WWF Classics Report 4-22-02
Submitted by Segaboyno on Monday, April 22, 2002 at 6:00 PM EST



Hello to my readers and welcome to a very special edition of Wrestling Challenge, in which the year of 1987 will be rounded-up, and (hopefully) the best bits will be featured in the upcoming hour of this show. So with that in mind, let's see what we have in store for us!

The Introduction
Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan welcome us to the special year in review show, and Monsoon accuses Heenan of doing some very miserable acts throughout the year. The typical "weasel" chant kicks off, and the opening music package gets us underway. As we come back it seems that Heenan has left, and so Monsoon will narrate the entire broadcast all by himself.

Profile #1 - Strike Force
This year saw some great tag team competition, and most notably, Tito Santana and Rick Martel formed to make an exciting combination, known as Strike Force. We now go to clips of one of the most exciting matches from the year, in which the aforementioned duo defeated The Hart Foundation for the tag team titles. As we cut to it, Bret is dominating Santana, and nails him with an elbow to the head. Bret is reversed into the opposite corner and goes chest-first into the corner, which allows Martel to make the tag. He enters and goes nuts on Neidhart, and nails him with a dropkick. He then knocks Bret off the apron, and delivers a high cross body on Neidhart, scoring a two-count. Bret makes the save and then ducks out, as Santana and Martel double bodyslam Neidhart, and Martel locks in the boston crab for the submission victory. The fans go wild, and Ventura protests that it took an illegal double team for the Strike Force to get the titles. Since then, The Hart Foundation have piled on the pressure in an attempt to regain their titles, but many other tag teams have done the same. The competition is better than ever, and 1988 promises to be an exciting year.

Profile #2 - One Man Gang
We now move on to the highlight of the year, Wrestlemania III, in which a brand new indoor attendance record of "93,173" was set. Not only did the WWF have the biggest crowds ever, but many new superstars were formed during the year. We go to clips of Slick's acquisition, the One Man Gang, who is seen destroying Dave Stoudemiere. He then turns his attentions to the referee, and front face suplexes him, in an act that cost him $10,000, and nearly got him suspended. But he continued to rule on, and Slick did a good job.

Profile #3 - Bam Bam Bigelow
Monsoon wonders how dominant Slick would be if he had also won the battle to determine who Bam Bam Bigelow's manager would be, and we see footage of Bigelow announcing Oliver Humperdinck as his manager. Bigelow then takes out Nikolai Volkoff, who goes flying off the stage alongside Slick. We go to highlights of the final stages of a Battle Royal, and as we join, The Ultimate Warrior has just been eliminated. The final three remaining are Bam Bam, Hercules, and Bob Orton - this should be good! Bigelow is being double teamed, but cartwheels his way out of a corner, rolls out of the other corner, but then gets caught the third time, as both Hercules and Orton double clothesline Bigelow down. Orton nails Bigelow with right hands, as does Hercules, and they then whip him into the turnbuckle. They go to lift up and eliminate Bigelow, but they can't do it, and instead Bigelow double backdrops both men over the top rope! A bright future has been predicted for Bam Bam, who is definitely one of the super heavyweights.

Interview #1 - The British Bulldogs
In an interview regarding present day issues, Mean Gene Okerlund is standing by with The British Bulldogs, who are former tag team champions. Right now they are in a feud with The Islanders, who recently thieved their dog, Matilda. Davey Boy says that she is not in very good shape, and doesn't eat, and sits in the corner all day long. Sounds like Diana Hart. He has the Islanders to thank for this, and says that they will pay the price. Dynamite Kid then says that Matilda is like a child to the Bulldogs, and they love that little dog. What the Islanders did was absolutely disgusting. Davey Boy says that it will be quite a while until the dog is back, which is a great shame.

Profile #4 - The Honky Tonk Man
The Honky Tonk Man has also had a great year, and has proclaimed himself as the greatest Intercontinental champion of all time. As we go to clips of one of the more memorable TV matches of the year, in which Honky took on Randy Savage on September 30, it's apparent that the match has already finished, as The Hart Foundation are assisting Honky in assaulting Savage. Honky is preparing to hit Savage with the guitar, and does so with authority, creating a massive hole in the instrument. Honky continues to kick Savage afterwards, but Elizabeth returns with WWF Champion Hulk Hogan, who fares no better upon entering the ring. He gets triple teamed, but Savage manages to get back to his feet, and Hogan starts hulking up, and Savage atomic drops Bret over the top rope. Savage and Hogan turn to face each other, but upon the fans approval, end up shaking hands, forming the Mega Powers.

Interview #2 - Macho Man Randy Savage
Craig DeGeorge is standing by recapping the year, and he brings in Macho Man Randy Savage, who is looking forward to a bigger, better and vengeful 1988. He hopes to gain revenge on the Honky Tonk Man, and suggests that Tonk's confidence should be at an all-time low, because he is out to get him. Savage says to expect the unexpected, and the WWF has seen nothing like what he is going to do to the Honky Tonk Man, and says that he will fall deeper and faster than his Intercontinental title will. He goes on to say that he will indeed take care of business.

