WWF Prime Time Wrestling (October 14, 1986)

 

Original Airdate: October 14, 1986

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

Barry O v Frankie Lane: From Toronto Ontario Canada on September 28. The announcers get into a long discussion about how much weight Barry has put on since his last appearance in the spring. After much debate, we agree that it’s somewhere between thirty and forty pounds. Okay, good that we got that cleared up. Lane dominates early on, but gets clobbered, and Barry goes to work. Barry tries a front-facelock, so Lane uses a cradle for two, but gets clobbered again, and Barry drops a pair of knees for two. Lane comes back with a rollup for one, so Barry bails, and stalls to break the momentum. Barry tries to sucker him into a handshake once getting back in, but Frankie is wise to him, so Barry ends up having to work for control. He manages to dump Lane, but a headbutt gets no-sold, and Lane bodyslams him for two. Cradle gets another two, but he walks into a sidewalk slam at 5:56. This felt a lot longer than six minutes. ½*

Sivi Afi v Iron Mike Sharpe: From Toronto Ontario Canada on September 28. Posturing to start, with Sharpe initially dominating, but then getting knocked out of the ring following a dropkick from Afi. Back in, Sharpe grabs a standing side-headlock, but Afi forces a criss cross, and uses a drop-toehold into a hammerlock. Sharpe reverses, but Afi escapes, and hooks a rollup for two, and Mike begs off in the corner. Afi with a series of rights for two, and he goes to a chinlock, but Mike manages to hook a headscissors. Afi escapes, so Mike goes to the eyes, and ropechokes him. Sharpe with a backdrop for two, but a second one gets countered with a sunset flip for two. Sharpe takes him into the corner to cut off a comeback, and a snapmare leads to a standing dropkick, but Afi dodges. Afi tries a splash, but Sharpe dodges, so Afi throws a knife-edge chop, and unloads on Mike on the ropes. Charge, but Sharpe gets a boot up to block while still tied in the ropes, only to make the mistake of trying turnbuckle smashes on him. Afi runs wild, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets nailed. Sharpe dumps him to the outside, but that pisses Afi off, and he posts him. Inside, Afi with an atomic drop, and a headbutt drop to the groin gets him two. A bodyslam sets up a pump-splash for two, and a headbutt drop gets another two. Sivi with a Russian legsweep for two, and he tosses Sharpe over the top, but Mike beats the count. Afi welcomes him with a bodypress for two, so Sharpe sweeps the leg, and unloads mounted punches. He loses a criss cross, however, and Afi plants a headbutt on him, then a corner clothesline. A snapmare allows Afi some mounted punches of his own for two, and an inside cradle is worth two. Sharpe manages a hiptoss, but a splash hits the knees, and Afi covers for two. Afi with a bodyslam to set up a dive, but Sharpe recovers. He tries slamming him off the top, but Afi drops to the apron to block, and gets a sleeper applied from the apron, just as time expires at 15:58. This actually built into a hell of a match by the end! ** ½

Ken Resnick catches up with Honky Tonk Man, who thinks Gorilla Monsoon is like a dad to him, while Bobby Heenan is an idiot. This is so odd

Jose Luis Rivera v Mr. X: From Toronto Ontario Canada on September 28. Joined in progress, with X unloading in the corner, and snapmarring Rivera into a chinlock. Rivera escapes, and throws a few rights ahead of a dropkick, but X kicks him in the gut to avoid getting cornered, and then delivers a turnbuckle smash. X with a snapmare back to the chinlock, as Gorilla wonders why so many wrestlers are using chinlocks these days. Yeah, I wonder. Rivera escapes, so X tries a hiptoss, but Rivera reverses. That allows him to get up to the middle rope, and a dropkick finishes at 3:01 shown. I have no idea how long the full version was, so I won’t throw a rating on it, but this was decent for what it was. I mean, most matches would be if you only showed the end of the second act, and the full third.

