If you were reading my recap of UK Classics last Monday, you'd have noticed that the show was originally broadcasted on the very day of WrestleMania III, the day being Sunday March 29th 1987. Put 2 and 2 together, and you should come to the conclusion that this week's episode of UK Classics is the first episode to have been shown since WrestleMania III. As expected, several key events went down at WMIII that did have significance on the next few months' storylines. The results of WrestleMania III I'm sure you'll be able to find on many websites all over the net, but there WERE key external events that I'll quickly cover now.

Of course Hogan won the main event, managing to bodyslam the unbodyslammable Andre The Giant enroute to retaining his title in what many people regard as the worst main event in the history of WrestleMania, but by far the most historically significant. Andre would not wrestle another match until the first Survivor Series PPV eight months later. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat became the new WWF Intercontinental Champion with a victory over "Macho Man" Randy Savage in a match people still talk about today. The match would become the greatest in the career of The Dragon, that is until he had that series with the blonde guy who said "Whoooo" a lot. Brutus Beefcake turned face on The Dream Team at WMIII, despite the fact that they won their match against the Rougeau Brothers. He would resurface later in the evening after Roddy Piper gained a victory in his "retirement" match against Adrian Adonis in order to get revenge on the Adorable One by cutting his hair. It was these actions that led to Ed Leslie's most successful gimmick of his career as Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake. Dino Bravo would take his place alongside Greg Valentine in the new Dream Team. The Honky Tonk Man scored a huge upset by defeating Jake "The Snake" Roberts, but it would be a few weeks later that HTM got the most significant victory of his career. And that big battle over who had the better Full Nelson between Billy Jack Haynes and Hercules proved to be utter tosh as they battled to a weak double count-out. WrestleMania III was also the WrestleMania with the largest attendance, though NOT the number the WWF will tell you. It was a legit 78,000 people in the Pontiac Silverdome that evening, a few of those seats being papered.

And now WrestleMania III, as far as this programme recap is concerned, has officially been consigned to history. With Hogan still at the forefront of sports entertainment and a new face IC Champ in Ricky Steamboat to back him up, the WWF entered a whole new era, with many not sure who was next to be man enough to step up to Hogan. The eight month road to the Survivor Series starts here...

WWF WRESTLING CHALLENGE
Original Airdate: 5th April 1987
Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

The most I could say to Bobby Heenan at this point in time is that at least Harley Race won, WrestleMania III wasn't ALL that bad for you, was it??? This week on Wrestling Challenge, we'll have the first part of a series of vignettes to reintroduce Ken Patera to WWF fans, and Kamala, the Honky Tonk Man, the Islanders and Billy Jack Haynes will all be in action.

Al Navarro and Iron Mike Sharpe Vs The Islanders
One of many chances here to see Haku without the only reason I like him - his badarsed afro. Haku and Sharpe lockup, and Sharpe seems to get the early advantage. Sharpe gets a headlock and whips Haku, they collide and go again, and Haku gets a delayed bodyslam. As a prerecorded promo cut by the Islanders is shown in the corner of the screen, both Haku and Tama are in and they atomic drop their opponents in sync. Haku gives Sharpe a Chinese burn and tags in Tama. Tama heads to the top rope and chops down on Sharpe's arm that Haku was working on. Monsoon is pimping the Islanders as possible challengers to the Hart Foundation's tag team titles. Sharpe rams Tama into his corner and tags in Navarro. Tama with a flying body press on Navarro. Monsoon lists through all the good points about the Islanders, and Heenan adds another one, they don't have to worry about a gameplan because they can't remember one! Tama tags in Haku, they whip Navarro into the ropes and deliver a double chop to the chest. Open fist to the face by Haku on Navarro, followed by a whip to the ropes and a dropkick by Haku. Tama is tagged in, whips Navarro to the ropes and this time gives Navarro a single chop to the chest, sending Navarro down. Flying head takedown by Tama, and the Polynesian senses that the match is almost over. Haku is tagged in, he chops Navarro's chest and gives him a reverse cresent kick. Haku throws Navarro back into his own corner and Navarro tags in Sharpe. At this point, Bobby Heenan gets in his legendary humanoids reference, one of the earliest times I've ever heard him say it. Tama is tagged in, and Sharpe actually gets offence in, chopping Tama in the back. Tama is thrown to the jobbers' corner, and Navarro is tagged in. They double team Tama for a little while, but only for long enough so that Dave Hebner isn't irritated, and quickly Tama gets the advantage back for his team. Bodyslam by Tama, and Haku is tagged in. A kick by Haku, Navarro is whipped into the ropes, and Haku gets a clothesline. Tama is tagged in, and goes up top again. Vertical suplex by Haku sets up a flying splash by Tama, and Navarro is pinned for the three count.
Winners: The Islanders

