Sage Cortez
This will be a very long entry. A lot goes on during these two months! As mentioned previously, the Saturday Night’s Main Event #2 article will not break this column up, due to a lack of status quo changes.
– September 13th, 1985, from Miyazaki, Japan
Tatsumi Fujinami vs. GIANT MACHINE (w/ K.Y. Wakamatsu)
Pre-Match Thoughts: Japanese commentary for me! This giant man has such awesome music, it later turned into The Machines music. THANK GOD FOR THAT. Who could he be? Giant Machine’s heeling, swinging at fans during his entrance, is awesome. Nothing about the Machines angle makes sense so I’m not going to try to explain that until I have to. The WWF claims this was the date on a Coliseum Video, so I’m rolling with that.
Match Review: The Giant gets attacked by Fujinami at the start of the match, and responds with a few chops and a suplex. LOOK AT THAT WORKRATE. Giant headbutts Fujinami, who bails out of the ring. Fujinami comes back into the ring, at which point he gets chopped really damn hard. Giant grabs Fujinami’s armpit, trying to kill him I guess, and puts on an armpit lock. An ARMPIT LOCK. Andre’s manager (oh no, I revealed who it was!) is like a Japanese version of Jimmy Hart. Fujinami goes for Andre’s mask, but that didn’t work out. So Andre applies an armbar. He chokes Fujinami, headbutts him, and Fujinami takes him down somehow. Fujinami goes for a Boston crab, but Andre kicks him to the canvas and retreats to the outside for a breather. Back inside, Fujinami gets choked again, and elbowed twice. Andre misses a big boot, gets enziguri’d, and Fujinami finally chops the big man down to big cheers. Andre responds with a headbutt, Fujinami does a sunset flip that should get a three count, but the referee wasn’t paying attention. So Fujinami attacks the referee and gets disqualified at 5:26. After the match, Andre hits Fujinami with a LARIATOOOOOOOOOOO.
My Thoughts: This was just about the weirdest thing I’ve seen. I don’t really know what to make of it because it was so bizarre, but it’s worth checking out. 3/4* I guess and highly recommended. I feel somewhat traumatized after watching that, can’t figure out why.
– September 14th, 1985, from Landover, Maryland
Bret Hart vs. The Dynamite Kid
Match Review: Does this need any explanation? I think not. Bret stalls at the start of the match. Dynamite shoulderblocks him, and slingshots him into the turnbuckle. Bret goes to stall again, for a while at that. The two combatants lock-up again, and Bret gets atomic dropped by Dynamite. Dynamite follows with his awesome snap suplex, for a nearfall. Dynamite applies a chinlock, both men then trade hammerlock reversals, and Dynamite runs Bret through the second rope to the outside. Bret stalls again, gets out maneuvered again, and cheats. Well. Dynamite takes two huge bumps off a knee and a hair pull slam by Bret, and Bret elbows him in the back. Bret waylays Dynamite, and throws him to the outside, where he bodyslams him on the concrete. Dynamite crawls in so that Bret can give him a backbreaker, which gets a 2 count for the Hitman. Dynamite crisply sunset flips Bret, for a 2 count. Everything just looks so fluid. Somewhere in here Monsoon says that the people are hanging from the rafters. Well they aren’t literally, but considering that the main event was Hogan vs. Greg Valentine, the building was probably packed full. A Dynamite backslide gets another 2 count. Dynamite reverses a backbreaker into one of his own, then Bret chokes him. Well done. Dynamite gets tied in the ropes and Bret goes for a crossbody, but Dynamite moves out of the way and Bret awesomely gets tied up in the ropes. AWESOMELY. They caught him! What an impressive spot. Dynamite hits Bret with a big clothesline and headbutt, then hair pull slams Bret as Bret did to him earlier. A bump nowhere near as big though. Bret takes the huge turnbuckle bump, and Dynamite follows with a kneedrop, which gets a 2 count on the cover. Dynamite folds Bret up with a back suplex, for another 2 count. Some great nearfalls here. Dynamite heads to the second rope, comes off with a big knee, but can only get yet another nearfall! Dynamite trips while running over Bret, and runs straight into the ropes. Ouch. Definitely didn’t plan that. So they move on to the next spot, which is Bret running Dynamite through the ropes and out of the ring. Unfortunately, the feed was showing a replay, during which Dynamite reversed a rollup, and pinned Bret for the 3 count at 12:25.
