Ricky Steamboat totally got screwed by Vince. It must have been business b/c Steamboat went to NWA shortly after and became World champ. But he should've held the IC title at least to WM 4. Listen to the crowd, he was WAY over at this point. Honky Tonk held the belt for that long not cause he was a great wrestler, but for some reason Vince wanted that way at the time. Bogus title reign.
@YochananElite Steaboat wanted to make the jump to NWA, so Vince wanted to strip Steamboat of the IC title..originally, Butch Reed was scheduled to defeat Steamboat, but Reed no-showed, and it was actually Hulk Hogan who came forward that night and said Hey, give the match to Honkytonk, and Vince, out of desperation said, OK
@renspecs Yeah, I actually researched it and read that Steamboat wanted time off to be with his pregnant wife. Vince was going to give him a long run with the belt, but was upset, and wouldn't be able to depend on him so forced him to drop it to HonkyTonk. Turns out it really was business. Didn't know bout the Reed thing. I would have actually liked to see the "Natural" carry the strap for a period.
@YochananElite There's Honkytonk shoot somewhere, one of very many, where if you find it, he discusses the Butch Reed thing, funny how things turned out for Honkytonk that night, right place at the right time. He also discusses that while scheduled to drop the belt to Beefcake at Summerslam, Beefcake sustained a motorcycle accident just before, and it was Honkytonk's own idea to drop it to the Warrior in a squash match
If memory serves, this match was on Saturday morning Superstars, which was rare back then when all the matches were Stars and Jobbers. Never a match of this magnitude on Saturday morning.
@mrkoolnerd If memory serves, this match was on Saturday morning Superstars, which was rare back then when all the matches were Stars and Jobbers. Never a match of this magnitude on Saturday morning.
They didn't build Ricky up and put the belt on him just to have him lose it that quick. Steamboat lost the belt because he asked for time off due to the birth of his son and it pissed Vince off because Ricky was in the midst of a major push. He would've been champ for a long time and wouldn't have been NWA champ had Vince not gotten mad.
I have this match on DVD, The History Of The Intercontinentail Championship. The old WWF Superstars Of Wrestling is Blurred out. I guess it's a copyright to the old WWF.
honky is ok,never been a fan,but he was a good heel,but i thought steamboat shdve at least had a good run as IC champ,than have him beat complete jobbers on TV.
Steamboat was an all time great - but was never gonna sell tickets as IC champ fighting Hercules, Butch Reed etc... After Savage fued - Steamboat didn't really have anywhere to go . Him losing title was right move
I was a huge Honkytonk man fan/mark at 12 years old. I remember when Butch Reed lost to Steamboat via DQ the week prior and I was really upset and then watching this match made me very nervous and the ending was awesome and the legacy of the Honkytonk Man began. I marked out big time and the shame of it is that Honkytonk had to do the job 14 months later to an obviously untalented, ungreatful and underserving waste like the Ultimate Warrior.
Yeah, Wayne Ferris is a pretty funny guy, and he was professional enough to return the job to everyone he beat when he was IC Champ. And, of course, people paid a lot of money to see him get his ass beat, which is the number one goal of any heel in pro wrestling.
From what I understand, Steamboat wanted to take some time off to be with his newborn son, so Vince had him job to Honky. Another theory is that Hogan was upset because Steamboat and Macho Man had the far superior match compared to Hogan and Andre, and this was punishment for stealing the show.
I don't know what that Ric Flair comment has to do with anything...Bret could draw a crowd--clearly..which was why he was WWF's top man for 4 or 5 years...Honky could get heat, but that still doesn't mean he should've held the title for as long as he did....and a wrestler of Steamboats quality and class had no business losing to HTM--a Vince McMahon special
the flair comment i was just pointing out the hypocrisy of flair fans,honky could draw a crowd,thats the main thing,flair agrees with that,but he says honky was no good.
as for steamboat losing to honky,it will always be remebered as a flukey win for htm it wasnt as if it was a clean pin.
Honky Tonk Man not only the greatest I.C. champion of all time he is also the greatest singer ever, they wanted him to sing the national anthem at the last super bowl but they couldn't afford him.
Its funny how ric flair fans knock honky because he wasnt technical,but when ric flair gets asked if bret was a great technical wrestler ric flair says " yea but whats that got to do with it"? drawing a crowd is what its all about.
well its in the record books honky sold more tickets as ic champ than any other ic champ
@crowbar2009 Ric Flair in his day was a great talent one of the best ever. No one can deny that. But the things he has said about Bret Hart are just bullshit. I think he never got over dropping the WWE championship to him. Some professional wrestlers grow to be so bitter.
that's when wrestling was reallly good but then again maybe i thought it was so good bcuz i was like 11 or 12 lol...but still it's great to see old memories like this. and what do u expect vince mcmahon too do for his wrestlers??? is he supposed to baby them and kiss ass...they r men and do a job just like anyone else and make a hell of alot more money.
wat a total cunt vince was being.he doesnt give a shit bout the well being of his wrestlers,to him its all about money.steamboat was basically looked as a money making machine by vince,and not as a human being wit a family.vince shudve given a little respect to steamboat and his family,instead of stripping the man of his dignity by makin him lose to a cunt like the HTM!no wonder so many ppl hate vinces damn guts,i dont blame them!
Yeah, nice use of the language, and what a great perspective. I only half agree with your comments and you should feel honored that I even respond to you. The only thing I don't like about this match is the ending. They were both touching the ropes so the ref shouldn't have even counted. As for you my "friend," try considering both points of view before you spout off. For instance I've already considered your pov and that is you're full of shit and yo mama's nasty smegma, bitch. OWNED!
Vince doesn't care about anyone as long as they make money and no matter how big the name, Vince will shitcan them. Ask Hogan, Hart, Nash, Piper anybody.
Oh, and whats wrong with Honky anyway? Cause he isn't technical? Never mind selling out the garden 8 times and running with the belt for over a year and generating real heat with promos. If it all comes down to mat wrestling, sorry I gotta label that a smark reason.
