Ranking Heel WWF Champions-"Macho Man" Randy Savage

             

            I debated on whether to include the title reign of Randy Savage considering he spent the majority of it as a babyface.  However, it gave me a chance to compare and contrast both his babyface and heel phases and calculate some interesting data results.  Concentrating more on the heel phase, Savage won 96% of his matches, with 40% being clean wins.  His clean wins were nearly double that of the Iron Sheik and Billy Graham, and 10% more than Ivan Koloff.  Savage’s overall winning percentage was at least 20% more than all three of the previous entrants in this series.  One factor could certainly be that he spent the majority of his entire reign as a babyface and his transition to heel did not lead to any major booking formula changes.  One could argue his momentum as a babyface champion played a factor in his success as a heel champion.

            As a babyface, Savage worked with Ted Dibiase often, with matches that winded down around September 1988.  Then, Savage worked with Andre the Giant with disqualification wins and no-contests.  Besides Andre he wrestled upcoming mid-card acts such as Bad News Brown, Rick Rude, and Haku.  Bare in mind, the WWF was running multiple sects of house shows with various rosters, or Savage may have had stronger opponents, or at least more variation.  After his heel turn, he only won clean against Bad News Brown, and won against the Ultimate Warrior in count-out victories.

TOTAL MATCHES (babyface and heel)-169

TOTAL WINS-135 (80%)

TOTAL CLEAN WINS-83 (61%)

TOTAL NON-CLEAN WINS-52 (39% of wins, 31% of total matches)

TOTAL LOSSES-17 (10%)

TOTAL CLEAN LOSSES-1 (6% of losses, 6% of total matches)

TOTAL NO-CONTESTS-17 (10%)

Total Babyface Matches (Before and including February 3, 1989 tag team match where he turned heel)-143 (85% of total matches)

Total Wins-110 (77% of face wins, 65% of total matches)

Total Clean Wins-73 (66% of face wins, 54% of total wins)

Total Non-Clean Wins-37 (34% of faces wins, 27% of total wins)

Total Losses-16 (11% of face matches, 9% of total matches)

Total Clean Losses-0

Total No-Contests-17 (12% of face matches, 10% of total matches)

Total Heel Matches-26 (15% of total matches)

Total Wins-25 (96% of heel matches, 19% of total wins)

Total Clean Wins-10 (40% of heel wins, 7% of total wins)

Total Non-Clean Wins-15 (60% of heel wins, 11% of total wins)

Total Losses-1 (4% of heel matches, 6% of total matches)

Total Clean Losses-1 (same as above number)

Total No-Contests-0

Steve Viglio

stevesgraps@yahoo.com

Ranking heel WWE Champions #3-The Iron Sheik

The Iron Sheik has certainly proven to be a cult favorite over the last fifteen years due to his outlandish behavior.  Using Cage Match and The History of WWE for results, the Iron Sheik had twenty-eight total matches for the WWE World title, first beating Bob Backlund at Madison Square Garden on December 26, 1983.  He went on to lose the belt to Hulk Hogan in the same venue on January 28, 1984, beginning Hogan’s ground-breaking reign as WWE champion as the company was nationalizing their product.

            For his clean wins, he mostly beat job guys such as Ken Jugan, Sal Bellomo, and John Callahan.  He beat “Chief” Jay Strongbow on December 27, 1983, which was not clean, and proceeded to beat him several more times throughout his reign.  The results I have for those wins do not list the finish and it is possible they shared the same finish as the December 27 match, and I did not include those in his clean win total.  He never lost clean, excluding his loss to Hogan to end his reign, so his reign has that as a strength I guess.  He lost via disqualification two times to Bob Backlund and once to Ivan Pitski.  Here are the overall stats and percentages for his reign…

28 total matches

21 Overall wins-75%

10 Clean wins-36%

5 non-clean wins-18%

4 Losses-14%

2 Draws-7%

1 Unknown finish against Ivan Putski on January 15, 1984

            Comparing Sheik to Ivan Koloff and Billy Graham, he ranks number three, just looking at overall clean wins.  Overall, the Iron Sheik lacked any tangible and credible wins, and seems to compare well to Ivan Koloff’s.

            Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik won the WWE tag belts at WrestleMania I on March 31, 1985 but they did not have a particularly good run.  They lost to Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo numerous times, including singles losses to both guys for Sheik.  They only won against job guys and one sole win against the British Bulldogs, before losing the belts to Windham and Rotundo in three minutes on June 17, 1985.  On a side-note, Sheik won the Most Underrated Wrestler award in the Observer for 1980.

Ranking the heel WWE champions #2-Superstar Billy Graham

                “Superstar” Billy Graham’s WWWF title run began on April 30, 1977, in Baltimore, MD, with a non-clean win over Bruno Sammartino.  Graham was very much ahead of his time with his character, charisma, presence, and promos, many of which were reminiscent of Muhammed Ali.  Graham’s career story was that of vast untapped potential in that Vince McMahon Sr. decided to Bob Backlund the highlight of the WWWF over him.  Graham would return to the WWWF after this run, on two occasions but never holding the championship again.  Alongside the likes of Bruno, Bob Backlund, Pedro Morales, and Hulk Hogan, Graham was a record setter for sell-outs at Madison Square Garden.  He sold out MSG numerous times during this run, along with his return in the 80’s working with Bob Backlund, and even in his final run in the late 80’s.  On October 16, 1987, as the headliners, Graham and Butch Reed sold out the Garden for a cage match that Graham won.  Here are his championship reign stats…

Total matches-165

Overall wins-65%

Clean wins-47%

Non-clean wins-18%

Overall losses-27%

No Contests/Draws-5%

Tag Team matches-2%

                When compared to Ivan Koloff, Graham’s numbers are not far off, as Ivan has a higher overall winning percentage but slightly less clean wins.  Koloff had a considerably better loss percentage but of course, he had far less total matches in his reign.  Graham fought a diverse collection of wrestlers, and he travelled outside of the WWWF territory as champion, to places like Florida, Japan, and Detroit.  The most amount of his clean wins came over Larry Zbyszko (11), Tony Garea (12), and “Chief” Jay Strongbow (14).  Against Bruno Sammartino, he only won clean once, in a cage match,  once in non-clean fights, two losses, and three no contests.  In typical McMahon fashion, Bruno was still kept strong despite not being champion.

                Graham’s biggest rival was against Dusty Rhodes, as he lost twelve total times, and only won once.  However, the vast majority of those losses were in Florida for Championship Wrestling from Florida and in fact, Graham lost most of his matches that he wrestled in Florida.  His other high collected losses came from Bob Backlund, Strongbow, and Ivan Putski, with most being via count-out or disqualification.  Graham also wrestled some unique opponents during his reign, such as Chavo Guerrero (in a loss), Raymond Rougeau, Strong Kobayashi, Edouard Carpentier, and Riki Choshu.  Graham lost the title to Bob Backlund on February 20, 1978, in New York City.  If one was looking strictly at clean wins, “Superstar” Billy Graham holds the top spot for now but he also holds the top loss count.  It would be a cliché to say that Graham was a pioneer in wrestling and certainly paved the way for the modern wrestling landscape.

                It should be mentioned that the previous heel champion, Stan Stasiak, failed to hold the title for at least six matches, and did not qualify for this project.  If you have questions or suggestions, follow me on Twitter @stevesgraps, or email me at stevesgraps@yahoo.com

Best/Worst heel WWE champions #1

              My goal for this project is to analyze all the major heel WWE champions and figure out who was booked the strongest and the weakest overall.  Since the WWE booking has always favored babyface champions, dating back to Vince Sr., I really just want to focus on those champions.  There is no question that guys like Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, and Hulk Hogan were booked to look as strong as possible.  However, the same usually can not be said for previous heel champions.  Off the top of my head, guys like Yokozuna, Seth Rollins, and Alberto Del Rio were booked miserably.  There certainly could be room to, at some point, look at babyfaces and analyze who was the weakest of that group, but for now I want to strictly look at heels.

                The prerequisite for analysis of a title reign is that it must have been defended six times.  I would like to be able to measure and contrast comparable title reigns based on booking alone which will include clean wins, cheap wins, and losses, among other things.  I will be researching televised matches and house shows, as well as singles matches and tag team matches, as best I can from results archives.  I will differentiate between these distinct categories, in each post, in order to properly analyze.  For wrestlers multiple reigns, I will only be looking at reigns that fit my criteria which is six defenses as a heel.  These posts will generally be in chronological order and if you have any suggestions for how to better this research, please feel free to contact me.

