WWF Madison Square Garden: June 21st, 1985

June 21, 1985

Your hosts are Gene Okerlund and Gorilla Monsoon

Terry Gibbs vs. “Leaping” Lanny Poffo

The MSG debut for Poffo, who has not even made his TV debut. Gibbs hits a shoulderblock but Poffo kips up then shows off his quickness. He works the arm for a bit then gets two off of a crossbody block before going back to the arm. Gibbs yells at the ref about how Poffo is breaking his arm then backs Poffo into the corner. He misses a corner attack but cheapshots Poffo and stomps away. Elbow drop gets two. He tosses Poffo through the ropes. Gibbs follows him out and slams him on the floor. Back in the ring, Gibbs blocks a sunset flip then gets two off of a suplex. He grabs a bearhug but Poffo manages to take him over. Poffo whiffs on a senton and Gibbs covers for two. Poffo fights back and hip tosses Gibbs out of the corner. He then hits a dropkick before putting him away with the moonsault (6:34) **1/2.

Thoughts: Solid match that was all action and minimal restholds. The crowd popped for the moonsault but were quiet for everything else. Gibbs did a good job as a heel, easily the best I have seen from him. Poffo looked good in his debut and his perm was something else.

Tony Atlas vs. Matt Borne

Borne shoves Atlas off of a lockup then mocks him by flexing his arms. Atlas responds by shoving him away then hitting a few armdrags. He then sends him to the floor with a poor excuse of a dropkick. Borne goes back inside as Atlas outsmarts him before hitting an atomic drop. Borne works the arm the fires away when Atlas tries to power out. He works a chinlock then targets the back. Borne starts to punch Atlas in the face but he no-sells the attack. Borne tries to escape but Atlas drags him back in by his tights, exposing his ass in the process. Atlas beats on Borne then rams his head off all four corners of the ring. Back suplex gets two. Borne lands a few shots in the corner but misses an elbow drop from the middle rope and that allows Atlas to hit a press slam then put him away with a splash (7:03) *1/2. Borne attacks Atlas after the match but ends up getting tossed over the top rope.

Thoughts: Borne looked good and carried the whole thing. The match was designed to make Atlas look good and Borne did everything that he could to make that happen while Atlas basically did poses.

Jose Luis Rivera vs. The Missing Link w/Bobby Heenan

Link takes forever getting into the ring as he kept on running backstage. Heenan eventually gets him to go inside as some of the crowd taunts him but most really do not care. Rivera attacks him before the bell but ends up eating elbow off of a charge. Link then hits a headbutt from the second rope and uses a few more headbutts . Link hits a slam then another headbutt off of the middle rope for the win (1:43) ¼*. After the match, Heenan prevents Link from ramming his own head off of the post.

Thoughts: Fine for what it was I guess. The match probably would have been a lot worse if it had gone any longer. Link just did not get over at all in the WWF and I think that part of that was due to George Steele having the same gimmick.

Moondog Spot vs. “Jumping” Jim Brunzell

This is also the MSG debut for Brunzell, who is sporting the Killer Bees tights. Okerlund said it is about time that Brunzell got into the WWF and they both put over the Killer Bees team with Brian Blair. Spot works a leadlock but Brunzell escapes and uses a flying head scissors. Brunzell works a key lock before working using another head scissors. He works the arm some more as the camera shows a hot blond in the crowd that has Okerlund going out of his mind. Spot begs for mercy after a headbutt then Brunzell goes back to the arm. Brunzell leapfrogs Spot but ends up walking into a forearm. Spot hits a backbreaker then a fist drop. He then lands a kneelift before hammering away in the corner. Brunzell comes back with a bell clap but misses a corner charge and ends up getting booted out of the ring. Spot follows him out and rams his head off of the steps. Brunzell is able to pull Spot’s leg down after he went in the ring and rams it off of the post. Spot comes back with an inverted atomic drop, while selling the leg, then uses a chinlock. Spot kicks him repeatedly and gets two before going back to the chinlock. Brunzell comes back and works the leg but ends up getting clocked in the face.  Both men slug it out then end up colliding, which starts to wake up the crowd. Brunzell is up first and lands an uppercut. Spot begs for mercy in the corner then Brunzell ends up firing away. Atomic drop gets two. He ducks his head for a backdrop and gets elbowed but manages to duck down then plants Spot with a dropkick for the win (12:22) ***.

Thoughts: Really good match that the crowd didn’t seem to care about that much. Despite not being advertised on TV yet, the announcers put over the Killer Bees team on commentary. Okerlund was putting over Brunzell strong, likely due to their connection from the AWA.

