home | wrestling | flashback_reviews | wwe | misc

WWF TV Taping: Buffalo, NY- June 2, 1987

by Scrooge McSuck

>

We're making some great progress as we're reaching the middle part of 1987. We've checked in on Houston, Madison Square Garden, and even Johnstown, PA between tapings. As usual, unless otherwise noted, we've got three weeks of WWF Superstars taped, as well as some content for other programming, and we'll follow all that with a look at anything of significance taped on June 3rd for Wrestling Challenge.

June 13th, 1987:
Vince McMahon, Jesse "The Body" Ventura and "The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino welcome us to this week's program, which will feature the British Bulldogs, The Islanders, and Junkyard Dog! Ricky Steamboat defends the Intercontinental Title against the Honkytonk Man! Last and certainly not least, we'll see clips of Jesse Ventura in "The Predator!" Almost all the images previewing the Superstars mentioned are seriously outdated.

The British Bulldogs vs. Johnny K-9 & Dusty Wolfe

We've got ridiculously canned heat for the enhancement talent. We've covered K-9 before; POS scum. Also, cute of them to put the Bulldogs against guys named K-9 and Wolfe. The Bulldogs are still chasing the Hart Foundation, doing Steel Cage matches around the horn in smaller markets. Dynamite is still struggling to do the minimum, doing one bump (a fall forward headbutt) and struggling executing a short clothesline. Davey does all the heavy work and finishes Dusty with a flying headbutt at 2:12.

Special Report - Craig DeGeorge has more with the comeback bid for "Superstar" Billy Graham as he pushes through with some physical therapy.

The Islanders (w/ Bobby Heenan) vs. S.D. Jones & Eric Cooper

After several weeks of increasingly aggressive behavior, the Islanders revealed themselves as the newest members of the Heenan Family during a match with the Can-Am Connection. The Can-Ams cut an inset promo to let us know that there's unfinished business between the two teams. Jones gets his little bit of shine before Cooper gets destroyed and finishes with a double headbutt at 2:35.

"Mean" Gene Okerlund runs down the card on July 11th from the Boston Garden, including Jake Roberts vs. The Honkytonk Man (didn't happen), Tito Santana vs. Butch Reed (didn't happen), Brutus Beefcake vs. Johnny Valiant, and The Can-Am Connection vs. The Islanders. Thank goodness we have that one in the archives.

The Junkyard Dog vs. Terry Gibbs

JYD is back for the first time since WrestleMania III as the WWF is struggling with drug-related suspensions and terminations, forcing the WWF in making the call to the dog. The next year or so is mostly a "JYD is a special attraction" deal, having little to do when it comes to TV storylines. Gibbs jumps JYD before the bell, but the Dog quickly shrugs it off and runs through the usual before hitting the Thump at 1:44. JYD brings a bunch of kids in the ring to celebrate.

The New Dream Team (w/ Johnny Valiant) vs. Leapin' Lanny Poffo & Scott Casey

I still can't believe "New" is actually part of the official name. Poffo's poem mentions Nielsen ratings and Jesse Ventura's role in the new Schwarzenegger movie. Casey gets some shine as this is more competitive than I expected. Poffo even busts out the moonsault on Bravo! Why are the pushed talent selling so much? A cheap shot from the apron slows Poffo down and Bravo puts a bow on it with the side slam at 2:50. I understand Poffo and Casey are a notch above total goobers, but come on…

The Snake Pit with Hillbilly Jim and Little Beaver. We're just not trying with this one. We revisit WrestleMania III where King Kong Bundy did the unthinkable and put a hurting on the little guy. Jim calls Bundy a coward with no guts to set up a run of house show matches where Beaver would be in Jim's corner.

