WWF Prime Time Wrestling (October 29, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: October 29, 1987

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

Sika v Bam Bam Bigelow: From Boston Massachusetts on October 3. Bigelow dominates early on, and works a leglock, until Sika starts throwing headbutts. Sika works him over, but a corner whip backfires when Bigelow flips over the buckles, and then immediately shifts into a slingshot splash after Sika hits the corner and falls - scoring three at 6:47. ½*

Ivan Putski v Iron Mike Sharpe: From New York City on October 16. Ivan looks like he’s been tanning with Hogan here. He may have been the darkest man in Poland. Putski with the axehandle at 5:32. DUD

Craig DeGeorge brings Ted DiBiase out for a podium interview, and he grabs a kid out of the crowd, offering him $500 to dribble a basketball 10 times. The poor kid, who is adorable, does it ten times, but Ted notes that it needs to be 15 times. The ten were just for practice. So, the little guy tries, but Ted kicks it away at fourteen. Oh man, it’s just brutal. How was he able to go through with it? I know they pulled all the kids they got for these segments afterwards and made it right, but even still

We get video of Heenan and Monsoon lost in the woods, where Bobby has suckered Gorilla into joining him, promising to show him Andre the Giant’s training. Heenan giving him a bunch of bananas as a ‘catered lunch’ is brilliant

Jim Duggan v Johnny K-9: Johnny is subbing for Killer Khan, and this is from Toronto Ontario Canada on October 11. Duggan with the three-point stance at 2:38. Did someone order squash? DUD

Gene Okerlund catches up with Brutus Beefcake, who hypes Survivor Series. He gets the name of the show right, but then bungles the name of the promotion to ‘World Wrestle Federation,’ which negates it

The Bolsheviks v Sonny Rogers and Lance Allen: From Milwaukee Wisconsin on October 6. This is Boris Zhukov’s TV debut, as they finally find a new partner for Nikolai Volkoff after Iron Sheik’s sudden departure earlier in the year. And they don’t do any introduction whatsoever, he’s just suddenly there. As good as the WWF was at storytelling in this era, sometimes they’d have glaring holes like that. Boris gets to score the pin at 4:39. This was too long. DUD

Superstar Billy Graham v Butch Reed: From Toronto on October 11. Graham wins a slugfest, and gets him in a sleeper right away, but Reed is in the ropes. That allows Slick to pass Reed a weapon, and he pops Graham with it to end that blitz. Reed works on Graham’s bad hip, but Billy wins a test-of-strength, and even steals Slick’s hat! Slick responds by throwing a chair at him, and though it misses, the distraction allows Reed to attack. Reed goes to work, but a flying axehandle gets blocked, and Graham grabs the bearhug. Reed gets into the ropes, where Slick hits Graham with his cane. Billy shrugs it off and nails Slick, but the distraction again allows Reed to capitalize, and a leveraged cradle is enough at 6:06. ¼*

Okerlund catches up with WWF Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man, who wants them to broadcast Survivor Series on the big screens in Memphis, so all his friends and neighbors can see him destroy Randy Savage

From Superstars of Wrestling, DeGeorge brings the heel managers (Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Mr. Fuji, Slick, and Johnny Valiant) out to talk about Survivor Series

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Don Muraco, Ken Patera, and Billy Jack Haynes v Bob Orton, Haku, and Tama: From Green Bay Wisconsin on October 7. Haynes and Haku start, and they posture. A criss cross allows Billy a hiptoss, but an elbowdrop misses, so Haku tries one - also missing. That leaves them at a stalemate, and both guys back off to regroup. Tag to Tama, but he runs into a hiptoss, leaving Tama begging off in the corner. Tag to Muraco, but the heels get him in their home corner, and triple team. Don fights it off, and gets some extra shots in on Orton. The babyfaces dominate Haku from there, but Orton gets a tag back in, so Muraco is right there to get his shots in. He telegraphs a backdrop, allowing Bob to nail him, and Orton adds a kneedrop. Orton with a flying fistdrop, and the heels get control on Muraco, cutting the ring in half as they work him over. Finally, the babyfaces have enough of the cheating, and Roseanne Barr the door! Orton tries to superplex Muraco, but Patera nails him, and Don topples for the pin at 14:15. ¾*

BUExperience: The usual. I enjoyed the Monsoon/Heenan lost-in-the-woods segment, and the DiBiase segment, plus it was nice to see Graham/Reed, after months of build.