The Wrestler's Rebuttal with Craig DeGeorge
Special Guest: "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Randy is genuinely pissed after having lost his IC title to Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III, and challenges everyone from Steamboat to Hulk Hogan to even WWF President Jack Tunney to a match with Savage so that he can show his aggression to the entire world.

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The Ken Patera Story
Part One
Monsoon introduces him as one of the greatest Olympians ever to enter the WWF, so he's much akin to the guy who currently holds the WCW Title then. Mean Gene Okerlund is the narrator for the story, which starts out with Patera's achievements at school in sports such as shotputting, which at one point he was third in the world at. Once at Brigham Young University, he directed his attention towards weightlifting (so he's an Olympian much in the sense of Mark Henry then). He won five gold medals in the Pan-American games, and got the bronze medal in the Isreali shooting-dominated Munich Games of 1972. The sequence cuts to a Jay Leno-style interview set where Vince McMahon marvels at Patera's medals, which Patera got in a World Championship tournament in Lima, Peru. I later worked out that this was from an earlier edition of the classic WWF programme Tuesday Night Titans, because I saw Lord Alfred Hayes in the background as Patera was bending a steel bar with just his neck. Patera is later shown using just his legs to hold a large car back in a parking lot. Mean Gene then acknowledged Patera's previous WWF run, said that he competed with his brother Dennis at Brigham Young and that his brother Jack was once the coach of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks. Patera formed an awesome tag team in the early 80s with Big John Studd, but his career would end up being ruined by having Bobby "The Brain" Heenan as his manager. Part Two of the story'll probably be shown next week.

Sivi Afi Vs The Honky Tonk Man w/ Jimmy Hart
Monsoon is relieved as Honky's not going to start off the match by singing. Heenan denies any wrongdoing involving Ken Patera as Monsoon pressures him over the situation. Sivi Afi gets the first offence in by chopping HTM's chest and bodyslamming him. Over the course of a prerecorded Honky Tonk Man promo in which he says that he has his guitar with him because Jake Roberts brings a snake with him to ringside, HTM takes over on offence. Honky uses the rope to choke Afi out, then HTM starts hammering on Afi's back. Monsoon says that HTM already has a snake with him at ringside - Jimmy Hart. You can tell how Hart is nicknamed "The Colonel" for Honky Tonk Man matches and "The Mouth Of The South" for matches involving The Hart Foundation and Adrian Adonis, he'll have just the guitar for Honky, but his megaphone for his other charges. HTM uses the ropes again as he drops to the outside choking Afi in the inside. Chants of "We Want Jake" erupt throughout the arena, and I hasten to add that this show was actually recorded BEFORE WrestleMania III, so the crowd had no idea that Honky won at the Silverdome so Roberts ain't s**t no more for Honky. Heenan says the fans are chanting "We Want You To Play (The Guitar)". Afi blocks HTM's punches and goes on a torrant of his own. Chops to Honky's chest, but HTM pushes Afi off as he attempts a flip in the corner. HTM signals for Shake, Rattle and Roll, and gets it for the win. Honky mimes his song for the crowd, and also mimes playing the guitar, but at least he mimes better than most pop bands on MTV today.
Winner: The Honky Tonk Man

Mean Gene has the mic, and FINALLY THE TORTURE IS OVER!!! Outback Jack has shown up in the USA!!! Jack says that Hulk Hogan's been looking after him since he's been in the States, but Jack's still been eating his kanga pies. I've actually eaten kanga pie, kangaroo meat is good, I recommend it to anyone. The two of them pimp the fact that the WWF is worldwide and that a lot of the talent in the WWF impress Jack. I personally think that Outback Jack was the reason why Mick Foley wasn't initally employed as Cactus Jack - people would have thought that he'd just be Outback Jack returning with a beard. And so the WWF's short-lived enfatuation with all things Australian begins.

