10th

ROH TV–June 10th

11th June 2015 by Scott Keith

Ring of Honor returns for its second episode on Destination America with a Tag team Title match as the scheduled main event, Dalton Castle vs Jushin “Thunder” Liger, and the Bullet Club continuing their feud with the Kingdom.  Last week was something of an underwhelming premiere so here’s hoping this week is an improvement.

Before we dive into our opening contest however, some fun facts you may or may not know about reDRagon’s dominating the tag scene in ROH for the last 2+ years. 
 

-On March 2nd, 2013 Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly became the ROH tag team champions for the first time by defeating the Briscoe Brothers.

-They lost these titles 147 days later to the Forever Hooligans.  They would regain the gold just 14 days later by defeating the American Wolves.

-Their Second Reign lasted 203 days until reDRagon were defeated by the Young Bucks on March 8th 2014.  This match was voted by fans as the best ROH match of 2014

-The Bucks lost the titles in their first defense back to reDRagon on May 17th of 2014

-reDRagon’s third reign lasted an astounding 322 days.

-All together, These three reigns add up to 633 days with a combined 28 defenses, second all time to the Briscoes in all categories (8 reigns, 807 days, 36 defenses).

-Between March 8th 2013 and April 4th 2015 no team successfully defended ROH tag gold except for reDRagon.  Fish and O’Reilly were champions for all but 84 days in that same time period.

-Then the Addiction beat them with the help of a returning Chris Sabin, leaving O’Reilly a bloody mess

With that history lesson concluded, let’s get to it!

-The show opens with a pretaped message from The Addiction telling reDRagon to be careful what they wish for.  They got a rematch, “but when you pray for the rain, you have to deal with the mud”.  Daniels asks reDRagon “you saw what we’d do to win these titles–what do you think we’ll do to keep them.

-We go “live” to the arena where Kevin Kelly informs us that Bobby Fish has been attacked outside the Arena.  The Addiction hits the Ring and they have breaking news, Bobby Fish hasn’t been medically cleared to compete tonight (Kelly vehemently believes the Addiction had something to do with that).  The Addiction is signed to defend their title against O’Reilly and Fish, not O’Reilly and a suitable replacement–So reDRagon can come out and fight right now, or they can forfeit and go to the back of the line and wrestle teams like the Mulkeys and the Conquistadors until they’re contenders again.  O’Reilly has heard enough, and we go straight to…

ROH Tag Team Titles: The Addiction vs Kyle O’Reilly
-O’Reilly takes Kazarian down with a leg sweep then pulls Daniels shirt over his head and punches him in the corner for the cheap Canadian hockey pop.  O’Reilly ducks a clothesline and Kazarian wipes out Daniels.  O’Reilly manages to get Kazarian in the Cross-Arm Breaker for a moment but Daniels breaks it up.  The champs take control with a Total Elimination and Daniels takes his place on the apron.  Gutwrench suplex by Kazarian, who then asks O’Reilly why he’s not making the tag.  Tag to Daniels and Kyle gets worked over in the heel corner.  O’Reilly manages to dump Daniels and get two with an O’Conner roll on Kazarian, but he’s shoved into a right hand from Daniels on kickout.  O’Reilly ducks a clothesline from Kazarian and hits Daniels with a baseball slide.  Both members of the Addiction take hard bumps into the barricade and O’Reilly is in control.  Kyle throws some kicks and sits Daniels on a chair.  Drop toe hold puts Kaz in Daniels lap, and O’Reilly takes them both out with a sprinting missile dropkick off the apron.  Kaz is thrown in and he gets hooked up for rolling butterfly suplexes into the Cross-Arm Breaker.  The Fallen Angle has seen enough, and he drills O’Reilly with a title belt for the intentional DQ loss and some massive heat from the audience.  The Addiction knocks out the referee and hits Celebrity Rehab on the belt after the match before ACH and Matt Sydal (Better known to most as Evan Bourne) make the save.

-Rating: **1/4 Definitely more about the angle than the match, but O’Reilly looked really good and the crowd was eating up everything he did.  This pretty firmly establishes The Addiction as reDRagon’s opposite–cowardly, undeserving champions.  They had to get DQ’d to save their titles in a handicap match! Bonus points to Corino for stressing that attacking the Ref cost Daniels some money.  I like the attention to detail with guys getting fines when they trigger ref bumps.

-Recap video of Donovan Dijak taking out Mark Briscoe last week leads to a promo from Mark, who is clearly off his meds. (Do rednecks believe in meds, or are they only for city slickers like gays and education?)  Mark is 30 years old and been wrestling for 15 years.  He’s the Susix county chicken, and at Best in The World, he’s gonna whoop That Ostrich’s ass.  I guess Dijack is an Ostrich because…he’s tall?  Fuck it; coming soon to Destination America, Briscoe Brothers: Bird Dynasty

“The Party Peacock” Dalton Castle vs Jushin “Thunder” Liger
-Speaking of Birds and things the Briscoes don’t like, Dalton Castle is here!  Complete with Queen knockoff entrance music and masked half naked man servants, he’s ridiculously over for a guy who’s had so few matches in ROH you can count them on one hand.  Liger is out next and receives a heroes welcome.  We have dueling chants before the bell and a feeling out process after it.  Fans think this is awesome, making this the hypest collar and elbow tie up in history.  Liger gets the advantage and stretches out Castle with a bow and arrow.  Liger gives him to much space on release and Castle is able to throw him to the floor.  Liger ducks out of the way from an incoming suicide dive so Castle hits the breaks and poses centre of the ring instead.  Liger comes back and Castle escapes a palm strike by jumping out to the apron.  Liger chops Castle down to the floor before missing a baseball slide.  on the floor, Liger Irish whips Castle at the apron but he leaps up and does a 619 under the bottom rope INTO A HURRICANRANA.  Insane.  Castle soaks in the applause as we fade to…

-Comercial

-Back with Castle getting back body dropped to the outside.  This time Liger scores with the Baseball slide and follows up with a running senton off the apron.  Liger calls Dalton’s boys into the ring.  They pose together, much to the crowd’s delight and Dalton’s chagrin.  Crowd boos Dalton scolding his boys.  This whole exchange is just another example of how well Liger has settled into being a comedy wrestler, this was great.  Shoving match ends in a mildly botched dead lift German that turned into more of a slam.  This was REALLY well covered up by Kelly bringing up Castles “Grecco Roman background”.  Three splashes get two for Castle.  Vaderbomb gets another two for count for Castle.  A corner charge from Castle gets boots and both guys are down following a double clothesline.  Liger is up first and he nails the Palm strike then perches Castle on the top rope for a super hurricanranna that gets two.  A splash from the top gets knees and Castle tries for the deadlift German.  Liger elbows out but gets caught with a great spinning flapjack.  Castle has a lot of cool movez that don’t really on dangerous head drops.  A+.  They trade reversals until Liger gets the Liger bomb for a very, VERY near fall.  Liger signals for the Brainbuster and hits it to pick up his first (and only) win on the ROH/New Japan tour.  Both wrestlers (and Castle’s boys) celebrate together after the match.

