4/22/86 - Madison Square Garden - New York, NY

MATCH #1
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan vs. "The Japanese Assassin" Shiro Koshinaka

Since Freddie Blassie has officially left GCW after what happened at Super Cade II, Shiro Koshinaka has decided he will head back to his native Japan to continue his career there when his contractual obligations are up here. It was a tough fight on his hands at MSG as he took on "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Duggan may not be pretty in the ring, but the man is on fire and just keeps winning. Duggan hit the Three Point Stance and racked up another win.

Jim Duggan pinned Shiro Koshinaka with the Three Point Stance in 0:04:08.
Rating: ** 1/2

MATCH #2
The Mexican Eagles vs. Tully Blanchard (Television champion)/"The Enforcer" Arn Anderson (w/ Bobby Heenan)

Seeing how this was not a widespread television event, Tully Blanchard was not required to defend his TV Title. He was required to be in action here at Madison Square Garden though, teaming with Arn Anderson to take on the Mexican Eagles. Blanchard & Anderson have proven to be an enigma, because not only are they currently doing well in singles competition, but when they team up, they are a dangerous combination. Chavo Guerrero & Dos Caras didn't make it easy by any means, but Blanchard & Anderson won a competitive match when the Enforcer hit the Gourdbuster on Caras.

The Heenan Family (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) defeated The Mexican Eagles (Chavo Guerrero and Dos Caras) when Anderson pinned Dos Caras with the Gourdbuster in 0:10:21.
Rating: ** 3/4

MATCH #3
"Chief" Wahoo McDaniel vs. "The Total Package" Lex Luger (w/ Bobby Heenan)

Wahoo McDaniel challenged Luger to this match after Luger's debut to see what the youngster was made of. Wahoo is a great veteran in this sport, and if you can impress him, you are the real deal. Lex Luger came out as cocky as he was on Superstars, almost spending as much time flexing as he did wrestling. However once the match really got going, Luger showed a grit that indicated that he just might have some fortitude. Wahoo lit him up with chops for awhile, but in the end, Luger hit a strong running forearm smash and took the win. After the match, Wahoo looked for a handshake from Luger, but the Total Package just scoffed and walked away while Bobby Heenan laughed it up.

Lex Luger pinned Wahoo McDaniel after the Running Forearm Smash in 0:05:06.
Rating: DUD

MATCH #4
The Rougeau Brothers vs. The Power Company (w/ Jimmy Hart)

The Rougeau Brothers had more time to prepare now that they knew Dino Bravo's partner was going to be Hercules, but it didn't really help them much tonight in the Garden. Jacques & Raymond were absolutely the crowd's choice as the fans of GCW have really taken a shine to the perpetual tourists, but Jimmy Hart has put together a winning combination. Bravo is statistically the greatest tag team wrestler in GCW history, and perhaps the only man in GCW who can match Bravo's power is his partner Hercules. Hercules showcased that strength by getting Jacques Rougeau in the Horizontal Backbreaker for the win.

The Power Company (Dino Bravo and Hercules) defeated The Rougeau Brothers (Jacques Rougeau and Raymond Rougeau) when Hercules made J. Rougeau submit to the Horizontal Backbreaker in 0:04:30.
Rating: *

MATCH #5
Intercontinental Title Match
Ted DiBiase (c) vs. "Adorable" Adrian Adonis (w/ Jimmy Hart)

Occasionally a match will surprise you with just how good it is, and that was the case here. Previously unannounced, Ted DiBiase went to President Jack Tunney and said he wanted to defend the Intercontinental Title tonight. It was determined that Adrian Adonis would be his opponent, and what a match this turned out to be. Adonis has been criticized, and possibly rightfully so, for caring more about his theatrics than his wrestling. Tonight though with a prize as big as the IC Title on the line, he brought it. If we've learned anything about DiBiase though, we loves a good fight. You can beat on DiBiase all night, and he finds a way to keep coming at you. Adonis did everything he could to keep DiBiase down, but he couldn't find that move to do it. DiBiase can also give as well as he receives, and we had ourselves a high impact fast paced contest. In the end, Adonis had DiBiase down in a small package, but DiBiase rolled it over and managed to get a 3 count. An unexpected gem here at MSG.

Ted DiBiase pinned Adrian Adonis after a small package in 0:17:49.
Rating: **** 1/4
(Ted DiBiase retained the GCW Intercontinental Title.)

MATCH #6
The Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) vs. Sgt. Slaughter/Stan "The Lariat" Hansen

A lot of folks were looking forward to this first time meeting between The Road Warriors & The Unholy Alliance, and it was exactly the kind of fight we hoped it would be. Referee Tommy Young was in trouble from the get go because neither team was going into this one just hoping to get a win. No, they were all hoping to get into a fight, and what a fight it was. There aren't many teams who can match power with Hawk & Animal, but Sgt. Slaughter & Stan Hansen can which led to this one being a bruiser of a brawl. Eventually, Animal lost his composure and grabbed a chair that was handed to him by Paul Ellering, whacking Hansen in the back with it to cause the DQ.

