Donnie watches WWF 1988

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF BOSTON GARDENS-6/2

The Rougeau Brothers vs Barry Horowitz & Steve Lombardi
Hey, the brothers finally back after a little while away. So happy to have them back on scene given what's coming in the next few months. Solid showcase for their return as they bump around for the jobber all stars before shutting it down and kicking their butts with some fantastic offence and double teams. They win with the Seated Senton
**

Before the next match, Ted comes out with the title around his waist and is introduced as the world champion. Hogan comes out without the title in a truly wild, wild thing to see after the last 4 years of Hulkamania.

Ted DiBiase & Andre The Giant w/Virgil vs Hulk Hogan & Bam Bam Bigelow
Big brawl to start as the faces are on the warpath and take them out with a million punches and boots, and the heels (namely Ted) bump around huge for them. Hogan is SO ramped up that he's moving quicker than ever before when he cracks them, and it's amazing as hell. Andre grabs his leg and chokes him against the ropes to cut him off. Ted leads the control working on the neck, and Andre gets in at points to choke and strangle him to make it even worse for the Hulkster. Hogan's selling is again tremendous as it gets, and there are very few who can make a sleeper look so deadly. He fights out and tags in BBB for a sweet hot tag of fat and coolness beating Ted like a bitch. Hogan gets back in and slams Ted and hits the Legdrop to get some revenge.
**1/2

Ricky Steamboat vs Dino Bravo w/Frenchy Martin
Breaking my "No Dino" rule on houseshows as it's against Ricky in his second to last month, and i'm not missing out on that. Ricky keeps it simple to start with great basics and whatnot, and Dino doesn't fuck much up on his end for once. Ricky works the arm with the gross turning and twisting he's being implementing as of late, and Bravo's selling is fine enough. Bravo gets an atomic drop to stop him and goes into his bad power control seg, but its better this time as Ricky Steamboat is on the other end working very hard to make it fun as he's eating all of them and dying whenever possible. Ricky takes a wild Race corner bump to the hardwood floor and eats even more shit when he fights Bravo on the outside and he gets thrown onto it again. The bell rings and the ref calls it a double countout, but Bravo demands another 5 minutes. Ricky gets in but he's attacked by the heels, and the match is over again.
**

Post match, Ricky fights them off and poses with Frenchy's hat.

One Man Gang w/Slick vs George Steele
Pro Wrestling is finally on the cards. Steele hits OMG and steals his jacket like a big bully and elbows it like he's Flair. OMG attacks from behind and beats him down for this mean behaviour, and it's not the wonderful fat man stuff as Steele is a thousand years young and might die if he does that, so it's lazy choking and bad punches for a bit. Steele backdrops him to the floor and kicks at him, but he gets distracted by Slick, and OMG hits a bad knee to the back to win.
WRESTLING.

Post match, Steele attacks Slick and eats some buckles.

The Islanders vs The British Bulldogs
Same opening as always as changing things up is not something the Dogs ever did. Might be the reason i never truly loved them like the other big hitters of the era. Anyway, The Islanders eventually take over and beat DK down with the same great offence as always, and DK is again a great and well deserved punching bag for them. They beat the crap out of him and cut Davey off a few times so they can double team him. Davey eventually gets in and cracks them both with his power stuff, and they bump big for him. It all breaks down as it tends it, and DK gets the dog collar and attacks them for the DQ
**

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Ted DiBiase-5/2/88???
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Wrestling Challenge
February 7th, 1988
Salisbury, MD

Vince is on commentary for this week.

In the back, Heenan gets Herc ready for battle with Warrior.

Match#1 The Ultimate Warrior vs Hercules w/Bobby Heenan
They scream at each other and pose, and Vince is in love. Herc sticks out his chain and challenges Warrior to a tug of war, and the big man accepts it. They have a great battle of strength before Herc kicks him in the guts to drop him. WARRIOR POPS BACK UP AND YANKS THE CHAIN AND BREAKS IT IN HALF. Herc hits him in the face with it for the DQ
Wrestling Rules.

Post match, Herc strangles him with the chain and shoves the refs away when they try to break it up. A bunch of jobbers storm down to help drag him away, and, they finally get him free. Warrior is badly hurt on the mat as Herc and Heenan celebrate. Warrior gets back up and chases after him and attacks him in the aisle with the chain and he drags him backstage as the camera cuts away. Fantastic bullshit to get me hyped for the eventual match,

They replay the Update from Superstars,

Match#2 The Bolsheviks vs Jerry Grey & Rex King
Son of a bitch. Awful 2 minutes and change of these fat fools doing everything bad for pro wrestling they can think of. Headbutt gets them a win.
1/7*

Craig-
-Demo say Patera and BJH can never stop them as they've climbed the biggest steps in the world, and Fuji wakes them up with a cane to the head and they sort of hate the guy. But they get why he's doing it because he wants them to be tough and mean. Ax says the training is like a picnic compared to when they get in the ring because that's when they rip an arm and face off.
-They want their shot against Strike Force because they're sick of beating everyone's faces in, and it's time to get a piece of them. They know they're scared, but it's time.
-YES

Match#3 The Young Stallions vs Gino Carabello & Brian Costello
Good stuff from the stupid pretty boys as the basics are they can do, so it's at least solid and good looking for the entire thing as it needs to be. Rat Boy wins with a Belly to Belly.
*3/4

Mean Gene-
-They replay Slick's interview from Superstars with OMG.

Match#4 Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan vs Brady Boone
90 very good seconds of Rude taking this little nerd to school with sweet strikes and cool moves. He kills him with the Rude Awakening to win.
*3/4

Craig on the Stage-
-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
-Hack says the Rumble was a big night in his life and it proves this is America because you can have a bad limb or eye, and you can achieve anything.
-He singles out Race again and swears his 2X4 is coming with him to this fight.

Match#5 Butch Reed w/Slick vs David Stoudemire
Awesome two minutes for Butch as he wreaks shop and reminds everyone he deserved a bigger push than he ever got. Heenan tries to speak about Andre, and he gets bleeped like Jesse did. Butch takes the kids head off a few times and gets very mean before winning with the Flying Lariat.
**

WWF Update-
-Craig recaps the Rumble and all the happenings

Match#6 Demolition w/Mr Fuji vs Rick Hunter & Omar Atlas.
Goddamn what an episode this has been. Demo club Omar for the 100th time this year and Hunter eats a load of grimey shots as well. Just another killer squash for the boys as they prove it's their world now, and no one can stop them. Another wild Decapitation ends it
**

Craig-
-Bass talks about all the critters he stomps on when he walks around the back, and he sees a Snake like Jake and a Dragon like Steamboat, and he wants all these big bad dudes to pull their tails out and fight him.
-He says Betsy is looking for all of them and hiding can't save them.

