WWF Prime Time Wrestling (January 1, 1985)

 

Original Airdate: January 1, 1985

Your Hosts are Jack Reynolds and Jesse Ventura from the studio. The set looks incredibly gloomy compared to the later shows

David Schultz v Salvatore Bellomo: From New York City on October 22 1984, and aired on the November 4 episode of Georgia Championship Wrestling. Schultz with a vertical suplex at 4:03. DUD

Dick Murdoch v Afa: From New York City on October 22 1984, and aired on the November 4 All American Wrestling. Joined in progress. Lots of posturing, until Dick takes control. He gets hold of a tag rope to choke Afa with, but Afa starts no-selling some punches to the head, and makes a comeback. Afa with a pair of atomic drops for two, and a headbutt drop gets two, so Murdoch hits him with a bottle. And in a brown bag, to boot! It’s like a true street fight. Dick with a snapmare to set up an elbowdrop for two, and a stomp is worth two. A criss cross leads to a double knockout spot, and Afa gets good first. He uses his head to knock Murdoch loopy, but time expires at 13:08 shown of 19:45. ¼*

Gorilla Monsoon catches up with Mad Dog Vachon, who he ‘congratulates’ for being in Madison Square Garden

Mad Dog Vachon v Rick McGraw: From New York City on October 22 1984, with Mad Dog subbing for Iron Mike Sharpe. That’s just sad. Mad Dog with a piledriver at 7:24. Gorilla, the guy who never saw a backslide or abdominal stretch he couldn’t criticize, somehow praises Vachon’s horrible piledriver. DUD

Monsoon catches up with David Sammartino, who is very proud to work at the Garden. “No one comes quicker,” notes Reynolds. No wonder he never got over as a heartthrob   

Moondog Spot v David Sammartino: From New York City on October 22 1984, and aired on the November 4 Georgia Championship Wrestling. Joined in progress. David knocks him around, and grabs an armbar, but Spot fights into the ropes. Spot tries taking a cheap shot, but that just pisses David off, and Spot gets hammered. Sammartino with an armdrag into another armbar, but Spot escapes, and grabs a chinlock. Spot with a backbreaker for two, but a bodyslam gets countered with a cradle at 8:21 shown of 12:23. ¼*

Monsoon catches up with Tito Santana, who thinks it’s his destiny to get the Intercontinental title back

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Greg Valentine v Tito Santana: From New York City on October 22 1984. Santana is all fired up, and he kickstarts things, beating Greg all around the ring, and ringside to boot! Valentine manages to clobber him on the way back in to buy time, and he tags Tito with an elbowsmash to allow some mounted punches. Santana turns the tables, so Captain Lou Albano takes a cheap shot, but even that just pushes Tito to get madder, and he beats Valentine bloody until the referee disqualifies him at 5:59. This was just a beating, and an angle, but it was intense, and the crowd was into it from start to finish. ½*

Adrian Adonis v Sika: From New York City on October 22 1984. Gosh, Adonis gained a lot  of weight between this and his Flower Shop era. He looks more like Terry Taylor here, than the guy who wrestled Roddy Piper at WrestleMania III. Sika controls early on, so Adonis grabs a pair of knux, but accidentally blasts the referee with them for the DQ at 6:14. Really boring. DUD

Brutus Beefcake v Tony Garea: From New York City on October 22 1984, and aired on the October 30 Tuesday Night Titans. Posturing to start, with Beefcake dominating. A criss cross allows Garea a bodypress for two, and he uses a headlock takedown. Beefcake counters to a headscissors on the mat. A chase ends in Tony hooking a rollup for two, but a criss cross ends in Beefcake planting a high knee at 5:20. ¼*

WWF Title Match: Hulk Hogan v Big John Studd: From New York City on October 22 1984, and Hulk can lose the title via countout. Studd is subbing for Jesse Ventura here. Studd attacks before the bell, but Hogan no-sells him, and uses a high knee to knock the challenger out of the ring so he can finish getting funky to Eye of the Tiger. Well, fair. A slugfest is won by Hogan once they get situated, and Studd ends up on the floor again. Hulk follows this time, and that proves to be a mistake, as Studd clobbers him, and sends him into the post. Studd leaves him for dead out there since the title can change by countout anyway, but Hulk beats the count. Studd responds with a forearm smash, and he grabs a modified chinlock. Hulk fights free, so Studd drops him with a 2nd rope axehandle, and he goes back to the modified chinlock, as Bobby Heenan shouts words of encouragement. Hulk starts to fight again, so Studd drops him across the top rope, and uses an elbowdrop. Hulk bails, but he’s fighting the count, and has to come in before he’s ready. Studd dumps him back to the outside with a knee, and this time John follows for a bodyslam on the concrete. Studd leaves him to take the count again, but Hogan manages to beat it in at nine. Studd responds with a shoulderblock for two, but he triggers the HULK UP!! I kind of didn’t realize that was part of the act this early on. Fists of Fury! Forearm Smash! Elbowdrop! Two count. Hulk keeps coming with more punches, and a big clothesline wins a criss cross at 7:50. Hogan might not have been a traditional workrate guy, but man, you couldn’t ever call him boring. **

BUExperience: This wasn’t great stuff, but I appreciated that they showed a lot of interesting matches from the show they were pulling from, whereas, in later years, they almost never showed the main events.