Superstar Sleeze

You know who you are, thanks for the hookup! WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat - Toronto 7/27/86 There is something about these two and Toronto that just creates magic. You take two of the best wrestlers of all time and then add all the fixins' you get one helluva match. I could watch Savage and Steamboat run around the ring and have Savage end up in an armdrag everytime and never get tired of it. These two work with such energy in AND out of holds. Everything goes back to that armdrag-armbar, but Savage sells so well and outside that hold they come up with some great criss cross routines. I loved Savage's reverse crossbody with Steamboat rolling through for a nearfall. Savage is so selfless everything is about Steamboat looking better than him. Even when it looks like he might get control, Steamboat sends him packing and he has to hide behind Elizabeth. Savage is milking this for all its worth both to let his arm heal and to get under the skin of the Dragon. It is working. The stall tactics work here most effectively because of how well, Steamboat sells them. At first Savage looks like a fool because when he does get back in, Steamboat spits on him and gets under his skin! Two can play at mind games and Steamboat gets back in the driver's seat. It is only when Savage used Steamboat own momentum to send him crashing into the buckles the complexion of the match changed. He rams Steamboat into the railing and then double axehandle off the top for two. He goes again, but Steamboat catches him and then sends the Macho Man flying over the railing. I am loving how heated this has become. The ref is actively trying to get Steamboat to stay in the ring, holding his leg. It looks like this will give Savage the advantage, but Steamboat sends the Macho Man into the post and he taps a gusher. He is bleeding profusely. Steamboat is chopping that cut. When he comes off the top with the overhand karate chop on the cut, everyone in Toronto thought there would be a new champion. Savage in an excellent move pulls the ref in front of him and Steamboat chops him. Then we get all the Steamboat nearfalls with the dramatic slow counts. I am eating this up with a spoon. You can tell how influential Savage is on wrestling not just from character and work, but layout, this would be the normal for the next twenty years. Savage has a foreign object and jabs it in Steamboat's eye. What makes this work so well is Steamboat commitment to selling for the rest of the match (2-3 minutes), taking swings at the ref, blindly back dropping Savage over the rope and then wandering too close and being pulled to the outside. The ending outside brawl is fantastic and Steamboat beats the count for the win! Incredible match! One of the best in the WWF during this timeframe from opening matwork where Steamboat both injures and frustrates Savage. Savage after trying to wrestle straight tries stalling tactics and finally gets his opening. Of course, Steamboat makes a big comeback but they throw in a bladejob, ref bump and a foreign object to put the icing on a delicious cake. Excellent wrestling and excellent theatre. ****1/2

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Terry Funk - Philly 12/7/85 This is pretty surreal that this even exists. Hogan at the peak of his powers defending against middle aged & crazy, former NWA World Champion and All Japan mainstay, Terry Fuckin Funk in Philadelphia of all places. It is just wild. It speaks to Terry's career at just being everywhere. You can say that Jimmy Hart was the most successful manager in WWF of the 80s guiding Greg Valentine, The Hart Foundation & Honky Tonk Man to title reigns where Heenan had to wait until 1989 before his first. However, Hart never really got a crack at Hogan and this was probably his best chance at the championship. Just perfect blend of comedy and insanity from Funk and Hogan just goes a long for the ride. Funk attacks Mel Phillips, a cameraman and almost comes to blows with Gorilla. Hogan elbow drops Funk's cowboy hat, catches a chair from Funk who threw one in the ring and ends up branded when all is said and done. Funk Is flying over ropes, falling on his ass and gets stepped on by Hogan repeatedly during one of the funniest criss crosses you will ever see. When it comes time to get heat, Funk gets heat. Ties Hogan up in the ropes, attack on the outside, uses the tape to choke. Nice piledriver gets two. It is the sleeper that climaxes the heat segment. Hogan rams him into the buckle. It is a non-traditional Hulk Up because Funk is always squirming, but Hogan big boots him to the outside. Funk catches the ropes as he is suplexed in and falls on top of Hogan for two. The Mouth of the South wants to get the boot into the ring, but Hogan gets it and wipes out Terry Funk for the three. Funk is pissed and attacks Hogan and brands him. Hogan is red hot now and gets a chair to run them off. I don't think they ran any follow up in Philly, which is weird. I wish Hogan would just let loose in some of these brawls. You can see from Harley Race matches especially and the Kamala matches, the mutahfucka can brawl. This match with Funk could have been a corker if he just let loose. Still a lot of fun especially watching Funk make an ass of himself and a good finish. ***1/2

