The Name on The Marquee: WWF Championship Wrestling (4.26.1986)

-Originally aired April 26, 1986.

-Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Bruno Sammartino. Vince announces that Andre the Giant’s tag team partner for the special challenge match will be Hillbilly Jim.

RICKY “The Dragon” STEAMBOAT & KING TONGA vs. GLADIATOR & STEVE LOMBARDI
-Tonga backdrops Lombardi and hiptosses him around before going to work on the arm. Bodypress by Steamboat gets two. Gladiator tries his luck but eats a barefooted dropkick from Tonga. Stump puller(!) by Tonga, but Gladiator hangs in there, so Tonga tries an atomic drop to work the nadal region, and Steamboat flies off the top rope with a bodypress for three.

UPDATE
-Lord Alfred says that the data is in and more than four million fans watched Wrestlemania 2 on pay-per-view, while two million more watched on closed circuit TV.  We take a look at Refrigerator Perry getting the biggest pop of the night as he heads into battle for the battle royal.

HERCULES HERNANDEZ (with Classy Freddy Blassie) vs. MARIO MANCINI
–Boots and bodyslams by Herc. And then more boots. Herc isn’t giving me much to work with this week. Referee distraction gives Blassie an opening to punch Mancini a few times with the handle of his cane, and then Herc finishes with the backbreaker.

-Gene Okerlund hypes the Boston Garden house show in front of the new house show backdrop. I preferred the blue and gold wall. Mean Gene interviews the British Bulldogs about their bout tonight, and honest to God, Davey Boy looks like he’s gained thirty pounds since Wrestlemania 2. It’s cringe-inducing. Dynamite says Wrestlemania 2 was the toughest night of his life, but they’re ready to give Valentine & Beefcake another chance.

PEDRO MORALES & TITO SANTANA vs. A.J. PETRUZZI & MR. X
-Morales whips and backdrops X. X winds up in position for the pinball spot, but gets himself out of it by gouging Morales’ eyes. Tito tags in and clears the ring immediately. Petruzzi tags in and gets caught in a side headlock immediately. Chinlock by Tito, and AJ breaks it by going to the eyes. Well, at least the jobbers came in with a strategy.

-Morales tags in and lays into AJ with left hands, and Tito finishes with the flying forearm. After the match, Vince receives a note saying that Andre isn’t in the building yet. Vince sounds mildly concerned because that’s supposed to be the next match.

-Gene Okerlund has words with Hoss Funk & Jimmy Hart about the upcoming six-man tag. Weirdness: Gene acknowledges that Nikolai Volkoff is in the room and has to tell him to stop talking because tape is rolling. Hoss says it’s an insult to Jimmy to stick him in the ring against a midget, but they’ll put up with it if it means being rid of the miserable Junkyard Dog for good.

HILLBILLY JIM & TED ARCIDI vs. KING KONG BUNDY & BIG JOHN STUDD
-Andre still isn’t here and nobody can come up with a good reason.  Vince says it’s the first time that Andre has ever missed a commitment. Studd and Bundy complain about the switch while Arcidi gestures that he wants to try for the $15,000.

-Studd talks back to Arcidi about the challenge, and then immediately steps out so Bundy starts the match. Arcidi is so insulted that he steps out, so we’re starting with Bundy and ‘Billy. Bundy clubbers but misses an elbow. Jim Irish whips Bundy, but misses the charge and gets double-teamed in the corner. Studd tags in and tries for a head butt, but Jim, in a spot that I hope he never attempted again, punches his way out of trouble and then does the cop-kicking-down-a-door-and-entering-the-house tumble & roll to the corner to tag in Arcidi. Arcidi goes for the $15,000, but Bundy runs in and they gang up on Arcidi. Studd shoves the referee down during the brouhaha, and that ends the match.

PIPER’S PIT
-Piper interviews the #1 contenders for the tag team gold, the Killer Bees. Brunzell reveals that due to an arm injury, he’s wearing a plaster cast, and Orton immediately begins yelling “Cheaters! Cheaters!” and Piper says Orton has never wrestled a match wearing a cast. Blair thinks Piper has amnesia from all the punches T threw at Wrestlemania 2. Piper gets fired up and demands a fight. Blair and Brunzell say they’d love to fight, so Piper…offers them Cowboy Bob and walks away. Orton is left alone to fight a two-on-one battle. Piper disappears for the next few months, while Ace is left reeling after two weeks in a row of Piper offering him up as a human sacrifice.

JAKE “The Snake” ROBERTS vs. ANDRE MALO
-Vince is still baffled about the other Andre’s no-show and speculates that a flight got canceled. Bruno admits that he can’t think of any other reason that Andre the Giant would ever no-show.

-Jake clamps Malo in a headlock and drags him to the corner to face Damien’s bag while he clamps the hold tighter and tighter. Jake puts the boots to Malo and sweeps the leg, then finishes with the DDT to get the win. Jake drapes Damien over Andre, and the crowd absolutely freaks out.

-WWF Magazine is now on sale! Dick Clark meets the Junkyard Dog and Jesse Ventura reveals his new spring wardrobe!

JUNKYARD DOG & GEORGE “The Animal” STEELE (with Haiti Kid) vs. IRON MIKE SHARPE & DAVE BARBIE
-Steele does his best to out-wacky Iron Mike until Iron Mike goes outside to regroup. Back in, Steele counters an attempted clothesline with a bite. Barbie tags in and Dog tries to do the rolling headbutts. Sharpe trips him and holds on so he can’t do it, so Haiti runs over and bites Iron Mike on the ass. Iron chases him around the ring until he runs into Steele, who beats on him while JYD handles Barbie in the ring.

-Steele tags in, bites Barbie, and tags out. JYD gets trapped in the wrong corner and Sharpe gets the upper hand with the nefarious forearm brace. Barbie comes back in and JYD just immediately shakes off all the damage that Sharpe did and Thumps Barbie for the win.

-Gene Okerlund has words with Valentine, Beefcake, and Johnny Valiant. Valiant complains that there were too many distractions at Wrestlemania 2, like tables and people taking pictures. He promises that the Bulldogs will have the shortest reign in history.

5.2

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

Slightly better week, with the continuing slow burn build-up to two really big angles, but nothing special outside of those segments.