Ted DiBiase vs Virgil (WWF, 8-26-1991)

WWF SummerSlam, New York, NY

This is a request via Ko-fi. And one of my pure favorite matches and moments in SummerSlam history.

Sean Mooney interviews DiBiase and Sensational Sherri backstage before the match. We look over his past mistreatment of Virgil. Virgil is challenging for the Million Dollar belt tonight. DiBiase says he’ll leave Virgil face-down in the gutter.

Virgil has been prepared for this match by Roddy Piper, who is on commentary with Gorilla Monsoon. Piper’s commentary was generally overwhelmingly awful, he just made too much about himself, and basically never gave anyone else room. But listening to him excited for Virgil is really fun. They high-five ringside, and Piper kisses him on top of the head.

Virgil charges into the ring and jumps DiBiase from behind, laying in with right hands in the corner. DiBiase into the corner, bounces out into a backdrop. Two clotheslines from Virgil, then a third sends DiBiase over the top and out to the floor. Crowd is feeling it.

Virgil stops the count and goes out to the floor to go after DiBiase. Virgil slams DiBiase’s face into the ring steps. Piper is in pure cheerleader mode here. Back in the ring, Virgil with a jab, jab, jab, right hand. Gorilla tries to credit Piper with influencing Virgil, but Piper says that Virgil has done the work himself.

Atomic drop sends DiBiase over the top to the floor. Piper keeps talking too much. Bobby Heenan returns to commentary after trying to antagonize Hulk Hogan with Ric Flair’s belt for a bit. Camera almost misses Virgil missing a slingshot plancha to the floor, and they don’t eve discuss that at all, which is a spectacular thing for ’91 WWF.

Sherri pleading with DiBiase to get up. He does and rolls back in. Virgil is down and out. DiBiase goes back out and picks him up, sending Virgil careening over the ring steps. People ringside are patting Virgil on the hand, begging him to get up. Virgil bounced off the steps again. He’s reeling since missing that plancha.

DiBiase with a chop, then sends Virgil back into the ring. DiBiase talks some shit toward Piper, but goes back to work. Virgil sent off the ropes and dropped with a clothesline. Beautiful DiBiase fistdrop. Then another, I think, but we’re looking at Sherri. Stomp to Virgil’s face.

DiBiase goes up to the second rope, he flies off with a double axhandle that lands square. DiBiase takes a moment, then rolls him over and pins him for two. DiBiase backs him to the corner. Chop, right hand, whip to the other side. Virgil bounces out into a backdrop. Virgil gets basically zero height on the bump, just flips right over DiBiase’s back and lands fast and hard. Two count.

Virgil ducks a clothesline and gets the Million Dollar Dream! Center of the ring! Sherri comes into the ring and hits Virgil with the purse, and Earl Hebner calls for the bell and a disqualification. Piper is livid. “Not a DQ, please! He worked so hard for this!”

Hebner confers with Howard Fikel. “The referee has every right to disqualify the Million Dollar Man for outside interference. HOWEVER, the referee has rendered an official decision, and it is as follows. Number one, he is ordering that Sensational Sherri return to her dressing room NOW or face permanent suspension! And number two, the referee has further ruled that the match between the Million Dollar Man and Virgil WILL CONTINUE!”

Crowd is pretty hyped up. Officials come out to force Sherri to the back. DiBiase struggles to his feet first. DiBiase tries to ram Virgil’s head into the corner, he blocks. Blocks again, hits a shot to the gut, and slams DiBiase’s head off the turnbuckle 10 times, then awkwardly swipes at him on the way to the canvas.

Virgil with a right, left, right, left, right, left. Unloading with shots. Chop in the corner. Corner-to-corner whip, Virgil mounts over there and hits a mounted 10-punch, plus one more. Virgil with two more right hands. He looks gassed as fuck.

Corner-to-corner whip blocked, DiBiase reverses it, and sends Virgil into Hebner in the corner. Referee down. Virgil down. DiBiase talks trash to Piper, who DRAMATICALLY PAUSES with the camera and shouts, “COME ON, VIRGIL! YOU GET HIM NOW! YES!”

But it’s DiBiase in control. Suples lands. Another hits. Heenan goes racist. Piper screams about Virgil calling his dad earlier today. Another suplex from DiBiase. “Come on, Virgil! You can make it!” DiBiase tells Piper, “I got another one for ya.” “IT AIN’T FOR ME!”

DiBiase hits a piledriver, and a beauty. DiBiase has this match won, but there’s no referee still, as Hebner is on his knees trying to collect himself. DiBiase kicks him over and tells Piper he’s gonna hit “one more.” But instead of going for a piledriver, he takes a turnbuckle pad off in the corner.

DiBiase picks Virgil up, holds his head in his hands, and talks shit. Virgil playing unconscious well, but it’s DiBiase who meets the exposed steel! Still, Virgil is down along with DiBiase. “NOW’S THE TIME, VIRGIL! NOW’S THE TIME TO SUCK IT UP! COME ON! GET UP, VIRGIL!” Piper’s losing his voice.

Hebner is counting both men down. “THIS MAN VIRGIL HAS TRAINED SO HARD, HAS GONE THROUGH SO MUCH!” Heenan and Monsoon are straight up ignoring him. Virgil crawls over, pins — 1. 2. 3. Piper goes wild. The crowd goes wild.

And best of all, Virgil goes wild. He gets his hand raised with the belt, then does a front flip bump onto the mat in pure ecstasy. He shows off the belt, pumping his fist on the second rope. Piper is ecstatic. `

Rating: 4/5. I dunno what to tell you, I just love this match. It’s a great triumphant pure babyface moment, a massive underdog who is outgunned against the experienced veteran, a man who had clowned him for years, treated him like shit, and in the end, Virgil gets his revenge, humiliating the rich fuck and taking his prized belt, the only belt the piece of garbage could even obtain after his several failures trying to win the WWF championship. Piper is hilariously melodramatic on commentary, but for once his role there actually adds something to the match. The DQ fakeout is really well done. The finish could’ve been better and a little more dramatic, probably, but that’s my only real complaint about the match, other than, you know, the fact that Virgil was a really poor worker. Luckily DiBiase was still more than good enough to make up for that, and the match was put together very well otherwise.