Chairshot Classics: WWF The Wrestling Classic (1985)

With the WWE holding another tournament coming up with the Mae Young Classic, today we take a look at a much older ‘Classic’ with The Wrestling Classic on November 7th, 1985! The WWF was able to utilize the momentum they received from WrestleMania and beat Jim Crockett Promotions by a few weeks to get the distinction of having the first pay-per-view event (or first to not be shown exclusively on closed circuit). This event featured a 16-man single elimination tournament, which was the biggest and first of its kind in WWF history. Also, the bad blood between Hulk Hogan & Roddy Piper would headline a jam-packed show. Let’s do this….

Open: Graphics featuring all the participants in tonight’s 16 man tournament, the winner of the Rolls Royce Silver Cloud 3 will be announced tonight and Roddy Piper challenges Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship.

In The Arena: Vince McMahon joins us along with Lord Alfred Hayes and Susan at the big tournament board. Tonight will be a marathon for whoever wins our tournament tonight. They breakdown our first round matchups. The go to a quick clip of a couple participants drawing their opponents randomly out of a bowl.

Backstage: ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund is with WWF President Jack Tunney. Tunney is excited for tonight’s proceedings and he goes over the rules for advancement in tonight’s tournament. They throw it back to McMahon & Hayes again, who then go to ringside to our commentary team.

Match #1 First Round: Adrian Adonis w/’Mouth Of The South’ Jimmy Hart vs. Corporal Kirchner
The bell rings and Jimmy Hart helps Adonis get his jacket off. Lock-up and Adrian backs Kirchner into the corner and they break clean. Lock-up again, Kirchner surprises Adrian with a couple of arm drags, making Adonis rethink things. Back at it and Kirchner takes Adrian down with a side-headlock and grinds him into the mat. Adrian gets to his feet and escapes with a back suplex, punishing Kirchner with lefts before trying to wear him down with a rear chinlock. Kirchner gets up and goes to work on Adrian in the corner, he attempts a suplex, reversed into a DDT and Adonis covers to advance.
Winner: Adrian Adonis (DDT)

• EA’s Take: I’d expect the majority of the first round matches to go down this way with a lot of matches to get through. Corporal Kirchner was a fan favorite similar to Sgt. Slaughter, but obviously never really gained the recognition as the Sarge did. Kirchner was known as a tough guy and very stiff worker, so many people didn’t want to work with him which hurt his career significantly.

Backstage: Okerlund is with Jimmy Hart & Adrian Adonis. Adrian says Kirchner knows all the moves and he wrote the book on it.

Match #2 First Round: The Dynamite Kid vs. Nikolai Volkoff
Nikolai sings the Soviet National Anthem to a chorus of boo’s before the match. The bell rings, Dynamite climbs the turnbuckle as Nikolai is spewing his anti-American rhetoric. Dynamite nails Volkoff with a dropkick from the top, covers and wins the match in quick fashion.
Winner: The Dynamite Kid (Top Rope Dropkick)

• EA’s Take: Did you blink? That’s why there’s a “rewind” function.

Backstage: Gene is alongside ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage & Elizabeth. Savage says he’s nervous, hyper and ready for the tournament tonight. Savage says he’s in superb condition and Putski may be strong, but he’s quick as a cat.

Match #3 First Round: Ivan Putski vs. ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage w/Elizabeth
Savage taunts Putski before the bell, but bails when Putski gets close to getting a hand on him. Savage climbs to the top as the bell rings, Putski begs him to try and jump off. He drops to the mat and spits at Putski, then escapes to the outside again. Back inside, Savage tries a full nelson, Putski powers out and spits right back in Savage’s face, angering Randy and he takes another walk outside. They tie-up again, Savage is shot into the ropes and he runs into a wall named Ivan Putski, who shows off his ripped physique.

Savage tries to ram Putski into the top turnbuckle, but Putski counters and gives Macho a taste of his own medicine. Savage gets into the tropes for a breather, lands a couple shots, but Putski takes control with clubbing rights. Putski pummels Savage in the corner, Randy with a single leg takedown into a cover. Macho puts his legs on the ropes for leverage and he gets the W.
Winner: ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage (Single Leg Takedown)

• EA’s Take: The quick matches keep rolling along. Savage is just starting to really hit his stride as a heel at this point. Savage had made his debut earlier in the year and broke the mold when he introduced Elizabeth as his manager, after his services were sought after by the likes of Freddie Blassie, Jimmy Hart and Bobby Heenan.

Tournament Board: Vince McMahon & Lord Alfred Hayes recap who’s advanced on the board when they’re interrupted by Nikolai Volkoff. Nikolai says that he was robbed and the people of America love it. That’s what American justice is all about.

Match #4 First Round: Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat vs. Davey Boy Smith
Two fan favorites here. They lock-up and go into some chain wrestling, quick back and forth into the ropes, more back and forth and Davey finishes the sequence with a hip toss. Davey with a waistlock throw, Ricky bridges up into a backslide for 1. Ricky into the ropes and Davey catches him with a military press slam for a count of 2, then goes into a front facelock to wear down ‘The Dragon’. Davey connects with another military press for 2, then back to the front facelock. He goes for a suplex, countered into a delayed vertical by Ricky who tries to follow with a splash and lands on Davey’s knees. Davey with a couple of dropkicks, misses a third and ends up getting tangled in the ropes. The bell rings and the ref stops the match.
Winner: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (Referee Stoppage)

• After The Bell: Ricky checks on the condition of Davey Boy and he gets helped to the back.
• EA’s Take: Umm…what? Way to make Davey Boy look like a sissy because he hit his balls on the rope. He could have at least landed on the outside on the concrete or something better than this.

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