13th

WWF Superstars of Wrestling June 13th, 1987

12th May 2015 by Scott Keith

June 13, 1987


From the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, NY

Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, and Vince McMahon

Tonight, our featured match will be for the Intercontinental Title as Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat defends the belt against the Honky Tonk Man. Also in action are the British Bulldogs, Islanders, and the returning Junkyard Dog. Plus, Jesse lets us know that we will see footage of himself from the film “The Predator.”

Before the show started, they replayed the comments from Steamboat and the Honky Tonk Man from last week as they are hyping up this match in a big way.

Johnny K-9 & Dusty Wolfe vs. British Bulldogs


K-9 spills out to the floor after running through a leapfrog by Davey. Back inside, the Bulldogs beat on K-9 as we are shown an insert of Matilda. Wolfe tags in and takes a goofy bump after getting whipped into the corner then Davey put him away with a diving headbutt (2:11).

Thoughts: The Bulldogs are on the down swing here. Also, Matilda is getting pushed stronger than the team itself. With Dynamite’s health, its not a shocker.






WWF Special Report with Craig DeGeorge. We are shown more footage of Superstar Billy Graham as he attempts to recover from hip surgery and return to the ring, despite doctors telling him that his a bad idea. Those doctors were right. They spent months and months hyping a return that lasted a handful of matches.

Outback Jack plugs the WWF Ice Cream Bars. When that ended, Jesse was laughing hysterically at Jack trying to bite into the bar as he made fun of his lack of teeth. I laughed.

Eric Cooper & S.D. Jones vs. The Islanders w/ Bobby Heenan


Match stars with S.D. slamming Tama as we get an insert promo from the Can-Am Connection as they warn the Islanders that they will not get away after attacking them. Back to the match as Cooper is getting his ass kicked. The match breaks down as Tama backdrops S.D. to the floor then the Islanders put Cooper away with a double diving headbutt (2:35).

Thoughts: The Islanders were a better heel team. Tama was very charismatic and pulled off the cocky heel role quite well. He also appeared to gain about 15lbs since the last TV taping.






Gene Okerlund is with the Can-Am Connection, who will be facing the Islanders at the July 11th show in Boston. They are pissed over the Islanders turning on them as they used to have respect for the duo. The Can-Ams also promise the Islanders will not be laughing after what they will do to them. Promos were really not Zenk’s strong suit, or Martel’s for that matter.

We are shown a clip of Jesse in “The Predator.”

Terry Gibbs vs. Junkyard Dog


Its JYD’s first appearance on TV since WrestleMania III. Gibbs attacks JYD to start. JYD comes back with a hip toss off of a criss-cross but misses a falling headbutt then gets clotheslined. Gibbs hurts his hand punching JYD in the head and that allows JYD to fight back as we are shown an insert promo from him saying that he is back. JYD tosses Gibbs to the floor then shortly after that puts him away with a powerslam (1:43). After the match he invites several kids into the ring with him as they dance.

Thoughts: They tried pushing JYD as being bigger and faster than ever but the only thing bigger than ever was his gut. He was just awful in the ring at this point. Even the fans seemed a lot less into him and after almost three years of the same act, its not tough to figure out why. He didn’t ever bother to really smile when dancing with the kids.






Okerlund is now with “The Outlaw” Ron Bass, who is cracking his whip. Bass then tells us that he sees wrestlers with partners, managers, and friends so he didnt want to have a disadvantage so he got himself a whip, named “Miss Betsy.” Bass warns the “goody-goody guys that he will split them from one end to the other and there will be some changes. They gave Bass his new gimmick. I didn’t mind him to be honest but he was almost 40 at this point and looked older than that so he was going to get that much of a push.

New Dream Team w/ Johnny V. vs. Scott Casey & “Leaping” Lanny Poffo


The post match promo by Poffo is about the announce team and how Jesse turns them into the three stooges and how the fans hate him, which has Vince laughing like an idiot. Match starts with Casey getting the best of Bravo as the camera shows Johnny V., who is still pissed about Brutus Beefcake cutting his hair. Casey hits Valentine with a few armdrags and hip tosses but gets stopped with an eye rake. Bravo tags back in and misses an elbow drop as Poffo tags into the match. He runs wild on the New Dream team very briefly until Valentine knees him in the back from the apron then shortly after that Bravo puts him away with a side slam (2:48).

Thoughts: The WWF debut of Casey. He would be followed by future jobbers such as Barry Horowitz and Sam Houston in the coming months. All he did here was armdrags and hip tosses. The New Dream Team just isn’t working out. There is no chemistry at all between Bravo and Valentine.






Snake Pit with guests Hillbilly Jim and Little Beaver. Roberts tells Beaver he is lucky to be alive after getting elbow dropped by King Kong Bundy as Jim calls Bundy a coward and promises to go after him. Beaver tells Jim to go after Bundy in a jumbled promo. It was quite terrible, actually. Almost three months after their WrestleMania III match, Jim and Bundy resume their feud.

Ricky Steamboat tells us to “Say No To Drugs” and to get naturally high, just like himself. Okay.

WWF Intercontinental Title Match
Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat


The crowd is pumped for this match as the announcers debate whether or not Honky deserves a title push while putting over Steamboat for being a fighting champion. Steamboat starts the match by skinning-the-cat, knocking over Hart as the fans hoot and holler. Back inside, he dumps Honky to the floor then hits a back suplex when he re-enters. Steamboat hits a few chops then gets a reverse rollup for two but Honky kicks out and ends up ramming Steamboat into the corner in the process as Jesse wonders if his larynx is hurt again. Honky attacks the throat briefly but misses an elbow drop. Steamboat fights back then gets hit by Honky, who sets up for the Shake, Rattle, and Roll. Steamboat counters that with a backdrop and follows with a bunch of chops. He hits a flying chop but Hart jumps up on the apron to distract the referee. Steamboat gets off of Honky and attacks Hart then dropkicks Honky into his manager. Steamboat then puts Honky in a small package but it gets reversed as Honky grabs the rope for leverage and ends up getting the win and the title as the crowd is shocked (3:53) *1/2. After some confusion it is revealed that Honky is the winner as the crowd boos. Jesse screams about how this is a major upset, rubbing it in the face of Vince and Bruno for not believing he was worthy of a title shot.

Thoughts: Fun while it lasted, although the finish looked terrible. Honky’s win was a major shock, especially when the babyface announcers, for weeks, kept on telling us that Honky was undeserving of a title shot to begin with. It worked as the announcers threw off the fans. This was the start off the longest IC Title reign in WWF history.






Silvano Sousa vs. One Man Gang w/ Slick


Gang immediately attacks Sousa and continues his assault as we get an insert promo from Gang and Slick, who puts over the Master Blaster finisher and that seeing his believing. Back to the match as Gang hits the Master Blaster then puts Sousa away with an elbow drop from the middle rope (1:31).

Thoughts: Another dominant performance from Gang, who is getting pushed up the card. This match also marked the first time I have ever heard Slick yell out his “turn out the lights, the party is over” line. I am a fan of Slick. The crowd was still in shock over the title change






Okerlund is with Mr. Fuji, asking him about Demolition, who eventually come out. Ax calls Gene “Howard” as he says its about time they got their names right then talks about listening to Fuji and destroying their opponents. Okerlund and Demolition and some decent chemistry together.






Back to the ring as the Honky Tonk Man returns to the ring, with Hart and the IC Title as he thanks the fans for their support. He also says the belt is the fans as he dances to his music. Great job at heeling the crowd.

