December 14, 1992
- Jerry Lawler is now in the WWF, after years of saying hell would freeze over before he worked there. Lawler has been hired to be the heel color commentator now that Mr. Perfect is back in the ring full-time. Lawler debuted on Prime Time Wrestling this week and will also occasionally work as a heel wrestler for major shows. Lawler has drawn more fans to attend pro wrestling in a specific city (Memphis) than any other wrestler has in any other city in America in history. Until recently, Lawler was one of WWF's most outspoken critics and was reportedly surprised when WWF offered him the job. He made it clear that he wouldn't go on the road full-time. His duties will involve mostly just flying to the WWF offices in Connecticut every few weeks to do in-studio voiceover work.
- In Memphis, they've been doing an angle where Lawler (a babyface in Memphis) has been challenging WWF wrestlers but only small-timers like Sgt. Slaughter or the Bushwhackers have ever appeared, leading Lawler to call out WWF wrestlers as being scared of him. Dave suspects Lawler will come up with some sort of angle in Memphis about how he's now in the WWF in order to prove a point or something to justify why he's working there now (as a heel). Jerry Lawler also missed a show in Memphis last week because he and Jeff Jarrett were in Toronto filming a small part in a Michael J. Fox movie (Life With Mikey).
- Lawler isn't the only big WWF-surprise this week as Carlos Colon, the owner of Puerto Rican-based WWC is going to appear at the Royal Rumble. It could be a one-off deal but there's rumors that they may keep him around to try to push as a Puerto Rican star to draw crowds in certain cities. Looking at the Rumble card, Dave predicts Mr. Perfect as the most logical winner with maybe Yokozuna as a dark-horse pick.
- To combat declining TV ratings, Prime Time Wrestling on Monday nights will undergo some type of format change, starting on the Jan. 11, 1993 show, but Dave doesn't know the details yet..........
- 91 vs. 92 November business comparison, more of the same. TL;DR - business in Japan is doing great. America is on fire and everyone working for WWF or WCW will die screaming.
- Eddie Guerrero made his long awaited debut for AAA, showing up as Mascara Magica under a mask. He then removed the mask and revealed his identity, only the 2nd time in Mexican wrestling history that someone has voluntarily removed their mask (Huracan Ramirez did it first, more than 20 years ago). Eddie then cut a promo bad-mouthing EMLL. Also, Rey Misterio Jr. was amazing again, etc. etc. Man, it's true though. I feel bad for a lot of modern fans who only know Mysterio from his later WWE career and have no idea how insane it was back in the 90s to see someone do the kinda shit he could do.
- In Puerto Rico, both AAA and EMLL held shows the same night, in the same city at different venues. AAA's show was a 4,000 person sellout, while EMLL drew a disappointing 1,000. In an attempt to siphon fans away, EMLL sent Canadian Vampire Casanova (Vampiro) over to the AAA show to stand at their ticket window and sign autographs and talk fans into leaving the AAA show and coming over to the EMLL show instead. Vampire was mobbed for autographs but very few people actually left the line to go to the other show.
- Dave gives a 4.75 rating to a Giant Baba/Kobashi vs. Misawa/Kawada match, admitting that even he's stunned, considering Baba is probably one of the worst wrestlers on the planet still actively wrestling. Kobashi carried the match and Dave says he is probably the single best wrestler on the planet right now, but Baba was actually good in the match also, which blows Dave's mind.
- Speaking of Baba, who books All Japan, word is that he turned down requests from both Earthquake and Ted Dibiase to come work for him because he is still pissed that they worked for his competition (SWS) last year. However, British Bulldog also worked shows for SWS and Baba is bringing him in in February so Dave doesn't know what's up.
- In the results section, at the 12/4 AJPW show, Dave lists the result of Andre the Giant, Giant Baba & Rusher Kimura defeating Haruka Eigen, Motoshi Okuma & Masa Fuchi, This would, of course, turn out to be Andre's final match ever. The video below, I'm not sure about. The description says that it's his 2nd-to-last match from Dec. 3rd, but I've seen other places say that this same video is actually the Dec. 4th match and that it really is his final match. Either way, the same guys were in both and the matches were surely about the same, so it really doesn't make much difference.
- Hawk and Sasaki (formerly the New Road Warriors) have been dominating in New Japan, winning squash matches in under 3 minutes against even main event stars like Hase and Muto.
- In FMW, Sabu did a moonsault to the outside of the ring onto a guy who was laying on the announcer's table.
- Ultimate Warrior did a run-in at an indie show last week. Supposedly, Warrior did it for $4,000. He came out in a trenchcoat with no face paint, beat up a guy and then took off the coat to pose. He was announced as "the man formerly known as The Ultimate Warrior" because WWF owns the name.
- Sam Muchnick, former St. Louis promoter and president of the NWA, was inducted into the Missouri Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
- Bret Hart and Ric Flair have been having great matches on house shows, but drawing weak crowds. In Boston next month, Hart and Flair are advertised to wrestle a 60 minute ironman match.
- Rick & Scott Steiner were in Connecticut this week doing photoshoots and will start with WWF at house shows in January. Doesn't look like they'll be changing names or gimmicks.
- Hulk Hogan's face is all over the Wrestlemania 9 promo material, but from all accounts, he's not coming back anytime soon.
- Greg Gagne is expected to start with WCW as a new member of the creative team. Dave says if you want to know what his qualifications are, he's the son of a famous wrestler. And in Bill Watts' company, that's apparently all it takes.
- Paul E. Dangerously is booked in house show matches against Madusa but he's saying he won't do them because his contract is as a manager and commentator and he has no interest in being a wrestler, even in joke matches like this.
- Rumor is Dusty Rhodes may be on his way out soon. He's currently making around $300,000 a year working as WCW's booker but that contract is up soon. He'll probably get an offer substantially lower. Word is Rhodes is now taking independent bookings, which Dave shakes his head at the idea of Dusty back in the ring, but everyone has to make a living.
- "Ron Simmons' new music sucks." Blistering insight from David Allen Meltzer, folks.
- WCW hasn't reached out to British Bulldog at all, which is mind-boggling to Dave considering the potential revenue to be gained from having him on the roster for European tours.