WWE All Star Search #25 - April 26th
Hello Turnbucklers once again to the All Star Search! It's our 25th edition and what better way to celebrate than a random house show review! Looking at the card, I'm not too excited for this one except for one match...and I'm sure you'll guess when you read below. We also get the Iron Mike Sharpe/Corporal Kirchner rematch that no one's been waiting for! Tito/Orton could be good as we've already seen good things from them in previous cards but there's only one way to find out...let's get on with it!
The Card:
Sivi Afi vs Bret Hart
Tony Atlas vs Hercules
Jim Neidhart vs George Steele
Iron Mike Sharpe vs Corporal Kirchner
Hillbilly Jim vs Adrian Adonis
Tito Santana vs Bob Orton
The Killer Bees vs The Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff
Jake Roberts vs Scott McGhee
Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Randy Savage (IC Champ) [WWE Title Match]
The Show:
It's our first show coming from Detroit's Joe Lewis Arena and our commentators are Jack Reynolds and Ken Resnick. Never heard of either of them but they seem like they know what their talking about.
Sivi Afi vs Bret Hart
This is a nice way to kick things off, a Bret Hart singles match. We've not seen many recently and he's seemed like he's been enjoying work recently so here's hoping Bret shows Afi how it's done. I don't like Afi so far and he's still being pushed as Jimmy Snuka's cousin. Lots of stalling to start by Bret and the crowd don't like it when he bails to the outside. Bret with a headlock and a shoulderblock but gets caught in a drop toe hold by Afi. Bret quickly escapes and locks on a hammerlock but Afi escapes with a flip and a roll up for 2 so Bret bails outside again to regroup. Bret gets in the ring again and this time can get some decent offense in. He hits his signature second rope elbow and then follows with a leg drop for 2 before locking on a chinlock. Afi breaks out but only gets as far as a Bret clothesline and elbow drop for 2 before he is thrown outside while Bret poses in the ring, getting mild boos. Afi comes back in with a sunset flip for 2 but Bret takes control yet again before Afi does the foreigner hard head thing. Afi misses a charge to the corner and Bret gives him a scoop slam but fails in a second rope elbow drop. Afi headbutts him in the nethers and hits a flying forearm and a headbutt for 2. Scoop slam by Afi followed by a second rope splash that gets another 2. Afi with a suplex followed by an elbow drop and the worst senton splash I've ever seen. He hits an anotic drop, a shoulderblock but Bret counters out of nowhere with a backbreaker and that gets the 3! The match definitely picked up towards the end and Afi really wasn't as bad as he normally is. Maybe Bret inspired him up a level...who knows! Good win for the Hitman although we've seen him do better. Match Rating: *3/4
Tony Atlas vs Hercules
Tony Atlas still works for the WWE apparently. The crowd certainly remember him as he gets quite the pop. Hercules hasn't really impressed so far but he's slowly being pushed as another strong lad to keep an eye on. Early goings of the match are boring as sin, as they both try to out power each other with the standard moves. Theirs one awkward moment where Herc has Atlas in a bearhug but Atlas gyrates free. It just looked a bit, uncomfortable. There's a lot of stalling as we continue into the match and both men manage to hit an atomic drop each. That allows Herc to take control briefly but Atlas doesn't let him control for long. Big suplex by Atlas and Herc impressively puts on the torture rack but inexplicably just lets go. Herc goes for the scoop slam but Atlas counters into a roll up and that gets him the surprise 3! Strange booking considering we havn't seen Atlas in ages. I would've expected Herc to get the win back to get some heat back after Wrestlemania. The match itself was as you'd expect, nothing bad but it was boring as sin. Match Rating: 1/2*
Jim Neidhart vs George Steele
I kind of like the idea of these two having a match. Granted, it's not because either of them are amazing in ring but both are classic 80's nostalgia on legs. Steele gets a ridiculous hometown pop which is cool. As you can guess, there's lots of stalling in this one too to start. Neidhart tries to bail from Steele a couple of times but I don't buy Anvil being scared of this weird, old bloke. Eventually when they do get back in the ring, Steele ends up getting his silly self stuck in the ropes via his legs and the crowd loves it when he gets free. Neidhart takes advantage of the whole thing because he's a mean heel but his downfall comes when he heads outside and grabs a chair. He comes inside but the ref stops him, allowing Steele to get the roll up and another surprise win! Neidhart tries to get some cheap shots in afterwards but its all in vain and he scarpers backstage. Top notch shenanigans although it was an awful match. Neidhart could've done with the singles win along with Bret's and that chair spot just made Anvil look like a toolbag. No one likes a thick heel. Match Rating: DUD