Bobby tries to speak once more about Andre, but he gets bleeped to close us out.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Ted DiBiase-5/2/88???
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Superstars of Wrestling
February 13th, 1988
Hershey, PA

We open the show with the ending of Andre/Hogan and the aftermath.

We go to a pre-tape with Ted and Andre
-Ted says he always gets what he wans and he told them he would get the world title, and its thanks to this man right here. He will be a true champion unlike Hogan. Could you imagine how much money Hogan had to spend to get a Dave Hebner lookalike to confuse the issue. He would never do that. He's the world champion and he's staying that way.

They show Hogan's closing promo.

We now go to Tunney where he says the 5th will go down in WWF infamy. The decision of the referee is unfortunately final However, to be champion you must beat the champion, so therefore unequivocally DiBiase is NOT the worlds champion. A WWF champion can not surrender their title at any point to another man, so Andre is NOT champion either. He says to make this fair to all parties the title is now vacant and will be decided at WrestleMania IV in a tournament.

To be fair to the last two worlds champions of record Andre and Hogan, they will receive a bye to the second round where they will face each other. HERE WE GO.

Match#1 The Young Stallions vs Terry Gibbs & Joe Mirto
Hebner is the ref, and Vince says he's been fingerprinted and he can be assured he's the real one. Another fine basic 90 second squash for the pretty fucks. Powers wins with his Powerslam
*

Mean Gene-
-Gene hypes the next MSG card. DiBiase vs Bammer. Bass vs Hacksaw.
-Jake walks on and says he respects the record that Bravo pushed and broke, but he only respects him if he respected him, but he doesn't. Week a after week he's got people saying Bravo is going to snap him like a matchstick. Come on man, where do you bury your dead, my man,

Match#2 Butch Reed w/Slick vs Rex King
Jesse says the tournament is Tunney avoiding the issue as Andre is the real champion and he can sell the title to anyone he wants. More good stuff from Butch as he's taking more heads off super hard. He has a cut in saying he's starting with Savage and winning the title. Flying Lariat gives Butch the win,
*3/4

Match#3 Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Dave Wagner
Another cool one for Hack as he takes this fat man to school with classic Hacksaw offence. He has a cut in saying Ted is going to have to fight him, and that's not a fight he can win, tough guy. 3 Point does the job.
*3/4

Mean Gene-
-TED STORMS ON AND SCREAMS HE THOUGHT HE SAW IT ALL WHEN HOGAN BOUGHT A FAKE HEBNER OUT THERE TO CONFUSE THE ISSUE AND NOW HE'S GOTTA DEAL WITH THIS CRAP. TO FIGHT ALL THESE MEN FOR A TITLE THAT'S ALREADY PAID FOR. He's going to do whatever he wants and needs to do to get the title. It will be his.
-Andre says the Hogan match will be easy as he's beaten him 3 times, and the 4th will be the easiest. He will win it all.

Match#4 The British Bulldogs vs Red Demon & Van Vanhorne
Too short to be amazing, but still a cool shit kicking for a couple of minutes as the Dogs are way better in squashes than most. Rocket Launcher ends it.
*1/2

Match#5 Demolition w/Mr Fuji vs Eric Cooper & Dave Stoudemire
Short sick as hell clubbering as the boys throw them into corners and smash their ribs and faces a dozen or so times. They move to the back with more amazing clubs and stomps, and it's the best shit. Demo have a cut in calling out Strike Force. Decapitation end the killing.
**

Mean Gene-
-Slick and the fellas again laugh about crippling SBG.
-Whatever man, lets move on.

NEXT WEEK. RACE VS WARRIOR.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Vacant-13/2/88
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Wrestling Challenge
February 14th, 1988
Salisbury, MD

First 20 minutes is the replay of Andre/Hogan, and Tunney's announcement for Mania.

Match#1 Don Muraco w/Superstar Billy Graham vs Ken Johnson
Oh goddamn, he's still alive and stuck on my TV. As always, fine ass babyface Don squash as he's doing whatever as much as he cares to. Tombstone ends it.
*

Mean Gene-
-Gene covers the happenings as well.
-HOOOOOOOO
-Hacksaw has to count his fingers to work out how many people are in this, and i adore him so much. He says this is a chance at a title match and that's how he's looking at it. He says Ted is a great wrestler but he's always got a trick up his sleeve, so he's bringing the board to remind him he's not afraid to move some furniture and hit him in the head. He's got a 2x4 of a chance to win this.
-HOOOOOOOOOOOO

They replay the Warrior/Herc Angle.

Match#2 The Islanders w/Bobby Heenan vs Lanny Poffo & Eric Cooper
Gorilla calls Lanny "The Leaper" and it's an all time terrible nickname from an all time bad commentator for the most part. Awesome squash as is the norm with the boys getting 3 minutes to kick the crap out of these dorks, and they make the most of it. Sucks Tama is gone in a few weeks, but alas it's meant to be. Haku holds Poffo up for a Suplex and Tama jumps off with a crossbody to win.
**

Mean Gene-
-Slick says he's got the best chances of anyone in this thing, and he planned it like this, baby. He's the best mind in wrestling.
-Slick says Bammer is going to SEEM like a big man when he meets the 747, and his career is going to be stuck on "to be continued"
-Butch says Randy's chances are slim to none, and you know what happened to slim when he left town. He doesn't care who he faces after he beats Savage as he'll hammer Valentine, or burn Steamboat.

We see clips of BBB squashing a jobber in 10 seconds. Ok, then.

Mean Gene-
-"We was robbed" -Gene
-Hogan walks on and says it doesn't matter what anyone else says as it's not the same as when he says it. He wants to know how much Ted laid on the brother to get the plastic surgery and change the fingerprints. A lot of bread, brother.
-Gene brings up the bye, and Hogan calls it justice as he's out here preaching the gospel of Hulkamania. Thank God for Trump, the WWF and God for giving him this chance, Jack dude.
-Post title Hogan is already starting to bother me. Uh oh.

HTM wants you to buy the newest copy of the WWF Magazine.

Match#3 Bad News Brown vs David Stoudemire
News jumps the kid once again and throws sweet headbutts and kicks as he's mean and grumpy, and i dig it because i'm a grumpy dude. News attacks the kids throat, and even argues with the ref throughout to show he's a proper bastard. He wins with the Blaster.
*3/4

Match#4 The British Bulldogs vs Dusty Wolfe & Jose Estrada
You know i just realised i haven't seen Strike Force on TV in weeks, and i don't like that at all. Like, the Dogs are mostly beyond done caring outside of big matches, and given DK is a psychotic cripple whose a few months out from getting what he deserves, this feels wasteful. Anyway, Dogs do their thing and it's FINE AND STUFF, but fuck i want Tito back in my life, please. Rocket Launcher ends another.
*3/4

They replay Ted and Andre's promo with Gene.

