November 30, 1985
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action tonight are Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga in tag team action. Also, the British Bulldogs, King Kong Bundy, and the TV debut of Hercules Hernandez.
Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga vs. Joe Mirto & Barry O.
Ricky and Barry work a nice little sequence to start. Steamboat works an armbar until Barry breaks that up with a thumb to the eye. Suplex gets one. Neckbreaker gets one. Steamboat floats over and hits an atomic drop. Mirto tags and they work on his arm. Tonga gets a nearfall on a leg drop then puts him away with a diving headbutt (3:49).
Thoughts: Solid action. Tonga showed more here than at any point of his singles run since his debut. The crowd loves Steamboat.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week, Hayes shows us a clip of JYD winning the "Wrestling Classic" PPV Tournament.
Mario Mancini vs. Hercules Hernandez w/ Freddie Blassie
Hercules overpowers Mancini to start. He then beats on him with forearm smashes while stopping to pose and jaw at the crowd. He drops Mancini throat-first across the top rope then catches him with a backbreaker before making him tap out to the backbreaker rack (2:37).
Thoughts: The commentators put over Hercules strength and physique throughout the match. He was very slow and lumbering but didn't look too bad in tossing around Mancini, who barely weighed 200 lbs. Not the most electrifying debut I have ever seen.
Gene Okerlund is with Capt. Lou Albano, who says he had seven turkeys for Thanksgiving. Albano puts over his stable, specifically his newest team, the British Bulldogs. Okerlund says that they could be the next champs as Albano puts him over. Albano then talks about his work with Multiple Sclerosis alongside Cyndi Lauper as "St. Elmo's Fire" plays in the background.
Gino Carabello & Steve Lombardi vs. Corporal Kirchner & "Leaping" Lanny Poffo
Lanny looks very happy coming down the aisle. Bruno works a backhanded compliment aimed at Poffo, stating that his talent in poetry is so much that he shouldn't even be in wrestling. Lombardi backs Poffo into the corner and bites his head. Poffo takes him out with a hiptoss then goes to work. Kirchner tags and works over both guys until he puts away Carabello with a Samoan Drop (2:07).
Thoughts: The pairing of Carabello & Poffo was quite odd. Anyway, the match was nothing and the crowd didn't care as Poffo was a nobody and Kirchner never got over.
Mean Gene is now plugging the "Wrestling Holiday Spectacular" on December 26th in Providence, RI. He then brings out Jimmy Hart and Terry Funk, who will be facing Junkyard Dog at the event. Funk is pissed that JYD embarrased him by taking over Hart's pants then calls Gene a "pervert" who would like to have his pants removed. God, Funk was great in 1985.
Tony Garea vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Elizabeth
Savage attacks Garea after he held the ropes open for Elizabeth when she left the ring. He beats the shit out of him then jumps outside and berates her before going back inside. Garea catches him with a shot to the midsection as he comes off the top ropes then gets a few nearfalls until Savage runs him into the ropes after a reverse rollup attempt then gets the win with a flying elbow smash (1:29). After the match, Savage tears up some fan signs then yells at Elizabeth while they head up the aisle.
Thoughts: Savage was great as a dickhead heel here. He had the crowd seething over the way he treated Elizabeth. Typical Garea squash match in which he gets a majority of the offense and loses only after he made a mistake. He was the worst.
Piper's Pit with guest Ted Arcidi. Before he comes out, Piper smacks off a Hogan action figure from his chair and replaces it with one of himself. Arcidi is billed as the strongest power lifter ever. Piper runs down his accolades as Arcidi is trying to get over as a heel but is just awful on the mic. He then closes by lifting the table over his head. A waste of time as Arcidi was terrible and had no presence at all on camera.
King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Jim Young & Gary Starr
Bundy brushes off both guys, who try and fail to take down Bundy as Bruno is making fun of their techniques on commentary. Bundy tosses both guys into the corner and hits the avalanche before dropping the elbow on Starr and scoring the pin with a five-count (1:55).
Thoughts: They are building Bundy back up as the indestructible monster, this time with handicapped matches. The crowd reacted more to Heenan than Bundy though.
A clip of "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestlin'" airs, with Nikolai Volkoff upset over the ballet.
Mr. X & Rusty Brooks vs. British Bulldogs w/ Capt. Lou Albano
The Bulldogs toss Mr. X to the floor then Davey hits Brooks with a powerslam and tags Dynamite, who puts him away with the flying headbutt (0:26).
Thoughts: Extremely short and seeing how they segued right into the next segment, it was designed to make sure they could fit that into the show. It was a bit funny how they plugged the video airing next week right before the match started though. I guess they tried to surprise the fans with a quick match.
