WWF TV Taping: Hershey, PA - January 6, 1987
by Scrooge McSuck
Taped from the Hersheypark Arena, it's another night of taping for syndicated television (and other programming). We've covered the taping at the Meadowlands Arena the night before for Superstars of Wrestling... So yes, we're going to dig into the Wrestling Challenge taping. Just in case anyone isn't familiar, Wrestling Challenge was clearly the B-show when it came to content taped for syndication. Major angles more often than not took place on Superstars, so the only hope is that they might sneak in a few decent star vs star matches to go with the miscellaneous content taped for cable or home video distribution. With that said, let's kick things off with...
Let's Get Ready for Prime Time (and Other Stories)... Before we get to some WWF action, there was one match that took place that never made it to broadcast or home video, and it's Randy Savage defeating Ricky Steamboat by Disqualification (get used to DQ or Count-Out results, if the Superstars taping is any indication). According to TheHistoryofWWE.com, Andre the Giant was the original listed opponent, though that was clearly bait-and-switch (they did similar for several house show dates). Could you imagine babyface Andre vs heel Savage?! Actually, it might not be much different than what we got in 1988, especially if Andre is in a sour mood.
Tito Santana, The Junkyard Dog and Davey Boy Smith vs. The Hart Foundation & The Honkytonk Man (w/ Jimmy Hart)
Taped for the Coliseum Video "The Hart Foundation", and also surfaced on international broadcasts. Tito is subbing for the Dynamite Kid, who went down with a career-threatening injury on December 13th in Hamilton, Ontario (and yes, was still co-holder of the Tag Team Titles). Bret and Davey start. Lockup into the ropes and Davey breaks. Bret complains of a hair-pull, but we didn't see that from OUR VANTAGE POINT. Davey runs wild with slams on all three opponents, sending the crowd into a tizzy. JYD and Honky tag in, and is that a toilet flushing that I hear in the background? Oh my GOD, I can't tell who is throwing the softest blows. Neidhart in, straps down and chest puffed out. JYD gets caught in the corner, but quickly fights out and hits the Anvil with several headbutts. Santana frustrates Honky and plants him with a pair of slams. Bret back in, and he's on the receiving end of punishment from all three men. Things finally turn around for Jimmy Hart's stable, as JYD is caught with an uppercut to the throat. JUNKYARD DOG is the face-in-peril?! Honky drops some elbows and Bret with a leg drop for a two-count. JYD fights to his corner, but the referee doesn't see the tag. THAT BLIND DAVE HEBNER! Honky makes the illegal switch, grabbing a chin-lock, then Neidhart has his turn. Honky with a slam, but the flying fist drop misses the target. Santana with the hot tag, running wild on Honky with right hands, a slam and flying forearm for a near-fall, broken up by Neidhart. Bret cuts Tito off with an atomic drop and snap elbow drop. Whip to the ropes and they smack heads. Davey gets the REALLY hot tag and it's time for a DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER. Whip and clothesline, followed by a delayed suplex on Hart, but Neidhart saves again. Heck breaks loose with all six men in the ring. The heels are whipped into each other and Tito covers Bret for three at 12:32. This was going well until that long lull of rest-holds because we needed JYD to be the one taking the beating. It's still fine, but could have been much better with some roles switched around. **In The Snake Pit with Jake Roberts... HAS BEEN PREEMPTED...
While the Snake Pit was often featured on Wrestling Challenge, the interviews taped on this night were not used for syndication, and instead were spread out to fill time on Prime-Time Wrestling and ALL-AMERICAN WRESTLING. If you're curious what filled the spot this usually occupied, it's a simple answer: rebroadcasts of the Piper's Pit segments that featured the two trophy presentations and Piper and Ventura agreeing to bring Hulk and Andre on the set to settle whatever differences there might be brewing between them. With that said, let's fire up some Prime Time Wrestling to get our Snake Pit fix... (just a quick note, these were not taped consecutively, just listed together to keep things organized)January 14th (Prime Time Wrestling): Blackjack Mulligan is our guest, and seriously, can someone check on the plumbing? I hear that damn flushing noise again! Roberts talks about technique, using a sly style, but his guest is someone who has no problem going to rob a bank by entering through the front door. Blackjack say when he was 18-months old, a rattlesnake bit him and DIED. He used snake skins for diapers! Roberts doesn't seem impressed. Mulligan talks about riding bulls and heavy-set women. Roberts says people consider him a big dumb hick. Roberts asks Mulligan what his favorite move is? He says a flying dropkick or some knuckle sandwiches. I thought they were teasing Jake's babyface push already, but this was definitely not the case.
