World Championship Wrestling
Date: November 9, 1985
Location: WTBS Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: David Crockett, Tony Schiavone

This is the legendary WCW TV show (airing at 6:05 on Saturday night) and we have a few to pick from so here’s the first that I saw. It’s not something I’ve seen a ton of over the years but this is more or less the gold standard for weekly studio TV wrestling. We’re coming up on Starrcade 1985 and that’s what we’ll be hearing about here. Let’s get to it.

We open with what appears to be a recap of Billy Graham yelling at Paul Jones that there is no contract and all Jones does is lie.

Crockett and Schiavone preview the show and tell us that the TV Title has been held up. Arn Anderson has the title belt, which had belonged to Dusty Rhodes, but a tournament has been announced to crown a new champion. Anderson comes in and compares this to a fox hunt with twenty people coming after one fox. He is the fox because everyone is after him when he already took the title from Rhodes. Cue Ole Anderson to say the belt belongs to Arn so if Rhodes wants it back, he’ll have to come take it. Good stuff from Arn here, as always.

Manny Fernandez vs. Vernon Deaton

Fernandez knocks him down to start and grabs a snapmare, followed by a hard chop to the chest. Back up and Fernandez works on the arm with some cranking, followed by the Flying Burrito (flying forearm). A middle rope knee finishes for Fernandez at 2:46. I’ve always liked Fernandez.

National heavyweight Champion Terry Taylor, sounding very nervous, is ready to defend at Starrcade and an opponent has been named. Not announced, but named.

Ole Anderson/Arn Anderson vs. Keith Freeze/Jim Blackland

The Anderson’ National Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Ole works on Blackland’s arm to start and Arn comes in to stomp away. Arn sends him head first into the mat and Ole comes in for some knees to the back. Freeze comes in and gets stomped down as well, with Arn adding a hard forearm. The hammerlock slam lets Arn work on the arm some more and the gordbuster finished at 3:05.

Rating: C. Nothing much to see here other than the arm work, which is as much of an Anderson signature as you can have. They really are a heck of a tag team and have been a bit forgotten over the years. Also of note, there is a good chance that Blackland is a typo, as that would be Jimmy Backlund, who you might remember as Jimmy Del Ray of the Heavenly Bodies in the mid 90s.

US Champion Tully Blanchard, with Baby Doll, is not happy with Magnum TA. We see a clip from a recent TV taping, where Doll gave Magnum her card. She went to left, but Magnum stopped and kissed her. Doll seems to approve but then slaps him anyway. Magnum rips part of her dress off and Blanchard runs in for the brawl. Back in the studio, Blanchard talks about Magnum forcing himself on Doll (yep) and now it’s time for the I Quit cage match at Starrcade. You might have heard of that one before. Anyway, Blanchard says Magnum better be ready.

Ivan Koloff/Nikita Koloff/Krusher Khrushchev vs. Jimmy Langston/Kent Glover/Larry Clark

The Six Man Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Clark goes after Krusher’s arm to start and gets slammed down for his efforts. Ivan comes in to rip away at the face and it’s off to Nikita, who looks awesome and makes you wonder what he and Hogan could have done together. Some heavy shots put Clark down and it’s Glover coming in for a running knee to Ivan in the corner. The Russians start taking turns stomping away on Glover with some rather quick tags. A double back elbow drops Glover and it’s off to Langston, who gets choked down. The Russian Sickle finishes Langston at 4:24.

Rating: C. The Russians are the definition of a simple gimmick that works very well. They look like monsters (especially Nikita) and work as a well oiled machine. It’s fun to see them smash people and they were getting to do it here, with that Sickle at the end looking especially devastating.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Jim Jeffers/Mac Jeffers

Jim headlocks Morton to start and gets monkey flipped into an armbar for his efforts. It’s off to Gibson for one off a sunset flip and Mac comes in. Morton takes him down without much trouble and it’s back to Gibson for a headlock takeover. Gibson rolls Mac up for two and it’s time for Morton to work on the arm. Gibson works on the arm, Morton works on the arm, Gibson works on the arm, this is so rock and roll. Morton sends him into the corner and yeah it’s back to Gibson for more arm cranking. Jim fights up and brings Mac in, where a double elbow knocks him down. The double dropkick finishes at 6:33.

Rating: C-. For a Rock N Roll TV match, this went on for the better part of ever. The arm cranking was more than a bit much and that’s not something you particularly want to see. That being said, the Express were so over that they could sit out there and have a sandwich and get more cheers than almost anyone on the show. Not a great match to see, but you could tell the Express could do something with better opponents.

Tony Schiavone runs down the Starrcade card. Jim Crockett comes in to announce some new matches (and we get some clips setting up each match):

• Terry Taylor defends the National Title against Buddy Landell
• Jim Cornette/Midnight Express vs. Jimmy Valiant/Miss Atlanta Lively in an Atlanta Street Fight
• Superstar Billy Graham vs. the Barbarian, both in regular wrestling and arm wrestling
• Ric Flair defends the NWA World Title against Dusty Rhodes

Billy Jack Haynes vs. Thunderfoot

This is part of the Championship Challenge Series, which isn’t for a championship, and JJ Dillon is here with Thunderfoot. Haynes wastes no time in gorilla pressing him down, meaning Thunderfoot needs a meeting on the floor. A test of strength goes to the rather muscular Haynes and he dropkicks Thunderfoot out to the floor. Back in and Haynes works on the arm with various forms of cranking, including an armbar.

We take a break and come back with Haynes armdragging him into an armbar as Manny Fernandez comes in to join commentary. Dillon trips Haynes down and gets in some choking from the apron, which Fernandez doesn’t like. Thunderfoot grabs a front facelock and Dillon seems to cheat, earning some yelling from the referee.

A belly to back suplex drops Haynes for two and we hit the front facelock again. Haynes fights up and kicks away, setting up a middle rope elbow. Dillon offers a distraction so Thunderfoot loads up his boot (that’s his thing) but Fernandez comes down to cut that off (the distraction, not the foot). Haynes gets a rollup for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C. It’s easy to see why so many promotions saw something in Haynes. He was built like a monster and had a great look, which was enough to get you noticed. If he could talk well enough and, you know, not be insane, it could have worked out. He definitely had something there and it even made Thunderfoot of all people work.

Post match Fernandez says he and Haynes could be a good team and that he’ll be in the TV Title tournament. Haynes talks to the people in Oregon and he wants revenge on the Andersons for hurting Dusty Rhodes.

Jim Crockett announces Ric Flair and the Andersons against Pez Whatley/Terry Taylor/Ron Garvin.

We get a special interview with the returning Dusty Rhodes, who is freshly back from his injury. Rhodes does something similar to his legendary Hard Times promo (that was last week, albeit on Mid-Atlantic Wrestling). By similar I mean he repeats a bunch of the lines and does the reach out to the camera bit. This is so similar that I had to look up the original to make sure that I wasn’t just remembering it wrong. This was almost a direct to video sequel rehash of the famous one and that’s a bizarre thing to see. It makes sense as it was two different shows, but dang that’s weird.

Ron Garvin vs. Paul Garner

Garvin takes him down to start and grabs a neck crank, followed by a suplex. Commentary ignores the match to talk about Rhodes being back, as he’s just that much more important. Garvin grabs an abdominal stretch in the corner and then ties him up on the mat. Some knee drops let commentary tell us to not try this at home but rather go through the amateur ranks, like these two did. Garvin ties up the arm and cranks on the neck (Fans: “BREAK IT! BREAK IT!”) for a nasty looking hold. Back up and the Fist Of Stone (a hard right hand) finishes for Garvin, who sits down on the chest for the pin at 6:28.

Rating: C-. There is something nice about the idea of Garvin’s finisher just being him punching him in the face. It’s so simple and it works well with everything else he was doing. I’ve never been a fan of Garvin’s, but there are things about him which do work, with that finisher being up near the top of the list.

The Russians are tired of carrying the Six Man Tag Team Trophy because they’re the Tag Team Champions too. Krusher Khrushchev is ready to win the Mid-Atlantic Title and Ivan Koloff doesn’t care about Dusty Rhodes’ broken leg.

We get an interview from a few weeks ago, with Jimmy Valiant, with Big Mama, the latter of whom is ready to slap Jim Cornette at Starrcade. Valiant says anything goes, and that includes Cornette’s clothes. Anything goes so put anything you want in your pockets. He’ll strip the Express’ clothes too. Valiant brings in Miss Atlanta Lively….who is clearly Ron Garvin in drag. Are we not supposed to get that?

Barbarian vs. Gerald Finley

Barbarian has a broken hand so he boots Finley to the apron instead. The slow beating continues and Finley is knocked outside again, followed by a broken arm shot to the throat. The top rope headbutt finishes for Barbarian at 3:45.

Rating: C. Over the years, Barbarian has become someone I have grown to like way more. No one is suggesting that he was going to be the top star anywhere or the World Champion or anything, but he is someone who does his thing well and looks good doing so. His powerhouse offense works and he’s fine as a midcard dragon for a star to slay.

The Andersons aren’t worried about Billy Jack Haynes and Manny Fernandez. Instead, they’re more interested in Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes, because they’ll be getting involved in the title match. They might even bring some extra friends to help. Oh and Tully Blanchard will win too.

Tully Blanchard vs. Joe Malcolm

Non-title. Blanchard knocks him down to start (Baby Doll approves) and grabs an early chinlock. Back up and the slingshot suplex finishes for Blanchard at 1:32.

Paul Jones says Billy Graham is still under contract to him but Graham has insisted that is not true. Graham attacked Jones and broke Barbarian’s hand and that was going too far. We get a clip from a previous interview (which is the clip from the begging, and the hype package earlier), where Graham called him “every book in the name”, which led to a brawl with Barbarian making the save with the cast.

Back in the studio, Jones screams about how horrible it is that they have to do this arm wrestling at Starrcade. Jones insists that Graham “would break his own mother’s arm for $5! And he would do anything for an earring! Superstar, YOU’RE GONNA MEET YOUR WATERLOO!!!” What a bizarre final bit from a horribly uninteresting manager.

Terry Taylor vs. Amos Moses

Non-title and Taylor takes him down by the arm to start. The armbar stays on for a good while but Taylor can’t get a pin off a knuckle lock. Commentary is so bored that they wish a couple in New York a happy 69th wedding anniversary. Taylor finally puts him away with the superplex at 3:20.

Rating: C. Taylor is good enough at what he does as the young, handsome good guy and there is always going to be a spot for someone like that. His in-ring work was never my style but what matters here is getting the fans to cheer for him. It was as interesting as you could be with even more arm work, but that’s kind of the norm for these TV shows.

The Rock N Roll Express is ready for the Russians and the Tag Team Titles at Starrcade. Rock and roll is here to stay and rock and roll is forever. Well, they’ve been going for about forty years so they’re not wrong so far.

Overall Rating: C+. So the thing to remember about these shows is that you shouldn’t be watching for the matches. These shows aren’t about the wrestling but rather building people up for the bigger shows. That’s what they were doing for Starrcade at the end of the month, and this actually had me wanting to see some of the show. Do that again and you should have a success on your hands, which is why this era is so fondly remembered. It’s a formula that worked, as it did again here.

 

 

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Houston’s Wrestling Spectacular
Location: Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas
Commentator: Paul Boesch

This is a DVD released by Jim Cornette a few years ago and I have very little idea of what to expect. As you can probably guess, this is all from Paul Boesch’s Houston Wrestling and mostly from the late 70s/early 80s. I have no idea what to expect here but there are some very talented names on the lineup. Let’s get to it.

We open with what looks like the opening from Houston’s TV show in a nice touch.

From April 16, 1982. I’m not completely sure on the date as only the year is accurate but that seems to be the most likely option.

AWA World Title: Nick Bockwinkel vs. Dick Slater

Bockwinkel is defending and Slater’s Southwest Title isn’t on the line. Slater takes him down with a hammerlock to start and it’s time for some early cranking. Bockwinkel has to get up and go to the ropes for the escape and we reset things a bit. They go to the test of strength until Slater hits a headbutt, setting up a headscissors on the mat. Back up and Slater plants him down for two, followed by a small package for the same. Slater goes with the Indian Deathlock as Boesch talks about Bockwinkel’s father losing his ear in a match.

