WWF All Star Search #10 - Saturday Night's Main Event 1

Hello Turnbucklers! It's edition #10 and we're looking at our first and the first Saturday Nights Main Event in this one! Not a big card as SNME was only an hour long but they were significant and important viewing for any WWE fan. This card looks alright with a 6 man tag match, two title matches (one of which is a WWE Title match) and also an important Pipers Pit. Last edition I had to watch a complete pile of bilge so let's hope this one is short and sweet! Onwards we go!

The Card:

The US Express/Ricky Steamboat vs Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff/George Steele

Piper's Pit ft Paul Orndorff

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champion) vs 'Cowboy' Bob Orton [WWE Title Match]

Wendi Richter (Womens Champ) vs The Fabulous Moolah [Womens Title Match]

Junkyard Dog vs Pete Doughety

 

The Show:

So before we even start up flashes Wendi Richter and Cyndi Lauper hyping up their match tonight. Then, Hulk Hogan and Mr T pop up to hype up Hogan's match tonight and T is in his corner! Mr T growls at us to seal home the point.

Our commentary team tonight is Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura. Not even 30 seconds in, McMahon is trying to save Jesse on commentary when he didn't need saving. Calm it, Vince!

The US Express/Ricky Steamboat vs Iron Sheik/Nikolai Volkoff/George Steele

Before the match gets underway, of course we have the Soviet anthem and some spitting to get through via the heels. We also get a very speedy promo from the faces where by Windham says he wishes it was for the tag titles...and gets some subtle evils from Steamboat for doing so. Damn right Ricky, you are a third wheel on this night! This is George Steele's debut on our All Star Search and he announces himself by...flailing his arms. Windham and Sheik start us off while Steele is told to stand on the apron and not in the ring. Windham takes early control with an arm drag, a sneaky punch from Steamboat and a scoop slam. Rotundo and Steamboat both get shots in on Sheik from the top rope before Rotundo maintains control with headlocks and armbars. Steamboat in who nails a chop to Sheik but soon finds himself in an abdominal stretch. It doesn't last long as the faces clear the ring of the heels and the crowd is a buzzin'. A massive USA chant breaks out...and the only one who plays to it is George Steele...the American on the heel team? Nice dropkick off top on Sheik followed by a cross body off the top by Steamboat. In comes Volkoff but eats eats a double dropkick from Steamboat and Windham. Rotundo in who levels the Russian with legdrops but gets distracted by the heels allowing momentum to shift for...a second...before Rotundo regains control. An awkward sequence of backslides follow and Windham tags back in. George Steele in now to big heat and him and Windham trade awful looking punches. Steele goes for a tag out but the tag champs just drop down to the floor allowing Steele to be pinned with a roll up from Windham for three. The tag champs attack Steele after the match but it doesn't go too far. That big heat for Steele are now big cheers and Captain Lou comes in to calm down Steele. Face = turned. Good, quick, action despite the lack of offense by the heels. Surely if the US Express were to dominate...why not have kept the titles on them at Mania? Match Rating: *1/2
After the match Mean Gene Okerlund catches up with the champs who claims Steele was at fault and he deserved them to shun him.

Piper's Pit with Paul Orndorff

Straight into Piper's Pit now and Mr Wonderful Paul Orndorff is the guest. If you remember, at Wrestlemania, Piper and Orton left Orndorff alone in the ring after their loss and last month, Orndorff lost to Hogan but shook his hand afterwards. Piper tries to talk but Orndorff cuts him off and tells Cowboy Bob Orton to go stand in the corner like the 'dunce' he is. Of course the tension between Piper and Orndorff is off the charts. Piper of course starts getting cheeky and calls Orndorff a loser who gets angry as a result. Not angry enough NOT to sit down when Piper asks him too. Nonetheless, more back and forth snarkiness between Piper and Orndorff and Piper is great here. He says Orndorff lost his guts and Orndorff replies with 'you've been drinking your own bath water'. Tension escalates as expected until the heels attempt the cheapshot but fail. Orndorff goes for a piledriver on Piper but gets nailed by Orton's cast. Mr T runs down for the save and Face = Turned. Short but sweet segment to solidify Orndorff's turn and it definitely worked. Piper was superb.
Mean Gene is with Hogan who says he's happy it's Mother's Day soon and the following match is for his mummy. Orton...how injured is your arm because Hogan says he's coming to find out.

