WWE This Tuesday in Texas 1991 Review

This Tuesday in Texas is a rare WWE PPV that maybe some WWE fans don’t know about, but if you were watching in 1991 then you certainly know about it. This show was an experiment by WWE to try to see if they could make Tuesday night pay-per-views something they could do going forward. It didn’t really work out considering it wasn’t until Taboo Tuesday 2004 (13 years later) when they did another Tuesday PPV.

Survivor Series 1991 took place on a Wednesday night Thanksgiving Eve on November 27. The WWE Title match that night saw The Undertaker defeat Hulk Hogan in controversial fashion (thanks to Ric Flair). That led to WWE President Jack Tunney making a rematch for This Tuesday in Texas, which was heavily promoted during Survivor Series. The other big match announced for this event was Jake Roberts facing Randy Savage, which was built up for several months.

This event did a buyrate of 1.0 in 1991, which was equivalent to about 400,000 buys on pay-per-view. That was not considered a good number in 1991, so that’s part of the reason why this was the only Tuesday PPV for over a decade.

This show followed Survivor Series 1991 and led up to Royal Rumble 1992 as well.

Here is the synopsis on WWE Network:

“The Undertaker defends the WWE Championship against Hulk Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage goes toe-to-toe with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and more.” 14+ (V)

Check out the full list of my WWE PPV Review archive right here. Let’s get to the show.

WWF This Tuesday in Texas
December 3, 1991
Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas

They showed a video from after Survivor Series when “Mean” Gene Okerlund interviewed The Undertaker and Paul Bearer about how Undertaker had to defend the WWE Title against Hulk Hogan at This Tuesday in Texas. Bearer said that they will eviscerate Hulk Hogan. The Undertaker said that they warned us about what they had in store for Hulk Hogan and Undertaker opened a coffin. The Undertaker said that Hulkamania died at Survivor Series and “this Tuesday” is the burial.

The crowd in San Antonio was shown with the announce team of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan on hand to call the action.

Bret Hart got a huge ovation as the Intercontinental Champion. His opponent, Skinner, was already in the ring. Bret gave his shades to a young lady at ringside with the girl and her friend screaming at ringside. Heenan: “Get her some oxygen. That bimbo’s gonna faint!” Heenan rules in case you don’t know.

Intercontinental Championship: Bret “Hit Man” Hart vs. Skinner

Pre-match notes: Bret was the babyface Intercontinental Champion while Skinner was the heel. Bret was the champion for about four months.

Bret with a shoulder knockdown, then two atomic drops and a running clothesline that sent Skinner out of the ring. Hart with an armbar into two elbow drops and a leg drop to the arm. They exchanged armbars, Bret with a back elbow and a headbutt leading to a stomp to the chest. Skinner got some offense going with a headbutt and then he whipped Bret shoulder first into the turnbuckle. Skinner did some choking while on the floor. Back in the ring, Skinner applied an abdominal stretch submission with his hand on the ropes when the referee wasn’t looking. Skinner with a shoulderbreaker for a two count. Bret got a boot up on a charging Skinner and then Bret missed an elbow drop off the middle rope when Skinner moved. Skinner grabbed an alligator claw that he brings to ringside and he punched Bret with it while the referee was looking the other way. Skinner worked over Bret’s ribs. Skinner with a hard whip into the corner with Bret doing his patented bump going sternum first into the turnbuckle. Skinner hit a reverse DDT leading to a nonchalant cover for a two count. Skinner took way too long to go to the middle rope, then he taunted the crowd and jumped off with nothing as Bret got a boot up. It was comeback time for Bret with punches, a back elbow and a Russian legsweep for two. Bret with a “suplex and a beauty” as Gorilla said for a two count. Gorilla adding “and a beauty” to a move just put it over more. I loved when he said that. Bret with a backbreaker, then to the middle rope and diving elbow to the face for two. Skinner with a sunset rollup for two, but Bret powered out to knock Skinner out of the ring. Skinner went for a suplex into the ring, Bret countered and then Skinner managed to knock Bret down. Skinner was up top with nothing, so Bret slammed him down. Bret applied a Sharpshooter submission, Skinner gave up and Bret got the win at 13:46.

