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WWF UK Rampage 1991 - April 19, 1992
by Scrooge McSuck
- I don't know if the OFFICIAL name is UK Rampage or not, because this was part of the "European Rampage Tour", but I'm just going to go with it for simplicity and organization sake. I've lost track to how many "World Tour" videos and shows I've gone through at this point, but I do know we're coming to an end to my supply of these shows... Thank God.
- Live from somewhere in England, we've got Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon calling all the action. That's a MAJOR step up from the duo of McMahon and Piper from the previous year. Just as long as we don't have individual matches for the Barbarian, Warlord, and Berzerker, we'll be fine.
Tatanka vs. Skinner:
Maybe it will be short... Tatanka is fairly fresh into his run, still sporting his bright red hair and long tights. Skinner is coming off a 90-second loss to Owen Hart at WrestleMania VIII. I never noticed, but Owen was pretty successful at WrestleMania... won at WM VIII, beat his brother at WM X, won the Tag Titles at XI, winning team of a 6-Man Tag at XIII... his only loss came at WM XIV, coincidentally when he was "lame babyface bitch boy" for Triple H. Anyway, to the match. The crowd is jakked, by the way. Lockup, and Skinner gives a clean break. Tatanka with a headlock, and he cranks it. Criss-cross, and Tatanka with a clothesline, followed by a sunset flip for a two count. Tatanka with a headlock takeover as Heenan debates how to pronounce Tatanka's name and how to say hello to him (Hi how are ya, Hi how are ya...). Tatanka takes Skinner over with a hip toss, followed by a pair of clotheslines for another two count. Skinner takes a hike, then returns to get his arm worked over for his cowardly act. Skinner with a leverage move to escape, and he taunts the crowd with a terrible dance. Skinner with some biting, a drop toe hold, and a some working of the leg. Skinner slaps on a step-over toe hold and talks some trash. The referee finally catches Skinner using the ropes, and the crowd pops for the forced break. DAMN That's a hot crowd. Skinner drags T-t-t-anka to the corner and wraps his leg around the post. Back inside, and Skinner with more of his generic offense (Choke, punch, kick), then casually throws Tatanka over the top rope. Too bad this isn't a Royal Rumble Rules Match, otherwise he'd actually win for once. Skinner brings him back into the ring with a suplex, then heads to the second turnbuckle, and eats boot on the way down. Surprised? Tatanka does his Native American Wardance, and chops away on Skinner. In 1992, Tatanka's Dance was just as much of a "Finish Him" as the Hulk Up. Tatanka with a back breaker, then comes off the turnbuckle with a chop. Tatanka with the Samoan Drop (Papoose to Go, End of the Trail, whatever) for the easy three at 11:51. Not nearly as boring as the length suggests, thanks to a hot crowd and entertaining commentary. Skinner's stuff was the usual, but Tatanka seemed very motivated at the time. Shame the WWF NEVER DID ANYTHING with him, despite a "Undefeated streak" that run until October of '93.
The Legion of Doom vs. Col. Mustafa & Dino Bravo:
What in the holy hell is with that heel team? Did someone miss their flight? Bravo hasn't been seen on (nationally syndicated) television since the Spring of '91, and is now rocking his natural dark hair, and Mustafa was just collecting a paycheck as a JTTS. So much for that main event push, Shiek. The LOD were back from hiatus of "losing" their tag titles, and soon would adopt Rocco the Ventriliquist Dummy as their inspiration. Don't ask. The heels attack, but LOD quickly take control with shitty clotheslines to clear the ring. Animal with a headlock on Bravo, but a shoulder block does very little. Animal comes off the ropes with a clothesline, then goes to work with a wristlock. Hawk comes off the ropes with a sledge, and hits his signature fist drop. Irish whip, and Hawk with a diving shoulder tackle. Whip to the corner, and Hawk posts himself on a charge attempt. Bravo follows him out, and drops Hawk across the security rail for good measure. Mustafa with a gutwrench suplex, then takes FOREVER to slap on an abdominal stretch. Hawk blocks a suplex, and brings Mustafa over with his own. Bravo cuts off a tag, but a double clothesline spot allows Animal to finally (or already) get the hot tag. Animal with dropkicks to both opponents, then a diving shoulder on Mustafa. Hawk tosses Bravo from the ring, then comes off the top with a clothesline on Mustafa, and that's enough for the victory at 4:29. That was quick. Might as well have been a squash match.
