August 28, 1987
Your hosts are Bruce Prichard, Mike McGuirk, and Pete Doherty
This was the WWE 24/7 version of the show, which omitted the Terry Funk vs. Chavo Guerrero match.
Also, this was known as the “Paul Boesch Retirement Show.” Boesch had promoted the WWF in Houston once the UWF went under in April of 1987 then retired shortly after that. A lot of legends like Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, and Stu Hart among others were in attendance as well.
June 28, 1987
From the War Memorial in Rochester, NY
Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon
Tonight’s featured match is Greg Valentine vs. Raymond Rougeau. Also in action are the Can-Am Connection and Randy Savage.
Dave Stoudemire vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Elizabeth
Before the match, ring announcer Mel Phillips introduced Mr. T as the new enforcer of the WWF. He got a decent reaction here then tries to shake the hand of Savage, who turns his back on him, to the amusement of Heenan. The match begins as Savage immediately attacks Stoudemire. He slams him down then goes up top for the flying elbow smash and that gets the win (0:35). Savage did not even remove his shades here.
Thoughts: Easy work for Savage here. The big story from this match is that Mr. T is back in the WWF as an “enforcer.” This did not last long.
Wrestler’s Rebuttal with Craig DeGeorge. He is with the Junkyard Dog, who tells us that his new catchphrase is “fightin’ and a bitin'” before he teaches DeGeorge how to juke. Same old routine from JYD, who was past the point of usefulness here.
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine w/ Johnny V. & Dino Bravo vs. Raymond Rougeau w/ Jacques Rougeau
Match starts with Valentine taking control as we are shown an insert promo from Brutus Beefcake, threatening to cut the hair of the New Dream Team. Back to the match as Vaentine stops a comeback with a knee to the gut then works the leg. Valentine heads up top but Raymond slams him off then gets a nearfall with a sunset flip. Bravo trips up Raymond from the outside and that sets off Jacques as he runs in and breaks up Valentine’s Figure Four as the match is ruled a no-contest (3:12). The teams then brawl for a bit.
Thoughts: This feud continues although it is not particularly exciting or anything.
Gene Okerlund is with Hercules. He asks him about Bobby Heenan as Hercules tells us the Heenan Family has never been stronger. He also says that he has never been stronger and that Ken Patera will pay for what he did to Heenan. Decent enough promo from Hercules.
We are now shown the first “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase vignette. This was originally aired on the 6/27 edition of “Superstars of Wrestling.” He is in his limo holding a stack of money while he tells us that he can buy happiness, love, and even by any of us before introducing us to Virgil, who is driving the car. DiBiase then suffers a paper cut from flicking through his money as he orders Virgil to take him to the hospital, where he cuts ahead of everyone after giving the nurse $300. DiBiase then tells us that the nurse did what everyone watching would have done as she had her price, just like everyone of us has too. Great introductory vignette. This character was an awesome idea for a heel and these would continue on for the next several weeks.
Can-Am Connection vs. Terry Gibbs & Jimmy Jack Funk
Zenk starts the match by working the arm of Gibbs. The match breaks down as Zenk gets tossed but comes back in to help Martel take down Gibbs with a sunset flip. The Can-Ams then send Funk to the floor with a double dropkick as they take control of the match. Funk clotheslines Martel behind the referee’s back then tags in and gets two off of a shoulderbreaker. Martel blocks a suplex and hits one of his own as both men are down. Zenk gets tagged in and runs wild then Martel holds up Gibbs as Zenk connects with a missile dropkick and gets the win (3:47).
Thoughts: The crowd wasn’t that into the Can-Ams here but to be fair it was the final show of the taping and they looked burned out. Plus, this taping did not exactly produce the most compelling TV in WWF history.
King Harley Race & Hercules & “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Don Driggers & Mario Mancini & ?????
I have no idea who the third guy is on the jobber team. He never even tagged in here. Before the match, Heenan cut off ring announcer Mel Phillips to introduce Orndorff as he has his own entrance in an attempt to re-establish him into the company. Match starts with the heels tossing around Driggers. Mancini tags in and gets clotheslined by Orndorff, who shortly after that puts Driggers away with the piledriver (2:12).
Thoughts: This was designed to put over the Heenan Family as a threat while spotlighting Orndorff and how he is ready to be a threat again to the top of the card.
Craig DeGeorge welcomes Mr. T, who is the new enforcer in the WWF. Mr. T tells him that he has been preparing by chopping trees as DeGeorge tells Danny Davis to look out. Nothing you haven’t seen before from a Mr. T promo.
“Cowboy” Frankie Lane vs. “The Outlaw” Ron Bass
Bass tosses Laine to the floor then we hear Bass in an insert promo talking about his whip, Miss Betsy, and how he wants to use it to humiliate people after he beats them. Back to the match as Bass is beating the crap out of Laine for a bit until he hits the Texas Gordbuster for the win (2:35).
Thoughts: Dull and the crowd sat on their hands for this one. Bass wasn’t a bad worker at all but he seemingly bored the crowd to tears in this match.
DeGeorge is with Slick and “The Natural” Butch Reed, who says that Superstar Billy Graham does not have the body or the mentality like he does as he runs down Graham further for being old and broken down. They are looking to start a Reed/Graham feud.
Clips of the Hart Foundation vs. Killer Bees match from the 6/20/87 edition of “Superstars of Wrestling.”
Okerlund is with Billy Jack Haynes, who talks about the grand opening of his new gym in Oregon. Okerlund then asks him about his workout regime as Haynes tells us that he works out 1.5 hours a day six days a week. He then asks him about his feud with Hercules as Haynes tells Hercules what goes around, comes around, and is not ranting and raving like a psychopath this time as he wants to settle the score with Hercules once and for all. A calm Haynes almost worries me more than a screaming psychotic Haynes.
In action next week will be Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake, and the British Bulldogs
Final Thoughts: The Million Dollar Man vignette was cool and the Mr. T as an enforcer angle was intriguing. Plus, they established that JYD and Orndorff returned, which is fine, but they were past their primes. The WWF was trying to get things going at this time but a lot of plans got derailed one way or another.
Here is my schedule for the rest of the week:
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Jerry Lynn
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 7/4/87
Saturday: RoH Beating the Odds 9/6/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 7/5/87
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 7/11/87
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
February 28, 1987
From the Civic Center in New Haven, CT
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, and Vince McMahon
In action tonight will be the Honky Tonk Man, Kamala, and the featured bout of Billy Jack Haynes vs. King Kong Bundy. Plus, “Piper’s Pit” with guests Tito Santana and the British Bulldogs and more updates on WrestleMania III.
We are shown the contract signing between Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan for their match at WrestleMania III. Both guys are staring intensely at each other with the belt on the table in front of WWF President Jack Tunney. Bobby Heenan said when Andre wins, he wants a new belt made that can fit a giant then tells Hogan how he has used Andre throughout the years. Hogan looks both anxious and pissed off as he yells “sign it if you are going to sign it” as Andre stares him down the smirks before signing the contract. Hogan looks at him then says how he never thought it would come to this and tells Andre that if he wanted a title match, all he had to do was ask then yells about how Andre tore the soul out of him and the little Hulksters when he aligned with Heenan. Andre then tells Hogan that WrestleMania III would be his last match and starts to speak in French as Hogan demands that he speak in English to him and says as far as he is concerned the contract is not signed in ink but rather in blood as Andre calmly gets up and says that if he wants him to speak in English, he will speak in the ring at WrestleMania III before saying “au revoir” as he gets up to leave. Another incredible segment from the Hogan/Andre feud. Hogan was great here as he was both nervous and angry at his former friend. Andre as the calm, confident heel also shined here as this upcoming match is a must-see at this point for any wrestling fan, casual or die-hard.
Billy Jack Haynes vs. King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan
Bundy knees Haynes before knocking him down with a back elbow smash. Haynes then rolls away from a splash but gets caught with a clothesline as we get an insert promo from Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver, and the Haiti Kid as Jim is concerned that Bundy might hit one of the midgets with the Avalanche. Back to the match as Bundy slams Haynes twice but misses a corner charge then Haynes locks on the full nelson. Heenan runs in to break it up as the ref rings for the bell (1:55). Haynes then chases Heenan around the ring but gets attacked from behind by Hercules, who leaves Haynes lying on the floor.
Thoughts: Solid segment that built up the Haynes/Hercules feud and promoted Bundy’s WrestleMania III match. I thought they did a good job of keeping both guys strong too as Bundy looked dominant and Heenan being afraid of Haynes’ full nelson as he had to interfere immediately when the hold was applied to his guy.
WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week’s subject is George “The Animal” Steele and his obsession with Elizabeth as they showed the clip of Steele carrying her away from “Saturday Night’s Main Event.” Elizabeth is then shown talking about how Steele is a nice man who would never hurt her as Savage comes out and yells at her to get away. Savage was such a dick to Elizabeth when he was a heel. It’s what made him great in that role.
The Rougeau Brothers vs. Dave Wagner & Rick Renslow
Raymond gets attacked from behind to start until Jacques knocks them out of the ring. We get an insert promo from Dino Bravo, who warns the Rougeau Brothers that he will take them out at WrestleMania III. Back in the ring as Wagner gets double-teamed until he gets put away after getting pinned by Raymond after an assisted senton (1:49).
Thoughts: The match was a backdrop to further along the underwhelming midcard feud between Bravo and the Rougeau Brothers.
Okerlund is with Hogan and Haynes as they hype their elimination match at the March Boston Garden show (which I will review) then run down their WrestleMania III opponents (Hercules and Andre the Giant). Nothing in particular stood out here.
Replay of the Honky Tonk Man attacking Jake “The Snake” Roberts on the set of the “Snake Pit.”
Jerry Monti vs. Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart
We get an insert promo from Jimmy Hart, promising a big surprise that will be revealed in tonight’s “WrestleMania Report.” Honky beats on Monti then taunts the fans, who loudly boo his act. He then rams Monti into the corner and follows that with a clothesline before getting the win with the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (1:32). After the match, Hart runs in the ring and hands Honky a microphone. Honky then thanks the fans for their support as he dances.
Thoughts: Honky’s heel act worked great as the crowd hated him even more than before. He really did an awesome job and exceeded with what looked to be a lower card gimmick.
Okerlund is with Bob Uecker, who is the guest ring announcer for the main event at WrestleMania III. Okerlund then puts him in Andre the Giant’s sportscoat, which is obviously huge on him. Okerlund then lets us know where to see the show on closed circuit. Uecker always looked like he was having a good time in the WWF.
Now, Okerlund is with the Killer Bees and asks them about their WrestleMania III match against Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff as well as the tag team division in general. They are both happy to be on the show and say that their ultimate goal is to become the Tag Team champions. Blair closes with a lame promo that is only slightly better than the crap they are currently giving Roman Reigns.
Mary Hart from Entertainment Tonight is shown out in Hollywood with Bobby Heenan. Hart wants to wear his jacket then gets in a comment about how he is a weasel. Fine for what it was.
Kamala w/ The Wizard & Kimchee vs. David Stoudemire
We get an insert promo from Hacksaw Jim Duggan, making his first on-screen appearance in the WWF, as he calls out Kamala. Kamala starts the match by tossing down Stoudemire. He then hits a splash before climbing up top for another one to get the win (0:56).
Thoughts: Same as every other Kamala squash match. Duggan was originally supposed to face Kamala at WrestleMania III according to Dave Meltzer. If I can, I will try to find out why that did not happen and put it one of these reviews.
Piper’s Pit with guests Tito Santana and the British Bulldogs. Before his guests come out, Piper goes off on Adrian Adonis and hypes their hair vs. hair match at WrestleMania III. The crowd was jacked for that. The Bulldogs and Santana come out as Davey cuts a shitty promo and Dynamite does one that is 100x worse. I couldn’t make out one word that he said. Santana cuts a brief promo as Piper talks up these guys about how they are going to reclaim their titles.
WrestleMania III Report with Gene Okerlund. He lets us know that a new match has been added to the card, Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Honky Tonk Man, and that in Jake’s corner will be Alice Cooper. Okerlund then runs down the rest of the card. Heenan is with Uecker as they talk about WrestleMania III. Uecker then says that he wants to be like Heenan and puts on his jacket then takes it off so he can flex like Hogan. Again, Uecker seemed like he was having a blast here. Jesse is then with Mary Hart as they jokingly tease that they are together in another fun segment. Hart was a good sport. Also, Aretha Franklin will be singing the National Anthem to start off the show.
Dream Team & Adrian Adonis w/ Johnny V, Jimmy Hart, and Dino Bravo. vs. Can-Am Connection & “Leaping” Lanny Poffo
Poffo’s pre match poem is about how he hopes Piper does not lose his hair and that Adonis is a slob. The heels then jump the faces from behind to start. The faces then quickly clear the ring as the fans were going nuts. Christ, the Can-Am Connection were over. Adonis is shown in an insert promo with a pair of scissors promising Piper will leave WrestleMania III bald. The Dream Team are working over Martel briefly but he fights back and tags Zenk. Valentine takes control when Zenk misses a corner charge. Zenk comes back and tags Martel, who runs wild. Adonis then runs into the ring
but accidentally gets backdropped to the floor by Valentine. Beefcake slams Martel and beats on him in the corner as Hart hands a pair of scissors to Adonis, who thinks he is cutting Martel’s hair but it’s really Beefcake’s, who is going nuts then Martel rolls him up for the win (3:34). After the match, Beefcake flips out on Adonis but gets held back by his guys.
Thoughts: I don’t think that Poffo even tagged into this match. The crowd was insane for the Can-Am Connection. The pop for the win was incredible. They also planted the seed for the Brutus Beefcake babyface turn. It looked too contrived as their was no way that Adonis, who was looking at the hair, could not figure out how it was Beefcake’s hair he was cutting. The crowd did cheer for Beefcake as he went after Adonis.
Okerlund is with Adrian Adonis and Hercules to hype the six-man elimination match in Boston. Basic stuff from these two.
Next week in action will be the Junkyard Dog, Ricky Steamboat, Hart Foundation and another WrestleMania III report.
Final Thoughts: Another fine show on the road to WrestleMania III. The Hogan/Andre contract signing is a must-see segment and they did their best to make all of the matches on the PPV seem important. The past few months have been masterful from a booking aspect. They perfected the build of their top feuds as they all are still red hot just a month away from the show.
Here is my schedule for the rest of the week. Sadly, there will be no RoH review for tomorrow night as I did not have the time to review Death Before Dishonor, as it is a 4.5 hour long show. It will be posted the following Saturday.
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 3/1/87
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 3/7/87
Thursday: Shoot Interview TBD
Friday: WWF Boston Garden Show 3/7/87
June 28, 2003
From the Murphy Rec Center in Philadelphia, PA
Your hosts are Ray Murrow and Chris Levy
Show starts with Low Ki cutting a promo with his arm in a sling as he thanks the fans for their support as he recovers from his injury. He then calls out Danny Maff for joining the Prophecy and says that they will never have a place in RoH, much like Julius Smokes as the streets do not belong in Ring of Honor. Ki then says that Samoa Joe proved to be a fighting champion and how the one-year anniversary of their first match is coming up soon and he will be returning to the ring in August then yanks of his sling and tells Joe all he can do is be ready. Decent promo from Ki here.
Rob Feinstein cuts an intentionally corny promo then gets asked about the “promo schedule” by someone off camera when Simply Luscious interrupts. Feinstein points out how The Group lost two weeks ago and has disbanded so wants to know why she is here as Corino, Shane, and CW Anderson are all out of the company. Luscious said she is ready to work as Feinstein said she can sell programs as Luscious then cuts a terrible promo about how we have not seen the last of The Group and that Corino will come back to cause trouble. This telegraphs a Corino return but the segment itself was not too good.