NEXT WEEK; DEMO VS BEES.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Vacant-13/2/88
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Superstars of Wrestling
February 20th, 1988
Hershey, PA

TONIGHT; RACE VS WARRIOR. ANDRE WILL BE INTERVIEWED. WRESTLEMANIA UPDATE

Match#1 Bam Bam Bigelow w/Oliver Humperdink vs Sika
Ahhhhhhh fat wildman going at it is my pro wrestling jam. Sika hits him with a stick to start over the head and keeps beating him in the face until the ref takes it away. Sika tries to fight him now, but Bammer fights back and lays waste to him in a fury of anger. He throws a wicked headbutt as Sika is running at him, and pounds his face in. Slick has a cut in saying OMG is going to destroy him at Mania. Slingshot Splash gets BBB the win.
**

WWF Update-
-They replay Tunney's announcement.
-Craig covers the brackets and all the possible matchups that could come from it such as Ricky/Savage or OMG/Reed.

Match#2 The Islanders w/Bobby Heenan vs Omar Atlas & Rick Hunter
This is FIVE minutes is a wild, wild call for a squash and not a real match. The fellas do a ton of wonderful shit as always from the savage offence to wild speed moments, but it's too damn long for anyone. Bobby has a cut in saying he's got a surprise for Mania that no one will see coming. The squash keeps going and going, and you ca tell time is being filled in. Tama finally ends it with the Splash.
*

Craig-
-Craig hypes an upcoming Boston show with a six man cage match.
-Randy walks behind the chanlink fence as Craig says he's teaming with Strike Force in the cage against HTM and HF.
-randy says he went to the top of the heap to the get the hottest tag team ion the world for this fight. Strike Force finally show up on TV!!
-Martel says some might think it bizarre to agree to such a match, but they've had it up to here with the trash talk and 3 on 1 attacks, so they're coming for a fight.
-Tito says things will be settled and Liz will see who the real man is when this is done. They're coming to hurt someone.
-HOLY SHIT

Match#3 Dino Bravo w/Frenchy Martin vs Dave Stoudimiere
Sadly we must suffer through another Bravo match. Jesse and Vince argue about the record again, and Bravo has a cut in saying he broke it. Stop this. Bravo does awful things and wins with his awful Sidewalk Slam.
1/6*

Match#4 Junkyard Dog vs Ken Johnson
Bad THUMP. Jesse picks Andre to beat Hogan at WrestleMania for the 4th time.
THUMP

Mean Gene-
-Gene also covers Mania
-Andre walks on and says Tunney knows he beat Hogan in 2 minutes last year, and then beat Hogan at Survivor Series, and finally won the title and gave it to Ted because he does whatever he wants. He thinks Tunney is full of BS. He better stay in Canada and not come back to America, or else.
-Ted says he makes people fear him with all the money he has, and now the WWF is out to get him because of that. Hacksaw is first on his hit list.

Match#5 Bad News Brown vs. Phil Newkirk
News attacks the kid during the intros and beats him before he can take his jacket off. Tons of sick offence again as he's just a mean bastard with everything he does as he holds nothing back, and makes the kid a piece of meat for him to eat. He nails his sweet Inoki-style Enzuiguri to win.
**

Craig on the Stage-
-Rude and Heenan are the guests.
-Craig brings up Rude needing a hand to win matches, and Rude says he has people at ringside to protect him from the women who want a piece of the action. He's much more than the sexiest man to walk on the earth, he's the state of things to come.
-Bobby says no one else posses the body he does, and Rude poses as Heenan praises how amazing he looks.
-Bobby says becoming the next world champion is next on the list.

WRESTLEMANIA REPORT-
-The Islanders & Bobby Heenan vs The British Bulldogs & Koko!!!!
-Matilda will return at ringside.
-Bobby calls the dog a worm infested mutt and it's going to be a bad night for her. She will be running away and smoking the pads on her feet when she sees him. It's over for them.
-The faces are all fired up for the chance to beat up Bobby Heenan. They're coming for him and are going to make him pay.
-Honky Tonk Man will defend the IC title against Brutus.
-Jimmy says the sheers are getting banned and he's not touching a hair on HTM's head.
-Honky says can't nor won't be beat. No hair will be touched and they'll be banning the barber.
-Bob Uecker will be a guest announcer.
-He can't wait to gamble with DiBiase.

Match#6 Harley Race w/Bobby Heenan vs The Ultimate Warrior
Race kicks him in the guts and hits the Piledriver right away!! Warrior won't die and gets back up and chops and punches Race, and they look a lot better than a few weeks ago to his credit. They keep fighting and it's not bad at all given the state of both men at this point. Hercules runs down and attacks with the chain for the DQ.
3/4*

Herc strangles him again and throws him around with the chain, and Warrior is fighting like hell. He grabs the chain and throws Herc to the ground and chases the heels off.

Craig-
-Hart Foundation and HTM are here.
-Anvil says this cage is filthy and rotten and this is the type of disease that Savage and his little girls the Strike Force has.
-Bret says it's come down to the sickest match in the world and they couldn't have picked 3 better men to do this with because careers end in this cage.
-HTM is worried he's going to get hurt and have to give up his title, so he knows why they're coming for him. But he's at his best like this, and he's going to throw them all to the floor.

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Vacant-13/2/88
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Wrestling Challenge
February 21st, 1988
Salisbury, MD

Mean Gene oddly kicks us off by introducing the fans to the show.