Iron Mike Sharpe vs Corporal Kirchner
It seems that these two are doing the rounds lately as we've seen these two a few editions before. I've probably said this a lot but Iron Mike is severely underrated. As you can imagine, this is a carbon copy of their previous match, so go and look that up. What I will say is that this match is missing the hard guardrail spot that was in their last match. Kirchner's dropkicks havn't really improved since we first met him and by now they really should have. Besides, they're just fucking dropkicks, surely they're like the white bread of wrestling. The finish is the exact same with Kirchner getting the win, this time with the samoan drop but the rating on this one will be a now familiar Kirchner score. Match Rating: DUD
Hillbilly Jim vs Adrian Adonis
I'm predicting some more shenanigans in this one, in fact before we even start, Jim gives us his interpretation of what he assumes Adonis acts like. It's not very, masculine. Adonis gets off to a flyer by over selling a shoulder block and tumbling outside before some hick screams 'c'mon faggot!' Back in the ring and Adonis takes control with strikes and chops while Jim awkwardly sells it all to silence from the crowd. Things don't improve as the match drags on and on while Adonis is in control. We an awkward double clothesline spot before Adonis heads up top. Of course it doesn't end well as Jim gets his knees up and manages to lock on a bearhug. Adonis escapes and begins to choke Jim. He pushes the ref repeatedly but gets no DQ but does get the DQ when he chokes Jim with his wrist tape. Adonis headbutts the ref but Jim fights back and even manages a cartwheel before Adonis scarpers. That was horrifically boring, quite possibly the worst Adonis match I've seen so far. Jim got no offense in and the DQ ending was lame. Match Rating: DUD
Tito Santana vs Bob Orton
We saw these two face off against each other in 1984 and they produced one of the better matches of that year. Two years later I'm expecting decent quality although both men are some what in limbo within the WWE landscape. They lock up to start and Tito gets the first shot in with a hip toss. They lock up again and again Tito comes out on top with a hammerlock before Orton escapes with a strong right hand before laying boots into Tito. He comes off the second rope with an elbow drop and continues to work over Tito on the mat, eventually getting a 2. Orton hits a facebuster before taunting the crowd and then follows with a nice dropkick for 2 before locking in the headlock. Tito fights out with punches and Orton misses a charge to the corner meaning Tito can keep up the momentum. Orton flops onto the ropes while Tito continues to wail away with punches. Orton sends Tito outside allowing himself to regroup before following him to the outside. He hits a big backbreaker on the outside but Tito reverses the next attempt to send Orton flying into the crowd at ringside. Both men get back in the ring and Tito is in control again with a facebuster of his own. Tito goes for the figure 4 but Orton counters. He goes for a suplex but Tito counters into one of his own but that only gets a 2. Orton hits an atomic drop but he looks dead on his feet. Both men trade punches but Orton comes out on top with a rope assisted super punch. He goes up top again but again Tito counters on the way down. Tito goes to work on Orton and gets a 2 count. Orton counters again, hits a crossbody but Tito rolls through and gets the 3 count himself! Good match with a good pace! Tito can still play himself to a tee and Orton is such an underrated heel. Ending was perfectly fine and both men look good coming out of this one. Match Rating: **1/2
The Killer Bees vs The Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff
