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 6/25/84
Run Time: 1:34:51
Best Segment
JT: The tag match between Adonis & Murdoch and Mascaras & Jones was actually pretty solid. The crowd was hyped up and Mil’s hot tag and comeback was well done. I also loved the powerslam Adonis hit Jones with. Strong little tag title match on a throwaway show like this. I will give some love to Ivan Putski sausage dance party as well just for “Polock Johnny’s” and the catchy music.
Chad: The Thesz segment was great for a historical perspective, but I loved the way they mixed in Orndorff’s stuff with it. It had the vignette and variety style that TNT is going for while still retaining a blip of legitimacy to everything.
Jason: Any time you have Ivan Putski, Polish food and Polish music there’s nothing that can top that. The polka band sounded good. The food looked good. After being less than impressive in the ring throughout this adventure, Ivan Putski finally comes up as a winner here.
Dan: I can’t get enough of Paul Orndorff ripping and berating innocent people. I’m sorry I’m not sorry for admitting this. At first he is sweet and charming and then he becomes a self-centered ogre of a man in a blink of an eye. Oh man, him yelling at the shoe shine girl was priceless! “Get on your hands and knees and scrub’em” he yelled to the unsuspected blonde bombshell. I had to rewind his closing tirade because I was laughing so hard. “You are the worst shoe shine girl that I have ever seen in my life!” Just an amazing character!
Scott: No doubt the segment with Ivan Putski and the polish food and music was hilarious with the outrageous dancing and all the sausages flying about. That is the typical TNT segment we would get to know and love.
Best Performance
JT: Paul Orndorff. What a beautiful piece of shit. Him getting primped and preened while he berates his staff of beauticians and trashes fans and regular people picked up right where left off last episode. He is just so damn great in this role and these vignettes do an awesome job furthering his character along.
Chad: I will go with Orndorff as he seemed more natural here than in the gym performance to me. Him bossing around the ladies and being a constant complainer felt like a natural event that someone with Paul’s ego would encounter in everyday life.
Jason: Paul Orndorff getting his hair and nails did was incredible. He’s been the MVP of TNT so far. And how about those red pants? Whether he’s interacting with a man or woman, he’s such a pile of shit and there’s not a damn thing wrong with that. Those poor beauty salon girls. They were fearing for their lives while Mr. Wonderful gave them a mouth full. Wait… yeah that was said right.
Dan: Orndorff is wonderful as always as I mentioned above. I do have to give props though to Ivan Putski though for carrying much of this show. I had low expectations for the Polish Power but he shook off a shaky start to his interview an showed us his true personality during the polka party. He spoke with such excitement over the Polish food and music and nothing could prepare me for the awesome that was Putski singing with the band. He may not be my favorite wrestler, but I may have developed warmer feelings for the wielder of the Polish Hammer after tonight.
Scott: I have to give the nod once again to Paul Ornrorff for that crazy segment in the beauty parlor. It’s evident he was the fresh heel that was getting most pushed in terms of the new talent that has arrived in the WWF. Ivan Putski (as roided out as he became) was fun in the polish segment but Mr. Wonderful has gotten so awesomely smarmy.
Biggest Surprise
JT: A Lou Thesz interview and match footage from 1957 Japan! Never thought I would see that stuff on modern WWF TV. Crazy.
Chad: The genuineness Vince showed in his speech about his dad. This seemed like a rare look into the humane side of Vince on screen and it was presented really well on the program.
Jason: Whoa, Lou Thesz! Him popping up here was quite random, but also enjoyable. Throwing in the footage of him from Japan in ’57 was also pretty cool.
Dan: I guess I will say the Vince Sr. segment being so short. I figured they would have done more with the death of the second generation McMahon. What we saw was nice and heartfelt for certain though I figure Vincent J. McMahon’s death would have been a bigger deal on a show geared more towards the character segments rather than the wrestling.
Scott: Clearly the biggest surprise was the appearance of Lou Thesz on the show. He must have been a close friend of Vince Sr. and promised him he could come on, maybe at Vince Sr.’s funeral. Anyway I was blown away by his appearance and it was definitely an anomaly we won’t see again.
Biggest Disappointment
JT: Using the mailbag to transparently set up a clip of Vince McMahon receiving an award from MSG on behalf of his father was kind of weak. Just do a segment on it.