Match#1 Demolition w/Mr Fuji vs The Killer Bees
Demo gets 4 minutes to show what they can do on TV proper, and my God do they hit all the notes. Bobby calls them the best team Fuji has ever had, and Gorilla calls this an elimination match with the winners getting a crack at the champions, Demo waste no time clubbing the daylights out of these nerds as hard and as brutal as they can be. The Bees use speed to stay alive and throw some sweet armdrags and the like. Demo have a cut in saying SF need to watch them beat the Bees brains in because they're next. Blair stays on Smash and really brings the fight, but Ax knees him in the back and the monsters go to work with more clubbering and sledges. Blair lives and fires off a sweet Forearm to get the tag to Jim. He has a fun hot tag with dropkicks and punches being thrown before it breaks down. Fuji gives Ax his cane, and he smacks Jim in the throat to steal the win.
**1/2

Match#2 Junkyard Dog vs Steve Lombardi
Brawler is tasked with 3 minutes to get anything out of JYD that could be considered good, and sadly he can't no matter the wild bumps he dares to take for this old washed dog. THUMP ends our pain.
THUMP

Match#3 Dino Bravo w/Frenchy Martin vs Phill Newkirk
Oh come on, man. Really terrible 90 seconds again as Dino's offence is SO bad and shoddy looking with every movement. He wins with the Slam.
1/9*

Mean Gene-
-Jake Roberts is ready to reach the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The fact he's in this is enough to keep a man alive, and he's ready to try and jump into Hogan's shoes. The only difference between a winner and loser is the attitude of the man. The fight in the ring will change a man's attitude, but his has always been the same since he got here. The DDT will make the difference in attitude against Rick Rude.

Match#4 Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Terry Gibbs
Heenan can't understand why these idiots love him and shout hoooooo like animals. Another good one for Hack as he slowly beats this guy up and takes his head off a few times. Ted has a cut in saying he bought the title fair and square, but now he's going to show he's an athlete and win the title where no can dispute it. 3 Point gets Hack the win.
*3/4

Mean Gene-
-Randy is here! You don't need to overlook a situation like all these guys coming for the title, and you don't need a microscope to see the flaws in Ted DiBiase. HE CAN SEE THEM WITH HIS SHADES ON AND HE WEARS THEM AT NIGHT. You don't have the only key to the top, he'll see you at WrestleMania.

Match#5 One Man Gang w/Slick vs Wellington Wilkens
Bobby makes fun of the jobbers hair and says it's perfect if you're going to the chair. Awesome OMG squash as he's using all the fat and gross offence he can muster for two or so minutes. 747 gets him a win.
*3/4

They replay the happenings between Warrior and Hercules.

Craig on the Stage-
-The Ultimate Warrior is the guest
-YOU STEPPED INTO A WORLD YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID. YOU BROKE A LOT OF THINGS AROUND THE WARRIOR AND A LOT OF THINGS BREAK. THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR IS IN TOWN AND HE'S GETTING A POUND OF HERCULES.
-Not quite batshit yet, but you just get the feeling it's coming sooner than we think and my God am i here for it.

They replay the Mania report.

Match#6 Ron Bass vs Van Vanhorne
Bass beats this weirdly named jerked for a while, and it's high time he got a proper feud instead of this. Bobby assures Gorilla he's ready to get back into the ring and beat up the mutts and the birdbrain moron. Bass wins with the Pedigree.
*3/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF-MSG-22/2

The Rougeau Brothers vs Harley Race & Mike Sharpe w/Bobby Heenan
Way too weird for me not watch on top of it being 4 of my dudes out there. The Brothers use their speed to control Race to start as they work the arm, and it's good basic stuff helped by an insane crowd. Mike tries to help out the King, but he has his knees taken out and beaten on as well. They run circles around him and put him to task, and his selling is wonderful as he's screaming in pain and just being a big silly goof. Mike rakes the eyes and Race gets in and punches Jaques in the guts and then smacks him in the jaw with a Lariat to take over. It's another slow but awesome mauling from the king for a few minutes. Mike joins in the fun and gets a few cool bits off offence in, and doesn't look out of place at. Race breaks out a great looking Belly 2 Belly and really kicks ass out there as an old angry vet. Raymond gets in and pinballs them around with all his fire. They knock Race to the floor and beat Mike with the Seated Senton Doomsday.
**1/2

Ax w/Mr Fuji vs Ken Patera
Woah, a single Demo match. BJH is gone for good from the WWF, so Ken is feuding with them without a partner for now. I've never really noticed how wide Ax is as a human, but goddamn is a big wide son of a bitch. He stalls a bit to start and gets the crowd riled up, and Heenan says it's the smart play against a jail bird like Ken. Patera gets him and works the arm once he grabs him, and it's fine work with some good selling from a man who hasn't really needed to do it yet. They fight on the outside and smack each other into the posts, and the sound is gnarly as heck. Ken comes off the top with a lariat to stay in control and moves to the neck with punches and forearms, but Ax takes his face off with a boot and works on the damaged bicep Ken tore last year. Fuji hits it with the cane as well just to do it. Ken sadly no sells it and comes right back, and locks in the Full Nelson, but Fuji distracts again to break it up. Smash comes out of nowhere to help, and Ax hits Ken in the back of the head with a Lariat and pins him to steal the win.
**

Post match, Demo and Fuji triple team him and beat him down with the cane, BUT JYD SAVES WITH HIS CHAIN AND PROTECTS KEN AND HOLDS THEM OFF. The ref kicks Ax out as JYD stands in front of Ken to make sure he doesn't take any more. Ax comes back in so JYD swings the chain and gets them out of the ring, and Ken steals Fuji's hat and stomps it. Everyone stays at ringside for a while, and a match breaks out between JYD and Smash.

Smash w/Mr fuji & Ax vs Junkyard Dog w/Ken Patera
JYD tries a fist fight, and Smash throws some stunning looking ones before he gets thrown around the place and shows off his bumping skills. He comes back in, and gets hit more and more as it's a showcase in the wrong direction because JYD isn't leaving without a fight. Smash does get a little in and looks good as a singles guy like Ax did, and it shows why i think they're a top 10 of all time because they can do whatever is asked of them with ease. Ax trips JYD, so Ken trips smash in revenge and JYD hits him with his chain to win.
*1/2

Jake Roberts vs Dino Bravo w/Frenchy Martin
Jake breaks my rule for a second time as he's not deserving of being skipped even when facing the worst wrestler in the company. This a 20 minute time limit just to rub salt into the wounds. Jake goes after the arm in the theme of the night it would seem, and it's Jake knees and twisting a limb, so you know it's very, very good from his end. Bravo doesn't sell because he sucks, so Jake moves into basic wrestling as at least he can control it from his end again. He beats Bravo up and bounces him, and Bravo does his best to bump around when called upon. Frenchy causes a distraction and Bravo knees Jake in the face to finally get something going. His control is actually fine as he works a sleeper and does power stuff, and Jake dies on everything to make him look trained for once. Bravo even does the Devils Kiss, but with no Booker T, it's sort of just weird. Jake rocks at fighting from underneath as he's grabbing at Dino's hair and face to get free for a moment, and it makes the cuttoffs more heartbreaking. Jake finally gets out and makes his pay with his classic offence to drop him, and holy shit the crowd goes insane for him. The time expires before he can win, sadly.
**

Post match, Dino tries to fight, but Jake ties him in the ropes and drops Damien on top of Frenchy.

