home | wrestling | flashback_reviews | wwe | house_shows

WWF at London, England, London Arena -
October 10th, 1989
by Scrooge McSuck

- Originally broadcasted on Sky-One, this has been listed on various websites as the (alleged) first UK Event held by the WWF. I dont't know how true that one is in "first event EVER", but it's the first card held in England I can think of being televised, as far as I know. The WWF touring Europe wasn't a new idea at this point, but they were very much strangers still. It wasn't until the end of the 90's when the WWF REALLY started taking asdvantage of foreign tours, increasing the number of them gradually, until it became almost as common as the WWF coming through the New York area for MSG, Nassau, and Meadowlands back in the day.

I've seen a couple of these matches before, courtesy of various Coliseum Videos, but this is the first I've seen of the entire card. Much like future WWF tours overseas, this one was not without incident. Koko B. Ware was temporarily fired for getting into a hotel lobby fight with a WWF Executive, who no doubt used racial slurs to instigate the situation, and I've read somewhere else that the Rockers were severely diciplined for their actions on this tour, too. Maybe that's why Jannetty did the job to Bobby Heenan a month later on PPV.

- Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred Hayes are calling all the action, and Howard Finkel is even on hand for all the match introductions. I guess they only used the foreign ring announcers for non-English speaking crowds. Just a quick note: I really dig the set of stairs that the wrestlers have to come down on their way to the ring. Oh, and the crowd is JACKED, and rightfully so. It's the "first" UK event the WWF is holding! Oh, Mean Gene Okerlund is doing the interviews backstage, but for the most part, those aren't included here. Sorry for the inconvenience of a missing Bret Hart or Jim Duggan interview.

Opening Match: Koko B. Ware (w/ Frankie) vs. Boris Zhukov (w/ Nikolai Volkoff):

I didn't know Volkoff was back yet, but here he is, attempting to sing his homelands National Anthem, but he's only about two lines in before Koko's music ("do the bird-bird-bird!") interrupts things. I'd like to get off topic for a second and make notice of a VERY brief observation: There's several fans dressed up like their favorite WWF wrestlers, two of them who I'm assuming are dressed as Brutus Beefcake and KING Duggan. Now, I mention this, because a few years later, the WWF Magazine ran an article about another tour, and included a picture of a bunch of Asian men dressed as WWF Superstars... including a GIANT GONZALES COSTUME. I swear to God, I'm not making that up. I seem to recall dress up versions of Tatanka and Shawn Michaels, too, among others.

Zhukov attacks from behind, and pounds Koko to the canvas. Irish whip, and Koko comes back with a pair of dropkicks, followed by a sloppy arm drag, sending Zhukov out of the ring. Back inside, and OH MY GOD! One guy is wearing a FOAM BODY SUIT and Warrior face-paint, and another is decked out as Bret Hart. Sadly, he's the most normal looking. They do the rest-of-strength, and Zhukov gains control without cheating. Koko counters with a monkey flip, and another dropkick sends Zhukov out of the ring. Back inside, and Zhukov unwisely rams Koko to the buckle. Koko no-sells and rams Zhukov's monster-sized cranium to the buckle, in retaliation, and covers for a two count. Lord Alfred makes a note to say we're in London, ENGLAND. Laugh all you want, but the WWF did shows in London, Ontario on a regular basis, too. Koko runs the ropes, but Volkoff yanks the top rope down on him. Zhukov works Koko over and rams him into the ring post. Irish whip, and Zhukov with a clothesline for a two count. The crowd actually picks up a pretty big "Koko!" chant. George Costanza wouldn't appreciate it, I tell you what. Whip to the corner, and Koko with a cross body press for a two count. Zhukov with a snapmare, and it's chinlock time! It's INCREDIBLY lazy looking too, Zhukov doesn't even have a decent/convincing looking vice around Koko's neck with it. Koko fights back to his feet and escapes with elbows. Whip to the corner, but Koko meets the foot on the way in. Zhukov covers for two, then goes back to the chinlock. Whenever I see Koko with the bleach blonde hair, I think what a great team he would've made with the Natural, Butch Reed. Koko fights free, again, and hammers away. Irish whip, and Koko drops a fist to counter a monkey flip, but misses an elbow drop. Zhukov with more generic heel offense. Whip to the corner, and Zhukov posts himself on a charge, and the crowd pops huge for it. Damn, I love easy crowds. Koko starts flappin' the arms and levels Zhukov with a clothesline. Koko with a pair of headbutts, followed by a snapmare and rake of the eyes. Whip to the corner is reversed, Koko teases a cross body, then surprises Zhukov with a missile dropkick, and that gets three at 10:59! Koko wins a match! Koko wins a match! Koko wins a match! Not a "good" match, not a bad one, but having an energetic crowd makes up for it. Oh my God, Koko goes to those crazy fans and we see "Warrior" dancing around like he was a Strongbow or something.

