WWF All American Wrestling – September 22nd, 1985

This week it’s an All American episode from later in 1985, which was already a lot different than the first half of 1985. For those watching the episode, apologies for picking one with a constant tracking hiss.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHV6bVIX1sk

Starting off hot with a preview of Ricky Steamboat putting a beating on Mr. Fuji.

Hosted by Mean Gene Okerlund.

Tito Santana vs. Gino Carabello

Tito has the old, green belt with him, which prompts Gorilla to make a comment about him waiting for an updated version. Gino gets an early slam, but misses a pair of elbows as well as a splash that looked like he was jumping over him. Tito tries for the flying forearm early as Gino holds onto the ropes to avoid it. Jimmy Hart comes out to push himself as the manager of the year to Gorilla and Jesse on commentary, so Gorilla tells him to beat it. Tito goes to a side headlock before getting a back body drop and getting Carabello to submit to the figure four leglock. Not a lot to shout about, but Gino was happy to bump for anything and everything.

The WWF Is On Tour, which is interesting because they have a primitive little truck animation instead of the plane at this point.

Update, with Lord Alfred Hayes, commenting on Andre the Giant being a target for many wrestlers, including the newly Bobby Heenan-managed King Kong Bundy, the new partner of Big John Studd, who splashed Andre recently and had the entire locker room running out to stop him by the looks of things.

Tiger Chung Lee vs. Jimmy Jackson

Jackson reminds me of someone, although the best I can suggest initially is a muscular Sammy Davis Jr. He gets some stiff (as in clunky) shot in before Lee cuts him off with a chop. Jackson flips out of an armlock and gets a stomp to the gut, but another chop stops that. While infamous referee Jack Lotz gets into a conversation with Jackson, Tiger gets a side kick and finishes with a German suplex that almost flipped him over on his neck. Pretty rotten, with a green rookie keener to try stuff than a lazy veteran.

Promo time with Gene, starting off with Macho Man Randy Savage, plus Elizabeth. Gene tries to get a conversation going with Liz while Randy glares and then shuts it down, sending her off. Back to Macho, he could’ve had all the managers and all the beautiful women in his corner, so Elizabeth is honoured to be there. No apologies later, just a discussion that’ll be real, real bad. Randy cuts to his targets, Hulk Hogan and Tito Santana, with at least one being conquered.

Lanny Poffo vs. Adrian Adonis

Adrian is still in his biker gimmick, with Gorilla getting in early that he’s loaded on a few pounds, which Jesse struggles to defend. Adonis takes a hammerlock to the mat, then lays some knees in once they’re back on their feet, but gets backdropped and slammed and placed in a wristlock. Gorilla keeps on advocating for Adrian to lose some weight with Jesse as his trainer. Discussion moves to referee Fred Atkins, himself a former wrestler and in fact Adrian’s wrestling trainer. Adonis gets a reverse atomic drop and an incredible snap powerslam, with him turning Poffo from an almost upright position right over. Lanny’s out to the floor, with Adrian not letting him back in until Atkins blocks to allow him in. Abdominal stretch, and you can imagine Gorilla’s reaction to that. Poffo reverses, but gets hip tossed out again. Back in, Poffo gets his excellent punches in, which Adrian does almost a backflip bump for. Irish whip and a Ray Stevens bump, but Poffo puts his head down as Adonis comes off the ropes and a DDT is the finisher of choice for this match. Good match between two guys who were both up for it.

Public service announcement from Jimmy Hart, of all people, telling you to stay in school to stay on top.

Piper’s Pit, with Big John Studd and Bobby Heenan. Roddy throws to a clip from Hulk Hogan’s Rock and Wrestling, which is legendarily awful, and I’m pretty sure I reviewed a few episodes when I was doing cartoon reviews. Back from the clip with Piper looking at the Andre the Giant and Big John Studd wrestling figures. Roddy plays as Andre and Studd plays as himself, throwing out a dropkick that would NEVER happen in real life. Ace counts the pin on the Andre toy and Bobby holds out the bin for it to get chucked into. As far as product placement goes, I can live with it. Watch out for a bonus at the end of the review.

A Moment With Gene Okerlund. “No, you don’t blow on it, that’s just an expression.” I can’t believe they got away with that! Kerwin Silfies comes on screen and shows with his talking skills why he’s a director.

“The Samurai Warrior” Mr. Fuji vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

Fuj looks weird in bright red tights. Ricky runs out and chokes him with his belt to start. Fuji is chopped down to his knees, so from there hits Ricky right in the balls, then drops a headbutt between the legs too. Nervehold is broken with one chop, but Ricky misses another and Fuj chops him down to get it back. Ricky goes to the sizeable belly to break that, but they do a run the ropes deal that the ageing Fuji more than keeps up with him and knees him in the gut. Back to the nervehold, with Ricky selling it like he’s got electricity going through him. Escape with a chop and he goes straight to the flying cross bodyblock for… two? Splash hits knees, but Ricky flips out of a back suplex and rolls up the devious one for the pinfall. Fuji was an odd one in that post-retirement he didn’t wrestle like a manager and kept it fairly solid in the ring as he was considered quite the preeminent worker in his day. Don Muraco attacks Steamer from behind with a chair in a brilliant shot where you can see him running from the entrance as the Dragon backs up to it. Not a folding chair, but a kitchen chair, so it breaks and all that Don has left is the back of it. No doubt it was a hot feud between them. Good all round.

Promo time, this time with Gene talking to the Killer Bees, who show why they never really got a lot of promo time as Jim Brunzell talks about how happy he is to be in the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Then Ricky Steamboat, who builds a story of him and Don Muraco being former friends, but Don has turned to the dark side and the war has just begun.

Commercial consideration has been paid for by the following:

Stetson cologne – a cologne that’s comfortable and easy to wear!

Electronic Battleship – “You sank my battleship!”

Personna – razors that are tough guy personified!

RD-9 – the world’s smallest radar device!

Gene wraps it up. “Somebody call me a cab.” “You’re a cab, Gene!”

The red, the white and the blue: Worst match was the Tiger Chung Lee one, unsurprisingly. Best match was Fuji/Dragon just edging out the equally good Adonis/Poffo based on the post-match angle. Weirdest one was Gene getting blow job jokes on the air, but that’s Gene for you!

Bonus:

Wrestling Superstars, from LJN – a dubbed Jimmy Snuka jumps off the staircase, the Iron Sheik appears from behind the curtains, and Hulk Hogan bursts through the door. Plus you can now sling ’em and fling ’em with the wrestling ring, which to me feels like a product line launch inclusion.

WWF Thumb Wrestlers – now here’s where you don’t need a ring, as Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper wrestle in the back of a car, JYD and Volkoff wrestle at the picnic table, then the “Iron Sheik” tangles with that Hollywood blonde jabroni before apparent Principal Khosrow Vaziri comes out to tell everyone to “Get back to class!”.

New WWF figures from Hasbro – Hulk Hogan wrestles Macho KING Randy Savage, represented here by his 1988 look with orange trunks, plus the Ultimate Warrior against Andre the Giant – “So close to the real thing… it’s like being in the ring!” And the action figure probably had more durability than Andre at this point!

And Wrestling Buddies, which I’m sure was a training partner for many aspiring kid wrestlers!