Before the next match, Ted declares Hulkamania dead and history, and he will be crowned the new worlds champion at Mania. BBB punches him in the head to get the match started.

Ted DiBiase w/Virgil vs Bam Bam Bigelow w/Oliver Humperdink
BBB Bounces him over the joint and Ted breaks out a series of insane bumps every time Bammer hits him with something big. Bammer hits lots of great looking lariats and elbows, and Ted has his face beaten in over and over. Virgil distracts him and Ted attacks in the corner by slamming Bam's face off the buckles, and he really stiff him on a few shots to the face. He chokes him and gets super dirty during control, and Bam is a fantastic seller for a man as big as him. TED PUNCHES HIM IN THE FACE AND BAM TAKES A BACKFLIP OVER THE ROPES TO THE FLOOR. HOLY SHIT. Ted stays on top of him and chokes him for a while with a sleeper, and Bam is amazing at trying to fight out of it. Ted plays with his food for too long and the big man gets back up and reigns down hell in revenge beating him pillar to post. Virgil gets involved and Bam goes after him like an idiot, and Ted smacks him into the post and gets back in to win via countout.
**1/2

Ron Bass vs Hacksaw Jim Dugga
Bass cheapshots him in the corner as he's marching around, so Hack fires back and turns into a pier 6 as Gorilla would call it. He punches him square in the face a few times and lets out the big hoooooooo, and Bass is badly hurt and madder than hell. Hack doesn't let up as he fights him on the outside and hurts the shoulder with the post attack, and Bass is somehow even more pissed now. Bass goads him outside for another fight, and he quickly kicks him into the rails and rams his face off them for good measure. Hack has a cut on his cheek as Bass punches at him and really goes to town, as he finally gets let loose like we all wanted. He targets the head with some gross stuff, and Hack rocks at selling the damage to what little brain he has in there. BASS LARIATS HIM IN THE FUCKING NECK AND THEN PUNCHES HIM IN THE JAW WITH A NASTY RIGHT. Bass keeps cracking him and working the face, and Hack's selling is sloppy and perfect in the best ways as a dude getting his brains splattered would be. Hack fights back and drops him with a series of punches of his own and really makes him eat shit. He hits him even now as the crowd comes alive for him, and Bass takes some wild shots. They both tumble to the floor and fight with the bullwhip and 2x4 to a double countout.
**3/4

Butch Reed & King Kong Bundy w/Slick vs The Ultimate Warrior & Don Muraco
Now that's a random series of teams. Also, this is Bundy's last match until 94, so farewell big dude. Fun shine to start as the cocaine faces take the heels' heads off and set the garden ablaze. They keep murdering them much to the happiness of the crowd, and we get some fantastic Butch sells and bumps. Warrior works an arm of Bundy. WAIT WARRIOR WORKS A FUCKING LIMB. OH MY GOD. He's not even horrible at it as he does all the good stuff to it. Bundy sells it, and Warrior lariats the arm to make it worse, and Don joins in on the fun. The heels double team him though, and they isolate him with a fun little control seg. He's still not a great face, but the man can take an ass kicking like few can, and that's more than enough for me. Long sleeper hold is stuck on him, and his head turns purple and he froths from the mouth in one my favourite things a wrestler can do. Warrior finally gets a hot tag and he shows the power of descrutisty with some cool shots and a display of fire. Not quite the classic level, but not a bad effort at all. Muraco lays himself at Bundy's feet, and Warrior runs at him full speed with a crossbody to send him on his ass and he makes the pin to get the win for his team.
**

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Vacant-13/2/88
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Superstars of Wrestling
February 27th, 1988
Wichita, KS

Match#1 Strike Force vs Tony Stone & Dusty Wolfe
OH THANK GOD. They get 3 minutes to remind everyone why they're one of the best teams ever, and deserved so much more than they got after the push started. Martel is a house fire throwing off monkey flips and awesome strikes to these jobbers, and my God is he good. Tito finally gets in and is even more amazing doing his thing that we've missed so much. Martel wins with the Crab.
**

WWF Update-
-Craig covers the Savage/Reed match, and the recent battles with Honky.
-Randy says Butch is one of the baddest dudes past, present and future in the WWF, but he will climb that mountain on his way to the worlds title at WrestleMania IV
-Miss Elizabeth says she hopes to stand by her man as she's always done.

Match#2 Greg Valentine w/Jimmy Hart vs Jerry Allen
Nice to see the great wrestlers getting showcases again over some of the hacks. Greg also gets 3 minutes to beat the piss out of a dork, and there are few better at doing that than the Hammer. Lots of throws, knees and elbows to the kid, and it's awesome how Hammer never really lost it even as he got older. He wins with the Figure Four.
**

Craig-
-Hype for Boston.
-Bret, Anvil and Honky walk on behind the cage as Anvil screams about making food with a cheese grater, and how he can't wait to tear their faces up in Boston. Bret is ready to find out what it's like to shred Randy's face, and send Strike Force's teeth down their throat.

Match#3 Jake Roberts vs Pete Sanchez
Shorter one at 90 seconds, but still good fun as it's Jake doing his thing and killing him with the DDT.
*

Post match, the kid meets Damien.

Match#4 Ron Bass vs Gary Jackson
Bass murders the dope in brutal fashion as he's extra grumpy tonight, it would seem. He blasts him in the punches in the mouth and throat, and it's again such a nasty fucking thing to do to a person. Pedigree gets him a win.
**

Post match, he strangles the kid with Betsy.

Craig-
-Bulldogs and Koko are here, and Craig covers the feud over the last few months.
-They say nothing new or of note, so goodbye.

Match#5 Ted DiBiase w/Virgil vs John Stewart
Ted is PISSED about everything that's gone down, so the jobber is beaten to death for it. Jesse says a lot of people are on Ted's side and this is a crime against him. Hack has a cut in saying he's looking for him, tough guy. Ted wins with a Powerslam this week to mix it up.
**

Craig on the Stage-
-Hulk Hogan is our guest.
He goes over his bye to the Quarterfinals, and says he has Andre the Giant. Hogan says if he would have planned this out himself, it couldn't have turned out better. He says the third time is the charm, dude, and he's glad it's this way, brother. He says with the whole world watching, he's going to leave him laying. Craig says he would then have to win 2 more matches to be the champion, but Hogan then somehow argues that the Hulkamaniacs would refuel his power and everyone else would be at a disadvantage then, jack.

