Georgia Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: July 3, 1983
Location: Omni, Atlanta, Georgia

This seems to be the big finale of the WWE Vault presenting shows from GCW in this era, as we get a full house show. That should be more than enough to blow off everything going on and I could go with seeing these matches go for more than a few minutes each, at least most of the time. Let’s get to it.

No opening of course, which makes sense.

Brett Wayne vs. Bill Irwin

Irwin is new around here and not interested in a handshake. Wayne slips away on the mat to start and Irwin is already looking frustrated. Irwin takes him down by the wrist and gets kicked away to give us another standoff. This time Wayne takes him down in a headlock but misses the elbow, meaning they get to stare at each other some more. A slam puts Wayne down but he kicks off again and that’s enough before we need to reset again.

Wayne takes him down by the arm to some more success and we keep the slow pace. Back up and Irwin powers him away again, setting up a big backbreaker to actually do some damage. Some choking on the ropes has Wayne in more trouble and a suplex gives Irwin two, with the fans liking that kickout.

A gutwrench suplex gives Irwin two more and the running knee connects but Wayne’s foot is on the rope. That just ticks Irwin off so he knees Wayne in the head and throws him outside. A running boot knocks Wayne off the apron and Irwin gets the chance to strut a bit, as all evil cowboys are known to do. Wayne can’t beat the count at 8:59.

Rating: C. The crowd was way into Wayne here and it’s easy to understand as he had quite the smaller good guy look. Irwin on the other hand was a big bully looking monster (who happened to strut) so the basic dynamic was there. I’m not sure about the countout but at least Irwin got a win over an opponent who was fighting back.

Post match Irwin is ticked off and Buzz Sawyer has to come out and calm him down. When BUZZ SAWYER is the voice of reason, you must be nuts.

Tim Brooks vs. Bob Sweetan

The bigger Sweetan backs him into the corner to start before working on the arm. That’s broken up so Sweetan does it again, with Brooks going to the ropes for a cheap shot. Sweetan knows all about cheap shots (and various other horrible things) so he grabs a headlock, with Brooks grabbing the hair. That just lets Sweetan get in a cheap shot of his own as we’re firmly in “get the crowd to cheer while the good guy does bad things 201”.

A big right hand sends Brooks flying and Sweetan grabs another headlock, this time on the mat. Back up and Sweetan hiptosses him into the corner, with the referee having to jump out of the way. Sweetan grabs the headlock again and we do the hair pull/cheap shot sequence again. A slam gives Sweetan two and, you guessed it, it’s another headlock. Sweetan finally gets accused of pulling the hair (despite Brooks being limited in that area) and they’re stood up.

This time Brooks grabs a headlock, which I guess counts for variety. Brooks hammers away but Sweetan is back with right hands of his own. Back up and Brooks gets in some more effective shots in the corner but Sweetan gets fired up. The big whip into the corner has Brooks in trouble and they slug it out until it’s a time limit draw at 10:15 (close enough).

Rating: C-. This got going a bit near the end but they never got out of first gear. They were mainly just doing basic punches without much to stand out, along with the variety of headlocks. It did help that they weren’t just standing/laying around with the headlocks, but there is only so much to get out of a match where they only got going in the last few minutes.

Tully Blanchard vs. Pez Whatley

I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Whatley around here. Blanchard is introduced as the Southwest Heavyweight Champion but this is non-title. We get the handshake, with Blanchard getting in the slap and then bailing out to the floor. Back in and Whatley wins a battle of the wristlocks, which has Blanchard bailing back outside. Whatley pulls him down by the arm again and Blanchard claims a hair pull, which he thinks should make him the winner. Instead Whatley spits at him, which the fans seem to like.

Blanchard gets in a cheap shot to take over in the corner and we go into the slower beatdown. Naturally this includes the chinlock until Whatley fights up for a slam and a rare forward dropkick. Blanchard knocks him right back down and drops an elbow for two before sending Whatley crashing out to the floor. Whatley eventually gets back in and Blanchard jumps him in the ropes, with a bunch of knees drawing the DQ at 6:03.

Rating: C+. This was better, as Blanchard had such a smug arrogance to him that it’s easy to dislike him. He was still getting experience at this point but you could see the talent in there. On the other hand you have Whatley, who could make a nice fired up comeback and had the underdog nature that made him great for this kind of a spot. Nice match here.

