hayes reminds us that the Royal Rumble is this Sunday on Pay Per View and you should call your cable provide right now so we don’t miss out.
Match 2: New Foundation vs. Dusty Daze/Unknown
Neidhart and one of the jobbers start off and Neidhart toys with him by dropping him with a couple of shoulder blocks. Owen gets tagged in and he comes off the top with a drop kick. The other jobber gets in and Owen baseball slides through his legs then drops him with a flying clothesline. Owen picks up the jobber and hits him with a standing drop kick. Owen tags in Neidhart and they end up hitting a double back drop on the jobber. Neidhart throws the jobber to the outside as the ref admonishes him for it.
Neidhart hip tosses the guy out of the corner and then just yells in his face. Neidhart rams the guy into the boot of Owen as he gets tagged in. Owen hits a jumping leg drop on the jobber and quickly tags back in Neidhart. We get quick tags and this time Owen drops under and Neidhart hits the guy with a body slam and he throws Owen off the top rope with the Rocket Launcher for the 1-2-3. Your winners by pinfall….the New Foundation!
Recap:
Nothing special here. Owen had some pretty awesome offense with the drop kicks and the clothesline but other than that nothing really worth checking out here. The Rocket Launcher was always a pretty sweet finish and I liked seeing it here. Not much else though to this one.
WWF Event Center: Promos by: Ric Flair/Mr. Perfect then Hulk Hogan
Mooney lets us know that fans in the Boston area shouldn’t let those New Year’s Resolutions slip away. Mooney then runs down a card for the Boston Garden. You will see in a 6 man tag between the Legion of Doom/Bret Hart vs. Natural Disasters/The Mountie. The main event will feature the one and only Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair. We then cut to a promo by Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect.
Perfect says you need to forget about what you have heard about any sporting event anywhere. Now and only now the three greatest wrestling names in the WWF are going to be in the ring at the same time: Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan. Flair says that Hogan is a loser and his only redeeming quality is his opportunity to get in the ring with the real World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. Flair says come on down because the champ is waiting.
They go right to the Hulk Hogan promo instead of going back to Mooney so here are his thoughts.
Hogan says that Flair might as well forget about the marquee with their names on it going down in history. Hogan says they are in a lot of trouble because Hogan has the chance to get the WWF Title back at the Royal Rumble and bring it back home. Hogan says that Flair is going to be an endangered species because this is his chance to eliminate him right out of the shoot. Hogan says when he comes down to the ring for the one on one confrontation it is not going to be styling and profiling, leer jets and limos, but it is going to be Hulk Hogan in war mode. Hogan says he is very dangerous right now because he doesn’t have the WWF title and he has nothing to lose. Hogan says if he happens to put the Figure Four on him he won’t be letting go until he hears snap, crackle, and a final pop. Ric Flair what are you going to do when Hulk Hogan wipes you out.
Match 3: The Berzerker vs. An Unknown
The match starts with the jobber charging at Berzerker but the Berzerker drops him with a nasty big boot. Berzerker then drops the guy with a flying shoulder tackle. Berzerker then talks to Fuji through the middle rope and then he drops the leg drop on the jobber. Berzerker drops a big knee to the jobber and then picks him up and drops him with a chop. Berzerker picks the poor guy up and drops him with a body slam. He picks him up again and gets him tied up in the ropes. Berzerker hits the ropes and nails the guy with a boot to the face. Fuji asks for one more and the Berzerker obliges. Berzerker picks the guy up and hits him with a lay down slam. Berzerker then picks up the jobber and throws him to the outside and he gets counted out. Your winner by count out…..The Berzerker!
Recap:
I always did like the Berzerker squash matches. He was brutal and really dished out some punishment to these guys. I also liked the fact he just threw guys over the top rope and won by count out. It was different and made his matches stick out. He was a little nuts but I always liked him because of that. This squash is nothing special but it’s not bad either.
Vignette on Tatanka:
They go to a river where Tatanka is standing by. Tatanka says this river has been a source of food, transportation, and refuge and it is the very life blood of his people. Just as the river flows in its own direction he most flow in his direction. He says he will be the river and he will carry the sacred wisdom of the Indian nation to all nations.
WWF Event Center: Promos By: Legion of Doom/Bret Hart then Natural Disasters/Mountie
Mooney says it is time again for the folks in Boston to prepare for the excitement of live WWF action at the Boston Garden. Mooney restates the 6 man tag match between LOD/Bret vs. Natural Disasters/Mountie. They will also see Ted DiBiase vs. El Matador. Then in the main event we have Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan and Mr. Perfect will be ringside. Mooney then sends us to a promo by the Legion of Doom and Bret Hart.
