During the Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt main event last night in Victoria, BC, a fan threw a replica Money in the Bank briefcase which hit Reigns in the back of the head. Reigns was stunned, but continued the match to its conclusion.
The alleged perpetrator and those with him got into a scuffle with security before they were taken out of the arena. Victoria police were also called to the arena.
By Chris Hughes
Blake and Murphy did the meet and greet before the show but did not wrestle on the show.
– The Vaudevillains beat Jordan and Gable in the opener. Fast paced match that saw English pin Gable with their finish.
– Elias Samson pinned Riddick Moss with a running knee. Basic match, not much to it. Samson still going with the country singer gimmick.
– Mojo Rawley def. Tyler Breeze via DQ in a very short bout when Dash and Dawson interfered. It was announced that William Regal called show host Greg Hamilton and said Mojo could pick any two partners he wanted to face the trio in the main event.
– Eva Marie pinned Carmella with what looked like it was supposed to be a shining wizard, but didn’t quite connect. Eva got a negative reaction, but it was a star reaction. She was good at talking trash and screaming during her moves.
– Apollo Crews (Uhaa Nation) def. Solomon Crowe with a press slam and standing moonsault. Very good match — wouldn’t be surprised if this is the match at Takeover.
– Bayley and Gionna Daddio def. Dana Brooke and Nia Jax (formerly Lina). Big power moves by Nia on Gionna that got over. Bayley got the hot tag, Nia and Dana missed a double team move and Bayley hit the Bayley to belly on Dana for the win. Great reaction for Bayley as always.
– Bull Dempsey def. Angelo Dawkins with the whoopie cushion.
– Mojo Rawley, Enzo and Big Cass def. Tyler Breeze, Dash and Dawson in the main event.
Return date is Friday, September 25.
Two of the women who have recently started on television were given new ring names:
K.C./Cassie is now Peyton Royce
Jessica McKay/Jessie is now Billy Kay
By Kevin Chiat
The show opened with Triple H on the video screen announcing Shawn Michaels as the Guest GM. HBK came out to a big reaction and announced that the Rollins vs Ambrose main event would be a cage match. (I actually came in late and missed this, but Michaels put up his entrance on periscope).
First match was Finn Balor vs Neville for the NXT title. I got in just as Finn was making his entrance, no war paint obviously but he was wearing a Devitt like jacket. Finn worked subtle heel, they had a good match with both guys doing dives to the outside. Finn hit the Coup De Grace to a kneeled over Neville for a two count. Neville missed on a Red Arrow, leading to the double stomp by Balor for the win. They shook hands after the match.
Second match was Adam Rose vs Fandango. Pretty standard house show match with comedy spots. Fandango won with the Falcon Arrow. Rose looked in better physical shape than last time I saw him live.
Third on the card was R-Truth vs Luke Harper. Lots of comedy in the match, as sick as I am of Truth on TV, he’s a really seasoned house show performer. He had the crowd chanting Whomp there it is, which he should bring to TV, cause it at least would be a new element to his act. Harper won with the clothesline.
Fourth on the card was Orton vs King Barrett. The King came out first and did a really good job of using England’s current dominance over Australia in The Ashes cricket series for cheap heat. Orton came out to a really big pop. Really good WWE main event style match. My favourite moment was when Orton took a little kid in the front row’s Cena cap, and put it on Barrett. Orton then did the You Can’t See Me hands before punching Barrett. Orton won with the RKO to a big pop.
After intermission Bo Dallas came out and did his normal promo. Before he could finish HBK came out. Bo did a good job taunting Michaels for being retired. Michaels then superkicked Bo to a giant pop.
In the women’s match, the Bellas came out as faces but worked the match as heels (except when Nikki led Yes chants for Brie doing the Bryan kicks). Emma and Natalya won when Emma rolled up Brie. Emma was wearing Australian flag gear.
Owens came out to a big pop but worked heel against Cesaro. Really good match which could have gone another five minutes. Cesaro won with the swing into the Neutraliser.
Main event was Seth Rollins vs Dean Ambrose in a cage match for the WWE title. My match of the night and it was about as good as I can imagine a modern WWE cage match being. I enjoyed it more than any of their PPV matches. Seth worked the knee and Dean sold it as a major weakness when he was trying to climb out. Lots of great spots, at one point Dean was hanging from the turnbuckle in tree of woe position and Seth did a double stomp onto Dean’s chest. Seth also did the Hogan heel spot of taking his belt off and whipping his opponent. Dean eventually got the belt off Seth to whip him back. They went to the top of the cage, leading to a superplex from the top of the cage for the matches big spot. Seth won by slamming Dean’s head with the door, leading to a Pedigree and Seth escaping out the door. After the match Seth beat up Ambrose. Seth brought a table out, setting up Ambrose for a splash through the table. Ambrose escaped, hit Seth with Dirty Deeds and then gave Seth an elbow through the table. Show ended with an Ambrose promo.
The Rod Laver Arena was pretty much completely sold out, the biggest WWE crowd I have personally been in. Overall it was the best house show I’ve ever seen in Australia. I really hope they look at doing a Beast in the East style Network special next year.
Best matches:
1. Ambrose vs Rollins
2. Cesaro vs Owens
3. Tie: Neville vs Balor/Orton vs Barrett
Cheers Dave, hope this is helpful
Kevin Chiat
Submitted by Alvin Lim
– Show was sold out with est. 13k-14k in attendance. Big mix of kids with parents and hardcore fans.
– Big pop for the Roddy Piper tribute video they aired before the show started.
– Jojo comes out to offer refunds for the first 20 minutes due to John Cena’s absence, but urges us to hear the announcement from the guest GM before deciding.
– HHH appears on screen to introduce HBK as guest GM. Michaels comes up to a huge pop and makes the main event a steel cage match for the WWE World Heavyweight Title and introduces the first match for the evening.
NXT Champion Finn Balor def. Neville with the Coup De Grace Double Foot Stomp
Neville is over with the younger members of the audience while Finn played the heel. Not being on the main roster yet may have affected Finn’s popularity with the general audience. His shirts were one of the least popular at the merchandise stand. An entertaining enough opener with the usual flips and dives from both which drew the audience in.
