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

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

No opening of course, which makes sense.

Brett Wayne vs. Bill Irwin

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

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

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

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

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

Tim Brooks vs. Bob Sweetan

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

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

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

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

Tully Blanchard vs. Pez Whatley

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

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

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

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

TV Title: Ron Garvin vs. Iron Sheik

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Scott Casey vs. Buzz Sawyer

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

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

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

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

National Title: Mr. Wrestling II vs. Larry Zbyszko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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World Championship Wrestling
Date: June 25, 1983
Location: WTBS Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentator: Gordon Solie

I liked last week’s show and this one should be fun again. We’re also getting a slightly shorter show this week, as they’re only going for the regular hour rather than the extended version last week. I wonder if this is the whole thing that was broadcast, as last week was treated like two different shows. Anyway, let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Gordon Solie is back and brings in Mr. Wrestling #1 to talk about tonight’s show. Solie runs down the card and we’re already off to a break.

Back with…the same people here and Wrestling announcing that we have a new rule: in the event of a draw, the referee gets to determine the winner.

National TV Title: Iron Sheik vs. Bob Roop

Sheik is defending and has Paul Ellering in his corner. Roop wrestles him down to start and grabs a headlock takeover. Sheik gets up and is headlocked right back down as they’re in the basic starter phase here. They get up again and Sheik chops him in the corner, which has Roop annoyed.

A slam lets Sheik set up the front facelock so Roop fights out with a running knee. The elbow drop gives Roop a quick two and he gets Sheik up for a suplex. That earns him more chops against the ropes and they go with the grappling…until the time limit expires at 6:56. So the referee gets to pick the winner and he picks, uh, neither, as it’s a draw.

Rating: C. Well, it’s kind of a weird way to start the draw rules but it’s actually pretty accurate here. Neither of them really stood out over the other and it’s fine to have the two of them stay this way. If nothing else, it would have been a stretch to have the title change hands on a referee decision. Logical, but odd overall.

Larry Zbyszko complains about Mr. Wrestling II cheating against him and we see clips from their National Title match at the Omni, with Wrestling using KICKS! Zbyszko pulled the referee in the way of a running knee before getting knocked down. Wrestling’s friend Rick Rude came in to count the pin and gave Wrestling the belt, which he took with him.

Back in the studio, Zbyszko demands the title back and says that he deserves the respect after beating Bruno Sammartino. He even says there are rumors Sammartino is going to come to Altoona, Pennsylvania (Huh?) but for now, we need an unbiased referee. That would be his friend Killer Tim Brooks, who insists he’d be impartial. This was a fine heel rant after Wrestling looked like a moron and it’s nice to get the story that simply.

We meet the new host of the upcoming Georgia Superstars show. He looks like my cousin so this is rather odd.

Larry Zbyszko vs. Pez Whatley

Non-title, Killer Tim Brooks is referee and Mr. Wrestling II is sitting at ringside. Believe it or not, Zbyszko stalls to start and talks a lot of trash before they trade arm cranking. An exchange of takedowns leaves us with a standoff before Whatley gets two off a sunset flip. Back up and Zbyszko slams him down and gets headbutted for his efforts. Whatley grabs a backslide for two and tries a small package but time expires at 6:55. And Brooks gives it to Zbyszko of course.

Rating: C. Weird time limits aside, that at least makes some more sense, as now you can have someone just cheating as a referee, which seems to tie into the top title program at the moment. Zbyszko and Brooks work well enough together, though you could see something from Whatley. He’s young and energetic and I could go for seeing a bit more of him in the coming weeks.

Mr. Wrestling II is livid and is ready to face Zbyszko for the belt anywhere anytime.

Zbyzsko is ready to be back at the Omni on July 3 and will bring his own special referee.

Tommy Rich has won an award for contributions to wrestling in 1982 and gets a watch.

