The SmarK Rant for WWF Wrestling at the Chase – 01.21.84

The SmarK Rant for WWF Wrestling at the Chase – 01.21.84

Not sure why the Jan 14 episode was skipped. Anyway, two days away from wrestling history changing forever.

Taped from St. Louis, MO

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Mean Gene

Ivan Putski v. Tiger Chung Lee

Gene is also doing ring announcing this week, I see. Tiger attacks with his EVIL FOREIGN STICK to start and chokes him out before going to the dreaded ASIAN TITTY TWISTER. Truly we are witnessing a wrestling revolution. Ivan slugs out of that and backdrops him out of the ring, but Lee gets a cheapshot and beats on Putski’s back with the clubbing forearms. Putski slugs back, but Lee waits until Ivan’s back is turned and kicks him in the back for two. Putski goes to the chinlock as this throwback to the 70s drags on and then he grinds a headlock on Lee until Tiger escapes with an atomic drop. Lee goes to work with more chops and goes to another nerve pinch as this thing is dragging on longer than a Roman Reigns entrance. Putski finally headbutts out of that, but Lee chokes him out on the ropes. Putski comes back again, but Lee cuts him off with a chop to the throat and we slow it right down again. Another chop gets two and Lee goes to ANOTHER nerve pinch. Finally Putski makes the big comeback and puts the boots to Lee before going to…a chinlock. And then Lee cuts him off AGAIN with a chop to the throat, before going to the top. Putski thankfully slams him off and makes the comeback for real, but Mr. Fuji runs in for the DQ at 12:00. An absolutely awful opener which felt like it was from a completely different era.

Dick Murdoch v. Tony Atlas

Atlas is working barefoot here for some reason. Atlas works a headlock to start while Adrian Adonis watches at ringside while Gene keeps trying to rebrand this show as “The Superstars of Wrestling”. Like that’ll stick. Murdoch puts him down with an elbow, but Atlas sends him running with a headbutt and Gene is already demanding that Katie bar the door. Hey now, let’s at least wait until later in the match before we say anything we can’t take back. Back in the ring, Atlas decides to go after Adonis and then changes his mind and heads back to the dressing room to retrieve Rocky Johnson and even up the sides. But Murdoch takes over with a cheapshot anyway. Atlas gets another headbutt and Murdoch is taking really good bumps off Tony’s stuff, and he drops a knee on Atlas. Atlas comes back with a backdrop, but Adonis runs in for the DQ at 4:20 and KATIE BAR THE DOOR it’s a pier six brawl! See, I told you they should have waited. Decent match with a crap ending.

Mil Mascaras v. Bobby Colt

Mascaras takes him down with a leglock and offers a show of sportsmanship, before going to a test of strength. They trade bridges off that and Mascaras wraps him up in a bodyscissors and then takes him down with a headscissors. Colt bails to the floor and then comes back in with a chinlock, but Mascaras quickly reverses out of that and hits the flying forearm before submitting him with a modified abdominal stretch at 3:30.

Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas join Mean Gene, and they’re happy to give Murdoch & Adonis a title match because “they’re not cheese champions”. Tony is like “I came here only to rassle” and Gene is like “OK then moving on”. Roddy Piper and John Studd are up next and Piper does an epic coked up promo in his 30 seconds. Masked Superstar wants that big Hulk goof. Dr. D promises that he’d whoop Andre the giant right now if he showed up, so Andre shows up and David runs for his life.

Hulk Hogan v. Gilbert Guerrero

Gilbert rakes the face to start and beats on Hulk in the corner, but Hulk is already hulking up and hits him with a back elbow in the corner before dropping an elbow on him. The Axe Bomber follows and he drops the leg and pins him at 1:00. Great squash for Hulk and the crowd was losing their minds.

Dr. D David Schultz v. Jose Martinez

Dr. D takes him down with a snapmare and works the neck before hitting a couple of slams and sending him to the floor for some vocal abuse from Piper. Back in, Dr. D takes him down and beats on him further, and then hits a back elbow before finishing with a tombstone and then a series of slams and a flying elbow at 3:30. Still a shame that Dr. D got cancelled because he fit in tremendously.

VICTORY CORNER! WITH SPECIAL GUEST HULK HOGAN!

Usual “I’m happy to be back and face competition” promo from Hulk here.

Andre the Giant v. Jeff Craigs & Pat Hutchinson

This doesn’t last long as Andre puts one of the geeks down with a big boot and then slams the other guy on his partner, and sits on them both for the pin at 0:55.

The opener was a drag but the rest of this was a really fun show!