WRESTLEMANIA UPDATE-
-Donald Trump is interviewed about Mania being in his hotel and how excited he is to able to have an event of this calibre.
-Hercules vs The Ultimate Warrior has been added after the last few weeks of attacks.
-HERCULES YOU STEPPED UP TO THE DOOR AND MET ME AT THE BEST TIME OF MY DAY. THIS IS A BATTLE OF WHO DESERVES TO SIT AT THE TOP
-Hercules says he broke the chain and now Warrior must meet his full wrath. He will be destroyed.
-Strike Force will defend the title against Demolition.
-Demo says this what they've been training for and they've forced the WWF to make this match. Ax says the real monster are here and the nightmare is just beginning.
-Strike Force are going to fight their style and take the titles home with them.
-Vanna White is coming to WrestleMania as a guest timekeeper.

THE TAPE SHOWS AN ADD VIDEO FOR CLASH OF CHAMPIONS WITH FLAIR VS STING. HELL YEAH. ONE DAY SOON WE'LL SEE IT.

Match#6 The Hart Foundation & Honky Tonk Man w/Jimmy Hart vs Omar Atlas, Jerry Allen & Lanny Poffo
Now that's a 6 man side, fellas. Good showcase for two minutes or so as everyone is super amped up and kicking butt. HF do most of the work and HTM picks the bones in a smart call given the roles each one has. Bret uses a series of backbreakers and slams to the back as he's getting more creative about it now. Honky gets in and hits SSR to take the win.
**

Craig-
-Strike Force promise that HTM will not get out of the cage no matter how much he tries to run away. He will pay.
-Randy walks on and asks them if they're ready for this as this is a battle and a war that will have the WWF taking 6 steps back and 4 to the side when they see what he does to HTM. He's going to get him REAL BAD

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Vacant-13/2/88
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Wrestling Challenge
February 28th, 1988
Topeka, KS

Match#1 Koko B Ware vs Danny Davis w/Jimmy Hart
Davis attacks like a coward to start and does his bad offence to our hero. Koko's selling rocks as he leans into everything to make it look at least passable. Koko makes a quick comeback and wreaks this goofball. Ghostbuster ends it.
*

Match#2 Butch Reed w/Slick vs Mike Richards
2 minutes for Butch to make things right after the terrible opener getting the same time. Awesome beating with the great punches and slams on display. It sucks he's gone after Mania because he could have been amazing against Savage in a title feud. Randy has a cut in saying he's got a special treat in his eyes for Butch. Reed wins with the Flying Lariat.
*3/4

Craig-
-Hogan says for 4 years his momentum has grown bigger than he could have imagined. This time he will eliminate any controversy against Andre. They'll be fresh and ready, and he's taking him out. The blood he lives on is not of materialistic things as he doesn't care about that. The title was the one exception and he was ripped off by Andre, so he's getting that back to prove Hulkamania will live forever.

Match#3 Brutus Beefcake vs Brian Costello
Brutus has a cut in saying he's more than ready to cut Honky and Jimmy's hair off and have the IC title laying next to them. Fine Brutus squash as he's settled into his routine of mostly good offence in between some bullshit dancing and whatnot, so that's what we get. Sleeper gets him a win.
*

Match#4 Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan vs Jim Evans
Rude also gets 2 minutes as this show is made for me, and i'm happy about it. His offence has gotten so much smoother and better looking as it all hits and connects so well, and he feels like he's there as the Rick Rude we all know and love. RA ends it.
**

Craig-
-Jimmy Hart & Honky walk on
-Jimmy says Honky is the best IC champion of all time, and cutting his hair just won't work. Honky plays his guitar and says it's going to take a few more weeks to tune it for Brutus. His mama, girl and Jimmy wouldn't be happy if he lost his hair, and neither would he.

Match#5 Bam Bam Bigelow w/Oliver Humperdink vs Frank DeFalco
BBB gets 90 seconds to work and it's really fun as always. He slams him a lot and throws his weight around to crush the kid as Gorilla loves him a ton. Bammer wins with a running headbutt this week.
*

Craig on the Stage-
-Andre, Ted and Virgil are here.
-Andre yells about Tunney not letting him sell the title to Ted, so now he's still world champion if can't do that. He's going to put Hogan down for the 4th time, and the beat up 2 guys to become world champion again. Hogan's career is over after that night. He will stay undefeated.
-Ted said he felt the title around his waist and if not for Tunney ripping him off, he would still have it. History will be made at WrestleMania. Hacksaw is a bumbling bafoon who can't even find the ring, so what can do with a man of his status??? He always gets what he wants.

They replay the WrestleMania report

Match#6 Demolition w/Mr Fuji vs Sonny Rodgers & Gary Jackson
Fuck yeah, lets do this again and again until the end of time. Clobbering, smashing, bashing and skull fucking are all here from the best dudes in the company. Bobby says he and Vanna are good friends and she's given him cars from TV. DEMO THROW JACKSON ON THE TOP ROPE AND CLUB HIM TOGETHER IN THE FACE AND RIBS UNTIL HE FALLS TO THE MAT. Decapitation ends the murder, and gives the fellas another win.
**

Craig-
-HOOOOOOOO0OOOOOOO
2X4 BABY. He licks the board and says he's not worried about women spinning the wheel when he has a chance at the world title. He's not looking over Ted as its on the board for him, tough guy.
-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
-Hammer says Mania is the biggest chance he's ever had to have the world title around his waist He was champion at the first two, and this is the biggest chance of them all. Steamboat will feel his wrath and meet the new Valentine,

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Vacant-13/2/88
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Superstars of Wrestling
March 5th, 1988
Wichita, KS

This is Bruno's last WWF appearance until the HOF induction in 2013. He's done with Vince's version of wrestling, so he up and quit. Not sad to see him go, but nothing but respect for sticking to his principals.

Match#1 Randy Savage w/Miss Elizabeth vs Iron Mike Sharpe
Fucking hell yeah, a Randy squash on TV before he wins the title and that goes away for a while. Randy is a manic nutcase running right at him, and getting clocked for his troubles. Awesome Mike offence and screaming as he gets a ton in on Savage. He sledges him on the top rope and targets the ribs, and Savage's selling is amazing. He finally catches him with a knee to the face and runs right through him as quick as he can. He breaks out a sick running lariat and hits the Elbow to win.
**

Post match, Randy holds the ropes open for Elizabeth.

WWF Update-
-Craig covers the Andre/Hogan matchup.
-Andre says Hogan is not champion, but he is! All the Hulkamaniacs left him and are now in his corner. Hulkamania will die forever.
-Hogan says he;s the same dude he's always been. He talks about the title being stolen and how it united the Hulkamaniacs and how it needs to be back around his waist The largest back has never been pinned for a 3 count, Jack.

