Tony Schiavone and Gorilla Monsoon are in the charge of the play-by-play and they are still taped from Tucson, Arizona.
Opening Contest: Jake Roberts (4-0) pins Buddy Rose after the DDT at 2:31:
Monsoon goes after Rose’s physique like it’s a personal affront, chastising him for being 150 pounds overweight and asking Schiavone what might cause someone to get that out of shape. Rose does a spinning elbow off the ropes, landing with a big thud on the canvas. That is not enough to keep Roberts down, though, as he throws Rose off the top rope and follows up with the DDT to stay undefeated for the year. After the match, Roberts puts Damien on Rose and when he empties the bag, the Million Dollar Championship Belt falls out. Roberts shows it to fans to conclude the segment.
Lord Alfred Hayes’ Special Report recaps Slick and Bobby Heenan getting control of the Warlord and the Barbarian, respectively.
Mr. Perfect’s squash from Prime Time Wrestling is shown.
A replay of the Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior promos on Superstars airs.
Earthquake’s squash from Prime Time Wrestling is shown.
Gene Okerlund interviews Roddy Piper. In a long winded and unfocused promo, Piper says he talked with Sapphire, who told him that black people in Harlem do not like Bad News Brown. He has half of his face painted black as a visual representation that he stands for everyone and is crazy.
Rick Rude (w/Bobby Heenan) (5-1-1) beats Pez Whatley after the Rude Awakening at 1:07:
Rude does an insert promo mocking Snuka “Oooh, oooh” mannerism and promising to make him beg at WrestleMania. Whatley throws too many dropkicks, allowing Rude to avoid one and go on the offensive, one he never relinquishes en route to another win. Following the bout, Rude kisses a female fan.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan (6-1-1) pins Mike Sharpe after the three-point stance clothesline at 2:24:
Duggan works the crowd as he warns Dino Bravo that he will never lose to a man of his caliber. Both men throw bombs, with Duggan getting the better of it. The finish comes off more like a three-point stance forearm because Sharpe tried to duck Duggan’s finisher for some reason, so Duggan had to modify it on the fly. It still looked good, though, because the forearm looked more devastating than a simple clothesline.
Okerlund does the WrestleMania VI Report. Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire put over their training for the mixed tag team match. Mr. Perfect and the Genius promise to close Brutus Beefcake’s barbershop once and for all. Ted DiBiase and Virgil promise to beat Jake Roberts because that is what he has to do in order to regain the Million Dollar Championship. And Akeem and Slick say that the Big Bossman is not capable of putting Akeem down. Rona Barrett puts over her appearance at WrestleMania to find all the news that is fit to print (and not). And Robert Goulet says he is pleased to be singing the Canadian National Anthem at the show.
Non-Title Match: The Ultimate Warrior (Intercontinental Champion) (2-0) pins the Brooklyn Brawler after a splash to the back in 18 seconds:
The Warrior runs into the ring, clotheslines the Brawler, finishes him off with a splash, and then stomps him until the Brawler retreats under the ring. Then, the Warrior runs in a crazed state back to the locker room as Monsoon says he is ready for WrestleMania.
Tune in next week to see the Hart Foundation, Demolition, the Orient Express, and the Big Bossman in action! Also, Gene Okerlund interviews Randy Savage!
The Last Word: Even though there were several replays of prior matches, the squashes were entertaining, capped off by the Ultimate Warrior’s quick demolition of the Brooklyn Brawler. That is all one can expect from Wrestling Challenge at this point as there has not been a feature match in weeks.
And here is the weekly house show roundup for the WWF, who did their Superstars and Wrestling Challenge tapings in California before splitting the crew.
Moline, Illinois – Wharton Fieldhouse – March 8, 1990 (5,500): The Red Rooster beat the Brooklyn Brawler…Jim Neidhart pinned Pez Whatley…Black Bart beat Jim Evans…The Rockers defeated the Powers of Pain via disqualification…Koko B. Ware beat the Conquistador…Bad News Brown wrestled Hacksaw Jim Duggan to a double count out…The Big Bossman (substituting for Roddy Piper) beat Rick Rude in a steel cage match.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada – The Montreal Forum – March 9, 1990 (9,500): Al Perez beat Paul Roma…Koko B. Ware defeated Buddy Rose…Hacksaw Jim Duggan & the Rockers beat Mr. Fuji & the Powers of Pain…Bad News Brown beat the Red Rooster…Ronnie Garvin (substituting for Roddy Piper) defeated Rick Rude via disqualification in a lumberjack match when Bad News Brown interfered…Tito Santana beat Frenchy Martin…Hulk Hogan & the Big Bossman beat Mr. Perfect & the Genius when Hogan pinned the Genius with a cradle.
Providence, Rhode Island – Providence Civic Center – March 10, 1990 (7,500): Al Perez beat Paul Roma…Hillbilly Jim defeated Bad News Brown via count out…Tito Santana pinned Buddy Rose…The Hart Foundation defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Colossal Connection via disqualification…Greg Valentine defeated Sam Houston via submission to the figure-four leg lock…Brutus Beefcake pinned Rick Martel…Hulk Hogan & the Big Bossman defeated Mr. Perfect & the Genius.
Lincoln, Nebraska – Perishing Auditorium – March 10, 1990 (3,516): The Red Rooster pinned Bob Bradley…Akeem beat Hercules…Hacksaw Jim Duggan (substituting for Roddy Piper) pinned Rick Rude…Pat Tanaka & Mr. Fuji (substituting for Akio Sato) beat Mark Young & Pez Whatley…The Rockers beat the Powers of Pain via disqualification…Dusty Rhodes defeated Randy Savage via count out.
East Rutherford, New Jersey – The Meadowlands – March 11, 1990 (just under 10,000): Al Perez defeated Paul Roma…Greg Valentine pinned Sam Houston…Rick Rude beat Tito Santana…The Bushwhackers defeated the Bolsheviks…WWF Tag Team Champions the Colossal Connection defeated the Hart Foundation…Dusty Rhodes beat Randy Savage via count out…Jake Roberts pinned Ted DiBiase after special guest referee the Big Bossman punched DiBiase.
Backstage News*: Backstage there are some disgruntled voices because talent gets a cut of the house for pay-per-view events, but owner Vince McMahon is keeping the earnings from pay-per-view purchases for himself.
*Dave Meltzer argues that the reason the WWF has a steroid issue is because the travel schedule does not provide enough breaks for wrestlers to stay fit, so they take shortcuts in an industry that demands they look their best. The WWF is hoping that the mainstream press will lose interest in the issue and is staying mum about it for the time being.
*In order to record a big pop for television, the WWF had an interview segment at the recent Wrestling Challenge taping in San Francisco, California with Gene Okerlund, Pat Patterson, and Ray Stevens.
*The WWF, New Japan, and All Japan show will be called “The Wrestling Summit” and is expected to draw a gate of $3 million.
*The WWF will be running a house show loop in New Zealand because the Bushwhackers and Haku have to stay there for some time each year to maintain their citizenship.
*Backstage news provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for March 19.
Up Next: Prime Time Wrestling for March 12!