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WWF October-November 1988 Television Footage
Taking yet another break from the horrible year of 1995, as I take a trip back to 1988 when I first started watching the WWF (I don't remember much, but I watched it). This tape can be found on the website of John McAdam, which is of course www.JohnMcadam.com for those who care. The first hour of this tape has incredibly shitty audio but it clears up pretty nicely in time for the major matches.
- First thing on the tape is a "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig vignette. He was still known as Hennig for those who don't know. We get to watch him bowl a 300 (perfect game) to some incredibly cheesy music.
- The Brother Love Show with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan:
This marks the begining of the end of a bright young superstars career. Heenan says he can manage anyone to the top, and introduces us to Terry Taylor. Heenan says Taylor is limited in size comared to Andre The Giant, limited in muscle like Ravishing Rick Rude, and no martial arts experience like King Haku. His win loss record is limited, and Heenan dubs him the Red Rooster. God damn this was such a stupid idea...1 Historic Moment
- The Brother Love Show with Hulk Hogan:
Yes, another major interview segment. Hogan goes through his usual interview, until Slick & The Big Boss Man show up for some verbal confrontation. Boss Man whacks Hogan with his night stick and Slick then proceeds to spray Hogan in the face with mace I guess. He uses way too much to be believable though. Boss Man continues to whack the shit out of Hogan with his stick and cuffs him to a security railing next to the stage. Hogan starts no selling the beating, so he chases Boss Man away while carrying the rail back with him...2 Historic Moments.
- Tito Santana vs. Pork Chop Cash:
...Who in the hell came up with this guy's name?! For those who want a visual, the best I can describe him as Grady from Sanford and Son type, except more hobo looking, and wearing SD Jones pajamas from this time frame as a speedo. Cash is announced from Pennsicola, Florida and weighing 232 pounds, but he looks a lot more out of shape than that. They lockup and Cash takes Santana to the ropes and hammers on him. Irish and Santana ducks a clothesline and follows up with a dropkick. Santana catches Cash quickly with two arm drags and we get some begging. Lockup and Cash rakes the eyes. Santana fights back and applies a headlock, and is fought off again by Pork Chop. Cash applies an armbar, but is knocked down with a hard right. Irish whip and Santana with a back drop. Santana bounces off the ropes and connects with the Flying Jalupeņo for the three count at 2:08. Normal for a squash match (crap), making it a DUD at best.
- The Brain Busters (w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. Tommy Angel & Bob Emory:
From Superstars of Wrestling. ANOTHER historic moment as Bobby Heenan debuts his new proteges, The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard), fresh from NWA and completely killing the Four Horsemen until some reformations in 1989-1998 slowly ruined the legacy. Blanchard starts the match with Angel. Lockup and Blanchard with a slap. They play a game of chase and Arn tags in with a clothesline to the back of the head. Anderson rams Angel's head into the canvas followed by some boots to the face. Anderson rams Angel into Blanchards knee and he comes in with a dropkick. Tag to Anderson and they nail Angel with a double forearm to the midsection. Anderson chokes Angel on the second rope and drives a knee into him. Whip to the corner and Angel misses a cross body press. Anderson snapmares him to the corner and Emory comes in with rights. Irish whip and Double A with a stiff elbow to the back of the head. Irish whip and Anderson connects with a VICIOUS Spinebuster. Blanchard gets the tag in and puts Emory away with a slingshot suplex at 2:31. *1/2 Good for a squash match. 3 Historic Moments.
- Another vignette along with the soon to be Mr. Perfect. This time we get to watch him sink some puts on a golf course.
- Tito Santana vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude (w/ Bobby Heenan):
First match from Wrestling Challenge, and if this is anything like their Supertape match, I'm going to not pay much attention, and with Mooney & Hayes on PBP, that's just another argument for. Rude does some extra stalling to begin and they finally lockup. Rude complains Santana pulled the hair, so they lock up again and Rude with a go behind. Santana reverses and they go into the ropes. Rude applies a headlock into a hammerlock, but Santana reverses and we get some more stalling outside the ring. We get the most boring Test of Strength EVER and it lasts a good two or three minutes. MORE Stalling and I give up on this one. Santana with a long headlock and Rude comes back with an even longer rear chinlock. Rude applies a bearhug and it's not the best kind to show at 12 in the afternoon on Sundays. MORE RESTING FROM RUDE and Santana finally makes the comeback. Splash meets the knees of Rude, and Rude does the exact same thing. Santana with a stomp to the midsection followed by a cross body press for a two count. Rude rakes the eyes and goes for an atomic drop, but Santana blocks and takes Rude down for a figure four, and the bell sounds at 13:21 for a Time Limit Draw. -* Way too boring, and if they were going for a TLD, they could've made it an interesting end. Rude does his Rude Awakening, but Santana cuts him off and performs the act himself, and follows up with some mock hip swivelling. -1/2* Now since that was kinda hilarious, but the match completely sucked.