Animal starts us off by saying we are going to figure out just how tough the Natural Disasters are as well as find out how long that yellow streak is down the back of the Mountie. Animal says we are looking at the WWF Tag Team Champs as well as the IC Champ. Bret says that Jimmy Hart and the Mountie came pretty close to attempted murder but he has the LOD watching his back now and they have no where to hide. Hawk says he wants to talk about teeth and how the three of them are going to knock them down their throats. Hawk says there is a lot of gold here and there is a reason for it and it is because they are the best.
They go right into the promo by the Natural Disasters and the Mountie and here is what they had to say.
Mountie starts off laughing and calls out Bret for showing up with the LOD. Mountie says he has the two baddest guys in the World Wrestling Federation with him in the Natural Disasters. Mountie then says that Bret likes to go around and talk about how the Mountie tried to kill him but he said he only tickled him. Mountie says next time he is really going to show him what it is all about. Typhoon then says that Jack Tunney is protecting the wimps known as LOD. Typhoon says if they are champs like they say they are then they would put up the belts instead of hiding behind Tunney’s skirt. Earthquake says that we may not be able to win the belts in this match but they can definitely beat them from post to post.
Mooney says that the Natural Disasters and the Mountie are going to try and take advantage of this golden opportunity to destroy the tag team champions and the Intercontinental champion.
Match 4: Roddy Piper vs. Louie Spicolli
Before the match Spicolli goes over and grabs Piper’s kilt and steps on it. This infuriates Piper so he goes after him with some rights and lefts then clotheslines him over the top rope. Piper goes out after him and chases him around the ring. Spicolli falls down and Piper catches him and whips him into the steel post. They show a promo by Virgil during the match and he says there are friends vs. friends and enemies vs. enemies at the Rumble. Virgil says if it comes down to he and Piper it will be lights out and he will be the new champion.
Piper continues to whoop up on Louie and he gets the kilt and throws it in the face of Louie. Louie then starts to straighten out the kilt on the mat until he punches Piper in the gut. Piper takes a couple of punches until he puts him in the sleeper hold and turns the lights out for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall…..Roddy Piper!
Recap:
There was nothing to this match either but it was pretty cool they had Louie mess with his kilt to add a little bit of heat to this match. Other than that this was just a typical Piper squash and we got a quick finish thankfully.
The Barbershop w// Brutus Beefcake: The Rockers are guests
It’s time for the only reason we are reviewing this show. Can’t wait to see this again. Brutus says there has been a lot of controversy and rumors flying regarding the two. Brutus pulls out the magazine where it mentions how they may break up. Brutus wants to get it straight right from the horses mouth. Shawn says the Rockers are the tightest team in the WWF. Shawn says, as the captain of this team and as guy who has put all of this together, there is absolutely no problems with the Rockers.
Marty says hold on and tells Shawn not to come out here and lie to the people because there is friction between the two. Marty says listen to yourself you are calling yourself the captain of the Rockers. Marty says it was always a team thing and nobody ever was the captain of the Rockers. Marty brings up a match where they almost lost because Shawn was flirting with a girl ringside and wasn’t available for the tag. Shawn says “what can I say? The chicks dig me!”
Marty then brings up the match against the Nasty Boys where he nearly has the match won but Shawn cuts him off and asks him if we are going to pass the blame on each other and if so hold on a second. Shawn says he was in the ring with Ric Flair, which is something Marty has never done. Shawn says he was giving Flair the wrestling lesson of his life and here comes Marty to save the day. Marty says he didn’t come out there to save the day. Marty says he came out there because Shawn hit his head on the railing and he was concerned for him and his well being. Shawn cuts him off again and asks Marty if there was sometime down the line where he asked for Marty’s help because he doesn’t remember.
This is such a classic performance by Shawn Michaels. He is being a total dick and it is awesome. Marty tells Shawn to listen to himself again. Marty says he has no idea what is going on in Shawn’s head. Marty says we stuck together between thick and thin and Marty has no idea what is going on in Shawn’s head. Marty starts talking about the LOD match and then says he doesn’t want to pass the blame so he took the blame for the LOD loss. Marty says it was his fault and he apologized for coming out during the Flair match. Marty says he wants the Rockers to work because together they can make it to the top.