Mr. Wrestling II vs. Killer Tim Brooks

Wrestling II has the National belt with him but isn’t champion. Hold on though as Mr. Wrestling I comes in to be referee and here are Larry Zbyszko and Rick Rood to join us at ringside. II takes Brooks down and ties up the leg, with Brooks being in trouble. Rood trips Brooks down and gets yelled at, with Brooks grabbing a snapmare into a chinlock. Brooks stomps away but II is back with a backdrop and the running knee (finisher) to send Brooks into the ropes. Zbyszko gives Brooks a foreign object but I takes it away, meaning it’s another running knee lift to pin Brooks at 5:24.

Rating: C+. I really am kind of digging Brooks here and it’s cool to see him getting presented a lot on these shows. Putting him in there against a star like II and it’s worth a look. This ties into the title program too and I being in there as a fair referee makes things all the more interesting.

The good guys come up to the announcers’ desk and II tells Zbyszko to bring all of his “gimmicks” to the Omni because they can both have a guest referee.

Paul Ellering thinks the Road Warriors are tough.

Ronnie Garvin knows he can beat the Iron Sheik and we see him beating the Iron Sheik, but it was one minute after the time limit so there was no title change. The title is a trophy, so Garvin breaks it instead. What a nice guy. Garvin has one more title shot at the Sheik and he promises to win.

Buzz Sawyer vs. Ronnie Garvin

Sawyer jumps him to start fast and grabs a side suplex but Garvin is right back with right hands and ad ropkick as they’re certainly starting fast. Garvin knocks him to the floor and Sawyer takes the countout at 1:11. Ok then.

Paul Ellering and the Iron Sheik are ready for Garvin, one more time.

Ole Anderson is happy that his cousin (got it, cousin this time) Arn Anderson has changed his mind about Paul Ellering, with the face turn likely taking place at the Omni.

Road Warriors/Paul Ellering vs. Arn Anderson/Brett Wayne/Chief Joe Lightfoot

Ellering is in street clothes because he trusts the Warriors to beat the three of them up on their own. Hawk (well, not officially as the Warriors don’t actually have individual names yet) gets caught in the wrong corner so the good guys can work over his arm. That doesn’t last long as he drags Anderson into the bad corner for some alternate beatings but time expires and the show ends at about 2:00 shown. That’s just something you dealt with back then.

Overall Rating: B. Yeah this worked really well and I want to see more from this promotion. That’s all the more impressive when I was dropped into the middle of this show and it’s still working out this well. The wrestling wasn’t exactly great, but it’s 1983 studio wrestling so you’re only getting so much. I get most of the stories and care about what’s happening with these people without much time. I’m getting why this promotion has its reputation and that is rather cool to see.

Results
Iron Sheik vs. Bob Roop went to a time limit draw
Larry Zbyszko b. Pez Whatley via referee’s decision
Mr. Wrestling II b. Killer Tim Brooks – Running knee lift
Ronnie Garvin b. Buzz Sawyer via countout
Road Warriors/Paul Ellering vs. Arn Anderson/Brett Wayne/Chief Joe Lightfoot went to a time limit draw

 

 

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

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World Championship Wrestling
Date: June 18, 1983
Location: WTBS Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Freddie Miller, Bob Roop

Well here’s your random one of the week as we have a random episode of the original WCW show. This would be from Georgia Championship Wrestling and it was one of the hottest wrestling shows around at the time. I have no idea what to expect here but Tommy Rich will likely be featured. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Gordon Solie isn’t here this week so Freddie Miller is our host/commentator.

Tommy Rich (with some very blonde hair) says Buzz Sawyer is always looking over his shoulder. He doesn’t care who Sawyer sends after him though because he isn’t leaving. We see a clip of Rich chasing Sawyer for a brawl backstage and Rich blames Larry Zbyszko for causing the whole thing. The brawl goes back into the arena with Rich getting the better of things to wrap it up.

Miller throws us to house show ads which of course we don’t see.

