Both men are in the ring for the introductions, this match has a 20-minute time limit. Jim Ross and Bob Caudle are on commentary for this match.
MIKE ROTUNDA VS. TOM ZENK
Halloween Havoc 1989 (28th October 1989)
They lock up, Rotunda takes Zenk down with a waistlock but Tom Zenk scrambles away. They lock up again and this time Tom Zenk gets a headlock, he's sent off the ropes but knocks Rotunda down with a shoulder tackle. Tom Zenk goes back to the headlock, Mike Rotunda tries to pull his hair and sends him off the ropes again, Rotunda drops down but a shoulder tackle knocks him down again on the return journey. I don't hear what the fans are chanting, but it could be Syracruse sucks” Rotunda's hometown. He decides to take a walk around ringside and break the match off a bit. The chants start up again as he gets back in, so we get more stalling before a collar-elbow tie-up. Tom Zenk gets another headlock. Rotunda again sends him off the ropes, goes prone, and barely leapfrogs Tom Zenk before catching him with a hip toss. Mike Rotunda misses an elbow drop and stands up into a dropkick by Tom Zenk. Mike Rotunda bails to the floor again
They lock up as he gets back in and Tom Zenk backs him into the corner. Mike Rotunda with a cheap knee shot to the gut out of the corner, he puts Z-Man in a headlock as Ross mentions it's a nickname given to him by female fans. Does one of them do the Pay-Per-View graphics too? Tom Zenk, as I'm now going to exclusively call him, is sent out to the floor. He drives his shoulder into Rotunda's midsection and brings himself back into the ring with a sunset flip for 2. Mike Rotunda goes back outside to complain about tight pulling, then they lock back up. Tom Zenk goes to the arm wrench this time, working it until Rotunda knees him in the gut. Tom Zenk is sent off the ropes and they collide linking arms. Somehow Zenk came out on top and applies a hammerlock on the mat. Mike Rotunda gets to his feet and uses the ropes to break the hold. They lock up and Zenk takes Rotunda down with a headlock, he gets 2 before the headscissors counters. Mike Rotunda shifts himself so he is between the referee and the ropes, then starts using the ropes for more leverage. The referee eventually catches him and starts the 5 count, Rotunda breaks, then goes back outside for a breather
When he gets back in they lock up, Tom Zenk gets another headlock as Jim Ross explains he's keeping his strategy basic tonight. I miss talk like that, it actually seemed natural. Now it just sounds scripted in somewhere plausible. Probably because it is. Anyway, back to the match. Mike Rotunda sends Zenk off the ropes to break the headlock, he goes prone then helps Zenk outside, sending him over the mats to the concrete. Rotunda goes outside and sends Zenk's head into the apron then gets back into the ring. Zenk is on his feet at 4 so Rotunda brings him up to the apron and snaps his throat off the top rope. Zenk is sent to the floor with a boot, then Rotunda goes out to the apron for a couple more shots. Mike Rotunda brings Tom Zenk into the ring with a suplex and wastes time before covering, allowing Zenk to kick out at 2.
Mike Rotunda locks in his abdominal stretch near the ropes, using the top one for leverage. The referee catches him and Jim Ross tells me it's Nick Patrick! Mike Rotunda goes for a chinlock but Tom Zenk elbows his way free, he gets some speed from the ropes but runs straight into a clothesline. Zenk is sent across the ring but he holds onto the top rope to avoid a dropkick by Rotunda. Mike Rotunda is sent from corner to corner and stumbles out into a back elbow. Mike Rotunda rakes the eyes but Zenk reverses an irish whip, Rotunda lands on the middle rope and hits a crossbody but Zenk rolls through 1, 2, 3!
WINNER: TOM ZENK
This match started slow but picked up midway through. It woke the crowd up and got them a good result, they both looked better after the match and Tom Zenk was able to pull off the victory even after Rotunda's cheating throughout the match..– As a match it's ** but personally, I'd rate it 3.5/10
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