Tiger Chung Lee v Jerry Allen: From Toronto Ontario Canada on September 28. This is another one joined in progress, with Tiger taking a cheap shot to grab control. Allen tries a backdrop, but gets clobbered, and Lee drops an elbow for two. Tiger continues working him over in dull fashion, and Jerry ends up getting dumping onto the ramp. Lee tries a suplex back in, but Allen counters with a cradle at 4:44 shown. This is another one where I have no idea how much was cut out, but I feel comfortable throwing a DUD

Paul Roma v Terry Gibbs: From Toronto Ontario Canada on September 28. Gibbs stalls to start, until Roma finally makes contact after a full two minutes. Paul with a bodypress for two, and he holds Gibbs in a standing side-headlock from there. Why does Gorilla have to note which wrestlers the women in the audience like in every match? I like how conversational his commentary style is, but that’s a weird thing to focus on in almost every match. Roma really goes to town with that headlock, until Gibbs forces a criss cross, and Paul hooks a sunset flip for two. Back to the headlock, and wow, Terry’s selling is loud. Once again, Gorilla questions the point of the headlock, another hold that never gets a win for anyone. He’s not wrong! And his analysis of the holds (like how the opponent has two free arms, etc) is welcome. Gibbs finally escapes, and hammers Roma into the corner, so Paul tries a charge, but wipes out. Gibbs dumps him to the outside, but Roma beats the count, so Gibbs unloads a turnbuckle smash on the way back in. Backdrop, so Roma tries another sunset flip, but Gibbs blocks. Gibbs with an elbowdrop for two, and he hooks a standing front-facelock, which Gorilla does approve of. I need to start keeping a list. And then a sub list for who applies them correctly. The abdominal stretch section will be pages long. Gibbs with a neckbreaker, so Roma tries a backdrop, but gets clobbered. Gibbs with a backbreaker, but Paul comes back with a tour of turnbuckle smashes, followed by a hiptoss. Roma lands a dropkick for two, and a small package gets two. Gibbs tries another neckbreaker, but Paul counters with a backslide for two. Gibbs looks for a rollup with a handful of tights, but Roma reverses it on him at 9:07. Pretty dull for the most part, with the bulk of the match being either stalling or headlocks. ½*

Resnick brings Wizard in, and I still don’t get this guy. He feels like a 1993 ECW gimmick. At best

Iron Sheik v Mike Rotundo: From Toronto Ontario Canada on September 28. Sheik attacks with the flagpole before the bell, and he chokes Mike down with a bandana. Backdrop, but Mike uses a leapfrog to avoid it, and he bodyslams Sheik. Mike with a knife-edge chop, and he chokes Sheik with his own robe as payback. Mike with a jumping clothesline, followed by an atomic drop, and a catapult into the buckles. That sets up an elbowdrop for two, so Mike goes to a standing side-headlock, but Sheik forces a criss cross, and hiptosses him. Sheik tries a somersault senton splash, but Mike dodges, and grounds the man in a front-facelock. Sheik escapes and manages a backdrop, and he adds a clothesline before dumping Rotundo to the outside for Nikolai Volkoff to abuse. Inside, Sheik gets the camel clutch on, and Gorilla is declaring this one over. That’s quite the departure for him. Mike makes the ropes, so Sheik dives on him with a straddling ropechoke, and applies an abdominal stretch. Ah, there’s our Gorilla. Mike escapes, so Sheik tries vertical suplexing him, but Rotundo reverses for two. Sleeper, so Slick distracts the referee, and Volkoff breaks the hold. Sheik covers for two, so Slick tries using the cane, but ends up nailing Sheik - Mike hooking the leg at 7:20. ¾*

Pedro Morales v Hercules: From Toronto Ontario Canada on September 28. Joined in progress, with Hercules suckering him into a test-of-strength, and throwing a cheap shot. Clothesline, but Pedro ducks, and unloads with left hands to put Hercules on his ass. Slick with a distraction that Morales also falls for, and Hercules jumps him. I’m starting to think Pedro is not so smart. Hercules with a vertical suplex at 3:37 shown of 6:20, despite Pedro having a foot on the ropes. We can safely call this a DUD

Meanwhile, laborers are hard at work rebuilding the set for Piper’s Pit

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Randy Savage v George Steele: From Toronto Ontario Canada on September 28. Savage attacks while Steele is busy ogling Miss Elizabeth, but George blocks a piledriver, and bodyslams the champion. He tosses Randy over the top, and Steele follows to send him into the guardrail a few times. He loses the high ground on the way back in, allowing Macho to pop him with a weapon, and he ropechokes his challenger. Savage with a flying axehandle for one, so Macho grabs a chair, but Steele blocks. Randy responds by using the hidden weapon again, but Steele steals it away, and pops Macho in full view of the official for the DQ at 4:39. Total junk. I can’t believe this shit went on last for the live crowd. DUD

BUExperience: While I enjoyed the show long angle of Heenan promising to unveil his LJN action figure, and though Afi/Sharpe was a surprisingly good match, the card they were pulling matches from was really bad here.