This timeline is amazing. I've been reading it for a while now, but I've never commented. Just figured I would leave a comment here to let you know how much I'm enjoying it. Keep it up.
The Rise of the Dragon: An Altered History of the World Wrestling Federation
- Thread starter The Walkman
- Start date
- Status
December 1986: Recap - Year-End Awards
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards: 1986
“Mean Gene, the first thing that I want you to do is shut up and listen to what I have to say, brother! For years, brother—for YEARS, I clawed and I slaved. I paid my dues in this business, day in and day out. Then one day, I made it, brother. I made it to the top. And for a glorious year, I was the WWF Heavyweight Champion. Nobody could touch me! Then one day, along comes…Rick Steamboat. Rick Steamboat takes away my spotlight, and I’m supposed to just sit back and let him have his way? I don’t think so, brother! I AM the man—I’ve always been the man, and everybody out there knows it! I am bigger than every single person in the WWF! And as far as I’m concerned, all those fans out there who cheered me and loved what I did can STICK IT! I smiled at the crowds, I posed for these stupid people, I hung out with those snot-nosed kids, and what did it get me? Some punk Bruce Lee wannabe comes in and steals it all from right under my nose! And Steamboat, the bottom line is this: I’m bigger than you. I’m stronger than you. And soon, brother, VERY soon, I’m gonna take that WWF Title from you. And what are YOU gonna do, Dragon, when Hulk Hogan comes to DESTROY you?!”
— Hulk Hogan promo, WWF Superstars of Wrestling, November 22, 1986
December 8, 1986
WWF
Dynamite Kid is scheduled to undergo spinal surgery in about a week, hence him being dropped from upcoming cards.
Lanny “Cousin Junior” Keane (sp) was released on 12/3 due to budget cuts. WWF hadn’t used him in about four months, so this doesn’t come as a surprise. [1]
Randy “Moondog Rex” Colley was also released on 12/3. After his tag team partner Spot was released back in September, he hadn’t appeared at any shows, televised or otherwise, and Vince didn’t have any direction planned for him in the long run. [2]
The WWF’s “Vote of Confidence” mail-in campaign for Honky Tonk Man was part of the gimmick to make him into an effective heel. McMahon made him a poor babyface on purpose to get him over as a heel with the crowd better. [3]
NWA
Barry “Krusher Krushchev” Darsow’s contract expired on 12/5, and reports are he has parted ways with Crockett. Once his shoulder injury heals up, this writer expects him to head to WWF. [4]
AWA
Curt Hennig won a battle royal to become next in line to challenge for the AWA World Championship on 12/4. It’ll be interesting to see where this leads, but keep in mind how both Bockwinkel vs. Slaughter and Bockwinkel vs. (David) Sammartino were incredible flops.
December 15, 1986
WWF
Dynamite Kid’s spinal surgery was a success. No word on when he’ll be back in the ring, but word is his doctors are advising against it.
The next SNME taping occurs on 12/20, and is scheduled to air on NBC on 1/10. Advertised matches include Junkyard Dog vs. Hercules Hernandez, Randy Savage vs. George Steele for the Intercontinental Championship, and Ricky Steamboat vs. Paul Orndorff. Hulk Hogan and the Hart Foundation are also advertised to make appearances.
Misc.
Jim Crockett and Bill Watts met over the week to discuss trades and other “secret” matters. Crockett reportedly wants to use some of Watts’ talent in the next feud he’s planning, and Watts would like to use Ric Flair and the Horsemen in some upcoming cards. Talks of the two “merging their assets” were denied by Crockett and Watts.
December 29, 1986
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards for 1986 [5]
Wrestler of the Year: Ric Flair (Jim Crockett)
It was another close race between Flair and Steamboat this year, but in the end, the Nature Boy won out for the fifth consecutive year. Flair and the Horsemen continue to rake in the gate receipts for Crockett, and he continues to impress fans everywhere by putting on great matches. We just pray this on-again-off-again feud with Dusty Rhodes will come to an end already.
*Most Outstanding Wrestler: Ricky Steamboat (WWF)
In our newest category, it was also a close contest between Steamboat and Flair, but here, the Dragon came out on top. Steamboat’s combination of technical knowledge and aerial techniques has wowed many crowds, and since becoming the face of WWF, he’s been heavily promoted. This writer believes it’s a win-win for both the company and the fans.
Best Babyface: Ricky Steamboat (WWF)
Since being chosen as the top babyface in WWF a year ago, Steamboat has taken the ball and ran with it, milking the Asian kung fu master gimmick he was given for all it’s worth. It may be slightly silly, yes, but the kids eat it up, and we adults are getting some quality matches out of the WWF for it, so everybody wins.
Best Heel: Michael Hayes (UWF)
It was close in the votes between Hayes and Dynamite Kid this year, but in the end, Hayes’ superior heelish tactics and masterfully delivered promos gave him the decisive win in this category. The fact that Hayes seems to nearly burst a blood vessel during his promos probably didn’t hurt his standings, either.
Manager of the Year: Jim Cornette (Jim Crockett)
After missing the award last year to Jimmy Hart, Cornette makes a triumphant return this year. Cornette’s over-the-top heelish management of the Midnight Express and, later, the Koloffs, has been superb this past year, and he gave spectators more than their money’s worth by once again proving his eloquence behind the microphone.
Feud of the Year: Ricky Steamboat vs. Hart Foundation (WWF)
The hotly contested feud between the squeaky-clean Steamboat and the villainous Harts in the WWF this year was an entertaining feud that brought several quality matches to even the most casual viewers of wrestling. Although it appears the feud has run its course to make room for Steamboat vs. Hogan, we wouldn’t be surprised if McMahon decides to rekindle the embers once Dynamite comes back, or possibly pick it back up with Davey Boy Smith at the helm.
Tag Team of the Year: The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey) (Jim Crockett)
They may have played backseat to other teams in JCP this year, but the Midnights are definitely one of the more athletic tag teams in wrestling today. Their babyface turn was slightly confusing, but it’s at least managed to get over Anderson & Windham as threats to the tag division, and when the Midnights step in the ring, you know you’ll get an entertaining mat-based bout. This writer still wishes they’d have kept Cornette as their manager, however.
Most Improved: Rick Steiner (UWF)
When Steiner debuted on the independents a couple years back, there’s no denying he was very sloppy. But since coming to Watts’ territory, he has stepped up to the plate, improving in the ring by leaps and bounds. This, combined with a great series of matches with Sting, is enough to get him Most Improved this year.
Best on Interviews: Jim Cornette (Jim Crockett)
In a one-two punch, Cornette manages to snap up this award along with the Best Manager award. Cornette’s eloquent speech and powerful delivery help make him the best manager in JCP today, and he has helped to make the Midnight Express and the Koloffs some of the best heel tag teams going today.
Most Charismatic: Hulk Hogan (WWF)
As both a babyface and a heel, Hogan has proven time and again that he can cut masterful promos. Despite his…less-than-adequate technical skills, he can still carry a decent match on sheer charisma, and has played the role of heel quite well so far, cutting one of the best promos of his career thus far last month. This writer looks forward to the Steamboat/Hogan feud with bated breath.
Best Technical Wrestler: Tatsumi Fujinami (New Japan/WWF)
The Japanese “Dragon” pulls off his second straight win in this category. New Japan and WWF continued their talent exchange this year, but sadly, still no Steamboat/Fujinami match in sight. Dynamite Kid came in a very close second in this category this year, but in the end, Fujinami’s better condition in the ring probably helped him pull off the win.
Best Brawler: Terry Gordy (All-Japan/Jim Crockett)
Terry Gordy wins this category for the first time, unseating five-time (and until now, only) winner, Bruiser Brody. Gordy’s wild antics inside the ring and vicious way of decimating opponents certainly make most Freebirds matches wildly entertaining.
Most Overrated: Dusty Rhodes (Jim Crockett)
Why JCP insists on using Dusty Bloats in so many top-level feuds is beyond us, and our readers apparently agree. Dusty’s work in the ring has deteriorated greatly in the last couple of years, and his reigns with the NWA World Title were lackluster, at best. Here’s hoping Rhodes decides to stick to booking for the foreseeable future. [6]
Most Underrated: Bobby Eaton (Jim Crockett)
The more talented half of the Midnight Express has continued to impress in the ring, and barely edged out Bret Hart for his first win in this category this year. With his great technical prowess, Eaton could possibly have what it takes to make it as a singles wrestler someday. He may not be world championship material quite yet, but he definitely could make it if he polishes his interview skills.
Promotion of the Year: World Wrestling Federation
For the second year, McMahon’s promotion snaps up victory in this category. The World Wrestling Federation may not have the most quality programming, and some of its gimmicks border on the surreal, but wrestling fans worldwide can’t really argue with quality matches, great feuds, and high-end talent like Steamboat, Hogan, Dynamite, and Andre.
Best Television Show: Universal Wrestling Federation
While WWF made headlines with their live cards, it wasn’t even a contest in this category: Bill Watts’ promotion won by a landslide, winning its second consecutive year. No surprise, either: with masterfully handled feuds like Chris Adams/Terry Taylor and great matches featuring the likes of Sting and Shane Douglas, the main TV outing of the former Mid-South wrestling has been very lucrative for Watts.
Match of the Year: Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
It wasn’t even a contest with this category: this match was a shoe-in to win from the start. No surprise, either: the masterful technical moves and aerial techniques displayed in Steamboat and Dynamite’s second encounter was a sight to behold, and made Wrestlemania 2 a runaway success. It’s just too bad there probably won’t be another encounter between the two.
Worst Match of the Year: Corporal Kirchner vs. Nikolai Volkoff (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
Not so with this match, unfortunately. The execution of this match was downright horrendous, and there were so many botches that when it was all said and done, we were watching through our fingers at the train wreck this match had transformed into. Granted, Volkoff and Kirchner aren’t the best workers in the world, but they could have done much better than this atrocity.
Rookie of the Year: Scott Bigelow (Continental Wrestling/WWF)
Since coming into Continental Wrestling this summer, Scott “Bamm-Bamm” Bigelow has risen up the ranks to challenge champion Jerry Lawler in several surprisingly good matches. The man is incredibly agile for someone of his size, and if he plays his cards right, could be a top-card wrestler one day.
Best Television Announcer: Lance Russell (Continental Wrestling)
For the second time, Russell takes the win in this category. The man known by many heels in Continental Wrestling as “Banana Nose” electrifies every television broadcast with his quick wit and eloquent speech. Purists may prefer Gordon Solie, but Russell seems to be the announcer to watch in the coming years.
*Worst Television Announcer: David Crockett (Jim Crockett)
Why Jim Crockett decided to put his son on play-by-play commentary we’ll never know. The man’s voice is incredibly annoying, he fumbles many of his words, and can’t get across a simple point during his commentary. It was neck-and-neck between Crockett and WWF’s Bruno Sammartino this year, but in the end, the young “village idiot” won out.
*Best Gimmick: The Road Warriors (Jim Crockett)
Animal and Hawk have portrayed their gimmick as tough-as-nails bikers to near-perfection, and they managed to snap up the inaugural Best Gimmick award because of it. Their spiked ring attire, gravelly promos and bar room brawl-inspired wrestling matches are among the most entertaining things about JCP today.
*Worst Gimmick: Corporal Kirchner (WWF)
George Steele, Honky Tonk Man and several others got a fair share of votes in this new category, but in the end, we know what’s bad. And what’s bad is the WWF milking this poor Sgt. Slaughter-ripoff gimmick as long as they’ve been doing. The fact that Kirchner is still employed (or at least not repackaged with a different gimmick) is a joke, as was the match he had with Nikolai Volkoff at Wrestlemania 2.
Best Wrestling Maneuver: Moonsault (Chavo Guerrero) (WWA)
Nailing a perfect top-rope maneuver is very difficult, unless your name is Mitsuharu Misawa. But the eldest son of Gory Guerrero has taken the maneuver that his brother Mando made famous several years ago and perfected it. Tapes of the second-generation wrestler pulling off the outstanding aerial maneuver never cease to amaze this writer. [7]
Author’s Epilogue
1986 was quite the interesting year to be a fan of wrestling. Among other things, we witnessed intriguing storylines, the seeming implosion of an upper-card faction, the maturation of another faction into the most dominant force in their territory, a popular wrestler’s brush with death, and some of the greatest cards and matches in recent memory.
Notwithstanding their position in the nationwide spotlight these days, WWF was seemingly the promotion to watch this year. The year started off with a new, very surprising heel challenger for mega-babyface Ricky Steamboat’s WWF World Title: Dynamite Kid. The two had a 4-star match on Saturday Night’s Main Event to kick the year off with a bang, and met a second time in a 5-star match at the critically acclaimed Wrestlemania 2. Numerous other encounters with the de-facto leader of the Hart Foundation weren’t as enjoyable to watch, but they were entertaining, and on the 5/1 edition of SNME, Dynamite managed to finagle a victory to win the WWF World Championship. Thankfully, Titan realized they couldn’t keep the title on Dynamite for long, and had Steamboat win it back soon afterward. But out of those ashes rose a new feud. In a twist that few fans saw coming, top-level star Hulk Hogan turned heel, beginning what could be a refreshing feud with Steamboat. Although it’s too early to say for sure, this has the makings of a very good storyline. Here’s hoping McMahon doesn’t mess it up.
Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, the Hart Foundation, and Paul Orndorff also featured prominently on WWF television and at live shows this past year. Andre the Giant was also still a big money-maker, engaging in feuds with other “big guys”, but McMahon does seem to be lightening Andre’s workload as of late. Andre took some time off to heal and film a movie, which has all the makings of a flop, we’re sure. [8] WWF also got a slight face-lift in the television department, re-branding its two flagship TV shows. On 9/6, ‘Superstars of Wrestling’ replaced the long-running ‘Championship Wrestling’, and a day later, we got ‘The Wrestling Challenge’ in place of ‘All-Star Wrestling’. But honestly, aside from the name changes to the shows, the format of both shows seems to be about the same—squashes galore, with very little good in-ring action. The horrible ‘Tuesday Night Titans’ was also cancelled, and fans across America are probably very thankful for that. [9]
Not to be outdone by WWF, the NWA territories also pulled out some decent entertainment this year. JCP were a bit on the slow side, but their Starrcade card this year was head-and-shoulders above last year’s show, and they appear to be catching up in popularity with McMahon’s WWF. The Four Horsemen (which, despite adding an unofficial fifth member in Mike Rotundo, retained their name) cemented themselves once again as the dominant force in the promotion, as Flair, Anderson and Windham all either won or held onto gold throughout the year. Although Tully Blanchard lost the U.S. Championship to Ron Garvin in a surprisingly good match, Garvin’s days as champion could well be numbered. The Road Warriors and Dick Murdoch also rose up the ranks to become legitimate threats to the Horsemen’s title belts.
The wrestling world was also shaken up in October this year, when emerging babyface Magnum T.A. was involved in a car accident that could have well ended his career, or his life. Thankfully, Magnum only suffered minor injuries, and as of this writing, is said to be recovering nicely. Expect Magnum T.A. to be a major player in JCP in 1987…
The only company that was truly horrible this year was AWA. Bockwinkel is serving a horrible role as the world champion, and his programs with Race and (David) Sammartino were lackluster at best. Their TV deal with ESPN gets horrible ratings, partly due to the fact that the network rarely airs it on time. There are a few good things, however: Adrian Adonis debuted in October, and his ring work is vastly improving since jumping ship from WWF. Curt Hennig has also recently become the top challenger to Bockwinkel’s title, which could produce a halfway decent match or two if Gagne lets them go at it long enough.
Various names were lost in 1986 as well, but perhaps the most tragic demise this year was that of young Gino Hernandez in February at the age of 28. Hernandez began his career wrestling for Detroit’s Big Time Wrestling in the early 1970s, winning the Detroit version of the United States Championship, and also wrestled at least a few matches for the then-WWWF. He wrestled in Southern Championship Wrestling for several years before coming to World Class Championship Wrestling, feuding with the Von Erichs and competing in a highly regarded tag team with Chris Adams, the Dynamic Duo. When Hernandez failed to show up for several house shows, World Class higher-ups began to worry, and Hernandez was soon located in his apartment, where he was found dead of an apparent drug overdose (though homicide rumors still abound). Hernandez was married twice, both times to the same woman. He is survived by his ex-wife and young child. [10]
All in all, 1986 was a very unpredictable year, filled with ups and downs in the wrestling world. Thankfully, the ups seemed to outnumber the downs. God only knows what we can expect in 1987. Until then, Happy New Year, and stay safe.
—Wrestling Observer Newsletter excerpts, December 8-29, 1986
Pwi-online.com’s Top 25 Matches of 1986 (winners in bold)
1. Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
2. Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid (WWF, Saturday Night’s Main Event, 1/4)
3. Sheepherders vs. Fantastics (NWA, Crockett Sr. Tag Team Cup, 4/19)
4. Tully Blanchard vs. Ron Garvin (NWA, Starrcade ’86, 11/27)
5. Ric Flair vs. Ron Garvin (NWA, Superstars on the Superstation, 2/2)
6. Roddy Piper vs. Randy Savage (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
7. Road Warriors vs. Ivan & Nikita Koloff - Scaffold Match (NWA, Starrcade ’86, 11/27)
8. Sheepherders vs. Midnight Express (NWA, live show, 4/27)
9. Tito Santana & Brutus Beefcake vs. Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
10. Ricky Steamboat & Hulk Hogan vs. Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith (WWF, Saturday Night’s Main Event, 3/1)
11. Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes (NWA, Starrcade ’86, 11/27)
12. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (NWA, live show, 12/1)
13. Jimmy Garvin vs. Mike Rotundo (NWA, Starrcade ’86, 11/27)
14. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Ivan & Nikita Koloff (NWA, Great American Bash, 8/1)
15. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk vs. Junkyard Dog & Greg Valentine (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
16. Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
17. Big Bubba Rogers vs. Brad Armstrong (NWA, Starrcade ‘86, 11/27)
18. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham vs. Midnight Express (NWA, live show, 12/28)
19. Road Warriors vs. Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin (AWA, Wrestlerock, 4/20)
20. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (NWA, live show, 10/10)
21. Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts vs. Kerry Von Erich, Lance Von Erich & Steve Simpson (WCCW, Parade of Champions III, 5/4)
22. Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes (NWA, live show, 12/28)
23. Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid (WWF, Saturday Night’s Main Event, 10/4)
24. Terry Funk vs. Junkyard Dog (WWF, Saturday Night’s Main Event, 10/4)
25. Wahoo McDaniel vs. Manny Fernandez - Indian Strap Match (NWA, live show, 12/28)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Lanny Kean, who competed as both Cousin Junior and, later, Moondog Cujo, was actually released from the WWF slightly earlier IOTL, around mid-1986. His reasons for departure are unclear, at best—George “the Animal” Steele has said that Junior had reportedly made enough money under the Cousin Junior gimmick to retire, but considering how Kean continued to wrestle, I highly doubt this. The other reason—the more likely one, IMO—was drug use, and with this being the case, he sticks around the WWF a bit longer before getting caught (even though he doesn’t do much). Kean wrestled throughout his life IOTL until his death from a heart attack in 2009; because his career is much the same ITTL, his life dates are also probably about the same.
[2] Randy “Moondog Rex” Colley left the company around this same time IOTL, but for very different reasons: in early 1987, he was assigned to portray the role of Smash in the newly formed tag team of Demolition, but contract disputes and the fact that fans recognized him (they would reportedly chant “Moondog” at him during his Demolition run) led him to quit the company. Barry Darsow, fresh off his run as Krusher Krushchev in the NWA, quietly took up the role of Smash in Colley’s place.
[3] As OTL. For those not in the know: when Wayne Ferris came to the WWF in mid-1986 under the Honky Tonk Man gimmick, he was portrayed as a bumbling babyface, and the fans weren’t buying into it. McMahon reportedly did it on purpose, so the fans would despise Honky all the more once the WWF turned him heel, and it worked quite well.
[4] Darsow didn’t have a shoulder injury at this time (to my knowledge), so you can chalk this up to butterflies.
[5] New categories introduced this year (ITTL) are marked with an asterisk (*) to avoid confusion.
[6] Never thought you’d hear that last sentence in the Newsletter, did ya? Yes, because the “Dusty Finish” is non-existent ITTL, Rhodes’ reputation as a booker is a little bit better.
[7] Differences in TTL’s and OTL’s Newsletter Awards for 1986 are many. Ric Flair won Most Outstanding Wrestler. Feud of the Year went to Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff, and Hogan unsurprisingly got both Best Babyface and Most Overrated. Promotion of the Year was awarded to Mid-South Wrestling. A Jim Crockett match between Ric Flair and Barry Windham received Match of the Year, and Worst Match of the Year went to the Mr. T-Roddy Piper Boxing Match at Wrestlemania 2. “Exotic” Adrian Street won Best Gimmick for his Gorgeous George-style gimmick, and Worst Gimmick went to “Adorable” Adrian Adonis for his over-the-top stereotypical “gay” persona. The rest of the awards are the same in both timelines.
[8] Yep, Meltzer’s referring to The Princess Bride, and we’ll see how wrong he is about the “flop” comment in a later update.
[9] All this is as OTL. Both All-Star Wrestling and Championship Wrestling had aired on the USA Network since 1972, and were “replaced” by the two aforementioned new shows (though honestly, it was really more of a name change than anything else). Tuesday Night Titans, a variety-type show featuring humorous skits with numerous WWF personalities, was also cancelled in late 1986. And for the record: I actually enjoy some of the over-the-top stuff on TNT episodes, but I wasn’t Meltzer in ’86.
[10] Hernandez’ death is as OTL, sadly. Like Rick McGraw, his drug addiction was too far gone for him to be saved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know I'm a little late, but the hopefully soon-to-be-monthly update for Rise of the Dragon is done! Sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long, as numerous real-life circumstances have taken primary precedence for me in recent weeks. I promise you guys that I'll always come back to this, though.
Coming up: we look at how the longest-running WWE World Tag Team Champions of OTL are doing in this universe. And later, we'll begin the ride to Wrestlemania 3.
“Mean Gene, the first thing that I want you to do is shut up and listen to what I have to say, brother! For years, brother—for YEARS, I clawed and I slaved. I paid my dues in this business, day in and day out. Then one day, I made it, brother. I made it to the top. And for a glorious year, I was the WWF Heavyweight Champion. Nobody could touch me! Then one day, along comes…Rick Steamboat. Rick Steamboat takes away my spotlight, and I’m supposed to just sit back and let him have his way? I don’t think so, brother! I AM the man—I’ve always been the man, and everybody out there knows it! I am bigger than every single person in the WWF! And as far as I’m concerned, all those fans out there who cheered me and loved what I did can STICK IT! I smiled at the crowds, I posed for these stupid people, I hung out with those snot-nosed kids, and what did it get me? Some punk Bruce Lee wannabe comes in and steals it all from right under my nose! And Steamboat, the bottom line is this: I’m bigger than you. I’m stronger than you. And soon, brother, VERY soon, I’m gonna take that WWF Title from you. And what are YOU gonna do, Dragon, when Hulk Hogan comes to DESTROY you?!”
— Hulk Hogan promo, WWF Superstars of Wrestling, November 22, 1986
December 8, 1986
WWF
Dynamite Kid is scheduled to undergo spinal surgery in about a week, hence him being dropped from upcoming cards.
Lanny “Cousin Junior” Keane (sp) was released on 12/3 due to budget cuts. WWF hadn’t used him in about four months, so this doesn’t come as a surprise. [1]
Randy “Moondog Rex” Colley was also released on 12/3. After his tag team partner Spot was released back in September, he hadn’t appeared at any shows, televised or otherwise, and Vince didn’t have any direction planned for him in the long run. [2]
The WWF’s “Vote of Confidence” mail-in campaign for Honky Tonk Man was part of the gimmick to make him into an effective heel. McMahon made him a poor babyface on purpose to get him over as a heel with the crowd better. [3]
NWA
Barry “Krusher Krushchev” Darsow’s contract expired on 12/5, and reports are he has parted ways with Crockett. Once his shoulder injury heals up, this writer expects him to head to WWF. [4]
AWA
Curt Hennig won a battle royal to become next in line to challenge for the AWA World Championship on 12/4. It’ll be interesting to see where this leads, but keep in mind how both Bockwinkel vs. Slaughter and Bockwinkel vs. (David) Sammartino were incredible flops.
December 15, 1986
WWF
Dynamite Kid’s spinal surgery was a success. No word on when he’ll be back in the ring, but word is his doctors are advising against it.
The next SNME taping occurs on 12/20, and is scheduled to air on NBC on 1/10. Advertised matches include Junkyard Dog vs. Hercules Hernandez, Randy Savage vs. George Steele for the Intercontinental Championship, and Ricky Steamboat vs. Paul Orndorff. Hulk Hogan and the Hart Foundation are also advertised to make appearances.
Misc.
Jim Crockett and Bill Watts met over the week to discuss trades and other “secret” matters. Crockett reportedly wants to use some of Watts’ talent in the next feud he’s planning, and Watts would like to use Ric Flair and the Horsemen in some upcoming cards. Talks of the two “merging their assets” were denied by Crockett and Watts.
