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 7/16/84
Run Time: 1:34:42
Card:
Best Match (Segment)
JT: Judy Valentine in a bikini massaging Greg Valentine was like the opening of a Brazzers video. Beyond that, Roddy Piper’s entire interview was tremendous. Vince McMahon calling him the most egotistical guest they have had while Piper basically laughs in his face was awesome. Him smacking the shit out of Lord Al is even better. Peak Piper is always gong to be hard to top. Shoutout to Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine too as I could watch their matches all day long.
Chad: I will go with the entire Roddy Piper segment. Hot Rod has been killing it for three weeks in a row and we get him in the studio where he does talk about his feud vs. Snuka but more importantly, he just oozes a ton of charisma and is antagonistic to Lord Al and Vince. Piper is really on some sort of roll and while I appreciate the threats by Vince that he will no longer appear of Titans due to his actions, that made me sad in the end.
Jason: Julie Valentine in a bikini is a main event in any arena in the country. However, any time you have a match with her husband and Tito Santana, that will always get the win from me. Two of my favorite workhorses from this era gave us a nice sample of the amazing chemistry these two had together in the ring.
Dan: Julie Valentine… Helllloooo nurse! I was having a hard time concentrating during that whole segment if you catch my drift. I have never wished to trade lives with Greg Valentine ever until tonight. This show is full of surprises. Now if you excuse me, it’s cold shower time for me!
Scott: We actually have a regular length match for the first time as Jimmy Snuka fought the future Samu and it was a pretty solid match. Wendi Richter was pretty hot so her segment gets a thumbs up, but I have to give it to the Hot Rod, because he just is the Hot Rod.
Best Performance
JT: Roddy Piper will win this category until we are proven otherwise. There is nobody that can touch him. His wit, his delivery, his oscillating between cocky giddiness and pure anger is all tremendous. Him and Vince going back and forth is great and should be a weekly staple on these shows. Too bad the producers banned him due to his actions. Hot Rod!
Chad: Have to go with Piper here as well. He can casually talk and spitball and he is so detestable to the viewer. Even the bagpipe stuff was entertaining.
Jason: Roddy Piper jumping on the set like he owned that damn place and running his mouth like only he can is a win every time! Bagpipes, kilts, panther t-shirts and heel heat like no one else. And boy, that son of a gun can play the hell out of those pipes.
Dan: Roddy Piper was fantastic. When people describe him as a loose cannon or out of control, they must have been referring to this appearance on TNT. I chuckled when they did that picture-in-picture effect showing him laughing at his handiwork during his iconic Piper’s Pit with Jimmy Snuka. Then he slapped the taste out of Lord Alfred’s mouth leaving quite the bruise on his Lordship’s face. The man had an answer to any comment made against him and even gave us a free bag pipes presentation for good measure. This “Hot Rod” is going places and will no doubt be a lightning rod for controversy.
Scott: All the guests were pretty solid, but like above, Roddy Piper walked onto the set and took the show over. Vince and Alfred were completely disarmed as Piper was his crazed self, particularly after they aired the Pit when he attacked Snuka, then out of nowhere smacked Lord Alfred across the face. it was definitely the most entertaining segment in the show’s history.
Biggest Surprise
JT: It was a nice little treat to get a Tito Santana vs. Greg Valentine match on this show. One of the greatest feuds of 1980s WWF gets to showcase one of its earliest bouts. And they didn’t disappoint as they worked a strong match filled with hard hitting offense.
Chad: This was quite the edgy episode for 1984 WWF standards with the skimpy post lady and the whole Julie Valentine massage segment. Vince of course looked like he was eating that segment up with a spoon.
Jason: It was quite the treat to get a Tito and Valentine match here. I’m sure they had a thousand matches that were better than this one, but for a syndicated TV match, it held up just fine.
Dan: Um, Red Bastien anyone? Probably not who I would have thought would be a guest on the show’s fifth episode but who am I to judge? That guy’s career was titanic starting all the way back in 1947 for crying out loud. I easily could have gone for more of that Texas Death Match he had with Dory Funk Jr. Those two guys just beat the hell out of each other in the clips we saw.
Scott: To repeat above, Piper turning around and bitch slapping Lord Alfred across the face came literally out of nowhere. I don’t know if that was planned or not but wow that actually stunned me for a moment. That was easily the biggest surprise and shocker.