-Rating ***1/2  Castle is the most intriguing new comer in ROH by far, and losing here doesn’t hurt him at all.  Liger definitely looks his age out there, but he and Castle played up their charismatic strengths to deliver a really, really fun wrestling match. 

-Backstage we have a scene where Liger practices the Palm strike with Cheeseburger, whom he taught the move to at last years NJPW/ROH crossover.  Liger allegedly called Cheeseburger his favorite North American wrestler, with the two having some kind of friendship.  I don’t get it either.

-We get a recap of Brutal Burgers breaking up.  An angle so memorable I’d forgotten that the team ever existed, let alone was now feuding.

BRUTAL BURGERS EXPLODE: Cheeseburger VS “Brutal” Bob Evans
-Well, he’s certainly Brutal to look at.  This match is just like when Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage faced off at Wrestlemania V–except instead of Hogan and Savage, it’s the Brooklyn Brawler and 123-Kid. Cheeseburger, for those unaware, got his awe-inspiring ring name from a throwaway comment in a promo Charlie Hass cut a few years ago. He’s also about a 100 pounds.  Which is actually about 400 cheeseburgers.  Cheeseburger controls the early match with his speed and dropkicks Evans to the floor.  Cheeseburger dives to the floor with a thesz press.  Evans misses a shoulder tackle and slams into the barricade.  Cheeseburger hits a senton off the barricade.  Evans is palm-strike’d back into the ring, but he gets right up and shoulder tackles right through Cheeseburger and apparently THAT’S HIS FINISH because he has to pick up Cheeseburger’s shoulders at two.  Incredible, absolutely incredible.  Bob beats on Cheeseburger until he counters into a tornado hotshot.  Springboard knee puts Evans on the apron.  Cheesburger charges into a side walk slam THROUGH THE TIMEKEEPER’S TABLE.  Crowd chants holy shit, and yeah, actually–WHAT THE SHIT?  Match is waved off because Cheesburger has been killed.  That may legitimately be the most shocking table spot I’ve ever seen.  Crowd chants “Rest in Peace” as we fade to commercial

-Rating ** I mean, the table spot was cool so this gets a bump but why in the blue hell did any of this happen?  I still can’t make sense of it.  I didn’t even know these two were still employed!  Crowd was somewhat into Cheesburger but why does Brutal Bob have a job.  His finisher is a SHOULDER TACKLE.  The only conceivable justification for his continued employment is so that the statement “BJ Whitmer is the most worthless wrestler in ROH” is categorically false.

-Lethal and Truth Martini hypes next weeks contract signing.  “Next week, you sign your own death certificate Jay Briscoe”

-Inside ROH recaps the Jay Briscoe/Jay Lethal feud

-Now Briscoe hypes next weeks contract signing daring Lethal to try something stupid

-It’s announced that due to the Addiction’s reprehensible behavior, reDRagon will get a rematch at Best in the World, and it will be a no DQ match.  Awesome.

Main Event: Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) VS The Internet Darlings (Mike Bennett and Matt Taven) W/Maria Kanellis
-Bennett and Taven are representing Adam Cole’s faction “The Kingdom”, who have been feuding with the Bullet Club for the last few months in both ROH and New Japan.  The Internet Darlings (named such to poke at their “WWE style” and smark distaste for them) recently beat Anderson and Gallows in Japan to win the IWGP Heavyweight tag team championships.  This match is non-title.  The bell rings and Anderson immediately goes after Maria. Bennett gives chase and the three of them are doing a lap around the ring while Gallows tosses Taven around.  Gallows misses a boot and gets dumped by Taven.  Taven takes out both Bullet Club members with a plancha.Bennett pulls a page out of Liger’s book that we saw earlier and hits a running senton on Anderson.  Taven climbs up top and Bennett sets up for them to preform a spike piledriver on the outside.  Taven’s dive is cut off with a Gun-Stun (cutter) by Anderson!  The arms race for new ways to counter dives into cutters continues!  Bennett gets dropped on the apron by Gallows and the Bullet Club is in control as we fade to…

-Commercial

 -Back with Bennett getting double teamed in the ring.  Taven is still unconscious on the floor.  No one is even pretending they care about tags and the beating continues with Gallows and Anderson taking turns unloading their best strikes.  A back-suplex/inverted cutter combo puts Bennett down but Taven comes leaping in from off screen with a frog splash on Anderson!  Gallows is disaster kicked to the floor and now it’s the Kingdom’s turn to have the number advantage.  Still no tags.  Taven hits a superkick into a spear by Bennett and they call for the spike piledriver.  Taven aborts and moonsaults out to Gallows on the floor instead.  It was (slightly) less obvious on TV, but Gallows missed the catch completely and it’s a miracle Taven doesn’t have a concussion from face planting.  Anderson and Bennett brawl while the ref tries to establish some kind of order.  Anderson shoves him when he tries to get them out of the corner.  Bennett takes control and now he shoves the ref.  our courageous ref tries one more time to scold the wrestlers and this time they both shove him.  With no more choice he calls for the bell and the match is thrown out.  The bell doesn’t  stop anything and Gallows comes in and set up a pair of chairs.  They set Bennett up to drive him through the chairs but Maria begs them not to…so they set Maria up for it instead.  Bennett saves his wife but eats a Gun-Stun for his trouble.  Taven’s crossbody is caught by Gallows and he and Anderson give him a Mattitude adjutment by drilling him through the chairs.  The Bullet Club celebrates their moral victory as the show goes off the air

-Rating ***1/2 There were no pin attempts and no tags so this wasn’t really a match so much as a brawl, but it was a really good brawl.  This was the opposite of guys being in a blood feud and starting off with chain wrestling.  This brings any American fans who didn’t know up to speed on the personal issue between the Bullet Club and the Kingdom, and builds nicely for the 6-man tag at Best in The World.

