WWF House Show 2/15/1987

Written by: Alexander Settee

Maple Leaf Gardens House Show, February 15, 1987, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON
Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan

Opening Match: SD Jones vs. Outlaw Ron Bass
Bass is pretty new to the WWF at this point and the announcers are hinting at a feud developing between him and Blackjack Mulligan. Jones gets sent off the ropes, but then reverses a hiptoss and Bass backs off. Jones then gets a crossbody for 1 and a slam before going to a side headlock. He’s sent off again and this time Bass hits a knee, but misses an elbow. Bass whips him to the corner but misses a charge. Jones hooks a wristlock, with Bass making the ropes for a break, but then Bass cheapshots him. He follows up with a high knee and tosses Jones to the floor where he then sends him to the post. After a slam on the floor, Jones gets in, only to be stomped right back out. Back on the apron, this time Bass slams him in and then hits a back elbow for 2. Jones fires back and has Bass begging off, but the Jones’ whip is reversed and Bass hits another back elbow for 3 at 6:55. Not terribly exciting or anything. ½*

Sika vs. Moondog Spot
Here we have a heel vs. heel matchup, in a prelim no less, which could spell trouble. Sika starts out with a slam for 2 and then they go into an extended sequence of trading holds. Not an exciting sequence or anything either as it’s just “You put on a hold, then I’ll put one on”, for several minutes. Sure enough the crowd starts chanting “boring”, pretty early on. Sika finally sends him off the ropes and hits a back elbow for 2. He chokes Spot for a bit and then hits a kneelift, but then goes back to a front facelock for about the fifth or sixth time already in the match and you can actually hear the groans from the crowd as he applies it. Spot finally gets a bit of a comeback, hitting a snapmare for 1, and nailing a shot off the 2nd rope. But then his corner whip is reversed and he comes out into a nicely executed Samoan drop for the 3 count at 6:57, which felt about ten minutes longer than that with all the restholds. DUD

Corporal Kirchner vs. Johnny K-9
It’s supposed to be Butch Reed facing Kirchner here, but Slick comes out and announces that Reed has the flu and won’t be wrestling here tonight, but that Johnny K-9 is here to take over. Kirchner grabs the mic and suggests that Slick himself take the match, but obviously Slick wants nothing to do with that and Kirchner ends up chasing him out. K-9 stalls by bailing repeatedly, and when they finally lockup, he pulls the hair to take Kirchner down. Now Kirchner stops messing around and gets a couple of shoulderblocks, a hiptoss, two armdrags and a powerslam in quick succession before K-9 bails again. Test of strength is next leading to K-9 kicking him to break, but Kirchner then dropkicking him to the floor. Now K-9 wants a handshake to setup a cheapshot, but Kirchner catches the boot and hits an atomic drop. He spends a long time asking for approval before dropping a leg to the groin. Next he gets a corner whip, but misses a charge and goes out to the floor. K-9 takes over now with a couple of backbreakers for 2. He then hits a clothesline and goes up, but misses a kneedrop. Kirchner drops some elbows and hits a suplex before finishing K-9 with a Samoan drop (two straight matches with the same finish) at 10:29. DUD

Adorable Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper
At this time, Wrestlemania III was approaching, so the fans here in Toronto get a mini preview of that show starting here with this being the first of three matches that will also go on to take place at that show. Adonis challenges him on the ramp right off the bat, so Piper throws the kilt at him and attacks. Piper wins the slugfest, then hits an atomic drop and backdrop. He goes for Jimmy Hart, but that allows Adonis to grab Piper’s belt and start whipping him with it. Piper comes back with a backdrop and gets the belt himself for some whipping of his own. He continues beating on Adonis until Hart grabs the leg and he decides to go after him instead. This lets Adonis stomp him from the apron, but when he joins Piper on the floor, Adonis gets sent to the post. Hart comes for him again, but this time the distraction allows Adonis to get the perfume and spray it in Piper’s eyes. Now Adonis finally takes over and even dumps Piper into the crowd at one point. They get back in the ring with Adonis continuing to control. He gets a bulldog for 2 and then drops a forearm for another 2. He then tosses Piper onto the ramp and hits another bulldog out there. Back in the ring, a suplex is blocked and Piper his one of his own, but he misses a knee and Adonis takes over again with a backbreaker. Adonis then goes up top, but his splash hits knees. Piper starts firing away now. Jimmy Hart goes on the top rope, only to get slammed into Adonis. The ref gets bumped now, so Hart throws a chair to Adonis, but Piper kicks it back in his face. Sleeper is hooked, but Piper lets it go to go after Hart again. Adonis charges, but gets backdropped and then he and Hart take a double noggin knocker. Piper goes up top, but Hart shoves him off into a cradle by Adonis, but Piper rolls through. Doesn’t matter though as the ref is still out. Hart misses another shot at Piper, but Adonis has the perfume again and sprays more of it in Piper’s eyes. The ref has now recovered and sees this, so he calls for the bell, disqualifying Adonis at 10:07. A blinded Piper starts beating up everyone, including the ref and ring announcer, before finally being calmed down and helped back to the locker room. Now this was a fun match. It was pretty much all action, and very heated. **1/2