Biggest Disappointment
JT: I would rather have had Tony Garea talk for twenty minutes than have to sit through his never ending marathon battle with Johnny Rodz. Ray Stevens on commentary was a nice bonus but the match was pretty boring. Also, did Lou Albano have to glom onto Greg Valentine as well? Go away!
Chad: The Snuka and Samoan #3 match really dragged for me. Samoan locked on a nervehold and held on to that thing like his life depended on it. Snuka does make a quick comeback but overall the match felt really flat.
Jason: During the Snuka and Samoan #3 match, Gorilla made reference to a Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff match from earlier in that card. It would have been cool to have that match air on this episode.
Dan: Sadly Garea and Rodz didn’t do it for me. Look back at our previous MSG shows and Garea was a little ball of energy that the crowds just exploded for regularly even in lesser heralded matches. This just seemed blah with Garea going back to the well with back body drops and high cross bodies repeatedly. Samu’s nervehold of doom also nearly put me to sleep.
Scott: I was hoping Valentine and Piper would be on at the same time and really give Alfred and Vince the screws. Considering just nine months earlier they were in JCP killing each other in a dog collar match at the first Starrcade its funny they’re already pushed as top heels here.
Additional Observations
JT: Holy shit, Lord Alfred’s tuxedo is absurd this week; Wendi Richter was looking pretty good here in her short cocktail dress and you know Al agrees because he immediately goes full creeper; Tony Garea was looking pretty dapper in his suit; Garea’s “young boys” comment had to be an inside joke because both he and Vince look like they are going to break as he says it; “Samoan #3, an aggressive sort”; I love how the live crowds are always into Superfly Snuka during this time period, popping for every big move he unleashes; Always weird seeing skinny Samu; The weekly mailbag segment is one of my favorite parts of this show and I love how they had the hot waitress deliver it this week instead of chucking the bag at Al’s head; Where the hell did they dig Red Bastien up from? But I will say random stuff like this is what makes TNT so great; “Gritty old beast” is a top notch Alfred description; Santana vs. Valentine was hard hitting and really fun as always; Oh hey, Judy Valentine in a bikini! The Hammer is doing well for himself; The massage was… something else too, hache mache!; Roddy Piper’s swagger during his entrance is so fantastic, what a star; Piper in green tights is weird to see; Piper’s hair slowly getting messier as he gets more frustrated is a nice touch; You can tell they knew the coconut incident was an instant classic as they keep running the footage out there; Ending the show with a Fabulous Moolah vs. Penny Banner match after the red hot Piper bit wouldn’t have been my decision
Chad: Wendi Richter comes out for a short segment and does well for herself. She speaks well and is presentable in a classy way to the viewer. Alfred of course horn dogs it up with her. Tony Garea didn’t have much to offer for his segment. I thought Alfred was awful for the Richter segment but holy shit was he bad when the post lady came out. Red Bastien comes out and we get a pretty bitchin’ clip of him vs. Dory Funk Jr. Dory has some really good comebacks and strikes that were well done. These classic clips are becoming a highlight for me with watching these TNT’s. Julie Valentine in a bikini is one of the most surreal segments we have seen so far. The Tito vs. Valentine match was short but incredibly heated. What a great feud. Roddy really couldn’t play the bagpipes very well. I was glad that we only got 5-10 minutes of down time at the end of this show with Moolah compared to the previous weeks.
Jason: Lord Alfred has been on a roll with some great tuxedos, but this number that he has on here is God awful. Wendi Richter and that cocktail dress. Have mercy! Alfred was quite the creep with Wendi. He gave a guy on Twitter I follow a run for his money. Tony Garea fills out a suit as good as Vince does. Tony using the term “young boys” made me chuckle. Garea reminds me of Alan Thicke. Man, Superfly was CRAZY over with the MSG faithful. Snuka was jacked to the gils. Holy cow, a Red Bastien appearance! It was pretty cool to throw on a clip of one of his matches, especially one against Dory Funk Jr. Greg Valentine’s robes ranking right up there along with Ric Flair’s. Julie Valentine is quite the smoke show for the mid-80s. And that bikini!!! I’ll be right back, time for a cigarette and cold shower. Vince looked like he wanted to hop on that massage table after Julie was finished with her husband. Where was Alfred during this segment? Perhaps Julie-bating. Hammer saying that he met Julie while she was doing cartwheels by the pool is kayfabe at it’s finest. It’s more than likely he scooped her up from a local gentlemen’s establishment while making towns. Piper talking smack to Alfred about beating him when he was 17 years old was incredible. I’m a big fan of Piper’s alternate green tights. Poor SD Jones getting mauled by Piper. Hearing Piper run his mouth is a breath of fresh air from listening to Lou Albano flap his gums last week. Man, talk about talking a nose dive from one segment to another, as following up Piper with a snore fest Moolah and Penny Banner shit show was brutal.
