Prime Time Wrestling began in January 1985 hosted by Jesse Ventura and Jack Reynolds, another two hours of cable TV wrestling presented by the WWF on the USA Network. Gorilla Monsoon replaced Reynolds in July, and the Monsoon/Ventura pairing began to cement their legend as they bantered in between WWF house show matches. With Ventura off to shoot a movie and get lung issues treated and sue the WWF and whatever else, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was tapped to step in as co-host in late-April. He ended up not giving up the seat ass perhaps an even more legendary pairing was created with Monsoon.
The WWF TV shows at this point were Championship Wrestling and All-Star Wrestling on Saturday, All-American Wrestling on Sunday, Prime Time Wrestling on Tuesday, and TNT on Wednesday. TNT would come to an end in September 1986, just around the time Wrestling Challenge replaced All-Star and Championship Wrestling was replaced with Superstars of Wrestling for a Saturday show that continued to be the actual primary vehicle to follow the WWF’s stories at the time. With Monsoon and Heenan’s chemistry and a good faith attempt at inclusion of all the major promos/angles though, Prime Time can do the trick, especially considering longstanding copyright issues around the “of Wrestling” tag will probably make Superstars of Wrestling uploads difficult.
Prime Time begins on the WWE Network with Heenan’s first show as co-host. It may not be the first place where Piper’s Pit or Barber Shop angles occur, but it sure will air them. Maybe. It is way more wrestling heavy than TNT, with Monsoon and Heenan hosting from a TV studio behind a desk with a fake TV and black background that would get bluer as the year went on behind them.
The Monsoon/Heenan banter is about 25% story progression, 25% fleshing out characters, and 50% WWF time filler – but Monsoon and Heenan perfected the WWF time filler. It goes like this: Gorilla poses a topic, Heenan shits on the babyface or praises the heel, Gorilla gets amused and starts prodding Heenan, Heenan gets pissed, banter banter banter.
It’s cool seeing THEM figure out their flow early on, though they already kind of HAD it anyways. Once they get moving though, once Heenan starts getting cockier, once they begin doing shtick… that’s where the joy is. This is the glue that makes all this watchable so many years later. This is a quality comic duo, the most fun possible wrestling analysts, and in Heenan you had a primary driver of all the big WWF angles at the time. Whenever Heenan is left to host alone too, he’s unprepared and flops. Tremendous.
When they’re not bantering, they throw to a handful of matches over the show’s two-hour runtime. The matches are usually undercard matches from a recent house show, though on occasion they piece together a few of them along with random TV matches. This content strategy leads to a lot of dull, low stakes prelim matches. Like, A LOT. And though a few are joined in progress, the vast majority are FULL. COMPLETE. We’re talking 15-minutes of Moondog Rex, baby. It gives a lot of time for matches and characters to breathe, but sometimes it’s maybe too much time.
After a clip of Fuji Vice from TNT is aired, Gorilla comments: “We’re gonna get back into what Prime Time Wrestling is all about, and that is wrestling.” The sentiment is nice that even in the middle of Vince McMahon’s Wild Ride, there’s a WWF show that’s essentially back-to-back no frills pro wrestling matches. There’s a lot to sift through, but some of the matches are really great and seeing the hits and misses that were the WWF 1986 roster figure their stuff out has its charms.
It’s also just nice to watch a WWF program that feels current, as these matches could air within days of taking place.
Also, sometimes you just get weird shit. Like a great Tito Santana vs. Hercules Hernandez match. A good young greaseball Bret Hart match or six. Butch Reed going 15 minutes with Steve Gatorwolf. That’s the stuff we’re here for!
Each show ends with a kind of headline match that’s sometimes from the show being featured and sometimes not. There is also usually some kind of feature segment: a skit from TNT, a classic match, or a marquee match from a different house show than the one being showcased. As the show evolves, more key angles begin to be shown and our hosts discuss them.
Outside of two matches from the Paul Orndorff turn and the Hercules match from SNME at the end of the year, there is a single Hulk Hogan match that aired on Prime Time in 1986: Hogan and Junkyard Dog against The Funk Brothers… and it’s cut from the Network. As the year goes on there does seem to be a little more effort at, you know, airing stuff that mattered. They show the Orndorff turn and a sweet Bruno/Tito vs. Savage/Adonis Cage Match, they show all the key promos in the Andre the Giant return and Ricky Steamboat injury, but they still also show a whole god damn lot of rear chinlocks.
Also, interviews. A lot of classic blue backdrop WWF interviews with first Mean Gene and then Ken Resnick becoming the primary interview guy. Lots of quality promo time in 1980s WWF.
As October comes around the format stays mostly the same but with the cancellation of TNT and introduction of Superstars, Prime Time takes on a slightly different feel as there’s more pushing of existing storylines and usually 1-2 things from Superstars which feels more alive than any WWF presentation up to that point sans Saturday Night’s Main Event. Also, the set gets brighter!
They have a few recurring bits throughout the year and if you think storytelling in the WWF can be slow sometimes then have I got something for you. Heenan tells Monsoon they released an action figure/doll of him, but Monsoon doesn’t believe him, so Heenan spends nearly six months trying to convince him before a big box shows up on set that carries an oversized Hulk Hogan figure.
Heenan also has a rivalry with the in-studio phone, as he tries to call up network executives and the mysterious Mrs. Betty but the line keeps going dead even though Monsoon and even a cameo-making Mean Gene are able to get it working fine. He gets stuck on a hold that spans episodes, and the payoff at the end of the year is Gorilla gifting him a new telephone with a smile on his face.
These next two posts will be a bunch of things that spoke to me from each Prime Time Wrestling in 1986, thoughts that involve a mix of match reviews and individual wrestler observations and a rundown of the stories that drove this year of 1986.
For full matchlists of Prime Time Wrestling, check out the WWF 1980 WWE Network matchlists page.
Prime Time Wrestling #61 (4/28/86)
The Monsoon/Heenan Era begins as Gorilla Monsoon runs down a crappy card from MSG in April 1986 – Sheik vs. Kirchner, Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka in tag team action, and Leaping Lanny Poffo. I am already regretting my decision to watch all this. Gorilla, Lord Alfred Hayes and Ernie Ladd are on commentary.
Nikolai Volkoff does an amazing sell when his head collides with the top turnbuckle opposite Tony Garea, otherwise not an ideal start.
