WWF House Show 11/12/1988

Written by: Brian Bayless

November 12, 1988

From the Philadelphia Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA

Your hosts are Dick Graham, Rod Trongard, and Lord Alfred Hayes

Danny Davis vs. Blue Blazer

Davis retreats to the corner as Blazer mocks him for being a wimp. Blazer then outsmarts Davis and takes him down as he works the arm. Trongard sounds absolutely hammered here and is mumbling nonsense as Davs rolls outside for a breather. Davis re-enters as catches Blazer’s foot but ends up getting hit with an enziguiri. Davis then gets on his knees and attempts a handshake but Blazer grabs a headlock. Davis keeps trying to stall but it fails as Blazer hits a slam. Blazer tries a dropkick but Davis pulls up on the ropes then finally takes control of the match. Davis heads up top and it seems like Blazer was supposed to slam him off but Davis lost his balance as Blazer sorta catches him and backdrops Davis. He chops Davis down and hits a vertical suplex as that gets two. The crowd approves as Blazer as Davis down then he drops an elbow. He catches him with a belly-to-belly suplex then hits a splash from the top for the win (7:51) **.

Thoughts: A decent house show match designed to showcase the Blue Blazer. Jimmy Hart did not even accompany Davis to the ring here which goes to show you how much he has fallen down the card. Well, he was never that high yo begin with but they did revolve several months of TV around him during the infancy of “Superstars of Wrestling” and “Wrestling Challenge.”

The Brainbusters vs. Young Stallions

Arn takes down Powers with a shoulder block and the front row applauds as they clearly love the former Horsemen members here. Arn then slaps Powers across the face after a break and retreats to his corner. After that they work an Irish whip sequence where Powers hits a dropkick as Arn bails while the crowd cheers. Tully tags and tries to outsmart Powers but that also fails as Powers catches him with a bell clap. Powers takes Tully down with an armdrag then tags Roma, who also works the arm. Powers is back in and works a side headlock as Tully keeps rolling him up for nearfalls. Tully escapes as Powers rolls outside. Roma tags in and takes Tully down with an armdarg as he now works an armbar. Roma struggles to get Tully over for a backslide and prevents Tully from making the tag. Tully breaks the hold in the ropes near his corner but Roma will not let go of the arm as Arn is waiting for a tag then pulls him back in the middle of the ring. Tully rakes the eyes and tries to make the tag but Roma stops him as Tully keeps waving his arms towards his partners. Arn then tags as Tully was up for a back suplex. The ref steps between then Arn dumps Powers to the floor and knocks him down, getting cheers in the process. The Brainbusters cut off the ring then Arn hits his spinebuster and gets cheers but Roma breaks up the pin. The Brainbusters stay in control but Powers tries to fight back then Arn stops that with an inverted atomic drop. Tully tags and hits a dropkick then throws a jab at Roma, who was on the apron. Powers comes back with a crossbody and a sunset flip but the Brainbusters prevent Powers from gaining any momentum. Tully tries for a suplex but Powers reverses and hits one of his own as both men are down. Arn makes the tag and tries to cut of Powers but it is too late as he made the tag. Roma runs wild on the Brainbusters then the match breaks down. Tully knocks Roma off of the top then hits a running clothesline from the apron as the referee was distracted as Arn covers for the win (16:43) ***1/4.

Thoughts: Very good match. The Brainbusters were total pros here and the Stallion pulled their weight here too, although the Brainbusters selling and heel work was top-notch stuff. This was the best Powers has ever looked, IMO. The Spectrum had a vocal heel section in the front and they loved the Brainbusters and they were not alone here. The Stallions got cheers too. This was worth checking out.

Dino Bravo w/ Frenchy Martin vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Lots of stalling before the match as Bravo refuses to get into the ring until Duggan puts away the 2×4. The crowd is chanting “USA” as Bravo brags after shoving Duggan off of a lockup. He does the same thing again as he crowd is still loudly chanting for their country. Duggan ducks a swing and hits an atomic drop before sending Bravo to the floor. Bravo re-enters and hammers away after Frenchy provided a disraction but Duggan comes back with a clothesline. Bravo rolls out and heads up the aisle after a backdrop but comes back after that. Duggan tries for another backdrop but Bravo boots him in the face. Bravo chokes out Duggan in the corner then applies a headlock. Duggan manages a rollup for two but Bravo comes back with an eye rake then follows with an inverted atomic drop for two. Bravo goes back to the chinlock and Duggan escapes but ends up eating boot off of a charge. Duggan counters a piledriver with a backdrop as he is back in control. Duggan catches Bravo with a clothesline then Frenchy jumps up on the apron. Bravo hits Duggan from behind then Frenchy holds down Duggan’s foot as Bravo gets the pin (8:56) *1/2. After the match, Duggan chases them away with his 2×4.

Thoughts: The match wasn’t terrible or anything but it was really just designed to prolong their feud around the house show circuit.