After the match, Jim Neidhart comes to the ring and the Hart Foundation slams Dynamite neck first on the top rope. Davey Boy comes to his partner’s rescue, and gorilla press slams Bret, which clears the ring.
My Thoughts: One thing I didn’t mention before the match was that Neidhart had faced Davey Boy earlier in the show, and had beaten Davey. I have the match but it’s very short. Well, a lot of things happened in that match which enlightened me as to why Dynamite Kid is in a wheelchair. Really good stuff, but the coverage of the match left a lot to be desired. Furthering the British Bulldogs/Hart Foundation was a very nice thing, though. This is on Bret’s Dungeon Collection DVD if you want to check it out, but in my opinion he had many far better matches. So ***1/2, but unless you’re a massive Bret Hart fan (like me), you don’t really have to check it out. Can’t wait to see more matches with these two involved, though.
– September 22nd, 1985, from Toronto, Ontario
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Don Muraco (w/Mr. Fuji) in a lumberjack match
Pre-Match Thoughts: Of course, this feud is a result of Steamboat being hung over the ring ropes by Muraco and Fuji. It is also a result of this, which starts at 3:30…
Yes, Ricky Steamboat was always in the best angles. Steamboat getting destroyed by heels in attacks is a staple of many people’s childhoods. The lumberjacks are Tito Santana, Barry O, King Kong Bundy, Tiger Chung Lee, The Killer Bees, Iron Mike Sharpe, Swede Hanson, Lanny Poffo, Scott McGhee, Rene Goulet, Dino Bravo, and Bob Orton. No way I’m passing up a good ol’ lumberjack match with nearly everyone else on the show as the lumberjacks. I think you can determine the quality of a card by the quality of the lumberjacks, in many cases.
Match Review: Steamboat attacks Muraco at the start, rams him headfirst into the top turnbuckle, and chops the big man down. The NWA ring they’re using is not forgotten by me. Steamboat and Muraco pretty much botch something, so Muraco takes a spill to the heel side of the ring where nobody tries to force him back in. Muraco clotheslines Steamboat, while Swede Hanson stands on the ramp obstructing everyone’s view of the ring. Okay fella. I notice that his name does not appear on www.thehistoryofwwe.com/85.htm for the rest of 1985! He get fired? Muraco drops Steamboat’s throat on the top rope, pulls Steamboat away from the ropes, and chops him over the top rope. Of course, all the heel lumberjacks don’t throw him in that quickly. Once all the babyfaces stroll over, then they do. Steamboat kicks Muraco in the head a couple times, then heads to the second rope and chops Muraco after leaping from it. Steamboat gives Muraco a swinging neckbreaker, but misses a punch and the former Intercontinental Champion atomic drops him down to the floor. The lumberjacks put Steamboat back in the ring, where Muraco comes off the second rope with a thumb to Steamboat’s throat. Muraco puts a nerve pinch on Steamboat, before deciding to give him a big shoulderbreaker. Back to the nerve pinch, as Fuji smiles at ringside. Steamboat plays dead for a little bit, then rises to his feet as a house of fire. Muraco tosses Steamboat over the top rope, and Fuji teases swinging his cane at Steamboat, but the Killer Bees prevent that and Steamboat hits Fuji, before being thrown back into the ring. The referee gives the slowest 2 count I’ve ever seen after a Muraco kneedrop. Like a 2.8 on the Kiniski scale (short explanation: the Kiniski scale refers to his counts in the Starrcade 1983 main event. 1.0 on that scale would be his counts). Steamboat misses a splash, then Muraco bails to the outside after being booted in the face. The babyface lumberjacks toss Muraco back in, where he backdrops Steamboat to the outside. On the outside, Orton kicks Steamboat’s ass, Steamboat responds, and it’s a bit of mayhem going on. Steamboat then flips back in the ring, and gets suplexed. The referee is distracted by Fuji, so Muraco’s pin is irrelevant. My God that slow count. Muraco then tries to send Steamboat into Orton’s cast, but that fails when Steamboat punches Orton, reverses Muraco’s atomic drop attempt with a backflip, and rolls Muraco up for the 1-2-3 at 9:48.
After the pin, Orton puts the stomps to Steamboat, so Santana gets in the ring…and gets attacked by Muraco. All the heels retreat to the back after the attack, and that’s that.
