I'm a Bobby Heenan Guy's Official Classic Reviews Thread

WrestleMania V

Your hosts-Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura

Hercules vs King Haku- Herc is newly babyface here as he turned in late 88 in the whole slave angle with Ted DiBiase. Not a bad power match here. Hercules with the win after getting his shoulder up after Haku suplexes him. Not a good start for the Heenan Family on this night.

Twin Towers vs The Rockers- Fun tag match here. Rockers were bumping their a$$es to make the Towers look good. Finish comes when Akeem splashes Michaels. I liked the team of Boss Man/Akeem. .Shame they never got a tag title run.

Ted DiBiase vs Brutus Beefcake-Dibiase's 1st PPV appearance with the $ belt as it was introduced on TV not long before this event. Very underwhelming match here as there was no feud between the two. The match ends in a lame double countout. Brut-I clears the ring post match with his hedge clippers. Jesse Ventura's right,that's assault with a deadly weapon.

''Fabulous'' Rougeau Brothers vs The Bushwhackers- Damn nearly 30 years later and the Rougeaus theme is still awesome. Basic comedy match as was the norm from the whackers during this era. The babyfaces with the win after a double stomach breaker on Raymond. Sean Mooney gets a licking post match in the aisle way. WHOOOOOOO YAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Mr. Perfect vs Blue Blazer- Very good for a 6 minute match. You could tell they were grooming Hennig to be a star as he looked great here. Blazer was amazing as well with his high flying. Perfect with the win after his signature Perfect Plex. MOTN so far for me.

This is a part of the show where they really fill in time. 1st up we get a pose down from Jesse Ventura up in the booth. Next up they show footage of Mr. Fuji running the 5k race on the boardwalk in AC in a tux! Then we get a rap from Run DMC. Not my kind of music but I can see why they brought em in as they were a big act during this time.

Demolition vs The Powers of Pain/Mr. Fuji for the WWF Tag Titles- I like both teams but man this was boring as hell. Not to mention the dead crowd on top of it. Demo gets their revenge on Fuji from SSeries 88 by pinning him after the Decapitation. Take that Fuj the stooge!!

Dino Bravo vs Ronnie Garvin- Bad match here but at least it was short.I never liked either guy but man I really didn't like Garvin. Still have no clue why the NWA gave em the World Title in 87. Anyway Bravo with the win after a side suplex. Next...

Brain Busters vs Strike Force- Solid tag match here as Arn/Tully were working it like a NWA tag match. Tito accidently hits Martel with the flying forearm which makes it a 2 on 1 for the rest of the match as Martel walks out on em turning heel in the process. It was very well done. Busters with the win after a double piledriver. During that Summer they would win the tag belts from Demolition. As far as Santana/Martel they would few on and off for the next few years.

Up next is a classic Piper's Pit segment with Brother Love and Morton Downey Jr. Piper would be making his return to the WWF here after a 2 year absence. Classic Hot Rod here. Definitely recommend checking this segment out. Shame the crowd was dead for it(a theme on this night) but I enjoyed it.

More filler now as we recap the whole feud between Hogan/Savage followed by a interview with the Hulkster himself.I do like how they're giving this match huge build.

Jake ''the snake'' Roberts vs Andre the Giant with Big John Studd as ref- I liked the build to this match but man this was bad. Andre at this point could barely move but somehow this was 10 minutes long. Ted DiBiase comes out to try to steal the snake late in the match to kick start that feud while Andre is DQed for attacking Studd. Again bad match here but that had to be expected with the shape Andre was in.

Hart Foundation vs Honky Tonk/Greg Valentine- Total filler match here but not bad for what is was. Harts with the win after hitting Honky with Jimmy Hart's megaphone.

Ultimate Warrior vs Rick Rude for the WWF IC Title- This feud started during that ''super posedown'' at the Rumble. Good match here but that was because Rude carried majority of it plus Rude is one guy Warrior had chemistry with. Rude wins the gold after Bobby Heenan trips Warrior from the outside and holds his leg down for the pin. The Heenan Family has gold YES!!! Post match Warrior gives Heenan a horribly botched press slam.

Bad News Brown vs Jim Duggan-More bad filler here. At least it was kept short. Both get DQed after weapons get involved. Moving on...

Bobby Heenan vs Red Rooster- Culmination of this feud that started early in the year. Rooster gets the cheap win after Bobby charges into the ring post. The man was hurt damnit!! Brooklyn Brawler comes in post match to attack Rooster. That's what he gets.

Randy Savage vs Hulk Hogan for the WWF World Title- Here we are humanoids. After a very well done one year build we are finally at this big confrontation. The MEGA-POWERS EXPLODE!! The match was very good for Hogan standards. Savage is his usual awesome stuff here. We even get a blade job from Hogan late in the bout which was rare during these days of the WWF. Hogan Hulks up and hits the big boot and legdrop for the win and title. I always wondered though if Savage won in a shock and held the belt until SSlam. That would've been great. The Hulkster poses to end the show. Overall good main event here and worth the hype.