- The Rockers vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Also from Wrestling Challenge. Jannetty & Ray Rougeau start the match. Ray offers a hand shake, but Jannetty refuses, so he sneak attacks him and Jacques comes in to work him over. Irish whip is reversed, but Jacques avoids a back drop and celebrates. Jannetty catches Jacques with a school boy roll up for two and we get some stalling. Jacques in with a wristlock, but Jannetty reverses is and Michaels comes in with a double wristlock and chop to Jacques for a two count. Michaels with a wrist lock and they go into the corner. Jacques with a stomp to the midsection and reverse to the corner but he misses a charge. Another wristlock and Jannetty tags back in with a diving headbutt onto the arm of Jacques. Arm drag by Jannetty and back to the wrist lock. Michaels comes in for some fighting but get's tripped up and finally the Rougeaus take over. Forearms to the back by Ray and Michaels is choked across the top rope. Jacques tags in and stomps away at the future Heartbreak Kid. The Rougeaus trade off rear chinlocks and they last through a commercial break. Irish whip and Jacques connects with a diving back elbow. More chinlocks and Michaels finally comes back with a double head collision. Jannetty gets the hot tag and unloads on Jacques. Irish whip and he connects with a back elbow. Jacques eats seven buckles from Jannetty, and Michaels offers him another eight illegally. Jannetty comes off the top rope and connects with a fist drop, but the referee isn't looking. Jimmy tosses Ray the megaphone, but the referee actually SEES IT and disqualifies the Rougeau Brothers at 10:43 to give The Rockers the victory. ** Overall, a decent match, but it had much too many rest holds to make it anything special.
- Sam Houston & Scott Casey vs. The Brain Busters (w/ Bobby Heenan):
Again, we are on Wrestling Challenge. For those who have no clue who Houston or Casey are, Sam Houston is I believe a cousin of Jake Roberts, and a pretty skinny guy who got a mild midcard push, but was quickly feuding with Danny Davis. Scott Casey is a poor man' Hercules (editor's note: funny, cuz' Casey was actually Sunshine's second replacement for Hercules, down in World Class/Texas about two years prior). Anderson and Houston start out with a lockup. Anderson with a headlock into a hammerlock, and Houston reverses it. Anderson with another headlock followed by a stiff shoulder block. Wristlock by Double A and Houston does some flipping around to arm drag Anderson down and follows up with dropkicks to both men. Anderson tags Blanchard in and Casey tags in as well. Lockup and Casey with a headlock. Tully throws him down with a yank of the air and they trade blows. Irish whip and Casey with a back body drop. Anderson uses the leverage of Caseys tights to toss him out and drives a knee into the midsection. Casey sunsets in but Anderson gets the tag and hammers him on the back of the neck. Casey comes back with a series of lefts and he tags in Houston. Irish whip and Houston with a lunging clothesline. He tries a monkey flip but The Enforcer catches him with an inverted atomic drop. Blanchard tags back in and hammers away. Houston catches him with an armdrag and attempts a head scissors, but Anderson clotheslines him down. Anderson chokes away and Tully comes in for more beatings. Houston blocks a suplex attempt and connects with one of his own and both teams tag out. Arn quickly connects with a spine buster, and tags Blanchard back in. They connect with a funky top rope sunset flip move, and Arn clotheslines Casey down hard. Blanchard connects with the slingshot suplex and that's all she wrote for Casey, giving the Busters the win at 6:43. ** A Fun little squash, but I think the jobbers got way too much offense considering their position in the company.
- Once again we see Mr. Perfect showing us why he says he is Perfect. Now we get to see him since three pointers, half court shots, and a backward over-head shot at the end.
- Junkyard Dog vs. King Haku (w/ Bobby Heenan):
Dear GOD IN HEAVEN, why must I be punished by getting this on the tape?! From Madison Square Garden. Anyway, both men trade blows and headbutts for a while, and JYD slams Haku a few times, forcing him out of the ring. JYD continues to hammer on Haku and I continue to sip my MIKE'S HARD LEMONADE, available in your local grocery store. Both men do a test of strength....with their heads. God, I hope whoever planned this match out was fired. JYD puts Haku down and covers for two. JYD get's a small package nicely for two, boosting the rating up by 1/4*. Haku is locked in a bunch of moves ending with "-lock", and finally puts JYD down with some vulcan nerve pinches of extreme uncomfort! JYD eventually makes the comeback and nails the THUMP Powerslam, but Heenan comes in for the DQ at 11:40(!) and he and Haku do a double stomping, until JYD no sells. -*3/4 The small package isn't enough to save this huge pile of shit.