Winner by submission: Bret Hart

Analysis: **1/4 This was just an average match. I thought they could have had a better match, but it just never got going for some reason. Bret was selling that shoulder injury for a while and then Skinner went away from attacking it. Skinner was never pushed that much, so Bret finding a way to win was the obvious result. The crowd was into this since they liked Bret while the opening match tends to have a hot crowd.

Jake Roberts was interviewed in the locker room by Sean Mooney, who noted there was no reptile allowed at ringside. Jake did a great promo saying that his snake chewed on Randy Savage’s arm. Jake said that Randy was out and Jake said he enjoyed seeing Elizabeth’s eyes looking so scared for the man she loved. Jake said it made him feel so good. Jake enjoyed hearing Elizabeth scream while Randy couldn’t do anything. Jake said that anything that he does out here, it is Jack Tunney’s fault. Jake said “trust me” to end it.

Analysis: Awesome heel promo from Jake Roberts. One of the best talkers ever, especially in this period of his career.

Randy Savage and Elizabeth were interviewed by Gene Okerlund. Savage said that Jake better not trust him and Randy won’t trust Jake too. Savage said that he’s going to jump off the turnbuckle and crush Jake with the elbow. Savage said then he’s going to get the rush when he looks into Elizabeth’s eyes and he wins the match.

Jake Roberts made his entrance first, but then Macho Man attacked him from behind. The bell rang before they got into the ring.

“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Pre-match notes: Savage was the face and Roberts was the heel. Savage had on bandages on his left arm to sell the snake biting his left arm several weeks earlier.

Savage was aggressive as he whipped Roberts into the ropes leading to a back elbow. Savage, still with hat and jacket on, jumped off the top with a double axehandle. Roberts left the ring, so Savage went after him with punches. Back in the ring, Roberts hit a shoulder tackle to the ribs and then he tossed Savage out of the ring. Roberts sent Savage right into the steel post with Savage favoring the left arm. Roberts drove the left arm/shoulder into the ring post. Savage got back into it with punches, Roberts with a poke to the eye and Roberts hit an inverted atomic drop. Heenan said that Savage probably wishes he was at home now leading to Gorilla busting out his classic “Will you stop?” line. Roberts sent Savage into the turnbuckle. Savage with a back elbow. Roberts tried a short arm clothesline, then Savage moved and Savage sent Roberts into the turnbuckle. Roberts kicked the left arm, which Randy was selling of the snake bite. Roberts connected with the short arm clothesline. Savage drove Roberts back first into the turnbuckle and Savage jumped off the top with an elbow drop for the pin. It went 6:25.

Winner by pinfall: “Macho Man” Randy Savage

Analysis: **3/4 This was a wild match at the start, then it slowed down a bit and had a decisive finish. I didn’t recall it being so short, but I also remembered that there was a big angle after the match too. That’s probably why the match was kept short. Anyway, Savage getting the win was the right move since it was payback for Roberts attacking him in the past. As I said, though, the feud was not finished here.

Post match, Savage grabbed a steel chair, official Tony Garea took it away and Savage knocked him down. Savage got the ring bell. The fans cheered the idea of Savage attacking Roberts with it. Savage picked up Roberts, the referee got the bell from Savage and Roberts hit a DDT! Huge boos for that. Roberts got back up again and hit another DDT to knock out Savage in the ring. Savage wasn’t moving in the ring as Roberts left the ring to go up the aisle. Roberts stopped before he could go all the way to the back, then Roberts had an evil smile on his face and went back to Savage. Heenan: “He’s not done!” Roberts pulled up the ring apron and Roberts had something in a small back bag. It was a smaller bag than what Roberts used to carry for his snake. Referee Earl Hebner was trying to stop Roberts. Miss Elizabeth went out to ringside to tell Jake to stop it and to leave him alone. Elizabeth was pleading with Roberts, the camera was right there and Elizabeth was standing between Roberts and Savage while Savage was up against the ropes. Roberts got Savage again, then taunted Elizabeth and Roberts hit another DDT on Savage. Roberts opened his bag and put a black glove on his right hand. Roberts told Elizabeth to beg and Jake said to Elizabeth: “To save his ass, you better start begging!” Elizabeth was telling Roberts to leave them alone. Roberts grabbed Elizabeth by the hair, huge boos for that and Roberts slapped Elizabeth in the face! Jake was really gentle with it. Monsoon: “He should be suspended for life! He’s not a man, he’s an animal!” That led to another referee Danny Davis going out to the ring.

