WWF Prime Time Wrestling 5/25/1987

Written by: Man of Steel from Place To Be

Prime Time Wrestling
May 25, 1987
Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Gorilla and Bobby welcome us to PTW for another week, as we have some swank old school rubber WWF figures on the table: The Hart Foundation, Bob Orton, George Steele, Randy Savage, and Bobby. Bobby’s figure is complete with a neck brace. Our feature match this week is Tito Santana vs. Butch Reed. Bobby continues to harp on the pain from his neck injury at the hands of Ken Patera. We have a Wrestlemania II rematch as Nikolai Volkoff vs. Corporal Kirschner. Bobby says he has a big surprise but Gorilla could care less. With that we go to our first match.

The Young Stallions vs. Bob Orton & Magnificent Muraco
Madison Square Garden, 5/18/87
Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan & Lord Alfred Hayes

Powers starts with Muraco and they lock up. Muraco with some stiff forearm shots and a tag to Orton who gets some shots in and a backbreaker. Orton with a neck crank but Power with some punches and an irish whip into the corner and Orton is draped over the corner so Powers punts him in the gut and Orton crotches the top rope. Powers with punches to the gut and a headlock. Tag to Roma and he comes off the top rope with a forearm shot. Roma with a headlock and a slam into the turnbuckle. Back to the headlock for Roma. Orton with a slick leverage move and Roma flies outside to the concrete. Muraco with a punch and a slam into the steel post. Roma comes back in via an Orton vertical suplex hanging in the air for a good 15 seconds. Tag to Muraco and a backbreaker on Roma. Muraco with a slam and he goes to the second rope but misses a head butt. Roma with some right hands and a drop kick. Muraco’s in the wrong corner and the Stallions with a little ping pong punching. Roma with a full nelson on Muraco. Now Orton comes in to hit Roma but he turns around and Orton stops as he would have hit Muraco. Muraco reverses the full nelson so Orton charges but Roma slips out and Orton hits Muraco anyway. Roma tags Powers and back to the headlock. Muraco pushes off and they double shoulder block. Muraco misses two clotheslines and Powers hits a dropkick, then back to the headlock. Muraco tries to push off but it doesn’t work as we go to break. We’re back and Bobby mad that none of his guys’ figures are on the table. Back to the match and the headlock continues. Muraco pushes off and Powers backs into an Orton knee. Tag to Orton and he works Powers over with a belly-to-belly suplex for 2. Orton whips Powers hard into the corner and Powers walks into a bear hug. Orton drives him into the corner and tags Muraco. Orton with an atomic drop and Muraco with a clothesline off the second rope. Muraco whips Powers and cinches his own bearhug. Powers tries to punch out of it and Muraco lets go but drills Powers with an elbow. Tag to Orton and he hits Powers with a drop kick. Orton to the top rope goes for a splash but Powers lifts the knees. Powers finally tags Roma and he goes off on both guys. All four men are in now and its mayhem. The Stallions go for a double whip but the heels reverse it. The ref tries to restore order and somehow Roma has Orton in a small package. Muraco sees it but turns his head. Orton reverses the small package but Muraco turns, still thinks Roma’s on top and flips the package over. The ref counts 3 and the Stallions have the upset. All four men brawl afterwards. WINNERS: The Young Stallions when Paul Roma pins Bob Orton with a small package at 10:31

-We’re back and Bobby blames the shoddy refereeing for that loss with Muraco and Orton. Gorilla thinks the heels were surprised at the Stallions’ offense. We go to break.

-We go to the WWF Special Report with Craig DeGeorge and a piece on the returning “Superstar” Billy Graham, including his infamous hip issues. Next week, the surgery.

Frenchy Martin vs. Outback Jack
Maple Leaf Gardens, 5/17/87
Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Ugh. Frenchy looks ripped. I wonder what medicine he got from the doctor..hmmmmm. They lock up and Frenchy with a low shot. They point at each other, and lock up again. Outback throws Frenchy to the ground. They posture with each other and lock up again. Outback sets up a right hand and Frenchy backs off. Typical 80’s WWF match. Frenchy with a headlock but his shoulder block does nothing and then Outback crushes Frenchy with a shoulder block. Frenchy begs off and heads outside. Frenchy gets back in and then begs off into the ropes. They lock up and Frenchy with an eye poke. Frenchy with chops and an elbow. Outback with a punch but Frenchy with a boot. Outback punches back and Frenchy with another eye poke. Frenchy rams Outback’s head into the turnbuckle. Frenchy with right hands but Outback reverses an irish whip with a reverse elbow. Outback with more right hands and a hip toss. Outback with a clothesline. More talking to the fans, and then hits the boomerang clothesline for the win. WINNER: Outback Jack with the Boomerang at 4:21

