WWF at Boston Garden (December 6, 1986)

 

Original Airdate: December 6, 1986

From Boston, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Ken Resnick

Opening Match: SD Jones v Iron Mike Sharpe: Sharpe stalls to start, and gets dominated every time he engages. Sharpe manages a cheap shot to get control, but quickly loses it back to Jones, and ends up tied in the ropes for a pounding. The referee frees him, and Sharpe manages to fire off another cheap shot in the process, and that one sticks. Sharpe snaps his throat across the top rope for two, but a series of turnbuckle smashes get no sold, and Jones chases him out of the ring. Sharpe stalls out there, and manages to hit Jones with his brace on the way back in, but Jones fights back with an atomic drop before Mike can follow up. Sharpe bails again, and tries choking Jones in the corner as he comes back in, and gets some traction there. He stomps Jones down in the corner, and lands a backelbow for one. Jones comes back with fists, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets clobbered. That allows Sharpe a bodyslam for two, but he argues the count, and gets rolled up for two. Sharpe tries staying in it with a neckbreaker, but Jones counters to a backslide at 8:26. This was super basic, and didn’t really have a story to it. Just kind of puttering around in a very repetitive manner. ¼*

The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers v The American Express: Raymond Rougeau starts with Mike Rotundo, and we get a nice criss cross, ending in Ray delivering a hiptoss, but missing an elbowdrop. Mike with a bodyslam, but he misses an elbowdrop of his own, and both guys make tags. Dan Spivey gets Jacques Rougeau in a wristlock, but Jacques fights free, only to miss a dropkick. Dan capitalizes by taking it to the mat for an armbar, and he passes back to Mike for an armbar of his own. Jacques manages a blind tag out, but Mike is wise to it, and avoids getting clobbered. Raymond manages a takedown, and he passes to Jacques for a combo, and the Brothers go after the leg. They take turns working it, but Dan gets the tag, and bodypresses Jacques for two. Spivey with a clothesline for two, and a bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop, but Jacques rolls out of the way. Piledriver, but Spivey backdrops, so Jacques hangs on with a sunset flip for two. Tag back to Mike for a hiptoss on Raymond, but a dropkick misses, and Ray uses a somersault cradle for two. Ray works a rolling short-armscissors for two, but Mike leverages into a cradle for two, with the announcers making excuses for his accidentally grabbing the rope in the process. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to do that,” Gorilla assures us. I don’t know, after years of watching IRS matches, I’m pretty sure he did. Mike gets a sleeper on, but Jacques dives off the middle with a save, allowing Ray a sunset flip for two. Tags all around, and Jacques tries a kneedrop, but Spivey dodges. That allows him an abdominal stretch, but Ray saves, and Roseanne Barr the door! The referee tries restoring order, but there’s no use, so he throws the match out at 11:56. This was okay, but felt like it overstayed its welcome a bit. * ½ 

Pedro Morales v Harley Race: Joined in progress with Pedro working a standing side-headlock. Race whips him into the ropes to escape, but Morales catches him with a backdrop on the rebound, so Race nails him in the corner, and uses a snapmare to set up a kneedrop. Race chokes him down on the mat, and hammers him with some knees, then a clothesline. A pair of elbowdrops get two, so Harley snaps his throat across the top rope, and delivers a vertical suplex. Race with a headbutt drop for two, and a piledriver gets another two. Morales goes on the comeback trail from there (via an eyerake, what a babyface), and an inside cradle gets him two. A backdrop gets two, but he gets overzealous in the corner, and Race sweeps him into a leveraged pin at 6:40 shown of 8:43. This probably would have been a big deal about fifteen years or so before this, but both guys were still total pros even this late in their careers, and could get a match out of anything. ¾*

Dick Slater v Steve Lombardi: Posturing to start, dominated by Dick. He goes to work on Lombardi’s arm, so Steve tries dumping him to the outside, but Slater quickly rebounds. Dick works a keylock, but Lombardi starts to escape, so Slater shifts to a modified bow-and-arrow. Steve escapes, so Slater uses a series of turnbuckle smashes, followed by a series of jabs. Dick with a swinging neckbreaker to set up a bootrake, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Lombardi throws a backelbow. Lombardi tries a headlock from there, but Slater quickly escapes with a side suplex, and a butterfly suplex finishes at 5:23. Not a very interesting outing. ¼*

