The Name on the Marquee: WWF Wrestling Challenge – December 1987

Man, it feels like forever since we’ve visited Wrestling Challenge. When we last left off, all roads led to Survivor Series, and now that we’re done, it’s time to do…you know, other things.

-Originally aired December 6, 1987.

-We’re in Omaha.

-Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan. The Federettes are gone now, but Bobby’s neckbrace is back!

-And just because Bobby’s injury has put Gorilla in such a good mood, we’re starting off by watching Hulk Hogan snapping the neck on Saturday Night’s Main Event.

RAVISHING RICK RUDE vs. OMAR ATLAS
-Heenan is too injured to join his man at ringside, and it immediately shows consequences as Atlas rolls up Rude for a two-count as the entrance music is still playing. Rude comes back with forearms as Gorilla hypes the Slammy Awards, where Rude is up for the Best Body Award. I’m sorry to report I don’t have this, so no recap is coming. Wait…should I actually be sorry about this?

-Rude faceplants Atlas and clamps him in the body vice for the submission. We go to the broadcast table, where Bobby Heenan squishes a Paul Orndorff stretch doll to illustrate how things will turn out for that feud.

SPECIAL REPORT WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-Ted DiBiase has announced that he’s planning on buying the WWF Heavyweight Title from Hulk Hogan. Jack Tunney is not speaking on the matter until his staff has researched the legal ramifications of such a purchase.

JAKE “The Snake” ROBERTS vs. BARRY HOROWITZ
-Horowitz threatens to stomp Damien. Jake goes to move Damien out of harm’s way and Barry attacks from behind. Pretty smart for a jobber. Gorilla reminds us that Damien is up for a Slammy Award as Jake suddenly clotheslines Horowitz and DDTs him right away. That’s pretty unusual for a Jake squash, but it’s over in about a minute and Barry appears to be legitimately afraid of snakes, as he “wakes up” and bolts out of the ring within seconds.

-Craig DeGeorge talks to the Young Stallions, who want a rematch with the Hart Foundation. Paul Roma promises that they’ll use all four of their hands for that encounter. You know, if you weren’t doing that before, it might explain the win-loss record.

-Craig DeGeorge, hardest working announcer in the business, talks to Slick. Slick is PISSED about Ted DiBiase’s announcement because it’s not fair to the One Man Gang & Butch Reed to do that. We go back to the broadcast team, and even Bobby Heenan doesn’t like it.

-Jesse Ventura interviews Greg “The Hammer” Valentine…So a funny thing happened over in the NWA. Ole Anderson left the Four Horsemen and a new guy named Lex Luger came in. Lex was getting more and more over by the day and it suddenly dawned on the powers-that-be over there that if they turned him face, he’d be a huge, huge star. The problem with that, though, is that you can’t have a faction called the Four Horsemen with only three guys, so they needed a new fourth man ready to go for after Lex turned…and they decided they wanted Greg Valentine. And Greg was actually pretty damn interested in jumping ship, because after 2 ½ years of mid-card tag teaming, he was bored in the WWF. Vince, I suspect, was more concerned with cockblocking the NWA than he was with actually keeping Greg happy, but he responded by immediately splitting up the Dream Team and pushing Greg as a singles star again. So anyway, Greg introduces “his big surprise,” the man who brought him the Intercontinental Title & the Tag Team Title (which isn’t true, but whatever), Jimmy Hart.

-We go to highlights of a Valentine-Beefcake match from “Superstars of Wrestling,” where Jimmy keeps distracting Brutus and Brutus keeps falling for it. Things erupt into a brawl until the referee gets KOed. Jimmy tries to attack Brutus with the hedgeclippers. Brutus catches him, but that’s okay because Greg is able to sneak up and trap Brutus in the figure four.

-Craig DeGeorge talks to Sensational Sherri, who declares herself the greatest Ladies Champion of all time.

KING HARLEY RACE vs. JERRY ALLEN
-Knees and a belly-to-belly by the King. He drops an elbow and slams Allen. Piledriver follows, and then a double-underhook suplex by Race. Cradle suplex finishes.

SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-And whenever Craig’s not on camera, everybody should be asking, “Where’s Craig?” His guests are Sam Houston & Danny Davis. They exchange taunts until Danny slaps Houston’s hat off his head, and that leads to a brawl.

