Andre's Interested in Things, He's Not a Real Doctor

Andre the Giant vs. David Schultz WWF MSG 6/16/84 - GREAT

ER: This was one of those fun "only happened this one time" singles matches, not a hidden gem, but a match that has no other versions, no alterations. There's something pure about that, knowing in hindsight that they never got a chance to rearrange things or add new turns. This was it. The match was on a huge drawing MSG card underneath one of the Slaughter/Sheik boot camp matches, and it was worked in a real fun house show style. Schultz is an odd guy, and works this match the same way Steve Austin worked house show matches a decade later. It's a one sided Andre beatdown with Schultz coming off strong just by virtue of not backing down. It's honestly not far off from being a Schultz babyface performance, except Andre was working his almost bashful giant routine and the crowd was too in love with it. A lesser babyface would have turned Schultz face, but this was one of those Andre performances where he does those shy smiles during his entrance, like he was somehow still overwhelmed by how much 25,000 people enjoyed seeing him. "Okay guys, I'm just getting in the ring to crush a man. Sheesh c'mon." Schultz keeps getting knocked around by Andre, and it's because he keeps running into the fight as if the two are the same size. It makes Schultz come off even bigger than he is, even though every one of his takedown attempts goes terribly for him. 

Andre throws him with two different, awesome, almost amateur form belly to belly suplexes, stomps on Schultz with boots that look the same width as Schultz's chest, steps on him, and still Dr. D tries to take him to the mat. Dr. D goes for a single leg, Andre clubs him and knees him; he rushes in with a waist lock, Andre elbows him in the head. There's a great spot where Dr. D forces a rope break, and Andre just lets him drop to the mat on the break. There's a cool minute or two of very vague unprofessionalism, as Schultz starts just tying Andre up in the ropes, grabbing at his tights, refusing to break holds, not really doing damage but just obnoxiously preventing damage. It made things look more like a shoot, because it was realistically boring (but a fascinating kind of boring?). Andre looked a little frustrated and it made it seem like Schultz really was trying to get under Andre's skin, and watching a guy do things to annoy an actual Giant is like waiting for someone to step on a landmine. Andre's suplex after finally getting free is a great moment, and D runs smoosh-mouthed into Andre's big boot for a cool finish. 

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE ANDRE

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WWE 24/7 Thoughts MAPLE LEAF GARDENS 10/84

Maple Leaf Wrestling 10/22/84

Nick DeCarlo v. Rene Goulet

PAS: Wow was this bad. I have really liked the little Goulet I have seen, but this was a stinker. DeCarlo has the worst shoulder block I have ever seen and continues to go back to it again and again. I did like Goulet’s incubatory Shining Wizard as he attempted a headscissors and kneed him in the head.

TKG: The one time he actually hit the headscissor take down it was a nice one. Goulet has a fingerless weight lifting glove hidden under the sequined glove he wears to the ring. Those were unbelievably bad shoulder blocks. I talk a lot about WWF style guys controlling their own bumps, and the bumps which had nothing to do with the moves applied in 84 make Ed Leslie bumps look great. Pretty unwatchable.

Moondog Rex v. David Bruno Sammartino

PAS: This was shockingly not bad. Sammartino had a bad reputation, but he looked pretty good here. He press slammed the 300 pound Rex, had really nice punches, and took a couple of biggish bunps. One impressive power spot and some bumps really should have been enough to have a big career in 80’s WWF. There were plenty of matches on the 80’s WWF set not as good as this.

TKG: I liked this a bunch. Rex bumps around nicely in beginning. Watching the 80s set I really got into Bruno’s kicks but wasn’t really impressed with his punches. His son’s jabs are better. The father may have had better bodyshots. Moondog works a bodypart, Sammartino bumps and is fun doing firey babyface on his knee demanding that the heel come at him some more stuff. Rex has some neat second rope moves. Well paced, bunch of cool stuff.

Dr. D David Shultz v. Rick “Quick Draw” McGraw

PAS: Exciting match on paper, but it was kind of a stinker. Shultz did some stalling, and then lots of holding down and pin attempts with cheating. McGraw had nice height on his dropkicks, but this was a nothing match.

TKG: So still in the afterglow of David Sammartino and was stoked to see these two matched up..” hmm maybe 84 was all about the roided juniors in WWE”, but no. lots of neat circling to heat up a match but match was a nothing.

S.D. Jones v. Greg Valentine

PAS: This was your big match S.D. Jones as this is for the Intercontinental Title. Jones does your basic 80’s Black Babyface offense, but he does have nice headbutts, and some headbutt variations, which is really all you can ask for your 80’s black babyface. Valentine bumps around a bit and then wins the match with a beautiful back suplex. Perfectly fine wrestling.

TKG: I don’t know you can hope for some high verticle leap spots and some shucking dancing. The announcers keep on talking about how much SD Jones likes to dance for the public. But he really doesn’t do much dancing…a shoulder lean and a Harlem shake but no fancy steps. That suplex at the end was pretty great. Match was perfectly fine.

Nikolai Volkoff v. Rocky Johnson

PAS: Rocky Johnson does a little more dancing then Jones, although his Jheri curl would really have made a face headbutt offense difficult. Activator in the eyes feels really heelish to me. This wasn’t very good.

TKG: Johnson has a nice vertical leap, some smoove dancing and nice footwork but this stunk. This started as awkward sloppy and then they slowed it down and it stayed ugly. Johnson has one impressive leaping roll up and some nice handspeed. Volkoff is about as bad as I remember him being and this went way too long.

Goldie Rogers/Bobby Bass vs. British Bulldogs

PAS: Who in the fuck is Bobby Bass? He is a guy I have never seen before and is just a total superstar. He looks like a less muscular Phil Hickerson and is a total bump freakHe has a really fun way of bumping where he takes everything kind of on his forehead. He takes a Flair flop as a dangerous headrop. He also does a missed top rope headbutt which was totally insane. Bulldogs are a fun spot team, kind of 80’s Briscoes. Dynamite takes a completely superfluous bump where he attempts to piledrive Rogers on the ramp and takes a back bump on the ramp, which in a meaningless match like this shows why he is in a wheelchair.

TKG: I’m guessing Bass has to be in a wheelchair too. Bass and Rogers are fun as bumping comedy jobbers with lots of comedy bumps and miscommunication spots. Crowd really gets into all the stuff, And just when you’re beginning to really dig them as comedy jobbers suddenly they get a fun run of offense. Rogers isn’t much on offense but fucking Bass is just on fire with his offense. His missed top rope headrop is insane, I mean Davey boy Smith picks him up for an irish whip and you don’t believe that Bass can get up. Basss then takes another head bump followed by eating a piledriver. BOBBY BASS~!!

Kimala v. Andre The Giant

PAS: This is a steel cage match, and starts pretty fun. Kimala has some nice chops and Andre bleeds a fair amount, but this goes too long. We do get our Andre cage match high spot as he hits a tope rope butt smash. It goes 13 minutes and would have been really good at 8 minutes

TKG: Odd escape the cage match as ref essentially holds door closed and the announcers put over the sharpness of the top of the fence. There really are no WWF cage near escapes as near falls. Instead you kind of have to have opponent beat before ref will open door. Kind of hurts the match as I was unclear what was going on.

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