This is our first tag team match on this card and it feels like a long time since we've seen Sheik and Nik. The Bee's, although solid, have started to stale in my opinion as they're yet to do anything of note except...be there. The crowd seem more up for this match than any of the previous matches we've seen as the Bees get a big pop and the heels get booed back to the east. Jumpin Jim has his arm in a cast because he broke his hand apparently. Oodles of stalling to start from the heels as they try and successfully antagonise the crowd. Blair and Sheik manage to lock up in the midst of all that stalling and the Bees take control. Brunzell hits an atomic drop sending Sheik into a punch from Blair on the apron. Brunzell finds himself in the heel corner not long after but the heel miscommunicate and allowing Blair to come in and lock on a headlock. More tags lead to some Bees double teaming before Brunzell starts to work over Sheik's leg. In comes Blair meaning more double teaming on the leg can happen. Nikolai distracts the ref during a Bees pin but Brunzell locks on a figure 4 to the Sheik. Volkoff breaks it up and the heels can now go to work on Brunzell. Volkoff tags in but finds himself being pinned. Unfortunately Sheik is distracting the ref again so no count is given. Nikolai takes back advantage and he and Sheik get their own double teaming in. Nikolai locks on a bearhug as the camera pans to some uber-patriotic American in the crowd, crying while waving his flag at the heels. Blair comes in off the hot tag and he takes out the heels. He hits an atomic drop on Volkoff but that only gets 1. Cheap shot by Sheik leads Volkoff getting a 2 count and the heels work over Blair's back. Sheik back in and he hits a clothesline but taunts instead of covers. Big back body drop by Sheik followed by a nice side suplex. He goes for the camel clutch and then an abdominal stretch. Blair escapes and hits a weak elbow drop followed by a suplex. Both men crawl to their corners and Blair gets the hot tag to Brunzell. He cleans house and goes to work on Sheik including a clothesline for 2. Dropkick by Brunzell gets 2 before all 4 men come in the ring for a brawl. Volkoff gets sent outside allowing the Bees to double team Sheik. Brunzell puts him in a sleeper but the ref gets distracted allowing Volkoff to nail Brunzell from behind giving Sheik the 3 count. Solid but unspectacular once again from a Bees match. Good to see the heels get the win as it keeps them looking somewhat strong. The Bees continue to be tag team filler but at least that filler is watchable. Match Rating: *3/4
Jake Roberts vs Scott McGhee
Time for some Jake the Snake now as he takes on his latest jobber. We've seen Jake be very generous in allowing his jobber opponents to get a lot of offense in so lets see if this will be more of the same. They lock up a couple of times with McGhee getting the upperhand with hip tosses. Roberts with a smooth one handed scoop slam and he goes to work on McGhee. McGhee gets a scoop slam of his own and another before Jake slithers outside to regroup. Back in the ring McGhee gets an armbar in as Jake makes a grab for his bag unsuccessfully. Jake misses a clothesline and McGhee hits a crossbody for 2 before they lock up again. Jake takes control in the corner with elbows and hits a strong right hand to send McGhee down. Nice gutbuster by Jake and that's followed by an atomic drop. Jake locks on a headlock and works his way towards the snake but the ref stops him. McGhee tries to fight out but Jake keeps up the offense. He whips McGhee into the corner but McGhee manages to hit a clothesline and slam to silence. He goes up top for a knee drop but that only gets a 2 count. Jake fights back with a cheap shot and hits the DDT out of nowhere to wake the crowd up...in time to see Jake get the 3 count. Jake goes to the bag and out comes Damien to crawl around on McGhee as the crowd squeals. McGhee gets up bleeding from the face so perhaps he even got bitten on the face! Better match than the previous Jake affairs but the crowd was just dead. Jake at least got in more offense than his previous matches and there was a good balance to this. Match Rating: *
Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Randy Savage (IC Champ) [WWE Title Match]
