September 20, 1986
This is the last show from the first-ever Superstars taping in Providence, RI
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Vince McMahon
The Dream Team w/ Johnny V vs. U.S. Express
Valiant was billed as "Johnny V" here. Valentine and Rotundo start out the match on the mat. Rotundo wins that battle and catches Valentine with a slam. Brutus runs in and gets slammed too as Rotundo hits Valentine with an atomic drop then gets a nearfall with an elbow drop. Valentine knocks down Rotundo after he lowered his head for a backdrop and takes control. Rotundo escapes and makes the tag as Spivey clotheslines Valentine. Leg drop gets two. Valentine is able to tag Brutus after raking the eyes of Spivey, who fights back. The U.S. Express work over Beefcake in the corner then the match completely breaks down. Rotundo catches Beefcake with the airplane spin and covers but Johnny V runs in and breaks it up with an elbow drop and the match is ruled a DQ (3:08). The heels briefly attack Rotundo until Spivey runs them off.
Thoughts: Good action for a three-minute match that seems to be setting up a few weeks of house show matches to follow. The U.S. Express never really got that much of a push in the WWF as there were far too many teams ahead of them.
WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week's subject is the Honky Tonk Man as we show a clip of him in the recording studio. One of the worst ideas for a babyface character that Vince has ever had. Honky as a face was even less annoying than when he was a heel.
Tony Nardo & Steve Lombardi vs. Junkyard Dog & George "The Animal" Steele w/ Capt. Lou Albano
Steele beats on Lombardi then tags JYD, who slams Lombardi as we get an insert promo from Randy Savage, who says that JYD does not have what it takes to beat him for the Intercontinental Title. Nardo tags and JYD hits him with a powerslam for the win (1:25). After the match, the faces dance with a bunch of kids as Vince cackles like a lunatic.
Thoughts: JYD's rapid deterioration continues as he can barely work a 90 second squash tag match. Typical stuff from JYD & Steele.
Ken Resnick is with Capt Lou Albano and Super & Big Machine. They will be teaming with Hulk Machine to take on Bobby Heenan, King Kong Bundy, and Big John Studd. Hulk Machine then comes out, wearing a "Hulkamania" shirt and a white mask and talks about rice paddies and a few other Japanese stereotypes until the segment ends. Since the gimmick bombed, might as well have some fun with it before it goes away.
We get a replay of Roddy Piper insulting Slick on the "Flower Shop" from the 8/23/86 episode of "Championship Wrestling."
Mario Mancini & Nick Kiniski & Billy Jack Haynes vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff & Hercules Hernandez w/ Freddie Blassie & Slick
The fans are all over Volkoff as he sings the Russian National Anthem. Kiniski hits Sheik with a hiptoss after a leapfrog but Sheik rakes the eyes then backs Kiniski into his own corner. Mancini tags and Sheik folds him in half with a back suplex. Hercules tags then puts him in the backbreaker as he gets the win via submission (1:18).
Thoughts: Haynes did not even get to tag into the match. Kiniski, along with Brad Rheingans and Brickhouse Brown, got a brief trial run with the company doing some house shows and TV jobs around this time but never got signed.
Resnick is with Hulk Hogan, who will facing Paul Orndorff at the October 3rd show at the Nassau Coliseum. Hogan says there are still a few people left who are not Hulkamaniacs and that Orndorff went from hero to zero after he sold out to Heenan.
We get another video of Superstar Billy Graham covered in spiders as we hypes up his return to the WWF. The hype lasted a lot longer than is in-ring return.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. Tony Garea
Garea hits a few armdrags to start as Roberts laughs while retreating to the corner. Garea reverses an Irish whip then catches Roberts with a slam. He hits another slam then gets two with a crossbody that has Roberts slithering outside. Back inside, Roberts breaks up a wristlock with an eye poke then catches Garea with a DDT after a leapfrog for the win (1:49). After the match, Jake goes for the snake but the referee rolls Garea outside, pissing off Roberts.
Thoughts: As someone who rags on Tony Garea constantly, this guy was unbelievable. I wonder if he was an agent at this time because he took just about all of the offense then avoided the snake after doing the job. He had to have been the one protecting himself like this because I cannot imagine anyone else doing the same thing. The crowd wanted to see the snake as well but got snubbed due to Garea.
We get a video from Hulk Hogan who talks about how Orndorff turning on has effected him and that he promises to get revenge. Decent stuff from Hogan
We see Adrian Adonis and Roddy Piper preparing for next week's showdown. Adonis is talking about flowers as Piper is shown slapping around flowers with a broom and saying Adonis looks like he gave birth to a litter of puppies. Not the best hype video in WWF history.
Joe Mirto & Jack Kruger vs. Killer Bees
Brunzell works over Mirto as we get an insert promo from Jimmy Hart, who says that the Bees are in the Funks way of a title shot and that they will go right through them. Blair is in and slams Mirto as we are shown Kamala, Kimchee and the Wizard walking to the ring. Brunzell tags but Mirto catches him with a backbreaker. Kruger tags and elbows Brunzell then gets two with a flying body press. Blair tags and gets backed into the opposite corner but Blair pushes Mirto back into his corner and the Bees finish him off with the Bee Sting or the "Keister Bump" according to Vince. Jesse rags on Vince for using that term. (2:46).
