WWF House Show 8/28/1987

Written by: Brian Bayless

August 28, 1987

Your hosts are Bruce Prichard, Mike McGuirk, and Pete Doherty

This was the WWE 24/7 version of the show, which omitted the Terry Funk vs. Chavo Guerrero match.

Also, this was known as the “Paul Boesch Retirement Show.” Boesch had promoted the WWF in Houston once the UWF went under in April of 1987 then retired shortly after that. A lot of legends like Verne Gagne, Lou Thesz, and Stu Hart among others were in attendance as well.

Steve Lombardi vs. Sam Houston

Houston had not made his TV debut yet at this point. Lombardi stalls to start but Houston catches him with a dropkick then works the arm. Lombardi manages to catch Houston with a clothesline that connected on the middle of the chest and looked awful as he roughs up Houston in the corner. Houston is able to fight back and work an armbar but Lombardi picks him up and drops Houston throat-first on the top rope. Doherty is so bad on commnentary: it could be funny if he did like one match a show but the whole card having him speak is killing me. The crowd rallies behind Houston as he escapes from a chinlock but Lombardi yanks him back down by the hair. Lombardi now works a side headlock that Houston eventually breaks by using the hair, sending Doherty in a frenzy as the other announcers pretend nothing happened. Lombardi backs him into the corner then works another resthold as this match is dragging. Surprisingly enough tough, the crowd seems interested. Its a WWE 24/7 copy and they sweeten the crowd noise a lot but the fans are moving around in their seats at least. Back to the match as Lombardi knocks Houston through the ropes. Houston tries to come back in with a sunset flip but that fails as Doherty puts over Lombardi for going to school in the East instead of the South. Lombardi gets two with a backbreaker but Houston floats over on a back suplex attempt then wins a slugfest. Houston then ducks a clothesline and gets the win with a bulldog (13:56) *.

Thoughts: Christ, this was boring. Lombardi took most of the match on offense and displayed a wide variety of chinlocks and headlocks. Houston was a solid worker and could bump like a motherfucker too but no of that was able to be displayed here.

Hercules vs. Bruno Sammartino

No Heenan tonight. Match starts with Sammartino winning a slugfest. Hercules takes a breather outside then tries to attack Sammartino but fails. He misses a charge in the corner as Sammartino fires away then works a hammerlock on the mat. He beats on Hercules in the corner until he gets taken down with a clothesline. Doherty calls Sammartino a “wop” as Hercules locks on a bearhug. Sammartino escapes then backdrops Hercules to the floor. He tries to get back in but Sammartino knees him off of the apron as Hercules gets counted out (6:47) *. After the match, Hercules attacks Bruno as he tried to leave the ring but ends up getting dumped.

Thoughts: Really just s squash to showcase Bruno. Hercules sold the whole match and served as a solid midcarder for Bruno to manhandle. The match itself was dull though.

Howard Finkel introduces us to Andre the Giant. He is met with boos then decides he has had enough and heads back to the locker room. Pretty big deal to see Andre appear on a house show, even if he wasn’t wrestling.

Hair vs. Hair Match: Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake vs. Johnny V.

Johnny attacks Beefcake in the corner before the match. Beefcake fights back and finally removes his jacket once Johnny ducks outside. Back in the ring, Beefcake roughs Johnny up before tossing him through the ropes. Beefcake chokes him out with a cable then they head back inside where Johnny begs for mercy. Beefcake beats on Johnny as the crowd goes nuts. He struts around after crotching Johnny against the ropes then slams him around for a bit until he finally puts him away with the sleeper (6:36) 1/2*. After the match, Beefcake puts on his barber’s coat then cuts his hair, tossing it all over the ring. He also shaves off half of his moustache. After shaving almost all of it off, Johnny wakes up as Beefcake shows him his new haircut with his mirror as he freaks out and leaves the ring.

Thoughts: Match was garbage but at least somewhat entertaining in seeing Johnny V. getting humiliated. The post-match cutting went on for a really long time, about five minutes.

Ted DiBiase and Virgil are out on the podium. DiBiase tells us about his wealth and the people that they are poor. He then says that he keeps hearing about how Texans brag about everything and that the economy tanked due to the oil business and that he has money to give to one of the poor fans if they sing “Yellow Rose of Texas.” He picks a young kid out from the crowd and offers him $400 to sing the song. DiBiase rags on the kid for being poor and he sings the song terribly as DiBiase cuts him off then asks Virgil if he earned the money. Virgil does not think he did as DiBiase tells him he agreed as the kid leaves with nothing. These segments were all gold.

Tom Prichard vs. “Maniac” Mark Lewin

Lewin attacks Prichard before the bell. He tosses Prichard to the floor a few times then hits him on the floor as Bruce Prichard acknowledges Tom as his brother. The action heads back inside as Lewin works a nerve hold then tosses him back outside. Prichard fights back and lays into Lewin. They go back inside where Prichard hits a dropkick then connects with an enziguiri for the win (2:58) 1/4*.

Thoughts: Match was terrible and the finish looked poor but interesting seeing Prichard on TV at this stage as he had been kicking around the territories for several years. Getting a win over a legend like Lewin is somewhat of a big deal as well.