-Final Verdict: This was definitely an angle heavy show for ROH, which can be trouble, after all, on a show with four matches there were three fuck finishes.  Nine times out of ten that’s a thumbs down show but this really was the exception.  Every match was entertaining (even if only in WTF factor for the third) and all the stories heading into Best in the World are building in a way that makes the PPV a more highly anticipated event.  ROH still hasn’t had a homerun episode on Destination America, but this is an improvement over last week because of Liger vs Castle alone.

-See you all next Week for ACH and Matt Sydal vs Hiroshi Tanahashi and “Stardust Genius” Tetsuya Naito.    

Rants →

WWF Wrestling Challenge May 10th, 1987

10th April 2015 by Scott Keith

May 10, 1987


From the Coliseum in New Haven, CT
Your hosts are “The Outlaw” Ron Bass (Substituting for the injured Bobby Heenan) and Gorilla Monsoon
Tonight’s featured match is the Honky Tonk Man vs. George “The Animal” Steele. Plus, Demolition vs. The Rougeau Brothers and Tito Santana & Paul Roma & Jim Powers vs. Don Muraco & Bob Orton & Tiger Chung Lee. Plus, a replay of the Ken Patera/Bobby Heenan debate and the Brutus Beefcake vs. Johnny V. match from the 5/2/87 edition of Superstars of Wrestling”
Nick Kiniski vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage w/ Elizabeth

Kiniski bails before Savage can sneak attack him. Match starts with Kiniski taking Savage down a few times as we get an insert promo from Elizabeth on how out of control Savage has been since losing the Intercontinental Championship. Kiniski sends Savage to the floor with  dropkick then follows outside where Savage outsmarts him. Back inside, Kiniski misses a charge then gets sent to the floor with a clothesline. Savage follows him out with a double axe handle then rolls Kiniski back inside and hits the flying elbow smash for the win (2:16). 
Thoughts: Kiniski looked good in the brief amount of offense he got in but the story here was Savage continuing to act crazy since losing the IC Title.
 


 

Wrestler’s Rebuttal with Jimmy Hart, who is not flattered with his advertisement of the WWF Ice Cream Bar inside of the WWF Magazine. 
Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji vs. The Rougeau Brothers

Bass puts over Demolition for loving to hurt people and having Mr. Fuji as a manager. Both teams go back and forth to start until Jacques gets caught in the opposing corner. Demolition continues their assault until Raymond breaks up a double-team. The Rougeaus take control then both teams brawl outside until the match is ruled a double count out (2:29). After the match they continue to brawl inside of the ring until the referee (former enhancement talent Jack Kruger) breaks things up.
Thoughts: Just a quick showcase of both teams here that would later on be used as a feud to build up Demolition.
 

 

Gene Okerlund is with Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who tells us he makes sure to carry his 2×4 at all times in case he sees a Russian then talks about Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik and how he has his eyes on them. 
Replay of the Brutus Beefcake vs. Johnny V. match from the 5/2/87 edition of “Superstars of Wrestling.” This was the first match in which Beefcake was billed as “The Barber” and ends with Johnny V. getting his haircut after the match.
Okerlund is with the Iron Sheik, who runs down his accomplishments and how kids should go to school before going off on a tangent about “Jim Doogan” for breaking up the Camel’s Clutch he had on Brunzell at WrestleMania III. Okerlund correcting Sheik on Duggan’s name was pretty funny but other than that it was nothing special.
Tiger Chung Lee & Cowboy Bob Orton & Don Muraco vs. Paul Roma & Jim Powers & Tito Santana

Bass does not care for the pretty boy team of Roma & Powers. Match starts with Orton and Roma trading holds. Roma works the arm and tags out as Powers does the same. Orton comes back with a dropkick then Muraco tags in and beats on Powers. As Muraco has Powers in a full nelson, Lee tries to chop him but accidentally hits Muraco, who tags in Lee then leaves the ring with Orton. Lee misses an elbow drop then Tito tags in and hits the flying forearm for the win (2:39). 
Thoughts: Roma & Powers actually get a win on TV. The story here was Orton & Muraco bailing on Lee and leaving. Those two were also plummeting near the bottom of the card at this time too.

 
Snake Pit with guests Killer Khan and Mr. Fuji. Jake asks Fuji about acquiring Demolition, Kamala & Sika, and Kahn. Fuji says all he cares about is managing guys who embody is spirit while Khan made faces standing off to the side. They are pushing Fuji and his stable of monsters.
Replay of the Patera/Heenan debate. 
Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan, who is sporting a neck brace. Heenan is pissed at Okerlund’s claim that his injury is just a mere sprained neck as he then promises to make Patera suffer more than he ever has in his life. 
Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart vs. George “The Animal” Steele

Steele chases Honky out of and around the ring. Honky leaves the guitar behind as Steele chases him around with that and smashes it on the stairs before chasing him up the aisle as the ref awards the match to the Honky Tonk Man via disqualification (0:23). 
Thoughts: Pretty weak for a match that was advertised a week in advance. Regardless, the fans still loved to see Steele do his act, especially when it comes at the expense of Honky, and that is much better when it occurs in short matches like this.

 

Okerlund is with Randy Savage, who is holding a coffee creamer in his hand. Savage tells us that the cream rises to the top then tosses the creamer as he pulls out yet another creamer as he tells Jack Tunney he is the cream at the top and promises that he will get both the IC and the World Heavyweight Title as he balances the creamer on top of his head. Okerlund asks about Elizabeth as he says yet again that he is the cream at the top before walking off. Possibly Savage’s greatest promo, which is saying a lot. This was fantastic.
Next week will have the Islanders vs. Killer Bees, Outback Jack vs. Killer Khan, and the featured match of Ricky Steamboat vs. Butch Reed in a non-title match. We get promos from both Steamboat and Reed to close the show. 
Final Thoughts: Not a bad show at all. The action was generally okay and the action breezed by even if it had a few segments that were replays from “Superstars of Wrestling.” They continued a lot of storylines here and created a new Tag Team feud. Also, they announced a pretty huge TV match next week in Steamboat vs. Reed.


Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/16/87
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/17/87
Thursday: 1986 WWE Timeline as told by George Steele
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/23/87
Rants →

WWF Superstars of Wrestling January 10th, 1987

3rd December 2014 by Scott Keith

January 10, 1987

From the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, AZ

Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse Ventura, and Vince McMahon

In action tonight will be the Junkyard Dog & George Steele & Billy Jack Haynes, Jake Roberts, and the main event of Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff vs. British Bulldogs in a non-title match.

Mike Lucca & Tim Patterson & Frenchy Martin vs. Junkyard Dog & George “The Animal”  Steele & Billy Jack Haynes

Match starts with Haynes overpowering Martin. Steele tags and slams down Martin then does the same to Patterson. JYD now tags and he hits Lucca with the running powerslam for the win as Steele eats the turnbuckle (1:30).

