1987 — page 3

May 3, 1987


From the Coliseum in New Haven, CT

Your hosts are George “The Animal” Steele (subbing for Bobby Heenan, who was selling the injuries he suffered after Ken Patera threw him across the ring last week) and Gorilla Monsoon

Tonight’s featured match is the Can-Am Connection vs. Kamala & Sika. Also in action are the British Bulldogs, Ricky Steamboat, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff & Butch Reed, and King Harley Race. Plus, the “Snake Pit” with guest Danny Davis.

Terry Gibbs vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat


Gibbs knees Steamboat during a lockup and throws him over the top rope but Steamboat skins-the-cat and ends up taking Gibbs to the floor with a headscissors. Back inside, Steamboat works the arm until Gibbs hits an inverted atomic drop. Gorilla asks Steele about the WWF Magazine as he just says “uh..uh….” as Gibbs takes control of the match and gets a few nearfalls with a slam and a neckbreaker but Steamboat fights back and hits the flying chop for the win (4:13).

Thoughts: Steamboat sold a lot here. Gorilla and Steele on commentary wasnt as bad as you would think as Gorilla played it straight as Steele did his usual stuff and it went together.






Sivi Afi & Mario Mancini & “Leaping” Lanny Poffo vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff & “The Natural” Butch Reed w/ Slick


Poffo’s post match promo is about Ken Patera and how “weasel hunting season” has now appeared. Before the match, Slick demands that everyone listen to him as he calls Hacksaw Jim Duggan a “yellow-bellied coward” and that Volkoff will sing the Russian National Anthem right now as Duggan answers the challenge and comes out. As Volkoff sings, Duggan cuts the microphone as the heels try to figure out why the mic does not work. Match starts with the heels attacking the faces from behind as they toss out Afi & Mancini. Sheik beats on Poffo until he tags Afi,who gets beat on by Volkoff. Afi uses his speed to avoid Reed and make the tag to Mancini as Gorilla asks Steele about his match against Savage. Reed beats on him and hits a gorilla press slam then tags who kills Mancini with a back suplex until he gets the win with the Camel’s Clutch (3:00).

Thoughts: This was all about the Duggan vs. Evil Foreigners feud, which has been the most heavily pushed feud post WrestleMania III.






Gene Okerlund is with the Rougeau Brothers, who say that they are after Dino Bravo for costing them their match at WrestleMania III. Typical dull stuff from the Rougeaus.

Nelson Veilleux vs. King Harley Race


Race hits a high knee then he is shown in an insert promo talking about wanting to be the next World Champion then finishes off Veilleux with the cradle suplex (0:42).

Thoughts: They continue to make Race look dominant as a credible challenger for Hogan at house shows.






Okerlund is with Slick, who is wearing a Mercedes Benz medallion, prompting Okerlund to say he is missing the hood ornament on his car. Slick says that the first thing on his list is to take care of Tito Santana after what he did to him at WrestleMania III. Slick said he had his $2,300 tuxedo torn off of him as he calls Tito a “pepper-eating red…” as Okerlund tells him to keep it clean. Slick then says that Butch Reed will destroy Tito as that feud continues.

Rick Gantner & Rocky Stone vs. British Bulldogs


Davey takes care of both Gantner & Stone by himself as the Hart Foundation are shown in an insert promo taunting the Bulldogs with the Tag Team Titles. Dynamite and hits a clothesline then a snap suplex that barely saw him get Gantner over for the move. Man, he looked to be in tremendous pain here. Davey tags right back in as he launches Stone at Gantner before putting Gantner away with a running powerslam (2:48).

Thoughts: Sad to see Dynamite reduced to a pathetic shell of himself in the ring. Davey had to do like 90% of the work in their matches as a result.






The Snake Pit with guest Danny Davis. Roberts tells Davis, who struts on the set acting all cocky, that he is a wanted man as Davis tells us he is on his way to become one of the greatest wrestlers then asks Roberts who wants a piece of him as both Tito Santana and Koko B. Ware come out and threaten to kick his ass. Roberts then closes by telling Davis that he is like a man sitting in the electric chair. Good segment to make Davis look like the hunted.

Kamala & Sika w/ Mr. Fuji & Kimchee vs. Can-Am Connection


The Can-Ams get jumped from behind after the bell. Zenk gets double-teamed until he dodges a charging Kamala, who accidentally hits his own partner. Martel tags and dropkicks Kamala over the top rope then works the arm of Sika. Zenk tags back in but Sika headbutts him as he gets trapped in the wrong corner. Kamala then appears to hit Zenk in the nuts with a crescent kick that looked fucking painful. Zenk continues to get destroyed but is able to fight back and make the tag. Martel hammers away at Sika then the match breaks down. Martel collides with Sika then gets tossed to the floor by Kamala as its 2-1 against Zenk. Sika holds down Zenk so Kamala can splash him but Martel breaks that up with a trip then hits Sika with a flying body press in a completely ridiculous spot for the win as the crowd goes mental (4:20). Sika walked right into the corner as Martel climbed up then backed up a few feet to allow Martel to hit the splash, which looked idiotic. The heels attack the Can-Ams after the match and set up Zenk for a top rope splash but Martel grabs Fuji’s cane and clears the ring.

Thoughts: Big win for the Can-Ams as the WWF continue to build them up for the Tag Team Titles. The only problem about that was Zenk leaving the WWF before they were able to get the belts.






“The Outlaw” Ron Bass vs. Rick Hunter

Bass beats on Hunter as he is shown in an insert promo telling us that he is baddest and meanest in the WWF. Gorilla then asks Steele about his featured match next week on Challenge against the Honky Tonk Man as Steele says its good then Bass gets the win with a double axe handle (0:59).

Thoughts: Very brief and the point of this was to put over Bass for his feud against Mulligan, who was already done with the company.






Okerlund is with Jimmy Hart and the Honky Tonk Man, who pretends that he has no idea who Elvis Presley is and why people keep comparing each other as Honky tells us what happens when you make fun of him as he points to his guitar. Okerlund then brings up his girlfriend Peggy Sue as Honky tells him shut up. They are building up Honky tremendously as a heel.

Next week we will have Demolition vs. Rougeau Brothers, George Steele vs. Honky Tonk Man, and also Randy Savage in action. Plus, the debate between Ken Patera and Bobby Heenan and more.

Final Thoughts: This show was okay. The Can-Ams win was huge, the “Snake Pit” was good and the Honky Tonk Man continues to improve as a heel. Other than that though, everything else felt like old hat and there has been too much of the Duggan feud on TV, IMO. Sure it was somewhat popular but to be on every show for weeks at a time was getting to be too much. The company is still struggling to get things going a month after WrestleMania III has ended.



Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/9/17
Thursday: RF Video Face Off with Honky Tonk Man & Missy Hyatt
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/10/87
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/16/87

May 2, 1987


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

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

We get promos to hype tonight’s matches which include: “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. George “The Animal” Steele in a Lumberjack Match, British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation for the Tag Team Titles in a 2/3 Falls Match, and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Hercules. Plus, Andre the Giant & Bobby Heenan tells us why Andre really won the title from Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III and more.

We are shown footage of Ken Patera destroying Bobby Heenan after their debate on “Superstars of Wrestling.”

Kamala w/ Mr. Fuji & Kimchee vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Before the match, Okerlund interviewed Fuji about Kamala’s fear of snakes in an interesting bit. The match starts with Kamala fleeing the ring after Jake dumps Damien on the mat. Kamala then attacks Jake from behind as he was distracted. Jake fights back until he runs into a throat thrust. Kamala grabs a bearhug that Jake is able to escape from. Jake stomps Kamala’s feet then works the arm until Kamala chops him down then chokes Jake out on the mat. Kimchee orders Kamala to attack Jake, who then starts to fight back. Kamala lands a few headbutts then Jake outsmarts him as he catches Kamala with a kneelift. Jake hits another kneelift then signals for the DDT as the crowd goes nuts but Fuji distracts the ref then Kimchee sneaks in the ring and nails Jake in the back of the head as that allows Kamala to hit the splash for the win (4:18) *1/2. After the match, Kimchee takes off his hat then suit as he reveals himself as the Honky Tonk Man, complete in his own suit. Honky beats on Jake before hitting the Shake, Rattle, and Roll. After that, Honky grabs the mic and thanks the fans, who boo him in return.

Thoughts: Having Honky as Kimchee was clever and it kept his feud with Jake hot. Honky was rapidly becoming a top heel in the company at this point. Poor Jake has certainly been jobbing a lot since turning face. He was still insanely over though.



Lumberjack Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. George “The Animal” Steele

Lumberjacks include: Hart Foundation, British Bulldogs, Can-Am Connection, Danny Davis, Honky Tonk Man, Kimchee, Ricky Steamboat, Hercules, Tito Santana, Iron Sheik, and Nikolai Volkoff. Steamboat walks Steele to the ring and while he is inside, Hercules trips him up to sell their match later in the show. Savage starts the match by attacking Steele from behind for licking Elizaberh’s hands. Steele fights back and knocks Savage outside as the heels help him out for a minute. Savage tries to roll out but the faces prevent him. Savage and Steele go back and forth as neither man can gain an advantage until Savage hits an axe handle from the top then sends Steele to the floor, where the heels beat him down until Duggan chases them away with the 2×4 then goes in the ring as the lumberjacks fight with themselves. Duggan gets sent to the locker room then back from break we see Steele headbutt Davis. Back inside, Steele eats a turnbuckle then throws the stuffing at Savage, who comes back with a knee smash. Savage then hits a suplex but shortly after that gets tossed to the floor where Steamboat throws him back into the ring. Steele bites Savage then tosses Savage, who hits Steamboat and that triggers a brawl as Davis sneaks inside and whacks Steele with the bell as Savage hits the flying elbow smash for the win (6:44) **1/4. After the match everyone starts brawling in the ring then Jake Roberts comes out with his ribs taped up and holding Damien as Honky bails but Jake wraps Damien around Kimchee.

Thoughts: The action between the lumberjacks kept this match entertaining as there was always something happening here. This was also billed as possibly the last time Steele would wrestle Savage and see Elizabeth too.



Gene Okerlund is with Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan, sporting a neckbrace from the attack by Patera, in a pre-taped interview. Andre and Heenan say they were cheated and that the officials always back Hogan and has footage to prove this as they claim the referee counted to three as the camera angle was so that Andre’s body was blocking the view and you could see the arm motions from the referee. Heenan and Andre then demand an investigation. The three count thing is a little weak in terms of building up a rematch but they needed something to go off of while keeping Andre strong so it could have been worse I suppose.

Best of Three Falls
WWF Tag Team Title Match
British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis

The crowd goes nuts as Matilda bites Jimmy Hart as Jesse goes off about how the Bulldogs should be in jail for that. Match starts with Davey and Bret going back and forth for a bit. Davey catches Bret with a monkey flip and a crucifix but runs into a knee. Neidhart tags and hammers away as the Hart Foundation cheat behind the referee’s back. The Hart Foundation continues to neutralize Davey until he gets his knees up on a charging Bret. Dynamite makes the tag and picks up Bret by the hair. Clothesline gets two. Snap suplex gets two. Neidhart breaks up another pin attempt then Davis stomps on Davey outside as Tito chases him around then goes in the ring after the bell rings as the Bulldogs win the first fall by DQ due to double-teaming by the Hart Foundation (4:34). The second fall starts with Dynamite getting destroyed. He mounts a brief comeback and tries to make the tag but Neidhart runs in and stops that. He then puts Dynamite in a front facelock as Davey chases Bret and Davis around the ring. Back to the match as Dynamite is busted open and back to getting his ass kicked. Bret misses a charge and that allows Dynamite to make the tag. Davey runs wild and gets a few nearfalls on Neidhart but ducks his head and gets kicked. Neidhart accidentally knocks Bret to the apron then Tito runs in and knocks Davis off of the apron as Davey tags Dynamite and launches him at Neidhart for the pin as the crowd goes berserk, thinking the Bulldogs have won the titles (9:48) **1/2. However, as Jesse laughs on commentary, we learn that you cannot win the title on a DQ, which took place in the first fall so the Hart Foundation retains.

Thoughts: This match was solid and given Dynamite’s injuries was probably the best they could have done. Hart Foundation took care of Dynamite when they were on offense as he did not take any high impact moves. Its also sad to see Dynamite perform is snap suplex at this point, seeing how the move did not have any snap to it at all. This feud continues.



Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan and asks him about wrestling Andre. Hogan talks about how all of the Hulkamaniacs were behind him and calls the comments of Heenan and Andre about an investigation ridiculous but if they want a rematch, they can have one, but they will not strip him of the title.

Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

Backstage, Savage is shown watching the match on a monitor backstage as he rants about getting his IC Title back, wanting Steamboat to keep the belt so he can personally take it back from him. Hercules works the back until Steamboat comes back with a pair of dropkicks. He sends Hercules outside then hammers away. Back inside, Hercules pulls Steamboat into the ringpost as we get an insert of Savage shown rooting for Steamboat to win. Steamboat fights back and hits a swinging neckbreaker then hammers away until Hercules pokes his eyes and puts on the full nelson. Savage is shown taking off from the monitor as he runs into the ring and pulls Hercules into the ropes as Heenan yells at him. Hercules comes out and stands around as Steamboat is on the mat. Back from break, Hercules heads up top but Steamboat gets his knees up on the splash attempt. Hercules comes back with a slam then misses an elbow drop then a charge. Steamboat fights back with chops until Hercules comes back with an inverted atomic drop. Heenan tosses the chain into the ring as Hercules uses it to choke out Steamboat for the DQ (6:42) **. Hercules continues to choke him as Savage looks conflicted then says that Steamboat’s the winner as he has a few words with Heenan and Hercules as they head backstage. Savage then heads inside to help Steamboat as the ref orders him out but he instead he heads up top and hits the flying elbow smash.

Thoughts: The match itself was fine but they sure didn’t make Steamboat look too strong here as he only retained because of a DQ then took Savage’s finisher after the match.



Okerlund is with Duggan, who is sitting ringside to make sure Volkoff does not sing the Russian National Anthem.

Can-Am Connection vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff

Before the match we get a promo from Slick, stating how he is getting down with the Communist Party. Duggan chases Volkoff away as he began to sing then leads the crowd into a pro-USA chant. The match starts with the Can-Ams taking control of the match. Sheik boots Zenk then hits a gutwrench suplex for two. The crowd rallies behind Zenk as Sheik suplexes him around as the heels are isolating Zenk in their corner. Sheik puts Zenk in an abdominal stretch then catches him with a clothesline. The heels then toss the Can-Ams to the floor and attack then Duggan yells at them, eventually hopping the railng and that allows Martel to surprise Volkoff with a reverse rollup for the win (4:45) *1/2. After the match its 3-1 against Duggan after they toss the Can-Ams to the floor. The faces then run off the heels after that.

Thoughts: Basic match that did more to push Duggan than anything else.

Final Thoughts: Not a bad show at all. No memorable matches or anything but the show breezed by and Savage came off looking like a huge star. They also teased a Hogan/Andre rematch and that is huge news as well. This show apparently did a terrible advance at the box office and they added a Hogan & Patera vs. Hercules & Andre match after this show was taped in order to boost ticket sales.

May 2, 1987

From the Boston Garden in Boston, MA

Your hosts are Lord Alfred Hayes and Gorilla Monsoon

Frenchy Martin vs. Nick Kiniski

They lockup and break when reaching the ropes as the crowd now boos Martin for ducking outside, with Hayes putting over Martin’s stalling abilities. Kiniski briefly works a headscissors then locks on an armbar. Kiniski continues to work the arm for a while as the announcers hype his potential before talking about his father, Gene. Kiniski then catches Martin with a monkey flip and a slam before going back to the arm. Martin pokes the eye of Kiniski then finally gets in some offense as he beats Kiniski in the corner. Kiniski misses a charge and sells his chest as Martin goes to work with his terrible offense. He works a nerve hold on the mat as the crowd chants “boring.” Martin sends Kiniski to the floor, who slingshots back inside with a sunset flip for a nearfall, then both men collide after an Irish whip sequence. Kiniski gets up and nails Martin with a dropkick then catches him with a slam for two. Martin begs for mercy in the corner then shortly after that Kiniski floats over and hits a German Suplex with a bridge for the win (11:31) *.

Thoughts: There was no reason on earth for this to last as long as it did. The last minute was okay as Kiniski hit a few decent moves but that was about all that happened. Martin could barely move and was way past the point of usefulness. Kiniski might have made it as a midcard white-meat babyface like five years prior but was unable to convey any emotion in the ring. He had a good look and some decent ability but that was all. He was gone from the company fairly shortly after this match.



