WWF 1988

[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]

April 2nd 1988

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]
[li] WWF Wrestling Challenge gets under way with Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan welcoming everybody to the show. They run down just a few of the stars that we'll see on the show today, including matches featuring "The Outlaw" Ron Bass, as well as "The King" Harley Race.

[/li][li] Gene Okerlund hosts the Wrestlemania recap talking about the amazing ppv that took place just last week. Highlights are shown of Strike Force vs Demolition where Demolition defeated the champions to capture the belts for the very first time.

[/li][li] A second clip from Wrestlemania IV as highlights from Jim Duggan vs Ted DiBiase in the WWF Championship Tournament is shown. Andre the Giant trips Jim Duggan from the outside, allowing Ted DiBiase to steal the victory.

[/li][li] An interview segment is shown with Jim Duggan who blames Andre the Giant for him not being WWF Champion right now. Duggan claims that he is going to find the giant and bring him down a peg or two.

[/li][li] Harley Race w/ Bobby Heenan def. Jim Evans via pinfall - The resident king of the World Wrestling Federation showed why he is indeed the king by defeated Jim Evans in quick fashion. After throwing Evans around for a few minutes, he finished the match with the Fisherman Suplex.

[/li][li] The British Bulldogs def. Dave Wagner & Pete Sanchez via pinfall - A longer match than the previous match shown, but Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith were in full control the entire time. After having their way with their opponents, Davey Boy Smith slammed Pete Sanchez with the running powerslam to pick up the victory.

[/li][li] Back to the Wrestlemania Report with Gene Okerlund who talks about the WWF Championship Tournament match between Bam Bam Bigelow, and One Man Gang. Instead of showing highlights of the match, each man's interview from backstage before the match is shown.

[/li][li] A highlights package is shown of all of Randy Savage's matches from Wrestlemania IV where he defeated Butch Reed, Greg Valentine, One Man Gang, and finally Ted DiBiase to capture the WWF Championship.

[/li][li] Brutus Beefcake def. Alden Kinsey via submission - "The Barber" Brutus Beefcake came up short at Wrestlemania IV in capturing the Intercontinental Championship from HonkyTonk Man but he got back on his winning ways tonight. After being doing with his opponent, Beefcake put him to sleep with his patented sleeper hold. Alden Kinsey passed out and the referee called for the bell.

[/li][li] "Superstar" Billy Graham cuts a promo on how good his man, "The Rock" Don Muraco is, in which Muraco says he is proud to have the vote of confidence from Billy Graham and knows with him on his side, championship gold is soon to follow.

[/li][li] Ron Bass def. Rick Hunter via pinfall - "The Outlaw" of the World Wrestling Federation was on several occasions surprised by Rick Hunter who tried to pull a fast one over him with several inside cradle attempts to get the three count, but Bass was too powerful and eventually put Hunter away with the Texas Gourdbuster.

[/li][li] Following the match, Junkyard Dog came down to the ring to compete in singles action but was interrupted in the entrance way by Ron Bass. The two men exchanged words before Bass began to choke Junkyard Dog with his cowboy rope. Bass was pulled of Junkyard Dog and officials checked on him.

[/li][li] one of the first matches announced for Saturday Night's Main Event taking place on April 30th was announced as Jake Roberts will take on Harley Race. separate interview segments took place with both men where they talked about how they'll defeat each other.

[/li][li] Ken Patera def. Dustin Smith via submission - Presumingly the main event of the evening as this was the last match to take place during the show. "The Olympian" was in good form tonight and eventually put his opponent down with the full nelson hold for the submission victory.

[/li][li] We head back to Bobby Heenan & Gorilla Monsoon who close the show apologizing for Ron Bass' actions earlier tonight, causing Junkyard Dog to be unable to compete. They say they're sure this isn't the last we've heard of that situation. They tell people to tune in to next weeks show where The Hart Foundation and the man looking for Andre the Giant, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan will be in action.
[/li][/ul][/size]

[/td][/tr][tr][td]

April 4th 1988

[/td][/tr][/table][/center]
[li] WWF Primetime Wrestling gets under way with Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan welcoming everybody to the show. They shortly talk about what took place with Andre the Giant, and "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan from Superstars of Wrestling before mentioning that they will reshow it on this very programme later on. They also make mention that a few of the stars competing today in matches will be The Hart Foundation, One Man Gang, and our opening contest, that will feature Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat taking on Steve Lombardi.

[/li][li] Ricky Steamboat def. Steve Lombardi via pinfall - Your usual short television match but with a little bit of a difference as the match itself was fairly back n forth. Lombardi held his own against the former WWF Intercontinetal Champion but when it was all said and done, Steamboat caught Lombardi with an impressive crossbody from the top rope and picked up the victory.