Post match the brawl stays on and we’re likely going to do this again.

TV Title: Ron Garvin vs. Iron Sheik

Sheik, with Paul Ellering, is defending in Garvin’s final shot at the title and, as usual, the title can only change hands in the first ten minutes. Before the match, Garvin promises to give America a 4th of July present by taking the title from Sheik. The brawl is on before the bell with Garvin hitting him with the flag pole. Ellering tries to come in and gets knocked down, allowing Garvin to use the flag to tie Sheik to the ropes.

We pause for Garvin to chase Ellering as the referee unties Sheik, who gets slammed and choked with the flag some more. The match seems to have started somewhere in there as they slug it out and Garvin punches him down. Garvin chokes away but Ellering comes in for the DQ at…call it 2:00 I guess? This was barely a match anyway but the crowd was on fire for the whole thing. Garvin would win the title two weeks later.

Post match the brawl stays on and Sheik tries to bail, only for Garvin to atomic drop Ellering into him. Ellering has to hold Sheik back from getting inside again and they finally leave but Sheik comes back and throws a chair at Garvin.

We get an intermission, which is cut out as you might have guessed.

Road Warriors/Paul Ellering vs. Ole Anderson/Tommy Rich/Stan Hansen

Well that’s a good guy team. Hansen takes over on Animal to start and Rich comes in with a knee, meaning it’s quickly off to Hawk. The good guys start working on Hawk’s arm, with Anderson coming in for a wristlock. Animal comes back in and gets dropped with a double elbow, followed by Anderson dropping the elbow for two. Hawk is quickly cut off as well but manages to take over on Anderson, with Animal grinding away on a headlock.

Rich gets headlocked as well, followed by the general assortment of forearming. That’s eventually escaped so Anderson can come back in, only to get beaten down in the corner as well. Unfortunately that means another chinlock, as Animal keeps him in trouble for a good while. Anderson finally slips away and brings in Hansen as everything breaks down. Hawk throws Rich over the top and that’s enough for the referee to call the DQ at 15:30.

Rating: C. This got some time and that’s nice to see, as the Warriors could use some experience at this point. If nothing else, it might let them figure out how to do something other than chinlocks. That being said, they’re certainly going out of their way with some less than satisfactory finishes this week. You would think that one of them could take a quick rollup, but then again it was a very different style and time here so it’s hardly out of the ordinary.

Post match the brawl is on with someone (perhaps Man Mountain Darsow) running in to help the good guys clear the ring.

Scott Casey vs. Buzz Sawyer

Casey armdrags him down to start and they circle for a bit, with Sawyer taking it into the corner. That’s broken up and Sawyer takes a heck of a bump off a backdrop, followed by a nice dropkick to give Casey two. Back up and they trade leapfrogs until Casey hits a heck of a forearm to put him on the floor (with another good bump from Sawyer). Back in and Casey grabs a headlock takeover and grinds away before grabbing a keylock.

Sawyer slips out of that and hammers away, setting up a front facelock to slow Casey down. A suplex drops Casey again but Sawyer misses his really good looking top rope splash. Casey tries an O’Connor roll but Sawyer grabs the rope and the trunks for the pin at 9:28. Hang on though as Tommy Rich and referee Scrappy McGowan come in to say what happened and that’s a reversed decision.

Rating: C+. The more I see from Sawyer, the more impressed I am with him. The guy was just weird and out there but a crazy good athlete and bumper. It’s a shame that he was such a nutjob/bully behind the scenes because otherwise he could have been a bigger deal. Casey was a fine good guy, but it was hard to take your eyes off of Sawyer here.

Post match Sawyer jumps Rich and they brawl into the crowd, with Rich (shockingly) being busted open. They get back in the ring with Rich getting the better of things but they go back into the crowd, with Rich’s big running ax handle looking like he’s in a movie fight scene. The cops finally break them apart.

National Title: Mr. Wrestling II vs. Larry Zbyszko

Zbyszko is defending and Mr. Wrestling I and Killer Tim Brooks are the guest referees. The guest referees both get in their arguing before the match, with I rubbing the top of II’s mask for a weapons check. Or luck maybe? The bell rings and Zbyszko says he wants to keep this scientific, which is of course fine with a man named MR. WRESTLING. The bell rings a second time as Zbyszko’s stalling has managed to shift the space time continuum.