Hulk Hogan (WWE Champ) vs 'Cowboy' Bob Orton [WWE Title Match]

The man with too many names...Mr Ace Cowboy Boxing Bob Orton is out first with Roddy Piper. The place naturally explodes when Hogan comes out and he's accompanied by Mr T! They get in the ring and rip each others shirts off and who says wrestling can seem gay? The match itself is your standard Hogan quick formulaic match. It spills to the outside but its a case of brawling and basic manuevers. Of course Piper on the outside plus Orton's cast provide enough of a challenge to keep the crowd hot throughout. Hogan eventually gets the legdrop but Piper breaks up the count with a cheapshot from the outside to cause the DQ win for Hogan. There's afters between the four until Orndorff comes out to support the good guys since he is now solidly one of them. Suprised they didn't just give Hogan the clean win on this one. I'm starting to notice the challengers get more offense in against Hogan on TV and supercards in comparison to house shows. Match Rating: *

Before we move onto the next match, we get to watch Cyndi Laupers new (at the time) music video. It was too sappy for my liking but hey, whatever floats your boat people. Although I approve of any love themed music video featuring Nikolai Volkoff.
Cyndi Lauper and Captain Lou are in the back, who both seem very confident that Wendi Richter is winning against the 106 year old Fabulous Moolah. Lauper worries about Albano's 'medula swelling.' Roddy Piper appears and has a screaming match with Lauper, its all good!
Mean Gene is with Moolah who says she's winning tonight and she's sick of Lauper cheating. She's also sick of people putting bags on her head, I however would encourage it, except plastic, 'coz that's dangerous!

Wendi Richter (Womens Champ) vs The Fabulous Moolah [Womens Title Match]

Big heat for Moolah when she comes out. Lauper and Richter come out to another Lauper song and Richter is such an after thought here. It's a shame because this of the potential if Lauper was the mouthpiece of a women's wrestler with actual in ring ability. Before the match, Fink makes the announcement that Lauper is banned from ringside and has to go backstage. The crowd chant bullshit but if that was 2014, that would've resulted in a 45 minute concert at Wrestlemania so keep your angst to yourselves on this one fans! The match of course is absolutely dreadful and the crowd die a slow death as soon as Lauper leaves. Richter eventually gets the win with a small package and the crowd wake up again in time for Lauper to come back and celebrate. Match Rating: DUD

Junkyard Dog vs Pete Doughety

Straight into the last match now and Pete Doughety gets the jobbers entrance and no reaction. 'Another One Bites the Dust' hits and out comes Junkyard Dog with his ma because it's Mothers Day. Only two interesting things in this one...1) Pete Doughety has a lovely scream when he's selling and 2) Pete Doughety is supposedly the Duke of Dorchester. Its a quick one and Junkyard Dog gets the win with his Powerslam. What a strange choice of ending matchwise but hey, Junkyard Dog and mum dance after the match. Is she really his mother because they look the same age, hmmm. I wish I liked the Junkyard Dog more but I can't take a bloke doing dog impressions seriously. Match Rating: DUD
Into the back with Mean Gene who is with several wrestlers celebrating Mothers Day. Freddie Blassie's mother is about 40 years younger than him which is lovely. Cyndi Lauper is with her mum and everyone is having a good time. Hogan and Sheik are bickering in the background and Moolah crashes the party and lays into Mummy Lauper while Lauper quacks on until shes covers Moolah in cake.
McMahon and Jesse Ventura go through their highlights to close us out.

Wrestler Scores:

• Ricky Steamboat +6 (18)
• Mike Rotundo +6 (22)
• Barry Windham +6 (21)
• George Steele +3 (3)
• Iron Sheik +4 (27)
• Nikolai Volkoff +3 (18)
• Roddy Piper +6 (36)
• Paul Orndorff  +7 (26)
• Hulk Hogan +5 (46)
• Bob Orton +4 (14)
• Fabulous Moolah +2 (3)
• Wendi Richter +2 (5)
• Pete Doughety +1 (1)
• Junkyard Dog +3 (11)

Piper and Orndorff brought in some decent points this week for that Piper's Pit segment and their various appearances throughout the episode proving how important the non-in-ring segments are too. Matches overall were disappointing whereby only the face team in the opener truly looked good. At this point overall, Hogan is in the lead after 10 editions with 46 points. Tito Santana isn't too far behind him and Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine after them. Shoutout to Iron Sheik who has impressed me more so than I thought, not so much Volkoff though. Onwards to our last house show of 1985.