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WWE MSG 10/28/91
This show featured Ric Flair's return to MSG after something like 15 years. And LOD main eventing a MSG show.
Texas Tornado vs Big Bully Busick
Bully has to have the greatest mustache in wrestling history. Maybe in all of history. A very young and scrawny Billy Sliverman is the referee for this contest. Tornado has crazy back muscles. It looks like his back has abs. Not a lot going on in this. Bully gets the better of a test of strength. Silverman is counting even though Kerry's shoulder isn't even on the mat. Al calls him out on it and Gorilla says he must have gone to the Hellen Keller school of officiating. Holy shit, RAINMAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Bully also did a version of the pedigree in the 80s. Tornado goes into the ring post. Bully comes off the ropes and is caught in THE CLAW. Bully blocks the Tornado Punch. Is the Bully dead? I'd like him to come back and replace Alexander Rusev. A few moments later, Kerry hits the Tornado Punch for the win.
IRS vs British Bulldog
I expect IRS to be covered in sweat seconds after the first lock up. Irwin surprises Bulldog with a quick body slam to start the match. And then a hip toss. Bulldog responds with two slams, a hip toss, and a lariatoo. A lot of stalling and bailing from IRS. He got dropkicked from behind and bailed some more. Davey locked on a side headlock that was countered with a Saito suplex. IRS changes his abdominal stretch spot up with a head scissors instead. When he gets caught holding the ropes, he bails again. Bulldog is thrown to the floor and into the "steel" stairs that are clearly made of wood. Come on, Al. Abdominal stretch. Of course. Davey nearly gets the win with a cross body. Back to the floor. Possible low blow from IRS. I swear to god I have never seen a wrestler sweat as much as IRS. As a kid, I thought it was probably because he had to wrestle in business wear, but he would sweat like that in the NWA with a singlet or trunks like in his first WWF run. Dude just pours sweat even in jobber matches. Big back drop. Lariatooo. Bulldog ducks another one and IRS goes flying to the floor. Under 3 minutes left in the 20 minute time limit. IRS makes Bulldog chase him around the ring and ends up going head first into the steps. IRS holds on to the ropes to counter act the powerslam and nearly gets the win when Bulldog loses his balance. Irwin finds a tag rope under the ring and puts it in his pocket. He wraps it around Davey's neck. I thought it was a DQ, but apparently Danny Daniels didn't care that much. Bulldog uses the rope himself and then gets a low blow for his trouble. Bulldog does a small package with the time limit expiring at the 2 count. Time limit draw.
Jim Neidhart vs The Mountie
Oh no. The Mountie is terrible as a singles. Neidhart is terrible as a singles. And now they're in a singles match against each other. Match was really bad. Mountie wins with a roll up and hand full of tights.
Roddy Piper vs Ric Flair
Ric got a standing ovation with just as many cheers as boos. And he's wearing the Big Gold Belt in MSG! Hopefully this isn't like their WCW matches, with Flair's ass hanging out and Piper nearly having a heart attack. This is the first match people have really come to life for and it hasn't even started yet. This footage is so clear you can see the stray shoulder hairs on Flair and Piper's bacne. Flair gets slapped and it stuns him. Piper puts Earl Hebner on the top rope so they can have a fight. Another slap and Flair begs off. These guys don't even have to lock up to get the crowd amped. Gorilla says that it has been a life long dream for Flair to wrestle in the Garden. It's weird how they treated Ric Flair's past. They went as far as they could without saying "He was the NWA Champion", but then wouldn't acknowledge that he had wrestled in the Garden years ago as NWA Champion. Flair's chops fire Piper up to unleash a flurry of punches and slaps. Flair Flop! Flair bails out and Piper follows him around ringside. Flair doing leap frogs and shit. Earl stopping Piper from throwing a closed fist opened up an opportunity for Flair to take a cheap shot. Knee drop. Lol, they're trying Steamboat/Flair spots. Piper totally didn't budge on the first bridge spot and Earl just stopped counting, but he did make it up for the second try. It again heads to the floor, with Flair taking another cheap shot. Piper throws chops and hits the flying knee lift. Flair Flop on the floor. Ric is now begging off. Earl was right in the way of a bulldog and got smashed. A second official enters the match. Flair Flip. BOTH refs somehow missed Flair hitting Piper with a chair. 2 count! Flair gets out of the sleeper right away with a suplex. Lord Al is marking out hard for this. I've never heard him so excited. Neck breaker from Piper. Piper takes Al's chair. Earl takes the chair away from Piper, at which point Flair decked Piper and slingshot himself into the ring under the top rope with his feet on the ropes to make the pin. This was super fun and they really didn't even do much. It wasn't really the typical Flair formula and the crowd was really hot. Liked it a lot. Piper attacked Earl and Flair with the chair after the match and took some swings at agents.
