JANUARY 27
1990
Jerry Lawler was angry that his celebrity credentials were questioned on the previous week’s episode of USWA television and showed pictures of himself alongside Rodney Dangerfield and Art Modell. He also promised video footage of himself and Christie Brinkley the following week, which obviously never came to pass. Also on the show, Robert Fuller was broken-hearted over his valet Sylvia leaving his side and his tag team partner Brian Lee suggested a Star Search to find a new woman. Fuller made clear that he needed “a woman who don’t mind bein’ the first one on the bus ready to ride”.
WCW Worldwide featured a Funk’s Grill segment where manager Teddy Long debuted “Mean” Mark Callous to replace the injured Sid Vicious in The Skyscrapers tag team. Callous would go on to have a successful career as The Undertaker.
On World Championship Wrestling, Jim Ross asked Sting if he was prepared to beat Ric Flair at Wrestle War ’90, but was interrupted before he could answer by his fellow Horsemen who were out with a bevy of women. Woman interrupted the party and told Flair when he is finished with girls to let her know when he is ready for a woman. Also on the show, the Midnight Express teamed with the Fabulous Freebirds to take on the Rock & Roll Express and the Dynamic Dudes in a ***1/2 match and Arn Anderson faced Eddie Gilbert in a *** match. Both were taped on January 9 in Saginaw, MI. The show drew a strong 3.6 rating.
WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event aired taped from Chattanooga, TN, on January 2. The show furthered the tease of the Wrestlemania VI match between Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior when the two teamed to face Mr. Perfect and The Genius. They were able to work together successfully, but Warrior ended up accidentally hitting Hogan in a post-match brawl, which caused a rift between the two. The show drew a 11.1 rating, their second best numbers ever for Saturday Night’s Main Event, and you can watch it on the WWE Network.
1991
All Japan Pro Wrestling held a card at Korakuen Hall, headlined by Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi taking on Jumbo Tsuruta, Akira Taue and Masa Fuchi in a **** match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M-TPhmROtY
1994
WCW Clash of the Champions XXVI aired live from Baton Rouge, LA in front of 3,200 fans. The show was headlined by an elimination match where Ric Flair and Sting teamed to face Vader and Rick Rude. Flair suffered a storyline injury from Vader and was carted off on a stretcher. The most newsworthy part of the show, however, was the WCW debut of Bobby Heenan as a broadcast journalist. The show drew a 3.5 rating, and you can watch it on the WWE Network.
1996
Jerry Lawler attempted to narrate a full history of his feud with the Gilbert family on USWA television until Doug Gilbert took exception to footage being shown of the late Eddie Gilbert without Doug’s permission, setting off a brawl between the two.
WCW Saturday Night aired taped from Atlanta’s Center Stage Theatre on January 10. Fit Finlay debuted on the show, attacking Steven Regal at the conclusion of a match with Dusty Wolfe. Finlay was a world-traveled veteran but this was his first appearance in the United States. The two would go on to have a great series of violent, stiff matches. The Finlay-Regal feud was centered in real-world conflicts with England and Ireland, where Finlay claimed that he hated Regal because he represented 400 years of British rule. The show drew a 2.8 rating, its best rating in a year.
1997
WCW Monday Nitro aired live from Des Moines, IA in front of 3,970 fans. The show started with Eric Bischoff firing Randy Anderson for counting the fall at Souled Out when The Steiner Brothers defeated Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to win the WCW World Tag Team Titles. Bischoff reversed the decision since Anderson was not the signed official for the match, returning the title to The Outsiders. The classic segment closed with Bischoff firing Anderson, who mentioned his recent bout with cancer, in a classic segment that did a fantastic job getting the WCW head over as a heel. Also on the show, Randy Savage and Sting ominously appeared in the crowd during a Hulk Hogan interview and Hogan headlined the show in a match against The Giant for the third time that month. Eric Bischoff attempted to attack The Giant in a funny moment, but Hall and Nash attacked Giant until Lex Luger made the save, forming a new tag team in the process. The show drew a 3.6 rating.
WWF Monday Night RAW aired taped from Beaumont, TX on January 20. Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, the Undertaker, Steve Austin and Vader were all interviewed in one segment to hype both the upcoming In Your House: Final Four pay-per-view, along with teases of a planned match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XIII that ended up not happening. The highlight was Steve Austin refusing to enter the ring with “three big crybabies and little boy blue”. The show drew a 2.2 rating.
In The “To Watch” Queue:
Genichiro Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Ricky Fuyuki vs Giant Baba, Tiger Mask & Isao Takagi (AJPW 01/27/90)
Koji Kanemoto & Tatsuhito Takaiwa vs Dr. Wagner Jr. & Kendo Ka Shin (NJPW 01/27/99)