The Islanders vs. Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji

Hayes calls the Islanders the most improved team this year, with exception of the Hart Foundation. Tama uses his speed and agility to elude Smash but gets caught with a shot to the face. Tama fights back and works the arm as Fuji is on commentary talking about his team making everyone suffer. Crossbody gets one then Tama tags Haku, who also works the arm. Smash pokes his eye then tags Ax, who catches Haku in a powerslam. Haku rolls away from an elbow drop then catches Ax with a thrust kick. Haku works the arm until Ax kills him with a clothesline. However, Haku goes right back to the arm. Tama tags and also works the arm until Smash knees him in the back from the apron. Fuji chokes Tama with his cane as the ref is distracted as Demolition is in control. Tama fights back until Ax attacks him from behind after a blind tag. Tama gets worked over in the corner then gets destroyed as he hangs by his foot on the ropes. Tama nails Smash with a flying clothesline then makes the tag as Haku runs wild. The match breaks down the Ax nails Tama with Fuji’s cane behind the ref’s back as Smash makes the cover for the win (9:32) **1/4.

Thoughts: A basic tag match here as Demolition’s strong push up the Tag Team Division ranks continues.



Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Sivi Afi

Sharpe attacks Afi before the bell. Afi comes back with a few armdrags that has Sharpe rolling outside for a breather. He grabs a headlock when he returns inside then blocks a hiptoss. Afi fights back as they fuck up a hiptoss spot that has Sharpe back to the outside. Sharpe goes for a test of strength as they fight over that briefly until Sharpe kicks him down. Afi now has the advantage as he brings Sharpe down and steps on his fingers. Sharpe heads up the aisle the finally comes back and catches Afi with a cheapshot before going to work. Afi no-sells a pair of turnbuckle smashes but misses a corner splash. Afi comes back with a slow-mo sunset flip for two but Sharpe gets up and chokes him out on the ropes. Sharpe gets a few nearfalls before Afi fights back and eventually bites Sharpe on the forehead. Afi hits a flying clothesline then hits a chop from the second rope for two. Afi then goes back up top for a crossbody but Sharpe rolls through the move and grabs a handful of tights for the pin (9:37) 3/4*.

Thoughts: This was pretty bad as it was all stalling mixed in with mediocre action. Afi was never over with the crowds as a face and wasn’t all that good at being one to begin with.

WWF World Heavyweight Championship Match
King Harley Race vs. Hulk Hogan (Champion)

Heenan is absent tonight as he sells the attack from Patera at the debate, which aired the day of this show. A female fan gets escorted back to her seat after she jumps in the aisle and heads near the ring with her “Hulkamania” sign. Race attacks Hogan to start, getting pissed off at the crowd chants. Hogan reverses an Irish whip then clotheslines the shit out of Race in the corner. He then clotheslines Race over the top rope and rolls him back in where begs for mercy. Hogan hammers away until Race headbutts Hogan in the gut. Hogan blocks a suplex and hits one of his own as he knocks Race around. Race then uses Hogan’s momentum to send him to the floor and takes control of the match. He gets a nearfall after a series of leg and elbow drops then stays on the attack. He follows Hogan outside and hits a falling headbutt then drops Hogan’s throat across the guardrail. Race tries a piledriver but Hogan counters that with a backdrop as both men are down on the floor. Back inside, Hogan fires away then hits a slam but misses an elbow drop as Race applies a sleeper. The crowd rallies behind Hogan as he drops to one knee. Hogan then hulks up just before his arm dropped for the third time as he hits a clothesline. Hogan drills Race with the Axe Bomber but gets headbutted in the corner. Race hits a few more headbutts that bust Hogan open. Race then heads up top for a diving headbutt but misses then Hogan rolls him up for the win (9:17) **1/2. A bloodied Hogan holds up the belt and chases Race away. However, after a minute of celebrating and posing, Race comes back with his crown to attack him from behind. Hogan is down as the mat is covered in blood. A few referees then help Hogan get back to his feet.

Thoughts: Solid match. Race’s over exaggerated selling looked way too goofy at times though. Even still, his bump when getting clotheslined looks cool. This was more about setting up for a blowoff of the feud in Boston than anything else.

Sika w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Pete Doherty

Doherty is the face here as he comes out awkwardly slapping hands with the fans. Sika uses back rakes and bites to attack Doherty. He hammers away until Dohery ducks a clothesline an dropkicks Sika onto the apron. Doherty briefly attacks Sika until that gets stopped with an eye rake. Sika chops him down then uses gauges and bites until he chops him up against the ropes. Doherty fights back using some of the illegal tactics that Sika used along with a lot of screaming. Sika misses a falling headbutt then Doherty stomps his feet but shortly after that Sika catches him with a Samoan Drop that looked like it killed him for the win (3:07) DUD.

Thoughts: This was awful unless you are a fan of biting and gauging in your matches. Sika was of little use to the WWF at this point and Doherty was just a wacky jobber.



Johnny V. vs. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake

Johnny’s sneak attack fails as Brutus hammers away. Johnny bails after getting slammed and heads up the aisle. Brutus slingshots him back in the ring then hammers away. Johnny comes back with a low blow then beats on Brutus in the corner until his Irish whip gets reversed and Brutus catches him in a sleeper for the win (3:24) 1/2*. Brutus signals for the scissors as he then starts cutting Johnny’s hair until the referee takes them away. Beefcake then starts asking for crowd support before attacking Johnny and follows that with a strut.

Thoughts: Brief and inoffensive. The good news here is that the crowd was responding well to the barber act. Johnny V. did not belong inside of a ring in 1987. Hell, even Lord Alfred Hayes was making fun of him.

Hogan comes out wearing jeans and holding the belt with blood still on his forehead. He tells the fans that all he wants is Race in a match with no rules and if he loses, he will quit wrestling forever.

Jake Roberts comes out for his scheduled match against the Honky Tonk Man dressed in street clothes with his arm in a sling, selling the beating from “Saturday Night’s Main Event.” Well, this show took place the day that show aired and this Boston Garden Show was shown on NESN a few week after it took place, meaning the fans in attendance had most likely had no idea about why he was injured. He then talks with a referee and a few other officials as Honky is taunting Jake about his injury as ring announcer Mel Phillips informs us that Jake will not be able to wrestle. However, Honky will be forced to wrestle Ken Patera, who comes out holding the snake bag as the crowd goes nuts as Hart and Honky try to protest the decision.

Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Ken Patera w/ Jake Roberts


Lots of stalling to start as Honky keeps going outside as Patera flexes his pecs. The announcers are putting over Patera’s physique a lot here. The ref steps between them as they lockup in the corner then after Honky misses a sneak attack, Patera slams him halfway across the ring as the crowd goes insane, pelting Honky and Hart with trash. Honky’s selling of that was a thing of beauty too. Patera slams him again as Honky rolls outside fora breather. Back in the ring, Patera beats on Honky as Hart joins the announcers table briefly screaming about how this is unfair and promising that Patera will get hurt as Gorilla asks him about injuring Roberts at “Saturday Night’s Main Event.” Honky takes advantage after booting Patera as he attempted a backdrop but Patera takes him down and works over the arm for a bit, even dragging him over near the snake bag as Honky panics. Patera misses a charge and rams his shoulder against the post as Honky focuses on that. Honky starts taunting the fans then slaps Patera, who is tied up in the ropes. Honky then heads over near Jake to taunt him but that allows Patera to get up and hit Honky with an atomic drop. Honky begs for mercy as Patera overpowers him but that fails as Patera hits a backbreaker for two. Patera then catches Honky in a bearhug as Hart jumps up on the apron. Honky escapes but Jake trips him up then Patera drops an elbow as the ref turns around and counts to three (9:22) **. After the match, Honky grabs the mic and yells about how Jake tripped him but Patera gets him from behind as Jake grabs the snake but Hart hits Patera from behind with the megaphone for the save.

Thoughts: Much better than I thought to be honest. Honky was one of the best chickenshit heels of his era and possibly of all time. You always wanted to see someone kick his ass and he kept the matches entertaining at all times, showing the fact you don’t need an arsenal of moves to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Patera didn’t really do anything besides body slams and forearm smashes as Honky was able to carry the match. I also liked the finish with Jake outsmarting Hart and Honky, getting some payback for his loss at WrestleMania III.





WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart vs. British Bulldogs


The Bulldogs go right after the Hart Foundation to start the match. The stipulation here is that Danny Davis was barred from the building. Well, he was facing Koko B. Ware at the Rosemont Horizon this same day as the WWE ran three shows. Davey gets a crucifix on Bret for a nearfall then tags Dynamite. Neidhart runs in and takes down Dynamite as the Hart Foundation uses quick tags to work over the back of Dynamite. Neidhart grabs a front facelock as Dynamite tries to make the tag but Neidhart pulls him back into his corner as the Harts go back to work. Dynamite finally makes the tag but the referee did not see it take place then Davey chases Bret around the ring and catches him inside but the ref orders him back to the apron. Dynamite ducks an attack as Neidhart takes Bret off of the apron then its the hot tag to Davey as he runs wild on both guys. Bret breaks up a pin attempt and a sleeper from Davey as the match breaks down. Davey hits Neidhart with a vertical suplex then Jimmy Hart comes in with the megaphone but Davey boots him down then hits Bret with it for the DQ (7:47) **. The Bulldogs have Jimmy in the ring then Davey presses him over the top rope and onto his team.

Thoughts: Dynamite could barely move as the Harts did not use any high impact moves on him at all. Davey looked awesome and the Harts made it entertaining so it wasn’t a terrible match or anything but far from the best these two teams have had.

Final Thoughts: Not a great show by any means. Hogan/Race was solid, Patera/Honky was entertaining, and the two tag matches were passable but everything else was dull. The roster was stretched thin as they had three shows this night: A “B” show in Chicago headlined by Steamboat/Savage in a cage and a “C” show in Clinton, NY that was headlined by Haynes/Hercules in a chain match. An interesting note about depth was that Curt Hennig had actually agreed to join the WWF at this time but the AWA finally agreed to give him the Heavyweight Title so he reconsidered. And a couple of weeks after this the WWF went out and signed Ted DiBiase, Bam Bam Bigelow, and the Dingo Warrior (Ultimate Warrior). About the show itself, I cannot really recommend this unless you are a huge, huge fan of Hogan.

Here is my schedule for the next several days

Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Bruno Sammartino
Friday: WWF Satruday Night’s Main Event 5/2/87
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/3/87
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/9/87

May 2, 1987


From the Centrum in Worcester, MA

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

This week’s featured match is Brutus Beefcake vs. Johnny Valiant. Also in action will be Randy Savage, Can-Am Connection, and Adrian Adonis. Plus, the debate between Ken Patera and Bobby Heenan and much more.

S.D. Jones vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage w/ Elizabeth


Before the match, Savage takes the mic and goes nuts on ring announcer Mel Phillips for referring to him as the “former Intercontinental Champion” then goes nuts on the crowd until S.D. headbutts him from behind. S.D. hits a slam and a clothesline as Savage still has his robe on while the crowd goes nuts. Savage rolls outside where S.D. follows him out and roughs him up until the referee reprimands him, which allows Savage to knee him into the post. Savage sends him into the railing then rolls S.D. back in where he finishes him off with the flying elbow smash (1:40). After the match, Savage attacks S.D. before leaving with Elizabeth as Vince plugs his Lumberjack Match against George Steele on tonight’s “Saturday Night’s Main Event.”

Thoughts: Savage was being portrayed as a complete lunatic after losing the IC Title and he was great in this role. S.D. could barely move at this point so Savage did everything in the match but man, Savage was money here.






WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge. This week’s subject is Billy Jack Haynes and how he got stitches from Hercules’ chain from their WrestleMania III match. We are then shown Haynes ranting about Hercules to set up a series of chain matches at house shows. Their feud is starting to run out of steam a bit.

Johnny V. vs. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake


This was the first time Beefcake was called “The Barber” on TV as he sported a coat and carried a pair of scissors. He got a good response from the fans here. Johnny attacks Beefcake from behind a lands a few shots but gets caught and slammed. Beefcake knocks Johnny to the floor then back inside he gets attacked briefly until he catches Johnny with a sleeper for the win as Jesse thinks it was a choke hold (1:42). After the match, Beefcake retrieves his coat then pulls out a pair of clippers as he shaves off part of Johnny’s hair to the delight of the crowd.

Thoughts: Well, give the WWF credit as their face turn of Brutus with the barber gimmick was a success in it’s debut. The crowd went nuts when he cut Johnny’s hair.






Gene Okerlund is with Jake Roberts, who will be facing Honky Tonk Man tonight in the Boston Garden. He says he is only going to Boston to take care of the Honky Tonk Man, who he calls a liar and an imitator. Good interview from Jake as his feud with Honky continues to heat up.

Killer Khan w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Nelson Veilleux


Khan’s WWF return after a five year absence. He beats on Veilleux to start as we get an insert showing Khan making all sorts of goofy faces as Fuji tells us that he likes to make people suffer. Khan then hits a backbreaker before putting Veilleux away with a kneedrop from the middle rope (1:27).

Thoughts: Khan was pretty crappy in the ring and was dated in general. This was a 70’s act. Somewhat similar to the Missing Link coming in two years earlier in that they were old news. The crowd didn’t react all that much to him but he would get pushed anyway as the weeks progressed.






Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan and King Harley Race as they face Hulk Hogan in the Boston Garden. Nothing memorable here but Race sure did look goofy with that crown strapped to his head.

Outback Jack plugs the WWF Ice Cream Bars.

Kamala and Sika are eating live lobsters, ripping them apart like savages. This was hilarious by the way.

Rocky Stone & Dusty Wolfe vs. Can-Am Connection


Stone yanks Martel down by the hair as they fight over a key lock. Wolfe comes in for a cheapshot but Martel takes them both down with a monkey flip as the match breaks down. The Can-Ams hit some poor excuse of a double dropkick in a completely fucked up spot. Zenk has Stone in a Boston Crab then Wolfe runs in and clotheslines him down. Man, the work in this match is really bad by the way. Zenk ducks a double clothesline and takes down both men with a dropkick. Martel tags and runs wild until he puts Wolfe away with a slingshot splash (3:01).

Thoughts: The Can-Ams were over a lot here. The actual match was surprisingly terrible though. Nothing looked good and almost everything was mistimed. Vince was pushing the Can-Ams hard on commentary.






DeGeorge is with Blackjack Mulligan, who warns Bass to leave “Billie Jo” around despite of her looks. The continued the running gag of not knowing what she looked like here as well.

A recap of the “Ken Patera Story” saga in preparation for his debate against Bobby Heenan.

In the ring, Okerlund moderates the debate between Patera and Heenan, who each have a podium. Heenan starts by calling Patera an “ex-con” as Patera is proud of living in the USA because he can pay his debt to society. Heenan then pulls out a piece of paper and speaks but it is censored as the scroll running at the bottom tells us was “too heinous” for television. The censorship ends with Heenan telling us Patera should be kept in prison for being a “vicious and violent animal.” Patera repeats himself then calls Heenan a weasel as he speaks about not getting moral support from him while in prison, completely abandoning him. Heenan screams about not caring about his kids or family then after giving their closing comments, which were nothing that hasnt been said before here, Heenan attacks Patera with a belt. Patera turns the tide and puts the belt around Heenan’s neck as he yanks him down, snapping his neck. The crowd was into Heenan getting his ass kicked but other than that this was pretty bad. Patera was never meant to be a babyface in this role and was weak on the microphone, frequently repeating himself.

Back from break, Heenan is being taken out on a stretcher.

Replay of Adrian Adonis’ head getting shaved at WrestleMania III

Jake Milliman vs. “Adorable” Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart


Milliman grabs a headlock then rubs Adonis’s head, which pisses him off. Adonis then beats the shit out of Milliman as Hart is shown in an insert promo promising that anyone laughing at Adonis will get destroyed. Adonis continues the assault until he puts him in the Good Night Irene for the win (1:10).

Thoughts: The only TV match for Adonis post-WrestleMania III. He was actually fired a few days before this show aired and that was too bad as they seemingly had big plans for a Beefcake/Adonis feud.






Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan, who will be facing King Harley Race in Boston tonight. Hogan said that god created Hulkamania on the 8th day as he runs down the entire Heenan family.

Next week’s featured bout will be Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith. Also in action will be Ricky Steamboat, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff & Butch Reed, Jake Roberts, and Killer Bees & Koko B. Ware. We are then shown promos from both the Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs hyping up the match.

