This show was garbage. Not good, not fun in some old school weird way, just a boring undercard leading to boring main events.
1. Brad Rheingans vs. Rocky Strong
2. “Rock n’ Roll” Buck Zumhofe vs. Steve Regal
The first two matches – Brad Rheingans vs. Rocky Stone (**) and Buck Zumhofe vs. Steve Regal (not that one) (**) are OK for what they are. Each good guy played a solid good guy and each bad guy played a solid bad guy. The timing and overness of everything in these nothing matches is why veteran wrestlers are always telling the youngin’s to slow it down. Zumhofe in particular had some cool selling, cool enough for a convicted pedophile at least.
3. Jerry “The King” Lawler vs. John “Golden Greek” Tolos
Jerry Lawler vs. “Golden Greek” John Tolos is a terrible match with Lawler’s act not over, though there’s some neat Lawler shtick here and there, and Tolos has a couple funny reactions. But those are like 30 seconds out of a longer wrestling match. Plus, Tolos gets DQ’d like 5 minutes in and then they just keep going with no explanation so Lawler can hit and win with a piledriver. Which sounds cooler when I write it than it was. In Lawler’s introduction, Gene Okerlund mentions that Lawler’s confrontation with Andy Kaufman on the David Letterman show is being replayed in the Minnesota area the next night. So there’s that. *1/2
4. NWA World Women’s Tag Team Title: Joyce Grable & Wendi Richter [c] vs. Judy Martin & Velvet McIntyre
The Women’s Tag Titles are on the line in the next match but this is where the show just feels like it’s not going to be any good. Had some fun spots and I’m always so fond of a lady working an old school redneck heel shtick, but this was another stupid boring match on a stupid boring show. **
5. Wahoo McDaniel vs. “Dizzy” Ed Boulder
And they follow that up with Wahoo McDaniel vs. Brutus Beefcake wrestling as “Dizzy” Ed Boulder. It’s shit. DUD
6. Rick Martel & The High Flyers (Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell) vs. Blackjack Lanza, Jesse “The Body” Ventura & Ken Patera w/ Bobby Heenan
Jesse Ventura, Blackjack Lanza & Ken Patera vs. Rick Martel & The High Flyers (Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell) is alright, but goes 17 minutes and only has occasionally engaging action. Bobby Heenan’s at ringside for this and it may be Blackjack Lanza and in-ring Jesse Ventura’s only appearances on the Network, so that’s something. **1/4
7. AWA World Heavyweight Title: Nick Bockwinkel [c] w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Hulk Hogan (Referee: Lord James Blears)
The reason this is here, I think, is Nick Bockwinkel with Bobby Heenan vs. Hulk Hogan for the AWA World Heavyweight Title. This is a 20-minute match and there’s some cool stuff here and there (Hogan’s wrestling! Bock’s bumping!) but there are much better examples out there of Bockwinkel doing his thing and Hogan hadn’t yet found his thing. **1/2
8. Verne Gagne & Mad Dog Vachon vs. Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan Al-Kassie
The main event is the only good thing on this show because Jerry Blackwell is fat as fuck and awesome and Vergne Gagne and Mad Dog Vachon are super over. **1/4
Gene Okerlund ring announcing and announcing mid-show on closed circuit TV that programs are on sale may have been the best part of this show. The crowd booing at all the wrong moments (a women’s spot where they all miss crossbodies, Lawler’s 25-headlock spot, any clean break, and Rheigans during his promo – though that I think was due to a heel entering too early) was pretty funny too. There’s also very early Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. Yep. Just trying to find the glass half full here.
There’s old school not-of-this-era boring and then there’s just boring. Apologies to the boys in the back, but this is the latter. 1/10
