WrestleFest 1990
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon, Hillbilly Jim, Tony Schiavone
Host: Sean Mooney

So here we have another Coliseum Video as part of a series that the company did for a few years. I’ve done this before and probably rented the tape about seventy two times back as a kid so we’ve probably got some good stuff here. I have a grand total of no memory about what we’ll be seeing though so let’s get to it.

Sean Mooney is our host and is at the control desk to run down the lineup. I’ve heard worse.

From Miami, Florida, January 22, 1990.

Randy Savage vs. Roddy Piper

Queen Sherri is here with Savage. We pause to start, with Savage chilling on the ropes and Sherri slowly circling Piper. Sherri goes to look under Piper’s kilt and gets spanked around a bit, which finally brings Savage off the ropes for the ax handle to get things going after nearly two minutes. Now of course the fans are rather into things already because of the antics with Sherri and they have done one move, but I guess the match is dull due to the lack of action?

Piper clotheslines him right down and sends him into the corner, setting up another clothesline for two more. A sunset flip gives Piper two so Savage elbows him in the face, only to be chased out to the floor. Piper of course gives chase and they brawl back inside, where Savage gets in the neck snap across the top rope. The top rope ax handle connects and Sherri gets in a shot of her own. Back in and a knee drop gives Savage two more and we’re off to the sleeper.

That’s broken up and Piper hammers away in the corner with rights and lefts. Savage even gets tied up in the Tree Of Woe for some stomping before Piper stomps him in the middle of the ring instead. An airplane spin gives Piper two so Savage is right back with an even faster airplane spin, leaving Savage dizzy for a change. For some reason Savage tries to go up and falls down in a heap. Piper follows and keeps hammering away, with Sherri jumping on his back for the DQ at 9:32.

Rating: B. Oh yeah this was amazing with the two of them doing all kinds of stuff without doing much of anything at all. You could tell they were having a great time out there and it wound up being incredibly entertaining. If nothing else the battle of the airplane spins was great and the fans certainly seemed to like it. This was a perfect illustration of what happens when two talented wrestlers are given a chance to have fun, as they barely did anything big and still gave the fans a great performance.

Post match Piper sleepers Savage and then Sherri, with the villains being whipped into each other. Piper whips Savage with a belt to send them running.

A fan from Houston, Texas (with terrible penmanship) wants to see Ultimate Warrior vs. Dino Bravo.

Bravo is ready to face Warrior.

Warrior is ready to face Bravo.

From Tucson, Arizona, February 14, 1990.

Intercontinental Title: Ultimate Warrior vs. Dino Bravo

Bravo, with Jimmy Hart and Earthquake, is challenging. Ignore that the Warrior was wearing the WWF Title for his pre-match promo while the Intercontinental Title is on the line here. As I chuckle about the camera operator having to chase Warrior down the aisle, Warrior knocks Bravo down to start and this a top rope ax handle, only for Earthquake to grab Warrior’s foot.

That’s enough of a distraction (it might be due to Earthquake’s weird brown singlet) for Bravo to get in a cheap shot but Warrior sends him into the corner back inside. Earthquake grabs him again and this time Bravo gets in a clothesline out to the floor. Naturally Warrior gets clever by crawling underneath the ring, allowing him to steal Hart’s pants. Back in and Warrior grabs a quick suplex but the splash hits raised knees.

Naturally Bravo tries a test of strength before avoiding a charge into the corner. The bearhug (with Bravo bouncing for some reason) goes on until Warrior reverses into one of his own. That’s broken up and Warrior is knocked outside, where Earthquake gets in a slam on the floor. Back in and Bravo’s side slam gets two and Warrior is right back up with the flying shoulders. Now the splash connects so Earthquake comes in for the DQ at 8:16.

Rating: D+. Yeah this was about what you would have expected, as these two fought a bunch of times and it never worked. It’s just a power match but neither of them are any good for the most part so how was it supposed to work? The ending seemed stupid but at least they did something to set up the Wrestlemania match, which is at least better than just doing a lame ending for no payoff.

Post match the big beatdown is on with Earthquake going up so here is Hulk Hogan for the save. This segment was in the hype package for Hogan vs. Warrior at Wrestlemania.

