From: kzim@watserv.ucr.edu (Christopher Robin Zimmerman) Newsgroups: rec.sport.pro-wrestling Subject: WWF Survivor Series Showdown Keywords: A Thanksgiving Eve Eve Eve Eve Tradition! Message-ID: <24088@galaxy.ucr.edu> Date: 24 Nov 92 01:05:40 GMT Sender: news@galaxy.ucr.edu Lines: 175 Nntp-Posting-Host: watnxt04.ucr.edu The WWF Survivor Series Showdown, broadcast on the USA Network 22.11.92 and in place of Prime Time Wrestling 23.11.92 Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon, and Bobby "the Brain" Heenan, who except for "Let us take you back" footage provide all commentary. The show begins with a short Ramon/Flair interview. Flair is livid, and pretty damn funny to boot. "Woooo!" seems to have given way to "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Repo Man v. Tatanka. The talk starts early about Mr. Perfect taking his place as Savage's partner. In an inset interview, Rick Martel calls Tatanka "Buffalo Breath (taken from Heenan!)" and promises a featherless Thanksgiving. Repo seems to have more hair. Heenan gets to do that "greeting an Indian" joke again, which always gets a laugh from a politically incorrect me. Repo ducks under a flying Tatanka to get the advantage, but Tatanka manages to get in a chop, and then another, and then some slaps, and, well, he stays undefeated. But wait! "Blind" Danny Davis only counted to 2! No, don't worry, we just needed to see that cool fireman's carry before the 3 count. The "brain scan" explains why Repo Man is a saint for not stabbing Tatanka in the back, unlike Perfect with Flair and Heenan. Let us take you back to last week's PrimeTime Wresling, which replays some of the best bits of the whole Perfect thing. This time, Savage is direct from WWFB, bringing the total number of affiliates in Sarasota to three. A lot of the psychology which played on Hennig was removed, however. Since it came up that some couldn't understand this sudden turn, I will remind you once again that for some time on the set of PrimeTime, Vince McMahon has been suggesting that Perfect's "executive consultancy" was merely a way to keep him from threatening Flair. Last week, the question of Flair/Perfect and who was the better wrestler came up, Heenan's loyalty to Flair above Perfect came up, and Savage's offer of glory and money came up. I think you can find all the psychology you need in that. Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Savage and Perfect. Although close to arguing a couple times, they manage to pick their feuds (Savage with Ramon over the "machismo" thing, Perfect with Flair for the "shadow" thing) Marty Jannetty v. Kim Ch---no wait. Through dirty tricks, the Brawler manages to make this match last long enough for Monsoon and Heenan to get in their hype. Jannetty with fist off the top and words for Michaels. Joining the hosts in the broadcast booth is the Intercontinental title, Shawn Michaels. Let us take you back to Saturday Night's Main Event, with new commentary by all three men. Heenan introduces Michaels as "the greatest IC champ ever," a clear dig at Perfect. During the slower moments of the match, the Michaels/Hart confrontation is mentioned. Sensational Sherri is mentioned. Michaels: "Who?" (!) As a history revisionist, Michaels reads his lines well, mentioning that everything was working to his plan, and he really was only trying to tighten the fastening on that turnbuckle cover. Seeing this match again, I really appreciate this match as wrestling entertainment: it tells a story, and tells it well, something which I used to enjoy about the WWF. Musical tribute to Bret Hart. Why, oh why, must we sit through musical tributes. And why was there no tribute to Flair? Promos: ICOPRO, GI Joe, Electronic Talking Battleship ("Yeah!") Shameless 900 number plug. Kamala v. Red Tyler. Again, the Kamala-Kim Chee communication is exaggerated. Kamala covers Tyler wrong not once, but TWICE. Can we assume this inability to get the pin will be a feature of the coffin match? Let us take you back to every Undertaker sketch dealing with the coffin building. Let us take you back to PrimeTime on 2 November, when Tatanka wins by countout thanks to the Undertaker-in-the-box. Let us take you back to the tag team title change, and for a change show a match. Irwin R. Schyster v. Earthquake. Jimmy Hart comes out with IRS. Earthquake, you may recall, is 2-0 against DiBiase on PrimeTime in 1992, so we needn't figure out the winner. 