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WWF Wrestling Challenge November 2nd, 1986

November 2, 1986

From the War Memorial in Rochester, NY

Your hosts are Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon

Tonight's featured match will have Randy Savage defend his Intercontinental Title against Billy Jack Haynes. Also, the Islanders, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, and Ricky Steamboat will all be in action.




WWF Intercontinental Title Match
Randy "Macho Man" Savage (Champion) w/ Elizabeth vs. Billy Jack Haynes

Savage is shown in an insert promo promising that there will be no more controversy in his matches. Gorilla complains about referee Danny Davis who is working the match. Savage works an arm wringer to start the match. Haynes reverses then grabs a side headlock as Savage pulls back his hair then breaks with a knee smash. Savage beats on Haynes as Heenan keeps on working in "Billy Jerk" on commentary. Haynes is on the floor as Savage flies out and hits him with a double axe handle and rolls him back inside for two. Haynes fight back and catches Savage with a backbreaker then a press slam as the crowd goes nuts. Savage whiffs on a clothesline and Haynes puts him in a full nelson. Davis barely checks on Savage as Gorilla is flipping out on commentary. Haynes swings Savage around and his arm inadvertently hits Davis, who rings for the bell as he awards Savage the match via DQ (5:00). The fans boo the decision as Davis himself announced the finish.

Thoughts: Decent action here but the main focus was on Danny Davis, the evil referee. Man, the Davis storyline was one of the most heavily pushed on television at this time and he was the focal point here, not the Intercontinental Champion.


Terry Gibbs & Iron Mike Sharpe vs. The Islanders

Tama hits both Gibbs and Sharpe with several armdrags each to start the match. Haku tags and chops Gibbs against the ropes as we get an insert promo from the Dream Team as they make fun of the Islanders' names. Sharpe rakes the eyes of Tama as he and Gibbs isolate him for a little bit but Haku tags and beats on both guys until he tags Tama, who puts Gibbs away with a top rope splash (2:55).

Thoughts: The fans were dead for this match. They cheered a little bit when Tama hit the splash but that was all.


Ken Resnick is with the British Bulldogs and Matilda. They list off all of the heel team and how Matilda will take care of their managers if they try to interfere.


Hercules Hernandez & Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff w/Slick vs. Corporal Kirchner & "Leaping" Lanny Poffo & S.D. Jones

Poffo's poem was a pro-USA one that got the crowd going briefly. Jones headbutts down Volkoff then tags Poffo, who gets trapped in the opposing corner. Kirchner tags and beats on Sheik as we get an insert promo from Slick in which he claims that he special plans for Hercules. Sheik hits Kirchner with a gutwrench suplex then tags Hercules, who makes Kirchner submit to the backbreaker (1:18).

Thoughts: And this was the end of Kirchner's career as any sort of a threat. Getting pinned like this was death to your career at this time and he even did the job instead of Poffo or S.D. This show was filmed a few weeks prior to the 11/1/86 Boston Garden show that I reviewed on the site a few days ago and Hercules still had not undergone his transformation.


Resnick is with the Killer Bees. They talk about how they will gladly put their "record" up against anybody, including the British Bulldogs. Resnick then asks Blair about the 2nd annual "B. Brian Blair Wrestling Tournament" for kid 14 years old and under. The Bees did not show a lot of personality here.


Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Tito Santana & Pedro Morales

Heenan makes some politically correct jokes on the behalf of Tito & Pedro before the match. Match starts with the Anvil and Tito trading shoulderblocks. Tito catches the Anvil with a dropkick but Hart pulls his leg. Tito tags Pedro and he hits Brett with a backdrop but gets kneed on a charge. Jimmy Hart is shown in an insert promo talking about his megaphone as the Hart's beat on Pedro. Tito finally tags and is a house of fire. He hits Brett with a crossbody but the Anvil breaks that up as the match breaks down then both teams brawl outside as the match ends in a double count out (2:51).

Thoughts: Too short to amount to anything as the Hart's deserved a better feud than this.


The Snake Pit with guest Roddy Piper, who says in the entrance way. He tells Jake that he does not like snakes. Jake then goes to get the snake as Piper tells him to talk to him instead of the snake as Jake reassures Piper that he will not attack him and this ends with Piper shoving Jake down from behind before leaving. If you were expecting any sort of epic encounter between these two on the mic, prepared to be letdown.


Barry O. & Tiger Chung Lee vs. The Rougeau Brothers

Raymond and Barry start off the match trading a few moves until Raymond hits a dropkick. Lee tags as we get another insert promo from Dino Bravo sating how the Rougeau's make him sick to his stomach and that he is the pride of Canada. The heels get some heat on Jacques until Lee misses a top rope move then Jacques tags Raymond as they put him away with the Rougeau Bomb (1:54).

Thoughts: Not much to this as they appear to be working on a lower card feud between the Rougeau's and Dino Bravo. 



Moondog Rex vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

Steamboat hits an armdrag and a flying headscissors to start. He works a side headlock on the mat but Rex breaks and beats on Steamboat in the corner as Heenan laughs while recalling how Steamboat got hit with a DDT on the floor by Jake Roberts at "Saturday Night's Main Event" then Steamboat gets the win with a victory roll (1:26).

Thoughts: Gorilla put over Steamboat on commentary as someone who he believed would soon have gold around his waist and with the promos he and Savage have been cutting on each other, it seems like the feud is developing soon.