Next week in action will be George Steele, Can-Am Connection, Killer Khan, and the Hart Foundation vs. the Killer Bees in the featured match.

Final Thoughts: This show is only memorable for the IC Title change and that was a good segment. Other than that, it was dull and showed just how little the company had going on at the time. Lots of feuds with washed-up guys were being featured. Track down the IC Title match but you could skip everything else and not miss a beat.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: Highspots Developmentall Speaking Shoot Interview with Brian Myers
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 6/14/87
Saturday: RoH Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 8/16/03
Tuesday: WWF Madison Square Garden 6/14/87

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WWF Superstars of Wrestling December 13th, 1986

14th November 2014 by Scott Keith

December 13, 1986


From the Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center in South Bend, IN

Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, and Vince McMahon

Tonight, we will see Adrian Adonis, Kamala, and the Can-Am Connection. Plus, an update on the condition of Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and a highlight package set to the song “Everybody Have Fun” by Wang Chung.

Pedro Morales & Tito Santana & Hillbilly Jim vs. Moondog Spot & Barry O. & The Raider


Jim overpowers Spot then puffs out his chest. Barry tags as Jim grabs a side headlock before tagging Santana. Tito takes Barry down with a flying headscsissors then dropkicks him before tagging Morales. The Raider also tags in and Morales catches him with a shot to the midsection. Tito tags and hits another dropkick before Morales rolls up The Raider for the win (1:57).

Thoughts: The six-man tags involving Santana, Pedro, and Jim were not particularly exciting. The crowd really only seemed to care about Tito at this point anyway as Pedro was washed up and Jim was never as popular as he was pre-WrestleMania I.




WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week’s subject is Randy Savage, who is shown cutting a promo gloating about how he took out Steamboat and calls himself the greatest wrestler in the WWF. He then gives the throat slash gesture to Steamboat if he ever decides to wrestle him again.

Mario Mancini vs. “Adorable” Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart


Before the match we are shown a promo from Piper who is insulting Adonis then tells him to “pay the Piper.” Adonis backs Mancini into the corner and roughs him up. He elbows him in the back of the neck then takes him down with a shoulderblock. He chops him down then taunts the crowd as Vince probes Jesse about his investigation into Andre the Giant’s investigation. Jesse says that he will be interviewing Bobby Heenan about that situation as Adonis puts Mancini away with the Good Night Irene (1:16). After the match, Adonis shoves flowers into Mancini’s mouth.

Thoughts: They did a good job at continuing the Piper/Adonis feud here and on commentary they continued the story about how Andre got reinstated by the WWF.

Ken Resnick is with Savage, who will be facing Bruno Sammartino at the January 3rd Boston Garden show. The next “Saturday Night’s Main Event” aired that night too. Savage calls Bruno a “has been” and promises to teach Bruno to respect the young. Great stuff by Savage, who was in the zone at this point.

Another Outback Jack vignette, who says that he is chomping at the bit to get over to the WWF.

Iron Mike Sharpe & Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Can-Am Connection

The crowd loves the Can-Am Connection. Funk and Martel start off the match trading off of on the arm. Martel uses his speed to his advantage and gets two with a hurricarana. He sends Funk to the floor with a dropkick as the crowd goes nuts. Sharpe tags and roughs up Martel for a bit. Martel is able to tag Zenk and they take down Sharpe with a double monkey flip. Zenk works the arm but Funk knees him in the back from the apron then tags in and roughs him up. The fans rally behind Zenk as he is able to crawl through the legs of Sharpe and make the tag. Martel is on fire then tags Zenk who slingshots in with a sunset flip for two. The match breaks down then Sharpe is in control until Zenk hits him with an atomic drop and Martel takes him down with a headscisssors. Zenk then dropkicks Funk off of the apron and catches Sharpe with a powerslam then slingshots in Martel with a splash to get the win (3:54). The crowd went crazy at the finish.

Thoughts: Awesome for a short TV match. The Can-Am’s were instantly over. They had barely been with the company for a month and had the crowds going nuts for them. The girls loved their looks and the fans loved their fast-paced moves as they appealed to just about everyone. I have to imagine that the other white-meat babyface teams like the Rougeau’s and the U.S. Express were getting worried about their spots on the card at this time.

Resnick is with Blackjack Mulligan as he will be part of the “Bunkhouse Battle Royal”match at the Boston Garden. They hype how you can wear whatever you want in this match, which is best known for Lanny Poffo wearing a suit of armor in the ring. Mulligan cuts a dull, rambling promo here.

We get another Blackjack Mulligan vignette on his ranch as he talks about the bull he got for $1,000. He then talks about his past bull as this went nowhere. Vince laughed like a moron when this ended. At least he was entertained.

Jack Kruger vs. Kamala w/ The Wizard & Kimchee


Kamala attacks Kruger with his mask before the bell. Kamala then hits him with some chops and kicks then slams him down. Kamala hits a splash then climbs up top and hits another splash for the win (0:38). Kruger is getting carried out on a stretcher as Vince calls him a “young man.” Kruger was 40 years old here and looked even older than that.

Thoughts: The Kamala TV squash matches are starting to get stale now. When his house show against Hogan ended, there was not much else left for him to do in the WWF.




Piper’s Pit with guests Butch Reed and Slick. Reed talks about how natural he is Piper mocks him for dying his roots black. Reed and Piper start insulting each other until Piper grabs Suzette the Federette and asks how she finds more attractive as she walks off with Piper. Reed then gets on the mic and flips out.

The “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” video is shown. Solid stuff as the WWF video packages at this time were generally good.

Okerlund is with Steamboat’s doctor, who is amazed at Steamboat’s progress. The doctor then states that another shot to his throat could even be fatal.

We are shown the interview by Jesse Ventura with Bobby Heenan about Andre the Giant’s reinstatement. Jesse runs down Jack Tunney then asks Heenan what happened. Jesse chides Heenan for allowing Andre to be reinstated as Heenan surprises him by putting over his size and agility and says that there is no reason for him to not be reinstated. Jesse point blank asks him if he should be allowed to be back and Heenan says yes and that he does not have to answer to anyone. Awesome segment that kept everyone intrigued.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “The Rebel” Dick Slater


Roberts got a lot more cheers than Slater to start the match. Vince goes off on Danny Davis, who is the referee for this match. Slater takes down Jake with a hiptoss to start. Slater knocks him down as the crowd boos then works the leg but Davis breaks that up as the crowd now boos Davis. Slater goes back to work on the leg as Jesse and Vince go back and forth about Davis. Slater still attacks the leg as this match is starting to drag. Roberts kicks Slater over the top rope but sells his leg and Slater is able to come back in a hit a swinging neckbreaker then an elbow smash from the top rope as Slater covers and gets the pin but Davis gets up and saw Roberts’ had his foot on the ropes and orders the match to continue as Vince and Bruno talk about how once the ref counts to three the match is supposed to be over, no matter what. As Slater argues with the referee, Roberts gets up and hits him with a short-armed clothesline. He hobbles around then grabs his snake but Slater fights back. Davis then backs Slater into the corner but gets tossed across the ring as the crowd erupts then Davis rings the bell for the DQ as Roberts is the winner (4:32).

Thoughts: The match was okay but this was more about furthering the Davis storyline than anything else. Roberts sold his leg like a champ for this match. This was one of the last TV matches for Slater in the WWF. He would remain with the company for several more months too, usually wrestling on house show opening matches.




Resnick is with Bruno Sammartino, who says that Savage has done nothing but insult him then warns Savage that he is not after his title but will mop up the floor with him and even come after him outside of the ring if he tries to escape and save his title.

