|
|
Post by Mike Haggar on Oct 2, 2022 13:24:00 GMT 1
Great stuff so far!
|
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 2, 2022 23:57:26 GMT 1
WWF Summerslam August 29, 1988 Madison Square Garden New York City, NY
*The British Bulldogs [Davey Boy Smith & The Dynamite Kid] d. The Bolsheviks [Boris Zhukov & Nikolai Volkoff] by Pinfall In a fairly standard opening match, the British Bulldogs returned to their winning ways by dispatching The Bolsheviks with little trouble.
*King Haku w/Bobby Heenan d. Hercules by Pinfall With Harley Race out due to injury, former Islander Haku had "inherited" the title of King of Wrestling. Simultaneously to this, Bobby Heenan had sold the contract of Hercules to Ted DiBiase in one of the Million Dollar Man's attempts to regain the WWF title, something which the strongman had resisted, leading to King Haku to attack him. In this match, Herc tried to use his strength to full advantage, wearing down the head and neck of the King. Heenan attempted to get involved, but Hercules grabbed him on the ring apron, the distraction allowing Haku to hit Hercules with a thrust kick and then hit a diving headbutt off the top to pick up the win.
*The Ultimate Warrior & Andre the Giant d. "The Outlaw" Ron Bass & The One Man Gang w/Slick by Pinfall This tag match was initially supposed to be Andre teaming with Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake against Bass and Gang. However that changed when Ron Bass injured Beefcake, leading Andre to need a new partner. The surprise appearance of the Ultimate Warrior threw the heels for a loop, and Warrior and Andre easily bested The Outlaw and the Gang in a glorified squash match.
*The Honky Tonk Man w/Jimmy Hart d. "The Rock" Don Muraco by Pinfall After losing Billy Graham as his manager, Don Muraco was offered a contract by the Colonel Jimmy Hart, one he promptly refused. Muraco began feuding with the Honky Tonk Man shortly there after. In this match The Honky Tonk Man kept ducking out, keeping away from The Rock in a method of trying to keep the former IC Champion on edge. Eventually he did take control of the match, working over an injured arm of The Rock. Muraco powered back and actually gorilla pressed Honky Tonk Man over his head. Jimmy Hart came in with the Honky Tonk Man's guitar in an attempt to save his meal ticket, but Muraco dropped Honky and went after the Colonel. Honky then used the distraction to roll up Muraco from behind, getting a hand full of tights in the process and picking up the victory.
*Jake "The Snake" Roberts w/Cheryl Roberts d. "Ravishing" Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan by Pinfall to Win the WWF Intercontinental Title Intercontinental Champion Ravishing Rick Rude had taken to "inviting" women from the audience into the ring to receive romantic attentions from "a real man" during his matches. On one such occasion, the woman in question refused his advances, only for Rude to try and force himself on her. The woman was in actuality Cheryl Roberts, the wife of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, which drew the Master of the DDT out to attack the Intercontinental Champion, leading to this match. In what was a back and forth affair, both men were evenly matched. Early on in the contest, Bobby Heenan attempted to trip up Jake on an Irish Whip, but this was caught by the referee, who ordered Heenan sent to the back for the remainder of the match. The end came when the referee was knocked out, and Rick Rude used his workout bar to seemingly knockout the challenger. Cheryl Roberts then got on the ring apron, drawing the attention of the Ravishing One. Rude forced himself onto Roberts, kissing her much to her chagrin. But this led to her breaking away and slapping the taste right out of Rude's mouth. The Champ then turned around right into a DDT from Roberts. Jake got the cover and the referee came to in just enough time to record the three count, giving the Snake the Intercontinental Championship.
*Demolition [Ax & Smash] w/Mr. Fuji d. The Masked Avengers [The Blue Blazer & The Red Racer] by Pinfall Despite having lost the Tag Team Titles, Demolition had lost none of their effectiveness as a team. They easily dispatched the masked duo of The Blue Blazer and The Red Racer (Owen Hart & Terry Taylor) in near record time to resume their winning ways.
*Big Boss Man w/Virgil d. Koko B. Ware by Pinfall Ted DiBiase's resident security officer had been on a singles tear since losing to Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania, and had little difficulty with the Birdman Koko B. Ware, pinning him after a Spinning Bossman Slam.
*The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers [Jacques & Raymond Rougeau] w/Jimmy Hart d. The Hart Foundation [Bret "The Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart] by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles After being fired by The Hart Foundation at Wrestlemania, Jimmy Hart had made it his mission to undermine the careers of The Hitman and The Anvil whenever he could. To do this, he sought the help of The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, who turned heel and took on Jimmy as their manager. This tag title match saw The Foundation dominate the early going, and it appeared that they would relatively easily retain their titles. However an injury to The Hitman sidelined him for much of the match, allowing the Rougeaus to work over the Anvil. Bret eventually came back, making the tag to the Anvil, but Jimmy Hart interjected himself with the Megaphone, allowing Raymond to reverse an inside cradle and score the pinfall, winning the tag team titles.
*Dino Bravo w/Frenchy Martin d. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan by Pinfall Dino Bravo's attempts to prove himself as the World's Strongest Man by setting a new bench press record had been thwarted by Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who crashed the record setting ceremony and proved that the weights being used by Bravo were fake, leading to this confrontation. In a match of power vs power, Duggan surprisingly had the advantage throughout much of the match, with Bravo only able to gain the advantage through timely rakes to the eyes of Hacksaw. The end came as Duggan made a come back following a long nerve hold held by Bravo, hitting several clotheslines. Duggan attempted his three point stance clothesline, but was distracted by Frenchy Martin on the outside, hitting the manager with the move instead. This momentary distraction though allowed Dino to catch Duggan with his Side Suplex and pick up the pinfall victory.
*"Macho Man" Randy Savage w/Hulk Hogan & Miss Elizabeth d. Bad News Brown w/Bobby Heenan & Ted DiBiase by Pinfall to retain the WWF Championship After Ted DiBiase had failed to defeat Randy Savage to regain the WWF title, he put out a bounty on the champion that was answered by Bobby Heenan and his client, Bad News Brown. Brown attacked Savage on an episode of Primetime Wrestling, leaving him lying with the Ghetto Blaster kick. He then promised to sell the WWF title back to DiBiase if he defeated the Macho Man at Summerslam. The odds were against Savage, with Heenan, DiBiase and Virgil all at ringside for the match. However Savage evened the odds with the return of his Mega Powers partner Hulk Hogan (who had been out for several months filming No Holds Barred) at ringside. Brown used his judo background to keep the high flying champion grounded for much of the match, but Savage's grit and determination perservered. With Hogan keeping DiBiase and his goons at bay, Savage was able to eventually slam the challenger and pin him after a Top Rope Elbow drop, handing Brown his first pinfall loss in the WWF. After the match, Hogan celebrated with Savage and Elizabeth, though Savage cast a seemingly jealous eye towards the Hulkster when he lifted Elizabeth high into the air in a mimicry of Savage's Wrestlemania IV celebration.
Off-Camera Title Changes:
October 9: Sherri Martel d. Rockin' Robin by Pinfall to Win the WWF Women's Title
October 29: Strike Force [Tito Santana & Rick Martel] d. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers [Jacques & Raymond Rougeau] by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles |
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 3, 2022 15:08:57 GMT 1
Note: Big John Studd returns in October of 1988 as opposed to December. Also some women who may or may not have been full time competitors in the WWE will make sporadic appearances throughout the late 80s and into the mid 90s, as I plan on keeping the title viable without deactivations.