Mr. Wrestling II vs. Joel Young/Bob Brown

I think I have the names right at least and Wrestling has to beat them both. Wrestling knocks Young around to start and the knee lift sends him into the ropes for a count from the referee. Back in and a front facelock sets up a chinlock as this is one sided thus far. A young Rick Rood (Rude of course) is wandering around the ring as Wrestling hits his running knee lift for the pin at 4:36. Brown comes in to go after Wrestling but gets backdropped. Another knee lift gives Wrestling the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird one as Wrestling beat the fire out of both of them and then it just kept going. That’s the kind of a match that could go on for just a few minutes and end about the same way. That being said, Wrestling was a huge star in this area so putting him out there for a long match makes sense.

Post match Larry Zbyszko (National Champion) tries to come in but get sknocked away rather quickly.

Buzz Sawyer insists that Larry Zbyszko isn’t scared of anyone. He also doesn’t like Tommy Rich trying to steal his spotlight. They’ve been fighting all around the world and they’ll do it again in Albany, Georgia on July 7 and Sawyer can’t wait. There is nothing left of Rich when Sawyer gets done with him.

Iron Sheik and Paul Ellering come in, with Ellering comparing Ronnie Garvin to a wet pig. He sees Garvin’s face everywhere from in the bathroom to when he’s eating his cuisine. The Iron Sheik will be ready for Ole Anderson too.

Killer Tim Brooks vs. Zane Smith/Rick Rood

Brooks snapmares Smith down to start and grabs a chinlock, followed by a quick front facelock. Some elbows have Smith in more trouble as it is WEIRD to see Rude as a clapping good guy on the apron. Brooks rips at Smith’s jaws and drops him throat first onto the top rope. A suplex and legdrop finish Smith at 4:01 so Rood comes in, though Brooks has to stomp on Smith a few more times first.

Rood’s headlock doesn’t last long as Brooks grabs him again. Another headlock doesn’t work so Rood shoulders him down, with Larry Zbyszko grabbing Rood’s foot from the floor. Cue Mr. Wrestling II to stare at Zbyszko as the time expires at….6:32? If there was a break in there, they did an all time job of editing it out.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what was going on with the time there but Rood and Brooks felt like they were starting to go somewhere. If nothing else, Rood with short hair and regular trunks was quite the visual, but he definitely had a look. Brooks was a good midcard heel, especially in World Class, so it was nice to see him doing something else in a different place.

Tommy Rich is ready for Buzz Sawyer on July 7 in Albany, Georgia. Rich thought this was over with him but now it’s a No DQ match.

Rick Rood is ready for Killer Tim Brooks in Albany. The fact that he talks to “Mr. Miller” about “Mr. Brooks” and how much he’s looking forward to meeting all of the fans as one of the politest men you could imagine is BIZARRE.

Ronnie Garvin vs. Ron Rossi

Garvin is known as the One Man Gang and grabs a headlock to grind away early on. Rossi reverses into a wristlock and gets taken down for a splash as Garvin doesn’t seem overly worried here. A neck crank has Rossi in more trouble and Garvin works on the arm. Back up and Rossi grabs a headlock, with commentary not believing that it’s really hurting. Garvin gets up to chop away as the aggression begins. A suplex and elbow drop have Rossi in more trouble as Garvin seems to be enjoying the beating. Garvin stomps on the ribs and drops some knees for the pin at 5:00.

Rating: C. Garvin has grown on me a bit over the years as he’s good in the role of a tough guy who is going to give you a hard fight. That’s more than you can get from some people and it’s nice to see him getting to just beat the fire out of someone. The match was an extended squash but Garvin felt like a star.

Remember how Tommy Rich is ready to face Buzz Sawyer in a No DQ match on July 7 in Albany, Georgia? Still the case.

Killer Tim Brooks didn’t get enough time to face Rick Rood this week and doesn’t see why Rood’s arm wrestling career matters. They’ll be using their legs here and Brooks might even headbutt him! Roode better do some curls and get those arms ready.

Paul Ellering, with Arn Anderson, thinks Ole Anderson is useless.

