WWF 1992: Going Forward

[Mattywood]

Firstly, credit to Kijar for the name of the diary. Secondly, I apologize in advance for any lack of graphics and formatting. Hopefully the content more than makes up for it.

It's 1992. On the surface, this universe looks like the one we live in. Yet one can't shake the feeling that something is different. For starters, you'll notice that the WWF already started negotiating with the USA Network to replace Prime Time Wrestling with Monday Night Raw. This has resulted in a bit of a new traveling schedule for the WWF as the first episode of Raw is set to premiere at the start of January, two weeks before the Royal Rumble. Yes, two weeks. And while a number of workers have the personality traits and personal problems that their real life counterparts had, some have cleaned up their act in this universe. And the Von Erichs? Well, David did still die in this world, but that served as a wakeup call for the family rather than send the rest of the brothers into further drug use and mental issues. As a result, Mike still had an in-ring career, but eventually retired from the business in 1987 after landing a gig behind the scenes at a TV station in Dallas, Texas. Chris Von Erich still made a go of it, but instead of committing suicide, he decided to leave the business and is now going to college at the University Of North Texas. Chris felt that he lived his dream, even if it wasn't the run of the century. Rumor has it that Kerry has a prosthetic foot that resulted from having his foot amputated after that devastating motorcycle accident in 1986, but that has yet to be confirmed. And Kevin's on-again off-again appearances in Dallas after the Jarrett takeover wasn't due to no-showing. It was because he was splitting time raising his own family while helping out behind the scenes with the USWA as he opted to transition out of the spotlight for a bit. Like I said, something feels different.

Other things remain the same. The WWF is still set to crown a new WWF World Heavyweight Champion at the 1992 Royal Rumble. Paul E. Dangerously is still putting together a heel stable that could make WCW interesting again. The GWF is still claiming to be coming to you from the Global Dome even though we know it's the Dallas Sportatorium. Michael Hayes still can't dress for the life of him. Ron Garvin and Jimmy Garvin still like to fly airplanes to shows. Tony Schiavone still seeks out the makeup chair. And the WWF is still recovering from the previous year's steroid scandal. How will the wrestling world shake out going forward?

OK, so the backstory was more to explain why things might look different as I post shows. I am using Fleisch and Skycrasher's 1992 Chronicles mod, which I made changes to for my own personal game that I am basing this diary around.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Mattywood
Update

[Mattywood]

Current Champions & Title Reigns

WWF World Heavyweight Champion

Current Champion: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
Sunday, Wk 2, January 1992-Present

Previous Reigns:
Vacant- Saturday, Wk 1, December 1991-Sunday, Wk 2, January 1992

WWF Intercontinental Champion

Current Champion: "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
Sunday, Wk 2, January 1992-Present

Previous Reigns
Bret "Hitman" Hart: Sunday, Wk 4, August 1991-Sunday, Wk 2, January 1992

WWF World Tag Team Champions

 

Current Champions: Beverly Bros.
Monday, Wk 1, February 1992-Present

Previous Reigns:
Legion Of Doom: Sunday, Wk 4, August 1991-Monday, Wk 1, February 1992

WWF Television

Current Champion: Irwin R. Schyster
Saturday, Wk 2, February 1992-Present

WWF Royal Rumble

1992 Winner: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

Past Winners:
1991: Hulk Hogan
1990: Hulk Hogan
1989: Big John Studd
1988: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

===========================================================================

WWF Tag Teams

Faces:
Legion Of Doom (Animal & Hawk)
High Power (Koko B. Ware & Jim Neidhart)
Bushwhackers (Luke & Butch)
The Von Erichs (Kevin Von Erich & Kerry Von Erich)
"El Matador" Tito Santana & Virgil

Heels:
Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon)
Beverly Bros. (Beau Beverly & Blake Beverly)
Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags)
Repo Tax (Repo Man & Irwin R. Schyster)
Orient Express (Kato & Pat Tanaka)

 

===========================================================================

Prediction Standings as of post-SNME:

Dawn- 11
Lord Byron- 10
Bigelow Cartwheel- 9
Old School Fan- 6
Jaysin- 4
Colonel Phantom- 4
Trevor Belmont- 4
MidKnightDreary- 2

Edited November 27, 2023 by Mattywood

[Mattywood]

Wrestling Observer News & Notes

WWF News:

Word coming out of Stamford is that the WWF is looking to beef up their roster a bit, and I don't mean by injecting them with more steroids, even though the Warlord and Davey Boy Smith are still on their roster. The WWF's plan is to hire more enhancement talent to exclusive deals. This would mean that they would not have to rely on local workers who lie about their experience just to get featured on WWF TV as they can vet these talents and have them working in house. However, they are open to signing some talent to handshake deals and letting them work other shows to make more money as that can help the WWF with its budget.

The WWF is also looking to rebuild their women's division. Apparently Vince McMahon has opted not to do business with the Fabulous Moolah ever again. I do not want to print anything until it has been confirmed as what I have heard from various sources is pretty serious. It is common knowledge, though, that Moolah had a pretty tight control on women's wrestling in the United States, which is why many talents opted to go overseas and wrestle for AJW over the years. The word is that the WWF doesn't want a bloated women's division, but enough workers to give the division depth in case a worker they're pushing gets injured, quits, etc.

As you may have seen from the ads running on the USA Network, as well has been mentioned on the WWF's TV programs, Prime Time Wrestling is no more. In its place starting next Monday night will be Monday Night Raw. The plan is to be live every other week, meaning that two episodes would be taped in one night. This has factored into the recent change that is said to be coming down for the syndicated offerings, Superstars Of Wrestling and Wrestling Challenge. With the duo of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan becoming more popular as a broadcast duo not only with the fans, but behind the scenes as well, Wrestling Challenge is set to become the A show, with Superstars Of Wrestling becoming the B show, as well as shortening its name to Superstars. Rumors have been swirling about the formats for both Challenge and Superstars, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

It has been confirmed that the WWF entered working agreements with AJW, Florida based independent promotion ICWA, and the USWA based in Memphis. The WWF is said to be high on talent in all three organizations, and the talent trades can be a good way to bring in talent to put over established WWF talent that may need wins on TV. All three organizations are also said to have entered agreements with the WWF that allows for the Federation to send talent over to those companies for development if need be.