II backs him into the corner to start and seems to dance a bit as Zbyszko is already getting frustrated. An armdrag makes it even worse for Zbyszko and they keep things slow with a test of strength. II grabs a headlock takeover and it’s so strange to see both referees checking on it. Well Brooks is doing it more from a distance but it still counts. Zbyszko fights up but gets taken right back down as II keeps grinding away.

This time Zbyszko makes the rope and takes him down by the arm, which is broken up by a headscissors. That has Zbyszko bailing to the apron and even Brooks counts him for a bit. Back in and Zbyszko’s headlock doesn’t get him very far as II knocks him out to the apron again. This time Zbyszko comes back in to work on the leg and of course we spend some time laying on the mat. II kicks him in the head to break it up and chases Zbyszko out to the floor again without much trouble. A rather fast eight count brings Zbyszko back inside and we go into the test of strength.

That’s broken up and Zbyszko backs off again, with II grabbing the mic and telling him to wrestle. A slap to the mask seems to make II angry so he takes Zbyszko down by the leg and cranks away. Zbyszko ties up II’s arm while II works on his leg, as they’re certainly not just laying there. They roll over to the ropes and it’s broken up, with the fans applauding as they have to get up again.

Zbyszko backs him up against the ropes for a forearm and both referees seem displeased. II easily takes him down and hits a knee lift out to the floor and yes, yes we are stalling some more. Back in and Zbyszko gets two off a sunset flip but has to bail outside at the threat of another running knee. Zbyszko actually takes him into the corner this time and gets one off of a slam.

II slams him right back and they go into the corner, with Brooks ordering a break (the referees haven’t been anything close to a major factor yet). That earns II a snapmare into a chinlock as we somehow slow down again. That’s broken up so Zbyszko changes the pace with a full nelson. II powers out with a backbreaker and grabs a front facelock. Zbyszko knocks him outside though and Brooks gives him a much more regular count than I gave earlier.

Back in and Zbyszko grabs another headlock and snaps down on it, which has II rather shaken up. Some big right hands have II staggered even worse and he gets snapmared into a chinlock. That works so well that they do it again, with II getting up one more time. II starts dodging some right hands, almost dancing in the process. II’s snapmare gets two and we’re clipped to Zbyszko getting punched out of the air.

A belly to back suplex drops Zbyszko again and the knee gets two, with Zbyszko in the ropes. The referees get into it over the rope, with Brooks throwing I over the top. Cue Rick Rood to chase Brooks off as II hits another running knee, with I counting a kind of slow two. Back up and Zbyszko misses a kick to the face but manages a suplex to leave them both down again.

II gets two more off a piledriver and the running knee sends Zbyszko right back into the ropes. We’re clipped again to both of them down until II gets two off a double leg. II grabs a sleeper and Zbyszko is in trouble as time expires at 45:18 shown. The official time is sixty minutes, making me wonder if A, I missed more cuts, B, how much was cut and C, how much they faked the time because that’s a heck of a lot to miss.

Rating: B-. This is a weird one as the match is very long, but it didn’t really feel like it was stretching. It felt like a contest between two men fighting for a championship until one of them couldn’t get up any longer. You could see the two of them getting worn down and they kept me interested, but dang that clipping was rough as I wonder just how much I missed. Good match though, even if it never got to some all time level.

Post match I officially names II as the winner, but that doesn’t mean a title change. The referees were barely a factor for the most part and I kept forgetting that was a thing until the brawl at the end, which wasn’t even that much.

Overall Rating: C+. The action was kind of a mess here with some rather awful finishes, but you could feel the energy throughout the show. What matters the most here is that the fans were into everything and you could see how easy it was to get into the whole thing. It was interesting to see the build to these shows as you can see how the fans would be brought along for the card. I’d absolutely go for more of this, as it’s an easy watch with some good stuff going on up and down the show. Not a great event, but rather fun.

