WWE 24/7 ("Classics on Demand") added a never-before-seen snippet entitled "Donnybrook Theatre". A pilot episode from 1995, hosted by Todd Pettengill, with Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna, Lord Alfred Hayes (he was still around in 1995?!!) and (apparently) the Rosati Sisters ("Oink-ettes").
Like the bastard love child of "TNT", it took place in a studio, with an Old West Saloon set-up. Recalling "Fuji Bandito", Yokozuna and Fuj walked in to play cards. Might sound like fun... but 95% of the skit was Todd Pettengill motor-mouthing his way through the whole thing, while dressed like the old "movie director" stereotype. Clad in a beret, boots and carrying a megaphone, Pettengill narrated the whole thing, which was completely devoid of humor or excitement. Stuff like: "Yokozuna then sat down to play cards!"
For some reason, "The Huckster" soon entered, although he was announced as simply "Hulk Hogan". Yoko slowly beat him up and gave him the BANZAI drop. That was it... as the final segment was destroyed and couldn't be found. Very, very WEIRD. The premise sounded somewhat funny, with Yoko and Fuj clowning around, but Pettengill delivered no witty remarks or one-liners and the "director" gimmick quickly turned stale. Then "Hulk Hogan"?! I'm curious as to WHEN this was originally filmed, as it may have been their first attempt to whip up something similar to the Billionaire Ted skits.
Avoid this clip at all costs. "Fuji Vice" has gained a cult following over the years, but it "Donnybrook Theatre" ever does, then there is no hope for the Internet Rasslin' Fan.
Showing posts with label WWE 24/7. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WWE 24/7. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
WWF @ Madison Square Garden - July 12, 1986
I wanted to review this entire card, but time constraints and the weekly WWE Classics OnDemand expiration meant I had to record it while I cut the grass. Still, got to see the gist of the card, including:
Tony Atlas vs. Leaping Lanny Poffo
Face-v-face match and actually not 100% terrible, as Atlas was much more mobile than I expected. Before the match, Lanny delivered a light-hearted poem praising "Mr. USA" and bemoaning his lost luggage. Both guys traded dropkicks to pick up the pace, but Atlas soon settled on the chinlock. Ending was unexpected, as they bounced off opposite turnbuckles, with Atlas leap-frogging and pinning Poffo with a backslide. A bit sloppy and choregraphed on the pinfall, though (you could see Poffo "stumbling" and putting his arms into position for Atlas's backslide).
22-Man $50,000 Battle Royal
Somewhat famous match-- it's the "match where Jimmy Hart hides under the ring and eventually wins". Mostly jobbers and tag-teamers, with Johnny Valiant and Bobby Heenan also donning the trunks. Going off of memory, but I think it included:
Cool touch as each particpant was introduced by Howard Finkel, complete with their hometowns. Everyone ganged up to dump Studd and Bundy, about 10 seconds into the match. Camera worked sucked, as they missed 90% of the eliminations, instead focusing on Jimmy Hart peeking out from under the ring apron. Best spot had the Bulldogs do-si-do and deliver dropkicks to eliminate the Moondogs.
Final segment boiled down to Haynes, Poffo, Smith, JYD and Tonga taking on Valentine. Valentine casually dumped Haynes, Smith, Poffo and Tonga, leaving only JYD. JYD was thrown through the second rope and discovered Jimmy Hart under the ring. Hart was brought back in to act as cheerleader for Valentine. Had to wonder WHY Hart was in there, since exactly ZERO of his clients were enrolled in this thing! Still, Valentine showed some hold-over loyalty to his old manager and protected him. Both JYD and Valentine tumbled over the ropes, simultaneously, leaving Hart as the victor. Hmm... have to check the records (including Memphis), but this may have been Hart's in-Ring Career Highlight.
Junkyard Dog vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Match went forever (remember: "it takes the Hammer 30 minutes just to get warmed up"), until both guys continued their Mild Battle Royal Feud and fought to a double-countout. Finkel again delivered some good theater as he announced both guys names, slowly, after the match, building suspense until it was deemed a "double countout".
Cage Match: Tito Santana and Bruno Sammartino vs. "Adorable" Adrian Adonis and "Macho Man" Randy Savage
The old chain-link cage and not the "big blue bar" version. Chico and Macho's collective presence was understandable, but I think Adonis/Sammartino was set up by a few "Flower Shop" segments. Rather funny how the #2 and #3 heels in the company (Macho and Adonis) had to sell for Bruno's punches and running knees. Bruno won it by beating the crap out of both guys, then exiting through the door. For good measure, Chico went over the top of the cage, at the same time. Bruno sure seemed to work a LOT of cage matches in 1986 and most were pretty well received by the crowds...so you have to give the old guy credit!
Other matches I didn't watch included:
Pedro Morales pinned "Iron" Mike Sharpe
Tag Titles: British Bulldogs beat the Moondogs
Billy Jack Haynes over Brutus Beefcake by DQ
King Kong Bundy & "The Giant" John Studd beat King Tonga & Sivi Afi
Harley Race pinned Tony Garea
Glad I got to cut the grass, as this card turned out to be over 2 hours of SUCK. I would've liked to catch Tonga/Avi vs. Studd/Bundy since I've become a big Tonga/Haku/MENG fan ever since I got WWE 24/7 and I've always dug Bundy. A few promos for next month's show aired; including Heenan declaring that Andre would be exposed under his "Machine" mask. But overall, this show was rather awful.