Final Thoughts-This is definitely one of the weaker Mania's as there is a TON of filler and matches that just didn't belong here. With that said though I still enjoyed it for the most part as I love this era. On top of it you  have Gorilla and Jesse on commentary. Fans of this era definitely check it out but feel free to use the fast forward button. Recommended(with caution)

Until next time...Stay Classic Humanoids.

Jun 22, 2018 3:34:33 GMT -5 nibs92 said:

One of the first Wrestlemanias I saw - got it on VHS shortly after WM8. Enjoyable for me in that nostalgic way. As a 12 year old it was great as there was so many wrestlers on the one event. In hindsight, it may have benefited from having fewer matches and possibly a battle royal if they felt the need to have everyone on the card.

This was the first event that made me appreciate entrance music. Akeem “dancing” around to jive soul bro was a hoot and I was completely mesmerised watching Rick Rude swaggering down the aisle behind The Brain to his awesome theme. I believe it was his 2nd theme tune, and am I right in thinking that it has been dubbed over with some generic stripper music on the network??

I really liked Haku and would have preferred him to have won but I guess that wouldn’t have been in keeping with the slave story line.

Rude getting the belt was great but poor Bobby got beaten up again. It did look a sore fall. Loved how he was still game enough to take on the rooster. He certainly lived up to his reputation of managing like a wrestler and wrestling like a manager at this event.

Wasn’t it Morten Downey Jr. on pipers pit?

Was this the event that Ventura (who was excellent on commentary) proclaimed that the move of the night was a thumb to the eye?

The mega powers story line was a great, slow burning feud and should be a lesson to anyone who has aspirations of being a booker. And has to be the greatest match Hogan ever had (WM3 WAS fantastic for hype but this was better technically).

Great review

Yeah they butchered Rude's classic theme on the Network.

It was  indeed Morton Downey Jr. total typo on my part lol.

Yep Ventura said that. Such a fantastic heel announcer. Only one that comes close to him is Heenan.

Thank you sir for the positive feedback. I'll do the SSeries 89 showdown next since I just watched it a few days ago. I'll have it up in the next few days.

Survivor Series Showdown 1989

Your hosts- Gorilla Monsoon,Bobby Heenan,Roddy Piper (in studio),Vince McMahon/Jesse Ventura on commentary

This is all the in studio segments of the show.Classic.

Tito Santana vs Big Boss Man- Tito is representing the ''Dream Team'' while Boss Man is representing the ''Enforcers''. Decent speed vs power match here. Tito with the win after Dusty nails the Boss Man with the nightstick behind the refs back.

We get an  ''update'' segment recapping the Brain Busters losing the tag belts the prior week to Demolition.

Bushwhacker Butch vs Mr. Perfect- Butch is representing ''Roddy's Rowdies'' and Perfect is representing the ''Rude's Brood". Terrible match here that not even Perfect could save. Perfect Plex ends this one.

Control center segment with Sean Mooney!....Who?

Hercules vs ''Macho King'' Randy Savage-Savage would get that title after defeating Jim Duggan not long before this.Herc is representing the ''2x4s'' and Savage is representing the ''King's Court''. Not terrible like the previous match was but still not very good.The King with the win after hitting Herc with Queen Sherri's purse. Bow down to the King!Dig It!

Next up is the Survivor Series Report with Mean Gene!These segments never get old.

Ultimate Warrior vs Tully Blanchard- Warrior is representing the ''Warriors'' and Tully is representing the ''Heenan Family''(The best SSeries team IMO )This would be the last appearance for Tully as he was let go right after this for drug issues.Total one sided match here as Warrior pretty much squashes him for about 6 minutes. It's a DQ finish however as Arn comes in to attack Warrior leading to a big brawl between the teams.

Ted DiBiase vs Demolition Smash-$ Man represents the ''Million Dollar Team'' and Smash represents the ''Hulkamaniacs''. Decent main event here but it was slow at times.Zeus attacks Smash on the outside leading to Dibiase getting the win.

Final Thoughts- None of the matches here are must see but for the overall hype of the main PPV the WWF did a job well done here. On top of that it's only 90 minutes long.Verdict-Recommended

Next time on the classic reviews...ECW Heatwave 98!

Until next time...Stay Classic Humanoids.

Jun 23, 2018 16:26:20 GMT -5 nibs92 said:

Ha ha line of the event has to be when the Brain was asked why he didn’t get involved. “It’s against the rules to do that”! Delivered impeccably as always.

I’m guessing Tully had contractual obligations to fulfill that’s why he was there. Good build up to the dissention in the Heenan family. Bobby at his best in unconvincingly saying there’s no problems in the family.

Onto the matches now. Surprised to see Tito go over, I’ve always viewed him as a jobber to the stars.

