WWF at London Arena (October 1989)

In the fall of 1989, the WWF began what would be a long a profitable venture – UK only shows. Though these would later become bigger, more official spring pay per views scheduled to avoid post-WrestleMania downturns at home, their first appearance in London was scheduled for October (and a brief European tour to follow), and the WWF broadcast the glorified house show on SKY ONE – in front of a sold out house at the London Arena.

From London England; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes. Schiavone fits right in, as the production values are less WWF late 80s, more WCW early 90s.


Opening Match: Koko B. Ware v Boris Zhukov: Zhukov jumps him before the bell, but ends up walking into a pair of dropkicks, and gets armdragged to the floor. He hangs out there for a minute to kill the momentum, and challenges Koko to a test-of-strength on the way back in - only to get monkey flipped back to the outside. He stupidly goes after Koko's head as he makes another go of it, and ends up getting rammed into the turnbuckle for two. Shoulderblock, but Nikolai Volkoff pulls down the top rope, and Ware goes crashing to the floor. Zhukov with a clothesline on the way back in for two, but Ware catches him in a sunset flip for two, and a 2^nd rope bodypress for two. Boris slows him down with a chinlock, but misses a blind charge into the post, and Koko's FLAPPING UP!! Headbutts! Stomp! Missile Dropkick! 11:00! Total house show match - but the crowd didn't mind a bit. DUD

Bret Hart v Dino Bravo: Bravo overpowers him in the early going, but gets caught with a bodypress off of a criss cross, and an inverted atomic. Dropkick and a series of clotheslines send Bravo running to the outside to regroup. He threatens walking out, but manager Jimmy Hart talks him back in - where Bret quickly gets him into an armbar. Bravo keeps trying to fight out, so Bret kicks him in the balls to stop that effort (always a good strategy), but, of course, Dino Bravo has no balls, so he shrugs it off. He sends Bret flying off of the apron into the rail (in the same bump Bravo would break Bret's sternum off of during another match - and which Bret would later bring into the mainstream with Mr. Perfect in 1993, then amplify against Diesel in 1995), and inside that allows Bravo a reverse chinlock. Gutwrench suplex gets two, so Bret throws desperation backslide for two. Bravo responds by hugging him like a bear, and whipping him into the corner - chest first. That gets two, so he goes back to the bearhug. Hart elbowsmashes his way free, but misses a 2nd rope sailing elbow, allowing Bret a flying axehandle - but Bret decks him on the way down. Backdrop gets two. Inside cradle for two. Backbreaker gets two. Rollup fails, so Hart regroups with a quick dropkick to put Dino back on the floor, and follows with a plancha. Inside for another rollup, but this time Bravo reverses, and gets the pin at 15:30. A little too restholdy during Bravo's offensive portion to really get good, but a great effort from Hart - from his selling, to his offense, to his bumps. **

Honky Tonk Man v Jim Duggan: Duggan makes sure to bring Old Glory with him to London, and since he was doing the revolving 'king' gimmick, wears a crown out as well. Great. Now Duggan's gonna cause an international incident. Honky hides on the floor to avoid tying up/dying in the riot Duggan causes, so Jim chases him to the floor for some headbutting fun. Inside for an atomic drop and a ten-punch count, so Honky manager Jimmy Hart gets involved to turn the tide, and allow Honky a chinlock. To the floor, Jimmy Hart helps Honky push him into the post, but Duggan manages to beat the count back in. That gets him a backelbow, and Honky goes back to the chinlock, since not sucking sucks. He makes up for it with a brilliant Flair Flip in the corner, and Duggan hits the 3-Point Stance for the pin at 8:40. Duggan should have taken the night off. Or, at least, not come to the ring in England, dressed as a king, while waving the Stars and Stripes. Typical restholdy Duggan stuff, matched with stally Honky Tonk stuff, but the crowd was into it, and it was quick enough. ¼*