Next week in action, we will see Don Muraco & Bob Orton vs. The Islanders. Also in action will be Butch Reed and the Killer Bees.






Final Thoughts: An awesome show. They accomplished a ton of stuff in just one hour. They kept their two top feuds (Steamboat/Savage, Adonis/Piper) going strong and had a very intriguing segment about the return of Andre the Giant. Plus, they showcased a hot new act in the Can-Am Connection. You really couldnt ask for much more here and a lot of the main stuff on this show continued into WrestleMania III. Great long-term planning by the WWF here.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Saturday: RoH Frontiers of Honor 5/17/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/14/86
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/20/86
Thursday: Shoot Interview TBD
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/21/86



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WWF Superstars of Wrestling September 13th, 1986

15th August 2014 by Scott Keith

September 13, 1986

From Providence, RI

Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, and Vince McMahon

In action tonight are the British Bulldogs, The Machines, and Randy Savage. Plus, the return of Sika, Tonga Kid & Haku vs. The Moondogs and Sivi Afi vs. Paul Orndorff. And, the return of “Piper’s Pit.”

Sivi Afi vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff w/ Bobby Heenan

Once again,Orndorff comes out to “Real American.” An insert promo of Heenan and Orndorff is shown, with Orndorff laughing at the thought of people asking him if he was sorry for what he did to Hulk Hogan. Orndorff cheap shots Afi as the ref stepped in between them then takes control. Orndorff uses a turnbuckle smash but Afi no-sells that and does the same to Orndorff. However, Afi eats boot on a charge. Afi then dodges a dropkick and fires away. Afi attempts a crossbody off of the top rope but Orndorff ducks as Heenan is screaming for Orndorff to use the piledriver. Orndorff then hits Afi with a clothesline before putting him away with the piledriver (2:35).

Thoughts: Orndorff continues to dominate as Afi started his new role as a TV jobber. Afi wasn’t bad in the ring but there was nowhere to go with him.

WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week’s topic is Harley Race and his recent coronation ceremony as we get a clip of that for the second consecutive week. Harley got quite the push when he first started the King gimmick

Sika w/ King Curtis vs. Don Driggers

The return of Sika after a two year absence. Sika attacks Driggers before the bell. He gets him in a chinlock then starts biting is forehead. Sika stays on the attack as we see an insert promo from King Curtis which was awful as usual. I mean, the guy just screamed like an idiot and did not come off menacing and more like a joke. Sika continues to bit and gauge Driggers as Vince calls out referee Danny Davis for allowing Sika to act like this. Sika hits a clothesline then finishes him off with a Samoan Drop (2:32).

Thoughts: Most of this segment revolved around Danny Davis, with Vince questioning his motives while Jesse defended him. If Vince was not screaming about Davis, you would not really have much of an idea that he was doing anything “evil.”

Ken Resnick runs down the card for the October show at the Boston Garden as Randy Savage comes out and is irate that he has to defend his Intercontinental Title against George Steele in a No Disqualification match.

The Moondogs vs. The Islanders

This is the first time that Tonga Kid & King Tonga have been called the Islanders. They have not yet changed their names though. King Tonga and Rex trade arm wringers to start. King Tonga catches Rex with a back elbow smash after an Irish whip sequence then hiptosses Spot when he tags into the match. Tonga Kid tags and gets caught in the wrong corner as we get another insert promo from the Honky Tonk Man calling out Orndorff for hurting his friend Hulk Hogan. Tonga Kid rolls away from a double team then makes the tag. King Tonga is a house of fire then tags the Tonga Kid who finishes off Rex with a top rope splash (2:29).

Thoughts: Funny how the Islanders were never named as such when the announcers ran down the show. Anyway, the team made sense as King Tonga had the power and Tonga Kid the agility.

Resnick is with Bobby Heenan and Harley Race, who will be facing Tito Santana at the next Boston Garden show. Race briefly runs down Tito then Resnick interviews Heenan, who is pissed at Piper who will be teaming with the Machines as “Piper Machine” and warns Piper that he is in big trouble for messing with him.

Troy Martin vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage w/ Elizabeth

Savage backs Martin against the ropes then grounds him on the mat. Savage toys around with Martin as we get an insert promo from Pedro Morales, who thinks it is a shame that Savage is the Intercontinental Champion and tells him that he is ready for him. Jesse gets a funny line at the expense of Morales by stating he sounds like he has a mouth full of mashed potatoes when he talks. Back to the match as Savage flies out and hits Martin with a double axe handle then tosses Martin over the barricade. Savage rolls Martin back into the ring and hits another double axe handle then a slam, setting up the flying elbow smash for the win (2:09).

Thoughts: The future Shane Douglas got his ass handed to him by Savage. Jesse made me laugh as he made fun of Morales, who for some reason was portrayed as a threat to the Intercontinental Title.

Piper’s Pit with guest Ken Resnick. Piper welcomes the crowd and said they got rid of all the flowers and makeup and that he is all man. All of a sudden, Adrian Adonis, Bob Orton, and Jimmy Hart interrupt. Adonis calls Piper “old news” and that the Flower Shop has class. Piper rolls his eyes and chews his gum as Adonis speaks. He then snaps his belt as Adonis challenges Piper to a debate in two weeks to see what the people want: The Flower Shop or Piper’s Pit. Piper then challenges him to a debate now and ends up pulling the chair out from Adonis before walking away. The feud continues!

Rick Hunter & J.J. Jackson & Al Navarro vs. Super Machine & Big Machine & Giant Machine

Super Machine starts by tossing around Navarro. He then beats on Jackson before tagging Big Machine, who takes Jackson down with a back elbow smash. Jesse talks about how ridiculous the Machine gimmick is as Giant Machine tags in and gets the win with a punch to the gut (1:26). An insert promo from Albano airs with him teasing that there are more Machines.

Thoughts: Andre could barely move at this point but the crowd went nuts when he was in the ring. And the news of more Machines on the horizon was big news.

Jack Foley & Les Thornton vs. British Bulldogs w/ Capt. Lou Albano

Mick Foley’s WWF debut as a jobber. And a painful one at that, thanks to the Dynamite Kid. Les and Davey trade off working the arm to start. Les hits a few European uppercuts until DAvey comes backwith a monkey flip. Jimmy Hart is shown in an insert promo telling the Bulldogs that the Funks are gunning for their titles. Well, Hoss was gone when this show aired so that was not going to happen. Dynamite tags and hits Foley with a few suplexes and a backbreaker. Davey tags and hits Foley with a running powerslam and a delayed vertical suplex that gets two. Foley rakes the eyes and lands a few elbows but Davey headbutts him then tags Dynamite almost takes his head off with a clothesline and that sets up Dynamite hitting a super back suplex for the win (3:42).

Thoughts: Poor Foley got destroyed in this match. Dynamite’s clothesline was unnecessarilty stiff and Foley took one nasty bump on the finisher. The Bulldogs looked impressive though.

Resnick is with Super & Big Machine, who welcome their partner in Boston, Piper Machine. They talk about their match in Boston when George Steele interrupts and slams something down, saying “no rules” repeatedly as he walks around and slams a chair against the floor.

Next week, Don Muraco vs. Lanny Poffo. Plus, the Killer Bees are in action and a special feature on Dick Slater and an update on the Honkytonk Man. And, the Dream Team vs. U.S. Express

The show closes with a brief music video package containing highlights of this show.

Final Thoughts: Solid show. The Piper/Adonis feud heated up and the furthered along the Danny Davis angle. Also, they debuted the Islanders as a team and for recent fans, you can get to see Mick Foley and Shane Douglas as jobbers.

