WWF Prime Time Wrestling 4/13/1987

Written by: Man of Steel from Place To Be

Prime Time Wrestling
April 13, 1987
Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan

OPENING ANIMATION

-Gorilla welcomes us to this week’s edition of PTW and begins by asking the Brain where the “Baloney Blowout” is, pertaining to the expensive Chinese cuisine he was promising the staff. Bobby says this is a momentous occasion because it was one year ago he took over as host of Prime Time. He even got a congratulations note from King Kong Bundy. Gorilla laughs it off as expected and let’s us know we have a WWF Tag Team title match tonight, as well as the debut of “Fuji Chan”, and our feature match involves Randy Savage.

The Hart Foundation defeats The Rougeau Brothers to retain WWF Tag Team Titles when Bret Hart pins Jacques when Danny Davis rolls over a small package
Boston Garden, 3/7/87; Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan

This stems from last week’s match on Prime Time when Jacques and Raymond won a non-title match over the Pink and Black. Anvil’s in with Jacques while Danny Davis chats with Gorilla and Bobby. Anvil switches and we Bret’s now in the ring. We have some posturing and Bret complains Jacques’ fists are clenched. They lock fingers and Bret takes control, but Jacques tries to fight back but Bret lets go and tries to step on Jacques hands but Jacques slips them out and trips the Hitman up. He goes out of the ring and gets counsel from the Colonel. Anvil and Raymond get in and Neidhart wins consecutive lock ups. The third time Raymond bounces off the ropes and hits a forearm shot. Tag to Jacques and we have double arm bars. The crowd gets excited and Raymond with a deep hip toss. Tag to Bret and he hits a scoop slam but misses an elbow and Raymond hooks an armbar. Bounce off the ropes and Raymond reverses a slam but can’t get the roll-up off the ropes. Bret stops paying attention and Raymond hits a reverse mule kick. Raymond grabs the leg, tags Jacques and he drops on the leg. Quick tag back to Raymond and they continue to work on Bret’s knee. Tag back to Jacques and he continues to wrench the knee. Tag to Raymond and he head-butts the breadbasket. Bret gets an eye poke in and tags Anvil, who gets some forearm shots in. Irish Whip and Raymond misses the clothesline, gets a cheap shot on Bret but Anvil cracks him with a forearm shot. Jacques inadvertently distracts the ref and the Harts double team Raymond. Anvil continues to work over Raymond as we go to break. We’re back and Gorilla is harping Bobby about where the food is. Back to the match and Raymond is getting worked over in the corner by the Harts including some choking with the tag rope. Classic 80’s move there. Anvil has Raymond in a reverse chinlock leaning with his 280-pound frame. Irish whip and Raymond gets a sunset flip but Anvil tags the Hitman and the pin is discounted. Bret whips Raymond into the ropes but a hip toss attempt is reversed into a backslide pin attempt for 2. Bret with some right hands and Raymond is whipped outside to the hard Boston Garden floor. Danny Davis gets a cheap shot in and Raymond is back in the ring. Bret with some right hands and a choke and tags to Anvil. Anvil cranks a bear hug up but Raymond breaks it with a right hand and some kicks but Anvil pushes him back into the corner and the Foundation double teams again. Jacques tries to stop it but the ref pushes him back into the corner. Tag to Bret and he hits a backbreaker for a 2 count. Whip into the corner but Raymond hits a knee into Bret’s face and now Raymond gets the tag off to Jacques, but as is most 80’s tag matches, Anvil distracts the ref and he doesn’t see the tag. Jacques argues and the Harts set up a big move. Anvil holds Raymond in the ropes and Bret goes for a flying knee lift but Raymond gets out of the way and the Anvil eats his partner’s knee. The Gahden is hopping and Raymond finally gets the hot tag to Jacques and he goes off on Bret. He gives a right hand to Anvil for good measure, then snaps a chops off on Bret. Bret’s whipped into the ropes and cranked into a short arm scissors and they roll around the mat. Anvil breaks it and Raymond gets back in the ring to fight him. Eventually the Rougeaus get both Harts in a noggin-knocker and then they whip the Harts into opposite sides and they run into each other. The Rougeaus hit their top rope finisher on Bret but Anvil breaks the count. Anvil and Raymond fight into the corner as the ref follows them. Jacques has a small package on Bret but Danny Davis comes in and turns the Small Package around and the Harts get the 3 count and retain the titles. Solid match with a typical 80’s formula.

-We’re back and Mean Gene joins the show, accusing Bobby of welching on a bet for the Hogan/Andre match at Wrestlemania. The three men banter back and forth, and you can tell when Gene comes on the set that its total improvisation and they’re goofing off. We go to break.

-We go to Craig DeGeorge for a news update, and its actually a big update as it announces that Mr. Fuji has acquired the hottest tag team in the WWF: Demolition.

-From there we go to part 2 of our series on the return of Ken Patera, and Bobby instantly is torqued, saying who cares about a guy who wins trophies and then goes to prison. Mean Gene talks about how Patera went from Olympic hero to Heenan tough-guy. They show some highlights of his matches, and a clip of him on TNT defending Heenan. It was kind of a smear piece designed to show that Bobby Heenan led Patera to a life of crime and his prison term, which is really lame but in the 80’s kayfabe era who sees through it?