Tito Santana vs Harley Race - Boston 10/4/86 I knew I had seen this before because I still remember Harley Race taking that bump down the steps at the Boston Garden. It has been four years but still that's a damn great bump, brutha. Tito has entered mid-card purgatory after finish up with the Macho Man in the summer of 86. Going around the horn with midcard acts like Cowboy Bob Orton, Harley, tagging with Pedro and a long program with Butch Reed. He would be rejuvenated in the summer of 87 with the formation of Strike Force. In the meantime, he did have a great match with Ron Bass of all people and hell pulled out the only good match of Butch Reed's WWF career. This match was pretty damn good in its own right. It featured Tito doing what he does best throwing hands and selling. Harley bumped well for him early as Tito pounded him. Sounds like they were going to turn Big John Studd face against Bundy before he left later this month. Harley backs him into a corner and works him over with headbutts and knees. Piledriver! Tito mounts a comeback, but Harley jobs a foreign object in the eye. Some really good heel work from Harley between the foreign object and later on a ballshot to cut off Tito. Tito makes another big fisted comeback and he even brings The Brain in the mix with a double noggin knocker. This is when Harley gets the ballshot. The finish is Harley goes for a suplex, but doesn't bridge and Tito gets the shoulder up for the win. It was a good little midcard match that I will forever remember for Harley's nutty bump down the ring steps. ***1/4

Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat - Boston 12/7/85 I gotta say WrestleMania III overshadows a great series of matches (I know hardcores know about Toronto 2/15/87), but I think overall this is an underexplored series even though the main match is so famous. They had amazing chemistry together. I am not going to say this was on par with Savage's selling in the Bret Hart SNME match, but this was damn close. Macho Man takes us to school on how to sell as he does a great job with his arm throughout the match. Just amazing. I loved Macho Man shoving Steamboat at the bell, putting Liz in front of him, Steamboat backs off and he jumps him. It is such a great dick move. Steamboat overwhelms him and throws him shoulder first into the post. It is just textbook arm work here from Steamboat and the selling from Savage is magnificent. They way they work in and out of the armbars is just great. Savage taking those powders to nurse the injury. Steamboat following him out there. All great stuff. I loved Savage using the skin the cat to attack Steamboat and then nail the double axehandle to the floor. The little things Macho Man does like doing the sneak up and then high knee to Steamboat sending him flying over the railing is just great. Savage uses the arm as a way to give Steamboat life, but The Dragon does a great job selling all these sneak attacks. Savage missing the elbow drop really should have been an opening for some that Dragon breathing fire like we would see against the Nature Boy, but don't quite get to those fever pitch levels. They foreshadow the Savage/Tito title switch finish which would be executed two months later in the Boston Garden as Savage pulls something out of his tights and nails Steamboat with it as he brings back into the ring for the win. All in all, just great classic wrestling with the Savage selling arm showing why he is one of the all-time great sellers. ****

