wrestling / Video Reviews
Leighty’s Retro Review: WWF Royal Rumble ’92
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-We have arrived to WWF 1992 and we start with one of the most famous PPVs of all time. We last left with Hulk Hogan regaining the WWF Title from The Undertaker but not without controversy. That led to Jack Tunney vacating the Championship and the winner of The Rumble will be the New WWF Champion. Let’s get to it!
-Announce Team: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, NY
-Jan 23, 1992
-Attendance: 17000
-PPV Buys: 260,000
-That Rumble theme has been burned into my brain since I was a little kid. I used to PPV preview channel just to see the hype videos for the PPVs and that is where this song, and SummerSlam song were soundtracks for my childhood.
-Gorilla welcomes us to the show and Heenan is banking everything on Flair leaving as WWF Champion. Gorilla breaks some news as The Mountie is the new IC Champion as he beat Bret at a house show a few nights ago. I believe the story is Bret had the flu or something along those lines.
The Orient Express (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. The New Foundation (Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart)
-Nothing screams early 90s like the gear Anvil and Owen are rocking here. Heenan compares their gear to pajamas. I love my clothes baggy, so I won’t judge. Kato and Owen get us started and Owen controls with a hammerlock. Kato reverses so Owen flips over him and then gets an arm-drag into a wristlock. Gorilla notes Marty Jannetty is one of the people who is injured and won’t be in The Rumble. Shouldn’t have tried to run away from Shawn and dove through that window. Owen fights off his back with a bridge and gets to his feet. He bounces off the ropes, flips back and then hits a rana. Yo, Owen is rocking here! Neidhart in and Brain notes you won’t see him doing moves like Owen. Anvil throws Kato across the ring and lays in some heavy forearms. Kato has had enough and brings in Tanaka. Anvil is a little more cautious with Tanaka. Lockup and Tanaka tries a slam, and no dice as Anvil slugs him down. He tries to run Anvil over and I assume trying to run into someone nicknamed “Anvil,” is pretty silly. Owen back in and he drops a leg for a two count. Backbreaker gets another two count. Tanaka goes to the eyes as Gorilla notes Bret tried to defend his title with a temperature of 104 degrees. I am sure he had tears in his eyes as well. Heenan lets us know he wrestled with an 113 degree temperature. I believe him! New Foundation continue to dominate as Owen comes off the top with a crossbody on both Express members for two. Owen dumps Kato to the floor as the match kind of grinds to a halt for a second. The crowd is still with them though. Tanaka gets in a shot from the apron and there’s a cane shot from Fuji to the throat. Tanka lays in chops to the throat and then a superkick from Kato. Jumping back elbow gets a two count as Heenan starts about being fair to Flair. Get used to that, and yes, it’s still funny. Hard whip to the corner gets Tanaka another two count. Owen reverses a whip, but runs into another superkick. Cato back in and he grounds Owen with a headlock. Owen ducks a series of clotheslines and gets a crucifix for two. No follow up though as Kato is right back on him and tags Tanaka. Gorilla: “Just like the Midnight Express, The Orient Express will be tough to derail.” I assume he wasn’t talking about that Midnight Express. Owen with a shoulder tackle, but gets caught with a flying forearm. Whip to the corner and Owen gets a boot up to block. It’s a race to the corner and Owen makes the tag, but the ref was with Kato so sorry about your luck. Again, always works! Owen gets sent throat first into the cane again as Heenan’s monitor went out. You would think they would buy the man top of the line equipment. Hammerlock slam from Kato and then a tag to Tanaka. He drops a headbutt and goes to a hammerlock. The pace picks up and Owen hits a belly to belly suplex for two. Nice! Kato cuts off the tag again and brings Anvil in so we get more double teaming from The Express. Tanaka with another superkick and then a leapfrog splash as the ref gets Anvil back out. Owen ducks a double clothesline and hits a dropkick on both men. HOT TAG to Anvil! He comes in with a slingshot shoulder and then a series of slams. Backdrop to Tanaka! Kato gets knocked to the floor so Owen hits a dive out there and then comes back in off the top with The Rocket Launcher for the pin at 17:17.
