April 11, 1987
From the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Vince McMahon
In action this week are the Hart Foundation, Koko B. Ware, Honky Tonk Man, and the New Dream Team.
We are shown a replay of last week when Jim Duggan ran off Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff.
Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Koko B. Ware
Funk attacks Koko before the bell and beats him up in the corner. He then taunts the fans before walking into a dropkick as Koko takes control of the match. He hits a fist drop from the middle rope but misses a corner splash as Funk then drops him across the top rope. Funk rakes Koko's eyes across the top rope but ducks his head as Koko uppercuts him before hitting the Ghostbuster for the win (2:18).
Thoughts: Solid action. Koko gets the win but has nothing at all going on for him. He is languishing in the midcard.
WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge. We learn here that Mr. Fuji is now the new manager of Demolition as we get a promo from them. Fuji was also wearing face paint here. Demolition said that all they have to do to be successful is to listen to Fuji and demolish their competition. Good promo that them even more of a threat. In their shoot interview from RF Video, Ax said that he requested Fuji to be their manager because he felt that Johnny V. never grasped what the team was supposed to be about and was too much of a goof on-screen.
Tommy Sharpe & Nick Kiniski vs. New Dream Team w/ Johnny V.
Dino Bravo has replaced Brutus Beefcake as Valentine's partner. Bravo is sporting Canadian flag trunks. He starts off the match with Kiniski as they work a crappy sequence that included a botched arm drag spot. Bravo catches him with an inverted atomic drop as we get an isnert promo from Johnny V. as he runs down Beefcake. Kiniski avoids an elbow drop from Valentine then tags out after a brief flurry of offense. Valentine drops Sharpe with an elbow smash as the New Dream Team take turns beating him down until Bravo puts gets the win with a side slam (3:18).
Thoughts: Unmemorable debut for the New Dream Team. The crowd was practically silent and Bravo looked bad in the ring. Its no wonder this team did not last too long.
Gene Okerlund, wearing sunglasses, talks to a woman who is off screen who tells Gene he deserves all that he can get then we segue into a Hogan promo who runs down Bobby Heenan for trying to use his money to get people to go after him. Hogan says that he gets off on taking down all his guys as he warns Harley Race about being able to hang with Hulkamania.
"Leaping" Lanny Poffo recites a poem about WWF Ice Cream Bars.
Jim Young vs. Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart
Hart is holding a sign that reads "Ban the DDT." Match starts with Young grabbing an arm wringer that gets broken up quickly with an eye rake. Hart is shown in an insert promo telling us to join the movement on banning the DDT as Honky takes it to Young. Honky hits a fist drop from the middle rope before tossing Young to the floor. Young gets punished outside of the ring then gets rolled back in and is put away by the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (2:20). After the match, Honky thanks his fans then dances to his theme song as the crowd rains down on him with boos.
Thoughts: They are using the ban the DDT angle to keep the Roberts/Honky feud alive. Honky was getting a ton of heel heat here with his act as well.
Okerlund is backstage and still speaking to this woman who is off camera. Looking at Gene, I'm guessing the shades are on due to a hangover. He looks hurting. Anyway, a bald Adrian Adonis comes out to hype his match against Brutus Beefcake in Boston. Adonis blames Beefcake for losing against Piper and says that he is here to tell the whole world that he will get revenge on Beefcake. No makeup for Adonis here either. He was fired a couple of weeks after this aired and according to Dave Meltzer it was due to repeated dress code violations and being a slob in general.
Rougeau Brothers vs. Terry Gibbs & Bill Howard
Match starts with the Rougeaus getting the best of Gibbs. They then clear the ring after Howard ran in as we get an insert promo from the Rougeaus, who say that Bravo is no good and promises to get revenge. Back to the match as the Rougeaus work over Howard until they put him away with the Rougeau Bomb as Jesse accuses them of cheating (1:55).
Thoughts: This match was designed to make another team out to be a threat to the Tag Titles. We also are going to get a feud between the Rougeaus and the New Dream Team. Joy.
Craig DeGeorge is with Elizabeth and asks her what its like to be with Randy Savage after he lost the Intercontinental Title as she says that he has been possessed and how she has never seen him like this before.
Ricky Steamboat is with his wife Bonnie. He holds the Intercontinental Title as Bonnie tells us that they are expecting a "Little Dragon." Steamboat came off as very wooden here. That announcement was basically the end of Steamboat's push with the company as he requested a few weeks off but Vince wanted the belt defended at house shows so he dropped it to the Honky Tonk Man. Steamboat was originally supposed to have a year long run with the belt as well.