Bockwinkel grabs a forearm around the face for the break and hammers away at the chest. That’s fine with Slater, who headbutts his way out of trouble as Bockwinkel can’t get anything going here. We’re back in the front facelock for a bit until Bockwinkel gets up for some shoulders in the corner. One of them misses though and Bockwinkel hits the post to put Slater right back in control. Bockwinkel backdrops out of a piledriver attempt but Slater is right back with an armbar.

They get up but Bockwinkel hits him in the ribs, only for Slater to go back to the hammerlock as the arm cranking continues. The arm is tied up in Slater’s legs but Bockwinkel makes the ropes. Bockwinkel tries to hammer away but gets sent face first into the mat, which is enough to send him backing to the floor. Back in and they ram heads for a double down, giving Bockwinkel a much needed breather.

Slater slams him down but misses a middle rope knee drop to FINALLY give Bockwinkel an opening. The Figure Four goes on and Slater is in trouble but he’s able to roll over to the ropes. Bockwinkel wraps the bad knee around the post before snapping Slater’s throat across the top rope for the first fall at 15:18.

We get a one minute rest period between falls before Bockwinkel goes right after the leg again. Slater kicks him down though and sends Bockwinkel outside, followed by a bunch of kicks on the way back inside. A falling headbutt and a knee drop have Bockwinkel in trouble and Slater puts on his own Figure Four. The rope is reached again so Slater wraps the leg around the post (just as Bockwinkel did to him). A top rope elbow to the back of the head gives Slater the second fall to tie it up at 19:49.

We get another rest period before Slater starts fast with a piledriver to send Bockwinkel outside again. Back in and Slater hits a suplex for two but Bockwinkel slugs his way out of a spinning toehold. The referee gets bumped though and there’s no one to count as Slater gets an O’Connor Roll. The very delayed count gets two but Bockwinkel reverses into a rollup of his own and uses the tights for the pin to retain at 22:09.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but eventually turned into Slater being good, but not quite good enough to win the whole thing in the end. That’s a nice story to tell and shows just how much better Bockwinkel was here. Bockwinkel absolutely takes some time to get used to, but when he’s showing what he can do, it absolutely works.

Post match Slater gets in a bonus shot to knock Bockwinkel off the apron.

From December 21, 1979.

Jimmy Snuka vs. Ken Patera

2/3 falls again and JJ Dillon is here with Patera. The fans rather approve as Patera gets his warmup pants off and commentary talks about how Snuka got his physique by doing the simple things in life. Such as climbing coconut trees. They lock up to start and Patera shoves him away before they go to a crisscross. Snuka leapfrogs him into a crossbody and Patera already wants a breather.

Back in and Boesch says Snuka has “hit the highspots”. Ok so it’s in a different context entirely (he’s talking about going to big cities) but it sounds so strange anyway. A slam sends Patera bailing to the floor again, followed by a headlock from Snuka back inside. Patera powers out and poses, earning himself a quick dropkick in a funny bit. Snuka grinds away on the headlock again as Dillon is rather anxious on the floor.

Patera finally sends him into the ropes for the break but gets caught in another headlock. Back up again and Patera tries to squeeze the ribs to escape but settles for backing him into the ropes instead. Patera gets up and starts in with the clubbing forearms, plus a knee to the ribs to really stagger Snuka. The chinlock goes on and Patera, like a villain, pulls Snuka down to prevent the escape.

Snuka fights out but gets dropped with another knockdown. A top rope ax handle to the back and an elbow give Patera two, with Boesch sounding rather proud. Snuka gets in a shot to the head and starts the comeback, including a jumping…uh…something to the face. A big chop drops Patera again but he gets in a shot of his own for a breather. Snuka is back with a crossbody but Patera rolls through and his feet land on the rope for the pin and the first fall at 13:23.

We get a longer than usual rest period between the falls, which is at least partially so Dillon can say there was NO cheating. The second fall begins and Snuka is not exactly pleased. Some chops in the corner have Patera in more trouble and a slam makes it worse. The running diving headbutt has Patera rocked and a jumping headbutt gives Snuka two. Another headbutt gives Snuka two, with Patera having to get his foot on the ropes. A quick shot staggers Snuka and Patera gets his full nelson.

Snuka flips Patera forward for the escape (which you don’t see very often) and he makes another comeback with the classic technique of hitting someone in the face. That means it’s time to start doing a comeback dance but Patera gets his knees up on a splash. The rollup cover gets three, which doesn’t count as the referee sees Patera’s feet on the ropes. Instead Snuka gets an O’Connor roll to tie it up at 20:01.

The annoyed Patera forearms away in the corner to start the third fall but Snuka atomic drops him down. Back up and Patera gets a bearhug to slow things back down. That’s broken up as well and they crash out to the floor, where Dillon grabs Snuka. A headbutt cuts that off (the fans approve) and Snuka chases Dillon until it’s a double countout at 24:31 (the fans disapprove).

Rating: B. Again, it was a bit slow at times but I was wanting to see where this went. That’s a good sign as I don’t have any connection to the story or the wrestlers at this point but it worked anyway. If nothing else, it’s always interesting to see the pre-prison version of Patera, as he really was good as a power villain. It’s easy to see how he became such a big star in the WWF not long after this.

From July 27, 1979.

Jack Brisco vs. The Spoiler

2/3 falls again and Gary Hart is here with the Spoiler (a fairly tall masked man who has impressed me before). A headlock doesn’t get Spoiler very far to start so he tries it again to some better success. They fight into a top wristlock but Spoiler pulls him right back into the headlock. Brisco can’t get very far by grabbing the leg and Spoiler keeps grinding away, with Boesch talking about how Spoiler doesn’t like Hart cheating for him.

The referee catches the cheating though and makes Spoiler break it, which he does…with a facebuster in a smart move. We’re right back on the headlock and Brisco is in more trouble, even as he’s on top of Spoiler on the mat. Brisco starts kneeing away at the back to escape and we hit a reverse chinlock. Now it’s Brisco grabbing a headlock of his own, with Spoiler stacking him up to escape.

A big boot sends Brisco outside but Spoiler misses a dive off the top, which is what Boesch said made Brisco World Champion. That’s remarkably specific. Brisco punches him down again and grabs a chinlock, with Spoiler getting a foot into the ropes. Some knee drops have Brisco down again and a rollup with trunks gets two, as Brisco’s feet are in the ropes. The Claw hold goes on and Spoiler grinds away, with Brisco looking all wobbly.

Another comeback has Brisco on his feet and he finally gets out with a shinbreaker. Brisco stays on the leg and puts on a half crab, with Spoiler tapping, albeit about 15 years before that meant anything in wrestling (with a useful graphic before the match reminding us that it doesn’t matter). Spoiler eventually manages to grab the claw again but Brisco goes back to the leg. The Figure Four goes on and Spoiler grabs the referee, who KICKS SPOILER for the break (that has to be cheating).

Hart’s distraction makes Brisco let go and he charges into a boot in the corner. Spoiler rolls him up but Hart gets caught helping on the pin and that’s a DQ for the first fall at 18:11. Hart and Spoiler both hammer away between falls so Brisco decks Hart and rolls Spoiler up for the pin at 19:13.

Rating: B-. They had a nice story here with Boesch telling us that Spoiler was getting sick of Hart’s cheating and then Hart cost him both falls. At the same time, Brisco is still one of the best of all time and can work well with anyone in there. I always get something out of his matches and this was no exception. The Spoiler continues to look like someone who should be just kind of there but does well every chance he gets.

Post match Brisco chases Spoiler off.

From November 30, 1979.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Ken Patera

2/3 falls again and James J. Dillon is with Patera again. Patera grinds away on the headlock to start and hammers away a bit before grabbing it for a second time. A snapmare makes Rhodes get funky like a monkey though and it’s time to work on a wristlock. An armbar has Patera down and Dillon is right there on the apron to accuse Rhodes of pulling the tights.

Dillon’s distraction lets Patera get out so Rhodes starts the flip, flop and fly (as only he could ever really do right). Patera fights back and gets a chinlock to slow Rhodes down a good bit. Rhodes gets up as well and starts firing off the elbows, including the Bionic Elbow for the first fall at 8:27.

After the required rest period, Rhodes wastes no time in knocking him out to the floor for another hard elbow. Back in and a snapmare sets up a missed Bionic Elbow and Patera goes up top, only to be slammed back down. Rhodes puts on a chinlock of his own, with Patera going to the ropes for the break in something you don’t see very often. Patera starts in on the leg and cranks away, with the fans wanting some elbows but commentary pointing out that it won’t make a difference.

Rhodes slips out but gets sent into the buckle to cut him off. The full nelson goes on, with Rhodes immediately running for the ropes in a smart counter. Instead Patera grabs the bearhug and cranks away until they go down for a two count. Rhodes finally gets up and slaps the ears for the escape, only to get bearhugged again, this time for a pin at 18:33. Rhodes gets up after the rest period and chases Patera outside, where he pulls Rhodes outside as well. They slug it out on the floor, where Dillon grabs the leg on the way back in, which is enough for the DQ to give Rhodes the win at 19:56.

Rating: B-. I’ve been overly harsh on Rhodes over the years but you can definitely see the charisma, which was more than enough to make him into such a big star. The action here wasn’t quite as good as the rest of the stuff so far but Rhodes’ charisma was carrying him here. Patera continues to be someone who can be a good villain, with the interference being a nice way to keep him safe in defeat.

From January 9, 1981.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Black Gordman

2/3 falls again and of course this is Chavo Sr. (Classic), whose International Junior Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line. They trade standing switches to start until a flying headscissors brings Gordman down. Back up and Gordman gets a full nelson, with Guerrero reversing into one of his own. That’s broken up and Gordman works on the arm for a big before getting taken down by the leg.

Guerrero cranks away before letting up, allowing Gordman to pull him into the same leglock. This one doesn’t last as long so Gordman goes with some shots to the face instead. Guerrero is sent into the corner and seems to slip off what looked to be a crossbody attempt, instead settling for a springboard version and the first fall at 7:04.

After the rest period, Guerrero forearms him into the ropes to start the second fall before winning a slugout. Gordman gets in a cheap shot to take over and grabs what looks to be a nerve hold but is really a choke. The referee holds Gordman back but he manages to get in a shot on Guerrero anyway, as the officiating here leaves something to be desired. A pair of DDTs (Boesch: “That bulldogging headlock.”) and a running backsplash tie it up at 10:48.

The rest period sees the referee yelling at Gordman, who starts the second fall with an STO (that’s a big move for this time). It works so well that Gordman does it again for two before choking with the tape. That wakes Guerrero up and he strikes away in the corner, setting up a monkey flip. Gordman sends him over the top rope though and that’s a DQ to give Guerrero the win at 13:55.

Rating: C+. Weakest match of the set so far and even then it was completely fine. The ending seems to be a way to set up a rematch for the title (which is exactly what happened) but there wasn’t much here that would make me want to see them fight again. Gordman had some stuff that would become more commonplace later, but for 1981, it was insane to see some of this stuff.

From October 24, 1980.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Ivan Koloff

This is an interesting match which happened a bunch around the territories. To spice this up a bit, this is a Texas Death Coffin match, meaning it’s a Texas Deathmatch, which means you have regular falls and rest periods after, but apparently you win by regular coffin/casket match rules. Rhodes and Koloff argue over whether the coffin is in the ring or on the floor, with Rhodes (inside) getting his way.

They take their time to start, with Rhodes promising to lay him in the coffin (which sounds like threatening murder). Koloff seems squeamish of the coffin (because, you know, coffin) and keeps yelling about it while Rhodes dances a bit. Some hard shots in the corner have Rhodes in some trouble but he throws Koloff over the coffin instead. Koloff steps away from the coffin and kicks him down to take over. A middle rope knee (the Sputnik Dive) connects but Rhodes gets a small package for the fall at 4:09.

