WWE Vintage Collection TV Report #25 – November 23^rd, 2008

Shown on Sky Sports 3 in the U.K.

By Stephen Lyon.

This Week: The build up to the Survivor Series continued, with a look back at the 1992, 1993 and 1994 ppv shows. One of the worst matches in WWF ppv history; followed by Mr Perfect’s babyface turn, Savage & Perfect vs Flair & Ramon; concluding with Bob Backlund defeating Bret Hart for the WWF title.

Introduction:

Mean Gene Okerlund opened the show. This week, the look back at previous Survivor Series pay-per-views continued, with one match each from Survivor Series 1992, held on November 25^th, 1992, from Richfield, Ohio; Survivor Series 1993, held on November 24^th, 1993, from Boston, Massachusetts; and Survivor Series 1994, held on November 23^rd, 1994, from San Antonio, Texas.

The show opened with one of the worst matches in the history of WWF ppv – the infamous ‘Four Doinks’ match from 1993.

1) The Bushwackers & Men On A Mission defeated Bam Bam Bigelow & Bastion Booger & The Headshrinkers (w/Luna Vachon and Afa in their corner). The announcers for this match were Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan, in one of his final appearances on WWF tv before leaving for WCW. The story behind this match was that Doink the Clown had been feuding with Bigelow, and had challenged him to a 4-on-4 elimination match at the Survivor Series. Doink had promised to show up with ‘Four Doinks’ as his team. Doink never showed up at all, instead appearing on the video wall and introducing the Bushwackers and Men on a Mission as his four man team. If anyone actually cared, this would be regarded as a terrible bait-and-switch. Butch, Luke, Mabel and Mo were all wearing their regular ring attire apart from one change – all had Doink face paint and wigs on. You know, just to take their stupidity to another level. To say this match was an atrocity would be an insult to atrocities. You know when WWE tries comedy nowadays and it bombs – like those 15 minute horribly scripted spoof matches, such as when they had a Barack Obama impersonator wrestle a Hilary Clinton impersonator? This match was on that level of dumbness. It made you embarrassed to be a wrestling fan.

This footage opened with Bastion Booger and Samu already eliminated. Fatu attacked Luke-Doink, as Mo-Doink rode a child’s scooter around the ring. Bigelow dropkicked Mo-Doink off the scooter, then threw the scooter to the outside. There was food lying around the ring from earlier in the match. Fatu splashed Luke-Doink from the top rope, but before he could pin him, became distracted by a banana peel in the ring, left by one of Team Doink. Butch-Doink pretended to throw a bucket of water over Fatu, who panicked, and somehow slipped on the banana peel, which led to him being pinned. This left Bigelow on his own, against the four Doinks. Bigelow and Mabel-Doink faced off, and the crowd chanted ‘Whoop-there-it-is!’ Bigelow had Butch-Doink pinned, but Luke-Doink threw food all over Luna at ringside, which distracted Bigelow. All four Doinks splashed Bigelow in the corner, one after the other, then all four piled on top of Bigelow to end the match, and everyone’s misery. HORRIBLE. Negative five stars, no buys.

The only way was up after that ‘match’, and thankfully business picked up in a big way, as we went back to Survivor Series 1992. Originally supposed to be Randy Savage & Ultimate Warrior vs Ric Flair & Razor Ramon, Warrior was fired less than two weeks before the event for failing a drugs test. All the arena tv had been taped for the event, so WWF set up a new main event in the Prime Time Wrestling tv studios.

An angle aired from the November 16^th, 1992 edition of WWF Prime Time Wrestling. This was the ‘roundtable’ format of the show, where various superstars sat around a table and discussed WWF feuds between taped matches. On this show, Vince McMahon was joined by Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Hillbilly Jim, Bobby Heenan and Mr Perfect. Randy Savage appeared via satellite from Sarasota, Florida, and after a big build up, declared that he wanted Mr Perfect to be his tag team partner at the Survivor Series. Both Heenan and Perfect laughed, with Heenan declaring that there was no way Perfect would become his partner. Later, after tension built through the show, Heenan became angry and forbid Perfect from accepting the offer, telling him that he had to know his role and continue to walk behind Ric Flair. Mr Perfect took offence at Heenan’s comments and accepted Savage’s offer. Heenan slapped Perfect across the face, and Perfect grabbed Heenan by the tie and told him to never try that again. Heenan kneeled down and profusely apologised, begging Perfect to reconsider leaving ‘the team’. Perfect responded by pouring a glass of water over Heenan’s head and called him a ‘wet weasel’. This was an awesome angle. Sure, it was horribly rushed and came out of nowhere, but they needed a big name partner for Savage, and it was executed in the best possible manner. Heenan was tremendous during in this.