Results
Wild Bill Irwin b. Brett Wayne via countout
Killer Tim Brooks vs. Bob Sweetan went to a time limit draw
Pez Whatley b. Tully Blanchard via DQ when Blanchard attacked in the ropes
Ronnie Garvin b. Iron Sheik via DQ when Paul Ellering interfered
Stan Hansen/Tommy Rich/Ole Anderson b. Road Warriors/Paul Ellering via DQ when Hawk threw Rich over the top rope
Scott Casey b. Buzz Sawyer via reversed decision
Larry Zbyszko vs. Mr. Wrestling II went to a time limit draw

 

 

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Wrestling Gold #1: Busted Open
Commentators: Jim Cornette, Dave Meltzer

So this is a set I’ve wanted to do for a VERY long time. The idea here is very simple, as you have a collection of old territory wrestling, but the catch is Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer are doing insider/expert commentary. The matches seem to be in random order so I have no idea what to expect here but it should be fun. Let’s get to it.

Unless I’m missing it, there are no dates or promotions for the matches so unless we’re told something, it’ll be little more than a guess.

Cornette and Meltzer give us some quick on camera introductions, which seems to be the case for every match.

Sherri Martel vs. Judy Martin

This seems to be from 1981/1982. Feeling out process to start with Martel taking her to the mat to little avail. Commentary isn’t sure if Martel started as one of Playboy Buddy Rose’s Playgirls (Cornette doesn’t think so) as Martin is back with a snapmare. A legdrop misses and Martel hits a headknocker, only for the second attempt to be countered with a backdrop. Back up and Martin tries a double chickenwing, which is reversed into a rollup for the pin at 4:33, with commentary being a bit surprised by such an athletic move.

Rating: C. As you can guess here, the wrestling is not the point as this is ALL about the commentary explaining what is going on. At the same time, this is probably going to be a bunch of public domain/easily accessible wrestling, though the set is from 2004 so YouTube wasn’t a thing yet. Either way, not much to see here, with the ending being the only big spot.

Shawn Michaels vs. Ken Johnson

The only record I can find for these two is in a tag match in July 1985 so we can assume it’s near that time. It’s also clearly the same ring and announcer as the first match, but if the commentary is right, it’s a few years apart. Cornette isn’t sure who Michaels’ first opponent would have been (it was Art Crews) but this has to be close to it. Michaels headlocks him down to start and hits a crossbody, followed by another headlock.

A belly to back suplex drops Michaels as Meltzer talks about Michaels’ history, including the rumors of a comeback after his last match in 1998. Cornette has to praise Michaels, despite their personal issues, which is quite the praise. Johnson misses a charge into the post and Michaels hits a backdrop into some dropkicks. A powerslam finishes Johnson at 4:18.

Rating: C+. Definitely a better match, but as commentary pointed out, that’s kind of Michaels’ thing. He could have a good match against anyone and it was awesome to see him do his thing and make it work so well. You could hear commentary loving what they were seeing here and it’s easy to see that Michaels could do the basic stuff so well so soon but the more complicated stuff was coming really fast too.

From Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, Texas, March 21, 1983.

SWCW Tag Team Titles: Gino Hernandez/Tully Blanchard vs. The Grapplers

The Grapplers are defending and have Don Carson with him. Cornette goes on one heck of a history lesson about Carson, with even Meltzer seemingly having never heard a bunch of it. Grappler #1 and Hernandez start things off until #2 comes in to headlock Blanchard down. Some knees to the back set up a chinlock, followed by a hard whip into the corner. That doesn’t go very far and it’s off to Hernandez for some elbows to the head.

#1 elbows him back into the corner though and it’s back to Blanchard as commentary goes on a long rant about how SWCW was pulled off of the USA Network and replaced by the WWF. Blanchard pulls #2 into a chinlock and manages to cut off a tag as they’re all heels so they know what they’re doing. We take a break (I think) and it’s back to Blanchard, even without a tag.

Blanchard gets elbowed back and caught in the wrong corner so a double elbow can get two. A swinging neckbreaker gives #2 two on Blanchard and the Grapplers trade spots behind the referee’s back. Hernandez comes back in for more elbows and a dropkick as commentary goes on a rant about David Arquette winning the WCW World Title. Hernandez accidentally hits Blanchard and then rams #1 into him, setting up an O’Connor roll for the pin and the titles at 8:59 shown.

Rating: B-. I liked this fairly well as there was something to be said about having two heel teams going for the titles. Blanchard and Hernandez were rather good together and you could see that the Grapplers had chemistry of their own. It’s a nice thing to see, if nothing else for the star power involved.

