Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan host tonight’s program, weighing in on how Hulk Hogan will handle getting back into the ring at SummerSlam.
The Legion of Doom’s debut on Wrestling Challenge is shown. Heenan admits that they will be a tough team for anyone to beat.
A replay of Hulk Hogan’s SummerSlam announcement from Superstars airs. Monsoon ceremoniously cuts off his Hogan friendship bracelet and takes down the “Get Well Hulk” banner in the studio. He tosses the trash on Heenan.
The Warlord (w/Slick) (9-0) pins Jim Evans after a running powerslam at 1:44:
The Warlord goes to double digits for singles wins on the year, demolishing Evans with a variety of power moves.
Monsoon clears the Hasbro characters out of the ring in the studio so he can put the Hulk Hogan figure in the center. He even argues that there is not a single superstar that is more important in the WWF right now, completely ignoring WWF Champion the Ultimate Warrior!
Hillbilly Jim’s squash of Pez Whatley from May is shown.
A replay of Ted DiBiase and Virgil visiting the Big Bossman’s neighborhood airs. Monsoon twists the head of DiBiase’s Hasbro figure around, saying that is what the Bossman is going to do to the Million Dollar Man when he gets a hold of him. Then, Monsoon closes his eyes and tries to find the Barbarian action figure in the Hasbro pile, joking that he is trying to find the figure with the antlers. After the commercial break, Heenan says that the Barbarian does not have an action figure because it is stalled in negotiations.
The Barbarian’s squash from Superstars is shown. Heenan says that he was on a headset during that squash so he could communicate with “people upstairs,” who are watching the action from different angles. He puts himself over as an innovator.
Promo time with Sean Mooney! Koko B. Ware sings some of “My Girl” and says he is on his way to the top of the WWF. The Orient Express and Mr. Fuji vow to wage destruction throughout the company.
Jim Brunzell (0-3) defeats Black Bart after a dropkick at 4:26:
This clash between jobbers took place at the Wrestling Challenge tapings in Huntington, West Virginia on June 26. Brunzell keeps the match together by quickly transitioning to various moves, first wearing down Bart’s left knee and catching him with a dropkick off the ropes to score his first win of the year. Bart looked awful, moving slowly, and doing little. Rating: *
Al Perez (4-0-1) defeats Jim Powers after rolling through an O’Connor roll and using the tights at 9:11 shown:
This match took place at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on June 17 and is joined in progress. It is a good, paint-by-numbers match where Perez gets heat for using the ropes for leverage several times and Powers makes an inspired comeback after a Perez blind charge. That comeback is cut short when Perez manages to get through an O’Connor roll and holds onto the tights for victory. This would be the last appearance for Perez as he would quit by the end of the month when asked to do a job for the Ultimate Warrior. Rating: **
The Hart Foundation’s appearance on the Brother Love Show on Superstars is shown, along with their fight with Demolition.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan (19-1-1) pins Paul Diamond (1-5) after the three-point stance clothesline at 1:53:
In the split screen, Nikolai Volkoff thanks Duggan for giving him the American flag and gives him a “Hoooo!” as a return gift. Talk about words that would carry an entirely different meaning in the WWF eight years later. Diamond struggles against Duggan for the second straight month, falling victim to a bevy of clotheslines.
The Genius (2-1-1) defeats Mike Shelton after a somersault senton off the top rope at 3:22:
Even though his feud with Brutus Beefcake is over, the Genius is still wearing a ridiculously large, blonde wig. To keep it on his head, the Genius wears amateur wrestling headgear, taking his over-the-top presentation to another level. The Genius yells at the crowd and does acrobatic displays in between moves to generate heat, finishing with a somersault senton off the top rope.
The Bushwhackers squash from Wrestling Challenge is shown. Monsoon admits that the Bushwhackers would get destroyed against the Legion of Doom after the bout.
Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil) (13-1-1) defeats Ronnie Garvin (6-4-1) with a schoolboy roll up and using the tights for leverage at 8:57:
This match also took place at the Wrestling Challenge taping in Huntington, West Virginia. DiBiase tries to bribe his way out of the match in the beginning, which Garvin refuses, beating DiBiase up and taking his money. However, when Garvin tries to give the money to fans, Virgil beats him up on the floor and takes it back. DiBiase dominates most of the encounter, using chinlocks to keep Garvin under control. Garvin gets a good reaction for his comeback, with fans buying one of his right hands for the finish. After Garvin notes a few more near-falls, Virgil trips him and DiBiase seizes on the distraction to roll Garvin up for the win. These two worked well together and Garvin had great timing on his comebacks throughout the bout. Rating: **½
Monsoon promises that there will be a big surprise announcement next week on Prime Time.
The Last Word: The feature match made up for some of the oddball jobber matches on the show. The banter between Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan remains a selling point of the broadcast as it is fun to see Monsoon playing with the Hasbro figures to make his points.
Up Next: WWF Superstars for July 21!