WWF Boston Garden November 1st, 1986

November 1, 1986

Your hosts are Lord Alfred Hayes and Gorilla Monsoon

This is the WWE Network version of the show, which excludes the Women's Tag Team Championship match between Leilani Kai & Judy Martin (Champions) and Penny Mitchell & Candice Pardue. Also, the order of the matches on the Network version has been switched around.





Billy Jack Haynes vs. "Cowboy" Bob Orton w/Jimmy Hart

Orton comes out to Piper's theme and he is wearing a kilt as well. Haynes shocks Orton with a shoulder block then wins a slugfest that has Orton retreating to the corner. Lots of stalling here for Orton, who the fans are booing like crazy. Speaking of the fans, lots of empty seats in the front row. Haynes hits three straight armdrags that has Orton ducking out for a breather. Back inside, Haynes hits Orton with an atomic drop then goes to work on the arm. Orton actually picks up Haynes with one hand while being put in a armlock but is unable to do anything. Haynes hits a rather sloppy looking crossbody for two then they both fight over a wristlock. Haynes wins that battle and works an armbar for a bit. Orton briefly takes control when he rams Haynes against the ropes but misses an elbow drop then Haynes goes back to working the arm. Orton breaks that up with an inverted atomic drop but Haynes grabs the ropes on a slam attempt and gets a cradle for two. They slug it out in the ring until Orton tosses Haynes to the floor. Haynes comes back in with a sunset flip for a nearfall but Orton goes to work. He hammers on Haynes in the corner then hits a modified backbreaker for two before applying a chinlock. Orton uses cheap heel tactics like back and eye rakes to soften up Haynes then gets two off of a clothesline. Atomic drop gets two then Orton applies a front facelock as the fans are getting behind Haynes, who manages to drop Orton throat-first across the top rope as both men are down. They slug it out in the corner until Haynes eats a knee off of a charge. Orton sets him up for the superplex but Haynes knocks him down then hits a pathetic excuse of a flying clothesline but it doesnt matter as the fans are getting fired up. Haynes catches Orton with a back elbow smash that sends him through the ropes. Haynes catches Orton with a kneelift then drops an elbow from the second ropes that gets two as Hayes is in disbelief that someone could kick out of that move. Orton uppercuts Haynes after he ducked his head then they trade haymakers near the ropes. Haynes chops him hard against the ropes then ties him up but the ref intervenes then Hart climbs up and gets him out. Orton knocks Haynes to the floor but gets sent into the post when Haynes reverses an Irish whip. Back inside, they tumble back to the floor as Orton had a sleeper hold locked on Haynes but Orton gets up first then Haynes chops him hard right on the chin so Orton drills him with a running knee smash. That looked like it hurt. Haynes lights up Orton wth another chop then gets two with a fist drop. They slug it out again but the bell rings as the time-limit has expired. The crowd boos as they wanted to see Haynes win (21:47) ***1/4. After the match, Haynes calls Orton back in the ring and almost puts him in the full nelson but Orton escapes as the fans give Haynes an ovation.

Thoughts: Good match. Orton was pretty awesome here and Haynes did a fine job himself outside of a few ugly moves. Orton was still working at a high level at this time as well. This match was really in the middle of the crowd and not the opener. The crowd was very much into this and hated Orton with a passion. The best match involving Haynes that I have seen.


The Moondogs vs. Raymond Rougeau & "Leaping" Lanny Poffo w/ Jacques Rougeau

Jacques is at ringside on crutches as he had broken toes at the time. Poffo's pre-match promo is about the Rougeau family. Rex and Raymond start things off. Raymond hits a monkey flip then Poffo hits a dropkick then gets two with a senton. Spot comes in for the save but the Moondogs get hit with a double noggin-kinocker. Raymond floats over on a back suplex attempt then kicks Spot. Poffo tags and uses a flying headscissors and showcases his athletic ability but Spot is able to tag out. Poffo leaps on Rex's shoulders but Spot runs over and knocks off Poffo as the Moondogs take control. Spot hits Poffo with a kneelift then works a chinlock. Spot then catches him with a backbreaker before tagging out as Jacques joins on commentary and talks about his injury. Rex has Poffo in a bearhug but Poffo fights out and manages a rollup but the Moondogs are able to keep Poffo isolated. Poffo makes the tag but the ref did not see it as he was ordering Spot back to the apron as Jacques abruptly leaves the announcers table. Poffo tries to fight back but Spot prevents him from making a tag. Rex tosses Poffo to the floor then Spot beats on Poffo when he re-enters. Poffo eats a double clothesline but kicks out and makes the tag in a weird spot as the ref did not react when the tag was made so the crowd did not buy it until Raymond entered and started beating on Spot without getting sent back to the apron. Raymond runs wild and gets a few nearfalls on Rex until Spot makes the save then the match breaks down. Poffo gets tossed as Raymond gets double-teamed but Raymond ducks a double clothesline then hits Rex with a crossbody as Jacques tripped Spot with his crutch and Spot is unable to break up the pin as Raymond gets the win (10:54) **1/2.

