WWF At Maple Leaf Gardens (Toronto)
February 15, 1987
by Scrooge McSuck
Taped from the Maple Leaf Gardens. Going through the results of the period, the WWF ran the Gardens on February 1st as well, but to my knowledge, nothing was taped that night. Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are calling the action, with Billy Red Lyons filling in for Heenan for matches where a Heenan Family member is in action. The WWF ran their A-tour in Cincinnati, headlined by Hogan and Kamala (with Roberts/Santana, Haynes/Hercules, and Can-Ams/Volkoff and Sheik underneath), as well as a much less impressive C-tier card in Mt. Vernon, with "star" matches being the Bees vs Valentine and Bravo, and Koko vs Honkytonk Man. There are also appearances from Outback Jack and Tom Magee in separate matches, which I'm sure was a real treat.
Special Delivery Jones vs. "The Outlaw" Ron Bass:
I swear I just sat through a match between them from MSG, and I doubt this one will be any better. Jones is a JTTS, Bass is a guy who is just waiting for something to do for pretty much all of 1987 because Blackjack Mulligan is gone before they can really get that feud going. Lockup, Jones blocks a hip toss and takes Bass over with one of his own. Whip to the ropes, Jones ducks an elbow and hits a cross body press for two. Bass with a knee to the midsection, but he misses an elbow drop, allowing Jones to work the arm. Bass with a cheap shot over the shoulder of the referee, followed by a high knee. The action spills to the outside, with Bass sending Jones into the post. Bass brings Jones back in the ring with a slam from the apron. Whip to the ropes and Bass with an elbow for a two-count. Jones fires off a series of left hands to get the crowd going. Bass begs off following a headbutt. Whip is reversed and Bass hits a diving elbow for three at 6:56. Monsoon claims Bass ripped it off from Mulligan. I've seen worse from S.D., so we're at least off to a better start than I anticipated. *©Moondog Spot vs. Sika:
Hey, Spot is still kicking around! With Rex repackaged for about 3 days as Smash of Demolition, Spot's days are numbered, and he was finished with the WWF by the time WrestleMania III takes place. Sika came back in the Fall of '86 with a decent push and it's already stalled out. Lockup, Sika sends Spot to the ropes and pops him with an elbow, followed by a slam. Spot counters a front face-lock with a wrist-lock. Sika quickly regains control, taking Spot over with a snap mare and grabbing a chin-lock. We're still pushing the idea that The Wizard (Iaukea) hears voices of The Grand Wizard of Wrestling. Spots unloads with a series of rights, but Sika rakes the eyes to cut him off. Now we're talking about Sika's past, managed by Captain Lou. We need a Fred Blassie reference to complete the trilogy of the three wise men. No heat for this heel vs heel prelim match. Sika isn't doing much, and he's not giving Spot much either. Spot takes advantage of Sika being distracted by the crowd. Sika shrugs it off and finishes with a Samoan drop at 6:58. This was a lot of nothing. ½*
Corporal Kirchner vs. Johnny K-9:
Like we saw in Boston, Slick is here to announce that his man, "The Natural" Butch Reed, is unable to compete, so here's Johnny K-9 to fill his spot. The less said about that piece of human excrement the better. Kirchner kisses up to the local crowd by waving the Canadian flag, then chases Slick away from the ring. At least the crowd is awake after that last snoozer. K-9 wastes time by hiding on the outside. They finally lockup, nearly 3-minutes after the bell, and K-9 yanks the hair. HE'S A HEEL. Kirchner comes off the ropes with a pair of shoulder blocks, followed by a series of arm drags and a powerslam. They lock knuckles for a test-of-strength. K-9 with a cheap shot, so Kirchner fires back and sends him to the floor following a dropkick. K-9 offers a handshake, and the attempt at a cheap-shot backfires, with Kirchner hitting an atomic drop. Whip to the corner and Kirchner meets the buckle on a missed charge. Back inside, K-9 with a back breaker. Whip to the ropes and a second back-breaker gets a two-count. Whip to the ropes and K-9 with a stiff clothesline. He makes a slow climb to the top rope and misses a flying headbutt. Kirchner with a headbutt and a pair of knee drops, followed by a suplex. Whip and Kirchner hit a sloppy Samoan drop for three at 10:31. Two matches ending with Samoan drops. Interesting. Match was surprisingly decent. **"Rowdy" Roddy Piper vs. "Adorable" Adrian Adonis (w/ Jimmy Hart):