December 29, 1986
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards for 1986 [5]
Wrestler of the Year: Ric Flair (Jim Crockett)
It was another close race between Flair and Steamboat this year, but in the end, the Nature Boy won out for the fifth consecutive year. Flair and the Horsemen continue to rake in the gate receipts for Crockett, and he continues to impress fans everywhere by putting on great matches. We just pray this on-again-off-again feud with Dusty Rhodes will come to an end already.
*Most Outstanding Wrestler: Ricky Steamboat (WWF)
In our newest category, it was also a close contest between Steamboat and Flair, but here, the Dragon came out on top. Steamboat’s combination of technical knowledge and aerial techniques has wowed many crowds, and since becoming the face of WWF, he’s been heavily promoted. This writer believes it’s a win-win for both the company and the fans.
Best Babyface: Ricky Steamboat (WWF)
Since being chosen as the top babyface in WWF a year ago, Steamboat has taken the ball and ran with it, milking the Asian kung fu master gimmick he was given for all it’s worth. It may be slightly silly, yes, but the kids eat it up, and we adults are getting some quality matches out of the WWF for it, so everybody wins.
Best Heel: Michael Hayes (UWF)
It was close in the votes between Hayes and Dynamite Kid this year, but in the end, Hayes’ superior heelish tactics and masterfully delivered promos gave him the decisive win in this category. The fact that Hayes seems to nearly burst a blood vessel during his promos probably didn’t hurt his standings, either.
Manager of the Year: Jim Cornette (Jim Crockett)
After missing the award last year to Jimmy Hart, Cornette makes a triumphant return this year. Cornette’s over-the-top heelish management of the Midnight Express and, later, the Koloffs, has been superb this past year, and he gave spectators more than their money’s worth by once again proving his eloquence behind the microphone.
Feud of the Year: Ricky Steamboat vs. Hart Foundation (WWF)
The hotly contested feud between the squeaky-clean Steamboat and the villainous Harts in the WWF this year was an entertaining feud that brought several quality matches to even the most casual viewers of wrestling. Although it appears the feud has run its course to make room for Steamboat vs. Hogan, we wouldn’t be surprised if McMahon decides to rekindle the embers once Dynamite comes back, or possibly pick it back up with Davey Boy Smith at the helm.
Tag Team of the Year: The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey) (Jim Crockett)
They may have played backseat to other teams in JCP this year, but the Midnights are definitely one of the more athletic tag teams in wrestling today. Their babyface turn was slightly confusing, but it’s at least managed to get over Anderson & Windham as threats to the tag division, and when the Midnights step in the ring, you know you’ll get an entertaining mat-based bout. This writer still wishes they’d have kept Cornette as their manager, however.
Most Improved: Rick Steiner (UWF)
When Steiner debuted on the independents a couple years back, there’s no denying he was very sloppy. But since coming to Watts’ territory, he has stepped up to the plate, improving in the ring by leaps and bounds. This, combined with a great series of matches with Sting, is enough to get him Most Improved this year.
Best on Interviews: Jim Cornette (Jim Crockett)
In a one-two punch, Cornette manages to snap up this award along with the Best Manager award. Cornette’s eloquent speech and powerful delivery help make him the best manager in JCP today, and he has helped to make the Midnight Express and the Koloffs some of the best heel tag teams going today.
Most Charismatic: Hulk Hogan (WWF)
As both a babyface and a heel, Hogan has proven time and again that he can cut masterful promos. Despite his…less-than-adequate technical skills, he can still carry a decent match on sheer charisma, and has played the role of heel quite well so far, cutting one of the best promos of his career thus far last month. This writer looks forward to the Steamboat/Hogan feud with bated breath.
Best Technical Wrestler: Tatsumi Fujinami (New Japan/WWF)
The Japanese “Dragon” pulls off his second straight win in this category. New Japan and WWF continued their talent exchange this year, but sadly, still no Steamboat/Fujinami match in sight. Dynamite Kid came in a very close second in this category this year, but in the end, Fujinami’s better condition in the ring probably helped him pull off the win.
Best Brawler: Terry Gordy (All-Japan/Jim Crockett)
Terry Gordy wins this category for the first time, unseating five-time (and until now, only) winner, Bruiser Brody. Gordy’s wild antics inside the ring and vicious way of decimating opponents certainly make most Freebirds matches wildly entertaining.
Most Overrated: Dusty Rhodes (Jim Crockett)
Why JCP insists on using Dusty Bloats in so many top-level feuds is beyond us, and our readers apparently agree. Dusty’s work in the ring has deteriorated greatly in the last couple of years, and his reigns with the NWA World Title were lackluster, at best. Here’s hoping Rhodes decides to stick to booking for the foreseeable future. [6]
Most Underrated: Bobby Eaton (Jim Crockett)
The more talented half of the Midnight Express has continued to impress in the ring, and barely edged out Bret Hart for his first win in this category this year. With his great technical prowess, Eaton could possibly have what it takes to make it as a singles wrestler someday. He may not be world championship material quite yet, but he definitely could make it if he polishes his interview skills.
Promotion of the Year: World Wrestling Federation
For the second year, McMahon’s promotion snaps up victory in this category. The World Wrestling Federation may not have the most quality programming, and some of its gimmicks border on the surreal, but wrestling fans worldwide can’t really argue with quality matches, great feuds, and high-end talent like Steamboat, Hogan, Dynamite, and Andre.
Best Television Show: Universal Wrestling Federation
While WWF made headlines with their live cards, it wasn’t even a contest in this category: Bill Watts’ promotion won by a landslide, winning its second consecutive year. No surprise, either: with masterfully handled feuds like Chris Adams/Terry Taylor and great matches featuring the likes of Sting and Shane Douglas, the main TV outing of the former Mid-South wrestling has been very lucrative for Watts.
Match of the Year: Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
It wasn’t even a contest with this category: this match was a shoe-in to win from the start. No surprise, either: the masterful technical moves and aerial techniques displayed in Steamboat and Dynamite’s second encounter was a sight to behold, and made Wrestlemania 2 a runaway success. It’s just too bad there probably won’t be another encounter between the two.
Worst Match of the Year: Corporal Kirchner vs. Nikolai Volkoff (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
Not so with this match, unfortunately. The execution of this match was downright horrendous, and there were so many botches that when it was all said and done, we were watching through our fingers at the train wreck this match had transformed into. Granted, Volkoff and Kirchner aren’t the best workers in the world, but they could have done much better than this atrocity.
Rookie of the Year: Scott Bigelow (Continental Wrestling/WWF)
Since coming into Continental Wrestling this summer, Scott “Bamm-Bamm” Bigelow has risen up the ranks to challenge champion Jerry Lawler in several surprisingly good matches. The man is incredibly agile for someone of his size, and if he plays his cards right, could be a top-card wrestler one day.
Best Television Announcer: Lance Russell (Continental Wrestling)
For the second time, Russell takes the win in this category. The man known by many heels in Continental Wrestling as “Banana Nose” electrifies every television broadcast with his quick wit and eloquent speech. Purists may prefer Gordon Solie, but Russell seems to be the announcer to watch in the coming years.
*Worst Television Announcer: David Crockett (Jim Crockett)
Why Jim Crockett decided to put his son on play-by-play commentary we’ll never know. The man’s voice is incredibly annoying, he fumbles many of his words, and can’t get across a simple point during his commentary. It was neck-and-neck between Crockett and WWF’s Bruno Sammartino this year, but in the end, the young “village idiot” won out.
*Best Gimmick: The Road Warriors (Jim Crockett)
Animal and Hawk have portrayed their gimmick as tough-as-nails bikers to near-perfection, and they managed to snap up the inaugural Best Gimmick award because of it. Their spiked ring attire, gravelly promos and bar room brawl-inspired wrestling matches are among the most entertaining things about JCP today.
*Worst Gimmick: Corporal Kirchner (WWF)
George Steele, Honky Tonk Man and several others got a fair share of votes in this new category, but in the end, we know what’s bad. And what’s bad is the WWF milking this poor Sgt. Slaughter-ripoff gimmick as long as they’ve been doing. The fact that Kirchner is still employed (or at least not repackaged with a different gimmick) is a joke, as was the match he had with Nikolai Volkoff at Wrestlemania 2.
Best Wrestling Maneuver: Moonsault (Chavo Guerrero) (WWA)
Nailing a perfect top-rope maneuver is very difficult, unless your name is Mitsuharu Misawa. But the eldest son of Gory Guerrero has taken the maneuver that his brother Mando made famous several years ago and perfected it. Tapes of the second-generation wrestler pulling off the outstanding aerial maneuver never cease to amaze this writer. [7]
Author’s Epilogue
1986 was quite the interesting year to be a fan of wrestling. Among other things, we witnessed intriguing storylines, the seeming implosion of an upper-card faction, the maturation of another faction into the most dominant force in their territory, a popular wrestler’s brush with death, and some of the greatest cards and matches in recent memory.
Notwithstanding their position in the nationwide spotlight these days, WWF was seemingly the promotion to watch this year. The year started off with a new, very surprising heel challenger for mega-babyface Ricky Steamboat’s WWF World Title: Dynamite Kid. The two had a 4-star match on Saturday Night’s Main Event to kick the year off with a bang, and met a second time in a 5-star match at the critically acclaimed Wrestlemania 2. Numerous other encounters with the de-facto leader of the Hart Foundation weren’t as enjoyable to watch, but they were entertaining, and on the 5/1 edition of SNME, Dynamite managed to finagle a victory to win the WWF World Championship. Thankfully, Titan realized they couldn’t keep the title on Dynamite for long, and had Steamboat win it back soon afterward. But out of those ashes rose a new feud. In a twist that few fans saw coming, top-level star Hulk Hogan turned heel, beginning what could be a refreshing feud with Steamboat. Although it’s too early to say for sure, this has the makings of a very good storyline. Here’s hoping McMahon doesn’t mess it up.
Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, the Hart Foundation, and Paul Orndorff also featured prominently on WWF television and at live shows this past year. Andre the Giant was also still a big money-maker, engaging in feuds with other “big guys”, but McMahon does seem to be lightening Andre’s workload as of late. Andre took some time off to heal and film a movie, which has all the makings of a flop, we’re sure. [8] WWF also got a slight face-lift in the television department, re-branding its two flagship TV shows. On 9/6, ‘Superstars of Wrestling’ replaced the long-running ‘Championship Wrestling’, and a day later, we got ‘The Wrestling Challenge’ in place of ‘All-Star Wrestling’. But honestly, aside from the name changes to the shows, the format of both shows seems to be about the same—squashes galore, with very little good in-ring action. The horrible ‘Tuesday Night Titans’ was also cancelled, and fans across America are probably very thankful for that. [9]
Not to be outdone by WWF, the NWA territories also pulled out some decent entertainment this year. JCP were a bit on the slow side, but their Starrcade card this year was head-and-shoulders above last year’s show, and they appear to be catching up in popularity with McMahon’s WWF. The Four Horsemen (which, despite adding an unofficial fifth member in Mike Rotundo, retained their name) cemented themselves once again as the dominant force in the promotion, as Flair, Anderson and Windham all either won or held onto gold throughout the year. Although Tully Blanchard lost the U.S. Championship to Ron Garvin in a surprisingly good match, Garvin’s days as champion could well be numbered. The Road Warriors and Dick Murdoch also rose up the ranks to become legitimate threats to the Horsemen’s title belts.
The wrestling world was also shaken up in October this year, when emerging babyface Magnum T.A. was involved in a car accident that could have well ended his career, or his life. Thankfully, Magnum only suffered minor injuries, and as of this writing, is said to be recovering nicely. Expect Magnum T.A. to be a major player in JCP in 1987…
The only company that was truly horrible this year was AWA. Bockwinkel is serving a horrible role as the world champion, and his programs with Race and (David) Sammartino were lackluster at best. Their TV deal with ESPN gets horrible ratings, partly due to the fact that the network rarely airs it on time. There are a few good things, however: Adrian Adonis debuted in October, and his ring work is vastly improving since jumping ship from WWF. Curt Hennig has also recently become the top challenger to Bockwinkel’s title, which could produce a halfway decent match or two if Gagne lets them go at it long enough.
Various names were lost in 1986 as well, but perhaps the most tragic demise this year was that of young Gino Hernandez in February at the age of 28. Hernandez began his career wrestling for Detroit’s Big Time Wrestling in the early 1970s, winning the Detroit version of the United States Championship, and also wrestled at least a few matches for the then-WWWF. He wrestled in Southern Championship Wrestling for several years before coming to World Class Championship Wrestling, feuding with the Von Erichs and competing in a highly regarded tag team with Chris Adams, the Dynamic Duo. When Hernandez failed to show up for several house shows, World Class higher-ups began to worry, and Hernandez was soon located in his apartment, where he was found dead of an apparent drug overdose (though homicide rumors still abound). Hernandez was married twice, both times to the same woman. He is survived by his ex-wife and young child. [10]
All in all, 1986 was a very unpredictable year, filled with ups and downs in the wrestling world. Thankfully, the ups seemed to outnumber the downs. God only knows what we can expect in 1987. Until then, Happy New Year, and stay safe.
—Wrestling Observer Newsletter excerpts, December 8-29, 1986
Pwi-online.com’s Top 25 Matches of 1986 (winners in bold)
1. Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
2. Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid (WWF, Saturday Night’s Main Event, 1/4)
3. Sheepherders vs. Fantastics (NWA, Crockett Sr. Tag Team Cup, 4/19)
4. Tully Blanchard vs. Ron Garvin (NWA, Starrcade ’86, 11/27)
5. Ric Flair vs. Ron Garvin (NWA, Superstars on the Superstation, 2/2)
6. Roddy Piper vs. Randy Savage (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
7. Road Warriors vs. Ivan & Nikita Koloff - Scaffold Match (NWA, Starrcade ’86, 11/27)
8. Sheepherders vs. Midnight Express (NWA, live show, 4/27)
9. Tito Santana & Brutus Beefcake vs. Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
10. Ricky Steamboat & Hulk Hogan vs. Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith (WWF, Saturday Night’s Main Event, 3/1)
11. Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes (NWA, Starrcade ’86, 11/27)
12. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (NWA, live show, 12/1)
13. Jimmy Garvin vs. Mike Rotundo (NWA, Starrcade ’86, 11/27)
14. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Ivan & Nikita Koloff (NWA, Great American Bash, 8/1)
15. Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk vs. Junkyard Dog & Greg Valentine (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
16. Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff (WWF, Wrestlemania 2, 4/6)
17. Big Bubba Rogers vs. Brad Armstrong (NWA, Starrcade ‘86, 11/27)
18. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham vs. Midnight Express (NWA, live show, 12/28)
19. Road Warriors vs. Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin (AWA, Wrestlerock, 4/20)
20. Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham (NWA, live show, 10/10)
21. Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts vs. Kerry Von Erich, Lance Von Erich & Steve Simpson (WCCW, Parade of Champions III, 5/4)
22. Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes (NWA, live show, 12/28)
23. Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid (WWF, Saturday Night’s Main Event, 10/4)
24. Terry Funk vs. Junkyard Dog (WWF, Saturday Night’s Main Event, 10/4)
25. Wahoo McDaniel vs. Manny Fernandez - Indian Strap Match (NWA, live show, 12/28)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Lanny Kean, who competed as both Cousin Junior and, later, Moondog Cujo, was actually released from the WWF slightly earlier IOTL, around mid-1986. His reasons for departure are unclear, at best—George “the Animal” Steele has said that Junior had reportedly made enough money under the Cousin Junior gimmick to retire, but considering how Kean continued to wrestle, I highly doubt this. The other reason—the more likely one, IMO—was drug use, and with this being the case, he sticks around the WWF a bit longer before getting caught (even though he doesn’t do much). Kean wrestled throughout his life IOTL until his death from a heart attack in 2009; because his career is much the same ITTL, his life dates are also probably about the same.
[2] Randy “Moondog Rex” Colley left the company around this same time IOTL, but for very different reasons: in early 1987, he was assigned to portray the role of Smash in the newly formed tag team of Demolition, but contract disputes and the fact that fans recognized him (they would reportedly chant “Moondog” at him during his Demolition run) led him to quit the company. Barry Darsow, fresh off his run as Krusher Krushchev in the NWA, quietly took up the role of Smash in Colley’s place.
[3] As OTL. For those not in the know: when Wayne Ferris came to the WWF in mid-1986 under the Honky Tonk Man gimmick, he was portrayed as a bumbling babyface, and the fans weren’t buying into it. McMahon reportedly did it on purpose, so the fans would despise Honky all the more once the WWF turned him heel, and it worked quite well.
[4] Darsow didn’t have a shoulder injury at this time (to my knowledge), so you can chalk this up to butterflies.
[5] New categories introduced this year (ITTL) are marked with an asterisk (*) to avoid confusion.
[6] Never thought you’d hear that last sentence in the Newsletter, did ya? Yes, because the “Dusty Finish” is non-existent ITTL, Rhodes’ reputation as a booker is a little bit better.
[7] Differences in TTL’s and OTL’s Newsletter Awards for 1986 are many. Ric Flair won Most Outstanding Wrestler. Feud of the Year went to Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff, and Hogan unsurprisingly got both Best Babyface and Most Overrated. Promotion of the Year was awarded to Mid-South Wrestling. A Jim Crockett match between Ric Flair and Barry Windham received Match of the Year, and Worst Match of the Year went to the Mr. T-Roddy Piper Boxing Match at Wrestlemania 2. “Exotic” Adrian Street won Best Gimmick for his Gorgeous George-style gimmick, and Worst Gimmick went to “Adorable” Adrian Adonis for his over-the-top stereotypical “gay” persona. The rest of the awards are the same in both timelines.
[8] Yep, Meltzer’s referring to The Princess Bride, and we’ll see how wrong he is about the “flop” comment in a later update.
[9] All this is as OTL. Both All-Star Wrestling and Championship Wrestling had aired on the USA Network since 1972, and were “replaced” by the two aforementioned new shows (though honestly, it was really more of a name change than anything else). Tuesday Night Titans, a variety-type show featuring humorous skits with numerous WWF personalities, was also cancelled in late 1986. And for the record: I actually enjoy some of the over-the-top stuff on TNT episodes, but I wasn’t Meltzer in ’86.
[10] Hernandez’ death is as OTL, sadly. Like Rick McGraw, his drug addiction was too far gone for him to be saved.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I know I'm a little late, but the hopefully soon-to-be-monthly update for Rise of the Dragon is done! Sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long, as numerous real-life circumstances have taken primary precedence for me in recent weeks. I promise you guys that I'll always come back to this, though.
Coming up: we look at how the longest-running WWE World Tag Team Champions of OTL are doing in this universe. And later, we'll begin the ride to Wrestlemania 3.
Last edited:
Early January 1987: New Year's Wrestling Rosters
1987: New Years' Wrestling Rosters
Wrestling Promotion Rosters: January 1st, 1987
World Wrestling Federation
Owner: Vince McMahon, Jr.
Based in: Stamford, CT
Active Wrestlers
Andre the Giant (Giant Machine) [1]
B. Brian Blair
Barry O.
Big John Studd
Big Machine (Blackjack Mulligan)
“Marshall” Billy Jack Haynes
“Cowboy” Bob Orton
Bret "Hitman" Hart - WWF Tag Team Champion
Brutus Beefcake
“The Natural” Butch Reed
Corporal Kirchner
“Mr. X” Danny Davis [2]
“The Golden Boy” Danny Spivey
Davey Boy Smith
Dino Bravo
“The Magnificent” Don Muraco
Dory Funk (Jr.)
The Dynamite Kid
George “the Animal” Steele
Greg “the Hammer” Valentine
Hercules Hernandez
Hillbilly Jim
The Honky Tonk Man
Hulk Hogan
Itsuki Yamazaki
The Iron Sheik
Jacques Rougeau
Jake “the Snake” Roberts
“Jumping” Jim Brunzell
Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart - WWF Tag Team Champion
Jim Powers
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka [3]
Judy Martin
The Junkyard Dog
“The Ugandan Giant” Kamala
King Kong Bundy
King Tonga [4]
“The Birdman” Koko B. Ware
“Leaping” Lanny Poffo
Leilani Kai
Les Thornton
Mario Mancini
“The Blue Belle” Misty Blue Simms - WWF Women's World Champion [5]
Nikolai Volkoff
Noriyo Tateno
“Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Paul Roma
Pedro Morales
Randy “Macho Man” Savage - WWF Intercontinental Champion
Raymond Rougeau
Rick Martel
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat - WWF World Heavyweight Champion
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper
“Outlaw” Ron Bass
Salvatore Bellomo
“The Wild Samoan” Sika
Sivi Afi
Steve Lombardi (Kim Chee)
Super Machine (Bill Eadie)
Superstar Billy Graham
“The World’s Strongest Man” Ted Arcidi
Terry Funk [6]
Tito Santana
Tom Zenk
The Tonga Kid [7]
Velvet McIntyre
Wendi Richter [8]
Tag Teams/Factions
Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart
The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel & Tom Zenk)
The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques & Raymond)
The Funks (Dory & Terry)
Greg Valentine & Junkyard Dog
The Hart Foundation (Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart & Jimmy Hart)
The Heenan Family (Bobby Heenan, Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd)
The Islanders (King Tonga & Tonga Kid)
The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno)
King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd
The Machines (Super Machine, Big Machine, Giant Machine & Captain Lou Albano)
Tito Santana & Brutus Beefcake
Managers (who they manage)
Bobby “the Brain” Heenan (Heenan Family)
“The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart (Hart Foundation)
Captain Lou Albano (Machines, Steele)
“Luscious” Johnny V. (Valentine & JYD)
Miss Elizabeth (Savage)
Mr. Fuji (Sika)
“The Doctor of Style” Slick (Reed, Hercules, Sheik, Volkoff) [9]
Announcers/Interviewers
“Lord” Alfred Hayes
Bruno Sammartino
“Mean” Gene Okerlund
Gorilla Monsoon
Howard "the Fink" Finkel
Jesse “the Body” Ventura
Vince McMahon
Jim Crockett Promotions (NWA)
Owner: Jim Crockett, Jr.
Based in: Charlotte, NC
Active Wrestlers
Animal
Arn Anderson - NWA World Tag Team Champion, NWA National Tag Team Champion
The Barbarian
Baron Von Raschke
Barry Windham - NWA World Tag Team Champion, NWA National Tag Team Champion
Big Bubba Rogers
Black Bart
“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton
Chris Champion
Commando #2
“Captain Redneck” Dick Murdoch
“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes
“Handsome” Harley Race [10]
Hawk
Ivan Koloff
“Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin
“The Boogie-woogie Man” Jimmy Valiant
Kendall Windham
Kevin Sullivan
“The Total Package” Lex Luger
Magnum T.A.
“The Raging Bull” Manny Fernandez
Michael “P.S.” Hayes
Mike Rotundo [11]
Nelson Royal
Nikita Koloff [12]
Ray Candy
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair - NWA World Heavyweight Champion
“Ravishing” Rick Rude
Ricky Morton
Robert Gibson
“The Man with the Hands of Stone” Ron Garvin - NWA United States Champion
Sam Houston
Sean Royal
Shaska Whatley
“Sweet” Stan Lane [13]
Tully Blanchard
The Warlord
Tag Teams/Factions
Barbarian & Warlord
The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo)
The Garvins (Jimmy & Ron)
The Koloffs (Ivan & Nikita)
Manny Fernandez & Rick Rude
The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane)
The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk)
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Managers (who they manage)
J.J. Dillon (Midnight Express) [14]
Jim Cornette (Koloffs)
Paul Ellering (Road Warriors)
Paul Jones (Rude & Hernandez)
Precious (Garvins)
Announcers/Interviewers
David Crockett
Tony Schiavone
Mid-South Wrestling (Universal Wrestling Federation)
Owner: “Cowboy” Bill Watts
Based in: Oklahoma City, OK [15]
Active Wrestlers
Al Perez
The Angel of Death
Barney Irwin
Bill Irwin
Bobby Fulton
Buddy Roberts
Butch Miller
“Gentleman” Chris Adams
“Dirty” Dick Slater - UWF Television Champion
“Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert
Eli the Eliminator
Gary Young
Iceman King Parsons
Jack Victory
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan - UWF Tag Team Champion
John Tatum
Leroy Brown
Luke Williams
Mike Boyette
The Nightmare
The One Man Gang - UWF Heavyweight Champion
Rick Steiner
Savannah Jack
Steve Cox
“Dr. Death” Steve Williams
Sting
Super Ninja
Ted DiBiase
Terry Taylor - UWF Tag Team Champion
Tim Horner
Tommy Rogers
Tag Teams/Factions
Eddie Gilbert & Sting
The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers)
Jim Duggan & Terry Taylor
The Long Riders (Bill & Barney Irwin)
The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller)
Announcers/Interviewers
"Cowboy" Bill Watts
Frank Dusek
Jim Ross
American Wrestling Association
Owner: Verne Gagne
Based in: Minneapolis, MN [16]
Active Wrestlers
“The Sheik” Adnan El-Kassie
Adrian Adonis
Alex Knight
Alexis Smirnoff
Boris Zukhov
Brad Rheingans
Buck Zumhofe
Buddy Rose - AWA World Tag Team Champion
Candi Devine
Chavo Guerrero
Col. DeBeers
Curt Hennig
David Sammartino
Don Fargo
Doug Somers - AWA World Tag Team Champion
The Fabulous Moolah - AWA Women's Champion
Greg Gagne
“Crusher” Jerry Blackwell
John Nord
Larry Zbyszko
Leon White
Marty Jannetty
Nick Bockwinkel - AWA World Heavyweight Champion
Rose Divine
Scott Hall
Sgt. Slaughter
Shawn Michaels
Sherri Martel
Steve Keirn
Teijo Khan
Tiger Mask II (Mitsuharu Misawa)
Verne Gagne
Tag Teams/Factions
Buddy Rose & Doug Somers
The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)
Announcers/Interviewers
"Lord" James Blears
Lee Marshall
Rod Trongard
Unassigned/Free Agents
Moondog Rex
Moondog Spot
Stan “the Lariat” Hansen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Yep, the “Machines” tag team gimmick is exactly as IOTL, as well as the “Andre suspension” storyline, which was concocted to allow Andre time off to rest and film The Princess Bride. For more about this horrendous storyline, read The Machines’ Wikipedia page here.
