July 25, 1987
From the Civic Center in Glen Falls, NY
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Vince McMahon
In action tonight will be Koko B. Ware, The Islanders, Randy Savage, and the return of Superstar Billy Graham
Before the show, we see still photos of Ricky Steamboat and his wife with their newborn son. Ricky and his son were both dressed in his entrance gear in a really awkward staged photo. I assume this idea was okayed by his wife, Bonnie.
Barry Horowitz vs. Koko B. Ware
Koko hits a dropkick then takes Horowitz down with a few armdrags. Horowitz takes a breather then comes back in to hit a dropkick of his own but stops to give himself a pat on the back and that allowed Koko to dropkick him. Koko hits a slam then a missile dropkick before hitting the Ghostbuster for the win (1:41).
Thoughts: Despite Vince going out of his mind when Koko was dancing, Koko still had nothing going on in the company. This match is a must-see for dropkick aficionados.
WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge. This week's subject is the "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase as they show a clip of him at a house show of Virgil taking off one of his boots as a fan kissed it in order to give us $100. This gimmick was simple yet amazing. Instant heel heat.
DeGeorge is with Rick Martel as we find out that Tom Zenk has quit the WWF. Martel warns the Islanders that he is not a quitter and will fight them himself if needed. Jesse jokes that Martel should get Oliver North to be his new partner. They wouldn't even mention Zenk by name going forward as his quitting fucked up the WWF's Tag Team Division.
S.D. Jones & Scott Casey vs. The Islanders w/ Bobby Heenan
The match starts with Jones & Casey beating on Tama as Heenan is shown in an insert promo telling Martel that he should quit like his partner so he does not get hurt. Tama catches Jones with a jumping back elbow smash as the Islanders take control. Jones misses an attack then tags out as Casey runs wild until Haku attacks him from being then tosses him outside as the Islanders put Jones, the illegal man, away with double jumping headbutts (2:26).
Thoughts: With Zenk gone, they are now going with the idea that Martel would be insane to try and fight against the Islanders by himself.
Gene Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan, who will be facing Killer Khan at the Cow Palace on August 25th. Hogan comes out and cuts a wacky promo about how he consulted with Oliver North, Donna Rice and Gary Hart on how to get rid of Killer Khan. Political Hulk!
We see a video package on Jake Roberts, specifically his DDT, set to what sounds like a Tom Petty song. Not bad.
"The Outlaw" Ron Bass vs. "Leaping" Lanny Poffo
Poffo's pre-match promo is about Bass calling his whip "Miss Betsy" because its the closest he can get to a date, which Bass responds by beating the piss out of him. Poffo rolls away then starts throwing punches before taking Bass down with a dropkick. Poffo hits a slam and gets two with a moonsault but ducks his head on a backdrop and gets kicked then Bass gets the win with the gourdbuster (1:27).
Thoughts: They are giving Bass a midcard push with the bullwhip gimmick now. He had been doing a whole lot of promos and not wrestling prior.
Okerlund is with Brutus Beefcake, who will be facing Danny Davis at the August 25th Cow Palace show. Beefcake, sporting a barbers coat with all the tools, tells us that he is looking forward to this match as he talks about his new "School of Style."
Steve Lombardi vs. Superstar Billy Graham
Graham gets a nice ovation as he walks down the aisle. He is walking very, very slowly by the way. Lombardi gets shoved through the ropes as he did all the work on that one. Graham uses a forearm smash and an eye poke before getting the win with a sleeper (1:18).
Thoughts: I give Lombardi all the credit in the world for working 99.9% of the match. Graham could barely even walk down the aisle, nevermind wrestle a match. The fans did give him a great ovation and having his debut take place in the Northeast was a smart move as they were more familiar with him.
DeGeorge, on a platform near the crowd, is with Slick and Butch Reed, who is not impressed at all with Graham. This was the first time they used the interview in front of the live crowd in this way. Reed then challenges Graham to a pose down next week.
Killer Bees vs. Tiger Chung Lee & Iron Mike Sharpe
The Bees are wearing their masks here. Vince hypes up the Bees as he brings up how they beat the Hart Foundation in a non-title match a few weeks ago. Match starts with the Bees working over Sharpe. Lee tags as Brunzell slams him down. Sharpe breaks up a pin then the match breaks down a bit as Jesse goes off on the Bees for wearing masks. The match breaks down again then Brunzell puts Lee away after a pair of dropkicks (3:39).
Thoughts: The Bees are being pushed as the #1 contenders, despite being a vanilla team. The crowds were somewhat into the masked confusion stuff.
We get a segment called "The Battle for Bam Bam" in which all the managers are shown telling Bam Bam Bigelow why they should sign with them.
