WWE All Star Search #26 - Saturday Nights Main Event 6
Hello Turnbucklers! Its edition #26 and we're looking at Saturday Nights Main Event 6! So far we've seen some decent, fun matches on the SNME editions and looking at the card, I expect more of the same in this one. There's only one match on the card that I'm dreading having to sit through and I'm sure you'll work out which one that is.
The Card:
Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ)/Junkyard Dog vs The Funk Brothers
King Kong Bundy vs Uncle Elmer
Paul Orndorff vs Adrian Adonis
Ricky Steamboat vs Jake Roberts
The Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff vs The British Bulldogs (Tag Team Champs) [2/3 Falls Tag Title Match]
King Kong Bundy vs Uncle Elmer
Paul Orndorff vs Adrian Adonis
Ricky Steamboat vs Jake Roberts
The Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff vs The British Bulldogs (Tag Team Champs) [2/3 Falls Tag Title Match]
The Show:
So our commentary team tonight are Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan! I'm always a happy lad when Heenan is on the mic! He starts on top form by ripping the piss out of Vince's dress sense.
We get an interview in the back with the Funk Brothers and Jimmy Hart. Mean Gene interrupts them throwing around a mega-phone before showing us highlights of their match from Mania 2. They have some words for the Haiti Kid who's going to be with the faces. Jimmy Hart introduces Jimmy Jack Funk as a way to keep Haiti Kid under control. As far as introductions to new wrestlers go, that one was pissing dreadful. Jimmy Jack by the way looks nothing like either Funk and inexplicably has a little mask for just his eyes.
We get another interview now with Hulk Hogan, Junkyard Dog and Haiti Kid. Haiti Kid sounds drunk but essentially the faces claim that they're gonna put the Funks in their place. Hogan has to make sure he gives JYD a rub by stealing the mic to give his own approval o JYD's prowess. JYD didn't look too happy.
Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ)/Junkyard Dog vs The Funk Brothers
Ma-hoo-sive pop for the faces before the match starts off with JYD cleaning house with slams. Haiti Kid manages to get to Jimmy Hart but the heels chase him under the ring but he escapes back to the faces. The shenanigans is off the charts on this one! The pace slows down significantly and Terry and JYD get the match off to a proper start with JYD again getting the upperhand, sending Terry to the outside to regroup. Terry goes after Haiti but the faces come to the rescue. JYD dargs Terry inside and hits a clothesline before Dory tags himself in. Massive pop when Hogan tags in and they lock up. It all leads to the criss-cross spot and Hogan gets to clean house and get a 2 count on Dory. JYD back in and he gets a clothesline on Dory but only for 1. Terry back in and both Funks double team him while Hogan tries and fails to break it up. JYD fights back but Dory tags back in. JYD avoids a charge and tags in Hogan who again cleans house and the heels have to regroup. Jimmy Hart cracks Haiti with a cane but gives it legs when Hogan gives chase. Haiti Kid is completely laid out so JYD carries him to the back like a sack of spuds. Hogan fends off both Funks while alone, even sending Terry onto the announcers table before JYD returns. Dory and Hogan lock up and Dory eats a suplex for 2. Terry and JYD both come in to get their shots in but Hogan ends up on the outside allowing Terry to crack him with a branding iron behind the refs back. Terry and Hart attack on the outside and throw Hogan into the crowd. JYD follows to the outside and slams Terry on the concrete before Hogan adds a big back body drop. Back in the ring Hogan works over Dory and the Haiti Kid has reappeared! JYD tags in but Dory manages to get some tough punches in. Terry tags in but its not long before both men suffer the dreaded double KO spot. JYD gets the hot tag to Hogan after Terry stupidly tries a top rope spot and Hogan of course, cleans house. He hits the leg drop on Terry and that gets the 3 count! The Funks waste no time in attacking after the count and they get a few shots in on the Haiti Kid. They go to brand the midget but Hogan makes the save. The faces clean house while the heels disperse to the back. As they run away, Jimmy Jack Funk appears to help out far too late and thus has acheived the WORST debut on this blog so far. Seriously, what was the point of introducing him on this episode? I really liked this match, lots of action and a really fun brawl. The Funks were awesome with their heelish ways and the crowd were solidly behind the faces. Haiti Kid did nothing but be a hinderence to the faces so why they thought bringing him out was a good idea, I'll never know. Match Rating: **3/4