Bret "Hitman" Hart vs. Dino Bravo (w/ Jimmy Hart):

This one was recycled for the "WWF World Tour" Coliseum Video, and I've recently recapped one of their matches from this time period at Madison Square Garden. Not to give anything away, but I'm going to make a safe bet and say this match will be not unlike that one, but as long as it's good, I don't care. Braco does some pretty lazy push-ups during his entrance, then does some with Jimmy on his back, since that isn't unusual looking. Lockup to start, and Bravo celebrates shoving Bret down. Bret grabs a side headlock as Hayes and Schiavone discuss the alleged World Bench Press Record, possibly set by Dino Bravo. Bravo plows through Hart with a shoulder block, then connects with an inverted atomic drop. Irish whip, and Hart comes off the ropes with a cross body for a two count. Bret with his own atomic drop, followed by a dropkick and a clothesline. Bret comes off the ropes with another clothesline, sending Bravo rolling out of the ring. Bravo hangs around on the apron, so Bret knocks him back off for being a stalling jerk. Bravo takes a walk, but Jimmy Hart talks him into going back in the ring. Lockup, and Bret goes to work on the arm, takes him over and slaps on the armbar. Bret pounds away on the shoulder and goes back to the armbar. Irish whip, and a shoulder block doesn't do much. Criss-cross, and Bret drops an elbow across the chest. Bret with an arm drag, followed by a headlock takeover, then back to the armbar. Bravo escapes, but they blow a crucifix spot, but Bret quickly turns Bravo around and goes back to the arm. It was a blown spot, but it's ugliness turned into a decent cover up, at least. Hart pounds away with rights then goes back to the arm. Bret takes Bravo off his feet and stomps the gut of the French-Canadian Strongman. Bravo sucker punches the gloating Hitman, and drives a series of knees into the lower back, knocking Bret out of the ring, in the process. Bret tries climbing back in, but Bravo clubs him across the chest, then shoves him off, into the security rail! Too bad the camera crew missed the impact! Oh no, the Bret fan is trying to give Bret support. They should've done a twin switch or something.

Bravo tosses Bret back inside and drops an elbow for a two count. Bravo with a snapmare, and he quickly slaps on a chinlock. Bret struggles back to his feet, then drives a pair of elbows to the midsection, but Bravo catches him coming off the ropes with a clothesline. Bravo covers for a two count, then slaps on a seated chinlock, just to change it up a bit. The crowd tries rallying behind Hart, but Bravo maintains control, and takes Bret over with a gutwrench suplex for a two count. Bret surprises Bravo with a back slide for a two count of his own, but Bravo is quick to attack and traps Hart in a bearhug. Lord Alfred has identified Bravo as "that big French-Canadian" about ten times during the match. Whip to the corner is reversed, and Bret does his signature chest bump, but Bravo only gets two going for the cover. Bravo pulls Bret back to the center of the ring and slaps on another bearhug. Bret fights free with elbows to the face, but Bravo rakes the eyes. Whip to the corner, and Bravo eats boot on a charge. Bret to the second rope, and he misses an elbow drop! Bravo goes to the TOP rope, and Bret catches him coming down with a fist to the midsection. Irish whip, and Bret with a back drop, followed by a leg drop for a two count. Bret with a small package for another two count. Bret with the side back breaker, and that gets a two count. Bravo blocks a roll up, but Bret knocks him out of the ring with a dropkick. Bret means business, so it's plancha time! Bravo yanks Bret off the apron and stomps his head a couple of times. Bravo tries for a suplex, but Bret counters and rolls Bravo up for two, but then Bravo counters THAT, and sits down on the chest for the three count at 16:10! I'm surprised that was a pretty clean finish, but at the same time, I can understand why it didn't have to be a tainted victory. Pretty good match, slightly better than what I was expecting in comparison to the other match I've recently sat through, and yeah, it might have to do with a really hot crowd, but it was a well worked match with only one flaw, and that could've looked worse.