Sgt. Slaughter and Stan Hansen defeated The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) when Hansen defeated Animal by disqualification in 0:09:37.
Rating: ** 1/4

Once the chair got broken out, another chair soon followed it, and we just had a donnybrook on our hands. A whole slew of referees, officials, and security personnel had to tear these men apart. We have learned that Animal & Stan Hansen will be meeting each other one-on-one on the May 3 edition of GCW Superstars.

MATCH #7
The Barbarian vs. "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (w/ Precious/"Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal)

Jimmy Garvin was just the next obstacle in The Barbarian's way. Garvin came out with Precious and his tag team partner, "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal, but all of their smiles during the very sparkly ring entrance turned to a look of trepidation once the bell rang. Garvin did everything he could, but he couldn't even seem to stun The Barbarian. Regal jumped on the apron to get involved, but Barbarian took him out immediately with a mafia kick. Garvin charged but got hit with a powerslam. Barbarian followed up with the Diving Headbutt and this one was over.

The Barbarian pinned Jimmy Garvin with the Diving Headbutt in 0:04:48.
Rating: *

After the match, Garvin and Regal got into a shoving match. Garvin was evidently blaming Regal for the loss. It looked like cooler heads prevailed, but after a hug, Regal turned around into a slap from Precious! Regal looked stunned, but not as much as when Garvin spun him around and dropped him with the DDT. It looks like the Electric Dream Machine is a thing of the past.

MATCH #8
Bob Backlund vs. Bad News Brown

This issue between Bob Backlund & Bad News Brown is fresh, but based on this match, you'd think they had been at each other's throats for years. Both men are walking around with big chips on their shoulders right now - Brown from coming up short against Ted DiBiase at Super Cade and Backlund from not being on the show at all. Both men have very different styles, and Brown's style won out tonight. Backlund can brawl for sure, but Brown grew up brawling. Brown used a little misdirection to distract referee Danny Davis so he could pull out a foreign object, clock Backlund in the jaw with it, hide the evidence, and steal the win. When Backlund came to, he had a look on his face of disappointment that showed that this one isn't over.

Bad News Brown pinned Bob Backlund after hitting him with a foreign object in 0:08:55.
Rating: * 3/4

MATCH #9
"The Immortal" Hulk Hogan/Andre the Giant/Rick Martel vs. King Kong Bundy (World champion)/Big John Studd/Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

The crowd had been hot all night, but we hadn't heard anything yet. Once HULK HOGAN was introduced, the roof of Madison Square Garden was nearly blown off. Hogan proved he was everything he was billed to be and more. There is something special about what the Immortal One brings to the ring. Not only that, but when you team him with Andre the Giant & Rick Martel, you have a winning combination. There opponents though weren't going to make it easy, considering it was the Heenan Family. Martel was practically foaming at the mouth to get his hands on Ricky Steamboat, and Bobby Heenan knew that, so the Heenan Family strategy was to keep the Dragon away from Martel in hopes of making the fan favorites make a mistake. Martel's desire to get his hands on Steamboat led to him taking quite a beating from Bundy & Studd. Martel is a fighter though, and refused to let his shoulders be pinned to the mat.

Martel looked dead in the water, before Andre the Giant interjected himself to help his buddy, kicking Studd in the back, grabbing him by the hair, headbutting him in the back of the head. This gave Martel the time to tag in Hogan while Studd tagged Steamboat. Hogan went absolutely nuts, bouncing the Heenan Family around the ring. Bundy took a powder to the ring and he actually looked tentative to head back in the ring while Hogan did his thing. Hogan called Bundy into the ring but Bobby Heenan held Bundy back. Steamboat jumped Hogan, but missed a clothesline on him, only to run into a dropkick from Martel. Hogan would then hit Steamboat with the Big Leg Drop to secure the victory.

Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan and Rick Martel defeated The Heenan Family (Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy and Ricky Steamboat) when Hogan pinned Steamboat with the Big Leg Drop in 0:22:14.
Rating: ** 3/4

If Hogan can perform like this at Saturday Night Slam Masters, we could see a brand new World champion. The show came to a close with the fan favorites celebrating with the rowdy MSG fans.

Card rating: **

UPCOMING EVENTS

5/3/86 - SATURDAY NIGHT SLAM MASTERS - Providence Civic Center - Providence, RI

WORLD TITLE - King Kong Bundy (c) vs. Hulk Hogan
Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd
An appearance by Honky Tonk Man

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License