Fandango def. Adam Rose with the Falcon Arrow
Our Superstars match of the night. Rose has nothing without his entrance and entourage while Fandango strangely feels like a nostalgia act with the Fandangoing already. Both men need new gimmicks.
Luke Harper over R-Truth with the Discus Clothesline
Truth is great with crowd interactions, getting the arena to chant “Whoomp, there it is!” like it was the 90s again. His appeal to the live audience is evident although his TV exploits are tiresome. Lots of stalling at the start with Harper getting tired of Truth’s constant appeals to the crowd, even sitting down in a chair at ringside to protest. After a teased countout of 9 at one point, Truth falls to the Discus Clothesline but goes to the back with a nice applause from the crowd.
They played a nice video for Connor Michalek at this point and Jojo advertised that one could help the cause to fight paediatric cancer by buying Connor bracelets from WWEShop. Nice charity bit and the video was very touching.
Randy Orton def. King Barrett with RKO
Barrett came out to laugh at the Australian cricket team’s performance against England for easy heat. Many “You’re a wanker!” chants following this. Orton is the master of doing so much with so little. He is a true star and gets maximum mileage from all his moves. At one point, he took the cap off a fan at ringside and asked him why he was wearing Cena gear when Cena wasn’t there. He then proceeds to put the cap on Barrett and did the “You Can’t See Me” handsign before laying in a European Uppercut. He hits the RKO for the win to bring us to intermission.
Intermission was followed by Bo Dallas interrupting Jojo’s announcements before HBK superkicks him as Bo was running his mouth about HBK being old and a has-been for the big pop.
Emma and Natalya def. The Bella Twins when Emma school girls Brie Bella
Nice pop all around to all the Divas but this was my time to hit the merchandise stand, coming back only for the finish.
Cesaro def. Kevin Owens with the Neutralyzer
Nice pops for both men. Owens is a tremendous heel and plays the part fully. He stopped short of high-fiving a young fan at ringside and later flinged sweat at him instead. It’s these little things that he excels at, such as responding to chants for a table by slapping on a headlock and not giving the fans what they call for. Cesaro’s feat of strength of the night was performing his inverted olympic slam move on Owens. He gets the pin after a 9-revolution Giant Swing and a Neutralyzer.
WWE Champion Seth Rollins def. Dean Ambrose in a steel cage match
Long main event that the fans got into at the end with all the teased finishes, the highlight being Rollins dangling over the floor as Ambrose held him by his hair from the top of the cage. Both men are over and Dean possibly more than his TV push. Ambrose gets his knee worked on and sold it all the way through the match, even after it was done. The finish comes when Rollins slams the door into Ambrose’s head before hitting the Pedigree and crawling out the door. In a post-match brawl, Ambrose manages to put Rollins through a table to send the fans home happy.
Biggest Pops
1) Randy Orton
2) HBK
3) Dean Ambrose
A fun show, even without the initially advertised Hulk Hogan and Cena. The newer guys carried the 2 main events very well, which is a good sign of renewal in the company, even as they endeavour to find and groom the next big thing to replace Cena.
It’s never easy to say goodbye especially when it comes to a legend like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper who we learned had left for the big ring in the sky one week ago.
As I did with Dusty Rhodes in June, I asked for your favorite Piper matches and moments to compile them in one place. This is the second of three parts that span nearly his entire career with today’s post focusing heavily on the Gordon Solie/Don Muraco angle from 1983, as well as the Greg Valentine encounter at the first Starrcade.
And while you’ll see some consistencies in the matches and angles, I really liked the personal touch in the stories behind them. There’s also house show matches, video compilations, and all kinds of fun stuff here. Clearly, Piper meant a lot to a lot of people and it showed.
Here’s part 1 if you missed it. Cue the bagpipes!
Roddy Piper Saves Gordon Solie – Georgia Championship Wrestling, 1983
Jon Harris
After looking at the amazing career of Roddy Piper, there are so many moments to choose from, but I definitely have a highlight.
In 1983, Piper was color commentator on Georgia Championship Wrestling with the quintessential announcer Gordon Solie. “The Magnificent” Don Muraco was coming on the scene as a heel and was set to fight fan favorite “Wildfire” Tommy Rich at the Omni in Atlanta. As part of the set-up, Muraco is set to do an interview with Solie complaining about the lack of talent in the area and how is running over them all. As Muraco names his potential opponents, he inches closer and closer to the legendary announcer Solie.
Piper, who was truly brilliant on the mic, better than anyone had ever seen, was friends who Muraco and encouraged him to back off of Solie. After several attempts, Muraco in a fit of rage, punches Piper and knocks him to the ground only to return his focus on Solie.
Piper springs up and attacks Muraco to the amazement and enjoyment of the studio audience and all viewers at home. It took the entire locker room to break the two wrestlers up. Solie returns from break thanking the “enigma” “Rod” Piper for his heroic actions and for saving his life. The night at the Omni, the sold-out crowd witnessed Don Muraco vs. Tommy Rich. Sometime in the middle of the match, the audience parts and Piper emerges to the ring.
Fans cheered at the “enigma” having witnessed Roddy’s heroic actions televised less than 24 hours before. Piper walked into the ring, Rich stayed in his corner and Muraco approached Piper, reaching out his hands to give the illusion that all was well with the two wrestlers and that bygones should be bygones, until Muraco attempts to sucker punch a prepared Piper who ducks and then lands a deadly shot to the face that sent “the Magnificent One” down for the count. Piper had apparently concealed a roll of quarters in his right hand that helped pack the deadly punch and then nonchalantly threw the coins into the adoring and excited sold out crowd.
Piper would continue his color commentary duties as Solie’s sidekick, but would eventually return to the Mid-Atlantic region to feud with “Sir” Oliver Humperdink and Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and build on his legendary status. He would return to Georgia Championship Wrestling a year later to help friend Rich in his feud against “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer, but it was clear that he was destined for even brighter stardom. Shortly after, Piper joined the WWF and went on to become the legend he was always destined to become.
Years later when I was heading up communications for Bally Total Fitness, I met Roddy Piper on a book tour in the Chicago area when he was promoting “In The Pit With Piper.” He was the consummate professional and a very kind and humble person, exactly how I had hoped he would be.
I would eventually hire Roddy to make appearances at our clubs around the country, where he would meet thousands of members and fans. He always had time and a smile for all those who came to see him.
