WWF Madison Square Garden April 25th, 1988

April 25, 1988

From Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY

Your hosts are Lord Alfred Hayes and Gorilla Monsoon

The show starts with a brief clip of Randy Savage hyping up his first title defense against Ted DiBiase.

Brady Boone vs. Steve Lombardi

Before the match, Gorilla notes how Lombardi “graduated with honors” from the Terry Garvin School of Self Defense and how he has spent “numerous hours” with Pat Patterson learning his moves as well. Match starts with Lombardi hitting a slam. He taunts the crowd before attacking Boone after a break against the ropes. Boone catches Lombardi with a hip toss after an Irish whip sequence then hits a backdrop as Lombardi ducks outside for a breather. He comes back into the ring as Boone takes him down. Gorilla puts over the Scott Casey & Brady Boone team briefly as Lombardi misses an elbow drop. Boone works the arm for a while as the announcers talk about Bobby Heenan not being able to wear what he wore at WrestleMania IV ever again. Lombardi pancakes Boone then clotheslines him over the top rope and starts to flex. Lombardi beats on Boone briefly before bringing him back in with a slingshot. He gets nearfalls with a backbreaker and a small package before applying a chinlock. Boone almost escapes but Lombardi yanks him back down by the hair. Boone escapes and tries a splash but Lombardi gets his knees up then stomps away in the corner. Boone mounts a comeback but misses a corner splash then gets tossed outside. Lombardi snaps Boone’s neck off of the top rope then hits a clothesline for a nearfall. Boone blocks a suplex and hits one of his own as both men are down. Boone is up first and hits a running forearm and a knee lift. Boone comes back with a jumping back elbow smash then hammers away in the corner. He hits ten turnbuckle smashes before hitting a snap suplex. Boone heads up top but Lombardi cuts him off and hits a back suplex off of the middle rope. Lombardi is back is control until he eats boot on a charge. They work a reversal sequence until Boone puts him away with a bridging German Suplex (14:57) **1/2. The crowd popped for that win.

Thoughts: Believe it or not this was a solid opener. They even got the crowd engaged into the match, which is tough considering they are both strictly TV enhancement talent. Boone was an underrated worker and Lombardi is better than most people remember.

Dino Bravo and Ken Patera are in the ring. Bravo tells Patera he does not appreciate him disrespecting his bench press record as the crowd chants “USA.” Bravo then tells Patera his records have been broken a long time ago and he is now the World’s Strongest Man. He also wants to humiliate Patera by issuing an arm wrestling challenge. Patera accepts the challenge as they set this up in the ring. They finally get underway after Bravo complains and stalls over his grip. Patera ends up winning after Bravo complains that Patera cheated by pushing against the side of the table. They re-start but midway through, Bravo attacks Patera. He hits Patera with the table and tries to throw it on top of him as he lays out on the floor but the referee prevents it from happening. Chief Jay Strongbow and Arnold Skaaland carry Patera to the back as Gorilla is unsure if their scheduled match will take place tonight. Bravo is still in the ring posing until Howard Finkle informs us that the doctor stated Patera will not be able to wrestle tonight as Bravo wins the match. Bravo celebrates before leaving. Simple segment to further along their feud and build to a rematch. It was fine for what it was.

Bad News Brown vs. Bret Hart

Brown attacks Hart as soon as he enters the ring. He catches Hart with a hip toss the does some wacky celebration. Hart comes back with a hip toss and his own before. He hits a slam then sends Brown to the floor with an elbow smash. Back inside, Brown catches Hart with a mule kick but Hart floats over and pokes Brown in the eye. He hits another slam then poses to the crowd, which responds favorably, before backdropping Brown to the floor. Hart slingshots Brown back inside then catches him with an atomic drop. Hart hammers away in the corner but ends up running into a double boot on a charge. Brown heads up top but Hart slams him off. Hart hits an elbow drop from the middle rope then gauges Brown’s eyes. Hart goes for a backbreaker but Brown rakes his eyes mid-move then comes back with a clothesline as Gorilla refers to Brown’s finisher as the “ghetto blaster” for the first time I have heard on a WWF broadcast. Brown takes control of the match as he beats down Hart. And to be honest, it doesnt look very good at all. He misses a dive off of the top rope then Hart fires away. He hits a backdrop then lands mounted punches. Backbreaker gets two. He tosses Brown outside and follows out with an elbow smash. Hart slams Brown on the floor then heads back inside. Hart suplexes Brown in from the apron and gets two off of that. Hart hits a dropkick but misses an elbow drop. Brown lands a few shots but Hart comes back with a monkey flip. Brown ends up dumping Hart to the floor then follows out and tries a piledriver but Hart counters that with a backdrop. Back inside, Hart hits a piledriver but the bell rings, signaling the 20 minute time-limit draw has been reached (20:00) **1/2. Hart ends up slapping Brown repeatedly on the mat as Brown ends up bailing. Both men are pissed over the fact this ended in a draw.