Tony Atlas vs. Leaping Lanny Poffo
Face-v-face match and actually not 100% terrible, as Atlas was much more mobile than I expected. Before the match, Lanny delivered a light-hearted poem praising "Mr. USA" and bemoaning his lost luggage. Both guys traded dropkicks to pick up the pace, but Atlas soon settled on the chinlock. Ending was unexpected, as they bounced off opposite turnbuckles, with Atlas leap-frogging and pinning Poffo with a backslide. A bit sloppy and choregraphed on the pinfall, though (you could see Poffo "stumbling" and putting his arms into position for Atlas's backslide).
22-Man $50,000 Battle Royal
Somewhat famous match-- it's the "match where Jimmy Hart hides under the ring and eventually wins". Mostly jobbers and tag-teamers, with Johnny Valiant and Bobby Heenan also donning the trunks. Going off of memory, but I think it included:
- Big John Studd
- King Kong Bundy
- Bobby Heenan
- "Handsome" Harley Race
- Greg Valentine
- Brutus Beefcake
- Tony Garea
- Lanny Poffo (still sweating from the last match)
- Tony Atlas (same as above)
- Sivi Afi (listed as "Siva Afi")
- Junkyard Dog
- Moondog Spot (listed as "Spot Moondog")
- Moondog Rex (listed as "Rex Moondog")
- Billy Jack Haynes
- King Tonga
- Pedro Morales
- Dynamite Kid
- Davey Boy Smith
- "Luscious" Johnny Valiant
- Jimmy Hart
- "Iron" Mike Sharpe (yarrrrrrgh!)
- S.D. Jones
Cool touch as each particpant was introduced by Howard Finkel, complete with their hometowns. Everyone ganged up to dump Studd and Bundy, about 10 seconds into the match. Camera worked sucked, as they missed 90% of the eliminations, instead focusing on Jimmy Hart peeking out from under the ring apron. Best spot had the Bulldogs do-si-do and deliver dropkicks to eliminate the Moondogs.
Final segment boiled down to Haynes, Poffo, Smith, JYD and Tonga taking on Valentine. Valentine casually dumped Haynes, Smith, Poffo and Tonga, leaving only JYD. JYD was thrown through the second rope and discovered Jimmy Hart under the ring. Hart was brought back in to act as cheerleader for Valentine. Had to wonder WHY Hart was in there, since exactly ZERO of his clients were enrolled in this thing! Still, Valentine showed some hold-over loyalty to his old manager and protected him. Both JYD and Valentine tumbled over the ropes, simultaneously, leaving Hart as the victor. Hmm... have to check the records (including Memphis), but this may have been Hart's in-Ring Career Highlight.
Junkyard Dog vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Match went forever (remember: "it takes the Hammer 30 minutes just to get warmed up"), until both guys continued their Mild Battle Royal Feud and fought to a double-countout. Finkel again delivered some good theater as he announced both guys names, slowly, after the match, building suspense until it was deemed a "double countout".
Cage Match: Tito Santana and Bruno Sammartino vs. "Adorable" Adrian Adonis and "Macho Man" Randy Savage
The old chain-link cage and not the "big blue bar" version. Chico and Macho's collective presence was understandable, but I think Adonis/Sammartino was set up by a few "Flower Shop" segments. Rather funny how the #2 and #3 heels in the company (Macho and Adonis) had to sell for Bruno's punches and running knees. Bruno won it by beating the crap out of both guys, then exiting through the door. For good measure, Chico went over the top of the cage, at the same time. Bruno sure seemed to work a LOT of cage matches in 1986 and most were pretty well received by the crowds...so you have to give the old guy credit!
Other matches I didn't watch included:
Pedro Morales pinned "Iron" Mike Sharpe
Tag Titles: British Bulldogs beat the Moondogs
Billy Jack Haynes over Brutus Beefcake by DQ
King Kong Bundy & "The Giant" John Studd beat King Tonga & Sivi Afi
Harley Race pinned Tony Garea
Glad I got to cut the grass, as this card turned out to be over 2 hours of SUCK. I would've liked to catch Tonga/Avi vs. Studd/Bundy since I've become a big Tonga/Haku/MENG fan ever since I got WWE 24/7 and I've always dug Bundy. A few promos for next month's show aired; including Heenan declaring that Andre would be exposed under his "Machine" mask. But overall, this show was rather awful.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Shorties: Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas vs. Big Sky & Vinnie Vegas
Keeping with WWE 24/7's March theme of "Large and in Charge" (aka: "fat guys"), this match is currently airing under "Shorties". It's from WCW Saturday Night on March 6, 1993. Douglas and Steamboat are the reigning WCW World Tag Team Champions, while Vegas (everyone's pal, Kevin Nash) and Sky (everyone's favorite Sabretooth from "X-men") are two random tall dudes teamed together.
While it's good for variety, you have to wonder if they could've dusted off something a little more interesting. The entire match features Vegas and Sky just pounding on Douglas. Douglas eventually escapes by performing three of the most awkward somersaults I've seen. Usually, this spot works well for the babyfaces: they quickly somersault under the heels and make the Hot Tag. But Vegas and Sky are both out of position and have to WALK OVER to Douglas, then make a concentrated effort to stop and STEP OVER him.