TV Title: Iron Sheik vs. Randy Barber

Sheik is defending and gets in a clothesline to start, followed by some early choking. A backdrop puts Barber down again and the gutwrench suplex gets one, with Sheik pulling him up. Sheik’s belly to back suplex retains the title at 2:09. Sheik looked like a killer out here and he would be WWF World Champion by the end of the year.

Paul Ellering, with Arn Anderson, is at the announcers’ desk to yell at Ole Anderson. Ellering insists that Arn is going to change his name to Arn Ellering, which has Ole concerned. For now though, Ellering thinks Ole should be concerned with the Road Warriors, so let’s go to a taped match.

Road Warriors vs. Randy Barber/Joel Young

The Warriors, who look like male strippers with a biker theme, aren’t defending their National Tag Team Titles. Hawk drives Barber into the corner to start and it’s off to Animal for the big forearm to the chest. Animal sends Barber flying and drops Young, setting up Hawk’s slingshot splash for the pin at 2:02. To say the Warriors were green here would be an understatement, but you don’t find a team who looked like that with that kind of power very often. Tweak them enough and let them become the monsters they were destined to be.

Back in the arena, Ole comes up to Ellering and asks if his challenge is still good. They get in the ring and the brawl is on but here are the Roar Warriors to jump Ole from behind. The big beatdown is on with Stan Hansen and Tommy Rich running in for the save. All that and Hawk didn’t even lose his hat. Now that’s a star.

Buzz Sawyer has a surprise for Tommy Rich in Albany, Georgia.

Paul Ellering says his men are taking over.

Ronnie Garvin is ready to take Ellering out in Albany, Georgia. Garvin: “I found the Easter Bunny and I’m going to make an Easter Bunny out of you in Albany, Georgia.” That’s a rather unique threat.

Mike Jackson vs. Bill Irwin

Irwin is a newcomer and hammers away against the ropes to start. Jackson’s dropkick lets him grab a headlock but Irwin knocks him into the corner without much trouble. This lets Miller wish the director a happy birthday and run down some upcoming shows. Irwin’s knee drop gets two but Jackson sends him into the corner and manages to hammer away. Back up and a shoulder breaker gives Irwin two but Jackson gets in a nice flying headscissors. A big boot drops Jackson and the show ends (as it often did, as this was a weird setup where it was technically two shows put together) at 5:14 shown with no winner.

Rating: C. This was one of those weird things that you would see with older TV shows and it was something you would just get used to over time. Jackson was getting beaten up for the most part and that boot at the end looked good, but it wasn’t necessarily the end. That’s a bit of a surprise but Irwin definitely felt like a bigger star here.

Roll credits.

Opening sequence.

Freddie Miller welcomes us to the show (which will be a bit shorter due to a Braves game) and brings in Buzz Sawyer, who lists off all of the people who have tried and failed to get rid of him. Now it’s Dick Murdoch coming after him but Sawyer is going to take Murdoch out too.

Pat Rose vs. Brett Wayne

They shake hands to start as Bob Roop joins commentary to talk about the Road Warriors taking Ole Anderson out in the first hour. Wayne armdrags him down a few times to start and then grabs a headlock takeover to grind away. A pretty terrible Figure Four makes Rose give up at 3:50.

Rating: D+. Not much to this one, as it was more just the two of them having a basic match. Neither of them really stood out and Rose’s Figure Four was rather awful to bring it further down. This was a miss for the show and while Rose has done well enough elsewhere, they didn’t get much out of this one.

Larry Zbyszko vs. Rick Rood

Zbyszko’s National Title isn’t on the line and Killer Tim Brooks (Zbyszko’s paid enforcer) and Mr. Wrestling II are here too. They walk around a bit to start and Rood pops up off of a slam before grabbing one of his own. Rood takes him down in an armbar and they take turns powering each other into the corner. Both of them shove the referee and that’s a double DQ at 3:45.