My thoughts and prayers are with wife Kitty and the Toombs family during this difficult time. Words will never describe what a great pleasure it was to meet and thank the man who had my late father Morty, brothers Stephen and Jason, friends and I cheer, laugh and cry weekly for more than two decades.
Thank you Roderick George “Roddy” Toombs. To quote Ric Flair, the world has just gotten a bit less rowdy.
Don Rioux
I grew up watching Piper on GCW in the early 80s and his face turn saving Gordon Solie from Don Muraco is an all timer for me. I remember literally screaming at my TV as Piper saved Solie from a likely beatdown at the hands of Muraco. Everything about this angle was fantastic.
Rich Baker
For my favorite moment, the Solie/Muraco angle. Omni highlight on TBS, Piper goes to the ring, Muraco was facing Tommy Rich, Piper takes off his sportcoat, Muraco faces off and Piper nails him with a roll of quarters. Muraco is knocked out, Piper throws quarters into the air, calmly puts sportcoat on, and leaves. Amazing for its simplicity and Piper’s calm intensity.
For my favorite match: Gordon Solie’s call of his dog collar win over Greg Valentine at Starrcade. ‘Roddy Piper did it! Roddy Piper did it!’
Gary Falkenhagen
My favorite Roddy Piper moment was pre-WWF when he saved announcer Gordon Solie from Don Muraco attacking Solie. Muraco was mad at Solie and Piper and Muraco started brawling at the announcer’s podium in the WTBS studios after Muraco pushed Piper twice. I think this was around 1982. I was a 10 year old kid and I thought it was awesome seeing these two going toe-to-toe before the locker room broke it up.
Mike Blakemore
My favorite Piper moment is a little obscure. I was about 12 years old and I was watching Georgia wrestling on TBS and they were showing some scenes from a card that happened at the Omni. Don Muraco was in the center of the ring, Piper comes out in a suit, walks into the ring, puts his suit coat across the top rope and proceeds to hit Muraco with a roll of quarters. Quarters went everywhere, then he puts on his coat and walks out of the ring. My little mind was fried. It turned me into a wrestling fan and he was my favorite for a long time.
John Almeida
My favorite Piper moment happened during Georgia Championship Wrestling when Piper was commentating with Gordon Solie. Don Muraco came out, cut a promo, then shoved Piper down and Muraco appeared to be heading for Solie. Piper saved Solie by jumping Muraco and did a babyface turn. It was more than 25 years ago and I still remember it vividly.
Daniel Chornomaz
When he was the color commentator on TBS Wrestling with Gordon Solie in the early 80s, he was the funniest, wittiest, most gifted talker I ever heard. He made every match a must see as you’ve never knew what he would say next! I thought this was Piper at his best.
Meeting Roddy
Mike McNulty
He was in my Holy Trinity of favorite pro wrestlers – him, Flair, and Bruno, in different orders depending on my mood. And I also put him in my Holy Trinity of all-time heels – him, Blassie, and The Sheik (Detroit’s original).
I got a chance to tell him that years ago. He was promoting his autobiography in San Francisco where I lived, and I got his autograph at the bookstore. I also told him that he was what really sold WrestleMania, not Hogan. (I mean, it’s not really that hard for a good guy to sell things, is it?) He was actually fairly shy and seemed a little embarrassed when I was complimenting him.
The one thing I always remembered about that was watching him with everyone as they went through the line to get his autograph at the table he was sitting at. When a man came up to him, he would stand up and shake his hand. When a woman came up, he would stand up, take off his hat, and shake her hand. Every single time! It was really cool to watch, and it told me how good a person at heart he genuinely was.
It’s weird how a the death of someone you don’t personally know can actually mean so much to you, isn’t it? “Just when you think you know all the answers, I change all the questions.”
Piper Promos
Anthony Miletic
I was watching the Piper dvd in his honor (WWE should do another one), and was watching disc 3 with the Piper’s Pits. Most people will say that they loved the Frankie Williams one and the Jimmy Snuka one, and they are both awesome, but I actually liked the ones with Sal Bellomo in NJ and the one with Bruno Sammartino better. Piper was very funny. Also, there was one with King Harley Race that I liked just because it had Race in it.
The promos that he cut on Hogan in WCW were great like the first one in which he told Hogan, “I’m the reason you don’t have hair so what are you going to do about it?” I liked the ICON t-shirts he wore there and what that stood for: ‘I cower over nobody’.
I don’t know if I have one favorite Piper match, but I did like the Starrcade ‘96 match with Hogan just because he beat Hogan clean in that match. It’s amusing that how WCW labeled that match the “fight of the decade” or something like that.
Piper vs. Iron Sheik – WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event, October 1986
Doug Doxtator
I had the pleasure of meeting Roddy at a convention in 2006, and he was truly genuine and kind. We chatted for about 5 minutes about old Maple Leaf Garden matches, as well as my favorite Piper match. I was just a young 10 year old who lived in a small town that didn’t have cable and missed the match! I was upset until the next day I found out my uncle (who had cable) taped the show and I got to see it the next day after all! It wasn’t much of a match, but it meant a lot to me. RIP Rowdy Roddy…I never will forget him.
Piper vs. “Cowboy” Bob Orton – WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event, November 1986
As a huge Bret Hart fan, my favorite Rowdy Roddy Piper match should be WrestleMania 8. It’s a great match, but it’s not my favorite. I’m willing to bet no one else will give you this one as the best.
Piper wrestled Bob Orton on a Saturday Night’s Main Event that aired November 29, 1986. The match is nothing special though Piper does his Three Stooges eye poke that makes me laugh every time I see it. Piper wins with a schoolboy after Orton collided with Jimmy Hart on the apron, and the finish was nearly botched when Orton starts to turn around after hitting Jimmy and has to turn back around so Piper could roll him up.
So why is it my favorite?
Prior to the match, Piper gives an interview with Mean Gene that is hilarious, but actually still makes you believe he wants to get at Orton. After the match, he gives another one to Gene in the locker room that is just as funny, and even more poignant. He ends the first interview by saying, “I was rowdy before rowdy was cool” and the second with, “When I’m good, I’m good, but when I’m bad, I’m much better.” Between the two promos and the match, it is my favorite Piper moment, and I actually showed it to a friend of mine the day before Piper died. Really! Piper is funny, cool, and you still want to see him fight Don Muraco and Adrian Adonis.
