WWF The Wrestling Classic (Version II)

Original Airdate: November 7, 1985

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura. There’s a very weird NWA vibe for this entire show, from the camera angles, to the non-standard WWF referees seen throughout, down to the smaller ring setup which doesn’t even feature the usual turnbuckle pads. Visually, it’s a very jarring.

Wrestling Classic Tournament First Round Match: Adrian Adonis v Corporal Kirchner: Adonis powers him into the corner, but gets caught in with an armdrag, and Kirchner grabs a standing side-headlock that he quickly wrestles down to the mat. Adonis uses a side suplex to escape, and quickly adds a pair of overhead elbowsmashes, followed by a snapmare and a pointed elbowdrop. Another snapmare sets up a chinlock, but Kirchner slugs free - only to have a vertical suplex countered into a DDT at 2:35. ¼* (Original rating: DUD)

Wrestling Classic Tournament First Round Match: Nikolai Volkoff v Dynamite Kid: Not even really a match, as Kid blasts Volkoff with a missile dropkick during his singing of the Soviet national anthem, and scores the fall at 0:06. Nothing, but it was memorable, and I don't think anyone felt particularly short changed at not getting to see Nikolai Volkoff wrestle. Still, DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Wrestling Classic Tournament First Round Match: Randy Savage v Ivan Putski: Wow, talk about a style clash. Savage stalls on the floor at the bell, so Putski dares him to dive at him from the top - then shakes the ropes when he goes for it. What a piece of shit! More stalling from Macho, but a power showdown on the way back in does not go well for him, and Ivan turnbuckle smashes him. Ivan unloads with rights, but gets swept in the corner, and Savage pins him with two feet on the ropes at 2:45 - only about a minute of which they actually made contact for. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Wrestling Classic Tournament First Round Match: Ricky Steamboat v Davey Boy Smith: The graphics list him as 'Davy Boy Smith,' continuing the NWA theme for this evening. They trade wristlocks to start, and quickly go into a criss cross - Smith controlling with a hiptoss, and a backdrop driver for two. Steamboat bridges up into a backslide for two, but another criss cross ends in Davey press-slamming him for two. He slows things down with a standing front-facelock to wear Steamboat down for another press-slam for two, but Ricky reverses a hanging vertical suplex. Splash, but Davey lifts the knees, and unloads a gorgeous dropkick. Again, but a bodypress is ducked, and Smith smashes into the ropes crotch first, and the referee stops it at 2:53. The booking was expected since this was face/face, and they didn't want to put anyone over clean, but the real shame is that this was under three minutes long, because it was on track to be a classic match here. ** (Original rating: ¾*)

Wrestling Classic Tournament First Round Match: Junkyard Dog v Iron Sheik: Sheik attacks him before the bell, and chokes him out with his rope. I hope for a DQ to save us from having to watch either of these guys wrestle - even if only for three minutes - but no such luck. Sheik keeps hammering him, but Dog no-sells, and wins a slugfest with a headbutt to put Sheik on the floor. Back in, Sheik grabs a full-nelson, but Dog powers out via his ass, and nearly botches a clothesline, somehow. It still gets two. Snapmare also gets botched, but Sheik dodges a falling headbutt anyway, and slaps on an ugly Camel Clutch that turns into a reverse chinlock when Dog can't stay in position. Sheik just sort of lets off, and Dog headbutts him for the pin at 3:26. Just terrible, with both guys messing up nearly everything they tried, and the bout coming across like something you'd see two old wrestlers do in front of 200 fans at a state fair ten years after they retired. -* (Original rating: DUD)

Wrestling Classic Tournament First Round Match: Terry Funk v Moondog Spot: Funk doesn't want to wrestle Moondog, however, and offers him to settle for a draw by walking out with him before the bell. Spot goes for it, but of course, Funk takes a cheap shot in the aisle, and tries to rush back in to beat the count - only for it to backfire, and Moondog to advance via countout at 0:25. Can't complain, as the booking gave us something memorable, that was better than the match hoped to be. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Wrestling Classic Tournament First Round Match: Tito Santana v Don Muraco: Muraco controls with a beating in the corner, but gets caught with a bodypress for two as they criss cross. Tito with a sunset flip for two, and a backslide is worth two. Armbar, but Muraco dumps him across the top rope to escape, and a clothesline sets up an elbowdrop, followed by a kneedrop for two. Front-powerslam gets three, but it turns out Santana's foot was on the ropes, and the referee allows it to continue unbeknownst to Muraco - Tito cradling him for the real pin at 4:13. I get that they didn't want either guy to look weak, but what a shitty ending. ¼*, which is a rare case where I’m actually downgrading from the original. (Original rating: ¾*)