The Gladiator Vs Billy Jack Haynes
Unless you had true beef on you back in the 80s, wearing a mask meant that you are a jobber, and here we have The Gladiator, all hooded up. Gladiator gets a few blows on Haynes, but Haynes isn't selling them. Kicks and chops by the Oregon native, an Irish whip to the ropes and an elbow to the chest by Haynes. It appears that after his feud with Hercules, BJH has a new rival in "The Natural" Butch Reed, as he and his manager Slick cut a promo on Haynes in the corner of the screen as Haynes gives Gladiator a dropkick. Haynes claps Gladiator's ears between his thick arms, and works on him in the corner. At this point, Monsoon and Heenan pimp the fact that WWF Magazine as of that time now comes out monthly, and has come out monthly ever since, along with RAW Magazine as an addition every month. Chops to the chest by Haynes, sends Gladiator springing to the other corner, and Haynes locks on the Full Nelson, to which Joey Marella doesn't hesitate in calling for the bell.
Winner: Billy Jack Haynes

Mean Gene's back, and he's bringing in future Horseman Paul Roma. Hang on, wasn't Paul Roma a jobber at that time? Mean Gene believes that Paul Roma will be a champion in the WWF - the furthest Roma got in the WWF was tagging with Hercules as Power & Glory in the early 90s. Roma mainly talks about his training regime, nothing else interesting to report.

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Sam Cody Vs Kamala w/ Mr Fuji and Kim Chee
Guess that Curtis Iuekea's contract was up then. I wrote a rant up at The Wrestle Rant Board - the site which I now solely run, saying that I had Kamala higher up as a rolemodel than Mick Foley. Don't watch this match for evidence, however, just watch his skit with William Regal at WrestleMania XVII. This is Mr Fuji's first match as Kamala's manager, probably to get himself more TV time seeing as his only other charges at the time were Bob Orton and Don Muraco. Sure enough, "The Grand Wizard" Curtis Iuekea is shown in the corner of the screen in a promo handing power of Kamala over to Mr Fuji. Cody is a hairy-arsed git, so I WANT Kamala to make short work of him. Oh dear, appears RD Reynolds would have loved this edition, Monsoon and Heenan are now pimping WWF Ice Cream Bars. Short summary of the match... Kamala basically kills Sam Cody, splashes him, goes up top, hits Air Kamala, gets the victory. After the match, Kamala goes up top for another Air Kamala, but Kim Chee and Mr Fuji stop him. Stretcher job for Sam Cody, whilst he's in hospital, CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE SHAVE HIM???
Winner: Kamala

The Snake Pit w/ Jake The Snake Roberts
Special Guest: Blackjack Mulligan
And Blackjack Mulligan... PIMPS WWF ICE CREAM BARS??? Now I've seen everything!!! No reason for Steveweiser to live anymore. It's cringing enough to see Jake Roberts eating the stuff, but when Mulligan pulls one out that has BBQ Sauce on it (possibly Good Ol' JR's special reciepe), god damn is all I have to say. Mulligan makes himself out to be a jackarse by saying they come in jalepeno and chilli flavours, and that he takes a six-pack out when he's on the range. Hang on, if I'm not mistaken, the range is somewhere hot, so won't these bars melt? So now I know exactly what to use in order to get Jake Roberts off of crack! Barry Blaustein would be proud.

