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WWF Championship Wrestling- April 19, 1986

by Scrooge McSuck

- Hosted by Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino, taped on March 31st from the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, NY. This week, we'll see highlights from the Tag Team Championship Match from WrestleMania 2. Also, we'll see the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff, The Killer Bees, The Macho Man, Hoss Funk, and more in the next hour. We can see Volkoff and the Sheik already in the ring, so let's go to ringside...

Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (w/ Fred Blassie) vs. Ivan MacDonald & Terry Morgan:

Yay, I love seeing some Iron Sheik. Volkoff sings the Soviet Anthem, of course. Sheik starts with MacDonald. MacDonald with a side headlock and a shoulder tackle. Crisscross and Sheik nails him with a clothesline. Blassie blatantly grabs MacDonald by the hair, in full view of the referee, as Sheik comes crashing across the back. Volkoff tags in, sending MacDonald to the ropes and hitting him with a knee to the midsection. Volkoff continues to work the guy over, and boy is MacDonald not good. Morgan gets to tag in and Volkoff quickly cuts him off with boots to the midsection. Press slam into the back breaker. Sheik tags in, hits the belly-to-belly suplex, and finishes with the Camel Clutch at 3:03. As usual, the Sheik looked fine, Volkoff didn't really add much.

- Lord Alfred Hayes is standing by with this week's UPDATE. WrestleMania 2 mixed athletic competition with Hollywood glitz, and was the extravaganza that has surpassed all expectations. We see highlights of the various celebrities involved, including Ray Charles, Elvira, Susan Saint James, and HERB THE BURGER KING DORK. The world came to WrestleMania 2, and the world is still echoing its praises.

"Adorable" Adrian Adonis (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Mario Mancini:

Adonis picked up a very decisive victory over the tub-of-lard known as Uncle Elmer at WrestleMania 2. He's still using Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" for his entrance music, which is still somehow a more badass song than Strike Force's "Girls in Cars." The number of homophobic signs in the crowd would get this match scrubbed from history if it were on the WWE Network. Adonis with a takedown into a leg-lock. He takes Mancini over with a side headlock. The crowd with their usual derogatory chant at Adonis. Whip to the ropes and Mancini gets a pair of arm drags, frustrating Adonis. Adonis comes out of the corner with a hard left hand and connects with a hangman's neck breaker. He hooks a modified Camel Clutch, and its Goodnight, Irene at 2:30. Adonis prances around the ring in celebration and Hart sprays perfume on Mancini to add insult to injury. With Jake Roberts in the company, Adonis needed to find a new finisher to replace the DDT.

- "Mean" Gene Okerlund is here to hype the card in the Boston Garden on April 26th. The British Bulldogs defend the Tag Team Titles against Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake! (Card subject to change).

The Killer Bees vs. Tiger Chung Lee & Joe Mirto:

The Bees had an uneventful performance in the WrestleMania 2 Battle Royal. Brunzell is working the match with a cast on his left arm, something that definitely wouldn't happen today unless it's a worked injury. Chung Lee being introduced from "Korea" is always good for a laugh. Blair starts, backing Lee into the ropes and giving a clean break. Lockup and Blair with a side headlock, followed by a shoulder tackle. Crisscross and Lee with an awful looking chop that Blair barely sells. Blair with an arm bar, but Lee counters with a hip toss. Chung Lee grabs a headlock but is quickly caught in a wrist-lock. Brunzell comes in as McMahon credits the hand injury to Greg Valentine. Mirto tags in and is taken over with a hip toss. Brunzell threatens to use the cast, which by the way, is perfectly OK despite a rule being implemented about NOT WEARING CASTS IN THE RING. Blair comes off the top with a sunset flip on Mirto for three at 2:43. So far, the Bees have given me mixed feelings. Maybe working squashes isn't their forte.

- More hype for the Boston Garden on April 26th. Ted Arcidi returns to his hometown to take on Big John Studd. Arcidi says he's here to settle a score and wants to settle the score about Studd's claims to lifting 700 pounds. HOW DARE HE MAKE SUCH RIDICULOUS CLAIMS! Arcidi cuts an obvious heel promo here, putting himself over, but this week he's a babyface. It seems like Arcidi's spot on the depth chart was never clear.

Hoss Funk (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Nelson Veilleux:

Odd to see "Hoss" (formerly Dory) in singles action. I know Terry departed the company shortly after WrestleMania 2, but this was taped beforehand. Lockup and Hoss with a go-behind into a takedown and side headlock. Veilleux counters, but Hoss sends him to the ropes. Veilleux sloppily ducks an elbow and hits a body press for ZERO COUNT. Hoss with a knee before tossing him out of the ring. Back inside, Hoss clobbers Veilleux with forearms and takes him over with a suplex for two. Whip to the ropes and Veilleux with a rolling cradle for another count of zero. Funk recovers quickly and hits a piledriver for three at 1:55. I'd love to see more of "Hoss" in singles action, but that won't be the case. Post-match, he whips Veilleux with his rope for being a pain in the ass to work with.

- "Rowdy" Roddy Piper is back in town to host Piper's Pit. He's here to bring out two men who have a special challenge to issue. Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy come out to formally challenge ANDRE THE BIG JERK GIANT and a partner of his choice to a tag team match. Studd says they're close to ending Andre's career. Piper wants to know how Bundy would pick up Andre and slam him, offering his bodyguard as a reluctant volunteer to get scooped off his feet. Piper asks for a demonstration of the splash, on Orton of course, but saves him, saying he needs his ace.

- Highlights of The British Bulldogs vs. Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake from WrestleMania 2. They show about 4-minutes of the match, including the finish. If you skipped the recap of WrestleMania 2, it's a match well worth checking out.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Sal Gee:

Savage retained the Intercontinental Title, pinning George "The Animal" Steele at WrestleMania 2. This is Non-Title, of course. Gee surprises Savage with a quick roll-up for two. Lockup and Savage grabs a waist-lock. Gee backs Savage into the corner and brings Savage over with a monkey flip for two. Whip to the corner and Savage brings up the knee. He hangs Gee across the top rope and comes off the top with a double axe-handle. Savage tosses Gee to the floor and comes off the top with another axe-handle. Back inside, Savage hits Gee from behind with a high knee. Savage with a snap mare and knee drop. Gee gets tossed out again and thrown into the guardrail. Savage with another axe-handle from the top rope. Back in the ring, Savage with a snap mare, knee drop, and the flying elbow for three at 3:46. Savage gave Gee a little shine before the destruction was on.

- One more promo spot for the April 26th card coming to the Boston Garden. The Junkyard Dog, Ricky Steamboat, and THE HAITI KID take on the Funk Brothers and Jimmy Hart in Six-Man Tag Team Action!

Next Week: Jake "The Snake" Roberts, The Junkyard Dog and George "The Animal" Steele, Hercules Hernandez, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and King Tonga, and maybe Andre the Giant will respond to the challenge laid down by Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy.

Final Thoughts: The post-WrestleMania lull continues, as the only angle development introduced this week is rehashing the tired feud between Andre the Giant and the Heenan Family. We got to see footage from WrestleMania 2 and the Tag Team Title Match, which is a nice bonus for syndicated television. Everything else is just time filler, so we'll see how things shape in the coming weeks.

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