                Ivan Koloff was a pretty decent draw in his career, and he got the opportunity to unseat Bruno Sammartino as WWWF champion.  Koloff’s reign as champion began on January 18, 1971, at Madison Square Garden, in a clean win over Sammartino.  His reign ended on February 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden, in his only loss, to Pedro Morales.  Altogether, Koloff had thirteen matches as WWWF champion with eleven being singles matches.  Here is a breakdown of percentages for his wins and losses…

77% Overall wins

46% Clean wins

31% Non-clean wins

15% Draws

8% Losses/Clean losses

15% Tag Team matches

                Ivan’s overall record was satisfactory but he only won clean 46% of the time.  Looking at his opponents shows that those wins only came against relatively opening matches guys.  Manuel Soto had no high profile wins in 1970, wrestled guys like Johnny Rodz, and lost to Professor Tanaka in Madison Square Garden.  Tony Marino lost to Koloff multiple times in 1970-71 but he did win the WWWF International Tag Team championship with Victor Rivera on December 9, 1969.  Jean Dubois lost more matches than he won including losses to Koloff, Tanaka, and Arnold Skaaland.  Finally, Lee Wong was similar to Dubois in that he lost to Koloff, George Steele, and Tanaka in 19070-71 but he did manage victories over Lou Albano and Waldo Von Erich.  Overall, Koloff’s clean wins were against rather lackluster opponents.  Koloff’s non-clean wins were count-outs against Chief Jay Strongbow and Gorilla Monsoon.

                There is no doubting Ivan Koloff’s success as a wrestler, over his career.  At times, he drew well, and he is a member of the Observer Hall of Fame.  His reign as WWWF champion was rather short, serving as the first true transitional champion in the history of the company.  It will be interesting to see how his reign measures up against other reigns.

Steve Viglio
stevesgraps@yahoo.com

George "Scrap-Iron" Gadaski

                 George “Scrap-Iron” Gadaski was an iconic figure in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) well into the 1980’s, putting over countless top stars who came through the Gagne territory.  Gadaski was a powerful weightlifter who was trained in Calgary by Stu Hart and began wrestling in San Francisco for Roy Shire and other areas such as Florida.  However, by the mid 1960’s, Gadaski began mainly working in the AWA and wrestled in mostly enhancement matches against the likes of Verne Gagne, Mad Dog Vachon, and many others well into the early 1980’s, while also working as a referee for many matches.  More famously, Gadaski was Ric Flair’s first opponent on December 10, 1972 in Rice Lake, WI, going to a ten-minute time-limit draw.  From AWA records (by clawmaster at the Sports and Wrestling forums), Gadaski debuted in the AWA by putting over Billy Red Cloud on September 3, 1966, in Minneapolis, MN.  The last match Gadaski refereed was on January 3, 1982 in Milwaukee, WI.  His last match wrestling in the AWA appears to be on December 20, 1981 in Minneapolis, MN, teaming with Woody Wilson in a loss to Bobby Duncum and Ken Patera.

                One interesting moment for Gadaski came on December 13, 1981, in Minneapolis, as he teamed with Kenny Jay to fight Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis.  Both Adonis and Ventura had debuted at the WWF Championship Wrestling tapings in Allentown, PA on October 13, 1981 and their match with Jay and Gadaski was scheduled to be their final AWA appearance.  Their final match in the AWA (for the time being) turned into a complete brawl with Ventura and Adonis laying out both Jay and Gadaski, along with some AWA officials.  Wally Karbo came out and banned both Adonis and Ventura from ever appearing in the AWA again before they attempted to rough up Karbo. 

                By 1982, George Gadaski’s life was taking a negative turn as he had been diagnosed with a severe brain tumor.  The AWA held a fundraiser for him on April 5, 1982, in Amery, WI and Gadaski passed away on December 13, 1982.  On March 10, 1996, a company named Mid-American Wrestling held a Scrap-Iron street fight tournament, in Waukesha, WI, in memory of Gadaski.  The only results for that show I could find were pretty unclear, taken from the March 25, 1996 Wrestling Observer Newsletter...