Jake Roberts shows up to make it better, and Heenan is thinking about taking Jake under his wing. Roberts beats Scott McGhee in a match where Gorilla mentions that Miguel Perez has a son wrestling now. Jake kicks out of a reverse cradle and quickly strikes with the DDT for an awesome finish, then gives the crowd an extended and gruesome snake assault on poor Scott McGhee afterwards.
King Tonga does a dance and is super over as he beats Paul Christy in a match where Alfred can’t hide his glee over the strikes.
Leaping Lanny Poffo vs. Rene Goulet with a commercial break should be a nightmare only the lowliest wrestling nerd would understand, but it actually ended up real good. They have themselves a standard match, with the matwork maybe more cute than normal, then Lanny handstands out of a headscissors and does the cheesiest “got ya, pal” pose possible. Goulet slaps him and awkwardly walks outside, then snakes his way down the corner post with a smile on his face like a creep as they go to commercial. Once they return Goulet ends up crotched on the ropes and falls backward onto the apron and floor. It’s half boring holds and half a fascinating way of killing 20 minutes. Poffo takes a couple crazy bumps and actually misses the moonsault en route to winning. Poffo can work and Goulet brings the weird.
Mr. Fuji & Toru Tanaka vs. Lenny Hurst & Jose Gonzalez from MSG in 1997 is the Classic Match this week, an experiment they pretty quickly stopped. The crowd is HOT for Gonzalez throwing dropkicks and Tanaka getting stuck in the ropes because of them. He takes a wild ugly bump in the corner, flipping forward but getting his head caught in the second buckle. The baddies win 2-0.
Sivi Afi vs. Iron Mike Sharpe is highlighted by Sharpe’s big lumbering bumps and Sivi awkwardly leapfrogging over him. Sharpe could pop any crowd with those spills to the crowd, while Afi pulls his kneepads up before he leaps off the top rope and I appreciate that. Sharpe is counted out after way too long.
Jimmy Hart, Hoss Funk and Adrian Adonis are interviewed and it’s mentioned that Terr Funk is in uh… very very serious training. Dory having to act like a badass and carry mic work just wasn’t great.
Corporal Kirchner vs. Iron Sheik headlines this edition of Prime Time Wrestling, and as Lord Alfred Hayes remarks: “I have never seen anybody get so high for their matches the way Corporal Kirchner does.” The match is around 5 minutes, complete with Pearl Harbor job start and DQ finish thanks to Volkoff interference.
Worth Watching?: Yes, if only for historical sake but also for the snake angle and Poffo/Goulet
Prime Time Wrestling #62 (5/5/86)
This episode is from different locations – first The Funk Brothers are squashing folks at a TV taping, then we’re flashing back to November 1984 for the Bobby Heenan vs. Salvatore Bellomo match at MSG in a match that Heenan wins. Love Gorilla’s disappointment in the result but admittance he got a fair pin. Iron Mike Sharpe sells for B. Brian Blair and waves his arms around and that sure is swell, but they go 10+ and it ends in a double countout. “I’d like to see that match go on for another 30 minutes” – NO.
A neat bit of canon is established as Monsoon asks Heenan what a manager does, and he actually answers: they handle all contracts, reservations, plane reservations, matchmaking, and bookings, and also make sure they get a fair deal and nobody stabs them in the back. Seems hard.
Prime Time All-Star Leaping Lanny Poffo battles The Gladiator here with Greg Valentine on commentary, and it’s a lot of headlocks and armbars before a moonsault out of nowhere gets 3.
Randy Savage promo alert: he says Macho Madness is more seductive than sex, which Mean Gene says he can’t say!
Donna Christenello vs. Linda Gonzalez is less about the wrestling and more about the Hammer, Monsoon and Johnny V commentary banter. Tony Garea & Tony Atlas form a pair of Tony’s to defeat Steve Lombardi & The Menace, a match that features a stinker of a performance from Lombardi and Garea hilariously just chasing him out of the ring at the finish. The Hart Foundation beat Mario Mancini & Ron Dee after a bodyslam on the floor and sloppy Hart Attack. Ted Arcidi beats Chuck Simpson to silence, though I respect Simpson’s screams in the Canadian backbreaker. And Bundy & Studd squash Jim Powers and Michael Jackson tribute act Michael Saxon.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #63 (5/12/86)
From the Joe Louis Arena on April 26, 1986.
Joe Louis had a nice bright aesthetic. George “The Animal” Steele gets a HUGE pop being announced from Detroit and he rushes out all crazy to wrestle Jim Neidhart. He has trouble bumping outside off a clothesline and gets his ankle trapped in the ropes and I’m not sure if the awkward wait is a work or not. The crowd pops when he finally escapes, and though Neidhart brings in a chair Steele is able to take advantage and win. Sivi Afi vs. Bret Hart goes way too long but Bret is a great shitbag. They do some tremendous rope-running that ends with a blown reverse cradle that I bet Bret got hot at, and Bret wins with a BACKBREAKER!!
Fuji Vice is shown here, which Monsoon thinks should be called Fuji Trash. “You are a very sick person, Mr. Heenan, if you think Fuji and Muraco have one fiber of talent in their body outside of the squared circle.”
We’ve got more Corp Kirchner and we’ve got more Iron Mike Sharpe and the wrestling ain’t pretty. Sharpe shakes his head like crazy to escape a headlock, otherwise Carl Camouflage (Heenan’s moniker) wins with a Samoan drop.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts does an interview on this show and is again tremendous, though the real treasure is Mean Gene subtly freaking out over the snake nearby him. “You see everybody has to like certain things in life, and it just so happens that I like these (as he holds a snake),” says Jake. Jake is brilliant with his timing and reaction as he bumps for McGhee as commentary sells how impressive his coordination and speed is for his tall lanky frame. McGhee gets the snake post-match and there’s a close-up shot of him BLEEDING FROM THE MOUTH. Awesome?
Monsoon really puts over Jake post-match: “You know, I cornered Jake the Snake not too long ago in the locker room and I asked him what does it mean, D-D-T? You know what his reply was? The end.” Heenan smiles with glee.
Thee’s also Tony Atlas vs. Hercules Hernandez, which sure features a lot of punches but enough so that Tony swatting away at Herc gets way over. With Atlas on the tail-end of his run and Hernandez on the way to Hogan, the blown finish is outrageous: Atlas does a sunset flip and Hernandez kicks out right at 3, but after a few seconds of confusion they announce Atlas the winner.