Even on his rare WWE appearances, he’s always funny. It’s so hard for wrestlers today to be both funny and still be seen as serious, real, and threatening, and Piper always pulled it off in spades.
Piper vs. Bruno Sammartino steel cage match in Boston – 1986
Dan in Dumfries, VA
My favorite Roddy Piper match won’t get too much attention, but it meant a ton to me.
February 8, 1986 in the Boston Garden was a history making show I attended as a 14 year old kid. It is well known as the night that Randy Savage defeated Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Championship. That wasn’t the main event though, and neither were The Hart Foundation vs. The Killer Bees, Hillbilly Jim vs. Big John Studd in a bodyslam challenge match, or even Ricky Steamboat vs. Magnificent Muraco in a Hawaiian Death match. The main event was the blow-off of a series of matches in the Boston Garden between Rowdy Roddy Piper and Bruno Sammartino. Since the previous two matches ended in controversy, the final match was a steel cage match. As a brash kid, I went to the match planning on cheering for Roddy.
However, note the date: February 1986. Just days earlier, the New England Patriots got humiliated in the Super Bowl to the Chicago Bears. Piper came out to the ring wearing a Bears jersey, and put up posters on the cage wall of William Perry and Jim McMahon. The heat he got for that was OFF THE CHARTS!!!! The Garden roared with boos (myself included).
As Gorilla Monsoon would say “the place literally went bananas!” when Bruno came down to the ring, and when he ripped the shirt off Piper’s back, and ripped down the posters balled them up and rubbed them in Piper’s face. Piper took a beating for the length of the 10 minute match that night, and it was a rare case of Piper doing the job in the WWF as he lost clean to Bruno that night. I look back on that night with a combination of laughs and amazement of how much heat Piper got from the Boston crowd that night. It really summed up just how great a villain Piper was.
Piper vs. Greg Valentine – Dog Collar Match – Starrcade ‘83
Emerson Witner
My favorite Piper match of all time would have to be the dog collar match at Starrcade 83 with Greg Valentine. I was either 8 or 9 years old when I first saw it and I couldn’t turn away from the tv. It was so violent, so bloody and so brutal that they had my attention from bell to bell. This was 1992 or 1993 when I first saw it, so it was completely different from everything that was on wrestling at the time that the whole match just stuck in my head. If you were to ask me today for my Top 25 matches of all time, this match would be there, no doubt.
My favorite Piper’s Pit would be the one with Andre. Piper was the cocky, smart ass heel who had done this routine with every guest where he spent two minutes insulting them and then beating them up. Andre just sat there with a smile on his face that read “I dare you to try and attack me”. Piper commented about how Andre had this giant body and a teeny tiny brain and it eventually led to Andre lifting him up by his shirt and shoving him away. Of course Piper being Piper, as soon as Andre walked off, he turns to the camera and shouts “You do not throw rocks at a man with a machine gun.”. You knew he wouldn’t dare try to attack Andre again, but he wasn’t left looking like a total geek, which is what would happen today.
J.C. Gethicker
No Piper “Best Of” talk can be complete without one of the most intense matches in the history of pro wrestling: Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine at Starrcade 83′ in the dog collar match for the US Title. This match showed the first-ever closed circuit audience what an intense, realistic, great pro wrestling brawl could be. This was a culmination of a masterful feud buildup and really stole the show at the inaugural Starrcade. Sure Flair-Race had historical significance, but Piper-Valentine had pure, unbridled intensity.
The opening of this match with both men scowling at each other and jostling that chain with their necks before the bell is one the most iconic visual moments in the history of the business. Piper and Valentine went out here, beat on each other, and basically had a fight. One of the best things about this match is its realistic tone. Both men beat and bloodied each other and the fans loved every minute of it. Put the match on now and still feels as fresh as it did back then. The match proved Piper was ready to deliver on the biggest stages…and he did.
Luke Aschbrenner
My favorite Roddy Piper match was him vs Greg Valentine (dog collar match) from Starrcade 1983. That match is one of the first I saw and thought “Holy sh*t.” One of the most vicious, bloody matches I’ve ever seen. The psychology and ruthlessness of that match set a standard that in my opinion has never been met since.
Tony Yannuzzi
Roddy Piper was my first hero as a little boy. I could write a book about how much he impacted my life. He’s the first passing since Curt Hennig, that really hit me hard. Match was nothing too special to the naked eye, yet Roddy entertained as only he could, including ripping off Perfect’s singlet at one point. With Piper forcing Perfect to fight his way, Piper won by count-out, allowing Perfect to retain the title. A rare match between two favorites I’ll never forget.
In part 3, you get the best of the rest.
Air date: May 2, 1985
Run time: 46:59
Stars of the show: Rusty Brooks, “The Duke of Dorchester” and Crusher Comic
In what is probably simultaneously the worst and best episode ever of Tuesday Night Titans, the WWF celebrates its “unsung heroes”. And let’s be clear: Rusty Brooks is my favorite enhancement talent ever. Forget Barry Horowitz, SD Jones and Steve Lombardi. Rusty Brooks, all 345 pounds of hulking fat flesh is GOD.
It’s astonishing that TNT would devote an entire show to jobbers, or “unsung heroes.”It’s even more amazing that the theme of the show was that these guys who lose all the time were on the brink of superstardom, if they could just get that one big victory.
Vince McMahon opens the show calling tonight’s guest “an elite selection of the World Wrestling Federation’s Unsung Heroes.” He says it will be “a most unusual TNT this week.”
The show opens with a match between David Bruno Sammartino against a jobber named Bob Wade.
Sammartino is beating up on Wade, with McMahon and Bruno Sammartino on color commentary. Sammartino delivers a wicked-looking suplex on Wade’s head and McMahon says “Wade will be feeling that one for the next 567 year.” Totally random. Bruno wonders if Wade will be able to recover from a move like that.
David Sammartino puts him away with an Ultimate Warrior press slam, and McMahon calls Wade “a very courageous individual.”
