Sage Cortez
With Ric Flair leaving WCW, his inevitable entrance into the WWF was looming quite large. Meanwhile, there was still a wrestling promotion to be run without Flair being around, and without the drama of having fired him. Of course, I’m talking about the WWF. They also had to deal with a steroid trial, a big outdoor show they did in St. Louis that drew pretty well, and building towards a SummerSlam card at Madison Square Garden. This guy named Sid was also entering the WWF. I wonder how things worked out with him.
– July 1st, 1991, from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York
The Hart Foundation vs. The Nasty Boys (w/Jimmy Hart) for the WWF Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: I suppose this was the Hart Foundation’s last and only real chance to become tag team champions for the third time. No idea if this will be good or not, but the way the Nasty Boys were working after winning the titles, it’s worth a look. They were trying really hard.
Match Review: Knobbs and Neidhart will begin the match, and Neidhart drives Knobbs back to the corner with forearms. He follows that with a shoulderblock to Knobbs, one to Sags, and that clears them out of the ring. Knobbs gets back in there and takes control, with Sags coming in for a double team. Neidhart comes back with a double clothesline, and Bret gets in there to help him clear the Nasties from the ring. Bret then makes a legal tag in, and takes Knobbs out with a back elbow. He bodyslams Knobbs, drops a leg on him, and Knobbs exits. Bret arm drags Sags, then trips him and kicks him down low. Bret puts Sags upside down in the corner, and puts the boots to him for quite some time. Neidhart tags in and chokes Sags, and Bret rams Sags into the steps. This is a face dominated match for some reason. Sags goes to the eyes of Neidhart, gets out of there, and Neidhart is in the wrong corner. Knobbs blocks a Neidhart charge into another corner, and kicks him to the outside, where Sags hits Neidhart with their motorcycle helmet. Sags tags in once Neidhart gets in the ring, and he nails him with a back elbow. Knobbs tags in and goes to a chinlock, but Neidhart smashes the back of his head into the mat. Sags cuts Neidhart off with an elbow drop, so no tag will be made. Sags slams Neidhart, then heads up top for a big splash that misses as he lands on the knees. Bret makes a tag in, and cleans house on the Nasties in very slow fashion. No joke, I’m shocked by his pace. He gives Knobbs a Russian leg sweep, and follows with the elbow from the second rope for 2. Neidhart and Sags get in there, and Knobbs is set up for the HART ATTACK! Bret covers, but Sags breaks it. Neidhart works Sags over as a result, but Bret catches the motorcycle helmet and clocks the Nasties with it. Sadly, the referee caught him in the act, and disqualifies the Hart Foundation at 13:46.
My Thoughts: Sad way to see the Hart Foundation go out, as this was not one of their better performances. I thought the Nasty Boys and Neidhart tried, but Bret didn’t seem too into it. I love Bret Hart, but I gotta call it like I see it. The match was average, with a finish that made sense in that the Nasty Boys shouldn’t lose to a team that was going to be disbanded. **1/4.
The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) vs. The Ultimate Warrior in a BODYBAG MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: I don’t like the idea of this match now that Warrior is dead, but I’m going to soldier on. This match drew really good money in other cities, not so much in NYC. Perhaps that was due to SummerSlam.
Match Review: Warrior attacks, and Taker doesn’t sell anything, including being rammed into the stairs and post. What a great gimmick. In the ring they go, and Taker no-sells a turnbuckle shot. He clotheslines Warrior, and lands a second of the flying variety. Taker chokes away at Warrior, but Warrior comes back with a bodyslam. Taker then blocks a charge to the corner, but misses an elbow drop. Warrior misses his own elbow drop, then Taker misses his own charge to the corner. Warrior gives Taker a PILEDRIVER, which Taker doesn’t sell at all! Warrior follows with a second, and a third! Taker finally sells the third, but he blocks Warrior’s attempt at a splash. Taker then goes for the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, and down Warrior goes. Taker goes for the bodybag, which is a bit strange, but he rolls Warrior into it and goes to zip it shut. Warrior blocks the attempt with his arms, and clobbers Taker with some hard punches. Taker then shoots him into the ropes, and Warrior knocks Taker down with repeated clotheslines. Eventually he hits Taker with the urn, and I guess that knocked Taker out. Warrior rolls him into the bag, zips it up, and that’s good for a victory at 9:29! In hilarious fashion, Taker pops out of the bag once Warrior leaves and doesn’t sell anything. Great visual.
My Thoughts: This is actually a great exhibit as to why Taker is/was a great worker. It’s a match that deserves to be seen by more people. They both tried really hard and put together a match of decent quality, with a story that made sense and everything. The lack of selling was a slight problem, but in the end Taker sold for long enough and that’s part of his character. **1/2, and it wasn’t because they did great wrestling moves, but because their match made sense.
