WWF at Madison Square Garden (February 23, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: February 23, 1987

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Opening Match: Paul Roma v Salvatore Bellomo: We’re joined in progress here with Roma in control. Looks to be just a few moments into the contest. Roma with a powerslam at 5:57 shown of 12:23. I won’t rate such a heavily clipped match, but this was certainly nothing of note.

Demolition v The Islanders: Demolition are now without Johnny Valiant, though they don’t have Mr. Fuji yet. They taped stuff with Valiant after this, so maybe he just had the night off, though the announcers already talk about them joining Fuji’s growing stable during the studio bits, so I guess they were repurposing. Smash and Tama start, as Bobby reminds us that it doesn’t matter which Islander starts, since ‘they’re all the same.’ Oh Bobby, don’t pick a fight with the Islanders, buddy. Smash tries powering him around, so Haku comes in, and the Islanders clean house. The dust settles on Ax and Haku, and the Islanders pinball him in their corner. Tag to Tama for a flying axehandle, and he grounds Ax in a hammerlock from there. Back to Haku for stereo backelbows, and Haku gives him a stomp to the groin, before working his leg. The Islanders stay on Ax’s leg with quick tags, and they didn’t even bother rerecording commentary for this, as Gorilla and Bobby discuss WrestleMania as an upcoming event throughout the match here. I don’t mind it, but I’m surprised they let it air that way. Tama gets dumped into the front row to kill that effort, and Demolition take over. They work Tama over, until he manages to block a backdrop, and get the hot tag to Haku! Haku superkicks Smash, and tags Tama back in for a combo. Tama with a flying bodypress, but Ax saves at two, and Roseanne Barr the door! The chaos allows Demolition to hit Tama with their finisher to… finish… at 10:21. ½*

Sika v Koko B. Ware: Sika beats the crap out of him for the entire match, until Koko suddenly schoolboys him for the flash pin at 4:52. DUD

Tito Santana v Butch Reed: Reed dominates, and grounds Tito in various holds, with Santana unable to make comebacks. He finally fights Butch off long enough to block a 2nd rope axehandle, and Santana makes a comeback effort. A facebuster leads to mounted punches for one, so Butch tries an atomic drop, but Tito counters to the figure four! Reed has the ropes, and he ropechokes Santana after the break. Slick comes in with the cane, so Koko B. Ware runs in to cut him off, and the referee throws the match out at 12:32. Not especially interesting. ½*

The Hart Foundation v The Killer Bees: Jim Neidhart and Jim Brunzell start, and Brunzell gets a wristlock applied. Tag to Bret Hart, and the Hitman throws a fist on a rope break, but loses a reversal sequence when Brunzell hooks a sunset cradle for two. Brunzell goes to work on the arm, and B Brian Blair tags in for a wristlock of his own. Hart throws a fist again, and then pops him with a headbutt, but a clothesline misses, and Bret ends up getting tied in the ropes. Anvil frees him up, so Blair sends Bret into Neidhart with a catapult, but Anvil manages to pull the Hitman to the outside to break the momentum. That works, allowing the Foundation to take control of Blair, and they cut the ring in half. Blair manages to send Bret into the turnbuckles, and he tries a bodyslam, but Anvil topples it - Blair rolling through for two. Unfortunately for him, he gets clobbered, and the Foundation go back to work. Blair manages to fight Bret off long enough for the hot tag to Brunzell, and he catches Bret with a dropkick for two. The bell rings, but it was a flub by the timekeeper, and they keep going. In the confusion, Danny Davis sneaks in, and nails Brunzell, allowing Bret a cradle at 13:31. This was okay, but nothing special. * ½ 

Outback Jack v Barry O: Heenan gets a bunch of funny lines about ‘Outhouse Jack,’ and you can hear Gorilla straining not to crack up. The crowd could not care less about him, however, and lots of them were likely heading for the outhouse during this. Jack with a clothesline to the back of the head at 3:31. DUD

King Kong Bundy v Jake Roberts: Jake frustrates him early on, but stupidly engages in a test-of-strength, and ends up in trouble. Bundy goes to work, and gets Roberts in a chinlock, but Jake escapes. He manages a kneelift, but Bundy blocks the DDT. Bundy tries an elbowdrop, but Roberts dodges. DDT, but Bundy blocks again, and Jake ends up on the outside for his efforts. Bundy hops out to roll him back in, but is somehow counted out in the process at 9:18. This was extremely boring. DUD