Koloff is perfectly fine so this was little more than a breather for Rhodes, which makes sense. The USA chants start up and Koloff (a proud Canadian) isn’t happy. Rhodes slugs away with elbows but lowers his head and gets kicked in the face for a fall at 6:17. They’re both back up again and the USA chants are on again, because they went so well for Rhodes last time.

They go outside this time and Koloff gets sent into various things to bust him open. Koloff takes off a boot to knock Rhodes silly, followed by a chair to the head. That’s not enough to put Rhodes (also bleeding) in the coffin so he fights up, only to miss the elbow for two. A piledriver gives Rhodes the pin at 11:26 but he can’t get Koloff into the coffin.

That doesn’t count anyway as it’s during the rest period so once that is out of the way, we can start up again. Rhodes goes for the coffin again but Koloff still isn’t having that. Now it’s Rhodes who won’t go in, but Koloff does drop a knee on him for the fall at 12:28. The rest period ends and Koloff rams him into the side of the coffin, only to miss a knee drop. Rhodes knocks him into the coffin and that’s enough for the win at 14:12.

Rating: C+. This was a bit weird as it felt like they were trying to do two different matches at once. The coffin deal was fine enough but the Texas death match and the falls didn’t add anything, as they just served as ways to give the two of them a breather. It wasn’t a bad match, but it was a bit more complicated than it needed to be.

From June 16, 1978.

Dick Slater vs. Alberto Madril

Another 2/3 falls and Madril is usually known as Al (as he’s listed on the DVD case). Slater walks away from some threats of right hands in the corner and kicks Madril down. Madril’s armbar works a bit better, including taking Slater to the mat to crank away even more. Back up and Slater drives him into the corner, earning a rather big shove. An armdrag sets up another armbar, though this one doesn’t go as well for Madril. Back up and Madril gets two off an O’Connor roll, setting up another armbar. This time Slater stands up and climbs over the ropes, which works for a break.

Slater punches him down and grabs a quickly broken front facelock, with Madril reversing into a hammerlock. That’s broken up as well and Slater hammers away, allowing him to use the hair and pull Madril into an armbar of his own. A knee onto the arm has Madril in more trouble and his comeback is cut off by a shot to the throat. Slater’s Russian legsweep gets two but Madril punches him down for two. Slater forearms him in the back for two more but the piledriver is countered with a backdrop. Madril gives him an atomic drop for a hilarious sell, only to get small packaged for the first fall at 11:32.

The second fall starts and Madril immediately chases him outside, with Slater coming back in and bailing right back to the floor. Back in again and Slater elbows him out to the floor so the beating can begin. The sleeper goes on back inside for two arm drops but Madril fights out and slugs away.

Slater gets tied in the ropes and punched a few times for two, with the fans not liking the speed of the count. Back up and Slater sends him to the floor, only for Madril to come back in for a rollup to tie it up at 18:50. We get what feels like an extended rest period as Madril’s shoulder seems to be hurt. It’s so hurt that the referee stops the match and awards it to Slater at 20:45.

Rating: B-. The ending didn’t help things but there is only so much that can be done if Madril is too banged up to continue. Slater continues to be someone who feels like he could be a star in just about any promotion. He works well and comes off like a heel you want to see lose. That’s a valuable thing to have and it worked here, even with a less than optimal ending.

From April 8, 1977.

Bruiser Brody vs. Dusty Rhodes

2/3 falls again and I believe that’s the right date, as it seems like this might be April 1, especially with a pre-match announcement that Brody will face Fritz Von Erich the following week. They circle each other to start, with Rhodes (who is SLIM here) chasing Brody out to the floor. Back in and Rhodes hammers away, which has Brody bailing to the floor again.

After a lengthy stay outside, Brody comes back in and gets his arm cranked. Brody fights out and takes over on the mat, only for Rhodes to take him into the corner. What looks like a low blow takes too long to set up though and Brody knocks him down again. Some running boots to the head and a knee drop finish Rhodes for the first fall at 6:08.

Rhodes rolls to the floor and sneaks back in to hammer Brody from behind. An elbow to the face sets up the big elbow to tie it up at 7:18. We pause for Brody to get up (those were some BIG elbows) as the rest period is far longer than after the first fall. Rhodes is right on him to hammer away as soon as the bell rings and Brody is sent outside. A dancing Rhodes follows him out but then goes back inside to chill in the corner.

Some elbows to the head rock Brody again but the big elbow misses. Brody knocks him down and claws away at Rhodes’ head on the mat, which is enough to fire up the comeback. That’s cut off again and Brody hammers him down in the corner, followed by some big boots for two. Rhodes is back up for a headbutt and they’re both down, with Rhodes calling on the fans to help him up (and that’s a big part of why Rhodes was a star). Rhodes, powered by the fans, gets up and hammers away, only to get backdropped over the top for the DQ to give Rhodes the third fall and the win at 14:34.

Rating: B-. This was starting to get somewhere with the fans getting behind Rhodes, as they’re supposed to do when a hero is fighting a monster like Brody. The thing that caught my attention here was how well Brody could sell. He was a big guy, but he made Rhodes’ offense look like a superhero by staggering around like that. You could see a lot of Brody in Undertaker’s selling later on and that’s because it works very well.

Post match Brody ties him in the ropes and keeps up the beating, including a bunch of kicks, both running and standing. Rhodes escapes and fires off some elbows to send Brody skedaddling.

From September 19, 1980. This is described as “Surviving Footage” so we’re likely not getting close to the full match.

Bruiser Brody vs. Ivan Koloff

2/3 falls again and we’re joined in progress with Koloff begging off in the corner and Brody hammering away. Brody sends him into the corner and starts kicking away as the fans are WAY behind Brody here. A slam plants Koloff again and they go outside where Koloff is posted rather quickly. Back in and the bleeding Koloff gets in a shot of his own for a knockdown, setting up the top rope knee drop for the second fall to tie it up at 3:07 shown. That would mean we missed about the first eight minutes, assuming the times I can find are accurate.

Koloff hammers away to start the third fall but Brody sends him face first into a boot in the corner to start the comeback. Commentary acknowledges that Koloff isn’t going to win a slugout here, which is exactly what happens. Brody blocks a kick to the ribs and spins him around, setting up a one armed slam.

The slow beating continues, including a neck snap to send Koloff sprawling. They head outside where Brody uses a chair (the referee doesn’t mind) and then get back inside for another slam to drop Koloff again. A fist drop gets two on Koloff but he avoids a charge into the buckle for the big crash. With nothing else working, Koloff grabs a shovel and comes off the top to knock Brody silly for the DQ and the third fall at 9:39 shown.

Rating: C. This was a slower paced brawl with the ending seemingly designed to keep the feud going. Koloff had something with the shovel/burying deal and this was about six weeks before the Coffin Match with Dusty Rhodes. It’s nice to see things tie together like this, as we’re waiting to see someone conquer the heel, which is what we got earlier in the set (which is some weird structuring but oh well).

From August 7, 1981.

Tony Atlas/Tiger Conway Jr. vs. Tank Patton/Colonel Buck Robley

2/3 falls again. Atlas signs a bunch of autographs before the match, only stopping for the introductions. That’s not something you see very often but it works rather well. There are also two referees here for a weird but logical visual. Atlas and Patton start things off but don’t do much of anything before it’s off to Robley. Conway ducks a right hand and fires away on Robley, who goes down in a hurry. Patton gets beaten up as well before Conway starts in on Robley’s arm.

Atlas comes in and Robley panics, apparently worried about getting beaten up even worse. A rather grinding headlock has Robley in more trouble and the dropkick has him down again. Patton comes back in and gets taken down by the dancing Atlas. Conway and Atlas take turns working on Patton’s arm until he manages to send Atlas into Robley’s knee in the corner. Atlas easily powers out of a cover so Robley goes with the bearhug to wear him down.

That’s broken up but Patton is there to cut off the tag attempt. Another bearhug goes on for a bit longer before Patton slams Atlas down. It’s back to Robley for another bearhug and Atlas ax handling his way to freedom still isn’t enough for the tag. Some shots out of the corner are enough to bring in Conway to quickly clean house. Everything breaks down and Patton drops Conway with a clothesline for the first fall at 10:53.

The second fall starts with Patton working over Conway before handing it off to Robley for a knockdown of his own. A piledriver attempt is blocked though and it’s back to Atlas to clean house. Headbutts abound and Atlas bearhugs Robley to even things up a bit from earlier. That’s broken up so it’s back to Conway to clean house again. A flying headbutt finishes Patton at 16:03 and we’re tied up.

Tiger Conway Sr. is at ringside cheering for his son, who takes Patton down by the arm. It’s back to Robley, who gets punched down with some big right hands. Robley comes back with a sleeper as Conway Sr. and Patton argue. It’s back to Patton to slug away, including a knee drop for two. Robley kicks him down again for one, with Conway’s foot getting on the rope. Back up and a kick to the face allows the tag to bring Atlas back in.

House is cleaned in a hurry, with some gorilla presses dropping Robley. Atlas misses a headbutt though and it’s back to Conway for a Boston crab. The kickout sends Conway into the referee though and the brawl goes outside. Robley grabs a chair but Conway takes it away and starts swinging. That’s enough for the referee to throw the third fall out and the match is a draw at 24:55.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but it was working well by the end. It was a match that should have been a bit shorter than it went, but the fans were going nuts for Conway and Atlas. You could see the star power in Atlas no matter what he was doing and I could imagine Robley and Patton being an annoying heel team. That makes for a good pairing, but it only worked out so well, mainly due to the match going long.

Conway and Atlas want to keep going but that’s not going to happen.

From 1966.

Johnny Valentine vs. Bull Curry

2/3 falls and no time limit. Valentine was a huge star and Greg’s father. He’s also the United States Champion but the title isn’t on the line here. Assuming the 1966 date is right, this would put the match at some point from June to August, though that’s assuming quite a few things. Valentine goes after the arm to start but Curry (the crowd favorite) slugs away to bang up Valentine’s ear. Commentary mentions Curry wanting revenge about Valentine hurting Curry’s son so there’s something personal here too.

They go with some grappling and Valentine grabs a front facelock, which is switched into a chinlock to keep up the grinding. Curry fights up and slugs away as the crowd gets back into things. Back up and Curry backs him into the corner, where Valentine manages a shot to send Curry out to the floor. They go back to the apron and Curry is knocked right back down again. Curry tries another slugout, earning a third trip to the floor. Yet another slugout actually goes to Curry, who is quickly rolled up for the pin at 9:46.

After the rest period, Curry wastes no time in punching him into the corner and then doing it again for good measure. The slugout is on again and Valentine is in trouble, mainly due to being busted open. More right hands have Valentine rocked, with maybe the best “no one is home” look I’ve ever seen. Valentine is knocked down and collapses, which is enough for a countout at 13:17. Curry is right there to start slugging away after the rest period and Valentine is in BIG trouble. The referee gets knocked down and the fight goes to the floor where it is thrown/counted out at 15:47.

Rating: B. This was a fight rather than a match and that’s a good way to go. The idea of Curry (known as Wild Bull) being someone who can’t be controlled, especially when someone has done something to his family, fits perfectly and it was working here. The beating that Curry gave him made Valentine look like he was dead on his feet and it was quite the sight to behold. I might have enjoyed this as much as anything on the set so far, which is a nice bar to clear.

Post match Curry keeps up the beating and has to be held back. Curry gets back in the ring and the fans go NUTS.

From November 30, 1979.

American Title: Bruiser Brody vs. The Spoiler

Spoiler is defending in another 2/3 falls match. They fight over a lockup to start and Spoiler’s knees in the corner don’t seem to do much. Brody shrugs that off and knocks Spoiler down before ripping at the face in the corner. The brawl heads outside with Brody hammering away and they grab a chair each. One of the chairs is brought in and Brody cracks him, which is fine with the referee. A slam and the big knee drop give Brody the first fall at 3:20.

