Guest BifEverchad Report post Posted February 4, 2003 Ok, this isnt exactly a question about the actual Royal Rumble match itself. But I was bored the other night and decided to pop in an old WWF PPV from about 1990-1992 and decided upon the 1992 Royal Rumble. Now, I've seen the infamous 'Rumble match itself many, many times now, but havent watched the undercard in quite some time. So I began watching from the start and we open up with a decent Orient express/New Foundation match, where Owen Hart's performance sticks out the most in that match, then we move on to the IC Title match... Now this is the question I have. I always knew what went on and stuff, but I wasn't exactly sure why and how it came to be. Before the Roddy Piper/Mountie Intercontinental Title match, they show the "events leading up to" the match. They show footage from a house show 2 nights earlier, where Bret drops the belt to The Mountie. They claim Bret had a "heavy fever" and wasnt "cleared to wrestle", so thats the excuse they used to show Bret's vunerability. Anyways, my question is, why did they do this? What was the reason behind Bret losing the IC belt to The Mountie at a house show RIGHT BEFORE the Royal Rumble? Was there a problem with Bret and Piper? Either way, that title change lead to a match at Wrestlemania VIII between Piper and Bret, which was infact one of my favorite Intercontinental Title matches of all time. Anyways, some help or an explanation would be appreciated. thanks Bif Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted February 4, 2003 Bret was really Ill...that night so he dropped the title to Mountie whom was luckily his scedhuled opponet for the night and decided to have Piper finally get his LONE title. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BifEverchad Report post Posted February 4, 2003 Bret was really Ill...that night so he dropped the title to Mountie whom was luckily his scedhuled opponet for the night and decided to have Piper finally get his LONE title. So the whole 'sickness' was legit? hmpt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted February 4, 2003 Not what I heard- Bret's contract was running out and he threatened to jump to WCW with the belt so they took it off of him Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2003 The contract story is true. What happened before Bret re-signed? He drops the IC title to a guy few could forsee being champion ... and then a few days later at MSG he jobs to the Undertaker. What happened when he did re-sign? WrestleMania VIII. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted February 5, 2003 It was supposed to be- Bret-Piper-Bret instead of Bret-Mountie-Piper-Bret Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Agent of Oblivion Report post Posted February 5, 2003 Bret/Piper from WM VIII is such an underrated match. Fantastic face/face dynamic going in, with subtle heel moments from both. Bret playing possum, and of course Roddy rearing up to waffle Bret with the bell, but not doing it, which cost him the match. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest tank_abbott Report post Posted February 5, 2003 That match also had one of my favorite prematch promo ever... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted February 5, 2003 The match is great by itself. What makes it even better is the commentary. "I heard Piper used to come home from school and find his parents had moved!" "WILL YOU GIVE ME A BREAK!" "What the hell, use the bell!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted February 5, 2003 That prematch promo is AWESOME. Piper holding up the ring bell what that look in his face as the crowd screams: NOOOOOOOOOOO is brilliant. I love how when he puts the bell down Bobby Heenan has 1200 heart attacks. Here's the whole promo from rajahwwf.com- Gene: Here's another first at a Wrestlemania of firsts. As a matter of fact, this is the first time these two men are meeting for the WWF Intercontinental Title. Champion, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and his opponent, former IC Champion himself, number one contender, Bret "Hitman" Hart. Gentleman, we have arrived. Piper (his usual jubilant self): We, we have arrived and ya know, I gotta say, first of all, I gotta tell ya how much I loves your family. I've gotta tell ya how much I loves your mother. I know you (turns towards camera), I known this guy since he was the idle of a grasshopper. (Bret smiles) I remember when they were changing his potty pants, I remember when… course he wasn't potty trained till he was seven, but everybody's got their problems. (turns towards Bret) Remember tyin' bows in our shoes when we were kids? (to camera) Course his shoes were always tied together- doesn't matter! Doesn't matter to me cause I remember when Mrs. Hart would come out and make them sandwiches. She'd slap on that bologna, and- only one piece of bologna? Doesn't matter, I was hungry! Then she'd come up to her son and… (Piper reaches up to squeeze Bret's cheeks, and Bret brushes his arm away) Bret: Look at yourself. Piper (now without a sense of humor): Oh this is nice. Here I am trying to have a little bit of fun, put you at ease, gonna have a nice contest, and you want to be a hero all of a sudden, you want to be a hot shot, you want your belt, is that the idea? (At this point, Piper starts reaching his hand under the Title belt which is around his waist, and you can tell he's fiddling around with something down there.) Bret (in a serious tone): Look, all I care about is one thing; I want to win the Intercontinental Belt. You've got it; I'm gonna take it. (Bret taps the Title around Piper's waist) Piper (now serious): You keep your hands to yourself. (Piper brushes Bret back.) Bret: You wanna do this here? Piper: You damn betcha... why do it here when I could have a million people watch me rip your head off? (Piper turns to leave, but Bret grabs him, turns him around, and makes a fist.) Bret: Woulda had ya. Piper: (Piper pulls his hand out from under the Title. The belt from his kilt is wrapped around his hand.) No you wouldn't have. Bret retreats to make his way to the ring. Gene starts to wrap up the interview and hype the match while Piper gloats over him. Piper: (looking in the direction of Bret, who is now off-camera) Bye bye. Bye bye. Bye bye! I don't think so! Not today! (Rips the Title off his waist, slings it over his shoulder, and points to it) She be mine! Gene: Oh my. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted February 5, 2003 Ah, Such a good promo...But was it edited on the Tape? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest BifEverchad Report post Posted February 5, 2003 Ah, Such a good promo...But was it edited on the Tape? Nope, its in its entirety. Which is great because that pre-match promo is fucking CLASSIC! Me and a friend still quote that promo to this day in any possible situation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted February 5, 2003 Really...Hrrm...I might have to take another look at the tape... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MillenniumMan831 Report post Posted February 6, 2003 Of course only one piece of bologna. LOL! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dmann2000 Report post Posted February 7, 2003 Roddy Piper 1989-1992, one of the reasons I fell in love with wrestling *sigh* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dmann2000 Report post Posted February 7, 2003 Savage, Piper, Roberts, Rude, Perfect, Demolition, Hart Foundation These are the men that brought me into wrestling. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Si82 Report post Posted February 7, 2003 "What the hell, use the bell!" Classic Heenan. Just another reason to love Wrestlemania VIII. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest WrestlingDeacon Report post Posted February 7, 2003 Wrong thread, my bad, keep a moving. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Drury37 Report post Posted February 7, 2003 That promo and the one the Piper at WWF WrestleMania VI were just unbelievable!!! Thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Bruiser Chong Report post Posted February 13, 2003 Not what I heard- Bret's contract was running out and he threatened to jump to WCW with the belt so they took it off of him You're still off there, Bob. It is true that his contract was running out, but it was Vince who feared that Bret may try to jump to WCW with the IC title if his contract couldn't be renewed. Bret never threatened to jump; it was just paranoia on Vince's part and with good reasoning, since the Honky Tonk Man threatened to jump to the NWA with the IC title four years earlier if he had to job the title to Randy Savage on the first Main Event. They just got the belt off of Bret until a new contract had been signed, at which point they began setting the foundation for Bret's second IC title reign. The reason they did the whole illness angle at the house show was because the Mountie had been turned into basically a joke by that point and simply didn't have the credibility to convincingly go over Bret. So basically, the Mountie and Piper were just transitional champions in the road to getting the belt back with Bret. As for the Bret/Piper match at Wrestlemania VIII, it's a personal favorite of mine, as is the entire show. There are some great moments in that match, and if some of you will recall, Bret was in some hot water for blading, but managed to elude any punishment by convincing Vince that he bleed hardway. As for the show itself, there aren't too many matches that go above the average mark, but the entire card was set up nicely and mixed with the atmosphere and the commentary, it's still one of the finer WM's, IMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bob_barron Report post Posted February 13, 2003 I remember reading that in the torch once about Bret going to WCW but I'm not sure. Didn't Flair blade at WMVIII cause he thought Vince knew Bret was lying about it? Who was Bret supposed to face at RR anyway? Was it supposed to go Bret-Piper-Bret or did they have something else planned? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JHawk Report post Posted February 13, 2003 According to Piper in his book, he was given the IC Title because there was a rumor floating that he wanted the World Title. Since he didn't really care if he ever got the title or not, he suggested he get the IC, and Vince told him "Only if you put Bret over clean." And since he loved Bret, he agreed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted February 13, 2003 Who was Bret supposed to face at RR anyway? Was it supposed to go Bret-Piper-Bret or did they have something else planned? Bret was supposed to face the Mountie. I don't believe Piper would have ever entered into the title scene had this whole contract issue not come up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted February 14, 2003 Why was the Mountie even considered? Why not Martel, Dibiase or IRS? IRS would've worked very well... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted February 14, 2003 This goes back to the days when PPV matches were determined by who you had been feuding with - not who was the logical top contender. Martel was working in Europe at the time, he didn't come back until just a few weeks before the Rumble itself. ...At least that was the story given. He might have been working in Japan as well. Dibiase was still in his feud with Virgil and was about to move on to Santana. IRS was working with the Bossman. Actually, the Mountie was pretty deserving. This was most likely their blowoff match to a 3-4 month feud that involved the Mountie electrocuting Bret durng the fall (threw water on him, used the shock stick). He had scored wins over several of the major midcard faces like the British Bulldog, the Bossman, and Kerry Von Erich. The guy was over. Hell, the Mountie is over with many longtime fans even today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest NoSelfWorth Report post Posted February 15, 2003 Just before he dropped the IC Title, Bret had agreed to come into WCW, but he then found out his contract at rolled over, and he couldn't leave. The title change though had no connection to that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MillenniumMan831 Report post Posted February 15, 2003 The Mountie was the perfect guy to put in the role of a champion whose reign would be measured in hours. It gave him some credibility so putting over others would be a bit more meaningful. Oh My! Virgil has upset the former InterContinental Champion! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest HartFan86 Report post Posted February 16, 2003 Wrestlemania 8 is such a fucking awesome show...just thinking about everything on that card was memorable and hell, the main event was good enough for me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Choken One Report post Posted February 17, 2003 I agree...For some reason it doesn't get mention amongst the best...but WM6 does? Shame...that show had ONE good match...WM8 had 2 **** matches...and nothing sucktatular except the Tag Title match... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest tpww7 Report post Posted February 18, 2003 I was just watching Rumble 92 now and in the rumble match, Savage eliminates himself going after Jake, but he is allowed back in because no one propelled him over the top? Was this the only Rumble with that rule? Because I know in the 89 Rumble Andre eliminates himself, as many others have done since. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