Thoughts: Decent enough match but it dragged at times, especially when Bad News was on offense. He looked bad and gassed at the end. Hart worked is ass off and the crowd responded well to him here as his first singles push kicked off.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. One Man Gang

These two start off trying to knock each other down. Bigelow hits a falling headbutt after he dropped down then works the arm. He takes Gang over with an armbar and works that for a bit. Bigelow tries a sunset flip but Gang blocks that with a sitdown splash. Gang hammers the back of Bigelow. Gang works Bigelow over in the corner then works a nerve hold for a while. Bigelow escapes and they start slugging it out. Gang runs into a boot then Bigelow sends him down with a clothesline. He takes Gang down again with a shoulder block but Gang uses his momentum to shove a charging Bigelow through the ropes. Bigelow took one hell of a bump there. Bigelow gets attacked while trying to re-enter then starts smashing Gang’s head against the turnbuckle while standing on the apron but ends up getting counted out as Gang wins the match (9:12) **1/4. After the match, Bigelow hammers away on Gang then hits him with a slam as the fans go wild. Gang retreats up the ramp as Bigelow revs up the crowd.

Thoughts: An enjoyable big-man match. The ending was also designed to set up for a rematch and attempted to keep then strong.

WWF World Heavyweight Title Match: “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase w/ Virgil vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage (c) w/ Elizabeth

Savage jumps outside to back Virgil away from Elizabeth but that allows DiBiase to attack him from behind. DiBiase roughs up Savage outside of the ring until he gets shoved into the post. They head back inside where Savage dumps DiBiase as the crowd goes mental. Savage attacks the arm of Dibiase and targets that for a bit. DiBiase uses an eye rake to escape then beats on Savage in the corner. Savage comes back and boots DiBiase down but gets tossed outside after DiBiase pulled him by the trunks. DiBiase follows out and slams Savage into the guardrail a few times. Back inside, DiBiase hits an elbow smash then chokes out Savage on the mat. DiBiase gets two with a clothesline but complains to the ref, allowing Savage to fight back. DiBiase boots Savage to stop that and hits a suplex for another nearfall. Savage almost puts DiBiase away with a small package but DiBiase gets back up and starts beating on Savage. DiBiase targets the ribs but Savage comes back with a suplex as both men are down. Savage sells the ribs as DiBiase is up first and hits an elbow smash from the middle rope before applying a chinlock. DiBiase hits a slam then heads up top for his falling back elbow drop but misses as Savage rolled away. DiBiase eats boot on a charge as Savage is now in control. He snaps DiBiase’s neck off of the top rope then hits a flying double axe handle as the crowd is going crazy. Savage misses a charge then DiBiase inadvertently knocks down the referee. Savage clotheslines DiBiase then heads up top but Virgil cuts him off as Savage spills out to the floor. The referee finally gets up and starts to count as Savage ends up getting counted out (12:00) ***1/4. After the match, Virgil grabs the belt and puts it around DiBiase’s waist but Savage runs in with a chair as the heels bail and leave the belt behind.

Thoughts: The match was good and better than their bout at WrestleMania IV. However, it was really a springboard for their house show feud and these two would go on to have tremendous matches throughout the Spring and into the Summer. The crowd was rabid for Savage.

Gorilla interviews DiBiase backstage. He talks about Savage being a great athlete but not the caliber of someone like himself. He also said in his mind, he is the champion and that the gold will be around his waist after they met up again.

Now, Hercules is with Monsoon. He tells us that Bobby Heenan is here in spirit and that tonight, we will find out about the Ultimate Warrior. In reality, Heenan was teaming with the Islanders against the Bulldogs & Koko at the house show this night in Montreal.

Monsoon is now with Demolition and Mr. Fuji, who laughs about beating Strike Force for the titles and no matter how it happened, Demolition are the champs. Demolition said they will prove tonight how they are fighting champions.

Lord Alfred is with Elizabeth and Randy Savavge, who tells DiBiase he beat him clean at WrestleMania IV and was going to do it again tonight until Virgil interfered. Savage tells DiBiase tonight is the only victory he can get and that as champion, he is demanding a rematch against the challenger as he promises it will be the last time he ever wrestles for the belt. A tremendous interview by Savage. Great stuff.

Hayes is now with Strike Force. They are angry over getting robbed at WrestleMania IV and promise to keep fighting until they regain the belts.