Rick McGraw vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage

Before the match, Finkel refers to Savage as “wrestling’s number one free agent.” Savage yells at everyone before the match then orders that the camera lenses get cleaned. The announcers talk about how all of the managers have their eyes on Savage. Macho starts by stalling then both guys jockey for position. Savage ducks outside and picks up a chair then jumps on the guardrail to stir up the fans, getting hit with debris in the process. Savage continues to taunt the crowd, who already hate him. Savage finally goes into the ring and works an armbar. He pulls him back down by the hair then dumps McGraw throat-first onto the top rope after he attempted a head scissor takedown. McGraw manages to put Savage in the airplane spin but Savage is able to put his foot on the ropes. Savage boots him in the face after a backdrop attempt then fires away. McGraw blocks a turnbuckle smash then monkey flips Savage out of the corner. Backslide gets two. Savage ducks outside for a breather and chases the camera man up the aisle. He then yells at an old couple at ringside and taunts the crowd some more then attacks McGraw from the apron. Elbow drop gets two. Suplex gets two. He sends McGraw to the floor with an elbow smash then follows him out with a double axe handle off of the top rope. The crowd was amazed by that spot. He then suplexes McGraw on the floor as the crowd is pelting him with trash. Savage hits him with a running knee smash that sends him flying over the stairs. Back in the ring, Savage hits a flying attack on McGraw, who was hunched over the middle rope , but misses a second attempt. McGraw sends Savage into the corner, who ends up in the tree of woe. He works on Savage but gets clotheslined after he charged at him and that allows Savage to climb up top and hit the flying elbow drop for the win (12:52) ***.

Thoughts: Despite being somewhat of a glorified squash match, Savage put on an absolute clinic on how to be a heel. He went from being an unknown to loathed by the crowd in a matter of minutes. The wrestling was good too.

Adrian Adonis & Big John Studd & Bobby Heenan vs. Mike Rotundo & Barry Windham & George Steele w/Capt. Lou Albano

Adonis is back after five months, carrying more weight in his gut. Match starts with Steele chasing Heenan around the ring, which gets a big pop from the crowd. Adonis enters and Steele goes nuts but Windham calms him down and tags into the match. He takes down Adonis with a few armdrags. He then hits three straight slams as Adonis goes into the wrong corner and Steele rakes his eyes on the ropes. Adonis then tags Studd and heads up the aisle, eventually going back to the apron. Windham slugs away and almost slams Studd, who is able to grab the rope. Windham comes back with a crossbody block as the crowd is going insane. Studd comes back with a few elbow smashes then tosses Windham into the corner. Heenan tags but Windham reverses an Irish whip then beats on him in the corner. Heenan then takes a crazy bump over the rope and Steele catches up to him this time and rams his head against the guardrail as the fans go crazy. Albano settles down Steele then Rotundo and Studd tag into the match. Rotundo works the arm for a bit but gets overpowered. Adonis tags and stomps a mudhole into Rotundo. Adonis hits a jumping DDT and that gets two. The match breaks down after the heels beat on Rotundo in the corner. Steele grabs a chair then chases out the heels before hitting the referee, who then rules the match a DQ (9:59) **1/4.

Thoughts: Even though this had a good amount of stalling, it was still enjoyable. The crowd was more pumped for this match than anything else to be honest.

Desiree Peterson vs. Judy Martin

Okerlund makes a comment about Martin having the biggest set of eyes that he has seen on a woman. Martin uses a hairpull then hammers away. Petersen ducks a chop and hits a sitout atomic drop. Martin ducks outside after a punch to the mid-section then gets caught in an arm wringer when she returns. Petersen continues to work the arm until Martin chops away then throws her out of the ring as she lands awkwardly on the announcers table. Christ that looked painful. Martin then catches her with a reverse Death Valley Driver then throws some chops and kicks before tossing her outside. The bell keeps ringing for some reason. Martin rams Petersen against the post then roughs her up inside the ring. She places her in the tree of woe as the referee tries to intervene. Martin goes outside and pulls her hair then goes back in and places her on the ropes. She uses a mat slam on Petersen then gets two off of a chop before throwing her outside of the ring yet again. Martin stomps Petersen, who landed on the table, then continues to stomp her in and out of the ring as the announcers are yelling for the ref to disqualify Martin. Back inside, Martin powerbombs Petersen and that only gets two. She uses a chinlock for a minute then tosses her back outside. Back inside, Martin works a headlock then puts her between the ropes and kicks her to the floor. Petersen fights back then slams Martin’s head off of the table repeatedly. They go back inside as Petersen fires away. She tries a flying headscissors but Martin counters with a backdrop. Petersen is able to reverse an Irish whip then uses a reverse rollup with a bridge to get the win (16:05) **1/2. The win got a bog pop from the crowd.

Thoughts: A much better match than I ever would have thought. Although it didn’t need to last this long, it was well worked. Martin was really good here and was pretty underrated as a worker in general.

Tony Garea vs. King Kong Bundy w/Tony Garea

Garea bounces off of Bundy a few times. He the punches away at Bundy but it has minimal effect. Bundy catches Garea with an elbow but misses an elbow drop. Garea takes down Bundy and works the leg as Hart is going nuts on the megaphone. Bundy gets back up as Gorilla claims that Bundy is 500 lbs. Bundy chokes out Garea with his foot and the ropes. He pulls him up after an elbow drop then applies a chinlock. Garea comes back with a dropkick and punches away in the corner but Bundy reverses an Irish whip and finishes him with the Avalanche (6:17) ½*.