Well, well, well. Considering this has been a somewhat lacking card so far, this is truly a blockbuster of a main event. This is our first meeting of the two on the blog and I'm excited to see their chemistry a few years before the whole Mega Powers dealio. Big pop for a musicless Hogan and a decent reaction for Savage too. Macho pearl harbours Hogan to start and attacks with the IC belt...to no DQ! Rules people, forget inconvenience! Macho comes off the top with an ax handle while Hogan is reeling and once again a few seconds later....all while wearing his glasses. Hogan eventually stops selling and goes to work on Macho with right hands. Hogan puts the glasses on himself and continues with the right hands before sending Macho flying to the outside. Hogan picks up Savage and levels him into the ringpost before sending him back into the ring. Hogan hits a choke bomb and the crowd eat it all up after being dead for most the night. Hogan blows a kiss to an awkward looking Liz but Macho sends Hogan to the outside. Macho pearl harbours him again on the outside and hits a big boot to the face. Hogan chant breaks out but Macho is still being relentless, not allowing Hogan into the ring but still breaking the countout. Back in the ring Hogan reverses Macho in the corner and overpowers him. Macho begs for his life but Hogan has none of it, levelling Macho with punches instead. Macho whipped into the corner and Hogan follows with a clothesline and an atomic drop that sends Macho flying over the top rope to the outside. Liz tries to help Macho but Macho users her as a shield instead...to no heat, which is strange. Macho starts stalling because, that's his thing annoyingly and the crowd start to die again. Back in the ring, both men play mind games with each other but I still see it as stalling. Hogan tells Liz to stay out the match but Macho pearl harbours Hogan again. He hits a top rope ax handle to the outside onto Hogan followed by another before ramming him into the fan barrier. Crowd start to wake up again with a Hogan chant but Macho hits another ax handle to the outside. Back in the ring Savage gets a 2 count before hitting a clothesline for another 2. Savage thinks he's won but no, he hasn't, so he goes to the top rope for the flying elbow drop but that only gets another 2 as the crowd light up. Hogan 'hulks up' and starts to no sell Macho. He rallies through the typical Hogan offense and sends Macho outside. Liz begs for mercy but Hogan picks her up and puts her out of the way. Back in the ring Macho gets another cheap shot and heads back up top. Hogan counters on the way down with a boot to the face and that gets the 3! Macho breaks up the celebration by nailing the ref and then pearl harbouring Hogan. Macho poses with the WWE Title afterwards to some mild heat before Hogan chases him down and retrieves the belt. Best Hogan match we've seen on the blog so far and I'm pretty sure the longest and most balanced. Savage looked good in this although the pace was not what I'd normally expect from Savage. That's almost certainly due to the fact he was against Hogan but Hogan was fine in this. I liked the interactions with Liz throughout but I just wish the crowd were not such duds otherwise this could've been a well fueled early classic. Match Rating: **
Tony Atlas vs Hercules
Tony Atlas still works for the WWE apparently. The crowd certainly remember him as he gets quite the pop. Hercules hasn't really impressed so far but he's slowly being pushed as another strong lad to keep an eye on. Early goings of the match are boring as sin, as they both try to out power each other with the standard moves. Theirs one awkward moment where Herc has Atlas in a bearhug but Atlas gyrates free. It just looked a bit, uncomfortable. There's a lot of stalling as we continue into the match and both men manage to hit an atomic drop each. That allows Herc to take control briefly but Atlas doesn't let him control for long. Big suplex by Atlas and Herc impressively puts on the torture rack but inexplicably just lets go. Herc goes for the scoop slam but Atlas counters into a roll up and that gets him the surprise 3! Strange booking considering we havn't seen Atlas in ages. I would've expected Herc to get the win back to get some heat back after Wrestlemania. The match itself was as you'd expect, nothing bad but it was boring as sin. Match Rating: 1/2*
Jim Neidhart vs George Steele
I kind of like the idea of these two having a match. Granted, it's not because either of them are amazing in ring but both are classic 80's nostalgia on legs. Steele gets a ridiculous hometown pop which is cool. As you can guess, there's lots of stalling in this one too to start. Neidhart tries to bail from Steele a couple of times but I don't buy Anvil being scared of this weird, old bloke. Eventually when they do get back in the ring, Steele ends up getting his silly self stuck in the ropes via his legs and the crowd loves it when he gets free. Neidhart takes advantage of the whole thing because he's a mean heel but his downfall comes when he heads outside and grabs a chair. He comes inside but the ref stops him, allowing Steele to get the roll up and another surprise win! Neidhart tries to get some cheap shots in afterwards but its all in vain and he scarpers backstage. Top notch shenanigans although it was an awful match. Neidhart could've done with the singles win along with Bret's and that chair spot just made Anvil look like a toolbag. No one likes a thick heel. Match Rating: DUD
