WWF House Show 2/11/1989

Written by: Bob Colling

World Wrestling Federation House Show
Date: 2/11/1989
From: Philadelphia, PA

This is the final televised WWF house show on PRISM.

Backstage, Red Rooster was interviewed regarding his match with Brooklyn Brawler. Rooster is going to knock Brawler out and notes how Bobby Heenan took credit for Rooster. Rooster is from Florida and he’s happy to be in the WWF. Rooster knows that the Heenan Family will be coming after him after he’s done with Brawler. Rooster is confident that he’ll get his hands on Heenan sooner rather than later.

Opening Contest: Red Rooster vs. Brooklyn Brawler: Rooster rolls into the ring and Brawler stomps away for the early advantage. Rooster avoids an elbow drop and drops Brawler after several right hands. Rooster dropkicks Brawler coming off the ropes and plays to the crowd. Rooster stagers Brawler with a jawbreaker. Brawler kicks Rooster to counter a backdrop attempt. Brawler yanks Rooster down to the mat by his hair followed by a scoop slam. Brawler keeps Rooster on the mat for a few moments with a headlock. Brawler comes off the ropes to deliver a shoulder block and goes back to a headlock. Rooster works over Brawler with strikes in the corner, but Brawler clotheslines Rooster over the top to the floor. Rooster gets a sunset flip from the apron for a two count. Brawler regains control by choking Rooster on the mat. Rooster counters a slam with an inside cradle for a two count. Brawler rubs Rooster’s eyes over the top rope and continues to deliver strikes. Brawler elbows Rooster coming out of the corner for a two count. Brawler snapmares Rooster to the mat for another two count. Rooster plants Brawler with a back suplex.

Rooster tries for a scoop slam, but Brawler lands on top for a two count. Brawler chokes Rooster over the middle rope. Brawler delivers a strike to the midsection for a two count. Rooster stops Brawler with a neckbreaker. Rooster decks Brawler with strikes followed by a backdrop. Rooster nails Brawler with a leaping clothesline for a two count. Brawler stops Rooster with a boot in the corner. Rooster gets a backslide on Brawler to win the match. (*1/2. I’ve seen worse opening matches. The action was mostly slow and basic.)

Second Contest: Sam Houston vs. Barry Horowitz: Houston hip tosses, dropkicks and arm drags Horowitz after getting out of a headlock. Houston leaps over the referee to slingshot Horowitz into the ring from the apron. Houston scoop slams Horowitz and keeps arm control. Horowitz sends Houston chest first into the corner to gain momentum. Horowitz catapults Houston throat first into the bottom rope. Horowitz hits a gut wrench suplex for a near fall. Horowitz nearly wins with a rollup after driving Houston face first onto the mat. Horowitz kicks Houston to the apron. Houston jabs Horowitz several times followed by kicks. Houston clotheslines Horowitz for a two count. Houston leapfrogs Horowitz and hits a bulldog to win the match. (1/2*. There wasn’t a whole lot going on here. Crowd didn’t seem to care all that much.)

Backstage, Ted DiBiase is interviewed with Virgil by his side. DiBiase says that he always gets what he wants and it’s just a matter of time. DiBiase says he’s not going to lose and he’s not going to get a haircut. DiBiase is confident that Virgil will prevent Beefcake from giving him a haircut tonight. Virgil flexes his muscles to show what Beefcake will be dealing with.

Backstage, Brutus Beefcake is also interviewed. Beefcake says that DiBiase can’t buy what he has. Beefcake wants to give DiBiase a haircut. Beefcake believes they will be small change when he’s done with them. Beefcake hopes that Virgil gets involved so he can put a sleeper on him.