Thoughts: The Bees were getting pushed as one of the top tag teams at the time and were a good team in the ring. The masked confusion gimmick did not exactly set the world on fire though.
And now we are shown a video package of Dick Slater giving us a tour of his ranch. He showed us his mule and we saw some dogs. Thrilling stuff.
Don Muraco w. Mr. Fuji vs. "Leaping" Lanny Poffo
They start it out on the mat as Muraco overpowers Poffo. Muraco then beats on Poffo and targets the neck. Vince complains about Danny Davis allowing Muraco to use a throat-thrust then when Fuji attacks Poffo outside of the ring as Davis was talking to Muraco. Poffo fires away on Muraco in the corner a Davis tries to break it up. Poffo gets two with a dropkick then gets a nearfall with a moonsault. Poffo charges but Muraco catches him with a slam then dedicates his tombstone piledriver to Jesse, who is standing up, and gets the win (3:43).
Thoughts: Match was alright for what is was but the main thing here was the continuation of the Danny Davis angle, with Vince making it a point to highlight his inconsistent officiating.
Resnick is with Bob Orton, who will be facing Roddy Piper in the Meadowlands. Orton tells Piper that he was his backbone and the reason he could run his mouth. Orton promises to hurt Piper.
Next week, Tito Santana, King Harley Race, and Kamala will be in action. Plus, the showdown between Piper and Adonis and Slick promises us a surprise.
Final Thoughts: Decent show. They pushed the top feuds and used a lot more vignettes to push wrestlers, which comes across well on television. We also had a few decent TV matches. Not everything wound up being a home run but the production of the show was really improved.
Upcoming Schedule:
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Christopher Daniels, Disc One (2014)
Friday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Christopher Daniels, Disc Two
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 9/21/86
Saturday: RoH All-Star Extravaganza 11/9/02
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 9/27/86
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 9/28/86
Email me your feedback at BBayless781@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mrbayless1982
This is the last show from the first-ever Superstars taping in Providence, RI
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Vince McMahon
The Dream Team w/ Johnny V vs. U.S. Express
Valiant was billed as "Johnny V" here. Valentine and Rotundo start out the match on the mat. Rotundo wins that battle and catches Valentine with a slam. Brutus runs in and gets slammed too as Rotundo hits Valentine with an atomic drop then gets a nearfall with an elbow drop. Valentine knocks down Rotundo after he lowered his head for a backdrop and takes control. Rotundo escapes and makes the tag as Spivey clotheslines Valentine. Leg drop gets two. Valentine is able to tag Brutus after raking the eyes of Spivey, who fights back. The U.S. Express work over Beefcake in the corner then the match completely breaks down. Rotundo catches Beefcake with the airplane spin and covers but Johnny V runs in and breaks it up with an elbow drop and the match is ruled a DQ (3:08). The heels briefly attack Rotundo until Spivey runs them off.
Thoughts: Good action for a three-minute match that seems to be setting up a few weeks of house show matches to follow. The U.S. Express never really got that much of a push in the WWF as there were far too many teams ahead of them.
WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week's subject is the Honky Tonk Man as we show a clip of him in the recording studio. One of the worst ideas for a babyface character that Vince has ever had. Honky as a face was even less annoying than when he was a heel.
Tony Nardo & Steve Lombardi vs. Junkyard Dog & George "The Animal" Steele w/ Capt. Lou Albano
Steele beats on Lombardi then tags JYD, who slams Lombardi as we get an insert promo from Randy Savage, who says that JYD does not have what it takes to beat him for the Intercontinental Title. Nardo tags and JYD hits him with a powerslam for the win (1:25). After the match, the faces dance with a bunch of kids as Vince cackles like a lunatic.
Thoughts: JYD's rapid deterioration continues as he can barely work a 90 second squash tag match. Typical stuff from JYD & Steele.
Ken Resnick is with Capt Lou Albano and Super & Big Machine. They will be teaming with Hulk Machine to take on Bobby Heenan, King Kong Bundy, and Big John Studd. Hulk Machine then comes out, wearing a "Hulkamania" shirt and a white mask and talks about rice paddies and a few other Japanese stereotypes until the segment ends. Since the gimmick bombed, might as well have some fun with it before it goes away.
We get a replay of Roddy Piper insulting Slick on the "Flower Shop" from the 8/23/86 episode of "Championship Wrestling."
Mario Mancini & Nick Kiniski & Billy Jack Haynes vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff & Hercules Hernandez w/ Freddie Blassie & Slick
The fans are all over Volkoff as he sings the Russian National Anthem. Kiniski hits Sheik with a hiptoss after a leapfrog but Sheik rakes the eyes then backs Kiniski into his own corner. Mancini tags and Sheik folds him in half with a back suplex. Hercules tags then puts him in the backbreaker as he gets the win via submission (1:18).
Thoughts: Haynes did not even get to tag into the match. Kiniski, along with Brad Rheingans and Brickhouse Brown, got a brief trial run with the company doing some house shows and TV jobs around this time but never got signed.