January 19th (Prime Time Wrestling): OK, the second guest of the taping is everyone's favorite hero to Italian immigrants... SALVATORE BELLOMO?! OH COME ON! I know this was the Wrestling Challenge taping, but what the hell are we doing here with Sal Bellomo?!?! Jake says every country has their great athletes, and he says Bellomo is "kinda different" and a "fine piece of work." Bellomo says he is the best from Italy. "What did they do with the rest of them, did they bury them?" Roberts asks Bellomo about Bruno Sammartino and says he will carry the flag higher than he ever did. Roberts encourages Bellomo to remove his jacket and show off his body. Roberts says he lives in Pennsylvania now because even Italy doesn't want him anymore, then laughs him off and says the fans in the US don't like him either. WHAT THE HELL WAS THE POINT OF THIS?!
February 1st (All-American Wrestling): Wow, if those segments were the ones good enough for Prime Time, how bad could this be? Our third and final guest(s) in the Snake Pit for the night are SIKA AND THE WIZARD... (footsteps quietly walk away and a door shuts). Roberts had a third outfit on so it's not obvious this was all taped in one day. He considers Sika a very dangerous man. He hands Damian to Sika, who proceeds to wrap the snake around his neck and licks the head. Roberts says he was taught how he behaves, so don't blame him for it. The Wizard says as cold blooded as Jake is, he appreciates a man like Sika. The next time you look at your children, you're the ones teaching them how to live. When a child is born, he doesn't know how to steal, kill or lie. The Wizard has threatening words for Hulk Hogan as we wrap up our final Snake Pit segment. I don't know, Jake was good enough here to make it possibly the best of the three, but Sika and The Wizard added next to nothing.
The Junk Drawer...
Here is where we put anything of note that doesn't quite fit in the other categories, usually something that happens in a squash match that doesn't justify a lengthy write-up for the match itself. Since we're covering a Wrestling Challenge taping, we're not going to have as much fun with this section as we did for Superstars of Wrestling, but we have a few nuggets...
Before a scheduled match for THE NATURAL Butch Reed (Sorry, I must do the all caps for his nickname, for obvious reasons), we're introduced to the returning Andre the Giant, who tries to play nice with everyone, but Reed and Slick want nothing to do with him. Since this is Andre's only appearance of the night, the Hershey crowd might have little reason to suspect something is wrong... well, other than the early advertisement of him wrestling, then showing up in a non-wrestling appearance.
There's normally nothing special to report on a Kamala squash. They're usually quick, and from time to time, he might have his opponent taken out on a stretcher after doing a splash from the top rope. Tonight's victim is introduced as Nick Faley (that's Mel Phillips' pronunciation), and yes, it's Mick Foley very early in his career. Mick has already worked as enhancement talent, infamously having his jaw-jacked by the Dynamite Kid in the Fall of 1986, as well as working opposite the Killer Bees, Hercules and.... KAMALA? Yes, they ran that one back, and yes, it's about 30-seconds long, and Kamala crushes him with a splash off the top rope.
Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules let the audience for Challenge know that they are beefing, first with them having a little confrontation passing each other between matches, and then Hercules scouting Haynes' match moments later. Not quite as exciting as the angle shot for Superstars where Hercules jumped Haynes and locked him in the Full Nelson, but we've got to throw them a bone.