Pedro Morales v Honky Tonk Man: Slick is out to do guest commentary here, complaining about Koko B. Ware, and promising revenge will be had at WrestleMania. Stalling by Honky to start, and Morales catches him with a pair of bodyslams once they engage, so Honky bails to do more stalling. Finally, Honky manages to get a shot in to turn things around, and he goes to work. Pedro makes a comeback, and goes for the Boston crab to put it away, but Jimmy Hart distracts him. That allows Honky to hook a leveraged pin at 12:30. ¼*

Main Event: Elimination Match: Randy Savage, Adrian Adonis, and Harley Race v Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, and Junkyard Dog: Adonis and Piper start, but Adrian quickly rethinks that, and tags Macho in. Piper is game, but would rather fuck with Savage’s head, so he tags Steamboat, and Randy runs! Savage nails him once they engage, but Rick hits an armdrag on a criss cross, so Macho tags to Harley. Steamboat sends Race into a headbutt from JYD, and Dog tags in to knock Race out of the ring with more headbutts. Race manages to take him down once back inside, and he passes to Macho to choke Dog down. Macho goes to the top to finish, but that draws Steamboat over, and he blasts him. Tag to Steamboat, and his partners hold Randy for him to chop. Backdrop, but Randy blocks, and tags Adrian. Adonis comes in with a side suplex, followed by a turnbuckle smash, but Steamboat slips away, and tags Roddy. Piper comes in all fired up, but the other heels jump in, and we have a big brawl. The heels dominate it, and Adonis works with Race for a tandem suplex on Piper for two. Cross corner whip, and Adonis gets a sleeper on, but Piper reverses, so Race saves. Tags to Savage and JYD, and Macho quickly cheats. Adonis tags in to hammer on Dog, but shots to the head fail, and Dog returns fire. He misses a charge, however, and takes a bump to the outside, so Piper comes over to help, and we have another big brawl - resulting in both Adonis and Dog counted out at 7:04. That doesn’t slow the brawl down, and Race tries a suplex on Piper, but gets reversed. Cover, but Savage saves at two. Race with a clothesline, and he takes Roddy into the heel corner for some double teaming. They work Piper over, but Macho misses a straddling ropechoke. Harley tries saving things with a suplex, but gets reversed again, and Steamboat tags. Steamboat runs wild on Harley, and a flying tomahawk chop gets him two - saved by Savage. That draws Piper in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Steamboat hooks Race in a small package, but Savage rolls it over, Ricky pinned at 11:40. Piper goes right into the brawl with both heels from there, but that isn’t really a winning argument. Macho hits him with a flying axehandle for two, but Roddy still wants to fight both guys at once. Race with a front-powerslam for two, but Roddy reverses a gutwrench suplex for two. Man, Race is not having a lot of luck with suplexing Piper tonight. The heels double up, but a miscommunication results in Macho hitting Race, and Piper pins Harley at 15:42. Piper may have gotten the fall, but he’s battered as hell, and there’s still the Macho Man! Race tries suckering Piper on his way out, but street smart Roddy sees it coming, and bulldogs Savage. Roddy is good and mad now, and Savage wants to beg off. Roddy refuses, so Macho bails, and forces Roddy into a chase. That allows Macho to nail him from the high ground, and a hangman clothesline gets him two. That looked awkward, like Piper expected him to hook a sleeper instead of a clothesline. Macho with an elbowsmash for two, but a bodyslam gets toppled for two. Savage responds by choking him down, but a street fight with Piper goes poorly. Both guys collide for a double knockout, and Macho ends up falling out of the ring off of the collision. He beats the count to the top rope, and dives with the flying elbowdrop, but Roddy was playing possum, and dodges. That allows him to hook a small package on the stunned Macho Man, and that’s enough at 20:22. With three of the biggest WrestleMania matches in play, this was a hot bout. * ¾ 

BUExperience: The main event is fun, as is the Foundation/Bees match, but it’s not enough to recommend this as a complete show.

DUD