WWF at the Philadelphia Spectrum
January 10, 1987
by Scrooge McSuck
Taped from our favorite location for regional coverage, the Philadelphia Spectrum and presented on PRISM. Dick Graham and Gorilla Monsoon are ringside to call all the action, unless otherwise noted. We get a quick run-down of what to expect tonight, and as usual, it's a very hit-and-miss lineup. The WWF ran separate tours in Birmingham, AL and Milwaukee, WI. The Birmingham results are unknown, other than Roddy Piper def. Adrian Adonis and NIKOLAI VOLKOFF winning a Bunkhouse Battle Royal, while Milwaukee featured Hulk Hogan def. Kamala to retain the WWF Title on top, with the Can-Am Connection vs Islanders, Billy Jack Haynes vs Harley Race, and Tito Santana vs Hercules as the notable matches underneath.
Scott McGhee vs. Terry Gibbs:
Wow, we couldn't get an opener with Steve Lombardi? I feel ripped off. Monsoon politely says both men get less-than-desirable reactions during introductions. Gibbs spends a decent amount of time yelling at a fan in the front row with a sign that has "Wimp" printed on it. Lockup, Gibbs complains about phantom hair-pulling. Gibbs works in all the usual heel shtick, stalling, going to the ropes, and complaining to the referee. Whip to the ropes and McGhee with a cross body press for two. McGhee catches a boot, spins Gibbs around and connects with an atomic drop. Whip to the ropes and McGhee takes a spill through the ropes. Back inside, Gibbs with a hangman's neck breaker for a near-fall. These local referees are the dirt worst. McGhee fights out of a bearhug, but the comeback is short-lived. Gibbs counters a back body-drop with a knee and goes back to the bearhug. McGhee goes for a slam but the back gives out on the attempt. McGhee with the real comeback, sending Gibbs to the turnbuckle and hitting an inverted atomic drop. Gibbs with a headbutt to the midsection. Whip to the corner, McGhee leaps over and takes Gibbs over with a sunset flip for the three-count at 8:55. Typical prelim match of the era. The bearhug spots seemed a little much for a match under 10-minutes. *Koko B. Ware vs. The Magnificent Muraco:
Muraco went from working shows against Roddy Piper to working prelims with KOKO. He's also looking super-bloated, more than I've ever seen him (and yes, somehow he's more bloated than he was at the Challenge taping on January 6th). Koko uses his speed to frustrate Muraco early on. Lockup to the ropes and Muraco unloads with a series of rights. Whip to the ropes, Koko slips out of a slam and rolls Muraco up for a two-count. They trade blows and a dropkick from Koko sends Muraco through the ropes. Muraco wants a test-of-strength and grabs a bearhug instead. They're using every trick to go long. Dick Graham repeatedly refers to Koko as "the little guy", like he's Little Beaver or the Haiti Kid out there. Koko grabs a side headlock to kill more time. Muraco forces a break in the corner, but misses a charge across the ring and finds himself back on the canvas. We're so bored, Monsoon talks about Savage coming up on the 1-year anniversary of his title win in Boston.Koko misses a dive, hitting the ropes with gusto. Muraco clotheslines Koko on the top rope and comes off the second buckle with an Asian spike for a near-fall. To the outside, Muraco gently drops Koko across the guardrail. Back inside, Muraco wastes little time grabbing a chin-lock. We're already more than 10-minutes deep, so clearly they're going the distance. Koko fights free, but Muraco cuts off the comeback. Whip to the corner and Muraco misses the charge again, this time smacking his shoulder on the post. Koko slams Muraco off the top rope and hops on his back with a sleeper. Whip to escape and they knock heads for a double-down. Koko is up first and comes off the top with a missile dropkick. The referee counts three, but waves it off after realizing Muraco's foot was on the rope. Koko continues dishing out the punishment with a flurry of short rights. Koko covers for two and suddenly the bell rings at 16:42. There's a lot of confusion as the ring announcer comes in, then leaves, and the referee is trying to wave it off, with Koko and Muraco still doing stuff, but it's disjointed. It's officially a Time Limit Draw, and I wonder if the timekeeper was confused about what the finish was, because that certainly was strange. *¼
Mike Rotundo & Danny Spivey vs. The Dream Team (w/ Johnny Valiant):
Friendly reminder that the Dream Team defeated the ORIGINAL U.S. Express for the Tag Team Titles at the Spectrum in August of 1985. The incompetent ring announcer introduces Johnny Valiant as "Mr. V." All four men begin brawling before the bell rings and it's the 2nd Edition U.S. Express standing strong. Valentine and Spivey start, officially. Spivey pops Valentine with an elbow and the Express take turns working the leg. Valentine kicks Spivey in the face to escape a spinning toe hold, but can't mount anything further. Rotundo goes for a Figure-Four, but Valentine escapes quite easily and tags in Beefcake. He nails Rotundo from behind with a high knee, but misses a knee drop, and now it's his leg getting worked on. Valentine gets the blind tag, but Spivey doesn't fall for the trap. Rotundo with a whip and dropkick for a near-fall. Valentine counters a front face-lock, dropping Rotundo across the top rope. Beefcake lures Spivey into the ring, allowing Valentine to drop an