My Thoughts: To call the crowd reaction a big pop is a disservice to it. It’s one of the biggest I’ve ever heard. The biggest pops I’ve heard during 1985 reviews have been from these Maple Leaf Gardens shows, so that’s no surprise. As for the match, I liked it a whole lot. Perhaps there weren’t enough sequences involving the lumberjacks, but that’s okay. ***1/4, recommended. Most of the matches from this Steamboat/Muraco feud will be recommended, because it was a very hot program. This is another Steamboat match that is on his WWE DVD.
Jesse “The Body” Ventura vs. Tito Santana for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
Match Review: This is different. Jesse gets a sizable face reaction during the introduction, can’t ignore that. Santana gets quite a lot of boos, quite a lot of cheers. Jesse still looks to be in good shape, despite rarely wrestling at this point. Tito needs a credible heel challenger, and gets one here. Santana shows some good amateur wrestling ability, having reversed a few of Jesse’s moves. Tito shoulderblocks Ventura a few times, and puts on a headlock. Jesse’s bumps are not pretty, by the way. He knees Santana in the gut and sucks wind, then kicks Santana in the crotch. Jesse throws Tito out of the ring, and poses to a mixed reaction. Jesse walks out of the ring, throws Santana back first into the ring apron, then poses inside the ring once again. Big backbreaker inside the ring by Jesse only gets a 2 count. Atomic drop by Jesse also gets 2, and he’s upset because he thinks the referee should count faster. Jesse puts Santana in a bearhug, which Jesse releases when Santana chops him in the head. Santana’s got that Latin fury thing going, and he works over Jesse big time. Santana goes for the figure-four, locks it on, but Jesse gets to the ropes very quickly and takes a powder. He and Tito brawl on the Maple Leaf Gardens ramp, and Santana puts the figure four outside the ring, which leads to a double countout at 9:59.
Santana has challenged Jesse to get back in the ring, Jesse does get back in the ring, and Santana beats him up with the title belt to chase Jesse to the back. Okay.
My Thoughts: While harsh, I’m glad that Ventura decided to abort his in-ring comeback. I don’t think we needed to see him continue to wrestle. He was only 34 at this time, but he was balding and his ring work wasn’t that great. He’s much better on commentary. Santana was prevented from wrestling his usual style, and as such we wound up with a match that wasn’t that good. *.
– September 23rd, 1985, from New York City, New York
The Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The British Bulldogs
Pre-Match Thoughts: This, by the way, is on the Allied Powers WWE DVD. I’ve heard great things about this match and have been highly anticipating it. I know that it has a finish, hence the inclusion. The assumption is that the winner will then be in line for a shot at the tag belts.
Match Review: Monsoon and Ventura talk about Stu Hart’s Dungeon at the beginning of the match, and how Stu tortured people there. Dynamite repeats the slingshot spot from his earlier singles match with Bret, and Bret quickly rushes to the outside. This is the last matchup of these two teams that I’ll review for some time, by the way. Bret gets back in the ring, and Dynamite runs him out of the ring once again as Bret has him hammerlocked. That’s a great spot. Davey and Neidhart tag in, and Anvil quickly slams Davey. Davey responds with a slam of his own, and Neidhart seeks counsel in his corner. Anvil then gets dropkicked, and heads to the outside to regroup. He ain’t happy. Bret takes his place in the ring, and Davey does an amazing victory roll for a 2 count. Has the crowd buzzing. Bret knees Davey in the gut, and finally gains control. These guys run the ropes faster than anyone else in the WWF, by the way. Neidhart tags in and out, in and out, and puts a bearhug on Davey. Davey sneaks to his corner, tags in Dynamite, who’s a house of fire.
Dynamite hits Bret with a big clothesline, much of the same for Neidhart, and runs the ropes at 100mph only for Bret to kick Dynamite in the back. Bret elbowdrops Dynamite from the 2nd rope as the referee is distracted, and the Hart Foundation has control. Neidhart sends Dynamite to the outside, where he gets slammed by Bret. NO PADS. That’s a crazy spot. Neidhart puts a chinlock on Dynamite, and these four have earned a rest, so no complaints. These distractions all end up with Dynamite taking big bumps. This time, it was a face first bump as Bret was pulling his hair. You can see the guy taking the bump WITH HIS FACE. Dynamite then does Bret’s big turnbuckle bump at even more rapid speed, if that’s possible. These hair pull slams are pretty heavy bumps. Bret gives Dynamite another big 2nd rope elbowdrop, it gets a 2 count. Big backbreaker by the Hitman, gets another nearfall. Neidhart then tags in and applies a big front facelock. Dynamite tries to drive Neidhart towards his corner, but that fails when Bret decides to charge into the ring and kick Davey Boy. Davey chases Bret and Jimmy Hart around the ring in an epic sequence, after which Bret latches onto Dynamite and chokes him without tagging in. Heeling to the max going on here. Dynamite drives over to his corner again, and tags Davey, but the referee absolutely did not see it. Then Bret comes into the ring, ties up Dynamite (the referee didn’t see that tag either!), and Bret botches a backbreaker reversal. Aw. Instead, Dynamite backslides Bret, which gets a 2 count. Bret ties Dynamite up one again, and does the AWESOME crossbody miss into the ropes. Now Dynamite rushes over and tags in Davey!