"The Outlaw" Ron Bass Vs Joe Mirto
I'm saying this right now - this is the most depressing hour of television I've EVER had to sit through! Apparantly Ron Bass has a feud going on with Blackjack Mulligan, me'd think Bass would win if Mulligan doesn't get his attention off of those damn Ice Cream bars. Hip toss by Bass, an elbow drop, a whip to the ropes and basic arsekicking by Ron Bass here. Monsoon and Heenan spend the entire match STILL talking about those Ice Cream bars. Bass spends most of the match using brute force on Mirto, even biting him at one point. Note to self, never watch another Ron Bass match. FINALLY! Something resembling a wrestling move! Bass whips Mirto across the ring and elbows him down to the canvas. Another elbow, more precisely the Outlaw Elbow, gets the job done for the pinfall win. The only thing for you to do now is to go to Forest Hill Cemetary on Wednesday, when I will be laid to rest due to suicide after watching such a s**te match as this.
Winner: "The Outlaw" Ron Bass

Decided not to kill myself after all. It's Mean Gene Okerlund with a WrestleMania III recap. All the events from WMIII are shown, some of the endings complete, others are just stills. They didn't show Hogan bodyslam Andre, but they did show the rollup that gave Ricky Steamboat the IC Title. My opening summation of this recap more or less sums up what went down.

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Outback Jack is shown outside some sort of complex taking off his clothes ready to dip into a harbour, and a policeman stops him. Jack makes himself look like an utter prat in that segment, as that was it for the segment.

Jerry Allen Vs Greg "The Hammer" Valentine w/ Lucious Johnny V and Dino Bravo
And they STILL talk about Ice Cream Bars. Makes me want to go get some Mars real bad. As Allen takes control of the match early on, the former member of the Dream Team, Brutus Beefcake cuts a promo on Valentine, Bravo and Johnny V in the corner of the screen. Bodyslam by Valentine and a fist to the canvas by The Hammer. Two-count on Allen by Joey Marella. Valentine misses an elbow, and Allen takes advantage by whipping The Hammer into the corner and whipping his arse. Flip kick by Allen gets two by Marella. Valentine gives the Ric Flair beg-off, I would have wished at that point for Heenan to break out a "Be Fair To Valentine", but that doesn't quite work, so Heenan doesn't do it. Allen uses the ropes to propel Valentine back down to the canvas, and that gets Allen a two-count. Allen misses a leg drop, letting The Hammer back into the match, whilst Monsoon and Heenan talk about the WWF Fan Club. Talk about not putting the match over, this is the best match of the programme! Allen goes for another flip in the corner, but Valentine gets an inverted atomic drop in instead. Vertical bodyslam by Valentine, and this sets up the Figure Four Leglock for the submission victory. Notice how Monsoon and Heenan say that Valentine's Figure Four is "patented"? Seems obvious that Valentine at the time was groomed to be the WWF's Ric Flair, that is until Flair himself joined the WWF four years later.. I could go on all day with the comparisons, just not here in this recap. As Valentine and Johnny V celebrate, Dino Bravo lays a kicking into Jerry Allen. And they show some kid in the audience eating... you know what. Wonder how much the WWF gave HIM in order to shill. As that is shown, Monsoon throws to Mean Gene, and Heenan thinks that Mean Gene's gonna interview the Ice Cream Kid. Hahaf'nha.
Winner: Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

Mean Gene's got "The Mouth Of The South" Jimmy Hart with him. Hart wants to talk about his accolades in 1987, but Mean Gene says that his suit looks as though it's from 1954. Jimmy Hart brings on "Dangerous" Danny Davis, the former referee who was sacked by the WWF for favouring the heels in big title matches and has resorted to being a wrestler. Davis brags about pinning Davey Boy Smith in the big six-man tag at WrestleMania III, and decides to challenge Koko B Ware (and his parrot Frankie) next. Davis says that he must be good if Jimmy Hart signed him up to be a wrestler. Mean Gene questions Hart's reasoning for signing Davis up, and Hart says that Mean Gene's going too far, and the interview ends with Hart and Davis threatening to knock Mean Gene's block off.

That's it for this week on Wrestling Challenge here on Sky Sports, and next week, footage will be shown of a recent match between the Iron Sheik and Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and fresh ring action will be shown featuring Demolition, "The Natural" Butch Reed and The Killer Bees, plus Part Two of the series of Ken Patera vignettes (I assume). For Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, I'm Steveweiser, still looking for writers, so head down to the link below where I'll hook you up! End of show.

STEVEWEISER
THE WRESTLE RANT BOARD
WHERE WE F'N TALK AND YOU F'N LISTEN!!!