Chad: The first half of this show was really entertaining. As much as I liked the polka hamminess of Putski, his segment and the Ventura one after him dragged on for me. This really could have been a great show if it was edited down a bit.
Jason: The is still no presence felt from your World Heavyweight Champion, Hulk Hogan. Give us a video package, pre-recorded promo, something.
Dan: Jimmy Snuka. Was he punch drunk still from the coconut or is he always that incoherent? Probably both but that segment and angle with Piper may have been better for me if I could understand a word the strung out “Superfly” was saying. Also, where is Dr. Death?
Scott: Not many disappointments, although considering he is a relatively new WWF Champion, I’m surprised we haven’t had a Hulk Hogan segment yet. The first three shows seem to be focusing on future heel opponents for him, like Studd, Muraco and Orndorff.
Additional Observations
JT: I always enjoy Vince making Alfred break and crack up; The way Jimmy Snuka was sitting made it look like he had no pants on; Also, Snuka’s delivery is so deliberate and what he says is kind of creepy knowing his backstory: “the only thing that matters is the truth”; The Piper’s Pit coconut attack and whipping is still unreal to watch all these years later and his reaction promo on the set was real good; Lou Thesz popping up is a pretty big holy shit moment; Paul Orndorff continues to be tremendous, talking about his lavish lifestyle and being an asshole while his army of beauticians clean him up; “Lou Albano is negotiating with Adonis & Murdoch” what a fucking shock; Was interesting to see Mil Mascaras teaming with SD Jones of all guys; Adonis’ powerslam on SD was pretty damn cool; This may be my favorite Ivan Putski related thing ever; “Polock Johnny’s”; Jesse’s hair was really absurd here; SD Jones is the official TNT jobber tonight; It was cool to see Jesse’s return match after his injury issues; The tag team spotlight piece to close things out was a nice touch
Chad: Does Snuka own pants? His responses mimicked his infamous shoot interview “those were a lot of good memories” responses. It is cool to have the coconut angle on the network and man Piper is such a prick in that angle. The Lou interview was fantastic. Seeing clips of his 1957 Rikidozan Japanese match was excellent as that is essentially the Hulk vs. Andre match in Japan. I also enjoyed the splicing of the Orndorff segment as it gave a good contrast to the traditionalist being appalled at the actions of Mr. Wonderful. Murdoch looks pretty trim here. The action here was really good and one of the best match clips we have seen in the three episodes so far. Mil even seems motivated in this one. The sound on the running powerslam by Adonis to S.D. Jones was so painful. Alfred being annoyed with the mail is always funny. The mailbag transitions into a really awesome moment with Vince Jr. talking about his dad receiving an honor from the MSG board of directors. Did Muraco yawn as he entered the set? Okerlund says Muraco looks good in this clip right as I was about to write here that he has a bigger gut than Adonis did. I liked Don asking why Alfred hadn’t said anything. I’m going to speculate that Don was on some supplemental influence for this appearance. Putski gets a big round of applause. Holy shit, is he wearing my son’s shirt? Putski saying rasslin’ is odd. Ivan shows us some Polish food. Holy shit, Putski singing and dancing to polka music has to be seen to be believed. Vince is loving it! Jesse’s glasses have to be seen to be believed too. Jesse calls Putski an orangutan at the zoo dancing. The match we see of Jesse didn’t change my opinion on him in ring. Jesse calling Vince “Jack is odd sounding”. I don’t think we can go through one Titans episode without mentioning Afa and Sika. The last few minutes of the episode being a glorified WWF Update felt odd and out of place.
Jason: Alfred’s canary blue tuxedo!!! Jimmy Snuka was very soft spoken, but did a great job selling the coconut angle with Piper. Vince seemed like a little kid while speaking with Lou Thesz. Adonis and Murdoch are such a badass team. Mil Mascaras and SD Jones were a team that I never expected to see, but they worked well against the current tag champs. Vince speaking on behalf of his father was a nice little moment. I was glad to see my guy Don Muraco pop up again. Muraco and Fuji are one of my favorite pairings from this era. Could Ivan Putski’s shirt get any tighter? Vince dancing to polka music is the most TNT moment so far. Jesse Ventura is one ugly son of a gun, but man the guy can talk. Jesse yelling at the polka band and saying he was the personal bodyguard for The Rolling Stones was awesome. That Plato’s Retreat shirt of Jesse’s was something. Maybe the only time a swingers joint is referenced on the Network.
