home | wrestling | flashback_reviews | wwe | house_shows
WWF at The Boston Garden
September 6, 1986
by Scrooge McSuck
When scrolling through the limited archives of the WWE Old School section on Peacock, it tickles me a little that while they had so many shows digitized for the old 24/7 On Demand service, so little carried over to the Network and Peacock, and if you look at what is available for 1986, it's literally all Boston Garden cards. Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes are sitting ringside to call all the action, unless otherwise noted.
Sivi Afi vs. "The Duke of Dorchester" Pete Doherty:
YAAAAAAY! Sivi Afi gets a very mixed response (which might be generous for me to say) since Boston hates prelim babyfaces, especially knock-offs of former stars who were not far removed from the memory of the fans. Doherty is a local "legend", and is not only one of the ugliest, but also one of the most annoying workers you will ever find. Monsoon says that Sivi Afi has requested to be referred to by his native name of "Toma", and he's attempting to form an alliance with King Tonga, who wants to be known as "Haku." Huh. Doherty goes to the eyes and plants Afi with a slam. Afi gives Doherty a slam and wow, that was one of the worst dropkicks I've ever seen. Doherty was too close, so it wasn't all Afi's fault. These guys need to slow it down, because they're blowing everything that requires reasonable timing. Afi with a much better dropkick, sending Doherty for a powder. I hate to be negative, but I'm begging for this one to end immediately. Afi misses a diving nothing in the corner, allowing Doherty to take control and extend the match by several more minutes. Whip and Doherty with a clothesline. Doherty misses his own diving nothing in the corner. Afi with a sloppy gut-wrench suplex. Rolling cradle and Doherty grabs the ropes for the break. Afi climbs the ropes and finishes with a flying body press at 7:13. This was a nothing burger other than Afi penciled in as an original member of the Islanders. ZERO STARS
Mike Rotundo & Danny Spivey vs. The Hart Foundation:
No Jimmy Hart at ringside with the Foundation. I'm getting a lot of exposure to the Not-US Express with my recent trip down 1986 memory lane. The ring announcer does call them the US Express, and they come out to Stars and Stripes Forever. In a new generation, this is Bret vs IRS or Bret vs Waylon Mercy. Rotundo and Bret start. Lockup to the ropes and ROTUNDO gives Bret a shove. Tempers already flaring! Rotundo with a side headlock and shoulder block, followed by a hip throw and deep arm drag into the arm bar. Bret forces a break in the corner. He goes for an O'Connor Roll but Rotundo blocks and sends Bret into the turnbuckle. Slingshot into the waiting boot of Spivey. Bret can't get over Spivey on a leap-frog attempt. Neidhart tags in to try his luck. Spivey with a shoulder block and Neidhart laughs him off. Spivey has Neidhart rocking on a second try and takes him over with an arm drag. Bret comes in for a cheap shot, but the move backfires, as the referee misses an illegal switch while putting him out. The Express takes turns working the leg and you can tell we're going long here. Spivey turns Neidhart over with a Boston Crab, but Bret saves.
The Foundation has Spivey trapped on their side of the ring. I just noticed the referee is the guy who is often seen serving as a timekeeper. One day I'll learn his name and today isn't that day. Spivey and Neidhart smack heads for a double-down, bringing in Rotundo for a quick flurry of offense before finding himself as the real face-in-peril. Bret comes off the second rope with an elbow as Neidhart holds Rotundo across the knee. Now the Foundation with illegal switches, which is hard to be mad about since the faces got away with it twice. Rotundo ducks a clothesline but is caught by a knee from the apron. Rotundo fights to his corner but Bret takes a shot at Spivey, luring him away before Rotundo can reach. Rotundo gets dumped and Spivey has enough, unloading on Bret on the floor. We've reached the point where I'm ready to wrap it up. Rotundo reaches his corner and the referee misses the tag. WRAP. IT. UP. Bret meets a knee at 100 mph. Rotundo sends Bret and Anvil into each other and Spivey with the coldest hot tag ever. The referee didn't see it, but allowed it to stand after all the previous efforts, which makes zero sense. He sends Bret to the corner, charges in with a clothesline and connects with a bulldog but the bell suddenly rings at 18:36 and I guess we have a 20-minute time limit draw. This started out really good and just dragged at the end, with a weak hot tag and a lame finish. **½
WWF Intercontinental Championship Match:
"Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) (w/ Elizabeth) vs. George "The Animal" Steele:
