-From Cleveland, OH
-Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura are our hosts.
-Apparently, Vince McMahon decided to put this show on just fuck with Crockett promotions, who were running Starrcade '87 out of Chicago on the same night. It was the NWA's first PPV, and Vince gave cable systems a choice: Take our show, or you don't get WrestleMania in March. Most cable companies took this one, which was okay, because the main event of Starrcade had Ron Garvin defending the NWA World title against Ric Flair.
Randy Savage (with Elizabeth), Rick Steamboat, Jake Roberts, Brutus Beefcake and Hacksaw Duggan Vs. Honky Tonk Man, Danny Davis, Hercules, Ron Bass, and Harley Race (with Jimmy Hart and Bobby Heenan)
Beefcake starts out with Hercules, and they run through the usual stuff, and Beefer throws on a sleeper, but Herc makes the tag to Davis. Roberts comes in and pounds on Davis. The first elimination's are when Duggan and Race get into it, and they brawl to the floor, and to a double count out. They HAD to protect these two, not wanting to give away that money match on a nothing PPV like this. :-)
Clip to Jake Vs. Ron Bass, then Savage comes in and pounds on Bass. Savage goes after HTM on the outside, and Bass gets him from behind. Clippage to Savage making the blind tag to Beefcake, who HITS THE KNEE~! on Bass for the quick three count. Herc jumps right in, but misses an elbow on Beefcake, but the Beefer gets caught and pounded by the heels. Clipped again to Beefcake making a comeback, but he doesn't make the tag, and HTM hits the neck breaker for the pin. We're down to Savage, Roberts and Steamboat Vs. Honky Tonk Man, Danny Davis, and Hercules.
Jake eliminates Danny Davis with the DDT a bit later on, then Hercules damn near rips Jake's head off with a clothesline. Jake takes a bit of a beating, but makes the hot tag to Steamboat, who cleans house on the heels, then hits a top rope chop, and in a moment of incredible irony, tags in Savage, who hits Hercules with the flying elbow for the pin. He *finally* gets his hands on Honky Tonk, and just absolutely whips Honky's arse. Jake comes in, and the fans WANT the DDT. Savage hits an atomic drop, and Honky bails and gets counted out. Survivors: Savage, Roberts and Steamboat. That was a decent enough opener, and not bad for the first ever Survivor match. * * *
Women's match: Sherri Martel, Dawn Marie, Donna Christainello, and the Glamour Girls Vs. Velvet McIntyre, Rockin Robin, Fabulous Moohlah, and The Jumping Bomb Angels
It's sad what time has done to Sherri, because she was quite hot in 1987. She starts out with Velvet. They do a nice little wrestling sequence, and Velvet hits a crossbody for two. Moohlah and Donna Christianello come in, and I'd like to say that Donna is A) really ugly and B) totally lacking in talent. Velvet, who briefly held the WWF women's title, rolls up Donna for the quick pin.
Lelani Kai comes in, and gets head scissored, then velvet tags in Rockin Robin. Robin goes for a a body press on Judy Martin, but totally (and I mean TOTALLY) fucks it up. Next elimination comes when Robin nails Dawn Marie in the throat on a clothesline and pins her. It's funny, when the Angels come in, Gorilla and Jesse have no idea what to call anything they do, so their stuff gets a bunch of Vince McMahonisms like "Lookatthat!" and "Whutagreatmaneuver!" Robin and Sherri do the exact same sequence I saw them do at a house show in 1988, and it sucked then too. Sherri pins Robin following a suplex, the Izuki comes in and makes everyone else look bad. The other Angel (who's name escapes me) comes in gets caught in the heel corner, and gets a beating.
She gets the tag to Moohlah, who does some mat wrestling, but gets double clotheslined by the Glamour Girls and pinned. That was the last we'd see of Moolah in the WWF until 1999, when she got her ass kicked by Jeff Jarrett.
Lelani Kai hits a nice double underhook suplex for two, and the bell accidentally rings. Velvet hits THE GIANT SWING OF CERTAIN DEATH~! on Sherri, then she gets a rollup out of the corner for the pin. Judy Martin gets Velvet a bit later following the Curt Hennig slingshot. A great Angels/Girls mini-match follows, and Izuki hits a flying crossbody on Kai for the pin. Jimmy Hart eats a dropkick, and Izuki clotheslines Martin for the pin. That sucked, except for the Angels at the end. Survivors: The Jumping Bomb Angels. * 1/2
Tag Teams Match: Demolition, The Islanders, Bolsheviks, The New Dream Team and the Hart Foundation Vs. The British Bulldogs, The Young Stallions, The Rougeaus, the Killer Bees and Strikeforce
It's nearly impossible to keep up with the action, as both teams tag all sorts of guys in and out. Tito Santana hits Bolshevik Boris Zhukoff with a flying forearm for the pin about two minutes in. Jacques Rougeau misses a second rope body press and gets pinned by Ax not long after that. Jimmy Powers (young stallions) gets pounded on by the heels. The Stallions were really out of their league here. This is unbelievably fast paced. Brian Blair (killer bees) goes at it with Smash. Dynamite comes in, and gets worked over in the corner, but Smash gets pissed off at the ref, and throws him across the ring for the DQ.
