HTM & Steamboat IC Title Runs...

i read an article in the magazine powerslam (UK) it was concerning the storyline with edge winning the briefcase from mr kennedy. the main theme of the article was about wrestlers fortunes/misfortunes regarding title opportunities.

anyway, at the start of this article it says that steamboat asked for time off shortly after WM3 because his wife had just given birth. he was granted this time off providing he drop the IC title. it was originally butch reed who was set to win the title. however heno showed the tv taping he was supposed to win the belt at, and management had decided the dragon was dropping the belt that night so honky had the good fortune of winning the belt. (again with reference to the article, HTM had never been considered for a title until that day, so makes the length of his reign even more amazing!)

i think with HTM his reign was so long because he was over with the fans, the gimmic of him retaining the title by any means (i.e intentional count-out/DQ) was also over at the time and i believe he was a good friend of hulk hogan (i think).

I was at the height of my WWF fandom back then and a huge Ricky Steamboat fan (still am), and I can tell you from the point of view of a fan in 1987, it was a very anti-climactic turn of events.

You're right... HTM was absolutely not considered a threat to any title at the time. He was considered with the likes of Koko B. Ware... a guy with a fun gimmick and good charisma, but otherwise he was strictly midcard. In contrast, like you mentioned, the Savage-Steamboat thing was so well done (not just the match, but the whole storyline) that by the time Steamboat won the IC title, they had succeeded in building the IC title up into something really special and important.

Then, out of nowhere, Steamboat jobs the belt in a short, forgettable match on Superstars, and then just sort of disappears into the background without putting up much of a fight to get his title back. He got return matches (one was at MSG), but for the most part, they were just "matches" with no storyline or feeling behind them. Especially in contrast to the Steamboat-Savage program that came before it. It was weird to see back then. Today we know the back story, which make it a little easier to understand, but back then, it made no sense and totally took the wind out of Ricky Steamboat's momentum.

I have heard that Honky spent a lot of his title reign without a contract and kept threatening to walk out if they tried to make him lose the title. My understanding is that he jobbed so quickly to Warrior because Vince called his bluff, thus making him sign a new contract (since no one else wanted to sign him) and drop the belt in record time.

on Honkys shoot( and a few others)its said that Vince was very annoyed with Steamboat for wanting time off....and he was stripped of the IC title almost immediately in a meaningless way on purpose.


didnt ehar about Honky working with no contract-I find that unlikely though.

Honky says he wouldnt drop the title to Savage because he was brought to a meeting and ignored while Vince and Savage planned the match...........he was enraged at this because he was to be jobbed out on Primetime.

so Honky went on the road with the belt and started to talk to the other side after many attempts to call Vince were ignored.........

after Vince heard this he changed the plan to Savage winning the World strap at WM4(instead of Dibiase).

the next time Honky was asked to job on TV it was to Warrior at SS88.Honky says he complied because Vince came to him and said Warrior was to be his top guy because Hogan was looking at Hollywood.

now take that for whats its worth but Honkys shoot is definatly worth a watch for info on this time,Butch Reeds too

Butch Reed denies he was ever going to get it......and he says he can be seen celebrating with Honky and the other heels.so the no show thing is murky too.

This is what i heard from Honky Tonk Man himself, i teamed with him at an indy show recently, he says that butch reed was supposed to take the title because Steamboat wanted time off, and they just needed someone and they happend to be booked against each other that night, butch reed showed up way late to the show and they thought he wasnt coming at all, Hogan and Vince were talking about who should get it, Honky just happend to be walking by and Hogan said wat about him, Vince said that fine, as weird as it sounds thats what happend. Honky also said that bad news brown was upset with the decision because he thought that the ic title should go to a black man since it was already supposed to, nothing ever came of that though.

I see.thanks man, that does clear things up