Rampage
Date: December 15, 2023
Location: College Park Center, Arlington, Texas
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

Rampage has been on a bit of a roll in recent weeks and that could make things all the more interesting this week. While we probably won’t be having a Continental Classic match this week, we do have the Von Erichs near Dallas and that should be enough for a change of pace. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Orange Cassidy/Von Erichs vs. Matt Menard/Jake Hager/Angelo Parker

Danhausen is here with Cassidy and company. Parker takes Ross up to the ropes to start but Ross cranks on the wrist. A dropkick and running boot to the face stagger Parker and it’s quickly off to Hager vs. Cassidy. Hager sends him hard into the corner but Cassidy rolls away and puts his hands in his pockets, setting up the tornado DDT.

Menard gets in a running knee to the head though and we take a break. Back with Cassidy rolling away and diving over to bring in Marshall to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Von Erichs dropkick Hager to the floor. Parker rolls Marshall up for two but Marshall rolls him up for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C. Much like they did at Final Battle, the Von Erichs being in a match near Dallas is as much of a layup as you can get. They didn’t try anything screwy here and had a quick match to let the fans have a fun moment. I’m not sure if the Von Erichs are ready to be around here full time, but at least they did the basics well here.

Post match the villains jump the Von Erichs but Danhausen (with purple hat) comes in but Kevin Von Erich comes in to Claw Hager. Again: give the fans something to cheer about.

Mark Briscoe is out of the Continental Classic but this is like his rookie season as a singles wrestler. Jay Lethal and company come up, with Briscoe saying he and Lethal face off next week. They agree to fight for honor and everything is cool.

Don Callis Family vs. Hunter Grey/Paul Titan

Grey and Titan look like crosses between the Barbarian and the Missing Link. Hobbs hits the World’s Most Dangerous Slam to pin Grey at 47 seconds.

Post match Don Callis rants about the Golden Jets, who came together out of fear of the Don Callis Family. Callis introduces the Don Callis Family Rules, which mean…any members of his Family can come after the Golden Jets. That needed a rule?

Ruby Soho is upset by her loss when Saraya comes in to yell at her. Saraya says Soho needs her, but Soho tells her to go beat Riho by herself.

Anna Jay vs. Red Velvet

Jay offers her a left handshake to start before they trade rollups for two each. Jay bows in front of her and gets kicked in the face for her efforts, only to send Velvet to the apron. A running hip attack puts Velvet on the floor as we take a break. Back with Jay cranking on both arms and snapping of a suplex. Velvet blocks another suplex though and strikes away before checking her watch. The running knees to the back rock Jay again but she’s right back with a Gory Bomb for two. Cue Matt Menard to distract Jay though and a discus lariat gives Velvet two. Not that it matters as the Queenslayer finishes Velvet at 8:34.

Rating: C. Jay continues to feel like someone that AEW wants to push and if she can take it to just one level higher, that could very easily take place. For now, she is doing well enough and getting in more and more reps should only help her. Velvet is doing well enough too, but she is only going to be able to go so far with the whole cooking deal.

We recap all of the Devil stuff from Dynamite, capped of by Hangman Page being laid out.

Top Flight/Action Andretti vs. Komander/Penta El Zero Miedo/El Hijo del Vikingo

Dante and Komader fight over arm control to start until Komander pulls him into something like an abdominal stretch. That’s broken up so Dante is sent to the apron, where he avoids a running dive from Komander, who of course sticks the landing on the floor. Back in and it’s off to Vikingo and Andretti to flip around each other, with Andretti flipping out of a headscissors.

Vikingo misses a kick to the face and we have a standoff, with even Jericho applauding. Penta and Darius come in to chop it out until Penta scores with some Sling Blades. Everything breaks down (you knew that was coming) and the triple dives drop Andretti and Top Flight as we take a break.

Back with Vikingo caught in the wrong corner but he gets in a springboard armdrag to both Martins. Penta comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down again. Komander hits a springboard Swanton but Dante knees him in the face. Vikingo is back in with a very springboardy legdrop to Dante in the ropes. Penta hits a Big Bang Catastrophe of all things on Darius but Dante is back in to run Komander over.