Demolition made their Wrestling Challenge debut, squashing the wacky duo of Jerry Allen and Sivi Afi. The looks of Ax and Smash are atrocious, with odd face-paint designs, sparkling hair and furry boots. I went back to TheHistoryofWWE.com to see how many dates they worked before switching from Colley to Darsow, and it looks like other than the two TV tapings, they made ONE appearance on January 4th in Springfield, MA. They were a team long enough to cut a few promos, with one surfacing on social media some years back promoting an 8-man tag with Demolition teaming with the Hart Foundation in Calgary (by the time the show took place, Barry Darsow was in the spot).
The Superstars in action that we haven't talked about elsewhere: Mike Rotundo and Danny Spivey (teaming with Mulligan for a Six-Man Squash), The Can-Am Connection, The Killer Bees, and Adrian Adonis (teaming with the Hart Foundation in yet another 6-Man quasi-squash featuring lower level guys like Paul Roma and Grandpa Tony Garea). Other squash matches took place, but featured names either used in other matches or interview segments. Also, the WWF REALLY loved their tag team matches, and especially the six-man tags on these tapings. I guess it's a good way to cram as many people into the taping while keeping the number of matches somewhat reasonable.
Now For Our Feature Presentation(s)...
Tito Santana, Pedro Morales and Hillbilly Jim vs. The Dream Team and Dino Bravo (w/ Johnny V)
From the January 18th episode. That's quite the random babyface team. Yeah, Santana and Morales are semi-regularly teaming, but HILLBILLY JIM throws everything off. Bravo is still relatively new to the WWF (as far as being featured on syndication) and still has his natural brown hair... OH GOD, IS THAT DANNY DAVIS?! Bravo and Hillbilly Jim start. Bravo with the early advantage, but it doesn't last long. Santana confuses Bravo on a crisscross spot, but Bravo cuts him off and drops him across the top rope. Beefcake works the body. Whip to the ropes, Tito ducks a clothesline and bounces back with a diving forearm for a LONG two-count. I think he might have stopped before getting to three. Beefcake with a high knee as Santana argues the count. Valentine with a shoulder breaker for an accelerated two-count. Hmm... Santana catches Valentine below the belt and sends him into the corner. Morales with his usual offense of left-handed punches. Davis again stops his count, yelling at Jim and Tito for some unknown reason. The babyface trio have a short meeting and decide to walk out on the match at 4:38. Well, that's certainly a unique finish. I'm also more than ready for Danny Davis to be pulled from referee duties.Jacques Rougeau (w/ Raymond Rougeau) vs. The Magnificent Muraco (w/ Bob Orton & Mr. Fuji)
Taped for the January 25th episode. It's a road-block match, where one member of each team gets to compete! I originally started typing this out as a tag team match, but then I actually paid attention for 5-seconds. Muraco is looking bigger than ever, and I'm sure it's from that amazing chicken and broccoli diet I've heard so much about. Lockup and Muraco shoves Jacques into the ropes. Jacques with a pair of shoulder blocks that have little effect on Muraco. Whip to the corner and Jacques pops out with a twisting body press for two. Muraco escapes a side headlock and catches Jacques off the ropes with a sloppy spine-buster. Whip and Muraco with a BAAAAACK body-drop. He tries it again, but Jacques flips over and hops on his back with a sleeper. Orton and Raymond start getting into it on the outside (with Orton being the antagonizer, of course), which brings Jacques out. Fuji starts hitting him with the cane and Dave Hebner is cool with it. All four men continue fighting and it's a double count-out at 3:08. If this was the finish, why not do a tag team match? Everyone is in their gear and getting physical. It's harsh to judge short matches, but Muraco didn't look his best here.Koko B. Ware vs. "The King" Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan)
