WWF Prime Time Wrestling (April 4, 1988)

 

Original Airdate: April 4, 1988

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

Clips of Randy Savage’s run to the title at WrestleMania

Koko B. Ware v Dino Bravo: From Hamilton Ontario Canada on March 13. Dino with a bodyslam early on, but he fails to keep control, and Koko sends him to the outside. Inside, Koko dodges an attack in the corner, and uses a cross corner whip to set up a monkeyflip, but Bravo counters with an inverted atomic drop. Dino capitalizes with chops to send Koko to the outside, and Bravo follows to feed him the rail out there. Inside, Bravo with a piledriver for two (with DeGeorge noting the irony of using that move on Koko), and Dino works a chinlock from there. Clothesline gets him two, so he goes back to the chinlock, but Koko escapes, and uses a 2nd rope bodypress for two. Bravo fights back with another piledriver, but Ware is able to counter with a backdrop this time, and he makes a comeback. Fistdrop gets him two, but a corner charge misses, and Bravo drops him with a sidewalk slam at 7:47. *

From Wrestling Challenge, Craig DeGeorge brings Don Muraco and Superstar Billy Graham out so Graham can talk about how great Don’s body is. I get why they paired them from a storyline perspective, but man, Don Muraco does not need anyone to speak for him

Bad News Brown v Brady Boone: From Nashville Tennessee on March 7, in a dark match from Saturday Night’s Main Event. They even have the banners up. Slow and dull squash for Bad News here, ending in the enzuigiri at 5:55. DUD

From backstage at Trump Plaza, Gene Okerlund gives us a summary of the pay per view in the WrestleMania IV Report

Ron Bass v Rick Hunter: From Wrestling Challenge on April 3 (taped March 8) in Bristol Tennessee. Bass with his pedigree at 2:31. Afterwards, Junkyard Dog is on his way out for the next match, but Ron is still hanging around in the aisle, and they get into an altercation. Dog tries to move past it, but Bass chokes him out with the bullwhip, so I guess we have a feud. DUD

Noriyo Tateno v Leilani Kai: From Hamilton on March 13. Kai tries powering her into the ropes, but Tateno uses speed to catch her with a high knee, and Kai hides out in the corner. Bockwinkel thinks all this ‘up in the air’ action is nyet good, and he’s no fan of when guys like ‘the English Bulldogs’ do it. Tateno works the arm, but Kai fights her off, and uses a snapmare to set up a bodyscissors. Tateno escapes and gets a figure four on, but Kai reverses into the ropes, as Bockwinkel makes some interesting points on the difference between male and female wrestlers general flexibility making holds such as that less effective for the women. Maybe that’s why Charlotte Flair needs the bridge. Tateno tries a toehold, but Kai makes the ropes again, and she cracks Tateno during a criss cross. Tateno tries a dive off the middle, but Kai dodges, and Tateno wipes out. That looked very awkward. It’s enough to give Kai control, however, and she goes to work. Tateno makes a comeback, and a butterfly suplex gets her two. Bodypress, but Kai ducks, and delivers a bridging northern lights suplex for two. Tateno returns with a bridging fisherman suplex, but Judy Martin is distracting the referee, so no count. Tateno stays focused with a 2nd rope clothesline, but Jimmy Hart puts Kai’s foot on the ropes at two. That allows Kai to attack, but a miscommunication ends in Kai and Jimmy knocking heads, and Tateno scores the pin at 13:06. This wasn’t really my thing. ¾*

Andre the Giant v Brian Costello: From Superstars of Wrestling on April 2 (taped March 9) in Winston-Salem North Carolina. Andre wrecks the dork before the bell even rings, dumping him to the outside, and leaving him for dead. That draws Jim Duggan out to get in his face (or, well, his chest), and he challenges the Giant to a match. Andre responds by choking him out, and he throttles Hacksaw so badly that Jim just starts pouring blood out of his mouth. Duggan manages to fight him off with the 2x4, but he’s badly battered. Good segment.

George Steele v Boris Zhukov: From Bristol on March 8. Steele attacks during the anthem to kickstart things, and he dominates things, but runs into trouble with two Bolsheviks and Slick, and Boris goes to work. Steele gets fired up and starts making a comeback, so Nikolai Volkoff rushes in for the DQ at 3:08. This was short, thankfully. DUD

BUExperience: Hang on, I’ll give you my thoughts just as soon as I finish yawning.