WWF: THE BIG EVENT
Thursday, Aug. 28, 1986
Toronto, ONT at Exhibition Stadium
*Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff for the WWF title
*Harley Race vs. Pedro Morales
*The Dream Team vs. The Rougeaus
*Hercules vs. Billy Jack Haynes
*Jake Roberts vs. Ricky Steamboat in a “Snake Pit” match
*The Machines & Captain Lou Albano vs. King Kong Bundy, Big John Studd & Bobby Heenan
*Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Dick Slater
*Junkyard Dog vs. Adrian Adonis
*Tony Garea vs. Ted Arcidi
*Don Muraco vs. Haku
*Killer Bees vs. Hoss & Jimmy Jack Funk
So I was just a few months old when this show took place, but thanks to the wonders of the local video store, my mom bought this show on VHS when they were selling a bunch of old wrestling tapes. We drove home and she was telling me about some of the wrestlers she remembered back then. That’s when I learned how I became a wrestling fan. My parents were fans during the mid 80s boom period and I started watching wrestling before I could actually form memories. Because I’m in a work camp, I couldn’t watch the VHS copy that’s at my house, so I just watched the Network version. I haven’t seen the show in ages but I’m guessing all the wacky edits and video cuts were on the VHS tape too and this definitely looked like WWE’s attempt to fit this on a 2 hour VHS. Kids these days don’t know the issues of SP recording on their VHS.
One big critique was Johnny Valiant seemed a little too over the top and the 2 man team would have been better. I also have a VHS tape of Jake Roberts matches hosted by Luscious Johnny so I do remember him not being very good. The show isn’t much but it is a nice look at the WWF’s booking of early big shows and how they would improve their production from there. 6 out of 10 for nostalgia.
With this coming in at just under 2 hours i expected it to breeze by, and instead it seemed to last forever. God bless Gorilla Monsoon and his attempts to make these horrible matches seem exciting and even important. The highlights for me were Monsoon trying to cover for why Valentine and Ladd disappeared for the Hercules/Haynes match, and then talking about things that had occured since this show, and Bobby Heenan showing his amazing versatility as a performer and worker.
To add a little more feedback to this thread, I have a stat I didn’t get to on the 10th anniversary show. This will be the first event you guys have ever reviewed from the year 1986.
The only other feedback I can give is on the CNE grandstand. In 1992 my parents dragged my brother and myself to see Garth Brooks. As a 9 year old it was pretty amazing. Did you guys ever see any shows at the old grandstand?
I would like to thank the Post Wrestling EP of this one (Caesar Sylvera?) for choosing this show. I have been wanting you guys to review this show for five years so I’m very grateful. The wrestling wasn’t good but I always find this era very charming to go back to.
It’s crazy looking at those scenic shots of The 6 before City Place was built up. It looks like half the darn city was just parking lots. And LOL at Gorilla lecturing Luscious Johnny on impartiality.
A few questions (which you may have already covered in the body of the review):
Was the Big Event ever broadcast on PPV or Closed Circuit or was it always meant to be a Coliseum Home Video release?
Of all the stadia in North America, why did the WWF choose to run Exhibition Stadium? Was the Pontiac Silver Dome already booked for WM3 and if not, was this a test of concept?
What was deal with the Machines? I never understood this gimmick. When did it start?
Lastly, I don’t know if y’all still do this, but who on Earth would you pick for the Putski Award? There is some stiff competition on this card.
Take Care
P.S. For anybody wondering why it was so cold in Toronto in summer, late August did used to be cooler in Toronto (before global warming) but more to the point, the CNE is right by the lake, and it is always, always chilly down by the lake.
I saw 3 concerts at the CNE Grandstand. Guns N Roses, Metallica and Faith No More. Aerosmith with 4 Non Blondes opening and Neil Young with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. I have very fond memories of each of those shows!
Old enough to remember this show. Didn’t attend but friends told me stories about freezing, buying tickets for seats that didn’t exist and thinking Orndorff won the title because Bonello tapping Orndorff 3 times looked like a 3 count from where they were.
In a scheduling fluke, the WWF came back to Toronto a week and a half later for a show at MLG that I did get to attend. It featured the return of Roddy Piper to Toronto after almost 2 years in a tag with Hogan vs Orndorff and Adonis in a brawl that beat anything on the Big Event in my opinion.
And with due respect to W H and his opinion of red shoes, John Bonello was the worst referee possibly ever. His performance in the main event is cringeworthy as he seems to believe he was the attraction by aggressively inserting himself everywhere. Just awful. This guy got all the Toronto main event reffing duties in the 80s and I don’t know why. He also butchered the Hogan vs Savage main event from MLG (that Vince McMahon even came up to Toronto for in 1985). It’s on YouTube if you’re interested in a tire fire.
Anyway the Big Event was huge for Toronto at the time as stadium shows were very rare. Mania 3 was still 7 months away and I’ve always wondered if this Toronto show gave Vince the push to go to the Silverdome for Hogan vs Andre.
Lastly hats off to the guy who tried to steal Hogan’s bandana off his head just as he approached the ring.
Sorry for rambling and thanks for the chance to reminisce.
Paul from Barrie, longtime listener but new to the forum. I thought I’d share some thoughts as I did attend this show. I was 9 years old, but I have vivid memories of the experience of seeing this show live. I had been to serval MLG shows, but this massive show was on another level. I do remember issues with tickets, as there was a lot of confusion with people having duplicate tickets, seats that weren’t actually there, etc. It was a bit of a mess. That said, it was an incredible experience. Steamboat, JYD and Hogan were so over at this time. Not much great wrestling on this show, but it’s a fun one to revisit nonetheless.
As a side note, I lived across the street from the main event referee John Bonello at this time, and was friends with his son. I won’t get in to the news story from years later about Bonello plotting to kill his wife to collect life insurance money here!
10 years later the WWF returned to Exhibition Stadium and drew a solid 20,000 or so, and I also attended that show. The building looked empty compared to the packed house in ‘86.
Keep up the great work guys, I love all of the shows!