Dan: Can someone PLEASE turn up Lord Alfred’s microphone during the opening credits? What is this, high school cable access? Does Hayes get paid by the laugh when Vince tells a joke at the beginning of the program? You have to be doing something right when Alfred refers to you as “the toughest old bird.” Nice to hear they added some music for the guests when they walk onto the stage in this episode. Tony Garea has his “eyes on some young boys.” Hmmmmm. I would have paid to watch Garea v. Santana for the IC belt back then. So I gathered from the mail segment that Hulk Hogan and Rocky Johnson are just too damn busy to appear on TNT. Deal with it America! Valentine being described as “methodically brutal” was perfect for this match with Tito. You have one job ring announcer guy. Just say the names right the first time you open your mouth. “Greg the Valentine” is not walking through that door!
Scott: Our first Wendi Richter appearance and immediately Lord Alfred gets creepy by saying he has questions he can’t ask on camera; When Tony Garea said about finding a tag partner “I have my eyes on a couple young boys”, Vince did all he could to not laugh his ass off; Lord Alfred amped up more creepiness when he tried to molest the mail lady. Vince even called him lecherous; Greg Valentine’s wife was pretty hot for 1980s standards; Red Bastien (like Lou Thesz a couple episodes earlier) was probably a promise from Vince Sr. to give his friends some shine; I’m glad the Hammer’s wife had to put on a bikini just to massage his back; Valentine steals some of his friend Ric Flair’s lines about being a 60-minute man; It’s pretty awesome to see Piper come in with the pipers; Piper’s got his NWA green tights on in his match
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: This was a sneaky good little episode of TNT. It cruised along with very little fluff (well, as far as TNT go) and each of the guests served some level of purpose to ongoing storylines. Alfred was really funny throughout, landing little one liners driven by being horny at the sight of Wendi Richter and Judy Valentine. And speaking of Judy, she was looking good in her bikini and the massage bit was good entertainment. The Snuka/Samu and Valentine/Santana matches were solid offerings too and balanced out the boring Red Bastien and Tony Garea bouts we had to endure. Everything was capped by a hot closing segment with Roddy Piper’s match and interview, capped with him yelling at Vince and cracking Lord Al. This was a fun watch and TNT continues to surprise me with its entertainment value. Grade: 7/10
Chad: Another good episode that was really anchored by Valentine and Piper. The heels in WWF land around this time period are great personalities that really excel in the TNT environment. I also really enjoy the nod to classic footage. Add those positives and keeping the negatives at a minimum this week and we have a very enjoyable episode. Final Grade: 7.5/10
Jason: Wendi Ritcher in a cocktail dress, a Tito and Valentine match, Julie Valentine in a bikini and Roddy F’N Piper. All of that right there makes this the best episode of TNT we have watched so far. We also got a decent Jimmy Snuka match and the legendary Red Bastien. There’s certainly not much to complain about here. Final Grade: 8/10
Dan: I’ll probably be the low man this week as grading goes. While Piper was superb and Julie Valentine will rule my dreams for the next few weeks, this show is very skipable. The Richter segment was pretty short considering it’s a continuation of the Albano/Cyndi Lauper feud that dominated the last show. Garea, Samu/Snuka and Bastien were all for lack of a better term, coma inducing. The Valentines and Piper saved this from being a complete dud in my opinion. Oh what’s that Julie Valentine from 1984, it’s time for my rub down? Gotta go fellas! Final Grade: 6/10
Scott: This was in my opinion the best TNT so far. All the segments (except maybe the Red Bastien one) had some sort of purpose for storyline or character development. The Piper segment was so shocking as Alfred getting smacked in the face is one for the ages. The Snuka/Samoan #3 match was a surprise as TNT hadn’t really had a long form match on their shows yet. This was also the first time that we’ve been watching that for me the 90 minutes didn’t seem like that long. A great watch that you should check out if only for the legendary greatness that’s the Hot Rod. Final Grade: 8/10
You can find every grade and category winner from the entire Excellent WWE Network Adventure by clicking this link!