Third Contest: Ted DiBiase vs. Brutus Beefcake: DiBiase gets the cheap advantage attacking Beefcake before the bell sounds. DiBiase works over Beefcake in the corner. Beefcake rams DiBiase head first into the top turnbuckle several times causing DiBiase to collapse to the mat. Beefcake ducks a wild right hand and atomic drops DiBiase. Beefcake atomic drops DiBiase over the top to the floor. Beefcake blocks a kick and holds DiBiase’s foot leading to a right hand. Beefcake delivers an elbow drop to the lower midsection of DiBiase. Beefcake rams DiBiase into Virgil on the apron. Beefcake sends DiBiase into the corner and continues to deliver right hands in the corner. Virgil trips Beefcake from the floor and DiBiase keeps control with a strike from behind. DiBiase dumps Beefcake through the ropes to the floor. DiBiase beats on Beefcake with right hands in the corner. DiBiase clotheslines Beefcake followed by a standing fist drop. DiBiase stands on the middle rope and delivers an axe handle. DiBiase comes off the ropes to deliver an elbow drop for a two count. DiBiase keeps a sleeper on Beefcake for a few moments.

Beefcake gets to his feet, but DiBiase brings him back down to the mat keeping the sleeper locked in. DiBiase stops Beefcake a knee strike to the midsection. DiBiase continues with a knee drop for a two count. DiBiase keeps control with a sleeper. Beefcake prevents his arm from dropping three times. Beefcake fights back with elbow strikes and sends DiBiase face first into the top turnbuckle. Beefcake backs DiBiase into the corner and delivers several right hands. Beefcake backdrops DiBiase followed by a big boot. Beefcake drops DiBiase with a knee strike. Virgil grabs Beefcake by the leg and Beefcake pulls him up to the apron. DiBiase collides with Virgil and Beefcake rolls DiBiase up for the win. (*1/2. The pace was rather slow and it wasn’t all that exciting. I’d imagine they will have a rematch down the line considering the finish.)

Fourth Contest: Greg Valentine vs. Jim Neidhart: Neidhart works over Valentine with strikes and a headbutt. Valentine rolls to the floor to regroup. Valentine returns and elbow strikes Neidhart a few times. Valentine misses a splash in the corner and Neidhart hammers away on Valentine. Valentine tries to escape and kicks Neidhart away to get to the floor. Neidhart chases Valentine around ringside. Valentine stops Neidhart on the apron with a boot. Valentine comes off the top to deliver an axe handle. Neidhart shoulder blocks Valentine but runs into a boot. Valentine delivers an elbow drop for a two count. Valentine keeps control with several headbutts to Neidhart’s lower midsection. Valentine drags Neidhart to the apron and yanks down onto his leg. Valentine wraps Neidhart’s leg around the ring post. Neidhart and Valentine trade forearms with Neidhart dropping Valentine. Neidhart tries for a slam, but Valentine lands on top for a two count. Valentine tries for the figure four, but Neidhart eye rakes Valentine. Valentine continues to elbow drop Neidhart on the knee. Neidhart kicks Valentine shoulder first into the ring post. Valentine misses another elbow drop attempt. Neidhart hammers away on Valentine and bites his forehead. Neidhart shoulder blocks Valentine several times for a two count. Valentine misses a clothesline and Neidhart decks Valentine with a clothesline of his own. Neidhart takes off Valentine’s knee guard. Neidhart tries to use the guard and the referee stops him. Valentine rolls Neidhart up with a handful of tights to win the match. After the match, Neidhart decks Valentine with the knee guard. (*1/4. That wasn’t a good match as it was far too slow and they didn’t do anything all that exciting, at all.)

Fifth Contest: Hulk Hogan vs. Big Bossman: Bossman spits at Hogan before eye raking Hogan. Hogan fires back with a series of right hands to stagger Bossman. Slick gets in the ring and is rammed into the corner. Bossman accidentally splashes Slick! Hogan connects with a back suplex. Hogan has a pair of handcuffs in his tights. Hogan grabs Slick and handcuffs Slick to the ring post. Hogan delivers a few strikes before clotheslining Bossman followed by elbow drops. Hogan goes to the floor and punches Slick. Hogan pulls Bossman to the floor and rams Bossman head first into a table. Hogan uses a chair on Bossman before returning to the ring. Hogan bites Bossman’s forehead. Hogan delivers a running elbow strike in the corner. Hogan tries for a backdrop, but Bossman holds the ropes and clotheslines Hogan. Bossman spikes Hogan with a piledriver. Bossman frees Slick from the handcuffs on the floor.

