Post by tequillin on Dec 31, 2006 18:21:21 GMT
I've been working on this project for a while now, adding matches every so often. It's always a work in progress as everyday I become more of a rabid collector of WWE's history so if better candidates for the lists pop up, I'll update it.
I decided to start at 1985 and work my way slowly up, leaving opportunity for discussion on each year. I hope people find this at least somewhat interesting. I've done my best to find and locate only the top tier matches, from the depths of the rarest and most obscure WWE shows.
I'm hoping some good discussion comes about. I will try and get some uploaded in my thread in the media section but I can't possibly rip them all. Here's the link to the feedback and discussion thread:
awt.proboards83.com/index.cgi?board=other&action=display&thread=1167589611
Enjoy.
The 10 Greatest WWE Non-PPV Matches Year by Year:
1985
1. The Dynamite Kid vs. Bret 'Hitman' Hart – Landover Capital Center 14/9/85
A gem amidst an era of lethargic crap. Both men feel each other out, Dynamite throws Bret into the ropes, knocks him over with a shoulderblock and then slingshots him to the outside. Once back in the ring, Dynamite performs one of the most beautiful snap suplexes ever seen by the human race. Headlock, armbar, into the running throw counter to the outside spot, as the cocky young hitman hurtles to the outside. A great exchange of flashy armbar counters by both men, Bret nips up, throws Dyno into the ropes and hits a stiff knee to the midsection and gains the upper hand. Dyno receives a brutal bodyslam onto the concrete which Bret follows up with a backbreaker. A bodyslam reversal into a backbreaker of his own and Dynamite starts his comeback. Bret does the throat first into the turnbuckle spot and then gets folded up like an accordion with a back suplex. The tide seems to change when Dynamite trips over Bret as he jumps over. Ending up on the outside, Bret tries to suplex him back in, only for Dynamite to jump over and roll him up for the 3 count.
A smooth and quick paced contest complete with fine execution by both men. Cocky heeling by Bret and a solid face performance by Dynamite (He can’t play a face though can he!?). Solid match, the crowd loved it and it holds strong today. Early signs of Bret’s future greatness accompanied by the already established wrestling God that is Dynamite Kid. There’s nothing truly ‘big’ in this match but it was quick, innovative within its style and certainly within the WWF.
***1/2
2. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine – Madison Square Garden 21/6/85
Big match feel to this one and what a tremendous atmosphere within The Garden. Steamboat challenges for the IC title. Jimmy Hart screams at Valentine to watch the karate and tells the ref to watch Steamboat. A tie up and Hammer takes Dragon down but ends up receiving a big chop. The crowd erupts.
Partway in and Steamboat keeps dishing out the kicks and chops. Valentine gains control and goes for the figure four but gets rolled up for a two count and the crowd is on their feet. Dragon ends up on the outside. Psyching himself up he heads back to the ring and a huge slugfest begins. Crossbody from the top and Hammer gets his foot on the ropes, he gets up and folds Steamboat up with a back suplex. “Steamboat, Steamboat, Steamboat”, the MSG crowd rallies behind the challenger. Steamboat kicks off the figure four attempt and a flying kick to the head sends the champion
to the outside. The bell rings and it’s announced that Steamboat wins by countout. Not having this Steamboat invites the champion back in, however the reluctant Hammer steps down, gets his heat and leaves. Awesome.
A high stakes, slow methodical match with an overwhelming atmosphere. Steamboat again pulls off a great babyface performance but adds in a lot of intensity to the mix. Valentine, who is as always the slow methodical heel, puts in a top performance, gathers his heat and gets out of there (something current heels need to take note of). A smart heel and a great Intercontinental Champion for the time.
***1/2
3. The British Bulldogs vs. The Hart Foundation – Madison Square Garden 23/9/85
This should have been on Bret’s DVD instead of the July match. The chemistry between both teams is crisp and smooth. Not lethargic at all, which is quite a contrast to the majority of mid 80’s WWF. Innovative tag team wrestling and the two teams always cut such a fine pace.
Anvil uses his power moves to single out Davey but he escapes and Dynamite gets the hot tag, coming in ramming Bret and Anvil together and giving Bret a beautiful clothesline. Bret soon catches Dynamite with his usual knee to the back whilst on the apron and the heels are now in charge. Anvil throws him outside and Bret gives him an even more devastating bodyslam on the concrete than in their singles match. Ouch! Dynamite hits the turnbuckle throat first and gets an elbow from the top from Bret followed up by a beautiful backbreaker.
With the ref distracted, the illegal man Dynamite nails Bret with a diving head butt, rolls Davey out the ring and pins Bret for the win to a great ovation. A post-match beat down causes Dynamite to be busted open after a smash to the head from Jimmy Hart’s microphone.