'Quake is distracted when Hart, holding IRS' belt, taunts him. Luckily, he quickly recovers and throws Schyster out of the ring. After coming back in, Schyster is thrown into the corner, but puts up a boot for 'Quake to run his face into. Two sleepers are attempted, both times ended with a back into the corner. Earthquake puts on a sleeper of his own, but IRS gets out amazingly, setting up another trip out of the ring. Sure enough, the Million Dollar Man comes out this time, distracting Tenta, distracting Hebner, everybody. We take an ad break. When we come back, Typhoon is also outside the ring. IRS has control inside the ring though, and with help from the foot on the rope, slaps on yet another sleeper. "Blind" Dave Hebner notices the foot the third time and unlike the classic Hebner-kick-the-foot-off-the-rope-with-righteous-indignation [tm], he gives a count. Earthquake ducks, and IRS flies past him for his third trip outside the ring. Typhoon threatens to hurt DiBiase if he helps out his partner. Irwin gets back in, gets pummeled, and tries to leave, only having Earthquake step on the tie. Schyster does manage to steps aside (have you noticed how all the offense is generated by missed moves?) so 'Quake can meet the ringpost, but Schyster takes too long to climb the corner and gets to meet a boot. 'Quake drops the elbow, and, going for the finisher, get his feet pulled by DiBiase. DQ and ensuing fracas. Hilarious brain scam of DiBiase's head meeting Tenta's butt, (Mr. Stromer?) and as we break from the reply we see Earthquake holding his eyes and Typhoon asking for help. Okerlund interviews the Bevs, Money, Inc., Hart and Lanny. DiBiase hints that he didn't mind the DQ, perhaps even wanted it, so that he could disable Earthquake. All four wrestlers make jokes using the words "blind," "eyes," "seeing," well, you get the picture. I guess this is a big deal. So the Disasters will probably be eliminated early, leaving the Nice Guys to eliminate the Bevs and set up all those Money, Inc. house matchups after SS. Let us take you back to 30 May, courtesy "Superstars" and Nailz beating up the Big Boss Man. Listen for Nailz' undistorted voice. **Barry Horowitz, the legend of Wrestling** v. Big Boss Man. The fans seem to like Horowitz as much as I do, at least judging by the reaction of the fans. Inset interview has BBM talking trash. Boss Man with BLATANT hair pull, I guess this is the only way he can beat the Great One. Unfortunately, I missed the end, but I'm pretty sure Horowitz won. Sketch of Nailz alone in a stadium in a ring with a nightstick on a pole. It doesn't look THAT high. Threats. Sean Mooney with the Survivor Series Report. Here's the card. Hart/Michaels is now announced first (!). "The Perfect Team" v Ramon/Flair. Coffin Match. 8 man tag. Nightstick match. Tatanka/Model. New matches are High Energy vs. Headshrinkers, and Yokozuna in an open contract. Smith/Mountie, obviously, is history. Okerlund with Flair and Ramon. Ramon compares Perfect to "Arnold Benedict." Ramon also mentions "oozing machismo." Flair accuses Perfect of having delusions of grandeur. It seems Flair has given "Woooo!" to Perfect, because again he doesn't say it. The Headshrinkers v. 2 Anonymous HNEs. They spend more time with the Clown in the audience than the Headshrinkers. Heenan reveals that Virgil is Yokozuna's opponent. Lucky year for Virgil, eh? Sid Justice breaks his nose, he gets killed by Nailz, and will now get killed by Yokozuna. And to think he was a "Million Dollar Champion." Vince McMahon, sitting in the woods with Bret Hart. They talk about the SummerSlam match, the Saskatoon match ("On any given night..."), Hart's rapid defenses (mentioned: Berserker, Mountie (!), Papa Shango, Virgil) Hart puts in a bid to be "the People's champion," a Communist term I had thought. Vince asks him to compare himself to previous champions. Indirect reference to "20-some odd inch arms," and Hart compares himself to his father. Vince mentions Flair *and Hogan* and mentions Hart's lack of flamboyance. Notice the deemphasis of Hogan as Vince finds that lack a positive trait. Hart does not use the word "Hogan." Vince asks about Michaels and Hart compliments him, saying "he reminds me of myself," but adds that he thinks he can anticipate most of Michaels' moves, and after all, he [Hart] is the best technical wrestler in the WWF. In natural light, both of these guys look OLD. I know they aren't, but still... Promos: WWF Figures, Electronic Hot Shot Basketball, Krusty's Fun House cartridges. Heenan says Ramon + Flair will make sure that Perfect's return to wrestling ends before he even enters the ring. It will end in the aisle. Hmmm.... Paul Bearer introduces us to Kamala the Coffin, and the Undertaker gives us a tour of his new friend. Next week: More reruns, I'm sure. No Jamison. No use of the words "Ultimate Warrior." And I would like to take this opportunity to declare the Sergeant Slaughter angle dead and placed upon the trash heap of unfulfilled angles that Vince keeps in Titan Towers. Read ya at the Survivor Series! Christopher Zimmerman "The Thanksgiving Tradition, this year on kzim@watserv.ucr.edu Thanksgiving Eve!" - Mean Gene Okerlund, 1991 kzim@ucrmath.ucr.edu "The Thanksgiving Eve tradition!" - Okerlund, 1992 zimmerma@ucrengr.ucr.edu