WWE All Star Search #16 - Championship Wrestling (Jan 1986)

WWE All Star Search #16 - Championship Wrestling (Jan 1986)

Hello Turnbucklers! It's our first weekly TV edition and we're looking at Championship Wrestling in January 1986 as we creep closer to Wrestlemania 2...will we get our first mention? Expect to see a lot of JYD, Ricky Steamboat, King Tonga and Terry Funk. We also get a complete image haul for one superstar...how will the crowd react? Let's get into it shall we!

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The Card:

Moondog Spot/John Rizzo vs Junkyard Dog/George Steele

Mike Sexton vs Terry Funk

Tito Santana (IC Champ)/Pedro Morales vs Al Navarro/Steve Lombardi

King Kong Bundy vs Jeff Cripley/Paul Dose

Joe Williams vs Don Muraco

Ron Shaw/AJ Petruzzi vs Ricky Steamboat/King Tonga

Barry O/Joe Mirto/Mr X vs King Tonga/Ricky Steamboat/Junkyard Dog

Ted Arcidi vs Joe Williams

Jim Powers vs Adrian Adonis

Bret Hart vs Don Driggers

Ricky Hunter/Ron Shaw vs Corporal Kirchner/Danny Spivey

Mr X/Joe Mirto vs Junkyard Dog/Paul Orndorff

Terry Funk vs Sal Gee

Paul Dose vs Don Muraco

Gina Carabello/Terry Gibbs vs The British Bulldogs

Steve Lombardi/Tiger Chung Lee/Dr Midnight vs Hillbilly Jim/Cousin Luke/Uncle Elmer

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The Show:

So let's kick off with the January 11th edition first! Our commentary team are Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino and they start us off by running down tonights card.

Moondog Spot/John Rizzo vs Junkyard Dog/George Steele

Big pop for the faces who come out to Grab Them Cakes! Captain Lou is with them and the action starts straight away with all four men brawling. Spot and Steele have altercations on the outside while JYD and Rizzo start inside. The heels double team JYD in their corner but Steele comes in to make the save. It all happens again as the heels double team JYD right in front of the ref. Spot nails a top rope knee drop and all four men are still in the ring. Steele holds Spot who an eternity before JYD notices and nails some punches. He nails a headbutt and tags in Steele. Steele bites Spot before Rizzo randomly appears and swaps with Spot...no tag. JYD in and he locks on a chinlock before JYD escapes, nails a headbutt and gets the 3 count. After the match, Spot and Steele brawl on the outside with chairs before the faces dance in the ring. Well Steele tries to dance. Fire that referee, seriously, he may as well have not been there, lord knows JYD can count his own pin and it'll still count! Squash Rating: *

It Update time with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week he's looking at Ricky Steamboat and we see some clips of Dragon gaining some wins with his high flying moves. We ends by hyping up Dragons feud with Muraco.

Mike Sexton vs Terry Funk

Its hard to take Terry Funk as a serious threat after his amount of losses and the way he was fed to Hogan. The fans start a asshole chant and McMahon plays dumb to it all. They lock up in the ring until Funk throws Sexton outside. Hart takes a cheap shot but gets chased round the ring for his troubles. Sexton gets blindsided while distracted by Hart and eats some nasty boots to the head and some nasty chops. Back in the ring, Funk continues his offense and the crowd chant asshole again! Funk threatens to go into the crowd to teach them a lesson but gets held back. Scoop slam by Funk followed by some JYD style headbutts. Slaps by Funk before he locks in a sleeper hold and that gets the win! I hate sleeper holds being used to WIN a match. After the match Sexton gets a branding. All good stuff and good to see Funk get a win and look so mental in doing so. Squash Rating: ***

Mean Gene is in the back and he's joined by Tito Santana. He hypes up his upcoming house show match with Randy Savage. He says the belt is shining and he's ready for a good fight. He would be letting everyone down if he lost the belt to a bloke like Savage. He says he doesn't care about Liz, realises that sounds awful, says he does care about her...just not during his match. Bottom line, he's focussed and he's winning! Ariba!

We are told we can vote for the best personality in the Land of 1000 Dances video. I'd vote for...Greg Valentine, just for his ickle face!

Tito Santana (IC Champ)/Pedro Morales vs Al Navarro/Steve Lombardi

Very much the past meets the present for latino fans! Quick start with Santana and Lombardi using leapfrogs and armdrags. Scoop slam by Santana before he tags in Morales. Morales works over Lombardi's arm and nails a back body drop and a scoop slam of his own. In comes Navarro but Morales work over his arm too. The heels get some offense in with Lombardi locking on a headlock but gets backdropped. Santana gets the warm tag and nails a series of scoop slams and another back drop. He locks in the figure 4 on Navarro and gets the win. Santana looked really good in this one. Squash Rating: ***

Mean Gene is in the back and this time he's joined by Bruno Sammartino. He hypes up his upcoming match and talks about why he is the living legend. In comes Paul Orndorff screaming (and scares the living shit out of everyone) about how he has Bruno's back. He has his own cast on his arm to counter Bob Orton and we finish while Orndorff is still mouthing off to the camera!

King Kong Bundy vs Jeff Cripley/Paul Dose

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Bundy is accompanied by Big John Studd and Bobby Heenan and of course they get booed while we see some typical 80's signs in the crowd. Have you ever noticed how much Bundy looks like a swollen thumb? Bundy destroys both men using his size and power before hitting the avalanche and getting the 5 count! Yes 5, because that's his gimmick! Squash Rating: ***

Piper's Pit now with Piper of course, flanked by Bob Orton. Jimmy Hart runs on excitedly and says he has a big suprise! About to step out is the 'new' Adrian Adonis and they try and hype up the crowd. Adonis appears to laughter as he's dyed his hair blonde and its covered in bows and flowers. It looks like he's also wearing make up. Adonis says he's been tough before and now he can be tough while being himself. He says that he jumped out the closet and there were no brooms behind him. He is retiring his leather jacket and he let's Piper have it. He does some shangrilah kicks so finish the segment. I can see why that could be controversial in 1986! Brave and very interesting!

Joe Williams vs Don Muraco

Not much to say again about this one. Nice suplex by Muraco but the rest is elbows, headbutts and general strikes. Muraco hits an interesting top rope move whereby he uses his weight to come down on Williams head. Muraco gets the win not long after that with a tombstone piledriver. Squash Rating: ***

Another chance for us to vote for best vocal performance on the Wrestling Album! Did anyone buy that??

Ron Shaw/AJ Petruzzi vs Ricky Steamboat/King Tonga

A blog debut for King Tonga who also goes by many other names in his career. He comes out wearing assumedly traditional Tongan threads. This name has to be his shittest right? Big reaction for Steamboat and he hams it up with the ringside fans. Tonga no sells to start before nailing a chop and doing a JYD style jig. More strikes by Tonga followed by some stalling. Steamboat tags in to a big reaction and he comes off the top onto the arm of Petruzzi. Petruzzi hits a scoop slam but eats one chop after another as Tonga comes in. He works over Petruzzi's arm before hitting a nice back suplex for 2. In comes Shaw but he fairs no better as he takes a double chop from the faces. Petruzzi back in and he eats a chop before Tonga comes in and nails a clothesline. Steamboat tags in, heads up top, hits the flying bodypress and that gets the 3. Squash Rating: **

Into the back with Mean Gene who's with Orton and Piper. They talk smack to Orndorff and Sammartino all to hype up their house show match. That's all see get for this episode...so onto the next...

This is the January 18th episode of Championship Wrestling. Once again our commentators are Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino. They talk about George Steele's crush on Liz and the Peace Match from a few weeks ago with Kirchner and Volkoff.

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Barry O/Joe Mirto/Mr X vs King Tonga/Ricky Steamboat/Junkyard Dog

The faces (or people you've heard of) come out to Grab Them Cakes and good lord what is King Tonga wearing this time. He looks like a cheap garden feature. How many Mr X's has there been in wrestling, it can't surely be the same guy all the time. Steamboat plays the face in peril so its already not a complete squash. Steamboat and JYD collide by accident and the heels take advantage continuing their destruction of Dragon. JYD tags in, nails a headbutt and gets the 3 count. JYD brings some kids in the ring to dance afterwards. Squash Rating: **

Its this week's update with Lord Al and its focussing on George 'the Animal' Steele. We see a clip of him dealing with his confused emotions over Elizabeth from the previous Saturday Nights Main Event. 

Ted Arcidi vs Joe Williams

Before the match starts we see a clip of Arcidi breaking some bench press record and a lot of people seem to care. This guy is huge to be fair and in comparison, Williams looks like a matchstick. I seriously think Williams walked into the wrong building and no one told him until the bell rung. Not much in this except a really nice clothesline from Arcidi (very Bret Hart like). A powerslam gets the win for Arcidi who came off quite well in this one. Squash Rating: ****

Into the back with Mean Gene who's joined by Roddy Piper! He's got an upcoming steel cage match coming with Bruno Sammartino in Boston. He says that Bruno is a good name for a dog in a cage. The people in Boston would love to see Piper get ripped apart apparently! Typically good hyper Piper promo who really put over Bruno as a legend with nothing to lose. I'm annoyed I couldn't find a good source for the Boston show for that match alone!

We see the entirety of the Peace Match from Saturday Nights Main Event. If you want to know how spectacular it was, go read the last edition!

Into the back with Mean Gene who's with Randy Savage. He has a big green sack apparently full of money. He says that's the kind of money that comes with belts and he's going to beat Tito Santana. Liz says Macho Man is definitely going to win. Mean Gene questions the influence of Macho over her but Macho cuts in and rants. Another classic! Loved it!

We see another clip of the Land of 1000 Dances video and again they want us to vote for the best personality within...

Jim Powers vs Adrian Adonis

Adonis as of last week is 'adorable' and the crowd appreciate that by chanting 'faggot' at him while McMahon giggles obliviously. This is a really quick squash though and Adonis wins with a DDT which Sammartino emphasises as a piledriver. Think about that, at this point a DDT was so unknown to a legend like Bruno Sammartino. Squash Rating: *

Piper's Pit now with Hercules! He demands some competition and wants some Tito Santanas and some Hulk Hogans. He yells and poses and its all boring until Freddie Blassie puts him over to save it. They all laugh at Tito before more yelling and the throwing of stools...actual stools.

Bret Hart vs Don Driggers

A Bret Hart singles match! He sells the arm for Don Driggers before gaining offense of his own. He hits a nice legdrop before throwing Driggers out the ring and hitting a scoop slam and throwing him into the guardrail. Back in the ring he hits a headbutt followed by an elbow drop. The commentators talk about Stu Hart and its cool to hear Bruno put him over. Bret hits a crisp backbreaker before going to the second rope for an elbow drop to win it. He lays in some boots afterwards and Bret looked awesome throughout. Squash Rating: ****

We get another look at the nominees for best performance on the Wrestling Album. I'm starting to swing for Nikolai Volkoff's track!

