WWF Wrestling Challenge (August 9, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: August 9, 1987 (taped July 16)

From Lake Placid, New York; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

The Islanders v Rick Hunter and Omar Atlas: Johnny Valiant is on commentary here, since Bobby is managing. And, speaking of managing, Gorilla grills Johnny about Bam Bam Bigelow, though Valiant doesn’t give him much. Meanwhile, Rick Martel split screens in, promising to continue to seek revenge on the Islanders, with or without a partner. I’m honestly surprised they aren’t burying Tom Zenk more. They’re just kind of like, ‘well, he left.’ Maybe they were still hoping to work things out, or something. The Islanders pick up the win here at 3:42. DUD

Recently, at some live event, Ted DiBiase paid a fan a very handsome rate to kiss his feet. The Million Dollar Man vignettes are some of the best things they ever did, but this series of live event ‘humiliations,’ with DiBiase narrating it like he’s falling asleep, have been uniformly terrible 

Tito Santana and Hillbilly Jim v Barry Horowitz and Joe Mirto: See, I think that Tito should find a tag partner. I’m just not so sure that it should be Hillbilly Jim. Meanwhile, Little Beaver split screens in, and he’s so overwhelmed by the new team that he literally falls out of his chair. “That’s an uncoordinated midget,” notes Heenan. Tito puts Mirto away with a figure four at 2:55. DUD

Gene Okerlund catches up with Ken Patera, who has been having torture porn fantasies about Bobby Heenan

The Jumping Bomb Angels eat WWF Ice Cream Bars

Honky Tonk Man v David Stoudemire: The WWF Intercontinental title is not on the line for this. David looks like Billy Magnussen, but with long hair. I really like how much emphasis the announcers constantly put on how much gold various managers had in their stable at any given point. It makes the belts seem important, and not just props. Honky with the swinging neckbreaker at 2:18. DUD

Ricky Steamboat is going to take back the Intercontinental title when he catches up with Honky at Madison Square Garden

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Brutus Beefcake, Jacques Rougeau, and Raymond Rougeau v Iron Mike Sharpe, Dusty Wolfe, and Mario Mancini: Beefcake’s gear is getting borderline offensive now. Danny Davis split screens in here, promising to watch this referee to make sure he doesn’t favor the babyfaces. Beefcake wraps this up with the sleeper at 2:31. Afterwards, Davis comes out to criticize the referee, but he gets chased off. DUD

Craig DeGeorge brings the New Dream Team out for a podium interview, and it’s interesting how Greg Valentine had his robes made at the same place Ric Flair did, yet his somehow look like moldy old bathrobes 

A look at the beef between Superstar Billy Graham and Butch Reed

Slick and Mr. Fuji argue over Bam Bam Bigelow 

Rick Rude v Lanny Poffo: Valiant is back to fill in for Bobby again. Rude hammers him down, and uses a powerslam for two. A fistdrop allows Rude to go up for a flying version, but he lets off his own pin attempt at two. Rude then finishes him off for real with a slingshot suplex at 1:02. This was an unapologetic squash. I didn’t realize how long it took them to settle on the neckbreaker as his finish. DUD

Okerlund catches up with the Rougeau Brothers, who are ready to use Demolition as ‘stepping stones’ to a tag title shot. That’s awfully confident of them. Will they be wrestling in Montreal, or something?

BUExperience: Another day, another dollar.