Match#2 Demolition w/Mr Fuji vs Mike Richards & Jim Evans
Woooooo another outing for the monster under your bed. Demo jump these nerds right away and go on another insane run of violence and clobbering they can do. They smash these poor fucks into the ring and the sound of their bodies hitting echoes throughout out the building. They break out the double sledge again, AND THEN THEY THROW ONE JOBBER INTO THE CORNER AND MAKE HIM TAG OUT. HAHAHAHAHAH. They murder that one with wicked body shots and a nasty hot shot just to do it.
Decapitation gives them another win.
**

Match#3 Don Muraco vs Frank DeFalco
Short fine squash for Don as is the norm. Dino has a cut in saying he's coming for him at Mania. Don wins with the Tombstone.
*

Craig-
-Martel says they've gotta be crazy to be in a cage match because they could fall off onto the floor, but they don't care. Scores get settled and that's what they want.
-Tito says they're done talking and it's time to settle this once and for all. Everything will be settled for Honky.
-Savage calls Honky a bumbling idiot and he's coming for him. The time is now and from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes to the tip of his nose, he's gonna get him.

Match#4 Brutus Beefcake vs Steve Lombardi
More good fired up Brutus work as he smacks and throws Brawler around in front of a super hot crowd, and it works because it just does. Sleeper gets the win.
*1/2

Post match, Beefer cuts Lombardi's hair.

Craig-
-Bobby and his Islanders walk on.
-He says he hasn't wrestled because he simply decided he didn't want to. On his worst day he can take care of a stupid man with a parrot. He's got an attack dog in the Islanders, and they better watch out. He's not a doll and he's not scared, and Matilda knows them.

Bob Ueker tries to talk about his pal Hacksaw, but Ted and Virgil walk on and make him shut up real quick as they stare him down.

Match#5 The British Bulldogs vs Terry Gibbs & Brian Costello
Good stuff from the pups as they're showing violence and toughness, and the jobbers are killed more than a few times as a result. Rocket Launcher does the job.
*3/4

Craig on the Stage-
-Honky & Jimmy are here.
-Jimmy again calls him the greatest IC champion of all time, and Honky says this is no test because of that fact. Brutus Beefcake is a nobody and nothing to him. He says he's not a barber or a wrestler, and in fact he's nothing to him. Brutus walks out as Honky screams he won't take his hair and he will finish him off for good. Brutus runs on the stage with the sheers to scare them off. He gets the mic and yells he's taking the title and them their hair.

WRESTLEAMAIA IV REPORT
-Craig announces a 20 man battle royal for the show.
-Sam Houston, Sika, Jim Neidhart, Jim Brunzell, Raymond Rougeau, B. Brian Blair, Ron Bass, Hillbilly Jim, "Dangerous" Danny Davis, Jim Powers, Nikolai Volkoff, Ken Patera, Boris Zhukov, Jacques Rougeau, Harley Race, Paul Roma, Junkyard Dog, and Bret Hart. George "The Animal" Steele & Bad News Brown.
-All the wrestler cut promos about this being their biggest chance and how they're going to win.
-Robin Leech is also coming to the show.

Match#6 Hercules, Rick Rude & Harley Race w/Bobby Heenan vs SD Jones, Scott Casey & Sonny Rodgers
Fun short showcase for the Family cracking some skulls to show they're the baddest dudes in the company. Rude and Race get some offence in and then feed one of the jobbers to Herc for the Rack to give them a win.
*1/2

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF BOSTON GARDENS-5/3

Demolition w/Mr Fuji vs The Rougeau Brothers
Oh god yes. Only 8 minutes sadly, but still hell yeah. The brothers try to keep it simple and wrestle, and Demo quickly club and beat the shit out of them being so stupid to think it would work. The Brothers use their speed to turn the tide briefly and go to arm work on Smash to slow him down, and they get pretty far with it as he's not able to club with two and keeps getting knocked down. Ax makes the blind tag and clubs the heck out of Jaques from behind to isolate him in the corner, and they kick the snot out of him. The Brothers manages to get a leg and works on it, but Ax hits an up kick to crack Raymond his face and goes back to beating him down. They throw him to the floor onto the hardwood to hurt him, and then Ax runs at him and knees him right in the jaw. Fuji nails a cane shot as well, and Raymond is kicked and clubbed for a while in a sick control seg as they get brutal with the time to do it. Raymond hits a belly to belly and tags in his brother for a fun hot tag of fire and anger. He double nogging knockers them, and Jaques joins in to get his licks as well. It all breaks down and Demo KILL Jaques with a double closeline to the face to get the win.
**3/4

At ringside, Gorilla interviews Bass. Ron says he wants to turn the snake into some boots, but he's got bigger things to take care off. Gorilla asks him to stop yelling at him, so Bass snaps and says he's not over the hill enough for him to beat up. WHY DON'T YOU BREAK OUT THE TIGHTS AND FIGHT HIM AT WRESTLEMANAIA 4. Gorilla calms him down and tells him to focus on Jake. Bass keeps yelling as Gorilla tries not to laugh.

Ron Bass vs Jake Roberts
Outlaw grabs his head and locks in a sleeper tight around his face to keep him close, and he cuts Jake off as he tries to get out of it. He keeps shoulderblocking him and talking shit to Gorilla to fight him, and the big man keeps saying he's retired and to focus. Jake manages to push his way free and rolls to the floor and catches his breath for a moment and takes his time getting back in, and he dares Bass to get out and fight him. Ron stupidly takes the bait and Jake leads him back in with a knee to the face and nearly slips in the DDT, but Bass punches out and goes to the floor. Jake keeps running away and taunting him to make him angrier, and Ron is close to snapping. Jake punches at him and keeps him on the backfoot, but Ron gets him with a lariat to the face once he gets back in and moves into control. He attacks the back by throwing him into the buckles, and Jake's selling is fantastic. Bass knees and punches him in the kidney like a mean son of a bitch, and poor Jack is badly hurt. Bass pushes him against the ropes and goes for another, but Jake gets a knee lift to knock him to the floor and he somehow wins via countout. Woah.
**1/4

Bass gets in and punches him and goes for Betsy, but Jake gets Damien and runs him off.

