WWF Maple Leaf Wrestling: November 17th, 1984

November 17^th, 1984

Your hosts are Angelo Mosca and Jack Reynolds

This week, Tony Atlas, Barry Windham, Blackjack Mulligan, Tito Santana, and Paul Orndorff are in action. Also, Piper’s Pit with guest SD Jones.

Rene Goulet vs. Tony Atlas

Atlas is back after a brief stint in the AWA. The crowd is going nuts, starting a “Tony” chant. Atlas easily overpowers Goulet, occasionally stopping to taunt him. The crowd is eating up everything that Atlas does by the way. Goulet gets in an eye rake but Atlas fights back and hits a press slam for the win that had Mosca going out of his mind (3:28).

Thoughts: The crowd was hot for Atlas in his return. Atlas wasn’t around much longer after this as he was battling his substance abuse issues at this time.

WWF Update with Billy Red Lyons. It shows a Greg Valentine and Capt. Lou Albano clip from 10/21/84 show at MLG when he defended the Intercontinental Title against SD Jones.

Bob Wayne vs. Paul Orndorff w/Bobby Heenan

Orndorff is getting pelted with trash as he makes his way to the ring. Wayne doesn’t look to weigh more than 200 lbs. A loud “Paula” chant breaks out before the match. Orndorff starts by beating the shit out of Wayne. He tosses him to the floor then follows him out to slam him. In the ring, he hits a dropkick as Heenan briefly joins commentary, demanding respect for his client. Powerslam by Orndorff who then drops a pair of elbows. He murders him with a clothesline then hits the piledriver for the win (2:33).

Thoughts: Another dominating squash from Orndorff. I don’t think Orndorff needed a manager to get heat but adding Heenan certainly didn’t hurt things.

Billy Red Lyons is plugging the December 6^th show in Vancouver. He is with Freddie Blassie and Nikolai Volkoff, who will be going against Sgt. Slaughter. That match never took place as Slaughter left the WWF and Volkoff ended up facing George Wells. Typical anti-Americn promo from Volkoff.

Mohammed Saad & Bobby Bass vs. Mike Rotundo & Barry Windham

This is the TV Debut for the team of Windham & Rotundo. Barry takes down Saad with a pair of armdrags then they take it to the mat. Rotundo tags and hits an elbow smash before working the arm. He does some matwork then ends up the wrong corner. Rotundo fights both men then Bass tags. They use quick tags that lead up to a double dropkick. Saad tags then Windham hits the running bulldog for the win (2:48). The crowd gives them a loud applause at the end.

Thoughts: Good showing for this team. There was a glaring absence of face tag-teams at this time and these guys looked great. The crowd was behind them too.

Billy Red Lyons is with Rocky Johnson. Billy calls him a contender for the world title as Rocky puts over Canada, stating he was born in Nova Scotia. He states he will be ready and won’t back down from anyone. Luckily, his son did not inherit his mic skills.

Ted Grizzly vs. Blackjack Mulligan

Mulligan takes down Grizzly to start. They do a bunch of lockups that go nowhere then Mulligan uses the world’s slowest drop toehold. Mulligan no sells several punches before hitting a flying back elbow smash for the win (2:41).

Thoughts: Horrendous match. Grizzly is incredibly uncoordinated and could barely run the ropes and Mulligan was not good in the ring at this point at all (Honestly, I don’t know if he was ever good in the ring).

Piper’s Pit with SD Jones. Piper calls him one of the people he never wanted to wrestle because he has nothing to gain in beating him. Now that’s how you bury someone. SD yells at Piper then Blackjack Mulligan comes out and stares at Piper, who says he will not be intimidated. Mulligan says that they need someone else to give people a chance and states that he will now have Mulligan’s BBQ. They are pushing Mulligan strongly here and the thought of another talk-show segment seems to be hinting at a feud between both men. 

Goldie Rogers vs. Tito Santana

The announcers put over Tito for coming back from injury. He looks intense as he works on Rogers. Goldie uses an eye rake and punches away but Tito comes back with a backdrop as Mosca says that Goldie “has this Mexican in an uproar.” Tito then puts him away with a spinning toe hold into a bridge (2:17). Reynolds follows Tito’s victory with some of the least enthusiastic “Arriba” chants I have ever heard.

Thoughts: They continue to push Tito strongly since his return from injury.

Another Billy Jack vignette.

They show the Tonga Kid vs. Roddy Piper match from the 10/27/84 episode of Championship Wrestling is shown.

Billy Red Lyons is with Nikolai Volkoff, again. He cuts a prom on Sgt. Slaughter for their match November 6^th in Vancouver. After that, Angelo Mosca comes out and says that his match against the Iron Sheik will be a war. He says that Iran has 75% of the world’s Pistachio nuts but they have one left over, the Iron Sheik. In his defense, Mosca was so bad he was funny. Sadly, the same cannot be said for today’s announce team.

Next week, David Schultz, Brutus Beefcake, Jimmy Snuka, Blackjack Mulligan, and the main event, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff vs. Rick McGraw and SD Jones, which Mosca notes could be a main event anywhere in the country.

Final Thoughts: This show was good in the fact that they are pushing and re-introducing babyface wrestlers. Atlas and Mulligan were back, Tito still is pushed strong, and Windham & Rotunda debuted as a team. I have said it many times but the WWF had a glaring lack of good wrestlers on the face side of the roster. The fact that Valentine was defending his belt against SD Jones at house shows just about says it all.

On a side note, next week I will review the 11/26/84 house show at MSG then after that the 12/18/84 TNT show (Butcher Vachon’s Wedding) followed by the 12/26/84 MSG show until it reaches 1985, where I will be reviewing Championship Wrestling again, amongst other things. I will start in 1985 with the debut of Primetime Wrestling, which aired 1/1/85.  

Any questions, complaints, or comments, feel free to email me at BBayless781@gmail.com