The Year in PPV- 1992

1992 was a very important year in terms of creating transition for the WWF. The company needed to start putting ideas together and plan ahead for the future of the business, as the clock was starting to wind down on Hulkamania. There were tons of superstars that could assume that role of the company babyface, with Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior already established with main event players. The problem is that with Savage's age and Warrior's unprofessional (at the time) nature, both didn't have the long term potential that was necessary for the developing "New" generation.

Hogan taking some time away wasn't the only change developing. Past superstars like Jake Roberts and Roddy Piper were on their way out, and future icons were moving towards the main event like the Undertaker, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels. With a struggling tag team division, and a whole bunch of ridiculous gimmick, it was necessary for the WWF to experiment on what wasn't working and what could stay as they were moving forward with a new chapter in their company's history.

So let's see who WWF would label as "the man," by looking at the year 1992...


1. Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble opens with an amazing tag team match between The Orient Express and The New Foundation (Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart). The New Foundation was a much shorter lived tag team than when Neidhart teamed with Bret Hart in The Hart Foundation, but I think they are just as good and offer a different dynamic of power from Neidhart and high flying athleticism from Owen (as opposed to Bret's traditional technical wrestling). The other tag team matches on the card don't come close to having the same energy as the opening bout though. The Tag Team Championships are on the line with the Legion of Doom challenging the Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Typhoon) in a short match that fortunately doesn't drag. The tag match that DOES drag is the near 15 minute long match between the Bushwhackers and the Beverly Brothers thanks to the annoying antics of the new manager of the Bushwhackers, Jamison (he didn't last long). There's also a short but sweet Intercontinental Championship match between The Mountie (good lord, some of those early '90s gimmicks) and Rowdy Roddy Piper that's worth checking out for the match's outcome.

Many fans and wrestling historians have labelled the 1992 Royal Rumble match as the greatest Rumble match in history. So, the question you're probably asking is "Why?" Perhaps it's because it is for the recently vacated WWF Championship. Perhaps it's because it is one of the defining moments of the career of arguably (only say arguably because I do not agree) the greatest sports entertainer of all-time, Ric Flair. Or maybe it's because along with Flair, the match includes Hulk Hogan, Sid, the Undertaker, Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, Roddy Piper, Shawn Michaels, Tito Santana, Ted DiBiase, The British Bulldog, Sgt. Slaughter, Jimmy Snuka, Greg Valentine, Jim Duggan, Haku, Kerry Von Erich, and many others as participants. It's easy to see the entertainment value with a lineup that stacked, even if there are some spots open for some odd gimmicked superstars like Repo Man and The Berzerker. Still, it's definitely one of the most important Royal Rumble matches to watch regardless of whether or not you consider it the best Rumble match ever.

Highly Recommended


2. WrestleMania VIII

Had the match order been switched around a little bit, I could easily call WrestleMania VIII one of the best Manias of the early years. With a solid opener like Tito Santana (as El Matador) vs. Shawn Michaels (his first Mania as The Heartbreak Kid), a fun brawl between the Undertaker and Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Roddy Piper and Bret Hart having an excellent Intercontinental Championship match, an entertaining 8-man tag (The Nasty Boys, The Mountie and Repo Man vs. Virgil, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter and Big Boss Man) that was given a very creative ring introduction thanks to guest ring announcer and former Family Feud host Ray Combs. There's even enough time for a Legion of Doom promo where they brought their old NWA manager, Paul Ellering, to the WWF. At the midway point in the show, we had our first main event and it was the WWF Championship match between Ric Flair and Randy Savage. This feud was beyond personal and their storytelling and match quality was off the charts, leading to many fans citing this match's placement on the card as one of the biggest WrestleMania mistakes in history.

Once Flair and Savage stole the show, it was obvious no one could top it, but every match after Flair/Savage was so underwhelming that it really affected the overall flow of the show and stopped it from being a truly spectacular night. With a few quick squash matches (Tatanka vs. Rick Martel and Owen Hart vs. Skinner), and a mediocre Tag Team Championship match (Money Inc. vs. the Natural Disasters) with a countout ending, the show was relying on Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice to end the show on a high note. What resulted is my personal pick for the worst main event in WrestleMania history. These two had horrible chemistry, which resulted in a horrible match that ends in the WORST WAY IMAGINABLE for a main event. And all it was building up to, the reason that Flair and Savage did not go on last, is so Hogan could pose with a returning superstar to end the show. Pitiful end to what started off as such a great show.