Profile #5 - Survivor Series
1987 had some great happenings including Wrestlemania III, The Slammy Awards, and perhaps the most unique event of all time, the Survivor Series. We now have action from the latter, which took place on November 26 in Cleveland, Ohio. As we catch up with the match, Bret Hart is pounding Paul Roma, and Tama tags in to take over. Tama headbutts Roma, and Haku tags in, and The Islanders deliver a double-elbow to Roma. We then (inexplicably) cut to footage of the main event, in which Andre the Giant was the sole survivor. It came down to Andre and Bigelow, but the Giant prevailed - however, he had his sights set on the WWF title - or more specifically, Hulk Hogan. (or should that be the other way around?)

Profile #6 - Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jake "The Snake" Roberts has also had a successful year, despite the "Ban the DDT" campaign which we are reminded of - which failed miserably, incidentally. Here we have a music video, which is accompanied by some of Jake's best antics of the year, which mostly include DDT's to many superstars, including Kamala, as well as real life Snake treachery. Monsoon believes that he will certainly be a force to be reckon with in 1988.

Profile #7 - "The Rock" Don Muraco
During 1987, Muraco gained fan support, and charged up his wrestling style as well. We see the closing moments of a bout in which Muraco delivers a reverse piledriver to his opponent, and we are reminded that he has been feuding with Butch Reed as of late. This is mainly due to Reed ending the career of Superstar Billy Graham, with the assistance of another of Slick's men, the One Man Gang, who proceeds to deliver huge splashes to Graham, one after the other. The Rock runs in and saves the day, and cleans house, but is just too little too late, unfortunately. We then see Billy Graham being put onto a stretcher, but Reed and Gang continue their assault anyway.

Profile #8 - WWF Piledriver Album
Obviously no year in review would be complete without a video from the WWF Piledriver album, which was released towards the end of the year. The video shown here is Koko B. Ware's track, which was amazingly aired on MTV as well. The video is set on a builders yard, and superstars such as Hulk Hogan, Billy Graham and Bam Bam Bigelow are all working their hardest - and then stop to gawk at the ladies, in an attempt to hide their blatant homosexuality. In between this insanity we see clips of Koko delivering his finishing manoeuvre, the ghostbuster, to unlucky victims in past matches. Just when it appears to be done and dusted, we are treated to the Demolition music video as well, which also shows highlights of their best hits in the ring. Let's hit the fast forward button. No wait, I didn't say that, it's unprofessional...

Profile #9 - Demolition
Demolition are hot on the trail of the WWF team champions, Strike Force, after having recently made light work of Ken Patera and Billy Jack Haynes, a relatively new duo. We go to highlights from a past Demolition bout, in which they destroy Brady Boone, by executing their finishing elbow-backbreaker combination a massive three times (count 'em). To stop any further punishment, Boone's cousin, Billy Jack Haynes, runs down and interferes, but gets beaten down within a few minutes anyway, which is the cue for Ken Patera to make the save for Haynes. Patera fares little better, as Demolition grab Fuji's cane and destroy all three superstars!

Profile #10 - The Slammy Awards
The Slammys capped off the year in December, and was one of the wildest events of all time. It also featured one of the most touching moments of the year, and Hogan thanks all the fans here and at home. Hulk says that when he saw all his Hulkamaniacs at the Slammys, he was turned on. He goes on, man, to present the "Real American" award, man, to someone who has survived, man, and has never given up, man, and that man, man, is nobody here that deserves the real American award more than Superstar Billy Graham. The guy comes out in a shockingly bright pink suit and accepts his trophy, as he and Hogan embrace on the stage. Graham accepts the award from his heart, and says that all Americans should follow the example of Hogan. They leave together, with the award winner limping, and requiring a walking stick.

Profile #11 - Ted DiBiase
Hulk Hogan has held onto the WWF Title for three years now, which has led the Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase to search for the belt by alternative means. We go to highlights of an interview that he took part in on Challenge several weeks back, and he reminds us of all the times he has bought people out. He is going to prove to everybody that he has a price, and is going to buy the WWF Title belt from Hulk Hogan. His response is shown several weeks later, and Hogan declares that it would turn his life around, but has decided not to accept the offer. He says that if DiBiase wants the belt, he will have to come and get it himself.

Interview #3 - Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
Craig DeGeorge is still in a reflective mood, and introduces Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. He says that he has brought back a lost art in the world of wrestling, and that is trying to style some of the goofs. Beefcake says that he will not rest until he gets his hand on Greg Valentine (presumably in a non-sexual manner), but in the meantime, he has purchased some new cutting utensils.

The Conclusion
That's all for this week, but on next week's show we will see The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation & Danny Davis, Bam Bam Bigelow, Ted DiBiase, and we will also see highlights of a battle between Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy from Saturday Night's Main Event, in Hogan's first WWF Title defence of 1988. Also, Andre the Giant will in fact be in Bundy's corner at ringside.

Well it was a unique show to say the least, and certain footage, such as that from the Slammy Awards, was interesting to watch. The continuous plugging for the Piledriver album, on the other hand, was embarrassing to watch. If I can remember correctly, 1988 was a great year for the WWF, which saw the crowning of a brand new heavyweight champion, in Randy Savage. Is that a spoiler? Anyway, I must head for the hills now friends, and shall return with more action same time, and of course, the same place. E-mail me if you wish, or send me an AOL IM. Take care of yourselves, and try to avoid the abysmal #1 contendership match at Backlash - you'll feel much better for it.








*NEW GALLERY* Hot Photos of Hulk Hogan's YOUNGER MISTRESS & Brooke's Friend!

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