WWF House Show 11/24/1987

Written by: Bob Colling

World Wrestling Federation House Show
Date: 11/24/1987
From: New York, NY

Randy Savage starts the show saying that he’s going to get revenge on Honkytonk Man and he’s going to get payback for shoving Miss Elizabeth. Savage says Honky is going to be in the DANGER ZONE, YEAH!

Opening Contest: Ultimate Warrior vs. Frenchy Martin: This is Warrior’s debut at MSG. Warrior shoves Martin into the corner a few times but Martin complains of a hair pull. Martin attempts a shoulder block, but Warrior doesn’t budge and hip tosses Martin. Martin forearms Warrior against the ropes and is shoved to the mat by Warrior. Martin wants to shake hands, but Warrior decides to squeeze Martin’s hand with force. Martin gets placed on the top turnbuckle and axe handles Warrior from behind. Warrior catches Martin coming off the ropes and delivers a scoop slam. Warrior chops Martin in the corner and delivers two standing clotheslines to win the match. (*. Well, Warrior didn’t do a whole lot here and the finish was rather dull. It would appear that Martin hurt his shoulder and that caused an abrupt finish, at least that’s how it was described on commentary.)

Second Contest: WWF Women’s Tag Team Champions Glamour Girls (Judy Martin & Leilani Kai) vs. Jumping Bomb Angels (Norlyo Tateno & Itsuki Yamazaki): Kai kicks Tateno early on and slams Tateno to the mat. Tateno dropkicks Kai a few times and Martin enters with no such luck. Yamazaki nails Martin with a few running knee strikes and a scoop slam for a two count. Tateno comes off the top to take Martin over with an arm drag. Martin goes to the apron to regroup with Jimmy Hart. Yamazaki enters the match and is met with a boot from Martin. Martin continues her advantage with a scoop slam, but Yamazaki gets out of the pin and nearly wins with a rollup. Tateno monkey flips Martin out of the corner and almost wins with a sunset flip. Martin bails to the floor again. Tateno dropkicks Martin after getting off Martin’s shoulders. Yamazaki comes off the top to knee drop Martin for a two count. Tateno misses a middle rope senton splash. Kai stomps Tateno and tags in Martin to double team Tateno on the mat. Tateno is yanked out of the corner by her hair by Martin. Kai chokes Tateno while the referee is out of position to help out Martin. Tateno has a sunset flip on Martin, but the referee was distracted by Kai.

Kai enters the match and beats on Tateno with a headbutt and strikes. Kai keeps a head scissors on Tateno, but doesn’t get a submission. Kai comes off the ropes and misses a leg drop. Martin enters to kick Tateno and Kai keeps Tateno on the mat with a big boot. Martin enters the match while the referee was distracted to control Tateno. Tateno comes off the ropes to hit a crossbody for a near fall. Tateno tries to tag out to Yamazaki, but Martin prevents the tag from taking place. Kai enters the match and has Tateno over her shoulder, but Tateno counters with a sunset flip for a near fall. Yamazaki gets tagged in, but the referee didn’t see the tag. Tateno is sent hard back first into the corner. Tateno bridges out of a cover attempt. Tateno hits another sunset flip from the apron for a two count. Kai locks in a Sharpshooter, but Tateno breaks free from the hold. Tateno takes Martin over with another sunset flip for a one count. Martin drops Tateno with a kick to the chest for a near fall. Glamour Girls collide on a splash attempt and Yamazaki gets the tag to hit a crossbody on both women. Yamazaki hits two running dropkicks on Kai. Martin gets flipped into the ring and Yamazaki hits a crossbody for a two count. Yamazaki hits a middle rope clothesline for a two count! Martin stops Yamazaki with a boot to the midsection and all four women are in the ring. Angels miss stereo dropkick attempts, but bridge out of a cover attempt. Glamour Girls are sent into each other. Angels are on the top rope and they hit a stereo missile dropkick on Kai! Yamazaki has the cover, but the referee takes forever and can’t count a three. Martin powerbombs Yamazaki and that leads to a three count to end the match. (***1/4. I was not expecting this non-stop action by these four women. I enjoyed this far more than I ever would have expected. The crowd responded to everything they produced and this was a lot of fun to watch.) After the match, the Jumping Bomb Angels attack the Glamour Girls and send the champions to the floor. Jimmy Hart is trapped in the corner and begging off from the challengers. Hart is able to escape to the floor.

