Prime Time Wrestling 12/17/86
– Matches are from the 11/26/86 Houston, TX. show at the Summit unless otherwise noted.
– Heenan makes some jokes about how the Islanders spend Christmas to start. The Monsoon/Heenan banter is priceless. If I ever made a Prime Time compilation I doubt it would even have matches on it, just Heenan & Monsoon talking.
Match #1: Tag Champs British Bulldogs v. Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick): Matilda goes after Slick to start. Slick is sporting a broken arm at this time BTW. The Bulldogs get the best of Volkoff for the first several minutes until Iron Sheik cuts Dynamite Kid off with a knee to the back. The heels get the heat on Dynamite, Nikolai with a bearhug, Sheik with an abdominal stretch. Sheik hits a gut wrench suplex and applies the camel clutch on the Kid!!! Davey Boy has enough and breaks the hold. Dynamite comes back with a snap suplex and tags in Davey Boy. Smith throws the heels into each other and LAUNCHES the Sheik with a backdrop for two. DBS gets a sleeper on Sheik but Nikolai breaks it up. Davey Boy hits the running powerslam but Volkoff yet AGAIN stops the count. She Sheik finally makes the tag to Nikolai who hits Smith with a press slam into a backbreaker, which Dynamite now breaks up. The Sheik begins to argue with referee Dave Hebner, while Volkoff scoops up Smith, only Dynamite Kid delivers a missile dropkick onto Davey Boy, sending him on top of Volkoff for the win at 12:45. Rating: Good match, I dunno if the Bulldogs carried the heels or if the heels came to work but it was good. **1/4
Match #2: Butch Reed (w/Slick) v. Steve Gatorwolf: Monsoon & Slick are on commentary. Slick says “The Ingine’s been drinking” since Gatorwolf was on the mat. Reed works over Gatorwolf with a little help from Slick, not that he needed it since Gatorwolf isn’t much more than a jobber. Five minutes in, Steve works his way up and begins using his favorite (and only) move, that’s right the Stereotypical Native American chops of death. Gatorwolf charges at Reed but Butch nails a scoop slam and hits a middle rope flying clothesline for the relatively easy win at 5:20. Rating: Not much to the bout, headlocks and chops. DUD
– Monsoon buries Gatorwolf, Heenan makes jokes. We go to Ken Resnick who interviews Slick. The Slickster says he’s the first black manager in wrestling. I guess Sonny King, Bearcat Wright, Ernie Ladd, even James Dudley, don’t count. Slick claims Butch Reed will win the World Title. Unfortunately, that never came to happen.
– Mean Gene again interviews Dr. Bob Ponovich on Steamboat’s condition. Ponovich says he’s amazed at Steamboat’s remarkable recovery. The doc says he feels another shot to the larynx of the Dragon and it will end his career.
– Randy Savage responds to Steamboat’s condition. Macho threatens to once again injure Ricky and take him out of wrestling forever. Monsoon says he wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of Savage, Heenan says “I don’t blame you, you have about a size 17, he has about a 12”. Good stuff!!
– WWF Music Video to Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight”. Pretty good, most of the roster gets on it, even SALVATORE BELLOMO!!!
Match #3: “The Rebel” Dick Slater v. Jake Roberts (from Superstars Taping 11/19/86): Slater’s gimmick was horrible but his THEME RULED!!! DIXIE! Anyway, Slater starts off with some takedowns on Jake. Slater works over Jake’s leg for a couple minutes and then hits his WWF finisher, the standing elbow off the top rope. Yes, It was lame but that was his finisher. Slater gets the three!!!! In three minutes Slater defeated Jake like nobodies business!!!!
BUUUUUT, the referee is Danny Davis…sooooooo….Roberts puts his leg on the ropes well after the 3 count but Davis pretends it was there all along and restarts the bout. Slater begins to argue with Davis and Roberts sneaks up from behind with a short arm clothesline. Jake pulls Damien out of the bag as Slater gets up. Danny Davis gets in Slater’s way and Dick throws Danny across the ring. Davis of course DQ’s Slater at 4:10 for throwing him. Rating: Barely a Match so it gets a DUD, but the storyline with Davis was good. Kind of a let down considering the **** matches Slater & Roberts had in Mid South less than a year earlier.