Omar Atlas vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage w/ Elizabeth
Vince is fawning all over Elizabeth as she heads down the aisle. Atlas takes Savage down with a jumping side headlock takeover. Savage tries a slam but Atlas falls on top and gets two off of that as Savage rolls outside. Savage heads back in and kness Atlas. He slams him on the ropes and roughs him up for a bit before taking him down with a clothesline. Savage then slams Atlas and heads up top, as a lot of fans are standing and cheering on camera, then drops the elbow for the win (2:01).
Thoughts: The cheers Savage was getting at this time were very noticeable.
Okerlund is with Mr., Fuji, who will be managing Demolition against Billy Jack Haynes & Ken Patera at the Cow Palace. Fuji tells Haynes & Patera that he hates the state or Oregon and has told Demolition to destroy them. Demolition finally come out as they talk trash about their opponents before leaving. Killer Khan comes out as Fuji tells the people of San Francisco that he loves them because they are "sick" and "funny" as Khan stares into the camera. Typical wackiness from Fuji here.
Superstar Billy Graham tells us that he has conquered everything and is back and will also accept Butch Reed's challenge for the posedown.
In action next week will be Rougeau Brothers & Brutus Beefcake, Ken Patera, and the Honky Tonk Man.
Final Thoughts: The first few months after WrestleMania III saw the WWF have a lot of bad luck with their feuds due to wrestlers getting fired, taking time off, or quitting. The Islanders vs. Can-Ams feud was hot at the time too so that one hurt when it ended abruptly. The Graham return just never worked out and the rest of the show was focused on pushing soon-to-be debuting acts, which were hyped up wonderfully.
Here is my schedule for the next several days:
Saturday: RoH Glory By Honor 9/20/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 7/26/87
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 8/1/87
Thursday: RoH Straight Shootin' Series with Dusty Rhodes
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 8/2/87
From the Civic Center in Glen Falls, NY
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, and Vince McMahon
In action tonight will be Koko B. Ware, The Islanders, Randy Savage, and the return of Superstar Billy Graham
Before the show, we see still photos of Ricky Steamboat and his wife with their newborn son. Ricky and his son were both dressed in his entrance gear in a really awkward staged photo. I assume this idea was okayed by his wife, Bonnie.
Barry Horowitz vs. Koko B. Ware
Koko hits a dropkick then takes Horowitz down with a few armdrags. Horowitz takes a breather then comes back in to hit a dropkick of his own but stops to give himself a pat on the back and that allowed Koko to dropkick him. Koko hits a slam then a missile dropkick before hitting the Ghostbuster for the win (1:41).
Thoughts: Despite Vince going out of his mind when Koko was dancing, Koko still had nothing going on in the company. This match is a must-see for dropkick aficionados.
WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge. This week's subject is the "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase as they show a clip of him at a house show of Virgil taking off one of his boots as a fan kissed it in order to give us $100. This gimmick was simple yet amazing. Instant heel heat.
DeGeorge is with Rick Martel as we find out that Tom Zenk has quit the WWF. Martel warns the Islanders that he is not a quitter and will fight them himself if needed. Jesse jokes that Martel should get Oliver North to be his new partner. They wouldn't even mention Zenk by name going forward as his quitting fucked up the WWF's Tag Team Division.
S.D. Jones & Scott Casey vs. The Islanders w/ Bobby Heenan
The match starts with Jones & Casey beating on Tama as Heenan is shown in an insert promo telling Martel that he should quit like his partner so he does not get hurt. Tama catches Jones with a jumping back elbow smash as the Islanders take control. Jones misses an attack then tags out as Casey runs wild until Haku attacks him from being then tosses him outside as the Islanders put Jones, the illegal man, away with double jumping headbutts (2:26).
Thoughts: With Zenk gone, they are now going with the idea that Martel would be insane to try and fight against the Islanders by himself.
Gene Okerlund is with Hulk Hogan, who will be facing Killer Khan at the Cow Palace on August 25th. Hogan comes out and cuts a wacky promo about how he consulted with Oliver North, Donna Rice and Gary Hart on how to get rid of Killer Khan. Political Hulk!
We see a video package on Jake Roberts, specifically his DDT, set to what sounds like a Tom Petty song. Not bad.
"The Outlaw" Ron Bass vs. "Leaping" Lanny Poffo
Poffo's pre-match promo is about Bass calling his whip "Miss Betsy" because its the closest he can get to a date, which Bass responds by beating the piss out of him. Poffo rolls away then starts throwing punches before taking Bass down with a dropkick. Poffo hits a slam and gets two with a moonsault but ducks his head on a backdrop and gets kicked then Bass gets the win with the gourdbuster (1:27).
Thoughts: They are giving Bass a midcard push with the bullwhip gimmick now. He had been doing a whole lot of promos and not wrestling prior.
Okerlund is with Brutus Beefcake, who will be facing Danny Davis at the August 25th Cow Palace show. Beefcake, sporting a barbers coat with all the tools, tells us that he is looking forward to this match as he talks about his new "School of Style."
