A few former NWA top names arrive in the WWF.
WWF World Championship Scene: (currently held by: Hulk Hogan)
At the June 6th taping of WWF Superstars, Randy Savage issued a challenge to Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake to compete in a tag match against himself and Zeus. During the June 7th taping of Wrestling Challenge, Savage made it clear to Zeus that he would stand behind him should he decide to get in the ring because they hate Hulk Hogan equally.
At the June 6th taping of WWF Superstars, Randy Savage issued a challenge to Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake to compete in a tag match against himself and Zeus. During the June 7th taping of Wrestling Challenge, Savage made it clear to Zeus that he would stand behind him should he decide to get in the ring because they hate Hulk Hogan equally.
Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake accepted Savage and Zeus’s challenge to a tag match at SummerSlam during the June 28th taping of WWF Superstars.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Scene: (currently held by: Rick Rude)
The Ultimate Warrior continued to chase after Rick Rude to reclaim the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Following Rick Rude’s win at the June 6th taping of WWF Superstars against a jobber, Warrior ran down to the ring while Rude was going to kiss a female fan and attacked Rude.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Scene: (currently held by: Rick Rude)
The Ultimate Warrior continued to chase after Rick Rude to reclaim the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Following Rick Rude’s win at the June 6th taping of WWF Superstars against a jobber, Warrior ran down to the ring while Rude was going to kiss a female fan and attacked Rude.
During the June 27th taping of Wrestling Challenge, Warrior beat Haku but was attacked by Rick Rude. Rude planted Warrior with a pile driver but couldn’t keep him down for long. Warrior ended up fighting back and press slamming Rude over the top rope onto Andre the Giant who had came down to ringside.
WWF World Tag Team Championships Scene: (currently held by: Demolition)
Demolition was able to overcome Akeem and Big Bossman in several tag team championship matches on the house show market as they didn’t compete against each other on television. However, they would have new challengers to deal with by the end of the month.
WWF World Tag Team Championships Scene: (currently held by: Demolition)
Demolition was able to overcome Akeem and Big Bossman in several tag team championship matches on the house show market as they didn’t compete against each other on television. However, they would have new challengers to deal with by the end of the month.
Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard better known as the Brainbusters were managed by Bobby Heenan. They earned themselves a tag team title match at the next Saturday Night’s Main Event taking place in July.
Other Happenings:
- During the June 3rd edition of WWF Superstars, the first video promoting Dusty Rhodes being part of the company was aired. Rhodes was given a common man gimmick which was displayed as he delivered a pizza during the video. As you may recall, Rhodes was a booker for NWA before jumping ship to WWF. Rhodes got involved in his first feud with the WWF during the June 28th taping of WWF Superstars. Rhodes ended up stealing Big Bossman’s nightstick after his match to prevent Bossman from attacking a jobber. Rhodes would attack Bossman with the nightstick as well as Slick.
Other Happenings:
- During the June 3rd edition of WWF Superstars, the first video promoting Dusty Rhodes being part of the company was aired. Rhodes was given a common man gimmick which was displayed as he delivered a pizza during the video. As you may recall, Rhodes was a booker for NWA before jumping ship to WWF. Rhodes got involved in his first feud with the WWF during the June 28th taping of WWF Superstars. Rhodes ended up stealing Big Bossman’s nightstick after his match to prevent Bossman from attacking a jobber. Rhodes would attack Bossman with the nightstick as well as Slick.
- Ted DiBiase revealed during the June 6th taping of WWF Superstars that he was responsible for putting Jake Roberts in the hospital with the Million Dollar Dream. Roberts had suffered a herniated disc due to the move. At the June 27th taping of Wrestling Challenge, Ted DiBiase revealed a gold neck brace for Jake Roberts since he believes his career is over.
- Tito Santana got some level of revenge against Rick Martel and Slick during the June 6th taping of WWF Superstars by attacking both men during a Brother Love segment until security pulled him away.