Resnick is with the Dream Team as Valentine talks about how they were screwed out of the belts at WrestleMania 2 then about how they have their own dolls but that the Bulldogs are lucky and afraid to face them again. He says that they are ready to get the belts back. Solid promo from Valentine


Final Thoughts: This was an okay show. Seeing an Intercontinental Title Match on TV was a huge deal but some of this dragged as the main feuds were not addressed here other than the Danny Davis storyline. They were setting up a little bit towards WrestleMania but at the time you would have not picked up on that.









Comments

  1. I love these Billy Jack vs Savage matches. The rematch is even better. Great stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. Nikita Koloff -- I still love this guy in retrospect. His face persons was almost Hogan-like depending on his opponent. He was a nasty heel too.

    2. Ivan Koloff -- I don't understand why he's number 2. I just don't understand it.

    3. Nikolai Voloff -- One of the few Russians close to Russian ethinicity. More of a comedy heel even when he challenged Hogan for the title in 1985.

    4. Crusher Kushkev: They couldn't decide if he was a US turncoat or a Russian born in the US. Darsow proved he could snarl and yell in Demolition. His mild interviews were quite a contrast. I'm speaking of a promo I heard of Crusher at Starrcade 85 - maybe he cut promos differently.

    5. Alexis Smirnoff: Couldn't decide if he was a Russian or a pirate.

    6. Boris Zukov: Jobber, but hey at least they put Steve Allen over at Wrestlemania 6. Sadly Zukov even jobbed to a toilet flush.

    7 and 8. The Rugged Russians

    9. Russov

    10. Alex Wright

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm pretty sure being a former multi-time world champion who is a nearly 20 year veteran is what's given him his heat and over-ness, not jobbing to the Shield twice, Daniel Bryan once (all clean), getting KO'ed by the Big Show, etc.

    The whole "WAHHHHHHH TRIPLE POOCHHHY (that was Nash's lame nickname, by the way, never Triple H's) IS DOMINATING THE SHOWS" thing got tired in 2009. Give it a rest.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nash fully deserved the Poochie moniker during his Booking Period of Doom.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Eh. His booking run was pretty shit, but it's a lame nickname.

    Then again, in 2014, every Simpsons reference is lame.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I remember being so mad at Danny Davis during this episode. Billy Jack Haynes and Randy Savage were two of my faves back then, but I really want Billy Jack to take the belt from him. I remember marking out for Roddy Piper being on the Snake Pit as well..

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  7. Or read Jesse Baker's booking ideas......

    ReplyDelete
  8. Even though he's further up the card than the guys mentioned, I'd put Cody Rhodes in there, too. He always seems to go all-in with whatever they give him and makes it work.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Herc wasn't Herc until he got the theme music. He's also the second-best Herc after Herc from The Wire.

    ReplyDelete
  10. F'N Body Slams - Dan SelbyOctober 1, 2014 at 12:12 AM

    Yeh, that's what I assumed.


    I thought it was amusing enough.

    ReplyDelete
  11. F'N Body Slams - Dan SelbyOctober 1, 2014 at 12:12 AM

    Bit strong.

    ReplyDelete
  12. F'N Body Slams - Dan SelbyOctober 1, 2014 at 12:13 AM

    I think with time, more and more people appreciate Eric's work.


    Very undervalued.

    ReplyDelete
  13. F'N Body Slams - Dan SelbyOctober 1, 2014 at 12:24 AM

    Definitely.


    I've heard the term 'deer in the headlights' used a few times for Dixie.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hold that 10 for Johnny B. BadOctober 1, 2014 at 1:36 AM

    FirePro had such an amazing roster, but I could never figure out the game play, setting finishers, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Super Nintendo had the best games overall but the Genesis was the People's Champion out of the two.


    Or the Megadrive as it was known in the UK and Japan. As Botchamania fans know, TNA Megadrive 2013 etc.

    ReplyDelete
  16. There's some iPhone/Android game that's a lot like Wrestlefest. I forget the name. It's meh.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Saying something is 'lame' has been weak for years Grandpa.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I've started watching random episodes with my girl, and we're both getting really into it. Daniel Bryan and Brie want to open a Bed & Breakfast! It's surprisingly riveting stuff helped by my actually knowing and giving a shit who the people involved are, which is different from EVERY other reality show.


    Plus, Naomi is outrageously hot.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Someone must have fed him after midnight.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Also @SeinfeldStories though it's mostly dead now.

    "Newman purposely holds Jerry's bills so they are a day late and have a small fine."

    ReplyDelete
  21. SHUT UP MEEKIN

    *clap clap clap-clap-clap*

    BIG BULLY BUSICK

    *clap clap clap-clap-clap*

    ReplyDelete
  22. Or he figured everyone's trying to convince Cena to drop down and start giving out blowjobs.

    ReplyDelete
  23. She has that "I'd be HONOURED for you to slap me in the face with your dick. Can I clean it for you at the same time?" look that so many men love.

    ReplyDelete
  24. They probably still think that HBK would have been more over in 1996 if he'd had Todd Pettingill as his best friend and #1 fan.

    ReplyDelete
  25. "How big are Steph's tits?"

    ReplyDelete
  26. Iddqd for me or maybe funds

    ReplyDelete
  27. Yeah, but with all Vince's money he can just buy all the Adult Diapers he needs.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I was a big mark for Billy Jack as a kid, mostly because the Apter mags had made such a big deal out of him before he ever got to the WWF. I was convinced he was eventually going to beat Savage for the IC belt, but this was as close as he ever got.

    Given what we ended up getting instead, I can't really complain.

    ReplyDelete

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