Penta Codebreakers Dante, only to get hit with an AA onto the apron. Back up and Komander hits a running dive, followed by a monkey flip to send Vikingo onto the apron. Everyone needs a breather until Penta and Andretti chop it out back inside. The other four join them in the chop off until Andretti and Top Flight hit stereo superkicks.

The other three hit superkicks of their own and a triple clothesline puts everyone down. All six nip up and hit kicks to the face to put them all down again. Back up and Darius and Andretti cut off Penta and Vikingo with Spanish Flys, followed by a spinning half nelson slam to pin Komander at 16:06. Justin Roberts refers to it as a “spectacular match” because he has to be different.

Rating: A-. Yeah that was awesome, with all six of them going nuts for a long time and never really slowing down for more than a bit at a time. I had a great time with this and they didn’t bother trying to do anything but tear the house down. It’s a bunch of flips and dives and everything is all over the place, but dang it was a fun ride. It isn’t some technical masterpiece full of psychology and logic and it’s not supposed to be. Incredibly entertaining match that will probably make your eyes pop more than once.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event alone carries the show, even with the rest of it just being ok. This was a show built around one match and little else, which works rather well for an hour long show. Obviously check out the main event, but there isn’t much else to see on here. Nothing is bad, but one match blew away the rest without looking back.

Results
Orange Cassidy/Von Erichs b. Matt Menard/Angelo Parker/Jake Hager – Rollup to Parker
Don Callis Family b. Hunter Grey/Paul Titan – World’s Most Dangerous Slam to Grey
Anna Jay b. Red Velvet – Queenslayer
Action Andretti/Top Flight b. Penta El Zero Miedo/Komander/El Hijo del Vikingo – Hal nelson slam to Komander

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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WCCW TV
Date: February 6, 1988
Location: Dallas Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Commentator: Marc Lowrence

It’s more WCCW as it’s the one year listed on the Network that I haven’t covered. As usual I have very little idea of what is going on here but I’d assume that the Von Erichs will be involved. I was three days old when this show aired, meaning it was on a Saturday, thereby ending my trivia about this show. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We open with a clip from Christmas 1987 as Shaun Simpson faces Eric Embry in a cage for the World Lightweight Title. The bloody Embry rolls through a high crossbody and pulls the trunks to win the title.

Then about a month later, Simpson faced and pinned Embry in a rematch, though the title didn’t appear to be on the line.

Then they fought again and Embry accidentally bumped the referee so there was no count when Simpson got a cover. Another wrestler came in to count the fall, which I can’t imagine counted. Thankfully another referee came in to say not so fast and gave the title back to Embry because the other referee understands how wrestling works. Even commentary was almost calling Simpson ridiculous for that one.

Now we look at John Tatum/Jack Victory vs. the Fantastics from some undated show. Some cheating gave Tatum the pin as we’re told this is from the same Christmas night show from before. Then another referee comes out to reverse the decision and give it to the Fantastics. The villains came back and got cleared out again.

Then about a week later, the Fantastics beat an unnamed team but Victory and Tatum ran in to beat them down.

Tatum and Victory don’t care that their Texas Tag Team Titles are held up because they won them in the first place and are still the Wild West Tag Team Champions. We see a video from the Fantastics promising vengeance, sending Tatum into a rant about how they won the titles fair and square. They’ll win the titles the first chance they get.

Al Perez vs. Matt Borne

It’s our first match, over a third of the way into the show. Wild Bill Irwin joins commentary and Gary Hart is here with Perez as they grapple around to start. The feeling out process continues with Borne not being able to get very far with Perez. A rollup gives Borne two and Hardy isn’t pleased so far. Perez shoves him into the corner for a change but the ans stay behind Borne. The test of strength goes on but neither of them can get very far again. Perez cranks on a hammerlock but Borne seems to go low to escape. That only gets two though and they trade rollups until Perez gets a backslide for the pin at 5:31.