WWF Survivor Series November 24, 1988 Richfield Coliseum Richfield, OH
* The Vipers [Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Harley Race, Sam Houston & The Ultimate Warrior] d. The Rude Crew ["Ravishing" Rick Rude, King Haku, "Dangerous" Danny Davis & Big John Studd] w/Bobby Heenan & Jimmy Hart in a Survivor Series Match - King Haku d. Sam Houston by Pinfall - The Ultimate Warrior d. Big John Studd by Pinfall - Harley Race d. "Dangerous" Danny Davis by Pinfall - King Haku d. Harley Race by Pinfall - Jake "The Snake" Roberts was Disqualified for Refusing to Break a 5 Count from the Referee - The Ultimate Warrior d. "Ravishing" Rick Rude by Pinfall - The Ultimate Warrior d. King Haku by Pinfall Sole Survivor: The Ultimate Warrior
*The Destroyers [The Barbarian, The Warlord, Tito Santana & Rick Martel] d. The Wrecking Crew [Ax, Smash, Jacques Rougeau & Raymond Rougeau] w/Mr. Fuji & Jimmy Hart in a Survivor Series Match - The Warlord d. Demolition Ax by Pinfall - Demolition Smash Was Counted Out While Confronting Mr. Fuji for his actions that cost Ax - The Barbarian & The Warlord Were Counted Out While Checking On Mr. Fuji and Escorting him to the Back - Rick Martel d. Raymond Rougeau by Pinfall - Tito Santana d. Jacques Rougeau by Pinfall Sole Survivors: Tito Santana & Rick Martel
*The Outlaws ["The Outlaw" Ron Bass, Mr. Perfect, Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov] d. The Brawlers [Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Ken Patera, Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty] in a Survivor Series Match - Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake d. Boris Zhukov by Submission - "The Outlaw" Ron Bass d. Ken Patera by Pinfall - Marty Jannetty d. Nikolai Volkoff by Pinfall - "The Outlaw" Ron Bass & Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake Were Both Disqualified While Brawling With Each Other - Mr. Perfect d. Marty Jannetty by Pinfall - Mr. Perfect d. Shawn Michaels by Pinfall Sole Survivor: Mr. Perfect
*Team Sensation ["Sensational" Sherri Martel, Judy Martin, Leilani Kai & Black Venus] d. Team Rockin' [Rockin' Robin, Misty Blue, Donna Christianello & Heidi Lee Morgan] in a Survivor Series Match - Heidi Lee Morgan d. Leilani Kai by Pinfall - Black Venus d. Donna Christianello by Submission - Black Venus d. Heidi Lee Morgan by Pinfall - Misty Blue d. Judy Martin by Pinfall - "Sensational" Sherri Martel d. Misty Blue by Pinfall - Black Venus d. Rockin' Robin by Pinfall Sole Survivors: "Sensational" Sherri Martel & Black Venus
*The Mega Powers ["Macho Man" Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Hercules, Koko B. Ware, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & Andre the Giant] w/Miss Elizabeth d. The Mega Bucks ["The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, The Big Boss Man, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, One Man Gang, Bad News Brown, Dino Bravo & The Honky Tonk Man] w/Virgil, Bobby Heenan, Slick, Frenchy Martin & Jimmy Hart in a "Super" Survivor Series Match - Hercules d. Dino Bravo by Pinfall - Arn Anderson d. Koko B. Ware by Pinfall - The Big Boss Man d. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart by Pinfall - Bad News Brown d. Hercules by Pinfall - Hulk Hogan d. Tully Blanchard by Pinfall - Andre the Giant Was Counted Out Chasing After Bobby Heenan - One Man Gang d. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan by Pinfall - Bret "The Hitman" Hart d. Arn Anderson by Submission - Hulk Hogan d. One Man Gang by Pinfall - Bad News Brown d. Bret "The Hitman" Hart by Pinfall - "Macho Man" Randy Savage d. The Honky Tonk Man by Pinfall - Bad News Brown Was Disqualified After using a Steel Chair on the Macho Man - "Macho Man" Randy Savage d. The Big Boss Man by Pinfall - Hulk Hogan d. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase by Pinfall Sole Survivors: "Macho Man" Randy Savage & Hulk Hogan
Off-Camera Title Changes: November 26: "Ravishing" Rick Rude d. Jake "The Snake" Roberts in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match to Win the Intercontinental Title |
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 4, 2022 0:48:26 GMT 1
Note: Jimmy Snuka Returns at this Pay Per View. Also the British Bulldogs are not fired in this universe, and will exist as a team through this year at least.
WWF Royal RumbleJanuary 15, 1989The SummitHouston, TX*The Brainbusters [Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard] w/Bobby Heenan & The Hart Foundation [Bret "The Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart] Wrestled to a Time Limit Draw
These two teams had been feuding ever since just before Survivor Series, with each one attempting to gain an position to challenge for the World Tag Team Titles. The match was a technical master class, with neither team able to gain a permanent advantage over the other. In the end just as it appeared the Hart Foundation would pick up the victory, the 20 minute time limit expired, resulting in a draw.
*Rockin' Robin d. "Sensational" Sherri Martel w/Black Venus in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match to win the WWF Women's Title
In what was billed as the definitive end to their rivalry, Rockin' Robin challenged the Sensational Sherri for the Women's Title one final time. Sherri won the first fall with the help of her protege/bodyguard, Black Venus, but this caused the referee to send her to the back to keep things even. Robin scored the second fall with a backslide on the champion, but seemed spent afterwards. Martel couldn't put away the challenger though, and Robin eventually picked up the win with a bridging suplex to regain the Women's Title.
*Strike Force [Tito Santana & Rick Martel] d. The Powers of Pain [The Warlord & The Barbarian] w/Mr. Fuji by Pinfall to Retain the World Tag Team Titles
An interesting turn of events had occurred at Survivor Series, in which Mr. Fuji turned on his team of Demolition and allied himself with the previously babyface team of The Powers of Pain. Since then The Warlord and The Barbarian had thrived under the tutelage of the Devious One, and had earned a title shot at Strike Force. In the early going the Powers dominated the champions, and seemed poised to pick up the titles. However they were unable to put Martel away in a timely fashion, allowing Tito to come in on a hot tag and make a comeback. The Barbarian hit a hard shoulder block that stopped that comeback in its tracks, and put the champs back on their heels. However at that point, Demolition came down to ringside to go after Mr. Fuji. This distracted them long enough for Tito to rally hitting a Flying Forearm on The Barbarian and then rolling him up for the three count victory.
*King Haku w/Bobby Heenan d. Harley Race by Pinfall
Since being injured, Harley Race had "lost" the title of King of Wrestling to Haku within the Heenan Family. He had returned just before Survivor Series to reclaim his crown and cape from the former Islander. In a slow paced match, the veteran withstood several martial arts kicks from the self-professed king, even seemingly finishing him off with a belly-to-belly suplex. However Bobby Heenan attempted to get involved, which caused his former client to grab him by his jacket. After dropping Heenan with a right hand, Race turned around right into a savate kick from Haku, followed by a piledriver for the victory for the King.
*"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka d. "Dangerous" Danny Davis w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall
The Phenom of the World Wrestling Federation made his return after a nearly 4 year absence, making short work of "Dangerous" Danny Davis with an impressive Superfly Leap from the Top Rope.
*"Macho Man" Randy Savage w/Miss Elizabeth d. The One Man Gang w/Slick by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Championship
With a pending tag team showdown between The Mega Powers and the "Bad News Gang" team of One Man Gang and Bad News Brown, The Macho Man put his WWF Title on the line against the One Man Gang. The rough and tumble Gang tried to use his weight to his advantage, slowing down the pace of the match and keeping the champion grounded. However to the shock of everyone, Savage pulled through and actually managed to slam the 400 pounder in the center of the ring, before finishing him off with the Top Rope Elbow Drop to pick up the victory.
