INTRODUCTION!
1991 was a fine year for wrestling, for Me and the sport itself. Some cool things were happening as WWF Prime Time Wrestling changed to in studio with an actual audience and My Grandparents took Me to the theater during the summer and saw Hulk Hogan's action sci-fi comedy Suburban Commando and he would also have his own hotline which later would become the WWF hotline (I actually called it once when it first became available but it was very expensive). Now into winter, indeed It was a cool time, literally and figuratively as this event happen on December 9, 1991! WWF was really good then but still kinda in the very late 80s tech, feel, atmosphere and style which was great. I was still in grade school and with all of My friends I had at the time, only one of them liked wrestling and his name was Chris...he loved the Undertaker. Wow, I remember how fun 1991 was for wrestling with all the newcomers in the WWF and how rad it was in WCW. So, we were hot off the heels from "This Tuesday in Texas", Macho Man's feud with Jake Roberts was coming to a close (If I'm remembering correctly, they were supposed to double main event this show but got pulled) but "the Snake" would be in a new program with the now Shockingly turned babyface Undertaker! I saw an ad on TV, I believe I was watching either WWF Superstars or Wrestling Challenge on Saturday morning (gosh I miss those mornings back then) and I was telling My Mom that the WWF is coming here to St. Louis (My Mom is an average type of fan, she just has her faves and she doesn't watch the rest)! So she and her boyfriend (at the time) Kevin decided to go and take Me there. This very classic & old school house show was at the now destroyed St. Louis Arena. This was My first, last and only time I ever went to a wrestling event unfortunately but at least it was a very memorable one. I will present this how I remember it, the card in detail and My thoughts with commentary.
NOTE #1: I took pics when I was at the event with My little TMNT camera that My Mom got Me but they all turned out to be extremely blurry and unusable and I have always been disappointed by this aspect of the entire time for decades So with that being said I put together some pics to make up for that debacle All pictures are edited by Me to present a more accurate retelling of this dark event and the pics of the wrestlers are chosen to resemble how they looked during the match-ups with the exception of one which I will get to that in time.
NOTE #2: If you know what the WWE Live 91 looked like in the WWE 2K games looked like, that will give you a pretty good idea as to how this great event looked in general.
PROLOG: This house show was several years before wrestling dies in 96 thus spawning the "real beginning" of the Attitude era when the nWo arrived wasn't even a thought. Wrestling fans were fans, their was hardly any signs and chants of this is boring and all that stuff. People was excited for this wrestling and little did they know they'd want it all back during the current ongoing PG era well over a decade later
Where?
Beautiful Downtown St. Louis, Mo!
THE PLACE!
The St. Louis Arena: This was one of the biggest and most iconic auditoriums of all in the US at the time. Formerly known as the Checkerdome. It was such a great one and quite huge. It survived against the unthinkable including tornadoes Sadly due to age among other reasons, it was demolished in 1999
INFO: This was on December 8, 1991 during matinee and housed nearly 8,000 WWF fans!
NOTE #3: Since this was a house show and basically one big dark event with dark matches, I didn't notice any camera crew or any commentator team or even the old school table they used to have near ringside. I was looking forward to seeing Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan or even Vinnie Mac himself but they were nowhere to be seen.
THE CARD: This was classic booking and it all made sense in it's order, unlike this brainless chaos in WWE we have been watching over the course of a decade now
The Warlord vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine: This was the first match on the whole card. I was so excited about it because I had watched these guys on TV for years! Neither wrestler was My fave but I enjoyed their performances. I loved how the big the Warlord was. I think he was accompanied by "The Doctor of Style" Slick but I cannot be sure. It was cool hearing Greg's theme over the loud speakers. It was a physical match but the Warlord beat him with the powerslam!
Winner: The Warlord via pinfall.
Chris Chavis vs. "The Mighty" Hercules Hernandez: So this was the surprise and the whole highlight on the entire card for Me. Power and Glory was disbanded due to Paul Roma leaving the federation. This was never explained on WWF TV. Hercules was still sporting the same P&G attire however and he had longer hair (see the WWF Royal Rumble 92 for an example of that...that event was one of his last matches in the WWF) and seemed to just lose his spunk and became an enhancement talent unfortunately like he was before his P&G days. I don't think he was accompanied by "The Doctor of Style" Slick, I don't remember that. So, days before the event it was a mystery as to whom this Chris Chavis was. I never saw him in Pro Wrestling Illustrated or anything wrestling magazine previously or at the time. Hercules' entrance was first (I loved his theme). So it was time for his mystery opponent to enter the ring and there he was. He looked like a regular guy but really muscular and seemed to be Native American. He was wearing brown trunks and attire. He was giving Hercules a hard time as he showed very little offence. After a few minutes it was over when Chis Chavis used a brain chop then a Samoan drop and the newcomer got the victory.
Winner: Chris Chavis via pinfall.