This month’s manager profile is on Mr. Fuji, who talks about how he teaches his wrestlers to make others suffer. That makes him very, very happy and we see a montage of various assaults. We also see Mr. Fuji doing a 5k race at Wrestlemania V weekend, naturally in his tuxedo, which felt shenanigansy.

Brutus Beefcake wants to mess with Rick Martel’s hair.

Martel isn’t going to deal with this and promises to make Beefcake smell the sweet smell of Arrogance.

From New York City, New York, December 28, 1989.

Brutus Beefcake vs. Rick Martel

Martel bails out to the floor to start as Beefcake is way too enthusiastic with those clippers. This means a lot of stalling as they show off their physiques until Martel charges into a hiptoss about two and a half minutes after the bell. Beefcake scares him out to the floor and it’s already time to stall. Back in again and Martel offers a handshake, with even BRUTUS BEEFCAKE not being dumb enough to fall for this.

They do eventually shake hands and Beefcake kicks him in the ribs for a change before firing down the right hands in the corner. A stomp to the head and the headknocker just seem to wake Martel up as he comes back with an atomic drop. Martel knocks him down and hits the chinlock, setting up the choke…and another chinlock.

With that broken up, Martel gives him a slam and backbreaker, leaving Beefcake looking a bit dead. For some reason Martel goes up top but gets crotched down, allowing Beefcake to slug away. Beefcake fights back with the atomic drops, apparently a fan of Martel’s selling too. Martel gets knocked outside and is pulled back in, only for him to grab a rollup with the rope for the pin at 14:40.

Rating: C. This was a bunch of chinlocks but that’s probably better than asking Beefcake to go that long. He wasn’t the most versatile in the ring and there was no way around that. Let him do his thing and pop the crowd with his rather strong charisma, which is what we got here. The match wasn’t great, but the fans were certainly into it.

Post match Beefcake takes issue with the whole thing and gets jumped by Martel. That just earns Martel a sleeper to knock him out. Bobby Heenan of all people comes in to save Martel from a haircut.

It’s time for the Tag Team Profile, which is focusing on the Hart Foundation. This involves Jim Neidhart freaking out over not having the Tag Team Titles, with Bret Hart having to calm him down and sending us to a match against the Powers Of Pain.

From Fort Myers, Florida, January 23, 1990.

Hart Foundation vs. Powers Of Pain

Mr. Fuji is here with the Powers. Neidhart and Barbarian start things off and they stare at each other a lot and then trade shoves. Neither those nor Neidhart’s headlock go anywhere so Barbarian clotheslines Warlord by mistake. Hart comes in to hammer on Barbarian before making a blind tag to Neidhart for a clothesline. The Harts take turns working on Warlord’s arm, with Warlord missing a shoulder in the corner to make it even worse.

Warlord finally knocks Hart down with a clothesline and hits the forearm to the back, allowing Barbarian to hit a running headbutt to the back. The Powers take turns working on said back, with Hart having to escape over for the tag back to Neidhart. That means a bunch of shoulders can have the Powers in trouble until Fuji trips Neidhart down. The fight goes out to the floor and only Neidhart beats the count to win at 10:39.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t the best start to the profile as you would think the Harts winning via pinfall would make more sense. Either way, the Harts getting to show off their chemistry and mixture of power/speed was good, especially with the Powers being pretty one dimensional. The Harts could work well with anyone and the Powers were solid enough, even with the less than perfect ending.

Post match the Harts clear the ring with the cane.

The Harts talk about the importance of teamwork, including facing a team without much experience.

From Oakland, California, August 8, 1989.

Hart Foundation vs. Dino Bravo/Honky Tonk Man

Jimmy Hart is here with the villains and Bravo shoulders Hart down to start. A high five doesn’t count as a tag with Honky Tonk Man for some reason so Bravo gets to stomp on Hart for a bit. Hart is back up with a crossbody so Honky Tonk Man comes in, earning himself a quick double wishbone. Neidhart fires off the shoulders in the corner and it’s already back to Bravo, who gets in an atomic drop.

A cheap shot knocks Hart off the apron and the double elbow drops Neidhart again. The reverse chinlock seems to annoy Neidhart more than anything else but a knee to the face keeps him in trouble. Bravo drops a big jumping elbow but misses a knee, allowing Hart to come in again. That means Honky Tonk Man gets beaten up for a bit, with an O’Connor roll giving Hart two. Everything breaks down and Hart is whipped into Honky Tonk Man and Neidhart intercepts the Megaphone. A few shots to Honky Tonk Man draw the DQ at 8:57.