King Kong Bundy vs Uncle Elmer
Before the match we see clips of both men getting weighed. Heenan rips the living shit out of Elmer and Elmer just could not respond. Seriously, he just stared like a gormless slap of pavement. The things I do for my Turnbucklers, because this match is not pretty. This is simply just two fat men using their fat to try and knock each other down. Eventually Elmer ends up eating an elbow drop and Bundy gets the win. The less we say about that, the better. The Elmer experiment has failed Vince, so here's hoping we start to see a lot less. Bundy has gone from main eventing Wrestlemania to wrestling this guy in less than a month. Match Rating: -*
Paul Orndorff vs Adrian Adonis
Before the match starts, we see clips of Mean Gene getting a quick interview with Orndorff...in a sauna? Despite the homosexual undertones of these two sweaty men coo over each other, they make fun of (and I quote) Adrian Adonis for being 'light in his loafers.' The match starts on fire with Orndorff going crazy on Adonis and Adonis just cannot get any offense in. Adonis is wearing the most 80's dress I've ever seen by the way. After regrouping on the outside, Adonis gets back into the ring but ends up in a very comical abdominal stretch. If Orndorff is worried about Adonis' light loafers, then that abdominal stretch didn't look like what I assume he wanted it to look like. Orndorff misses a charge and Adonis can finally get some shots in. Adonis misses a charge and Orndorff sends him flying outside before having Jimmy Hart thrown on top of him. The crowd love that and Orndorff is getting Hogan-esque pops! Back in the ring, Orndorff gets an airplane spin in before heading outside and sending Adonis into the ringpost. Jimmy Hart gets a cheap shot in so Orndorff gives chase but gets pearl harboured by Adonis and a megaphone. Adonis goes to work on Orndorff to some big heat from the crowd. He misses an elbow drop but hits a scoop slam for 2. The pace is significantly slower now and Adonis hits a suplex. Adonis goes up top but eats knees on his way down allowing Orndorff to tie Adonis in the ropes. Orndorff gets a few shots in on Jimmy Hart before hitting a dropkick on Adonis and defrocking him. Orndorff wont let Adonis away from the ropes and the ref tries to break it up. Orndorff shoves the ref on his arse like a heel meaning Adonis wins by DQ and Orndorff complains. The crowd still love Orndorff though and love it when he goes after the heels with a chair. So Orndorff's aggression continues to be highlighted as we go on but neither the crowd nor Vince admonish him for it. I would've liked to have seen Orndorff get a clean win here as despite these tweaks in his character, he hasn't had a big in ring win in a while, especially after that crappy Wrestlemania finish against Muraco. Adonis was fine here but recently I've expected more from him and been left disappointed. Match was fine when it was at a fast pace but seemed sluggish in places and as mentioned, the ending felt like a copout. Match Rating: *1/2
We get another interview with Mean Gene and Hulk Hogan talking about his feud with Bundy. Nothing interesting here and leaves no clue to Hogan's next feud.
Into the back again with Mean Gene who is with Ricky Steamboat. He's going against Jake Roberts tonight and he cuts a great promo here promising to put an end to Jake putting the snake on people.
That promo is nothing compared to the next with the Snake himself. He compares himself to the snake and the secrets snakes hold but is so articulate in asking him to squeeze Steamboat's juices, it's terrifying.
Ricky Steamboat vs Jake Roberts
Dragon waves at the crowd on the apron but Jake blindsides him and clotheslines him outside. Jake follows outside and DDT's Dragon on the concrete! Holy shit, his head literally BOUNCED off the concrete. Jake rolls a completely KO'd Steamboat back in the ring and drapes the snake on him. Welcome to relevancy Jake, that was just plain brutal. The lockerroom empties to get Jake to the back and Steamboat gets the medical help needed. Camera shows a wooden looking Mrs Steamboat in the crowd as Heenan has a bit of a chuckle. Great angle and I'm so excited to see these two go at it and the promo's that follow. Match Rating: DUD
Into the back with Mean Gene who's with the British Bulldogs and Captain Lou. Lou says they're the best team in the world and the Bulldogs thank him before we look at their title winning match at Wrestlemania. I loved that match so if you havn't seen it, go do it...after you've read this!
The Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff vs The British Bulldogs (Tag Team Champs) [2/3 Falls Tag Title Match]
We get an interview in the back with the Funk Brothers and Jimmy Hart. Mean Gene interrupts them throwing around a mega-phone before showing us highlights of their match from Mania 2. They have some words for the Haiti Kid who's going to be with the faces. Jimmy Hart introduces Jimmy Jack Funk as a way to keep Haiti Kid under control. As far as introductions to new wrestlers go, that one was pissing dreadful. Jimmy Jack by the way looks nothing like either Funk and inexplicably has a little mask for just his eyes.
We get another interview now with Hulk Hogan, Junkyard Dog and Haiti Kid. Haiti Kid sounds drunk but essentially the faces claim that they're gonna put the Funks in their place. Hogan has to make sure he gives JYD a rub by stealing the mic to give his own approval o JYD's prowess. JYD didn't look too happy.
Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ)/Junkyard Dog vs The Funk Brothers
Ma-hoo-sive pop for the faces before the match starts off with JYD cleaning house with slams. Haiti Kid manages to get to Jimmy Hart but the heels chase him under the ring but he escapes back to the faces. The shenanigans is off the charts on this one! The pace slows down significantly and Terry and JYD get the match off to a proper start with JYD again getting the upperhand, sending Terry to the outside to regroup. Terry goes after Haiti but the faces come to the rescue. JYD dargs Terry inside and hits a clothesline before Dory tags himself in. Massive pop when Hogan tags in and they lock up. It all leads to the criss-cross spot and Hogan gets to clean house and get a 2 count on Dory. JYD back in and he gets a clothesline on Dory but only for 1. Terry back in and both Funks double team him while Hogan tries and fails to break it up. JYD fights back but Dory tags back in. JYD avoids a charge and tags in Hogan who again cleans house and the heels have to regroup. Jimmy Hart cracks Haiti with a cane but gives it legs when Hogan gives chase. Haiti Kid is completely laid out so JYD carries him to the back like a sack of spuds. Hogan fends off both Funks while alone, even sending Terry onto the announcers table before JYD returns. Dory and Hogan lock up and Dory eats a suplex for 2. Terry and JYD both come in to get their shots in but Hogan ends up on the outside allowing Terry to crack him with a branding iron behind the refs back. Terry and Hart attack on the outside and throw Hogan into the crowd. JYD follows to the outside and slams Terry on the concrete before Hogan adds a big back body drop. Back in the ring Hogan works over Dory and the Haiti Kid has reappeared! JYD tags in but Dory manages to get some tough punches in. Terry tags in but its not long before both men suffer the dreaded double KO spot. JYD gets the hot tag to Hogan after Terry stupidly tries a top rope spot and Hogan of course, cleans house. He hits the leg drop on Terry and that gets the 3 count! The Funks waste no time in attacking after the count and they get a few shots in on the Haiti Kid. They go to brand the midget but Hogan makes the save. The faces clean house while the heels disperse to the back. As they run away, Jimmy Jack Funk appears to help out far too late and thus has acheived the WORST debut on this blog so far. Seriously, what was the point of introducing him on this episode? I really liked this match, lots of action and a really fun brawl. The Funks were awesome with their heelish ways and the crowd were solidly behind the faces. Haiti Kid did nothing but be a hinderence to the faces so why they thought bringing him out was a good idea, I'll never know. Match Rating: **3/4
King Kong Bundy vs Uncle Elmer
Before the match we see clips of both men getting weighed. Heenan rips the living shit out of Elmer and Elmer just could not respond. Seriously, he just stared like a gormless slap of pavement. The things I do for my Turnbucklers, because this match is not pretty. This is simply just two fat men using their fat to try and knock each other down. Eventually Elmer ends up eating an elbow drop and Bundy gets the win. The less we say about that, the better. The Elmer experiment has failed Vince, so here's hoping we start to see a lot less. Bundy has gone from main eventing Wrestlemania to wrestling this guy in less than a month. Match Rating: -*