Final Thoughts: Solid show this week. The barber gimmick for Beefcake was a success in its debut and Savage going mental at not being the Intercontinental Title was great. Sure, the Patera/Heenan debate was not good but the end was intriguing as Heenan got stretchered out. Khan’s return was nothing special though. Besides that, they are pushing the Can-Ams, who were insanely popular and the Jake/Honky feud was heating up, making this a good show overall.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Tuesday: WWF Boston Garden 5/2/87
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Bruno Sammartino
Friday: WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event 5/2/87
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/3/87

April 26, 1987

From the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, AZ

Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

Tonight’s featured bout is the rare babyface vs. babyface between the Islanders and the Rougeau Brothers. Also in action will be George Steele, Billy Jack Haynes, Can-Am Connection, and the Hart Foundation.

Steve Lombardi & Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Can-Am Connection

Martel starts off getting the best of Lombardi. He then gets backed into the opposite corner and worked over briefly until he ducks an attack from Sharpe that nails Lombardi. Zenk then tags and flies halfway across the ring with a missile dropkick that gets two as we get an insert promo from Mr. Fuji telling the Can-Ams that Kamala & Sika are coming after them. Sharpe works over Zenk in the corner until he misses a charge. Lombardi then yanks Zenk by the hair as the heels regain control of the match. Sharpe and Zenk collide then Martel gets the hot-tag as he runs wild on both guys then puts Lombardi away with a slingshot splash after a powerslam from Zenk (3:11).

Thoughts: Good action from the very popular Can-Am Connection. The main goal here was to start a program with Kamala & Sika, which would progress as the show continued.

We get a repeat of the “Wrestler’s Rebuttal” by Brutus Beefcake from this past episode of “Superstars of Wrestling” in which he promises to go after Adrian Adonis. Oddly enough, Adonis was fired the day after this show aired at a house show in London, Ontario to what Dave Meltzer described as frequent dress code violations and being a slob in general.

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Tiger Chung Lee

Lee sidesteps a crossbody then roughs up Haynes as we get an insert promo from Hercules promising to use his chain on Haynes, who is now in control of the match. He backdrops Lee, who is too lazy to take the move correctly, then hits a suplex before using the full nelson for the win (1:56).

Thoughts: The Haynes/Hercules feud continues. That is really all I have to say here.



Gene Okerlund is with Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart, who is holding the “Ban the DDT” sign as they talk about that throughout the promo as Honky tells us everyone in the WWE wants him to sing and ask his fans for support in getting the DDT banned. Honky was truly great in this role.

Hillbilly Jim and Outback Jack are talking about the different animals they are accustom to in their homelands. Look likes they were trying to make a team here but these two were pretty low on the card and unable to be saved at this point anyway so making them a team wouldn’t have been the worst idea in the world.

Nick Kiniski & Joe Mirto vs. Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis

Danny Davis is shown in an insert promo saying that he is at ringside to make sure the officials are doing there job. Kiniski gets the best of the Anvil then tags Mirto, who immediately gets slammed. Bret tags and beats on Mirto as the Hart Foundation are in full control of the match then put Mirto away with the Hart Attack (2:29). After the match, they let Danny Davis clear the ring of Kiniski and Mirto as they were already down on the mat.

Thoughts: Most of the focus here was on Davis as they further establish him as a chickenshit heel.



Okerlund is with Koko B. Ware and Frankie. Koko, wearing shades and an Adidas track suit, cuts a preacher-like promo on Danny Davis. He seemed coked out of his mind here. There feud seemingly lasted forever too and it was not good. The beginning of the end for Koko here as he became a curtain-jerker as the result of this feud.

The Islanders vs. Rougeau Brothers

Haku and Raymond start off the match with Raymond getting the upper hand. Jacques tags and grabs a headlock. Haku gets two off of a sunset flip then tags Tama, who goes to work on the arm. Jacques comes back with a monkey flip that saw Tama fly through the air as both guys tag out. Good action so far in this match by the way. Tama tags back in and works over the arm of Raymond as the Islanders are getting a bit more aggressive. Tama breaks up a sleeper by Raymond with a double axe handle then tags in as he hits a side slam. The Islanders get even more aggressive as Tama yanks Raymond down by the hair and goes for the cover but Jacques breaks it up. He then tags as he hammers away on Tama before catching him in an abdominal stretch. Haku breaks that up with a throat thrust then all four guys are inside as the action spills outside as they brawl until the match is ruled a double countout (6:10) **1/2. The teams fight until a few referees break up the melee.

Thoughts: Good match that was all action. This also planted the seed for the Islanders eventual heel turn as they wrestled aggressively and were doing heel tactics such as breaking up pins and pulling hair as well. Tama in particular looked great in this match. Oddly enough, the Rougeaus would turn heel about a year later after wrestling the Killer Bees in a babyface match on TV.



Snake Pit with guest Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Jake asks Duggan about why he came to the WWF as Duggan said he saw Sheik & Volkoff putting down America and was sick of it as they do not know what America is all about. Duggan said he does not go to “discotheques to read Zodiac signs” before saying that as long as he is alive, Volkoff will not sing the Russian National Anthem in this country again. Another well-received patriotic promo from Duggan.

Alex Knight & S.D. Jones vs. Kamala & Sika w/ Mr. Fuji & Kimchee

S.D. works the arm of Sika then lands a few shots until Sika rakes his eyes. Kamala tags in and destroys Knight as the Can-Am Connection issue a challenge to Kamala & Sika for a match next week as Kamala puts Knight away with a splash (1:21).

Thoughts: Quick match to make the team of Kamala & Sika look dominant in preparation for a probable match against the Can-Am Connection. Smart idea to build up a



Jesse Cortez vs. George “The Animal” Steele

Steele immediately bites the arm of Cortez then beats him down until he gets the win with a flying hammerlock (0:50). After the match, Steele takes down the referee and calls him nice before getting up and eating a turnbuckle.

Thoughts: The fans still loved Steele and quick TV matches like this were a great use of his talents.



Okerlund is with Johnny V and his snazzy new tights. The New Dream Team then come out as they call Beefcake the “weak link” of the team as the refer to him as “Fruitcake.” Bravo promises us that this is the most devastating team the WWF fans will ever see. Bravo was terrible here and in general when it came to wrestling.

Craig DeGeorge is in the locker room asking Mr. Fuji if he will accept the challenge from the Can-Am Connection and he does, saying that Kamala & Sika will rip off their faces. So our featured bout for next week is all set.

Next week’s featured bout will be Kamala & Sika vs. Can-Am Connection. Plus, Ricky Steamboat, King Harley Race, and Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff.

Final Thoughts: Solid show. Most of the focus was on the tag team division as they had a good TV match and built up next week’s featured bout well. The midcard was interesting at this time but unfortunately the top of the card as still murky post-WrestleMania III.

Schedule for the next several days:

Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/2/87
Tuesday: WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event 5/2/87
Thursday: Shoot Interview TBD
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/3/87

April 25, 1987


From the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

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

Tonight’s featured match is the Islanders & Sivi Afi vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff & Butch Reed. Also in action will be Demolition, Killer Bees, Honky Tonk Man, and Tito Santana. Plus, the final installment of the “Ken Patera Story” and Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who Vince informs us has indeed bought a ticket to the show.

Jim Powers & Paul Roma are talking about how they will be facing Demolition tonight and give it 110%. Roma looked like he was staring at cue cards during his part of the promo and it came off terribly to be honest.

Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Paul Roma & Jim Powers


Demolition takes turns beating on Powers as we get an insert promo from Mr. Fuji and Demolition as they talk about destroying Roma & Powers. Demolition remains in control of the match until Powers kicks Smash as he ducked his head for a backdrop attempt. Roma tags in and lands a few shots but misses a dropkick attempt then Demolition hits Roma for the Decapitation for the win (2:24).

Thoughts: Very strong showing for Demolition, who were pushed as even more dangerous under the guidance of Mr. Fuji.






WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge. This week’s subject is Danny Davis and his work as part of the Hart Foundation. Davis is shown cutting a promo about how anyone wanting to face him can sign the dotted line. Man, Davis was great as a smug, cocky prick. Too bad he was garbage in the ring.

Tito Santana vs. Ed Dean


Jesse rags on “Chico” as Santana takes down Dean. Slick and Butch Reed are shown in an insert promo screaming at Santana for ripping off his suit at WrestleMania III as Reed promises Slick he will get revenge. Santana is using restholds on Dean, who is awful by the way, until he finally puts him away with the flying forearm (3:00).

Thoughts: The action was dull as they are still continuing Santana’s feud with Reed.






Gene Okerlund and Lord Alfred Hayes are backstage hyping the 5/2/87 Boston Garden Show. Brutus Beefcake comes out and runs down Adrian Adonis using the lamest insults (“looks like a big, walking waste disposal unit”) I have ever heard.

Johnny V. is shown telling Beefcake that he was always the weak link of the Dream Team then says anyone can beat him, including himself as he challenges Beefcake to a match.

Tommy Sharpe vs Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart


Hart comes to the ring with his “Ban the DDT” sign. Sharpe manages a rollup for a nearfall then hits Honky with an atomic drop. Sharpe tries a backdrop but Honky elbows him in the back of the head. Honky then roughs up Sharpe before tossing him outside. Honky taunts the fans in the ring then goes to work on Sharpe as he is shown in an insert promo talking about his fan support regarding the “Ban the DDT” movement. Honky roughs up Sharpe a bit more before putting him away with the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (3:07). After the match Honky grabs the mic and tells the fans he will give them what they want, dancing and singing. Honky starts moving around on the mat with his guitar and that makes me laugh.

Thoughts: Honky was generating a lot of heel heat here as the “Ban the DDT” stuff was also working well too. Honky was really hitting his stride as a heel.






Okerlund and Hayes are backstage again talking about the next Boston Garden show. We then get a promo from Hulk Hogan who talks about hanging out with the Junkyard Dog in order to prepare for his match against King Harley Race. He also talked about destroying Heenan and his family as he referred to Orndorff as “old news.”

Killer Bees vs. Steve Lombardi & Iron Mike Sharpe


The Bees work over Lombardi as Vince talks about Lombardi & Sharpe having words for Roma & Powers that came in an insert promo later on in which they told them they “stunk” before declaring that they were the up-and-coming team. Sharpe cheapshots Brunzell as the heels take control briefly until Brunzell ducks an attack from Sharpe that accidentally his Lombardi. Blair tags as the match breaks down Brunzell puts away Sharpe with a dropkick (3:25).

Thoughts: The main focus here was to start a feud between jobber teams, not on the Bees, who are really just another team at this point.






And now it is the final installment in the “Ken Patera Story.” Okerlund meets Patera in front of the prison as he gets released. We then are shown clips of Patera working out as he blames Heenan for selling him down the river and will be coming back stronger than ever. We get the corny 80’s montage complete with a smiling Patera flexing in front of the mirror about how he wants to “make it right.” This was pretty bad as Patera in the babyface role was as far from a natural fit as you could get. Plus the blaming Heenan for him being in prison was a stretch even for kids.

Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan, who talks about Patera being nothing until he was his manager then accepting Okerlund’s idea for the two of them to debate next week. That is certainly an intriguing idea even if the Patera story segments have been underwhelming.

Rick Renslow & Dave Wagner vs. Blackjack Mulligan & Billy Jack Haynes


Wagner tries and fails to attack Mulligan before the bell. Mulligan fights off both guys then we get an insert promo from Ron Bass about wanting to see Mulligan’s woman that he keeps talking about. The faces then beat on Wagner briefly until Mulligan puts him away with a jumping back elbow smash (1:52).

Thoughts: The face team was an odd pairing to say the least. Mulligan was the focus here as Haynes was treated as an afterthought. They sure spent a lot of time on this Mulligan/Bass feud and it would last through a whole other set of TV tapings (This was the last of the current bunch) before Mulligan was gone.






The camera shows Hacksaw Jim Duggan sitting in the front row before the featured match.

Sivi Afi & The Islanders vs. “The Natural” Butch Reed & Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff w/ Slick


Volkoff sings the Russian National Anthem before the match until Duggan chases him and his partners off with his 2×4. Duggan then leads the crowd into a loud “U-S-A” chant then goes back to his seat. The match starts with Haku and the Sheik going back and forth in a brief sequence. Volkoff tags as Haku beats on him then tags Tama. Afi tags and works the arm until Volkoff rakes his eyes. The heels beat on Afi as the fans chant “U-S-A.” Tama tags in and does not fare well as he gets beaten down until he slides beneath Reed and makes the tag to Haku, who runs wild on everyone. Afi tags but gets booted in the face by Sheik then Reed tags in and gets the win with a gorilla press slam (2:55). After the match the heels continue their assault until Duggan chases them off with a 2×4.

Thoughts: Duggan was the focus here as he remains set on making sure Volkoff never sings the Russian Naitonal Anthem ever again.






Okerlund & Hayes are backstage again as they run down the entire card for the 5/2/87 Boston Garden show. The Hart Foundation along with Jimmy Hart and Danny Davis come out as they proclaim that no matter what the Hart Foundation will roll on as Neidhart calls Okerlund “stupid” after he said the British Bulldogs are more powerful than ever. Funny stuff from the Hart Foundation.

Next week’s featured match will be Brutus Beefcake vs. Johnny V. Also in action will be the Can-Am Connection and Adrian Adonis. Plus, the debate between Ken Patera and Bobby Heenan.

Final Thoughts: Not a bad show but some of the new characters and feuds are not really clicking. Having Hogan go up against the Heenan Family is not all that exciting seeing as he already ran through Orndorff and Andre. And the Patera stuff never amounted to much either. The Duggan push remains strong as that is actually working.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Larry Zbyszko, Disc One
Friday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Larry Zbyszko, Disc Two
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 4/26/87
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/2/87
Tuesday: WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event 5/2/87

April 19, 1987

From the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, AZ

Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

In action this week will be Koko B. Ware, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Honky Tonk Man, and Jake Roberts. Plus, comments from Randy Savage regarding his loss to Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III and more.

Bill Howard vs. Koko B. Ware

Koko takes Howard down with a hip toss as Danny Davis is shown in an insert promo promising to shut Koko up and even shove Frankie down his throat as Heenan laughs on commentary. The action is at a snails pace as Howard lands a few shots but ducks his head and gets punched in the face. Koko takes control and hits a back elbow smash. He dodges a charging attack from Howard and hits a missile dropkick before getting the win with the Ghostbuster (2:34).

Thoughts: Looks like they are starting the Koko/Davis feud now. Sucks to be Koko.



Jim Powers & Paul Roma vs. The New Dream Team w/ Johnny V.

Powers & Roma have matching tights but are not yet referred as the Young Stallions. However, they are shown in an insert promo stating that they will give 100% and are ready for any team in the WWF. Sleep-inducing mic work from those two. They work over the arm of Bravo until he hits Roma with an inverted atomic drop. Roma comes back with a reverse rollup but Valentine tagged himself in and takes control. Bravo misses an elbow drop then Roma tags out as Powers cleans house until Valentine knees him from the apron then Bravo hits a side slam. Roma breaks that up then get tossed outside by Bravo as Valentine slaps Powers in the figure-four and gets the win by submission (2:38).

Thoughts: This is the first time they have established Roma & Powers as a team. They were on offense most of the time and looked solid but its tough to look that good with a slug like Bravo in the ring. And they now have a feud for Roma & Powers too.



Gene Okerlund is with the British Bulldogs, who do not care who they have to face in order to get the belts back from the Hart Foundation. This was the best I have ever seen Dynamite on the mic. Davey was pretty bad here. The end focused on Matilda as the camera zooms in with Okerlund asking goofy questions about the dog.

Terry Gibbs vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Duggan runs into the ring with his 2×4 like a house of fire. He knocks down Gibbs a few times as we get an insert promo from Duggan, Sheik, and Slick, who calls Duggan “monkey head” as he warns Duggan that he will not stop Volkoff from signing the Russian National Anthem. Heenan is hilarious as he rags on Duggan by the way. Duggan hits a suplex as the fans are chanting along with him. He works a chinlock for a bit until he catches Gibbs with a powerslam before putting him away with a running clothesline (3:00).

Thoughts: The crowd was into Duggan’s antics big-time. I wonder what would have happened had not he got busted with the Iron Sheik because he was getting a mega-push here.



Okerlund is with Demolition and Mr. Fuji. This is the first televised promo from them with Mr. Fuji. Ax promises they will play “Demolition Derby” in the ring as Mr. Fuji will guide them to the titles. A solid job from Ax.

Jerry Allen vs. Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart

Allen reverses an Irish whip then catches him with a shot to the gut. He hits a poor excuse of a dropkick before Honky decks him then takes control of the match. Jimmy Hart is shown in an insert promo stating that Honky is not afraid of the DDT but the move should be banned because it is dangerous. Honky Drops Allen throat-first on top of the guardrail then taunts the fans in the ring. Allen is back in as Honky knocks him down and roughs him up for a bit until he hits the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (2:31).