Rating: C. Why would you include this? It’s a makeshift team and the Harts can’t beat them? The match was nothing and then it ends like this, making the Harts look like losers. I don’t get this at all and it was boring the whole way through. Just a big waste of time here and it would have been better off by just having the Harts win a squash.

The Harts know the Rockers are good, but they’re not sure if they’re THAT good. Neidhart concludes that they’re just scared kittens.

From Springfield, Massachusetts, August 29, 1990.

Hart Foundation vs. The Rockers

Hart and Jannetty start things off (that’s an interesting one) with Jannetty grabbing an armbar. Michaels comes in with an ax handle to the arm and sits down on it for a bonus. Hart gets in an atomic drop for a breather and Neidhart is in for two off of a slam. Neidhart grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back, followed by a rather hard backdrop for two. The slingshot splash misses but Hart is back in, with Michaels charging into a raised boot in the corner.

The middle rope elbow misses though and it’s back to Jannetty to pick up the pace. A jumping back elbow and dropkick have Hart in trouble and the powerslam gets two. Hart gets in a clothesline of his own, only to get kneed back down for two. Michaels is back in for the double superkick and a suplex gets two. Hart fights back and gets over to Neidhart for the tag, meaning it’s time to clean house. Everything breaks down and Hart is sent outside but here are the Rougeaus to jump both teams for the double DQ at 12:20.

Rating: B. I’m surprised that Michaels and Hart had this much chemistry together as they’ve never shown anything similar to it before. Anyway, of course the match was good and I could have gone with a heck of a lot more of it, which tends to be the case whenever these teams are together. The Rockers were punching up here and shockingly they were more than up to the challenge.

That wraps it up, with the Harts going 1-1-1, with the win coming via countout.

We get a rather cool look at the fleet of trucks that carry everything to the arenas. I remember seeing this when I was a kid and it was fascinating for some reason.

From New York City, New York, January 15, 1990.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. Perfect

Perfect, with the Genius, is challenging. Hogan shoves him into the corner to start and then does it again, with Perfect falling out to the floor. That means a slam to Genius, who is thrown inside in a less than brilliant move. Hogan shrugs off some double teaming and Perfect gets tied up in the ropes, leaving Genius to get atomic dropped out to the floor. Hogan knocks Perfect down again and gives him a hard whip into the corner. A mistimed duck lets Perfect get in a kick to the chest though and Perfect gets to stomp away.

Hogan is sent outside, where he’s fine enough to reverse a whip into the post. It works so well that Hogan does it again but Perfect is able to slap on a sleeper back inside. Hogan eventually fights up but gets sent into the corner, with Perfect going up. That’s not the best idea and Hogan crotches him a few times, followed by an atomic drop, which seems a bit excessive.

The elbow misses so Perfect grabs the PerfectPlex for two, meaning it’s Hulk Up time. They actually go outside though as we mix it up a bit. Hogan misses a swing with a chair and Perfect gets in a foreign object shot for….almost a countout as Perfect distracts the referee (in a rather smart move). Back in and Hogan fights back and grabs the foreign object to knock Perfect cold, which is enough for the DQ at 13:38.

Rating: C+. These two always has good chemistry together and the finish should set them up for another match in the Garden. That’s a good way to go and it worked well enough here, with Perfect being a different kind of challenger. The Genius continues to be a good manager for Perfect, as he can take the funny bumps that Hogan can give so well. Fun match here, which is hardly a surprise.

From Sacramento, California, March 6, 1990.

Ultimate Warrior/Jake Roberts vs. Ted DiBiase/Akeem

Big Boss Man is the guest referee. Roberts works on the arm to start but DiBiase is right back with some shots to the bad neck. Back up and the threat of a DDT sends DiBiase running to the floor, which is probably wise. Roberts is fine with working on the arm for a bit before trying the DDT again, sending DiBiase bailing again. Akeem comes in and misses an elbow, allowing Warrior to come in and knock him into the corner. A clothesline puts Akeem down and it’s back to Roberts who still can’t get a DDT.

