WWF Prime Time Wrestling (April 11, 1988)

 

Original Airdate: April 11, 1988

Your Hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan from the studio

Don Muraco v Butch Reed: From Nashville Tennessee on March 7. Reed runs his mouth, so Muraco goes after him, and Butch takes a beating from both Don and Superstar Billy Graham. Muraco dominates for a bit, until Reed is able to take over, and Butch goes to work - complete with cheap shot from Slick all the while. Slick goes to the well once too often, however, and ends up clocking Reed, allowing Muraco a rollup at 9:18. Pretty boring. ¼*

Greg Valentine v Brady Boone: From Cape Girardeau Missouri on March 19. Hammer with the figure four at 3:24. DUD

Lord Alfred Hayes is in the control center for Update, giving us a look at the developing beef between Andre the Giant and Jim Duggan

From Wrestling Challenge, Craig DeGeorge brings Ron Bass out for a podium interview, and he can’t wait to finish the job on Junkyard Dog

SD Jones v Johnny V: From Hamilton Ontario Canada on March 13. We have an odd, dark gray mat here. Usually by 1988 they were pretty uniform with their rings, but the mat and posts are wrong here, and the ropes are too loose. Jones dominates in the early going, so Johnny bails following a bodyslam. Johnny manages to get control and put the boots to him, and he sends Jones to the post on the outside. Johnny with a bodyslam of his own on the way back in, and he throws a knee ahead of a ropechoke. Jones randomly stops selling and makes a comeback, so Johnny tries hustling to the top rope for a dive, but Jones slams him off for two. Johnny tries a backdrop as a last ditch effort, but Jones blocks with a headbutt for the pin at 6:42. Nothing to this one, but it was quick and got the crowd into things well enough. ½*

The Killer Bees v The Bolsheviks: From Hamilton on March 13. Nikolai Volkoff attacks B. Brian Blair to kickstart the match, but Blair fights him off, and an atomic drop knocks Nikolai into a punch from Jim Brunzell. Boris Zhukov comes in without a tag, but Blair dodges the double team, and the heels knock heads. Tag to Jim, and Brunzell gets Volkoff in a wristlock. The Bees take turns with it, but Volkoff plants an elbow on Blair, and makes the tag out. The commentary team is surprisingly decent here. I wasn’t expecting much, but they are actually giving interesting analysis for the most part. Zhukov misses a charge in the corner, allowing the tag back to Jim, and Brunzell gets Zhukov in a wristlock on the mat. The Bees take turns working the wrist again, until Volkoff takes a cheap shot at Blair, and Zhukov is able to capitalize. The heels take control on Blair, and they cut the ring in half, until Brian manages to catch Volkoff with a jumping forearm. Hot tag to Jim, and Brunzell runs wild on Zhukov. Dropkick gets two when Volkoff saves, and Roseanne Barr the door! Jim gets a sleeper on Boris, but Volkoff manages to save, and Brunzell is pinned at 11:20. Solid tag wrestling. * ¾ 

Dino Bravo v David Sammartino: From Boston Massachusetts on March 5. This is Sammartino’s second to last match for the WWF. I didn’t realize he was still around at this point. And no wonder, he hadn’t been on TV since the summer of 1986. Bravo uses power to dominate him, and a bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop for two. Bravo works a chinlock, until David escapes, and uses a sunset flip for two. Sammartino with fists of fury, and an inside cradle gets him two. Bodyslam sets up a kneedrop for two, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Bravo drills him with a sidewalk slam at 5:26. ¼*

Gene Okerlund is in the control center with the WrestleMania IV Report, focusing on the beef between Bret Hart and Bad News Brown coming out of the battle royal

Ted DiBiase v Alden Kinsey: From Bristol Tennessee on March 8. DiBiase squashes him at 2:42. This was taped before WrestleMania, so he wasn’t using the Million Dollar Dream yet, but the commentators mention it, since the commentary was most likely taped much later. DUD

Rick Rude v Koko B. Ware: From Springfield Illinois on March 20. Koko sticks and moves, but misses a charge in the corner, and that’s the end of that run. Rude goes to work, but has trouble putting him away, and Koko manages a sunset flip for two. He had some stank on that one. Rude cuts him off, and uses a bodyslam for two, then goes to a chinlock. That wears Koko down enough for Rude to hit a flying fistdrop, and Bobby Heenan goes after the bird. That draws the British Bulldogs out to chase him off, and Rude has to intervene - getting himself counted out at 11:26. ¼*

BUExperience: Like with drugs, just say no.