You'd think Douglas' escape would lead to a comeback win for the champs. Vegas and Sky were nothing exciting, so a clean loss wouldn't have hurt them. But, the Hollywood Blondes team of Brian Pillman and Steve Austin knock Douglas off the top turnbuckle and cause the DQ. Steamboat eventually chases them both back to the locker with a steel chair.
Like I said, it's good for variety, but not much else. Jesse Ventura and Tony Schiavone are on the sticks, though. They're not bad at all, yet Jesse gets in an amusing comment that causes Tony to lose it. Jesse is talking about the "the two big boys in the ring, Sky and Vegas. And speaking of two big boys-- howabout that Missy Hyatt?" It takes Tony a few seconds to piece it together... but then he laughs as he gets the punchline.
While it's good for variety, you have to wonder if they could've dusted off something a little more interesting. The entire match features Vegas and Sky just pounding on Douglas. Douglas eventually escapes by performing three of the most awkward somersaults I've seen. Usually, this spot works well for the babyfaces: they quickly somersault under the heels and make the Hot Tag. But Vegas and Sky are both out of position and have to WALK OVER to Douglas, then make a concentrated effort to stop and STEP OVER him.
You'd think Douglas' escape would lead to a comeback win for the champs. Vegas and Sky were nothing exciting, so a clean loss wouldn't have hurt them. But, the Hollywood Blondes team of Brian Pillman and Steve Austin knock Douglas off the top turnbuckle and cause the DQ. Steamboat eventually chases them both back to the locker with a steel chair.
Like I said, it's good for variety, but not much else. Jesse Ventura and Tony Schiavone are on the sticks, though. They're not bad at all, yet Jesse gets in an amusing comment that causes Tony to lose it. Jesse is talking about the "the two big boys in the ring, Sky and Vegas. And speaking of two big boys-- howabout that Missy Hyatt?" It takes Tony a few seconds to piece it together... but then he laughs as he gets the punchline.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling - 11/25/81
Tuned in for my second consecutive installment of Mid-Atlantic. It was pretty much the same as the first. Modern fans like to bitch about how current program can run for 30 minutes without showing an actual match....well, this episode went up to 20 minutes before showing a match. When they did show a match, it was another remote Tommy Rich jobber squash. Followed immediately by more remote footage of Angelo Mosca. In fact, it may have been the exact same Mosca match from the previous episode.
This reminded me of how repetitive pre-1990 shows used to be. You'd go for WEEKS, seeing the same replays, interviews and run-ins from previous shows.
But one match featured Blackjack Mulligan and Jake Roberts vs. Charlie Fulton and Nikolai Volkoff. The cameras completely missed Mulligan finishing off Fulton, as they zoomed in on Jake drop-kicking Nikolai out to the floor. Funny thing, but Nikolai was wearing his old USSR skullcap-- or swimmer's cap-- or flight helmet, for the entire match.
Most of the focus of the first half of the show was on the upcoming 1982 Cadillac Tournament, with Sgt. Slaughter and Roddy Piper chiming in, again. Mulligan even said he'd be interested... after all, Sally Mae and everyone back at the ranch in Texas were in hard times and they needed something to help pay the mortgage. Some of the old blue-collar themes that made old rasslers so popular.
The second half seemed to focus on the ongoing Roddy Piper/Ricky Steamboat issue. But overall, it was to drive fans to an upcoming houseshow in Charlotte, which would feature Steamboat and Roberts teaming up to face Piper and Ole Anderson.
There was also a "Pvt. Jim Nelson" squash worked in. Where Nelson was very much a protege of Slaughter. Nelson was much more mobile and active than the stompy/kicky lump he became as "Boris Zhukov". For instance, he started off with a quick waistlock into an underhook pinning combo.
Noticeably absent from the show were Jay Youngblood and Wahoo McDaniel. Slaughter seemed to tie-up his issue with Wahoo, saying how it was over because Wahoo never answered his challenge. Not sure of the details, but it made it seem like Wahoo had left the area, at least temporarily.
Ric Flair cut a promo for the Charlotte show, pumping his bout against Ray Stevens. Flair threw in a warning to Ole Anderson. Just seemed weird to hear Flair at odds with one of the original Horsemen.
I wasn't into this episode, too much, but I like how they're airing them in chronological order. The main crop of Slaughter, Piper, Ole, Steamboat, Roberts and Mulligan (both Jr and Sr) is excellent.
This reminded me of how repetitive pre-1990 shows used to be. You'd go for WEEKS, seeing the same replays, interviews and run-ins from previous shows.
But one match featured Blackjack Mulligan and Jake Roberts vs. Charlie Fulton and Nikolai Volkoff. The cameras completely missed Mulligan finishing off Fulton, as they zoomed in on Jake drop-kicking Nikolai out to the floor. Funny thing, but Nikolai was wearing his old USSR skullcap-- or swimmer's cap-- or flight helmet, for the entire match.
Most of the focus of the first half of the show was on the upcoming 1982 Cadillac Tournament, with Sgt. Slaughter and Roddy Piper chiming in, again. Mulligan even said he'd be interested... after all, Sally Mae and everyone back at the ranch in Texas were in hard times and they needed something to help pay the mortgage. Some of the old blue-collar themes that made old rasslers so popular.