Winners: The New Foundation via pin at 17:17
-Just a solidly worked tag match which shouldn’t be a surprise. Didn’t hit great status like The Rockers/Express match a year earlier, but New Foundation weren’t The Rockers. Still a good tag match and opener. ***
-Lord Alfred shows up the footage from the house show where The Mountie beat Bret for the IC Title. Piper protests and Mountie decks him leading to a fight between the two and we have a Title Match.
-Mooney is with The Mountie and Jimmy Hart. They are happy to have The IC Title.
-Gene is with Piper and he cuts a promo about Mountie having wet dreams.
WWF Intercontinental Championship: The Mountie (c) (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
-Piper attacks before the bell and just fires off rapid punches as the crowd goes crazy. Mountie bails to the floor and that brings on many boos. Piper follows and there’s another right hand. Mountie hides behind Jimmy and lands a right over him to stop the Piper tide. Back in the ring Mountie drops down for a monkey flip, but Piper puts on the brakes and drops a right hand. Bulldog from Piper! Another right hand gets two as Mountie puts his foot on the bottom rope. Piper then drops his weight on that leg for good measure. Cool! Three Stooges offense as Piper goes to the eye poke. Piper actually goes for a dropkick, but Mountie grabs the ropes to avoid and gets two off that. Half Nelson from Mountie and he rams Piper repeatedly into the top buckle. Mountie resorts to biting and then hits a back elbow for two. Sunset flip from Piper gets two. Now Piper starts biting and lands a heavy right hand. Backdrop! Atomic Drop but Mountie skins the cat back in and charges as Piper is with Jimmy. Piper moves and Mountie collides with Hart which lets Piper hook the sleeper and we have A NEW CHAMPION at 5:20.
Winner and New WWF Intercontinental Champion: “Rowdy” Roddy Piper via submission at 5:20
-Piper dominated and this went as it should have gone. The moment is much bigger than the match in this one. **
-Piper zaps Mountie after the match with his stun-gun and then Fink announces him as the new Champion to a massive pop. That was great and it also drew a big smile from Piper.
-Coliseum Video exclusive as Lord Alfred gets an interview backstage with Hulk Hogan.
-Gene is backstage with The Bushwhackers and Jamison. Gene: “Do you have Mr. Blackwell’s telephone number?”
The Beverly Brothers (w/ The Genius) vs. The Bushwhackers (w/ Jamison)
-The bell sounds and nothing happens for a really long time as The Whackers play to the crowd. This goes on for so long that Gorilla questions if we even had a bell yet and Heenan has to assure him it has sounded. I mean, the crowd is having fun, but The Beverlys are just standing there like idiots. The Whackers get the crowd to start a “sissy” chant as we pass 2:00 with no physical contact. WE finally have a slap landed at 2:30 and then a lockup between Beau and Luke. Beau misses a clothesline and Luke bites his ass. The other two enter and The Bushwhackers clear the ring and march around the ring to pop the crowd again. Blake in and he hides in the corner to kill more time. Probably could have found two other teams to actually fill 15 minutes. Blake wants a handshake and Butch polls the audience. Doesn’t matter as Blake pounds him down and stomps away. Butch fires himself up and delivers a knee to the gut. Bulldog and everyone back in the ring again. The Beverlys get run into each other and eat a double clothesline to send them to the floor again. So much action, we get a wide shot of the arena. We get comdey spots as The Beverlys try to sneak up on each side and it doesn’t work. Credit to the four as they are barely working here and getting a reaction from the crowd. Beau off the ropes with a double ax to the small of the back. He gets a two count as Luke gets a boot on the bottom rope. Double team in the corner as they work the back. Blake with a backbreaker and then a headbutt to the back gets two. They draw Butch into the ring and hit a leap frog splash to the back. Blake sets too early on a backdrop and Luke gets a boot, but falls on his ass. No tag as Beau is in and cuts off the tag attempt as Heenan goes on a rant about his $200 worth of taxes going to support Jamison. Luke with a roll-up off an arrogant cover for two, but gets dumped to the floor. Heenan wants us to be fair to Flair. Genius slaps Jamison! Heenan: “He didn’t hit you hard enough because you are still breathing.” Beau off the top with a double ax from the middle rope for two. Neckbreaker from Blake and a leg drop. Tag to Beau who sends Luke into the corner, but he rushes out and hits a clothesline. Hot tag to Butch, who runs wild. Battering Ram, but with Blake being run into Beau. That’s a cool little switch. Genius grabs the leg and everyone in the ring again. The ref gets Luke back to his corner and The Beverlys finish with a double ax off the ropes for the pin at 14:56. I assume Luke and Butch had no plans on taking The Shaker Heights Spike!