Resnick is with Hulk Hogan, who will facing Paul Orndorff at the October 3rd show at the Nassau Coliseum. Hogan says there are still a few people left who are not Hulkamaniacs and that Orndorff went from hero to zero after he sold out to Heenan.
We get another video of Superstar Billy Graham covered in spiders as we hypes up his return to the WWF. The hype lasted a lot longer than is in-ring return.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. Tony Garea
Garea hits a few armdrags to start as Roberts laughs while retreating to the corner. Garea reverses an Irish whip then catches Roberts with a slam. He hits another slam then gets two with a crossbody that has Roberts slithering outside. Back inside, Roberts breaks up a wristlock with an eye poke then catches Garea with a DDT after a leapfrog for the win (1:49). After the match, Jake goes for the snake but the referee rolls Garea outside, pissing off Roberts.
Thoughts: As someone who rags on Tony Garea constantly, this guy was unbelievable. I wonder if he was an agent at this time because he took just about all of the offense then avoided the snake after doing the job. He had to have been the one protecting himself like this because I cannot imagine anyone else doing the same thing. The crowd wanted to see the snake as well but got snubbed due to Garea.
We get a video from Hulk Hogan who talks about how Orndorff turning on has effected him and that he promises to get revenge. Decent stuff from Hogan
We see Adrian Adonis and Roddy Piper preparing for next week's showdown. Adonis is talking about flowers as Piper is shown slapping around flowers with a broom and saying Adonis looks like he gave birth to a litter of puppies. Not the best hype video in WWF history.
Joe Mirto & Jack Kruger vs. Killer Bees
Brunzell works over Mirto as we get an insert promo from Jimmy Hart, who says that the Bees are in the Funks way of a title shot and that they will go right through them. Blair is in and slams Mirto as we are shown Kamala, Kimchee and the Wizard walking to the ring. Brunzell tags but Mirto catches him with a backbreaker. Kruger tags and elbows Brunzell then gets two with a flying body press. Blair tags and gets backed into the opposite corner but Blair pushes Mirto back into his corner and the Bees finish him off with the Bee Sting or the "Keister Bump" according to Vince. Jesse rags on Vince for using that term. (2:46).
Thoughts: The Bees were getting pushed as one of the top tag teams at the time and were a good team in the ring. The masked confusion gimmick did not exactly set the world on fire though.
And now we are shown a video package of Dick Slater giving us a tour of his ranch. He showed us his mule and we saw some dogs. Thrilling stuff.
Don Muraco w. Mr. Fuji vs. "Leaping" Lanny Poffo
They start it out on the mat as Muraco overpowers Poffo. Muraco then beats on Poffo and targets the neck. Vince complains about Danny Davis allowing Muraco to use a throat-thrust then when Fuji attacks Poffo outside of the ring as Davis was talking to Muraco. Poffo fires away on Muraco in the corner a Davis tries to break it up. Poffo gets two with a dropkick then gets a nearfall with a moonsault. Poffo charges but Muraco catches him with a slam then dedicates his tombstone piledriver to Jesse, who is standing up, and gets the win (3:43).
Thoughts: Match was alright for what is was but the main thing here was the continuation of the Danny Davis angle, with Vince making it a point to highlight his inconsistent officiating.
Resnick is with Bob Orton, who will be facing Roddy Piper in the Meadowlands. Orton tells Piper that he was his backbone and the reason he could run his mouth. Orton promises to hurt Piper.
Next week, Tito Santana, King Harley Race, and Kamala will be in action. Plus, the showdown between Piper and Adonis and Slick promises us a surprise.
Final Thoughts: Decent show. They pushed the top feuds and used a lot more vignettes to push wrestlers, which comes across well on television. We also had a few decent TV matches. Not everything wound up being a home run but the production of the show was really improved.
Upcoming Schedule:
Thursday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Christopher Daniels, Disc One (2014)
Friday: RF Video Shoot Interview with Christopher Daniels, Disc Two
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 9/21/86
Saturday: RoH All-Star Extravaganza 11/9/02
Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 9/27/86
Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 9/28/86
Email me your feedback at BBayless781@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mrbayless1982
Slick's surprise is Butch Reed if I remember correctly. Also, I was under the assumption that you loved Tony Garea and his jumping side headlock.
ReplyDeleteGarea never let anyone look good when he jobbed. All about him.
ReplyDeleteTed Arcidi from Big Event disagrees with you.
ReplyDeleteThe exception to the rule
ReplyDeleteTed Arcidi being the one guy Garea made look good is akin to when we say "Why doesn't WWE make new main eventers? (Looks at Reigns) No, not him, those ones!"
ReplyDeleteJohnny "V" = so no one associated him with Jimmy Valiant, who could be seen at the time in JCP? (Since this started in the revamp of the syndie shows, I am guessing that Vince cut off the last connections the WWF had with any other company before his next big push)
ReplyDelete"He showed us his mule..."
ReplyDeleteI know this wasn't the PG-era, but I can't believe they let THAT on TV!
Good point
ReplyDelete