@rkirger He really was. Of course so-called smarks will say: "He is so boringest cuz he cant do dropkick like Hardy." But we know nobody gives a damn about that except smarks that expect matches to resemble a boss fight on the PS/2. The great draws of all time used punches and kicks and got bigger reactions than a thousand fake Sentons off the ISS.
1987 was a banner year for Jimmy Hart all right. I believe that year, Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted him Manager of the Year. No doubt it was because of The Hart Foundation and The Honky Tonk Man. Even the women's tag team champions The Glamour Girls were managed by him. You might say in 87, Jimmy managed all champions not named Hulk Hogan.
the steamboat lost the title to HTM was because after Ricky won the title, he demanded more money, so Vince made an example of him by jobbing him out to HTM.
No. Actually Steamboat wanted to spend time with his newborn son, and he was supposed to lose to Butch Reed, but Butch Reed was a no show and the Honky Tonk Man took his place. Check the wiki page.
@bostonpaul212 Yeah It was so cool when he and Monsoon would work together. WWE has never had a better broadcast duo. Despite what Vince would have you think about two of his top ass kissers (J.R. & Lawler). Must have sucked for The Body to have to work with McMahon though all assholery aside he sucked as a broadcaster.
This was one of the worst moments in WWF history. Ricky Steamboat was awesome and Honky Tonk Man sucked. He also bitched and whined about ever dropping the belt, even didn't want to drop it to Savage. That's why he had it so long.
MikeMulligan567 your fulll of fucking shit.if you dont like honky tonk man thats one thing. but saying reason honky tonk man had the belt so long is cause he bitched and hwined and wouldnt drop the belt is dumb.vince mcmahon decides who drops a belt when.if vince said drop it honky would drop it or mcmahon would strip it.second of all honky tonk man droped the belt to warrior in like a 15 second match when he didnt want to.honky tonk man always did his job.you stupied dumb ignorant bastard
Vince was going to bury Honky and "rebuild him" (why, hes still drawing a crowd?) Honky almost left for WCW and Vince finally got in contact with him. Savage got the World Belt later and Dibiase got it made up to by getting the Million Dollar belt. DiBiase could have had the World belt later on.
he was done drawing cards after he lost the title and became irrelevant if he had jumped to the NWA without the IC title he would have flopped. I know the story of Savage and Dibiase whats beautiful about it Honkys little selfish stunt ended up doing big business for the Mega Powers angle and by the next year he was just another midcarder.
@MikeMulligan567 Yeah Honky Tonk Man was "so sucky" that he was the company's second best draw for over a year and a half and sold out houses everywhere WITHOUT Hogan on the card.
Actually it was Steamboat that bitched about dropping the title. Wrestlers held titles longer back then to give the title credibility. Also Honky drew heat and made money which is why McMahon does anything.
@nuktubian It was part of the psychology of his character. We was the anti-Rocky. Not exceptionally skilled, not much of a body, he was also annoying as hell. So he lucks into the title and now you really want to see him get pounded to a pulp. They play that to sold out crowds for a over a year, escaping time and time again. Then the payoff when Warrior stomped him in 30 seconds to an incredible pop.
Honky Tonk Man is pathetic. I am glad better and greater wrestlers went on to make the title much more valuable. And for that I say thank you Bret, Curt, and Shawn.
I like how they tried to make the endind vague so you can't really tell if Steamboat lost or not.
I remember hearing about this match from a friend right after it happened and wondering why they let Steamboat give up the belt so soon after he had won it.
Reason Stemboat dropped the belt was because he took time off to be with his newborn son. He was gone from June of 87 to right before Wrestlemania IV where he lost in the 1st round of the title tourny.Then left the WWF shortly after that. Showed up in WCW Jan 89 Steamboat made a career out of retireing & un-retireing.
I remember him in a two out of three falls match with Ric Flair on CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS. (Steamboat was the champ) He won the final fall and was ready to take on other contenders until he saw the replay and Flair's foot was under the rope. Then he agreed to another match with Flair, and naturally lost.
Yup & then Terry Funk attacked Flair & started that feud & Steamboat was put into a breif feud with Lex Luger but Steamboat was unhappy with that move & quit WCW took another year off showed up as the Dragon in WWF for a brief stint before going back to WCW at the end of 91 & haveing a sucessfull run winning 2 Tag titles,TV Title & US Title before back injurys forced him to give up the US Belt & Retire in 1994
Question for anyone who is from the Buffalo Area, or anyone who would know. Was this match at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium or simply known as "The Aud" to anyone from the area.
Indeed it was...one of the first ever cards for the WWF from Buffalo that wasn't a house show. It was just announced "The Aud" will be torn down within one year after being vacant since 1996
I miss Buffalo SO much. I live in Arizona now, and have a house and a great career. I wish I could go back, but I just have too much going for me here.
One of the worst moments of my childhood. I'm a huge Steamboat fan, and this was shcoking at the time. But I give HTM props. Dude had a great run with the strap.
I was huge into the WWF in the '80s and never saw this match until now. Thanks for the post!
HTM was so annoying that he played great heel. It didn't matter who the face was, you never wanted Honky to retain that belt. This was a well-scripted beginning to the HTM reign, a well-scripted, yet aggrevating reign itself, and a beautiful ending when Warrior took the belt next year.
This was the beginning of the end for Steamboats big run in the WWF. But it ultimately led him to go to the NWA and have some of greatest matches ever with Ric Flair.
The story is Steamboat wanted time off to be with his pregnant wife. Back then, WWF really was a full time job. Working everyday sometimes working two matches a day.
HTM was a great heel and pretty good seller and worked the crowd to perfection, thats why he was champ for so long.
also bad news allen got mad cos he couldnt have the world title yeah like was in the same brackets as warrior savage or hogan bad news allen went around blaming everything on the colour of his skin instead of realising how fortunate he was to be so established
I haven't seen this match in years. Back when the Intercontinental title actually meant something. Nowadays, it's hardly even defended anymore. When was the last time it was even defended on a PPV?
are you guys dumb as rocks? this is wrestling, its fake. you are acting like this stuff is real. i loved the honky tonk man. he used to crack me up. i hated all those goody too shoe's good guys, like hogan, steamboat, etc. i loved the villians. they ruled! the honky tonk man used to have me on the floor laughing to death.
