November 2, 1985
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
Tonight, Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga & Junkyard Dog team up. Also in action are Don Muraco and Randy Savage plus the featured matchup, Rick McGraw vs. Roddy Piper
Mr. X & Jim Haley & Rusty Brooks vs. King Tonga & Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat & Junkyard Dog
Steamboat gets slammed by Brooks after he failed to get him up. Steamboat dodges an elbow drop but Brooks takes him into the corner and tags Mr. X. Steamboat beats on him then tags Tonga, who does the same. Haley tags and JYD enters and headbutts him, with the crowd going nuts. Haley gets destroyed by the faces until Tonga puts him away with a falling headbutt (3:28). After the match, JYD dances prompting Vince to say that he is "juking like he is in the neighborhood.
Thoughts: Decent action and as the first match of the taping, it garnered a good response from the crowd. Tonga got a bit of a rub by aligning with two guys who were over with the crowds.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. He runs down the 16-man "Wrestling Classic" tournament including Tito Santana, JYD, Don Muraco, Terry Funk, Corporal Kirchner, Ricky Steamboat, Adrian Adonis, Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Paul Orndorff, Ivan Putski, Randy Savage, Bob Orton, Missing Link, and the British Bulldogs. Also, Roddy Piper will face Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight Championship. Hayes also stresses that this can only be seen on PPV.
Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Rick Hunter
Muraco offers Hunter a handshake but he declines. Hunter takes down Muraco with an armdrag but Muraco suckers him into the corner and boots him in the gut. He tosses Hutner through the ropes were Fuji hits him with his cane. Back in the ring, Muraco continues his assault on Hunter as the crowd starts up a loud "Beach Bum" chant with Vince plugging the pie-eating contest on "Saturday Night's Main event, which would air the same night as the show. Muraco then hits Hunter with the tombstone piledriver for the win (3:05).
Thoughts: Good heel work from Muraco. He was slowing down in the ring but his heel mannerisms and psychology were still top notch.
Gene Okerlund is with Bruno Sammartino, who warns Roddy Piper that if he tries to humiliate and embarrass him in the Boston Garden during "Piper's Pit," he will not stand for it at all.
Jerry Adams & Terry Gibbs vs. Pedro Morales & Tito Santana
After a reversal sequence, Morales hits Gibbs with an atomic drop. Tito tags and hits a few armdrags that has Gibbs roll outside for a breather. Adams tags and the faces use quick tags to maintain comtrol of the match until Santana gets the win with a flying forearm (2:50).
Thoughts: The crowd was jacked for Tito but the match was nothing we haven't seen before.
Gene Okerlund is with Don Muraco and Mr. Fuji. Muraco talks about numbers and how he won the King of the Ring Tournament and will go on to win the Wrestling Classic. Fun stuff from Muraco and Fuji.
Jim Powers vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth
Savage backs Powers to the ropes and takes him down with a knee. Powers takes him down with a sunset flip then hits a shoulderblock and a dropkick. Crossbody gets two but Powers runs into a clothesline then Savage puts him away with the flying elbow smash (1:20). After the match, Savage beats on Powers before tossing him to the floor.
Thoughts: Savage was incredible in 1985 and one of the best heels in the entire world. Powers got in some offense and he looked alright but it didnt matter as Savage still came out looking like the man.
Piper's Pit with guest Jesse Ventura. Piper puts over Jesse's commentary during Uncle Elmer's wedding on "Saturday Night's Main Event" and jokes that they should have aired the honeymoon. Piper plugs his "Piper's Pit" that will take place tonight on "Saturday Night's Main Event" then makes a fat joke about Elmer before leaving. This wasn't bad at all but not memorable or anything.
Killer Bees vs. Steve Lombardi & Joe Mirto
Lombardi grabs Brunzell in a side headlock. Brunzell comes back with a monkey flip and a hiptoss before tagging Blair. Mirto tags and Blair works a hammerlock. He hits a clothesline then the Bees hit Mirto with a double elbow smash. Blair fights off both men until Mirto hits him from behind. Brunzell tags and hits a dropkick then knocks Lombardi off of the apron and tags Blair, who gets the win with a sunset flip off of the top rope (3:25).
Thoughts: Good showing from the Bees, who worked at a much faster pace than the rest of the roster. They were a key addition to the blossoming tag team division.
Rick McGraw vs. Roddy Piper
McGraw is wearing a Piper shirt then tears it off and blows his nose in it before throwing it at Piper. Roddy takes a break outside and teases going into the ring, working the fans into a frenzy in the process. McGraw attacks Piper as he takes his shirt off. He beats on Roddy in the corner until Piper fights back. Piper kicks him right in the face then fucking unloads on McGraw. Outside of the ring, Piper rams McGraw into the guardrail then brings him back inside. McGraw tries a comeback but that is stopped short as Roddy hits him with a back suplex. Piper yells at McGraw then spits at him before chopping the piss out of him. McGraw's comeback is stopped short as Piper takes him down and fires away before hitting a DDT then slapping him in the face. Piper hits a suplex as Vince thinks they should stop the match then the referee actually signals for the bell as McGraw is ruled unable to continue, giving Piper the match (3:52). Piper is still angry and spits at McGraw.