Killer Bees wrestle Sheik & Volkoff to end the show in a match where the camera pans to the crowd on the Killer Bees entrance right to a guy who is proudly giving two middle fingers to the world. Jim Brunzell sports a cast just like apparently most of the roster now, though commentary doesn’t mention it at all – even when he clotheslines Sheik with it. They have a basic tag where every spot they need to gets over and Brunzell is extra fired up before the bad guys steal the win.
Worth Watching?: Yes
Prime Time Wrestling #64 (5/19/86)
Ken Resnick replaces Mean Gene Okerlund for Prime Time’s backstage interviews on this show and stays in the role through the end of the year.
From the Maple Leaf Gardens on May 4, 1986.
This is an unspectacular show, highlighted-ish by Jim Brunzell vs. Bret Hart and B. Brian Blair vs. Jim Neidhart. Monsoon and Heenan seem confused as to why the Hart Foundation is in singles competition – they think Jimmy Hart might be up to something, which is a great kayfabe way to explain that they just had to fill out a wrestling card.
Those matches are alright, the solid **1/2 they are advertised as. The crowd goes wild for Brunzell fighting out of a Bret headlock and I learn to appreciate how Bret Hart always slammed guys’ heads with his inner legs when he kicked out of sunset flips. Neidhart vs. Blair meanwhile is good because Neidhart charges Blair in the corner at the start and beats him down, then charges Blair in the corner again and gets caught with a sunset flip for 3.
Elsewhere, Ken Resnick accuses Nikolai Volkoff of spreading Russian propaganda and Adrian Adonis bumped around here and there for Danny Spivey if he wasn’t stuck in a headlock. There’s a real awkward spot where Spivey goes for a shoulder tackle, but Adrian kind of saunters away and Spivey just falls forward. Tiger Chung Liee, who has told Gorilla he is searching for a tag partner (“it should be an Oriental”), puts Don Kolov in holds before Don Kolov does as silly dukes up pose and gets kicked in the gut and dropped with atombstone. It’s a bad match but I appreciated the simplicity of it.
Scott McGhee wrestles Johnny K-9, the future Bruiser Bedlam and future murderer. And K-9 might have gone on to murder people, but his pre-match pose is so dumb it brings me delight. After a bunch of armbars and pressure point takedowns, McGhee throws an elbow that everybody pops for.
The Classic Match is a 2/3 Falls midget match from the November 1976 MSG show, pitting Billy the Kid & Little John vs. Bobo Johnson & Cowboy Colt. Vince doing casual commentary over it is actually kind of amazing, and Little John begging off is quality. Bobo takes a few bumps on his keister before he catches John with a sunset flip for a 2-0 victory.
The Funk Brothers vs. Leaping Lanny Poffo & George Wells is the main event, and Poffo takes a brainbuster from inside the ring to the floor from Hoss and they sell it like death. The crowd rallies behind Poffo as he army crawls back inside and it is AMAZING. Then the match continues and it’s pretty much just a stretched out squash. Wells getting fired up here and there is fun, as is his hot tag where he catches a Jimmy Jack crossbody.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #65 (5/26/86)
From MSG on May 19, 1986.
The MIA Jesse Ventura is brought up at the start of the show, making some kind of “jungle movie.”
This show also has the first mention of the incoming Harley Race. And King Kong Bundy selling a Tony Atlas armbar before victory.
And Leaping Lanny Poffo vs. Tiger Chung Lee have an astoundingly boring match, one where you feel bad that the crowd didn’t have cell phones to rely on. They throw a lot of punches and clubs that feel like they’re going nowhere in the moment and never do. Gorilla outright buries it, first introducing the match by saying “Wrestling is about putting together a string of exciting victories, but we could be seeing a whole lot less of either one of these individuals with this type of match” and in the middle deadpanning, “If you can’t feel the electricity that’s in the air…. believe me you can cut this with a knife.” Hayes mentions that Chung Lee has taken a series of devastating moves but hasn’t really shown it, perhaps calling the man out on his selling capability. He chops the shit out of Poffo on the floor before a rana wins it for the Leaper. “It could happen like that – here today, gone tomorrow” says Gorilla. A special kind of DUD.
The firecracker that is Captain Lou Albano is OVERJOYED to stand next to Killer Ken Resnick, and he and his boys The British Bulldogs say they’re up for any challenge. Well, he does. And Davey Boy does. Dynamite doesn’t speak. Only Davey does. And it isn’t very good.
Bret Hart works S.D. Jones and this pair running the ropes is a trip. Perhaps most notably Bret sets up his diving forearm, but S.D. is not in place so he must perform an elbow drop. Bret wins another match with a backbreaker, a man after the wrestling fan’s heart if I ever saw one.
In an occasional side segment on the show, Gorilla Monsoon interviews a couple New York Yankees players – Dave Righetti and Dave Winfield. Heenan and Bundy stop by to banter, and their manager enters the frame and lays down a challenge. Amazing.
Jumpin’ Jim Brunzell vs. Jim Neidhart goes like 20 minutes and it’s just unfair. Lots of holds. Lots of heckles. Brunzel just sits with a hammerlock applied for 5 straight minutes – I counted. The crowd is outright booing as they trade near falls before the match is ruled a freaking draw.
Dan Spivey and Paul Christy working headlocks with each other is better – at least it only goes 5 minutes and there’s a bulldog.
Hercules Hernandez has arrived and he beats Sivi Afi, who sells a jab from Blassie’s cane like his back just got adjusted. He also does a plancha the crowd appreciates.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #66 (6/2/86)
From Boston Garden on April 26, 1986.
Magnificent Muraco, managed by Mr. Fuji, wrestles Dan Spivey in the opening contest and after stalling from the master thespian Spivey fires up and throws punches… until he gets tossed into the guardrail. Spivey is an awkward face but the match is solid, and Muraco goes all out on a crash into the commentary table which causes Nelson Sweglar to take a bump.
Mr. X does a whole bunch of chinlocks on Tony Garea, but also randomly does a springboard splash and flips everybody out. Lanny Poffo wrestles Psycho Capone, who kicks out of a moonsault but does not kickout of a springboard somersault – yes, for a brief night in April of 1986 the WWF became 205 Live.
