WWF Prime Time Wrestling (October 22, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: October 22, 1987

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

Paul Orndorff v Hercules: From Milwaukee Wisconsin on October 6. Hercules puts the boots to him so badly at the bell that Paul ends up on the outside. Lanny Poffo is on commentary with Bruce Prichard and Mike McGuirk here, and despite being a pretty good talker, he has nothing. Guess we can add another thing Randy was better at to the list. Paul fights back in, and knocks Hercules around for a bit, but the tide turns back. Hercules with a short-clothesline for two, and he grabs a bearhug from there. Orndorff fades, but manages to slug free, and hook an inside cradle for two. Paul keeps coming with a clothesline, and a kneelift follows. A dropkick connects, allowing Paul to go up with a flying axehandle. Piledriver time, so Bobby Heenan hops on the apron. Paul decks him, and still manages to piledrive Hercules - so Rick Rude comes in for the DQ at 6:05 eastern on the superstation. ½*

King Kong Bundy v Sivi Afi: From Toronto Ontario Canada on October 11. Afi uses speed to frustrate Bundy, but he gets clobbered once Bundy catches up with him. Bundy misses an elbowdrop, allowing Afi a dropkick, but Bundy clobbers him again. He lands a clothesline and a kneedrop, but pulls Afi up at two. Avalanche, but Afi dodges, and peppers Bundy with fists. That gets shrugged off, however, and Bundy lands the avalanche at 3:03. No request for the five count there. DUD

Gene Okerlund catches up with Randy Savage, who is not forgiving or forgetting what Honky Tonk Man did to him and Miss Elizabeth 

Strike Force’s Girls in Cars music video, by Robbie Dupree. Gosh, shooting that must have been a long day at work

Craig DeGeorge is in the control center with Special Report, with a look at the Randy Savage/Honky Tonk Man beef

Tito Santana v Haku: From Milwaukee on October 6. Tito hustles in and kickstarts things, knocking Haku around. A 2nd rope elbowsmash finds the mark, and a series of punches knock Haku to the outside, where he regroups with Tama and Heenan. Back in, Haku tries a headlock, but Tito quickly forces a criss cross, and uses a drop-toehold to put Haku down for some smashes into the mat for two. Tito grabs an armbar, so Haku forces a criss cross and tries a backslide, but Santana reverses for two. An armdrag allows him another armbar, but Haku escapes with a slam. Kneedrop, but Tito dodges, so Haku hides out in the ropes to avoid a figure four. He manages to go low when Santana goes after him, and he delivers a stomp the groin to get his point across. A vertical suplex gets Haku two, and a gutwrench suplex is worth another two. Haku with a (nice) shoulderbreaker for two, and he hammers on Tito with tomahawk chops. Haku goes to a nervehold, but Tito slugs free, so Haku goes to the eyes. Cross corner whip, but the charge in hits a boot, and Tito delivers a facebuster. Santana keeps coming with a backdrop, and a jumping forearm connects. Cover, count, but the referee stops at two when he sees Tama on the top rope. Rick Martel goes after Tama before he can dive, but the referee has seen enough, and throws the match out at 6:46. Well paced and intense. * ½ 

The Young Stallions v Iron Mike Sharpe and Dave Wagner: From Milwaukee on October 6. Sharpe is taking the loud selling to a new level here, and it’s hilarious to hear Bruno Sammartino mock him for it on commentary. Jim Powers with a powerslam on Wagner at 4:54. DUD

Survivor Series ad

Don Muraco v Kimchee: From Toronto on October 11. Muraco goes to town, and dominates for a while, before Kimchee starts biting him to turn the tide. Don fights him off, and the tombstone finishes at 4:24. DUD

From Superstars of Wrestling, DeGeorge brings WWF Champion Hulk Hogan out for a podium interview, and the place explodes. He’s out to hype ‘Survival’ Series, which might be a new show from the New World Organization. Just basic stuff, but Hulk had so much mojo, and the crowd was so amped to see him, that it’s a breeze

Nikolai Volkoff v Billy Jack Haynes: From New York City on October 16. Billy attacks during the anthem, and beats Volkoff until he’s outside of the ring. Back in, they have a slugfest, won by Billy, and Volkoff bails. Meanwhile, Gorilla debates whether Volkoff should be allowed to sing the anthem with Nick Bockwinkel on commentary, and Nick is making Monsoon sound like a small minded idiot here. I’m still wrapping my mind around Bockwinkel in the WWF. Volkoff manages to put Haynes down to turn the tide, and he goes to work. A knee leads to a waistlock cradle for two, so he unloads in the corner, but Billy responds in kind, and lands a kneelift. Billy plants a backelbow and an elbowdrop for two, and he throws a clothesline. Full nelson time, but Volkoff is in the ropes before he can get it locked in. Billy responds by unloading with chops in the corner, but a charge hits a boot, and Volkoff hooks a leveraged cradle - getting busted by the referee at two. Volkoff argues the count, allowing Billy to roll him up at 5:46. ¼*

Okerlund catches up with the Killer Bees, who are exited about being a part of Survivor Series

The British Bulldogs v The New Dream Team: From Toronto on October 11. Davey Boy Smith starts with Greg Valentine, and they slug it out, won by Smith. Hammer begs off in the corner, but suckers Davey in, and nails him. That allows Valentine a wristlock, but Davey reverses. Greg tries criss crossing, but takes a headbutt, and Dynamite Kid tags in with chops. Kid unloads in the corner ahead of a snap suplex, but Dino Bravo saves at two. Back to Davey for a tandem clothesline for two, and Smith holds a chinlock from there. Greg powers into the home corner for a tag to Bravo, and the heels double team. A criss cross ends in Smith hiptossing him, and an armdrag leads to a wristlock. Tag to Kid for an armbar, and a corner whip follows, but the charge in hits a boot. That allows the tag back to Greg, and he plants an elbowsmash on Kid. Valentine works Kid with chops, but Kid wakes up, and wants to slug it out. Valentine gets the better of it with an inverted atomic drop, and a forearm drop gets the Hammer two. The heels cut the ring in half on Kid, but Bravo misses an elbowdrop, and Davey gets the hot tag! A hanging vertical suplex gets two on Valentine, and a small package is worth another two. Smith scoops him up for the running powerslam, so Dino comes in at two, and Roseanne Barr the door! The referee tries to restore order, but both teams nail him, and he throws it out at 9:42. Not another classic, but solid tag wrestling, with notably great execution from both Bulldogs. * ¾ 

BUExperience: I enjoyed things this week, with shorter matches, and better pairings than usual.