And then Blanchard turns on Hernandez with a belt shot. Cornette: “That’s a surprise even to me!” Hernandez is busted open and the Grapplers beat him down again. Hernandez manages to fight back in what should be one heck of a face turn.

Gino Hernandez vs. Tully Blanchard

We’re in Houston and possibly on May 21, 1983 and boxer Earnie Shavers is guest referee. Blanchard bails straight to the floor to start and decks a photographer. Back in and Blanchard hides in the ropes, setting up the Terry Funk teeter totter spot. Hernandez sends him outside again and does a bit of a dance as commentary talks about how Paul Boesch and Houston Wrestling was crushing all promotions, like this one, coming into the city.

Hernandez sends him into the corner a few times but misses a charge, allowing Blanchard to tie the arm in the ropes. This leaves commentary to explain the split up of the once massive Texas territory into the territories they are best known for being later on. Hernandez gets whipped hard into the corner for a heck of a Flair Flip out to the floor. Back in and the bleeding Hernandez is gyrating on the mat a bit so Blanchard kicks him out to the floor again.

Commentary points out that Lou Thesz is at ringside as Hernandez backdrops his way out of a piledriver attempt. Hernandez fights back and Blanchard is busted open as well, which gets commentary off of the Thesz stories. Blanchard is knocked out onto the announcers’ table, leaving Hernandez to hit a suplex back inside. A top rope (backwards) elbow misses but Blanchard makes the mistake of going after Shavers. That means a big knockout and Hernandez hits a middle rope splash for the pin at 12:17.

Rating: B. Pretty easily the best match of the set thus far as these guys looked like they wanted to beat the fire out of each other. That’s what you want to see out of a match like this and Hernandez was showing some good fire. You can tell when something like that is working and it certainly was here, with Blanchard getting to be his nature heel self.

From Southwest Championship Wrestling, May 21, 1983 in Houston, Texas.

SWCW World Title: Bob Orton Jr. vs. Adrian Adonis

For the inaugural title and Lou Thesz is here to present the winner with the title, along with a 75 year old World Title. Adonis, with a taped up forehead, works on the arm to start and Orton is back with an armbar. They fight over a top wristlock, which isn’t exactly action packed so commentary talks about Adonis’ time in the AWA. A headscissors takes Orton down as Cornette talks about Bob’s son Randy starting to train.

Adonis stays on the arm and Orton bails out to the floor. Back in and Orton works on the arm as well as commentary talks about Adonis’ weight issues killing his career. Adonis pulls him down into a hammerlock again but Orton gets an armbar as this is as riveting as it sounds. Orton continues the cranking, with Adonis tapping about ten years before that meant anything pretty much anywhere. Adonis fights up and hits an atomic drop to pick up the pace a bit but a middle rope splash hits raised knees.

Orton punches him into the post for two as commentary moves on to the title just kind of vanishing when the promotion lost the USA Network. Back up and Adonis sends him into the corner but he gets flipped in the corner for a big crash. Orton can’t superplex him and falls down, with Cornette admitting that the Midnight Express stole some stuff from Orton and Dick Slater. Adonis is back up with a sleeper, which is reversed into the same thing from Orton. That’s reversed as well though, with Adonis getting a small package for the pin and the title at 15:47.

Rating: C-. This got going near the end but the armbars and hammerlocks were more than a bit dull. They were just laying there on the mat without much going on and that’s only going to be so interesting. Adonis winning the title is certainly a way to go, but it’s fairly clear that he’s not quite some major star at this point. Still though, the last five minutes did get a good bit better, but maybe pick up the pace a bit before then.

We get the big title presentation.

Abdullah The Butcher vs. Bruiser Brody

We’re in San Antonio with Southwest Championship Wrestling (possibly July 1, 1984) and joined in progress with Brody chopping him in the head. They go inside and the referee gets punched down, leaving the other two to strike it out. Another referee comes in and gets taken out as well, allowing commentary to talk about the idea and thinking behind booking the match.

They brawl into the crowd (again) and Brody hits him with a piece of wood. More wood shots to the head have Butcher in more trouble but he chokes Brody down. They slug it out even more as commentary talks about Butcher making sure no one steals his wallet. Butcher is knocked off a platform and walks out at 5:12 shown.

