The Islanders v Strike Force (Boston Gardens, 10/3/87)
This is one of the Islanders/Strike Force matches I couldn't find when I went through all of them a few years ago. Naturally I was giddy because it meant there was some new Tama footage and naturally I was rewarded with something awesome, because Tama is the very best. This was maybe shorter than you'd like, but at the same time they worked at a fair clip and it never felt like they were hamstrung by the time (plus 13 minutes is more than enough for these guys to make magic with). Early shine segment rules. Tama takes his GOAT face-first slingshot bump and then his wild bump off a dropkick where he flies over the top rope and then clear over the barricade. He hops up a bazillion feet in the air for a leapfrog but Tito scouts it, waits for him to come back down to earth and pops him with a right hand. They go Martel in peril when he bumps heads with Haku, which might ordinarily feel like a somewhat anticlimactic transition spot but then you remember Haku is from the great Kingdom of Tonga and this is the professional wrestling so his skull is made of chromium. The Islanders beatdown is great. They run a bunch of switcheroos behind the ref's back and choke Martel, Tama untying the tag rope and wrapping it around Martel's throat while he's halfway out the ring, plus Haku will just chop him in the throat. Haku's a guy with a killer shoulderbreaker and this one looked like it about snapped Martel's clavicle. Tama working the apron is a joy. He's such a prick, riling up fans after taking a cheapshot, spitting on Tito, basking in the jeers. Haku missing a big flip senton was a cool lead-in to the hot tag and the Islanders pulling more switcheroo bullshit totally worked as a finish, especially after Santana's flying forearm would've put it beyond doubt otherwise. I now want to watch every Islanders/Strike Force match all over again.
Hart Foundation v Fabulous Rougeaus (Philadelphia Spectrum, 8/27/88)
This wasn't amazing, but it was good and had some really amusing horse shit from the Rougeaus. Their obnoxious nice guy routine was always pretty fun in general, how they were so in your face about how genuine they were that you hoped someone would smack them already. Jacques is determined to get a handshake from Bret and he's like one of those dickheads who's just been launched out the pub for being overly drunk and steaming, but he won't let it go until the bouncer shakes his hand. "Just shake my hand and that'll be the end of it, mate. Look, I'm not even starting anything, mate, just shake my hand and we're good." Raymond and Anvil have a little game of one-upmanship early that ends with Anvil hitting a dropkick, which kind of took everybody aback. Bret comes in and flicks his wet hair in Raymond's face and both Rougeaus mob the ref. Bret came off as the coolest guy in the building here just because of how little gave a shit about the Rougeaus' nonsense. Jacques does a series of kip-ups and Bret gives him a little golf clap, then when Jacques winds up in the Harts corner Bret - the babyface - starts blatantly choking him with the tag rope and dickishly whipping him in the face with it. Shades of grey! Maybe it was the Hitman who truly ushered in the Attitude Era. When the Rougeaus take over they drop the charade and work over Bret's lower back/midsection. It's not Midnight Express level but it's more than passable and they generate nice heat, so that'll work. Jacques' sell of an inverted atomic drop is wonderful and I love that he continued selling his privates even after he tagged out. I don't feel like my opinion of the Hart Foundation is likely to change at this point, but I've never given much thought to the Rougeaus and how they stack up to the other teams of the era. I'll check out those Rockers matches again because I think I dug them whenever I last watched them.
Hart Foundation v Fabulous Rougeaus (Philadelphia Spectrum, 8/27/88)
This wasn't amazing, but it was good and had some really amusing horse shit from the Rougeaus. Their obnoxious nice guy routine was always pretty fun in general, how they were so in your face about how genuine they were that you hoped someone would smack them already. Jacques is determined to get a handshake from Bret and he's like one of those dickheads who's just been launched out the pub for being overly drunk and steaming, but he won't let it go until the bouncer shakes his hand. "Just shake my hand and that'll be the end of it, mate. Look, I'm not even starting anything, mate, just shake my hand and we're good." Raymond and Anvil have a little game of one-upmanship early that ends with Anvil hitting a dropkick, which kind of took everybody aback. Bret comes in and flicks his wet hair in Raymond's face and both Rougeaus mob the ref. Bret came off as the coolest guy in the building here just because of how little gave a shit about the Rougeaus' nonsense. Jacques does a series of kip-ups and Bret gives him a little golf clap, then when Jacques winds up in the Harts corner Bret - the babyface - starts blatantly choking him with the tag rope and dickishly whipping him in the face with it. Shades of grey! Maybe it was the Hitman who truly ushered in the Attitude Era. When the Rougeaus take over they drop the charade and work over Bret's lower back/midsection. It's not Midnight Express level but it's more than passable and they generate nice heat, so that'll work. Jacques' sell of an inverted atomic drop is wonderful and I love that he continued selling his privates even after he tagged out. I don't feel like my opinion of the Hart Foundation is likely to change at this point, but I've never given much thought to the Rougeaus and how they stack up to the other teams of the era. I'll check out those Rockers matches again because I think I dug them whenever I last watched them.
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