Goody Bag 70: WWF 1985

 

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Greg Valentine v Tito Santana: From a live event in New York City on January 21 1985. Greg hammers him early on, and a snapmare sets up an elbowdrop, but Santana dodges. That allows Tito a bodyslam, and the challenger gets him in a chinlock. Greg fights to a vertical base, so Tito sweeps the leg, and the Hammer bails before Santana can go for a hold. Back in, Greg manages a bodyslam, and he goes to work with some kneedrops. Valentine works a bearhug, but Tito starts escaping, so Greg dumps him into the corner for abuse. Greg works an abdominal stretch, but Santana escapes, so Hammer drops an elbow to the back for two. Back the bearhug, but Tito fights free, and makes a comeback. Vertical suplex gets him two, so he starts working the leg. Figure four, but Greg hooks the tights to block, and then bails to buy time. Tito drags him back in, but Greg blocks the hold again, and bails once more. Santana brings him back inside, but the jumping forearm misses, as Greg takes advantage of Santana’s frustration. That allows Hammer a pair of elbowdrops, and a forearm drop gets two. Shoulderblock gets him two, and another elbowdrop is worth two. Series of forearm shots get him two, so he starts bashing Santana’s head into the mat, then dumps him to the outside to try for the countout. Santana beats the count, so Greg welcomes him with a forearm to the chest, and poor Tito is on dream street. Greg looks to put it away with the figure four, but Santana counters with a cradle for two. Greg tries again, so Tito shoves him into the corner to block, and a criss cross ends in both men looking up at the lights. Greg gets the better of it, and covers for two, but another criss cross allows Santana the jumping forearm! It finds the mark this time, but knocks Valentine to the outside, and Tito is too battered to get him back in in time - Greg counted out at 20:20. Good drama in the final few minutes, and consistently solid technically, but pretty slow most of the way through. * ¼ 

WWF Intercontinental Title Lumberjack Match: Greg Valentine v Tito Santana: From a live event in NYC, March 17 1985. It’s incredible how popular the product was at this point… here we are just weeks away from WrestleMania, and they’re running the same building - and with a full house! Hammer attacks before the bell, and pounds Tito down to take control. Criss cross allows Santana to fight him off, however, and he unloads on Greg with right hand after right hand. Hammer bails, but the heel lumberjacks cuddle him, instead of forcing him in. Ricky Steamboat hustles over to force him in, as Okerlund notes that they may one day meet. They did! It was called WrestleMania IV, and it sucked. Tito keeps dumping him to the outside to mess with the champion, but Greg fights a ten-punch count off with an inverted atomic drop, as commentator Gene Okerlund seems to be having a ball. He’s got a bad case of the giggles, was he stoned, or something? Like, he just sees Rocky Johnson at ringside, and starts cracking up like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever seen. Valentine works him over in dull fashion, and a 2nd rope elbowdrop gets him two. He starts pounding the leg to set up the figure four, but Santana counters with a cradle for two. Greg responds by beating on him in the corner, but a charge ends badly, and Tito makes a comeback. Santana with a vertical suplex for two, and he goes for the figure four, but Greg blocks. Greg decides to bail, but the lumberjacks force him back in, and Santana drills him with a forearm to knock him silly. That’s enough to set up the figure four, but the heel lumberjacks help him escape. Slugfest goes Santana’s way, but a double knockout spot ends in goofy fashion, with Greg collapsing on top of Santana for the win at 14:57. I had to check my numbers again, because this felt much longer. That’s never a good sign. ¾*

Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake v Tito Santana and Ricky Steamboat: From Toronto Ontario Canada on April 21 1985. Beefcake and Steamboat start, and the Dragon wins a criss cross, so Greg comes in, but Steamboat fights him off. Tito comes in for backup, as Ricky hits Beefcake with a flying tomahawk chop, and then stereo backelbows with Tito. Santana pops Beefcake with a chincrusher and a facebuster, so Brutus goes to the eyes, and passes. Greg hustles in with an elbowdrop, but Tito dodges, and he unloads on the Hammer until Greg bails. Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura are doing a great job of getting over how important the match is, giving it stakes by noting that if the babyfaces can beat Greg, they’d be in the running for the shot at his Intercontinental title. Inside, Tito nearly gets him in the figure four, but Greg blocks, and pops him down low to turn the tide. The heels go to work on Tito, until Ricky can catch a tag, and he comes in hot! He isolates Beefcake, and a vertical suplex sets up a chop drop. Sleeper looks to put it away, so Beefcake goes to the eyes, and makes the tag. Steamboat tries to keep the fire burning, but the Hammer cuts him off, and drops him with a stomachbreaker for two. The heels go to work cutting the ring in half on their new victim, but Tito gets the tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Santana manages to get Valentine in the figure four as the brawl goes on, and Greg submits at 15:34. Solid, old school tag action, with a molten crowd. * ¾  