Here is my schedule for the next seven days:

Saturday: RoH Glory By Honor 10/5/02
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 9/14/86
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 9/20/86
Thursday: Shoot Interview TBD
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 9/21/86

Email all feedback to [email protected]

Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/mrbayless1982

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WWF Madison Square Garden July 13th, 1985

18th December 2013 by Scott Keith
My copy of this show excluded some of the matches. It cut out half of the Rene Goulet vs. Pedro Morales match, which was awful from what I saw, and also cut out Adrian Adonis vs. Jose Luis Rivera, Junkyard Dog vs. Bob Orton, and Terry Funk vs. Lanny Poffo, which is on the “Best of the WWF Volume 6” tape.
July 13, 1985
Your hosts are Lord Alfred Hayes and Gorilla Monsoon

Moondog Spot vs. Ivan Putski
Putski works a side headlock for a long time. He keeps going back to the move as Gorilla puts over Putski’s recent tour of Japan. Spot briefly works on Putski in the corner but until he gets backdropped, allowing Putski to go back to the side headlock. Spot counters that with an atomic drop then goes to work. Flying chop gets two. They slug it out until Spot hits an inverted atomic drop. He grabs a chinlock for a bit then takes him down with a forearm smash. Backbreaker gets two. Spot goes back to the chinlock until Putski escapes and hits an atomic drop. He misses an elbow drop then Spot hits another flying chop for two. Spot hits a crescent kick then both men are down after colliding. Putski backs Spot in the corner, who is begging for mercy, then hammers away. Spot gets tied up in the ropes. He is able to escape after kicking Putski low. Spot leaps over Putski and taunts the crowd but ends up walking into the Polish Hammer (12:58) *1/2.
Thoughts: Spot made this watchable but Putski had no business going this long in the ring in 1985. And speaking of Putski, the crowd was less and less into him each time he went out, especially since the crowds got younger as the years went by. Spot is one of the more underrated workers in the history of wrestling, to be honest.
Rick McGraw vs. Missing Link w/Bobby Heenan
Heenan prevents Link from bringing a chair into the ring. McGraw fires away to start. He hits a dropkick but ends up getting elbowed in the head. Link hits another elbow then starts uses a headbutt. He hits a headbutt from the middle rope then goes out to grab the chair but Heenan prevents him again. In the ring, McGraw fights back but Link no-sells a turnbuckle smash then hammers away in the corner. McGraw runs into a headbutt then Link finishes him off with a springboard headbutt (2:25) ¼*. After the match, Link wants to smash his head off of the post but Heenan controls him
Thoughts: Great match for headbutt aficionados but to everyone else, it was a nothing match. At least it was short. Link was a bust in the WWF. His run was less than memorable to say the least.
Gorilla is backstage with Roddy Piper, who jokingly refers to Gorilla as the Good Humor man before mockingly calling him sexy. Piper blames Orndorff for losing the match at WrestleMania and in regards to the $25,000 bounty, Piper said that he would sell his grandma for that much money.
Roddy Piper vs. Paul Orndorff
The fans are going out of their fucking minds at the start of this match. Orndorff slugs away and knocks Piper to the floor. He follows him out then back in the ring, he hits an elbow smash from the top rope then works the arm as the crowd is still going insane. Piper smacks Orndorff and rams his head off of the turnbuckle but he still maintains the hold. Onrdorff runs into a knee on a charge. Piper hammers away but Orndorff manages to get a nearfall with a backslide. Piper rakes the eyes then stomps Orndorff through the ropes. The fans are all over Piper, who gets dragged off of the apron. After a brief slugfest, Piper whips Orndorff into the post. Back in the ring, Piper takes Orndorff down with a side headlock then both men go back and forth on the mat until Orndorff gets two off of a backslide. Orndorff wins a slugfest then drops an elbow. Orndorff goes for a crossbody block but both men spill outside. Orndorff drags Piper back into the ring and heads up top but Bob Orton comes out and shoves Orndorff off of the top rope for the DQ (8:47) ***. Orton and Piper continue to assault Orndorff until the British Bulldogs run out and eventually fight them off, as Orndorff is bloodied.
Thoughts: Good stuff. The brawling was intense and Piper’s selling was great at getting the crowd to react. Running out to aid Orndorff also shows that the WWF was starting to get behind the Bulldogs too, which would be more prevalent throughout the year.
Iron Sheik w/Freddie Blassie vs. Swede Hanson
Sheik attacks Hanson before the bell, choking him out with his headwear. He chokes him out in the corner and stomps away. A loud “U-S-A” chant breaks out as Hanson fights back with horrible looking punches. He slams the Sheik and drops a knee, which gets one. Hanson chops Sheik down and as the ref is distracted, the Sheik loads his boot. He kicks him in the face then puts him away with an elbow drop (2:24) DUD.
Thoughts: At least it was quick. Hanson was one of the worst wrestlers of all-time. He couldn’t move, had no charisma and everything he did looked bad. Again, at least it was short.
Nikolai Volkoff w/Freddie Blassie vs. George “The Animal” Steele w/Capt. Lou Albano
Steele interrupts Volkoff’s rendition of the Soviet National Anthem, to the delight of the crowd. Volkoff retreats and stalls to start things off. Volkoff kicks Steele after he was distracted by Blassie. Steele bites back but gets distracted and Volkoff puts the boots to Steele, who fights back then tears apart the turnbuckle. He throws the stuffing in Volkoff’s face then grabs a headlock. Both men slug it out and it looks terrible but Blassie hits Steele with the cane behind the ref’s back. Albano goes after Blassie but he also gets nailed with the cane. Steele comes out and no-sells a cane shot but ends up getting attacked from behind by Volkoff and this leads to a double countout (4:18) DUD.
Thoughts: Mostly stalling in this match, which was really all you could do against someone with Steele’s gimmick.
George Wells vs. Brutus Beefcake w/Johnny Valiant
Beefcake attacks Wells from behind after he was distracted by Valiant. He chokes him out with his foot then works a side headlock. Wells catches Beefcake with a crescent kick then takes him down with an armdrag. The crowd is silent as Wells has Beefcake in an armbar for a few minutes. Beefcake rakes the eyes then knocks Wells through the ropes. In the ring, Brutus works a front facelock but Wells backs him into the corner. Snapmare gets two then Wells goes back to the arm. Beefcake knocks him over the rope then Wells skins the cat, in the slowest manor possible and ends up taking Beefcake to the floor with a headscissors, drawing a pop from the crowd. Back in the ring,  Wells hits a few tackles but gets distracted by Valiant and that allows Beefcake to hit the jumping knee smash from behind for the win (7:26) ¾*.
Thoughts: Really dull stuff. The crowd still didn’t care enough about Beefcake at this time and unfortunately for Wells, they never connected with him. He was very bland in the ring so you cant really blame them for that.
  