King Tonga vs. Tiger Chung Lee is a match about leglocks and if you like leglocks then this is the match. Monsoon wonders about the future Haku: “You know, with the right management he could go places.” His future manager Bobby Heenan waves it off: “No, no, I don’t have time to tutor illiterates.”
Prime Time Extra becomes a new feature where a match is shown from beyond the immediate house show they are featuring. Gorilla says he hopes it stays, and I do too. This week’s is The British Bulldogs vs. The Hart Foundation for the WWF World Tag Team Title in a match that aired on All-Star Wrestling two weeks ago. It’s only 5 minutes long but they go hard, as they were to do. Davey and the referee have words, The Hart Foundation use the distraction to hit the Hart Attack, Bret covers and the ref pats his back, The Hart Foundation does a full championship celebration, and the referee announces the Bulldogs won via DQ.
This is the episode with the edition of The TNT Mating Game with The Hart Foundation that does not have really bad audio.
Ted Arcidi vs. Big John Studd closes this up, and some Big John stalling and a long test of strength will test any man’s patience but when Arcidi lifts Studd for a bodyslam the reaction is HUGE. Then the match continues. Arcidi gets worked over and as he tries to mount a comeback the Boston Garden cops rush towards a commotion off-screen. Arcidi has trouble going backwards over the top, so Studd is happy to help. Studd follows and they both get counted out. So it goes.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #67 (6/9/86)
From the Maple Leaf Gardens on June 1, 1986.
Gorilla, who is wearing a fabulous green suit this week, asks Heenan if a slam on Bundy is a part of the Heenan Family’s $15,000 Body Slam Challenge.
This show also features the WWE Network debuts of The Rougeau Brothers and Billy Jack Haynes.
But first, George “The Animal” Steele! And Adrian Adonis! I always appreciated how George would use his old heel shtick – wavy arms, foreign object, flying hammerlock – as babyface spots. These guys are a couple of characters but it’s an ugly punch-kick-fest that only hits its peak when Adonis is sauntering to the back after a cheap victory up the Maple Leaf Gardens ramp. Adonis does tap to the flying hammerlock, but the ref is bumped and Heenan claims he was just trying to tell everyone it doesn’t hrut – hilarious.
Cannonball Parisi does armdrags opposite Steve Lombardi who works a few holds until Parisi wins with a butt splash off the top. The Rougeau Brothers of Jacques and Raymond wrestle Hercules Hernadnez & Terry Gibbs and they are wearing beautiful glorious robes. They do arm wrestling shtick early before Jacques gets worked over for a while and bless you Fast-Forward option. Jacques hits the crossbody into nothing that’d become a staple of his for the next five years and Ray manages a decent hot tag, but at 20 minutes this is just offensive. Billy Jack Haynes provides a very straightforward interview draped in green-and-yellow Oregon Duck colors.
A squash for The Moondogs doesn’t exactly get this show rocking, though Spot scratching his dandruff-ridden head for a bit prior to locking up with the 15-year-old-looking Tony Parks is very much professional wrestling. Parks actually shows some decent fire before the inevitable. The S.D. Jones & Paul Roma tandem beat The Menace & Jim Haley with the power of armbars, while Tony Atlas vs. King Kong Bundy happens again and actually manages to bring the house down when Atlas fails to knock Bundy down with two shoulderblocks but gets him over with a crossbody.
Prime Time Extra is now WWF Classic – we hardly knew ye. The selection here is Andre the Giant vs. Alexis Smirnoff, which is nothing great but also beautiful in its’ Andre the Giant simplicity: Andre works an armbar, Smirnoff works an armbar, and a big boot and butt splash wins it for Andre.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #68 (6/16/86)
From the Boston Garden on May 24, 1986, a show I reviewed here: Happy Thoughts – WWF Old School (Boston Garden 5/24/86).
I guess it’s worth nothing this has the dog training segment from TNT where Gene and Alfred’s banter with dog trainer Beatrice Connelly was overdubbed, and I can’t say the banter with foxy old Beatrice was as high quality as I had thought.
Bret Hart, who Bobby Heenan thinks is more interesting in tag team competition, takes it to Sivi Afi again. Neidhart brings it to Lanny Poffo. Tony Garea vs. Iron Mike Sharpe happens.
The King Tonga bodyslams Big John Studd angle is shown here in full – Studd and Heenan call for a Handicap Match that Studd was about to compete in to be turned into a Slam Match, then King Tonga shows up ready to compete but is told to wait his turn. Jim Powers, Studd’s opponent alongside Ricky Hunter, manages to get Studd off his feet but soon goes down to a bodyslam. Studd attacks his opponents after the match, so Tonga runs in and lifts Studd in the air – SPINS HIM AROUND – and drops him with a powerslam. It’s amazing stuff, especially with Heenan ranting and trying to defend himself to Gorilla how it wasn’t official and he’s trying to get someone on the phone to sort it out.
Gorilla wonders why a boy from Beverly Hills is worried about $15,000.
The “headline” of this show is an oddball 6-man tag with Greg Valentine, Brutus Beefcake & Johnny Valiant vs. Pedro Morales, Davey Boy Smith & Dan Spivey. Monsoon wonders why Pedro and crew would even attempt to take on a team with the cohesion of the Dream Team, which is a nicer way of getting around the question of why they were teaming together in the first place.
Worth Watching?: No, but maybe seek out the Haku Bodyslams Studd angle
Prime Time Wrestling #69 (6/23/86)
From MSG on June 14, 1986. Bobby Heenan ended last week’s show on the phone with the USA Network and he’s still on seven days later.
The Moondogs, former WWF Tag Team Champions, do their boring sound tag shtick against Mike Rotundo & Dan Spivey who do their boring sound babyface shtick. It’s all solid but completely empty. Good finish though.
Pedro Morales and Iron Sheik duke it out in a battle of former WWF World Champions, and Sheik takes a minute to jaw jack with a guy carrying a big USA flag. Then they work holds. Lots and lots of holds. Pedro is over but aging and Sheik had been slowing down at an alarming right. Sheik gets DQ’d for not letting go of a move and then they tussle some more.
Hulk Hogan lays down a promo with Killer Ken Resnick here, talking about his hit list and RUSSIA. His voice is getting raspier and more intense as the days go by: “Whether it’s man, woman, or beast… you’re going down.”
