The Rise of the Dragon: An Altered History of the World Wrestling Federation

[The Walkman]

1987 Year-end Recap: Awards, Accolades and a new AWA Champion

November 30, 1987

WWF
Perhaps the biggest news out of Titan this week is the announcement of the retirement of “Superstar” Billy Graham due to injuries suffered over his 17-year career. See pages 7-8 for a tribute to the former WWF Heavyweight Champion.
Ted DiBiase made his official on-camera debut on the 11/28 edition of Superstars, along with Mike “Virgil” Jones, cutting an interview with Craig DeGeorge. DiBiase spoke of everyone having their price, saying he has plans to buy the WWF Heavyweight Championship. [1]

NWA
The Funks-Sheepherders match was cut from the final card of Starrcade at the last minute, when the Funks reportedly refused to wrestle due to a pay dispute. Both men are apparently on their way to Japan to wrestle. The Sheepherders appear to be sticking around, however, and are on the card for the upcoming 12/10 TV tapings to take on the Rock n’ Roll Express.

AJPW
Tom Billington has reportedly made his debut in the company under the Dynamite Kid name … Doctors cleared him to wrestle again back in May, and he appears to be on a limited work schedule due to his deteriorating condition.



December 5, 1987

The thirteenth episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event, previously taped on November 28th, airs on NBC, drawing an 8.9 rating (down from the massive 12.8 from September). For the first time ever, Ricky Steamboat does not wrestle in a match on the show, though he does appear toward the end of the broadcast. Two title matches are advertised for the show: Randy Savage defending the Intercontinental Championship against Rick Rude, and the Hart Foundation attempting to regain the Tag Team Titles from the Fabulous Rougeaus.

Before the opening contest, Savage and Rude cut interviews with Gene Okerlund concerning Miss Elizabeth. Rude states that after winning tonight, instead of kissing a woman from the crowd, he’ll be delivering a kiss to Elizabeth instead. Savage says if Rude has a brain in his skull, he’ll keep far away from Elizabeth. Towards the end of the match, Rude begins trying to “put the moves” on Elizabeth, but Savage throws him back in the ring, pounding on him in the corner. Savage refuses to heed the referee’s warnings to break his attack on Rude, and as such, is disqualified. Jake Roberts soon runs to the ring, and begins beating on Savage. Elizabeth looks on helplessly as Roberts and Rude beat Savage to the mat—until Rude shoves Roberts out of the way to get a better shot at Savage. Roberts grabs Rude, and as the two stare down for several tense seconds, the crowd faintly cheers for Roberts as the Macho Man rolls out of the ring and escapes with Elizabeth and his championship belt.

The Hart Foundation attempt to take the Tag Team Titles back from the Fabulous Rougeaus in the second match of the night. The champions bring along an insurance policy in the form of former Hart Foundation member Davey Boy Smith. Due to Davey’s interference on the outside, Jacques Rougeau manages to pin Jim Neidhart to retain the titles. After the match, Neidhart runs off both Davey and Jimmy Hart while Bret disposes of the Rougeaus in the ring, then both Hart Foundation members pose for a loudly cheering crowd. In the two matches before the main event, Women’s Champion Scary Sherri defeats Itsuki Yamazaki, one-half of the Jumping Bomb Angels, to get a measure of revenge from being humiliated at Survivor Series, and Repo Joe defeats Greg Valentine.

The final match of the show pits Bamm Bamm Bigelow (with his new tag team partner Andre the Giant and last-minute cheerleader Ricky Steamboat in his corner) against Hercules Hernandez (who is accompanied by Bobby Heenan and WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, who doesn’t defend his title on the show). Despite Heenan and Hogan’s best efforts, Bigelow comes away with a pinfall victory over Hercules, prompting the heels to try to beat some respect into Bigelow after the match. Andre and Steamboat soon save Bigelow, running the heels off, and in an interview at the end of the show, Andre says that he wants a shot at Hogan, one-on-one. Steamboat gives his blessing for Andre to take on Hogan, proclaiming “Hogan can’t run from the Giant”.

The show also features a music video from the new WWF music album, WWF The Music Volume 2: Piledriver, featuring Ricky Steamboat’s new entrance theme song, “Dragon”, performed by Japanese heavy metal band Loudness. The song would become a surprise Top 20 hit in early 1988, peaking at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming Loudness’ highest-charting single of their career. [2]


December 14, 1987

WWF
Kamala was released on 12/2. The former Continental veteran had been absent from television since October … It’s unclear where he will be headed at this point, but a return to Memphis is expected.

NWA
This writer just wants to praise how the Sheepherders-R&R Express feud has begun. Williams and Miller’s attack on Ricky Morton after their match on 12/10 was brutal, and Morton bled like crazy. Seeing where this feud will go will be interesting—along with how much blood will be spilled.
Barry Windham was injured at the 12/10 TV taping. Sources say he suffered a torn rotator cuff in the tag match he and Rotundo had with the Road Warriors … Mighty Wilbur is out with a broken leg as well, and as most readers are aware, Sting is out with a shoulder injury for what looks to be at least six months.

AWA
Well folks, it finally happened on 12/12: hell froze over … Greg Gagne defeated Curt Hennig to win the AWA World Championship. After the match, Verne came out to celebrate with his son, holding the title belt aloft along with him. The crowd noticeably booed Gagne, and Verne was reportedly seen looking at the crowd with a very confused look on his face. [3]


January 4, 1988

END OF YEAR SPECIAL
The Newsletter’s year-end coverage of 1987 is covered in depth on pages 2-5. Among other things, we cover the WWF’s successes (and failures) in Wrestlemania, Survivor Series, and the successful run of Hulk Hogan as a top heel; the merging of Jim Crockett and Bill Watts’ territories into a “unified” NWA, the undeserved rise of Verne Gagne’s son Greg to World Title status; the continuing growth of New Japan and All Japan; the deaths of Salvador Lutteroth, Scott Irwin, and others; and much more. [4]

NJPW
According to my sources, former AWA wrestler Leon “Bull Power” White made his in-ring debut on 12/27 as “Big Ben Bader”. [5] He destroyed Seiji Sakaguchi in a squash match, then yelled “Inoki”. Setting up Inoki vs. White this early seems like a horrible idea to me, seeing how Inoki is the biggest star in the country. However, it worked when Steamboat was brought into WWF, so it could pay off if done correctly. [6]

Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards for 1987 [7]

Wrestler of the Year: Riki Choshu (201) 1,411 [8]
Ricky Steamboat (188) 1,090
Ric Flair (169) 971
Magnum T.A. (69) 355
Chigusa Nagayo (50) 229

While some may have expected Steamboat to take this award this year, the inventor of the Scorpion Lock came out of nowhere to snap up the yearly top prize for the first time.

Most Outstanding Wrestler: Ric Flair (231) 1,229
Ricky Steamboat (210) 1,215
Tatsumi Fujinami (116) 448
Randy Savage (84) 330
Bret Hart (63) 104

For the second straight year, it was basically neck-and-neck between Flair and Steamboat, but this year, the Nature Boy tops the Dragon.

Best Babyface: Ricky Steamboat (423) 1,365
Magnum T.A. (177) 650
Antonio Inoki (25) 403
Dusty Rhodes (32) 212
Randy Savage (11) 207

By a very wide margin, Steamboat wins this category for the third straight year. It’s not that surprising, considering how popular he is with fans, and has managed to get over his gimmick with almost everyone.

Best Heel: Hulk Hogan (216) 1,230
Ric Flair (186) 1,133
Riki Choshu (163) 610
Austin Idol (42) 318
Jake Roberts (50) 199

Hogan surprisingly snaps up the award this year, becoming the first wrestler to win both Best Babyface and Best Heel. This comes as a bit of a shock to me, as both Flair and Choshu have been very good heels this year.

Feud of the Year: Austin Idol vs. Jerry Lawler (362) 1,301
Ricky Steamboat vs. Hulk Hogan (130) 1,045
Ric Flair vs. Magnum T.A. (105) 543
Randy Savage vs. Jake Roberts (91) 494
Antonio Inoki vs. Masa Saito (45) 466

Fans of Continental were very glad to get such a hot feud between Idol and Lawler, culminating with the shocking shaving of the beloved Lawler’s hair in April.

Tag Team of the Year: Hart Foundation (133) 1,119
Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) (140) 1,087
Akira Maeda & Nobohiku Takada (99) 866
Road Warriors (118) 802
Rock n’ Roll Express (77) 550

The Harts were an undeniable force this year, showing unquestionable chemistry in their WWF matches, and breaking the record for longest-running WWF Tag Champions. Incidentally, a few of our readers voted for the first version of the Midnights (Eaton and Dennis Condrey); if the Midnights were counted as one team, they would have won this award instead.

Most Improved: Big Bubba Rogers (238) 899
Curt Hennig (168) 832
Hulk Hogan (101) 798
Lex Luger (65) 440
Masaharu Funaki (44) 406

He still has a way to go, but Rogers has definitely improved by leaps and bounds in the workrate department. The current UWF Heavyweight Champion is rumored to be set to feud with the reigning NWA Champion, so he will definitely have to tune his skills even more.

Best on Interviews: Jim Cornette (176) 1,330
Ric Flair (144) 952
Paul E. Dangerously (88) 759
Randy Savage (68) 320
Jerry Lawler (47) 127

Cornette’s gift of gab nets him this award for the third consecutive year. NWA contemporary Flair surprisingly got quite few votes compared to the current manager of the Midnight Express.

Most Charismatic: Road Warriors (200) 1,122
Randy Savage (172) 656
Hulk Hogan (107) 504
Ric Flair (110) 311
Ricky Steamboat (38) 127

The Road Warriors’ flamboyant attire, extreme brawling capabilities, and ability to captivate the audience in almost every match they have easily give the current NWA Tag Team Champions the win here.

Best Technical Wrestler: Tatsumi Fujinami (234) 1,330
Nobuhiko Takada (203) 1,304
Owen Hart (119) 1,024
Bret Hart (95) 504
Ricky Steamboat (66) 317

Facing close competition from Takada this year, New Japan star Fujinami wins the award for the third year in a row.

Best Brawler: Bruiser Brody (307) 1,330
Terry Gordy (229) 1,224
Steve Williams (42) 573
Eddie Gilbert (32) 322
Stan Hansen (13) 120

After losing for the first ever time last year, Brody returns to the top of the voting for the seventh time.

Best Flying Wrestler: Owen Hart (234) 1,003
Tiger Mask II (165) 887
Jushin Liger (113) 842
The Great Muta (88) 659
Ricky Steamboat (95) 394

Bret Hart’s younger brother, currently a mainstay in Stampede wrestling, has wowed many of our readers with his incredible high-flying prowess.

Most Overrated: Dusty Rhodes (225) 1,229
Lex Luger (84) 917
Hulk Hogan (135) 767
Venom (34) 198
The Hart Foundation (17) 123

Dusty Bloats takes this rather dubious award for the second straight year, despite strong competition from Hogan and Luger.

Most Underrated: Brad Armstrong (234) 996
Bobby Eaton (102) 633
Pat Tanaka (77) 559
Bret Hart (55) 362
The Rougeau Brothers (40) 80

Beating out previous years’ winners Bret Hart and Bobby Eaton, the talented 25-year-old from the NWA scoops up his first award in this category.

Promotion of the Year: New Japan Pro Wrestling (299) 1,022
World Wrestling Federation (120) 889
National Wrestling Alliance/Jim Crockett Promotions (103) 780
All Japan Women’s Wrestling (45) 778
Continental Wrestling in Memphis (33) 454

The public has spoken: New Japan have put on some of the most entertaining and well-received cards in history, and with talented guys like Hashimoto, Saito, and the veteran Inoki (who can still go), there's no way to go but up.

Match of the Year: Antonio Inoki vs. Masa Saito – NJPW, 4/27 (199) 955
Ric Flair vs. Magnum TA – NWA, 11/26 (168) 862
Hart Foundation vs. Rougeaus – WWF, 11/26 (99) 837
War Games: Flair, Anderson, Blanchard, Windham & Rotundo vs. Rhodes, Garvin, Road Warriors & Ellering – NWA, 7/4 (45) 333
Bruiser Brody vs. Sheik – CWF, 2/18 (29) 201

There was no clear winner in this category this year, but when all the votes were tallied, Inoki & Saito’s battle in April came out on top. [9]

Rookie of the Year: Brian Pillman (210) 1,145
Shane Douglas (109) 894
Doug Furnas (85) 463
Ron Simmons (47) 232
Eddy Guerrero (59) 174

The young 26-year-old Pillman has shown great promise since debuting in Stampede Wrestling last November, and our readers also seem to think he has a good career ahead of him.

Manager of the Year: Jim Cornette (291) 880
Jimmy Hart (238) 832
Bobby Heenan (204) 624
Eddie Gilbert (111) 260
Paul E. Dangerously (24) 181

For the third time, Cornette takes the prize here, barely beating out Jimmy Hart for the second consecutive year.

Best Television Announcer: Lance Russell (222) 1,150
Gordon Solie (205) 990
Jim Ross (159) 975
Gorilla Monsoon (69) 203
Jesse Ventura (44) 99

The veteran Russell’s smooth voice and crisp delivery has resonated well with fans for the second year in a row, despite competition from the more experienced Solie and the younger upstart Ross.

Worst Television Announcer: David Crockett (353) 1,119
Bruno Sammartino (338) 986
Gorilla Monsoon (227) 733
Vince McMahon (105) 424
Ed Whalen (25) 75

Jim Crockett’s son takes the most votes in this category for the second straight year, despite stiff competition from the WWF’s Bruno Sammartino.

*Woman of the Year: Chigusa Nagayo (229) 1,495 [10]
Lioness Asuka (77) 688
Akira Hokuto (45) 343
Miss Elizabeth (42) 142
Sherri Martel (22) 130

Our newest award sees the most popular wrestler in All Japan Women’s Wrestling run away with most of the votes, getting more than twice as many as her Crush Gals tag team partner Lioness Asuka.

Best Wrestling Maneuver: Shooting Star Press – Jushin Liger (550) 1,003
DDT – Jake Roberts (130) 564
Springboard flip armlock – Owen Hart (90) 330
Saito Suplex – Masa Saito (53) 199
Slingshot DDT – Paul Diamond & Pat Tanaka (20) 88

The popular Liger's invention has wowed many crowds in Japan, and the voters never lie. Seeing tapes of this move still leave me in awe how he doesn't break his neck while doing it.

Readers’ Favorite Wrestler: Ricky Steamboat (272) 1,502
Ric Flair (224) 1,455
Riki Choshu (135) 239
Randy Savage (66) 191
Tatsumi Fujinami (90) 99

Another award that was basically a coin flip between Steamboat and Flair this year. In the end, though, Steamboat managed to come out on top.

*Worst Manager: Mr. Fuji (433) 1,447
Paul Jones (44) 572
Percy Pringle (33) 94
Bobby Heenan (20) 89
Miss Elizabeth (27) 87

In a landslide victory, the sharp-dressed Fuji wins the inaugural award in this category. The day the Charlie Chan wannabe retires will doubtless be celebrated by a lot of readers.

Worst Worked Match of the Year: Andre’s Giants vs. Heenan Family – WWF, 11/26 (378) 1,498
Giant Baba vs. Raja Lion – AJPW, 6/9 (107) 552
Roddy Piper vs. Dynamite Kid – WWF, 3/29 (44) 230
Steve Williams vs. Barry Windham – NWA, 6/16 (30) 108
Brutus Beefcake vs. Koko B. Ware – WWF, 7/11 (15) 78

Subpar workers, plodding moves, and outside involvement from a Saturday Morning cartoon voice actor. Nothing more needs to be said here.

Worst Feud: Curt & Larry Hennig vs. Greg & Verne Gagne (212) 1,020
Andre the Giant vs. King Kong Bundy (114) 770
Kevin Von Erich vs. Al Perez (85) 322
Randy Savage vs. Honky Tonk Man (45) 85
Andre the Giant vs. John Studd (42) 83

I wonder how many votes this feud would have gotten had it not culminated in Greg’s winning the AWA Title?

Best Gimmick: Ted DiBiase – Arrogant millionaire (342) 1,150
Road Warriors – Gruff bikers (155) 830
Honky Tonk Man – Elvis impersonator (54) 569
Ricky Steamboat – Kung Fu “Dragon” (40) 157
Big Bubba Rogers – Silent enforcer (33) 133

Since his arrival in the WWF, our readers seem to agree that DiBiase’s casting as the “Million Dollar Man” has been, while campy, incredibly entertaining.

Worst Gimmick: Repo Joe – Car repossessor (320) 994
Outback Jack – Crocodile Dundee rip-off (155) 832
George Steele – “The Animal” (55) 342
Honky Tonk Man – Elvis impersonator (59) 230
Rougeau Brothers – “Fabulous” tag team (19) 188

Readers seem to agree that the former Krusher Krushchev’s new gimmick in the WWF is worse than actually having your car repossessed.

…

1987 was a wild ride in the wrestling world, and with 1988 on the horizon, one can only wonder what the business will bring us next. With Crockett’s Bunkhouse Stampede coming up in a few weeks, and the WWF reportedly running a show on the same day, expect the feud between these two companies to continue. The AWA will definitely need to get its act together if they want to succeed in this war (and believe me, it IS a war) of national wresting expansion. Here's to a new year, a prosperous time for all promotions, and hopefully a short title reign for Greg Gagne.

--Wrestling Observer Newsletter excerpts, December 1987-January 1988


Pwi-online.com’s Top 25 matches of 1987 (winners in bold) [11]

1. Antonio Inoki vs. Masa Saito (NJPW, Blazing Cherry Blossoms, 4/27)
2. Ric Flair vs. Magnum T.A. (NWA, Starrcade ’87, 11/26)
3. Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart vs. Rougeau Brothers (WWF, Survivor Series ’87, 11/26)
4. Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart vs. Rougeau Brothers (WWF, Wrestlemania 3, 3/29)
5. Ricky Steamboat vs. Hulk Hogan (WWF, Wrestlemania 3, 3/29)
6. Ron Garvin vs. Tully Blanchard (NWA, house show, 12/20)
7. Nobohiku Takada vs. Shiro Koshinaka (NJPW, Sumo Hall show, 2/5)
8. Hair vs. Hair Match: Jerry Lawler vs. Austin Idol (CWA, Memphis, 4/27)
9. Road Warriors vs. Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo (NWA, Starrcade ’87, 11/26)
10. Antonio Inoki vs. Masa Saito (NJPW, Summer Big Fight Series, 6/12)
11. Sting, Jimmy Garvin & Jim Duggan vs. Venom, Rick Steiner & Dick Slater (NWA, Starrcade ’87, 11/26)
12. Chris Benoit & Shinya Hashimoto vs. Tatsutoshi Gono & Naoki Sano (NJPW, Sumo Hall show, 2/5)
13. WarGames Match: Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo vs. Dusty Rhodes, Ron Garvin, Road Warriors & Paul Ellering (NWA, Great American Bash, 7/4)
14. Tag Team Survivor Series Match: The Killer Bees, The Midnight Rockers, Tito Santana & Rick Martel, Billy Jack Haynes & Brady Boone, Scott Casey & Dan Spivey vs. Demolition, The Young Guns, The Islanders, The Outlaws, Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zukhov (WWF, Survivor Series ’87, 11/26)
15. Bret Hart vs. Tonga Kid (WWF, house show, 12/19)
16. Tiger Mask II vs. Ted DiBiase (AJPW, Summer Action Series, 7/19)
17. Nobohiku Takada vs. Kuniaki Kobayashi (NJPW, Summer Night Fever in Kokugikan, 8/20)
18. Bruiser Brody vs. The Sheik (CWF, War of the Worlds, 2/18)
19. Chris Adams & Sam Houston vs. Rick Steiner & Sting (UWF, Stockton Show, 3/26)
20. Tito Santana & Rick Martel vs. Sam Houston & Ron Bass (WWF, house show, 12/9)
21. Survivor Series Match: Ricky Steamboat, Greg Valentine, Junkyard Dog, Ken Patera & Jimmy Snuka vs. Hulk Hogan, Hercules Hernandez, Paul Orndorff, Bob Orton Jr. & Don Muraco (WWF, Survivor Series ‘87, 11/26)
22. Nick Bockwinkel vs. Curt Hennig (AWA, Superclash show, 5/16)
23. Road Warriors vs. Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo (NWA, house show, 12/15)
24. Jake Roberts vs. Tito Santana (WWF, house show, 6/3)
25. Arn Anderson & Barry Windham vs. Midnight Express (NWA, house show, 1/19)

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[1] DiBiase debuted in the WWF in a very similar way IOTL, claiming that even Hulk Hogan had his price.

[2] This, of course, will necessitate Loudness’ 1998 album Dragon to be renamed ITTL.

[3] IOTL, Verne Gagne came very close on multiple occasions to putting the AWA World Title on his son Greg. Verne held back due to Greg’s slightly below-average size, considerable lack of charisma, and relatively mediocre wrestling ability. To use a modern-day example: think of it as if Curt Hennig were still alive today, ran a wrestling company, and put that company’s world title on Curtis Axel. ITTL, due to smaller guys like Steamboat in the main event, the increased workrate in rival promotions, and a combination of other factors, Verne actually pulls the trigger on Greg—and most of the fans are not happy about it.

[4] The deaths of Mexican wrestling promoter Salvador Lutteroth (age 90) and AWA wrestler Scott Irwin (age 35, of a brain tumor) are as OTL. However, one OTL death that doesn’t happen ITTL is that of Mike Von Erich, who committed suicide on April 12, 1987 by overdosing on sleeping pills and alcohol. Here, Mike enters rehab after his bout in the hospital with toxic shock syndrome in 1985, retires from active wrestling soon afterward, and remains alive as of TTL’s 1987.

[5] A misprint on Meltzer’s part, which hilariously comes from OTL. As OTL, White debuts as “Big Van Vader”—which, of course, would later be shortened to simply “Vader”.

[6] Vader did indeed have his New Japan Pro Wrestling debut match against Antonio Inoki, scoring a shocking upset against the Japanese veteran (and former WWF Champion!) that nearly caused a riot among the crowd. Here, head booker Inoki thinks things over a bit more, and has Vader squash a slightly lesser NJPW star before voicing his intentions of taking on the Champ.

[7] There are many, many differences here; as such, I’ll direct you to the full list of Newsletter Awards here.

[8] To save space, only the top 5 voted for in each category are shown. Vote tallies are speculative, based on the number of subscribers to the Newsletter around the beginning of 1988. The numbers in parentheses indicate the number of votes for first place on the submitted ballots, and the numbers following these indicate the number of times a wrestler ranked in the top 5 on an individual ballot.

[9] There was a clear winner in the 1987 “Match of the Year” award IOTL: and it involved Ricky Steamboat.

[10] This award has never existed IOTL; here, because of the higher prominence of women wrestlers in the WWF (and of course, Japan), Dave decides to throw a slight bone to the female workers in the business. The award is a catch-all category that includes every woman employed in wrestling, hence why Elizabeth gets a sizable chunk of votes despite not being an active wrestler.

[11] Only matches #1, #7, #8, #10, #12, #16, #17, and #18 exist IOTL.

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I'm back! And better than ever...

With that, we finally close out 1987, and turn the page to a new year in wrestling history. We've still got many years to come in this timeline, however, so don't worry about it ending anytime soon!

Coming up: the drive toward the confrontation between Hogan and Andre starts at the inaugural Royal Rumble...

 

[The Walkman]

1988: New Years' Wrestling Rosters

Wrestling Promotion Rosters: January 1st, 1988


World Wrestling Federation
Owner: Vince McMahon, Jr.
Based in: Stamford, CT

Active Wrestlers
Andre the Giant
Ax
B. Brian Blair
Barry Horowitz
Barry O.
Big John Studd [1]
“Marshall” Billy Jack Haynes
Blackjack Mulligan
“Cowboy” Bob Orton
Boris Zukhov
Brady Boone
Bret "Hitman" Hart
Brutus Beefcake
“The Natural” Butch Reed
“Mr. D” Danny Davis [2]
“The Golden Boy” Danny Spivey
Davey Boy Smith
Dino Bravo
“The Magnificent” Don Muraco
George “the Animal” Steele
Greg Valentine
Hammer
Hercules Hernandez
Hillbilly Jim
The Honky Tonk Man
Hulk Hogan – WWF World Heavyweight Champion
Itsuki Yamazaki – WWF Women’s Tag Team Champion
Jacques Rougeau – WWF Tag Team Champion
Jake “the Snake” Roberts
“Jumping” Jim Brunzell
Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart
Jim Powers
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
Judy Martin
The Junkyard Dog
King Kong Bundy
King Tonga
“The Birdman” Koko B. Ware
“Leaping” Lanny Poffo
Leilani Kai
Les Thornton
Marty Jannetty
“The Blue Belle” Misty Blue Simms
Nikolai Volkoff
Noriyo Tateno – WWF Women’s Tag Team Champion
The One Man Gang
“Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Paul Roma
Randy “Macho Man” Savage – WWF Intercontinental Champion
Raymond Rougeau – WWF Tag Team Champion
Repo Joe
Rick Martel
“Ravishing” Rick Rude
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat
Rockin’ Robin
Ron Bass
Sam Houston
“Scary” Sherri Martel – WWF Women’s Champion
Shawn Michaels
“The Wild Samoan” Sika
Sivi Afi
Steve Lombardi
“The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
Tito Santana
The Tonga Kid
Velvet McIntyre
Virgil
Wendi Richter

Tag Teams/Factions
Billy Jack Haynes & Brady Boone
Demolition (Ax & Hammer)
The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques & Raymond)
Greg Valentine & Junkyard Dog
The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart)
The Heenan Family (Bobby Heenan, Hulk Hogan, Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, Hercules Hernandez & Rick Rude)
The Islanders (King Tonga & Tonga Kid)
The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno)
The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty)
The Outlaws (Sam Houston & Ron Bass)
The Red Army (Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zukhov)
Team Victory (Tito Santana & Rick Martel)
The Young Guns (Jim Powers & Paul Roma)

Managers (who they manage)
Bobby “the Brain” Heenan (Heenan Family)
“The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart (Rougeaus, Davey Boy Smith)
“Luscious” Johnny V. (Demolition, Honky Tonk Man)
Miss Elizabeth (Randy Savage)
Mr. Fuji (Islanders, Sika)
“The Doctor of Style” Slick (Butch Reed, One Man Gang, Red Army)

Announcers/Interviewers
“Lord” Alfred Hayes
Bruno Sammartino
Craig DeGeorge
“Mean” Gene Okerlund
Gorilla Monsoon
Howard "the Fink" Finkel
Jesse “the Body” Ventura
Vince McMahon


Crockett Promotions (NWA)
Owner: Jim Crockett, Jr.
Based in: Charlotte, NC

Active Wrestlers
Al Perez
Animal – NWA World Tag Team Champion
Arn Anderson
The Barbarian
Baron Von Raschke
Barry Windham
Big Bubba Rogers – UWF Heavyweight Champion
Black Bart
“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton
Bobby Fulton
Butch Miller
Chris Champion
Commando #2
“Captain Redneck” Dick Murdoch
“Dirty” Dick Slater
“The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes – NWA United States Champion
“Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert
The Fabulous Moolah [3]
“Handsome” Harley Race
Hawk – NWA World Tag Team Champion
The Italian Stallion
Ivan Koloff
Jack Victory
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan
“Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin
Kendall Windham
Kevin Sullivan
“The Total Package” Lex Luger
Luke Williams
Magnum T.A. – NWA World Heavyweight Champion
“The Raging Bull” Manny Fernandez
Michael “P.S.” Hayes
Mike Rotundo
Nelson Royal
Nikita Koloff
Ray Candy
“Nature Boy” Ric Flair
“The Dog-Faced Gremlin” Rick Steiner
Ricky Morton
Robert Gibson
“The All-American” Ron Simmons [4]
“The Man with the Hands of Stone” Ron Garvin
Sam Houston
Sean Royal
Shaska Whatley
“Sweet” Stan Lane
“Dr. Death” Steve Williams
Sting
“Terrific” Terry Taylor
Tim Horner
Tommy Rogers
Tully Blanchard
Venom
The Warlord

Tag Teams/Factions
Barbarian & Warlord
The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers)
The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo)
The Garvins (Jimmy & Ron)
The Koloffs (Ivan & Nikita)
The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane)
The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk)
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)
The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams)

Managers (who they manage)
J.J. Dillon (Midnight Express)
Jim Cornette (Koloffs)
Paul Ellering (Road Warriors)
Paul Jones (Warlord & Barbarian)
Precious (Garvins)

Announcers/Interviewers
“Cowboy” Bill Watts
David Crockett
Jim Ross
Tony Schiavone


American Wrestling Association
Owner: Verne Gagne
Based in: Minneapolis, MN

Active Wrestlers
“The Sheik” Adnan El-Kassie
Adrian Adonis
Alex Knight
Alexis Smirnoff
Brad Rheingans
Buck Zumhofe
Candi Devine
Chavo Guerrero
Col. DeBeers
Curt Hennig
David Sammartino
Dennis Condrey – AWA World Tag Team Champion
Don Fargo
Doug Somers
Greg Gagne – AWA World Heavyweight Champion
“Crusher” Jerry Blackwell
John Nord
Larry Zbyszko [5]
“Maniac” Mike Davis
Randy Rose – AWA World Tag Team Champion
Rose Divine
Sgt. Slaughter
Steve Keirn
Teijo Khan
Tommy Lane
Verne Gagne

Tag Teams/Factions
Buddy Rose & Doug Somers
The Original Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey & Randy Rose)
The Rock ‘n’ Roll RPM’s (Tommy Lane & Mike Davis)

Announcers/Interviewers
"Lord" James Blears
Lee Marshall
Rod Trongard


Continental Wrestling Association
Owners: Jerry Jarrett & Jerry Lawler
Based in: Memphis, TN

Active Wrestlers
Akio Sato
Allen Martin
“The Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol
Big Bubba [6]
Bill Dundee
Billy Joe Travis
Bobby Jaggers
Brian Knobs
Brickhouse Brown
Don Harris
Gary Young
Giant Kokina [7]
Hector Guerrero
Jeff Jarrett
Jerry “the King” Lawler – CWA Heavyweight Champion
Jerry Sags
Ken Raper
Lord Humongous (Sid Eudy)
Manny Fernandez
Mark Starr
Max Pain
Pat Tanaka
Paul Diamond
Phil Hickerson
Rick Nelson
“Soulman” Rocky Johnson
Ron Harris
Scott Hall
Tojo Yamamoto
“Wildfire” Tommy Rich

Tag Teams/Factions
The Bruise Brothers (Don & Ron Harris)
Gary Young & Max Pain
The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs & Jerry Sags)
Paul Diamond & Pat Tanaka

Mangers (who they manage)
Paul E. Dangerously (Idol, Rich)

Announcers/Interviewers
Dave Brown
Lance Russell

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Although he is still employed by the company at this date in time, Studd is very close to officially retiring by this point. This will be covered in an update in the very near future.

[2] Instead of allying himself with the Hart Foundation like IOTL, Davis instead becomes a low-card heel with a gimmick resembling a bumbling white Mr. T. But hey—at least it’s something different from that “wrestling referee” schtick they gave him IOTL…right?

[3] Moolah leaves the AWA in late 1987 ITTL in search of a bigger paycheck from Crockett, and is stripped of the AWA Women’s Championship as a result (the title remains vacant at this point ITTL). Moolah is currently wrestling women jobbers in the NWA, and is basically “just there” at the moment.

[4] As OTL, Simmons debuts in late 1987, and goes on a winning streak, beating big names like Ivan Koloff and the Barbarian.

[5] Zbyszko jumped to the NWA in November 1987 IOTL; here, he sticks with the AWA for a bit longer.

[6] AKA Fred Ottman, who would go on to become more famous IOTL as Tugboat and Typhoon in WWF, and later as the infamous “Shockmaster” in WCW.

[7] AKA Rodney Anoa’i, nephew of the Wild Samoans who would later be known IOTL as Yokozuna.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As we run headlong into 1988, this is the state of the biggest four wrestling promotions in America ITTL. Some are obviously in better shape than others, but we’ll be covering them all for the foreseeable future!

Up next: Vince and Dick Ebersol meet up, Pat Patterson pitches a brilliant idea, and the NWA sends some guys up to Canada—but not for reasons you might think!

 

[The Walkman]

January 2, 1988

It was the second day of 1988, and already, Vincent Kennedy McMahon was breaking one of his New Year’s resolutions: to spend more time with his family. He sat at his desk in his office in Stamford, looking over a list of papers on his desk even as he talked on the phone.

“The children really miss us,” said the voice of McMahon’s wife, Linda, over the phone. Linda normally worked on various odd jobs behind the scenes in Titan Corporations, but she was taking a sabbatical to take care of some business around the house, and to be with the children. “Stephanie almost cried last night…” [1]

McMahon smiled sadly. His children were growing up before his very eyes, and he was missing it. “I still plan on getting there to see Shane on the 15th—come hell or high water.” [2]

“Oh, here’s the birthday boy himself,” Linda said, pulling away from the phone. “Do you want to talk to your dad, honey?”

McMahon heard a few distant words, and after a few seconds, the voice of his son Shane came on the phone. “Hey Dad!”

“Hello, son,” McMahon replied, smiling the moment he heard Shane’s voice. “How are you doing?”

“Pretty good,” Shane said. “Two more weeks!”

“I know,” Vince replied. “You’ve grown into quite the young man…seems like just yesterday your mom and I were changing those dirty diapers of yours. I remember you sure had some juicy ones…”

“DAD!” Shane screamed into the phone. “Please!”

McMahon couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry, son…I couldn’t resist. I’ll try to keep the nostalgia to a minimum. Have you thought about what you want for your birthday?”

“Yeah, I’ve got some ideas,” Shane replied, perking up. “Maybe a new stereo for my truck, that new Nintendo fantasy game…oh, and a date with Wendi Richter!”

Vince refrained from bursting out laughing. “We’ll talk about…at least some of those things later.” McMahon glanced over at the clock on his wall, and let out a small sigh. “Shoot. I have to go now…”

“Aw,” Shane replied, disappointed. “But I’ll see you before my birthday, right?”

McMahon smiled. “Wild elephants couldn’t keep me away, son. You take care of your mom and Stephanie, OK?”

“Got it,” Shane said. “I’ll see you soon!”

“Soon,” McMahon echoed. “I love you, son.”

“Love you too, Dad,” said Shane, and hung up the phone.

“Bye,” said McMahon, shaking his head as he hung up. “They grow up so damn fast…”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About an hour later, McMahon and Pat Patterson were seated in McMahon’s office. Seated across from them was NBC executive Dick Ebersol, who had worked together with McMahon several years prior to create Saturday Night’s Main Event, which was still broadcasting on NBC and drawing strong ratings. Ebersol was looking for more WWF programming to air on his networks; specifically, the USA Network, and he was visiting McMahon’s office from the nearby NBC Sports headquarters to see what they could all come up with for an upcoming television special on USA.

“Alright, Pat…we need something big,” McMahon said to his right-hand man. “Something to blow Crockett out of the water.”

Patterson nodded. Even though the WWF’s show was on free TV, and the NWA’s was on pay-per-view, McMahon wanted to put on the best show possible. The newsletters had been less than kind in their reviews of Survivor Series, calling it inferior next to Starrcade. As a result, Vince had become obsessed with making his product superior in every way.

Ebersol leaned forward in his chair. “I’m interested in what ideas you guys have in mind.”

McMahon raised an eyebrow. “Well, what about…nah, that won’t work.”

“What?” Ebersol asked.

“No, forget it,” McMahon said. “It’s too much work…”

“What’s too much work?” Patterson asked, now interested in what McMahon was thinking.

McMahon sighed. “Alright, go ahead. Give him your stupid…battle royal idea.”

Patterson perked up. A few months ago, he had run an idea he had by McMahon about a new kind of battle royal. In Patterson’s version of this match, two men would start the match, much as if it were a normal one-on-one match. When two minutes had elapsed, another wrestler would enter the ring, and so on, until all the entrants of the battle royal had entered the match. The rest of the match would proceed like a normal battle royal—elimination would occur when someone was thrown out of the ring, over the top rope. McMahon had dismissed the idea as “too complicated” to produce, and both men had simply dismissed the idea. Now, it seemed Patterson had a second chance to pitch his idea…

…

“And that’s basically how it would work,” Patterson said, having explained the concept to Dick Ebersol. “And the last man standing wins the match.”

Ebersol’s eyes lit up, enthralled with Patterson’s idea. He had never heard or seen of anything like it in the world of wrestling. “Pat, I love it!” he gushed. “It sounds great…the anticipation of waiting for who’s coming up next, plus all the guys in the ring wrestling at the same time! It’s bound to be a hit!”

McMahon just shook his head. Sometimes, Patterson surprised even him. I just hope this turns out as good as my last few gambles, he thought, as the three men began to discuss the fine details.

