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The SmarK Rant for Pro Wrestling This Week – 05.23.87

By Scott Keith on 16 September 2024

The SmarK Rant for Pro Wrestling This Week – 05.23.87

Your hosts are Gordon Solie & Joe Pedicino

The BIG NEWS this week is that Nick Bockwinkel has lost the AWA World title to Curt Hennig at SuperClash 2, but Stanley Blackburn immediately held up the title, with the intention being to return it to Bockwinkel after some house show rematches. But then Vince McMahon stepped in and made Hennig a big money offer to jump ship, and Curt brought it to Verne Gagne and demanded the title, or else. So Blackburn magically dropped his objections and Hennig went on to reign for a year. We take a look at the finish to the title match, with Hennig getting a roll of coin from Larry Zbyszko and knocking Bockwinkel out cold for the title, at which point the crowd EXPLODES in delight for Hennig finally winning the World title. So Joe and Gordon begrudgingly congratulate the new champion, since there was no conclusive proof of wrongdoing.

To the WWF this week…

Jim Duggan v. Dave Barbie

Duggan slugs away in the corner and hits the guy with a biel, then slams him and puts him away with the three point stance.

Off to Memphis…

Mark Starr v. Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond

Starr is tag champs with Steve Keirn, but Steve is a no-show, so Mark takes on the heels by himself and it goes badly for him, as he gets double-teamed and hit with a DDT on the floor. Back in the ring, Diamond drops an elbow and pins him to win the titles.

The episode kind of jumps around at this point, skipping to a bit of Boni Blackstone’s letters page gimmick, and then we get a commercial for a Von Erich interview video hosted by the Von Erichs, talking about David and Mike’s deaths as Fritz tries to cash in already. I know, perish the thought, right?

Off to Continental now…

Scott Casey v. Gene Hart

Casey works a headlock and slugs Hart down with a forearm, and then puts him down with a clothesline to finish.

Off to the UWF…

Terry Taylor v. Chris Adams

So the former tag team champs have finally split up but agreed to be friends, and we join this one with Adams colliding with the referee and landing on the floor. So Taylor checks on the ref and then goes out and attacks his supposed friend, piledriving him on the floor to establish that, no, there is no clean breakup here. And Taylor wins by countout to kick off that feud.

Michael Hayes joins us with the question of the week: What is his opinion on the difference between UWF and NWA promotions? Well, he’ll answer that question…next week. What a heel.

Mat Classic: The Cuban Assassin & Barrabas v. Sandy Scott & Tom Stanton

We are back in Calgary in the 70s for this one, although Cuban Assassin looks the same as he did the 80s and 90s. Joined with the Cuban holding an armbar on Stanton, but Sandy Scott gets the hot tag and backdrops the Cuban before quickly running into the corner by mistake, and the Assassin puts him away with a kneedrop. Well that was a fairly random “mat classic”.

Bill Apter joins us to talk about the death of Mike Von Erich, but first it’s the WWF Top 10…

  1. Hulk Hogan
  2. Ricky Steamboat
  3. Randy Savage
  4. Harley Race
  5. Hercules Hernandez
  6. Billy Jack Haynes
  7. Hacksaw Duggan
  8. Ken Patera
  9. Butch Reed
  10. Koko B. Ware

And now, the Top 10 tag teams!

  1. The Outrunners
  2. Rick Rude & Manny Fernandez
  3. The Hart Foundation
  4. The Can-Am Connection
  5. The Midnight Rockers
  6. The Superpowers
  7. The Lightning Express
  8. The Midnight Express
  9. The Fantastics
  10. The Mod Squad

And Bill talks about the death of Mike, and how the brothers are inspired to come back bigger and better from the tragedy. Yeah about that.

Over to something called Big Time Wrestling, which I guess is Portland.

We join things with Mike Miller and Art Crews double-teaming Coco Samoa and going after his leg, but Rip Oliver comes out to help and Miller turns on him, and then turns on Crews as well to apparently turn babyface and leave a heel group called The Clan. Probably wise. So we join Miller, as he talks about how he felt sorry for Samoa getting his leg injured by his fellow heels, because he suffered from a series of knee injuries and understands the man’s pain. And now he can go home and get a good night’s sleep, which Oliver can’t.

Time for the NWA…

Jimmy Garvin v. Johnny Ace

Garvin controls with a slam and chops him in the corner, but Johnny comes back with his own chops and then misses a blind charge. Garvin with a snapmare and he goes to a chinlock before backdropping Ace and finishing with the brainbuster. This was shortly after Garvin’s babyface turn against Ric Flair over a mink coat given to Precious. So after the match, Garvin accuses Flair of being an “Indian giver” and puts over all the babyfaces so we know where’s going.

Over to POWW….

Genie Beret v. Bam Bam

Interesting that this is still identified as being part of the WWA promotion in Indianapolis. I’m curious how exactly that worked once POWW got their own syndication deal. Beret gets a northern lights suplex for two and a big splash for two, but Bam Bam makes a comeback with a suplex and then takes her to the top,ut Beret blocks a superplex and then pulls a foreign object out of her fatigues and hits her in the throat for the pin. This was basically a normal US-style women’s match, totally unlike the cartoonish GLOW matches and finishes.

And this week’s prestigious Wrestler of the Week can only be one man: CURT HENNIG. So we watch the finish to that match again and wrap it up. Also hilarious that they’re acting like Hennig is a vile heel while there are literally people JUMPING UP AND DOWN with happiness in the front row. Verne Gagne certainly had his finger on the pulse of the wrestling fan.