The "Land of 1,000 Dances" video airs. I included the video below for those who have not seen this before.
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action tonight are Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga in tag team action. Also, the British Bulldogs, King Kong Bundy, and the TV debut of Hercules Hernandez.
Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga vs. Joe Mirto & Barry O.
Ricky and Barry work a nice little sequence to start. Steamboat works an armbar until Barry breaks that up with a thumb to the eye. Suplex gets one. Neckbreaker gets one. Steamboat floats over and hits an atomic drop. Mirto tags and they work on his arm. Tonga gets a nearfall on a leg drop then puts him away with a diving headbutt (3:49).
Thoughts: Solid action. Tonga showed more here than at any point of his singles run since his debut. The crowd loves Steamboat.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week, Hayes shows us a clip of JYD winning the "Wrestling Classic" PPV Tournament.
Mario Mancini vs. Hercules Hernandez w/ Freddie Blassie
Hercules overpowers Mancini to start. He then beats on him with forearm smashes while stopping to pose and jaw at the crowd. He drops Mancini throat-first across the top rope then catches him with a backbreaker before making him tap out to the backbreaker rack (2:37).
Thoughts: The commentators put over Hercules strength and physique throughout the match. He was very slow and lumbering but didn't look too bad in tossing around Mancini, who barely weighed 200 lbs. Not the most electrifying debut I have ever seen.
Gene Okerlund is with Capt. Lou Albano, who says he had seven turkeys for Thanksgiving. Albano puts over his stable, specifically his newest team, the British Bulldogs. Okerlund says that they could be the next champs as Albano puts him over. Albano then talks about his work with Multiple Sclerosis alongside Cyndi Lauper as "St. Elmo's Fire" plays in the background.
Gino Carabello & Steve Lombardi vs. Corporal Kirchner & "Leaping" Lanny Poffo
Lanny looks very happy coming down the aisle. Bruno works a backhanded compliment aimed at Poffo, stating that his talent in poetry is so much that he shouldn't even be in wrestling. Lombardi backs Poffo into the corner and bites his head. Poffo takes him out with a hiptoss then goes to work. Kirchner tags and works over both guys until he puts away Carabello with a Samoan Drop (2:07).
Thoughts: The pairing of Carabello & Poffo was quite odd. Anyway, the match was nothing and the crowd didn't care as Poffo was a nobody and Kirchner never got over.
Mean Gene is now plugging the "Wrestling Holiday Spectacular" on December 26th in Providence, RI. He then brings out Jimmy Hart and Terry Funk, who will be facing Junkyard Dog at the event. Funk is pissed that JYD embarrased him by taking over Hart's pants then calls Gene a "pervert" who would like to have his pants removed. God, Funk was great in 1985.
Tony Garea vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage w/ Elizabeth
Savage attacks Garea after he held the ropes open for Elizabeth when she left the ring. He beats the shit out of him then jumps outside and berates her before going back inside. Garea catches him with a shot to the midsection as he comes off the top ropes then gets a few nearfalls until Savage runs him into the ropes after a reverse rollup attempt then gets the win with a flying elbow smash (1:29). After the match, Savage tears up some fan signs then yells at Elizabeth while they head up the aisle.
Thoughts: Savage was great as a dickhead heel here. He had the crowd seething over the way he treated Elizabeth. Typical Garea squash match in which he gets a majority of the offense and loses only after he made a mistake. He was the worst.
Piper's Pit with guest Ted Arcidi. Before he comes out, Piper smacks off a Hogan action figure from his chair and replaces it with one of himself. Arcidi is billed as the strongest power lifter ever. Piper runs down his accolades as Arcidi is trying to get over as a heel but is just awful on the mic. He then closes by lifting the table over his head. A waste of time as Arcidi was terrible and had no presence at all on camera.
King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Jim Young & Gary Starr
Bundy brushes off both guys, who try and fail to take down Bundy as Bruno is making fun of their techniques on commentary. Bundy tosses both guys into the corner and hits the avalanche before dropping the elbow on Starr and scoring the pin with a five-count (1:55).
Thoughts: They are building Bundy back up as the indestructible monster, this time with handicapped matches. The crowd reacted more to Heenan than Bundy though.
A clip of "Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestlin'" airs, with Nikolai Volkoff upset over the ballet.
Mr. X & Rusty Brooks vs. British Bulldogs w/ Capt. Lou Albano
The Bulldogs toss Mr. X to the floor then Davey hits Brooks with a powerslam and tags Dynamite, who puts him away with the flying headbutt (0:26).
Thoughts: Extremely short and seeing how they segued right into the next segment, it was designed to make sure they could fit that into the show. It was a bit funny how they plugged the video airing next week right before the match started though. I guess they tried to surprise the fans with a quick match.
