[1986-07-26-WWF-Philadelphia, PA] Hulk Hogan vs Adrian Adonis

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Adrian Adonis - WWF, Philly 7/26/86

 

I don't think you can make an argument that Adonis was the number one heel of 1986 for WWF (Orndorff's monster late 86 puts him over the top), but I think he would be my choice for most important heel. In the summer of 1986, he was Randy Savage's tag partner against Tito Santana & Bruno. Simultaneously, his Flower Shop took over as the premiere WWF talk show and thus he became the lead shit-stirrer. He was the instigator of the dissension between Hogan and Mr. Wonderful. Shortly after this big summer, the Flower Shop vs Piper's Pit feud erupted. I watched pretty much that whole thing unfold week by week last night and that was some great TV. I have to say Piper came off as a huge prick in that entire build and I was pretty glad when Adonis, Orton and Muraco beat his ass down. Long Live The Flower Shop! I loved Jimmy Hart's introduction of that.

 

For all his great character work, this match was really not much. Adonis had some really good bumps at the beginning. The Flair Flip was to be expected, but once that got Jimmy Hart involved, I loved his out of control bump over the ropes only to be tied into the ropes. The megaphone turned the tide. The heat segment seemed really lackluster. Lots of spot-rest-spot and Adonis was not really connecting. After two suplexes, he applied Good Night Irene. Hogan going the finger wag out of a sleeper is always badass! Hulk-Up! Loved him sending Jimmy Hart like a missile off the top rope onto Adonis. Legdrop 1-2-3. One of the more routine Hogan matches of the era.

 

Hogan had an interesting 1986. He began the year finishing out the Savage series at MSG and worked a couple more matches with Savage most notably Detroit and Boston. He had the cage match with Bundy at Mania 2, but he did not seem to have much of a loop with Bundy. Instead focusing on a lot of tag work, he would team with Hillbilly Jim to face Bundy & Studd or with other faces like Steamboat to combat Muraco & Fuji or help out JYD in his wars against the Funks. Before the Orndorff feud got kicked off, he went around the loop beating Studd, Bundy, Muraco and Adonis, but not with any regularity of one opponent of the three. Once the Orndorff feud started in earnest in August, it pretty much did not let up, but he continued to have big tag team matches as a part of the Machines and with Piper. In December, we see the program that would carry him into 1987 start with Kamala. 1986 was a hot year for WWF midcard (Savage/Santana, Steamboat/Jake The Snake) and tag team (Dream Team/Bulldogs), but seems like a down year in terms of main event. I need to see the Hogan/Orndorff angle and the Big Event match. Orndorff is probably my least favorite Hogan opponent, but I am keeping an open mind.