“The Rock” DON MURACO vs. PETE SANCHEZ
-The commentators are still talking about Ted DiBiase’s announcement until Butch Reed steps in to threaten to put Muraco outta business the same way he turned Billy Graham into Granny Powder, suckah!

-There was a match happening during all that, and Muraco wins it with the piledriver, not dedicated to anybody.

“DEMOLITION”
-It’s the eponymous music video, featuring a lot of stock footage of b-movie explosions, and footage from squash matches. And that’s really all you need. The editing crew did a great job of selecting the more hard-hitting offense from their bouts, so these guys just look like total badasses.

HART FOUNDATION (with Jimmy Hart) vs. SIVI AFI & SCOTT CASEY
-Anvil faceplants Casey and rams him into the turnbuckles. Clothesline misses and Anvil is so frustrated that he just drops Casey down and chokes him. Afi comes in and tries for a bodypress, but he gets caught in a powerslam. Bret hammers Afi and piledrives him. Bret strangles Afi with the tag rope as Bobby Heenan complains that he’s worked too damn hard with his men for some guy to just waltz in and steal the WWF Title.

-Harts continue to dominate Afi before finishing him off with the Hart Foundation. Pretty surprising considering they were going up against two guys who usually got some offense in.

-Craig DeGeorge talks to a new tag team combo in the WWF, Koko B. Ware & Junkyard Dog. Damn, this didn’t last long.

-Onto next week for now…No, wait, let’s do this, first…

“WWF PRIME TIME WRESTLING”
-Originally aired December 7, 1987.

-Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan. Taking a page from the “Password” playbook, they’ve added a giant Slammy Award to the set. Bobby Heenan complains about the taping starting late because one of the squirrels living inside the camera died, and Gorilla & the crew lose it.

BRUTUS “The Barber” BEEFCAKE vs. GREG “The Hammer” VALENTINE (with Jimmy Hart)
-Oh, how fun! It’s the complete version of the match that we only got highlights of earlier! Valentine attacks before the bell and snapmares him. Forearm shots and punches by Valentine. Beefcake fights back with an Irish whip and a clothesline. Bodyslam and a stomp by Brutus. He sends Valentine into the turnbuckle and chops him down. He misses an elbow and Valentine hammers him down. Valentine goes upstairs, but gets Flair-slammed.

-Rapid-fire punches by Beefcake, and he starts to work the leg for some reason. Backdrop is countered by Valentine and he tries for the figure four immediately. Beefcake shoves him off, then goes after Jimmy Hart for trying to pilfer the clippers. Jimmy goes for them again and Brutus goes after him, so Valentine attacks from behind and tries for the figure four. Beefcake kicks him away and goes after Jimmy Hart as we take time out for a break.

-Back from the commercial, Valentine attacks Beefcake from behind and a slugfest erupts. The referee gets wiped out pretty good in the midst of it. Brutus suddenly applies the figure four and Jimmy takes one more crack at getting his hands on the clippers. He actually gets them this time and sneaks up on Beefcake, but Beefcake is ready for him and tosses the Mouth onto the floor. Valentine attacks from behind and applies the figure four. Referee is still out, so Valentine keeps it applied for a good long time. Beefcake crawls over to the clippers and Valentine freaks out & releases. The referees have to keep everybody separated as The Fink announces the double-disqualification. Jimmy declares, “We’ll get you, baby!”

-Bobby is pissed that Brutus gets a round of applause as he’s helped from the ring by the referees, but nobody applauded when Bobby needed help. Gorilla is more concerned about the condition of Beefcake’s lateral collateral ligaments, surprising nobody.

-We take another look at Saturday Night’s Main Event, where Bobby Heenan caused Hulk Hogan to lose a match by count-out and then immediately paid for it.

SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-Again, we backtrack a little bit, as Craig’s guest is Ted DiBiase, who has a major announcement. He recounts some of his heinous acts of spending power to establish that everybody has a price. It’s important to note that, he says. EVERYBODY has a price. Everybody, dammit. And everybody would include Hulk Hogan. Craig’s voice suddenly sounds uncannily like Jimmy Stewart as he asks what DiBiase is hinting at. DiBiase spells it out. He’s buying the WWF Heavyweight Title.

-Bobby Heenan calls Jack Tunney to try to figure out of it’s even possible to buy a title.