Ricky Hunter/Ron Shaw vs Corporal Kirchner/Danny Spivey

Danny Spivey is a new face for the blog and he's a big lad, looks a lot like Barry Windham. Spivey botches a dropkick before tagging in Kirchner who comes off the top rope. Apparently Kirchners hobby is skydiving and I dislike him more for that. Kirchner hits an awful looking clothesline and the campest tag to Spivey. He hits a bulldog and that gets the 3. That was really bad but Kirchner was dreadful. Squash Rating: DUD

Into the back with Mean Gene who's with Bruno Sammartino! They put over the upcoming cage match with Piper before Bruno tells us he demanded the match. He botches awkwardly before telling us how much of a coward Piper is for having Orton around. Bad promo but Bruno has this earthly realism about him it seems forgivable...if that makes sense. Him and Vince run down the show to end it.


The final episode of January 1986 and its the 25th. Our commentators are once again Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino who run down the card.

Mr X/Joe Mirto vs Junkyard Dog/Paul Orndorff

Big reaction for the faces in this one and weirdly enough, big boos for Mr X. Orndorff still has a cast on his arm. Big cheers for Orndorff as he comes off the top with an elbow and between the faces they work over the arm of Mr X. Orndorff hits a dropkick at one point although it didn't look too crisp and the same with a following clothesline. He signals and then hits a good piledriver and that gets the win and the faces celebrate with a jumping high-five. Orndorff was super over in this one and JYD was thankfully kept to the minimal. Squash Rating: **

Update with Lord Al this week is about Andre the Giant. We see clips of the Heenan family destroying him a few months back, injuring Andre. Apparently Andre is now healed and is on his way back.

Another chance to vote for best personality in the Land of 1000 Dances video.

Terry Funk vs Sal Gee

Typical Funk squash match, very similar to the one on the 11th. Crowd are happy when jobber Gee gets some scoop slams in, sending Funk to the outside to regroup. Funk of course regains control but Gee gets some more offense in. Funk manages to lock on the sleeper hold and that gets the win. As is custom, Gee gets a branding after the match. Squash Rating: **

Into the back with Mean Gene who is with Roddy Piper. They hype up the cage match with Bruno in Boston. This week Piper puts over the cage itself and its all good. Hyper Piper returns and puts over Bob Orton being barred from the Boston event!

Paul Dose vs Don Muraco

I should point out, it flashes up Paul Rose instead of Dose...how hard is it to spell Dose? Muraco obviously dominates the whole match and gets the elimentary win with the tombstone. Standard Muraco match, nothing special, as shown by the lack of details. Squash Rating: *

We get our first very brief screenshot of the Wrestlemania 2 logo before joining Mean Gene in the back. Tito Santana is with him and they talk about someone called the Miami Dolphins. Apparently Tito is a lot like them and Tito is not going to let Macho sneak a win. Their upcoming match is their superbowl and Ariba!

Gina Carabello/Terry Gibbs vs The British Bulldogs

The Bulldogs get a massive reaction and they are clearly getting hugely over. Dynamite starts off against Terry Gibbs as the crowd barks. Quick counter wrestling and Dynamite hits a nice snap suplex. Davey comes in and hits an awesome normal suplex followed by a fishermans suplex for 2! Double headbutt by the Bulldogs before they hit a double clothesline. Davey locks in a headlock, tags in Dynamite who hits another headbutt. Davey back in who sets Gino on the top rope. He hits a superplex for a 3 count! Carabello is stretchered out off camera which is weird. I loved it and so did the crowd. The Bulldogs really made themselves look great in that one! Squash Rating: *****

Piper's Pit has the tag champs, Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake on it. They run down the Bulldogs who themselves appear and demand a title shot! Valiant denies them on behalf of the champs while Piper sets up a match next week. Valiant says he'll think it over before a shoving match starts to kick off. Nice to see the Bulldogs get set up in the title picture after the previous match.

We see the whole George Steele/Macho Man match from the previous Saturday Nights Main Event. Point being, don't forget Steele fancies Liz.

We get another brief shot of Wrestlemania 2 followed by a run down for best performance on the Wrestling Album nominees. Roddy Piper sounds wasted in his as does Lou Albano in his. Then again, I'm sure being wasted helped with those ones.

Steve Lombardi/Tiger Chung Lee/Dr Midnight vs Hillbilly Jim/Cousin Luke/Uncle Elmer

First...Dr Midnight?! Really? He looks like Mr X's even eviler cousin. The hillbillies are over with everyone but me it seems as they dance around before the match. I refuse to go into details with this one as it was dire. Hillbilly Jim gets the win with an elbow drop. We get more dancing to send everyone home happy. Squash Rating: *

Into the back with Mean Gene who's with Ricky Steamboat. He cuts a cool promo more to Mr Fuji than Don Muraco and wonders what kind of master he truly is. Bruno Sammartino comes in when Steamboat goes off and he's happy Orton is barred from his upcoming match with Piper. He rants in Italian and all is cool. That's all for this week's and this months Championship Wrestling.


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Wrestler Scores:

• Moondog Spot +1 (9)
• John Rizzo +1 (1)
• Junkyard Dog +9 (41)
• George Steele +9 (16)
• Ricky Steamboat +11 (52)
• Mike Sexton +1 (1)
• Terry Funk +8 (25)
• Tito Santana +5 (56)
• Pedro Morales +3 (5)
• Al Navarro +1 (2)
• Steve Lombardi +2 (2)
• Bruno Sammartino +2 (5)
• Paul Orndorff +5 (44)
• King Kong Bundy +5 (25)
• Paul Dose +2 (3)
• Jeff Cripley +2 (3)
• Roddy Piper +3 (58)
• Adrian Adonis +7 (28)
• Joe Williams +2 (2)
• Don Muraco +4 (25)
• Ron Shaw +2 (5)
• AJ Petruzzi +1 (1)
• King Tonga +6 (6)
• Barry O +1 (5)
• Joe Mirto +2 (2)
• Mr X +1 (1)
• Ted Arcidi +3 (3)
• Randy Savage +5 (39)
• Jim Powers +1 (1)
• Hercules +4 (7)
• Bret Hart +4 (22)
• Don Driggers +1 (2)
• Ricky Hunter +1 (1)
• Corporal Kirchner +4 (14)
• Dan Spivey +4 (4)
• Andre the Giant +1 (26)
• Sal Gee +1 (1)
• Gino Carabello +1 (2)
• Terry Gibbs +1 (5)
• Dynamite Kid +6 (25)
• Davey Boy Smith +6 (23)
• Greg Valentine +1 (45)
• Brutus Beefcake +1 (22)
• Tiger Chung Lee +1 (5)
• Dr Midnight +1 (1)
• Cousin Luke +2 (7)
• Uncle Elmer +2 (7)
• Hillbilly Jim +3 (9)

So not much too mention except really in terms of huge twists and turns. I wish I could get Bruno vs Piper but I can't find it anywhere! Adonis' new look is interesting to say the least and it was certainly unsettling to hear the crowds reaction although different time, different standards etc etc. So obviously next month we're looking at February!

WWE All Star Search #15 - Championship Wrestling + Saturday Nights Main Event 4

WWE All Star Search #15 - Championship Wrestling + Saturday Nights Main Event 4

Hello Turnbucklers! Its a new year for the blog as we are now in glorious and futuristic 1986! As of this moment, TV shows are going to included in the All Star Search and this edition we get our first taste. We have to semi-important blog debuts on this one. Randy Savage will be appearing on both shows which I find hard to complain about. Lots of hillbillies however and even Corporal Kirchner and that I can complain about. Also on this edition there is a WWE Title match and also a Peace Match...whatever the fuck that is. So onwards we go!

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The Card:

Moondog Spot/Al Navarro vs Hillbilly Jim/Cousin Luke

Jeff Cripley vs Hercules Hernandez

The Killer Bees vs Barry O/Rick Jacobs

Don Driggers vs Randy Savage

Gino Carabello vs Corporal Kirchner

Brutus Beefcake/Greg Valentine (Tag Champs) vs Tony Stetson/Paul Dose



Roddy Piper/Bob Orton/Jesse Ventura vs Hillbilly Jim/Cousin Luke/Uncle Elmer

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Terry Funk [WWE Title Match]

Randy Savage vs George Steele

Nikolai Volkoff vs Corporal Kirchner

Ricky Steamboat/Junkyard Dog vs Don Muraco/Mr Fuji

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The Show:

So let's kick off with our first episode of Championship Wrestling. Don't expect long match descriptions with these ones, more discussing the character development and sociology of it all. Also, expect squash ratings instead of match ratings...this rates how impressive the squash match was. Our commentary team for this one is Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino. Sammartino stumbles his words instantly by the way.

Moondog Spot/Al Navarro vs Hillbilly Jim/Cousin Luke

So the jobbers get the jobber entrance while the Hillbillies come out to a decent pop. They have some fun with the crowd around ringside including playing with action figures of themselves. Luke gets confused and sits in the corner before being told to stand on the outside. Headlock by Jim to start but he no sells Spot when he has control. In comes Luke who hits the worst boot I've ever seen. Spot gets in a scoop slam and in comes Navarro but Luke regains control and rails out some awful offense. Jim locks in the bearhug and that's all she wrote. How is it possible that Uncle Elmer may not be the worst member of this Hillbilly group. Unfortunately I'm not American so a hillbilly gimmick does even less than nothing for me. Squash Rating: *

Update with Lord Al and this week its about Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat and Don Muraco. We get a sneak peak at Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling and if anybody has watched it before, I'd love to know whether it was any good.

Jeff Cripley vs Hercules Hernandez

We have a blog debut on our hands...and it's Hercules! There is a lot of hair on that head of his and boy is he huge! At this point he is without his gimmicky attire. The amazingly named Jeff Cripley looks like a matchstick in comparison. Herc is with Freddie Blassie for this one. We get a lock up to start and a hip toss by Herc. He puts Cripley on his shoulder and poses before hitting a nice powerslam. More impressive strength as Herc hits a gorilla press slam before laying in some kicks. Cripley dropped across the ropes now before he eats an elbow drop for one. Another scoop slam by Herc before hitting a knee drop and more posing. He locks on a torture rack and gets the win! Good appearance by Herc showing off some impressive strength. He did seem a bit lethargic but I wasn't expecting lightning speed. Squash Rating: ***

Into the back with Mean Gene who shills an upcoming house show and his guest tonight is Macho Man Randy Savage. He says he will`be the WWE champion and says some randomers aren't as good as him. In comes Liz and Randy gets jealous when Mean Gene says hello. This was gold!

We get a clip of some music video called Land of 1000 Dances featuring a shit load of wrestlers. The song is dreadful but we get to vote for who made the best appearance and the winner will be announced at the Slammys.

The Killer Bees vs Barry O/Rick Jacobs

Its the blog debut for The Killer Bees who are B Brian Blair and Jumpin' Jim Brunzell. Barry O is Randy Ortons uncle and Rick Jacobs is Mrs. Jacobs son. Chain wrestling by Blair to start and Brunzell keeps it up when he's tagged in. McMahon wonders what the O stands for concerning Barry while Blair comes off the top rope with a chop. O gets a clothesline and makes the tag to Jacobs who soon enough eats a nice double team dropkick thingy. Bees looked as good as they could in the short amount of time. Squash Rating: **

Into the back with Roddy Piper who rips on Bruno Sammartino, Paul Orndorff and the women of Boston. They hype up the upcoming house show before ranting on Orndorff some more. Typical high tempo Piper stuff and it's all good!