Dunn & Marcos vs. Prince Nana & Jimmy Jact Cash
Before the match, Nana insults the crowd as he calls Cash one of the best wrestlers on the Independent scene today. Marcos then grabs the mic to say their catchphrases but get attacked from behind. Cash knocks down Marcos before destroying him in the corner. Cash then hits a flying back elbow smash for two then goes over to Dunn and calls him a “bitch” but turns around and gets hit with a Northern Lights suplex. Both men tag out as Nana catches Dunn with a lariat before hitting a few running charges in the corner. Cash tags and comes off of the top with a leg drop then hits a spinebuster but Dunn is able to come back with a Gory Bomb as both men are down then tag out as Dunn & Marcos take care of Nana. Dunn puts Marcos on his shoulders and tosses him off with a senton onto Nana but Cash breaks that up but after that, Dunn assists Marcos with a Sliced Bread #2 and ends up splashing onto Nana in the process then gets the win as Dunn & Marcos have won their first match (4:18) 3/4*. After the match, Dunn & Marcos celebrate to a solid reaction from the crowd.
Thoughts: Match was nothing but it was cool to see Dunn & Marcos actually win. Their celebration afterwards was fun.
Alexis Laree vs. Sumie Sakai
Match starts with the girls trading moves. Sakai’s screams are quite grating. Sakai then hits a pair of missile dropkicks before putting Laree in a bow-and-arrow lock. Sakai then puts on a Camel’s Clutch as the match has slowed down. Laree fights out and hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but gets caught with a knee. They have a sloppy pinfall reversal sequence then follow that with a much better one as they are rolling all over the ring with the ref unable to even make a count due to how fast they were going. That pumps up the crowd then Sakai gets two with a back suplex. Northern Lights Suplex gets two. Sakai slams her down the goes up top but misses a moonsault then Laree hits her with an inverted DDT for the win (5:02) **1/4. After the match, Laree raises the arm of Sakai and they hug each other.
Thoughts: Decent action here and easily the best women’s match in the company to date. Even still, the company has no semblance of a women’s division but as the show went on it seemed like they were trying to establish one.
The Prophecy are backstage as Daniels says that they finally got rid of The Group but are not going to rest and that their mission is to retain the RoH Championship as Danny Maff will be taking on Samoa Joe for the belt tonight. Maff tells Joe that he beat him once and will do it again. Daniels then said that he will team with Raven tonight to face the Second City Saints as Raven is shown sitting on the ground. Daniels asks Raven if he is okay with his messed up ankle as the camera zooms in with Raven just smiling into the camera.
Tap Out Match
Chad Collyer vs. Matt Stryker
Collyer is taking the place of Tom Carter, who we are told missed the show as his wife was about to give birth. Crowd is silent to start as the guys trade holds. Hell, they didnt even applaud the standoff. A few guys start a “Let’s go Stryker” chant as Collyer has him grounded on the mat. Stryker now takes control as he has Collyer in a crossface of sorts. Collyer comes back and pus Stryker in a painful looking hold that pops the crowd but cannot maintain it and they end up back on their feet. Collyer takes Stryker back down and stretches him out in order to soften him up for the Texas Cloverleaf, the move that has made Stryker tap twice. Stryker comes back and grounds Collyer with a hammerlock. Collyer fights out then knees Stryker in the face before roughing him up as Levy shits on the WWE for the “Boring” angle with Lance Storm. Stryker ends up escaping from a Fujiwara armbar and is able to put Collyer in his own finisher. Collyer is able to reach the ropes and ducks outside then yanks down Stryker and starts roughing him up, even ramming his leg against the ring post. Collyer attacks the leg with Stryker trying to fight back. Collyer locks on a Figure Four that Stryker is able to reverse as both men are now limping around then start to trade chops. Stryker is able to put Collyer in the ankle lock in the middle of the ring as the crowd chants “tap.” Collyer fights out and Stryker puts him back in the hold then Collyer trips him up and locks on the Texas Cloverleaf but Stryker reaches the ropes. Stryker then puts on the Stryker Lock but Collyer reaches the ropes as the crowd boos. Collyer floats over on a suplex attempt from the apron then blocks an enziguiri as he takes down Stryker with a Dragon Screw then is able to put Stryker back in the Cloverleaf as Stryker has no choice but to tap (18:20) **1/2.
Thoughts: The “pure wrestling” matches were too dull for my tastes. Also, it wasn’t even all that psychologically involved as they just did submission holds for the sake of doing them, making it too contrived. Plus, both guys bore the shit out of me. Never did get why they were high on Stryker at this point. He should have been a Velocity jobber for the WWE.
Izzy & Dixie & Deranged w/ Special K vs. Carnage Crew & Justin Credible
Before the match, the Carnage Crew introduce Justin Credible as a surprise partner, despite the fact he joined them at the last show. He gets a good pop from the crowd and a loud “welcome back” chant too. After some stalling by Special K, the match begins with Credible taking down Deranged. Credible beats on him but Deranged comes back with a hurricarana and a spin kick that has the rest of Special K going crazy. Loc tags in and beats on Dixie until he gets hit with a tornado DDT. DeVito tags and he beats on Izzy and they work an awful sequence that takes the crowd out of the match. Izzy fights out of the opposing corner as Special K are wrestling as the faces here then makes the hot tag to Deranged. Loc tags and folds Deranged in half with a Saito Suplex. DeVito then destroys him with crossfaces as Levy a lot of awful jokes on commentary. Credible tags back in and chops Deranged in the corner. DeVito misses a moonsault as Deranged makes the hot tag to Dixie, who runs wild. His offense looked bad here. The fans are silent as Special K are the faces in this match, despite being heels. As soon as I say that Special K gets the crowd going with a dive sequence capped off by Izzy getting crazy height on his move. Back in the ring, the Carnage Crew are in control until Dixie fights them off. He potatoed Loc badly on a moonsault kick and has had a terrible match as a whole. Credible takes him out with a super kick then hits the That’s Incredible (Tombstone) for the win (9:13) *3/4.
Thoughts: This was entertaining at times but some of this was bad and Dixie flat-out sucked in this match. Nothing he did looked good and he managed to single-handedly dragged down the match. And Special K playing faces for the match made no sense to the crowd but would play into the end of the show.
RoH World Title Match
Danny Maff vs. Samoa Joe
They let us know that Maff’s father just passed away the day prior as Maff gets a ton of cheers from the crowd. Maff attacks Joe before the bell. Joe ducks outside where Maff takes him out with a tope. Back inside they exchange strikes with Joe winning that battle then he shoves Maff into the guardrail but misses the ole kick but is able to catch him with a big boot off of a charge. He then hits the ole kick as the crowd goes nuts and want to see it one more time so Joe does it and it looked brutal. Joe tosses Maff into the guardrail before hitting him with a chair. Brutal stuff so far. The action heads back into the ring as Joe hits a butterfly suplex before stretching him out. Joe kicks Maff a few times then hits a German Suplex but Maff pops right up and hits a clothesline as the crowd is fully behind him. Maff beats on Joe in the corner then hits him with a cannonball and follows that with a heel kick. Lariat gets two. Joe puts Maff in the choke but it gets countered with a back suplex as both men are down. Maff finally crawls on top of Joe but is only able to get two. Maff charges but Joe flattens him with an uranage. Joe gets two with a powerbomb then locks on a STF but Maff is able to reach the ropes. Joe charges as Maff returns the favor and catches him with an uranage. He then has Joe up for the Burning Hammer but Joe escapes and hits an enziguiri before getting the win with a Dragon Suplex (10:37) ***1/4. After the match, both guys bow in front of each other on the mat as the crowd applauds. Joe then leaves as Maff is in the ring soaking up the applause from the crowd, who are going crazy for him.
Thoughts: Good hard-hitting match and a nice moment for Maff as the fans really let him know that they felt sorry about the passing of his father. I’m not the biggest Maff fan in the world but he has improved since the company began.
Gary Michael Cappetta is with Homicide and Julius Smokes as he asks Homicide about his match without honor tonight against Trent Acid. This is the result of Acid attacking Homicide at the Do or Die Show that took place one month prior. Cappetta then asks Smokes about Low Ki’s comments about him costing Homicide the title as he goes off on a tirade about him. They were using the beef between Ki/Smokes to enhance Homicide’s storyline and I was fine with that, especially with Ki being injured.
Alex Shelley vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer vs. Tony Mamaluke
This is the RoH debut of both Shelley and Jacobs, who is only 19 years old here. He starts off the match with Mamaluke as they go back and forth on the mat. Levy alerts us that Cappetta is trying to arrange an interview with both Julius Smokes and Low Ki. Jacobs tags and has a test of strength with Mamaluke and from that they have a pinfall reversal sequence. Jacobs reaches the ropes quickly after Mamaluke put him in an armbar as the crowd chants “let’s go huss” at Jacobs, referencing his furry boots. Shelley tags and works a nice sequence with Jacobs. Shelley is the more impressive out of the two. Whitmer tags and hits both guys with an Exploder but Mamaluke also tags and works the leg. Mamaluke then locks on a Camel Clutch but that gets reversed. Shelley tags himself in and beats on Mamaluke. Jacobs tags as the crowd goes nuts with a “huss” chant then he gets booted to the floor by Whitmer. Lots of quick tags as the action stays steady. Shelley shoves Mamaluke off of the top rope but gets tripped by Whitmer then Jacobs knocks Whitmer off of the apron and tries a hurricarana off of the top rope but Shelley counters and alley oops Jacobs into the turnbuckle from the top in a move that I have never seen before. The pace picks as we get several nearfalls that get broken up and the action is all good. Whitmer then takes the advantage as he overpowers everyone before putting away Jacobs with an Exploder just before Shelley tapped to Mamaluke’s hold (14:34) ***1/2.
Thoughts: Very good match that was all action. Shelley in particular stood out as he showed a lot of personality and did a fine job in the ring. Jacobs was a fan favorite and also did a fine job in the ring as well. Mamaluke is just a guy added to provide some name value but it was Whitmer who was the focus of the match.
No DQ Match
Colt Cabana & CM Punk w/ Lucy vs. Raven & Christopher Daniels w/ Allison Danger
Punk gets on the mic after being chased from the ring as he runs down Raven and the fans. He enters with Cabana and they both get clotheslined to the floor. Back inside, the Second City Saints are getting double-teamed as Raven & Daniels put them in the row boat spot. Raven sets up a chair but Punk blocks a drop toehold. However, Daniels whacks him with the chair. Punk then is able to return the favor as he is now busted open. Punk and Cabana then open up Daniels, who tries to fight back. Punk is wearing a crimson mask at this point. The Second City Saints maintain control as the crowd chants “Raven’s Bitch” at Punk before he locks on a crossface. Cabana stretches out Daniels as despite a “No DQ” stipulation, it is not tornado rules and you must tag in and out. Daniels has Cabana in a submission but Punk breaks that up with a leg drop from the top rope. Daniels fights back and hits Cabana with an inverted DDT then makes the tag to Raven, who runs wild. Cabana knocks down the ref then gets caught with a Raven Effect. The girls are fighting in the ring now then Cabana super kicks Danger out of the ring. Everyone then trades finishers until Punk hits Raven with a chain then chokes him out. He starts whipping Raven with the chain then covers him as the ref crawls over and counts to three (13:47) *1/2. After the match, Punk chokes out Raven with the chain some more as he is covered in blood. After the Second City Saints leave, Raven is slowly helped to his feet then he grabs the mic and tells Punk that their will have to be retribution for what he did and that they will have to settle this once and for all next show in a Dog Collar Match. Raven is coughing and selling the beating quite well here.
Thoughts: First off, this match sucked. Despite the no DQ stipulations, you still had to tag into the match. That is idiotic to say the least. And the actual wrestling was disjointed at the beginning and far too slow-paced overall. However, it was what took place after the match that was memorable.
Punk and Cabana are backstage as Punk looks into the camera to tell Raven that the reason he hates him is because when he was a kid and his dad can home smelling like beer and grew up not thinking it was strange for someone to drink all day long and says how he acted just like Raven. He then yells at Raven and said the reason he is coming after him is because he had everything handed too him but flushed it down for booze and pills then tells him that he will fight him on July 19th and promises to end his time in RoH. Tremendous promo from Punk and quite possibly his best ever. My recap does not do this justice so I included it below:
NWA-TNA Heavyweight Championship Match
Chris Sabin vs. AJ Styles
Sabin is the X Division Champion here but that title is not on the line. Match starts on the mat with both guys going back and forth. AJ goes for a Styles Clash but Sabin quickly escapes. AJ then snaps Sabin’s neck off of the top rope from the apron. Sabin catches AJ with a baseball slide then from that sends AJ into the guardrail with a hurricarana. Back inside, Sabin gets two with a flying clothesline then locks on a crossface. AJ escapes then hits a neckbreaker from a vertical suplex position that looked painful. Brainbuster gets two. Powerslam gets two. Both men then attempt to hit each other with an enziguiri at the same time and are now down. They get up and trade chops for a bit until Sabin hits a release German Suplex for two. Sabin tries a catatonic but AJ reverses it into a crucifix in a cool spot that gets two. Sabin is able to come back with a catatonic backbreaker then climbs up top and goes for a rana but AJ rolls through then hits a Styles Clash for the win (10:05) ***1/4. AJ then grabs the mic as they play Ric Flair’s entrance music as AJ talks about how a few years ago this belt was thrown in the trash but that he will respect the title as much as he does the fans, who cheer loudly and chant his name.
Thoughts: Good match that had the chance to become great if given several more minutes. This was all about establishing the NWA-TNA title as the two companies were exchanging talents at the time and the crowd was super into AJ too.
Cappetta catches up with Ki and tells him that Smokes wants to meet up with him after the show. Ki seems reluctant.
Fight Without Honor
Trent Acid vs. Homicide
Acid’s entrance is devoted to mocking Homicide. He then attacks Homicide before the match and takes him out with a quebrada. They head into the ring where Homicide fights back and suplexes him around. He then sets up a ladder in the corner and sends Acid crashing into it with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Homicide grabs a chair and sets it up on the floor. He chokes out Acid then places him on the chair and heads back in the ring so he could run out and hit a flying body press. Homicide bridges the ladder across the ring apron and guardrail then Acid gets backdropped and lands on the ladder feet first as they are both now standing on it where Acid DDT’s Homicide. Back inside, Acid throws a chair at Homicide’s face than rings around his head. He then bridges the ladder across two chairs and hits Homicide with a Blue Thunder Driver. Homicide is eventually able to fight back with a baseball slide then hits Acid with a brainbuster onto the chair. Johnny Kashmere runs into the ring and he and Acid with Homicide with the T Gimmick. Smokes then attacks Kashmere as they brawl all the way backstage. Acid gets two with the Backseat Driver as the fans chant for Homicide, who comes back with an Ace Crusher. Northern Lights Bomb gets two. He then sets up a table outside of the ring as a dueling chant breaks out. In the ring, Acid sets up a table and places Homicide up top but Homicide then takes Acid off of the top and through the table outside of the ring with an Ace Crusher in an insane spot that has the crowd going crazy. Homicide gets up and rolls Acid in the ring but can only get two. Homicide plays to the crowd then they trade Yakuza kicks that sees Acid getting a nearfall. Acid then sets up a ladder in the ring. He slams Homicide and climbs up top but Homicide gets up and pushes the ladder over as Acid dumps outside and hits the guardrail. Homicide limps outside and lays Acid across of the ladder then flies outside but crashes on a tope con hilo as Acid was able to roll away. Acid rolls Homicide back inside but only gets two. They trade strikes and more Yakuza kicks. Acid rolls through a Cop Killer attempt then gets a reverse rollup that he messed up and got the pin (19:42) ***3/4.
