WWF at Boston Garden (January 3, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: January 3, 1987

From Boston, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes

Opening Match: Dan Spivey v Jimmy Jack Funk: Funk tries to get control early, but Dan is too much for him, and knocks Funk out of the ring with a dropkick. Funk calls for a test-of-strength on the way back in, but Dan turns it into a wristlock, so Funk forces a criss cross, and catches him with a hotshot to gain control. Funk drops him across the top rope to keep it going, and a snapmare sets up a fistdrop for two. Funk goes to a chinlock from there, but Dan starts to fight, so Funk dumps him to the outside. Funk with a front-powerslam to set up a 2nd rope fistdrop for two, but Spivey blocks a bulldog, and makes a comeback. Funk begs off in the corner, and goes to the eyes when Dan comes in, but gets whipped into the corner anyway, and Spivey hooks a rollup at 7:03. ¾*

Don Muraco v Lanny Poffo: Some feeling out to start, with Poffo frustrating him, but Don catching him with a knee, leaving Lanny on the outside. Don with an atomic drop on the way back in, and he grounds Lanny in a front-facelock. Poffo escapes, and goes on the comeback trail - managing a standing moonsault for two, before getting caught in a powerslam at 6:44. ½*

Greg Valentine v Dick Slater: Funny bit here, as Gorilla and Lord Alfred Hayes discuss how referee Joe Marella got a few boos during the introductions here, but Monsoon immediately noting that it’s ‘because he looks like Danny Davis from a distance.’ Feeling out to start, dominated by Dick. He makes a mistake, allowing Greg to toss him to the outside, and Valentine takes control.  Valentine with a headbutt drop to the groin, and he goes for the figure four, but Slater counters with a cradle for two. Slater staggers up, winning a slugfest, and going on the comeback trail. Slater wears him down with a sleeper, but a trip to the top ends badly when Valentine slams him off. That allows Greg to get the figure four on, but Dick manages a reversal. Valentine makes the ropes, so Slater comes at him again, but Greg pulls him hard into the turnbuckles, and hooks the leg at 13:24. Pretty dull, even if not poorly worked. ½*

Tama v Scott McGhee: Tama in control early. Scott shakes him off and gets a leglock on, but Tama fights it off in the corner. Tama with a snapmare into a chinlock, but Scott escapes, and delivers an inverted atomic drop. Scott holds a double-chickenwing, then shifts it into a bow-and-arrow, but Tama reverses a vertical suplex on him. Tama with a corner whip, but the charge in misses, and Scott delivers a kneedrop. Scott goes upstairs, but Tama slams him off the top. Tama tries a splash from there, but Scott gets his knees up to block, and he pops Tama with a series of uppercuts. Scott tries a corner whip, but Tama reverses, so Scott tries rebounding with a 2nd rope bodypress, but it misses. That allows Tama a splash, and a flying bodypress finishes at 8:48. This was super basic, but solid. ¾*

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Randy Savage v Bruno Sammartino: Savage tries to stall, but Bruno grabs hold of him, and runs wild! Macho bails, and hides behind Miss Elizabeth, which is enough to stop Bruno. That allows Savage to sneak attack, and Bruno eats the post. Savage with a flying axehandle, so Bruno goes to the eyes to buy time, and he pounds on Randy from there. Backdrop, but Macho blocks. He looks for a follow up, but Bruno knocks him out of the ring, so Savage pulls him out with him. He tries for the post again out there, but Bruno blocks this time. Bruno tries to beat the count in, so Savage nails him with a chair, and leaves him out there to take the countout at 6:03. Savage was extremely game to go out there and get destroyed, but it wasn’t really much of a match beyond that. ¼*

Sika v Corporal Kirchner: They square off for a bit, and Kirchner grabs a standing side-headlock. Sika fights it off, but loses a slugfest, and Kirchner drops an elbow to the groin. Kirchner works a toehold from there, until Sika fights him off, and goes to a nervehold. Kirchner escapes, and unloads in the corner, then throws a clothesline. A splash, but Sika dodges, and lands a headbutt drop at 7:42. DUD

Mike Rotundo v Pete Doherty: Mike dominates early with Doherty selling on the apron. Pete goes to the eyes to shake him off, and he hammers on Mike for a bit. A snapmare allows him to put the boots to Rotundo, but a trip to the top rope ends badly when Mike slams him off. That allows Mike an elbowdrop, and an airplane spin puts it away at 4:29. I think we can safely call this a DUD

Brutus Beefcake v Blackjack Mulligan: Beefcake and Greg Valentine both attack, and put a serious beatdown on Mulligan. And the referee just kind of lets them, counting at Valentine and making demands, but not actually calling a disqualification. The official finally gets Greg out of there, but Beefcake is in control, and delivers an elbowsmash for two. Legdrop, but Mulligan dodges, and starts throwing punches. A clothesline connects, and a jumping backelbow finishes Brutus off at 2:09. Well, that was a lot shorter than I expected. DUD

Jim Neidhart v Hillbilly Jim: They measure each other to start, and Anvil gets control by dropping him throat-first across the top rope. Neidhart goes to work, but hits a boot on a corner charge, and Hillbilly makes a comeback. Hillbilly with an elbowdrop for two, and he tries for a chinlock, but Anvil quickly slugs free. He unloads in the corner, but the referee objects, so Anvil nails him for the DQ at 7:14. Not much doing here. DUD

Main Event: 20-Man Bunkhouse Battle Royal: Hmm, a Bunkhouse battle royal. Where did that new and totally original idea come from, I wonder? We've got Blackjack Mulligan, King Kong Bundy, Mike Rotundo, Don Muraco, Lanny Poffo, Dick Slater, Sika, Hillbilly Jim, Dan Spivey, Jim Neidhart, Mr. Fuji, Brutus Beefcake, Greg Valentine, Haku, Tama, Corporal Kirchner, Pete Doherty, Scotty McGhee, Jimmy Jack Funk, and Bob Orton. Everyone is in street clothes here, though that’s business as usual for Hillbilly Jim, so maybe he has an advantage. Awesome bit here, as Poffo wears a full suit of armor (like a knight) in there, which is just brilliant. We get down to Bundy, Kirchner, Mulligan, and Doherty as the final four, and Pete manages to best Kirchner, but then Bundy dumps him out, too. That draws Pete back in with a chair to get revenge, and that allows Mulligan to nail Bundy with his cowboy boot, then dump him at 7:42. ¼*

BUExperience: Don’t bother with this one.

DUD