Third Contest: Rick Rude vs. Paul Orndorff: Orndorff pulls Rude to the floor and hammers away on Rude with right hands. Orndorff rams Rude into the apron and railing face first. Orndorff chases after Heenan, but Heenan runs away. Orndorff delivers a strike to Rude’s midsection and punches Rude over the middle rope causing Rude to hang upside down. Orndorff chokes Rude with a microphone cord and delivers an elbow strike. The referee keeps Orndorff away as Heenan checks on Rude. Orndorff punches Rude off the apron to the floor. Orndorff rams Rude into Heenan head first. Orndorff plays to the crowd by posing in the middle of the ring. Orndorff stops Rude with more right hands and an atomic drop. Orndorff runs over Rude with a clothesline. Rude stops Orndorff in the corner with a big boot in the corner. Orndorff tries to fight back with right hands, but Rude stops Orndorff. Rude works over Orndorff with strikes to the lower back and taunts the crowd. Rude keeps Orndorff on the mat with a chin lock.

Orndorff has Rude on his shoulders and hits an electric chair slam. Orndorff tries for a splash, but Rude got his knees up. Orndorff nearly wins with an inside cradle, but Rude gets out and delivers several strikes to Orndorff on the mat. Rude beats on Orndorff with right hands and Orndorff comes firing back with right hands. Orndorff drops Rude with a backdrop and follows with a knee drop. Orndorff decks Rude with a right hand and plays to the crowd for a piledriver. Heenan gets on the apron and Orndorff misses a wild strike. Rude decks Heenan and Orndorff drops Rude. Rude comes up from behind and gets a rollup on Orndorff from behind with a handful of tights for the win. (**1/2. A solid undercard match that had some good energy and crowd interest. The finish doesn’t bother me as it’s at least conclusive and there’s a chance for a rematch for these two. Orndorff appeared to be getting over a face, which was surprising to see for me.)

Fourth Contest: Killer Bees (Brian B. Blair & Jim Brunzell) vs. Boris Zhukov & Nikolai Volkoff: Bees put on masks before the match starts, which is bizarre to me. That feels like a heel thing to do and they aren’t heels. They actually take the masks off due to the actual heels complaining about them. Boris and Brunzell start the match with Brunzell trying for a hip toss, but settles for a head scissors for a two count. Blair tags in and keeps wrist control on Boris. Blair hip tosses Boris and drags Boris to his corner to allow Brunzell to keep arm control. Blair comes off the middle rope to deliver an elbow strike to Boris. Volkoff enters and controls Blair with a few strikes. Volkoff misses a running shoulder strike in the corner and the Bees control Volkoff with a double elbow strike. Brunzell pummels Volkoff on the mat with right hands, but Volkoff kicks out on the cover attempt. Brunzell gets a one count with a rollup on Volkoff. Blair keeps control with a wrist lock on Volkoff for a few moments. Boris tries to tag in, but can’t reach Volkoff.

