WWF Prime Time Wrestling (May 4, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: May 4, 1987

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes from the studio

Bobby Heenan is out this week, selling the beating he took from Ken Patera during their debate on Superstars. We replay the entire segment here

George Steele v Johnny Valiant: From Toronto Ontario Canada on January 11. Honky Tonk Man claims to be hurt, so Valiant is substituting for him. Valiant kickstarts the bout, but gets shrugged off, and he stalls on the outside. Valiant begs off after climbing back in, but George wants no part of it, so Honky distracts him. That allows Valiant to attack, but Steele shrugs Johnny off again, so Honky comes in to attack for the DQ at 1:57. DUD

Outback Jack v Frenchy Martin: From Philadelphia Pennsylvania on March 14. Jack takes him to squash city, and finishes with a lariat to the back of the head at 4:56. DUD

Jim Neidhart v Jim Brunzell: From New York City on May 19 1986, and previously aired on the May 26 1986 episode of Prime Time. Anvil gets him down in a chinlock almost right away, and he works that and a headlock for a while. Brunzell forces a criss cross to allow himself a drop-toehold, and he traps Neidhart in a toehold. Neidhart manages to dump him to the outside, and Anvil holds the high ground, but Brunzell manages to get control with a hammerlock once he forces his way back inside. He shifts into a cradle for two, but Anvil manages to get a facelock on off of the kickout. Brunzell counters back to the hammerlock, but Neidhart fights out, and uses an inverted atomic drop to turn the tide. Anvil leaves some teeth marks all over him until Brunzell bails, but Brunzell manages a small package for two on the way back in. Anvil responds by going to the eyes, and he grounds Brunzell in a chinlock. Brunzell escapes, and wins a criss cross with… a sleeper, to really kick things into gear now. Anvil fights him off and works a mat-based headlock, until Brunzell escapes, and bashes Neidhart’s leg into the post to get a bit of revenge for all the cheating the Anvil has been doing. Brunzell locks a figure four on, but Anvil has the ropes almost immediately to force a break. Cross corner whip backfires when Anvil rebounds with a clothesline for two, so Neidhart whips him into the ropes for another one, but Brunzell has the same idea, and both guys go down. Brunzell is up first, but stupidly tries a bodyslam, and gets toppled for two. Brunzell stays on the comeback trail with a dropkick, but time expires at 18:03. Boring non-action here. And this piece of shit went on just before the main event! Why would you want to put the crowd to sleep right before your closer? ¼*

Butch Reed v Dick Slater: From Philly on March 14. Slater coming out to face a black man while showing off a Confederate flag feels like it borders on a hate crime. And he’s the babyface in this! Posturing to start, and Slater chases after Slick, to increase the ‘hate crime likelihood’ meter. Dick dominates, but gets nailed, and Reed goes to work (in dull fashion). A clothesline misses, allowing Slater a snapmare to set up an elbowdrop for two. Piledriver, but Reed counters with a backdrop, as the announcers spend the match hyping WrestleMania III. As I’ve noted before, it shocks me that they put these out without rerecorded commentary, but I’m glad they did. Slater with a swinging neckbreaker for two, but an elbowdrop misses, and Reed delivers a piledriver. Slater rolls to the apron to avoid getting covered, They spill to the outside, and Slater gets the better of a slugfest out there, and uses a snapmare on the way back in. Slater with a flying elbowsmash, but Slick gets his man into the ropes at two. Slater goes after him, which allows Reed to recover, and he nails Dick. Backdrop, but Slater blocks, and unloads in the corner - only for Reed to hook a leveraged pin at 8:16. ¼*

Demolition v The Young Stallions: From Superstars of Wrestling on April 25 (taped March 21) in Las Vegas Nevada. Ax starts with Jim Powers, and powers him around. Ax with a clothesline and a bodyslam before passing to Smash, who continues brutalizing Jim at will. Demolition split screen in, promising to make sure the Stallions ain’t pretty no more. They work Powers over, until he manages to block a backdrop, and get the tag off to Paul Roma. Roma immediately misses a dropkick, and eats the finisher at 2:16. This was a full on squash. ¼*

Craig DeGeorge is in the studio for Update, and he’s still talking about the Hercules/Billy Jack Haynes ‘master of the full nelson’ dispute

Dino Bravo v SD Jones: From Philly on March 14. “Here he is!” notes the ring announcers, while introducing Dino. Yeah, here he is, alright. Bravo kickstarts the squash, and finishes with a sidewalk slam at 3:04. DUD

$50,000 12-Tag Team Battle Royal: From New York on October 20 1986. We've got: WWF Tag Team Champions The British Bulldogs, The Islanders, King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd, The Moondogs, Mike Rotundo and SD Jones, Chief Jay Strongbow and Steve Gatorwolf, The Hart Foundation, The Killer Bees, Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, Big Machine and Super Machine, The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, and the Dream Team. We get down to the Islanders against King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd, and both teams stop to strategize. The strategy: slugfest! Bundy catches Tama with an avalanche, but a double team on Haku backfires, and Bundy ends up accidentally knocking Studd over the top at 5:18 shown of 10:20. I can safely call this a DUD

BUExperience: This didn’t even have Heenan to banter with Monsoon. Skip this. Hard.