Honky Tonk is fucking sweet!!! VOTED BY THE FANS, GREATEST INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION EVER!! More than wrestling my friend, one of the best entertainers ever!!
Ricky basically got screwed...Vince could've easily had Ricky lose the belt back to Savage or a someone more quality than Honky Tonk...Then have Ricky (who was really popular) win in back when he returned...There's an art to being a great heel, and I personally don't think HTM had it...HTM was a hack job and unentertaining...He didn't have that quality that made fans 'love to hate' him...He had that quality that made fans wanna change the channel
while I do believe Honky was a hack job, he played a great heal. i remember wanting him to lose the belt so bad for so long since he had it for over a year. i really wanted Savage to take it from him on SNME but Randy ended up going on to bigger things by winning the WWF Title tournament at WM4
I think the bottom line is that Honky was a succesful draw at the box-office (in the days when house shows were a major source of income). I think Steamboat did well out of it as was headlining WCW within a year, winning the NWA World Title and having the greatest run of his life opposite Ric Flair.
Also, Honky refused to drop the belt to Savage because of the way Vince had treated him at his stay in WWF. He said he'd only drop it to Hogan....or Vince himself, if he could take it from him.
Honky refused to drop the belt to Savage because he was still drawing money at the time and had just started to make money himself. He thought it a bad deal for both the company and himself to drop the belt at that time.
Bit harsh, but I know what you mean. He has made wrestling a lot more acceptable with the mainstream audience, but at the same time totally destroyed all credability the sport once had. He's helped destroyed the art of proper "wrestling" too. Having a 2hour soap opera with 4 minute matches thrown in every now and again ain't helping.
Wow what a fucked up finish too....the "one" count was when HTM's shoulders were on the mat (Steamboat's right shoulder was still up)...Steamboat's shoulders were only down for the two and three counts -- so Steamboat was really only down for a count of two. Not even Jesse could feign excitement over that shit finish or the fact that Stemboat dropped the strap.
Man I still remember to this day watching this match on WWF Superstars and just couldn't wait to watch my favorite wrestler Ricky Steamboat kick HTM's ass. Then when that bullshit finish happened I thought to my self, "They're gonna rob Steamboat", and they did. I think I actually cried after that match and vowed never to watch wrestling again after that, of course I did cuz I had to see who would beat HTM for the belt.
Hahahaha, that was exactly my reaction as a 7-year old in 1987. I was devastated and crying - Steamboat was my favorite wrestler and I couldn't believe that douche bag stole the title from him. Honky Tonk Man held that f'n title FOREVER after that too, I hated it.
Honky Tonk Man is proboably the worst IC champ ever--And that includes Chyna's short reign as champ a few years back LOL...This was the biggest piece of crap ever--I still think so 20 years later...A true legend like Ricky Steamboat deserved SO MUCH better than this garbage...Especially being that the match he won the title from Macho Man was such an all-time classic....I was SO GLAD when the Ultimate Warrior came and whooped Honky Tonk in about 20 seconds
Yeah, but very few people were better at drawing heat from the crowd than HTM. People tuned in to see him get destroyed, and he often did. At the time I was surprised to see him last as log as he did as IC champ, but as I understand the business, I can see why he lasted as long as he did.
Does anyone know where you can find HTM's original theme music, like he used in this match. I'm not looking for the one he recorded, but the original when he first came into the WWF. It was a classic. HTM, greatest IC champion of all time!!!!
Steamboat was a wrestling legend, but he was a boring Champion. Fans loved him more as a contender instead of Champion which is why he never had long title reigns in WWF, NWA, and WCW. Vince knew that Honky Tonk Man would create more buzz, heat, and $ as IC Champion. He was right and Honky Tonk had the longest reign ever. It also set up one of the greatest moments in WWF history at Summerslam 88 when Warrior took the belt.
I agree with you 100% yes steamboat was a class act legend but lousy as a champ. Honky had no talent what so ever but he would always get a reaction of of the crowd hence why he held the belt 4 so dame long i think it was 18months or something like that
You are a idiot. Steamboat was generating a large fanbase as champ. He was intended to hold the belt for a long time but he wanted to take time off because his wife was having a baby.
Another retarded idiot! your mum is a retarded you yankkey piece of horse shit.she a fool for having you ur dad should have cum in ur mouth and we wouldnt have to put up with ur sad arse!!!
Another retarded idiot. Steamboat was supposed to hold the title for a long time. When he asked for time off, Vince didnt like that, so he had to find a heel that was creating alot of heat at the time and that was Honky. If not for Steamboat asking for time off, he would have had the belt for a while.
If you read Steamboat's biography on Wikipedia's website, McMahon intended Steamboat to hold the I-C title a long time. But he wanted time off b/c his wife was having a child & Vince didn't like this, so they had him drop the strap to the Honky Tonk Man. And the rest is history
I didn't know that and I was wondering while I was watching the match I was wondering why steamboat didnt have it longer, especially after having such an incredible fued with Savage. Steamboat was awesome.
Yes they are the same person. My couin who worked the arena in Cincinnati saw one of them change into the others costume for a later bout. He told me about it. It's been out for years. All knowledgeable wrestling fans know it.
Ricky Steamboat only had the title for like 3 months. He took time off a little because of a new born baby.
Van2Dan 9 months ago
can i ask what tape can i get this on as in is it superstars of wresting
MrShowstopper1982 11 months ago
NICE
DUNKINLO 11 months ago
Honky was one of the most consistent heels in WWF history. NOBODY liked him. Jessie's hyped him too which made it ever worse.
nwofolife 1 year ago
Ricky Steamboat totally got screwed by Vince. It must have been business b/c Steamboat went to NWA shortly after and became World champ. But he should've held the IC title at least to WM 4. Listen to the crowd, he was WAY over at this point. Honky Tonk held the belt for that long not cause he was a great wrestler, but for some reason Vince wanted that way at the time. Bogus title reign.