WCW News:

Jim Herd is out, and Eric Bischoff is in. Jim Herd's fate was pretty much sealed when he let Ric Flair go to the WWF. That was bad enough, but then he let Ric go to the WWF with the World Title as the big gold belt appeared on WWF TV! Ted Turner was furious according to many, and while he kept Herd on in his role, he was already searching for a new Executive Producer. By the time Starrcade '91 rolled around, Ted Turner's mind was made up as he liked what Eric Bischoff brought to the table. It is said that Turner was looking for someone who was not your traditional wrestling guy, but also was a fan of the wrestling business at the same time. Eric Bischoff checked those boxes, and it will be interesting to see how WCW goes forward with Bischoff at the helm.

Eric Bischoff has apparently wasted no time putting his fingerprints on WCW as he is said to be signing new talent for the Light Heavyweight division, as well as to help add some sorely needed depth to the tag team division. Bischoff isn't looking to go head to head with Vince McMahon and the WWF just yet, but who knows what will happen with some coaxing from Ted Turner.

More Wrestling Observer News & Notes (Days Later)

In a rather bizarre twist, Jim Cornette, who left WCW because of a falling out with Jim Herd, is back in WCW after a falling out with Tim Horner and opting not to help him fund Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Tim Horner did find a financial backer, and has hired on Bob Armstrong as the head booker. Cornette was not shy at all when he called me and told me his side of the story of the fallout with Tim Horner. Apparently Horner agreed to pay Cornette and Stan Lane $1,000 each for their appearances at the first set of SMW shows in late 1991, but shorted them by a few hundred dollars, making up excuses such as the gate not being what he thought it would be, sudden car repair expenses coming due, etc. The final straw was Horner "not having the money" to pay what he owed Jim Cornette and Stan Lane in back payments, and both Cornette and Lane called it quits. Jim Cornette is set to be reunited with Jim Ross in the broadcast booth on the Saturday night TBS show. Speaking of which...

Eric Bischoff is making some more moves, this time on the broadcast side of things. Power Hour has been scrapped, with Main Event now moving into the Saturday morning time slot. Main Event is also changing formats, and will now be a recap show. The syndicated Pro Wrestling will now be a recap show as well. World Championship Wrestling, as in the TV show, is being rebranded as "Saturday Night" and will maintain the successful 6:05 Eastern time slot. Saturday Night will be the featured A show, and Worldwide will be looked at as a B show, but storylines are still expected to be progressed on Worldwide as well. Bischoff has also negotiated with a number of TV affiliates in the US to air Worldwide in afternoon time slots on Saturdays, which could get interesting as the WWF has Wrestling Challenge airing on Saturdays in various afternoon time slots as well, though about an hour after Worldwide on most stations. The thinking behind making Worldwide a B show is to give lower to midcard talent TV time, as well as time for younger talent to hone their craft as they'll have more room for error. WCW Saturday Night this weekend is also expected to feature a big announcement from kayfabe Commissioner, Magnum T.A. Not even I know what it will be. Probably that Jim Herd is out and that we shouldn't expect to see Robocop, the Black Scorpion, the Ding Dongs or the Creatures to return anytime soon.

OOC note: As I said, I had made some changes. I've heard Jim Cornette talk about the falling out he had in real life with Tim Horner, and decided to change things up a bit by making Tim Horner the owner and screwing around with Cornette early on, with this being a bit of an alternate universe & all. I'm not going to be playing as SMW anytime soon, but I just wanted to throw a bit of spice out there.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Mattywood

[MidKnightDreary]

Will be intrigued to see how you make changes vs my 1992 save. Enjoy and subbed.

[Mattywood]

8 hours ago, MidKnightDreary said:

Will be intrigued to see how you make changes vs my 1992 save. Enjoy and subbed.

Thank you for the kind words. Hopefully you are enjoying your 1992 save yourself, and hopefully mine is interesting throughout this diary.

[Mattywood]

Second post updated. Third post marked as <reserved> should be done by some time this weekend.

[Mattywood]

Third post updated.

[Bigelow Cartwheel]

Really excellent time for wrestling. Huge potential. Good luck!

[Dawn]

91 to 93 was one of my longest saves, so you know I love this era to pieces. Gonna be following!

[Mattywood]

WWF Monday Night Raw


 

Wk 1, January 1992
Manhattan Center, New York City, NY

 

Dark Matches:

-Tatanka def. Bob Bradley by pinfall (52)

-The Long Riders (Kip Winchester & Brett Colt) def. Barry Horowitz & The Brooklyn Brawler by pinfall (42)

Main Show:

Sean Mooney is outside the Manhattan Center in New York City, hyping up tonight's show & the main event for tonight, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts! Reverend Slick stops by to talk up how excited he is for the new, live Monday Night Raw! But that's when Col. Mustafa & Gen. Adnan interrupt the proceedings, with Adnan shouting something in his native language & Mustafa ranting about how New York is the must disgusting city in the world, not just in America. Rev. Slick tries to give a rebuttal, but Adnan & Mustafa shout verbal threats at him when Jim Duggan & Sgt. Slaughter, who just happened to be in the area, stop by & stick up for Rev. Slick. They're all yelling at each other as the show abruptly cuts to the intro.
Rating: 62

Monday Night Raw Intro

Vince McMahon & Bobby "The Brain" Heenan welcome us to the show, & we're not wasting any time as "El Matador" Tito Santana & Virgil make their way down to the ring for their match against Irwin R. Schyster & Repo Man, who are already in the ring.