Thoughts: Solid match. This was the actual opener of the card. Watching these matches really makes me appreciate Moondog Spot, who might have been the most underrated wrestler of the 1980's. He was a damn good worker.


Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Koko B. Ware

A bunch of fans in the front row give Koko the thumbs down as he dances around with Frankie. Koko works the arm as the crowd is silent. Funk ducks out after Koko took him down with an armdrag as the camera focuses on Frankie the bird. Funk teases a test of strength as the crowd boos him then mocks Koko as the crowd is now behind Koko. Funk takes Koko down with a test of strength but Koko powers up then breaks it up with a dropkick that has a pissed off Funk duck out for a quick breather. Back inside, Koko takes Funk down with a hammerlock and works the arm. Koko locks on an armbar but Funk breaks that up with an eye poke. Funk misses a charge and Koko takes him back down with an armdrag. Koko gets him in a backslide for two after a struggle then they trade arm wringers. Koko goes back to working the arm on the mat. Funk catches Koko with a powerslam for two then works then puts the boots to Koko. Funk drops Koko throat-first across the top rope before tossing him to the floor. Funk hits a slam but misses an elbow drop off of the middle rope. Koko punches away as Funk begs for mercy. Funk knocks down Koko then gets two with a powerslam. Koko gets a small package for two but Funk goes right back on offense. He then whips Koko with his ropes as the ref looks on like a dope until Funk tosses him down and he signals for a DQ (12:03) *1/2. Funk puts the lasso around Koko's neck then drags him across the ring for a bit until the ref finally breaks it up.

Thoughts: Dull match. Funk did a lot of stalling here and was never very good in the ring to begin with but Koko tried and slowly won the crowd over.


WWF Intercontinental Title Match
Randy "Macho Man" Savage (Champion) w/ Elizabeth vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

Savage starts off the match by stalling and running away from Steamboat,pissing off the crowd in the process. Back inside, Steamboat catches Savage with an armdrag. He then takes Savage down with a drop toehold before applying an armbar. Steamboat keeps on working the arm. He gets a corssbody for two then takes him down with another armdrag in a fast-paced sequence that the crowd loudly applauds. Steamboat goes back to working the arm. He then ties up Savage in the ropes and hammers away. They trade rollups then Steamboat catches him with a slam and another armdrag after an ever faster paced sequence that the crowd loves. Savage escapes to the apron and digs into his tights for something as the ref holds back Steamboat. Back inside, Savage uses the object to stun Steamboat then takes him down with a clothesline. Savage tries a top rope double axe handle but Steamboat catches him with a punch. However, Steamboat is too hurt to fight back so Savage tosses him outside then slams him to the floor. He tries to suplex Steamboat back inside but Steamboat falls on top of him and gets two. Savage then tries a piledriver but Steamboat stops that with a back drop and tries to fight back but Savage uses the foreign object again. Savage misses a running attack then Steamboat goes to work. He chops him down then gets nearfalls with a suplex and an atomic drop. He heads up top and gets the flying chop. He hits a running shoulder block but Savage uses his momentum to send Steamboat to the floor. Savage leaps off of the top for the double axe handle but misses and tweaks his knee when he lands then Steamboat rolls inside just before the ten count to get the win via coutnout (14:47) ***3/4. After the match, Steamboat attacks Savage and wants the belt but the ref says he did not win the title.

Thoughts: Fantastic stuff. A lot of moves and sequences here were used in their WrestleMania III match too. The crowd was super into this match too and has been active all show long and with good reason as this card has been really fun.


