WWF Prime Time Wrestling (January 19, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: January 19, 1987

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

Don Muraco v Lanny Poffo: From Boston Massachusetts on January 3 1987. Some feeling out to start, with Poffo frustrating him, but Don catching him with a knee, leaving Lanny on the outside. Don with an atomic drop on the way back in, and he grounds Lanny in a front-facelock. Poffo escapes, and goes on the comeback trail - managing a standing moonsault for two, before getting caught in a powerslam at 6:44. ½*

Dan Spivey v Jimmy Jack Funk: From Boston on January 3. Funk tries to get control early, but Dan is too much for him, and knocks Funk out of the ring with a dropkick. Funk calls for a test-of-strength on the way back in, but Dan turns it into a wristlock, so Funk forces a criss cross, and catches him with a hotshot to gain control. Funk drops him across the top rope to keep it going, and a snapmare sets up a fistdrop for two. Funk goes to a chinlock from there, but Dan starts to fight, so Funk dumps him to the outside. Funk with a front-powerslam to set up a 2nd rope fistdrop for two, but Spivey blocks a bulldog, and makes a comeback. Funk begs off in the corner, and goes to the eyes when Dan comes in, but gets whipped into the corner anyway, and Spivey hooks a rollup at 7:03. ¾*

Ken Resnick catches up with Kamala. Cue Wizard screeching. Cue me fast forwarding

Outback Jack vignette

From the January 17 episode of Superstars, Roddy Piper hosts Piper’s Pit, where President Jack Tunney presents Hulk Hogan with a trophy in honor of holding the world title for three years. Hulk is very excited, and then Andre the Giant shows up - all smiles, but he gives Hulk a really firm handshake. Maybe a little too firm. Great, subtle start to the angle. And all the better because no one actually discusses the stiff handshake - it’s just a little moment between the two

Brutus Beefcake v Blackjack Mulligan: From Boston on January 3. Beefcake and Greg Valentine both attack, and put a serious beatdown on Mulligan. And the referee just kind of lets them, counting at Valentine and making demands, but not actually calling a disqualification. The official finally gets Greg out of there, but Beefcake is in control, and delivers an elbowsmash for two. Legdrop, but Mulligan dodges, and starts throwing punches. A clothesline connects, and a jumping backelbow finishes Brutus off at 2:09. Well, that was a lot shorter than I expected. DUD

Jake Roberts hosts the Snake Pit, with guest Salvatore Bellomo. It’s hard for me to believe this is the same guy from 1993 ECW. Jake makes all kinds of cracks about Italians here, not much else

Jim Neidhart v Hillbilly Jim: From Boston on January 3. They measure each other to start, and Anvil gets control by dropping him throat-first across the top rope. Neidhart goes to work, but hits a boot on a corner charge, and Hillbilly makes a comeback. Hillbilly with an elbowdrop for two, and he tries for a chinlock, but Anvil quickly slugs free. He unloads in the corner, but the referee objects, so Anvil nails him for the DQ at 7:14. Not much doing here. DUD

Mike Rotundo v Pete Doherty: From Boston on January 3. Joined in progress, with Doherty selling on the apron. Pete goes to the eyes to shake him off, and he hammers on Mike for a bit. A snapmare allows him to put the boots to Rotundo, but a trip to the top rope ends badly when Mike slams him off. That allows Mike an elbowdrop, and an airplane spin puts it away at 4:29 shown. I think we can safely call this a DUD

Tama v Scott McGhee: From Boston on January 3. Another one joined in progress, with Tama in control. Scott shakes him off and gets a leglock on, but Tama fights it off in the corner. Tama with a snapmare into a chinlock, but Scott escapes, and delivers an inverted atomic drop. Scott holds a double-chickenwing, then shifts it into a bow-and-arrow, but Tama reverses a vertical suplex on him. Tama with a corner whip, but the charge in misses, and Scott delivers a kneedrop. Scott goes upstairs, but Tama slams him off the top. Tama tries a splash from there, but Scott gets his knees up to block, and he pops Tama with a series of uppercuts. Scott tries a corner whip, but Tama reverses, so Scott tries rebounding with a 2nd rope bodypress, but it misses. That allows Tama a splash, and a flying bodypress finishes at 5:59 shown of 8:48. This was super basic, but solid. ¾*

WWF Title Cage Match: Hulk Hogan v Paul Orndorff: From Saturday Night's Main Event in Hartford Connecticut on January 3 (taped December 15 1986). Paul attacks him as he climbs into the cage (if I were a wrestler, I'd always insist on entering the cage first), and whips him with the title belt! Well, guess he's going to put that insurance policy to good use. Pair of pointed elbowdrops allow him to go for the door, but Hogan cuts him off. Another pointed elbowdrop, and he tries climbing, but Hulk grabs a handful of hair to pull him back over - prompting the famous quip from Ventura about how Hogan wouldn't be champion if Orndorff were bald. When was the last time ANY WWE announcer even approached a line that good? Hulk hammers him for a bit, but Orndorff pulls him down off the top rope as he tries to climb, and chokes him. He goes for the door, but Hulk pulls him back, and this time manages to dodge the pointed elbowdrops and unload with some rights. He goes for the escape, but there's some confusion with the door that delays him, and Orndorff recovers. He tries ramming Hogan into the cage, but gets reversed, and both guys make climb attempts on opposite sides of the ring. It's a foot race, and both leap down at 6:10 - one referee awarding it to Hogan, the other to Orndorff. Hogan doesn't take it well, and attacks the poor referee (what a jerk!), until valiant Orndorff steps in to save him. They decide to restart the match, and Orndorff drags Hogan back in for a flying elbowdrop. Paul with a kneedrop and a short-clothesline, but he runs into the HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Cage Tosses! Backbreaker! Legdrop! Hulk climbs, so Bobby Heenan makes a last ditch effort by coming in and hooking Hogan's ankle to allow Orndorff to try and escape, but Hulk destroys them both and climbs out at 10:42. Not a great wrestling match, but a fun one, with a memorable angle to boot. *

BUExperience: The only thing of note with this episode is continued shades of the Heenan/Andre alliance. The Hogan/Orndorff match is fun, and certainly notable, but it was also a replay.