WWE.com Legacy on Demand Showcase
The History of the Intercontinental Title: Part 14

Your host is Jack Korpela.

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Davey Boy Smith vs. Kamala (w/Harvey Wippleman & Kim Chee) – (Prime Time Wrestling, 10/12/92)

This is back in the day when the Ugandan freak Kamala we found was afraid of the Undertaker’s caskets. Seems a little bit ridiculous considering you would think that people like Kamala who are so savage that they need handlers like Kim Chee would have no idea of the modern-day casket or what it means. Anyways, Davey Boy tries the stick and move approach to start. He tries a slam, but of course Kamala falls on top. Time for the bearhug. Bulldog bites out, but then Kamala grabs a boob hold. Eventually, this sets up Davey Boy’s big comeback as he dropkicks Kamala around. Just as Davey Boy hits a monkey flip, out comes Paul Bearer to wheel a casket down to the ring. Another dropkick sends Kamala to the floor where he spots the casket and runs to the other side of the ring with Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman until he’s counted out. (7:25) I guess that’s what happens when you choose to manage Kamala. He’s not the brightest guy in the world. Hopefully he’s not your only source of income, Mr. Wippleman. ½*

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Davey Boy Smith vs. Shawn Michaels – (SNME #31, 11/14/92)
  

It’s put up or shut up for Shawn, as he’s been chasing the IC belt for nearly six months now. DBS overpowers Shawn early using his steroid power to withstand tie-ups and shoulderblocks. Shawn outsmarts Bulldog because let’s face it; steroids don’t do much for your brains. Shawn slides underneath him and then pops Bulldog in the face. Bulldog puts on the brakes off a hiptoss, so Shawn flips off his head and gets that hiptoss anyway to set up a short-arm scissors. Davey Boy tries to lift HBK out of it and hurts his back on the first try, but lifts and slams him down on the second try. Press slam follows and Shawn is out on the floor because man does his back hurt. Back in, Shawn cheapshots Davey Boy in the corner. Davey spins out of a couple catapult attempts and then hooks an armbar. Shawn goes to the eyes to escape that, but then gets run down with a shoulderblock. He’s still able to sidestep a charge to send DBS crashing out on the floor. While the ref is counting, Shawn goes over and unties a top turnbuckle pad. Once Bulldog’s back in, Shawn stomps on the back and then hooks an abdominal stretch. DBS hiptosses out, but misses an elbow drop for two. Shawn goes back to the ab stretch, but Davey hiptosses out AGAIN and this time, connects with the elbow drop. He whips Shawn into the corner for his patented corner flip. DBS delivers a catapult and then drills him with a clothesline, but hesitates the pin and only gets two. Delayed suplex gets another two. DBS goes for a cross-corner whip into the exposed turnbuckle, but Shawn reverses it and sends Davey Boy into it instead. Both men are down. Now Shawn goes for a cross-corner whip, but Bulldog reverses and sends Shawn in all the way up to the top rope. DBS wants a superplex, but his back gives out and Shawn falls on top for the 1-2-3! (10:25) Like a gentleman, Shawn puts the turnbuckle pad back where it belongs. History is made, and Shawn earns his first televised title win. Of course I’m alluding to the crazy Rockers tag title win two years earlier. Great match, by the way, and Davey Boy Smith’s last match in the WWF for two years. He would debut in WCW at Superbrawl. ***½

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels vs. WWF World Champion Bret Hart – (Survivor Series 1992)
  