Irwin R. Schyster & Repo Man vs. "El Matador" Tito Santana & Virgil
A good back & forth matchup to kick off the premiere of Monday Night Raw, with the crowd behind Tito & Virgil. Tito & Virgil showed surprisingly great chemistry for a fairly new team, though IRS & Repo Man weren't shabby in their own right. Tito Santana & Repo Man fought on the outside, distracting the ref as Virgil had IRS pinned for at least a four count after a Russian Leg Sweep. Virgil tried to get the ref's attention, but the ref told him to move back as he tried to restore order. As Repo tossed Tito into the ring steps, & with the ref's attention diverted to ordering Repo back into his corner, IRS clocked Virgil with his signature briefcase just as Virgil turned around. IRS tosses the evidence out of the ring as Repo Man goes back to his corner. IRS pins Virgil & gets the three count as the ref conveniently turned around at just the right time.
Winners by pinfall: Irwin R. Schyster & Repo Man
Rating: 67

Sean Mooney is now inside the Manhattan Center & has caught up with President Jack Tunney, who heard about what happened to start the show & watched it back on the monitor. He declared that next Monday night, Col. Mustafa would go one-on-one with Sgt. Slaughter!
Rating: 58

In the ring, Mean Gene Okerlund welcomes Ric Flair & Mr. Perfect for an interview. Ric Flair talks up about how he is the real World's Champion, & in two weeks at the Royal Rumble he would prove just that by winning the Rumble & claiming the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Mr. Perfect adds in his two cents as well & declares that at the Royal Rumble, we will finally crown "the perfect WWF World Heavyweight Champion."
Rating: 92

The Bushwhackers vs. Bob Smedley & Brian Donahue
Eh, just the Bushwhackers up to their antics & getting an easy win on their road to duking it out with the Beverly Brothers at the Royal Rumble. On commentary, Vince McMahon & Bobby Heenan make sure to remind the viewers about tonight's feature match-up of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
Winners by pinfall: The Bushwhackers
Rating: 47

It's time for the Royal Rumble Report as Mean Gene has made it to the makeshift control room at the Manhattan Center! (OK, so in reality, it was pre-taped, but... kayfabe!) Mean Gene runs down the card as we have it so far for the big event, & we hear from Bret Hart has he hypes his Intercontinental Title match against the Mountie. We also hear from the Natural Disasters as they hype up their World Tag Team Title match against the champions, the Legion Of Doom. And we hear from Sid Justice, who tells us why he will rule the World Wrestling Federation at the Royal Rumble & be the last man standing as the new WWF World Heavyweight Champion.
Rating: 70

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
A hot main event for the first ever Monday Night Raw! A match so hot, "Macho Man" Randy Savage is at the broadcast booth, but he claims he'll simply observe the match & make sure Jake isn't up to any funny business. The contest went back and forth, with Jake using his psychology to try to outsmart Piper, but the Hot Rod was able to keep up with him. Jake hits Piper with a knee lift & goes for a cover, but Piper gets the shoulder up at two. Jake proceeds to take a powder outside the ring to regroup when he spots Randy Savage. He goes over & has a few words for him when Savage throws his arms up & says "I'm just here to observe, brutha!" Jake shoves Savage in the face, sending the Macho Man out of his seat & down to the floor. Jake is taunting the fans at ringside when Macho Man jumps up and flies over to tackle Jake, punching away at him as the ref calls for the DQ!
Winner by DQ: Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Rating: 90

Earl Hebner & Roddy Piper both have to get Randy Savage off of Jake Roberts, who manages to get away from the action. Savage shoves Piper, asking him what is he doing, when Piper yells back at Savage, asking him why he cost him the match! The two are nose to nose, yelling at each other as Miss Elizabeth runs out to try & keep the peace between them. In the background at the curtain, we see Jake Roberts grinning ear to ear. Vince McMahon & Bobby Heenan close out the show at the commentary table by hyping up next week's two feature match-ups: Sgt. Slaughter vs. Col. Mustafa, & the Big Boss Man vs. Earthquake! Also, we will see Rick "The Model" Martel in singles action, as well as the Beverly Brothers in tag team action! So long, everybody!
Rating: 91

Overall Score: 89

Edited July 11, 2023 by Mattywood

[Dawn]

Repo Man winning, I approve!

[smartman]

To all the white background users on here, just highlight the blank space to get it to show (this seems to be a common thing for diary writers since the new format happened; no idea what to do to fix it). The show was great. It'll be interesting how you use some of the people.

[Mattywood]

17 hours ago, smartman said:

To all the white background users on here, just highlight the blank space to get it to show (this seems to be a common thing for diary writers since the new format happened; no idea what to do to fix it). The show was great. It'll be interesting how you use some of the people.

I see what you mean. I just went in and selected Automatic, and I think that should have fixed it as I was able to see it after switching to Light mode. I forgot that this forum supported both Light and Dark mode. My apologies. I am posting this diary elsewhere and had copied and pasted the rich text version of it. Again, my apologies.

Thank you all for the kind words so far, too. Just a heads up that not every show will follow the same posting format. I figured the first ever Monday Night Raw in this universe did deserve some love and detail, though. I may not even post every single segment grade on every single TV show, but most likely will save that for bigger shows. I have also run some "house shows" as Lesser events, but I may hold off on posting those until after the Rumble. Reason being is because if I post those before the Royal Rumble, it could potentially give away some things I want to be a surprise.

Edited July 11, 2023 by Mattywood

[Bigelow Cartwheel]

Great first show. Building up to the Rumbke and establishing early rivalries. Macho vs Roberts will be good but I’m wondering where Piper fits in.

