As many of you are aware, WWE Network is pretty packed with all sorts of content. And as you may also know, we here at Place to Be Nation love long term, in depth projects. So, as part of this initiative, JT Rozzero, Chad Campbell, Jason Greenhouse, Scott Criscuolo & Dan McGinn are starting in 1975 and are planning to watch the entire offering of the WWE Network chronologically. They have plotted their course and after watching each program, they will share their thoughts, notes and recommendations with our readers. So, settle in and enjoy this epic ride through wrestling history!
Tuesday Night Titans 8/2/85
Run Time: 44:28
Best Segment
JT: Don Muraco is the man and him rocking his look based on Don Johnson and Tom Selleck is tremendous. His delivery is so casually great that you just buy right into everything he says. I loved him dedicating his win to Jesse Ventura as well. That was all topped off by Mr. Fuji giving Muraco the Ricky Steamboat Gym jacket and Muraco failing to tear it apart as he flipped out on Vince McMahon for no reason. I also like how he takes umbrage to Steamboat being from Hawaii and his promo during the footage was top notch.
Brian: Don Muraco’s segment was the best of a bland show. Watching him failing to tear up Ricky Steamboat’s gym jacket that Fuji gave to him was pretty funny.
Dan: I’ll go with The Magnificent One for closing out the show with a flourish while helping us to forget everything that happened in the middle with Albano and Steele. He’s such a cocky bastard isn’t he? He compared getting expensive shoes from a famous TV star to him giving that same star a couple sleeves off his own shirt. The man then dedicated his finishing maneuver to the heel announcer on commentary! Who does that? Plus we get some unitentional humor when he couldn’t tear apart the Steamboat Gym jacket followed by him cutting an insanely awesome promo on Steamboat introducing him to the dark side. Not a bad night of work for Don Muraco!
Scott: This one is tough, but I will say Magnificent Muraco & Mr. Fuji. He is funny and ridiculous and the fact he couldn’t rip the Steamboat Gym jacket is tremendous. He probably can rip it, but the fact he didn’t made it even better.
Best Performance
JT: Don Muraco killed it for all the reasons stated above. Great passion and a hell of a promo that added a lot of fir to his feud with Ricky Steamboat. Plus he just comes off as a cool son of a bitch. “I got some fat broads that will make your ladies look sick.”
Brian: Muraco really stood out here in his performance that capped off the show. From his clothing to his tirades, he was the man tonight.
Dan: Ricky Steamboat was phenomenal. The man just loves being in this company. He enjoys hugging the fans, being touched, listening to the cheers in packed houses. He’s changed his own character by adding “The Dragon” nickname while incorporating more martial arts to his gameplan. The man is over-the-moon now that he has a serious challenge on his plate combating the treacherous duo of Muraco and Fuji. He’s a guy you want to get behind particularly after seeing that savage attack from the video tape footage.
Scott: I’m going to give it to Captain Lou, because he did an awesome job of being a big, fat, sloppy pig. We know you’re fat, do you have to slobber soda all over yourself, as a BABYFACE? He either did some lines backstage with everybody else or did he really tank the show and not take it seriously? He’s cutting into other segments and (although it was funny) nobody cares about George Steele anymore.
Biggest Surprise
JT: I am surprised Lou Albano didn’t drop from a heart attack right on set. His gut is absurd at this point and watching him walk around pulling his sweatpants down and jiggling it around was pretty grotesque. Tack on spitting Diet Coke all over his shirt and you have on big disgusting, sloppy mess. But, as gross as Lou Albano is, he still cuts a great promo and all of his gibberish about George Steele’s diagnosis ws pretty funny. He and Dr. Ziff were both funny in the infamous electro therapy segment too. Steele’s delivery of “How now brown cow” is pretty funny even 30 years later.
Brian: I’m shocked that they devoted most of this show to the Steamboat/Muraco feud, which despite being decent was really just a midcard feud at the end of the day.
Dan: I shouldn’t be shocked by this but we get all this footage of Muraco stringing up Steamboat, they are both guests on this show, and we didn’t get a physical, or even a verbal, confrontation on the TNT set. What, did Steamer catch a cab immediately after his interview? Makes no sense to me!
Scott: Another standard TNT with no real surprises.
Biggest Disappointment
JT: I am disappointed they couldn’t find a way to make Corporal Kirchner work out any better. He had a great look and could talk a bit. It was tough filling in for Sgt. Slaughter but too bad they couldn’t figure it out.
Brian: Capt. Lou Albano completely phoned it in here tonight. He was just dreadful and ruined the Dr. Ziff segment with George Steele.
Dan: Lou Albano and George “The Animal” Steele. I need not say anymore.
Scott: I’m disappointed that Lou Albano had to hijack ANOTHER episode of TNT. He probably is on more than anybody else in the history of the show and every time he’s an annoying fat sloth. I truly believe he never took the show seriously which is why whether face or heel he could come out to show his gut off, he’d burp and fart on air and spill shit on himself. It’s ridiculous.
