WWF at Madison Square Garden (January 19, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: January 19, 1987

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Gene Okerlund

Opening Match: Frenchy Martin v Brad Reinghans: Joined in progress with Martin in control. A disheveled Martin almost looks like Randy Savage. They should have told people he was Randy Savage, might make this shit match a little more tolerable. Brad with a gutwrench suplex and a 2nd rope shoulderblock at 9:36 shown of 16:49. ¼*

The Dream Team v The Can-Am Connection: Greg Valentine starts with Rick Martel, and they posture a bit. Martel gets him down in a hammerlock, and both guys tag. Brutus Beefcake tries pushing him around, but Tom Zenk holds his own. Back to Greg, so the Connection pinball him in their corner, and Tom covers for two. Tag to Rick for an armbar, but Zenk gets into trouble, and the heels cut the ring in half. For a really long time. Greg gets the figure four on (following a hilarious ‘combo’ when Greg delivers a suplex with Beefcake ‘helping’ by jumping next to him), but Martel gets sick of their double teams, and dives in with a splash on Greg for the pin at 17:17. Solid work, just a little on the dull side. ¾*

Ron Bass v SD Jones: Bass attacks to kick start the match, and the announcers are immediately all over the referee for allowing it. Considering this is the same idiot who allowed Steele to use the exposed buckle and Orndorff to use a cable in the last match, that seems like the least of his misdeeds. And they think poor Danny Davis is crooked? Bass works him over, but Jones catches a second wind, and knocks Ron out of the ring. Inside, Jones grabs a headlock, but Bass fights to a vertical base, so Jones throws a bodypress for two to win a criss cross. Back to the headlock, but Bass keeps fighting, and eventually lands a clothesline, then a modified facebuster at 6:55. DUD

Paul Orndorff v George Steele: Bobby tears up a poster of Miss Elizabeth to upset George before the bell, and Paul immediately capitalizes, going to work. Steele fights him off with a turnbuckle smash, and he starts eating the buckle, which Gorilla clarifies is his ‘fetish.’ Steele sends Paul into an exposed top turnbuckle, so Heenan distracts him, and George chases him around for a while. Paul recovers, and chokes Steele with some electrical cable, but he misses a charge in the corner, and Steele goes after the arm. Heenan thinks fast by flashing another poster, and George takes the bait. The referee tries to cool him off, so Steele slugs him, and that’s a DQ at 5:43. DUD

Tiger Chung Lee v Jerry Allen: Tiger with an elbowdrop at 7:31. No and thank you. DUD

Main Event: WWF Title No Disqualification Match: Hulk Hogan v Kamala: Kamala attacks before the bell, and he hammers on the champion. Kamala takes the title belt off of him and unloads with it, but Hulk returns fire, so Kimchee distracts him. That allows Kamala to tee off, and Hulk is having trouble breathing, as Kamala hammers on the throat. Kamala lands a superkick, and he goes up for a dive, but Hulk crawls away. Kamala comes down and bodyslams him to set up a splash, but Hogan dodges. That allows Hulk a series of punches, and a clothesline takes the challenger down. Hulk unloads with chops, and an atomic drop follows. Hulk chokes him with some wrist tape, and Kamala ends up on the outside. Back in, Hulk misses an elbowdrop, allowing Kamala to hammer him. Hulk throws powder in the eyes to blind him, and the legdrop finishes at 7:59. Most of their matches tended to be fun, but this one was kind of aimless. ¼*

Lanny Poffo v Red Demon: Poffo appears to have one of Shawn Michaels’ ring jackets from 1996 here. Demon, meanwhile, has a very odd look here, with a red full body suit, coupled with white trunks over it, and a leopard print mask. It’s like he had several different ideas, and couldn’t make a decision. This one drags on and on and on until Lanny finally fights off Demon’s cheap heel tactics, and finishes with a flying somersault senton splash at 15:49. Yes, this got sixteen minutes. ½*

Junkyard Dog v Harley Race: Danny Davis gets booted from officiating duties before the bell here. Dog knocks him around early, with Race quickly taking a bump over the top. Harley was never shy with the bumping, man. Dog pulls him back in to tag with headbutts for two, and he holds a chinlock for a bit. They spill to the outside for a brawl, where Dog reverses him into the post, and Race gets counted out at 5:27. ¼*

The Hart Foundation v Davey Boy Smith and Billy Jack Haynes: Haynes is subbing for the Dynamite Kid here. Bret Hart starts with Bulldog, and Davey uses power to dominate, and he Bret ends up getting abused in the corner. Tags all around, and Jim Neidhart tries a headlock, but Haynes forces a criss cross - winning with a drop-toehold into a hammerlock. Back to Davey, but he quickly gets into trouble, and the Foundation go to work. Davey eventually manages to drop Bret crotch-first across the top rope to allow the hot tag to Haynes, and Roseanne Barr the door! Referee Danny Davis gets bumped as Billy gets a full nelson on Hart, so a second referee runs out to call for the bell via submission at 9:52. This was actually really boring. ½*

BUExperience: Skip it. 

DUD