''WWF Prime Time Wrestling'' is a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

that was produced by the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(WWF). It aired on the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

from January 1, 1985, to January 4, 1993. A precursor to ''

Monday Night Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'', ''Prime Time Wrestling'' was a two-hour long, weekly program that featured stars of the World Wrestling Federation. The program featured wrestling matches (most of which were compiled from WWF " house show" matches from venues such as Madison Square Garden), interviews, promos featuring WWF wrestlers, updates of current

feuds A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one par ...

and announcements of upcoming local and pay-per-view events. In addition, ''Prime Time Wrestling'' would also air wrestling matches and interviews from other WWF programming such as '' Superstars of Wrestling'' and ''

Wrestling Challenge ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'' is a professional wrestling television show that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE). It was syndicated weekly and aired from 1986 to 1995. The show became simply known as ''WWF Cha ...

''. Select episodes of ''Prime Time Wrestling'' are available for streaming on the

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...

Main focus

Despite the format changes in its last years, the main focus of ''Prime Time Wrestling'' remained unchanged—recapping the highlights of the WWF's flagship syndicated programs and presenting exclusive matches taped from the house show circuit. Many of these were main event caliber and mid-card matches seldom seen on the syndicated programs, which tended to show primarily squash matches. Many wrestlers’ first WWF television appearances were also on this show. Selected matches from the past and present from WWF's flagship arenas of the time — Madison Square Garden in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, the

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and the

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (lat ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

— that had aired on various regional sports networks were also aired on ''Prime Time Wrestling''.

History

Early years

Premiering on January 1, 1985, the original hosts of ''Prime Time Wrestling'' were

Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2 ...

and Jack Reynolds. Reynolds would co-host his final edition of ''Prime Time'' on July 9, 1985, with

Gorilla Monsoon Robert James Marella (June 4, 1937 – October 6, 1999), better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play commentator, and booker. Monsoon is famous for his run as a villainous super-heavyw ...

replacing him as Ventura's co-host the week after.

Bobby Heenan Raymond Louis Heenan (November 1, 1944 – September 17, 2017) was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. He performed with the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the World Wrestling Federati ...

made his first appearance as Monsoon's co-host on April 28, 1986, and officially replaced Ventura on June 30 of that same year. The best-remembered ''Prime Time'' format featured Heenan and Monsoon introducing taped matches and analyzing them afterward, with Monsoon taking a

babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

and sometimes neutral position and Heenan unashamedly cheering on the heels, especially members of

The Heenan Family The Heenan Family was a stable of wrestlers managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan beginning in the 1970s. Heenan managed wrestlers under the Heenan Family name in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) ...

. The chemistry between Monsoon and Heenan made this show popular with fans for many years, despite the fact it was not considered one of the WWF's "primary" shows for most of its history. Many other wrestling programs—both produced by the WWF and by other companies—would attempt to copy this formula, with varying degrees of success. Although primarily a studio-based program, ''Prime Time'' would occasionally go on the road and tape its segments from various outside locations. Examples included Busch Gardens, Trump Plaza, the

CN Tower The CN Tower (french: Tour CN) is a concrete communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway c ...

, and Churchill Downs, among others. These segments rarely had much to do with the actual wrestling content of the program, and were played primarily for the comic interaction between Monsoon and Heenan. Heenan and Monsoon co-hosted ''Prime Time'' from

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

–

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

. Roddy Piper replaced Heenan briefly in the summer of

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, during the period Heenan "took over" the last half-hour of the ''Prime Time'' program for his own

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...

; after Heenan returned to the main program, Piper was retained for the remainder of 1989 as a second co-host. Piper's final episode was the Christmas 1989 episode, where he attacked Heenan for dressing like Santa and badmouthing the Christmas season and insulting kids. The Rosati Sisters, a group of overweight sisters who were fans of the WWF, were frequent guests on the show from 1989 to 1990, also serving as assistants to Heenan on his show. At times, guests have appeared on the studio set for cameo appearances or to sub-host for someone.

Gene Okerlund Eugene Arthur Okerlund (December 19, 1942 – January 2, 2019), better known by his ring name "Mean Gene" Okerlund, was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He was best known for his work in the World Wre ...

was the most frequent guest, sometimes stopping by on the set for no reason other than to antagonize Heenan. Okerlund also was a substitute host for the series whenever Monsoon or Heenan were away;

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...

was also a substitute host when Monsoon fell ill in early 1988.

Tony Schiavone Noah Anthony Schiavone (, ; born November 7, 1957) is an American sports announcer, professional wrestling commentator and podcaster currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a play-by-play commentator and senior producer. He has pr ...

also guest hosted an episode of the series along with

Sean Mooney Sean Edmund Mooney (born May 21, 1959) is an American news anchor and former World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) play-by-play announcer. He now works as an anchor for KVOA, the NBC affiliate in Tucson, Arizona and the National Wrestling Alli ...

, with the explanation being that Monsoon and Heenan were at the Trump Plaza for Wrestlemania V. Also notably,

Freddie Blassie Frederick Kenneth Blassman (February 8, 1918 – June 2, 2003) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Classy" Freddie Blassie. Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate","Classy" Freddie Blassie with Keith Elliot ...

made an appearance in late 1989, antagonizing Heenan for owing him money and turning face in the process. For the rest of the episode, he remained as a special guest co-host alongside Piper in Piper's studio.

