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[1991-01-19-WWF-Royal Rumble] Ted DiBiase & Virgil vs Dusty & Dustin Rhodes


Loss

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  • 4 weeks later...

Last few minutes. Dustin is having his leg worked over and Virgil accidentally nails DiBiase. He apologies, and DiBiase starts beating him up. Dusty does a job on his way out of the promotion. Virgil finally has enough of DiBiase's bullying after the match and pops him to a HUGE pop from the crowd. DiBiase (and the bookers) really deserve a ton of credit for getting so much out of this feud.

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Haven't even ordered my 91 set yet, but one of the little things about this match I always remember is that it's one time where ol' Technical Ted was put over really strong. He's a fucking beast in this match and basically takes out 3 guys on his own. Always struck me as a bit odd considering how long he'd spent mainly getting his ass kicked. It may well be the most Ted gets out of any PPV match offense-wise, unless there's an early round WM4 match that's escaping my mind.

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Haven't even ordered my 91 set yet, but one of the little things about this match I always remember is that it's one time where ol' Technical Ted was put over really strong. He's a fucking beast in this match and basically takes out 3 guys on his own. Always struck me as a bit odd considering how long he'd spent mainly getting his ass kicked. It may well be the most Ted gets out of any PPV match offense-wise, unless there's an early round WM4 match that's escaping my mind.

It's been surprising to me watching 1990 and early 1991 how hard DiBiase was pushed and how much he was protected even when he wasn't in the main event. No heel in the company was booked to get their heat back as consistently as DiBiase. He was so comfortable in his act that I understand why he was booked that way. He's a lot like Flair in that he could put people over in convincing fashion and not lose a thing. It says a lot for him that he was one of the few heels that slid down the card after the big run on top and continued to be an interesting, over wrestler for a long time anyway. That talent is powerful when harnessed properly, because he knew how to make the company's pet projects look good and keep himself strong at the same time. I'm excited about walking through the Virgil feud in full.

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Loss, I went back to find this and, rather embarrassingly, I've brought it up at least 5 times as a talking point:

 

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?show...0&p=5512692

 

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?show...0&p=5502796

 

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?show...0&p=5488815

 

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?show...0&p=5472796

 

http://prowrestlingonly.com/index.php?show...0&p=5477323

 

My argument is that they were gearing up for another main event run for DiBiase in 91 right around the time Flair came in when those plans got nixed. For someone who has followed his career as closely and obsessively as me, it's impossible not to notice a tangible re-push for him when Sherri comes in.

 

This yearbook will help to see if what I'm saying is true or not.

 

DiBiase was a guy Vince used in rotation -- he'd have a push (88) then stay fallow for a while (89) then another push (Jake/Bossman feud) then fallow for a while (Zeus stuff, I guess), then another push (Dusty feud / Virgil). My view is that he was being primed for another go on top at that stage in the Sherri run).

 

Through all that time I don't think he's ever less than #3 heel in the company.

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DiBiase was a guy Vince used in rotation -- he'd have a push (88) then stay fallow for a while (89) then another push (Jake/Bossman feud) then fallow for a while (Zeus stuff, I guess), then another push (Dusty feud / Virgil). My view is that he was being primed for another go on top at that stage in the Sherri run).

I don't know that I agree with this. After SummerSlam '88, Dibiase was given new impetus with the creation of the Million Dollar Belt, a much stronger push than most Hogan opponents got once their program with over. When Jake was out with his back surgery, they used Dibiase in the Hogan mix for Survivor Series while Savage was feuding with Duggan and he went on to have a strong 1990. He was pushed in the Rumble, they kept the Roberts program running through to Wrestlemania, then he had the big summer thru winter program with Dusty and was the sole survivor of his Survivor Series match and top heel in the finale match. And all that was before the Sherri run. Savage had a similar level of protection, but I think as Loss alluded to it had a great deal to do with both men's talent as well that they could make the main event to midcard to main event transitions work and that they felt like they belonged anywhere on the card because of how well they played their characters.

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I think you're right on that in the main part OJ, but to me meaningless matches against Snuka and Beefcake on major PPVs in 89 is "lying fallow". Would you agree that he was kept strong enough from 88 to 91 to never be less than #3 heel in the company basically until Flair came in? I'll give you one example of this in 1990 when he was clearly positioned *I think* above Mr. Perfect in the general pecking order during his involvement in the Texas Tornado feud. My thought has always been that that shows that Ted is positioned above the entire IC division, even if he doesn't have a main event programme going on with Hogan or whoever.

 

If you click on some of those links there, you'll find me arguing with jdw (in the main) that Ted was kept as a "top heel" for most of that time. jdw argues that after 88 he's basically a mid-card act (which I think is a perception that a lot of people share).

 

If I was make an analogy, DiBiase was the WWF equivalent of like a R'as Al-Ghul in Batman's universe. Batman might be dealing with Poison Ivy this week, or the Penguin that week, but R'as is still out there somewhere and he's a major deal. Savage as Macho King was also in that sort of mould (for the sake of comparison, let's say he was The Joker). They were A-list villains in the rogues gallery. Something like Earthquake's run in 1990 would be the equivalent of a one-shot caper with Bane or Clayface or someone like that -- sure big threat in the short term, but not A-list nemeses. I think that works.

