wrestling / Video Reviews

WWF Prime Time Wrestling (4.24.1989) Review

July 11, 2019 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
WWF Prime Time Wrestling Sherri Brutus Beefcake
7.1
The 411 Rating
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WWF Prime Time Wrestling (4.24.1989) Review  

-Originally aired April 24, 1989.

-Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan.

BRAIN BUSTERS (with Bobby Heenan) vs. SCOTT CASEY & SAM HOUSTON
-Odd opener. It’s actually a rerun of the Busters’ debut, with Tony Schiavone and Lord Alfred dubbing new commentary. Casey and Houston were released in the annual post-Wrestlemania blood-letting so I guess they figured a proper burial was in order, even for jobbers.

-Arn starts with Sam Houston and it feels like old times. They trade hammerlock reversals and Arn just levels him with a forearm to take control. Everyone tags and Casey takes control of Blanchard with a backdrop. Blanchard uses handfuls of tights to throw Casey to the floor. Casey slingshots himself back in for a sunset flip, but he doesn’t see Tully make the tag and Arn sneaks in with a boot. Arn slugs it out with both opponents and Houston takes him down with a clothesline. He tries to follow with a monkeyflip but Arn turns it into an inverted atomic drop. Tully tries to capitalize, but gets hiptossed. He tries to follow with flying headscissors, but he’s close enough to the ropes for Arn to clothesline him off Tully.

-Houston reverses a suplex and everyone tags again. Casey unloads on Arn with Polish hammers to the face, but Arn comes back with the spinebuster. Bowling-shoe ugly spot sees the Busters and Casey collectively bungle an attempted pin being broken up, and Tully just calls it a night right there with the slingshot suplex. Unexpectedly back-and-forth match for the Busters’ debut, but I enjoyed it enough that I can’t complain.

-The Wrestlemania V home videocassette comes with a free watch for you to glance at impatiently as you watch Wrestlemania 35.

UPDATE

-Once again, Randy Savage’s new manager is Sensational Sherri.

BLUE BLAZER vs. JOSE ESTRADA

-From Fort Wayne, all the way back in October. Weird moment as Blazer doesn’t get up high enough for a leapfrog and collides with Estrada, foreshadowing the way he’d be legit injured a month later. Armbar by the Blazer, and a dropkick sends Estrada out to the floor. Blazer follows him out with a tope.

-Back in, Estrada targets the stomach with forearms and a headbutt to take over. Chinlock by Estrada as this match continues moving at about 50% speed. Blazer gets a bodypress out of nowhere for two, but Estrada bounces right back and goes to another chinlock. Estrada chokes him over the rope as they somehow found a way to slow this match down even further. Estrada boots Blazer out to the floor, but Blazer heads to the top rope for a bodypress, then dropkicks Estrada and very listlessly just slams/sumps Estrada on the mat. Moonsault finishes. That was unexpectedly dreadful to sit through.

Ho Holds Barred is coming to theaters June 2. And then to home video on June 4.

HONKY TONK MAN (with Jimmy Hart) vs. GENE LIGON
-From Wrestling Challenge. It’s genuinely amazing that Honky’s blue outfit has held up for 30 years.

-Honky faceplants Ligon as Hillbilly Jim drops in and says he wants to fight. In the ring, Ligon throws a few punches but gets himself suplexed. Shake, Rattle, and Roll ends it.

-In the studio, Bobby mentions that he’s managing the current Intercontinental Champion and assures Honky that there won’t be any shame when he ends up being the second-best of all time.

-Superfly Jimmy Snuka is on his way back to the WWF, and likely to season 2 of “Dark Side of the Ring.”

BUSHWHACKERS vs. MAX MCGYVER & JOHN WISE

-From Wrestling Challenge. Wise takes a beating while the Brain Busters drop in and warn that they’re ready to battle anyone, wrestlers or fruitcakes. McGyver tags in and gets his eyes raked. Luke elbows him down, and the battering ram and double gutbuster end it.

EVENT CENTER

-Breaking news to start, as Sean Mooney announces that Slick has now signed Rick Martel. And now to our regularly scheduled promos: Jim Neidhart is ready for singles competition. The Rougeaus explain the secret to success: when they aren’t scheduled to wrestle, they go to bed at 8:30 pm.

MR. PERFECT vs. TIM HORNER

-From Boston, once upon a time way back before Wrestlemania V, so Perfect is wearing his old tights and he’s back to being Curt Hennig again.

-Hennig slams Horner down as Lord Alfred praises his excellence of execution. Horner reverses an Irish whip and makes Perfect glide with a hiptoss. Dropkick sends Perfect to the floor, and the whole sequence looked so good that we go to the instant replay right this second.