Craig DeGeorge is backstage as we awaits Randy Savage, who comes by and says no comment. DeGeorge then looks at the camera and talks about those doubting Savage can regain the title as Savage himself comes back and intimidates DeGeorge as he talks about how he will indeed get the title back. Great stuff from Savage.
And now its Part 2 of the Ken Patera story. Okerlund narrates as they play up how Patera's image was tarnished and brainwashed by Bobby Heenan. They show clips of Patera with Heenan from TNT and other shows. It ends with Okerlund telling us that all of Heenan's promises ended up leading him to jail. Okay, this was pretty ridiculous and a lot worse than I remember. Even fans being less smart to wrestling in 1987 could probably tell this was all horseshit.
Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Billy Anderson
Hercules destroys Anderson as we get an insert promo from Haynes, telling Hercules he will never forget what he did to him at WrestleMania III and to bring his chain where ever he goes with him as Hercules then puts Anderson away with a full nelson (1:04).
Thoughts: Really short but Haynes' insert promo was designed to start a series of "chain matches" these two would have a house shows.
We get dueling promos from both Brutus Beefcake and Adrian Adonis. Beefcake cuts a weird promo about his mom holding him in her hands, relating it to cutting Adonis's hair as Hart brings out Adonis, who is now sporting makeup and a pink bow on his shears as they warn Beefcake about what will happen to him. They have done a good job at establishing this feud on the show.
Rick Hunter & S.D. Jones vs. Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis
S.D. suprises Neidhart with a small package then tags Hunter, who gets beaten down. The British Bulldogs are shown in an insert promo warning the Hart Foundation how they are watching them. The Harts continue their assault on Hunter until they put him away with the Hart Attack (2:24). After the match the Harts attack their opponents until the Bulldogs run in and chase them off with Matilda.
Thoughts: The Hart Foundation continue to look great in the ring. They also re-established the Bulldogs as a threat as their feud has not ended.
Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan and mentions how he failed at WrestleMania III. Heenan tells Okerlund that he has never failed at a thing in his life and how no one will call him a failure after Harley Race defeats Hogan in Boston.
Next week, we will get Part 3 of the Ken Patera story. In action will be the Can-Am Connection, Kamala & Sika, Jake Roberts, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and King Harley Race.
Final Thoughts: I thought this was a solid show. Last week's episode was the fallout from WrestleMania III while here they started to plan feuds going forward. The Ken Patera Story stuff was not too good though but besides that just about everything else was done for a reason.
From the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Vince McMahon
In action this week are the Hart Foundation, Koko B. Ware, Honky Tonk Man, and the New Dream Team.
We are shown a replay of last week when Jim Duggan ran off Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff.
Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Koko B. Ware
Funk attacks Koko before the bell and beats him up in the corner. He then taunts the fans before walking into a dropkick as Koko takes control of the match. He hits a fist drop from the middle rope but misses a corner splash as Funk then drops him across the top rope. Funk rakes Koko's eyes across the top rope but ducks his head as Koko uppercuts him before hitting the Ghostbuster for the win (2:18).
Thoughts: Solid action. Koko gets the win but has nothing at all going on for him. He is languishing in the midcard.
WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge. We learn here that Mr. Fuji is now the new manager of Demolition as we get a promo from them. Fuji was also wearing face paint here. Demolition said that all they have to do to be successful is to listen to Fuji and demolish their competition. Good promo that them even more of a threat. In their shoot interview from RF Video, Ax said that he requested Fuji to be their manager because he felt that Johnny V. never grasped what the team was supposed to be about and was too much of a goof on-screen.
Tommy Sharpe & Nick Kiniski vs. New Dream Team w/ Johnny V.
Dino Bravo has replaced Brutus Beefcake as Valentine's partner. Bravo is sporting Canadian flag trunks. He starts off the match with Kiniski as they work a crappy sequence that included a botched arm drag spot. Bravo catches him with an inverted atomic drop as we get an isnert promo from Johnny V. as he runs down Beefcake. Kiniski avoids an elbow drop from Valentine then tags out after a brief flurry of offense. Valentine drops Sharpe with an elbow smash as the New Dream Team take turns beating him down until Bravo puts gets the win with a side slam (3:18).
Thoughts: Unmemorable debut for the New Dream Team. The crowd was practically silent and Bravo looked bad in the ring. Its no wonder this team did not last too long.
Gene Okerlund, wearing sunglasses, talks to a woman who is off screen who tells Gene he deserves all that he can get then we segue into a Hogan promo who runs down Bobby Heenan for trying to use his money to get people to go after him. Hogan says that he gets off on taking down all his guys as he warns Harley Race about being able to hang with Hulkamania.
"Leaping" Lanny Poffo recites a poem about WWF Ice Cream Bars.
