ohtani's jacket Posted June 6 Author Report Share Posted June 6 The Killer Bees vs. Hart Foundation (WWF, 5/31/88) This appears to be the last Bees vs. Hart Foundation match that made tape. It's a match from Fresno that aired on Prime Time Wrestling. It was part of the Hart Foundation face turn, which in the late 80s WWF I grew up on meant turning on your heel manager. Slick was on commentary, which was amusing. My first memory of wrestling was Hacksaw Jim Dugan hitting Andre the Giant with his 2x4, which had to be around this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 7 Author Report Share Posted June 7 I can't find the last Bees vs. Harts match I'm looking for, so here's a singles match instead: Bret Hart vs. Jumping Jim Brunzell (WWF, 5/4/86) This not the Bret vs. Brunzell match you imagine in your head, but to be honest, I'm not sure if Bret in 1986 was capable of the Bret Hart vs. Brunzell match that I'm imagining. Instead, it was a typical house show match. Bret was wearing a red version of the Hart Foundation tights that I've never seen before. The action was decent if you consider that it was meant to be a cookie cutter heel vs. face bout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 8 Author Report Share Posted June 8 The Killer Bees vs. Demolition (WWF, 10/9/87) Ooh, I like those Killer Bees jackets. Classy. The Houston commentary team may be the worst commentary team in the history of the WWF. It's like listening to Doris Burke commentate with Yosemite Sam. The only saving grace about it is that Scott Keith started some asinine rumor that Bruce Prichard was the Duke. Commentary aside, this was an excellent match. The longer two-out-of-three falls format gave them a chance to use more psychology than you generally see in a WWF tag match. Given how stacked the WWF roster was at the time, it's no surprise that you get matches like these on house shows. I just wish they'd run this sort of match on a PPV. It would have given the bout much more exposure, and people would still be talking about it today. Everything about this was a perfect display of both team's strengths and weaknesses. It was an excellent contest up until the finish. The finish was a standard WWF finish for the era (almost as common as signature moves or post-match humiliations.) I don't know if Demolition had a finisher at this point, but I would have rather seen them hit a double team move even if they had to cheat to set it up. Nice match, though. Looks like my next little detour is more Demolition vs. Bees matches if they exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 9 Author Report Share Posted June 9 The Killer Bees vs. Demolition (WWF, 3/15/87) This was the final of the Frank Tunney Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament. The teams weren't given a lot of time and Gorilla kept arguing with Jimmy Hart on commentary. You can skip this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 9 Author Report Share Posted June 9 Andre the Giant & Ted DiBiase vs. Jerry Valiant & Baron Mikel Scicluna (WWF, 7/26/79) This is the so-called Battle of Atlantic City. It's weird seeing DiBiase and Andre as a babyface team. They would have made good tag champs. The match is basically a lengthy beatdown of DiBiase while Andre desperately struggles to make a tag. In that sense, it's the same as any other Andre tag match, but this time we actually get to see Andre fight through adversity and score a win for his team. Entertaining bout. Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch vs. Jack & Jerry Brisco (WWF, 1/12/85) This is a rematch of the more famous (and divisive) match. The Philly crowd hates Adrian and by the end of the bout they're pelting him with garbage. A lot was made about WWF heel-in-peril tag wrestling when people argued about this matchup, but when it comes time for the heels to take over, they really fuck Jerry Brisco up. I love Murdoch and Adonis. I don't care what anyone says. I also love this matchup. A redneck, a leather wearing New Yorker, and a pair of Oklahomans, all wrestling in a WWF ring. Magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted June 10 Report Share Posted June 10 14 hours ago, ohtani's jacket said: Andre the Giant & Ted DiBiase vs. Jerry Valiant & Baron Mikel Scicluna (WWF, 7/26/79) This is the so-called Battle of Atlantic City. It's weird seeing DiBiase and Andre as a babyface team. They would have made good tag champs. The match is basically a lengthy beatdown of DiBiase while Andre desperately struggles to make a tag. In that sense, it's the same as any other Andre tag match, but this time we actually get to see Andre fight through adversity and score a win for his team. Entertaining bout. Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch vs. Jack & Jerry Brisco (WWF, 1/12/85) This is a rematch of the more famous (and divisive) match. The Philly crowd hates Adrian and by the end of the bout they're pelting him with garbage. A lot was made about WWF heel-in-peril tag wrestling when people argued about this matchup, but when it comes time for the heels to take over, they really fuck Jerry Brisco up. I love Murdoch and Adonis. I don't care what anyone says. I also love this matchup. A redneck, a leather wearing New Yorker, and a pair of Oklahomans, all wrestling in a WWF ring. Magic. THe only reason I didn't pick them as my #1 WWF tag team was longevity. They're awesome. I also think they're the last WWF team that has a real main event & the teams that followed had a more secondary feeling closer to how WCW used the Cruiserweights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 11 Author Report Share Posted June 11 it turns out it's no that easy to find Killer Bees matches on the internet, so instead I'm turning my interest towards Murdoch & Adonis. Dick Murdoch & Adrian Adonis vs. Jack & Jerry Brisco (WW, 12/28/84) I still think this is a great match. Yeah, Murdoch & Adonis play Heels in Peril a lot against the babyface team that forced them to submit a few weeks prior, but so what? The Briscos are a badass babyface team, the heels get their licks in, and it ends with one of the more satisfying double count out finishes I've ever seen. Dick Murdoch & Adrian Adonis vs. Wild Samoans (WWF, 8/25/84) Murdoch & Adonis may have had a short run in the WWF, but they're close to being my favorite WWF champions of all-time. This match was based around Captain Lou Albano being the ref, and should have been a throwaway piece of crap, but the workers had a lot of fun bumping and brawling. I was entertained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 14 Author Report Share Posted June 14 Dick Murdoch & Adrian Adonis vs. Wild Samoans (WWF, 9/1/84) This is the Philly version of their MSG match. Not bad, but nowhere near as heated as their MSG bout and the commentary from Dick Graham and Lord Alfred Hayes didn't add much. Wild Samoans & Sgt. Slaughter vs. Dick Murdoch, Adrian Adonis & Captain Lou Albano (WWF, 9/22/84) I wouldn't usually watch a match like this with a manager involved, but I really liked the Madison Square Garden bout where Albano reffed the match, and of course it has Slaughter. This wasn't just a fun bout, though, this was a GREAT match. Molten heat and an awesome performance from all six workers. Slaughter is an absolute house on fire. I don't really agree with Mean Gene when he starts calling a match a classic, but he wasn't wrong. Shocking great match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Posted June 14 Report Share Posted June 14 I remember that six man airing on the old WWE 24/7 service and it's indeed tremendous. Albano running and tagging a clearly fatigued Dick Murdoch back in is a highlight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted June 15 Report Share Posted June 15 Make sure to watch Adonis & Murdoch: vs Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson 2/10/84 & 3/23/84 vs Slaughter & Terry Daniels 7/23/84 w/ Big John Studd vs Wild Samoans & Samula 8/10/84 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 15 Author Report Share Posted June 15 Dick Murdoch & Adrian Adonis vs. Sgt. Slaughter & Terry Daniels (WWF, 7/23/84) This was awesome whenever they picked up the pace but had some serious lulls due to Daniels. He just wasn't believable as Sgt. Slaughter protégé. The finish was amazing. I don't know if Murdoch legit injured his eye on the finish, but it was the most badass looking finish I've seen in ages. A few things stood out to me: it was amusing how over The Marines Hymn was with Slaughter as a babyface compared to when he was a heel, the crowd again threw trash at Adonis, who was super over as a heel, I found it deeply ironic that Slaughter was recruiting people into the Cobra Corps, and Murdoch and Adonis are so entertaining that I wish they had a three year run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 20 Author Report Share Posted June 20 Wild Samoans & Samula vs. Dick Murdoch, Adrian Adonis & Big John Studd (WWF, 8/10/84) I never thought I'd watch a Big John Studd match for this thread. I'm not sure that I did watch a Big John Studd match as he barely did anything throughout. Lou Albano put in a better performance than Studd. This was okay. There was some decent stuff between Samu and Adonis, and the tag champs were entertaining as always, but it didn't blow my socks off like the Slaughter match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chess Knight Posted June 21 Report Share Posted June 21 Andre vs. Big John Studd 