Rating: C. The face/heel stuff was a little strange here as Perez wasn’t quite the crowd favorite but won in the end anyway. I’ve always liked Perez and it’s nice to see him getting a win. Unless Hart was a good guy at this point (which is hard to fathom), this was kind of backwards and commentary isn’t exactly explaining things all that well.

We look back at the end of last week’s show with the Von Erichs beating up Buddy Roberts, the Angel of Death and Iceman Parsons, the latter of whom is handcuffed in the corner (ala Fritz Von Erich on Christmas night, with commentary actually explaining something for once). The villains eventually ran off.

Angel of Death/Buddy Roberts/Iceman Parsons vs. Chris Adams/Kerry Von Erich/Kevin Von Erich

This is a Penalty Box match, meaning if you get caught cheating, you go to the penalty box (a small cage) for one minute. Get caught again and you’re sent in for two minutes. Kerry (he’s popular) and Buddy start things off with the former cranking on a wristlock. The discus punch sends Roberts outside fast and we pause a bit for some planning. Angel comes in and knocks Kerry into the corner so it’s off to Adams for a headlock.

Kevin comes in for the (barefoot) dropkick as commentary says there is no way Roberts can hang with any of these guys on his own. Roberts gets caught with a cheap shot and gets sent to the box and it’s off to Parsons to stomp on Kerry. The discus punch gets Kerry out of trouble but Parsons grabs a sleeper. Roberts comes back in as the fans won’t stop chanting for Kerry.

Another sleeper has Roberts in trouble for a change and Kerry drops a nasty looking middle rope knee. Roberts cheats again so Kevin gets in a shot from the apron, earning himself a trip to the box. Parsons comes in and quickly bails straight to the floor from the threat of the Claw. The Angel tries to go after Kerry without a tag and it’s off to the box for him as well. Parsons knocks Kerry to the floor (Marc: “Right in the asteroid.”) and Kevin goes over to check on him as Angel is out.

Kerry walks around the ring for some reason before catching Parsons’ leg and snapping it across the rope. The Figure Four goes on the bad leg but everything breaks down. Kevin chairs Roberts and Parsons as Angel and Kerry slug it out. Angel is knocked down and walks away as Adams is in the box and Roberts comes in.

We take a break and come back with Kerry gorilla pressing Roberts and Adams getting out of the box (making me think nothing changed in the break). Adams comes in with a top rope ax handle as things have slowed way down. The referee says that’s cheating and sends Adams into the box (with Kevin, who apparently went in off screen). Kerry Claws Roberts but here is the Angel again. Not that it matters as Kerry small packages Roberts for 14:38 (commentary didn’t notice).

Rating: B-. The penalty stuff was a WCCW mainstay but it got a bit confusing at times, as there were penalties that just seemed to pop up with no announcement. Either that or the penalties didn’t do much, as nothing would change while someone was in the box. The action was good and it felt like they were mad at each other though so I’ve seen far worse ideas. Better match than the rest of the show, as the Von Erichs vs. the Freebirds (or bird here) is always worth a look.

Post match Angel uses some handcuffs to lock Adams and Kevin inside…for all of ten seconds before they get out and save Kerry from the beatdown.

Overall Rating: C. I’m not sure what to make of this show as so much of it was spent on those recaps of things that happened weeks ago. I can’t say it was bad as I got where things were going, but do you really want to just air old stuff for the first 20 minutes or so of an hour long show? The main event was good, but this felt like a recap show for a long time and that’s a weird way to go on any given week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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IMG Credit: WWE

WCCW TV
Date: May 16, 1987
Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Attendance: 5,900
Commentator: Bill Mercer

So about a year ago, someone asked me to look at some WCCW shows. I decided to look at ten random episodes and somehow, two of the first three have been from the Parade of Champions. This is the 1987 edition, which didn’t quite have the same impact as the famous one in 1984. Mike Von Erich had recently passed away but the lack of 40,000 fans would suggest that fans weren’t quite as interested. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Steve Doll vs. Tim Brooks

Brooks is a rather scary looking man and Doll is probably best known for being in the ring when Scott Hall jumped the barricade on Nitro. Brooks jumps him at the bell (how villainous) and then lets him get back to his feet. How….nice I guess? Or stupid might make more sense. The amount of empty seats in the stadium is just embarrassing and there’s no way to hide it.