The second half seemed to focus on the ongoing Roddy Piper/Ricky Steamboat issue. But overall, it was to drive fans to an upcoming houseshow in Charlotte, which would feature Steamboat and Roberts teaming up to face Piper and Ole Anderson.
There was also a "Pvt. Jim Nelson" squash worked in. Where Nelson was very much a protege of Slaughter. Nelson was much more mobile and active than the stompy/kicky lump he became as "Boris Zhukov". For instance, he started off with a quick waistlock into an underhook pinning combo.
Noticeably absent from the show were Jay Youngblood and Wahoo McDaniel. Slaughter seemed to tie-up his issue with Wahoo, saying how it was over because Wahoo never answered his challenge. Not sure of the details, but it made it seem like Wahoo had left the area, at least temporarily.
Ric Flair cut a promo for the Charlotte show, pumping his bout against Ray Stevens. Flair threw in a warning to Ole Anderson. Just seemed weird to hear Flair at odds with one of the original Horsemen.
I wasn't into this episode, too much, but I like how they're airing them in chronological order. The main crop of Slaughter, Piper, Ole, Steamboat, Roberts and Mulligan (both Jr and Sr) is excellent.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling - 11/18/81
No idea why this randomly popped up on WWE 24/7, but I'm glad it did. From late 1981, it doesn't feature great matches, but a lot of good ol' fashioned angle-development fun.
Matches/interviews of note:
Jay Youngblood vs. Tony Harris
Pretty sure Harris was a young Black Bart. He was allowed to get a fair amount of offense in, but in the end Youngblood made the Spinach Comeback, chopped him and got the pin.
Special Interview with Sgt. Slaughter
Sarge introduced tape from the previous week, when Wahoo McDaniel complained about Sarge ducking him. Sarge was pissed, offered to put his US belt on the line against Wahoo, then ran to the ring and demolished a jobber. All the while, yelling for Wahoo. Also of note: Sarge was accompanied by "Pvt. Nelson", a young Boris Zhukov.
Special Interview with Roddy Piper
Claimed he was the baddest dude in MACW, etc. He showed a past clip, where he ran into Ricky Steamboat's match and dropped him with a blindside elbow.
Special Look at Tommy Rich
Taped from a different promotion, as Rich pinned a jobber. Bob Caudle and Sandy Scott were excited about new talent coming into MACW and wondered how to get more. Which segued into...
Special Interview with Sandy Scott
Scott's plan: offer a new $17,000 1982 Cadillac to attract new talent! They planned to give it away, somehow, be it in a battle royale or a tournament. This brought out the unofficial heel alliance of Ole Anderson, Roddy Piper and Sgt. Slaughter. They all expressed interest in the Cadillac, with Piper saying he'd sell his Grandma to the Huns for $17,000. Sarge also offered to wrestle his mother. This led into...
Special look at Angelo Mosca
Footage from the WWF of "King Kong Mosca" and his manager Lou Albano beating up a jobber. Scott then said how cool it would be to have Ole, Piper, Sarge and Mosca all in the ring at once, competing for a Cadillac.
Special Interview with Jay Youngblood,Ricky Steamboat and Jake Roberts
Steamboat contradicted Piper's early claim...then showed the rest of the match and how he rebounded from Piper's attack to win the match. Also kinda' funny how Jake Roberts was wearing a cowboy hat and playing up his Texas heritage.
Ricky Steamboat & Jake Roberts vs. Super Destroyer and the Grappler
Like a lot of folks, I remember Steamboat and Roberts and blood enemies from the WWF in 1986...so it's weird to see them as partners. Everyone went toe-to-toe with basic 'rasslin until Ole, Piper and Sarge all invaded the ring area. Super-D and Grappler were then DQ'd and the babyfaces cleared the ring. No idea who this Super-D was, but he was wearing blue n' gold. Pretty sure Grappler was the real deal of Len Denton.
Also, interspersed throughout the show were local promos for an upcoming card. Fun stuff, as we got to see Jimmy Valiant, Blackjack Mulligan, Jr. (Barry Windham) and an odd tag-team pairing of Jay Youngblood and Ray Stevens.
Overall, the show had a great cast of characters and some vintage old-school angles. 24/7 has been tossing up some random episodes of territorial promotions for the past few months, and these have been somewhat of a treat.
Matches/interviews of note:
Jay Youngblood vs. Tony Harris
Pretty sure Harris was a young Black Bart. He was allowed to get a fair amount of offense in, but in the end Youngblood made the Spinach Comeback, chopped him and got the pin.
Special Interview with Sgt. Slaughter
Sarge introduced tape from the previous week, when Wahoo McDaniel complained about Sarge ducking him. Sarge was pissed, offered to put his US belt on the line against Wahoo, then ran to the ring and demolished a jobber. All the while, yelling for Wahoo. Also of note: Sarge was accompanied by "Pvt. Nelson", a young Boris Zhukov.
Special Interview with Roddy Piper
Claimed he was the baddest dude in MACW, etc. He showed a past clip, where he ran into Ricky Steamboat's match and dropped him with a blindside elbow.
Special Look at Tommy Rich
Taped from a different promotion, as Rich pinned a jobber. Bob Caudle and Sandy Scott were excited about new talent coming into MACW and wondered how to get more. Which segued into...