Our first guests are Mario Mancini, Paul Roma and Steve Lombardi. Two of these guys actually had long careers. Lombardi remained a long-term jobber under various names, while Roma would enjoy mid-level success against fellow jobber and Young Stallion Jim Powers, and later as possibly the worst member of the Four Horsemen in history.
Mancini startles us all saying that is 18 years old and started wrestling right out of high school. Mancini was not one of the more famous jobbers, but he did appear often on Championship Wrestling in 1985.
Roma, looking shy and lacking microphone skills, says he feels for Wade. “It’s very hard to come back after getting suplexed.”
McMahon, overwhelmed by being a room with all these losers, asks Lombardi what keeps him motivated. “It’s not easy. If it were easy anyone could do it. You just have to keep coming back.” We go to the ring to see Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. Lombardi.
Steamboat is in ridiculous shape for this match. Every time I see Steamboat compete I wonder why he didn’t end up being the biggest star of all time He was SO GOOD in the ring. If there was ever a natural professional wrestler it was Steamboat. If Steamboat had microphone skills he’d could have been one of the biggest stars in the industry.
Steamboat chopped, arm-dragged and high-cross body blocked his way to victory over Lombardi. Some guys when they attempt to skin the cat you wonder if they are going to be able to pull themselves back over the top rope. Not with Steamboat. Steamboat did the move as easily as he walks across the street.
From there we get another dose of Mancini in a match against King Kong Bundy. Nothing like a wrestler named after a serial killer. McMahon hilariously lets us know that Mancini is “no relation” to “Boom Boom” Mancini, the former lightweight boxing champion.
I don’t think anyone believed, or even wondered if the two were related, for any significant length of time. Bundy pins Mancini with his trademark splash. Bundy was months away from a huge push as the No. 1 heel in the company, crushing Hulk Hogan’s ribs, leading up to a match at WrestleMania 2.
We get a third clip of Brutus Beefcake vs. Roma, where Beefcake pins Roma with his flying knee.
Back in the studio, McMahon attempts to explain to Roma why he lost, saying Beefcake was more intense. He asks Roma if Beefcake knocked him out with his flying knee and Roma says yes, but that competing is still fun, “if fans stay behind me.”
McMahon, warming up for his bullying efforts to come against Rusty Brooks, asks Mancini if he knew what what he was getting into by signing on to fight Bundy. Mancini gives a perfect response: “I have an attitude and my attitude is I am young and no matter how much punishment I take I am going to be there and I am always going to be there.” He sounds like Roman Reigns, Cesaro and Dolph Ziggler.
Lombardi said that at this point in his career all he needs is some guidance. He said he wants to be managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.
“He manages nothing but winners and I want to be a winner,” Lombardi says. Lombardi never got a big push in the WWE, but he is still employed by the company so he must figured out something he could contribute backstage to stay with the company so long.
Next up is Brooks, Jim Powers and Jose Luis Rivera. Powers, of course, would go on to become Roma’s partner as a Young Stallion. Powers and Roma must have been real jerks behind the scenes. You’d think that tag team would have gone on to stardom: similar bodies, looks and working ability. Maybe Shawn Michaels was using his backstage powers to bury wrestlers even back then.
I can’t really understand or explain my infatuation for Brooks, but there’s something about him that screams superstar talent. Yes, he’s fat and out of shape. He’s short, balding and pale. He’s the epitome of unathletic. Yet, he’s got some rare charisma. He reminds of a fatter version of Kevin Owens, but without a gimmick.
Brooks had great facials. He just looked pissed off and annoyed, while also insecure about his fat body. For most of his TNT interview segment, he cross his arms to cover his massive belly.
McMahon goes straight for the obvious: “Rusty Brooks how much do you weigh?” Brooks: 342 pounds.
McMahon then looks at Powers and says “you are put together. I like those arms. You have been working on those arms.” McMahon has got to be the most appreciative heterosexual of male bodies in history.
He then looks at Brooks and says,”Rusty you have been working on everything.” Brooks gets defensive and explains that he used to play football at North Texas State. “They grow ‘em big and they wrestle well,” Brooks says about Texas wrestlers. Brooks explains that he used to play football at North Texas State.
Brooks then goes full heel. He tells McMahon “”I don’t like to be considered in the same class as these two gentleman, here who have a long ways to go,” referring to Powers and Rivera. Brooks says his record would improve “dramatically” if he got in the ring with these guys. Brooks too wants Heenan to manage him.
“With proper management I think I could go all the way to the top,” Brooks says.
Brooks is just oozing heel here. If they put this guy in a black T-shirt with a slogan of FIGHT RUSTY FIGHT, this guy could have enjoyed a nice run on top as a heel opponent for Hogan. I would have cheered for him and I think fans would have embraced him in a sympathetic way.
We get a quick match highlight from featuring Roma against Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, a match that Valentine win with a submission.
“I don’t think anyone can attack the legs quite like Greg Valentine,” McMahon says. It’s back to Brooks and we get to see him in his singlet against the Junkyard Dog (this is the second time TNT has showed this match). Brooks is totally agile in this match, bumping like he’s a fat Shawn Michaels.
Then we get a quick match between Jim Neidhart vs. Jose Luis Rivera. Rivera was a good worker, but his lack of presence and ability to talk probably sank his career. On the couch Rivera mentions that Pedro Morales is one of his favorite wrestlers, prompting Brooks to call Morales “a has been” and Rivera “a never was.”
McMahon ends the segment asking asking Brooks what his motivation is, seeing that he’s an all-around fat slob.“It’s money and championships,” Brooks says. Man, what a wasted opportunity. The WWF was busy promoting a hick from mudlick Kentucky, when they had Brooks, oozing with natural charisma on the roster.
Our final panel of jobbers includes Charlie Fulton, who looks like Skinner, Pete Doherty, who acts a lot like Conor McGregor, and the Unpredictable Johnny Rodz.
The star of this group is undoubtedly Doherty, who’s missing more than a few teeth. Doherty bursts out with like he’s half McGregor, half Sabu, screaming that he’s not “homicidal, suicidal or psychotic.” McMahon says “I don’t recall anyone saying you were Mr. Doherty.” Doherty blasts McMahon ordering him to call him “The Duke of Dorchester.”
Doherty is acting like a maniac, saying he is as unpredictable as anyone. Doherty promises to go back to the Middle East where people speak to him with respect and address him by the proper title, the “Duke of Dorchester.”