[Old School Fan]

This being an alternate universe where Jim Cornette doesn't own Smoky Mountain, Vince McMahon refuses to do business with Moolah (shocker, right?) and only David Von Erich dies out of the whole Von Erich clan by this point, I think this is going to prove interesting.  Subscribed.  😎

[Mattywood]

12 minutes ago, Bigelow Cartwheel said:

Great first show. Building up to the Rumbke and establishing early rivalries. Macho vs Roberts will be good but I’m wondering where Piper fits in.

 

5 minutes ago, Old School Fan said:

This being an alternate universe where Jim Cornette doesn't own Smoky Mountain, Vince McMahon refuses to do business with Moolah (shocker, right?) and only David Von Erich dies out of the whole Von Erich clan by this point, I think this is going to prove interesting.  Subscribed.  😎

Thank you, folks, for the kind words again. I'm hoping this dynasty will prove interesting & will be viable long term. While my main focus is on the WWF, I do plan on posting some of the wackiness... I mean happenings... in WCW & the USWA.

[Mattywood]

WWF Wrestling Challenge

 

Wk 1, January 1992

Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, NY

Dark Matches:

-The Long Riders def. Devon Hughes & Mark LoMonaco

-Crush def. Chris Duffy

Main Show:

====================================

-Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan introduce the show, hyping up how crazy Monday Night Raw was this past week & what it means for the Royal Rumble now just one week away. Gorilla wonders who may take Marty Jannetty's spot at the Rumble next Sunday. 

Bobby Heenan: They shouldn't replace him. Just have 29 guys. In fact, don't even have the match because we all know Ric Flair will win it anyway.

Gorilla Monsoon: Will you stop?!

We go to the Wrestling Challenge opening video, then Gorilla & Bobby run down the card for this week.

Gorilla Monsoon: "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase is here this week!

Bobby Heenan: "And batten down the hatches, because Earthquake & Typhoon, the Natural Disasters, are here."

Gorilla Monsoon: "The Alligator Man from the Everglades, Skinner, is in action this week! And a double feature! The New Foundation take on the Nasty Boys, & the Undertaker takes on Greg "The Hammer" Valentine! Here we go!

====================================

-Ted DiBiase def. Bob Smedley by submission with the Million Dollar Dream.

-We go to Special Report with Lord Alfred Hayes. He talks about the historic first ever Monday Night Raw, & what happened in the main event featuring Rowdy Roddy Piper against Jake "The Snake" Roberts. He discusses how "Macho Man" Randy Savage was simply trying to observe the match when Jake Roberts shoved him down, prompting the Macho Man to jump him outside the ring, causing a disqualification. Afterward, Macho Man & Roddy Piper were arguing over what transpired as Miss Elizabeth ran out to try & keep the peace. After the recap, Alfred threw it to a recorded promo from Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who said his master plan was now coming to fruition, & his divide & conquer strategy would not only rid him of the nuisance that is the Macho Man, but would also bring him the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. "Trust me."

-The Natural Disasters def. Devon Storm & Gino Caruso by pinfall when Earthquake hit the Earthquake Splash on Gino Caruso, followed by the Tidal Wave from Typhoon.

-Skinner def. Mike Bell by pinfall with the Gatorbreaker.

-Sean Mooney in the Event Center, where he hypes up the Royal Rumble. We hear from the Genius & the Beverly Brothers, who hype up their match against the Bushwhackers. Sean then throws it to a promo from "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, who talks about how he won the big battle royal at the Royal Albert Hall in England, & he will be the last man standing at the Royal Rumble & become the new WWF World Heavyweight Champion.

-The Mountie accompanied Jimmy Hart & the Nasty Boys to ringside, which played a key role in the next match. The New Foundation def. The Nasty Boys by disqualification after the Mountie attacked Owen.

-After the match, the Nasty Boys & the Mountie are doing a number on Owen Hart. Jim Neidhart tries to help, but the 3-on-2 is too much & overwhelms him. Bobby Heenan says "Oh, the Mountie is definitely sending a message to Bret Hart here, Gorilla!" The Mountie gets his shock stick & zaps Owen Hart in the face with it! "Get some medical help out here now!" shouts Gorilla. The Mountie & the Nasty Boys look like they might finish off Jim Neidhart also, but Bret Hart & Koko B. Ware run down to the ring & clean house, sending the Mountie & Nasty Boys powdering out of the ring. Bret looks distraught & is beside himself, screaming for help. "Why didn't you get out there faster, Hitman?!" retorted Bobby Heenan. "Will you be serious?!" shouted Gorilla. Bobby Heenan wonders aloud, "I wonder what this means for the New Foundation's match at the Rumble against the Orient Express?"

-It's time for the Royal Rumble with Mean Gene Okerlund! He runs down the card & even he wonders what will happen with the scheduled tag match pitting the New Foundation vs. the Orient Express. He runs down the rest of the card as we hear from the Legion Of Doom as they talk about their World Tag Team Title match against the Natural Disasters. We also hear from Mr. Perfect & Ric Flair as they hype up their participation in the Rumble match. "Don't delay! Order today!" shouts Gene Okerlund.

-The Undertaker def. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine by pinfall with a Tombstone.

-Back to the Event Center as now Sean Mooney hypes up Monday Night Raw this coming Monday! We hear from "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & Sgt. Slaughter as they promote Slaughter's match against Col. Mustafa on Raw. We also hear from the Big Boss Man, who promotes his match against Earthquake of the Natural Disasters. After the Event Center & promotional consideration, Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan close out the show by hyping up next week's lineup. "So long, everybody!"