The Killer Bees defeat Demolition when B. Brian Blair pins Smash with a Sunset Flip
Maple Leaf Gardens, 3/15/87; Gorilla Monsoon and Jimmy Hart

This match was obviously before our previous piece as Luscious Johnny V leads the Demos to the ring. Ax and B. Brian Blair lock up and they exchange right hands. Tag to Smash and they lock up again. Blair with a headlock and Smash pushes off into the ropes, with Blair attempting a shoulder block that goes nowhere. Smash off the ropes with a shoulder block of his own, but off the ropes again and Blair with a drop toe hold. Tag to Jim Brunzell and they both grab Smash’s legs and stretch the hammies a bit. Brunzell with some kicks to the legs and the Bees with a wishbone. Tag to Blair and they continue to go after Smash’s legs. Blair hooks on a variation of the Figure Four but Ax breaks it with an elbow drop. Brunzell chases Ax out of the ring and Ax gets the tag. Ax with a kick to the head and some right hands as Gorilla drills Jimmy about the Anvil protruding gut. I never realized what a butt of jokes it was back then. Right hands are exchanged and Ax with a knee to the breadbasket into a front facelock. Tag to Smash and he drops Blair over the top rope. Ax holds Blair and Smash with some shots low. Tag to Ax and he pitches Blair out of the ring. Luscious John gets a kick in, and pitches Blair back in. Tag to Smash and he continues the clubbing blows for a 2 count. Tag to Ax and another front facelock as Blair fights to his corner. As in our previous match, Blair got the tag to Brunzell but the ref was distracted with Smash and didn’t see it. As the ref sends Brunzell back into the corner Demolition hits a double reverse elbow and Blair goes tumbling to the floor. Brunzell looks him over but then while the ref is not looking the Bees put their masks on. Brunzell gets in the ring and as the fresher man gets some shots on Smash including his patented drop kick for a 2 count. Smash goes back to the corner but meanwhile Blair jumps off the top rope with a sunset flip for the 3 count as the crowd goes crazy. The Demos beat the hell out of the Bees and pitch them out of the ring, but a surprising win for the Bees over the hottest team.

-Back to the studio and they’re sitting amongst empty Chinese food cartons, as Bobby blames the crew for eating all of the food, whereas Gorilla was away on a phone call, got no food, and blames the Brain. We go to break,

-Now its time for “Fuji Chan”, which is still crap but not nearly as bad as the other shows. Even Mel Phillips acts in it, now that’s dedication.

Danny Davis and Koko B. Ware wrestle to a time limit draw
London, Ontario, 3/16/87; Gorilla Monsoon and Johnny Valiant

This is one Davis’ first matches and the London crowd is hot. Davis tries to heckle Koko and he chases Davis out of the ring. Davis jaws with the crowd and the ref starts to count him out. Davis gets back in and stays close to the corner so as to duck under the rope. They lock up and Davis with a right hand, he backs up and Koko goes after him, chasing him out of the ring. They lock up again and Davis with a hip toss. The posturing in this match is ridiculous but it is the 80’s. They lock up again and Davis with another single arm drag. Koko gets up and they lock up again. Davis with a takedown and now he poses, with a shirt on. Koko gets up and drop kicks Davis from behind out of the ring. Davis gets a hug from his manager Jimmy Hart and he gets back in the ring. Davis with some right hands and he’s happy, but Koko retaliates and again Davis bails to the outside. Davis confers with Jimmy and gets back in the ring. Davis with a side headlock but Koko reverses with a hammerlock but he lets go as Davis persuades the ref that Koko pulled the hair. Davis with another headlock but Koko pushes him off the ropes and Davis with a shoulder block. Bounce off the ropes and a leap frog by Koko into a proper hip toss and Davis bails again. Davis back in the ring and now he wants a handshake from Koko. Koko goes for it and takes Davis’ hand, biting the fingers. My god this is hideous. They lock up again and Davis with an eye poke into some knee lifts. Koko is whipped into the corner into a sloppy belly-to-belly suplex for a 2 count. Davis with some kicks as we go to break. We return and Davis is choking Koko with his boot. Davis now with a front facelock as the “KOKO, KOKO” chants go out. Koko breaks free with some right hands and whips Davis into the opposite corner but misses a splash. Davis with some shots to the throat and now a headlock. This London crowd is hot and solidly in Koko’s corner. He uses the bottom rope to choke Koko and then postures to the crowd. Davis with some knees to the head for a 2 count. Koko is pitched out of the ring. Davis drapes him over the top rope and whacks Koko with a forearm shot. Koko gets back in the ring and Davis whips him into the ropes but Koko ducks the clothesline and hits a splash for 2. Davis regains control with some kicks for a 2 count. Koko into the ropes and Davis locks a sleeper. Davis actually has the hold on right and Koko was almost out but he’s fighting back, and he breaks the hold with some elbows to the gut. Davis with a right hand and he whips Koko into the ropes but Koko reverses and gets his own sleeper momentarily but Davis backs Koko hard into the corner turnbuckles. He goes for a count but gets 2. Koko into the ropes and both men hit noggin to noggin. Both men get to their feet and start trading blows and Koko whips Davis into the ropes but Davis ducks the move and Koko straddles the middle ropes. Davis with a body slam attempt but Koko slips a small package for 2. Davis back with the right hands but Koko fights back and really hits the big blows on Davis. Koko’s getting excited and he goes to the second turnbuckle with a fist drop but the bell rings, indicating we have a draw. I guess it was to keep Davis’ heat, but poor Koko was outwrestled here as he missed several moves.