A well balanced tag team match. I love the Hart Foundation’s little signature traits such as their conferring and the way they double team. There’s also a funny chase round the ring during this one. Not great, but a pretty decent match if you like this sort of thing like I do.
***1/2
4. Dream Team vs. Ricky Steamboat & Tito Santana – Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens 21/4/85
Four of the top stars at the time battling it out with some pre-existing rivalry. Greg Valentine took the IC Title from Santana in the past and Chico sure hasn’t forgotten. Both teams are looking to become world tag team champions so a win over the other team would do wonders for their respective teams.
Steamboat & Santana play the white meat babyfaces to perfection. Adding to the match is the Hammer/Santana rivalry as Hammer stiffs him up throughout. Steamboat receives the hot tag and chops everybody about ten times, gives Beefcake a suplex and locks in the sleeper hold. An eye gouge soon turns the tables and Steamboat takes a pounding. Santana eventually gets a hot tag and the climax comes when Chico avoids a reverse atomic drop, grabs Valentines leg and puts him in the figure four. Hammer taps out and the crowd go nuts.
Beefcake is a worthless sack of shit, however this is an exciting tag team contest and the crowd atmosphere has to be seen to be believed.
***1/4
5. Ricky Steamboat vs. ‘Ace’ Cowboy Bob Orton Jr. – Landover, MD 20/7/85
Quality little match we find here. Orton, sporting a cast on his left arm uses it to his advantage trying to attack The Dragon whilst gathering more heat than a furnace. At one point Orton gets knocked over the top rope and over the barrier into the crowd, where he steals a fans drink and tosses it in Steamboats face. The crowd is livid now as Orton goes to work on Steamboat.
Ricky eventually gains control as he has done for the majority of the bout. He chops Ace down and nails him with a crossbody from the top, gaining a two count. Steamboat goes for a splash but Orton gets his knees up. Climbing the top rope and revealing a loaded cast, he flies towards Steamboat and clocks him in the head with his cast. The ref goes crazy and disqualifies Orton on the spot. Well Orton is not happy about this and flies at Steamboat again, only to be knocked from the ring and drove backstage.
A quality match with an entertaining heel/face dynamic that the 80’s crowd eats up like Sunday roast.
***1/4
6. The Hart Foundation vs. The British Bulldogs – Madison Square Garden 13/7/85
The one that shouldn’t have been on Bret’s DVD, but sadly was. Not a bad match, it’s just not the Bulldogs/Harts match that you’d want fans nowadays to look back on. Some simple yet effective stuff really gets the MSG crowd roaring such as an awesome dropkick from Bret, a top rope dropkick from Billington and some close near falls via crucifix, roll-ups etc. Well executed strategy by the Harts in singling out Davey and whooping his ass for the majority.
Match ends with a ridiculous time limit ending, which is another reason why it should not have been included on the DVD.
***1/4
7. Barry Windham vs. Dick Murdoch – Philadelphia, PA 16/2/85
Kal Rudman, the backstage interviewer really seems to want to marry Windham. He’s a nice old man but I mean there’s no need to basically declare your love on a wrestling broadcast.
Pushing and shoving begins the fray followed by an exchange of blows. Barry eventually catches Dick with a beauty to the jaw and down he goes to a huge roar. Windham locks in his abdominal stretch but gets tossed over the top and to the outside, smashing into the barrier. Back and forth action on the outside as they then proceed to make their way back inside. Windham gets clobbered back out again, hurtling backwards to the concrete. Then its not long before Murdoch steals one of Rudmans (who happens to be ringside) crutches and nails Barry with it a number of times which really gets the crowd mad.
Murdoch; standing on the inside, picks Windham up for a slam but he rolls over and steals the pin to a huge ovation and a stunned Dick Murdoch.
Rugged old-school wrasslin’.
***
8. Ricky Steamboat & Junkyard Dog vs. Don Muraco & Mr Fuji – Landover Capital Center, 17/8/85
The match starts off as a huge outside brawl that spills into the crowd and sees Steamboat choking Fuji with a belt and nailing Muraco with a chair. Crowd pops huge when Muraco’s head is ensnared between the ropes. The heels gain control when The Dragon goes for a cover after a swinging neckbreaker and gets a low blow. He then get’s stuck in three nerve holds and finally gets a hot tag but the ref didn’t see it. Continuing to take a tremendous beating, Steamboat get’s the crowd fully behind him and avoids the tombstone, thus tagging in JYD. JYD is plain shit so he tags Steamboat back in, he goes on a chopping spree and pins Fuji with a sunset flip.
Steamboat carry’s this to the best it can be and honestly it’s not that bad of a match and neither was a lot of mid to late 80’s tag team wrestling. Nothing special, just worthwhile for Ricky’s performance.