The WWF President Jack Tunney went down to ringside to make Roberts go to the back. Roberts did not open the bag with the snake at all. Savage was getting helped by referees along with other officials including Pat Patterson. Savage was helped to the back by officials while the fans cheered. Elizabeth was holding the left side of her face where she got hit.

Analysis: What a fantastic angle. Wow. Great drama here. Roberts hitting Savage with three DDTs after the match was violent and then the tease of Jake unleashing the snake on Savage again got everybody riled up. Then when you add in that Roberts slapped Elizabeth in the face got Roberts even more heat for everything he did. This was longer than the match itself, but it worked so well in terms of adding more to the storyline and showing how vicious Roberts was. Savage sold everything so well. I also thought that Gorilla and Heenan did a tremendous job on commentary with Gorilla freaking out about what Jake did while Heenan tried to justify it since he was the heel announcer.

Jake Roberts was interviewed backstage by Gene Okerlund. Mean Gene called him a “bonafide sicko” for what he did to Elizabeth. Roberts said that DDTing Savage felt fine and felt really good. Savage said when he put his hand across Elizabeth’s face, it felt so good that he would pay to do that. Roberts begged Savage to bring Elizabeth back when they have a match again and let Jake touch her again. Jake said he could cultivate her into something he would want. Jake: “Trust me.” That was his catchphrase. Gene told Jake to get the hell out of there.

Analysis: Another great promo from Roberts. This was when he was at his absolute best. The sad thing is that WWE didn’t do a great job of finishing this Savage/Roberts story. It should have carried them to WrestleMania 8, but instead Savage ended up against Ric Flair there (Savage won the WWE Title again) while Roberts was cooled off as a heel.

The British Bulldog vs. The Warlord (w/Harvey Wippleman)

Pre-match notes: Bulldog was the face and Warlord was the heel.

Warlord got some strikes in, then Bulldog tripped him up and hit a headbutt to the stomach area. Bulldog hit a couple of clotheslines that sent Warlord out of the ring. Bulldog went over the top, Warlord caught him and drove Bulldog back first into the ring post. Bulldog sent Warlord face first into the turnbuckle several times and Bulldog hit a missile dropkick. Bulldog went for a move against the ropes, Warlord moved thanks to Wippleman and Bulldog hit the ropes hard. Warlord with a back body drop leading to Warlord saying they are number one in the WWF. Warlord sent Bulldog into the ropes leading to a bearhug for over a minute. Bulldog got out with punches, but then Warlord hit a belly to belly slam. Warlord remained in control with punches to the back for a two count. Bulldog went for a sunset flip, Warlord sat on top and Bulldog completed the sunset flip for two until Warlord came back with a clothesline. Warlord went for a Full Nelson, he was unable to lock the fingers and Gorilla was complaining about how Warlord had two handfuls of hair during this move. Warlord tossed Bulldog down after about two minutes of being in that Full Nelson submission. Warlord charged, Bulldog got a boot up and Bulldog hit a clothesline off the middle rope. Bulldog hit the patented delayed vertical suplex that is so impressive against a bigger man and it got a two count with Warlord doing a power kickout. Bulldog with a clothesline. Warlord fought out of a powerslam using the ropes and landed on top of Bulldog for two. Bulldog jumped onto the back of Warlord leading to a crucifix pin for the victory at 12:45.

Winner by pinfall: The British Bulldog

Analysis: ** It was a decent match between two guys known for being power wrestlers. That Full Nelson spot went on for way too long. Bulldog is a good seller, but that was just too much. Bulldog was a much better wrestler than Warlord, who wasn’t really known for having good matches. At least it was passable. I liked the finish because Bulldog won with the crucifix pin because it was too difficult to hit the Powerslam, so it protects Warlord a bit when you do a finish like that.

Randy Savage was interviewed by Sean Mooney. Savage said that this is the worst day of his life because Jake hit Elizabeth. Savage said it was his fault and he was slapping himself in the face. Savage said he’s going to get Jake and there’s going to be no stopping him. Savage was mad at himself for letting Jake get his hands on Elizabeth. Savage said he’s going to get Roberts. Savage even punched himself in the face again because he was so mad. Savage said it ain’t over and that it hasn’t even started. Savage said he blamed himself.

