wrestling / Video Reviews
WWF Prime Time Wrestling (4.17.1989) Review
Loading...-Originally aired April 17, 1989.
-Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan. Bobby insists on being introduced as “Maker of Champions” from now on. Gorilla hypes No Holds Barred and Heenan grouses about having the lead role of Rip taken away from him.
HILLBILLY JIM vs. BORIS ZHUKOV
-Zhukov attacks from behind, but Hillbilly is unfazed by the attempted shoulderblocks. Boris stalls for a bit to rethink strategy and Hillbilly simply stomps on his foot and monkeyflips him. Zhukov resorts to taking. Camera shot reveals a stain in an unfortunate spot on Hillbilly’s overalls before the Hillbilly starts working the legs on Zhukov. Zhukov punches him as these guys continue their valiant search for what exactly to do in this match. Hillbilly slams Zhukov and boots him in the face for a sudden three-count.
-Gorilla retells the origin story of Hillbilly Jim, about how he was a fan that Hulk Hogan saw potential in, and Heenan says Hulk saw the man’s size and figured out that Hillbilly could probably carry all of his luggage for him.
UPDATE
-We go back to Wrestlemania V and Bobby Heenan screwing the Warrior out of the Intercontinental Title. We hear words from Rude and Warrior, with the laziest facepaint job I’ve ever seen on him. It looks like he didn’t want to be there so he just wiped some blue paint on his face and got it overwith.
WARLORD (with Mr. Fuji) vs. RICKY ATAKI
-The attempted singles pushes of the Powers of Pain continue. Shoulderblock and a big boot by the Warlord. Clothesline sends Ataki spinning over the top rope. Back in, the running powerslam finishes with ease.
THE ROCKERS vs. DANGEROUS DANNY DAVIS & BARRY HOROWITZ
-Oh, hey, this wasn’t listed on History of WWE, I guess Danny had one more match left in the tank before getting his old bowtie back.
-Rockers clothesline Horowitz down, then slam Davis on top of him and clear the ring with dropkicks. We get words from the Fabulous Rougeaus, picking a new battle with the Rockers because they don’t like anything about them. Rockers keep double-teaming Horowitz while Davis complains to the referee, who’s doing nothing about it. Shawn superkicks Danny off the apron and they finish Horowitz with a Doomsday Device, using a bodypress instead of a clothesline. The always-hip Vince McMahon names the finisher “Trouble in River City.”
JAKE “The Snake” ROBERTS vs. DUSTY WOLFE
-Ted DiBiase drops in and promises that Jake Roberts will pay for embarrassing him at Wrestlemania V. Jake works the arm while Jesse wonders if Virgil is afraid of snakes, because if Virgil isn’t, then it would give DiBiase a huge advantage.
-Dusty slaps Jake and retreats to the apron, and Jake just runs around the referee and clotheslines Dusty right down to the floor. Jake whips him back into the ring and just plants him with the DDT to finish. Hey, a squash match that actually kinda tells a story!
EVENT CENTER
-Ronnie Garvin is here to make money and fight! Rockin’ Robin says that being the WWF Women’s Champion has been “a magic market ride.”
-Superfly Jimmy Snuka is back!
FABULOUS ROUGEAU BROTHERS (with Jimmy Hart) vs. TIM HORNER & JEFF GAYLORD
-Rockers declare likewise that they would like a piece of the Rougeaus. Horner cleans house with dropkicks. Gaylord tags in to be the jobber for this one, as Raymond elbows him down and Jacques comes in to assist with a stomachbreaker. Le Bombe ends le match.
-Another poem from The Genius, full of glory and renown.
KING HAKU (with Bobby Heenan) vs. LOUIE SPICOLLI
-Vince and Jesse mention that Haku has been the king “for a long time now” before we hear from Jim Duggan, saying he’s gunning for Haku next. I gotta say, the post-Wrestlemania booking is not particularly inspired. “Hey, heel, let’s wrestle!” “Here’s my rebuttal! We should wrestle!” Haku finishes with a superkick in seconds.
RED ROOSTER vs. STEVE SHARKEY
-Right now, this episode is just one rung down from having opened with Gorilla and Bobby putting a tape into a VCR and saying “Shall we watch this weekend’s episode of Superstars together?”
-Rooster has his hair styled into a red comb, while Sharkey gets two demerits for not following suit by styling his ass hair into a fin. Rooster slams Sharkey to the mat and drops a knee. Sharkey fights back with forearms, but Rooster rams him into the turnbuckles again and again. Rooster pretty much DDTs him while holding him by the arm, and the chicken wing gets the submission.
TWIN TOWERS (with Slick) vs. STEPHAN DELEON & SCOTT CASEY
-Demolition says that if the Twin Towers want to find them, they live on Elm Street and Freddy Krueger does their gardening. Akeem fat guys all over DeLeon. Boss Man comes in with a Boss Man leg drop and a headbutt. DeLeon gets sandwiched between them, and Akeem celebrates by getting down with his bad self. Air Africa finishes.
BROTHER LOVE
-Brother Love declares that Randy Savage got screwed at Wrestlemania V and he’s the victim of a conspiracy. And that brings out Savage himself, wearing a bandana with his name spelled out in the same font as the logo for The Room. He’s here to announce that he’s DONE with Elizabeth, but not with Hulk Hogan. He went out and found a new manager. One who’s more loyal than Elizabeth and even prettier than Elizabeth!…And yep, it’s the Sensational Sherri. Sherri just cuts a magnificently conceited promo, declaring herself to be more of a woman than Elizabeth, and Vince is just utterly indignant about the assertion.
EVENT CENTER
-Mr. Fuji cuts a promo with just the Barbarian, and although they’re experimenting with him as a single, the green screen background still says “Powers of Pain.” That lack of commitment is probably why this failed. Greg Valentine throws out a challenge to Hulk Hogan.
BUSHWHACKERS vs. TOM STONE & LOU FABIANO
-Bushwhackers whack away at Tom Stone like they have so many other bushes of humanity, until Stone tags in Fabiano. Fabiano, whose back hair is more of a thicket than a bush, but still qualifies for a right proper whacking by these two veteran whackers. Battering ram whacks the veritable bush of chest hair on the torso of Fabiano, ending this onslaught of expert bushwhacking.
EVENT CENTER
-Mr. Perfect declares himself perfect, and Jim Duggan maintains that he’s a tough guy.
-Gorilla Monsoon accuses Bobby Heenan of being jealous because Hulk Hogan gets to star in a movie. Bobby denies it, saying he doesn’t have to be jealous because he got to be on Double Dare. You’re damn right you were, Bobby!
HERCULES vs. BAD NEWS BROWN
-From MSG. Brawl goes to the floor immediately and Hercules ends up getting whipped into the post. Bad News hammers his chest and drags him back into the ring, dropping elbows and targeting the throat. Herc just suddenly comes to life and traps him in a bearhug…well, trap is too strong a word because he leaves the arms free and Bad News rakes the eyes. Herc keeps fighting him off but is struggling to get anything going. Bad News misses a corner charge and suddenly Herc has that “And that’s when I got mad” look on his face.
-Back from commercial, Herc goes nuts with boots to the head until Bad News gets the hell away from him. Herc follows him to the floor and battering rams him into the post. They make it back in and Herc just beats the crap out of him before setting up for the torture rack, but Bad News sees him coming and they both tumble over the top rope and fight it out until they’re both counted out. Crowd was dead but both of these guys showed up with their working boots on tonight.