***
9. Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart vs. ‘Jumping’ Jim Brunzell – Madison Square Garden 30/12/85
Hart in his cocky young heel mode and greased up hair, really comes across like he totally knows what the fuck he’s doing, utilising solid mat wrestling and sneaky tactics to structure the match. One of his earliest singles bouts against somebody other than a jobber or grey haired bofoon.
Brunzell hits a flying head scissors and adds in some fast paced moves to the match. After playing to the crowd Hart turns around and receives a dropkick and sails over the top.
The crowd isn’t too receptive of it and when wearing headphones, you can hear a fair few ‘boring’ remarks by certain small parts of the crowd but it does get a decent enough reaction from the rest. Hart’s forearm attempt gets hooked and turned into a backslide for the three count. Brunzell nabs the win for The Killer Bees.
***
10. Hulk Hogan vs. Don Muraco – Madison Square Garden 20/5/85
A return match for the World Title. Hogan manages a back suplex and a vertical suplex from the outside in, holy mother of Mary. It’s a decent brawl and basically does everything it needs to do. The crowd is absolutely going crazy for Hulk bashing the magnificent one with a chair and charging him headfirst into the steel post.
All I can say after this one is I wish the crowds were still like this. They’re beautiful.
**3/4
1986
1. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat – Maple Leaf Gardens 27/7/86
Different to a lot of longer matches from the WWF around the same time, in that these two can actually maintain the crowds’ excitement and participation in the match, gradually working them up more and more as the match goes on. Quick bursts of fast paced action, with Savage showing the fight he has, only to be taken back down by Steamboats quickness is one of the most enjoyable aspects of their chemistry.
Working the arm early on, Steamboat strategically wears Savage down until Savage is quickly able to nail a crossbody off the top onto the Dragon, only for it to be reversed for a two count. I don’t care what anyone says this spot is a great wrestling spot and when done right, as it is here; can get you on the edge of your seat. Savage manages to throw Steamboat out to the concrete to get a breather, then nails a double axe handle off the apron and throws Steamboat into the ringpost.
These two can time the match to perfection to gloriously build to the final crescendo.
The referee gets knocked down and now the crowd are really going mad at Savage and are solidly behind Steamboat. Some pinfall attempts have them on the edge of their seats. A backdrop over top gets a huge roar and this ignites a crazy brawl on the outside. Savage is bleeding profusely by this point and he gets counted out as Steamboat makes his way back in the squared circle. The IC title doesn’t change hands. They show an amazing ability to build towards the match finish, whilst suspending everybody’s disbelief at the same time. Savage is arguably the best seller the business has ever seen, certainly one of the most convincing.
***3/4
2. The Hart Foundation vs. British Bulldogs – Boston Gardens 1/11/86
Arguably their best encounter. The match tells a great story that twines in with the Harts sneaky heeling and bad ass attitude that is abruptly clear within this match. Fine tag team wrestling with great commentating by Monsoon & Hayes, pushing hard (as usual) the background of both teams and The Dungeon.
Davey gets the pin on Neidhart as the dazed referee fails to notice that they’re both the illegal men. Dynamite gets busted open after the match as Bret vents his frustrations out with the megaphone.
***3/4
3. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Tito Santana – Madison Square Garden 22/4/86
Chico and Savage had quite the rivalry in 1986 over the Intercontinental Title. After a few matches with Savage’s controversial antics involved, a No DQ match was setup for MSG, the result would be a bloody brawl and yet more controversy.
A wild back and forth match ensues and Savage become desperate to keep his title. Raking the eyes and sneaky attempts with chairs only cause the champion to make more mistakes. Santana capitalises and nails Savage with a chair as he comes down to the outside with a double axe handle, then ramming him into the steel post, busting Macho Man wide open for the all the Big Apple to see.
A punch up starts as the match draws to a close, with Savage eventually nailing the referee seemingly intentional. Santana nails his patented forearm and has the cover, however there is no referee. Santana revives him, Savage goes for a slam, it’s reversed, they roll up with Santana on top, 1, 2, and Savage reverses, grabs the tights and gets the duke.
A wild match, further proving Savage was an 80’s God. May bump up to 4* if I can find a fucking full version instead of this clipped one.
***3/4
4. The Hart Foundation vs. The Killer Bees – Madison Square Garden 17/2/86
An absolutely brilliant tag team match. The Hart Foundation get great heat and put on one of their best heel performances of their run. Timing, execution and strategy are down to a tee. A screwy time limit ending but it did a great job in getting the Harts over as big time sneaky heels. This is on Brets DVD and a fine choice. The Harts/Bees always had good matches.
