WWF at Maple Leaf Gardens (March 15, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: March 15, 1987

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon, Jimmy Hart, and Johnny Valiant

Opening Frank Tunney Senior Memorial Tournament Quarterfinal Match: The Killer Bees v Sika and Kamala: Jim Brunzell starts with Sika, as Gorilla grills Jimmy Hart about why he isn’t putting the tag title on the line at WrestleMania. It’s a six-man tag, idiot. The Bees stick and move on Sika, but B. Brian Blair gets into trouble, and the heels go to work. Gorilla wonders if the ‘paintings’ Kamala puts on his belly hold any significance. To certain Hasbro collectors, they certainly do. Brunzell catches the tag, and Sika eats a dropkick at 8:24. ¼*

Frank Tunney Senior Memorial Tournament Quarterfinal Match: The Can-Am Connection v Dan Spivey and Jerry Allen: Well, who do you think is going over here? Tom Zenk starts with Allen, and dominates things. Over to Rick Martel for more of the same, but Spivey tags in, and that ends their dominance. Martel manages to outmove him, and Zenk tags in to hold a standing side-headlock, but Spivey is way too tall for that to work. Indeed, Dan side suplexes him, and gets a headlock of his own on. Zenk side suplexes free for two, but gets caught in a bearhug, and Dan and Jerry work Tom over, cutting the ring in half. Martel gets the hot tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! You can guess who eats the pin here, and if you guessed Allen, you get the chicken dinner at 10:59. ½*

Frank Tunney Senior Memorial Tournament Quarterfinal Match: The British Bulldogs v Demolition: Demolition kick start, and isolate Dynamite Kid right away. They go to work, as poor Gorilla has a difficult time telling Demolition apart. So do I, since they haven’t settled into their familiar paint and hair yet. Davey Boy Smith gets the hot tag, and runs wild, but Johnny Valiant trips him up. That provokes Kid to toss in a chair, and Smith unloads with it for the DQ at 4:39. They were on autopilot here. DUD

Frank Tunney Senior Memorial Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Don Muraco and Bob Orton v King Kong Bundy and Paul Orndorff: Okay, interesting. Don and Paul start, and they posture. Tags around the horn, and Bundy dominates Bob, so Don comes in with a cheap shot. Tags back to Don and Paul, and Paul ends up in a bearhug. Tag to Bundy for the avalanche in short order, so Bob tags back in. He hits Bundy with a splash for two, so Paul tags in, and runs wild. An atomic drop gets him two when Don saves, so Bundy comes in, and Roseanne Barr the door. Don grabs Mr. Fuji’s cane, but accidentally nails Bob with it, and Orndorff covers at 6:18. This didn’t really work, but it was interesting, at least. ¼*

Frank Tunney Senior Memorial Tournament Semifinal Match: The Can-Am Connection v Demolition: Smash and Tom Zenk start, and Smash smashes him. Tag to Rick Martel for some double teaming, and Smash ends up on the outside. I never realized Zenk also wore those overlong laces on his boots. I always thought that was a Martel thing. Smash with a cross corner whip, but the charge in misses, and Rick gets a wristlock on. Tag to Ax, but he gets into trouble when the babyfaces double team again, and they work his arm. Rick gets into heel trouble to turn the tide, however, and Demolition go to work at cutting the ring in half. Zenk catches the hot tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Everyone brawls, and the Connection end up getting counted out at 8:57. Not much, but at least it had star power and cachet. ½*

Frank Tunney Senior Memorial Tournament Semifinal Match: The Killer Bees v King Kong Bundy and Paul Orndorff: The Bees put the masks on right away, so you know it’s on. They dominate Orndorff early on, but Jim Brunzell misses a dropkick, and Bundy tags in. Jim is in trouble, and the heels work him over, until he’s able to make an illegal switch with B. Brian Blair, and Paul gets rolled up at 4:21. ¼*

Sivi Afi v Red Demon: Afi with a flying bodypress at 4:44. It’s clear they were really, really hoping Afi would be their new Jimmy Snuka, but it just wasn’t happening. DUD

Frank Tunney Senior Memorial Tournament Final Match: Demolition v The Killer Bees: The winners get a WWF Tag Team title shot in the main event. Ax and B. Brian Blair start, and Blair manages to pound him with fists. Tag to Smash, and a criss cross is won by Blair with a drop-toehold. Tag to Jim Brunzell, and the Bees wishbone Smash, and then Blair tags back in to slap on a figure four. Ax saves, and that allows him to tag in legally as well. Ax turnbuckle smashes Blair, and he hooks a front-facelock, before passing back to Smash. Smash drops Blair across the top rope, and then dumps him in the heel corner for some double teaming. Demolition cut the ring in half, but the Bees make the mask switch when Blair is down on the outside, and the fresh Brunzell hits Ax with a dropkick for two. That draws Smash in, and rightly so, the cheaters. Smash tries to get the referee to check, but while he’s busy arguing, Blair comes off the top with a flying sunset flip on Ax at 6:09. ¼*

Dino Bravo v Hillbilly Jim: Some back and forth, until the referee gets clobbered by Bravo. And you’d better believe that’s a DQ at 5:32. DUD

Main Event: WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Hart Foundation v The Killer Bees: Jim Neidhart starts with B. Brian Blair, and Anvil powers him around, showing off. Blair outsmarts him, and tags to Jim Brunzell, but the champs get him in their corner, and he’s in trouble. They work Brunzell over, but a miscommunication ends in them colliding, and Blair gets the hot tag. He runs wild, and Roseanne Barr the door! The Bees clean house, and then put the masks on to really fuck with the champs. They get sleepers on each heel, so Danny Davis hops onto the apron, and the distraction saves the champs. Blair cradles Bret anyway, but Davis rolls it into a reversal, and Hart gets the pin at 9:00. Not the best match between these two teams, but the finish was hot. ½*

BUExperience: I enjoy tournaments, and the commentary here was fun, even if the matches weren’t particularly great. I’m surprised this drew a sell out, all considered. 

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