The "Land of 1,000 Dances" video airs. I included the video below for those who have not seen this before.
Mean Gene brings out Freddie Blassie, who puts over Sheik & Volkoff for beating everyone around the world and says that with Hercules Hernandez, the Latin people can finally have a wrestler to make them proud. Blassie leaves and Gene brings out Bobby Heenan and they engage in a pretty funny comedy bit in which Heenan cuts Okerlund off after telling him to finish his question. After that, Heenan gets frustrated about the weasel chants then accidentally refers to himself as a weasel a few times until the segment ends. The stuff with Okerlund and Heenan was gold.
Next week, Paul Orndorff returns to action. Also, David Sammartino and George "The Animal" Steele will be here. Plus, Hart Foundation, Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, Ricky Steamboat & King Tonga, and a edition of "Piper's Pit."
Final Thoughts: An uneventful show. No angles were advanced on screen and the matches themselves were forgettable. A lot of filler and two debuts (Hercules and Arcidi) that did not go over well.
South Park was awesome for years but they seem to have more misses than hits lately. Plus their infatuation with Randy is getting annoying.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you did justice to the Arcidi segment with Piper...it's one of the funniest segments that I've ever seen. The coked out incomprehensible ranting, and then the celebration after lifting the table, it's awesome in so many ways.
ReplyDelete(It used to be on youtube but I think has been removed, if anyone could find it I would greatly appreciate it)
Imaginationland, Make Love not Warcraft, Awesome-O are three favorites that come to mind.
ReplyDeleteThat video never stops being awesome.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've watched a few episodes here and there recently, and I swear Stan's dad was in most of the episodes as a main character. When the hell did that happen?
ReplyDeleteThe celebration was kinda funny but there was better coked out rants from this era I thought. Then again, when it comes to coked out rants from 80's WWF guys , everyone has their favorites
ReplyDeleteAwesome-O is so funny, especially Cartman's comeuppance at the end.
ReplyDelete"Simpsons Did It"
ReplyDeleteWhichever episode is the "DEY TOOK-ER JERBS!" one. Goobacks, maybe?
ReplyDeleteOddly enough the WWE has a ginger whose finishing move is a kick...
ReplyDeleteSeriously though I feel you.
That passes for comedy?!
ReplyDeleteI don't support it, plus the manager of the club said it was something else.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Tosh did make a joke saying the word rape is just the word pare jumbled around.
Not getting this program as a kid, every time I see these shows I respond as Krusty does after watching Worker and Parasite. Thankfully the booking improved in the PPV era.
ReplyDeleteGotcha
ReplyDeleteSouth Park is brilliant- they somehow have one of their best and one of their worst episodes in each season, but when they're on, they're AMAZING. Satirizing both points of view is one of the best ways to make a point, as well- the whole "Strawman" thing is so overdone that it's nice to see BOTH sides of every argument taken to task- like the Terry Schiavo/Vegetable Kept Alive thing.
ReplyDeleteA while ago- they started adding more and more personality to him (initially he's just a generic dad), and pretty soon he ran off as the token "Guy who gets obsessed with the new fad" character, like Homer Simpson did years before. In the meantime, once-important characters like Barbrady, Chef & Pip vanish for various reasons.
ReplyDeleteI think South Park was SATIRIZING the hate they were getting- it's a very real part of England, from what I understand, and I'm sure it went on plenty of other places before South Park.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why no fat person has ever tried to assassinate Weird Al for writing "Fat". GOD all the kids loved to sing that at the one or two fat kids in our grade at school. Now that 9/10s of the kids are fat it might be less apt.
ReplyDeleteThe part where the guy at the Taco Bell immediately whips out his magnifying glass thingie to inspect the gold KILLS me. Even better is when the old lady calls in to dogpile on the "Shitty Jewelry" show host ("It'd look real good on your DEAD BODY."
ReplyDeleteWell, Chef vanished for obvious reasons.
ReplyDelete"YOUR CHILDREN'S CHARACTERS ARE ALREADY DEAD!!!"
ReplyDeleteI can proudly say that I have "Time Warped", "Your Studio and You", "Immature", several DVDA live recordings, and several random shorts (such as "American History").
ReplyDeleteAnd if you're not sure what any of those are, look them up.
Only one man was ever able to make rape jokes funny, and that was - no surprise - George Carlin.
ReplyDelete"Picture Porky Pig raping Elmer Fudd."
"The biggest problem an Eskimo Rapist has is trying to get wet leather leggings off a woman who is kicking."
"These are the kinds of thoughts that kept me out of the really good schools."
Tosh is no Carlin.