Thoughts: Total domination of Honky as this furthered along the “Ban the DDT” angle.



They replayed the interview segments between Elizabeth, Randy Savage, and the Bonnie & Ricky Steamboat announcement of the upcoming birth of their child. The gist of this is Savage has gone completely off the deep end since losing to Steamboat.

Blackjack Mulligan cuts a promo on Ron Bass saying that he has never ran from anyone except for the time his wife got drunk and chased him around with a meat cleaver.

Dusty Wolfe vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Jake knocks down Wolfe before hitting a back suplex. He slams him down then tosses him through the ropes a few times where he slams Wolfe on the floor. Wolfe hits a few shots that Jake no-sells then we see Jake in an insert promo pissed about the “Ban the DDT” movement. Jake fires away and roughs him up until he puts him away with the DDT (4:00). The fans popped huge for the DDT. After the match Jake dumps Damien on Wolfe then wraps it around his neck.

Thoughts: Jake destroyed Wolfe in this match. The crowd went mental over the DDT and the snake too as they have successfully promoted the “Ban the DDT” angle throughout the show.



Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Tommy Sharpe

Johnny V. has replaced Heenan on commentary. Hercules beat the shit out of Wolfe as Billy Jack Haynes is shown in an insert promo begging Hercules to bring his chain with him in the ring. Man, Haynes cut some intense promos. Hercules drops an elbow as Johnny V. calls Monsoon “Monsignor.” He seems tanked tonight as he is just rambling. Sharpe gets tossed to the floor as Hercules suplexes him back inside. He drops a knee then locks on the full nelson for the win (2:43).

Thoughts: Dominant performance by Hercules as his feud with Billy Jack continues.



Okerlund is with Jimmy Hart, Danny Davis, and the Hart Foundation. The Hart Foundation let us know that they have made Davis as part of the Foundation because he was unjustly fired as a referee. The Harts laugh at the list of teams Gene names off as Bret demands that Gene call them the best in the world. Funny stuff from the Hart Foundation, especially Neidhart.

Next week we will have an “unusual” matchup between the Islanders and the Rougeau Brothers. Plus, George “The Animal” Steele, Hart Foundation, Can-Am Connection, and Billy Jack Haynes.

Final Thoughts: Good show this week as they furthered along and created some potential new feuds as well. Really not much more to say other than that.

Here is my schedule for the rest of the week:

Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer), Disc One
Friday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer), Disc Two
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 4/25/87
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 4/26/87
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 5/2/87

April 18th, 1987

From the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV. Fun fact: The “Missy’s Manor” segments were first filmed at this taping. For those unaware, it was a talk-show hosted by Missy Hyatt but they never made it to air.

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

In action tonight are the Can-Am Connection, King Harley Race, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Kamala & Sika, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Dusty Wolfe & Barry O. vs. Can-Am Connection

Wolfe attacks Zenk before the bell. The heels briefly take the advantage until Martel comes in to catch Zenk after a suplex then picks up Zenk, who kicks down both men. Zenk hits a German suplex for two as the Can-Ams are shown in an insert promo talking about going after the Tag Team Titles. Martel takes Barry down with a headscissors then uses his speed to frustrate Barry as the crowd applauds. Barry stunguns Martel then hits him with a suplex for a nearfall. Martel comes back with a dropkick then makes the tag to Zenk, who runs wild. Wolfe stops him briefly but Zenk whips him into Barry, who flies off of the apron. Zenk then catches Wolfe with a powerslam before sling-shotting Martel in for the splash as they get the win (3:59).

Thoughts: Good showcase for the Can-Ams as they were being tossed into the hat as potential challengers for the Hart Foundation. The crowd was going nuts for them and their in-ring work was fast-paced. Martel was excellent here.



WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge. This week’s topic is Brutus Beefcake as he is shown cutting a promo on Johnny V. and the New Dream Team as he challenges them all. Not a very good promo from Beefcake at all.

Outback Jack tells Hillbilly Jim about how much he is joining the United States then they compare their countries cuisine.

Alex Knight vs. “The Outlaw” Ron Bass

Bass destroys Knight to start as we get an insert promo from him talking about Blackjack Mulligan hiding from him as Jesse agrees. Bass chokes out then stomps Knight for a bit. He gets two with an elbow drop then challenges Knight to hit him and he does with his crappy punches but Bass knocks him right down then puts him away with a jumping back elbow smash (1:59).

Thoughts: The crowd couldnt have cared less about this match. Poor Bass was being built up for a feud that never happened.



Gene Okerlund is with the British Bulldogs, who will be facing the Hart Foundation on at the May 2nd Boston Garden Show. Danny Davis is “barred” from the building that night. They then cut a promo on the Hart Foundation that is as bad as you would think. Matilda barking would have been better than having listen to the Dynamite Kid speak.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Tiger Chung Lee

Duggan catches Lee with a clothesline then gets two off of a knee drop as we get an insert promo from the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and Slick, who declares that no one will stop Volkoff from singing the Russian National Anthem. Duggan misses a corner charge but comes back quickly with a slam before putting him away with a running clothesline (2:40).

Thoughts: The Duggan super-push continues as the fans are buying into his blue-collar and patriotic act.



Hogan cuts a promo on Bobby Heenan and all of his men, including his opponent in Boston, Harley Race. Solid work from Hogan to hype his house show matches against Race.

Mr. Fuji is with Sika, Kamala, and Kimchee. He hands Sika a raw fish and he devours it as Kamala tries to go after it. A wacky 80’s segment.

Jesse Cortez & Jerry Allen vs. Kamala & Sika w/ Mr. Fuji & Kimchee

Allen tries to get in some offense but Sika stops that with an eye rake. Kamala tags and leapfrogs Allen before hitting him with a thrust kick in an impressive spot. Cortez tags in and gets brutalized until Kamal puts him away with a splash (2:05).

Thoughts: This did a fine job establishing the team as killers.



Craig DeGeorge is with Blackjack Mulligan at his ranch. He asks him about the comments Bass was making about him as he runs him down. Not much to see here.

Joe Mirto vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Roberts knocks down Mirto as we get an insert promo from the Honky Tonk Man pleading with the fans to get behind him as he tries to ban the DDT. Roberts works the arm as Vince plugs a six-man for next week featuring Sheik & Volkoff & Butch Reed vs. Sivi Afi & The Islanders. The fans go nuts just for Mirto being near the snake bag. Roberts hits his short-arm clothesline before putting him away with the DDT (4:25). Roberts then gets the snake as the fans go nuts and puts it on Mirto as we get a funny line by Jesse aimed at Vince: “You used to hate it but now you love it.”

Thoughts: This went on forever as the focus was on the ban the DDT gimmick from Hart and Honky.



The addressed to vote in the “Ban the DDT” movement is shown on-screen.

And now it’s Part Three of the “Ken Patera Story.” Okerlund tells us that Ken Patera was just looking for a burger at a fast food restaurant then when denied service allegedly threw an object, along with someone else, through a glass window and then when police arrived at the motel a melee took place. After being tried, Patera was sentenced to two years in prison as Okerlund notes some think a person who represented the U.S. in the Olympics should get a lesser sentence. We are then shown Patera in a cell as he accepts all responsibility for what happened, unlike Bobby Heenan who creates problems and walks away from them. Patera then said he will be back in the WWF to rid it of people like Heenan. This was pretty bad as they glossed over the actions that put Patera in jail in order to blame Heenan as why it happened so they could bring him back as a face. And they wondered why this push for Patera failed. Well, it would have failed anyway, but still.

Billy Anderson vs. King Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan

Race catches Anderson with a knee as we get an insert promo from Heenan, who addresses Patera about blaming him for his actions that got him in jail and how he was the not the punk who did the crime, calling him garbage. Heenan yells at Race to pick up his opponent after a suplex as Race softens up Anderson a bit before putting him away with the cradle suplex (1:54).

Thoughts: A dominant squash match for Race to prepare him for Hogan.



Okerlund is with Jake Roberts and asks him about the Honky Tonk Man. Roberts cuts a solid promo against him but nothing memorable or anything.

Next week will be the featured six-man tag bout. Plus, Jim Duggan will be here in the front row as he apparently bought a ticket to the show. Also in action will be Tito Santana, Honky Tonk Man, Killer Bees and Demolition.

Final Thoughts: A decent show. Some of the stuff pushed like the Patera Story and the Bass/Mulligan feud was a waste but the Honky/Jake feud is solid and they are trying to push Beefcake as a face, which is something new at least. And the tag team division is starting to be pushed as ultra-competitive, which is a good thing. The letdown after WrestleMania was expected though and you can see it in the shows.

Here is my schedule for the next few days.

Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 4/19/87
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer)
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 4/25/87
Saturday: RoH Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies 8/16/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 4/26/87

April 12, 1987

From the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, AZ

Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

In action tonight are Demolition, Killer Bees, Butch Reed, and the British Bulldogs & Tito Santana. Plus, highlights from last week’s last from “Superstars of Wrestling” between Iron Sheik vs. Jim Duggan.

The Gladiator & Jimmy Jack Funk & Barry O. vs. Tito Santana & British Bulldogs

Before the match we get an insert promo from Danny Davis stating that he is not impressed by Tito or the Bulldogs. Match starts with the faces making quick tags as they beat on Barry. Dynamite is only able to do chops and headbutts as he can still barely move. Funk tags in as he now gets beat down by the faces. Davey is looking really impressive tonight by the way, displaying speed and power. Funk drops Tito throat-first across the top rope then tags the Gladiator but Tito fights him off and tags Davey, who is now beating on all three guys. He then tags Tito, who puts the Gladiator away with the flying forearm (3:58).

Thoughts: Looks like they are still keeping the feud going between the guys in the WrestleMania III six–man tag match. Davey looked awesome



Craig DeGeorge is with Brutus Beefcake, who is holding a bag that contains the hair of Adrian Adonis. Beefcake also said that it was his pleasure to cut his hair in front of the world.

“The Natural” Butch Reed vs. Sivi Afi

Afi gets the best of Reed to start as we get an insert promo from Slick warning Tito Santana that Reed will make him pay for destroying his suit at WrestleMania III. Reed now takes advantage with his methodical offense. Christ, Reed is blown up out there. Afi dodges an attack in the corner then lands a few kicks and a headbutt then ducks his head as Reed smashes him then drops Afi with a press slam while covering him with his foot for the win (3:02).

Thoughts: Reed looked horrendous in the ring. Looks like he is also gearing up for a feud with Santana, who is busy with midcard feuds at the moment.



Gene Okerlund is with the Rougeau Brothers, asking them about the New Dream Team. Jacques runs down Bravo for not doing things the right away and for ditching Brutus Beefcake. Raymond tells us that they have their eyes on him. Lame stuff here from the Rougeaus.

Brutus Beefcake is no shown telling Adrian Adonis that he will do everything in his power to make sure that he is bald then tells the Dream Team he will turn them into a nightmare. They are really putting over Beefcake as a babyface now. Gorilla even prefaced this promo by saying how Beefcake has changed his ways.

Rick Renslow & Dave Wagner vs. Killer Bees

The Bees are wearing the masks here. Blair works over the arm of Renslow to start. Brunzell then slams Wagner on top of his partner as the jobber team take a breather outside as we get a replay. Blair is now beating on Wagner then hits him with the Bee Sting but Renslow breaks up the pin. Brunzell tags in then hits Wagner with a dropkick for the win (2:35).

Thoughts: The Bees get a win to stay in the Tag Team Title hunt. Gorilla referred to them as a “Top 5” tag team as well so they will be in the mix of teams to contend with the Hart Foundation.



Okerlund is with Steve Lombardi, who talks about Paul Roma and warns him that the best thing he can do is to not show up. Lombardi tells Gene he does not need a manager and that Roma lacks the talent to belong in the ring. Okerlund then asks him about Danny Davis as Lombardi said he was unfairly fired from his job and that he has Jimmy Hart behind him so he can succeed in the ring. After a few month layoff they are rekindling the Roma/Lombardi feud. For all I know this interview was shot a few months before this aired.

Replay of Part Two of the “Ken Patera Story.”

King Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Jim Young

Johnny V. has replaced Heenan on commentary. Race catches Young with a clothesline and follows that with a suplex. He hits a bunch of elbow drops as we get an insert promo from Outback Jack who tells Race he looks more like a queen as Race puts Young away with a cradle suplex (1:28). Johnny V. then tells us that he has an important announcement coming in a few weeks.

Thoughts: A win for Race to keep him looking strong for his house show run against Hogan.



Snake Pit with guest “The Outlaw” Ron Bass. Roberts asks Bass why they call him the Outlaw as Bass tells us that he was not given the name but rather earned the name from every opponent is faced in the ring. Roberts cuts off his tangent to ask him about Blackjack Mulligan and how he is the biggest and baddest man to come out of Texas as that gets Bass pissed off then he runs down Mulligan’s family until the segment ends. Mulligan was already gone from the company by the time this aired.

Highlights from last week’s match on “Superstars of Wrestling” between Jim Duggan and Iron Sheik and Duggan coming out with his head bandaged and bloodied running off Sheik and Volkoff during Volkoff’s match. This really was an excellent show-long angle to get Duggan over.

Johnny V. tells us that he sold the contracts of Demolition to focus on The New Dream Team. With decision making like that he could be the GM of the Cleveland Browns.

Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji vs. “Leaping” Lanny Poffo & Billy Anderson

Ax beats down Anderson as we get an insert promo from Mr. Fuji, wearing facepaint, telling us that he will make Demolition torture their opponents. Smash tosses Anderson around then Poffo tags but gets tossed around himself. Ax tags and slams Poffo down as he crawls back over to Anderson. Smash destroys Anderson for a bit until Demolition puts him away with the Decapitation (2:42).

Thoughts: Demolition looked so awesome here and the fans appeared to be in awe of them as despite being heels they were not getting booed.

In action next week will be Koko B. Ware, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Honky Tonk Man, and Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

Final Thoughts: Solid show. Where as “Superstars of Wrestling” put over Duggan strong as a face all show long, this show did a similar thing with Beefcake. Other than that, they kept plugged some other midcard feuds as the action was fine as a whole.

Schedule for next several days:

Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 4/18/87
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 4/19/87
Thursday: Shoot Interview TBD
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 4/25/87

April 11, 1987


From the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

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

In action this week are the Hart Foundation, Koko B. Ware, Honky Tonk Man, and the New Dream Team.

We are shown a replay of last week when Jim Duggan ran off Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff.

Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Koko B. Ware


Funk attacks Koko before the bell and beats him up in the corner. He then taunts the fans before walking into a dropkick as Koko takes control of the match. He hits a fist drop from the middle rope but misses a corner splash as Funk then drops him across the top rope. Funk rakes Koko’s eyes across the top rope but ducks his head as Koko uppercuts him before hitting the Ghostbuster for the win (2:18).

Thoughts: Solid action. Koko gets the win but has nothing at all going on for him. He is languishing in the midcard.






WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge. We learn here that Mr. Fuji is now the new manager of Demolition as we get a promo from them. Fuji was also wearing face paint here. Demolition said that all they have to do to be successful is to listen to Fuji and demolish their competition. Good promo that them even more of a threat. In their shoot interview from RF Video, Ax said that he requested Fuji to be their manager because he felt that Johnny V. never grasped what the team was supposed to be about and was too much of a goof on-screen.

Tommy Sharpe & Nick Kiniski vs. New Dream Team w/ Johnny V. 


Dino Bravo has replaced Brutus Beefcake as Valentine’s partner. Bravo is sporting Canadian flag trunks. He starts off the match with Kiniski as they work a crappy sequence that included a botched arm drag spot. Bravo catches him with an inverted atomic drop as we get an isnert promo from Johnny V. as he runs down Beefcake. Kiniski avoids an elbow drop from Valentine then tags out after a brief flurry of offense. Valentine drops Sharpe with an elbow smash as the New Dream Team take turns beating him down until Bravo puts gets the win with a side slam (3:18).

Thoughts: Unmemorable debut for the New Dream Team. The crowd was practically silent and Bravo looked bad in the ring. Its no wonder this team did not last too long.






Gene Okerlund, wearing sunglasses, talks to a woman who is off screen who tells Gene he deserves all that he can get then we segue into a Hogan promo who runs down Bobby Heenan for trying to use his money to get people to go after him. Hogan says that he gets off on taking down all his guys as he warns Harley Race about being able to hang with Hulkamania.

“Leaping” Lanny Poffo recites a poem about WWF Ice Cream Bars.

