April 26, 1986
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
After last week, Andre the Giant selected as a partner to face Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy. Also in action are King Tonga & Ricky Steamboat, Hercules Hernandez, Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, George Steele & Junkyard Dog, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
The Gladiator & Steve Lombardi vs. King Tonga & Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Tonga backdrops Lombardi then hits a pair of armdrags. He attacks the arm then tags Steamboat, who continues to work the arm. He gets a one count off of a crossbody then goes back to the arm. The Gladiator tags but Steamboat takes him down with a drop toehold. Tonga tags and hits a dropkick then uses the stump puller for a bit. They continue to beat on the Gladitor until Steamboat puts him away with the flying body press (3:26).
Thoughts: The match itself was fine but the crowd never cared for Tonga and this team was just slapped together for TV purposes and had no steam behind them.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. He claims that four million homes around the world and two million in closed circuit locations tuned into WrestleMania 2. Sure they did. They show a clip of William Perry being introduced in the Battle Royal. Hayes closes by saying it was the greatest extravaganza of all time.
Mario Mancini vs. Hercules Hernandez w/ Freddie Blassie
Herc clotheslines Mancini then follows it up with a slam and an elbow drop. Herc moves around so slowly by the way. He hits a suplex that Blassie approves the throws some punches at Mancini as he is draped over the rope. Herc hits some stomps then puts him away with the torture rack (2:50).
Thoughts: As usual, Herc was slow and plodding in the ring and was struggling to get any kind of heat, even with Blassie as his manager.
Gene Okerlund hypes tonight's Boston Garden House Show then brings out the British Bulldogs, without Albano. Dynamite cuts a horrendous promo, citing that they won the belts on April 27th, which would have been the day after this show aired. Gene shot him a look like he knew he was out of his mind.
Tito Santana & Pedro Morales vs. A.J. Petruzzi & Mr. X
Pedro slams Mr. X but gets his eyes raked. Mr. X hits Pedro with an atomic drop but Pedro made the tag as he was in the air. Pedro also sold the move by landing upright on his feet and walking away mind you as he was in his not giving a fuck mood tonight. Santana clears the ring then tags Pedro, who hits a few slams, before tagging back. Petruzzi beats on Tito briefly until he makes the tag then Pedro and Petruzzi work an awful sequence that was just clumsy and lazy until Tito tags and hits the flying forearm for the win (3:13).
Thoughts: Pedro was the laziest I have seen him at this point. This dude looked hungover as fuck too. The crowd went silent anytime he was in the ring. This pairing was killing Tito, who was far too good and over to be saddled with a wash-up like Morales.
Vince breaks the news that Andre is not here yet for his match.
Okerlund is with Hoss Funk and Jimmy Hart as they hype their 6-man tag match in Boston against Steamboat, JYD, and the Haiti Kid. No Terry here and he actually did not even end up at the show as he was replaced by Jimmy Jack Funk, who had not even made his TV debut yet.
King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Ted Arcidi & Hillbilly Jim
The crowd boos Arcidi and are pissed that Andre is not here. The announcers are confused as to why Andre is not here as the crowd is not happy. Arcidi starts out in the ring with Bundy as the crowd couldn't care less about Arcidi. He tags Jim and Bundy beats him down until he misses an elbow drop and Jim takes control. Jim misses a charge then Studd tags into the match. Jim escapes then tags Arcidi, who picks up Studd but Bundy prevents an slam from taking place then knocks Jim off of the apron. They double-team Arcidi until they shove the referee and the ref rings the bell for the DQ (2:33).
Thoughts: The bait-and-switch with Andre did not get over with the crowd, at all. They hated Arcidi and Jim was declining in popularity but was still over at least where Arcidi never was.
Piper's Pit with guests the Killer Bees. Piper makes fun of Brunzell's broken arm then Orton calls him a cheater for wearing a cast then denies he ever wore one when asked. This leads to Brunzell demonstrating a hold on Orton and a shoving match ensues. Notable for being the last "Piper's Pit" until the Fall as he went off to Hollywood.
Andre Malo vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
The crowd is still deflated from the last match. Jake ties Malo in the ropes as the announcers speculate as to what happened to Andre. Malo fights back and slams Jake, who retreats to the corner. Jake then boots Malo and hits a short-armed clothesline before working a headlock on the mat right in front of the snake bag. Jake roughs up Malo for a bit until he puts him away with the DDT (2:34). After the match, Jake dumps the snake on top of Malo and talks to the snake for a bit.