Brett Hart & Jim Neidhart w/Jimmy Hart vs. British Bulldogs
Brett and Dynamite start things off. Dynamite hits a few armdrags as Hart is screaming on the megaphone. Dynamite sends Brett to the floor then ends up tagging out. The Anvil overpowers him for a bit but Dynamite kicks him down. Anvil gets hit with a double shoulder block then he and Davey use a test of strength. Davey hits a dropkick then Brett tags back as Hayes call him the most improved wrestler of 1985. Davey is getting beat on by both men, even getting hit with the Demolition Decapitation spot. Hart is pissing off the crowd by speaking through a megaphone as Davey continues to get assaulted. Davey flips out of a backbreaker attempt and hits a slam as both men are down. Bret prevents a tag from being made as a “bulldog” chant breaks out. Davey hits a crucifix but the Anvil breaks that up. Davey dodges an attack from Bret that sends Anvil off the apron then he makes the tag to Dynamite, who runs wild. He is going at a lightning quick pace that has the crowd going crazy. He takes out Brett with a missile dropkick then tags Davey, who hits a running powerslam that Neidhart breaks up at two. Small package gets two after the Anivl breaks that up. Davey tries a reverse rollup but Brett ducks and he flies out to the floor. The Anvil roughs him up then rolls him back inside, where Brett applies a Boston Crab that Dynamite breaks up. Neidhart tags and works a chinlock for a bit. Davey escapes and gets a backslide but Brett breaks that up. He and Davey then have a brief pinfall reversal sequence. Davey dropkicks Brett and tries to make the tag but the Anvil drags him into their corner. Davey tries for a sunset flip but the bell sounds, signaling the match has ended due to the curfew draw (13:12) ***1/4.
Thoughts: Good match. Dynamite was so fast and crisp in the ring that it made him stick out. The crowd loved it when he was in the ring. The not-yet-named Hart Foundation looked great and Brett was starting to show a little bit of personality. This match was featured on the “Bret Hart Story” DVD.
Final Thoughts: From what I saw, the show was okay, basically what you would expect from your average house show in this era. Most of the bad matches were kept short. Orndroff vs. Piper and the final tag match were both good. No champions were on this card, oddly enough. The next house show I will review is the August Philadelphia Spectrum show and until then I will post all of the Championship Wrestling shows and a TNT review leading up to that.
Rants →

WWF Championship Wrestling July 13th, 1985

16th December 2013 by Scott Keith
July 13th, 1985
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action this week are the Missing Link, Paul Orndorff, Terry Funk, and George “The Animal” Steele. Also, the main event will be Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff for the Tag Team Championship. Plus, “Piper’s Pit” with guest Randy Savage.

Mr. X vs. Paul Orndorff
Orndorff aggressively attacks the arm. He slams X before tossing him to the floor. Orndorff follows him out and rams his head off of the table before rolling him back inside. He hits an elbow drop from the second rope as Bobby Heenan is shown watching from the aisle. Orndorff hits a sloppy-looking slingshot suplex then flexes to the crowd, which is going crazy for him. He then hits a clothesline and finishes off X with the piledriver (2:33). After the match, Heenan angrily kicks open the door that leads backstage then comes out with the briefcase as the crowd starts a loud “weasel” chant. Orndorff then slams Mr. X on the floor.
Thoughts: Man, the crowd was jacked for Orndorff. The bounty angle is still going strong too.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. Randy Savage is this week’s subject. We are shown a clip of his TV debut match from last week.
J.A. Rizz & Barry O. vs. Pedro Morales & “Leaping” Lanny Poffo
This is the TV debut for Lanny. Rizz is some hairy fat guy. Bruno talks about Lanny Poffo’s dad for a minute as Lanny and Barry take it to the mat. Lanny does a few flips then hits a dropkick. Pedro tags in and works the arm. They trade slams then Morlaes works the arm. Poffo tags back in the match but gets clotheslined. Rizz tags but Lanny plants him with a pair of super kicks that has Vince laughing. Rizz seems to have no clue what to do in the ring. Pedro tags then makes Rizz submit to the Boston Crab (3:36).
Thoughts: Poffo looked okay but this team had no chemistry and the crowd didn’t care at all.
Jack Reynolds is backstage and alerts us that Tito Santana defeated Greg Valentine for the Intercontinental Title in Baltimore, MD last week. He then brings out Freddie Blassie and he talks about the Tornado Tag Match between Sheik & Volkoff vs. Windham & Rotundo in Providence. He promises that his team will win.
Jim Young vs. Missing Link w/Bobby Heenan
Link hits a bunch of headbutts then rams his own head off of the turnbuckle. He hits an elbow smash then takes down Young again. He then hits a slam before putting him away with a springboard headbutt (1:51).
Thoughts: The Link was not over at all. It made little sense to have him in the same promotion as George Steele, seeing how they basically have the same gimmick. Link’s gimmick was better off in the 70’s.
Jack Reynolds is with Capt. Lou Albano, who talks about the Tornado Match in Providence. He compares the match to painting a “tit mouse’s hind legs on a Saturday night” and that he and his team are ready.
Jerry Adams vs. George “The Animal” Steele w/Capt/ Lou Albano
Adams attacks Steele before the bell but ends up getting tossed outside. Steele then tosses him back outside and rams his head off of the table. Back inside, Steele stomps away then eats the turnbuckle, throwing the stuffing at the referee, Rita Marie. Vince is cackling on commentary as Steele puts him away with the flying hammerlock (2:57). After the match, Albano calms down Steele, who takes some of the turnbuckle stuffing before walking back to the locker room.
Thoughts: The crowd dug Steele as a face, especially the turnbuckle eating. I thought it was odd that they had this right after the Missing Link match but the crowd responded well to Steele and barely reacted at all to Link.
Piper’s Pit with guest “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Piper is enamored with Savage, who declares that Hulkamania is dead. Piper refers to Savage as the #1 draft choice then asks him what it is like to be a real macho man. Savage offers Piper a chance to wear his million dollar robe, while reminding him that Hulkamania is dead, as Piper puts it on and says that he feels better. Funny segment as they continue to push Savage strong right out of the gate.
Mario Mancini vs. Terry Funk
Funk chops Mancini hard in the corner. He hits a neckbreaker then a piledriver but Mancini is able to kick out. He jumps on the back of Mancini, who was hunched over the middle rope, but misses a second attempt. Mancini knocks him out of the ring but back inside, Funk tosses Mancini to the floor. Back inside, Funk puts on the spinning toe hold for the win (3:38)
Thoughts: Funk looks good in the ring and is getting over as heel, although not as much as Macho Man. However, Funk still stands out from the other heels and is a legitimate threat. Pretty sweet that the WWF managed to get Funk and Savage debut a week apart from each other.
Tito Santana comes out with a public service announcement about never swimming alone.
Jesse Ventura does the voice over for the WrestleMania home video.
WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (Champions) w/Freddie Blassie vs. Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo w/Capt. Lou Albano
Windham and Volkoff starts things off. Volkoff does a cartwheel but Windham dropkicks him down. They slug it out for a bit until Rotundo tags himself in and gets two off of a rollup. Sheik kicks Rotundo in the back from the apron. He tags himself in and hits a backdrop before he stomps away. The crowd starts a “U-S-A” chant as Rotundo gets beat down. Sheik gets two off of a slam. He puts on the camel clutch but Windham breaks that up. Rotundo counters a suplex with a small package. Volkoff then reverses the pin behind the referee’s back but Windham reverses it back and the ref turns around and counts to three and we have new Tag Team Champions (3:13). The fans are going nuts for this, throwing trash at the heels.
Thoughts: It was always a treat to see a title change on TV during this time. I doubt that this finish would get over today but it worked great here.
Jack Reynolds is with Mr. Fuji, who talks about Don Muraco’s match in Providence against Andre the Giant. Muraco himself then comes out and wants to know if we have ever seen a giant cry.
Next week, Don Muraco will take on Ricky Steamboat in a rematch from two weeks ago.
Final Thoughts: Good show this week. The tag titles switching hands was fun and the pushes for the new arrivals, Funk and Savage, continue. Even the Poffo & Morales and Link matches, which were dull, didn’t drag the show down too much. The Orndorff bounty angle is still going strong too Plus, the Steamboat and Muraco for next week rematch looks to be good as well. We also found out that the Intercontinental title also changed hands and while it was only mentioned casually here, they will touch upon that more next week. The WWF did cool down after WrestleMania but it was not like they had nothing going on.
Rants →

WWF Championship Wrestling April 13th, 1985

16th October 2013 by Scott Keith

April 13, 1985

Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon

This week, in action are Big John Studd & Ken Patera. Plus, Ricky Steamboat, King Kong Bundy, Greg Valentine and David Sammartino. We will also see clips of the Women’s Title match from WrestleMania.