- Scott Casey vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart):
From Superstars of Wrestling, and more Casey....yay. Valentine is rocking the Hart Breaker here, and again, for those who don't know, that's the name of his shin guard he would use to add leverage on the figure four. Casey applies a headlock to start and follows up with a shoulder-block. Hammer catches Casey with an elbow to the head and drops a series of elbows. Chops in the corner and more elbows connect. Valentine applies a chinlock and turns it into a front facelock. More chops and Hammer comes off the top with a forearm smash. Figure Four is applied and Hammer gets the win at around 2:20. 3/4* OK match for a squash.
- "The Red Rooster" Terry Taylor (w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. Reno Riggins:
Again from Superstars and Riggins looks a bit tubbier than his 1992-94 look that I remembered. Lockup and Taylor with a wristlock followed by a hip toss. Hammerlock is applied and Riggins reverses it. Irish whip and Riggins hammers away on Taylor. Taylor catches Riggins with a stiff clothesline, but Heenan keeps barking orders at him. Taylor with a jaw-breaker followed by a series of rights. Atomic knee drop connects and Taylor applies the Cock of the Walk (Sharpshooter) for the win at 1:31. 1/4* Pretty average, but Heenan barking orders got a bit annoying.
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SATURDAY NIGHT'S MAIN EVENT!
- Promos-o-rama time and we get ones from Jake Roberts (along with Cheryl), Rick Rude & Bobby Heenan (Rude wants Cheryl, and has the famous tights on), Big Boss Man & Slick, and finally Hulk Hogan who throws threats at Haku. Instead of waste more space, we get more interviews from Jake Roberts & Rick Rude before their match with each other. To recap the feud, it all started when Rick Rude chose a "Randomly selected woman" from the audience for his rude awakening, but it turned out to be Jake Roberts' wife. Uh-Oh, that's not such a good idea. Rick Rude continued to antagonize Jake by wearing a new pair of tights with Cheryl's face printed on the front and back, enraging Roberts to the point of ripping them off on national television, with a big black circle covering it. (see also: Ric Flairs "World Title" at Survivor Series 1991).
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts (w/ Cheryl Roberts) vs. "Ravishing" Rick Rude (w/ Bobby Heenan):
Roberts rushes the ring and they do a vicious lockup around the ring. Rude with shoulder thrusts in the corner and Roberts counters with a knee to the face. Both men exchange rights and Roberts applies a wristlock to Rude. Roberts changes it into an armbar and a criss cross leads to Roberts pounding the midsection of Rude. Rude avoids a DDT attempt and rests on the outside. Back in the ring and Rude controls Roberts with rights and applies his own wristlock. Roberts attempts a short arm clothesline, but Rude ducks and connects with his own. Rude continues hammering on Roberts and connects with an elbow to the face. Irish whip to the corner and Roberts goes down hard. Rude follows up with a series of forearm blows and whips him to the other corner, but Roberts comes out with a clothesline. Series of jabs by Roberts followed by a gut buster. Roberts holds Rude down and Cheryl slaps him in the face, prompting the referee to toss her from ringside. Commercial break and we cut to Roberts getting pounded on once more by Rude. Rude rams Roberts' arm into the ring post a few times and takes him back in the ring, only to be beaten on some more. Irish whip and Roberts with a back body drop. DDT attempted but Rude blocks it with a back drop. Rude goes to the top rope and connects with a fist drop for a two count. Rude Awakening attempt is blocked now, and Roberts connects with the DDT. Roberts then pulls down the tights again, forcing viewers to see Rude in his underwear, until Heenan runs in for the DQ at 7:30, giving Roberts the win. Andre comes out now to beat on Roberts, but Damion is unleashed, and in my personal Dumbest Moment Of The Night (tm), Roberts tosses Damion on Andre, forcing him to have a heart attack and pass out in the ring, forcing medics to come to his aid. ** Match overall wasn't THAT good, but the heat generated was great, and this was a million times better than their Wrestlemania IV Snooze-fest.
- We get disturbing promos from the Hart Foundation & Demolition, with WAY TOO MANY close up shots out of nowhere, especially during the Demolition one. Jimmy Hart will be at ringside for the match to try and screw the Foundation out of the title.
