WWF Prime Time Wrestling (2.6.1989) Review

-Originally aired February 6, 1989.

-Apparently it’s a two-parter. They’re still on the movie set. Bobby Heenan wants to leave because all the stunts are killing his neck and back, but Gorilla Monsoon plays the Vince Russo card (“You didn’t read the fine print…”) and according to Bobby’s contract, if he walks out on the movie, USA Network will suspend him from Prime Time Wrestling. Just repeat to yourself, “It’s just a show, I should really just relax.”

-Gorilla and Bobby discuss the explosion of the Mega-Powers. Bobby says that Hulk’s been carrying a torch from the day Elizabeth arrived in the WWF and everyone in the locker room knew it.

RED ROOSTER vs. DANGEROUS DANNY DAVIS
-From Los Angeles. Danny Davis grabs the mic and reveals that Bobby Heenan offered him a bonus if he injures the Rooster. Danny suckers Rooster into chasing him, but just gets punched in the face and stalls. Fun fact: If Danny Davis and Larry Zbyszko signed for a match in 1989, experts believe that match would still be going today.

-Danny keeps stalling before catching Rooster off-guard with a slap and kicking him down. Rooster retaliates with a backdrop and an armbar. Davis gets to his feet and breaks free with a short clothesline. A fistfight (or as Rod Trongard calls it, “various and sundry situations”) go Rooster’s way. Danny goes to the eyes but misses a corner charge, and Rooster debuts the chicken wing as his finisher to get the submission. It was okay.

UPDATE
-Gene Okerlund shows us the closing minutes of the Battle for the Crown at the Royal Rumble, “courtesy of Coliseum Video,” which left the entire match off the video release. We re-establish that King Haku is the one true king of the WWF. Bobby Heenan bows down to the reigning king.

-Gorilla and Bobby chat about the match. Bobby says he knew all along that Haku would win, but he instructed Haku to drag the match out a little bit and give Harley Race some offense to save his dignity.

BIG BOSS MAN (with Slick) vs. RICK ALLEN
-From Huntsville, Alabama. Boss Man has a bandage net to his eye and threatens to take it out on the jobber as he enters the ring. Boss Man chokes Allen out, then kicks and slaps him around. Boss Man slam finishes.

-Gorilla gets into a conversation with a drunk movie extra and it goes on forever.

EVENT CENTER
-The Powers of Pain talk about their training regimen of hindu squats and 16-mile runs daily. Hacksaw Jim Duggan talks about his training regimen of freedom and America.

RICK MARTEL vs. “Mister Perfect” CURT HENNIG
-From Hamilton, Ontario. The fact that we’re seeing a Rick Martel match taped in Canada brings up a funny story, as the WWF apparently didn’t realize that Martel’s visa issues weren’t QUITE resolved when they brought him back in early 1989, and in fact he had actually worked some house shows illegally before getting deported back to Canada until everything was smoothed over.

-Commentators put over Hennig’s “flawless record” as they lock up. Hiptoss by Hennig. Martel gives him an elbow to the mush. Slams and a dropkick by a fired-up Martel send Hennig out to the floor. Back in, they criss-cross and Martel armdrags Hennig into an armbar.

-Back from commercial, Hennig with a vicious back suplex and Martel rolls out to the floor to writhe. Hennig works Martel’s neck over the apron, then applies a front facelock. Martel tries a second rope bodypress out of nowhere and crashes, and Lord Alfred basically calls Martel an idiot for doing that move at that moment. Martel starts targeting the legs and that works better, backdropping Hennig as the bell sounds abruptly for a time limit draw. Damn, that was barely ten minutes. Match was good while it lasted, though.

-Bobby films a bar fight and gets up taking a wood chair to the chest and falling through a window. I love how the costume department didn’t even bother with boots for Heenan. He’s wearing sneakers for a western. According to something I’m making up right this second, that’s where Robert Zemeckis got the idea for Back to the Future Part III.