Jim Young vs. Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart


Hart is holding a sign that reads “Ban the DDT.” Match starts with Young grabbing an arm wringer that gets broken up quickly with an eye rake. Hart is shown in an insert promo telling us to join the movement on banning the DDT as Honky takes it to Young. Honky hits a fist drop from the middle rope before tossing Young to the floor. Young gets punished outside of the ring then gets rolled back in and is put away by the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (2:20). After the match, Honky thanks his fans then dances to his theme song as the crowd rains down on him with boos.

Thoughts: They are using the ban the DDT angle to keep the Roberts/Honky feud alive. Honky was getting a ton of heel heat here with his act as well.






Okerlund is backstage and still speaking to this woman who is off camera. Looking at Gene, I’m guessing the shades are on due to a hangover. He looks hurting. Anyway, a bald Adrian Adonis comes out to hype his match against Brutus Beefcake in Boston. Adonis blames Beefcake for losing against Piper and says that he is here to tell the whole world that he will get revenge on Beefcake. No makeup for Adonis here either. He was fired a couple of weeks after this aired and according to Dave Meltzer it was due to repeated dress code violations and being a slob in general.

Rougeau Brothers vs. Terry Gibbs & Bill Howard


Match starts with the Rougeaus getting the best of Gibbs. They then clear the ring after Howard ran in as we get an insert promo from the Rougeaus, who say that Bravo is no good and promises to get revenge. Back to the match as the Rougeaus work over Howard until they put him away with the Rougeau Bomb as Jesse accuses them of cheating (1:55).

Thoughts: This match was designed to make another team out to be a threat to the Tag Titles. We also are going to get a feud between the Rougeaus and the New Dream Team. Joy.






Craig DeGeorge is with Elizabeth and asks her what its like to be with Randy Savage after he lost the Intercontinental Title as she says that he has been possessed and how she has never seen him like this before.

Ricky Steamboat is with his wife Bonnie. He holds the Intercontinental Title as Bonnie tells us that they are expecting a “Little Dragon.” Steamboat came off as very wooden here. That announcement was basically the end of Steamboat’s push with the company as he requested a few weeks off but Vince wanted the belt defended at house shows so he dropped it to the Honky Tonk Man. Steamboat was originally supposed to have a year long run with the belt as well.

Craig DeGeorge is backstage as we awaits Randy Savage, who comes by and says no comment. DeGeorge then looks at the camera and talks about those doubting Savage can regain the title as Savage himself comes back and intimidates DeGeorge as he talks about how he will indeed get the title back. Great stuff from Savage.

And now its Part 2 of the Ken Patera story. Okerlund narrates as they play up how Patera’s image was tarnished and brainwashed by Bobby Heenan. They show clips of Patera with Heenan from TNT and other shows. It ends with Okerlund telling us that all of Heenan’s promises ended up leading him to jail. Okay, this was pretty ridiculous and a lot worse than I remember. Even fans being less smart to wrestling in 1987 could probably tell this was all horseshit.

Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Billy Anderson


Hercules destroys Anderson as we get an insert promo from Haynes, telling Hercules he will never forget what he did to him at WrestleMania III and to bring his chain where ever he goes with him as Hercules then puts Anderson away with a full nelson (1:04).

Thoughts: Really short but Haynes’ insert promo was designed to start a series of “chain matches” these two would have a house shows.






We get dueling promos from both Brutus Beefcake and Adrian Adonis. Beefcake cuts a weird promo about his mom holding him in her hands, relating it to cutting Adonis’s hair as Hart brings out Adonis, who is now sporting makeup and a pink bow on his shears as they warn Beefcake about what will happen to him. They have done a good job at establishing this feud on the show.

Rick Hunter & S.D. Jones vs. Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis


S.D. suprises Neidhart with a small package then tags Hunter, who gets beaten down. The British Bulldogs are shown in an insert promo warning the Hart Foundation how they are watching them. The Harts continue their assault on Hunter until they put him away with the Hart Attack (2:24). After the match the Harts attack their opponents until the Bulldogs run in and chase them off with Matilda.

Thoughts: The Hart Foundation continue to look great in the ring. They also re-established the Bulldogs as a threat as their feud has not ended.






Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan and mentions how he failed at WrestleMania III. Heenan tells Okerlund that he has never failed at a thing in his life and how no one will call him a failure after Harley Race defeats Hogan in Boston.

Next week, we will get Part 3 of the Ken Patera story. In action will be the Can-Am Connection, Kamala & Sika, Jake Roberts, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and King Harley Race.

Final Thoughts: I thought this was a solid show. Last week’s episode was the fallout from WrestleMania III while here they started to plan feuds going forward. The Ken Patera Story stuff was not too good though but besides that just about everything else was done for a reason.

April 5, 1987


From the Ohio Center in Columbus, OH

Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

In action tonight are The Islanders, Kamala, Honky Tonk Man, and Billy Jack Haynes.

Al Navarro & Iron Mike Sharpe vs. The Islanders


Heenan lets us know that the names Haku and Tama mean “Dumb and Stupid.” Haku catches Sharpe with a slam as we are shown the Islanders in an insert promo telling everyone that they can beat the Hart Foundation. Back to the match as the Islanders maintain control of the match. They now beat on Navarro using a lot of quick tags and double-team moves as Heenan continues to make fun of them for being stupid on commentary. Haku kills Navarro with a chop then takes him down with an enziguiri before he allows him to tag Sharpe. He catches Tama with a forearm smash then tags Navarro, who gets slammed then shortly after that the Islanders put him away with a suplex/top rop splash combo (3:53).

Thoughts: A showcase for the Islanders, who were being tossed into the list of teams to take on the Hart Foundation for the belts. Fun fact: Iron Mike Sharpe was fired by the WWF in 1984 for refusing to put over Tama, who was going by the Tonga Kid at the time.






Craig DeGeorge is with an irate Randy Savage, who says “no more Mr. Nice Guy” as everyone will see the difference when they step into the ring with him. They are portraying Savage as a lunatic out for revenge.

A replay of Part One of the Ken Patera story. Only difference here is that Heenan getting flustered that this is happening then in disbelief over the preview for Part Two.

Sivi Afi vs. Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart


Honky brings a guitar with him to the ring for the match. Afi starts off the match in control with a chop and a slam as we get an insert promo from Honky stating that if Jake Roberts can birng a snake to the ring with him then he can bring a guitar. Honky comes back with a clothesline the goes to work on Afi as Heenan puts over his singing abilities. The crowd chants for Jake Roberts as Afi makes a brief comeback until Honky blocks a monkey flip out of the corner then he puts Afi away with the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (2:47).

Thoughts: Honky was starting to get over well as a heel as all of his taunts and even bringing the guitar into the ring threatening to sing all worked in getting him heat.

Gene Okerlund is with Outback Jack, who states that he has been working with Hulk Hogan because he was a “little chubby” when he first arrived. Not too much to this interview.

The Gladiator vs. Billy Jack Haynes


Match starts with the Gladiator attacking Haynes, who then no-sells the offense before beating the crap out of him. We then get an insert promo from Butch Reed, who tells Haynes that he lacks natural ability. The announcers talk about how the WWF Magazine will now be issued monthly as Haynes puts the Gladiator away with the full nelson (1:44).

Thoughts: No real mention of Hercules here as they appear to be moving Hercules into a feud with Reed.






Okerlund is now with Paul Roma, who he hails as a future star. Okerlund even proclaims that Roma will be a champion one day before putting over his physique. After cooling off his brief push and feud with Lombardi they are giving him another chance to get over a bit.

Sam Cody vs. Kamala w/ Mr. Fuji & Kimchee


This is Fuji’s debut as Kamala’s manager. Also, Kamala is sporting green and yellow face paint here. Match starts with Kamala backing Cody into the corner where he destroys him. Kamal then tosses him around a few times before putting him away with the top rope splash (0:56). After the match, Kimchee prevents Kamala from hitting another splash as Fuji stands there and does nothing.

Thoughts: New manager same results for Kamala. Beyond the minute-long squashes and stretcher jobs, Kamala’s act didnt offer a whole lot of anything else. Its easy to see why he always bounced from territory to territory. The act doesnt have a long shelf-life in one place.






Snake Pit with guest Blackjack Mulligan, who comes out eating a WWF Ice Cream Bar. He then pulls out a few more bars as Mulligan tells them that they taste great as Roberts tells him that they are kids but then has one himself as this turns into a complete schill for the Ice Cream bars, from Blackjack Mulligan of all people. A total waste of time. Blackjack even talked about putting BB sauce and jalapenos on the ice cream.

“The Outlaw” Ron Bass vs. Joe Mirto


The announcers put over the feud between Bass and Mulligan, a feud that ended as quickly as it started due to Mulligan leaving the company. Match starts with Bass taking Mirto down with a hiptoss then beating on him for a minute, mixing in illegal heel tactics, before putting him away with a jumping back elbow smash (2:32).

Thoughts: A boring squash that the fans didnt seem to care about. This was to set up Bass for his feud with Mulligan but Blackjack was just about gone from the company by the time this match aired.






Okerlund runs down the results from WrestleMania III.

Another vignette of Outback Jack trying and failing to adapt to American customs as a cop prevents him from jumping into the water as Jack wanted to cool himself off after a walk. This was a very, very lame Crocodile Dundee knockoff segment.

Jerry Allen vs. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine w/  Johnny V. & Dino Bravo


Valentine chops the piss out of Allen as Brutu Beefcake is shown in an insert promo calling out his former friends, declaring that their nightmare is about to begin. Allen takes control after Valentine misses an elbow drop. He gets a nearfall off of a monkey flip then hammers away in the corner. He nearly botches a snapmare then gets caught with an inverted atomic drop and shortly after that Valentine makes Allen submit to the Figure Four (2:45).

Thoughts: Allen looked bad here but the main purpose of this was to push a feud between Beefcake and his former pals.






Okerlund is now with Jimmy Hart. He messes up Hart’s name then Danny Davis comes out and says he was glad that the WWF fired him as a referee because he can now take on anybody in the WWF. He calls out Koko B. Ware, saying he will be first of the many that he will run through in the company.

Next week in action will be Demolition, Butch Reed, and highlights from the Iron Sheik vs. Jim Duggan match that took place on the 4/4/87 edition of Superstars.

Final Thoughts: This show did not offer a whole lot. They pushed some minor new feuds that were not particularly exciting and combined with unmemorable promos and vignettes it made for a dull show.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 4/11/87
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Curt Hawkins
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 4/12/87
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 4/18/87

April 4, 1987

From the Hara Arena in Dayton, OH

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

Tonight, the featured matchup will have Hacksaw Jim Duggan go up against the Iron Sheik. Also in action will be Jake Roberts, King Harley Race, and Demolition. Plus, results from WrestleMania III and more.

Iron Sheik w/ Slick & Nikolai Volkoff vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Sheik attacks Duggan as he enters the ring. Duggan comes back with a shoulder block then slams him down. Sheik rolls outside as Duggan is shown in an insert promo talking about taking care of Sheik and Duggan. Duggan goes to work on Sheik until he gets booted as they had a major miscommunication there. Sheik rams Duggan into the corner then comes back with a clothesline that looked pitiful. Sheik boots Duggan after an eye rake  then tosses him to the floor. Sheik taunts the fans as Slick whacks Duggan with his cane then Volkoff breaks it over his head then destroys him until the ref rings the bell for the DQ (2:57). Its 3-1 against Duggan until the Killer Bees come out for the save. Duggan then regroups and leads the crowd into some patriotic chants as he then makes his way through the crowd.

Thoughts: This segment did exactly what it was intended to do and that was getting Duggan over huge. The action in the ring was pretty bad actually but the fans were digging the angle too much to care.

WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge, who has replaced Mean Gene in this role. This week’s topic is Mr. Fuji, who has worked out a deal with the Wizard to manage Kamala & Sika. Thank the lord this was the end of the Wizard in the WWF.

We get a vignette of Outback Jack struggling to adapt to live in an American hotel room. He prefers the floor over the bed, apparently. That was all and its clear after weeks upon weeks of introductory vignettes then barely appearing at all on TV after his first match that the WWF scrapped any huge plans they had for the guy.

Iron Mike Sharpe & Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Killer Bees

After an eye rake, Brunzell catches Sharpe with a monkey flip and a slam. We are shown an insert promo from the Hart Foundation, claiming that the Bees are not worthy of a title shot. Blair works over Funk until Sharpe cheapshots him from the apron. The match breaks down then the heels collide. Blair hits Sharpe with an atomic drop then Brunzell dropkicks him for the win (2:55).

Thoughts: Decent action. Based off of the insert promo from the Hart Foundation it appears that they are doing a storyline in which they go through all the teams until they find the #1 contender.


Gene Okerlund makes some jokes about his friend in Cape Cod as he tells us the World Heavyweight Champion will face Harley Race in Boston. The camera cuts to Hogan as he tells Race that he does take him seriously but that in Boston they will find out who is the real king of the ring. Now those you missed out on WrestleMania know that Hogan retained the title.

Nikolai Volkoff w/ Slick & Iron Sheik vs. Rick Hunter

Hunter attacks Volkoff as he went to sing the National Anthem but ends up getting destroyed by both Volkoff and Sheik. They toss him out as Volkoff now sings the Russian National Anthem until Duggan runs out, with his head bandaged and covered in blood, and chases them off with a 2×4 as he tells them  that he will not quit until he rids them from the WWF. Match was rules a no-contest.

Thoughts: Duggan running out with his head bloodied, holding the 2×4 was a great visual. It was awesome.



Okerlund is with the Islanders. They put over America and their pride for their home country as they put over how they beat the Hart Foundation on TV. Looks like the WWF are trying to make us guess who are the #1 contenders to the Hart Foundation’s Titles.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. The Raider

Jake gets attacked from behind to start the match. The Raider stays on the attack as we get an insert promo from the Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart as they will now be bringing their guitar to the ring. The camera then shows Jesse in the booth eating a WWF Ice Cream Bar as Jake continues to get destroyed. Jake slithers outside then outsmarts the Raider by hitting him with a knee lift before putting him away with the DDT (2:41). Jake then chases the ref out of the ring with Damien before putting him on the Raider as Vince is in all his glory.

Thoughts: Weird to see Jake sell for the majority of the match but at the end he won with his smarts and that was what his character was all about.



George Steele tells us that the WWF Ice Cream Bars are good. Really.

Brad Rheingans & Sivi Afi vs. Demolition w/ Johnny V.

Ax and Afi start off the match. Rheingans tags in completely fucks up a backdrop spot. He tags out after getting beat up as Smash immediately destroys Afi then they put him away with the Decapitation (1:34).

Thoughts: Very short match to put over Demolition, who look more impressive each time we see them.



Okerlund, “on location” from the Silverdome, runs down the results from WrestleMania III.

Now, we are shown Part One of the “Ken Patera Story,” narrated by Okerlund. He runs down his weight lifting and amateur accomplishments then shows a clip of him on “Tuesday Night Titans” performing a few feats of strength. They also blame Bobby Heenan for being a bad influence as that will be addressed in Part Two. Not much of interest in this installment but it would get better as the saga continued.

Don Driggers vs. King Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan

Race beats on Driggers as he is shown in an insert promo saying that everyone will have to bow and kneel after wrestling him then shortly after that puts Driggers away with the cradle suplex (1:16). After the match, Race beats on Driggers some more before leaving.

Thoughts: A quick win for Race, who would go on to challenge Hogan at house shows for the belt.

Final Thoughts: This was the last show from the tapings that took place a few weeks before WrestleMania III. And I thought this was really good show as it made Duggan a singles threat and the fans guess as to what team would take the belts away from the Hart Foundation. And these two things were not done or even addressed at WrestleMania III. The Duggan stuff was very well done and the highlight of the show.

March 29, 1987


From the Ohio Center in Columbus, OH


Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

This show aired the same day as WrestleMania III

In action tonight will be Tito Santana, King Harley Race, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, and “Adorable” Adrian Adonis.

Mary Hart is backstage with Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan. She asks him about tossing Hulk Hogan from the ring during the SNME battle royal as he tells her to take care of her business while he will take care of his business.

Greg Valentine w/ Johnny V. & Brutus Beefcake & Dino Bravo vs. Tito Santana w/ British Bulldogs


Tito wins a slugfest to start the match. Danny Davis is shown in an insert promo speaking about how he is not afraid of Tito or the British Bulldogs as Valentine takes control of the match. He puts Tito in a chinlock after getting two with a fist drop. Tito fights out then hits Valentine with a forearm smash. They slug it out again until Valentine counters a mounted punch attack with an inverted atomic drop. He then tries an atomic drop but Tito blocks that then puts Valentine in the Figure Four as the crowd goes nuts. Johnny V. jumps up on the apron as Bravo slides in and pulls Valentine over to the ropes then starts hammering away on Tito as Johnny V. joins in but Beefcake distances himself from the duo until the Bulldogs chase them away with Matilda as the ref signals for the bell as the match is ruled a double DQ (3:58).