Ricky Steamboat vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts - SNME 10/4/86 Snakepit Match Man, Jake The Snake should only be allowed to wrestle Steamboat. I usually find the Snakeman to be completely devoid of energy and his matches to be plodding borefests, but I have loved these Steamboat matches. It is not just The Dragon either. Roberts actually looks motivated! He is bumping and running! WHAT!?!? The shine is great loved Steamboat ducking Roberts punches and chopping him. Great bumps by Roberts throughout the shine. Just lots of energy. Steamboat is on fire. He looks to end it early with a big splash from the top, but Roberts gets the knees up. Great heat segment ensues not just because Steamboat is the king of selling because Jake is vicious. He gets a gutbuster and is just nasty working the ribs. I would have liked to see some DDT teases, but the work on the ribs was great. Finish is out of nowhere just a crucifix just as the match was really getting good. It was SNME so you knew it be short, but hot damn this was building nicely until abrupt finish. They tease the DDT on the concrete, which is what started this feud on May edition of SNME, but Steamboat gets out and he pulls out his dragon (looked like a small alligator) to scare off Jake & Damien. Thus this was the TV blowoff to their feud. One of the best Jake Roberts performance I have ever seen both in bumping on offense! ***3/4

How do I get my hands on this match?

I'd probably buy that. I have not seen Orton vs Santana from Boston 1986 which is supposed to be good. Orton underwhelmed against Bob Backlund. So yeah, I think is the best Bob Orton match from WWF. Best ever is the match against Terry Funk from Southwest Championship Wrestling, 1983.

WWF Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man vs Ricky Steamboat - MSG 8/22/87 Lumberjack I figured I should watch at least one full-length Honky Tonk Man match in my life (correction: I have seen the Savage SNME match that leads to the MegaPowers forming so I guess this number two). This seems like his most critically acclaimed match and I have to admit this is a pretty damn good way to spend about 15 minutes. Highly entertaining. Honky Tonk feels like an overpushed jobber. Like if they gave Heath Slater the IC or US title and let him run with it. I think Slater is horribly underutilized and would shine. My point is that Slater's value is in bumping and stooging. That's Honky Tonk's value. Tremendous shine. Big smile the whole time. I loved Steamboat skinning the cat so fast the heels couldn't get him. While Honky was desperately trying to find a way out, but kept being held up at the apron and getting throttled. Steamboat giving chase into the lumberjacks were great. The bumping by Honky Tonk in the ring made each Steamboat cover feel huge. The Islanders trip Steamboat so Animal Steele trips Honky Tonk to a huge pop! Love it! Honky blocks a monkey flip and Steamer does a huge sell. Honky does not do much for me on offense. Steamboat really roared back with his comeback. Had some really good strong nearfalls. Jimmy Hart distracts the ref and Steele comes in counts for Steamboat. Raises his hand. Steamboat decks the Mouth of the South. In the fracas, Honky gets the megaphone and knocks out Steamboat to retain. All in all, really fun match especially the beginning when Honky Tonk was a total ham and Steamboat was on fire. The end was good wrestling theatre. ***3/4

Ricky Steamboat vs Rick Rude - MSG 12/26/87 I often forget that Steamboat stuck around after dropping the IC Title to Honky Tonk Man. The result was a feud with Ravishing Rick Rude, which I have never watched before (it is not as critically acclaimed as their '92 WCW feud). Rude is such a great character. He doesn't quite have that swagger when he tells all the New York Sleazebags to piper down while he shows all the ladies what a real, sexy man looks like but it was definitely there. Steamboat did not look pumped here. Very subdued entrance. I am guessing he took a lot of time off for his newborn and doesn't seem invested. Nice opening shine with Steamboat skinning the cat, but hitting Heenan in his bad neck on the way up and then back body dropping Rude out of the ring who takes a big bump onto a chair. Besides that bump, thought Rude did an excellent job selling the arm which Steamboat worked on for like 10 minutes. Steamboat won wrist control out of a test of strength. Really good, straight wrestling here. Is there anyone better at simple criss cross exchanges than the Dragon. Simply electric. I thought Rude did a good job creating movement for Steamboat to work in armdrags. Nice eyepoke and great selling of the arm while throwing bows with his good arm. Steamboat runs him into the buckles, but as he is charging he runs into them too. Second half of the match is Rude working holds. I thought they worked good hope spots then cutoffs before going back into holds. Rude cant flex his left bicep, but he can his right. Love it! Rude misses the seat drop. Steamboat goes for the slam, but his back gives out. Steamboat gets out of bearhug but Rude hooks the ropes to avoid dropkick. Eventually Steamboat gets the famous Electric Chair spot and then Rude goes up top and Steamboat catches him. Classic Steamboat finish run with a ton of nearfalls for both men. Steamboat gets the big chop off the top and the bell rings calling for the time limit. Heenan gets on the mic to say he could beat the Dragon now but it is a trap and Rude blindsides him and smashes the microphones into his head. Steamboat makes a comeback and throws him out. It was clear they were working a WWF time limit draw with all holds, but it was such a textbook match. I just enjoyed the selling and the beauty of the exchanges. It was simple, lo-fi, but effective. ***1/2