Brooks tries a sunset flip but Doll lands on him so Brooks works a waistlock in a smart move. It’s off to a test of strength as you can see several sections with literally no one in them. Doll goes to an armbar as they’re certainly in first gear so far. A headlock takeover has Brooks down again but he finally breaks it up with a knee crusher. Brooks stays on the leg by twisting the knee around and we get a rather extreme closeup.

With the knee getting a little boring, it’s off to a bearhug to change things up a bit. Doll slips out in a hurry and sends him into the corner (and nearly into the camera) but Brooks goes for the throat. An armbar puts Brooks down as the targets keep moving. Some shots to the back get Brooks out of trouble so Doll small packages him right back into it. Doll gets in a powerslam but oh yeah his knee is hurting so he collapses. A small package gives Doll the pin at 7:36.

Rating: D. This was a mixture of all over the place as well as messy, which made for a rather bad match. It’s like they could decide which body part to work on and the ending came out of nowhere. Both guys are capable of doing better than this so in theory this was just a bad night for both of them.

Al Madril vs. Mil Mascaras

Let the no selling begin. Mascaras wastes no time in taking him down for a double arm pull, which seems to hurt Madril a bit. The arm pulling continues until Madril makes the rope, allowing him to offer a handshake. Mascaras slaps the hand, which I guess is good enough. An anklescissors takes Madril down again and is keeps him on the mat in a hold you don’t see very often.

Madril’s hammerlock works as well as you would expect it to as Mascaras gets in some right hands to drop him again. There’s an abdominal stretch (and YES Mascaras hooks the toe) with Mascaras even pulling him down into a cradle for two. Madril finally gets in some shots of his own, including one to the throat to put Mascaras outside for a minute. That’s enough selling for Mascaras though as he’s right back with a flying shoulder, followed by the high crossbody for the pin at 7:04 (I have no idea how they got 10:27 for the official time).

Rating: D+. Mascaras is always an interesting one to watch as he’s a genuine legend but his reputation for not being interested in selling anything for anyone brings him down a bit. Still though, this was designed to be a Mascaras showcase and giving him a win here is hardly the worst idea in the world.

Red River Jack/Spike Huber vs. Abdullah the Butcher/Eli the Eliminator

Jack is pretty clearly Bruiser Brody under a mask. If his team loses, he has to unmask but if he and Spike win, he gets five minutes alone with Butcher/Eli’s (Eli was a territory guy who never got very big) manager Gary Hart. Huber is a smaller guy in good shape and seems to be part of a construction union. Eliminator drops Spike with a clothesline and drops a big leg to start but misses a second attempt. Jack comes in for some kicks to the head and everything breaks down early on.

Butcher chairs Jack in the back but he’s right back in to go after Butcher and Eliminator at the same time. A distraction lets Butcher’s other manager Jim Holliday post Huber as Butcher stabs Jack in the mask. That actually draws blood, which you don’t see through a mask very often. We settle down (kind of) to the villains taking turns on Jack until he kicks Eliminator in the face, setting up the hot tag to Huber. A slam and two legdrops get two on Eliminator as everything breaks down again. We lose commentary as Holliday comes in to save Huber, who reverses a Tombstone and pin Eliminator at 6:27.

Rating: C. This was a lot more sloppy than the previous two matches but also WAY more entertaining with the fans being into Jack and wanting to see Hart get what was coming to him. Huber felt pretty out of place here but he did his job well and was working hard so it’s hard to complain much about a short match like this.

Post match Hart and company unload on Jack and bust him open even further.