Brody wastes no time in going right after him (the rest period is cut out here for some reason) but has to block the Claw attempt. Spoiler snapmares him down but still can’t get the Claw. Eventually it goes on, only for Spoiler to let it go and hit an elbow to the head. Another Claw attempt is blocked so Brody kicks his way out of the corner. Brody misses a charge into the corner though and the Claw goes on again and Brody is pinned to tie it up at 7:14.

After another missing rest period, Spoiler knocks him into the corner and goes up top for an elbow. They go outside and Brody gets posted, only to come back with some big microphone shots to the head. Brody tries to rip the mask off but Spoilers gets in a top rope forearm. A Claw attempt misses though and Brody goes simple with straight choking. Back up and Brody hammers away but Spoiler goes to the throat to take him down. Some elbows to the head set up the Claw for two, even with Spoiler grabbing the rope. Brody finally slams his way to freedom and another knee drop is good for the pin and the title at 14:38.

Rating: B-. It’s nice to save the title change for the end and they were beating each other up rather well. Spoiler continues to be someone worth a look, while you can definitely see Brody’s influence on a lot of modern brawling. Good enough stuff here, even with things going a bit slowly at times.

We get what appears to be the TV closing to wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B. I had a really good time with this as you could tell that there was a lot going on with the Houston territory. Boesch was one of the better received promoters of his day and it makes sense given how good some of the stars were around here. There is nothing close to bad and the better action featured some very high quality stars. Pretty awesome set here and I could go for seeing a lot more stuff like this, both from Houston and beyond.

 

 

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Beach Brawl
Date: June 9, 1991
Location: Manatee Civic Center, Palmetto, Florida
Attendance: 560
Commentators: Craig DeGeorge, Bruno Sammartino

Since my readers enjoy seeing my never ending spiral into madness, I present to you the Universal Wrestling Federation’s lone pay per view effort. This show is legendarily bad and one that I had on my original list of shows that I wanted to look at when I started reviewing shows. I’m not sure why I never got around to it but here we go. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at Gorgeous George and Bruno Sammartino, when wrestling was still great. That’s how the UWF was founded, with Herb Abrams wanting to bring things back to the glory days.

A not exactly inspiring opening video shows what we’ve got coming tonight. It’s like the 1980s fell asleep and stumbled into a mostly empty arena.

Bam Bam Bigelow is ready to win the TV Title.

Steve Williams is ready to win the TV Title. Or as he puts it, he’s “going to wear the gold around his belt.”

The arena is dark, likely because no one is here.

Herb brings out the TV Title and picks Gordy to win.

Ricco explains what we’re going to be seeing tonight and gives us the two hotlines to call. He’s no Gene Okerlund.

Bam Bam Bigelow has been training hard for his match, but clearly not for thinking of interesting to say for this interview. The most interesting thing mentioned here: it’s his son’s birthday.

Steve Williams doesn’t have any surprises for Bigelow tonight because Bigelow knows what to expect. He’s been on top of the world everywhere so everyone knows that when he walks into a room, excitement happens. So Bigelow, be ready for a fireman’s carry or an armdrag! Or maybe the Oklahoma Stampede.

You can buy the program for the show!

Black Hearts vs. Fire Cat/Jim Cooper

The Black Hearts (which was spelled Black Harts during the opening video) are Apocalypse and Destruction (better known as Gangrel) and have Luna Vachon, with a snake around her neck, with them (Whom Bruno says is attractive. There’s an image I NEVER need to see again.). Cat would be briefly known as Battle Kat in the WWF. Luna and the Hearts have a small goblet which spits out some smoke and now we’re ready to go.

Cooper gets double shouldered down to start but manages to legsweep let’s say Destruction. A middle rope elbow takes Cooper down though and a jumping clothesline drops him again. Destruction gets uppercutted into the corner and it’s Cat coming in for two off a Hart Attack (with an elbow instead of a clothesline). A shoulder puts Cat down but he’s right back with a wristlock….to send Destruction outside?

Back in and it seems that the Hearts have changed places, with commentary not being sure which is which. Cooper avoids a middle rope elbow and it’s Cat coming back in to pick up the pace. A superkick puts Apocalypse on the floor again and it’s time for a breather. Back in again and Cat rolls Destruction up for two as DeGeorge talks about all the media covering the show. They probably didn’t have trouble finding a seat.

A crucifix gives Cat two, with Bruno calling it clever. That’s enough for the Hearts, who hit a double flying shoulder for two more. Apocalypse’s northern lights suplex gets two on Cat but he DDTs his way to freedom. Cooper comes back in but gets cheapshotted as everything breaks down. The Veg-O-Matic finishes Cooper at 6:51.

Rating: D+. Oh yeah this is going to be a rough one if this is what they picked for an opener. It’s not a terrible match or anything but it’s something that has been done better about a million times. This was a pretty dull and lifeless match with little doubt about who was winning the whole way. If this was supposed to make me want to watch the rest of the show, we’re in trouble.

Post match, Luna chokes a bit.

DeGeorge tries to explain where Palmetto is, eventually saying it’s about 45 miles south of Tampa. Maybe that has something to do with the horrible attendance? Just perhaps?

Luna wants more competition for the Black Hearts.

Terry Gordy vs. Johnny Ace

Street fight (also known as “we wish we were in Japan”) and Ace is Mr. All America. Even commentary acknowledges that the fans don’t care about him. They grapple against the ropes to start and it’s already a bit more energetic than the opener. Ace counters an atomic drop into a headlock, meaning that energy is already gone.

The headlock takeover puts Gordy down again and they stay on the mat for a bit. Gordy fights back up so Ace hits a middle rope spinning crossbody but Gordy blasts him with a clothesline for two. They go into the corner as DeGeorge talks about the Blackhawks in the first match. Gordy’s belly to back suplex gets a rather slow two, followed by a powerbomb for two more.

Gordy charges into a boot in the corner and Ace dropkicks him to the floor, setting up a dive to take him down again. Ace sends him into some chairs as they finally remember that this is a street fight. They fight beyond the crowd to show off the empty seats….and it’s a double countout at 6:27. In a street fight, leaving the announcers rather confused.

Rating: F. They had a double countout in a street fight. It doesn’t help that there was nothing street fightish about it until the last thirty seconds and what we got before then was hardly anything worth seeing. This show is already showing how weak it really is as we’re thirty minutes in and it feels like a bad indy show rather than some game changing pay per view.

Post match they keep fighting for a few more minutes until….well no one breaks it up actually. Gordy throws a chair in and dares Ace to join him but that’s not happening. For some reason Gordy turns his back and Ace chases him off, even stealing the chair. What a villain….I think? Gordy leaves but Ace follows him to brawl some more as this is almost longer than the match itself.

Mask Confusion vs. Power Twins

Mask Confusion is the Killer Bees and the Power Twins are Larry and David with John Tolos. Well they’re supposed to have him at least but the UWF isn’t allowing him to be here in front of these idiot fans. As you would guess, Masked Confusion is not masked. Larry shoves Brunzell around to start and a cheap shot from the apron lets the twins pound away. They aren’t bright enough to keep Brunzell from crawling to the corner so it’s off to Blair.

Larry is catapulted into David to knock both of them outside in the requisite heap. Back in and it’s a double spinning toehold on Larry, allowing Brunzell to crank on the leg. Black twists it around a bit as they start laying on the leg. There’s a double wishbone for two and it’s right back to the leglocking. Larry rakes the eye though and brings in David, who is taken straight down into the same spinning toehold.

This one doesn’t work as well and some forearms to the back set up the bearhug on Blair. The Twins stay on the back and add a double backdrop, with Blair landing on his hip. Choking on the rope and in the corner ensues as Blair can’t get anything going. A double clothesline gives Blair a breather but David is smart enough to knock Brunzell off the apron.

Blair is knocked outside as well and they come up in masks, meaning that other than their size, shape, height and energy levels, there is no way of telling them apart. They make the most obvious switch possible and Brunzell makes the comeback, including the dropkick for two. An assisted sunset flip lets Blair pin David at 13:04.

Rating: D+. And that might be the match of the night so far. I still don’t get why we’re supposed to cheer for a team like Masked Confusion who blatantly cheat but they were faces for most of their WWF run so I guess it counts. Sure they did the masked thing there too so it doesn’t make much more sense either, but never let that be a problem. This was a formula based tag match so it was a little better, though not by much.

Ladies Championship: Candi Devine vs. Rockin Robin

For the inaugural title and Sammartino is having none of DeGeorge oogling Devine. They start fast with Devine knocking her down and hitting a backdrop but Robin gets her boots up in the corner. The front facelock goes on and a sunset flip only gets two. Devine slingshots her down and grabs the Boston crab (not a very good one mind you). Back up and Robin slugs away before avoiding a knee to the ribs. Robin hits a clothesline and takes her into the corner for some right hands. A missed charge into the corner lets Robin grab a rollup for the pin and the title at 6:20.

Rating: D. This was a slightly above average women’s match for the time but you could tell that they weren’t going to get much better than they did here. That’s fair enough to them as well as women’s wrestling just did not matter at this point. To her credit though, Robin was one of the better and more under appreciated women of the time. Given that there was no story here and what they had to work with, they did as much as they could have.

We recap Colonel DeBeers vs. Paul Orndorff. DeBeers didn’t like the idea of a black man refereeing his match and attacked him a few times, including one rather big beating. Then one day the referee started wrestling so DeBeers whipped him with a belt….and Orndorff is in there somewhere, even if he’s not shown here.

Paul Orndorff vs. Colonel DeBeers

Strap match and Orndorff comes out to Can’t Touch This, which is rather disturbing in a variety of ways. The rules are a little weird here as there is one strap and the referee throws it into the air like a jump ball in a basketball game to determine who gets it. The taller DeBeers gets it and hammers away, including some shots in the corner.

DeBeers misses a charge into the corner though and Orndorff uses his feet to bounce DeBeers on the top. The strap to the throat sets up some choking from DeBeers but he comes back with a slam. He can’t find the strap so he goes up, allowing Orndorff to pull out the strap and knock him out of the air. Orndorff grabs a quick piledriver for the pin at 3:17, even though DeBeers’ shoulder was up.

Rating: D+. There was no time here but Orndorff had the same energy and intensity that he always showed. The strap rules were a bit weird but I’ll take this over the touch all four corners deal any day. It helped that this was the only match with and kind of a story so far too, so I’ll take what little I can get.

Post match Orndorff waves the American flag but DeBeers comes back up with a taser to knock Orndorff out. DeBeers even steals the flag to make sure that this continues.

Here’s Captain Lou Albano for the Captain’s Corner. He doesn’t like his guests tonight but he’ll bring them out anyway, meaning the Black Hearts with Luna Vachon. Albano rants about how he doesn’t like all the evil talk….and he walks away without any of the three talking. Did they just need to fill in some time here?

Bob Backlund vs. Ivan Koloff

Legends match and Koloff has a generic manager named Mr. Red. Koloff has the chain of course and Backlund comes out to Stars And Stripes Forever, just in case you needed to have the idea hammered into you. Neither gets anywhere with a hammerlock attempt to start as Koloff drop toeholds his way out of a hammerlock.

Koloff goes to the ropes to escape another hammerlock and then takes Backlund down for some legdrops on the arm. The short armscissors has Backlund in trouble but he does the lift, which isn’t as impressive as Sammartino was explaining what he would be able to do. A backdrop sets up Backlund’s O’Connor roll out of the corner…..for the pin at 2:27. Well that was quick, with Backlund looking almost as polished as anyone on the show so far.

Post match, Backlund talks to some kids for a nice moment. After Backlund leaves, here’s Lou Albano to knock out Mr. Red and steal his pants.

We recap Bob Orton/Cactus Jack vs. Wet N Wild, which seems to be a rematch from February and March, with both times seeing a surfboard involved.

Wet N Wild vs. Cactus Jack/Bob Orton Jr.

Jack and Orton have John Tolos with them. Wet N Wild are Sunny Beach and Steve Ray and one of the few gimmicks that makes a lot of sense at a show called BEACH Brawl. It’s a brawl to start with Wet N Wild dropping Orton and Jack so they can shove Tolos into a shark cage. The cage is raised and we settle down into a regular match. Jack throws Beach outside in a hurry and Orton knocks him down again, setting up the middle rope elbow to the concrete. Seriously…….just dang Jack.