- WWF-Tag Team Championship Match:
Demolition (c) (w/ Mr. Fuji & Jimmy Hart) vs. The Hart Foundation:
COPY AND PASTE TIME~! Niedhart and Ax start. Anvil with a series of rights. Ax comes back and both Demos pound down Anvil. Smash tries a suplex but Anvil reverses with his own for a two count. Bret with a boot to Smash's face and rams his fist into Smashs midsection. Hart with a dropkick followed by a second rope elbow drop for two. Armbar by Hart so Smash clotheslines him down to break the hold. Irish whip to the corner hard and Ax comes in with stomps to the chest of Hart. Choking in the corner by Ax and Fuji with some of his own with the cane. Smash hammers on Hart with rights. Snapmare followed by the reverse chinlock. Ax tags in with a boot to the head followed by more choking across the top rope. Smash in and they do a double pounding. Smash with double axhandle smashes followed by more chokes on the top rope. Irish whip and Bret connects with a hart attack clothesline. Anvil with the taf and he hammers both me. Dropkicks connect on both men as well as a series of clotheslines. Anvil with a powerslam to Smash for a two count. Bret hammers away on Ax and whips him into Smash. The Rougeaus come out as Bret hammers on Fuji from the apron. In the mean time, Smash takes the mega phone and clocks Niedhart with it and covers for three at around 5:55. *1/2 Slightly better than the Summerslam match, but still wasn't too much. This would continue more of the Hart/Foundation feud with the Rougeaus inserted.
- We get a brief clip of Harley Race's famous table bump that cost him his career during the March 1988 SNME and we get some more promos. Hulk Hogan reveals again he will have Miss Elizabeth in his corner for added support, while King Haku & Bobby Heenan trick Mean Gene into bowing for them. Stupid Gene.
- Hulk Hogan (w/ Miss Elizabeth) vs. King Haku (w/ Bobby Heenan):
Hogan plays Mister Nice Guy by holding open the ropes for Elizabeth, possibly hoping for a sneak peak to piss Randy Savage off. Speaking of Savage, why wasn't the World Champion even PRESENT for this show? Haku attacks Hogan during the customary check the tights for weapons stick that never works. Haku controls Hogan with a bunch of kicks and chops followed by some ramming into the buckle. Hogan comes back with a series of roundhouse rights and a back rake. Irish whip and Hogan clotheslines Haku down hard and connects with an elbow drop and rake of the eyes. Hogan with several chops, but Heenan trips him up to give Haku time to attack. Vulcan Nerve Pinch of Doom time and he continues to chop Hogan down like a redwood tree. Hogan is sent out with a crescent kick and Haku attempts a clothesline off the apron, but Hogan pulls Heenan in front to take the blast. Commercial Break and we get to see the Wrestlemania Board/Video Game from Aklaim with Randy Savage, Elizabeth, and RON BASS of all people featured with the snot-nosed kid. How dare Elizabeth hold the ropes open for him. Anyway, so much for my "where is the champ?" question. We come back and Haku with some more kciking and a suplex for two, and it's HULK UP TIME~! Three rights, big boot and a leg drop is all Hogan needs to pin Haku at 7:22. * Decent match, but really, anything with Haku is almost guranteed to not break anything above that. Hogan poses after the match of course and even gets Elizabeth to cup her ear. Hogan places her on his shoulder for added measure, and this will likely piss Savage off too.
- Ken Patera vs. Dino Bravo (w/ Frenchy Martin):
I'm going to skip mentioning interviews from now on because it's the C-Matches to close out the last twenty or so minutes of the telecast. Lockup and Bravo with a headlock. Irish whip and a shoulder block doesn't move anyone. Patera connects with rights and slams Bravo down hard, sending him out to talk with Frenchy. Back inside and Bravo with a headbutt to the midsection and some stomping. Bravo hammers on Patera in the corner and chokes him down. Irish whip to the corner is reversed and Patera connects with an elbow and the mounted punches. Snapmare out of the corner and Patera with an elbow to the face. Patera with a scoop slam followed by a shoulder block, and he goes for the Full Nelson. Bravo blocks and catches him in the corner with a boot to the face. Inverted atomic drop connects and Bravo puts Patera away with the Side Slam at 3:04. * Actually a decent match thanks to it being very short, and this would possibly mark one of Pateras final TV matches with the upcoming Survivor Series being the nail in the coffin.
- Jim Powers vs. Big Boss Man (w/ Slick):
Damn it, Koko B. Ware is usually the customary squashed wrestler to close out the show. Oh well, can't get your way all the time. They lockup and Boss Man drives a knee into the midsection followed by a series of rights. Irish whip and Powers ducks between the legs and applies a sleeper hold, forcing Boss Man to ram him into the corner hard. Series of rights by Boss Man and he splashes Powers in the corner. Knee lift connects and Boss Man with a headbutt followed by a sit down splash across the second rope. Choking by Boss Man and he catches Powers in a bearhug. Powers ducks a clothesline and dropkicks Boss Man a few times and hammers the midsection. Irish whip is reversed and just like that Boss Man with the Boss-Man-Slam gets three at 2:42. 1/2* After the match, Boss Man beats the crap out of Powers, making me happy once again.
- To end the show, we get another Hulk Hogan promo, and Jesse Ventura joins Bobby Heenan & Andre The Giant....somewhere for an exclusive interview. We find out Andre has a fear of snakes (DUH!) and Andre doesn't want anyone to use that word around him. Did I mention Ventura looked so stupid dressed like some news reporter? End of Saturday Night's Main Event Broadcast.
