The Islanders

[dawho5]

Continuing my Haku footage from 1986 after my brief look at the 1996 run.

 

Islanders vs. Moondogs 9/22/86

 

Fun brawl with the 'dogs, but I don't like Rex much. Anything involving Spot in this match is great. Tama brings such great energy to the ring as a babyface. It's hard to not like watching him work. Haku dancing like he's Iceman King Parsons is such an odd comparison to him working scary heel. This is a very fun match.

 

Islanders vs. Jimmy Jack Funk/Mr. X 10/4/86

 

Ugh, do both Mr. X and J.J. have to stink the place up? Mr. X tries to work with Tama on early exchanges but is too slow and just doesn't seem like he gets what Tama's trying to do. Funk takes a nice Haku corner lariat. The heat on Tama was awful. Haku's hot tag is tepid at best. Mr. X falling over three feet in front of him twice before getting hit doesn't help. Skip this one.

 

Haku vs. Nikolai Volkoff 10/20/86

 

Koloff kills Haku with a couple of lariats. Haku has some nice "martial arts" moves in response. Neat little brawl until Volkoff goes to the trunks in a meaningless spot. Volkoff gets rolled up after missing a second corner lariat, but squirms both shoulders off the mat 3 times each during the ref's three count. Did Volkoff go into business for himself here? Announcers had to do a lot of covering up for that finish.

[dawho5]

Islanders vs. Hart Foundation 11/8/86 Philadelphia Spectrum

 

Nice shine for both Islanders. Hart has a really crisp sequence with Tama. Haku gets to beat Neidhart at the power game. Some double teaming on Neidhart, but he hits a nice slam on Tama and shoots Bret into a Rick Martel slingshot splash. Good heat, Tama starts fighting back and it looks like a hot tag after the sternum bump, but that gets cut off. Then Neidhart whiffs on a dropkick that was supposed to hit Bret but it is recovered. Ref misses the tag to Haku. Haku is HOT about that and won't settle down on the apron. Another nice Hart Foundation double team. Hot tag! Or, relatively hot I should say. Haku doesn't seem like a great hot tag, but the paintbrushing he gives Neidhart and the headbutt to Bret from the wishbone position work nice. Tama with a BIG splash and chaos leads to Tama getting crotched on top by Neidhart behind the ref's back. Bret covers for the win, but Haku clears the ring. Nice way to put an underdog team over and a really fun match.

 

Islanders vs. Dream Team 11/24/86 MSG

 

Haku and Valentine lock it up. Fun brawling and a Haku atomic drop that Valentine makes brilliant. Valentine with the flop after a double chop by both Islanders. Haku is sporting some kind of cut on his right shoulder that looks half healed. Haku with a HUGE crossbody that Valentine is hesitant to break the cover and Beefcake barely kicks out of. Valentine seems like he's getting sick of carrying Brutus. Heel in peril on Brutus. Hammer in and hits some big chops on Tama, then a variation on a tombstone. Valentine beating up on Tama is great. Short heat, lukewarm tag to Haku. Same finish as the Harts match with Beefcake getting the finish. This was alright, but very easily skippable.

[Judy Bagwell]

Tama is a fucking god

[Mad Dog]

There's a Superstars match from early 87 with the Harts that's literally the only good TV match I've seen from September to May on my watch through.

[Ricky Jackson]

Check out Islanders vs Harts 11/16/86 from Toronto and Islanders vs Dream Team 12/6/86 from Boston. I remember both being great

[flyonthewall2983]

Was there ever any indication by Meltzer or someone else on why they turned heel? I watched the Dream Team match in Boston yesterday and a few other things before that, and my impression was they were on their way to becoming a very popular team.

[dawho5]

Islanders vs. Dream Team 12/6/86 Boston Garden

 

Tama is hot at Johnny V pre-match after the finish last month. Lots of stalling by Johnny V and Beefcake getting the entrance attire off. A lot. Valentine gets his arm worked over in the shine. Valentine getting his leg caught and protecting his groin is a great stooging spot. Now it's on the leg of Valentine. Valentine's selling of the atomic drop is also top notch. It's become a heel in peril on Valentine. BIG over the rope bump off a back elbow by Tama. Tama's knee is hurt and it looks like there's heat coming. Ref misses the tag twice on a good heat, Tama popping himself sideways to get the hot tag is great. Crowd is definitely into this hot tag. Haku does good with the hot tag, but Beefcake seems to fall over or out of the ring just as Haku is getting his momentum built. Tama hits the big flying crossbody on Valentine, but the time limit has been reached and we get no finish. Tama wants 5 more minutes and the heels are not having it. Lots of boos. Great match with as little of Beefcake as possible.

