WWF at Palatrussardi (October 15, 1988)

 

Original Airdate: October 15, 1988

From Milan, Italy; Your Host is Dan Peterson

Opening Match: Lanny Poffo v Barry Horowitz: They have the WWF branded turnbuckle pads here, but the mat has a giant Halls cough drops logo on it, which feels very different and out of place for the promotion. Lanny knocks him to the outside with a dropkick, but he brings Horowitz in the hard way, so Barry puts him in a headscissor hold. Lanny escapes, and hooks a backslide for two, then grabs a standing headlock. Horowitz slugs free in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed on him. Lanny follows in for a monkey flip, but Horowitz counters with an inverted atomic drop, and Barry puts the boots to him. Horowitz with a butterfly suplex to set up a legdrop for two, and a somersault cradle gets another two. Barry shoots the half for two, and he grabs an abdominal stretch, using the ropes for leverage, until getting busted by the referee. Horowitz with a dropkick for two, and a 2nd rope axehandle follows. Horowitz uses a backbreaker, and he goes to the top, but Poffo blocks a dive, and unloads in the corner. Poffo with a corner whip, and he hooks a double underhook cradle for the pin at 6:58. Not a lot of star power, but perfectly watchable. *

Tito Santana v Andre the Giant: Andre wastes no time going to a choke, and he levels Santana with a headbutt so big that Tito ends up on the outside. Back in, Andre continues working him over, and Tito is pinballing around all over the place to make up for Andre’s limitations. Andre with a chinlock, and you can really appreciate just how big the Giant is when you see his arm wrapped around a guy like that. And it’s not like Tito is 5’3”. Tito gets loose, so Andre switches to a bearhug, then abuses him in the corner when Santana tries to fight out. Andre misses an headbutt and hits an exposed top turnbuckle, which allows Santana to smash him into the steel a second time. That buys Tito the time for a jumping forearm, and Andre is off of his feet! Santana immediately puts the boots to him, but stupidly tries a sunset flip, and Andre just sits down on him for the pin at 6:49. Given how wobbly Andre looked even walking to the ring, that last spot might have been the most dangerous thing on the card tonight. Andre couldn’t really physically work by this point, but he knew exactly how to make the most of the very little he could do, and Santana was game to enhance it as much as possible. ¼*

Greg Valentine v Don Muraco: Don gets control early, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets clobbered. That allows Greg to go to the top with a flying axehandle, and the Hammer adds an elbowdrop for two. Back upstairs, but this time Don blocks the dive, and feeds Valentine a turnbuckle smash. Don with an atomic drop to send Greg to the outside, and Muraco hammers on his as Valentine gets back inside. Don uses a snapmare to set up an elbowdrop, and an uppercut puts Greg back on the outside. Muraco chases this time, and feed Valentine the apron, before forcing him back inside. It ends up backfiring, however, as Valentine nails him from the high ground. Greg with a catapult under the bottom rope, and he goes to work on the leg from there. Valentine tries for the figure four, but Muraco blocks. Another try, another block. Valentine responds with right hands to try and soften Muraco up, but Don has caught a no-sell mode. Don unloads with punches of his own, and a clothesline drops Valentine. Tombstone, but the referee gets bumped in the process, and there is no one to count. Don goes to revive the official, but that allows Valentine to recover, and he hooks a leveraged cradle at 7:07. Two veterans who could sleepwalk through a watchable match… and that’s basically what they did. *

Sensational Sherri v Rockin' Robin: The WWF Women's title is not on the line for this. Robin gets some quick stick and move action on the champion, and gets a couple of near falls in the early going, as we cut away to some interview in the crowd. No idea who they are interviewing there, but I assume an Italian celebrity. It’s not Sophia Loren. Robin works a side-headlock, but Sherri escapes, so Robin schoolboys for two. Robin with a bodypress for two, and she goes back to the headlock. The more I see of Sherri as a worker, the more I appreciate how her strengths really were as a manager. Sherri fights for the escape, so Robin switches to a front-facelock, then a hammerlock. Sherri reverses the hammerlock on her, then shifts it to a full nelson to round out this collection of rest holds. Robin reverses the full nelson, and turns it into a matslam for two. Back to the front-facelock, but Sherri railroads into the corner to escape. Sherri tries a turnbuckle smash, but Robin reverses, and adds a clothesline for two. Corner whip works, but a corner splash misses, and Sherri puts the boots to her. Sherri dumps Robin to the outside, and keeps refusing to let her get back in, until Robin suckers her to the outside, and some dudes get in a fight in the crowd. And you can immediately tell this isn’t the WWF’s camera crew, because they focus on that instead of the match. Back in, Robin delivers a matslam for two, and a bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop for two. Backdrop, but Sherri blocks, and applies a Boston crab. Robin counters to a cradle for two, reversed by Sherri for two. Sherri takes her into the corner to abuse, but Robin sneaks onto the middle rope, and hooks a sunset flip from there at 14:33. No idea why this needed to be the longest match on the card, but there you go. ¼*

Main Event: Demolition v The British Bulldogs: This is right at the end of the WWF line for the Bulldogs as a team, and the WWF Tag Team title is not on the line. Ax and Davey Boy Smith start, and the champ pounds him down. Bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, but Smith dodges, and hammers Ax down. Tag to Smash, but Davey is ready with a bodyslam as he comes in, and he passes to Dynamite Kid. Kid drills Smash with a headbutt, and tries a headlock, but Smash wants to criss cross. Kid wins that with a clothesline for two, but gets clobbered by Ax, and Smash capitalizes with a series of axehandles. Tag to Ax for some double teaming, and they cut the ring in half on Kid. Kid gets some good hope spots in, but gets manhandled, until finally fighting Smash off long enough to make the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! The champs manage to dump Dynamite over the top so they can double up on Davey, but Kid recovers, and dives with a flying bodypress for the pin at 8:01. I’m honestly shocked they put the Bulldogs over here, all things considered. **

BUExperience: Fun as a novelty, and nothing else.