Barry Horowitz vs. Jose Luis Rivera

Talk about “your cool down” match. These two start off by aggressively fighting over a lockup. Rivera catches Horowitz with a backdrop then starts working the arm. Horowitz yells at the crowd before Rivera works an arm wringer as a “boring” chant can be heard. Rivera goes back to the arm after catching Horowitz with a hip toss. He hits a dropkick then yet again, goes back to working the arm. Horowitz then outsmarts Rivera by after getting chased around the ring as he takes control of the match. He gets two off of a suplex then works a front facelock on the mat. Rivera manages a nearfall with a backslide but Horowitz gets up and rakes his face across the ropes. Horowitz now works a figure-four neck lock as more “boring” chants can be heard. He rolls up Rivera with a bridge after a knee lift as that gets two. Horowitz catches Rivera with a backbreaker then heads up top but Rivera slams him off. Rivera fires away then hits a backdrop. He hits a knee drop for a nearfall after a suplex. Horowitz gets dropkicked to the floor then Rivera tosses him back inside but gets caught with an elbow smash. Rivera proceeds to hit Horowitz with one of the more pathetic slingshots you will ever see. Horowitz avoids a dropkick then hits a Russian leg sweep for the win (10:39) *1/4. A few fans applaud the finish.

Thoughts: Horowitz tried but Rivera is a slug who operates at one speed, which is slow. This was a snoozer.

WWF Women’s Title Match: Desiree Petersen vs. “Sensational” Sherri (c)

Sherri nearly has a wardrobe malfunction as the ref has to help tie the back of her shirt. Sherri yells at the fans for taunting her as the match finally gets underway. Sherri breaks cleanly after backing Petersen against the ropes. Petersen then unloads on Sherri and gets two with a crossbody. She works the arm before catching Sherri with a slam for a nearfall. Sherri comes back with a chop then uses a mat slam but Petersen rolls her up for two. Petersen gets two with a dropkick then catches Sherri with a monkey flip. Sherri gets her foot on the rope after Petersen scooped her up for a slam then tackles her as she is now in control. Sherri beats on Petersen in the corner then tosser her over the top rope. Back inside, they work a double clothesline spot. Petersen is up first then it seems like Sherri botched a spot as she slipped trying to jump onto the middle rope. Petersen lands a few shots but Sherri ends up slamming her head off of the mat by her hair for the win (7:29) *1/2.

Thoughts: The match was okay but the ending was clearly botched by Sherri. The crowd did not care at all once the bell rang and the Womens Title has rarely even mentioned on TV at the time.

Hercules vs. Ultimate Warrior

Hercules attempts to attack Warrior with a chain but has it taken away from him as he bails. They stare each other down before finally locking up. They fight over a test of strength for a bit until Hercules bails. Warrior brings him back inside and takes him down with a chop. Warrior catches a kick attempt by Hercules after a terrible brawling sequence then flips him down. He chops Hercules hard in the corner but gets caught with a clothesline. However, Warrior pops right back up only to get shoved into the corner. Hercules hammers away but is unable to whip him out as Warrior clotheslines him down. Hercules is able to yank Warrior by the trunks as he spills outside. He boots kicks Warrior a few times from the apron as Gorilla marvels over the deltoid muscles of both men. Back inside, Hercules has Warrior down with a test-of-strength but Warrior powers out and backs Hercules into the corner. Hercules fights out and has Warrior tied up in the ropes. After that he works a bearhug for a bit until Warrior powers out. Hercules sends him back down with a back elbow smash. They then work a ridiculous collision spot ending with Warrior falling on top of Hercules as that gets a nearfall. Hercules almost puts Warrior away with a clothesline then Warrior catches him with a powerslam. Warrior then lands some punches and a clothesline before signaling for his finisher. He then hits Hercules with a press slam then covers for the win (12:48) *. They pan to the crowd, who are mostly giving him a standing ovation.

Thoughts: The match itself was quite terrible, as Warrior struggled mightily here, but they at least got the basic power stuff done and it had heat. Warrior winning cleanly seems to me that this program is just about over.

WWF Tag Team Championship Match: Strike Force vs. Demolition (c) w/ Mr. Fuji

The match breaks down right after the bell. Strike Force takes control early as Martel has Ax in a Boston Crab. The ref keeps trying to get Santana to the apron as Smash makes the save for his partner. Strike Force use quick tags to neutralize Smash. Ax tags as Strike Force take care of him as well. Fuji distracts the ref to allow Demolition to cheat as Ax is now in control. Martel gets tossed to the floor where Smash rams his back into the post. Fuji is on commentary stating how he is very happy now then runs back to the ring after Martel landed a sunset flip. Demolition are back in control but Martel fights back. He catches Smash with a boot as both men are down. Martel crawls over for the tag and makes it but the ref was distracted as Santana is back on the apron. Martel catches Ax with a jumping back elbow smash then makes the tag as Santana is a house of fire. He catches Ax with a fling forearm but Fuji distracts the referee, who then is distracted by Martel and Smash brawling in the corner. Fuji then hits Santana with his cane as Ax covers for the win (7:22) **3/4.

Thoughts: Intense match while it lasted. Strike Force did a really good job being intense as they are pissed over getting screwed at the titles. The fact Fuji interfered again means this feud is not over yet.

Final Thoughts: Overall, the show was okay. It was not big on star power but the action was solid for the most part and the company was continuing to line up their post WrestleMania IV feuds. However, there was not any must-see matches here and Savage/DiBiase had better house show matches in future so other than wanting to see how the company was shaping up post-Mania, I cannot recommend this show.