Back in and Orton stomps away on Beach, setting up a not great looking suplex. Jack’s Russian legsweep gets two but Beach grabs a fall away slam. The hot tag brings in Ray to clean house but the ref gets bumped in the corner. Everything breaks down and Tolos throws brass knuckles to Orton. If you don’t know what is going to happen next, you have no business reading this. Beach gets the pin on Jack at 4:33.

Rating: D+. This felt like “we’re desperately out of time but here’s a finish”. The ending was one of the lamer finishes you can find but at least they did something to give the good guys the win. It doesn’t help that the match was, yet again, something that flew by and didn’t have time to do anything whatsoever.

Post match Jack is busted open and the brawl is on with Tolos not being able to break it up.

We look at how Bam Bam Bigelow and Steve Williams made the tournament finals. Bigelow beat Ivan Koloff, Colonel DeBeers and Cactus Jack while Williams beat Nikolai Volkoff, Steve Ray and then drew a bye.

UWF SportsChannel TV Title: Bam Bigelow vs. Steve Williams

For the inaugural title. The bell rings but we need to have Herb Abrams bring out the title, which will be the company’s top title as they don’t have a World Title. Williams isn’t waiting though and Abrams is shoved down, only to have Bigelow hit a clothesline and headbutts. Some shots to the face have Williams busted open early but he explodes with a heck of a clothesline.

Some knees to the face have Bigelow down again but he comes back with the headbutts (not a good idea as he is busted open as well). Bigelow’s slingshot splash gets two and he plants Williams with a DDT. The top rope splash gets two but Williams is back with a belly to belly suplex for his own near fall. Another clothesline connects and Williams is getting all fired up. Some running shoulders drop Bigelow and a powerslam gets two. Williams can’t hit the Oklahoma Stampede so he settles for another powerslam to finish Bigelow for the title at 7:33.

Rating: C-. And that’s your match of the night with a resounding “well it wasn’t THAT bad”. They did a decent power match here and Williams winning is a marginally better choice. Then again, Bigelow would be main eventing Wrestlemania in less than four years and Williams would be heading back to Japan so…..honestly it’s about a tossup for their respective futures.

Post match, Williams praises Bigelow and says he’s ready for every challenger. Abrams challenges every champion everywhere to come and face Williams.

The announcers talk about what we just saw.

Williams talks about how awesome he is but needs to leave to see another doctor. For some reason, the interviewer counts the pin on the replay in Spanish.

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Quick recap of the results (again with the Black Harts being spelled differently and it’s Backlund, not Backland) wraps things up.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: F. I don’t know how to say this, but it’s really not the worst thing I’ve ever see. It’s really, REALLY bad, but there’s nothing on there that makes it legendarily bad. The bigger problem here is more that there’s absolutely nothing worth watching and the show is a big waste of time. If this is what they wanted to challenge the main two promotions, they’re reaching Vince Russo levels of delusion.

Overall, the show just feels like the most low budget of indy shows with a bunch of names who were past their primes but probably worked cheap. There isn’t even anything to get mad about, as the only really bad/stupid thing was the double countout in the street fight. There is no reason to watch this as it’s not Heroes of Wrestling or anything close to it, but rather a completely lifeless show that felt like it got caught in a time warp and staggered into 1991. Don’t watch this and just let it be remembered for what it was: forgetful.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Four in one week.  That’s hard.

https://wrestlingrumors.net/kbs-review-long-farewell/

Please give us any stories you might have of any of them.  They’re always worth it.

What is that, four in ten days or so?  Koloff is most famous for taking the WWWF World Title away from Bruno Sammartino, ending the legendary seven year reign.  He went on to wrestle around the world, including some time down in the Crockett promotion.

Today’s wrestler is the original WWF superstar: Bruno Sammartino.

Bruno started in 1959 and the earliest I can find for him is 1963 in what might be the WWWF in Buffalo. I’m assuming this is the whole match.

Bruno Sammartino vs. Hans Schmidt

Bruno easily wins a forearm battle to start and knocks Schmidt out to the floor. Back in and Schmidt chokes with the tag rope and pounds away in the corner. Bruno is stomped down and has his head rammed into the buckle. He fights back but gets his hair puled to put him right back down. Some big forearms put Hans back outside and the stalling begins. He comes back inside and they slug it out until the bell rings, presumably for a time limit draw.

Rating: C. This is a hard one to rate as we didn’t see most of the match (fairly obvious given how fast the match ended) but what I saw wasn’t all that great. The interesting thing here though is how aggressive both guys were. This could have passed for your modern power brawl if you didn’t know what era it was from, which says a lot when this is over fifty years old.

We’ll jump ahead to the end of Bruno’s WWWF Title reign for this match from July 25, 1970 in Philadelphia.

Bruno Sammartino vs. George Steele

Gorilla Monsoon, the host of the tape this is from, says this is from sometime in the 60s but isn’t sure exactly when. That would likely be because it’s from the 1970s but he’s close enough. Back then Steele was a top heel so this would have been a big time fight. The cage is weird looking as it’s more or less wire walls rather than a traditional cage. Steele has riot gear police officers bring him out. This is still escape rules. Naturally the commentary is from the 80s rather than back in the day as there likely wasn’t commentary done for this originally.

This is clipped to an extent. Bruno hammers him as this is probably the culmination of what was a major feud. Steele looks identical to what he would for the rest of his career. Steele actually gets a low blow before eating a turnbuckle. He rubs the stuffing into Bruno’s eyes which blinds him but George won’t just leave. Apparently Styrofoam stuffing is blinding. This is in Philadelphia according to Monsoon.

Bruno gets rocked by Steele for a good while as the camera and lighting is really different here but of course at the time no one knew what to do from a production standpoint as this was a very new idea back then. Bruno Hulks Up as Steele pounds away and then runs as Bruno can’t be hurt. Sammartino destroys him by ramming him into the cage a bunch and then climbs out.

Rating: C-. Nothing great here but seeing something from this far back in time is always cool. Steele didn’t change a bit in about twenty years and was still completely awesome the whole time. This was a pretty ok match but the clipping didn’t help. Bruno was completely awesome in cages and this worked ok but at six minutes shown, how into a cage match can you get?

Here’s a fairly famous match from MSG on January 18, 1971.

Bruno Sammartino vs. Ivan Koloff

The footage is very old and of low quality so the details might be sketchy here. Also the match itself ran about fifteen minutes but only eight minutes of footage exists. Koloff grabs a quick headlock to start but is backdropped down as the champion escapes. A slam and an armbar put Koloff down but he grabs a headscissors to escape a cover. Bruno gets monkey flipped down but takes over with an armbar.

We’re clipped to later in the match and another armbar by Bruno. Either that or the referee has developed the powers of teleportation. We’re clipped again only seconds later to Koloff holding Bruno in a bow and arrow hold. For the third time in about 30 seconds we’re clipped to Bruno trying to escape the hold but Ivan holds him in place. Again we’re clipped to Ivan cranking on the hold even more. Bruno finally escapes the hold and turns it into one of his own but Ivan makes the rope.

They circle each other a bit and we’re clipped to them circling each other again. Bruno grabs a headlock but gets shoved off and shoulder blocked down. Koloff grabs another headlock and we’re clipped to Bruno being shoulder blocked down again. Bruno hooks a drop toehold into a leg lock but we’re clipped to further in the same hold. The champion stomps on the leg but we’re clipped to Koloff choking away. We’re immediately clipped again to Koloff stomping on Bruno before sending him hard into the corner.

Ivan keeps punching and kicking away and we’re clipped to him doing more of the same. This is one of the most clipped matches I’ve ever seen but for footage over 42 years old, there’s not going to be a much better option available. Koloff pounds away even more and we’re clipped to Bruno making his comeback with right hands to the ribs and a kick to the same place. A slam by Sammartino gets two and we’re clipped to him holding Ivan in a chinlock. We’re clipped again to a cover by the champion but Koloff is too close to the ropes.

We’re clipped again to Bruno hammering away and getting two off a punch to the ribs. Another clip takes us to Ivan in a chinlock again and another clip takes us to later in the same hold. The hold gets two and we’re clipped to Ivan sweeping Bruno’s leg out. We’re clipped yet again to Ivan doing the same thing before we’re clipped to Ivan kicking Bruno in the chest.

A fourth clip in fifteen seconds sees the referee accidentally being knocked down by Koloff in the corner but he’s right back up. Ivan slams Bruno down in the corner and goes up top, dropping a knee in the stomach of the champion. He covers Bruno and history is made as we have a new world’s champion for the first time since 1963.

Rating: C. The rating is based on what we were able to see. While it’s certainly not as intricate or flashy as the matches we regularly see today, there was definitely an energy to the match and nothing looked terribly bad. The problem here of course is the ridiculous amount of clipping, but from what I understand we saw about half of the match here, which is more than I’ve ever seen before.

We’ll jump ahead again to a tag match from some point in 1973.

Bruno Sammartino/Dick the Bruiser vs. Baron Von Raschke/Ernie Ladd

Baron and Bruiser get things going here with Von Raschke hiding from Dick’s right hand. Some shoulders put Baron down and a middle rope stomp is good for two. Ladd makes the save and Bobby Heenan is losing it. Bruiser hooks a chinlock and we’re clipped to Bruno coming in to face Ladd.

Bruno sends the much bigger Ladd into the buckle and knocks him over the top with a single right hand. He puts the boots to Ladd but gets shoved down by the Baron. Bruiser grabs Von Raschke by the face and sends him to the floor before doing the same to Ladd. Back in and Heenan breaks up a cover before Bruiser backdrops Baron. A cover gets two but Von Raschke gets his foot on the ropes…..which the referee pulls off and counts the three for a pin.

Rating: C+. Again better than I expected here though I’m assuming the referee was a bit crooked. This was a very different era where you could win a match on a backdrop and no one would think anything of it. Again I really like the energy out there and it made for a more entertaining match than I was expecting.

Here’s another match from the WWWF in 1974 on TV from Philadelphia. Bruno is champion again but I think this is non-title.

Bruno Sammartino vs. Mr. Fuji

Some armdrags put Fuji down to start and he looks shocked by Bruno’s speed. Fuji goes to the eyes like a true heel should, only to get whipped hard into the buckle to keep the champion in control. A slam puts Bruno down but he kicks away and grabs an armbar. The hold stays on long enough that we get a replay of the last few moments. Fuji comes back with another slam but misses a running splash.

We’re in the third armbar in five minutes and it’s time for another replay. Fuji comes back with a pectoral claw so Bruno just nails him in the jaw. It’s foreign object time and a rake to the eyes with whatever Fuji has is enough to take over. Bruno again comes right back with a knee to the ribs so Fuji goes to the eyes again. Vince: “There’s no telling what’s in the tights of Mr. Fuji.” Fuji goes up top but gets slammed down for two. A backdrop is enough to pin the evil Hawaiian.

Rating: D+. See what I mean about the times being different? If nothing else, the lesson we learn here is don’t get backdropped in the 1970s. The match was pretty dull with armbars that were long enough to air replays. To be fair though this was just a TV match so not a lot was going to happen.

Here’s the first ever cage match in MSG on December 15, 1975.

WWWF World Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Ivan Koloff

This is inside a steel cage and is called the first ever cage match in Madison Square Garden. You can only win by going out of the cage. Koloff attacks to start the match but Bruno fires off right hands to send Koloff into the cage. Bruno sends him chest first into the buckle and fires off some knees to the face to keep control. Vince calls Koloff the favorite to win the match for some reason. Bruno pounds away even more and sends Ivan face first into the cage wall again.

Bruno stomps away on the back of the head before sending him into the cage again. All Bruno so far. Ivan comes back with a kick to the stomach to take over and now Sammartino tastes the steel. The champion comes back with more right hands and sends Ivan into the cage yet again. Bruno fights back with right hands and pulls Koloff back in as he tries to escape. The ring is especially loud in this match. Ivan goes face first into the cage three times in a row and make it four.