The Rockers v The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers: Marty Jannetty starts with Jacques Rougeau, and they work the crowd with a kip-up exhibition - and that's literally it, as they just keep flipping at each other (in a contest to see 'who has the better' kip up, or somersault). Shawn Michaels tags in to get in the action, and shows off a moonsault (onto his feet - not Rougeau), but Jacques is a little too scared to try that one, and ends up getting crotched on the top rope. Shawn unloads a series of turnbuckle smashes, and Marty blasts him with a backelbow. Stinger Splash, but a second try misses - so Mary shifts into a 2^nd rope axehandle to keep the momentum. Jacques scrambles to tag Raymond Rougeau, but he misses an elbowdrop, so Michaels splashes his knee, and Marty hooks him in a leglock. The Rockers run the 'illegal-switch-behind-the-refs-back-but-it's-okay-cause-we're-faces!' routine - trading off on the leglock - until Jacques (understandably) gets sick of their shit, and fires off a cheap shot at Michaels. Jacques tags in to send Shawn Flair Flipping into the corner, and hits a diving backelbow before tagging Raymond back in to help cut the ring in half on the mat. Miscue allows him to get the tag off to Jannetty - and he's a crackhouse of fire! Four-way brawl doesn't take long to break out from there, and Shawn blasts Jacques with Rougeau manager Jimmy Hart's megaphone in the chaos - allowing Marty to score the fall (and some coke, based on all reports of the Rockers' behavior during this tour) at 23:30. Fine once it got going (Shawn's selling of the heat segment particularly good), but that was a lot of stalling in the early going - even if it was good natured, fun stalling to work the crowd. * ¼

Paul Roma v The Brooklyn Brawler: Brawler jumps him as he takes off his entrance gear, so Roma tries a criss cross - only to get clotheslined for two. Another criss cross works better with a hiptoss, and a dropkick puts Brawler on the outside to kill the momentum. Slugfest coming back in goes Roma's way, and he grabs a standing side-headlock. Pair of 2^nd rope elbowsmashes daze Brawler, and a flying version gets two, so he wisely rolls to the floor to kill the momentum again. A chase ends with a Brawler backbreaker on the way back in, but he gets slammed climbing the ropes, and Roma with fists of fury. Running powerslam gets two, and a hanging vertical suplex (I guess if they couldn't have Davey Boy Smith there, his offense was next best thing) sets up a flying bodypress - but Brawler rolls through, hooks the tights, and gets the pin at 6:11. Less a good match, than a curiosity for career-jobber Brawler going over - and over internet darling Paul Roma, no less. *

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Randy Savage: Savage tries to jump the champ as he's helping Miss Elizabeth out of the ring, but instead decides to go after Liz herself. Savage bails after Hogan overpowers him during the initial lockup, but manages a standing side-headlock out of the second - only to end up on the floor again after a shoulderblock. Randy stalls out there, until valet Sherri distracts Hogan enough for him to flying axehandle his way in. Hulk shrugs him off, though, sending him to the floor with an atomic drop, and decking Sherri for good measure. Several times. What's especially interesting is that when Savage just threatens to put his hands on Elizabeth, the crowd is calling for his head - but Hogan (a 300-plus pound bodybuilder) blatantly hitting a woman is cause for celebration. Another distraction from Sherri allows Savage to knock him to the outside, and a flying axehandle finds its mark. Inside, another one gets two, and Macho hooks a chinlock, but Hogan powers out, and they work a double knockout. Savage recovers first with a high knee for two, and a kneedrop gets a series of two counts before he goes back to the chinlock. They do the arm-drop routine, but Sherri cuts Hulk's comeback off again, and Savage snaps his neck across the ropes before blasting him with Sherri's brick-loaded purse. Flying Elbowdrop, but he's HULKING UP!! Fists of Fury! Big Boot! Slap from Elizabeth! Clothesline! Legdrop! 14:00! Simple, but fun, and well paced - though Savage was looking less and less like a threat by the day in these matches. *

BUExperience: Tour shows are always a fun, welcome change of pace and atmosphere – even if the action isn't particularly notable. This certainly wasn't great wrestling, but an interesting show for other atmospheric reasons – especially the early 90s WCW-like set design and production values – down to the credit roll at the end. *