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January 11, 1988

WWF
As reported previously, NBC will be broadcasting a primetime WWF special sometime in 1988. It’s speculated the show will be used to set up Wrestlemania 4. I have been told the show will air on 2/5, and will be called “Friday Night’s Main Event”. Rumors are the planned main event is either going to be Steamboat vs. Hogan or Andre vs. Hogan. If it’s the former, expect it to be a title match; if it’s the latter, expect it to be for a future title match.

McMahon is reportedly going to counter the NWA Bunkhouse Stampede with a new event called “Royal Rumble”, to be aired on USA Network for free. The main event will apparently be a modified version of a battle royal featuring twenty men, with a new guy coming in at scheduled timed intervals. For the record: the same battle royal idea was tried in St. Louis last year, and pretty much failed. [3]

The Slammy Awards special on MTV drew a 6.6 rating. I haven’t seen the show myself, but I’ve heard that it was both funny and tasteless.

NWA
The head-to-head battle between Crockett and McMahon is continuing, with Crockett putting on the Bunkhouse Stampede on 1/24. I suspect Vince will do everything he can to kill the Stampede at the gate, but I have my doubts about a Bunkhouse battle royal being able to be a major draw. If they load the card with big angles (which they have been doing pretty well, I must admit), then the show could surprise us all. Right now, my sources can confirm Magnum TA vs. Ric Flair and Road Warriors vs. Midnight Express.

Barry Windham suffered a collarbone injury on 1/10, which reportedly will require surgery. Ricky Morton suffered a bad knee injury in a Bunkhouse Stampede in Charlotte on 12/25, and Robert Gibson is still on the shelf with his back injury.

A match between Magnum T.A. and Big Bubba Rogers will apparently be happening soon to unify the NWA and UWF Heavyweight Titles. Expect the two to feud after the Magnum vs. Horsemen feud has run its course. Both the WWF and Japan are very interested in Rogers right now.

Magnum T.A., Steve Williams, and several other talents have been filming stunts in Canada for an as-yet unnamed TV pilot starring NFL defensive end Lyle Alzado. [4] Williams is scheduled to return soon, but he has commitments in Japan as well.

AWA
12/25 in Minneapolis drew 1,000 for Greg Gagne vs. Curt Hennig for the AWA World Title [5] … Thankfully, there will be no Gagnes vs. Hennigs tag team match in the future. Larry has no interest whatsoever in wrestling at this point, even though Verne really wants him to make a comeback. Honestly, Larry may be the smartest man in the AWA right now just for that reason … Sgt. Slaughter was also called in to work a match, but the deal with him fell through at the last minute. Verne is reportedly trying desperately to get him to come in for some reason.

Verne is reportedly perplexed as to why Greg isn’t getting as over as he thought he would as World Champion. Denial—it’s not just a river in Egypt, as the saying goes.

OTHER
Crowds were chanting “Just Say No” at the Iron Sheik at a New York independent show, which is both sad and hilarious at the same time.

-excerpts from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, January 11th, 1988

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[1] Stephanie McMahon would be eleven years old at this point. Hard to think of the Billionaire Princess as a little girl, isn’t it?

[2] January 15th, 1988 is Shane McMahon’s eighteenth birthday. It’s understandably kind of a big deal that Vince be there for his son.

[3] As OTL, the first “experimental” Royal Rumble was held on October 4, 1987, in St. Louis, Missouri. The event was a financial failure, with an attendance of just under 2,000 people, and it is not officially acknowledged by WWE to this day. The One Man Gang won the card’s Royal Rumble match, by last eliminating the Junkyard Dog. ITTL, the event happens roughly the same way, but does just slightly better.

[4] Of course this is as OTL. We’ll see more about it in a future update.

[5] IOTL, this same show drew 1,800 people, due to the return to the AWA of the Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty), who had been fired from the WWF after only working there for a week. ITTL, since the Rockers stay with the WWF, and Greg Gagne is the AWA Champion (which nobody wanted to see!), the show does considerably worse.

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I'm back! Did you miss me?

As we drive toward the Royal Rumble ITTL, things are looking up for the WWF. The NWA are also looking decent, as they (presumably) have a hot new feud coming up, and the AWA is...surviving. Will the Royal Rumble be a success? Will the NWA survive having a pay-per-view on the same date as the free Rumble? Who will challenge for Hogan's title? And can the AWA recover from the hit to its revenues?

Coming up: more wrestling spillover into pop culture. And, getting its own post soon: a big announcement on a big happening as it pertains to both me and this TL.

 

[The Walkman]

Wrestling and Pop Culture: 1988

January 1988

MicroLeague WWF Wrestling
*from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MicroLeague WWF Wrestling is a professional wrestling simulation video game. The first video game based on the World Wrestling Federation, it was released in 1987 for the Commodore 64 and Atari ST and in 1989 for the Amiga and DOS. It was developed by Micro League Sports Association and published by Micro League Multimedia Inc. The game is part of the company’s MicroLeague sports series, which included games such as MicroLeague Baseball. [1]

In contrast to most action-oriented wrestling games, the gameplay in MicroLeague WWF Wrestling involves a turn-based strategy. Players select one of several pre-set matches and choose their wrestler’s actions via a menu. Wrestlers are depicted using digitized photographs from actual matches.

Gameplay
The game uses a turn-based strategy, as players choose a move from their wrestler’s arsenal as their opponent (either a second player or the computer) does the same, and depending on the situation, one move will successfully be executed. Each wrestler has five “basic” moves (which cause two damage points), four “major” moves (which cause four damage points), and one “super” move (which causes six damage points, and is the only way to attempt to pin the opponent). Each wrestler also has a “block” option, which if done successfully will remove two of their own damage points. In addition, babyface wrestlers can attempt a special move in which they rally the crowd to gain momentum and recover some of their damage. Heel wrestlers can attempt special cheating tactics, but this runs the risk of disqualification if they are caught by the referee. Later expansions with tag team matches feature a “tag” option where the wrestler can tag their partner, but at the cost of one turn. [2]

The moves and scenes in the game’s matches are accompanied by digitized images of them occurring from each specific match. The original MicroLeague WWF Wrestling disc, released in 1987, features Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat vs. Hulk Hogan on one side and Ricky Steamboat vs. Dynamite Kid on the other. [3] In 1988, two expansion discs were released, known as the “Superstar Series”. The first of these features Randy “Macho Man” Savage vs. The Honky Tonk Man and The Hart Foundation (Bret “the Hitman” Hart & Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart) vs. Demolition (Ax & Hammer). The second disc features Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage and Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude. [4] The Amiga and DOS versions, released in 1989, feature Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat vs. Ted DiBiase. [5] There were no expansions released for this version, as the WWF ceased production of the game soon afterward to focus on console games.

Before the matches, “Mean” Gene Okerlund interviews each participant. Howard Finkel does ring introductions. During the matches, text-based commentary is provided by Vince McMahon and Jesse “the Body” Ventura. The expansion discs, as well as the later versions of the game, also feature the team of McMahon and Ventura, as well as Gorilla Monsoon with Bobby “the Brain” Heenan. [6]

See also
List of fighting games
List of wrestling games

----------

April 9, 1988

Well now, let’s answer that question about professional wrestlers having hit records. Scott from Portland, Maine wants to know if, besides the WWF wrestlers’ version of “Land of 1,000 Dances” back a couple of years ago, if any pro wrestler ever had a Billboard Hot 100 hit. Well, Scott, the short answer is no—besides all the WWF superstars on “Land of 1,000 Dances”, no other wrestler has had a song make the Billboard Hot 100. However, one almost did it—one of the men who sang on “Land of 1,000 Dances”. Listen… (Plays a clip from “Land of 1,000 Dances” of Freddie Blassie shouting “I’ll rap you with my cane, you pencil neck geek!”) That man is former wrestling champion “Classy” Freddie Blassie. He’s retired from the wrestling business now, but at the peak of his popularity in the 70’s, Blassie recorded a novelty record that sounded like this… (Plays a clip of ”Pencil Neck Geek”) From 1977, that’s “Classy” Freddie Blassie with “Pencil Neck Geek”. Although the song never charted, this makes Freddie Blassie, other than the WWF superstars on “Land of 1,000 Dances”, the only professional wrestler to ever have a recorded single. [7] Good question, Scott—and one that made us dig pretty deep, too. Thanks a lot for asking. Now, on with the countdown!

-Casey Kasem, from American Top 40, initially broadcast on April 9th, 1988

----------

September 18, 1988

Learning the Ropes
*from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Learning the Ropes is a Canadian-produced sitcom that aired on CTV in Canada and in syndication in the United States from September 1988 to March 1989. The series starred Lyle Alzado as Robert Randall, a teacher who worked as a professional wrestler in the evenings. Although his children knew about Randall’s double life, the family was forced to keep it secret in public and at school. The series featured guest appearances by many wrestlers of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). [8]

Contents
1. Synopsis
2. Cast
3. DVD release

Synopsis
Learning the Ropes follows single father Robert Randall (played by retired NFL defensive lineman Lyle Alzado) who works as a private schoolteacher and vice principal, and also moonlights as a professional wrestler. Randall would balance day-to-day problems with his students and with his children, Ellen (played by Nicole Stoffman) and Mark (portrayed by Yannick Bisson). Randall’s ex-wife was enrolled in law school in England, leaving him to raise their children by himself. He worked as a wrestler to help pay his bills, but was forced by his school’s principal to keep his second job a secret. However, Randall’s children and the people he worked with at the wrestling shows knew about his teaching job, along with his friend Dr. Jerry Larson. The show also featured a relationship between Randall and Carol Dixon, one of his fellow teachers. Dixon, who was the principal’s niece, was attracted to Randall, and frequently pursued him.

Each episode featured several minutes of footage of National Wrestling Alliance (later “Nonstop Wrestling Action”) wrestlers competing in the ring, including Ric Flair, Magnum T.A., Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, Barry Windham, Mike Rotunda, and The Road Warriors. In wrestling segments filmed for the show, Randall’s character (known as the heel “Masked Maniac”) was played by real-life wrestler and former NWA Heavyweight Champion Magnum T.A. [9] Real-life NWA wrestler Steve “Dr. Death” Williams made appearances in many episodes as Randall’s trainer and confidant. [10] Randall was only a moderately successful wrestler, often competing as a “jobber” (i.e., losing to wrestlers who were bigger stars).

The show premiered in September 1988 and ran for one season, totaling 26 episodes. The show’s connection to the NWA allowed for cross-promotion, and Alzado appeared on the NWA’s Clash of the Champions II event in 1988 to discuss and promote the sitcom. Alzado also assisted Magnum T.A. in retaining his NWA World Championship during the event.

Cast
Lyle Alzado … Robert Randall
Magnum T.A. … Himself / “The Masked Maniac”
Steve Williams … Himself (as Steve “Dr. Death” Williams)
Jimmy Valiant … Himself (as “Boogie Woogie Man” Jimmy Valiant) [11]
Yannick Bisson … Mark Randall
Nicole Stoffman … Ellen Randall
Cheryl Wilson … Carol Dixon
Richard Farrell … Principal Whitcomb Mallory
Barry Stevens … Dr. Jerry Larson
Jacqueline Mahon … Beth
Gordon Michael Woolvett … Brad
Grant Cowan … Bertie Baxter

The show also featured cameos from other wrestlers from the National Wrestling Alliance. Each episode featured matches with such wrestling stars as Lex Luger, Ric Flair, The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk), Dick Murdoch, Nikita Koloff, Barry Windham, Mike Rotunda, Venom and many more.

DVD release
To date, the show has not been released on DVD in Canada or the United States. [12]

----------

November 4, 1988

They Live
*from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They Live is a 1988 American satirical action horror film written and directed by John Carpenter. The film stars Roddy Piper, Keith David, and Meg Foster. It follows drifter John Nada (played by Piper), who discovers the ruling class are in fact aliens concealing their appearance and manipulating people to spend money, breed, and accept the status quo with subliminal messages in mass media.

The film opened on November 4, 1988 and debuted at #1 at the North American box office, grossing $5.4 million during its opening weekend. The film spent three weeks in the top ten, but sales soon suffered. The film had a total domestic gross of $18,220,190. [13]

The film was nominated for two Saturn Awards, and has since garnered a large cult following, having had a lasting impact on street art (particularly that of Shepard Fairey), and its quotations and fight scenes have since entered pop culture as some of the most memorable in film. [14]

-----

CLASSIC FILM ANALYSIS: “THEY LIVE”
by Jeff Cherry Scott
July 3, 2016 [15]

“There ain’t no countries anymore,” a rebel leader tells John Nada and Keith David, the two heroes of John Carpenter’s They Live. It's a sentiment that echoes the second-most famous monologue from Paddy Chayefsky and Sidney Lumet’s 1976 media satire Network, from the scene where Ned Beatty tries to scare prophet-of-the-airwaves Howard Beale into toeing the line. “You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples,” he says. “There are no nations. There are no peoples. There are no Russians. There are no Arabs. There are no third worlds. There is no West. There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast and immane, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars!”

That’s what Roddy Piper’s unemployed drifter character John Nada learns in They Live after he puts on a pair of sunglasses created by revolutionaries who are trying to wake up the unwashed masses to the reality of the holistic system of systems, the multinational—in reality, extraterrestrial—dominion, which is run by interplanetary colonizers who look like bug-eyed, skinless human skeletons. What he's really seeing is the desperate underbelly of Ronald Reagan’s vision of “Morning in America”—a post-Vietnam, happy-gas exhortation quoted by one of the aliens in They Live. The rich get richer. The middle class is increasingly unemployed and stressed out. The jobless, poor and ailing are out in the streets, or else stuck in a “Hooverville”-type camp—like the one Nada settles in, and that is destroyed by police tactical units and bulldozers once authorities realize there are revolutionaries hiding among the displaced. “They're free enterprise,” says Gilbert (played by Peter Jason), the same guy warns Nada and his pal Frank Armitage (played by Keith David) about the conspiracy. “To them we’re just another developing planet…their Third World.” Billboards, magazine ads and TV commercials that seem to be selling specific products or services instead bear subliminal messages—simple black font lettering on liquid-paper white backgrounds, ordering us to “Obey”, “Consume”, “Marry and Reproduce”, and “Watch TV”. Paper money bears the ominous words “This is Your God”.

Nada, who relocated to Los Angeles after the economy in his hometown of Denver collapsed, never considered the possibility that there might actually be an organized conspiracy to exploit working people, numb their brains with tabloid culture and mindless, repetitive TV programs, and systematically rob them of their postwar standard of living, all while promulgating the “level playing field” and “up by your own bootstraps” messages drilled into Americans from birth and repeated by their politics and culture. But those sunglasses reveal the truth—and how appropriate that the film would portray this hidden, horrible reality in black-and-white. There is no subtlety in the movie, no gradations of “color” in its message. It's the ultimate tinfoil hat film; not since Close Encounters had an American studio picture so enthusiastically validated the notion that a seemingly insane hero might be seeing a reality that others either cannot see or have chosen to embrace.

Most of the cops in the film are human; some are aware of the conspiracy and most aren’t, but they’re all part of it. And there are Vichy-type collaborators everywhere, people who have decided to walk that “white line” that Frank Armitage speaks of. This character—named for the screenwriter, who is really Carpenter working under a pen name—is one of the “Good Americans” who just wants to keep his head down and get paid. It’s him that Nada concentrates on converting, perhaps remembering an early conversation where Frank talks about how the system is rigged against guys like him and Nada, because “he who has the gold makes the rules”. Nada succeeds in the film's most famous scene, and the funniest thing in the movie besides the hero’s final bird-flip: an action-packed ten-minute brawl in an alley that finds Frank pounding Nada into submission, then stumbling away without having donned the glasses, only to have his bloody and battered adversary come crawling or staggering after him, gasping, “Put. The glasses. ON!” [16]

Carpenter typically presents evil as quiet, implacable and vague, and has it shamble or walk slowly rather than run, as if it knows you can’t get away no matter how hard you try. Think of Michael Myers in Halloween, the vengeful ghosts in The Fog or the Satanically attuned masses drawn to skid row in Prince of Darkness—in They Live, it’s the police who are portrayed that way. Carpenter films them in what amounts to an inversion of the way he photographed the rotting lepers inching through blue mist in The Fog. The police move towards revolutionaries and bystanders in a human wall formation. They’re shrouded in fog from the tear gas around them. The lighting is hellish red.

Carpenter based They Live on a mid-’80s comic-book version of a 1968 short story by Ray Nelson, “Eight O’Clock in the Morning.” He says that the political satire wasn’t there in the original; Carpenter added it as a response to the way American politics and culture changed in the ‘80s, becoming more openly acquisitive and hateful under Reagan, who broke the backs of the unions and rolled back a lot of the economic reforms put in place by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Carpenter always had counterculture leanings, but they weren’t expressed as obviously as in films by his friend George Romero (both of whom are name-checked in the “Hey, what's wrong, baby?” gag). Here he made what may be the most unabashedly counterculture-left studio picture of the ‘80s not directed by Oliver Stone. The movie is propaganda—or to be more accurate, counter-propaganda. Carpenter later said he hoped it would influence the 1988 presidential election, but even if it had been released earlier (They Live came out on November 4th, the election was November 8th) it might not have had any impact. Voters elected another Republican, George Bush, the 41st President of the United States.

They Live is one of Carpenter’s strangest and most distinctive works, not just because of its overt political messages or the fact that it’s basically a dark comedy, but because it simultaneously invokes a tradition of more realistic social problem-driven fable movies, like Sullivan’s Travels and The Grapes of Wrath. As his name suggests, John Nada (his full name is only spoken once, near the end of the movie [17]) is very much an iconic blank slate everyman. But he doesn’t suffer silently or lash out impotently; he just gets himself a shotgun, walks into a bank, and announces that he's here to “have a sandwich and kick ass, and I just finished my sandwich”. [18]

If you show this film to young viewers, you might have to explain “Morning in America” and “trickle-down economics” to get across exactly what made this film so surprising at the time. You might also laugh out loud at how “primitive” some aspects of 1988 American life now seem. There’s no internet, no cellular phones, and the police (aided by tiny hovering camera-bots) have to look hard to find their prey. Television is portrayed as a monolithic, bland evil, as it tended to be in ‘70s and ‘80s films; today, the idea of entirely disabling an enemy’s ability to broadcast mind-controlling propaganda by taking out one TV transmitter seems quaint and nonsensical.

But these and other culture-technological details aren’t really important, ultimately. Look at the police marching ominously forward, reminiscent of how cops break up riots today. Listen to the rants about how we’re all just cattle, ready to be bred and slaughtered by the elites, and about how there is really no government anymore, only “owners”, and you’ll feel like you’re posting comments online. In all the superficial ways, this is a dated movie. But put the sunglasses on, and you realize that nothing has really changed.

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[1] All this is as OTL, except that the game is known IOTL as simply MicroLeague Wrestling—curiously, no “WWF” in sight.

[2] No tag team matches were featured in OTL’s Microleague Wrestling.

[3] The OTL game features Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage on one side and Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff on the other.

[4] IOTL, the first “Superstar Series” disc also has Savage vs. Honky, but has Jim Duggan vs. Harley Race as its second featured match instead. The second disc features Roberts vs. Rude, as well as Hulk Hogan vs. Ted DiBiase.

[5] These versions feature Hogan vs. Savage and Hogan vs. DiBiase IOTL. You couldn’t get away from Hogan back in ’89—even by playing video games!

[6] OTL’s games also feature commentary from Bruno Sammartino (he sometimes randomly replaces Jesse Ventura) or Lord Alfred Hayes (randomly shows up instead of Heenan). ITTL, there are only two commentary teams for each game, allowing for more room on the disc, hence the tag team matches’ inclusions.

[7] Since it all predates the POD, Freddie Blassie’s record is totally as OTL. Sometimes, truth really is stranger than fiction!

[8] The “Reality is Unrealistic” trope doesn’t get any stronger than this one…there really was a Canadian sitcom featuring NWA wrestlers in the late 1980’s. Given wrestling’s slightly greater prominence ITTL, of course the show still exists.

[9] “The Masked Maniac” was portrayed by Steve “Dr. Death” Williams IOTL, who was actually slightly shorter and 30 pounds heavier than Alzado. During filming of the pilot, Williams suffered a knee injury and a cut that required several stitches. Williams claimed it was “the most painful $2,000 (he) ever earned in (his) lifetime”. ITTL, due to his higher profile, the fact that he’s the World Champion, and because he’s closer to Alzado’s body structure, Magnum T.A. is chosen instead, and doesn’t suffer any serious injuries.

[10] Alzado and Williams were friends in real life (Alzado even gave away the homecoming queen at Williams’ high school prom!), and Williams was hand-picked by Alzado to be his stunt double on Learning the Ropes. Here, even though Dr. Death doesn’t get the part of “The Masked Maniac”, he does feature prominently on the show in another way.

[11] IOTL, relatively unknown Canadian actors Jefferson Mappin and Kevin Rushton were cast as Robert Randall’s wrestler buddies “Cheetah” and “Q-Ball”. Here, real-life wrestlers Williams and Valiant fill those roles. The only question is whether or not this butterflies away Mappin’s appearance as “Fatty Rossiter” in the 1992 Clint Eastwood classic Unforgiven.

[12] As OTL, unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, depending on how you look at it). However, a few clips of the show do exist on YouTube, including these juicy nuggets, as well as the intro, which reeks of 80’s cheese.

[13] As opposed to OTL, where it only spent two weeks in the Top 10, and grossed just over $13 million.

[14] All as OTL.

[15] The article above is based off this article by Mr. Matt Zoller Seitz, a television critic for New York Magazine and chief editor on Rogerebert.com.

[16] IOTL, the fight scene between Piper and David lasts about six minutes.

[17] IOTL, Piper’s character Nada never has his name spoken throughout They Live—his name is only shown in the credits. ITTL, the police helicopter at the end of the film announces his name just before telling him to “Drop your weapon”.

[18] The line IOTL was, of course, "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum". Piper ad-libbed the line, having just spit out gum he was chewing before filming the scene. ITTL, he's doing something else, and ad-libs something very similar, yet very different.

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Another look at a year's worth of wrestling-related pop culture completed! Thank you all for being patient with this latest update. They will be coming faster in the future if all goes well.

As for my convention: it was amazing. I got to meet and get autographs from Ric Flair and of COURSE, Ricky Steamboat! They were both very nice, down-to-earth guys, and Flair especially had a great sense of humor. I told them both about getting Piper's autograph several years ago, and they had nothing but good things to say about the Rowdy one. I also attended the Q&A session with Flair, but didn't really ask any questions. And even though I didn't get their autographs, I briefly walked past Kevin Nash and Scott Hall's table. Nash stood up when I passed by, and SWEET JESUS, he is tall. Needless to say, I was on cloud nine for a long time afterward. The autographed pictures I got of both Flair and especially Steamboat are displayed prominently on the wall above my desk, and I'm looking at them as I type this. Definitely a great time!

Up next: let's get ready to Rumble!

 

[The Walkman]

January 24, 1988

SteamPunk, the WWF Blogger – Post Date January 17, 2010
Classic PPV Review: Royal Rumble 1988

Welcome to the third ever post on my humble blog. If you’re reading this, good for you—there’s hopefully plenty more where that came from. Of course, if you’re reading this in the future, you probably know how long this blog will last. Just don’t tell me (or if I’m still doing it, please DO tell me? idk). [1]

Sorry, I ramble sometimes. Let’s get started.

Today, instead of analyzing a week’s worth of WWF programming, I’m doing something a little different. In honor of the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV, I’m going back in time to the very first Royal Rumble in 1988. Unlike later Rumbles, this show was shown for free on the USA Network, in response to the NWA’s Bunkhouse Stampede PPV. Needless to say, by offering their show for free, the WWF kicked the NWA right where it hurt—in the wallet. [2] All these years later, how does the PPV hold up? Let’s find out.

The show kicks off live from the Cops (sp) Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario. Your announcers are Vince McMahon and Jesse “the Body” Ventura. I love the chemistry between these two on commentary, and here is no different. McMahon goes over the card, and states that both Ricky Steamboat and WWF Champion Hulk Hogan will be here tonight. WWF president Jack Tunney is also here.

Bamm Bamm Bigelow vs. Davey Boy Smith – We start off with a match between two legendary powerhouses. Smith is actually the heel here, and Bigelow is the face, so it takes a little getting used to. [3] Jimmy Hart, who managed Davey at this time, is at ringside—as is a super annoying fan who also has a megaphone, and will NOT SHUT UP. Jesus, someone confiscate that thing! [4] Bigelow overpowers Davey for the first few minutes, but Smith manages to mount a comeback about a third of the way through, grounding Bigelow with a cool-looking headlock. Bigelow powers out, and bounds off the ropes for a headbutt drop, but Smith moves. Suplex by Davey gets a 2-count. Bigelow hits a headbutt from the top rope at about the 7-minute mark, but nobody references Davey’s fellow former Hart, the Dynamite Kid (he’s wrestling in Japan at this time, I think). Finish comes when Bigelow goes for his finisher, the slingshot splash, but Jimmy climbs on the apron and hits Bigelow with the megaphone. Bigelow no-sells and knocks Jimmy off. Smith comes from behind and tries to lift Bigelow for a powerslam, but Bigelow squirms out, hits the splash, and pins Smith at 7:20. Fun match, and a decent way to open the show. But that lady with the megaphone needed thrown out of the building. **

WWF Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno) vs. The Glamour Girls (Judy Martin & Leilani Kai) – I’ll be totally honest; I never knew the WWF had even had a women’s tag team division until a few years ago, when it was rumored on the internet that they may be bringing it back (of course, they never did). Anyhow, this match is not too bad—the Jumping Bomb Angels are a very athletic team, and it’s no wonder Vince decided to keep Noriyo Tateno around to feud with Women’s Champion Sherri Martel (Yamazaki retired not long after this). A high point in the match is when both Angels lock on double armbars (Steamboat’s signature move) to pop the crowd. Finish comes when Kai hits a cheap shot on Yamazaki, and Judy Martin hits an inverted powerbomb to win the match and the titles at 7:05. This wasn’t a bad match, but…I’ve seen better. At least the crowd seemed to like it, and that’s something to be said for a women’s match at this point in history. *¼

Royal Rumble Match – God, I love the Royal Rumble match. God, I hate trying to describe the Royal Rumble match in writing. Spoiler alert: this is gonna be a long paragraph. #1 is Tito Santana, who gets a great pop when introduced. #2 is Brutus Beefcake, the man Santana was feuding with at this point. Both men lock up to start, and Beefcake overpowers Tito in the corner. Tito comes out on top after a crisscross and mounts Beefcake for some punches (wow, I should really rephrase that). #3 is Butch Reed, who immediately joins up with Beefcake to pound on Tito. Tito tries to fight back, but Reed grounds him with a big clothesline, and both men double team Tito. #4 is Greg Valentine, running in for the babyface save. The faces team up on the heels, with Tito and Valentine knocking Brutus and Reed’s heads together to daze them. Reed backs Valentine to the ropes, but makes the mistake of charging Valentine, and is backdropped out. Beefcake holds his own against the two babyfaces until #5, Jake Roberts, enters the match. Jake gets some cheers, even though he’s still technically a heel here. Jake and Beefcake team up, trying to eliminate Valentine, but the former IC Champ hangs on. #6 is Boris Zukhov, who hammers the babyfaces with several sloppy clotheslines. Jake and Tito square off as Valentine tries the figure four on Zukhov, only for the Russian to kick him away. #7 is Shawn Michaels, and the future WWF megastar [5] comes in like a house of fire, unloading kicks like crazy. Shawn staggers Zukhov with a kick, and manages to dump the big man to a huge pop. Jake grabs Shawn and goes for the DDT, but Tito saves Michaels with a flying forearm. #8 is Sam Houston of the Outlaws, and joins the other heels in hammering on Tito. Shawn hits a sweet superkick on Houston (a sign of things to come!), but Jake grabs Tito and plants him with the DDT. It’s easy pickings for Jake and Brutus from there, as Tito gets dumped by the pair. Jake tries another DDT on Valentine, but Greg fights out and knocks the Snake down with a shoulderblock. Koko B. Ware runs in at #9, and starts unloading dropkicks like a…dropkick…unloading machine. He teams up with Shawn to give Jake a double dropkick, then unloads a SICK springboard kick off the top turnbuckle to Beefcake—seriously, I’m surprised his head remained attached to his body! #10 is Nikolai Volkoff, and the announce reiterates that Volkoff doesn’t have his partner to help him. Yes, I also have eyes… The big Russian goes right for Michaels (no surprise, since he eliminated Boris), and plants him with a backbreaker. Koko hammers Volkoff, but Volkoff just shoves him away like a fly. Roberts and Volkoff stare down, and the fans chant for Jake. Roberts and Volkoff lock up, and Jake teases a DDT, but it’s broken up by Beefcake. Damn you, Brutus! #11 is Rick Rude, the man Jake was starting to feud with at the time. Rude wastes no time going for Valentine, and Roberts actually joins him in hammering him (see what I did there?) Rude and Jake work together to throw out Valentine, but Roberts then tries to dump Rude to a big gale of cheers. Rude recovers, and glares at Roberts as Jake just smiles and shrugs. Shawn and Houston get into a battle of chops, and Koko barely hangs on in the corner as Volkoff tries to get him over. #12 is Ron Bass, who joins his tag team partner Houston in hammering Shawn. Shawn battles back with forearms, but Bass stops him with a hard clothesline. The Outlaws try to dump Shawn, and despite a valiant effort from Michaels, they get the job done. I know Shawn was only just starting his WWF career at this point, but watching him get thrown out by these two clowns was hard to watch… Bass and Houston go to work on Koko as Jake and Rude again tease another confrontation. Don Muraco comes out at #13 to a few cheers (he was, believe it or not, a babyface here), and he starts knocking down folks with shoulderblocks and clotheslines. A backbreaker to Beefcake from Muraco while Koko tries to eliminated (sp) Rude in the corner. Volkoff hits Muraco with the Russian sickle, but Muraco recovers and locks up with the Russian. Muraco tries a piledriver, but Volkoff fights out of it and backs Muraco to the ropes. The evil Soviet tries to dump Muraco, but Muraco fights back and eventually sends Volkoff flying out to thunderous cheers. #14 is Andre the Giant, and the roof almost comes unglued. Almost all the heels try to gang up on Andre as he comes in, but headbutts and chops from the Giant stop them. Andre dumps Beefcake easily (he lasted damn near half an hour!), then a few seconds later he sends Houston flying. Jake is taking a breather in the corner as Rude and Koko are trying to eliminate each other. King Tonga comes out at #15, and unloads headbutts on anybody moving. Andre and Tonga square off, and Tonga actually staggers the Giant with a headbutt. Tonga tries to dump out Andre, but Andre fights him off, grounding him with two chops. Piledriver by Muraco on Rude. Jake goes for a short-arm clothesline on Koko, but the Birdman counters with a brainbuster. Tonga beats on Andre in the corner as Bass tries to eliminate Muraco. #16 is Hillbilly Jim, and Bass hammers him as he climbs in. He backs up to clothesline the big man out, but Jim backdrops Bass over the top rope. Hillbilly clubs Rude with hard shots in the corner while Jake hits the DDT on Koko to some actual cheers from the crowd. Tonga hits a sick-looking kick on Muraco. Andre is just awkwardly watching everyone in the corner… #17 is Dino Bravo, who smashes Tonga with several hard shots. Tonga goes for a headbutt, but Bravo fights out and hits a sidewalk slam. Hillbilly hits a clothesline on Roberts in the corner, and one to Rude in the opposite corner. The announce play up that Jake and Rude have been in the longest, but Koko clearly came in before Rude. Come on, guys, pay attention! #18 is Marty Jannetty, and he hits a crossbody on Tonga that gets a nice pop from the crowd. Roberts is trying to dump Bravo out, but Rude sneaks up behind them and throws Jake over the top rope ! Jake looks back in shock, and Rude just smiles smugly—only to turn around and get clotheslined out by Muraco! Rude tries to beg off Jake on the outside, but the Snake has none of it. He snaps, and starts beating the shit out of the Ravishing One. He teases a DDT on the concrete, but Rude escapes and hightails it out of there. Roberts gives chase, and the crowd is loving this. #19 is the One Man Gang, and the announce play him up as one of the favorites to win, along with Andre. Koko goes straight for the Gang as he climbs in, but Gang no-sells his offense and dumps him out. Koko lasted a long time, though, so there’s that. A few seconds later, Gang dumps Hillbilly. Jannetty tries a springboard clothesline on Gang, but Gang counters into a Gourdbuster. Andre and Gang have a staredown that the crowd lap up. Both men start trade (sic) chops, and the Gang backs Andre to the ropes. The Giant gets tied up, and Gang and Tonga start beating on Andre. Andre gets his hands free eventually, and swats both men away. #20 is the Junkyard Dog, the final man in (unlike subsequent Rumbles, this match only had 20 entrants [6]). JYD hammers Tonga, but the Samoan shoves him away. JYD bounds off the ropes and hits a hard clothesline on Tonga. Meanwhile, Gang throws Jannetty out, almost throwing the Rocker into the barricade. Bravo goes for a suplex on Tonga, but Tonga reverses it, grabs Bravo and throws him out. Down to five now! JYD hits a running shoulderblock on the Gang in the corner, and to Muraco in the opposite corner. JYD grabs Tonga and tries to set him up for the Thump, but Tonga slips out and kicks him into the ropes. Tonga charges JYD, but the Dog counters with a back elbow. JYD tries to lift Tonga out, but Tonga ends up tossing the Dog with ease. Dog lasted just over two minutes, setting a record for the longest shortest amount of time in a Rumble match (that made no sense, but I can’t explain it any better, damn it! [7]) Final four are Andre, One Man Gang, Muraco and Tonga. Muraco hits a scoop powerslam on Tonga, and amazingly, hits one on the Gang—gotta admit, that was impressive. He goes for one on Andre, but Andre shoves him away. Gang and Tonga have recovered, and team up to beat down Muraco. Muraco fights back, but is soon overpowered and dumped by the two heels. Andre is left all alone against two monster heels, and McMahon says if any two men can fell the giant, it’s Tonga and the Gang. Tonga and Gang team up on Andre, backing him against the ropes. They try to lift him over, but he doesn’t budge. Andre grabs Tonga by the head and drapes it over the top rope, then a big chop sends the Samoan out of the match. Down to Andre and One Man Gang, and the Gang unloads on Andre with all he’s got. Andre is panting hard, and Gang backs up to charge at him. But it bites him in the ass when Andre moves at the very last second, causing Gang to get caught on the ropes. He tips the Gang over, and Andre the Giant wins the first ever Royal Rumble match at 45:33, raising his arm in victory as the audience cheers. Fun to watch, even if it did drag a few times. Andre winning was a solid way to begin the Rumble’s history, and it also set up the Hogan-Andre confrontation several months later. One Man Gang also looked like a beast here, and Roberts-Rude finally came to a head. What’s not to enjoy? ***

Reigning WWF Champ Hulk Hogan is on the stage, with his manager Bobby “the Brain” Heenan and bodyguard Hercules Hernandez. A bench-press is set up, and Mean Gene announces that Hogan will attempt to break the world bench-press record tonight by lifting 718 pounds. [8] I’m fairly sure the weights are fake, but if they aren’t—DAMN that’s a lot. Hercules spots Hogan, and after a little bit of stalling with some warm-ups, Hogan pulls it off—but as McMahon notes from commentary, Hercules “assists” with the lifting a little bit. Heenan praises Hogan, saying he’s not only the strongest WWF Champion, but the strongest man in the world now. Hogan gets on Mean Gene’s mic, saying Ricky Steamboat can’t beat him, so who can? Just then, Steamboat’s music hits, and he comes onstage to a massive pop. Steamboat says he wants a piece of Hogan very soon, but there’s another man that also wants to prove that he’s stronger than Hogan is. Andre the Giant comes up behind Steamboat, and Heenan and Hercules look like they’re about to crap their pants. Andre says he just beat two other men (well, technically you beat 19 other men, Andre! Come on!), and no one has ever beaten him. Heenan says Hogan has no business with Andre, but Andre says he does. He says he wants a shot at Hogan, and soon. Steamboat says he also wants to prove himself, and challenges Hercules to a match. Hercules accepts, but Hogan stops him. He says if Steamboat can beat Hercules, he’ll get his match for the title at Wrestlemania. Steamboat counters by saying that if Hogan beats Andre in their match, and then the Dragon at Wrestlemania, that Steamboat will QUIT THE WWF! HOLY SHIT! “You’re on!” Hogan says, and the two glare at one another. This promo was fucking epic, setting up Hogan-Andre on Friday Night’s Main Event a month later, which would of course go on to be the most-watched wrestling program in television history, and Hogan & Steamboat’s 'Mania match at the same time. Simply amazing!