Thoughts: These two guys went all out and really put their bodies on the line and it made for a fantastic match. The ending looked rough but everything else was awesome and it should have made Acid into more of a star with this win but that did not happen and drugs definitely played a part in that.
After the match the lights go out as Special K’s music hits. They are beating up everyone in the ring but we can barely see as the lights are still out and the strobe lights are going. The lights come back on as Izzy and Dixie put the Backseat Boys through a table. Special K celebrates as we have learned that Homicide was carried to the back. All of the girls in the ring are making out with each other as Deranged grabs the mic as we now have a giant rave taking place in the ring.
Jim Cornette is cutting a promo with the OVW banner in the background. He talks about how he has seen the next big things throughout his career then says that he has heard RoH might be the next big thing and that he would make an impact at the August 9th show in Dayton, OH.
Back to the ring as the rave continues as the camera focuses on the girls who hang with Special K.
We then get a promo from the Carnage Crew as they hype their match against the guys from TWA. Loc then cuts a really good promo about how he worked in ECW doing all sorts of menial tasks but the company shut down before he got his chance to shine. Both guys excelled in their roles.
We are shown more of the rave as Colt Cabana has joined the “Special K Sluts.” Great.
Samoa Joe cuts a promo on his next opponent, Paul London, and how he should listened to his fans and not die by reconsidering his match. This was London’s final RoH match before leaving for the WWE.
Cappetta hears screaming behind a closed door and goes to see what it but it turns out to be Benny from the Bronx screaming a Lit from Special K. Bronx was an indy guy from the Northeast who was nothing special at all.
Final Thoughts: Despite the overly long Special K rave at the end, I thought this was a solid show. Although no memorable matches, the main event was good and the reaction to Maff’s match was nice to see. More importantly, they did some angle advancement with Punk/Raven, Homicide, and established AJ Styles as a major player. Plus the addition of new talent (Shelley and Jacobs) made this an enjoyable show.
December 28, 1986
From the Community Center in Tucson, AZ
Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon
In action tonight will be Koko B. Ware, Kamala, Hart Foundation & Adrian Adonis vs. U.S. Express & S.D. Jones, and Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff & Butch Reed vs. The Islanders & Jose Luis Rivera. And the “Snake Pit” with special guest Andre the Giant.
Frenchy Martin & Koko B. Ware
Martin attacks Koko before the bell. He gets two with a gutwrench suplex then rakes the back of Koko a few times. Martin beats on Koko in the corner but whiffs on a clothesline and Koko hits him with a crossbody with Martin was completely out of position. Koko backdrops Martin then hits a back elbow smash as Martin looked gassed. Koko heads up top and hits a missile dropkick before getting the win with the Ghostbuster (3:07).
Thoughts: Martin was just as awful in the ring as he was at managing. They guy blew up in a friggin’ TV squash match for crying out loud. Way too much offense for him and that took the crowd out of the match.
Another vignette of Blackjack Mulligan on his ranch. Why they wasted all this time hyping up his return is beyond me.
Hart Foundation & Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart vs. U.S. Express & S.D. Jones
The Match starts with the U.S. Express cleaning house as S.D. just stands on the apron. Even Gorilla mentions that on commentary. The match settles down as we get an insert promo from Jimmy Hart referring to the Hart Foundation & Adonis as the “perfect trifecta.” Rotundo is trapped in the opposing corner and they all take turns beating on him until he comes back with a flying forearm on Bret then tags S.D. as the match completely breaks down as Adonis puts S.D. in the sleeper for the win (3:34).
Thoughts: They are pushing Jimmy Hart’s guys as a strong unit. Wonder if S.D. was hurt because he barely did anything at all besides stand the entire match.
Ken Resnick is with the Rougeau Brothers and the plans they have for 1987. Raymond loves the competition in the WWF as Jacques thinks we should be thankful and celebrate the holidays and most importantly, do not drink and drive. The segment ends with the Rougeaus cutting a promo in French. 1987 ended up being pretty damn forgettable for them.
Bill Anderson vs. Kamala
Before the match we get an insert promo from WWF President Jack Tunney about how the banning of Kamala’s top rope splash is currently “under advisement.” Kamala beats on Anderson as the announcers plug the new “Official WWF Fan Club.” Kamala splashes Anderson then climbs up top and hits another splash for the win (0:34).
Thoughts: The WWF did a good job at making Kamala’s splash the most devastating move in the company. This meant it would mean even more when Hogan kicked out of the move during their series of matches.
Resnick is with Jake “The Snake” Roberts and puts over how he is devastating. Roberts cuts his usual promo but he was so convincing in everything he said that it worked.
We now see Anderson getting stretchered out as Kamala is following him up the ramp. Kamala then has a standoff with King Kong Bundy, who was coming out for his match.
King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Pedro Gonzalez
Johnny V. has replaced Heenan on commentary. Bundy tosses around Gonzalez before hitting him with the Avalanche as the ref counts to five for the win (0:58).
Thoughts: Same old stuff with Bundy, who was doing nothing at this time except getting challenged by wash-ups (Mulligan, Graham) in vignettes. After WrestleMania 2 it was all downhill for him.
Snake Pit with guest Andre the Giant. The fans go nuts for Andre as he waves to the crowd. Roberts asks him about Damien as Andre refers to it as a garter snake. Roberts then cuts to the chase and asks him about how he got reinstated as Andre tells him it is a mystery. They did a great job at dragging this out with Andre acting vague and only giving one-word answers.
Dino Bravo w/ Johnny V. vs. Alex Knight
Bravo is now sporting Canadian flag trunks. He puts Knight in a front facelock as Heenan avoids all questions from Gorilla about Andre’s reinstatement. Back to the match as Bravo hits a gutwrench suplex and a leg drop before tossing Knight to the floor. We get an insert promo from referee Dave Hebner who says that Danny Davis is “unfit” to be a referee. He tripped all over his line there. Bravo keeps tossing Knight to the floor as the crowd is silent. Knight comes in but Bravo blocks his monkey flip attempt with an inverted atomic drop then gets the win with a back suplex (3:18).
Thoughts: Dull stuff. The crowd barely even bothered to boo Bravo after he won. The announcers spent most of this match talking about other things going on in the company.
Another vignette from Outback Jack as he is taking a shower while singing his theme song.
“The Natural” Butch Reed & Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff vs. The Islanders & Jose Luis Rivera
Haku slams Sheik a few times as we get an insert promo from Slick as he denies ever committing outside interference. Rivera lands a few moves to Rivera but gets booted in the face on a backdrop attempt. The heels use quick tags to beat on Rivera until Reed gets the win with a press slam (3:26).
Thoughts: Most of this was the heels beating on Rivera, who was obviously the one who was going to get pinned here.
Resnick is with Jimmy Hart and asks him about his new client, the Honky Tonk Man. Hart says he just signed a contract with Honky and that he recounted the “Vote of Confidence” with Jack Tunney and found out that he was wrong. Resnick doubts Hart then Honky comes out and talks up Hart and puts down Tunney for not standing behind him. He also thinks that deep down the fans love him. Good job starting the Honky/Hart dynamic as they were annoying as fuck and the crowd hated them both.
Next week is the “Year in Review” show. I will not be reviewing that show and will skip ahead to the 1/11/87 show.
Final Thoughts: Andre’s first live appearance in months was cool but this was mostly a throwaway show. Things would get a lot more interesting as 1987 began when the road to WrestleMania III got underway.
December 28, 2002
From the Murphy Rec Center in Philadelphia, PA
Your hosts are Ray Murrow and Chris Levy
We are shown a clip of CM Punk and Colt Cabana driving to the show with Ace Steel filming in the back. Cabana talks about all of the moves he is going to perform and about the different stewardesses on the planes then Punk gets out and tosses the keys at Cabana and yells at him for trying to double-cross him then tells Cabana that when he wins he will be flying while Cabana drives home. God, Punk was an awful character here. At least Cabana had some arrogant heel charisma but Punk was the pandering indy stereotype and by watching this, there was no way you would peg him as a future star.
Backstage, Gary Michael Cappetta is with Steve Corino. He talks up how he is going to build a stable of wrestlers as Corino takes offense to being called the “King of Old School” as the company that gave him the name put him $32,000 in debt then whines and cries about fans talking shit about him on the internet and not helping him out when he was struggling. He puts over the fact that he wrestles for the Zero One promotion then gets interrupted by his sister, Allison Danger, then goes off on her for cutting into his time and leaves.
We see clips from the RoH TV show with Homicide defeating Jay Lethal.
CM Punk vs. Colt Cabana
The stipulation for this match is that the winner gets to be flown in by RoH while the loser will have to drive in from Chicago if they want to make the show. They go back and forth to start. Punk hits a slingshot senton then tries a ropewalk move but Cabana kicks him down. Cabana comes back with a clothesline then chops him against the ropes. Cabana mocks Punk by “flying” on his back then uses a surfboard to stretch him out. Cabana stays in control until Punk gets a sunset bomb for two. Cabana blocks a shining wizard attempt then hits a powerbomb for a nearfall. They trade blows before working a terrible spot in which Cabana comes off the top and Punk apparently snaps his neck off of the ropes. Punk flies out with a tope then gets cut off as Cabana takes him off with a reverse superplex for two. They go back up top and Punk takes Cabana off with an overheard suplex as both men are down. Punk catches Cabana with an airplane spin then gets two with a split-legged moonsault. Punk hits a knee smash in the corner but Cabana escapes from a Pepsi Plunge attempt and that leads to a sloppy sequence that ends with Punk hitting the shining wizard for two. Punk uses boot scrapes then they fight back on the top rope and that ends with Punk hitting the Pepsi Plunge for the win (9:24) **1/4.
Thoughts: Average match. Despite the stipulations, there was no drama in this match at all . It had a few nice moves and not a whole lot else. Neither of these guys seem like much at this point to be honest.
Homicide runs into the Backseat Boyz, who tells Homicide that they had nothing to do with Corino turning on him in their match as they hash it out and Homicide tells them to take care of Special K.
Cappetta welcomes Christopher Daniels to the ring, accompanied by Simply Luscious. Daniels says that he came to address the injustice that occurred at the last show when Alexis Laree attacked Luscious from behind then calls her out for having no honor. He then orders Laree to come out so they can settle it once and for all. Laree comes out and accepts the challenge to face Lucious on March 22nd, when RoH returns to the Murphy Rec Center. Laree wants a match now then Luscious attacks her from behind.
Simply Luscious vs. Alexis Laree
Laree ducks a punch and comes back with a spear. She slams Luscious off of the mat but Daniels takes her and hits the Last Rites and Luscious covers for the win (0:51) NR.
Thoughts: Filler to set up the following segment.
After the match, Corino interrupts and tells Daniels that it is not personal, just business, then more or less cuts the same promo he did earlier in the show. He furthers his point of yelling at the fans for not being there for him when ECW went bankrupt and he was poor before telling Daniels that he is putting the Prophecy on notice and says his group will take all of the RoH titles. Corino then tells Luscious that their relationship is over because he cannot have her tell Daniels his secrets. Corino now eggs on Daniels to throw the first punch and they tease coming to blows but Daniels leaves as he has to defend the Tag Team Titles tonight. Corino finishes by dissing the fans and they respond with a funny “You’re a Jobber” chant and that switches to an “Asshole” chant after he makes fun of them. Corino then calls out Homicide, referring to him as a “disrespectful young boy” and Homicide comes out as they brawl in the ring, with Homicide getting the best of him. Corino bails after Homicide pulled out a fork. Long segment too. It wasn’t bad or anything and the fans hated Corino, which provided a funny moment when a fan was flipping out on him as he headed up the aisle and Corino responded by yelling “get your teeth fixed, Leroy,” but by the end of the show you felt burned out. Looks like they are setting up a feud between the Prophecy and Corino’s soon-to-be assembled stable.
Another clip of RoH High Impact TV with Christopher Daniels & Donovan Morgan destroying Dunn & Marcos.
Da Hit Squad are backstage and yell about how they are the “two stiffest bastards in the game” as they call out Special K and the Backseat Boyz. Maff showed a lot of intensity here and it was good.
Scramble Match
Deranged & Angel Dust w/ Special K vs. Backseat Boyz vs. Da Hit Squad
Levy tries to sell the fact that the Da Hit Squad and Backseat Boyz are facing off as a dream match. Well, it’s not. Deranged tries to get an “LSD” chant started but that fails. Acid slaps Deranged after getting flipped off then shoves him in the corner. They then work a martial arts sequence that ends with Acid nailing Deranged in the face with a dropkick. Not bad at all, actually. Kashmere and Angel Dust trade armdrags and do a bunch of reversals that ends with Kashmere spearing him in midair. Mafia tags in and grabs Angel Dust and hits him with a Dragon Suplex. He puts Angel Dust in a tree-of-woe then suplexes Deranged right into him. The Backseat Boyz run in but Da Hit Squad does a few double team moves then powerbomb Kashmere right on top of his partner. That looked painful. Deranged and Angel Dust dropkick Da Hit Squad into each other then dive outside as everyone is down. Hydro (Jay Lethal) runs in but Mack powerbombs him outside onto the rest of Special K. The Backseat Boys use a running flip dive onto everyone. Mafia then takes everyone out with a tope as this is getting a bit silly. Back inside, the Backseat Boyz hit Deranged with a powerbomb/cutter combo then hit Angel Dust with the Dream Sequence. Deranged & Angel Dust beat on the Backseat Boyz for a bit then Mack tosses Deranged at his partner and Mafia hits them both with a German Suplex that looked like it almost killed Angel Dust. Mack goes up top and hits Angel Dust with a frog splash as Mafia had him in a figure four. Everyone then hits a bunch of crazy moves and that ends with Mafia attempting to hit Deranged with the Burning Hammer but Izzy, Yeyo, and Hydro run in and break it up then Angel Dust and Deranged roll him up for the win (10:22) **1/4.
Thoughts: Much like the opener, some cool moves but not much else and the end was too slow with the constant set-ups for the big dives coming off as ridiculous. The feud between Da Hit Squad and Special K continues.
More RoH TV Taping Highlights, this time with Jay Briscoe defeating Ace Steel
Best of Three Falls
RoH Tag Team Title Match
SAT’s vs. Christopher Daniels & Donovan Morgan (Champions)
First Fall
Morgan starts off the match by taking down Jose. He then slaps him across the face after a break then wins a test of strength. Morgan grabs a side headlock then Jose hits him with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors and a few armdrags as Morgan ducks outside. After some stalling, Daniels tags in and works a fast-paced sequence with Joel that ends in a stalemate. Joel chops down Daniels then catches him with an armdrag. The SAT’s use quick tags as they work over Daniels and get a few nearfalls as they work at a slower pace than usual and it is for the best in this match. Now they work over Morgan for a bit until Joel gets caught with a knee. Daniels tags but gets immediately backdropped as the SAT’s are hitting the Prophecy with all sorts of cool double-team moves. Morgan tosses out Joel then Daniels crotches Jose against the post and holds him so Morgan can hit him with a baseball slide. Morgan stretches out Jose then tags Daniels who nails him with a dropkick then tosses him outside where Morgan roughs him up. Back inside, Daniels hits a delayed vertical suplex then follows with an Arabian Press for two. The Prophecy continues to dominate Jose as the fans attempt to rally behind him as they use a lot of illegal double-team moves behind the referee’s back. Jose comes back with a tornado DDT as both men are down and he makes the tag to Joel, who goes wild on the Prophecy. He hits Daniels with a flying body press but gets dumped outside by Morgan then hit Jose with the Revelations (powerbomb/neckbreaker combo) to win the fall, despite Jose not being the legal man (14:00).