"One-night Scrap Iron Street fight tournament: Waverider Craig b Spymaster, Billy Joe Eaton b Waverider Mike, Big Daddy Dave b Farmer Vic, Axl Future b Eric Love, Craig d Eaton, Future b Dave"

The Super Assassins in WCW-(1995-1996)

                The Warlord and the Barbarian are two of my guilty pleasure favorites in wrestling, whether it be together as a team or as singles.  They worked together as the Powers of Pain until 1990, prior to Wrestlemania VI, on March 25 in Hershey, PA.  Their manager Mr. Fuji ended up selling their contracts over to Bobby Heenan (The Barbarian) and Slick (The Warlord), respectively and they made their singles debuts oddly enough at a WWF Superstars taping in Sacramento, CA on March 6, 1990.  For those looking to watch their respective debuts, The Barbarian debuted on March 24, and the Warlord debuted on April 7.  They both went on to have lackluster singles careers with the Barbarian ending his WWF stint on February 16, 1992, and the Warlord ending on April 18, 1992, being pinned by Virgil, of all people.

                The Barbarian went on to return to the WWE on June 6, 1994, and spent several months subbing for guys like Diesel and Crush on house shows, before returning as Fatu’s partner Seone, in the Headshrinkers.  They first teamed on September 1, at a house show against WWF tag champs Diesel and Shawn Michaels, and spent most of their time putting over Men on a Mission and the Blu Brothers at house shows.  The Barbarian also worked WCW in 1992 for a brief period and teamed with Haku for a short stint in New Japan in 1993.  Meanwhile, the Warlord wrestled some indies and in Japan for WAR, actually holding the WAR six man belts with Scott Putski and Bob Backlund in 1994. 

                In 1995 and 1996, the stars would align once again as the Barbarian and the Warlord would once again team up on a national stage, in WCW, as the Super Assassins.  No, they did not wear cool face paint and have cool haircuts and beat up people unmercifully.  Rather, under the tutelage of Colonel Robert Parker, wore masks and yellow and black costumes similar to the original Assassins.  They worked only briefly at WCW Pro and WCW Saturday Night tapings, only winning against the American Males in their debut, and they worked the very first World War 3 battle royal.  Their most noteworthy match was also their final match in WCW, on WCW Nitro on January 1, 1996, losing to Sting and Lex Luger in less than six minutes.  The dream was over.

                The Warlord and the Barbarian touched many people’s hearts throughout their careers but never quite had immense success together.  Perhaps more memorable for the Barbarian was his Faces of Fear tag-team with Meng in WCW, which began actually on WCW Main Event on February 4, 1996, taped on January 29, in Canton, OH.  Have no fear, they would go on periodically, into modern times, teaming together on the indy scene, for companies like CHIKARA, in 2012.  For now, please remember them for their epic time spent together in WCW, wearing honeybee clothing.  How on earth did Colonel Parker think that they would ever capture tag team gold by dressing like complete geeks. 

                Here are some of the Super Assassins matches on Youtube, please enjoy…

Larry Atkins, Vince Sr., and the WWWA in 1963

Many fans are familiar with the WWWF name but a different entity was created along with the formation of the WWWF in 1963. Vincent James McMahon and Larry Atkins originally created the World Wide Wrestling Association (WWWA) in Cleveland, OH, in 1963. Promoter Larry Atkins helped promote Rogers as WWWA champ in Cleveland, alongside Rogers as WWWF champ in Vince Sr.'s New York/Washington D.C. territory. Atkins and his Buckeye Sports Corporation used the WWWA name for the company. Teamed with other men like Willie Gilzenberg, Vince Sr., and Joe “Toots” Mondt, Atkins promoted under the WWWA name for a short period. Rogers lost the WWWA title to Dory Dixon, in Cleveland, on March 28, 1963. A week later, in Chicago, IL, on April 5, Dixon and Rogers had a rematch, which Rogers won but he did not win the WWWA title. On April 11, Rogers was acknowledged as being the WWWF Champion, in Washington D.C, before a match with Bruno Sammartino, that went to a no-contest. It was around this time that Rogers' health took a turn for the worse, and the WWWF had to go in a different direction with Bruno at the helm.