JERRY ALLEN vs. “Duke of Dorchester” PETE DOUGHERTY
-Gorilla’s a little puzzled, since the Duke made such a big deal about his retirement at the last go-around in Boston. Standing wristlock turns into a hammerlock by Allen. Duke snapmares free and tries a side headlock, but Allen turns it back into a hammerlock and rolls Duke while holding onto it for a two-count. Single-leg takedown into a stepover toehold as a “Duke!” chant erupts in the Boston Garden.

-Duke traps Allen in headscissors as Gorilla congratulates Dougherty on his 2-5,281 record in the WWF. They stay with the headscissors so long that Gorilla gets bored and talks about Duke’s dye job and tattoos. Allen gets free and traps Dougherty in a stepover toehold of his own, which gives Gorilla pause to contemplate the effect on the lateral collateral ligaments.

-Half-crab by Duke as the “Duke!” chant goes up again. Single leg takedown by Allen to turn the tide, and he goes for a stepover toehold. Dougherty makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Allen pulls him away…and he…applies…a stepover toehold. Dougherty makes the ropes, then goes to the eyes. Gorilla is just BORED by this match as Dougherty bites Allen. Gorilla amuses himself by citing the precise chapter and column of the WWF rulebook that covers biting.

-Duke goes to the top and gets Flair-slammed. Legdrop by Allen gets two. Bodyslam and an elbow by Allen. Both men suddenly get fired up and Dougherty shoves the referee down during all the mayhem, and that gives the win to Jerry Allen. The crowd is booing that, but I can’t tell if it’s the shitty finish or Jerry Allen. Match was awful, listening to Gorilla trying to amuse himself made it tolerable.

-Bobby Heenan keeps getting Jack Tunney’s answering machine, making him angrier and angrier.

-Gene Okerlund talks to Ravishing Rick Rude. He maintains that Paul Orndorff was about to get fired from the Heenan Family and blames Gene for tipping Paul off so he could unload Bobby and save face.

-Bobby Heenan speculates that after nearly four years of title defenses and constant travel, Hulk is probably pretty tired of being champion, so the chance to set himself and his family financially for life is probably pretty enticing.

DINO BRAVO (with Johnny V) vs. BRADY BOONE
-Dino outmuscles Boone on the lock-up, then shoves him into the ropes. Forearms and chops by Dino as Dick already declares this to be a pier six brawl. Boone reverses a clothesline attempt, then shoulderblocks Dino and catches him with a flying bodypress for two. Dropkick gets another two. Crowd is really into Boone, by the way.

-Armbar is clamped on by Boone. Bravo gets to his feet and Boone switches to a wristlock. Bravo reverses to a hammerlock, but Boone flips free, then trips him up with a drop toehold. He keeps working the arm until Bravo elbows free and chops the back of his neck. Dino follows with a clothesline and then puts the boots to him. Piledriver by Bravo and he could probably finish, but instead he tosses Boone to the floor and Johnny V stomps away before tossing Boone back in. Floor looks a lot cleaner this month, by the way.

-Bearhug by Dino is broken by a lethal hand-clapping. Side suplex by Bravo could finish, but he gets greedy again and misses an elbow. Boone starts throwing kicks and knees. Series of punches and chops, followed by an Irish whip, but Boone misses a charge. Dino hits a side suplex, and, having learned his lesson, he goes for the pin immediately to finish. If nothing else, we saw which of these guys SHOULD have been pushed.

SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-The Sam Houston/Danny Davis brawl from Wrestling Challenge, one more time.

-Bobby Heenan chastises Sam Houston for wearing a hat indoors.

ULTIMATE WARRIOR vs. FRENCHY MARTIN
-Your commentary team for this match: Gorilla Monsoon, Lord Alfred Hayes, and Nick Bockwinkel. Huh. Bockwinkel earns his pay immediately by saying that he looks like “Mr. Hormel overstuffed his sausage.” I once heard Missy Hyatt say that’s how Warrior made a living before he got into wrestling.

-Warrior shoves Frenchy here and there and Frenchy complains about hair pulling. Hiptoss by Warrior. Frenchy tries a clubbing blow, but gets shoved down. He runs out of the ring to rethink his strategy. Back in the ring, Frenchy offers a handshake and gets squeezed. Bodyslam by Warrior, and he drops Frenchy right on his shoulder. Frenchy goes out to the floor and looks like he’s in a shitload of pain, and a clothesline ends very quickly once he goes back inside.