Next, they aired the pre-match ppv promos from both teams. Okerlund interviewed Ric Flair and Razor Ramon, together backstage. Flair was enraged by Perfect joining forces with Savage, and asked him what he was thinking. Razor Ramon declared that he was going to ‘carve up’ both Savage and Perfect. Elsewhere in the building, Sean Mooney interviewed Randy Savage and Mr Perfect. Savage heavily put over Perfect, calling him a superior athlete and that, although he didn’t personally like him, he respected him. Perfect made fun of Flair and Ramon, and said that Heenan would pay for putting him ‘on the backburner’ these past few years.

2) Macho Man Randy Savage & Mr Perfect defeated Ric Flair & Razor Ramon via D.Q. This was a regular tag team match, and the announcers for this were Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan. Crowd were red hot for this match, and totally pro-Mr Perfect in everything he did, which was amazing considering he’d only turned babyface nine days earlier. Bobby Heenan was absolutely phenomenal on commentary during this. He was bitterly upset over Perfect leaving him, constantly getting flustered whenever Perfect was on the offence and just generally rooting for Flair and Ramon. Flair sold a lot at first, as Perfect nailed him with some clotheslines and a dropkick, and Savage slapped and punched him. Ramon made the save for Flair, kneeing Savage in the back when he was close to the ropes, and tagged in. Ramon worked over Savage’s right knee, before placing Savage in an abdominal stretch. After a commercial break, Savage lay prone in the ring and Flair taunted Perfect with a series of ‘Wooos!’ Savage revived and clotheslined Flair, and both made a hot tag to their respective partners at the same time. The place came unglued as Perfect bieled Ramon across the ring, following up with an atomic drop and a high kneelift.

Flair and Savage brawled at ringside, with Flair nailing Savage in the head with a chair. Flair and Ramon double-teamed Perfect, and during the melee, referee Earl Hebner was bumped. Perfect threw Flair through the ropes. Ramon continued to attack Perfect, and attempted a Razor’s Edge, but Perfect blocked it, and hit the Perfectplex on him instead, which got a great crowd pop. Visible pin, but no referee to make the count. Another referee, Joey Marella ran out. Perfect then hit a Perfectplex on Flair, and had him pinned too, but Ramon distracted Marella. Hebner revived and counted a nearfall. Both referees struggled to maintain order, and Marella called for the D.Q. Flair placed Perfect in the figure four leglock. Just as Ramon was about to waffle Perfect with a chair, Savage made the save and grabbed the chair, nailing Ramon with hit. He gave the chair to Perfect, who whacked Flair in the face with it, amd Flair released the hold. The faces celebrated their win in the ring, as Flair and Ramon were escorted to the back by road agents, Pat Patterson, J.J. Dillon and Rene Goulet, amongst others. This was a very entertaining match.

Next up came the main event. We leapt forward to Survivor Series 1994, and the announcers for this match were Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon.

3) Mr Bob Backlund (w/Owen Hart in his corner) defeated Bret Hart (w/Davey Boy Smith in his corner) to win the WWF title in a Submission Match. There were multiple stories behind this match. Firstly, Backlund had recently turned heel, and developed his highly entertaining ‘crazy’ persona. He was obsessed with regaining the WWF title that he had lost 11 years earlier, when Arnold Skaaland had thrown in the towel for him when he was in the Iron Sheik’s camel clutch. Backlund was claiming that he had never submitted. They played off that storyline here, by having a submission match, with Hart and Backlund both having cornermen, Smith and Owen respectively. The only way either man could win the match would be via putting a submission hold on their opponent AND their opponent’s cornerman throwing in the towel for their man. Owen had been feuding with Bret for most of 1994, and had failed to defeat him for the WWF title. To add yet another dimension, Bret and Owen’s parents, Stu and Helen Hart were sat at ringside.