This is the feud that just lingered forever. You can pick a random show from any point in 1986 and there's a chance you'll get Savage vs George Steele, and every match is the exact same thing. Savage tries to whack Steele with the belt, but Steele plants him with a slam and throws him out of the ring. Steele poses with the title belt and boy would that have been a miserable timeline. I could see Vince Russo, lover of old school WWF, doing it for shock value in 1999. Savage hides on the floor and puts Elizabeth between them. Savage keeps running and actually raises a hand at ELIZABETH. Steele finally gets his hands on Savage and throws him to the canvas. Savage digs into his tights and pops Steele in the throat with it. Savage with jabs, but Steele no-sells until getting hit again with the mysterious weapon. Savage comes off the top with a double axe-handle for two. Whip and Steele counters a clothesline by biting the arm. Savage whacks Steele across the back of the head, knocking him over the top rope. Steele tosses a chair in the ring and it ends up not being used. Steele chases Savage around the ring and gets thrown into a barricade, knocking it over in the process. Steele throws more chairs in the ring and whacks Savage with one for a lame Disqualification at 5:27. Steele celebrates by tearing up a turnbuckle and fights off an ambush from Savage. Afterwards, he brings a couple of kids to the ring. At least it was short. *
Pedro Morales vs. Rene Goulet:
What is this, 1986 or 1976? I had no idea Rene Goulet was still working matches at this point. Morales, the only Triple Crown Champion in WWF history (at this point) is just a prelim JTTS and I have zero hope for this match. Monsoon says Pedro beat Pat Patterson for the Intercontinental Title, ignoring Ken Patera as he was rotting in prison. Goulet wastes zero time hiding on the apron. Goulet grabs a waist-lock and it doesn't amount to much. This card has already featured relics in Doherty, The Animal, Morales and Goulet. Are we getting Tony Garea too? Morales controls with a side headlock and the crowd is already losing their patience. Crisscross and Morales with a sunset flip for two. Goulet side-steps Morales and dumps him out. Not hard to do when Morales is moving at what could generously be called a light jog. No urgency from either man to do ANYTHING. Back inside, Morales reverses a whip but rams his own head into the turnbuckle. Goulet teases THE CLAW but drops an elbow instead before hooking a nerve hold. Monsoon calls it "The Dreaded French Croissant Crunch." Morales with the big comeback. Goulet is nailed coming off the top and a sloppy O'Connor Roll finishes this mess at 10:42. Awful. -*
The Machines vs. King Kong Bundy & Big John Studd (w/ Bobby Heenan):
It's easy to forget that one of the biggest storylines of the Spring and Summer was the saga surrounding the suspension of Andre the Giant for missing a scheduled match and the mysterious "Giant Machine" appearing shortly after. Andre made very, very few in-ring appearances as Giant Machine, which means it's Bill Eadie and Blackjack Mulligan carrying the load as Super and Big Machine. Bundy tries an ambush, but it backfires and the Machines botch a double-slam. No doubt a sign of things to come. Big Machine with a Big Slam to Big John Studd, but I doubt he'll pay the $15,000. Super Machine gets caught in the corner of the Heenan Family as we get a word from Heenan at ringside. Super comes back with three clotheslines to take Studd off his feet and unloads with right hands. Bundy and Big Machine go at it, and it's like watching two refrigerators fight. Bundy misses an Avalanche and gets knocked down with an elbow. Three of these guys are so slow, it makes Bill Eadie look like a damn cruiserweight with how fast he's moving by comparison. We get heel miscommunication, leading to a brief argument where the fans really want to see them come to blows, but it calms down and everyone is disappointed. Studd whacks Super Machine from the apron to finally turn the tide. It doesn't last too long before the Big Machine gets the hot tag. Heck breaks loose with all four men in the ring. Big hits Studd with a back elbow, but Heenan jumps in to prevent a count, and it's ANOTHER cheap finish, with the Machines winning by DQ at 9:07. Not much positive, not completely worthless. *
Cpl. Kirchner vs. "The King" Harley Race:
Race's coronation for winning King of the Ring took place on one of the final episodes of Championship Wrestling (the predecessor to Superstars of Wrestling), which broadcast its final episode at the end of August. Kirchner controls early, taking Race over with a pair of arm drags before grabbing an arm bar. Kirchner slips out of a suplex and plants Race with a slam. Race escapes another arm bar and dumps Kirchner through the ropes. Race brings the fight to the floor, ramming Kirchner into the barricade and dropping a headbutt across the face. Race with a brain buster on the concrete, and by mid 80's logic, Kirchner should be dead, but he's back on his feet and in the ring in no time. I guess the vets of the 50's were right, Race was killing the business. Race climbs the ropes and misses a flying headbutt. Kirchner with headbutts that Race no-sells, but he does do a big bump over the top rope after they trade blows. Kirchner keeps Race out of the ring, and the King takes a comical slide down the ring steps. Race fights his way back into the ring, only to get slammed off the top rope. Kirchner misses a forearm from the second rope. Whip to the ropes and they smack heads for a double-down. Race drops a pair of knees across the face for two. Kirchner blocks a suplex and counters with his own for two. Kirchner grabs a sleeper, but Race with a low blow on the blind side of the referee. Race with a piledriver and Kirchner gets a foot on the ropes. Kirchner meets knees going for a splash. Race comes to deliver a left hand but Kirchner scoops him up and they tumble over the top rope. Kirchner with a flying body press, but Race rolls through for three at 13:50. They did some stuff, but Kirchner matches lack psychology. Just moves for the sake of moves. *½
Cousin Luke vs. "Ace Cowboy" Bob Orton:
Wait, the extended Hillbilly family was still kicking this late into 1986?! Orton is rocking the pink cowboy hat to show solidarity with the Adorable Adrian Adonis. This is not the original broadcast, so "Don't Go Messin' With a Country Boy" is dubbed over, of course. Lockup into the ropes, Bob grabs a side headlock and comes off the ropes with a shoulder block. Orton misses a charge into the corner and Luke hits him in the opposite corner with a terrible avalanche. Luke with a slam and cover as Monsoon makes fun of his footwear. Luke is already slowing it down with a bearhug. Orton takes over with body blows and a diving clothesline. Luke fires off a pair of axe-handles and takes Orton out of the corner with a hip toss. Luke meets a knee in the corner and Orton stacks him up for a clean three-count at 4:14. I don't think Orton broke a sweat. ½*
WWF Tag Team Championship Match:
The British Bulldogs (c) vs. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Slick):
Final match of the card, and hopefully we end on something solid. Sheik and Volkoff were clearly being reheated for a possible run with the belts, but the winds blew in a different direction, based on who you want to believe. The ring is littered with trash thrown at the challengers. Davey Boy and Sheik start. Lockup, Sheik with a fireman's carry and Davey with a head-scissors. Sheik with a waist-lock takedown, but Davey quickly fights free. Crisscross and Davey with a hip toss, followed by a slam. Dynamite catches the boot and spins Sheik around for an atomic drop. Whip to the ropes and Sheik counters a back body-drop attempt with a punt to the chest. Volkoff sends Dynamite to the ropes and puts him down with a shoulder block. Monsoon and Slick trade words during a ringside interview. Dynamite fights out of an overhead back-breaker but gets tripped up. Volkoff with a gorilla press into a back-breaker for two. Volkoff with a back breaker, showing off some balance by holding on while in a deep squat. Whip and Dynamite surprises Volkoff with a cross body press for two. Sheik dumps Dynamite to the outside, where Volkoff gives him a taste of the ring post. Back inside, Sheik with a back body-drop for two. Davey finally gets the hot tag and we get a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER. Volkoff's attempts at bumping are a sad thing to see. Davey picks him up with a bearhug and Sheik accidentally boots his own partner while attempting to make the save. Sheik with a gut-wrench suplex and slaps on the Camel Clutch, but Dynamite with the save. Heck breaks loose with all four men in the ring. We get the goofy spot where they turn over a small package multiple times, and Davey ends up on top to retain at 10:37. This was decent, but I expected better, and more than the heels getting heat on Dynamite for the majority of it. **½
Final Thoughts: Not a very good show, with a couple of decent but disappointing tag team matches, and then not much else. We're seeing the horrors of spreading the roster so thin to run three tours at the same time, with an undercard featuring some truly terrible choices. The best I can do for a positive spin is that most of the "bad" matches aren't too long, except for the memory lane match between Morales and Goulet, which seemed to last forever and was worked at quarter-speed. No recommendations here, unless you want Round 46 of Macho Man vs The Animal, or one of the few times the Hart Foundation worked with Mike Rotundo for TV.
Sound Off!
Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!