This, is perhaps one of my favorite PPVs. In fact, I think I've seen it more times than any other PPV. Little did I know, it would plant the seed of a certain fandom in yours truly.
The event starts out with Monsoon and Jesse, and IMMEDIATELY I'm drawn in. These two are just THAT great.
They go over the rules of the matches, as this was a new concept at the time. Nothing particularly earth shattering here, but it's interesting that they include "Referee's Discretion." They were still trying to present themselves as a sport then I suppose. Seems like such a strange concept now, compared to their current direction.
Greg de George is in the heel portion of the locker room talking to Honky Tonk Man's team. They play a video package of Honky smashing a guitar over Macho Man's head and then pushing Elizabeth down. Man, it was way easier to get heat back then. Honky threatens Elizabeth if she dares come in.
Danny Davis, "the only man banned from officiating," huh? That doesn't last long.
Mean Gene is talking to Savage and crew, and MAN do these guys look, let's just say, extra stimulated. But that's fine. Their intensity comes through loud and clear, and little touches like that can really help things out.
Monsoon calls Beefcake "Beefer." I don't know what else to say.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and Macho Man Randy Savage vs. King Harley Race, Dangerous Danny Davis, Outlaw Ron Bass, Hercules, and the Honky Tonk Man
Herc and "Beefer" start out. Herc escapes a sleeper and tags out to Danny Davis, but as his other teammates attacked as well, confusion would be understandable. Jake tags in and he's all over that arm. Savage is in and rams Davis' head on former enemy Steamboat's foot. He tags in "Steamer" which is a cool thing to see given their WM3 feud. Race is tagged in and exchange blows. He twice tries to throw Steamboat out, but Ricky is able to flip back in and throws Race out. Hacksaw is tagged in and clotheslines Race right back out. Duggan wearing his WWF Superstars gear here. Both Race and Duggan end up brawling to a double count out, and Jake and Bass are going at it, with Jake again targeting the arm until he tags out to Savage and I find myself having to pause already because this match is really going very quickly, and this really takes me a bit by surprise. Savage with the attack on Bass and gets the one count. He nails Honky and Bass takes control. Savage makes a blind tag to Beefcake, who hits Bass with the high knee (a move which would become his infamous finisher under the equally infamous monicker of "The Booty Man" many years later) and gets the pin on Bass. Herc comes in and puts a beating on the Barber. Honky is tagged in working on the arm until Beefcake ducks under a punch and nails him with an atomic drop, which Honky sells as only he can. Bruti wails away, but is tripped by Davis which allows Honky to nail Brutus with the Shake Rattle and Roll. Savage immediately comes in after Honky, nearly falling out of the ring in the process, but Honky swiftly tags to Hercules. Herc wails away and tags out to Davis. Savage nails an elbow strike and tags in Jake as the entire crowd is shouting for the DDT. Honky tags in and catches Jake in the corner and halts his momentum. Jake is being passed around, ultimately ends up being attacked by Herc. Jake kicks out of a number of pin attempts and frustratedly tags Davis in. Davis and the rest of his team do very well in keeping Jake in their corner. Davis works on him a bit before dragging him towards Honky who takes some shots as well. Jake finally has enough, and works his way up to the DDT, nailing Davis with it for the 3 count. Herc comes in and immediately leaps into the air and clotheslines Jake. Jake uses all the energy he has to kick out of yet another Herc pinfall attempt and he is in TROUBLE. I love the added touches of Steamboat and Savage both trying to get in and help their partner, but behing held back by the outside refs. Jake is now flailing away at the air, and Honky is in trying to pin Jake with a "non-chalant" cover. Jake fights out of a Honky sleeper and hits his own knee shot, but Herc comes back in and squeezes Jake in what Monsoon calls a "partial sleeper." Jake jawjacks out, and he tags in the Steamer! HE IS A HOUSE ON FIRE!!! Dragon chops away on the big man, and then climbs onto the turnbuckle for the big chop to the dome! Steamboat sets Savage up for the elbow and he NAILS it for the three! Savage and Honky go at it and the crowd is going NUTS. Honky escapes and is the sole survivor of his team. Steamboat is tagged back in, nails Honky and Jake is brought back in. The crowd is chanting EVEN LOUDER for the DDT. Savage back in and nails Honky, setting him up for the elbow. Honky gets up, but Savage STILL nails him with the axehandle. Honky escapes and heads for the arena exit. He gets counted out, and the victory goes to Savage, Steamboat and Roberts.
An EXCELLENT match! Very fast-paced and NEVER felt boring!
Monsoon and Ventura talk about defending the title every 30 days, and I feel this rule was created to account for Hulk Hogan's fewer booking dates.
Crowd boos slightly as the women's match is announced.