JUNKYARD DOG vs. HERCULES
-We’re joined in progress at Hercules walking off a little pain around the ring before heading back inside. “JYD” chant goes up as the Dog goes to work with headbutts on Hercules while trapping him in the corner. Hercules takes a cheap shot and the impact takes out the referee, but he recovers quickly as Hercules drops a series of elbows on JYD. Dog gets to his feet and fists are traded. Hercules actually wins that battle and gets a two-count. Clothesline gets another two. Hercules lets JYD get to his feet simply to apply a full nelson. Dog forces himself and Hercules into the corner to break the hold and headbutts him to start his comeback. Russian legsweep gets two. Handful of tights by the Dog gets two. Back suplex gets another two and JYD is looking really winded. Sure enough, the moment I type that, Hercules abruptly rolls him up and holds onto the rope for a three-count.

-Bobby Heenan celebrates Hercules’ triumph, then suddenly realizes Jack Tunney hasn’t returned his phone call and gets pissed. Gorilla then turns everything into QVC and gives the WWF Merchandise mailing address, giving all the great fans out there a chance to buy all of the merchandise cluttering the desk.

-Gene Okerlund has a talk with Sensational Sherri, who says all of the stuff that she said in her last promo, but…you know…different.

-Gorilla & The Brain have a weird discussion about the Islanders never getting any title shots because Heenan isn’t willing to spend money like Ted DiBiase. Huh?

BRITISH BULLDOGS vs. BOLSHEVIKS
-Nick Bockwinkel goes into a fascinating dissertation about how the Bolsheviks have the edge going into this match because you can tell from their physiques that their size & power are natural, while the Bulldogs have to depend on a gym for their size & power. Why didn’t they keep this guy around?

-Davey Boy starts with Boris. Side headlock by Boris and he shoulderblocks Davey Boy down, only to run into a Hiptoss and an armdrag. Davey Boy holds on for an armbar. Dynamite comes in and snap suplex Boris before locking in his own armbar. Double headbutts on Boris, and he recovers quickly and applies an arm wringer on Davey. Davey flips & tumbles free, then goes back to work on the arm. In comes Dynamite to do his part. Boris manages to send Dynamite into the corner but misses a charge. Double shoulderblocks by the Bulldogs and Nikolai stops the pinfall with a boot.

-Davey Boy continues working the arm of Boris Morton. Headbutt by Dynamite gets a two-count. Dynamite goes for a headlock and Boris fights to his feet and rams him into the corner. Nikolai finally enters the ring and drops Dynamite with a prehistoric chokeslam. Bearhug by Nikolai as we take a break.

-Back from break, we get a series of two-counts where Boris tries to provide leverage for his partner. Dynamite tries a sunset flip, but Nikolai is too strong for him and chokes him down. Boris clamps on a bearhug. Dynamite gets free, but Nikolai tags in before he can take advantage. Dynamite abruptly rolls him up for two. He tries a sunset flip, but Boris distracts the referee to prevent the count. Falling headbutt by Boris gets a two-count. Abdominal stretch is applied incorrectly by Boris (and I don’t mean in the Gorilla Monsoon sense, I mean he’s actually doing it wrong). Dynamite goes out to the floor and falls victim to a press-backbreaker by Nikolai. It only gets two. False hot tag allows sufficient referee distraction for a double-team, but Nikolai hits his own partner and NOW the Bulldogs’ tag counts. Davey Boy goes to work on both men. Running powerslam on Boris.

-It’s a donnybrook and the Bulldogs get Irish whipped into each other. Dynamite gets tossed to the floor and Nikolai kicks Davey Boy out to the apron. Boris tries to suplex him back in, but Dynamite hooks his leg from the floor and Davey Boy lands on top for the three-count.

-Jack Tunney calls…Gorilla Monsoon, giving the Brain fits. We sign off as Tunney tells Gorilla something important and Heenan desperately tries to listen in.

-Okay, NOW next week.

-Originally aired December 13, 1987.

-We’re still in Omaha.

-Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan. While running down the card for this week, Gorilla tells the Brain, “I have it on good authority that this man is trying to buy the WWF Championship.” Wow, that’s a hot scoop, Gorilla. Did it tip you off when he told you that himself last week?