Paul Orndorff vs Adrian Adonis
Before the match starts, we see clips of Mean Gene getting a quick interview with Orndorff...in a sauna? Despite the homosexual undertones of these two sweaty men coo over each other, they make fun of (and I quote) Adrian Adonis for being 'light in his loafers.' The match starts on fire with Orndorff going crazy on Adonis and Adonis just cannot get any offense in. Adonis is wearing the most 80's dress I've ever seen by the way. After regrouping on the outside, Adonis gets back into the ring but ends up in a very comical abdominal stretch. If Orndorff is worried about Adonis' light loafers, then that abdominal stretch didn't look like what I assume he wanted it to look like. Orndorff misses a charge and Adonis can finally get some shots in. Adonis misses a charge and Orndorff sends him flying outside before having Jimmy Hart thrown on top of him. The crowd love that and Orndorff is getting Hogan-esque pops! Back in the ring, Orndorff gets an airplane spin in before heading outside and sending Adonis into the ringpost. Jimmy Hart gets a cheap shot in so Orndorff gives chase but gets pearl harboured by Adonis and a megaphone. Adonis goes to work on Orndorff to some big heat from the crowd. He misses an elbow drop but hits a scoop slam for 2. The pace is significantly slower now and Adonis hits a suplex. Adonis goes up top but eats knees on his way down allowing Orndorff to tie Adonis in the ropes. Orndorff gets a few shots in on Jimmy Hart before hitting a dropkick on Adonis and defrocking him. Orndorff wont let Adonis away from the ropes and the ref tries to break it up. Orndorff shoves the ref on his arse like a heel meaning Adonis wins by DQ and Orndorff complains. The crowd still love Orndorff though and love it when he goes after the heels with a chair. So Orndorff's aggression continues to be highlighted as we go on but neither the crowd nor Vince admonish him for it. I would've liked to have seen Orndorff get a clean win here as despite these tweaks in his character, he hasn't had a big in ring win in a while, especially after that crappy Wrestlemania finish against Muraco. Adonis was fine here but recently I've expected more from him and been left disappointed. Match was fine when it was at a fast pace but seemed sluggish in places and as mentioned, the ending felt like a copout. Match Rating: *1/2
We get another interview with Mean Gene and Hulk Hogan talking about his feud with Bundy. Nothing interesting here and leaves no clue to Hogan's next feud.
Into the back again with Mean Gene who is with Ricky Steamboat. He's going against Jake Roberts tonight and he cuts a great promo here promising to put an end to Jake putting the snake on people.
That promo is nothing compared to the next with the Snake himself. He compares himself to the snake and the secrets snakes hold but is so articulate in asking him to squeeze Steamboat's juices, it's terrifying.
Ricky Steamboat vs Jake Roberts
Dragon waves at the crowd on the apron but Jake blindsides him and clotheslines him outside. Jake follows outside and DDT's Dragon on the concrete! Holy shit, his head literally BOUNCED off the concrete. Jake rolls a completely KO'd Steamboat back in the ring and drapes the snake on him. Welcome to relevancy Jake, that was just plain brutal. The lockerroom empties to get Jake to the back and Steamboat gets the medical help needed. Camera shows a wooden looking Mrs Steamboat in the crowd as Heenan has a bit of a chuckle. Great angle and I'm so excited to see these two go at it and the promo's that follow. Match Rating: DUD
Into the back with Mean Gene who's with the British Bulldogs and Captain Lou. Lou says they're the best team in the world and the Bulldogs thank him before we look at their title winning match at Wrestlemania. I loved that match so if you havn't seen it, go do it...after you've read this!
The Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff vs The British Bulldogs (Tag Team Champs) [2/3 Falls Tag Title Match]
Before the match even starts, Vince tells us to expect Steamboat to be back in action in about a weeks time. Talk about killing off an angle instantly. Big pop for the new champs which makes me happy, heck, they even start barking for the champs. Davey and Nikolai start off and Davey gets a quick 2 count. Davey with some shoulder tackles but Nikolai catches him and slings him into the top rope. Sheik comes in, hits a nice suplex, locks on the camel clutch and that gets them the first fall! The crowd think the titles have already been won and so aren't happy. Nikolai and Davey restart with Nikolai firmly in control. Sheik tags in and hits a big back body drop and spits on Davey. He follows that with a big clothesline and an abdominal stretch but Davey escapes with a hip toss. Unfortunately he can't follow up and misses an elbow drop as Nikolai tags back in and hits a big clothesline. The commentary team point out Dynamite hasn't done a thing and wonder whether he's injured. After that bump he took at Mania, it wouldn't shock me. Davey gets a roll up but ref gets distracted allowing the heels to keep control. Another nice suplex by Sheik but that only gets a 2. Davey catches a big boot and hits a big clothesline and powerslam for 2. Nikolai in and he hits a cool rolling pin move for 2. Davey hits an elbow to the face but can't tag out. The heels double team Davey and even Blassie gets a cheap shot in. Volkoff with a big slam but Davey gets his foot on the ropes. Volkoff thinks he's won but Davey rolls him up for the 3 count and the second fall! Nikolai and Davey restart and Nikolai takes control as Vince confirms Dynamite is injured. Sheik tags in and hits a boot to the face before locking in a boston crab! Davey makes it to the ropes but Nikolai tags in and hits the safest backbreaker I've ever seen. before giving him...a wedgie? He locks in a bearhug but Davey fights out. Sheik tags in but can only eat a powerslam and Davey finally tags in Dynamite. The heels quickly take control over Dynamite but don't work over his supposedly injured leg. Another nice suplex by the Sheik before he locks in the camel clutch. Davey breaks it up and rolls up Sheik for the 3 despite being the illegal man...but it counts and the Bulldogs keep their title! This is a weird, weird match. The first fall was so quick but the second fall wasn't despite the heels have so much control. The story was there as well on Dynamite's injured leg but there was no offense directed on it. The finish itself was frustrating as despite the flaws, the match was solid and entertaining. The fact that Davey got the win illegally bugs me because the Bulldogs should know better than to botch that. Hopefully Dynamite is back to his best next time we see these two. Sheik and Volkoff by the way were solid although Sheik needs to add to his moveset because the same suplex repeatedly isn't good enough. Match Rating: **
Head to toe, that was probably the best SNME we've reviewed so far and that's even with the Bundy/Elmer match taken into account. The two tag matches were good and the Orndorff/Adonis match was OK although the main thing is the Jake/Dragon angle...that was awesome! It's a shame Vince took away from it by immediately saying Steamboat will be back in a week. Let's take a look at the scores shall we...
Wrestler Scores:
- Terry Funk +6 (59)
- Dory Funk +6 (31)
- Hulk Hogan +6 (110)
- Junkyard Dog +6 (78)
- King Kong Bundy +1 (52)
- Uncle Elmer +1 (15)
- Paul Orndorff +6 (70)
- Adrian Adonis +3 (59)
- Ricky Steamboat +3 (86)
- Jake Roberts +7 (28)
- Iron Sheik +5 (54)
- Nikolai Volkoff +5 (52)
- Davey Boy Smith +6 (60)
- Dynamite Kid +2 (60)
So Jake scores highest in this edition but seriously, he looked like a complete villain on this episode. Everyone in the tag matches did well except Dynamite because obviously he did almost nothing. He still gets two points because the guy did get involved even with an injury. Bundy and Elmer score almost nothing but they turned up so I guess a point each. So now the top 10 looks like this...
- Hulk Hogan - 110 Points
- Tito Santana - 88 Points
- Ricky Steamboat - 86 Points
- Junkyard Dog - 78 Points
- Randy Savage - 78 Points
- Roddy Piper - 76 Points
- Greg Valentine - 73 Points
- Paul Orndorff - 70 Points
- Davey Boy Smith - 60 Points
- Dynamite Kid - 60 Points
Piper slips down another place as another non-appearance comes and goes on his part. Adrian Adonis has been replaced by Davey Boy Smith at the bottom but Terry Funk, Adonis, Bob Orton and the Iron Sheik are all there right behind him, just missing out on the top 10.
Next edition we'll be looking at one episode of Championship Wrestling and a house show from Canada!