 

Islanders vs. Muraco/Orton Prime Time Wrestling 12/17/86

 

Haku has such a great dropkick. Orton has some really good stooging spots. And punches. Heat on Tama looks clipped. Mild tag to Haku. Tama on the apron is exceptional. Tama takes a tag and goes tumbling over the top with Orton. DCO and the Islanders menace the managers. Pretty easily skippable.

 

Islanders vs. Hart Foundation Prime Time Wrestling 1/14/87 Toronto

 

Tama is fired up tonight. Bret avoids Tama's double jump chop only to get it a few seconds later when he's celebrating his own minor victory. Haku side kicking Bret on the apron is a fun spot they like to repeat. Bret with the cheapshot from the apron to set up the heat on Tama. Anvil hits a really big lariatand Bret sends Tama off the ramp onto the concrete. Johnny V. on commentary is awful. Bret slapping Haku on the apron is a great spot. Payback in a small way for the earlier side kick and something for Haku to work off fo later. Bret eats a dropkick from Anvil. Hot tag and Haku again paintbrushing Bret. And we have the exact same finish as last time with some different referee manipulation. I'm guessing the previous match was not televised in all of the markets so they can get away with it. Body of the match was great, but the finish makes it just a fun wrestling match.

 

Haku vs. Greg Valentine Superstars 1/31/87

 

Stiff brawl early. Interference by Beefcake, interference by Tama that the ref sees and we're finished. Good enough that I'd want to see a singles match between these two, but this is an in-ring angle more than anything else.

[W2BTD]

Was there ever any indication by Meltzer or someone else on why they turned heel? I watched the Dream Team match in Boston yesterday and a few other things before that, and my impression was they were on their way to becoming a very popular team.

 

In that era, they used to keep a balanced number of regular face/heel teams, probably for the purpose of pairing them up on the house shows. I don't remember if a hew face team showed up at the time (they turned in Spring 1987, taped in April, aired in late May) or if someone else turned, but the explanation could be as simple as that.

[Superstar Sleeze]

 

Was there ever any indication by Meltzer or someone else on why they turned heel? I watched the Dream Team match in Boston yesterday and a few other things before that, and my impression was they were on their way to becoming a very popular team.

 

In that era, they used to keep a balanced number of regular face/heel teams, probably for the purpose of pairing them up on the house shows. I don't remember if a hew face team showed up at the time (they turned in Spring 1987, taped in April, aired in late May) or if someone else turned, but the explanation could be as simple as that.

 

 

That is indeed the most likely reason. The Hart Foundation was paired with the Bulldogs in the Summer and then Dream Team with the Rougeaus and Demolition sorta with the Bees. I think they had plans for Demolition to be a top flight heel team so they didnt want to job them to their rising babyface team of Can-Ams. Hence lets turn the Islanders heel.

[dawho5]

Islanders vs. Rougeaus 2/14/87, Philly

Jacque misses a dropkick completely early and Haku makes a nice save. Islanders are the de facto heels. Jacques is pretty athletic for a guy his size. Haku is extremely athletic for a guy his size. Tama starts the actual heeling for his side. Tama rolls Jacques up off a 4 man argument for a super quick 3 count. Rougeaus hold the ring after the match. Definitely skip this.

 

Islanders vs. Hart Foundation 2/21/87, Superstars

This one's for the tag belts. Danny Davis gets nuclear heat as the newest member of the Foundation. Extremely short shine. Great double DDT by the Harts. Short heat but good reaction for the hot tag. Haku hits the big kick and tags, but Davis interferes with Tama's splash. Tama tkes a pretty mean bump and gets pinned. Fun for what it was.

 

Islanders vs. Demolition 2/23/87, MSG

Demos don't want to give up the masks. Good shine on Ax. Tama tossed to the floor and Demolition goes to work. Tama bruised his back bumping. Ouch. Islanders are making this heat work with hope spots. Good hot tag for Haku. Tama hits a big crossbody off the top that gets broken up and it's looking grim for the Islanders. Demos hit their double team finish for three. Fun match.