We go to the ring and see Barry Windham vs. Charlie Fulton. I have no memory at all of Charlie Fulton. I remember Bobby Fulton from the Fantastics. Windham wins with a bulldog over Fulton.
We go instantly to a match with Snuka and Doherty, who’s screaming like a female tennis player with everyone of Snuka’s chops. McMahon continues his male body worshipping saying “Look at the biceps on Snuka.” Doherty is a good worker, putting Snuka in a head scissors, and a side headlock. Snuka wins the match with a headbutt, but Doherty put on the best wrestling performance tonight of any of the jobbers.
Next up we get to see Johnny Rodz against HULK HOGAN. Somehow, while Hogan was selling out arenas across the world, here he is wrestling jobber Rodz. Gorilla Monsoon says that if Rodz could defeat Hogan in a non-title match, he certainly would be in line for a title shot.
Rodz showed great athleticism here against Hogan, but Hornswoggle would look like Shawn Michaels if he were in the ring with Hogan. Rodz was a veteran jobber, so the idea that he was headed to the top was a bit of joke.
The show ends with a brilliant segment featuring a visit to “Cafe Le Bump.” Wow. We’re still on the TNT set here, but it’s set up to look like a night club, featuring a performance by “Crusher Comic.” Who was this guy?
He comes out in a mask and rope and starts dropping comedy lines, some of which were actually funny. He says he got a little upset because when he was younger his father left him. He pulls out a mask like he is wearing and asks if anyone has seen this guy?
Crusher Comic looks at Rodz and says, “They should call you “Mr. Predictable” since you always lose. He tells Rodz, “nice jacket, somewhere there’s a Volkswagen without seat covers.” He then tells Doherty that he looks like “an armpit with eyes.” That was the best of it, although Crusher Comic also says his other job is “as a drama coach for Lord Alfred Hayes,” which is hilarious.
Although this show was probably a huge disappointment at the time, with the benefit of history, it’s actually a really intriguing show. McMahon was giving attention to the jobbers, while also making it look like they just needed to train harder to reach the top.
The best thing about the show is that once again TNT proved that face time could give personality to anyone and turn some of those guys into stars. There’s no doubt that Brooks and Doherty could have been big stars. Roma and Powers did enjoy success.
This is another reason why the WWE needs to put some of these guys into the Hall of Fame. If there’s a place for Abdullah The Butcher in the Hall of Fame, there should be a place for another fat balding guy, who actually spent time in a WWF ring.
By Nathan Spurling
WWE SUMMERSLAM HEAT WAVE TOUR RESULTS
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015
A near full house for the start of the 3 night Australian tour, with a few scattered empty seats here and there. A good show that went nearly 3 hours long and had strong heat for most of the evening.
JoJo opened the show offering refunds for the next 20 minutes due to John Cena not being there because of his broken nose
A HHH video played on the Mini TitanTron welcoming us to the show and asking if ‘We were ready”.. He then introduced Shawn Michaels as the General Manager to a big pop.
HBK came out, announced the main event as a Brisbane Street Fight for the WWE World Heavyweight Title between champion Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose
1. Finn Balor beat Adrian Neville to retain the NXT Title
A real fun opener and good way to start the show. Neville replaced the originally advertised Bo Dallas and it was defintely a step up for fans.
Neville was the slight crowd favorite.. match went about 11 minutes before Neville missed the Red Arrow, Balor hit the running dropkick into the corner and then the double foot stomp off the top to win. Both men shook hands at the end.
2. Fandango pinned Adam Rose
Not a bad comedy match.. Rose had no heat coming out but worked the crowd well during the match. Fandango is quite athletic and put on a good show and won with a powerbomb.
3. Luke Harper beat R-Truth
Truth rapped his way to the ring and got a real kick out of the crowd continually chatting ‘Whoop, there it is’ after.
Harper is a mountain of a man in person.. kept flexing during the match which I must admit is a first I’ve seen from him. He won with the stiff clothesline from hell.
4. Randy Orton beat King Barrett
Barrett got great heat for the first big promo of the night talking about how English sport is better than Australian sport and said with the Queen back home we should all bow to the King of the Ring.
A decent match which really, to me, showed how much Barrett is underutilised as a talent. He’s in tremendous shape, looked great, and worked the crowd well.
Orton is a total pro, but worked quite a soft style, which I was surprised to see, where he wasn’t laying in the shots.
He won with the RKO out of nowhere and then spent a good 5 minutes post match shaking hands and taking photos with fans which was good.
INTERMISSION
Bo Dallas cut off JoJo for his usual promo on how we only need to Bolieve in him and we can be better.
No surprise Rock appearance, but out came HBK who laid him out with some Sweet Chin Music for a nice pop. Bo sold it like he was dead.
5. Emma and Natalya beat the Bella Twins
Nice home town pop for Emma who had new Australian flag themed gear.
Match saw the Bellas work on Natalya to get the heat, before hot tagging Emma in who scored the winning pinfall on Brie.
They then played the Conor Michalek video and this was an amazing experience. The crowd went absolutely silent watching the emotional video and then gave a nice round of applause and ‘Conor’ chant once it finished. As a father that story/video still gets me every time I see it on WWE programming.
6. Cesaro beat Kevin Owens.
A very nice pop for Owens and then an even bigger one for Cesaro.
They went nearly 20 minutes and built slowly into a nice match. A good prelude to what they’ll do at SummerSlam no doubt.
The match was all worked around Cesaro trying to get the Swing, which he eventually did, and then put the SharpShooter on Owens who immediately tapped. Quick finish that came out of nowhere.
7. Seth Rollins beat Dean Ambrose to retain the WWE Title in a Brisbane Street Fight.
They went 25 minutes and Rollins was easily the star of the night with good heat.. presence and he really carries himself as a champion.
He refused to use any outside weapons early, grabbed the mike to cut a promo on how we should all respect him, then whacked Ambrose 3 times in the head with the mike.
Dean brought out the kendo stick and used it on Seth, while there were the usual chair shots to the back.
First table spot saw Rollins set one up in the corner and nail the running powerbomb on Ambrose through it.
Ambrose then brought out some woodwork and lay Rollins on it, before nailing the Macho Man elbow drop.