Rating: C+. This was a case where you could see the potential, with Rood definitely showing a bit of fire. He was a totally green star at this point and it would take someone giving him a chance (it was coming) for him to break out. This was little more than a tease for something bigger, but putting Rood out there with the champion is a pretty nice endorsement.

Post match Mr. Wrestling II says he’ll do anything to get a rematch with Zbyszko for the title. Zbyszko stole the National Title from him and Wrestling II wants it back no matter what.

Dick Murdoch vs. Joel Young

Strap match and basically a preview for Murdoch vs. Buzz Sawyer. Bob Roop is on commentary and doesn’t know why Young is in there. Young tries to run but gets pulled back in with quite the yank. Murdoch beats on him with the strap some more and there’s the suplex. The four buckles give Murdoch the win at 2:50. Total decimation.

Miller previews a card tomorrow night at the Omni, with Mr. Wrestling II getting a National Title shot if he can beat Killer Tim Brooks first. Otherwise, it’s just a non-title match with Larry Zbyszko. Cue Zbyszko who says he’s going to beat Wrestling II up for fun.

Buzz Sawyer yells about beating up Dick Murdoch in their strap match at the same Omni show.

Paul Ellering has found Ole Anderson’s watch and destroys it.

We look back at the Ole Anderson beatdown. Seriously how did Hawk not lose his hat?

Tommy Rich and Stan Hansen swear vengeance on the Road Warriors.

Dick Murdoch, with the strap, is ready for Buzz Sawyer because they’re both rather ugly and they’ll beat on each other. It turns out to be a Loser Leaves Town match and Murdoch isn’t planning on going anywhere (but he did).

Miller acknowledges that this show is shorter than usual as he wraps it up.

Overall Rating: C+. This was fascinating in a way, as it’s so far before modern wrestling took over (Hulk Hogan wouldn’t be WWF Champion for about seven months) and you could definitely see what could be seen as rough edges. The focus was definitely still on the house shows nd that makes perfect sense, but the important thing here is that I could get an idea of the main stories taking place. This was just a random, one off show and I got the idea of what was going on around here in short order. Nice job here, though it’s really just more about previewing the house shows than anything here (as was the case back in the day).

 

 

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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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Starrcade 1986
Date: November 27, 1986
Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina/The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 16,000/14,000
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Rick Stewart, Bob Caudle, Johnny Weaver

Much like last year, this show had a subtitle: Night of the Skywalkers. In this case it was because of a tag team scaffold match, meaning a scaffold was hung up above the ring and the team to knock their opponents to the mat below would win. Also we have the Andersons challenging the Rock and Roll Express in a cage for the world tag team titles. Let’s get to it.

Jimmy Garvin vs. Brad Armstrong

Garvin is billed as Gorgeous Jimmy here and comes out to Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top. He also has a good looking blonde named Precious with him. The first match here is in Atlanta and we’ll be alternating back and forth. Schiavone and Stewart are the commentators here in Atlanta as well. They fight up against the ropes to start before heading into the corner with neither guy being able to get an advantage.

They go to the mat with neither guy being able to get any extended advantage. Back up and they fight over a top wristlock until Brad finally takes over with an armbar. Off to a headlock instead but Jimmy rolls Brad up for two. Now Jimmy grabs an armbar of his own but they roll into the ropes. Garvin grabs a leg lock and bends the knee back, only to have Armstrong reach his arm around into a chinlock to escape.

Off to an armbar by Brad and Jimmy taps, but that wouldn’t mean anything in American wrestling for about seven years. Garvin counters into a headscissors as the back and forth mat work continues. Armstrong nips out of it and puts on another headlock, only to be countered into another headscissors. By this point you should be able to figure out what happens next on your own: Armstrong counters into a headlock.

Garvin tries to pick Armstrong up to slam him down, only to be dragged into another headlock to keep the match at a very slow clip. Back up and Jimmy suplexes out of the hold but can’t immediately follow up. Armstrong gets sent out to the floor where Precious talks trash as we have three minutes left in the time limit. Back in and Garvin gets two after dropping Armstrong throat first onto the top rope.