[/li][li] The cameras switch over to the Wrestling Report with Gene Okerlund who talks about the upcoming Saturday Night's Main Event taking place on April 30th on the NBC Network. Gene talks about the two already announced matches in Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs "The King" Harley Race, as well as Demolition putting the WWF Tag Team Championships on the line against The British Bulldogs. Gene then talks about "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan challenging Andre the Giant to a match at the event but getting no official answer, until now where the camera switches to a pre-taped interview with Bobby Heenan who has Andre standing behind him. Heenan seems angrier than usual as he calls Duggan a criminal for using his 2x4 against Andre, trying to give him brain damage. Heenan says that Andre will turn down no challenge because he is afraid of no man, not even a big oath with an even bigger plank of wood. The match at Saturday Night's Main Event is on! At this point, Andre yells and makes the motion that he's going to strangle Duggan.

[/li][li] The Hart Foundation def. Jim Evans & Scott Casey via pinfall - This is The Hart Foundation's first match as a turned face team. Seemingly, Bad News Brown eliminating Bret in the battle royal at Wrestlemania after breaking their very short friendship was enough for them to see the error of their ways. The match eventually finished with Bret & Jim hitting the Hart Attack on Jim Evans, allowing Bret to hook the leg to get the pinfall.

[/li][li] A segment takes place where "Outlaw" Ron Bass is being interviewed about his actions on Wresting Challenge towards Junkyard Dog. Bass says that ever since the incident has happened, he's received threats for being a racist but that isn't the case at all. He did what he did to Junkyard Dog simply because he could and it was fun. Bass says he'll continue to attack Junkyard Dog because it's really, really fun.

[/li][li] One Man Gang w/ Slick def. Brady Boone via pinfall - One Man Gang is usually an angry man but since Wrestlemania IV, failing to win the WWF Championship Tournament, One Man Gang has been even angrier. Brady Boone was the Super-Heavyweight's victim this week and it was over before it really began as One Man Gang squashed Boone in the corner before squashing him again on the canvas with the splash to pick up the three count.

[/li][li] A graphic appears on the screen reminding everyone to watch this weeks Superstars of Wrestling where Rick Rude will be in action as well as start "The Rude Awakening" tour where he invites attractive females from the crowd to join him in the ring. Following this a segment takes place with Ted DiBiase who has his man Virgil beside him. DiBiase says that he should be the WWF Champion right now, but Hulk Hogan decided to get involved in matters that doesn't concern him. DiBiase says that he will be WWF Champion soon enough, because sooner or later, everyone has a price for the Million Dollar Man!

[/li][li] Don Muraco w/ "Superstar" Billy Graham def. Tom Stone via pinfall - During the match, a box promo took place with "Superstar" Billy Graham who recorded a message before coming out with Muraco about Ted DiBiase's comments prior to this match. Graham says that DiBiase had his chance and lost, so he should go to the back of the line. He says that it's time for his man Don Muraco to shine and that he'll be the WWF Champion be years end. After throwing around Tom Stone for about a minute and a half, Don Muraco connected with the kneeling reverse piledriver to pick up the victory.

[/li][li] A pre-taped interview is shown showing WWF Champion, Randy Savage standing beside Hulk Hogan and the lovely Miss Elizabeth. Savage says that he has heard several of the roster proclaiming that they coming for the WWF Championship but the man that has got his attention is Bad News Brown. Brown thinks he is big and mighty after winning the battle royal at Wrestlemania and feels he is worthy enough to challenge for the WWF Challenge. Savage excepts Bad News Brown's challenge and says that at Saturday Night's Main Event, Macho Madness is coming at ya! Hulk Hogan gets a bit of mic time by saying What ya gonna do, Bad News Brown with the Macho Man Randy Savage comes for you!

[/li][li] Hercules w/ Bobby Heenan def. Terry Gibbs via submission - During the match, a box promo takes place where Bobby Heenan takes more shots at The Ultimate Warrior by again calling him "The Ultimate Dummy" Bobby says that his man, Hercules is pound for pound one of the strongest men in the word and not even the mental asylum imagination of godly powers that Ultimate Warrior thinks he posses can stop him. The match itself finishes with Hercules locking in a back breaker hold, nearly folding Terry Gibbs in half before he taps out.

[/li][li] The aftermath of the Andre the Giant match from Superstars of Wrestling is shown, showing "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan run down to the ring with his 2x4 in hand and challenging Andre to a match at Saturday Night's Main Event. As you know, the scene takes a left turn as Andre attacks Duggan and attempts to choke the life out of him. Andre attempts to then headbutt Duggan only for "Hacksaw" to lift his 2x4 in the way causing Andre to headbutt the plank of wood. Andre would fall down to the canvas out cold and eventually come around where he'd attack WWF Officials before being calmed down by Bobby Heenan.

[/li][li] Jake Roberts def. Mark Young via pinfall - Another box promo takes place during the final match of the show as Jake Roberts talks about his upcoming match against "king" Harley Race. Jake asks Harley if he's a fan of snakes because after he plants his head down to the canvas with the ddt, he'll have an up close encounter with his good friend, Damien. Speaking of the DDT, that's the move Mark Young received to finish this match.

