Reviews From the Cheap Seats: WWE Old School from Madison Square Garden, December 29th, 1991

Posted by Derek Morse on 05.28.2011

Hulk Hogan vs Ric Flair and a classic from "The Hitman" and "The Million Dollar Man"

Reviews From The Cheap Seats
WWE Old School from Madison Square Garden
December 29th, 1991
By: Derek Morse

Welcome back to another edition of "Reviews From The Cheap Seats!" This edition takes us back to Madison Square Garden in December of 1991 for one of the biggest dream matches in wrestling history at the time: Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair. To this day a lot of folks can't understand why the WWF did not headline Wrestlemania with this once in a lifetime contest. Personally, the Savage vs. Flair match from Wrestlemania VIII is one of my favorite matches of all time, so I'm certainly not complaining.

December of 1991 was an interesting time in WWF history, as the WWF title was held up during this time due to a controversial finish between Hulk Hogan and the Undertaker at the "Tuesday in Texas" PPV event, and it would remain held up until January 19th, 1992, when Ric Flair captured the vacant title in the 30 man over the top rope Royal Rumble match. Anyways, enough with the background, lets go on to the show!

We go right to the ring for our first match. Our commentators for the evening are one of my favorite combinations of all time: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. I'm definitely looking forward to the banter between these two, and I'm quite sure Heenan will be in rare form during the Flair vs. Hogan match.

Match 1: Hercules vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

Interesting choice for an opener here. I believe Valentine is the babyface here and Hercules is the heel. Stalling to start as Hercules poses for the crowd. They lock up and Hercules wins the first lock up with a big shove. Another lock up and Valentine wins this one with an arm bar and follows up by hammering Hercules' head on the turnbuckle multiple times. He follows that up with some chops to the chest and a big elbow smash to the head. Hercules reverses an Irish whip and tries to follow up but Valentine moves aside and rolls up Hercules from behind for a two count. Hercules bails out of the ring to take a breather. In a funny moment, Heenan suggests that Ric Flair should get a bye for the Royal Rumble and that whoever wins the Royal Rumble should have to face Ric Flair immediately afterwards for the title. Man, the commentary really made some of these matches for me back in the day. These days we've got Michael Cole so busy trying to put himself over instead of the talent...but I digress. Back in the ring, Hercules wants a test of strength, but the Hammer isn't so sure about that idea. Hammer finally agrees, but he get hits with a low blow by Hercules, who hooks Hammer's hands and pushes his full weight down on him. Valentine works his way up and kicks Hercules to the gut, takes him down with a clothesline and then drops an elbow. Valentine follows up with a head butt to the abdomen and goes for the figure four, but Hercules kicks him off into the corner and tosses him out of the ring. Hercules goes to the outside and attacks Valentine and then slides back into the ring to pose for the crowd. Valentine crawls back into the ring and Hercules continues to attack Valentines back and applies a bear hug. Valentine fights out of it with a right hand and follows it up with kicks and an elbow to the head. Valentine misses an elbow drop and then Hercules tries one of his own and Valentine gets the knees up. Valentine misses another elbow drop, but recovers and hits on the second try. Hammer attacks with knife edge chops and a whip into the turnbuckle and both men hit an ugly double clothesline spot. It looks like the Hammer wasn't expecting the double clothesline, because it took him a few minutes to sell it. Both men get to their feet and Valentine hits a back suplex into a pinning combination and gets the three count. Looks like both men's shoulders were down, lets see what Howard Finkel has to say...and it looks like Hercules is your winner, as he got his shoulder up at the last second.


Your winner: Hercules via Pinfall at about 8:00

0 points- Pretty much the opposite of what you want an opener to be. This was a slow, plodding affair with some blatant missed spots. Definitely not a great way to get the crowd fired up, but I will say that the finish was pretty good.