Analysis: That was a strong promo from an angry Macho Man after what happened earlier in the show. These guys were such awesome performers.

It was time for tag team action with “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase joined by Sensational Sherri with the Repo Man as Ted’s partner. The Repo Man always steals the show! Tito Santana and Virgil entered as the opponents and they got a decent pop.

Tito Santana & Virgil vs. “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase (w/Sensational Sherri) & The Repo Man

Analysis: Tito and Virgil were the faces while Dibiase and Repo Man were the heels. Repo Man was best known as Demolition Smash for most of his career.

Tito with a shoulder tackle on Repo leading to an armdrag. Tito with some punches to the head. Repo and Tito battled over a hiptoss leading to Tito hitting a hiptoss that sent Repo over the top to the floor. Tito avoided a charging Repo and hit a clothesline. Dibiase tagged in, so that led to his rival Virgil getting the tag leading to atomic drop and Dibiase took a bump to the floor. Back in the ring, Virgil with a clothesline to send Dibiase over the top to the floor. Repo was back in with Gorilla wondered why he sneaks around so much and Heenan said that’s his style. Repo did some choking, so then Dibiase joined in while the referee was on the other side of the ring. Dibiase with a clothesline on Virgil. Repo with a knee to the ribs of Virgil and Dibiase tagged in with a gutwrench suplex for a two count. Virgil bounced off the ropes and hit a neckbreaker on Dibiase. Repo tagged back in, Tito got the tag against him and Tito hit a running back elbow along with two dropkicks. Tito bounced off the ropes with a flying forearm and then he punched Dibiase off the apron. Dibiase tripped up Tito and then Repo sent Tito over the top to the floor. Dibiase sent Tito into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Repo hit a kick to the gut for two. Dibiase stomped on Tito, then called in Repo, the referee was distracted and the referee missed Virgil getting the tag, so Dibiase/Repo hit a double team slam on Tito. Repo sent Tito into the ropes leading to a double clothesline spot. Dibiase tagged in against Virgil, who got a big pop as he tagged in and hit clotheslines on both guys. Virgil with a legsweep on Dibiase, Repo with the save and all four guys were brawling in the ring. Sherri was up on the apron with her shoe, Virgil moved and Sherri hit Dibiase. Repo broke free, hit Virgil with a knee to the back (while the referee made Santana leave the ring) and Dibiase pinned Virgil for the pinfall win at 11:28.

Winners by pinfall: Ted Dibiase & Repo Man

Analysis: ***1/4 This was a pretty good tag team match with a lot of action and the fans responding well to all of it. Tito and Virgil were solid as a babyface duo in this match while Dibiase/Repo cheated a lot as the heels, so it was fitting that they won with a cheapshot. The finish could have been better since it was just a knee from the Repo Man to Virgil’s back and that was enough to win the match. I think a more impactful move would have been better.

Hulk Hogan was interviewed by Gene Okerlund. Hogan did his usual promo about his little Hulksters helping and supporting him. Hogan said he promised to the little Hulksters that This Tuesday in Texas, the WWE Title will be back where it should be right where it should be around his waist.

The Undertaker made his entrance with the WWE Championship in his right hand by his side along with Paul Bearer leading him to the ring with Bearer carrying the gold urn. Hulk Hogan got a big pop as usual as he went down to the ring quickly and when he slid into the ring, Undertaker and even Bearer were stomping on him.

WWE Championship: The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) vs. Hulk Hogan

Pre-match notes: The Undertaker was the heel WWE Champion that won the title six days earlier at Survivor Series. Hogan was the babyface challenger. Hogan was 38 years old while Undertaker was just 26 years old. I usually just write “Taker” for Undertaker matches.