Bossman splashes down onto Hogan over the middle rope. Bossman drops Hogan with a right hand and delivers another splash. Slick chokes Hogan on the floor and sends Hogan into the guard railing. Bossman hammers away on Hogan against the ropes. Hogan backdrops Bossman over the top to the floor, but Bossman lands on his feet. Slick is kicked away by Hogan. Hogan runs after Slick and ducks a clothesline by Bossman. Bossman plants Hogan with a spinebuster for a two count. Hogan begins to Hulk Up. Hogan fires back with right hands and a big boot to send Bossman to the floor. Bossman drags Hogan to the floor and sends Hogan face first into the ring post. Bossman handcuffs Hogan. Hogan returns to the ring handcuffed and Bossman rakes Hogan’s back. Bossman delivers several strikes in the corner. Hogan avoids a splash in the corner and breaks the handcuffs! Hogan clotheslines Bossman followed by a leg drop for the win. (**1/2. The crowd was hot for this and the action was pretty good. Bossman works very well with Hogan and they tend to have quality matches. They did enough to hold my interest throughout the match.)

Sixth Contest: WWF Women’s Champion Rockin’ Rebel vs. Sensational Sherri: Sherri sends Rebel into the corner with a few strikes. Rebel sends Sherri face first into the top turnbuckle a few times to keep control of the match. Rebel rams Sherri into all four corners. Rebel clotheslines Sherri leading to a near fall. Sherri bails to the floor to regroup but Rebel rams Sherri’s face into the apron. Sherri holds the ropes in the corner to get away from Rebel. Rebel slaps Sherri’s ass and blames the referee. Rebel almost wins with a rollup and Sherri goes back to the corner to regroup. Sherri wants to shake hands, but Rebel decides to work over her left arm. Rebel misses an elbow drop and Sherri misses one as well. Rebel fakes Sherri out to deliver an elbow drop for a near fall. Rebel tosses Sherri down to the mat and delivers a knee drop to Sherri’s arm in a hammerlock. Rebel claps Sherri’s head and goes back to a hammerlock. Sherri rams Rebel into the corner back first. Sherri misses a splash. Rebel runs into a knee lift in the corner. Sherri kicks Rebel’s in the ribs to maintain control of the contest.

Sherri chokes Rebel over the top rope and yanks her backwards to the mat. Sherri tosses Rebel through the ropes to the floor. A fan appears to have gone over the railing and is quickly escorted away by security. Sherri knee lifts Rebel off the apron. Rebel ducks down and Sherri falls over the top to the floor. Rebel grabs Sherri by her hair and drops Sherri over the top to the mat. Rebel nails Sherri with an elbow strike for a two count. Rebel hits a powerslam on Sherri for a two count. Sherri blocks a backdrop attempt with a kick to the chest. Sherri works over Rebel with shoulder rams in the corner. Rebel comes off the middle rope and pins Sherri with a sunset flip after Sherri was shoving the referee. (*1/2. They didn’t really do much here and it wasn’t all that entertaining. Felt like the definition of a cool down match.)