Glamour Girls, Dawn Marie (no, not THAT Dawn Marie), Donna Christianello, and the WWF Ladies World Champion Sensational Sherri vs. Velvet McIntyre, Rockin' Robin, the Jumping Bomb Angels, and the Fabulous Moolah
Sherri starts things off against Velvet, and we're underway. Sherri is really vicious here. Velvet nails a highcross body and tags out to Moolah. Moolah still very mobile at this point. Christanello is slingshot into the opposite side as Tateno misses a dropkick. Velvet tagged back in as she nails Christianello with an elbow. Velvet with a rolling prawn hold on Christianello for the 3 count! Already we see a style contrast between the ladies and the men we saw earlier. Leilani Kai in and she gets nailed with a headscissors. Robin in and gets dragged to the corner, and Dawn Marie gets tagged in. Judy Martin in and attempts a few falls, then tags Sherri in. Robin really looks lost in there among all the vets. She does manage to nail one hell of a clothesline on Marie, and pins her with a highcross body for the three. Kai in there now, but Robin tags in Yamazaki who hits a dropkick and another variation of the rolling prawn hold for the two. Jesse, "She's unbelievable Gorilla!" Tateno tagged in and nails an impressive top rope arm drag. Sherri in and she eats a double underhook suplex. Robin back in and knocks Sherri down. Kai back in and Robin gets the monkey flip. She's brought into enemy territory and Sherri is back in and eliminates Robin. Tateno comes in with a dropkick as Monsoon erroneously calls her "eye-dzuki." Martin yanks her by the hair accross the ring and Velvet is in. She nails her with a spinning high cross body for a two count. Leilani brought in by force and is treated to a slingshot to the opposite corner. Moolah in, and it's here I realize that the fans may have been chanting for her in the introductions. Man, Moolah is tough looking here. Really hard hits by the ultimate women's vet. Yamazaki in and gets caught, gets out of danger, but gets hit by Leilani Kai. Sherri back in and she goes right to work on Yamazaki. Martin back in, and ultimately gets nailed by Moolah with some stiff shots. A double clothesline by the Glamour Girls eliminates Moolah. Once again its the Glamour Girls against the JBA. Martin grabs Tateno, but Tateno nails her and tags in Yamazaki. Velvet now in and continues the leg work started by the JBA and grabs the Boston Crab. It's converted to a surfboard. She drags Sherri in but gets caught. Sherri nails a leg drop, and a gut wrench suplex. Tateno in now and receives a double underhook of her own. Pinfall gets a bell ring, but the ref says she bridged out. Velvet and Sherri in now and Velvet hits the Giant Swing. Velvet with another rolling prawn hold on Sherri for the three! Now its the Glamour Girls vs. the JBA and Velvet. Tateno in with the top rope sunset flip for the two on Judy Martin. Yamazaki in and she struggles but nails Martin with yet another double underhook. Leilani comes in but gets caught in some leg scissors. Velvet back in after looking like her back was really hurt. Another rolling prawn gets two. A third is reversed by Kai and Velvet is pinned. Now it's the GG vs. JBA. Some great JBA double teaming occurs. Yamazaki fakes out Kai and Tateno nails a top rope cross body for the three! Two against one now, as Judy Martin is the last one on her team left. Martin just DUMPING Tateno for a two count. Yamazaki now in and they hit a double back body drop. Tateno with a dropkick to Jimmy Hart to a HUGE pop, and Martin is pinned for the three! The reaction here is MASSIVE!!!
Another fantastic match, and this is what eventually set me down the path to joshi puroresu fandom!
Jesse compares the JBA to Dynamite Kid, Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage. That is some HUGE praise.
Oh shoot. It's THIS match. The wierd tag team elimination match.
Demolition, Dream Team, Islanders, Hart Foundation and the Bolsheiviks vs. the Rougeaus, Killer Bees, British Bulldogs Young Stallions, and Strike Force
Volkoff and Martel start, and Volkoff just overpowers Martel. Boris in and Martel gets a high cross body. Tito tagged in and continues the attack. Tito nails a flying forearm and the Bolsheviks are both eliminated. Ax in and goes to work on Santana. Jocques in and Bravo tagged in. Ok, I just lost track of things... ok... I got it. Smash and Tito go at it, and Dynamite tagged in. Haku goes to work on Kid and they go back and forth. Brian Blair tagged in as I lose track of what's going on yet again. Roma working on Neidhart's leg. Smash in again... OH COME ON! Can't anyone stay in for more than a few seconds?? You know, I complain as a reviewer, but this is a really fast paced match and quite exciting. There is a recurring theme of teams tagging each other in and out, with guys favoring their own teams quite a bit. So let's see here. So far we've lost the Russians and the French Canadians. Bravo is ridiculously strong here. Demolition is equally vicious. Demolition eliminated by Smash pushing the ref. Santana pinned by Neidhart, so Strike Force is eliminated. Eventually, Jim Powers ends up playing Ricky Morton for a while as he gets passed around from guy to guy. Eventually the hot tag leads to Paul Roma, who hits Greg Valentine with a top rop sunset flip for the three. I guess the Bulldogs are gone, but I don't quite remember how. Just too much going on to keep track. "Moral victories don't count nothin in paychecks." Oh, Jesse! Bret Hart eliminated by Brunzell, but the Islanders take control. VICIOUS shoulder breaker by Haku for the two. And now the DREADED trapezious hold! Brunzell rallies out, but gets halted. Sunset flip by Brunzell onto Haku for the two. Brunzell hits a weird move onto Haku to halt his momentum, and the Stallions do some double teaming on Haku. The Islanders quickly respond with some double teaming of their own. Internet infamous B. Brian Blair in, and he gets hazed by Tama. Elbow missed, giving Blair a chance to tag Brunzell. Double noggin knocker stuns Tama enough to let Brunzell hit a dropkick. Crazyness ensues, and a asked Blair comes back in with a sunset flip for the win!