Thoughts: Dull match and there was no reason on earth for Bundy to sell this much for Garea.

Intercontinental Title Match

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Greg Valentine (Champion) w/Jimmy Hart

This was the first time I have heard Steamboat called “The Dragon” since joining the WWF. Steamboat looks absolutely ripped. Steamboat uses his poses and that angers Valentine. Steamboat takes over Valentine then chops away in the corner. Valentine bails as Hart is screaming “no karate” into his megaphone, with the fans going nuts. Back inside, Steamboat hits a barrage of chops before working on the neck. Steamboat catches him with a heel kick and Valentine retreats to the corner. Steamboat chops him down then uses a chinlock. Crossbody gets two. Valentine backs Steamboat into the corner then kills him with forearm smashes. Steamboat fights back from the apron then hits a chop from the top rope, which gets two. He hits a slam and goes for a splash but Valentine gets his knees up. Valentine stomps away then goes to work on the leg. Steamboat manages a small package but fails on a slam attempt then gets knocked to the floor, where he gets taunted by Hart. Valentine continuously kicks Steamboat off of the apron until both guys have an intense slugfest in the ring. Steamboat wins that as the fans are going crazy. Steamboat uses more of his “martial arts” then heads up top and hits the flying body press but Valentine is able to get his foot on the ropes. Valentine catches him with a back suplex and both men are down as the fans chant for Steamboat. Valentine gets two off of a pair of elbow drops then tries for the figure four but Steamboat sends him into the corner. He sends him to the floor with an enziguiri then the bell rings when Valentine enters the ring but both guys continue to slug it out until Steamboat chops him through the ropes, then it is announced that Steamboat won by countout (14:20) ***1/4.

Thoughts: Good, but certainly not great. Steamboat’s karate gimmick slightly hindered his in-ring work though and just made him look life a goof.

B. Brian Blair vs. Barry O.

Blair is rocking the Killer Bee trunks. Barry attacks him before the bell but Blair reverses an Irish whip and hits a backdrop. Barry bails and gets chased around until he runs into a punch. Blair works the arm then takes Barry down with a shoulder block. Barry catches him with a clothesline then gets two off of a backbreaker. He uses a chinlock then catches Blair with a running knee smash before tossing him outside. Barry attacks Blair then puts on another chinlock. Blair comes back with a crossbody but gets dumped outside. Blair goes back inside and fights back, knocking Barry to the floor. He drags him back inside and hits a clothesline. He then hits a top rope elbow smash and a series of punches but misses a charge in the corner. Blair goes behind Barry then locks on the sleeper and after the ref drops his hand three times, Blair gets the win (8:13) **1/2.

Thoughts: Good action. No one cared though. Blair could work but really had no personality to back it up.

Okerlund interview Don Muraco and Mr.Fuji in the locker room. They promise victory tonight.

Okerlund know interviews B. Brian Blair. He asks him about his new team with Jim Brunzell as Blair says that the Killer Bees were named after the Miami Dolphins defensive line. This interview was quite generic.

Okerlund is now with Hulk Hogan. He says that Hulkamania lives one day at a time and that steel cages are for animals but that this is the only way to win the war. He also says that he doesn’t care about fame, just the WWF title and that he has been training with “Rambo” and does not feel pain.

Steel Cage Match

WWF Heavyweight Title

Don Muraco vs. Hulk Hogan (Champion)

Fuji is not ringside with Muraco. Hogan tosses the belt at Muraco. He picks it up but Hogan ducks the shot then uses it to whip him as the ref grabs it then shuts the cage door. Both guys try to ram each other into the cage. Muraco hits a low blow then stomps away. He hits a kneelift then tries to go out of the door but Hogan stops him. Muraco hits several chops but Hogan hulks up and chops back. He drops an elbow then rams his head into the cage, busting him open. Hogan picks him up and launches him into the cage as Muraco is dripping blood. He charges but Muraco pushes him into the cage. He slingshots Hogan into the cage then tries to climb out but Hogan stops him. They fight on top of the cage as they are both covered in blood. Hogan gets booted down then Muraco slowly comes down and beats on Hogan, who is wearing a crimson mask. Muraco runs into a boot and ends up getting caught in the ropes and Hulk scrambles to the door and tries to go out but Muraco grabs his leg. Hogan manages to fight him off then steps outside for the win (9:05) **1/4.

Thoughts: Bloody match but they really didn’t do a whole lot in the ring. The outcome was never in doubt though and the crowd didn’t react a whole lot.

Final Thoughts: I thought this was a very good house show. Most of the matches were fine and the MSG debut of Savage was great. One of the better house shows you will see in this time period.