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Ultimate Warrior (c)

Warrior immediately runs in and hammers away on Honky. He shakes the ropes then knocks Hart off the apron as well. Warrior hits a big boot then uses a lifting choke as he is destroying Honky here. Warrior decides to go after Hart as Honky tries a sneak attack but that fails. Warrior drags Honky back out and tosses him through the middle ropes. Warrior continues to destroy Honky until he misses a corner splash. Hart tosses Honky the megaphone then distracts the ref as Honky beats on the Warrior. Honky stomps away then attacks the back but Warrior hulks up and hammers away. He hits a slam then a flying shoulder tackle. Warrior signals for the press slam but Hart runs in and jumps on Warrior’s back. Warrior shoves him off and picks him up but Honky tosses powder in Warrior’s face for the DQ (4:55) 1/2*. After the match, Honky beats Warrior with his guitar but bails after Warrior swings wildly, acting as if he was blinded by the powder.

Thoughts: This was not good and the finish means we will see them continue their feud, which ran until the end of the year.

Two Referees Match: The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. Hart Foundation

I’m guessing Jimmy Hart is not here to sell what happened to him in the previous match. Bret and Raymond start things off. Jacques attacks Bret from behind then Raymond hammers away in the corner. The Rougeaus are in full control here as they are beating the crap out of Bret in their corner. Bret ducks underneath a double clothesline and makes the tag as Neidhart runs wild. He destroys Raymond but misses a charge as the Rougeaus are now back in control. Raymond chokes out Neidhart with the tag rope then Bret breaks up a reverse chinlock but the Rougeaus continue to cut off the ring. Jacques attempts to apply a Boston Crab as Raymond tried to distract the referee by running near Bret on the apron but the ref ordered him back and Bret broke up the move. The Rougeaus then go back to beating on Neidhart in their corner as the Rougeaus do a great job at manipulating the referees. Neidhart strikes Raymond as both men are down. Jacques tags and kicks Neidhart, who we see was playing possum, and makes the tag. Bret runs wild on the Rougeaus as the crowd goes nuts. Raymond breaks up a pin then Bret beats on him in the corner as the match breaks down. Bret and Jacques end up colliding as Raymond puts his brother on top. However, Neidhart puts Bret on top then Raymond makes the save. The ref tries to separate Neidhart and Jacques while Raymond uses a reverse rollup but Bret reverses that and the second referee runs in and counts to three (11:41) **1/4.

Thoughts: The Rougeaus controlled most of the match and while they looked and wrestled far more aggressive than usual, it was too much and not exciting to watch. The Hart Foundation did not appear like a top team at all here and won primarily off of a fluke the way the match played out.

S.D. Jones vs. Akeem w/ Slick

Akeem dances after shoving S.D. a few times. S.D. then returns the favor and mocks Akeem’s dancing while the heel section yells “One Man Gang.” S.D. fires away in the corner as uses a headbutt. S.D. hits more punches and headbutts but is still unable to knock Akeem down. Akeem then uses an eyerake as we get more “One Man Gang” chants. S.D. fights back after an eye rake of his own but ends up running into a knee on a charge. Akeem then clotheslines S.D. before putting him away with a splash (4:35) 1/2*.

Thoughts: I thought S.D. got in far too much offense than he should have here. Akeem was the one getting the push and should have destroyed his opponent.

Big Bossman w/ Slick vs. Hulk Hogan

A visible “Hogan Sucks” sign right in front of the camera. Hogan tosses Slick then fires away on Bossman until knocking him out to the floor. Back inside, Hogan hammers away until he chases Slick off of the apron, allowing Bossman to attack from behind. Bossman runs into a knee in the corner but falls on top of Hogan, who attempted a slam, as that gets two. Bossman beats on Hogan then targets the back. He misses a splash then Hogan fires up and starts punching away. He hits some chops and tries to knock Bossman off of his feet but Slick trips him up. Hogan goes out to get Slick and tosses him inside but Bossman is able to regain control. He almost puts Hogan away with a spinebuster then uses a bearhug. Hogan fights out but runs into a clothesline for two. Hogan then hulks up and starts hits comeback. He stuns Bossman with a big boot then hits a slam. Hogan follows with a pair of elbow drops then a corner clothesline. Slick is up on the apron and then Bossman rakes the eyes. We see that Slick handed Bossman the handcuffs and the two struggle but Hogan comes back with a slap across the face and we see that Bossman is cuffed to the rope as that gets the crowd going. Bossman goes outside as he is cuffed to the rope and Hogan wins via countout (9:30) *3/4. After the match, Hogan grabs the nightstick then Slick as he tosses the latter inside. Slick is begging for mercy but is able to escape. Bossman apparently broke free as he hits Hogan across the back but flees when Hogan raises up the nighstick. The show ends with the camera showing the handcuffs hanging from the ropes while Hogan poses as the announcers plug the Survivor Series.

Thoughts: The match was alright I suppose but it had heat and they set up nicely for a return match. This feud, despite not appearing all that over on TV, was doing quite well at the gate. Slick also showed his worth as a top manager here.

Final Thoughts:Overall, this was okay for a house show. You had a good tag team match and a heated main event. Everything else was forgettable for the most part but in this era, its all you can ask for in a house show. However, while watching this, you will be subject to one of the worst commentary teams of all-time as Graham and especially Trongard appear inebriated to the point that even Lord Alfred seems annoyed.