DiBiase comes back in to take over as commentary talks about the Boss Man, who has been a non-factor thus far. A piledriver gives DiBiase two and it’s back to Akeem for the running crotch attack on the ropes. DiBiase’s chinlock is quickly broken up with a jawbreaker and a running clothesline sets up the fourth failed DDT attempt. Roberts finally gets smart by handing it back to Warrior, who cleans house and splashes DiBiase for the pin at 6:28.

Rating: C-. The idea here was fine but Boss Man didn’t do a single thing as referee. Roberts not being able to hit the DDT was almost the story of the match but this was really more about Warrior getting to come in and wreck everyone. I’m a bit surprised Akeem didn’t take the fall as it’s not like he was doing much of note at this point. At least DiBiase had the Million Dollar Title and the feud with Roberts, but he took the fall anyway. Odd indeed.

Post match Virgil comes in and gets hit with the nightstick, setting up the DDT (they built it up enough).

Sean Mooney gives us a quick wrap up.

Overall Rating: C+. There were enough good moments on this tape to make it worth a look, especially if you like this era. You get a nice mixture of stars from the era, including the rather bizarre choices with the Hart Foundation. It’s a completely watchable tape, though you might want to fast forward some of the matches.

Results
Roddy Piper b. Randy Savage via DQ when Queen Sherri interfered
Ultimate Warrior b. Dino Bravo via DQ when Earthquake interfered
Rick Martel b. Brutus Beefcake – Rollup while holding the rope
Hart Foundation b. Powers Of Pain via countout
Honky Tonk Man/Dino Bravo b. Hart Foundation via DQ when Neidhart used the Megaphone
Rockers vs. Hart Foundation went to a double DQ when the Fabulous Rougeaus interfered
Mr. Perfect b. Hulk Hogan via DQ when Hogan used a foreign object
Jake Roberts/Ultimate Warrior b. Ted DiBiase/Akeem – Splash to DiBiase

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 11, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 1,000
Commentators: Randy Savage, Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett

So you might have seen this one before, as it is the premiere episode of the series as part of the celebration of the move over to Netflix. I’ve seen this one more than a few times but to call it historic would be an understatement, even if it might not have felt that way at the time. Let’s get to it.

Sean Mooney is outside and welcomes us to the show. Bobby Heenan tries to get inside but is told he’s been replaced by Rob Bartlett. There are no tickets left and he’s not getting in through the press entrance so yelling ensues.

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card and Bartlett is already not funny.

Yokozuna vs. Koko B. Ware

Bartlett goes straight to the fat jokes, including saying Yokozuna has an “a** like amphitheater”. Ware gets shoved down a few times so he tries to get the fans behind him with the rhythmic clapping. That doesn’t work either, which shouldn’t be a major shock. The running shoulders have Ware bouncing off of Yokozuna and the big leg connects. Yokozuna crushes him in the corner and hits the Banzai Drop for the pin at 3:44.

Rating: C-. This was more the answer to a trivia question than anything else, with Yokozuna still being new around here and getting to destroy someone in the first match ever on Raw. There isn’t much to say about it either, as Ware was more known for his large pants at this point than anything else. Nothing match, and Bartlett’s jokes made it that much worse.

Bobby Heenan is very excited about Narcissus (Lex Luger, later named the Narcissist). Mr. Perfect is scared of the Narcissus, who will be debuted at the Royal Rumble.

Steiner Brothers vs. Executioners

Scott hammers on #1 to start before handing it off to Rick for more of the same. #1 is sent into the corner as Doink The Clown is walking through the fans. Rick sends #1 into the post and grabs a belly to belly. Scott hits another one and the Steiner Bulldog finishes at 2:59. Total destruction.

Bobby Heenan, in drag, can’t get inside. Where did he get that costume?

Here is Razor Ramon for an interview with Vince McMahon. He’s ready to get the WWF Title from Bret Hart at the Royal Rumble and will win the title way faster than Bret ever did. We see a clip of Razor attacking Owen Hart on WWF Mania and now it’s time for him to take the title from Bret. Simple and to the point here, even if the title match was nothing memorable.

There is a Headlock On Hunger show coming up and Randy Savage doesn’t seem to have the card in front of him in a weird bit.

Tatanka is ready for the Headlock On Hunger.