Randy Savage & Bob Orton vs Tito Santana & Paul Orndorff - Championship Wrestling 5/3/86 The finish is very surprising here so I wont spoil it. Savage is great on the apron, stalling and waiting for Orton to get Santana in a comprising position. Santana is great a the fire. Wonderful & Orton are just two pros. The finish will have you going wild!

WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana vs Randy Savage - SNME 11/2/85 I was expecting a hot sprint to set up the house show loop but this was fine. Tito is good at turning anything into a blood feud. The way he cocks his fist and Savage bails through ropes is great. Both guys fly around Savage wins with double axehandle. Chinlock city. Tito starts unloading. They go outside and Savage cant get the piledriver and both are counted out. Not much in the way of post-match. Not necessary.

I have seen them. I'll rewatch them eventually.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage - Detroit 4/22/86 The finish of this match is very strange. Savage hits the elbow drop and we get the Hulk Up. Pretty normal. Hogan big boots Savage and he goes to outside. Also normal to setup a countout finish. Elizabeth gets in the way; Hogan moves her. Hogan puts him back in. Now Hogan has lost the energy of the Hulk Up and telegraphs a back body drop. Savage goes for another elbow but eats the foot ala Toronto, but doesn't kick out at three. I don't think I have ever seen the rhythm of the Hulk Up broken like that. Also weird that Savage was pinned clean. They do the whole Savage steals the titles and beats Hogan with it like in Toronto and Hogan reclaims it. Before the finish, I liked this match the best. Savage jumps him with the robe and then the belt. I liked how they used Elizabeth in two momentum shifts one with Savage getting distracted and then the next Hogan is distracted. Great bumping by Savage here. Hogan has some great offense. They put the stalling in the middle, which I don't like, but this involved spitting, which is gross, but effective. Savage's heat segment is good. Like I said finish is weird. I don't think there has been a great Hogan/Savage match. They are all just kinda good. ***1/4

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Randy Savage - MLG 10/13/85 After all these Hogan's matches, I am still not sick of "Real American", I bring this up because it is the first time I have heard of his theme between Eye of Tiger and Real American. It is unbelievably bland, glad they made Real American. Next major match between these two after their Philly match in 9/85 and the one before the big MSG series that solidified Savage as a money heel in the promotion. Pretty amazing that his first major program is against the Hulkster. Lots of stalling and using Elizabeth in this one. Savage peppering the jabs at the beginning only to have Hogan erupt and hit a wicked high knee was awesome. Loved Macho Man putting Elizabeth in front of him. Just when I think I found a lost classic the stalling kicks in hard and grinds the match to a halt. Another cool spot is Hogan catching Savage from the top and giving him a backbreaker. Savage's heel segment starts due to a knee to the kidney which seems too simple. Usual Savage offense controls as he is just perpetual motion. He hits the Big Elbow for two. That was a big nearfall. Then Hogan gets the foot up on the next elbow and Savage kicks out right at three. No legdrop and the kickout at three keep this from being super clean and make sure for rematches. Savage attacks Hogan with belt shot from the top. Macho Man poses, but Hogan runs him off. The stalling was a little too much for me, but there is plenty to love in this match. It has an interesting finish. ***1/4

