Virgil vs The Berzerker (WWF, 12-28-1992)

WWF Prime Time Wrestling, Madison, WI

A request! The request was for six matches from the WWF UK Fan Favo(u)rites Coliseum tape from ’93, and this is one of them! The only specific request was the Bret Hart vs Fatu Raw match from ’93. I think all but two of the matches on that tape were just lifted from U.S. TV, mostly Raw, so I’m using the actual shows as the source material, as I do not have that tape. (Or, you know, a digital copy of it, and the matches I chose are very easy to find.)

This is the penultimate episode of Prime Time Wrestling, just before it’s replaced by Monday Night Raw in January ’93. Raw obviously changed the game in a big way, and it was, clearly, time for a new format on Monday nights, but I do fondly remember Prime Time from my truly youthful days on this planet.

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

40-Man Battle Royal (WWF, 5-18-1992)

WWF, Cincinnati, OH

A request! This is from a Wrestling Challenge taping in Cincinnati, and is on the “Bashed in the USA” Coliseum Video. Mike McGuirk, under Jim Ross yelling, announces that this is a first in WWF history, a 40-man battle royal.

“40?!?!” Bobby Heenan asks, as checked out of being here anymore as he can stand. 40 whole men??? Wh-wh-WHAT? There is also a 40-man battle royal that took place on June 1 and is on the “Rampage ’92” tape. No idea why they got horny, with a thinned-out roster, to do 40-man battle royals in the spring of 1992.

Now I also hear you saying: “But TAPE, you handsome scientist, Jim Ross did not work in the WWF until WrestleMania IX in 1993.” Yes, but this tape didn’t come out until he worked there and it’s just him and Heenan doing half-awake commentary about a year later or whatever. Like, duh! Haha! How could you even be so silly as to pause on this idea for a minute when you wanted to be sure about the date? OBVIOUSLY studio recorded commentary recorded later! Hello!!

Oh, Randy Savage is also here on commentary.

(Requests open and tips always appreciated!)

Royal Rumble (WWF, 1-19-1992)

WWF Royal Rumble, Albany, NY

Request via Ko-fi. There’s a chance I’ve watched this match more than any other match in history. When people say, “What wrestling match would you show friends who don’t like wrestling to get them into wrestling,” my answer is, obviously, “I would not show them wrestling. They have lived however long having made the correct choice to not let this ridiculous shit into their veins.” But sometimes people will suggest a long, epic match, one that we dorks largely agree is great, and people will say, “Ugh! Look at me, pay attention to me, I am extremely smart and I would not show them that match. All wrestling matches should be 18 seconds long and not have anything good, because when you think about it, that is good!” But this is a 62-minute match I might show someone if I were forced to try to get them to like wrestling, because in this one hour, you see 30 various personalities and one of the all-time great performances.

Virgil vs Yokozuna (WWF, 11-25-1992)

WWF Survivor Series, Richfield, OH

Here is Yokozuna’s WWF pay-per-view debut against … Virgil.

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.

Ted DiBiase vs Virgil (WWF, 3-24-1991)

Event: WWF WrestleMania VII, Los Angeles, CA

Virgil breaks free from the Million Dollar Man! Well, he broke free at the Royal Rumble, when he decked Ted DiBiase with the Million Dollar belt, and was taken under the wing of Roddy Piper. The more famous match between these two takes place at SummerSlam ’91, but they first hooked it up at WrestleMania VII.