Brian Damage
The word “NEW” usually is meant to be a good thing. A new car, a new home a new girlfriend/boyfriend etc…it is something that is most likely improved from the older version. In some cases, however, new isn’t always improved. New is just something different than the older version with no real improvements to it. This was the case with The new Dream Team of the World Wrestling Federation. It was certainly new and different….just not better than the original.
The original Dream Team was formed in 1985 and consisted of Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine and Brutus Beefcake managed by Johnny Valiant. The team name originated from the mind of Greg Valentine, who also served as the team’s captain both in the ring and behind the scenes. The team of Valentine and Beefcake worked almost instantaneously as the veteran Valentine took the very green Beefcake under his wing. The original Dream Team found success as they captured the WWF world tag team titles in late August of ’85.
The Dream Team became a red hot tag team that started main eventing sold out house shows in Canada and on the west coast against the British Bulldogs. They would ultimately lose the tag belts to the Bulldogs at Wrestlemania 2, but continued challenging them to regain the titles across the country in a series of steel cage matches. By the time Wrestlemania III happened, Vince McMahon wanted to split up the team and give a singles push to Brutus Beefcake. Valentine was against the move seeing as the team still had something left in the proverbial gas tank.
After the Dream Team defeated the Rougeau Brothers at Wrestlemania III due to outside interference from Dino Bravo…Valentine, Bravo and Valiant all deserted Beefcake in the ring. It was later announced that Valentine and Bravo were the new and improved Dream Team. While the team was certainly new…it was far from improved.
The new Dream Team had real issues almost right away. Valentine who was opposed to splitting up his team with Beefcake, did not mesh well at all with Dino Bravo. While Beefcake was the understudy of sorts to Valentine, Bravo was already a seasoned veteran and had his own way of doing things. Their styles in the ring and out of it clashed and Valentine felt their was no real chemistry.
Despite all of that, Vince McMahon wanted to see the new team succeed. According to Valentine, McMahon was set to book the new Dream Team to win the WWF world tag team titles. The thing was, Valentine did not find that fact out until it was too late. You see, Valentine who was already frustrated with teaming with Bravo, was asked to do an angle where the team would kidnap the Bulldogs mascot Matilda. Valentine thought the idea was stupid and refused to go along with it.
When McMahon insisted that they do the angle…Valentine abruptly quit the company. The new Dream Team was no more and the angle wound up going to Bobby Heenan and the Islanders. Valentine would soon return to the WWF …but he and Bravo were now used as singles wrestlers.
Ring the Damn Bell 
That probably was a bad idea considering that Bravo was already an accomplished star as was Valentine as them teaming up was unnecessary. I could understand where Valentine was coming from as that must’ve pissed him off to split with Beefcake.
LikeLike
He was right. The “kidnap the dog” angle was effing stupid and made the Bulldogs look like goofs.
LikeLike
the hammer should have had a run as world champ!
LikeLike
The New Dream Team was the trend setter for all these “new” tag-teams such as the New Foundation, the New Rockers, the New Blackjacks, and the New Midnight Express; it just reminds you of the older, BETTER version.
Vince never learned anything from Coca-Cola.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I feel bad for Greg Valentine as he needed a very green superstar like Beefcake instead he get Dino Bravo who was way too good to be with the Hammer and no disrespect to Dino, but Beefcake was like a Chippendale while Bravo is a weightlifter from Quebec and the ladies prefer male stripper bodies than swole guys.
LikeLike