WWF at Boston Garden (April 22, 1989)

 

Original Airdate: April 22, 1989

From Boston, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes

Opening Match: Greg Valentine v Blue Blazer: They trade wristlocks early on, with Blazer dominating. Valentine suckers him into trying for a lockup so he can throw a boot, allowing Hammer a corner whip, but Blazer dodges the charge in. That allows Blazer to go back to the wrist, and he gets Greg on the mat in a hammerlock. Valentine forces a criss cross, allowing him to sidestep Blazer, and Blazer takes a bump to the outside. Greg is on him with an axehandle from the apron, and he pounds on Blazer with elbowsmashes as they head back in. Blazer fights him off in the corner, and uses a dropkick for two, then throws a series of uppercuts. Another dropkick, but Valentine dodges, and delivers an elbowdrop for two. Greg tries for the figure four, but Blazer blocks. Another go, but Blazer hooks a cradle for two, then dumps Valentine to the outside to block a third attempt. Greg tries diving back in with a 2nd rope axehandle, but Blazer blocks, and comes back with a backbreaker for two. Blazer adds a backdrop to set up a legdrop for two, and a bodyslam allows Blazer to get upstairs with a missile dropkick for two. Blazer with a series of turnbuckle smashes ahead of a 2nd rope elbowdrop for two, and a bodyslam leads to a flying bodypress, but Greg catches him in a bodyslam of his own at 11:02. This was decent, but not notable. *

Jim Neidhart v Barbarian: Jim grabs a standing side-headlock early on, but Barbarian powers free, and wins the resulting criss cross with a shoulderblock. That annoys Neidhart, and he wants a power showdown, which Barbarian obliges. They’re evenly matched, so Neidhart throws a dropkick, and Barbarian ends up on the outside. Barbarian calls for a proper test-of-strength on the way back in, and he dominates that one, but Jim slugs free. That allows Jim to go to an overhead wristlock, but Barbarian quickly reverses it on him, so Neidhart throws a clothesline to put him back on the outside. Barbarian thunders back in with a big boot, and he adds a bodyslam, before putting the boots to Anvil. Barbarian works a nervehold for a while, until Jim finally escapes, and Anvil clotheslines him over the top. Jim vertical suplexes him back into the ring, and a bodyslam leads to a shoulderblock, so Mr. Fuji trips him up. That allows Barbarian to recover, and he blasts a distracted Neidhart with a big boot at 8:35. Dull match, uninspired finish. ½*

Tito Santana v Rick Martel: Tito’s theme slaps! I don’t really remember it from back in the day, surprisingly. Martel attacks him on the outside during the entrances, and destroys his leg with a chair before Tito can even get into the ring, so the match is called off. Rick’s chair shots were some of the weakest I’ve ever seen.

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Demolition v The Twin Towers: Smash and Big Boss Man start, and they measure each other early on. Boss Man pounds him into the corner for a cross corner whip, but the charge in hits a boot, and the champs pinball him in their home corner. Tag to Ax for a series of axehandles, and back to Smash for a double team, ending in Smash holding an armbar. The champs take turns working the arm, but Boss Man manages to railroad Smash into the heel corner, and Akeem tags. Avalanche, but Smash dodges, and he throws a series of rights at the big challenger, before taking Akeem into the babyface corner for more double teaming. The champs knock Akeem around at will, but he escapes a headvice from Ax, and tags. Boss Man hammers Ax into the corner, but Ax turns the tables, so Boss Man corner whips him, and grabs a bearhug. Akeem comes in to sandwich Ax with an avalanche while Boss Man holds the bearhug, and that’s enough to turn the tide. The Towers work Ax over, until they miss a combo, and Smash gets the hot tag, Roseanne Barr the door! Demolition hit Akeem with a combo, but the referee is down, so no count. That allows Boss Man to come in with the nightstick, and he knocks Ax silly for Akeem to cover - the groggy referee counting three at 13:36. Ah, but it turns out that the referee was simply tapping Akeem on the shoulder three times to alert him to the face that he’s been disqualified, not counting a pin. Oh. Not much doing here, as the first act with Demolition in control had no flow, the heat segment was dull, and then we got a crap finish to boot. I mean, Boss Man’s shirt didn’t even get that disheveled, how good could it have been? ¼*

