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The SmarK Rant for Pro Wrestling This Week – 12.06.86

By Scott Keith on 17 April 2024

The SmarK Rant for Pro Wrestling This Week – 12.06.86

The YouTube playlist I’m using jumps ahead a month after that first episode I reviewed last week, taking us into December of 86

Your hosts are Gordon Solie & Joe Pedicino

Starting out this week in Calgary…

Ben Bassarab v. The Viet Cong Express

This was supposed to be a tag match with Owen Hart, but Owen got attacked and sent to hospital, so Bassarab decided to take them on by himself. Joined with the VC double-teaming him, but Ben hits #2 with a clothesline out of the corner. So #1 comes in and beats on Bassarab with kicks, but Ben gets a sunset flip for two. So they get a kendo stick and double-team Ben with that, but he hits them with a double dropkick and then gets the stick himself, beating on them and drawing a DQ at 2:11.

Next up, WWC in Puerto Rico…

Invader #1 joins Joe Pedicino, as Joe awards him with a plaque for “Most Impressive Murder of a Top Star”. Although to be fair, it was only 1986 so he hadn’t yet killed Bruiser Brody and gotten away with it. But no, it was actually just a Wrestler of the Month award from WWC. But back at the studio, Joe teases bad things that happen to Invader on next week’s show. Oh, did he get arrested for Brody’s murder and face justice? Because that would be pretty rough for him.

Jason the Terrible v. Charlie Camper

Still in WWC for this one, and I’m not sure who was under the mask for Jason here because I don’t think it was Butch Moffat, the one who would soon make the role famous in Stampede. Jason quickly stomps Camper down and finishes with a body vice at 1:00.

Next up, Deep South in Georgia…

The Assassin is waiting to do a squash, but Tommy Rich confronts him and challenges him to a tag match right there. So Assassin and Dirty Rhodes attack Tommy, but Grizzly Boone makes the save and manages to unmask the Assassin before Rhodes covers him up and pulls him out of the ring. Boone was apparently a guy doing a mountain man gimmick and his career was as uninteresting as you’d expect.

Michael Hayes joins us with “PS Rumors”, as he talks about all the mail pouring in demanding more coverage on the UWF! So Pedicino obliges with a report on the Superdome show and a news item about John Tatum getting involved in a nasty car wreck.

Sting v. Steve Williams

This is a part of the famous PWI $100,000 tournament from that one cover, as we’re joined with young Sting dropping an elbow on Dr. Death for two. Sting goes up with a flying splash and hits the knees, and Doc makes the comeback and puts him down with a hooking clothesline for two. Doc with the Stampede, but Missy Hyatt takes the ref, and then Doc gets the pin anyway at 1:39 shown. Odd finish.

Off to Memphis now…

The Rock N Roll RPMs v. Keith Erick & David Razer

The RPMs are of course the latest attempt to make a heartthrob babyface team in the south, comprised of Tommy Lane and Mike Davis. The RPMs hit Erick with dropkicks and hiptosses, and Lane clotheslines him for two. Over to Razer, who can barely go up for a double slam because he appears to be in his first match, and he gets pinned at 1:58.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated This Week! With Bill Apter!

First up, the Top 10 WWF ratings for the week:

  1. Hulk Hogan
  2. Randy Savage
  3. Paul Orndorff
  4. Jake Roberts
  5. Hercules Hernandez
  6. Rowdy Roddy Piper
  7. Tito Santana
  8. Magnificent Muraco
  9. Harley Race
  10. Dick Slater

And then the Top 10 Most Hated!

  1. Randy Savage
  2. Ric Flair
  3. Paul Orndorff
  4. DeBeers
  5. Brian Adias
  6. Jake Roberts
  7. Eddie Gilbert
  8. Tully Blanchard
  9. Abdullah the Butcher
  10. Terry Gordy

Solid choices all around.

Also Bill is disgusted by Col DeBeers preaching apartheid to the youth of America. And Bill is all worked up about DeBeers claiming that black men and immigrants have no place in the US. Maybe DeBeers should have run for President.

Off to World Class…

Joe runs down the Thanksgiving Spectacular, as Fritz Von Erich comes out of retirement…again…and beats Abdullah the Butcher. And we get footage of Al Madril returning to the company and joining up with Von Erich turncoat Brian Adias, laying the badmouth on recovering Kerry Von Erich and then attacking him and smashing the crutch into Kerry’s ankle.

To Portland…

The Masked Assassin v. Rip Oliver

Different Assassin than the previous and more famous one we saw in this show. Oliver beats on the Assassin and puts him down with a shot from his loaded armpad, but Assassin, who is a rare masked babyface Assassin, comes back and slugs Rip down before beating on him with chops and tossing him over the top. They fight on the floor and fight to a double countout at 2:00 shown.

Ring Report: NWA Starrcade 86

Joe Pedicino runs down the results of Starrcade, and then Joe talked to the Road Warriors after the match. Man, Pedicino got some impressive credentials from all these promotions. Hawk reveals that he tasted Dennis Condrey’s blood when he sucked it fresh from his bleeding forehead. Well isn’t that special.

Next up, we go to Continental…

Kevin Sullivan discusses his issues with the Armstrongs, which will lead to a best of 7 series between Kevin and young Steve Armstrong, with the winner getting $100,000. Sullivan relates a story about Calcutta rulers judging criminals by digging a pit and putting a pole in the middle. If you can climb out of the pit using the pole, you are judged innocent, and the person left in the pit is stoned to death and his severed digits paraded through the city as a warning to all. I don’t think he’s being entirely truthful about the local customs there. But now I wanna Google it and find out. See, wrestling can be fun AND educational!

Ring Report: WWF

Andre the Giant is ready to return to the WWF! Bobby Heenan owns the contract of Hercules, who lost to Hulk Hogan in the main event of SNME! Also Adrian Adonis returned on Piper’s Pit and attacked Roddy before putting him out with a sleeper!

Mat Classic: The Sheik v. Sam Schell

This is supposedly 1963, but it’s color footage from Big Time Wrestling and I think it’s more accurately 1973 or later because there’s zero wrestling broadcasts in color from that time period. Plus I don’t think the Sheik bought the Big Time Wrestling promotion until the mid-60s or so. Sheik uses his various cheating tactics and beats on Schell with forearms before finishing with the camel clutch.

To the AWA, as Donna Gagne runs down the news of the week, like Sherri Martel demanding to be ranked in the Top 10 Sexiest Women in America list just released. Also Greg Gagne should be on the Wheaties box due to his clean cut image. That’ll be the day when the AWA does a show based on cereal!

And we wrap it up with Ben Bassarab as the Wrestler of the Week for his brave performance 1-on-2 earlier in the show, although he lost by DQ so I don’t think he should have won the award. I mean, still a better choice than Invader #1 at least.

This show continues to rule.