Bret hits a piledriver on Dynamite, then Tama pounds on everyone's favorite whipping boy, Jim Powers. Martel gets the Boston Crab on Tama, but gets clobbered from behind by Jim Niedhart. Santana hits a flying forearm on Anvil, but Bret hits a second rope elbow and Anvil pins him. We're down to: Stallions, Bulldogs, and Killer Bees Vs Hart Foundation, Islanders, and the New Dream Team.
Jimmy Powers absorbs yet another beating. Clip to a top rope clothesline by Valentine. Bravo hits the side suplex, then he tags in Valentine, who can't quite get the figure four on Powers. Apparently, the Bulldogs had been eliminated during the point that was clipped. Hmm. Let me check my PWI almanac. Nothing there. Anyone know? Valentine again goes for the figure four, but Roma had made the tag to Roma, who hits a nice sunset flip off the top for the pin on Valentine.
Jim Brunzell have a neat little mini-match, and we get lots of double teaming from the heels. Roma comes in, and falls prey to Bret and the Islanders. Brunzell tags back in, and goes again with Bret. Roma gets a flying fist for two on Bret. Bret hits a backbreaker for two, then the Islanders tear Roma apart. He FINALLY gets a tag to Brunzell, who reverses a Bret rollup for the pin to eliminate the Harts.
Brunzell eats an elbow from Tama, then a backbreaker. He gets a sunset flip for two, but can't overcome the islanders by himself. Hot tag to Jimmy Powers, then Roma hits a powerslam for two on Tama. Blair comes back in, and gets nailed by Tama. Brunzell comes in and cleans house on both Islanders. Blair goes for a sunset flip, but it's blocked by Tama, so Brunzell PUTS ON A MASK and gets a sunset for the pin. Survivors: The Killer Bees and The Young Stallions. Got really good after a while. * * *
Andre the Giant, Rick Rude, One Man Gang, King Kong Bundy and Butch Reed Vs. Hulk Hogan, Don Muraco, Ken Patera, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Paul Orndorff
Muraco is subbing for Superstar Graham, who was hurt at the hands of Reed and OMG. Hogan's team gets separate intros, but Andre's doesn't. Muraco and Rude start it out, and all the faces tag in, do one move to him, and tag out. Bigelow hits a nice press slam. Muraco hits a DROPKICK~! on Reed. Hogan and Orndorff hit a double clothesline, then Hulk pins Reed following a legdrop. Hogan high five's Patera, and the ref calls it a tag, so we are denied Hulk Vs. Andre. Andre never makes contact with anyone, and tags in Bundy.
Patera hits a cross body on the Gang, but becomes face in peril for a bit. What in the hell is he wearing on his arm? Gang pretty much tackles him and pins him to even the sides up. Orndorff comes in, and goes for the piledriver on Rude, but Rude rolls him up for the pin out of nowhere. The face team beats on Rude for a spell, then Muraco powerslams and pins him.
Muraco tries to slam the gang, but Gang falls on him for two. OMG runs Muraco into Andre, then splashes and pins him. Bam Bam rapidly gets into trouble at the hands of Gang and Bundy. Andre still hasn't actually been in the match yet, oddly. Finally, Andre tags in, and Bam Bam makes the tag to Hogan, and he dukes it out with Andre. Bundy drags Hogan out under the bottom rope, so Hulk slams OMG on the floor, but he's taken too much time, and HULK HOGAN HAS BEEN COUNTED OUT! Holy Shit! Hogan never lost on PPV in the eighties. Never. Hulk bithes and moans and won't leave until vague threats are made by WWF officials.
BBB dominates Bundy, and pins him following the slingshot splash. Gang comes in, and he and Bigelow wrestle to the mat. Gang goes to the top, but misses a splash. Bigelow pins him, but Andre comes in and absolutely murders Bigelow and pins him following that goofy suplex thing he used to do. Survivor: Andre the Giant. *
While Andre and Bobby Heenan are celebrating, Hogan comes back and nails Andre with his belt and poses for the fans, because Lord knows, we couldn't POSSIBLY end a PPV without Hogan posing.
This show was quite a novelty back in the day, but really didn't stand the test of time. Mildly Recommended.
