pro wrestling this week
Rants

The SmarK Rant for Pro Wrestling This Week – 04.11.87

By Scott Keith on 22 June 2024

The SmarK Rant for Pro Wrestling This Week – 04.11.87

Well, the playlist skips the WM3 recap episode for some reason.

Your hosts are Gordon Solie & Joe Pedicino, and this is America’s most unique wrestling show! Bold claim. GLOW was pretty unique, you know.

Off to Continental to start!

Rip Rogers v. Mr. Wrestling II

Really, Wrestling II was still around in 1987? Wrestling II works a headlock, but Rip uses the distraction of his valet and beats II down with forearms. I would remiss in not mentioning color commentor Yuri Gordiyenko, who is a manager of some kind that sounds like Paul Heyman trying to be Russian. Wonderfully cheesy. Wrestling II comes back with a sleeper, but the valet interferes again, and this time hits Rip with a gimmick by mistake and II gets the pin.

Over to Portland…

Coco Samoa v. Vinnie Valentino

We’re joined with them trading near-falls as the announcers note that Valentino is “still considered a rookie in the world of pro wrestling”. The guy who was doing jobs in Mid-South in 1982? THAT Vinnie Valentino? They trade bodypreses and Vinnie gets two, so Coco dives in with an attempt at a small package and can’t get Vinnie over, as Vinnie kind of falls over on top of him and they’re kind of at a loss for what to do. Someone must be hurt because Coco very quickly finishes him off with a bodypress to go home.

Coming this weekend: The Crockett Cup! And we have big news leading into the tournament, as the Fabulous Ones have broken up due to Mama Cornette firing Dennis Condrey and buying the services of “Sweet” Stan Lane to replace him. Hopefully that new Lane & Eaton team can work.

Ken Timbs & Porkchop Cash v. Bart Batten & Rick McCord

This can only be Central States with THAT lineup. Joined with Cash and Timbs double-teaming Batten, but Timbs misses the flying fist and McCord gets the hot tag and runs wild. Nothing like Rick McCord to fire up a crowd! We actually take a break from this hot Australian rules tag team action and return with McCord slugging away on Porkchop, really tenderizing him. Everyone slugs it out on the floor and fights to the back and it’s a double countout. This territory, with the dregs of Crockett’s leftovers after the buyout, was just so dreadfully dull.

Bill Apter joins us with TOP 10 WOMEN for the week, dedicated to a very young Miss Peacockery.

  1. Sherri Martel
  2. Misty Blue Simmes
  3. Wendi Richter
  4. Leilani Kai
  5. Linda Dallas
  6. Fabulous Moolah
  7. Candi Devine
  8. Mad Dog Debbie
  9. Tracy Richards
  10. Despina Montegas

Why no love for GLOW or POWW in these things? There’s literally entire promotions dedicated to women’s wrestling in 1987 and they’ve got whoever “Mad Dog Debbie” is thrown in there without even a thought for Ninotchka!

WCW Top 10

Oh no…did someone say WCW Top 10?!?

Disclaimer:

WCW Top 10 is a financial investment service that operates with no guarantees of success or reliability. Investments made through WCW Top 10 are speculative and may result in significant financial loss. We strongly advise all potential investors to conduct thorough research and consult with a certified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. WCW Top 10 does not provide personalized investment advice, and all information provided is for informational purposes only. We do not endorse any specific investment opportunities and disclaim any responsibility for the outcomes of investments made based on our recommendations. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investing in financial markets involves inherent risks, including but not limited to the risk of loss of capital. WCW Top 10 is not registered with any regulatory authority and operates independently. By using our service, you acknowledge and agree to these terms and conditions.

  1. Nikita Koloff
  2. Tully Blanchard
  3. Lex Luger
  4. Dusty Rhodes
  5. Barry Windham
  6. Jimmy Garvin
  7. Arn Anderson
  8. Ronnie Garvin
  9. Ole Anderson
  10. Tim Horner

And then we get a special treat, as Craig Peters joins Bill and they discuss the retirement of Rowdy Roddy Piper, who famously retired in 1987 and never was seen in wrestling ever again. I feel like he could have had another good run in him if he had continued on, maybe won the IC title or something. Godspeed, Roddy Piper!

