WWF at The Boston Garden
January 3, 1987
by Scrooge McSuck
We're finally turning the page, leaving 1986 behind us and entering a new year! Like 1986, I haven't extensively covered 1987 WWF, but I have seen enough content to know what storylines were playing out on television, and have an idea what to expect as we jump into more of the regional network house shows. Full disclosure, I don't have the full show from the original broadcast, but through the magic of Prime Time Wrestling and Coliseum Video, the entire show is preserved, though I cannot guarantee all the matches are available in full (but considering the era of Prime Time, I doubt anything is Joined in Progress).
Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes are ringside to call the action, unless otherwise noted. The WWF ran arguably their A Tour in Oakland with Hulk Hogan defending the WWF Title against Kamala in the Main Event, with Billy Jack Haynes vs Jake Roberts, JYD vs Adrian Adonis, and Sheik and Volkoff vs The Bees underneath as the most notables. There's also a C Tour that day from Riverside, CA, with Harley Race vs Koko B. Ware, Tito Santana vs Hercules, Pedro Morales vs Bret Hart, Spot vs Tiger Chung Lee, and Mike Sharpe vs Billy Anderson as the complete card,
Danny Spivey vs. Jimmy Jack Funk:
(Note: Match order is based on the listing of the results at TheHistoryofWWE.com, so take the order with a grain of salt, as those results aren't 100% accurate as far as the order of matches for house shows are concerned). Funk has one heck of a gut on him here. Not a steroid gut, but a "I've been at the local saloon too much" gut. Spivey works the arm and Funk immediately powders. Jimmy Jack looks for every cheap advantage, but none of it works. Spivey with an atomic drop and dropkick, sending Funk involuntarily out of the ring. Funk turns things around, catching Spivey coming off the ropes and hitting him with a Hot Shot. Funk doesn't waste time grabbing a chin-lock. Spivey fights to escape but gets poked in the eyes and dumped to the parquet floor. Jimmy Jack cuts Spivey off again, clotheslining him across the top rope. Funk with a powerslam and a crummy flying fist drop for a near-fall. Spivey counters a bulldog, sending Funk crashing into the turnbuckle. Spivey unloads with left hands and takes Jimmy Jack over with a BAAAACK body-drop. Funk goes to the eyes again to slow Spivey down. Spivey shrugs it off, sends Funk to the corner, and lays him out with a clothesline. Whip to the ropes and Spivey with an O'Connor Roll for three at 7:05. Well, Spivey tried to carry the match. It wasn't very good, but it featured some effort, at least. *½"Leaping" Lanny Poffo vs. The Magnificent Muraco:
I don't know what to expect from this one, but as we inch along through the 80's, Muraco's cardio and effort start to become more and more suspect. Poffo with a short and sweet poem at the expense of Muraco. Poffo offers a handshake and Muraco... accepts? Sure, why not. Lockup and Muraco gives a clean break! What sorcery has transpired in Boston? Poffo flips out of a wrist-lock to take control. Muraco yanks the hair and Poffo pops up with a nip-up. Poffo keeps going for the arm and Muraco ends up in the ropes each time to force a break. Whip to the ropes and Poffo frustrates Muraco, sending him to the floor to strategize. Back inside, Muraco with a brawler approach to take control. He takes Poffo over with a snap mare, then sends him over the top rope with a clothesline. Back inside, Muraco with an atomic drop, complete with exaggerated selling from Poffo. Muraco with a swinging neck breaker and leg drop. Poffo brings up the knees to counter a splash and fires off a flurry of right hands. Poffo positions Muraco near the corner with a slam and hits a moonsault for a near-fall. Muraco catches Poffo off the ropes and plants him with a powerslam for three at 6:50 (the crowd appreciated that one). We call this perfectly acceptable wrestling. **½"The Rebel" Dick Slater vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine:
This match screams literally anything but mid-80's WWF. Slater made his debut in the Summer of ‘86 and has occupied a spot as a prelim babyface for pretty much his entire time with the company. Valentine and Beefcake are still a team, but in solo matches on this card because... reasons. Monsoon has some fun, saying Joey Marella got a few boos because he kinda resembles Danny Davis. Lockup to the corner and Marella has to force them apart. Repeat, this time Slater blocks a cheap-shot attempt and sends Valentine to the outside. Back inside, they jockey for position, with neither man getting a clear advantage. Slater avoids a charge to the corner and takes Valentine to the canvas with a side headlock. Valentine escapes and sends Slater over the top rope to take control. Back inside, Valentine winds up and drops the forearm across the chest. He sets up for the Figure-Four, but Slater counters with a small package for two. Slater offers a rebel-like comeback, fighting his way out of the corner, giving Valentine a chance to take his signature face-first bump. They lay into each other with rights and again the referee has to force himself between them in the corner. Whip across the ring and Slater drops Valentine with an elbow. Slater with a swinging neck breaker and knee drop for a near-fall. Slater goes for a Figure-Four of his own, but Valentine rakes the eyes to counter. Slater fights out of a sleeper, hitting Valentine with a back suplex. Valentine cuts Slater off from climbing the ropes, slamming him to the canvas.Valentine has the Figure-Four applied, but Slater turns it over, sending Valentine to the ropes to break the hold. They fight for a suplex until Slater cradles Valentine for a near-fall. Valentine with a handful of tights, sending Slater into the turnbuckle and covers for three at 13:05 despite Slater's leg touching the ropes. One of those meat-and-potatoes wrestling matches that feels like it was intended for a different audience, but still very much appreciated to see them work a prelim match with so much fire. ***Tama vs. Scott McGhee:
Certainly not a match I expected to see on this card, and there's no mention of a substitution, so we'll just run with one half of the Islanders against a prelim enhancement talent, with both men riding the babyface side of the fence. We're Joined in Progress via the Prime Time broadcast. Lockup, McGhee throws a forearm and Tama responds with a right hand. He rattles McGhee with a headbutt and works the arm, but McGhee quickly escapes with a hip toss. The crowd is NOT into this. McGhee picks the leg and Tama catches him in a body-scissors. McGhee regains position and works the left knee. It's back-and-forth and none of it very interesting. McGhee with a surfboard stretch. Tama no-sells being rammed into the turnbuckle and takes McGhee over with a suplex. Whip across the ring and Tama smacks the post. Tama slams McGhee off the top rope, then meets the knees going for a splash. McGhee with a series of forearm uppercuts in the corner. Whip is reversed and McGhee misses a blind body press. Tama with a headbutt and a flying body press finishes at 6:06. Technically fine execution, but I wasn't feeling it (placement on the depth chart being a major factor on top of being face vs face), and the crowd was quiet for most of it as well. *½WWF Intercontinental Championship Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Bruno Sammartino:
Interesting to see Bruno still getting the occasional work as an in-ring performer. When they taped the injury angle with Savage and Steamboat, Bruno's confrontation with Savage was worked into select markets for a short house show run, and clearly Boston was one of those stops on the tour (Baltimore and Springfield, MA the other cities that got the match). Savage does his best to keep Bruno from getting in the ring, then hides behind Elizabeth. Bruno finally gets an open shot and punishes him with kicks. Savage tries hiding in the corner, but that strategy doesn't work out for him. The action spills to the floor, where Savage hides behind Elizabeth again. Savage finally gets a shot in on Bruno and sends him to the post. Savage gives Bruno a taste of the ring steps and comes off the top rope with the double axe-handle. Back inside, Savage comes off the top with another axe-handle. Bruno recovers and thumbs the eyes to create separation. He rams Savage into the turnbuckle and traps him in the ropes for some wide-open right hands. Bruno continues putting the boots to Savage. Whip and Savage counters a back body-drop with a punt to the chest. They're on the floor again, with Bruno unloading with rights. Savage whacks Bruno in clear view of the referee and climbs back in the ring for the ultra-cheap count-out victory at 6:01. Post-match, Bruno keeps the fight going, slapping on the bearhug. All the referees and several of the wrestlers have a difficult time getting Bruno to release the hold. I hate, hate, HATE that kind of finish. The action was alright, and it didn't go long enough to expose Bruno's limitation by the standards of the era. **¼
Corporal Kirchner vs. Sika:
We're getting all the stars tonight! After Bruno, who is the next biggest babyface we've seen in action? DICK SLATER? We're Joined in Progress via Prime-Time Wrestling with this. It's looking early in the match, as they're feeling each other out. Sika has his City Connection alternate red tights for this one. Kirchner grabs a side headlock and CRANKS IT UP. Whip and a shoulder block has no effect on the Wild Samoan. Kirchner peppers Sika with right hands and a dropkick that finally takes him off his feet. Corporal spends A LOT of time playing to the crowd before dropping an elbow on the knee. That's not what the people wanted! Monsoon touts Sika's unbeaten record since returning to the WWF, as he's selling extensively for this jobber. Crowd BOOS when Kirchner does the "should I do it?" routine again. This time he drops the leg across the target area of the crowd's choice, but it's too late, you wasted it on the first spot. Sika takes over, and I would say slows it down with a nerve hold, but Kirchner wasn't working at a fast pace either. Kirchner escapes but runs into a clothesline. Whip is reversed and Kirchner barely hits a dropkick. Kirchner pounds away and Sika is no-selling like there's no tomorrow. Kirchner misses a splash and Sika finishes with a diving headbutt at 7:49. This was a nothing-burger with cheese. ½*Mike Rotundo vs. Pete Doherty:
Oh. My. Goodness. Can I PLEASE get some star power on this show... oh, I forgot, they sent most of the stars to the Oakland Coliseum. Doherty is a weird, weird fellow that would get booked when the WWF ran the Massachusetts and Rhode Island markets, mostly as enhancement talent, but they did throw him an occasional bone for reasons I can't bother to understand. Another Prime Time JIP, with Doherty whining from the apron. Monsoon says Doherty can use some dental work. Remember when Doherty was used in a color commentary role? Quite possibly the worst ever. Back inside, Doherty with a side headlock and some Mike Sharpe levels of screaming. They do some chain-wrestling, and Doherty isn't awful at it, he just looks and sounds awful. Whip and Rotundo with a BAAAACK body-drop, followed by a cradle cover for two. This starts dragging, with little flow to the action. Doherty takes too long climbing the ropes and is slammed down. Rotundo sends him to the ropes and the airplane spin finishes the Duke at 4:30. After the match, The Dream Team jump Rotundo, but Danny Spivey makes the save. At least it ended before it got worse. *Blackjack Mulligan vs. Brutus Beefcake (w/ Greg Valentine):
This is sadly the biggest undercard attraction we've seen so far, and it's washed-up Blackjack Mulligan and Brutus. The bell rings and VALENTINE attacks Mulligan, kicking off some 2-on-1 action. The referee gets tossed and the match continues. WHAT?! The referee is counting them like it's just an illegal choke or something! Valentine FINALLY leaves, probably bored from this nonsense. The match continues as advertised, with Mulligan no-selling Beefcake's offense. Whip to the ropes and Mulligan with a clothesline. Another whip and a diving elbow finishes Brutus at 2:17. I don't normally rate short matches, but half the match was that dog-sh*t with Valentine. -**
Hillbilly Jim vs. Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart:
I feel like matches were drawn at random at this point. Bret Hart got sent on the C Tour to wrestle Pedro Morales, so it looks like Neidhart won the day of the two. Since we have two Jim's, when I type Jim, it'll be Hillbilly, and Jim Neidhart will either be identified as Anvil or Neidhart. Jim shakes the referee's hand, but the Anvil wants nothing to do with him. Lockup and Neidhart with a side headlock. Whip to the ropes and a shoulder block doesn't move the Hillbilly. Jim tries now and the Anvil stands his ground as well. Neidhart dares him to try again, so Jim clubs him across the top of the head instead. They do some shtick over a test-of-strength. Lockup and Neidhart doesn't waste a second taking the cheap shot. Jim escapes and takes Neidhart over with an arm drag. Yes, that's a move that really happened. Neidhart digs deep and drops Jim throat-first across the top rope. Whip to the corner and Neidhart meets a boot. Jim with right hands and a headbutt, followed by a crummy elbow drop for two. Neidhart aggressively rakes the eyes and throws a series of forearms. He tosses the referee down and it's another cheap finish, with Hillbilly Jim awarded the match by disqualification at 6:58. I've seen worse, but that finish was putrid. ¾*$50,000 Bunkhouse Battle Royal:
(Participants: Hillbilly Jim, Jimmy Jack Funk, "Leaping" Lanny Poffo, Sika, Danny Spivey, Mike Rotundo, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Brutus Beefcake, Haku, Tama, "The Rebel" Dick Slater, Scott McGhee, Corporal Kirchner, Cowboy Bob Orton, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Mr. Fuji, Blackjack Mulligan, The Magnificent Muraco, Pete Doherty, and King Kong Bundy)It's the "come as you are" gimmick, where you get guys dressed in some ridiculous apparel because someone thinks it might be funny. Most everyone either works in their regular gear or generic street clothes, but sure enough, Lanny Poffo is wearing gear that resembles a suit of armor. Haku is sporting Chicago Bears and Tama a WrestleMania 2 shirt. YOU WEREN'T EVEN AT THE SHOW! Fuji has his tuxedo, but not the shirt underneath. How do you have King Kong Bundy available and not use him to add a little more star power in a short singles match?!
Jimmy Jack throws a punch at Poffo and punches the mask like a goofus. Jim Neidhart is the first I spy getting dumped at 1:01 by Rotundo. Fuji is out at 1:07 at the hands of several superstars. Spivey and The Knight of a Thousand Poems are dumped on separate sides of the ring at 1:59. Valentine dumps McGhee at 3:05. McGhee does a stretcher job for a Battle Royal. Maybe if it was a better bump. Beefcake is gone at 4:13 as the camera cuts to show McGhee. Mulligan tosses Jimmy Jack at 4:40. Orton and Dick Slater go back-to-back via Haku and Bundy. Bundy dumps Hillbilly Jim at 5:15. Sika and Valentine both are eliminated at 5:58. Rotundo is gone next, as is Haku. Bundy dumps Tama. Muraco is sent to the apron and knocked out by Kirchner at 6:35. Doherty tosses Kirchner at 6:55! Bundy and Doherty work over Mulligan. Bundt convinces Doherty to climb the ropes and knocks him out at 7:02. Bundy goes for a slam, but Doherty comes in and whacks Bundy with a chair with little effect. Mulligan smacks Bundy with his boot and throws him out for the victory at 7:34. Then he dumps Doherty again for the hell of it. This was your typical Battle Royal of the era. It was short and inoffensive, so that's a positive, I guess.
Final Thoughts: Not the strongest show from the Boston Garden, both for the in-ring efforts and for the card itself. Savage vs. Bruno is a dream Main Event, so that gets a pass for spectacle and being as good as you're getting in 1987, but the rest of the card is prelim purgatory. We got a couple of decent matches (Poffo vs Muraco and Slater vs Valentine specifically), but most of the show feels like a waste of time, and the referees feel especially dumb tonight. The Battle Royal is a fine way to send the fans home happy, but there's plenty of better options for your old school needs.
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