WWF Madison Square Garden – April 30, 1990

April 30, 1990

From Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY

Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon and Lord Alfred Hayes

Tonight, we will see Hulk Hogan vs. Earthquake, Bushwhackers vs. Rhythm & Blues, Big Bossman vs. Ted DiBiase, and Barbarian vs. Jimmy Snuka

Haku w/ Bobby Heenan vs. Hercules

Both men take turns backing each other into the corner. Hercules runs over Haku then works a side headlock on the mat. Haku bails after a brief flurry of offense then returns as the two fight over an arm wringer. Hercules takes control and works the arm for a bit. Haku cheap shots Hercules against the ropes in a spot that made Hercules look like a moron the poses as Hercules is out on the floor. Haku takes control and even chokes out Hercules with his own chain as the announcers call the ref” stupid.” Haku starts raking the back then puts on a nerve hold. Hercules fights back and they slug it out until Haku rakes the eyes. Haku sets up for a splash but Hercules gets his knees up as both men are down. Hercules starts firing away then takse Haku down with a knee lift but gets tossed outside after some showboating. Hercules wins a slugfest outside of the ring then both men return where Haku breaks up a susnet flip with a throat thrust then drops down with a cocky cover but Hercules reverses and gets the win (11:51) *.

Thoughts: Certainly not the most exciting way to open the show. Hercules at least tried a little but Haku was a total slug in this match. The nerve hold spot was awful too. I was a bit shocked to see Haku lose as Hercules had nothing going at the time and Haku was recently a tag champion.

Paul Diamond vs. Jim Powers

Powers also uses the “Crank it Up” theme song and still wears the Young Stallions colors. Diamond agitates Powers to start as Lord Alfred talks about Powers needing to calm himself down. Powers takes Diamond down with a monkey flip after an Irish whip sequence then hits a slam. Diamond heads outside after Powers grazed him with a dropkick then takes a breather. Powers slingshots Diamond back inside and follows with a suplex before working the arm for a while. Heenan joins on commentary as Diamond backs Powers into the corner. Powers misses a charge but clotheslines Diamond after he was taunting the fans. Heenan tells us he is protesting Haku’s loss as Powers goes back to the arm. Diamond uses Powers momentum to toss him outside then knocks him off the apron a few times. Diamond beats on Powers until he is caught with an inverted atomic drop. Powers hits another atomic drop then uses turnbuckle smashes in the corner. Powers gets a nearfall with a dropkick then tries a powerslam but Diamond turns that into a small package and gets the win (9:53) *1/2.

Thoughts: A bit more energetic than the opener but still nothing to write home about. Diamond was just signed to the company and was primarily doing enhancement work on TV but was able to pick up a win here. He did now show much here by playing a generic heel despite being a solid worker in the ring.

Rhythm & Blues come out with Jimmy Hart. Honky Tonk Man tells us they want to sign and they perform their theme song. Much like the WrestleMania VI segment, this lasted too long.

Bad News Brown vs. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Bad News refuses to start the match until the snake bag is put in the corner. Jake works the arm on the mat then tries to reach the snake bag as Bad News pulls him away. Bad News slips out of a DDT attempt then heads outside where he yells at the fans but gets freaked out when too close to the bag. Back inside, Jake tries another DDT but Bad News escapes then drags Jake outside where they slug it out. Bad News lures Jake back inside then stomps away. He beats on Jake and tosses him outside before moving the bag away from Jake so he can beat on him. The ref prevents Bad News from taking a chair to the bag and that allows Jake to fight back. Back inside, Jake signals for the DDT but Bad News grabbed the ropes as Jake hits the mat. Jake is tossed back outside then Bad News tosses the bag underneath the ring. Back inside, Bad News beats on Jake then grabs the mic and tells the crowd he is going to beat Jake in the middle of the ring. Bad News takes his time and plays to the crowd but Jake ends up suckering him into a DDT. Jake is up first then drapes his arm over Bad News and gets the win (12:55) **1/4. Heenan says Bad News must have loaded the DDT as Gorilla tells him to stop. After the match, Jake is pissed because he cannot find his bag. The fans tell him where it is but by the time he gets it out Bad News was able to escape.