Both kicked out of the table spots, before Rollins threw powder in Ambroses’ eyes for the win.
While the show lacked in star power (no Cena and Sheamus was advertised but didn’t appear) compared to prior visits it was still a good night, the crew worked well and the crowd seemed happy. All you can ask for really.
Nathan Spurling
Season 4, Episode 5
Recap by Ryan Pike (@RyanNPike)
–Nikki Wants Tea, Paige Wants Beer: The WWE is in Europe on tour, so Nikki wants to go to high tea and wear fancy hats and eat cakes. And if you’ve been paying attention to this show at all, you know that’s not Paige’s scene. Rather than communicating about it like adults, Paige just leaves tea time to meet up with Naomi and Lana (!) at a dive bar, where they dance and drink. Later on, Brie explains to Paige that Nikki likes fancy stuff because they grew up poor on a farm. Paige and Nikki talk it out and all is well.
–Eva Marie Has Bruises From Training: She gets comments, both in-person and on Instagram, asking if her husband is beating her. They joke about it, and we establish that she’s tougher than her husband.
–Alicia Still Loves Wade Barrett: Alicia frets over her feelings for Wade Barrett all episode, with every girl on the show (particularly Nattie, Emma and Rosa Mendes) giving her conflicting advice. Finally, she meets Wade’s new girlfriend and likes her, then has a brief heart-to-heart with Maria Menounos and decides she can get over Wade.
John Cena appears, having dinner with Nikki and Brie and talking about how broke he used to be.
WWE Diva Rosa Mendes told WWE.com in an exclusive that she is pregnant and is expecting a baby girl in February, who will be named Jordan Elziabeth Schubenski.
Congraulations to her.
By Josh Nason, Wrestling Observer
It’s never easy to say goodbye especially when it comes to a legend like “Rowdy” Roddy Piper who left for the big ring in the sky at some point last Thursday night/Friday morning.
As I did with Dusty Rhodes in June, I asked for your favorite Piper matches and moments to compile them in one place. I expected a few emails, but nothing like what you’re about to read. Instead of one long huge post, you’re getting three posts over the next three days. Yep, there was that many emails!
And while you’ll see some consistencies in the matches and angles, I really liked the personal touch in the stories behind them. There’s also house show matches, video compilations, and all kinds of fun stuff here. Clearly, Piper meant a lot to a lot of people and it showed.
Without further adieu, here’s part 1 of 3 of your favorite Roddy Piper matches and moments in your words. RIP Hot Rod.
Roddy Piper vs. Hulk Hogan — WCW Starrcade 1996
Matt Wright
I am pretty partial to the ‘Icon vs. Icon’ build for Starrcade 1996 when it comes to Rowdy Roddy Piper. The whole card was loaded with good matches and talent, and was one of the few examples of the Bischoff era where the depth of WCW was used correctly throughout the show. Piper vs. Hogan had a good build, the audience was heated, and many in the crowd were strongly behind Hot Rod, including a fan that tried to attack the nWo. The match was good enough, and it was great seeing Piper go over. I had a great night watching it during the Christmas break of my senior year of high-school with the guys that are still my best friends to this day.
This news has hit me hard since I watch “They Live” pretty regularly (including a month ago on El Rey), and have been seeing Piper on the public service ads every week that air during the local broadcasts of ROH.
Roddy Piper vs. Hulk Hogan cage match — WCW Halloween Havoc 1997
Name Withheld
I was 11 at the time and it was my first Piper main event I ever saw live. I really should load it up on the Network to see how it holds up after all these years.
Roddy Piper vs. Hulk Hogan — WCW Super Brawl 1997
Name Withheld
I have vivid memories from watching Piper train for his match with Hogan at Superbrawl 97 by locking himself on Alcatraz Island.
Piper then wrestled the match in a manner I can only describe as “like a man who was locked in prison for the last month and was looking for the guy who put him there”. It wasn’t a pretty match since he obviously couldn’t move well because of his hip, but it told a great story. He didn’t just go out there, ignore the pretext of the buildup for the match, and just do all of the same planned, overly-choreographed spots he does in every match like every guy in wrestling does today whether it’s a squash match or a blood feud. He wrestled as if it was actually real.
I so miss this about wrestling. They’ve just taken the soul out of what’s great about pro wrestling these days. Guys like Piper could make you suspend your disbelief that wrestling is fake and make you want to see it anyway because they were so committed to making it seem like real fights. It’s so sad that guys like him will never be seen in modern pro wrestling again. He was truly one of a kind.
Roddy Piper vs. The Mountie, WWF Intercontinental title match — Royal Rumble 1992
Chris H.
It was the first pay-per-view event I attended live, in Albany, NY, and it was the first title change I saw in person, so there is a lot of personal nostalgia involved in the match. The match itself was not great, and there was no real rivalry between the two, but for whatever reason, the crowd just loved Piper on this night.
Piper won his first title in the company (which was a big deal back then) via the sleeper, then he got the big taser from Jimmy Hart and shocked the Mountie. Howard Finkel announcing Piper as the “NEEEEWWWWW” IC champion was the biggest pop I had ever heard, until Steve Austin drove a beer truck into the same building seven years later.
The crowd also went crazy when Piper came into the Rumble match later on in the show, and famously gave Hulk Hogan his first fan backlash at the end of the match when he showed poor sportsmanship by pulling Sid Justice out of the match to give Ric Flair the win and the vacant WWF championship.
I’ve been to four Wrestlemanias and dozens of TV tapings since, but Piper raising the IC belt high that night remains one of my favorite wrestling memories.
Ryan Shields
This one might be a little different than some other people will suggest but I absolutely love Piper’s performance at the Royal Rumble 92.
He gives a great little crazy Hot Rod promo before his match with the Mountie “you say you’re gonna take my manhood….ugh….I came here to fight…I don’t know what you came here to do!” And then he goes out and has such a fun little match with the Mountie. It’s nothing all time great but the crowd reacts huge to Piper winning the IC title and he looks like he’s having a blast.
Piper then gets involved in the Royal Rumble later and they keep telling the story of how he has a chance to win two titles in one night. He has a couple great spots with Flair. I love the whole thing.
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis hair vs. hair match — Wrestlemania 3
George Atsavas
Piper was in a hair-vs-hair match vs Adrian Adonis, and he’d already announced his (first) retirement before the show.