Don Driggers vs Randy Savage

The music hits and out comes Macho Man and Liz to a good reaction...but it's probably for Liz who's looking hot as ever. A sign in the crowd reads 'Hogan loves Liz' which I bet Savage loved. Savage stalls as per to start until he's thrown to the outside. He sneaks round the other side and pearl harbours Driggers to the outside. He follows him, throws him back in the ring and nails a top rope ax handle. Scoop slam, Macho Man elbow drop from the top rope and he gets the 3 with an arrogant pin. Savage keeps up the heat by attacking Driggers after the bell and tearing up signs in the crowd. Even in 2 minutes, the pace of Savage (after his stalling) in nothing like anyone else on that roster. Squash Rating: ****

We get a clip of Piper's Pit with Fabulous Moolah who is now once again Women's champion after the WWE screwed Wendi Richter...legitimately. The incident was very similar to the Montreal Screwjob although it preceeded it by 12 years. Richter had no idea she was losing the belt as she had earlier refused to sign a new contract with the company. McMahon took the decision to take the belt back in retaliation and low and behold...Moolah reigns again. Although, she was under a mask and went by the name Spider Lady when she won. I would review the match...but I don't want to. Back to the Pit and Piper talks about Moolah having different body parts to him and then says Hogan asked Moolah on a date and she said no! Moolah is the one person Hogan could date and look old enough to be his mother. Saying that, we close the segment with Moolah and Piper making out. Why, Piper, why?

Gino Carabello vs Corporal Kirchner

Patriotic music hits and out comes Kirchner waving the American flag. Of course the crowd eat it up with a patriotic spoon but as soon as the match starts, the crowd fall flat. Its probably Kirchners awful in ring skill as he starts by botching a leapfrog. Awful scoop slam and an awful hip lock send Gina reeling. Suplex by Kirchner followed by an elbow drop. Underhook suplex gets a 2 count and a stalling samoan drop gets the 3. Messy yet patriotic so if you're American, you may love this. Squash Rating: **

The commentators talk about an upcoming Peace match between Kirchner and Nikolai Volkoff at the upcoming house show. Apparently its being done for 'scientific purposes' and is being treated as a breakthrough in the Cold War. Hard to argue that anyone BUT Corporal Kirchner and Nikolai Volkoff were responsible for world peace.

We get another package asking us to vote for catagory 2 of the Slammys for best performance. JYD, Nikolai Volkoff, Hillbilly Jim, Jimmy Hart, Lou Albano, Roddy Piper and Mean Gene. JYD is the only possible winner...SURELY?!

Brutus Beefcake/Greg Valentine (Tag Champs) vs Tony Stetson/Paul Dose

This is a non title match and the crowd start by chanting fruitcake at Beefcake. Valentine starts off in control hitting a nice scoop slam and a backbreaker. Beefcake comes in and hits a nice underhook suplex followed by a strange looking suplex. Valentine in with a suplex of his own before he works over Stetson's arm. Beefcake comes in who takes over on the arm then chokes Stetson in the ropes. Valentine with a scoop slam on the concrete while the ref is distracted before Beefcake hits one of his own in the ring. Valentine tags in and drops an elbow. Figure four leglock and that's enough for the win. Squash Rating: ***

Into the back with Mean Gene and Junkyard Dog. They hype up the upcoming house show and its typical JYD ranting about who he respects...its his fellow faces. JYD leaves and Freddie Blassie and Iron Sheik come in. Blassie botches his lines but covers well by ripping Okerland. Sheik rips on America as he does best and that's it for Championship Wrestling.



We start Saturday Nights Main Event with Hulk Hogan and Mean Gene on the beach drinking 'formula' in preparation for his match with Terry Funk. Roddy Piper and Jesse Ventura meanwhile are surrounded by women and rip the piss out of the hillbillies who are floating in the sea.

On commentary we have Vince McMahon and BOBBY HEENAN! McMahon runs down the card until he's interrupted by Jesse Ventura who hypes up his match tonight. He says he's the first announcer to get in the ring and back up what he says. Heenan gets big heat when introduced and he hopes he can live up to Ventura's reputation.

Mean Gene is with Roddy Piper and Bob Orton. They talk about his vendetta against the hillbillies. Piper justifies his vendetta by once again ripping the ever loving piss out of them. Ventura appears to back him up and he's dressed like a Poundstretcher wizard.

Mean Gene gets some words with the hillbillies and Hillbilly Jim says their family honour is on the line.

Roddy Piper/Bob Orton/Jesse Ventura vs Hillbilly Jim/Cousin Luke/Uncle Elmer

Out come the heels to big heat while we see clips of SNME 2. The hillbillies come out to a big pop which hurts me on the inside. Ventura and Elmer start and Ventura gets the first bit of offence before having to sell some crap punches by Elmer. Choke bomb by Elmer before he tags in Jim. Headlock on Ventura but he eats a kitchen sink. Piper tags in as does Cousin Luke. They have a stand off and a handshake spot but Cousin Luke clubs Piper. Piper counters, tags in Orton and they double team Luke. Piper back in and he taunts Jim. Quick tags between the heels as Cousin Luke tries to fight back to no avail. Orton hits an elbow off the top rope before Jim gets the hot tag. The ref didn't see it however and the heels go back to work on Luke. Uncle Elmer gets the real hot tag and has an awkward slugfest with Piper before putting on a bearhug. The whole thing breaks down into a six way brawl before the heels have to regroup. Back in and the brawl is on again as Heenan complains about McMahons biasness. Hillbilly Jim works over Piper and no sells Pipers slaps to the face. The heels manage to work over Jim in their corner and keep up the quick tags. Luke tags in and cleans house of the heels but gets trapped in Piper's sleeper hold. He escapes but gets nailed with Ortons cast while the brawl continues. Luke ends up back in the sleeper and passes out giving the heels the win. Better than what I was expecting but thats because they stuck with the basic tag formula. The crowd were into it and the heels were great. Better opponents for them would've been awesome but hopefully everyone moves onwards. Match Rating: **

We see clips of various superstars in some theme park. They are on a big water slide and Jimmy Hart has challenged JYD to a water slide race. Why does JYD always sound so drunk? Anyway JYD gets the win via sliding faster. Slide Rating: **

Terry Funk is at the theme park and he says he wants to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he beats Hogan. If they don't he threatens to 'fry 'em'. We see clips of a previous match between the two which ended with Funk branding Hogan but he didn't win the belt.

Mean Gene is with Hulk Hogan. He says Funk humiliated him and he has a suprise tonight...JYD is in his corner to keep Funk and Hart in check. He slurs through some words before Hogan ends with Terry Funk being his bone.

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Terry Funk [WWE Title Match]

Out come Hogan to a big pop and he's got his Real American theme now. They lock up to start before Hogan nails a clothesline in the corner and then sends Funk out to the floor. Back in the ring they lock up again and Funk hits some chops. Hogan sends Funk outside again with an awkward clothesline and the crowd love it. Back in and Hogan gets a headlock before sending Funk outside once again, tipping the timekeepers table in the process. A chair is thrown into the ring so Hogan uses his initiative and sits on it. They lock up again and Hogan again takes control including hitting a back suplex for 2. Funk hits a headbutt and uses a cheeky lowblow to no heat. Funk heads up top the fool but gets caught and dropped. Hogan hits an atomic drop and a nice clothesline followed by an elbow drop. Hart trips Hogan so Hogan goes on a chase. JYD gets involved by Jimmy Hart flees under the thing. Funk manages to choke Hogan in the ring with wrist tape, carefully hiding it under the guise of a sleeper hold in a clever spot. Lovely piledriver by Funk for a slow 2 count. Hogan starts no selling Funks offense before nailing his own punches and an elbow. Hogan hits the big boot but Hart distracts him again proving JYD useless. Funk uses the distraction to get a 2 count as JYD finally nails Hart. Hogan hits a clothesline on Funk and gets the 3 count to no pop which is weird. Funk attacks the ref after the match before chucking chairs and shit around in a big huff. The thing is, on paper Terry Funk is a great opponent for Hogan. The issue is that WWE had so far made Funk somewhat of a comedy character instead of a legitimate threat. Granted he comes off like a lunatic but he's a lunatic that very rarely won clean. The match itself was good and is arguably the best Hogan match since Wrestlemania 1. I loved the wrist tape choke spot and it was nice to see Hogan sell a piledriver...even if it was brief. Match Rating: **1/2

We see clips of George Steele going through some crazy proceedures to help him become somewhat normal. It pretty much fails spectacularly and now he's back in the WWE and being managed by Captain Lou.

Jesse Ventura talks to Randy Savage who is with Liz. Macho ain't scared of George Steele and Liz gets chucked into a pool below by Savage.

Randy Savage vs George Steele

Out comes Savage with Liz as Steele is already in the ring. Savage is distracted by the crowd and Steele takes the chance to sniff Liz. Savage sees it and gets mad because...insecurities! We get stalling to start as per and Savage runs away from a flailing Steele. They finally lock up and Steele throws Savage to the outside before following. He gets distracted by Liz but Savage chases him away. Back in the ring Savage attacks Steele in the corner but Steele fights back. Savage drags him outside as they continue to brawl. Savage hides behind Liz to big jeers from the crowd. Back in the ring Steele hits a scoop slam before destroying the turnbuckle pad. Savage gets sent back outside while Steele plays with the fluff and stares at Liz. Macho with an ax handle off the top while Steele is distracted. That gets the 3 count and Savage carries Liz off on his shoulder to the back. I would've liked to see Savage get more offense in instead of being the cowardly heel. Match Rating: 3/4*

Mean Gene and Hulk Hogan are back on the beach to lead us into a 1985 highlights video set to 'When the Going Gets Tough' (the original, sorry Boyzone fans).

Mean Gene is with Nikolai Volkoff and Freddie Blassie. He says Russia is peaceful and this peace match is the first step to building military bridges. I couldn't agree more! This is all followed by a cheesy video of Corporal Kirchner before he tells Jesse Ventura that his military training means he will win! His promo skills are as good as his in ring skills.

Nikolai Volkoff vs Corporal Kirchner

Volkoff sings the Soviet anthem before the match and it feels like ages since I heard his lovely voice. Kirchner's music cuts him off halfway through and out he comes with a full military parade. I think I saw actual guns being paraded. They lock up and it ends peacefully! They lock up again and it ends peacefully again! This is pure Glasnost and Perestroika delight. Kirchner locks on a headlock but Volkoff counters into a 2 count. They have a test of strength as the fans chant USA and it all ends peacefully again. This. Is. Wrestling. We get some sloppy chain wrestling before they have another stand off. Another headlock by Kirchner but Volkoff counters and breaks it peacefully...then we get a handshake. Volkoff gives us a cartwheel out of nowhere but we gets more restholds afterwards by Kirchner. Finish comes when Volkoff drops Kirchner on the top rope and hits a knee drop for three. The Soviet wins and the crowd boo's. Kirchner attacks after the match and the crowd cheers. Way to make your own country, superstars and fans all look as fickle as possible. Weird choice of winner for 1980's WWE and weird aftermath. Match was shit by the way. Match Rating: DUD

Mean Gene is with Don Muraco and Mr Fuji who hype up their upcoming match. They rip Ricky Steamboat and Junkyard Dog...even discussing how to eat dogs. Once they leave, JYD and Steamboat join Mean Gene. Steamboat cuts a good promo and he's looking for revenge. JYD sounds drunk again!