Seventh Contest: Hercules vs. King Haku: Hercules backs Haku into a corner and backs away. Haku backs Hercules into the corner and backs away to continue a slow pace to the match. Haku misses a strike, and Hercules misses an elbow. Hercules knee lifts Haku followed by a middle rope elbow strike. Hercules drops Haku after several jabs. Haku overhand strikes Hercules but misses a clothesline. They collide on stereo crossbody attempts with Hercules landing on top for a two count. Hercules continues with an atomic drop. Haku sends Hercules through the middle rope to the floor. Haku forearms Hercules on the apron a few times followed by a snap suplex into the ring from the apron. Haku rams Hercules into the turnbuckle face first. Haku continues with shoulder rams in the corner. Haku keeps a chin lock on Hercules. Haku twists Hercules neck but doesn’t get a submission. Hercules gets to his feet after a few moments. Hercules elbows free but is met with an eye rake. Haku atomic drops Hercules for a two count. Haku continues to beat on Hercules with strikes to the back. Haku controls Hercules with a bearhug.

Hercules breaks free from the bearhug. They trade kicks with Haku getting the better of the strikes. Haku headbutts Hercules followed by a scoop slam and tries or a splash but Hercules got his knees up. Haku misses a splash in the corner. They trade strikes with Hercules getting the advantage. Hercules delivers a strike to the midsection followed by a knee lift. Hercules backdrops Haku followed by a clothesline. Hercules delivers another clothesline to drop Haku. Haku blocks a backdrop with a few strikes. Hercules sends Haku chest first into the corner and locks in a full nelson. Haku pushes off the ropes to fall backwards and that breaks the hold. Hercules hammers away on Haku, but Haku has grabbed Hercules chain. Hercules blocks the chain, but Haku nails Hercules with the chain and shoves the referee down. That causes a disqualification. (DUD. The crowd was dead for this and the finish was not satisfying at all.) After the match, Haku continues to work over Hercules but is sent into the corner chest first. Hercules fights back and gets his chain causing Haku to bail to the floor.

Main Event: WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition vs. Powers of Pain in a no disqualification match: Barbarian works over Ax to start the match as this is following tag rules. Ax fights back with several strikes and keeps Barbarian on the mat with many blows. Smash enters and double teams Barbarian with strikes to the back. Smash rams Barbarian into the corner and Ax enters to keep control with a neck vice. Smash continues to work over Barbarian with strikes and misses a splash in the corner. Barbarian chops Smash to the mat and tags in Warlord. Warlord beats on Smash with overhand strikes. Barbarian big boots Smash to the mat. Smash takes Barbarian down to the mat and Ax enters to deliver more strikes. Ax clotheslines Barbarian, but Warlord breaks the cover. All four men are in the ring and they are brawling for a moment. Warlord gets tagged in and beats on Ax in the corner with more strikes. Warlord drives Ax into the corner back first. Mr. Fuji jabs Ax with his cane on the apron. Warlord tags in Barbarian who delivers a headbutt to Ax’s lower back. Barbarian drives Ax down with a backbreaker.

Barbarian controls Ax with a bearhug. Warlord sends Ax into the corner back first. Warlord controls Ax with a bearhug. Barbarian comes off the ropes to deliver a headbutt to Ax’s lower back. Barbarian goes back to a bearhug. Warlord double teams while the referee is distracted. Ax clotheslines Warlord and goes to the corner to tag in Smash. Smash hammers away on Warlord and decks Barbarian. Smash power slams both men and takes Barbarian over with a snap suplex. Barbarian dumps Ax to the floor and Smash is double teamed. Barbarian goes to the top as Warlord lifted Smash up. Barbarian hits a clothesline managing a two count. Warlord gets sent into the ring post and Barbarian used a cane on Smash. Ax uses a cane on Warlord. Barbarian is clotheslined by the champs as the referee has called for the bell. It looks like Demolition has won by count-out. (1/2*. That was a bad match and the finish doesn’t make much sense to me. It’s a no disqualification match and they are using distractions to use weapons and it ends with a count-out? I’m not a fan of that and the action here was rather lackluster.)

Final Thoughts:
This card is really a one match show as the only match that had any entertaining quality to it was the Hogan/Bossman showdown. It was a rather lackluster show overall, though.

Thanks for reading.