YochananElite 1 year ago
@YochananElite Steaboat wanted to make the jump to NWA, so Vince wanted to strip Steamboat of the IC title..originally, Butch Reed was scheduled to defeat Steamboat, but Reed no-showed, and it was actually Hulk Hogan who came forward that night and said Hey, give the match to Honkytonk, and Vince, out of desperation said, OK
renspecs 1 year ago
@renspecs Yeah, I actually researched it and read that Steamboat wanted time off to be with his pregnant wife. Vince was going to give him a long run with the belt, but was upset, and wouldn't be able to depend on him so forced him to drop it to HonkyTonk. Turns out it really was business. Didn't know bout the Reed thing. I would have actually liked to see the "Natural" carry the strap for a period.
YochananElite 1 year ago
@YochananElite There's Honkytonk shoot somewhere, one of very many, where if you find it, he discusses the Butch Reed thing, funny how things turned out for Honkytonk that night, right place at the right time. He also discusses that while scheduled to drop the belt to Beefcake at Summerslam, Beefcake sustained a motorcycle accident just before, and it was Honkytonk's own idea to drop it to the Warrior in a squash match
renspecs 1 year ago
im trying to follow videoed events chronologically from 85 on so thanks for posting this
LEEKYLE99 1 year ago
One of the best matches ever...
xdwhuttxd1 1 year ago
If memory serves, this match was on Saturday morning Superstars, which was rare back then when all the matches were Stars and Jobbers. Never a match of this magnitude on Saturday morning.
dcaron 1 year ago
Greatest Moment in wrestling history!! I freaked out for about a week after this happened!!!
acedast 1 year ago
honky tonk man's theme here was hot. can anyone get it???
mrholla12 2 years ago
Honky Tonk Man is getting cheers!! Just shows you a great character can be more popular than a great wrestler!!
Nosmos 2 years ago
when and where was this and what show?
mrkoolnerd 2 years ago
Buffalo NY, WWE Superstars.
marshallsimon 2 years ago
@marshallsimon yeah, this was at the old War Memorial Auditorium. It finally came
down this year. Was sad when they closed her up and to knock th aud down they had to slice the building like a cake.
Cavillier1970 1 year ago
@mrkoolnerd If memory serves, this match was on Saturday morning Superstars, which was rare back then when all the matches were Stars and Jobbers. Never a match of this magnitude on Saturday morning.
dcaron 1 year ago
@mrkoolnerd Buffalo, WWF Superstars of Wrestling
trekfanful 6 months ago
watch the ref count again, he only counted honky for a 1 and then ricky for 2 and called for the bell!!!! theres an OOOPPPSSS
coreyashley 2 years ago
Great memories.... I was at that event!!!!
rayzzor 2 years ago
They didn't build Ricky up and put the belt on him just to have him lose it that quick. Steamboat lost the belt because he asked for time off due to the birth of his son and it pissed Vince off because Ricky was in the midst of a major push. He would've been champ for a long time and wouldn't have been NWA champ had Vince not gotten mad.
victort1973 2 years ago
@victort1973 Glad it happened that way though. Otherwise we would no have had that great series of matches between Steamboat and Flair in early 89.
trekfanful 6 months ago
This match was awesome.... gotta love Honky and his cheating ways... and Steamboat is just an amazing amazing wrestler.
barbarash 2 years ago
steamboat losing the ic strap is the 911 of wrestling period
5050west 2 years ago
I have this match on DVD, The History Of The Intercontinentail Championship. The old WWF Superstars Of Wrestling is Blurred out. I guess it's a copyright to the old WWF.
marshallsimon 2 years ago
honky is ok,never been a fan,but he was a good heel,but i thought steamboat shdve at least had a good run as IC champ,than have him beat complete jobbers on TV.
KT1778 2 years ago
honkymania started that day
pattabasco 2 years ago 2
Steamboat was an all time great - but was never gonna sell tickets as IC champ fighting Hercules, Butch Reed etc... After Savage fued - Steamboat didn't really have anywhere to go . Him losing title was right move
wrestle1212 3 years ago
best ic champ ever
pattabasco 3 years ago
I was a huge Honkytonk man fan/mark at 12 years old. I remember when Butch Reed lost to Steamboat via DQ the week prior and I was really upset and then watching this match made me very nervous and the ending was awesome and the legacy of the Honkytonk Man began. I marked out big time and the shame of it is that Honkytonk had to do the job 14 months later to an obviously untalented, ungreatful and underserving waste like the Ultimate Warrior.
jckoby 3 years ago
@jckoby I have family in Memphis so I have been making trips there pretty much my whole life. HTM was way over there at the time.
trekfanful 6 months ago
Elvis was the greatest of all time and so was Honky as IC Champ, period.
keijimuto 3 years ago
Wow...to go from the best match in history up to that point to losing the IC title to a guy who had an undeserved 18 MONTH REIGN! Unbelievable.
JMoran14 3 years ago
Don't be hating on Honkey Tonk. The guy is fucking great. He can't wrestle, but he's pretty funny
jamilioestevez 3 years ago 2
Yeah, Wayne Ferris is a pretty funny guy, and he was professional enough to return the job to everyone he beat when he was IC Champ. And, of course, people paid a lot of money to see him get his ass beat, which is the number one goal of any heel in pro wrestling.
JMoran14 3 years ago
Well said
jamilioestevez 3 years ago
Agreed. I don't hate Honky, but honestly, Steamboat is an all-time great. I don't know what Vince was thinking. He way underutilized Steamboat.
patg316 3 years ago
From what I understand, Steamboat wanted to take some time off to be with his newborn son, so Vince had him job to Honky. Another theory is that Hogan was upset because Steamboat and Macho Man had the far superior match compared to Hogan and Andre, and this was punishment for stealing the show.