Ricky Steamboat/Junkyard Dog vs Don Muraco/Mr Fuji

The faces come out to 'Another One Bites the Dust' while the heels are already in the ring. The faces start of on offense with JYD taking control of Muraco before Fuji gets tagged in. He takes over on JYD and tags Muraco back in to continue working over JYD. JYD hits a back body drop while Steamboat tries to start a JYD chant. Mr Fuji drops a headbutt to JYD's balls before tagging Muraco back in. Muraco misses a charge into the corner when JYD moves and he finally gets the hot tag to Steamboat. Crowd goes crazy while Steamboat rallies off chop after chop on Muraco and even Fuji gets come. Nice enziguiri back Steamboat before knocking the heels into each other. A flying body press gets 2 count for Steamboat and he tags in JYD who nails a headbutt for the 3 count of Mr Fuji. A fun little match which the crowd enjoyed and the faces too. Match Rating: **

Wrestler Scores:

• Moondog Spot +1 (8)
• Al Navarro +1 (1)
• Hillbilly Jim +5 (6)
• Cousin Luke +4 (5)
• Jeff Cripley +1 (1)
• Hercules Hernandez +3 (3)
• B Brian Blair +4 (13)
• Jim Brunzell +4 (4)
• Barry O +1 (4)
• Rick Jacobs +1 (1)
• Don Driggers +1 (1)
• Randy Savage +15 (34)
• Gino Carabello +1 (1)
• Corporal Kirchner +5 (10)
• Brutus Beefcake +4 (21)
• Greg Valentine +4 (44)
• Tony Stetson +1 (1)
• Paul Dose +1 (1)
• Roddy Piper +8 (55)
• Bob Orton +4 (26)
• Jesse Ventura +5 (16)
• Uncle Elmer +2 (5)
• Hulk Hogan +8 (70)
• Terry Funk +6 (17)
• George Steele +3 (7)
• Nikolai Volkoff +3 (27)
• Fabulous Moolah +1 (4)
• Ricky Steamboat +6 (41)
• Junkyard Dog +6 (32)
• Don Muraco +4 (21)
• Mr Fuji +3 (13)

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So there we have our first 1986 edition! Randy Savage scored highly due to his two appearances on the shows, plus his various promo's and segments were all good! Hogan gets extra points for emphasis on his cartoon plus the numerous promo's he appeared in and the same goes for Piper, JYD and unfortunately, Corporal Kirchner. It was good to see Ricky Steamboat and Terry Funk have good nights and they both picked up some decent points too. See you next time!

Facebook: World Wrestling Alliance

Twitter: @thewrestlindork

WWE All Star Search - Checkpoint #1

WWE All Star Search - Checkpoint #1 (1984/1985)

Current Top 5

1. Hulk Hogan - 62 Points
2. Tito Santana - 51 Points
3. Roddy Piper - 47 Points
4. Greg Valentine - 40 Points
5. Paul Orndorff - 39 Points

5 Must-See Matches of 1984/1985

1. The Hart Foundation vs The British Bulldogs (23/9/1985)
2. Mr Fuji/Tiger Chung Lee vs The Invaders (23/1/1984)
3. Hulk Hogan vs Roddy Piper (The War to Settle the Score)
4. Hulk Hogan/Mr T vs Roddy Piper/Paul Orndorff (Wrestlemania 1)
5. Randy Savage vs Dynamite Kid (The Wrestling Classic)

5 Superstars I Expect to Do Well Next Year

1. Roddy Piper
2. Paul Orndorff
3. Ricky Steamboat
4. Randy Savage
5. The Hart Foundation/The British Bulldogs

5 Superstars That Gained More Points than Expected:

1. The Iron Sheik
2. Bob Orton
3. Ken Patera
4. Jim Neidhart
5. Salvatore Bellomo

5 Best Jobbers:

1. Rene Goulet
2. Salvatore Bellomo
3. Les Thornton
4. Rick McGraw
5. Charlie Fulton

WWE All Star Search #14 - The Wrestling Classic

WWE All Star Search #14 - The Wrestling Classic

Hello Turnbucklers! We are here once again to further our search for who is really the greatest of all time. This is going to be our final edition of 1985 and our #14 edition overall! This time we're looking at the Wrestling Classic, which I do believe is WWE's first attempt at PPV. This is a singles match tournament where by the winner gets a nice car and a shit load of money. Some of the matches within the tournament, on paper, would make your eyes water with excitement. Steamboat vs Savage stands out to me as does Orndorff and Santana! We do get a WWE Title match on this card too and it's between our two highest scoring superstars so far, Hogan and Piper. I'm expecting quick matches and little storyline progression but I might be pleasantly surprised! 

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The Card:

Adrian Adonis vs Corporal Kirchner

Dynamite Kid vs Nikolai Volkoff

Randy Savage vs Ivan Putski

Ricky Steamboat vs Davey Boy Smith

Junkyard Dog vs The Iron Sheik

Moondog Spot vs Terry Funk

Tito Santana vs Don Muraco

Paul Orndorff vs Bob Orton

Dynamite Kid vs Adrian Adonis

Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat

Junkyard Dog vs Moondog Spot

Tito Santana vs Paul Orndorff

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Roddy Piper [WWE Title Match]

Randy Savage vs Dynamite Kid

Randy Savage vs Junkyard Dog

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The Show:

Our commentary team tonight are Jesse Ventura and Gorilla Monsoon.

Into the back first where we see tonights tournament entrants picking their opponents from a hat. Randy Savage gives Liz a bollocking as he ain't too happy with his pick!

Adrian Adonis vs Corporal Kirchner

So a return for Corporal Kirchner! Think of this guy as the WWE's half hearted replacement to fill the patriotic serviceman gap that was left by a departing Sergeant Slaughter. Last time we saw him he had a stinker against Moondog Spot...if that's possible! Adonis is still in his leather biker phase it seems and gets decent heat. Match itself is very quick as the majority will be on this card. Both men get offense in but its Adonis that comes out on top with his DDT after reversing a suplex attempt. Cool finish but the match itself was nothing at all. Kirchner looked good enough but right decision to send the more experianced and established one through to the next round. Match Rating: 3/4*

Dynamite Kid vs Nikolai Volkoff

Straight into the next one now...and straight back out of it. Dynamite Kid nails a missile dropkick during Volkoff's singing and gets the 3 count instantly. I understand the purpose of it and at least they used the comedy character to suffer the embarassment. Match Rating: DUD

Randy Savage vs Ivan Putski

OK, a Savage match should pick things up, surely? Out he comes with Liz and she gets a huge pop and he gets huge boo's which is always nice. I'm suprised Putski is still around at this point and I doubt we'll see much more of him...or at least I hope. The match itself, well, most of the first half is stalling on the part of Savage and the rest are weak punches on behalf of Putski. There is some psychology in it though, as Putski's stamina gives out on him in the end giving Macho the easy win after a simple sweep of Putski's legs. It made Macho look good believe it or not, especially in the brains and stamina department. Time for Putski to leave the WWE landscape too. Match Rating: 3/4*

Ricky Steamboat vs Davey Boy Smith

Now this is more like it! On paper this could be a good match although their differing styles may clash. I'd expect Steamboat to get the win in this one, mainly because he's a singles wrestler and there would be no real useful reason for Smith to move forward. Both men get good reactions which is great for a face/face dynamic. The match itself is great, with plenty of fast pace. Steamboat gets to show off his quickness and versatility whereby Davey gets to show off his strength. The match lasts less than 3 minutes which is a HUGE disappointment. The finish comes when Davey charges at Steamboat and crotches himself in the ropes...and that's it...Davey can't continue. Such a copout ending that makes very little sense, I mean his opponent was no where near the win...but the ropes were enough to derail him. So very weak. Match Rating: 3/4*

Into the back with Mean Gene and he's with Junkyard Dog! He waffles on in his JYD style about winning the tournament but he manages to forget the name of Chicago Bears...smooth!

Junkyard Dog vs The Iron Sheik

This one could be shenanigans central although again, in ring wise, not expecting a masterclass...or even a * match. JYD comes out to a decent pop and Sheik gets good heat. I guess Sheik will always have good heat, he's just so hateable, like Pierce from Community. Match is how you'd expect, weak strikes and lots of heely stalling. Sheik tries for a full nelson and the camel clutch but neither can keep JYD down and he wins with a headbutt in another 3 minute match. Entertaining for any nostagic fan, painful for any wrestling fan. Match Rating: 1/4*

Moondog Spot vs Terry Funk

Who thought it was a good idea to put Moondog Spot in this show? This one is heel vs heel which is a weird one considering who's in this. Funk is with Jimmy Hart and together they try and convince Moondog Spot to forfeit the match alongside them resulting in no winner. All goes to plan until Funk tries a sneak attack before legging it to the ring. Things go wrong however as Moondog Spot beats him to it and wins via the countout! Who's idea was it to let Spot progress?? This is one more time Terry Funk looks like a fool instead of the intense nutcase he should be! Match Rating: DUD

Tito Santana vs Don Muraco

Straight into the next match and on paper this could be OK. These two have history over the Intercontinental title that is around Santana's waste but this match has nothing to do with the belt. Muraco is with Mr Fuji so of course both get decent heat. Santana still got a decent pop but it's less intense than it was a year previously. The match itself sees Muraco in control for the majority. He uses his strength to maintain Santana in restholds...but its all dull stuff. Muraco does manage to nail a powerslam and gets the 3 count! But wait! Santana's foot was on the ropes so it doesn't count. No one tells Muraco as he gets rolled up for the real 3 count mid-celebration. Muraco really got screwed out of that one and Tito looked like a fluky bitch after being beaten all match. Again, this match was barely 4 minutes long. Match Rating: 1/2*

Into the back with Mean Gene and Bobby Heenan. Of course Heenan is his awesome self and claims that although none of his lads are there to cash in the Orndorff bounty (see: Previous All Star Searches) he'll still be watching!

Paul Orndorff vs Bob Orton

Hold on, more storyline development? These two were on the same page back at Wrestlemania 1 but things have obviously gone sour between the two since. Orndorff has been impressing me over 1985 and hopefully Orton will be a good foil for him. Orndorff hasn't really changed his style since his face turn and I think that helps him find a niche as a 1980's face. It gets heated from the off with Orndorff taking control from the beginning. Orndorff aims for Orton's cast and surely Orton must realise it's a huge bullseye! Orton does take control eventually and locks on a long bodyscissors. Eventually Orndorff does escape and Orton tries fora jumping headscissors. Unfortunately he eats the ropes but that doesn't end the match like earlier. The match ends when Orton just clocks Orndorff with the cast right in front of the ref and gets DQ'd. The ending made Orton look like an absolute moron but apart from that, it was harmless. Match Rating: *

That's the first round out of the way as Vince McMahon and Lord Al go through the tournament so far. Lord Al by the way leeches on some poor woman.