Did the tag title change happen on tv?

The Bushwhackers were the biggest waste of a match IMO. Perfect going over here was the only possible outcome. I’d have had one of the Rougeau brothers vs Snuka instead.

Was it Heenan that said who? When Sean Mooney was mentioned? Sounds like the sort of thing he’d come out with. On a side note, my all time favourite Heenan quote was at SS91: Heenan “the Jim Lewis arena
Monsoon “it’s Joe Lewis, who’s Jim Lewis?
Heenan “who’s Joe Lewis??”
Absolutely priceless!

Anyway back to the showdown. Macho the only logical winner although a clean win would have been better. Better still, if Bret had taken Hercs place then that would have been an absolute classic. The Hart Foundation still had some legs but could have been a good opportunity to test Bret as a singles.

Looks like a good little storyline in the Warrior/Tully match. A good old fashioned team brawl always wins the day

Dibiase going over with the help of Zeus was was good. Just wish the booking was better in the team match. I get Zeus wasn’t great in the ring but the early disqualification was a joke. And the double dq for the POP took the proverbial! I remember Ventura beng outraged on commentary and a lot of the reason why I was never a Hogan fan.

Will definitely check it out though. Is it on the network?

Great review as always man

The studio segments really made the show for me. Just classic banter between all 3. Loved it.

The  tag title switch happened on an episode of Superstars prior to this.

Tito's best years was when he was in the IC Title picture IMO. You can always count on him having at least a passable match though during these years.

Another classic Heenan line from that SSeries is''You know what LOD stands for? Leave ol' Detroit''

The full show is on YouTube. Just type in Survivor Series Showdown 1989.

Thanks for the feedback!

ECW Heat Wave 1998

Your host-Joey Styles/Shane Douglas

Justin Credible vs Jerry Lynn- Never was a Credible fan but man Lynn was awesome. Decent opener here as you had wrestling mixed in with the typical ECW weapon usage. Credible  with the win after a ''that's incredible!'' tombstone from the 2nd rope. Both guys would play a huge part in the company during the final few years.

Lance Storm vs Chris Candido- Another good match here. Tammy Sytch aka Sunny is in the corner of Candido and all I can say is DAMN! Candido with the win here after a powerbomb off the top called the ''blond bombshell''. 2 solid workers=solid match.

Mike Awesome vs Masato Tanaka- These 2 would have crazy matches together during their time here and this one was no different. Tanaka gets hit in the head multiple times with a chair which to this day I still cringe at. We also get Tanaka powerbombing Awesome through a table. In the end Tanaka wins after a tornado DDT on to a chair. Crazy stuff here but still hell of a lot of fun to watch.

Taz promo where he shoots on Austin and Goldberg who were the champs at the time in WWF and WCW respectively. ''Beat me if you can,Survive if I let you!''

RVD/Sabu vs Hayabusa/Shinzaki for the ECW Tag Titles-Shinzaki is Hakushi from WWF fame. Crazy tag match here. The beginning of the match is a traditional but as it goes on turns in to a tornado tag anything goes match. We get the infamous spot where the challengers are prone on the table with RVD/Sabu then diving onto them in a cool and memorable spot. The champs retains here after a ''Van Damninator'' on Shinzaki. Go out of your way to see this as it is definitely a sight to see.

Taz vs Bam Bam Bigelow for the ''FTW' Title- the belt is a fictional title Taz came up with during this time period. Your basic brawl type match here with the big spot coming from Taz DDT'ing Bigelow through the stage similar to the ring spot from Living Dangerously the previous March. Taz with the win after locking in the Taz Mission. Not a bad brawl match but nothing more.

Dudley Boyz vs Tommy Dreamer/Spike Dudley/Sandman- We get our usual classic Joel Gertner promo before the match. Well Well Well! Another classic ECW style brawl here to end the night. The Dudleyz were on fire here as heels. We get tons of weapons,crowd brawling and everything in between here. In the end the babyfaces win after Bubba ray gets DDT'ed onto a ladder. Decent main event but it's not for fans who like classic in ring mat wrestling that's for sure.

Final thoughts-Overall it's a very good PPV with no match on here being downright bad. This event is considered to be the best ECW PPV of all time and while it is indeed very good like I said, IMO Barely Legal is better. Still check this one out if you're an ECW fan.Verdict-Recommended. ECDUB ECDUB ECDUB!!!

Next up on the classic reviews-Royal Rumble 1994!

Until next time Humanoids...Stay Classic

Jun 27, 2018 21:07:34 GMT -5 @anthony18 said:

I love the spot in the main event where the heels are in the corners tree of woe style and the baby faces and ref give them dropkicks. Shane Douglas was great doing color commentary.

I gotta give props to D-Von during the whole thing. His selling was fantastic.

Shane was great on color I agree. Shame he never got into it after he retired. Scratch that he's still wrestling lol. Had no idea