– Taped to air July 6th, 1991, on Superstars, from Arco Arena in Sacramento, California
The Macho Man PROPOSES
Like the title says. This is hard for me to watch now. He proposed to Elizabeth here, and this was really perfectly done. It’s relevant to mention even though, like I said, it’s very difficult for me to watch this now.
– Taped to air July 20th, 1991, on Superstars, from Arco Arena in Sacramento, California
Sid Justice DEBUT
To start this, the TRIANGLE OF TERROR walked out to the interview podium to talk with Gene Okerlund. Obviously, they are there to talk about the SummerSlam handicap match against Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior. They said it didn’t matter who the special referee was. Mean Gene was there to bring that referee out. It is SID JUSTICE. He said he wasn’t part of Sgt. Slaughter’s corps, and looked extremely angry while saying so. HE’S PART OF NOBODY’S CORPS, AND HE’S GOING TO MAKE SURE JUSTICE IS SERVED. Sid had potential to be a major babyface for this group, but he wanted to be a heel more.
DON’T DO DRUGS
Can you believe this shit? Vince had the balls to come out and say this. In any case, THE STEROID TESTING WAS THERE TO STAY. Hulk Hogan went on the Arsenio Hall Show and then stated that he used steroids three times. He obviously lied.
– July 29th, 1991, from the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts
The Nasty Boys (WWF Tag Team Champions), the Mountie, and Earthquake (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Legion of Doom, Big Boss Man, and Jim Neidhart
Pre-Match Thoughts: Big eight-man tag here, lots of huge guys in that ring. This was booked for Coliseum Video, it may have garnered a few more rentals. I know I rented Supertape ’92 a few times, but I don’t remember this match at all. There’s also an obvious lack of Typhoon in this match, not that I’m complaining as that would make the bout far worse. I remember that there were tax tips from IRS on this tape! It took forever for these guys to enter.
Match Review: Boss Man and Mountie will start, and Boss Man catches Mountie for a big spinebuster. Now all of the guys get in the ring, and LOD clotheslines the Nasty Boys to clear the ring. Sags makes a legal tag in, and works over Boss Man for a bit, but Boss Man returns the favor and clotheslines Sags. Animal tags in for a back elbow, but gets his eyes raked, so Knobbs tags in. Animal hits Knobbs with a big shoulderblock, but misses an elbow drop. Animal then POWERBOMBS Knobbs, which gets 2. Neidhart tags in, and runs Knobbs over with another shoulderblock. Earthquake clotheslines Neidhart from behind and tags in, tossing him from corner to corner and standing on him. Quake misses an elbow drop, but Sags tags in and Neidhart arm drags him. Hawk tags in for the first time and hits Sags with an enzuigiri, so the Mountie tags in. Hawk press slams the Mountie, which looked really impressive. After a fist drop, Hawk tags in Boss Man again. Boss Man rams Mountie’s head into the buckle a LOT, then the match breaks down into the babyfaces beating up the heels until Earthquake uses the motorcycle helmet on Boss Man for 2. Quake tags in there and powerslams Boss Man, then drops the big elbow on him. Boss Man gets thrown to the outside, and Sags uses a chair on Boss Man’s back. Talk about a weak chair shot. Mountie then throws Boss Man very hard into the steps, and rolls him in for Knobbs to drop an elbow that gets 2. Sags gets in there and Boss Man slugs him, but Boss Man’s tag is not spotted. The Nasty Boys try a double team, but Hawk trips Sags and Boss Man makes it to the corner for the tag! Hawk comes in with fists of fury, then powerslams Knobbs. Now all eight are in again, and eventually Knobbs and Animal are the only guys in there. Animal throws Knobbs into the way, Hawk flies off the top with a clothesline onto Knobbs, and it gets the victory after about 10 minutes of action.
My Thoughts: This was decent, but Earthquake was sure not to take any offense in this match. I noticed it immediately. Eight-man tags are what they are, basically. You’re not often going to get a fantastic match, and when you do, it’s when some wrestlers get eliminated. That wasn’t to be the case here. **1/4. Obviously this does foreshadow LOD winning these tag titles in some way. Perhaps to the fans in attendance at least.
The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: Is this what people call a test run? They had the Undertaker job quite a bit off television, seeing as there was no harm in it. I guess that was the assumption, because they didn’t give him any big televised match to either win or lose. This was stashed on one of Hulk Hogan’s numerous Coliseum Videos. Will those ever be released by WWE for their network? I doubt it.
