WWF Championship Wrestling June 1st, 1985

Your hosts are Bruno Sammartino and Vince McMahon

Tonight’s main event is Hulk Hogan vs. Ken Patera in a non-title match. Plus, Paul Orndorff returns to the ring and a surprise wrestler makes his return in a non-wrestling role.

Howard Finkel welcomes the surprise wrestler to ringside, which happens to be Hillbilly Jim. The fans give him a huge ovation as he comes out on crutches.

Rotundo dodges a few attacks from the Ax and comes back with a dropkick. Windham tags and hits a few forearms before hitting the bulldog for the win (1:39).

Thoughts: Very short as the ex-champs continue to show aggressiveness as a result of losing their belts. This team is really over with the crowds.  

WWF Update with Lord Alfred Hayes. This week’s subject is Paul Orndorff and his troubles since WrestleMania, including the $25,000 bounty placed on his head by Bobby Heenan. Hayes says that Orndorff is ready for any wrestler that thinks the can collect the bounty.

Valentine backs Mancini in the corner and hammers away until referee Rita Marie backs him away. Valentine hits a back suplex then works the arm for a bit. He then works on the leg before slapping on the figure four leglock, getting the win via submission (2:53).

Thoughts: Valentine beating the shit out of jobbers is always a good time. I have it said many times but he was one of the best in-ring performers of 1985. Everything he did was awesome and he wasn’t coasting by like he did later on in the decade.

Freddie Miller runs down the June 22nd card at the Boston Garden. Hulk Hogan comes out and apologizes to the “normal” people in Boston for not “getting off” on Hulkamania during his last visit.  Hogan promises to cheap shot Big John Studd and slam him.

Gibbs and Atlas go at it before the bell. Atlas tosses Gibbs in the corner then uses a flying headscissors. Wells tags and puts Butler in a headlock but he gets trapped in the opposite corner. Wells ducks a double clothesline and comes back with a crossbody. The faces take turns working on the arm of Butler, who eventually tags out. The faces continue to beat on both men as Wells hits Butler with a flying shoulder tacakle. Atlas tags and hits a press slam before putting him away with a splash (3:15).

Thoughts: The duo of Atlas & Wells did not appear to have any chemistry at all. They were both just floundering at this time as Atlas was all fucked up on drugs and Wells came in and did nothing during his WWF stint. 

Freddie Miller is now with Bobby Heenan. He promises the crowder eaters in Boston that Studd will become the new WWF Heavyweight Champion. Studd goes on about how he put Andre the Giant out of the country and brings out his bag to hair.

The fans give Orndorff a standing ovation. He even plays up to the crowd a little bit. Orndorff goes full speed ahead and hits a few armdrags and a dropkick as Barry bails. Back in the ring, Orndorff hits a slam and works the arm as the crowd is going nuts, even starting a “weasel” chant. The camera shows Heenan in the aisle as Barry works on Orndorff in the corner. Orndorff fights back and hits him with a running knee smash. He then murders him with a clothesline before hitting the piledriver for the win (3:07). After the match, Orndorff stands on the middle turnbuckle and tells Heenan to come into the ring.

Thoughts: The fans are really buying Orndorff as a face. Plus, it is easy when your antagonist is Bobby Heenan, who was loathed by the fans.

Piper’s Pit with guest Jesse Ventura. Piper refers to Jesse as a “rockstar” as Jesse says he is not a “three dollar” star like Boy George and Prince. Jesse says that he saw Piper beat down Mr. T at WrestleMania and thinks that he should be the champion. Piper brings up Orndorff’s bounty a Piper does an impression of Orndorff by laying down on his back as Jesse counts to three. An alright segment, with the heels making fun off the faces.  

Neidhart pulls up on a dropkick attempt by Jones then he and Brett hammer away. Brett ducks his head and Jones kicks him then makes the tag. Neidhart knees Mirto in the back from the apron and the heels beat him down until they put him away with the Hart Attack (2:54).

Thoughts: The future Hart Foundation are starting to get a little bit of traction as a heel team, mostly due to them constantly being featured on TV.

The fans go out of their minds for Hogan. They lockup to start. Patera hammers away in the corner until Hogan reverses an Irish whip then follows with a clothesline. He slams him down before hitting another clothesline. Hogan suplexes him but runs into Patera’s knees off of a charge. The fans are going crazy as Hogan hulks up. He slams Patera and hammers away as Studd is now on the apron. They slug it out until Patera hits him from behind and the ref rings the bell for the DQ (3:05). Heenan comes in the ring with scissors but Orndorff runs out and tosses him away. Hogan and Orndorff then clear the ring of the heels as the entire building is going apeshit as the faces pose to the crowd.

Thoughts: This segment was fucking great and the slow turn that they built for Orndorff was just tremendous. I cannot say enough good things about this segment. This also started the partnership between Orndorff & Hogan, which would lead to a great feud the following year.

Freddie Miller is with Capt. Lou Albano. He promises that Windham & Rotundo will regain the tag belts. He then brings out George Steele, saying that he is suicidal, homicidal, schizophrenic, and that the doctor found a calcium deposit lodged into his medulla oblongata. They leave as Blassie comes out with Sheik & Volkoff. They accuse Windham & Rotundo of crying to their mother’s and even the promoters.

Next week, Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff are in action.

Final Thoughts: The Hogan/Orndorff segment will go down in history as one of the best in the history of “Championship Wrestling.” Everything else that happened in the show was an afterthought.