Hogan got back up, did a double noggin knocker on Taker/Bearer and knocked Bearer out of the ring. Hogan with a clothesline on Taker. Jack Tunney was at ringside watching the match. Hogan with an atomic drop, Taker back up and Hogan hit a clothesline that did not knock Taker down. Hogan hit a body slam, but then Taker sat right back up. Hogan knocked Bearer off the apron. Hogan hit a clothesline over the top with Taker landing on his feet. Taker pulled Hogan out of the ring. Taker choked Hogan while they were standing on the floor with the referee looking at Bearer for some reason. Taker did more blatant choking in the ring for a couple of minutes. Hogan did a charging attack with Taker getting his knees up to block Hogan. Taker did the rope walk leading to the punch across the back. Hogan pulled Taker out of the ring, but Taker managed to reverse a whip and send Hogan into the ring post. Taker applied the claw to the face that lasted for a couple of months. They ran the ropes, then Undertaker tripped up in the ropes and Taker was down after he tripped in that spot. They regrouped with Taker hitting a boot to the face. Taker hit an impressive leaping clothesline for a two count. Undertaker was to the top rope going for the rope walk, but Hogan pulled him down. Ric Flair made his entrance in his robe and Jack Tunney was there to try to stop him. Hogan did his Hulking Up comeback with punches along with a clothesline that sent Undertaker over the top to the floor. Hogan grabbed a steel chair and hit Flair in the back with Flair landing on Tunney. Heenan: “That’s despicable! He can’t get away with that!” Hogan with a forearm on Taker, then punches, and a chop. Taker with an eye gouge, Flair was back up and Tunney was out on the floor. Flair was up on the apron with a steel chair, but Hogan shoved Taker into the chair held by Flair. Hogan clotheslined Flair. Hogan hit the boot to the face followed by Taker hitting an uppercut punch. Bearer tried to hit Hogan with the urn, Hogan moved and Bearer hit Taker by accident. The referee was looking at Flair with Tunney on the floor. Hogan opened the urn and threw some ashes into Taker’s eyes. Hogan did the ROLLUP OF DEATH~! for the one…two…and three with Taker kicking out right after the three count. Hogan wins the WWE Title again at 13:09.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW WWE Champion Hulk Hogan

Analysis: *3/4 A boring match with a hot crowd that made it passable. Most of The Undertaker’s offense was choking because he was green as a performer and that was the kind of thing he did for a lot of his matches. I get why they did it, but it was boring to watch. There were other times when Undertaker showed off his athleticism and it was a nice reminder of how gifted of an athlete he was. I had forgotten about the ROLLUP OF DEATH~! finish in this spot. It was about protecting The Undertaker, who did not lose clean at this point in his career, so they had to make it look like a bit of a fluke for Hogan since he used the ashes and then the rollup for the win.

The fans cheered loudly as Hogan was handed the WWE Title. Hogan hit Undertaker in the head leading to Undertaker bumping to the floor. Hogan celebrated as he was announced as the World Wrestling Federation Champion once again. Jack Tunney was talking to the referee about what happened. Heenan was screaming about how Hogan cheated. Hogan did his posing routine much to the delight of the crowd in San Antonio. Hogan continued to pose as his music played. The show ended there.

Analysis: The follow up to the show would see Hogan getting stripped of the title due to the controversy involving the finish. That led to the title becoming vacant and would set up the outstanding 1992 Royal Rumble match with the WWE Title going to the winner.

This event had a runtime of 1:33:10 on WWE Network.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Show rating (out of 10): 5.5

The highlight of the show was the continuation of the Randy Savage storyline with Jake Roberts. Their match was fine, but the post match angle was outstanding and the promos that both guys did were strong too. This was probably one of the best performances of Jake’s career while Macho Man was right there with him.

I think best match honors would go to Dibiase/Repo Man beating Virgil/Santana. Good action the whole way with a cheap finish to give the heels the win. The other matches were fine.

The show ended with another controversial finish since Hulk Hogan cheated to beat The Undertaker, which would lead to the title going vacant. The match was pretty bad overall, but the fans were so into everything they did and it allowed the show to end on a happy note.

FIVE STARS

1. Jake Roberts
2. Randy Savage
3. Ted Dibiase/Repo Man
4. Bret Hart
5. The British Bulldog

OPINIONS

Best Match: Ted Dibiase & Repo Man vs. Tito Santana & Virgil (***1/4 out of 5)

Worst Match: Hulk Hogan vs. The Undertaker (*3/4)

Most Memorable Moment: Jake Roberts hitting Elizabeth. That was shocking back then and it still is to this day.

That’s all for me. Check out the full list of my WWE PPV Review archive right here. Thanks for reading.

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John Canton

Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com

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