*Hulk Hogan Won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match
A star-studded field was on hand for the 3rd ever Royal Rumble match, which began with the Battle of the Bulldogs as Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid squared off against one another. Big men were the order of the day, as Andre the Giant, Big John Studd and Bad News Brown were all considered favorites going into the match. A surprisingly strong entry came from the undefeated Ultimate Warrior, who eliminated Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude, among others, before being eliminated by the strange bedfellows combination of Studd and Andre. One memorable moment occured when the Big Boss Man, having been abused by his employer Ted DiBiase since their loss at the Survivor Series, finally had enough and hurled the Million Dollar Man over the top rope to the delight of the crowd. Hulk Hogan entered the match at #24, eager to win and score a chance to regain the WWF title (despite this putting him at odds with his Mega Powers partner), and in the end the match came down to him and Andre. In a mirror of their clash at Wrestlemania III, Hogan slammed Andre to the mat and then clotheslined him out of the ring, surviving to the end and punching his ticket to Wrestlemania. As the match ended, Miss Elizabeth came down and celebrated with Hogan, while Savage watched on from the entryway with anger evident in his eyes.
Royal Rumble Entry/Exit Order (Two Minutes Between Entries)
1. The Dynamite Kid
2. Davey Boy Smith
3. Koko B. Ware
4. Jim Powers
5. Mr. Perfect
- Koko B. Ware Eliminated #1 by Mr. Perfect
6. Bushwhacker Butch
- Bushwhacker Butch Eliminated #2 by Davey Boy Smith
7. "The Outlaw" Ron Bass
- Jim Powers Eliminated #3 by The Dynamite Kid
8. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
- The Dynamite Kid Eliminated #4 by Mr. Perfect
9. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
10. Bushwhacker Luke
- "The Outlaw" Ron Bass Eliminated #5 by Jake "The Snake" Roberts
11. Marty Jannetty
12. Shawn Michaels
- Bushwhacker Luke Eliminated #6 by Mr. Perfect
13. "Ravishing" Rick Rude
- Davey Boy Smith Eliminated #7 by Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
14. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
- Marty Jannetty Eliminated #8 by "Ravishing" Rick Rude
15. Raymond Rougeau
16. The Big Boss Man
- Greg "The Hammer" Valentine Eliminated #9 by Jake "The Snake" Roberts
17. The Blue Blazer
- Raymond Rougeau Eliminated #10 by The Big Boss Man
18. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
- "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase Eliminated #11 by The Big Boss Man
- The Big Boss Man Eliminated #12 by "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
19. Andre the Giant
- Shawn Michaels Eliminated #13 by Andre the Giant
20. Jacques Rougeau
21. Big John Studd
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts Eliminated #14 by "Ravishing" Rick Rude
22. The Ultimate Warrior
- The Blue Blazer Eliminated #15 by The Ultimate Warrior
23. Terry Taylor
- "Ravishing" Rick Rude Eliminated #16 by The Ultimate Warrior
24. Hulk Hogan
- Mr. Perfect Eliminated #17 by Hulk Hogan
25. "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin
- The Ultimate Warrior Eliminated #18 by Andre the Giant
- Terry Taylor Eliminated #19 by Big John Studd
26. Dino Bravo
27. Bad News Brown
- Big John Studd Eliminated #20 by Bad News Brown
28. Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
- Jacques Rougeau Eliminated #21 by Hulk Hogan
29. Hercules
- "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan Eliminated #22 by Bad News Brown
- Bad News Brown Eliminated #23 by Andre the Giant
30. The Honky Tonk Man
- "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin Eliminated #24 by Dino Bravo
- Dino Bravo Eliminated #25 by "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin
- Hercules Eliminated #26 by The Honky Tonk Man
- Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake Eliminated #27 by Andre the Giant
- The Honky Tonk Man Eliminated #28 by Hulk Hogan
- Andre the Giant Eliminated #29 by Hulk Hogan
|
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 4, 2022 22:10:26 GMT 1
Note: Another change in location here, as Wrestlemania V moves from Atlantic City to Minneapolis and from a convention center to the Metrodome.
Wrestlemania V April 2, 1989 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodrome Minneapolis, MN
*"Rugged" Ronnie Garvin & The Hart Foundation [Bret "Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart] d. Dino Bravo & The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers [Jacques & Raymond Rougeau] w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall The continuing feud between The Hart Foundation and their former manager reaches its one year apex, also involving Ronnie Garvin for this six man tag opener. Everyone spent time cycling through the ring as the referee found it difficult to maintain control, though things did eventually settle down as Jimmy Hart's team isolated Garvin, keeping him away from the Hart Foundation. Eventually Garvin was able to power out of a double team attempt by the Rougeaus, and make the tag to the Hitman. The Foundation then took out the Rougeaus, as all six men brawled together, leading to the Hart's hitting Jacques with a Hart Attack to pick up the victory.
*Mr. Perfect d. Jake "The Snake" Roberts by Pinfall The undefeated Mr. Perfect made his Wrestlemania debut against the former Intercontinental Champion. Clearly the toughest challenge to date for Perfect, and he worked hard to avoid Jake's dreaded DDT finisher. In the end, to the surprise of many, Perfect was able to prevent Jake from applying the dreaded hold, instead locking Jake in his own Perfect-Plex and getting the pinfall, scoring the huge upset.
*The Rockers [Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty] d. The Demon Deacons [Terry Taylor & Jim Powers] w/Brother Love by Pinfall After being abused on his show by various babyface characters, Brother Love had announced himself as the manager of a new tag team called the Demon Deacons; former Young Stallion Jim Powers and the former Red Racer Terry Taylor. However the Deacons faced too tough a challenge in the form of the tag team specialist Rockers, who utilized quick tags and keeping a fresh man involved at all times to pick up the victory via a Rocket Launcher pin.
*Rockin' Robin d. Black Venus w/Sherri Martel by Disqualification to Retain the WWF Women's Title Since regaining the Women's Title at the Royal Rumble, Rockin' Robin had to fend off Sherri Martel's attempts to try and regain the belt herself. This latest challenge though came in the form of the Sensational One's protege, Black Venus, who had outmuscled the women's champion at every encounter. Their Wrestlemania match appeared like it would do the same thing, only for Robin to perservere and kick out whenever Venus attempted a pinfall. Robin eventually came back and hit a huge top rope superplex, but that brought in Sensational Sherri who saved her protege from being pinned, resulting in a disqualification loss instead.
*The Brainbusters [Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard] w/Bobby Heenan d. Strike Force [Tito Santana & Rick Martel] by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles Having finally bested The Hart Foundation on Saturday Night's Main Event (albeit with help from The Rougeau Brothers), The Brainbusters were granted the next shot at World Tag Team Champions Strike Force. And the team of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard made the most of their shot, besting the Super Team throughout much of the match, and specifically working over the arm of Rick Martel. The end came after Tito made the hot tag to Martel and came in like a house of fire, clearing out the challengers. However with Martel hurt, it was an effective 2 on 1 advantage for the Brainbusters, who with a little timely distraction from Bobby Heenan, were able to catch Tito and hit him with their Spike Piledriver to pick up the victory and win the titles.