Greg “The Hammer” Valentine w/Jimmy Hart vs. Doc Butler

Doc looks fairly young and is in decent shape. He also has one of the hairiest chests I have ever seen. Valentine knocks him down and hits a few kneedrops. He hits a gutbuster and a scoop slam then goes to work on the arm. Valentine tosses him to the floor and McMahon mocks Hart’s voice, which actually got Bruno to laugh. I dont mention it much in my reviews but Bruno was pretty useless on commentary. He only spoke when asked something by Vince. Valentine beats on Butler then tosses him back in for some more punishment before applying the figure four and the win (3:41).

Thoughts: This went on a bit too long but Valentine squash matches were good around this time so it was fine. Vince made it a point on commentary to mention how annoying Hart sounds.

WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week, we get an update on Hillbilly Jim. We are told that he is out of the hospital after suffering torn ligaments in his knee at the hands of Brutus Beefcake. We are show still photos of Jim on crutches as Hayes lets us know that Jim will be back in the ring between 4-6 months. That injury really cost Jim in the long run.

Dave Barbie vs. David Sammartino

Barbie jumps Sammartino before the bell. Sammartino fights back and boots him down. He hits a few suplexes then chops him against the ropes before getting the win with a powerslam (1:00).

Thoughts: Sammartino got a few cheers at the beginning but the push isnt working. He did hit some nice power moves though. He didnt look the part of a wrestling star and did not have anywear near the amount of charisma as his father so the fans didnt care about him.

The camera pans to the crowd and shows various fans who are either wearing WWF merchandise or holding up programs. A lot of shots featuring fans wearing the “Hulkamania” hats too. This is the hardest push on merchandise I have seen on these shows at this point.

Gene Okerlund is with the British Bulldogs. Davey says that they are cousins as Dynamite calls out the tag champs, Sheik & Volkoff. Not much of an interview.

Aldo Marino vs. King Kong Bundy w/Jimmy Hart

The crowd is all over Bundy, which is a great sign for a guy who debuted a month ago. Bundy grinds Marino into the mat then chops him in the corner. Bruno goes on about Bundy’s physique then tells us while in Japan, Bundy wrestled five guys at once. Bundy hits the Avalanche then finishes off Marino with a knee drop, making the referee count to five (2:38)

Thoughts: Bundy continues to impress. The fans react well to him too. Its clear that he will be a major player very shortly.

Gene Okerlund is with Ricky Steamboat, who was apparently between workouts. He has Ricky about the talent in the WWF as Steamboat mentions how on magazines and TV news, you see the WWF. He then gives a message to everyone that conditioning is what makes you get to the top. Okerlund asks about the South Pacific Connection, his team with Jimmy Snuka, as Steamboat tells the tag division to take notice. This interview was pretty bad but they did try to establish his team with Snuka.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Rusty Brooks

Steamboat hits a few armdrags but runs into a clothesline. Brooks hits a dropkick, which is impressive for a short obese man, but gets taken down with a hip toss. Steamboat gets two off a throat thrust but Brooks fights back. Steamboat then chops him down and goes back to work on the arm. He takes him down with a forearm smash to the chest. Brooks fights back and they mess up a float over so Steamboat hits a few dropkicks the goes up top and hits a splash for the win (3:03). Vince makes it a point to mention that he used the same move as Snuka.

Thoughts:  These guys were not on the same page. The main point of the match though was to establish that Steamboat and Snuka were a solid team. That is tough to do without Snuka present.

Piper’s Pit with Roddy Piper and Bob Orton. This takes place in the locker room. Piper mentions how they never lost at anything before then Piper goes on about how he had no idea that Orndorff had no guts. Orton said that Orndorff didnt have the strength to go on as Piper said that no one wants to fight them and they are victorious. With the heels bashing Orndorff, its clear that they will have an altercation sooner or later.

We are shown the last few minutes of the Women’s Title match at WrestleMania between Wendi Richter and Leilani Kai. Richter regained the belt after rolling through a crossbody. It was a bad match.

Jim Young & Joe Mirto vs. Ken Patera & Big John Studd w/Bobby Heenan

The crowd starts up with a “weasel” chant  towards Heenan. Studd tosses around both men then tags Patera. Vince says that Patera is upset that his bench press record had been beaten as he tosses Young around the ring. Young continues to get destroyed by both men, who are frequently tagging in and out. Mirto finally tags and lands a few shots on Patera but ends up getting destroyed in the corner. The crowd chants for Andre as Studd pulls up Mirto before the three count. Patera suplexes Mirto then Studd drops the elbow for the win (4:45).

Thoughts: Long match but the crowd didnt mind, as they hate Heenan and Studd and love Andre.

Okerlund is with Jimmy Hart and two of his clients, Jim Neidhart and King Kong Bundy. Hart said that Valentine told him to go after these guys. Neidhart then screams about how he and Bundy are in great shape and no one else can do anything about that. Bundy says that he should be in the ring with a minimum of two men at a time then calls out a few of the face tag-teams. Okerlund mentions the five count and Bundy says that is because it leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that you have been defeated. Okerlund asks if they will be teaming together and Hart casually mentions that they probably will then says that his men are ready.

Next week, we will have a special feature on Hillbilly Jim from his home in Kentucky. Also, the debut of the team of Jim Neidhart and Bret Hart (not called the Hart Foundation). Plus, Don Muraco, the Junkyard Dog, and the British Bulldogs will be in action.

Thoughts: I thought this was a fun show. They continue to shape up the post-WrestleMania feuds as they ride their wave of mianstream popularity. They are focusing on newer stars such as Steamboat, Bundy, and the British Bulldogs. Also, they had a really intriguing episode of Piper’s Pit and are starting to build up their tag team division. 

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QOTD – August 13th, 2013

13th August 2013 by Scott Keith

Greetings.

Today’s question comes from the elite team of the BoD MoD. We were in the BoDMoD upscale lounge the otherday, sipping champagne, and wearing our silk robes with the MoD monogram on them, when Flair4DaGold propositioned this question:


I’m going to steal this question from “That Metal Show”, but I think it will drum up some good conversation.

What was the first album/cd that you bought with your own money?

I
bought Twisted Sister’s “Still Hungry” at K-Mart with lawn mowing money
in 1984.  I mean, who wasn’t into them around that time?  Plus, for a 9
year old, that cover was pretty rad.

My first CD was Public Enemy’s “Fear of a Black Planet” around ’91 when i finally decided to go all in on CDs. 

What about you?

First CD that I actually bought, I remember it like it was yesterday. Bone Thugs N Harmony
– Est. 1999 Eternal. I’d been literally begging my mom for 2 months
to get it. It had that Parental Advisory sticker on it, so she was
weary. I had to tell her that the sticker wasn’t just for swear words,
it was because of things like violence, and drugs. I told her I was a
smart kid, I wasn’t going to be influenced by something like that. It was a total crock.