[Bigelow Cartwheel]

“The Long Riders def. Devon Hughes & Mark LoMonaco”

*strokes beard* 🤔

[Mattywood]

10 hours ago, Bigelow Cartwheel said:

“

The Long Riders def. Devon Hughes & Mark LoMonaco”

*strokes beard* 🤔

Didn't want to get your hopes up too much, but while I may sign both teams down the line, I'm not signing them right off the bat. The Long Riders (Smoking Gunns) were on loan from the ICWA, & Devon Hughes & Mark LoMonaco (aka D-Von & Bubba Ray Dudley of the Dudley Boyz) were local hires for one night. While I have this diary set in an alternate universe, there are still some things I want to do that the WWF would do in reality, such as giving tryout matches to potential down the road hires, as well as having dark matches throughout the TV tapings.

Also, while I'm at it, I want to give a shout out to a friend of mine. Don't know if he posts here or not, so I'll just refer to him by his e-fed name of James Jackson. He has helped collaborate with me on numerous storyline & character ideas that you will see pop up over time as this story goes on.

[Mattywood]

WWF Superstars

 

Wk 1, January 1992

Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, NY

-After the opening video, we cut to inside the WWF Studio, where Vince McMahon is seated at a roundtable with Gorilla Monsoon & Rev. Slick seated to the viewer's left, & Bobby Heenan & Mr. Perfect seated to the viewer's right. Vince welcomes the fans watching at home to the new format of WWF Superstars, where every week he will bring on a panel of experts to discuss the latest happenings in the WWF, with Sean Mooney & Lord Alfred calling the action as they bring you matches that haven't been seen yet. Bobby Heenan asks why couldn't either him or Mr. Perfect be seated in the center chair, immediately drawing the ire of Gorilla Monsoon as he gets on Heenan's case. "Let's go to the ring for our first match, the Bushwhackers in tag team action!"

-The Bushwhackers def. Devon Hughes & Mark LoMonaco by pinfall with the Battering Ram.

-Vince McMahon welcomes Bret "Hitman" Hart, who joins the roundtable via satellite from a local TV studio in Calgray, Alberta, Canada. OK, so it's Studio B, but shhhh! Bobby Heenan & Mr. Perfect question whether Bret really loves his brother Owen since he waited until the Rocket had been zapped by the Mountie to get out there & help out. Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon & Rev. Slick are all indignant at what Heenan & Perfect just said, but Bret tells them he can defend himself. He was meeting a young fan backstage who always wanted to meet his hero when Koko B. Ware ran over & told Bret that the Mountie just zapped Owen. He & Koko ran out to stop the Mountie & Nasty Boys from doing further damage, & Bret says he's been kicking himself ever since & vows revenge against the Mountie & even the Nasty Boys for what they did. "And I'll even get my hands on that little runt Jimmy Hart too for orchestrating the whole thing!" Vince makes everyone aware that Owen Hart had been pulled out of the New Foundation vs. Orient Express tag match at the Royal Rumble, and said that Gene Okerlund should have news on Owen's replacement during the Royal Rumble Report later on.

-The Legion Of Doom def. Barry Horowitz & Bob Bradley when Hawk pinned Bradley following the Doomsday Device.

-After the commercial break that followed the LOD's quick squash victory, we go to the Event Center with Sean Mooney. We hear from Skinner, who talks about how he'll chew & spit out all 29 other superstars to win the Royal Rumble & become the new WWF World Heavyweight Champion. We then hear from Irwin R. Schyster & Repo Man, who announce their new business venture, Repo Tax. Irwin says "At Repo Tax, we do it all. We find the tax cheats, & then we repossess their belongings for cheating on their taxes. We leave their paychecks alone, though, so that they can finally pay off the interest left over on their back taxes." Repo Man gets all giddy & says "Irwin finds 'em, & I repossess what they have! And it's all perfectly legal! Hahahahahahaha!"

-Col. Mustafa def. Mike Bell by submission with the Camel Clutch.

-It's time for the Royal Rumble Report with Gene Okerlund! As he runs down the card for the Royal Rumble, he informs us that since Owen Hart is not medically cleared to compete at the Royal Rumble next week, Jim Neidhart had to find a new tag team partner. It didn't take him long as Koko B. Ware will teaming with the Anvil against the Orient Express. We hear from Jim Neidhart & Koko B. Ware, who promise to take care of the Orient Express, then they're going to go after the Nasty Boys & the Mountie to get revenge for what they did to Owen. We hear from Mr. Fuji & the Orient Express as well, with Fuji & Pat Tanaka telling Neidhart & Koko that they better not look past them. Kato just stands there & nods in agreement. After that, Mean Gene runs down the participants in the Royal Rumble, We hear from Harvey Wippleman, who is standing by with the Warlord. He hypes up how the Warlord will overpower everyone & become the new WWF World Heavyweight Champion. Gene Okerlund with one more pitch before we go to commercial. "Don't be left out in the cold! Call your local cable provider now & tell them that you want to see the 1992 Royal Rumble!"

-Vince McMahon welcomes Jim Duggan & Sgt. Slaughter via satellite from the local TV studio in Glens Falls, NY. Ok, it's really Studio B at WWF HQ, but kayfabe! They hype up Sgt. Slaughter's match tomorrow night against Col. Mustafa on Monday Night Raw. Bobby Heenan points out that Col. Mustafa looked meaner than ever in his victory earlier today, which Slaughter acknowledges. "But I've become meaner too. The only difference between me one year ago, & me right now, is that I have seen the light & love my country. Otherwise, I am just as rough, as tough, & as brutal as ever you Weasely slime!" Mr. Perfect yells at Sgt. Slaughter for name calling Bobby Heenan & threatens to send Ric Flair after him & Jim Duggan. Jim Duggan retorts, "So does Ric Flair fight all over your battles, tough guy?!" Gorilla Monsoon & Rev. Slick warn Bobby Heenan & Mr. Perfect that they may not want to get Sgt. Slaughter & Jim Duggan on their bad side, & Vince McMahon somehow manages to take back control of the raucous debate in time to send it over to the feature match.