2 Out of 3 Falls Match: Hart Foundation (Bret “the Hitman” Hart & Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart) vs. Demolition (Ax & Hammer) – The fact that there is another match after the Rumble match feels really weird. Both Harts were just coming off their record-breaking tag title reign at this point, and Demolition were undefeated monster heels. The Harts look great in this match—Bret brings the technical expertise, as usual, and Anvil provides the power—and while Demoliton just wreck stuff as always, Hammer surprises me with some decent chain-wrestling with Bret in the beginning moments of the match. The first fall comes at 6:12, when Hammer pins Bret after a Decapitation. The Harts manage to recover, and a powerslam from Neidhart gets a 2-count. Neidhart tags in Bret, and they hit the Hart Attack on Hammer, but Ax interferes and attacks the referee, causing a DQ for the second fall at 11:20. Ax smashes Neidhart from behind, and the Demos go back on the attack. Several sick moments from here on, including a devastating double scoop slam by Neidhart that gets a 2-count on Ax. The finish comes when the Rougeau Brothers now run down and try to interfere, but the Harts punch them off the apron. But Jimmy Hart catches Bret with a shot from the megaphone behind the ref’s back, allowing Hammer to hit a powerslam on Bret and pin him for the third and final fall at 20:04. This was a decent match, albeit not the best in the Harts’ catalog. We were getting close to the end of the Harts at this point anyway, as Bret would start his legendary singles career a few months later. **

Overall: If I can be honest, this show is a mixed bag. Only four matches, two of which weren’t that much better than a Saturday Night’s Main Event quality one. The Rumble could also have been much better. Still, this was the first step of a major milestone in the WWF’s legacy, and it will be remembered and cherished forever. Andre put his name in the record books as the first-ever Royal Rumble winner, the confrontation between Hogan and Steamboat was incredible, and the Hart-Demolition match wasn’t that bad. THUMBS UP

That’s it for now. See you at the Royal Rumble this Sunday!

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Royal Rumble 1988 Results
Bamm Bamm Bigelow def. Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jimmy Hart) (7:20)
WWF Women’s Tag Team Championships: The Glamour Girls (Judy Martin & Leilani Kai) def. The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno) (c) (7:05) – TITLE CHANGE!
Royal Rumble: Andre the Giant won by last eliminating One Man Gang (45:33)
Two Out of Three Falls Match: Demolition (Ax & Hammer) (w/ Johnny V) def. The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart) (20:04)

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[1] As evidenced by other posts, this guy (whoever he is!) will continue to blog until at least March 30th, 2013 ITTL. Because of this, the writing for this “earlier” entry is a little…less in-depth than his later ones.

[2] All as OTL. We’ll check how the Bunkhouse Stampede went in the next update, as well as what the buys are.

[3] Some not-so-subtle hinting for the future right here.

[4] Also as OTL. It was very annoying, and made the opening Steamboat-Rude match on the show quite a bit less enjoyable.

[5] Oh, I’m not giving you this one. Yet.

[6] As OTL.

[7] JYD lasted 2 minutes, 30 seconds IOTL’s 1988 Rumble, the shortest time of any participant in the match. Here, he lasts a slightly shorter 2 minutes, 4 seconds.

[8] IOTL, Dino Bravo performed this stunt at the inaugural Royal Rumble, in competition with another weightlifting storyline in the NWA involving the Road Warriors and the Powers of Pain that occurred around the same time (you can watch the whole thing on YouTube here!). Here, since Hogan is a bigger star than Bravo, you can bet that it’s a much bigger deal.

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And on that note, I can firmly say that I’m finally back.

I apologize about this update taking much, much longer than I anticipated to come about. Hopefully I haven’t alienated many of my readers due to my absence, and I hope you all enjoyed TTL’s inaugural Royal Rumble. The similarities to OTL are very intentional, as it was extremely difficult to just throw a bunch of names in a randomizer and come out with a decently booked match. As we go further along, I’ll have exponentially more trouble making Rumble matches. Pray for me…

Coming up: the build to Friday Night’s Main Event, another pop star of the 80’s has her fate reversed, and a special guest appearance by the President-Elect of the United States…

 

[The Walkman]

January 30, 1988

Tiffany (album)
*from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tiffany is the self-titled eponymous debut studio album by American singer Tiffany Darwish. Unlike Darwish’s subsequent releases, the album is a pop album, reflecting Darwish’s former talent manager/producer George Tobin’s initial vision of her career.

Some of the tracks were possibly recorded when Darwish was as young as 12 years old. The first single off the album, “Danny”, failed to chart; the second, a cover version of the Tommy James & the Shondells hit “I Think We’re Alone Now” was released soon afterward, and reached #72 on the Billboard Hot 100. The third and final single, “I Saw Him Standing There” (a version of the Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There”) also failed to chart. [1]

The album, by critical and commercial standards, is considered a flop. The album was slightly boosted in popularity when Los Angeles radio station KIIS-FM (near Darwish’s hometown of Norwalk, California) began playing “Danny” and “I Think We’re Alone Now” in their regular rotation. Darwish was also a guest on the Mark & Kim morning radio show for several months in early 1988. [citation needed] [2]

According to Darwish and her former manager, the album’s relatively poor sales were a contributing factor in convincing Darwish to pursue a career in country music in the early 1990s. [3]

Track Listing
No., Title, (Lyricist), Length

1. “Should’ve Been Me”, (Mark Paul), 3:39
2. “Danny”, (Jody Moreing), 4:00
3. “Spanish Eyes”, (Donna Weiss, John Duarte, Lauren Wood), 3:56
4. “Feelings of Forever”, (Paul, Duarte), 3:52
5. “Kid on a Corner”, (Steven McClintock, Tim James), 4:02
6. “I Saw Him Standing There”, (John Lennon, Paul McCartney), 4:12
7. “Johnny’s Got the Inside Moves”, (Jon McElroy, Ned McElroy), 3:20
8. “Promises Made”, (Paul, Duarte), 4:50
9. “I Think We’re Alone Now”, (Richie Cordell), 3:48

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February 1, 1988

WWF
The Royal Rumble: I think the show was just fine; not really any better or worse than the Bunkhouse Stampede. However, the production values were slightly subpar because they couldn’t add in crowd reactions due to being live … (The Royal Rumble match) was much better than anticipated, and definitively better than the Bunkhouse Stampede match. The camera work was great, and it was a blast to watch … Jake Roberts appears to have finally turned in the match: Rude eliminated Roberts, then Roberts chased Rude out of the building, continuing the build to their inevitable confrontation at Wrestlemania. One Man Gang, who is a pretty good worker if not a tad sloppy, was in next to last, and Junkfood Dog entered last, and got eliminated in about 90 seconds. This writer feels that the faces and heels should have fought amongst themselves more, but it can be forgiven because it’s WWF … The show also had a well-done Steamboat-Hogan confrontation, which began with Hogan setting a “new world record” 715 lb. bench press. Yeah, and I’m next in line for pope… Regardless, this completely one-ups Crockett’s guys, who plan to do a weightlifting contest angle soon, and now they almost certainly have to gimmick it, as Warlord is the only one of the four (him, Animal, Hawk and Barbarian) who MAYBE could lift 600 lbs. legit. Andre vs. Hogan was also set up for the new Friday show on 2/5. Andre’s back is said to be feeling better these days, but it remains to be seen if he can have a watchable match with Hogan. That said, Hogan has improved since working with Steamboat, so it is a possibility.

According to the papers, Wrestlemania 4 will be in Atlantic City from the 16,000-seat Convention Center. McMahon has been in talks with Donald Trump to get the best ringside seats for casino high-rollers.

Coliseum video is coming out with a “Best of George Steele” tape, and also a “WWF’s Most Embarrassing Moments”. Are you sure that isn’t the same tape? [4]

Stampede’s Bad News Allen is scheduled to debut at the TV tapings next week. My sources tell me his ring name will be changed slightly, but I don’t have any other details than that.

NWA
The Bunkhouse Stampede: The card was about what you would have expected, even though I’ve seen a lot of negative feedback from people who attended it live. [5] As a pay-per-view, it was better than Starrcade, but most of the matches were horrendously bad, and they shouldn’t have advertised some wrestlers who didn’t appear, like Sting. Also, the show was advertised to start at 7:00, the tickets said it started at 8:00, and the show actually started about 6:30, so there was a great deal of frustration and disappointment from the fans. [6] By one estimation, only about 6,000 fans were there. [7]

The dark match was Jimmy Garvin & Jim Duggan vs. Sheepherders – The match was decent, although it seemed to drag at times … They went for the DQ finish, having the Sheepherders double-team Garvin toward the end. **

Luger pinned Bobby Eaton to retain the TV Title at 12:40 – To put it bluntly, the match was an absolute mess. One of my sources said they were supposed to go to a 20-minute draw, but the finish was (thankfully) changed at the last second so Luger wouldn’t get completely gassed. To say Luger did absolutely nothing in this match would be giving him more of a compliment than the man deserves … Eaton took a few good bumps, but there were far too many restholds in the match, including a nearly four-minute hammerlock from Eaton. Stan Lane and Eaton double-teamed Luger after the match for a while, while Dillon jumped up and down like a little kid at ringside … A prime candidate for worst match of the year. -** [8]

Steve Williams beat Ric Flair via Disqualification at 20:32 – This match probably saved this show from being a total disaster. They had to pace themselves, since this was going to be one of the longest matches on the card, so little happened early on. Most of the crowd were actually booing Flair and cheering his opponent, which Crockett has admittedly had a problem with as of late. Flair went for Williams’ knee during the match, and Williams sold it very well, even after the match. While Flair’s routine has gotten predictable lately, he changed his style slightly in this match compared to other matches he’s had against big guys. Outside of the finish, this was an excellent match: the ref bumped, then Williams hit a powerslam. The ref was knocked out for about a minute as Williams had Flair pinned, but Arn Anderson came down and hit Williams with a chair. Lyle Alzado, who was in attendance, ran down and woke the referee up, who saw Flair hit Williams with the same chair, and called for the disqualification. ***½, which would have been **** without that weak climax.

Magnum T.A. pinned Big Bubba Rogers at 14:12 to unify the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and the UWF Heavyweight Championship – This was OK for what it was. Rogers can’t work a particularly long match quite yet without a good opponent, and Magnum is not that opponent. The crowd wasn’t that behind the match either, even with Lyle Alzado in Magnum’s corner. If “Learning the Ropes” was only more well-known in Crockett territory, maybe that wouldn’t be the case … Finish came when Rogers went for a side slam, but Magnum countered into a belly-to-belly for the pinfall win. Cornette tried to hit Magnum with the tennis racket, but Alzado snatched it away and ran Cornette off with it. Alzado celebrated with Magnum after the match, and Magnum gave the UWF belt to Alzado so they could both pose with a belt. Decent match, but nothing terribly special. **¼

Dusty Rhodes won the Bunkhouse Stampede finals at 23:54 – Lots of blood, and it was about as good as it could be … (Jimmy) Valiant was the first one out at 15:42, Animal and Warlord went together at 17:00, Tully/Hawk/Barbarian went out about 19:10, and Dusty was left with Arn … All these guys are old hat at this point, and the crowd lost interest once the Road Warriors were gone. ** [9]

As upset as fans are about Dusty’s win here, I can understand why he doesn’t want to step out of the spotlight. Muhammad Ali couldn’t do it. Neither could Larry Holmes, to use a more recent example. But what happened to Holmes on Friday night is something every athlete must face at some point. [10] Fans in wrestling are far more fickle and apt to turn than in competitive sports, and yesterday’s legends can quickly become—well, I’m going to stop here because I’m writing once again about something I didn’t want to get into this week.

MEMPHIS
Talks began on Thursday with (Jerry) Jarrett, (Jerry) Lawler and (Jerry) Blackwell—whose AWA contract expired late last year—about a long-rumored merger of Memphis, Continental and World Class. The three Jerrys are reportedly close to reaching a deal, and the only thing standing in their way is their collective egos. Overall, TV has been strong lately for both Memphis and World Class, Continental has a good roster, and Blackwell has wanted to start his own promotion, so this could well be the start of something to rival the WWF and NWA in the future. [11]

AWA
The audience rejection of Greg Gagne as champion can no longer be ignored. According to sources, Verne is looking into who should get the title off his son. Possible names being discussed are Hennig, Slaughter, and Adrian Adonis, who will debut at the next TV taping.

Paul E. Dangerously (Heyman) may be coming back as Curt Hennig’s manager. [12]

NJPW
Big Van Vader has been given the biggest push of perhaps any foreigner in recent memory, including Hansen and Brody. However, he still doesn’t get that much heat.

--from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, February 1st, 1988

----------------

NWA Bunkhouse Stampede 1988 results
Jimmy Garvin & Jim Duggan def. The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller) by Disqualification (10:39)
NWA Television Championship: Lex Luger def. Bobby Eaton (w/ J.J. Dillon) (12:40)
Ric Flair def. Steve “Dr. Death” Williams (w/ Lyle Alzado) (15:02)
NWA Heavyweight Championship/UWF Heavyweight Championship Unification Match: Magnum T.A. def. Big Bubba Rogers (w/ Jim Cornette) (19:12)
Steel Cage Bunkhouse Stampede: Dusty Rhodes def. Road Warrior Animal, Arn Anderson, The Barbarian, Tully Blanchard, Road Warrior Hawk, Jimmy Valiant and The Warlord (23:54)

--------------

February 2, 1988

Vince McMahon laughed heartily as he held the phone to his ear. He couldn’t be happier after what had transpired these past few weeks—ratings for the Royal Rumble were good, Jim Crockett’s foray into pay-per-view had been a disaster, and with Wrestlemania 4 coming up, he had an ace up his sleeve. An ace that ran one of the biggest casinos in Atlantic City. [13]

“If someone had told me five years ago that I’d be on the phone talking to Donald Trump himself about hosting a wrestling show at one of his casinos, I’d never have believed them,” McMahon said to the famed billionaire.

“The WWF is getting huge,” Trump said. [14] “And with the two of us working together, I can personally guarantee you that this is going to be the biggest wrestling show you’ve ever had, Mr. McMahon.”

“Please,” McMahon interrupted. “Call me Vince.”

Trump snickered a little. “Only if you call me Donald.”

“Deal…Donald,” McMahon replied. “So, are you a fan of our shows?”

“Oh, I’ve heard of a lot of the names,” Trump admitted. “But to be honest, I’ve never really had much interest in pro wrestling up till a bit ago. My little son Eric has one of those Ricky Steamboat headbands—he loves wearing it around.”

McMahon chuckled. “How old is your son?”

“He just turned four last month,” Trump replied. “I’ve got another son, Don, that’s ten, and my daughter Ivanka is six. Do you have kids, Vince?”

“Yep…a boy and a girl. My son Shane just had a birthday a few months ago himself—God, they grow up so fast, don’t they?”

“They sure do,” Trump replied.

As McMahon and Trump continued their phone conversation, McMahon felt in his stomach that this could well be the beginning of another fruitful business relationship—and perhaps even more.

-------------------------------------------------

[1] IOTL, of course, “I Think We’re Alone Now” was a #1 hit, followed by the #1 “Could’ve Been” (which is never offered to Tiffany ITTL) and the #7 “I Saw Him Standing There”.

[2] None of this happened IOTL, where Tiffany’s mainstream popularity was bolstered by her appearance on Ed McMahon’s Star Search in 1985 (which does still happen ITTL), a wildly successful concert tour of shopping malls in 1987 (which will not occur ITTL), and having the New Kids on the Block open for her in 1988 (which also doesn’t happen—if you’ll recall from previous updates, the New Kids are DOA ITTL anyway!).

[3] Believe it or not, singing country music is how Tiffany began her rise to stardom IOTL. Her first public performance came singing at a western nightspot in 1981, and in 1982, after being discovered by songwriter/actor Hoyt Axton (who you might know from Gremlins), traveled to Nashville. She was managed by Terry Janssen, a radio executive for a country station in San Diego, and opened for George Jones in Texas. In 1983, Janssen quit as Tiffany’s manager, and she floundered for several years until hiring George Tobin as her manager in mid-1986, who assumed “total control” of her career and set her on the path to 80’s pop star.

[4] This comes word-for-word from the OTL February 1st, 1988 Newsletter. Meltzer could be hilarious when on top of his game.

[5] As IOTL, the 1988 Bunkhouse Stampede is a very badly executed show, for most of the same reasons. However, one match ITTL makes it slightly better.

[6] As OTL. If you watch the show, you can hear fans booing when babyface Dusty Rhodes won the main-event Bunkhouse Stampede match, and if you listen carefully, a few actually are chanting “refund”.

[7] Depending on whether you believe Wikipedia or Dave Meltzer, the OTL attendance for the Bunkhouse Stampede was either about 6,000 or 7,000. Regardless, even fewer people show up ITTL.

[8] Meltzer also gave the OTL Bobby Eaton-Nikita Koloff match for the NWA TV Title a negative 2-star rating.

[9] Dusty also won the 1988 Bunkhouse Stampede IOTL, for a fourth time. Since 1988 was the last of the only four Bunkhouse Stampede events, that means Dusty is the only man to ever win the Bunkhouse Stampede match.

[10] As OTL, former heavyweight boxer Larry Holmes is lured out of retirement for a $3 million fight against heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, and also as OTL, he gets badly beaten. Butterflies haven’t considerably affected many sports (other than the “sport” of pro wrestling) ITTL yet, but they will very soon.

[11] As said before, the “merger” between Jerry Lawler’s Mid-South Wrestling (AKA Continental Wrestling) and the AWA never happens ITTL, leaving the former in dire straits in the dying days of the territorial system. IOTL, Jerry Blackwell formed Southern Championship Wrestling in January 1988, a short-lived promotion which would exist until 1990. SCW doesn’t exist ITTL.

[12] He won’t be, but another future wrestling legend will soon be making his debut in the AWA. And trust me: that’s a good thing!

[13] Yeah, you all knew this was coming, didn’t you?

[14] Oh, come on—I had to work in Trump saying that word somehow!

--------------------------------------------------

And another update bites the dust! I’ve had this update finished for a while now, but intentionally waited to post it until now. (I was going to post it yesterday, as that would have been much more fitting due to OTL events, but I had to work!)

And before anyone asks: no. Donald Trump will NOT become President ITTL. Period. And that’s all I have to say about that.

Coming up: the debut of Friday Night’s Main Event, and the long-awaited (and teased!) Hogan vs. Andre match.

 

[The Walkman]

February 2, 1988

OPENING FOR FRIDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT (EPISODE #1)

(as the show comes on the air, we see Randy Savage, wearing the Intercontinental Title belt around his waist, and Miss Elizabeth, both standing in front of a Macho Man graphic)

RANDY SAVAGE: OOOOOOHHH YEAH! I am the “Macho Man”, Randy Savage, and this is my manager, the lovely Elizabeth, YEAH! And “the Snake” Jake Roberts is at it again! He’s even brought his lady snake to deal with my lady, Elizabeth, YEAH! Well tonight, it’s not gonna make any difference, no. The Macho Man is gonna put that nasty snake away with a 1-2-3 count, and end this thing for good. And Elizabeth—I know if that lady snake tries to get involved, you’ve got the Macho Man’s back, YEAH!

MISS ELIZABETH: Randy, I can take care of myself. You have nothing to worry about.

SAVAGE: OOOOOOHH YEAH, DIG IT!

(camera cuts to Jake Roberts, standing with his wife Cheryl in front of a Jake the Snake graphic)

JAKE ROBERTS: Macho Man, you must be crazy to think I’d come to this fight alone. One of my phrases I live by is “always be prepared”. And tonight, I’ve done just that—I’ve got my old lady out here to make sure that untrustworthy manager of yours keeps her nose where it belongs. [1]

CHERYL ROBERTS: Tonight, the Macho Man gets a taste of what my man can do…

(camera cuts to Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart, standing in front of a Hart Foundation graphic)

JIM NEIDHART: We are the Hart Foundation. And Hitman, we sure are in a pickle tonight against the Rougeaus! If we win our match, we become the new champions, but if we lose…if we lose…we can’t be a team anymore! [2]

BRET HART: Don’t think about that, Anvil! We’re the best tag team in this business today, and there’s no way the Rougeaus are gonna beat us with something like that at stake! Tonight, we will take back what’s rightfully ours!

(camera cuts to Hulk Hogan, wearing the WWF Title belt, and Bobby “the Brain” Heenan, both standing in front of a Hulk Hogan graphic)

BOBBY HEENAN: Andre the Giant had to stick his big, fat nose where it didn’t belong! Now, this man is primed and ready to teach that filthy Giant a lesson!

HULK HOGAN: Andre, you may be big, you may be undefeated, but tonight, the Hulk is gonna show you exactly what he’s made of, and tonight, brother, the pythons are PUMPED to TAKE! YOU! DOWN!

(camera cuts to Andre the Giant standing in front of an Andre the Giant “handprint” graphic)

ANDRE THE GIANT: Hogan, you may be the World Champion now. But no more…tonight, I will take the belt! I WILL!

(camera cuts to Ricky Steamboat, standing in front of a Dragon graphic)

RICKY STEAMBOAT: Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat here, and first off, I wanna say good luck to my friend Andre the Giant in his match tonight! And, oh yes, I realize that if the Giant wins tonight, he’ll become the WWF Champion! But I can say this: no matter who goes into Wrestlemania as champion, I will be right there to challenge them! Tonight, Hercules Hernandez, you are the first step on the Dragon’s flight back to the top of the World Wrestling Federation!

-----------------------------------------------

February 5, 1988

The first episode of Friday Night’s Main Event airs on NBC. Taped three days prior at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana, the program becomes the most-watched wrestling show on network television, garnering a 15.0 rating. [3] Four heavily-hyped matches are featured on the card, each one carrying their own heavy stakes. [4]

In the first match of the night, Randy Savage defends his Intercontinental Championship against Jake “the Snake” Roberts, in a rematch from Wrestlemania 3. To even up the odds, Roberts brings his real-life wife Cheryl to be at ringside. Savage and Roberts don’t wrestle for very long, when “Ravishing” Rick Rude appears from the back, holding a microphone. Rude cuts a promo on how he feels sorry for Elizabeth for supporting a weak champion like Savage, but he feels even sorrier for Cheryl for being married to a man like Roberts. Both Savage and Roberts leave the ring to attack Rude, but Rude is ready for them both—one punch from Rude knocks out both Savage and Roberts, confusing both the announce team and the audience. A close-up of Rude’s hands reveals he is holding a set of handcuffs, having used them like brass knuckles to KO both men. The bell rings as the referee rules the match a no contest; however, Rude isn’t finished yet. Still wielding the handcuffs, Rude half-drags, half-carries a semi-conscious Roberts to the ring, and handcuffs him to the ring ropes. Cheryl Roberts attempts to get Rude off her husband, but Rude grabs Cheryl, takes her into the ring, and forcibly kisses her. Roberts has regained consciousness by this time, and frantically tries to undo the handcuffs to no avail, and as Cheryl quickly exits the ring in disgust to aid her husband, Rude points at Roberts, gyrating his hips as he taunts the man. Meanwhile, the match’s ending meant Randy Savage’s 600-plus-day long reign with the Intercontinental Title continued, and the question remained: who would be Savage’s next challenger?

Ricky Steamboat faces off against Hercules Hernandez in the second match of the night. As per a previously announced stipulation, a loss for Steamboat here means that he cannot challenge for the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania. In a pre-match backstage interview with Gene Okerlund, Hercules’ manager Bobby Heenan, who also manages Rick Rude, refuses to comment on Rude’s actions minutes prior, saying Rude “has his own business with Jake Roberts”. Heenan also announces he will not be at ringside with Hercules, as the Brain needs to help Hulk Hogan prepare for his match later, which Hercules seems to take in stride. The following match is a back-and-forth contest, with Steamboat using his normal aerial and mat-based techniques and Hernandez providing many power moves. Despite fighting from underneath for the last half of the match, Steamboat eventually manages to stagger Hercules with a thrust kick, knocking the big man off his feet. Steamboat then hits a Dragon Dive, and pins Hernandez to win the match and secure his position in the main event of Wrestlemania 4, much to the delight of the crowd.

The third match of the night is the much-anticipated match between WWF Champion Hulk Hogan and challenger, the then-unpinned Andre the Giant. Having been advertised heavily in the weeks up to the broadcast, the match is far from a technical masterpiece, but is still captivating due to the storytelling behind it. Early in the match, Bobby Heenan attempts to distract the referee, but his actions get him ejected from ringside, prompting cheers from the audience. The match continues for about seven more minutes, and the finish comes when Hogan is pushed into referee Dave Hebner, knocking the ref out. Andre hits a front facelock suplex on Hogan and pins him, but the referee is nowhere to be seen. Taking advantage, Bobby Heenan runs down and tries to interfere in the match, but Andre grabs Heenan on the apron and attempts to choke him for trying to interfere. Hogan, who has grabbed the WWF Championship Belt from ringside, clobbers Andre in the back of the head to save his manager. It seems to have little effect on Andre, who turns around and glares at Hogan. Heenan grabs Andre from behind, letting Hogan hit Andre with an Axe Bomber into the turnbuckle. Andre tumbles to the mat, and Hogan quickly hits a legdrop and pins Andre. Heenan throws Hebner back into the ring, and he begins to count. Andre kicks out a millisecond after the referee’s hand hits for the 3-count, and after getting up, tries to argue, but Hebner, much to the shock and ire of the crowd, awards the match to Hogan. After the match, Andre beats up Hogan and Heenan to give the fans what they want to see. The way the match ends remains polarizing even to the present day, with some fans marking it as the moment Hogan became the most hated man in the WWF, and others saying it was pointless to give Hogan a pinfall victory over Andre, a man who up until that point had been unpinned in the WWF, [5] and that Hogan was already established as a fairly dominant heel champion.

After the match, Gene Okerlund interviews Ricky Steamboat, who expresses disgust and shock at the way Hogan “stole” a victory from the dominant Andre. However, Steamboat vows that he will make Hogan pay at Wrestlemania. When Mean Gene asks about Bobby Heenan, Steamboat promises him and the viewers that the Dragon will find a way to “soar back to the top of the World Wrestling Federation”.

The final match of the night pits current WWF Tag Team Champions the Fabulous Rougeaus against challengers the Hart Foundation. Per a predetermined stipulation, the winning team would get the Tag Team Titles, but the losing team would be forced to break up. The match is arguably the best of the night, featuring a back-and-forth contest with the heel Rougeaus isolating Jim Neidhart and the Anvil mounting power comebacks against both Rougeau brothers, but just barely missing the tag to his partner Bret Hart. After hitting a powerslam to Jacques late in the match, the Anvil finally makes the hot tag to the Hitman, and Hart comes in to unload on both the Rougeaus. It seems like the Harts have the match in the bag, but after a Hart Attack on Jacques, Raymond breaks up the pinfall. Neidhart tries to get involved, but Jimmy Hart grabs the Anvil’s leg from ringside, delaying his help for Bret. Bret fights off both Rougeaus for a few more seconds, but a savate kick from Jacques staggers Bret. Raymond grabs Hart in a bear hug, and Raymond hits Hart with a Rougeau Bomb, and to the shock of the crowd, pins Bret Hart. Both Rougeaus roll from the ring, grab their title belts, and celebrate at ringside with Jimmy Hart, while Bret sits in the middle of the ring with a look of shock on his face. Jim Neidhart climbs into the ring and looks down at Bret, and neither man says a word for a few moments. Bret finally shakes his head, mouths “I’m sorry” to Neidhart, and the Anvil extends his hand to Bret to help him up. Neidhart teases a heel turn when he pulls Hart close to him and stares at him intensely, but eventually smiles and holds up his partner’s hand. As the camera shows many shots of people in the audience applauding, cheering, and a few crying, the Hart Foundation stand in the ring for the last time as a tag team, soaking up the roar of the audience. “These two men will surely go down in history as the greatest tag team specialists in WWF history,” commentator Vince McMahon muses, and his partner, the normally heel-favoring Jesse Ventura, agrees, saying “Sadly, we’re witnessing the final chapter for the Hart Foundation, McMahon!” as the show goes off the air.

Friday Night’s Main Event #1 Results
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) (c) fought Jake “the Snake” Roberts (w/ Cheryl Roberts) to a No Contest (4:14)
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat def. Hercules Hernandez (4:28)
WWF Championship: Hulk Hogan (c) def. Andre the Giant (13:42)
WWF Tag Team Championships – Losing Team Disbands Match: The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques & Raymond) (w/ Jimmy Hart) def. The Hart Foundation (Bret “Hitman” Hart & Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart) (12:55)

----------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Despite the cheers he will get from the fans, Jake Roberts is still essentially a tweener at this point (a la Steve Austin circa 1997), and still exhibits heelish mannerisms like calling his wife his “old lady”. He will truly turn full babyface on this show.

[2] I intentionally kept this secret until this very update. The stipulation is announced on an episode of Superstars of Wrestling leading up to the show ITTL, and it’s covered in the Newsletters published until the event airs. I think you can all see the writing on the wall at this point…

[3] As OTL, except the rating was a slightly higher 15.2. The show still faces the same competition (Full House on ABC, Beauty and the Beast on CBS), but due to butterflies, slightly fewer people are watching tonight.

[4] IOTL, The Main Event was only a two-match show, featuring Hogan vs. Andre for the World Title and Randy Savage vs. Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Title. A tag team match between Strike Force and the Hart Foundation for the Tag Team Titles was scheduled to happen, but due to time constraints, it was cut from the broadcast at the last minute (the match was still going on when the show went off the air).

[5] As OTL, up to this point, Andre had never been pinned in the WWF; however, he had suffered several pinfall losses in other territories at this point—notably, he was pinned by Karl Gotch in Japan in 1971, Killer Kowalski in 1972, Ron Garvin in 1982 in Mid-South, and El Canek in Mexico in 1984.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

After an eternity, I have returned triumphantly!

I apologize for this update taking so long, but real-life circumstances unfortunately prevented me from finishing it all that quickly. Still, I hope you all enjoyed it, and please try not to flood everything with your tears after seeing the Hart Foundation's break-up...

Up next: we begin the ride to Wrestlemania 4, and learn some of the big angles and feuds for the show.

 

[The Walkman]

February 15, 1988

WWF/NWA War
It’s been a busy news week, but this writer feels the biggest story hasn’t gotten as much attention as it should have. WWF has announced plans for several pay-per-views for the next several months. We already knew about Wrestlemania 4 on 3/27, but Titan has also laid out plans for an unnamed PPV on 8/29, “Survivor Series 2” on 11/24, and “Royal Rumble 2” on 1/15/89. [1] On the surface, this seems harmless enough, but its impact on JCP is devastating. Crockett had originally planned to do the Crockett Cup on PPV in April, the Great American Bash in July, and Starrcade on 11/24—the exact same date McMahon and company have scheduled Survivor Series 2. With all this monopolizing, the WWF is effectively trying to prevent Crockett from breaking into the market … Whether or not JCP can recover from its recent troubles, or even pop big houses again, the gap between WWF and NWA is only going to grow bigger.

WWF
Wrestlemania 4 has already sold out the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City. 14,000 seats went on sale at prices ranging from $25 to $150, and about half were gone by the end of the first day. Because of the ticket prices, this show might actually pull a higher gate than Wrestlemania 3 … A concert from Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine is taking place adjacent to the convention center ballroom [2], and Vince and Trump are trying very hard to get them to work Wrestlemania as well. The past two Wrestlemanias have featured “mini-concerts” in an attempt to draw in viewers (as well as one AWA dud that shall remain nameless [3]).

Billy Jack Haynes, who has missed several bookings lately, is in poor health. His current feud with Davey Boy Smith is being wrapped up, and most think the man’s wrestling career is about to end. [4]

Bamm Bamm Bigelow underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, and is scheduled to be back in time for Wrestlemania 4. Early reports say McMahon’s plans are for him to turn heel and feud with Andre the Giant.

The tapings for next week’s “Superstars of Wrestling” will feature a battle royal to determine the next challenger for the IC Title. The names being advertised for the match so far are Hart, Neidhart, DiBiase, Valentine, JYD, Orton and Muraco.

NWA
Figures are in for the Bunkhouse Stampede … the show drew a $75,000 gate, and 6,000 paid.

The Rock & Roll Express have been fired. They were asked to do a job in Cincinnati to the Powers of Pain in a 12-minute match, and were upset because they’d been a big attraction for years. As such, they no-showed the event, and the Powers of Pain were awarded the match via forfeit. Dusty wasn’t at the show, but he got word after the Rock & Rolls had flown to New York for the Bunkhouse Stampede, and he fired them then and there. They were also asked to do an angle with the Sheepherders recently where Ricky Morton would have his head shaved, and they refused. [5] Where the tag team will end up next is unclear. I suppose Vince could always bring them in to sing on “Wrestling Album III” for “Boogie-Woogie Dance Hall” …

What’s one way to compete with Vince McMahon? Answer: bring in a man with an exponentially larger checkbook. Ted Turner is now trying to help the NWA with their PPV problems after the WWF blocked almost all their planned shows of the year from cable. As I’ve said before, the future of this business on a major-league level lies not in house shows, but in pay-per-view and outside merchandising, and with McMahon blocking Crockett from PPV, no matter what Crockett does, he can’t compete. Turner is reportedly wanting to help get the Great American Bash on PPV; plans for the Crockett Cup and Starrcade are unknown.


February 22, 1988

WWF
Paul Orndorff is scheduled to return to action soon. Orndorff, as readers may recall, suffered a minor arm injury following Survivor Series. Fortunately for him (but not us), it has been revealed that no major surgery will be needed [6].

At this week’s “Superstars” taping … Bret Hart won a 22-man battle royal for the right to face Randy Savage for the IC Title at Wrestlemania … George Steele eliminated Repo Joe, but Joe later returned with a little stuffed animal of some sort, and Steele exited the ring to chase him away. Where this will lead is anyone’s guess … Neidhart and Hart worked together to eliminate One Man Gang, but DiBiase snuck up behind and threw Neidhart out. It came down to Bret and Ted, and after a short exchange, Hart dumped DiBiase. Neidhart returned to the ring and held Hart’s arm up in celebration.

Bamm Bamm Bigelow has already returned to in-ring action, defeating Tiger Chung Lee at the “Superstars” taping.

NWA
Eddie Gilbert is still working here, but it appears they are trying to keep that a secret.

MEMPHIS
The rumor mill has been buzzing about the proposed merger between Memphis, Continental and World Class. As of printing, the merger is still going to happen, and talent from all three territories are being briefed in secret about it.

AWA
Adrian Adonis is scheduled to face Greg Gagne for the AWA World Title at an upcoming TV taping. Adonis made his debut on 2/10, winning a 20-man battle royal to challenge Greg for the title.

Both Kelly Kiniski and Nord the Barbarian have quit. Kiniski was unhappy with his pay and has gone back to Canada. Nord was pretty over in the AWA … but Verne never wanted to push him because he didn’t think his popularity would last.

MEXICO
A brief rundown of the scene in Mexico: There are literally dozens of promotions here, and wrestling draws huge crowds all over, although the gates aren’t very high by American standards due to the weak value of the peso. As such, there are very few American wrestlers working in Mexico, and I don’t believe any work here on a regular basis. Tickets range from $1 to $3 (American money), and the main eventers earn about $25-$30 on cards that draw several thousand fans. Top draws in Mexico include Perro Aguayo, Super Halcon, Super Muñeco, and of course, veterans like Mil Mascaras, Dos Caras, El Hijo Del Santo, and El Canek. [7]

OTHER
Roddy Piper is reportedly doing great in Hollywood. He shouldn’t have to wrestle again unless he wants to, and he’s in pretty high demand.