***1/2
5. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts – Boston Gardens 9/8/86
Trademark Roberts psychology within this match, using his ring savvy mind to outsmart The Dragon. I love how early on they tease a fist fight, with Roberts eventually blocking Steamboats strike attempt. Further into the match and he goes for a block again, only for Steamboat to go underneath it and fucking nail him in the gut.
The left arm of Steamboat is spotlighted as the focal point of the match. Roberts takes away Steamboats chops and armdrags from him, wearing the Dragon down until he has seemingly nothing left. The closing moments of the bout sees a brawl on the outside with Roberts being launched into the barricade and Gorilla’s monitor table, then thrown back into ring only for the referee to get knocked down as Jake throws Steamboat into him. Roberts hits Steamboat with a short clothesline and a gut buster. He revives the ref as he could easily gain the pinfall but just as the referee gets up Steamboat rolls him up from behind and gets the three. A strong performance by Jake Roberts, one of his best.
***1/2
6. The Hart Foundation vs. The Rougeau’s – Madison Square Garden 22/9/86
Test of strength turns into an armbar by the Hitman, Jacques counters into a unique backflip over the Hitmans body, finishing with a dropkick and sends Bret Hart in amongst the ropes. Hart furious now, gets back in, circles around and pushes Raymond who asks to be tagged in. The Hitman ends up over the ropes from another dropkick. He’s had enough now and tags in the Anvil.
The Hart Foundation at every opportunity behind the referees back, take advantage and gain the upper hand, which gets the crowd only further behind the newcomer Rougeau Brothers. The finish comes when Raymond, the illegal man, hits a sunset flip from the outside on Anvil as the ref wasn’t looking and gains the pinfall as he turns around. An exciting and original finish, cap off a very solid tag team contest.
Very good tag team psychology and moves from both teams. Fast paced, simple, effective and nothing wasted from these two Canadian teams. Bret Hart and Jacques Rougeau stand out as the star performers, with Bret being the villainous professional and Jacques taking the rookie babyface role attempting the high risk moves. It would have been great to see more heel Harts vs. face Rougeaus from the same period.
***1/2
7. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart – Boston Gardens 8/3/86
An aggressive start to the match, as Hart relentlessly takes it to Steamboat until a reverse irish whip sees Hart take a front turnbuckle. Lots of arm work by Steamboat, as he gains control until Hart takes control yet again after countering coming off the ropes with one of his beautiful swinging neckbreakers.
Some fancy spots and good false finishes make for a really great little match, as Steamboat wins by reversing a crossbody shortly after Hart nailed him with a flying clothesline and had him covered while the ref was down.
This match really put Bret Hart across as an aggressive, solid heel and was really his first big singles match in the Federation.
***1/2
8. The Hart Foundation vs. The Islanders – Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens 16/11/86
The Harts receive a lot of cheers upon introduction. Tama starts off as the cocky youngster, eager to prove himself a star. Bret Hart has other plans and proceeds to kick his arse. He nails him when the refs not looking with a knee to the back from the outside as Tama hits the ropes, to a cheer. At one point Bret stomps Tama on the Maple Leaf Gardens elevated aisle way, picks him up and proceeds to fucking launch him off the end of it, as the crowd go crazy, mainly cheering. The Hitman then goes and grabs him, hits his head off the ramp and throws him back in the ring for easy pickings.
Haku eventually prevents the pinfall, as Tama goes up for a crossbody off the top, but the ref doesn’t count as he’s trying to get Haku out the ring. The Anvil capitalises and crotches Tama on the ropes, as Bret then hooks him for the pin.
An absolutely excellent Hart Foundation performance plus a wild crowd, makes for a hot match. One of the best Bret Hart heel performances of the 80’s I’ve seen. They were that badass the Toronto crowd loved them on this occasion, preferring them to the rookie shoeless team of the Islanders. Brilliant tag match that’s just got that unique and different feel.
***1/2
9. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Macho Man Randy Savage – Boston Gardens 1/11/86
I’d forgotten how much Steamboats music rocked. Savage plays to the crowd before the contest begins and garners an arena full of heat.
The grand master of the armdrag, Steamboat keeps Savage grounded following up with knee strikes and chops. People often forget how good of an IC Champion Savage actually was. Not at the same level as their matches the year after but nonetheless a very solid 15 minute match, which is what you’d expect. Steamboat wins via CO when Savage injures his knee performing a double axe handle to the outside. Boston Garden shows ruled.
***1/4
10. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts – Saturday Night’s Main Event 29/11/86
It’s amazing just how fun some of these old matches are looking back. Heel Savage gets scared of Damien and hides behind Elizabeth whilst circling the ring pointing to it in sheer terror and they basically play off the snake the rest of the match which ultimately makes it that good. Basic ‘scientific’ wrestling as Ventura calls it but we get a story, a great heel showing by Savage and Jake was in his tweener like role. The fans were with him but he still broke the rules and brought his trademark intensity and mean streak.