Special Interview with Sandy Scott
Scott's plan: offer a new $17,000 1982 Cadillac to attract new talent! They planned to give it away, somehow, be it in a battle royale or a tournament. This brought out the unofficial heel alliance of Ole Anderson, Roddy Piper and Sgt. Slaughter. They all expressed interest in the Cadillac, with Piper saying he'd sell his Grandma to the Huns for $17,000. Sarge also offered to wrestle his mother. This led into...
Special look at Angelo Mosca
Footage from the WWF of "King Kong Mosca" and his manager Lou Albano beating up a jobber. Scott then said how cool it would be to have Ole, Piper, Sarge and Mosca all in the ring at once, competing for a Cadillac.
Special Interview with Jay Youngblood,Ricky Steamboat and Jake Roberts
Steamboat contradicted Piper's early claim...then showed the rest of the match and how he rebounded from Piper's attack to win the match. Also kinda' funny how Jake Roberts was wearing a cowboy hat and playing up his Texas heritage.
Ricky Steamboat & Jake Roberts vs. Super Destroyer and the Grappler
Like a lot of folks, I remember Steamboat and Roberts and blood enemies from the WWF in 1986...so it's weird to see them as partners. Everyone went toe-to-toe with basic 'rasslin until Ole, Piper and Sarge all invaded the ring area. Super-D and Grappler were then DQ'd and the babyfaces cleared the ring. No idea who this Super-D was, but he was wearing blue n' gold. Pretty sure Grappler was the real deal of Len Denton.
Also, interspersed throughout the show were local promos for an upcoming card. Fun stuff, as we got to see Jimmy Valiant, Blackjack Mulligan, Jr. (Barry Windham) and an odd tag-team pairing of Jay Youngblood and Ray Stevens.
Overall, the show had a great cast of characters and some vintage old-school angles. 24/7 has been tossing up some random episodes of territorial promotions for the past few months, and these have been somewhat of a treat.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
WWF Prime Time Wrestling- Jan 12, 1988
Caught this on WWE 24/7, last night. I don't have total recall of every little segment, but here's the gist of it:
Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. Paul Roma (w/Jim Powers)
Joined in progress, right after the bell. Which leads me to believe that this match was taped when the Hart Foundation were still tag champs and that Hitman had a belt with him. It was probably a "roadblock match", from around the time the Young Stallions "stole" the Harts' supposed theme song of "Crank it Up". Also a little funny that while Powers is seconding Roma, Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart is nowhere to be found. Anyways, Hitman dominates about 75% of the match, although Roma gets in some minor offense, including his nice flying forearm/fist drop from the corner. Roma makes a comeback, but it's quickly killed when Hitman catches him in a backbreaker, then flies off the second rope with a diving elbow to get the pin. Wow, the Stallions were made out to be complete pussies in this match-- Hart had no trouble dealing with both of them (Powers tried to get involved once or twice) and easily wiped the mat with Roma.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Steve Lombardi
Pretty much an early squash for Warrior, although Lombardi controls for a bit. Stragely enough, Warrior also comes out to "Crank it Up". Nick Bockwinkel and Gorilla Monsoon call the action, as they mention Lombardi was a "graduate of the Terry Garvin School of Self-Defense" and how he patterned himself after Garvin and Pat Patterson. Ick. Bockwinkel then keeps taking points off of Garvin and Patterson as the match proceeds. Warrior blasts Lombardi with a powerslam off the ropes, then stops the cover, so he can gorilla-press-slam him and pin him with one foot.
Back in the studio, Gorilla and Bobby Heenan take more shots at Lombardi. Brain asks: "why didn't he pull Warrior's hair when he was up in that gorilla-press?" Gorilla answers: "well, he was in a compromising position at that point". Brain fires right with: "shyeah! He's been in a lot of compromising positions!" Yow...that works on both a kayfabe and behind-the-scenes level!
KoKo B. Ware vs. "Iron" Mike Sharpe
Sharpe, on his neverending quest for redemption fails once again as he can't make it over the "S.D. Jones Hump" and pin anybody about that level. When asked for comment, Sharpe said: "Yaaaaaaaaaa!" Koko wins convincingly with the Ghostbuster piledriver/suplex.
WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge
A recap of the recent dog-napping of the British Bulldogs' mascot, the lovable Matilda, by the dastardly Islanders. WWF Pres Jack Tunney declares the Islanders suspended without pay, until Matilda is returned.
Highlights of Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy from SNME
From the January 3, 1988 SNME, where Hogan finished off Bundy. A rematch from the November 1987 SNME, when Bundy beat Hogan by countout. Essentially, this match ended Bundy's first WWF tour, which lasted for about 3 years. But the big shenanigans occur after the match, as Andre the Giant entered the ring and choked out Hogan. Strike Force, the British Bulldogs and Jake Roberts can't break Andre's grip on the Hulkster! "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan finally breaks it up with his 2x4, but it also appears that Andre was simply done, for now.
A Very Special DeGeorge Podium Interview with Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil)
DiBiase isn't used to not getting what he wants. Even though Hogan turned down his offer to buy the WWF Championship, DiBiase has hired someone who will give the title to him: Andre the Giant! Back in the studio, Gorilla chides Heenan for selling out and abandoning his dream of someday managing the champion. Heenan doesn't care, as he's satisfied with simply having a championship manager's payday. Gorilla warns him that all the money will go back if Andre doesn't beat Hogan. Hmm...don't think that point will ever brought up, again.