DAVE’S RANKINGS [8]
1. Owen Hart
2. Nobohiku Takada
3. Ric Flair
4. Ricky Steamboat
5. Ted DiBiase
6. Masa Saito
7. Tatsumi Fujinami
8. Dick Murdoch
9. Barry Windham
10. Bruiser Brody
11. Curt Hennig
12. Bret Hart
13. Keichi Yamada
14. Terry Gordy
15. Rick Martel
16. Tiger Mask
17. Randy Savage
18. Tully Blanchard
19. Bobby Eaton
20. Hiroshi Hase
21. Buzz Sawyer
22. Terry Taylor
23. Brad Armstrong
24. Shiro Koshinaka
25. Kazuo Yamazaki
26. Riki Choshu
27. Yoshiaki Yatsu
28. Stan Lane
29. Yoshiaki Fujiwara
30. Genichiro Tenryu

TAG TEAMS
1. Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane
2. Rick Martel & Tito Santana
3. Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson
4. Tatsumi Fujinami & Kengo Kimura
5. Riki Choshu & Masa Saito
6. Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy
7. Rougeau Brothers
8. Yoshiaki Fujiwara & Kazuo Yamazaki
9. Road Warriors
10. Islanders
11. Genichiro Tenryu & Ashura Hara
12. Tiger Mask & Shinichi Nakano
13. Bruce Hart & Brian Pillman
14. Rock & Roll Express
15. Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu
16. Midnight Rockers
17. Fantastics
18. Brad Armstrong & Tim Horner
19. Toshiaki Kawada & Samson Fuyuki
20. Super Strong Machine & Hiro Saito

WOMEN
1. Chigusa Nagayo
2. Lioness Asuka
3. Bull Nakano
4. Yukari Omori
5. Condor Saito
6. Yumiko Hotta
7. Itsuki Yamazaki
8. Kazue Nagahori
9. Noriyo Tateno
10. Leilani Kai
11. Mitsuko Nishiwaki
12. Dump Matsumoto
13. Rumi Kazama
14. Estelle Molina
15. Mika Komatsu
16. Sherri Martel
17. Lola Gonzales
18. Yumi Oguar
19. Drill Nakamae
20. Debbie Combs


February 29, 1988

WWF
There has been some talk about whether the Hogan-Steamboat “Loser Leaves WWF” Wrestlemania match will truly see the loser leave the promotion. My latest word is that it is indeed a work: neither Hogan nor Steamboat has any plans to leave the company, but whoever loses WILL be taking a sabbatical for a while. The winner of the match, however, is a very closely guarded secret.

Dick Ebersol was recently quoted in USA Today, and said he wasn’t interested in doing live WWF shows because it wouldn’t be profitable. But the truth is: they won’t even get the chance to turn down a timeslot, because NBC now feels that WWF couldn’t do good numbers in primetime. I was actually surprised at how good the rating for “Friday Night’s Main Event” was, because it showed how “over” wrestling is to the general public. It showed that wrestling fans are loyal, and will watch no matter when it’s on. The show might have gotten a slightly higher rating if Ricky Steamboat was wrestling, but this does put Steamboat’s value in perspective: to a cult audience, which numbers in the millions, Steamboat’s the biggest wrestler in the country—probably bigger than Hogan was when he first won the title in 1984. But the WWF is almost certainly not capable of making it in primetime yet. Steamboat’s not nearly as over as Antonio Inoki in his heyday, although he’s about the same level as Chigusa Nagayo … Even though Vince McMahon is the most successful moneymaking wrestling promoter of all time, there isn’t as much media interest as there was with New Japan in 1982 …

The next SNME is scheduled for 3/12, and will be taped on 3/7 from Nashville. Two days later, the WWF will be running a TV taping in Winston-Salem, NC, 20 miles outside of Greensboro. As you can see, Titan smells blood, and is going straight for Crockett’s jugular.

Billy Jack Haynes is gone. The public story is that he quit because of health reasons, but according to Haynes, he wanted a bigger push for both himself and Brady Boone. [9]

It turns out Bamm Bamm Bigelow didn’t have knee surgery after all; he’s postponing until after Wrestlemania, when he and many other wrestlers will be taking a one-month break …

Jimmy Snuka will be leaving the WWF after Wrestlemania, to nurse nagging injuries.

Gene Okerlund’s son Todd is on the U.S. Ice Hockey Team in the Olympics.

NWA
Paul Boesch is on the NWA Board of Directors. He’s the only non-promoter ever on the board. This is more of a figurehead position, and they’re using his name value in Houston.

The Crockett Cup is being advertised over two nights (4/22 and 4/23) and will be held in two cities (Greenville, SC and finals in Greensboro, NC). There was some talk of them bringing in some World Class names for the shows, but that appears to have fizzled out due to the big merger.

Shane Douglas has returned to the promotion. He’s getting a moderate midcard push, and is using the sleeper hold as his finisher.

Lex Luger is still being given a monster babyface push, but I can’t emphasize enough how stale it’s getting. Sometimes, you’ll look at something and make a snap judgment without examining details. Luger is like that. You look at him, and everyone gushes about how popular he is and how amazing his physique is. But good physiques, as much as they have driven business in the past, appear to be out of fashion. More and more fans appear to be gravitating towards the more athletic, technical style of wrestling, and Luger is about as far away from that style as you could possibly get. Still, he could be a big star, and he probably will be to some degree, but his support from the audience just isn’t there. The fact that Sting is still out with his injuries also means the company is pushing Luger more, which translates to even more resentment from the crowds.

AWA
ESPN has signed a new two-year contract with the AWA, and the contract calls for exclusivity. As such, World Class will no longer be on ESPN. (Well, “World Class” won’t be on the network anyway, but you know what I mean.)

The Nasty Boys have been released, and they may be on their way to Memphis, according to some sources.

On the Minneapolis TV show which aired on 2/21, Verne said that all the promoters in the Midwest love Greg as the champion. Of course, the old man also lost his sanity about five years ago.

MEMPHIS
The merger between Memphis, World Class and Continental is now official … The final show under the WCCW banner on 2/18 drew 5,000 fans, and was headlined by Al Perez vs. Terry Taylor. Both men will be part of the new merged territory, as will Maxx Payne, Jeff Jarrett, Tommy Rich, the Samoan Swat Team (Samu Onoaii (sp) and Solafa (sp) Fatu) and Giant Kokina. [10]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] All as OTL. IOTL, the unnamed PPV would, of course, become Summerslam.

[2] This is part of Estefan’s “Let It Loose” World Tour, which is mostly as OTL.

[3] Meltzer is referring to Wrestlerock ‘86 (covered in Post #66), which featured a short concert from Waylon Jennings, as OTL.

[4] As OTL (although Haynes and Smith weren’t feuding).

[5] This is all mostly as OTL, except the Rock & Roll Express were asked to job to Warlord and Ivan Koloff instead, and Ricky Morton basically just laid down in protest and let himself be pinned in seconds. He and Robert Gibson were promptly fired.

[6] Orndorff wasn’t so lucky IOTL: nagging problems from a previous arm injury suffered during his big feud with Hulk Hogan in 1986 forced him into retirement in early 1988, and Orndorff wrestled his final match for the WWF on January 4, 1988 against Rick Rude. He would eventually return to in-ring action for WCW in 1990. Here, because his schedule is a little lighter and he has less to do, his in-ring career is slightly longer.

[7] All as OTL.

[8] Meltzer’s rankings are a bit different than OTL, with Steamboat considerably higher in the men’s Top 30 ITTL due to his greater workrate, the Hart Foundation (which have disbanded) completely absent from the tag teams, and Sherri just a hair higher on the women’s Top 20.

[9] Haynes’ departure was actually a combination of these reasons that get more and more complicated every time Haynes tells it, and his firing strikes me as bound to happen, even ITTL.

[10] Meltzer’s misspellings of Samu Anoa’i and Solofa Fatu’s (later known OTL as Rikishi, of course) names are consistent with his style of getting names as close as he can, but still butchering them. Giant Kokina, as mentioned in a previous post, is Yokozuna.

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And after much too long, I'm finally back with this update. Again, thanks to everyone for being so patient with me. And as the territorial nature of the wrestling business continues to dissolve ITTL similar to how it did IOTL, at least most of them can have some solace that they're in at least a little better shape than OTL.

Coming up: the last Saturday Night's Main Event before Wrestlemania, and a legend says goodbye to the WWF. Also: do the letters WCW mean anything to you?

 

[The Walkman]

March 7, 1988

“I wish you’d stick around for Wrestlemania,” Vince McMahon said as he smiled sadly. “But nonetheless, I wish you well.” The owner of the WWF extended his hand, which was grabbed by a slightly larger, hairier hand, which shook it tentatively.

“Thank you so much, Vince,” replied a voice in a thick Italian accent. “I’m gonna miss the guys around here.”

“We’ll all miss you, too,” McMahon said. “You’re a part of this company’s history.”

With that, Bruno Sammartino got up from his chair and exited McMahon’s office. The former WWF Champion had just finished doing match commentary for the tapings of the episodes of Superstars leading up to Wrestlemania 4, and his contract had finally expired. [1]

The 57-year-old Sammartino made his way down the halls, taking in the final sights of Titan before he left for good.

---

“You know that once you leave this company, you won’t be able to get a job anywhere else?” joked Bobby Heenan as he shook Sammartino’s hand. “Except maybe in a commercial for those California Raisins…you look an awful lot like ‘em, you know that?”

Sammartino couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Bobby, if I can borrow a phrase from Monsoon—will you stop?”

Heenan chuckled himself. “You know I love you, Bruno. Take care of yourself!”

Sammartino nodded as he and Heenan parted ways. After looking back over his shoulder at Heenan one last time, Sammartino turned back around to find Ricky Steamboat himself standing in front of him, smiling sadly. Without a word, Steamboat put his arms around Sammartino, locking him in a masculine hug.

Steamboat shook his head slowly as he let go of the embrace. “It’s going to be so strange not seeing you around here,” he said. “You’re like the Babe Ruth of the WWF.”

Sammartino just shook his head. “Stop, just stop that…”

“I’m completely serious,” Steamboat replied. “This company would be nothing at all without you. When I was a kid growing up in New York, I dreamed of going to Madison Square Garden just to see you wrestle, but I was too young. [2] When I was in high school, you were the absolute best. Kiniski, Giant Baba, the Sheik, Ernie Ladd—you fought, and beat, all of them. When I broke into the biz in ’76, you were still at the top of your game. And that feud with Zbyszko? Forget about it—the stuff of legends.” [3]

Sammartino simply smiled, looking down at the floor. “Well, my days are behind me,” he said before looking Steamboat in the eye again. “This is your era now. The matches you’re putting out, the great feuds you’re part of, and the amazing way you connect with the kids—it’s all great for this business. Vince made a great choice to captain this ship.”

Steamboat smiled, trying to keep a tear from coming to his eye at the older man’s words, and then stuck his hand out. “Don’t be a stranger,” he said. “Come back and see everybody from time to time…”

Sammartino just smiled as he shook Steamboat’s hand. Maybe he would come back, maybe he wouldn’t. But with Ricky Steamboat at the wheel, this company was going to be in good hands for a long time to come. [4]

---------------------------------------------------------------

March 5, 1988

The fourteenth episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event airs on NBC, a mere three weeks before Wrestlemania 4. This is the first SNME to use a newly created instrumental theme specifically for the show, as opposed to the Animotion song “Obsession”, which had been used as the theme song for every episode prior. [5]

Two titles are defended on the show. Randy Savage defends the Intercontinental Championship against Brutus Beefcake, the Macho Man looking to go into Wrestlemania with a decisive win over the powerful heel. Beefcake manages to overpower Savage for a while, but in the end, Savage fights back and hits the flying elbow drop for the 1-2-3. After the match, Bret Hart appears on the entrance ramp, applauding in respect for his future Wrestlemania opponent. In the second title match of the night, “Scary” Sherri Martel puts her Women’s Title on the line against the “New Zealand Women’s Champion”, Desiree Petersen. Although Petersen was born in New Zealand, the “New Zealand Women’s Championship” didn’t (and still doesn’t) exist; this is simply a promotional tactic as part of Sherri’s gimmick of wrestling women’s champions “from around the world”. Sherri makes quick work of Petersen, continuing her dominant reign as Women’s Champion. Bad News Brown continues his winning streak since his debut by squashing Koko B. Ware, and Team Victory (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) best The Outlaws (Sam Houston & Ron Bass) in a Two out of Three falls match, beating them in two straight falls.

Andre the Giant is set to face Boris Zukhov on the show, with Bamm Bamm Bigelow in Andre’s corner. After Andre makes quick work of the big Russian, Bigelow enters the ring to celebrate with Andre…only to turn heel by throwing the giant into the corner and hitting him with a splash. To the crowd’s shock, Bigelow then exits the ring and grabs a steel chair, and smacks the dazed Andre with it. When Mean Gene interviews Bigelow backstage after the attack, Bigelow states that Andre has “gone soft” since losing to Hogan, and berates the man he once looked up to for failing to win when the stakes were so high. Bigelow challenges his former tag team partner to a match at Wrestlemania, vowing to prove “there’s a new most dominant man in the WWF”.

Throughout the show, Wrestlemania 4 is heavily hyped. Steamboat vs. Hogan, Savage vs. Hart and Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude are given particular attention, and the matchups of Rougeaus vs. Team Victory, Honky Tonk Man vs. Jimmy Snuka, Ted DiBiase vs. Junkyard Dog, and Don Muraco vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton are all at least briefly touched upon. Both Ricky Steamboat and Hulk Hogan are featured in backstage segments, being interviewed by Gene Okerlund.

Towards its end, the show also contains a video tribute to the recently departed Bruno Sammartino, which was originally not scheduled for the show, but was pushed for by Ricky Steamboat himself backstage as a way for the company to properly say goodbye to the longest-reigning WWF Champion of all time.

---

GENE OKERLUND: Ladies and gentlemen, my guests at this time, Bobby “the Brain” Heenan, and the World Wrestling Federation Champion, Hulk Hogan!

(Heenan and Hogan enter from off-camera)

OKERLUND: Hogan, in three weeks, you will face Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat at Wrestlemania for the World Wrestling Federation Championship, with both of your careers on the line! Tell me, what are your thoughts having to face a man who has pinned you several times before?

BOBBY HEENAN: Excuse me…what did you just say?

OKERLUND: I said, what are Hogan’s thoughts about having to face a man who has beaten him…

HULK HOGAN: Mean Gene, will you do us a favor, and stop dwelling in the past! The fact of the matter is, I’ve defeated the largest athlete in the history of this business, Andre the Giant! And because I’ve beaten the biggest, that automatically makes me the absolute best, brother!

HEENAN: Ricky Steamboat only wishes he could be half the man that Hulk Hogan is, and he’ll never be even a fraction of the champion that Hulk is!

HOGAN: Steamboat, you’ve been lucky before. But in three weeks, your luck is gonna run out. You’re hangin’ by a thread, and I’m the one holding the knife looking down over you. And when I finally cut that rope, brother, you’ll be gone—out of my life for good! The best thing you can do is come out and forfeit the match before it even happens, because at least that way you’ll save yourself a beating, brother!

OKERLUND: Heenan and Hogan, you are certainly assuming quite a lot before this match even happens…

HEENAN: I don’t assume. I make things happen! And this is what’s going to happen: Hulk Hogan is going to pin the “Drag Queen”, 1-2-3, and send that stupid little gnat out of the World Wrestling Federation forever. The man is the greatest of all time, and that’s the bottom line!

HOGAN: Look me in the eye when I say this, Okerlund: I will. NOT. LOSE! Now get out of our way, pipsqueak!

(Hogan and Heenan exit)

OKERLUND: Alright, thank you, gentlemen. As you can see, Hogan and his manager, Bobby Heenan, certainly very confident heading into Wrestlemania, but I have to wonder if that confidence will backfire on them? Back to you, Vince!

---

GENE OKERLUND: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, my guest, Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat!

(Ricky Steamboat enters from off-camera)

OKERLUND: Dragon, at Wrestlemania, you are basically putting your life’s blood on the line against Hulk Hogan. We’ve heard from the Hulk and Bobby “the Brain” Heenan earlier tonight, now I’d like to get your thoughts. What is your mentality, going into a match that will either end with you becoming World Champion again, or leaving the World Wrestling Federation for good?

RICKY STEAMBOAT: Mean Gene, believe me, I’ve had several sleepless nights ever since Hulk Hogan accepted my challenge. And not a night goes by that I think: did I make a mistake? Did I bite off more than I can chew by putting my whole career on the line at Wrestlemania? And just a few days ago, it hit me. I have something that I have to prove to not just Hulk Hogan, but the entire world. I need to prove that I am not just a better champion than him, but a better man than him. This is a match that I absolutely cannot afford to lose! I have to win! And when I do, I’ll send that nasty bully Hulk Hogan and his little weasel sidekick out of this business for good! And maybe then, they’ll see the errors of their ways. Because when this Dragon gets on fire, his opponents burn…

OKERLUND: Alright, thank you, Ricky Steamboat. I have to believe that look of intensity in the eyes of the Dragon, but will it be enough to carry him to victory in three weeks’ time? Vince, back to you!

---

Saturday Night’s Main Event #14 results
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (c) (w/ Miss Elizabeth) def. Brutus Beefcake (7:42)
WWF Women’s Championship: “Scary” Sherri Martel (c) def. Desiree Petersen (1:23)
Team Victory (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) def. The Outlaws (Ron Bass & Sam Houston) in a 2 Out of 3 Falls Match 2-0 (10:16)
Bad News Brown def. Koko B. Ware (2:01)
Andre the Giant (w/ Bamm Bamm Bigelow) def. Boris Zukhov (w/ Nikolai Volkoff & Slick) (1:20)

--------------------------------------------------------

March 14, 1988

Worldwide Championship Wrestling
*from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“WCW” redirects here. For the former Australian wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling. For other uses, see WCW (disambiguation).

Worldwide Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee which operated from 1988 to 1997. The company was founded when World Class Championship Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Association merged in early 1988. The promotion served as a competitor with the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions (later Nonstop Wrestling Action) until its closure in 1997 due to financial difficulties and increased competition from WWF and NWA. The rights to Worldwide Championship Wrestling’s tape library are currently owned by WWF.

1. History
A. Foundation and Early Growth (1988-1990)
B. The Departure of the Von Erichs (1991-1995)
C. Demise (1996-1997)
2. Programming
3. Alumni
A. Singles wrestlers and managers
B. Tag teams and stables

History

Foundation and Early Growth (1988-1990)
WCW was founded by Jerry Jarrett, Jerry Lawler and Jerry Blackwell as an attempt to create a third national promotion, alongside the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions/NWA. WCW was created through a merger of the Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) and the Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), several years after a planned merger of Continental and the American Wrestling Association (AWA) fell through. [6]

Due to personal health problems, Fritz Von Erich had decided to sell his interest in World Class in 1987, and the short-lived Wild West Wrestling promotion had recently been absorbed into World Class. CWA owner Jerry Jarrett was interested in taking his promotion nationwide, and Jerry Blackwell, who had left the AWA in late 1986, wished to retire from in-ring competition and begin behind-the-scenes work as a booker and ring agent. After a few months of negotiation, Jarrett and Jerry Lawler agreed to work together to take Continental Wrestling nationwide, and Blackwell was brought on as a partner and majority holder. WCCW booker Ken Mantell, who was hired as assistant booker in WCW, managed to convince Kerry and Kevin Von Erich, the two Von Erich brothers with the highest creative control and pull in WCCW, to relocate to Memphis in exchange for 33 percent ownership of the new company. Mike Von Erich was allegedly offered a percentage of ownership [citation needed], but he declined, preferring to remain retired from the wrestling business until his death from heart failure in 2001.

WCW held its first official show in early 1988, several days after the WWF’s Wrestlemania 4 pay-per-view. A tournament for the first ever WCW World Champion was held over the next several weeks, and ultimately … [7]

...

Alumni [8]

Singles wrestlers & managers
Al Perez
Allen Martin
Austin Idol
Big Bubba
Billy Joe Travis
Bobby Jaggers
“Bruiser” Brian Lee
Bunkhouse Buck
Cactus Jack Manson
Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Chavo Guerrero Sr.
“Gentleman” Chris Adams
Doomsday
Eddie Guerrero
Gary Young
Giant Kokina
Hector Guerrero
Iceman King Parsons
Jeff Jarrett
Jerry Jarrett
Jerry Lawler
Jim Cornette
Kerry Von Erich
Ken Raper
Kevin Von Erich
Lord Humungous
Mando Guerrero
Manny Fernandez
Marcus Well
Mark Starr
Maxx Payne
Moondog Rex
Moondog Spot
Muadib
Phil Hickerson
Rick Nelson
“Soul Man” Rocky Johnson
Scott Hall
Sid Vicious
Skandor Akbar
Terry Taylor
Tim Horner
Tojo Yamamoto
“Wildfire” Tommy Rich

Tag teams & stables
The Canadian Destroyers (Bear & Moose)
Chris Jericho & Lance Storm
The Hillbillies (Cousin Festus & Cousin Griz)
The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags)
Ron & Don Harris
The Samoan Swat Team (Solofa Fatu & Samu Anoa’i)
Shaun & Steve Simpson

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March 20, 1988

WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER – 3/20/1988
Huge news starts us off this week. On 3/14, it officially happened. Both World Class Championship Wrestling and Continental/Mid-South Wrestling no longer exist. In their place is the newly named “Worldwide Championship Wrestling” (although the promotion is far from “worldwide”, but that’s beside the point). The debut show isn’t set to take place until next month, but plenty of names are being advertised for it, including an appearance by Jerry Blackwell, who will be the on-screen authority figure, I’m told. More details on WCW happenings are covered below.

WWF
Wrestlemania will be longer than 2 ½ hours, as originally was reported. Vince reserved four hours of satellite time, which means the show is probably going to run between 3 ½ hours to 3 hours, 45 minutes. Word is they are planning at least two of the matches to run pretty long, and the Gloria Estefan concert is probably going to eat up a good chunk of time as well. As we stand, the currently planned card is listed below (they may add a match or two to pad out time if they end up running short).

Wrestlemania Card
Hulk Hogan vs. Ricky Steamboat (WWF Title Match)
Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart (IC Title Match)
Rougeau Brothers vs. Santana & Martel (Tag Title Match)
Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude
Andre the Giant vs. Bamm Bamm Bigelow
Jim Neidhart vs. Davey Boy Smith
Ted DiBiase vs. Junkfood Dog
Bob Orton Jr. vs. Don Muraco
Honky Tonk Man vs. Jimmy Snuka
20-man Battle royal for a trophy

The WWF have had a lot of ads in trade magazines recently, because they’re dropping their TV production company and starting production in-house. Ads were there for a TV play-by-play guy, an interview guy, and a senior producer, so expect some on-screen changes in the next several months.

Bad News insisted on changing his ring name from “Allen” to “Brown” when he joined the company. He was afraid they would trademark his name, which would leave him screwed if he ever left.

NWA
Ken Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell on “Leave It to Beaver”, will be at the Clash of the Champions special on TBS. [9] No offence, but he’s not exactly Gloria Estefan, and this makes Crockett’s show look like a cheap imitation. If you ask this writer, they should have avoided the celebrity involvement, unless they got somebody huge like Bob Hope or Sylvester Stallone. The main event of the show will be Magnum T.A. vs Ric Flair in a steel cage match for the Title, with three guest judges at ringside to decide the match if it goes for the hour time limit. Can the title change hands based on this decision? If not, giving Flair a victory via a decision means nothing.

It’s going to be difficult for the Clash to NOT have more viewers than Wrestlemania, based on the fact that it’s on free TV. TBS is also a huge wrestling station, so if the Clash isn’t the most-watched show in Crockett’s history, then Crockett should be really ashamed.

Big Bubba Rogers may be on his way out soon. The WWF is still very interested in him, and he is looking for a bigger paycheck. Crockett has reportedly promised him another program with Magnum for the title if he stays, so things are still very much up in the air at this point.

Holy Jesus, am I getting tired of getting asked why they’re called the “Four Horsemen” when there are five of them…

WCW
Moondog Rex and Moondog Spot are now officially employed, and will be teaming as the Moondogs at the first TV taping. Let’s just hope they don’t injure anyone… [10]

AWA
At the TV taping on 3/18 … Adrian Adonis defeated Greg Gagne to win the AWA World Championship. Literally about 75 percent of the crowd were behind Adonis for the entire match, despite him being the heel in the match. It was almost like watching a Flair match, except the people were definitively more behind Adonis here … After the match, Adonis attacked Greg to the crowd’s encouragement, and they booed when Verne hobbled down to the ring to help his son.

Badd Company (who left Continental when it merged with WCCW and opted not to sign with the new Worldwide) also made their debut at the TV taping, defeating Hector & Mando Guerrero. Also making his debut as the team’s new manager was a new guy, “Diamond” Dallas Paige (sic). My sources tell me this is Florida nightclub owner Paige (sic) (yes, that’s his real first name) Falkinburg, who is using a rather poor Jesse Ventura imitation as his gimmick. It’s…interesting, but it’s nothing that really hasn’t been seen before. [11]

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[1] Sammartino’s contract also ended in early March 1988 IOTL, and he left the WWF at this exact same time.

[2] After a race riot broke out in 1957 after babyface Antonino Rocca busted open heel Dick the Bruiser during a tag team match, the New York state athletic commission set very strict rules for Madison Square Garden, one of which was that no children under age 14 could attend a match in the Garden. This rule was repealed in the mid-1970s.

[3] Steamboat is referring to the 1980 feud between Sammartino and a then up-and-coming Larry Zbyszko, in which the young student turned heel on the veteran. The two had a series of matches, most famously a main event match at Shea Stadium on August 9th, 1980 inside a steel cage, which Sammartino won. (Interestingly, Hulk Hogan also wrestled Andre the Giant on the same card!)

[4] IOTL, of course, it’s well-documented that Bruno Sammartino’s exit from the WWF left a very sour taste in both his and the company’s mouth. The Living Legend publicly criticized the WWF’s emphasis on showmanship over in-ring ability, its over-the-top presentation, and later, its obscene and often distasteful angles. Here, his exit from the WWF is much smoother and mutually respectful due to the greater focus on actual wrestling in the company, and a down-to-earth guy like Steamboat leading the locker room.

[5] As OTL.

[6] The Continental-AWA merger also flopped IOTL, but did manage to squeeze out one pay-per-view, SuperClash III, which bombed hard.

[7] Withholding the majority of this article from this point forward to avoid too many spoilers.

[8] This is only a partial list of alumni, again, to avoid spoilers. Sorry!

[9] As OTL, to promote the premiere of The New Leave It to Beaver on TBS.

[10] A not-so-subtle jab at how Moondog Spot infamously injured Hulk Hogan in 1985 ITTL, our POD that set us on the path we are now.

[11] Believe it or not, future WCW World Champion and yoga instructor Diamond Dallas Page actually did get his start all the way back in 1988 in the AWA, managing the tag team Badd Company. He tried out for the WWF in 1990 and was turned down, but he did make an appearance at Wrestlemania VI, driving a Cadillac containing the tag team Rhythm & Blues (Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine) to the ring. It wouldn’t be until 1991, at the age of 35, that he made his in-ring debut for WCW. We’ll see how his career unfolds ITTL…

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Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I hope you enjoyed this update, and are prepared for the drive to Wrestlemania. Also, it looks like Ted Turner will have to find another three-letter abbreviation to use when/if he buys out Jim Crockett ITTL…

Speaking of which: coming up, a look at NWA’s Clash of Champions show. And then: Ricky Steamboat. Hulk Hogan. Who will leave the WWF at Wrestlemania 4? You don’t want to miss it!

 

[The Walkman]

March 27, 1988

The first Clash of the Champions special airs on TBS Superstation. Filmed live at the Greensboro Coliseum in front of a crowd of about 6,200 fans, the special draws a 5.9 rating. [1] Aired on the same day as Wrestlemania 4, the show is a deliberate attempt to give Vince McMahon a taste of his own medicine by airing a show on free TV on the same day as a pay-per-view, which the WWF had done to Crockett’s company before when they aired the first Royal Rumble for free in competition to Crockett’s Bunkhouse Stampede PPV in January 1988. While the show doesn’t really help or hurt Wrestlemania 4’s profitability (probably due to the huge draw of Hogan vs. Steamboat), the show is a success, and is seen as a slap in the face to Vince McMahon.

The show begins with a grudge match between up-and-coming heel Venom and established babyface “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin, in which the younger Venom puts away the veteran. Next, Lex Luger puts his NWA TV Title on the line against “The Dog-Faced Gremlin” Rick Steiner, and “The Taskmaster” Kevin Sullivan surprisingly appears at ringside to watch. As Luger has Steiner in the torture rack, the Taskmaster manages to distract both Luger and the referee on the outside, allowing Steiner to slip out of the rack and hit a bulldog on Luger, getting the 1-2-3 and becoming the new TV Champion. Post-match, Steiner and Sullivan beat down Luger, drawing blood from the Total Package for the first time in his NWA career. In an interview later in the broadcast, Sullivan states that Steiner is under his management now, and promises “more men to come”.

Another short—but bloody—match occurs next, with the Road Warriors, Robert Gibson, and a partner of their choosing taking on the Powers of Pain and the Sheepherders in a match where the ring ropes have barbed wire woven into them. [2] Several months prior, Road Warrior Animal suffered a (kayfabe) eye injury at the hands of the Powers of Pain, forcing Animal to wear a hockey mask for protection, [3] and the Sheepherders had injured Gibson’s tag team partner Ricky Morton in a bloody attack. The babyfaces choose “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan as their mystery partner. The match lasts less than four minutes, but features both Sheepherders bleeding due to the barbed wire. After Barbarian accidentally hits Warlord with a diving headbutt, Animal gets the pinfall for his team.

Dusty Rhodes defends his U.S. Title against Arn Anderson in the penultimate match of the night. Despite a valiant fight from Rhodes, the Enforcer of the Four Horsemen manages to pull out a victory due to a distraction from his stablemates, winning the title to the humiliation of the American Dream.

The highly anticipated main event sees NWA Champion Magnum T.A. putting his title on the line against Ric Flair in a steel cage match. [4] Scheduled for a 45-minute time limit, the match has a panel of “guest judges” at ringside: referees Gary Juster and Sandy Scott, Penthouse model Patty Mullen, and actors Jason Hervey from The Wonder Years and Ken Osmond from Leave It to Beaver (the latter who conducts an amusing interview with Jim Cornette earlier in the broadcast). [5] The match goes a long time without any clear-cut advantage from either man, seeing several near-falls from both Flair and Magnum. With only a few minutes left on the clock, Flair locks on the Figure Four. Magnum struggles in the hold for several agonizing moments, but still refuses to submit. As the clock ticks down, Magnum manages to counter the hold by turning onto his stomach, putting the pressure on Flair’s knee. As Flair screams in pain, still refusing to submit, time expires. The decision of the match thus falls to the judges, who award the match to Magnum T.A. in a 3-2 decision (only Mullen and Hervey vote for Flair). [6]

Clash of the Champions Results
Venom def. “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin (w/ Precious) (7:22)
NWA Television Championship: Rick Steiner (w/ Kevin Sullivan) def. Lex Luger (C) (9:39) – TITLE CHANGE!
Barbed Wire Match: Jim Duggan, Robert Gibson & The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) (w/ Paul Ellering) def. The Powers of Pain (Barbarian & Warlord) & The Sheepherders (Luke Williams & Butch Miller) (w/ Rip Morgan) (3:31)
NWA United States Championship: Arn Anderson (w/ Tully Blanchard & Mike Rotunda) def. Dusty Rhodes (C) (11:03) – TITLE CHANGE!
NWA Championship – Steel Cage Match: Magnum T.A. (C) vs. Ric Flair ended in a time-limit draw (45:00)

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[1] IOTL, there were about 6,000 fans in attendance, and the special drew a slightly lower 5.6 rating.

[2] IOTL, a similar match occurred with Dusty Rhodes and the Road Warriors taking on the Powers of Pain and Ivan Koloff.

[3] As OTL.

[4] IOTL, this was a standard match between NWA Champion Ric Flair and challenger Sting. The match, which is considered an all-time classic, is seen by many fans as the one that established Sting as a main-event level wrestler. Sadly, due to Sting’s injury, he’s not at that level yet, and it remains to be seen when he’ll get there ITTL…

[5] All as OTL.

[6] The decisions were much different IOTL’s match: Mullen decided in favor of Flair, Juster awarded the match to Sting, and Scott considered the match a draw. Hervey and Osmond, for some reason, never made an official decision.

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All apologies about the lateness of this update. I promise the next two will come much faster, and will be much meatier.

As the NWA tries to offer Vince McMahon a taste of his own medicine, Clash of the Champions turns out to be just as much a financial and critical success as OTL. But can the WWF counter with an even better show? And how about the newly formed WCW?

Coming up: Hogan. Steamboat. One will be champion, and one will leave the WWF. Who will stand tall at Wrestlemania?

 

[The Walkman]

March 27, 1988

SteamPunk, the WWF Blogger – Post Date 3/20/2013
Classic WWF PPV Review: Wrestlemania 4

And here I go. Again. On my own. Going down the only road I’ve ever known…

Today, as we continue our look at ‘Manias gone past, we’ll be looking at Wrestlemania 4, which comes to us live from—allegedly, anyway—the Trump Plaza Casino in New York City. I say “allegedly” because this show actually centered from the nearby Atlantic City Convention Hall, the longtime host of the Miss America pageant. Because Donald Trump loves him some beautiful women. Thankfully, Scary Sherri doesn’t appear on the card tonight, or Trump might have called the show off then and there. This PPV also saw several good matches, as well the epic final clash between Ricky Steamboat and Hulk Hogan, in which one of them would leave the WWF for good. Well, at least for a while. Let’s get to it.

Gene Okerlund is in the ring and welcomes us to the show. He introduces Gladys Knight (sadly with no Pips), who sings the national anthem.

Your commentators are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura. Jesse says he’s glad he’s with Monsoon, and not with that idiot Vince, who knows nothing about wrestling. Anytime you can thumb your nose at your boss without getting in trouble is a good day in my book.