11/10/84 is worth a look, maybe my favourite Andre singles match in the WWF tbh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 21 Author Report Share Posted June 21 Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson vs. Dick Murdoch & Adrian Adonis (WWF, 2/10/84) Rocky Johnson comes to the ring with a bandage on his forehead and blood already seeping through. Apparently, he's wrestling against doctor's orders. That's a red flag to a bull, but they work an energetic sprint before the ref calls the bout. Not as epic as SD Jones & Atlas vs. Saito and Fuji, but an awesome match. Watching these Murdoch and Adonis bouts has made me reminisce on what an awesome worker Murdoch was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 24 Author Report Share Posted June 24 Dick Murdoch & Adrian Adonis vs. Rocky Johnson & Tony Atlas (WWF, 3/23/84) This was another awesome match between these teams. Murdoch & Adonis have officially moved from the coolest team in 1980s WWF to the best tag team in 1980s WWF until proven otherwise. The only thing that stops this from being a must-watch match is the confusion over the finish. It's still awesome, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted June 26 Report Share Posted June 26 I would only put Demolition & the Rockers above them & it's solely because they have a few extra years on Adonis & Murdoch. Really one more year in the promotion at the level they were at & I'd put them at #1. They're an amazing team. My top WWF tag teams of the 80s & early 90s was: 1. Rockers 2. Demolition 3. Adonis & Murdoch 4. Islanders 5. Dream Team 6. Rougeaus 7. Piper & Bob Orton Jr (teamed enough to make the list but not enough to contend for the top 3. 8. Brainbusters 9. Sheik & Volkoff 10. Strike Force. (Killer Bees & Marel/Garea would be honorable mentions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 26 Author Report Share Posted June 26 Rick Martel & Tony Garea vs. Wild Samoans (WWF, 12/13/80) Pour one for Sika. This was such a fun match. Kal Rudman was unfiltered at the start. He kept on gushing over how handsome Martel and Garea were, and how if he went to a disco or a bar with these guys he'd never go home alone. The match was 2/3 falls and was structured in a confusing way but that somehow made the match even better. The Samoans played the brute savages as heels, and to be honest, I like their babyface work better, but they had some decent heel tricks. Rudman and Graham interview the faces at ringside after the bout like those old 1950s bouts, and I get a kick out of Gaera slipping into his Kiwi accent from time to time. He's not bad at this adlibbed stuff and does most of the talking. Really fun stuff. As always, God bless Kal Rudman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted June 30 Author Report Share Posted June 30 Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd (WWF, 11/10/84) Shout out to Chess Knight for recommending this. The man knows his 80s WWF. This was beyond anything I expected. Great performance from Andre both on attack and when selling. Studd was excellent on offense, and the storyline of Heenan handing him a foreign object and Studd holding off on using it was executed beautifully. Kudos to Andre for blading in a match where he really didn't have to bleed. Both guys got in some great shots. The finish wasn't what anyone in the Spectrum would have liked but almost unavoidable. The bout was thrill a minute while it lasted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted July 8 Author Report Share Posted July 8 The Hart Foundation vs. The Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 9/22/86) This was a very good match. The Rougeaus were babyfaces at this point. Jacques was the workhorse of the team and did some circus stuff that wasn't very practical but showed off his athleticism. I don't usually enjoy Lord Alfred on commentary, but I loved him being a mark for the Rougeaus. Anvil was surprisingly good in this and had good chemistry with Jacques. Rougeaus scored the upset pinfall by taking a page out of the Hart Foundation's book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted July 9 Author Report Share Posted July 9 The Hart Foundation vs. Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 2/7.87) The Hart Foundation vs. Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 3/7/87) This is a pair of matches from Boston where the Rougeaus win a non-title match and receive a title shot the following month. It's earlier on in the Hart Foundation's championship schtick, and Bret doesn't do nearly enough for my liking, but there are a few sparks here and there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliott Posted July 9 Report Share Posted July 9 8 hours ago, ohtani's jacket said: The Hart Foundation vs. Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 2/7.87) The Hart Foundation vs. Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 3/7/87) This is a pair of matches from Boston where the Rougeaus win a non-title match and receive a title shot the following month. It's earlier on in the Hart Foundation's championship schtick, and Bret doesn't do nearly enough for my liking, but there are a few sparks here and there. The dirty secret of the Hart Foundation is that Bret sucks as a tag worker. He's doing the same moves with the same execution for the most part that he'd always do so it's easy to miss unless you end up watching a ton of the HF & have an interest in tag wrestling. Building heat through hope spots & cut offs leading to a hot tag, working the apron, well timed misdirection spots all the things that make tag wrestling stand out are just kind of eschewed. It's not a "Oh that's just WWF tags" problem either as I don't think other teams had these same issues crop up over years. It takes a lonnnnnng time for them to become an interesting heel team & then right as they (Bret) figure it out, they turn face & it's like starting over from scratch. Anyway, in spite of my HF criticisms, they are in a lot of good matches especially with the Rougeaus. They have a bunch of matches together & they're all at least good & worth watching. The ones to really get excited about are: 8/13/88 10/9/88 10/10/88 10/24/88 2/9/89 SNME Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted July 15 Author Report Share Posted July 15 The Hart Foundation vs. Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 6/28/87) This is a decent version of the earlier matches from '87. Some fun commentary from Gorilla & Bobby. The Hart Foundation vs. Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 8/6/88) The Hart Foundation vs. Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 8/13/88) This was my first look at the Rougeaus as heels. I love their promos from this time and the simplicity of their heel gimmick. In the ring, they basically do the same moves, but they stall a lot, which is the complete opposite of how they liked to wrestle as faces. They double teamed a lot as faces, but now it's immoral. The matches are a bit slow, and Bret isn't as good of a FIP as you'd expect, but the heel Rougeaus have potential. Lord Alfred gives us a French lesson, which makes me wonder how much French he picked up while he was working in France. I thought I would hate Superstar on commentary, but I actually kind of dug it. He was wrong about practically everything he predicted would happen, but he was fun to listen to. I'm still waiting for the Hart Foundation to get down and dirty like Superstar promised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted July 15 Report Share Posted July 15 Hayes actually did French commentary in the New Generation era--I'm not sure if it was French or Quebecois--so he was fluent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted July 21 Author Report Share Posted July 21 The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. The Hart Foundation (WWF, 9/10/88) The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. The Hart Foundation (WWF, 9/11/88) I can't find every single one of the gazillion Rougeaus vs. Hart Foundation matches, but I doubt I'm missing much. These matches were worked on back-to-back nights and they're basically the same match albeit with different finishes. The 9/11 Meadowlands match is slower but has a better finish. The Harts are still working like heels during their shine, but I guess old habits die hard. The best thing about these matches are the Neidhart vs. Jacques exchanges. It's so much fun when they square off. I also love Superstar Billy Graham's rants. I wish he'd stuck around. He makes the matches a whole lot more interesting than they would be without his commentary. I can't be the only one who watches these matches and has random sports thoughts. I mean you see the banners handing in the Boston Garden and the first thought that comes into your mind is that these motherfuckers have no idea that the Celtics won't win another championship for 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted July 24 Author Report Share Posted July 24 The Hart Foundation vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers (WWF, 2/3/89) Skipping ahead because of footage issues. Here we have the Harts vs. Rougeaus with Brother Love as the special guest referee. Pritchard is worse than a Monterrey ref and this is basically a bunch of BS culminating with the Hart Foundation hitting their finisher on Brother Love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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