-Back in the ring, Horner armdrags Perfect and Perfect just seems completely frustrated by this turn of events. Horner works the arm and Perfect escapes as we pause for a commercial. We return to Perfect getting armdragged and caught in an armbar. Perfect finally escapes from the worst night ever, escaping with knees and suplexing Horner. Alfred Hayes is surprised because he was expecting a Perfect-plex there, which brings up a good point: If you’re Mr. Perfect, why would you even do a regular suplex?

-Dropkick sends Horner out to the floor as my roommate walks in. Roommate isn’t a wrestling fan, no interest in it, but hears the name “Tim Horner” and immediately looks at the TV and says “So this is the guy that Jim Cornette hates?” What a legacy.

-Horner re-enters and connects with rights. Atomic drop and a clothesline that looks so good that Boston applauds, but Horner only gets two with it. Second rope bodypress misses, and the Perfect-plex finishes. I liked this one.

BROTHER LOVE

-Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake comes out and all he wants to talk about is Randy Savage signing an ugly chick like Sherri to be his manager. Brutus suggests that instead of Sensational, all the fans should start calling her Scary Sherri, and he leads the crowd in a “Scary Sherri” chant while Jesse Ventura speculates that Beefcake just plain isn’t into women. Sherri emerges to defend herself from all this, and to be fair, this was totally unprovoked on her part. Beefcake keeps the chant going, so Sherri just gives him a hard slap and stands up for herself. And then Randy Savage emerges with a sneak attack and elbows Beefcake hard enough to knock him out cold. Sherri digs into Beefcake’s bag and pulls out the scissors, and they give him the most kharmic haircut in history. Crowd is a step ahead of this and starts a “Hogan” chant, which startles Savage and Sherri, so they take off running.

-The Genius delivers another poem about getting rejected for Jeopardy! because he was overqualified. I want to see a Lanny Poffo/James Holzhauer/Ken Jennings special right now.

RUGGED RONNIE GARVIN vs. GREG “The Hammer” VALENTINE (with Jimmy Hart)

-From Superstars. Garvin wins the opening chop-off and pops Greg in the nose with a series of punches. Another chop battle breaks out and Valentine gets overwhelmed. Headbutt by Garvin makes Valentine go splat. More chops traded, but Valentine hits his one-legged atomic drop out of nohere and puts the heartbreaker into position for the figure four, but Garvin cradles him for a three-count right away.

-After the match, Valentine is in shock that he lost the match so fast. Tony Schiavone is at ringside for a post-match interview and Valentine blames referee bribery for his loss. Tony just kind of blows it off and starts to wrap up the segment, but Valentine is so frustrated and demands a rematch with a twist. He’s so sure that he can beat Garvin that he’s willing to put his career on the line for a rematch, and he dares Garvin to do the same. Vince McMahon in the arena and Gorilla & Bobby in the studio all agree that demanding a retirement match is a pretty ridiculous overreaction to losing one match on a bit of a fluke. Gorilla confirms that Garvin accepted the challenge after that match was taped, and that’s our feature bout for next week.

No Holds Barred is coming soon! Bobby Heenan implies that he refused a nude scene and that’s why he’s not in the movie.

RICK MARTEL (with Slick) vs. TERRY DANIELS

-From Superstars, it’s Slick’s first match in Martel’s corner. Martel is still in his Strike Force gear, though, showing that the break-up was hard on him too.

-Daniels works the arm as Tito vows that he’s not putting up with this. Dropkick sends Daniels out to the floor, and Martel just sits there holding the rope open while Daniels writhes on the floor. Back in, the Boston crab finishes.
HILLBILLY JIM vs. KING HAKU
-We’ve seen this one too! Copy-paste this…From Boston. I’m curious to see which stereotype wins out if these two get into a battle of headbutts.

-They slug it out to start until Hillbilly takes firm control with a series of slams. Ringside mics pick up the two of them having a great argument over which one of them is stupider. Haku wants a test of strength, but Hillbilly rubs a hand on his armpit and sticks it in Haku’s face. They do the test of strength for real (well, for real in the context of a worked wrestling match) and Haku manages to overpower the Hillbilly. Hillbilly fights back by mashing his fingers on the mat, but Haku avoids a corner charge and begins unleashing some lethal martial arts in the form of kicks and chops, which I believe is called Generic Fu.

-Haku kicks the Hillbilly out to the floor, then comes back in and goes to town with more kicks. He charges at Hillbilly but gets caught in headscissors. Series of elbows by Hillbilly and a big boot, the main thing he learned from Hulk Hogan’s training, but an elbow misses and Haku splashes him to take the win. Both of these guys were motivated tonight and never let up.

EVENT CENTER

-Andre the Giant brags about holding victories over Hogan, Savage, Duggan, and the Snake, and now Big John Studd, a guy he already has a major win over, has come back for a fight? Pfft. Also, the Blue Blazer thanks us for our support. Well, you have a funny way of showing it after that brown blazer of a match you had earlier.

7.1
The final score: review Good
The 411
Hey, that was a good, busy, eventful show, and it had a few good matches woven into it too.
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