22-man Battle Royal: King Tonga, The Tonga Kid, Koko B. Ware, Sika, “Jumpin’” Jim Brunzell, B. Brian Blair, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Bad News Brown, Sam Houston, Ron Bass, “Natural” Butch Reed, Greg Valentine, Dino Bravo, Shawn Michaels, Marty Jannetty, Ken Patera, Nikolai Volkoff, Boris Zukhov, Repo Joe, Hillbilly Jim, Brutus Beefcake and George “The Animal” Steele – The winner will receive a big trophy which will definitely not be smashed. Steele stands on the outside for a while, but eventually climbs into the ring. [1] Houston goes out first, followed by Patera. A bunch of guys gang up on Sika and eliminate him. Steele dumps Tonga Kid out. Hey, no fair, George! This is the Kid’s last PPV! Repo Joe and Steele start brawling, but Steele grabs Repo and throws him out with ease. Repo pulls a little blue stuffed animal out of his tights (um…make of that what you will…) and Steele just goes berserk, climbing out of the ring, eliminating himself. The two men brawl to the back. Someone kill me, please. Koko gets dumped by King Tonga, and Ron Bass throws out Jannetty. Seconds later, Shawn Michaels catches Bass from behind to eliminate him. Don’t screw with the Rockers! Hillbilly Jim hits a clothesline in one corner to Orndorff, then another in the opposite corner to one of the Bees, but the Red Army double clothesline Jim out to stop his momentum. Butch Reed throws out Blair (the Iron Sheik would be proud), but Brunzell dropkicks Reed out seconds later. Beefcake hits an atomic drop on Valentine and tries to dump him out, but Valentine saves himself before taking the Beefer down with a clothesline. Tonga then hits a legdrop on them both, just for the hell of it. TONGA WILL DESTROY YOU ALL! Boris goes for a lariat on Bravo, but Bravo ducks and clotheslines Boris out. Beefcake and Valentine are up now fighting on the ropes, and Valentine manages to tip Beefcake over after a little bit of a struggle. Valentine climbs back in and hits a forearm on Tonga, and knocks the big man over the top. Bravo goes for a side suplex on Bad News, but a Ghetto Blaster to the head stops him, and it’s Bad News for the Canadian strongman as he falls over the top rope to the floor. Down to six now. Volkoff back body drops Michaels out, but Valentine knocks Volkoff out seconds later. Brown tosses out Brunzell. We’re left with Orndorff, Brown, and Valentine. Valentine fights off both heels for a while, but the numbers game catches up with him, and an Orndorff backbreaker stops him in his tracks. Bad News and Orndorff dump Valentine out to a gale of boos, and both men gloat in the ring. BUT WAIT! GHETTO BLASTER TO ORNDORFF! Never trust Bad News! Out goes Orndorff, and Bad News Brown wins the match at 9:23. The referee tries to hold his hand up, but Brown is having none of it. He wants his trophy, damn it! The refs present it to him, but out of nowhere comes Orndorff, who knocks Brown out of the ring. He grabs the trophy and smashes it to pieces, raising the broken bits of it in the air as the crowd cheers. This wasn’t bad, although the ensuing Steele-Joe feud was extremely cringy, and it led to perhaps the worst match I’ve ever seen. [2] Still, this was a pretty fun time-killing match, involving most of the guys on the roster who weren’t in a prominent upper or midcard feud at the time. Bad News winning and then Orndorff turning face and smashing the trophy at the end was a great moment as well. Brown and Orndorff feuded for a while after this, which culminated in a “Harlem Brawl” match on Saturday Night’s Main Event that was amazingly brutal for the time. **

Backstage Interview – Mean Gene is with Honky Tonk Man and Johnny V. They show a clip of the episode of The Wrestling Challenge where Honky was “interrupted” by Snuka during one of his interviews, which led to this match. [3] Honky’s comments about Snuka here are so racist, they’d make Archie Bunker blush. Honky says a stupid Tarzan wannabe like Snuka can’t appreciate his great singing and guitar playing, so tonight he’ll beat some sense into Snuka. Johnny V says Honky will send Snuka back to the jungle where he came from. This was honestly painful to sit through. I can’t in good conscience give this any rating due to how awkward and unsettling it was. DUD

Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka vs. Honky Tonk Man (w/ Johnny V) – And now I have to sit through this. Wonderful. Honky attempts to jump Snuka as he’s getting into the ring, but the Superfly does some “tribal moves” that startle Honky. Snuka takes down Honky with chops and a headbutt. Honky goes for an axe handle, but Snuka blocks it and hits a forearm off the middle rope. Honky rakes the eyes and puts Snuka in a headlock for a while, but Snuka reverses it. Snuka irish whips Honky and tries to hit a move off the ropes, but Johnny V trips Snuka on the outside. Superfly goes out to confront Johnny, but Honky hits an axe handle to the back of the distracted Snuka. Honky climbs back in the ring and dances for the crowd before battling with Snuka on the apron, but a Superfly headbutt sends Honky to the mat. Snuka hits a clothesline, but Honky fights back with a series of blows to the midsection. Honky chokes Superfly on the ropes, then hits a fist drop for a 2-count. Kicks from Honky, but Snuka starts a comeback, building up fire before hitting a clothesline, a jawjacker, and a backbreaker in quick succession. Damn, the old man is pulling out all the stops tonight. Snuka goes up top, but Johnny distracts him. Honky hammers Snuka in the head with another axe handle (can’t this fool do any moves besides that?), but Snuka no-sells it, and Honky tries to flee. Snuka knocks Honky down, climbs to the top, and connects with the Superfly Splash for a 3-count at 5:01. Johnny V climbs in and starts putting the boots to Snuka as Honky rolls out of the ring, but Snuka recovers and chops Johnny in the corner. Honky climbs back in with his guitar, and wails on Snuka with two hard shots that look like they really hurt. Thankfully, this is a prop guitar, unlike WM3. Snuka awesomely no-sells both shots, roaring at Honky as the Elvis impersonator flees in fear. Snuka grabs what’s left of the guitar and smashes it up (what’s with the babyfaces destroying personal property tonight?) to the joy of the crowd. Jesse hilariously remarks that Snuka should be disqualified for destroying the guitar, even though the match is already over. This match was OK for what it was, and thankfully it didn’t go very long. Snuka would leave the WWF after this, but he’d be back around 1994. Unfortunately, the newer generation had taken over the spotlight, and he left within a year. *½

Backstage Segment – Mean Gene is backstage with Paul Roma & Jim Powers, and asks them if they’re excited about the Gloria Estefan concert later. Roma says nobody cares about Gloria Estefan. Just like nobody cares about you, Roma. He’s pissed that the Young Guns weren’t even put on the show. Powers asks why is there a concert on a wrestling show? Okay, that complaint I can get behind. Suddenly, Demolition show up in their full-on leather and chains and weird bondage shit. Ax says Johnny V is already upset that Honky Tonk Man lost, and he doesn’t need to hear the Young Guns whining, too. Powers says if Demolition want them to shut up, they’ll have to make them. Hammer says they accept. I’m no Demolition fan, but this was about as good a promo as you’ll get from them. And even though Roma & Powers brought up some good points, they still suck. Interestingly, both teams were heels here, so this could be seen as the start of Demolition’s babyface turn later in the year. *

Demolition (Ax & Hammer) vs. The Young Guns (Paul Roma & Jim Powers) – So it looks like we’re getting this impromptu match right now. This PPV keeps getting better and better… Roma tries to lock up with Hammer, but Hammer overpowers him from the get-go. Hammer irish whips Roma, but Roma fakes him out before Hammer can hit a clothesline. Powers tags in and both Guns begin double-teaming the Demos, hitting several pretty nice armdrags and an elbow off the top turnbuckle. Hammer recovers and tags in Ax, and they clubber Powers in the heel corner. A back elbow from Ax, followed by a boot from Hammer in the corner. Hammer tags back in and locks a nerve hold on Powers, then stomps him into the mat. Ax tags back in and hits a scoop slam, but Powers hits a kick that staggers Ax long enough for him to make the tag. Roma goes for a dropkick, but Ax moves, sending Roma crashing down flat on his back. One Decapitation later, and it’s over at 2:48. A glorified squash if I’ve ever seen one. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Demoliton are just a poor man’s Road Warriors. They weren’t far away from their babyface run with the Tag Titles at this point, which wasn’t that great, in my opinion. Still, this match was fine. *

WWF Tag Team Championships: The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques & Raymond) (w/ Jimmy Hart) (c) vs. Team Victory (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) – Speaking of the Tag Team Titles! Tito and Jacques lock up to start, and Tito backs Jacques into the corner and hammers him with knees. Tito tags in Martel, who hits a nice-looking hip toss on Jacques followed by a clothesline in the corner. Jacques fights him off with chops and tags in Raymond, who grounds Martel with a cross armbar for a little while. Martel fights back with a back suplex, followed by a gutwrench that gets a 1-count. Martel goes for a clothesline, but Rougeau ducks and hits a dropkick. The Rougeaus isolate Rick for a minute or two, getting a 1-count off a savate kick. Jacques goes for a knee drop, but Martel moves, and Tito and Raymond tag in at the same time. Tito starts running over Raymond with a bunch of armdrags, and a very nicely done headscissors takedown grounds the Rougeau. Raymond fights out, knocking Tito down with a back elbow before tagging in Jacques, who gets a 2-count off a back kick. Tito fights back and gets the hot tag to Martel, who starts unloading with offense, getting a 2-count after a sick-looking crossbody. After a hip toss, Martel locks on the Boston crab, but the other Rougeau breaks it up. Tito clotheslines Raymond to the outside, and Martel goes for a slingshot splash, but Jacques rolls through it and pins Martel to retain the titles at 10:02. Tito barely misses being able to break the pinfall, and he and Martel argue for a moment or two in the ring while the Rougeaus and Jimmy celebrate on the outside. Jesse claims Tito should have focused more on the match and not on the illegal Rougeau, but Monsoon insists it was an honest mistake. I wish this match had gone on slightly longer as there was a lot more these two teams could have done here, but this was definitely the best match of the night so far. Lots of great action, and the subtle tease of dissention between Martel and Santana was well done. Team Victory, of course, didn’t split up right away, as Martel had to take time off to care for his sick wife in late 1987. [4] The split would come later, and as you all know, would lead to the most recognizable gimmick Martel ever had. ***½

Backstage Interview – Mean Gene has Ted DiBiase and Virgil, and he asks DiBiase if he’s worried about facing a man as vicious as the Junkyard Dog. DiBiase says JYD should consider it a privilege that he’s even soiling his hands with this match. He says—and I’m quoting here— “Men like the Junkyard Dog shouldn’t even be in the same ring as me.” Wow. Just…wow. DiBiase says Virgil knows his place, and he’s a happy man for it. Virgil turns his head toward DiBiase, but he doesn’t say a word—nice subtle hinting at something there, but of course it’ll be a pretty long time. Tonight, the Junkyard Dog will discover that dogs like him should be at the foot of a man, especially the Million Dollar Man. DiBiase, as usual, is great on the mic, but the subtly racist nature of this promo just made it so awkward and unentertaining. ½*

“The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase (w/ Virgil) vs. The Junkyard Dog – A bit of history: these two were both employed in Mid-South Wrestling in the early ‘80s, and they had a long-running feud against one another. DiBiase beat JYD for the North American Championship, then sent him out of the company in a “Loser Leaves Town” Match in 1982. [5] If you’re a hardcore wrestling fan, I recommend checking out some of their bouts pre-WWF; they’re very entertaining. But I digress—this is the cartoon world of the WWF we’re talking about, where racism and subtle jokes about slavery abound. You know, this PPV is starting to become less and less appealing to me as I watch it… DiBiase and JYD lock up to start, but the Dog backs Ted into the corner, hammering the Million Dollar Man with a couple of hard lariats. JYD goes for an abdominal stretch, but DiBiase gets out of it with a hip toss, followed by a knee drop for a 2-count. DiBiase goes for an irish whip, but JYD sends Ted to the outside, where Virgil tends to him and sends him back in. JYD goes down on all fours, but Virgil gets on the apron to distract him. DiBiase takes the opportunity to lock on the Million Dollar Dream, and after struggling for a minute or two, JYD finally passes out at 3:17. Virgil climbs in the ring as Ted laughs maniacally at the fallen Dog. Virgil pulls out a $100 bill and gives it to Ted, who stuffs it in JYD’s mouth. A short match that was nothing more than a glorified squash, but if anything, it got DiBiase over massively as a heel. ½*

Backstage Interview – Mean Gene has Davey Boy Smith and Jimmy Hart with him, and he asks what his strategy is facing his former stablemate. Davey Boy says Neidhart was always jealous of the success of not only him and Dynamite Kid, but Bret Hart as well, and that’s the reason the Hart Foundation fell apart. Jimmy says that tonight, Neidhart has no one in his corner, and he’s going to fall prey to the Bulldog. This promo wasn’t bad—Davey Boy was still green on the mic, but he was learning, and Jimmy Hart helped with his schtick as well. **

Backstage Interview – Jesse Ventura has taken a break from the announce table to interview Jim Neidhart before the next match, and Ventura asks if it bothers Neidhart that Bret Hart’s competing for a title tonight, and he’s not. Anvil says that has nothing to do with his match tonight. Jesse says the Anvil has to be jealous that Bret appears to be getting a better opportunity than he is tonight. Neidhart then turns to the camera and apologizes to everyone watching for Jesse’s dumb questions. He says tonight, he’ll give Davey Boy what he deserves. Jesse has a look on his face like someone just killed his cat. It cuts back to Monsoon at the announce table without Jesse saying a word. Although it planted a small seed for a heel turn for Neidhart, this was mainly played for laughs, and I won’t lie: it did make me chuckle a bit. Not bad. ***

Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart vs. Davey Boy Smith (w/ Jimmy Hart) – Monsoon asks whether this match will either be a match full of scientific finesse, or one of brute force. That’s almost like asking if you’re going to have a sunny or a rainy day in spring—there’s very little in-between. Ventura berates Neidhart for the rest of the match for being so rude to him earlier. “Such is the insufferable life of a journalist like you, Jesse, right?” ”You have no idea what I have to endure, Monsoon.” God, I love the banter between these guys! Oh yeah, I have a match to watch… Davey backs Neidhart into a corner and hammers him, then hits a shoulder block that Neidhart no-sells. Neidhart clotheslines Davey to the outside, and Smith regroups with Jimmy for a few moments. Both men lock up, and Bulldog goes for a side headlock, then grounds Neidhart with a hip toss. Uppercut from Neidhart, followed by a crisscross that Davey turns into a drop toehold and a nerve hold. Neidhart makes it to the ropes, knocking Davey down, and an elbow drop gets a 1-count. Davey locks on a single-leg Boston crab, but Anvil fights out and hits a back elbow that grounds Neidhart, then a series of shots in the corner. Neidhart fights back, but Smith ducks a charging Anvil, sending him spilling to the outside. Jimmy Hart shouts at Anvil with the megaphone, and when the ref’s back is turned, Jimmy tries to hit him with it. Neidhart reverses it, sending Jimmy into the ringpost to the cheers of the crowd. However, Smith grabs Neidhart from behind, smashing his face into the apron. Davey throws Neidhart back in and hits an axe handle from the top that gets a 2. Davey tries for the running powerslam, but Neidhart slips out and hits a stiff clothesline into the corner. Jimmy climbs on the apron, but Neidhart knocks him off to the joy of the crowd. After a bit of back-and-forth, Anvil hits a powerslam and gets the pin at 7:34. Jimmy Hart climbs in the ring and starts laying the boots to Neidhart, and Davey joins in soon after. Smith holds Neidhart up while Jimmy shouts at him with the megaphone, but the Anvil ain’t out yet, bitches—he kicks Jimmy in the stomach, elbows Smith in the gut, and throws them both out of the ring to a big ovation from the audience. Not a bad match, and I like how they incorporated several submission holds into it despite neither man being a big mat technician. Both men would continue with their singles careers, and Davey would have quite a bit of success with his—nothing on par with Bret Hart, of course, but still not shabby. **

Don Muraco (w/ Superstar Billy Graham) vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton (w/ Mr. Fuji) – Muraco had turned on Orton at Survivor Series after being fed up with the heel Ace’s ineptness, and this is a grudge match between the two. Orton jumps Muraco before the bell rings and starts stomping him to the mat. He chokes Muraco with his own jacket before taking him down with a really stiff clothesline. Like, his arm didn’t even move. The ref throws Bob’s jacket out as Bob just slaps Muraco’s head. Several punches from Orton stagger Muraco, but the Magnificent one recovers with a right hand off the ropes and some chops. Muraco hits the “cymbal hands” on Orton, then several shots in the corner. A bulldog to the canvas followed up by a boot to Orton’s head, but the Ace rakes Muraco’s eyes. Cowboy Bob hits a nice shoulderbreaker to Muraco, then slams his arm against the ringpost. Orton gloats to the crowd to a shower of boos, then hits several knees in the corner. Bob works Muraco’s arm for a long time as Fuji and Superstar yell from ringside. Not gonna lie, this is pretty boring. Muraco counters by pushing Cowboy Bob to the mat, and gets a surprise 1-count. Back to more arm wringing (goody, goody), but Muraco manages to fight to his feet, and backs Orton into the corner, forcing him to break the hold. Snapmare and a knee drop from Muraco, followed by a headbutt suspiciously close to Cowboy Bob’s nether regions. Good thing Randy was already born at this point! Bob hits a scoop slam and tries to hit a crossbody off the top, but Muraco gets the knees up. Muraco goes for a clothesline, but Bob reverses into a chinlock. Bob goes for an Oklahoma roll, but he grabs the ropes for leverage, and the ref notices it. This allows Muraco to counter into a roll-up, getting the surprise 3-count at 8:29. Bob tries to argue that Muraco grabbed the tights, and the replay clearly shows him grabbing for Orton’s bright green tights. Gorilla tries to explain that it was after the 3-count. Sorry, Gorilla, I’m with Bob and Jesse on this one! As for the match, it wasn’t anything special, but it did blow off an intense feud. This was Bob’s last high-profile match in the company, as he’d be gone after ‘Mania and didn’t really do much else. Muraco hung around for a while, but he also wasn’t used for much other than feeding upper-card stars. Wow, when you put it into perspective, this was kind of a depressing end for these two guys… **

The Gloria Estefan concert is up next, and it actually gets the crowd pretty pumped. Gloria sings a medley of “Conga”, “123”, and “The Rhythm is Gonna Get You”. Pretty straightforward stuff, and although I’m not the biggest Gloria fan (I mostly know that duet she did with Selena in the ‘90s), this was pretty fun.

Backstage Interview – Mean Gene has Bamm Bamm Bigelow, and he asks him what his thoughts are about having to face “perhaps the greatest superstar” in the history of the WWF. Bigelow says he’s sick of everyone calling Andre the greatest. Tonight, after he not only defeats, but embarrasses Andre, everyone will be calling Bamm Bamm Bigelow the new greatest of all time. Bigelow was actually pretty good here, and it got across that he was a threat to Andre. **

Andre the Giant vs. Bamm Bamm Bigelow – Bigelow dodges a punch from Andre by rolling around the ring, then the two lock up. Andre starts choking Bigelow on the ropes, then locks him in a sleeper hold. Gorilla says he had dinner with Andre the night before. I hope they had plenty of wine at the restaurant… Andre continues choking the life out of Bigelow for a minute or two, but Bigelow fights out by backing Andre into the corner, and staggers Andre with a clothesline. Andre gets tied up in the ropes, and Bamm Bamm hammers the giant for a little bit, dodging a kick from the Giant before Andre finally gets loose. Bigelow hammers Andre for a moment, but Andre no-sells it, delivering a big chop to Bigelow’s chest that looks very painful. Andre locks on the bear hug, and Bigelow struggles for a long time before his arm drops once. Twice. Three times, and it’s over at 7:16. Andre throws Bigelow out of the ring, and the ref raises the Giant’s hand in victory. A pretty dull match, to be honest, and it was pretty tough to sit through, but I’ll bump up the score since it gave Andre an amazing 4-0 record at ‘Mania. According to legend, Andre sandbagged Bigelow during this match because of his bad backstage attitude, but I didn’t really see it in this match. Bigelow would depart the WWF on a leave of absence soon after this night, and didn’t come back until the mid-90s, after he’d competed in a few other promotions. As for Andre, this would sadly be his last Wrestlemania match before his untimely death, but at least the man got to go out undefeated at the big stage. *

Backstage Interview – Mean Gene is interviewing Bret Hart before his big match with Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Title. Gene asks what are Bret’s thoughts before the biggest match of his career? Bret says holding the Tag Team Titles as part of the Hart Foundation for over a year was one of the best feelings he’s ever had, and he can only imagine how Savage feels holding a title for over two years. But tonight, he has a chance to prove that he’s more than a tag specialist—he’s going to show Savage and the whole world that he’s the best there is when he takes the Intercontinental Title. Bret usually wasn’t much on promos, but I did like this one—it conveyed that he was a young upstart trying to dethrone a legendary champion like Savage. Good job. ***

Backstage Segment – In a stand-alone interview, Randy Savage talks about being the IC Champion for two full years. He says he defeated Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania two years ago, and he’s still going strong. He’s taken on everybody, and he’s not afraid of anyone in the WWF. The Macho Man has vanquished all comers, and he plans on being IC Champ for a lot longer. Savage respects Bret Hart and everything he’s done, and he hopes he has a bright career, but tonight, Macho Madness will continue to roll along. DIG IT! As usual, this was a great Macho Man promo, and he continued to carry himself very well as Champ. It’s why many fans still consider him the best Intercontinental Champ of all time. ***

WWF Intercontinental Championship: Randy “Macho Man” Savage (c) (w/ Miss Elizabeth) vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart – Fun fact: this was one of the first babyface vs. babyface matches done by the WWF. Due to this, Jesse Ventura has uncharacteristically kind words to say about both men. [6] Savage and Liz are dressed in matching yellow attire tonight. Both men lock up, and Savage shoves Bret into the corner, hitting several knees to the gut. He goes for a running boot, but Hart moves, and Randy puts on the brakes at the last second. Hart gets to his feet, and he and Savage exchange a look. Randy nods and smiles as Hart rubs his hands together. Monsoon says these two are in the prime of their career, and appear to be evenly matched. Jesse says Savage has a “veteran” advantage, but Bret Hart has youth on his side. They lock up again, and this time Hart pushes Savage to the corner before laying the boots to him. Savage reverses it, throwing Bret into the opposite corner, hitting an elbow and a few right hands. A nice double reversal exchange occurs where Randy goes for an irish whip, but Bret ends up whipping Savage back into the corner. Boots to Savage, followed by a snapmare takedown that only gets a 1-count for Bret. Bret cinches on a headlock, but Randy quickly fights out and hits a back elbow. Elbow drop gets a 1-count on Bret, and Savage goes for a chinlock. Hart fights out, hitting a boot to the gut followed by a knee drop for 2. Savage catches Bret with a boot, then an elbow, before draping the Hitman’s back across the ropes. Savage knocks Bret off the ring apron into the barricade, and as Bret slowly gets to his feet, Savage climbs to the top and goes for a flying clothesline to the outside. However, Bret catches Savage with a shot to the gut, and both men go down. Elizabeth tends to Savage, but also seems to show Bret some concern as well. Both men make it back in the ring before a 10-count, and Hart hits some shots to Savage’s torso. He knocks Randy down, then hits a legdrop for a 2-count. Savage is hung in the tree of woe, and Hart gets some shots in before Savage flops to the inside. Piledriver from Hart for a 2-count. Ventura says it takes great intestinal fortitude to kick out of a piledriver. Andy Kaufman knew this very well… The Hitman whips Savage into the corner, but Savage dodges a charge, knocking Bret into the turnbuckle. Savage throws Bret into the opposite corner, then hits a double axe handle that gets a close 2. Bret recovers and hits a backbreaker that gets 2. I’ve lost count of the near-falls so far. Bret cinches on a leg scissors, and Savage fights his way to the ropes after struggling for a while. Bret staggers to the second rope for an elbow drop, but Macho Man moves, sending Bret crashing down. Savage leaps over the top, draping Hart’s throat across the top rope, but a pinfall attempt only gets a 2-count. Savage rakes Bret’s back and backs him up to the ropes, and has an altercation with the ref before Bret backdrops Savage to the floor. Ventura says it’s in Savage’s interest to get intentionally DQ’d, since he’d keep his title. Monsoon says that’s not the kind of champion Savage is. “Well then, he’s an idiot!” Jesse retorts. Golden. Liz checks on Savage, who looks like he hurt his foot. Hart stands over Savage, looking both concerned and frustrated. Monsoon says it can’t end this way. Liz has taken off Savage’s boot, and he climbs back in limping with only one boot on, but still motions for Bret to come at him. Bret looks concerned, but he goes right for Savage, targeting the ankle. Savage fights back, ramming the Hitman into the turnbuckle before going for a cover, but he only gets 2. Hart quickly recovers and locks on a one-leg Boston crab, but Savage gets to the ropes. Bret hammers Randy for a while, but Savage rakes the eyes. Bret goes for a suplex, but Macho counters with a jawjacker that almost gets 2. Bret goes for a clothesline into the corner, but Savage moves, and Bret clocks his head on the turnbuckle. Savage slowly climbs to the top and hits the elbow drop, and everyone thinks it’s over. BUT BRET KICKS OUT. The place goes nuts, and Savage pulls out his hair. The announce say no one has ever kicked out of the flying elbow before (which isn’t true, incidentally). Savage picks Bret up and goes for a slam, but Bret reverses it into an inside cradle to get the surprise 3-count at 20:57. The fans go NUTS. Savage has a look of absolute shock on his face, and Bret is smiling jubilantly. The announcers are stunned, and as Finkel announces the Hitman as the winner, Monsoon says that Savage’s 2-year-long reign with the title is officially over. Bret holds the title aloft as Liz climbs into the ring to help Savage up. Savage hobbles over to Bret, and a tense staredown occurs for a moment before Savage starts to applaud, patting Bret on the chest before leading the crowd in applause for the new champion. Freaking AMAZING match—bar none, one of the best in ‘Mania history. The near-falls, the incorporation of both technical and high-flying styles, and the storytelling of Macho Man’s injured ankle were done to near perfection. Savage’s reign with the IC belt, is of course, the longest in history at 721 days. Even today, he’s considered the greatest IC Champion of all time. But Bret was no slouch; he’s up there with the best as well. And of course, this wasn’t the last time these two men would meet for a title…but that’s another story. ****¼

A video package airs for the upcoming Jake Roberts-Rick Rude match, featuring the amazing buildup of Rude picking Jake’s wife Cheryl out of the crowd, Rude eliminating Jake from the Royal Rumble, and Rude handcuffing Jake and basically molesting Cheryl. Maybe this is considered tame nowadays, but back then it was so intense.

Jake “the Snake” Roberts (w/ Cheryl Roberts) vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude – Bobby Heenan isn’t at ringside, and Monsoon explains that Heenan is busy preparing Hogan for the main event tonight. Jesse asks Monsoon how he knows that, when Jesse is supposed to be the investigative reporter that knows everything. Rick Rude tries to hit on Cheryl, but he takes his eye off Jake, who starts hammering him in the corner. Jake Irish whips Rude into the other corner, clotheslines him, then locks on an armbar. Rude writhes and screams in pain for a few moments before dropping to his knees, then Jake hits like fifty knee shots to Rude’s lower back. He still hasn’t let go of the armbar. The crowd are already chanting “DDT”. Cheryl is smiling at ringside. Rude finally gets out of the hold, whips Jake across the ring, and goes for a clothesline, but Jake kicks Rude in the stomach. Jake goes for the DDT, but Rude rolls out to avoid it. Roberts grabs Rude by the hair and brings him back in, but Rude rakes Jake’s eyes. Rights and elbows from Rude send Roberts to the mat, and Rude stands over him, smiling. Jake climbs slowly to his feet, but Rick continues pounding him. Roberts starts to fight back with a series of rights, then goes for a boot in the corner, but Rude moves, then drops an elbow on the downed Roberts before posing over him again. Rude ties Roberts up in the ropes, then heads outside for Cheryl. Cheryl backs away, and Jake catches Rude before he can do anything, throwing him back in the ring. Inverted atomic drop from Rude, followed by a chinlock. Jake struggles for a while before the ref drops Roberts’ arm once. Twice. Jake stays up on the third, and fights out of the hold with a jawbreaker. Roberts goes for a slam, but he can’t get all of it, and Rude falls on him for a 2-count. Rude locks on the chinlock again. Cheryl starts pounding the mat with both hands, and Jake eventually powers out, throwing Rude to the outside. Jake climbs out, runs Rude into the post, and slams him onto the floor. He throws Rude back in, and he’s screaming and pleading now. Gutbuster from Jake, followed by a facebuster and a knee to Rude’s face. Roberts smiles at Cheryl on the outside, and we see the burlap bag with Lucifer inside wriggling. Jake goes for the DDT, but Rude scrambles away. Jake grabs him by his tights, and we actually see his fucking asscrack as Jake drags him back in! They tried to cover it later by saying Rude had flesh-colored undies, but I saw the full moon plain as day. Comedy at its finest! Jake goes for a bulldog, but Rude sweeps his legs under him and both men go down. Rude slowly climbs to the top, hitting a forearm to Roberts’ throat before smiling at Cheryl, who looks both disgusted and bored at the same time. Probably more of the latter. Rude attempts a pin, but only gets 2. Rude Awakening from Rude, but Jake gets his foot on the rope as Rick tries to pin him. Rude crawls on his hands and knees over to Cheryl, wiggles his eyebrows at her, and tries to kiss her through the ropes, but Cheryl slaps him in the face. Jake sneaks up behind Rude and rolls him up, getting the 3-count at 11:42. Rude snaps, attacking Jake and hitting him with a shot in the corner. He gyrates at Cheryl some more, but Jake is back up, and he has the snake out. Rude hightails it out of the ring, and Jake, Cheryl and Lucifer celebrate in the ring (although Cheryl doesn’t want to go near the snake). Not a bad match, but it did get a little slow at times. Still, this was an intense grudge match (not to mention the hilarious buttcrack spot), and it was far from over. The steel cage match these two would have to blow the feud off several months later was amazingly brutal, and to date is one of my personal favorite matches from this era. ***

Jesse Ventura introduces us all to Donald Trump, and the crowd cheers for the man who bought out all competitors to host the PPV. Ventura asks Trump what he thinks of the show tonight. Trump says it’s the most amazing thing he’s ever seen, and the athletes of the WWF are the most incredible performers ever. Ventura asks how they compare to Mike Tyson and Leon Spinks, and Trump says they’re much tougher than the boxers. Good thing Tyson didn’t hear that. Jesse asks Trump his opinion on the main event tonight, and the billionaire says that he’s sure it’ll be a long, tough fight, but he’s put money on the Dragon tonight. This wasn’t terrible, but I can do without seeing ‘80s Donald Trump on my screen—it’s almost surreal to see him that young. **

Backstage Interview – Gorilla sends us backstage to Robin Leach from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (remember that show? No? Me neither), who is on hand to interview both Hogan and Steamboat. [7] It’s Steamboat’s turn first, and Leach wants to know how Steamboat plans to defeat Hogan tonight. Steamboat says he plans to use every trick he knows to both keep Hogan down and teach him that nothing can keep the Dragon down, not even a bigger, stronger man like Hogan. And when he beats Hogan tonight, he has something to tell him that he probably won’t want to hear, but he needs to hear. Good promo, and it hinted at what was to come, which was amazing. ***

Backstage Interview – After Steamboat makes his way to the ring, Leach brings out Hogan and Bobby Heenan, both smiling with wide grins. Before Leach can say much, Heenan takes the mic and says he wants to thank Steamboat for basically just giving away his entire strategy. Hogan says Steamboat can never win, because Hogan knows all of Steamboat’s tricks. He knows what to expect in this match, and he’s got a counter for anything the Dragon throws at him. And when he wins tonight in front of Donald Trump himself, he’s gonna be on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, while Steamboat waits in the unemployment line, and maybe shows up at McDonald’s flipping burgers in a few months. Tonight, the Hulk runs wild on the Dragon. This promo was pretty damn good, and Hogan definitely came across as an asshole. ***½

WWF Championship – Loser Leaves WWF: Hulk Hogan (c) (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan & Hercules Hernandez) vs. Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat – On his way to the ring, Steamboat shakes hands with Trump seated at ringside. No garbage-pelting as Hogan, Hercules and Heenan make their way to the ring, because that’s too classy for a Trump-funded show. The heels get plenty of heat, though. Hogan offers Trump a handshake as well, but Trump just shakes his head at Hogan. The bell rings, and we are officially underway. The two circle one another for a while before locking up. Hogan throws Steamboat into the corner and starts laying boots to him. He goes for a punch, but Steamboat catches it and grounds Hogan with an armbar, which Hulk quickly gets out of. Steamboat smiles, mouthing “almost got you”. They both circle each other again, and Steamboat goes for another armbar, but Hogan counters it, locking on an armbar of his own to massive boos from the crowd. Steamboat gets to the ropes to break it, and both men glare at one another again. Hogan taps his forehead with a finger, smirking deviously. A takedown grounds Hogan, and the Hulkster struggles for a while before backing Steamboat into the corner, forcing a break. The two men lock in a Greco-roman knuckle lock, and Hulk gets the best of Steamboat for a while, but the Dragon soon starts to gain strength from the cheering crowd, and Hogan drops to his knees. Kick from Steamboat, followed by a running dropkick that gets a 1-count. Hogan powers out of a Steamboat headlock with a back suplex, and an elbow drop gets 2. Hogan backs Steamboat into the corner and knees him, then clotheslines him to the mat. The Dragon dodges a back elbow and hits two dropkicks in succession, then quickly climbs to the top and teases diving on Hogan on the outside, but Hulk moves out of the way. Steamboat taunts Hogan to get back in the ring, but Hogan stays on the outside conferring with Heenan. Hercules clocks Steamboat from behind, and the Dragon tumbles into the ring. The ref, who was checking with Hogan and Heenan, sees it out of the corner of his eye, and EJECTS HERCULES FROM RINGSIDE. YEAH, BABY! A lock-up, and Hogan takes down Steamboat and hits an elbow drop for another 2. Steamboat with a nervehold and an arm wrench, followed by a nice STO-looking hold before Hogan squirms to the ropes. Hogan kicks Steamboat, then backs him into the corner with some chops and punches. The fight spills to the outside, and both men trade lefts and rights. Steamboat suplexes Hogan onto the concrete, and rolls in to beat the referee’s count. Heenan helps Hogan back in the ring, and Jesse asks why Hogan didn’t just take the count-out win. A valid point from Jesse… Steamboat charges Hogan, but the Hulkster backdrops Steamboat to the outside, and the Dragon hits the concrete hard. The crowd are ready to murder Hogan as he gloats in the ring. Steamboat barely beats the ref’s 10-count back in the ring, and Hogan looks about to snap. Chops to Hogan in the corner, followed by a headscissors that gets a 2-count. Headlock from Steamboat, followed by a snapmare that gets a 2. Steamboat tries for an armdrag, but Hogan counters with a side slam for 2. Hogan climbs to the second turnbuckle and hits a Macho Man-style elbow that gets a close 2. Both men trade punches, and Steamboat goes down again. Shots to Steamboat’s head, and Hogan plays to the crowd to thunderous boos. Steamboat goes for a kick, but Hogan POPS OUT AN ENZIGUIRI that gets 2! Shots to Steamboat in the corner followed by an irish whip to the opposing corner, but Steamboat counters with a handspring elbow that staggers Hogan. Chops and a dropkick ground the champion, and Steamboat looks around at the crowd. He climbs to the top rope, but Heenan tries to stop him. Heenan gets thrown into the barricade for his trouble, and Steamboat connects with the Dragon Dive. But Hogan KICKS OUT AT 2. The crowd gasps. Steamboat can’t believe it. He picks Hogan up, but Hogan rakes the eyes and hits an ax bomber. He goes for a legdrop, but Steamboat moves and staggers to his feet. A kick to the face brings Hogan to one knee, and Steamboat goes for a running knee lift, but Hogan grabs Steamboat and hits a clothesline. He connects with the legdrop, and the announce are certain that it’s over. BUT STEAMBOAT KICKS OUT. Hogan is PISSED BROTHER~. He picks Steamboat up and hits a big boot, but when he goes for the ax bomber, Steamboat ducks and hits an armdrag, taking Hogan down to big cheers. He ascends to the top, points to the crowd, and hits the Dragon Dive, and that’s all she wrote at 30:14. An absolutely amazing match; one that deserved the hype that it got. Some people rank this as the most intense and/or best ‘Mania main event, and while I personally don’t, I can see why they would. Steamboat reigned as Champion for a pretty long time after this, having several more good title matches with the likes of Hercules, Savage and DiBiase, and Hogan, per stipulation, left the WWF…for a while, at least. ****

After the match, Heenan climbs into the ring with a mic as the ref hands Steamboat the belt, but Hogan grabs it and tries to hit Steamboat with it. The Dragon rolls to the outside to dodge. As we hear Hogan screaming “This is mine!”, Steamboat grabs a mic and cuts an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING promo to Hogan. It truly must be heard to be believed. Steamboat says Hogan got jealous when he came in to carry the title in Hogan’s absence, and just because Steamboat got more popular, Hogan decided to join up with Heenan so he could get back on top. Heenan tries to goad Hogan into attacking Steamboat, but Steamboat just screams at Heenan to SHUT UP. Freaking. AWESOME. Steamboat brings out pretty much every current babyface on the roster that has won a title in WWF up to that point. Savage, Hart, Neidhart, Santana, Martel, Muraco, Valentine, and even Ken Patera all come out and surround the ring. Steamboat backs up, parting the ropes, and tells Hogan they won’t beat him up, that he can leave peacefully. Hogan looks like he’s just been punched in the gut. Heenan screams at Hogan that he’s worthless and a piece of shit, but Hogan has had enough—he grabs Heenan and THROWS HIM OUT OF THE RING. The crowd goes absolutely apeshit. Hogan tells Steamboat “thank you, friend”, and they shake hands before Hogan hands Steamboat the title, and Steamboat holds up Hogan’s arm. The crowd cheer for Hogan as his old entrance theme plays, and he walks up the ramp, doing his poses for the audience. Steamboat and the other wrestlers stand in the ring applauding Hogan as the show ends. Bar none, one of the best moments in Wrestlemania history. [8] Of course, like I said, Hogan wouldn’t leave the company for good—he’d be back in a couple of years, as a high-tier babyface. However, he would never win the WWF Title again—which is just fine by me, as Steamboat put out some stellar matches in his several title reigns to come. *****

Overall: Like the last ‘Mania, this show is like a bag of chex mix—crunchy, pleasing cereal nuggets and breadsticks (Roberts/Rude, Savage/Hart, Hogan/Steamboat and the ensuing promo) mixed in with rock-hard, unappetizing rye chips (most of the show prior to Roberts/Rude). I recommend watching it for the tag match and the final three matches on the card, and a few promos that were at best, amazing, and at worst, chuckle-worthy. Not a bad ‘Mania, all things considered.

Overall Score: 6 out of 10

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JAY HUNTER: Now, after the match, Steamboat cuts what, I’ll be damned if it isn’t the promo of his life. Just listen to this shit:

(The audio cuts to actual audio from the show. Steamboat is climbing into the ring with a microphone, while Hogan is also in the ring holding the WWF Title belt, as well as Bobby Heenan, who is also holding a mic. Hogan looks ready to clock Steamboat at any second.)

RICKY STEAMBOAT: Wait! Wait just a minute! Hold on, Hulk—hold on. Listen to me—you have to hear me out.

HULK HOGAN: (grabs Heenan’s mic) I don’t wanna hear anything from you, Steamboat! You just—

STEAMBOAT: Yes, there is, Hulk; yes, there is! Listen to me. At one time, you were the greatest star this company had. Everyone said you would be the face of this place! You were a role model—someone these people looked up to! (People cheer, while a few boo) You know what I think your problem was? It’s jealousy! (Steamboat points to the audience) You saw how much these people loved me (People begin to cheer loudly) and you—wait, wait just a second—you got jealous!

(Hogan continues to glare, but says nothing)

STEAMBOAT: Back a few years ago, your WWF Title was taken from you in the worst way possible, so I came in and tried to carry that title with honor and prestige! And the people liked me—yeah, they really liked me! (The crowd cheers very loudly) But just—but just because I get a little bit louder cheers from these people than you did, what do you do? You join up with that Weasel, Bobby Heenan, and turn your back on all these people!

BOBBY HEENAN: (grabs Hogan’s microphone) Don’t listen to him, Hulk! He cost you your job, damn it! Destroy him! Make him pay!!

