WWF Superstars of Wrestling (December 13, 1986)

 

Original Airdate: December 13, 1986 (taped November 19)

From South Bend, Indiana; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Bruno Sammartino, and Jesse Ventura

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Pedro Morales, Tito Santana, and Hillbilly Jim v Moondog Spot, Raider, and Barry O: Gosh, they were obsessed with six-man tags during this period. I never realized how huge Hillbilly Jim was… he towers over everyone out there. He always seemed ‘regular’ sized to me, but he’s a big dude. Pedro with a schoolboy at 1:27. DUD

Gene Okerlund is in the studio for Update, and he’s disgusted that WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage is actually gloating about what he did to Ricky Steamboat

Roddy Piper can’t wait to get his hands on Adrian Adonis

Adrian Adonis v Mario Mancini: Speaking of guys who look huge. But in a different way, of course. Adonis with the sleeper at 1:14. DUD

Ken Resnick catches up with Randy Savage, who isn’t sweating Bruno Sammartino’s coming after him

Outback Jack vignette

The Can-Am Connection v Jimmy Jack Funk and Iron Mike Sharpe: Can-Am Connection > Strike Force… even if Tito is better than Tom Zenk in pretty much every way. Weird how that works. Rick Martel with a flying splash on Sharpe at 3:44. ½*

Resnick catches up with Blackjack Mulligan

Mulligan vignette

Kamala v Jack Kruger: Jack tries attacking before the bell to kick start the match, but that shit goes very badly for him, and Kamala squashes him with the flying splash at 0:42. DUD

Roddy Piper hosts Piper’s Pit, with guests Butch Reed and Slick. “I like how you dyed your roots black like that,” Roddy notes in response to Reed’s ‘natural’ hair color

Music video set to Everybody Have Fun Tonight. Such a timely reference for 1986, considering they were doing Jerry Lee Lewis references in the late 2010s

Okerlund recently met with Steamboat’s doctor, who is amazed by the Dragon’s progress

Ventura recently caught up with Bobby Heenan, trying to get to the bottom of what happened at the Andre the Giant reinstatement hearing. Heenan - Andre’s biggest foe - is suddenly supportive of the reinstatement, but he won’t say too much more, to Jesse’s frustration 

Jake Roberts v Dick Slater: Dick shakes off some takedown attempts, and manages to get Roberts into a stepover toehold. Jake escapes, so Slater goes to a toehold, but Jake manages to dump him. Jake is limping around, allowing Slater to block a bodyslam, and deliver a swinging neckbreaker. Slater with a flying elbowsmash for what he thinks is three, but referee Danny Davis informs him that Jake was in the ropes (though he wasn’t until after three). Slater argues, allowing Jake to recover with a short-clothesline. He brings out the snake, and in the shuffle, Slater shoves the referee for a DQ at 4:26. This was mostly storyline, but it was fine for what it was. ½*

Resnick catches up with Sammartino, who is so upset with what Savage did to Steamboat that he’s going to take him apart at the joints. And he doesn’t care about the title… he’s had his share of titles… this is personal

BUExperience: A solid, fast moving episode.