October 5, 1985
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
Tonight, the Tag Team Titles are on the line as Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake defend their titles against the British Bulldogs. Also in action are the Missing Link, Cousin Junior, the Hart Foundation and the team of Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy.
Gino Carabello vs. Cousin Junior w/ Hillbilly Jim & Uncle Elmer
Vince is in all his glory as the Hillbillies dance in the ring before the match. Carabello bounces off of Junior a few times before he gets taken down with a shoulder block. Junior maintains control with some weak looking offense, stopping to take advice from Jim. He works a headlock before catching him with a slam. Junior then hits a mule kick before putting him away with a sitdown splash (2:42). After the match, the Hillbillies dance in the ring.
Thoughts: The crowd gave the Hillbillies a favorable reaction. This was the first of many appearances by the Hillbillies tonight.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. He alerts us that the first ever "Wrestling Classic" sixteen man tournament will take place soon, with the winner receiving a Rolls Royce. A few wrestlers cut promos in front of the car, including Jesse Ventura saying he wont be there as he will be in Hollywood. Hayes then lets us know that this is only available on PPV. This was the major announcement that was promised last week.
Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan vs. S.D. Jones & Jim Powers
Studd works on Jones as the Hillbillies come out to the ring and sit in the front row. Powers tags and drpokicks Studd but fails at a slam attempt and gets hiptossed. Bundy tags and beats on Powers in the corner before putting him away with the Avalanche (2:07). After the match, the heels stare down the Hillbillies.
Thoughts: They are going ahead with the feud between Heenan's guys and the Hillbillies. Bundy is back from Japan and starting to get a push again.
Gene Okerlund is with Captain Lou Albano. They talk about the "Manager of the Year" award and how he was attacked by Heenan. Albano was not his usual wild self, making it a dull interview.
A.J. Petruzzi vs. King Tonga
Tonga backs AJ into the corner. They then completely botch a hiptoss, with Tonga essentially hiptossing the air. Tonga hits a Samoan drop then beats the shit out of Petruzzi for a bit until he finishes him off with a top rope splash (3:03).
Thoughts: The crowd couldnt have caed less about Tonga. He was pretty emotionless in the ring so he didnt exactly make the best babyface but they were trying to recreate Jimmy Snuka anyway they could at this point. Tonga was not the guy for that role.
Okerlund is with Jimmy Hart, who talks about his new additions, the Missing Link and Adrian Adonis, as well as the rest of his stable. He also supports the goal of Bobby Heenan in ridding the WWF of Paul Orndorff and Andre the Giant.
Salvatore Bellomo & Tony Garea vs. Hart Foundation w/Jimmy Hart
Garea and Bellomo both look completely miserable out there. Hart spills out to the floor after Garea ducked a punch. He runs right back in and gets arm-dragged twice before tagging Neidhart. Hart cheapshots Garea from the apron but he dodges an attack from Neidhart and tags Bellomo. Salvatore hits the Harts with dropkicks but Neidhart attacks him from behind and shortly after that, they hit him with the Hart Attack for the win (2:12).
Thoughts: The faces had control of 85% of the match, which was the norm when Garea was involved. The Harts are starting to get a bit more of a push than before and the tag division as a whole is a million times better than it was a year ago.
Piper's Pit with guest Rick Derringer. Piper mocks him for a minute as Derringer plugs the WWF album that he helped worked on and has a plan do to a song with Albano, which has Piper wonder why he doesnt have an opportunity to sing. Piper pleads to do a song and Derringer said he can make a jerk out of himself if he wants, which leads to Piper yelling at him until the segment ends. A harmless plug for the new album.
Mike Saxon vs. Missing Link w/ Jimmy Hart
Link attacks Saxon from behind. He beats on Saxon as Hart speaks to him through the megaphone. Link hits a powerslam as the announcers talk about what happened on "Piper's Pit." Link beats no Saxon some more until he finishes him off with a headbutt from the second rope (2:20).
Thoughts: Link was a lost cause at this point and would be gone fairly shortly. No one in the crowd cared about him.
Tag Team Championship Match
British Bulldogs vs. Dream Team (Champions) w/ Johnny Valiant
Bruno predicts that the Bulldogs will win the match. Dynamite takes down Valentine with a shoulder block to start. He then tosses Valentine in the corner as both men tag out. Davey works on the arm of Brutus as the fans are getting into the match. Dynamite tags and targets the arm until Brutus rakes his eyes. Davey tags and slams Brutus with Valentine breaking up the pin. He beats on Davey for a little bit but misses an elbow drop and Davey is able to make the tag. Dynamite runs wild, going full speed the entire time. The match breaks down as Dynamite goes up top but Valiant pushes him off and the ref rings the bell for the DQ (4:12).
Thoughts: Good action and it woke the crowd up, which was tough as it was the last match of the taping. This certainly sets up for a rematch down the road and these two teams seemed to work well together.
Okerlund is with the Hillbillies, who are looking glum. They are unhappy because of the attack from the "Manager of the Year" award. Jim is mad at Heenan for trying to steal the award. Junior and Elmer also are upset that Jim got attacked and warn Studd & Bundy that they dont want to start a feud with them.
Next week, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo will return. Also, Andre the Giant will be here and we will see photos of Uncle Elmer's wedding.
Final Thoughts: The tag match was really fun but a lot of the show was centered around the Hillbillies. They were in half of the segments that aired. Funny how there was no mention at all of "Saturday Night's Main Event" which took place the night this show aired. That review will be up on Tuesday by the way.