The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. Sid Justice (w/ Dr. Harvey Wippleman):
Woah, this is something worth checking out... I guess Justice is subbing in for Jake Roberts, or maybe Undertaker is subbing in for Warrior? I don't know, I just know these two had no issues at this time, but I'm not complaining, as long as Sid doesn't crap himself. This marked the last major appearance for Sid in the WWF until his return leading up to WrestleMania XI. Sid attacks as Undertaker looks away, then pounds on him in the corner. Undertaker no-sells it all, and retaliates with shots to the throat, followed by a scoop slam. Undertaker hits the ropes, but misses the elbow drop. Undertaker rolls to the apron, and gets clubbed across the chest. Sid goes for more, and gets hung up across the top rope for it. Undertaker climbs the ropes and goes to school (instead of old school), then bounces off the ropes with a flying clothesline. Undertaker goes for the Tombstone, but Wippleman distracts him, allowing Sid to slip free. Irish whip, and Sid whiffs on a clothesline, but makes up for it with a one-handed chokeslam. That always looked awesome. Sid with a side suplex, and clubbing blows to the back. Sid punts Undertaker around a lot, slowing things down. Whip to the corner, and Undertaker comes blasted out with a clothesline. They wander around outside the ring, and Undertaker gets thrown into the post, and Sid rolls back in for the lame Count-Out at 5:17. After the match, Sid lays into him with a chair, and brings him down with a neck breaker. Undertaker sits up, scoops Sid up, and plants him with the Tombstone. Match was watchable (and short), and that's the best you can hope for from these twp. especially by 1992 Undertaker standards.
WWF Championship Match:
"Macho Man" Randy Savage © (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Shawn Michaels (w/ Sensational Sherri):
This should be pretty good, and it's not the same match as from the World Tour '92 video (that one was from Munich, Germany, but I'm sure it will follow the same formula). Odd seeing Elizabeth with Savage, considering they were filing for divorce at the time. To professionalism! Savage is nursing an injured leg, courtesy of Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII, so that creates a fair level of play for Michaels, I guess. Lockup to the corner, and Savage escapes a low takedown attempt. Michaels with a headlock, then quickly turns it into a hammerlock. Savage counters, but Michaels escapes with an elbow to the face. Michaels sends Savage to the corner, but meets the knee on a charge attempt. Michaels takes a hike, then gets a chair tossed at him, re-entering the ring. Michaels with a headlock, followed by several shoulders. Savage dumps Michaels over the top rope, then comes off the top with a double axehandle. Sherri starts to woman-handle Elizabeth, bringing Savage to the rescue. Savage sends 'Liz back to the locker room (or maybe she said fuck it and left on her own, wh knows), but gets attacked from behind for his efforts. Sherri with an atrocious imitation of Savage, as Michaels remains in control. Irish whip, and Michaels with a tilt-o-whirl back breaker for a two count. Irish whip, and Michaels with a fist to the midsection, followed by a swinging neck breaker for another two count. Savage manages to sweep the legs from under Michaels and slingshot him into the buckle for a two count. Savage hangs Michaels up across the top rope, then knocks him over the ropes with a running high knee. Savage to the top, and he comes off with another axehandle, then whips Michaels face-first into the ring post.
Back inside, and Savage comes off the top with another axehandle, for a two count. Savage goes to the top AGAIN, and this time, he takes a shot to the midsection on the way down. Savage with a hip toss, but Michaels flips through, and nails Savage with a clothesline for a two count. Michaels casually hits the super kick/crescent kick, but that's only enough for another two count. Michaels heads to the top rope, and comes down with a Rockers style fist drop. Savage rolls out of the ring, but Michaels isn't far behind, ramming him into the ring post. Sherri gets in her token cheap shots while the referee is distracted. Savage rolls back in, and gets tossed right back out, for more abuse from Sherri. I think it's safe to say, Michaels is kind of dogging this one in comparison to the match in Munich. Irish whip, and we get a referee bump. Hebner sure knows how to bump like a champ. Savage catches Michaels going for a body press, and drops him across the top rope. Savage with a powerslam, then heads to the top rope and nails the flying elbow. Too bad the referee is KO'ed. Sherri gets in the ring and kicks away, but Savage scares her off with the EVIL eye. Savage wakes up Michaels, and covers again, but at this point, only gets a two count. They fight over a suplex, while Elizabeth comes back to take a shot at Sherri. Savage heads up top (AGAIN), and comes down with a cross body press for a two count. Sherri gets on the apron, and again, Elizabeth takes care of her. Savage misses a charge, and Michaels comes off the top with a sunset flip for a two count. Savage puts Michaels down with an elbow, then heads to the top... it's a fake out, though, and Savage hits the other corner, and comes off with a twisting body press for the three count at 16:19. After the match, Savage fights off the heels and celebrates his victory with Elizabeth. Completely disappointing compared to their match in Munich. It's like the lazy, paint-by-numbers version of that match. It was okay, but it's obvious you can't guarante a good match will take place.