Thoughts: Good action between longtime rivals. The end, with Beefcake distancing himself from his allies was the story here as they continue to play up his anger from Adonis accidentally cutting his hair.






Craig DeGeorge is backstage with King Kong Bundy, who warns the midgets that they will get hurt if they try to stand in his way. DeGeorge, the dumbass that he was, then asks Bundy if he is going to be kind towards the midgets as Bundy tells him he has never been kind to anyone in his life. Generic big man promo from Bundy.

Replay of Hacksaw Jim Duggan chasing off the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and Slick with his 2×4.

Rick Hunter vs. King Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan


Johnny V. has replaced Heenan on commentary and says that Hunter looks like Robert Redford. Race ambushes a distracted Hunter from behind. He continues to beat the shit out of him then puts him away with the cradle suplex as JYD is shown in an insert promo talking about how he will be the king after WrestleMania III (0:38). After the match, Heenan makes Hunter bow then Race knees him in the face.

Thoughts: They actually got Race some heat at the end of this match but his feud with JYD was somewhat of a disappointment as Race was never over as a heel and JYD’s popularity was not what it was two years prior.






Gene Okerlund is backstage with Sheik, Volkoff, and Slick as they hype their WrestleMania III match against the Killer Bees. Not much of note other than Sheik referring to Okerlund as “Gene Mean” during his tangent.

Dino Bravo warns the Rougeau Brothers that at WrestleMania III the Dream Team will tear those “French Frogs” apart. Funny moment as when they cut back to the ring, Monsoon joked how Bravo “isnt exactly Irish” himself.

Rougeau Brothers vs. Dave Wagner & Rick Renslow


The Rougeaus use their speed to take control of the match. Johnny V. is shown in an insert promo denying the rumors about dissension within the Dream Team. Renslow slams Raymond but misses a splash off of the middle rope. Jacques tags and slingshots in with a sunset flip that gets broken up by Wagner. Raymond tags back in and hits a crescent kick but Wagner also breaks that up then the Rougeaus double-team both guys in a clunky sequence before putting away Renslow with the Rougeau Bomb (2:23).

Thoughts: Good action here from the Rougeaus who were just not good enough to be near the top of the tag team division due to the depth it was boasting at the time.






“Adorable” Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Corporal Kirchner

These two lockup as we get an insert promo from Piper cuts a promo on Adonis, who gets sent outside. Adonis re-enters the ring then beats on Kirchner in the corner until he gets the win with a splash from the top (1:42).

Thoughts: This was okay I suppose and really just another segment to hype the hair vs. hair match at WrestleMania.



Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

Match is joined in progress as Funk suplexes Steamboat as Savage cuts a promo on Steamboat about how Steamboat is overmatched and that he will not lose the title. Steamboat fights back with his “martial arts” offense. He follows with a vertical suplex but ducks his head on a backdrop attempt and gets booted in the face. Steamboat skins-the-cat then backdrops Funk over the ropes as he goes out and roughs him up for a bit. Back inside, Steamboat catches Funk with a back elbow smash then climbs up and hits the flying chop for the win (2:10).

Thoughts: Really fun two-minute match. This was all action. Savage cut an awesome promo on Steamboat here too as they were really making Steamboat out as the underdog here.



Okerlund is with Hogan, who addresses all of the non-believers. He then says that there is no way, with all of the people behind him and all of the prayers and vitamins, that he will stay on top of the mountain. Really promo from Hogan, who sold this match even more here if that was possible.

Next week we will get part one of the “Ken Patera Story” as Heenan is shocked about this. Also in action will be Kamala, Honky Tonk Man, The Islanders, and Billy Jack Haynes.

Final Thoughts: This show was fine. WrestleMania III did not need anymore hyping at this point as I’m sure everyone watching was ready for the PPV. Very few shows have been built up as good as WrestleMania III.

Here is my schedule for the rest of the week:

Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Koko B. Ware
Friday: WrestleMania III
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 4/4/87
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 4/5/87

March 28, 1987

From the Hara Arena in Dayton, OH

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

In action this week are the Can-Am Connection, “The Natural” Butch Reed, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and the Hart Foundation.

Bob Uecker is shown with Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan. Uecker is bullied into announcing Andre as the new Heavyweight Champion over and over again.

Steve Lombardi & Johnny K-9 vs. Can-Am Connection

The crowd went ape shit for the Can-Ams entrance. Lombardi chokes out MArtel from the apron but gets accidentally hit by his partner. Martel works the arm as we get another insert promo from Bob Orton, Don Muraco, and Mr. Fuji hyping their WrestleMania III match. Back to the match as the Can-Ams remain in control as they work over K-9. Lombardi then cheapshots Martel as he was attempting a flying headscissors. He tags and collides with Lombardi then Martel makes the hot tag to Zenk, who runs wild on K-9. He catches him with a powerslam then tags Martel, who gets the win with a slingshot splash (3:16). The fans once again go out of their minds for the Can-Ams after they win.

Thoughts: Its unreal as to how over the Can-Am Connection was at this time. They had been in the company for just about four months too. Unfortunately, Zenk quit a few months after this and the team did not get the titles.

WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week’s topic is the Intercontinental Title match at WrestleMania III between Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage. We get a solid promo from Steamboat that lacked the corny “karate” phrases and was effective as a result. They have done as good of a job building up this match as humanly possible.

“The Natural” Butch Reed w/ Slick vs. Jim Powers

Match starts with a lockup that ends in a stalemate as we get an insert promo from Koko B. Ware, who tells Reed that he will be flying all over him. He sounded like a preacher here as Vince enjoyed himself on commentary. Reed then beats on Powers, who comes back with a dropkick. Reed then catches Powers with a clothesline before slamming him down then gets the win with a flying clothesline off of the middle rope (2:30).

Thoughts: Reed looked awful here as he was as slow and lumbering in the ring as could be. Just a segment for Reed to look strong heading into WrestleMania against Koko B. Ware.



Gene Okerlund is with the Rougeau Brothers, who want Dino Bravo to keep his nose out of their match against the Dream Team at WrestleMania III. The promo ends with some lame babyface stuff that did nothing to help out the Rougeaus in the loaded Tag Team division the WWF boasted at this time.

Rick Hunter & Joe Mirto vs. Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis

The heels all break huddle in the ring as Jesse and Vince argue about how Davis will fare in his match at WrestleMania III. We are then shown an insert promo of Matilda walking around as Jesse joked how it looks like Sammartino’s girlfriend. The Hart Foundation beat on Mirto, mixed in with some illegal tactics, until they put him away with the Hart Attack (2:35).

Thoughts: The Hart Foundation was firing on all cylinders here. They had swagger and were very crisp in the ring. Their heel act was perfected too as the fans fucking hated them.



Jake Roberts and Alice Cooper are shown cutting a promo on the Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart. Jake was good here as Alice was passable I suppose. He didn’t seem too comfortable here.

A replay of Hacksaw Jim Duggan running off the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and Slick last week. Then after that Slick and the Iron Sheik are shown as Slick issues a challenge to Duggan for a match next week, promising to keep Volkoff home. Duggan is then shown telling them both that he will be there, closing the interview with his thumb up yelling “tough guy.”

Moondog Spot vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Huge ovation for Jake here. Match starts with some back-and-forth action as we get an insert promo from the Honky Tonk Man who promises to defeat Jake at WrestleMania III. Spot takes control of the match and gets two off of an elbow drop. Jake fights back then leapfrogs Spot before booting him in the gut then hitting the DDT for the win (1:51). After the match, Jake grabbed the snake but the referee rolled Spot to the floor.

Thoughts: Not much of note here other than this was Spot’s last match with the WWF as he went back to Memphis. He was always an underappreciated talent in his prime.



Piper’s Pit with no guests. Piper says that this is the last edition of the Pit we will ever see as the fans are showing their respect for him. Piper then stands on the table and delivers a speech about how he was a “street kid” and how wrestling saved his life. He then says that being shot at and in a plane crash did not stop him from wrestling but that his daughter grabbing his leg, begging him not to leave, is what got him to retire. He then talks about being here on a Green Card and puts over America as the crowd eats that up like candy. Piper closes by saying “daddy is coming home” as the takes his portrait and walks away.

WrestleMania III Report airs.  Jimmy Hart trying to get Mary Hart to join the Hart Foundation as she reluctantly agrees. Not a bad segment at all. Heenan then welcomes Aretha Franklin to the WWE, who tells him that he better show some R-E-S-P-E-C-T to Hogan. Decent for a celebrity apperance. Okerlund then runs down the rest of the card.

Uecker and Mary Hart are shown talking backstage as they do a comedy bit in which Uecker tries to pretend that he did not lose the tickets to WrestleMania III. They were both good sports.

King Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Jerry Allen

Race grabs a side headlock to start. He then pulls up as Allen attempted a dropkick then hits a belly-to-belly suplex as JYD is shown in an insert promo hyping their match at WrestleMania III as Race gets the win with a cradle suplex (1:01).

Thoughts: Just designed to get over the stipulations of the JYD/Race Mania match in which the lose must bow before the winner, who if JYD will be the king.



Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan, who talks about his match against Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III and how he does not want the kids to be deceitful like Andre the Giant.

Next week in action will be Harley Race, Jake Roberts, Demolition, and the featured bout of the Iron Sheik vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

Final Thoughts: This aired the day before WrestleMania III and at this point, everyone watching regularly was ready for the PPV. This show was hyped brilliantly as every match had a backstory and they were blowing off some major feuds here as well. Not much else to say here other than that.

Here is my schedule for the rest of the week:

Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 3/29/87
Tuesday: WWF WrestleMania III
Thursday: Shoot Interview TBD
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 4/4/87

March 22, 1987

From the Ohio Center in Columbus, OH

Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

In action tonight will be the Hart Foundation, Koko B. Ware, and the Can-Am Connection. Plus, highlights from the battle royal from “Saturday Night’s Main Event.”

We are show clips from the battle royal that took place at SNME. It lasts for a few minutes.

Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis vs. Jim Powers & Paul Roma

Here are Powers & Roma are teaming before they officially became the Young Stallions. Also, the feud between Roma and Lombardi was dropped out of nowhere as that has not been mentioned on TV in a while. Roma and Powers are sporting matching trunks though. Hart slams Roma to start then grabs a headlock. Roma catches Bret with a backdrop then a dropkick before he tags out. Powers shoves Hart into the corner but stands around as Bret attacks him from behind. Bret drops him throat-first on the top rope then kicks him out of the ring where Davis lands a few kicks. The Harts use quick tags to isolate Powers before they put him away with the Hart Attack (2:37). After the match the Hart Foundation attack both guys as Davis drops an elbow on Powers after the attack then tosses him to the floor.

Thoughts: Decent action as the Hart Foundation continues to be the most impressive tag team in the WWF. They really had their act down pat in 1987.



Craig DeGeorge is with Roddy Piper. DeGeorge was such a cornball. Anyway, Piper talks about the stars he has faced then mocks Adonis for not being one of them. Not much to this segment.

Johnny K-9 vs. Koko B. Ware

Koko starts the match off on fire as he hits Johnny with a armdrags and a slam. Reed and Slick taunt Koko in an insert promo as Johnny nearly drops Koko while performing a backbreaker. Koko hits a missile dropkick after getting whipped into the corner then gets the win with the Ghostbuster (2:10).

Thoughts: The fans still loved Koko. Poor guy got no push despite that too. He was facing K-9, who is truly one of the lowest forms of life to enter the wrestling business. You can Google all of the crimes he has committed.



Okerlund tries to interview Andre the Giant as Heenan interrupts to tell him that he does the talking for Andre. Heenan then hypes up Andre as the next champion and calls Okerlund a “dummy” for trying to speak to Andre. They are hammering home the point that Heenan is the voice for Andre and that he was somehow brainwashed Andre into aligning with him

A Hacksaw Jim Duggan vignette as he is mopping a floor to show that Americans have not gone soft as he will rid the WWF of Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff. These vignettes were goofy but Duggan was over quickly with the fans.

King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Mario Mancini

Johnny V. takes over for Heenan on commentary. As Bundy beats on Mancini, Hillbilly Jim is shown in an insert promo telling Bundy that he better not hurt one of his “little buddies” as Bundy finishes off Mancini with a splash (0:53). After the match, Bundy grabs the mic and warns the midgets that will happen to them if they get in his way as Mancini gets taken out on a stretcher.

Thoughts: The angle of Bundy potentially crushing a midget at least gave the WrestleMania match some sort of storyline as it has been one of the least hyped matches on the card.



Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan who says that WrestleMania III is a big deal unlike his other encounters against Andre. He then asks Gene how he would feel if a kid looked up to Andre and started to “lie, cheat, and steal” as Gene did not appear like he would

Aretha Franklin is with Okerlund, who says that the wrestlers are as big as her “hits.” Brief but Franklin did not come across as embarrassed to be here or anything.

Can-Am Connection vs. Terry Gibbs & Iron Mike Sharpe

The match breaks down off of the bat. The Can-Ams clear the ring with a double dropkick as we get an insert promo from Muraco & Orton, who tell the Can-Ams that its power and knowledge, not excitement that wins matches. They go back and forth for a bit until it breaks down again. The Can-Ams reverse a double noggin-knocker and come back with dropkicks then Zenk catches Gibbs with a powerslam and Martel puts him away with a slingshot splash (2:40).

Thoughts: Nice showcase for the Can-Am Connection as they have a lot of momentum heading into WrestleMania III



Replay of “Piper’s Pit” from the 3/21/87 edition of “Superstars of Wrestling” where Jack Tunney shows us the custom-made belt that Andre the Giant will wear should he become the World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania III.

Snake Pit with guest Hulk Hogan. Roberts first runs down the Honky Tonk Man, saying that he is a bonebreaker and not a tailshaker like Honky. Hogan then talks about how he has to be beaten before Andre can wear his special belt. Roberts points out how the WWF doesn’t think he will win as they already made the belt for Andre as Hogan gets where they are coming from as Jake asks him about people questioning his routine of saying his prayers and taking his vitamins as Hogan tells the non-believers can play with Andre’s toy (as he holds up the special belt made for Andre) until WrestleMania but after that day they can put it in a box as they will not be needing it any longer.

Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Jim Young

Johnny V. is back on commentary. Hercules destroys Young to start the match then we get another psychotic promo from Haynes as Hercules makes Young submit to the Full Nelson (0:41).

Thoughts: They have done all they could to hype up the Haynes/Hercules match as these two are ready to fight. And its not been a bad feud at all, in fact it was a good one, but its time for these two to fight after months of feuding.



Okerlund is with Randy Savage. He says that Steamboat is nervous as he is just hyper. Ain’t that the truth. Savage says that he will be peaking at the Silverdome and that Steamboat will be unable to take away his Intercontinental Title.

Next week in action will be Tito Santana, King Harley Race, and “Adorable” Adrian Adonis.

Final Thoughts: Not bad but the WrestleMania III card does not need to be hyped anymore. Luckily the show is just eight days after this aired as a few more weeks of build up would have been tiresome. As far as PPV builds go, WrestleMania III might have been the most impressive of all-time.

Here is my schedule for the rest of the week:

Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with D’Lo Brown
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 3/28/87
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge: 3/29/87
Tuesday: WWF WrestleMania III

March 21, 1987

From the Hara Arena in Dayton, OH

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

Tonight’s featured bout is the Iron Sheik vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Also in action will be “Adorable” Adrian Adonis, British Bulldogs & Tito Santana, and the Honky Tonk Man

Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and Slick are in the ring. Before the match, Craig DeGeorge is backstage with “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, who goes off on the Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff then flips out and grabs his 2×4 when he hears the Russian National Anthem. Duggan chases the heels around the ring before they head backstage with his 2×4 then grabs the mic and talks about the Iran Hostage Crisis then gets the crowd going with some Pro USA stuff as he warns Volkoff that he will not be singing the Russian National Anthem in the WWF again as long as he is around. The crowd was going nuts for Duggan here. However, the match between Duggan and Sheik never took place on this show.

WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week’s focus is on the Billy Jack Haynes/Hercules feud. They another psychotic screaming promo from Haynes, which are my guilty pleasure. Decent piece to hype their WrestleMania III match.

DeGeorge is now backstage with Sheik, Duggan, and Slick. They are all livid as to what Duggan did to them.