The Ultimate Warrior vs Harley Race
Race tries to crack him, but Warrior no sells it and kicks his ass. Race breaks out the bump over the top rope and splats on the floor. He tries to get in, but Warrior punches him and Race's feet gets stuck in the bottom rope and he tumbles down the wooden steps. He climbs back and falls down and hits Warrior on the way down to finally drop him, but Warrior again no sells and goes back to hitting him with some truly ugly closelines and punches. He keeps doing stuff and wins with a shoddy looking victory roll.
3/4*

Randy Savage & Strike Force w/Miss Elizabeth vs Honky Tonk Man & The Hart Foundation w/Jimmy Hart (Steel Cage Match)
Pandemonium right away with a pier 6 brawl as everyone goes for broke, SF use their shirts to choke the Foundation and keep them down while Randy beats the shit out of Honky. He unloads a series of killer shots, but Honky fights back with some of his own as he's not a coward tonight. SF throw some incredible punches to stop people from getting free. Anvil goes to the door and tries to climb down, AND TITO FOREARMS HIM IN THE FACE AND MARTEL LEAVES THE DOOR. Anvil quickly jumps out the door before they can close it, and we're now down to 2 vs 2. The feuds all square off and we get more sick punches and uses of the cage. Tito sends Bret into super hard back first, and he bounces off. Tito climbs up and gets to the top, but Bret is able to pull him back and punches him off to the mat, and starts choking him like a dirty rat. Randy turns the tide and helps send the heels into each other and the faces climb to the top, but Randy is cut off again as Tito climbs out to the floor. Randy snaps proper this time and smacks Honky in the face over and over, until Bret gets in and then gets him off and helps beat the crap out of him. Bret wants to leave, but HTM makes him stay and beat up Randy, and we get some great offence from him. They keep double teaming and playing with their food, and Bret finally walks off and climbs out the door. Honky is now super cocky as Randy is seemingly dead, but as he goes for the door, Randy pops back up and drags him back in, AND HE RAMS HIM HEAD FIRST INTO THE CAGE AND MAKES HIM BEG OFF AS HE PUNCHES HIM AND SMASHES HIS FACE INTO IT AGAIN. HTM gets a kick and tries to climb over, but Randy climbs up and drags him back over by the hair. He elbows him in the face and sends him dick first onto the ropes and climbs down to win the match for his team.
***1/4

 

[BigVanDonnie]

WWF World Champion: Vacant-13/2/88
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man-13/6/87
WWF Tag Team Champions: Strike Force-7/11/87

WWF Wrestling Challenge
March 6th, 1988
Topeka, KS

Match#1 The Ultimate Warrior vs Dusty Wolfe
Warrior finally does a squash at a thousand miles an hour, and it's very fun because it's a crazy person hitting as hard as he can as quick as he can. His strikes are still terrible looking, but the effort is there at least. Hercules has a cut in saying Warrior can feel his impending doom coming. Warrior debuts his Press/Splash combo to win.
*

WWF Update-
-The Dogs and Koko are help to train Matilda for her return at WrestleMania.
-Bobby says this doesn't smell right to him as everyone is saying her bite is bigger. Do these goofs want to wrestle or bite. The last thing they're going to do is stick him in the sand. He's going to show them what a fight really looks like.

Match#2 Strike Force vs Barry Horowitz & Dave Wagner
Yesssssssss, love to the see the boys back on TV after months away in a true bullshit call. Barry show no fear as he throws some sweet punches and kicks to Martel before he gets knocked down and killed for it. We get another fantastic two minutes of SF being the coolest and easiest to like dudes in the company. Crab gives them a win.
**

Craig-
-Don Muraco praises all the different men in this and says none of them are losers. Dino says he's the strongest man, and he knows he's not a loser but he's not planning on losing to him.
-Frenchy speaks French.
-Bravo says he's winning the world title and no one will stop his dream from coming true.

Match#3 Ted DiBiase w/Virgil vs Omar Atlas
Ted attacks the kid during the intros with some gnarly offence once more. He spends the next 90 seconds kicking the hell out of him and reminding everyone why he's a bad man. He wins with the Powerslam again.
*3/4

Match#4 Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Pete Sanchez.
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I can't help but love this big one eyed funny fella. Dude is just infectious and easy as hell to love. He gets 3 minutes because why not? Lots of marching, hooooos and big shots to the jobber, and my heart is full because hell yeah man. Hack spends a lot of time punching the guys face and the crowd gets even louder for each shot. 3 Point Stance right to the face gives him the win.
**

Match#5 The Hart Foundation w/Jimmy Hart vs Sonny Rodgers & Jim Stewart
They get FOUR minutes in a massive call given how bad the 6 minute one was a few weeks ago, but they make it work by moving and hitting the entire time and not wasting much time in between the attacks. Bret gets a lot of time to attack the legs of Rodgers and really shows off what he can do to someone, and it's fantastic. Anvil rocks as the wild man doing whatever he can think of that makes him laugh. Hart Attack ends it.
**

Craig on the Stage-
-Randy is the guest!!!
-What a task for someone to get to the top of the mountain to become the world champion. He's got nothing but respect for Butch Reed because to do this you've gotta to be in insane shape. He can't lose because he's got a special inspiration in his corner. Her smile could knock the ivory off a piano, his manager Elizabeth. She comes out to a massive pop as Randy is super happy to see her. The camera cuts away in a odd choice as i wanted more, sadly.

Match#6 Honky Tonk Man w/Jimmy Hart vs Lance Allen
Good 2 minutes for our Elvis guy. Same stuff as always as he's not changing much up at this point, but it doesn't suck yet so i can live with it. Honky wins with the SSR.
*1/2

 

[BigVanDonnie]

This happened at a TV taping and it's Owen Hart's tryout match, so lets check it out.

Owen Hart vs Barry Horowitz (8/3)
Owen handstands out of some arm work and then does a backflip, and poor Barry in shock. Also, you can hear the crowd losing their minds for it in a great moment as he's showing them a future. He even breaks out the standing moonsault and a sick dropkick to the mush. He hits a knee drop off the top to take over, and then targets the arm with some cool wringers that leave Barry fighting with no clue on how to save himself. Owen lets it go and runs at Barry, AND BARRY HITS A STUNNING SUPERKICK RIGHT TO THE FACE TO DROP HIM. FUCK YEAH. He hits a knee lift to mess him up worse and stomps on his face and headbutts him. He breaks out a goddamn Tiger Suplex as well. Owen weathers the storm AND DROPKICKS HIM IN THE FACE TO SEND HIM TO THE FLOOR AND THEN HE HITS A TOPE SUCIDA TO THE GUARDRAIL, AND AFTER ALL THAT HE HITS A SUPLEX TO THE FLOOR. HE FINISHES BY JUMPING OVER THE TOP ROPE TO THE FLOOR WITH A STOMP TO THE FACE. HAHAHAHAH HOLY SHIT. He gets him back in and hits a belly to belly and then a fucking Diving Headbutt from all the way across the ring to win.
***1/4

Well, holy shit that's how you make a first impression.