The SmarK Rant for WWF Championship Wrestling – 08.23.86

The SmarK Rant for WWF Championship Wrestling – 08.23.86

Originally written 02.07.26

Taped from Poughkeepsie, NY on 08.05.86

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Bruno Sammartino

The British Bulldogs v. The Gladiator & Iron Mike Sharpe

I always find it funny when they do the TV tapings and Rick Hunter has to work multiple times under the two different identities. Davey Boy and Iron Mike have a power battle to start and criss-cross into a dropkick from Sharpe that misses. So the Bulldogs go to work on him in the corner, beating on the arm, but luckily not the severely injured right arm with the brace on it. They’re not monsters. Over to the Gladiator while we get an inset promo from the Dream Team, who are admittedly very disgruntled and openly admitting it. To be fair they beat the Bulldogs a lot of times before dropping the titles in the last match. Dynamite with a snap suplex and Davey takes him down with a neck vice, but we’re back to Sharpe again, as Davey gets a bodypress for two. Back to Gladiator and Smith powerslams and pins him at 3:25. Interesting how they were already getting that powerslam over as a finishing move by itself, and indeed once Davey went solo for good we all knew that it was his finisher and it was already credible.

UPDATE! WITH MEAN GENE OKERLUND!

Gene’s topic is once again the Machines, and we get clips of Bobby on the TNT show making his baseless accusations about them being Andre and his stooge. But don’t worry, King Kong Bundy will be ripping the masks off their face and proving it. Oddly there’s no background gag to end the segment this week.

Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy v. Jimmy Jackson & Tony Garea

Poor Garea has been all over the shows for the past few weeks in an enhancement role. Studd whips Garea around to start, but he tries a sunset flip on Studd and John won’t go down. So it’s over to Jackson, who throws dropkicks on Bundy with absolutely no effect, and we get an inset from Superstar Billy Graham, who is wandering the desert and doing a bunch of drugs more than likely. Studd beats on Jackson in the corner and works the arm, and Bundy comes in with the Avalanche to finish at 2:35. Well the tease of them breaking up under George Scott is definitely in the past. The Machines feud was bigger money anyway.

The Rougeaus v. Mr. X & Les Thornton

The Rougeaus really needed better gear, as they were just using plain red trunks and black boots. Once they really leaned into the Quebec styling it was a huge improvement. Raymond hits Thornton with a shot to the gut and Jacques comes in with a sunset flip for two while he’s bent over. The heels work on Jacques in the corner, and Jacques misses a bodypress on X, allowing them to continue getting the heat on him. Les with a knee to the back for two. X misses a splash and it’s hot tag Raymond, who hits X with a superkick and follows with a powerslam. And Jacques goes up to finish with the Rougeau Bomb at 3:45.

Rowdy Roddy Piper v. AJ Petrucci

Oh man I’ve been waiting forever for this one. So Piper is back as a babyface after confronting Adonis last week, and the crowd is instantly going crazy for him. So AJ slaps him around, and Roddy offers to wrestle him with one hand behind his back. And then he proceeds to do just that, beating him down and running him into the corner before putting the boots to him and then taking him down with a one-handed snapmare. AJ bails to the floor to escape and Piper follows, still with one hand behind his back, and tosses him into the timekeeper’s table. Back in, Piper blocks all of AJ’s punches with one hand and smacks him down to teach him a lesson, then waffles him with a chop and finally pulls out his hand for a double axehandle to finish at 2:25, pinning him with one foot. This was awesome and Piper was never going to be a heel again after this.

The Flower Shop with special guests Sheik & Volkoff. But then Roddy Piper immediately interrupts and makes another challenge to Adonis, but not before making a rather racist remark to Slick. Slick: “You better be glad that I’m a church member!”

Tito Santana & Pedro Morales v. The Moondogs

Pedro with a shot to the gut and backdrop on Rex, and they hit him with a double elbow while we get an inset from incoming babyface sensation The Honky Tonk Man and I have no idea how anyone thought people would like this guy. Rex misses a running knee and hits the corner, and Tito gets the figure-four, but Spot breaks it up to save. It’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA and Tito hits Rex with the flying forearm and pins him at 3:00.

Magnificent Muraco v. Bob Bradley

Muraco was really starting to bulk up here and even Vince notices. Probably why he got the singles push in 87. Bradley tries a headlock and grinds on that, but Muraco kicks him in the knee and throws him out. And we get an inset from Bobby Heenan, who announces that next week he’s going to inspect the Machines on the Flower Shop and prove that it’s Andre the Giant. Bruno is skeptical. Muraco with a dropkick, but Bradley fights back, so Muraco takes him down with the falling Ivan Koloff kneedrop for two. Muraco with a shoulderbreaker and he beats Bob down in the corner and gets a powerslam for two before picking him up. And the tombstone finishes at 4:49. Rather longer squash for Muraco than usual this week. Vince thinks that piledrivers should be outlawed in the WWF. Well maybe someday you’ll own it and you can make those decisions, Vince! Until then, ask Jack Tunney like everyone else.

NEXT WEEK: It’s the final episode of Championship Wrestling with the Machines, JYD & George Steele, The American Express, Jimmy Jack Funk v. Dick Slater and something with Harley Race!