JMoran14 3 years ago
Whatever the reason, it's still awful. An all-time great wrestler against a great character. Vince can be such a prick.
patg316 3 years ago
nah he lost to honky cause butch reed didn't show up he was suppose to get a run with the ic strap yell
BOX5 3 years ago
Both HTM and Steamboat's theme music is changed in the new WWE IC title dvd set.
horrorguru 3 years ago
I don't know what that Ric Flair comment has to do with anything...Bret could draw a crowd--clearly..which was why he was WWF's top man for 4 or 5 years...Honky could get heat, but that still doesn't mean he should've held the title for as long as he did....and a wrestler of Steamboats quality and class had no business losing to HTM--a Vince McMahon special
miggy25 3 years ago
Agreed. The WWF had so many superstars to draw upon to get the belt off Steamboat and they chose this bush-league hack.
destronia123 3 years ago
I cant say I agree. HTM may not have been a technical wizard, but he could work as well as any heel out there.
He could sell, he was great on the mic and the fans hated him. Thats working. Only DiBiase and Rude were arguably better at this time in the WWF.
TheGreaterBriton 3 years ago
the flair comment i was just pointing out the hypocrisy of flair fans,honky could draw a crowd,thats the main thing,flair agrees with that,but he says honky was no good.
as for steamboat losing to honky,it will always be remebered as a flukey win for htm it wasnt as if it was a clean pin.
crowbar2009 3 years ago
Honky Tonk Man not only the greatest I.C. champion of all time he is also the greatest singer ever, they wanted him to sing the national anthem at the last super bowl but they couldn't afford him.
Brebradl 3 years ago 2
Its funny how ric flair fans knock honky because he wasnt technical,but when ric flair gets asked if bret was a great technical wrestler ric flair says " yea but whats that got to do with it"? drawing a crowd is what its all about.
well its in the record books honky sold more tickets as ic champ than any other ic champ
crowbar2009 3 years ago
@crowbar2009 Ric Flair in his day was a great talent one of the best ever. No one can deny that. But the things he has said about Bret Hart are just bullshit. I think he never got over dropping the WWE championship to him. Some professional wrestlers grow to be so bitter.
trekfanful 6 months ago
honky tonk man = hall of fame
INOVATORVIOLENCE 3 years ago 2
I get goosebumps whenever Steamboat's entrance starts. The contrast between his character and Honky Tonk Man's throwaway joke of a gimmick is huge.
EGarrett01 3 years ago
Ah, the good ol' Buffalo Memorial Aud. So many great WWF memories.
sisterblister77 3 years ago
lol
imnoy22 3 years ago
look at 4:03 wiard
imnoy22 3 years ago
Shut up douchebag. it's fiction moron
masterbatorial 3 years ago
fix fix fix lol
thecritic2007 3 years ago
that's when wrestling was reallly good but then again maybe i thought it was so good bcuz i was like 11 or 12 lol...but still it's great to see old memories like this. and what do u expect vince mcmahon too do for his wrestlers??? is he supposed to baby them and kiss ass...they r men and do a job just like anyone else and make a hell of alot more money.
gino454 3 years ago
wat a total cunt vince was being.he doesnt give a shit bout the well being of his wrestlers,to him its all about money.steamboat was basically looked as a money making machine by vince,and not as a human being wit a family.vince shudve given a little respect to steamboat and his family,instead of stripping the man of his dignity by makin him lose to a cunt like the HTM!no wonder so many ppl hate vinces damn guts,i dont blame them!
nerohero266 3 years ago
He was suppose to lose the belt to Butch Reed but he no showed. Honky Tonk was a last minute replacement suggested by Hogan.
djkm77 3 years ago
then he lost the belt the same way to the
ultimate warrior lmao
orgasmtron 3 years ago
Yeah, nice use of the language, and what a great perspective. I only half agree with your comments and you should feel honored that I even respond to you. The only thing I don't like about this match is the ending. They were both touching the ropes so the ref shouldn't have even counted. As for you my "friend," try considering both points of view before you spout off. For instance I've already considered your pov and that is you're full of shit and yo mama's nasty smegma, bitch. OWNED!
tow74 3 years ago
Vince doesn't care about anyone as long as they make money and no matter how big the name, Vince will shitcan them. Ask Hogan, Hart, Nash, Piper anybody.
Oh, and whats wrong with Honky anyway? Cause he isn't technical? Never mind selling out the garden 8 times and running with the belt for over a year and generating real heat with promos. If it all comes down to mat wrestling, sorry I gotta label that a smark reason.
sserpent21 3 years ago
The Greatest Intercontinental Champion of ALL-TIME!
rkirger 3 years ago 14
@rkirger He really was. Of course so-called smarks will say: "He is so boringest cuz he cant do dropkick like Hardy." But we know nobody gives a damn about that except smarks that expect matches to resemble a boss fight on the PS/2. The great draws of all time used punches and kicks and got bigger reactions than a thousand fake Sentons off the ISS.
Honky drew amazing heat!
mongoose704 1 year ago
@rkirger I wouldn't say THE greatest but yes one of the greatest.
trekfanful 6 months ago
1987 was a banner year for Jimmy Hart all right. I believe that year, Pro Wrestling Illustrated voted him Manager of the Year. No doubt it was because of The Hart Foundation and The Honky Tonk Man. Even the women's tag team champions The Glamour Girls were managed by him. You might say in 87, Jimmy managed all champions not named Hulk Hogan.
POWERSAW1980 3 years ago 3
oh and by the way, botched finish. plain as day.
WyndenRayne 3 years ago
the steamboat lost the title to HTM was because after Ricky won the title, he demanded more money, so Vince made an example of him by jobbing him out to HTM.