Corporal Kirchner & Mario Mancini vs. Cowboy Bob Orton & Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji

Kirchner briefly works over Orton until he eats knee on a charge. They slug it out as we get an insert promo from the Can-Am Connection who warn Orton & Muraco that at WrestleMania they will show them what teamwork is all about. Muraco knees Kirchner from the apron then tags. Mancini also tags and gets drilled with a clothesline. Kirchner runs into the ring but gets sent to the floor as we hear a poem from Lanny Poffo about WrestleMania. Orton holds Mancini up for a suplex as Muraco comes off of the top rope with a crossbody for the win. That looked awkward (1:47).

Thoughts: Sad to see Muraco and Orton as just shells of their former selves. They still had a little bit of credibility as a team due to their past but that was starting to fade away.



Gene Okerlund is backstage with the Hart Foundation, Jimmy Hart, and Danny Davis. Neidhart makes all sorts of dog jokes about the Bulldogs then proceeds to bust out a Chihuahua impression and rants about how they hang around “the corners with the greasy taco stands.”

We get a vignette of the Rougeau Brothers in action as they are performing all sorts of Winter sports set to “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins. Only in the 1980’s would this have been considered a good idea.

“Adorable” Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Jim Young

Young gets in a few moves, that all looked terrible, until he runs into an elbow. Brutus Beefcake is shown in an insert promo telling Adonis that he hopes Roddy Piper cuts his hair after the match. Adonis then puts Young away with the Good Night Irene (1:48). Adonis attacks Young after the match

Thoughts: This was just as much geared towards Beefcake’s hatred of Adonis than putting over Adonis himself for his match against Piper.



Okerlund is with Mary Hart. They engage in some playful banner as Okerlund gives her the WWF Swatch, because Hart is the guest timekeeper at WrestleMania III. Quick segment to plug a celebrity appearance and showcase the WWF Swatch. That’s a two-fer!

Now, Okerlund is with the Junkyard Dog who talks about his match against Harley Race at WrestleMania III. He then leaves when he sees Randy Savage entering. Savage comes in holding a chair then tosses it down to point at his belt, saying that he will be the Intercontinental Champion when he leaves WrestleMania III.

Bob Uecker is backstage with Jimmy Hart. He asks Hart how he will counter Alice Cooper’s snake as Hart ensures that he will take care of Cooper.

Al Navarro & Steve Lombardi & Rick Renslow vs. British Bulldogs & Tito Santana

Davey catches Lombardi with a hiptoss before hitting him with a press slam. Santana tags and ducks a clothesline before firing away. Renslow tags in as Santana hits him with an atomic drop. Dynamite headbutts him from the apron as Renslow gets trapped in the opposing corner. Navarro tags and lands a few shots on Tito but he escapes and tags Davey, who hits a running powerslam. He then backdrops Navarro before tagging Tito, who gets the win with a flying forearm (2:48).

Thoughts: A quick showcase for Santana and the Bulldogs before their match at WrestleMania III. Dynamite never tagged into the match and seemed like he could barely walk to the ring.



Piper’s Pit with guest Jack Tunney. Before Tunney come out, Piper warns Adonis about their match at WrestleMania III as the fans are going mental for Piper. Tunney shows us a new World Championship Belt that would fit Andre the Giant if he won the title at WrestleMania III. Heenan and Andre then come out as Heenan says that he will win the belt as Andre complains that the belt does not fit him. Piper then asks the crowd if Andre deserves to wear the belt right now as they scream no then Andre says that in one week they will finally see a real champion. Good segment as the new belt gave doubt as to if Hogan could beat Andre.

The WrestleMania III report airs as it runs down the entire card. It lasts for about five minutes and it is nothing you haven’t seen before if you’ve been watching these shows.

“Leaping” Lanny Poffo vs. Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart

Poffo uses his speed on Honky but ducks his head on a backdrop attempt and gets booted in the face then Honky puts him away with the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (0:38). After the match, Honky grabs the mic and thanks the fans for their support then proceeds to dance as the crowd boos until his music gets shut off then they cheer. Honky demands to know who shut off his music then Jake Roberts voice is heard as he tells Honky that both Damian and himself were watching his match.

Thoughts: Very quick match. Honky insincere act with the fans got him some heel heat.



Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan. He asks him about his match against Andre at WrestleMania III. Hogan hints that he has god watching out for him as he hypes up the match. Not much out of the ordinary here.

Next week in action will be the Can-Am Connection, “The Natural” Butch Reed, Jake Roberts, and the Hart Foundation.

Final Thoughts: This was really just an infomercial for WrestleMania III as there were barely any angle advancements. Not much else to say about this other than that but the buzz remains strong as they are a week away from the show.

March 15, 1987


From the Civic Center in Springfield, MA


Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

In action this week are Billy Jack Haynes, Ricky Steamboat, and the Junkyard Dog. Plus, another “WrestleMania III” report.

A clip of Haynes being attacked by King Kong Bundy and Hercules after his match a few weeks ago.

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Moondog Spot


Spot attacks Haynes to start. Haynes then comes back with a chop before sending him outside with a dropkick. Haynes is then shown cutting an insane promo on Hercules and Bobby Heenan. Spot rolls back inside and very shortly after that Haynes makes him submit to the full nelson (1:10).

Thoughts: Quick match to put over Haynes and his full nelson. They really did give the Hercules/Haynes feud a lot of time on TV.






Jesse Ventura is with a shirtless Bob Uecker telling him to flex as to show off all the training he has done. Fine for what it was.

A clip of Adrian Adonis accidentally cutting Brutus Beefcake’s hair is shown.

Dino Bravo & Dream Team w/ Johnny V. vs. Mike Lucca & Paul Roma & “Italian Stallion” Salvatore Bellomo


I had no idea that Bellomo’s Rocky-knockoff character even made it to TV. Beefcake is selling his accidental haircut by wearing a bandana. Match starts with Bravo and Roma going back and forth. Bellomo tags but immediately gets hit with an inverted atomic drop as we get an insert promo from the Rougeaus on Bravo. The Dream Team takes advantage of the match for a while until Roma hits Beefcake then yanks of his bandana to a slight round of cheers from the fans. Lucca tags and taunts Beefcake with the bandana but ends of getting his ass kicked until Bravo tags and gets the win with a back suplex (3:53).

Thoughts: They were portraying Beefcake as an angry lunatic since getting his accidental haircut from Adonis. It didnt really work out to well in this match though.






Gene Okerlund is with the Can-Am Connection as they talk about facing Don Muraco & Bob Orton at WrestleMania III and how they will be keeping an eye out for Mr. Fuji. Really basic promo from these two.

Another segment with Bob Uecker as he hypes up WrestleMania III. Great job by Uecker, who was quite enthusiastic here.

Junkyard Dog vs. Rick Renslow

Before the match we get an insert promo from Heenan and Harley Race as Heenan gives JYD a lesson on how to bow and put the crown onto the King’s head. Match starts with JYD roughing up Renslow then taking him down with a headbutt. He then follows that with a clothesline before getting the win with a powerslam (1:02). After the match JYD dances with a few kids in the ring.

Thoughts: The JYD/Harley feud was not really clicking. The fans popped for JYD’s entrance but were silent during the match and his deteriorating skills were not helping with that.






Okerlund is with Adonis, who is dressed in a regular polo shirt as he tells Piper he has to decide on how he will cut his hair. He leaves then Hercules and Heenan come in as they warn Haynes that his neck will get broken when he is gets locked in the full nelson. Heenan then tells us that he will be managing the World Heacyweight Champion after WrestleMania III as Okerlund teases him about making a bet on that as Heenan tells Okerlund he will end up a loser, just like Hogan. Decent interviews from both.

Demolition w/ Johnny V vs. Tommy Sharpe & Sivi Afi


Demolition toss their opponents to the floor before the match starts. They then beat the shit out of Sharpe for a bit as we get an insert promo from Aretha Franklin as the talks about performing “America the Beautiful” at WrestleMania III and after that they put Sharpe away with the Decapitation (1:20).

Thoughts: Demolition looked like killers here and that was a good thing as Sheik & Volkoff were getting stale as the powerhouse heel team.






Snake Pit with guests Bobby Heenan and Andre the Giant. Jake as Andre why he turned on Hogan as Heenan tells us all that Hogan has used him. Jake asks Andre about losing respect of the fans as he just stares straight ahead as Heenan does the talking, proclaiming that Hulkamania will die at WrestleMania III. Nice segment that furthered portrayed Andre as a man who was completely turned his back on the fans.

The same “WrestleMania Report” from Superstars airs.

Pete Doherty vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat


Steamboat works the arm as we are shown an insert promo from Randy Savage telling Steamboat that having George Steele in his corner will not help him one bit. Steamboat catches Doherty with a dropkick after an Irish whip sequence then goes back to the arm. Doherty misses a pair of elbow drops as Steamboat goes back to the arm as the announcers talk about the WrestleMania III card. Steamboat then hits a delayed vertical suplex before climbing up top and getting the win with a flying chop (4:53).

Thoughts: This was way too long for a squash match. The crowd still loved Steamboat though.






Okerlund is with Roddy Piper and asks him about Hollywood and the celebrities he will be meeting like Brian Dennehy and Pee Wee Herman. Piper then says that he is in the peak of his career at 32 years old and the only man that is in his class is Hogan, who comes out and tells us that all of the Hulksters will walk tall with pride and that he can live forever through Hulkamania as well. Not as crazy as their interview from a couple of weeks ago but still a bit out there.

Next week in action will be King Kong Bundy, Hart Foundation, and Hercules. Plus, highlights from the Battle Royal at “Saturday Night’s Main Event” and more.

Final Thoughts: This show was just okay. Being the final show of the taping, the crowd was somewhat dead and nothing really memorable happened but it did a fine job of hyping WrestleMania III, which was the main purpose.

Here is my schedule for the next week:

Tuesday: WWF Frank Tunney Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament 3/15/87
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Blue Meanie & Jasmin St. Claire
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 3/21/87
Saturday: RoH Wrath of the Racket 8/9/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 3/22/87

March 14, 1987


From the Civic Center in New Haven, CT

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

In action this week are the Killer Bees, Hercules, and Randy Savage. Plus, “Piper’s Pit” with guest Hulk Hogan and another WrestleMania III report.

Tiger Chung Lee & Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Killer Bees


Ventura makes fun of the Bees new tights, comparing them to ballet dancers. We get an insert promo from the Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, and Slick hyping their match at WrestleMania III as Blair works over Sharpe. Brunzell tags and makes Sharpe scream with an arm wringer. Sharpe finally breaks free and tags Lee, who beats on Brunzell. He catches him with a powerslam then Brunzell comes back with an armdrag but gets caught in the opposite corner after that as Jesse and Vince talk about Bob Uecker. The heels double-team Brunzell behind the referee’s back as this match is dragging. Brunzell finally makes the tag as Blair hits Sharpe with the Bee Sting then tags Brunzell who hits Lee with a dropkick for the win (4:48).

Thoughts: Too long for a squash as the announcers touched upon the other matches and celebrities that will be at WrestleMania III after the Bees/Sheik & Volkoff match was hyped. And the bees new trunks were atrocious.






WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week’s update is on the WWF World Heavyweight Title match as we get the tale of the tape for both men. Lots of exaggerations here but it was all in good fun.

Don Driggers vs. King Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan


We get an insert promo from Bob Uecker hyping WrestleMania III before the match. God, he was great. Match starts with a criss-cross spot that ends with Driggers dropkicking Race. He then misses a second attempt as the Junkyard Dog is shown watching the match backstage on a monitor who then says he has seen enough and walks away. Back to the match as Race hits a clothesline then hits a kneedrop before putting him away with the cradle suplex (1:45).

Thoughts: The bit with JYD monitor took up a majority of this match, which was a typical snoozefest from Race. This feud is losing steam.






Okerlund is with the Can-Am Connection. Martel promises that they will be ready for WrestleMania III as Zenk agrees and warns Mr. Fuji that they will be ready for him if he tries to interfere. The Can-Am Connection were not known for the mic skills.

Butch Reed and Slick are shown talking about Koko B. Ware. Reed ends the interview by dropping feathers all over the place saying he will make soup out of Frankie. Fine for what it was.

Barry O. vs. Koko B. Ware


Vince goes mental over Koko’s dancing as Jesse refers to him as “Buckwheat.” Koko gets the crowd going as he reverses an Irish whip then catches Barry with a slam. Tito Santana is shown in an insert promo warning Koko to keep an eye out on Slick during his match against Reed. Barry sends Koko to the floor then stomps him as he lays on the apron. Still on the apron, Koko blocks a turnbuckle smash then drills Barry with a missile dropkick before hitting the Ghostuster for the win (2:43).

Thoughts: Solid action as the crowd still loved Koko. This was about the peak of his career in the WWF though.






Okerlund is with Aretha Franklin. He asks her about a few of the performers as she calls Jimmy Hart a “one-hit wonder.” Not a bad segment.

Now, Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan, who doesn’t care what people are saying as he wants to live forever and that the prayers, vitamins, and Hulkamania will live forever. He then said Andre will feel the power of Hulkamania in front of the whole world at WrestleMania III. Good promo from Hogan.

Uecker is with Andre the Giant. He asks him about meeting Andre in Europe and how they are est friends but Andre comes out and puts his hand on Uecker’s shoulder and makes a fist as Uecker laughs nervously. I’ll say it again, Uecker was great in all of these segments and this was no exception.

Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Mario Mancini


Hercules beats on Mancini as we get an insert promo from Billy Jack Haynes screaming about how we will see who is the master of the full nelson. Hercules continues his assault on Mancini until he puts him away with the full nelson (1:20).

Thoughts: The psychotic screaming promos from Billy Jack Haynes are a favorite of mine. Hercules was getting a nice push here and starting to get over well as a singles act.






Piper’s Pit with guest Hulk Hogan. Piper first tells us that Adonis will be the ugliest thing you will see after he cuts his hair after their match at WrestleMania III. Hogan then comes out as the crowd goes mental. Hogan is intense as he first tells Piper that he knows there is no way he will let a “fat boy” put him away with the sleeper as Piper says that he knows they will have to bury him six feet under in order to get the belt off of him. Piper asks Hogan about all of the doubters that say he cannot beat Andre as Hogan is unsure if he can pick him up but he will try no matter what before telling Andre he will get him back for tearing the heart out of the “Little Hulksters” as the segment ends with both guys shaking hands then walking off together. Awesome stuff and the crowd was crazy the whole time.

The WrestleMania III report is next. Uecker is shown with Jimmy Hart asking him about the hair vs hair match between Piper and Adonis. Hart promises Piper that he will be bald when he heads off to Hollywood. Mary Hart is then shown with Bobby Heenan and Andre the Giant, who tells her that she talks too much when asked why he has a manager and Hulk Hogan does not. Okerlund then runs down the card. We get some promos mixed in between as Haynes tells us he has been doing wrist curls and that Dino Bravo will be present when the Dream Team wrestles the Rougeaus so he can them lose. The highlight was a wacky promo from the Anvil, calling Tito Santana a “burrito brother” and asking why he has a problem.

Sivi Afi vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage w/ Elizabeth

Lots of cheers for Savage as Vince tries to spin it as they are all for Elizabeth. Afi sends Savage to the floor with a dropkick then heads back inside as he headbutts him down. He then hits a slam but Savage gets his knees up on a splash attempt. Savage then hits a clothesline then on the floor hits him with a running knee smash to the back. In the ring, Savage slams Afi down then puts him away with a flying elbow smash (1:37). Savage then gets cheered after the win.

Thoughts: Savage was just awesome at this point and started to get cheered by the crowds as a result, no matter how big of a heel he was.

Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan and Hercules. Okerlund taunts Heenan about the “weasel” name as Heenan said that he has proven himself as a brain as he puts over his stable of wrestlers. Hercules then runs down Haynes and leaves as Heenan comes back but they are out of time as Heenan is now pissed.

Next week in action will be Jake Roberts, Honky Tonk Man, and the featured bout of Jim Duggan vs. Iron Sheik. Plus, highlights from the Battle Royal that takes place at the 3/14/87 edition of
“Saturday Night’s Main Event.”

Final Thoughts: Another show that did a superb job at promoting WrestleMania III, which is just fifteen days away. Piper’s Pit was a great segment and the celebrity involvement, especially Uecker, was cool to see. Not much else to say other than this company was on a roll heading up to WrestleMania III.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Thursday: Highspots Shoot Interview with Ernie Ladd
Friday: WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event 3/14/87
Saturday: RoH Death Before Dishonor 7/19/03 (Finally!)
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 3/15/87
Tuesday: WWF Frank Tunney Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament 3/15/87

March 8, 1987


From the Civic Center in Springfield, MA


Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

In action tonight are the Can-Am Connection, Tito Santana, and Kamala. Plus, a special “WrestleMania” report.