Davey throws Bret into Neidhart, then sends him full speed into the turnbuckle for a 2 count. Shoots Bret into the ropes, HUGE gorilla press, gets 2 when Anvil saves Bret. Bret gives Davey a backbreaker, and Neidhart gives Anvil a double axehandle. Bret looks a little bit hurt, but the finish has to come anyway. So the Hart Foundation do a TOP ROPE HART ATTACK to Davey. The referee is trying to get Neidhart out of the ring, which he does, but simultaneously Dynamite comes off the top rope with a diving headbutt onto Bret, and pins him for the victory at 18:31!
The Hart Foundation destroys Dynamite after the match, assaulting him with Jimmy Hart’s megaphone, leaving him bloodied in the ring. The Hart Foundation gets their heat back, but after a match like that, how could they NOT have any heat?
My Thoughts: Um, that was one of the best 80’s tag team matches I’ve seen. It combined everything that these teams had been doing so well in singles matches and the like. I think that’s as good as it could possibly get, so barring giving them 30 minutes to go past the tearing the house down stage to burning the house down, it was time to move both teams along to something else for a while. My perspective is different from fans at the time, who did not get to see these guys do similar spots in previous matches. So, at the time, they may have thought this was the most revolutionary tag match of the time period. **** and highly recommended if you have even the slightest interest in tag team wrestling or these four wrestlers.
Terry Funk (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The Junkyard Dog
Pre-Match Thoughts: I looked over one of my last few reviews and noticed that I said I was reviewing two matches between these two. That’s a mistake. For some idiotic reason, on my checklist, I put down that there were only two. There’s actually a third. This is the second one.
Match Review: Terry attacks JYD as he gets in the ring, follows him to the outside and beats him up. Then JYD backdrops Terry on the concrete! The Terry Funk bump fest begins! Terry gets bodyslammed on the concrete. Terry gets whipped into the turnbuckle, and flips over the top to the floor. He’s awesome. JYD then runs Funk into the ringpost as Funk is on the apron, and he falls to the floor again! JYD suplexes Terry into the ring, but can only get a 1 count. Haha at the referee watching Terry give JYD a low blow and saying nothing. None of Terry’s headbutts hurt the JYD, which is a little racist if you think about it. Jimmy Hart distracts JYD, but it doesn’t really matter, as Terry gets whipped into the corner. He tries to cheat, but the referee spots Terry’s feet on the ropes. JYD catches Terry with a small package, and that’s it at 3:34 as JYD gets the pinfall and victory.
After said pin, Jimmy Hart tries to attack JYD with Funk’s branding iron, and tosses it to Terry who clocks JYD with the branding iron. Terry brands him and destroys the old man referee too. Jimmy Hart jumps around like a fool, and the crowd boos Terry while smiling, surely a sign of a Terry Funk match well done.
My Thoughts: That was better than their Toronto match. Kept to shorter matches, JYD is quite entertaining. 10 minute matches at this point of his career, uh…I’ll pass. **1/2 because as I said, it was good. Considering the run time I certainly think it’s worth checking out as well.
– Taped to Air October 5th, 1985 on Championship Wrestling
The British Bulldogs vs. The Dream Team (w/Johnny V) for the WWF Tag Team Championships
Pre-Match Thoughts: I’ve realized while watching these television matches that the WWF desperately needed to get out of their regular taping arenas to truly become a national promotion. Which they did! Chose to watch the TV match so I’d be able to watch their SNME matches and WrestleMania match with a fresh perspective. These teams did feud for a long time, and it started here!