-Back to studio and Gorilla gives Koko the benefit of the doubt that on a normal night he would have taken Davis out quickly. We go to break.

Desiree Peterson defeats Judy Martin with a cross body
Boston Garden, 6/22/85; Gorilla Monsoon and Gene Okerlund

Thank god this match is in progress as Gorilla calls Judy Martin a high flyer and I almost spit my water out. If they wanted a women’s match for the show, why take one that’s almost 2 years old? Wasn’t there a good Saturday Night’s Main Event match with some Jesse Ventura commentary for comedy purposes? Peterson hits Martin with a reverse elbow as we pick up the action. Peterson with a right hand as Okerlund admonishes Peterson for picking Martin up by the hair. Thank god Mean Gene never did PPV’s as a commentator because he’s atrocious. I’d take Lord Alfred over this. Peterson with a right hand and Martin returns with a chop and attempts a whip into the corner but Peterson reverses and promptly misses a splash. Martin with a fireman’s carry and drops Peterson on the top rope. Martin drops an actual power bomb, but Gorilla calls it a inverted backbreaker. Martin goes for a count but she picks Peterson up at 2. Body slam for 2 by Martin. Martin whips Peterson out onto the broadcast table and into Mean Gene’s lap. Watch your hands Gene, as Martin comes outside and tosses Peterson over the barricade into the crowd. Martin comes outside and hits Peterson with a clothesline. Peterson gets to the apron and Martin with a boot to the head. Peterson finally gets back in the ring and Martin slams Peterson’s head onto the mat. Martin then grabs Peterson’s legs, spreads them, and drives her boot below the belt. Peterson’s in pain, but I’m not sure why. Peterson on all fours and Martin kicks her in the ribs. Martin whips Peterson over and goes for a leg drop but Peterson moves out of the way. An opening for Desiree and she hits a drop kick but Martin with a kick regains control. Martin pitches Peterson into the broadcast table again and this time she’s in Gorilla’s lap. Monsoon gets up and put Desiree back in the ring. Martin with a chinlock but Peterson with some right hands. Off the ropes and Peterson hits a crossbody out of nowhere for the 3 count. I apologize, that was actually mildly entertaining.

-Back to studio and Gorilla clarifies that Bobby’s anniversary is not tonight but in the future, and Bobby will have something special from Gorilla that day. We go to break.

Randy Savage defeats Junkyard Dog by countout to retain WWF Intercontinental Title
Houston, Texas, 11/26/86; Gorilla Monsoon and Ken Resnick

After some early posturing, Savage takes over with an armbar but JYD takes over with one of his own. Savage gets to the ropes and the Dog breaks it. Dog with multiple head butts and Savage gets into the ropes. Elizabeth looking beautiful as always. They lock up and Dog with another head butt, sending Savage to the floor. Monsoon tried to ask Elizabeth about the match and Savage almost comes to blows with him. Savage keeps jawing with Gorilla from the ring and Dog comes from behind with some right hands and Savage bails outside too. Savage back in the ring as we go to break. We return and Savage foolishly slams Dog’s head into the turnbuckle. Savage bails out again, and you can see it took the Steamboat match at Wrestlemania for Savage to get all this Memphis crap out of his system. Macho Man continues to jaw with Gorilla, which adds a unique dynamic to this otherwise awful match. JYD with a head butt but Savage takes over with some elbows and a choke for a 2 count. Dog takes over with some head butts for a count but Savage’s foot is on the ropes. Dog goes for a back drop but Savage with a kick and a 2 count. Savage with a right but Dog responds with some rights of his own and he slams Savage’s head into the turnbuckle. Yet another head butt and Savage again bails outside but this time Dog follows and Savage puts Elizabeth in front of him. Savage gets back in the ring and the bell is rung as Savage wins by countout. Savage continues to challenge Gorilla to a fight, then cheap shots JYD in the ring but the Dog grabs the IC belt and waves it around. Wow that sucked.

-Gorilla’s back to wrap it up and we preview next week’s show with another piece on Ken Patera and Bobby promotes “Fuji and Muraco go to Hollywood”, plus a great array of matches.

Drama’s Take: This time around the matches were pitiful (even though we did have 2 title matches) but we had more storyline development on Ken Patera and the big news that Mr. Fuji has taken over Demolition as his charges. No mention of Hogan at all which is kind of funny, but the banter between Gorilla and Bobby was comical, and the super push of Black Jack Mulligan seems to be over, but otherwise a pretty pedestrian Prime Time. Grade: C