Brunzell enters and is met with a forearm by Volkoff. Brunzell keeps Volkoff on the mat with a knee drop and the Bees continue to double team Volkoff. Brunzell keeps Volkoff on the mat. Boris enters and continues to be controlled by the Bees. Blair keeps Boris on the mat and tags in Brunzell, who does the same focusing on Boris’ leg. Volkoff atomic drops Blair and delivers a stomp to gain control of the contest. Blair continues to be double teamed thanks to Brunzell distracting the referee. Blair is met with a double clothesline. Volkoff takes Blair over with a suplex and sends Blair into the corner back first. Volkoff keeps a bearhug on Blair, but doesn’t get a submission with the hold. Boris rams Blair back first into the apron. Blair nearly pins Volkoff with a sunset flip. Blair continues to be worked over and is knocked to the floor. The Bees put the masks on while under the ring. Brunzell backdrops Boris followed by a knee strike. Brunzell hits a standing dropkick on Boris, but Volkoff enters. Boris stops Brunzell with a backbreaker. Blair hits a top rope crossbody and manages to pin Boris. (*1/4. I was bored by this and found myself losing interest in it the longer it carried on. These guys wrestling for twenty minutes is just overkill and completely not needed. I was surprised to see the Bees won, though.)

Fifth Contest: WWF Intercontinental Champion Honkytonk Man vs. Randy Savage: Savage chases Honky from the ring and chases Honky around the ring. Savage gets his hands on Honky delivering a few strikes and sends Honky into the ring post. Savage sends Honky into the ring post shoulder first. Savage grabs Honky by his hair and delivers an elbow strike on the apron. Savage dumps Honky to the floor and they brawl up the aisle way. Savage kicks Honky on the ribs and return to the ring. Honky attacks Savage from behind thanks to distraction by Jimmy Hart. Honky works over Savage with right hands and goes for a sunset flip, but Savage blocks with a right hand and rams Honky face first into the corner a few times. Savage elbows Honky to the mat. Savage rams Honky and Hart into each other on the floor. Savage jabs Honky outside the ring and rams Honky face first into the guard railing. Savage nails Honky with a kick to the midsection followed by an elbow strike and chokes Honky on the mat. Savage chokes Honky over the top rope to keep control of the match. Savage also chokes Honky on the mat.

Hart pulls Savage’s leg and Savage goes to the floor to chase Hart. Honky has the megaphone and nails Savage in the midsection. Honky rams Savage head first into the corner several times. Honky works over Savage in the corner by choking Macho Man. Savage fights back with jabs to fight out of the corner. Savage sends Honky into the corner but misses a shoulder strike and hits the top turnbuckle. Honky tosses Savage over the top to the floor. Honky drives Savage down with a backbreaker on the floor. Savage hits a crossbody off the ropes for a two count. Honky stomps on Savage and Hart chokes Savage while the referee is distracted. Honky delivers several knee drops on the apron to keep control and Savage falls to the floor. Honky maintains control with a knee drop and taunts Elizabeth, who is at ringside. Honky goes to the floor to stalk towards Elizabeth. Honky cups his hand and is threatening to slap Elizabeth. Savage runs to the floor and attacks Honky from behind. Savage sends Honky into the cameraman and delivers more strikes at ringside. Honky begs for mercy in the ring. Savage has no interest in mercy and continues to beat on Honky with strikes. Honky stops Savage with a strike and knocks Hart off the apron on accident. Savage comes off the ropes to nail Honky with a running elbow strike. Savage slams Honky and goes to the top rope hitting a double axe handle. Jimmy Hart causes a distraction on the apron and Savage falls to the floor after a double shoulder block. Savage is choking Jimmy Hart outside the ring, but Honky comes out and they begin to brawl outside the ring. Savage hits Honky with the megaphone, which knocks Honky into the ring and Savage has been counted out. (**1/4. A decent match between these two that had a lot of heat and crowd interest attached to it. Clearly the finish is going to allow these guys to return to the Garden for a rematch. I enjoyed it and felt it advanced their issues fairly well.) After the match, Savage attacks Hart and whacks Honky over the back with his guitar as the crowd cheers on.

Backstage, Danny Davis is interviewed regarding his match with Jake Roberts. Davis is here at the Garden simply to get a victory over Roberts. Davis says he is cool, cocky and confident. Davis says he has been with Jimmy Hart for over a year and has been promised a victory. Davis believes he knows how to beat Jake Roberts. Davis isn’t afraid of snakes and says if he were, then he wouldn’t be here right now.