Dynamite Kid vs Adrian Adonis

At this point, I'm hoping the quality and time of these matches increases. Neither men look too gassed despite previous (short) appearances. Dynamite gets the early control and sends the heels reeling and they reassess the situation. Its seems to work as Adonis nails a lovely suplex on Dynamite. He locks on a chinlock and Jesse Ventura disappears from commentary to go for a chat with Randy Savage...but that's not what you're being paid to do Jesse! Dynamite gets out of the chinlock and hits a nice backdrop. He misses with the following diving headbutt allowing Adonis to lock on a sharpshooter...in WWE 1985! So he's introduced the sharpshooter and the DDT to the WWE so far, well done Adonis! He goes for a bulldog but misses allowing Dynamite to fight back including a crisp clothesline. He hits a nice snap suplex but Jimmy Hart tries to get involved. It doesn't end well for him as the heels end up bumping into each other allowing Dynamite the 3 count around 5 minutes in. Best match of the night so far. Dynamite is very easy to get behind and made Adonis look great. Adonis continues to teach me just how impress me with solid in ring work and a nice array of yet to be seen moves. Match Rating: *3/4

Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat

Jesse Ventura is back at commentary and am I ready for this one! Hells yes! Savage heels it out to start with only a sprinkling of stalling before he pearl harbours Steamboat. Steamboat holds his own though and chops Savage all the way out to the floor. Savage comes back in the ring and charges at Steamboat...but eats nothing but floor again in a really cool headscissors spot. Steamboat follows outside this time and hits an atomic drop of Savage as the crowd eat it up. Savage gets some offense in but it all falls short once he heads up top. Of course being a heel it doesn't work out for him and he eats a suplex from the Dragon. A crossbody gets a 2 count for Steamboat. Savage heads to the apron and gets something out of his tights. Steamboat goes for a suplex but gets hit with whatever Savage had in his tights and that gets the 3 count for Macho! Short and sweet! Two more minutes given and it could have rated much higher. I expected Savage to get more offense in but that's a small complaint. Match Rating: *3/4

Junkyard Dog vs Moondog Spot

Not much to say to this one and Moondog Spot misses he chance to take control, eats a JYD headbutt and that gets the 3! Oh, I should mention JYD counted the pin himself as there was inexplicably no ref. Waste of time and made no sense if logic is important to you. Match Rating: -*

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Tito Santana vs Paul Orndorff

Tito comes out with his knee bandaged up for this one. It would be logical for Orndorff to go through on this as Tito has his IC belt. We get some good chain wrestling from the two to start us off with each getting a couple of close near falls. There's a stand off but Orndorff is notably teasing using his old heely bastard tactics. He doesn't resort and hits an atomic drop instead. When Tito is down however, there's more notable heel teasing but he allows Tito back up. A drop toe hold later and Orndorff begins to work the injured leg as the crowd quietly start to turn on him. He goes for a figure four but its countered. Both men end up on the outside and brawl to a countout finish. An average match at the time but the storytelling was spot on. Interesting that they are teasing an Orndorff heel turn so soon after his face turn. If they wanted to test him out as a face...why not let him win this tournament...and then turn him heel if THAT didn't get him over. Match Rating: **

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Roddy Piper [WWE Title Match]

The fact that these two are still feuding makes me a happy boy, as to me, there is no one at this point who can match up to Hogan's hero more so than Piper. Piper of course gets major heat on his way out and Hogan gets a major pop! The crowd is ready for this one as they brawl to start, first inside the ring and then on the outside. Piper tries to cheat back in the ring but eats a Hogan clothesline in the corner. Hogan runs through his arsenal but theref distracts him long enough for Piper to get a cheap shot. His momentum doesn't last for long as Hogan gets a bearhug locked on. Piper cheats again to eascape and locks in a sleeper. Hogan sends Piper to the floor to escape and Piper eats the ringpost. Back in the ring Piper nails Hogan with a chair but ends up in a sleeper of Hogans. Out comes Orton to nail Hogan with the cast and that's what gets the DQ win for Hogan. Typical Hogan - Piper match of the times but with a silly finish. Why not just DQ Piper for the chairshot? Match Rating: *1/4

Randy Savage vs Dynamite Kid

Another potentially good match and I'm praying it doesn't disappoint on a card full of them so far. Gorilla Monsoon says you couldn't write a tournament like this...and I think it's time someone told him the truth. They lock up to start and Dynamite hits a strong shoulderblock followed by a big crossbody. He can't pin him though as Savage is in the ropes. He can get a sunset flip but eats a splash by Macho in retaliation. They hit a nice double KO spot using clotheslines. Macho gets up first and heads up top. He hasn't learned any lessons yet as of course, Dynamite stops him using an awesome dropkick while Savage is up top. Dynamite hits a nice superplex but Savage hooks his legs for the cheeky win! Crisp and cool, best match of the night so far! Match Rating: **1/2

Randy Savage vs Junkyard Dog

Junkyard Dog gets a bye straight to the finals due to the finish of Orndorff/Santana. It's strange that JYD got the bye when wrestling 101 says the face has the more troubled route to the final while the heel gets a breather. Of couse, lots of stalling by Savage to start involving chairs and Liz. JYD actually no sells chair shots to himself...as to why I don't know. They finally start with JYD getting the early advantage including headbutts (of course). He locks on a bearhug but Savage manages to escapes before JYD works his back. We get a caught in the ropes spot with Macho Man and JYD takes advantage of this like all good faces do...with kicks and chokes. Savage comes back with a clothesline for 2 followed by an ax handle from the top when JYD rolls outside. Another ax handle to the outside by Savage and we almost get another countout. Savage uses a chair and its blatantly ignored by the watching ref. Back in the ring and Savage goes up top again but behold...JYD counters and nails his patented crap headbutts. Savage charges at JYD but gets backdropped out to the floor in a nice bump...and gets counted out! That's how this ends? Sigh, JYD wins the whole tournament on a countout...after getting a bye. The wrong guy won on this one plain and simple. Match was decent and Savage was awesome as always, showing the WWE audience at the time something completely different. Match Rating: *3/4

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Wrestler Scores:

• Adrian Adonis +5 (21)
• Corporal Kirchner +2 (5)
• Dynamite Kid +7 (19)
• Nikolai Volkoff +1 (24)
• Randy Savage +8 (19)
• Ivan Putski +1 (7)
• Ricky Steamboat +6 (35)
• Davey Boy Smith +4 (17)
• Junkyard Dog +6 (26)
• Iron Sheik +2 (29)
• Moondog Spot +2 (7)
• Terry Funk +1 (11)
• Tito Santana +5 (51)
• Don Muraco +3 (17)
• Paul Orndorff +7 (39)
• Bob Orton +3 (22)
• Roddy Piper +4 (47)
• Hulk Hogan +5 (62)

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So there we go, The Wrestling Classic! My advice like it normally seems to be is to watch it for historical context, avoid it for overall quality. There are some good matches on here and a lot for Randy Savage, JYD and Dynamite Kid fans in there. It was cool to see Steamboat/Savage volume 1 and also cool to see Savage/Dynamite and neither disappointed really. Savage gained huge points here mainly for his workrate and effort...could have scored higher though with less stalling and a promo. Dynamite was made to look great all night and Steamboat had two good matches. JYD would've scored higher if his final win wasn't so lame...as well as his in-ring quality. Finally Hogan and Piper scored average because their match simply wasn't that great nor felt anyway special in this one. The time to put the belt on Piper came and went at War to Settle the Score. Anyway...onto 1986 and our All Star Search just got bigger...as now I'll be looking at weekly television too...jobbers and all! I can't wait! So see you next time when we look at January and Saturday Nights Main Event 4!

Follow me: @thewrestlindork

WWE All Star Search #13 - Saturday Nights Main Event 3

WWE All Star Search #13 - Saturday Nights Main Event 3

BOO! Hello Turnbucklers! It's edition #13 and this time we're looking at Saturday Nights Main Event 3...which was less than a month after the previous one. This one is a special Halloween themed episode of SNME so get ready to be spooked by some classic 80's WWE. The card has some big names on it such as Hogan, Andre and Savage. The tag match I'm not expecting much in-ring wise from it but the crowd should be red hot. Randy Savage vs Santana could be a good one and I expect plenty of shenanigans in the last one. Throughout the night there is a Halloween party going on so expect that to be a reoccurance. Let's get started shall we?

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The Card:

Terry Funk vs Junkyard Dog

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ)/Andre the Giant vs King Kong Bundy/Big John Studd

Randy Savage vs Tito Santana (IC Champ)

Ricky Steamboat vs Mr Fuji [Martial Arts Exhibition Match]

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The Show:

We open with Bobby Heenan dunking for pumpkins to the tune of Tubular Bells while Mean Gene shills the card.

Cut to Hogan who has some fighting words for the giants before Andre ushers him away.

Jesse Ventura is with Roddy Piper where they both laugh at the hillbillies and their failure of a wedding! We've got a Piper's Pit tonight with said hillbillies and that may be fun.

Mean Gene is now with Terry Funk and Jimmy Hart who says its a matter of time before he's champion, however tonight he's housetraining the JYD. Funk spits tobacco at the camera and here we go!

On commentary we have Vince McMahon and a ridiculously dressed Jesse Ventura.

Terry Funk vs Junkyard Dog

Before we start, we see highlights of Terry Funk beating up a ringside assistant, then clips of Funk branding JYD and then another promo from Terry Funk who calls JYD dog meat. He finally gets to the ring to little heat before we cut to JYD with Mean Gene who says today is his day. JYD comes out to Grab Them Cakes and the crowd is solidly behind him. He takes control of Funk early while his music still plays. JYD heads after Jimmy Hart on the outside but stops short to crotch Funk on the ropes. The heels regroup before Funk heads back in the ring. Funk nails a scoop slam, misses an elbow drop and then eats a scoop slam to the outside by JYD. Back in JYD takes control again and starts hitting his dog-headbutts that to me look ridiculous. Jimmy Hart distracts JYD from the outside and gets chased. Funk tries to save Hart but gets backdropped on the concrete. Back in the ring and Funk nails some stinging punches and gets a 2 count. Sleeperhold by Funk as the crowd get behind the JYD (he is mega over in this one). JYD escapes and locks in a sleeper of his own until Hart distracts him again. Hart gets thrown into the ring but that allows Funk to nail JYD with the megaphone behind the ref's back for the 3. After the match they go to brand JYD but JYD catches the iron, sends Funk outside and then brands Jimmy Hart to a HUGE pop! All good fun but I'm not really a JYD fan. The crowd loved him in this one and Funk is a great heel, very underused at this point. Match Rating: *1/2

Into the back with Mean Gene who is with a line of Halloween dressed superstars. Macho Man and Liz are Tarzan and Jane, Nikolai Volkoff is Robin, Sheiky baby is Batman - baby, Heenan is Davey Crockett with added weasel themed hat, Tito Santana is Zorro, Hogan is Hercules (not Hernandez), the hillbillies are the three musketeers and Bundy is Abe Lincoln. There's a pie eating contest between Bundy and Captain Lou Albano. Things get messy and its like watching my Aunt Michelle eat. Captain Lou wins while Bundy fails fat men everywhere. Albano gets pie faced by Bundy to finish the segment and it's all good fun!

We get some highlights from the hillbilly wedding from the last SNME before we go to Piper's Pit in the ring with the group of hillbillies. Roddy Piper comes out to good heat with Cowboy Bob Orton. Piper is quick to start ripping into the hillbillies while they just sit and stare at him. Elmer reels off his catchphrase, 'that's none of your business' while Piper rips his sexual tendencies. Hillbilly Jim stands up and confronts Piper who deflects the heat to Jesse Ventura. Ventura makes his way to the ring and lays into the hillbillies himself to big heat. We see Orton sneaking behind the hillbillies and the little one eats floor in a jock 'n' nerd spot. The hillbillies level Piper outside the ring and go after Ventura but he escapes to the floor. The hillbillies celebrate by comically stamping on Ventura's hat!