Dammit apparently last week’s PWI segment had an April Fool’s ratings list and I missed it.

The Iron Sheik v. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Yup, we’re getting more WWF Superstars footage on this show, joined with Sheik tossing Duggan out of the ring for a sneak attack by Volkoff, and the heels double-team Duggan for the DQ as poor Jim has no friends to save him. So later in the show, Volkoff does a squash against Rick Hunter and decides to sing the Russian anthem because Duggan is gone, but he only gets a few bars out before Duggan hits the ring with his 2×4 and his face all bandaged up and bloodied, and he chases them away again lest they be allowed to exercise their First Amendment rights. How dare they!

Also Ken Patera is on his way back, and we get a snippet of the video package recapping his career.

International match of the week: Mil Mascaras & The Invaders v. Dory & Terry Funk & Ron Starr

Gordon notes that a lot of people were wondering about the whereabouts of Mascaras, but he’s alive and well! Yeah well hanging around Invader #1 is a great way for that to change. The Funks double-team Senior Stabby with chinlocks but Mascaras quickly gets the tag and gets into a slugfest with Dory as it’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA and the ref calls for the bell.

Over to World Class…

Eric Embry v. Rick Dubois

Joined with Embry working on the arm with kneedrops, but Debois backdrops him into the corner and holds a wristlock while Embry jumps over the top rope a few times to escape. Embry with a cheapshot and he hits Dubois with a flying headbutt and piledrives him to finish. Weird seeing Embry before he transformed himself into the most unlikely top babyface in territory history.

The Fantastics discuss their top contenders with Gary Hart, naming the Rock N Roll RPMs as the top contenders to their titles, although they would defend against the Von Erichs if they wanted a title shot. Gary was playing it straight here and asking pretty good questions.

AWA time! I gotta start plowing through THOSE shows on the KrisP drive someday, too. That’ll probably replace ECW once it’s done with.

Curt Hennig v. Tom Rocky Stone

Curt was only a top contender to the AWA World title at this point, although he’d win it soon after this. Stone gets some offense on Hennig and tosses him, but Curt comes back in and fires up with a dropkick before slamming him and following with an atomic drop. The Axe Attack sets up the fisherman’s suplex to finish. Hennig was still getting huge babyface pops from the crowd but turning him heel was the right play when he won the belt.

Off to Deep South…

Mike Golden & The Nightmares v. Grizzly Boone, Ranger Ross & John Michaels

Well this is certainly a collection of people. Joined with Michaels getting worked over by the heels, but Boone gets a tag and it’s quickly a PIER SIX BRAWL and Boone catches Golden with an ugly spinebuster for the pin. Mike Golden looks like if Horace Bolder was trying to be Ric Flair. That’s certainly a look.

To the UWF!

TV title: Eddie Gilbert v. Savannah Jack

Jack threatens Gilbert with a superkick and Eddie bails to the ropes to escape and then loses a slugfest. That gets two for Jack. Jack with a press slam for two but Iceman Parsons runs in for the DQ and attacks Jack. So I didn’t realize, but Jack barely even had a career, starting in 1986 and leaving the sport due to heart problems caused by steroid abuse, at the end of this month in fact, after doing jobs for Iceman on the way out.

Michael Hayes joins us with PS Rumors, like “Dark Journey is on the way back from injury” and the new Freebird album is hot fire.

Mat Classic: Ivan Kalmikoff & Al Costello v. Eduardo Carpentier & Dominic Denucci

This is the third fall of a match that was started on the last show I reviewed. Joined with the babyfaces making the big comeback, with Carpentier flying all over the ring and giving Ivan a Giant Swing and somersault senton into a jackknife pin for the win.

And we go to Memphis to wrap things up this week…

Jonathan Boyd v. The Masked Patriot

We’re at the Mid-South Coliseum with the Patriot working on the leg, but Boyd uses a foreign object to knock him out for the pin.

And unfortunately the show cuts off before we find out the recipient of this week’s Wrestler of the Week award, but I feel pretty confident in awarding it to Invader #2 for not murdering Bruiser Brody. Congratulations!