Fun stuff.
***
I decided to start at 1985 and work my way slowly up, leaving opportunity for discussion on each year. I hope people find this at least somewhat interesting. I've done my best to find and locate only the top tier matches, from the depths of the rarest and most obscure WWE shows.
I'm hoping some good discussion comes about. I will try and get some uploaded in my thread in the media section but I can't possibly rip them all. Here's the link to the feedback and discussion thread:
awt.proboards83.com/index.cgi?board=other&action=display&thread=1167589611
Enjoy.
The 10 Greatest WWE Non-PPV Matches Year by Year:
1985
1. The Dynamite Kid vs. Bret 'Hitman' Hart – Landover Capital Center 14/9/85
A gem amidst an era of lethargic crap. Both men feel each other out, Dynamite throws Bret into the ropes, knocks him over with a shoulderblock and then slingshots him to the outside. Once back in the ring, Dynamite performs one of the most beautiful snap suplexes ever seen by the human race. Headlock, armbar, into the running throw counter to the outside spot, as the cocky young hitman hurtles to the outside. A great exchange of flashy armbar counters by both men, Bret nips up, throws Dyno into the ropes and hits a stiff knee to the midsection and gains the upper hand. Dyno receives a brutal bodyslam onto the concrete which Bret follows up with a backbreaker. A bodyslam reversal into a backbreaker of his own and Dynamite starts his comeback. Bret does the throat first into the turnbuckle spot and then gets folded up like an accordion with a back suplex. The tide seems to change when Dynamite trips over Bret as he jumps over. Ending up on the outside, Bret tries to suplex him back in, only for Dynamite to jump over and roll him up for the 3 count.
A smooth and quick paced contest complete with fine execution by both men. Cocky heeling by Bret and a solid face performance by Dynamite (He can’t play a face though can he!?). Solid match, the crowd loved it and it holds strong today. Early signs of Bret’s future greatness accompanied by the already established wrestling God that is Dynamite Kid. There’s nothing truly ‘big’ in this match but it was quick, innovative within its style and certainly within the WWF.
***1/2
2. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine – Madison Square Garden 21/6/85
Big match feel to this one and what a tremendous atmosphere within The Garden. Steamboat challenges for the IC title. Jimmy Hart screams at Valentine to watch the karate and tells the ref to watch Steamboat. A tie up and Hammer takes Dragon down but ends up receiving a big chop. The crowd erupts.
Partway in and Steamboat keeps dishing out the kicks and chops. Valentine gains control and goes for the figure four but gets rolled up for a two count and the crowd is on their feet. Dragon ends up on the outside. Psyching himself up he heads back to the ring and a huge slugfest begins. Crossbody from the top and Hammer gets his foot on the ropes, he gets up and folds Steamboat up with a back suplex. “Steamboat, Steamboat, Steamboat”, the MSG crowd rallies behind the challenger. Steamboat kicks off the figure four attempt and a flying kick to the head sends the champion
to the outside. The bell rings and it’s announced that Steamboat wins by countout. Not having this Steamboat invites the champion back in, however the reluctant Hammer steps down, gets his heat and leaves. Awesome.
A high stakes, slow methodical match with an overwhelming atmosphere. Steamboat again pulls off a great babyface performance but adds in a lot of intensity to the mix. Valentine, who is as always the slow methodical heel, puts in a top performance, gathers his heat and gets out of there (something current heels need to take note of). A smart heel and a great Intercontinental Champion for the time.
***1/2
3. The British Bulldogs vs. The Hart Foundation – Madison Square Garden 23/9/85
This should have been on Bret’s DVD instead of the July match. The chemistry between both teams is crisp and smooth. Not lethargic at all, which is quite a contrast to the majority of mid 80’s WWF. Innovative tag team wrestling and the two teams always cut such a fine pace.
Anvil uses his power moves to single out Davey but he escapes and Dynamite gets the hot tag, coming in ramming Bret and Anvil together and giving Bret a beautiful clothesline. Bret soon catches Dynamite with his usual knee to the back whilst on the apron and the heels are now in charge. Anvil throws him outside and Bret gives him an even more devastating bodyslam on the concrete than in their singles match. Ouch! Dynamite hits the turnbuckle throat first and gets an elbow from the top from Bret followed up by a beautiful backbreaker.
With the ref distracted, the illegal man Dynamite nails Bret with a diving head butt, rolls Davey out the ring and pins Bret for the win to a great ovation. A post-match beat down causes Dynamite to be busted open after a smash to the head from Jimmy Hart’s microphone.
A well balanced tag team match. I love the Hart Foundation’s little signature traits such as their conferring and the way they double team. There’s also a funny chase round the ring during this one. Not great, but a pretty decent match if you like this sort of thing like I do.