Koloff gets a boot up in the corner to put Sammartino down before dropping the top rope knee onto the champion’s ribs. Ivan is bleeding from the forehead. Bruno pounds away and hits a knee to the chest to keep Ivan in trouble. They seem to mess up a spot before colliding in the ring. A knee to the ribs staggers Ivan and Bruno sends him into the cage once more. Koloff is rammed into the cage again and again before being sent hard into the corner.

Ivan is now between the cage and the ring as Bruno turns up the aggression even more. He sends Koloff head first into whatever metal object he can find before choking with his boot. The champion rakes his boot over Koloff’s eyes and sends him into the cage yet again. There are two more shots into the cage before Bruno climbs out of the cage to retain his title.

Rating: D+. This was a rather short cage match and it was a glorified squash at the same time. Koloff was soundly defeated here which was the entire point of the match. Still though, it wasn’t incredibly exciting as the majority of the match was Bruno ramming Ivan into the cage over and over again. That being said, the fans loved Bruno and that’s the point of the game.

Another title defense from March 1, 1976.

WWWF World Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Ernie Ladd

Ladd is a 6’9 former football player who was a powerhouse in his own right. The video is labeled as being from Madison Square Garden but it doesn’t look like that arena whatsoever. Ladd has a taped up thumb that the referee wants to take a closer look at. A quick armdrag by Bruno sets up an armbar but Ladd makes the rope. Bruno tries the same combination again and gets the same result. Ernie grabs a quick bearhug and Bruno is in some early trouble.

Ladd gets him down to the mat for a two count with the hold and puts his feet on the ropes for extra leverage. He gets caught too many times though and the referee finally breaks the hold. This time Ladd starts choking away but moves around fast enough to avoid the referee from seeing him. A big slap to the face puts Bruno down again. The champion comes back with a bunch of right hands including one that knocks Ladd out to the floor.

That goes nowhere so Bruno pulls him back in and whips Ladd into the corner. A backdrop puts Ernie down and there’s a boot to the head. Ladd is on the mat holding his head before getting back up and hitting the champ in the throat. A headscissor takeover gets two for Ladd but Bruno comes back with punches and knees to the ribs.

Sammartino rams Ladd into the buckle a few times but misses a charge into the corner. Ladd hits a football tackle to drop the champion and then does it again. A slam puts Bruno down and drives the taped thumb into Sammartino’s throat. Ernie goes up top for a splash but only hits canvas though, giving Bruno the pin to retain the title.

Rating: C-. While this was a somewhat more energetic match than some of the other ones that we’ve looked at, it’s still a pretty slow paced affair. Ladd was a huge power guy which doesn’t quite work against a smaller (5’10) powerhouse like Bruno. The match was decent enough though and it got a good reaction from the crowd, but it was still kind of dull to sit through. It’s a very different kind of wrestling that not all fans are going to like which is understandable.

Time for another pretty famous moment from Baltimore on April 30, 1977.

WWWF World Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Billy Graham

The ring is especially wide here for some reason. They feel each other out a bit and Graham easily shoves Bruno around. Now Bruno shoves back and grabs an armbar for good measure. Graham makes the rope and heads to the floor for a bit before returning for a test of strength. Bruno goes down to his knees twice and even gets his shoulders counted a few times. The champ fights back and sends Graham to the floor to reset things a bit.

Back in and they fight over a top wristlock with Billy taking control again. Bruno fights back again and takes over with an armbar of his own. The challenger fights up and hits a knee to the ribs, sending Bruno down for some more stomping in the process. Graham goes to the throat to keep the advantage but misses a running knee in the corner. Bruno pounds away and Graham is busted open.

Billy comes back with a whip into the corner and it’s off to a bearhug on the champion. Bruno is in trouble all of a sudden but he fights up from his knees on the much taller Graham. Right hands to the head break the hold and there’s a hard whip into the corner by the champion. Now Sammartino hooks a bearhug of his own but Billy gets a rope. They fight in the corner with Bruno in full control. The referee tries to break it up though, allowing Graham to trip Bruno’s legs out from under him and roll Bruno up with his feet on the ropes for the pin and the title.

Rating: C. This wasn’t too bad but more importantly it showed what Graham could do in the ring. He was insanely powerful and had a flashy look as opposed to the bigger than average but still relatively normal look that dominated wrestling in the 70s. This was Bruno’s last match as champion and he went out in a pretty good way.

And a rematch on August 1, 1977.

WWF Title: Bruno Sammartino vs. Billy Graham

Gorilla is the guest referee for this one and good night is he huge. He shoves Graham around for trying to jump Bruno before the bell. He has no issue with Bruno doing the same though. Gorilla is also doing the voiceover thing here and says that more or less anything goes here. For the second time he says he’s 423lbs at this point. He won’t count Graham out because he says he’s not ending a title match with a count out.

Bruno was limited in his offense but at the same time that’s all you have to do. I think this is in Toronto but I’m not sure at all. Graham gets the feet and gets something from under the ring. Ah it’s a rope. Bruno chokes him with it and Gorilla isn’t as adamant about stopping that. According to Gorilla this is in MSG also but there’s no way given how this arena looks.

The idea here is that Bruno just wants the title back and Graham is trying to find a way to escape with it as his power isn’t working this time as Bruno might be stronger and is at least just as strong. Bruno works on the knee and hooks a half crab. We get a clip again as the hold is broken. That kind of sucks the drama out of matches and I’m not a fan of it at all.

Graham throws in a low blow and Gorilla seems to be ok with it. On the commentary he claims it might have been in the thigh. Yeah the hand being up around the trunks of Bruno really looks like a thigh shot Monsoon. Graham goes up top and misses a knee and Bruno is all fired up again. Ok never mind as he eats post. Billy goes out and gets the belt which Gorilla steals as well. Shame he didn’t do it before the belt hit Bruno’s cranium.

Bruno is BUSTED WIDE OPEN as I channel my inner Gorilla. Graham hits the floor to leave so Gorilla throws him back in the ring. Well you can’t say he’s not active. He says if you look hard enough in the rule book it’s in there. Graham might be busted too and now he can’t get back in the ring.

Gorilla won’t count which is kind of funny. Bruno is ALL FIRED UP and there’s the bearhug again. And there’s a shot to Gorilla but still no DQ. Now that Gorilla’s shirt is just covered in blood he has no real choice but to stop it. It’s kind of hard to question that and he points out that he didn’t have much of a choice.

Rating: B-. Another brutal fight here with all kinds of blood out there. Feuds back then were based more on what happened in the ring rather than what happened on the mic so it’s a very different kind of style. This was a pretty fun match though as Bruno just beat the living tar out of him and Graham kept trying to cheat no matter what he could do. I liked it though.

Time for one of the biggest feuds ever at the time. Starting on January 22, 1980.

Larry Zbyszko vs. Bruno Sammartino

Now THIS is some legendary stuff. This is the original match where it’s more of an exhibition than a match. Basically Bruno is the teacher who taught Larry everything he knows but Larry wants to prove he can hang with Bruno. This is from January of 1980. This is going to be all feeling out/nice guy stuff until the very end. Sammartino takes him to the mat with a drop toehold and has dominated the entire match so far.

Bruno keeps putting holds on Larry and then lets them go which is an odd choice of offense. Larry grabs an abdominal stretch but Bruno powers out of it. Half crab goes on Bruno but Larry lets it go. Sammartino grabs about his fifth hold and lets go of it too. They try a crisscross and Larry gets tossed over in a hiptoss. He’s getting very ticked off here.

Apparently Bruno said he’d only wrestle defensively in this match. Larry heads to the floor to cool his head and Bruno looks the other way for some reason. Larry comes back in and in the biggest heel turn ever at this point, DESTROYS Bruno with a wooden chair. There is blood all over the place. This was shocking and came out of absolutely nowhere. It also set up the hottest feud of the year which we’ll get to the blowoff of in a second.

Rating: C-. The match itself means nothing as the heel turn is the whole thing. This was one of the biggest angles ever and is still a huge turn that works to this day. They would feud over the summer and would blow it off in front of about 40,000 people in the infield of Shea Stadium. We need to get to that now.

Now the blowoff from Showdown at Shea. For this match, bare in mind that it’s from the WWE 24/7 version. Michael Cole and Mick Foley did not do commentary for a match in 1980.

Larry Zbyszko vs. Bruno Sammartino

Wrestling 101 here: Bruno was the mentor, Larry decided he had surpassed the teacher, teacher kept being the star, student attacks the teacher, they go to a baseball stadium and have a wrestling match in front of 36,000 people in a box with no lid on it. Tale as old as time. Old school cage here, as in the kind they have now. NUCLEAR heat on Larry. Bruno gets the only entrance of the night.

We even get clips of Zbyszko’s heel turn which is WAY rare. Bruno jumps him to start and Larry hits the cage 3 times in about 5 seconds. You can only go through the door here and not over the top for no apparent reason. Apparently Larry talks about this match to the point of annoyance. Low blow gives Larry a chance to breathe as this has been very intense so far.

Foley makes another interesting point: Bruno headlined all three Shea shows and only once was world champion at the time. That’s saying a lot. This is the first match with an angle and the crowd clearly knows it. We get into a discussion about whether Bruno would be successful today and the commentators say yes because he was the people’s man. You know, like that blue collar guy that represented the hard working everyman who didn’t like his boss. Someone you could have a beer with. Or maybe a case of them if you get what I’m talking about. Yeah I think Bruno would have worked today.

Almost all Bruno so far. Now we talk about Stan Hansen inspiring Foley to sleep with his wife. Ok then. We hear about Larry and Foley driving together and Cole says how would they get a word in edgewise? Foley says he only talks over Cole because he’s smarter than Michael is. Nice line! Bruno’s arm is bleeding so Larry punches away at it. After nearly ten minutes Larry makes the first attempt at the door, naturally not getting there.

We get into a semi-argument over whether or not Foley ever worked out. Foley seems genuinely ticked off about that and I can’t say I blame him. Bruno wakes up and beats the heck out of Larry, kicking him in the head one more time and walking out to win it definitively. Bruno beats on him some more after the match ends

Rating: C+. Solid match for what it was supposed to be which was a big time brawl. The fans loved it and Bruno decisively won. What more can you ask from them? This was a blowoff to a feud and that’s what they did. There’s nowhere for this feud to go from here and it ended. That’s what gimmick matches are for. LEARN THIS RUSSO!

We’ll jump ahead to Bruno returning to the WWF after a few years away. Here’s a grudge match inside a cage on February 8, 1986.

Adrian Adonis/Randy Savage vs. Tito Santana/Bruno Sammartino

Wild brawl to start with Adonis vs. Santana and Bruno vs. Savage. Savage is the IC Champion at this point. You only win with both guys getting to the floor. They’re MOVING out there. Apparently the door is only going to be opened upon request. So it’s like a shave around the ears? Bruno, an old veteran of cage matches, stops Savage from trying to escape.

Even Adonis is running so you can tell they’re serious here. Bruno is beating the tar out of Savage here. I love the way he throws boots. This was actually a hot feud as Bruno came out of retirement to feud with Savage which in reality was a way to get his son some spots on TV. Tito makes a nice save to keep Savage in the door and Bruno crotches Adrian just because it’s fun. Gorilla says his wish just came true. I don’t want to know what that means. Tito is busted and it’s not bad.

It’s kind of odd to see someone use a kick as their main offense when you’re so used to seeing punches being the main thing. Savage goes for a double axe from the top but runs into the fist of Santana and the heels are in trouble. Savage is bleeding BAD. He manages to stop Santana though.

Adonis goes up and dives off the top, hitting Sammartino with a knee drop. Unfortunately that’s because he botched it for the most part and kind of fell off the top of the cage onto Bruno. Savage gets a leg over the top but runs into the taco salesman from Tijuana. The heels are slammed together allowing Bruno to get out the door and Santana over the top to end this.

Rating: A-. Sweet goodness this was a war. They beat the living crap out of each other and none of the four ever stopped at all. Bruno could bring on the violence when he wanted to and apparently he wanted to do so here. This was a very good match with all four guys working very hard and never stopping once in about ten minutes. I liked it.