NOTE #4: Later on in the very early months in 1992, Chis Chavis would be repacked and known as "The Native American" Tatanka that we all know today! When he debuted on TV with the gimmick I was saying to My Grandparents something like this: hey, that's Chris Chavis, he's the new guy I saw at the event Me & Mom went to! I was surprised about the whole thing and I have followed Tatanka ever since
Now look at the pic, Chavis looked similar like this as he didn't have the red streak in his hair nor did he wear the white pants either.
The Beverly Brothers vs. The Bushwackers: This was a fairly good match but kinda quick I believe. I never really saw them as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew II in the NWA so seeing them appear in the WWF was really cool. The Brothers was a new and fresh team that had a good push early on and was accompanied by the returning Genius as the Coach quickly left weeks prior. It was something watching the silly Bushwackers in person as they were doing their funny acts and shenanigans. When it was all said and done the Brother Beverly performed their devastating double team finisher, the Shaker Heights and got the win!
Winners: The Beverly Brothers via double team maneuver pinfall!
Virgil vs. Skinner: This was arguably the most funnest match of the entire event. It was really cool hearing Virgil's theme and Skinner's "sounds of the swamp" cue. So both guys were on the verge of breaking midcard status as the former bodyguard was still looking to make it to the top since Wrestlemania 7 while Skinner, a newcomer to the WWF just made his debut only few months ago. Gosh I remember the hype & vignettes for him. I loved how he was and his cool looking clothing and I knew it was kayfabe right away that he really wasn't "a alligator hunter/ a skinner". My Mom really liked Skinner back then, in fact he was one of her favorites, she also liked how he was and how he looked. So the match started and right off the bat in a tie up and rule breaking from Skinner. Virgil started getting the up hand doing his boxing stance and fanfare. So Skinner one upped him and got on the top turnbuckle and laid on and stretched out like yeah, I can do it better! So the match continued and Skinner performed the gator-roll among other moves. Virgil got the upper-hand and performed a Russian-leg sweep and then his Million Dollar Dream and Skinner was out. I think I was rather surprised that the new guy lost.
Winner: Virgil via submission!
NOTE #5: I hate when people think this is new and cool or or when a "second" person does and it gets the attention better or trends when it was originally done YEARS PRIOR and I'm jot talking in wrestling, I talking from movies to everything else!. Why am I saying this? Because "Skinner" Steve Keirn was a brilliant wrestler that was well before him time. He performed many moves that would later be notice later one.
1. The Inverted DDT: People wouldn't go wild over this move till "the Crow" Sting started doing it in WCW during 96/97.
2. The Double Underhook Facebuster: This move really didn't catch the eyes of fans till HHH would perform it and Michael P.S. Hayes is the guy that named it "The Pedigree" for "The Cerebral Assassin"!
3. The Gator Roll. Though people never really reacted like ever when Luke Harper would perform it but I believe Skinner kinda more of a reaction from the fans. This was originally and actually a modified amateur wrestling hold.
4. As I had stated earlier, Skinner stretched out on the ropes. Sound familiar? Tyler Breeze does it all the time, only thing Skinner performed decades before him and even predates HBK Shawn Michaels
5. As I mentioned, Steve was a great talent and had some other highlights & gimmicks. Had some great times in the NWA & AWA. He was the second Doink at Wreslemania 9, in WCW with "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton as a team called "Bad Attitude" which IMO was basically The Midnight Express 3.0 and he also had a school called "Professional Wrestling School of Hard Knocks" that helped train some of the most greatest of talents and would later be called FCW and then be picked up by HHH & the WWE and be called the PC & today's NXT!
Irwin R. Schyster otherwise known as I.R.S. vs. The Big Boss Man: The former tax collecting man vs. the law enforcement corrections officer...this was such a convenient feud! I.R.S., another great newcomer to the federation in 1991, actually returned after about a five year hiatus from being himself Mike Rotunda along with his "brother" Barry Windham as the U.S. Express but during his hiatus he wasn't away from wrestling, he was in the NWA/WCW as himself and as Michael Wallstreet which really his WWF gimmick was nothing more than an altered/alternate and upgraded version from his WCW persona IMO. So the match begins and if I recall correctly it began in a tie-up and then an eye rake from the tax man and kicks to the mid-section. The law enforcer got the upper hand however when he over powered him with clotheslines and punches. I.R.S. tried to attack him more and threw him to the turnbuckles but with his great speed and agility, he quickly went under the ropes and rebounded with an arsenal of his own. However, this offence wouldn't last long as the former Wallstreet would prove his experience over power and perform his "Write-Off" finisher (the flying clothesline, not Samoan backdrop as he would later adapt, adopt and change the maneuver) for the 1,2,3!