Thoughts: The crowd barely reacted to this match, which is surprising because JYD and Steele always got favorable reactions. Haynes did not fit in with this group. Well, his character didn’t anyway.



WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week’s subject is Paul Orndorff as we get a promo from both Heenan and himself about just how wonderful he really is and how much Orndorff loves hitting his opponents with the piledriver.

We now are shown a vignette of Jimmy Hart and the Honky Tonk Man outside of Graceland in Tennessee. They both consider renaming the mansion “Honkyland.” Honky told about how miserable he was filming these vignettes as it was freezing cold the whole time and he stood outside in a knit Elvis jumpsuit on his 1987 WWE Timeline from Kayfabe Commentaries.

Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff w/ Slick vs. British Bulldogs

This match was taped a few days before the Dynamite Kid suffered his back injury at the 12/13/86 house show in Hamilton, Ontario that all but ruined his career. They continue the angle of Slick being afraid of Matilda before the match too. Match starts with Davey overpowering Nikolai but Slick trips him up and that allows the heels to take the advantage. Sheik gets nearfalls with a clothesline and a gutwrench suplex. Davey eventually fights back and hits a vertical suplex before making the tag. Dynamite gets two with a snap suplex then locks on a sleeper but Slick breaks that up by whacking Dynamite with his cane. Vince screams about how referee Danny Davis had to have seen that but he didn’t and now Davey takes Matilda and chases Slick all the way to the back as Davis now declares Sheik & Volkoff as the winners due to outside interference (3:00).

Thoughts: They were at one point leaning towards Sheik & Volkoff regaining the Tag Titles but Dynamite would only drop them to the Hart Foundation and that was the end of the feud. With Dynamite hurt, Davey would defend the titles with several different partners.



Piper’s Pit with guests Randy Savage and Elizabeth. Piper and Savage get into it verbally as Savage has a Ricky Steamboat action figure and calls him a “has-been” then tells Piper that he was unable to put someone (Adonis) out of wrestling unlike himself. Savage then gives Piper a action figure of himself as a gift as Piper then gives Savage a gift, which is a ringside ticket for next week to see Steamboat wrestle as Savage is in disbelief. Good stuff here as Piper and Savage had wonderful interactions with each other.

Alex Knight vs. Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan

Hercules beats on Knight then takes him down with a clothesline. He then drops a few elbows before making Knight submit to the Backbreaker (0:57).

Thoughts: Hercules is getting a solid push now and he was a solid power wrestle so I have no problem with that.



We get another clip of Ventura trying to get information from Heenan about Andre the Giant’s suspension being lifted. Heenan completely avoids the question and talks about how he acquired Hercules as Ventura can’t believe this is happening again.

Ken Resnick is with Randy Savage, who comes out and rants about Bruno Sammartino having to resort to cheating to beat him down. Savage was great here as the crazy heel.

Another vignette from Blackjack Mulligan at his ranch. He calls out King Kong Bundy while riding a horse.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Billy Anderson

Anderson got a pop due to being billed from Phoenix. Match starts with Roberts beating on Anderson in the corner. He hits a slam as the announcers put Roberts over as a threat to both singles titles. Roberts works the arm as we get an insert promo from Roberts as he talks about his DDT. Roberts hits the short-arm clothesline then puts Anderson away with the DDT for the win (1:38). After the match, Roberts puts the snake on Anderson as Vince is irate on commentary.

Thoughts: Roberts is also getting a strong push as a top heel now and Vince was really going all out trying to get the post-match stuff over on commentary.

Resnick is with Ricky Steamboat, who cuts a promo while selling the throat injury on Sika, his opponent at the February Boston Garden show. Steamboat’s acting still sucks.

Another airing of the music video package set to “Bad Boy” from the Miami Sound Machine.

Jack Kruger & Kevin Collins vs. Rougeau Brothers

The Rougeau’s work over Collins as we get an insert promo from them wishing us a Happy New Year. Kruger tags and slams Jacques but misses a top rope splash, which is ironic since Kamala hit him with one that had Kruger cut a promo on how devastating the move was, then the Rougeau’s hit him with the Rougeau Bomb (1:26).

Thoughts: Nothing but filler. The announcers talked a bit about Kamala. The Rougeau’s came across as a lame team with their corny promos.

Another Outback Jack vignette as he shaves his face with a knife while talking about how he can compete in the WWF.

“The Natural” Butch Reed w/ Slick vs. Reggie Parks

Parks wrestled for years in the NWA and AWA. He started wrestling in the 1950’s too so he was an old-timer. Parks starts by taking down Reed but the crowd doesn’t care. They seemed burned out as this was the final match of the taping. Reed takes control and whips Parks into the corner as Jesse will be attempting to get some information out of Andre the Giant next week. Parks fights back as the crowd starts a “Reggie” chant but Reed knocks him down then gets the win with a flying clothesline (2:06).

Thoughts: The crowd actually got into Parks here. He could throw a decent punch at least. The announcers talked about the Andre the Giant angle for a majority of the match.



Ventura is shown at the entrance expecting Randy Savage to walk through the door as he hears girls going crazy but it turns out to be the Can-Am Connection, which disgusts Ventura for some reason. The Can-Am push started very quickly and ended just as soon, courtesy of Tom Zenk. At one point, the Can-Am’s were scheduled to face the Hart Foundation for the Titles at WrestleMania III but that idea got scrapped.

Resnick is with Bruno Sammartino, who tells Savage that there will be nowhere for him to hide in their Lumberjack Match at the Boston Garden in February. Bruno also promises to teach him a lesson.

Next week, Johnny v. will introduce us to his new tag team (Demolition). Also, Ricky Steamboat will make his return to the ring and Outback Jack will be here (he wasn’t).

Final Thoughts: They had a big advancement in the Steamboat/Savage storyline and made it clear that they are pushing Hercules, Jake Roberts, and the Can-Am Connection so that was good. The rest of the show seemed like filler but with the intrigue of the Andre the Giant storyline and the Piper/Adonis feud they still had a lot of stuff going on in the company. Overall, a solid show.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: Kayfabe Commentaries 1988 WWE Timeline as told by Jim Duggan
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 1/11/87
Saturday: RoH Do or Die 5/31/03
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 1/17/87
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 1/18/87

Rants →

WWF Championship Wrestling May 10th, 1986

13th June 2014 by Scott Keith
May 10, 1986
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
Tonight, we will Corporal Kirchner vs. Iron Sheik. Also in action are George Steele & Junkyard Dog, Hoss & Jimmy Jack Funk, Killer Bees, and Randy Savage. Plus, footage from the Ricky Steamboat/Jake Roberts match from “Saturday Night’s Main Event.”

