Glass Hand Dissolving: The Dream Team

vs Tito Santana & Ricky Steamboat (WWF 4/21/1985)

This is a pseudo-continuation of the Valentine/Santana feud, which is really and truly one of the better pieces of pro wrestling that we have on tape, just an all-time feud filled up with great matches, great promos, and one that went longer, continuously, than any other feud in North America, if not the world. Beefcake starts with Steamboat, and then mixes it up with Santana, and Brutus doesn't have much success. Valentine is jawing at Santana from the apron, but still doesn't tag in, and only after Brutus slams Santana does Greg want in. He misses his only bit of offense, an elbow drop, and Santana takes it to Valentine. Greg rolls out to the ramp to calm things down. Santana mostly has things under control until he tries to figure-four Valentine. Valentine knows the move too well, reverses, and takes over before tagging in Beefcake. Brutus grinds on Santana, who is taking a beating, but also manages to tag in Steamboat before getting cut off by Valentine. While Greg works over Tito, Brutus attacks Steamboat on the apron. Greg keeps grinding and eventually tags in Beefcake, who continues the offense. Santana is constantly looking for the tag, and Beefcake is always interposing, until Santana finally tags in Steamboat, and The Dragon comes in on fire. Beefcake is getting all he can handle and eventually tags in Valentine, who takes over, and now Valentine and Beefcake are making quick tags and taking it to Steamboat. Ricky is always fighting back, but never gaining much ground. Eventually, he gets a tag to Santana. Tito comes in and takes it to Valentine and Beefcake for a bit, but while Steamboat is recovering on the apron, Tito can’t take the 2-on-1 onslaught. Steamboat tries to help, gets thrown to the outside for his trouble, but is eventually able to climb to the top rope and take out Brutus. With things even, Santana applies a figure-four, and the good guys get the win.

vs The US Express (WWF 8/24/1985)

Valentine and Beefcake bum rush their opponents before the bell and take an early advantage. The US Express weather that initial storm and fight back, as they throw both Valentine and Beefcake out of the ring. Things settle down, and we get Valentine and Rotunda in the ring. Rotunda gets the better of the exchanges and tags in Windham. Valentine gets worked over a bit by Windham, but finds an opening to tag out. Beefcake doesn't fare much better. After a pretty lengthy section of Beefcake selling, me manages to get a blind tag ot Valentine, and Greg hits a top rope knee to Rotunda that turns the tide. Beefcake comes in and works just a horrendous heat segment around a front facelock. Valentine tags in and does pretty much the same, but the struggle is more convincing. Beefcake comes back in and does a typical basement job, but tags out quickly. I think it's bad, but the crowd is really getting into Rotunda getting the hot tag. When Rotunda finally gets the tag, Windham comes in and clears house. Windham hits a bulldog and goes for the cover; Beefcake comes in to break it up, which draws in Rotunda; Captain Lou gets involved, and in that mayhem Beefcake takes a foreign object to Windham's eyes. Valentine gets the pin, and The Dream Team wins the tag team titles. This ended up being fine; Beefcake clunked it up, but the crowd was ready for Rotunda to get the tag, so it was effective in some ways, I suppose.

vs Tito Santana & The Junkyard Dog (WWF 4/22/1986)

Valentine and Santana go right after each other. We saw it in the first match of this set, but it really can't be understated how great those two were together, just how great that feud is, and really how, because it was the B feud to so much of the Wrestlemania/Hulk Hogan revolution, that it doesn't get the reverence and discussion it deserves. If that initial spat, this settles down into a tag match, and the early parts are JYD and then Tito taking it to Beefcake. Beefcake fights and crawls to get to the corner, and finally tags in Valentine. Valentine works over Santana at first, and then he and Beefcake take turns. They cut off the ring, they ground Tito, and Tito fights like hell to get to the corner, but keeps getting cut off. Tito resorts to some underhanded tactics, like pulling the tights and gouging Valentine's eyes, but he still can't get to JYD. Tito keeps fighting, keeps crawling, and eventually gets to JYD. JYD's comeback burns hot but quick, but despite early offense, but when Valentine tags in Beefcake, Brutus grinds things down to his pace and shifts the momentum, takes the match into his corner, and he and Valentine pummel JYD. Beefcake gouges JYD's eyes, and he rolls on the mat, but straight to his corner. Tito comes in, Brutus tags out, and Valentine and Tito are all over each other like the start of the match. The referee loses control at this point, all four guys get in the ring, JYD throws Beefcake out, Tito hits his finish, and gets the pinfall. This ended up being very good. I think Valentine and Santana can do no wrong, and they carry large parts of this, but this match, as opposed to the last one, has Beefcake being used in a much better way. His heat segment was decent, and he and Valentine are effective at double-team offense that seems vicious and effective. 

vs The British Bulldogs (WWF 10/11/1986)

This is a pretty short TV match. The opening section is a bit of back-and-forth; first Valentine sells for the Bulldogs, but Beefcake turns the tide when he tags in. Beefcake only holds the advantage momentarily, and the momentum turns back to the Bulldogs, with Valentine tagging in but still ending up mostly on the receiving end. Valentine tags out again, and it's more of the same. Davey Boy hits some big power moves and goes for the pin. Beefcake powers out of the pin and throws Davey off, straight onto the referee. With the referee down, Valentine comes off the top rope for a cheap shot and covers Davey Boy, the referee counts two but realizes Valentine isn't the legal man. Valentine persists, and he and Beefcake double-team Bulldog. The referee, realizing that he's lost control, calls for the DQ. This isn't a great match, or even a good one, but it is a solid television outing. 

vs The Theatre of Pain (CWA 9/20/1997)

This is an indie show that takes place behind Johnny Gargano's dad's pizza restaurant. The Theatre of Pain are a sort of infamous Cleveland tag team who haven't lost in decades. This isn't very good, and some of that is on Valentine and Beefcake being washed, but they were never going to light it up with these 40 milers. They can structure the match, and they can still do some things that, in the right circumstances, could lead to an effective match, but not against these guys. 

Verdict

This is a decent team. The matches depend on what Beefcake is asked to do, and sometimes he's asked to do too much, or asked to do things he's not good at. It's a limiting factor that the best teams don't have, and as good as Valentine is, he can't make up for that.