- Gorilla Monsoon throws it to "Shawn Michaels" for an interview with the Bushwhackers. Bobby Heenan quickly corrects him and that it's "Sean Mooney." Either way, I hit skip on this one because I loath the Bushwhackers, and get to the next match...
Virgil vs. The Mountie (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Decent choice to put on following one of the main events of the card... Mountie's Night in Jail™ suffers from the same fate as Dino Bravo's Bench Press. He went to jail at SummerSlam, and that's the only character evolution he's given, so it's brought up every chance possible for every match he would have until he left the promotion. Virgil had his nose "broken" at the hands of Sid, so he's still sporting the protective mask. Virgil pitches a fit over the shockstick being at ringside... what is he, a heel? Virgil attacks, then connects with a pair of clotheslines. Virgil dances around, and unloads with rights, knocking Mountie out of the ring. Back inside, and Virgil rips the shirt off Mountie, and whips him with it... RAPE! Mountie rips the mask off Virgil and hits the nose, and now Virgil is playing dead. Fair is fair... Irish whip, and Mountie nails Virgil with the mask. Mountie takes Virgil down with a bulldog, and takes the time to get dressed, again. Mountie continues to control, working the face. Mountie with more stalling, as he gets on the house mic' and taunts the crowd. Virgil makes the superman comeback, and hits a pair of sucky dropkicks. Virgil with the Russian leg sweep (not excellently executed) for a two count. Irish whip, Virgil gets tripped by Jimmy Hart, and Mountie gives him a zap in the nuts from the shockstick for the three count at 8:54. The same typical match from the Mountie. A whole lot of nothing, some unconvincing bumping for selling, and a lame finish. At least it was kept under ten minutes.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
Bret "Hitman" Hart © vs. "The Model" Rick Martel:
We're going to hit the Copy and Paste Buttons for this one, since I recapped it last week... Damn, that's a lot of pink to look at for 15-minutes. I have nothing interesting to talk about here, I just want to finish this tape. Lockup to start, and Martel puts the boots to the Hitman. Irish whip, and Martel with a cartwheel to anger the crowd. Have I mentioned how awful of a heel Martel was? Lockup into the ropes, and Martel with a cheap shot. They do it again, just to hammer the spot home. Martel fails at a roll up attempt, and Bret sends him running following a clothesline. Back inside, and Martel slaps on a front facelock. Bret escapes, but is quickly put down with a clothesline, and Martel goes back to the facelock. Bret escapes again, and hits his own clothesline. Whip to the corner is reversed, but Martel misses a knee to the corner, and Bret quickly starts working over the left leg. Bret with a leg grapevine, then a step-over toe-hold. Martel kicks out, but gets taken over with a hip toss. Bret with a sweep of the legs, then back to the grapevine. Bret continues to target the leg every time Martel attempts to fend him off. Martel chokes his way out, after several attempts at legal ways to escape. Bret is like a shark sensing blood, but goes to the well one too many times, and taste the ring post for his efforts. Martel follows Bret to the outside, and rams his back into the ring post. Back inside, and Martel sends Bret to the corner, followed by a series of elbows across the back. Irish whip, and Bret with a punt to the chest. Bret pops up after playing possum, connects with an inverted atomic drop, and pounds away with rights. Bret with a Russian leg sweep for a two count, followed by a snap suplex for another two count. Bret with the side back breaker and second rope elbow for a two count. Irish whip, and Bret goes flying out of the ring on a roll up attempt. Back in the ring, and Bret goes down hard on another roll up attempt... it's a TRAP! Bret surprises Martel with a small package, and that gets the three count at 13:03. Not an outstanding match, but perfectly acceptable wrestling. Bret gives us a thumbs up, for whatever reason, after picking up the three count.
