Written by: Bob Colling
World Wrestling Federation presents Superstars
Date: 1/9/1988
From: Tampa, FL
Matches:
1.) The Islanders defeated Jerry Gray & Lanny Poffo
2.) Jake Roberts defeated Wellington Wilkins
3.) Dino Bravo defeated Scott Casey
4.) Sam Houston defeated Terry Gibbs
5.) Butch Reed defeated Sivi Afi
6.) Demolition defeated Jim Evans & Mike Richards
Angle Developments/Notes:
1. Bobby Heenan was walking an invisible dog when the Islanders came out for their jobber match. During the bout, the British Bulldogs share pre-tape comments about where Matilda is. They want to know if the dog is okay because they love the dog very much. Dynamite Kid would appreciate Jack Tunney do something to help them get their dog back. After the match, Jack Tunney asks Heenan and the Islanders to come to the podium because he has an announcement. Tunney suspends the Islanders indefinitely until Matilda is found.
2. Jim Duggan cut a promo regarding his match with King Harley Race at the January 25th MSG house show. Duggan talked about being sick of Race and his fancy music. He doesn’t like that Race thinks he is better then everyone else.
3. Mean Gene interviews Rick Rude who will be wrestling WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan at the Boston Gardens later tonight. Rude tells Hogan he will do a strip tease whenever he wants because he doesn’t care about what Hogan thinks. Rude is going to do a strip tease all around Hogan’s body!
4. Danny Davis shared some pre-tape comments during Sam Houston’s match. Davis said that his New Years Resolution is to get rid of Houston for good.
5. Ted DiBiase and Virgil were interviewed by Craig DeGeorge at the podium. DiBiase talks about saying Hogan was a fool for not accepting a generous offer. DiBiase gets what he wants. He wants the WWF World Championship and he will buy it. DiBiase introduces the man who will hand deliver the WWF World Championship to him as being… Andre the Giant! Bobby Heenan is with Andre and says that Hogan is a fool. Heenan thanks DiBiase for allowing him to live comfortably. DiBiase asks Andre if he will deliver the WWF World Championship to him. Andre says he is going to deliver the championship to DiBiase. That’s right, DiBiase has bought Andre from Heenan!
6. To close the show, Ted DiBiase is interviewed by Mean Gene. DiBiase talks about having Andre on his team and says that the WWF World Championship will be his. DiBiase says that he actually likes Jake Roberts but at the Boston Gardens he is going to be embarrassed. DiBiase warns Roberts that he will have to deal with Virgil if he lets the snake out of the bag.
Final Thoughts:
I actually enjoyed the show. Sure, the squash matches didn’t have much going on but the angle advancements were entertaining. The Rick Rude promo was decent, but it makes me wonder what he could’ve done with Hogan in a long program. The DiBiase interview segment is the big angle on the show having acquired Andre to get the WWF World Championship for him. That’s actually a big deal, I would think.
Overall, I thought it was a fine episode. It’s probably one of the better first of the year episodes that I’ve watched, honestly.
Thanks for reading.