NOTE #6: As I said before, the Boss Man was quick for his size. During today's WWF/WWE, Baron Corbin has a similar trait for a big man where he runs around the post rebounding for an attack and while the commentators make it out like its the best & coolest thing that only Corbin can do, the legendary Big Boss Man did something like it first!
Winner: Irwin R. Schyster aka I.R.S. via pinfall!
WWF Tag Team Champions The Legion of Doom vs. The Natural Disasters: This was kinda of a anticipated match because the Road Warriors were still an unbeatable team after defeating another fellow WCW alumni The Nasty Boys at WWF SummerSlam 91 and Earthquake & the former Tugboat now known as Typhoon join Jimmy Hart's stable of iconic teams and seem to be also a team nearly impossible to beat. So the match begins, the rumble of the The Natural Disasters theme hits and here they are with "The Colonel" Jimmy" The Mouth of the South" Hart! I remember I never could fully appreciate their massive sizes because we were far away and not to mention people standing up in front of us. OH WHAT RUSH! The music hit and here comes the new champions the L.O.D.! I was so excited about them and finally seeing them in person for the first time ever like everybody else of this card! I noticed that something was odd with Road Warrior Animal. What was so different was he was in street clothing, basically looking like he was ready for a street fight. I would much later find out that Lambert–St. Louis International Airport lost his luggage but after this obviously he got it back somehow, someway or just had his items replaced. It was a rough start for the Road Warriors and the big men were too much for them at first but soon they overpowered them with their double team tactics but with the help of Jimmy Hart and his megaphone, the Disasters got disqualified thus the Legion won and are remain the champions and the climax of the match kept them both safe!
Winner: The L.O.D. aka The Road Warriors via DQ!
"The Immortal" Hulk Hogan vs. "The Real World's Champion" "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair: Oh here we go, the main event! This match was arguably one of the most fantasy booked matches of all-time by wrestling fans for years and now it has become a reality after a decade Ric Flair was quite new to the federation as he was one of the many newcomers to arrive in the year of 1991. After Bobby "The Brain" Heenan presented him as the real champion still holding the actual WCW World title (yes, it happen) he was declared the champion and after interfering in Hogan & The Undertaker's matches at the WWF Survivor Series 91 & This Tuesday in Texas a week later, it was obvious that Hogan's next feud would be against the dirtiest player in the game! So the match is ready to start, Flair's awesome WWF theme plays (I've always preferred this one over the one in WCW and especially his current WWE version) and here he comes in that iconic silver robe. I do not recall Bobby Heenan in his corner. Hogan's U.S. Express theme...oh I mean Real American theme plays and it was so rad hearing it in person and it was something I would love to hear more of at an event if I ever get a chance that is. Hogan is doing his usual theatrics in the ring. Flair's unofficial title is not on the line. So the match begins quite slow with tie-ups and Flair leaning out of the ropes and going to the outside stalling time. So he get's back in the ring after several attempts, a finger poke in the eye changes the complexion of this match in a hurry and slick Ric doing his famous shenanigans. After a while Hogan "hulks up" after a close pinfall count and isn't being phased at all by Flair's offence as expected. So after the finger point and a big boot, Flair is knocked out of the ring, get's up to the backstage area and is counted out! Hogan poses for the crowd as he always did and that was that!
Winner: Hulk Hogan via count-out!
NOTE #7: Hogan & Flair would continue to face each other at other house shows with the same climax outcome and would encounter each other several more times throughout the remainder in of 91 and through the very early months of 92. In fact, Flair won the vacated WWF title with the help of former Four Horsemen member Sid Justice and eliminating Hogan in the WWF Royal Rumble 92 and being "The Real World's Champion" was ultimately dropped completely! Having this turn around angle, the feud was switched from Flair to Macho Man and Hogan vs. Sid. The latter rivalry was very bitter sweet. Hogan and Flair never had "true & proper" programs in the WWF but when Flair returned to WCW in 93 he regained his status until Hogan would arrive in 94 and they would headline the WCW Bash at the Beach 94 in Hogan's first match ever in that promotion and the Hulkster would be victorious against Flair winning THE SAME BELT he brought to the WWF! Though many fans think their age was a factor (Hogan was barley recognizable in some ways throughout his tenure in WCW but Flair was pretty much the same) and their feuds wasn't as good as they could have been but the way I look at this situation is yeah, maybe that's the case but the fact of the matter is, WCW did what the WWF couldn't and throughout the rest of the company's existence, Hogan & Flair were always at each other throats or in a program with each other one way or another not to mention elsewhere in the future!
So there you have it, this was My WWF Live 91: My Special House Show Wrestling Event! I never thought I'd ever talk about this on the web but recent things just triggered it and all of it "popped" in there and I thought I'd better do it while it's fresh within My mind. This was something going down memory lane after 3 decades which this year makes it the 30th Anniversary of this event...unbelievably remarkable
I tried to put every thing as close as possible as to how it was back then in many ways. I hope you have enjoyed this