Backstage again and its Heenan vs Cousin Junior in a pumpkin bobbing contest. Once again it messy, its cheesy and it's very much 80's. Heenan gets the win and lets off an awesome heel laugh in victory. Liz and Macho Man were there helping and boy did Liz look DAMN hot.

Mean Gene is with a cleaned up Bobby Heenan, King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd. They hype up their following match and say they're going to prove they're the best. Studd botches his lines and Heenan was good enough to distract.

Mean Gene is now with Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Captain Lou. Hogan hypes up Andre while Andre cuts him off to tell him its time to kick oversized ass!

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ)/Andre the Giant vs King Kong Bundy/Big John Studd

Big Weasel chant for Heenan before Hogan's now familiar 'Real American' theme hits and out come the faces to a MASSIVE pop. Hogan still finds time to chew on his bandana on his way to the ring and I wouldn't wanna catch that if he threw it! Crowd is buzzing for this one as Hogan and Bundy start us off. Hogan gets Bundy off his feet quickly with a knee but fails in slamming him. That allows Bundy to try and attack but to no avail as Hogan nails a clothesline in the corner. Tag to Andre as McMahon calls him 'the Big Boss Man.' Andre chokes Bundy for what seems like an age as the ref just stands and stares. Hogan back in and he nails an ax handle of the second rope. The heels take control when Studd tags in but it's not long until he eats a sloppy atomic drop before Andre comes back in. More chokes by Andre but he accidentally knocks out the referee. It all breaks down into a 4 way brawl while another ref comes down to take over. Heels get sent to the outside for a breather before Andre and Studd restart us off. More chokes by Andre and Hogan nails a cheap shot. Hogan tags in and nails a crap looking clothesline on Studd. Andre back in and he nails a crap looking boot to the face. Andre gets caught in the ropes like he always seems to do and the heels take control with the clear advantage. The bell rings and Hogan makes the save. Andre is released and the faces clear the ring of the big, bad heels. Hogan and Andre are announced the winners via DQ. Mean Gene gets a few words with Andre who wants more of the heels while Hogan says they proved that they can't beat Andre fairly. The crowd were hot which is good considering these are the names that will be centre stage for the forseeable future. The match itself was so, so, so bad though, especially Andre and Studd. That makes me worry considering I know to expect a one on one between them in the near future. I thought they'd make Bundy look a little stronger than they did but they kept his interaction minimal and basic. Suprised Hogan took him off his feet after 2 moves too. Match Rating: DUD

Mean Gene is with Randy Savage and Liz. Macho Man calls Gene stupid for asking about Liz. Liz gets a few words in and Savage lets her! Savage is ready to be IC champion and off they go to the ring as their music plays.

Randy Savage vs Tito Santana (IC Champ)

Tito got the jobber entrance despite being the champion which doesn't bode well for his future. They lock up quickly but Savage stalls something fierce and the crowd give him heat. They lock up again and Savage takes control and nails a knee drop. Savage misses an elbow and eats an arm drag. Savage regains control and nails a clubbing blow from the top rope for 2. Sleeper hold applied by Savage as a Tito chant breaks out. Savage puts on a wristlock and turns it into a headlock but Tito eventually tries to fight out of it but eats a scoop slam. Savage misses his top rope elbow and Santana takes control including a botched knee left of all things. Scoop slam by Tito but Savage bails outside before he can hit something else. Tito follows outside but Macho Man runs away. He stops Tito coming back into the ring and tries to piledrive him on the concrete. Both men get counted out but that doesn't stop them brawling. Good to see Savage moving towards the IC Title already but the match itself was really disappointing. Tito is slowly but surely losing his high spot on the roster. Match Rating: 3/4*

Into the back with a gurning Mr Fuji who is preparing for his martial arts exhibition with Ricky Steamboat. We cut to Steamboat who is preparing also by breaking planks of wood with his fists.

We head to Roddy Piper's house now and he's enjoying Halloween at home. He puts a stick in a bowling ball to be used as fake candy apples (I'm stealing all these ideas because I'm a meany) and wrapping bricks in tinfoil. Piper does an uncomfortable impression of a 'native' including the use of a makeshift spear. Piper gets wound up by McMahon's questions and says he can do whatever he wants! The doorbell rings and its some kids! One of them is dressed as Hogan...and I bet their inring skills are better than the original. Piper banters with the kids and hands out his Piper treats. These are some nosey kids by the way... 'whats that Mr Piper'. Piper's treats ruin the kids bags and acts like what can only be described as a nutcase. Here's the twist though, the kids were playing Piper all along...as he's eaten their chocolate covered chilli. Ooooooh the shenanigans.

Into the back with Mean Gene who watches Mr Fuji chop through wood and bricks...all impressive stuff. He headbutts some more wood and seems happy with himself.

Still in the back and Mean Gene is with Ricky Steamboat. They show clips of Steamboats history with Fuji and Don Muraco including him being hung by his neck over the top rope with a belt. Steamboat says tonight Fuji will feel his only fear...the Dragon.

Ricky Steamboat vs Mr Fuji (Martial Arts Exhibition Match)

Out comes Steamboat to a HUGE ovation...Hogan-esque! Fuji and Muraco are already in the ring and I don't really know what the rules are for this one. Steamboat poses while Mr Fuji tries some chops and kicks. Steamboat takes control and nails some elbows to send Fuji reeling. Fuji takes control with a cheap shot and nails a stiff chop to the chest. Dragon fights back briefly but it doesn't last for long. He does eventually manage to hit a nice suplex to stop Fuji's momentum. Dragon goes up top and nails a lovely missile dropkick and that gets the 3! Straight after Muraco attacks Dragon and the heels beat him down before leaving. I was expecting Steamboat to have most the offense in this one but it wasn't the case. I guess it highlights just how much of a babyface he is, even letting Mr Fuji look good against him in 1985. Hopefully Dragon finishes this feud soon and goes onto something better and more suitable to his style. Match Rating: 3/4*

Into the back once more and it's our final Halloween event and it's a pumpkin pass. Liz drops her teams pumpkin so the heels lose. Savage rips into Liz to end the show!

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Wrestler Scores:

• Terry Funk +5 (10)
• Junkyard Dog +5 (20)
• Roddy Piper +6 (49)
• Jesse Ventura +1 (12)
• Bob Orton +1 (19)
• Hillbilly Jim +1 (1)
• Uncle Elmer +1 (3)
• Cousin Luke +1 (1)
• Hulk Hogan +6 (57)
• Andre the Giant +5 (25)
• King Kong Bundy +5 (20)
• Big John Studd +3 (16)
• Tito Santana +4 (46)
• Randy Savage +5 (11)
• Mr Fuji +3 (10)
• Don Muraco +1 (14)
• Ricky Steamboat +6 (29)

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So the show wasn't spectacular but it was definitely fun. Despite the in-ring quality being somewhat poor, a lot of featured superstars gained some extra points with their backstage shenanigans and their promo's. Steamboats crowd reaction boosted him slightly and Piper's promo's and segments were really entertaining. Two new blog debuts via Hillbilly Jim and Cousin Luke but who knows how far they'll go in our points system. Although Savage's match was disappointing, I loved his promo's and interaction with Liz throughout the night so he gets a boost too. Disappointing to see Studd score so low considering who he is working with and the crowd reactions for it but I can't ignore how sloppy he was on the mic and in the ring. Anyway...onto the next show which will be...The Wrestling Classic!

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WWE All Star Search #12 - Saturday Nights Main Event 2

WWE All Star Search #12 - Saturday Nights Main Event 2

Hello Turnbucklers! It's edition #12 already and this time we're going through Saturday Nights Main Event 2 taking place in October 1985. The first SNME earlier in the year brought in huge numbers for the WWE so it looks like we best get used to this Saturday night entertainment. This card looks stacked to be honest with Hogan, Piper, Orndorff and Andre all appearing. The focus of this week is on the hillbillies and Uncle Elmers wedding...but more on that later. The Orndorff/Piper situation continues this week after 6+ months of tension and build up. Shall we start?

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The Card:

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Nikolai Volkoff [Flag Match]

Uncle Elmer vs Jerry Valiant

Paul Orndorff vs Roddy Piper

King Kong Bundy/Big John Studd vs Andre the Giant/Tony Atlas

Brutus Beefcake/Greg Valentine (Tag Team Champs) vs Tony Garea/Lanny Poffo [Tag Team Title Match]

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The Show:

We start with Mean Gene with Nikolai Volkoff and Freddie Blassie. Volkoff promises to take the belt back to Russia in the worst English I've ever heard.

Hulk Hogan cuts a promo telling us young Americans (I see) that he's doing this for us...and I'll say it again, cheers Hulk!

Mean Gene is with Hillbilly Jim and Uncle Elmer who hype up the wedding and party, neither man look too happy though. Piper comes in and rips them a new arsehole with his mean words. PS...who the f*ck is Uncle Elmer?! How is he a relatable character for a worldwide audience?

Our commentators in this one are Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura.

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Nikolai Volkoff [Flag Match]

Of course we start with Nikolai Volkoff giving us a rendition of the Soviet anthem to big heat. That's what The Authority lack today...a Cold War to support their heeldom. Before he comes out, Hogan cuts ANOTHER promo about how sick Volkoff and his patriotism makes him...and then he goes on about protecting the stars and stripes. Out comes Hogan to some patriotic American theme to a HUGE pop. He waves the flag around and everyone is loving it...except non-Americans who are indifferent. Volkoff pearl harbours Hogan to start us off while Hogan isn't even out of his title belt. Volkoff chokes Hogan with his own shirt and I don't think he's gonna get much more offense. I'm very right very quickly as Hogan counters in the corner and floors Volkoff with shots to the head. Clothesline by Hogan sends Volkoff down and he eats an elbow. Headbutts by Hogan which Ventura says he's never seen him use. Volkoff is sent outside where he lands on ... and rings ... the ringbell. Hogan gets sent into the ringpost and Volkoff takes control with a ax handle from the second rope. Nice backbreaker by Volkoff but he doesn't go for the cover until its far too late. Volkoff works over Hogan until he tries for another backbreaker and it gets reversed into a back drop by Hogan. They trade shots with Volkoff keeping control and he nails a scoop slam for 2. Hogan starts to hulk up, no sells punches and you know whats coming. Punches by Hogan, Volkoff goes down, eats a leg drop and Hogan gets the 3 and the chance to wave his flag and abuse the Soviet flag. As Marc P would say, that was a foregone conclusion match. I somehow couldn't see Volkoff waving the Soviet flag on TV mid-Cold War. Match was more fun than other Hogan matches we've seen in the blog so far. Match Rating: *3/4

Mean Gene is with Hogan again and he enjoys the fact he just won. He calls Nikolai Volkoff 'babydoll' before hyping up the upcoming wedding. McMahon and Ventura talk about the wedding dress.

Mean Gene is with Uncle Elmer and Hillbilly Jim and christ, Uncle Elmer says 3 words about his match and wedding and that's all I need to hear from him. Seriously, did WWE find these people at the bus stop?