Now we have General Adnan and Colonel Mustafa in the ring waving the Iraqi flag. Mustafa is of course better known as the Iron Sheik. Adnan rambles on in some other language and then hands the mic to Mustafa, who bad mouth Sgt. Slaughter. Gorilla Monsoon decides he isn't going to take it and grabs the microphone from them and threatens to have them thrown out of the building. Ha!! Classic Monsoon, asking for security to be brought out because Adnan and Mustafa "weren't scheduled to be out here!!" Gorilla, if you were still alive, you would not be happy calling an episode of Monday Night Raw, trust me.

Match 2: Virgil vs. Repo Man

Not exactly starting the show with a bang, but I'll give it a chance, they might surprise me. While Virgil stands on the middle rope and poses for the crowd, Repo Man tries to sneak up behind him, but Virgil is ready and hits a cross body block for a two count and then he nails Repo with some right hands. Repo man quickly regains control with right hands, but he misses a clothesline and Virgil nails him with a drop kick and Repo heads to the outside to recover. Repo Man tries to outsmart Virgil by sneaking around the ring and coming in behind him, but Virgil is ready and nails Repo with right hands. Virgil irish whips Repo Man into the ropes which is reversed, but when Repo puts his head down Virgil sets up a backslide and gets a two count and Virgil goes for the arm bar. Repo man gets out and tries his own arm bar and backs Virgil into the corner. No clean break as Repo Man hits Virgil with a right hand and then a whip into the turnbuckle, but Virgil comes back with a clothesline, but misses a cross body block and goes flying over the top rope and to the outside. Repo man goes out after him and hits a clothesline and then heads back into the ring. Repo attacks Virgil as he comes back into the ring by choking him with his foot. Irish whip and a clothesline by Repo followed by a cover for a two count. Repo sneaks around the ring and nails Virgil with a right hand. Kick to the gut by Repo and then a blatant choke hold, which the ref breaks up. Backbreaker by Repo and a pinfall for two. Monsoon is stunned that he isn't hooking the leg! And now Repo man locks in the chinlock of doom. Virgil finally breaks free and tries to mount some offense, but Repo man takes control with a knee to the gut. Virgil is thrown through the middle rope and to the outside and Repo Man follows him out and tosses him back into the ring. Repo goes for a body slam but Virgil is able to reverse into a roll up for two. Virgil with a small package for another two count. Repo whips Virgil in and lowers the head and Virgil takes advantage by ramming Repo's head into the mat. Elbow by Virgil followed by several clotheslines and a Russian Leg Sweep (called a "neckbreaker" by Monsoon), but the pinfall attempt only gets two. In the mean time, Repo man is able to get his rope and wrap it around Virgil's neck, which is enough for the ref to call for a DQ, as Virgil is dragged around the ring by Repo Man.

Your winner: Virgil by disqualification at about 9:00

0 Points- We are 0-2 so far. This match was a lot of Virgil lying around on the outside while Repo Man stalked him around the ring, and the action left a lot to be desired. We are not off to a great start so far, but there is still plenty of show left!

Match 3: Jim Powers vs. Skinner

What is this, an episode of Wrestling Challenge? Jim Powers even gets entrance music. For those who don't remember, Skinner's gimmick was that he was some kind of alligator hunter from the Everglades who just happened to also be a professional wrestler. Yes, one of Vince's favorite types of gimmicks as we moved into the 90's: Make a guys gimmick his occupation. So here, we have a guy who hunts down alligator by day, but at night, he hops a plane to NYC to compete in professional wrestling events...yeah, it doesn't make much sense, but I never questioned it as a kid, so oh well. Anyways, Skinner goes on offense early with rakes to the eye and right hands, followed by a bite to the forehead. Skinner whips Powers into the turnbuckle and after some leapfrogs, Powers hits a hip toss and follows up with a body slam and a clothesline which sends Skinner bailing to the outside. Skinner goes back into the ring and they lock up and Skinner knees powers to the gut, but Powers takes control after Skinner misses a corner charge. Powers works on Skinners arms with an armbar and some leg drops to the arm. Skinner works his ways up and tosses Powers to the outside of the ring, as Skinner mocks Power by resting on the top rope. Powers lays on the outside for awhile and every time he tries to re-enter the ring, Skinner kicks him back to the outside. Finally, Powers gets back into the ring and goes for a sunset flip which is blocked by Skinner, who goes back to the dreaded choke hold, followed by a chin lock. Powers tries to break free of the chin lock but Skinner gets him back down onto the mat. Skinner releases the chin lock and rams Powers head into the turnbuckle and hits a body slam. Skinner goes up to the middle rope and tries to come off with a move, but Powers lifts up his foot and nails Skinner. He follows up by ramming Skinner's head into the turnbuckle ten times followed by a clothesline and a knee lift. Powers nails a drop kick and gets a cover for two. Skinner reverses an irish whip and sends Powers into the turnbuckle and nails his finisher, which appears to be a version of the Scorpion Death Drop, and gets the pinfall victory.

