WWF Nassau Coliseum – July 10th, 1989

July 10, 1989

From the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone and Sean Mooney

Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Tim Horner

Sharpe stalls to begin the match as the announcers put over Horner’s ability. Horner catches Sharpe with a hip toss then a dropkick as Sharpe takes a breather outside. Horner slingshots Sharpe back inside and gets two with a crossbody. Sharpe rolls back outside after getting dropkicked once again and heads all the way up the aisle. He returns and grabs a side headlock but Horner comes back with a monkey flip. He then tries mounted punches in the corner but Sharpe hits him with an inverted atomic drop then takes control of the match using basic heel offense. Horner counters a piledriver with a backdrop then they trade chops in the corner. Sharpe misses a charge then Horner fires away as Sharpe is tied up in the ropes but Sharpe escapes and pulls down the ropes as Horner dumps out to the floor. Sharpe uses some forearm smashes to the chest but Horner slingshots in with a sunset flip for two. Sharpe sends Horner down with a clubbing forearm to the back then uses a bearhug. Horner eventually escapes and even bites Sharpe. Horner fires away and gets two with a back elbow smash. Snap suplex gets two. Sharpe avoids a dropkick then drops an elbow as that gets two. Horner jumps on top of Sharpe and applies a sleeper then slides down and takes him over with a sunset flip and that gets the win (11:27) *1/2.

Thoughts: Horner was game but Sharpe was just awful here and his dreadful offense slowed things down. These guys were just TV enhancement talent anyway so its not like the match mattered to the crowd but Horner was another smaller, underappreciated wrestler who was never going to get a chance in the WWF.

The Warlord vs. Koko B. Ware

Koko uses his speed to frustrate the Warlord and this lasts for a few minutes. Warlord catches Koko in a bearhug and uses that for a few minutes. Warlord now flexes after tossing Koko down then continues to target the back. Koko avoids a charge in the corner then starts firing away. He heads up top and gets only a one count with a missile dropkick. Koko staggers the Warlord against the ropes but charges and gets backdropped to the floor. Koko eventually slingshots back in with a sunset flip but that only gets one then the Warlord hits a clothesline and that gets the win (6:55) 1/2*.

Thoughts: It was really a game of cat-and-mouse but it went on for too long. Anyway, its about the best you can hope for out of the Warlord and a simple psychology to follow as Koko could play his role well.

Hercules vs. Mr. Perfect

Both guys mouth off at each other then Perfect bails after slapping Hercules across the face. Perfect continues to agitate Hercules as he keeps rolling outside. Perfect then cheap shots Hercules and fires away in the corner but Hercules turns the table and ends up punching Hennig over the top rope. Back inside, Hercules rams Perfect into the corner then grabs a side headlock. Perfect takes some good bumps as Hercules whips him into the corner. The fans are really into seeing Perfect getting tossed around. Hercules catches Perfect in a bearhug but Perfect escapes with an eye rake. Perfect attacks Hercules in the corner but ends up getting slammed down. Perfect rolls out on the apron and ends up snapping Hercules’ neck off of the top rope as he takes control. Perfect gets two with an elbow drop then starts attacking the neck. He applies a chinlock then uses a neck snap but also hurts his back in the process. He finally covers and that gets two before he beats on Hercules in the corner. Hercules fights back but Perfect tosses him outside by his tights. Perfect knocks Hercules off of the apron but Hercules gets up and fights back. He fires away in the corner then hits a knee lift as Hennig does a 360 bump. Hercules gets him up for the neckbreaker but the bell rings, signaling a 15 minute limit has been reached (16:47) **1/4.

Thoughts: Decent match. Both guys were kept strong with the finish and the crowd was into seeing Hennig take his bumps. Unlike Dolph Ziggler today, Hennig bumped like he did and it got the crowd to react and Hennig’s offense looked really good too.