BAM-BAM BIGELOW (with Oliver Humperdink) vs. BRIAN COSTELLO
-Forearm blows and a snap suplex to start off. Diving headbutt as Gorilla reminds us that Bam-Bam will be playing the sax at the Slammy Awards. Whether it’s true or not, that would explain his entrance music.

-Crescent kick by Bigelow. Costello dodges an elbow, but can’t dodge it the second time. Press slam and a falling headbutt, and Oliver audibly yells “Go home!” Bam-Bam slams him into position, and the slingshot splash finishes.

SPECIAL REPORT WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-Craig examines the awakened feud between Brutus Beefcake & Greg Valentine. Beefcake offers words of vengeance while having his knee examined.

BOLSHEVIKS (with Slick) vs. JIM EVANS & BRADY BOONE
-Volkoff starts with Boone. Boone dropkicks him and gets in a bit of early offense as Gorilla announces that according to his sources, Ted DiBiase has actually approached Hulk Hogan in person and made his formal offer. Slick, meanwhile, is more concerned about reminding us about his impending win at the Slammy Awards.

-Back to the ring, we see that Boone made the fatal mistake of tagging Jim Evans, and Volkoff just mauls him. Zhukov tags in and boots him down. Volkoff re-enters and traps him in a bearhug before turning into a belly-to-belly suplex. Zhukov faceplants Evans from the top rope, and that gets the pin.

-Gene Okerlund returns from Parts Unknown to talk to Mr. Fuji, who declares, “BASIC TRAINING IS OVAAAAAH!” Demolition is ready for the titles.

-HILARIOUS ad for the Slammys. “More ostentatious than the Oscars! More elaborate than the Emmys! It’s a night of hams…and a night of slams!” The Slammy trophy executes a press slam (complete with a Wilhelm-ish scream) as Gene Okerlund invites us to join “Hulk Hogan and all the gang” for the premier sports entertainment awards show.

YOUNG SAM HOUSTON vs. DANGEROUS DANNY DAVIS (with Jimmy Hart)
-Why they felt the need to add “Young” to Houston’s name is a mystery, because anybody can look at this guy’s face and see that he’s 11 years old. Davis pounces at the bell and the match never really gets going, as they get into a fistfight that goes all over the ring and all over the floor. Danny tries his classic strategy of going to the floor and walking around, but Houston follows him out there. The brawl keeps going as Mr. Fuji drops in to complain about Ted DiBiase’s plan to buy the title without giving Killer Khan a shot at the belt.

-So the brawl keeps GOING, as they’re trying to elevate both of these guys by making this feud out to be so much more than it is, and the crowd isn’t buying into it. Jimmy distracts Houston after an accidental elbow shot to the Hebner area, and Danny Davis KOs Houston with the megaphone before rolling back inside to take the win by count-out. Houston gets pissed when he wakes up, and the brawl goes on after the match.

-Gene Okerlund talks to Jimmy Hart about his reunion with Greg Valentine. Jimmy then brings in Honky Tonk Man, who says Peggy Sue is upset about the way that Elizabeth keeps coming onto him.

STRIKE FORCE (Tag Team Champions) vs. STEVE LOMBARDI & DUSTY WOLF
-Good lord, I guess Steve Lombardi is just going to keep working tag team matches against Rick Martel until he gets it right. And he gets off to a good start, sending Martel into the turnbuckles and working the arm, but Martel does some fancy footwork to elude Lombardi’s offense. Lombardi just kicks him in the gut and charges at him, but Martel dodges and hiptosses him. Double tags and Tito wipes out both men as the Hart Foundation promises to take the belts back.

-Back to the ring, Gorilla declares Strike Force to have excellence of execution as Martel works Wolf’s arm. Wolf goes to the eyes. Lombardi charges back in and gets double-teamed. He goes to the eyes too, but Martel handles both opponents with dropkicks. Tito is back with boots and a forearm. Martel catches Wolf with a spinebuster into a Boston crab and Wolf submits immediately.

SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-His guests are Ted DiBiase & Virgil. DiBiase shows off the new WWF Magazine with himself on the cover, which he accomplished, of course, by buying the publisher. He reiterates his plans to buy the title from Hulk Hogan. He acknowledges that Hogan has a high, high price, but he’s ready to meet it. He declares that he’ll be the first Million Dollar Champion when the deal is done. I’ll be darned.