Uncle Elmer vs Jerry Valiant

Out come the Hillbillies to a good reaction so they must be impressing some people! The Hillbillies dance before Uncle Elmer starts us off with a scoop slam...and gets the 3 count! Why even bother unless they want to PUSH UNCLE ELMER!? The Hillbillies dance after the match. Match Rating: -*

Mean Gene is with Uncle Elmer and friends again and Uncle Elmer almost cuts a promo...but doesn't quite make it.

Jesse Ventura is with Bobby Heenan in the ring and wants to know about Paul Orndorff. Heenan talks about Orndorff firing him and the bounty he put on his head in retaliation. He says he raised that bounty because no one can refuse such a sum of money. He calls Orndorff thick and says he should just retire. Always love hearing from Heenan.

Mean Gene is with Paul Orndorff who retaliates by talking about dresses and plumbing. Someone in the crowd has a broken airhorn and I want to give them a colonic with it at this point.

Mean Gene is now with Roddy Piper who says he's here to pick up the bounty and to fight a guy in baby oil. If he doesn't get that $50k, he'll rip out Heenan's throat. Piper rips on Uncle Elmer and the wedding to finish off.

Paul Orndorff vs Roddy Piper

Orndorff out first and his reaction is pale in comparison to Hogan's. Piper comes out with the bagpipers and Heenan isn't too far behind. The match starts off quick and heated with both men throwing punches. Piper with a clothesline followed by a boot to the face and some choking. Orndorff fights back with right hands and chokes of his own. More brawling between the two and this is just a fight, all good stuff and the crowd agree! Piper with a sloppy looking DDT followed by a boot to the face of Orndorff. They go to the outside where Piper tries to use a chair but gets thrown into a table instead. Orndorff comes off the top rope as they go back in the ring followed by a nice back suplex and the crowd love it. Knee lift by Piper turns the tide until both men KO each other with shoulderblocks. More back and forth and it spills outside again where they continue to brawl until both are counted out. They both continue fighting each other all the way to the back until Piper locks Orndorff out of his dressing room. Really fun stuff and the crowd loved it! That is how a heated feud should be built up and Orndorff really grew throughout that match. The non-finish actually makes sense and I hope there's a finish to this feud. Match Rating: **

Have you got your hats? It's wedding time and the crowd are already baffled into silence. Hogan and Andre (in wrestling briefs) are there to offer support. Its all cringe-worthy as you would expect as the crowd turns on it pretty quickly. The poor bride even gets nailed in the face by flying garbage from the crowd. McMahon and Ventura continue commentating over the actual wedding. McMahon is painful as he treats it in all seriousness where as Ventura at least treats it as the farce it is. Thankfully Roddy Piper does come out and rips on the whole proceedings to salvage at least something from this one. Our first wedding on our blog and it was really embarassing.

Into the back and we're in the reception area and there's a shit load of farm animals.

Mean Gene is with King Kong Bundy, Big John Studd and Bobby Heenan. They rip on the wedding before claiming that they are the giants of the WWE and Andre is in fact...the third placed giant. Studd reminds Andre that he cut his hair! Ooooo...

King Kong Bundy/Big John Studd vs Andre the Giant/Tony Atlas

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Heels are already in the ring when we see Andre on his way. We see clips of the heels destroying Andre's ribs a few months earlier. What hurts is that any in-ring quality action we get will be from Tony Atlas of all people in this one. Andre and Bundy start this one of for us and the crowd are hot for this one. Andre chokes Bundy as the ref does fuck all about it. He uses Atlas' head as a weapon before tagging him in. Now Bundy takes control using his size but Atlas uses his speed to try and fight back. In comes Studd who goes back and forth with Atlas. Atlas goes for a body slam but can't get it so Studd takes control again. Andre distracts Studd as Bundy gets a cheap shot on Atlas. Andre tags back in and goes back and forth with Studd, sending him to the outside before Bundy comes back in and batters Andre. Studd nails Atlas against the ring post on the outside. Bundy and Studd both squash Andre in the corner but the bell rings for the DQ for both heels getting involved at the same time. Hogan runs out to big noise to make the save. Crap match where by there was no speed involved whatsoever. Hogan and Bundy finally have some interaction setting us up on the way to Wrestlemania 2. Hogan cuts a promo after saying that he's sick of the heels taking shortcuts. It's not your fight (yet) Hulk! Match Rating: DUD

We get a video of Mean Gene looking for George Steele. He does find him roaming around a zoo of some sorts. He shows Mean Gene around the park while doing his animal impressions and this is all good, 80's cheese! Weirdly enough, Mean Gene was quite funny in this one!

Mean Gene is with Brutus Beefcake, Greg Valentine and a cigar, smoking Johnny Valiant. They go back to when they won the titles from the US Express and everyone seems happy with themselves. 

Brutus Beefcake/Greg Valentine (Tag Team Champs) vs Tony Garea/Lanny Poffo [Tag Team Title Match]

Valentine and Poffo start us off and it's not long until Valentine takes control with headlocks. Poffo shows off some athleticism as we see the US Express watching from the crowd. Big scoop slam by Valentine before tagging in Beefcake. Poffo gets some brief offense including dropkicks and scoop slams and then nails a DIVING MOONSAULT...in 1985 WWE! Beefcake regains control and the champs use quick tags. Garea gets the tag and comes in like a house on fire on Beefcake. Dropkicks and a flying body press on Beefcake gets a 2 count. Valentine tags in and nails an elbow, locks on the Figure 4 and that's all she wrote! Champs looked strong with Valentine showing off a slightly bigger arsenal of moves but Poffo's moonsault, as sloppy as it was, suprised me! Match Rating: *

Into the back and we're invited to Uncle Elmer's wedding reception. We see Hogan, Orndorff, Ventura and McMahon all sat together. They review the wedding and Ventura doesn't shut the fuck up. PS...just after seeing Orndorff appear at Wrestlemania 30, I'm gutted he has no moustache. Captain Lou Albano tells us how to eat like a hillbilly before we go to Lanny Poffo who recites a poem but the less we say about the better. We chat to the hillbilly's before SOME GUY (thank you Marc P) called Tiny Tim appears and says its lovely to be there and talks about weddings. Ventura now recites a poem for the new couple and rips them a new one. To be fair, it's nail on the head stuff and all good. Jesse however ends up face first in the wedding cake and lol's are had by all to finish the show!

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Wrestler Scores:

• Hulk Hogan +5 (51)
• Nikolai Volkoff +5 (23)
• Uncle Elmer +2 (2)
• Jerry Valiant +1 (1)
• Paul Orndorff +6 (32)
• Roddy Piper +7 (43)
• King Kong Bundy +3 (15)
• Big John Studd +3 (13)
• Andre the Giant +4 (20)
• Tony Atlas +2 (9)
• George Steele +1 (4)
• Brutus Beefcake +4 (17)
• Greg Valentine +4 (40)
• Tony Garea +2 (9)
• Lanny Poffo +4 (6)

So there we have it, this editions updated scores! Hogan stays ahead overall and pulling out a standard Hogan formula match still gets 5 points mainly due to crowd reaction...same goes to Volkoff. Uncle Elmer would've had just the point for appearing...but he was a central point of the whole episode so I gave him another. Piper and Orndorff had a good show featuring prominently throughout plus advancing their feud with a decent brawling match. Finally I gave George Steele a point for his video package because it's all promotion in the end. None the less, this was a poor show worth viewing for storyline context alone. We did get our first MINUS match of the blog and our first wedding (although it made me wince...yes, wince!) Next edition its Saturday Nights Main Event 3! Remember to share the blog if you like it...follow me on Twitter @thewrestlindork ... and give the World Wrestling Alliance page a like on Facebook of which I am the resident reviewer (and old man)! Later days!

WWE All Star Search #11 - September 23rd 1985

WWE All Star Search #11 - September 23rd 1985

Hello Turnbucklers once again for edition #11! It feels since forever since I've seen a really good match on these blogs so here's hoping we see one soon! This edition there's no Hogan but looking at the card it still looks stacked...in one case quite literally. We have some debut's on this edition as always including one bigg'n! We also say some  goodbyes on this edition to some wrestlers we've met along the way so far. Before we start because we are 3 months ahead of the last edition, let me fill you in on a few changes. Firstly,  Greg Valentine lost the Intercontinental Title to Tito Santana in a cage match in July. Secondly, the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff did eventually lose the titles to Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo...who then lost the belts to Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine. Hulk Hogan is still your WWE Champion but will he keep it for long...probably not. Anyway...let's do this!

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The Card:

Scott McGhee vs Les Thornton

Adrian Adonis vs Rick McGraw

Randy Savage vs Paul Roma

Andre the Giant vs King Kong Bundy

Bob Orton vs SD Jones

The British Bulldogs vs The Hart Foundation

The Missing Link vs Lanny Poffo

Ricky Steamboat vs Don Muraco

Corporal Kirchner vs Moondog Spot

The Junkyard Dog vs Terry Funk

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The Show:

Our commentators are THANKFULLY Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura. No more good guy/good guy announcing for us, these two can bounce off of each other.

Scott McGhee vs Les Thornton

OK, on paper not the best way to start but these two are both making their blog debuts so maybe just maybe they'll surprise. Scott McGhee was on the Starrcade 1985 card and I think got pretty bloodied. Les Thornton is a hometown lad on my part as he's a fellow Mancunian! Match itself is actually a weird one. It isn't bad by any means but it is somewhat boring to say the least. There are rest holds from start to finish in this one but the chain wrestling and strikes between the rest holds were superb. Both men have a superb uppercut and looked like they were holding nothing back in this one. McGhee eventually gets the win with an anti-climactic roll up. Match Rating: *

Adrian Adonis vs Rick McGraw

Rick McGraw gets the jobber entrance for this one before Adrian Adonis comes out with Bobby Heenan to big heat. Adonis is still in his leather, New Yorker style and is strangely carrying a brief case with him tonight. Adonis may be able to impress more than earlier in the blog when he was teaming with Dick Murdoch. Rick McGraw is solid but unspectacular. The briefcase turns out to be the $25,000 bounty on Paul Orndorff. Match is slow as Adonis works over the arm of McGraw while Monsoon calls him fat. Crowd has died early in this one and Adonis sends McGraw to the outside. On the plus side, McGraw lands on then sells the arm that Adonis was working over and Adonis keeps targeting it and working it over...great psychology! McGraw is eventually sent back to the outside where Heenan teases nailing him with the briefcase and actually does it...to no reaction. Suplex back in by Adonis and he goes up top. 80's wrestling 101 says this won't end well...and they've read the rulebook too as it fails. McGraw gets some offense in including a sloppy looking suplex but it's not long until Adonis counters, nails the DDT and gets the 3 count. Although slow, the psychology was superb in this one with the arm being targeted. It was forgotten about somewhat in the final goings which is a shame but for the most part it was all good. Adonis looked good in this one which I'm sure was the aim. Match Rating: *3/4

Into the back with Gorilla Monsoon and RANDY SAVAGE! We're just an Ultimate Warrior and Ted DiBiase away from the 80's all star deck. He says that Paul Roma is actually Hulk Hogan in his head tonight. He talks what can only be described as noise and rips off his tye-dye T-Shirt. Short promo but this bloke is unlike anyone else on that roster promo-wise so will it get him far?