"King" Jim Duggan vs. The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart):

Oh my, I'm not looking forward to this one... you know it's funny that Duggan is still playing King, when even in television time, he had already lost the crown to Randy Savage, who held his coronation on an episode of Superstars of Wrestling a couple of weeks before this event, also in television time. I guess the UK fans were kept in the dark still about it, or something. Another match that was recycled for the World Tour Coliseum Video. As already mentioned, Duggan had issues with Savage, and Honky was doing a lame program with Jimmy Snuka, so it makes sense to throw these two together at random. Duggan's king music cuts off Honkytonk Man singing, upsetting Lord Alfred Hayes, but not enough to be a true heel. Duggan, in that robe and in his blue undies, looks more like someones drunk grandfather that was snuck out of the old folks home one cold, saturday night, rather than a professional wrestler. Does Duggan realize he was goose-stepping, or is he just ignorant?

Duggan kicks off the match leading the crowd in a chant of "U-S-A!" At least the Canadian crowd at WrestleMania VI boo'ed him out of the building for trying that. Honky stalls, of course. I don't understand the production crews obsession with showing the same fans throughout the night. Jimmy Hart gets on the microphone and threatens the Honkytonk Man won't sing if they don't calm down. Duggan heads outside and hammers away with rights. Back inside, and Duggan nails Honky with a clothesline, knocking him back out of the ring. Duggan noggin-knocker's Honky and the Colonel, to the aproval of the crowd. Hebner is sporting a cast on his left hand, just thought you'd like to know. Duggan with an atomic drop and punches in the corner. Jimmy grabs the leg of Duggan, allowing Honky to get some cheap shots in, then choke Duggan across the bottom rope. Honky maintains control and applies a LAZY chinlock, and I do mean lazy. Duggan tries to fight free, but Honky knees him down and covers for two before going back to the shitlock. Duggan with elbows to escape, followed by rights, but he runs into another knee. BORING! Honky rams Duggan into the ring post, as more nothing continues to take place. Back in the ring, and Honky puts Duggan down with an elbow for a two count. Another "chinlock". The crowd is surprisingly not going wild for this one. Duggan fights out and hammers away with rights, but Honky thumbs the eye. Honky with mounted punches, but he misses a charge, and flips upside down to sell it. Duggan gets punch happy like Soda Popinski, and nails Honky with a clothesline. Duggan with his big clothesline from the corner, and gets the three count at 9:06! After the match, Honky gets the mega phone and bashes Duggan with it. Duggan manages to fight back and clears the ring with his 2x4. Match sucked, but it was kind of short, I guess.

- The only interview included is from the fucking ROCKERS of all people. I'm sorry, but I don't feel like listening to them talk, baked out of their minds. Thanks a lot, whoever uploaded this show... I would rather have none than one bad one, and looking at the list of people on this card, there's not a whole lot of good/entertaining promos here.

The Rockers vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (w/ Jimmy Hart):

(Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty vs. Jacques & Raymond Rougeau)
Get comfortable, this is going to be a long one, folks. I don't know if these two teams really had any issues anymore. I know they had a program during the Spring of '89 and even got paired up for SummerSlam, but now it's just got to be played out. The Rougeaus were on their way out, and the Rockers position always seemed in doubt because of their constant disregard for maturity and staying out of trouble. The Rockers clear the ring of the Rougeaus before we have an official bell. Tony Schiavone has so much to work with, he starts hyping a show in Birmingham the next night, featuring these two teams... in SINGLES action. Jacques and Jannetty start, and we get some stalling, of course. Thw crowd actually responds to Jacque's kip up, but then they cheer widly for Jannetty doing it. Another match hyped for tomorrow's show: Hulk Hogan and Jim Duggan vs. Randy Savage and Dino Bravo. ZUH!? I haven't seen an impersonation of a chicken this bad since the days of Tommy Wiseau. Michaels tags in to do some athletic showing off, which isn't too out of reach for him, I don't think. I've NEVER seen a crowd pop for chicken strutting, and I've seen dozens of Red Rooster matches. We're five minutes in without a wrestling hold. Jacques loses the game of show-boating chicken, unable to perform Shawn's back flip from the top rope. The Rockers end up crotching him in a true act of sportsmenship. Michaels rams Jacques to the buckle 15-times, but Jacques keeps the momentum going for a few more. Jannetty unfortunately shows us some Canadian Crack and whips Jacques to the corner. Jannetty calls a spot clear as day to the camera and comes off the ropes with a fist for a two count. Raymond tags in as Lord Alfred criticizes the match for all the stalling. Jannetty takes Raymond down and works a toe hold. Michaels tags in to work the leg, as well. Illegal switch from the Rockers, but the fans take their side in the argument. Then they do it again, once again confusing the poor referee. Rockers with a wish-bone, and, guess what, another illegal switch. I'm sensing a pattern! To change things up, Jacques is lured out of his corner, just as Raymond reaches for a tag. Jacque's exclamation: "You're a bunch of cheaters!" The referee misses the Rougeaus tag, but allows another fake tag from the Rockers.

Things FINALLY take a turn, as Jacques yanks Shawn down from behind, allowing Raymond to knee him from behind. Whip to the corner, and Shawn does that Ric Flair style flip in the corner. Raymond chokes with the tag rope while the referee is distracted. That actually gets a two count! Irish whip, and Jacques with a diving elbow, followed by a kip up. Jacques has the most annoying trash talk voice ever, but it works. Irish whip, and a double chop from the Rougeaus. Raymond with a reverse kick, allowing Shawn to over-sell and throw himself over the top rope. That's been a lot longer than 10-seconds! Back in the ring, finally, and Raymond with a snapmare, then slingshots Shawn into the corner for a two count. Jacques tags in and drops a knee across the back of the neck. Raymond remains in the ring, though, and covers for two. Raymond slams Shawn stomach first across the knee of Jacques, and that gets another two count. Irish whip, and Jacques with the abdominal stretch. Yes, he DOES use his partners grip for added leverage. Raymond tags back in and slaps on a seated chinlock. Michaels struggles to get to his corner, but Raymond sits down on the back to stop him. Irish whip, and Jacques with a dropkick and a beauty (TM Gorilla Monsoon) for a two count. Raymond in with an Irish whip, then they tumble around until we get a sequence of two counts. (looks at clock) For the love of all that is holy, END THE MATCH! We get the false hot tag spot, because we've seen every other cliched tag team match spot so far. Jacques with a front facelock, and they do the spot, AGAIN! Raymond in with the front facelock, now. They do the spot A THIRD FUCKING TIME! COME ON! We get heel miscommunication, and Jannetty FINALLY gets the hot tag. Jannetty hammers away on everything walking and nails Jacques with a knee lift. Even Jimmy Hart gets his ass handed to him. Jannetty with a back slide, but the referee is distracted. Whip is reversed, and Jannetty gets tripped. Jacques with a crappy piledriver, but now Shawn distracts the referee. He sees the megaphone in the ring and yells at Raymond, allowing Shawn to hit Jacques with it, and Marty lands on top for a three count at 24:26. My God, that was the most boring match I've ever seen. Here's the short version... the first quarter of the match was stalling, the second quarter was the Rockers doing a toe hold, the last half was the Rougeaus beating up Michaels. That's the entire match. It was long, it was dull, and it sucked. Next match.

Paul Roma vs. The Brooklyn Brawler:

I never thought I'd say this, but I WELCOME this in favor of another like the previous tag match I had to endure. The Brooklyn Brawler is (once again) wearing a Yankees t-shirt, also known as the Bronx Bombers. I know, I bring this up every time, but Brooklyn and the Bronx are two entirely different sections of new York. Roma comes out to Crank It Up, because that song was SO good. Brawler attacks before the bell, and puts Roma down with a clothesline for a two count. Brawler with eye raking and face biting. Irish whip, and Roma takes him over with a hip toss, then connects with a dropkick, sending Brawler out of the ring. Back in the ring, and it's a shoving match, then a slugfest, won by Roma. Brawler misses a charge to the corner, and Roma works a headlock. Roma with chops to the top of the head, a la Tatanka, and the crowd is actually dead. Brawler regains control and connects with a back breaker for a two count. Whip to the corner, and Brawler with more "biting", followed by a slam. Brawler to the top rope, and to the surprise of no one, Roma slams him off. Irish whip, and Roma with a clothesline. Irish whip, and Roma with a running powerslam for only a two count?! Roma with a delayed vertical suplex, and it looks like he's ripping off Davey Boy Smith's moveset. Roma to the top, and a cross body is countered, with Brawler hooking the tights for the three count at 6:12. Yikes, way to do the job for Steve friggin' Lombardi, Roma. Match stunk, but it was very thankfully short.