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Paul Orndorff: From Toronto on April 21 1985. Hulk with a side suplex right away, and an axe bomber follows, so Orndorff bails. Paul stalls for a while, but Hulk stays focused, and gets him in a standing headlock once Orndorff comes back in. Orndorff tries to force a criss cross, but gets clobbered with a shoulderblock, and Paul ends up back on the outside. Back in for a slugfest, but Hogan wins that as well, and a cross corner clothesline finds the mark. It’s interesting hearing Jesse Ventura on commentary, giving Hogan his due, and not burying him at every turn. Hulk with an atomic drop for two, so Orndorff throws a knee, and turns the tide with a pair of pointed elbowdrops. Pair of kneedrops follow, and Orndorff dumps him to the outside for a trip into the guardrail. Hulk beats the count, so Paul welcomes him with a kneedrop into a choke. Vertical suplex sets up a kneedrop for two, and a facebuster follows. Turnbuckle smash, but Hulk reverses, and adds a bunch more for good measure. Hulk makes a comeback, and a bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, but Orndorff rolls out of the way. That allows Orndorff to put the boots to the champion, but Hogan rolls through on a flying bodypress to retain at 9:08. Fun seeing the Hulkster work prior to developing his more familiar comeback routine, down to a very unique finish for a Hogan match. * ½  

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Don Muraco: From a live event in New York City on April 22 1985. Hulk knocks him over the top out of the opening exchange, and the champ gets him in a hammerlock as Muraco comes back inside. Hulk uses a drop-toehold to take him down into a crossface, and then into an armbar. Muraco uses a bodyslam to escape, but an attempt to criss cross ends in Hulk taking him down in a hammerlock. I get why Hulk eventually settled into his routine matches, and it was definitely the right decision for him from a personal and medical standpoint, but man, I wish we got to see this version of Hulk Hogan more often during his big run. Muraco tries a takedown to escape, but Hulk won’t go over, so Don uses a low blow to escape the hold. That’s enough to turn the tide, and Muraco goes to work on the leg. Hulk fights him off with a leg-feed enzuigiri, and he makes a comeback. Bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, but Muraco dodges, and turns the tide back. Don goes back to work on the champion, and a tombstone looks to finish, but Hulk fights free, triggering the HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Big Boot, but Muraco falls out of the ring on it. Hulk tries pulling him back in, but Don pulls him to the outside instead, and sends him into the apron following a distraction from Mr. Fuji. That allows Don to roll back in, and Hulk is counted out at 13:35. This was really boring. ½*

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Don Muraco: From NYC on May 20 1985. Muraco attacks before the bell, and the announcers are, of course, quick to note that Mr. Fuji would know all about Pearl Harbor. Don unloads on him, but Hulk catches a second wind, and starts slugging back. Muraco ends up on the outside, so Hulk chases with a clothesline on the floor, and holy shit, this crowd is losing their minds for every movement the Hulkster makes. Hulk with an atomic drop on the floor, and a cross corner clothesline connects on the way back inside. Bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, and Hogan unloads with mounted punches, so Don bails. Hulk chases to nail him with a chair out there, and a headbutt follows. Inside, Hulk side suplexes him, and the crowd still hasn’t died down here. It’s like one sustained pop for the entire match. Hulk chucks him over the top for a shot into the post, and Muraco is busted open. Hogan vertical suplexes him back into the ring, and a bodyslam sets up the legdrop, but Fuji gets Muraco’s foot onto the rope to save. That allows Fuji to pass the challenger some salt, and he chucks it into Hogan’s eyes for the DQ at 6:18. This was so much more fun than the boring April match. * ½ 

WWF Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan v Don Muraco: From NYC on June 21 1985. Weird cage her, with the blue bars for the support pieces, but with the mesh otherwise. It’s like a hybrid of the two WWF cages, and it’s actually pretty cool. It looks much more ‘upscale’ than the standard mesh, but I’m still personally a fan of the blue bar cage. Muraco tries to ram him into the cage early on, but Hulk blocks, and they posture. Don gets control, but fails to make it out the door, and Hulk hammers him. Hogan with some biting, and he sends Muraco into the steel to draw blood. Again, but Don reverses, and he adds  a catapult into the cage to open the Hulkster up. That allows Muraco to try and climb out, but Hulk chases him up the side, and they fight it out on the top rope. Hulk wins that one, but loses control as they go back to the ground, and Don works him over. Muraco with a kneedrop, as Gene tries selling us that a female reporter at ringside has started vomiting because of how brutal the match is. Come on now, Gene. At least sound sincere if you’re going to try that kind of shit. Hulk fights back with a big boot, and he gets out the door at 9:16. I didn’t really dig that finish, as Hulk had to kind of get away from Muraco to escape, instead of beating him so senseless that he can’t even try and stop him. Feels like a weird way to book a blowoff. This was surprisingly dull, considering how much fun the brawl in May was, and that this was the big blowoff to months of feuding. ¾*

