WWF Prime Time Wrestling (January 14, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: January 14, 1987

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

Greg Valentine v Dick Slater: From Boston Massachusetts on January 3 1987. Funny bit here, as Gorilla and Lord Alfred Hayes discuss how referee Joe Marella got a few boos during the introductions here, but Monsoon immediately noting that it’s ‘because he looks like Danny Davis from a distance.’ Feeling out to start, dominated by Dick. He makes a mistake, allowing Greg to toss him to the outside, and Valentine takes control.  Valentine with a headbutt drop to the groin, and he goes for the figure four, but Slater counters with a cradle for two. Slater staggers up, winning a slugfest, and going on the comeback trail. Slater wears him down with a sleeper, but a trip to the top ends badly when Valentine slams him off. That allows Greg to get the figure four on, but Dick manages a reversal. Valentine makes the ropes, so Slater comes at him again, but Greg pulls him hard into the turnbuckles, and hooks the leg at 13:24. Pretty dull, even if not poorly worked. ½*

Sivi Afi v Frenchy Martin: From East Rutherford New Jersey on January 5 1987. Posturing early on, with Afi able to dominate. Martin tries a turnbuckle smash, and even the commentators are openly calling him an idiot on that one. Martin manages a poke to the eyes, but Afi reverses him into the ropes, and delivers a backdrop. Afi with an armdrag into an armbar, but Martin catches him with a knee, and hammers away. Frenchy with a bodyslam for two, and he works a nervehold from there. Afi fights free, so Frenchy throws a backelbow, as the crowd gets tired of this match. Frenchy with a ropeburn, but Afi slugs him down, and I’m actually really enjoying this Jesse Ventura/Bruno Sammartino commentary team. Wouldn’t think that would work, but it does. Afi makes a comeback, so Martin sidesteps a charge, and Afi goes flying out of the ring. Frenchy regroups, but Afi catches him with a slingshot sunset flip at 6:32. ½*

Blackjack Mulligan vignette

Clips of the Can-Am Connection getting mobbed by girls while trying to get into an arena. That’s great. Simple, effective, and took all of thirty seconds, instead of twenty minutes

Outback Jack vignette

Sika v Corporal Kirchner: From Boston on January 3. They square off for a bit, and Kirchner grabs a standing side-headlock. Sika fights it off, but loses a slugfest, and Kirchner drops an elbow to the groin. Kirchner works a toehold from there, until Sika fights him off, and goes to a nervehold. Kirchner escapes, and unloads in the corner, then throws a clothesline. A splash, but Sika dodges, and lands a headbutt drop at 7:42. DUD

The Hart Foundation v The Islanders: From Toronto Ontario Canada on November 16 1986, and aired on the December 28 1986 episode of All American Wrestling. Bret Hart starts with Tama, and Hart stalls the pumped up Islander. A criss cross ends in Bret bailing, so Tama sneaks up, and cracks him with a chop out on the elevated ramp. The dust settles on Jim Neidhart and Haku, and Jim misses a splash right away, allowing the Islanders a double team. A criss cross ends in Tama hooking a sleeper, and he passes to Haku for another double team. The Islanders dominate Anvil with quick tags, until a cheap shot from Bret turns the tide on Tama, and now it’s the Foundation’s turn to double team. Tama escapes a bearhug from Neidhart ahead of the hot tag to Haku, and the babyfaces run wild on Hart. Tama with a well executed flying bodypress, but Jim saves, and Roseanne Barr the door! Jim drops Tama crotch-first across the top rope in the chaos, and Hart covers him at 12:05. Solid, if not especially interesting. *

Ken Resnick catches up with the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, who are basically just happy to be here

The British Bulldogs v Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff: The WWF Tag Team title is not on the line, and this is from Superstars on January 10 1987 in Phoenix Arizona, taped on December 9 1986. Davey Boy Smith starts with Volkoff, and wins a series of power showdowns, so Slick trips him up. That allows the heels to double team, and Sheik tags in with a backdrop. Sheik catches him with a clothesline for two, and a gutwrench suplex is worth another two. The heels work Smith over, until Davey reverses a vertical suplex on Sheik, and makes the tag. Kid comes in with a hiptoss on Sheik for one, and a snap suplex is worth two. Sleeper, but Slick nails him with the cane to break it up. Davey chases Slick away (with the aid of Matilda), which causes the referee to disqualify the Bulldogs at 2:25. This was too short to be of any real note, but it wasn’t bad by any means. ¾*

Jake Roberts hosts the Snake Pit, with guest Blackjack Mulligan. and he’s into heavyset women, and flying dropkicks! Aren’t we all?

Harley Race v Billy Jack Haynes: From East Rutherford on January 5. Haynes dominates early, delivering a pair of backdrops, and leaving Harley begging off. Haynes goes to a headlock, but Race whips him into the ropes to escape, and catches Haynes with a high knee. Race looks to add a headbutt drop, but Haynes dodges, and grabs a mat-based headlock. Race escapes, so Haynes tries a backdrop, but Harley counters with a swinging neckbreaker. Race adds a kneedrop for two, and he dumps Billy to the outside, before diving off the apron on him. Race feeds him the post out there, but trying a piledriver on the floor backfires when Haynes backdrops him. Both guys make it in ahead of the count, and Haynes corner whips him, with Harley taking a nice bump over the top. Race beats the count, but Billy is on the comeback trail now. Race catches him with a headbutt in the corner, allowing Harley time to get upstairs, but Haynes slams him off the top. Haynes with a press-slam, and he applies the full nelson, so Bobby Heenan runs in for the DQ at 10:25. A solid little match, with Harley trying to punch his bump card like he’s due a free sandwich, or something. * ¼ 

BUExperience: Monsoon and Heenan were particularly entertaining this week, even if the actual matches were not.