"Leaping" Lanny Poffo vs. Danny Spivey
Joined in the progress of a BEARHUG, which instantly tells me to hit the head or get a snack. Spivey wins with a reverse neckbreaker (think: "Rude Awakening") after Poffo misses a drop-kick
A Very Special "Mean" Gene Okerlund Interview with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Gene plugs the "Rumble Royale", then brings in Steamboat, who will be squaring off against "Ravishing" Rick Rude at the event. Steamboat says he's been sitting at home the past six months, but now he's back and ready to make a mark. Ehh....according to who you want to believe, Steamer worked a good chunk of matches from June to December 1987, he was just off of TV.
Heenan blasts Okerlund for calling the "Royal Rumble" the "Rumble Royale". He also refers to Steamboat as "Mr. Mom". They plug the upcoming FREE event some more and name the participants in the Rumble. Bam Bam Bigelow is announced, but he'll end up skipping the match. I'm wondering who replaced him... maybe Tito Santana? They also mention that the Rumble will feature a "face-to-face confrontation" between Andre and Hogan. Yet they don't mention the upcoming "MAIN EVENT".
Cowboy Lang vs. Lord Littlebrook
MIDGET MATCH from Paris, France. Lang actually comes out to "Crank it Up", as well! Littlebrook: "ayyy-yi-yi-yi-yi-yiiii!" Since it's a midget match, we get the obligatory butt-bite. Littlebrook finally wins by hooking the tights. This match was given TWO whole segments....but, as Heenan might say, it still came up short.
Brady Boone & Billy Jack Haynes vs. Demolition (w/Mr. Fuji)
Boone's filling in for the injured Ken Patera. Lots of pounding, although Boone and Haynes work pretty well as a team. Smash gets the pin with his "stun-gun" top-rope drop on Boone. Funny point, but there's no ringcrew, so Demolition has to carry their own masks, chaps and jackets back to the locker with them. Like Bundy, I think this was the end of Haynes' WWF tour.
Well folks, that wraps it up for this edition...
Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. Paul Roma (w/Jim Powers)
Joined in progress, right after the bell. Which leads me to believe that this match was taped when the Hart Foundation were still tag champs and that Hitman had a belt with him. It was probably a "roadblock match", from around the time the Young Stallions "stole" the Harts' supposed theme song of "Crank it Up". Also a little funny that while Powers is seconding Roma, Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart is nowhere to be found. Anyways, Hitman dominates about 75% of the match, although Roma gets in some minor offense, including his nice flying forearm/fist drop from the corner. Roma makes a comeback, but it's quickly killed when Hitman catches him in a backbreaker, then flies off the second rope with a diving elbow to get the pin. Wow, the Stallions were made out to be complete pussies in this match-- Hart had no trouble dealing with both of them (Powers tried to get involved once or twice) and easily wiped the mat with Roma.
Ultimate Warrior vs. Steve Lombardi
Pretty much an early squash for Warrior, although Lombardi controls for a bit. Stragely enough, Warrior also comes out to "Crank it Up". Nick Bockwinkel and Gorilla Monsoon call the action, as they mention Lombardi was a "graduate of the Terry Garvin School of Self-Defense" and how he patterned himself after Garvin and Pat Patterson. Ick. Bockwinkel then keeps taking points off of Garvin and Patterson as the match proceeds. Warrior blasts Lombardi with a powerslam off the ropes, then stops the cover, so he can gorilla-press-slam him and pin him with one foot.
Back in the studio, Gorilla and Bobby Heenan take more shots at Lombardi. Brain asks: "why didn't he pull Warrior's hair when he was up in that gorilla-press?" Gorilla answers: "well, he was in a compromising position at that point". Brain fires right with: "shyeah! He's been in a lot of compromising positions!" Yow...that works on both a kayfabe and behind-the-scenes level!
KoKo B. Ware vs. "Iron" Mike Sharpe
Sharpe, on his neverending quest for redemption fails once again as he can't make it over the "S.D. Jones Hump" and pin anybody about that level. When asked for comment, Sharpe said: "Yaaaaaaaaaa!" Koko wins convincingly with the Ghostbuster piledriver/suplex.
WWF Update with Craig DeGeorge
A recap of the recent dog-napping of the British Bulldogs' mascot, the lovable Matilda, by the dastardly Islanders. WWF Pres Jack Tunney declares the Islanders suspended without pay, until Matilda is returned.
Highlights of Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy from SNME
From the January 3, 1988 SNME, where Hogan finished off Bundy. A rematch from the November 1987 SNME, when Bundy beat Hogan by countout. Essentially, this match ended Bundy's first WWF tour, which lasted for about 3 years. But the big shenanigans occur after the match, as Andre the Giant entered the ring and choked out Hogan. Strike Force, the British Bulldogs and Jake Roberts can't break Andre's grip on the Hulkster! "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan finally breaks it up with his 2x4, but it also appears that Andre was simply done, for now.