Mike Angelo & Tiger Chung Lee vs. George “The Animal” Steele & Junkyard Dog w/ Haiti Kid
Angelo is some sloppy fat fuck billed from Boston, MA. Lee tries to outsmart Steele but gets kicked. Steele is trapped in the corner and double-teamed for a second. Steele breaks free and backs Angelo into the corner then tags out. JYD hits a few headbutts before knocking him down the puts him away with a powerslam (1:38). After the match, Haiti Kid runs in and stands on top of Angelo, much to Vince’s delight. Everyone is standing in the ring except for Angelo, who remains down. JYD and the Haiti Kid then dance with some kids as Vince is in all his glory.
Thoughts: Not that bad as it was brief but Angelo was something else. He seemingly did not have a clue about how to work a match.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. The subject this week is Jake “The Snake” Roberts and we are shown a clip of Roberts taunting a jobber with the snake.
Andre Malo & Dan King vs. Hoss & Jimmy Jack Funk w/ Jimmy Hart
The Funk’s start by beating the shit out of Malo. Hoss lays into him with European uppercuts then King tags as Vince tells us that Jimmy Jack spent most of his life locked in the Funk house because he was too rough for the rest of the family. Hoss ends a criss-cross sequence with a forearm smash then knocks him down a few more times before tossing him outside, where Jimmy Jack slams him against the guardrail. Malo tags but Hoss knocks him down then King tags as Hoss takes him over with a double underhook suplex. Jimmy Jack tags then catches him with a powerslam for the win (3:02).
Thoughts: The match itself was fine but the crowd was dead. It was obvious that Terry was the only one in the group that was able to get heel heat and he was gone. Hoss floundered until leaving the company at the end of the Summer. Jimmy Jack stayed on for several more months.
Gene Okerlund shows us a video of Hulk Hogan hyping his match in Boston against Randy Savage.
Iron Mike Sharpe & Joe Mirto vs. Killer Bees
The Bees are sporting the masks for the first time on television here. They take them off before the match. After some stalling, Brunzell takes down Sharpe with a flying headscissors. He tags Blair as Bobby Heenan has joined on commentary, telling us that he met with WWF President Jack Tunney and his attorney looking for a report on what will happen to Andre the Giant for not showing up two weeks ago. The Bees work over Mirto until Blair puts him away with a powerslam (2:38).
Thoughts: Most of the focus was on the Heenan/Andre angle. The Bees were good in the ring and somewhat over with the crowd but if there was a match for Heenan to interrupt, this was the choice.
Mean Gene is with Corporal Kirchner, who will be facing Nikolai Volkoff at the next Boston Garden show. Not much of an interview as Kirchner was never that good on the mic.
Serge Jodoin vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage w/ Elizabeth
Savage stalls for a minute then backs Jodoin into the corner. He kicks him then hits a suplex before finishing off Jodoin with the flying elbow drop (2:13). Savage teases hitting a second flying elbow drop but jumps off and yells at the ref instead.
Thoughts: All of the Savage squash matches were the same at this point, really. Even still, they entertained and he was by far the biggest star in the building.
The Flower Shop with guests The Dream Team with Johnny Valiant. The “faggot” chants start up from the crowd. Valiant blames Albano, Ozzy Osborne and the two referees for their title loss at WrestleMania 2. The Flower Shop segments were really rough at the beginning.
Lord Alfred Hayes shows us the Jake Roberts vs. Ricky Steamboat match from “Saturday Night’s Main Event.” They even show a clip of Steamboat on the floor off the locker room with an ice pack on his head, wondering what happened. Steamboat was not much of an actor, that’s for sure. Regardless, a great way to start off a feud.
Iron Sheik w/ Freddie Blassie vs. Corporal Kirchner
Kirchner wins a slugfest to start. He takes down the Sheik with an elbow smash and a backdrop. Kircher then gets distracted by Volkoff and Sheik takes him down from behind. Sheik takes down Kirchner as Vince tells us that next week, the British Bulldogs will take on Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy in a non-title match. Kirchner escapes form an abdominal stretch but misses an elbow drop. Blassie interferes on the Sheik’s behalf then Kirchner gets tossed through the ropes. A “USA” chant breaks out as Kirchner gets a nearfall with a sunset flip but ducks his head and Sheik kicks him in the face. Both men collide then Kirchner blocks a suplex and hits one of his own. Kirchner hits Sheik with a Samoan Drop but Volkoff breaks up the pin for the DQ (4:55). The heels beat on Kirchner until the Killer Bees run in for the save.
Thoughts: The match was alright I suppose as they seem to be moving towards a tag feud, with Kirchner moving on to something else. The fans hated Sheik & Volkoff a lot more than they liked Kirchner.
Okerlund interviews Blassie and Volkoff briefly without much of note happening. Savage comes out after they leave, holding a copy of the “WWF Magazine” with Hogan on the cover and tells Okerlund to predict that he will beat Hogan at the Boston Garden.
Bruno closes the show by stating that he believes something is up with Heenan and that he did something in order to prevent Andre the Giant from showing up two weeks ago.
Final Thoughts: Not much of a show. The big story is how they are keeping the fans guessing about what happened to Andre the Giant. They are also playing up the Steamboat/Roberts incident from SNME, which if you missed when it happened, was nice to see here but most of the matches were boring and of little importance. The crowd was really dead for the show which was strange as it was only the second show of the taping.
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WWF Championship Wrestling August 10th, 1985

1st January 2014 by Scott Keith
August 10, 1985
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action tonight are Ricky Steamboat, Paul Orndorff, and Uncle Elmer. Also, the Killer Bees and the Hart Foundation plus a six-man tag featuring Big John Studd & Missing Link & Adrian Adonis.