axe-handle across the back of the head of Rotundo. Valentine unloads with forearms. Whip to the corner, Rotundo surprises Valentine with a sunset flip but Beefcake prevents a count. Valentine blocks the tag attempt and Beefcake slaps on a bearhug. Valentine with the abdominal stretch, but Monsoon points out he doesn't have the height for the proper application. Rotundo with a hip toss, but can't get to his corner. Beefcake uses the ring rope to choke Rotundo. Spivey with the hot, but the referee didn't see it. Double clothesline from the Dream Team for a near-fall. Rotundo hits Beefcake with a back suplex and finally gets the tag to Spivey. The Golden Boy runs wild with left hands on the Hammer. Whip to the corner and Spivey charges in with a clothesline, followed by a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER. Spivey with a dropkick and Russian leg sweep on Beefcake, but Valentine saves. Spivey sets up for the bulldog, but Valentine clobbers him with a clothesline, allowing Beefcake to cover for three at 15:44. Like the previous match, they were clearly working to fill time, but there was less standing around and lazy shtick. **George "The Animal" Steele vs. The Honkytonk Man:
OH GOD, PLEASE BE SHORT. Watching pre-IC Title reign Honky is like watching a kid spamming the taunt button. Yeah, Honky was always a lot of shtick, but this is obnoxiously over-the-top in an attempt to maintain heat. Who knew that crowning a joke character as the #2 Champion and letting him escape the loss for as long as possible was the trick to making someone a draw? The bell rings and Honky does the chicken-sh*t routine. Steele chases Honky around the ring and the move pays off for Honky, with Steele getting trapped in the ropes for some wide-open shots. I'm surprised they didn't milk the stalling more than that. Steele gets a little payback, ruffling the hair Honky. Steele gives him a taste of the turnbuckle and goes for a taste himself. Honky blocks a bulldog, sending Steele into the exposed turnbuckle. Honky fetches a chair, but Steele knocks it out of his hands. Steele grabs the chair and chases Honky around until he gets mad at the referee and knocks him down, giving Honky the cheap victory at 6:13. Post-match, Honky attempts a sneak attack, but Steele fights him off. This was as good as advertised. ½*Paul Roma vs. Dino Bravo (w/ Johnny Valiant):
When the show hits a lull, there's nothing better to settle your stomach than a Dino Bravo match! I guess we should expect to see more Paul Roma as 1987 unfolds. Monsoon mentions Bravo used to be a really nice guy, but not anymore now that's under the tutelage of Johnny Valiant. Lockup and Roma grabs a hammer-lock. The maple leaf placement on Bravo's trunks is unfortunate. Crisscross and Roma put on the brakes to counter a monkey-flip with a stomp to the face. Lockup to the corner and a clean break, followed by a HANDSHAKE. Another lockup, Bravo decks Roma and throws him over the top rope. Well, Monsoon called that one. Bravo brings Roma in from the apron with a suplex for a near-fall. Things slow down with Bravo grabbing a chin-lock. Leg drop to the back of the head, followed by a side slam for two. Roma avoids a jumping knee drop and unloads with right hands. Whip to the ropes and Roma with a dropkick and elbow drop for two. Bravo reverses a whip, ducks under a body press, and finishes with a back suplex at 6:06. This was perfectly fine, minus the chin-lock. **
Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. King Kong Bundy:
We're in a weird period for both men, with Roberts getting more crowd support but still technically a heel, and Bundy is floundering with John Studd's sudden departure at the end of November. The more I think about it, Bundy doesn't have much to do for most of 1987, until being reheated as a Hogan opponent for a couple of episodes of Saturday Night's Main Event (mostly used to further the ongoing Hogan/Andre drama). Lockup to the corner and Roberts ducks under a wild over-hand strike. Bundy reverses a whip to the corner, but Roberts pops out and lights him up with jabs. They lock hands for a test-of-strength, easily won by Bundy. The crowd starts chanting for the DDT while we get some standing around. Roberts grabs a side headlock. Bundy catches him coming off the ropes with a slam and drops a fist between the eyes. Bundy with some clubbering and a choke in the ropes. Roberts goes for the bag, but Bundy cuts him off. Roberts counters a back body-drop with a knee-lift. Bundy counters the DDT but misses an elbow drop. Another DDT attempt is unsuccessful and Jake is sent out of the ring. Roberts goes for the bag, but Bundy does everything he can to stop him, and it's a Double Count-Out at 7:00. Post-match, Bundy misses the Avalanche, and Jake chases him out of the ring with Damian in hand. I don't know what they were going for, but this was a lot of nothing. ¾*Davey Boy Smith & The Junkyard Dog vs. The Hart Foundation:
This was originally scheduled as a Team Team Championship Match, but the Dynamite Kid's career-threatening injury kind of put the belts on hold until they could figure things out. DANNY DAVIS is our referee, as noted by Mel Phillips. OH GOODIE, I HAVEN'T SEEN ENOUGH OF HIM LATELY. Davey has Matilda with him and she sends the Foundation out of the ring. The opening bell rings twice, with 2-minutes of the Foundation stalling on the floor in between. "Grease ball" chant directed at Hart. Davey and Bret FINALLY start. Lockup to the ropes and Bret complains about a hair-pull, which Davis is more than willing to accept at face value. Bret grabs a front chancery, but Davey carries him to the corner to break, then slaps him across the face for fun. Neidhart comes in and pulls down the straps, which means we get the shoulder block sequence and Davey taking advantage of Neidhart's frustration. JYD tags in and works the arm. We get heel miscommunication, and Neidhart gets whacked with a series of headbutts.Davey falls for the lamest distraction, allowing Neidhart to club him across the back with a double axe-handle. The Foundation works him over in the corner while Davis spends a ton of time yelling at the JYD. Bret dumps Davey to the concrete floor, then does a sell-job to get JYD yelled at again. Meanwhile, Neidhart is putting a beating on Davey. Back inside, Bret with an inverted atomic drop. Davis busts out a quick-count, for the 3 or 4 people who haven't realized the gimmick yet. Bret and Neidhart trade-off on a chin-lock. Whip and Davey surprises Bret with a crucifix cradle for the slowest two-count possible. Davey counters a bearhug and takes Neidhart over with a sunset flip, giving us more referee shenanigans. Another match that feels like it's going long for the sake of it (because other matches went ridiculously short). Davey picks Bret up in a gorilla press and drops him across the top rope. JYD FINALLY gets the hot tag and runs wild, including a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER. He plants Neidhart with the big powerslam but Bret saves. Heck breaks loose with all four men in the ring. Neidhart cradles the JYD, but Davey turns it over with JYD on top, and Davis does a quick count at 17:48, somehow not realizing it. This was all about Danny Davis, so it's one of those "if you enjoy the gimmick, you'll enjoy the match" scenarios. **½
Jose Luis Rivera vs. Barry O:
I guess we needed something to bridge the top matches advertised on the card, and who better than JOSE LUIS RIVERA. We've seen him score a few wins recently and in short order, so maybe the hot streak continues here against Barry O. Barry loses his cool on Phillips for not saying he's from THE FABULOUS Las Vegas, NV. Barry looks like he's on the same diet as Muraco. Lockup to the ropes and a clean break. Monsoon mentions TOMMY MAGEE is going to be a title holder down the line. That's random. Barry with a cheap shot, followed by a knee lift. Snap mare and twisting elbow drop gets a two-count. Barry sends Rivera to the corner and meets the post on a missed charge. Rivera works the arm and the crowd doesn't seem impressed. Barry with a thumb to the throat before dumping Rivera over the top rope. Back inside, Rivera ducks an elbow and connects with a dropkick. Barry cuts Rivera off with a clothesline for a two-count. Rivera with a small package and the referee stops counting at two while Barry's shoulders are down. Rivera with a suplex and THAT gets three at 3:50. What a mess with the referee blowing the finish. ZERO STARSWWF Intercontinental Championship Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat:
Main Event of the night, and looking at the time, it doesn't look like we're going long, either. Steamboat is replacing the originally advertised Andre the Giant, one of those situations where the original match was NEVER going to happen, so it's just a cheap bait-and-switch. At least we're not getting George Steele challenging Savage for the 910th time. Savage hides behind Elizabeth, but Steamboat still gets hold of him and unloads with chops. Savage tries to bail out, but Steamboat is in hot pursuit and chases him back to the ring. Savage with an extended game of cat-and-mouse, finally jumping on the over-anxious Steamboat. Whip to the ropes and Macho with his signature clothesline, followed by a flying double axe-handle for a two-count. They trade blows, with Steamboat getting the better of things until a well placed boot to the lower abdomen from Savage. Whip to the ropes, Steamboat ducks an elbow and snaps Savage over with a pair of arm drags. Steamboat with a double choke-lift and clothesline across the top rope. More choking and referee Joey Marella forces them apart. Savage reverses a whip to the corner, sending Steamboat over the top rope and crashing down on the steps. Savage brings the fight to the floor, but Steamboat is ready for it and sends Savage into the guardrail. Steamboat fetches a chair and knocks the referee with an elbow for the ultra-lame cheap disqualification at 6:15. We should have expected something like that to extend the program. Good while it lasted, with Steamboat more concerned with hurting Savage than trying to win the title. I'm sure he'll figure it out. ***Final Thoughts: Not much to compliment on this card. Savage and Steamboat is a guarantee to be decent, but a 6-minute match is not enough to save an otherwise lackluster lineup. Lots of short matches that didn't matter much and then long matches that felt like they were going long with obvious pacing issues. If you're a fan of the era and need a window into the product, I still couldn't recommend this show, unless you need to see as much Danny Davis as possible, or watch a bloated Don Muraco go the distance with enhancement talent.
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