Jose Luis Rivera vs. The Genius

The Genius’ poem was about Brutus Beefcake & Hulk Hogan not being able to defeat Randy Savage & Zeus. The Genius stretches in the corner after the bell rings then offers a handshake. Rivera accepts but The Genius takes him over. The Genius does a cartwheel after hitting a headscissors takeover as he taunts the crowd. Rivera comes back with a headscissors of his own then hits a pair of slams as The Genius bails. Rivera hits a pair of arm drags and sends The Genius back outside with a dropkick as The Genius is upset. The Genius comes back in and rakes the eyes as he now headbutts Rivera in the corner. Rivera catches The Genius with an inverted atomic drop then follows with a knee smash to the mid-section. The Genius fights back and beats on Rivera in the corner. The Genius points at his head to tell us how smart he is as a “boring “chant can be heard from the front row. He dropkicks Rivera off of the apron but Rivera fights back. He hits The Genius with a flying axe handle then runs wild, or as wild as he can get. He hits a slam then follows with a fist drop for two. The Genius comes back with an eye rake then fires away and gets two with a snapmare. The Genius taunts Rivera to get up as we get more “boring” chants. He gets two with a somersault senton then stomps away. Rivera kicks The Genius down and starts firing away but ends up ducking outside as Rivera was about to fight back. The Genius then trips Rivera up and heads back inside where he stays on the attack and finally puts Rivera away with a top rope somersault senton (13:07) *1/2.

Thoughts: Man, the crowd hated this match. Personally, it was mostly action and its the best I’ve seen Rivera move since the early 80’s. The Genius gimmick was still in its infancy but the crowd seemed bored with it more than anything else.

Hillbilly Jim & King Duggan vs. Andre the Giant & Haku

Andre & Haku refuse to enter the ring and head back up the aisle as Duggan & Hillbilly are holding their 2×4 and horseshoe. Referee Danny Davis then threatens Andre & Haku with a fine if they do not enter and both guys finally come back to the ring. The crowd is jacked for this match. Things finally settle down and the match begins with Duggan and Haku in the ring. The finally lockup and end up in a break. Duggan takes control and works the arm for a bit. Hillbilly tags in and grabs a side headlock but Andre comes in to break it up as the match breaks down. Andre holds Hillbilly up for Haku but accidentally gets hit with a thrust kick. Andre is tied up in the ropes as Hillbilly & Duggan pick up Haku and use him as a battering ram. Andre finally fights out as he decks Hillbilly down then hammers away. Haku tags back in and gets two off of a dropkick. Backbreaker gets two. Andre comes in now, without tagging, and starts beating up Hillbilly and chokes him out in the corner while Haku distracts the ref. Haku is in and works a chinlock for a while. Andre punches Hillbilly from the apron then Haku applies a bearhug before ramming him into the corner. More “USA” chants break out as we get a slugfest. Haku misses an elbow drop that Hillbilly did not fully move out of the way for as Duggan tags in and runs wild. He uses a double noggin-knocker as Andre falls on top of Haku. Andre then knocks Duggan down and starts mocking his chants before taunting the ref. Andre uses a bearhug but sends Duggan into the corner with a headbutt as Duggan escaped. Duggan tries to fight back and puts on another bearhug as Duggan just beats the three count. Andre misses a corner thrust as Duggan is able to make the tag. Hillbilly fires away in the corner but Andre hits a headbutt then tags Haku, who connects with a thrust kick. Andre chases Duggan off of the apron but Duggan goes underneath the apron and grabs the 2×4 and whacks Haku behind the ref and Andre’s back as Hillbilly covers and gets the win (14:13) **.

Thoughts: Despite those involved in this match, I thought this was surprisingly decent. The crowd was red-hot and the guys worked harder than usual. Andre moved around better than he has in a long time too.

Sandy Beach vs. Paul Roma

Beach takes control early but Roma does not fall for a drop down and it ends up in an awkward spot as Beach points to his head like he did something smart but had a clueless look on his face. Beach bails after Roma takes him down with a hip toss then Roma hits a running powerslam and starts firing away. Roma works the leg for a bit then Beach bails and hobbles around. Beach returns but Roma takes him down and goes back to work on the leg. Beach fights back and hits a backbreaker before applying a reverse chinlock. Beach keeps going back to the chinlock then decides to go up top where he gets slammed off. Roma yells at Beach to get up then fires away. He clotheslines Beach and follows with a suplex before putting him away with a powerslam (11:02) 1/2.*

Thoughts: Good lord did Beach suck as a wrestler. He was just incompetent here. Roma’s offense looked good as usual but he was also downgraded to TV enhancement talent at this time.