Willie Gilzenberg and Bruno Sammartino

Dory Dixon held onto the WWWA championship until losing it to Karl Von Hess, on May 2. On May 17, Sammartino won the WWWF title from Rogers, in New York and Atkins took a break from promoting in Cleveland. By the time he started back up in the Cleveland Arena, there was some confusion about the two entities.  Bruno, at times, was billed as being either the WWWA or WWWF champion, until later in the year when his official association/title became WWWF Champion.

~Thanks to Tim Hornbaker and his work, especially his new Capitol Revolution book. I would highly recommend reading it.

Dory Dixon

WWF-Bob Backlund v. El Olympico-1980

Bob Backlund v. El Olympico-Ten minute Exhibition match

May 7, 1980-Hamburg, PA, Fieldhouse Referee:John Stanley

This was billed as a strictly scientific ten minute exhibition match. Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino, on commentary, got over the idea that El Olympico had done well in other places and now, he wants to try and fight the best, in the WWF. This was a different and unique match with takedowns mostly telling the story. Whenever a takedown would occur, Bob would usually break the hold and stand back up. Bob did just about all of the takedowns, as El Olympico was made to look inferior. I do not know who would book a scientific match with a luchadore against an amateur expert.

This started with a handshake from both men and they tried feeling each other out with lockups. Bob hit an O'Connor roll/waistlock takedown. Olympico put on a full nelson that Bob countered with his legs and strength. 

Bob locked in a stretch submission, grabbing a leg and arm barring an arm. Vince and Bruno put over how big it would be for Olympico to beat Bob here. One fan yelled “kick him in the balls” rather audibly. Olympico grabbed a leg but Bob countered with an explosive monkey flip.

Olympico hooked a headlock that was met with a back suplex and a pin attempt but the ref stopped it. No pins allowed for Bob. Olympico finally got in a wrist lock drag into a headscissors on the mat but Bob got out. They locked up and Olympico almost punched him but he thought twice since it was illegal.

 However, in the next exchange, he hit him with an open hand shot that he argued was legal and it was allowed. Olympico seemed to be getting frustrated by this point. Bob locked in a figure-four leglock and then a great stalling back suplex. 

Bob hoisted Olympico up for a possible atomic drop, which would have been illegal in this match, but Olympico hooked the top rope and it was broke. 

Finally, Bob tried for a Boston crab but could not get him. The bell rang and they shook hands.

Through my research, I have Olympico debuting in the WWWF/WWF, in June 1972, in North Dartmouth, MA, against Juan Caruso. He lost more matches than he won and wrestled between 1972 and 1980, and some of those years he did not work the territory. His most notable opponents include Mr. Fuji, several times, George Steele, and Blue Demon, on several occasions including once in MSG, in 1972. Also, Olympico put over Greg Valentine in Valentine's MSG debut on April 14, 1975. While wrestling in Madison Square Garden, he had to wear an open mask because the building did not allow full masks for competitors.

WWF Prime Time Wrestling-April 18, 1988

We start with Bobby talking about his jacket and how he was wearing it because Vanna White likes him in sequins. Next week, the show will have a new set that was designed by Bobby, along with a new phone and other surprises.

Butch Reed/One Man Gang w/Slick v. Bam Bam Bigelow/Don Muraco w/Sir Oliver Humperdink and “Superstar” Billy Graham

March 13, 1988-Philadelphia, PA The Spectrum Referee:Jeff Goldberg

This match was the epitome of long filler. Lots of stalling to start including Muraco stomping Slick's hand, who was outside. Gang and Reed had attacked and laid out Graham on January 25 and he was at ringside for revenge, as he nailed both guys with his cane. Muraco beat Reed on the April 11 Prime Time after Slick and Reed collided. Tension was teased between Reed and Gang including Reed accidently nailing Gang. They ended up putting the heat on Muraco for a while leading to a Bam Bam hot tag. Soon, all four guys were in and the faces tried to throw the heels into each other but it was reversed and Bigelow was clotheslined to the floor. Gang and Reed set-up a double team clothesline but Gang was grabbed from the outside. Reed kept running at Muraco but missed a crossbody, hitting the ropes, and Muraco pinned him. On a sidenote, announcer Dick Graham used the expression “man alive” seven times throughout this match.