Bobby Wade vs. Uncle Elmer w/Hillbilly Jim
Before the match, Jim introduces Hulk Hogan to the crowd. The fans go crazy for the Hulkster. The match starts with Elmer shoving Wade around. He hits a few forearms then puts him away with a leg drop (1:11).
Thoughts: Very short match, which is for the best. Anyway, this was really just a way to introduce Hogan to the crowd and by that, give the Hillbillies some credibility in the process.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. Once again, the subject for this week is Corporal Kirchner. We get another vignette, this time it is Kirchner in a swamp participating in his “training.” Even knowing that the gimmick was a flop, these vignettes did not come across too impressive at all. Kirchner’s wooden delivery didn’t help either.
The first television ad for the “Wrestling Superstars” action figures airs.
Killer Bees vs. Mr. X & Bolo
This match is joined-in-progress. Also, I have no idea of Bolo’s identity. If someone does know, that would be great. The Bees are using quick tags to isolate Bolo in their corner. Johnny Valiant joins the booth and gives his reasons as to why he should win the “Manager of the Year” award. Mr. X tags in but the Bees work him over. The Bees are looking really good in the ring here. Brunzell gets worked over briefly but makes the tag. Blair runs wild and uses a double noggin knocker before tossing X to the floor and shortly after that, Brunzell puts Bolo away with a dropkick. A little over four minutes of this was shown.
Thoughts: The fans were not into the match at all but did pop for the finish. Again, the Bees looked great inside of the ring. Lots of fast-paced offense here.
Gene Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan, who will be facing King Kong Bundy at the September house show in Boston. The Hulkster said that not only can the Bostonians work hard all day and party all night, but they also say their prayers and take their vitamins.
Dan Rymonti vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Never seen Rymonti before but he is jacked, although a bit on the short side. Steamboat gets a hiptoss after an Irish whip sequence. He works the arm for a bit then chops away. He hits a swinging neckbreaker then goes back to the arm. Rymonti lands a cheap shot then throws some truly awful punches. Steamboat fights back with a kick then chops him down before finishing him off with a flying body press (3:36).
Thoughts: Rymonti was horrendous, even by jobber standards, but Steamboat was over with this crowd. Not much to this match.
Gene Okerlund is with Jimmy Hart. He says that he had King Kong Bundy wrestle in Japan until Hogan signed a contract to face him. Hart says that Bundy was beating 2-3 men at a time and promises a victory for Bundy. Good interview by Hart, who IMO, was the most underrated manager of all-time.
Hart Foundation w/Jimmy Hart vs. Jimmy Jackson & S.D. Jones
Brett stalls for a minute after slapping S.D. on the back of the head. S.D is able to hit an inverted atomic drop. Both men tag out as Neidhart punches Jackson in the face after he attempted a sunset flip. The Harts double team Jackson until they put him away with a terrible looking Hart Attack (2:11).
Thoughts: Brief match and it was pretty bad, to be honest. The Harts continue to slowly get over as a heel team. They are not their yet at all though.
Piper’s Pit with guests Don Muraco and Mr. Fuji. Muraco says he turned down the likes of Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin to be interviewed by a real star like Piper. The heels gush all over each other as Piper puts over Muraco for backing up his talk, unlike the fans. After that, both men swap T-shirts. The segment was another heel lovefest on the Pit.
A.J. Petruzzi vs. Paul Orndorff
Before the match, Petruzzi states he will collect the bounty on Orndorff, using the least confident tone you could possibly have. Petruzzi botches a spot in which he was supposed to be clotheslined. Orndorff slams him as Piper and Orton approach the ring. Petruzzi gets tossed to the floor so Piper rolls him eight back inside. The fans then go nuts as Andre the Giant comes down to the ring, which has Piper and Orton retreat. After that, Orndorff nearly murders Petruzzi before putting him away with a piledriver (2:32).
Thoughts: The angle here was that Orndorff was going to have someone in his corner at all times to protect him from the bounty, so he got the biggest guy in the federation in Andre. Good segment that hints at possible matches between Orndorff/Andre and Piper/Orton .
Bobby Heenan gives us a PSA about drinking and driving, saying not to be stupid and walk. Good advice.
Joe Mirto & Tony Garea & Matt Samson vs. Big John Studd & Missing Link & Adrian Adonis w/ Bobby Heenan
The match starts with the jobbers trying and failing to slam Studd. Garea enters and hits a dropkick but also fails to slam him. Link tags and headbutts Garea in the corner. The heels then take turns working over Samson. The fans start a chant for “Andre” as Adonis hits a top rope elbow. Studd tags then puts away Samson with a bodybreaker (3:49).
Thoughts: The match was fine. Samson took an unbelievable shitkicking here though. He was getting destroyed for most of the match. Link isn’t getting over and Adonis hasn’t been since his return.
Okerlund brings out Johnny Valiant, along with Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine, who proclaims himself and Beefcake the “Dream Team.” This was how they got their name. Not much else happened in this interview besides Valiant screwing up the name of Valentine.
Next week, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo, Terry Funk, Don Muraco, Tito Santana, The Dream Team, and the Junkyard Dog & Ricky Steamboat will be in action.
Final Thoughts: An okay show. The biggest things that happened was Andre aligning with Orndorff and Valentine and Beefcake officially becoming a team. You can also call Hogan appearing on the show a big deal because it was a rare occurrence for that to happen. The matches were hit-or-miss and not much happened in terms of angle advancement.
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WWF Tuesday Night Titans: May 10th, 1985

30th October 2013 by Scott Keith
May 10th, 1985
Your hosts are Lord Alfred Hayes and Vince McMahon
This week’s guests include Roddy Piper & Bob Orton, Bruno Sammartino, and Ivan Putski