Another cage match on July 12, 1986.

Bruno Sammartino vs. Roddy Piper

Not a title match here as this is from the mid 80s. We’re in Boston here. Gorilla and Jesse talk about the experience you get in cage matches. Jesse wonders what you can actually learn in there which makes sense. Piper wears a Bears shirt which is around the time that the Bears beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. He also hangs posters in the cage which is a nice touch.

Bruno comes out and goes straight for Piper, sending him into the cage. Piper is bleeding maybe a minute in. Bruno shoves the poster in Piper’s face as this is a big beatdown. This was another big feud as Piper had totally not respected Sammartino as most young heels didn’t so Vince set this up before cutting almost all ties with Bruno. Granted that was mutual so that’s not a fair criticism.

Piper gets a low blow to save the match and barely has his shirt off yet. Sammartino has to make a big save to keep Piper out as he might be busted open too. Piper seems more like he’s just trying to escape while Bruno wants punishment. And there go Roddy’s trunks. Ok then. Bruno kicks away and they slug it out. Jesse has kind of stopped talking here.

Roddy goes up and Bruno pounds on his supple Scottish balls. That’s not quite enough for Bruno to get out but Bruno grabs a wooden chair as he’s trying to leave and blasts Piper in the head with it to win. Jesse says that was cheating but it’s a cage match so whatever I suppose.

Rating: B-. Not bad here and a bit longer than the previous one. Bruno was fun to watch and the fans always reacted to him. This was a veteran giving the young loudmouth a beating and that’s something that is always going to work. Nothing great but a fun match either way.

We’ll wrap it up with a match in Boston on January 7, 1987.

Intercontinental Title: Randy Savage vs. Bruno Sammartino

Savage hides behind Liz to start and Gorilla is freaking out on commentary. Bruno finally gets in a shot and sends Savage into the corner to put the champion in early trouble. Some right hands put Savage down and he hides behind Liz again. Bruno of course won’t swing with a woman in front of him so Randy gets in another cheap shot to take over.

A top rope ax handle drops Bruno on the floor and another drops him in the ring. Bruno comes back with his standard kicks to the ribs and Savage is in trouble. Another kick to the ribs drops Savage but Bruno ducks his head and takes a kick to his own face. A collision sends Savage to the floor and he brings in a chair for the DQ.

Rating: D+. This was just a brawl for the most part but the live crowd would have liked it a lot more than someone watching nearly thirty years later. Bruno was just a nostalgia act at this point but he certainly didn’t embarrass himself. It was entertaining enough though and that’s all this was supposed to be.

I don’t know what you want me to say. The guy sold out MSG something like 200 times. I think that speaks for itself.

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Starrcade 1985
Date: November 28, 1985
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina/The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Bob Caudle, Tony Schiavone

 

So we’re here in 1985 now and on to a new city in Atlanta. Wrestlemania has now debuted as the WWF and Hulk Hogan in particular are clearly something to be reckoned with. By expanding down into Atlanta, the NWA is now trying to spread out and not just be a regional outfit anymore. Hopefully the card backs it up. Let’s get to it.

 

As I mentioned, this goes back and forth from city to city. The first match is in Greensboro and the second is in Atlanta. Each subsequent match will alternate with the last one being in Atlanta.

 

We open with a highlight reel, much like you would open a TV show with. This show is called The Gathering for no apparent reason.

 

Caudle and Schiavone (with a stupid looking mustache) are in Atlanta and will be calling the action in both cities. Apparently every major title is on the line except for the TV Title, which is vacant at the moment. You would think this would be a good place to crown a new champion but I guess not.

 

Johnny Weaver will be doing interviews in Greensboro.

 

National anthem.

 

Mid-Atlantic Title: Krusher Khrushchev vs. Sam Houston

 

Speaking of crowning new champions, this is a tournament final because former champion Buzz Tyler had left the territory. Krusher is more famous as Smash from Demolition and this is his power vs. Houston’s speed. Houston is a cowboy character and the half brother of Jake Roberts. There’s something wrong with Tony’s mic as you can only hear whispers of what he’s saying.

 

Houston slips down and sends Krusher to the floor before holding his own in a slugout back inside. Krusher will have none of that and grabs Sam by the throat to slam him down. An elbow drop misses though and we’re back to a standoff. Houston grabs a headlock and a headscissors to take Krusher down. Khrushchev tries everything he can to get out of it before just picking Houston up and placing him on the top rope. Houston comes right back with an armdrag into an armbar and Krusher is down again.

 

Back up again and Krusher just throws him into the air and lets Sam crash down onto his face. Why over complicate things when you can do them that simply I guess. Krusher does the same thing off a gorilla press before punching Houston right in the jaw. Off to a bearhug but Houston fights out of it pretty quickly. The Russian goes up but gets crotched down, allowing Sam to pound away in the corner. The bulldog (Sam’s finisher) hits but Krusher gets his foot on the ropes. Sam celebrates too much and Krusher hits the Russian Sickle for the pin and the title.

 

Rating: C+. Nice little match here with a basic power vs. speed formula. Khrushchev was your typical American Russian (he was from Minnesota) so thankfully he didn’t talk all that much. Houston was way too small to be taken seriously and his career never took off, even in the far less serious WWF in the late 80s.

 

Abdullah the Butcher vs. Manny Fernandez

 

This is a Mexican Death Match, but in reality you win by climbing a pole and grabbing a sombrero. Butcher knocks him down to start and stabs him in the head with a fork (a signature move of Butcher’s) to bust him open. The commentary is odd here as there are long gaps in between the announcers saying anything at all. Manny fights back with right hands and actually monkey flips Butcher down.

 

A boot (not on Manny’s foot) to Abdullah’s head puts the big man down but Manny misses a charge, allowing Butcher to take over again. Abdullah goes for the hat which he can reach while still on the middle rope, but Manny makes the save. Now Manny takes the boot to the head but he comes back with some belt shots to the back. Butcher knocks Fernandez down and stands in the corner, only to miss an elbow drop.

 

Fernandez pounds away with the belt around his hand before suplexing Butcher down. Not bad for a man in socks. Manny goes for the hat but gets hit low with the fork. Butcher chokes away a bit but Manny fires off the Flying Burrito (forearm) and a second one drops Abdullah. A top rope splash misses Abdullah but the Butcher misses a charge into the corner, allowing Fernandez to get up the ropes and grab the hat for the win.

 

Rating: C+. This was a pretty fun brawl and the more I see of Fernandez the more I like him. They didn’t try to have a wrestling match here and that was the right move all around. Butcher was a good brawler and Manny was able to hang in there with him, which made for a fun match. Good stuff here.

 

Krusher, with no Russian accent at all, says he’s ready to defend the title anywhere. He says the Koloffs are keeping the tag titles too.

 

Ron Bass vs. Black Bart

 

This is a Texas Bullrope match and if Bass wins, he gets a five minute bullrope match with JJ Dillon, his former manager and Bart’s current manager. You win by pinfall here. Bass immediately hits him in the head with the bell on the rope and Bart is in trouble. Bart is busted less than a minute into the match and Bass pounds him in the head with the bell over and over.

 

Bart tries to punch his way out of the corner and gets choked with the rope for his efforts. Bass pounds in more shots to the head as we have a recurring theme to this match. Bart finally gets in a bell shot of his own to bust Ron open, but after a few more he misses a charge and goes flying to the floor. Bass keeps pounding away with the bell on the floor, including with a shot off the apron. Back inside and you can insert your own NEEDS MORE COWBELL joke here.

 

Bass wraps the rope around Bart’s neck and pounds away as the match somehow gets even more repetitive. Both guys fall down as JJ, clad in a tuxedo t-shirt, screams at Bart to get up. Another bell shot sets up a crotching from Bass with the rope. A HARD bell shot to the head has Bart down yet again. Ron pounds on him on the mat but has to stop to yell at JJ, allowing Bart to get back up. The Black one misses a charge in the corner though and a middle rope bell shot from Bass is enough for the pin.

 

Rating: D+. I wasn’t wild on this one. The big problem here is that it’s the same stuff over and over and over again, meaning it gets really dull after the first few minutes. Some of the bell shots looked great but when you have like thirty of then in an eight minute match, they kind of lose their effectiveness. Not terrible but it’s the epitome of a one idea match.

 

As a result of that win by Bass, we get this.

 

Ron Bass vs. JJ Dillon

 

This is a five minute bullrope match and JJ jumps Bass as the bell rings. JJ chokes away with his boot and hits Bass in the head with the bell. Then he hits Bass again with the bell. Now JJ mixes things up by hitting Bass in the head with the bell. They FINALLY do something else as JJ chokes him down with the rope, only for Bass to make a comeback and slug JJ down with the bell for a bit. A big shot to the head has Dillon down but the referee gets bumped. Bart comes back in and piledrives Bass, giving JJ the cheap pin.

 

Rating: F. What was the point of this again? To give Bass revenge? I guess so, but I don’t call a few shots to the head with a bell and then getting beaten up by the guy he just beat getting revenge. I’m assuming JJ dumped Bass recently for Bart, but that’s one of those things that the announcers didn’t feel was important enough to explain to us.

 

Now we get some good old fashioned ARM WRESTLING between Billy Graham and the Barbarian. Graham finally puts him down but Barbarian’s manager Paul Jones whacks Billy with a cane as soon as it’s over. Apparently it’s time for a match.

 

Barbarian vs. Billy Graham

 

Barbarian rips at Graham’s face and chokes away like any good monster villain would do. He even bites Billy’s forehead but doesn’t bust him open here. We get a very early bearhug from Barbarian and he slams Billy down, only to miss his top rope headbutt. Graham stomps away and puts on his own bearhug but Jones comes in and breaks it up for the DQ.

 

Rating: D. Was there a point to this? It was barely long enough to rate and the majority of the match was spent in those bearhugs. Graham would be back in the WWF sooner than later and Barbarian would continue to be this same character for about twelve more years. Nothing to see here.

 

National Title: Buddy Landel vs. Terry Taylor

 

Landel is challenging and this is for the Georgia Championship Wrestling main title. Terry, I think the face in this match, takes Buddy down to start and gets some fast near falls off various leverage moves. Landel is basically a Ric Flair tribute wrestler, even using the Nature Boy as his ring name. Buddy fires back but runs into a boot in the corner from the champion.

 

Terry goes after the arm so Buddy pulls back and BLASTS him with a single right hand to knock Taylor down. That looked great. Here’s JJ Dillon to cheer on his man Landel. I’m not sure why he wasn’t here to start with but whatever. Anyway Terry gets clotheslined down but comes back with a counter to a suplex for two.

 

Off to a camel clutch by Landel which goes on for a bit as JJ talks a lot of trash. Terry starts to fight out and dropkicks buddy down before standing on his face. That’s a new one. The referee is knocked down so JJ throws in a foreign object and Taylor gets knocked silly for a very close two. Terry comes back and loads up a superplex, only to have Dillon trip him down and let Buddy land on top for the pin and the title.

 

Rating: D+. Not much to see here but then again neither guy was ever anything of note to begin with. Buddy would be thrown out of the company a few months later due to drug problems and Dusty would get the title as a result. Taylor would go on to the UWF and then the WWF, where he would become a half man half rooster. Wrestling is funny like that sometimes.

 

National Tag Titles: Minnesota Wrecking Crew vs. Wahoo McDaniel/Billy Jack Haynes

 

The Crew is Ole and Arn Anderson and they’re defending. This is again the Georgia title, but at least they’re being defended in Atlanta and not Greensboro. Hayes and McDaniel are the US Tag Champions but aren’t defending here. Cowards. Haynes and Arn start things off with Arn getting shoved around by the (allegedly) much stronger Billy Jack. Off to Ole vs. Wahoo with the Indian cleaning house.

 

Arn wants nothing to do with Wahoo and backs off a tag from his cousin. He finally comes in and gets caught in a fast headlock before putting Wahoo in one of his own. The Andersons get McDaniel in their corner and let the arm work begin. As mentioned last year, if there’s one thing you can count on from an Anderson, it’s working the arm over. They take turns with their armbars and hammerlocks, including the hammerlock slam from Ole.