Additional Observations
JT: Nice payoff with the Rick McGraw wedding pictures after the hype in the last episode we watched; It is sad knowing how brief this marriage would last as he passes away soon after; Ricky Steamboat discussing the gash on his head puts over the viciousness of the business well; Jesse Ventura asking about Steamboat’s body fat percentage was really illustrates what great shape he was in; I enjoyed getting to check out clips of the infamous Steamboat vs. Muraco match where the Dragon got choked out; I love how Tito Santana and JYD make the save and spend time running in circles after Muraco instead of breaking the noose around Steamboat’s neck; Gene’s jungle shirt was absurdly baggy and not flattering; I am OK never watching George Steele matches again; They did a nice job of promoting the WWF Magazine these last two episodes; Muraco is always rocking a new sports hat and he is tan as hell here; Muraco saying that Fuji wanted to put the Animal to sleep was a great line;
Brian: We first start off with Lord Alfred and Vince showing pictures from Rick McGraw’s wedding as he was the guest on the last show. After that, Ricky Steamboat comes out selling the effects of Muraco & Fuji’s attack as Vince puts over his toughness. We see him squash Gino Carabello from “All-Star Wrestling” then Vince reads “Cosmopolitan Magazine” and tells us Steamboat has one of the hottest bodies among athletes today. The footage of Steamboat getting hung over the top rope by Muraco & Fuji from “Championship Wrestling” was great and a fantastic way to start off an angle. We then have Mean Gene on location in the swamps of Florida to talk with Corporal Kirchner. The interview was bad and Kirchner ended up being a major flop as the WWF’s answer to the departed Sgt. Slaughter. We then are graced by Albano’s presence as he lifts up his shirt to show us his gut and acts obnoxious. After being “treated” to a George Steele vs. Steve Lombardi match, we get Steele in Dr. Ziff’s office for electroshock therapy. Steele ends up running away afterwards then Albano yells and screams at Ziff. It was awful. We then have Muraco & Fuji come out where Muraco did his best to save the show. He was incredibly entertaining as he voiced his displeasure with Steamboat.
Dan: I’ll keep this brief because I just want TNT to end. Congratulations Rick McGraw. It was almost as if Alfred had the regular photos that will go in the wedding album while Vince had the deleted scenes. He must have payed off the photographer. I’m getting married soon… and there is a pool at the venue… nah she doesn’t read my stuff or watch TNT… I think I’m safe!
Scott: It’s actually kind of sad that we see how happy Rick McGraw was when he got married, and then he died shortly after; Ricky Steamboat was a TNT regular; Gino Carabello is here, but he now crashes in JA D’Amato’s backyard; That Muraco/Steamboat feud never got it’s true due. It was a great feud that wasn’t totally blown off on a big stage. They may have had an MSG match or two but not on a national scale; Corporal Kirchner was supposed to be a younger Sergeant Slaughter as the Sarge went to the AWA recently; One person I will NOT miss while watching these TNTs is that big fat, sloppy pig Captain Lou Albano. He comes out to the stage and automatically waves his fat gut around to everybody; Any George Steele match can be construed as a “Worst Match”; Why does as a babyface does Albano still have to be a disgusting slob? Way too much coke backstage apparently; The fact Muraco couldn’t rip the jacket was classic 80s comedy; Can’t end an episode of TNT without Albano shoving his fat gut into it again. Sadly the final guy sitting in the guest chair in the Network’s TNT library is Lou Albano. How fitting.
Consensus Best WWE Network Match to Date: Roddy Piper vs. Greg Valentine (NWA Starrcade 11/24/83)
Consensus Worst WWE Network Match to Date: Ivan Putski vs. Baron Von Raschke (Madison Square Garden, 6/27/77)
Final Grade
JT: We’ve come… to the end of the road. Farewell TNT. We go out with a pretty standard TNT episode: some good, some meh, overall forgettable and missable but not the worst thing to watch. Ever since the show shank to 60 minutes it became much more palatable and organized but those 90 minutes were rough to get through. I will miss some parts of TNT, especially when they provided a showcase to the great stock of heel talent they employed at the time. We saw some classic moments from the likes of Roddy Piper, Jesse Ventura, Bobby Heenan, Paul Orndorff and many, many more. Tonight that heel showcase went to Don Muraco and he hit a home run, which is a pretty cool way to go out. It has been a hell of a ride but I am certainly ready to move on to something new. Final Grade: 4.5/10
Brian: This is the last episode of TNT on the WWE Network. The show itself ran several more months but at this point has outlived its usefulness. The stars rarely appeared in the segments once WrestleMania ended and we were treated to luminaries such as Gama Singh, Rick McGraw, and Brian Blair. This particular show was forgettable besides Muraco and I’m glad this part of the journey has ended. Final Grade: 4/10
Dan: With a tear, in my eye, we have reached the end of our adventure through TNT. I for one couldn’t be any happier to see this disgrace of a television show in our rearview mirror. Useless filler, unfunny skits, repeat guests that recycled their old material, guests who probably never should have had a microphone in their faces but they happened to be free on a Tuesday night. Yes, there were some positives like some character development of guys like Paul Orndorff and Dr. D, but for the most part these shows were a chore to watch. This one was pretty standard with a huge stinky spot in the middle featuring, you guessed it, Lou Albano. Yikes, that guy is brutal. I’m not sure how to end this so let’s quote a boyband that wasn’t even in preschool yet in 1985, “I know that I can’t take no more, it ain’t no lie. I wanna see you out that door, baby Bye, Bye, Bye” TNT! Final Grade: 4/10
Scott: The final TNT of our illustrious run here on the Network ends, and it ends with… too much Lou Albano. Like the other episodes he would hijack multiple segments and be unbelievably annoying. Both Steamboat and Muraco were great, and I continue to say again that this was a lost feud in 1985. They had some vicious matches, even with the goofy martial arts stuff they really went at each other. Farewell to the ugly set, farewell to the Vince and Alfred cocaine jokes, farewell to Paul Orndorff’s racim. Farewell, TNT. You probably won’t be missed on this journey. Final Grade: 4/10
You can find every grade and category winner from the entire Excellent WWE Network Adventure by clicking this link!