Pedro Morales vs. Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff (w/Bobby Heenan)
Heenan actually splits his time between the corner and the commentary table for this one. Orndorff’s feud with Hogan was over by this point, but he’s just fulfilling a few more matches before he takes time off to recover from his arm injury. Morales gets sent off the ropes, but hits a shoulderblock and gets a slam causing Orndorff to bail. Back in, Orndorff gets sent off and gets nailed by Morales. Orndorff then knees him and stomps him out onto the announce table. He keeps working him over there, eventually knocking him to the floor. Back in the ring, Orndorff hits a snapmare and goes up, but Morales nails him coming down. He rams Orndorff to the buckle a couple of times and works him over. His Irish whip is reversed, but he gets a crossbody coming off the ropes. Orndorff rolls through it though and gets the 3 count with the foot on the ropes at 4:29. Pretty much a nothing match here. DUD

King Harley Race (w/Bobby Heenan) vs. Junkyard Dog
Another WMIII preview here as these guys have the issue over Race attempting to force JYD to bow to him. Heenan also does full fledged managing for this one as Billy Red Lyons takes his spot on commentary. Dog starts by clearing everyone out, and then when Race gets in, Dog knocks him right back to the floor. He then clotheslines him back in from the apron and hits the crawling headbutts. Race staggers around in a daze and gets himself hung up in the ropes, with Dog then getting him loose so that he falls to the floor. Back in the ring, Race puts Dog down with a clothesline and drops a headbutt, but hurts himself in the process and Dog covers him for 2. Dog hooks an abdominal stretch and since Monsoon is on commentary he immediately points out how it’s not applied correctly. Race breaks it and then attacks him. Gutwrench suplex gets 2 and then they start trading. Dog take shim down with a snapmare, but misses a headbutt. Race gets him with a clothesline and drops an elbow for 2. Dog fires back and connects with the Thump powerslam, but as he covers, Heenan runs in the ring. This isn’t a DQ or anything, but just a distraction that allows Race to come from behind and hit the belly to belly suplex, in a finish not unlike to the one they would use at WMIII, for the win at 6:08. Dog clears everyone out again after the match, but still goes home a loser. DUD