*The Big Boss Man d. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase w/Virgil by Pinfall For months leading into the Royal Rumble (specifically since Survivor Series), Ted DiBiase had been berating his head of security The Big Boss Man and giving him more and more demeaning tasks for him to do. Things came to a head in the Rumble match when the Boss Man, tired of taking DiBiase's orders, through the Million Dollar Man out of the match. DiBiase said he would sue Boss Man for everything he was worth, pointing out that Boss Man had only agreed to work for him to "help out his sick mother." Eventually a match was made by WWF President Jack Tunney in which Boss Man would face DiBiase for his own freedom. The former WWF Champion certainly outwrestled his former employee, as the Lawman was clearly distracted by his anger over DiBiase. However Boss Man fought back and prevented DiBiase from locking in the Million Dollar Dream and eventually caused DiBiase to cower away, turning away DiBiase's offer of money. Virgil tried to get involved, but received a boot to the face, before Boss Man caught DiBiase coming in with his Spinning Slam and pinned him, earning his freedom.
*Big John Studd & Andre the Giant d. The Bad News Gang [Bad News Brown & One Man Gang] w/Slick by Disqualification To the surprise of many, former bitter rivals Big John Studd and Andre the Giant had formed an effective tag team once Studd had been kicked out of the Heenan Family in December (largely due to Studd refusing to team with Bad News Brown, as he viewed the man with no respect). With Brown's contract on loan to Slick, Brown and the One Man Gang formed the "Bad News Gang" in order to take on the World's Largest Tag Team. The match itself was a slow plodding affair that the referee couldn't maintain control of. The match ended with Brown hitting the Ghetto Blaster on Studd and then attacking Andre with a steel chain, resulting in a DQ. Andre came to Studd's aid though and chased off the One Man Gang and Bad News, allowing the two giants to stand tall in the end.
*Demolition [Ax & Smash] d. The Powers of Pain [The Barbarian & The Warlord] & Mr. Fuji by Pinfall in a Handicap Match The issue between Demolition and The Powers of Pain finally came to a head in this handicap match, as Ax and Smash agreed to take on The Warlord and The Barbarian with Mr. Fuji as their third partner in a handicap match. The extra advantage for the heels came in handy in the early going, as the Devious One was able to use his presence to distract his former team into making early mistakes, isolating Smash from his partner. Eventually Ax made the hot tag and the two took out both The Barbarian and The Warlord, leaving Mr. Fuji alone with them. After beating him down briefly, they hit the Demolition Decapitation on him to pick up the win.
*The Ultimate Warrior d. "Ravishing" Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan by Pinfall to Win the WWF Intercontinental Title After being eliminated by The Ultimate Warrior at the Royal Rumble, Rick Rude had faced the undefeated superstar in February, becoming the first man to hand the Warrior a pinfall loss (albeit with help from Bobby Heenan). Due to The Brain's interference, WWF President granted the Warrior a rematch, with Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett standing guard on the outside to ensure that The Brain didn't get involved. Without Heenan's help, Rude wasn't able to withstand the Warrior's offense fully, and Warrior finally pinned him with his Gorilla Press Slam, winning the Intercontinental Title.
*"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka d. The Honky Tonk Man w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall The Honky Tonk Man had taken exception to the Superfly "interrupting" one of his concerts, so much so that he smashed his guitar over the Phenom's head. In this short match, Snuka didn't waste any time going right after the Honky Tonk Man, hitting him with several chops before hitting a Superfly Leap to get the pinfall.
*Hulk Hogan d. "Macho Man" Randy Savage by Pinfall to Win the WWF Championship The tension between the Mega Powers, which had been building over Miss Elizabeth's "friendship" with Hogan, finally exploded on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, where Hogan had abandoned Savage during a tag match with the Bad News Gang in order to tend to an injured Elizabeth. This led to Savage attacking him backstage after the match. With Miss Elizabeth standing in a neutral corner for the match, Hogan and Savage fought for the WWF Title. It was an even match, with the high flying champion more than a match for Hogan's standard offense. At one point it even looked like Savage had beaten the challenger, after hitting a top rope elbow drop. However Hogan got his shoulder up just before the three count, which Savage argued with the referee. The Macho Man tried a second elbow, only for Hogan to roll out of the way. Hogan then hulked up and hit his Leg Drop, which shockingly only got a 2 count. Hogan hit a second leg drop on Savage following another big boot, which finally got the three count, and made the Hulkster the first ever three time WWF Champion as he celebrated to close the show. |
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 6, 2022 2:47:24 GMT 1
WWF Summerslam August 28, 1989 The Meadowlands East Rutherford, NJ
*Mr. Perfect w/The Genius d. Koko B. Ware by Pinfall The undefeated Mr. Perfect, now armed with a new manager in The Genius, continued his winning ways by defeating The Birdman Koko B. Ware with a Perfect-Plex.
*One Man Gang & The Demon Deacons [Terry Taylor & Jim Powers] w/Slick & Brother Love d. Andre the Giant & The Bushwhackers [Bushwhacker Luke & Bushwhacker Butch] by Pinfall The feud between Andre the Giant and the One Man Gang finally came to an end with this six man tag match (mostly from a backstage reason, as Andre's physical condition was quickly deteriorating to the point he could barely make it to the ring on his own.) In this match, the Deacons and the Bushwhackers performed more of the match, with Andre and the Gang only getting involved sparingly. In the end, the Gang did manage to catch the Bushwhackers with a blind tag, hitting a powerslam on Luke to pick up the pinfall victory.
*The Big Boss Man d. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall The WWF's resident lawman had begun feuding with the former IC Champion shortly after Wrestlemania, when Valentine attacked the Boss Man with his own night stick, targeting the knee. He continued this trend, trying to cripple the Boss Man with the Figure-4 leglock. Bossman was able to reverse the hold though, and eventually hit The Hammer with his spinning slam to pick up the victory.
*"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes d. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase w/Virgil by Countout (DiBiase Retains the Million Dollar Title) Shortly after Wrestlemania, frustrated with his inability to regain the WWF Title, The Million Dollar Man commissioned the creation of his own title in the Million Dollar Championship. Though the title wasn't sanctioned by the WWF, DiBiase would offer it up to anyone who could defeat him in a match. He then began a feud with the Common Man, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, who actually managed to defeat DiBiase in his debut match, seemingly winning the title, only for Virgil to steal it back and walk out. This led to WWF President Jack Tunney sanctioning a bout for the belt officially at Summerslam. In the match, The American Dream was able to withstand all of DiBiase's technical based offense, and seemingly was on his way to winning the belt again, when DiBiase bailed on the match, getting himself intentionally counted out in order to keep his title.
*The Rockers [Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty] d. The Powers of Pain [The Warlord & The Barbarian] w/Mr. Fuji by Disqualification The tag team specialists The Rockers were seemingly outclassed by The Powers of Pain, who used their strength to dominate the match. However the Powers eventually were out manuevered by the speed of the Rockers, who used a hit and run style to get back in the match. They appeared to be ready to score another upset, when Mr. Fuji decided to get involved, throwing salt in the eyes of Shawn Michaels. However the referee saw the after effects and disqualified the Powers of Pain, awarding the match to The Rockers.
*The Ultimate Warrior d. Dino Bravo w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Intercontinental Title Canada's Strongest Man had targeted the Intercontinental Champion since the Warrior had won the title back at Wrestlemania. Bravo had claimed that he could out muscle the champion, challenging him to a bench press competition. When Warrior easily benched what Bravo struggled to lift, Dino attacked and caused the weight bar to fall on him, injuring his ribs in the process. Bravo took advantage of this in their title match, working over the back and ribs of the champion with several hard slams and a lengthy Bear Hug. Warrior fought through the pain though, and despite his inability to hit his Gorilla Press, the Warrior hit several clotheslines and a high flying shoulder tackle followed by a big splash to pink the strongman and retain the title.
*"Ravishing" Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan & "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Wrestled to a Double Countout Roddy Piper had returned from a two year hiatus shortly after Wrestlemania V, hosting his Piper's Pit segment regularly on WWF Superstars. One such segment saw him interview former Intercontinental Champion Rick Rude, and the two began trading insults with one another, leading to a brawl on the set. This brawling would continue in the actual match between the two, with Rude and Piper eventually fighting to the outside and continuing to brawl through the crowd, resulting in a double countout.