Fair to call this the Main event? We've touched on this a bit since the feud was established towards the end of the Summer of '86, but Piper returned from hiatus, upset with Adonis taking over his spot with the Flower Shop, and the feud transitioned to Piper fighting Muraco and Orton with Adonis' sudden termination, only to be brought back with house numbers being a disappointment with Piper fighting guys clearly beneath him. If you're watching syndication, this feud isn't getting too much coverage, probably because of how long in the tooth it is, and Adonis probably not particularly high on Vince's list of talent he has positive things to say about. Adonis meets Piper on the ramp, with Piper throwing the kilt in his face and unloading on him with right hands, knocking Adonis into the ring. They trade blows, with Piper getting the better of the exchange and hitting Adonis with an atomic drop. Whip to the corner and Piper with a BAAAACK body-drop. Hart with a distraction, allowing Adonis to lay into Piper with a strap, IN CLEAR VIEW OF THE REFEREE. Do something referee, even if it's wrong! Piper survives the assault, takes Adonis over with a second back body-drop, and gives him a receipt. Whip to the corner, with Adonis doing his comical upside-down bump. Hart hooks the ankle of Piper, bringing Piper out of the ring and allowing Adonis to get the jump again. Piper sends Adonis to the post and gives chase to Hart, and this time Adonis sprays Piper in the eyes about 50 times with the perfume atomizer. I honestly am not using hyperbole. Piper gets dumped into the crowd, selling the blinding effects of the earlier assault. Hart gets some shots in while Adonis ties up the referee.Back inside, Adonis with a running bulldog for a near-fall. Piper gets dumped again, with Adonis hitting the bulldog on the ramp. Piper blocks a suplex and takes Adonis over with one of his own. Adonis avoids a follow-up attack and connects with a back breaker. Piper brings up the knees to counter a splash and it's time for him to Rod Up, unloading on Adonis with right hands. Jimmy tries getting involved and gets thrown onto Adonis. Piper wipes out the referee while lunging after Adonis. Hart sends a chair into the ring, but Piper kicks it into Adonis' face and slaps on a sleeper hold. He gives it up to swipe at Hart, dumps Adonis, and gives them a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER. Adonis tries to slam Piper off the top rope, but Piper rolls through with a cradle, and the referee is still down! Adonis gets the perfume atomizer and AGAIN sprays Piper, and this time the referee sees the foul, awarding Piper the match by Disqualification at 10:07. Post-match, Piper keeps swinging wildly, with the ring announcer and the referee in harm's way. Well, that finish was super soft, but the match itself was some great work with plenty of effort and intensity to sell how much these guys dislike each other. ***¼
Pedro Morales vs. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff (w/ Bobby Heenan):
Wow, Orndorff is slumming the under-card with washed PEDRO MORALES. That's quite the drop from working for 3-4 months with Hulk Hogan. Orndorff is STILL coming out to "Real American." Lockup, Morales grabs a side headlock and comes off the ropes with a shoulder block. Morales with a slam, sending Orndorff to the floor to rethink his strategy. Back inside, Morales fights out of a headlock and lands a big left hand to the midsection. VINTAGE MORALES. Lockup to the ropes and a knee from Orndorff sends Morales through the ropes. Orndorff punishes Morales as he lays helpless across the announcer's table. Back inside, Orndorff with a snap mare. He goes to the top rope and Morales nails him on the way down. Morales sends Orndorff from corner to corner. Whip is reversed, Morales with a body press, but Orndorff rolls through and gets the three-count at 4:29 with a little bit of assistance from the ropes. Nothing to see here. ½*The Junkyard Dog vs. "The King" Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan):
I just ask this be kept short. The TV angle is your typical "I'm the King, you bow when I tell you" and "I don't bow to anyone" nonsense that is so simple and easy to get heat as long as the fans care about the babyface. JYD opens with a flurry of punches, knocking Race backwards and over the top rope. JYD brings Race back in with a forearm across the chest and follows with a headbutt. Race with the teeter-totter sell, knowing what needs to be done to make a match with JYD worth watching. Back inside, Race with a headbutt to the bread basket. Good luck keeping the Twinkies and Ding Dongs down tonight! Race tries a headbutt to a place on JYD that has no effect on the target, but really hurts the man executing the move. JYD with an abdominal stretch, and Gorilla calls out the poor technique. Race grabs the referee, pulling him in to break the hold. Race with a gut-wrench suplex for two. JYD is back in control, and we get more comedy selling from the King. JYD misses a headbutt. Race nails him with a clothesline and drops an elbow for two. JYD with the comeback, hitting the Thump, but here's Heenan to distract JYD From making a cover. The referee allows Heenan to stay in the ring, with the distraction leading to Race hitting JYD with a belly-to-belly suplex for three at 6:09. We've established the referees are not holding up the standards of the rulebook tonight. Match was as good as you're getting out of JYD. *½
