WWF Prime Time Wrestling (May 26, 1986)

Original Airdate: May 26, 1986

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan in the studio. The talk of the day is that Jesse Ventura is off shooting a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bobby is pretty sure he’s going to win an Oscar for it

King Kong Bundy v Tony Atlas: From New York City on May 19 1986. It’s amazing how different the Garden could look just depending on the lighting. Just shows how much production value they put into making their pay per view shows look good. Bundy tries using size, but Atlas hits a Thesz-press for two during a criss cross, and a headbutt staggers Bundy. Atlas works an armbar, but Bundy slugs free, and backelbows Tony for two. Bodyslam sets up a fistdrop for two, and Bundy goes to a chinlock from there. Tony eventually fights free, but runs himself into another backelbow. Bundy tries a splash, but Tony rolls out of the way, and goes back on the comeback trail. 2nd rope headbutt sets up a splash, but Bundy blocks, and drops an elbow for the pin at 6:58. Total yawner. DUD

Lanny Poffo v Tiger Chung Lee: From New York City on May 19 1986. Joined in progress with Poffo holding an armbar, what looks like pretty early in the contest. Lee powers to a vertical base in the corner and throws a knee to force a break, and he schools Lanny with some chops. Whip into the ropes sets up a backelbow, and Lee adds a pair of stomachbreakers. He must really hate stomachs! Lee keeps working the midsection, which is actually quite unique. You see guys work the neck, arm, back, or legs often, but very rarely the midsection. Poffo fights back with right hands, and boy, is this referee short! Both of these guys look like Andre the Giant beside him. Lee with a cheap shot to turn the tide back in his favor for a bit, but a corner charge misses, and Lanny makes a brief comeback, before getting clobbered again. Lee throws a dropkick for two, and a big chop sends Lanny over the top. Back in, Poffo mounts another comeback, delivering a backdrop for two. but gets nailed with some deadly martial arts in the corner, and Poffo takes another spill to the outside. Lee brings him in with a bodyslam, but Tiger gets slammed off the top while trying a dive. That allows Poffo a slingshot somersault senton splash, but Lee dodges. Lee tries a cross corner whip, but Lanny comes at him with a rana into a cradle at 10:27 shown of 11:15. ½*

Ken Resnick catches up with Lou Albano and WWF Tag Team Champions The British Bulldogs, and boy, pinky rings were all the rage with announcers in the 80s huh? It always stuns me just how young Davey Boy Smith was. I mean, here he was, already a star and a champion, already eight years into his career, and he died all the way in 2002 - and still wasn’t even forty yet. Gone way too soon

Bret Hart v SD Jones: From New York City on May 19 1986. I think that Hogan doppelganger guy (from Survivor Series ‘91, King of the Ring ‘93, and a bunch of WCW shows) is in the house for this one. That guy always had the worst luck, Hulk always suffered the most dramatic losses whenever he showed up. And Hogan wasn’t even on the card this night in New York! Joined in progress, with them trading wristlocks. Bret gets the better of a criss cross to take control, and he drills Jones with a pointed elbowdrop. Snapmare sets up a chinlock, as Gorilla chats with Lord Alfred Hayes, and apparently Hayes was a feared brawler in his day. I never really got much background on him, so I decided to do a little research, and holy shit, he almost won the NWA World Title in 1972? That is a much bigger star position than I was expecting. Jones fights Bret off and does some punch-kick stuff, and a few headbutt lay Hart out. Corner charge hits boot, allowing Bret a 2nd rope elbowdrop for two, so Jones goes to the eyes. Jones slugs at him, but runs into a backbreaker while coming out of the ropes, and Bret actually gets the pin off of it at 7:46 shown of 10:15. Wow, he actually got the pin with the backbreaker? No wonder he always went for the cover after it during his comeback routine in later years! ¼*

Baseball players Dave Winfield and Dave Righetti are backstage at the Garden, when King Kong Bundy and Bobby Heenan show up to give them shit, so the ball players challenge them to a match. I’m pretty sure that one never went anywhere

Jim Neidhart v Jim Brunzell: From New York City on May 19 1986. Anvil gets him down in a chinlock almost right away, and he works that and a headlock for a while. Brunzell forces a criss cross to allow himself a drop-toehold, and he traps Neidhart in a toehold. Neidhart manages to dump him to the outside, and Anvil holds the high ground, but Brunzell manages to get control with a hammerlock once he forces his way back inside. He shifts into a cradle for two, but Anvil manages to get a facelock on off of the kickout. Brunzell counters back to the hammerlock, but Neidhart fights out, and uses an inverted atomic drop to turn the tide. Anvil leaves some teeth marks all over him until Brunzell bails, but Brunzell manages a small package for two on the way back in. Anvil responds by going to the eyes, and he grounds Brunzell in a chinlock. Brunzell escapes, and wins a criss cross with… a sleeper, to really kick things into gear now. Anvil fights him off and works a mat-based headlock, until Brunzell escapes, and bashes Neidhart’s leg into the post to get a bit of revenge for all the cheating the Anvil has been doing. Brunzell locks a figure four on, but Anvil has the ropes almost immediately to force a break. Cross corner whip backfires when Anvil rebounds with a clothesline for two, so Neidhart whips him into the ropes for another one, but Brunzell has the same idea, and both guys go down. Brunzell is up first, but stupidly tries a bodyslam, and gets toppled for two. Brunzell stays on the comeback trail with a dropkick, but time expires at 18:03. Boring non-action here. And this piece of shit went on just before the main event! Why would you want to put the crowd to sleep right before your closer? ¼*

Dan Spivey v Paul Christy: From New York City on May 19 1986. Tail end of Christy’s long career here, working as enhancement talent. Spivey dominates him, as I keep having to remind myself that I’m not looking at Barry Windham. Spivey with a bulldog at 3:11. DUD

Hercules Hernandez v Sivi Afi: From New York City on May 19 1986. Feeling out to start, with Afi able to outfox him throughout, but unable to string much together before Hercules clobbers him. Hercules with a jumping clothesline for two, and he works a chinlock. Afi escapes, but gets clobbered again, and it’s back to the chinlock. Really giving us their best here, aren’t they? Afi manages an inverted atomic drop to kick off a comeback, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and, say it with me, gets clobbered. Hercules hammers, but gets dumped to the outside, and Afi leaps with a flying bodypress on the floor! That was pretty wild, with Afi sailing right over the commentators, and having no fear of the exposed concrete. Afi with a headbutt drop for two on the way back in, but Hercules rolls through on another flying bodypress, and hooks the tights for the pin at 11:53. ½*

BUExperience: Wanna watch a house show, but with all the good matches cut out? Then, boy, is this the show for you!