STEAMBOAT: Hogan, you can come try to beat me, but first, I have a few friends I’d like you to meet. (Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Tito Santana, Rick Martel, Greg Valentine, Jim Neidhart, Ken Patera and Don Muraco all come out from the back and surround the ring) These men—all these men, these champions and former champions—they care about this business! These people cheer for them because they respect them—they respect their hard work and dedication toward the World Wrestling Federation, and all its great fans! (More cheers from the audience. Steamboat climbs into the ring, not taking his eyes off Hogan or Heenan) That man (Steamboat points at Heenan) is nothing but garbage, Hogan! And what about Hercules, Bundy, Rude? I don’t see them anywhere!

HEENAN: You shut up!! I can have those men down here faster than…

STEAMBOAT: NO, YOU SHUT UP!! (Crowd erupts into cheers) For once in your life, let this man listen to something without you messing everything up!! Hulk, we are united in our common goal, and that is to be the best, most fighting champions we can be! But sometimes…sometimes being a champion doesn’t mean holding a trophy, or a belt. It means being sportsmanlike! It means being someone people can look at and say, ‘he deserves what he has because he worked his behind off for it’! It means being a champion (points to his chest) in here!

(The intense look is still in Hogan’s eyes, but he looks noticeably calmer. Savage, Hart, Patera, Muraco, Valentine and Team Victory climb on the ring apron, preventing Hogan or Heenan from escaping)

STEAMBOAT: Hulk…we’re not gonna beat you up. In fact… (Steamboat steps back, parting the ring ropes) You’re free to go. But just remember one thing—it’s not about how many friends you have. It’s how many you keep!

(Hogan’s face is softened, and he looks down at the canvas. Heenan gets in Hogan’s face)

HEENAN: Are you seriously going to listen to that little twerp? (Pointing at Steamboat) He just cost you your job, you pathetic piece of slime! You’re WORTHLESS, do you hear me?! WORTH—

(Hogan grabs Heenan by the collar, glaring at his manager as the audience roars with cheers. With authority, he throws Heenan through the ropes and out of the ring, drawing thunderous cheers and applause from the audience. Hogan slowly picks up the mic Heenan dropped, and looks at Steamboat)

HOGAN: Thank you…friend.

(Hogan and Steamboat shake hands as the crowd cheers loudly. Hogan raises Steamboat’s hand, both men smiling as they soak up the applause. Heenan is out cold on the outside, and Hogan’s old entrance music, “Real American”, plays. Along with Savage, Hart, Muraco and the others, Steamboat leaves the ring, all seven men clapping for Hogan as he looks out at the audience. He does his old poses to the crowd's applause)

(Audio cuts back to Jay, V1 and Mr. OOC)

JAY: The Hulkster poses, and everyone cheers like he’s going off to fucking war or something here. (laughter from all three men in the background) Yeah, it’s a cheesy way to send him off, but I guess they had to turn the man babyface again to make people care when he eventually came back.

OOC: Shhh! Nobody knows he’s comin’ back yet, you bastard! (more laughter is heard)

(More shots of Hogan posing to overdubbed music of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me” playing in the background)

—Excerpt from OSW Review – Episode 8: Wrestlemania 4

Wrestlemania 4 Results
20-Man Battle Royal – Bad News Brown def. B. Brian Blair, Brutus Beefcake, “Natural” Butch Reed, Dino Bravo, George “the Animal” Steele, Greg Valentine, Hillbilly Jim, “Jumpin’” Jim Brunzell, Ken Patera, King Tonga, Koko B. Ware, Marty Jannetty, Paul Orndorff, Repo Joe, Ron Bass, Sam Houston, Shawn Michaels, Sika and The Tonga Kid (9:23)
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka def. Honky Tonk Man (w/ Johnny V.) (5:01)
Demolition (Ax & Hammer) def. The Young Guns (Paul Roma & Jim Powers) (2:48)
WWF Tag Team Championships – The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques & Raymond) (w/ Jimmy Hart) def. Team Victory (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) (10:02)
“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase (w/ Virgil) def. Junkyard Dog (3:17)
Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart def. Davey Boy Smith (6:34)
Don Muraco (w/ “Superstar” Billy Graham) def. “Cowboy” Bob Orton (w/ Mr. Fuji) (8:29)
Andre the Giant def. Bamm Bamm Bigelow (7:16)
WWF Intercontinental Championship – Bret “Hitman” Hart def. Randy “Macho Man” Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) (20:57) – TITLE CHANGE!
Jake “the Snake” Roberts (w/ Cheryl Roberts) def. “Ravishing” Rick Rude (11:42)
WWF Championship – Loser Leaves WWF Match – Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat def. Hulk Hogan (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan & Hercules Hernandez) (30:14) – TITLE CHANGE!

-------

#3: Steamboat sets Hogan straight

If you ask most fans, Wrestlemania 4 was a mixed bag, with several matches that dragged or didn’t really live up to the hype. However, it had its good points: Bret Hart winning the IC Title for the first time in spectacular fashion, Andre the Giant going 4-0, Jake Roberts and Rick Rude clashing over Roberts’ (now ex-)wife, and of course, the main event itself. In the months leading up to the show, the dastardly Hulk Hogan agreed to defend his WWF Title against Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat one final time. The winner would be the champion, and the loser would quit the company. After a hard-fought match, the Dragon finally toppled the Hulk to win his third WWF Championship, but it was what happened after the match that lingers in fans’ minds. Hogan was ready to exact his revenge on Steamboat for sending him out of the WWF, but Steamboat, recruiting some help from other past champions, talked down Hogan like a fed-up child talking down a schoolyard bully, calling Hogan out for being jealous at Steamboat’s greater popularity as a top champion. After seeing the light, Hogan kicked his manager Bobby Heenan to the curb, and even though he lost his title and his job, left the company with his head held high to end the show. Of course, Hogan would be back within a couple of years, but that’s another story…

--Excerpt from bleacherreport.com article “Top 40 Moments in Wrestlemania History”

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[1] IOTL, Steele just stayed on the outside during the whole match, never even getting into the ring. According to the Animal himself, this was due to a knee injury he suffered at a house show several days prior to Wrestlemania. ITTL, the injury never happens.

[2] If you love the kind of stuff on Wrestlecrap.com, the match alluded to here is something you should definitely look forward to ITTL.

[3] Similar to this exchange from OTL.

[4] As OTL, unfortunately—Martel’s wife Johanne has ileitis, and has to have part of her intestine removed.

[5] As OTL.

[6] Similar to the way Jesse commentated the OTL Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior match from Wrestlemania VI.

[7] Leach also appeared at Wrestlemania IV IOTL, reading the rules for the tournament for the vacant WWF Championship that dominated the show.

[8] I have to give credit for the idea for this moment from the “Rewriting the Book” article on wrestlecrap.com titled “What if…the Gobbledygooker Didn’t Hatch From the Egg at Survivor Series 1990?”, in which a similar sendoff to the one Hogan gets is given to Terry Taylor when he loses a high-profile match to Owen Hart. You can read the article here.

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And just like that, it was over. Ricky Steamboat is once again the World Champion, and Hulk Hogan is redeemed of his actions. But as I’ve hinted before, his “leaving” is only kayfabe—we’ll see how his return is booked as we chug along. Also, Bret Hart has some big shoes to fill as Intercontinental Champion—will he live up to the hype?

Coming up: we take a look at the current titleholders in WWF, and how they stack up with the rest of the champions throughout the history of the company at this point. And after that: coverage of WCW’s first show. Don’t miss it!

 

[The Walkman]

March 28, 1988

World Wrestling Federation Title Histories (as of the present day ITTL)

WWF World Heavyweight Championship

“Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers – April 25th, 1963-May 17th, 1963 (22 days) [1]
Bruno Sammartino – May 17th, 1963-January 18th, 1971 (2,803 days) [2]
Ivan Koloff – January 18th, 1971-February 8th, 1971 (21 days)
Pedro Morales – February 8th, 1971-December 1st, 1973 (1,027 days) [3]
Stan “the Man” Stasiak – December 1st, 1973-December 10th, 1973 (9 days)
Bruno Sammartino (2) – December 10th, 1973-April 3rd, 1977 (1,237 days)
“Superstar” Billy Graham – April 3rd, 1977-February 20th, 1978 (296 days)
Bob Backlund – February 20th, 1978-November 30th, 1979 (648 days) [4]
Antonio Inoki – November 30th, 1979-December 6th, 1979 (6 days)
Vacant – December 6th, 1979-December 17th, 1979 [5]
Bob Backlund (2) – December 17th, 1979-December 26th, 1983 (1,470 days) [6]
The Iron Sheik – December 26th, 1983-January 23rd, 1984 (28 days) [7]
Hulk Hogan – January 23rd, 1984-February 18th, 1985 (392 days)
Vacant – February 18th, 1985 [8]
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat – February 18th, 1985-May 1st, 1986 (437 days) [9]
Dynamite Kid – May 1st, 1986-October 1st, 1986 (153 days)
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat (2) – October 1st, 1986-September 14th, 1987 (348 days)
Hulk Hogan (2) – September 14th, 1987-March 27th, 1988 (195 days)
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat (3) – March 27th, 1988-present (2 days+)

[1] Rogers won a fictional tournament in Rio De Janeiro after the WWF split from the NWA.
[2] Longest reign in the championship’s history.
[3] Title was renamed the WWWF Heavyweight Championship in 1971.
[4] Title was renamed the WWF Heavyweight Championship in March 1979.
[5] Title was vacated after a rematch between Inoki and Backlund was ruled a no contest when Tiger Jeet Singh interfered in the match.
[6] Defeated Bobby Duncum in a Texas Death Match to win the vacant title.
[7] Won the title via submission after Backlund’s manager Arnold Skaaland threw the towel in for Backlund.
[8] Hogan vacated the title due to an arm injury.
[9] Defeated Roddy Piper at War to Settle the Score to win the vacant title.

---

WWF Intercontinental Championship

Pat Patterson – September 1st, 1979-April 21st, 1980 (233 days) [1]
Ken Patera – April 21st, 1980-December 8th, 1980 (231 days)
Pedro Morales – December 8th, 1980-June 20th, 1981 (194 days)
“Magnificent” Don Muraco – June 20th, 1981-November 23rd, 1981 (156 days)
Pedro Morales (2) – November 23rd, 1981-January 22nd, 1983 (425 days)
“Magnificent” Don Muraco (2) – January 22nd, 1983-February 11th, 1984 (385 days)
Tito Santana – February 11th, 1984-September 24th, 1984 (226 days)
Greg “the Hammer” Valentine – September 24th, 1984-April 6th, 1985 (194 days)
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper – April 6th, 1985-April 6th, 1986 (365 days)
Randy “Macho Man” Savage – April 6th, 1986-March 27th, 1988 (721 days) [2]
Bret “Hitman” Hart – March 27th, 1988-present (2 days+)

[1] Patterson defeated Johnny Rodz in a fictional tournament in Rio De Janeiro to unify the WWF North American Championship with the fictional South American Championship.
[2] Longest reign in the championship’s history.

---

WWF Tag Team Championships

Luke Graham & Tarzan Tyler – June 3rd, 1971-December 6th, 1971 (186 days) [1]
Karl Gotch & Rene Goulet – December 6th, 1971-February 1st, 1972 (57 days)
King Curtis Iaukea & “Baron” Mikel Scicluna – February 1st, 1972-May 22nd, 1972 (111 days)
Chief Jay Strongbow & Sonny King – May 22nd, 1972-June 27th, 1972 (36 days)
Mr. Fuji & Professor Toru Tanaka – June 27th, 1972-May 30th, 1973 (337 days)
Haystacks Calhoun & Tony Garea – May 30th, 1973-September 11th, 1973 (104 days)
Mr. Fuji (2) & Professor Toru Tanaka (2) – September 11th, 1973-November 14th, 1973 (64 days)
Tony Garea (2) & Dean Ho – November 14th, 1973-May 8th, 1974 (175 days)
The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy & Johnny Valiant) – May 8th, 1974-May 13th, 1975 (370 days)
Dominic DeNucci & Victor Rivera/Pat Barrett – May 13th, 1975-August 26th, 1975 (67/36 days) [2]
The Blackjacks (Blackjack Lanza & Blackjack Mulligan) – August 26th, 1975-November 8th, 1975 (74 days)
Louis Cerdan & Tony Parisi – November 8th, 1975-May 11th, 1976 (168 days)
The Executioners (Executioner #1 & Executioner #2) – May 11th, 1976-October 26th, 1976 (168 days) [3]
Vacant – October 26th, 1976-December 7th, 1976 [4]
Chief Jay Strongbow (2) & Billy White Wolf – December 7th, 1976-August 1st, 1977 (237 days) [5]
Vacant – August 1st, 1977-September 27th, 1977 [6]
Mr. Fuji (3) & Professor Toru Tanaka (3) – September 27th, 1977-March 14th, 1978 (168 days) [7]
Dominic DeNucci (2) & Dino Bravo – March 14th, 1978-June 26th, 1978 (104 days)
The Yukon Lumberjacks (Yukon Eric & Yukon Pierre) – June 26th, 1978-November 21st, 1978 (148 days)
Tony Garea (3) & Larry Zbyszko – November 21st, 1978-March 6th, 1979 (105 days)
The Valiant Brothers (Johnny (2) & Jerry Valiant) – March 6th, 1979-October 22nd, 1979 (230 days)
Ivan Putski & Tito Santana – October 22nd, 1979-April 12th, 1980 (173 days)
The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika) – April 12th, 1980-August 9th, 1980 (119 days)
Bob Backlund & Pedro Morales – August 9th, 1980-August 10th, 1980 (1 day) [8]
Vacant – August 10th, 1980-September 9th, 1980 [9]
The Wild Samoans (Afa (2) & Sika (2)) – September 9th, 1980-November 8th, 1980 (60 days) [10]
Tony Garea (4) & Rick Martel – November 8th, 1980-March 17, 1981 (129 days)
The Moondogs (Rex & King/Spot) – March 17th, 1981-July 21, 1981 (45/81 days) [11]
Tony Garea (5) & Rick Martel (2) – July 21st, 1981-October 13th, 1981 (84 days)
Mr. Fuji (4) & Mr. Saito – October 13th, 1981-June 28th, 1982 (258 days)
The Strongbows (Chief Jay (3) & Jules Strongbow) – June 28th, 1982-July 13th, 1982 (15 days)
Mr. Fuji (5) & Mr. Saito (2) – July 13th, 1982-October 26th, 1982 (105 days)
The Strongbows (Chief Jay (4) & Jules Strongbow (2)) – October 26th, 1982-March 8th, 1983 (133 days)
The Wild Samoans (Afa (3) & Sika (3)) – March 8th, 1983-November 15th, 1983 (252 days)
Soul Patrol (“Soul Man” Rocky Johnson & “Mr. USA” Tony Atlas) – November 15th, 1983-April 17th, 1984 (279 days)
The North-South Connection (Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch) – April 17th, 1984-January 21st, 1985 (69 days)
The U.S. Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo) – January 21st, 1985-February 18th, 1985 (28 days)
The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff – February 18th, 1985-March 31st, 1985 (41 days)
Tito Santana (2) & Brutus Beefcake – March 31st, 1985-October 31st, 1985 (214 days)
The Hart Foundation (Bret “Hitman” Hart & Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart) – October 31st, 1985-March 1st, 1986 (121 days)
Tito Santana (3) & Brutus Beefcake (2) – March 1st, 1986-April 6th, 1986 (36 days)
The Hart Foundation (Bret “Hitman” Hart (2) & Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart (2)) – April 6th, 1986-November 26th, 1987 (599 days) [12]
The Fabulous Rougeaus (Jacques & Raymond Rougeau) – November 26th, 1987-present (123 days+)

[1] Defeated Dick the Bruiser & The Sheik in a tournament final.
[2] Victor Rivera left the WWF on July 19th, 1975, and DeNucci chose Barrett as his new tag team partner.
[3] Executioners #1 and #2 were Killer Kowalski and Big John Studd, under masks.
[4] The team were stripped of the titles when a third masked Executioner (Nikolai Volkoff) was discovered.
[5] Defeated The Executioners and Tor Kamata & Nikolai Volkoff in a three-team tournament.
[6] Titles were vacated when Billy White Wolf suffered a neck injury.
[7] Defeated Tony Garea & Larry Zbyszko in a tournament final.
[8] Backlund was the WWF Champion at the time of this reign.
[9] Titles were vacated because Backlund was unable to hold both the WWF Championship and the WWF Tag Team Championship simultaneously.
[10] Defeated Tony Garea and Rene Goulet in a tournament final.
[11] On May 1st, King was replaced with Spot when King couldn’t enter the U.S. from Canada.
[12] Longest reign in the championship’s history.

---

WWF Women’s Championship

The Fabulous Moolah – September 18th, 1956-September 17th, 1966 (3,651 days) [1]
Bette Boucher – September 17th, 1966-October 1st, 1966 (13 days) [2]
The Fabulous Moolah (2) – October 1st, 1966-March 10th, 1968 (504 days)
Yukiko Tomoe – March 10th, 1968-April 2nd, 1968 (23 days) [2]
The Fabulous Moolah (3) – April 2nd, 1968-October 8th, 1978 (2,862 days)
Evelyn Stevens – October 8th, 1978-October 10th, 1978 (2 days) [2]
The Fabulous Moolah (4) – October 10th, 1978-July 23rd, 1984 (2,113 days)
Wendi Richter – July 23rd, 1984-February 18th, 1985 (210 days)
Leilani Kai – February 18th, 1985-March 31st, 1985 (41 days)
Wendi Richter (2) – March 31st, 1985-April 6th, 1986 (371 days)
Misty Blue Simms – April 6th, 1986-March 29th, 1987 (357 days)
Wendi Richter (3) – March 29th, 1987-September 14th, 1987 (169 days)
“Scary” Sherri Martel – September 14th, 1987-present (195 days+)

[1] Longest reign in the championship's history. The title was known as the NWA Women's Championship until Moolah joined the WWF in 1984, taking the championship with her. WWF previously recognized Moolah's four reigns as one continuous reign lasting from September 18th, 1956 to July 23rd, 1984, lasting 10,170 days. Moolah departured the company in late 1985 following the "Moolah Screwjob", and beginning in 1988, the company began to recognize Boucher's, Tomoe's and Stevens' reigns with the championship as official ones.
[2] This reign was not officially recognized by the WWF until March 1988.

---

WWF Women's Tag Team Championships

Velvet McIntyre & Princess Victoria – May 13th, 1983-December 7th, 1984 (574 days) [1]
Velvet McIntyre & Desiree Petersen – December 7th, 1984-August 1st, 1985 (237 days) [2]
The Glamour Girls (Judy Martin & Leilani Kai) – August 1st, 1985-August 7th, 1987 (736 days) [3]
The Jumping Bomb Angels (Itsuki Yamazaki & Noriyo Tateno) – August 7th, 1987-January 24th, 1988 (158 days)
The Glamour Girls (Judy Martin (2) & Leilani Kai (2)) – January 24th, 1988-present (64 days+)

[1] McIntyre & Victoria were the reigning NWA Women's Tag Team Champions upon the WWF's withdrawal from the NWA, and are recognized as the first champions.
[2] Princess Victoria suffered a career-ending neck injury in 1984, and Petersen was chosen as McIntyre's new partner.
[3] Longest reign in the championship's history.

---------------------------------------------------------

A little mini-update to show you how the title scene is going in the World Wrestling Federation, and also to show that the style of the women's division is slowly rebranding itself from the slow, plodding style of the Fabulous Moolah, something that some would argue took nearly 30 years to develop IOTL. Also, I bet you didn't know that the World Tag Team Titles had already changed hands 34 times prior to the first Wrestlemania!

Coming up: coverage of WCW's first show, Hogan's last actions in the locker room before his (brief) departure, and a few legitimate WWF releases. And after that, more look at pop culture as we look at one of the classic animated films of all time.

 

[The Walkman]

April 4, 1988

WRESTLEMANIA VS. CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS
Did the WWF win again? Did Crockett’s company make Vince sit up and take notice? Or was it too close to call? I’ve heard reports of all three over the past few days. After Crockett put on a better show than McMahon on Thanksgiving despite being bushwhacked, then McMahon retaliated with a superior PPV on 1/24, the feeling going into Sunday was that this would be the tiebreaker between the two companies. Some I’ve talked to felt that the WWF “won” because of the superior production, atmosphere, and the drawing power of Steamboat vs. Hogan. Some are saying JCP “won” because of the better workers, and the arguably better Flair vs. Magnum match. Both cards had their ups and downs, and from a wrestling standpoint, they were both about equal. I’m torn between both of them myself. [1]

Mainstream publicity for Wrestlemania continues to remain strong, but it’s definitely not as strong as it used to be. The first year had a lot of exposure, when all the major newspapers and magazines were reporting on the WWF and its workers. Although the second one was less of a success, it still got a lot of publicity because the memory of Wrestlemania 1 was still strong. The national press was decidedly less for Wrestlemania 3, but local coverage in Michigan and Ontario was overwhelming. I couldn’t take a bus out somewhere without hearing someone talking about it. Although the numbers aren’t in yet, Wrestlemania 4 will almost certainly be a big success, but only time will tell how this summer will fare for the WWF.

I’d like to give credit where credit is due to Titan on one major thing. One of the reasons Wrestlemania was so successful was because the outcome of the world title match was kept so secret. Literally nobody I’ve talked to knew who would be walking out with the belt. I went to the beach Saturday and talked with a few fans who aren’t Newsletter readers; just casual fans who I don’t “talk smart” to. (I don’t insult their intelligence either, mind you.) Nobody knew who was going to be winning the match, although the majority favored Steamboat. The interest in seeing who would “leave” the company no doubt helped drive ticket sales for the show.

Wrestlemania reached 545,000 homes and got about 240,000 more viewers through closed-circuit and pay-per-view in the USA. I don’t have the numbers for the Clash yet, but if they didn’t pull at least a 5.0, JCP should be sorely disappointed with themselves.

WRESTLEMANIA
20-man Battle Royal: This match started out hot, but the crowd only reacted to a few introductions. After 40 seconds, with the crowd sitting in silence, it slipped into slow-motion, and became a dud … I give it ½*, but only because of the post-match angle with Orndorff turning babyface. The match itself was a DUD.

Jimmy Snuka vs. Honky Tonk Man: A good amount of heat here for Honky, especially during the pre-match routine. Far too many axe handles to make it watchable, and it thankfully was over quickly. ¼*

Demolition vs. Young Guns: This match wasn’t even advertised, and it served as only a way to get Demolition over as monster heels that will squash anyone in their path, heel or babyface. Seeing how much weight Hammer has put on since his days as Jesse Barr is amazing. The crowd was firmly behind Demolition—a sign Vince might turn them babyface? Nah, McMahon’s not that in touch with the fans. DUD

Rougeaus vs. Team Victory: A solid match that barely dragged at any point … Very good pacing and action, and the subtle tease of the babyface team’s breakup post-match was nicely done. ***

Ted DiBiase vs. Junkyard Dog: I’m not even going to grace this travesty with an analysis. This was just sad. -***

Jim Neidhart vs. Davey Boy Smith: This dragged a lot in the middle. The finish was pretty sloppy, too. *

Don Muraco vs. Bob Orton Jr.: A solid enough match … *½

Andre the Giant vs. Bamm Bamm Bigelow: Hard to sit through. In reality, this was a negative 3-and-a-half-star match, but I’ll give it a DUD considering Andre’s and Bigelow’s conditions.

Randy Savage vs. Bret Hart: Great match. So much action it was hard to keep up, and Elizabeth was basically a non-factor, which was very refreshing … Savage sold his ankle brilliantly during the match … Finish came when Hart kicked out of the elbow drop, Savage went to slam him, and Hart rolled through for the pinfall. Match of the night, by far. ****

Jake Roberts vs. Rick Rude: Portions of this were semi-watchable, but the match could have been so much better than it was. Rude got in zero offense for the first five minutes, and when he did, he acted gassed. Rude’s tights came off his rear close to the end, which the audience popped for. This writer believes the company may be fined for that … Roberts won with a roll-up, which seemed lazy considering how Bret Hart also won with a nearly identical finish in the previous match. This feud has been so intense, and this just felt like a lazy way to blow it off. ¾* (*¼ if it weren’t for the “mooning” spot.)

Hulk Hogan vs. Ricky Steamboat: How can this be the same Hulk Hogan who could barely work a WWF match five years ago? Almost as long as Flair vs. Magnum, and surprisingly about as watchable … I wasn’t really a fan of the post-match angle (Hogan turned babyface, dumped Heenan and posed to end the show), but a lot of people are raving about it. ***¼ (***¾ for the match itself, minus ½* for the post-match posing.) [2]

CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS
Only about 6,000 fans were in attendance, but they were rabid.

Jimmy Garvin vs. Venom: Venom was gassed about two minutes in, and Garvin had to carry him the remainder of the match. It was a sorry sight. ½*

A hilarious note: after the first match, there was an ad on TBS for the WWF 1-900 number for Wrestlemania. It’s absolutely hilarious that Titan could get this ad on during Crockett’s competing show. They also aired the first commercial for the new Four Horsemen vitamins, which is also hilarious, but unintentionally so. I doubt they’ll be able to sell many vitamins at 20 bucks a bottle, though.

Rick Steiner vs. Lex Luger: Kevin Sullivan came down to accompany Steiner, who turned heel post-match … Luger’s bright red tights made him look radioactive on some screens. **¾

Jim Duggan, Robert Gibson & Road Warriors vs. Powers of Pain & Sheepherders: Short and bloody, but a lot better than it could have been. *

Arn Anderson vs. Dusty Rhodes: A solid match which saw Arn hit the spinebuster for the win. **¾

Magnum T.A. vs. Ric Flair: This started out slow, but the heat never died, and it was never dull. I don’t think any wrestler in the world could have put on a better performance than Flair did here. He was so good, I almost thought Magnum was just going to stand there in awe of him. Magnum definitely held up his end, but it was obvious Flair was carrying the match. Jim Ross did an excellent job commentating the whole show, but he was especially good in this match, selling the importance and intensity of the holds … A lot of people are upset about the time limit draw, but several people I talked to are less upset because the judges awarded Magnum the win. I get that they had to protect both guys, but one of them must get a clean pin on the other sooner or later; 50-50 booking isn’t a good thing when you have two wrestlers as over as Flair and Magnum. **** (would have been ****¾, but the split-judging finish brought it down a bit.) [3]

WWF
Hogan’s departure from the company is reportedly going to be a brief sabbatical to nurse some nagging injuries he accumulated during his title reign. From what I’m told, he’s not scheduled for any more shows through this summer, which is very surprising to this writer.

In a hilarious bit of irony, Hogan’s final act in the locker room was a written agreement that he can’t challenge for the title for at least a year after he comes back. Is this the end of Hogan’s time in the spotlight? This writer will believe it when he sees it.

Jimmy Snuka is taking a break to nurse reported back and shoulder injuries. Dan Spivey is also gone, and is headed to Puerto Rico soon.

King Kong Bundy has also left. He reportedly makes enough money from his computer commercials where he doesn’t have to keep wrestling. [4]

Bamm Bamm Bigelow is set to have his knee surgery later this month, after which he’s expected to return as a heel.

Lanny Poffo has a new poetry book coming out in late April called “Wrestling With Rhyme”.

Angelo Poffo had a $1 wager on Bret Hart winning the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania. [5]

NWA
Rip Morgan is headed in.

TBS wants to do another Clash of the Champions show in early summer.

The NWA is losing syndication on KCOP in Los Angeles due to low ratings compared to the WWF. A few other southern California stations are reportedly looking to drop them in favor of WWF programming.

AWA
The AWA is so disorganized and messed up right now, you wouldn’t believe it. I could write a page on the foul-ups from last week ALONE.

The good news? Verne knows that the Greg Gagne world title experiment appears to have failed. The bad news? He might be about to try it again. Adrian Adonis is scheduled to defend the AWA Title against Greg Gagne again on the 4/16 show. No thank you.

WCW
The first show on 4/3 drew 6,600 fans and a $24,000 house, headlined by Jerry Lawler vs. Al Perez. A Kevin & Kerry Von Erich vs. Terry Taylor & Eddie Gilbert tag match was a reported 4-star match, but this writer has yet to see it. Also on the card: Samoan Swat Team vs. Moondogs, Iceman Parsons vs. Michael Hayes, and Bill Dundee vs. Jack Victory.

A television deal was recently reached with WMC-TV to carry WCW programming through 1990. The goal is to seamlessly integrate into the new show once the taped Continental Wrestling programs end. No word yet on what the new program’s name will be.


---

WCW House Show results, 4/3/1988
Eric Embry def. Brickhouse Brown (3:02)
The Bruise Brothers (Ron & Don Bruise) def. The Rock ‘n’ Roll RPM’s (Tommy Lane & Mike Davis) (5:41)
Jack Victory (w/ John Tatum) def. Bill Dundee (11:26)
The Samoan Swat Team (Samu & Fatu) fought The Moondogs (Rex & Spot) to a Double Count-out (10:27)
Terry Taylor & Eddie Gilbert def. Kevin Von Erich & Kerry Von Erich (11:14)
Michael Hayes def. “Iceman” King Parsons (8:42)
Jerry Lawler fought Al Perez to a 30-minute draw (30:00)

---

[1] IOTL, Wrestlemania IV was considered by most fans (Meltzer included) to be a vastly inferior show to Clash of the Champions, due to several factors—namely, the amount of matches, the poor quality of said matches compared to the Clash, and the dependence on the tournament to draw in viewers. The opinion on the show has softened over the years, mainly due to the end result of Randy Savage winning the WWF Title, but it’s still considered a middle-of-the-road Wrestlemania all things considered.

[2] Meltzer’s ratings for OTL’s Wrestlemania IV matches were as follows: 20-man Battle Royal: Dud, Ted DiBiase vs. Jim Duggan: 1¼ stars, Don Muraco vs. Dino Bravo: ½ star, Ricky Steamboat vs. Greg Valentine: 2¼ stars, Randy Savage vs. Butch Reed: 1 star, One Man Gang vs. Bam Bam Bigelow: Dud, Rick Rude vs. Jake Roberts: Negative 2 stars (calling it a “Worst Match of the Year candidate”), Hercules vs. Ultimate Warrior: Negative 1½ stars, Andre the Giant vs. Hulk Hogan: 1¼ stars, Ted DiBiase vs. Don Muraco: 1½ stars, Randy Savage vs. Greg Valentine: 2¼ stars, Honky Tonk Man vs. Brutus Beefcake: Dud, Islanders & Bobby Heenan vs. British Bulldogs & Koko B. Ware: 1¼ stars, Randy Savage vs. One Man Gang: ½ star, Strike Force vs. Demolition: 2½ stars (the highest-rated match on the show!), and Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase: 2¼ stars. Meltzer was also very negative about the post-match focus being mostly on Hogan and Elizabeth.

[3] Meltzer’s ratings for OTL’s Clash of Champions matches were: 2¼ stars for Jimmy Garvin vs. Mike Rotundo, 4¼ stars for Midnight Express vs. Fantastics, 1 star for Dusty Rhodes & the Road Warriors vs. Powers of Pain & Ivan Koloff, 3½ stars for Lex Luger & Barry Windham vs. Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard, and 4¾ stars for Ric Flair vs. Sting (his highest rating given to any non-Japanese match in 1988). The commercials for the Four Horsemen vitamins and the Wrestlemania 1-900 number are both as OTL—they were both too awesome and funny to butterfly away.

[4] Bundy also left the company not long after Wrestlemania IV IOTL, and he also appeared in ads for Headstart computers in the mid-80s (including this one narrated by Tony Jay), allegedly without telling Vince McMahon, causing a falling out between them that soured Bundy’s relationship with the WWF. ITTL, the situation unfortunately unfolds similarly to OTL, and Bundy leaves the company on a slightly sour note (not as bad as Sheik or Duggan, though).

[5] Hilariously, Randy Savage’s father Angelo Poffo similarly had a $1 wager on Ted DiBiase winning the WWF Title at Wrestlemania IV IOTL. At least he wins his bet ITTL!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have returned!

As we see the unfolding impact of Wrestlemania 4 and Clash of the Champions ITTL, it appears that WCW is off and running. Can they keep up the quality of their shows? Also, there's the little matter of a WCW World Title to address...

Up next: we take a look at one of the crowning moments of the "All Things Asian" fad ITTL.

 

[The Walkman]

April 16, 1988

My Neighbor Totoro
(Redirected from My Friend Totoro)
*from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

My Neighbor Totoro (Japanese: Tonari no Totoro), known as My Friend Totoro in English, is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film, which stars the voice actors Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, and Hitoshi Takagi, tells the story of two young girls (Satsuki & Mei) and their interactions with friendly woodland spirits in post-war Japan. The film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize and the Mainichi Film Award and Kinema Junpo Award for Best Film in 1988. It also received the Special Award at the Blue Ribbon Awards in the same year. [1]

In 1988, Streamline Pictures produced an exclusive English-language dub for use on transpacific flights by Japan Airlines. This dubbed version, which featured the voices of Lisa Michelson, Cheryl Chase, Greg Snegoff and Frank Welker, had a theatrical release in the United States in 1990 and Europe in 1991, and was released on VHS and laserdisc in the United States in 1991. [2]

My Neighbor Totoro was critically acclaimed in Japan, amassing a large following soon after its release, although reception to the English dub, titled My Friend Totoro, was more lukewarm at the time of its release in the United States. Still, My Friend Totoro was a moderate success internationally, and was the second-highest-grossing animated film of 1990. The movie and its titular character, Totoro, have since become cultural icons. My Neighbor Totoro ranked #50 in Empire magazine’s “The 100 Best Films of World Cinema” in 2010, the highest-ranking animated film on the list. The film is considered one of the most beloved and well-made animated films of all time [citation needed]. The character of Totoro has made multiple cameo appearances in several Studio Ghibli films and video games, and is recognized as one of the most popular characters in Japanese animation.

Contents

1. Plot
2. Cast
3. Production
4. Release
5. Critical reception
6. Cultural impact

Plot
In 1958 Japan, university professor Tatsuo Kusakabe and his two daughters, Satsuki and Mei (spelled “May” in the English dub), move into an old house to be closer to the hospital where the girls’ mother Yasuko is recovering from a long-term illness. Satsuki and Mei find that the house is inhabited by tiny animated dust creatures (called “dust bunnies” in the English dub). [3] When the girls become comfortable in their new house and laugh with their father, the dust creatures leave the house, drifting away on the wind. It is implied that they are going to find another empty house as their habitat.

One day, Mei sees two white, rabbit-like ears in the grass and follows them under the house. She discovers two small rabbit-like creatures who lead her through a briar patch and into the hollow of a large tree. She meets and befriends a larger creature, which identifies itself by a series of roars that she interprets as “Totoro”. She falls asleep atop the large Totoro, but when Satsuki finds her, she is on the ground in a dense patch of briars. Despite her many attempts, Mei is unable to show her family Totoro’s tree. Her father comforts her by telling her that Totoro must be the “keeper of the forest,” and that Totoro will come back when he wants to.

One rainy night, the girls are waiting for their father’s bus and grow worried when he does not arrive on time. As they wait, Mei eventually falls asleep on Satsuki’s back and Totoro appears beside them, allowing Satsuki to see him for the first time. He only has a leaf on his head for protection from the rain, so Satsuki offers him the umbrella she had taken along for her father. Totoro is delighted at the gift, and in return, he gives her a bundle of seeds. A giant bus-shaped cat halts at the bus stop, and Totoro boards it, taking the umbrella with him. Shortly after, the girls’ father’s bus arrives.

The girls plant the seeds. A few days later, they awaken in the middle of the night to find Totoro and the two rabbit-like creatures dancing around the planted seeds. The girls join them, whereupon the seeds sprout, and then grow and combine into an enormous tree. Totoro takes the girls and the two creatures for a ride on a magical flying top. In the morning, the tree is gone, but the seeds have indeed sprouted. It is left ambiguous as to whether or not the girls were dreaming.

The girls find out that a planned visit by their mother has to be postponed because of a setback in her treatment. Satsuki, disappointed and worried, tells Mei the bad news, which Mei does not take well. This leads to an argument, ending in Satuski angrily yelling at Mei and stomping off. Mei decides to walk to the hospital herself to bring some corn (changed to a bouquet of flowers in the English dub) to her mother.

Mei’s disappearance prompts Satsuki and the neighbors to search for her. Eventually, Satsuki returns to the giant tree and pleads for Totoro’s help. Happy to be of assistance, he summons the Catbus, which carries her to where the lost Mei sits. Having rescued her, the Catbus then whisks her and Satsuki over the countryside to see their mother in the hospital. The girls perch in a tree outside of the hospital, overhearing a conversation between their parents, and discovering that she has been kept in the hospital by a minor cold and is otherwise doing well. They secretly leave the ear of corn (bouquet in the English dub) on the windowsill, where it is discovered by the parents, and the girls return home on the Catbus.