*The Brain Busters [Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard] w/Bobby Heenan d. Demolition [Ax & Smash] & The Hart Foundation [Bret "The Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart] in a Triangle Match to Retain the WWF Tag Team Titles After The Brain Busters had defeated Demolition and The Hart Foundation in successive matches under rather dubious means, WWF President Jack Tunney made a first ever Triangle Match for the World Tag Team Titles, taking away the Championship Advantage by making it so that the champions didn't have to be involved in the decision to lose the titles. The match quickly descended into chaos, with all six men fighting amongst themselves. The end came when Arn Anderson made a blind tag to his partner Blanchard, making himself the legal man. Smash and Ax nailed Blanchard with the Decapitation, with Smash trying to pin him, only for the referee to point out Blanchard wasn't legal. With the Harts taking Ax out of the equation, Anderson came in and hit a spinebuster on Smash and scored the quick pinfall to retain the titles.
*Bad News Brown w/Slick d. "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka by Pinfall In a relatively quick match, Bad News Brown defeated Superfly with the Ghetto Blaster.
*Hulk Hogan w/Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake & Miss Elizabeth d. "Macho Man" Randy Savage w/Zeus & "Sensational" Sherri Martel by Escaping the Steel Cage to Retain the WWF Championship After losing the WWF Title, the Macho Man removed Miss Elizabeth as his manager, instead becoming associated with former Women's Champion the Sensational Sherri. He also aligned himself with newcomer Zeus, who was the character that Hogan had fought and beat in the No Holds Barred movie, all in an effort to defeat Hogan for the title. With this match in a Steel Cage, all the entourages (as Hogan had brought his friend Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake out to the ring) were effectively neutralized. Their steel cage match was just as even as their Wrestlemania match, with both men trying to get out of the cage as quickly as possible. Eventually Hogan hit his Leg Drop and Beefcake was able to distract Zeus long enough for Hogan to escape through the door and retain his title.
Off-Camera Title Changes:
*October 14, 1989: Demolition d. The Brain Busters by Pinfall to Win the WWF Tag Team Titles |
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 6, 2022 11:15:09 GMT 1
Note: As previously stated, some women's stars from other companies will show up to keep the division going into the early to mid 90s, on occasion. Case in point, Akira Hokuto being imported from Japan to win the title here. Both Tully Blanchard and Barry Windham are present for this show, as opposed to IRL.
WWF Survivor SeriesNovember 23, 1989Rosemont HorizonRosemont, IL*The Warriors [The Ultimate Warrior, The Big Boss Man, Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty] d. Jimmy Hart's All Stars [Dino Bravo, Earthquake, The Honky Tonk Man & Raymond Rougeau] w/Jimmy Hart in a Survivor Series Match
- Shawn Michaels d. Raymond Rougeau by Pinfall
- Earthquake & The Big Boss Man Wrestled to a Double Countout
- Dino Bravo d. Marty Jannetty by Pinfall
- The Ultimate Warrior d. The Honky Tonk Man by Pinfall
- The Ultimate Warrior d. Dino Bravo by Pinfall
Survivors: The Ultimate Warrior & Shawn Michaels
*The Demolishers [Ax, Smash, Bret "The Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart] d. The Devious Ones [Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, The Warlord & The Barbarian] w/Mr. Fuji in a Survivor Series Match
- Bret "The Hitman" Hart d. Tully Blanchard by Submission
- Smash d. The Warlord by Pinfall
- Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart d. The Barbarian by Pinfall
- Smash d. Arn Anderson by Pinfall
Survivors: Ax, Smash, Bret "The Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
*The Million Dollar Team ["The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, "Widowmaker" Barry Windham, Terry Taylor & Jim Powers] w/Brother Love d. The Dream Team ["The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Bushwhacker Luke & Bushwhacker Butch] w/Sapphire in a Survivor Series Match
- "Widowmaker" Barry Windham d. Bushwhacker Butch by Pinfall
- "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase d. Bushwhacker Luke by Pinfall
- "Widowmaker" Barry Windham was Counted Out
- "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes d. Jim Powers by Pinfall
- "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan d. Terry Taylor by Pinfall
- "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes was Disqualified
- "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase d. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan by Pinfall
Sole Survivor: "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
*"The Empress" Akira Hokuto w/Mr. Fuji d. Rockin' Robin by Pinfall to Win the WWF Women's Title
In an effort to achieve championship gold once again, Mr. Fuji brought in the fearsome "Empress of the East" Akira Hokuto to challenge for the WWF Women's Title. In a surprisingly one-sided match, The Empress easily took down the champion, finishing her with a big splash to win the title.
*Simply Ravishing ["Ravishing" Rick Rude, Haku, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine & The Dynamite Kid] w/Bobby Heenan & Jimmy Hart d. Rowdy's Roddies ["Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Koko B. Ware, Davey Boy Smith & "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin] in a Survivor Series Match
- Davey Boy Smith & The Dynamite Kid Wrestled to a Double Countout
- "Ravishing" Rick Rude d. Koko B. Ware by Pinfall
- "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin d. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine by Pinfall
- Haku d. "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin by Pinfall
- "Ravishing" Rick Rude d. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper by Pinfall
Survivors: "Ravishing" Rick Rude & Haku
*The Hulkamaniacs [Hulk Hogan, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Hercules, Tito Santana & Andre the Giant] d. The King's Court ["Macho King" Randy Savage, Zeus, One Man Gang, Bad News Brown, Mr. Perfect & Jacques Rougeau] w/Sensational Queen Sherri, Slick, The Genius & Jimmy Hart in a Survivor Series Match
- Bad News Brown d. Hercules by Pinfall
- Andre the Giant was Counted Out
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts d. Jacques Rougeau by Pinfall
- Hulk Hogan d. One Man Gang by Pinfall
- "Macho King" Randy Savage d. Tito Santana by Pinfall
- Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake d. Bad News Brown by Submission
- Mr. Perfect d. Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake by Pinfall
- Mr. Perfect Was Counted Out
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts d. Zeus by Pinfall
- Hulk Hogan d. "Macho King" Randy Savage by Pinfall
Survivors: Hulk Hogan & Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Off Camera Title Changes
*December 9, 1989: The Canadian Connection [Dino Bravo & Earthquake] d. Demolition by Pinfall to Win the Tag Team Titles
*December 29, 1989: Mr. Perfect d. The Ultimate Warrior by Pinfall to Win the Intercontinental Title |
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 6, 2022 20:03:00 GMT 1
Note: Three things of note. First, we are skipping the "No Holds Barred The Movie/The Match" event, as it only had one match on the card anyway. Just consider the match (Savage/Zeus vs. Hogan/Beefcake) as having happened at some point in December and move on.
Secondly, IRL the WWF was about a month away from co-promoting a Super Show with New Japan and All Japan Pro Wrestling in Tokyo. As such, I have decided to keep this in tact and indulge in a bit of a dream match to add to here. Assume that the super show would have been available on American Pay Per View, and this match is an advertisement for it (though I will not be booking said show in these recaps.)
Third, as the AWA was close to dead by this point, Sgt. Slaughter is signed away and debuts on this show.