WyndenRayne 3 years ago
I heard that it was because Ricky wanted to spend time with his family, but whatever.
sserpent21 3 years ago
No. Actually Steamboat wanted to spend time with his newborn son, and he was supposed to lose to Butch Reed, but Butch Reed was a no show and the Honky Tonk Man took his place. Check the wiki page.
amaysnj 3 years ago
Honky Tonk Man defeating Steamboat for the IC title was as bad as The Double J Defeating Razor Ramon for the IC title
hydra555 3 years ago
Jimmy Hart "Come on Honky!" LOL LOL
RoyalX 3 years ago 3
jesse the body was the BEST easily
bostonpaul212 3 years ago
@bostonpaul212 Yeah It was so cool when he and Monsoon would work together. WWE has never had a better broadcast duo. Despite what Vince would have you think about two of his top ass kissers (J.R. & Lawler). Must have sucked for The Body to have to work with McMahon though all assholery aside he sucked as a broadcaster.
trekfanful 6 months ago
Great match! Great video!
Jessie the Body and Gorilla Monsoon...best commentators of all time!
Honkey Tonk Man...greatest IC champ of all time!
BSJOrchestra 3 years ago
Right behind Heenan and Monsoon.
MystikWizard 3 years ago
look the guy was entertaining but he lacked skills he did talk on the mic very well he was a good heel it would not have worked if he a baby face.
toofargone68 3 years ago
Also Mr. Perfect was the best I-C champ ever.
MikeMulligan567 3 years ago
This was one of the worst moments in WWF history. Ricky Steamboat was awesome and Honky Tonk Man sucked. He also bitched and whined about ever dropping the belt, even didn't want to drop it to Savage. That's why he had it so long.
MikeMulligan567 3 years ago 3
Well, I agree with you about one thing--Steamboat was awesome. Having HTM win the belt from him gave HTM a load more credibility, in my opinion.
TheFecalAvenger 3 years ago
Honky Tonk Man was a great entertainer, what in the world are you talking about geez!
DonEddy 3 years ago
MikeMulligan567 your fulll of fucking shit.if you dont like honky tonk man thats one thing. but saying reason honky tonk man had the belt so long is cause he bitched and hwined and wouldnt drop the belt is dumb.vince mcmahon decides who drops a belt when.if vince said drop it honky would drop it or mcmahon would strip it.second of all honky tonk man droped the belt to warrior in like a 15 second match when he didnt want to.honky tonk man always did his job.you stupied dumb ignorant bastard
ironsheik7 3 years ago
Mark. And learn to spell.
MikeMulligan567 3 years ago
ironsheik its a well known story honky didn't want to lose to Savage and threw a wrench into some plans for WM.
mrp0518 3 years ago
Vince was going to bury Honky and "rebuild him" (why, hes still drawing a crowd?) Honky almost left for WCW and Vince finally got in contact with him. Savage got the World Belt later and Dibiase got it made up to by getting the Million Dollar belt. DiBiase could have had the World belt later on.
sserpent21 3 years ago
he was done drawing cards after he lost the title and became irrelevant if he had jumped to the NWA without the IC title he would have flopped. I know the story of Savage and Dibiase whats beautiful about it Honkys little selfish stunt ended up doing big business for the Mega Powers angle and by the next year he was just another midcarder.
mrp0518 3 years ago
@MikeMulligan567 Yeah Honky Tonk Man was "so sucky" that he was the company's second best draw for over a year and a half and sold out houses everywhere WITHOUT Hogan on the card.
Actually it was Steamboat that bitched about dropping the title. Wrestlers held titles longer back then to give the title credibility. Also Honky drew heat and made money which is why McMahon does anything.
mongoose704 1 year ago
well gillberg was the longest light heavy weight
champ that's messed up
mrkoolnerd 3 years ago
One might argue that Chris Jericho is the greates intercontinental champion of all time.
bluethunder25 3 years ago
Honky didn't deserve the title shot?
He only went on to be the greatest Inter-Continental champion of All-Time from this point.
nuktubian 3 years ago 6
@nuktubian It was part of the psychology of his character. We was the anti-Rocky. Not exceptionally skilled, not much of a body, he was also annoying as hell. So he lucks into the title and now you really want to see him get pounded to a pulp. They play that to sold out crowds for a over a year, escaping time and time again. Then the payoff when Warrior stomped him in 30 seconds to an incredible pop.
mongoose704 1 year ago 2
@mongoose704 amen to that comment. That was the most perfect description for Honky. Its all about the psychology.
billingsleymeister 1 year ago
@nuktubian Chris Jericho is the greatest Inter-Continental Champion of all time.
mdmspade 1 year ago
@nuktubian
Honky Tonk Man is pathetic. I am glad better and greater wrestlers went on to make the title much more valuable. And for that I say thank you Bret, Curt, and Shawn.
kisser83 8 months ago
this is live and not from best of the wwf vol. 13 or 15 wow
cotynj123 4 years ago
this is live and not from best of the wwf vol. 13 or 15 wow
cotynj123 4 years ago
The beginning the longest Intercontinental reign in history.
Mistertbones 4 years ago
I like how they tried to make the endind vague so you can't really tell if Steamboat lost or not.
I remember hearing about this match from a friend right after it happened and wondering why they let Steamboat give up the belt so soon after he had won it.
historybuffwannabe 4 years ago
Reason Stemboat dropped the belt was because he took time off to be with his newborn son. He was gone from June of 87 to right before Wrestlemania IV where he lost in the 1st round of the title tourny.Then left the WWF shortly after that. Showed up in WCW Jan 89 Steamboat made a career out of retireing & un-retireing.
JBRAVOS 4 years ago
I remember him in a two out of three falls match with Ric Flair on CLASH OF THE CHAMPIONS. (Steamboat was the champ) He won the final fall and was ready to take on other contenders until he saw the replay and Flair's foot was under the rope. Then he agreed to another match with Flair, and naturally lost.
historybuffwannabe 4 years ago
Yup & then Terry Funk attacked Flair & started that feud & Steamboat was put into a breif feud with Lex Luger but Steamboat was unhappy with that move & quit WCW took another year off showed up as the Dragon in WWF for a brief stint before going back to WCW at the end of 91 & haveing a sucessfull run winning 2 Tag titles,TV Title & US Title before back injurys forced him to give up the US Belt & Retire in 1994
JBRAVOS 4 years ago
He was at the first Sruvivor Series in November 1987, so he wasn't gone for that entire time.