Main Event, Intercontinental Championship Match: Macho Man Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Obviously this match is stemming from the larynx crushing angle that took place on Superstars back in November as Steamboat comes back for revenge and to take the IC Title away. Savage nails him on a lockup, but Steamboat then ducks a clothesline and gets him with a couple of armdrags. He starts pounding away, but then takes an elbow from Savage. Steamboat comes back with a slam for 2, followed by another armdrag and a clothesline leading Savage to bail. This is a blood feud though so Steamboat chases and gets some shots in on the ramp before tossing him right back in. Savage bails on the other side now, but Steamboat is still hot on his tail. Savage lures him in and gets a shot in so he can the send Steamboat back to the floor. He then rams Steamboat to the barrier and bodyslams him. Back in, Savage starts targeting the throat, and then drops a double ax off the top for 2. Kneedrop leads to a rollup for another 2. Steamboat blocks a shot to the buckle, but his corner whip is reversed and he takes a clothesline for 1. Savage misses a rope straddle leading to another Steamboat comeback, but he can’t hold Savage up on a bodyslam and Savage falls on top for 2. Steamboat still controls though, working a rear chinlock. Savage goes to pull the hair, but Steamboat lets it go and works him over. Savage goes to toss him, with Steamboat skinning the cat, but Savage knows that trick, so he’s right there to clothesline him back to the floor. He drapes Steamboat on the barrier, a la the Superstars match, which has the crowd buzzing, but Steamboat nails him as he comes down off the top. Back in the ring, Steamboat gets a couple more armdrags and a throat toss. He starts choking Savage until the ref has to pull him off. Then, he drops Savage on the top rope and faceplants him. Savage has had enough and tries to run, but Steamboat is right there again and sends him to the barrier. Steamboat did a great job of playing the humble, friendly babyface, but I also love how they showed that when you push him over the line he will be more than happy to kill you. Back in the ring, Steamboat connects with the top rope chop, and then he slingshots Savage to the post, busting him open. Steamboat continues laying into him until Savage grabs the tights and pulls him out onto the ramp. He then knees Steamboat from behind, but that doesn’t put him down for long as Steamboat reenergizes and charges right back in. He shoulders Savage from the apron and sunset flips him for 2. A rollup gets another 2, as does a cradle. Everyone in the crowd is absolutely losing their minds at this point. Steamboat gets a small package for another 2, and then rolls him up off the ropes again for 2, but this time Savage rolls through, hooks the tights and gets the 3 count to retain by the skin of his teeth at 13:41. Steamboat wants another piece of Savage, but the ref has to hold him back so Savage can get out of there alive. Wow! Everything about this match, and indeed this feud in general was just amazing. The finishing sequence was unbelievably hot and even watching it here today, nearly 23 years later I swear I thought Steamboat was going to pull it off. That’s how deep they dragged me into it. ****1/2

The Killer Bees vs. That Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart)
This is a good matchup, but good luck to them on following the last match. The Hart Foundation Title win over the British Bulldogs aired about three weeks ago, so they are obviously the champs here, but they’re going with the gimmick that the match was signed prior to the Title win and therefore this will be a non-Title match. Brunzell and Anvil start off. Anvil sends him off and hooks a bearhug, which doesn’t last long as Brunzell breaks it and tags Blair. The Bees then go to work on Anvil with quick tags and double teams. This continues until Bret successfully provides a distraction and Anvil gets a shot in. Tag to Bret, who stomps Blair in the corner and then tags back to Anvil for some double teaming. Jimmy Hart has spent most of the match so far hanging around the commentary table annoying Gorilla, so Gorilla actually steals away the megaphone. He does give it back though. Blair gets a sunset flip on Anvil, who manages to tag Bret on the way down, so Bret breaks it up with an elbow. Bret follows with an inverted atomic drop and draws Brunzell in, so the Harts switch while the ref puts him out. Anvil tosses Blair, which allows Bret to take some shots on the floor. Back in, Anvil covers for 2. Tag Bret, who gets a headbutt and a backbreaker for 2. Tag back to Anvil, who hooks a rear chinlock with Brunzell coming in to break it, but as the ref gets him out again, the Harts switch off. Now Bret has the rear chinlock on, but Blair picks him up on his shoulders and drops him with an Electric Chair. Anvil charges in, but the ref puts him back out and therefore doesn’t see Blair make the tag to Brunzell and won’t allow it. Anvil then dropkicks Blair to the floor, but the Bees have had enough. They put the masks on, which allows Brunzell to sneak in as the new legal man. He fires away on both Harts, and then whips them into each other. Slam on Bret gets 2, and then he hits the dropkick. Anvil saves before any cover can be made, but as the ref puts him out, Blair comes off the top with a sunset flip and gets the 3 count at 7:39. This would be some classic basic booking that puts the Bees in line for a Title shot at the next MLG show. Kind of short here, but it was still pretty good for what they had to work with. **1/2

Well, Savage/Steamboat pretty much makes this an automatic winner. Harts/Bees and Piper/Adonis are both good, but certainly not blowaway or anything. The rest of the card is junk, of course. I’m still just amazed that Savage and Steamboat went out there and tore it up like that for just a house show match. Unbelievable. Thumbs up (which is pretty much for that match alone) for Maple Leaf Gardens, February 15, 1987.