 

Wahoo FINALLY gets in a chop to Arn and rolls his overly large self to the corner for the tag off to Haynes and house is cleaned. It’s quickly back to Wahoo for the big chop on Arn but Ole breaks up the near fall. Wahoo fires off chops in the corner, only to have Ole trip him up and give Anderson a cheap pin, much like the finish to the Taylor vs. Landel match.

 

Rating: C-. Another not great match here but I could watch the Andersons work on someone’s arm all day. It was a pure science for them and it worked for so many years. They would soon get involved in the greatest stable of all time while Wahoo would soon retire and Haynes would bounce over to the WWF a few years later. Not much to see here but the Andersons were their usual awesome selves.

 

Buddy Landel brags about being the “World’s National Heavyweight Champion.” Gee I wonder why he was let go.

 

US Title: Magnum TA vs. Tully Blanchard

 

This is definitely the biggest match of the Greensboro card and has a huge feud behind it. As mentioned, Tully stole the US Title from Magnum over the summer, setting off a war between the two based off the culture clash between the two. You had Tully Blanchard who was the wrestler’s wrestler. He was as technically sound as you could ask a wrestler to be, drank champagne and rode around in limousines. On the other hand you have Magnum who rode Harley-Davidson’s and drank beer. As mentioned, this storyline and characters would be copied almost identically for Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin in 1997.

 

This is inside a cage and is an I Quit match, which means anything goes and you lose when you make your opponent say I quit. Blanchard is defending if that wasn’t clear. Tully takes it into the corner to start but Magnum throws that great right hand of his to knock him down. The champ keeps taking it to the mat but Magnum turns it into a brawl. Back up and Tully starts pounding away on the ribs but Magnum comes back with some HARD punches to the face.

 

Magnum gets him between the ropes and the cage and rakes Tully’s face against the cage. Tully comes back with an elbow off the ropes to gain control before sending Magnum into the cage. Off to a reverse chinlock but Magnum fights out, only to be kneed in the back. Back up and Magnum pelts him with more right hands. The sounds as they hit make you cringe every time. Blanchard sends him into the cage and rakes at Magnum’s face as the brawling continues.

 

Now TA (short for Terry Allen, Magnum’s real name) sends Tully face first into the cage a few times and it’s off to an armbar. Tully is busted BAD already as Magnum keeps pounding away. Baby Doll screams for Tully to fight back so Blanchard gets in a right hand of his own, busting Magnum open as well. Tully gets the corded microphone and we get an iconic scene with Tully shouting at Magnum to SAY IT, Magnum shouting NO and Tully hitting him in the head with the microphone.

 

A top rope fist puts Magnum down but he still won’t say it. They get to their feet and Magnum slugs him back down before pounding him with the mic. Blanchard rips at Magnum’s eyes and POUNDS him with right hands. Magnum punches him down and tries to get Tully to quit but Blanchard kicks him down. TA punches him in the corner but Tully comes out with an atomic drop. Both guys look like they’ve been through a war.

 

Tully drops some elbows and throws the referee away. He brings in a wooden chair and immediately breaks it against the mat to get a nice jagged piece. Tully tries to drive it into Magnum’s already cut forehead but Magnum knocks it away and gets the wood himself with a crazed look in his eye. He knocks Tully down again and DRIVES THE SHARP EDGE INTO TULLY’S EYE, making Tully scream that he quits and giving Magnum the title. Magnums is fired up from winning the title but looks down at Tully holding his bloody eye and becomes very stoic, realizing what he did to win the title and beat Blanchard.

 

Rating: A+. Not only is this the best match of the night, not only is this the best match in the history of Starrcade, but it’s in the running for greatest match of all time. This was an absolute war and it felt like these two wanted to kill each other. If you’ve never gotten to see this, go check it out right now as it’s absolutely required viewing for wrestling fans. If you want to see a fight instead of a wrestling match, check this out.

 

Jimmy Valiant/Miss Atlanta Lively vs. Midnight Express

 

This is a street fight and Atlanta Lively is Ronnie Garvin in drag for no apparent reason. The Express is Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton. They’re in tuxedos for reasons not explained here and have Jim Cornette with them. Lively throws powder in Eaton’s eyes to start and chokes him with a necklace. This is a big brawl with no semblance of tagging or an actual match but the fans are WAY into it.

 

Condrey gets double teamed in the ring but Lively goes out to beat on Eaton a bit more. Valiant puts Condrey in the sleeper with the latter being busted open, continuing a running theme tonight. Now Dennis pulls out some powder of his own to throw into Jimmy’s eyes. Lively gets some of it as well and the Express takes off their belts to choke away.

 

Valiant fights back and it’s time to rip off the clothes. Cornette comes in with his signature tennis racket and blasts Lively in the head. The Express throws Valiant to the floor, only to have him come back in and pound away even more. Valiant is held down for a top rope legdrop, only to have Lively punch Eaton out of the air and score a fluke pin.

 

Rating: C+. This was a BIG brawl although I have no idea what the point was of Garvin being in drag. He never was revealed as being Miss Atlanta Lively here so I’m assuming it would happen at some point in the future. The match wasn’t particularly good or anything but at least it was short and energetic.

 

Post match Cornette is stripped to his underwear for fun.

 

Magnum cuts one of the best promos you’ll ever hear, talking about how he’s going to be a fighting champion with fire in his eyes.

 

World Tag Titles: Rock N Roll Express vs. Ivan Koloff/Nikita Koloff

 

The Rock N Roll Express are two pretty boys named Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson who could fly around a ring as well as any pair of guys you’re ever going to be lucky enough to see. They’re also challenging here and this is in a cage. I believe you win by pin or submission only. Ricky and Nikita start things off and the fans are already chanting USA. Ricky, a far smaller man, is shoved down by the more powerful Nikita. Morton fires off a quick dropkick and we’re at a standoff.

 

Nikita pounds Morton down and kicks him in the ribs before bring in Ivan. Ricky starts speeding things up by flying around and hitting a quick cross body. Ivan crotches him on the top rope and it’s time for Morton to play Ricky Morton. For those of you unfamiliar, Morton was so good at being beaten down and making a comeback that the beatdown leading to the hot tag is called Playing Ricky Morton.

 

Actually scratch that as Robert comes in for a quick rollup and a double chop to the head gets two on Ivan. Robert sends him head first into the cage and Morton does the same. The Express starts doing their double teaming jazz as is their custom. It’s off to Nikita though and there’s the bearhug on Robert. Nikita rams him into the cage back first and does the same with Robert’s head for good measure.

 

Back to Ivan who is busted open as well. Robert is sent into the cage yet again and an elbow drop gets two for Ivan. Off to Nikita for some biting to the head before Ivan comes in for some slow power offense. Robert rolls away from a legdrop but Nikita comes in for a chinlock. Gibson is busted open as well, which seems to be a requirement tonight.

 

A kick to the back keeps Gibson down and Ivan gets two. Back to Nikita for some more choking but Ricky makes the save. Don Kernoodle, the Express’ second, starts a USA chant as the referee is knocked down. He can’t make the count on Robert but as he gets back up, Ricky makes a blind tag and rolls up Ivan for the pin and the titles out of nowhere.

 

Rating: B. Good old fashioned tag match here with the Express getting destroyed until the very end where they won on a pure fluke. The fans were WAY into the Express at this point and Morton would even get a program with Ric Flair. The Russians were a great old school tag team idea with both guys looking like monsters and acting like it as well. Also this was nice to see a change in the usual Express formula with Gibson getting beaten down instead of Morton.

 

Post match the Russians beat up Gibson some more with a triple team clothesline (including Khrushchev, their second) and whip him with a chain.

 

NWA World Title: Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair

 

This is the rematch from last year, but this time with a much better story. Dusty had his ankle broken by Flair and the Andersons after saving Flair from the Russians. Leading up to this, Dusty gave one of the greatest promos of all time, as he talked about how Flair and the Andersons put hard times on the American Dream. Dusty talked about how the people of the country were in hard times and he would be the man that would fight for them and stop people like Ric Flair at Starrcade. It’s arguably the best speech in wrestling and is still talked about twenty seven years later.

 

Flair is defending and this is the definition of a main event. Dusty is introduced at 275lbs, which is what The Rock was billed at for many years. For some reason I think they’re lying about Dusty’s weight here. Rhodes dances to start and it’s time to throw the punches. Dusty takes him down with a series of right hands and Flair bails out to the floor for a breather.

 

Back in and Dusty pounds away with elbows to the head and a big one to drop him down to the floor again. Back in again and Dusty puts on a hammerlock to take Flair to the mat. We’re four minutes into this match and Dusty already needs a rest hold? Why am I surprised by this in the slightest?

 

Flair takes it into the corner and fires off some right hands to the face followed by the knee drop for two. Dusty bails to the floor and is already limping on his bad leg. Or maybe he just wants a pudding pop. Flair tries to jump Dusty on the apron but gets caught in the back of the head by some elbows to put Flair in trouble again. Back in and Dusty goes after the leg with a leg lock on the mat for more resting.

 

Ric escapes with a rake to the eyes but can’t suplex Dusty. Instead it’s Rhodes taking Flair over with a suplex and it’s back to the leg lock. Back up and Flair puts on a sleeper hold but Dusty falls forward, sending Flair into the buckle to escape. Now Flair’s leg is wrapped around the post and Dusty stomps away but the champ pokes him in the eye to escape.

 

Back in and we get a somewhat famous moment as Dusty tries a snapmare but basically lays Flair down instead. It’s so embarrassingly bad that it’s hard to believe such a move exists. Anyway, Flair goes up top and if you’ve seen one Flair match over the years you know what’s coming: Dusty slams him down but Ric gets in a shot to the leg. The Figure Four is blocked but Flair goes back to Dusty’s bad leg.

 

Back up and Flair is whipped into the corner and goes up and over to the floor. Dusty stalks him like a big juicy hamburger with onions and sends Flair into the barricade. Back inside and the referee gets poked in the eye, allowing Flair to throw Dusty over the top. The referee gets his vision back and counts two off a cross body from Rhodes, followed by some right hands to the head.

 

Flair is busted open as is his custom so Dusty pounds away with rights and lefts. Ric backs away from the Bionic Elbow and there’s another Flair Flip in the corner, only to have Ric run the corner and dive into a punch to the ribs. Dusty goes for a kick but hits the rope and there goes the bad leg again. There’s the knee drop onto Dusty’s leg and it’s Figure Four time.

 

Dusty is in BIG trouble but he hangs on and screams at the referee to not stop the match. With the power of the fans Rhodes turns the hold over to escape and the big elbows crack Flair’s head open even more. A clothesline puts him down for two but the referee gets taken out on the kickout. Dusty accidentally throws Flair into the referee, knocking him out to the floor for good measure.

 

Now Dusty puts Flair in the Figure Four but here’s Arn Anderson. Dusty kicks him in the head with the bad leg with no pain in sight but we’re almost done so I can’t complain. Anyway Ole Anderson comes in and knees Dusty in the back to give Flair a near fall from a fresh referee. They get back up and Dusty small packages Flair for the pin and the title to blow the roof off the place.

 

Rating: B. This was a WAY better match that I remember it being. It’s far from a technical masterpiece or anything like that, but the match tells a good story and has the absolute correct ending. Dusty gets to fight off the men that hurt him and beats Flair in the middle of the ring as the fans wanted to see. Good stuff here.

 

Granted none of that mattered because the next week on television, Flair was given the title back because of the interference. This is known as the Dusty Finish, as Dusty, the booker at the time, was famous for having the match end and then change it later due to some technicality. At least it was a week later and not here though.

 

Overall Rating: B+. This is a really solid show and probably the best of the series so far. There are some definite weak spots in there such as the Landel match and some of the shorter stuff which didn’t accomplish anything of note, but the big stuff more than delivers and the crowd goes nuts for every major moment. It’s definitely worth seeing for Magnum vs. Tully alone but the rest of the stuff is good too. Very solid entry in the series here.

 

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