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. The Repo Man:
Back to some "fresh" content... as fresh as recently dropped horse manure. Pardon me if I'm not too into this one. Duggan did very little of note since the turn of the decade, and Repo's only significant program was hanging Davey Boy on an episode of Challenge. Duggan gets the british crowd into a hefty "USA" chant. Lockup, and Duggan throws Repo down with ease. Lockup into the ropes, and Repo with some cheap shots, followed by choking. Irish whip, and Duggan nails Repo with a series of clotheslines, knocking him out of the ring. Back inside, we get a slugfest. Duggan with an atomic drop and clothesline, sending Repo out of the ring, again. Repo hangs Duggan up on the top rope, then undoes one of the top turnbuckles. Repo pounds away, with Duggan flopping like a fish. Watching Duggan sell is like watching a drunk old man stumbling around. Repo goes to the chinlock, bringing my excitement level down to freezing territory. Duggan attempts a comeback, but Repo remains in control. Duggan takes Repo down with a hip toss, then follows with a slam. Dugan with the big clothesline, but it knocks Repo Man out of the ring. Repo grabs his hookshot and nails Duggan with it for the DQ at 7:15. Repo chokes Duggan with the rope afterwards, but Duggan eventually fights back and runs Repo off with his trusty 2x4. Match was a pile of vomit, but it was kept much shorter than I anticipated it being.
The British Bulldog vs. Irwin R. Schyster (w/ Jimmy Hart):
We're back to Copy and Paste, and it happens to be the Main Event, so I'll see you again in the Final Thoughts. I love how this match ends the show, no doubt due to Davey Boy's status as the local hero. If this were the 2000's, Bulldog would not only be doing the job, but humiliated, too. I.R.S. is one half of the reigning Tag Team Champions. Bulldog's pop is electrifying. The crowd is so jacked, I can barely hear the bell. Bulldog with a headlock to start, followed by a shoulder block. They go at it again, with the same results. I.R.S. with a hip toss, but Bulldog kicks him away, takes him down with his own hip toss, and a clothesline sends the tax man out of the ring. Back in the ring, and I.R.S. quickly bails. That was pointless. Back in the ring (again), and Bulldog goes to work on the arm. I.R.S. nails Bulldog with an enziguri, then tosses Bulldog out of the ring. I.R.S. follows, and puts the boots to the Bulldog, then drops a pair of elbows. Back inside, and I.R.S. with the abdominal stretch. Yes, he DOES use the ropes for leverage. Bulldog escapes with a hip toss and rolls I.R.S. up for a two count. I.R.S. quickly puts Bulldog down with a clothesline, then hits the diving variety (the Write Off?). I.R.S. with a leg drop for a two count, then slaps on a chinlock. Yes, he DOES use the ropes for leverage, and yes, I DID use that same running gag twice in the same match. Blame Rotundo for his paint-by-numbers formula for this match. I.R.S. tosses Bulldog out of the ring, again. Bulldog with a sunset flip back into the ring for a two count. I.R.S. remains in control, though, and drops a leg for a two count of his own. Bulldog gets tossed AGAIN, then tossed back in the ring. What was the point of that? Bulldog counters a suplex with his own, with delay, of course, for a two count. Bulldog goes for a splash, but meets the knees. Bulldog barely sells it, and sends Irwin into the buckle ten times. Bulldog takes advantage of I.R.S.' wearing of a tie, but gets thrown chest-first into the buckle. Irwin goes for the briefcase, but Bulldog fends it off, and the running powerslam finishes things off at 12:52. Very underwhelming, but watchable. Thus ends the 1992 edition of the European Rampage Tour, or whatever friggin' name this show had.
Final Thoughts: A much more watchable card than the 1991 edition, but still not much to see. The co-main events are underwhelming at best, and the rest of the card is pretty hit or miss, but mostly miss. The only good thing I can say about the lesser quality matches is that everything was kept pretty short, considering it was a nearly three hour long event. Regardless, I would give this a strong recommendation to avoid, and once again suggesting the GOOD match between Savage and Michaels on the World Tour '92 tape, and skipping all the rest.
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