Red River Jack vs. Gary Hart

Hart goes after the banged up Jack but since it’s a wrestler vs. a manager and WCCW knows how to do this stuff, Jack fights back with ease and manages to take Hart’s shirt off. They fight to the floor and brawl up the aisle with Jack getting in a chair shot before heading back inside to win via countout (though there was no bell) at about 1:50.

We see some clips of Bruiser Brody defeating Jeep Swenson from last week (or later in the Parade of Champions).

WCWA World Title: Kevin Von Erich vs. Nord The Barbarian

Kevin is defending and Nord is better known as the Berzerker. Oh and David is wearing his brother Mike’s ring jacket with yellow roses for David in case you REALLY don’t know what to expect here. Nord goes straight at him and hits a flying shoulder to put the champ in early trouble.

A sleeper is broken up so it’s a powerslam for two on Kevin instead. Nord goes up top but misses a guillotine legdrop, allowing Kevin to hit his own slow motion powerslam. There’s a missile dropkick but Kevin’s splash hits a raised boot. A legdrop over the back sets up an over the shoulder backbreaker but Kevin gets smart and grabs the Claw. That’s enough to make them fall over the top and it’s a double countout at 5:33.

Rating: D+. What they had here wasn’t too bad but what in the world was that ending? They really couldn’t do anything other than a double countout in the main event of one of their biggest shows of the year for the World Title? After the previous match they aired had a countout as well? I don’t get the booking here, but then again this isn’t exactly the height of their creative powers.

Overall Rating: D. Egads this wasn’t much to see and it’s easy to see why the promotion is starting to fall apart. What was the appeal here? A tag match about unmasking someone who would be working later on in the show? This was a rather boring show and the best thing about it was the fact that I only had to watch part of the event. Rather bad night here and the empty seats told you almost everything you needed to know.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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IMG Credit: WWE

WCCW TV
Date: July 6, 1985
Location: Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Commentator: Bill Mercer

So a few weeks ago, I asked what people wanted to see more of from me. One thing I kept seeing was more WCCW, so I’ve picked ten episodes at random (random number generator) that I’ll be doing over the next little while. There are no connections between these shows but I don’t want to/don’t have time to do all of the shows. If nothing else it should be a nice sampler of everything the promotion had to offer. Let’s get to it.

Mercer runs down the card and previews the show. Promised tonight: an interview with Mike Von Erich about his shoulder injury. Oh dear.

Brian Adias vs. Kelly Kiniski

Kiniski (Gene’s son) is an anxious looking guy with a good look while Adias was best known as a friend of the Von Erichs and over by association. Kelly grabs him by the neck to start but gets reversed into a quickly reversed hammerlock. Some arm cranking keeps Kiniski slowed down until some forearms set up a chinlock. You don’t see that too often from the good guy so it’s off to a hammerlock instead. Adias finally charges into a knee in the corner though and a belly to back suplex gives Kiniski one.

Now we hit a proper chinlock until Kiniski drops him throat first across the top rope and tosses him outside. A sunset flip is broken up with a right hand and an atomic drop makes it even worse. That means another chinlock as Kiniski is about as fascinating as his father. Mercer says that’s every conceivable move Kiniski could use, which probably explains why his career didn’t go very far. Adias comes back with a dropkick but Kiniski headbutts him in the ribs to cut him off. A quick backslide gives Adias the pin at 8:50.

Rating: D. Adias was fine but he needed someone a little better than Kiniski to make this work. Really, his big thing was a couple of chinlocks and Mercer made it seem like that was all he could do. I know Adias was over because he was friends with the Von Erichs but there’s only so much that anyone can do in something like this.

Chris Adams vs. Mike Bond

Adams’ American Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line, though he actually lost it the day before this aired. Adams goes with a shove to the face to start so Bond backdrops him into an armbar. Back up and the referee tells Bond to open up those clenched fists. Apparently the open fists take away some of the strength as Adams takes him down with a headlock.