[2] As IOTL, Davis also acts as a referee, and his kayfabe “heel bias” is as OTL as well. However, he isn’t associated with the Hart Foundation.
[3] Snuka is still sticking around the WWF for the time being ITTL. His workload is lightened due to Steamboat taking a bit of the spotlight for high-flying antics off him, and is in a little better shape.
[4] Known as Haku at this point IOTL. Here, his ring name is never changed.
[5] As noted in previous updates, Misty is brought in as a heel women’s wrestler to replace the departed Fabulous Moolah, who was still employed by WWF at this point IOTL. Wendi Richter, who departed instead of Moolah IOTL, also remains employed.
[6] Terry Funk left the WWF in the summer of 1986 IOTL, while Dory remained with the company for a few more months. Jobber Jesse Barr, the older brother of Eddie Guerrero’s former tag team partner Art Barr, was brought in as the “third” Funk brother, Jimmy Jack Funk. Here, the brothers are convinced to stick around a bit longer, and Barr is never brought up.
[7] Known as Tama at this point IOTL. See note 4.
[8] See note 5.
[9] Upon debuting in the WWF in 1986, Slick—who was the first black manager in WWF history—was stated as having “purchased a half-interest” in all the members of “Classy” Freddie Blassie’s heel stable, as a way of phasing the aging Blassie out of storylines. This also happens ITTL, and also as IOTL, Slick integrates Butch Reed into the stable. Also, Hercules went to the Heenan Family in late ’86; here, he sticks with Slick, partly because the sight of a pasty-white man being managed by a man who is so stereotypically black just sounds so damned funny to me.
[10] IOTL, Race had jumped ship to the WWF at this point in time, where he was put into the Heenan Family, given a silly “King” gimmick, and feuded with mid-carders like Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana. ITTL, Race is truer to his roots, and heads to Crockett once his AWA contract expires.
[11] Rotundo had also quit the WWF at this point IOTL, but he hadn’t signed anywhere new. Here, he follows his friend Barry Windham out the door earlier and resurfaces in Crockett.
[12] As mentioned previously, Nikita Koloff was a babyface at this point IOTL, and in order to increase crowd support for him since the Cold War was still in full swing, Crockett brought in an amateur Russian wrestler named Vladimir Petrov, managed by Nikita’s kayfabe “uncle”, Ivan Koloff, to feud with the smaller Nikita. Here, since Magnum T.A.’s career isn’t over and Nikita has thus not turned, Petrov is never brought in.
[13] Just as IOTL, Dennis Condrey leaves JCP suddenly, and Stan Lane is brought in to replace him as Bobby Eaton’s partner in the Midnight Express.
[14] Dillon was, of course, managing the Horsemen at this point IOTL. ITTL, Crockett turns him babyface and has him manage the also-newly-turned Midnight Express. Not exactly the best usage of Dillon’s talents, but as I said, I’m not writing a wrestling utopia…
[15] For now, the roster of Mid-South is much the same as OTL, and also as OTL, it's on its last legs.
[16] Same as OTL, with the only exceptions being Adrian Adonis, the Fabulous Moolah, and the absence of Jimmy Snuka.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, this was long-overdue, in my opinion: a look at the rosters of four of the five "major" wrestling companies in America. The only notable one missing is Continental Wrestling in Memphis, and for now, its roster is exactly the same. I hope I didn't bore you with all these bland statistics...
Coming up, a new tag team makes the scene in WWF.
Wrestling Promotion Rosters: January 1st, 1987
World Wrestling Federation
Owner: Vince McMahon, Jr.
Based in: Stamford, CT
Active Wrestlers
Andre the Giant (Giant Machine) [1]
B. Brian Blair
Barry O.
Big John Studd
Big Machine (Blackjack Mulligan)
“Marshall” Billy Jack Haynes
“Cowboy” Bob Orton
Bret "Hitman" Hart - WWF Tag Team Champion
Brutus Beefcake
“The Natural” Butch Reed
Corporal Kirchner
“Mr. X” Danny Davis [2]
“The Golden Boy” Danny Spivey
Davey Boy Smith
Dino Bravo
“The Magnificent” Don Muraco
Dory Funk (Jr.)
The Dynamite Kid
George “the Animal” Steele
Greg “the Hammer” Valentine
Hercules Hernandez
Hillbilly Jim
The Honky Tonk Man
Hulk Hogan
Itsuki Yamazaki
The Iron Sheik
Jacques Rougeau
Jake “the Snake” Roberts
“Jumping” Jim Brunzell
Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart - WWF Tag Team Champion
Jim Powers
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka [3]
Judy Martin
The Junkyard Dog
“The Ugandan Giant” Kamala
King Kong Bundy
King Tonga [4]
“The Birdman” Koko B. Ware
“Leaping” Lanny Poffo
Leilani Kai
Les Thornton
Mario Mancini
“The Blue Belle” Misty Blue Simms - WWF Women's World Champion [5]
Nikolai Volkoff
Noriyo Tateno
“Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Paul Roma
Pedro Morales
Randy “Macho Man” Savage - WWF Intercontinental Champion
Raymond Rougeau
Rick Martel
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat - WWF World Heavyweight Champion
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper
“Outlaw” Ron Bass
Salvatore Bellomo
“The Wild Samoan” Sika
Sivi Afi
Steve Lombardi (Kim Chee)
Super Machine (Bill Eadie)
Superstar Billy Graham
“The World’s Strongest Man” Ted Arcidi
Terry Funk [6]
Tito Santana
Tom Zenk
The Tonga Kid [7]
Velvet McIntyre
Wendi Richter [8]
Tag Teams/Factions
Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart
The Can-Am Connection (Rick Martel & Tom Zenk)
The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques & Raymond)
The Funks (Dory & Terry)
Greg Valentine & Junkyard Dog
The Hart Foundation (Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart & Jimmy Hart)
The Heenan Family (Bobby Heenan, Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd)
The Islanders (King Tonga & Tonga Kid)
The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno)
King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd
The Machines (Super Machine, Big Machine, Giant Machine & Captain Lou Albano)
Tito Santana & Brutus Beefcake
Managers (who they manage)
Bobby “the Brain” Heenan (Heenan Family)
“The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart (Hart Foundation)
Captain Lou Albano (Machines, Steele)
“Luscious” Johnny V. (Valentine & JYD)
Miss Elizabeth (Savage)
Mr. Fuji (Sika)
“The Doctor of Style” Slick (Reed, Hercules, Sheik, Volkoff) [9]
Announcers/Interviewers
“Lord” Alfred Hayes
Bruno Sammartino
“Mean” Gene Okerlund
Gorilla Monsoon
Howard "the Fink" Finkel
Jesse “the Body” Ventura
Vince McMahon
Jim Crockett Promotions (NWA)
Owner: Jim Crockett, Jr.
Based in: Charlotte, NC
Active Wrestlers
Animal
Arn Anderson - NWA World Tag Team Champion, NWA National Tag Team Champion
The Barbarian
Baron Von Raschke
Barry Windham - NWA World Tag Team Champion, NWA National Tag Team Champion
Big Bubba Rogers
Black Bart
“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton
Chris Champion
Commando #2
“Captain Redneck” Dick Murdoch
“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes
“Handsome” Harley Race [10]
Hawk
Ivan Koloff
“Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin
“The Boogie-woogie Man” Jimmy Valiant
Kendall Windham
Kevin Sullivan
“The Total Package” Lex Luger
Magnum T.A.
“The Raging Bull” Manny Fernandez
Michael “P.S.” Hayes
Mike Rotundo [11]
Nelson Royal
Nikita Koloff [12]
Ray Candy
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair - NWA World Heavyweight Champion
“Ravishing” Rick Rude
Ricky Morton
Robert Gibson
“The Man with the Hands of Stone” Ron Garvin - NWA United States Champion
Sam Houston
Sean Royal
Shaska Whatley
“Sweet” Stan Lane [13]
Tully Blanchard
The Warlord
Tag Teams/Factions
Barbarian & Warlord
The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo)
The Garvins (Jimmy & Ron)
The Koloffs (Ivan & Nikita)
Manny Fernandez & Rick Rude
The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane)
The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk)
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
Managers (who they manage)
J.J. Dillon (Midnight Express) [14]
Jim Cornette (Koloffs)
Paul Ellering (Road Warriors)
Paul Jones (Rude & Hernandez)
Precious (Garvins)
Announcers/Interviewers
David Crockett
Tony Schiavone
Mid-South Wrestling (Universal Wrestling Federation)
Owner: “Cowboy” Bill Watts
Based in: Oklahoma City, OK [15]
Active Wrestlers
Al Perez
The Angel of Death
Barney Irwin
Bill Irwin
Bobby Fulton
Buddy Roberts
Butch Miller
“Gentleman” Chris Adams
“Dirty” Dick Slater - UWF Television Champion
“Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert
Eli the Eliminator
Gary Young
Iceman King Parsons
Jack Victory
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan - UWF Tag Team Champion
John Tatum
Leroy Brown
Luke Williams
Mike Boyette
The Nightmare
The One Man Gang - UWF Heavyweight Champion
Rick Steiner
Savannah Jack
Steve Cox
“Dr. Death” Steve Williams
Sting
Super Ninja
Ted DiBiase
Terry Taylor - UWF Tag Team Champion
Tim Horner
Tommy Rogers
Tag Teams/Factions
Eddie Gilbert & Sting
The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers)
Jim Duggan & Terry Taylor
The Long Riders (Bill & Barney Irwin)
The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller)
Announcers/Interviewers
"Cowboy" Bill Watts
Frank Dusek
Jim Ross
American Wrestling Association
Owner: Verne Gagne
Based in: Minneapolis, MN [16]
Active Wrestlers
“The Sheik” Adnan El-Kassie
Adrian Adonis
Alex Knight
Alexis Smirnoff
Boris Zukhov
Brad Rheingans
Buck Zumhofe
Buddy Rose - AWA World Tag Team Champion
Candi Devine
Chavo Guerrero
Col. DeBeers
Curt Hennig
David Sammartino
Don Fargo
Doug Somers - AWA World Tag Team Champion
The Fabulous Moolah - AWA Women's Champion
Greg Gagne
“Crusher” Jerry Blackwell
John Nord
Larry Zbyszko
Leon White
Marty Jannetty
Nick Bockwinkel - AWA World Heavyweight Champion
Rose Divine
Scott Hall
Sgt. Slaughter
Shawn Michaels
Sherri Martel
Steve Keirn
Teijo Khan
Tiger Mask II (Mitsuharu Misawa)
Verne Gagne
Tag Teams/Factions
Buddy Rose & Doug Somers
The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)
Announcers/Interviewers
"Lord" James Blears
Lee Marshall
Rod Trongard
Unassigned/Free Agents
Moondog Rex
Moondog Spot
Stan “the Lariat” Hansen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Yep, the “Machines” tag team gimmick is exactly as IOTL, as well as the “Andre suspension” storyline, which was concocted to allow Andre time off to rest and film The Princess Bride. For more about this horrendous storyline, read The Machines’ Wikipedia page here.
[2] As IOTL, Davis also acts as a referee, and his kayfabe “heel bias” is as OTL as well. However, he isn’t associated with the Hart Foundation.
[3] Snuka is still sticking around the WWF for the time being ITTL. His workload is lightened due to Steamboat taking a bit of the spotlight for high-flying antics off him, and is in a little better shape.
[4] Known as Haku at this point IOTL. Here, his ring name is never changed.
[5] As noted in previous updates, Misty is brought in as a heel women’s wrestler to replace the departed Fabulous Moolah, who was still employed by WWF at this point IOTL. Wendi Richter, who departed instead of Moolah IOTL, also remains employed.
[6] Terry Funk left the WWF in the summer of 1986 IOTL, while Dory remained with the company for a few more months. Jobber Jesse Barr, the older brother of Eddie Guerrero’s former tag team partner Art Barr, was brought in as the “third” Funk brother, Jimmy Jack Funk. Here, the brothers are convinced to stick around a bit longer, and Barr is never brought up.
[7] Known as Tama at this point IOTL. See note 4.
[8] See note 5.
[9] Upon debuting in the WWF in 1986, Slick—who was the first black manager in WWF history—was stated as having “purchased a half-interest” in all the members of “Classy” Freddie Blassie’s heel stable, as a way of phasing the aging Blassie out of storylines. This also happens ITTL, and also as IOTL, Slick integrates Butch Reed into the stable. Also, Hercules went to the Heenan Family in late ’86; here, he sticks with Slick, partly because the sight of a pasty-white man being managed by a man who is so stereotypically black just sounds so damned funny to me.
[10] IOTL, Race had jumped ship to the WWF at this point in time, where he was put into the Heenan Family, given a silly “King” gimmick, and feuded with mid-carders like Junkyard Dog and Tito Santana. ITTL, Race is truer to his roots, and heads to Crockett once his AWA contract expires.
[11] Rotundo had also quit the WWF at this point IOTL, but he hadn’t signed anywhere new. Here, he follows his friend Barry Windham out the door earlier and resurfaces in Crockett.
[12] As mentioned previously, Nikita Koloff was a babyface at this point IOTL, and in order to increase crowd support for him since the Cold War was still in full swing, Crockett brought in an amateur Russian wrestler named Vladimir Petrov, managed by Nikita’s kayfabe “uncle”, Ivan Koloff, to feud with the smaller Nikita. Here, since Magnum T.A.’s career isn’t over and Nikita has thus not turned, Petrov is never brought in.
[13] Just as IOTL, Dennis Condrey leaves JCP suddenly, and Stan Lane is brought in to replace him as Bobby Eaton’s partner in the Midnight Express.
[14] Dillon was, of course, managing the Horsemen at this point IOTL. ITTL, Crockett turns him babyface and has him manage the also-newly-turned Midnight Express. Not exactly the best usage of Dillon’s talents, but as I said, I’m not writing a wrestling utopia…
[15] For now, the roster of Mid-South is much the same as OTL, and also as OTL, it's on its last legs.
[16] Same as OTL, with the only exceptions being Adrian Adonis, the Fabulous Moolah, and the absence of Jimmy Snuka.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, this was long-overdue, in my opinion: a look at the rosters of four of the five "major" wrestling companies in America. The only notable one missing is Continental Wrestling in Memphis, and for now, its roster is exactly the same. I hope I didn't bore you with all these bland statistics...
Coming up, a new tag team makes the scene in WWF.
Last edited:
January 1987: Demolition's Debut
Here comes the Ax, and here comes the...Funk?
December 30, 1986
“So this would be like the Road Warriors, then?” asked Bill Eadie as he shifted in his chair. Eadie was seated in Vince McMahon’s office, going over with his boss a new gimmick idea that McMahon had come up with.
“More or less, yes,” McMahon replied, nodding slowly. “They’ve had big-time success with that weird…whatever-it-is gimmick they have. If that bastard Crockett hadn’t snatched them up, they’d be working for this company, but the way I see it, we could create something better.” [1]
Eadie nodded. He wasn’t sure if he agreed with McMahon about that last statement—after all, the Road Warriors were pretty popular—but he was willing to go along with it. “Gotcha. Have you seen the movie?”
“What movie?”
“Mad Max. The movie the Warriors were inspired by.”
McMahon cocked his eyebrow, a look of clear confusion on his face. “They were based off of a movie? I had no idea. I just thought they were knock-offs of that weird Lord Humungous character in Memphis…” [2]
Eadie half-smiled and rolled his eyes, but continued. “Yeah, they got the idea for Lord Humungous from the movie.”
“Huh,” McMahon replied matter-of-factly as he leaned forward slightly. “Is the movie any good?”
“I have no idea,” Eadie said, chuckling slightly. “I haven’t seen it either; I’ve just heard of it.”
McMahon was quiet for a few seconds, but then he sighed. “Well, regardless, I wanna try this out. I thought of you because I figured: you’ve worn a mask for pretty much your whole tenure around here, and nobody’s probably gonna recognize you in the getup I’ve envisioned.” [3]
Eadie nodded again; that made sense. This idea that McMahon had for a Road Warrior-ripoff tag team was fairly interesting, but there was one slight problem. “That all makes perfect sense, but…who’s gonna be my partner?”
McMahon frowned. “I’ve given that a lot of thought. I’d like it to be someone the crowds don’t recognize…” [4]
Eadie thought for a few seconds. “Well, it’d probably have to be someone who at least hasn’t been on TV yet…somebody that the average fan isn’t gonna know…” [5]
McMahon nodded. “It’s gotta be somebody fairly big, too. I can’t have a dominant tag team with one big man and one puny one…that wouldn’t look right.”
Eadie shrugged. “I wish we could just use Bob, and be done with it.” He was referring to Bob Windham, AKA Blackjack Mulligan, who had played the “Super Machine” to Eadie’s “Big Machine” before the Machines gimmick was aborted. “Hold on…why can’t we use Bob?”
McMahon blinked several times, but then shook his head. “Well, I don’t know, Bill. Bob has told me he’s pretty beat up. I’d rather get a slightly younger guy to do it. Plus, wouldn’t the people recognize him? I mean, he’s wrestled in the WWF before…”
Eadie sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Plus, that face paint wouldn’t sit well with him—we barely got him to put on that mask.”
McMahon thought for a couple of minutes, then snapped his fingers. “Wait a minute…Barr. He’s in developmental right now, and I’ve been thinking about bringing him up, but didn’t know what the hell to do with him.” [6]
Eadie cocked his eyebrow. “You mean Ferrin? Yeah, I know him. He’s a pretty decent talent, but isn’t he a little small?”
“Well, we’ll stick some extra padding under his outfit,” McMahon replied. “Besides, if he gains a few more pounds, I’d say he could hang with the bigger guys pretty well. I’ll let him know about it…we can come up with your character names when we all meet up to discuss it in a couple of days.”
Eadie nodded. “Gotcha. Me and Barr, huh? This oughta be interesting.” He got up from his seat and began to head out of the office. “Oh, by the way,” he added, smiling back at Vince, “Happy New Year.”
Vince half-smiled back. “Happy New Year, Bill.”
January 10, 1987
The ninth episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event airs on NBC, drawing a 10.9 rating. The show sees Hercules Hernandez best the Junkyard Dog, while newcomer Koko B. Ware is victorious over Paul Roma. Randy Savage successfully defends his Intercontinental Championship against challenger George “the Animal” Steele, taking a heelish count-out victory. But perhaps the most-anticipated match on the card is the next-to-last match, which sees WWF Champion Ricky Steamboat take on Paul Orndorff of the Heenan Family for the WWF Championship. Heenan and Hulk Hogan watch from the sidelines, and try everything to steal a victory for “Mr. Wonderful”, but in the end, a surprise small package nets Steamboat the 1-2-3. After the match, Hogan tries to attack the Champion, but the Dragon manages to escape. Before the final match of the night, Gene Okerlund interviews Heenan, Orndorff and Hogan. The Hulkster makes it known that he wants the WWF Championship, and challenges Steamboat to a match at Wrestlemania 3.
One week later, at a television taping, a new tag team debuts, managed by “Luscious” Johnny V. The team is dubbed “Demolition”, and features two fairly large men: Ax, portrayed by “Masked Superstar” Bill Eadie, and Hammer, portrayed by WWF newcomer Jesse Barr. [7] The two men wear studded leather outfits and large black masks to the ring, reminiscent of the outfit worn by the character Lord Humungus in the film Mad Max 2, and sport black, red and white face paint under the masks, similar to that of rock band KISS. The night of their debut, the heel team would defeat Mario Mancini and Salvatore Bellomo with a slingshot catapult/flying clothesline combo that is later dubbed the ‘Demolition Decapitation’. [8]
While the team was quite over at the time, in retrospect, most wrestling fans see Demolition as a poor attempt to copy the popular Road Warriors tag team from the NWA, especially since Hammer was only around 200 pounds when the team debuted, and was noticeably smaller than Ax for about three months. [9] They are also seen by wrestling historians today as a novelty act by the WWF, and their relatively short reign with the WWF Tag Team Championships in late 1988 was fairly forgettable. [10]
Saturday Night’s Main Event results, 1/10/87
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) def. George “the Animal” Steele (w/ Captain Lou Albano) by Count-Out (7:30)
Hercules Hernandez (w/ Slick) def. The Junkyard Dog (3:02)
WWF Championship: Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat def. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan & Hulk Hogan) (9:01)
Koko B. Ware def. Paul Roma (2:04)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] As noted before, Jim Crockett Promotions beat the WWF to signing the Road Warriors from the AWA, as they did IOTL.
[2] I have no idea if McMahon (or Bill Eadie, for that matter) had seen Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior prior to discussing the formation of Demolition. But given how behind-the-times McMahon often seems, and how his employees are often said to bring him into the present-day (like how McMahon legitimately didn’t know what a ‘burrito’ was back in 2003), I split the difference here.
[3] Eadie’s first gimmick in the WWF was “The Masked Superstar”, a masked heel that competed against many top-level stars. Since he used face paint in Demolition, he is one of the rare instances of someone whose real face was never truly seen in the WWF.
[4] As alluded to in a previous update, Demolition were first portrayed Bill Eadie and Moondog Rex. However, the fans recognized Rex, and made their voices heard, so he was replaced with former NWA talent Barry Darsow.
[5] This is one of the reasons Eadie suggested Darsow to McMahon: as the average run-of-the-mill WWF fan probably wouldn’t have watched NWA programming, they wouldn’t know Krusher Krushchev, and thus Darsow was given the nod to be in Demolition. Since Darsow A) is injured, and B) hasn’t officially signed with the WWF yet, that isn’t going to happen ITTL.
[6] McMahon is referring to WWF talent Ferrin Barr Jr., best known at this time by the ring name “Jesse Barr”. Barr would go on to play Jimmy Jack Funk (the “third” Funk brother) in the WWF IOTL, but because that gimmick doesn’t exist here, Barr is simply a struggling wrestler signed by the WWF with no direction as of yet.
[7] IOTL, of course, their names were Ax and Smash. Here, Barr rejects the “Smash” name and comes up with something more to his (and McMahon’s) liking.
[8] The same finisher Demolition used IOTL.
[9] The Road Warriors comparison is as OTL, but the Road Warrior knock-off accusations are turned up to eleven ITTL due to the two men being different sizes. IOTL, of course, Ax and Smash were (roughly) the same size.
[10] IOTL, of course, Demolition are one of the most decorated tag teams of all time, winning the WWE World Tag Team Titles three times, and holding the record for both the longest continuous Tag Title reign (478 days) and the most combined days as champions (698 total days). They also reunited in 2007, and are still going strong.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
And there you have it. Due to butterflies involving an injured Barry Darsow, Demolition turns out very different because of it. I sincerely think Bill Eadie and Jimmy Jack Funk can keep the WWF fans entertained, however, for the remainder of the 1980s.
Coming up: the drive toward Wrestlemania 3 begins.
December 30, 1986
“So this would be like the Road Warriors, then?” asked Bill Eadie as he shifted in his chair. Eadie was seated in Vince McMahon’s office, going over with his boss a new gimmick idea that McMahon had come up with.
“More or less, yes,” McMahon replied, nodding slowly. “They’ve had big-time success with that weird…whatever-it-is gimmick they have. If that bastard Crockett hadn’t snatched them up, they’d be working for this company, but the way I see it, we could create something better.” [1]
Eadie nodded. He wasn’t sure if he agreed with McMahon about that last statement—after all, the Road Warriors were pretty popular—but he was willing to go along with it. “Gotcha. Have you seen the movie?”
“What movie?”
“Mad Max. The movie the Warriors were inspired by.”
McMahon cocked his eyebrow, a look of clear confusion on his face. “They were based off of a movie? I had no idea. I just thought they were knock-offs of that weird Lord Humungous character in Memphis…” [2]
Eadie half-smiled and rolled his eyes, but continued. “Yeah, they got the idea for Lord Humungous from the movie.”
