WWF Wrestling Challenge (November 16, 1986)

 

Original Airdate: November 16, 1986 (taped October 29)

From Glens Falls, New York; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Randy Savage v Koko B Ware: The WWF Intercontinental title is not on the line here. Savage attacks as Koko climbs into the ring, and drills him with an elbowsmash and a flying axehandle right away. Macho with a kneedrop for one, so he responds by choking Koko with his robe. Savage dumps him to the outside for a smash into the guardrail, and a hangman clothesline gets him two on the way back inside. Koko randomly makes a comeback from there (not even a hint of a transition), and a dropkick leads to a missile dropkick, but Savage is in the ropes at two. Koko tries staying on him with a bodypress, but Randy hits the deck, and Koko takes a bump to the outside. Macho dives with a flying axehandle, but Koko blocks, and smashes Savage into the rail, then the post for good measure. Unfortunately, he’s not mindful of the count, and we have a double countout on our hands at 3:02. Savage looked game to have a match here, and Koko probably would have held up his end, but this was too short to develop into anything. ¾*

Ricky Steamboat is sick of seeing Savage abuse Miss Elizabeth, and he might do something about it

Harley Race v Corporal Kirchner: Johnny Valiant covers for Bobby here, as Heenan guides Race to the ring. Race with a sneak attack, and a cross corner whip allows him a high knee on the rebound. Race with a hammerlock belly-to-belly suplex for two, but Kirchner starts throwing punches, and tags him with a headbutt. Kirchner uses a bodyslam to set up a kneedrop, and he goes upstairs for a flying elbowdrop, but Race dodges. That allows Harley to go up himself, and he lands a flying clothesline, followed by a fisherman suplex at 2:20. This was pretty solid. *

Ken Resnick catches up with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, who is getting pumped up for Paul Orndorff

Outback Jack vignette

Pedro Morales and Tito Santana v Steve Regal and John Jackson: Gorilla promises that Captain Lou Albano will go out ‘in a blaze of glory’ later on. So, I guess he’s not winning, then? Meanwhile, the Hart Foundation split screen in, all giggles. Which is to mask their ‘worry,’ per Gorilla. Seriously, what the fuck is this guy talking about half the time? Morales with a backbreaker at 2:15. DUD

Resnick catches up with Randy Savage, who isn’t worried about the challenges being made by Jake Roberts for a shot at this title, because he’s on the road to victory, and he doesn’t pick up hitchhikers. Hardly news, but Savage was an amazing promo

Kamala v Kurt Koffman: Wizard split screens in to shout about the Dungeon of Doom, or whatever. Meanwhile, Gorilla continues the roll he’s on by noting that there’s a ‘three hundred plus pound’ weight difference between these two guys. There’s puffing, and there’s outright lying, and he’s on the wrong side of it. Kamala with a splash at 0:59. DUD

Jake Roberts hosts the Snake Pit, with guest Slick. And Jake wants to know how Slick could be so stupid as to sell a piece of talent like Hercules. Slick clarifies that all his life he wanted to know how it felt to buy and sell a man, and he may have sold off Hercules, but he’s got Butch Reed now, which is even better. Reed looks really short next to tall Jake and tall Slick here

Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff v Nick Kiniski and Johnny Mann: You know they’re jobbers because they don’t even attack during the anthem. If you can’t even respect yourself enough to act like a star, why should anyone else? Sheik puts Mann away with a camel clutch at 2:19. DUD

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Davey Boy Smith, Dynamite Kid, and Captain Lou Albano v Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake, and Johnny Valiant: This is billed as Albano’s retirement match, and it largely was, as he only worked a couple of independent dates in 1996 and 1997 after this. The idiot ring announcer announces Beefcake as ‘Greg Brutus Beefcake.’ Kid and Valentine start, and Kid wins a criss cross with a shoulderblock, then adds a snap suplex. Tag to Davey for a hanging vertical suplex for two, and he tries a wristlock, but Greg quickly escapes. Greg with a bodyslam before passing to Beefcake, who delivers a backdrop. Beefcake with a hanging vertical suplex of his own for two, but Smith fires back with a front-powerslam for two. Tag back to Kid for a tandem clothesline, but Beefcake manages to pull Davey into the heel corner, and they triple team Smith. Valiant misses an elbowdrop, however, and Smith bodyslams him, then puts him down in a sleeper, so Greg saves. Kid runs in to respond, and Roseanne Barr the door! The Bulldogs clear the Dream Team out, and give Valiant a running powerslam/flying headbutt drop combo, and then let Lou pin him at 3:04. Albano did nothing here. But a fun match, nonetheless. Heenan ranting about Albano’s ‘cheap victory’ here is pretty great, though. * ¼ 

Backstage, various babyfaces shower Albano in champagne, but Valiant shows up to throw a cake in his face

Resnick catches up with Bob Orton and Don Muraco, who make the case that Roddy Piper is not really the good guy in their dispute. Not a bad case, either. Muraco doing a Piper impression here is pretty funny stuff

BUExperience: This was a great episode! Lots going on, multiple feature matches - good stuff!