Second Fall
We have a new referee for this fall as the announcers tell us the previous ref split his pants. Morgan stretches out Joel then tags Daniels, who gets a nearfall with a suplex. The Prophecy continue to use illegal double-team moves then Daniels puts Joel in a cross armbreaker. They then no sell a double clothesline spot and slap each other until they both go down after a second double clothesline. Morgan runs in and knocks Jose off of the apron then grounds Joel. Daniels pokes Joel in the eye then covers for two. Joel fights off a double-team move then makes the tag to Jose. He hits a double dropkick and the SAT’s almost put him away with a DDT off of the shoulders. Daniels breaks up the fall and heads up top but the SAT’s cut him off then hit the Spanish Fly to win the fall (20:43).
Third Fall
Jose covers Daniels but Morgan breaks that up. The SAT’s clear house and almost put away Daniels with a DDT but Morgan breaks that up and hits Joel with the Golden Gate Swing and a Fisherman’s Buster but Jose breaks up the pin with a frog splash. Daniels tags and hits Jose with the Angel’s wings but Joel makes the save. Daniels hits Joel with a jawbreaker and a slam but misses the BME and gets hit with the Maximo Explosion. Joel puts Morgan on his shoulders as they try another DDT but Morgan catches Jose in midair with a spinebuster for two. Cool reversal spot. The match breaks down as Daniels hits Joel with the STO for two then puts him away with the Last Rites (24:47) **3/4.
Thoughts: Solid match but it was missing something and it appeared that the SAT’s were gassed near the end. The SAT’s started off fine wrestling at a slower-pace at the beginning but did not appear to have enough left in the tank at the end or the ability to connect with the crowd. This match did somewhat expose them as guys who could only do highspots too.
RoH TV highlights of Samoa Joe destroying the Outkast Killaz
Carnage Crew vs. The New Christopher St. Connection w/ Allison Danger
Buff E has been replaced by Guapo. The CSC piss off the Carnage Crew during the Code of Honor by licking and hugging them. The Carnage Crew suplex them around for a bit. This match is clipped as we jump to the CSC kissing the Carnage Crew, who then get disqualified for beating the shit out of them with hubcaps. Maybe two minutes shown of this and just another attempt to put over the Carnage Crew as a team who only cares about inflicting pain.
Homicide is backstage and cuts a promo about how he is on probation and wants a better life for his kid as wrestling is all he has. He then says he will show why he is the “King of Strong Style.” Good, passionate promo from Homicide.
Jody Fleisch vs. Amazing Red
These two go back and forth on the mat to start. Now they work a lucha sequence and that ends in a stalemate as the fans give them a standing applause. Fleisch chops Red but misses a corner splash and eats a kick in the face. Fleisch ducks outside and Red hits him with a flip dive. Back inside, Fleisch ducks a 718 attempt and hits him with an enziguiri. Red ducks out and Fleisch hits him with a springboard shooting star press. Back inside they fight up top and end up taking each other down with a one man Spanish Fly in a terribly contrived spot. Plus, Fleisch sat there forever on the top rope. Special K come down to ringside as Fleisch and Red trade punches. Red gets a nearfall with a facebuster of sorts but Fleisch comes back with a quebrada then heads up top but Red takes him off with a spinkick. Red goes up top for the Infrared but Special K pull Fleisch away. Fleisch then goes up top and hits the 720 DDT for the win (6:14) *1/4. After the match, Special K celebrates with Fleisch, who pulls them away from beating on Red, but only so he can dance. They beat on Red then call for the DJ to hit their music but The SAT’s, Divine Storm, JT Smith, and Da Hit Squad run in for the save. The Big Black Guy in the suit comes out and acts like he is helping Smith again but turns on him with a powerbomb and helps Special K. Fleisch then proclaims Special K as the future of RoH.
Thoughts: Short and unimpressive match. Fleisch was just not very good at all to be honest. If he performed three highspots, one of them would look good. They put over Special K here and apparently Fleisch is a new member. They certainly are making an attempt tonight to put over the stables.
RoH Championship Match
Xavier (Champion) vs. Paul London
Before the match, Xavier cuts a promo on the crowd about how they can call him whatever they want but he is the champion. Xavier jumps London as soon as he enters the ring. He then roughs him up in the corner as Levy talks about how everyone from the internet to the “sheet writers” hate Xavier and do not want to see him as champion. London fights back and hits a standing shooting star press. London hits a few armdrags then a hurricarana. Xavier ducks outside but is able to avoid a diving attack attempt then yells at the crowd. London knocks Xavier off of the apron a few times then avoids a monkey flip attempt and works a side headlock for a bit. Xavier runs into a forearm smash then gets nailed with a spinning heel kick. Xavier manages to block a headscissor attempt and drops London on his face then hits London with several knee smashes in the corner. Now they trade chops until Xavier uses a thumb to the eye. Xavier hits a double underhook suplex then targets the neck. London manages a rollup but Xavier goes right back on offense. He puts London in a bow-and-arrow lock then catches him with a knee to the gut. Gutwrench suplex gets two. London fights back with knee strikes but Xavier tosses him into the corner. London slips out of a powerbomb attempt but Xavier comes back with a German Suplex that gets two. Xavier then hits London with a necksnap then signals for the 450 splash but London cuts him off and tries a superplex onto the floor as the crowd starts a “please don’t die” chant. London gets dumped to the floor but is able to crotch Xavier. Londn hits an inverted atomic drop and follows with a dropkick that gets two. The crowd is booing every move that Xavier does and cheers everything London does. London powerbombs Xavier then tries the shooting star press but Xavier rolls outside. London then flies off of the top with a shooting star press, nearly killing himself in the process. Back inside, Xavier cuts off London but gets shoved off of the top. London tries the SSP but Xavier rolls out of the way and rolls him up for two. London comes back with a neckbreaker for two. Xavier dodges a charge and goes for the X-Breaker but London hits a DDT for a nearfall as Xavier’s foot was on the ropes. The ref counted to three but saw Xavier’s foot on the ropes as the fans chanted “bullshit.” Xavier hits a pair of Cobra Clutch Suplexes then puts him away with the X-Breaker (17:05) ***1/2. All of the fans flip off Xavier as he heads up the aisle.
Thoughts: Good match. I give a lot of props to Xavier here as this was by far his best performance in RoH. He also looked a lot more comfortable in his role as the heel and did a fine job at that. London remains one of the top babyfaces in the promotion.
Backstage, Cappetta attempts to conduct an interview with Special K but they refuse to stop partying and dancing. Special K then messes around with Cappetta and he walks off. The huge black guy in the suit then prevents Da Hit Squad from entering the locker room and asks if they have a VIP pass. He shoves Mafia then tells introduces himself as “Slugger,” the security for Special K. Mafia and Slugger almost come to blows as Mack steps between them and walks off with Mafia.
Corino is sitting in the ring, wearing his ring gear. He was wearing a suit all night long. The crowd starts a “who booked this shit” chant. Corino says that you cannot book a main event in RoH without him then antagonizes the crowd some more until Homicide comes out. Corino jumps him with a fork as soon as he enters the ring then hits him with a few piledrivers as the rest of the contestants come out. Joe watches from ringside and then Low Ki comes out and checks on Homicide as the American Danielson and Joe are in each others faces while standing on the top rope. Rob Feinstein comes out and orders them to get Homicide out of the ring then names Corino as his replacement. Corino smirks after hearing that and looks quite confident.
#1 Contender’s Trophy Match
Steve Corino vs. Samoa Joe vs. Low Ki vs. Bryan Danielson
Ki and Danielson start off the match by battling over a test of strength. They then take it to the mat as they go back and forth until Danielson tosses him. Ki starts kicking the leg of Danielson until he gets taken down then put in a giant swing. Joe tags himself in then elbows Danielson in the corner. Joe puts on a chinlock before switching to a front facelock. Danielson fights back and they spill outside, with Danielson sliding back inside and tagging Corino. Joe and Corino show each other respect then trade strikes. Joe takes him down with an enziguiri then hits him with more strikes. The crowd is really into Joe tonight, cheering everything he does. Joe flips of Ki as after they had some words then Joe goes back to beating on Corino. Suplex gets two then Corino ducks outside for a breather. Corino then calls someone in the crowd a “fag” after they harassed him then he takes down Joe but gets kicked to the floor. Ki tags himself in as Corino takes his time getting into the ring. Ki was pissed that Corino attacked Homicide. They go back to the mat as Corino works a side headlock. Ki kicks him in the face then drops an elbow for two. Danielson tags in as he viciously works over the neck of Ki. He catches him with a running knee strike then hits a slam. He drops a few elbows and covers but Corino breaks that up. Danielson tags Joe as he headbutts Ki down. Corino tags himself in and kicks Ki out to the floor. Corino roughs him up then chokes him out with his foot. Corino catches Ki with a leg lariat then works a cross armbreaker on the mat as the crowd rallies behind Ki, who comes back with a low dropkick then repeated kicks to Corino. Ki works a figure-four neck lock until Joe breaks it up. Corino then puts on a STF while he nails Ki with crossfaces. Joe tags and clotheslines Ki in the corner. Danielson makes the blind tag but gets kicked in the face by Ki, who was tossed by Joe. Corino tags and goes for the cover but that only gets two. Joe hits Danielson with an overhead suplex for two then applies a chinlock. Joe chops Danielson down then tags Ki, who hits a back suplex for two. Ki chops Danielson in the corner but comes back with a running forearm strike then a fallaway slam with a bridge that gets broken up by Corino. Danielson takes Ki down with an European Uppercut then tags Corino, who covers immediately for two then works over the arm and neck. Ki bridges out and chops away. He drills him with a boot to the face that gets two. Ki attempts the Dragon Clutch but Corino turns it around then hits a DDT. Corino hooks on an abdominal stretch then hammers away on the chest of Ki, who escapes and hits a kick. Danielson tags and attacks Corino briefly until he gets chopped. Joe tags and Danielson puts him in the Cattle Mutilation. Ki stands on top of Danielson until Corino takes him down. Joe tags Corino as he drops a knee on Danielson then targets the knee. Corino grapevines the leg as the crowd is all over him. Joe tags and works a single leg crab on Danielson while driving his knee into the back of his neck. Ki breaks that up with several kicks. Joe then chops Danielson and puts him in the Coquina Klutch. That gets broken up then Ki tags and repeatedly tries to apply the Dragon Clutch but Danielson fights it off. Ki hits the Krush Rush then tries again for the Dragon Clutch but is able to hit him with a brainbuster after he escaped. Danielson comes back with a forearm and a rollup but gets drilled with a brainbuster as Danielson rolls outside. Ki follows him and hits a suplex as Danielson has been getting destroyed. Ki chops Danielson against the apron then finally rolls him inside and covers but Joe breaks that up. Joe tags and drops a knee onto Danielson. Corino runs in and clotheslines Danielson as Joe hit him with a German suplex then tags himself in and chops away as the crowd boos. He then puts on a chinlock to further piss off the fans but Ki breaks that up with a kick to the face. Corino and Joe work on Danielson for a minute. Danielson fights back with a forearm to Joe then finally makes the tag. Ki and Joe go back and forth until Joe chops him down. Joe and Corino work over Ki in the corner as Corino continues to jaw with the fans. Ki comes back with a running forearm smash then puts Corino in an Octopus Hold. They have a reversal sequence that ends with Ki hitting the Tidal Crush as both men are down. Corino tags Joe, who face-washes Ki as we are informed by Levy that there is just a few minutes left in the match. Corino puts Joe in a figure four but Ki and Danielson break that up with a double flying headbutt. Joe powerbombs Corino then puts him in a STF. He then takes Ki down with a dragon screw and applies a single leg crab. Danielson charges and Joe puts him in a STF until Ki breaks that up with a dropkick. Ki catches Corino with a springboard kick then Ki and Dragon kill each other with forearm smashes. DAnielson hits a roaring elbow for two then gets turned inside out with a lariat from Joe. Ki and Joe no-sell some shots then take off their tape as the crowd applauds. They have a stiff exchange of moves until Corino and Danielson break that up. Corino takes Ki off of the top with a T-Bone Suplex as it’s announced that two minutes are remaining in the match. Joe takes Corino off top with an Ace Crusher but Danielson breaks that up with another flying headbutt as everyone is down. Ki and Joe take down Corino and Danielson with enziguiris. The match has completely broken down as Danielson hits Corino with a Northern Lights Suplex over Ki as that gets easily broken up. Ki drops down and boots Danielson in the face then hits Joe with the Ki Krusher and puts Corino in the Dragon Sleeper as the ten second countdown begins. The bell sounds as it seems like Corino tapped but its announced a draw (45:00) ***1/2.
Thoughts: Long match that was missing something until the last ten minutes or so. It would have helped if they played up the time-limit stipulations at the beginning of the match. I guess they wanted to have a cliffhanger by going into 2003 without a #1 contender or they plan to have a 5-man title match because the ending made no sense otherwise. There was also some teasing of Joe being a potential member of Corino’s group.
Da Hit Squad rushes the locker room door along with the Amazing Red, JT Smith, SAT’s, and Divine Storm and tosses about Special K. Slugger is the only one left and he tells them all that they just made a huge mistake.
The Carnage Crew are backstage gloating about beating the shit out of the CSC then talks about how their day jobs suck and have ugly wives but the one thing they give a damn about his violence and do not care if they win or lose. They then tell Da Hit Squad at the next show, they will take them out.
Low Ki looks into the camera and tells us that RoH gives him a platform to do what he loves. He then gives himself three goals for 2003: Hurt Xavier, destroy The Prophecy, and to reclaim the RoH Title.
Cappetta is with Corino and asks him about the first member of his stable. Corino says that the first member of his group was in fact the first member of the Prophecy, Simply Luscious. She comes out as Corino says next week, we will find out who the second member will be.
Final Thoughts: This show was more about setting up for 2003 than delivering a great in-ring product. There were some good matches here but the main focus was on Corino, who ws being positioned as a major heel in the company. They set up feuds for him against Homicide, Low Ki, and the Prophecy tonight. If you are not a fan of Corino, then this is not the show for you. They also put over Special K a lot here and London looked like a legitimate star as well. Another thing to note that Konnan was introduced at this show and reportedly booed out of the building. He was going to be wrestling at the next show. This was not featured on the DVD. This crowd was really tough on the heels, and it made it fun. Not the best show of the year but far from the worse and I give it a recommendation.
Here is my schedule for the next several days:
Sunday: WWF Houston Summit House Show 10/19/86
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 10/25/86
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Sabu, Volume 1
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 10/26/86
Saturday: RoH Revenge on the Prophecy 1/11/03
September 28, 1986
From the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury, MD
Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan, marking the first time these two have done commentary on Wrestling Challenge
Tonight, the featured match up is the British Bulldogs vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff in a non-title match. Plus, the debut of the Honky Tonk Man, the “Snake Pit” with guests the Hart Foundation, and more.
The Gladiator vs. Koko B. Ware
Frankie makes his debut with Koko here. These two work a few awful looking sequences to start. Koko then hits an armdrag and goes to work on the arm. Koko fires up the crowd then hits a swinging neckbreaker before getting the win with a brainbuster (2:51).
Thoughts: The match itself was horrible as both guys were off in the ring but Koko at least demonstrated some ability to get the crowd into his matches.
Slick does a “Wrestler’s Rebuttal” talking about how everyone is jealous of him. Sheik & Volkoff then run down America. Not a whole lot to this segment.