Your winner: Skinner via pinfall at about 7:00

0 points- Pretty much a glorified squash match that you could have seen on any episode of Superstars or Wrestling Challenge back in those days. We are 0-3 and I'm hoping this show starts to pick up fast.

Match 4: Bushwhackers vs. The Nasty Boys

Okay, this won't be a wrestling clinic, but it could be fun. We shall see. No Jimmy Hart for the Nastys tonight. Heenan claims he is in one of the skyboxes. Monsoon claims Jimmy Hart is a cross dresser. Not sure where that accusation came from! On a side not, I'm assuming this show actually aired on December 31st, as Monsoon keeps hyping it as a New Years Eve special. The Bushwhackers pose for the crowd to start and the Nasty Boys are not impressed. They attempt a pose of their own, but the crowd boos them. The Bushwhackers, always up for a pose off, do another pose of their own and the crowd cheers. The Nasty Boys start heading to the back, but come back into the ring and ambush Luke and Butch and we have all four men in the ring to start. It's an all out brawl in the ring which is eventually won by the Bushwhackers as they send the Nasty Boys to the outside. The match finally calms down and its Sags vs. Butch to start and Sags is in control , but Butch comes back with a couple of knee lifts and tags in Luke. The Bushwhackers nail both Nastys with the battering ram and clear the ring of them once again to the delight of MSG. Sags back in with Luke and they finally take control by tossing Luke to the outside of the ring. While the ref is distracted by Butch, Luke is being choked out with the tag rope. The Nastys double team Luke in their corner for awhile, but eventually Sags whips him into the ropes and Luke is able to reverse it and set up a sunset flip, but Knobbs was distracting the ref and the Nastys re-take control of the match. Knobbs slams Luke into the corner with a hard Irish whip and he tags Sags back in, who hits a body slam and tags Sags back in. Knobbs has Luke in a rear chin lock and Luke tries to get to his feet, but the Nastys double team him once again to prevent the comeback. While the ref is distracted, Sags holds Luke from behind and Knobbs comes in with a clothesline, but Luke ducks and he accidentally hits his tag team partner to the delight of the crowd. Luke finally makes the hot tag to Butch and is throwing clotheslines all over the place, taking out both Nastys. All four men are in the ring now and the Bushwhackers hit the battering ram on Knobbs, but Sags makes the save before they can get the three count. In the melee, the Nasty Boys win via pinfall with a clothesline. Yep, they win the match with a clothesline. Post match, the Nasty Boys beat up the Bushwhackers some more, but Sgt. Slaughter runs in and makes the save. Another fun exchange with Heenan and Monsoon:

Heenan: "Who gave him the right to come into the ring and attack the Nasty Boys?"
Monsoon: "The US of A gave him that right! It's still a free country!"

Don't remember that one in the constitution Gorilla, but as a ten year old, I definitely would have bought it! That was the charm of Gorilla though, what he said wasn't always technically correct, but he did a great job of putting over the talent and always had a ton of enthusiasm for the product, which is why I always have a soft spot for his commentary.