Really good and too fast pased to keep up with, but it dragged alot in the middle and didn't really pick up until near the end.
Gene is in back with Andre's team, and they are... full of energy. Andre says he is coming for Hogan's soul. This is 3 years before the Undertaker, mind you.
And now it's Hogan's team, and HOLY SHIT ARE THESE GUYS HEPPED UP ON THE CRACK COCAINE????
The Main Event: Ravishing Rick Rude, King Kong Bundy, The Natural Butch Reed, One Man Gang and Andre the Giant (AKA Team "Over 2000 Pounds") vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, Ken Patera, The Rock Don Muraco (subbing for Superstar Billy Graham), Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorf, and Hulk Hogan
Hogan enters with the weird tassled headband. Muraco starts against Rude. They trade blows until Rude can get an eye rake to take control. It's reversed and now Orndorf is in going to work on Rude. Now its the champ, as the Hulkster hits an Axe Bomber and a number of elbows. Bigelow in and splashes Rude, then hits a gorilla press. Patera in and knocks Rude into the corner where Reed is tagged in. Patera tags out to Muraco, who soon tags Orndorf back in. Orndorf sends Reed to Hogan's boot, who then gets the legdrop and eliminates Reed. Andre in and the crowd goes NUCLEAR. Hogan accidentally tags in Patera via high 5 and the ref makes sure Hogan gets the hell out. Bundy goes in and Patera takes it to him. Orndorf in and OMG in as well. OMG wailing on Orndorf, but Orndorf fires back. OMG lifts a knee to stop momentum and tags Rude in. Orndorf regains control and his patented elbow drop for two. Muraco nails a clothesline, and wanders into enemy territory. OMG in and sends Muraco to the corner, but he escapes and tags Patera. Patera with a high cross body that only gets two. OMG in control. OMG nails Patera with a big fat clothesline and the pin. Hogan in and Supermans it for a while until tagging the Bammer. Double shoulder block knock both OMG and Bigelow down. Both make their corners and Orndorf and Rude are back in. Orndorf calls for the Piledriver but gets nailed by Bundy and rolled up by Rude for the three. Bigelow fires in and tags the champ back in. Muraco in and eliminates Rude with a powerslam. Bundy is in, misses the splash, and Muraco works the leg. Bundy regains control and OMG takes over. Muraco fires away at OMG and attempts a slam, but is overwelmed by OMG's skill at being fat. Big splash and Muraco is out. We're left with Hogan and Bigelow vs. Bundy, OMG and Andre. Bigelow takes a vicious bump for a Bundy clothesline and gets beat on for a while. Bundy looks like he is LOVING this! OMG in, and he continues to dismantle Bam Bam. Bundy misses an elbow drop, but gets up first and continues working on Bigelow. OMG in, kicks him, and then HERE COMES ANDRE. Bigelow escapes and tags Hogan WHO IS GOING NUTS ON THE GIANT. They trade HUGE blows and Hogan "shockingliy" is getting the better of it all. Bundy drags him out, and Hogan gets counted out. Jesse calls him a sore loser, and I can't disagree, though this crowd is well on his side. Hogan MUST now leave, or else Andre's team will win. That's awfully severe. Bam Bam in with Bundy, and is really taking to him! Bigelow dodges the avalanche and goes over the top rope with the splash for the win! OMG in and beats Bigelow down. Jesse: "You know, One Man Gang can pick out whatever tattoo he wants to hit!" OMG misses a HUGE top rope splash and drapes an arm over the corpse for a three count! Andre now in and in deep control. Bigelow somersaulting around to dodge Andre, but he catches him and does his weird underhook suplex, making him the sole survivor. Hogan returns from the back and attacks the hell out of Andre, and it's Hogan posing to end the show.
This was a great show. Even though the tag elimination was a bit weak, all the other matches did what they meant to do. Everyone was full of energy and expression as well, making this a particularly enjoyable PPV.
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