Luscous Brown vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff w/ Bobby Heenan
Brown would later go on to become Virgil. He is slimmer than I remember. Johnny V takes Heenan’s place on commentary here. The crowd pisses off Orndorff with “Paula” chants. Orndorff catches Brown with a stungun then stomps away. Orndorff follows Brown outside and rams him into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Orndorff hits a clothesline as the fans chant for Hogan. Heenan then signals to Orndorff, who responds by hitting a piledriver for the win (2:03).
Thoughts: The fans were all over Orndorff, who remains the top heel in the promotion.
Ken Resnick is with Ricky Steamboat, who will be facing Jake Roberts. Steamboat talks about wanting to be a champion then says that Roberts might be the one who has his head rammed against the concrete floor when they meet up again. They got 5 solid months out of this feud.
Terry Gibbs vs. Honkytonk Man
Heenan is back on commentary. Honky hits a atomic drop and grabs a headlock as we get an insert promo from Hogan, who gives Honky is full endorsement. Honky hits a slam then gets two with an elbow drop. Honky slams Gibbs off of the top then gets another slam before getting the win with a fist drop (2:36).
Thoughts: The fans were not digging Honky at all. Weird to see him as a babyface in the WWE and it failed so bad that even Hogan’s endorsement failed to work.
Resnick is with Lanny Poffo, who talks about meeting fans and then reads a poem he wrote for the Special Olympics. A short segment designed to show how the WWF helps and cares for charities.
Mike Kelly vs. “The Natural” Butch Reed w/ Slick
Before the match, we get an insert promo from Reed who says he is the natural athlete and man then warns Hogan that he is coming is way. Reed overpowers Kelly to start. He hits a vertical suplex then toys around with him for a bit until he finishes him off with a gutbuster (1:46).
Thoughts: Reed looked good as he destroyed the future Shane Douglas in the ring. I will say that Reed and Slick showed little chemistry together though.
The Snake Pit with guests the Hart Foundation and Jimmy Hart. The Hart’s keep on asking Jake if a snake could eat “Bees, Frogs, or Bulldogs.” Snake then calls Bret the quiet one and Bret cuts a pretty awful promo about that. Neidhart really carried this team personality wise by the way and saved the promo by acting like his lunatic self. But it is clear that the Hart Foundation are getting pushed more than ever at this point.
We now get a video of the Wizard and Sika in Samoa. The Wizard babbles on as Sika is eating a fish in the background. They then switch to the jungle as Sika is chewing on plants. Sika almost made this watchable just by looking like a lunatic savage but this went on for way too long and the Wizard’s voice was far too grating to make this segment good.
Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff w/ Slick & Freddie Blassie vs. British Bulldogs
The Bulldogs are shown in an insert promo before the match calling Sheik & Volkoff among the best teams in the WWF. The crowd starts up with “USA” chants as Sheik takes down Davey with a fireman’s carry. Davey comes back with a shoulderblock and a slam then tags Dynamite, who works the arm. Dynamite gets booted in the face after ducking his head on a backdrop attempt then Volkoff tags and chokes out Dynamite. Volkoff catches Dynamite with a knee smash as Heenan makes fun of English people for being ugly. Sheik tags and gets a nearfall with a gutwrench suplex. He tries another suplex but Dynamite blocks it and hits one of his own then makes the tag to Davey. He beats on the Sheik and hits a running powerslam that Volkoff breaks up. Sheik rakes the eyes of Dynamite and they both spill outside. Dynamite then tries to suplex Sheik back into the ring but Slick trips him up mid-move and Sheik falls on top and gets the win (4:54).
Thoughts: The match was fine as they were setting up Sheik & Volkoff for the titles but that would be scrapped as Dynamite refused to drop the belts to anyone but the Hart Foundation.
Resnick is with Sheik & Volkoff and Slick, who says that they are treated unfairly. Volkoff & Sheik talk about how they make more money and are better with Slick in their corner. Sheik calls Slick an “honest black man” and points out all of the prejudice in America before posing for the camera.
Next week in action will be Dick Slater, King Harley Race, and the featured match of Junkyard Dog vs. Jimmy Jack Funk.
Final Thoughts: The commentary was much improved with Heenan replacing Ladd and Valiant. The tag match was solid but other than that, nothing else of note besides Honky bombing in his debut.
Here is my schedule for the next several days
Wednesday: RoH All Star Extravaganza 11/9/02
Thursday: RF Video “On the Road” with Raven, Disc One
Friday: RF Video “On the Road” with Raven, Disc Two
Friday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 10/4/86
Saturday: RoH Scramble Madness 11/16/02
Sunday: WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event 10/4/86
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 10/5/85
August 28, 1986
From CNE Stadium in Toronto, Ontario
Your hosts are Johnny Valiant, Ernie Ladd, and Gorilla Monsoon
This show was billed at the time for having the largest attendance of any wrestling event. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter wrote that the WWF might have actually underestimated the attendace number in order to not get into trouble as the Bruce Springsteen show in the same building the year prior had 69,000 fans and the fire marshall reportedly had a fit. Meltzer reported that the crowd might have been closer to 72,000 here instead of the 64,000 reported.
Hoss & Jimmy Jack Funk w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Killer Bees
Hoss and Blair work a sequence that ends with Blair getting a hiptoss. He then slams both Hoss and Jimmy Jack twice and they duck outside for a breather. Back inside, Blair is backed into the opposing corner but Blair fights out as the Funk’s once again take a breather. Jimmy Jack and Brunzell are now in the ring as Brunzell gets the best of him then tags Hoss, who lays into Brunzell with European uppercuts. Brunzell comes back with a crossbody then the Bees take turns working the arm of Hoss. Jimmy Jack tags back in and the Bees work the arm of him as well. Brunzell catches Jimmy Jack with a sleeper but Hoss breaks it up behind the referee’s back. Hoss tags and tosses Brunzell to the floor then distracts the ref, allowing Jimmy Jack to beat him up. Hoss hits Brunzell with a suplex for a nearfall but Brunzell fights back and takes Hoss down with a dropkick. Brunzell makes the tag but the ref did not see it take place and Hoss sends both of the Bees to the floor. We now see the Bees put on their masks as they confuse the Funk’s. Blair hits a few clotheslines and catches Hoss in an abdominal strecth that Jimmy Jack breaks up. As the ref orders Jimmy Jack to the apron, Brunzell rolls into the ring in place of Blair. Jimmy Jack tags in and picks him up but Brunzell small packages him for the win (6:52) *1/2.
Thoughts: Basic match. This was one of Hoss’ last match in the WWF too as he closed out a less than memorable run with the company. The Bees were over a bit but the mask gimmick was not going to get them to the top and their personalities were bland so they were not going to get a real push in the division.
Gene Okerlund is with Mr. Fuji, who says that King Tonga will pay his dues tonight.
King Tonga vs. Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji
Tonga gets a pair of hiptosses and a slam after an Irish whip sequence that has Muraco ducking outside for a breather. Back inside, they slug it out then Tonga sends him out of the ring with a standing dropkick. Gorilla mentions how Tonga wants to be called “Haku” as Valiant does not care for that. Tonga works the arm of Muraco in the middle of the ring, even maintaining the hold after a monkey flip and this goes on for almost five minutes. Fuji trips up Tonga and that allows Muraco to take control. Tonga is sent outside as Fuji whacks him with a cane. In the ring, Muraco powerslams Tonga then works a nerve hold for what seems like an eternity as this match is dying a slow death. Muraco takes his time as he beats on Tonga as the crowd does not even care to respond to his antics. This match might be the cure for insomnia. They slug it out again and Tonga comes back with a dropkick but misses a charge in the corner. Muraco rams Tonga’s leg against the ringpost then hits him with a shinbreaker. He continues to work the leg and even puts Tonga in the figure-four leg lock. Muraco takes his time heading up top and Tonga is able to get up and slam him off. He fires back with chops as the crowd remains silent. Tonga now heads up top and hits a crossbody but the 20 minute time limt has been reached before he could get a three count (20:00) 1/2*.
Thoughts: Muraco was unbelievably lazy here and this match quieted the crowd in a big way. If you love long resthold spots, this is the match for you as half of the match consisted of just that. The finish protected each guy but no way should this have gone 20 minutes. The WWE Network version clips this match and it makes it a lot more watchable by cutting out all of the long resthold spots but even still it is dull.
Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan and says that if it wasn’t for himself and Mr. Orndorff, this huge crowd would not be here tonight. He also says that the crowd is here to see him reveal Andre the Giant as one of the Machines. Okerlund then tells Heenan that he thought he would weasel out of the interview and this leads to a funny segment for the crowd to start a “weasel: chant. Good stuff and an easy way to get the crowd chanting.
Tony Garea vs. Ted Arcidi
Gorilla notes that Arcidi received a mixed reception as Ladd brings up a change in attitude for him. Throughout Arcidi’s run, they never bothered to establish him as a face or heel so the crowd never reacted to anything he did. Garea tries to match strength and gets tossed around. He bounces off Arcidi a few times then gets shoved down after the referee was trying to break the hold. Arcidi slams Garea then flexes as the crowd doesn’t care. Garea comes back with some basic offense and takes him down with a dropkick but ends up getting caught with a bearhug and quickly submits (2:41) DUD. Ladd said that Garea submitted because he was worried about his career.
Thoughts: Match was bad and this was, to the best of my knowledge, the last televised match for Arcidi in the WWF.
Okerlund interviews Jimmy Hart, who says that tonight he and Adrian Adonis will humiliate the Junkyard Dog.
Adrian Adonis w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Junkyard Dog
JYD fires away with his chain as Adonis is comically overselling everything. Gorilla notes that Adonis is at his heaviest. JYD fires away from the apron then shoves away the referee when he tried to intervene but that allows Hart to spray liquid into JYD’s eyes. Adonis hits a clothesline in a sad-looking sequence then gets a few nearfalls before tossing him to the floor, where he backs away Hart. JYD get sent back outside as fans are nailing him with trash then he goes after Hart with Adonis getting involved in a truly awful sequence of moves. JYD slides back into the ring as Adrian raises his hands but JYD knocks him into Hart, who was on the apron, and they both fall outside as the ref rings the bell as JYD won by countout (4:15) -**.
Thoughts: The match was an embarassment and the finish looked pathetic as Adonis crawled into the ring before JYD, yet lost the match by countout. JYD was really useless at this point and Adonis was at his fattest but could still manage to work a bit in the ring.
Iron Mike Sharpe vs. “The Rebel” Dick Slater
Sharpe comes to the ring holding a sign that reads “Sharpe for Prime Minister.” Slater works a hammerlock until Sharpe reaches the ropes. Slater kicks him down after a test of strength then stomps Sharpe’s fingers. Sharpe comes back in after a breather and punches Slater off of a side headlock. Back inside, Slater catches Sharpe with a few armdrags then takes him down and tries a figure-four but Sharpe rakes the eyes. Sharpe chops Slater against the ropes but Slater fights back and ties Sharpe in the ropes. He catches him with a back elbow smash then rakes Sharpe’s eyes with his boots. Sharpe comes back and clotheslines Slater against the ropes then rams him into the corner. Slater no-sells a turnbuckle smash then suplexes Sharpe for a nearfall. Sharpe catches Slater with a forearm then a shot in the mid-section. Slater backs Sharpe into the corner and hammers away. Slater catches Sharpe’s foot and spins him around before hitting a swinging neckbreaker. He uses a Russian leg sweep then hits an elbow smash from the top then bridges him for the win (6:24) **.
Thoughts: Not bad but the crowd did not react at all to Slater, who had only been on TV for about a month at this point. Then again, babyface Dick Slater as a Southern Rebel was not a gimmick that was going to draw in the WWF. Sharpe’s offense always looks too goofy to be taken seriously.
Big Machine & Super Machine & Capt Lou Albano w/ Giant Machine vs. Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy & Bobby Heenan
Lots of confusion as to who will be competing in this match. For those who do not know, Big Machine is Blackjack Mulligan. Super Machine hammers away on Studd then tries a slam but that gets blocked. The crowd starts a “weasel” chant as Studd takes down Super Machine with a shoulder block. Super Machine takes him down with a pair of clotheslines then Studd rolls outside and gets roughed up by the Giant Machine. Bundy tags as does Big Machine and Big wins a slugfest. Bundy misses a charge and Big Machine takes him down with a forearm smash. Studd tags and hammers away on Big then tags Heena who tries to remove his mask but gets shoved away and tags Studd. Big come back with a knee smash and tags Super who goes after both Studd and Bundy until Studd catches him with a back elbow smash. Bundy tags and yells at Albano until he accidentally runs into Studd. Super tries to come back but Studd catches him with a knee to the back. Heenan tags but so does Albno as the crowd goes nuts. Heenan gets whipped upside down in the corner after he slapped Albano but Heenan fights back and is able to tag Studd. Albano is getting worked over by Heenan and Bundy in the corner and that brings in the Giant Machine who comes in and cleans house for the DQ (7:49) *1/4.
Thoughts: The match itself wasn’t much and the Machines gimmick was not working with Andre watching the matches from ringside.
Snakepit Match
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
The “Snake Pit” stipulation means that there are no disqualifications. Jake attacks Steamboat as he gets into the ring but Steamboat quickly turns the tables as both men are still wearing their robes. Steamboat chops Jake down and covers for two. Steamboat works the arm as Valiant goes off on a tangent about female dragons. Steamboat now uses his “martial arts” to attack Jake then they take the action outside. Jake cheapshots Steamboat then slams him on the floor. Jake tries to use a chair but Steamboat fights back and whacks Jake on the head. Back inside, Steamboat gets two with a chop from the top rope then works the arm. Steamboat fires away in the corner with mounted punches but Jake comes back with an Irish whip that sends Steamboat to the floor in a goofy looking spot. Jake slides out and slingshots Steamboat into the post then hammers away as Steamboat us busted open. Back inside, Jake yells for Steamboat to get up then taunts the crowd, drawing a few cheers in the process. Jake knocks Steamboat down but gets backed into the corner when attempting the DDT. Jake stops a brief comeback short with an inverted atomic drop then teases another DDT before hitting a gutbuster. Jake stalls for a bit then covers Ricky in a cocky manner but it gets turned into a rollup and Steamboat get the win (10:17) ***1/2
Thoughts: Really good stuff. I loved the psychology too as a cocky Roberts who thought he had Steamboat put away lost because he was fucking around. Both guys worked well together in the ring. The “Snake Pit” stipulations did not play a huge factor in this match though and I am a bit shocked that they did not have Jake try to DDT Steamboat outside of the ring again.
Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules Hernandez
These two start by battling over a lockup. They work an Irish whip sequence that ends with a clothesline by Hercules. Some kid in ther crowd yells at Hercules to get a haircut as we get the “audio difficulties” message on the screen as we go without commentary and can hear all of the fans. Billy fights back and hits Hercules with a press slam then rams him into the corner. Billy hits a dropkick then works a headlock and Hercules to break it up with a back suplex but Billy maintains the hold as a guy in the crowd asks the guys to start delivering some action. Hercules uses Billy’s momentum to send him outside then hits him with a double axe handle. Hercules works the back as we hear Gorilla, which was dubbed in studio, as he tells us that he is solo right now. Both guys collide with each other then Billy starts to kick Hercules repeatedly. Billy then uses a backbreaker and follows that with an elbow drop that gets two. He tries the full nelson but Hercules breaks it up then hammers away. He suplexes him from the apron for a nearfall before taking him down with a clothesline. Hercules thinks he won after getting a two count with a clothesline but Billy Jack rolls him up for a nearfall. Hercules then tries a neckbreaker but Billy counters that with a backslide and gets the win (6:08) **1/2.
Thoughts: Decent match. These two have not feuded yet on TV but that would happen shortly. Crowd did not care much but both guys did a good job.
Okerlund is with Jack Tunney who says he is happy that this show is in Canada. Not a whole lot of personality on Tunney, that’s for sure. I think that Kevin Nash said it best when he referred to Tunney as having the demeanor of a school principal.
