December 07, 1992
- Dating back to the territories days of the 1970s, only 3 companies remain: WWF, which is the big dog. WCW, which survives only because Ted Turner wills it. And Jerry Jarrett's USWA in Memphis, which survives on a shoestring budget. Every other company since has been a fledgling startup that usually doesn't last. But Dave is predicting good things for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, which is just beginning its 2nd year. They're still small and they haven't turned a profit yet, but he believes they're doing everything right so far business-wise and it's paying off as the promotion is clearly growing organically and consistently. Dave says the TV, filmed on a tiny budget, in elementary school gyms in towns no one has ever heard of, is the most entertaining hour of wrestling produced each week and adds that Cornette has a mind and passion for the business unlike anyone he's ever known. SMW will probably never be a feeder territory for the big leagues, because almost everyone there is castoffs (Ron Garvin, Paul Orndorff, Kevin Sullivan, Dutch Mantel, etc.) that are already in their 40s and some in their 50s but having experienced workers means they're having better shows, especially for fans who appreciate "wrestling the way it used to be" (SMW's catchphrase). That being said, if they're going to make it as a sustainable territory or beyond, they'll have to create new stars. Relying on nostalgia acts with big names from the past will work for awhile, but it's not going to grow the company forever. But Dave basically opens the issue by making it clear that he's an SMW fan.
- Survivor Series took place and Dave is basically thumbs-in-the-middle on it. Savage/Perfect vs. Flair/Ramon was good, though Perfect was clearly rusty and not in the best shape, but considering he was rushed into this match on a few days notice due to Warrior leaving, it's understandable. Yokozuna beat Virgil "after sitting on him." Yokozuna is gonna be big money, Dave predicts. And Bret/Shawn was fantastic, 4.5 stars.
- Bob Backlund made his triumphant return to the building he headlined for 5 years as champion, Madison Square Garden, facing Rick Martel at a house show. The crowd gave him a huge pop, which is the first time Backlund has really gotten much reaction anywhere since his return.
- In EMLL, in a six man match, Lucha star Canek saw that Haku was the most over guy in the match and apparently didn't like it. So he decided to take it upon himself to shoot on Haku during the match just to prove he could. If you know about Haku, you're probably aware that this didn't go well for Canek, much to the amusement of the other wrestlers in the locker room, many of whom don't like Canek anyway.
- Pegasus Kid (Chris Benoit) will be returning to UWA in Mexico soon to form a tag team with Dean Malenko.
- Reportedly, Scott Steiner threw a fit backstage at the NJPW show about dropping the IWGP tag titles. But in the end, he still went out and they did the job.
- Hawk and Sasaki will no longer be called the New Road Warriors. Animal and Hawk finally talked and squashed their issues and Hawk doesn't want to use the name with a new partner. They will be having a contest with the fans to give them a new name and it will be revealed at the 1/4 show. Meanwhile, Animal is planning to take a couple of years off and collect on a lucrative Lloyd's of London disability insurance policy and will have a few surgeries for his nagging injuries.
- Lightning Kid (Sean Waltman) was hospitalized after suffering a severe concussion in a match. They had to call 911 and he was in the hospital for two days with a blood clot between the skull and a brain contusion. But he should be okay.
- Genichiro Tenryu will participate in the 1993 Royal Rumble.
- The new Slam & Jam show will probably air at 5PM on Saturdays, which is an hour before WCW Saturday Night. (nope)
- Ric Flair's ear injury is now being called "benign paroxysmal positional vertigo," which is a step up from whatever that word was that Dave apparently made up because this one actually pulls up results on Google. Flair isn't suffering any lingering effects from it and is already back on the road full time.
- Wrestlemania 9 has officially been announced for Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, which holds 15,500 (obviously a smaller venue than WM8's 60,000+ stadium show).
- British Bulldog did an interview and said he left because he felt like he was being held back in WWF. He was apparently upset about losing the IC title to Shawn Michaels. Poor Bulldog, that guy spent the entire 90s feeling victimized by Shawn.
- Nikita Koloff is out for the next 3 months from hernia surgery. Van Hammer suffered a broken nose from an accidental Rick Rude kick.
- The Seiners were officially released from WCW on December 1st. Jim Ross acknowledged on his radio show that the Steiners were headed to WWF. Watts admitted on the WCW 900-line that he got along great with Rick but not with Scott.
- Joe Thurman, the guy injured by the Vader powerbomb, hopes to be out of his body cast in a few weeks and be back in the ring in about a year.
- Another slow issue, but tomorrow's picks up big time.