In the end credits, Mei and Satsuki’s mother returns home, and the sisters play with the other children, with Totoro and his friends watching them unnoticed from a distance.

Cast
Character name … Japanese voice actor … English voice actor
Satsuki Kusakabe (older daughter) … Noriko Hidaka … Lisa Michelson [4]
Mei (May) Kusakabe (younger daughter) … Chika Sakamoto … Cheryl Chase [5]
Tatsuo Kusakabe (father) … Shigesato Itoi … Greg Snegoff [6]
Yasuko Kusakabe (mother) … Sumi Shimamoto … Alexandra Kenworthy [7]
Totoro … Hitoshi Takagi … Frank Welker [8]
Kanta Ogaki (local boy) … Toshiyuki Amagasa … Kenneth Hartman
Kanta’s grandmother … Tanie Kitabayashi … Natalie Core
Catbus (Neko-bus) … Naoki Tatsuta … Frank Welker [9]
Mrs. Ogaki (Kanta’s mother) … Hiroko Maruyama … Melanie MacQueen
Mr. Ogaki (Kanta’s father) … Masashi Hirose … Steve Kramer
Kanta’s Aunt … Reiko Suzuki … Edie Mirman

Production
Art director Kazuo Oga was drawn to the film when Hayao Miyazaki showed him an image of Totoro. Oga’s experience with My Neighbor Totoro jump-started the artist’s career. Oga’s conscientious approach to My Neighbor Totoro was a style that the International Herald Tribune recognized as “[updating] the traditional Japanese animist sense of a natural world that is fully, spiritually alive”.

Oga’s work on My Neighbor Totoro led to his continued involvement with Studio Ghibli. The studio assigned jobs to Oga that would play to his strengths, and Oga’s style became a trademark style of Studio Ghibli.

The storyboard depicts a small town in Japan as the setting, with the year being 1958; Miyazaki stated that the year was not exact, and the team worked on a setting “in the recent past”. The film was originally set to be an hour long, but throughout the process it grew to respond to the social context, including the reason for the move and the father’s occupation.

Miyazaki has stated that Totoro is “only an animal. I believe he lives on acorns. He’s supposedly the forest keeper, but that’s only a half-baked idea, a rough approximation.” The character of Mei was modeled after Miyazaki’s niece.

Release
After writing and filming Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Castle in the Sky (1986), Hayao Miyazaki began directing My Neighbor Totoro for Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki’s production paralleled his colleague Isao Takahata’s production of Grave of the Fireflies. Miyazaki’s film was financed by executive producer Yasuyoshi Tokuma, and both My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies were released on the same bill in Japan in 1988. The dual billing was considered “one of the most moving and remarkable double bills ever offered to a cinema audience”.

In 1990, Tokuma Japan Communications’ U.S. subsidiary released the first English-language version of My Neighbor Totoro, with the title My Friend Totoro. Because of his disappointment with the result of the heavily edited English version of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Miyazaki initially refused to allow any changes to the film. He would not let any part of the movie be edited out, all the names had to remain the same (with the exception being Catbus), the translation had to be as close to the original Japanese as possible, and no part of the movie could be changed for any reason, cultural or linguistic. [10] However, after seeing how popular anime had become in the United States, Miyazaki eventually relented on some of his demands, a decision he would later say he “regret(ted) massively”. Several dialogue and cultural changes were made to the dub, such as removing the Catbus' exposed genitals [11], and editing the corn that Mei delivers to her mother to a bouquet, thought by the producers to be more familiar to American children as an item to bring a sick person. The dub was produced by John Daly and Derek Gibson, with co-producer Jerry Beck. The songs in the dub are sung by Emmylou Harris. [12]

My Friend Totoro was released in American theaters in October 1990, to relatively little advertising. However, largely due to word-of-mouth, the film soon became popular [citation needed], spending nine weeks in theaters and grossing around $41 million, becoming the second-highest-grossing animated film of 1990 [13] and the highest-grossing anime film in America for almost a decade.

Critical reception
Upon its release in Japan, My Neighbor Totoro received high praise from film critics. In a retrospective report from Anime News Network in 2013, Carl Kimlinger summed up Totoro as “a gentle and affirming masterpiece that is as heartwarming as it is visually enchanting”. Film review site Rotten Tomatoes reported that 83% of critics gave positive reviews to the film, with an average rating of 7.2 out of 10. [14]

The English dub was met with much more mixed response in the United States, with most critics praising the animation style, but criticizing the lack of plot and the unfamiliarity of some the depicted Japanese culture to American audiences, especially children. In one of the more negative reviews, Leonard Klady of the entertainment trade newspaper Variety wrote, “Obviously aimed at an international audience, the film evinces a disorienting combination of cultures that produces a nowhere land more confused than fascinating.” In a more positive review, Stephen Holden of The New York Times described My Friend Totoro as “very visually handsome”, and believed that the film was “very charming” when “dispensing enchantment”. Despite this, Holden also wrote, “Too much of the film, however, is taken up with stiff, mechanical chitchat.” [15]

In one of the most positive reviews, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, who gave the film four stars, called it “one of the lovingly hand-crafted works of Hayao Miyazaki”, stating “My Friend Totoro is based on experience, situation and exploration – not on conflict and threat … It is also rich with human comedy in the way it observes the two remarkably convincing, lifelike little girls. It is a little sad, a little scary, a little surprising and a little informative, just like life itself. It depends on a situation instead of a plot, and suggests that the wonder of life and the resources of imagination supply all the adventure you need.” [16] In 1993, on their weekly television series At the Movies, Ebert and his co-host Gene Siskel gave the film “two thumbs up”.

Phillip E. Wegner makes a case for the film being an example of alternative history, citing the utopian-like setting of the anime. [17]

Cultural impact
My Neighbor Totoro set its writer-director Hayao Miyazaki on the road to success. The film’s central character, Totoro, is as famous among Japanese children as Mickey Mouse is among American children, or Winnie-the-Pooh is among British ones. [citation needed] Totoro was used as a mascot by the Japanese “Totoro Hometown Fund Campaign” to preserve areas of satoyama in the Saitama Prefecture. The fund was started in 1990 after the film’s release, and has since raised millions of dollars to preserve the Japanese habitats.

Totoro has made cameo appearances in multiple Studio Ghibli films, including Kiki’s Delivery Service and Tanukis. Additionally, various other anime series and films have featured cameos, including one episode of the anime series Kare Kano. Totoro has also had cameo appearances in various non-Japanese works, including as a stuffed toy in an episode of The Simpsons.

A main-belt asteroid, discovered on December 31, 1994, was named 10160 Totoro after the film’s central character. [18]

In 2009, a velvet worm species Eoperipatus totoro, recently discovered in Vietnam, was named after Totoro, due to its resemblance to the Catbus from the film. [19]

----

[1] Aside from the name change to the English dub, this is all as OTL.

[2] The dub is as OTL, but it was never widely distributed in the U.S., where Totoro didn’t have a theatrical release until Disney’s redubbed 2006 version hit theaters. Here, with the “All Things Asian” fad in its latter days, the dub is released—somewhat hastily—to theaters in the early ‘90s.

[3] Although the dust sprites in the film look nothing like actual bunnies, the dub writers simply can’t resist using the familiar English phrase “dust bunnies” to describe the creatures ITTL.

[4] Michelson also provided the voice of the titular character in the English dub of Kiki’s Delivery Service. IOTL, she was tragically killed in a car accident in 1991, which is butterflied away ITTL.

[5] Chase is perhaps best-known as the voice of Angelica Pickles from Rugrats IOTL. OTL’s Disney dub featured Dakota and Elle Fanning as the voices of Satsuki and Mei, respectively.

[6] Snegoff, a prominent voice actor in his own right, was also married to Lisa Michelson up until her untimely death IOTL. IOTL’s ‘06 dub, Mr. Kusakabe was voiced by Tim Daly, who played the Superman to Kevin Conroy’s Batman in the DC Animated Universe IOTL.

[7] Kenworthy is the mother of Greg Snegoff. She also provided voices in Robotech and Kiki’s Delivery Service IOTL.

[8] Totoro’s American voice actor in the OTL Streamline dub has unfortunately been lost to time. Here, just enough butterflies flap for the well-known Welker to be brought in to do the growls and roars of Totoro. Welker also voiced Totoro in the 2006 dub IOTL.

[9] Carl Macek, the controversial co-founder of Streamline Pictures and creator of the equally controversial Robotech, provided the voice of the Catbus in OTL’s Streamline dub. Because Welker is brought in to voice Totoro ITTL, he’s also recruited to provide the Catbus’s chatterings—a role he also provided in OTL’s Disney dub.

[10] This happened IOTL as well, and perhaps because of it, Totoro remained largely unknown outside of Japan until the Internet became prominent. However, there was a straight-to-video release of the dub in 1993, which unfortunately didn’t sell that well.

[11] No, seriously, there is a brief shot of the Catbus' balls in the film.

[12] The country-folk singer would be working on her album Brand New Dance in 1990 IOTL, which may or may not be butterflied away. Contemporary Christian singer Sonya Isaacs sang all the songs in OTL’s 2006 Totoro dub. The singer from the OTL Streamline dub has been lost to time, sadly.

[13] At just over $47 million, The Rescuers Down Under was the highest-grossing animated film of 1990 IOTL (and most likely TTL), with Jetsons: The Movie coming in a distant second at $20 million.

[14] Compared to 94% giving positive reviews and an average score of 8.4 out of 10 IOTL.

[15] These two reviews of the ’93 dub come word-for-word from OTL.

[16] This comes verbatim from Ebert’s four-star review of the 2006 dub. I feel that Ebert, who gave a three-and-a-half-star rating to The Black Cauldron, of all things, would be especially enthralled by Totoro ITTL.

[17] Given the nature of this website, I simply had to keep this OTL Wikipedia quote in the article ITTL.

[18] Aside from the Simpsons cameo, all this is as OTL.

[19] Adorably, this is also as OTL, except the creature wasn’t discovered until 2013 IOTL. Butterflies which will be touched upon later bring about the worm’s discovery earlier ITTL - and there's also a connection to the WWF that makes it happen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And with that, we see more knock-on effects of the “All Things Asian” fad—for better, and for worse. Confession time: I've never seen My Neighbor Totoro, so if there are any fans of the film reading this, hopefully I did it justice.

Coming up: we head back to wrestling, and see that while children in Japan are watching this film on April 16th, children in America could well be staying up late to watch Saturday Night's Main Event, where Ricky Steamboat will defend his WWF Title against...well, you'll have to read to find out!

 

[The Walkman]

OPENING OF SATURDAY NIGHT’S MAIN EVENT #15

(as the show comes on the air, we see Bret Hart, wearing the Intercontinental Championship around his waist, standing in front of a Bret “Hitman” Hart graphic)

BRET HART: Yeah! I’m the “Hitman”, Bret Hart, and I’ll tell you all something—winning the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania was the greatest moment of my life! I know that I have a long way to go to catch up to the Macho Man, but tonight I want to prove that my win was no fluke! Tonight, I show the Macho Man and the world that I’m the real deal!

(camera cuts to Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, standing in front of a Macho Man graphic)

RANDY SAVAGE: OOOOOOOOHHH YEAH! The “Macho Man” Randy Savage makes no bones about it, yeah! At Wrestlemania, the Hitman beat me fair and square! But there’s one teeny-tiny thing that bothers me, yeah…Hitman, the Macho Man was not at his full potential at the end of that match, no! Tonight, you better bring your A-game, because Macho Madness is comin’ for that belt! OOOOHHH YEAH!!

(camera cuts to Bad News Brown, standing in front of a Bad News graphic and pointing straight at the camera)

BAD NEWS BROWN: I want all of you spineless cockroaches watchin’ this to listen up! I won that battle royal at the Wrestlemania fair and square! I won that trophy, and Mr. Wonderful is nothin’ but a sore loser! Tonight, I’m gonna show that beer-bellied sharecropper Ken Patera exactly what I’m gonna do to Mr. Wonderful once I get my hands on him!

(camera cuts to Ted DiBiase and Virgil, holding several $100 bills in his hand, standing in front of a Million Dollar Man graphic)

TED DIBIASE: Everyone’s talking about the Dragon’s big conquering moment at Wrestlemania. Well, I’m the Million Dollar Man, and I say money also talks, and when it talks, people better listen! And tonight, my money has a very special statement it wants to make to the Dragon. (laughs sinisterly)

(camera cuts to Hercules Hernandez and Bobby “the Brain” Heenan standing in front of a Hercules graphic. Heenan is wearing a prominent neck brace that almost covers his chin)

BOBBY HEENAN: I want all you pathetic humanoids to listen good, because I’m only gonna say this once! What happened at Wrestlemania was assault and battery, and he-who-will-remain-nameless is lucky he’s been fired, because if he was still in the World Wrestling Federation, I’d sue him for everything he has! And that’s all I have to say about that matter!

HERCULES HERNANDEZ: Hulk Ho—

HEENAN: DON’T say that name!!

HERCULES: …You-know-who is yesterday’s news! Tonight, I’m gonna show the Dragon what a real member of the Heenan Family is capable of, when I take that World Title from him!

(camera cuts to Ricky Steamboat, wearing the WWF Championship around his waist, standing in front of a Dragon graphic)

RICKY STEAMBOAT: It looks like I didn’t completely silence that Weasel at Wrestlemania, huh? Bobby Heenan still has a lot to learn about the power of the Dragon! Hercules Hernandez, I want you to bring everything you have, and tonight, jack, I will show you, I’ll show Bobby Heenan, and I’ll show anybody else who doesn’t believe two things! Number one—this Dragon’s strength is for real, and number two—the fire he breathes cannot be extinguished!

April 16, 1988

The fifteenth episode of Saturday Night’s Main Event airs on NBC. The show was previously taped on April 12th in Springfield, Massachusetts, and does an 8.9 rating. Airing in the aftermath of Wrestlemania 4, the show builds up several new feuds that will come to fruition over the summer, and features a couple of intense matches.

The show kicks off with Bret Hart defending his newly won Intercontinental Championship against the man he beat for it, Randy Savage. The two men have a short, but still technically sound match, and in the end, Bret Hart manages to put Savage away with a bridging German suplex. Post-match, Savage just shakes his head as Elizabeth consoles him, and the commentators wonder what could be next for the Macho Man.

Ricky Steamboat defends his WWF Championship against Heenan Family member Hercules Hernandez in the second match of the night. Bobby Heenan accompanies Hercules, wearing a large neck brace due to the attack by Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania; Heenan will continue to wear the neck brace for the remainder of the year as a subtle reminder of the man who kicked “the Brain” to the curb at Wrestlemania 4. The match between Steamboat and Hercules is a short one, with Hercules getting in relatively little offense on the Dragon, who finishes off the big man in less than seven minutes with a crossbody. Bobby Heenan attempts to help Hercules beat down Steamboat post-match, but Steamboat fights them both off, standing tall with his championship belt, and effectively ending Steamboat’s feud with the Heenan Family—at least for the time being.

Two other matches on the show build up some midcard feuds. Bad News Brown, fresh off his victory in a battle royal at Wrestlemania, continues his undefeated streak by squashing Ken Patera. Post-match, Brown continues to attack Patera, shoving referee Joey Marella away when Marella attempts to separate the men. Paul Orndorff runs down to the ring to make the save, and Bad News barely escapes unharmed. A tag team match between Demolition and the Midnight Rockers follows, and while Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty show a bit of offense against the monster tag team, Demolition soon get the upper hand, with Ax pinning Jannetty after a Decapitation.

The main event of the show is the shortest main event in SNME history, in which Ted DiBiase squashes the Killer Bees’ B. Brian Blair in less than a minute, stuffing a $100 bill down his throat afterward. In a post-match interview with Gene Okerlund, DiBiase claims that he will do something that has never been done before—buy the WWF Title from reigning champion Ricky Steamboat. As the show goes off the air, both the commentators and the audience at home are left wondering what Steamboat’s response to the Million Dollar Man will be…

---

GENE OKERLUND: Million Dollar Man, you have once again emerged victorious here tonight. Despite all the chicanery and controversy that surrounds you, you continue to impress everyone in the ring.

TED DIBIASE: Mean Gene, I told you, I told every single one of the people watching out there that everyone has their price! And it goes to show that money is the true backbone of society, where someone can truly get whatever he desires just by being rich! Some people out there would call me a bad person for that, but I beg to differ! I’m being generous, giving these people an opportunity to procure a little extra cash in their pockets that they can go home and pay their bills and their mortgage and child support with it, and go on about their meaningless lives! But now, it’s time for the Million Dollar Man to set his sights even higher!

OKERLUND: Indeed, we’ve seen all these acts that you’ve made people do: barking like dogs, kissing your shoes, and that still isn’t enough? [1]

DIBIASE: (chuckling) You certainly are slow to catch on, Okerlund. What is the one thing every wrestler in this business strives to be? A champion! And I’m announcing it right here tonight. Soon, very soon, I am going to BUY the World Wrestling Federation Championship! (an audible gasp is heard throughout the crowd, followed by boos) That’s right! It will be mine, lock, stock and barrel!

OKERLUND: Million Dollar Man, what are you insinuating? Buy the World Wrestling Federation Title? Surely you’re not serious!

DIBIASE: You heard what I said, cue ball! I always get what I want, and what I want is the WWF Championship! Soon, Ricky Steamboat will learn that money isn’t everything—it’s the only thing! (laughs sinisterly)

---

Saturday Night’s Main Event Results – 7/16/1988
WWF Intercontinental Championship: Bret “Hitman” Hart (C) def. Randy “Macho Man” Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) (12:04)
WWF Championship: Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat (C) def. Hercules Hernandez (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan) (6:23)
Bad News Brown def. Ken Patera (3:55)
Demolition (Ax & Hammer) (w/ Johnny V.) def. The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty) (8:37)
“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase (w/ Virgil) def. B. Brian Blair (w/ “Jumpin’” Jim Brunzell) (0:43)

---

April 17, 1988

“And as you can see, I’ve got a lot on my plate right now,” Vince McMahon said as he perused the papers in front of him on his desk. You could hardly see the actual surface of the desk from the mound of papers piled upon it.

Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco were seated in front of McMahon’s desk. “You said you were looking at three guys?” Brisco asked.

McMahon nodded. “We’ve got a little extra money [2], and we’re short on midcard heels. I think we can bring at least two of these guys if we play our cards right.”

Patterson shrugged. “You’re talking about three different promotions here, boss, so it might be tough. [3] We’ve worked with Stampede before, so getting him—” Patterson pointed to one of the names on the page. “—will probably be doable. ‘Specially since he’s Bret’s brother.” [4]

McMahon nodded. “I’m not worried about Hart; I feel we can bring him in easy. The other two…might take a little bit of doing.”

Brisco just sat back in his chair, a half-smile on his face as he looked at his boss. “I just hope we’re not bitin’ off more than we can chew,” he drawled. “I guess we could get Bret to help us out about his brother, too?”

McMahon nodded sharply. “We’ll talk to Bret about it; see if he can put in a good word next time they meet. Ricky’s on his way; I wanted to at least fill him in about this, too.”

***

Meanwhile, in the lobby of the building, a young mulleted man was doing some stretches in preparation for a match on the taping for WWF Superstars that evening. He would be facing Ted DiBiase, and even though he was booked to lose to the Million Dollar Man, the 24-year-old wanted to leave a good impression on both the audience and Vince McMahon.

Just then, Ricky Steamboat entered the lobby, dressed for work and carrying a duffel bag over his shoulder. He wasn’t on the upcoming TV taping, but he was going to be meeting up with Vince McMahon and the booking team to discuss some matters they only said would “impact the company”. As he wondered what they would say in their meeting, he saw the young man in the corner stretching. A smile crossed Steamboat’s face as he stifled a laugh. This was undoubtedly one of the local jobbers, aka “journeymen”, who the WWF brought in for matches sometimes with WWF talent. They would invariably always lose their matches, but Steamboat enjoyed seeing what kind of young athletes would pop up at each television taping.

“Doing stretches in the lobby? Pretty hardcore,” Steamboat joked as he looked at the youngster. “You do know we have a workout area?”

As the heavily muscled man looked up in mid-stretch and saw who was speaking to him, he almost did an impromptu split right there on the floor. “M-Mr. Steamboat,” he stammered as he got to his feet. “I was, uh, just—I-I didn’t want to disturb any of the others, so I just figured I’d stretch…out in the lobby?”

Steamboat just smiled. “I don’t think the guys would mind. Most of them are harmless unless they decide to pull some ribs. Then they can get lethal.” The Dragon chuckled at his own joke. “You’re actually lucky I’m the first guy you saw. I usually play the peacemaker around here.” As he approached the 6’2” jobber, Steamboat was actually dwarfed as he stuck his hand out. “I guess you already know, but I’m Rick Blood, aka Ricky Steamboat. Call me Rick.”

“I’m a huge fan,” the mulleted jobber said as he shook Steamboat’s hand. “You’ve been doing a bang-up job as the champ. That match you had with Dynamite at Wrestlemania a couple of years back? Forget about it—amazing stuff.”

Steamboat just smiled. “Thanks a lot. Sorry, I didn’t catch your name…”

“Steve,” the man replied. “Steve Blackman.” [5]

“Well, Steve, welcome to the madhouse,” Steamboat said. “I hope the inmates don’t scare you off.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] Okerlund refers to two OTL vignettes in which DiBiase made a then-unknown Linda McMahon and a young Rob Van Dam bark like a dog and kiss his shoes, respectively, in exchange for money. Both events happen as OTL (yes, even RVD’s appearance!).

[2] As some of you may have noticed by now from reading this far, the film No Holds Barred will never be made ITTL, which means Vince and Titan have an extra $8 million or so still in their pockets. And with that extra cash to throw around, they decide to pad their roster a bit first. As for the three wrestlers McMahon is talking about signing? Here’s a hint: all three would eventually find their way to the WWE IOTL in some shape or form.

[3] Another clue: all three men are working for a different territory at this point ITTL.

[4] And there’s one mystery signee revealed (or is it?)

[5] Well, I said an Attitude Era star was going to be showing up soon, didn’t I? Blackman actually wrestled two matches in the WWF in 1988 and 1989, and was being considered for a full-time contract until he contracted malaria and dysentery while wrestling in South Africa. He was confined to a bed for two years, but thankfully survived, and managed to return to wrestling full-time in 1997 IOTL. I guess it should come as no surprise to tell you that Blackman’s visit to South Africa is butterflied away ITTL, as is his illness.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apologies about my absence. An unfortunate family illness prompted it, but I’m pleased to say that my relative is feeling much better, and I’m back to writing again!

As the WWF looks toward getting itself some new talent, some several years before they actually joined up full-time IOTL, we’re building up toward a big feud for the WWF Title. Maybe the other territories should be on high alert…

And for those curious, the Blackman of the Attitude Era looks a lot different than 1988 Steve Blackman. Check out these two pictures for comparison, and you’ll see what I mean.

Also, I'd like to address the post made by DakotaTimeTraveler about the anime series Maple Town. After some consideration and a little bit of messaging between us, I've decided to accept his post as canon to this TL. Any other ideas about things related or semi-related to Rise of the Dragon made by anyone else will need to be approved by me before being posted, however!

Coming up: a trip back to the Newsletter, and we make a pit stop at Nickelodeon, of all places.

 

[The Walkman]

April 18, 1988

1988 Kids’ Choice Awards
from *Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On April 18, 1988, Nickelodeon held the first official Kids’ Choice Awards event. Technically, the first ever Kids’ Choice Awards event occurred in 1987 as The Big Ballot. [1]

Contents
1. Presenters, performers and stunts
- Hosts
- Musical Performances
2. Winners and nominees
- Movies
- Television
- Music
- Sports
3. Events within the show
- Stunts, Events
- Slimed Celebrities

Presenters, performers and stunts

Hosts
Tony Danza
Debbie Gibson
Brian Robbins
Dan Schneider

Musical performances
The Fat Boys – “Wipe Out”
Debbie Gibson – “Shake Your Love” & “Out of the Blue”

Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first, in bold. Other nominees are in alphabetical order. [2]

Movies

Favorite Movie

• Beverly Hills Cop II
• Adventures in Babysitting
• La Bamba

Favorite Movie Actor

• Eddie Murphy – Beverly Hills Cop II as Detective Axel Foley
• Arnold Schwarzenegger – The Running Man as Ben Richards
• Patrick Swayze – Dirty Dancing as Johnny Castle

Favorite Movie Actress

• Whoopi Goldberg – Fatal Beauty as Detective Rita Rizzoli
• Elisabeth Shue – Adventures in Babysitting as Chris Parker
• Robin Wright-Penn – The Princess Bride as Princess Buttercup [3]

Television

Favorite TV Show

• ALF
• The Cosby Show
• Growing Pains

Favorite TV Actor

• Michael J. Fox – Family Ties as Alex P. Keaton
• Kirk Cameron – Growing Pains as Mike Seaver
• Bill Cosby – The Cosby Show as Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable

Favorite TV Actress

• Alyssa Milano – Who’s the Boss? as Samantha Micelli
• Tempestt Bledsoe – The Cosby Show as Vanessa Huxtable
• Anne Schedeen – ALF as Kate Tanner

Favorite Cartoon

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Ducktales
• The X-Men [4]

Music

Favorite Male Singer/Band

• Bon Jovi
• The Fat Boys
• The Monkees

Favorite Female Singer/Band

• Madonna
• The Bangles
• Janet Jackson

Favorite Song

• “La Bamba” – Los Lobos
• “Control” – Janet Jackson
• “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” – Whitney Houston

Sports

Favorite Male Athlete

• Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat [5]
• Michael Jordan
• Walter Payton

Favorite Female Athlete

• Debi Thomas
• Chris Evert
• Kristie Phillips

Favorite Sports Team

• Chicago Bears
• Detroit Pistons
• San Francisco Giants

Events within the show

Stunts and Events

• Mackenzie Astin taking the Blindfold Ice Cream Challenge…on his face
• Wil Wheaton taking the Head-to-Head Giant Beach Ball Challenge

Slimed Celebrities

• Les Lye – Slimed in the initial 90 seconds of the show. Lye was the only celebrity to be slimed during the show.

----------------------

WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER – 4/18/88

“SUPER SUNDAY”
In this writer’s opinion, March 27th, 1988 will go down as the biggest head-to-head competition between two wrestling promotions in history. The WWF and the NWA both presented big shows with tons of hype, intrigue, sabotage, media coverage, and careful planning, and both shows paid off for both companies in very big ways.

In the largest response the Newsletter has ever gotten for a poll, a narrow majority of 35.7% (191 readers) preferred Wrestlemania to Clash of the Champions. 34.6% (185 readers) thought both shows were about the same, and 29.7% (159 readers) preferred the Clash. [6]

Savage vs. Hart barely edged out Steamboat vs. Hogan and Magnum vs. Flair for the best match of the night. Of the 535 responses, only 40 didn’t vote for one of these three matches.

WWF
Not much is going on right now since they’re not running shows.

According to reports, Wrestlemania 4 got about a 9% buyrate, which sounds amazing on paper … The real success or failure of a major show of this type is not whether it makes money on the night. For the weeks after the last three Wrestlemanias, Titan has taken a couple of weeks off, which they look to be doing right now. Houses were down slightly for the WWF the past six weeks, and will probably continue to slide all summer despite this strong show, leading all the way into the August PPV. For Wrestlemania 4 to be a profitable show, it must be profitable enough to offset all these other losses of income, not just make money the night of. The last three years’ shows certainly were (profitable enough), and looking at the buyrates, this year will be too. But we’ll see what happens come August.

There is word that the company is looking to do another mini-raid of talent from other promotions, but no confirmation yet on who they might be looking at bringing in.

NWA
The Clash drew a 5.3 rating and an 11.2 share, meaning the average quarter had just over 2 million viewers … The audience actually increased in every successive quarter hour, which is highly unusual, especially for a wrestling show. Flair vs. Magnum had a 6.2 rating, and the last 15 minutes had just under 3 million homes watching. This writer estimates that if you look at total viewers (not just households), the Clash was probably seen by about 5 million people. [7]

NWA Main Event debuted, and feedback has been mostly positive. The show was taped on 3/31 in Spartanburg, SC, and the crowd was very hot. Steiner vs. Luger for the TV Title was a solid match with a pretty predictable finish … A returning Dick Slater ran down and slipped Steiner a pair of brass knuckles which Steiner used on Luger to get the pin. Afterward, Slater apparently joined up with Sullivan and Steiner, with Sullivan stating the men were “his club” [8] …

Brad Armstrong is scheduled to undergo knee surgery soon.

AWA
The 4/16 show drew 1,800 fans … Adrian Adonis beat Greg Gagne to retain the AWA World Title in the main event, and the post-match beatdown saw Verne come down to stare down Adonis. Dear God, please don’t let this lead to what I think it’s leading to … Mando Guerrero had three squash matches on the TV taping, and it looks like he might be pushed hard, as his new lucha offense was said to have gotten over pretty well with the crowd. Speaking of the Guerreros: I’m told Chavo Guerrero is teaming with his younger brother Eddy (who is said to be really hot) in Mexico right now.

Verne Gagne has started airing old matches of Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura, Jim Brunzell, Tito Santana and the Midnight Rockers in an attempt to build ratings. He has given up on pushing house shows, and just wants to do small guaranteed shows in the area to keep the AWA alive so they can keep sending tapes to ESPN.

The Rock and Roll Express are heading in soon. (Robert) Gibson apparently wants a guaranteed paycheck, but (Ricky) Morton is much easier to deal with.

Curt Hennig is trying to get out of his contract. Some sources say he has received an offer to work for the WWF, but Verne desperately wants him to stay around.

WCW
The show on 4/10 drew 3,000 fans and a house of about $11,000 … 4/17 drew 3,200 and featured the beginnings of a 16-wrestler tournament to crown the first heavyweight champion in the promotion. There will be semifinal matches at a later show, which will be televised on the new WCW weekly show … Jerry Lawler beat Al Perez … Eddie Gilbert defeated Jack Victory … Kerry Von Erich beat Iceman Parsons … Manny Fernandez defeated Michael Hayes, which caused a lot of negative reaction from the crowd.

Steve Keirn is heading in soon.

STAMPEDE
3/18 in Calgary was headlined by Chris Benoit beating the Great Gama to win the Commonwealth Heavyweight Title in a ***¼ match … 3/25 in Calgary drew 1,000. The standout match was Brian Pillman vs. Rip Rogers in a **** match.

Owen Hart has received an offer from the WWF, and he may be heading there soon because they’re trying to finish up his feud with Makhan Singh. If Owen is headed in, and he ends up teaming with Bret, they could be the WWF’s hottest babyface tag team in history.

------------------


HILLBILLY JIM: (holding a WWF ice cream bar, the Hillbilly Jim image visible on the vanilla sandwich cookie) I tell y’all what, there ain’t nothin’ like my mama’s homemade ice cream! But second place? Well, that goes to a good ol’ WWF Superstar ice cream bar! (bites into ice cream) Dang, that’s good!

-

JUNKYARD DOG: In the hot weather like this—(wipes brow) whew!—what else is better than a WWF ice cream bar? (unwraps ice cream and bites into it ferociously before continuing to talk with his mouth full) Get one today, and tell 'em the Dawg sent ya'!

-

KOKO B. WARE: (holding Frankie the parrot in one hand and a WWF ice cream bar in the other) Well, you know at this time of year, Jack, the WWF ice cream bars are FAAAAAAN-tastic! Ain’t that right, Frankie? (Frankie squawks as he starts to nibble on the bar) Wait, Frankie, you supposed ta’ share that with me! (Koko takes several bites) Oooh, that's good!

-

(Slick, Nikolai Volkoff and Boris Zukhov are all eating WWF ice cream bars)

SLICK: Mmm-mm! Nothin’ like a deee-licious WWF Superstars ice cream bar, brothah! But I don’t know what my comrades think about it. Nikolai, Boris, whatch’u think?

BORIS ZUKHOV: Is quite good, Comrade Slick.

NIKOLAI VOLKOFF: But not as good as ice cream in Mother Russia!

BOTH: NYET!!

-

GEORGE “THE ANIMAL” STEELE: (unwraps a WWF ice cream bar) G-g-g-GOOD! (takes a bite) EAT!

-various commercials for WWF ice cream bars, aired between late 1987 and early 1990 [9]


April 30, 1988

CRAIG DEGEORGE: Ladies and gentlemen, the buzz on everyone’s lips this past week or so is the shocking revelation on Saturday Night’s Main Event that the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase intends to buy the World Wrestling Federation Championship from Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat. Now, we’re still not sure of the offer that was made, but we have been told it was at least seven figures, so this is serious money Mr. DiBiase is offering. We’ve all waited a week, and now it’s time to hear the response. Ladies and gentlemen, the World Wrestling Federation Champion, Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat!

(Steamboat comes out, wearing the title around his waist, to thunderous cheers)

DEGEORGE: Steamboat, we’ve heard from Mr. DiBiase. Have you reached a decision regarding the Million Dollar Man’s offer for your WWF Championship?

RICKY STEAMBOAT: Craig, I’ve thought long and hard about this, I’m not gonna lie. The Million Dollar Man has made an incredibly lucrative offer to buy this championship from me—the championship that I fought and clawed for since day one of being in the World Wrestling Federation! I won’t lie, that money that Mr. DiBiase offered could do a lot of things. My family—my wife and my little baby boy—we would be financially secure for a long, long time. My son, that money could pay for his entire college education! If I accepted that offer, I could help pay for a lot of the young fans that I’ve met—the ones who are sick, or less fortunate than I am… (takes the belt off and folds it up) Make no mistake about it—the Million Dollar Man doesn’t want any part of the Dragon. I have no question in my mind that if he and I were to meet in that ring, I'd leave him looking up at the ceiling. And that's why it pains me to say this.

DEGEORGE: Dragon, what…w-what are you saying?

STEAMBOAT: On behalf of all the young Dragons out there, on behalf of my family, I’m gonna have to tell the Million Dollar Man—that he can have the WWF Championship. (a huge gasp from the audience, followed by boos and chants of “no!”) He can have the WWF Championship…OVER MY DEAD BODY!! (Steamboat holds the belt up in the air as he glares at the camera, the crowd now cheering for him) Ted DiBiase, if you want this World Wrestling Federation Championship, if you even think for a second that you're half the man that I am, come and try to take it from me!!!

-Ricky Steamboat interview from WWF Superstars of Wrestling, originally aired April 30th, 1988

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[1] As OTL, except the show airs a week earlier.

[2] The nominees and winners are all as OTL, except where noted.

[3] IOTL, Wright wasn’t on the ballot; the nod instead went to Shelley Long for her role as Lucy Chadman in the rather cringeworthy Hello Again. This film still exists ITTL, but since The Princess Bride is a much bigger deal (and popular with kids to boot), the Nickelodeon folks decide to give it the nod.

[4] The X-Men cartoon takes the place of The Smurfs, which was the third nominee IOTL.

[5] Guess who won this IOTL? I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t Bill Buckner.

[6] IOTL, an overwhelming 94.7% percent of people in this same poll voted Clash of the Champions as better than Wrestlemania, while 3.8% (only 20 people!) preferred Wrestlemania, and 1.5% liked both shows about the same.

[7] IOTL, the ratings were a little better—the Clash drew an average 5.8 rating and a 12.6 share, and about 2½ million viewers every quarter hour. As OTL, the main event (Flair vs. Sting) was the highest-rated segment, drawing a 7.1 rating and 15 shares. Meltzer estimated (rather well) that the Clash was seen by about 6 million people. ITTL, the show still does well, but the ratings are lower due to Wrestlemania 4’s greater hype and success.

[8] This is the beginning of TTL’s version of The Varsity Club.

[9] Hinted at it in an earlier post, but those delicious frozen cinderblocks still exist ITTL. And a certain 9-year old kid from Chicago enjoys them immensely.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! As we chug along with the wrestling scene, we've dropped a few more hints about who's headed to the WWF, and the building blocks are set in place as to who the first WCW Champion will be. Also, I hope none of you are lactose intolerant--I brought ice cream for everyone.

Up next: the wheels are set in motion for a new WWF pay-per-view, a tournament in the NWA sets some new feuds in motion, another unfortunate injury, and a special report on music in the WWF.

 

[The Walkman]

May 2, 1988

WWF
The WWF has returned from their Wrestlemania break, and TV tapings were done last weekend … The main focus is a Steamboat-DiBiase feud for the World Title, which should be running through the summer …

Major housecleaning is expected in the next two months. Hillbilly Jim was expected to be on the list, but apparently he won’t be, since he’s working some openers against Bad News Brown.

Speaking of costcutting, the WWF is trying to save money by no longer having managers travel to house shows, only TV tapings. They may make exceptions with Heenan and Elizabeth, though, since they’re such key parts of the show … They have also cut back on dates greatly. A year ago, they were running 20-25 shows a week, but now they’re down to about 10-15. This is probably good in the short-term, because I hear that the live shows are much better lately.