Match #4: Dan Spivey v. Moondog Spot: Spivey gives Spotty almost nothing for 5 minutes. Spot gets in some weird punch from the middle rope which looked horrible. Spot followed up with a chinlock to the crowds dismay. Moments later Spot delivers the old Memphis fist drop from the middle rope for a two count. Spot makes a mistake and Spivey ties him in the ropes. Spivey upstages Hulk Hogan and nails a legdrop on Spot for two. Spot reverses an Irish whip and tries for a hiptoss but Spivey turns it into a bulldog for the win at 9:32. Rating: Bad match, Spivey is still green and Spot is just…Spot, at this point -1/2*, yes, that’s a negative sign.
– The phone begins to ring as Monsoon again questions Heenan. Bobby answers the phone but it continues to ring, repeatedly. The Brain finally says “Why is this phone ringing when it’s off the receiver?”. Just total comedy. Funny, Funny stuff.
Match #5: Adrian Adonis (w/Jimmy Hart) v. SD Jones (from Wrestling Challenge): Adonis throws his purple velvet poncho jacket thingy over top of SD and begins to stomp the crap out of Jones. Adrian pounds on SD which brings Roddy Piper to ringside. Adonis sees Piper and is distracted. SD amounts some offense but Adrian quickly pitches SD to the floor and Roddy enters the ring. I’m assuming SD was DQ’d at 2:15 due to Roddy’s interference. Piper & Adonis go at it as a crazy brawl ensues. Two dozen jobbers along with the New US Express, Hercules & Butch Reed try to break this wild melee up but do not succeed as Piper & Adonis fight all the way backstage. Rating: The match wasn’t even there, but the aftermath gets a *
Match #6: Mike Rotunda v. Moondog Rex: This is Randy Colley’s last match in the WWF as Rex. Colley would go on to become the original Demolition Smash for a match or two only a month later, before being dropped and replaced by Barry Darsow. Colley could work when he had to, hence his stay just a year prior in Mid-South Wrestling winning both the Heavyweight & Tag Team Titles during that stay. The Moondog gimmick allowed Colley to be lazy and that is what he was in this match. After leaving Vince originally a year earlier, Rotunda never really got much of a push upon his return, I assume as a form of payback from McMahon. This match means nothing and for the most part is nothing. Rex tries a splash, Rotunda gets his knees up, moments later Rex misses a charge and Rotunda gets an airplane spin for the win at 9:39. Rating: Rotunda is slow & methodical, Colley is just…SLOW at this point, -*, two negative star matches on one show. Sigh.
Math #7: The Islanders v. Don Muraco & Bob Orton Jr. (w/Jimmy art & Mr. Fuji) (from Superstars): Tama bumps Orton around to begin things. Muraco is tagged in and Haku works him over quickly. The heels quickly regroup on the outside and upon returning to the ring Muraco takes over on Tama. The Cowboy eventually makes a mistake and Tama tags in Haku. The Islanders go to work on both of their opponents. Haku dropkicks Orton to the floor and goes to work on Muraco. Haku & Muraco eventually crack heads but both men manage to tag out. Tama hits a backdrop on Orton and a cross body causes both men to spill to the floor. All 4 men are on the floor and Orton & Muraco battery ram the Islanders heads together…BUT THE ISLANDERS DON’T SELL IT!!! and the crowd goes nuts as the 4 men continue to brawl. This leads to a double count out at 7:45. Rating: Nice tag bout, I’d compare it to the WrestleMania 3 opener only with a weaker finish. *3/4
– Gorilla & Bobby talk about next weeks Christmas Edition, the main event will be Hulk Hogan v. Hercules…. Not Bad for Prime Time.
Final Thoughts: Two good tag bouts, also the Danny Davis and Piper/Adonis storylines continued. The Moondogs/US Express singles matches were the shits but the rest was good.
Match of the Night: Bulldogs v. Sheik & Volkoff
