UTC ARENA / CHATTANOOGA, TN
Hosted by Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
The Undertaker (w/ Brother Love) vs. Allan Reynolds
• Undertaker wins with the Tombstone [2:08]
– Undertaker’s moveset seems to deepen with each week, as he adds a leapfrog and a helicopter spin this week
Tags: Allan Reynolds, Animal, Big Bossman, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Bret Hart, British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, Brother Love, Crush, Dale Wolfe, Demolition, Dino Bravo, Doug Vines, Gen. Adnan, Gorilla Monsoon, Hart Foundation, Hawk, Hulk Hogan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Jimmy Hart, Kato, Kerry Von Erich, Legion of Doom, Mean Gene Okerlund, Mr. Fuji, Mr. Perfect, Orient Express, Pat Tanaka, Pez Whatley, Rick Martel, Sgt. Slaughter, Slick, Smash, Tugboat, Undertaker, Warlord, WWF
Hosted by Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
The Nasty Boys (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Reno Riggins & Mike Williams
• Nasty Boys win with the Trip to Nastyville [2:42]
– The Nastys had a unique personality for 1991, but have literally done nothing since they debuted two months ago. No feuds, no non-squash matches, no direction.
Tags: Animal, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, Crush, Demolition, Gorilla Monsoon, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Hawk, Hercules, Koko B. Ware, Legion of Doom, Mike Wallace, Mr. Fuji, Paul Roma, Pez Whatley, Power & Glory, Smash, Tito Santana, Tony Burton, Warlord, WWF
Hosted by Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Big Bossman vs. Jeff Sword
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• Bossman wins with the Bossman Slam [1:26]
– If Sword came around twenty years later, he’d be Mike Knox
– After the match, Bossman handcuffs Sword to the ropes, which is just completely unnecessary
Tags: Barbarian, Big Bossman, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Bret Hart, Crush, Dale Wolfe, Demolition, Doug Vines, Gorilla Monsoon, Hart Foundation, Jeff Sword, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Mike Wallace, Mr. Fuji, Mr. Perfect, Paul Roma, Pez Whatley, Saba Simba, Shane Douglas, Smash, Terrance Blaylock, WWF
MIAMI ARENA / MIAMI, FL
Hosted by Gorilla Monsoon & “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
The Rockers vs. The Orient Express (w/ Mr. Fuji)
• Jannetty pins Tanaka with a sunset flip [19:15]
– The Rockers’ entrance music still stands as top ten of all time
– Jannetty hits Kato with a Sweet Chin Music (“crescent kick” according to Gorilla) early in the match; remember this is long before Michaels began using that as his finisher
– It’s amazing to watch the Rockers here in what was probably their breakout match, because the crowd is in awe of every one of the high-flying moves that today’s crowds have come to expect
– “U-S-A” chant tells those dastardly Japs where they are. If nothing else, Vince was a master at creating a sense of blind patriotism during this time.
– This crowd is HOT for Michaels to break out of that headlock midway through the match, so it’s safe to say that everyone’s doing their job in that ring right now
– Michaels’ moonsault had the crowd going crazy, and I don’t think Gorilla Monsoon’s ever seen anything like it in his life
– Fuji smashes his cane across Michaels’ throat while the ref had his back turned, because the referee seems to be more concerned with keeping Jannetty out of the ring all match than he is with stopping double-teams and outside interference. This is where that faulty pro wrestling logic comes in: why isn’t he equally concerned with stopping the men who are well-known for illegal activity? In real life it wouldn’t make sense, but in that ring, the crowd reaction for when Jannetty finally tags in explains it all.
– OHHHHhhh, a double Sweet Chin Music
– The finish here is AWESOME. Kato tries to slingshot Jannetty into a Tanaka sidekick, but Michaels punches Tanaka in the gut, and Kato slingshots Jannetty into a sunset flip on a doubled-over Tanaka, for the win. I had to rewatch it three times just to explain that.
– Great opening match, and even better than I expected. And we all know the story from here, Pat Tanaka went on to become one of the greatest Superstars in wrestling history.
Tags: Animal, Barbarian, Battle Royal, Big Bossman, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Bret Hart, Brian Knobbs, British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith, Brother Love, Bushwackers, Butch, Crush, Demolition, Dino Bravo, Dustin Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes, Earthquake, Gen. Adnan, Gorilla Monsoon, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Haku, Hawk, Hercules, Howard Finkel, Hulk Hogan, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Jimmy Hart, Kato, Kerry Von Erich, Koko B. Ware, Legion of Doom, Luke, Marty Jannetty, Mean Gene Okerlund, Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, Mountie, Mr. Fuji, Mr. Perfect, Orient Express, Pat Tanaka, Paul Roma, PPV, Randy Savage, Rick Martel, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Royal Rumble Match, Saba Simba, Sean Mooney, Sensational Sherri, Sgt. Slaughter, Shane Douglas, Shane McMahon, Shawn Michaels, Slick, Smash, Superfly Jimmy Snuka, The Rockers, Tito Santana, Tugboat, Ultimate Warrior, Undertaker, Virgil, Warlord, WWF, WWF World Heavyweight Title Match
Pro Wrestling History Lesson