WWF 1992: Heading to the Rumble

WWF Prime Time Wrestling

Vince McMahon welcomes tonight’s panel consisting of Bobby Heenan, Gorilla Monsoon, Slick and J.J. Dillon. McMahon then introduced everyone to the show, which tonight will feature exclusive matches from WWF’s recent Christmas tour.

The Barbarian defeated Scott Taylor in 4:34 by submission with a Tongan Death Grip.
Not a simple quash match, since Taylor got some early offence in, but as soon as the Barbarian got going, it was over. Rating: E+

PTW cut to Ric Flair backstage. Flair announced that he will be involved in the Royal Rumble match, and that he will the world Wrestling Federation Championship for the first time. Flair then promised that not even Hulk Hogan will stand in his way of being the star attraction of the WWF. The panel then discussed the events.

Royal Rumble Qualifier
The Legion Of Doom defeated The Orient Express in 10:15 when Road Warrior Animal defeated Kato by pinfall with a Doomsday Device.
A solid tag team match despite being pretty one sided. All the Legion need to do is brawl and they manage to impress the crowd, which is pretty much all we saw from them here. Kato put on a decent experience, but fell victim to the Doomsday Device. Rating: C+

PTW cut to Tatanka backstage, talking to a member of staff about being undefeatable. Shawn Michaels overheard the conversation, and got in the face of Tatanka. The two were held apart before a fight could break out.

Earthquake defeated Max Moon in 6:47 by pinfall with an Earthquake Splash.
Surprisingly the debuting Max Moon got some solid offence in, and definitely has the skills to make a mark if given the chance. He wan’t given that much of a chance here though, and Earthquake just squashed the poor guy, quite literally, with the Earthquake splash. Rating: D+

The panel discussed the Royal Rumble match, which for the first time will see the World Wrestling Federation championship on the line, and mentioning that Ric Flair and the Road Warriors are already involved.

Davey Boy Smith defeated Rick Martel in 13:54 by pinfall with a Running Powerslam.
This was a great match, and was really helped by the fact that these two have great chemistry. Smith really demonstrated how he can use his strength to dominate his opponent, while Martel put on a great performance of his own. Both men could have an impressive 1992 if this match was anything to go by, but it was the Bulldog picking up the win. Rating: B

Vince McMahon then introduced. a special sit down interview with Hulk Hogan. Hogan talked about how Ric Flair cost him the World Wrestling Federation Championship, and that he intends to win it back by winning the Royal Rumble match. Hogan promised that if Flair thinks he is going to get away from him, then he is mistaken, since the Hulkimaniacs wont allow it.

WWF Intercontinental Championship
Bret Hart defeated The Mountie in 15:37 by pinfall with a Backbreaker.
It’s rare that PTW gets a match of this quality, but this was worth watching. Many people have been calling 1992 they year that Bret Hart will win the big one, and from his impressive performance here it is looking more likely than before. The Mountie looked close to winning his first title within the WWF a number of times, and at one point locked in the Boston Crab. Bret reversed though, and eventually managed to hit the Backbreaker for the win. Rating: B

Post match Bret Hart celebrated the win when the Undertaker walked out onto the ramp, alongside Paul Bearer. Bearer promised Bret that he should keep hold of the title for now, because he won’t have it for long. The Undertaker signaled that he is coming for Bret Hart as PTW came to an end.