[/li][li] The camera pans back to the studio where Heenan and Monsoon get ready to end the show, they talk about Saturday Night's Main Event which is shaping up to be an unmissable show, and remember to stay tuned all week for all World Wrestling Federation shows for all your updates.
[/li][/ul][/size]

WWF Wrestling Challenge: Saturday 2nd April 1988...Alright, strange that the fallout to WrestleMania IV was so far away from the actual night of the show, but keep in mind this is the late 80s in professional wrestling. Good recaps taking us through what went down at the event, and the promo from Jim Duggan targeting André the Giant was nice, and could potentially bring Duggan up a notch from being a residential, patriotic, life-time midcarder. Harley Race with a win is fine, not a lot to add to that. I hope you keep him around. The British Bulldogs had a good win, not a bad showcase after their forgettable six-man tag team match at WrestleMania. Strange to have Bam Bam Bigelow and One Man Gang have their promos shown rather than their match - but I'm hoping that a rematch is imminent, given the double count-out finish. Brutus Beefcake had a nice win to regain momentum after losing in the WWF Intercontinental Championship match last Monday. I'm hoping Don Muraco reaches places in the national boundaries of the World Wrestling Federation. One of my favourites in this era. I think Superstar Billy Graham is the wrong mouthpiece for him, however. Ron Bass had a fair win, never cared for him honestly. The Junkyard Dog interrupting is good, hopefully the JYD remains relevant here. Liked Bass attacking him, though. Jake Roberts facing Harley Race at Saturday Night's Main Event? Interesting. And lastly, Ken Patera with a win was cool, but he was way out of his range in this time period in my mind. Overall, not a bad start, but since this isn't their flagship show, not a lot was proven to base an opinion off of. But it definitely had the feel to it.


WWF Superstars of Wrestling: Saturday 2nd April 1988...More recaps from WrestleMania IV to open the show, cool. Rick Rude to kick things off was nice, not a lot to add. Rude was a wasted case in this glass ceiling era of the WWF. Hopefully he breaks the main event barrier sooner or later. More for Hercules facing the Ultimate Warrior? I'd like that. I could see a cool program including the Warrior getting through every member of the Heenan Family before engaging in a massive feud with André the Giant headed into WrestleMania V in my head. It would majorly get Warrior over to the main event level easily. Koko B. Ware with a win was fine, nothing special. The British Bulldogs facing Demolition should be a treat, very interesting scenario here. I look forward to it. Bad News Brown with the win was fine. Who is this "interviewer" that spoke to Brown? Should have included a name in my mind. Brown calling out WWF World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Savage is great, and should be a good proving ground for Savage as champ. No way he's losing, keep in mind. Bam Bam Bigelow with the win was fine: who exactly was Sir Oliver Humperdink? I never really paid attention to him. Demolition responding to Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid - neat. I wonder how long you plan to keep Dynamite around, considering he was practically used up as a wrestler by this point. André the Giant with the win was good, but more importantly, Jim Duggan getting retribution on the Giant was great, and I loved how the 2x4 spot happened. Very good stuff to enhance some angles going on following WrestleMania.

WWF Prime Time Wrestling: Monday 4th April 1988...The flagship show at last! No real mention of WrestleMania IV on the intro? Bad call in my mind, but nevermind. Ricky Steamboat had a good win, and I hope you continue to move him up as time goes by. Saturday Night's Main Event already sounds very interesting. A promo from André the Giant and Bobby Heenan enhanced the feud with Jim Duggan even more, nicely done. The Hart Foundation with a win was alright, getting over Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart's face turn properly. I'm surprised you haven't gone for the Bret vs Bad News Brown approach, following their altercation in that match. Ron Bass' promo got his feud with the Junkyard Dog more importantly set up. One Man Gang with the win was expected. Rick Rude starting the "Rude Awakening Tour", ace! Ted Dibiase talking down Hulk Hogan was nice, wondering when him and Hogan will finally meet. Don Muraco got over in his win. Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan - The Megapowers! Good promo to prepare us for the Saturday Night's Main Event big show; glad you aren't seemingly planning on putting Dibiase vs Hogan on the same card as Savage vs Brown. Hercules and Jake Roberts with wins made for good television. Overall, a decent first week with several programs and storylines continuing and/or beginning. A few suggestions: so many squash matches, you should include one or two undercarder vs undercarder matches, not going overkill, but as the diary progresses, I hope you make it your own in terms of how each show is styled (this method would work on PTW, due to it being a flagship show: but all three shows at the minute look the same and repetitive). Another thing, is the detail on each squash match, I wouldn't say even two or three lines are needed for it, really. Additionally, I'm wondering what your emphasis on house shows would be, as house shows were extremely important back here. But yes, overall, I'm liking the relaunch.