WWF Royal Rumble January 21, 1990 Orlando Arena Orlando, FL
*The Orient Express (Sato & Tanaka) w/Mr. Fuji & Brother Love d. The Demon Deacons (Terry Taylor & Jim Powers) by Pinfall After months of failure with Brother Love as their manager, The Demon Deacons finally grew tired of him and fired him on an episode of WWF Superstars. This led Brother Love to seek revenge, bringing in Mr. Fuji's newest clients, The Orient Express, to attack Taylor and Powers. Despite the Deacons being the larger two athletes, Sato and Tanaka wore them down with quick tags and martial arts moves to throw off Taylor and Powers. A distraction at the end came when Brother Love snuck into the ring in an attempt to hit Taylor, only to be caught by he and his partner. As Brother Love was pleading to be spared, Taylor was dropkicked from behind by Tanaka, while Powers got whacked in the back of the head with Mr. Fuji's cane from Sato. They revived the referee and got the three count for an impressive, albeit tainted, Pay Per View debut.
*Davey Boy Smith d. The Dynamite Kid w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall The Dynamite Kid had shocked everybody when he became Rick Rude's mystery Survivor Series partner. He cited dissatisfaction with the inability of the British Bulldogs to regain the tag team titles, and said he would break out of Davey Boy's shadow. In this highly personal match, both men clearly knew the other extremely well, and neither man was able to gain an advantage for long. The end came when Dynamite went for a diving headbutt, only for Davey Boy to roll out of the way. Davey Boy then tried his running powerslam, only for Dynamite to counter into a crucifix pin. Davey Boy kicked out of that into a modified slam followed by a jackknife pin cover to score the three count. After the match though, Dynamite attacked Davey Boy with Jimmy Hart's Mega Phone, proving that this feud wasn't over.
*Tiger Mask d. The Blue Blazer by Pinfall In order to promote the upcoming big event between stars of the WWF, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling, a special exhibition was held between AJPW's Tiger Mask and the WWF's Blue Blazer. In what was a thrilling, high flying affair, Tiger Mask eventually pinned the Blazer with a Tiger Bomb. After the match, both men shook the other's hand as a sign of respect.
*The Canadian Connection [Dino Bravo & Earthquake] w/Jimmy Hart d. Strike Force [Tito Santana & Rick Martel] by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Tag Team Titles The team of Strike Force had reunited (having been on hiatus due to injuries sustained by Martel) to take on the new tag team champions of Dino Bravo and Earthquake. Throughout the match The Canadian Connection isolated Tito and worked him over, preventing Martel from getting in the match. When Santana finally hit a Flying Forearm that knocked down Bravo, he tried to make the hot tag to Martel, only for Rick to ignore him, turn his back and walk out on his partner. This let Earthquake back into the match who finished off Santana with his Sitdown Splash to retain the titles.
*Hulk Hogan d. Mr. Perfect w/The Genius by Pinfall to Retain the WWF Championship (Perfect's IC Title Was Not On the Line) Mr. Perfect had been granted a WWF Championship match on account of his long unpinned streak in the Federation up to that point. Things were made even more interesting when Perfect (with help from his manager The Genius) defeated The Ultimate Warrior to become the new Intercontinental Champion. WWF President Jack Tunney ruled that since the contract between Hogan & Perfect was signed before Perfect became IC Champion, only Hogan's title would be on the line. Mr. Perfect provided a unique challenge to the Hulkster, slowing down the match and using a technical style as opposed to a power based one. Though The Genius was ejected by the referee early on, Perfect controlled much of the match. However, he failed to hook Hogan into his Perfect-Plex finisher, as the champion was able to power out of the move. Hogan eventually hit his own flurry of offense and concluded with the dreaded Leg Drop to score the first pinfall victory over Mr. Perfect in the WWF.
*The Ultimate Warrior Won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match With a star studded field (including former winners Andre the Giant and Randy Savage), this Rumble match proved to be one of the more entertaining ones. The Honky Tonk Man started the field and lasted nearly an hour in the match, before finally being tossed out near the end. In the end the match came down to Ted DiBiase (who had been shown backstage finagling deals to buy a better number, which was proven when he came out to number 30) and The Ultimate Warrior, who had been exhausted by being #12 in the match. DiBiase locked in the Million Dollar Dream to try and put Warrior to sleep, but Warrior powered out of the move and eventually clotheslined the Million Dollar Man out of the ring to win the Rumble match. As the Warrior celebrated, he was confronted by WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, as the two stared each other down in a preview of the Ultimate Challenge of Wrestlemania VI to close the show.
Royal Rumble Entry/Exit Order (2:00 Between Entries)
1. The Honky Tonk Man
2. Shawn Michaels
3. "Widowmaker" Barry Windham
4. Marty Jannetty
5. Koko B. Ware
6. One Man Gang
- Marty Jannetty Eliminated #1 by One Man Gang
7. Andre the Giant
- "Widowmaker" Barry Windham Eliminated #2 by Andre the Giant
8. Demolition Ax
- Andre the Giant Eliminated #3 by One Man Gang
9. Hercules
- One Man Gang Eliminated #4 by Hercules
- Koko B. Ware Eliminated #5 by The Honky Tonk Man
10. "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin
11. Demolition Smash
12. The Ultimate Warrior
- Demolition Ax Eliminated #6 by The Ultimate Warrior
- Demolition Smash Eliminated #7 by The Ultimate Warrior
13. Haku
14. "Macho King" Randy Savage
- Shawn Michaels Eliminated #8 by "Macho King" Randy Savage
15. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
16. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
- "Rugged" Ronnie Garvin Eliminated #9 by Hercules
17. "Ravishing" Rick Rude
- Hercules Eliminated #10 by "Macho King" Randy Savage
18. The Big Boss Man
19. "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes
- "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Eliminated #11 by "Ravishing" Rick Rude
20. Jake "The Snake" Roberts
- Haku Eliminated #12 by The Big Boss Man
- "Macho King" Randy Savage Eliminated #13 by "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes
21. "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
- "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes Eliminated #14 by "Ravishing" Rick Rude
22. The Warlord
- The Warlord Eliminated #15 by The Ultimate Warrior
23. Bret "The Hitman" Hart
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts Eliminated #16 by "Ravishing" Rick Rude
24. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
25. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
- Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart Eliminated #17 by The Ultimate Warrior
26. Bad News Brown
- The Big Boss Man Eliminated #18 by Bad News Brown
27. Nikolai Volkoff
- "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka Eliminated #19 by Bad News Brown
28. Sgt. Slaughter
- "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan Eliminated #20 by The Honky Tonk Man
- The Honky Tonk Man Eliminated #21 by The Ultimate Warrior
29. The Barbarian
- Bad News Brown Eliminated #22 by The Ultimate Warrior
30. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
- Greg "The Hammer" Valentine Eliminated #23 by Bret "The Hitman" Hart
- Nikolai Volkoff Eliminated #24 by Sgt. Slaughter
- The Barbarian Eliminated #25 by Bret "The Hitman" Hart
- Sgt. Slaughter Eliminated #26 by "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
- Bret "The Hitman" Hart Eliminated #27 by "Ravishing" Rick Rude
- "Ravishing" Rick Rude Eliminated #28 by The Ultimate Warrior
- "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase Eliminated #29 by The Ultimate Warrior
|
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 8, 2022 0:21:21 GMT 1
WWF Wrestlemania VI April 1, 1990 Skydome Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*The Honky Tonk Man w/Jimmy Hart & Greg "The Hammer" Valentine d. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan by Pinfall The Honky Tonk Man made a special entrance into the Skydome, riding in a pink cadillac with his new tag partner Greg Valentine as well as a "Gold Record" for his new "single." Hacksaw didn't care about this though, attacking Honky right as the bell rang and going after him with reckless abandon. Honky Tonk bailed out of the ring repeatedly in an attempt to catch his breath, eventually catching Duggan as he dived back in the ring after chasing Valentine around it. Duggan regained the advantage quickly at that point and set up the Three Point Stance Clothesline, only for Jimmy Hart to distract him. Valentine then slipped the gold record to Honky Tonk while Duggan was distracted, which Honky then smashed over his head, knocking him out. Once the ref turned around, he counted the three.