DINO BRAVO (with Frenchy Martin) vs. LEAPING LANNY POFFO
-Yayyyyy, it’s Frenchy! Poffo shames Bravo for being so pompous that even other Quebec natives think he’s a jerk. Bravo unloads on him immediately with stomps and slams as Gorilla & Bobby go to work establishing Bravo’s new strongman persona.

-Bravo works Poffo’s back. Poffo hiptosses him to show a little life. We get some pre-taped words from Frenchy, promising to stand in Bravo’s corner with distinction & dignity. And that’s the last coherent English promo Frenchy Martin ever cut.

-And back to the ring, Dino finishes off Poffo with a back suplex. Frenchy congratulates him with an uncomfortably lengthy hug.

-Craig DeGeorge talks to Koko B. Ware, who is preparing his vocal cords for his big number at the Slammy Awards.

JUNKYARD DOG & KOKO B. WARE vs. BARRY HOROWITZ & TERRY GIBBS
-JYD overpowers Horowitz quickly. Koko dropkicks him as Bobby Heenan promises that the Slammys won’t be as boring as the Country Music Awards. I dare you to argue with that. Jimmy Hart laughs at Koko’s chances at winning a Slammy when he’s competing with the Honky Tonk Man.

-Back to the ring, JYD bodyslams Horowitz as Gorilla Monsoon declares Vince McMahon to be the dark horse in the Slammy Awards, which is stunning because Gorilla was the one guy in the company who never needed to kiss that guy’s ass. Meanwhile, Koko wins things with the ghostbuster.

-Gene Okerlund gives Bobby Heenan credit for all of the success enjoyed by Rick Rude, who proceeds to cut a promo without Bobby. Rick Rude assures us that Paul Orndorff is a stepping stone to Hulk Hogan.

-And this week’s episode is but a stepping stone to next week’s episode.

-Originally aired December 20, 1987.

-We’re in Fort Myers, FL.

-Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan.

YOUNG STALLIONS vs. DAVE WAGNER & RICK RENSLOW
-Powers traps, um, let’s say Renslow…in a hammerlock and elbows him down. (These guys didn’t look alike, why can’t I ever tell them apart?) Powers drop-toeholds Wagner and Roma takes advantage with a legdrop. Double-elbows by the Stallions. They work Wagner’s arm. Jobbers try to double-team Roma, but they crash into each other. Powers comes back in and backdrops Wagner. Dropkick follows. Another one misses. Renslow isn’t able to capitalize and Roma sneaks in with a sunset flip for the abrupt three-count. You guys are supposed to be the stars, Wagner & Renslow are the jobbers! Don’t make every one of your victories look like a fluke!

SPECIAL REPORT WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-Craig is dressed all fancy in a tux to tell us about the Slammy Awards, which may or may not have already aired depending on what city you were watching this in. But if it hasn’t aired yet, here’s Vince to remind you to tune into a night more grandiose than the Grammy Awards!

RAVISHING RICK RUDE (with Bobby Heenan) vs. OUTBACK JACK
-Hey, I’ll be damned! Where ya been, Jack? Rude adds a Jim Halpert face to his striptease for some reason.

-Rude goes right on the offensive with forearms & elbows. Jack gets pissed and hammers Rude, but he runs into a big boot in the corner. Rick Rude reminds us that he’s up for the Jesse the Body Award this weekend.

-Back to the ring, Outback Jack mounts another comeback with a hard smack. Rude is able to catch him mid-charge and lift him up for the body vice to get a quick submission.

-Gene Okerlund talks to Jimmy Hart, who has signed open contracts for the Hart Foundation so they can start the climb up the ladder to the belts again.

BRUTUS “The Barber” BEEFCAKE vs. BARRY HOROWITZ
-Barry gets some early offense in, but Beefcake dodges a punch by strutting. He hiptosses Horowitz and slams him down as Greg Valentine threatens that things are only going to get worse from here for Brutus.

-And ditto Barry Horowitz, who falls victim to the sleeper and gets a haircut shortly after.

-Gene Okerlund talks to Ted DiBiase about his meteoric rise in the WWF. Money talks, and he’s proving it in record time. Ted DiBiase repeats his offer for Hulk Hogan. He’s still waiting for a decision.

