June 28th, 1986
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action tonight are Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, and the British Bulldogs
The Gladiator & Tiger Chung Lee vs. "Golden Boy" Danny Spivey & Mike Rotundo
Spivey & Rotundo come out to "Born in the USA" and holding the American flag and wearing shirts that read "USA" but were not yet referred to as the "U.S. Express." Rotundo gets the better of The Gladiator to start. Spivey tags and ends up sending Lee through the ropes with a dropkick after a criss-cross spot. The heels trap Rotundo in the corner as we get an insert promo from the Dream Team and Johnny Valiant talking about how Spivey & Rotundo will have to go through them in order to get a shot at the gold. Rotundo fights out as the crowd starts up a "U-S-A" chant. He tags Spivey and they hit The Gladiator with a double dropkick then Spivey overpowers the Gladiator for a bit. Lee tags and works over Rotundo for a bit but misses a charge then Spivey tags and puts Lee away with the bulldog (3:26).
Thoughts: The crowd was actually jacked up for Rotundo & Spivey and popped huge for the finish, which was a first. Having Spivey essentially act as a Barry Windham ripoff was not going to get him over though.
WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week, the subject is Randy Savage and how he has stiff competition for his Intercontinental Title with the likes of the Junkyard Dog, George Steele and Paul Orndorff. Gene then jokes about Steele and Elizabeth's chidren looking like either the Fabulous Moolah with a beard or Gorilla Monsoon with a tutu.
Bob Boyer vs. Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji
Muraco beats the piss out of Boyer as the announcers talk about Muraco trying to re-enter the title picture. He then tosses Boyer outside as Fuji hits him with the cane as the referee's back was turned. Back inside, Muraco targets the neck as Vince talks about Andre's suspension and that he thinks they have found Andre outside of the country and will give a report next week as Muraco finishes off Boyer with the tombstone (3:27).
Thoughts: Not much happening here. Muraco was continuing his slide down the card and the main thing that happened here was the news of Andre the Giant's whereabouts.
Ken Resnick talks about the 2nd Annual "King of the Ring" tournament at Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, MA. He brings out Johnny Valiant and the Dream Team who will be facing the British Bulldogs for the Tag Team Titles inside of a steel cage. This promo actually takes place with the guys behind a chain link fence. Beefcake attempting a British accent to mock the Bulldogs was pretty funny.
Lane Anderson & Al Navarro vs. Tito Santana & Pedro Morales
Pedro starts by working the arm of Navarro then hits a slam. Tito tags and works the arm of Navarro as Bruno talks about what it takes to be a good tag team. Anderson tags as Tito works his arm. Pedro tags and slams Anderson then works on his arm as this match is boring. Tito tags and Anderson then they double team Tito for a bit but he is able to tag Pedro then shortly after that, Tito tags back into the match and puts away Anderson with the flying forearm (3:11).
Thoughts: The crowd popped for the finish but were quiet for a majority of the match. Pedro was really old news at this point and no one really cared about him anymore. His workrate was less than inspired too.
Resnick is with Capt. Lou and the British Bulldogs, who are behind the chain link fence for their promo. No wonder the WWF got Albano to talk for them as Davey Boy was really bad on the mic and Dynamite was twice as bad as him.
Max Blue vs. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff
Orndorff poses to cheers then does some of Hogan's taunts. He attacks Blue from behind to start then sends him to the floor. He slams Blue to the floor then rolls him back inside where he flattens him with a clothesline then gets the win with a piledriver (1:36). After the match, Orndorff makes Howard Finkel refer to him as the "Old Mr. Wonderful." Bruno also says that he was shocked at the tactics that Orndorff used in this match
Thoughts: Orndorff was ultra aggressive and arrogant here, foreshawdowing his heel turn. Even Bruno spent the whole match talking about how he did not like Orndorff's behaviors.
The Flower Shop with guest Bobby Heenan. Orndorff interrupts as Heenan calls him "Hulk Jr." and says that he looks tough beating up on a nobody then tells him to sign for a tag match against Studd & Bundy with Hulk Hogan as his partner. Orndorff says that all he has to do is to call up Hogan and he will be here right by his side. Orndorff then leaves and says he is going to call Hogan now as Adonis refers to Orndorff a second-rate guy as Heenan says that Hogan is probably too busy or tired to talk to Orndorff as the crowd starts up a "faggot" chant aimed at Adonis. Great segment as the heels were making Orndorff go out of his mind by calling him a second-rate Hogan.