WWF World Heavyweight Title Match: One Man Gang w/ Slick vs. Hulk Hogan (Champion)

The crowd goes nuts for Hogan. Match starts with Gang shoving Hogan into the corner off of a lockup. Hogan tries a side headlock but ends up bouncing off of Gang. Hogan comes back with a high knee for a nearfall but fails on a slam attempt as Gang almost put him away. Gang targets the back and beats him down outside of the ring. They head back in where Gang continues his assault. Hogan fights back and has Gang caught in the ropes. He hits the big boot but Slick grabs a hold of his leg. Hogan drags Slick inside but that allows Gang to knock him down then work a nerve hold. Hogan fights back but runs into a big boot. They both miss elbow drops then Gang slams Hogan down. Gang now works a bearhug and that last for a minute or so until Hogan breaks free. Gang knocks Hogan down and hits the splash but Hogan kicks out then hulks up as me starts hammering away on Gang. He hits a corner clothesline then slams him down before dropping the leg for the win (10:13) **. After the match, Slick runs in as Hogan gets rid of him.

Thoughts: Not much to this match. Typical Hogan match that he had against monster heels but nothing there was nothing wrong with it though.

WWF Women’s Championship Match: Fabulous Moolah vs. “Sensational” Sherri Martel (Champion)

Sherri attacks Moolah and beats on her in the corner. Moolah fights back as Sherri bails after a pair of hairpulls. Moolah yanks Sherri back inside by the hair and hits a few slingshots before Sherri heads outside. Sherri heads back in and works a spinning toe hold but Moolah counters with a monkey flip. However, Sherri fights back and reapplies the hold. She gets two with a bridging rollup but Moolah comes back with a kneelift and an armdrag. Moolah poses for the crowd but gets more boos than anything else. They both whiff on their splash attempts then Moolah gets a nearfall after Sherri misses a crossbody. Moolah works in a pair of flying headscissors then slams Martel down. Martel rolls outside but Moolah drills her with a forearm and rolls her back into the ring. Moolah gets two off of a backdrop then they work an awful-looking spot where Sherri gets ran into the corner but comes back with a forearm smash to the throat then grabs the tights for the win (6:47) 1/4*.

Thoughts: Match was pretty lousy and the finish sucked. Then again, you shouldn’t expect much from Moolah at this point.

Prichard is with Johnny V, who is hiding his new haircut with a doo rag. Johnny tells us he feels ashamed and embarrassed so the only way to get even is to have Greg Valentine face Beefcake next time in Houston as he spits on the ground because he hates everything about the city.

Sika & Kamala w/ Mr. Fuji & Kimchee vs. Junkyard Dog & Tony Atlas w/ Ernie Ladd

Atlas’ appears to be dressed in a dollar store Superman costume here. JYD sends Kamala to the floor after he ducked a chop while leaned up against the ropes. Man, did that look pathetic. Kamala heads back in as JYD and Atlas work him over. Sika tags in and they work an awful sequence that ends with a botched headbutt spot. JYD tags in and works the arm until Sika rakes his eyes. JYD hits a headbutt that eventually sends Sika to the floor but he gets attacked from behind by Kamala. Sika tags in and works a chokehold on the mat as the heels use illegal double-team moves. Kamala nearly kills JYD, who didn’t get low enough on a leapfrog attempt, before taking him down with a thrust kick. Sika is in but gets hit with an clothesline and ends up on the floor. He gets on the apron and JYD tries to bring him back inside with a slam but Fuji trips up JYD as Sika falls on top but JYD manages to roll through the move and get the win (5:41) -*. The finish looked horrible.

Thoughts: The match itself was an embarrassment. Everything looked awful and JYD was in no condition to perform.

“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase w/ Virgil vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

Duggan starts off the match by firing away. He hits a clothesline and a slam as DiBiase takes a breather outside. Doherty calls the crowd “psychos” for cheering Duggan as DiBiase returns and takes control of the match. Duggan comes back with a backdrop as DiBiase consults with Virgil. Back inside, Duggan hits a clothesline and an atomic drop then follows DiBiase out on the floor. DiBiase uses Virgil as a shield then stomps on Duggan when he re-enters the ring. He takes control as the fans chant for Duggan. DiBiase works a chinlock as Doherty thinks the fans all need mental help. They flash forward were Duggan breaks the hold and runs DiBiase into the turnbuckle as both men are down. Duggan fights back and hits a clothesline. He sets up for the three point stance but DiBiase trips him up and slams him down before getting the win with an elbow drop from the second rope (6:31) **3/4. About two minutes were cut from this match.

Thoughts: Easily the best match on the show. Both guys entertained and the crowd was on fire. The crowd was into Duggan just as much as they were into Hogan. Duggan would get rehired by the WWF and began wrestling house shows two weeks after this show and many said it was because of this match here.

Demolition w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Tito Santana & Mil Mascaras w/ Jose Lothario

The graphic read “Mils Mascaras” for the Mexican legend. Match starts with Ax beating on Santana, who comes back with a crossbody for a nearfall. Smash tags and misses a charge in the corner as Mascaras tags into the match and hits a dropkick before tagging out. Santana gets caught trying a crossbody then Demolition takes control as Doherty makes a lot of ethnic cracks at the expense of Santana. Mascaras tags and runs wild briefly until he is trapped in the wrong corner then tossed outside. Ax chokes out Mascaras with Fuji’s cane behind the referee’s back. Mascaras dodges an attack and tags Tito as they hit Ax with a double dropkick. The face team uses quick tags then Santana becomes the legal man as Mascaras just heads over to the apron as the match broke down. He hits Smash with a dropkick but Fuji trips him up after that and the ref rings the bell for the DQ (5:56) *. After the match, Santana & Mascaras clear the ring.

Thoughts: There was no flow to this match at all. Mascaras was pretty over though. I have no idea why this wasn’t the main event match either.

Final Thoughts: This had a big-show feel but the matches themselves underwhelmed. Despite the match quality, the crowd was hot and it had a lot of top names so it was fairly enjoyable at least. Only a few matches played into current WWF storylines but that wasn’t the point here as giving Boesch a big sendoff was the goal.