What the World Was Watching: WWF Wrestling Challenge – February 18, 1990

Tony Schiavone and Gorilla Monsoon are doing commentary and they are taped from Fort Myers, Florida.

Dusty Rhodes (w/Sapphire) (2-0-1) beats Rick Martel (3-0) via disqualification at 3:37:

Once again a Rhodes match is focused on Sapphire as she taunts Martel after the opening bell and screams when he tries to go after her. Then, she is the focus after the match when Martel blinds Rhodes with Arrogance, getting himself disqualified in the process, and feigns going after he again. In between that Rhodes and Martel work some basic strikes that extend the match but make no lasting impact. So yes, once upon a time the WWF booked matches around a fake perfume! Rating: ¼*

A replay of WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Intercontinental Champion the Ultimate Warrior’s promos from WWF Superstars air in Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report segment.

The Bolsheviks (2-2) defeat Al Burke & Terry Bronson when Boris Zhukov pins Bronson after a clothesline to the back of the head at 1:56:

The Bolsheviks finally get above .500 in this squash, where they beat down the jobbers and cut a promo in the split screen that says they are ready for any team at WrestleMania. That appears to put an end to the Bolsheviks house show feud with the Bushwhackers.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s squash from Prime Time Wrestling is shown.

Gene Okerlund’s interview guests this week are Mr. Perfect and the Genius. Perfect promises future beatings for Brutus Beefcake and alleges that WWF Champion Hulk Hogan is afraid to face him one-on-one. Perfect challenges Hogan to find a tag team partner to face he and the Genius, continuing the evolution of his feud with Beefcake since it is clear Hogan will choose Brother Bruti to fill that slot.

Ronnie Garvin (3-1) defeats Spike Jones via submission to the reverse figure-four leg lock at 1:53:

Garvin still does not have anything to do after winning his feud against Greg Valentine, although there is a high likelihood that he will be fed to Earthquake because of what happened on the recent Saturday Night’s Main Event. He stretches Jones, working the arm before doing the Garvin Stomp and the reverse figure-four.

Dino Bravo (w/Jimmy Hart & Earthquake) (6-0) pins Scott Williams after a sidewalk slam at 1:15:

Bravo still has dreams of becoming Intercontinental champion, screaming about how he will be the new titleholder in the split screen. A few power moves leave Williams vulnerable to the sidewalk slam, which finishes him off in less than ninety seconds.

After the bell, Earthquake gets in the ring and gives Williams the Earthquake Splash for fun.

Okerlund provides the WrestleMania VI Report, recapping the matches which were announced on WWF Superstars.

Powers of Pain (w/Mr. Fuji) (2-3) defeat George Skaaland & Scott Colton when the Barbarian pins Colton after a spinebuster-flying clothesline combination at 1:55:

Skaaland was the son of Arnold Skaaland, known to fans of the old WWWF as a manager of WWF champions Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund, but never rose above enhancement status in the company.

As the Powers pummel each of the jobbers in turn the Rockers appear in the split screen and talk about defeating their foe at a later date. This squash gets the Powers back to .500 but they have taken a lot of losses from name teams and appear nowhere near as dominant as they did two years earlier.

Tune in next week to see Smash face Haku! Also, Rick Rude, the Red Rooster, and Roddy Piper will be in action!

The Last Word: The only good thing on this show was Mr. Perfect’s promo with Gene Okerlund, continuing his ongoing feud with Brutus Beefcake while also winding down his main event run with Hulk Hogan. Making Sapphire a big part of Dusty Rhodes’ matches is not working and even the babyface commentators are having a hard time putting her over.

Here is what the WWF did on the house circuit in mid-February after it completed March’s television tapings for WWF Superstars and Wrestling Challenge, with results compiled and collected from thehistoryofwwe.com:

Wheeling, West Virginia – Civic Center – February 16, 1990 (5,000): Greg Valentine beat Sam Houston at 8:16…Bret Hart pinned the Genius at 9:44…Bob Bradley pinned Jim Powers at 8:26…Hacksaw Jim Duggan pinned Mr. Perfect at 8:40…The Bushwhackers beat the Bolsheviks when Butch pinned Boris Zhukov at 14:38…The Red Rooster beat the Black Knight at 4:39…Dusty Rhodes defeated Randy Savage via count out at 6:29.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The Philadelphia Spectrum – February 17, 1990: The Genius beat Hercules…Greg Valentine defeated Bret Hart…The Powers of Pain beat the Rockers…Dusty Rhodes defeated Randy Savage via count out…Jake Roberts pinned Ted DiBiase in a match where the Big Bossman was special guest referee. Roberts got the pin after the Bossman hit DiBiase…The Red Rooster beat Bob Bradley…WWF Champion Hulk Hogan beat Mr. Perfect.

Albany, New York – Knickerbocker Arena – February 18, 1990: The Genius beat Hercules after Mr. Perfect interfered…The Red Rooster defeated Bob Bradley…The Rockers defeated the Powers of Pain via disqualification…Dusty Rhodes beat Randy Savage via count out…Bret Hart wrestled Greg Valentine to a draw…WWF Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Mr. Perfect. This was the WWF’s first appearance at this venue.

Chicago, Illinois – The Rosemont Horizon – February 18, 1990 (10,000): Tugboat pinned Pez Whatley…Tito Santana pinned Conquistador #1…Jim Brunzell defeated Frenchy Martin…Hacksaw Jim Duggan wrestled Bad News Brown to a double disqualification…Demolition defeated Haku & Bobby Heenan (substituting for Andre the Giant) via count out when Heenan ran away…Brutus Beefcake pinned Rick Martel…Jake Roberts beat Ted DiBiase with a schoolboy roll up after special guest referee the Big Bossman punched DiBiase…Roddy Piper beat Rick Rude in a steel cage match after escaping through the door. The match featured interference from Bad News Brown.

Backstage News*: Buster Douglas will replace Mike Tyson as the special guest referee for the Hulk Hogan-Randy Savage match after Tyson decided at the last minute that he was not going to appear. Douglas will make the $100,000 that the WWF was promising to Tyson, but he was not the promotion’s first choice as they reportedly looked into getting Evander Holyfield or George Foreman to referee.

*The April show that the WWF is working with All Japan and New Japan will be headlined by Hulk Hogan against Terry Gordy. Other scheduled matches will see Randy Savage against Genichiro Tenryu, the Ultimate Warrior against Ted DiBiase, Andre the Giant & Giant Baba against Demolition, Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu against Mr. Perfect & Rick Martel, the Big Bossman against Riki Choshu, and Bret Hart against Tiger Mask. Baba appeared at the WWF television taping in Phoenix to work an angle with Andre and Demolition but it will only air in Japan.

*The Rockers have been sent home after they showed up to television tapings with their faces beaten after fighting each other in Denver. The rumor is that Vince McMahon sees Marty Jannetty as the star of the team and wants to cast him as a heel.

*Also at the television taping was Steve DiSalvo, a veteran of Stampede Wrestling. DiSalvo worked with the Red Rooster in a series of matches that were said to be stiff and terrible.

*Buddy Rose got heat with McMahon after he showed up weighing 355 pounds.

*With regards to WrestleMania VII, the WWF is hoping to set a new attendance record at the Los Angeles Coliseum, hoping to pack 101,000 fans into the venue. The plan is to start selling tickets for the event after WrestleMania VI and promote the show for a full year.

*Jake Roberts snake Damien has bitten him twice in the past week so Roberts will have a rubber hose in the bag for the foreseeable future.

*Backstage news is courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for February 26.

Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for February 19!