- Throughout the month, Ronnie Garvin continued to cost Greg Valentine matches now that he is a referee and can no longer compete as a wrestler. Garvin would be threatened by WWF President Jack Tunney that if he were to hit a wrestler he would be suspended.
Bob's Opinion:
I think it's awesome that Anderson and Blanchard have made their way to the WWF. At the time, the WWF had a really strong tag division and adding those two added more bulk to the division. Now, there in the top feud for the tag titles with the top babyface team. That seems to be a good match up to me.
Dusty Rhodes was brought into the company looking like a joke but managed to some how make it work. I guess that would prove that Dusty is a talented worker. We will see more of him over the next couple of years with a few memorable feuds.
The main event feud isn't interesting me all that much. While Zeus is a monster of a man, he doesn't look like a good opponent for Hogan, which would explain the tag match they are going to have in the future.
What are your thoughts on what is going on in the WWF at this time? Feel free to share below!
I think it's awesome that Anderson and Blanchard have made their way to the WWF. At the time, the WWF had a really strong tag division and adding those two added more bulk to the division. Now, there in the top feud for the tag titles with the top babyface team. That seems to be a good match up to me.
Dusty Rhodes was brought into the company looking like a joke but managed to some how make it work. I guess that would prove that Dusty is a talented worker. We will see more of him over the next couple of years with a few memorable feuds.
The main event feud isn't interesting me all that much. While Zeus is a monster of a man, he doesn't look like a good opponent for Hogan, which would explain the tag match they are going to have in the future.
What are your thoughts on what is going on in the WWF at this time? Feel free to share below!
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1989 Randy Savage was awesome as top heel. I think a Hogan-Savage re-match at SummerSlam 1989 was in order. Zeus' involvement could have waited til Survivor Series. Either do the Hogan/Brutus vs. Savage/Zeus tag match then, or add Demolition and Powers of Pain, respectively, for an elimination match.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing Zeus did was help produce a gigantic buyrate. SummerSlam '89 had 625,000 buys, the most for a SummerSlam until 1998.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how Rhodes and Garvin were able to co-exist in the WWF, given the acrimony between them leading to Garvin's departure from the NWA.
ReplyDeleteThat's ridiculously impressive, especially considering how PPV wasn't built up nearly as much as it was by 1998.
ReplyDeleteI didn't follow nwa as much behind the scenes then. What's that story?
ReplyDeleteIts even more gigantic when u consider the amount of people hooked up to ppv and cable back then. That's an insane number. Hhh would have beat that number if he were around then though ;)
ReplyDeleteI never understood why Dibiase was hogans opponent for survivor series when both summer slam and no holds barred in December was all about savage and Zeus. Wonder why they booked dibiase as the team captain.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Garvin's RF Video shoot interview (which sucked), after Garvin turned heel on Rhodes, he was booked to lose a series of handicap matches against with Al Perez as partner. This pissed Garvin off, so instead of flying to the next show with everyone else, he got on the plane shook some hands, and walked out of the plane and out of the NWA, leaving Rhodes to get his revenge in a fictional parking lot brawl.
ReplyDeleteWow, that's crazy. They should do feuds with EVERY guy who plays the villain in wrestler-themed movies. John Cena vs. some guy in The Marine, or The Rock vs. Vin Diesel in a main event. If only to taste the bitter, bitter IWC tears.
ReplyDeleteYeah I wish there was a way that they could adjust buyrates for modern times just to guesstimate what that buyrate could have looked like today. Ah, the good ol' days when PPV's were special.
ReplyDeleteThey were trying to transition Savage away from Hogan for the long term, and if they were considering Hogan-Perfect (or were they still on Hogan-Zeus for Mania VI?), they weren't ready for a confrontation yet. DiBiase was the best option as a believable team captain, because he could "buy" the services of Zeus, combined with his feud with Jake Roberts, who was on Hogan's team.
ReplyDelete1989 was easily the weakest of the first three Survivor Series in terms of teams. As soon as the huge tag team survivor series match was eliminated, SurSer became a lot less fun for me.