Rating: C+. This is one of those things that works because they aren’t trying to do anything out of their comfort zone. A promoter would book this match for the sake of letting them beat the daylights out of each other and that’s exactly what we got here. It made for a fun brawl, though once you’ve seen one of them, you’ve kind of seen them all.

From July 4, 1983 in San Antonio, Texas from a show co-promoted by Southwest Championship Wrestling and Georgia Championship Wrestling.

Larry Zbyszko vs. Scott Casey

Zbyszko is from Georgia and Casey doesn’t like the invader. Joined in progress as they fight over a top wristlock as commentary tries to figure out the date of the match. Zbyszko snaps off a hiptoss and grabs a chinlock to slow things back down. This lets us talk about the Showdown At Shea show, with Meltzer rattling off the attendance and gate, blowing even Cornette’s mind.

Casey fights up but gets caught in another headlock, which is broken up with a backbreaker. Casey’s gutwrench suplex drops Zbyszko for two and they go outside, with Casey being sent into a table. Back in and Zbyszko hammers away but Casey suplexes his way out of trouble. A butterfly suplex and a neckbreaker drop Zbyszko for two and we hit the sleeper. That’s reversed into a cradle with Zbyszko putting his feet on the ropes for the win at 7:08.

Rating: B-. Zbyszko might not be the most thrilling star in the world but he was able to have a good match just about all of the time. That was the case here as they did some nice stuff here. Casey is someone who was a good hand back in his day and it’s easy to see why he wound up being a successful trainer.

Post match Tully Blanchard comes out to pose with Zbyszko but Eric Embry comes out and it’s a big brawl. Stan Hansen comes in to clear out Blanchard and Zbyszko.

From Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, Texas, August 15, 1982.

Jerry Lawler vs. Bob Sweetan

This is a battle of the piledrivers. Before the match, Lawler requests more respect from the crowd, who doesn’t seem interested. Lawler is wearing tights here rather than the singlet, which is quite the visual. Sweetan steals the crown to start and it’s already time for Lawler to bail to the floor. Back in and Lawler doesn’t like the weapons check so Sweetan chases him outside.

Lawler gets the mic to yell a lot and we finally get the opening bell. Some right hands miss for Sweetan and Lawler punches away, with Sweetan chasing him to the floor. Lawler heads outside and says that his shots were open hand strikes so the referee shouldn’t be yelling at him. Back in and Lawler still isn’t happy but goes with the right hand to get on Sweetan’s nerves.

This lets Cornette explain the psychology behind Lawler’s matches as Lawler gets hit in the face, sending him bailing to the floor, unlike Sweetan, who stood there and took it. Back in and Lawler hides in the ropes as the stalling continues. Sweetan tries a piledriver and of course Lawler bails out to the floor. Naturally he grabs the mic again and says the piledriver is illegal where he comes from.

Lawler gets back in but bails again as the stalling continues. Back in (again) and Lawler goes to the eyes as Cornette points out that Lawler is doing most of the work but isn’t even breathing heavy. The fist drop misses and Lawler has to fight out of a piledriver attempt. Sweetan works on the arm but Lawler pops up and slugs away with left hands, followed by a big right.

The piledriver is broken up and Sweetan makes the comeback, including a belly to back suplex for two. Another belly to back gives Sweetan the pin at 12:55, even if Lawler’s foot was on the rope. Ignore that it was on the rope after the three but the referee says keep it going anyway. Sweetan charges into a knee in the corner and Lawler gets a rollup for the pin at 13:35.

Rating: C+. While Cornette’s praise of Lawler was a bit insane at times, he was right in saying that Lawler carried the whole thing here. There is only so much you can do when Sweetan is pretty much useless and only there for the sake of being able to do the piledriver. Lawler was pestering the fans, winding Sweetan up and doing his thing in the ring, without actually doing much physically. The fans stayed with him though, which is why this stuff works so well.

Post match Sweetan piledrives Lawler.

From Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, Texas, August 15, 1982. This is the same show as the Lawler vs. Sweetan match.

SWCW Tag Team Titles: Terry Funk/Ivan Putski vs. Gino Hernandez/Tully Blanchard

Hernandez and Blanchard are defending. We’re joined in progress with Hernandez hitting a dropkick on Funk and Blanchard comes in for a piledriver. Commentary buries Putski, who hasn’t even come in yet, hoping that Funk gets to do most of the work here. Hernandez drops a top rope elbow for two but Funk sends Blanchard through the ropes for a needed breather.