Cowboy Lang and Lord Littlebrook provide little person hijinks, including Lang spitting out something that lands on the camera and causes Hayes to deadpan: “was that a tooth decaying?” They do your classic midget bullshit but the close-up of Lord Littlebrook telling the referee he didn’t bite Lang only to bite him seconds later is incredible. All hail Lord Littlebrook.
Mean Gene Okerlund continues his search for The Machines in Japan, wearing a tuxedo on the streets of Tokyo as he looks for the apparent hottest tag team in the Far East.
Hoss Funk is still fulfilling his dates, managed by Jimmy Hart and taking a few bumps for George Wells before applying a few holds to George Wells. It ain’t great.
Harley Race is great though, and he wrestles Leaping Lanny Poffo in a match where he’s basically just fucking around and hitting highspots. He drops Poffo with the brainbuster to the floor but is also willing to take a crazy headscissors over the top. A fisherman’s brainbuster inside the ring wins it for the King.
Finally, George “The Animal” Steele interrupts Nikolai Volkoff’s rendition of the Russian National Anthem and the crowd goes NUTS. Then, the choking. Lots and lots of choking. And Steele gets DQ’d for using a chair.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #70 (6/30/86)
From a few different 1986 MSG shows – January 27, February 17, and March 16.
It’s three weeks later and Bobby the Brain is STILL talking about his call to the USA Network.
Hercules Hernandez has arrived on the scene as Freddie Blassie’s latest find from Florida and we’ll be taking a look. Monsoon also teases having a magazine with information on The Machines, but he’s hiding it from Bobby all show. All the time spent on the Machine teases really ticks me off in retrospect – the bastards might’ve popped a house or two but it went NOWHERE. Ah, maybe that was the point.
Pedro Morales vs. Cowboy Bob Orton actually kind of rocks – Bob takes a bodyslam he barely tucks his chin on, then does an awesome slow sly bail out of the ring where he falls onto commentary as if he’s still dazed from the bodyslam. His selling of an atomic drop is art too – he stays standing upon collision, just out on his feet. He eventually tries to awkwardly suplex Pedro to the floor and when Pedro gets crotched the ref calls the DQ. There were more DQ’s in 1986 WWF than kickouts in 2019 AEW.
Lord Alfred goes off on people throwing shit in the ring as Corporal Kirchner & Danny Spivey get worked over by Sheik & Volkoff. Spivey does what feels like a deadlift vertical suplex on Sheik which seems just incredible. Corp tries to overcompensate by doing a full front flip off a loaded boot to the gut, but it doesn’t quite work as well.
The awesome Hercules/Wells match from TNT 81 is here, and unless I’ve seen it fifteen times in a row I will never not be impressed with Wells catching a flying Hercules crossbody and hitting a backbreaker.
Gorilla Monsoon respects Bret “The Hitman” Hart, who goes HAAAAARD into the ropes when Jumpin’ Jim Brunzell sends him there.
Adrian Adonis offers this comment during an interview: “the marquee says wrestling, and I do it very well.”
King Kong Bundy just barely struggles opposite Hillbilly Jim, and I loved how disgusted Bundy looked after taking Jim down with a boot – like he just tasted something gross. He reverses a whip into the corner and hits the Avalanche, a fine fine finish.
The arrival of The Machines continues to be discussed, and it appears they want a piece of Studd and Bundy. Uh huh.
Sivi Afi, in January fresh to the WWF, faces Ron Shaw and does a monkey flip with his KNEES before he is drowned out with the loudest possible WE WANT SNUKA chants.
Paul Orndorff, about to turn on Hogan but not quite yet, faced Big John Studd at the January MSG show and that’s the main event. He gets on the mic and tells Heenan to kiss his ass, which the crowd loses it for. He chases Heenan before Studd grabs him and gets to work, and though it’s 5 minutes and ends in a DQ and the Studd beating isn’t much to shake at the crowd goes crazy when Orndorff skins the cat and hits Studd with his forearm and especially when Orndorff bodyslams Studd from the apron back into the ring.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #71 (7/7/86)
From various TV tapings and Maple Leaf Garden shows. And… Japan?
Gorilla Monsoon is talking up the two biggest Japanese stars he’s ever seen in his life, while Bobby Heenan is completely convinced that one of them is Andre the Giant. None of it is as fun as they are trying to make it out to be.
Mean Gene finally locates the Machines on this show, and introduces them as Giant Machine and Big Machine, which is quickly corrected to Super Machine. Giant Machine is very much Andre the Giant, who keeps saying “hai” as Gene explains that they’ve been educated in American schools and have excellent English. Super Machine speaks for them and explains that to be the best, they must compete in the WWF. Their mentor and stable master is a man named Wakamatsu-san, but in America they plan to be guided by Captain Lou Albano. There’s a wonderful wrestling craziness to completely inventing a successful foreign tag team out of thin air, but the execution wasn’t there.
While the TV made it seem like there was a Bulldogs vs. Studd/Bundy house show loop going on, in reality the teams only faced a couple times. The same Bundy/Studd squash from Prime Time #62 of Jim Powers and Michael Jackson aficionado Michael Saxon opens this show, as opposed to closing it last time. The crowd chants for Andre before the beat comes to an end.
The Crush Gals are in action this week facing Leilani Kai and Black Venus, who on occasion went by Jean Kirkland. The crowd is into the Crush Gals, naturally -Lionness Asuka rebounds on an Irish whip with a sweet spin kick and Chigusa Nagayo finishes Venus off with an incredible German suplex.
Macho Man talks to Ken Resnick before footage of his TNT therapy session is aired, and is quizzed about Tito and who the real host of Prime Time is.
A Billy Jack Haynes squash of Frank Marconi from the Maple Leaf Gardens is joined in progress on what ends up a 90-second chinlock by Haynes, which soons transitions into another 90-second chinlock. Seems like bad editing. Marconi gets in a few shots before he goes down to the full nelson. Just bad – Hayes stunk.
Bobby Heenan puts over Harley Race – soon to be King of the Ring – big time as they throw to him vs. S.D. Jones: “Well, Harley Race is no Saturday night at the movies, I’ll tell you that. This man is capable of wrestling hold for hold, he’s capable of getting down on the floor like you saw with Savage and Santana, he’s capable of doing anything you want in the ring, this man is a ring veteran – and they don’t come any tougher.” Race delivers by spiking S.D. Jones with a piledriver in short order.