I was so close, but I think burnt myself out on Hogan. WWF Intercontinental Champion Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat - Boston 11/1/86 Tremendous match this pre-dates the larynx crushing angle on TV by a couple weeks so this wrestled more straight. Savage is the consummate heel. I have said this time and time again. In that ring he is utterly despicable. Here it is the stalling, the hair pulling, and foreign object. He is such a product of Memphis, but this is what the WWF needed as variety from your Studds & Bundys. Steamboat is a great white meat babyface here. He does a great job not losing his concentration during Savage's stalling tactics. He is committed to working the left arm. Some really nice, deep armdrags by the Dragon. Savage is making him earn these holds by creating movement through hair pulls. I love that. Savage is achieving three things at once: hair pull - heel, movement - interest, Steamboat overcoming the cheating - struggle. Awesome stuff! Like I said it is not the psychology but the execution from these two is completely on point. Loved Steamboat wrenching the arm against the ropes. Savage realizing his arm is in a bad way and hair pulling is not working; reaches down into his tights and finds an foreign object to jab in the Steamer's eyes. Savage is perpetual motion now with the double axehandles and bodyslams on the outside. He makes sure to sell the arm. The arm prevents him from suplexing and piledriving Steamboat. Great stuff! Steamboat looks ready to mount the comeback backdropping out of the aforementioned piledriver, but Savage goes fishing for the foreign object again. This time he misses the straddle on the ropes. Now the Dragon is breathing fire! Great series of hot nearfalls for Steamboat here reminiscent of Mania III. Savage sends The Dragon flying over the top rope when he sidesteps an overzealous Steamboat. He gets greedy and goes for a double axehandle to the outside misses and loses by countout. Terrific psychology and execution throughout. Loved Savage's selling of the arm and his commitment to cheating. This is workrate meets great heel psychology. ****

Hulk Hogan & Andre The Giant vs Heenan Family (Bobby Heenan, Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy) - Philly 1/11/86 "I'm Manager of the Year" - Bobby "The Brain" Heenan "You are Weasel of the Year" - Andre The Giant Fun, popcorn match. Andre and Hogan both bodyslam Studd at the outset to massive pops! Heenan takes a nutty bump. I loved Heenan pushing Bundy on top of Hogan when he was going for the slam. Great opening minutes. The heat segments on Hogan and Andre are big and fun. Heenan bumping around for Hogan at the end is a ton of fun. Fun way to spend ten minutes. ***