Ken Resnick is with WWF President Jack Tunney, who is pulling out two names at random that will receive first-round bye's in the King of the Ring Tournament. The two bye's will go to Hercules Hernandez and Mike Rotundo. Tunney then draws the 1st round matchups which include:
Pedro Morales vs. Bob Orton (Winner faces Mike Rotundo)
Nikolai Volkoff vs. Danny Spivey
Junkyard Dog vs. Paul Orndorff
Billy Jack Haynes vs. Iron Sheik (Winner faces Hercules Hernandez)
George Steele vs. Harley Race
Don Muraco vs. Roddy Piper
The Menace & Jack Kruger vs. British Bulldogs
No Albano this week. Vince tells us that Orndorff is in the process of calling Hogan right now. Kruger hits Dynamite with a neckbreaker then drops an elbow for two. Dynamite comes back with a snap suplex then a double underhook suplex as we are shown an insert of Orndorff calling up Hogan, screaming at the person on the other end to get Hogan now then ripping the cord out as he was unable to get a hold of Hogan. Vince said it sounded like Hogan was at the gym and could not be reached. Back to the match as the Menace ducks outside as Davey tried to unmask him but the announcers continue to talk about Orndorff and Hogan. Davey places the Menace on the top rope then tags Dynamite, who finishes him off with a super back suplex (3:11).
Thoughts: Dynamite hit a few vicious suplexes but the main focus was the continuation of the Orndorff/Hogan angle as Mr. Wonderful was going out of his mind as he could not reach Hogan at the gym. This was all great stuff.
Resnick is with the Junkyard Dog, who cuts a rambling promo with his jaw grinding all over the place. This guy was coked up to the gills here. When your jaw is grinding like that, you are high. Albano comes out and brings out George Steele who says that Harley Race is "slow."
As Bruno and Vince wrap up the show, Orndorff interrupts and screams about how Hogan was too busy to come to the phone because he was working out and that their match will not take place as a result.
Final Thoughts: What a tremendous show, all thanks to the Orndorff/Hogan stuff. Even though it was obvious that Orndorff was going to turn on Hogan at some point, everything else tonight was performed to perfection. The heels having Orndorff go out of his mind was great stuff. None of the other feuds were focused on tonight besides the Dream Team/Bulldogs and they drew the lineups for the King of the Ring Show. The next few weeks of TV will be very interesting and I will be back on Friday with a review of the June 28th Philadelphia Spectrum show.
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
In action tonight are Paul Orndorff, Don Muraco, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff, Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, and the British Bulldogs
The Gladiator & Tiger Chung Lee vs. "Golden Boy" Danny Spivey & Mike Rotundo
Spivey & Rotundo come out to "Born in the USA" and holding the American flag and wearing shirts that read "USA" but were not yet referred to as the "U.S. Express." Rotundo gets the better of The Gladiator to start. Spivey tags and ends up sending Lee through the ropes with a dropkick after a criss-cross spot. The heels trap Rotundo in the corner as we get an insert promo from the Dream Team and Johnny Valiant talking about how Spivey & Rotundo will have to go through them in order to get a shot at the gold. Rotundo fights out as the crowd starts up a "U-S-A" chant. He tags Spivey and they hit The Gladiator with a double dropkick then Spivey overpowers the Gladiator for a bit. Lee tags and works over Rotundo for a bit but misses a charge then Spivey tags and puts Lee away with the bulldog (3:26).
Thoughts: The crowd was actually jacked up for Rotundo & Spivey and popped huge for the finish, which was a first. Having Spivey essentially act as a Barry Windham ripoff was not going to get him over though.
WWF Update with Gene Okerlund. This week, the subject is Randy Savage and how he has stiff competition for his Intercontinental Title with the likes of the Junkyard Dog, George Steele and Paul Orndorff. Gene then jokes about Steele and Elizabeth's chidren looking like either the Fabulous Moolah with a beard or Gorilla Monsoon with a tutu.
Bob Boyer vs. Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji
Muraco beats the piss out of Boyer as the announcers talk about Muraco trying to re-enter the title picture. He then tosses Boyer outside as Fuji hits him with the cane as the referee's back was turned. Back inside, Muraco targets the neck as Vince talks about Andre's suspension and that he thinks they have found Andre outside of the country and will give a report next week as Muraco finishes off Boyer with the tombstone (3:27).
Thoughts: Not much happening here. Muraco was continuing his slide down the card and the main thing that happened here was the news of Andre the Giant's whereabouts.
Ken Resnick talks about the 2nd Annual "King of the Ring" tournament at Sullivan Stadium in Foxboro, MA. He brings out Johnny Valiant and the Dream Team who will be facing the British Bulldogs for the Tag Team Titles inside of a steel cage. This promo actually takes place with the guys behind a chain link fence. Beefcake attempting a British accent to mock the Bulldogs was pretty funny.
Lane Anderson & Al Navarro vs. Tito Santana & Pedro Morales
Pedro starts by working the arm of Navarro then hits a slam. Tito tags and works the arm of Navarro as Bruno talks about what it takes to be a good tag team. Anderson tags as Tito works his arm. Pedro tags and slams Anderson then works on his arm as this match is boring. Tito tags and Anderson then they double team Tito for a bit but he is able to tag Pedro then shortly after that, Tito tags back into the match and puts away Anderson with the flying forearm (3:11).
Thoughts: The crowd popped for the finish but were quiet for a majority of the match. Pedro was really old news at this point and no one really cared about him anymore. His workrate was less than inspired too.
