The SmarK Rant for WWF Championship Wrestling – 03.24.84

The SmarK Rant for WWF Championship Wrestling – 03.24.84

Taped from Allentown, PA

Your hosts are Mean Gene and his disgusting boss.

Intercontinental champion Tito Santana v. Tony Russo

So this is the New York version of the show, because Finkel’s voiceover hypes up the card “tomorrow night” in MSG, March 25.

My review of the show: https://www.blogofdoom.com/2021/10/25/the-smark-rant-for-wwe-network-old-school-msg-03-25-84/

Tito works the headlock on the mat but Russo gets a nice monkey flip and Tito reverses that into a rollup. Back to the headlock, but Russo fights out, so Tito puts him away with the flying forearm at 3:31. That was a nice forearm.

Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff v. Johnny Ringo

Obviously the jobber is a big fan of Old West history. Orndorff takes the big fella down and rides him aggressively while some guy in the crowd gets WAY too excited about it. I bet that guy keeps Deliverance cued up to a certain point and ready to go. Orndorff with the facelock and Roddy Piper is disgusted at the lack of fight from Ringo, so Paul dumps him to the floor and then back in for a clothesline. Piledriver finishes at 2:54 and the jobber looked like he had never taken a piledriver in his life. Kudos to Orndorff for not only getting that man-baby up for the move effortlessly, but delivering it 100% safely while the jobber was terrified. But Ringo had a good wrestling name and had a pretty sweet hat, you have to give him that.

UPDATE! WITH THE RAPIST!

Apparently there’s a disease running wild through the WWF, more contagious than the common cold, and it’s called HULKAMANIA. Well I certainly feel updated.

Sgt. Slaughter v. Ron Shaw

Sarge beats on Ron in the corner after the refusal of his handshake, and Sarge slams him and drops a knee before hitting him with a backbreaker. Sarge goes up with the Slaughter Cannon and finishes with the Cobra Clutch at 2:12.

Meanwhile, Mean Gene runs down the MSG card, including the awesome chaotic Andre & Snuka v. Dr. D & Roddy Piper main event. Overall it was a good show but the series of non-finishes in all the matches were brutal.

Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson v. Israel Matia & Charlie Fulton

Johnson’s kid is sitting at ringside watching the match, although it’s not pointed out by the announcers. I heard Dusty Rhodes had already promised that seat to his own kid but Rocky’s kid stole it. Rocky wins a test of strength with Matia, although Matia comes back with shoulderblocks before walking into a slam. Meanwhile the announcers discuss upcoming contenders to Fabulous Moolah, with the consensus being that Velvet McIntyre is the only choice to knock her off. Interesting that Wendi Richter was not even a discussion at this point. Atlas comes in and presses Matia into a splash to finish at 2:45. I bet the kid at ringside was thinking he’d like to return to Pennsylvania to headline a big wrestling show someday.

Piper’s Pit with The Iron Sheik. Piper apologizes to the Sheik on behalf of America for all the disrespect paid to him, so Sheik tells Piper to go down to the dealership and buy any car he wants and it’s on Iran!

Dr. D David Schultz v. Steve Lombardi

Dr. D puts him down with a clothesline and beats on him in the corner. David slams him and goes up with the flying elbow and that gets the pin.

Bob Backlund v. Tiger Chung Lee

They trade takedowns to start and do a cool little sequence of reversals, but Bob goes to the arm and cranks on that. Lee takes him down with a headlock and Bob powers out with a bridge and into the backslide for the pin at 4:08. I’ve literally never seen that pinfall reversal deal lead to an actual pin before. Bob is so happy that he invites some kids in the ring and does neck bridges for them. That is actually insane. Backlund was a freak of nature with that stuff.

Meanwhile, we get words (and song) from Ivan Putski and the Iron Sheik in advance of a Nassau Coliseum show on April 6.

Iron Mike Sharpe v. Victor Mercado

Sharpe immediately beats on Mercado with his forearm guard and tosses him for some abuse out there before putting the boots to him in the ring. More forearms in the corner, but he misses a charge and Victor comes back with a dropkick. But then he’s got no followup and Mike beats him down with the forearms again before dragging him to the floor and ramming him into the ringside table. Back in, Sharpe pummels him with another forearm shot and pins him at 2:50. There you go, Sharpe wins a match on WWF TV.

NEXT WEEK: Rowdy Roddy Piper v. SD Jones!