“Huh,” McMahon replied matter-of-factly as he leaned forward slightly. “Is the movie any good?”
“I have no idea,” Eadie said, chuckling slightly. “I haven’t seen it either; I’ve just heard of it.”
McMahon was quiet for a few seconds, but then he sighed. “Well, regardless, I wanna try this out. I thought of you because I figured: you’ve worn a mask for pretty much your whole tenure around here, and nobody’s probably gonna recognize you in the getup I’ve envisioned.” [3]
Eadie nodded again; that made sense. This idea that McMahon had for a Road Warrior-ripoff tag team was fairly interesting, but there was one slight problem. “That all makes perfect sense, but…who’s gonna be my partner?”
McMahon frowned. “I’ve given that a lot of thought. I’d like it to be someone the crowds don’t recognize…” [4]
Eadie thought for a few seconds. “Well, it’d probably have to be someone who at least hasn’t been on TV yet…somebody that the average fan isn’t gonna know…” [5]
McMahon nodded. “It’s gotta be somebody fairly big, too. I can’t have a dominant tag team with one big man and one puny one…that wouldn’t look right.”
Eadie shrugged. “I wish we could just use Bob, and be done with it.” He was referring to Bob Windham, AKA Blackjack Mulligan, who had played the “Super Machine” to Eadie’s “Big Machine” before the Machines gimmick was aborted. “Hold on…why can’t we use Bob?”
McMahon blinked several times, but then shook his head. “Well, I don’t know, Bill. Bob has told me he’s pretty beat up. I’d rather get a slightly younger guy to do it. Plus, wouldn’t the people recognize him? I mean, he’s wrestled in the WWF before…”
Eadie sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. Plus, that face paint wouldn’t sit well with him—we barely got him to put on that mask.”
McMahon thought for a couple of minutes, then snapped his fingers. “Wait a minute…Barr. He’s in developmental right now, and I’ve been thinking about bringing him up, but didn’t know what the hell to do with him.” [6]
Eadie cocked his eyebrow. “You mean Ferrin? Yeah, I know him. He’s a pretty decent talent, but isn’t he a little small?”
“Well, we’ll stick some extra padding under his outfit,” McMahon replied. “Besides, if he gains a few more pounds, I’d say he could hang with the bigger guys pretty well. I’ll let him know about it…we can come up with your character names when we all meet up to discuss it in a couple of days.”
Eadie nodded. “Gotcha. Me and Barr, huh? This oughta be interesting.” He got up from his seat and began to head out of the office. “Oh, by the way,” he added, smiling back at Vince, “Happy New Year.”
Vince half-smiled back. “Happy New Year, Bill.”
January 10, 1987
The ninth episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event airs on NBC, drawing a 10.9 rating. The show sees Hercules Hernandez best the Junkyard Dog, while newcomer Koko B. Ware is victorious over Paul Roma. Randy Savage successfully defends his Intercontinental Championship against challenger George “the Animal” Steele, taking a heelish count-out victory. But perhaps the most-anticipated match on the card is the next-to-last match, which sees WWF Champion Ricky Steamboat take on Paul Orndorff of the Heenan Family for the WWF Championship. Heenan and Hulk Hogan watch from the sidelines, and try everything to steal a victory for “Mr. Wonderful”, but in the end, a surprise small package nets Steamboat the 1-2-3. After the match, Hogan tries to attack the Champion, but the Dragon manages to escape. Before the final match of the night, Gene Okerlund interviews Heenan, Orndorff and Hogan. The Hulkster makes it known that he wants the WWF Championship, and challenges Steamboat to a match at Wrestlemania 3.
One week later, at a television taping, a new tag team debuts, managed by “Luscious” Johnny V. The team is dubbed “Demolition”, and features two fairly large men: Ax, portrayed by “Masked Superstar” Bill Eadie, and Hammer, portrayed by WWF newcomer Jesse Barr. [7] The two men wear studded leather outfits and large black masks to the ring, reminiscent of the outfit worn by the character Lord Humungus in the film Mad Max 2, and sport black, red and white face paint under the masks, similar to that of rock band KISS. The night of their debut, the heel team would defeat Mario Mancini and Salvatore Bellomo with a slingshot catapult/flying clothesline combo that is later dubbed the ‘Demolition Decapitation’. [8]
While the team was quite over at the time, in retrospect, most wrestling fans see Demolition as a poor attempt to copy the popular Road Warriors tag team from the NWA, especially since Hammer was only around 200 pounds when the team debuted, and was noticeably smaller than Ax for about three months. [9] They are also seen by wrestling historians today as a novelty act by the WWF, and their relatively short reign with the WWF Tag Team Championships in late 1988 was fairly forgettable. [10]
Saturday Night’s Main Event results, 1/10/87
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) def. George “the Animal” Steele (w/ Captain Lou Albano) by Count-Out (7:30)
Hercules Hernandez (w/ Slick) def. The Junkyard Dog (3:02)
WWF Championship: Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat def. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan & Hulk Hogan) (9:01)
Koko B. Ware def. Paul Roma (2:04)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] As noted before, Jim Crockett Promotions beat the WWF to signing the Road Warriors from the AWA, as they did IOTL.
[2] I have no idea if McMahon (or Bill Eadie, for that matter) had seen Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior prior to discussing the formation of Demolition. But given how behind-the-times McMahon often seems, and how his employees are often said to bring him into the present-day (like how McMahon legitimately didn’t know what a ‘burrito’ was back in 2003), I split the difference here.
[3] Eadie’s first gimmick in the WWF was “The Masked Superstar”, a masked heel that competed against many top-level stars. Since he used face paint in Demolition, he is one of the rare instances of someone whose real face was never truly seen in the WWF.
[4] As alluded to in a previous update, Demolition were first portrayed Bill Eadie and Moondog Rex. However, the fans recognized Rex, and made their voices heard, so he was replaced with former NWA talent Barry Darsow.
[5] This is one of the reasons Eadie suggested Darsow to McMahon: as the average run-of-the-mill WWF fan probably wouldn’t have watched NWA programming, they wouldn’t know Krusher Krushchev, and thus Darsow was given the nod to be in Demolition. Since Darsow A) is injured, and B) hasn’t officially signed with the WWF yet, that isn’t going to happen ITTL.
[6] McMahon is referring to WWF talent Ferrin Barr Jr., best known at this time by the ring name “Jesse Barr”. Barr would go on to play Jimmy Jack Funk (the “third” Funk brother) in the WWF IOTL, but because that gimmick doesn’t exist here, Barr is simply a struggling wrestler signed by the WWF with no direction as of yet.
[7] IOTL, of course, their names were Ax and Smash. Here, Barr rejects the “Smash” name and comes up with something more to his (and McMahon’s) liking.
[8] The same finisher Demolition used IOTL.
[9] The Road Warriors comparison is as OTL, but the Road Warrior knock-off accusations are turned up to eleven ITTL due to the two men being different sizes. IOTL, of course, Ax and Smash were (roughly) the same size.
[10] IOTL, of course, Demolition are one of the most decorated tag teams of all time, winning the WWE World Tag Team Titles three times, and holding the record for both the longest continuous Tag Title reign (478 days) and the most combined days as champions (698 total days). They also reunited in 2007, and are still going strong.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
And there you have it. Due to butterflies involving an injured Barry Darsow, Demolition turns out very different because of it. I sincerely think Bill Eadie and Jimmy Jack Funk can keep the WWF fans entertained, however, for the remainder of the 1980s.
Coming up: the drive toward Wrestlemania 3 begins.
January-February 1987: The Road to Wrestlemania 3
The Newsletter chronicles: Winter 1987
January 22, 1987
WWF
Greg Valentine has dropped the “Hammer” nickname at house shows and on television, possibly as to avoid confusion between him and Ferrin “Hammer” Barr of Demolition.
The Santana/Beefcake tag team appears to be breaking up soon. At a taping for Superstars of Wrestling on 1/16, Beefcake defeated Rick Martel, but continued to beat him down until Santana made the save. This writer expects a match between the two former partners at Wrestlemania 3.
The rumors of Roddy Piper’s retirement appear to be legit. Piper reportedly plans to become a full-time actor, and Wrestlemania 3 will be his final match. [1]
NWA
The Midnight Express defeated Arn Anderson & Barry Windham at a house show on 1/19 to capture the NWA World Tag Team Championships. Interestingly, the Midnights only took the World Tag Title belts upon winning, so the National Tag Titles we thought were originally unified with them may still be officially held by Anderson & Windham.
AWA
Nick Bockwinkel fought Curt Hennig to a 30-minute draw in a surprisingly good match for the AWA Heavyweight Championship taped for television on 1/20. There are already rumors of a rematch in the works, so look out for that.
Other
Ricky Steamboat’s younger brother Victor made his official in-ring debut in ICWWC (author’s note: International World Class Championship Wrestling) on 1/19, defeating a local jobber. Compared to his brother’s high-quality matches, he looked a tad sloppy, but there’s definitely room for improvement. [2]
February 5, 1987
WWF
Dynamite Kid attacked Roddy Piper during a Mean Gene interview at a TV taping this week. Talks of a Piper-Dynamite Kid match at Wrestlemania 3 are reportedly in the works. Since it’s Piper’s last wrestling appearance, expect Piper to go over if it happens. The rest of the Hart Foundation (minus Jimmy Hart) were absent from the interview, as McMahon reportedly wants to turn them against Dynamite soon.
Jake Roberts cut a (slightly creepy) promo on the same TV taping in which he made clear his intentions to win the Intercontinental Title from Randy Savage, all the while making remarks about Miss Elizabeth. This is likely the start of the Savage babyface turn — McMahon has reportedly wanted to do it for some time due to how popular Savage and, especially, Elizabeth are with the crowd. Expect a Savage-Roberts match at Wrestlemania 3, and possibly a Savage turn in the weeks beforehand.
As it currently stands, the card at Wrestlemania 3 includes Hogan vs. Steamboat for the World Championship, Piper vs. Dynamite, Santana vs. Beefcake, and (probably) Savage vs. Roberts for the IC Championship. The Tag Team Titles and Women’s Title are also likely to be defended.
Jim Duggan was signed to a contract over the week. His debut has yet to be announced.
Ricky Steamboat’s wife Bonnie is of course, pregnant, and some sources are saying she’s due sometime around August or September this year. No word yet on whether it’s a girl or boy, as Steamboat is notoriously private with his personal life.
NWA
Our suspicions about Anderson & Windham still being National Tag Team Champions have been confirmed. Anderson & Windham cut a promo for television about still being National Tag Champions, and a match between they and the Midnights for the official title unification appears to be on the horizon soon.
Magnum T.A. is nearly healed, and doctors are saying we’ll probably see him back in the ring sometime in the fall.
AWA
Bockwinkel vs. Hennig Part 2 seems to be official now. A rematch between the two for the AWA World Title is scheduled for 2/18, and will air ten days later on ESPN. Considering how bland Bockwinkel’s run as champion has been, this writer wouldn’t be surprised to see Hennig win the strap.
February 19, 1987
WWF
Barry Darsow made his television debut on a taping of Superstars on 2/14 as “Darrin Darsow”, jobbing to Davey Boy Smith. Dynamite Kid and Jimmy Hart came out after the match to beat Darsow down, but Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart managed to stop them from hitting Darsow with Jimmy’s megaphone, prompting more than a few cheers from the crowd.
McMahon has reached out to Cyndi Lauper to appear at Wrestlemania, prompting some to believe that Lauper will be involved in the Ladies’ Title scene at the show. Other celebrities confirmed to be making appearances are Mary Hart, Aretha Franklin, and Alice Cooper. Bob Eucker (sp) was contacted by McMahon to appear, but sources say the baseball announcer has declined. [3]
The Savage-Roberts IC Title match has been confirmed for Wrestlemania. Roberts attempted to “seduce” Elizabeth during a Piper’s Pit at a TV taping, and Savage made the save. Rumor tells us that the winner of the match will not only win the title, but get Elizabeth as their manager.
Ken Patera’s return appears to be official. Nothing more needs to be said here…
Mid-South/UWF
Television ratings for Watts’ program have taken a huge nosedive, and while gate revenues are still turning a very slight profit, word is Watts may be on the verge of selling Mid-South Wrestling.
AWA
Curt Hennig won the AWA World Championship from Nick Bockwinkel on 2/18, in a match where Larry Hennig was a special guest referee. Bockwinkel attempted to shake Hennig’s hand after the match, but Curt refused, and both Hennig Sr. and Jr. walked away to boos. Hennig as champion should be interesting to watch, unlike a lot of the stuff Gagne’s been coming up with lately. [4]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] As OTL, unfortunately. Piper would eventually return to the WWF IOTL after doing several films, but whether or not that will happen here remains to be seen.
[2] IOTL, Vic Steamboat made his in-ring debut about a month earlier. Here, with the pressure on him due to his brother’s national fame, he takes a bit longer to practice his moves, and surfaces on the scene a little later.
[3] All these celebrities, minus Lauper, appeared at Wrestlemania III IOTL. Uecker also appeared at Wrestlemania IV IOTL, where the old man was famously choked out by Andre the Giant.
[4] Curt Hennig would also win the AWA World Title IOTL, but it didn’t occur until May 1987. Here, Gagne decides to put the belt on Hennig a bit earlier because Bockwinkel isn’t drawing like he should.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
And as we continue through 1987, the card for Wrestlemania becomes more defined. The new Midnights and Curt Hennig also get some time in the sun, and Piper's career is apparently winding down. Bill Watts is in trouble, and we'll see how he handles his financial problems soon enough...
Up next: Wrestlemania III.
January 22, 1987
WWF
Greg Valentine has dropped the “Hammer” nickname at house shows and on television, possibly as to avoid confusion between him and Ferrin “Hammer” Barr of Demolition.
The Santana/Beefcake tag team appears to be breaking up soon. At a taping for Superstars of Wrestling on 1/16, Beefcake defeated Rick Martel, but continued to beat him down until Santana made the save. This writer expects a match between the two former partners at Wrestlemania 3.
The rumors of Roddy Piper’s retirement appear to be legit. Piper reportedly plans to become a full-time actor, and Wrestlemania 3 will be his final match. [1]
NWA
The Midnight Express defeated Arn Anderson & Barry Windham at a house show on 1/19 to capture the NWA World Tag Team Championships. Interestingly, the Midnights only took the World Tag Title belts upon winning, so the National Tag Titles we thought were originally unified with them may still be officially held by Anderson & Windham.
AWA
Nick Bockwinkel fought Curt Hennig to a 30-minute draw in a surprisingly good match for the AWA Heavyweight Championship taped for television on 1/20. There are already rumors of a rematch in the works, so look out for that.
Other
Ricky Steamboat’s younger brother Victor made his official in-ring debut in ICWWC (author’s note: International World Class Championship Wrestling) on 1/19, defeating a local jobber. Compared to his brother’s high-quality matches, he looked a tad sloppy, but there’s definitely room for improvement. [2]
February 5, 1987
WWF
Dynamite Kid attacked Roddy Piper during a Mean Gene interview at a TV taping this week. Talks of a Piper-Dynamite Kid match at Wrestlemania 3 are reportedly in the works. Since it’s Piper’s last wrestling appearance, expect Piper to go over if it happens. The rest of the Hart Foundation (minus Jimmy Hart) were absent from the interview, as McMahon reportedly wants to turn them against Dynamite soon.
Jake Roberts cut a (slightly creepy) promo on the same TV taping in which he made clear his intentions to win the Intercontinental Title from Randy Savage, all the while making remarks about Miss Elizabeth. This is likely the start of the Savage babyface turn — McMahon has reportedly wanted to do it for some time due to how popular Savage and, especially, Elizabeth are with the crowd. Expect a Savage-Roberts match at Wrestlemania 3, and possibly a Savage turn in the weeks beforehand.
As it currently stands, the card at Wrestlemania 3 includes Hogan vs. Steamboat for the World Championship, Piper vs. Dynamite, Santana vs. Beefcake, and (probably) Savage vs. Roberts for the IC Championship. The Tag Team Titles and Women’s Title are also likely to be defended.
Jim Duggan was signed to a contract over the week. His debut has yet to be announced.
Ricky Steamboat’s wife Bonnie is of course, pregnant, and some sources are saying she’s due sometime around August or September this year. No word yet on whether it’s a girl or boy, as Steamboat is notoriously private with his personal life.
NWA
Our suspicions about Anderson & Windham still being National Tag Team Champions have been confirmed. Anderson & Windham cut a promo for television about still being National Tag Champions, and a match between they and the Midnights for the official title unification appears to be on the horizon soon.
Magnum T.A. is nearly healed, and doctors are saying we’ll probably see him back in the ring sometime in the fall.
AWA
Bockwinkel vs. Hennig Part 2 seems to be official now. A rematch between the two for the AWA World Title is scheduled for 2/18, and will air ten days later on ESPN. Considering how bland Bockwinkel’s run as champion has been, this writer wouldn’t be surprised to see Hennig win the strap.
February 19, 1987
WWF
Barry Darsow made his television debut on a taping of Superstars on 2/14 as “Darrin Darsow”, jobbing to Davey Boy Smith. Dynamite Kid and Jimmy Hart came out after the match to beat Darsow down, but Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart managed to stop them from hitting Darsow with Jimmy’s megaphone, prompting more than a few cheers from the crowd.
McMahon has reached out to Cyndi Lauper to appear at Wrestlemania, prompting some to believe that Lauper will be involved in the Ladies’ Title scene at the show. Other celebrities confirmed to be making appearances are Mary Hart, Aretha Franklin, and Alice Cooper. Bob Eucker (sp) was contacted by McMahon to appear, but sources say the baseball announcer has declined. [3]
The Savage-Roberts IC Title match has been confirmed for Wrestlemania. Roberts attempted to “seduce” Elizabeth during a Piper’s Pit at a TV taping, and Savage made the save. Rumor tells us that the winner of the match will not only win the title, but get Elizabeth as their manager.
Ken Patera’s return appears to be official. Nothing more needs to be said here…
Mid-South/UWF
Television ratings for Watts’ program have taken a huge nosedive, and while gate revenues are still turning a very slight profit, word is Watts may be on the verge of selling Mid-South Wrestling.
AWA
Curt Hennig won the AWA World Championship from Nick Bockwinkel on 2/18, in a match where Larry Hennig was a special guest referee. Bockwinkel attempted to shake Hennig’s hand after the match, but Curt refused, and both Hennig Sr. and Jr. walked away to boos. Hennig as champion should be interesting to watch, unlike a lot of the stuff Gagne’s been coming up with lately. [4]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] As OTL, unfortunately. Piper would eventually return to the WWF IOTL after doing several films, but whether or not that will happen here remains to be seen.
[2] IOTL, Vic Steamboat made his in-ring debut about a month earlier. Here, with the pressure on him due to his brother’s national fame, he takes a bit longer to practice his moves, and surfaces on the scene a little later.
[3] All these celebrities, minus Lauper, appeared at Wrestlemania III IOTL. Uecker also appeared at Wrestlemania IV IOTL, where the old man was famously choked out by Andre the Giant.
[4] Curt Hennig would also win the AWA World Title IOTL, but it didn’t occur until May 1987. Here, Gagne decides to put the belt on Hennig a bit earlier because Bockwinkel isn’t drawing like he should.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
And as we continue through 1987, the card for Wrestlemania becomes more defined. The new Midnights and Curt Hennig also get some time in the sun, and Piper's career is apparently winding down. Bill Watts is in trouble, and we'll see how he handles his financial problems soon enough...
Up next: Wrestlemania III.
This is amazing.
Can't wait for Wrestlemania III!!!
Is it still being held at the Pontiac Silverdome? Interestingly enough, Wrestlemania XXIII was also held in Detroit, at Ford Field.
Will this line still happen ITTL?:
"I'm have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum."
Can't wait for Wrestlemania III!!!
Is it still being held at the Pontiac Silverdome? Interestingly enough, Wrestlemania XXIII was also held in Detroit, at Ford Field.
Will this line still happen ITTL?:
"I'm have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum."
Last edited:
Tough to say. The line was ad-libbed by Roddy Piper in the film They Live, so if Piper does end up getting the lead in the movie, he could very well come up with something different on the fly.
Wow, lots happened since I last checked this thread. Love th early hogan heel turn; really the only choice McMahon and co could make. The right one, if you ask me.
Still hoping to see the..... Perfect, world champion down the one though. And hope savage gets a shot at the top.
Still hoping to see the..... Perfect, world champion down the one though. And hope savage gets a shot at the top.
March 1987: Wrestlemania 3
Wrestlemania 3
March 29, 1987
SteamPunk, the WWF Blogger – Post Date 3/19/2013
Classic WWF PPV Review: Wrestlemania 3
Two down…a lot to go. Continuing my look at past ‘Manias in honor of the 29th anniversary of the PPV, today we go back to March 29, 1987, to Wrestlemania 3 in the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, near Detroit.
This PPV occurred when the WWF was in its big heyday in the ‘80s, coming off the highly acclaimed Wrestlemania 2, and many huge names were employed by the company at the time. Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat was riding high as WWF Champion, and former champ Hulk Hogan had just turned heel several months prior, challenging the Dragon to a match that many people still see as one of the ultimate “headline” matches in pro wrestling history. 90,087 fans would pack the Silverdome to see Steamboat vs. Hogan, setting an indoor attendance record that wouldn’t be broken for over two decades, and is still the largest attendance of any wrestling show in history. [1] This Wrestlemania also set the record for the most matches of any ‘Mania, at 12. But enough history—let’s get started.
Vince McMahon is in the middle of the ring, and he welcomes us all to the show. He introduces Aretha Franklin, who gives an incredible performance of the Star-Spangled Banner. [2] All these years later, this is probably still the best Wrestlemania musical moment.
Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura are our announce team. They are joined on commentary by Mary Hart, best known as one of the hosts of Entertainment Tonight. I have no idea why Mary is here. Maybe someone told her this was a Hollywood movie premiere or something…
Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Slick) vs. The Killer Bees – The Killer Bees were a fairly talented tag team, and I usually enjoy watching them in action. I never got why Slick was managing Sheik & Volkoff at this point. Was Slick supposed to be anti-American or something? Maybe he was mad at “the man” for always keeping him down; I don’t know. Anyhow, we get the standard Russian national anthem before the match, but before the song is even halfway over, out runs “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan in not only his ‘Mania debut, but his WWF PPV debut. He gets a mic, and says that Volkoff won’t be singing the Russian anthem, because this is America, damn it, the land of the free. Um…if this is the land of the free, then why the hell can’t Volkoff sing the anthem? I mean, it’s not like it’s against the law in America to sing a foreign national anthem or anything. Anyhow, Duggan stays at ringside to cheer on the Bees as the match begins. [3] Mary Hart says she loves Duggan, for some reason. Maybe it’s the giant 2x4? The heels jump the Bees to start the match off, but the Bees soon reverse it after Sheik and Volkoff try a double-team. Blair whips Sheik into the ropes, then takes him down with a dropkick. Sheik has been very…colorful in his hatred for Blair (along with other wrestlers) in past interviews… [4] Nikolai breaks up a pinfall by Brunzell, and the heels begin working him over in their corner. Brunzell goes for a crossbody, but Volkoff catches him in a bear hug. Jim escapes, but Volkoff tags in the Sheik, who hits a gutwrench suplex for a 2-count. Another suplex gets another near fall. Brunzell nails a high knee and tags in Blair, but the ref is distracted by Volkoff and doesn’t see it. Sheik & Volkoff take Brunzell to the outside and double team him, but Duggan comes over and makes the save. Sheik rolls Brunzell back in the ring and locks in the Camel Clutch, but Duggan notices, climbs in the ring, and hits Sheik with his 2x4 to draw a DQ at 5:14. Duggan clears the ring of Sheik, Volkoff and Slick, helps the Bees up, and leads the crowd in a “U-S-A” chant. Sadly, Duggan’s presence really drags this match’s score down. If he weren’t there, this match could have been pretty good. With Duggan involved, it was almost a complete disaster. But since the Iron Sheik and the Bees were pretty talented, this match is prevented from being a total flop. *¼
Backstage Interview – Mean Gene finds Brutus Beefcake backstage getting ready for his match, and asks him why he has turned his back on Tito Santana. Brutus growls that it’s Tito that has turned his back on him. He claims Tito has gone soft, and he’s through pandering to him. Beefcake says he was the true star of their tag team, and he’s going to prove it tonight. Ugh…this was painful to watch. Not only can Beefcake not wrestle, he can’t cut a promo to save his life. DUD
Tito Santana vs. Brutus Beefcake – Tito & Brutus were a dominant babyface tag team up until several months prior to this PPV, when Brutus started beating down their opponents after matches. When Tito confronted Beefcake about his recent heelish attitudes in an interview, the Beefster officially turned heel, and voila! We got this match. I should probably point out now that each wrestler makes his/her entrance at this PPV by riding down to the ring in little “mini-rings”. It was…an interesting sight, to say the least. [5] Beefcake and Tito start out by trading punches for several seconds, but Beefcake grabs Tito and rams him into the corner. Beefcake lands several shots on Santana before the former IC Champion turns it around, staggering Beefcake with rights and lefts. Tito hits a flying shoulder block that staggers Beefcake, but when he tries a second one, Beefcake hits a clothesline that gets a 2-count. A scoop slam gets another 2 for Brutus. Beefcake has this weird look on his face that’s a cross between “don’t mess with me” and “I’m constipated”. Beefcake hammers the downed Santana until the referee pulls him off. A roll-up by Santana gets a 2-count, and Beefcake looks shocked that he almost got pinned. More shots by Santana, followed by a dropkick in the corner. Santana hits a knee lift that staggers Brutus, then a second one that scores a near fall. Tito applies a side headlock to Beefcake, but Brutus fights out and hits a powerslam for another 2. Beefcake drops some elbows on Santana, and mocks the crowd and Tito. He picks Tito up for a bear hug, but Santana eventually fights out and runs Brutus into the corner. Tito hits a legdrop off the top rope, then quickly slaps on the figure four leglock. Beefcake struggles for a while before giving up at 8:44. Tito climbs the turnbuckle and celebrates as the crowd cheers, and Brutus rolls out of the ring in defeat. This was a decent enough match to have Brutus Beefcake in it, even though it dragged in many places. Still, Tito was still pretty good at this point in his career, and he carried Brutus enough in this match to make it watchable. **
“Magnificent” Don Muraco (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. Billy Jack Haynes – I never understood why Fuji was still managing Muraco at this point. Sure, it worked when Muraco was feuding with Steamboat, where we could play the “good Asian vs. bad Asian” card, but after that, it just seemed…weird. Muraco had kind of let himself go at this point, and was no longer “Magnificent”, if you will. Muraco and Haynes lock up, and Muraco pushes Haynes into the corner and clotheslines him. He tries to hit another one, but Haynes moves out of the way. A gorilla press slam on Muraco gets Haynes a 2-count. Billy Jack signals for the full nelson, but Muraco rolls out of the ring. Billy Jack goes outside, only to have Fuji try to hit him with his cane. Mary Hart calls Fuji a “little Japanese sushi roll”. Yeah, that’s not racist at all… Haynes grabs Fuji, but Muraco makes the save, and throws Billy Jack back in the ring. Muraco picks up Haynes and goes for the piledriver, but Haynes gets out with a back body drop. Haynes clotheslines Muraco, then locks on the full nelson for real. Muraco soon submits, winning Haynes the match at 4:42. Not exactly the easiest thing to sit through, I’ll give you that. Still, this match was fine for what it was: an exhibition between two big guys that were fairly decent wrestlers, and could entertain a crowd for a good period of time. *¾
Backstage Promo – Hulk Hogan is in his dressing room, growling and mumbling as he stretches in preparation for his match. Every other word he says is “Steamboat”. This…was really weird. DUD
Andre the Giant, Greg Valentine & Junkyard Dog vs. The Heenan Family (w/ Bobby Heenan) – Valentine had dropped the “Hammer” nickname at this point because of Demolition recently coming on the scene, which kind of makes me sad. I wonder how much they had to reinforce the mini-rings to carry the two three-man teams out for this one—Bundy, Orndorff and Studd have to weigh well over 500 pounds combined, and their ring-cart also has to carry Heenan down, too. It’s a wonder the thing didn’t break! Valentine and Orndorff start off, and they lock up for a moment before Orndorff gets the better of Valentine with a hard clothesline. Orndorff backs Valentine to the corner and hits several kicks before tagging in Studd. A hard chop by Studd gets a 2-count. A side slam gets another 2. Studd tags in Bundy, who goes for a corner splash, but Valentine moves out of the way and tags in JYD. The Dog peppers Bundy with punches, but Bundy blocks a right hand and lands a clothesline for a 2. Bundy hammers JYD with shots in the corner, then tags in Orndorff, who hits a scoop slam for a near fall. A press slam from Orndorff gets another 2. Orndorff goes for a piledriver, but JYD squirms out. JYD hits the THUMP~ and goes for the pin, but Studd breaks it up. Orndorff tags in Bundy, who rams JYD into the corner. The crowd is loudly chanting for Andre, and Mary Hart brings it up, but Gorilla and Jesse don’t even seem to pay attention to her. Way to go, guys… Bundy tags in Studd, who hammers the Dog for several minutes, then locks on a bear hug. The Dog struggles for a few minutes, but escapes by raking Bundy’s eyes, and finally makes the hot tag to Andre. The crowd comes unglued as Andre starts cleaning house, clubbing Bundy with blows. He slams an interfering Orndorff and knocks Studd off the apron as well. Andre hits a sloppy clothesline that staggers Bundy, then signals for the bear hug. Studd attacks from behind, though, and he and Bundy double-team the Giant. Bundy irish-whips Andre to the corner, but Andre catches him with a big boot. Studd gets one a few seconds later. Andre hits a sloppy legdrop on the downed Bundy and pins him at 8:49 to net his team the win and go 3-0 at ‘Mania. Andre celebrates with his partners, lifting up Valentine, then JYD on his shoulders briefly. Considering how much Andre was said to be hurting at this point, I can understand why he didn’t lift them both up at once. It also explains why he wasn’t in the ring very much. Since Valentine (the best worker in this match by far) also didn’t spend a lot of time in the ring, it drives this match’s score down quite a bit. The match was also way too long. Still, seeing Andre celebrate with his partners at the end was pretty sweet. *
WWF Tag Title Match: The Hart Foundation (C) (w/ Jimmy Hart, Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith) vs. The Rougeau Brothers – There was very little build-up to this match, from what I can find. I honestly cannot find how the Rougeaus became #1 contenders…oh well. The Rougeaus are the babyfaces here—they wouldn’t turn heel until a few months later. Bret and Raymond start us off, and after locking up, Raymond backs the Hitman into the ropes. Bret nods and smiles in appreciation at the move, but soon backs Rougeau into the corner, hitting him with several boots to the midsection. Quite a few cheers for Bret here—he and Neidhart were on the cusp of a turn at this point, but we’ll get to that soon enough. Hart goes for a bulldog, but Rougeau counters into a suplex. Bret takes down Raymond with a headlock, and Mary Hart points out that she’s not related to any of the Harts. Good to know, Mary…that makes me hate you even more. Raymond struggles in the submission hold for a few moments, but soon whips Bret to the ropes before taking him down with a knee to the gut. Raymond locks on an armbar—a “tribute to the Dragon”, Gorilla suggests. Oh, please…the Dragon’s armbar is 10 times better, and you know it, Monsoon. Bret fights out and whips Raymond to the ropes. A blind tag from Jacques, who hits a dropkick on the Hitman, followed by a slam from Raymond. Jacques hits a knee drop for a 2-count. Bret rolls out of the ring, and the rest of the Harts (minus Anvil) berate him for getting his ass kicked so badly. Anvil comes over and backs his partner up, and the other three Harts back off for now. Bret rolls back in the ring, soon getting the better of Jacques by backing him into his corner and hitting several kicks. Hart tags in Neidhart, who stomps on Jacques some more. Anvil irish-whips Jacques, who comes back with a shoulder block; however, Anvil doesn’t budge. Jim pulls his straps down and dares Raymond to come at him again. “Put those things away, Anvil,” Mary says. “There are children in the audience!” Okay, I’ll give her that one—that was pretty good. Another shoulder block, and again, Anvil doesn’t move. Anvil charges at Jacques, who leapfrogs over him and takes him down with a chop to the chest in a pretty cool spot. He tags in Raymond, and a double back elbow gets a 2-count on Neidhart. Jacques tags back in, and a legdrop gets another 2 on Anvil. Anvil rolls out for a breather, and again, the other Harts start chewing him out. The Hitman comes over to defend him, and they glare back at the other three Harts. Gorilla points out that they seem to be eyeing Dynamite the most. Anvil rolls back in, only to get taken down again. Jacques locks in a Boston crab for a few seconds, but Bret breaks it up. Neidhart tags in Bret, who chokes Rougeau in the corner, then throws him to the floor. Like clockwork, Dynamite and Davey come over and hammer Rougeau, but the ref catches them and stops it. Jacques slowly climbs back in the ring, and Bret hits a backbreaker for a close 2-count. He tags in Anvil, who gets in several more shots. Tag back to Bret, who hits an elbow drop for another near fall. An irish whip attempt by Bret is reversed into a dropkick by Rougeau that sends Bret out of the ring. Dynamite gets in Bret’s face, cursing him for getting beaten so badly. Bret looks close to snapping, but he holds it together and climbs back in, slapping a headlock on Jacques. Jacques fights out, but Bret comes back and hits a snap suplex. He tags in Jim, and they both hit the Hart Attack, and while Bret takes care of Raymond, Anvil gets the 3-count on Jacques at 9:49. Dynamite and Davey hit the ring and hand the Harts their belts, then Dynamite begins pounding on the downed Jacques. Bret comes over and rips Dynamite off, and Dynamite angrily tells the Hitman to get his damn hands off of him. Anvil comes over to back up Bret, and Dynamite backs away, glaring at the two all the while. All the Harts head to the back in silence, except Jimmy, who never shuts up anyway, and Anvil, who tells Bret “you did good”. This was a really good tag team match between two highly talented teams, and we’d see plenty more encounters between them. For now, though, this was just a taste of what these four guys could do in the ring together. ***¾
Jesse Ventura is in the ring, and Vince introduces him to the fans. Gorilla puts over Ventura’s new movie Predator. Amazing how many really good films in the ’80s and early ‘90s had wrestlers in them: Predator, They Live, The Running Man, The Princess Bride…I could go on and on.
Backstage Interview – Mean Gene finds the Harts, and asks them their feelings about retaining their titles. Dynamite interrupts, saying the Hart Foundation is the most dominant group in the WWF, and he’s going to cement that tonight when he sends Roddy Piper out of the WWF for good. He yells at Bret and Anvil for almost losing the Tag Titles, and Bret grabs the mic, telling Dynamite to never raise his voice to him again. He suggests that after he beats Piper tonight, maybe Dynamite wants a piece of him next? The two men glare at one another before Jimmy breaks it up, citing “Hart family values” (whatever that is). Good segment here, and it hinted at what was about to occur. **½
Backstage Interview – Ken Resnick (remember him? No? Me neither) interviews Honky Tonk Man and Johnny V, asking Honky what he’s done to prepare for his match with George Steele tonight. Honky says Steele is an animal alright, but he knows that music calms the savage beast, and he’s got a little tune to play Steele tonight. Johnny V pipes in and says when Honky’s finished with the Animal, he’ll call up the zoo and tell them they’ve found the Missing Link. Really? Last I checked, he wasn’t employed by the WWF at this point… Not a bad promo, but also far from the best out of Honky, who despite his limitations, was pretty good on the mic. **
George “the Animal” Steele vs. Honky Tonk Man (w/ Johnny V) – Steele does his standard “bite the turnbuckle” schtick before the match. Doesn’t he usually do it afterwards? Anyhow, as some random dude puts a new turnbuckle cover on in the background (awkward…), the bell rings, and Steele rushes at Honky. Honky plays the cowardly heel, ducking out under the ropes to force the ref to beg Steele off. Steele rushes at Honky again, and the same exchange occurs. On the third time, Honky catches Steele with a right hand. Honky tries for a clothesline, but Steele catches him for a body slam. Animal picks Honky up by the hair and bashes him against one of the turnbuckles multiple times. Honky sells the shots like his head’s about to explode, then Animal knocks him down with a shoulder block. Animal raises his arm and grunts, and the crowd cheers. Why? I have no idea… Steele picks up Honky again, but Honky rakes Steele’s eyes. Honky grabs the stunned Animal, hits him with the Shake-Rattle-n-Roll neckbreaker, and pins him at 2:50. Honky dances in celebration for a few seconds, but then Steele gets up and clubs him in the back. Steele grunts to the audience, but Johnny V passes Honky the guitar behind Steele’s back. When Steele turns around, Honky hits him over the head with the guitar, but it doesn’t break. Steele drops, clutching his head in non-Animal-like fashion, as Honky gloats. According to the stories, Honky had accidentally grabbed a real guitar backstage, not a prop one, and legitimately injured Steele with the head shot. [6] This match was extremely painful to watch, and the fact that Steele was injured by the guitar shot makes the ending even more painful. DUD
Backstage Promo – Jake Roberts quotes Shakespeare as he prepares for his match with the Macho Man. He says that from the beginning of time, women have been nothing but trouble for man. Truer words were never spoken. Maybe Elizabeth shouldn’t even be at ringside, because the beating Jake will give Savage is not going to be something a lady should see—and what Liz will see is Savage falling at the hands of Jake. Great Jake Roberts promo, but then again, aren’t they all? ****
Backstage Interview – Lord Alfred Hayes has found Savage and Elizabeth, and gets his thoughts on facing the Snake tonight. Savage takes off his sunglasses, so you know it’s serious now. Macho says Jake thinks he’s so eloquent when he talks, but it doesn’t matter, because he’s too angry right now to listen to anything the Snake is saying. He’ll protect Elizabeth from the venom Roberts is spewing, and beat Roberts senseless for good measure. Savage then walks off, yelling “SENSELESS” at the top of his lungs once he’s off-camera. This was a typical “crazy Savage” promo, and the fact that he was red in the face while giving it helped a lot. That “SENSELESS” thing at the end was also hilarious… ***½
Intercontinental Title Match: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (C) (w/ Miss Elizabeth) vs. Jake “the Snake” Roberts (winner gets IC Title and Elizabeth as manager) – Elizabeth and Savage are both dressed in green: Savage in neon green tights, and Liz in a forest green gown. At least, I think it’s forest green; I’m not a big color expert. Jake smirks at Savage and Liz creepily as he rides down. Roberts motions at Savage to get out of the ring and fight him on the floor, but Savage just shakes his head and plays to the audience, all while keeping his eye on Liz. As soon as Roberts climbs in, Savage starts hammering him before the bell even rings. Jake soon recovers and throws Savage to the floor, then goes for Elizabeth. Savage saves her by ramming Roberts into the barricade, then the ringpost. Roberts is thrown back into the ring, and Macho Man goes to the top, but the Snake catches him with a chop to the stomach. Jake controls the match for a while, hitting a knee lift and an inverted atomic drop that gets a 1-count. Savage rolls under the ropes to escape, but Roberts goes outside and hits an elbow to the throat. Roberts rams Macho Man into the post, then yells “That’s how you do it” to Elizabeth. Do what, exactly, Jake? The action gets back in the ring, where Jake stomps on Macho’s face. Roberts backs him into the corner, but Savage fights back with rights and lefts. He goes for a slam, but Roberts counters with a finger to the eyes. Jake drapes Savage’s throat across the ropes, and asks him where Elizabeth is now. Try the other side of the ring, Jake. Jake takes Macho down with a clothesline, then kicks him down as he tries to get up multiple times. Roberts irish-whips Savage, but Savage leapfrogs over him and takes him down with a forearm. A pair of standing elbow drops gets Savage a 2-count. Savage puts Roberts in a headlock for several seconds, and Mary Hart voices her support for Elizabeth when she says she hopes Savage wins. What, you think Jake couldn’t treat Elizabeth like a lady? All women love giant snakes! God, there I go again, typing things out before I think about them…I should really stop that. Jake is out of the hold, but Savage knocks him back down with an elbow, then hits a double axe handle from the top rope for a 2-count. Savage hits Roberts with a HARD shoulder block in the corner, but Roberts catches him with a boot as he tries it again. A short clothesline from Roberts takes Savage down, and the announcers suggest Jake might be ready for the DDT soon. Sure enough, Jake sets Savage up, smiles evilly at Liz…but then Savage grabs the ropes to stop the move. Roberts drops to the mat, and Macho Man climbs to the top rope. The crowd cheers as Savage goes for the elbow drop, but Roberts rolls out of the way. Both men slowly get to their feet, and Roberts hits a DDT out of nowhere. He covers Savage, but only gets a 2-count. The announcers stress how nobody had ever kicked out of the DDT until just then. Roberts pulls strands of his hair out (ouch) before grabbing Macho again. Macho clotheslines Roberts out of the ring and follows him out, ramming him into the barricade twice. Roberts retaliates by going for the DDT on the floor, but Savage pushes him into the ringpost. Savage grabs one of those weird purple padded chairs the WWF used to use at ringside, but before he can do anything, the bell rings. Savage looks up at the ref in disbelief as Finkel announces that there’s been a Double Count-Out at 10:40. [7] Savage looks back at Roberts, who is now stirring again, and hits him in the stomach with the chair for the hell of it. Savage goes to check on Elizabeth, and Jesse gripes that Savage is only just now tending to her. Roberts slowly climbs to his feet as Savage and Elizabeth climb back on their mini-ring and ride back to the back to the adulation of the crowd. A pretty entertaining match here, though I was expecting a bit more from both these men. Both Savage and Roberts were really good ring psychiatrists, and while the Double Count-Out finish may have seemed like BS at the time, I think it helped both guys in the long run: Savage got to continue his long IC Title reign, and Jake came out looking strong because the champ didn’t technically beat him. Liz, of course, would continue to manage Macho Man, as there was no mention of the stipulation after the match and the PPV. It’s kind of a shame, really, as I think they could have gotten a decent storyline out of it. ***
Backstage Interview – Ken “Nobody Remembers Me” Resnick has found Bobby Heenan, and asks his thoughts about the Heenan Family losing the big 3-man tag match earlier. Heenan says that all great wars suffer casualties. Tonight, he and his Family may have lost a battle, but they will win the war when Hogan takes the WWF Championship from Ricky Steamboat. Heenan says Steamboat may be the Dragon, but Hogan is the knight that will slay the dragon. Pure Heenan gold right here, as usual, but having Resnick even in the same building as Heenan drags it down a bit. ***¾
Backstage Segment – Wendi Richter is doing some weird “punch the air” thing, and out of nowhere comes Cyndi Lauper. She and Wendi hug like two giggly teenage girl pals who haven’t seen each other in years. It’s…unsettling. Cyndi tells Wendi she’ll be at ringside for her match, and predicts that she’ll be the new Women’s Champion before it’s over. Someone shoot me. Please. DUD
Hercules Hernandez (w/ Slick) vs. Dino Bravo – This is the second match tonight in which Slick accompanies his client to the ring. Bravo was actually the Canadian Heavyweight Champion at this time. The title belt was rarely mentioned on TV, and would quietly be retired not long after this event. [8] A lot of people forget, but Hercules was a pretty good worker for a big man. The bell rings, and Herc gets a knee lift on Bravo. He tosses Bravo into the corner and goes for an elbow charge, but Bravo moves. Bravo hits several shots to Hercules, but the big man retaliates with a STIFF clothesline. God, that looked painful. Herc works over the back of Bravo for a while. Bravo fights out and hits an inverted atomic drop, then goes for a suplex, but he can’t get Hercules up because of his hurt back. Great ring psychology there. Hercules hits a press slam, then applies the Torture Rack. Bravo struggles for a few seconds before giving up at 4:43. Herc won’t let go of the hold after the match, and keeps it on for a good 30 seconds before finally dropping Bravo, who convulses in pain as Hercules and Slick exit the ring. Tito Santana comes out of nowhere for some reason to check on Bravo, who is out like a light. Hercules and Slick slide back in the ring, and Herc picks up Tito for the Torture Rack, but Tito reverses it and hits a dropkick that sends Hercules out of the ring. Slick tries to hit Tito with his cane, but Tito grabs it and starts wailing on the Slickster. Tito starts to tear off Slick’s suit as the pimp barely escapes with Hercules. Tito helps up Bravo as the crowd applauds. This match was a decent little squash, and it did manage to set up a feud between Tito and Hercules. Still, couldn’t they have found a better use for Bravo on the card? *¾
Backstage Promo – Misty Blue Simms, in a standalone interview, says she’s stronger, faster, more beautiful, and a better wrestler than Wendi Richter, so it’s a given that Wendi will lose tonight. You forgot one thing, Misty: when it comes to cutting promos, you both suck… DUD
WWF Women’s Title Match: Misty Blue Simms (C) vs. Wendi Richter (w/ Cyndi Lauper) – Wendi and Cyndi are way too giggly and excited here. When you consider Lauper was 36 years old at the time, it makes it all the more pathetic. Wendi and Misty lock up to start, and Wendi backs Misty into the corner and unloads with several boots to the midsection. A running baseball slide from Wendi prompts Mary Hart to let out a noise I can only describe as a cross between a Michael Jackson yell and a dying rabbit. My ears are already bleeding from all the commentary she’s done so far, but now I think they just started gushing blood. Thanks, Mary… Misty recovers with a running bulldog for a 1-count. A pair of chops from Misty staggers Wendi, and Misty goes for a slingshot suplex, but Wendi rolls through for a 2-count. Misty reverses a headlock from Wendi into an irish whip and a clothesline that gets her a 2. Misty locks on a headlock for a while, and Lauper is grimacing at ringside like she’s bet money on Wendi winning (who knows, maybe she has). Misty hits a back suplex that gets another near fall. Misty climbs to the top and goes for a splash, but Wendi rolls out of the way just in time. Lauper now heads under the ring and pulls out her giant handbag, and everyone in the crowd can see what’s coming from a mile away. Wendi reverses an irish whip from Misty, and Lauper smacks Misty in the back with the LOADED PURSE OF DOOM~. The Blue Belle drops, and Richter hits a quick elbow drop and pins Misty to win the Women’s Title at 5:13. Cyndi climbs in the ring and celebrates with Wendi as they hold the title belt aloft. This wasn’t a good match at all, even for a women’s match. Still, it could have been worse, and they mercifully kept it relatively short. Wendi would hold onto the Women’s Title for a few more months before a relatively famous women’s wrestler/manager came onto the scene in the WWF. Perhaps you’ve heard her name…Sherri Martel? ½*
What Wrestlemania is complete without musical guests? We saw Aretha Franklin earlier, and now we get the king of shock rock himself, Alice Cooper. He performs a medley of “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “School’s Out”, and some weird song called “Man Behind the Mask”. Apparently, it was the theme to a Friday the 13th movie…who knew? [9]
Koko B. Ware vs. “Natural” Butch Reed – A shot of the announcers before the match lets Jesse show off the WM3 t-shirt he has on. No Slick here, as we saw Tito beat him up after Hercules’ match. Koko, of course, brings his bird to the ring, dancing like a wet fish to that crappy entrance music he had. Reed claims a hair pull right after the bell. Not gonna touch that one. Koko glides over a slam attempt and tries a roll-up, but Reed grabs the ropes. A dropkick sends Reed to the outside, and Koko dances for a bit while the parrot tries to eat the camera at ringside. Reed climbs back in and hits a few hard shots, but Koko reverses an irish whip into a hip toss. Ware comes off the ropes with a body block, but Reed rolls through and hooks Koko’s tights for the quick win at 2:04. Let’s be honest here—this match was nothing more than another pee break. The only saving grace was that at least it served to get Reed over as a heel a bit better. DUD
Backstage Interview – Mean Gene asks Roddy Piper what his strategy is in his upcoming match with Dynamite Kid. Piper says he knows Dynamite is a crazy psycho, but he’s pretty crazy himself. And tonight, win lose or draw, he’ll be leaving this crazy business knowing that he’s had a hell of a good time. He dedicates this match tonight to his family, and walks off. Great mic work by Piper, as usual, and you could sense the emotion that made it really feel like Piper was walking away for good after this. ***½
Roddy Piper vs. Dynamite Kid (w/ Davey Boy Smith & Jimmy Hart) – This is Piper’s retirement match, and Dynamite was also close to the end of his career at this point, too. The announce note that the Tag Team Champions are absent from ringside, and point out their disagreement with Dynamite earlier. Both Piper and Dynamite lock up, and Piper gets the best of the smaller Dynamite for a while, backing him into a corner and hitting several chops and punches. Piper goes for a superplex, but Dynamite shoves him off and hits a dropkick. A snap suplex from Dynamite gets a 1-count. A slam by Piper gets 2, but Dynamite takes Piper back down with a clothesline. Dynamite goes for a suplex, but Piper rolls through with a schoolboy, getting the surprise pin at 1:10! [10] The crowd erupts in cheers, and Dynamite has a look of pure shock on his face. Piper celebrates in the ring…for about fifteen seconds. Dynamite jumps Roddy from behind, clubbing him with blows. Davey Boy hits the ring and joins in as Jimmy climbs in and cheers them on. Hart & Neidhart rush down, and the announce team speculates that we’re going to have a 4-on-1 beatdown. Surprise, surprise when the Tag Champions block Dynamite and Davey from attacking Piper! Dynamite yells at them to get out of the way, but they only glare at him instead. Dynamite gets in their faces, yelling “you take orders from me!”, and then shoves Anvil. Anvil looks down, then at Bret; they both nod, and the Harts hit Dynamite with a double clothesline! Davey asks what the hell they’re doing, but they shove him down too! The Harts stomp down their former stable-mates, and dispose of them. Jimmy Hart is left in the ring, and he tries to beg the Tag Champions off, but to no avail—Jimmy eats a Hart Attack, and the audience loves it. The Harts help Piper up, and the Hotrod celebrates in the ring with the two newest babyfaces in the WWF, sending the Scotsman off into the sunset with his head held high. This match, in and of itself, was a major letdown (likely because Dynamite was said to be hurting like hell), and was for all intents and purposes a dud, but I’ll bump up the score to half a star because what followed was so epic. Hart and Neidhart had been taking major abuse from Dynamite for months leading up to ’Mania, and it all culminated here with their babyface turn. The Dynamite Kid would “quit” a few days later, never to return to WWF TV. Davey Boy would go on to be a singles wrestler (with Jimmy as his manager for a while), and the Harts’ tag title reign would end several months later at Survivor Series. As for Piper, this would be his final match ever… ½*
Backstage Interview – Lord Alfred has Hogan and Heenan together, and Heenan says the time is upon us for the Dragon’s reign to come to an end. Hogan claims that he knows Steamboat’s afraid of him, and he’s going to enjoy seeing the Dragon crumble up like a stale fortune cookie. God, the Asian racism jokes abound at this PPV… Hogan boasts that he’s bigger and stronger than Steamboat, and if the Dragon is smart tonight, he’ll hand the title belt over without a fight. As usual, Hogan and Heenan are great here—heel Hogan really came across as an egotistical schoolyard bully, and he played the role to a T. ****
Backstage Interview – Mean Gene has Ricky Steamboat, and he asks if he is ready to face Hogan. The Dragon says that he has been training night and day for this match, replaying the moment Hogan betrayed him in his head over and over again. Steamboat says Hogan is a liar, a fraud, and a bully. Millions of people and kids looked up to Hogan, and he let them all down when he attacked Steamboat. Steamboat says if Hogan doesn’t understand the power of the Dragon by now, then he’ll just have to beat it into him tonight. The Dragon was just starting to get really, really good on the mic at this point—you could really feel the intensity, and this was a great promo. ****
WWF Title Match: Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat (C) vs. Hulk Hogan (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan) – As Hogan and Heenan ride down to the ring, the fans pelt them with garbage. Steamboat gets a very loud reaction as he rides down, and he and Hogan have a long staredown after the bell rings. Hogan shoves Steamboat, and he goes down. Hogan poses, drawing a gale of boos from the audience. Steamboat only nods in response as he gets up, and he and Hogan lock up. Steamboat whips Hogan to the ropes, leapfrogs over him, and dropkicks him to the mat. Steamboat now poses over a downed Hogan as the crowd eats it up. Hogan glares at the Dragon as he gets up, and goes to punch him, but Steamboat blocks it and hits several chops, backing Hogan into the corner. Hogan takes Steamboat down with a clothesline, then hits an elbow drop for a 1-count. A backbreaker from Hogan gets another 1-count. Hogan bodyslams Steamboat. Really loud chants for the Dragon. Hogan grounds Steamboat and applies an STF-like submission hold. Steamboat escapes, and reverses the hold into a seated armbar. Hogan fights out, but Steamboat hits a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Steamboat goes for another armbar, but Hogan reverses it into a headlock. Hogan irish-whips Steamboat, and the Dragon tries to reverse it with an armdrag. Hogan’s too big, however, and the Hulkster knocks Steamboat down with a clothesline. Hogan smirks down at Steamboat as he stomps on him several times, then covers him for a near fall. A hard lariat from Hogan gets another 2. Steamboat rolls out of the ring, grimacing in pain. Hogan taunts the crowd, and Heenan is shown smiling like the cat that just ate the canary. “Wipe that smile off his face, Ricky,” Mary Hart suggests. Steamboat climbs back in the ring, and he and Hogan lock up again. A neckbreaker by Hogan gets 2. A spinning heel kick by Steamboat staggers the Hulkster, and the Dragon unloads with chops, but Hogan counters with a hard right hand. A hard clothesline by Hogan gets another 2. Hulk locks on an armbar of his own, prompting extremely loud boos from the audience. Jesse comments on how much stronger Hogan’s armbar will be because of the 24-INCH PYTHONS BROTHER~. Steamboat struggles in the hold, but then counters with a unique headscissors variation that really looks like it hurts. Hogan screams in pain for a while, but claws over to the ropes to force the break. Both men struggle to their feet, selling their injuries, then go at it with lefts and rights again. Hulk locks a bear hug on Steamboat. The Dragon struggles, and Gorilla says you can “literally see the life oozing out” of Steamboat. “Literally”, huh? I wasn’t aware life could be seen with the naked eye, Monsoon. Steamboat fades, and the ref drops his arm once. Twice. Three…no! The Dragon fights back, hitting Hulk in the ears to break the hold. Steamboat unloads in the corner with hard chops and kicks, and tries an armdrag again. He still can’t get it, and Hogan bodyslams the Dragon. Hogan goes for the legdrop, but Steamboat moves out of the way. Hogan gets to his feet, but the Dragon hits a high knee that staggers the Hulkster. Steamboat picks up the staggered Hogan and bodyslams him, prompting a gale of cheers from the crowd. He then heads to the top rope and hits the flying crossbody for the 3-count at 18:25. The Hulkster rolls out of the ring, and Heenan’s mouth hangs wide open as Steamboat mounts the turnbuckle and celebrates. The Hulkster just shakes his finger at the Dragon, and the camera catches him saying “this isn’t over yet”. Heenan looks completely despondent. Steamboat celebrates for the crowd as the PPV ends. A really good match, even though it was no WM2 main event (but then again, what match was?) It was highly exciting throughout, and the fact that Hogan busted out a lot of his old moves from Japan was really awesome. [11] I’ve also talked to people who say this might be the most important match in Steamboat's career, because A) it solidified that Steamboat could hang with the big, muscular guys, and B) it proved to the naysayers that Steamboat could beat a big man like Hogan clean. Steamboat would continue to reign supreme for several more months before…well, you probably know the story by now. ***½
Overall: This Wrestlemania was a mixed bag. It had its downs, for sure—Koko vs. Reed, the 6-man tag, and Steele vs. HTM were all pretty laughable. Dynamite vs. Piper also failed to live up to most of its hype, at least as far as the match itself was concerned. But the show also had its good points: that image of Steamboat slamming Hogan has been cited as one of the most famous moments in ‘Mania history, and Dynamite’s meltdown and the Harts’ face turn were also both really great and well-executed. Most of the high-profile matches were also pretty exciting and well-done. All in all, this was a pretty good ‘Mania, and I’d recommend it to any wrestling fan—even if several of the matches and promos should be fast-forwarded through.