 

Islanders vs. Rougeaus 4/26/87, Wrestling Challenge

Tama bumps big for a reverse monkey flip by Jacques. More heeling by the Islanders. All four arguing again and they end up outside. Both teams counted out. Skip this one unless you really like both teams.

 

Islanders vs. Demolition 5/2/87, Boston

Demolition is now with Fuji, not Johnny V. Alfred is on commentary, I wonder if he was ever good as a color guy. Tama's running crossbody is great, so impactful and visually impressive. Big clothesline by Ax on Haku. Tama's elbow across the arm from the top is incredible when he hits it good. Knee to the back from Smash sets up the heat. Tama hung in between the ropes by an ankle. Owie. Hot tag to Haku, okay work here. Fuji's cane catches Tama in the throat after things get chaotic and we're done. Some good stuff here, but these finishes are starting to irk me.

 

Islanders vs. Demolition 5/16/87, Superstars

Short shine. Demos push is getting a bit bigger, Islanders offense is treated as ineffective. Fuji hooks Tama's foot off the top. There it is. Not a squash, but not far off either. Essentially a shortened for TV version of their earlier bouts with less Islanders offense.

[dawho5]

Islanders vs. Can Am Connection 5/30/87

 

Zenk is not in the same league as the other three. Tama's evil laugh is pretty cool. Heenan is out and the Islanders take advantage. Martel carries the shine beautifully. Heat is on Zenk and the Martel tag is so worth it. Not a great match, but plenty of fun and the angle is essential to the rest of the viewing.

 

 

Rick Martel vs. Tama MSG

 

GREAT start for Martel after a double team by Haku and Tama. Tama puts just as much energy into being a heel as being a face. LOVE IT! Martel is great during the shine. Big bursts of energy to cut off Tama assaults really get the crowd behind him. Martel looks like a future superstar. Punching Tama in the face when Tama goes for the hair during a leglock is brilliant. One thing watching some late 90s Crazy Max footage recently that irked me was CIMA never getting his own transitions. It was always interference that got him back on offense. Tama finally gets himself back in control and Haku only attacks after Tama is firmly in charge. Big difference between the two and it does the match and both wrestlers a ton of good. Tama's long term leg selling is pretty good. Nice short arm lariat from Tama. Tama does a great job of making Martel earn his comeback. Martel puts every bit of effort into selling and gaining sympathy, always fighting back but just not enough. Tama ramps up the cheating as Martel gets closer to a real comeback, nice touch. And then Tama bumps HUGE for the Martel comeback. Some shenanigans threaten the comeback. Post-match we get the obligatory beat-down by the Islanders. What a great match and almost perfectly executed by two high energy guys. Absolute must-watch.

 

Rick Martel vs. Barry Horowitz

 

Martel with the squash win and the Islanders come out to beat up on Martel. Here comes Tito! Loving the fire from Tito as he clears the ring. Jesse puts it over in his unique way. The promo where they call the team Strike Force is cheesy 1980s fun.

 

Rick Martel vs. Haku

 

Tama and Haku won't let Martel into the ring. Martel back to the locker room and TITO is all over it. Tito and Tama forced to go to the dressing rooms and we can start. Another great shine and this match is more of a brawl. Haku with a really good heat, but not up to snuff with Tama's. Comeback is a bit mroe lackluster on both Haku and Martel's part. Huge falling headbutt by Haku. Tama figures in the finish and Tito is again out to clean house. Less a match and more a setup to the feud proper between the tag teams. If I was to judge it as a match it would be quite a bit lower than the Tama match, but still a fun watch.

[dawho5]

Islanders vs. Strike Force 10/3/87 Boston Garden

 

Tama coming to the ring is some kind of revelation as a heel. He's got so much energy and he knows how to turn that around and make it a bad thing. The shine to this match is all kinds of awesome. Tama takes a dropkick and bumps into the crowd from the ring. THAT is commitment to making the babyface look good. Martel gets choked to turn the tide after the Islanders have been cheating dicks but not gotten anywhere. Crowd is so into this matchup and it's not hard to see why. Ditch has remarked in his reviews of AJPW matches from the 90s that Kikuchi/Kobashi and Kroffat/Furnas were made for each other. These teams would fit that to a T as well. Martel's hope spots have this great energy and urgency to them. FUCK did that crowd love the tag to Tito. And Tito is all over the Islanders! Absolute must-watch great match.