Wrestling Classic Tournament First Round Match: Paul Orndorff v Bob Orton: Paul goes right after the 'injured' arm - which seems kind of stupid, given that Paul knows it's gimmicked, probably better than anyone outside of Roddy Piper. He works it anyway, but misses a charge in the corner, and Orton delivers a pointed elbowdrop, then drops Paul throat-first across the top rope. Backdrop, but Paul counters with a sunset flip for two, so Bob drops a few more elbows for two, then slaps on a chinlock. He shifts into a mat-based headscissors, so Orndorff tries a somersault cradle, but Orton bridges into a backslide for two. Corner splash misses, however, and Paul backelbows him to setup a pointed elbowdrop. We've seen more of those in this one than six months worth of Bret Hart matches. Big right hand sends Orton out over the top, and Paul chases, so Bob blasts him with his cast - getting himself disqualified in the process at 6:29. These two had a pretty hot issue at the time, but the match was flat, and very punchy-kicky. ½* (Original rating: DUD)

Wrestling Classic Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Adrian Adonis v Dynamite Kid: Criss cross goes Kid's way with a pair of armdrags, and Adonis bails before Kid can follow-up. Back in, Adrian catches him with an overhead elbowsmash, and a slingshot into the corner allows him a bodyslam for two. Vertical suplex is worth two, and a snapmare sets up a chinlock, but Kid side suplexes free - only to miss a headbutt splash. Adonis tries to ground him by working the knee, and gets a sharpshooter that would make even The Rock blush on, but Kid gets the ropes. Adrian keeps after the leg, but gets caught with a sunset flip out of the corner for two. Adonis cuts off the comeback with another shot to the leg, but Kid blocks a bulldog attempt, and clotheslines him to setup a 2^nd rope kneedrop for two. Snap suplex sets up a falling headbutt, so Jimmy Hart climbs up onto the apron. That allows Adrian to roll Kid up, but Dynamite reverses for the pin at 5:23. Solid match here, though Kid's selling of the knee was notably terrible - flying around at full speed and hitting kneedrops only moments after fighting off minutes worth of leg abuse from Adonis. * (Original rating: *)

Wrestling Classic Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Randy Savage v Ricky Steamboat: In a classic heel move, Savage taunts Steamboat, and hides behind Elizabeth when he gets angry - then attacks him from behind. Awesome! Unfortunately for him, Ricky fights him off, and puts Macho on the floor with some chops. Randy pulls him out with him, and rolls him in for a series of jabs, but goes flying out via a headscissors from the Dragon. Steamboat follows him out with a series of chops, and a hanging atomic drop follows before they head back in. Criss cross goes Ricky's way with a big chop, but another one is countered into a side suplex by Savage. Flying axehandle is blocked, however, and Steamboat drops a series of fists, then vertical suplexes him. Flying bodypress is worth two, so Savage pulls out a foreign object, and bops Ricky with it as he tries a side suplex - scoring the fall at 3:22. Too short to really go anywhere, but really good while it lasted - breakneck pace, and crisp work. I hope they give these two some more time down the line. I could see that working out well. ** (Original rating: * ½)

Wrestling Classic Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Junkyard Dog v Moondog Spot: Moondog attacks before the bell, but misses a 2^nd rope splash, and takes a series of headbutts from the Dog. There's no referee present, however, so Dog just counts the fall himself at 0:27. Hey, anything that hurries this match along is fine by me. DUD (Original rating: DUD)

Wrestling Classic Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Tito Santana v Paul Orndorff: This is another face/face match, so don't expect a pinfall or submission. Tito wins the initial lockup with a side-headlock, but Paul gets frisky, so Tito shoves his head down into his crotch. Um, with a headscissors, to be clear. Paul escapes with a somersault cradle for two, and grabs a hammerlock, but Tito reverses. Paul gets the ropes to escape, but Tito wins another collar-and-elbow lockup with a side-headlock. Orndorff uses an atomic drop to escape, which Tito dramatically sells due to a previous thigh injury. Paul goes right after it with a modified anklelock, then into a leglock when Santana tries escaping. Paul goes for a figure four, but Tito blocks, and they spill to the outside for a predictable double countout at 8:03 - thus giving the Junkyard Dog a bye into the finals. I'm tempted to boost the rating by a full star just for sparing us another JYD match, but I won't. Dull match here, as the face/face dynamic translated into a slow, mat-based encounter that didn't really connect with or engage the audience until Orndorff starting working as the defacto heel, and building drama with the leg. * (Original rating: -½*)