“Macho Man” Randy Savage w/ Sensational Sherri vs. Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake

Sherri distracts Beefcake, allowing Savage to attack from behind. Back inside, Beefcake fights back and uses his coat to choke out Savage. Beefcake avoids a corner charge then follows with a crossbody for a two count. Sherri is back on the apron as Beefcake takes a swing then he catches Savage with a punch. Beefcake gets two with a high knee but ducks his head for a backdrop and gets kicked in the face. Beefcake does come back and sends Savage over the top rope with a backdrop as Sherri is screaming as she helps him to his feet. Beefcake heads out as Savage uses Sherri as a Shield but Beefcake decks Savage anyway. They head back inside where Sherri grabs Beefcake’s leg while Savage sends him to the floor. Sherri rams Beefcake into the post then Savage goes out to land some punches. Back inside, Savage stays in control. He gets two off of a clothesline as Sherri is screaming for him to beat on Beefcake. Savage drops Beefcake throat-first on the rope for two as Sherri screams at the ref to count faster. Beefcake manages a backslide for two but Savage gets up and tosses him to the floor. Sherri rakes Beefcake across the back as Sherri slowly backs up while Beefcake goes after her as that allows Savage to attack from behind. Sherri continues to attack Beefcake when the referee is not looking while Savage also chokes out Savage. Beefcake blocks a turnbuckle smash then they end an Irish whip sequence with a double clothesline as both men are down. Beefcake gets up first but Savage pulls the ref’s leg as Sherri yanks Beefcake down. Savage tries a slam but Beefcake counters with a small package for two. Beefcake misses a corner splash but is able to catch Savage coming off the top then starts firing away as the crowd goes nuts. Sherri tries to pull Savage outside but Beefcake yanks Savage back in and eventually puts him in the sleeper. The crowd goes nuts but Sherri runs in with Beefcake’s barber bag and hits him for the DQ (12:44) **3/4. Savage tries to attack Beefcake from behind but ends up accidentally hitting Sherri as the two then flee up the aisle while Beefcake struts around.

Thoughts: Fun match. Sherri was great here and the crowd was rabid. Not as good as their match later this month on “Saturday Night’s Main Event” but still quite enjoyable.

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Twin Towers vs. Demolition (c)

Both teams brawl as soon as the bell rings. Bossman gets dumped as Demolition beats down Akeem. Demolition stay in control until Bossman hits Ax low and tags out. The Towers cut off the ring for a bit until Bossman ducks his head for a backdrop and gets hit in the back. Smash tags in as Demolition are back in control. Akeem breaks up a double suplex attempt as the Towers are now beating on Smash in their corner. They stay in control for a while as they continue to cut off the ring. Bossman catches Smash with a spinebuster but taunts Ax instead of covering. Smash catches Bossman with a rollup for two but ends up getting kicked in the ribs. Bossman misses an attack on the ropes then Smash makes the tag but the ref did not see it as Akeem provided a distraction. Bossman gets two after Akeem dropped an elbow but ends up whiffing on a clothesline then Smash takes him down with one as both men are down. Smash makes the tag as Ax runs wild. Bossman grabs the nightstick but accidentally hits Akeem then Ax covers as Smash traps Bossman in the corner and Demolition retains (11:04) *1/2.

Thoughts: Not much of a match and it really did not get much heat at all. Despite their long reign, Demolition’s feuds were quite underwhelming.

Final Thoughts: A couple of the matches were entertaining but a lot of crap here too and nothing to go out of you way to watch. I would not recommend this show.

Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 7/15/89

Wednesday: Revolution Pro Live at the Cockpit 12 1/8/17

Thursday: Old School with One Man Gang

Friday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 7/16/89

Sunday: Mid-South Wrestling 5/27/82

Sunday: WWF Prime Time Wrestling 7/17/89

Monday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 7/22/89