Terry Gibbs vs. Sam Houston
Madison Square Garden, 5/18/87
Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan and Lord Alfred Hayes

Announcer Mel Phillips says this is Houston’s WWF debut. Gibbs dawdles around the apron then they lock up. They push off and lock up again. Gibbs misses a punch, but Houston doesn’t. Gibbs keeps hanging around the ropes, but gets an armbar. Houston reverses it and Gibbs goes to the ropes. Gibbs with another armbar but Houston pushes off and gets a cross body for 2. Houston with a nice arm drag into an armbar. Gibbs gets to his feet and pushes off, but gets caught in mid kick and Houston with an atomic drop. Houston with another arm drag and back to the armbar. Houston drives some knees into the arm. Houston lets go and cranks back on the arm, then hooks the arm in his boot and falls back 3 times. Houston keeps cranking the hammerlock but Gibbs with a reverse elbow takes control. Gibbs with a whip but Houston reverses and hits a back drop, then back to the hammerlock. Gibbs pushes Houston into the corner and throws some right hands. Houston reverses an irish whip but misses a charge and goes right into the steel post. Houston’s on the floor and Gibbs goes after him. Gibbs lifts him up and slams him on the concrete. Gibbs goes back in the ring and Houston is down on the floor. Houston slowly crawls back in and Gibbs goes for a back drop but Houston goes for a sunset flip. Gibbs punches Houston out of it and hits a knee drop for 2. Gibbs with another knee drop to the chest for 2. Gibbs with a nice neckbreaker for 2. Houston comes back with a series of right hands, then a whip into a reverse elbow. Houston with a small package and a backslide for 2. Houston goes for a back drop and Gibbs punts him. Gibbs misses the elbow drop, and then Houston hits his bulldog and it’s over. Pretty good match for what it was. WINNER: Sam Houston with a bulldog at 7:53

-Back in studio and Gorilla gets a gift from Miss Betty that has a furry tail sticking out of it. He opens it and it’s a stuffed weasel with a neck brace on it. We then go to Mean Gene Okerlund and an interview with the newly turned face Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake.

The Rougeau Brothers vs. Tiger Chung Lee & Jimmy Jack Funk
San Diego Sports Arena, 5/13/87
Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

Gorilla and Bobby sound like they were dubbed in. Jacques starts with Tiger, and he has an armbar but Jacques flips out and gets a forward roll for 2. They lock up and Jacques with a slam and Tiger bails. Jacques slingshots him in and Tiger tags Funk. Jacques with an armbar and a tag to Raymond. Cris Cross and a couple of leap frogs and Jimmy runs into a monkey flip. Raymond with an armbar and a tag to Jacques. More armbar and a tag back to Raymond who goes back to the armbar. Jimmy pushes off and Ramond walks into a Tiger forearm. He gets tagged in and chops away. Tag to Funk and a shoulderbreaker for 2. Tag to Tiger and more chops. Ref is distracted and Funk chokes Raymond with the tag rope. Tag to Funk who misses a clothesline and Raymond with an abdominal stretch. Eventually all 4 men in the ring and the usual double whip by the faces. Lee is drop kicked out and Funk is hit with the double team flip for the 3 count. WINNERS: The Rougeau Brothers when Raymond pins Funk with the double team flip at 4:10

-Back from break and Bobby says his attorney is here to put Gorilla in line.

Nikolai Volkoff vs. Corporal Kirschner
Maple Leaf Gardens, 5/17/87
Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan

We have a nice Wrestlemania II re-match. Volkoff attacks Kirschner with the Russian flag. Volkoff with some punches to the throat and a boot to the head. More boots to the head. Kirschner reverses a body slam into a reverse cradle for 2. Kirschner to the top rope with a fist drop. More fist drops by the Corporal, then a drop kick. Kirschner with a boot but the ref separates them. Volkoff with some kicks gets control. He pitches Kirschner outside, then follows him and clotheslines him on the barricade. Volkoff drop kicks him on the floor and heads back into the ring. Kirschner gets to the apron and Volkoff knees him back outside. Kirschner tries again, Volkoff knees him out again. Kirschner crawls up and this time he catches Volkoff’s leg and slams it into the steel post. Both back in and Kirschner takes forever and it’s a low blow. Kirschner with a clothesline and elbow drop for 2. Volkoff whipped into the ropes eats a knee to the gut and some punches. Kirschner tries again and misses a splash in the corner. We go to break, then return with Volkoff hitting a butterfly suplex for 2. Volkoff with a gut-wrench suplex for 2. Kirschner whipped into the corners twice and then a bear hug. Kirschner bites out of it but Volkoff with a double ax handle and some kicks. Volkoff with a nice bow and arrow but the ref makes him break it due to a hair pull. Kirschner with upper cuts and a knee lift. Another knee by the Corporal and another for 2. Kirschner with a small package for 2, then a backslide for 2. Kirschner with a clothesline using his shirt and isn’t DQ’ed. Kirschner goes for a splash off the second rope but lands on Volkoff’s knees. Nikolai hits his big backbreaker and wins it. WINNER: Nikolai Volkoff with a backbreaker in 13:05

-Back to studio and Bobby’s attorney Lance Wilshire is here. Some slimy guy with YMCA cards. Bobby wants Wilshire to come back next week and observe the show. We then go back to Mean Gene with Leaping Lanny Poffo.

Tito Santana vs. Butch Reed
San Diego Sports Arena, 5/13/87
Craig DeGeorge, Jesse Ventura and Bruno Sammartino

Jesse immediately insults Craig for not knowing anything. They lock up and break. Tito with right hands shakes the Natural and he bails. Butch gets back in, and stalls. They lock up and Reed pushes Tito to the ropes and he takes over with some forearms. Into the ropes and Reed misses a reverse elbow and a body slam but Tito with a roll up for 2 and a couple of drop kicks and Reed is on the floor. Reed back in and he’s taking his sweet time before locking up again. They lock up and Reed with a headlock. Tito pushes off and Reed hits an elbow but Tito cracks him with a right hand. Jesse is always furious over the closed fists. Slick walks up to Reed and puts an object in his right hand. The ref checks and there’s nothing in his hand but then when the ref isn’t looking Reed takes something out of his tights. The ref checks Reed’s tights and then Reed puts the object back in the tights. They lock up and Tito with an armbar. Tito steps on the hand, then the arm. They lock up again, and the ref breaks it up, which gives Reed the chance to go into the tights, pull something out and crack Tito with it. Reed smashes Tito’s head into the turnbuckle. More kicks and punches. Reed lifts him up by the throat. Reed starts choking. Reed with some quick punches to the head. Reed with a fist drop. Reed slams Tito’s face into the canvas. Reed with a snap mare and a stomp to the face. Reed with an elbow to the head for 2 as we go to break. We return and Tito fights back with right hands, but Reed uses leverage and Tito hits the floor. Reed slams Tito to the floor and then Reed kicks him into the railing. Reed suplexes Tito back into the ring but Tito turns it into a pin attempt for 2. Reed goes nuts with big time boots to the head for 2. Reed goes to the headlock. Tito tries to get energy from the fans but Reed keeps cranking. Tito gets to his feet and tries to punch out but Reed pulls the hair to get him back to the mat. Slick puts Reed’s legs on the bottom rope for heel leverage. Tito gets to his knees as the crowd’s going crazy. Tito with breadbasket shots breaks the headlock, but he comes off the ropes and Reed with a high knee to the head for 2. Reed goes for a piledriver but Tito drives him into the ropes. Reed to the second rope goes for a double ax handle but Tito with a shot to the gut. Tito with some stomps and the crowd is crazy. Tito slams Reed’s head into the canvas multiple times. Tito with another right hand, then Tito locks up the Figure-Four but Reed reaches the ropes. Tito tries to pull him off the rope but the ogre ref pulls him away. Tito gets close and Reed starts punching when the bell rings. The time runs out and Reed keeps firing away. Tito hits the flying forearm and Reed bails. WINNER: Time Limit Draw at 18:17 (yeah, strange time there).

-We return and Bobby won’t talk to Gorilla because his attorney will return and get rid of all the dead weight. Gorilla wraps it up with previewing next week’s Memorial Day special, including a women’s title match and World Champion Hulk Hogan will be here.

FINAL GRADE: B