Pedro Morales can still hype up a group of wrestling fans, as he throws his jacket at Barry O’s face which causes the jerk to dip outside.
The Killer Bees vs. The Hart Foundation ends the show and is ultra-basic yet quality tag team wrestling. Neidhart goes full speed on a shoulder into Blair’s gut in the corner, while Bret does the same running chest-first into the turnbuckle. The Hart Foundation lays a beating down before Neidhart clobbers Bret with a forearm by mistake and Bret explodes himself into the ropes. They recover and Neidhart nails Brunzell with a forearm to setup the Bret win.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #72 (7/14/86)
From the Boston Garden on June 27, 1986, a show I reviewed here: Happy Thoughts – WWF Old School (Boston Garden 6/27/86). Also featured is the Hogan/Orndorff vs. Moondogs tag that Orndorff called for to show solidarity with Hogan, though before the match Hogan doesn’t take a call from Orndorff so Mr. Wonderful is PISSED.
Iron Sheik does an interview and is still talking about his title loss to Hulk Hogan over two and a half years ago – “referee was your cousin, you take the belt from me!” Then he poses.
The Hogan/Orndorff vs. Moondogs tag is a perfect use of 4 minutes: the Moondogs sell for Hogan shoulderblocks like champs, then Orndorff tags in and tries to get something going as the crowd chants WE WANT HULK during his whole thing. He ends up on defense for a minute before he gets the better of the Moondogs and beats them without tagging in Hogan. He ignores Hogan as he celebrates and basically does all of Hogan poses. Subtle but not really at all.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #73 (7/21/86)
From MSG on July 12, 1986.
An actually stacked Prime Time Wrestling, with a weirdly cool Tony Atlas vs. Lanny Poffo match but more notably The British Bulldogs vs. The Moondogs for 20 minutes and the Paul Orndorff heel turn. Actually, no – that Atlas vs. Poffo match might still be the most notable.
First of all Brutus Beefcake wrestles Billy Jack Haynes and you know you’re in trouble when Beefer is carrying the match but here we were – he times everything well and bumps big enough for this to be completely solid. He is talked up on commentary as a guy who’s come a long way in the WWF and one who should be looked at as a future WWF Champion.
Tony Atlas and Leaping Lanny Poffo started with the horror of knowing that Tony Atlas and Leaping Lanny Poffo were about to wrestle. But after they work some weirdly credible holds on the mat, they get up and have this intense staredown that the crowd completely buys into. And it’s ON. Like, kind of. It’s not great but it’s more on than usual, especially for face vs. face. They do a double dropkick spot that is basically Lanny dropkicking Atlas while Atlas begins the early stage of jumping off the mat. Nice finish too where Poffo charges at Atlas in the corner but Atlas leapfrogs over him and does a tight backslide for 3.
Monsoon notes that there have been more TV sets sold than any other time since Heenan has been on TV… Gorilla sold his, and most of his neighbors sold theirs! Say it with me: HA!
The British Bulldogs vs. The Moondogs certainly goes 20 minutes and certainly meanders a bit because of that but it really is a good time, four old pros – two classic offense guys and two classic selling guys – just doing their thing. A rope-running sequence early results in Spot taking a shoulderblock and he sells it like WHAT!? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!? Davey takes heat which features a great cut-off where Rex holds his foot and Spot just wrecks him with a boot. Dynamite finally gets a nice hot tag and the Bulldogs triumph to everybody’s delight.
Gorilla calls Mike Brown by the name of his partner Paul Berger throughout their match with S.D. Jones & Paul Roma.
The real meat here is a pretty much complete Hogan/Orndorff feud recap up until the turn, though there’s badly overdubbed music running over most of it. First we visit Paul Orndorff at The Flower Shop where host Adrian Adonis is stirring the pot by saying Orndorff does all the work and Hulk just comes in and wins. This is the result of an analysis of what, two matches? Orndorff protests, saying “SO WHAT” to Hogan taking the wins and so what to Hogan selling more posters – Hogan is his FRIEND. The crowd pops for this bit of friendship, and the surrealism of Orndorff ranting about Adonis’ bullshit as Adonis holds up the gimmicked flower microphone is special.
Hulk Hogan joins The Flower Shop next where he struggles with his pronouns: “Let me tell you something boy, or girl, or whatever it is!” He wants Adonis to stop stirring up trouble because Orndorff is his blood brother, maaaan. On another Flower Shop, Heenan calls Orndorff “Hulk Jr.” and challenges him to a tag match, presumably against Bundy and Studd. Orndorff tries to call up Hogan somewhere backstage, but can’t get the champ on the line. He says there won’t be a tag match, then on another Flower Shop informs Hogan they do have a tag match but it’s with The Moondogs. And he’s going to show everyone what the old Mr. Wonderful was about.
The Moondogs match isn’t shown here considering it was shown last week, but Orndorff flies solo during it and seems tired of Hogan’s shit. Hogan tries to explain why he couldn’t take Orndorff’s call, but it seems like too little too late as they head into another tag match with Bundy and Studd.
Orndorff locks up with Studd and actually does a sunset flip by pulling his pants down. He dropkicks Studd outside, then dropkicks Bundy down and the Mid-Hudson Civc Center goes WILD. Orndorff then tries to bodyslam Studd but doesn’t succeed, so of course when Hogan tags in he’s able to do it with ease and Orndorff looks a little peeved. Hogan takes heat for a second, then headbutts Studd and backs up into Orndorff which knocks Orndorff off the apron. Orndorff holds his face like a punk bitch as Hulk gets worked over by the bad guys, and eventually the referee calls for the bell because they were double teaming.
After a little too long of a wait, Orndorff runs off Bundy and Studd and raises Hogan’s hand… only to CLOTHESLINE HIM! The crowd doesn’t so much react as watch in stunned silence, and this isn’t 2019 “it’s called heat brother” stunned confused silence – this was SHOCK. Orndorff drops Hogan on his head with a piledriver and does the Hulkamania poses as a few folks clap along. He calls the Heenan Family into the ring to celebrate, but the babyface locker room runs out as he walks off, reunited with his group of bad guys. They all meet up and celebrate with Adrian Adonis in the back as the crowd chants HO-GAN, HO-GAN.