Marty says he is going to turn his back to Shawn and if Shawn wants to go on his own then he can go ahead and walk off and leave. Marty says but if you want to stick together and make this thing work then when he turns around they are going to shake hands and Rock N Roll like the Rockers can do. Gorilla and Bobby really set the stage from here with their commentary. Bobby says that they need each other while Gorilla says it sounds fair to him. Gorilla says he is not going to walk away and Bobby says they need each other again. Shawn turns Marty around and has a shit eating grin on his face as he sticks his hand out and shakes the hand of Marty Jannetty. They hug and pose for the crowd when BAM A SUPER KICK OUT OF NO WHERE!!! Based off all accounts Shawn got that one in snug and you can definitely tell because Marty is knocked the hell out.
Bobby then says “told ya, told ya see one without the other isn’t any good…..oh I knew he was going to do that. I just knew he was going to do that. He don’t need Jannetty I told you that off and on.” Gorilla “Are you kidding? What a dispicable act that was.”
Shawn then picks up Marty and is cussing him out but you can clearly tell that Marty is out on his feet. Shawn then takes him and throws him into the Barber Shop Window. Glass is shattered every where and Marty’s face is cut all to hell. What a brutal spot. Bobby says “Jannetty tried to dive through the window.”
Shawn then pops his collar and looks freakin awesome after his heel turn. He then goes back over to Jannetty and pulls him down to the floor and lays in a stiff kick to the midsection before Brutus comes out to check on Marty. Shawn then picks up the WWF Magazine that Brutus had early and looks at the camera and says “Is there a problem with the Rockers? I don’t think so” as he rips the magazine in half.
They bring out the EMTs and doctors to check on Marty while they show stunned fans in the arena.
Recap:
I don’t usually recap segments but this one deserves it. Everything about this segment was money. From Shawn’s cocky attitude to the delivery of Marty’s promo. You can feel how much Marty wanted to make it work and you could tell how much Shawn was over the whole thing. The throwing of Marty through the window is one of the most iconic moments from this time frame. It is still talked about to this day. I have a friend at work who is not even a wrestling fan anymore but loved the Rockers growing up and he still talks about this segment right here. It left a lasting impression and is one of the greatest heel turns of all time. The reason it was so special is because things like this never happened back then so when they did they stick out and are memorable. Such an amazing moment and definitely worth watching.
WWF Royal Rumble Report: Promos by: Hulk Hogan, Warlord, Nasty Boys, Sid Justice, then Big Boss Man
Gene brings us the Royal Rumble report and says that Shawn Michaels is a disappointment to him. Gene says we don’t have a medical update on Marty Jannetty just yet but we hope to have one before the show is over. Gene lets us know, again, that the WWF title is on the line for this Royal Rumble match. Gene runs through the entrants of the match as we cut to a promo by, of course, Hulk Hogan first.
Hogan says that the battle lines have been drawn and there are going to be no referees in the ring. Hogan says the Hulkamaniacs have given him the green light to go out and hurt somebody and do whatever it takes to get the WWF title match. Hogan says if you think he is intense right now then wait until you see him at the Royal Rumble. Hogan says he wants #1 so he can take care of business the Hulkamaniac way and beat up the whole WWF to get his title back. Whatcha gonna do WWF when Hogan and his Maniacs rumble for the title all over you!
Gene explains how Undertaker and Hogan have claim to the WWF title so the two of them will be drawing numbers between 20 and 30. Gene continues to run down the lest of combatants until we get a promo by The Warlord.
Harvey says after the Royal Rumble the Warlord will be the WWF Champion. Warlord says all he has to do is destroy 29 other men when they get to the ring and he doesn’t think that will be a problem. Warlord says you are looking at the next WWF Champion.
Gene continues to run through the entrants until we get a promo by the Nasty Boys.
Jimmy Hart tells us that it is going to be a nasty Royal Rumble baby. Saggs says that there are 28 jerks and 28 cases of nasty sensation. Knobbs says when the smoke clears and the Royal Rumble is finished then we will have the first nasty World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion.
Gene continues to run through the list until we get another promo by Sid Justice.
They go to the very calm and cool Sid Justice who states that everyone is looking at the next World Wrestling Federation Champion. Sid asks why is he so confident and it’s because the 29 other guys have one guy they need to look out for and it is him Sid Justice. Sid is so confident because he is the superior man in the WWF.
We get the remaining entrants until we get a promo by the Big Boss Man.
Boss Man says in the Royal Rumble he is going to teach 29 other men why he is the Big Boss Man and why he stands for law, order, and justice. Boss Man says it is for the people and he won’t let them down. He said without a shadow of doubt he is going to become the World Wrestling Federation Champion.