WWF Intercontinental Championship Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage (c) (w/ Elizabeth) vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat:
This might be the weirdest complaint possible, but after watching a ton of late '86 and early '87, and seeing these guys wrestle a ton… I'm ready for something else. I enjoyed the Savage/Sammartino matches from Boston for example. Even though they aren't masterpieces, it was a different taste of what I enjoy. Lockup, Steamboat ducks under an elbow and takes Savage over with an arm drag. Steamboat unloads with mounted strikes until the referee pulls him off. They do a hot sequence of counters until Steamboat plants Savage with a slam and Savage takes a powder. Steamboat chases him down and throws him back in the ring, only for Savage to roll back out. Savage takes advantage of Steamboat's aggression and dumps him over the top rope. Savage follows, giving Steamboat a taste of the guardrail and slamming him on the arena floor. Savage pulls Steamboat to the apron and drives an elbow across the previously injured throat.Back inside, Savage comes off the top with a double axe-handle, followed by a running elbow for two. Savage with a roll-up and handful of tights for two. Steamboat blocks the turnbuckle, giving Savage a taste instead. Whip is reversed and Savage takes Steamboat down with his signature clothesline. Savage misses a seated splash, straddling the ropes instead. Steamboat with a scoop but Savage lands on top for another two-count. The Dragon retakes control, grabbing a chin-lock. Savage escapes and tosses Steamboat, but he skins the cat, only for Savage to quickly follow up with a clothesline. Savage positions Steamboat across the guardrail, but Steamboat nails him coming down. Back in the ring, Steamboat with a series of deep arm drags and the double choke-lift. The referee again forces Steamboat off of Savage, and I'm more surprised it wasn't a DQ. Steamboat snaps Savage across the top rope and slams him face-first to the canvas. They bring the fight to the floor again, with Savage getting sent to the guardrail. Steamboat with a flying chop and a slingshot to the turnbuckle. Savage is busted open as Steamboat lands more strikes to the forehead. Savage grabs the tights out of desperation and sends Steamboat to the ramp. Steamboat fights his way into the ring, taking Savage over with a sunset flip for two. School-boy roll-up for two. Leg sweep and rolling cradle for two. Small package for two! Savage counters the O'Connor Roll and grabs the tights to steal the three-count and retain at 13:40! Two great professional wrestlers having a great match. This felt like a tease of what they were going to do at WrestleMania. ****
Non-Title Match: The Hart Foundation (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. The Killer Bees:
Final match of the night. The Bees have their terrible black leggings and yellow sneakers for this match. How am I supposed to take these guys seriously, dressed like the little girl from the Blind Melon album cover? Yes, I'm aware that was like 6-7 years later. I feel like the first 2-3 weeks of the Foundation's reign was the "we signed this as a non-title match" gimmick and a good excuse to have them lose and come back with a rematch where they steal a close one. Brunzell and Neidhart start. Brunzell goes for a waist-lock, but Neidhart forces a break. Brunzell smacks the ears to escape a bearhug and Blair comes in with an elbow. The Bees take turns working the arm while Jimmy jumps in on commentary to complain about the double-team work of the Bees. Bret with a distraction, allowing Neidhart to bulldoze Blair from behind. The Foundation takes turns working on Blair, taking advantage of a distracted referee. Bret with a shot from the apron, allowing Neidhart to cover for a near-fall. Bret with a back breaker for two. Neidhart and Bret make an illegal switch, working on Blair with a seated chin-lock. Blair with an electric chair drop to escape, but the referee misses the tag. Neidhart with a dropkick, knocking Blair out of the ring. The Bees do their masked confusion gimmick, allowing the fresh Brunzell to enter the ring illegally. We get heel miscommunication, sending Neidhart out of the ring. Brunzell with his signature dropkick but Neidhart saves. Bret goes for the mask, but Blair comes off the top with a sunset flip for the three-count at 7:39. I guess the legal man got the fall afterall. This felt more like a syndication "advance the angle" match than a satisfying house show attraction, but it was still solid work. **½Final Thoughts: Another solid show from Toronto, though there's only so many times you can run Steamboat vs. Savage or The Hart Foundation vs the Killer Bees. The undercard was better than usual, so that's always a plus when you're seeing the same matches on top time and time again. If you're not an obsessed mad man like me and are looking for a random show to watch, you can't go wrong with this one, with all the top matches being good to great.
Sound Off!
Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!