A Very Special DeGeorge Podium Interview with Ted DiBiase (w/Virgil)
DiBiase isn't used to not getting what he wants. Even though Hogan turned down his offer to buy the WWF Championship, DiBiase has hired someone who will give the title to him: Andre the Giant! Back in the studio, Gorilla chides Heenan for selling out and abandoning his dream of someday managing the champion. Heenan doesn't care, as he's satisfied with simply having a championship manager's payday. Gorilla warns him that all the money will go back if Andre doesn't beat Hogan. Hmm...don't think that point will ever brought up, again.
"Leaping" Lanny Poffo vs. Danny Spivey
Joined in the progress of a BEARHUG, which instantly tells me to hit the head or get a snack. Spivey wins with a reverse neckbreaker (think: "Rude Awakening") after Poffo misses a drop-kick
A Very Special "Mean" Gene Okerlund Interview with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Gene plugs the "Rumble Royale", then brings in Steamboat, who will be squaring off against "Ravishing" Rick Rude at the event. Steamboat says he's been sitting at home the past six months, but now he's back and ready to make a mark. Ehh....according to who you want to believe, Steamer worked a good chunk of matches from June to December 1987, he was just off of TV.
Heenan blasts Okerlund for calling the "Royal Rumble" the "Rumble Royale". He also refers to Steamboat as "Mr. Mom". They plug the upcoming FREE event some more and name the participants in the Rumble. Bam Bam Bigelow is announced, but he'll end up skipping the match. I'm wondering who replaced him... maybe Tito Santana? They also mention that the Rumble will feature a "face-to-face confrontation" between Andre and Hogan. Yet they don't mention the upcoming "MAIN EVENT".
Cowboy Lang vs. Lord Littlebrook
MIDGET MATCH from Paris, France. Lang actually comes out to "Crank it Up", as well! Littlebrook: "ayyy-yi-yi-yi-yi-yiiii!" Since it's a midget match, we get the obligatory butt-bite. Littlebrook finally wins by hooking the tights. This match was given TWO whole segments....but, as Heenan might say, it still came up short.
Brady Boone & Billy Jack Haynes vs. Demolition (w/Mr. Fuji)
Boone's filling in for the injured Ken Patera. Lots of pounding, although Boone and Haynes work pretty well as a team. Smash gets the pin with his "stun-gun" top-rope drop on Boone. Funny point, but there's no ringcrew, so Demolition has to carry their own masks, chaps and jackets back to the locker with them. Like Bundy, I think this was the end of Haynes' WWF tour.
Well folks, that wraps it up for this edition...
Saturday, December 8, 2007
TNT - March 14, 1985
Lately I haven't enjoyed the WWE 24/7 episodes of Tuesday Night Titans. But this latest episode contained some decent promos and hype for WrestleMania 2. Most significant, they only did ONE "Lord Alfred Hayes is so darn goofy" joke: a little bit where Vince McMahon kids him about never going higher than the first rope.
The recently arrived Jake "the Snake" Roberts makes his first TNT appearance and turns in a noteworthy performance. He mentions why he doesn't have to shout in his promos (he's confident enough that he doesn't feel the need) and how he relates to snakes ("they don't have or need any friends"). In his in-ring highlight clip, he hits the DDT (to no pop) then tosses Damien out on his opponent. But in the TNT studio, Jake has brought along Lucifer-- Damien's big brother. Neat trivia, since I always thought Lucifer didn't appear until Damien "died" at the hands of Earthquake in 1991. Was this 1986 Lucifer the same snake as the 1991 version? Or did one snake play all three parts? Suckas gots ta' know.
Smokin' Joe Frazier also comes on to promote the Roddy Piper- Mr. T WrestleMania 2 match (Frazier will be in T's corner). Frazier does some ...strange... promo work by messing around with a rubber chicken dressed up like Piper. They cut to the WrestleMania 2 Press Conference, where Piper cuts an awesome promo on Mr. T, citing the way he perms the middle of his mohawk. Lou Duva then comes up to add to the promo. Piper concludes with a semi-rascist bit about "I DO play Sun City". Definitely a contemporary reference, right there. If I remember correctly, Sun City is/was a casino town in South Africa that was strict anti-black. Alot of US performers refused to play there, as a way to protest Apartheid. Steven Van Zandt (Silvio from "The Sopranos") even organized an all-star jam track called "I ain't gonna' play Sun City".
Anyways, TNT ties up with some quality segments with the Funk Brothers, Big John Studd and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. For more trivia, they announce Dino Bravo as a particpant in the WrestleMania 2 Battle Royal (I don't think Bravo was even on the card). There's also a weird video on NFL'er Russ Franics. But darn if Steamboat doesn't seem like the nicest guy in the world. He slips in a lttle foreshadowing, too. Steamer's segment follows Roberts' and Vince asks him if he'd ever bring a dragon to the ring, like Damien or Lucifer. Steamboat energetically mentions that he's "looking for one!" I think the Roberts/Steamboat feud would begin right after WrestleMania 2.
The recently arrived Jake "the Snake" Roberts makes his first TNT appearance and turns in a noteworthy performance. He mentions why he doesn't have to shout in his promos (he's confident enough that he doesn't feel the need) and how he relates to snakes ("they don't have or need any friends"). In his in-ring highlight clip, he hits the DDT (to no pop) then tosses Damien out on his opponent. But in the TNT studio, Jake has brought along Lucifer-- Damien's big brother. Neat trivia, since I always thought Lucifer didn't appear until Damien "died" at the hands of Earthquake in 1991. Was this 1986 Lucifer the same snake as the 1991 version? Or did one snake play all three parts? Suckas gots ta' know.