***1/2
4. Dream Team vs. Ricky Steamboat & Tito Santana – Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens 21/4/85
Four of the top stars at the time battling it out with some pre-existing rivalry. Greg Valentine took the IC Title from Santana in the past and Chico sure hasn’t forgotten. Both teams are looking to become world tag team champions so a win over the other team would do wonders for their respective teams.
Steamboat & Santana play the white meat babyfaces to perfection. Adding to the match is the Hammer/Santana rivalry as Hammer stiffs him up throughout. Steamboat receives the hot tag and chops everybody about ten times, gives Beefcake a suplex and locks in the sleeper hold. An eye gouge soon turns the tables and Steamboat takes a pounding. Santana eventually gets a hot tag and the climax comes when Chico avoids a reverse atomic drop, grabs Valentines leg and puts him in the figure four. Hammer taps out and the crowd go nuts.
Beefcake is a worthless sack of shit, however this is an exciting tag team contest and the crowd atmosphere has to be seen to be believed.
***1/4
5. Ricky Steamboat vs. ‘Ace’ Cowboy Bob Orton Jr. – Landover, MD 20/7/85
Quality little match we find here. Orton, sporting a cast on his left arm uses it to his advantage trying to attack The Dragon whilst gathering more heat than a furnace. At one point Orton gets knocked over the top rope and over the barrier into the crowd, where he steals a fans drink and tosses it in Steamboats face. The crowd is livid now as Orton goes to work on Steamboat.
Ricky eventually gains control as he has done for the majority of the bout. He chops Ace down and nails him with a crossbody from the top, gaining a two count. Steamboat goes for a splash but Orton gets his knees up. Climbing the top rope and revealing a loaded cast, he flies towards Steamboat and clocks him in the head with his cast. The ref goes crazy and disqualifies Orton on the spot. Well Orton is not happy about this and flies at Steamboat again, only to be knocked from the ring and drove backstage.
A quality match with an entertaining heel/face dynamic that the 80’s crowd eats up like Sunday roast.
***1/4
6. The Hart Foundation vs. The British Bulldogs – Madison Square Garden 13/7/85
The one that shouldn’t have been on Bret’s DVD, but sadly was. Not a bad match, it’s just not the Bulldogs/Harts match that you’d want fans nowadays to look back on. Some simple yet effective stuff really gets the MSG crowd roaring such as an awesome dropkick from Bret, a top rope dropkick from Billington and some close near falls via crucifix, roll-ups etc. Well executed strategy by the Harts in singling out Davey and whooping his ass for the majority.
Match ends with a ridiculous time limit ending, which is another reason why it should not have been included on the DVD.
***1/4
7. Barry Windham vs. Dick Murdoch – Philadelphia, PA 16/2/85
Kal Rudman, the backstage interviewer really seems to want to marry Windham. He’s a nice old man but I mean there’s no need to basically declare your love on a wrestling broadcast.
Pushing and shoving begins the fray followed by an exchange of blows. Barry eventually catches Dick with a beauty to the jaw and down he goes to a huge roar. Windham locks in his abdominal stretch but gets tossed over the top and to the outside, smashing into the barrier. Back and forth action on the outside as they then proceed to make their way back inside. Windham gets clobbered back out again, hurtling backwards to the concrete. Then its not long before Murdoch steals one of Rudmans (who happens to be ringside) crutches and nails Barry with it a number of times which really gets the crowd mad.
Murdoch; standing on the inside, picks Windham up for a slam but he rolls over and steals the pin to a huge ovation and a stunned Dick Murdoch.
Rugged old-school wrasslin’.
***
8. Ricky Steamboat & Junkyard Dog vs. Don Muraco & Mr Fuji – Landover Capital Center, 17/8/85
The match starts off as a huge outside brawl that spills into the crowd and sees Steamboat choking Fuji with a belt and nailing Muraco with a chair. Crowd pops huge when Muraco’s head is ensnared between the ropes. The heels gain control when The Dragon goes for a cover after a swinging neckbreaker and gets a low blow. He then get’s stuck in three nerve holds and finally gets a hot tag but the ref didn’t see it. Continuing to take a tremendous beating, Steamboat get’s the crowd fully behind him and avoids the tombstone, thus tagging in JYD. JYD is plain shit so he tags Steamboat back in, he goes on a chopping spree and pins Fuji with a sunset flip.
Steamboat carry’s this to the best it can be and honestly it’s not that bad of a match and neither was a lot of mid to late 80’s tag team wrestling. Nothing special, just worthwhile for Ricky’s performance.