Thoughts: Jake was good but the crowd was only into the snake and they barely cared about that. The Andre no-show killed them dead.
Dave Barbie & Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Junkyard Dog & George Steele w/ Haiti Kid
The heels back Steele into the corner then Sharpe tags into the match. Steele bites his arm and tags JYD who takes out Sharpe and Barbie. Sharpe pulls down JYD and grabs his ankle but the Haiti Kid bites Sharpe in the ass and chases him around the ring as the match breaks down. In the ring, JYD hits a sorry excuse of a clothesline on Sharpe then works on Barbie. The heels beat on JYD briefly but he fights back and hits Barbie with a powerslam for the win (4:30). After the match, a couple of kids come into the ring to dance with the Haiti Kid and George Steele as Vince cackles like an idiot.
Thoughts: The kids in the crowd really dug this stuff and it brought the crowd back to life. The match itself was filled wth comedy spots an awful wrestling from JYD, who was getting worse by the day.
Vince lets us know that next week's featured matchup will be Tito Santana & Paul Orndorff vs. Randy Savage & Don Muraco. And one of those guys did not acutally take part in the match.
Mean Gene is with the Dream Team and Johnny Valiant, who blames the excessive amount of celebrities and syndicated columnists for distracting his team and allowing the Bulldogs to win the Tag Team Titles.
Next week, we will get an update on Andre the Giant
Final Thoughts: The bait and switch with Andre just about killed this show dead. They at least built some intrigue by saying they will have an update on him next week but being promised Andre and getting Ted Arcidi instead is terrible. Other than that, they have little going in the company except for the Dream Team/Bulldogs feud.
Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon
After last week, Andre the Giant selected as a partner to face Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy. Also in action are King Tonga & Ricky Steamboat, Hercules Hernandez, Tito Santana & Pedro Morales, George Steele & Junkyard Dog, and Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
The Gladiator & Steve Lombardi vs. King Tonga & Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Tonga backdrops Lombardi then hits a pair of armdrags. He attacks the arm then tags Steamboat, who continues to work the arm. He gets a one count off of a crossbody then goes back to the arm. The Gladiator tags but Steamboat takes him down with a drop toehold. Tonga tags and hits a dropkick then uses the stump puller for a bit. They continue to beat on the Gladitor until Steamboat puts him away with the flying body press (3:26).
Thoughts: The match itself was fine but the crowd never cared for Tonga and this team was just slapped together for TV purposes and had no steam behind them.
WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. He claims that four million homes around the world and two million in closed circuit locations tuned into WrestleMania 2. Sure they did. They show a clip of William Perry being introduced in the Battle Royal. Hayes closes by saying it was the greatest extravaganza of all time.
Mario Mancini vs. Hercules Hernandez w/ Freddie Blassie
Herc clotheslines Mancini then follows it up with a slam and an elbow drop. Herc moves around so slowly by the way. He hits a suplex that Blassie approves the throws some punches at Mancini as he is draped over the rope. Herc hits some stomps then puts him away with the torture rack (2:50).
Thoughts: As usual, Herc was slow and plodding in the ring and was struggling to get any kind of heat, even with Blassie as his manager.
Gene Okerlund hypes tonight's Boston Garden House Show then brings out the British Bulldogs, without Albano. Dynamite cuts a horrendous promo, citing that they won the belts on April 27th, which would have been the day after this show aired. Gene shot him a look like he knew he was out of his mind.
Tito Santana & Pedro Morales vs. A.J. Petruzzi & Mr. X
Pedro slams Mr. X but gets his eyes raked. Mr. X hits Pedro with an atomic drop but Pedro made the tag as he was in the air. Pedro also sold the move by landing upright on his feet and walking away mind you as he was in his not giving a fuck mood tonight. Santana clears the ring then tags Pedro, who hits a few slams, before tagging back. Petruzzi beats on Tito briefly until he makes the tag then Pedro and Petruzzi work an awful sequence that was just clumsy and lazy until Tito tags and hits the flying forearm for the win (3:13).
Thoughts: Pedro was the laziest I have seen him at this point. This dude looked hungover as fuck too. The crowd went silent anytime he was in the ring. This pairing was killing Tito, who was far too good and over to be saddled with a wash-up like Morales.
Vince breaks the news that Andre is not here yet for his match.
