The Fan-Cam Files: WWF @ Johnstown, PA – 05.30.1987

Welcome to another edition of the Fan-Cam Files (and more than likely the last of 2025 unless I feel extra-inspired next week). Last time, we jumped to WCW for their 1991 Great American Bash Tour, with WarGames headlining their stop at the Meadowlands Arena. We’re back with another WWF card from Johnstown, PA (which brings our total to three shows from this location, leaving one more before I’ve exhausted all available options from the venue), and if you’re not familiar with the stop, it’s a standard C-Tour stop, which means we’re not going to get much star power and will get a healthy dose of prelim junk (I’m looking at you, Nikolai Volkoff!). The WWF ran an A-Tour in Baltimore (headlined by Hulk Hogan defending the WWF Title against Harley Race) and a B-Tour in St. Paul, MN (headlined by Ricky Steamboat defending the IC Title against Randy Savage inside of a Steel Cage).

Tony Garea vs. Bam Bam Bigelow:
Plenty to talk about here before we get to the action. Tony Garea is mostly retired at this point, working occasionally as a substitute in most cases, but the real story is the appearance of Bam Bam Bigelow. Less than 2-years into the business, Bigelow drummed up considerable interest while working in CWA/Memphis as well as touring overseas for NJPW and after testing the free agent waters, signed with the WWF and only started working the house show loop just days before this card. He’s wearing considerably low-profile gear, so we’re going to need to wait until Bigelow’s appearances for TV are teased later in the Summer to see the final form version of the Beast From the East.

We join the match in progress, with Bigelow hanging out at ringside. Bam Bam takes control with a boot to the midsection and clubbing blows across the back. Whip to the ropes and an elbow sends Garea to the outside. There’s a cut in the action, but nothing has changed, with Garea still struggling to get back in the ring. Another cut and Bigelow is choking Garea across the middle rope. Garea teases a comeback, hitting a pair of dropkicks, but Bigelow catches him coming off the ropes with a slam and finishes with a splash at 4:01 (show). I don’t know if I can fairly critique the match itself, but Garea made Bigelow look much better than he would for other guys during his final days, so that’s the one positive I can point out in only having half the match available.

Jim Powers vs. Shadow #2:
Oh Great, we’re getting the Road Block Challenge where 1 member of a team competes head-to-head. I’m disappointed that Shadow #2 (Jose Luis Rivera) is introduced from “Parts Unknown.” Someone else with a little sense of humor or silly creativity would say he’s from something like “Where Bad Dreams are Born”. The Yet-to-be-Named Young Stallions and Shadows worked A TON throughout the Spring and Summer as the absolute bottom of the pecking order prelim tag match.

Lockup to the corner and Powers immediately complains about the mask, which Rivera is playing the classic game of “hide the gimmick” with. Shadow controls with a side headlock, but a nifty criss-cross (or International) sequence goes in Powers’ favor, sending Shadow to the floor. Back inside, Powers with a pair of arm drags, frustrating Shadow Conquistador again. Powers looks like he’s going hard on the chicken and broccoli diet as the referee again fails at finding the gimmick hidden in Shadow’s gear. I don’t know how, but they managed to make a back body-drop spot look terrible. More schtick as the Shadow blocks a roll-up-, points to his head to let everyone know how smart he is, and immediately gets his comeuppance. Shadow takes over thanks to a sucker-punch and a variety of chokes. Powers surprises him with a sunset flip, but Shadow is all over him like fleas on a dog. I’m not asking for the world, but Mac Rivera has like two options in his heel playbook, and he exhausted them a long time ago. Powers brings up the knees on a splash attempt and connects with a dropkick for a near-fall. After a fired up comeback, the Shadow loads up the mask and blasts Powers with a headbutt for three at 14:05. Between Rivera’s incredibly shallow book on working heel and Powers being Mr. I Got 2 Days of Training, I’m Good For Life, they had no business going nearly 15-minutes in a one-on-one environment. *

“Special Delivery” Jones vs. Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Slick):
OH BOY, WE GOT US A SLOBBERKNOCKER HERE. With the Iron Sheik terminated earlier in the month, Poor Nikolai is forced to go solo until we can find him another credible foreign menace or cheap knock-off fake Russian to help protect him from stinking up the ring too much. Volkoff sings the anthem, but Jones runs out to cut him off. Slick hops on the apron, and now it’s Volkoff attacking from behind! If either man breaks a sweat in this match, I’ll be surprised. Now Volkoff is playing hide the gimmick, and we’ve already had our second “face gets distracted by the manager at ringside” spot in less than 2-minutes. Jones runs hot for a moment before the god-awful “ref blocks you from punching” spot to give control back to Nikolai. Oh, and now we’re at THREE Slick distraction spots. Volkoff takes the slowest trip into the turnbuckle on an Irish whip and hits a baby-soft back breaker for two, with Jones’ feet in the ropes. Volkoff is unaware and celebrates prematurely, allowing SD to roll him up for three at 7:06 (despite flailing so much his shoulders were constantly popping up). SD JONES PINNED NIKOLAI VOLKOFF. The match was total crap, by the way. ZERO STARS