The Rougeau Brothers vs. The Dream Team
Vailant remains on commentary for this match. All four men brawl to start. Jacques slingshots in and gets a sunset flip on Valentine that gets two. The Rougeau’s use quick tags to isolate Valentine. Beefcake tags and Raymond works him over for a bit until he gets backed into the corner. Valentine tags and beats on Raymond, who comes back with a crossbody. Jacques tags and they hit Valentine with a double dropkick. Valentine backs Jacuqes into the corner and the Dream Team go to work. Valentine hits an atomic drop then tags Beefcake who stomps Jacques, who tries to fight out of the corner. Raymond runs in and they get the Dream Team with a double noggin-knocker. Rougeau’s hit an assisted flipping senton on Beefcake but Valentine breaks up the count. Valentine then is able to cheapshot Raymond behind the ref;s back, targeting the back. The Dream Team work over the back of Raymond, who barely kicked out of several pin attempts. Raymond rolls away from a pair of elbow drops by Valentine and makes the tag to Jacques who takes down the Dream Team with dropkicks and slams. Valentine attacks Jacques from behind, who ducks a double clothesline and comes back with a dropkick on both guys. Valentine locks on a figure-four after a second attempt but Raymond breaks that up. The Dream Team toss Raymond as Valentine works the leg of Jacques. He goes for a second figure-four attempt but Raymond sneaks back in and hits Valentine with a sunset flip and gets the win (14:51) ***3/4.
Thoughts: Awesome stuff. I forgot just how good the Rougeau’s were as a team until they basically became a comedy act. These two could work a fast-pace and were almost ahead of their time in the ring. Valiant on commentary flipping out wasnt that bad as he at least made sense here unlike the rest of his tangents.
Okerlund is back with Heenan, who guarantees that the championship belt will be around Orndorff’s waist and that Hulkamania is dead. Part of that is true at least.
“Handsome” Harley Race vs. Pedro Morales
Talk about a bathroom-break match. Harley was also introduced as the “King of Wrestling” and had the crown on the back of his tights. He has not had his coronation ceremony yet. Race smashes Pedro’s face off of the ring steps and tries a piledriver but Pedro counters with a backdrop. In the ring, Pedro hits Race a few times then backdrops him. Pedro hammers away and knocks Race to the outside. Race then takes Pedro down from the outside and yanks him out, sending him into the timekeeper’s table. Race then hits a falling headbutt as Valiant impersonates a “Puerto Rican liar” on commentary. Back inside, Pedro hits a suplex then gets a nearfall with a small package. Sunset flip gets two. The ref steps in between them and Harley takes down Pedro and puts his feet on the ropes for leverge as he rolls him up for the pin (3:31) *.
Thoughts: Boring, even for a match that lasted under four minutes. Race was soon going to be pushed as the “King” thus needed a win.
WWF World Heavyweight Championship Match
Paul Orndorff w Bobby Heenan vs. Hulk Hogan (Champion)
Orndorff clotheslines Hogan as the referee checked his boot. He then hammers away on the mat until Hogan turns the tables. They get up and Hogan wins a slugfest that sends Orndorff outside. Orndorff drags Hogan out but Hogan rams him into the apron after blocking an attempt from Orndorff. Back inside, Hogan hits a clothesline then drops an elbow. He clotheslines Orndorff in the corner as the fans go crazy. Heenan distracts Hogan who fights off Orndorff and hits an atomic drop. Hogan then chases Heenan around the ring but gets stomped by Orndorff as he goes back inside. Hogan gets clotheslined outside in a bad looking spot then Ordnorff suplexes him on the floor. Hogan tries to go back in the ring but Orndorff takes him back down with a running knee smash. Hogan is draped over the apron as Orndorff hits a few elbow smashes then takes him down with a forearm to the throat. Hogan crawls back into the ring as the ref yells at Orndorff, who comes back with a kneedrop that gets two. Orndorff yells at the ref for counting slowly before hitting a slam. Orndorff gets two with an elbow drop then heads up top and lands a forearm to the throat. Hogan backdrops Orndorff after a piledriver attempt then Orndorff tries to choke out Hogan on the mat. The ref yells at Orndorff as Hogan slowly gets up but Orndorff goes over and bites Hogan. Back suplex gets two as Hogan’s foot was hanging over the apron. Hogan gets up and powers up as the ref yells at Orndorff and hits Orndorff with a flying knee that has him collide with the referee. Hogan clotheslines Orndorff then signals for a piledriver and gets him up but Heenan comes in and whacks Hogan with a wooden stool in the back of the neck. Orndorff covers as the ref crawls over and pats Orndorff on the shoulder three times as Orndorff poses with the belt as the bell rings (11:05) ***. Howard Finkel then reveals that Hogan won by disqualification as Orndoff goes out of his mind and stomps on Hogan, with the belt around his waist. Orndorff then tries to hit Hogan with the belt but Hogan powers up and stops the attack as Gorilla tells us that the DQ was caused after Orndorff hit the referee (after he was sent into him by Hogan’s knee smash. Hogan then clotheslines Orndoff and takes him outside with a big boot. Orndoff comes back in and Hogan chases him away. Hogan then puts the belt on the mat and gets on his knees begging Orndorff to come into the ring.
Thoughts: Good match. Hogan really had a fine showing here, both in his offense and he sold like a champ all match long. This feud was far from over and this match led to a bunch of matches at house shows that called for the title to change hands during a disqualification. Man, this feud was a license to print money.
Final Thoughts: I thought that the good outweighed the bad here. You had three matches that were very good and two of them were part of hot feuds at the time. The crowd was not all that vocal except for the Hogan match. It was also a cold day as fans we wearing Winter hats and coats while sitting outside……in August. I guess that is Canada for you. The WWE Network version of this show is about 40 minutes shorter and edits out a lot of the dead weight and I think it makes for a decent viewing.
Here is my schedule for the next seven days:
Thursday: Kayfabe Commentaries Timeline Series: 1992 WWE as told by Bret Hart
Friday: WWF Championship Wrestling 8/30/86 (Final Episode)
Saturday: RoH Unscripted 9/21/02
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 9/6/86 (Debut Episode)
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 9/7/86 (Debut Episode)
Send all feedback to BBayle[email protected]
Follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com/Mr.Bayless1982
Live from Houston, TX
Your hosts are Jerry Lawler, JBL and Michael Cole
The show starts with a video package about last week’s great angle involving Stephanie McMahon getting arrested.
John Cena hits the ring as the announcers state how he will be in the fight of his life at SummerSlam against Brock Lesnar. He is met with a loud and mixed reaction. Cena says that they hired a mercenary in Brock Lesnar to take away his title and even suggested that some of the WWE Universe want to see Brock Lesnar destroy him, which got a decent amount of cheers. Cena continues to talk up Lesnar as an unstoppable monster and at SummerSlam, Lesnar will kick his ass. However, he will fight and will go to SummerSlam and beat Brock Lesnar, just like he did in 2012. Cena then talks about how it will be dangerous for Lesnar to be the Champion as he fights when he wants and does what he wants. Paul Heyman comes out and tells Cena that he will never be victimized like he will be at SummerSlam at the hands of his client, Brock Lesnar. He also praises Cena for his passion and how when he wakes up the day after SummerSlam, he will realize that he has been conquered. Cena then cuts a promo about how wrestling is his life and he shows up time and he will head in to SummerSlam as the champion and that he is walking out with the gold. Great promo by Cena, who by the end turned all of the boos into cheers. Cesaro comes out and acknowledges that he and Heyman have gone separate ways but that he is still his friend then calls Cena a “walking billboard” and jokes how about he can’t wrestle. Shaky mic work by Cesaro here although the bad lines did not help. He then challenges Cena to a match and he accepts. The mic work from Heyman and Cena, who was great here, made this an awesome segment.
John Cena d. Cesaro with an AA from the top rope (13:58) ***1/4
The match started after the break, joined in progress. It was a little sloppy early in the match with an ugly powerslam spot as the low light but was a good match overall. Cesaro took control right before the break when he countered a bulldog. Back from break, Cena managed a comeback but Cesaro countered a back suplex with a DDT. Cesaro set up Cena for the swing but that was countered into a sunset flip. Cesaro took back control when he cut off Cena from the top rope and hit his suplex from the apron spot then finally hit his swing, which had the crowd going nuts. They went back and forth for most of the match with each guy hitting their big spots. The finish saw Cena climb up top and put Cesaro over his shoulders as he hit a Super AA off of the top. Fun stuff that maintained the crowd’s interest throughout.
Steph and HHH are backstage Steph tells him that she cannot go back to jail and is on the verge of tears when explaining how she has to look her daughter in the eyes. She also said how she cannot get the smell of jail out of her nose and said that HHH’s plan better work. Randy Orton interrupts and is pissed that the original plan of him facing Cena for the belt at SummerSlam had been cancelled. HHH said that as long as Roman Reigns is in the picture, he will not have anymore title shots. HHH says that Reigns will be facing Kane tonight as Orton says that not only does he have a problem with Reigns, he also now as a problem with HHH. This furthers the storyline between Reigns and HHH and also positions Orton for a face turn if they want to go that route. Solid segment.
Paige comes out to ring with a big smile. She says that sometimes she lets her emotions get to her but that she thinks of AJ as her best friend in the whole world. She got some “what” chants from the crowd and promises that she will never act that way ever again as AJ comes out to the ring, which triggers the crowd to chant for CM Punk. AJ tells Paige that if she wants to be like her, then she should stop playing games and say things to her face. Paige then swears to AJ that she is her real friend and if she does not believe her, then she is crazy. AJ gets pissed then Paige makes a comment about AJ’s mental health. AJ pretends to be cool then takes her down as they have a cat fight. Paige’s mic work was the best it has been but this whole feud has been terribly constructed so far (no one bought their friendship as they had no history together to begin with) and besides CM Punk chants, I don’t see the crowd reacting much to these two.
Stephanie and HHH come out to the ring. HHH said that he has never been as disgusted and angry at the fans than he was last week after Stephanie was arrested. HHH asks them if they found it funny as the crowd breaks out in “YES” chants. HHH was great in getting the crowd to keep on cheering and Stephanie trying to hold back from crying was as well. HHH then switches the focus onto Brie Bella and how it was all just a simple misunderstanding, even though Brie was asking Steph to slap her. HHH also said how all of the charges except for the Assault and Battery charge were dropped by Brie and wants Brie to come out so they can put this whole incident behind them. A “jailbird” chant breaks out as Steph grabs the mic. Instead, Chris Jericho’s music hits, looking like a guy attending his 30th High School Reunion who thinks he is going to reunite his former garage band together. Jericho then sings the theme to cops, which although lame, good a surprisingly loud reaction from the crowd. He then beats every prison joke into the ground then questions HHH why he did not go to his wife’s aid when she was arrested. Jericho then pisses off HHH by dissing Stephanie and then the topic switches to Bray Wyatt. Jericho wants him in the ring tonight but HHH says he has to wait until SummerSlam then Seth Rollins hits him from behind with the MiTB briefcase as HHH lets Jericho know that he will be facing Rollins tonight. Not a bad segment but it cooled down some when Jericho came out.
Dolph Ziggler & The Usos d. The Miz & Curtis Axel & Ryback when Ziggler pinned Ryback with the Zig-Zag (10:02) **1/4
The sunglasses look for the Miz is great. It is working and he was really playing the chickenshit heel role well. The heels got heat on Ziggler early on in the match. The camera showed Xavier Woods, Big E, and Kofi watching backstage on the monitor. Back from break, the crowd chants for Ziggler as Jimmy was getting worked over, with Woods, Big E, and Kofi now watching from ringside. He eventually tagged Ziggler, who cleaned house. The Usos hit their big dive spots then the finish came when Ziggler escaped a powerbomb attempt and hit the Zig-Zag. Decent action but it’s clear that the Usos need some new challengers, which at this point looks to be Kofi and Big E.
R Truth d. Bo Dallas (0:33) NR
Before the match, Bo told R-Truth that he has lost many times in his career and that he could never be undefeated like himself. Bo hit a pair of shoulder tackles then did a victory lap but when he came back into the ring, he continued to celebrate and Truth rolled him up. After the match, Bo told R-Truth that it was okay that he lost then attacked him, showing a lot of aggression. He did his victory lap after the match as well. No idea why the decided to end the streak in this manner (in reality his streak was never going to mean much) but I guess they want to try and get over his sore loser character. Bo was getting a decent reaction doing what he was doing so it remains to be seen how they book him going forward.
Lana and Rusev are in the ring. They are drawing massive heel heat in Houston. Lana tells the crowd that the American flag is now a reminder of the past and how President Obama is a laughable leader then shows George W. Bush before Jack Swagger and Zeb Coulter come out. Zeb defends the symbolism of the American flag and talks up America in general as the crowd eats it all up like candy. Swagger the hits the ring and beats on Rusev for a minute but gets overpowered as Rusev rolls Swagger into the ring, with the crowd screaming “U-S-A.” Swagger counters the Accolade with the Patriot lock then sends Rusev retreating. A simple feud that is getting a ton of crowd reaction. I will say that the crowd was more into booing Rusev than they were into cheering Swagger, who when he was on offense, the crowd was not as loud.
Adam Rose d. Damien Sandow (0:10)
Sandow was dressed up as an astronaut. The cameraman seemingly tried hard to find people in the crowd who were into Rose’s act but there were very few in attendance tonight. Rose won very quickly with the Party Foul. The Adam Rose character continues to disappoint.
Tomorrow on Main Event, Dean Ambrose will face Alberto Del Rio
Roman Reigns vs. Kane never took place as Randy Orton attacked Reigns in the crowd during his entrance. Reigns then fought off both guys until Orton attacked him from behind. Reigns hit Orton with the Superman Punch then Kane chokeslammed him. Kane stared down Orton before leaving as Randy destroyed Reigns while yelling at him for screwing him out of a title shot. The camera zoomed in on Orton yelling in the face of Reigns before using the draping DDT off of the guardrail. Randy took everything off of the announcers table and laid Reigns across as he stood up and smiled before Randy hit the RKO. The table did not break then he hit a second one that sent Reigns crashing through the table. I really liked this beatdown and by the end (the table not breaking after the first RKO might have a lot to do with this) the crowd got into it and started booing Orton. One criticism of Reigns is that he needs to work on his selling but here, I thought he did a great job. Orton also excelled at playing the angry psycho and also seemed legitimately pissed off that the table did not break on the first attempt. This was an effective segment that helps build momentum towards their match at SummerSlam.
Diego w/ Torito & Summer Rae & Layla d. Fandango with a rollup (1:20) 1/4*
Diego pinned Fandango with a rollup after the latter was distracted by Torito. After the match, Summer and Layla taunted Fandango with capes then Torito speared him off of the apron. Just a continuation of the girls constantly getting revenge on Fandango. And Diego is still employed so he has that going for him.
Stephanie goes to Nikki Bella’s dressing room. Stephanie appears apologetic as Nikki lets her know that Brie will be here shortly and that she hopes that Steph likes the “taste of crap” because she will be eating some tonight.
Backstage, Goldust confronts Stardust about what he is drawing on the chalkboard. Stardust goes off on this wacky tangent about the Cosmic Key that is hilarious. I dont know what the reveal of the Cosmic Key is going to be but the build has been entertaining.
Naomi & Natalya d. Alicia Fox & Cameron when Naomi made Cameron submit (2:42) 3/4*
Match was heatless and sloppy but the girls tried hard. I thought Cameron was going to be dead when Naomi flattened her with a Thesz Press from the apron. The finish saw Naomi make Cameron submit with some sort of a body scissors to get her win back from the Battleground Kickoff Show.