WWF Championship Match:
Hulk Hogan © (w/ Elizabeth) vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/ Sensational Sherri):

It's finally time for the Main Event of the evening. The Fall of 1989 was a weird time for the Hulkster. The whole Zeus thing was kind of on the back burner, he was starting to settle in with a program with Mr. Perfect, but was also featured on an episode of SNME against Ted Dibiase, and still had lingering issues with his opponent here, the Macho Man. Pick a storyline and stick with it! This might've been Elizabeth's last appearance until WrestleMania VI, and not to be a total pervert, she's looking REALLY good here. Sherri, not so much. I think this was recycled for another Coliseum Video, possibly one of the many Hulk Hogan tapes, but I'm no completely sure.

It takes a while for anything to happen once the bell rings. I don't know why, but Savage pairing up with Sherri seemed to have sapped him of his ability to consistantly put on good matches. Lockup, and Hogan throws Savage down with ease. Savage slaps on a headlock, but Hogan wins the shoulder block wars. Savage tosses a plastic chair in the ring, but Hogan catches it in mid-air and takes a seat. JERK! Hogan heads outside, but Savage uses Sherri as a shield. Savage gets on the house mic' to waste more time. I'm sorry, but this card continues to prove my theory on the lack of effort given on these cards. Sherri helps double team Hogan (No Disqualification?), but Hogan no-sells, atomic drops Savage out of the ring, then gives the evil duo a taste of the canvas. Savage goes for Elizabeth, but Hogan makes the save and hammers away. Back inside, and Hogan punches some more. Whip to the corner, and Hogan follows in with an elbow. Sherri gets involved again, but Hogan leads her into doing the Macarena, then Elizabeth gives Sherri a hand, quite literally, to shove her into the ring. Hogan dicks around with her again, allowing Savage to attack from behind. That dress is WAY TOO SHORT on Sherri. Savage to the top for a double axehandle. Back in the ring, and Savage with another axehandle for a two count. SLEEPER HOLD! My God, it's the most exciting move of the match! Hogan elbows free, but a double clothesline puts both men down. Both men exchange missed elbows, and Savage rolls him up for a two count. Savage with a knee drop for a series of two counts, then back to the sleeper hold. You know, sitting through this card, Tony Schiavone reminds me of how tolerable he could be, before the days of selling out during the Monday Night Wars. Hogan fights free, but gets tripped by Sherri. Savage attacks from behind and hangs Hogan up across the top rope. Savage gets the loaded purse of doom, and nails Hogan with it. Savage heads to the top for the big elbow, and it's Hulk Up Time! Hogan doesn't even bother to sell long enough for a pin attempt. Elizabeth gets a cheap shot in on Savage,Hogan with the usual routine, and it's thankfully over at 14:05. After the match, Hogan abuses Sherri, AGAIN, and celebrates with Elizabeth for no less than SEVEN minutes. Match sucked, and I just don't see how a 6'7", 300 pound man, beating up on a woman, no matter how evil, can be considered a good thing.

Final Thoughts: There was a really hot crowd and Bret Hart pulled a three-star match out of Dino Bravo. Other than that, this show is pretty crappy. Two of the singles matches were just a bunch of JTTS', the tag team match was ungodly boring thanks to the need for someone to fill up thirty minutes on the show, and the main event was the opposite of what Hogan and Savage were capable of doing, based on their series of matches in 1985-86. Seriously, how could two men with such great chemistry put on such stinkers only a few years later, when Savage was still able to go and Hogan wasn't made out of surgical tools and false body parts? There's the mild charm of a foreign show, but foreign show usually means underwelming performances, and this, allegedly, is the show that kicked that theory off.

back to House Shows Index