Recommended


3. SummerSlam

80,355 fans in Wembley Stadium bore witness to the event that many fans have called the greatest SummerSlam in history. Whether that claim is made because of the roster (which I doubt), the number of fans in attendance (again, doubtful), or the magnitude of creating a moment through the main event (most likely), I respectively disagree and say this show veers over into the slightly overrated territory. There are way too many short squash matches (including the Undertaker in a match with Kamala, Crush against Repo Man, and Nailz in his PPV debut against Virgil), a ridiculous match between Shawn Michaels and Rick Martel where neither man could be hit in the face (the commentators were more focused on Sherri's controversial outfit instead of the match), and some tag team matches that don't seem to matter that much in history (Legion of Doom vs. Money Inc., and The Natural Disasters vs. The Beverly Brothers for the Tag Team Championships) to where I can't give the show credit on overall wrestling quality.

HOWEVER, there are TWO very well-done moments that make this event worthy of being one of the best SummerSlams in history. The first is the WWF Championship match between Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. With Hulk Hogan stepping away from the ring for a bit, these were the top two guys and they were wrestling for only the second time on PPV, and this time it was for the company's top prize. Add some factors, including a completely split crowd, and the question of who Mr. Perfect was going to "help" by being in their corner, and you have a very engaging match that all fans wanted to see. And can you believe it was NOT the main event? The main event slot was saved for Bret Hart defending the Intercontinental Championship against The British Bulldog. Look at the factors: Bulldog has the homecoming advantage while Bret was still popular amongst the UK fans, it is two brothers-in-law fighting with Bulldog's wife and Bret's sister (Diana Hart) sitting front tow to witness the match, it's two young, hungry superstars fighting for the Intercontinental Championship, and the fact that the match was spectacular, established Bret Hart as future main eventer (very near future, in fact), and gave Bulldog his career defining moment, makes it one of the most important matches that any fan could ever see.

Highly Recommended


4. Survivor Series

With so many historical moments throughout the year 1992, it's surprising to note that Survivor Series doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of historical significance. There's a lot of backstage controversy surrounding this event thanks to the departures of Ultimate Warrior, the British Bulldog, and the Mountie shortly before the event, and the alleged physical altercation between Nailz and Vince McMahon (Nailz was gone shortly afterwards, of course). Speaking of Nailz, he had a horrendous Nightstick on a Pole match with the Big Boss Man, and is easily the most painful match to watch, but that's not to say the rest of the show isn't full of lackluster and forgettable matches. Also highlighted on the card (for better or worse) was the Undertaker vs. Kamala in a Coffin match (now known as the Casket match), Yokozuna's PPV debut against Virgil, and the Survivor Series elimination match between the Beverly Brothers and Money Inc. against the Natural Disasters and the Nasty Boys, among others.

Thankfully, the show can boast to holding two Survivor Series lost gems. The first is the tag team match of Ric Flair and Razor Ramon vs. Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect (Perfect replacing the Ultimate Warrior), which would have been much more memorable for me had it ended differently. The main event saw Bret Hart defend his newly won WWF Championship against Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (Shawn's belt was not on the line). It's really odd to see these guys bust out a really good Survivor Series main event considering the events that would take place 5 years later at Survivor Series in Montreal. To make this match even more surreal, Santa Claus shows up at the end of the match. I'll just let that sink in...The last PPV moment of the year is SANTA CLAUS in a wrestling ring for a Thanksgiving PPV.

Mild Recommendation


Thoughts: 1992 offers a great amount of variety in its roster. The only place I felt it was lacking was in its tag team division, relying more on gimmicks than match quality. A lot of the high profile matches of the year live up to expectations (with the MAJOR exception being the Hogan/Sid match at Mania). Whether or not certain fans appreciate or even like the Rock n Wrestling Connection or the New Generation, they have to at least acknowledge 1992 as an important year for giving us a unique blend of both eras. A lot of the bigger matches are available on individual DVDs, but I'd still say this year is worth checking out in its entirety strictly for historical purposes.


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