The
day I got it…man, what a feeling. I was 12 at the time, and like you,
a lawn mower. So I had $15 saved at all times for when she said yes. At
that point when I got CD’s, I just skipped to the hits, you know? But
when I got Est. 1999, I sat in my room with my headphones on and
listened to it from beginning to end 3 times. Still one of my all time
favorite albums.

That Metal Show is a damn good show. If I had the money & resources, I’d love to do a wrestling show in that style, and just throw it up on youtube.

How say you?

Check out scrublife.wordpress.com, read Caliber’s reviews of the latest episodes of True Blood, and the always fantistico, Breaking Bad.

Rants →

QOTD – June 13th, 2013

13th June 2013 by Scott Keith

Greetings. Before we get to it, I’d like to state that the QOTD will from here on out be about anything. Really, we can only mine the wrestling cave for so long before we start over talking about how lame Starrcade 1997 was. So, for those who want to send a question in, you can literally ask anything. Be it about movies, TV, comic books, worse job, worse girlfriend, best job, best girlfriend, whatever. So, send’em on in to [email protected]

I’m glad you guys are digging the QOTD. Today, we’ve got a question from Mr. Eric Griffith.

“I just watched KotR 97 and Canadian Stampede back to back. The
difference in quality between the two is quite striking. So, my question
would be, what back to back PPVs have the biggest disparity in quality
(i.e. one is really good, one is really bad)? Does anything top KotR ’97
and Canadian Stampede?”

He has a great selection, but I’d have to go with WrestleMania 2000 to Backlash 2000. Now granted, WrestleMania 2000 had a ****+ ladder match, but the rest of the undercard was crap, with a massively disappointing main event. Backlash 2000 completely brought the goods, and still stands as one of the better PPVs of all time. 

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WWF Championship Wrestling October 13th, 1984

8th May 2013 by Scott Keith
October 13, 1984
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon

Charlie Fulton vs. Junkyard Dog
Fulton bails as JYD is dancing towards him. Vince is loving all of this. JYD taunts Fulton some more then escapes a headlock by dancing. Fulton backs JYD against the ropes but JYD punches away and Fulton bails. Back in the ring, JYD shoves down Fulton then takes him down with a hiptoss. Fulton gets an eye rake and lands several punches until JYD fights back. He knocks him down then hits the powerslam for the win (2:33). After the match, a woman goes into the ring and dances with JYD.
Thoughts: The match itself was crap but JYD did a great job of connecting with the fans and was over huge with the audience. The WWF was really weak on the face side at this time so JYD provides some depth in that department.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week’s subject is Mr. Fuji and him becoming a manager, specifically the manager of Don Muraco. He states that Fuji is looking to add more clients.
Billy Travis & Rick McGraw vs. Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch
Sadly, all four men in this match are now dead and not one of them made it to the age of 50. McGraw takes down Murdoch with a few armdrags. He tags to Adonis, who takes McGraw down with a shoulderblock. McGraw comes back and hits a few more armdrags before getting slammed. Murdoch tags and gets dropkicked. He works the arm and tags Travis. Murdoch destroys Travis and tags Adonis. They beat on Travis then Adonis hits an elbow drop from the top for the win. (2:44).
Thoughts: Dull match as half of it consisted of McGraw using armdrags. The champs gave their opponents a lot of offense in their TV matches.
Gene Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan, who promotes his match in Los Angeles with Big John Studd. Hulk mentions being friends with Sylvester Stallone and Mr. T and promises to destroy Studd. Not bad.
Rudy Diamond vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Havent seen Diamond since Orndorff destroyed him for wearing a “Paula” shirt a few onths back. Orndorff attacks Diamond from behind then tosses him to the floor. He goes outside and drops Diamond throat-first on the guardrail. Back inside, Orndorff hits a back elbow smash and several knee smashes. The crowd is screaming “Paula” as Orndorff kills Diamond with a back suplex. Orndorff taunts the fans then destroys Diamond some more before hitting the piledriver for the win (2:44). After the match, Orndorff pushes the ref away and raises his own hand in victory. Bruno and Vince also talk about how the piledriver should be banned.
Thoughts: Diamond looked really bad out there. Maybe he was scared because of how Orndorff beat the fuck out of him during their last encounter because he was really hesistant on everything and falling down well before contact was made. Don’t blame him too much as Orndorff is one tough dude.
Gene Okerlund is with Roddy Piper, who is flossing his teeth, promoting his match against Andre the Giant. Piper mentions that people usually fly out of Andre’s mouth when he flosses. He runs down the people from Los Angeles, saying that he does not want to be like them, then switches focus to Andre. Funny stuff.
Robbie Parliament vs. Kamala w/Friday
Kamala chops Parliament as the fans go crazy for Andre, who is making his way to the ring. Kamala is distracted for a bit then goes back to destroying Parliament until he finishes him off with a pair of splashes (1:47). After the match, Kamala hits another splash, which prompts Andre to go into the ring. The fans go shithouse then Kamala and Friday retreat.
Thoughts: The match was nothing but this feud has the fans going nuts. They just love Andre because the build for this hasn’t been particularly exciting.
Piper’s Pit with the Executioner. I believe this is Paul Kelly, a,jobber, playing the Executioner here. Buddy Rose was signed back to the WWF around this time but looking at the physique, you can tell its not him. Anyway, Piper calls him one of the best masked men that he has ever seen. The Tonga Kid appears and wants to talk to Piper, who insults his appearance. Tonga wants a match against Piper now for what he did to his cousin, Jimmy Snuka. Piper calls him garbage, stating that he is a star unlike Tonga then says that if he wants to fight somebody, he can fight the Executioner. Tonga screams how he wants Piper right now as the fans are going crazy.
Replay of Greg Valentine beating Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Title on Maple Leaf Wrestling
Chico Rodriguez vs. Brutus Beefcake
After a few weeks of speculation as to who will manage Beefcake, Luscious Johnny Valiant is announced by Finkle as the manager. Vince is shocked, thinking that Albano would be the choice. Valiant taunts Rodriguez with Beefcake’s vest, allowing Brutus to attack him from behind. He hits a slam and a gutwrench suplex before choking him out on the mat. Beefcake slams him then goes up top and hits a sitdown splash for the win (1:26).
Thoughts: Quick match. No one cares about Beefcake. He doesn’t even draw boos from the crowd, which has been responsive through the entire taping. You can tell Vince loves him though.
Gene Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan. He talks about Studd’s match with Hogan in Los Angeles. They show a clip of Studd beating a ref, which is why this match will feature two referees so that will not happen again. Heenan and Studd then accuse Hogan of using illegal tactics during their last match. 
Final Thoughts: The show wasn’t much but the Piper’s Pit segment kicked off a soon to be red-hot feud that would last all Winter long. With all of the newcomers coming in (and in a lot of cases, leaving right away) it was interesting to see who was over (JYD) and who was not (Beefcake).
Rants →

WWF Maple Leaf Wrestling October 13th,1984

6th May 2013 by Scott Keith
October 13, 1984

Side Note: I have acquired a few more episodes of Championship Wrestling. I will post the one that aired on this week on Tuesday night. A lot of well known angles and segments took place in the next several weeks so I will be reviewing both shows, with Maple Leaf Wrestling going up on Sunday Nights.  

