WWF Prime Time Wrestling (December 23, 1986)

 

Original Airdate: December 23, 1986

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

Blackjack Mulligan v Jimmy Jack Funk: From Boston Massachusetts on December 6 1986. Mulligan chases him out of the ring right away, and Funk begs off. Mulligan responds by stomping Funk’s hat, and man, I’m surprised they didn’t have to invent the Hell in a Cell right then and there to settle it. Funk complains to the official that Mulligan has spurs on his boots, and honestly, that’s a fair complaint. The official forces him to remove them, so Funk tries a bodyslam, but Mulligan reverses, and Funk bails. Inside, Funk tries a cross corner whip, but Mulligan is like a damned anchor, and it doesn’t go well. Funk tries an avalanche, but misses, and Mulligan clotheslines him over the top. Back in, Mulligan tries a jumping backelbow, but Funk dodges. That allows Funk a snapmare to set up a 2nd rope fistdrop, and he grabs a chinlock to wear Mulligan down. Blackjack fights free, and manages a backdrop, then lands the backelbow for the pin at 5:34. This was inoffensive. ½*

SD Jones v Iron Mike Sharpe: From Boston Massachusetts on December 6 1986. Sharpe stalls to start, and gets dominated every time he engages. Sharpe manages a cheap shot to get control, but quickly loses it back to Jones, and ends up tied in the ropes for a pounding. The referee frees him, and Sharpe manages to fire off another cheap shot in the process, and that one sticks. Sharpe snaps his throat across the top rope for two, but a series of turnbuckle smashes get no sold, and Jones chases him out of the ring. Sharpe stalls out there, and manages to hit Jones with his brace on the way back in, but Jones fights back with an atomic drop before Mike can follow up. Sharpe bails again, and tries choking Jones in the corner as he comes back in, and gets some traction there. He stomps Jones down in the corner, and lands a backelbow for one. Jones comes back with fists, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets clobbered. That allows Sharpe a bodyslam for two, but he argues the count, and gets rolled up for two. Sharpe tries staying in it with a neckbreaker, but Jones counters to a backslide at 8:26. This was super basic, and didn’t really have a story to it. Just kind of puttering around in a very repetitive manner. ¼*

Gene Okerlund is in the studio for Update, with a look at the recovery of Ricky Steamboat, who is currently working with a speech pathologist 

Blackjack Mulligan is back on the farm, rhapsodizing about fertilizer

Jesse Ventura catches up with Andre the Giant, and he wants answers about how his suspension was lifted, but Andre is being tight lipped. I’m digging the slow burn of this angle

Pedro Morales v Harley Race: From Boston Massachusetts on December 6 1986. Joined in progress with Pedro working a standing side-headlock. Race whips him into the ropes to escape, but Morales catches him with a backdrop on the rebound, so Race nails him in the corner, and uses a snapmare to set up a kneedrop. Race chokes him down on the mat, and hammers him with some knees, then a clothesline. A pair of elbowdrops get two, so Harley snaps his throat across the top rope, and delivers a vertical suplex. Race with a headbutt drop for two, and a piledriver gets another two. Morales goes on the comeback trail from there (via an eyerake, what a babyface), and an inside cradle gets him two. A backdrop gets two, but he gets overzealous in the corner, and Race sweeps him into a leveraged pin at 6:40 shown of 8:43. This probably would have been a big deal about fifteen years or so before this, but both guys were still total pros even this late in their careers, and could get a match out of anything. ¾*

A Christmas Carol, with Roddy Piper as Scrooge. I get what they were going for here, but this was really long (about seven minutes), and not really worth the time

Dick Slater v Steve Lombardi: From Boston Massachusetts on December 6 1986. Posturing to start, dominated by Dick. He goes to work on Lombardi’s arm, so Steve tries dumping him to the outside, but Slater quickly rebounds. Dick works a keylock, but Lombardi starts to escape, so Slater shifts to a modified bow-and-arrow. Steve escapes, so Slater uses a series of turnbuckle smashes, followed by a series of jabs. Dick with a swinging neckbreaker to set up a bootrake, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Lombardi throws a backelbow. Lombardi tries a headlock from there, but Slater quickly escapes with a side suplex, and a butterfly suplex finishes at 5:23. Not a very interesting outing. ¼*

Ken Resnick catches up with the American Express, and Dan Spivey’s haircut makes me uncomfortable. Just seems like a dude who doesn’t properly wipe his ass

Dino Bravo v Corporal Kirchner: From Boston Massachusetts on December 6 1986. Bravo with a sneak attack after a distraction from Johnny Valiant, and he quickly hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Dino with a vertical suplex from there, and he adds a legdrop for two. Dino works a headvice, but Kirchner starts to escape, so Bravo delivers a sloppy piledriver for two. That one was so terribly executed, it kind of turned into a powerbomb by the end. Bravo with a backbreaker for two, and a bodyslam sets up a splash, but Kirchner dodges. Kirchner goes on the comeback trail, and a Samoan drop looks to finish, but Dino is in the ropes. Kirchner stays on him with an abdominal stretch, so Valiant hops on the apron, and Kirchner quickly takes the bait. That allows Bravo to recover, and a side suplex finishes for him at 3:32. ½*

Adrian Adonis v Junkyard Dog: From Boston Massachusetts on December 6 1986. Gorilla with all sorts of backhanded compliments for Adonis here, focusing on everything from his weight to his ‘lifestyle.’ The only lifestyle choice the guy needed to reconsider was the buffet line. Adonis stalls early, trying to keep away from the JYD. Dog dominates any exchanges they have, and Adrian ends up on the outside. Dog follows to unload on him out there, but Adonis turns it around on the way back in, and goes to work. They spill back to the outside, where Dog wins a slugfest, and wins the race back into the ring for the countout at 4:36. This was super dull. DUD

Outback Jack vignette 

Referee Danny Davis is not bothered by the fans’ booing, he’s focused on officiating 

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Hercules: From Saturday Night's Main Event on November 29 1986 (taped November 15) in Los Angeles California. Weird blue kneepads for Hogan here, which make him look like Barry Windham. Test-of-strength to start, which gives us a neat visual with the contrasting skin tones of these two. Hercules dumps him into the corner with a cheap shot, but a cross corner clothesline gets reversed, and Hulk wins a criss cross with a high knee. Big boot and a bodyslam setup an elbowdrop, but Hercules manages to roll out of the way, and he corner whips the champion before dropping a series of knees to the lower back. Bearhug and a backbreaker submission wear Hogan down, but a torture rack can't get him to quit, and triggers a HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Running Forearm Smash! Turnbuckle Smashes! Chop! Big Boot! Legdrop! 6:30! This was fine formula stuff, and the crowd ate it up. *

BUExperience: Not the best episode, but it must be Christmas, because Hulk Hogan actually appears in a match.