Thoughts: This was great. Piper looked great and he just beat the piss out of McGraw, who sadly passed away the day before this match aired. One of the most notorious TV squashes in WWF history.
Okerlund is with Piper, who talks about his interview with Bruno Sammartino in the Boston Garden. Piper says that since there is so much garlic coming off of Bruno, he will be safe from vampires then proceeds to call Bruno and his kids idiots. Piper was pretty funny here.
Next week, Hulk Hogan will face a "300lbs" opponent. Plus, Uncle Elmer & Hillbilly Jim, British Bulldogs, Hart Foundation, Big John Studd, and Paul Orndorff.
Final Thoughts: Good show. The Piper squash was awesome and the six-man and Killer Bees tag matches were fun too. They only plugged the Hillbillies for SNME but still put over the PPV and kept heels like Savage and Muraco strong too.
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
Tonight, Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga & Junkyard Dog team up. Also in action are Don Muraco and Randy Savage plus the featured matchup, Rick McGraw vs. Roddy Piper
Mr. X & Jim Haley & Rusty Brooks vs. King Tonga & Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat & Junkyard Dog
Steamboat gets slammed by Brooks after he failed to get him up. Steamboat dodges an elbow drop but Brooks takes him into the corner and tags Mr. X. Steamboat beats on him then tags Tonga, who does the same. Haley tags and JYD enters and headbutts him, with the crowd going nuts. Haley gets destroyed by the faces until Tonga puts him away with a falling headbutt (3:28). After the match, JYD dances prompting Vince to say that he is "juking like he is in the neighborhood.
Thoughts: Decent action and as the first match of the taping, it garnered a good response from the crowd. Tonga got a bit of a rub by aligning with two guys who were over with the crowds.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. He runs down the 16-man "Wrestling Classic" tournament including Tito Santana, JYD, Don Muraco, Terry Funk, Corporal Kirchner, Ricky Steamboat, Adrian Adonis, Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Paul Orndorff, Ivan Putski, Randy Savage, Bob Orton, Missing Link, and the British Bulldogs. Also, Roddy Piper will face Hulk Hogan for the WWF Heavyweight Championship. Hayes also stresses that this can only be seen on PPV.
Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Rick Hunter
Muraco offers Hunter a handshake but he declines. Hunter takes down Muraco with an armdrag but Muraco suckers him into the corner and boots him in the gut. He tosses Hutner through the ropes were Fuji hits him with his cane. Back in the ring, Muraco continues his assault on Hunter as the crowd starts up a loud "Beach Bum" chant with Vince plugging the pie-eating contest on "Saturday Night's Main event, which would air the same night as the show. Muraco then hits Hunter with the tombstone piledriver for the win (3:05).
Thoughts: Good heel work from Muraco. He was slowing down in the ring but his heel mannerisms and psychology were still top notch.
Gene Okerlund is with Bruno Sammartino, who warns Roddy Piper that if he tries to humiliate and embarrass him in the Boston Garden during "Piper's Pit," he will not stand for it at all.
Jerry Adams & Terry Gibbs vs. Pedro Morales & Tito Santana
After a reversal sequence, Morales hits Gibbs with an atomic drop. Tito tags and hits a few armdrags that has Gibbs roll outside for a breather. Adams tags and the faces use quick tags to maintain comtrol of the match until Santana gets the win with a flying forearm (2:50).
Thoughts: The crowd was jacked for Tito but the match was nothing we haven't seen before.
Gene Okerlund is with Don Muraco and Mr. Fuji. Muraco talks about numbers and how he won the King of the Ring Tournament and will go on to win the Wrestling Classic. Fun stuff from Muraco and Fuji.
Jim Powers vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Miss Elizabeth
Savage backs Powers to the ropes and takes him down with a knee. Powers takes him down with a sunset flip then hits a shoulderblock and a dropkick. Crossbody gets two but Powers runs into a clothesline then Savage puts him away with the flying elbow smash (1:20). After the match, Savage beats on Powers before tossing him to the floor.
Thoughts: Savage was incredible in 1985 and one of the best heels in the entire world. Powers got in some offense and he looked alright but it didnt matter as Savage still came out looking like the man.
Piper's Pit with guest Jesse Ventura. Piper puts over Jesse's commentary during Uncle Elmer's wedding on "Saturday Night's Main Event" and jokes that they should have aired the honeymoon. Piper plugs his "Piper's Pit" that will take place tonight on "Saturday Night's Main Event" then makes a fat joke about Elmer before leaving. This wasn't bad at all but not memorable or anything.