Match Review: Bruno puts over the Bulldogs something big before the match. Valentine and Dynamite start things off for their respective teams, and the match gets going with a huge shoulderblock of Valentine that nearly knocks him out of the ring. Dynamite runs so damn fast. Davey tags in, so does Beefcake, and Davey takes Beefcake down a couple of times with an arm wringer. Dynamite tags in, and comes off the top rope with a double axehandle on Beefcake. Davey tags in and does the same thing. Davey flips out of a backdrop attempt, and dropkicks both members of the Dream Team. He slams Beefcake, but that only gets a 2 count. Valentine tags in, and he and his partner give Davey Boy a double back elbow. Valentine then slams Davey, but misses an elbowdrop and Dynamite tags in. He does his house of fire thing as only he can, with huge clotheslines and a big backbreaker on Valentine for a 2 count. Dynamite then lands his falling headbutt from a standing position, and tries to go up top to do it again, but Johnny V knocks him off of the top rope for a disqualification at 4:12. The Bulldogs win the match, but not the titles.
My Thoughts: Nothing super important here, but it’s a starting point for a feud that provided a lot of really good matches for fans around the country. *1/4.
– Taped to Air October 12th, 1985 on Championship Wrestling, from Brantford, Ontario
The Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. The Killer Bees
Pre-Match Thoughts: First time seeing the Killer Bees. They were a good team, but not one of my favorites. Much like the last match, this was the jump off for a long feud. Unlike the previous matchup, I haven’t seen these two teams wrestle each other that much.
Match Review: So, Bret and Blair start, and Blair hits Bret with a big powerslam. Then he bodyslams Neidhart, and atomic drops Bret to a big crowd reaction. Brunzell tags in and goes to work on Bret’s arm, and shortly sunset flips Bret after running the ropes. Only got a 2 count. Neidhart tags in after Bret elbows Brunzell, and Neidhart locks on a headlock. Get it, locks a headlock. Okay, let’s move on, and Neidhart puts a bearhug on Brunzell. Brunzell gets out of it, tags in Blair, and Bret surprises Blair with a knee from behind. Bret then tags in, and rakes Blair’s eyes. Bret gives Blair a backbreaker, and a legdrop. The Bees are pretty over, I’d say, and Bret does THE FAILED CROSSBODY SPOT once again. I think that is the best spot in wrestling at that time. Brunzell tags in, cleans house, and gets a 2 count on Bret. Brunzell lands a huge dropkick on Bret, Neidhart breaks up the cover, and now they’re brawling. The referee is forced to disqualify both teams at 4:31, because they just won’t go back to their corners and let the match resume. Afterward, the Killer Bees get the better of a brawl at ringside.
My Thoughts: That was a better start to a feud than the last match was. *3/4. Really looking forward to the longer matches that these two teams put together. I’ve only seen one of them before.
– October 19th, 1985, from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Big John Studd vs. Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship
Pre-Match Thoughts: Outdoors. And Gorilla Monsoon is serving as the ring announcer! And the ring is about twelve feet long and at most two feet off the ground. Match is on one of Hogan’s DVD’s.
Match Review: So the bell rings, and Studd asserts his dominance to nobody’s surprise. Look at that strength and how he can push Hogan across the ring! Both men fail to slam each other, and I’m wondering how much wrestling they’ll actually do. Studd beats Hogan in a test of strength, but Hogan fights back until Studd kicks him in the gut. The third time, Hogan kicks Studd in the gut, and gets the better of him for a minute or so. Studd applies a bearhug, and it begins to rain! Studd keeps the bearhug on for some time and I realize that the worst thing about this rain is that both men are wearing white tights. Hogan tosses Studd into the turnbuckle and misses a charge to the corner, and then it REALLY starts to rain. To this point Monsoon has NO-SOLD THE RAIN, but right after typing that down, he mentions it. This bearhug has been on for no less than 3 minutes, I’m assuming that both guys are figuring out what to do, and I guess they decide to build to a quick countout and get the hell out of there after Studd nearly breaks his leg while getting atomic dropped. Studd gets counted out at 7:22.
My Thoughts: That was one of the weirdest matches I’ve ever seen. I feel a little bad for the people who paid to see more, but hey, that’s part of the risk of going to an outdoor show. DUD for the hilariousness of the whole thing. It was at least worth watching, but there was no way this could have been any good in the first place.
– October 21st, from New York City, New York
Feel obligated to mention that I’m skipping the matches from the October 21st MSG show for a bunch of reasons. I found a better tag match than the drawing card one (Andre/Hillbilly Jim vs. Studd/Bundy). And the Bulldogs vs. Sheik/Volkoff match was better done in later instances, although in that MSG match the heel duo got a ton of trash thrown at them.