Seth Rollins NC Chris Jericho (13:00) **1/2
The crowd was cold early on as Jericho was in control. He got them back a little bit before the break when he tried to fire up the crowd. Back from break, Rollins was in control as the crowd started a “Y2J” chant. At one point they were fighting up top and Jericho backdropped Rollins. Rollins took control after rolling away from the Lionsault and hitting Jericho with a turnbuckle powerbomb. They both countered each other’s finishers then the crowd woke up. Jericho hit Rollins with a codebreaker as he was in midair but the Wyatt’s hit the ring and assaulted Jericho. The match started slow but was building up well until the finish.
On Smackdown, Chris Jericho will face Erick Rowan
Stephanie McMahon comes out to the ring and talks about how he represents the WWE shareholders and corporate sponsors but now, they think she is a common criminal and talks about how her daughter is getting harassed at camp. Brie comes out and calls Stephanie a whiny “rich bitch.” Stephanie talks about how she will treat Nikki fairly and give her a raise as long as she drops the charges. Brie said that is fine but she will drop the charges if she gets her job back. Steph tells her that one Bella is enough in the WWE and Brie goes to walk away but Steph reconsiders and promises to give her job back. However, Brie has one more request, which is a match at SummerSlam. Steph assumes she wants a shot at the title or someone from Total Diva’s but Brie wants the match against her. Steph says she has not competed in over ten years and dedicated herself to her career and family as Brie tells her she will not drop the charges and will see her in court. Steph yells about how it is unfair as the crowd rags on Steph, who gets them to cheer “YES.” Brie reassures Steph that she will drop all charges as long as they have a match at SummerSlam then Stephanie tearfully accepts before slapping her off of the apron then drops the crying act and says at SummerSlam, she will make Brie her bitch. Steph mocks the “YES” chants then Brie attacks her from behind as agents Joey Mercury, Fit Finlay, and Jamie Noble try to break them up. HHH comes out and drags Steph away as the show goes off of the air. Steph was so damn good in this segment and her facial expressions are amongst the best in wrestling. Brie also held up her end of the piece.
Final Thoughts: A highly enjoyable show that did a great job at building towards SummerSlam. Steph and HHH continue to be the best heels in the company too. They always do great job of getting the crowd to cheer against them. In their segments, they played the crowd to perfection. Cena also gave one awesome promo too and shows that when he is serious and passionate, the crowd reacts positively towards him. Also, props to the crowd for being great throughout the show. The other segments involving the major feuds all worked and even most of the throwaway stuff made sense and continued storylines, even if they are not all that popular. The only negative I took away from this show was that the Tag Team division needs a lot more depth but that is a minor complaint. You could also say that Jericho is getting overpushed as his return has not been too smooth. The Cena/Cesaro match was the best on the show. Definitely worth checking out the replay or Hulu version.
June 28, 1986
Your hosts are Dick Graham and Gorilla Monsoon
Tonight, Hulk Hogan defends his Heavyweight Championship against King Kong Bundy. Also, Randy Savage defends his Intercontinental Title against Paul Orndorff and Don Muraco faces the Junkyard Dog.
Brickhouse Brown vs. Moondog Rex
This was the WWF debut of Brickhouse, who got booed by the crowd during the ring introductions. Gorilla talks about Brickhouse’s success as a Chippendale’s dancer as Brickhouse uses his speed to elude Rex. Brickhouse hits a dropkick then catches Rex’s foot as the crowd boos as it takes him about a minute to turn him around a hit an atomic drop. Brickhouse escapes from the corner and knocks Rex down as Gorilla refers to Brickhouse as a smaller version of Tony Atlas. Brickhouse grabs a chinlock then gets two off of a falling headbutt. Rex takes control after getting his elbow up on a charge then gets two off of a splash. Rex grabs a chinlock as the crowd seems bored to tears. Brickhouse fights back but gets caught with a backbreaker. He is able to backdrop Rex then lays into Rex with a flurry of rights. Rex reverses an Irish whip but Brickhouse leaps on the second rope and comes back with a flying headbutt for the win (6:29) 1/2*.
Thoughts: Brickhouse had a few athletic spots that looked nice but this match was garbage. Neither guy was on the same page. Brickhouse never did anything of note in the WWF and was gone in several weeks.
Tiger Chung Lee & Hercules Hernandez vs. Danny Spivey & Mike Rotundo
Some kid in the crowd is holding up a “Spivey Sucks” sign. The team of Spivey & Rotundo are now wearing matching trunks. Match starts with Lee getting worked over by Spivey & Rotundo, who are using quick tags and mainly targeting the arm. Hercules tags but Spivey takes him down with an armdrag then grabs an armbar. Hercules breaks the hold but Spivey takes him down after an Irish whip sequence. Rotundo tags an hits an atomic drop but whiffs on a dropkick. Lee tags and targets the back of Rotundo as the heels use quick tags and double teams on Rotundo. None of it looked good by the way. Rotundo tags as Lee missed an elbow drop then Spivey cleans house until he is stopped by Lee. Hercules works on Spivey then distracts the ref so Lee can choke him out. They take down Spivey with a double chop then set him up in a Tree of Woe as a fan almost made it into the ring but got dragged out by security. This is quite the crowd tonight by the way. Spivey and Hercules collide but Lee is tagged in and cuts off Spivey from making the tag. Lee slams Spivey but goes up top and ends up getting slammed. Hot tag to Rotundo who cleans house. Hercules breaks up a cover then Spivey is tagged into the match and hits Lee with a bulldog for the win (12:26) *1/2.
Thoughts: Basic match. Lee looked terrible in the ring but Rotundo was really good here and Spivey is very slowly improving. The matching tights are a sign that they are getting a bit of a serious look as a team.
Tito Santana vs. “Adorable” Adrian Adonis
Adonis is a bloated mess. I think he even has bigger tits than Elizabeth does. Anyway, they take it to the mat to start as Tito works a headscissors for a long time. He then catches Adonis with a few slams and a armdrag for nearfalls. Tito now works a hammerlock on the mat for what seems like an eternity as the crowd starts up a boring chant. Tito then catches Adonis with an abdominal stretch but Adonis ends up sending him to the floor. He follows Tito outside and roughs him up for a bit until Tito catches him with an atomic drop that sends Adonis into the post. Back inside, Tito works yet another hammerlock as the crowd is getting restless. Adonis breaks the hold with an eye rake then hits him low as he takes control of the match. He sends Tito back to the floor then taunts the crowd, who are a less than tolerant group. Tito ends up taking down Adonis from the floor and ramming his leg against the post. Tito goes back inside and hammers away. Tito covers but Adonis was able to get his foot on the bottom rope. Tito gets another nearfall but Adonis blocks a reverse rollup attempt then grabs Tito’s tights for leverage as he gets the win (11:38) *1/2. After the match, Tito gets his revenge on Adonis.
Thoughts: Dull stuff filled with rest holds. Tito was certainly doing nothing of note at all from the time when he dropped the IC title to Savage until he formed Strike Force with Rick Martel. He was just putting over the hot heel, helping them get to a higher profile match, like he did tonight.
Moondog Spot vs. Billy Jack Haynes
Spot bounces off of Haynes then gets thrown down in a terrible looking spot. Billy Jack messed that one up. Haynes works a side headlock on the mat then they trade arm wringers. Haynes goes to work on the arm as the announcers talk about the previous match. Haynes catches Spot with a slam, who then retreats to the corner. Haynes goes back to the arm as the crowd remains unimpressed. Spot rakes the eyes and then rams Haynes’ head off of the turnbuckle. A bunch of fans are shown flipping off Spot, who then tosses Haynes to the floor near the announcers table. Back inside, Spot works a chinlock as we are informed that the next match will be Junkyard Dog vs. Don Muraco. The crowd boos as this match has been painfully dull. Spot beats on Haynes in the corner then hits him with a kneelift. Haynes comes back with kneelift but Spot is able to follow that with an atomic drop for a nearfall. Haynes then gets two off of a sunset flip but runs into a clothesline. Spot misses a splash off of the second rope then begs for mercy in the corner before Haynes chops away. Haynes slams Spot then drops the leg for two. Spot blocks a monkey flip in the corner but misses an elbow drop and that allows Haynes to lock on the full nelson for the win (10:34) *1/4.
Thoughts: Haynes was pretty bad in the ring but he had the look and was starting to get a push. Spot tried to hold things together but the action here was non existent.
Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Junkyard Dog
Muraco starts by continuously retreating outside. JYD his Muraco, who gets pissed and heads to the corner. JYD then grabs a headlock and catches Muraco with a slam, who rolls back outside. Muraco comes back in and lands a few shots but JYD reverses an Irish whip then backdrops Muraco, who yet again rolls outside. Muraco keeps on retreating outside after being attacked by JYD but the crowd is still somewhat interested in this match. Muraco comes back in and rakes the eyes. He hit the Asiatic Spike and follows that with a nee drop for two. JYD fights back then takes down Muraco with a clothesline that gets two. He hits another clothesline then Fuji goes on the apron as Muraco takes his cane and breaks it over JYD’s back for the DQ (6:20) DUD. Muraco continues assaulting JYD after the bell and ends up busting him open but JYD fights back then grabs a piece of the broken cane but the ref stops him, allowing Muraco to escape. JYD then whacks the ref with the cane, who takes a comical bump which makes the crowd happy.
Thoughts: Terrible match but sadly this is about all you could do with JYD at this point. His offense looked as bad as anyone else I have ever seen. Besides all of that, he was still over thus getting somewhat of a push but nowhere near the point he was a year prior. This also seemed to be setting up for a future match.
Kal Rudman is backstage with King Kong Bundy, who thinks people who cheer for Hogan are brain dead then brings out Miss America, who is apparently a Bundy fan.
WWF Heavyweight Championship Match
King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Hulk Hogan (Champion)
Bundy shows off his strength by shoving Hogan into the corner a few times. He tries for an Avalanche but misses and Hogan takes control. Heenan jumps on the apron and Hogan knocks him down. Hogan clotheslines Bundy a few times then tosses him to the floor. Hogan follows him out and they engage in a slugfest. Hogan wins that as the fans are going nuts. Hogan whacks Bundy with a chair then chases Heenan away before going back to the ring. Hogan slugs away at Bundy and picks him up for a slam but Heenan jumps up on the apron and pushes Bundy on top of Hogan. The ref sees this and orders Heenan to the dressing room as Bundy drops an elbow for two. He slams Hogan and follows that with a splash for a nearfall then hammers away. Hogan reverses an Irish whip and catches Bundy with a powerslam but hurt his back and Bundy puts him in a chinlock. Bundy breaks that then hits the Avalanche for two but Hogan hulks up then unloads on Bundy. He hits the big boot then drops the leg but Adrian Adonis, wearing a blond wig and a dress, runs to break up the pin for the DQ (7:05) **1/2. Hogan eventually tosses Bundy to the floor and chases Adonis away but not before grabbing his wig. Hogan then taunts Adonis with his wig and this lasts for a long time ending with Hogan posing to his theme music.
Thoughts: This was a really good match until the last thirty seconds. Bundy and Hogan worked well together and this was all action, with the brawling outside of the ring looking really good too. Hogan could still move around well enough and Bundy was fairly athletic for his size. Fun stuff that sets up the main event for next month’s show.
George Wells vs. “Handsome” Harley Race
Wells, who is really heavy here, starts off by hitting Race with a shoulder block. He runs into a clothesline then Race drops an elbow for two. Wells fights back as the crowd is silent then grabs a side headlock. Monsoon puts over Race’s career as he breaks the hold. Race hits a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Knee drop gets two. Race then drops a knee then tosses Wells to the floor where he lands a falling headbutt. He rams Wells against the railing as the crowd couldn’t care less. Back inside, Wells makes a comeback but clotheslines himself against the ropes after Race side stepped him then puts Wells away with a cradle suplex (6:05) *.
Thoughts: The fans didn’t even care enough to boo or chant boring here. Race could still wrestle well at this point but this was a nothing match and Wells looked awful.
Les Thornton vs. King Tonga
After promising Tonga vs. Studd throughout the show, they give us Les Thornton instead. So much for the bodyslam angle. Thornton grabs a side headlock as Gorilla tells us that Polynesians tan very easily. Tonga grabs a side headlock as the camera pans to a cute girl wearing a Hogan short. Back to the action as they are trading arm wringers until Tonga grabs a side headlock as a fan yells “boring.” Thornton beats on Tonga in the corner but that fails and Tonga goes back to the arm. Thornton breaks and hammers away but Tonga fights back. He hits a back elbow smash then catches him with a slam before drilling him with a side kick for the win (4:04) 1/2*. Christ, he planted him with that.
Thoughts: Talk about bait and switch. Tonga had the angle on TV where he slammed Studd but that push lasted for about two weeks as Studd and Bundy would be feuding with the Machines very shortly.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage (Champion) w/ Elizabeth vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
The match starts with Savage taunting Orndorff from the top rope then getting pissed when Orndorff takes the belt from the ref and poses with it, causing Savage to duck outside. Savage tries to psych out Orndorff, who is having any of it, then goes back outside where the fans give him all sorts of shit. Savage goes back in and tries a handshake that Orndorff laughs at then grabs the arm until Savage reaches the ropes. Savage grabs a side headlock then hits a shoulder block but bails after Orndorff hits a pair of armdrags. Savage tosses a chair into the ring as the fans continue to harass Savage. As Savage bails, Orndorff gives a bouquet of flowers to Elizabeth, which makes Savage go nuts. He grabs the bouquet and tries to smush it in Orndorff’s face but that fails. Onrdorff hits an elbow drop but eats boot on a charge. Savage takes him down with a clothesline then heads up top and hits a double axe handle for two. Savage chokes Orndorff on the mat but Orndorff comes back with a reverse rollup for two. Savage gets on top of Orndorff then takes him down with a kneelift. Suplex gets two. Savage tries another double axe handle but Orndorff catches him with a shot to the gut then fires away. He knocks Savage outside and follows him out as they brawl. Orndorff floats over on a suplex attempt then clotheslines Savage and goes inside the ring, just beating the ten count as he wins the match via count out (8:20) **1/4. After the match, Orndorff poses similarly to Hogan.
Thoughts: Not a technical masterpiece but fun enough and a nice way to send the home happy. This crowd hated Savage too. Orndorff wrestled as a total face here and was less aggressive than usual with his offense, kinda the opposite of what he was doing on TV.
Gorilla tells us that next month, Hogan will face Adrian Adonis for the title.
Final Thoughts: This was not a good show at all. The two title matches were fun but everything else was a waste of time. I would avoid this show completely unless you are a Hogan fan.
June 28th, 1986
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action tonight are Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, and the British Bulldogs
The Gladiator & Tiger Chung Lee vs. “Golden Boy” Danny Spivey & Mike Rotundo
Spivey & Rotundo come out to “Born in the USA” and holding the American flag and wearing shirts that read “USA” but were not yet referred to as the “U.S. Express.” Rotundo gets the better of The Gladiator to start. Spivey tags and ends up sending Lee through the ropes with a dropkick after a criss-cross spot. The heels trap Rotundo in the corner as we get an insert promo from the Dream Team and Johnny Valiant talking about how Spivey & Rotundo will have to go through them in order to get a shot at the gold. Rotundo fights out as the crowd starts up a “U-S-A” chant. He tags Spivey and they hit The Gladiator with a double dropkick then Spivey overpowers the Gladiator for a bit. Lee tags and works over Rotundo for a bit but misses a charge then Spivey tags and puts Lee away with the bulldog (3:26).
Thoughts: The crowd was actually jacked up for Rotundo & Spivey and popped huge for the finish, which was a first. Having Spivey essentially act as a Barry Windham ripoff was not going to get him over though.
WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week, the subject is Randy Savage and how he has stiff competition for his Intercontinental Title with the likes of the Junkyard Dog, George Steele and Paul Orndorff. Gene then jokes about Steele and Elizabeth’s chidren looking like either the Fabulous Moolah with a beard or Gorilla Monsoon with a tutu.
Bob Boyer vs. Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji
Muraco beats the piss out of Boyer as the announcers talk about Muraco trying to re-enter the title picture. He then tosses Boyer outside as Fuji hits him with the cane as the referee’s back was turned. Back inside, Muraco targets the neck as Vince talks about Andre’s suspension and that he thinks they have found Andre outside of the country and will give a report next week as Muraco finishes off Boyer with the tombstone (3:27).
Thoughts: Not much happening here. Muraco was continuing his slide down the card and the main thing that happened here was the news of Andre the Giant’s whereabouts.
Ken Resnick talks about the 2nd Annual “King of the Ring” tournament at Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, MA. He brings out Johnny Valiant and the Dream Team who will be facing the British Bulldogs for the Tag Team Titles inside of a steel cage. This promo actually takes place with the guys behind a chain link fence. Beefcake attempting a British accent to mock the Bulldogs was pretty funny.
Lane Anderson & Al Navarro vs. Tito Santana & Pedro Morales
Pedro starts by working the arm of Navarro then hits a slam. Tito tags and works the arm of Navarro as Bruno talks about what it takes to be a good tag team. Anderson tags as Tito works his arm. Pedro tags and slams Anderson then works on his arm as this match is boring. Tito tags and Anderson then they double team Tito for a bit but he is able to tag Pedro then shortly after that, Tito tags back into the match and puts away Anderson with the flying forearm (3:11).
Thoughts: The crowd popped for the finish but were quiet for a majority of the match. Pedro was really old news at this point and no one really cared about him anymore. His workrate was less than inspired too.
Resnick is with Capt. Lou and the British Bulldogs, who are behind the chain link fence for their promo. No wonder the WWF got Albano to talk for them as Davey Boy was really bad on the mic and Dynamite was twice as bad as him.
Max Blue vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Orndorff poses to cheers then does some of Hogan’s taunts. He attacks Blue from behind to start then sends him to the floor. He slams Blue to the floor then rolls him back inside where he flattens him with a clothesline then gets the win with a piledriver (1:36). After the match, Orndorff makes Howard Finkel refer to him as the “Old Mr. Wonderful.” Bruno also says that he was shocked at the tactics that Orndorff used in this match
Thoughts: Orndorff was ultra aggressive and arrogant here, foreshawdowing his heel turn. Even Bruno spent the whole match talking about how he did not like Orndorff’s behaviors.
The Flower Shop with guest Bobby Heenan. Orndorff interrupts as Heenan calls him “Hulk Jr.” and says that he looks tough beating up on a nobody then tells him to sign for a tag match against Studd & Bundy with Hulk Hogan as his partner. Orndorff says that all he has to do is to call up Hogan and he will be here right by his side. Orndorff then leaves and says he is going to call Hogan now as Adonis refers to Orndorff a second-rate guy as Heenan says that Hogan is probably too busy or tired to talk to Orndorff as the crowd starts up a “faggot” chant aimed at Adonis. Great segment as the heels were making Orndorff go out of his mind by calling him a second-rate Hogan.
Ken Resnick is with WWF President Jack Tunney, who is pulling out two names at random that will receive first-round bye’s in the King of the Ring Tournament. The two bye’s will go to Hercules Hernandez and Mike Rotundo. Tunney then draws the 1st round matchups which include:
Pedro Morales vs. Bob Orton (Winner faces Mike Rotundo)
Nikolai Volkoff vs. Danny Spivey
Junkyard Dog vs. Paul Orndorff
Billy Jack Haynes vs. Iron Sheik (Winner faces Hercules Hernandez)
George Steele vs. Harley Race
Don Muraco vs. Roddy Piper
The Menace & Jack Kruger vs. British Bulldogs
No Albano this week. Vince tells us that Orndorff is in the process of calling Hogan right now. Kruger hits Dynamite with a neckbreaker then drops an elbow for two. Dynamite comes back with a snap suplex then a double underhook suplex as we are shown an insert of Orndorff calling up Hogan, screaming at the person on the other end to get Hogan now then ripping the cord out as he was unable to get a hold of Hogan. Vince said it sounded like Hogan was at the gym and could not be reached. Back to the match as the Menace ducks outside as Davey tried to unmask him but the announcers continue to talk about Orndorff and Hogan. Davey places the Menace on the top rope then tags Dynamite, who finishes him off with a super back suplex (3:11).
Thoughts: Dynamite hit a few vicious suplexes but the main focus was the continuation of the Orndorff/Hogan angle as Mr. Wonderful was going out of his mind as he could not reach Hogan at the gym. This was all great stuff.
Resnick is with the Junkyard Dog, who cuts a rambling promo with his jaw grinding all over the place. This guy was coked up to the gills here. When your jaw is grinding like that, you are high. Albano comes out and brings out George Steele who says that Harley Race is “slow.”
As Bruno and Vince wrap up the show, Orndorff interrupts and screams about how Hogan was too busy to come to the phone because he was working out and that their match will not take place as a result.
Final Thoughts: What a tremendous show, all thanks to the Orndorff/Hogan stuff. Even though it was obvious that Orndorff was going to turn on Hogan at some point, everything else tonight was performed to perfection. The heels having Orndorff go out of his mind was great stuff. None of the other feuds were focused on tonight besides the Dream Team/Bulldogs and they drew the lineups for the King of the Ring Show. The next few weeks of TV will be very interesting and I will be back on Friday with a review of the June 28th Philadelphia Spectrum show.
December 28, 1985
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action this week are Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy. Also, Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, and the team of Tito Santana & Pedro Morales. Plus, “Piper’s Pit” and much more.
Gino Carabello & Steve Lombardi vs. Danny Spivey & Junkyard Dog
Spivey starts off with Lombardi and grabs a headlock. He and JYD work on the arm for a minute. Lombardi backs JYD into hs corner and he and Carabello double-team him briefly. JYD fights back and takes down Carabello with a clothesline. He puts him in a neck vise before tagging Spivey, who finishes him off with a bulldog (3:19). After the match, JYD invites a little girl with him in the ring to dance.
Thoughts: The really tried to make Spivey appear as a Barry Windham replacement, right down to using the same finishing move. Unfortunately for Spivey, the fans did not react to him at all when he was in the ring. JYD still had the feud with Terry Funk going on but did a ton of tag matches at this time.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. The subject this week was Paul Orndorff as they showed a clip of him beating a jobber.
Gary Starr vs. Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji
Vince and Bruno put over the card for “Saturday Night’s Main Event,” which features Randy Savage vs. George Steele. Muraco tosses Starr to the floor as the crowd starts a “beach bum” chant. He brings Starr back into the ring and roughs him up until he puts him away with the tombstone piledriver (3:03).
Thoughts: Not much happening here as the announcers were more focused on SNME than Muraco, which shows how far he has fallen down the card. It didnt help any that he was getting fatter and lazier, either.
Gene Okerlund is with Don Muraco and asks him about his plans for 1986. He says that people do not know about the injuries he has endured recently and talks about dealing with Hogan, Steamboat, and Uncle Elmer then starts joking around with Okerlund about how he showed him a “few broads,” which nearly has Gene drop his microphone. This leads to some dialogue about that comment until Muraco wishes us a happy new year.
A plug for the “Slammy Awards” ballot airs.
Pedro Morales & Tito Santana vs. Mr. X & Barry O.
Morlaes toys around with Barry as Freddie Blassie and Hercules interrupt the announcers about how everyone is afraid of him. Mr. X works over Tito briefly but gets put in the wrong corner. Pedro tags and catches Mr. X with a shot to the gut then hits a backbreaker. Tito tags and hits a shinbreaker before he makes him tap to the figure four (1:58).
Thoughts: Vince briefly put over the team of Vince & Pedro but most of the focus was on Hercules and how everyone is apparently afraid of him.
Okerlund is with Bruno Sammartino, who runs down Piper. They then show us a taped promo of Orndorff accepting Bruno’s offer to join him as they face Piper & Orton in Boston. That was one hot feud.
Tony Mateo & Sal Gee vs. Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart
Vince lets us know that Corporal Kirchner will face Nikolai Volkoff at SNME to a “peace match.” The Anvil boots Gee to the floor, where he gets slammed by Brett. Mateo tags and the Anvil tosses him around. Brett tags and hits an elbow smash and a leg drop before tagging the Anvil, who hits a powerslam then pulls him up at the one count and shortly after that, they put Mateo away with the Hart Attack (2:46).
Thoughts: They put over the Hart Foundation really strong in the match. Mateo bumped like a motherfucker too.
Piper’s Pit with guest Mad Dog Vachon. Piper hilariously mocks Vachon for being high society and compares him to himself. Piper then asks him who will be the World Heavyweight Champion in 1986 and Vachon tells him that even though he is a good wrestler, he does not see anyone beating Hulk Hogan. Piper gets pissed and walks off the set. Well, Vachon’s prediction was correct.
Butcher Vachon vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Orndorff starts by working the arm as the announcers talk about Orndorff’s cast and if it is really necessary or not. He slams Vachon then hits an elbow smash off of the top rope before putting him away with the piledriver (2:32).
Thoughts: The cast angle was alright but the feud between him and Piper/Orton has been going on since the end of April and has about run it’s course.
“Leaping” Lanny Poffo gives a PSA warning us of the dangers caused by drinking and driving.
Another list of “Slammy Awards” nominees airs.
Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy vs. Jose Luis Rivera & S.D. Jones
S.D. tries and fails to slam Studd. Rivera tags and Studd tosses him in the corner as Vince plugs the SNME card, that will feature a year-end music video and an appearance from Hulk Hogan. Rivera continues to get destroyed as the announcers talk about the team of Studd & Bundy being the most dominate as Vince adds that he would like to see the British Bulldogs go up against them. Bundy tags and puts away Rivera with the Avalanche (3:31).
Thoughts: They are hyping up the giants as a dominate force as they head into the new year.
Okerlund is with Jimmy Hart and Terry Funk, who will be facing Pedro Morales in Boston. Funk talks about sometimes you have to put animals away. They leave as Blassie comes out with Sheik & Volkoff, who will be facing Corporal Kirchner & Junkyard Dog. Sheik cuts his typical rambling promo. Nothing special here.
Next week, Hercules Hernandez will be in action. Also, Terry Funk, Ricky Steamboat, the British Bulldogs, and more information on “Saturday Night’s Main Event” and the “Slammy Awards.”
Final Thoughts: Not much of a show. The main focus was putting over the next episode of SNME (which aired on 1/4/86 but was filmed on 12/19/85) and the Slammy Awards, as they focused little on putting over the wrestlers themselves. They are appearing to be setting up some new feuds as things have gotten stale the past month or so. Soon enough, we will be heading into the hype for WrestleMania 2.
Greetings. “Normally, my prospects of coming back alive from a meeting with Nicky
were 99 out of 100. But this time, when I heard him say “a couple of
hundred yards down the road”, I gave myself 50-50″
Today’s question comes from a Mr. Elmo Machete.
Not sure if this has been used as a topic before, but trying to get
through that Samoa Joe/Necro Butcher match the other day got me thinking
about something my friends & I were talking about the other day:
who did we each think was the absolute WORST wrestler, the one without
even the tiniest hint of skill, that we’d ever seen perform?I
myself settled on New Jack. I’m literally shocked that anyone has ever
let him inside a wrestling ring (even though when near one, he doesn’t
often stay inside for long). Can’t stand him, never could, can’t believe
he’s ever been booked anywhere. By anyone. Don’t think I’ve ever seen
him do an actual wrestling move. Your (and the Blog’s) picks?
New Jack is a pretty good selection, and once you said you’re not sure
if you’ve ever seen him do a wrestling move, I had to think about that
myself. I can’t think of anything either. Just hitting people with
things. Although I’ve never seen his Smokey Mountain work.
Now,
even though New Jack is terrible, he was at least charismatic, and could
at least move quickly, unlike The Great Khali. He moved like a slug,
and literally did nothing but chops, kicks, and his pancake slam. He was
the most boring motherfucker, and the worst wrestler in history. Of
course, what did they do? They not only pushed him to the tippy top,
gave him his own gimmick match, but he pinned The Undertaker with ONE
FOOT! Thankfully they just keep him in the undercard now, which I’m
happy with because he’s a fantastic human being, and does a lot for his
people, so I want him employed, just not in the main event.
Of course, there’s also DeBo, best known to you people as Zeus…
How say you?
Greetings.
What’s the greatest movie opening of all time? I’m not really setting any parameters, but you can figure it out.
For your boy, it’s Scream. Hands down. It’s an absolutely captivating piece of film and some of the most brilliant writing in film history. It starts off so innocent and calm, and keeps building until something as benign as a telephone ring is the scariest sound in the world. I love how it all starts off so innocent, and the killer has his subtle slip ups like
“Why do you want to know my name?”
“Because I want to know who I’m looking at”
“…what did you say?”
“….I said I want to know who I’m…talking to”
And it builds until “YOU HANG UP ON ME AND I’LL GUT YOU LIKE A FISH!”. Then they play the game, and man, I could just talk about the scene all day. Absolutely incredible.
How say you?
Also, I have an ask, my people. I’ve recently started working on short stories, perhaps working up to longer pieces of fiction someday. So, I’ve posted my first attempt at my website, and I’d like to know what the people who dig my work think. It’s only about 3 pages long, so it won’t take too much of your time. You can either let me know in the comments or email, [email protected] Much appreciated, thanks. Also, while you’re at it with the email, do send in your questions for the QOTD.
Brutus Beefcake w/Luscious Johnny Valiant vs. S.D. Jones
Ahoy-hoy, shlebs from Sector-7G.
Today’s QOTD comes from the creator of Glee, Mr. Ryan Murphy. He writes in to ask…
“Got a morbid QOTD candidate for you. The interview with Nancy Benoit’s
sister got me thinking: say you’re Vince McMahon. You’re running a show
in Canada and David Benoit (Chris’ older son) gets backstage and asks to
speak to you. He tells you that it is still his dream to compete as a
pro wrestler and he’d like a tryout for NXT. Would you let it happen? Do
you try to discourage the kid from joining the business? Do you just
tell him good luck but not have him involved in your company? And if you
do sign him, do you ever address who his father was? I’d love to hear
what everyone thinks of this.”
On one hand, you know Vince is willing to exploit whatever he can. However, he’s on such a crusade to erase Benoit from history, I doubt he’d want to hire his kid.
Me, myself, I would try to discourage him. Because first of all he’s going to have trouble finding work due to his name. Second, you know there would be a promoter out there who would want to exploit the whole thing with his family. And third, his dad was one of the greatest technicians of all time, so he’s constantly going to be in that shadow. There are far too many negatives for a business that just doesn’t care about you.
Before we go, I’d like to promote my new ebook. It’s a manual on how to safely download torrents. Such as what program to use, what video player, what websites are safe & offer the best quality. It has pictures as well in order to learn what certain symbols and such are. Like myself, I’m sure there are people who buy DVDs, but also want they’ve purchased on their computer, so that’s where torrents come in handy. Or, if you’ve purchased a book, and would like it in ebook form as well. Obviously, some would use the power of torrents for evil, to take money out of the pockets of the meek in Hollywood, but that’s not what this book is for. It’s to simply help those who want to get more out of their legally obtained entertainment! The Greatest Guide To Downloading & Enjoying Torrents That You’ll Ever Have
How say you?