Intercontinental Title: Max Moon vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels is defending. Feeling out process to start as Bartlett makes an unfunny joke about a WWF version of an upcoming movie. Moon starts jumping over him and takes Michaels down with a jumping hammerlock to take over. We take a break and come back with Bartlett talking about Michaels pulling a knife during the break. Michaels drops him throat first across the top rope…and Doink walks out again as Bartlett “calls in” as Mike Tyson.

Michaels hammers away as the Tyson thing finally wraps up and we hit the chinlock. Moon fights up and sends him to the floor for a seated senton off the apron. Back in and the Tyson bit goes on again as Bartlett somehow does not get that it’s dying out there. Michaels hits the superkick and teardrop superkick to retain at 11:23.

Rating: C. This is a rare care where the match was fine but my goodness commentary dragged it WAY down. There was nothing funny about this and while I’m sure the Tyson impression made Vince laugh, it was distracting and another level of terrible. The match was ok, but no one watching was going to be able to focus on it because of the Tyson nonsense. Stop doing that.

Ad for WWF Mania. I could go for seeing some of that just for the flashbacks.

We get the Royal Rumble Report, with a focus on Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty. Michaels isn’t sure why Jannetty is getting a title shot, but Jannetty implies that Sherri will turn on Michaels during the match. That’s pretty much the story, with the Rockers not being mentioned.

Mr. Perfect is ready to win the Royal Rumble.

Mr. Fuji, with Yokozuna, is ready to crush everyone.

Jim Duggan isn’t sure if he’ll win, but he’ll give it all he’s got. Him winning the match a mere five years ago isn’t mentioned.

People are trying to get tickets for next week. Bobby Heenan’s beard disguise doesn’t work. Maybe he’ll try the roof.

We look at Kamala’s face turn over the weekend, as Reverend Slick convinces him to stand up to Harvey Wippleman and Kim Chee. If you need help standing up to those two goons, you’re already a lost cause.

Undertaker vs. Damian Demento

Undertaker starts fast and knocks him down, setting up Old School. Demento gets a boot up in the corner and hits a running shoulder to put Undertaker down again. That’s shrugged off and the Tombstone finishes Demento at 2:25.

Next week in a cage match: Woody Allen vs. Mia Farrow. I have no idea who this is supposed to appeal to but….no.

Doink The Clown isn’t scared of Crush, who comes out for a chase.

Heenan is allowed in as the show ends.

Overall Rating: C-. This is one of those shows where it is far more historic than memorable on its own. I’ve seen it a bunch of times over the years and there really isn’t anything that great on the whole thing. The wrestling is average at best and nothing on here makes you think it’s a special show.

At the same time, Bartlett is an absolute miss here and dragged the show WAY down. Now, that being said, I have seen a comment from Bartlett, who basically said he knew he was terrible in the role, but as a comedian, you can’t turn down a live mic on national television. Fair enough, but man alive did it not work. Overall, not a particularly good show, but that’s absolutely not the point here. This was about “this is the beginning” and that would be a huge understatement.

 

 

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Wrestling Spotlight
Date: August 14, 1988
Commentator: Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura,
Hosts: Vince McMahon, Lord Alfred Hayes

This is one of the low level WWF shows from back in the Golden Era and upon seeing an episode of it pop up on YouTube, I figured it was worth a look. This is my favorite era of the company’s history and we would be coming up on the first Summerslam around this time. Odds are this is going to be promo based so let’s get to it.

Dang I love that WHAT THE WORLD IS WATCHING voiceover.

Opening sequence.

Vince and Alfred hype up the Summerslam main event and talk about who we might be seeing here.

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 14, 1988.

Rick Rude vs. Billy Brown

Bobby Heenan is here with Rude and before the match, Rude shows off his Cheryl Roberts tights. Brown actually tries to fire up the crowd as we get a voiceover from Howard Finkel for an upcoming show, which sounds like a fundraiser. The beatdown is on as we get an inset promo from Rude saying that Jake Roberts should get some WWF binoculars (because there are WWF binoculars) to see just how ravishing he REALLY is. Oh and Cheryl has never looked so good either. The Rude Awakening finishes at 1:15.

Post match Heenan brings in a woman (who is NOT like Cheryl Roberts) to get the kiss from Rude.