Resnick is with Capt. Lou and the British Bulldogs, who are behind the chain link fence for their promo. No wonder the WWF got Albano to talk for them as Davey Boy was really bad on the mic and Dynamite was twice as bad as him.
Max Blue vs. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff
Orndorff poses to cheers then does some of Hogan's taunts. He attacks Blue from behind to start then sends him to the floor. He slams Blue to the floor then rolls him back inside where he flattens him with a clothesline then gets the win with a piledriver (1:36). After the match, Orndorff makes Howard Finkel refer to him as the "Old Mr. Wonderful." Bruno also says that he was shocked at the tactics that Orndorff used in this match
Thoughts: Orndorff was ultra aggressive and arrogant here, foreshawdowing his heel turn. Even Bruno spent the whole match talking about how he did not like Orndorff's behaviors.
The Flower Shop with guest Bobby Heenan. Orndorff interrupts as Heenan calls him "Hulk Jr." and says that he looks tough beating up on a nobody then tells him to sign for a tag match against Studd & Bundy with Hulk Hogan as his partner. Orndorff says that all he has to do is to call up Hogan and he will be here right by his side. Orndorff then leaves and says he is going to call Hogan now as Adonis refers to Orndorff a second-rate guy as Heenan says that Hogan is probably too busy or tired to talk to Orndorff as the crowd starts up a "faggot" chant aimed at Adonis. Great segment as the heels were making Orndorff go out of his mind by calling him a second-rate Hogan.
Ken Resnick is with WWF President Jack Tunney, who is pulling out two names at random that will receive first-round bye's in the King of the Ring Tournament. The two bye's will go to Hercules Hernandez and Mike Rotundo. Tunney then draws the 1st round matchups which include:
Pedro Morales vs. Bob Orton (Winner faces Mike Rotundo)
Nikolai Volkoff vs. Danny Spivey
Junkyard Dog vs. Paul Orndorff
Billy Jack Haynes vs. Iron Sheik (Winner faces Hercules Hernandez)
George Steele vs. Harley Race
Don Muraco vs. Roddy Piper
The Menace & Jack Kruger vs. British Bulldogs
No Albano this week. Vince tells us that Orndorff is in the process of calling Hogan right now. Kruger hits Dynamite with a neckbreaker then drops an elbow for two. Dynamite comes back with a snap suplex then a double underhook suplex as we are shown an insert of Orndorff calling up Hogan, screaming at the person on the other end to get Hogan now then ripping the cord out as he was unable to get a hold of Hogan. Vince said it sounded like Hogan was at the gym and could not be reached. Back to the match as the Menace ducks outside as Davey tried to unmask him but the announcers continue to talk about Orndorff and Hogan. Davey places the Menace on the top rope then tags Dynamite, who finishes him off with a super back suplex (3:11).
Thoughts: Dynamite hit a few vicious suplexes but the main focus was the continuation of the Orndorff/Hogan angle as Mr. Wonderful was going out of his mind as he could not reach Hogan at the gym. This was all great stuff.
Resnick is with the Junkyard Dog, who cuts a rambling promo with his jaw grinding all over the place. This guy was coked up to the gills here. When your jaw is grinding like that, you are high. Albano comes out and brings out George Steele who says that Harley Race is "slow."
As Bruno and Vince wrap up the show, Orndorff interrupts and screams about how Hogan was too busy to come to the phone because he was working out and that their match will not take place as a result.
Final Thoughts: What a tremendous show, all thanks to the Orndorff/Hogan stuff. Even though it was obvious that Orndorff was going to turn on Hogan at some point, everything else tonight was performed to perfection. The heels having Orndorff go out of his mind was great stuff. None of the other feuds were focused on tonight besides the Dream Team/Bulldogs and they drew the lineups for the King of the Ring Show. The next few weeks of TV will be very interesting and I will be back on Friday with a review of the June 28th Philadelphia Spectrum show.
Didn't Muta win the WCW International World Championship or whatever they called it while they had two World Champions.
ReplyDeleteWould be interesting to find the best wrestler to go his entire career sans a belt.
ReplyDeleteI always grew up hearing how great the Orndorff feud was. It's nice to see each event recapped like this.
ReplyDeleteGreat review as always Bayless.
Hm, possibly but I don't think so. Maybe you're thinking of Flair trading the belt back and forth with Fujinami?
ReplyDeleteSince Jake, Abdullah, La Parka and Bruiser have already been mentioned, i'll add:
ReplyDeleteJames Yun (aka Jimmy Wang Yang and Akio)
Jake Roberts. But since he has been mentioned so much what about jerry lawler
ReplyDeleteCHOKESLAM!
ReplyDeletequick to take that line, weren't you para?
ReplyDeleteSnuka was NWA Tag champ with Paul Orndoff and later Terry Gordy. He also beat Steamboat for the U.S. title.
ReplyDeleteBig Bossman. I think he had a tag title reign when he was in the Corporation/Ministry, but there was no reason why he couldn't have held the IC title. He was pretty over with the crowd in the late 80's and early 90's, was a decent talker and could work pretty well for a big man.
ReplyDelete