-The Barbarian def. Nikolai Volkoff by pinfall with the Flying Clothesline off the middle turnbuckle.

-To commercial break we go, & we return with the Event Center as Sean Mooney hypes up the Royal Rumble. "One of the featured matches you will see pits the Beverly Brothers against the unorthodox Bushwhackers. Right now, both teams are standing by." The Genius & Beverly Brothers have their say about the match, trash talking the Bushwhackers for being so vile & disgusting, & always breaking the rules while the Beverly Brothers simply want to compete in a scientific tag team match. The Bushwhackers respond by calling the Beverlys out for their hypocrisy, talking about how they cheat with the help of that no-good Genius.

-One more roundtable discussion to close the show. The panel talk up tomorrow night's Monday Night Raw, where we will see Sgt. Slaughter go one-on-one with Col. Mustafa. Gene Okerlund will interview the Mountie to find out just why on earth he zapped Owen Hart in the face with his shock stick. Vince reminds us "And in from there, we will see Rick "The Model" Martel in action, & we'll also see the Beverly Brothers in action." Gorilla chimes in about how we will also see the Big Boss Man tangle with one half of the Natural Disasters, Earthquake, in the main event. Rev. Slick questions the wisdom of Jimmy Hart to allow Earthquake to take a singles match of this magnitude so close to the Tag Title match against the LOD at the Royal Rumble, but Mr. Perfect's rebuttal is how it's a big mistake for the Big Boss Man to go one-on-one with someone like Earthquake when he (Boss Man) has an opportunity to become WWF World Heavyweight Champion. Perfect adds "We all know how Earthquake has sent many men, including Hulk Hogan, to the hospital. But it doesn't really matter because Ric Flair is going to win the Royal Rumble anyway." With that, Vince McMahon signs off as the credits roll.

[Mattywood]

A recap version of Dave Meltzer's Wrestling Observer covering WCW TV for the Week 1 of January 1992:

-Eric Bischoff may be going in his own direction for WCW, but it looks like some things will remain. It seems he will be trying to get the most out of Van Hammer, having signed JT Southern recently & already starting a feud between the two over who is the true rock star. I wish I was making this up.

-The big surprise that kicked off WCW Saturday Night was kayfabe commissioner Magnum T.A. introducing the newest member of the WCW broadcast team, Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He sat in to do commentary with Jim Ross & Jim Cornette for the whole show, & all three seemed to do just fine.

-On Worldwide, WCW World Champion Lex Luger issued an open challenge with the approval of the WCW Championship Committee that could be answered by anyone who wanted to face him later on that weekend on Saturday Night. On Saturday Night, Brad Armstrong accepted the challenge, which Luger readily accepted, the storyline being that he thought this would be an easy win. The match was a very competitive match & was one of Luger's better matches, which can probably be chalked up to the worker Brad Armstrong is. It was also confirmed to Dave Meltzer in this issue of the Observer that the Arachnaman gimmick was dropped without explanation, which is a-okay by Dave. After the match, Luger cut a promo about how there would be no more open challenges, which prompted Magnum T.A. to come out & tell him that he did have another title match lined up for the Clash Of The Champions in Topeka, Kansas against none other than the Great Muta. Luger & his manager, Harley Race, were fuming, but Magnum reminded them that this was an open contract that Harley put out a few weeks ago that Muta gladly signed. Luger looked over at Harley but didn't say anything, just looked confused.

-Saturday Night also saw Paul E. Dangerously bring out the Dangerous Alliance, a heel stable consisting of "Ravishing" Rick Rude, "Stunning" Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbyszko & Madusa. The group has quickly gained steam since forming in late November 1991, & if this storyline is handled correctly, it could result in some new stars being made for WCW. Paul E basically reminded everyone that his Dangerous Alliance would take out the fans' heroes, & soon WCW would fall into his hands for him to run it as he saw fit. His promo was made memorable when he said "And the first thing I'll do when I take over WCW is get rid of that cripple Magnum T.A.! And I'll get rid of that fatso, Dusty Rhodes, & I'll make Jesse "The Body" Ventura WCW Commissioner!" Jesse said that Paul E. got his vote, while Jim Ross was simply appalled by what Paul E. said about Magnum. Jim Cornette said that for once, he agreed with Paul E.!

-The Fabulous Freebirds, Michael "PS" Hayes & Jimmy "Jam" Garvin, are babyfaces after turning on Diamond Dallas Page. Page accidentally cost them their tag match on Worldwide against Flyin' Brian Pillman & Marcus Alexander Bagwell, & Hayes cut one of the better promos of his WCW career: "You promised us record contracts! You promised us title shots! Yet we haven't received any of those things! Heck, you haven't even been at ringside for our matches until today, & you caused us to lose! You've been too busy focusing on helping that greaseball, so guess what?! We quit!" Hayes decked Page with his infamous left handed punch, followed by Jimmy Garvin kicking Page for good measure before they stormed off to end Worldwide. DDP showed up on Saturday Night later in the weekend with an exaggerated black eye (definitely makeup), & he & the Diamond Studd promised a big surprise for the Freebirds in a tag match that has just been signed for the upcoming Clash Of The Champions in Topeka, Kansas.

-Jushin Thunder Liger stole the show when he defended the WCW Light Heavyweight Title against Mike Graham. The match was said to be the match of the night by folks who attended the TV tapings, & after watching it on TBS, Dave agreed, giving it ***1/2.

[Mattywood]

Wrestling Observer News & Notes

-Eddie & Doug Gilbert lost a tag match on television against Bill Dundee & Jimmy Valiant, in which the wrestler that took the losing fall had to leave the USWA. Eddie Gilbert took the fall, but I haven't received any word on whether Eddie Gilbert is actually leaving the USWA, or if this is part of a more drawn out angle. Eddie did make reference to his old Boogie Man gimmick when he told Jimmy Valiant in a promo that kicked off the show that he knew the real Boogie Man & said that Jimmy ain't it, which was also a kayfabe dig at Jimmy Valiant's "Boogie Woogie Man" nickname. Who knows. Maybe Eddie will return under his masked Boogie Man gimmick.

