WWF Wrestling Challenge (September 27, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: September 27, 1987 (taped September 16)

From Rockford, Illinois; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Demolition v Outback Jack and SD Jones: Gorilla is very excited that Jack and Jones are teaming, as if these two have a hope in hell of not getting brutally squashed here. The only question is which one of them is doing the job. And, it’s Jones at 4:02. DUD

Craig DeGeorge is in the control center for Special Report, with a look at Brutus Beefcake’s hair stylist training

Paul Orndorff v Brian Costello: Hearing Heenan bitterly lob insults at Orndorff is fun. Orndorff with the piledriver at 3:20. DUD

Gene Okerlund catches up with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, who is still trying to vanquish Killer Khan. Give it to the Hulkster, once he has something to sink his teeth into, he’s unstoppable with his promos

Fans outside of the building give their opinion on Piledriver

One Man Gang v Van Van Horne: Does having two ‘vans’ make him a bigger ‘van’ than Big Van Vader? Meanwhile, Bam Bam Bigelow split screens in, thinking that One Man Gang isn’t as big and as bad as he is. Well, at least he understood the concept of a countout. Gang with a gourdbuster at 1:52. “That reverses your neck, you know,” notes Bobby. DUD

Okerlund catches up with King Kong Bundy, who notes that he’s unstoppable at battle royals. He also calls out the ‘Dingo Warrior,’ which may be the first mention of Warrior on any of the shows

Superstar Billy Graham and Ivan Putski v Joe Mirto and Rocky Stone: The babyfaces each immediately grab bearhugs, and we get a double submission at 0:19. Ha, I love it! Plus, it saves us from having to watch Graham and Putski work an actual match in 1987. DUD

DeGeorge brings Jim Duggan out for a podium interview, basically to reintroduce him, now that he’s back after the whole drug bust with Iron Sheik 

Rick Rude v Sivi Afi: Johnny Valiant sits in for Bobby here, and he’s got a full head of hair again, claiming that he found ‘some guy in the Bronx’ with magic pills. Afi sticks and moves, and manages a monkeyflip to allow some mounted punches, before Rude is able to hide in the ropes. Rude rakes the eyes, and delivers a bodyslam, but Afi counters a hiptoss with another monkeyflip. That pisses Rude off, however, and Rick drills him with a clothesline. Rick with a snap suplex for two, and an atomic drop follows, ahead of a reverse chinlock. A dropkick misses, allowing Afi to go on the comeback trail, but a bodypress gets caught in a backbreaker. Rude adds a pancake piledriver, and that’s enough at 4:01. He dropped him right on his face with that one, it looked nasty. ¾*

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Sensational Sherri v Velvet McIntyre: The WWF Women's title is not on the line here. Sherri wastes no time getting it going here, but McIntyre blocks a monkeyflip, and throws a kick. A high knee follows for two, and McIntyre goes to a dragon sleeper. Sherri quickly snapmares out of it, and delivers a facebuster. Sherri works her over, but McIntyre fires back with a pair of shoulderblocks, and a headscissors takedown. A standing dropkick gets Velvet two, so she goes to a front-facelock, then into a takedown for two. McIntyre with a bodyslam to set up a giant swing, and a splash gets one when Sherri is in the ropes. McIntyre keeps coming with a backdrop, and a rollup gets her one - before getting reversed by Sherri for three at 3:34. Afterwards, McIntyre beats her up. ½*

Okerlund catches up with Killer Khan, who should probably visit that barber that was training Beefcake earlier

BUExperience: This was a really fun episode, with lots going on, and two feature matches.