Jim Young vs. Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart
Hart is holding a sign that reads "Ban the DDT." Match starts with Young grabbing an arm wringer that gets broken up quickly with an eye rake. Hart is shown in an insert promo telling us to join the movement on banning the DDT as Honky takes it to Young. Honky hits a fist drop from the middle rope before tossing Young to the floor. Young gets punished outside of the ring then gets rolled back in and is put away by the Shake, Rattle, and Roll (2:20). After the match, Honky thanks his fans then dances to his theme song as the crowd rains down on him with boos.
Thoughts: They are using the ban the DDT angle to keep the Roberts/Honky feud alive. Honky was getting a ton of heel heat here with his act as well.
Okerlund is backstage and still speaking to this woman who is off camera. Looking at Gene, I'm guessing the shades are on due to a hangover. He looks hurting. Anyway, a bald Adrian Adonis comes out to hype his match against Brutus Beefcake in Boston. Adonis blames Beefcake for losing against Piper and says that he is here to tell the whole world that he will get revenge on Beefcake. No makeup for Adonis here either. He was fired a couple of weeks after this aired and according to Dave Meltzer it was due to repeated dress code violations and being a slob in general.
Rougeau Brothers vs. Terry Gibbs & Bill Howard
Match starts with the Rougeaus getting the best of Gibbs. They then clear the ring after Howard ran in as we get an insert promo from the Rougeaus, who say that Bravo is no good and promises to get revenge. Back to the match as the Rougeaus work over Howard until they put him away with the Rougeau Bomb as Jesse accuses them of cheating (1:55).
Thoughts: This match was designed to make another team out to be a threat to the Tag Titles. We also are going to get a feud between the Rougeaus and the New Dream Team. Joy.
Craig DeGeorge is with Elizabeth and asks her what its like to be with Randy Savage after he lost the Intercontinental Title as she says that he has been possessed and how she has never seen him like this before.
Ricky Steamboat is with his wife Bonnie. He holds the Intercontinental Title as Bonnie tells us that they are expecting a "Little Dragon." Steamboat came off as very wooden here. That announcement was basically the end of Steamboat's push with the company as he requested a few weeks off but Vince wanted the belt defended at house shows so he dropped it to the Honky Tonk Man. Steamboat was originally supposed to have a year long run with the belt as well.
Craig DeGeorge is backstage as we awaits Randy Savage, who comes by and says no comment. DeGeorge then looks at the camera and talks about those doubting Savage can regain the title as Savage himself comes back and intimidates DeGeorge as he talks about how he will indeed get the title back. Great stuff from Savage.
And now its Part 2 of the Ken Patera story. Okerlund narrates as they play up how Patera's image was tarnished and brainwashed by Bobby Heenan. They show clips of Patera with Heenan from TNT and other shows. It ends with Okerlund telling us that all of Heenan's promises ended up leading him to jail. Okay, this was pretty ridiculous and a lot worse than I remember. Even fans being less smart to wrestling in 1987 could probably tell this was all horseshit.
Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Billy Anderson
Hercules destroys Anderson as we get an insert promo from Haynes, telling Hercules he will never forget what he did to him at WrestleMania III and to bring his chain where ever he goes with him as Hercules then puts Anderson away with a full nelson (1:04).
Thoughts: Really short but Haynes' insert promo was designed to start a series of "chain matches" these two would have a house shows.
We get dueling promos from both Brutus Beefcake and Adrian Adonis. Beefcake cuts a weird promo about his mom holding him in her hands, relating it to cutting Adonis's hair as Hart brings out Adonis, who is now sporting makeup and a pink bow on his shears as they warn Beefcake about what will happen to him. They have done a good job at establishing this feud on the show.
Rick Hunter & S.D. Jones vs. Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis
S.D. suprises Neidhart with a small package then tags Hunter, who gets beaten down. The British Bulldogs are shown in an insert promo warning the Hart Foundation how they are watching them. The Harts continue their assault on Hunter until they put him away with the Hart Attack (2:24). After the match the Harts attack their opponents until the Bulldogs run in and chase them off with Matilda.
Thoughts: The Hart Foundation continue to look great in the ring. They also re-established the Bulldogs as a threat as their feud has not ended.
Okerlund is with Bobby Heenan and mentions how he failed at WrestleMania III. Heenan tells Okerlund that he has never failed at a thing in his life and how no one will call him a failure after Harley Race defeats Hogan in Boston.
Next week, we will get Part 3 of the Ken Patera story. In action will be the Can-Am Connection, Kamala & Sika, Jake Roberts, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and King Harley Race.
Final Thoughts: I thought this was a solid show. Last week's episode was the fallout from WrestleMania III while here they started to plan feuds going forward. The Ken Patera Story stuff was not too good though but besides that just about everything else was done for a reason.
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