Okerlund is with Hoss Funk and Jimmy Hart as they hype their 6-man tag match in Boston against Steamboat, JYD, and the Haiti Kid. No Terry here and he actually did not even end up at the show as he was replaced by Jimmy Jack Funk, who had not even made his TV debut yet.
King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Ted Arcidi & Hillbilly Jim
The crowd boos Arcidi and are pissed that Andre is not here. The announcers are confused as to why Andre is not here as the crowd is not happy. Arcidi starts out in the ring with Bundy as the crowd couldn't care less about Arcidi. He tags Jim and Bundy beats him down until he misses an elbow drop and Jim takes control. Jim misses a charge then Studd tags into the match. Jim escapes then tags Arcidi, who picks up Studd but Bundy prevents an slam from taking place then knocks Jim off of the apron. They double-team Arcidi until they shove the referee and the ref rings the bell for the DQ (2:33).
Thoughts: The bait-and-switch with Andre did not get over with the crowd, at all. They hated Arcidi and Jim was declining in popularity but was still over at least where Arcidi never was.
Piper's Pit with guests the Killer Bees. Piper makes fun of Brunzell's broken arm then Orton calls him a cheater for wearing a cast then denies he ever wore one when asked. This leads to Brunzell demonstrating a hold on Orton and a shoving match ensues. Notable for being the last "Piper's Pit" until the Fall as he went off to Hollywood.
Andre Malo vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
The crowd is still deflated from the last match. Jake ties Malo in the ropes as the announcers speculate as to what happened to Andre. Malo fights back and slams Jake, who retreats to the corner. Jake then boots Malo and hits a short-armed clothesline before working a headlock on the mat right in front of the snake bag. Jake roughs up Malo for a bit until he puts him away with the DDT (2:34). After the match, Jake dumps the snake on top of Malo and talks to the snake for a bit.
Thoughts: Jake was good but the crowd was only into the snake and they barely cared about that. The Andre no-show killed them dead.
Dave Barbie & Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Junkyard Dog & George Steele w/ Haiti Kid
The heels back Steele into the corner then Sharpe tags into the match. Steele bites his arm and tags JYD who takes out Sharpe and Barbie. Sharpe pulls down JYD and grabs his ankle but the Haiti Kid bites Sharpe in the ass and chases him around the ring as the match breaks down. In the ring, JYD hits a sorry excuse of a clothesline on Sharpe then works on Barbie. The heels beat on JYD briefly but he fights back and hits Barbie with a powerslam for the win (4:30). After the match, a couple of kids come into the ring to dance with the Haiti Kid and George Steele as Vince cackles like an idiot.
Thoughts: The kids in the crowd really dug this stuff and it brought the crowd back to life. The match itself was filled wth comedy spots an awful wrestling from JYD, who was getting worse by the day.
Vince lets us know that next week's featured matchup will be Tito Santana & Paul Orndorff vs. Randy Savage & Don Muraco. And one of those guys did not acutally take part in the match.
Mean Gene is with the Dream Team and Johnny Valiant, who blames the excessive amount of celebrities and syndicated columnists for distracting his team and allowing the Bulldogs to win the Tag Team Titles.
Next week, we will get an update on Andre the Giant
Final Thoughts: The bait and switch with Andre just about killed this show dead. They at least built some intrigue by saying they will have an update on him next week but being promised Andre and getting Ted Arcidi instead is terrible. Other than that, they have little going in the company except for the Dream Team/Bulldogs feud.
Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame Ted Arcidi and Bill Kazmaier were never in the same promotion together. Who could be the muscle head with less heat.
The Boston Garden show they're hyping here was the first show I ever attended live, and man, did it suck. Not only did Terry Funk no-show, but Dynamite Kid missed it too...I'm guessing he was still injured from the bump at the end of the WM2 match. So instead of Terry Funk, we got Jimmy Jack Barr, and instead of Dynamite, we got Pedro Morales. Even as an 11-year old mark, I was disappointed. Not a single decent match on the card.
ReplyDeleteWas Andre legit injured, or was there another reason he didn't show?
ReplyDeleteI have the 24/7 copy of that show and it is awful.
ReplyDeleteThe next show kicked off the angle in which Heenan petitioned to Jack Tunney for Andre to get suspended, which then led to the Machines gimmick
ReplyDeleteI wish there was a way to watch these episodes online.
ReplyDelete