Your winners: The Nasty Boys via pinfall in about 10:00

1 point- Eh, it was short and my ten year old self would have loved it back then, so in my reviews, that's worth a point. It was close to being a squash for the Nasty Boys, but the Bushwhackers got in enough offense to make it interesting. It was definitely a tough match to review due to the complete lack of any kind of coherent wrestling, but sometimes a wild tag team brawl can be fun. So we are 1 for 4 at the midway point.

Match 5: Bret "Hitman" Hart (C) vs. "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase for the IC Title

Can't see this sucking! For those keeping track, Ted Dibiase has "Sensational" Sherri in his corner. Dibiase, for my money, is one of the greatest heels of all time. He was one of those guys that as a kid, I absolutely loved to hate. They lock up and here we go! The ref calls for a break and we get one and both men pace around the squared circle. Another lock up and the ref calls for a clean break and Dibiase shoves Bret over and both men back off from each other once again. Another lock up and Dibiase gets Bret in the corner and nails him with a forearm shot to the chest. Bret recovers quickly and Dibiase stalls by stepping outside the ropes briefly. Lock up once again and Bret is pushed into the corner as the ref calls for a clean break and Dibiase once again hits Bret with a forearm to the gut and rolls outside of the ring to consult with Sherri. Bret isn't going to take this nonsense anymore though and he heads outside and blindsides Dibiase with right hands and shoves him back in the ring. More right hands by Bret followed by an atomic drop, which sends Dibiase all the way to the outside, where Sherri consoles him. Hart heads to the outside and hits Dibiase and Sherri with a good old fashioned double noggin knocker and brings Dibiase back into the ring. Bret follows up with a snapmare and a leg drop and gets a two count on the cover, followed by a headlock takedown. Dibiase rolls Hart over for a pinfall attempt, but Bret holds onto the headlock. This series continues, with Dibiase only getting two count and Hart holding the headlock. Back to a vertical position, Dibiase whips Bret into the ropes and gets met with a shoulder block and Bret locks in another side headlock. Dibiase continues to attempt to roll Bret back into another pinning combination, but Bret holds on. Back to a vertical base now and Dibiase whips Bret into the ropes and Bret hits him with a shoulder block, follows that up with a dropkick and a pin for two. Bret than snaps Dibiase back down with the side headlock. Heenan is doing a great job on commentary of putting the match and the talent over. Hear that Michael Cole? Back once again to a vertical base and Dibiase hasn't learned his lesson as he sends Bret into the ropes and gets hit with another shoulder block. Hart gets back up quickly and bounces off the ropes, but Dibiase ducks the clothesline and hits Bret with a stun gun onto the top rope and Dibiase stomps Bret in the face and chokes him. Dibiase takes Bret over to the top rope and chokes him on the ropes as well, taking the full four count from the referee. Hart into the ropes and Dibiase hits a clothesline and an elbow drop. Cover only gets two. Hart goes head first into the turnbuckle and Dibiase hits a beautiful neckbreaker, which only gets a two count on the cover. Now Dibiase has clamped on a reverse chinlock, as Sherri pounds on the mat and screams on the outside. Dibiase is doing a great job here of making you believe he is squeezing the life out of Bret. Dibiase releases the hold and goes for a quick cover which gets two. Dibiase continues the offense by ramming Bret's head into the turnbuckle, but Bret blocks it and rams Dibiase's head into the turnbuckle and hits various right hands. But, Bret tries to whip Dibiase into the other corner and it gets reversed, as Bret goes chest first into the corner at full speed. That is one of my favorite Bret Hart spots. Dibiase takes advantage of his injured opponent and clamps on the "Million Dollar Dream" sleeper hold. Sherri grabs the timekeepers hand and forces him to ring the bell and there is confusion in the ring, as Dibiase holds the IC title high above his head. The referee isn't buying it though, and Howard Finkel says....wait for it..."The match MUST CONTINUE!!!!!!" I miss Howard Finkel too, nobody announces the NEEEEEEEEEEEEW champion quite like he did. Anyways, back to the match. Dibiase goes for a quick cover and gets a two count. Dibiase sends Bret into the ropes, but lowers his head and gets nailed with a neckbreaker by "The Hitman". Both men are down now. Dibiase is and Bret are both up but Bret is first on offense with right hands, an inverted atomic drop, and an elbow drop. Bret is now stomping Dibiase in the corner and then nails a snap suplex, but the cover only get two. Small package by Bret, again, only getting a two count. Russian leg sweep by Bret and again the cover only gets a two count. Hart hits a beautiful backbreaker and heads up to the second rope and nails his patented elbow smash, but again, only gets a two count on the cover. Bret argues with the ref a bit, giving Dibiase time to recover and nail a right hand to the gut. Bret escapes a body slam attempt though and rolls up Dibiase for another two count. Head butt by Bret and another elbow smash, followed by a gut wrench suplex. The cover gets another two count. Bret clotheslines Dibiase out of the ring and then catapults himself over the top rope and nails Dibiase with a cross body block. Bret rolls Ted back into the ring and then the timekeeper rings the bell for real this time and this one is over. It is a time limit draw.