WWF Intercontinental Championship: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (c) vs. The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart)

A randomly thrown together title match reeks of a non-finish. That seems only natural of a result, based on how things usually unfold at these tapings. Honky attacks from behind, sending Steamboat over the top rope. Steamboat skins the cat (taking a shot at Hart in the process) and dumps Honky out in retaliation. Steamboat brings Honky back in with a back suplex and unloads with chops. Honky kicks out of a roll-up, sending Steamboat into the corner. He plants Steamboat with a slam but misses an elbow from the second rope. Steamboat counters a Shake Rattle ‘n' Roll attempt and Honky turns himself inside-out in the corner. Steamboat comes off the top with a big chop but the referee is distracted by Hart. A dropkick knocks Honky into Jimmy, allowing Steamboat to hook a cradle, but Honky in return hooks the rope to reverse it... and somehow the first count of Steamboat's cover continues into Honky's reversal, and HONKY WINS THE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP at 3:53?! What a miscarriage of justice from WWF referee Jack Kruger. Paint-by-numbers work but one of the historical moments of the Golden Era.

The One Man Gang (w/ Slick) vs. Silvano Sousa

Wow, we're running another match out after that shocking result?! Slick cuts an inset promo about Gang's "Master Blaster." Gang doesn't waste time going to work on Sousa. He hits the Master Blaster (that odd-looking bulldog driver from the middle rope) but then finishes with an ugly second rope elbow drop at 1:38.

Honkytonk Man returns to the ring to thank the audience and to share his victory with them. What an obnoxious jerk!

June 20th, 1987:
We get our opening greeting from the usual suspects and this week we can look forward to George "The Animal" Steele, the Can-Am Connection, and Killer Khan in action. Also, in a Non-Title Match, the Hart Foundation takes on the Killer Bees.

Non-Title Match: The Hart Foundation (w/ Jimmy Hart & Danny Davis) vs. The Killer Bees

OK, we're not wasting time getting to the feature. I wish I had something of interest to say of the Bees, but I don't. They're just guys who pad out the roster. They're mostly working with Demolition on the houses, but get shuffled around quite a bit. Blair frustrates Neidhart with his speed and gets a roll-up for a near-fall. Whip to the ropes and the Bees with a double elbow for two. Bret with a knee to the midsection to slow down Brunzell. He tries fighting out of the corner on several occasions, unsuccessfully. Brunzell gets fired up, but Davis trips him up. The local authorities come out to escort Davis from ringside, and during the confusion, the Bees do the masked switch-a-roo gimmick. Blair runs wild, but Bret blocks a sunset flip. Brunzell comes in from the apron with a sunset flip of his own while the referee is escorting Neidhart out of the ring, and that gets the Bees the tainted three-count at 4:25.

Update: In case you skipped a few paragraphs, the Honkytonk Man shocked the world by defeating Ricky Steamboat for the Intercontinental Title. He was immediately congratulated by Randy Savage, as well as the Hart Foundation, Butch Reed, and others. Well, considering Reed wasn't available for this taping, we can figure out this was taped at a later date.

George "The Animal" Steele vs. Al Navarro

We've got more Steele for the better part of a year left as he's mostly a special attraction guy. His house show schedule is normally filled by Danny Davis, but he's working with Kamala as well (among others). Steele with biting and tosses Navarro over the top rope. The turnbuckle gets destroyed and Navarro is put away with the flying hammerlock at 1:18. Post-match, poor Jack Kruger gets some special attention from Steele.

Vince McMahon introduces a short clip of the Jumping Bomb Angels. Workrate geeks get happy!

The Can-Am Connection vs. Rick Renslow & Dave Wagner

Showcase for the Can-Ams as we kick the feud with the Islanders into gear. Zenk gets caught in the corner early but quickly turns things around. We get an inset promo from Heenan and the Islanders, who share a good laugh. Martel scoops up Renslow and Zenk finishes with a missile dropkick at 2:52.

Killer Khan (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. Brian Costello

The bell rings and Khan goes through a prayer ritual as Vince and Ventura mention his chances against Hulk Hogan. Most of the bell-to-bell time is spent on that warm-up routine. Khan hits a Russian leg sweep, back breaker, and flying knee drop for the three-count at 1:42. Not a bad squash, but something about Khan doesn't feel like he fits with the WWF's presentation.

The Snake Pit with "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Elizabeth. Savage guarantees that he'll take down the WWF Champion. Roberts questions that he couldn't get the belt back from Ricky Steamboat, but is confident in taking down the top guy. Jake says it's important to believe in yourself, but he doesn't think Savage can take the title.