Winners: The Beverly Brothers via pin at 14:56
-Not good, and way too long. The Bushwhackers at this point were better in short doses where they hit their stuff, popped the crowd, and went home. I kind of dug some of the BB tandem offense though. The crowd was into it as well. 1/2*
-The Whackers attack after the match and let Jamison kicks Genius in the shin. Hit their music as they celebrate even after the loss.
-Gene is backstage with The Legion of Doom and they cut an LOD promo.
WWF Tag Team Titles: The Legion of Doom (c) vs. The Natural Disasters (w/ Jimmy Hart)
-We start with Hawk and Typhoon locking-up. Heenan makes fun of the fact that Hawk can’t throw Typhoon around the ring like everyone else. Hawk goes to the air and hits a shoulder tackle to get a two count. Everyone in the ring and they stare each other down. Quake wants in and Hawk steps right to him. Standing dropkick, but Quake is still standing. He tries a dropkick (!) of his own, but Hawk moves out of the way. Animal in and they stare each other down before trading right hands. Quake misses an elbow and clothesline and then they clothesline each other. Animal nearly gets a slam, but Quake falls back for a two count. Typhoon back in and he gets a splash in the corner. A second try finds a boot to the face. Clothesline drops him and Hawk gets the tag. He comes off the top rope with a clubbing blow to the back. Typhoon with a clothesline and Hawk no sells. Hawk dives at Typhoon and gets caught with a backbreaker. Quake back in and he gets a splash for a two count. Back to Typhoon as the crowd starts an LOD chant. Bearhug as the Disasters continue to work the damaged back of Hawk. He fights out but gets caught coming off the middle ropes. Quake back in and throws heavy blows to the back. Quake just steps on the chest and then does it again for good measure. Another bearhug as the crowd starts to rally behind Hawk. He fights out again and this time knocks Quake down with an elbow from the middle rope. Hot Tag Animal and he hits a leaping shoulder block. He flips out of a double suplex and drops both Disasters with a double clothesline. All four men brawl on the floor and in the chaos, Typhoon gets back in the ring to get the win by count-out at 9:21.
Winners: The Natural Disasters via count-out at 9:21
-This was interesting as it was a different LOD match in that they couldn’t just throw The Disasters like they did to others. The ending was BLAH but they wanted the program to continue and LOD wasn’t losing yet. *3/4
-LOD use a chair on The Disasters after the match and get to celebrate still being Champions, even though they just lost the match.
-Backstage Mooney interviews The Disasters and Jimmy Hart and they are just a little angry. Quake makes a valid point when he notes they beat them fair and square, but he loses points for saying they should be Tag Champions. Winner’s purse, but no titles!
-Gene is backstage and Roddy Piper cuts a celebratory promo and dedicates the win to Colt.
-Mooney is with Shawn Michaels and it gives them the chance to replay Shawn turning on Marty and putting him through the window of The Barbershop. Still awesome! Just so many violent moments that were less than kid friendly during this period and they are all seared in my brain.
-We get a Coliseum Exclusive with Alfred and he has Ric Flair who tells us he drew #3. Oh boy, I am glad this wasn’t part of the show because Flair coming out at 3 was a spectacular surprise as was the reaction by Heenan and Monsoon.
-Interviews galore from various men in The Rumble.