And now, the Brother Love Show. Love is SO excited this week because his personal benefactor, Ted DiBiase, is his guest. Instead though, here are Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth to interrupt, with Savage saying they have some very different definitions of love. Savage LOVES being the WWF Champion but he also loves his partner at Summerslam, so here is Hulk Hogan (in a weird looking red shirt/yellow trunks combination).

Love goes to leave but Hogan says hang on, because he has a different definition of love too. Hogan loves being the Hulkster and the Hulkamaniacs, but for now he would LOVE to get his hands on Love. That’s enough to send Love running off and the Mega Powers LOVE the idea of beating up the Mega Bucks at Summerslam. They lift up Liz and pose, with Hogan’s music playing because he’s still the real star.

From LaCrosse, Wisconsin, July 13, 1988.

Tito Santana vs. Tim Dixon

Jesse Ventura doesn’t buy that Tito is a singles star again because there is no way Rick Martel is STILL injured, but rather he’s just scared of Demolition. Santana works on an armbar to start before running Dixon over with a shoulder. Another armbar sends Dixon over to the ropes as Jesse insists that he will NOT be intimidated by Andre the Giant at Summerslam (which was a great story to the match as even Jesse was intimidated by Andre because, you know, it’s Andre).

Santana grabs the armbar again so Dixon makes it to the rope for the break. The armbar goes on yet again and Vince gets bored listening to Jesse talking about not being worried over Andre and acknowledges how boring this is. Tito FINALLY finishes with the flying forearm at 4:01.

Rating: D. Tito is one of my all time favorites but my goodness this was boring. They went four minutes and most of that was spent on various armbars. This is a match that could have had probably three minutes cut off for the same result. The match was there as a way for Jesse to talk about not being intimidated by Andre and that got old almost immediately.

We go to the Event Center with Sean Mooney to run down a card at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland (remember that this would be the show for the local market so this part would be different depending on where you were). Therefore, let’s hear from some people on the card.

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers are sure they’ll beat the Hart Foundation because they’re really brothers.

Ultimate Warrior is ready for Honky Tonk Man, who won’t be a challenge.

Video on Honky Tonk Man.

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 14, 1988.

Greg Valentine vs. Ken Patera

Joined in progress with Valentine begging off and getting punched in the corner. Valentine kicks him down though and hits a headbutt between the legs to take over. The Figure Four (with the Heartbreaker shin guard, which was a big deal for Valentine around this time) is loaded up but Patera kicks him away. A clothesline gives Patera two as commentary mocks the cover and Patera’s skills in general. I mean fair enough but you could be a bit nicer. Patera misses a charge in the corner so Valentine loads up the Heartbreaker, only to have Don Muraco come in and jump Valentine for the DQ at 2:58.

Post match Muraco goes after the Heartbreaker but has to deal with Jimmy Hart, allowing Valentine to escape. Muraco holds up Patera’s arm, even as Valentine is announced as the winner. Patera was AWFUL at this point and it was showing badly here.

The Mega Powers know how big Summerslam is going to be because…..kids have been asking for their allowance before doing their chores? Anyway, there are plans of elbows, bearhugs, slams and the Kiss Of Death. You can figure out who is going to do what.

Here’s how you can order Summerslam!

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 14, 1988.

Rockers vs. Dave Wagner/Tom Burton

Jannetty hiptosses Wagner down into an armbar to start before a drop toehold sets up Michaels’ legdrop to the back of the head. A belly to belly drops Wagner again as Heenan is teasing his own team. Brown comes in as Monsoon doesn’t seem to know which Rocker is which. Michaels drops a running elbow, setting up the top rope fist (off of Jannetty’s shoulders….so I guess it’s a top shoulders) fist drop for the pin at 2:59. Total and complete squash.

Vince and Alfred talk about Jesse Ventura being the guest referee for the Summerslam main event, which has been a major topic for this show.

UPDATE with Gene Okerlund looks at Summerslam, or at least the main event. This show is starting to look like a one match card. We do at least get some more matches discussed, which has barely been done all show.

From LaCrosse, Wisconsin, July 13, 1988.