That goes on for a few moments so Mercer talks about all the cities in New York that are watching the show. Bond gets sent outside in a heap and gets kicked off the apron to make things even worse. Back in and Bond scores with a clothesline but Adams has had it and pounds him down in the corner. Bond slams him off the top but misses a top rope knee. A piledriver and the superkick finishes Bond at 6:13.

Rating: C. Much better than the opener here with Adams giving Bond a lot. The finish looked good two as Adams kicked his head off. Bond wasn’t exactly a name but Adams was quite the talent with a good look and the athleticism to back it up. Throw in that whole British gentleman thing and there was no way he wouldn’t be a star, which he certainly was.

We go to Mike Von Erich’s house where Ice Man King Parsons is rubbing Mike’s shoulder after he gets out of the pool. Mike doesn’t think he’ll need surgery because the rehabilitation is going well. Parsons yells about being there for Mike and all the training they’re doing to get the shoulder better. Mike will be back in two weeks and they’ll tell their story in the ring against Tim Brooks and the One Man Gang.

I know he meant well and his dad was the cause, but Mike just didn’t have it. He was stuttering during most of his lines here and didn’t have the look or the talking ability to be a star. Why would something like that matter to Fritz though? This is so sad to watch because the skills aren’t there and that made no difference whatsoever. That’s not Mike’s fault but Fritz didn’t care in the slightest because we were getting his kids no matter what.

Tim Brooks vs. Ice Man King Parsons

Brooks has super heel manager Gary Hart in his corner, along with One Man Gang (with a full head of hair). Kevin Von Erich comes out to even things up and it’s a big brawl before the bell. The villains are cleared out in short order and Kevin grabs a chair for a bonus. Do they really need that after beating the other two up that easily? Hart and company leave and we take a break, but I think you know where this is going.

Tim Brooks/One Man Gang vs. Ice Man King Parsons/Kevin Von Erich

Yeah it happened back then too. It’s another brawl to start with the villains being knocked outside again. Those two really aren’t very good at this bad guy thing. This time it’s Gang grabbing a chair of his own but Hart settles him down, leaving Parsons to headlock Brooks as the match actually breaks out. Kevin comes in to send Brooks face first into the post and then does it again, which is cool because he’s a Von Erich.

Everything breaks down for a bit until Kevin grabs a bodyscissors on Brooks. This one goes on for a long time, maybe because Kevin’s lack of boots gives him a better grip. The hold rolls over so Parsons tags himself in and everything breaks down again. It’s enough of a melee for Brooks to take over on Parsons, including the chinlock going on. Gang finally comes in legally for the first time and squeezes Parsons’ head, which is called a chinlock here. Hart tells them to switch back, drawing Kevin in because he’s had it with this cheating.

Brooks slaps on another chinlock but this one doesn’t last as long, allowing Kevin to come in AGAIN without a tag. Some right hands stagger the illegal Gang (who has the word MOON on both legs) but he comes in a few seconds later to hit the lumbering forearms on Parsons. A missed knee knocks Gang down though and it’s the hot tag off to Kevin so house can be cleaned. Kevin gets the Claw on Gang but a slap to the face breaks it up.

Parsons DIVES over/onto the referee for a failed save attempt, allowing Gang to choke from the apron. In something you don’t hear that often, Hart is smart enough to order Gang to let go before it’s a DQ. Things settle back down with Kevin getting the Claw on Gang but everything breaks down again. Parsons is sent outside and Brooks grabs his chain. The ref is bumped for a few seconds and it’s a DQ at 12:58.

Rating: C. I know it was rather messy and it felt like a wild brawl, but that was the point here. Parsons and Kevin were out for revenge for Mike and it makes sense to have them want to take the two of them apart. The ending leaves things open for later, making this a rather nicely booked match all around. It’s not great, but it makes perfect sense with everything they were trying to do.

Mercer recaps the show to wrap it up.

Actually we even get some credits, which still feel weird on a wrestling show.