-Koko B. Ware tells Frankie about the great time they’re going to have at the Slammy Awards.

“The Natural” BUTCH REED & ONE MAN GANG (with Slick) vs. LEAPING LANNY POFFO & S.D. JONES
-Poffo offers some get-well wishes to Superstar Billy Graham in his poem. Don Muraco offers more vengeful words of wisdom.

-Poffo gets a quick backslide on Reed for two. Jones tags in and Reed hammers him down. Jones topples him with a headbutt and the Gang tags in. Jones makes Gang chase him and it works to his advantage as he works the arm of the Gang. Poffo tags in and does a little of his own stretching and pulling on the arm. Gang is able to take him down and Reed tags in to take advantage. Hot tag to Jones and he headbutts and shoulderblocks Reed. Reed shoves him into the Gang, who drops him easily. Gourdbuster gets the three-count.

SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-Craig’s guest is Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who unleashes the predictable play on “Ho, ho, ho!” before asking Santa to bring him a truckload of lumber for Christmas.

BOLSHEVIKS (with Slick) vs. MIKE RICHARDS & RICKY HUNTER
-Jobbers attack and clear the ring during the Soviet anthem, and that just pisses off the Bolsheviks. They destroy Hunter quickly, and he tags in Mike Richards. Mike suggests having just one contestant go for the Big Deal of the Day instead of two, and he gets his ass rightly kicked for that. Press-backbreaker by Volkoff finishes.

ULTIMATE WARRIOR vs. REX KING
-Warrior shoulderblocks King down a few times. Powerslam follows, and the press slam finishes.

HONKY TONK MAN (Intercontinental Champion, with Jimmy Hart) vs. SCOTT CASEY
-After referring to her for months and months, Honky finally introduces his girlfriend Peggy Sue, and they cut a rug together before the match. Honky excitedly reminds us about the Slammy Awards.

-He beats Casey to and fro for a while. Casey comes back with an arm wringer and a series of punches. Shake, Rattle, & Roll finishes.

-Gene Okerlund congratulates Greg Valentine for his success since signing with Jimmy Hart. Greg declares 1987 to be a big disappointment for him, but Jimmy Hart is going to turn things around here.

-One more week in 1987!

-Originally aired December 26, 1987.

-We’re in Fort Myers, FL.

-Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan.

STRIKE FORCE (Tag Team Champions) vs. RICK GANTNER & TERRY GIBBS
-Tito & Terry trade arm wringers and Tito wins that battle. Gibbs kicks free but gets hiptossed down. Armdrag by Tito and the Strike Force double-teams Gibbs. Gibbs fights back with punches, but Martel catches him with flying headscissors and sends him out to the floor. Back in, Gibbs connects with a forearm and tags in Gantner. Gantner gets double-teamed. Martel ends up in the wrong corner and now the jobbers do some double-teaming. Tito tags in and clears the ring. Hiptoss by Tito. Martel powerslams Gantner and locks in the Boston crab for the submission.

SPECIAL REPORT WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
-We go to Superstars of Wrestling, where Hulk Hogan formally answers Ted DiBiase’s offer. The family would be taken care of and he could relax. He could also give some of the cash to “the teeny-weeny Hulksters who need help, and the other Hulksters who, mentally, aren’t right on the money.” He actually says this.

-Hulk takes off his belt and teases forfeiting the title, but then screams “HELL NO!” and tells Ted DiBiase to come and get it if he wants it so much.

-Gorilla & The Brain react to Hogan’s announcement. Heenan is predictably pissed about Hogan’s stupidity, even though he’s spent the past month being angry at DiBiase for making the offer in the first place. Oh, whatever, he’s the Brain.

“The Million Dollar Man” TED DIBIASE (with Virgil) vs. SIVI AFI
-DiBiase goes to town on Afi with chops and a hiptoss. We get pre-taped words from DiBiase, who is surprisingly all smiles. He still plans on getting what he wants.

-DiBiase keeps going to work on Afi, ramming his face into the mat. Backdrop, followed by an elbow from the second rope. Series of punches & elbows by DiBiase. Clothesline and the backward falling elbow get…a two-count because Afi’s in an unprofessional mood tonight, but the referee calls for the bell anyway.