Piper’s Pit with Bruno Sammartino
This is the beginning of their singles program. Of course they have an issue with each other from Philly, but that hasn’t carried over anywhere else yet. Well, until now. Their interactions with each other are absolutely amazing in every instance that I’ve seen. Perfect opponents for each other and luckily Bruno wasn’t too old. Holy shit Piper called him a “stupid wop.” Too far. Of course that pissed Bruno off and HE PUSHES HIM ONLY FOR PIPER TO RETALIATE BY HITTING HIM WITH A CHAIR. Piper calls Bruno a “motherfucker” as he tears off Bruno’s clothes while getting pelted with garbage. The crowd is on fire, and FINALLY Bruno makes his charge back and clears Piper out of the ring. Heeling at its best and super highly recommended.
– October 26th, 1985, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Bruno Sammartino & Paul Orndorff vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton & “Rowdy” Roddy Piper in a STEEL CAGE MATCH
Pre-Match Thoughts: I believe I stated in the last WWF article how things got to this point. Piper attacked Bruno. He got mad. It was time for a fight. In September, these four had a regular tag match. It ended in a countout brawl. Now, it’s time to settle this thing, and the crowd can’t wait for it. The house is large for a show where Hogan doesn’t defend his title. This is escape rules, but only one member needs to escape. My video quality is trash, nearly to the point of being unable to review it, but hey…it’s a big blowoff cage match!
Match Review: Piper pairs off with Orndorff, and Orton gets Bruno. Orton drops the knee on Bruno a few times, rakes the eyes, and I think Bruno gigged already! New record! Piper and Orton destroy Bruno with some double teams, and Orndorff flies in to put a stop to that. Old man bleeding and being saved by the younger partner is THE BEST. Bruno launches Orton into the cage twice, Orndorff sends Piper into the cage, and guess who’s bleeding NOW? Orndorff made Orton smash Piper in the head with his cast, and this is an epic brawl. Most epic. Orndorff is the only one not bleeding. Bruno and Orton are trading wild punches, and eventually Piper makes a break over the fence and we get a sight of his butt crack when Orndorff grabs his tights to keep him from exiting. Didn’t need to see that at this hour, or any hour really. Piper is atop the cage along with Orndorff, hanging from the cage by his arms! Orton makes his own run for the border, but Bruno keeps him from exiting. All of the brawling is interspersed with Piper and Orndorff taking one huge cage shot after another. Somehow Piper winds up as the only one standing as the crowd has gone beyond nuclear by this point, and he goes to work on his opponents. Orton is bleeding particularly badly. Bruno and Piper trade huge shots, Piper eats the cage once again, to another monster pop. Orndorff’s bleeding now, and it’s big. The heels apply stereo chinlocks, and I don’t blame them cause these dudes must need some kind of rest. Orndorff and Bruno lock hands, and do their big babyface charge together to the delight of the crowd. Orton and Piper both try to make a run again, and Piper gets crotched. Orton is hanging on, but Orndorff has climbed up to the same position, and they’re trading blows at the top of the cage. Both now make a break for the floor, and Orndorff nearly kills himself when he jumps down from near the top of the cage for the victory at 7:25!
After the match, Piper and Orton are putting the boots to Bruno in the worst way. The cage is locked, so Orndorff is trying to climb over the fence, which he soon does, but Piper and Orton are cowards so they head to the back before Mr. Wonderful can get in there.
My Thoughts: Unbelievable 7 minute match, I can’t believe that hidden gem. Not on any Coliseum Videos or DVD’s, but it should be! My opinion of Bob Orton Jr. has gone up a lot over the last few weeks. He’s much better than I had thought. I almost feel guilty giving this rating for such a short match, but it’s ***3/4 at LEAST. It wasn’t perfect but it was an amazing, to me unexpected, totally wild brawl. I don’t think it could have extended into being a longer match, but it was great for what it was.
Well, that was a lot of fun. Next time, I’ll review Superclash ’85, then get the Saturday Night’s Main Event that I deliberately missed. Hell of a lot of fun doing this series, and it’s also causing me to re-evaluate my opinions of some wrestlers.
Best: British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation from 9/23. Catch it.
Worst: Big John Studd vs. Hulk Hogan. On the spectrum of bad Big John Studd matches…that was somehow worse than I thought it could be. Even though it RAINED.