Final decision: Time limit draw at 20:00 Still the IC champion, Bret "Hitman" Hart

1 point- Like you even needed to ask. This was a great match between two old pros who knew exactly how to work the crowd and put on a classic. Heenan and Monsoon did an awesome job on commentary putting over the wrestlers and putting over the match. At the end, Monsoon said we just saw a classic and I can't disagree with him. I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch, but I think the show was just stolen, and not with crazy bumps and high spots, but with a well worked, technical wrestling match with two ring veterans. We are 2 out of 5, but this match alone makes the whole show worth it. Hunt it down if you can.

Match 6: Handicap flag match: Col. Mustafa and General Adnan vs. Sgt. Slaughter

Col. Mustafa wants to sing the Iraqi national anthem, much to the chagrin of the sold out MSG crowd. Slaughter's music interrupts, and it appears a young man is coming to ringside with Slaughter carrying the American flag, which is pretty cool. Slaughter gets double teamed to start and the rules are explained by Heenan and Monsoon as the heels not having to tag in and out, which is supposedly "the way Slaughter wanted it." Babyfaces aren’t all that bright sometimes. Anyways, Slaughter is getting double teamed and choked out with a belt. Slaughter gets nailed with a double clothesline and continues to get double teamed by Adnan and Mustafa. The competitors get confused about the rules early on, as Adnan stands on the ring apron as if he needs to be tagged in. The announcers are confused as well. Adnan chokes Slaughter out with the tag rope while Mustafa distracts the referee. Mustafa nails Slaughter in the throat with a foreign object, which he quickly hides in his trunks and continues the assault. Finally, Slaughter gets some offense with a clothesline to Mustafa, but Adnan comes into the ring illegally...or legally, I don't know...and attacks Slaughter from behind and heads back to his corner. Slaughter recovers quickly and puts Mustafa in a sleeper hold, but Adnan comes in to help out, but ends up inadvertently hitting his own tag partner with a right hand and Slaughter gets the pinfall victory, and the right to wave the American flag for the fans. Slaughter grabs the microphone and leads MSG in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Your winner: Sgt. Slaughter by pinfall at 3:30

0 points- Match was pretty boring, but at least it was short. A lot of slow and plodding offense by both sides and finish was pretty weak. We are 2 out of 6!