-Craig DeGeorge talks to Ravishing Rick Rude (without Bobby Heenan), who says he’s going to have a happy new year because he wants to take down “the big blonde.”

JAKE “The Snake” ROBERTS vs. STEVE LOMBARDI
-Lombardi attacks before the bell with a side headlock and then a snapmare. Jake tries to work the arm, but Lombardi armdrags him. Jake goes to work on the arm again and finally takes control of the match with a series of slams. Kneelift by Jake, but Lombardi goes to the eyes. Jake gets pissed and punches him into Damien’s corner, which scares Lombardi into position for a back suplex. DDT finishes.

-Craig DeGeorge talks to Bam-Bam Bigelow & Oliver Humperdink. They promise to rid the WWF of King Kong Bundy in 1988. Wow…nice work, fellas.

DINO BRAVO (with Frenchy Martin) vs. JERRY ALLEN
-Frenchy tries to cut a promo en francais, but the boos drown him out. Dino shoulderblocks Allen down and catches him in mid-leapfrog for an inverted atomic drop. Hard chops by Bravo, and the side suplex followed by a back suplex to finish.

“The Rock” DON MURACO vs. FRANK DEFALCO
-Muraco chops DeFalco and takes him down with a Russian legsweep. Gorilla actually acknowledges history, but bungles it, noting that Muraco is a former Intercontinental Champion but saying that he beat Pat Patterson for the title. Meanwhile, Slick has some words to say. “Yeah” and “Brother” are among them.

-Muraco slingshots DeFalco into the turnbuckles, and the tombstone finishes.

SPECIAL INTERVIEW WITH CRAIG DEGEORGE
Mr. Fuji cleverly promises that Demolition will demolish everybody in 1988. That’s why he’s a Hall of Famer, folks.

-Sam Houston tells us that he’s made it to the top in the WWF, and he didn’t have to do drugs to do it. Just say no.

BRITISH BULLDOGS vs. ISLANDERS (with Bobby Heenan)
-We jump over to action from WWF Superstars of Wrestling. Matilda chases everybody out of the ring, and Heenan earns his pay with an Olympic dive over the top and onto the floor. With a legitimate neck injury. Heenan angrily goes back inside and Matilda chases him out.

-Heenan demands that “the rabid mutt” be taken away, or else there won’t be a match. The Bulldogs aren’t budging, so the Islanders and Heenan call it a night. Matilda is placed on her platform next to the ring and suddenly Heenan & the Islanders to return to the ring, looking a little more enthusiastic about the match. Heenan begins flashing hand signals at the Islanders while jawing at the referee. The Islanders attack the Bulldogs from behind while Heenan screams at Matilda.

-The Islanders clear the ring, and then grab Matilda and run back to the locker room with her. The Bulldogs chase them, and we have a non-match as the Islanders vanish into thin air and the Bulldogs start searching the arena for their beloved mascot.

-Back to live action, as Gorilla Monsoon notes that Bobby Heenan has conveniently disappeared from the broadcast table.

-Jimmy Hart promotes the new WWF Magazine, with an article about the Honky Tonk Man’s title reign.

RANDY “Macho Man” SAVAGE (with Elizabeth) vs. JERRY GRAY
-Savage is a house of fire right away, with shoulderblocks and elbows. Gray tumbles out to the floor and Savage brings him back in with force. Kneelift by Gray to turn the tide as Honky Tonk Man & Peggy Sue taunt their nemeses.

-Savage comes back just like you knew he would, tossing Gray to the floor and meeting him out there with an axehandle from the top. Back inside, bodyslam sets up the big finish, and the flying elbow wins it.

-Craig DeGeorge talks to Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, who has a newfound sense of direction thanks to his new manager. He buries Johnny V for being a bad manager, then shockingly buries Dino Bravo for being a bad partner.

It’s been a wild and crazy year, hasn’t it? Here’s Game Show Utopia.

The 411: Again, another good example of the incredible job of the way they found new things for everybody to do in this period. Greg Valentine gets freshened up, Dino Bravo gets freshened up, a faded star-turned-jobber gets a new gig as his manager, and even if the Sam Houston/Danny Davis saga didn't electrify the world, they went for it, ya know? Not only that, but the ball is rolling on an unforgettable main event angle that truly had never been done before. Really fun month.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]