Can-Am Connection vs. The Gladiator & Jimmy Jack Funk


The Can-Am Connection take the advantage early using quick tags while wrestling at a quick pace. We get an insert promo from Don Muraco, Bob Orton, and Mr. Fuji about how they are not flashly and just win matches. Back to the match as the heels work over Zenk while the announcers hype WrestleMania III. Funk gets a nearfall with a shoulderbreaker then the Gladiator tags in as Heenan tells us he has a new outfit designed for WrestleMania III. Zenk comes back with a dropkick on both guys then tags Martel, who runs wild. He hits the Gladiator with a backbreaker then tags Zenk and slingshots him in with a splash as he gets the win (5:03).

Thoughts: Nice showcase for the Can-Am Connection, who continue to rise quickly in the tag team division.






Gene Okerlund is with Bob Uecker, who talks about his parents used to wash the clothes of The Crusher. Not much to this but shows that Uecker at least has some knowledge about professional wrestling in that he is aware of the past stars.

Brutus Beefcake cuts a promo on Adrian Adonis, who accidentally cut his hair a few weeks ago. Beefcake hopes that Piper shaves Adonis’s head after their match at WrestleMania. The promo was terrible but we can see the face turn for Beefcake developing.

Don Driggers vs. “Adorable” Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart


Adonis brushes off a dropkick attempt from Driggers then tosses him to the floor. Piper is shown in an insert promo holding a pair of scissors taunting Adonis, who is in control of the match. Adonis then chokes out Driggers for a bit before putting him away with the Good Night Irene (2:20).

Thoughts: Adonis could still work and the fans hated him but he was really at his fattest here. It was sad.






Okerlund is with Hercules and asks him about his match against Billy Jack Haynes at WrestleMania III. Hercules promises to put Haynes in the full nelson in a decent promo.

Highlight of Tito Santana going after Slick when he interfered in his match.

Barry O. vs. Tito Santana


Tito grabs Barry in a waistlock as Heenan tells us that Jimmy Hart spoke to him and says that Davis will surprise everyone in the ring. Davis is then shown in an insert promo blaming Tito and the British Bulldogs for getting suspended for life as a referee and promises to make them pay. Tito dropkicks Barry as we get a replay of that. Tito grabs a side headlock but Barry breaks that up with a hair pull then goes to work. He sends Tito to the floor then knees him off of the apron. Slick then runs out and whacks Tito in the back with his cane as the referee was dealing with Barry. Tito slugs it out on the apron but Barry slams him back in and gets two. Barry then whips Tito against the ropes but gets hit with a flying forearm as Tito gets the win (4:40).

Thoughts: It finally looks like they are breaking Tito away from his dead end team with Pedro Morales. Tito still had a lot of fan support at the time too.






Mary Hart is interviewing Okerlund and not letting him get in a word for a comedy segment. It worked fine as Okerlund was always great in these and Hart seemed to understand her role in these promos.

Okerlund is now with Savage, who proclaims that WrestleMania III will be his night. Typical Savage promo.

Another vignette for Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who was in a forklift inside of a warehouse to show us that he is not here for fame and fortune.

Jerry Monti vs. Kamala w/ The Wizard & Kimchee


Kamala starts the match by hitting Monti with a crescent kick. He then tosses him around briefly before slamming him down then hitting a pair of splashes for the win (1:03).

Thoughts: Without a feud and repetitive squash matches for months, Kamala lost a lot of heel heat among the fans as they even seemed to grow tired of the same thing happen over and over again.






Snake Pit with guests Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver, and the Haiti Kid. Before the match, Jake runs down the Honky Tonk Man. Hillbilly then talks about how he will be protecting his partners as Jake tells them not to be afraid of the snake as he was just friend in a sign of Jake turning face.

Replay of the Andre the Giant/Hulk Hogan contract signing at WrestleMania III.

David Stoudemire vs. Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart


Hart is shown in an insert promo running down Alice Cooper, joking about how tough could a man named Alice be as Honky beats on Stoudemire. Honky poses as the fans boo as Heenan makes fun of Cooper’s first name too. Honky takes Stoudemire outside then follows him out to hit a backbreaker and shortly after that rolls him back in to hit the Shake, Rattle, and Roll for the win (2:46).

Thoughts: Lots of hype for the Honky/Roberts match but it was mostly about Alice Cooper’s involvement.






Okerlund is with Billy Jack Haynes who again cuts a scary promo on Hercules about how he will not quit until his neck is broken. Dude is a lunatic.

Next week in action will be Billy Jack Haynes, Ricky Steamboat, and the Junkyard Dog. Plus, Andre the Giant as the guest on the Snake Pit.

Final Thoughts: Solid show as the build for WrestleMania III continues to be superb. “Wrestling Challenge” highlighted the midcard feuds as well as showing all of the top storyline advancements that happened on “Superstars of Wrestling.”

And my schedule for the week:

Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 3/14/87
Thursday: Highspots Shoot Interview with Ernie Ladd
Friday: WWF Saturday Night’s Main Even 3/14/87
Saturday: RoH Death Before Dishonor 7/19/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 3/15/87

March 7, 1987

Your hosts are Jimmy Hart and Gorilla Monsoon

Tonight’s main event is an elimination match of Hulk Hogan & Roddy Piper & Billy Jack Haynes against Hercules & Adrian Adonis & Paul Orndorff

Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Pedro Morales

Morales gets a solid pop from the crowd during the introductions. Match starts with Funk stalling as Gorilla taunts Hart about being countered with Alice Cooper at WrestleMania. The announcers keep talking about WrestleMania as these two finally lockup almost three minutes after the bell rings. Funk complains to the ref about Morales using a closed fist. Funk cheapshots Morales then kicks him to the floor as Hart tells us how Danny Davis will surprise us with his wrestling ability. Morales fights back on the apron and beats on Funk in the corner until he gets hit with the cowbell as the referee missed that one. Funk grabs a chinlock to slow this match down even more. Funk then hits a slam then connects with a fist drop from the middle rope that gets two. Funk hits a shoulderbreaker then heads back up to the middle rope but misses an elbow drop then Morales fights back with a few shitty-looking punches and a backdrop before finishing with a backbreaker (7:26) 1/2*.

Thoughts: The crowd liked Pedro but this match was awful. Pedro was nothing more than a slug in the ring at this point as Funk was never any good.



Moondog Spot vs. “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan

Duggan has yet to appear in a match on TV during this run. Duggan was actually a jobber for the WWF in the early 80’s. He does all of his yelling as Hart tells us that women should not be allowed to referee matches. The crowd is into his act (Yelling “hooooooooo”) as he beats on Spot in the corner. Duggan hits a clothesline after a sloppy sequence then goes back to beating on Spot in the corner. Spot fights back and takes Duggan down with a knee lift. After a slam and an elbow drop, Spot puts Duggan in a chinlock as Gorilla teases Hart about Neidhart looking tired tonight. Duggan fights out then backs Spot into the corner but gets caught with an inverted atomic drop. Duggan slugs away but Spot stops that with an eye rake. Duggan comes back with a kick to the face then catches Spot with a slam. Knee drop gets two then Spot begs for mercy. Duggan knocks Spot down with a shoulder tackle then lines up in the Three Point Stance as he hits Spot with a running clothesline for the win (6:22) *1/4.

Thoughts: These two did not mesh well. Spot carried things decently when on offense but Duggan looked bad in the ring. The crowd played along with Duggan’s antics but did not react to his actual wrestling.



Cowboy Bob Orton & Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Jerry Allen & Danny Spivey

Heenan has replaced Hart on commentary. Allen was the replacement for Mike Rotundo, who had left the company a few weeks prior. Match starts with Spivey fighting out of the opposite corner as Fuji joins the booth. Spivey works the arm of Muraco as the announcers talk about Andre the Giant’s training methods. Allen tags and gets two with a crossbody block as he and Spivey are using quick tags to isolate Muraco. The faces now work over Orton until he catches Allen with a kneelift. Orton then hits a back suplex as Muraco tags and gets two with a Russian Leg Sweep. Muraco grabs a front facelock as Heenan rags on the Boston fans. Allen gets worked over for a bit as Orton even throws a dropkick that really pales in comparison to his son’s. Orton tries a Vader Bomb but Allen gets his knees up then makes the tag. Spivey cleans house as Heenan notes how Spivey has improved then jokes how it’s not much but still something. That’s basically a shoot comment. Spivey has Muraco in a headlock until that gets broken up as Muraco takes Spivey down with a knee lift. The heels now work over Spivey at a very slow pace. Muraco is caring less and less about this match too ,clearly not giving a fuck out there. Spivey mounts a comeback but Fuji trips him up. Spivey gets up as Muraco hits him with a double axe handle that knocks him right through the ropes but not before tagging his partner as Allen runs wild on Muraco. He gets two with a back elbow smash but Muraco catches him after a crossbody attempt then drops Allen throat-first on the ropes. They hit Allen with a double clothesline then Orton hits the superplex for the win that has Heenan all excited because they dedicated the move to him (11:46) *1/2. After the match they toss Spivey to the floor then Fuji comes in and whacks Allen with a cane. Spivey then comes back in and dropkicks Muraco into Orton and after that grabs the cane as the heels run away.

Thoughts: This match got a lot worse as it went on and the face team was really, really low on the totem pole so the crowd was not all that into the match. Getting fans to care about Jerry Allen is a tough, tough task. Spivey would team with Allen for a few more weeks until he got repackaged as a singles heel that wrestled on house shows in the opening matches until leaving the company in the Spring of 1988.

S.D. Jones vs. “The Outlaw” Ron Bass

Jones ducks a pair of clotheslines before getting two with a crossbody. Gorilla talks about how he wants to see Bass and Blackjack Mulligan face each other as Jones catches Bass in a powerslam. Bass takes a breather outside. The announcers talk about the midgets as Jones has Bass in a headlock. Sunset flip gets one then Jones goes back to the headlock. Bass escapes then starts beating on Jones before tossing him to the floor. Back in the ring, Bass chokes out Jones as female referee Rita Chatterton starts screaming at him to stop. Bass grabs a chinlock as a few in the crowd start a “boring” chant. Jones escapes and mounts a brief comeback that ends when he gets taken down with a kneelift. Bass then applies an abdominal stretch to really drive this match into second gear. Bass hammers away then avoids a charge. He slams Jones down on his arm then works on that for a bit. Jones comes back and hits a headbutt but ends up getting caught with a jumping back elbow smash for the win (10:59) *.

Thoughts:  Very dull match and no idea why this had to go 11 minutes. Bass had barely been featured on TV and this was to build him up for a feud with Blackjack Mulligan that never ended up taking place as Mulligan would be gone from the company a few weeks after this match.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Rougeau Brothers vs. Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis

Davis joins the booth to tell us how the Hart Foundation are the best team today and that at WrestleMania, they will have a few surprises for the British Bulldogs and Tito Santana. Brett starts out the match by stalling as Heenan tells us that “Rougeau is French for “coward.” Brett and Jacques work a test of strength as Jacques gets the best of that. Both announcers then put over Brett has the most improved wrestler this year, which was said frequently during broadcasts this year. Neidhart and Raymond are in the ring as Raymond gets the best of him. The Rougeaus are now using quick tags to isolate Neidhart. Brett tags and blocks a reverse rollup but Raymond catches him with a kick as the Rougeaus are now using quick tags to work over the leg of Brett. Davis distracts Raymond and gets hit but that allows Neidhart to attack him from behind as the Hart Foundation takes control, using a lot of illegal double-team moves. Raymond manages to get a backslide for two but Brett beats him down. Jacques tries to get a chant going for his brother, who gets tossed to the floor. Heenan is pretty damn funny as he rips on the Rougeaus as Neidhart has Raymond in a bearhug. Brett tags and hits a backbreaker but eats a knee to the face on a charge as both men are down. Raymond makes the tag but the referee was distracted so he orders Jacques back on the apron. Neidhart holds up Raymond for Brett, who accidentally takes him out then Raymond makes the tag to Jacques as the crowd shows some life. Jacques beats on Brett then uses rolling forearm scissors until the match breaks down. The Hart Foundation collide then the Rougeau’s set up for the assisted senton and hit that but Neidhart breaks up the pin then the match breaks down again as Raymond has Brett in a small package but Davis sneaks in and reverses the hold then the referee counts to three as the Hart Foundation retain their belts (14:50) **1/2.

Thoughts: Solid match but nothing more than that. The Hart Foundation have easily had the most heat on the show at this point in the card and they were really hitting their stride as a team. The Rougeaus were too bland to really get behind as a team and with the Tag Team division stocked with depth, they were soon on their way down the card.



Monsoon is with Outback Jack, who tells us that he has no wrestling experience and was found by S.D. Jones and Arnold Skaaland in Australia then brought into the WWF. He then talks about his finisher, the Boomerang. God, this gimmick was a failure.

Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Outback Jack

Another Jimmy Jack Funk match! According to thehistoryofwwe.com, Jack was a replacement for Barry O. here. Jack had a long entrance and spent a lot of time with the fans. Funk attacks Jack from behind to start the match then stays on the attack as the crowd is silent. Jack reverses an Irish whip then catches Funk with a back elbow smash before putting him away with the Boomerang (0:58) DUD.

Thoughts: Jack failed to win over the crowd here and despite this being just under a minute long, the match was god-awful and Jack’s finisher looks ridiculous.



Monsoon asks Piper why he is retiring. Piper first thanks the WWF then pro wrestling for taking a poor kid from the streets and turning him into a star with a house and kids.

Elimination Match
Hercules & “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff & “Adorable” Adrian Adonis vs. Billy Jack Haynes & Roddy Piper & Hulk Hogan

Match starts out in a giant brawl that ends with the faces clearing the ring. The fans are chanting for Piper as the match starts with Hercules and Hogan. Hercules hits a knee lift but Hogan reverses an Irish whip before hitting a corner clothesline. Haynes tags and kicks the crap out of Hercules for a bit. Orndorff tags as Haynes knocks him down then gets two with a crossbody as Orndorff flips out on the referee by saying Haynes held his tights. Haynes and Orndorff take it to the mat briefly until Adonis tags himself into the match. He knocks down Haynes, who comes back with a backdrop then a slam before tagging Piper. Adonis runs to his corner and tags Orndorff then he and Piper fight over a test of strength as the faces all work over the arm of Orndorff. Adonis makes a blind tag and attacks Haynes from behind. Hercules then tags and puts the boots to Haynes. Hercules flattens Haynes with a clothesline then slams him down. Adonis tags and targets the knee of Haynes then knocks Piper off of the apron. Adonis hits a powerslam then has Haynes up for an atomic drop but does not realize that he tagged in Piper then turns around and gets destroyed as the crowd goes nuts. Adonis takes a bump in the corner and goes up and over the ropes as the match completely breaks down with everyone brawling outside as the bell rings. Piper is in the ring with a chair as we learn that both Adonis and Piper have been counted out and are now eliminated (11:25). Piper then sits in the middle of the ring and gets a chance for a standing ovation from the crowd in what was billed as his final match at the Boston Garden. Orndorff distracts Hogan with a chair from the apron and that allows Hercules to attack him from behind as the match continues. Orndorff tags but misses a pair of elbow drops as Hogan cleans house. Orndorff catches Hogan with a kneelift after he ducked his head then targets the ribs. Hercules holds up Hogan for Orndorff but gets accidentally hit with a clothesline then Hogan rolls up Orndorff for the pin (15:26). Haynes is beating the shit out of Hercules until he gets hit with a low blow then the ref gets knocked down as Orndorff and Hogan were brawling. The ref finally comes to as Hercules drops an elbow and gets the pin on Haynes (16:23). That was a lame sequence. Hercules targets the back of Hogan before putting him in the backbreaker rack. He drops Hogan down then covers but only gets two as Hogan is starting to Hulk up. Hogan rams Hercules into the corner repeatedly then hits a clothesline to set up the leg drop for the win (18:04) ***. Heenan runs into the ring after the match and Hogan tosses him to the floor. After that, Hogan poses

Thoughts: Good match that had a lot of heat and was a lot of fun but it did lose some steam after the count out spot. All three faces were crazy over here too. Piper also got a nice sendoff from the crowd. Haynes came off like a star here too.



Final Thoughts: The elimination and tag team matches were solid but everything else sucked. I’d seek out the elimination match but avoid everything else. And for some reason, NESN (The network that televised the house shows) gave us a “flashback” match of Pete Doherty and Mario Mancini from a show in 1985. In closing, this was a pretty crappy show.