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WWF Wrestling Challenge - October 5, 1986

by Erick Von Erich

While typing up the last 1986 Prime Time Wrestling recap, I did some research on the Informational Superhighways and ended up in the YouTube rabbit hole of WWF syndication episodes. Our hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and; filling in for Bobby "The Brain" Heenan; "Luscious" Johnny Valiant. We'll have a recap of the Flower Shop and Piper's Pit confrontation, the JYD, some tag matches and much more! But with so much going on in the World Wrestling Federation, let's get down to ringside for...

• Match 1: "King" Harley Race (w/Bobby "The Brain" Heenan) vs. Allen Martin

  Martin's boo'ed as he's announced, then Race's music fires up a second later, making some wish they have saved their boo's. Valiant gets in a shot about how Race's wardrobe reminds him of the Imperial Margarine commercials. Race starts quick with a gut-wrench suplex, slam and a brainbuster suplex. A few knees and the "cradle suplex" gets the win for Race. Martin didn't even get the obligatory punch. They've really made Race like a million bucks, lately.

• Wrestler's Rebuttal: The Machines

  Big and Super are upset that every hotel they've gone to, in the US, has no sushi, sake, geisha girls or fried rice. Big Machine (Blackjack Windham) babbles in a sterotypical accent, rattling off the names of car manufacturers. Wow, this just crossed over from "tongue-in-cheek" to "offensive".

• Match 2: Jacques & Raymond Rougeau vs. Bob Bradley & "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regale

  They've added an "e" to the end of Regal's name for no reason. Heenan rejoins the commentary booth for the rest of the episode, sparing us more hollering from Valiant. Bradley gets to look competent, as he manhandles Raymond at the bell with a kneelift and a slam. Raymond dodges a charge and sends him to the floor. In-set promo from the Rougeaus, entirely in French. Jacques with a head-scissors on Regal. Raymond gets a highlight moment as he delivers about 5 slams, in a row, to both opponents. Bradley misses a top rope splash, then is immediately picked up into the Rougeaus' double-team flying Thesz press. Jacques delivers the press, then Raymond hooks the legs and flips over to get the 3.

• Ken Resnick Studio Interview with Corporal Kirchner

  Resnicks plays up that Kirchner has actually been wrestling other wrestlers-- not named Iron Sheik or Nikolai Vokoff. They tease a potential Intercontinental Championship match against "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

• Flashback: The Flower Shop vs. Piper's Pit

  Replay of the big 3-on-1 fight that broke out, courtesy of "WWF Superstars" (and "Prime Time on Sept. 30). Well, I suppose Challenge hadn't aired this segment, yet. Strangely enough, it's cut-off before the brawl starts.

• Ken Resnick Studio Interview with "The Rebel" Dick Slater

  Slater says that he's been talking to Richard Petty at the "Southern 500", then demands a "title shot against Paul Orndorff".

• Match 3: "The Rebel" Dick Slater vs. Tiger Chung Lee

  Mostly a brawl, but Lee gets to look somewhat credible, nailing him in the throat with a chop. Slater does a little babyface shimmy, after breaking out of a lock-up. Lee with a sleeper, which Slater turns into a belly-to-back suplex. Elbowsmash from the top gets the pin for Slater.

• The Snake Pit w/ "The Natural" Butch Reed & Slick

  Your basic self-promotional piece, as Reed hollers about being "Natural", from his hair to his feet. Host Jake Roberts makes a reference to a "black greezy dog" and hopes Reed is the "black snake" who can take care of him. Reed says the JYD is "not natural". Ho-hum. For the commercial outro, it sounds like ZZ Top's "Planet of Women" is playing.

• Match 4: Brutus Beefcake & Greg "The Hammer" Valentine (w/"Luscious" Johnny V) vs. Jerry Allen & Don Hastings

  In-set promo from the Dream Team, who say Johnny V is doing a great job as a commentator. Allen makes a comeback with a slam on Beefcake. Beefcake begs him off, form his knees, and referee Danny Davis steps in to stop Allen. Gorilla goes off on a rant about Davis and how he's been doing some "unorthodox things"....so is he the third Bushwhacker? Hey-oh! Valentine works Hastings' legs, then hooks on the figure four for the submission win.

• Match 5: The Junkyard Dog vs. Jimmy Jack Funk

  Gorilla calls this a "feature match", but Funk has become a JTTS since The Big Event. JYD wins a slam challenge, early on, but misses a headbutt. Funk with a slam, but misses a fistdrop from the second rope, as JYD sloppily rolls out of the way. Crawling headbutts send Funk to the floor, but he returns for some slow brawling. JYD does the half-way piledriver or "skull cracker". More brawling and JYD surprises everybody with an abdominal stretch. Big power slam finally gets the win for JYD...who invites a little kid into the ring to get down with him, afterwards. "Mommy, can I go into the ring with that man who wants me to GRAB DEM CAKES?!?"

• Ken Resnick Studio Interview with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

  Brains brags about all the contracts he's been signing, lately, then brings in Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. They throw out an open challenge to anybody, including the Machines. Resnick does the 1986 version of MLB's StatCast, as he wonders how much velocity Bundy's avalanche delivers.
Gorilla and the Brain close things by previewing next week's card, which will feature Billy Jack Haynes vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

Why'd You Watch This?
Just to help flesh out some of the fall 1986 WWF stuff I've been watching. Prime Time can be so slow and off in its own little world for a few few episodes. So it's good to watch these to see the old fashioned squashes, instead of an S.D. Jones match. Even though this was the definition of a "Bw Show", safe to say that "Challenge" and "Superstars" were definitely more of a snapshot of the current period, than Prime Time was.

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