Finish

Gorilla plugs the upcoming release of WrestleMania IV on VHS, which had a fold-out box with two cassettes since it was so big. Heenan is going to be making changes to Primetime starting next week. Gorilla asks him if he had permission for that and he said he does not need permission since he is the host. He tells Monsoon that if he has any plans on Monday nights, he will be free to do them. Gorilla ponders whether the show will be on Mondays still and Heenan insists he will still be there, just not Monsoon.

“Outlaw” Ron Bass v. Reno Riggins

March 9, 1988-Winston-Salem, NC, The Coliseum Referee:Dave Hebner

Riggins got no offense at all, as Bass kept destroying him. A couple times, he covered him and pulled him up at two. Alfred Hayes asked if he had a beard or if he just did not feel like shaving in the mornings. Bass won with a Pedigree where he did not hook the arms. Bass had recently choked the Junkyard Dog with Ms. Betsy, his bull whip.

Bass made his WWF debut in East Rutherford, NJ, at the closed Meadowlands, on January 5, 1987. He teamed with The Gladiator and Jimmy Jack Funk to lose to Blackjack Mulligan, Mike Rotundo, and Dan Spivey. His first singles match was a win against Lanny Poffo on January 7, Glens Falls, NY. His last match was a loss to The Blue Blazer, on March 19, 1989, in Denver, CO.

Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake v. Gene Watson

March 20, 1988-Springfield, IL, Prairie Capital Convention Centre Referee-Jimmy Korderas

Quick squash win by Beefcake with the sleeper, which Heenan questioned whether it was a choke and that the ref did not check if it was a choke. Given how quickly Watson went out, Beefcake would seemingly have the most effective submission in the company, if it were a choke. The ref does not check it, so he is good. Heenan did wonder if Gene Watson was related to Whipper Watson. Monsoon doubted that but Heenan said Gene was a lot better.

Whipper Watson won the Toronto NWA International Tag Titles with Bruno Sammartino on September 27, 1962, in Toronto, by beating Bulldog Brower and Sweet Daddy Siki. They lost the titles on February 28, 1963, in Toronto, to Johnny Valentine and Bulldog Brower. Watson happened to win these titles with many other men, including Brower, Valentine, Mark Lewin, Yukon Eric, Bill Soloweyko, and Billy Red Lyons.

Gene Watson

The WWF Event Center was next with a look back at the WrestleMania IV Battle Royal. We got interviews from Bad News Brown and Bret Hart. Brown told the story on how he got his name. When he would show up in the neighborhood, back in the day, everyone knew there was going to be bad news, and there will be bad news for the Hitman. But he is a kind and good guy, and he will leave just enough of Bret for them to make fertilizer out of him. Bret said after being trained in the Dungeon, no man has put fear into his heart and he is going to bust Brown in half. Both of these guys worked a lot of time limit draws after Mania, including a Primetime match that did not air until January of 1989. Brown pinned Bret at WrestleFest 88, on July 31, in Milwaukee, WI, which seemed to be the blowoff for the program.

Alfred Hayes has a special report on Rick Rude giving the Rude Awakening to select women fans, all over the country. Highlights were shown of Rude picking from six different women, as he looked them over and gave one a big make-out session. Rude said there were so many women, and so little time. Hayes surveyed a few women from the arena afterwards and most said they would not like the Rude Awakening.

Gorilla was embarrassed by Rude's behavior, and Bobby apologized to the losers. He said three of them ended up on ledges and two tried suffocating themselves in their cars and garages.

Craig DeGeorge interviewed Frenchy Martin and Dino Bravo about Ken Patera. Martin said America was full of idiots and morons. Bravo said Patera does not stand a chance against him.

Killer Bees v. The Islanders w/Bobby Heenan-Two out of Three Falls

March 7, 1988-Nashville, TN, Municipal Auditorium Referee-???

This was a re-match from the March 14,1988 show, which The Islanders won. Bobby Came to the ring wearing a bee keepers hat.

First fall

The heat was on Blair. Haku accidently kicked Tama, which led to the Brunzell hot tag. Brunzell had a sleeper on but it was broken and all four guys were in the ring. The Islanders won the first fall with a double team kick on Brunzell.

Second fall

Brunzell started off well but ended up down for the fall until a hot tag to Blair. He hit double back drops and a noggin knocker and Brunzell hit a dropkick on Tama for the pin. I could not get the fall in a gif because my disc was skipping at the fall.

