In this WWF Wrestling Challenge 10/18/86 review, Paul Orndorff heads to the salon, The British Bulldogs are in action, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show: WWF Wrestling Challenge
- Date: October 18, 1986
RINGSIDE: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are once again on commentary.
Steve Lombardi vs. Koko B. Ware
A special inset promo from Koko features Frankie doing his thing. This match features one of the most bewildering sequences during this era in wrestling, and regular readers know what I’m gonna say. THE CRISS CROSS. The WrestleMania VI one with Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior is still my favorite. This one is all Koko and he hits the brainbuster for the win. (SQUASH)
VIDEO: Wrestlers’ Rebuttal with Roddy Piper. He sends a message to the trio of Adrian Adonis, Bob Orton Jr., and Magnificent Muraco.
VIDEO: Paul Orndorff is at the salon. Yes, we get to see Mr. Wonderful become wonderful. What a treat! He calls out the nail lady and wants a better buff. GET IT RIGHT, LADY. He gets pissed off that no one is shining his shoes. Orndorff gets the full treatment, and he’s handing out orders all over the place. This is 80s heel work at its finest. Give the man all the titles.
Tony Parks vs. Paul Orndorff (w/Bobby Heenan)
Yes, Orndorff is still coming out to Hogan’s music and doing the poses. This guy is absolutely tremendous. Orndorff just hauls off on Parks and reels the crowd in by mocking Hogan, then hits Parks with a picture-perfect piledriver for the victory. (SQUASH)
BACKSTAGE: Ken Resnick with Tito Santana. Tito wants Piper’s enemies to get their due. He also wants a shot at Randy Savage.
Bob Bradley vs. Dick Slater
Danny Davis is the referee for this one, so you’ve always gotta be on guard for his shenanigans. Speaking of which, he calls out the fans in an inset promo for writing hateful fan mail about his refereeing. Poor Danny would’ve taken a beating on Twitter. Bradley gets a little offense, but Slater hits the flying elbow and scores the win. (SQUASH)
BACKSTAGE: Resnick with The Rougeau Brothers. Raymond hypes their undefeated record thus far, and Jacques says they’re gonna earn their shot at the tag titles.
Jerry Allen and Rick Hunter vs. The Dream Team (w/Johnny V)
The Dream Team, like Orndorff, has impressed during my 80s WWF rewatch series. I appreciate them more now. Obviously, we know what Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake achieved individually, but their teamwork was great and they were a nice old school heel team. Valentine locks in the Figure Four on Hunter and that’ll do it for the victory. (SQUASH)
RINGSIDE: The Snake Pit with Jake Roberts. This set was well done. The Junkyard Dog comes out before Jake introduces him, then JYD says he brought a chain to use it on Damien. They trade verbal jabs and JYD walks off.
Sika (w/The Wizard) vs. Jose Luis Rivera
Sika’s facial expressions are gold. Rivera eventually becomes one half of The Conquistadors, but never mind that, because Wizard does an inset promo hyping Sika’s diet. Fascinating. Sika destroys Rivera and hits the diving headbutt for the easy win. (SQUASH)
VIDEO: The British Bulldogs are with Matilda, and Heenan walks up to make fun of her.
Rudy Diamond and Steve Regal vs. The British Bulldogs
A non-title match here, and once again, Steve Regal is not that Steve Regal. Heenan makes a joke about thinking Matilda had an ugly face until he saw the faces of Dynamite Kid and British Bulldog. Heenan was on another level, folks. Regal and Diamond are a fun jobber pairing. Bulldog powerslams Diamond, then it’s the double team finisher with Dynamite coming off the top for the victory. (SQUASH)
BACKSTAGE: Resnick with Slick, who is building quite a stable in the WWF. He hypes Butch Reed and in comes The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. They want a shot at the tag titles, and they flex their muscles to prove it.
BLAKE’S TAKE ON WWF WRESTLING CHALLENGE 10/18/86
Best Match: The British Bulldogs vs. Rudy Diamond and Steve Regal
Overall Rating: 6.0/10
Thoughts: Orndorff’s antics were the highlight of this episode. He was a true gem during his feud with Hogan, and this was another display of that. There was a lot of focus on the tag team title hunt, which featured a solid mix of teams at this point.
For more of my show reviews, visit the Pro Wrestling Reviews section!