Match 7: British Bulldog vs. Berzerker

I always joke around with one of my good friends from high school about Berzerker. Not sure why, but we just got a kick out of the guy. Every year around Wrestlemania time we wait anxiously for his name to be announced as a Hall of Fame inductee, only to be let down. Oh well, Berzerker, this one is for you: HUSS!!! HUSS!!! Anyways, onto what is sure to be a classic wrestling match...Berzerker and Bulldog trade right hands to start and then criss cross the ropes. Shoulder blocks by the Bulldog don't budge the mighty Berzerker and Bulldog gets nailed with a big boot to the face, but the cover only gets a two count. Davey Boy nails Berzerker with some dropkicks that send him to the outside, but Berzerker no sells it and heads back into the ring and locks up with the Bulldog and puts him in a side headlock, but a whip into the ropes leads to the Bulldog hitting a hip toss, but Berzerker takes him back down with a shot to the stomach. Flying shoulder tackle by Berzerker take down the Bulldog and a pin attempt gets two. Berzerker stomps the Bulldog down and locks in what looks like a camel clutch. Funny moment, as Berzerker holds onto the camel clutch, he just repeatedly yells "Huss! Huss! Huss!" I love this guy! Bulldog powers his way up and elbows out of the hold, but Berzerker takes him down with a knee to the midsection and kicks Bulldog in the gut while he is down. Body slam by Berzerker, but the pinfall only gets a two count. Another kick to the chest by Berzerker, a spot which he repeats...twice. On the third try, the Bulldog is able to dodge the attempt and toss Berzerker out of the ring. Once again, Berzerker no sells and rushes back into the ring, only to be met by a suplex by the Bulldog. The cover only gets a two count Bulldog get Berzerker up on his shoulder to try a power slam, but Berzerker holds the top rope and escapes. Berzerker tries a pinfall attempt with his feet on the ropes, but the ref sees it. While Berzerker argues with the ref, he gets rolled up from behind for the 1-2-3.

Your winner: The British Bulldog by pinfall at 5:00

0 points- This is one of those matches that even the ten year old me would have fast forwarded through. The adult me didn't like it because I'm pretty sure neither guy sold for the entire 5 minutes. Really a very sloppy, ugly match. The future Hall of Famer, Berzerker, just couldn't carry the Bulldog to a good match in this one. Hey, he's no miracle worker, but he tried! We are 2 out of 7.

Match 8: Brooklyn Brawler vs. Chris Walker

Oh good, a squash match. A lock up to start and Walker gets shoved down. Another lock up and Walker puts Brawler in a wrist lock, which Brawler gets out of with an elbow to the face. Another lockup attempt, but Brawler kicks Walker in the gut, but Walker gets on the offense with a hip toss and a drop kick, sending Brawler to the outside. Brawler back in and goes on the offense with a right hand and a bite to the forehead. Brawler stun guns Walker onto the top rope and then chokes him out with his feet. Small package by Walker for two and the Brawler goes back on offense with right hands. Walker comes back with a dropkick and a power slam. Walker now going up top and hits a cross body for the three count.

Your winner: Chris Walker by pinfall at about 4:00

0 points- Basically a match to get Walker some ring time. Your standard WWF Superstars match. We are 2 out of 8, with the main event to come!