Special Report: "Superstar" Billy Graham's rehab continues.

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Steve Lombardi

We should feel blessed to get these credible job guys all over this taping. Haynes inset promo is commenting on Graham's return. Jesus, dude has NOTHING going for him, huh? I think he's in a holding pattern for the next few months. Lombardi gets some offense but Haynes puts him away with the Full Nelson at 1:43.

Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, "The King" Harley Race, and Hercules vs. Paul Roma, Jim Powers, Mario Mancini and Don Driggers

Who doesn't love the "throw an entire stable in one big tag match" gimmick at these tapings?! We also kill time by giving Bundy and Orndorff individual intros. The Heenan Family take turns getting their stuff in against Driggers. Powers tags in and gets about 5-seconds of offense before Orndorff puts him in his place. Mancini is tagged in, immediately hit with a suplex, and Orndorff sends him to the Phantom Zone with the piledriver at 3:56. Dominant showcase for the Heenan Family.

June 27th, 1987:
We finish up the taping cycle with the promises of the following; The Honkytonk Man! Koko B. Ware! Ken Patera! Demolition! And Bobby Heenan will be in the Snake Pit.

The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Dave Stoudemire

Wow, we're running Honky out there at the same taping he won the Intercontinental Championship?! It's over before you know it, as Honky finishes with the Shake Rattle ‘n' Roll, but there's other developments attached to this match; in one of the most out-of-nowhere announcements, MR. T is back in the World Wrestling Federation! Don't worry, he's not going to be wrestling, he's going to be a babyface "enforcer" that makes sure the rules are followed.

Update: Craig Degeorge is standing by with "The Natural" Butch Reed and Slick. What are their thoughts about Superstar Billy Graham? Well, he's old and broken, and Reed says he's got the better body than Graham ever dreamed of having.

Koko B. Ware vs. Jose Estrada

The first appearance of Estrada as enhancement talent (at least for this run of 1987-89). He's probably better known for being one of the masked Conquistadors along with Jose Luis Rivera. Koko flashes a lot of offense for a syndication squash with a lot of bumping on that brutal WWF ring. We get an inset from Magnificent Muraco and Bob Orton who assure us that everything is fine between them. Koko wins with the Ghostbuster (brain buster suplex) at 1:57.

The One Man Gang (w/ Slick) vs. Eric Cooper

You can't tell me the roster wasn't deep enough that we need to run the same stars out for multiple squashes? Mr. T sits in with commentary to let us know about his new role with the WWF (it would last about a month, give or take). Gang finishes again with the Master Blaster and a much better looking second rope elbow at 2:30.

Ted Dibiase, "The Million Dollar Man" introduces himself to the fans of the World Wrestling Federation. He's riding around in a limousine saying he can buy anything he wants, whether it's happiness, love, or people in general, like Virgil, the man who takes care of all of his problems. Dibiase gets a paper cut thumbing through his money and pays off the receptionist to jump the line to get his finger bandaged.

Brutus Beefcake & The Rougeau Brothers vs. Iron Mike Sharpe, Jimmy Jack Funk, and Johnny K-9

Another one of those "hey, this is a squash, but look at the quality of the job guys!" situations. Beefcake and the Rougeau Brothers have a common bond, disliking Johnny Valiant, Dino Bravo, and Greg Valentine. Cookie cutter stuff with the babyfaces taking their turn to give the people a thrill, and the Rougeau Bomb finishes K-9 at 3:03. Post-match, Sharpe gets a light trim which may or may not have been a rib on him.

The Snake Pit with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Roberts warns Heenan about needing protection. Heenan says he has plenty, introducing his four men that we saw earlier in 8-Man Tag Team action. He's tired of being abused, and says the days are over where people make a name for themselves at the expense of himself and his family, and that includes Patera.

Ken Patera vs. Frankie Lane

We've been waiting for weeks for the next stage of the Patera vs. Heenan Family rivalry, and here we are! Patera is making short work of Lane and finishes with the bearhug at 1:39, but Heenan is watching from the entrance aisle, and is soon joined by Bundy, Orndorff, Race, and Hercules. The heat is ON as Heenan's men easily overwhelm Patera and they all take turns lashing him with a belt as he lay helplessly in the ropes. Heck of a heat angle to give fans a reason to care about Patera appearing at live events.