Dan: Oh Alfred. I wonder how much more he got paid for overselling Vince’s jokes. He seemed absolutely flummoxed with Vince’s 007 and three-quarters line to start the show. Oh Piper. That guy was such a bastard. I can’t believe how much he got away with in 1984. Climbing trees, eating bananas, etc. You won’t see that in the social media era! Lou Thesz in studio? That guy looked great and it didn’t surprise me to hear that he was still training and coaching wrestlers nearly 50 years after he started wrestling. Mr. Wonderful spends more on his face and hair than most of us make in a year. Wouldn’t he have noticed if those ladies were biting his nails? Nice to see Mil Mascaras sell for the tag champs at least for a few minutes. Also good to see SD Jones get some shine in a pair of matches tonight. Who exactly are these kids who get their jollies out of “robbing hub caps” that Muraco spoke about in his interview? Who would you suspect robbed the most hub caps out of this panel of distinguished writers? My guess is Justin. Does Ron Shaw look like a bigger version of Andy Kaufman? I’m suddenly starving for pierogies so it’s time to stop typing!
Scott: Great opening segment with Snuka and how he reacted to the coconut incident; Lou Thesz? LOU THESZ? This is a huge shocker, and this was after Vince Sr. passed away. I’m stunned that he’s even on a WWF camera; After three episodes I’m learning more that Adonis/Murdoch were a pretty awesome heel tag team; I can see Vince Sr. saying out loud he was Harlem’s last “white baby”. Vince dancing during the Putski segment was maybe the funniest thing I’ve ever seen; Vince seemed to mismatch his suit colors on purpose; Lord Alfred looked emaciated in these early episodes
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 Rashcke (Madison Square Garden, 6/27/77)
Final Grade
JT: Another enjoyable outing from the TNT crew. This one had a few more dry spots mixed in, but the Orndorff and Putski bits were pretty funny and carried the load. I really liked the tag title bout as well. This show continues be a fun showcase of personalities, absurdity and character development and they are much smoother watches than I ever imagined them to be. Final Grade: 5/10
Chad: The first half was by far my favorite of these and everyone should witness the Putski segment just for the ridiculousness of it all. I wasn’t a fan much at all of the first two Titans show but I feel they found their stride better with this installment. Final Grade: 6/10
Jason: Three episodes in and this was my favorite TNT thus far. Putski, Mr. Wonderful, Muraco and Jesse were all great. The footage of Vince accepting his father’s award from “The Gaaahden” was pretty touching. They sure have their pulse on something with this series. Alfred continues to be very good as his of playing Vince’s sidekick. If I could excuse myself for now, I have some pierogies and kielbasa to attend to. Final Grade: 5.5/10
Dan: TNT is just not doing it for me week to week but at least they throw something at me that makes me laugh and keeps it memorable. The Putski Polka Party was fantastic with the singing and dancing. Who knew you could learn so much about Polish culture on the WWE Network. Orndorff is still my favorite guy in the company and they can do a whole show on him and I’d grade it ridiculously high. The tag title match was also enjoyable as my knowledge of Adonis and Murdoch is limited so seeing them in action was a treat. Some of the interviews still feel awkward and some guys on the show should stay as far away from cameras as possible. But tonight’s effort wasn’t horrible and it should make you smile at least twice in 95 minutes. So grab your better half because it’s POLKA TIME! Final Grade: 5.5/10
Scott: A pretty straightforward episode again, like the first two. The Ivan Putski segment was ridiculous, as was the Paul Orndorff salon segment. More hacked up matches, but the segment with Vince Sr. getting the HOF award at the Garden was a cool moment. I took a picture of his plaque on the lobby floor many times. For the first time Vince said there was a new episode the following week and not in two weeks, so perhaps they now pair down to the more familiar one hour episodes. This one was solid, but it definitely needed to be shortened. Final Grade: 5.5/10
You can find every grade and category winner from the entire Excellent WWE Network Adventure by clicking this link!