The Hart Foundation v The British Bulldogs: From NYC on July 13 1985. The Bulldogs are simply from ‘England’ at this point. Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid start, and they posture a bit. They trade hammerlocks, ending in Kid dumping him to the outside, and Jim Neidhart is right there to hustle the Hitman away from the Bulldogs’ corner. Tag to Neidhart, and Kid’s attempts at a shoulderblock end badly. Neidhart tries a backdrop, but gets blocked, and Davey Boy Smith tags in for tandem shoulderblock that takes Anvil off of his feet. Test-of-strength ends in Jim popping him with a cheap shot, but Smith fires back with a standing dropkick, so Neidhart tags out. Bret catches Davey with a knee to put him down, and he stomps the groin, before passing back to Anvil for stereo backelbows. The Foundation go to work on Smith, until Davey dodges a double team, and gets the tag off to Kid! Kid comes in hot, and Bret does some great selling for his stuff. Kid hits Hart with a flying dropkick, and it’s back to Davey for the running powerslam, but Neidhart saves at two. Smith with a small package for two, again saved by Jim. That allows Hart to dump Smith to the outside, and Neidhart is right there to attack. Inside, Bret puts Davey in a Boston crab, but now Kid makes the save. Neidhart tries his own crab, but Kid saves again, and the referee finally restores order. Neidhart gets Davey in a chinlock, but he escapes, and hooks a backslide for two - saved by Bret. Hart tags in with a rollup, but Davey reverses - reversed again by Hart, leaving them in the ropes. Smith throws a dropkick to try and buy space for a tag, but Neidhart cuts him off, and Bret delivers a legdrop. Tag to Neidhart, but time expires at 13:14 due to curfew. Ah, curfew. The stupidest thing in 80s wrestling, by far. This was a good first two-thirds of a match, but would have likely been great with a proper third act. *** 

Andre the Giant and Paul Orndorff v Roddy Piper and Bob Orton: From NYC on August 10 1985. Big brawl to start, with the babyfaces cleaning house. The heels double up on Andre, and actually think they might get somewhere with that, but it doesn’t go well. Orndorff tags in to hit Piper with a pointed elbowdrop, and both guys tag, with Andre going right for Bob’s cast covered arm. Roddy comes in to try and save, but Andre destroys him as well, and Orndorff holds Orton in a wristlock. He and Andre take turns working the wrist, until Piper comes in to trigger another brawl. Orton tries diving off the middle with the cast, but lands on Andre’s boot, and Orndorff pins him at 8:28. This wasn’t good, but monster Andre is always a fun thing to watch, so it wasn’t completely useless. ¼*

WWF Tag Team Title Match: The US Express v The Dream Team: From New York on August 10 1985. Barry Windham and Greg Valentine start, and Barry dodges an elbowdrop, allowing him to grab an armbar. Over to Mike Rotundo to continue working the arm, until Greg manages a drop-toehold, and he goes for the leg, but Mike fights him off. Rotundo with an armbar, until Brutus Beefcake can tag in, but ends up trapped in a mat-based side-headlock by the champion. Tag to Barry to work a headlock as well, and Brutus is so dazed, he tries to tag out to Rotundo. The champs continue to dominate Beefcake for a while, until Greg manages a cheap shot on Mike as Rotundo is running the ropes, and the challengers take control. They cut the ring in half on Mike, until he manages a backdrop, and he makes the hot tag to Barry - Roseanne Barr the door! Beefcake manages to clobber him long enough to cut him off, and Greg tags in with a 2nd rope axehandle, but the figure four gets blocked. That results in a criss cross that ends in both men looking up at the lights, and Rotundo gets a hot tag. That draws Beefcake in, but Mike fights them both off, and Roseanne Barr the door! Mike gets Greg in an airplane spin for two, but gets clobbered by Beefcake. That allows Greg to go for the figure four, but Barry saves with a sunset flip at 22:38. The Dream Team would end up getting the belts later in the month, however. The first ten minutes was all feeling out stuff, then it settled right into a heat segment, but they did a good job keeping it engaging throughout, which is so much better than just doing a lot of high spots. And then the third act was really fun stuff, with simple (but effective) drama. ** ¼ 

Bruno Sammartino v Roddy Piper: From Boston Massachusetts on December 7 1985. They don’t even wait for the introductions to get into it here, and Bruno feeds Roddy the post a few times - Hot Rod busted open within the first minute. Sammartino knocks him around, until Roddy manages to turn the tide, and they spill to the outside so Piper can feed him the guardrail. Sammartino fights him off on the way back inside, so Roddy bails, and decides to run home, but Bruno drags him back. They slug it out, and poor Piper is begging off now. Sammartino shows no mercy, but Roddy manages to fight him off, and he hammers him with axehandles. Sammartino goes low, and starts unloading, so Bob Orton runs in for the DQ at 5:04. Not the most interesting work, but tons of fire. ½*