We get the rest of the entrants. Gene says Marty will be competing in the Royal Rumble health permitting. Gene runs through the rest of the card. Gene says it doesn’t get any better than the Royal Rumble. He tells us we need to pick up the telephone and make that all important call so we don’t miss out on the Royal Rumble.
Match 5: Jake Roberts vs. Larry Ludden
Jake controls the match early on with some shoulder blocks against the ropes when they show a promo by Sgt. Slaughter during the match. Slaughter says listen up Jake and that he will never trust a snake like him. Slaughter says at the Royal Rumble it is every man for himself. Slaughter says Jake is one that is going out first and then he is going to go on to win the WWF Championship for old glory and his country.
Jack drops Larry with a hip toss and then he walks around taunting the crowd. Jake then steps on the throat of Larry and then he drops a few knees to the throat and chokes him out with it. Jake picks up Larry and hits him with a body slam. Jake picks up Larry and lays in some rights and lefts to him. Jake then drops Larry with the short arm clothesline. He then picks up Larry and makes it appear that he is going for the DDT as the crowd is chanting for it. Jake ends up dropping Larry on his face and making the fans wait for the DDT. Jake finally picks up Larry and drops him with the DDT for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall…..Jake Roberts.
Recap:
This was your typical squash match again. I liked how throughout the card they had promos during matches hyping up the Royal Rumble and the match itself. It really made it look like everyone had a chance and it was very well done. The match itself sucked and was super slow because thats how Jake worked but the fact the crowd was chanting for the DDT and then Jake not just giving it to them was awesome. Jake had this stuff figured out and knew how to draw heat. A shame he left the WWF when he did because this heel run could have lasted a while and I would have loved to see where it was going to go.
WWF Event Center: Promos By: Virgil then Ted DiBiase
Mooney runs through the card one more time at the Boston Garden. Mooney lets us know that the Repo Man will square off against Virgil as he sends us to the promo by Virgil.
Virgil says that he is standing right here and he is going to call it to his face. He says that Repo is a punk, a liar, a thief, and guess what a coward. Virgil says he is going to prove that Repo is a coward when they meet face to face. Virgil says when Repo whacked him in the face it brought him back down to reality and he told himself that he is going to knock the Repo Man out. Virgil says just like momma said knock you out, Repo Man you are going down for the 1-2-3 out cold. WTF is this guy talking about? This is by far one of the worst promos I ever heard. What a waste of time.
We head back to Mooney where he tells us that El Matador will square off one on one with the Million Dollar Man.
They go to DiBiase where he is right in the middle of his classic laugh. He then says what a hero to Sherri. Ted says what a hero Tito Santana is to his people. DiBiase then says we took the people down to where Tito is from in that crummy neighborhood he grew up in. Sherri then says what about that bull. DiBiase then says a bull fighter? You see what kind of bull Santana learned how to fight. Yeah it was the kind they milk. DiBiase then says the people that adore Tito are lazy bums who are asleep on park bench or trash men. DiBiase says those are Tito’s type of people.
Mooney runs through the rest of the card. Interesting enough they have a match between the New Foundation vs. Warlord and the Barbarian. Putting the old Powers of Pain together with their stupid new gimmicks I see. I’d be interested to see that one.
Show Closing:
Lord Alfred Hayes gives us the classic promotional consideration pay for by the following bit. So GNC, Smash TV, Bicycle Trading Cards, Tegrin, and Double Dragon II for Gameboy paid for some air time. Wheres my GI Joe commercial at? Anywho, Gorilla and Bobby run through what to expect on next weeks show. We will have an update on Marty Jannetty. The British bulldog is in action as well as the Nasty Boys, Legion of Doom, and we have Macho Man vs. Hercules. There will also be a special interview with Hulk Hogan. Sounds like a decent show there.
Show Recap:
Well that does it for this one. There is a lot of hype for the Royal Rumble and some promos by guys who didn’t get a lot of time to talk so that was nice. The matches themselves were nothing special but thats to expected with these shows. The Barber Shop was the selling point of this show and it delivered 100x time over. Everything about the scene was flawless and you couldn’t have asked for a better heel turn than this one.
Marty did his part and cut a pretty good promo that was coherent and respectable from the baby face perspective. Shawn’s arrogance came through the screen it felt like the real life Shawn Michaels was on the screen and not some character. It was just perfectly done and there isn’t much more that can be said about one of the most iconic moments in WWF history.
I hope you enjoyed this episode of Television Rewind. We are going to be back sooner rather than later with the very first episode of WCW Monday Nitro. I can’t wait to get into that one. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this read and I hope you continue to stick with us right here on CrazyMax and Television Rewind.
