The Fink kicks off the show announcing the attending physician at ringside, because it’s 1980 and this shit still mattered, plus I think the New York wrestling commission probably required it.
Gorilla Monsoon and Pat Patterson are on commentary, which is perfectly fine – Gorilla has that calming voice that I never understood what people didn’t like about but probably will as I watch more of this stuff, while Patterson tends to go off on tangents like his reflections on how small midget Tiger Jackson is.
They cut a midget match and Tito Santana vs. Magnificent Muraco off the original show.
1. Tony Garea vs. Jose Luis Rivera
Super basic, nothing spectacular but acceptable good guy/bad guy stuff. Rivera is announced as from Puerto Rico which prompts one single guy to scream “YYEEEAAAAHHHH!!!” Rivera keeps a headlock on for a while which prompts some boos and some guy screaming “boring!” They do a couple nice rope-running sequences here, though when Rivera has a rough moment where he barely gets up for a leapfrog and when Garea bends down for the rebound, he hits a really bad dropkick. *3/4
2. The Invaders (Invader #1 & Invader #2) vs. Mr. Fuji & Tiger Chung Lee
Fuji was rocking the Imperial flag, while the Invaders were way over due to being from Puerto Rico, of course. This is a damn 20-minute draw and kind of just a collection of basic wrestling sequences to kill time. Some are fun and they do a fine job of keeping the crowd into it, but it never actually gets good. Fuji’s pissed off face after a series of Invader armdrags is classic. **
3. Chief Jay Strongbow vs. The Masked Superstar
A decent match, even if most of it is a headlock. Strongbow is old but his fired up old school good guy shtick still works, and Masked Superstar (AKA Bill Eadie / Ax) is a decent heel, with a couple nice big bumps for his size as a bonus. Nice clothesline by Superstar and sell by Strongbow to end it. Strongbow’s sell job after the match is great, wobbling around and not knowing what dressing room to go to. *3/4
4. Ivan Putski vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Ivan Putski vs. Sgt. Slaughter is a pretty fun match, mostly thanks to Sarge being a complete nut. The transformation of Putski from 1977 to 1984 is a wild, going from beer bellied slob to stoic man with an uncomfortable amount of muscles. This match has the classic shot of Slaughter’s sunglasses with the referee’s reflection showing in them. Slaughter is just so great here, his bumping is soooo good as far as getting the most out of everything, and he has a bunch of wacky different ways to use the turnbuckle. At one point he goes over the top and his CHIN gets put in the bottom rope. Putski was his basic boring (and now more immobile) self, but man did Slaughter rule. **3/4
5. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff w/ Roddy Piper vs. Salvatore Bellomo
This is Orndorff’s MSG debut and such a solid match, a classic example of getting a lot out of a little. Orndorff cuts a solid heel promo with Mean Gene before the match, interesting in that it’s the earliest backstage WWF promo on the Network. Piper was still recovering from the injuries he got in the Starrcade ’83 Dog Collar Match and had just shown up in WWF – he leads Orndorff to the ring in a PIRATE SHIRT. There’s a lot of stalling by Orndorff and Piper early, questioning Bellomo’s kneebrace… and then when Orndorff gets an opening, he attacks him from behind. BOOOOOOOOO!!! Less than a decade later Bellomo was a crazy fat guy in ECW, but here he’s a solid one-note babyface here, bumping big for Orndorff’s stuff and pulling out a pretty amazing comeback towards the end. Orndorff MILKS a shoulder bump into the corner at one point, and Piper screaming about a hair pull and yelling at Bellomo as he tries to get back in the ring is classic. **3/4
6. WWF World Heavyweight Title: The Iron Sheik [c] w/ “Classy” Freddie Blassie vs. Hulk Hogan
Just an awesome, classic new star title change… actually a lot like Goldberg/Hogan almost 25 years later. 5 minutes, HOT crowd, Sheik bumps big, Hogan shows off his strength and SPITS on Sheik, Sheik gets a bit of offense, Hulk powers out of the camel clutch, leg drop. The backstage pre-match shot of Hulk in the “American Made” shirt, followed by him walking past Vince McMahon Sr. on his way to the ring, is incredible. This was so simple but so good and kicked off a huge run. ***1/2
Mean Gene interviews Hulk Hogan after he wins the title and Andre the Giant, Ivan Putski and Rocky Johnson interrupt and pour champagne all over him. It’s a fine promo that makes everything seem like a big deal and whatnot, and the Andre/Hulkster relationship kicks off.
7. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka vs. Rene Goulet
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka vs. Rene Goulet follows and is a fine come-down match, nothing notable outside of a couple nice athletic spots from Snuka. *1/4
Mean Gene interviews Hogan and his parents after this, which is pretty insane considering how normal (and small) The Hulkster’s parents seem. His dad Pete being startled by Hogan’s ranting and raving is hilarious.
8. Andre the Giant, Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson vs. The Wild Samoans (Afa, Sika and Samula)
Andre the Giant, Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson vs. The Wild Samoans (Afa, Sika and Samula) closes the show, which is a perfectly fine Andre Attraction match. Rocky is of course The Rock’s dad while Sika is Roman Reigns’. Young Samula tries his heart out here – he reacts great to Andre as well as Rocky criss-crossing him, and takes a great bump on a noggin knocker. The Wild Samoans are just scary, while Atlas and Johnson are their usual nondescript muscular selves. Not exactly good, but a fine time at the matches. **
This is a solid show and notable for some historical moments and just generally being a great historical snapshot at the WWF heading into Hulkamania. You’ve got Hogan’s title win, Paul Orndorff’s MSG debut, Roddy Piper as Orndorff’s manager, Andre, Snuka and Slaughter, and even weird shit like The Rock and Roman Reigns’ dads squaring off. There’s a lot going on and some of the matches are even pretty good too. Hulk’s title win is of course must-watch, while Slaughter/Putski and Orndorff/Bellomo are pretty good. Everything else is pretty skippable, though the Andre tag and 20-minute Mr. Fuji draw are neat examples of what was going on in 1984. 6/10