Dave Hebner’s twin brother Earl has been hired as a referee. He’s not worked any shows yet, but they’re going to do an evil twin angle with Dave once he makes his debut. (I’m kidding, of course…I hope.) [1]

NWA
The 3rd Jim Crockett Sr. Tag Team Tournament drew about 4,500 on 4/29 in Greenville, SC and about 6,300 on 4/30 in Greensboro, NC [2] … This was the least-hyped and least-talked about tournament I’ve ever seen Crockett do … On the other hand, I give them credit for the very surprising finals, with A) the Fantastics’ victory in the finals being a great breath of fresh air and B) Rotunda and the other Horsemen turning on Barry Windham, who was kicked out of the Horsemen in the process [3] …

Early word is that Windham will continue to feud with the Horsemen in a program planned to run through the Great American Bash on 7/10. As of now, no matches have officially been announced for the Bash.

It looks like Sting has re-injured his shoulder while in therapy last week. It’s tough to say, but this could set his return back several months …

There’s more bad news, as the NWA is in danger of losing the Nassau Coliseum. Nassau wants to go back to the WWF, who pulled out after they started running Crockett’s shows. The proposed 6/24 show there is in jeopardy. If they do get kicked out, it’ll be held at the Westchester County Center, which will be more accessible to New York fans than Nassau, but probably won’t draw as well because it’s considered a “minor league” arena.

AWA
The 4/23 TV taping in Las Vegas drew 1,900 fans, and interest was boosted slightly by the AWA debut of the Rock and Roll Express. They defeated Bad Company in the penultimate match of the night … Diamond Dallas Paige (sic) [4] did alright managing Bad Company, but it’s the oddest sight: at 6’4”, he towers over every other wrestler in the promotion, especially Tanaka, who he manages …

Curt Hennig has a match against Greg Gagne at the next TV taping, where Hennig is putting his job in the AWA on the line. Can anyone see the good news and bad news here?

Riki Choshu and Masa Saito are scheduled to appear at an upcoming TV taping, but I don’t think they’ll actually be wrestling, unfortunately.

STAMPEDE
Crowds are still good, but this writer thinks they’ll lose steam once Owen Hart leaves to either tour Japan (like he might be doing) or join the WWF (which he’s more likely to do).

AJPW
Yoshiaki Yatsu, broken leg and all, wrestled Bruiser Brody in the main event on 4/4 to see who would go on to face Genichiro Tenryu in the unification match on 4/15. Yatsu took a big shot of painkillers which lasted for a good while, and he went 15 minutes against Brody before losing via count-out. Yatsu is now sidelined again, but give that man an award for his dedication. [5]

OTHER
Former longtime Atlanta promoter Paul Jones, who promoted in the days of Ed “Strangler” Lewis, passed away on 4/22 at age 86. When this was announced at the WCW taping, the fans cheered because they thought it was Paul Jones, the manager from the NWA. [6]

May 9, 1988

WWF
Everyone expected to be cut is still around (for now).

Owen Hart, Terry Taylor and Curt Hennig are officially heading in soon. It was suspected that both Hart and Hennig were to be on their way once they finished up in Stampede and the AWA, respectively, but Taylor’s hiring sort of came from out of the blue … [7]

Brutus Beefcake hasn’t been on TV for a while, and word is he’s being repackaged soon.

NWA
The biggest story of the week is Crockett’s release of Sting. Sources confirm that on 5/5, Jim Crockett cut him for “numerous reasons”, which this writer suspects translates into “we don’t know what to do with him, and we don’t want him injured all the time” … We’ll have further info on Sting’s release, as well as his injury and recovery, as we get more details.

Along with Sting, two more cuts were made by Crockett on 5/5 – Chris Champion and Pez Whatley were also released. Both weren’t being used on TV that much …

Harley Race was hospitalized, and had to have a foot of his intestine removed. He’ll be out of action for several months.

The Great American Bash PPV is scheduled for 7/10, and will be headlined by Magnum T.A. vs. Nikita Koloff.

AWA
Adrian Adonis almost broke his foot during a live show on 5/1 when he stepped into a hole in the middle of the ring. He and Wahoo McDaniel had to finish their match prematurely so the hole could be fixed before the main event, which prompted about 50 fans to walk out before the show was over …

Magnificent Mimi is being brought in as a rival to Madusa. I’m told Mimi is of GLOW caliber, but then again, Madusa isn’t that much better.

Rod Trongard actually said on TV last week that Wahoo McDaniel is so athletic, he could run the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds. Rod is absolutely the worst announcer in the business, and that includes Marc Lowrance.

WCW
The show on 4/31 was dominated by the semifinal matches to determine the new WCW World Champion … Jerry Lawler defeated Eddie Gilbert in a reported ***½ match …

-------

Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II
*from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II is an album released by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in early 1988. It featured vocal performances from several of the wrestlers themselves, along with Robbie Dupree, Rick Derringer, and heavy metal band Loudness.

The original vinyl LP release of Piledriver featured a group of WWF wrestlers in hard hats working in a construction site. [8] In addition to the album, a videocassette version was issued by Coliseum Video in 1988, which featured music videos for most of the songs.

Some of the wrestlers featured on the album, such as King Kong Bundy, had been released from the WWF after the album’s actual release, while some, like the Honky Tonk Man, were let go soon afterward.

The album reached #92 on the Billboard Album Chart in early 1988, and the song “Dragon” would go on to reach #17 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Loudness’ highest-charting single on the Pop charts. “Dragon” was also featured on Loudness’ EP Jealousy, released later in 1988.

Several of the songs on the album would be used as entrance themes for the wrestlers. Ricky Steamboat has used “Dragon” as his main entrance theme in the WWF from 1988 until the present day, Team Victory used “Girls in Cars” until their split in 1989, Koko B. Ware used “Piledriver” until 1990, “Jive Soul Bro” was used as Slick’s theme (and some of the wrestlers he managed) until 1990, and “Crank It Up” was used for the Midnight Rockers (a storyline was created in which Hart wanted to use the song for the Fabulous Rougeaus, but the Midnight Rockers “stole” it.) [9]

Track Listing
1. Loudness – “Dragon” – 3:29 [10]
2. Koko B. Ware – “Piledriver” – 2:55
3. The Honky Tonk Man – “Cool, Cocky, Bad” – 2:09
4. Rick Derringer – “Demolition” – 3:14
5. Slick – “Jive Soul Bro” – 3:35
6. Jimmy Hart – “Crank It Up” – 2:42
7. Robbie Dupree & Team Victory – “Girls in Cars” – 3:34
8. Vince McMahon – “Stand Back” – 3:02
9. Rick Derringer & Mean Gene Okerlund – “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” – 3:40
10. The WWF Superstars – “If You Only Knew” – 3:18

-------

Lyrics to “If You Only Knew” [11]

TED DIBIASE: I’ve heard a lot of idle chatter…
HONKY TONK MAN: That really doesn’t matter to me!
SLICK: A lotta you guys wanna see me in agony!
BOBBY HEENAN: But the measure of a man…
HERCULES HERNANDEZ, RICK RUDE AND KING KONG BUNDY: Understand!
BOBBY HEENAN: Is more than your common patter!
HULK HOGAN: It’s the way I’ll make you eat those words that matters!
JIMMY HART: If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you,
You’d be runnin’ out of here as fast as two feet could carry you!
Your destiny belongs to me,
If you only kneeeeeew!

RANDY SAVAGE: I got some real bad news…
MISS ELIZABETH: And it may involve your body…
HILLBILLY JIM: You’ve been talking too much, too long, too loud…
KOKO B. WARE: But you ain’t scarin’ nobody!
JUNKYARD DOG: You see, talk is cheap…
JAKE ROBERTS: When you can’t keep your promise of destruction…
BRET HART: I think you’ll see…
JIM NEIDHART: Because of me…
RICKY STEAMBOAT: You’ll need reconstruction!
KOKO B. WARE: If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you,
You’d be runnin’ outta here as fast as two feet could carry you!
Your destiny belongs to me,
If you only kneeeeeeew!

EVERYONE: Please realize!
RICKY STEAMBOAT: Look in my eyes! You’ll be on your back…
TITO SANTANA & RICK MARTEL: Out flat!
TED DIBIASE: Hit by a Cadillac!
EVERYONE: If you only knew!
RICKY STEAMBOAT: Jack, all the money in the world couldn’t buy me out!
TED DIBIASE: Yeah, everybody’s got a price!
RICKY STEAMBOAT: We’ll just see about that!
TED DIBIASE: Yeah? See Virgil!

EVERYONE: If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you,
You’d be runnin’ out of here as fast as two feet could carry you,
Your destiny belongs to me,
If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you,
You’d be runnin’ out of here as fast as two feet could carry you,
Your destiny belongs to me,
If you only knew, what I’m gonna do to you… (repeat as song fades out)

--------------------------------------------

Notable entrance theme songs of numerous WWF wrestlers

Bret Hart: “Hart Foundation Theme/Hitman” (1985-present)
Brutus Beefcake: “Beefcake” (1986-present) [12]
Demolition: “Demolition” – Rick Derringer (1986-present)
Hercules Hernandez: “Mighty Hercules” (1985-present)
Hillbilly Jim: “Don’t Go Messin’ With a Country Boy” (1984-present)
Honky Tonk Man: “Honky Tonkin’” (1986-87), “Cool Cocky Bad” (1987-present)
Hulk Hogan: “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor (1983-84), “Real American” – Rick Derringer (1984-87, 1988-present), “Ravishing (Instrumental)” – Bonnie Tyler (1987-1988) [13]
The Islanders: “Islander Theme” (1986-present)
Jake “the Snake” Roberts: “Snake Bit” (1986-present)
Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart: “Hart Foundation Theme/Hitman” (1985-87), “Anvil” (1987-present) [14]
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka: “Superfly Theme” (1984-88)
Junkyard Dog: “Another One Bites the Dust” – Queen (1984-86), “Grab Them Cakes” (1986-present)
Koko B. Ware: “The Bird” (1985-88), “Piledriver” (1988-present)
Outback Jack: “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” – Rolf Harris (1986-88)
The Outlaws: “Outlaw Shuffle” (1987-present) [15]
Randy “Macho Man” Savage: “Pomp and Circumstance” (1984-present)
“Ravishing” Rick Rude: “Striptease” (1986-present)
Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat: “Sirius” – The Alan Parsons Project (1984-87), “Dragon” – Loudness (1987-present)
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper: “Piper’s Theme” (1983-present)
Slick: “Jive Soul Bro” (1987-present)
“Superstar” Billy Graham: “Jesus Christ Superstar Remix” (1979-1983) , “Bad to the Bone” – George Thorogood & the Destroyers (1986-present)
Team Victory: “Girls in Cars (Instrumental)” – Robbie Dupree (1988-present)
“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase: “It’s All About the Money” (1987-present)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] TTL’s Meltzer has no idea he gave a rave review to the very same thing that went down on the premiere of The Main Event IOTL.

[2] IOTL, these shows were held a week earlier, on April 22nd and 23rd, 1988.

[3] IOTL, it was the other way around: Barry Windham turned heel on his partner Lex Luger and joined the Four Horsemen, forcing Luger to find a new partner for the tournament, who would turn out to be Sting. Luger & Sting ended up the winners of said tournament by beating Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard in the finals. The Fantastics made it to the semifinals IOTL, but lost to Arn & Tully. Here, the finals see the Fantastics beat Arn Anderson & Barry Windham after a double-cross from the Horsemen on Windham.

[4] Meltzer is still misspelling Page’s name, but I think this is better than him mistakenly calling the guy “Dallas Diamond Page” like he did IOTL.

[5] Amazingly, this badass story is as OTL!

[6] Unfortunately, this is as OTL, except the booing took place at a TV taping for Jerry Blackwell’s short-lived Southern Championship Wrestling in Marietta, GA (which is butterflied away due to WCW’s existence).

[7] And now you know the three hirings that were hinted at in Post #336. All three also debuted for the company in 1988 IOTL, except Hennig and Taylor didn’t show up on TV until around August. All three would also get very memorable gimmicks in their run, but whether Mr. Perfect, the Blue Blazer, and the Red Rooster exist ITTL remains to be seen.

[8] As opposed to OTL’s Piledriver, which featured a hard hat-wearing Hulk Hogan on the cover (see above).

[9] A similar storyline was done IOTL, where Jimmy Hart accused the Young Stallions (who used “Crank It Up” as their theme, for some reason) of stealing the song that he wanted to use for the Hart Foundation. Also, "All American Boys" unfortunately doesn't exist ITTL (yet!)

[10] As hinted at in an earlier post, the WWF bring in the most famous Japanese rock band (as a matter of fact, the ONLY famous Japanese rock band) to cut a new theme for Steamboat in late 1987. The song replaces “Waking Up Alone” (a love ballad sung by Hillbilly Jim, of all people) on Piledriver, and becomes the lead-off track.

[11] I couldn’t resist! The song is as OTL, but more than a few wrestlers’ lines are changed in the song. Check out this performance from the ’87 Slammys to see which lines and singers are changed.

[12] An original song to TTL. If I had to describe it, it's a cross between Rick Martel's "Model" theme and Jimmy Snuka's "Superfly".

[13] I must give credit to Igeo654 for the suggestion for Hogan to use “Ravishing” as his entrance theme during his heel run against Steamboat.

[14] “Anvil” is a retooled version of this song used by Greg Valentine in the late 80s/early 90s. Valentine doesn’t use any music ITTL.

[15] This song, original to TTL, is similar to the Smoking Gunns’ theme, but slightly harder.

-----------------------------------------------------

As we enter the summer of ’88, we’re planting the seeds for the main event of Summerslam, and Sting suddenly becomes one of the hottest free agents in wrestling right now. Now, Crockett’s loss could be WCW’s, AWA’s, or even the WWF’s gain. I also hope you guys enjoyed a peek at the world of music in the WWF!

Coming up next: the inaugural WCW Champion is crowned, a new Hogan enters the world, and the NWA could be under new ownership…

 

[The Walkman]

May 16, 1988

WWF
Even with Hogan gone, crowds have been really good lately. So good, in fact, that managers might be back to work on house shows soon.

Speaking of Hogan, his wife recently gave birth to a baby girl named Brooke. [1]

Ricky Steamboat is now being billed as the “Undisputed WWF Champion”. The word “Heavyweight” will no longer be used when talking about the title.

A tournament to crown the new challenger to the WWF Title will be announced on the next taping of Superstars. It’s suspected this will incorporate a storyline involving Steamboat and DiBiase, but not much is known as of yet.

The new show in August is reportedly going to be called “Summer Slam” … [2]

NWA
Some more information has come to light about why Crockett released Sting … Apparently, Sting went for a ride on his 3-wheeler all-terrain vehicle at his home, deliberately defying doctor’s orders not to partake in any activities like that while his injury healed. Sting turned the vehicle too quickly, causing it to roll over on him, and while it didn’t cause anything life-threatening, it did fracture two of (Sting’s) fingers and re-injured his shoulder. When Crockett and Dusty got word of the accident, they were both furious about it, and fired Sting over the phone when he called about his situation.

Jim “Venom” Hellwig, Sting’s closest friend backstage, was said to be furious about Sting being fired, and threatened to quit. Dusty, Arn and Flair convinced him to stay by offering him a bonus for his match at the Great American Bash on 7/10 against Jim Duggan. Duggan is extremely popular with the crowd, so they couldn’t afford to lose one-half of that match.

No word yet on where Sting will be headed …

WCW
Jerry Lawler defeated Manny Fernandez in a tournament final at the show on 5/11 to win the newly created WCW Heavyweight Championship. Kerry Von Erich, who lost to Fernandez in the semifinal, ran out to cause the distraction, costing Manny the match … A tag team match of Lawler & Kerry vs. Fernandez & Eddie Gilbert will air on the first episode of WCW World of Wrestling (the new name for the weekly WCW TV show).

STAMPEDE
Owen Hart’s last Stampede match occurred on 5/14, where he lost a rematch against Makhan Singh for the North American Title. Singh ended Owen’s year-plus long reign as North American champion on 5/6 … Owen is definitely headed to WWF next month, but there’s no other word on that situation right now.

---

May 21, 1988

(The WWF logo appears over a background of clouds)

GENE OKERLUND, VOICE-OVER: The WWF…what the world is watching!

(The camera shows the inside of the arena, the audience, the ringside area, and eventually settles on Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura at the announce table)

VINCE MCMAHON: Emanating live from Duluth, Minnesota, the home of rock-and-roll legend Bob Dylan, it’s the Superstars of Wrestling! Hello, everyone, I’m Vince McMahon, alongside Jesse “the Body” Ventura, and we have some great action for you tonight!

JESSE VENTURA: Bob Dylan? That’s very fitting, McMahon, because sitting next to you, I definitely can smell something “blowing in the wind!” [3]

MCMAHON: Pay no mind to the man next to me, ladies and gentlemen, because we also have a huge announcement from WWF President Jack Tunney himself! Let’s get down to business!

(The intro credits for Superstars of Wrestling roll)

MCMAHON: Welcome, everyone! We have lots of action for you here tonight, as we will see the Intercontinental Champion, “the Hitman” Bret Hart, live and in action tonight, as well as “Ravishing” Rick Rude. In addition, “the Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase will be taking on one-half of Strike Force, the young Canadian, Rick Martel. And tonight, yes, the man himself, WWF Champion “the Dragon” Ricky Steamboat will be in action! But first, we have a special announcement…Jesse, what do you suppose this is about?

VENTURA: Well, McMahon, Tunney’s like a groundhog: he only appears once or twice a year, and when he does, it’s usually something important. But if I had to speculate about it, I’d say Tunney is gonna say that Steamboat has finally come to his senses, that he’s decided to accept the Million Dollar Man’s offer after all, and that he will announce Ted DiBiase as the brand-new World Wrestling Federation Champion, tonight!

MCMAHON: Personally, I think there’s very little chance of that happening. Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, World Wrestling Federation President Jack Tunney!

(The camera cuts to an obviously pre-recorded promo from Tunney, who is seated at a table in an office with black-and-white pictures of wrestlers on the walls behind him)

JACK TUNNEY: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As president of the World Wrestling Federation, it is my duty to organize the most entertaining events and matches for the WWF fans to see. With this in mind, I have two announcements that concern upcoming happenings this summer. My first announcement concerns the WWF’s newest pay-per-view event. On August 28th, the World Wrestling Federation will hold an event which I am dubbing Summer Slam. I encourage all of our fans to call their local cable provider and order this sure-to-be-exciting show. My second announcement concerns the state of the Undisputed WWF Championship. Starting next week, a tournament will be held featuring eight of the top superstars in this company to determine the next challenger to the World Wrestling Federation Champion, “the Dragon” Ricky Steamboat. [4] The first-round matches will be as follows: Jake “the Snake” Roberts will take on the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. Don Muraco will face Greg Valentine. “The Macho Man” Randy Savage will face off against “Ravishing” Rick Rude. And finally, the Junkyard Dog will go one-on-one with the One Man Gang. The four winners of these matches will then advance to the second round, and the winners of those matches will face one another in the final match, which will take place on an upcoming Friday Night’s Main Event. The winner of that match will receive an Undisputed WWF Championship match against Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat at Summer Slam. The first two matches will happen next week. Good luck to all the superstars involved, and may the best competitor win. Now, on with the show.

-opening to WWF Superstars of Wrestling, aired on May 21st, 1988

WWF Championship Match Tournament bracket
1st Round: Ted DiBiase vs. Jake Roberts
1st Round: Greg Valentine vs. Don Muraco
1st Round: Randy Savage vs. Rick Rude
1st Round: Junkyard Dog vs. One Man Gang
Semifinal: TBD
Semifinal: TBD
Final: TBD

---

May 30, 1988

WWF
The WWF … (has) already sold most of its ads for the whole year, and they’re getting worried about what’s going to happen now. An ad they ran in Electronic Media magazine recently stated they were in the top 5 Nielsen-rated shows every week for four straight weeks, which only Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy can also claim. That’s actually only still a slight lie – there was one week where they were #6.

Hulk Hogan is reportedly spending time with his family after the birth of his first child – a baby girl named Brooke, as we stated last week. Still no word on when he’ll be returning.

Just to let you know the type of person Ricky Steamboat is: back in April, you may remember a story I wrote about visiting Steamboat’s gym in Charlotte to buy some t-shirts. And lo and behold, the guy at the desk tells us he just closed up before we got there. Well, guess what I got in the mail last week? That’s right: a couple of Steamboat gym t-shirts. [5]

Terry Taylor may be getting a gimmick when he debuts soon, but there’s no word on what it might be.

Owen Hart will be making his debut soon as a babyface. Early word is they will be associating him with Bret, and maybe Neidhart, in some shape or form. [6]

Wrestlers are now working 10 days on, 3 days off.

Not much word yet about the tournament to crown a new challenger to the WWF Title, but the early favorites to win are Savage and DiBiase …

Steve Blackman, a WWF jobber, recently got a win over Sam Houston on one of the matches taped for Superstars. Steamboat is reportedly friends with him backstage and is lobbying for Vince to use him on TV.

NWA
Big Bubba Rogers has quit in a dispute over pay … With Sting’s departure and now this, this writer expects Crockett to start trying to push some of the Mid-South guys they haven’t been using much.

AWA
I survived an AWA ESPN taping. Just barely. There is no question in my mind that the AWA is the worst promotion of any significant proportion after viewing “The Night of Wrestling Hell”, the 5/14 taping at the Showboat Training Center before 400 fans. A whole group of us decided to go at the last minute, mainly to see Riki Choshu’s first wrestling appearance in the U.S. in nearly six years. Actually, it was just an excuse to write off Choshu’s honeymoon in Las Vegas, and he wrestled with about as much effort as someone who was on their honeymoon. And he was still better than just about everybody on the card … Four of the advertised five matches didn’t take place, and there were six no-shows. [7]

The Nasty Boys have been fired.

It stinks that the AWA are billing Choshu as “Shoshi”. But then again, I half-expected Verne to misspell his name as “Cho Shoe”.

Dallas Paige (sp) is still one of the most over guys on the roster, and one of the best promos. Too bad he’s head and shoulders below Jesse Ventura …

I will say one positive thing about (Madusa) Miceli: she has a lot of charisma and gets a lot of reaction from everything she does, even though most of the time she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing. She has potential to be an awesome valet, though.

WCW
Reports on the 5/11 show where Jerry Lawler won the title have been promising. 6,200 fans attended, and the gate drew almost $90,000. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s phenomenal for an upstart company.

STAMPEDE
Lots of Stampede fans are really worried about the future of the company now that Owen is headed to the WWF, but they’ve always done okay whenever he headed to Japan to tour. He was always very over with the live crowd, but he wasn’t a huge draw.

They’re setting up a Chris Benoit/Johnny Smith feud over the Continental Title. Benoit will be gone by July for a New Japan tour.

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[1] Hulk Hogan’s daughter is born in early May 1988, as OTL, but whether or not she’ll get involved in the business remains to be seen…

[2] IOTL, of course, it was named Summerslam (one word).

[3] Again, Ventura thumbing his nose at the boss without getting in trouble for it, as he did best at this time!

[4] I know what some of you out there are saying: “But Vince McMahon hates tournaments!” He agrees to this one for numerous reasons. First off, the primary reason McMahon soured so much on tournaments IOTL in the first place was because of the lukewarm reception of Wrestlemania IV, which featured a huge tournament for the WWF Title (which never happens ITTL); second, it’s at the center of a storyline that he really likes. There’s another reason, too, but I won’t spoil it here…

[5] This sounds like something I’d make up for the narrative, but no—all of it is as OTL. Nice guy, that Steamboat!

[6] They didn’t do this IOTL, of course, opting to give Owen a bumbling superhero gimmick called “The Blue Blazer” (which I’m actually very glad they went with instead of their other name, “The Cheetah Kid”), and opting not to mention Owen’s real name or any connection whatsoever with his brother Bret. Here, since Bret and the Hart Foundation are a much bigger deal, Vince makes the choice to debut Owen under his real name, smelling the chance to make more money.

[7] This all comes nearly word-for-word from the OTL 5/23 Wrestling Observer Newsletter, except the attendance number is quite a bit worse than OTL.

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I'm back, folks! I hope you're all ready for a flurry of new updates in the near future!

As the WWF rolls toward a new PPV and a new challenger for Steamboat, Owen Hart is looking towards his future in the WWF, and Sting and Big "Not the Boss Man" Bubba Rogers are forcing JCP to look toward the future as well. Also, the AWA are suffering; how much longer can Verne Gagne hold on?

Coming soon: the beginnings of the #1 contender's tournament for the WWF Championship, and the NWA is under new ownership...

 

[The Walkman]

May 28, 1988

On an episode of Superstars of Wrestling, the tournament to crown a new #1 contender to Ricky “the Dragon” Steamboat’s WWF Championship begins. The first match of the tournament sees Jake “the Snake” Roberts facing off with “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. After about six minutes of back-and-forth action, Roberts manages to gain the upper hand and sets up for the DDT. However, Rick Rude’s music suddenly plays, distracting and infuriating Roberts. Rude appears in the aisle, smirking at Roberts, who tries to goad Rude to come down to the ring. Instead, the distraction is enough for DiBiase to recover enough to lock Roberts in the Million Dollar Dream. Roberts fights valiantly, but in the end, his arm is dropped three times by the referee, who awards the match to the Million Dollar Man, and Ted DiBiase advances to the second round.

After a squash match which sees Bad News Brown decimate jobber Mike Richards (with an inset promo from Paul Orndorff challenging Brown to a match), the second match of the tournament takes place, with “Macho Man” Randy Savage taking on Rick Rude. Several minutes go by with neither man getting the upper hand, but after Bobby Heenan manages to trip Savage from the outside, Rude gets in several cheap shots. Rude starts to go for the Rude Awakening, but all of a sudden, Jake Roberts’ music hits, and Rude’s archrival comes marching down to the ring, carrying a huge sack over his shoulder—quite a bit larger than the sack used to contain his Burmese python, Lucifer. Bobby Heenan attempts to stop Roberts, only to get a stiff punch to the jaw that knocks him down. As Rude looks on, Roberts opens the bag and dumps it onto Heenan, revealing a giant reticulated python at least 18 feet long. The snake will later be identified as “Damien”, Lucifer’s “big brother”. [1] As Heenan screams and tries to get away from the snake, Rude looks on, horrified for his manager. The distraction of the snake proves enough for Savage to knock Rude down with a clothesline, then climb to the top rope for a flying elbow drop, which is enough to keep Rude down for a 3-count, allowing Savage to advance to the second round.

After a quick match between Steve Blackman and Sam Houston, the first of several vignettes hyping the upcoming debut of Owen Hart, and a tag team match which sees Team Victory put away two jobbers, Roberts has an interview with Gene Okerlund in which he says he wants to fight Rick Rude, and he wants him in a match with no count-outs, no disqualifications, and no rules. Roberts challenges Rude to a steel cage match, and if he doesn’t get his wish, “I know where to find Bobby Heenan, and so does my friend Damien…” Soon afterward, Rude will accept Roberts’ challenge for a cage match at Summer Slam.

WWF Superstars of Wrestling results, airdate 5/28/1988
WWF Championship Match Tournament 1st Round Match: “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase (w/ Virgil) def. Jake “the Snake” Roberts (w/ Cheryl Roberts) (5:10)
Bad News Brown def. Mike Richards (0:52)
WWF Championship Match Tournament 1st Round Match: “Macho Man” Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) def. “Ravishing” Rick Rude (w/ Bobby “the Brain” Heenan) (7:21)
Steve Blackman def. Sam Houston (w/ Ron Bass) (1:35)
Team Victory (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) def. Barry Horowitz & Dave Wagner (1:58)

---------------------------------

ANNOUNCER: Who…is…Owen Hart?

(These words appear on the screen before abruptly cutting away to Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart standing in front of a blue background while upbeat music plays)

JIM NEIDHART: Oh, baby, you’re asking me who Owen Hart is? Owen’s my brother-in-law, but I love him like he’s my own flesh and blood! And I’ll tell you something else: Owen may be the most athletic and breathtaking wrestler I’ve ever seen! When he gets in that ring, baby, you better watch out, because you’re gonna walk out a weaker, humbler man! (laughter)

ANNOUNCER: Who…is…Owen Hart?

(The camera shows a blue cape with Owen Hart’s name emblazoned on it in shocking pink letters; we can’t see who’s wearing it, but it’s implied that it’s Owen himself)

OWEN HART (offscreen): All you troublemakers better watch your backs! Because soon, I’ll be coming to the WWF to wipe out any trouble I find!

-

ANNOUNCER: Who…is…Owen Hart?

(These words appear on the screen before abruptly cutting away to “Leaping” Lanny Poffo standing in front of a blue background while upbeat music plays)

LANNY POFFO: Owen Hart is a man on a mission / He flies through the air like a bird! / And to take very lightly, a man quite so sprightly / Would certainly be too absurd! / So I welcome my friend to the WWF / And a brief word of warning to all / If an unlucky man takes on Owen today / Then that man will certainly fall!

ANNOUNCER: Who…is…Owen Hart?

(The camera shows the bright blue and pink cape with Owen Hart’s name on it; this time it’s zoomed out a little more, and we see a faint glimpse of the back of Owen’s neck)

OWEN HART: Very soon, I’ll be landing in the WWF! And if any hoodlum tries to stand in my way, it won’t be pretty!

-

ANNOUNCER: Who…is…Owen Hart?

(These words appear on the screen before abruptly cutting away to Bret Hart, wearing the Intercontinental Title belt around his waist, standing in front of a blue background while upbeat music plays)

BRET HART: Who is Owen Hart? Owen is my little brother. And trust me, I’m more excited than anyone else that my own baby brother is coming to the World Wrestling Federation! But I’m not gonna be the kind of big brother who’s breathing down his little brother’s neck, no way—I know good and well that Owen can take care of himself! So everyone out there better watch out. The real hero of the Hart family is coming very soon!

ANNOUNCER: Who…is…Owen Hart?

(The camera shows a full-body shot of Owen Hart, his back turned to the camera as he holds his bright blue and pink cape up with his outstretched arms)

OWEN HART: Bret, my brother, I love you more than anything. And trust me when I say, if I find any nasty business in the WWF, I’ll be ready to make the Hart family proud, and take it down with everything I’ve got!

-Three vignettes for Owen Hart, aired between May 28th and June 25th, 1988

June 6, 1988

WWF
Early reports are that Owen Hart will have his official debut match at Summer Slam. Several vignettes have begun airing hyping his debut …

Reportedly, Terry Taylor has turned down the gimmick they wanted to use for him, so they’ve approached Curt Hennig to see if he wants to use it instead once he debuts. No word on what that gimmick actually is, however …

Another episode of Friday Night’s Main Event will air on 6/17 on NBC. In addition, the network has ordered another Saturday Night’s Main Event to air in July … Both shows will be hyping the upcoming matches for Summer Slam, possibly with the finals of the No. 1 Contender’s tournament (which is heavily rumored to be Savage vs. DiBiase) being held on the July show.

NWA
… There is a possibility that the NWA could be under new ownership. As has been widely rumored for weeks, a deal was proposed by the Crockett organization which would sell the majority of the company to Turner Entertainment. The deal is, as of this writing, before the Acquisitions Committee of Turner, and we should know in a week whether or not it is approved. This writer has been told that Turner will be buying the stock of David, Frances, and Jackie Crockett, but not Jim, who will be kept around as the general manager of the company and run day-to-day operations. Turner will handle the promotions, public relations, and other business activities. If the deal doesn’t go through, the NWA is going to be at a major crossroads this summer. Business-wise, things simply cannot continue to be run as they have been for this group to stay solvent. This is no longer speculation; it’s fact. Things HAVE to change. There are wrestlers that are owed unimaginable sums of money, and gate receipts and pay-per-view buys alone aren’t going to cut the mustard anymore.

WCW
Booking for the company is being handled mostly by Lawler and Jarrett, who appear to be bouncing ideas off one another reasonably well. As we’ve all seen in the past, though, a champion who books himself is almost always a bad thing …

STAMPEDE
With Owen Hart gone, Chris Benoit is definitely the best worker in the promotion right now. His matches have been absolutely dynamite.

OTHER
Roddy Piper is said to be doing alright in Hollywood. “Buy and Cell” is said to be garbage [2], but “They Live” is getting pretty good reviews. If it continues to do well, Piper will keep his three-movie deal with John Carpenter. If not, he may return to wrestling.

June 9, 1988

Jim Crockett Jr. slowly tapped his pen as he waited for the answer from the man across the table from him. The future of the company that his father had founded more than fifty years ago now was in the hands of one of the richest men in America. He couldn’t help but be nervous at this moment. He wasn’t holding his breath, but he might as well have been.

The face across from Crockett was still reading the papers that contained, quite literally, the future of Jim Crockett Promotions. All of a sudden, the man smacked the stack of papers on the desk with a loud noise and looked up at Crockett. “It’s all settled!” exclaimed Ted Turner, a wide smile across his mustached face. “We at Turner Entertainment are extremely excited to have your company under our wing now, Jim.”

Jim Crockett felt like an elephant had been lifted off his shoulders. This was it—the shares that his younger siblings had in Jim Crockett Promotions now belonged to Ted Turner and his company. He would still stay on as JCP’s general manager, however, so in a way, it was like he wasn’t losing his company—just sort of transferring the financial aspects of it to someone else.

“I’m really lookin’ forward to this, Jim,” said Turner as he rose from his seat. “Y’know, back when you ran that free show on the same day as Wrestlemania, I’ll admit I was upset. I make money off those ‘pay-per-view’ events, too, y’know.” [3]

Crockett shrugged. “Well, it, uh, seemed like a good idea at the time…” he replied sheepishly. “McMahon is my competition, after all, and…”

Turner just held his hand up. “No need to apologize, Jim—it’s all in the past. Myself, I like to focus on the future—the future of this great company!” He began to walk to the other side of the room, where a chalkboard was hanging on the wall. “Now, my first idea of this company concerns its name.”

“Jim Crockett Promotions?” Crockett asked, slightly confused. “Well, obviously, that’s gonna change, now that you…”

“Not that,” Turner said. He grabbed a piece of chalk and began to write the letters ‘NWA’ across the board. “NWA…the National Wrestlin’ Alliance. It dates back a long time, from what I’ve heard?”

Crockett nodded. “Yep, I think it was started in…1948 or 49?” [4]

“Forty years of history,” Turner said matter-of-factly. “But ‘National Wrestlin’ Alliance’ just…doesn’t sound like a company that can go head-to-head with the World Wrestlin’ Federation and Worldwide Championship Wrestlin’. We need a catchy name that’ll draw in viewers…and I’ve got just the one.”

With that, Turner began to write under each letter, until the words “Nonstop Wrestling Action” read vertically on the board. “Nonstop. Wrestlin’. Action. Think about it—it’s like a whole new generation of wrestlin’!”

Crockett’s stomach dropped a little bit. He was current acting president of the National Wrestling Alliance, and changing the name of this illustrious company seemed a little sacrilegious. Over the next half hour or so, Turner continued to try and convince Crockett about how strongly he felt about the name change from “National Wrestling Alliance” to “Nonstop Wrestling Action”—first being applied to the NWA’s weekly television show, and for it to eventually become the name of the company itself. Maybe it was Turner’s charisma, maybe it was his enthusiasm for helping the company compete against Vince McMahon and the Jerrys, or maybe it was the fact that Crockett was just tired of hearing Turner talk. Whatever the reason, in the end, Crockett agreed to the change.

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[1] The debut of this larger snake was foreshadowed back in Post #55, and also as alluded to, the snake bears the name of Roberts’ usual pet snake IOTL.

[2] As OTL—I can’t even find much about this film on Wikipedia!

[3] Turner is referring to Crockett running Clash of the Champions for free on USA head-to-head with Wrestlemania 4, an event that happened in both TTL and OTL.

[4] The former is correct.

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Happy new year, everyone! It’s great to finally be back!

A bit of explanation about my absence, for those of you who care: back around late July, I started suffering from some pretty severe weight-related health issues, and a particularly scary trip to the doctor. I put most of my focus into getting into semi-decent shape, putting my writing, my presence most places online, and several other things on the backburner. While I’m still not quite at my target weight, I’m very pleased to say that I’ve lost about 50 pounds, and currently feel a lot better than I’ve felt in a long time. This timeline has been on my mind a lot, however—I’ve got loads of post-it notes about it on my desk as we speak—and I always intended on coming back to it! Thank you to everyone who has kept on reading and commenting on this timeline. I will be back to updating regularly again very soon!

Coming up: the tournament in the WWF continues, and we see how the newly created “Nonstop Wrestling Action” will kick off its new era with Great American Bash ’88. Also, an unlikely foe rises to at least try to retaliate against Ted Turner.