Anyway, at Mania 3 everyone came out for their match on these blue carts, including Adonis. The cart wasn’t working or something, so Piper walked out instead to a huge pop that started the moment his bagpipes hit the speakers. He jogs to the ring as the building erupts. More cheers as he faces Adonis down before the match even starts.
The best match of that night was the incredible Savage-Steamboat encounter, and the biggest moment of that night was Hogan slamming Andre, but for my money the best pop of the night was tens of thousands of wrestling fans cheering when the Hot Rod ran to the ring. Those people were there to see Piper, and he delivered for ’em.
Roddy Piper vs. Bret Hart — Wrestlemania 8
James Dixon
My favorite Roddy Piper match was against Bret Hart at WrestleMania VIII. I am sure I am not alone in this selection. Piper did the right thing for business and put Hart over, doing a rare job in order to help cement the future of a man he respected. The match was a classic, and a bout I feel is often underrated. The storytelling was special, and a match I can still watch today and get lost in the moment. The blood, the friendly rivalry that turns rapidly sour, Piper’s “Sophie’s Choice” with the ring bell, the clever finish. It’s all brilliant. That is how you put someone over and make a star.
I also really enjoyed his work as a commentator in the early nineties. Specifically at SummerSlam 1991. Alongside Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon he was a riot, and the three had a fun rapport and an enjoyment for what they were doing that shined through. If only modern announce trios could be even a fraction as entertaining.
Jón Grétar Sigurjónsson
My favorite match was his Mania 8 match with Bret Hart. Those two were my favorites at the time, and I was so excited to see them. I remember reading about the match in WWF Magazine (of course buying into the whole thing being real), and was so impressed with Piper for not using the bell.
Dan Kiven
My favorite Piper moment is the promo he cut on Bret Hart at WrestleMania 8. It’s a fairly short but crazy segment where Piper is talking to Hart and saying crazy things about how they grew up around each other and that Hart wasn’t potty trained until he was 8 years old and when Helen Hart would make baloney sandwiches, she would only use one slice of baloney. It was nuts. I really think it showed what the Piper character was supposed to be.
A close second would be the song he did that was later shown on Nitro. I remember watching Nitro and having a hard time comprehending why this even existed and why it was on Nitro. I still don’t really get it, but it’s a great cheesy Piper song and I love it for that.
Raphael Saray
Obviously Bret vs Piper at WM8, but this was one of my all time favorite matches of the 80s — an MSG 6 man tag building to WM3.
Roddy Piper & Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair & Sid Justice — WWF Philadelphia house show
Bob McGhee
There are lots better matches…but here’s a favorite moment.
You know Philadelphia’s legendary for its wrestling fans. The hardest core of us were NWA fans, who religiously went to the shows at the Philadelphia Civic Center, and ignored WWF as pretty much Titan Toon Adventures. But we made an exception on one March 1992 Saturday afternoon WWF matinee house show at the Philadelphia Spectrum which had a main event of Hulk Hogan/Roddy Piper vs. Ric Flair/Sid “Justice” Vicious.
We managed to get ringside popping for Piper and Flair in their old school identities, with signs asking them to go old school. Flair laughed his ass off at the signs, and audibly yelled at Piper to “look”, pointing to the signs. Sid walked around pretty much going “duh”, and Hogan wondered why we weren’t popping for him like all the other sheep…er, WWF fans. Then he looked.
Roddy Piper vs. Jimmy Snuka — WWF house show, Hartford, CT in 1984
Steve Luther
I was a big Jimmy Snuka fan, particularly coming off his epic feud with Don Muraco. But when Roddy Piper came to the WWF in 1984 I instantly identified with him and even though he was a mega heel, he soon became one of my favorite wrestlers anywhere. I would wait with great anticipation for any interview or match or Pit segment with Piper on TV, literally the hair would stand up on the back of my neck when he was on. Perhaps because I was a shy kid and through Roddy Piper I could fantasize about being that brash, trash-talking, bigshot that Piper portrayed when he entered the territory, something that was so opposite of my own personality, yet I yearned to be.
I was just starting college and after the Piper-Snuka coconut angle on TV, I saw those two would be one of the featured matches at the Hartford Civic Center house show. (Hulk Hogan defending the WWF title against Kamala was the only other match I recall that night.) Because I was broke, I begged my Dad to take me to the matches. He was a very casual fan and didn’t like to go into the city, but agreed to take me that one night.
The Civic Center had a huge crowd that night, easily 10,000+, and everyone was there waiting anxiously for Roddy Piper and Jimmy Snuka to fight. When the ring announcer finally said “about to make his way to the ring, hailing from Glasgow, Scotland…..” the building erupted in the loudest roar of boos and jeers I had ever heard in all my years as a wrestling fan and other house shows I had been to, and Piper confidently strode to the ring, ever defiant. The place popped equally for cheers when Jimmy Snuka came to the ring.
They didn’t have a long match – maybe 10 minutes – but the roaring crowd hung on every move and the heat was out-of-this-world. Literally every punch, kick, slap and poke the crowd was super into. It wasn’t a clean finish – I think Snuka won by DQ – but what I remember most was, after the finish, Piper delivered a beatdown on Snuka which had the fans up in arms with rage.
One of my biggest memories was that there were a group of teenage girls sitting in front of me, all huge Snuka fans. Being one of the few Piper supporters, they would look back in utter disbelief that I could possibly be cheering the rowdy Scotsman. At one point during the post-match beatdown I yelled out something to the effect of “Go Piper, hit that island boy with another coconut!”
Aghast, the girls turned to me with tears streaming down their faces and yelled “SHUT UP!! STOP IT!!! JIMMY”S HURT!!! I remember after Piper left the ring – to a humongous chorus of boos – the girls all saying “We love you Jimmy” and me continuing to mock Snuka and cheer on Piper for his night’s work, proud of myself for rubbing Snuka’s dismay in the girls’ faces.
Of all the house shows I’ve attended – WWE/WWF, WCW, NWA, Mid-Atlantic – I never got to see Roddy Piper in person in the ring again unfortunately, but he had a fan for life and I loved every minute of his WWF run, and of course I supported him just as much after he turned babyface.
Part 2 comes Friday and your teaser is one word: Solie.