BRUTUS “The Barber” BEEFCAKE vs. RAVISHING RICK RUDE
-From Los Angeles. They take turns stalling and flexing for a spell before agreeing to a test of strength. Then back to stalling. They trade kicks and Beefcake goes to work with right hands in the corner to take over. Forearms and boots by Rude, but Beefcake beefs up and gives him an inverted atomic drop and ten shots to the turnbuckles. Rude tries to run away, but Beefcake drags him back in and applies the sleeper, and the crowd loses its shit, thinking they’re going to see Rick Rude get his hair cut, but Rude makes the ropes and the referee forces the break. Rude goes sliding out to the floor, but Beefcake slides him back in and then slingshots himself over the ropes for a sunset flip. Rude reverses it into his own pinning combo and gets a hold of the ropes to boot, and Rude gets the three-count. Lots of stalling and no flow to this.

-Big John Studd calls out Akeem. This is such an odd out-of-nowhere segment. Big John just pops up and spends 30 seconds saying he wants a match with AKeem, and that’s it.

BROTHER LOVE
-Jake “The Snake” Roberts is here and Brother Love is laughing in his face because Andre the Giant is cured of his fear of snakes. Jake just smirks back at him and opens the bag to reveal Damien, and Brother Love goes running.

-Heenan goes insane and appears to have a real gun, firing it at the director’s feet to make him dance until Gorilla and the director both go running out of there.

-With the director now missing, Bobby takes control of the movie. He tells the villain that he’s now the sheriff, and the villain argues that it doesn’t make any sense because he’s already been shot and killed. Bobby’s directing WCW Thunder, I guess.

SAM HOUSTON vs. BARRY HOROWITZ
-Joined in progress with Horowitz clamping on an abdominal stretch. Kneelift by Horowitz, and Houston ends up on the floor. Houston makes a very gradual comeback and holy SHIT we get a bungled backdrop and there’s no covering that. Horowitz goes for a double underhook and follows with a legdrop for two. Horowitz tries a suplex, but Houston reverses. Horowitz acts quickly, putting on a Boston crab, but Houston powers out of it and uses his legs to thrust Horowitz into the turnbuckles. Yeah, when I think of Sam Houston, I think “leg day.”

-Flying clothesline by Houston gets two. Horowitz throws punches and goes for a powerslam off the ropes, but Houston manages to land on his feet and hits the bulldog for three. Didn’t feel this one.

INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE: ULTIMATE WARRIOR (Champion) vs. KING HAKU
-From Los Angeles. Haku attacks before the bell, but takes a faceful of boot and a bodypress for his efforts. Haku tries going to the eyes, but Warrior shakes it off and drops him. Warrior misses an elbow…but then so does Haku. Warrior misses a charge and crashes to the mat and that looks like it’s going to be Haku’s chance to get some offense…and Haku goes for a nerve hold. We’re two minutes in.

-Thankfully it doesn’t last, and Haku goes into the turnbuckles ten times. Haku fights back with an inverted atomic drop (“reverse piledriver,” according to Rod Trongard) and chops away at Warrior. And what the hell, another nerve hold. Warrior makes it back to his feet, slams Haku down, and tries to finish with a splash, but Haku raises the knees.

-Stomping and choking by Haku, and a goddamn nerve hold. Okay everyone, make a note of what I’m about to say because it’s not something you type every day in a wrestling review…Ultimate Warrior is carrying this match.

-Haku slams Warrior down and tries his own splash, and this time, Warrior raises his knees, which is a nice callback. Faceplant and a series of clotheslines by Warrior. Haku tries to make one last comback, but Warrior reverses a suplex and finally hits the splash to get a three-count and retain. Actually a pretty hot little match.

Gorilla tricks Bobby into climbing up to the roof so the stunt coordinator can set off an explosion that causes Bobby to tumble off.

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

A few highlights here but not many. Even the Gorilla/Bobby stuff was "meh" this week because they used up the jokes last week and continuing it through this episode felt really forced.