BHoz77 3 years ago
Question for anyone who is from the Buffalo Area, or anyone who would know. Was this match at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium or simply known as "The Aud" to anyone from the area.
CLAWS1051 4 years ago
Indeed it was...one of the first ever cards for the WWF from Buffalo that wasn't a house show. It was just announced "The Aud" will be torn down within one year after being vacant since 1996
variteksucks 3 years ago
I miss the Aud. The best venue that Buffalo ever had. HSBC and the rest just don't have the history or the "feeling" that the Aud had.
kcdesert05 3 years ago
south buffalo guy here myself, your right the aud rocked. i was smart enough to get pictures of its outside before they tear it down soon.
yogaman1919 3 years ago
I miss Buffalo SO much. I live in Arizona now, and have a house and a great career. I wish I could go back, but I just have too much going for me here.
kcdesert05 3 years ago
Honky Yonk Man is Cool!
fatkid901 4 years ago
One of the worst moments of my childhood. I'm a huge Steamboat fan, and this was shcoking at the time. But I give HTM props. Dude had a great run with the strap.
clarkkent718 4 years ago
I was huge into the WWF in the '80s and never saw this match until now. Thanks for the post!
HTM was so annoying that he played great heel. It didn't matter who the face was, you never wanted Honky to retain that belt. This was a well-scripted beginning to the HTM reign, a well-scripted, yet aggrevating reign itself, and a beautiful ending when Warrior took the belt next year.
bainsey89 4 years ago
I watched this as a kid and I hated every wrestler that Jimmy Hart managed. Now, I missed all of them. Those were the days.
1kranzx 4 years ago 3
I remember watching this match as a kid and I hated the result of this match.
Laker2K8 4 years ago
This was the beginning of the end for Steamboats big run in the WWF. But it ultimately led him to go to the NWA and have some of greatest matches ever with Ric Flair.
The story is Steamboat wanted time off to be with his pregnant wife. Back then, WWF really was a full time job. Working everyday sometimes working two matches a day.
HTM was a great heel and pretty good seller and worked the crowd to perfection, thats why he was champ for so long.
MrMister 4 years ago 3
i remember watching this and i was so pissed off. unbelievable
pookyboy9786 4 years ago 3
Me too. I love the face/heel commentating teams. They are hillarious. What an ugly finish. It was as bad as the Survivor Series screw job.
virgonomic 4 years ago 3
Seemed so shamefull to have Honky Tonk Man beat Steamboat. Like Brokland Brawler beating Bret Hart.
malfoy2 4 years ago
all wwf matches is longer then the crappy wwe`s matches
wrestling10000 4 years ago
I was at this match. It all ended so fast no one really knew what was going on. Most of us were in stunned silence.
drugsnbeer 4 years ago
also bad news allen got mad cos he couldnt have the world title yeah like was in the same brackets as warrior savage or hogan bad news allen went around blaming everything on the colour of his skin instead of realising how fortunate he was to be so established
monoxideblockedme 4 years ago
I miss the old WWE Superstars show!
marshallsimon 4 years ago
I haven't seen this match in years. Back when the Intercontinental title actually meant something. Nowadays, it's hardly even defended anymore. When was the last time it was even defended on a PPV?
BHoz77 4 years ago 2
are you guys dumb as rocks? this is wrestling, its fake. you are acting like this stuff is real. i loved the honky tonk man. he used to crack me up. i hated all those goody too shoe's good guys, like hogan, steamboat, etc. i loved the villians. they ruled! the honky tonk man used to have me on the floor laughing to death.
comicjuggernaught 4 years ago
So if its fake,why do you love Honky Tonk?Maybe you should drink and type.
LoydGDBonafide 4 years ago
Only weirdos like heels, Brother.
destronia123 3 years ago
Are you serious?
JohnyH 3 years ago
Prove me wrong, Brother! ;)
destronia123 3 years ago
Edge, Orton, Old School HBK, Chris Jericho, only weirdos could like those guys, huh?
JohnyH 3 years ago
I think you just answered your own questtion!
;)
destronia123 3 years ago
Honky Tonk is fucking sweet!!! VOTED BY THE FANS, GREATEST INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION EVER!! More than wrestling my friend, one of the best entertainers ever!!
princejk88 4 years ago
I hope the Honky Tonk Man gets in the WWE Hall Of Fame. I never knew he was trained by the late Stu Hart!
marshallsimon 4 years ago
when was he voted have they even done that type of vote
monoxideblockedme 4 years ago
buffalo, ny - late 80's , wow
djriq716 4 years ago
i remember this match.
theycallmejb 4 years ago
Ricky basically got screwed...Vince could've easily had Ricky lose the belt back to Savage or a someone more quality than Honky Tonk...Then have Ricky (who was really popular) win in back when he returned...There's an art to being a great heel, and I personally don't think HTM had it...HTM was a hack job and unentertaining...He didn't have that quality that made fans 'love to hate' him...He had that quality that made fans wanna change the channel
miggy25 4 years ago
while I do believe Honky was a hack job, he played a great heal. i remember wanting him to lose the belt so bad for so long since he had it for over a year. i really wanted Savage to take it from him on SNME but Randy ended up going on to bigger things by winning the WWF Title tournament at WM4
jrazor4life08 4 years ago
I think the bottom line is that Honky was a succesful draw at the box-office (in the days when house shows were a major source of income). I think Steamboat did well out of it as was headlining WCW within a year, winning the NWA World Title and having the greatest run of his life opposite Ric Flair.
Suriel1981 4 years ago
Steamboat was told he would keep the IC belt for one year, but politics resulted in only a couple of months...
MasterWarlord3000 4 years ago
I think Steamboat asked for a few months off to rest, that's why he dropped the belt to Honky.
deathmetalgod 4 years ago
Also, Honky refused to drop the belt to Savage because of the way Vince had treated him at his stay in WWF. He said he'd only drop it to Hogan....or Vince himself, if he could take it from him.
deathmetalgod 4 years ago
Honky refused to drop the belt to Savage because he was still drawing money at the time and had just started to make money himself. He thought it a bad deal for both the company and himself to drop the belt at that time.
roadtoworldcup 4 years ago
no he said himself that his wife was about o give birth and he wanted to be around his family for that
monoxideblockedme 4 years ago
ricky' shoulder was not down for 3 counts. that was a mistake
lovlarry 4 years ago
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat was my favorite wrestler along with Bret "The Hitman" Hart and I absolutely hated the result of this match.
