Houston #5 Page #2
Sam
Houston vs. Steve Lombardi:
Houston was still trying to make a name
for himself in the WWF, and Lombardi was still
in the opening matches before his “push” as
the Brooklyn Brawler.
Houston gets the duke in a fairly long
(for opening match standards) match.
Bruno
Sammartino vs. Hercules Hernandez:
Sammartino, who was finishing up a run
against the Honky Tonk Man, agreed to wrestle on
the card as a tribute to Boesch.
Many of the fans in attendance had never
seen Sammartino in his prime, but were happy to
see him at all.
Sammartino won via countout in the first
match up that contained a notable name from
Houston’s past.
Brutus
Beefcake vs. Johnny Valiant:
This was the finish to Brutus’ face
turn that had begun at WrestleMania 3.
Beefcake beat Valiant with the
sleeperhold and cut some of Valiant’s hair.
Not much to be said with this one.
Tom
Pritchard vs. Mark Lewin:
This was a return for both wrestlers, as
neither had been seen in the area in some time.
Pritchard played the face in the match
and got the win.
At the time, Tom’s brother Bruce was
doing color commentary for the WWF matches at
the Coliseum with Peter Birkholtz.
He would later be known as Brother Love.
Once again, not much to the match, but a
chance to see some old favorites.
Hulk
Hogan vs. One Man Gang:
If this match had been held just three
months prior, it would have been that rare
“dream match.”
It would have been champion vs. champion,
WWF vs. UWF.
Instead, it was Hogan against an incoming
One Man Gang.
Fans knew the Gang intimately, as he had
been in the UWF for well over a year before
switching to the WWF, around the same time as
Paul Boesch.
Hogan pinned Gang to the crowd’s
delight. But
for this night, Hulk Hogan was not the main
event. That
honor would be reserved for two wrestlers who
made huge contributions to Houston history.
Sherri
Martel vs. The Fabulous Moolah:
This was a rematch from the July 1987
show that saw Martel defeat Moolah for the belt,
ending Moolah’s last reputable reign as
champion. (I know I know about No Mercy 1999.
Notice I said reputable)
Martel beat Moolah to retain the
championship.
Junkyard
Dog and Tony Atlas vs. Sika and Kamala:
This match was rich for longtime fans,
for three out of the four stars in the bout had
storied pasts in Houston Wrestling, most notably
the Junkyard Dog.
At the time, Tony Atlas was wrestling for
World Class Championship Wrestling, but was
allowed to wrestle for Boesch this one last
time. Kamala had run rampant through here with Skandor Akbar, and
we all know about the Junkyard Dog.
JYD was perhaps Houston’s most over
wrestler, even more beloved than Mil Mascaras
himself. Dog
and Atlas got the duke, which was a nostalgia
fest for longtime fans.
Terry
Funk vs. Chavo Guerrero:
Guerrero was a longtime Houston favorite,
but failed to get the nod here.
Funk was familiar to fans more for his
1970’s antics than for his WWF stint that
ended in 1986.
Then, there was a break from wrestling as they held
a ceremony for Paul Boesch.
Ted DiBiase vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan: Talk
about your memories.
DiBiase and Duggan headlined more than
one Houston Wrestling card, and the night would
not have been complete without them wrestling on
this one. Duggan,
who had been busted for drugs months before, was
making his return to the WWF.
DiBiase, who had just made his debut, was
needing a win to feed his heel push.
These two men tore it up for the fans who
had longed to see some “Houston Wrestlers”
on the card.
DiBiase came out on top.
Mil Mascaras/Tito Santana vs. Demolition:
Both Mexican wrestlers had huge
followings in Houston, and they proceeded to
beat Demolition by disqualification.
No word on why this match was the main
event instead of DiBiase/Duggan.
However, it should be pointed out that
Mascaras was very popular here.
All in all,
it was a very emotional night for those
involved. We
had come to bid Paul Boesch goodbye.
But strange things happen in wrestling.
No one really loses a retirement match.
And, it seems like no one actually
retires in wrestling period….including Paul
Boesch.
NEXT MONTH:
Paul Boesch returns…….but not to the WWF…