Randy Savage vs Paul Roma

Paul Roma gets the jobber entrance in this one as we see Randy Savage and the stunning Elizabeth come to the ring. Unfortunately their overshadowed by Otto Wanz...who has a huge gut and gets to wave at the fans. Macho Man is wearing a lovely blue robe with white tassles which is all good. He stalls like a motherf*cker while also finding time to give a bollocking to Liz. They do start but only gets in the way of Macho Man's stalling. Once Savage gains control everything he does is crisp and cool. Roma does get some offense in including a scoop slam and a cool sunset flip from the top rope. Macho Man regains control by sending him outside and the bell randomly rings but Monsoon plays it off. Savage hits an Ax Handle from the top rope onto Roma on the floor which is a great spot in 1985 WWE. Back in the ring, a nice suplex by Savage followed by his signature Macho Man Elbow Drop...and another...and that gets the 3. Short but sweet and he mouths off on the mic to celebrate. Macho Man looked awesome from pre-match to post-match and I look forward to seeing more of him. Paul Roma looked good too in-ring and was allowed more offense than I expected. Match Rating: *1/2

Andre the Giant vs King Kong Bundy

The Colossal Jostle is what this one is being hyped up as. A couple of weeks before this show, Bundy and Big John Studd had injured Andre so he's looking for revenge. King Kong Bundy and Jimmy Hart are in the ring and have good heat on them which is good. Andre the Giant comes out with Captain Lou Albano to a huge Hogan sized pop. It feels like I havn't seen Bundy in a while and Andre has been inconsistent with his appearances. They lock up quickly and Andre chokes him in corner and should've been DQ'd already but f*ck it, who needs rule consistency. More choking until Bundy nails some weak punches but they don't last for long. This is painful viewing but the crowd love it, firmly behind Andre. To be fair, both men sell each others crap strikes but still...I hope this ends soon. Andre botches a WRISTLOCK and locks on an Armbar instead and ends up still managing to recline mid-hold. After an absolute age, Bundy fights out but eats a headbutt to send him outside. He lands on a table but it doesn't break...just wrap your head around that, a table in wrestling maintaining the weight of King Kong Bundy. Back in the ring Bundy takes control with more strikes and chokes but it seems the crowd are losing interest too, not quite gaining momentum on an Andre chant. More back and forth until Andre nails a big boot, goes for the cover but Big John Studd runs in for the DQ win for Andre. It all kicks off afterwards as Bundy and Studd try to attack Andre but Andre grabs a chair and the heels bail. That was far too long of a match but it kept Bundy looking like a good threat to Hogan. Andre at this point has no right to be anything other than a novelty appearance and not an in-ring performer. The fact Savage was on previously to this match just proves how important basic mobility is to good in-ring entertainment. Match Rating: DUD

Bob Orton vs SD Jones

Straight into the next match and this is a filler match to be realistic. Orton still sells like a bandit for Jones even though he's nothing but a jobber at this point. Orton nails a dropkick of all things but Jones works over the arm. I say works over, he literally just holds it. When he does actually attack Orton's arm, it gets sold and it all looks good. Orton stalls like a bandit but ends up back in wristlocks and armbars. Orton takes control with a straight up punch to the mush and works over SD's neck and back. Neither sell their respective weak point which just makes this match boring until Orton wakes me up with a crisp atomic drop. Orton hits a flying headscissors which was impressive but Jones takes control with headbutts and a suplex for 2. More and forth until Orton hits a second rope reverse splash for the 3 count. Match Rating: 1/2*

The British Bulldogs vs The Hart Foundation

Now we're talking! These two teams had a great match a couple of editions previously but back then they were new to the WWE landscape. Now we're 6 months down the line it'll be interesting to see how they've grown and how they'll gel. Bret and Dynamite start but Bret stalls and makes a big deal about hair pulling. They eventually lock up and the action is fast and furious straight away ending in a Dynamite slingshot and the heels regrouping on the outside. Back in they trade wristlocks until Bret is sent back outside and the heels regroup once again. Anvil comes in and nails a hard scoop slam. Davey Boy in and he gets a scoop slam of his own on Anvil. Davey Boy hits a dropkick and the heels regroup once again but more briefly this time. Bret tags back in and nails some punches but gets caught in a cool victory roll spot for a 1 count. Bret takes control and tags out to Neidhart who continues the offensive and then back in. More quick tags as they continue to work over Davey Boy including Anvil locking in a bearhug. Dynamite gets tagged in and cleans house of the heels. A Bret cheap shot derails Dynamite as the Hart Foundation start laying into him now. Anvil sends him to the outside where Bret scoop slams him on the concrete. The Harts use heely tactics and Bret takes over on Dynamite including his signature second rope elbow for 2. Anvil back in and he lays in some strikes to the back and a front facelock. Dynamite tries to get to Davey and the crowd are heating up. Unfortunately Bret breaks it all but gets chased by Davey around the ring. All the while, Dynamite is being choked out by Anvil during the distraction. Dynamite pushes to make the tag once again and makes it but oh no (!), ref didn't see it so won't allow it! Bret works over Dynamite now but gets caught in a backslide for 1! Bret traps Dynamite in the ropes, or so he thought as he charges, misses and crotches himself. Davey gets the hot tag and cleans house of the heels. Bret whipped chest first into the corner for 2 and then eats a picture perfect press slam for 2. Bret hits a perfect backbreaker and Anvil comes off the top with a ax handle to add to the backpain. The heels work over Davey and actually nail the Hart Attack! Ref is distracted though while Bret is pinning Davey so Dynamite comes off the top with a flying headbutt and Davey gets the 3 count! Harts attack after the match and leave the Bulldogs nursing bruises but soaking up cheers. Great match and the should be blueprint for most tag team matches. Bulldogs were solid but Davey looked slightly better in this one mainly due to being allowed more offense in. Bret looked good showing off some crisp offense that will come to be his signature moveset and Anvil was entertaining yet limited as always. Match Rating: ***1/2

Into the back with Jesse Ventura, Don Muraco and Mr Fuji who kiss each others arse and tell Ricky Steamboat to watch out later!

Still in the back with Gorilla Monsoon, Jimmy Hart and Terry Funk. They're looking for revenge on Junkyard Dog for trying to drown Jimmy Hart. Funk says Tito and Hogan are more important than JYD.

The Missing Link vs Lanny Poffo

Ah, The Missing Link, we hardly had time to get to know each other. This is his last appearance on the blog and also Lanny Poffo's first. The brother of Randy Savage and I want to know if talent runs in the family. Bobby Heenan introduces himself as the Manager of the Year to some subtle heat. Poffo throws a selection of scrolls into the crowd. Poffo uses his quickness to dodge Link but Link is moving so slow that he may as well not be there. A lot of stalling in the early goings but slowly and surely they get into it. Link should be coming off as strong in this one but he's so clunky that it just doesn't help. He grabs a chair but doesn't need nor use it and continues to show off his hard head gimmick that all foreigners or freaks seem to have. Poffo doesn't get any offense in on the grand scheme of things and Link gets the win after interference from Heenan and a headbutt from Link off the second rope. Thank lord that was Link's last appearance, two dreadful appearances was all I needed. Match Rating: DUD 

Ricky Steamboat vs Don Muraco

On paper this one could go either way. Muraco had a push earlier in the year and Steamboat has been consistently impressing for a while. We start off quickly with Muraco going for the Pearl Harbour attempt but it doesn't get him far as Steamboat unloads with chops and strikes. He chokes Muraco with his belt right in front of the ref and nails a chop from the top rope sending Muraco down and then to the outside. Steamboat looks like he's wearing pajamas in this one. Back in the ring and Steamboat stays in control until he's tripped by Mr Fuji on the outside. Once Muraco is in control he's runs through the heel handbook including an extra long nerve hold. Steamboat escapes briefly but nails slingshotted out of the corner and finds himself back in the nervehold. Muraco goes for a tombstone piledriver but Steamboat counters. He then counters another slingshot attempt. He goes on the offensive and goes for a splash but eats nothing but knees. Muraco gets a 2 count before Mr Fuji tries to get involved. He ends up meeting heads with Muraco allowing Steamboat to go up top. Mr Fuji cuts him off though with salt to the eyes and Steamboat wins by DQ. Match was OK and the finish hurt neither guy I guess. I would've liked to have seen Steamboat get the clean win but at least he looked like a top babyface in this one. Match Rating: *3/4

Corporal Kirchner vs Moondog Spot

Now THIS is the match I was looking forward to the most when I looked at this card. This is Kirchner's debut on the blog and he's what I can only see as a replacement to Sgt Slaughter. His reactions are not nearly as big and he seems like a diet version. On top of that, how tough are corporals in comparison to other ranked army officials. The match is as you would expect but what really stands out to me are Kirchners little tantrums to hype him up. Kirchner eventually gets the win with a samoan drop. I'm not a fan of patriotic American characters repeatedly shoved down my throat since its the WORLD Wrestling Federation...but hey, why complain, not like it's going to change in the next 30 years. Match Rating: 1/4*

The Junkyard Dog vs Terry Funk

Terry Funk is out first with Jimmy Hart to very little reaction. Junkyard Dog comes out to Grab Them Cakes and Funk wastes no time in starting things off, meeting JYD on the outside with punches. Funk gets backdropped on the concrete and struggles to get back in the ring thanks to JYD. JYD heads outside to slam Funk on the concrete and that's two hard blows to the back in the early goings. Funk Flair flops over the corner to the outside and still can't get any offense in. JYD poses to the crowd and he gets a small reaction. JYD suplexes Funk into the ring but gets low blowed and Funk takes control. Elbows and headbutts by Funk but JYD no sells and nails some headbutts of his own. Funk tries to cheat but the ref catches him. As Funk argues with the ref, JYD rolls him up for the 3 count! Afterwards Jimmy Hart distracts JYD long enough for Funk to attack. Funk brands JYD to prove his point. Match was quick and not too bad. It was all about the ending as Funk looked like the maniac he is but also made JYD look great just by selling like a bandit to his basic moveset. Match Rating: *1/4

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Wrestler Scores:

• Scott McGhee +4 (4)
• Les Thornton +4 (4)
• Adrian Adonis +5 (16)
• Rick McGraw +2 (10)
• Randy Savage +6 (6)
• Paul Roma +4 (4)
• Andre the Giant +3 (16)
• King Kong Bundy +3 (12)
• Bob Orton +4 (18)
• SD Jones +3 (10)
• Bret Hart +7 (18)
• Jim Neidhart +6 (20)
• Davey Boy Smith +7 (13)
• Dynamite Kid +6 (12)
• The Missing Link +2 (4)
• Lanny Poffo +2 (2)
• Don Muraco +4 (13)
• Ricky Steamboat +5 (23)
• Corporal Kirchner +3 (3)
• Moondog Spot +2 (5)
• Junkyard Dog +4 (15)
• Terry Funk +5 (5)

There we have it for this edition. The show started off OK but hit it's peak (by quite a distance) with the tag team match. No big changes to the overall scores even though though top scorers didn't appear on the show. We have a couple of decent scorers this edition and Ricky Steamboat would've been higher if the crowd weren't as dead as they were. Anyway...onto the next show which is Saturday Nights Main Event 2 and then 2 more 1985 shows left to go! See you next time!

@thewrestlindork