Iron Mike Sharpe vs Corporal Kirchner
It seems that these two are doing the rounds lately as we've seen these two a few editions before. I've probably said this a lot but Iron Mike is severely underrated. As you can imagine, this is a carbon copy of their previous match, so go and look that up. What I will say is that this match is missing the hard guardrail spot that was in their last match. Kirchner's dropkicks havn't really improved since we first met him and by now they really should have. Besides, they're just fucking dropkicks, surely they're like the white bread of wrestling. The finish is the exact same with Kirchner getting the win, this time with the samoan drop but the rating on this one will be a now familiar Kirchner score. Match Rating: DUD
Hillbilly Jim vs Adrian Adonis
I'm predicting some more shenanigans in this one, in fact before we even start, Jim gives us his interpretation of what he assumes Adonis acts like. It's not very, masculine. Adonis gets off to a flyer by over selling a shoulder block and tumbling outside before some hick screams 'c'mon faggot!' Back in the ring and Adonis takes control with strikes and chops while Jim awkwardly sells it all to silence from the crowd. Things don't improve as the match drags on and on while Adonis is in control. We an awkward double clothesline spot before Adonis heads up top. Of course it doesn't end well as Jim gets his knees up and manages to lock on a bearhug. Adonis escapes and begins to choke Jim. He pushes the ref repeatedly but gets no DQ but does get the DQ when he chokes Jim with his wrist tape. Adonis headbutts the ref but Jim fights back and even manages a cartwheel before Adonis scarpers. That was horrifically boring, quite possibly the worst Adonis match I've seen so far. Jim got no offense in and the DQ ending was lame. Match Rating: DUD
Tito Santana vs Bob Orton
We saw these two face off against each other in 1984 and they produced one of the better matches of that year. Two years later I'm expecting decent quality although both men are some what in limbo within the WWE landscape. They lock up to start and Tito gets the first shot in with a hip toss. They lock up again and again Tito comes out on top with a hammerlock before Orton escapes with a strong right hand before laying boots into Tito. He comes off the second rope with an elbow drop and continues to work over Tito on the mat, eventually getting a 2. Orton hits a facebuster before taunting the crowd and then follows with a nice dropkick for 2 before locking in the headlock. Tito fights out with punches and Orton misses a charge to the corner meaning Tito can keep up the momentum. Orton flops onto the ropes while Tito continues to wail away with punches. Orton sends Tito outside allowing himself to regroup before following him to the outside. He hits a big backbreaker on the outside but Tito reverses the next attempt to send Orton flying into the crowd at ringside. Both men get back in the ring and Tito is in control again with a facebuster of his own. Tito goes for the figure 4 but Orton counters. He goes for a suplex but Tito counters into one of his own but that only gets a 2. Orton hits an atomic drop but he looks dead on his feet. Both men trade punches but Orton comes out on top with a rope assisted super punch. He goes up top again but again Tito counters on the way down. Tito goes to work on Orton and gets a 2 count. Orton counters again, hits a crossbody but Tito rolls through and gets the 3 count himself! Good match with a good pace! Tito can still play himself to a tee and Orton is such an underrated heel. Ending was perfectly fine and both men look good coming out of this one. Match Rating: **1/2
The Killer Bees vs The Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff
This is our first tag team match on this card and it feels like a long time since we've seen Sheik and Nik. The Bee's, although solid, have started to stale in my opinion as they're yet to do anything of note except...be there. The crowd seem more up for this match than any of the previous matches we've seen as the Bees get a big pop and the heels get booed back to the east. Jumpin Jim has his arm in a cast because he broke his hand apparently. Oodles of stalling to start from the heels as they try and successfully antagonise the crowd. Blair and Sheik manage to lock up in the midst of all that stalling and the Bees take control. Brunzell hits an atomic drop sending Sheik into a punch from Blair on the apron. Brunzell finds himself in the heel corner not long after but the heel miscommunicate and allowing Blair to come in and lock on a headlock. More tags lead to some Bees double teaming before Brunzell starts to work over Sheik's leg. In comes Blair meaning more double teaming on the leg can happen. Nikolai distracts the ref during a Bees pin but Brunzell locks on a figure 4 to the Sheik. Volkoff breaks it up and the heels can now go to work on Brunzell. Volkoff tags in but finds himself being pinned. Unfortunately Sheik is distracting the ref again so no count is given. Nikolai takes back advantage and he and Sheik get their own double teaming in. Nikolai locks on a bearhug as the camera pans to some uber-patriotic American in the crowd, crying while waving his flag at the heels. Blair comes in off the hot tag and he takes out the heels. He hits an atomic drop on Volkoff but that only gets 1. Cheap shot by Sheik leads Volkoff getting a 2 count and the heels work over Blair's back. Sheik back in and he hits a clothesline but taunts instead of covers. Big back body drop by Sheik followed by a nice side suplex. He goes for the camel clutch and then an abdominal stretch. Blair escapes and hits a weak elbow drop followed by a suplex. Both men crawl to their corners and Blair gets the hot tag to Brunzell. He cleans house and goes to work on Sheik including a clothesline for 2. Dropkick by Brunzell gets 2 before all 4 men come in the ring for a brawl. Volkoff gets sent outside allowing the Bees to double team Sheik. Brunzell puts him in a sleeper but the ref gets distracted allowing Volkoff to nail Brunzell from behind giving Sheik the 3 count. Solid but unspectacular once again from a Bees match. Good to see the heels get the win as it keeps them looking somewhat strong. The Bees continue to be tag team filler but at least that filler is watchable. Match Rating: *3/4
Jake Roberts vs Scott McGhee
Time for some Jake the Snake now as he takes on his latest jobber. We've seen Jake be very generous in allowing his jobber opponents to get a lot of offense in so lets see if this will be more of the same. They lock up a couple of times with McGhee getting the upperhand with hip tosses. Roberts with a smooth one handed scoop slam and he goes to work on McGhee. McGhee gets a scoop slam of his own and another before Jake slithers outside to regroup. Back in the ring McGhee gets an armbar in as Jake makes a grab for his bag unsuccessfully. Jake misses a clothesline and McGhee hits a crossbody for 2 before they lock up again. Jake takes control in the corner with elbows and hits a strong right hand to send McGhee down. Nice gutbuster by Jake and that's followed by an atomic drop. Jake locks on a headlock and works his way towards the snake but the ref stops him. McGhee tries to fight out but Jake keeps up the offense. He whips McGhee into the corner but McGhee manages to hit a clothesline and slam to silence. He goes up top for a knee drop but that only gets a 2 count. Jake fights back with a cheap shot and hits the DDT out of nowhere to wake the crowd up...in time to see Jake get the 3 count. Jake goes to the bag and out comes Damien to crawl around on McGhee as the crowd squeals. McGhee gets up bleeding from the face so perhaps he even got bitten on the face! Better match than the previous Jake affairs but the crowd was just dead. Jake at least got in more offense than his previous matches and there was a good balance to this. Match Rating: *
Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs Randy Savage (IC Champ) [WWE Title Match]