The show starts with Bruno coming out to the set. Vince asks him about his son and Bruno says that they train together and that David wants to team with him. Vince brings up WrestleMania and we see the clip of him going after Johnny Valiant during his son’s match. Vince then talks to Bruno about getting called out from the ring by Jesse Ventura as we see a clip of that. Bruno then says he is still training incase he has to get back into the ring.
After a break, we are shown a squash match featuring David Sammartino. Bruno talks some more about his training and the segment ends after that. The whole Bruno segment lasted for fifteen minutes and wasn’t very exciting but they made it clear that he was going to get back into the ring again, at least for a few matches.
Roddy Piper and Bob Orton come out to the set. Vince asks Orton about his arm not healing yet as Piper puts him over for not backing down and still wrestling then says that is the reason why he still wearing the cast. Orton then says he is what a real man should be and that if he went to Canada instead of Vietnam, they would have won the war. We are seen the clip of Orton injuring his arm at an MSG.
We see a match between Paul Roma and Bob Orton joined-in-progress from Maple Leaf Wrestling. After it ends, Vince calls out Orton for not appearing to be in pain. Orton then says that he might have to wear the cast for the rest of his life as everyone tries to attack him. Vince then brings up Paul Orndorff and Piper says that he has abs but no guts or brains then makes fun of him for a bit. Vince asks about him being a guest on Piper’s Pit and Roddy says that they want him to clear the air and fess up for being a wimp so they can “carry him for another two years.”
Vince angers the heels by telling them that the TNT resident physician, Dr. Stevens, is here to take a look at the arm of Orton. The doctor shows the x-rays right before his injury, which shows a break, then compares it to a recent injury that shows significant healing. Piper tries to say that it isn’t his x-ray and that it is a mistake. The doctor performs some tests on the arm and he reveals that Orton’s arm is fine. Piper was hysterical, quacking like a duck the whole time, as the heels refuse to accept the dcotor’s diagnosis. Funny stuff.
Ivan Putski is out next. He says that he is down to 240 lbs as the talk about kielbasa and the time he faced Lord Alfred Hayes.
Goldie Rogers vs. Ivan Putski
This is from Maple Leaf Wrestling. Putski hits a few hip tosses then a slam. Goldie rolls out as Ventura says he calls Ivan “Paduski” as he likes that name better. Goldie uses a thumb to the throat but Putski slams him down then stomps away. Putski hits some windmill punches before putting Goldie away with the Polish Hammer (3:08).
Thoughts: Not as bad as most Putski matches. Despite being a legend in the WWF, there was really no place for Putski at this time in the company.
After the match, Putski shows us the Polish Sausage Harvest. We are shown an old lady who welcomes us to the kielbasa tree. She shows us how to pick a sausage and they make Hayes taste it, who is absolutely repulsed. The lady spreads mustard all over the kielbasa tree to prevent “weebles” from ruining them. After that, Hayes puts the kielbasa in her mouth and they try to get him to bite the other end but he doesn’t go for it, stating that it is not for an English gentleman. This was bizarre to say the least.
Next week on TNT will be Wendi Richter, Rocky Johnson, Brutus Beefcake and Johnny Valiant and Salvatore Bellomo and his family.
As Vince closes the show, he talks about Orton’s arm being healthy then Orton comes out and says that he will not be discredited by some quack then Piper goes on a crazy rant against Vince, stating that they were set up by him.
Final Thoughts: A fairly entertaining episode. The Piper and Orton stuff was good and the news of Bruno getting back into the ring was exciting. The kielbasa tree segment was one of the oddest things I have ever seen on TNT though. Overall, this was more entertaining than most TNT shows.
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QOTD – August 10th, 2013

10th August 2013 by Scott Keith

Greetings.

Oh, worry not, Caliber hasn’t lost his mind. I know full well it’s a Saturday, and we don’t do the QOTD today, but I say, hogwash! You guys have been good, well, except the few of you who deny my prowess with the opposite sex! Anyway, today is a double dose of the Meek-Man, as this question comes from him;

Short and sweet: What’s your earliest memory of the Blog of Doom, and most potent memory from the blog of doom.

Well, as for my earliest memory, I don’t have one. I know how I came here. I had a girlfriend who lived in Oregon, and while I was there for a week I went to the library. I headed over to the wrestling section and found One-Ring Circus, and then checked that out along with The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel. At the end of the week, I returned The Dark Knight but kept the Dark Keith. So, I apologize Scott, future peeps from the Portland area will not be able to read your book. 

My most potent memories, well, I have two. Now, before I give these memories, please let me state that I love Scott. He’s the man. He allows me to post here on his website without any censorship & limitations. I can plug & push whatever I want. When I’m one day successful at what I do, I will owe in large part to Scott. That being said, he was a bit of an ass to me in the beginning. At one point there was a chap whom a lot of folk got into it with. I did one day, and he proceeded to sign up as me over at some Google news feed thing. Sort of like those news.alt.wrestling deals. I’ve never used’em, so I can’t really explain them. Anyway, he made a post as me saying I was purposely trolling him on Scott’s website and to check it out. Well, Scott didn’t like this and banned me outright. He knew said person, and believed his story over mine. To Scott’s credit though, he later came to his senses and apologized to me, unsolicited. It was at this point I started to write for the BoD. At the exact same time, there was another guy who was writing here. He tended to write articles that were far longer than they needed to be. Well, he’d get a lot of flack, and piss people off. Intentionally. I got a lot of flack, and people hated me at first. I never wanted to piss anyone off, but it happened. So, a month later I get an email from Scott telling me I got the boot. He said that I got a lot of complaints. I said “what about suchandsuch” and he said that suchandsuch brought viewers, so he got a pass. Then like a month later suchandsuch made a post on the BoD, and went on this huge public tirade where he bashed everyone and made a big scene about leaving. Because that’s what hack attention whores do, they can’t leave without letting everyone know about it. Anyway, Scott apologized again, and brought me back. 

So those are my two biggest memories. Of course, there’s also the memory of when I stole…er, when I was ACCUSED of stealing the Cracked article. 

How say you?

Also, don’t forget scrublife.wordpress.com, recently updated with 4 Most Fucking Frustrating Moments In My History With Nintendo, and wcwin2000.wordpress.com, recently updated with the Nitro that contains the final War Games. With Russo! Suck it, Horsemen!

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QOTD – July 10th, 2013

10th July 2013 by Scott Keith

Greetings, Crystal Lake campers.

For today’s question we look to the world of cinema.

What’s a film that is universally loved, but for some reason you can’t stand? For me, there are a few, but the one that stands out the most, and one that I’ll never concede on, is Scarface. Terrible characters, terrible score, terrible pacing, and a whole bunch of other unpleasantness. Although, because of that film it did give us Cartman getting his ass-kicked at the Special Olympics to the tune Push It Too The Limit.

How say you?

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WWF Championship Wrestling: November 10th, 1984

12th June 2013 by Scott Keith
November 10th, 1984
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action tonight are the Tag Team Champions, Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch. Plus, Big John Studd, Tito Santana, David Sammartino, Brutus Beefcake and the Tonga Kid. Roddy Piper is back with Piper’s Pit and guest Barry Windham.