Backstage, Jake Roberts is interviewed regarding his match with Danny Davis coming up. Roberts looks at Danny Davis as being a fly because Davis is smaller than him. Roberts is going to simply abuse Davis. Roberts says that Davis is going to walk into the jaw of his nightmare. Roberts says that Davis will not forget about him or Damien. Roberts suggests that Jimmy Hart not get involved, either.

Backstage, WWF Tag Team Champions Strike Force are interviewed regarding their match against the Hart Foundation. Tito Santana promises that they will leave as champions. Santana notes they have worked hard to be the champions and they will prove this was no fluke. Rick Martel chimes in and knows the Hart Foundation will try to cheat. They will sacrifice more to retain the titles.

Backstage, Ted DiBiase and Virgil are interviewed regarding DiBiase’s match against Ivan Putski. DiBiase says everyone has a price for him. DiBiase says that Putski is trying to make a comeback, but the power isn’t in polish but rather money. DiBiase considers Putski to be a stepping stone for him as DiBiase looks to reach the top. DiBiase also says he’s coming for the WWF World Champion, Hulk Hogan.

Sixth Contest: Jake Roberts vs. Danny Davis: Early on, Davis shows some fear by stalling and not locking up with Roberts. Davis gets backed into the corner and notices Damien leading to Davis quickly getting out of the corner. Roberts keeps control with a test of strength using one hand. Roberts slams Davis to the mat and Davis goes to the corner where Damien is at and freaks out. Roberts plants Davis with a scoop slam and Davis rolls to the floor. Roberts decks Davis with a right hand on the floor. Davis gets control with a few right hands in the corner. Roberts runs into a knee lift in the corner and Davis gets a two count. Davis keeps the advantage with overhand strikes and a strike to the midsection. Davis continues to work over Roberts with strikes, but Roberts powers out on the pin attempt rather easily. Roberts jabs Davis several times and decks Davis to the mat. Roberts drops Davis with a short arm clothesline. Roberts connects with the DDT right in the middle of the ring to win the match. (*. This would be the definition of what a squash match would be, folks. Fans wanted the DDT and that’s exactly what they got.) After the match, Roberts puts Damien onto Davis, who is lifeless in the middle of the ring. Davis looked like he has a smile on his face when being carried out. Likely because Jimmy Hart and another guy had difficulty actually carrying him backstage.

Seventh Contest: WWF Tag Team Champions Strike Force (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) vs. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart: Hart and Martel start off the tag title match. Hart gets control with a top wrist lock. Martel breaks free leading to a standoff. Hart scoop slams Martel to the mat and taunts Martel after doing so. Hart knee lifts Martel followed by an elbow strike and works over Martel in the corner with several strikes. Martel avoids Hart in the corner and takes Hart over with a few arm drags to send Hart rolling to the floor. Neidhart tags into the match as does Santana. Santana hammers away on Neidhart and puts a headlock on Neidhart. Neidhart takes Santana down to the mat, but Santana breaks free quickly. Martel enters to put a headlock on Neidhart. Hart gets tagged in and stops Martel with a headbutt. Martel tries for a sunset flip, but Hart sits down for a two count. Martel puts a headlock on Hart to keep control of the contest. Santana tags in and comes off the middle rope to deliver an elbow strike to Hart. Santana keeps Hart on the mat with a front face lock. Neidhart tags in and beats on Santana with strikes against the ropes and knocks Santana down to the mat.