Even though Shawn is the IC champ, only the WWF title is on the line. Strong tie-up to start. Bret tries to embarrass Shawn on the mat, but Shawn goes to the ropes to stop all that nonsense. Shawn counters a hammerlock, but then Bret sends him flying out to the floor. Back in, Shawn avoids a rollup, but turns around into a crossbody block for two. Sunset flip gets two, then Bret goes back to the arm. Shawn flips out of a hiptoss, but gets nailed with a clothesline for two. Bret reverts to the armbar and then they run the ropes a bit until Shawn catches Bret for a hotshot. Bret reverses a cross corner-whip, but misses the charge and runs shoulder-first into the ringpost. Armbreaker is followed by the chest-first corner bump for 1-2-NO! Shawn grabs a chinlock and as Bret tries to come out of it, Shawn pulls the hair and brings him back down. Bret finally elbows out, but runs right into a dropkick. Slam gets two. Bret hammers his way out of another chinlock and delivers a swinging neckbreaker. Shawn’s still the first guy up and maintains the control of the match with a front headlock. Bret almost fades away, but then he fights up and backs Shawn into the corner. Shawn eats a boot, but avoids an elbow drop for 1-2-NO! Jumping back elbow gets two. Back to the front headlock. Bret fights up into an inside cradle for 1-2-NO! Shawn whips Bret across, but he flips out of the corner on the way in and gives Shawn a back suplex. Both men are down. Back up, they run the ropes and Bret catches Shawn off a leapfrog and delivers a catapult into the corner. Shawn begs away into the opposite corner and Bret kicks him around. BAAAAACK BODY DROP gets two! Russian Legsweep gets 1-2-NO! Backbreaker/flying vertical elbow drop gets 1-2-NO! Will the superplex put Shawn away? Cover, 1-2-NO! Shawn takes a wild swing, but Bret ducks and hooks on the sleeper! Shawn quickly backs Bret into the corner and the ref gets caught in the middle of it. Shawn flips out of a suplex and they do a couple standing switches, but its Bret who gets dumped out to the floor this time. Shawn backs Bret into the ringpost and then gives him a slam for good measure. Back in, he whips Bret hard into the corner and covers for 1-2-NO! Backdrop gets 1-2-NO! Shawn argues with Hebner, so Bret sneaks in a rollup for 1-2-NO! SUPERKICK! Bret’s got to be done after that, but he’s just got to hit that TEARDROP SUPLEX. Bret blocks the first try, but not the second one! Cover, 1-2-NO! Shawn whips Bret into the ropes and he fires back with a SICK forearm that puts Shawn back into the ropes and gets him all tied up. Bret charges, but Shawn moves and he winds up crotching himself in the ropes. Shawn comes off the middle-rope but falls right into the SHARPSHOOTER!! It’s over. (26:41) Oh boy, do I love that finish. Shawn controlled 60-70% of that match and then fell prey to the Sharpshooter just like that. I can’t help but think of WrestleMania 12 here when they did the same spot. When I first saw that match and after everything Shawn had done to Bret for those 50-something minutes and for him to get stuck in the Sharpshooter at the last minute or so, now that’s good stuff. Anyways, an awesome match and definitely a career highlight for both men. ****½

• WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty – (Royal Rumble 1993)
  

This is the big Rockers blowoff for Shawn turning on Marty a year before by tossing him THROUGH a glass window! Marty had returned on the Halloween edition of Superstars by interrupting Shawn while he was admiring himself in his heart-shaped mirror. As Marty went to smash the mirror over Shawn’s head, Shawn pulled his main squeeze Sensational Sherri in the way to take the blow. (pun not intended) AND BOY IS SHE PISSED! So tonight, she plays Elizabeth from four years ago by standing in neither man’s corner. Shawn asks her to come into the ring, but Sherri just stands there with a cold look on her face. Jannetty controls to start, punishing Shawn with a suicide dive. Marty comes off the top to the floor with a fist drop, but Shawn nails him on the way down and then sends him shoulder-first into the post. Shawn works the shoulder for several minutes, and when Marty looks to mount a comeback, Shawn shuts him down with an armbreaker. Shawn returns to the shoulder and then heads up top, but Marty catches him on the way down with a boot. Shawn misses a corner charge and runs his shoulder into the post. Looks like karma to me. Marty gets yanked out to the floor. While Shawn tries to suplex him back in, Marty brings Shawn out to the floor with a suplex instead. After all that, then Sherri walks over and SLAPS Shawn in the face! Shawn and Marty trade punches on the apron, but as Marty ducks a swing, he gives Shawn a bridging back suplex into the ring for 1-2-NO! Marty delivers a powerslam and heads up top. Heenan says Marty is too far away from Shawn. Shawn rolls away, but lucky for Marty he lands on his feet. Shawn turns around into a DDT for 1-2-NO! Shawn flips out of the corner and attempts a Superkick, but Marty ducks and hits one of his own for 1-2-NO! A rollup sequence leads to Shawn being catapulted into the ringpost for 1-2-NO! Shawn rears back to punch Marty, but nails the ref. Oops. Marty grabs Shawn in a full nelson as Sherri comes into the ring to hit Shawn with her high heel shoe, but Shawn ducks and Marty gets nailed. Shawn backs Sherri into a corner while putting the bad mouth to her and then turns around to nail Marty with a Superkick for 1-2-3. (14:20) This was built quite nicely from beginning to end. Jannetty was clearly over by the crowd’s reactions – especially everything from when Sherri slapped Shawn up to the finish. In the pre-match pull-apart brawl in the back, you got the feeling that this was definitely nowhere near being over, so it kept Marty strong even though he lost the match. Sadly, Jannetty would be fired the next day after being found passed out. He would return four months later to pick up where he left off. ***½

Final Thoughts: The first match is definitely passable, but the rest here is pure gold. Thumbs up!