Match Review: Taker attacked Hogan immediately and ripped Hogan’s tanktop off, just to choke him with it. Eventually he stops, and he beats Hogan with his own title belt instead. Taker then goes to a choke, and misses an elbow drop because Hogan was faking an injury. Hogan chokes Taker with the tanktop, and rams his head into the buckle a lot. Hogan clotheslines Taker in the corner, gives him an atomic drop, and Bearer trips Hogan. Taker attacks from behind and goes back to work, and Hogan is bleeding from something. Taker gives Hogan the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER, but takes a long time to cover and Hogan kicks out at 2. I guess it’s time to HULK UP. Three punches, the big boot, and Taker doesn’t go down. Hogan grabs Bearer again, but this time he moves out of the way, so Taker runs into his own manager. Hogan then rolls Taker up for the victory at 4:34.
My Thoughts: This was trash to the absolute maximum, and I’m shocked they put it on a video tape. Taker completely no-sold his loss and immediately left the ring, which makes perfect sense. DUD. I just don’t like the idea of having guys get beaten so easily when they’re supposed to be major threats.
– Taped to air August 3rd, 1991, on Superstars, from Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Alberta
Ultimate Warrior & Hulk Hogan Interview
They were there to talk about the MATCH MADE IN HELL with Mean Gene, and entered separately. That really gives off the impression of a solid unit. After they did their usual routine, it was time for them to bring out SID JUSTICE. He shook hands with Hogan and Warrior, then raised their hands. That’s an…interesting way of approaching this match. Sid had a problem with Okerlund suggesting that Sid is friendly to these guys. He’s not partial to anyone! That’s a good way of phrasing things, but I feel bad for Okerlund, who got spit on by this big guy. Sid also to some extent overshadowed Hogan and Warrior. There was a match between Hogan and Sgt. Slaughter that aired not long after this, where Sid had a confrontation with Hogan. They had to tease it, after all.
– Taped to air August 11th, 1991, on Wrestling Challenge, from the Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta
THE REAL WORLD’S CHAMPION IS COMING
Why, that looks like the WCW Championship! Bobby Heenan has it and is being interviewed by Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Neidhart. Heenan says that the man who owns this belt may be coming to the WWF. This was a surreal segment at the time and still is now. They referenced the other organization, and the other organization’s champion. And they brought in the other organization’s champion without him losing the belt in the ring. Talk about a big deal. They couldn’t actually bring Flair in until September 1st, but obviously he was coming in. WCW tried to bring Flair back, but the bridge was burned between he and Jim Herd.
– Taped to air in August of 1991
JAKE ROBERTS TRAINS THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR
Everyone knows what’s in these skits, right? If you don’t, I don’t know how you couldn’t. First, Roberts wanted to put Warrior in a casket, to help him get over The Undertaker doing it to him. The manner in which these skits were shot is the best part. It was absolutely campy, definitely bait for kid fans to test how far they could actually go with this angle. Jake locked Warrior in the casket, and calmed him down so he would stop grunting unintelligbly. When Jake opened the casket, Warrior was still fucked up. Haha. It was then time for Warrior to be taken to the cemetery. Now it’s finally setting in that this is an unbelievably strange thing to be watching right now. Jake was also extremely strangely dressed for these segments. Talk about a lack of fashion sense. Warrior dug a hole, and Jake buried him in it. The visual of Warrior’s head barely sticking out of this grave is too much. Lastly, Jake was going to take Warrior to a room where he’d face LUCIFER. What does anyone think he meant by that? Anyway, what happened was that it was a room full of SNAKES. Warrior gets bit and has to fight his way out of the room, then goes to grab Roberts only to find out that…THE UNDERTAKER IS THERE. JAKE ROBERTS IS A HEEL NOW, ALIGNED WITH THE UNDERTAKER. Not the most effective way of turning somebody, but it worked.
That’s an interesting way to close out this build to SummerSlam. Of course, fans would be wondering if Ric Flair was going to show up at SummerSlam, and I think that was kind of the point in order to get some extra PPV buys out of it. Little did people know that Flair was not legally able to show up. I’m sure some fans were wondering why Jake Roberts and the Undertaker didn’t have a match scheduled for SummerSlam. I wonder that too. In the end, they got more over as a result of what they did there than they would have by having a match. Also of note is that Hulk Hogan was clearly going off steroids, his body shape was undergoing big changes during this time. It’s not like he had a choice. Vince McMahon stated explicitly that everyone in the WWF who was on them needed to get off them. The roster was also changing and the days of multiple touring rosters were coming to an end. Next up, let’s see how WCW fared without Ric Flair, as they geared up to Clash of the Champions 16.
Best: Jake Roberts training the Ultimate Warrior. Is there any doubt?
Worst: Vince McMahon telling people not to use steroids, when he himself was using steroids. Do you see his arms and shoulders in that video?