Salvatore Bellomo vs. Hercules

Hercules has dropped the Hernandez part from his name and has also trimmed his hair and beard along with ditching his entrance gear. Gorilla lets us know that Bobby Heenan has bought out the contract of Hercules from Slick. Herc tosses around Bellomo to start. Bellomo fights back and hits a dropkick but Hercules goes back to kicking his ass. He sends Bellomo down with a back elbow smash then catches him with a knee smash. He then slams Bellomo before making him submit to the backbreaker (3:41) 1/2*.

Thoughts: Although Heenan was not here, this was the beginning of Hercules' transformation from a wild man with long hair to a jacked up dude with a chain. He was stuck in neutral with Blassie/Slick so it worked out well for him in the long run. Bellomo looks way out of place here with his dated look and the fans booed him and it was a riot watching him react to that.


Don Muraco w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper

Muraco also wears a kilt to the ring. Piper tosses his kilt at Muraco then hammers away. The fans are going crazy for Piper as he knocks down Muraco. He dropkicks Muraco who ends up laying across the ropes in the corner in a goofy spot then boots him to the floor. He roughs up Muraco some more then bites his forehead. Muraco is tied up in the ropes as Piper attacks him. Piper takes down Muraco with a bulldog. Muraco then fights back and sends Piper to the floor were Fuji attacks him with the cane. Muraco then rams Piper's head into the post and yells at him from the ring as Piper is busted open. Piper goes nuts then dives at Muraco and hammers away. He bites Muraco again as both of their foreheads are covered in blood. They slug it out and Piper wins that then hits a suplex for two. Piper goes for a slam but Fuji whacks him with a cane and Muraco falls on top for two. Piper then pulls Fuji up on the apron and dodges a flying knee from Muraco that takes Fuji down and after that, Piper rolls him up for the win as the crowd goes nuts (7:23) ***.

Thoughts: Good brawling, not great, but this was super heated and fun to watch. Piper was awesome at working the crowd in the 80's and Muraco could still go when motivated. The WWF did an excellent job at keeping the Adonis/Piper feud going when Adonis was off of television by adding Muraco and Orton to the mix. Those guys all being close friends in real life probably helped things too.


Scott McGhee vs. Sika w/ The Wizard

McGhee tries everything he can to beat on Sika but it fails and he ends up getting slammed. Sika catches McGhee with a back elbow smash then stomps away as the Wizard screams on commentary. Sika stays on the attack and chokes out McGhee. McGhee avoids a charge and takes down Sika with a dropkick but charges and gets caught with a Samoan Drop as Sika gets the win (4:39) 1/4*.

Thoughts: Nothing more than an extended squash match and a very boring one at that. Sika was old and really slow at this point. McGhee was a solid worker but too small for this era.


WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Hart Foundation w/ Jimmy Hart vs. British Bulldogs (Champions)

Matilda goes after Hart a few times who scurries out of the ring as Hayes laughs uncontrollably. Brett and Dynamite start off the match. Dynamite gets trapped in the wrong corner but fights out as he beats the crap out of the Hart Foundation by himself. Davey tags and shoves Brett then the Anvil comes in and he eventually catches Davey with a powerslam. Brett slingshots in with a splash and hits a neckbreaker as the Hart Foundation use quick tags to isolate Davey. Bret nails Davey with a knee from the apron then slams him to the floor after the Anvil tossed him outside. The crowd rallies behind Davey as the Anvil has him in a chinlock. Davey tries to make the tag but the Hart Foundation cut off the ring with a lot of illegal double team moves including a sweet double DDT that gets two. Brett catches Davey with a sleeper but Davey is able to ram him into the corner as both men are down. Davey then manages to crotch Hart on the top rope with a press slam then makes the tag. Dynamite beats the shit out of the Hart's. He hits Brett with a snap suplex then locks on a sleeper but the Anvil attacks everyone from behind and the ref is down. The Anvil tosses Davey then drags Brett on top of Dynamite and wakes up the ref, who counts unbelievably slowly as Dynamite kicks out at two. Anvil again tries to wake up the ref but Dynamite kicks out again. The Anvil grabs the ref then Davey runs in from behind and gets the pin with a reverse rollup (13:44) ***1/4.

Thoughts: Good match. Not their best but the chemistry these teams had between each other was top notch. The Hart Foundation were rocking more pink than usual too as they were starting to go further with that. The Hart's were just about the most over heel team in the company here too.


Final Thoughts: An excellent house show. The hot crowd gave it a big show feel too. If you have the WWE Network, definitely give this a watch. Its just under two hours long and does not drag like most of the house shows from this era.