Your hosts are Jack Reynolds and Angelo Mosca
This week in action are the Dynamite Kid, Kamala, The Samoans, Piper’s Pit, and the main event, Tito Santana defends his Intercontinental Title against Greg Valentine. Mosca says nowhere in North America can you find a title match like this. Well, no shit. Anyway, Mosca says the word “Excitement” a few times in this segment and will continue to do so the entire time. If you drank every time he said the word, you’d be on the floor halfway through the show.
“Gentleman” Jerry Valiant vs. Dynamite Kid
Dynamite eludes Valiant as Mosca tells us that Dynamite reminds him of “Danny Boy Smith.” These two dumb fucks cannot get his name right. Dynamite hits an armdrag then shows off his speed. Valiant knocks down Dynamite then hammers away in the corner. Once again, they show the Hillbilly (Hillbilly Jim) in the crowd as the announcers comment on how he has the size to be a pro wrestler. Dynamite dropkicks Valiant and he gets caught in the ropes. Valiant fights back and tosses Dynamite to the floor. He slingshots him back in the ring but Dynamite hits a pair of flying headscissors then goes up top and hits the flying headbutt then drops an elbow for the win (3:59).
Thoughts: Valiant was far too slow to keep up with Dynamite and there was a major styles clash. Speaking of Dynamite, he is far too quick for the entire roster. There was no one who wrestled like him during this time.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week’s subject are the Tag-Team Champs Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis. We see a clip of Murdoch at his ranch wrestling cattle.
“Silent” Brian Mackney vs. Iron Mike Sharpe
Sharpe cuts off the ring announcer and tells him that this match won’t last ten seconds. The crowd starts a “wimp” chant for Sharpe, who goes nuts. Mackney eludes Sharpe, who is getting pissed. Sharpe finally takes control with an eye rake and hits Mackney with several turnbuckle smashes. Sharpe yells at the crowd then goes back to beating Mackney. Sharpe gets an Irish whip reversed and Mackney hits a monkey flip. He dropkicks Sharpe, who rolls outside and hops the guardrail to yell at the fans. Back in the ring, Sharpe hits Mackney with a hangman’s drop then finishes Mackney off with a forearm smash (3:01). After the match, Sharpe proclaims that he is Canada’s greatest athlete.
Thoughts: Sharpe got a lot of heat for this match. He would get fired shortly after this aired as he refused to put over the Tonga Kid in a match.
Billy Red Lyons runs down the November 5th show in Vancouver then interviews Davey Boy Smith, Bret Hart, and the Dynamite Kid. Kid cuts a promo on his opponent, Butcher Vachon. He actually ended up wrestling Bobby Bass in that match. Hart cuts a promo on Ron Shaw, calling him a big boy and promises he will go down bad. Good lord was he awful here. Smith cuts a rhyming promo on his opponent, Rene Goulet. Well, that wasn’t too lame in 1984. Smith showed some personality at least, which is more than I can say for the others. Dynamite and Davey Boy would also be gone from the promotion shortly after this aired but would return in the middle of the following year.
Butcher Vachon & Goldie Rogers vs. The Wild Samoans
The Samoans are now full-fledged faces. The announcers cannot tell these two apart, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. By the way, the Samoans have there names on their tights. Mosca says that riling up people from the South Pacific can result in either a war or a luau. That’s good to know. Afa backdrops Vachon as they show the Hillbilly in the crowd again. That is how they are identifying him too, as “Hillbilly.” Afa slams Rogers and the Samoans double team him for a bit. Capt. Lou Albano comes out and Afa chases him away. Double clothesline to Rogers then Afa hits the Samoan Drop for the win (2:45).
Thoughts: The crowd loved the Samoans. They would also be gone from the company shortly, and wound up in the AWA for a bit. Sika would return to the WWF in 1986 I believe
Billy Red Lyons is with Rick McGraw, who is at least six inches shorter than Billy. He cuts a terrible promo on David Schultz, which was bordering on incoherency. Who knows what drugs he took prior to this.
Mario Mancini vs. Kamala w/Friday
Reynolds acknowledges that Blassie is absent this week. He knocks down Mancini and chops away. The fans go nuts as Andre makes his way to the ring. Kamala sees him then Friday redirects him to his opponent and Kamala hits the splash for the win (1:07). After the match, Friday calms down Kamala and hits him with his riding crop.
Thoughts: The fans are going crazy for Andre whenever he appears. This feud was short-lived as Kamala would leave the WWF shortly. According to Meltzer, he hated the traveling and that was his reason for leaving.
Piper’s Pit with guests Bobby Heenan and Big John Studd. Piper calls Heenan the greatest manager in wrestling. They both call Studd the biggest man in wrestling and both say how he is larger than Andre. Studd says that he will offer $15,000 to anyone who can body slam him. Dave Barbie comes out for a chance as Heenan insults him and says if he wants to lift something, he can carry their luggage. Funny line. This would eventually lead to a feud with Andre the Giant.  
Dave Barbie vs. Michael Hayes
Hayes struts around and gets the crowd to clap. He also came out by himself. The Hillbilly is shown clapping as well. Hayes hits a shoulderblock then grabs a chinlock as Mosca completely botches a sentence about Heenan being new to the WWF, but not to wrestling itself. Barbie shoves Hayes in the corner but Hayes no sells a turnbuckle smash and fires away. He hits a back elbow smash and goes back to the chinlock. Barbie escapes and briefly beats on Hayes in the corner. Hayes comes back and hits a clothesline then drops the elbow from the second rope, which is apparently a “disco” move to Mosca, and gets the win (2:42).
Thoughts: The match itself was terrible and the crowd didn’t really warm up to Hayes. He and the rest of the Freebirds would be gone very shortly as Vince wanted to break up the group and they did not want any part of that.
Intercontinental Title Match
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine w/Capt. Lou Albano vs. Tito Santana (Champion)
Before Santana enters the ring, Albano distracts him and that allows Valentine to attack him from behind. He goes after the leg of Tito, who is limping around. The bell still hasn’t rang yet but Mosca says that since Tito is a “true Mexican” he will enter the ring. The crowd chants for Tito and the bell rings. Tito fires away on Valentine then whips him in the corner. He hits a few turnbuckle smashes and Valentine goes down. Tito hammers on Valentine as Albano is going nuts. Valentine ducks out for a breather then rolls back in as Mosca calls Tito “Mexican Dynamite.” They trade shots until Valentine goes low then targets the leg. Valentine charges and Tito hits him with the flying foreman. He covers and thinks he won the match but Valentine’s leg was outside the ring. Tito celebrates but Valneitne hits him from behind then pins him while hooking the injured leg and gets the win and the Intercontinental Title (2:56). After the match, Valentine puts Tito in the figure-four and refuses to let go of the hold. Tito is screaming in pain on the mat as Valentine finally releases the hold. After the match, Tito is taking out on a stretcher.
Thoughts: Valentine had been looking great on TV and making Tito comeback from injury and chase him for the title is a good idea. At the time, there was a rumor that Ken Patera was going to get the IC title. Anyway, this was a great way to end the show.
Billy Red Lyons runs down the Vancouver card again, which he says was put together by Stu Hart. Andre comes out and talks with Lyons for what seems like a lifetime. He was wrestling Kamala on the card but just rambled on and on about other stuff on the card.
Reynolds and Mosca runs down next week’s show which includes Big John Studd, Junkyard Dog, David Schultz, and Andre the Giant in action.
Final Thoughts: The IC title change was a great and the rest of the show was decent enough. It was funny to see how many of the wrestlers on this card would be gone in just a month or two. The roster had a heavy turnover during this time, as Vince was trying to snatch up everyone he could and many of them left shortly afterwards. Mosca is so bad he is funny on commentary. He is perfect for people who find Dusty Rhodes too intellectual for them.
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