WWF Championship: 30 Man Royal Rumble
-As noted, Jack Tunney had Hogan vacate the WWF Championship after the controversial way he beat Taker at This Tuesday in Texas. In a genius move, the winner of The Rumble gets the gold and to be fair to Hogan and Taker, they are guaranteed a number from 20-30. The British Bulldog is #1 and Ted Dibiase is #2, as Gorilla notes Ted didn’t buy off a better number this year. I assume since for WWF Title this year, people weren’t as willing to sell. Dibiase with a gut-wrench suplex and then drops a fist. Gorilla notes Rick Martel has the current record for longest time in The Rumble. I am sure that will last! Ted gets cocky and Bulldog sends him over the top with a clothesline at 1:25. Ric Flair is #3 and Heenan is losing his mind as he yells, “damn it.” Gorilla is right there to twist the knife and then he tells Heenan to sit down before he has a heart attack. Here we go as the crowd is ready for this. Flair is cocky still, but gets shoved on his ass. Flair goes to the eyes but Bulldog back with Gorilla Press Slam. Clothesline from Bulldog as Flair is just inserting Bulldog in his Luger formula. Flair misses a chop and eats another clothesline before begging off. Jerry Saggs is next at #4 as Bulldog pounds away on Flair in the corner. Saggs decks Bulldog from behind and we get a double team with him and Flair. Heenan: “Let Saggs do all the work.” Bulldog explodes out of the corner with a double clothesline and fires Saggs over the top, but he hangs on. He is stupid though and poses on the apron, so Bulldog dropkicks him to the floor. Heenan goes on a rant about how this isn’t fair to Flair as Haku enters as #5. He attacks Bulldog to give Flair a second to regroup. CHOPS to Bulldog! Haku kicks Flair as Heenan wonders if he has gone nuts. Flair throws punches, which Haku no sells, so Flair rolls under the bottom rope to the floor. Haku with a SWANK piledriver on Bulldog. That was fantastic! Chops to Flair in the corner followed by a headbutt. Heenan is now cheering for Bulldog to help Flair. Haku gets dumped by Bulldog and here’s Shawn Michaels at 6. I am sure he was geeking out over the idea of being in there with Flair and they immediately go at it. Cool! Backdrop from Shawn and a superkick, without the love this time. Bulldog with a Gorilla Press to Shawn as he starts bumping all over the place. Clothesline sends him to the apron, but he gets back in and hits Bulldog with a superkick. Shawn gets bounced around by Bulldog and ends up getting bounced on his balls on the top rope. Tito Santana is next at 7 and he goes right for Flair which is quickly becoming a theme. Flair is teetering and Heenan is nearly crying as Gorilla tells him to kiss his meal ticket goodbye. Flair with a belly to back suplex on Tito while Shawn teases being eliminated with Bulldog. Flair decks Bulldog in his kibbles n bits to get a groan from the crowd. Tito hits Flair with the Flying Jalapeño as Barbarian is next at 8. Gorilla notes Barbarian doesn’t like Flair and Heenan says he barely liked him when he was his manager. Barbarian and Flair nearly have Bulldog out while Tito and Shawn give us a Mania VIII preview. Shawn continues to get dumped to the apron, but survives. Texas Tornado is 9 and he certainly has history with Flair and goes right after him. Discus Punch leads to a Flair Flop! Not to be outdone Shawn goes a 360 spin off the discus punch and then gets sent into the corner with a slingshot. Gorilla is a little fast with him times as he notes Bulldog has been in for over 16 minutes. It’s actually been 15:30 but close enough. Tito pounds away on Flair as the crowd starts the countdown. Repo Man is out at 10 and he sneaks around the ring. He slowly gets into the ring and goes after Shawn. Tito with a crossbody on The Barbarian and then he saves Bulldog from Flair. Bulldog and Tornado double team Shawn as Gorilla’s math gets worse. Flair tells us they had Flair budgeted for 30 minutes. Greg Valentine is 11 and he and Flair trade chops in the corner. There’s another Flair Flop! Gorilla continues to poke at Heenan and he starts yelling for Monsoon to shut-up. It can’t be stressed enough how much the commentary adds to the enjoyment of this match. Nikolai Volkoff in at 12 and he just kind of stands around in the ring before settling on trading blows with The Barbarian. Hammer and Flair continue to chop the crap out of each other like old friends are one to do. Valentine puts Flair in the figure-four to a big pop as Volkoff gets tossed at 21:30. Eh, he wasn’t doing much anyway. The