- Blue Blazer vs. Boris Zhukov:
Rather odd pairing here. Blazers (awesome) theme music interrupts the Soviet national anthem, and Nikolai Volkoff seems to disappear after the bell sounds. They lockup and Zhukov hammers away on Blazer with forearms. Ram to the buckle and Zhukov whips Blazer to the opposite corner. Blazer catches Zhukov with a series of arm drags followed by a dropkick, sending Zhukov outside. Blazer scales the ropes and comes off with a sledge to the back of the HUMONGOUS cranium of Zhukov. Blazer continues to bring the pain and yanks the beard of Zhukov. Ram to the turnbuckle and Blazer switches off between wristlocks and armbars. Boris reverses an armbar, but Blazer flips over the head of Zhukov for a school boy for two. Arm drag by Blazer and he applies another wristlock. Zhukoc gets back up and slams Blazer, but misses an elbow drop, allowing Blazer to continue the assault. Blazer whips Zhukov to the corner and attempts a monkey flip, but Zhukov holds onto the ropes. Zhukov stomps away at the Blazer and tosses him outside. He whips Blazer to the security rail, which actually falls onto the crowd in a laugh out loud moment. Zhukov ties the Blazer in the ropes and continues to pound away on him. Blazer attempts a sunset flip back in the ring but Zhukov holds on and lands a right between the eyes. Chinlock spot is short (GASP!) and Zhukov catches Blazer off an irish whip with a clothesline for two. Scoop slam and Zhukov heads to the top rope, and misses a knee drop. Blazer has a second wind and connects with a running dropkick. Irish whip and Blazer with a back body drop followed by a scoop slam and knee drop for a two count. Irish whip and Zhukov plants Blazer in the face with a boot for two. Zhukov tries dumping Blazer out again, but the Blazer skins the cat, scales the ropes, and comes off with a cross body press for three at 7:43. ** On second viewing, this was a decent match, although a bit slow at times, but Owen Hart (who was of course the Blazer) was still green at this point, but not as green as some people today.
- WWF-Tag Team Championship Match:
Demolition (c) (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. The Rockers:
Copy & Paste time for the final time of the tape. From the October 1988 Madison Square Garden event televised on the MSG Network. Ax and Shawn Michaels start the match. Lockup and Ax shoves down Michaels hard. Another lockup and Ax pounds down Michaels and chops him in the throat. Irish whip to the corner and Michaels with a cross body press off the second rope. Ax catches him though and slams him back down. Elbow drop misses, and Michaels with rights. Both teams make tags and they lockup. Jannetty ducks a cheap shot in the corner. Smash with a knee lift followed by axehandle shots to the back. Irish whip and Jannetty connects with a dropkick. Michaels catches him with a dropkick and Jannetty with another for a two count. The Rockers work through the wristlock sequence of frequent tags and axehandles to the bicep off the top rope. Smash takes over and tags Ax in, who pounds down Jannetty. Another wristlock sequence and Ax ends up tossing Jannetty down and stomps away. Smash tags in and Demolition with a double back elbow. Axehandles by Smash and Ax tags in with some more of the same. Hard irish whip into the corner. Smash with an Irish whip and Jannetty connects with a diving back elbow. Michaels tags in and is quickly spilled to the outside by Ax. Michaels takes a caning outside the ring and is suplexed back into the ring by Smash. Boston crab is applied by Smash and Ax tags in with an elbow drop across the back. Slam by Ax and he starts choking Michaels down. Smash comes back in and Michaels tries to fight back. Drop toe hold by Smash and Ax comes in with stomps. Demolition trade off bearhugs. Irish whip to the corner and Michaels with a boot to the face of Smash. Jannetty tags in and lands rights on everyone. Irish whip is reversed and Jannetty with a cross body press for two. The Rockers whip the Demos into each other and nail double dropkicks on both men. Double shoulder tackle to Ax and double clothesline to Fuji on the apron. Double slam to Smash gets a two count. Jannetty goes to the top rope and connects with a big splash for two. Jannetty tries a body press but Smash catches him, allowing Ax a stiff clothesline from the apron. Smash makes the cover to retain at 12:24. ** Little too long considering the finish, but it was an OK match. Nothing I'd go hunting for unless your a Demolition completionist...(looks away).
- "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig vs. Chris Zarna:
This is apparently Curt Hennig's WWF Debut as Mr. Perfect, judging by the commentary team of Vince & Jesse. Zarna apparently mugged Brian Pillman, because he's wearing the Bengals speedo Pillman made famous (because he played for the Cincinnati Bengals of course). Lockup, and Perfect with a slap in the corner followed by a series of forearms to the back. Side headlock followed by a shoulderblock by Hennig, and he connects with a running dropkick. Hennig rakes the face of Zarna and boots him in the midsection. Zarna reverses an irish whip, but Hennig comes out with a nasty clothesline. Perfect-Plex (not yet named though) finishes it at 1:53. 1/2* Nice little debut for Hennig.