Overall Score: 6.5 out of 10
Full Wrestlemania 3 Card
The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Slick) def. The Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell & B. Brian Blair) via DQ (5:14)
Tito Santana def. Brutus Beefcake (8:44)
Billy Jack Haynes def. “Magnificent” Don Muraco (w/ Mr. Fuji) (4:42)
Andre the Giant, Greg Valentine & Junkyard Dog def. The Heenan Family (King Kong Bundy, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndoff & Big John Studd) (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan) (8:49)
WWF Tag Team Championships: The Hart Foundation (Bret “Hitman” Hart & Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart) (C) (w/ Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith & Jimmy Hart) def. The Rougeau Brothers (Jacques & Raymond) (9:49)
Honky Tonk Man (w/ Johnny V) def. George “the Animal” Steele (2:50)
WWF Intercontinental Championship / Winner Gets Elizabeth: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (C) (w/ Miss Elizabeth) fought Jake “the Snake” Roberts to a Double Count-Out (10:40)
Hercules Hernandez (w/ Slick) def. Dino Bravo (4:43)
WWF Women’s Championship: Wendi Richter (w/ Cyndi Lauper) def. Misty Blue Simms (C) (5:13)
“Natural” Butch Reed def. Koko B. Ware (2:04)
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper def. Dynamite Kid (w/ Davey Boy Smith & Jimmy Hart) (1:10)
WWF Championship: Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat (C) def. Hulk Hogan (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan) (18:25)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] IOTL, the Silverdome attendance was reported to be 93,173 (though the exact number is debated), an indoor attendance record that wouldn’t be broken until the 2010 NBA All-Stars Game at Cowboys Stadium, which hosted 108,713 spectators. ITTL, there’s slightly less hype—because, let’s be honest: Hogan vs. Andre is a bigger ticket-seller to the casual wrestling fan than Hogan vs. Steamboat—so the attendance is a little lower.
[2] You might have noticed by now that the Wrestlemania musical guests are singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” to kick off the show. IOTL, the kickoff song of Wrestlemania has always been “America the Beautiful” instead. Consider this change a very minor product of butterflies.
[3] Jim Duggan debuted in the WWF in much the same way IOTL: in a match involving Sheik, Volkoff, and the Killer Bees at WM3. In fact, the details of this match are similar to the OTL WM3 version.
[4] There was no possible way I could butterfly away Sheik’s disenchantment with many guys in the business (Blair included), for one reason: the Iron Sheik is 100%, certifiably insane. You can view the infamous interview in which Sheik bashes B. Brian Blair here (WARNING: NSFW!!!)
[5] As OTL.
[6] Honky did the same thing to Jake Roberts in the buildup to their OTL WM3 match, legitimately injuring Jake and beginning his longtime addiction to painkillers. In typical Honky Tonk Man fashion, Honky has denied he was the one responsible for Jake’s injury to this very day.
[7] I had this match’s results written up as a double count-out from the beginning, but I still have to say kudos to PistolSO for predicting this match’s finish correctly. You, sir, win…absolutely nothing.
[8] As OTL.
[9] Cooper did appear at WM3 IOTL, but instead of singing, he accompanied Jake Roberts to the ring for his match with the Honky Tonk Man. Here, he gets the same treatment as Ozzy at WM2, and at this point, Wrestlemania “mini-concerts” are about to become quite the norm. “Man Behind the Mask” is as OTL.
[10] If you remember, I hinted at this back in Post #89, except the quote from the book stated the match lasted under a minute. You can call this an error on the book’s authors’ behalf.
[11] One positive of TTL is that due to Steamboat’s superior wrestling ability, Hogan’s forced to step up his in-ring work as well…
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, this took longer than expected. Sometimes real life can be a pain in the ass, I’ll tell you…but my job and my family must come first. Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoyed this update, and hopefully they will come more quickly now that my work schedule seems to have slowed down.
Steamboat’s being WWF Champion has unfortunately made WM3 a slightly lesser show than IOTL, but it still has its big moments, and trust me when I tell you that the Steamboat/Hogan feud is only getting started.
Coming up: we’ll see that Ricky Steamboat isn’t the only “Dragon” destined to rise in this timeline…
March 29, 1987
SteamPunk, the WWF Blogger – Post Date 3/19/2013
Classic WWF PPV Review: Wrestlemania 3
Two down…a lot to go. Continuing my look at past ‘Manias in honor of the 29th anniversary of the PPV, today we go back to March 29, 1987, to Wrestlemania 3 in the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, near Detroit.
This PPV occurred when the WWF was in its big heyday in the ‘80s, coming off the highly acclaimed Wrestlemania 2, and many huge names were employed by the company at the time. Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat was riding high as WWF Champion, and former champ Hulk Hogan had just turned heel several months prior, challenging the Dragon to a match that many people still see as one of the ultimate “headline” matches in pro wrestling history. 90,087 fans would pack the Silverdome to see Steamboat vs. Hogan, setting an indoor attendance record that wouldn’t be broken for over two decades, and is still the largest attendance of any wrestling show in history. [1] This Wrestlemania also set the record for the most matches of any ‘Mania, at 12. But enough history—let’s get started.
Vince McMahon is in the middle of the ring, and he welcomes us all to the show. He introduces Aretha Franklin, who gives an incredible performance of the Star-Spangled Banner. [2] All these years later, this is probably still the best Wrestlemania musical moment.
Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura are our announce team. They are joined on commentary by Mary Hart, best known as one of the hosts of Entertainment Tonight. I have no idea why Mary is here. Maybe someone told her this was a Hollywood movie premiere or something…
Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Slick) vs. The Killer Bees – The Killer Bees were a fairly talented tag team, and I usually enjoy watching them in action. I never got why Slick was managing Sheik & Volkoff at this point. Was Slick supposed to be anti-American or something? Maybe he was mad at “the man” for always keeping him down; I don’t know. Anyhow, we get the standard Russian national anthem before the match, but before the song is even halfway over, out runs “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan in not only his ‘Mania debut, but his WWF PPV debut. He gets a mic, and says that Volkoff won’t be singing the Russian anthem, because this is America, damn it, the land of the free. Um…if this is the land of the free, then why the hell can’t Volkoff sing the anthem? I mean, it’s not like it’s against the law in America to sing a foreign national anthem or anything. Anyhow, Duggan stays at ringside to cheer on the Bees as the match begins. [3] Mary Hart says she loves Duggan, for some reason. Maybe it’s the giant 2x4? The heels jump the Bees to start the match off, but the Bees soon reverse it after Sheik and Volkoff try a double-team. Blair whips Sheik into the ropes, then takes him down with a dropkick. Sheik has been very…colorful in his hatred for Blair (along with other wrestlers) in past interviews… [4] Nikolai breaks up a pinfall by Brunzell, and the heels begin working him over in their corner. Brunzell goes for a crossbody, but Volkoff catches him in a bear hug. Jim escapes, but Volkoff tags in the Sheik, who hits a gutwrench suplex for a 2-count. Another suplex gets another near fall. Brunzell nails a high knee and tags in Blair, but the ref is distracted by Volkoff and doesn’t see it. Sheik & Volkoff take Brunzell to the outside and double team him, but Duggan comes over and makes the save. Sheik rolls Brunzell back in the ring and locks in the Camel Clutch, but Duggan notices, climbs in the ring, and hits Sheik with his 2x4 to draw a DQ at 5:14. Duggan clears the ring of Sheik, Volkoff and Slick, helps the Bees up, and leads the crowd in a “U-S-A” chant. Sadly, Duggan’s presence really drags this match’s score down. If he weren’t there, this match could have been pretty good. With Duggan involved, it was almost a complete disaster. But since the Iron Sheik and the Bees were pretty talented, this match is prevented from being a total flop. *¼
Backstage Interview – Mean Gene finds Brutus Beefcake backstage getting ready for his match, and asks him why he has turned his back on Tito Santana. Brutus growls that it’s Tito that has turned his back on him. He claims Tito has gone soft, and he’s through pandering to him. Beefcake says he was the true star of their tag team, and he’s going to prove it tonight. Ugh…this was painful to watch. Not only can Beefcake not wrestle, he can’t cut a promo to save his life. DUD
Tito Santana vs. Brutus Beefcake – Tito & Brutus were a dominant babyface tag team up until several months prior to this PPV, when Brutus started beating down their opponents after matches. When Tito confronted Beefcake about his recent heelish attitudes in an interview, the Beefster officially turned heel, and voila! We got this match. I should probably point out now that each wrestler makes his/her entrance at this PPV by riding down to the ring in little “mini-rings”. It was…an interesting sight, to say the least. [5] Beefcake and Tito start out by trading punches for several seconds, but Beefcake grabs Tito and rams him into the corner. Beefcake lands several shots on Santana before the former IC Champion turns it around, staggering Beefcake with rights and lefts. Tito hits a flying shoulder block that staggers Beefcake, but when he tries a second one, Beefcake hits a clothesline that gets a 2-count. A scoop slam gets another 2 for Brutus. Beefcake has this weird look on his face that’s a cross between “don’t mess with me” and “I’m constipated”. Beefcake hammers the downed Santana until the referee pulls him off. A roll-up by Santana gets a 2-count, and Beefcake looks shocked that he almost got pinned. More shots by Santana, followed by a dropkick in the corner. Santana hits a knee lift that staggers Brutus, then a second one that scores a near fall. Tito applies a side headlock to Beefcake, but Brutus fights out and hits a powerslam for another 2. Beefcake drops some elbows on Santana, and mocks the crowd and Tito. He picks Tito up for a bear hug, but Santana eventually fights out and runs Brutus into the corner. Tito hits a legdrop off the top rope, then quickly slaps on the figure four leglock. Beefcake struggles for a while before giving up at 8:44. Tito climbs the turnbuckle and celebrates as the crowd cheers, and Brutus rolls out of the ring in defeat. This was a decent enough match to have Brutus Beefcake in it, even though it dragged in many places. Still, Tito was still pretty good at this point in his career, and he carried Brutus enough in this match to make it watchable. **
“Magnificent” Don Muraco (w/ Mr. Fuji) vs. Billy Jack Haynes – I never understood why Fuji was still managing Muraco at this point. Sure, it worked when Muraco was feuding with Steamboat, where we could play the “good Asian vs. bad Asian” card, but after that, it just seemed…weird. Muraco had kind of let himself go at this point, and was no longer “Magnificent”, if you will. Muraco and Haynes lock up, and Muraco pushes Haynes into the corner and clotheslines him. He tries to hit another one, but Haynes moves out of the way. A gorilla press slam on Muraco gets Haynes a 2-count. Billy Jack signals for the full nelson, but Muraco rolls out of the ring. Billy Jack goes outside, only to have Fuji try to hit him with his cane. Mary Hart calls Fuji a “little Japanese sushi roll”. Yeah, that’s not racist at all… Haynes grabs Fuji, but Muraco makes the save, and throws Billy Jack back in the ring. Muraco picks up Haynes and goes for the piledriver, but Haynes gets out with a back body drop. Haynes clotheslines Muraco, then locks on the full nelson for real. Muraco soon submits, winning Haynes the match at 4:42. Not exactly the easiest thing to sit through, I’ll give you that. Still, this match was fine for what it was: an exhibition between two big guys that were fairly decent wrestlers, and could entertain a crowd for a good period of time. *¾
Backstage Promo – Hulk Hogan is in his dressing room, growling and mumbling as he stretches in preparation for his match. Every other word he says is “Steamboat”. This…was really weird. DUD
Andre the Giant, Greg Valentine & Junkyard Dog vs. The Heenan Family (w/ Bobby Heenan) – Valentine had dropped the “Hammer” nickname at this point because of Demolition recently coming on the scene, which kind of makes me sad. I wonder how much they had to reinforce the mini-rings to carry the two three-man teams out for this one—Bundy, Orndorff and Studd have to weigh well over 500 pounds combined, and their ring-cart also has to carry Heenan down, too. It’s a wonder the thing didn’t break! Valentine and Orndorff start off, and they lock up for a moment before Orndorff gets the better of Valentine with a hard clothesline. Orndorff backs Valentine to the corner and hits several kicks before tagging in Studd. A hard chop by Studd gets a 2-count. A side slam gets another 2. Studd tags in Bundy, who goes for a corner splash, but Valentine moves out of the way and tags in JYD. The Dog peppers Bundy with punches, but Bundy blocks a right hand and lands a clothesline for a 2. Bundy hammers JYD with shots in the corner, then tags in Orndorff, who hits a scoop slam for a near fall. A press slam from Orndorff gets another 2. Orndorff goes for a piledriver, but JYD squirms out. JYD hits the THUMP~ and goes for the pin, but Studd breaks it up. Orndorff tags in Bundy, who rams JYD into the corner. The crowd is loudly chanting for Andre, and Mary Hart brings it up, but Gorilla and Jesse don’t even seem to pay attention to her. Way to go, guys… Bundy tags in Studd, who hammers the Dog for several minutes, then locks on a bear hug. The Dog struggles for a few minutes, but escapes by raking Bundy’s eyes, and finally makes the hot tag to Andre. The crowd comes unglued as Andre starts cleaning house, clubbing Bundy with blows. He slams an interfering Orndorff and knocks Studd off the apron as well. Andre hits a sloppy clothesline that staggers Bundy, then signals for the bear hug. Studd attacks from behind, though, and he and Bundy double-team the Giant. Bundy irish-whips Andre to the corner, but Andre catches him with a big boot. Studd gets one a few seconds later. Andre hits a sloppy legdrop on the downed Bundy and pins him at 8:49 to net his team the win and go 3-0 at ‘Mania. Andre celebrates with his partners, lifting up Valentine, then JYD on his shoulders briefly. Considering how much Andre was said to be hurting at this point, I can understand why he didn’t lift them both up at once. It also explains why he wasn’t in the ring very much. Since Valentine (the best worker in this match by far) also didn’t spend a lot of time in the ring, it drives this match’s score down quite a bit. The match was also way too long. Still, seeing Andre celebrate with his partners at the end was pretty sweet. *
WWF Tag Title Match: The Hart Foundation (C) (w/ Jimmy Hart, Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith) vs. The Rougeau Brothers – There was very little build-up to this match, from what I can find. I honestly cannot find how the Rougeaus became #1 contenders…oh well. The Rougeaus are the babyfaces here—they wouldn’t turn heel until a few months later. Bret and Raymond start us off, and after locking up, Raymond backs the Hitman into the ropes. Bret nods and smiles in appreciation at the move, but soon backs Rougeau into the corner, hitting him with several boots to the midsection. Quite a few cheers for Bret here—he and Neidhart were on the cusp of a turn at this point, but we’ll get to that soon enough. Hart goes for a bulldog, but Rougeau counters into a suplex. Bret takes down Raymond with a headlock, and Mary Hart points out that she’s not related to any of the Harts. Good to know, Mary…that makes me hate you even more. Raymond struggles in the submission hold for a few moments, but soon whips Bret to the ropes before taking him down with a knee to the gut. Raymond locks on an armbar—a “tribute to the Dragon”, Gorilla suggests. Oh, please…the Dragon’s armbar is 10 times better, and you know it, Monsoon. Bret fights out and whips Raymond to the ropes. A blind tag from Jacques, who hits a dropkick on the Hitman, followed by a slam from Raymond. Jacques hits a knee drop for a 2-count. Bret rolls out of the ring, and the rest of the Harts (minus Anvil) berate him for getting his ass kicked so badly. Anvil comes over and backs his partner up, and the other three Harts back off for now. Bret rolls back in the ring, soon getting the better of Jacques by backing him into his corner and hitting several kicks. Hart tags in Neidhart, who stomps on Jacques some more. Anvil irish-whips Jacques, who comes back with a shoulder block; however, Anvil doesn’t budge. Jim pulls his straps down and dares Raymond to come at him again. “Put those things away, Anvil,” Mary says. “There are children in the audience!” Okay, I’ll give her that one—that was pretty good. Another shoulder block, and again, Anvil doesn’t move. Anvil charges at Jacques, who leapfrogs over him and takes him down with a chop to the chest in a pretty cool spot. He tags in Raymond, and a double back elbow gets a 2-count on Neidhart. Jacques tags back in, and a legdrop gets another 2 on Anvil. Anvil rolls out for a breather, and again, the other Harts start chewing him out. The Hitman comes over to defend him, and they glare back at the other three Harts. Gorilla points out that they seem to be eyeing Dynamite the most. Anvil rolls back in, only to get taken down again. Jacques locks in a Boston crab for a few seconds, but Bret breaks it up. Neidhart tags in Bret, who chokes Rougeau in the corner, then throws him to the floor. Like clockwork, Dynamite and Davey come over and hammer Rougeau, but the ref catches them and stops it. Jacques slowly climbs back in the ring, and Bret hits a backbreaker for a close 2-count. He tags in Anvil, who gets in several more shots. Tag back to Bret, who hits an elbow drop for another near fall. An irish whip attempt by Bret is reversed into a dropkick by Rougeau that sends Bret out of the ring. Dynamite gets in Bret’s face, cursing him for getting beaten so badly. Bret looks close to snapping, but he holds it together and climbs back in, slapping a headlock on Jacques. Jacques fights out, but Bret comes back and hits a snap suplex. He tags in Jim, and they both hit the Hart Attack, and while Bret takes care of Raymond, Anvil gets the 3-count on Jacques at 9:49. Dynamite and Davey hit the ring and hand the Harts their belts, then Dynamite begins pounding on the downed Jacques. Bret comes over and rips Dynamite off, and Dynamite angrily tells the Hitman to get his damn hands off of him. Anvil comes over to back up Bret, and Dynamite backs away, glaring at the two all the while. All the Harts head to the back in silence, except Jimmy, who never shuts up anyway, and Anvil, who tells Bret “you did good”. This was a really good tag team match between two highly talented teams, and we’d see plenty more encounters between them. For now, though, this was just a taste of what these four guys could do in the ring together. ***¾
Jesse Ventura is in the ring, and Vince introduces him to the fans. Gorilla puts over Ventura’s new movie Predator. Amazing how many really good films in the ’80s and early ‘90s had wrestlers in them: Predator, They Live, The Running Man, The Princess Bride…I could go on and on.
