On the 35th anniversary of a WWE house show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, WWF Wrestling, a social media account dedicated to “Celebrating the World Wrestling Federation of the 1980s and 1990s,” posted a newspaper clipping advertising the event.
The first thing that jumped out at me was the ticket prices: $15, $13, $11, and $9.
By comparison, in 2026, Savannah, Georgia, hosts a WWE live event this Saturday at Enmarket Arena. According to Ticketmaster, tickets range from $45.15 to $380.
Indeed, times have changed.
As I stared at the ad for the 1991 show, I wondered who else wrestled, who won, and who lost, especially so close to SummerSlam just two nights later.
The following results came from The History of WWE website.
Wrestling at the Spectrum
Jimmy Snuka pinned Col. Mustafa (The Iron Sheik)
I can only imagine how bad this was.
I might not have said that if this had taken place in 1981, when the Sheik was a heat magnet, and Snuka was in his prime.
But in ’91? Sheik’s mobility was limited, his heat had cooled, and he was heavier than he’d ever been. Snuka still looked impressive physically, but the mystique around the “Superfly” was gone.
At this stage in his career, Snuka would lose more than he’d win. His lone highlight that year, if you can call it that, was becoming The Undertaker’s first victim at WrestleMania, en route to Taker going 21-0 until…
Well, you know.
Ricky Steamboat pinned Kato
“The Dragon” had just returned to WWE that spring and was getting a fair push. However, WWE leaned hard into the former Intercontinental Champion being a dragon, having him blow fire during his entrance.
Kato was the masked member of the Orient Express with Pat Tanaka. Previously, he worked as Paul Diamond, sans mask, teaming with Tanaka in the AWA as Badd Company.
Given the team’s decline in 1991, Kato doing the honors for Steamboat is on point.
The Bushwhackers def. Hercules & Bob Bradley (sub. for Paul Roma) when Luke pinned Bradley
This result especially stood out to me.
When I spoke with Paul Roma last year, he told me he was frustrated with how WWE was booking him and his partner, Hercules, around this time. After a confrontation with the boss, Vince McMahon, Roma said he told McMahon, “Fuck you.”
“I’d had enough. And then I left,” Roma said.
While the end was near for Power & Glory, they’d become famous for having one of the most iconic tandem finishers of all time, The Powerplex.
Bret Hart def. Sgt. Slaughter via disqualification
According to The History of WWE, Hart won by DQ after Slaughter’s manager, Gen. Adnan, threw powder in Hart’s face.
I couldn’t help but laugh and wonder where Hulk Hogan was to protest these shenanigans. Luckily for Hart, Hogan would have “The Hitman’s” back at WrestleMania IX.
IRS pinned Virgil
Mike Rotunda had returned to WWE just in time for tax season. He was still getting his feet under him as the evil taxman Irwin R. Schyster, so giving IRS the win to build him up isn’t surprising. But, oddly, he beat Virgil, who had a marquee match against Ted DiBiase at SummerSlam.
The Mountie & the Natural Disasters def. the Big Boss Man & the Legion of Doom when Mountie pinned Boss Man
At first glance, this seems like an upset. But with the Boss Man and Mountie set to meet at SummerSlam in a couple of days, giving the Mountie a pin over Boss Man may have added a little suspense for the pay-per-view, at least for fans in Philly.
The Ultimate Warrior pinned The Undertaker in a Body Bag Match
This is one where I question the result.
Pinned?
While it’s possible, Body Bag Matches were similar to Casket Matches. Warrior and Taker had a series of both in 1991, and the result was often the same: Warrior stuffed the Deadman into something to win.
Too bad they never had an Urn Match. I’ll bet that would have kicked some ash.
The Final Bell
After reviewing this, I got the sense that this night in Philadelphia was special, but maybe not for all the right reasons.
Roma, who was M.I.A., was gone within a few weeks. Following him out the door was Steamboat, who returned to WCW that fall.
Immediately after SummerSlam, the Warrior was sent home following a dispute with the company. He wouldn’t be seen again until WrestleMania VIII. By then, the Sheik and manager Adnan were gone, as were Hercules and Snuka.
Of course, the machine kept chugging along. In October, WWE returned to the Spectrum with its highly publicized acquisition, Ric Flair.
But for those who preferred Parts Unknown to Space Mountain, or the fire-breathing Dragon whose flame in the company was extinguished, there were probably reasons to feel a little less enamored with WWE in the City of Brotherly Love.