Big Boss Man is 13 to pop the crowd and he fires off right hands on everyone. Hammer gets dumped at 23:35 by Flair, I think. Shawn starts flopping over the ropes, but is back in. Repo Man is tossed at 23:00! Flair fires off chops to Tito in the corner while Shawn and Tornado beat on each other in the opposite corner. Flair dumps Bulldog at 23:40 to end his run. Tornado is next at 23:49. Boss Man with a splash in the corner on Barbarian. Shawn and Tito eliminate each other at 24:10. Hercules is the next in with #14. Flair seems to form a team with Barbarian, but then turns on him which seems dumb and Heenan’s voice breaks. Gorilla Press Slam! Hercules dumps Barbarian at 25:20 and then Boss Man dumps him at 25:24. Boss Man nearly goes out, but is back in and it’s just him and Flair. He charges at Flair, but misses and Boss Man is out at 26:00. Heenan thinks Flair has won as he is the last man in the ring. He does a Flair Flop, but gets no time as Roddy Piper is 15 and the crowd is on fire. Piper runs wild so Flair bails to the floor under the ropes. Piper follows and hits a clothesline as this is all just great stuff! Piper no sells a neck snap on the ropes and pounds away in the corner as the crowd counts along. Inverted Atomic Drop does nothing and Piper with a poke to the eyes. AIRPLANE SPIN! Heenan is audibly crying as Piper hooks a sleeper. I love this all so much! Jake Roberts is 16 to many, many boos. Jake just sits back and tells Piper to do what he needs. Then he decks Piper when he turns his back. Sweet! Flair wants to team with Jake, but I mean, he is a snake and he drops Flair with a short arm clothesline. DDT is prepped, but Piper hits a clothesline. Heenan thanks Piper and notes that “it’s a kilt, not a skirt.” A few seconds later, Piper kicks Flair and it’s “you skirt wearing freak.” Jim Duggan is 17 as the star power just keeps coming. He goes crazy with right hands on Flair and hits a clothesline. Duggan and Piper start trading blows which is cool to see as it shows this really is every man for himself. Flair with a belly-to-back on Piper while Jake gets an inverted atomic drop on Duggan. Piper and Flair start trading chops and then Duggan decks Flair for good measure. IRS is 18 and he makes sure to take his time, which is smart. Duggan grabs IRS by the tie and holds him at bay so he can punch him repeatedly in the face. Cool! Duggan runs Jake and Flair into each other to save Piper. Heck with that, should have pushed him! Piper would understand. IRS and Flair double team Piper as Monsoon continues to exaggerate Flair’s time in the ring. Jimmy Snuka is 19 and he goes right after Flair. Headbutt! Double chop and it’s a reverse Flair Flop! Piper unloads with chops in the corner on Flair and then nearly dumps him. Jake picks up where Piper left off, but he can’t get Flair out. In a nice touch Jake makes sure to keep checking the entrance as the crowd counts as he is nervous about Savage. Taker is #20 which is a crappy number for him considering he could only get 20-30. He sends Snuka packing at 37:15 to many boos, but then he goes after Flair to a pop. Heenan is resigned to the fact that it is over as Taker starts choking Flair. Here’s Randy Savage at 21 and Jake immediately hits the floor. That’s awesome! Taker decks Savage and now, Jake is back in the ring. He misses a clothesline and Savage is all over him. He heads up top and hits a double ax and a high knee puts Jake out to a massive pop at 39:29. Savage actually jumps over the top to eliminate himself, but he screwed up there and Taker rolls him back in to cover. Vince must be in Heenan’s ear as we get a cover that you have to be thrown out by someone for it to count. Yeah, that’s not the rule we know, but it was a solid way to get around it. Flair and Savage start attacking each other in another Mania VIII preview. Just a hunch but I think they would have good chemistry together. Just keep Flair away from Liz. Flair hits Taker in the tombstones or “he tried to lift him,” as Heenan tells us. Bezerker is in at 22 and he has a tough guy battle with Duggan. Flair tries to suplex Savage to the floor, but Savage brings him back in and Taker goes to a choke. Fun spot as Taker and Piper both choke Flair, so Taker uses the other hand to choke Piper. Virgil is 23 and I think he should have been early to have one last run against Dibiase and especially since it’s one year since Virgil broke away in epic fashion. Taker with another choke on Flair and they are always great because Heenan loses his mind. Heenan asking Monsoon how long