Match 9: Ric Flair vs. Hulk Hogan

This was big stuff back in 1991, folks. Flair has Mr. Perfect in his corner for this one. I remember as a kid knowing that Flair was a pretty big deal in WCW, but I was a bigger WWF fan and watched way more WWF programming, so I naturally thought he was a few rungs below the Hulkster. It wasn't until high school when I started hanging out with some die hard NWA/WCW fans who turned me onto Flair's older stuff that I really realized that Ric Flair was truly "The Man", and I've loved him ever since. We start the match with Flair and Perfect double teaming Hogan before the bell, but Hogan hits a double clothesline on them and then beats Flair from pillar to post and sends him to the outside to regroup. Hogan doesn't give him much time though, attacking Flair on the outside and choking Flair out with his tank top. Flair is back in the ring and he is begging off in the corner, but Hogan stomps him and sends him into the corner and start choking Flair out with his wrist tape. What a great sport that Hulk Hogan is! Flair gets sent into the corner and does a Flair Flop and Hogan is back on the attack with the wrist tape. Flair is sent into the corner and he hits a Flair Flip and heads to the outside, but Hogan is relentless as he follows him to the outside and hits him with a barrage of knife edge chops. Wow, Hogan is wrestling with some fire here, non stop action!! Hogan sends Flair head first into the ring post and Flair tries to mount some offense with knife edge chops, but they have no affect on the Hulkster. Hogan nails Flair with right hands and we are back in the ring, where Hogan hits the big boot, sending Flair once again to the outside. Once again, Hogan follows him and nails Flair with some chops and right hands. Holy crap, Hogan just hit Flair with a back suplex on the outside of the ring. I've got to give him credit, he is pulling out all the stops here. Hogan mocks Flair with a big "woooooooooooo!" Flair is back in the ring begging Hogan for mercy, but all Hogan gives him is more right hands. Flair sent into the corner again and we get another Flair Flip to the outside of the ring. For the record, Ric Flair has got zero offense in this match. Hogan follows him out, but this time gets caught with a thumb to the eye. Hogan, of course, shrugs it off and slams Flair head first into the steel ring post. More chops and right hands by Hogan and Flair is sent back into the ring and Flair is begging off again. Hogan head butts him down and hits more right hands, sending Flair to the mat. Flair is back up and Hogan hits his Popeye wind up punch, sending Flair down again. Mr. Perfect distracts Hogan and Flair is finally on offense by clipping Hogan's leg from behind. Now...we go to school!! Flair works the leg a bit and then distracts the ref so Perfect can slam Hogan's leg with a steel chair. Hey, Hogan had it coming after all the cheating he did at the start of the match! According to Monsoon, Hogan's "lateral collateral ligaments" are damaged. I have no clue if that is a real name for a ligament or not, but Monsoon is clearly not a doctor, so I'm leaning towards no. Flair drops a big knee onto the injured leg and continues to work it over. Flair goes for the figure four, but Hogan kicks him off. The spot is repeated two more times, so Flair goes for the eye and then heads to the top rope...and lets take a little multiple choice quiz, shall we? Does Flair:

A. Hit a picture perfect cross body block
B. Hit a beautiful flying clothesline
C. Get caught by Hogan and tossed off the top rope

If you guessed A or B, you have clearly never watched a Ric Flair match, as Hogan tosses him halfway across the ring. Hogan is limping around the ring to sell the leg injury, but Hogan is now attacking Flair's leg by ramming it into the ring post. Hogan continues to work Flair's leg and Hogan puts Flair in the figure four leg lock! Flair "inadvertently" thumbs the referee in the eye and Perfect comes in only to be small packaged by Hogan. That'll teach him! In the meantime, Perfect tosses some brass knuckles to Ric Flair and he nails Hogan with him. Flair goes for the cover, but it only gets two and Hogan Hulks up! Flair tries some chops and right hands, but they have no affect on Hogan. Right hands by Hogan and a big boot, but Flair rolls out of the ring before the leg drop. Hogan follows him out and they brawl on the outside. Hogan gets back into the ring before Flair and the bell rings, but both men continue to battle. Howard Finkel announces Hulk Hogan as the winner via countout.

Your winner by countout: Hulk Hogan at about 10:00

1 point- The match was mostly Hogan on offense, but Flair is pretty entertaining when he is taking a beating and the match was pretty much non stop action from bell to bell. I would have liked to see Flair get in some more offense and have a little more time to work the leg, but they did the most with the ten minutes they had. I think if you gave those two 15 more minutes, you would have had yourself a pretty classic Wrestlemania 8 main event, but I think it worked out fine with Savage vs. Flair as well.

Final score: 3 out of 9

The 411: It doesn't look like the Hart vs. Dibiase match ever made any DVD's, but if you can ever find this match, it is really good, in my opinion. Other than that, you can find the Hogan vs. Flair match on the "Hulk Hogan: The Unreleased Collectors Series" DVD if you are curious to see a Hogan vs. Flair match pre 1994 WCW. Overall, not a show I'd go out of my way to watch in its entirety, but definitely check out the main event and the Hart vs. Dibiase match.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]