Vince McMahon calls today’s action with Jesse Ventura. This is the last show of the taping cycle in Glen Falls, New York.
Opening First Round Intercontinental Championship Tournament Contest: Mr. Perfect (12-2) defeats Jimmy Snuka (3-1) with the Flair pin at 3:42:
There is a hot exchange of near-falls at the beginning as Perfect and Snuka try to roll each other up. Things slow down after that into a deliberate strikefest until Snuka tries to come after Perfect in the corner, gets tripped, and pinned with the Flair pin (where Perfect uses the ropes for leverage). This started well but got messy at the end. Rating: *
After the match, referee Joey Marella teases overturning the result. Snuka gets frustrated with this and attacks Perfect, knocking him out of the ring with a headbutt.
Gene Okerlund’s WWF Update segment sees him hype Hulk Hogan vitamins and recaps Andre the Giant turning against Bobby Heenan at WrestleMania VI. Heenan tells Andre that he will slap him again when Andre tries to come back to the Heenan Family.
The Rockers (7-2-1) defeat Chris Duffy & Al Polic when Marty Jannetty pins Duffy after a flying fist drop at 3:27:
Polic was a Larry Sharpe trainee who was in his first year in the business. He worked on the independent circuit under the name “Al the Sledgehammer” and wrestling fans of the 1990s know him better as 911 from his time in ECW from 1994-1996.
As the squash start, the Orient Express and Mr. Fuji appear in the split screen and vow to put away the Rockers forever. The Rockers wisely spend their time weakening Duffy and keeping him from tagging the bigger Polic. After Michaels skins the cat back in after clotheslining Duffy over the top rope and slingshots his opponent to the floor he rolls him back in to be finished with the flying fist drop.
Jake Roberts (9-1) pins Buddy Rose after a DDT at 2:09:
Ventura floats the idea that Rose should use Arrogance so he can see if the product works. Rose manages to put Roberts on the defensive early and gets a near-fall from a splash off the second rope. However, Roberts ducks a short-arm clothesline, fires off some punches, and plants Rose with the DDT to win a third straight match.
After the match, Bad News Brown gets on the house mic and tells Roberts that if he continues to mess with him, he will wish he had never been born. Roberts challenges Brown to a fight as lets Damien slither in the ring. Brown accepts but hesitates when he gets closer to the ring. With Damien draped over his shoulders, Roberts tells Brown he will come to the aisle to confront him, and Brown runs away.
Rhythm & Blues (w/Jimmy Hart) (10-0-1) defeat Dennis Miller & Tony Ulysses when Greg Valentine pinned Ulysses after a double side suplex at 1:47:
As the Blues do their work, they cut a split screen promo against the Bushwhackers, vowing to knock out whatever teeth they have left. The Blues work through some slow offense on Ulysses and then finish him off with the double side suplex.
Brother Love plays host to the Big Bossman. Since the two had a confrontation months ago, Love warns the Bossman that if he touches him, he will get suspended by WWF President Jack Tunney. The Bossman cuts off Love’s hype of Ted DiBiase’s wealth, repeating that he cannot be bought and promising some blue-collar justice for a white-collar criminal like DiBiase.
A replay of Randy Savage and Sensational Sherri beating down Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire several weeks ago airs.
Randy Savage (w/Sensational Sherri) (2-2) pins Mario Mancini after a flying elbow drop at 1:40:
Savage and Sherri’s entrance is longer than the match as jobbers carry them on a throne to the ring. In the split screen, Savage and Sherri remind Rhodes and Sapphire that they are mere commoners. The match plays up a newfound aggressiveness in Savage and Sherri as Sherri hits Mancini on the floor, setting up Savage’s double flying ax handle, and then she chokes him after Savage ties Mancini up in a tree of woe. The flying elbow drop lets Savage pin Mancini with one foot and after the match, he drops another one when Sherri distracts the referee.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan (13-1-1) beats the Brooklyn Brawler after a three-point stance clothesline at 2:07:
Even though Earthquake is getting paired with Hulk Hogan on house shows, the WWF is continuing to build to a Duggan-Earthquake match as well, with Duggan doing an insert promo and telling the big man that he is coming for him. The Brawler avoids Duggan’s finisher the first time, intelligently rolling out the ring. However, Duggan follows him, and the Brawler is put away with the usual.
Tune in next week for another first round match in the Intercontinental Championship Tournament when Brutus Beefcake faces Dino Bravo! Also, Tugboat, Earthquake, the Orient Express, and the Bushwhackers in action! And Dusty Rhodes will be a guest on the Brother Love Show!
The Last Word: The show was fine, but the big feuds coming out of WrestleMania are underwhelming. Andre the Giant is in no condition to wrestle as a single, so his feud with Bobby Heenan will probably go nowhere. Bad News Brown is doing great character work for his feud with Jake Roberts, but the story is a copy of Roberts’ feud with Andre the Giant the previous year. The “aggressive” push is often used when a character has been hurt by losses, which is Randy Savage’s current predicament. And while the Rick Rude training vignettes are good, Rude has not been seen in a while and that leaves the Ultimate Warrior directionless as champion.
Up Next: Wrestling Challenge for May 6!