Thoughts: I liked the psychology here as it played into the storyline of Bad News being afraid of snakes. Bad News did a great job with his facial expressions and both guys kept the crowd engaged even if it wasn’t the most exciting match.

Nikolai Volkoff vs. Jose Luis Rivera

Volkoff hits Rivera with the flag before the match. Rivera takes it and chases Volkoff away but gets kicked down as the ref tried to take it away. Volkoff goes to work and targets the back. Rivera comes back with an atomic drop then backs Volkoff into the corner. The announcers are surprised that Boris Zhukov is not with Volkoff as Gorilla jokes his head got stuck in the cab. Volkoff tosses Rivera outside but Rivera fights back. Volkoff then comes back with a spin kick and then an inverted atomic drop before biting Rivera in the forehead. Rivera comes back with a sunset flip then lands some shots in the corner. They go back-and-forth briefly until Rivera misses a charge and gets hit with the Russian Sickle as Volkoff picks up the win (5:23) 1/4*.

Thoughts: This was awful but actually not as bad as I feared. The announcers talking about Zhukov’s whereabouts was the key going forward.

Rhythm & Blues w/ Jimmy Hart vs. The Bushwhackers

The Bushwhackers clear the ring to start as the announcers talk about how much they smell. They work over Honky’s arm as Heenan makes fun of Gorilla for messing up how the Bushwhackers are cousins. Honky finally tags out then Butch starts up a “greaseball” chant that the crowd gets behind. Rhythm & Blues tease leaving altogether but end up returning. Valentine taunts the fans after knocking down Luke but gets bit in the ass. The Bushwhackers now beat on Valentine then we get some comedy that leads to Valentine accidentally knocking down his partner. Honky is able to take control and beat on Luke for a bit. Rhythm & Blues cut off the ring but Valentine accidentally hits Honky then Luke makes the tag. Butch runs wild then the match breaks down. Luke takes a chair away from Honky and chases him backstage but Valentine rolls inside after running Butch into the post and gets the win via countout (13:01) *. After the match, Valentine beats on Butch until Luke runs out and hits him with the chair. The Bushwhackers then march around and take Valentine outside with the battering ram.

Thoughts: The crowd was into some of the Bushwhackers antics but this went on forever and some of the spots were just embarrassing as opposed to comical. This feud continues.

Dino Bravo w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Red Rooster

Bravo taunts the crowd after shoving down Rooster. He backs Rooster into the corner then hammers away before working a rear chinlock. Rooster gets a nearfall with a backslide but Bravo chops him down and hits a slam. Elbow drop gets two. Fist drop gets two. Rooster falls to the mat after getting sent into the corner but Bravo heads up top and takes too long as Rooster gets up and catches him with a punch. Rooster hits a clothesline that gets two then hits a jawbreaker. Rooster gets two with a flying chop but Bravo reverses an Irish whip and hits a side slam for the win (4:45) DUD.

Thoughts: Well, take Bravo and Rooster, who would quit several weeks later and gave no fucks at all in this match and you get this garbage match. Just terrible stuff and Rooster was actually worse than Bravo here.

“Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase w/ Virgil vs. Big Bossman

DiBiase stalls to start the match by staying outside with Virgil. Bossman grabs the mic and tells DiBiase to get inside before he kicks his ass as the crowd goes wild. Bossman avoids a sneak attack then takes DiBiase down after some turnbuckle smashes. Bossman fires away then hits an inverted atomic drop as he stays in control. DiBiase rolls outside but Bossman follows and hammers away. Back inside, Bossman punches down DiBiase then heads up top but misses a splash. Virgil slips DiBiase the nightstick as Bossman gets whacked. DiBiase beats on Bossman then knocks him outside where Virgil lands a few shots. DiBiase heads out to chop Bossman then heads back in where he gets a nearfall with a clothesline. DiBiase stays on the attack then uses a bearhug. DiBiase hits a double ax handle from the middle rope that gets two but he tries it again and gets hit in the gut. Bossman runs wild then slingshots Virgil inside and punches him around but DiBiase sneaks in from behind and puts Bossman in the Million Dollar Dream. Bossman is able to reach the ropes then Virgil lands a cheap shot behind the ref’s back. DiBiase hits a few chops but ducks his head for a backdrop and Bossman puts him in a small package for the win (11:18) **1/2. After the match, DiBiase & Virgil beat on Bossman, who fights back and clears the ring with his nightstick.

Thoughts: Match of the night. It was solid but no more than that. Bossman has adapted really well to the face role and the weight loss is quite noticeable too. So far, this has been a good feud.

Bad News heads out to the ring and says what happened tonight was not fair as he does not bring in any bags or snakes, unlike his opponent. Bad News then says the next time we see him he’ll have a bag and it will contain the nastiest, smelliest rat he can find in the sewers of Harlem.

The Barbarian w/ Bobby Heenan vs. “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka

Barbarian bails after getting headbutted. He talks with Heenan before heading inside where he blocks a hip toss then hits a clothesline. Barbarian tosses Snuka outside in an ugly spot then brings him in and hits a knee smash. He follows with a backdrop then works a bearhug for a while but Snuka escapes then hits a splash for a nearfall. Snuka tries a crossbody but Barbarian rolls through and grabs the tights but only gets two then the Barbarian boots Snuka and rolls him up with his feet on the ropes for leverage and gets the win (6:40) DUD.

Thoughts: Man, did this suck. These two had no chemistry and the finish looked awful. Snuka was a liability in the ring for the most part at this point. He was messing up a lot of spots.

Earthquake w/ Jimmy Hart vs. Hulk Hogan

Earthquake attacks Hogan before the bell as Hogan’s music is still playing. The bell rings with Earthquake still in control. Hogan avoids an elbow drop then gets up and rips off his shirt before firing away. He gets Earthquake to one knee then calls for a slam but ends up chasing Hart off of the apron, allowing Earthquake to attack from behind. Hogan is rammed into the post a few times then they head back inside where Earthquake hits a powerslam. Earthquake gets a two count after a few elbow drops. Earthquake targets the back but Hogan gets in some offense and hits mounted punches in the corner. Hogan signals for a slam but Earthquake falls on top and gets two. Earthquake locks on a bearhug but Hogan is able to keep his arm up after the third attempt then he hammers away. Earthquake runs over Hogan then stomps around before hitting the sitdown splash but Hogan kicks out at two then starts to hulk up as the crowd goes nuts. Hogan catches Earthquake with the big boot then the leg drop but Hart runs in for the save as the ref rules this a DQ (8:39) **. After the match, Hogan tosses Hart at Earthquake, who puts Hart aside and goes after Hogan but ends up getting slammed. Hogan then poses to close out the show.

Thoughts: The match itself was fine but I was surprised to see Hogan get this much in soon with his opponent. He kicked out of the splash with ease and had it won before Hart interferred and he even got his comeuppance at the end after slamming Earthquake. They did not do much for a return match but the Garden was closed for repairs until the Fall (and they ran this match again in November) so it didnt matter much at the end I suppose and the fans got to leave happy.

We then hear from Hart & Earthquake backstage. They tell Hogan he was lucky and promise it will be “hospital city” for Hogan the next time they meet.

Final Thoughts: If this show makes it on the WWE Network, you just go right ahead and pick something else to watch. There was no match worth seeking out and the crowd, only 9,500 despite Hogan/Earthquake being built up well on TV, were not very lively at all and with good reason.