Terry Taylor vs. Chris Todd

Taylor armdrags him down a few times as Jesse compliments Todd’s tights. We get an inset interview from Taylor, where he brags about being so handsome and thanks his parents for making him into Scary Terry Taylor. Vince: “Thanking his mom and dad? For what?” Anyway Terry keeps hammering away and we talk about Jesse being guest referee AGAIN. Some stomping and an awful looking spinebuster (Taylor dropped him) sets up the Scorpion Deathlock to finish Todd at 2:24. This was BAD and Taylor would actually get worse as the Red Rooster.

From Cedar Rapids, Iowa, July 14, 1988.

Brutus Beefcake vs. Warren Bianchi

Bianchi is rather short and….I guess we’ll say ugly. We get an inset interview from Honky Tonk Man and Jimmy Hart, who aren’t happy with Beefcake being on the cover of the new WWF Magazine instead of Honky Tonk. Beefcake unloads on Bianchi with the usual array of right hands and stomping before finishing with the sleeper at 2:01. Total squash and Gorilla says this is a win on Wrestling Challenge, as this was from a taping of another show (and probably aired on there too).

Post match, Bianchi gets an unwelcome haircut.

King Haku is ready for Tito Santana at the Capitol Center, with Bobby Heenan demonstrating proper bowing procedure.

Randy Savage is ready for the taller and heavier Andre the Giant, also at the Capitol Center.

We get the rest of the Landover card and….yeah I think I’m good.

Vince and Alfred wrap us up and give us one more Summerslam push to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. It’s pure nostalgia and I’m not even going to pretend it’s anything else. This show was all about Summerslam (mainly the main event/Jesse’s referring) and that got a bit old fast. Other than that, this is basically the poor man’s version of Superstars or Prime Time and that didn’t exactly make for a fun 45ish minutes. That being said, it’s late 80s WWF and I’m always in for that, so odds are I’ll be back on this period sooner rather than later.

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 11, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, Manhattan, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett, Randy Savage

Since the random months deal isn’t working whatsoever, let’s just go with doing them straight through. I have twenty months left in the first four years so we might as well start off with the first year. It’s a shorter month because the show started in the second week. Oh and it’s also the show’s debut so let’s get to it.

Sean Mooney is on the streets of Manhattan and welcomes us to the first ever show but has to stop one Bobby Heenan from going inside. He has been replaced by Rob Bartlett and since Mooney is security, Heenan stops to bicker.

Opening sequence.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and Bartlett is already getting annoying.

Yokozuna vs. Koko B. Ware

So here’s your first trivia of the night as we have the first ever match in the history of the show. Bartlett: “This guy has his own no fly zone!” Savage: “He doesn’t even have a zipper.” We also get some Japanese/fat jokes from Bartlett until Ware is shoved across the ring. It works a second time but Koko is back up with a dropkick. A big charge misses though and Ware is sent HARD into the top rope. The big legdrop sets up the corner splash and the Banzai Drop finishes Ware in a hurry.

Rating: D+. Total squash and a good example of the Yokozuna who was that scary of a monster. He looked great and could still move around out there, with the running splash coming off as athletic. This is the Yokozuna who could be the top heel for a long time, and it’s easy to see why he was pushed so hard.

Bobby Heenan talks about Narcissus, who has Mr. Perfect scared. Yes, Narcissus is beyond perfect and comparing the two of them is like comparing ice cream to horse manure. Narcissus will be unveiled at the Royal Rumble and Perfect will think he is from another world.

Steiner Brothers vs. Executioners

Scott isn’t playing around and tilt-a-whirl slams #1 as Doink the Clown is playing around a bit in the audience. Rick comes in and whips #2 into the ropes so hard that #2 falls down. #2 is driven ribs first upside down into the corner and it’s a double noggin knocker from Scott on the floor. Back in and the referee has to get out of the way of a Scott belly to belly and there’s the tiger driver to make it worse. The Steiner Bulldog ends the masked goons.

Rating: C-. I could watch the Steiners beat up goofs forever and this was a good example of how effective it can be. Those suplexes and the bulldog had the Executioners flying all over the place and it was absolutely glorious. They were brand new at this point and even 1993 WWF couldn’t screw them up.

Bobby Heenan, this time in drag, still can’t get into the building. He thought he was getting into the building normally, so he just had that in his bag?