Killer Bees vs. Steve Lombardi & Joe Mirto
Lombardi grabs Brunzell in a side headlock. Brunzell comes back with a monkey flip and a hiptoss before tagging Blair. Mirto tags and Blair works a hammerlock. He hits a clothesline then the Bees hit Mirto with a double elbow smash. Blair fights off both men until Mirto hits him from behind. Brunzell tags and hits a dropkick then knocks Lombardi off of the apron and tags Blair, who gets the win with a sunset flip off of the top rope (3:25).
Thoughts: Good showing from the Bees, who worked at a much faster pace than the rest of the roster. They were a key addition to the blossoming tag team division.
Rick McGraw vs. Roddy Piper
McGraw is wearing a Piper shirt then tears it off and blows his nose in it before throwing it at Piper. Roddy takes a break outside and teases going into the ring, working the fans into a frenzy in the process. McGraw attacks Piper as he takes his shirt off. He beats on Roddy in the corner until Piper fights back. Piper kicks him right in the face then fucking unloads on McGraw. Outside of the ring, Piper rams McGraw into the guardrail then brings him back inside. McGraw tries a comeback but that is stopped short as Roddy hits him with a back suplex. Piper yells at McGraw then spits at him before chopping the piss out of him. McGraw's comeback is stopped short as Piper takes him down and fires away before hitting a DDT then slapping him in the face. Piper hits a suplex as Vince thinks they should stop the match then the referee actually signals for the bell as McGraw is ruled unable to continue, giving Piper the match (3:52). Piper is still angry and spits at McGraw.
Thoughts: This was great. Piper looked great and he just beat the piss out of McGraw, who sadly passed away the day before this match aired. One of the most notorious TV squashes in WWF history.
Okerlund is with Piper, who talks about his interview with Bruno Sammartino in the Boston Garden. Piper says that since there is so much garlic coming off of Bruno, he will be safe from vampires then proceeds to call Bruno and his kids idiots. Piper was pretty funny here.
Next week, Hulk Hogan will face a "300lbs" opponent. Plus, Uncle Elmer & Hillbilly Jim, British Bulldogs, Hart Foundation, Big John Studd, and Paul Orndorff.
Final Thoughts: Good show. The Piper squash was awesome and the six-man and Killer Bees tag matches were fun too. They only plugged the Hillbillies for SNME but still put over the PPV and kept heels like Savage and Muraco strong too.
Who was King Tonga?
ReplyDeleteHaku
ReplyDeleteHaku/Meng, I think.
ReplyDeleteHuh. I didn't know he had been around that long. Or he had ever been a babyface.
ReplyDeletePiper had to put up with a lot of shit after McGraw died, with people weaving reality and ficition, and thinking Piper killed him in the ring. Reminds of the old WWF AOL message boards, where marks accused Goldust of murdering Brian Pillman after Pillman's passing.
ReplyDeleteHeck, there are probably still some nuts out there that are convinced that Kevin Sullivan framed Benoit.
ReplyDeleteIn don't think he switched to Haku until he teamed with Tama (Tonga Kid) to form the Islanders, one of the most underrated teams in WWF history
ReplyDeleteYeah....he was in the WM2 battle royal under that gimmick and was clean shaven
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to picture a clean shaven Haku, and it's freaking me out. I need to go to bed.
ReplyDeleteI think one of them is an occasional poster to this blog. Or at least he's 'not convinced' that Benoit actually did it. I don't think he's blamed Sullivan.
ReplyDeleteThe amazing part here is that it's a 1-hour show with 12 minutes of in-ring action. That would NEVER fly today.
ReplyDeleteI remember someone on the 411mania comment section going on and on about it.
ReplyDeleteThe Islanders were faces at the beginning, as can be seen on the Bret Hart Bluray. Did they have a 'real' heel turn, or did they just come out one day with Heenan out of the blue?
ReplyDeleteIIRC, they acted heelish and Heenan then became their manager as a result.
ReplyDeleteThe Strike Force/Islanders feud at the end if 1987 was awesome
Almost the same number of matches you would see on a Raw now, though.
ReplyDeleteyeah somebody did here too. It was fucking pathetic. Because he personally had not been to the crime scene and investigated he didnt believe it happened the way it did.
ReplyDeleteJesse Ventura?
ReplyDeleteThe Islanders heel turn came about during this match:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAu3guabe5A
It was presented as a rare match between face teams, with Bobby Heenan also promising to have a new team to manage, and it all came together here.
This was later tied into Zenk leaving the promotion, with the Islanders taking credit for running him off. Haku and Tama later attacked Santana when he was doing Spanish commentary and that led to the formation of Strike Force.
Thank you. I forgot how that heel turn came abput
ReplyDelete"As you can see, officer, someone hung Barbie dolls in the tree of woe and gave a cat the double-stomp."
ReplyDelete"Fire up the plane, we're going to Boston before Sullivan can strike again!"