*"The Model" Rick Martel d. Tito Santana by Pinfall Rick Martel had abandoned Tito Santana in the tag title match at the Royal Rumble, stating that he was far better than his Strike Force counterpart. He had also adopted a new gimmick of a fashion model. Tito came into the match as a house of fire, quickly attacking Martel with everything he had. The Model withstood the onslaught and eventually caught Tito with a low blow behind the ref's back, which ended his rally. Tito did mount a comeback, but Martel eventually ducked a Flying Forearm and then rolled up his former tag partner while holding the tights to pick up the win.
*Sgt. Slaughter & Demolition [Ax & Smash] d. One Man Gang & The Bolsheviks [Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov] w/Slick by Pinfall Demolition was initially supposed to team with Andre the Giant, who couldn't compete due to back injuries. His replacement was Sgt. Slaughter, who easily wore down the One Man Gang over the course of the match. In a fairly standard contest, the trio won after Demolition hit the Decapitation on Zhukov.
*"Ravishing" Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan d. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper by Pinfall The lengthy issue between Rick Rude and Roddy Piper finally came to a head in this Wrestlemania encounter. For everything that Rude tried to throw at Piper, the Hot Rod had a counter, and it looked like Piper would finish Rude after everything. Bobby Heenan attempted to get involved though, only to get smacked down by Piper. This momentary distraction allowed Rude to hit the Rude Awakening and get the pinfall to get out of Skydome with a win.
*"The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith d. "Terrific" Terry Taylor w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall This match was originally supposed to be a continuation of the feud between Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid. However an injury to Dynamite (combined with his eventual leaving of the WWF) led to Terry Taylor (a former member of the Demon Deacons) to be inserted as a substitute. Taylor was no match for the remaining Bulldog though, as Davey Boy put him under with a Running Powerslam in relatively quick fashion.
*The Orient Express [Sato & Tanaka] w/Mr. Fuji d. The Rockers [Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty] by Pinfall These two high flying tag teams had a high energetic matchup that sadly was undermined by the outside interference of Mr. Fuji, when he threw salt in the eyes of Shawn Michaels. This allowed Sato and Tanaka to double team Jannetty, and they finished him off with a double superkick to the jaw.
*The Hart Foundation [Bret "The Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart] d. The Canadian Connection [Dino Bravo & Earthquake] w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles The seemingly never ending grudge between the Hart Foundation and their former manager continued as the Hart Foundation challenged The Canadian Connection for the tag team titles. Bravo and Earthquake had been nearly unstoppable for their entire run as a team, and they showed little signs of slowing down as they worked over the Hitman for much of the match. Eventually Bret got the tag to the Anvil who came in and was able to overpower Bravo, but not the Earthquake. As Earthquake set up for his sitdown splash, Bret came in and cut him off, dropkicking him into the ropes and causing him to get tied up. This allowed the Hart Foundation enough time to hit the Hart Attack on Dino Bravo (who was technically the legal man) and get the pinfall in order to win the match and the belts for a third time.
*"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase w/Virgil d. Jake "The Snake" Roberts by Countout to Retain the Million Dollar Championship Jake Roberts had defeated Ted DiBiase in a match that was ostensibly for the Million Dollar Championship on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event. However the title belt was purloined by Virgil after the match, preventing Roberts from claiming it. WWF President Jack Tunney ordered DiBiase to hand over the belt, but at the ceremony where this happened, DiBiase "exercised a rematch clause" to begin an immediate title defense on the Brother Love show, utilizing Virgil to attack the Snake and "pin" the new champion to regain the title, leading to this third and final showdown. Like their previous real match, it was an evenly paced affair, with a slow a methodical pace from both men. The end came when Virgil attempted to interfere on his employers behalf, only for The Snake to catch him on the outside and then DDT him on the floor. DiBiase then belted Roberts with the title belt behind the referee's back as he tended to Virgil, knocking him out on the floor. He got back in the ring and got the referee to count The Snake out, giving DiBiase the win and officially giving him his title back.
*Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake d. Mr. Perfect w/The Genius by Disqualification (Perfect Retains the IC Title) This feud had begun after a Hair vs. Hair match between Brutus Beefcake and The Genius went awry. The Barber rather easily bested The Genius, but before he could sheer away his locks, Mr. Perfect interceded and smashed The Barber in the face with the Intercontinental Title Belt. In this title match, Perfect played his usual technical approach, but Beefcake adopted the same strategy Hogan had used at the Rumble. The end came when Perfect was slingshotted into the ring post, causing Beefcake to slap the Sleeper Hold on him. It looked as if Perfect would fade away, but The Genius ran into the ring and smacked Beefcake with his ever present metal scroll, causing the DQ victory but keeping the title on Mr. Perfect. Beefcake no sold the move and then slapped the Sleeper on The Genius while Perfect bailed with his title belt. Despite not winning the championship, Beefcake did celebrate by finally shaving off some of The Genius' hair to the delight of the crowd.
*"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes & Sapphire d. "Macho King" Randy Savage & "Sensational" Queen Sherri by Pinfall The issue between Rhodes and Savage had begun as a result of The American Dream eliminating the Macho King from the Royal Rumble. It had expanded to include the two valets of the superstars, Sapphire and the Sensational Queen Sherri Martel. In this first ever Mixed Tag Match, the men could only fight the men and the women could only fight the women. The match was mostly down to Savage and Rhodes, with Sherri and Sapphire only getting moments to scuffle with each other in the match. The end came when Sherri attempted to use a loaded purse on Rhodes after the referee got knocked down, only for Sapphire to come in, steal the purse and KO Sherri with it. Savage grabbed Sapphire by the hair for hitting Sherri, but Rhodes countered and knocked Savage out with a Bionic Elbow, before following up with a jumping elbow drop as the referee came to, picking up the victory for his team.
*The Big Boss Man d. Bad News Brown w/Slick by Pinfall In a surprisingly short match, The Big Boss Man defeated Bad News Brown with a Spinning Slam. After the match, Bad News argued with Slick and drilled him with the Ghetto Blaster, firing him as his manager.
*The Ultimate Warrior d. Hulk Hogan by Pinfall to Win the WWF Championship In a match billed as The Ultimate Challenge, Hogan and the Warrior met in a titanic clash. Each man matched the other pound for pound and move for move, with a lengthy test of strength coming to a dead heat. After 20 minutes, both men were exhausted as they threw right hands at each other, with neither man going down. Eventually Warrior hit a running shoulder tackle at Hogan, before hitting his Gorilla Press Slam. Hogan however hulked up quickly and began fighting back with adrenaline. He hit the big boot and went for the leg drop, only for Warrior to move out of the way. Warrior then hit his big splash and got the pin, with Hogan kicking out right after three. Warrior celebrated, with Hogan handing him the title in a passing of the torch moment, as the crowd cheered the Warrior's victory and the dawning of a seeming new era.
Off-Camera Title Changes
July 7: Demolition d. The Hart Foundation by Pinfall to Win the Tag Team Titles
July 28: Heidi Lee Morgan d. "Empress" Akira Hokuto by Pinfall to Win the Women's Title |
|
|
|
Post by darbicus on Oct 9, 2022 0:38:42 GMT 1
Note: Abdullah the Butcher is being brought in briefly to be an ally of Iraqi turncoat Sgt. Slaughter.