Overall Rating: C. I liked this one well enough and I already get the ideas for most of the stories they were pushing this time. That makes for a fun show, but the important thing here is how nice everything looks. You would never know this was in 1985 as the only promotion with this kind of production value was the WWF, and even that had just started with Saturday Night’s Main Event. Very entertaining show here and I had a good time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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WCCW Television
Date: May 8, 1982
Location: Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Commentator: Marc Lowrance

A TON of these have been added to the Network and in my never ending quest to review as much wrestling as I can, it’s worth a try. I’ve done a handful of these before and have a decent working knowledge of the promotion so this won’t be the most confusing thing in the world. While I’m not sure on the specifics, I’ll go on a limb and say it’s something about the Von Erichs. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Lowrance welcomes us to the show and runs down the card. Simple idea and nothing you see too often anymore.

Frank Dusek is ready to take Wild Bill Irwin’s soul and the Texas Title.

Frank Dusek vs. The Spoiler

The much bigger (and much more masked) Spoiler shoves Dusek into the corner but doesn’t give a clean break. Dude could you let us know when you’re going to do that? We hit a Boston crab on Dusek but a rollup sends them both into the ropes for the break. Dusek’s headlock works as well as a headlock is going to work so Dusek, who seems to be more of a tweener, pokes Spoiler in the eye for a breather.

A hard whip into the corner drops Dusek again though and it’s time for some heavy forearms to the chest. Not that it matters as Dusek grabs a rollup with his feet on the ropes for three, only to have it called off because Spoiler’s feet were in the ropes too. The distracted Dusek gets rolled up for the pin a few seconds later.

Rating: D. I think this was either heel vs. heel or heel vs. tweener but it only kind of worked. Spoiler was a fine big masked man and Dusek seemed to be more of a midcarder, though the match wasn’t much to see. The ending definitely made Dusek out to be a heel, but the match was kind of a mess, which makes me think that this isn’t a show for people just jumping on.

Boogaloo Shaft/Ken Mantel vs. King Kong Bundy/Bugsy McGraw

There are two referees here for some reason. Bundy (with hair and billed from Alaska) and McGraw’s Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Unfortunately we get a mention of something Bundy did earlier in the evening, making me think that this is either out of order or not the complete show, which is always annoying. McGraw and Boogaloo (best name ever) start things off before it’s off to Bundy to hit Shaft in the head.

The much smaller Mantel comes in so Bundy invites him to hammer away. A wristlock doesn’t get Mantel anywhere as the announcer keeps going on about how we’ll get to see Fritz Von Erich’s first ever filmed match next week. Mantel slips between the legs and brings Shaft back in for a headbutt (see, he’s black and therefore has a hard head) to stagger Bundy. The heel manager distracts one of the referees to Bundy and McGraw can crush Shaft with standing splashes (in front of the other referee) for the pin.

Rating: D+. I want to be reincarnated as a guy named Boogaloo Shaft (which is definitely a name Watts came up with after seeing the marquee at a movie theater somewhere). This was just over a squash, though again the ending didn’t make a ton of sense. If there are two referees, what’s the point in distracting one of them? It didn’t feel like one of them was crooked but that’s the only way that ending makes sense.

Gary Hart (top heel manager) says he’s bringing in someone called the Dragon, who is a great martial artist and very similar to Great Kabuki. The Dragon has an amazing sleeper and everyone will know of true torture. All that matters to Hart is getting rid of Fritz and only Asians are cold blooded enough to do it. The Dragon would be Kazuharu Sonoda, who was never a major star.

Al Madrill vs. Armand Hussein

Again they talk about something Bundy did, but this time they say we’ll be seeing him later. Geez this show really is all over the place. Hang on a second though as Hussein has to do his ritual, whatever that is. It is but a ruse though as Hussein jumps Al and sends him into the buckle a few times to take over. We hit the required choking as the fans are trying as hard as they can to get behind Madrill.

Armand pulls at the face until the referee actually drags him away from the ropes. That’s enough to start the comeback with Madrill firing off some punches to the head. They fight outside with Hussein choking with the rope before avoiding a charge back inside. Hussein misses a running flip splash though and its a jackknife rollup to give Madrill the pin.