T O THE MOON(ey). Sean got to speak with Brain and Flair. A challenge was thrown out to Hulk Hogan. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, HULK HOGAN, WHEN RIC FLAIR RUNS WILD ON YOU? WHOOOO!
Col. Mustafa vs Big Boss Man
IRS comes to ring side, claiming the match shouldn't happen because the Boss Man is a tax cheat. This allows Sheiky Baby to Pearl Harbor Boss Man. That had to be one of the weirdest gimmick changes. Sheik was a former WWF Champion, very well known, and was around for years. Then they bring him back under a different name and say he's Iraqi after years of Iran Numba One. And no one ever acknowledged it. They acknowledged Flair's NWA run more than this guy who looked just like the Iron Sheik. Sheik uses some kind of international object to jab Boss Man in the throat. Boss Man wins with a spine buster.
Bret Hart vs The Berzerker WWF Intercontinental Championship
HUSS! Someone should have taken Zerk to task for straight up aping Bruiser Brody. He's in control from the get go until he misses a knee drop. A pair of dropkicks sends Zerk over the top, but he gets right back in, only to be sent right back out with a lariato. And then atomic drops. But dude has landed on his feet every time. He comes back in the ring with a headbutt to the gut and a big boot. Shoulder block on the floor. Bret gets cut off every time he tries a come back. Piledriver. Zerk misses a shoulder block in the corner and gets crotched on the ropes. 5MOD begins. Bret ends up winning with a crucifix. Title retained.
Hercules vs El Matador
Another weird gimmick change, but at least they still acknowledged that it was Tito. Also, dude is Mexican, not Spanish. And was still billed as such. Herc gave up on definition and striations and went strictly for musculature and majesty. I swear I heard a faint boring chant 2 minutes in. Crowd is super dead for this. So much that what I thought was a boring chant was actually just individual cat calls. I agree with those fans, though. This is boring as fuck. Warrior vs Herc was way better, which makes no sense because Tito is a way better wrestler than Warrior. Tito won with the Flying Jalapeno.
LOD vs Natural Disasters WWF Tag Team Championships
Gorilla says that Quake is really cut up. Lol. Hawk and Typhoon begin the match. A double clothesline has neither man budge, but Typhoon hit another one while Hawk was distracted and picking him up in a bear hug like a baby. Hawk gets a boot up in the corner and comes off the second rope with a forearm. Tags are made. I hope Animal powerslams Quake. Flying shoulder block takes Quake down. Animal couldn't hold the slam. Belly to belly suplex, and a beauty. Animal is knocked to the floor. Bear hug. The ref, of course, misses a tag. Hawk accidentally runs over Earl. Powerslam from Quake. Hot tag. Hawk gets chucked into the ring post. Splash from Typhoon and a Tremor from Quake. Instead of making the pin on Animal, the Disasters want to keep squashing him and throw Earl to the floor, causing a disqualification. Hawk hits a double flying lariato to send the Disasters from the ring. Titles retained.
This is the kind of stuff I want the Network to be showing all the time, more than PPVs or old Raws/Nitros. Even if the matches aren't good. Flair vs Piper was really fun though.