Flair has been in every 2 minutes is a fun running gag as well. Gorilla’s time is still a few minutes off, but it’s getting a little better. Colonel Mustafa is next at 24and Gorilla notes, “by they time they get there, someone else will be on the way down.” Now Heenan’s Mania X-7 joke at Sheik getting to the ring makes me smile even more. Piper pounds away on Piper in the corner again before Taker saves. No matter though as Savage resumes where Piper left off. Rick Martel is 25 as Flair is nearing his longevity record. He must know because he goes right after Flair. Mustafa is gingerly dumped at 48:52. Flair ties himself around the bottom ropes to make sure he is safe for a few minutes at least. Taker lifts Savage off the mat with a double choke and here’s HULK HOGAN AT 26. The crowd is losing it now and shit is on! Flair and Taker run into each other! Eye rakes for both. IRS and Taker get run into each other as Heenan starts begging to God and apologizes for everything he has done. Hogan sends Taker packing with a clothesline at 50:58 and Bezerker goes next at 51:07 as the crowd is totally losing it now. Hogan tears off his shirt as Virgil and Duggan get dumped at 51:39. We have six left in the ring and make that seven as Skinner is 27. Hogan nearly has Flair gone and there’s Heenan crying again. I love it! Hogan beats on IRS as a Mania IX tease. Now Monsoon is saying Flair needs 60 more seconds to pass Martel’s record, but he passed that already. Flair and Piper find their way back to each other and fire off chops. Hogan hits a running clothesline on Flair and Skinner as Sergeant Slaughter joins us at 28. Skinner gets dumped by Martel at 54:20. Slaughter goes after Flair because it’s just tradition now. Hogan and Piper go at to renew their issues and gives us a tease of 1996 WCW. Sid Justice is 29 and Hogan wants to puke as he forgot about him. Sadly, he doesn’t wreck shop and throw out some deadwood. Slaughter beats on Savage which is pretty shitty to do considering Savage is the reason he won the WWF Title the previous year. Flair with a chop to Hogan, but Sid beats on him in the corner. Warlord is out last entrant as he drew 30 and it’s time to find a new champion. Flair and Hogan end up on the floor and Hogan reverses a suplex out there. Slaughter takes his crazy bump over the post to eliminate him at 59:00. Back in the ring Hogan catches Flair with the big boot. Piper pulls IRS out by the tie and he is gone at 59:50. We are down to seven! Sid and Hogan send Warlord out at 1:00:16. Down to six! Sid eliminates Piper and Martel at 1:00:42 and we are down to Sid, Hogan, Flair and Savage. That’s a hell of a Final Four and our Double Main Event at Mania. Savage gets dumped by Sid at 1:01:05. Down to three! Flair gets dumped to the apron, and Sid sneaks up and dumps Hogan to a big pop at 1:01:35. Hogan cries and even as a Hogan fan, he is just being a baby here. He grabs Sid and Flair dumps him to win it at 1:02:02.
Winner and New WWF Champion: Ric Flair at 1:02:02
-There is much left to say about this one. It’s an amazing showing by Flair and Heenan was on another level doing commentary with Gorilla knowing exactly how to play off him. It’s a match that deserves all the praise and the commentary 100% helps elevate it as well. The running thread of everyone going after Flair was great. Flair never really backed down and deserves all the praise for working for an hour. The star power in this one is nuts and there are some many memorable moments. In recent years, people have tried to knock this one and say it’s nostalgia that makes people love it so. No, it’s still amazing and is required viewing by any wrestling fan. *****
-Hogan chases Flair out of the ring, but he’s done what he’s needed and heads to back with Perfect as Heenan rips off the headset to go celebrate.
-Hogan and Sid getting into a shoving match as officials try to keep them separated. A very vocal section of the crowd boos Hogan out of the building and Sid knows it so he plays to them and draws a “Sid” chant. Sid even points out a fan holding a “Hulk Who?” Sign.
-We head backstage where Gene is with Tunney, Flair, Perfect, Heenan, and the press. Tunney congratulates Flair and presents him with The WWF Championship. Flair then cuts an all time great promo with a year in his eye. “This is the greatest moment in my life.” You can’t help but smile seeing Heenan and Perfect beaming as they sell this. Gene yells for someone to put a cigarette out in a great off the cuff moment. Gene was great at things like that.
-Thanks for reading!