Here is Razor Ramon for a chat with Vince McMahon. He is happy to have a WWF Title shot at the Royal Rumble because it has his name written all over it. Vince says it took Bret eight and a half years to get his title shot but now Razor is happy with getting his shot after eight and a half months. That’s not good enough for Vince, who wants to know why Razor jumped Owen Hart over the weekend. Razor says it was fun and there is nothing Bret can do about it. You know what else Bret can’t do anything about? Razor winning the WWF Title. Good interview here, as Razor was still in serious mode.

There will be a Headlock On Hunger show later this month, with Randy Savage not exactly knowing what is on the card (“Shawn Michaels vs. Bob Backlund for another title. The Intercontinental Title!”).

Tatanka wants us to put a headlock on hunger.

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Max Moon

Shawn is defending. Moon flips around a bit as Bartlett does a bit about the WWF version of the Amy Fisher story and Savage….thinks Heenan looked good in drag? Shawn gets thrown into the corner and can’t figure out what to do here, so Moon armdrags him down. We take a break and come back with Shawn dropping him throat first across the middle rope as commentary gets in “uncooked, uncut and uncensored” as many times as they can.

Shawn hits…something as Doink comes out to watch again and Bartlett “calls in” with a bad Mike Tyson impression. This gag keeps going as Shawn sends him face first into the buckle as Bartlett (still as Tyson) makes up matches for the Royal Rumble. Moon grabs a small package for a quick two and gets punched in the face some more. The chinlock goes on and Tyson wants to know what it’s called.

Back up and Moon catapults Shawn over the top and out to the floor (Bartlett: “He disappeared!”) for the crash. Moon scores with a spinwheel kick in the corner and a cradle gets two. Shawn is back up with the superkick, which isn’t his finisher yet so here it’s just a thing. Instead it’s the tear drop suplex (kind of a cross between a belly to back suplex/Angle Slam) to retain Shawn’s title.

Rating: C. The wrestling was fine but the commentary was one of the dumbest, most annoying things I can imagine. The bit itself, a confused Mike Tyson calling in, is fine enough but it JUST KEPT GOING and wasn’t all that funny in the first place. It’s not the kind of comedy that fits in on a wrestling show and that’s why Bartlett never fit. He was funny in a different format, but here it feels so forced and it never worked.

WATCH WWF MANIA! I liked that show.

It’s time for the Royal Rumble Control Center. This week we’re talking about the Intercontinental Title match between Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. The question is whose corner Sensational Sherri will be in, with both guys saying she’s going with them. Marty and Sherri were never a thing so this always felt a bit weird.

Moving on, Gene Okerlund runs down the Royal Rumble lineup, with Mr. Perfect saying he isn’t worried because no one else in the match is perfect. On the other hand, Mr. Fuji says no one can get Yokozuna over the top so he’ll win. Oh and Jim Duggan thinks he’ll….fight. He might not win, but he’ll fight. Of note: this segment went on so long that Tito Santana beat the Brooklyn Brawler in a dark match as it aired.

Bobby Heenan, now as Rob Bartlett’s uncle Morty, still can’t get in. The stereotypes here are rather strong.

We look at Kamala’s face turn, as he leaves Kim Chee and Harvey Wippleman and joins up with Reverend Slick. That pairing could bowl some people over.

Undertaker vs. Damien Demento

Demento is a weird guy and billed “from the Outer Reaches Of Your Mind”. Vince and Bartlett go into a bit about Paul Bearer being from a famous family and needing an iron supplement. Demento’s right hands have no effect and the very Young School connects, with Vince ignoring it to talk about the Royal Rumble. Demento gets in a few shots out of the corner but Undertaker sits up and hits the jumping clothesline. The Tombstone finishes without much trouble.

Doink talks about enjoying making kids cry but Crush comes out and threatens him with that Hawaiian accent. If Doink keeps it up, his bad arm will have another arm and both legs for company in that cast. Doink squirts him with water and the chase is on.

Bobby Heenan is allowed in now that the show is over.

Overall Rating: C-. I don’t think I’m breaking any new ground by saying that this first show is not very good. The wrestling was more miss than hit and Bartlett was a nightmare, but what mattered here was that they had to start somewhere. It’s the first episode of the most famous wrestling series ever and it took place live from New York City. The content isn’t important here, but rather the fact that the show happened. Not a terrible show, but it’s all about the history instead of the content.

 

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