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Wrestlemania V had 14 matches, which is way too many but they seemed to shove everyone on the card. The match lengths are ridiculous and the lay out of the card was kind of weird. It was basically a three match card, but Ted got a better shake on the undercard than most. He had the spot with Trump and a longer match than the other fixtures. I also liked the houseshow matches from that feud, so I don't think it's that much of a come down. But I'm not really sure that you can really use PPV as a measure of position during this era. With SummerSlam he went on second to last on a shorter card, but I don't think that means much. Didn't he cut a promo on Roberts before that match against Snuka? I guess he was kind of in a holding pattern before Jake got back, but really his only opportunity was a feud with Warrior which was the spot they gave Rude.

 

He was a midcarder after '88, but everytbody was a midcarder bar Hogan. If the top heel is whoever's feuding with Hogan then you had Savage, Zeus, Earthquake then Slaughter, right? There was also Undertaker sandwiched in there. I might go Rude, Dibiase and Perfect after that, in that order. I think the Batman analogy kind of works, but after Survivor Series '89 he's not really on Hogan's radar anymore. He probably needed one more run against Hogan to be his R'as Al-Ghul.

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Yeah, what was up with that? I always forget about that because my abiding memory of Wrestlemania IX is Bret getting royally screwed at the end, but it was almost like they were trying to recreate the Mega Powers vs. the Mega Bucks angle. Anyway, it was 1994-95 WCW level crap. You'd be better off writing it out of history.

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  • 2 weeks later...

DiBiase beats Virgil up after a miscommunication spot then beats the Rhodes family singlehandedly, as Dusty's full-time in-ring career comes to a somewhat ignominious end. DiBiase rants on the mic afterward as only he can do. The crowd's woken up now and is DiBiase ever pissing them off, he even gets a drink to the back. As Virgil kneels down to pick the belt up, DiBiase turns away from him to gloat some more, and the rising crowd reaction egging Virgil on, to the nuclear climax when he clocks him with the belt, to the standing O as Virgil stands stoically over DiBiase, is one of the most chill-inducing moments in company history. Piper is really fucking incredible here, too--going from resigned disgust with Virgil to almost creaming his pants. One of the highlights of his WWF babyface career.

 

And...well, I'm repeating something I said earlier again, and it's not coming as news to anybody. But is there a remote possibility of a partnership being pushed on any company's television for four years nowadays before pulling the trigger on a split? Especially when such an angle writes itself as effectively as this one does? Don't think anything from today can match this. The tease of Virgil's independence would be pushed right from the start and the payoff would come sometime between Big Four PPVs.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Dusty misses a charge gets rolled up by DiBiase. Dusty kind of just bails to check on Dustin. Seemed a flat finish to the Dusty/DiBiase feud. Crowd chanting Virgil right away. DiBiase does some berating of Virgil to get his Million Dollar Belt. Crowd totally wants Virgil to clock DiBiase. And he delivers the belt shot to huge pop. Really cool moment. Having them together so long and then teasing the friction over the past year really worked in the end.

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  • 11 months later...

Previously at PWO:

 