-Brian Christopher looks like he'll be entering a feud with Bart Sawyer. The decision not to reference Brian as Jerry Lawler's son might actually be a smart one as Brian can make a name on his own merit, & he has shown that he definitely has potential to be a great worker one day.

-Erik Watts has started his pro wrestling career in Memphis. Since he couldn't both wrestle & play college football, Erik had a decision to make as even before starting college, he reportedly expressed interest to his father, Bill Watts, about entering pro wrestling. Bill wanted Erik to at least try college first, but would help him in his pursuit of a pro wrestling career if college wasn't working out for him. After two years, Erik decided it wasn't for him & started training for a pro wrestling career while working a regular job to pay the bills. He is definitely green as grass, but he has youth on his side. Despite being a rookie, Jerry Jarrett has already programmed him in a tag team with "The Colorado Kid" Mike Rapada, & the two look like they'll be feuding with Tom Prichard & Eric Embry.

-Independent worker Tom Brandi has joined the USWA under the name of Salvatore Sincere. It looks like his gimmick is that of an Italian mob boss who is very disingenuous (hence the "Sincere" name). He claimed that he is the underboss, & that the Don will be on his way soon. Jerry Jarrett better have someone lined up to be the Don already as history has shown us what can happen when you create a mystery character but don't have anyone in mind until you get there. See the Black Scorpion.

-Koko B. Ware is being allowed by the WWF to work some USWA shows, & accepted Randy Hales' open challenge for Kamala's USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship. Can it really be unified anymore when the USWA is the only organization recognizing the title? And can it be considered a World Title when it's only defended in Tennessee?

-Damien Demento, who has also wrestled as Mondo Kleen, has debuted for the USWA, & what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in size & a unique look. He could be on Vince McMahon's radar, especially now with the WWF's new agreement with the USWA. He picked up a win over Pez Whatley in an even match where both men had their share of offense, so Damien couldn't stink up the joint that much with a reliable worker such as Pez.

-Brad Anderson has joined the USWA, & somehow is able to use the Zan Panzer gimmick. Not that WCW really cares. In fact, they probably would rather forget about that.

 

Out of Character: Don't expect recaps of everything going on in WCW & the USWA all of the time. I just wanted to help establish what is going on with the two companies in this universe. Every now & then, I might post a show from either group, but it will not be often, & it won't be announced. You'll know it when one of their shows is posted. Consider this an occasional bonus surprise.

[Mattywood]

WWF Monday Night Raw

Airing Monday, Wk 2, January 1992 (Taped Monday, Wk 1, January 1992)
Manhattan Center, New York City, NY
Attendance: 1,200 (Sold out!)

Dark Matches:

-Hercules def. Dale Wolfe by pinfall after hitting Wolfe hard with his new finisher, the Double Sledge.
(Hercules debuted a new Brutal Power gimmick & it has already rated as Great)

-Nasty Boys def. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine & Nikolai Volkoff by pinfall when Jerry Sags pinned Volkoff.

Main Show:

-We see the Monday Night Raw show intro, then cut to Vince McMahon & Bobby "The Brain" Heenan hyping up tonight's show & how we are now less than a week away from the Royal Rumble, or as Bobby Heenan put it, "The crowning of Ric Flair as the undisputed champion of the world!" We will also see Rick "The Model" Martel in action, as well as the Beverly Bros. in tag team action! But right now, it's time for Sgt. Slaughter to take on Col. Mustafa, who's already in the ring with Gen. Adnan! They are running down the good ol' U.S. of A., which the New York fans are not very happy about. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter & Rev. Slick make it down to the ring to Slaughter's theme music, with Duggan clearing the ring thanks to his trusty 2x4. Slaughter picks up the mic that Col. Mustafa dropped, & along with Duggan & Rev. Slick, he leads the audience in reciting the Pledge Of Allegiance! Col. Mustafa & Gen. Adnan are going crazy on the outside while Bobby Heenan bemoans how rude it was for Duggan, Slaughter & Rev. Slick to interrupt them. "That wasn't very becoming of a man of the cloth to interrupt Col. Mustafa & Gen. Adnan, McMahon!"

-Sgt. Slaughter def. Col. Mustafa by submission with the Cobra Clutch.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

-Gene Okerlund is in the ring ready to interview the Mountie & Jimmy Hart, but they are not alone. Along with them are the Nasty Boys... & "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase & Sensational Sherri! "Just what on earth are they doing out here with you two?! The Nasty Boys I understand because you manage them, Jimmy. But Ted DiBiase & Sensational Sherri?!" Jimmy Hart says they are all out here to announce a huge business deal to kick off 1992. Ted DiBiase talks about how the Mountie sold his Intercontinental Title shot to him, & in return, the Mountie would take Ted DiBiase's place at the Royal Rumble. Gene reminds Ted what happened the last time he tried to buy a title, but Ted points out that in the WWF Rule Book, it states that a #1 contender can forfeit his or her title shot at any time for any reason, & the next contender in line will receive that title shot. The Mountie forfeited the title shot for more money & entry into the Royal Rumble match, & Ted DiBiase is the next contender in line. Jimmy Hart hands a valid copy of the page from the WWF Rule Book over to Mean Gene, who takes out his reading glasses & sees it for himself.

