Ware garnered his first big win of his initial WWF run when he upset Harley Race at a house show in East Rutherford, NJ, on October 13. On television, his first major showcase was at the November 29, 1986 "Saturday Night's Main Event VIII" where he defeated Nikolai Volkoff. He was then granted an Intercontinental Title match against champion Randy Savage on the November 16 edition of "WWF Superstars", a bout which went to a double countout. The same taping later saw Ware defeat Savage by countout in a dark match.