Lord Littlebrook and Little Tokyo v Pepe Gomez and Karate Kid: Gorilla and Ken are positively excited for this one, and note the ‘gleam’ in the eyes of the crowd. Yeah, I think those are tears of boredom. Gomez looks like his gear was repurposed for Repo Man later on. We get a really weird finish here, as Kid accidentally dropkicks Tokyo onto Pepe, but the referee stops counting at ‘two.’ He basically lets Kid make the save, but then Kid just doesn’t… and the referee count the pin at 8:14. What the fuck was that? DUD

Adrian Adonis v Junkyard Dog: Gorilla with all sorts of backhanded compliments for Adonis here, focusing on everything from his weight to his ‘lifestyle.’ The only lifestyle choice the guy needed to reconsider was the buffet line. Adonis stalls early, trying to keep away from the JYD. Dog dominates any exchanges they have, and Adrian ends up on the outside. Dog follows to unload on him out there, but Adonis turns it around on the way back in, and goes to work. They spill back to the outside, where Dog wins a slugfest, and wins the race back into the ring for the countout at 4:36. This was super dull. DUD

Blackjack Mulligan v Jimmy Jack Funk: Mulligan chases him out of the ring right away, and Funk begs off. Mulligan responds by stomping Funk’s hat, and man, I’m surprised they didn’t have to invent the Hell in a Cell right then and there to settle it. Funk complains to the official that Mulligan has spurs on his boots, and honestly, that’s a fair complaint. The official forces him to remove them, so Funk tries a bodyslam, but Mulligan reverses, and Funk bails. Inside, Funk tries a cross corner whip, but Mulligan is like a damned anchor, and it doesn’t go well. Funk tries an avalanche, but misses, and Mulligan clotheslines him over the top. Back in, Mulligan tries a jumping backelbow, but Funk dodges. That allows Funk a snapmare to set up a 2nd rope fistdrop, and he grabs a chinlock to wear Mulligan down. Blackjack fights free, and manages a backdrop, then lands the backelbow for the pin at 5:34. This was inoffensive. ½*

The Dream Team v The Islanders: The Islanders dominate Greg Valentine with quick tags early on, and manage to hold control for an extended period, before Greg catches Tama with an elbow during a criss cross, and Tama ends up down on the outside. That turns things around, and the Dream Team goes to work on Tama. Greg tries for the figure four, but Tama hooks a cradle for two, so Greg tries a vertical suplex, but Tama reverses. That allows the hot tag to Haku, and Roseanne Barr the door! The Islanders hit Greg with a combo, but time expires at 16:35. This was extremely dull. Surprisingly so. ¼*

Dino Bravo v Corporal Kirchner: Bravo with a sneak attack after a distraction from Johnny Valiant, and he quickly hits a gutwrench suplex for two. Dino with a vertical suplex from there, and he adds a legdrop for two. Dino works a headvice, but Kirchner starts to escape, so Bravo delivers a sloppy piledriver for two. That one was so terribly executed, it kind of turned into a powerbomb by the end. Bravo with a backbreaker for two, and a bodyslam sets up a splash, but Kirchner dodges. Kirchner goes on the comeback trail, and a Samoan drop looks to finish, but Dino is in the ropes. Kirchner stays on him with an abdominal stretch, so Valiant hops on the apron, and Kirchner quickly takes the bait. That allows Bravo to recover, and a side suplex finishes for him at 3:32. ½*

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Kamala: Some measuring to start, and a criss cross sees Kamala use a leapfrog! Okay, pack it in, ain’t no one topping that one here. Hulk goes for the bodyslam, but his back gives out, allowing Kamala to take control. Kamala with a bodyslam of his own, and he pounds on the back of the champion. Hulk dodges a shot and delivers a high knee, followed by a forearm smash. Hulk with a series of rights and lefts, so Kimchee hops onto the apron, allowing Kamala a sneak attack. Kamala gets hold of a weapon to nail the Hulkster with, and the champ is busted open. Kamala goes to work on him, and boy, Hulk really let loose with the blade tonight. Hogan was underrated when it came to that. Kamala goes upstairs for a dive, but Hogan distances himself, and Kamala has to abandon the move. Kamala turnbuckle smashes him instead, and uses a knife-edge chop to set up a splash for two. Kamala keeps hammering him, but it’s time for the HULK UP!! Fists of Fury! Cross Corner Clothesline! Big Boot! Bodyslam! Legdrop! 7:38. This wasn’t anything good, but they knew exactly what buttons to push with the fans, and it delivered what it needed to. ½*

BUExperience: There is nothing here worth wasting your time on.

DUD