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
Tonight, the Tag Team Titles are on the line as Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake defend their titles against the British Bulldogs. Also in action are the Missing Link, Cousin Junior, the Hart Foundation and the team of Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy.
Gino Carabello vs. Cousin Junior w/ Hillbilly Jim & Uncle Elmer
Vince is in all his glory as the Hillbillies dance in the ring before the match. Carabello bounces off of Junior a few times before he gets taken down with a shoulder block. Junior maintains control with some weak looking offense, stopping to take advice from Jim. He works a headlock before catching him with a slam. Junior then hits a mule kick before putting him away with a sitdown splash (2:42). After the match, the Hillbillies dance in the ring.
Thoughts: The crowd gave the Hillbillies a favorable reaction. This was the first of many appearances by the Hillbillies tonight.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. He alerts us that the first ever "Wrestling Classic" sixteen man tournament will take place soon, with the winner receiving a Rolls Royce. A few wrestlers cut promos in front of the car, including Jesse Ventura saying he wont be there as he will be in Hollywood. Hayes then lets us know that this is only available on PPV. This was the major announcement that was promised last week.
Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy w/ Bobby Heenan vs. S.D. Jones & Jim Powers
Studd works on Jones as the Hillbillies come out to the ring and sit in the front row. Powers tags and drpokicks Studd but fails at a slam attempt and gets hiptossed. Bundy tags and beats on Powers in the corner before putting him away with the Avalanche (2:07). After the match, the heels stare down the Hillbillies.
Thoughts: They are going ahead with the feud between Heenan's guys and the Hillbillies. Bundy is back from Japan and starting to get a push again.
Gene Okerlund is with Captain Lou Albano. They talk about the "Manager of the Year" award and how he was attacked by Heenan. Albano was not his usual wild self, making it a dull interview.
A.J. Petruzzi vs. King Tonga
Tonga backs AJ into the corner. They then completely botch a hiptoss, with Tonga essentially hiptossing the air. Tonga hits a Samoan drop then beats the shit out of Petruzzi for a bit until he finishes him off with a top rope splash (3:03).
Thoughts: The crowd couldnt have caed less about Tonga. He was pretty emotionless in the ring so he didnt exactly make the best babyface but they were trying to recreate Jimmy Snuka anyway they could at this point. Tonga was not the guy for that role.
Okerlund is with Jimmy Hart, who talks about his new additions, the Missing Link and Adrian Adonis, as well as the rest of his stable. He also supports the goal of Bobby Heenan in ridding the WWF of Paul Orndorff and Andre the Giant.
Salvatore Bellomo & Tony Garea vs. Hart Foundation w/Jimmy Hart
Garea and Bellomo both look completely miserable out there. Hart spills out to the floor after Garea ducked a punch. He runs right back in and gets arm-dragged twice before tagging Neidhart. Hart cheapshots Garea from the apron but he dodges an attack from Neidhart and tags Bellomo. Salvatore hits the Harts with dropkicks but Neidhart attacks him from behind and shortly after that, they hit him with the Hart Attack for the win (2:12).
Thoughts: The faces had control of 85% of the match, which was the norm when Garea was involved. The Harts are starting to get a bit more of a push than before and the tag division as a whole is a million times better than it was a year ago.
Piper's Pit with guest Rick Derringer. Piper mocks him for a minute as Derringer plugs the WWF album that he helped worked on and has a plan do to a song with Albano, which has Piper wonder why he doesnt have an opportunity to sing. Piper pleads to do a song and Derringer said he can make a jerk out of himself if he wants, which leads to Piper yelling at him until the segment ends. A harmless plug for the new album.
Mike Saxon vs. Missing Link w/ Jimmy Hart
Link attacks Saxon from behind. He beats on Saxon as Hart speaks to him through the megaphone. Link hits a powerslam as the announcers talk about what happened on "Piper's Pit." Link beats no Saxon some more until he finishes him off with a headbutt from the second rope (2:20).
Thoughts: Link was a lost cause at this point and would be gone fairly shortly. No one in the crowd cared about him.
Tag Team Championship Match
British Bulldogs vs. Dream Team (Champions) w/ Johnny Valiant
Bruno predicts that the Bulldogs will win the match. Dynamite takes down Valentine with a shoulder block to start. He then tosses Valentine in the corner as both men tag out. Davey works on the arm of Brutus as the fans are getting into the match. Dynamite tags and targets the arm until Brutus rakes his eyes. Davey tags and slams Brutus with Valentine breaking up the pin. He beats on Davey for a little bit but misses an elbow drop and Davey is able to make the tag. Dynamite runs wild, going full speed the entire time. The match breaks down as Dynamite goes up top but Valiant pushes him off and the ref rings the bell for the DQ (4:12).
Thoughts: Good action and it woke the crowd up, which was tough as it was the last match of the taping. This certainly sets up for a rematch down the road and these two teams seemed to work well together.
Okerlund is with the Hillbillies, who are looking glum. They are unhappy because of the attack from the "Manager of the Year" award. Jim is mad at Heenan for trying to steal the award. Junior and Elmer also are upset that Jim got attacked and warn Studd & Bundy that they dont want to start a feud with them.
Next week, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo will return. Also, Andre the Giant will be here and we will see photos of Uncle Elmer's wedding.
Final Thoughts: The tag match was really fun but a lot of the show was centered around the Hillbillies. They were in half of the segments that aired. Funny how there was no mention at all of "Saturday Night's Main Event" which took place the night this show aired. That review will be up on Tuesday by the way.