WWF at Maple Leaf Gardens (October 11, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: October 11, 1987

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

Opening Match: Paul Roma v Jose Estrada: Estrada is no longer in his Green Bay Packers tribute phase here, sadly. I don’t really know many football teams, but if there are any that have purple, with yellow and white trim, then he’s paying tribute to them now. Roma with a backslide at 2:15. DUD

Sam Houston v Barry Horowitz: Joined in progress, with Barry in control, holding an abdominal stretch. Horowitz wins a criss cross with a sunset flip for two, but Houston reverses the cradle for the pin at 3:29 shown. I have no idea how much was cut out here, so I won’t rate it.

Superstar Billy Graham v Butch Reed: Graham wins a slugfest, and gets him in a sleeper right away, but Reed is in the ropes. That allows Slick to pass Reed a weapon, and he pops Graham with it to end that blitz. Reed works on Graham’s bad hip, but Billy wins a test-of-strength, and even steals Slick’s hat! Slick responds by throwing a chair at him, and though it misses, the distraction allows Reed to attack. Reed goes to work, but a flying axehandle gets blocked, and Graham grabs the bearhug. Reed gets into the ropes, where Slick hits Graham with his cane. Billy shrugs it off and nails Slick, but the distraction again allows Reed to capitalize, and a leveraged cradle is enough at 6:06. ¼*

King Kong Bundy v Sivi Afi: Afi uses speed to frustrate Bundy, but he gets clobbered once Bundy catches up with him. Bundy misses an elbowdrop, allowing Afi a dropkick, but Bundy clobbers him again. He lands a clothesline and a kneedrop, but pulls Afi up at two. Avalanche, but Afi dodges, and peppers Bundy with fists. That gets shrugged off, however, and Bundy lands the avalanche at 3:03. No request for the five count there. DUD

Jim Duggan v Johnny K-9:  Johnny is subbing for Killer Khan. Duggan with the three-point stance at 2:38. Did someone order squash? DUD

Hillbilly Jim v Boris Zhukov: Posturing to start, and Zhukov dominates a test-of-strength. Jim fights free, so Zhukov tries a kick to the gut, but Jim blocks, and delivers an atomic drop for two. Boris bails, but manages to turn things around as he comes back in, and he goes to work. Zhukov with a high knee at 11:58. Painfully dull. DUD

Don Muraco v Kimchee: Muraco goes to town, and dominates for a while, before Kimchee starts biting him to turn the tide. Don fights him off, and the tombstone finishes at 4:24. DUD

The British Bulldogs v The New Dream Team: Davey Boy Smith starts with Greg Valentine, and they slug it out, won by Smith. Hammer begs off in the corner, but suckers Davey in, and nails him. That allows Valentine a wristlock, but Davey reverses. Greg tries criss crossing, but takes a headbutt, and Dynamite Kid tags in with chops. Kid unloads in the corner ahead of a snap suplex, but Dino Bravo saves at two. Back to Davey for a tandem clothesline for two, and Smith holds a chinlock from there. Greg powers into the home corner for a tag to Bravo, and the heels double team. A criss cross ends in Smith hiptossing him, and an armdrag leads to a wristlock. Tag to Kid for an armbar, and a corner whip follows, but the charge in hits a boot. That allows the tag back to Greg, and he plants an elbowsmash on Kid. Valentine works Kid with chops, but Kid wakes up, and wants to slug it out. Valentine gets the better of it with an inverted atomic drop, and a forearm drop gets the Hammer two. The heels cut the ring in half on Kid, but Bravo misses an elbowdrop, and Davey gets the hot tag! A hanging vertical suplex gets two on Valentine, and a small package is worth another two. Smith scoops him up for the running powerslam, so Dino comes in at two, and Roseanne Barr the door! The referee tries to restore order, but both teams nail him, and he throws it out at 9:42. Not another classic, but solid tag wrestling, with notably great execution from both Bulldogs. * ¾ 

Main Event: Paul Orndorff v Rick Rude: They slug it out to start, won by Orndorff. A backdrop sends Rude flying, and a cross corner clothesline flops him. I am not feeling the gear on Rude tonight. He didn’t hit his stride with that until later anyway. Orndorff with an atomic drop to send Rude over the top, where he regroups with Andre the Giant. Back in, Paul keeps hammering him, but Rick manages to hook the tights, and dump him out onto the ramp. That’s enough to turn the tide, and Rude works him over once they’re back inside. Orndorff blocks a turnbuckle smash to return fire a bit, and he lands a few fistdrops for two. Orndorff with another backdrop, and man, no one could take a backdrop like Rude. Or an atomic drop, for that matter. Paul delivers a kneelift, but gets pulled out of the ring by Andre while running the ropes, and tuned up. Andre rolls him back in, and Rude hooks the leg at 4:31. ½*

BUExperience: This one doesn't even deserve a summary. 

DUD