Dustin and Dusty Rhodes v. Virgil and Ted Dibase Royal Rumble 1991 I found this on dailymotion while looking around for the awesome Superstars Dustin v. Dibase Ten Minute Challenge match. In a way finding this was better, as this match is pretty much awesome. Back at the tiime I was not terribly impressed with the WWF and even looking back this period does not really offer alot of interest for the most part, but I have to say the Rhodes stuff opposite Dibase and the Dibase stuff with Virgil was really great tv, using a very simple, minimalistic formula, and this match pretty much has everyone doing what they do well to cap off the Rhodes stuff and lead into the Virgil/Dibase feud. First thing you notice in this match is that Dustin Rhodes is ridiculously green and yet moves really well in the ring. He's not really scrawny, but he's got a lankier frame than people think of when they think Dustin Rhodes, and he sorta looks like a Crocket quasi-jobber era Sam Houston, taking these sick looking full impact bumps that kinda have an offputting whiplash effect. All this works well as Dustin is doing the chip off the old block, high school qb, greenhorn gimmick. Alot of times this would be a hard gimmick to work in a match like this, espcially when your Chris Sims to your dads Phil Sims and your dad is your tag partner. But the match works well because a) Dusty doesn't do much of anything other than egg on Dustin, try and work a hot tag and juve a jive..which is pretty much all he had left at this point anyhow and B) the dynamic with Virgil and Dibase is a huge part of the match and Virgils status as a "non-wrestler" (to quote our fallen hero aceman) gives Dustin credibility opposite him that he wouldn't have had in a straight tag match. Anyhow match follows a simple formula. Dustin works opposite Virgil, but Dustin outsmarts him and outmoves him. Makes sense because Dustin is the grandson of the greatest plumber who ever lived and Virgil is essentially working a house slave gimmick so he's supposed to be at best chattel and at worst an automated object incapable of thought and adhereing only to the orders of his master. Dibase gets pissed when he falls for dumbshit like the old drop down for the monkeyflip and get kicked in the face spot, so he goes in an works some on top of Dustin, before Dusty gets his moment to juke and jive and then it is back to Dustin working Virgil, who eventually gets the advantage because of a greenhorn error on a high knee attempt. Dustin sells the knee really well for a guy who is new to the business, and both Virgil and Dibase are good at goading Dusty and putting a hurtin on Dustin with heelish tag work. Nothing outstanding, but simple good stuff. Now Piper is on commentary and the whole match Piper is playing up that Virgil is a non-performer in the ring, that he's desperate and has no choice but to do Dibases bidding because he's got no choice. If I remember correctly in the weeks leading up to this Piper was essentially working a John Brown gimmick with Virgil, trying to instill racial and class pride in Virgil to fight against the forces of the evil John C. Cal..er..Million Dollar Man. Anyhow he is not as overt at first in the match, but as time goes on he's bitching about how Virgil has got to stand up for himself. Of course this all leads to the big climax spot which is Virgil missing a clothesline on Dustin and nailing Ted instead. Ted proceeds to pummel Virgil tossing him outside. This allows Dusty to get a hot tag but he is overzealous and loses to a quick rollup. I guess that might piss some people off but really what do you expect. You've got athletic greenhorn with a bum knee and fat dude in polka dots that sat in the corner for most of the match. They worked their roles well,but the reality is the match transitioned into being a match about Virgil and Dibase early on and that is how the post match goes. Dibase berates him, demands him to put his belt around his waste et...but then he talks shit about his mama. I mean really this is 91. Every man alive knows that you do not talk shit on mamas and not expect to get your ass beat, but Dibase is a patrician and believes he is above the fray. At first Virgil drops the belt, but when Ted turns around Virgil whallops him dead with it. No bullshit, that scene is awesome beyond belief, and better than just about anything the WWF/E has ever done. I really mean this as it was one of the very rare times ever, but espcially during that period where everything hit at the right time. The belt shot looked good, Dibase was great selling it, The crowd pop was unbelievable, the great camera angle and facial expression of Virgil was tremendous and pretty much unparalleled, et. Also Piper was fuckin awesome here freaking out like it was a crowning acheivement in the history of western civilization. Really anyone who wants to know why I like Don West, should listen to Pipers reaction here, as West pretty much does that shit on a nightly basis with TNA and while it does cheapen things a bit when it happens that often, it is so much better and more enthusiastic than any other current announcer that I refuse to give him shit for it. Really a very simple, relatively short match. But everyone worked their role really well and the post match angle was just brilliant. Virgil will not be a house slave nor a man to be eaten alive by paternalistic attitudes. He is free. Awesome.

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  • 1 year later...

With Slaughter winning the title from Warrior and the pops for Hogan more or less automatic by now, this is the real feel-good moment of the night. I agree with everything that's been previously said about how perfect everything about this moment was, and the best is yet to come, as with Piper's help Virgil "becomes" quite a credible worker in the ring (Mike Jones had already had a short Memphis run, so he wasn't a complete stiff), good enough to win the Million Dollar Belt from DiBiase at SummerSlam. They couldn't have waited so much as one more day for this; it had to happen right then, and it did.

 

This may be one of the few perfectly executed angles in WWF history from top to bottom, right up there with both the Ormdorff and Andre turns on Hogan, and this angle had the advantage of both main participants being able to work at full capacity from beginning to end, without stuff like Orndorff's neck injury/nerve damage and Andre's overall declining health. The one thing that would have put this over better was if Piper had had Piper's Pit to try and talk Virgil into turning on Teddy instead of having to rely on an offscreen "dinner". That might have required more mic skills than Virgil possessed at the time to pull off well, but Piper's impassioned pleas would have been enough to make it great TV regardless.

 

I would say more about Dusty and Dustin leaving, but since both are headed to greener pastures in Atlanta (particularly Dustin), it's hard to feel sad for either of them. I like that Dusty lost on a fluke rollup instead of being put out by the Million Dollar Dream or some other "cleaner" finish. At least Vince had the common sense not to completely bury Dusty on the way out, though he no doubt knew exactly where Dusty was going and what his job was going to be when he got there. Some of Piper's comments about Dusty wanting to stop the match bordered on calling him soft, but Piper's been on the cusp of making fun of Dusty for being too concerned about Dustin to wrestle properly all through the angle, so you can't really call it a burial.

 

I wonder if the proposed Savage/DiBiase '91 feud involved Teddy buying (or attempting to buy) Liz. If it did, no wonder Randy said no, as protective of her as he was.

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  • 2 years later...
  • GSR changed the title to [1991-01-19-WWF-Royal Rumble] Ted DiBiase & Virgil vs Dusty & Dustin Rhodes

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