Blog Archives

Royal Rumble 1990

WWF Royal Rumble 1990
January 21, 1990
Orlando, FL
Orlando Arena

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Hulk Hogan (4/2/1989)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/28/1989)
World Tag Team Champions: Andre the Giant & Haku (12/13/1989)

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone & Jesse “Would Bone Minnie Mouse In A Heartbeat” Ventura! This would be Tony’s last WWF PPV, as he would be back in the NWA by April. Read the rest of this entry

Survivor Series 1989

WWF Survivor Series 1989
November 23, 1989
Rosemont, IL
Rosemont Horizon

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Hulk Hogan (4/2/1989)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/28/1989)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (10/2/1989)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)

ALRIGHT! They kick off the show with some mini-promos where the superstars get a chance to tell us what they are thankful for this year!

– The Hulkamaniacs and Hulk Hogan are thankful that Hulkamania still has a stranglehold on the WWF!
– Ted DiBiase is thankful that you are poor!
– Jake Roberts is thankful that he has a big, long, throbbing snake!
– Demolition are just thankful that they don’t have to fight each other! Me too!
– The newly-crowned Macho King is thankful that he’s the Macho King!
– Jim Duggan’s looking more cross-eyed than ever. Oh, and he’s thankful for the USA or something like that.
– Dino Bravo is thankful for what little English-speaking skills he possesses!
– Dusty Rhodes, if you will, is thankful for all those yellow dots on his black outfit. Really, Dusty? I figured you’d at least be thankful for like a turkey leg and some mashed potatoes and gravy and pumpkin pies. Anything but dots. Unless it’s Dipping’ Dots! MMM!
– Big Bossman is thankful that he can yell and sound very angry!
– Brutus Beefcake is, ahh who cares.
– Martel is thankful for his good looks. My goodness, can you blame the man?
– Rick Rude is thankful because he’s got such a bangin’ body. All joking aside and in a completely heterosexual way, he’s got the best body in wrestling history IMO.
– Roddy Piper is thankful he isn’t Rick Rude, or should I say, dead? Ouch.
– The Genius is thankful for…does anyone else find him a little on the queer side?
– Mr. Perfect is thankful for being just so dang perfect.
– The Bushwhackers are thankful for basically what Dusty Rhodes is truly thankful for; the opportunity for gluttony.
– Bobby Heenan is thankful for his Heenan Family! Even Tully?
– Hey, Ultimate Warrior doesn’t do the promo right!

Oh well, let’s get this show started.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura! Read the rest of this entry

WrestleMania V

WWF WrestleMania V
April 2, 1989
Atlantic City, NJ
Trump Plaza

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Randy Savage (3/27/1988)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/29/1988)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (3/27/1988)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)

This is the only WrestleMania to ever originate from the same location consecutively. On a little more interesting note, the WWF once again wasn’t able to air a WrestleMania without the NWA putting on an awesome Clash of the Champions up against it. Those who decided to watch the NWA over the WWF witnessed a 2/3-falls match with NWA World Champion Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair in a 60-minute classic. That is just WRONG to air that against this show. Funny, but so wrong.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse “The Jesse” Ventura! Read the rest of this entry

Saturday Night’s Main Event #20 (03.89)

WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event #20
March 11, 1989
Hershey, PA
Hershey Park Arena
(Taped on 2/16/1989)

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Randy Savage (3/27/1988)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/29/1988)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (3/27/1988)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)

WHAT? No random funny interviews to kick off the show? Oh well. Instead, we get a video of how the Mega Powers EXPLODED! Tonight, Elizabeth HAS to choose which egomaniac she will represent at WrestleMania V! Will it be Hogan or Savage? Find out on Saturday Night’s Main Event!

Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jesse “I visited Yale and all I got was this lousy sweatshirt” Ventura! Read the rest of this entry

Royal Rumble 1989

WWF Royal Rumble
January 15, 1989
Houston, TX
The Summit

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Randy Savage (3/27/1988)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/29/1988)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (3/27/1988)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura! For some reason, Jesse’s dressed like Rocky Balboa when he’s down on his luck. Read the rest of this entry

Survivor Series 1988

WWF Survivor Series 1988
November 24, 1988
Richfield, OH
Richfield Coliseum

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Randy Savage (3/27/1988)
Intercontinental Champion: Ultimate Warrior (8/29/1988)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (3/27/1988)
Women’s Champion: Rockin’ Robin (10/7/1988)

A lot in American wrestling changed in 1988: the AWA had basically gone to being the WORST promotion in the world, media mogul Ted Turner buys a major portion of the NWA (Jim Crockett Promotions) and attempts to salvage the mess that Dusty had made throughout the year, and then you had wrestlers who were either jumping ships or abandoning the ship altogether. What makes 1988 even worse is that we’re given major shows like this where you’ve got maybe one or two things going on that are interesting, is that everything else is just plum whacko.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Jesse Ventura! Read the rest of this entry

SummerSlam 1988

WWF SummerSlam 1988
August 29, 1988
New York City, NY
Madison Square Garden

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Randy Savage (3/27/1988)
Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man (6/2/1987)
World Tag Team Champions: Demolition (3/27/1988)
Women’s Champion: Sensational Sherri (7/24/1987)

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Superstar Billy Graham! Jesse Ventura has refereeing duties tonight. Read the rest of this entry

WrestleMania IV

WWF WrestleMania IV
March 27, 1988
Atlantic City, NJ
Trump Plaza

The current WWF Champs were as follows:
World Champion: Vacant
Intercontinental Champion: Honky Tonk Man (6/2/1987)
World Tag Team Champions: Strike Force (10/27/1987)
Women’s Champion: Sensational Sherri (7/24/1987)

Basically every review I’ve ever read of WrestleMania IV considers reviewing the show a mind-numbing task. Its 3½ hours long (I have the Anthology DVD version) and not the best quality wise, but it’s actually a historically significant show. The WWF World Title was declared vacant for the first time since 1962 a week or so after “The Main Event” show due to the “Twin Referees” scandal/angle, and a 14-man tournament was created. 14-man tournament you say? Yep, since Andre and Hulk both had claims to the belt, they received byes straight to the quarterfinals and were scheduled to meet each other there. With the on-going McMahon vs. Crockett wars, the Crocketts fired the next shot by putting on the rather awesome first-ever Clash of the Champions on TBS. Since WrestleMania began to bore the crap out of most of its buyers, they stopped watching and tuned in to the NWA. The cable companies were pissed about it because both they and the WWF lost millions of dollars as a result. To say the least, these were interesting times.

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura! Read the rest of this entry