Well, well, well. Considering this has been a somewhat lacking card so far, this is truly a blockbuster of a main event. This is our first meeting of the two on the blog and I'm excited to see their chemistry a few years before the whole Mega Powers dealio. Big pop for a musicless Hogan and a decent reaction for Savage too. Macho pearl harbours Hogan to start and attacks with the IC belt...to no DQ! Rules people, forget inconvenience! Macho comes off the top with an ax handle while Hogan is reeling and once again a few seconds later....all while wearing his glasses. Hogan eventually stops selling and goes to work on Macho with right hands. Hogan puts the glasses on himself and continues with the right hands before sending Macho flying to the outside. Hogan picks up Savage and levels him into the ringpost before sending him back into the ring. Hogan hits a choke bomb and the crowd eat it all up after being dead for most the night. Hogan blows a kiss to an awkward looking Liz but Macho sends Hogan to the outside. Macho pearl harbours him again on the outside and hits a big boot to the face. Hogan chant breaks out but Macho is still being relentless, not allowing Hogan into the ring but still breaking the countout. Back in the ring Hogan reverses Macho in the corner and overpowers him. Macho begs for his life but Hogan has none of it, levelling Macho with punches instead. Macho whipped into the corner and Hogan follows with a clothesline and an atomic drop that sends Macho flying over the top rope to the outside. Liz tries to help Macho but Macho users her as a shield instead...to no heat, which is strange. Macho starts stalling because, that's his thing annoyingly and the crowd start to die again. Back in the ring, both men play mind games with each other but I still see it as stalling. Hogan tells Liz to stay out the match but Macho pearl harbours Hogan again. He hits a top rope ax handle to the outside onto Hogan followed by another before ramming him into the fan barrier. Crowd start to wake up again with a Hogan chant but Macho hits another ax handle to the outside. Back in the ring Savage gets a 2 count before hitting a clothesline for another 2. Savage thinks he's won but no, he hasn't, so he goes to the top rope for the flying elbow drop but that only gets another 2 as the crowd light up. Hogan 'hulks up' and starts to no sell Macho. He rallies through the typical Hogan offense and sends Macho outside. Liz begs for mercy but Hogan picks her up and puts her out of the way. Back in the ring Macho gets another cheap shot and heads back up top. Hogan counters on the way down with a boot to the face and that gets the 3! Macho breaks up the celebration by nailing the ref and then pearl harbouring Hogan. Macho poses with the WWE Title afterwards to some mild heat before Hogan chases him down and retrieves the belt. Best Hogan match we've seen on the blog so far and I'm pretty sure the longest and most balanced. Savage looked good in this although the pace was not what I'd normally expect from Savage. That's almost certainly due to the fact he was against Hogan but Hogan was fine in this. I liked the interactions with Liz throughout but I just wish the crowd were not such duds otherwise this could've been a well fueled early classic. Match Rating: **
Wrestler Scores:
- Sivi Afi +4 (9)
- Bret Hart +4 (55)
- Tony Atlas +3 (12)
- Hercules +2 (18)
- George Steele +2 (29)
- Jim Neidhart +2 (47)
- Corporal Kirchner +2 (39)
- Iron Mike Sharpe +2 (16)
- Adrian Adonis +2 (56)
- Hillbilly Jim +2 (20)
- Bob Orton +6 (53)
- Tito Santana +6 (88)
- B Brian Blair +5 (38)
- Jim Brunzell +5 (30)
- Iron Sheik +5 (49)
- Nikolai Volkoff +4 (47)
- Jake Roberts +5 (21)
- Scott McGhee +4 (10)
- Hulk Hogan +6 (104)
- Randy Savage +6 (78)
As you can see, the points are pretty self explanatory in this edition. No spectacular matches means no spectacular points haul. There's a clear divide half way through the card between a poor haul and a decent haul and no show in my opinion should have such a clear rift in quality between halves. Let's see how the top 10 are looking...
- Hulk Hogan - 104 Points
- Tito Santana - 88 Points
- Ricky Steamboat - 83 Points
- Randy Savage - 78 Points
- Roddy Piper - 76 Points
- Greg Valentine - 73 Points
- Junkyard Dog - 72 Points
- Paul Orndorff - 64 Points
- Dynamite Kid - 58 Points
- Adrian Adonis - 56 Points
It's insane to think how much Piper is falling through the top 10. Only a few editions ago he was the firm second placed wrestler but now it's a complete free for all to be Hogan's back up. Its still a free for all at the bottom of the top 10 too with many wrestlers still on the cusp of reaching the top 10 and knocking a few of these names off. Next edition will be Saturday Nights Main Event 6 and will see a change in style in how I write these reviews. Time is of the essence so the more I work out the most convenient way of writing without affecting the quality, the better for all! Hopefully I shall see you next time Turnbucklers!
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