Demolition (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. Jerry Allen & Leapin' Lanny Poffo

Allen gets an opening flurry but Ax cuts through him with a clothesline. We get a generic inset promo from Demolition as they take turns working over Allen. Poffo gets his own flurry, throwing dropkicks, but he tries to match power and that backfires. The decapitation elbow finishes Poffo at 2:25.

BONUS CONTENT:
We've got one match that made its way to Coliseum Video to cover. For material lost to us, there's a match between Ken Patera and Nikolai Volkoff that was featured on International editions of Wrestling Challenge. Tom Magee was brought in and got a win over Jimmy Jack Funk, Bam Bam Bigelow wrestled an unknown, and a Hulk Hogan appearance on the Snake Pit was taped where he was assaulted by Killer Khan, but only featured in the markets that featured the match on their upcoming cards.

Hulk Hogan & Koko B. Ware (w/ Jake Roberts) vs. The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart) & Kamala (w/ Mr. Fuji & Kim-Chee)

Featured on "The Best of the WWF Vol. 13", Koko is subbing for Jake Roberts, who is on the shelf with an injury and lost more time over Vince cracking down on extracurricular fun with illegal substances. Kamala tries to get the jump on Hogan, but that backfires and the babyfaces clean house. Watching Hulk and Koko spam each other's taunts is great stuff. Hogan keeps getting the better of Kamala and Koko rocks the big man with shoulder dives and a dropkick. Honky gets caught with an atomic drop and does the ping-pong routine between Hulk and Koko. Even Jake gets in on the fun from the arena floor. Hogan legit busts out a drop toe hold on Kamala in order to get him in position for Jake to taunt with the bag. Koko ends up as the face-in-peril (don't act shocked), and it's a bit of a slog with how little Honky and Kamala do on offense. Now to be fair, it's always impressive to see Kamala do a leapfrog spot. The referee misses the tag in our favorite tag team match trope. Koko avoids the leapfrog on the second try and stuns Kamala with a dropkick, but Honky cuts off the tag attempt. Honky misses an elbow from the second rope and it's HOT TAG TIME, BROTHER. Hogan takes shots at the managers on the apron, plants Kamala with a slam and finishes with the leg drop at 14:30. A little too long for what they delivered, but decent enough considering the wacky combinations. **

WWF @ Rochester, NY - June 3rd, 1987:

Time to look and see what is worth mentioning from our taping of Wrestling Challenge, and to my delight, there's enough to talk about with getting too long-winded. We've got another appearance of Bam Bam, and Nikolai Volkoff vs. Billy Jack Haynes that was taped for Wrestling Spotlight, but the biggest story is the in-ring debut of the Midnight Rockers, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. Fresh from the AWA, the Rockers came in at the worst time, as Vince got immediate buyers remorse with their reputation getting the best of them and were dismissed less than a week later, never appearing on TV. Originally unwelcome to return to the AWA, they wound up working for Continental and Memphis before getting bookings again from Gagne.

Hillbilly Jim, Billy Jack Haynes, and S.D. Jones vs. The Magnificent Muraco, Bob Orton, and Iron Mike Sharpe

Taped for the June 14th episode of Wrestling Challenge. As we touched on briefly during Superstars, there's hints of tension between Muraco and Orton, which means they are the center of attention here. Poor Jim, Jack ‘n' Jones. I think Fuji has finally, officially, ditched Muraco and Orton. Orton takes Haynes over with a hip toss and plays to the crowd like he's just cured a deadly illness. Haynes fires back with arm drags, including intercepting the interfering Muraco. We get the silly spot where all the heels get caught in a corner and are crushed, but that spot seems more designed for a massive guy like Andre who is not just tall, but thick. Muraco catches Jones with a powerslam and tags in Sharpe, much to the chagrin of Orton. They argue a bit as Sharpe gives up control. Muraco tries helping out, but accidentally whacks Sharpe, allowing Jones to cover for three at 3:27. In Orton's defense, why would you willingly tag in Sharpe?