The Executioner vs. Tito Santana
Looks like Paul Kelly is still playing the Executioner. Santana grabs a headlock and continuously wrenches the neck. This goes on for a while until he punches him down. The Executioner attempts to go for the knee but Tito grabs another headlock. He knocks him out of the ring and Tito brings him back in with a snapmare. Tito hits a backdrop then goes for the figure-four but instead uses a bridge and gets the win (4:11).
Thoughts: They had Tito look strong in his first match from the injury angle. I liked Tito a lot but his squash matches at this time were very dull.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week’s subject is Hulk Hogan. Same deal as always, short clip of an entrance then Hayes puts you over for a bit.
Big John Studd w/Bobby Heenan vs. Tony Garea
The crowd chants for Hogan as Garea tries to slam Studd. He gets shoved to the floor and Heenan starts yelling at him. Garea fights back on the apron and lands on his feet after being tossed. He dodges a charge and fires away at Studd with his pathetic punches. The crowd is getting loud as the Hillbilly is shown. Garea then bounces off of Studd, who covers for the win (2:11).
Thoughts: In no way should Studd have sold this much for Garea. The crowd was red hot as they hated Studd and Heenan. The Hillbilly in the crowd is starting to get a bit old at this point.
Gene Okerlund is with Ivan Putski. He brings up the $50,000 Battle Royal in Los Angeles as Putski tells us that he likes LA broads with cleavage and brings up the time he and Gene met “Lucille” at the club. Putski promises that he will win and throw a Polish celebration afterwards, whatever the fuck that means. A bizarre interview. Meltzer wrote in the Observer at this time that Okerlund would constantly bring up real-life happenings in these interviews that the audience would have no clue about. I wonder if this was one of those occasions.
Rick McGraw & Jose Luis Rivera vs. Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch
The champs take turns working on the knee of McGraw, who was limping before the match. He finally tags out and the champs hit Rivera with their finisher almost immediately (2:26).
Thoughts: Simple match as they destroyed the knee of McGraw then hit Rivera with their finisher as soon as he tagged. They really made the champs look strong and they sold a lot in their TV matches. The tag team division was pure shit at this time.
Mean Gene is with Bobby Heenan, who is upset about the “Weasel” chants. He is representing Kamala for Freddie Blassie, who is on assignment. Kamala and Friday come out as Heenan is shocked that someone would marry Okerlund and cracks several jokes as Kamala is wandering around in front of the camera. Not Heenan’s best but still a solid interview.
Mario Mancini vs. Brutus Beefcake w/Luscious Johnny Valiant
Funny moment, as a fan holds up a sign that reads “Brutus Buttplug” right in front of the camera. The fans are actually taunting Beefcake, which is different than the usual silence that occurs whenever he sets foot in the ring.  Beefcake chokes out Mancini to start. He holds him over his head with one hand before slamming him down. Brutus then finishes off Mancini with a running kneelift (2:59).
Thoughts: Brutus was actually over a bit here, which was a minor miracle in itself. He is still a liability in the ring but after a few months straight of TV matches, he drew some heat. Johnny V wasn’t bringing much to the table as a manager.
Piper’s Pit with Barry Windham. Piper mocks Windham being from Texas, using an over-exaggerated accent. He orders Windham to stand up and take off his jacket as things are apparently turning homoerotic at the Pit. Piper makes a joke about women from Texas before comparing Windham to a woman, with his long legs, blond hair, and bandana. Windham asks Piper to take off his shirt, and he does, as this is starting to resemble a porno scene. Windham then makes a skirt joke before walking off. This was Piper trying to bully a younger wrestler mixed with some homoeroticism.  
Johnny Rodz vs. David Sammartino
They take it to the mat and it ends in a standoff. They trade shots in the corner then Rodz grabs a side headlock. He hammers away but gets kneed on a charge and Sammartino takes control. He grabs a chinlock but Rodz escapes. Rodz gets an elbow smash but Sammartino catches him with a powerslam for the win (2:31).
Thoughts: Match was fine but David, being billed as David Bruno Sammartino by Howard Finkel, was not getting over with the crowd. His father continues to stay silent on commentary whenever he wrestles. David tried but he had no charisma and looked like a bloated Rick McGraw and that is not the formula to create a wrestling star.
Another Billy Jack vignette. He still loves clean living and can’t wait to meet the fans. He was actually supposed to debut the following week on All-Star Wrestling but he left the promotion before that took place as, according to Meltzer, Vince promised to hire his mentor Stan Stasiak, as an announcer but decided against it at the last minute.
Dave Barbie vs. Tonga Kid
Tonga takes down Barbie and delivers some chops. He grabs a chinlock as McMahon updates the status of Snuka, stating that there is a chance that he might be able to return to the ring. Barbie is choking out Tonga. He whips Tonga in the corner but gets dropkicked. Tonga uses several headbutts before grabbing a front facelock. The fans are going nuts as Piper makes his way to the ring. Tonga is distracted and Barbie attacks him from behind. Scoop slam by Barbie only gets one. Tonga fights back as Piper is on the apron. Tonga chases him off then the fans erupt as Jimmy Snuka comes down the aisle and walks towards Piper, who leaves through the crowd. Snuka takes off his neck brace and the fans go crazy. It ends with Snuka and Tonga in the ring. No decision was made on the outcome of this match (5:22).
Thoughts: Match itself wasn’t much but the return of Snuka, chasing off Piper, was an awesome moment that had the fans go apeshit. This feud was really heating up and would continue to do so for the rest of the year.
Gene Okerlund is with Sgt. Slaughter and the Junkyard Dog. He asks them about their match in LA against Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik. After JYD quotes George Thorogood, Gene asks JYD about soul music as they do hand gestures in the background as Slaughter cuts his promo It ends with JYD and Sarge performing dueling military chants. Another bizarre and hilarious interview from Okerlund.
Final Thoughts: The return of Snuka was a huge moment and the highlight of the show. There was some wacky interview segments throughout that were amusing too. They put over Windham, which was a necessity as they lacked babyfaces with actual wrestling talent. Overall, a good show.  
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QOTD – June 10th, 2013

10th June 2013 by Scott Keith

Radio…I mean, Officer Farva sent in the following question:

If you could rebook anything within 1 individual match (the winner/loser, use of interference, etc) what would it be and why? 

Off the top of my head Id say Summerslam 2010, WWE vs Nexus.  Having team WWE win simultaneously killed the Nexus momentum (which they could have ridden for the rest of the year) and devalued Barrett.  Instead of Super Cena fighting off everyone to win, have Cena make a big comeback but eventually succumb to Barrett setting up a big feud for them.  As it played out, the original Nexus faded away and every member had to be reintroduced under a different gimmick to get repushed.  Oh well, at least we got D. Bryan out if it.

Me, because it was the only WCW PPV I ever ordered, I’d rebook Hogan vs Sting. I’d have them do a knock-down, drag-out 15 minute hardcore style match. I’d want blood, chairs, broken tables, all sorts of shit. I’d also have them practice it for the most part for months, Savage & Steamboat style. Also, for the entire PPV there’d be vignettes of Hogan trying to do everything he can, Governor’s Pardon style, to avoid the match, with no go.

How say you?

If you guys want to send in a question, [email protected] is the way to go.
Recently updated with reviews of GI Joe: Retaliation, Pain & Gain, and Hangover Part III. 2 of them suck, one is great.

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