Heenan just smiles as the show ends.
Worth Watching?: Yes
Prime Time Wrestling #74 (7/28/86)
From MSG on July 12, 1986, mostly.
Here’s another stacked Prime Time, this one less angle-wise and more match-wise, as we’ve got Ricky Steamboat vs. Bret Hart in a house show classic and a Steel Cage Tag Team Match!
Before that, Harley Race roughs up Tony Garea on the outside of the ring before a backdrop suplex hold by Race results in a 2 count from the referee, a pause… and finally a 3-count as Garea looks confused. Pedro Morales gets the better of Iron Mike Sharpe by ducking a forearm with a small package, while poor Velvet McIntyre and Penny Mitchell are another pair of ladies in 1986 sent out for an unfair 10 minutes of in-ring competition. Velvet to her credit does both a springboard crossbody and giant swing that get over before there’s the second awkward cradle finish on this show.
We flashback to August 1985 for the first WWF show at the Rosemont Horizon, where King Kong Bundy battles Swede Hanson. It’s no good, but big Swede’s attempt at a comeback before Bundy just cuts it off dead is awesome.
George Wells & Leaping Lanny Poffo vs. Rusty Brooks & Johnny K9 is not a match that I expect to instill much interest in your brain but Rusty is fat, K9 yells at Rusty to get out of his way when he does a repeating legdrop spot, and Lanny does a springboard plancha to the floor. Wells pins K9 with a flying shoulderblock and Poffo does a backflip to celebrate. I dunno, man. A strange gem.
Ricky Steamboat vs. Bret Hart from the previously reviewed WWF Old School (Boston Garden 3/8/86) is joined in progress but not that too far in. It’s a casual classic, not a main event match but two of the very best at this point having the most credible exciting babyface vs. heel possible WWF house show match.
Bruno Sammartino teams up with Tito Santana to battle Macho Man Randy Savage & Adrian Adonis inside a Steel Cage to end the show and it is all of nearly four stars, a classic crazy cage match with Savage brawling and running around and climbing and hanging from stuff, Adonis taking seventeen lunatic bumps, and the classic bayface tandem either selling or firing up. The crowd goes NUTS when Savage comes off the top with an axehandle and gets hit in the gut. By the end of the match there’s blood anywhere, and Adonis jumps off the cage onto Bruno like a madman in one last desperate attempt at victory. Sammartino walks through the door as Tito escapes over the top, and Bruno wouldn’t come back to MSG until the Hall of Fame nearly three decades later.
Worth Watching?: Yes
Prime Time Wrestling #75 (8/4/86)
From Maple Leaf Gardens on July 27, 1986.
The show opens with a great angle, as Jake Roberts shows up to his match with Sivi Afi in a black tank top and jeans and cuts an awesome calm dirtbag promo where he says that even the most ignorant man can tell he’s not going to wrestle tonight, and that he won’t wrestle in Toronto again until he gets Ricky Steamboat in his type of match. He begins to run off as the crowd jeers, then runs at Sivi and knees him in the head before laying him out with a DDT. BOOOOOO!
Slick has arrived in the WWF and it’s said that Freddie Blassie has sold off half his assets to him. One of those assets is Hercules Hernandez, who wrestles a fine match with Scott McGhee where McGhee’s comeback gets WAY over and Hercules is good with the cut-offs and whatnot.
Mike Rotundo and Dan Spivey, announced as Mike Rotunder and Dan Spivey, wrestle Hoss and Jimmy Jack Funk. The Funks go for double bulldogs but end up colliding with each other and taking bodyslams. Jack stumbles around trying to conjure the presence of Terry Funk, while Rotunda takes a very uncreative beatdown before a smooth creative finish where the referee backs up Rotunda and Spivey goes for a bulldog, but Jack clotheslines him mid-run and Hoss just pins him for 3.
You know what? I always appreciated how Iron Sheik looped in Canada with the USA shit talk when he did pre-match shtick North of the Border. Billy Jack Haynes tells him that he’s proud to be an American, proud to be in Canada (pop), and then he reveals a middle finger from his bicep. The full nelson gets a big pop when he applies it only for Volkoff to run-in for interference. Sheik holds Haynes for a boot from Volkoff that ends up hitting Sheik, and the boring guy from Oregon wins again.
Rusty Brooks is a charming but low quality pro wrestling, but seeing him try to take a sunset flip out of the corner from S.D. Jones is art.
Bobby Heenan has taken to calling the Rougeous Brothers “Batman & Robin” as they continue to play the goody two shoes Frenchmen gimmick. They wrestle The Moondogs in a match that is ultimately kind of crap but you’ve got the Jacques crossbody bump and a cool finish where Ray and Rex topple over the top with a crossbody, then Spot tries to throw Jacques over but he skins the cat and rolls him up for 3. Also Ray throws a hell of a punch to Rex’s gut at one point – it was so good I just had to call it out.
“I’m sure that there is in every title match contract an exclusive clause which gives a return bout to the losers,” speculates Gorilla as they discuss The Dream Team and The British Bulldogs.
Dynamite Kid vs. Brutus Beefcake from MSG in April is your showcase match and Brutus drops a HELL of a vertical suplex early on, one that’s so good that Ernie Ladd says 5 years ago the match would’ve been over but the conditioning is just better now. These guys have a rock solid 3-star kind of match that Dynamite wins by countering a suplex from the apron with a reverse cradle. Beefcake attacks after the bell but Davey Boy makes the save.
Brutus drops a HELL of a vertical suplex, so great that Ladd says 5 years ago this match would’ve been over but the conditioning now is better. Dynamite wins by reversing a suplex from the apron with a reverse cradle. Brutus attacks, Davey makes the save.
Worth Watching?: Yes
Prime Time Wrestling #76 (8/11/86)
From all kinds of places.
The Rougeaus have a fine showcase against Les Thornton & Terry Gibbs from the Ontario Civic Centre. Tony Garea vs. Jimmy Jack Funk’s only redeeming factor is Hart crowing in the megaphone at ringside, as Jimmy Jack might be crazy and deranged but this man will keep a chinlock on. Gorilla also wonders if Tony might be looking a little lethargic in the twilight of his career. Ricky Steamboat sure isn’t lethargic, ducking punches and hitting chops and struggling for back body drops with big Moondog Rex in a very good enhancement match as Steamboat prepares for another showdown with Jake Roberts.
