In this post I take a look at the WWF World Tag Team reign of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, the Brain Busters!
On September 10, 1988 they lost the titles to another heel tag team the Midnight Express on a house show in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They would make their debut in the WWF on October 5, 1988 as the Brain Busters with their manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan at a Superstars TV taping in Toledo, Ohio
They would spend the next few months on the house show loop wrestling tag teams such as The Young Stallions: Paul Roma & Jim Powers, The Rockers: Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty, The Bushwackers: Luke & Butch, and finally Demolition: Ax & Smash.
On July 18, 1989 in Worcester, Massachusetts they would defeated Demolition in a 2 out of 3 falls match to captured the WWF World Tag Team Championships on a Saturday Night's Main Event taping that would air on NBC July 29, 1989.
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| Celebrating their victory with the Heenan Family |
Their reign lasted until October 2, 1989 at a Superstars TV taping in Wheeling, West Virginia when Demolition would regain the titles in a short match that aired on November 4, 1989.
Wikipedia lists their reign as being 76 days, from July 18 - October 2nd
WWE lists their reign as being 109 days from July 29 - November 4th
After the TV taping they would continue to defend the titles on the house show loop as champions against Demolition until the match aired on TV.
In total they defended the titles 24 times, 23 times against Demolition and once against the Bushwackers which ended in a double disqualification. The won only 1 of these matches defeating Demolition by disqualification. The remaining matches against Demolition they lost by disqualification, except the match where Demolition regained the tag titles.
They won a few TV squash matches against jobbers. Their biggest match during their title run was a non-title match at Summer Slam 1989 defeating The Hart Foundation.
After the title change aired, they had few more house show matches and a loss on Saturday Night's Main Event to the Rockers in a two out of 3 falls match. Tully and Arn would team for the final time on November 5, 1989 on a house show Waukegan, Illinois losing to Demolition.
Shortly after Tully would be sent home for failing a drug test, and Arn would finish out his contract teaming with Haku losing a series of house show matches to Demolition, with his final match taking place at the 1989 Survivor Series on November 23, 1989 in Chicago as a member of the Heenan Family in a losing effort to The Ultimate Warriors.
Their Saturday Night's Main Event match with the Rockers would air two days later, on Saturday November 25th.
November 28th at Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia, Arn would debut in WCW without Tully whose offer was rescinded do to the failed drug test. Arn would reform the Anderson's teaming with Ole defeating Pat Rose & The Galaxian.
After looking into their title run, it's kind of sad that it wasn't that great. I mean yeah they were champions, but they only won one match by DQ. It doesn't change that they are one of the all time greatest tag teams who are still revered today 36 years after they stopped teaming.
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Until next time!
