WWF Prime Time Wrestling (August 17, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: August 17, 1987

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

The Hart Foundation v The Young Stallions: From Superstars of Wrestling on August 8 (taped July 15) in Glens Falls New York. For those keeping track, they replayed this on Wrestling Challenge and now Prime Time… this match ran the gauntlet, for whatever reason. The WWF Tag Team title is not on the line here, and Mr. T is hanging around to counteract any shenanigans from Danny Davis. The Foundation attack before the bell, and dust settles on Bret Hart and Jim Powers. Hart with a backbreaker, and he passes to Jim Neidhart, who drops Powers across the top rope. Neidhart with a turnbuckle smash, and he passes to Bret for a combo (which ends up being Demolition’s finisher). Hart with a suplex to set up a pointed elbowdrop, and he passes back to Neidhart for a bodyslam. Neidhart grabs a sleeper, but tags to Bert before he can really work it. Bret tries a cross corner whip, but Powers reverses, and manages to hot tag Paul Roma - Roseanne Barr the door! Roma throws the Foundation into one another to get rid of Neidhart, but an attempt to monkeyflip Bret is countered into a leveraged pin at 2:59. This was solid and fast paced, with the Foundation making good use of quick tags. Afterwards, Mr. T alerts the referee to the leveraged pin, and the idiot reverses the decision on his word. *

Killer Khan v Lanny Poffo: From Philadelphia Pennsylvania on July 18. Joined in progress with Khan working him over in dull fashion. As per usual. Khan with a 2nd rope kneedrop at 4:42 shown of 7:02. Poffo was trying, but you weren’t dragging a match out of Khan in 1987. DUD

Craig DeGeorge is in the control center for Special Report, with an update on Bam Bam Bigelow. Apparently, Bam Bam can do cartwheels! No wonder every heel manager in the promotion was fighting over him. Freddie Blassie weighs in here, and he has no clue who Bam Bam is going to go with. Well, good thing we put him on TV to talk about it, then

DeGeorge is in the studio for Update, with news that President Jack Tunney has issued a fine and a probation against One Man Gang for beating up a bunch of officials last week

Ron Bass v Sonny Rogers: From LaCrosse Wisconsin on August 5. Jake Roberts and Don Muraco are doing commentary here, for whatever crazy reason. And Don sounds super gravely voiced, and in no way ready to do commentary on television, let alone for a worldwide promotion. Bass scores the pin here at 2:00. DUD

Gene Okerlund catches up with Ted DiBiase, and his sequined suit 

Nikolai Volkoff v Koko B. Ware: From Philly on July 18. Posturing to start, until Koko gets control. He holds a wristlock, but Volkoff fights him off on the ropes, and dumps Ware to the outside. Volkoff celebrates by doing a cartwheel, so expect a six month long Battle for Nikolai any time now. Volkoff goes to work once Koko makes it back inside, until Ware manages an atomic drop for two. Volkoff cuts him off, but hits the buckles while trying a kneesmash, and Koko goes to the middle for the fistdrop that gets two. Koko misses in the corner as well, however, and Volkoff delivers a butterfly suplex. A backbreaker gets two when Koko is in the ropes, but Volkoff thinks he got it. That allows Ware to get to the top rope, and he dives with a missile dropkick at 11:57. Long for what it was. DUD

DeGeorge brings Oliver Humperdink out for a podium interview, in his debut, and Humperdink immediately builds himself as a babyface by insulting Heenan. That draws Bobby out to trade verbal jabs, until Oliver ups it to a physical jab: knocking Heenan off of the podium with a right hand

Bob Orton v George Steele: From Madison Wisconsin on August 4, with Lanny Poffo and Muraco on commentary now. I don’t even know what to make of that. I mean, I can’t even venture a guess. Steele dominates early, but gets distracted, and Orton nails him. Bob with a pump-splash for two, and they spill to the outside, where Orton feeds him the timekeeper’s table a few times. Steele responds by throwing a chair into the ring, and George bites at Bob on the way. Steele uses the chair, but the referee doesn’t call for the bell. George swings again, so Orton decides to walk out, and frankly, who could blame him, considering the official isn’t doing his job. George chases for a brawl in the aisle, and finally the referee calls a disqualification at 3:04. Not much to this one, aside from the batshit commentary pairing. DUD

Rick Rude v Scott Casey: From Philly on July 18. Into every life, a little Scott Casey must fall. Lord Alfred Hayes, bless him, actually tries to make this seem competitive by noting that Rude needs to ‘get past’ Casey, and how big of an achievement it will be. Casey does kind of look like Manny Fernandez, though, so let’s just pretend this is the blow off to a breakup of their team. Maybe that will help. Rude with a slingshot suplex at 13:00. Dull stuff. ¼*

Junkyard Dog v One Man Gang: From LaCrosse on August 5, with Roberts and Muraco on commentary again. Gang kickstarts things, but Dog fights him off, and tags him with some shots. Dog works a hammerlock, and uses a headbutt drop to the arm in between. Gang gets control, and works him over for a bit, until Dog goes on the comeback trail. That draws Slick over with the cane, but he loses control of it, and the combatants fight over it to a double DQ at 6:26. Total shit. DUD

BUExperience: Total shit.