Backstage Interview – Mean Gene finds the Harts, and asks them their feelings about retaining their titles. Dynamite interrupts, saying the Hart Foundation is the most dominant group in the WWF, and he’s going to cement that tonight when he sends Roddy Piper out of the WWF for good. He yells at Bret and Anvil for almost losing the Tag Titles, and Bret grabs the mic, telling Dynamite to never raise his voice to him again. He suggests that after he beats Piper tonight, maybe Dynamite wants a piece of him next? The two men glare at one another before Jimmy breaks it up, citing “Hart family values” (whatever that is). Good segment here, and it hinted at what was about to occur. **½
Backstage Interview – Ken Resnick (remember him? No? Me neither) interviews Honky Tonk Man and Johnny V, asking Honky what he’s done to prepare for his match with George Steele tonight. Honky says Steele is an animal alright, but he knows that music calms the savage beast, and he’s got a little tune to play Steele tonight. Johnny V pipes in and says when Honky’s finished with the Animal, he’ll call up the zoo and tell them they’ve found the Missing Link. Really? Last I checked, he wasn’t employed by the WWF at this point… Not a bad promo, but also far from the best out of Honky, who despite his limitations, was pretty good on the mic. **
George “the Animal” Steele vs. Honky Tonk Man (w/ Johnny V) – Steele does his standard “bite the turnbuckle” schtick before the match. Doesn’t he usually do it afterwards? Anyhow, as some random dude puts a new turnbuckle cover on in the background (awkward…), the bell rings, and Steele rushes at Honky. Honky plays the cowardly heel, ducking out under the ropes to force the ref to beg Steele off. Steele rushes at Honky again, and the same exchange occurs. On the third time, Honky catches Steele with a right hand. Honky tries for a clothesline, but Steele catches him for a body slam. Animal picks Honky up by the hair and bashes him against one of the turnbuckles multiple times. Honky sells the shots like his head’s about to explode, then Animal knocks him down with a shoulder block. Animal raises his arm and grunts, and the crowd cheers. Why? I have no idea… Steele picks up Honky again, but Honky rakes Steele’s eyes. Honky grabs the stunned Animal, hits him with the Shake-Rattle-n-Roll neckbreaker, and pins him at 2:50. Honky dances in celebration for a few seconds, but then Steele gets up and clubs him in the back. Steele grunts to the audience, but Johnny V passes Honky the guitar behind Steele’s back. When Steele turns around, Honky hits him over the head with the guitar, but it doesn’t break. Steele drops, clutching his head in non-Animal-like fashion, as Honky gloats. According to the stories, Honky had accidentally grabbed a real guitar backstage, not a prop one, and legitimately injured Steele with the head shot. [6] This match was extremely painful to watch, and the fact that Steele was injured by the guitar shot makes the ending even more painful. DUD
Backstage Promo – Jake Roberts quotes Shakespeare as he prepares for his match with the Macho Man. He says that from the beginning of time, women have been nothing but trouble for man. Truer words were never spoken. Maybe Elizabeth shouldn’t even be at ringside, because the beating Jake will give Savage is not going to be something a lady should see—and what Liz will see is Savage falling at the hands of Jake. Great Jake Roberts promo, but then again, aren’t they all? ****
Backstage Interview – Lord Alfred Hayes has found Savage and Elizabeth, and gets his thoughts on facing the Snake tonight. Savage takes off his sunglasses, so you know it’s serious now. Macho says Jake thinks he’s so eloquent when he talks, but it doesn’t matter, because he’s too angry right now to listen to anything the Snake is saying. He’ll protect Elizabeth from the venom Roberts is spewing, and beat Roberts senseless for good measure. Savage then walks off, yelling “SENSELESS” at the top of his lungs once he’s off-camera. This was a typical “crazy Savage” promo, and the fact that he was red in the face while giving it helped a lot. That “SENSELESS” thing at the end was also hilarious… ***½
Intercontinental Title Match: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (C) (w/ Miss Elizabeth) vs. Jake “the Snake” Roberts (winner gets IC Title and Elizabeth as manager) – Elizabeth and Savage are both dressed in green: Savage in neon green tights, and Liz in a forest green gown. At least, I think it’s forest green; I’m not a big color expert. Jake smirks at Savage and Liz creepily as he rides down. Roberts motions at Savage to get out of the ring and fight him on the floor, but Savage just shakes his head and plays to the audience, all while keeping his eye on Liz. As soon as Roberts climbs in, Savage starts hammering him before the bell even rings. Jake soon recovers and throws Savage to the floor, then goes for Elizabeth. Savage saves her by ramming Roberts into the barricade, then the ringpost. Roberts is thrown back into the ring, and Macho Man goes to the top, but the Snake catches him with a chop to the stomach. Jake controls the match for a while, hitting a knee lift and an inverted atomic drop that gets a 1-count. Savage rolls under the ropes to escape, but Roberts goes outside and hits an elbow to the throat. Roberts rams Macho Man into the post, then yells “That’s how you do it” to Elizabeth. Do what, exactly, Jake? The action gets back in the ring, where Jake stomps on Macho’s face. Roberts backs him into the corner, but Savage fights back with rights and lefts. He goes for a slam, but Roberts counters with a finger to the eyes. Jake drapes Savage’s throat across the ropes, and asks him where Elizabeth is now. Try the other side of the ring, Jake. Jake takes Macho down with a clothesline, then kicks him down as he tries to get up multiple times. Roberts irish-whips Savage, but Savage leapfrogs over him and takes him down with a forearm. A pair of standing elbow drops gets Savage a 2-count. Savage puts Roberts in a headlock for several seconds, and Mary Hart voices her support for Elizabeth when she says she hopes Savage wins. What, you think Jake couldn’t treat Elizabeth like a lady? All women love giant snakes! God, there I go again, typing things out before I think about them…I should really stop that. Jake is out of the hold, but Savage knocks him back down with an elbow, then hits a double axe handle from the top rope for a 2-count. Savage hits Roberts with a HARD shoulder block in the corner, but Roberts catches him with a boot as he tries it again. A short clothesline from Roberts takes Savage down, and the announcers suggest Jake might be ready for the DDT soon. Sure enough, Jake sets Savage up, smiles evilly at Liz…but then Savage grabs the ropes to stop the move. Roberts drops to the mat, and Macho Man climbs to the top rope. The crowd cheers as Savage goes for the elbow drop, but Roberts rolls out of the way. Both men slowly get to their feet, and Roberts hits a DDT out of nowhere. He covers Savage, but only gets a 2-count. The announcers stress how nobody had ever kicked out of the DDT until just then. Roberts pulls strands of his hair out (ouch) before grabbing Macho again. Macho clotheslines Roberts out of the ring and follows him out, ramming him into the barricade twice. Roberts retaliates by going for the DDT on the floor, but Savage pushes him into the ringpost. Savage grabs one of those weird purple padded chairs the WWF used to use at ringside, but before he can do anything, the bell rings. Savage looks up at the ref in disbelief as Finkel announces that there’s been a Double Count-Out at 10:40. [7] Savage looks back at Roberts, who is now stirring again, and hits him in the stomach with the chair for the hell of it. Savage goes to check on Elizabeth, and Jesse gripes that Savage is only just now tending to her. Roberts slowly climbs to his feet as Savage and Elizabeth climb back on their mini-ring and ride back to the back to the adulation of the crowd. A pretty entertaining match here, though I was expecting a bit more from both these men. Both Savage and Roberts were really good ring psychiatrists, and while the Double Count-Out finish may have seemed like BS at the time, I think it helped both guys in the long run: Savage got to continue his long IC Title reign, and Jake came out looking strong because the champ didn’t technically beat him. Liz, of course, would continue to manage Macho Man, as there was no mention of the stipulation after the match and the PPV. It’s kind of a shame, really, as I think they could have gotten a decent storyline out of it. ***
Backstage Interview – Ken “Nobody Remembers Me” Resnick has found Bobby Heenan, and asks his thoughts about the Heenan Family losing the big 3-man tag match earlier. Heenan says that all great wars suffer casualties. Tonight, he and his Family may have lost a battle, but they will win the war when Hogan takes the WWF Championship from Ricky Steamboat. Heenan says Steamboat may be the Dragon, but Hogan is the knight that will slay the dragon. Pure Heenan gold right here, as usual, but having Resnick even in the same building as Heenan drags it down a bit. ***¾
Backstage Segment – Wendi Richter is doing some weird “punch the air” thing, and out of nowhere comes Cyndi Lauper. She and Wendi hug like two giggly teenage girl pals who haven’t seen each other in years. It’s…unsettling. Cyndi tells Wendi she’ll be at ringside for her match, and predicts that she’ll be the new Women’s Champion before it’s over. Someone shoot me. Please. DUD
Hercules Hernandez (w/ Slick) vs. Dino Bravo – This is the second match tonight in which Slick accompanies his client to the ring. Bravo was actually the Canadian Heavyweight Champion at this time. The title belt was rarely mentioned on TV, and would quietly be retired not long after this event. [8] A lot of people forget, but Hercules was a pretty good worker for a big man. The bell rings, and Herc gets a knee lift on Bravo. He tosses Bravo into the corner and goes for an elbow charge, but Bravo moves. Bravo hits several shots to Hercules, but the big man retaliates with a STIFF clothesline. God, that looked painful. Herc works over the back of Bravo for a while. Bravo fights out and hits an inverted atomic drop, then goes for a suplex, but he can’t get Hercules up because of his hurt back. Great ring psychology there. Hercules hits a press slam, then applies the Torture Rack. Bravo struggles for a few seconds before giving up at 4:43. Herc won’t let go of the hold after the match, and keeps it on for a good 30 seconds before finally dropping Bravo, who convulses in pain as Hercules and Slick exit the ring. Tito Santana comes out of nowhere for some reason to check on Bravo, who is out like a light. Hercules and Slick slide back in the ring, and Herc picks up Tito for the Torture Rack, but Tito reverses it and hits a dropkick that sends Hercules out of the ring. Slick tries to hit Tito with his cane, but Tito grabs it and starts wailing on the Slickster. Tito starts to tear off Slick’s suit as the pimp barely escapes with Hercules. Tito helps up Bravo as the crowd applauds. This match was a decent little squash, and it did manage to set up a feud between Tito and Hercules. Still, couldn’t they have found a better use for Bravo on the card? *¾
Backstage Promo – Misty Blue Simms, in a standalone interview, says she’s stronger, faster, more beautiful, and a better wrestler than Wendi Richter, so it’s a given that Wendi will lose tonight. You forgot one thing, Misty: when it comes to cutting promos, you both suck… DUD
WWF Women’s Title Match: Misty Blue Simms (C) vs. Wendi Richter (w/ Cyndi Lauper) – Wendi and Cyndi are way too giggly and excited here. When you consider Lauper was 36 years old at the time, it makes it all the more pathetic. Wendi and Misty lock up to start, and Wendi backs Misty into the corner and unloads with several boots to the midsection. A running baseball slide from Wendi prompts Mary Hart to let out a noise I can only describe as a cross between a Michael Jackson yell and a dying rabbit. My ears are already bleeding from all the commentary she’s done so far, but now I think they just started gushing blood. Thanks, Mary… Misty recovers with a running bulldog for a 1-count. A pair of chops from Misty staggers Wendi, and Misty goes for a slingshot suplex, but Wendi rolls through for a 2-count. Misty reverses a headlock from Wendi into an irish whip and a clothesline that gets her a 2. Misty locks on a headlock for a while, and Lauper is grimacing at ringside like she’s bet money on Wendi winning (who knows, maybe she has). Misty hits a back suplex that gets another near fall. Misty climbs to the top and goes for a splash, but Wendi rolls out of the way just in time. Lauper now heads under the ring and pulls out her giant handbag, and everyone in the crowd can see what’s coming from a mile away. Wendi reverses an irish whip from Misty, and Lauper smacks Misty in the back with the LOADED PURSE OF DOOM~. The Blue Belle drops, and Richter hits a quick elbow drop and pins Misty to win the Women’s Title at 5:13. Cyndi climbs in the ring and celebrates with Wendi as they hold the title belt aloft. This wasn’t a good match at all, even for a women’s match. Still, it could have been worse, and they mercifully kept it relatively short. Wendi would hold onto the Women’s Title for a few more months before a relatively famous women’s wrestler/manager came onto the scene in the WWF. Perhaps you’ve heard her name…Sherri Martel? ½*
What Wrestlemania is complete without musical guests? We saw Aretha Franklin earlier, and now we get the king of shock rock himself, Alice Cooper. He performs a medley of “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “School’s Out”, and some weird song called “Man Behind the Mask”. Apparently, it was the theme to a Friday the 13th movie…who knew? [9]
Koko B. Ware vs. “Natural” Butch Reed – A shot of the announcers before the match lets Jesse show off the WM3 t-shirt he has on. No Slick here, as we saw Tito beat him up after Hercules’ match. Koko, of course, brings his bird to the ring, dancing like a wet fish to that crappy entrance music he had. Reed claims a hair pull right after the bell. Not gonna touch that one. Koko glides over a slam attempt and tries a roll-up, but Reed grabs the ropes. A dropkick sends Reed to the outside, and Koko dances for a bit while the parrot tries to eat the camera at ringside. Reed climbs back in and hits a few hard shots, but Koko reverses an irish whip into a hip toss. Ware comes off the ropes with a body block, but Reed rolls through and hooks Koko’s tights for the quick win at 2:04. Let’s be honest here—this match was nothing more than another pee break. The only saving grace was that at least it served to get Reed over as a heel a bit better. DUD
Backstage Interview – Mean Gene asks Roddy Piper what his strategy is in his upcoming match with Dynamite Kid. Piper says he knows Dynamite is a crazy psycho, but he’s pretty crazy himself. And tonight, win lose or draw, he’ll be leaving this crazy business knowing that he’s had a hell of a good time. He dedicates this match tonight to his family, and walks off. Great mic work by Piper, as usual, and you could sense the emotion that made it really feel like Piper was walking away for good after this. ***½
Roddy Piper vs. Dynamite Kid (w/ Davey Boy Smith & Jimmy Hart) – This is Piper’s retirement match, and Dynamite was also close to the end of his career at this point, too. The announce note that the Tag Team Champions are absent from ringside, and point out their disagreement with Dynamite earlier. Both Piper and Dynamite lock up, and Piper gets the best of the smaller Dynamite for a while, backing him into a corner and hitting several chops and punches. Piper goes for a superplex, but Dynamite shoves him off and hits a dropkick. A snap suplex from Dynamite gets a 1-count. A slam by Piper gets 2, but Dynamite takes Piper back down with a clothesline. Dynamite goes for a suplex, but Piper rolls through with a schoolboy, getting the surprise pin at 1:10! [10] The crowd erupts in cheers, and Dynamite has a look of pure shock on his face. Piper celebrates in the ring…for about fifteen seconds. Dynamite jumps Roddy from behind, clubbing him with blows. Davey Boy hits the ring and joins in as Jimmy climbs in and cheers them on. Hart & Neidhart rush down, and the announce team speculates that we’re going to have a 4-on-1 beatdown. Surprise, surprise when the Tag Champions block Dynamite and Davey from attacking Piper! Dynamite yells at them to get out of the way, but they only glare at him instead. Dynamite gets in their faces, yelling “you take orders from me!”, and then shoves Anvil. Anvil looks down, then at Bret; they both nod, and the Harts hit Dynamite with a double clothesline! Davey asks what the hell they’re doing, but they shove him down too! The Harts stomp down their former stable-mates, and dispose of them. Jimmy Hart is left in the ring, and he tries to beg the Tag Champions off, but to no avail—Jimmy eats a Hart Attack, and the audience loves it. The Harts help Piper up, and the Hotrod celebrates in the ring with the two newest babyfaces in the WWF, sending the Scotsman off into the sunset with his head held high. This match, in and of itself, was a major letdown (likely because Dynamite was said to be hurting like hell), and was for all intents and purposes a dud, but I’ll bump up the score to half a star because what followed was so epic. Hart and Neidhart had been taking major abuse from Dynamite for months leading up to ’Mania, and it all culminated here with their babyface turn. The Dynamite Kid would “quit” a few days later, never to return to WWF TV. Davey Boy would go on to be a singles wrestler (with Jimmy as his manager for a while), and the Harts’ tag title reign would end several months later at Survivor Series. As for Piper, this would be his final match ever… ½*
Backstage Interview – Lord Alfred has Hogan and Heenan together, and Heenan says the time is upon us for the Dragon’s reign to come to an end. Hogan claims that he knows Steamboat’s afraid of him, and he’s going to enjoy seeing the Dragon crumble up like a stale fortune cookie. God, the Asian racism jokes abound at this PPV… Hogan boasts that he’s bigger and stronger than Steamboat, and if the Dragon is smart tonight, he’ll hand the title belt over without a fight. As usual, Hogan and Heenan are great here—heel Hogan really came across as an egotistical schoolyard bully, and he played the role to a T. ****
Backstage Interview – Mean Gene has Ricky Steamboat, and he asks if he is ready to face Hogan. The Dragon says that he has been training night and day for this match, replaying the moment Hogan betrayed him in his head over and over again. Steamboat says Hogan is a liar, a fraud, and a bully. Millions of people and kids looked up to Hogan, and he let them all down when he attacked Steamboat. Steamboat says if Hogan doesn’t understand the power of the Dragon by now, then he’ll just have to beat it into him tonight. The Dragon was just starting to get really, really good on the mic at this point—you could really feel the intensity, and this was a great promo. ****
WWF Title Match: Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat (C) vs. Hulk Hogan (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan) – As Hogan and Heenan ride down to the ring, the fans pelt them with garbage. Steamboat gets a very loud reaction as he rides down, and he and Hogan have a long staredown after the bell rings. Hogan shoves Steamboat, and he goes down. Hogan poses, drawing a gale of boos from the audience. Steamboat only nods in response as he gets up, and he and Hogan lock up. Steamboat whips Hogan to the ropes, leapfrogs over him, and dropkicks him to the mat. Steamboat now poses over a downed Hogan as the crowd eats it up. Hogan glares at the Dragon as he gets up, and goes to punch him, but Steamboat blocks it and hits several chops, backing Hogan into the corner. Hogan takes Steamboat down with a clothesline, then hits an elbow drop for a 1-count. A backbreaker from Hogan gets another 1-count. Hogan bodyslams Steamboat. Really loud chants for the Dragon. Hogan grounds Steamboat and applies an STF-like submission hold. Steamboat escapes, and reverses the hold into a seated armbar. Hogan fights out, but Steamboat hits a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Steamboat goes for another armbar, but Hogan reverses it into a headlock. Hogan irish-whips Steamboat, and the Dragon tries to reverse it with an armdrag. Hogan’s too big, however, and the Hulkster knocks Steamboat down with a clothesline. Hogan smirks down at Steamboat as he stomps on him several times, then covers him for a near fall. A hard lariat from Hogan gets another 2. Steamboat rolls out of the ring, grimacing in pain. Hogan taunts the crowd, and Heenan is shown smiling like the cat that just ate the canary. “Wipe that smile off his face, Ricky,” Mary Hart suggests. Steamboat climbs back in the ring, and he and Hogan lock up again. A neckbreaker by Hogan gets 2. A spinning heel kick by Steamboat staggers the Hulkster, and the Dragon unloads with chops, but Hogan counters with a hard right hand. A hard clothesline by Hogan gets another 2. Hulk locks on an armbar of his own, prompting extremely loud boos from the audience. Jesse comments on how much stronger Hogan’s armbar will be because of the 24-INCH PYTHONS BROTHER~. Steamboat struggles in the hold, but then counters with a unique headscissors variation that really looks like it hurts. Hogan screams in pain for a while, but claws over to the ropes to force the break. Both men struggle to their feet, selling their injuries, then go at it with lefts and rights again. Hulk locks a bear hug on Steamboat. The Dragon struggles, and Gorilla says you can “literally see the life oozing out” of Steamboat. “Literally”, huh? I wasn’t aware life could be seen with the naked eye, Monsoon. Steamboat fades, and the ref drops his arm once. Twice. Three…no! The Dragon fights back, hitting Hulk in the ears to break the hold. Steamboat unloads in the corner with hard chops and kicks, and tries an armdrag again. He still can’t get it, and Hogan bodyslams the Dragon. Hogan goes for the legdrop, but Steamboat moves out of the way. Hogan gets to his feet, but the Dragon hits a high knee that staggers the Hulkster. Steamboat picks up the staggered Hogan and bodyslams him, prompting a gale of cheers from the crowd. He then heads to the top rope and hits the flying crossbody for the 3-count at 18:25. The Hulkster rolls out of the ring, and Heenan’s mouth hangs wide open as Steamboat mounts the turnbuckle and celebrates. The Hulkster just shakes his finger at the Dragon, and the camera catches him saying “this isn’t over yet”. Heenan looks completely despondent. Steamboat celebrates for the crowd as the PPV ends. A really good match, even though it was no WM2 main event (but then again, what match was?) It was highly exciting throughout, and the fact that Hogan busted out a lot of his old moves from Japan was really awesome. [11] I’ve also talked to people who say this might be the most important match in Steamboat's career, because A) it solidified that Steamboat could hang with the big, muscular guys, and B) it proved to the naysayers that Steamboat could beat a big man like Hogan clean. Steamboat would continue to reign supreme for several more months before…well, you probably know the story by now. ***½
Overall: This Wrestlemania was a mixed bag. It had its downs, for sure—Koko vs. Reed, the 6-man tag, and Steele vs. HTM were all pretty laughable. Dynamite vs. Piper also failed to live up to most of its hype, at least as far as the match itself was concerned. But the show also had its good points: that image of Steamboat slamming Hogan has been cited as one of the most famous moments in ‘Mania history, and Dynamite’s meltdown and the Harts’ face turn were also both really great and well-executed. Most of the high-profile matches were also pretty exciting and well-done. All in all, this was a pretty good ‘Mania, and I’d recommend it to any wrestling fan—even if several of the matches and promos should be fast-forwarded through.
Overall Score: 6.5 out of 10
Full Wrestlemania 3 Card
The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Slick) def. The Killer Bees (Jim Brunzell & B. Brian Blair) via DQ (5:14)
Tito Santana def. Brutus Beefcake (8:44)
Billy Jack Haynes def. “Magnificent” Don Muraco (w/ Mr. Fuji) (4:42)
Andre the Giant, Greg Valentine & Junkyard Dog def. The Heenan Family (King Kong Bundy, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndoff & Big John Studd) (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan) (8:49)
WWF Tag Team Championships: The Hart Foundation (Bret “Hitman” Hart & Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart) (C) (w/ Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith & Jimmy Hart) def. The Rougeau Brothers (Jacques & Raymond) (9:49)
Honky Tonk Man (w/ Johnny V) def. George “the Animal” Steele (2:50)
WWF Intercontinental Championship / Winner Gets Elizabeth: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (C) (w/ Miss Elizabeth) fought Jake “the Snake” Roberts to a Double Count-Out (10:40)
Hercules Hernandez (w/ Slick) def. Dino Bravo (4:43)
WWF Women’s Championship: Wendi Richter (w/ Cyndi Lauper) def. Misty Blue Simms (C) (5:13)
“Natural” Butch Reed def. Koko B. Ware (2:04)
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper def. Dynamite Kid (w/ Davey Boy Smith & Jimmy Hart) (1:10)
WWF Championship: Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat (C) def. Hulk Hogan (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan) (18:25)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] IOTL, the Silverdome attendance was reported to be 93,173 (though the exact number is debated), an indoor attendance record that wouldn’t be broken until the 2010 NBA All-Stars Game at Cowboys Stadium, which hosted 108,713 spectators. ITTL, there’s slightly less hype—because, let’s be honest: Hogan vs. Andre is a bigger ticket-seller to the casual wrestling fan than Hogan vs. Steamboat—so the attendance is a little lower.
[2] You might have noticed by now that the Wrestlemania musical guests are singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” to kick off the show. IOTL, the kickoff song of Wrestlemania has always been “America the Beautiful” instead. Consider this change a very minor product of butterflies.
[3] Jim Duggan debuted in the WWF in much the same way IOTL: in a match involving Sheik, Volkoff, and the Killer Bees at WM3. In fact, the details of this match are similar to the OTL WM3 version.
[4] There was no possible way I could butterfly away Sheik’s disenchantment with many guys in the business (Blair included), for one reason: the Iron Sheik is 100%, certifiably insane.
You can view the infamous interview in which Sheik bashes B. Brian Blair here (WARNING: NSFW!!!)[5] As OTL.
[6] Honky did the same thing to Jake Roberts in the buildup to their OTL WM3 match, legitimately injuring Jake and beginning his longtime addiction to painkillers. In typical Honky Tonk Man fashion, Honky has denied he was the one responsible for Jake’s injury to this very day.
[7] I had this match’s results written up as a double count-out from the beginning, but I still have to say kudos to PistolSO for predicting this match’s finish correctly. You, sir, win…absolutely nothing.
[8] As OTL.
[9] Cooper did appear at WM3 IOTL, but instead of singing, he accompanied Jake Roberts to the ring for his match with the Honky Tonk Man. Here, he gets the same treatment as Ozzy at WM2, and at this point, Wrestlemania “mini-concerts” are about to become quite the norm. “Man Behind the Mask” is as OTL.
[10] If you remember, I hinted at this back in Post #89, except the quote from the book stated the match lasted under a minute. You can call this an error on the book’s authors’ behalf.
[11] One positive of TTL is that due to Steamboat’s superior wrestling ability, Hogan’s forced to step up his in-ring work as well…
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, this took longer than expected. Sometimes real life can be a pain in the ass, I’ll tell you…but my job and my family must come first. Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoyed this update, and hopefully they will come more quickly now that my work schedule seems to have slowed down.
Steamboat’s being WWF Champion has unfortunately made WM3 a slightly lesser show than IOTL, but it still has its big moments, and trust me when I tell you that the Steamboat/Hogan feud is only getting started.