Neidhart keeps a chin lock on Santana, but doesn’t get a submission. Santana elbows out of the hold, but Neidhart stops Santana with a scoop slam only to miss an elbow drop. Hart tags in and stops Santana with a quick elbow drop. Hart kicks Santana in the midsection to maintain the advantage for his team. Santana nails Hart with a knee strike in the corner and tries to tag in Martel and does so! Martel cleans house with dropkicks and rams Hart face first into the corner. Martel runs the ropes, but Neidhart pulls down the ropes and Martel crashes to the floor. Neidhart sends Martel chest first into the guard railing. Hart drives Martel down with a backbreaker for a two count. Martel is choked in the corner by the Hart Foundation as the referee is distracted across the ring. Neidhart locks in a bearhug to control Martel across the ring. Martel fights out of the hold with strikes but Neidhart stops Martel with another headbutt. Hart keeps control on Martel with an elbow strike on the mat.

Martel decked Hart with a right hand, but Hart recovered to maintain control of the contest. Martel hammers away on Neidhart, but Neidhart drops Martel to the mat with a strike. Neidhart slams Martel and tags in Hart. Hart hits a middle rope forearm drop. Hart takes Martel over with a snap suplex for a near fall. Martel nearly wins with a rollup. Hart sends Martel back first into the corner and delivers a few strikes before choking Martel. Martel delivers a few right hands to fight out of the corner and drops Hart with a left hand punch. Martel tries to tag in Santana, but isn’t able to do so. Martel sends Neidhart into the ropes sending Hart into the guard railing. Santana gets the tag and nails Neidhart with a flying forearm! Hart enters to breakup the pin attempt. Neidhart is met with a double clothesline. Martel goes for the Boston Crab, but Hart gets up and stops Martel. Santana and Hart are brawling in the ring while Martel works over Neidhart. The challengers are sent into each other! Martel gets the Boston Crab on Neidhart, but Hart whacks Martel with the megaphone and the referee calls for the bell giving the match to Strike Force by disqualification. (***. A rather solid tag match that was a formula match and the final closing minutes picking up the pace and getting heated. I thought they worked really well together and delivered a quality match on the undercard. I’d like to see these guys wrestle again.) After the match, Hart Foundation attack Strike Force.

Ted DiBiase cuts a promo saying that he had been in talks to purchase the Garden, but decided against it because he’d have to buy the Knicks and Rangers, which both teams suck. Plus, all the fans remind him of those teams since they are all losers.

Eighth Contest: Ted DiBiase vs. Ivan Putski: DiBiase shoves Putski to the mat early on and then stalls by going under the ropes to avoid Putski. DiBiase bails to the floor but Putski follows and hammers away on DiBiase with right hands while Virgil just stands there. DiBiase begs off back in the ring and tries to deliver a boot, but Putski counters and delivers an atomic drop. Putski decks DiBiase with more right hands. Putski nails DiBiase with the Polish Hammer sending DiBiase to the floor. Putski slingshots DiBiase back into the ring from the apron. Putski continues to beat on DiBiase with strikes. DiBiase stops Putski with a powerslam to win the match. (1/2*. Well, that was mostly all Putski and then with one move DiBiase wins the match. They kept a decent pace for a quick match, I guess.)

Main Event: King Kong Bundy vs. Bam-Bam Bigelow: Bigelow tries to shoulder block Bundy, but neither man budges. Bigelow runs off the ropes and a third shoulder block knocks Bundy down. Bigelow does a cartwheel and avoids a splash in the corner. Bigelow hits an elbow drop for a two count. Bundy nails Bigelow with a clothesline and comes off the ropes to hit an elbow drop for a near fall. Bundy works over Bigelow with strikes and clotheslines Bigelow over the top to the floor. Bundy hammers away on Bigelow to knock Bigelow off the apron. Bundy nails Bigelow with a clothesline, but misses a splash. Bigelow comes off the ropes to splash Bundy for the upset win! (*. A surprise outcome as I wasn’t expecting that victory. Another quick match to close out the show, but I’d rather this kind of match than these guys going ten minutes and have it be a slow paced match. A condensed match at a quick pace was effective for these guys.)

Final Thoughts:
I enjoyed the show as there was several entertaining matches and the crowd was lively for the matches that had heat attached to them. A recommended house show to watch.

Thanks for reading.