Raymond Rougeau (w/ Jacques) vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (w/ Dino Bravo)

Taped for the June 28th episode of Wrestling Challenge. No Johnny Valiant? We could only wish he was gone, but he sticks around through the rest of the year. Valentine gets the jump, unloading on Ray with forearms and dropping an elbow. We get an inset promo from Brutus Beefcake as Valentine works the leg. Ray blocks the Figure-Four and hooks a cradle for a near-fall. Valentine goes back to the leg, and another Figure-Four is countered. Raymond slams the slow-moving Valentine off the top rope and plants him with a slam for a two-count. Sunset flip for two. Bravo picks the ankle, allowing Valentine to apply the Figure-Four. Jacques hops in the ring, as does Bravo, and the referee throws it out at 3:15 as the two teams continue to brawl.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match: The Hart Foundation (c) (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. The Can-Am Connection

Featured on international versions of WWF Superstars. Neidhart acts all hot to start, with Bret holding him back. Bret takes advantage of Neidhart's distraction, getting the jump on Martel. It doesn't take long for Martel to turn the tide and get the better of the Hitman, including a hurricanrana that sends the frustrated Hart to the floor. Back inside, Bret grabs a headlock, but is quickly sent back to the floor with a double monkey-flip. Zenk with a lengthy crisscross before hooking Neidhart's arms for a roll-up. Bret interrupts Zenk trying it again and Neidhart drops him throat-first across the top rope to take control. Zenk gets worked over a bit on the floor before getting caught in a chin-lock. Bret in as Zenk starts to tease a comeback, taking him down with a back suplex. Zenk with a surprise sunset flip. We get the front face-lock and missed tag spot. Zenk avoids a charge to the corner and the referee sees the second tag attempt. Martel runs wild, hitting Bret with a dropkick and taking Neidhart over with a back body-drop. Martel with a body press but Bret saves. Martel slaps on a sleeper and Bret makes another save. The action spills to the floor with all four men brawling. Bret and Neidhart get bumped into each other and Martel slips back in the ring for the count-out victory at 10:21. Solid action, but nothing to get too excited about. Of course we weren't getting a real finish with the titles on the line. **½

WWF Heavyweight Championship Match: Hulk Hogan (c) vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/ Elizabeth)

Featured on the Coliseum Video "History of the WWF Heavyweight Championship". Savage attacks Hogan as the referee does the pre-match routine. He connects with the flying axe-handle and chokes Hogan across the top rope. Hogan blocks the turnbuckle , puts on Savage's sunglasses, and lays into him with rights. Savage gets sent from corner to corner before an elbow knocks him through the ropes. Hogan gives chase, but Savage hides behind Elizabeth. Savage's sneak attack backfires and Hogan sends him through the ropes with an atomic drop. This time Elizabeth willingly steps in front, but Hogan "moves her out of the way like a gentleman". Back inside, Savage stuns Hogan, dumps him out and comes off the top with an axe-handle. Back inside, Savage with a slam and the flying elbow but Hogan kicks out at two! Savage with jabs and elbows with zero effect on the Champion. Whip to the ropes and a big boot knocks Savage out of the ring again. Savage picks the ankle and sends Hogan into the guardrail. He fetches a chair, but Elizabeth snatches it from his hands! Savage points the finger and Liz smacks it away! Back inside, Savage misses the elbow and Hogan rolls him up for three at 6:45. The condensed version of Hulk vs. Savage is always a good time, and the finish with Elizabeth was a nice addition to the formula. ***

Final Thoughts: If nothing else, the Honkytonk Man winning the Intercontinental Championship from Ricky Steamboat is one of the biggest moments of 1987. There's still a bit of a cool-down as far as the WWF Championship is concerned, as we've built up Killer Khan and the One Man Gang, but as far as national coverage goes, they aren't mixing it up directly with Hogan. Ken Patera vs. The Heenan Family continues, and we got one heck of a heat segment for that one, and the first vignette of Ted Dibiase as the Million Dollar Man. Oh, and then there's the crumbling relationship between Muraco and Orton, but they are fallen so far down the card, I don't know if many people would care.

Sound Off!
Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!