WWF Prime Time Wrestling (January 5, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: January 5, 1987

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

The Dream Team v The Islanders: From New York City on November 24 1986. Greg Valentine and Haku start, and it’s all posturing in the early going. Brutus Beefcake tags in, and Haku holds him in an armbar for a while. A criss cross allows Haku a bodypress for two, and they dominate Beefcake for a bit, until Greg tags back in, and drops Tama on his head with a tombstone for two. The heels work Tama over, until Haku comes in and starts running wild, but the heels drop Tama crotch-first across the top rope, and Beefcake pins him at 13:11. This was really dull. ½*

A look back at Hulk Hogan’s 1986

Tito Santana v Jake Roberts: From Houston Texas on November 26 1986. Posturing to start, dominated by Jake. Jake dumps Tito to the outside, but Santana comes in with fire, and dumps Jake right out as well. Roberts stalls a bit before coming back in with a headlock, but Tito forces a criss cross, and lands a jumping forearm for two. Santana works a mat-based headlock, but Jake fights it off, so Tito goes to a chinlock. Jake manages a jawbreaker to escape, and Roberts delivers an inverted atomic drop. Jake gets a chinlock of his own on, and he works that for a while. Tito escapes, so Jake throws a short-clothesline for two, and dumps Santana to the outside to buy some time. Tito tries a slingshot sunset flip on the way back in, but Jake blocks, and goes back to the chinlock. Tito escapes, and makes a comeback, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets clobbered. I’m surprised Jake didn’t just deliver the DDT there. Jake goes for the DDT next, but Santana backdrops him to block, and slaps on the figure four. Jake is reaching for the ropes, but time expires at 18:07. ½*

Harley Race v Sivi Afi: From Superstars on December 27 1986 (taped December 9) in Phoenix Arizona. Afi tries a 2nd rope bodypress, but misses, and Race drops a pair of elbows, then hits him with a cradle muscle buster at 0:35. DUD

Ken Resnick catches up with the Hart Foundation, and Jim Neidhart is just great here. Bret Hart significantly less so. Anyway, they’re going for the British Bulldogs’ tag title

A look at the title changes in 1986. All two of them

A look at Captain Lou Albano’s retirement back in November on Wrestling Challenge

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Mike Rotundo, Dan Spivey and SD Jones v Adrian Adonis, Bret Hart, and Jim Neidhart: From the December 28 1986 episode of Wrestling Challenge (taped December 10) in Tucson Arizona. Mike and Bret start, and Mike uses a pair of armdrags, so the heels run in, but get cut off by the babyfaces. Some nice coordination with that sequence. The dust settles on Mike holding Bret in a wristlock, and he passes to Dan for the same. Over to Jones for a headbutt drop, and back to Mike, but he runs into a knee on a criss cross. That allows Bret to take him into the heel corner, and Rotundo is in trouble. The heels work Mike over, but Bret gets nailed on a criss cross, and Jones gets the tag  - Roseanne Barr the door! Jones gets Adonis in an abdominal stretch, but Bret breaks it up, and Adonis gets a sleeper on at 3:34. Just a quick nothing. Basically just paying lip service to being a match. ½*

Don Muraco v Hillbilly Jim: From New York on November 24 1986. Jim… shoves his hand up Muraco’s ass… to kickstart the match. Boy, and I thought the Bushwhackers were bad. “Win, lose, or draw, he knows he’s going to have a very good time,” notes Monsoon. Jim or Don? Lots of stalling from there, until Jim starts unloading in the corner, and he works a wristlock. Jim goes to a headlock next, until Don fights him off, and takes control with a bunch of punch/kick variety stuff. Jim fights him off, and gets a bearhug on, but Mr. Fuji comes in with the cane for the DQ at 8:10. This was terrible. DUD

BUExperience: 1987 was an amazing year for the WWF. I guess they had to build up to it, though. Rough start.