It’s back. New name, same awesome show.

Hour #1 July 1, 1991

Your broadcast team is Gorilla Monsoon, Lord Al Hayes and Bobby Heenan

Hart Foundation vs. Nasty Boys w/Jimmy Hart for the WWF Tag Team Titles – The Nastys had won the belts at Mania and the recently reunited Harts are looking to regain the straps. Monsoon is off to a quick start as he calls the Nasty’s manager, “Jimmy the Hart”. Niedhart starts off and cleans house as the Nastys bail. Niedhart is no Ken Shamrock, that’s for sure. Bret hangs Saggs in the Tree of Woe, but that term is not used because it’s a WCW phrase. Nastys take over by double teaming Niedhart. Then Saggs uses the helmet behind the ref’s back. Of course, in the standard wrestling tradition, Lord Al claims the helmet is made of steel. After a commercial, Nobbs has a chin lock and Niedhart breaks, but the hot tag is cut off by Saggs. Why is Anvil doing all the wrestling? Seems silly that the best worker in the match is standing on the apron the whole time. Saggs comes off the top rope and Niedhart gets the knees up and it’s a hot tag. Well, call it luke-warm. Bret goes through his usual routine gets two and it’s all 4 in the ring. Hart Attack but another save from Nobbs. Jimmy Hart throws the helmet to Saggs but it’s too high and Bret makes the catch. He uses it, but the referee calls for a DQ. As usual for Nasty Boys matches it’s not good.

Roll Call of Champions—World: Hulk Hogan IC: Mr. Perfect Tag Team: the Nasty Boys

Earthquake w/Jimmy Hart vs. Jake Roberts w/Andre the Giant – Quake was getting a mega-push here as he first killed Jake’s snake Damien with the awesome power of his ass. Never fear, animal lovers, as they did a bag switch and he really murdered a bunch of newspaper. That didn’t stop Sean Mooney from over acting, though. Then, as Andre was searching for a new manager only to turn them all down, Quake reacted to Andre disrespecting Jimmy Hart by destroying Andre’s knee. Other than a few matches in Japan, teaming with Baba, Andre would never wrestle again. This was one of his final MSG appearances. He’s on crutches, selling the dastardly attack. Andre cuts a promo over the house mic and his poor public speaking skills anger the Earthquake. As usual for a Jake match, there is LOTS of stalling. Can you imagine what the pace of a Jake Roberts vs. Larry Zbyszko match would be? Someone totally has to book that. Finally they do some stuff which ends with a Jake knee lift. Short clothesline, but the DDT is blocked with an inverted atomic drop. Camera shows Andre sitting down in a chair in the middle of the aisle. Quake takes over, has Jake down then jumps for joy. Andre distracts him and Jake comes from behind with a DDT for the win. Lord Al claims all of MSG is giving Jake a standing ovation but with the power of my open eyes, I can see that he’s lying.

Sean Mooney interviews Paul Bearer and the Undertaker ---Bearer says that the Undertaker gets all his supernatural powers from any object having to do with a funeral home. So does that mean that he gets super powers from say, a box of tissues?

Ultimate Warrior vs. the Undertaker w/Paul Bearer in a Body Bag Match – This stems from a pretty hard core angle for the time where the Undertaker attacked the Warrior and locked him in the coffin and the announcers freaked out like he was suffocating. You know, prolonged lack of oxygen can lead to brain damage. Coincidence? I think not. You have to wonder, why this isn’t a casket match? I’d say they hadn’t thought of it yet, but there were casket matches in wrestling before the Undertaker. This was Taker’s first main event program. Warrior never makes it into the ring as they start by brawling on the floor. In the ring and it’s a lot of punch-kick offense followed by Taker no-selling. Taker takes over and it’s a LONG choke in the corner. Warrior gets a body slam and Taker stands up. This leads to Warrior running into a big boot. Taker misses an elbow and Warrior does the same. Now Taker runs into a big boot and Warrior gets a pile driver. I had no clue that he knew how to do that. Taker gets up. Warrior pile drives him again. Taker gets up again. Warrior pile drives him yet again and this time Taker stays down. Big splash but Taker catches him. Tombstone and Taker goes for the body bag. Monsoon’s roll continues as he calls him “the Ultimate Warlord”. Taker goes to zip him up but Warrior makes his comeback. Series of clothes lines and an urn shot and he seals him in the body bag and it’s done. Taker then sits up while inside the body bag. He never would have jobbed like that if it was a casket match.

The rest of the card…

Dino Bravo pinned Shane Douglas

Ricky Steamboat pinned Paul Roma

The Berzerker pinned Jimmy Snuka

The Warlord pinned Greg Valentine

Haku & the Barbarian defeated Mr. Fuji & Kato – This was the match where they did the Heenan vs. Fuji angle.