Lanny Poffo & Siv Afi have themselves a squash match that’s a little rough – Lanny might have been one of the only guys bringing a high-flying element to the WWF but it’s not like any of his offense looked good, or even sloppy in a realistic way. Sivi also does an epic bad powerslam that’s really more a throw, and poor squashee Jimmy Kent ends up doing a moonsault into nothing when Poffo pushes him off the top rope.
Billy Jack Haynes and Steve Lombardi lock-up, Lombardi pushes Haynes away and goes YUHHH! That’s the best part.
Davey Boy Smith vs. Greg Valentine is the last in-ring content of this show, and commentary is enjoying themselves as the referee holds up Davey Boy’s Tag Team Title: “Well the referee was, uh, parading around the ring holding up the belt… this belt is not on the line, Alfred.” “No, but I suppose he uh, wanted the glory of holding around the championship, heh!” Ladd quizzes Gorilla about Clint Eastwood running for Governor of California, and Gorilla sure thinks he’d clean a lot of things up if given the chance. The match itself is like decent and stuff but pretty boring Hammer.
Vince McMahon interviews Hulk Hogan to end the show, a couple weeks before The Big Event and a house show loop that would last the rest of the year. Hogan screams over footage of their last tag match – they had THANKSGIVING together, for godssakes! And they just weren’t clicking in a tag team match – that’s no reason to attack your tag team partner! Regardless, it’s OVER – the big stones of Hulkamania are gonna grind Orndorff up ever so slowly, maaaan.
Heenan responds from the desk with a promo: “It’s over for you! Hulkamania is OVER.” But Monsoon is the one who steals the show with an impassioned last word, imploring our American hero to vanquish the Benedict Arnold of the wrestling world, Paul Orndorff.
Worth Watching?: No
Prime Time Wrestling #77 (8/18/86)
From all over the place, but most importantly: PIPER’S BACK~!
Heenan is acting all cocky and happy, on top of the world with Orndorff back in his camp.
Terry Funk works Pedro Morales in a match already covered here.
Les Thornton is here just rasslin with a partner against The Killer Bees.
Randy Savage puts a bar of soap in Ken Resnick’s pocket because he is cleaning up professional wrestling.
Fabulous Moolah vs. Velvet McIntyre has one of them audibly apologizing to the other. Their matwork and stand-off early actually gets over and though the snapmare and hair pull is a rightful ghost of women’s wrestling’s past these were some brutal snapmares and hair pulls. Gorilla takes the opportunity to bring up Pat Patterson not wanting to step in the ring with a female any way, shape or form.
The Bulldogs squash Iron Mike Sharpe & Gino Carabello as The Dream Team paces at ringside, then attacks them.
Mean Gene Okerlund provides a WWF UPDATE on the Hogan/Orndorff rivalry, including a promo where Hulk Hogan shouts about making walls into teeny tiny doors and mountains into mole hills. He keeps comparing Orndorff to a Russian spy too.
If that wasn’t enough, Rowdy Roddy Piper is back in the World Wrestling Federation after filming a movie or two following WrestleMania 2. Magnificent Muraco is set to be the guest on Adrian Adonis’ Flower Shop, which has taken over Piper’s Pit, but Piper shows up to a raucous reaction and says he wants it back. Cowboy Bob Orton shows up in a pink cowboy hat, now aligned with Adonis, as Piper stares at his old pal with pity: “They call you Acey now? What are you doin’, man?” he asks. “Money, man,” Orton replies, an astounding amount of logic in pro wrestling. Jimmy Hart informs Piper that he wasn’t invited to the show, so Piper snaps at him and the crowd slowly realizes how god damn awesome a babyface Roddy Piper could be.
Then a match from 1984 is aired for some reason, Brutus Beefcake vs. Salvatore Bellomo. Sal’s parents are apparently in the crowd, but I feel like they always are. Also, Brutus’ jumping knee smash is SO good.
Ken Resnick talks to The Hart Foundation and Neidhart thinks that being called “underrated” means that The Hart Foundation doesn’t equal ratings, while Bret calls their foes “Spivey and Retardo.” Neidhart is again asked about his experience on The Mating Game and he just cackles.
The Moondogs, now under the management of Jimmy Hart, squash a pair of fellows before a match later in the evening opposite Hogan and Orndorff. Nelson Veilleux does ac artwheel and the crowd is AMPED for it. Then The Moondogs dish out a beating as Hart yells stuff and it all goes a bit long.
Ricky Steamboat & Junkyard Dog vs. Magnificent Muraco & Mr. Fuji from the Boston Garden last August headlines and the crowd is – duh – HYYYYYPED. Muraco and Fuji bump around and the match manages to have a bigger feel than the shorter Saturday Night’s Main Event matchb these guys had. Ricky is as per usual a marvel, not just taking the majority of the heat like a pro but doing the hot tag too.
Worth Watching?: Yes
Prime Time Wrestling #78 (8/25/86)
From the Boston Garden on August 9, 1986, a show I reviewed here: Happy Thoughts – WWF Old School (Boston Garden 8/9/86).
Beyond the Boston Garden stuff there isn’t much new here besides an awesome Flower Shop segment with Blassie, Slick, Sheik, Volkoff and Hercules where Piper interrupts and confronts this big stable of baddies with no fear at all. He asks Slick where he got his LIPS, while Slick protests: “Wait a minute, who the heck is that guy!? I’ll slap the fire out of him!”
On skimming through the show I did notice a great pair of elderly folk in the front row enjoying themselves some Leaping Lanny Poffo vs. Mr. X.
Prime Time makes the deliberate decision to show the FULL damn Ace Orton vs. Tito Santana half-hour draw, the sick bastards.
S.D. Jones & Paul Roma beat Terry Gibbs & Gino Carabello in Poughkeepsie, a match that the crowd turns on with boring chants a couple minutes in as The Hart Foundation talks shit about Jones and Roma on commentary. Carabello does this weird wobbly guy sellm that I appreciate.
A rock solid Hart Founation vs. Sheik/Volkoff match is the headliner.
At the end of the show, Heenan may or may not have slipped on water from the ice he was using to heal his hand that he hurt earlier when he slammed the buggy telephone down.
Worth Watching?: No
September through December are covered in Year in Review – WWF Prime Time Wrestling (1986) – Part 2.