The Red Rooster Paul Worden Taylor III (born August 12, 1955) is an American retired professional wrestler better known by his ring name Terry Taylor and for his time as an in-ring performer in National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, and Wo ...

and

The Brooklyn Brawler Steven Kenneth Lombardi (born April 18, 1961) is an American professional wrestler and road agent, better known by his ring name, The Brooklyn Brawler. He worked for the professional wrestling promotion, WWE, as well as several independent promot ...

also appeared as guests in 1989 for the purpose of an angle where Lombardi knocked out Monsoon with a chair and beat up The Rooster, who had just fired Heenan as his manager.

Rick Rude Richard Erwin Rood (December 7, 1958 – April 20, 1999), better known by his ring name "Ravishing" Rick Rude, was an American professional wrestler who performed for many promotions, including World Championship Wrestling (WCW), World Wrestling ...

also guested in the summer of 1989 mostly to further his feud with Piper. Arnold Skaaland,

Hillbilly Jim James Morris (born July 5, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler and current radio host, better known by his ring name, Hillbilly Jim. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1984 to 1991, ...

Ted DiBiase Theodore Marvin DiBiase Sr. (born January 18, 1954) is an American retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE working in their Legends program. DiBiase achieved championship ...

, Koko B. Ware,

Mr. Fuji Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara (May 4, 1934 – August 28, 2016) was an American professional wrestler and manager, known professionally by his ring name Mr. Fuji (or Master Fuji to his protégés). He was famous for often throwing salt in the ey ...

, Demolition,

Lord Alfred Hayes Alfred George James Hayes (8 August 1928 – 21 July 2005) was an English professional wrestler, manager and commentator, best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation between 1982 and 1995 where he ...

Figure Four Weekly #528: Lord Alfred Hayes Passes Away - August 8, 2005 and Harley Race also stopped in the studio as guests during the run of the series.

Format changes

February 18, 1991–November 4, 1991

On February 18, 1991, ''Prime Time'' changed formats to something vaguely resembling a talk/variety show, with an in-studio audience.

and Bobby Heenan hosted this version of ''Prime Time'', with Lord Alfred Hayes serving as an announcer. WWF wrestlers were frequent guests during this particular incarnation of ''Prime Time'', which was similar to the WWF's old ''

Tuesday Night Titans ''Tuesday Night Titans'' (abbreviated ''TNT'') was a professional wrestling talk show produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired on the USA Network from May 29, 1984 to September 24, 1986. The two-hour show began airing on Tuesday ...

'' program. McMahon's last appearance as a co-host was the June 10, 1991, episode. In the weeks that followed,

, and Gorilla Monsoon all filled in for McMahon as co-hosts. On the July 15, 1991, episode, Mooney became the official co-host of ''Prime Time'' alongside Heenan. The duo would remain the show's co-hosts until this format was discontinued after the November 4, 1991, episode.

November 11, 1991–January 4, 1993

''Prime Times final format debuted on November 11, 1991, and featured a panel of WWF personalities (including, at various points, Bobby Heenan, Gorilla Monsoon,

Jim Duggan James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a Legends contract. His best-known character is that of an American patriot, which ...

Randy Savage Randall Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestl ...

, Mr. Perfect,

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Ap ...

, Slick, Sgt. Slaughter, and

) participating in a roundtable discussion about the goings-on in the WWF. Vince McMahon served as host and moderator for the panel. This format appears to have been inspired by the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''

The McLaughlin Group ''The McLaughlin Group'' was a syndicated half-hour weekly public affairs television program in the United States, during which a group of four pundits, prompted by the host, discusses current political issues in a round table format. John ...

'', which was growing in popularity at this time. The final episode of ''Prime Time Wrestling'' aired on January 4, 1993. ''

'' replaced the show in its timeslot the following week.

Hosts

Regular main hosts

* Jack Reynolds (1985) *

(1985-1986) *

(1985-1993) *

(1986-1993) * Roddy Piper (1989, 1991) *

(1988, 1991–1993) *

(1991, various guest appearances afterwards) *

(1991-1992) * Slick (1991-1992) * Mr. Perfect (1991-1992) *

(1992) *

(1991-1992) * Sgt. Slaughter (1991-1992)

Guest hosts

(1985-1991) * Jimmy Hart (1986) *

(1987) *

(1988, 1992) *

(1989–92) *

(1989) *

(1989) * Brother Love (1989) *

(1989) *

Jake Roberts Aurelian Smith Jr. (born May 30, 1955), better known by the ring name Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs as manager to Lance Archer. He is be ...

(1991) *

Earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

(1991) *

André the Giant André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess ...

(1991) *

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

(1992) *

Paul Bearer William Alvin Moody (April 10, 1954 – March 5, 2013) was an American professional wrestling manager and licensed funeral director. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) where he performed under ...

(1992)

References

External links

*
The Importance of…5.29.09: Prime Time Wrestling
{{USANetwork Shows 1985 American television series debuts 1993 American television series endings USA Network original programming Prime Time Wrestling 1980s American television series 1990s American television series