Undertaker vs British Bulldog (WWF, 11-30-1991)

WWF, Hamilton or London, Ontario, Canada

A request! And a particularly neat one, I’ve never seen this match and it comes during Undertaker’s six-day run as WWF champion between Survivor Series ’91 and the failed This Tuesday in Texas PPV.

It’s interesting to watch the crowd’s very mixed reaction to Undertaker here in Ontario. (Not sure if this is the day’s show in Hamilton or the day’s show in London.) He’s still a full heel here, but you can tell people, including some kids, are starting to find him cool all of a year after his debut at Survivor Series ’90.

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

One mildly interesting thing: Davey Boy worked three matches against Undertaker during this week of Taker defenses, and he was also the guy who wrestled Bob Backlund on Nov. 25, 1994, in Pittsburgh, right after Backlund had won the belt from Bret Hart at Survivor Series on Nov. 23, and one day before Backlund dropped the strap to Diesel at MSG.

In short, if Vince McMahon felt he needed someone to get in there and have a title match before he switched the belt back to a babyface, even for a minute like happened in ’91 with Hogan getting it back, Davey Boy got the call. If he was around.

Undertaker carries the belt in his right hand, off to his side, doesn’t have it around his waits. This would become fashionable for some people later, but an odd sight here in 1991. Paul Bearer hands the urn off to Joey Marella, who stars at it, then takes the belt from Undertaker and holds it up to, again, a really mixed reaction.

Davey Boy gets a nice enough reception and boy is he just juiced to the gills here. Out of his gourd on that good sauce. Undertaker attacks before the bell can sound and my God but we have a Choke Hold in the Corner.

Whip to the other side, but Smith moves out of the way and starts landing some shots, clotheslining Taker over to the floor, where he lands on his feet. Davey follows out, though, and gets a couple more shots in. Undertaker is still fixated on the urn and thus is basically indestructible.

So now we’ve got a choke over the middle rope. Undertaker really had quite a Move Set at this point.

This is a house show recording so no commentary, I think it was put out on the WWE Network Hidden Gems but not available on our dogshit Peacock in 2023.

Davey winds up on the floor and Big Paul shakes the urn at him, so Davey gives slow pursuit only to be hit from behind and rolled back into the ring. Inside, Smith gets a moment of hope and tries to get Taker up for the big vertical suplay, but his zombie density is too much, he’s heavier than he looks because all his blood is goop now.

Oh, God, it’s the fucking Undertaker Face Claw. He holds onto that for a thrilling 40 seconds, and when Smith gets free, Taker thrusts him in the mush right down to the canvas and it’s FACE CLAW TIME AGAIN BABY YEAH

Davey does get to the corner but Bearer distracts the idiot Marella. Bulldog powers Undertaker across the ring and into the corner, but again you can’t really HURT him, so Undertaker just drops him again.

Smith tries for the suplay again and does get it this time. Crowd fired up. Not a long delay, but a solid one when you consider the heavy goop blood. Smith whips Taker into the corner, and Ol’ Undie bounces out and right into the power slam!

Bearer again distracts, so we get the feeling the Bulldog was going to win the WWF title right then and there. Instead, as he wrestles with Paul Bearer’s jacket over Joey Marella’s imbecile back, Undertaker hits Bulldog in the back with the urn, then goes over for a cover and gets the win there.

Undertaker wants to do the body bag, but Smith recovers enough to clothesline him out of the ring, and Bearer uses the urn to draw Undertaker’s attention away from continuing the fight.

Hey man, it is what it is and all that, but it’s a cool little novelty to actually see it, Undertaker defending the WWF title in ’91, Davey Boy getting a shot at it and competing OK enough against the invincible ghoul, whose invincibility of course has to be dinged against proper name brand opponents. He can be pretty invincible, but not “against Dale Wolfe or Jim Powers” invincible.

2/5