Matt Davis takes a look at the WWF Championship in 1992–with Mount Rushmore names in Ric Flair and Randy Savage!

Welcome to the sixth edition of the Retro Championship Review on The Chairshot! This will be a biweekly article here on The Chairshot because we have a lot to discuss! In starting, my question for you is; have you ever had a discussion with a friend or in a group online about who is the greatest champion of all time? What is your defense of your claim? Wins? Quality of matches? Length of reign? In this weekly article, I will be looking back one year at a time and evaluating one specific championship in each article, with a yearly grade ranking and overall grade ranking and as we progress through the years, I will reveal who I believe is the best champion of all time.

To start us off, I am going to discuss the most recognizable championship in the history of wrestling, the WWE Heavyweight Championship. These articles will not discuss the “Big Gold” World Championship, Universal Championship, or any other recognized heavyweight championship in WWE, those will be discussed in other articles. During these reviews, I will count matches aired on weekly television, PPV, and matches also released on VHS and later on home media.

Ric Flair (January 19th, 1992 – April 5th, 1992)

• Record: 2-4
• Clean Losses: 3
• Successful Defenses: 0

Recommended Matches to Watch

• The 1992 Royal Rumble match [vacant WWF Championship]
• Randy Savage d. Ric Flair, April 5th, 1992, WrestleMania VIII

Thoughts: When I made this list I was looking forward to this reign more than most others, especially in the early years. The importance of this reign goes beyond these statistics, as the brilliance and emotion of the Rumble match can not be detailed in a win/loss record. Bobby Heenan’s commentary as it pertained to his client and friend is legendary and memorable, shouting “It’s not fair to Flair” will remain echoed in our minds forever as Flair would go on to win the WWF Championship in the Royal Rumble. The greatest night in his life. Woooo. Flair’s overall reign was marred behind politics though. Having come into the WWF holding the NWA World Championship (due to being fired while champion), Flair was introduced to the WWF as the Real Worlds Champion, sparking what many believed would be a championship match with Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania VIII. That was not to be as it was determined that Randy Savage would face Flair at Wrestlemania. That feud in and of itself was entertaining too, with Flair promising to reveal scandelous pictures of Miss Elizabeth leading up to their match. What’s fun is, multiple times from 2014-2019, we’ve seen Charlotte Flair and Bayley pay homage to that match in multiple ways, showing how significant that match was to them as young girls. Another thing to point out here is the fact Flair was cleanly pinned three times as WWF Champion duing this reign. Twice on VHS releases to Hogan and once at Wrestlemania to Savage. The most of any champion thusfar. Grading this reign is difficult, but, unfortunately, it won’t see fair to Flair, with less than four months as champion, no successful defenses, and more pinfall losses than any champion so far.

Grade (A+ through F ): D

Randy Savage (April 5th, 1992 – September 14th, 1992)

• Record: 9-3
• Clean Losses: 1
• Successful Defenses: 7

Recommended Matches to Watch

• Randy Savage d. Ric Flair, April 5th, 1992, WrestleMania VIII
• Randy Savage d. Shawn Michaels, April 14th, 1992, World Tour 1992
• Randy Savage & Bret Hart d. Shawn Michaels & Ric Flair, The Ultimate Randy Savage Collection
• The Ultimate Warrior d. Randy Savage (countout), August 29th, 1992, SummerSlam
• Ric Flair d. Randy Savage, September 14th, 1992, Prime Time Wrestling

Thoughts: What a under the radar spectacle we have here. Absolutely incredible. I was looking forward to the Flair reign, but this was the best reign of the year, and remarkably, I’m going to say this reign is one of the best yet in the history of this project. 7 title defenses, 1 clean loss, a .750 winning percentage, and a five month reign make this an incredible reign. Less memorable in terms of iconic moments, but worlds better in quality than his first reign, this is the WWF Championship reign people should talk about when it comes to Randy Savage but it’s highly neglected. He wrestled almost 30 minutes against Warrior at Summerslam. Can you believe that? A half an hour Warrior match! And Savage got it out of him. Guessing the first and only time that ever happened. Savage would lose the title back to Flair on an episode of Prime Time Wrestling, but even that match was a **** classic, going over 22 minutes between two of the best in ring technicians and showmen of all time.

Grade (A+ through F ): B

Ric Flair (September 14th, 1992 – October 12th, 1992)

• Record: 1-2
• Clean Losses: 1
• Successful Defenses: 1

Recommended Matches to Watch

• Ric Flair d. Randy Savage, September 14th, 1992, Prime Time Wrestling
• Bret Hart d. Ric Flair, October 12th, 1992, “WWE’s Top 50 Superstars of All-Time”

Thoughts: 1992 is one of the most underappreciated years in this company’s history. The rise of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart captivated fans, but it was Ric Flair who made this possible. He worked with both men all throughout the year in tags and house show matches. Flair may have not had the best win/loss record as champion, but his work rate was truly remarkable, and his work with the “next generation” to make them look good was his calling card his entire career. Lasting only 28 days, this reign was short, but the title win and title loss were both excellent matches, ranking in at **** and ****1/4 respectively, in my opinion. Sadly, it was only 28 days and he did not wrestle on any major shows as champion.

Grade (A+ through F ): D

Overall WWE Champion Ranking

1. Hulk Hogan (January 23rd, 1984 – February 5th, 1988) – A
2. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (April 5th, 1992 – September 14th, 1992) – B
3. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (March 27th, 1988 – April 2nd, 1989) – C+
4. Sgt. Slaughter (January 19th, 1991 – March 24th, 1991) – C
5. Hulk Hogan (April 2nd, 1989 – April 1st, 1990) – C
6. Hulk Hogan (March 24th — November 27th, 1991) – D+
7. Ric Flair (January 19th, 1992 — April 5th, 1992) — D
8. The Ultimate Warrior (April 1st, 1990- January 19th, 1991) – D
9. Ric Flair (September 14th, 1992 – October 12th, 1992) — D
10. Undertaker (November 27th, 1991- December 3rd, 1991) – F
11. Hulk Hogan (December 3rd, 1991 – December 4th, 1991) – F

**Speaking of championships, I am currently designing custom made championships and accessories for your wrestling figure collections! Over the weekend my page passed 100 Likes, and I am hosting a free giveaway trivia game! One lucky winner will receive of these one of a kind custom championship belts of their choosing! Check out the page at Grand Slam Creations – Custom Wrestling Belts & Accessories on Facebook, give us a like and a follow and share with your friends! (If you find the page due to this article, please let me know and you will be given a extra entry into the giveaway!)**