WWF at Philadelphia Spectrum (August 27, 1988)

Original Airdate: August 27, 1988

From Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Dick Graham, Billy Graham, and Lord Alfred Hayes

The Hart Foundation v The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers: The Hart's were starting to get some great babyface reactions after WrestleMania, and the crowd loves them here. Jim Neidhart starts with Raymond Rougeau, and uses his power to work a wristlock, but Ray quickly outwrestles him, and escapes. Rougeau's cocky celebration is wonderful. He gets overconfident and tries a shoulderblock, but that doesn't go anywhere against the big Anvil. Criss cross ends in Raymond dropkicking him, and he does another goofy celebration. Jim responds by throwing a dropkick of his own to by Raymond on the outside, and Ray tags out to Jacques Rougeau on the way back in. Neidhart responds by passing out to Bret Hart, and the Brothers are already accusing Hart of trying to cheat before they even lock up. Classic! They work in some nice bits to engage the crowd with Jacques trying to sucker Bret into a handshake, but the Hitman outsmarting him. That's really something that's been lost to time in the modern era. Like, I've been to WWE live events in recent years, and the workers completely ignore the crowd, and work matches like they're playing to an invisible camera. Bret outsmarts him again during a criss cross, and hits a pointed elbowdrop - Jacques tagging out. Raymond tries a sunset flip, but Hart blocks, and hammers him in the Foundation corner. Tag to Neidhart for more poundage, as the Hart's cut the ring in half on Raymond. Cheap shot from Jacques on Bret turns the tide, however, and the Brothers work the Hitman over as they take their turn cutting the ring in half. Bret's hope spots are just masterful - he's so believable. Hart is really underrated in that respect, actually, as most of the adulation for him tends to be for his single's career, but even if he never broke away in 1991, he would still be remembered as one of the all time great tag wrestlers. Jacques tries a monkeyflip in the corner, but Bret counters with an inverted atomic drop, and that's enough to make the tag! Neidhart is a house of arson, but the referee gets distracted by the Brothers' antics, and misses a pinfall. The Harts stay focused with a backbreaker/2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop combo, but Jacques saves his brother from getting pinned. That triggers a brawl between the two teams, and a cheap shot from Jacques allows Raymond to pin the Hitman at 17:46. Total house show match, but then, it was a house show, so that makes sense. **

WWF Title Match: Randy Savage v Ted DiBiase: Savage blitzes him before the bell - beating in DiBiase with the title belt before knocking him to the outside. Odd neon blue tights/yellow boots/black pads combo for Savage tonight. Randy attacks on the floor, then back in continues to unload with multiple facebusters before using an elbowsmash to knock Ted back to the outside. Ted tries to hide behind Virgil, but Macho knocks their heads together, and takes him inside for more abuse. Randy misses a corner charge, and Ted launches him out over the top rope to catch a breather, then rams him into the commentary table out there. Back in, DiBiase chokes the champion down, and unloads with chops. Fistdrop and a 2^nd rope axehandle hit, followed by an atomic drop for two. Backdrop, but Savage manages a sunset flip for two, and an inside cradle follows for two, so DiBiase puts the boots to him to try cutting off the comeback. Vertical suplex, but Randy reverses, and they slug it out - Ted getting the best of it for two. Randy fires back with a series of jabs, but a flying axehandle is countered with a gut-punch, and DiBiase delivers a backbreaker - only to miss a 2^nd rope diving back-elbowdrop. Savage capitalizes with a hangman's clothesline, and he snaps DiBiase's throat across the top rope, then clotheslines his ass over it! Randy dives after him with a flying axehandle, and he plants another one on his challenger on the way back in! Flying Elbowdrop looks to finish, but Virgil pops up onto the apron before Randy can hit it. DiBiase tries capitalizing, but ends up hitting Virgil, and Randy schoolboys him for two. Backdrop, but DiBiase stops short, and decks him to block. Million Dollar Dream looks to finish, but Savage falls into the ropes. Virgil takes advantage of his position by blasting the champion with a chair, but Randy gets the shoulder up at a dramatic two! Virgil diligently undoes the top turnbuckle next while DiBiase distracts the official, but Savage reverses him into it! Randy crawls for the cover, but here comes Virgil to break up the pin - getting DiBiase disqualified at 12:41. Man, once this got going, it REALLY got going! Hard work from both guys, and a very exciting bout. Kinda weird that this went on in the middle, considering it was for the title, and Hogan wasn't on the card though. ** ½

Jake Roberts v Rick Rude: This went on last? Over Savage/DiBiase for the title, pre-SummerSlam? I mean, it was a hot feud, but come on! Rude taunts him vis a vis trying to fuck his wife in the butt, so Jake grabs a standing side-headlock. Seems like kind of a tame reaction, actually. Like, that might be appropriate if he was talking about titty-fucking her, or something, but for anal? STF or GTFO. Jake keeps working the headlock on the mat, and he threatens to go for Damien, so Rude bails. Kinda weird that Rude, with his tight cut body, was dead of heart failure (of all things) at age forty, while Roberts, with his saggy gut and long time substance abuse issues is the one still alive today. Rude stalls for a while on the outside, until Jake drags him in for a series of jabs, and goes back to the headlock. Rick makes the ropes to escape, and delivers an inverted atomic drop, then wraps Jake around the post on the floor. Rude with a flying axehandle on the way back in, and he grounds the Snake with a hammerlock. Jake dumps him to the floor to escape, but Rude hustles back in, and puts the boots to the arm before Jake can recover. Armbar, but Jake slugs free - only to miss a charge into the corner. Rick keeps hammering the arm, then goes back to the hammerlock, but Jake uses a stunner to escape, and this time manages to unload before Rude can cut him off. Kneelift sets up the DDT, but Rude holds onto the ropes to block. He looks to bail, but Jake grabs him by the seat of his pants - giving us the obligatory full moon from Rude. And here I was worried that they wouldn't make their quota. Jake impersonates Will Ferrell in Wedding Crashers on his way to hitting the DDT, but Rude uses the referee to block his path. As Jake tries to revive the official, Rick grabs him for the Rude Awakening, but Roberts gets his foot on the ropes at two. Rude puts the boots to him, but Jake schoolboys him for two. They spill to the outside for a brawl, and Rude beats the count in for the countout win at 18:45. Afterwards, Roberts gets his revenge with the snake. Even with the hot feud, this was as dull as the WrestleMania match - and even longer to boot! At least this time it was a house show, and not the biggest event of the year, though. *

BUExperience: This is a house show from the (only quarter filled) Spectrum in Philly two nights before the first SummerSlam (what’s crazy is that this was one of FOUR house shows the WWF ran on that same day, from four different cities!). The WWE Network’s version is heavily cut down to only three of the seven live event matches (as originally aired on Philadelphia’s PRISM network), though looking over the card, they left in the better stuff anyway. Nothing to go out of your way to see, but there are worse ways to kill an hour.

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