WWF Championship Wrestling (March 23, 1985)

 

Original Airdate: March 23, 1985 (taped March 5)

From Poughkeepsie, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino

Junkyard Dog v Mr. X: X tries kickstarting things, but it goes badly, and JYD puts him away with the scoop powerslam at 2:29. DUD

Lord Alfred Hayes is in the studio with Update, giving us a look at Andre the Giant agreeing to put up his career against Big John Studd’s $15,000 at WrestleMania

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Brutus Beefcake v Joe Mirto: Beefcake’s look was okay for his heel run, but it was a great call to change it up into the more colorful stuff he’d sport when he turned babyface. This just would not have done. Brutus with a high knee at 2:16. DUD

Gene Okerlund catches up with WWF Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine, and it’s kind of funny how Greg went full circle, going from Jimmy Hart to Johnny Valiant then back to Jimmy in late 1987

WWF Women's Title Match: Leilani Kai v Susan Starr: Kai dominates, and uses a dropkick, then a series of snapmares. A legdrop misses, allowing Starr some snapmares of her own, since snapmares were women’s wrestling back in the day. Fabulous Moolah helps Kai turn things right back around, and Kai splashes her at 2:08. DUD

Okerlund catches up with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, who knows he can do anything with Mr. T in his corner 

David Sammartino v Bob Wade: Shockingly, even his own kid working doesn’t draw anything interesting out of Bruno. David with a powerslam at 0:58. DUD

Tito Santana v Rick Savage: McMahon notes that ‘very little is known’ about Savage, as if he’s a mystery in need of solving. He’s a fucking jobber, Vince. Tito with the figure four at 1:57. DUD

Roddy Piper hosts Piper’s Pit, with guest Mr. T. T has Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Snuka with him for backup, matching Piper’s crew of Paul Orndorff and Bob Orton. Roddy gets right into the insults, and, not surprisingly, it ends in physicality. Not as great a segment as you’d expect

Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff v Tony Garea and Jim Powers: Sheik humbles Powers with the camel clutch at 3:10. Nothing match, but the heels were heat machines, though. DUD

Okerlund catches up with Big John Studd, who can’t wait to put Andre into retirement 

BUExperience: Kind of a shitty episode with a week left until WrestleMania.