A slingshot spear hits Funk but the referee gets bumped, with Blanchard then slamming Funk onto the referee for a bonus. Putski comes in anyway to clean house as everything breaks down. Putski counters a suplex and lands on Blanchard…with a young Ricky Morton coming in to count the pin at 3:08.

Rating: C+. We didn’t get much here but what mattered the most was having Funk out there doing his thing with some talented opponents. Blanchard and Hernandez were clearly the hot team but they needed more than one good challenger. I’ll take all of the Funk I can get though and…well Putski was there too.

That seems to count so Hernandez and Blanchard lay Morton out. Ken Lucas (Morton’s partner) runs in for the save. Putski and Funk get back in as well and the villains are cleared out. Oh and Morton’s interference is a DQ, as it should be. Lucas shouts at the heels.

From Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, Texas, August 15, 1982. Third match in a row.

Dick Slater vs. Mongolian Stomper

In a cage with Bob Sweetan as guest referee. We’re joined in progress again with Stomper hammering away and grabbing a claw as Cornette puts over Stomper as an all time legend. The claw keeps Slater down but Slater is back up with an elbow to the head. Slater is sent into the cage though and we’re right back to the claw. That’s finally broken up so Stomper rams him into the cage again. We’re back to the claw as commentary talks about how ugly Stomper and Sweetan both happen to be.

Slater fights up and sends him into the cage a few times. Stomper is busted open again, leaving commentary to mock the age of Stomper’s manager Don Carson. Slater goes up for a top rope stomp, followed by the snap jabs. A low blow gets Stomper out of trouble but the big stomp is actually blocked. Sweetan gets knocked down but comes up to block Stomper from using a boot. Instead Slater takes it away and hits Stomper for the pin at 8:59 shown.

Rating: C. This took some time to get going but once they got away from the claw holds, the match got a lot better. It’s weird to see Slater as the good guy in the whole thing but there is no reason to have Stomper as a hero most of the time. At the same time, Sweetan was barely a factor until the ending, which is often the best thing for a wrestler.

Post match Carson distracts Sweetan so Stomper can get in a cheap shot. Slater fights back but Carson comes in and Stomper chokes Slater out. A loaded glove has Slater in more trouble but Santo Negro comes in off the top of the cage and Coco Samoa helps make the save.

From Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, Texas, August 15, 1982. This has to be the last match from this show right?

AWA World Title: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Bruiser Brody

Bockwinkel is defending and has Bobby Heenan in his corner, with Lou Thesz as guest referee. We’re joined in progress again with Bockwinkel working on a headscissors as commentary buries Thesz’s weird referee shirt. Brody fights out and knocks Bockwinkel back as commentary explains the importance of the AWA World Title. A bearhug has Bockwinkel in trouble but a Heenan distraction breaks it up.

Bockwinkel actually wins a slugout and we’re right back to the headscissors. Some big right hands put Brody on the floor as the brawling is oddly going to Bockwinkel here. Back in and Brody wins a slugout before sending Bockwinkel into the apron. A top rope shot to the head drops Bockwinkel, as Brody is getting fired up. Bockwinkel needs a breather on the floor and a big slam connects, only for Heenan to offer a distraction.

Back in and Brody hits the big knee drop but Heenan offers another distraction, earning himself a pull into the ring. Brody unloads on Heenan, only to throw Bockwinkel over the top (uh oh). Heenan is tossed as well and Brody brings in a chair, which is taken away. Heenan and Bockwinkel walk out at 9:55 shown.

Rating: B-. Yeah this worked, with the format being a bit surprising as Bockwinkel won a lot of the brawling. Once Brody started fighting back though, everything picked up and it was a lot of fun. Brody is someone who could do the fired up comeback while still looking like a monster, while Heenan and Bockwinkel could do…well pretty much anything.

And apparently it’s a DQ instead of a countout.

Overall Rating: B-. These things are really hard to rate overall as it’s a case where the real draw is the commentary rather than the wrestling. There’s some good action to be seen though, with quite a few all time stars. It was a bit much to see so much from the same promotion and even show, but Cornette and Meltzer could talk about just about anything. Either way, fun stuff here and I’m looking forward to see the variety we get on the other discs.

 

 

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