Third fall

The Bees attacked to start this fall. However, Brunzell missed a dropkick out of an irish whip and he got the heat. Haku and Brunzell hit a double clothesline which led to a Blair hot tag. Blair hit an O'Connor roll on Tama that was broken up with a Haku clothesline and the pin.

The Islanders wrestled their last match together on June 11, in Worcester, MA.

Ted Dibiase w/Virgil v. Frank DeFalco

March 19, 1988-Cape Girardeau, MI, Show-Me Center Referee-???

This was the first tv appearance of the Million Dollar Dream, and Dibiase won after hooking it in and then using a Russian leg sweep to keep him down. DeFalco did start the match with a couple shoulder blocks though. Jesse Ventura remarked that Dibiase had enough money to pay off the national debt. Then, why exactly does he even need to wrestle?

Another Event Center recapping Mania IV. They pushed a Young Stallions/Bolsheviks feud with some generic interviews from each team.

Jim Duggan v. Pete Sanchez

March 19, 1988-Cape Girardeau, MI, Show-Me Center Referee-Jimmy Korderas

Pete Sanchez

Quick squash win for Duggan with the clothesline. Andre and Heenan came out and tried to fight Duggan but Duggan kept Andre back with the 2x4.

Bobby said he has no control over Andre and Andre wanted revenge on Duggan for knocking him out on March 9, which was the catalyst for Bobby managing Andre. Duggan lost to Andre in Milan, Italy, on April 2, taped for The Best of WWF Volume 16 VHS. Andre beat him again on June 4 for the Hacksaw Jim Duggan VHS. They wrestled many house show matches with Andre usually winning by cheating or count-out, so they were protecting both men. On August 6, for the Best of WWF Volume 17 VHS, Duggan was pinned in a lumberjack match, which was pretty much the blow-off.

Yet another Mania report, looking at a press conference after the show with small clips from an intereview with Savage and Elizabeth, and Hulk was interviewed with them.

Strike Force v. Conquistadors

March 19, 1988-Cape Girardeau, MI, Show-Me Center Referee-???

Fairly decent high flying squash win for Strike Force. They got the heat on Tito, for a cup of coffee, and it worked. Martel came in, and I love his fire. He hit a monkey flip and then shot one of the heels into the ropes, and Tito hit his forearm for the win.

One Man Gang w/Slick v. Van Van Horne

March 19, 1988-Cape Girardeau, MI, Show-Me Center Referee-Dave Hebner

I really like OMG, so I'm going to post a lot from this squash. Jesse told McMahon that if he ever wrestled, he would want OMG to be his opponent. Vince was not happy with his choice. Gang hit a holding choke suplex, and then a front suplex for the pin.

One Man Gang made his WWF TV debut on May 12, 1987 against Jesse Cortez.

Monsoon believed that there are really two champions, Hogan and Savage. Bobby says that Hulk is just a sore loser and does not really want to do interviews in favor of Savage, like the aforementioned press conference. Gorilla calls Heenan a bigot, and Heenan goes off on a tangent about being greedy and selfish. He said “what belongs to me, belongs to me” and “do unto others, as long as a I survive.” He also said “what's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine”, “you only get one shot at life, make the best of it”, “take what you can, when you can” and finally, “don't be greedy, just grab.”

Junkyard Dog v. Hercules

March 7, 1988-Nashville, TN, Municipal Auditorium Referee-Jimmy Korderas

This was billed as chain vs. chain, since they both carry chains. JYD started strong with headbutts, and Hercules retreated outside before a commercial.

Bobby noted that Hercules was ahead on points and that Bobby was the most loved person on television.

Herc dragged JYD outside and threw him into the railing. He got him back in the ring for a bearhug that did not last long. JYD hit a thump power slam but Hercules got his foot on the rope and thrown outside. Hercules grabbed a chain but was thrown back in the ring before he could use it. They started brawling with the chain and the match was thrown out and ruled a double disqualification. Herc tried to hit an elbow with the chain from the ropes but he missed and retreated.

Gorilla said that no one will get the purse money and it will all go into the Gorilla Monsoon Retirement Fund. Bobby said he would like to donate to that. Next week will be Bobby's two-year anniversary on the show, and he will have a new set and other surprises.

I will be posting more pics and gifs from this episode on Twitter @stevesgraps, thanks!