]The Killer Bees vs. Demolition:
Shortly after WrestleMania III, Demolition transitioned from Johnny Valiant to Mr. Fuji, and thank goodness for that. Fuji is not present for this one, so no free shots with the cane. The Bees are just a notch above Powers and Roma on the babyface depth chart; they have no momentum, no TV rivalries, they’re just guys in matching undies with a gimmick and a t-shirt. On paper, this feels like a stepping-stone program to give Demolition some momentum, but with a deep tag team roster, you never know who is next in line if such a conversation comes along.

There’s no real urgency in the opening minutes, so I’m already certain we’re going long for the sake of it. Smash catches Brunzell with a bearhug, but a smack of the ears breaks the hold and the Bees take turns working the arm. Ax gets the tag, and he falls victim to the same strategy of targeting the arm. I guess you can call B. Brian and Jumpin’ Jim “Worker Bees”… yeah, I’m not proud of that joke, either. Blair gets caught in the corner, allowing Demolition to get their first significant offense nearly 8-minutes into the contest. Ax pounding the tar out of people never gets old. Blair gets dumped and Ax doesn’t make it easy for him to get back in the ring. Blair fights through a front face-lock, but Brunzell gets decked before the tag is made. OH NO… NOT A BEARHUG! Blair manages to lay out Smash with a diving forearm but the referee misses the tag thanks to a distraction from Ax. Blair survives another round and FINALLY gets to Brunzell, running wild on both members of Demolition. Blair and Ax fight on the floor while Brunzell handles Smash in the ring. The signature dropkick connects but Ax saves. Heck breaks loose, Ax clobbers Brunzell from behind and illegally covers for three at 13:51. Nothing fancy here, just a standard meat and potatoes tag team match. I honestly expected it to drag on a bit longer. **½

Tito Santana vs. “The Natural” Butch Reed (w/ Slick):
Hey, a match with some TV to explain it being on the card?!If we dig deep in the files, Santana and Reed developed a little bit of bad blood ahead of WrestleMania III as they crossed paths on Superstars and Challenge, then at Mania, Santana came to the aid of Koko B. Ware and tore apart Slick’s gear. I can’t say this feud is doing much to help anyone; Santana’s stock plummeted in 1986 and has stabilized towards the lower tier of the babyface mid-card pecking order, and Reed’s been hanging around for 8-9 months and at no point does it feel like there’s much interest getting behind him (yes, I know where we are going with him in the Summer-Fall, but my feelings at this point remains).

Slick with some schtick while the crowd starts up a “Tito” chant. Finally, a babyface fans are legitimately interested! Well, except for one jackass yelling “boring” as they milk the clock a bit. Lockup into the ropes and Reed complains about the hair being pulled. Slick walks over to the ring announcer and demands the crowd keep it down and stop chanting for Tito (which gets an even louder chant). I applaud the antics, but we’re 5:00 in and we’ve had ONE lockup. I thought the Bees and Demolition were easing into their work, but this beats it by far. Another lockup and some chippy behavior follows. Tito with a slam for the first offensive maneuver of the match (7:00 in) and Reed powders again, and keeps up the trend with Reed coming in to get a shot in, only for Santana to shrug him off and send him back to the floor. Cute spot where Tito gets annoyed by Reed hiding, so he steps off to the apron to prove a point.

Things finally take an interesting turn, as Reed plays “hides the gimmick.” Haven’t we seen that already, TWICE? Maybe Tony Garea should do a better job being an agent (and yes, I’m aware things were done much differently back then, I’m an old geezer too). The referee becomes a distraction and Reed pops Santana with whatever he has concealed in his trunks. The usual stompin’ and choking from Reed, with a running bulldog mixed in for two. Santana counters a hangman’s neck breaker with a back-slide, but Reed is all over him immediately and spikes him with a piledriver for a near-fall, with only a foot on the bottom rope saving the former Intercontinental Champion. A second piledriver is countered and Tito unloads with right hands. Whip to the ropes, Tito ducks a clothesline and comes bouncing back with the flying forearm, but the bell rings at 17:28 for a TIME LIMIT DRAW. Jeez, we need to protect BOTH of these guys right now? We couldn’t let Butch Reed steal one? Started slowly, telegraphing they were going long, but they did work the crowd to fill that time and the match got better as it went along. I just wish we got a result other than the expired time limit. **¾