Rating: D+. Not a terrible brawl here as Hussein was looking like a decent heel, only to have him screw up and lose at the end in a big of a surprise. Madrill seemed to be rather popular with the fans and he’s a name I’ve heard of before, albeit not very much. Then again when you’re a face in this promotion and not a Von Erich, it’s not going to matter for the most part.

Richard Blood/Mike Bond vs. Bill Irwin

Irwin is Texas Heavyweight Champion and he has to pin both opponents within ten minutes. Also that’s not Ricky Steamboat, though the name did make my head spin for a second. Blood works on a headlock to start and it’s off to Bond for one of his own. Irwin shrugs them both off without too much effort with a gutwrench suplex getting two on Blood. Bond runs him over with a shoulder as the jobbers are getting in way more offense than you would expect. As I say that, Irwin ends Bond with a clothesline for the first fall. A powerslam plants Blood and a running knee drop puts him away.

Rating: D. This was a little more entertaining than you would expect with Irwin selling way more than I would have guessed. That being said, you’re only going to get so much out of a guy destroying a pair of jobbers in a little over three minutes. If nothing else though, the Blood name gave me a chuckle.

Kevin Von Erich vs. Great Kabuki

Kabuki has been attacking Kerry and David is here for revenge. The fans want Fritz, who is in Kevin’s corner. The brawl is on in a hurry as they fight to the apron with the referee barely able to break it up. Back in and Kevin grabs a wristlock, which is how you deal with someone trying to injure your brother. Kabuki superkicks the heck out of him and we hit a chest claw. Kevin fights up but gets kicked in the head for his efforts, triggering an argument between Gary Hart and the referee.

Now it’s off to a double chest claw, which is totally hardcore. Kevin fights up again but can’t get the Iron Claw. Instead it’s off to a stomach claw, because these people don’t have the most varied offenses. A splash hits Kabuki’s raised boot and he starts ripping at the eyebrows. That’s certainly a new one.

Back up and Kevin starts his comeback with a dropkick to send them both outside. Fritz and Gary get into a fight as Kabuki works over Kevin inside. Fritz is choking Gary by his tie and holding him in his chair but here’s Bundy to stomp Fritz down. Kevin goes out to brawl with Bundy and it’s a double DQ.

Rating: D+. This was designed to set up Bundy vs. Fritz for Fritz’s retirement match where Fritz was just nice enough to give himself the title one more time. As for the match itself, the brawling and action were good but the claws were only going to take them so far. Then again, the fans were going to erupt over ANYTHING the Von Erichs did, especially against Hart and his men. It’s a simple formula but it certainly worked for a long time.

The Von Erichs want to keep fighting. I’m assuming this is the Bundy thing referenced earlier, which means this was taped out of order. That’s quite odd but it’s nice to know that you got everything they were talking about and that nothing is missing from the show.

Lowrance wraps things up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The first thing that becomes very clear around here is that you have to be a long time fan. They’re not going to walk you through these stories or explain what’s really going on. What they will do though is give you some of the best production you could ever imagine. Compare this to 1982 WWF and you won’t believe it’s from the same time. This looks like a low level show from 1990 or so, which is such a completely different time in wrestling.

The wrestling was what you would expect from 1982: mainly kicking and punching with a big move thrown in at the end, but again this was all about the backstory and long term stories. You don’t see a single recap of what’s been happening and, aside from the occasional reference by Lowrance, you really won’t know why these people are fighting or who they are for the most part. It really does make you appreciate the WWE style of today where a single package will tell you everything you need to know in a few minutes.

I’d check more of this stuff out later on, but it’s really a show built around the idea of watching the long term stuff, which takes its sweet time. The key things here though are the crowds being white hot and a fast pace of action. It’s easy to see why this promotion has the reputation it does and it’s WAY ahead of its time. Check it out if you want to see why this was the hottest promotion in the world for a very long time, though that wouldn’t take off until the end of this year.

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