WWF Superstars of Wrestling (February 28, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: February 28, 1987 (taped February 16)

From New Haven, Connecticut; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Bruno Sammartino, and Jesse Ventura

We dive right into the deep end, with the contract signing between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant for the main event of WrestleMania III. Everyone is amazing here. Bobby Heenan cuts a world class promo, Hulk perfectly gets over how edgy and nervous he is, and Andre is the perfect picture of calm menace

King Kong Bundy v Billy Jack Haynes: This is actually a unique match. Bundy puts him down with a backelbow right away, but misses a splash, and Haynes unloads. Haynes stupidly tries a whip into the ropes, but Bundy reverses, and clotheslines him, as Hillbilly Jim split screens in, promising to protect his little partners at WrestleMania. Bundy with another clothesline, and a bodyslam follows. Avalanche, but Haynes dodges, and gets the full nelson on him! But then Bobby Heenan runs in for the DQ at 1:43. This was too short to be of note. Afterwards, Haynes tries to go after Heenan, but Hercules attacks, and works with Bundy to deliver a Heenan Family beatdown. DUD

Gene Okerlund is in the studio for Update, giving us a look at George Steele’s continued attempts to rape Miss Elizabeth 

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The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers v Dave Wagner and Rick Renslow: Dino Bravo split screens in here, trying to out French Canadian the Rougeaus. The Brothers with a combo at 1:39. DUD

Gene catches up with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and Billy Jack Haynes, as Hulk continues to bend over backwards to try and get Billy over as a top star. Yeah, good luck with that one, brother

Honky Tonk Man v Jerry Monti: Jimmy Hart (now ‘Colonel Jimmy Hart,’ when he’s with Honky), and he promises a surprise during the WrestleMania Report later. Honky with the swinging neckbreaker at 1:32. DUD

Gene catches up with Bob Uecker, who tries on one of Andre's sport jackets. No wonder he throttled him one day

Gene catches up with WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage 

Heenan catches up with Mary Hart, and promptly offends her

Kamala v David Stoudemire: Jim Duggan split screens in here, promising/threatening to Americanize Kamala. Kamala with a flying splash at 0:55. You have to rank Kamala’s dives right alongside Sandman and Jerry Sags. Dude just had no business coming off the top. It’s actually quite impressive that he got it over as big as he did. Different time. DUD

Roddy Piper hosts Piper’s Pit, with guests Tito Santana and the British Bulldogs, who are eager to get their hands on Danny Davis

Gene is in the control center for the WrestleMania III Report. The news this week is that Jake Roberts will face Honky at the show, with Alice Cooper in his corner

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake, and Adrian Adonis v Rick Martel, Tom Zenk, and Lanny Poffo: Adonis loses his cool over Poffo’s poem, and everyone brawls to start, with the babyfaces cleaning house. The dust settles on Beefcake and Martel, and Rick reverses a turnbuckle smash. A criss cross ends in Martel hooking a backslide for two, so Beefcake goes low, and passes to Greg for a flying axehandle. Greg tries a wristlock, but Rick reverses, and passes to Tom. Zenk grabs a wristlock, so Hammer throws chops at him. Zenk tries a rollup, but Greg blocks, only to miss an elbowdrop. Zenk responds with a pair of dropkicks, but gets clobbered while charging into the corner. Tag to Beefcake, but Zenk slips past him for a tag to Rick. Martel runs wild on Beefcake, so all the heels come in, but Rick dispatches them on his own. Adonis responds by grabbing scissors, but he accidentally cuts Beefcake’s hair, and Martel schoolboys at 3:34. Afterwards, a furious Beefcake gets in Adrian’s face, but nothing comes of it beyond words. This was short, but all action. And, it serves as an origin story for the Barber gimmick that Brutus would adopt after WrestleMania. * ¼ 

Gene catches up with WWF Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation, who continue to promise to be fighting champions

BUExperience: Surprisingly, for as big of a moment as the contract signing was in my mind, it kind of just ‘happened,’ and they moved on from it pretty quickly for the rest of the show. A good episode, regardless, that just sort of surprised me.