The key moments in the match were Bret putting Backlund in a figure four leglock, and Owen refusing to throw in the towel for Backlund, despite him asking Owen to. Later on, Bret began setting up Backlund for his finisher – giving him the backbreaker, elbowdrop from the second rope and finally locking on the sharpshooter. Owen climbed into the ring and hit Bret from behind, making him break the hold. Smith chased Owen around the ringside area, but tripped and bashed his head on the steel ring steps, knocking himself out. As Bret looked on, Backlund placed Hart in the crossface chickenwing and took Hart to the mat. Owen suddenly dropped his heel sensibilities and began showing ‘real concern’ for the unconscious Smith. They showed a split screen, with Owen’s reactions on one screen and the match action in the other. With no Davey Boy to throw in the towel for Bret, Owen began acting concerned for Bret. Owen went over to Stu and Helen Hart and begged them to throw in the towel for Bret, claiming that the psychotic Backlund was going to break Bret’s arm. Owen persuaded Stu and Helen to come out of the crowd and stand at ringside with him. He began crying and begged them to do something. Finally, after Backlund had the hold locked on for a full five minutes, Helen snatched the pink and black towel from Stu and threw it into the ring, ending the match. Owen immediately began celebrating and ran to the back ecstatic, revealing that his tears were all an act and that it was a plan all along. The crowd were in disbelief as Howard Finkel announced ‘Mr Bob Backlund’ as the new WWF champion at the age of 45. Vince compared Backlund to George Foreman, who had recent won a version of the boxing’s world heavyweight title in his 40s. Backlund celebrated in the ring, as Stu, Helen and Pat Patterson helped the injured Bret Hart walk to the back. Bret Hart: screwed out of the WWF title at the Survivor Series.... in Shawn Michaels’ hometown. Now that’s irony.

They then aired two backstage post-match promos, as Todd Pettingill (with mullet hairstyle, wearing an ear-ring and a cowboy hat) interviewed Owen Hart, who called Bret ‘a quitter and a loser’ and acted jubilant about the whole deal; and new champion Backlund, who cut a crazy promo talking about promoting ‘sports education’ (as opposed to ‘sports entertainment’) and how he was going to show everyone what a real champion was like.    

Closing thoughts: I greatly enjoyed this week’s show. The opener totally sucked, but the other two matches more than made up for it. Loved the whole presentation of the Perfect-Heenan-Savage-Flair dynamic, and it was a very entertaining match to boot. Not a five or even a four star classic match by any means, but enjoyable nonetheless. Hart vs Backlund was basically the ‘Owen Hart show’, and I absolutely loved the conniving Owen’s plan to shed crocodile tears and con his own mother into throwing in the towel for his hated brother Bret, in the process costing him the title. His gloating after the match was tremendous too.

Match Results:

1) The Bushwackers & Men On A Misson defeated Bam Bam Bigelow & Bastion Booger & The Headshrinkers (w/Luna Vachon and Afa in their corner). (Boston, Massachusetts: 24/11/93).

2) Macho Man Randy Savage & Mr Perfect defeated Ric Flair & Razor Ramon via D.Q. (Richfield, Ohio: 25/11/92).

3) Mr Bob Backlund (w/Owen Hart in his corner) defeated Bret Hart (w/Davey Boy Smith in his corner) to win the WWF title in a Submission Match. (San Antonio, Texas: 23/11/94).

Please note: I DO NOT sell DVDs or tapes of any of these shows. Sorry!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s report. For other reports like this one, be sure to check it out my website archive at http://www.classicwrestlingreports.com .

It’s no longer updated, but this website carries all of my previous WWE Classics tv reports that have been featured on the old WrestlingObserver.com website.

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Until next week, have a good week.

Stephen Lyon,
St Helens, England, U.K.