In this WWF Wrestling Challenge 11/1/86 review, Randy Savage defends the Intercontinental title against Billy Jack Haynes, The British Bulldogs and The Dream Team exchange verbal jabs, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show:Â WWF Wrestling Challenge
- Date: November 1, 1986
RINGSIDE: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are back again, with Gorilla not letting Heenan get a word in.
Billy Jack Haynes vs. (c) Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) – Intercontinental Title
A title match on Wrestling Challenge! That’s a first for this show. Danny Davis is the referee for this one, so shenanigans are always possible. At one point, Billy Jack falls out of the ring after some offense from Savage, then it’s Savage off the top with the flying axe handle. Quite a sequence there.
This was is back and forth, and the crowd is into Billy Jack getting the upper hand on the champ. They pop when Billy Jack locks in the Full Nelson, but Savage, like any smart heel, hits Davis in the face before his arm can go down. Davis calls for the DQ and gets on the microphone to announce that he’s disqualifying Billy Jack for throwing Savage into him. Davis strikes again. (**, Okay)
VIDEO: Wrestlers’ Rebuttal with Hulk Hogan. He takes aim at Paul Orndorff and Heenan and wants to eliminate them for good.
Terry Gibbs and Iron Mike Sharpe vs. The Islanders
Gibbs and Sharpe are a nice jobber pairing. Inset promo from The Dream Team, and they make fun of The Islanders. I vote for the return of these promos in the modern era of wrestling. This is all Islanders, and Haku and Tama use the double team for the win. (SQUASH)
BACKSTAGE: Ken Resnick with The British Bulldogs. The British Bulldog introduces Matilda, and she has something in store for Jimmy Hart. That payoff will be worth it. The champs run down their competition, and Dynamite Kid says people confuse Matilda with Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake. Hilarious.
VIDEO: George “The Animal” Steele is at a FAST FOOD DRIVE-THRU. He just yells “eat” when they ask for his order. The driver decides to order every single item on the menu to satisfy George’s cravings. These 80s vignettes are everything.
Hercules Hernandez, The Iron Sheik, and Nikolai Volkoff (w/Slick) vs. Corporal Kirchner, Leaping Lanny Poffo, and SD Jones
Man does the crowd love them some America. Poffo reads a poem that gets a U-S-A chant going, and that sets the stage for a hot start. This heel trio of Herc, Sheik, and Volkoff is awesome. Slick notes in an inset promo that he’s gonna take Herc to the top to win the WWF title. It took 10 seconds to learn about a character’s motivation. Once again, good pro wrestling isn’t that complicated. Herc racks Kirchner and that’ll do it for the victory. (SQUASH)
BACKSTAGE: Resnick with The Killer Bees. Jim Brunzell says they’ve busted out of their hive. Nice. Brian Blair hypes his second annual amateur wrestling tournament in Florida.
The Hart Foundation (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Tito Santana and Pedro Morales
I’m convinced Heenan loves making fun of Tito more than any other wrestler. Jimmy Hart trips Tito seconds into the match, and that sets the tone. He also does an inset promo about his megaphone. A fountain of misinformation! Short but enjoyable tag match here with the crowd really getting into Tito and Morales taking control. The action spills outside after Tito earns the hot tag, and both teams get counted out. (**, Okay)
RINGSIDE: The Snake Pit with Jake Roberts, and Roddy Piper is the guest. Piper isn’t a fan of snakes, which includes Jake, so he keeps his distance on the steps. Eventually, he kicks Jake in the ass which sends him flying into Damien.
Barry O and Tiger Chung Lee vs. The Rougeau Brothers
Barry O (aka Barry Orton) is as cocky as ever. Any time I watch a Rougeaus match, I quickly start humming their “All-American Boys” theme song, which is one of the best in wrestling history. Inset promo from Dino Bravo, who discredits the Rougeaus as the pride of Canada. Jacques and Raymond fight back and score the win. (SQUASH)
VIDEO: Jack Tunney is not taking any more shit from Danny Davis, so the WWF is investigating his credentials as a referee.
Moondog Rex vs. Ricky Steamboat
It’s incredible to rewatch Steamboat in this era and realize just how much the crowd was behind him. Sure, Hulk Hogan was clearly the top star, but Steamboat was rising. He showcased his technical skill in this one, and came off the top of Rex’s shoulders for the roll-up pin for the victory. (SQUASH)
BACKSTAGE: Resnick with The Dream Team, who demanded interview time after the Bulldogs’ promo. Valentine and Beefcake are pissed. They’ve won me over during this rewatch series, and Valentine’s promo (with Beefcake just blocking Resnick and staring into the camera) is the best we’ve had on Wrestling Challenge to this point.
BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF WRESTLING CHALLENGE 11/1/86
Best Match: The Hart Foundation vs. Tito Santana and Pedro Morales
Overall Rating: 7.0/10
Thoughts: Two decent matches on this edition, plus some solid storyline advancement makes this one of the better editions of Wrestling Challenge thus far. The Dream Team promo was also a pleasant surprise. Pretty entertaining stuff across the board.
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