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy - Philly 2/8/86 I think the one thing Bundy has going for him over all other Hogan opponents is his devastating finish: Avalanche. It gives his matches a sense of drama that a lot of other Hogan matches. Whats Harley Race going to do bump to win the title? Is Big John Studd just gonna clubber? The Avalanche has a sense of finality to it. The matches themselves are among the more boring of the Hogan matches I have seen, but I will give Bundy that. Hogan gets a shine in this one making this better than the Boston match. The Bundy heat segment is shorter but still consists of two chinlocks and a bearhug. The no sell of the second Avalanche into the Hulk Up was badass. Heenan was tremendous in the post-match bumping like a madman and taking a Avalanche. Post-match was great. We will see how WrestleMania II goes.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy - Boston 9/7/85 Bundy has Jimmy Hart as his manager here, which honestly does make him feel midcard. I saw an episode of Tuesday Night Titans where Heenan became Bundy's manager, but there was no date, I expect it was around October of 85 so shortly after this. Bundy broke Andre's sternum at Maple Leaf Gardens in August of 85 during a Big John Studd match, but that was not aired on Primetime until October 1st and then shortly after that Bundy & Studd became the core of the Heenan Family. Wow really boring match. Probably the worst Hogan match I have seen in my recent run. Chinlock city and we follow that up with a bearhug. Give me Muraco back! The Avalanches are good. I wish Studd had a move like that. Just that one move gives Bundy so much gravitas. Hogan kicks out, HULK UP! Hart gives Bundy the Megaphone and BOOM! DQ! Hogan is bleeding. Hogan clobbers the Mouth of the South to send the Boston crowd home happy. Standard Hogan match with pretty boring action until the Avalanches.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Big John Studd - Boston 6/22/85 Just one day removed from working a bloody, grueling cage match against Don Muraco, Hogan faces off against perhaps his most frequent challenger, Big John Studd. I have loved their matches in the past and I think this is their best one ever. There is something about Studd that makes him seem so credible and love the psychology of the bodyslam matches. Because this one day removed from the cage match, Hogan has a huge bandage on his head and Studd reopens that cut within minutes of the bell sounding. His white trunks were covered in Hogan's bloody. This is a great bloody brawl. Studd throwing Hogan into the chairs. Working the cut. Hogan making fiery comebacks. Hogan's punches and energy were great. Whipping me and the Boston crowd into a frenzy. Hogan goes for the slam but Studd hits him in the back. Great test of strength follows that is very dramatic with Hogan making a big comeback and knocking Studd off his feet with a big boot. Studd gets so much out of one bump. Hogan with a chair shot! I love bloody Hogan brawls. Studd does his homework and catches Hogan with a clothesline exploding out of the corner before Hogan can do it to him. Studd works the back. The one thing missing from Studd is that one move. He just needed one move and he didn't have it. That's what kills him. Bearhug by Studd and he keeps cutting Hogan off. Hogan spills to the outside. HULK UP! SCOOP! BODYSLAM ON THE FLOOR! COUNTOUT VICTORY FOR THE HULKSTER! I admit I didn't mark as hard as when I first saw that spot watching their 12/10/84 match from Nassau Coliseum, but damn if it did not blow the roof off the Boston Garden! Add in the blood and the brawling, easy thumbs up! ***1/2

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Don Muraco - SNME 3/1/86 When compared to other builds to Mania, this is by far the least (Hogan/Piper/Lauper/T, the Andre turn, DiBiase buys the belt/Two Refs, MEGAPOWERS EXPLODE~!), but it is very traditional & simple. Prior to this match, King Kong Bundy squashes Steve Gatorwolf. Bobby Heenan & Bundy are hollering for Hogan. In traditional McMahon booking genius, he has Muraco beaten around the loop first and then puts the match on TV that way he has gotten all the money out of Muraco as a heel challenger. Mr. Fuji has come down with the flu and Muraco accuses the Hulkster of biological warfare so he has gone out and gotten the Brain as a last minute sub. I think this is one of the better Muraco performances. Good bumping especially the atomic drop. Heenan takes a right off the apron. Hulkster giving back the back rakes that Muraco gave him. The bearhug by Hogan is an odd choice. Thought Muraco worked hard on top actually got pretty good heat with the kneelifts and Asiatic Spikes (one from the top!). HULK UP! Brain triggers the DQ. Hogan attacks the Brain, but Bundy saves his manager. Muraco holds as Bundy gives him Three Avalanches in the corner and two splashes! Muraco gives him Last Rites too. They should have done the five count. It was the only thing that really would have put this over the top. They load Hogan up in the ambulance. It is not as flashy as Lauper & Mr. T or as shocking as the Andre stuff or as personal as the Macho Man rivalry, but there is a traditional feel to this that is nice. How many times did Hogan ever end up in an ambulance? Or really ever look this beaten down? It is surprisingly rare when you think about it. At the time before, the Andre turn, I really cant think of anytime in 1984 or 1985 that Hulk Hogan ever looked this vulnerable. It might not be the flashiest, but it is an effective build to WrestleMania II in the Steel Cage: Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Don Muraco - MSG 6/21/85 Steel Cage Match Definitely the best of the series as we get a good old school, double juice steel cage for the World Championship. They go for a slower pace, war of attrition feel. Both blocking cage shots early with Muraco using a ballshot and the Asiatic Spike to take control. Hogan Hulks Up and rams the Magnificent One into the cage drawing blood. As Hogan is running wild, Muraco sidesteps him and sends him into the cage. It is a catapult into the cage that busts Hogan wide open. The blood is flowing. Two great spots to end the match with Hogan gnawing on the open wound on the top rope driving MSG wild and then Muraco doing the Foley wrapping his head in the ropes. Gnarly spot. Hogan walks out the door triumphant. Finally a good Hogan/Muraco match. ***1/4