Laker2K8 4 years ago
vince needs to die of a heart attack
boyboy1080 4 years ago
"vince needs to die of a heart attack"
Bit harsh, but I know what you mean. He has made wrestling a lot more acceptable with the mainstream audience, but at the same time totally destroyed all credability the sport once had. He's helped destroyed the art of proper "wrestling" too. Having a 2hour soap opera with 4 minute matches thrown in every now and again ain't helping.
deathmetalgod 4 years ago
This was when the crowd used to really get into the matches. The Honky Tonk Man needed security to walk him to the back.
taekwon3000 4 years ago
Wow what a fucked up finish too....the "one" count was when HTM's shoulders were on the mat (Steamboat's right shoulder was still up)...Steamboat's shoulders were only down for the two and three counts -- so Steamboat was really only down for a count of two. Not even Jesse could feign excitement over that shit finish or the fact that Stemboat dropped the strap.
therussianspy 4 years ago
A legend like Steamboat dropping the strap to a piece of crap like HTM ...what a load of horseshit.
therussianspy 4 years ago
Man I still remember to this day watching this match on WWF Superstars and just couldn't wait to watch my favorite wrestler Ricky Steamboat kick HTM's ass. Then when that bullshit finish happened I thought to my self, "They're gonna rob Steamboat", and they did. I think I actually cried after that match and vowed never to watch wrestling again after that, of course I did cuz I had to see who would beat HTM for the belt.
cwell510 4 years ago
Hahahaha, that was exactly my reaction as a 7-year old in 1987. I was devastated and crying - Steamboat was my favorite wrestler and I couldn't believe that douche bag stole the title from him. Honky Tonk Man held that f'n title FOREVER after that too, I hated it.
yettibrad 4 years ago
Do you think this wrestler was more successful as the Honky Tonk Man or the Disco Inferno?
seanbonjovi7 4 years ago
Honky Tonk Man is proboably the worst IC champ ever--And that includes Chyna's short reign as champ a few years back LOL...This was the biggest piece of crap ever--I still think so 20 years later...A true legend like Ricky Steamboat deserved SO MUCH better than this garbage...Especially being that the match he won the title from Macho Man was such an all-time classic....I was SO GLAD when the Ultimate Warrior came and whooped Honky Tonk in about 20 seconds
miggy25 4 years ago
Id say either Matt Hardy or The Mountie are more worse IC champs
xmangambit77 4 years ago
Yeah, but very few people were better at drawing heat from the crowd than HTM. People tuned in to see him get destroyed, and he often did. At the time I was surprised to see him last as log as he did as IC champ, but as I understand the business, I can see why he lasted as long as he did.
brnsgr45 4 years ago
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alainasweetchick 4 years ago
GREATEST Intercontinnental champion EVER !!!!
DJSPADE75 4 years ago
Does anyone know where you can find HTM's original theme music, like he used in this match. I'm not looking for the one he recorded, but the original when he first came into the WWF. It was a classic. HTM, greatest IC champion of all time!!!!
eazyedp 4 years ago
i remeber being outraged when this went dwn honkey is a no talent plem bum only kept the title at all cause of jimmy hart
MRDXKLIQ101 4 years ago
Steamboat held the title for only 2 months.
deconomou 4 years ago
Steamboat was a wrestling legend, but he was a boring Champion. Fans loved him more as a contender instead of Champion which is why he never had long title reigns in WWF, NWA, and WCW. Vince knew that Honky Tonk Man would create more buzz, heat, and $ as IC Champion. He was right and Honky Tonk had the longest reign ever. It also set up one of the greatest moments in WWF history at Summerslam 88 when Warrior took the belt.
jmpjoe 4 years ago
I agree with you 100% yes steamboat was a class act legend but lousy as a champ. Honky had no talent what so ever but he would always get a reaction of of the crowd hence why he held the belt 4 so dame long i think it was 18months or something like that
amaribling 4 years ago
You are a idiot. Steamboat was generating a large fanbase as champ. He was intended to hold the belt for a long time but he wanted to take time off because his wife was having a baby.
taekwon3000 4 years ago
Another retarded idiot! your mum is a retarded you yankkey piece of horse shit.she a fool for having you ur dad should have cum in ur mouth and we wouldnt have to put up with ur sad arse!!!
amaribling 4 years ago
Judging from this comment. I can see that your mom and dad are the fools for sleeping with each other being that they are brother and sister.
taekwon3000 4 years ago
Another retarded idiot. Steamboat was supposed to hold the title for a long time. When he asked for time off, Vince didnt like that, so he had to find a heel that was creating alot of heat at the time and that was Honky. If not for Steamboat asking for time off, he would have had the belt for a while.
taekwon3000 4 years ago
Honky Tonk was The Man :)
BigDog48197 4 years ago
Honky Tonk Man's song sounds like the Bushwackers.
mightydesign 4 years ago
"And you said he wasn't even a contender"
LAWL
Showtimedr 4 years ago
If you read Steamboat's biography on Wikipedia's website, McMahon intended Steamboat to hold the I-C title a long time. But he wanted time off b/c his wife was having a child & Vince didn't like this, so they had him drop the strap to the Honky Tonk Man. And the rest is history
rjm22nd 4 years ago
I didn't know that and I was wondering while I was watching the match I was wondering why steamboat didnt have it longer, especially after having such an incredible fued with Savage. Steamboat was awesome.
mightydesign 4 years ago
Yes they are the same person. My couin who worked the arena in Cincinnati saw one of them change into the others costume for a later bout. He told me about it. It's been out for years. All knowledgeable wrestling fans know it.
tpc326 4 years ago