Gene questions the involvement of the Nasty Boys  & Sensational Sherri, wondering what they have to do with any of this. Jimmy Hart & Sensational Sherri discuss how Ted DiBiase no longer needs a manager, which prompts Gene to ask Sherri if Ted DiBiase turned down her request for a pay raise. DiBiase & Sherri are indignant at such a question, prompting Sherri to say, "I'll have you know that I would take a pay cut, that's how much of a friend I consider Ted DiBiase." DiBiase chimes in that he also knows that Sensational Sherri is great friends with the Nasty Boys, so when Jimmy Hart came to DiBiase about a business deal to seek out new management for the Nasty Boys because he wants to focus on the careers of the Mountie & the Natural Disasters, DiBiase knew just the lady to guide Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags. Mean Gene brings up that the Nasty Boys are in the Rumble match too, & they state that their job is to protect the Mountie & they will graciously eliminate themselves when it comes down to the three of them at the end of the match. Vince McMahon can't believe what he has just heard, & can't believe that the Mountie has taken the coward's way out after what he did to Owen Hart this past weekend on Wrestling Challenge. Bobby Heenan of course praises the brilliance of this business deal.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

-Rick Martel def. Sonny Blaze by submission with the Boston Crab.

-It's time for the Royal Rumble Report with Mean Gene Okerlund! He hypes up the updated card, complete with Ted DiBiase now taking on Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship, & stating that he ran into Pres. Jack Tunney on his way here to the WWF Control Room, & Pres. Tunney confirmed that the business deal Ted DiBiase & the Mountie put together was indeed legal & valid, & that with DiBiase out of the Rumble match, he had no choice but to allow the Mountie entry into the Rumble as there were no other top contenders that qualified. However, Gene also stated that Pres. Tunney told him that this situation would be addressed on Sunday. Mean Gene also reminded the fans that as a result of what happened this past weekend on Wrestling Challenge, Koko B. Ware now replaces Owen Hart, teaming with Jim Neidhart to take on the Orient Express. Mean Gene also hypes up the LOD vs. Natural Disasters Tag Team Title match, as well as the Beverly Bros. vs. the Bushwhackers. And of course, we can't forget the Royal Rumble itself! We hear from Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who comments on the sudden problems that "Macho Man" Randy Savage & "Rowdy" Roddy Piper seem to have with each other. Paul Bearer & the Undertaker hype up how they will take back what is rightfully theirs. Macho Man & Roddy Piper talk about how they'll keep an eye out for each other, but acknowledge they have their respective business with Jake Roberts & Ric Flair to take care of. We hear from Ric Flair as well, & lastly, we hear from Hulk Hogan. Hogan talks about he is going to win back what he never lost, the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.

COMMERCIAL BREAK

-The Genius is in the ring & reads a poem about how great the Beverly Bros. are & that they will soon be challenging for the WWF World Tag Team Titles after they finish off those disgusting Bushwhackers this Sunday at the Royal Rumble.

-The Beverly Bros. def. Brian Costello & Jim Powers after Blake Beverly pinned Brian Costello following the Shaker Heights Spike.

-Sean Mooney is backstage with Shawn Michaels. Michaels says that the Heartbreak Kid (as he has now christened himself) has been missing something since he kicked that useless sack of garbage, Marty Jannetty, to the curb. Then it dawned on him. He needed a lady who had the brains to guide a young promising superstar as himself to the top. A lady that not only looked great, but had great brains as well, because this is his first shot at being a singles superstar, & he isn't about to let it go to waste. "Some people would say that I need a Perfect 10. Others would say that I need someone who can be my ray of Sunshine. And others say that I need someone who realizes that my talent is Precious. But I know what I need. I need my best lady, & I am going to find her sooner, rather than later, especially since I already have so many ladies sending me fan mail asking me if they can be my manager." 

COMMERCIAL BREAK 

-The Big Boss Man def. Earthquake by pinfall with the Boss Man Slam. There was a ref bump, & that's when Typhoon came out to help Earthquake double team the Boss Man. But out came the Legion Of Doom to clean house with the Natural Disasters, with Animal clotheslining Tyhpoon through the ropes & to the floor, while Hawk knocked out Earthquake with a flying clothesline. The LOD then picked up that pipsqueak Jimmy Hart & took him to the back so that he couldn't be anymore of a nuisance. Earthquake & Boss Man both staggered to their feet as the ref was coming to. Boss Man hit the Boss Man Slam, & the ref recovered in time to make the three count. Bobby Heenan went ballistic, screaming that the Big Boss Man should've been disqualified, but Vince McMahon countered that Typhoon started this whole fiasco. Boss Man got out of the ring before Typhoon, who had since recovered, could get a hold of him. Typhoon helped up Earthquake, & they were angry as Bobby Heenan declared that the LOD made a big mistake tonight & their Tag Team Titles could be in jeopardy now, while Vince McMahon signed off by telling us to be here next week live for Monday Night Raw to find out what happened at the Royal Rumble, which will take place this Sunday!

Post Show Dark Match:
-"Macho Man" Randy Savage def. Ric Flair by pinfall by reversing Flair's attempt at holding the ropes for a sit down pin on Savage's chest after the ref kicked Flair's hands off the ropes, allowing Savage to reverse into a modified sunset flip. During the match, both Mr. Perfect & Miss Elizabeth had been ejected from ringside as Perfect interfered, & Ric Flair kept eyeing Elizabeth, causing chaos on the outside between Savage & Flair & almost endangering Liz's safety.

[Mattywood]

Sorry for the double post. Just noting that I have now added a champions listing in the first post.

[Lord Byron]

Wonder if Ric Flair will win after drawing an early number, just like RL--his performance at the 1992 Royal Rumble IRL to win the title was impressive (of course, WCW fans had seen him go the distance with Lex Luger, Sting, Terry Funk, Ricky Steamboat, etc.), IMO...

About the only thing Ric Flair didn't do IRL at the Royal Rumble was somehow get busted open (that's another trait of his)...

Edited July 15, 2023 by Lord Byron