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Don Muraco - MSG 5/20/85 Tell me Hulk Hogan cant work after watching this match! Tell me! Dude was on fire! Headbutts! Suplexes! Chairshots! Busting Muraco wide open. He was crushing it in this match. The only thing that dragged this down is Muraco is not a very good at selling and bumping. But Hogan on offense was glorious. Hogan drops the leg, but Fuji puts the Magnificent One's leg on the ropes. Fuji gives salt to Muraco who throws it in Hogan's face triggering the DQ and the steel cage rematch the next month at MSG. HULKAMANIA IS RUNNING WILD!

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Ken Patera - Championship Wrestling 6/1/85 Interesting the Heenan Family did not have many matches with Hogan in the first half of 85. I would reckon they were mainly working with Andre as the big hair cutting angle was at the beginning of the year and of course Andre/Studd bodyslam match at Mania. Hogan was facing a rotation mainly of Beefcake, Muraco and Orndorff. While training Hillbilly Jim and Mr. T were his main focuses in terms of angles. In April of 85 following Mania, they started running Orndorff shaking Hogan's hand after matches and they cemented the babyface turn once Orndorff saved Hogan from Piper/Orton at the first Saturday Night's Main Event. In case, you didn't stay up late, this showcases the new friendship here as Mr. Wonderful saves Hogan from suffering the same fate as Andre at the hands of the Heenan Family. The match itself was like three minutes and shows Hogan as a great ball of energy just having kick ass offense. Big John Studd is out there gets on apron and they attack him. Heenan goes to cut his hair, but Paul Orndorff makes the save. Good angle.

Greg Valentine vs Koko B. Ware - SNME 1/2/88 Valentine is a full-on singles again and is being managed by the Mouth of the South, Jimmy Hart. The New Dream Team broke up after Survivor Series '87 when Johnny V left. You think Valentine might get a renewed push but spends '88 stuck in programs with George The Animal Steele and Don Muraco with Superstar Graham in the midst of the worst babyface runs in history. Valentine had so much to give. This is a squash match and Valentine is great kicking the shit out of Koko. He can bump great and come off the top. Valentine really looked great. Beefcake comes out to remind everyone of this feud. Then he leaves. Um, ok. Koko slams Valentine off the top. Great slugfest between these two and Koko gets a dropkick and fist drop for two. These two could have a legit great match if they were allowed to. Kneecrusher->figure-4. Great squash. Beefcake comes out runs The Hammer off with those huge shears and takes it to the top of Jimmy Hart's mullet! Woah!

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs King Kong Bundy - SNME 1/2/88 BUND-A-MANIA! BUN-DY! BUN-DY! BUN-DY! Maybe it is because I loved Married With Children, but Bundy is such a great name. So what happens to Bundy leaves a couple months after this and doesn't wrestle until 1993?!? What's the scoop, dudes? Another solid Hogan match. This one had a little more drama not just because of the Avalanching of the Ref, but Bundy hits NOT one, BUT TWO Avalanches on Hogan. I thought Hogan mixed in a lot of offense and some good selling(hand going numb on the armbar). You knew Bundy was not going to win, but the two Avalanches at least made the Hulk Up seem big, Bundy seems like the hardest person for Hogan to slam. Density? Not as athletic as the other big men? Andre comes in and chokes down Hogan it takes the whole babyface locker room and Duggan's 2x4 to finally break the Giant's deadly grip. ***