Steve Lombardi vs. Superstar Billy Graham
Graham gets a nice ovation as he walks down the aisle. He is walking very, very slowly by the way. Lombardi gets shoved through the ropes as he did all the work on that one. Graham uses a forearm smash and an eye poke before getting the win with a sleeper (1:18).
Thoughts: I give Lombardi all the credit in the world for working 99.9% of the match. Graham could barely even walk down the aisle, nevermind wrestle a match. The fans did give him a great ovation and having his debut take place in the Northeast was a smart move as they were more familiar with him.
DeGeorge, on a platform near the crowd, is with Slick and Butch Reed, who is not impressed at all with Graham. This was the first time they used the interview in front of the live crowd in this way. Reed then challenges Graham to a pose down next week.
Killer Bees vs. Tiger Chung Lee & Iron Mike Sharpe
The Bees are wearing their masks here. Vince hypes up the Bees as he brings up how they beat the Hart Foundation in a non-title match a few weeks ago. Match starts with the Bees working over Sharpe. Lee tags as Brunzell slams him down. Sharpe breaks up a pin then the match breaks down a bit as Jesse goes off on the Bees for wearing masks. The match breaks down again then Brunzell puts Lee away after a pair of dropkicks (3:39).
Thoughts: The Bees are being pushed as the #1 contenders, despite being a vanilla team. The crowds were somewhat into the masked confusion stuff.
We get a segment called "The Battle for Bam Bam" in which all the managers are shown telling Bam Bam Bigelow why they should sign with them.
Omar Atlas vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage w/ Elizabeth
Vince is fawning all over Elizabeth as she heads down the aisle. Atlas takes Savage down with a jumping side headlock takeover. Savage tries a slam but Atlas falls on top and gets two off of that as Savage rolls outside. Savage heads back in and kness Atlas. He slams him on the ropes and roughs him up for a bit before taking him down with a clothesline. Savage then slams Atlas and heads up top, as a lot of fans are standing and cheering on camera, then drops the elbow for the win (2:01).
Thoughts: The cheers Savage was getting at this time were very noticeable.
Okerlund is with Mr., Fuji, who will be managing Demolition against Billy Jack Haynes & Ken Patera at the Cow Palace. Fuji tells Haynes & Patera that he hates the state or Oregon and has told Demolition to destroy them. Demolition finally come out as they talk trash about their opponents before leaving. Killer Khan comes out as Fuji tells the people of San Francisco that he loves them because they are "sick" and "funny" as Khan stares into the camera. Typical wackiness from Fuji here.
Superstar Billy Graham tells us that he has conquered everything and is back and will also accept Butch Reed's challenge for the posedown.
In action next week will be Rougeau Brothers & Brutus Beefcake, Ken Patera, and the Honky Tonk Man.
Final Thoughts: The first few months after WrestleMania III saw the WWF have a lot of bad luck with their feuds due to wrestlers getting fired, taking time off, or quitting. The Islanders vs. Can-Ams feud was hot at the time too so that one hurt when it ended abruptly. The Graham return just never worked out and the rest of the show was focused on pushing soon-to-be debuting acts, which were hyped up wonderfully.
Here is my schedule for the next several days:
Saturday: RoH Glory By Honor 9/20/03
Sunday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 7/26/87
Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 8/1/87
Thursday: RoH Straight Shootin' Series with Dusty Rhodes
Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 8/2/87
Didn't the fan who kissed his feet grow up to be ... Rob Van Dam?
ReplyDeleteCow Palace promos So this didn't come from your Boston Gardens stash?
ReplyDeleteI have that same Cow Palace tape, too.
ReplyDeleteYep.
ReplyDeleteThe WWF pretty much had everyone bury Tom Zenk for quitting. Usually when someone leaves they just disappear but when they have his tag team partner calling him a quitter that's a burial. It was unusual to see them acknowledge Zenk leaving in such a blunt manner.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much weed you could've bought for $100 in the 80's?
ReplyDeleteReed and Slick calling out SBG is one of the first things of wrestling I ever remember seeing.
ReplyDeleteIt did not.
ReplyDeleteGiven how he has a rep of a complete prick, I am not surprised
ReplyDeleteIt was unusual to even the 13 year-old mark watching at the time. When he showed up as the Z-Man in WCW, I thought, "How could that guy ever show his face ever again?"
ReplyDeleteSame here!
ReplyDeleteGrahams return got a more then nice ovation. People were jumping up and down! It was one of the first shows I saw. I thought Graham was a knd of second coming of Hulk Hogan. I was wrong on many levels there. Too bad the comeback didn't work out. I became a big fan of Graham just by this angle and only years later could see his matches from the seventies on the internet etc....
ReplyDeletedfdf
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