***
9. Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart vs. ‘Jumping’ Jim Brunzell – Madison Square Garden 30/12/85
Hart in his cocky young heel mode and greased up hair, really comes across like he totally knows what the fuck he’s doing, utilising solid mat wrestling and sneaky tactics to structure the match. One of his earliest singles bouts against somebody other than a jobber or grey haired bofoon.
Brunzell hits a flying head scissors and adds in some fast paced moves to the match. After playing to the crowd Hart turns around and receives a dropkick and sails over the top.
The crowd isn’t too receptive of it and when wearing headphones, you can hear a fair few ‘boring’ remarks by certain small parts of the crowd but it does get a decent enough reaction from the rest. Hart’s forearm attempt gets hooked and turned into a backslide for the three count. Brunzell nabs the win for The Killer Bees.
***
10. Hulk Hogan vs. Don Muraco – Madison Square Garden 20/5/85
A return match for the World Title. Hogan manages a back suplex and a vertical suplex from the outside in, holy mother of Mary. It’s a decent brawl and basically does everything it needs to do. The crowd is absolutely going crazy for Hulk bashing the magnificent one with a chair and charging him headfirst into the steel post.
All I can say after this one is I wish the crowds were still like this. They’re beautiful.
**3/4
1986
1. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat – Maple Leaf Gardens 27/7/86
Different to a lot of longer matches from the WWF around the same time, in that these two can actually maintain the crowds’ excitement and participation in the match, gradually working them up more and more as the match goes on. Quick bursts of fast paced action, with Savage showing the fight he has, only to be taken back down by Steamboats quickness is one of the most enjoyable aspects of their chemistry.
Working the arm early on, Steamboat strategically wears Savage down until Savage is quickly able to nail a crossbody off the top onto the Dragon, only for it to be reversed for a two count. I don’t care what anyone says this spot is a great wrestling spot and when done right, as it is here; can get you on the edge of your seat. Savage manages to throw Steamboat out to the concrete to get a breather, then nails a double axe handle off the apron and throws Steamboat into the ringpost.
These two can time the match to perfection to gloriously build to the final crescendo.
The referee gets knocked down and now the crowd are really going mad at Savage and are solidly behind Steamboat. Some pinfall attempts have them on the edge of their seats. A backdrop over top gets a huge roar and this ignites a crazy brawl on the outside. Savage is bleeding profusely by this point and he gets counted out as Steamboat makes his way back in the squared circle. The IC title doesn’t change hands. They show an amazing ability to build towards the match finish, whilst suspending everybody’s disbelief at the same time. Savage is arguably the best seller the business has ever seen, certainly one of the most convincing.
***3/4
2. The Hart Foundation vs. British Bulldogs – Boston Gardens 1/11/86
Arguably their best encounter. The match tells a great story that twines in with the Harts sneaky heeling and bad ass attitude that is abruptly clear within this match. Fine tag team wrestling with great commentating by Monsoon & Hayes, pushing hard (as usual) the background of both teams and The Dungeon.
Davey gets the pin on Neidhart as the dazed referee fails to notice that they’re both the illegal men. Dynamite gets busted open after the match as Bret vents his frustrations out with the megaphone.
***3/4
3. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Tito Santana – Madison Square Garden 22/4/86
Chico and Savage had quite the rivalry in 1986 over the Intercontinental Title. After a few matches with Savage’s controversial antics involved, a No DQ match was setup for MSG, the result would be a bloody brawl and yet more controversy.
A wild back and forth match ensues and Savage become desperate to keep his title. Raking the eyes and sneaky attempts with chairs only cause the champion to make more mistakes. Santana capitalises and nails Savage with a chair as he comes down to the outside with a double axe handle, then ramming him into the steel post, busting Macho Man wide open for the all the Big Apple to see.
A punch up starts as the match draws to a close, with Savage eventually nailing the referee seemingly intentional. Santana nails his patented forearm and has the cover, however there is no referee. Santana revives him, Savage goes for a slam, it’s reversed, they roll up with Santana on top, 1, 2, and Savage reverses, grabs the tights and gets the duke.
A wild match, further proving Savage was an 80’s God. May bump up to 4* if I can find a fucking full version instead of this clipped one.
***3/4
4. The Hart Foundation vs. The Killer Bees – Madison Square Garden 17/2/86
An absolutely brilliant tag team match. The Hart Foundation get great heat and put on one of their best heel performances of their run. Timing, execution and strategy are down to a tee. A screwy time limit ending but it did a great job in getting the Harts over as big time sneaky heels. This is on Brets DVD and a fine choice. The Harts/Bees always had good matches.
***1/2
5. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts – Boston Gardens 9/8/86
Trademark Roberts psychology within this match, using his ring savvy mind to outsmart The Dragon. I love how early on they tease a fist fight, with Roberts eventually blocking Steamboats strike attempt. Further into the match and he goes for a block again, only for Steamboat to go underneath it and fucking nail him in the gut.