Hour #2 –August 25, 1984

Your Broadcast Team is Gorilla Monsoon & Lord Alfred Hayes

Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch vs. the Wild Samoans with Lou Albano as Special Referee for the Tag Teag Titles – Adonis & Murdoch were supposed to go around the horn working with the Briscos but when Jack retired suddenly they needed a new baby face team. So, playing off the finish of their tag title loss to Atlas & Johnson, they began a face turn for the Samoans against Captain Lou Albano. Despite the fact that they were miscast as baby faces and couldn’t talk, for some reason, they were massively over in MSG on this night but the turn was not successful and did not last. In fact, they’d be back as heels, managed by Sir Oliver Humperdink in Pro Wrestling USA, a few months later. The Samoans baby face act was the same as their heel act except for the fact that they are now wearing red tights instead of black. The crowd is just screaming through out the whole match. Murdoch tries to make the tag in the wrong corner and awesomeness ensues. Adonis gets a sleeper and Afa does Hogan’s one finger comeback bit. Afa takes control by using the power of the hard Samoan head. Murdoch tags in and takes over. Everyone reading this needs to watch every Dick Murdoch match that you can get your hands on. His sell of an atomic drop is a bit of genius. Adonis gets caught on the top rope and is sent to the floor. This allows the Samoans to double team Murdoch with a double flying head butt but Albano slow counts. Afa and Sika go after Albano and are disqualified for Sika being out of his corner. The heels get a 3 on 2 attack on the Samoans but the baby face comeback starts an insane ovation and as the Samoans drop to their knees in the middle of the ring the crowd is at a fever pitch. Good stuff.

Jimmy Snuka vs. Roddy Piper – This is the stuff of legend and the definitive 80’s WWF feud. Now THIS has the big fight feel that wrestling no longer can generate. Piper stalls while Snuka just delivers a stone cold glare. They lock up and the crowd is HOT. Snuka shines with a series of chops and head butts then Piper cuts him off with the Moe Howard double eye poke. Snuka comes back with chops and the crowd is on fire. Snuka turns the tables on Piper by using his own finisher, the sleeper hold, against him. They head to the floor and Piper eats the steel ring post. Piper grabs a chair but Snuka cuts him off. Piper is busted wide open. Back in, and Snuka pounces. Diving head butt and Snuka heads to the top. Piper catches him, drops his neck on the top rope and dumps him over the top to the floor and Snuka is counted out. Piper follows and takes a chair and repeatedly drives the edge into Snuka’s neck. Snuka is stretchered out with an apparent broken neck. This was a major angle done to allow Snuka to go to rehab for his drug problem and led to his “cousin” the Tonga Kid coming in and working on top with Piper. Kid would go on to have one of the all time great rookie runs in wrestling history before Snuka returned for tag matches with Piper & Orton.

Backstage at the Garden, Snuka is shown strapped to the stretcher on a folding table, with a neck brace and oxygen mask on. Lord Al, interviews the doctor who says Snuka has a concussion and they won’t know until they do X-Rays if he has a broken neck. He then explains that after a concussion, oxygen helps to “lessen the brain load”. Somehow, I don’t think that’s a problem for Jimmy Snuka.

Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine for the IC Title – Valentine methodically takes control early. They cut to the back to show paramedics wheeling Snuka to the ambulance. Monsoon asks everyone to say a prayer for Snuka. Meanwhile back in the ring, Tito starts his comeback with a pair of knees to the nuts. Leap frog and the ref goes down. Flying fore arm and Tito gets the pin but Valentine’s leg was on the ropes. Valentine quickly slaps on the figure four leg lock as the bell rings. Tito retains the title. This was not their best work as the match was primarily a back drop to discuss the Snuka injury.

The rest of the card…

Kamala (w/ Freddie Blassie & Friday) pinned Chief Jay Strongbow B. Brian Blair fought Iron Mike Sharpe

Rick McGraw (sub. for Don Muraco) fought Salvatore Bellomo to a time-limit draw

Ken Patera defeated Pat Patterson

Jesse Ventura defeated Ivan Putski via count-out

Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, & Buddy Roberts (w/ David Wolff) defeated Butcher Vachon, Ron Shaw, & Pete Doherty at 8:58 in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match

Terry Daniels pinned Fred Marzino (sub. for Rene Goulet) at 3:55

A couple of other interesting notes about this night. First, it was the Freebirds only MSG appearance taking place during their ill fated three week run. Second, the WWF ran a second show on this night, a loaded show in the Omni with Hogan vs. Shults for the title, Iron Sheik vs. Sgt. Slaughter, Wendi Richter vs. Moolah plus Andre winning a battle royal. Despite the loaded nature of the show, they only drew 9,000 fans in Atlanta while the MSG show, built around Piper vs. Snuka sold out.

Your clear winner this week, is the 1984 show.

Your MSG MVP: Rowdy Roddy Piper

Next week it’s Hogan vs. Perfect and Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation

Once again, and as always, still the best wrestling show on television.

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