Paul Roma vs. Shadow #1:
We’re getting the other half of our Road Block Challenge. Not much to say to introduce this one, other than Shadow #1 is Randy Colley, formerly Moondog Rex and the original Smash of Demolition. I suspect this one will follow a similar script as Powers vs. Shadow #2, and sure enough, Roma complains early about the mask. IT’S THE FOURTH MATCH WITH “HIDE THE GIMMICK”. Sweet Zombie Jesus. They do the same basic routine before Shadow powders out. Smash Shadow controls briefly with a test-of-strength, but Roma counters and makes a play for the mask. Shadow gets caught in the ropes, but frees himself in time for Roma to miss a dive and take a spill to the arena floor. The guy recording this is so bored he just hangs on a shot of some fans for a solid 30-seconds. Shadow is doing absolutely NOTHING of interest. Roma with the fired up comeback, unloading with right hands. Whip and a dropkick but Shadow gets a foot on the ropes at two. Roma goes for the mask and the referee does his best Mills Lane in Celebrity Deathmatch imitation. Shadow loads up his mask and knocks Roma into the corner with a headbutt. He charges in for another blow, but Roma avoids the contact. Instead, Shadow whacks his head on the turnbuckle and Roma with a float-over cover for three at 11:10. Practically identical to earlier, but Colley wasn’t trying nearly as hard, but this had a slightly more amusing finish. *¼

Chain Match: Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules:
The Main Event and final match of the card (insert my usual rambling of how the biggest match on the marquee is the Main, not the last match in general). These two fought throughout the year on so many shows that it’s easy to lose track of how long they were paired up on the house show loops, and if I had to make a guess, Hercules won more than he lost, but don’t quote me on it.

Just in case you’re unfamiliar with the gimmick, it’s your standard “attached to each other” scenario, with a strap around each man’s wrist with the chain keeping them about 5-6 feet apart. Unlike some strap matches, this is pin-fall or submission only, not “touch the corners” stuff. Hercules blasts Haynes while the referee is doing the pre-match routine and unloads with chain-assisted punches. The video quality makes it hard to tell, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Billy has bladed, especially with how much he does the “cover the face, fumbling around” act. Whip to the ropes and Hercules with the chain to hit a clothesline. He starts overdoing it with the showboating and gets the chain caught between his legs to humble him. Billy Jerk charges out of the corner with a clothesline and now it’s his turn to dish out the punishment with the chain, busting open Hercules now (or so it appears). Haynes’ comeback is cut off with a sweep of the legs and Hercules with the laziest stack-up cover with feet on the ropes for the three-count at 6:24. THAT WAS THE BEST THEY COULD DO?! Post-match, Haynes continues to serve some hard time to Hercules, locking him in a Full Nelson while shrugging off assists from Shadow Colley, Jim Powers and SD Jones to restore order. I liked that they didn’t overstay their welcome with the gimmick and kept it simple, but that ending… I’m sorry, that was rough to look at. **½

Strength of Card: Well, it’s a C-Show, so automatically we’re playing with a mid-tier lineup at best. Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules and Tito Santana vs. Butch Reed are the only matches with another television presence (and you could argue one hasn’t been a factor on TV) with the prelims stretched thin with the old “split the teams” trick to add an extra match to the card. Not a very good card, but we’ve seen much worse, especially for the Johnstown stops that are available. Grade: C

Highs: If you’re looking for a ton of snowflakes, you’re not going to find them here, but there are a few decent matches that I’m sure were enjoyable for the live crowd. Tito Santana was over like rover despite being low on the mid-card depth chart, and the Main Event delivered exactly what it needed considering the quality of workers and the gimmick involved. The Bees vs. Demolition started slowly, but picked up nicely to be a perfectly fine affair, and one of the earliest appearances of Bam Bam Bigelow in a WWF ring, that’s something.

Lows: Four of the Seven matches featured heels doing the “HIDE THE GIMMICK” routine. Had they kept it to the matches with the Shadows, with the second one paying off the “things backfire” finish, this wouldn’t be a negative, but did Volkoff vs SD and Tito vs Butch Reed need the schtick as well? Also, some really uninspired finishes. A Time Limit Draw for one and the weakest, softest roll-up for the Main Event.

Final Thoughts: Overall, a very hit-and-miss lineup. The good wasn’t THAT good, but it was all the stuff near the top of the card, which is far more reasonable than a bunch of matches on top being miserable with a few prelim matches making up for it in quality. Other than Bam Bam’s appearance on the card, there’s not much else that is worth going out of your way to see. Tito/Reed, Haynes/Hercules, Bees/Demolition… even Roma & Powers/Shadows, have been done for TV audiences and available from legitimate broadcasts or home video releases of the time. This was a mostly inoffensive 90-minutes, but there’s not enough for me to say it’s a show worth hunting down. Final Grade: C-

Thank you for giving up your time to check out these recaps and feel free to leave a comment, whether it’s something I may have missed when talking about the time period or if anyone wants to chat about Spring-Summer 1987.