The left arm of Steamboat is spotlighted as the focal point of the match. Roberts takes away Steamboats chops and armdrags from him, wearing the Dragon down until he has seemingly nothing left. The closing moments of the bout sees a brawl on the outside with Roberts being launched into the barricade and Gorilla’s monitor table, then thrown back into ring only for the referee to get knocked down as Jake throws Steamboat into him. Roberts hits Steamboat with a short clothesline and a gut buster. He revives the ref as he could easily gain the pinfall but just as the referee gets up Steamboat rolls him up from behind and gets the three. A strong performance by Jake Roberts, one of his best.
***1/2
6. The Hart Foundation vs. The Rougeau’s – Madison Square Garden 22/9/86
Test of strength turns into an armbar by the Hitman, Jacques counters into a unique backflip over the Hitmans body, finishing with a dropkick and sends Bret Hart in amongst the ropes. Hart furious now, gets back in, circles around and pushes Raymond who asks to be tagged in. The Hitman ends up over the ropes from another dropkick. He’s had enough now and tags in the Anvil.
The Hart Foundation at every opportunity behind the referees back, take advantage and gain the upper hand, which gets the crowd only further behind the newcomer Rougeau Brothers. The finish comes when Raymond, the illegal man, hits a sunset flip from the outside on Anvil as the ref wasn’t looking and gains the pinfall as he turns around. An exciting and original finish, cap off a very solid tag team contest.
Very good tag team psychology and moves from both teams. Fast paced, simple, effective and nothing wasted from these two Canadian teams. Bret Hart and Jacques Rougeau stand out as the star performers, with Bret being the villainous professional and Jacques taking the rookie babyface role attempting the high risk moves. It would have been great to see more heel Harts vs. face Rougeaus from the same period.
***1/2
7. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart – Boston Gardens 8/3/86
An aggressive start to the match, as Hart relentlessly takes it to Steamboat until a reverse irish whip sees Hart take a front turnbuckle. Lots of arm work by Steamboat, as he gains control until Hart takes control yet again after countering coming off the ropes with one of his beautiful swinging neckbreakers.
Some fancy spots and good false finishes make for a really great little match, as Steamboat wins by reversing a crossbody shortly after Hart nailed him with a flying clothesline and had him covered while the ref was down.
This match really put Bret Hart across as an aggressive, solid heel and was really his first big singles match in the Federation.
***1/2
8. The Hart Foundation vs. The Islanders – Toronto, Maple Leaf Gardens 16/11/86
The Harts receive a lot of cheers upon introduction. Tama starts off as the cocky youngster, eager to prove himself a star. Bret Hart has other plans and proceeds to kick his arse. He nails him when the refs not looking with a knee to the back from the outside as Tama hits the ropes, to a cheer. At one point Bret stomps Tama on the Maple Leaf Gardens elevated aisle way, picks him up and proceeds to fucking launch him off the end of it, as the crowd go crazy, mainly cheering. The Hitman then goes and grabs him, hits his head off the ramp and throws him back in the ring for easy pickings.
Haku eventually prevents the pinfall, as Tama goes up for a crossbody off the top, but the ref doesn’t count as he’s trying to get Haku out the ring. The Anvil capitalises and crotches Tama on the ropes, as Bret then hooks him for the pin.
An absolutely excellent Hart Foundation performance plus a wild crowd, makes for a hot match. One of the best Bret Hart heel performances of the 80’s I’ve seen. They were that badass the Toronto crowd loved them on this occasion, preferring them to the rookie shoeless team of the Islanders. Brilliant tag match that’s just got that unique and different feel.
***1/2
9. Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Macho Man Randy Savage – Boston Gardens 1/11/86
I’d forgotten how much Steamboats music rocked. Savage plays to the crowd before the contest begins and garners an arena full of heat.
The grand master of the armdrag, Steamboat keeps Savage grounded following up with knee strikes and chops. People often forget how good of an IC Champion Savage actually was. Not at the same level as their matches the year after but nonetheless a very solid 15 minute match, which is what you’d expect. Steamboat wins via CO when Savage injures his knee performing a double axe handle to the outside. Boston Garden shows ruled.
***1/4
10. Macho Man Randy Savage vs. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts – Saturday Night’s Main Event 29/11/86
It’s amazing just how fun some of these old matches are looking back. Heel Savage gets scared of Damien and hides behind Elizabeth whilst circling the ring pointing to it in sheer terror and they basically play off the snake the rest of the match which ultimately makes it that good. Basic ‘scientific’ wrestling as Ventura calls it but we get a story, a great heel showing by Savage and Jake was in his tweener like role. The fans were with him but he still broke the rules and brought his trademark intensity and mean streak.
Fun stuff.
***