WWF Summerslam August 27, 1990 The Spectrum Philadelphia, PA
*Tito Santana & The Rockers [Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty] d. "The Model" Rick Martel & The Orient Express [Sato & Tanaka] w/Mr. Fuji by Pinfall This match saw the continuation of two feuds from Wrestlemania, as Tito looked for revenge on his former Strike Force partner Rick Martel and The Rockers sought revenge against The Orient Express. Michaels was hampered in this match due to a knee injury, leaving it a 3 on 2 match for much of its length. The Orient Express did most of the work on Jannetty, with Martel only sparingly getting involved (and fleeing whenever Tito was in the ring). Eventually Tito made the hot tag and took out the Express, leaving he and The Model. Tito was a house of fire in the end and, while the resurgent Michaels and Jannetty kept the Express at bay, Tito was able to hit the Flying Forearm to pick up the victory and a measure of revenge.
*Sgt. Slaughter & Col. Abdullah w/General Adnan d. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & Nikolai Volkoff by Pinfall Sgt. Slaughter had done the unthinkable and turned his back on his country, citing America as having "gone soft" in the face of the ending of the Cold War. This was exemplified by his hatred of patriot Hacksaw Jim Duggan for embracing his former enemy, Nikolai Volkoff. Slaughter instead had turned into an "Iraqi Sympathizer." For this match, he partnered not only with his new "commanding officer" General Adnan, but a new recruit from Baghdad named Col. Abdullah (played by Abdullah the Butcher). The two made an effective, if cheating duo, defeating Nikolai and Duggan in a fairly standard tag match that Slaughter won after hitting a belly to back suplex on Volkoff. After the match, he humiliated Duggan by locking him in a Camel Clutch, leaving him lying on the ground.
*"The Texas Tornado" Kerry Von Erich d. The Warlord w/Slick by Pinfall This match was initially supposed to be between The Warlord and Brutus Beefcake, but a parasailing accident (played off as an injury at a live event) saw Beefcake taken out of action. Thus newcomer The Texas Tornado was The Warlord's replacement opponent. And despite the short notice, Von Erich was more than a match for the former Power of Pain, as he rather easily defeated the previous unbeaten Warlord with a spinning Discus Punch that knocked him out.
*Rhythm & Blues [The Honky Tonk Man & Greg "The Hammer" Valentine] w/Jimmy Hart d. The Bushwhackers [Luke & Butch] by Pinfall The relatively newly formed tag team of the Honky Tonk Man and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine had been on a bit of a winning streak, though they had recently been feuding with Luke and Butch The Bushwhackers. In a simple match, Valentine scored the win over Butch after hitting him with Jimmy Hart's Megaphone while the referee was distracted.
*Mr. Perfect w/Bobby Heenan d. The Big Boss Man by Pinfall to Retain the Intercontinental Title After The Genius had his locks cut by The Barber at Wrestlemania, Mr. Perfect broke ties with his former manager and instead hired Bobby Heenan to guide his career going forward. Simultaneously, Bobby Heenan had begun insulting The Big Boss Man's mother on commentary on WWF Primetime Wrestling and WWF Superstars. This led to the Boss Man running roughshod through much of the Heenan Family, leading to this Intercontinental Title match. For much of the early match it looked like the Boss Man would finally stop Mr. Perfect's run with the title, but he was distracted by Bobby Heenan at ringside, allowing Perfect to chop block him from behind, injuring his knee. Perfect then worked over the knee, applying the Figure-4 Leglock to try and injure it further. The Boss Man was eventually able to fight back and hit several clotheslines, but when he tried to hit his Spinning Slam, his knee gave out and Perfect reversed the move into an Armbreaker. He then hit the Perfect-Plex to pick up the victory.
*The Hart Foundation [Bret "The Hitman" Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart] d. Demolition [Smash & Crush] w/Mr. Fuji in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match to Win the World Tag Team Titles In an effort to regain the tag team titles, Demolition had changed themselves drastically. They added a third member in Crush, and reunited with their former manager Mr. Fuji, turning heel once again. Due to the constant interference of the third member of the team, WWF President Jack Tunney ruled that only 2 members of Demolition could be at ringside for their 2 out of 3 Falls rematch with the Hart Foundation. Demolition took the first fall with help from Mr. Fuji, using his cane to knock down The Hitman to pick up the pinfall. After wearing down the Hitman for a while, Bret made the hot tag to Neidhart who cleaned house and hit a powerslam on Smash to pick up the 2nd fall. With the match nodded up, the fight spilled out of control, only for Ax to suddenly appear from underneath the ring to replace Crush, nearly catching The Hitman on a small package. Crush tried to sneak away to the back, only for The Legion of Doom to appear in the entryway, forcing him back in and causing the referee to realize that Ax was in the ring illegally. After getting him out, The Harts caught Smash unaware and hit him with the Hart Attack to pick up the third and deciding fall and regain the tag team titles for an unprecedented 4th time.
*"Macho King" Randy Savage w/Queen Sherri d. "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes by Pinfall After months of feuding with one another (in particular when Queen Sherri beat down Sapphire, forcing her out of the WWF), Dusty Rhodes and Randy Savage finally met one on one. The two went after each other viciously to start the match, and the match was evenly paced for much of its run. However the end came when Sherri jumped up on the ringside area to distract the referee, tossing her loaded purse to the Macho King. The American Dream ducked the shot though and disarmed Savage. Rather than use the purse himself, he turned around and tossed it aside...only for Savage to sneak behind and low blow Rhodes from behind, rolling him up and holding the tights for the win.
*Jake "The Snake" Roberts d. Hercules w/Paul Roma & Slick by Pinfall Hercules had turned heel on Jake Roberts during an episode of the Brother Love show, attacking him from behind. After taking Paul Roma as a tag partner and Slick as his manager, Herc went on a winning streak. That streak came to an end though at the hands of the Snake, who countered Hercules' attempts to lock in the Full Nelson and catching him with a DDT to KO him.
*The Ultimate Warrior d. "Ravishing" Rick Rude w/Bobby Heenan by Cage Escape to retain the WWF Championship Rude had earned a title shot against the Warrior by winning a Battle Royal in May. During June's episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, Rude was initially declared the winner of the match and the new champion thanks to outside interference from Bobby Heenan, only for a second referee (spurred on by the Big Bossman bringing it to the referee's attention) to reverse the decision and restart the match. Given the controversy, WWF President Jack Tunney made a new match for Summerslam in a Steel Cage to keep The Brain from interfering. Like previous encounters between the two, Rude withstood the flurry of the Warrior's initial offense and tried to wear down the champion, tossing the Warrior into the cage repeatedly. However Warrior countered and began smashing Rude into the cage, eventually hitting his Gorilla Press Slam. When Warrior tried to head for the door to the cage though, he found that Heenan had locked the door shut. Rude made a break to climb out of the cage, but before he could Warrior ripped the door off its hinges and then strolled out, winning the match and sending the Brain scurrying to the back.
*Hulk Hogan & Tugboat d. Dino Bravo & Earthquake w/Jimmy Hart by Pinfall After Wrestlemania, Hogan confronted Earthquake on an episode of Piper's Pit, only for the 450 pounder to attack the Hulkster and "injure" his ribs. Announcers then gave the indication that Hogan was contemplating retirement. Meanwhile, Earthquake had begun feuding with Hogan's protege Tugboat, leading to the big man to challenge the Canadian Connection to a tag match, pleading with Hogan to return to face the former tag champions. Hogan eventually agreed to come back, saying the fan's support brought him in. The two big men controlled most of the match, with Earthquake and Typhoon pummeling away at each other. The end eventually came when Hogan tagged in and hulked up against Earthquake, slamming the 400 pounder and then hitting the Legdrop for the victory.
Off-Camera Title Changes:
November 3: Rhythm & Blues d. The Hart Foundation by Pinfall to Win the WWF World Tag Team Titles |
|