Coming up: we’ll see that Ricky Steamboat isn’t the only “Dragon” destined to rise in this timeline…
Last edited:
I just noticed that this had an update and Roberts vs. Savage was pretty good. Hogan vs. Steamboat did not disappoint and it was good that Hogan had to step up and bring some of those moves from Japan in the match.
Not sure what to think of the mention of that match vs. Dynamite being Piper's last.
Of course, looking forward to more.
Not sure what to think of the mention of that match vs. Dynamite being Piper's last.
Of course, looking forward to more.
Alt-Pop Culture: Dragon Ball
Alt-Pop Culture: Dragon Ball
Dragon Ball (anime)
from *Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the anime. For the manga, see Dragon Ball. For other uses, see Dragon Ball (disambiguation).
Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール Doragon Bōru) is an anime television series that was produced by Toei Animation. It is an adaptation of the first 194 chapters of the manga of the same name created by Akira Toriyama, which were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from 1984 to 1988. [1] The anime is composed of 153 episodes that were first broadcast on Fuji TV from February 26, 1986 to April 12, 1989. A successful dub by Harmony Gold USA was broadcast in syndication in the United States from 1990 to 1994, and in Europe from 1992 to 1996. [2] Chapters 195-530 of the manga were adapted into the Dragon Ball Z anime.
Contents
1. Plot
2. Production
- English localization
- Censorship
- Controversy
3. Other media
- Home Release
- Films
4. Reception
Plot [3]
See also: List of Dragon Ball episodes
The series begins with a young monkey-tailed boy named Zero (Goku) befriending a teenage girl named Lena (Bulma). [4] Together, they go on a quest to find the seven Dragon Balls, which summon the Dragon God (Shenron) to grant the user one wish. Their journey leads to a confrontation with the bandit Zedaki (Yamcha), who later becomes an ally; a girl named Amy (Chi-Chi), whom Zero unknowingly agrees to marry; [5] and Emperor Pilaf (Pilaf), an impish little man who seeks the Dragon Balls to fulfill his desire to rule the world. Zero then undergoes rigorous training regimes under the martial artist Master Roshi (Kame-Sennin) [6] in order to fight in the Ultimate Tournament (Tenkaichi Budōkai; “Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament”), which attracts the most powerful fighters in the world. A monk named Bongo (Kuririn) becomes Zero’s training partner and rival, but they soon become best friends. After the tournament, Zero sets out on his own to recover the Dragon Ball that his grandfather left him, and encounters the Red Flag Army (Red Ribbon Army), whose leader wants to collect the Dragon Balls for himself. Zero almost single-handedly defeats the army, including their hired assassin General Tao Pei (Tao Pai Pai), whom he originally lost to, but after training under the hermit Whiskers the Wonder Cat (Karin), now easily beats. [7] Zero reunites with his friends to defeat the fighters of the fortune-teller Baba Ganoosh (Baba Uranai), [8] and have her locate the last Dragon Ball in order to revive a friend killed by Tao Pei.
They all reunite at the Ultimate Tournament three years later and meet Master Roshi’s rival and Tao Pei’s brother, Lord Wu Zu (Tsuru-Sennin), and his students Shinto (Tenshinhan) and Chaotzu, who vow to exact revenge. Bongo is killed after the tournament, and Zero tracks down and is defeated by his killer, King Piccolo (Piccolo Daimao). The samurai Yari (Yajirobe) takes Zero to Whiskers, where he receives healing and a power boost. Meanwhile, Piccolo fights Master Roshi and Chaotzu, killing them both, and uses the Dragon Balls to regain his youth before destroying the Dragon God. Zero then begins his battle with King Piccolo, who, just before dying, spawns his son/reincarnation, Piccolo Jr. Whiskers informs Zero that Kami, the deity who originally created the Dragon Balls, might be able to restore the Dragon God so that he can wish his friends back to life, which he does. He also stays and trains under Kami for the next three years, once again reuniting with his friends at the Ultimate Tournament. Piccolo Jr. also enters the tournament to avenge his father, leading to the final fight between him and Zero. After Zero narrowly wins, he leaves with Amy, and keeps his promise to marry her.
Production
Toriyama had a role in the production of the anime, including listening to the actors’ audition tapes before choosing Masako Nozawa to play Zero. He would go on to state that he would hear Nozawa’s voice in his head when writing the manga. Performing the roles was not without difficulty; Toshio Furukawa (the voice of King Piccolo) said it was difficult to constantly perform with a low voice because his voice would become lighter if he broke his concentration.
English localization
Harmony Gold USA licensed the series for an English-language release in North America in the late 1980s. A group of fledgling voice actors were brought in, including Barbara Goodson (credited as “Betty Gustafson”) as Zero, and Wendee Swan as Lena. [9] A “test dub” consisting of five episodes and the three movies (edited together) was test marketed in numerous U.S. cities, and was a success. The Dragon Ball English dub officially debuted on first-run syndication in the fall of 1990, and was a mainstay on Saturday mornings on the FOX network for several years. [citation needed] In Canada and Europe, an alternate dubbed version was produced by AB Groupe through Blue Water Studios, and aired in these territories in place of the Harmony Gold version. [10]
Censorship
The English version of Dragon Ball contained several cosmetic changes and dialogue edits. Some scenes were deleted altogether, either to save time or to remove strong violence. Nudity was also covered up, and references to drugs, alcohol, and sex were removed.
Censoring often led to confusing context in dialogue and action in the dub. For example, in one scene where Lena helps Zero take a bath, in the Japanese version, the two characters do not cover their privates, since Zero is ignorant of the differences in gender, and Lena believes Zero to be a little boy. While bathing, Zero reveals his age as fourteen, and Lena throws things at him and kicks him out of the bath. In the dub, the dialogue was changed, with Zero asking Lena why she doesn’t have a tail, and Lena becoming angry with him about it. [11]
Controversy
After debuting on FOX, Dragon Ball came under fire from Action for Children’s Television (ACT) and other parents’ advocacy groups for its depictions of nudity, violence, and death. Numerous religious groups also expressed concern for its depictions of dragons and animals as deities. [citation needed] The character of Mr. Popo also caused controversy due to claims of the character being a variant of “darky” iconography, a “racist” style of caricature in Japanese culture similar to American blackface, due to his black skin, large lips, and lack of teeth. [12]
Other media
Home release
In Japan, Dragon Ball did not receive an official home video release until July 31, 1999, ten years after its broadcast, when the first 13 episodes were released on Laserdisc. [13] A remastering of the series in a single 26-disc made-to-order-only DVD box set was released in 2003, known among fans as the “Dragon Box”. Mass-produced individual 6-episode DVDs were first released on May 15, 2005, and finished with the 26th volume on January 19, 2006.
Dragon Ball’s initial videocassette release for North America came on July 14, 1992 under Trimark Pictures, when the first thirteen episodes were released on six tapes over the course of roughly six months. These episodes, along with the first two movies, were later released in a box set in late 1995. All in all, 104 episodes were released on videocassette or DVD. Even today, Dragon Ball remains one of the few anime series to receive an official English home video release before an official Japanese home video release.
The entire 153-episode Harmony Gold English dub was released on ten two-disc DVD box sets between 2001 and 2002. Each set included both the English and original Japanese audio, along with optional English subtitles, as well as deleted scenes and interviews with several of the English- and Japanese-language voice actors.
Films
During the anime’s broadcast, three theatrical animated Dragon Ball films were produced. The first was The Legend of the Dragon God in 1986, followed by Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle in 1987, and finally The Great Mystical Adventure in 1988. In 1996, The Path to Greatness was produced to commemorate the anime’s tenth anniversary.
Reception
Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network summed up Dragon Ball as “an action-packed tale told with rare humor and something even rarer—a genuine sense of adventure.” Kimlinger and Theron Martin, also of Anime News Network, criticized Harmony Gold’s dub for their drastic alteration of certain scenes and renaming of most of the characters, even though Martin called it “mostly harmless”. Martin also states that “had it not been for the atrocious butchering by Harmony Gold, Dragon Ball might have never been known in the western World at all, and the face of anime might look much different today.” Along with Sailor Soldiers, Dragon Ball has also been cited as one of the first anime series to garner widespread recognition in the West. [citation needed]
See Also
Dragon Ball Z
History of anime
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Because its creation predates the POD by about one-and-a-half years, the formation of the Japanese Dragon Ball manga (comic book) is as OTL, and because the butterflies hadn’t hit Japan in significant quantities in early 1986, the anime (or, at least, the earliest episodes of it) is also as OTL.
[2] IOTL, Dragon Ball didn’t become a big thing in the U.S. until about the mid-‘90s, but the television production company Harmony Gold did indeed do an English dub of the anime (to which they owned the rights to for several years) sometime in the late 1980s. Several episodes of this English-language version were test-marketed on numerous small stations in the U.S. with little success. As a result, the idea of producing a full-fledged English-language Dragon Ball was scrapped until the Funimation company acquired the rights to the show in 1995, and produced one. Here, buoyed by TTL’s “All Things Asian” fad of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s (which is nearing its end by this point), the ‘80s dub is a much greater success.
[3] The details of the anime are pretty much the same as OTL, so if you're a hardcore Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z fan, it all should be extremely familiar to you. However, not all should be taken at face value, as you'll see if you keep reading.
[4] And here’s an unfortunate by-product of the butterflies: IOTL, Harmony Gold used different names for almost all of the characters in their English Dragon Ball dub (for example, Goku became “Zero”). With the early success of the anime in America, the new names stick, and the English-language names eventually become more commonplace among fans of the anime. Which means: ITTL, the English-speaking fans of Dragon Ball are calling Goku (shudder) “Zero”.
[5] Since Harmony Gold only produced dubs of certain episodes as well as the three full-length movies, none of which the character of Chi-Chi ever appeared in, her English name for that dubbed version was never officially known. So here, I took the top 20 girl’s names of the 1980’s, and decided on the one that I thought they would find the most fitting: “Amy”.
[6] “Master Roshi” was the only drastically altered English character name shared between the Funimation and Harmony Gold dubs IOTL.
[7] Yes, the lost ‘80s dub actually referred to Karin as “Whiskers the Wonder Cat”, which means TTL’s English-speaking world will know him as such…
[8] Yes, I renamed Baba Uranai “Baba Ganoosh”, because face it: doesn’t it sound like something a cheesy anime redub might do?
[9] These are the same two actresses who voiced the characters in the lost '80s Dragon Ball dub IOTL. For those interested: Barbara Goodson is a prolific voice actress best known for her role as Rita Repulsa on Power Rangers, and Wendee Lee is an even more prolific voice actress who has more credits in English anime dubs than any other person—anime fans might know her best as the English voice of Faye Valentine on Cowboy Bebop.
[10] The Calgary-based Blue Water Studios production company also created an English dub of Dragon Ball in the 2000s IOTL, which aired in lieu of the Funimation version in Canada and Europe.
[11] Changes just like these were well-documented in OTL’s Funimation dub for both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, even though OTL’s English dubs are a little more lenient with the sexual stuff than TTL's, due to the later occurrence of OTL's dub.
[12] The appearance of the character of Mr. Popo, who resembles a “blackface” minstrel character, also came under fire IOTL from numerous equal rights groups. Author Carole Boston Weatherford even wrote an article for the Christian Science Monitor magazine in 2000 that degraded the character (along with the Pokémon character “Jynx”) as examples of racist stereotypes.
[13] Dragon Ball was never released on Laserdisc IOTL. Believe it or not, the Japanese version was never officially released on home video until 2004!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoyed my latest foray into alt-pop culture, and hopefully all you hardcore DBZ fans out there can forgive me for my errors (and not hunt me down for bestowing the name “Zero” upon Goku ITTL).
Coming up: we go back to wrestling, where the NWA is about to get a lot bigger…
Dragon Ball (anime)
from *Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the anime. For the manga, see Dragon Ball. For other uses, see Dragon Ball (disambiguation).
Dragon Ball (ドラゴンボール Doragon Bōru) is an anime television series that was produced by Toei Animation. It is an adaptation of the first 194 chapters of the manga of the same name created by Akira Toriyama, which were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from 1984 to 1988. [1] The anime is composed of 153 episodes that were first broadcast on Fuji TV from February 26, 1986 to April 12, 1989. A successful dub by Harmony Gold USA was broadcast in syndication in the United States from 1990 to 1994, and in Europe from 1992 to 1996. [2] Chapters 195-530 of the manga were adapted into the Dragon Ball Z anime.
Contents
1. Plot
2. Production
- English localization
- Censorship
- Controversy
3. Other media
- Home Release
- Films
4. Reception
Plot [3]
See also: List of Dragon Ball episodes
The series begins with a young monkey-tailed boy named Zero (Goku) befriending a teenage girl named Lena (Bulma). [4] Together, they go on a quest to find the seven Dragon Balls, which summon the Dragon God (Shenron) to grant the user one wish. Their journey leads to a confrontation with the bandit Zedaki (Yamcha), who later becomes an ally; a girl named Amy (Chi-Chi), whom Zero unknowingly agrees to marry; [5] and Emperor Pilaf (Pilaf), an impish little man who seeks the Dragon Balls to fulfill his desire to rule the world. Zero then undergoes rigorous training regimes under the martial artist Master Roshi (Kame-Sennin) [6] in order to fight in the Ultimate Tournament (Tenkaichi Budōkai; “Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament”), which attracts the most powerful fighters in the world. A monk named Bongo (Kuririn) becomes Zero’s training partner and rival, but they soon become best friends. After the tournament, Zero sets out on his own to recover the Dragon Ball that his grandfather left him, and encounters the Red Flag Army (Red Ribbon Army), whose leader wants to collect the Dragon Balls for himself. Zero almost single-handedly defeats the army, including their hired assassin General Tao Pei (Tao Pai Pai), whom he originally lost to, but after training under the hermit Whiskers the Wonder Cat (Karin), now easily beats. [7] Zero reunites with his friends to defeat the fighters of the fortune-teller Baba Ganoosh (Baba Uranai), [8] and have her locate the last Dragon Ball in order to revive a friend killed by Tao Pei.
They all reunite at the Ultimate Tournament three years later and meet Master Roshi’s rival and Tao Pei’s brother, Lord Wu Zu (Tsuru-Sennin), and his students Shinto (Tenshinhan) and Chaotzu, who vow to exact revenge. Bongo is killed after the tournament, and Zero tracks down and is defeated by his killer, King Piccolo (Piccolo Daimao). The samurai Yari (Yajirobe) takes Zero to Whiskers, where he receives healing and a power boost. Meanwhile, Piccolo fights Master Roshi and Chaotzu, killing them both, and uses the Dragon Balls to regain his youth before destroying the Dragon God. Zero then begins his battle with King Piccolo, who, just before dying, spawns his son/reincarnation, Piccolo Jr. Whiskers informs Zero that Kami, the deity who originally created the Dragon Balls, might be able to restore the Dragon God so that he can wish his friends back to life, which he does. He also stays and trains under Kami for the next three years, once again reuniting with his friends at the Ultimate Tournament. Piccolo Jr. also enters the tournament to avenge his father, leading to the final fight between him and Zero. After Zero narrowly wins, he leaves with Amy, and keeps his promise to marry her.
Production
Toriyama had a role in the production of the anime, including listening to the actors’ audition tapes before choosing Masako Nozawa to play Zero. He would go on to state that he would hear Nozawa’s voice in his head when writing the manga. Performing the roles was not without difficulty; Toshio Furukawa (the voice of King Piccolo) said it was difficult to constantly perform with a low voice because his voice would become lighter if he broke his concentration.
English localization
Harmony Gold USA licensed the series for an English-language release in North America in the late 1980s. A group of fledgling voice actors were brought in, including Barbara Goodson (credited as “Betty Gustafson”) as Zero, and Wendee Swan as Lena. [9] A “test dub” consisting of five episodes and the three movies (edited together) was test marketed in numerous U.S. cities, and was a success. The Dragon Ball English dub officially debuted on first-run syndication in the fall of 1990, and was a mainstay on Saturday mornings on the FOX network for several years. [citation needed] In Canada and Europe, an alternate dubbed version was produced by AB Groupe through Blue Water Studios, and aired in these territories in place of the Harmony Gold version. [10]
Censorship
The English version of Dragon Ball contained several cosmetic changes and dialogue edits. Some scenes were deleted altogether, either to save time or to remove strong violence. Nudity was also covered up, and references to drugs, alcohol, and sex were removed.
Censoring often led to confusing context in dialogue and action in the dub. For example, in one scene where Lena helps Zero take a bath, in the Japanese version, the two characters do not cover their privates, since Zero is ignorant of the differences in gender, and Lena believes Zero to be a little boy. While bathing, Zero reveals his age as fourteen, and Lena throws things at him and kicks him out of the bath. In the dub, the dialogue was changed, with Zero asking Lena why she doesn’t have a tail, and Lena becoming angry with him about it. [11]
Controversy
After debuting on FOX, Dragon Ball came under fire from Action for Children’s Television (ACT) and other parents’ advocacy groups for its depictions of nudity, violence, and death. Numerous religious groups also expressed concern for its depictions of dragons and animals as deities. [citation needed] The character of Mr. Popo also caused controversy due to claims of the character being a variant of “darky” iconography, a “racist” style of caricature in Japanese culture similar to American blackface, due to his black skin, large lips, and lack of teeth. [12]
Other media
Home release
In Japan, Dragon Ball did not receive an official home video release until July 31, 1999, ten years after its broadcast, when the first 13 episodes were released on Laserdisc. [13] A remastering of the series in a single 26-disc made-to-order-only DVD box set was released in 2003, known among fans as the “Dragon Box”. Mass-produced individual 6-episode DVDs were first released on May 15, 2005, and finished with the 26th volume on January 19, 2006.
Dragon Ball’s initial videocassette release for North America came on July 14, 1992 under Trimark Pictures, when the first thirteen episodes were released on six tapes over the course of roughly six months. These episodes, along with the first two movies, were later released in a box set in late 1995. All in all, 104 episodes were released on videocassette or DVD. Even today, Dragon Ball remains one of the few anime series to receive an official English home video release before an official Japanese home video release.
The entire 153-episode Harmony Gold English dub was released on ten two-disc DVD box sets between 2001 and 2002. Each set included both the English and original Japanese audio, along with optional English subtitles, as well as deleted scenes and interviews with several of the English- and Japanese-language voice actors.
Films
During the anime’s broadcast, three theatrical animated Dragon Ball films were produced. The first was The Legend of the Dragon God in 1986, followed by Sleeping Princess in Devil’s Castle in 1987, and finally The Great Mystical Adventure in 1988. In 1996, The Path to Greatness was produced to commemorate the anime’s tenth anniversary.
Reception
Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network summed up Dragon Ball as “an action-packed tale told with rare humor and something even rarer—a genuine sense of adventure.” Kimlinger and Theron Martin, also of Anime News Network, criticized Harmony Gold’s dub for their drastic alteration of certain scenes and renaming of most of the characters, even though Martin called it “mostly harmless”. Martin also states that “had it not been for the atrocious butchering by Harmony Gold, Dragon Ball might have never been known in the western World at all, and the face of anime might look much different today.” Along with Sailor Soldiers, Dragon Ball has also been cited as one of the first anime series to garner widespread recognition in the West. [citation needed]
See Also
Dragon Ball Z
History of anime
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] Because its creation predates the POD by about one-and-a-half years, the formation of the Japanese Dragon Ball manga (comic book) is as OTL, and because the butterflies hadn’t hit Japan in significant quantities in early 1986, the anime (or, at least, the earliest episodes of it) is also as OTL.
[2] IOTL, Dragon Ball didn’t become a big thing in the U.S. until about the mid-‘90s, but the television production company Harmony Gold did indeed do an English dub of the anime (to which they owned the rights to for several years) sometime in the late 1980s. Several episodes of this English-language version were test-marketed on numerous small stations in the U.S. with little success. As a result, the idea of producing a full-fledged English-language Dragon Ball was scrapped until the Funimation company acquired the rights to the show in 1995, and produced one. Here, buoyed by TTL’s “All Things Asian” fad of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s (which is nearing its end by this point), the ‘80s dub is a much greater success.
[3] The details of the anime are pretty much the same as OTL, so if you're a hardcore Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z fan, it all should be extremely familiar to you. However, not all should be taken at face value, as you'll see if you keep reading.
[4] And here’s an unfortunate by-product of the butterflies: IOTL, Harmony Gold used different names for almost all of the characters in their English Dragon Ball dub (for example, Goku became “Zero”). With the early success of the anime in America, the new names stick, and the English-language names eventually become more commonplace among fans of the anime. Which means: ITTL, the English-speaking fans of Dragon Ball are calling Goku (shudder) “Zero”.
[5] Since Harmony Gold only produced dubs of certain episodes as well as the three full-length movies, none of which the character of Chi-Chi ever appeared in, her English name for that dubbed version was never officially known. So here, I took the top 20 girl’s names of the 1980’s, and decided on the one that I thought they would find the most fitting: “Amy”.
[6] “Master Roshi” was the only drastically altered English character name shared between the Funimation and Harmony Gold dubs IOTL.
[7] Yes, the lost ‘80s dub actually referred to Karin as “Whiskers the Wonder Cat”, which means TTL’s English-speaking world will know him as such…
[8] Yes, I renamed Baba Uranai “Baba Ganoosh”, because face it: doesn’t it sound like something a cheesy anime redub might do?
[9] These are the same two actresses who voiced the characters in the lost '80s Dragon Ball dub IOTL. For those interested: Barbara Goodson is a prolific voice actress best known for her role as Rita Repulsa on Power Rangers, and Wendee Lee is an even more prolific voice actress who has more credits in English anime dubs than any other person—anime fans might know her best as the English voice of Faye Valentine on Cowboy Bebop.
[10] The Calgary-based Blue Water Studios production company also created an English dub of Dragon Ball in the 2000s IOTL, which aired in lieu of the Funimation version in Canada and Europe.
[11] Changes just like these were well-documented in OTL’s Funimation dub for both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, even though OTL’s English dubs are a little more lenient with the sexual stuff than TTL's, due to the later occurrence of OTL's dub.
[12] The appearance of the character of Mr. Popo, who resembles a “blackface” minstrel character, also came under fire IOTL from numerous equal rights groups. Author Carole Boston Weatherford even wrote an article for the Christian Science Monitor magazine in 2000 that degraded the character (along with the Pokémon character “Jynx”) as examples of racist stereotypes.
[13] Dragon Ball was never released on Laserdisc IOTL. Believe it or not, the Japanese version was never officially released on home video until 2004!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoyed my latest foray into alt-pop culture, and hopefully all you hardcore DBZ fans out there can forgive me for my errors (and not hunt me down for bestowing the name “Zero” upon Goku ITTL).
Coming up: we go back to wrestling, where the NWA is about to get a lot bigger…
Last edited:
Interesting butterflies. That hint of an altered Sailor Moon is also interesting too. I personally don't like Harmony Gold because they are the reason the US will likely never see a localization of Macross Frontier. [I love Shoji Kawamori's works].
Nice to see Wendee Lee mentioned. I'll have to look up some late 80s anime to see if there are any other ones that could become bigger in the West.
EDIT: 1987 had a few good series start. City Hunter's anime began April 1987, The first Bubblegum Crisis OVA was from February 1987(and with characters who were named after Blade Runner characters, I could see this being bigger). There is also Kimagure Orange Road which is also started April 1987. Saint Seiya was ongoing was well(started in 1986).
Nice to see Wendee Lee mentioned. I'll have to look up some late 80s anime to see if there are any other ones that could become bigger in the West.
EDIT: 1987 had a few good series start. City Hunter's anime began April 1987, The first Bubblegum Crisis OVA was from February 1987(and with characters who were named after Blade Runner characters, I could see this being bigger). There is also Kimagure Orange Road which is also started April 1987. Saint Seiya was ongoing was well(started in 1986).
Last edited:
A note on the AWA: the start of Hulkamania was in the AWA, arguably.
At Super Sunday 1983, the fans wanted to see Hogan beat Bockwinkel (and Bockwinkel probably would have been happy to lose to Hogan, IMO), but Verne Gagne had Bockwinkel win in a reverse decision. The crowd almost rioted over this, and Gagne ignored this sign.
When he didn't get the AWA title, Hogan bolted to the WWF and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Super Sunday match is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFVWro5_umM
One of the dumbest decisions in wrestling (and that's saying something), and this was the beginning of the end for the AWA, IMO.
Ric Flair also got his start here, as did Shawn Michaels.
At Super Sunday 1983, the fans wanted to see Hogan beat Bockwinkel (and Bockwinkel probably would have been happy to lose to Hogan, IMO), but Verne Gagne had Bockwinkel win in a reverse decision. The crowd almost rioted over this, and Gagne ignored this sign.
When he didn't get the AWA title, Hogan bolted to the WWF and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Super Sunday match is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFVWro5_umM
One of the dumbest decisions in wrestling (and that's saying something), and this was the beginning of the end for the AWA, IMO.
Ric Flair also got his start here, as did Shawn Michaels.
Last edited:
- Status