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Roddy Piper: They brawl on the floor right away, with Hogan tossing him into the guardrail out there, and leveling him with a kneelift. Piper manages to rake the eyes on the way back in, however, and he puts Hulk down with a throat-thrust. Another eyerake, but Hogan reverses a whip into the corner, and follows in with a clothesline to flop Piper. Hulk with a side suplex and a bodyslam to setup a pair of elbowdrops, and you know he's got true star power because the security guards (who have sat with their back to the action all night) are suddenly constantly looking over their shoulders to get a look at him. Piper uses another cheap shot to turn the tide, but a 2^nd rope elbowsmash is caught in a bearhug by the champion, so Roddy goes to the eyes again. Flurry of mounted punches are worth two, and it's Sleeper time, but Hulk throws himself (and, in turn, Piper) over the top with reckless abandon to escape. Cool spot there. Hulk posts him out there, and hits the big boot on the way back in, followed by an atomic drop. Referee goes down during a criss cross, however, and Roddy grabs a chair - whacking the Hulkster with it. Again, but Hogan wrestles it away from him, and applies his own sleeper - only for Bob Orton to run in to save his boss with a disqualification at 7:15. He and Piper proceed to beat Hogan down, but Paul Orndorff is back with a chair of his own to make the save, and clean house. Not a wrestling classic (hey!), but certainly a fun, fast paced, and engaging match. * ¼ (Original rating: ¾*)

Wrestling Classic Tournament Semifinal Match: Dynamite Kid v Randy Savage: A few lockups go to a stalemate to start, until Savage grabs a waistlock, but Kid fights him off as he tries to take it to the mat. Savage bails to the floor to strategize/threaten kids and old ladies, but loses his nerve when it comes to facing off with the real Kid again. He snaps off a cheap shot, but loses a breakneck criss cross to a shoulderblock, then takes a backdrop. Kid with a bodypress for two, but Savage is in the ropes. He tries another cheap shot, but Kid responds in kind, and tries a sunset flip, but Randy sit-down splashes him to block. Kid throws another bodypress, but Savage ducks this time, and another criss cross ends in a double-knockout - Elizabeth looking nervous. Randy gets the best of it, and goes up, but Kid crotches him on the top with a dropkick, and superplexes him down - only for Savage to turn it into a cradle on the mat to advance at 4:50. Some nice stuff, and some incredible speed, but didn't really gel as a match due to the time constraints. * ¼ (Original rating: ¾*)

WWF Wrestling Classic Tournament Final Match: Randy Savage v Junkyard Dog: Poor Savage is still sweating from the last bout, but still manages to go change into different entrance gear, just to be a pimp. He stalls, and tries throwing a chair at the JYD from the floor, but Dog catches it, and dents it with his skull just to make a point. He beckons Macho in, but Randy continues to stall. They finally gets going, and Dog throws Savage around out of the initial lockups, so Macho goes for a bodyslam, but can't lift him, and Dog drives a headbutt into the lower back. Dog with a hanging atomic drop, and he grabs a bearhug to keep the hurt on the lower back. Randy goes to the eyes to escape, but Dog keeps after the back with forearms and headbutts - displaying a surprising amount of ring psychology. Cross corner whip hits, but Savage rebounds at him with a hangman's clothesline for two, and he tosses JYD to the floor for a flying axehandle. Randy adds a standard axehandle before ramming Dog into the post out there, then another flying axe for good measure. He steals a chair from one of the security guards to wallop Dog with, but he's still stirring enough to beat the count back in, so Savage tries choking him out with the aid of the guardrail. Finally satisfied, and rolls back in to allow the referee to count, but Dog is still stirring. Realizing it's pointless to keep trying, Savage rolls him back in for another flying axehandle, but this time JYD blocks with a gutpunch, followed by a series of headbutts. Randy desperately goes to the eyes again, but gets backdropped over the top as he goes for the kill, and Dog wins the tournament via countout at 9:42. Even though he was noticeably fatigued, this was all Savage all the time, and he did his best to get something watchable out of the Dog. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)

BUExperience: Look, it’s a sixteen man tournament booked on a show that runs under two and a half hours. With fifteen total matches, there’s just no room for quality wrestling under the time constraints. Even still, the roster was so strong at this point, that guys like Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, and the British Bulldogs managed to turn in quality performances anyway – though imagine what could have been had the field been, say, Savage, Steamboat, Bulldogs, Terry Funk, Tito Santana, Bob Orton, and Paul Orndorff in a simple eight man tournament.

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