 

Islanders vs. Strike Force 10/16/87 MSG

So Tito and Haku start this one off and I am so happy about that about ten seconds in. When they just start punching each other in the fucking face! Shine is even better than the last match. We're told this is two out of three falls. Oh, and instead of Alfred as sidekick, Gorilla has BOCK as a color man! I'm not sure how to express the amount of joy this brought me. Bock is such a great heel but not really heel color guy. Tito gets his leg worked over by the Islanders after trying for a figure four. Islanders take the first fall, but the equalizing fall comes quicker than you expect. Bock explains why that is a bad thing for Santana and Martel. Have I mentioned how much I love Bock on commentary? Now there are lukewarm tags, there are completely cold tags, there are hot tags and there are FUCKING NUCLEAR HOT tags. The tag to Martel fits the last category. If you've ever seen the Bock/Lawler match with the HOLY SHIT punch comeback by Lawler, the tag to Martel and ensuing Martel offense had that same effect. This was an absolute epic tag and I don't give out stars. If I did, this would be an upper tier ***** match instantly on watching. Santana's selling of the leg during the heat, his brawl-y comebacks, the ridiculous Martel comeback...just beautiful pro wrestling here.

[Ricky Jackson]

I liked those matches too, but did you watch the 9/21 MSG match between the teams? I felt that was the best one. Really liked the October Philly match between the teams too. Great Martel face in peril in that one

[dawho5]

Islanders vs. Strike Force 9/21/87 MSG

 

Once again, great shine. LOVED Heenan getting his hand stomped twice by Santana after the islanders retreat to the outside. Heat is a lot of fun. Islanders using the tag rope to choke was a nice touch. Martel gets his house of fire, but ends up stalling after a short time. I didn't think this one was as good as 10/16, but I can see why anyone would like it. Great match and well worth the watch!

 

Islanders vs. Strike Force 10/10/87 Philly Spectrum

 

Shine was a little off in this match. Timing just wasn't there. FIP on Martel was incredible. The use of the rope by the Islanders and Martel's selling of the chokes was great. Tama throws in one too many nerve holds for my liking, but Haku saves it right after. Good hot tag to Tito. I'm starting to think that the real money here is in the Tito heat/Martel hot tag setup. The other way works, but Martel as a hot tag is so fired up. Still a great match, but easily the lowest of all of the matches between these two teams for me.

 

Haku vs. Tito Santana 10/22/87 Prime Time

 

Fun brawl from the get-go. Santana starts working an arm. Haku working over Tito for a short while. Then we come to the real reason this match was here Tama looks to interfere and Martel stops it, so we get a double DQ with Strikeforce standing tall. Seems like any singles matches involving Haku are booked more as angles than matches. Good idea for an angle though. SF needs a little something in their favor at this point in the feud, so give them the appearance of getting the better of the Islanders but without handing the islanders a loss on TV. Fun match while it lasts.

[dawho5]

Islanders vs. Strike Force 11/7/87 Philly, Tag Straps, 2 referees

 

Tama is great talking trash with the Philly ringsiders. Love the Santana "punch the leapfrog" spot. Second ref is completely worthless on the outside. Great hot tag to Martel. Referees can't stop the brawl and they call it after being shoved down a few times. Great hot tag makes this match well worth your while.

 

Islanders vs. Strike Force 11/7/87 Boston, Tag Straps, 2 Referees

Gorilla on hand for the two refs. Guessing this is some other date, but who knows. It's a very similar match to the Philly match, but I thought the heat was better. Really got me amped up for the hot tag and Martel delivers. Real finish to this one and I would call it by far the superior of the two matches. Two referee stip comes into play here.

 

Islanders vs. Strike Force 12/5/87 Philly, Tag Straps

 

Islanders with the ambush to start. Haku fighting back during the shine is a great touch. Tama taking ridiculously snappy armdrags from Tito. That's a pairing that hadn't really impressed before. Martel's punches are all kinds of great in this match. Early match has more of a fight feel than a pure shine, which I like. I'm a fan of the transition from heat to shine as well. Good tag team psychology. Martel is again a spectacular hot tag. Great, great match that is just shy of 10/16 for me.