Taped for the February 1st episode. Yay, another appearance for Danny Davis. Can we please get to the Tampa tapings and get this crap over with?! I'm tired of Davis being the center of attention in every other match. Koko is wearing his short-lived singlet and long tights look. I remember this being used in the Legends of Wrestling games (at least the 2nd one) and had zero memory of him wearing that gear. The bell rings while Koko is still coming to the ring and Davis tries counting him out, unsuccessfully. Koko avoids a lockup and takes Race over with a back body-drop. Whip to the ropes and Koko with a hip toss. Race buries a knee to the midsection and plants Koko with a belly-to-belly suplex for a two-count. Knee across the chest for another two-count. Race with a snap mare out of the corner but misses a headbutt from the second rope. Koko goes to the high rent district, but Heenan shoves him down for a fast three-count at the 3:00 mark. Post-match, the Junkyard Dog makes his way into the ring to check on Koko. Davis starts giving him the business, so the Dog gives it back and sends Davis across the ring with a hip toss to a HUGE pop.The Islanders vs. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff (w/ Slick)
Wow, a second match from February 1st that features stars vs stars. Sure, the Islanders might be between the Bees and Rougeau Brothers on the babyface side of the division, but they're still semi-pushed talent! Volkoff and Haku start. Volkoff busts out his spinning kick to the midsection. Whip to the ropes, Haku rolls by Volkoff and comes back with a body press for two. Haku with an atomic drop and the Islanders with a double-team jumping headbutt. Sheik with a shot from the apron to slow down Tama. Whip to the ropes and Sheik with an elbow to the chest. Tama blocks a suplex and counters with his own. Haku back in with chops and a dropkick. He plants Sheik with a slam and Tama comes off the top with a splash. Volkoff draws Haku's attention (as well as the referee), allowing Slick to sneak in the ring, whack Tama with the cane, and allow Sheik to get the three count at 2:15. Decent action for the little amount of time, and at least it wasn't a DQ/CO finish.It's Time... FOR THE MAIN EVENT...
WWF Championship Match: Hulk Hogan (c) vs. Hercules (w/ Bobby Heenan)
Well, there doesn't seem to be much suspense with this when Hogan's spent a lot of 1986 fighting off guys like Randy Savage, Kamala and Paul Orndorff. They had a pretty solid match on a late ‘86 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, so I expect something along those lines here. I wouldn't be surprised if this was intended for Coliseum Video as part of the Best of Series or a Hulkamania tape, but the only version available is an international broadcast. Hercules jacks Hogan with a clothesline as Hebner is checking him. Hercules strips the belt from Hogan's waist and smashes him with it before Hebner can wrestle it away. He continues dishing out the punishment, dropping elbows across the back of the head. Hogan rolls away from more elbows and fires off a series of right hands. Heenan hops on the apron and gets bonked. Hogan sends Hercules from corner to corner and follows him in with a clothesline. Hercules cuts Hulk off with a knee to the midsection and plants him with a slam.Hercules takes advantage of Hogan being in a compromised position and locks knuckles for a test-of-strength. Hogan battles to his feet, but Hercules regains control. Hercules cuts off another comeback, ramming Hogan into the corner. He continues punishing the back and slaps on a bearhug. The hand drops twice but not thrice! Hogan with short rights to break free, only to get cut-off with a high knee. Hercules with a back breaker with a sloppy transition into a cover. He gets Hogan up in the back-breaker (torture rack), but Hogan hangs on for all the little Hulkamaniacs that buy his merchandise. It's time to start HULKING UP, and we know what that means. He shrugs everything off and unloads on Hercules with right hands. Whip and clothesline, followed by the leg drop to retain at 7:38. Heenan jumps into the ring after the bell and Hogan sends him jumping over the top rope to avoid catastrophe. Nothing fancy here, with decent action. The only negative I could really call out is the bearhug spot that seemed a little much, but yeah, this was a Saturday Night's Main Event formula as I expected. **½
Final Thoughts: As we expected, not so much when it comes to advancing storylines at this taping, though the Danny Davis junk is all over the place and will thankfully pay off later in the month. You could argue that the crowd was given slightly better wrestling than what the Superstars crowd got. I mean, it's still nonsense finishes all over the place, but that's the golden era WWF in general. If I'm sitting through the B-Show, at least give me someone with a little more star power than Hercules opposite Hulk Hogan. I know Hercules is a featured player and you could argue is in that tier just below the title contenders, but it's still a three-hour show of squash matches and f*ck finishes.
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