Smokin' Joe Frazier also comes on to promote the Roddy Piper- Mr. T WrestleMania 2 match (Frazier will be in T's corner). Frazier does some ...strange... promo work by messing around with a rubber chicken dressed up like Piper. They cut to the WrestleMania 2 Press Conference, where Piper cuts an awesome promo on Mr. T, citing the way he perms the middle of his mohawk. Lou Duva then comes up to add to the promo. Piper concludes with a semi-rascist bit about "I DO play Sun City". Definitely a contemporary reference, right there. If I remember correctly, Sun City is/was a casino town in South Africa that was strict anti-black. Alot of US performers refused to play there, as a way to protest Apartheid. Steven Van Zandt (Silvio from "The Sopranos") even organized an all-star jam track called "I ain't gonna' play Sun City".
Anyways, TNT ties up with some quality segments with the Funk Brothers, Big John Studd and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. For more trivia, they announce Dino Bravo as a particpant in the WrestleMania 2 Battle Royal (I don't think Bravo was even on the card). There's also a weird video on NFL'er Russ Franics. But darn if Steamboat doesn't seem like the nicest guy in the world. He slips in a lttle foreshadowing, too. Steamer's segment follows Roberts' and Vince asks him if he'd ever bring a dragon to the ring, like Damien or Lucifer. Steamboat energetically mentions that he's "looking for one!" I think the Roberts/Steamboat feud would begin right after WrestleMania 2.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
TNT December 12, 1985
Tuesday Night Titans (TNT) is something I'd recap more often, if the show's formula wasn't always the same. But I liked last week's episode on WWE 24/7. Main reason: Magnificent Muraco.
He gets better everytime I see him. If he was around today, he'd be over, huge, me thinks.
I liked how he was introducing the cast of "Fuji Chan"...and completely skipped over and no-sold Mel Phillips, deliberately. Muraco had a great egotistical/arrogant slant to his character and his promos are usually decent.
Four matches are seeded throughout the talk show segments. Scott McGhee pins Les Thornton, Hercules Hernandez beats Mario Mancini, Magnificent Muraco pins a jobber in a JIP match, plus Fabulous Moolah (wrestling as "The Spider Lady") pins WWF Women's Champion, Wendi Richter to win the title. Controversial bout, as Richter's shoulders didn't appear to be down. Rumor is that the WWF screwed Richter out of the title, similar to the way they did with Bret Hart in 1997. Richter's post-match antics add to this: she tries to "attack" Moolah, but Moolah suddenly begins no-selling and walks away. Richter then acts all pissy and tries to grab the belt back from the ref and Moolah.
The Herc match may have been one of his first TV appearances in the WWF. His in-studio segment is kinda' sloppy. Fred Blassie accompanies him as his manager and does most of the talking. Blassie calls Herc a "Latin" and goes into a rambling mode about how he discovered him in Mexico, beating up people. Vince and Herc both seem to be cracking up while Blassie is ranting. Blassie didn't have the funny zingers like Bobby Heenan did, but his delivery always came off as humorous.
Oh yeah, was there some connection between Moolah and Fred Blassie? They always seem super-friendly with each other whenever they're on-screen. In this show, Blassie plants a big smooch on Moolah, then has his arm around her while they're sitting on the TNT couch for the rest of the show. It's prefectly understandable that they'd be good platonic buddies.. but did they ever get it on, back in the day?
He gets better everytime I see him. If he was around today, he'd be over, huge, me thinks.
I liked how he was introducing the cast of "Fuji Chan"...and completely skipped over and no-sold Mel Phillips, deliberately. Muraco had a great egotistical/arrogant slant to his character and his promos are usually decent.
Four matches are seeded throughout the talk show segments. Scott McGhee pins Les Thornton, Hercules Hernandez beats Mario Mancini, Magnificent Muraco pins a jobber in a JIP match, plus Fabulous Moolah (wrestling as "The Spider Lady") pins WWF Women's Champion, Wendi Richter to win the title. Controversial bout, as Richter's shoulders didn't appear to be down. Rumor is that the WWF screwed Richter out of the title, similar to the way they did with Bret Hart in 1997. Richter's post-match antics add to this: she tries to "attack" Moolah, but Moolah suddenly begins no-selling and walks away. Richter then acts all pissy and tries to grab the belt back from the ref and Moolah.
The Herc match may have been one of his first TV appearances in the WWF. His in-studio segment is kinda' sloppy. Fred Blassie accompanies him as his manager and does most of the talking. Blassie calls Herc a "Latin" and goes into a rambling mode about how he discovered him in Mexico, beating up people. Vince and Herc both seem to be cracking up while Blassie is ranting. Blassie didn't have the funny zingers like Bobby Heenan did, but his delivery always came off as humorous.
Oh yeah, was there some connection between Moolah and Fred Blassie? They always seem super-friendly with each other whenever they're on-screen. In this show, Blassie plants a big smooch on Moolah, then has his arm around her while they're sitting on the TNT couch for the rest of the show. It's prefectly understandable that they'd be good platonic buddies.. but did they ever get it on, back in the day?
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