- The Rockers vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Michaels & Jacques start the match with a lockup. Michaels with a standing headlock followed by a shoulder block. Jacques kips up, so Michaels dropkicks him back down a few times and tags in Jannetty. A Double dropkick sends Jacques back down and Jannetty with a victory roll attempt for two. Side headlock applied by Jannetty, and Michaels tags in with his own. Irish whip and Raymon pulls the ropes down, causing Michaels to crash to the floor. Back inside and Jacques connects with a diving back elbow. Raymon tags in and pounds the back of Michaels with forearm blows. He slams Michaels onto the knee of Jacques for a two count. Snapmare by Jacques and he applies a camel clutch. Jannetty fucks up a fake hot-tag spot, and Jimmy tosses the mega phone in. The Hart Foundation rush in to break the attempt and a brawl errupts, triggering the bell at 3:03. The decison...a DOUBLE disqualification? The referee didn't see any cheating at the hands of the Rougeaus. Oh well, *1/2 because it was way too short.
- Akeem (w/ Slick) vs. Tommy Causey:
This isn't too long after the Transformation of the One Man Gang into Akeem, and his hair is still buzzcut mode. Akeem hammers away on Causey with rights and does a bit of dancing. Gorilla Press Slam by Akeem, and he tosses Causey down to the canvas HARD. More dancing. I heard this gimmick was punishment, but I guess Akeem got the last laugh with the over-the-top-ness of silly dancing and shit. Akeem plants the jobber with a double axe handle and connects with a fall foward suplex for a fake two count. Air Africa Splash finishes it off at 1:55. DUD and a bad one at that.
- Koko B. Ware vs. Big Boss Man (w/ Slick):
And we quickly jump to the other half of the Twin Towers, and thankfully, the more talented member. This is also from the October 1988 MSG Show I believe, so it should be fun. Ware hammers away on Boss Man, while avoiding his attacks. Boss Man stalls for time and eventually catches Ware on the attack, booting him in the face. Boss Man chokes Ware across the top rope and tosses him to the outside. Ware on the apron continues taking a beating, but a headbutt turns the tide and Ware attempts a sunset flip in, but forgot Boss Man is fat, so SQUASH. Choke across the second rope and Boss Man bounces off the ropes with a sit down splash. Gullotine choke by Boss Man and he applies a bearhug. Delayed scoop slam and Boss Man misses a big splash. Ware "Birds Up" with a series of rights, but bounces off the ropes only to be planted with the Side-Walk Slam, giving the Boss Man the victory at 7:03. 3/4* A Bit dull, but still OK. Koko would job again 2 weeks later (TV Time) at the Survivor Series in the same fassion. after the match, Boss Man lays a beating in on him with the nightstick, triggering the thought "Why am I watching a Cop from the south beat up a black man for no reason?"
- Blue Blazer vs. Jose Estrada Jr.:
I really didn't want to do this one, but I'll suck it up and do a half-assing job. Estrada stalls....a lot, until we get a series of go-nowhere lockups. Estrada cheap shots Blazer but falls victim to a head scissors take down in the corner. Blazer with an arm drag into a wristlock. Irish whip and Blazer with a shoulder block followed by a dropkick and a wristlock. Irish whip leads to a criss cross and Blazer with a hurricanrana. Arm drag and wristlock version three by the Blazer. Both men exchange blows until Estrada knocks Owen on his ass. Estrada comes off the top rope twice with fist drops and applies a sort of nerve hold. Oh boy, not one of them. Blazer fights back with elbows to the midsection followed by a shoulderblock. Estrada catches Blazer with a knee to the midsection and goes back to work. He tosses Blazer outside, who in return comes in with a sunset flip for a two count. Irish whip and dropkick sends Estrada outside, and the Blazer follows up with a suicide dive! Back in the ring and Blazer with a suplex. Elbow drop off the second rope misses and Estrada pounds him. Irish whip andB the Blazer catches him with a gutwrench suplex. Back Breakder by the Blazer and he comes off the top rope with a splash for three at 11:00 even. *1/2 When Estrada was on the offense, this dog TANKED, but Owen kept up a good pace to save his half of the match.
- Sam Houston vs. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig:
They lockup and Hennig trips him against the ropes. Another lockup and this time an almighty SLAP. Houston returns both favors and Hennig takes some time to recover. Lockup and Houston with a series of arm drags into a wristlock. Hennig reverses but Houston reverses back and works the arm some more. Irish whip and Hennig kills Houston with a clothesline. Hennig stomps the face of Houston a few times and hammers away in the corner. Knee lift connects and he rakes the eyes of Houston with the boot. Hennig with a slingshot under the bottom rope and continues the beatings. A long abdominal stretch sequence by Hennig and beats him in the corner with shoulderblocks. Irish whip and Houston with a boot to the face. Irish whip and diving clothesline gets a one count. Irish whip and Hennig catches Houston with a stun gun. Perfect-Plex finishes it finally at 6:51. * Too long and slow considering Houston is usually praised as a good jobber and Hennig is Hennig.
- Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Valentine sneak attacks Hart, but Hart fights him off with a series of rights. A headbutt puts Valentine down and we see the Rougeaus at some place in the arena. Inverted atomic drop connects and Bret with an elbow. Snapmare by Hart and he connects with an elbow drop. Irish whip and Valentine with an elbow to the back of the head. Valentine attempts a double axehandle but get's hit in the midsection. Bret mouths off the Rougeaus from the ropes and Valentine catches him with a back suplex. Elbow drop connects and Valentine attempts the figure four several times, but Hart blocks. Outside the ring Anvil hammers on Jimmy, so Valentine & Hart brawl outside for a double count-out at 2:57. The Rougeaus attack afterwards and Valentine figure fours Hart to hell before Niedhart saves. * Nothing much of a match, which is a tend now it seems.
- WWF Survivor Series 1988 Report!
Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Tito Santana, Brian Blair, Ken Patera vs. Andre The Giant, Dino Bravo, Harley Race, Mr. Perfect, "Ravishing" Rick Rude
Ultimate Warrior, Brutus Beefcake, Blue Blazer, Jim Brunzell, Sam Houston vs. Honky Tonk Man, Greg Valentine, Bad News Brown, Danny Davis, Ron Bass
Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Hillbilly Jim, Koko B. Ware, Hercules vs. Big Boss Man, Akeem, Ted Dibiase, King Haku, The Red Rooster
Powers of Pain, Hart Foundation, British Bulldogs, The Rockers, Young Stallions vs. Demolition, Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, The Bolshiviks, Los Conquistadors, Brain Busters
- "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase (w/ Virgil) vs. Scott Hudson:
Dibiase attacks Hudson as he attempts picking up money Virgil ha dropped, and beats him down in the corner. Irish whip and Dibiase with a back elbow. Irish whip and a back drop. Dibiase with a series of fist drops followed by a stiff clothesline. Elbow drop connects and Dibiase follows with a suplex. Powerslam by Dibiase and he finishes off with the Million Dollar Dream at 2:10. 1/2* Post-Match antics of course occur.
- Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake vs. Honky Tonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Lockup and Honkytonk with a knee. Irish whip is reversed and Beefcake connects with a running high knee. Beefcake hammers away with rights and mounts Honky in the corner for some more. Irish whip and HTM misses a kick to the face attempt. Brutus rams his face into the turnbuckle a few times and continues to beat his ass around the ring. Sleeper hold out of nowhere, but Ron Bass runs in for the DQ at 1:50. DUD Bass and HTM double team Beefcake until Brunzell, Blue Blazer, and Sam Houston make the save. Bad News Brown, Valentine, and Danny Davis make the heel save, and The Warrior makes the final save, which means we got a pre-Survivor Series brawl!
- Harley Race vs. Alex Knight:
Race is no longer the King of course, but Mabel is! oops, wrong time frame. Lockup and Knight with a headlock. Race catches Knight with a german suplex followed by a knee lift. Snapmare suplex by Race and he connects with a knee drop. Double underhook suplex gets a false two count, and Race rams Knight to the turnbuckle, Race with a bearhug and completes it with a belly to belly suplex. Clothesline by Race followed by an elbow drop. Second rope super-plex picks up the win for the former King at 3:44. DUD Way too long.
- Blue Blazer vs. "Dangerous" Danny Davis:
Joined in Progress to Blazer avoiding a corner charge and connecting with a crossbody press for two. Davis runs to the outside for a game of stalling. Lockup inside the ring and Blazer with a wristlock. Head scissors take over and into the armbar followed by a headlock by Blazer. More stalling by Davis. Hammerlock by the Blazer and we get a reversal sequence into a wristlock. Irish whip and Blazer catches Davis with an enziguri. Davis bails for MORE stalling. Back in and Blazer with a hammerlock into a wristlock and slam. Irish whip and Davis connects with several clotheslines for a two count. Scoop slam and Davis heads up top, only to be firemans carried off. Blazer with a series of chops followed by a suplex for two. Elbow drop connects after some playing with the crowd and Blazer with a beautiful overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Splash from the top rope finishes it at 7:17. 3/4* Slow and boring match.
The Brother Love Show with Jack Tunney:
I'm only mentioning this for one small reason. Bad News Brown comes on to the set not too long after it begins and demands why Tunney is protecting Savage from him. A little finger pointed occurs and Brown goes gangster by choking Tunney down to the floor while Brother Love looks on happily. Also noting that a commercial for the FABULOUS Wrestlemania Video/Board Game follows, with Randy Savage & Liz, along with Ron Bass.