Genius v Jim Powers: This is the in-ring debut of the Genius gimmick (he’d already debuted it in TV segments prior), and he’s still referred to as Lanny Poffo, with ‘the Genius’ as his nickname. Genius prances around, but runs into a dropkick, and takes a bump over the top. Back in, Powers hits him with a vertical suplex for one, so Genius bails. Back in, Powers gets a wristlock on, and he works the arm for a while. Genius fights him off and gets a chinlock on, until Powers fights free, and goes on the comeback trail. A backbreaker gets him two, but Genius fights him off, and delivers a flying somersault senton splash at 9:41. Poffo was a far better worker as a babyface than a heel, even if the character was entertaining. DUD

Brutus Beefcake v Bad News Brown: Kind of a weird pairing, given that Brown doesn’t even have any hair Beefcake can threaten to cut off. Bad News attacks from behind to kickstart the contest, and he chokes Beefcake down with his own ring jacket. Brown works Beefcake over with punch/kick stuff, until Brutus finds a comeback. He gets Brown into the corner for a ten-punch count to flop Bad News, but he wastes time strutting, and gets clobbered. Bad News tries a clothesline, but Beefcake ducks, and delivers a bodypress for two. Brown cuts him off with a bodyslam, but a trip to the top takes too long, and Beefcake slams him off. That allows Beefcake mounted punches, and he gets the sleeper on, but Bad News railroads into the corner for a quick break. Beefcake tries staying on him, but eats a clothesline, and Brown decides to grab the scissors. The referee intervenes, allowing Beefcake a schoolboy at 7:34. Brown’s another guy where the character was five-stars, but the ring work rarely broke one-star. ¼*

Tito Santana v Rick Martel: Okay, round two. Santana tries attacking before the bell, but Martel sweeps the leg, and bashes it into the post! Rick goes to work on the leg, pounding on it mercilessly, until Tito reverses a turnbuckle smash on him. Santana with a cross corner whip, and he delivers a clothesline as Rick rebounds. Tito unloads in the corner, but Martel manages to throw a low blow, and hook a leveraged cradle at 3:15. Worth the wait. DUD

Honky Tonk Man v Hillbilly Jim: Honky stalls to start. For a long time. The first contact doesn’t happen until over two minutes in, and Jim wins the exchange, knocking Honky out of the ring. Luckily, that doesn’t lead to more stalling, and Jim gets a standing headlock on once Honky is back inside. Jim with a bodyslam, and he grabs a bearhug, but Honky goes to the eyes to break. That allows Honky a few axehandles, and Jimmy Hart is quick to offer a cheap shot following a bootchoke. Honky gets a modified chinlock on, but Jim fights free. He tries a bodyslam, but Honky topples him for two, and goes back to the chinlock. Jim escapes, and manages an atomic drop to kick off a comeback. A big boot connects, so Hart distracts him, and Honky trips him up for the pin at 7:04. Man, these are so horrendous finishes tonight. DUD

Main Event: WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Rick Rude v Ultimate Warrior: Warrior charges in to kick start things, and Rude wastes no time in overselling shit. A stomachbreaker leaves Rick hurting, but Warrior tosses him over the top, and runs him stomach first into the post. You don’t see that every day. Inside, Warrior continues wrecking him, so Bobby Heenan trips him up, and idiot Warrior takes the bait. He chases Heenan around, which allows Rude to bail. Warrior catches up with him out there, sending the champion into the post again, and he uses a backdrop on the way back into the ring. Warrior with a bodyslam, and an inverted atomic drop gives Rude another chance to oversell for the challenger. Warrior goes upstairs, but Rick shakes the ropes, and the challenger takes a spill to the mat. That allows Rick an inverted atomic drop of his own, and a piledriver gets him two. Rick works a reverse chinlock from there, but Warrior starts no-selling him mid-hold, and delivers a pair of facebusters. Warrior with a trio of clotheslines for two, and a piledriver of his own is worth two - Rude in the ropes. Warrior responds by stomping the hell out of the leg, and he ropechokes the champion with gusto. Warrior with a running powerslam, but he pulls Rude up a two, electing to batter him with mounted punches instead of, you know, winning the title. Well, we never claimed he was a great strategist. Warrior with a powerslam for two, and another facebuster has Rude bailing out of the ring. Warrior chases, and he unloads with right hands out there, so Rick bails up the aisle. Heenan gets in Warrior’s face to buy time, but Rick is running for the hills, and Warrior picks up the countout win at 10:21. Warrior and Rude always had such great chemistry, it’s still shocking to me that they had such a disappointing match when they headlined at SummerSlam in 1990. **

BUExperience: 1989 was a fun year. This wasn’t a fun card.

DUD