- Hercules vs. King Haku (w/ Heenan, Dibiase, Virgil):
Haku sneak attacks Hercules while he's yelling at Dibiase. Irish whip and Hercules with a series of rights and lefts. Irish whip and elbow connects. Snapmare followed by an elbow drop by Hercules. Haku rakes the eyes and chops away. Dibiase with some slaps behind the referees back. More chopping by Haku and they eventually come to blows again. Haku with a slam but he misses an elbow drop. Irish whip and Hercules with a powerslam. Clothesline connects but Dibiase trips him up. Hercules attacks both Virgil & Dibiase outside the ring and continues his punishment on Haku. Herc. grabs the chain and actually uses it, triggering a DQ at 2:35. DUD Way better match at Wrestlemania V from these two. Hercules chases Dibiase away afterwards.
-------------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY NIGHT'S MAIN EVENT!
- WWF-Intercontinental Championship Match:
The Ultimate Warrior (c) vs. The Super Ninja (w/ Mr. Fuji):
The Ninja is pretty much an early version of Kato, played by Rip Oliver. Warrior no sells some chops and kicks, throwing Ninja on his ass a few times. Warrior kills Ninja with a big boot, sending him outside. Warrior follows, and press slams him back into the ring. Ramming into the buckles and Warrior catches the Ninja with a back elbow. Irish whip again this time connecting with a clothesline. Press Slam & Splash ends this dog at 2:09. DUD
- Hercules vs. Virgil (w/ Ted Dibiase):
Dibiase and Virgil double team Hercules before the bell, only to be laid out with a double clothesline. Hercules with a series of jabs to both men and a back body drop to Virgil. Hercules clotheslines Virgil out and chases Dibiase into the ring. Hercules continues pounding on Virgil and drops an elbow on him. More beatings and Hercules with a series of clotheslines. Powerslam by Hercules finishes this crap at 3:20. DUD.
- WWF-World Championship Match:
"Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Andre The Giant (w/ Bobby Heenan):
Dear God...Andre starts the match choking Savage down and headbutting him into the corner. Savage fights back briefly but Andre just hugs him...for a while. Andre with some butt squashes in the corner followed by some...more stuff. Savage catches Andre with a knee and double axhandle, but falls victim to another headbutt and MORE choking. Savage with shoulder blocks in the corners but Andre no sells them and hugs Savage some more. Headbutt followed by more choking. Savage fights out of a hug with a jaw breaker followed by a double axhandle and some jabbing. Andre continues choking. Roberts comes out, hiding the snake under the ring, while Savage controls. Commercial break and Savage keeps the attack going, but Andre keeps fighting him off. Heenan in the meantime looks for the bag under the ring, and finds it on the last side to look. Roberts runs in, and we get a messy DQ finish at 8:41. -** Horrible Match, Horrible Finish, Horrible Horrible Horrible. I don't even care WHO was DQed.
- Flag Match:
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan (USA) vs. Boris Zhukov (USSR):
....Only one match after this and the total score in stars is -**. That's jsut sad. Both men trade blows and Duggan with an atomic drop. Zhukov stalls a little outside and they lockup again. Zhukov hammers Duggan and puts him down with a boot to the face. Elbow drop connects and he pounds away. Duggan fights back and whips Zhukov to the ropes. Zhukov misses a kick, but Duggan misses an elbow drop. Zhukov bites away and punches more. Irish whip to the corner and Duggan with a clotesline. Scoop slam and charging clothesline win it at 2:25. -1/2* Nothing can save this show. NOTHING.
- The Young Stallions vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Well, if this were any house show, this MIGHT be great with 10-15 minutes. But it's the closing SNME Match. Jacques & Powers start the match. Jacques with a headlock followed by a shoulderblock. Lockup and Jacques with a dropkick. Powers with a headlock and ends up mounting Jacques in the corner. Jacques catches Powers with a double axehandle and Raymond with a crescent kick to the midsection. Raymond slams Powers onto Jacques knee. They work the back of Powers. Jacques in with a diving back elbow. Reverse to the corner and Jacques misses a cross body press. Roma gets the hot tag and goes ape shit on everyone. Slam to Raymond followed by a fist drop. Missile dropkick to Jacques gets a two count. Pier-Six and the Rougeau Bomb on Roma finishes at 3:06. 3/4* THANKFULLY end of this SNME.
Final Thoughts: Nothing really great here, but it's nice for a nostalgia trip. The SNME's aren't too spectacular, especially the last one, which I forever will call the WORST SNME EVER. The Syndicated television matches aren't too bad, except for a loser match now and then. Not enough Hogan says I. I demand more Hogan! No more thumbs up until I see Hogan.
!-------------------end guest column-----------------!
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