A backbreaker gets the same and Jimmy is getting frustrated. They start running the ropes, only to crack heads and put both guys down again. Back up and Brad charges into a knee in the corner but even that only gets two. They trade rollups but Garvin puts on a chinlock of all things with fifteen seconds to go. He releases the hold and goes up, only to miss a top rope splash as the bell rings for the time limit draw.

Rating: D+. This was one of those matches where you could see the time limit draw coming a mile away. As is the Starrcade custom, the good guy can’t win the opener and the opener is pretty dull stuff. Why they’re so afraid to allow a good match to open the show is beyond me, but this was nothing of note at all. Neither guy would ever do much of note either.

Post match Garvin tries to jump Armstrong, only to get knocked to the floor by some right hands.

Hector Guerrero/Baron Von Raschke vs. Shaska Whatley/Barbarian

Whatley and Barbarian are members of Paul Jones’ Army while Guerrero and Raschke are kind of an oddball tag team. It’s a big brawl to start with the Baron pairing off with Whatley as Hector sends Barbarian out to the floor. Hector and Shaska start things off with Guerrero hitting some fast paced offense for early control. It’s off to Barbarian though to drop Hector throat first across the top rope, stopping his momentum cold.

Barbarian misses a running boot into the corner though and falls to the floor, allowing Hector to hit a BIG dive, taking out both Barbarian and Baron. That was a very big deal back then and still looks good even today. Whatley comes out to beat on Hector before throwing him inside for a gorilla press slam by Barbarian. A double backdrop puts Hector down for two and Whatley breaks up a potential hot tag to Baron.

Back to Barbarian for another near fall off a big boot followed by a backbreaker. Whatley sends him into the ropes and Hector spits right in his face, which is somehow enough for the hot tag off to the Baron. Raschke puts his Claw Hold on Shaska as everything breaks down. Barbarian breaks up the hold but gets pummeled in the corner by Hector. In the melee, Shaska misses a charge into the corner and Baron drops an elbow for the pin.

Rating: C. Just a basic tag match here which was fine for the most part. There was talk of a grudge coming in but there was not actual explanation given of what the feud was over or how everyone was involved. Baron seemed much more angry than Hector but that’s normal for the both of them. Nothing bad here but it’s just a tag match.

Post match Baron gets beaten down until Hector makes the save.

US Tag Titles: Krusher Khrushchev/Ivan Koloff vs. Kansas Jayhawks

The Jayhawks are Bobby Jaggers and Dutch Mantell, the latter of which would eventually join the WWE under a variety of names, including Zeb Colter. This is a rematch of a tournament final where the Russians won the belts and there are no disqualifications. Dutch and Ivan start things off but it’s quickly off to Jaggers to pound away on the older Russian. Ivan actually busts out a rollup for two but it’s quickly back to Dutch to work on the arm.

Krusher gets a tag in and it’s time for some stalling. Mantell pounds away on the forehead and the Jayhawks choke away in the corner before it’s off to Jaggers again. That goes nowhere so here’s Dutch again, but those sneaky Russians trick him into some double teaming. The power of AMERICA saves him from the Russians though and Dutch fights both guys off with relative ease. Ivan sends Dutch to the floor though and into the barricade to shift control.

Off to Krusher for some double teaming, but Dutch fights back with a double clothesline and there’s the hot tag to Jaggers. Some AMERICAN right hands have the Russians in trouble and a clothesline gets two on Ivan. Everything breaks down but there’s nothing the referee can do because it’s no disqualification. Ivan goes up top but gets hit by Dutch’s whip to bring him down. Krusher is sent to the floor but sneaks back up onto the apron to hit Jaggers in the back of the head with the chain, allowing Ivan to get the easy pin to retain the titles.

Rating: C. Another basic tag match here but it was at a slightly faster pace, making it a more entertaining match for the most part. The Russians continue to be a perfectly fine midcard heel act as the Cold War was still going on at this point. The Jayhawks never did much of anything as a team and would fade into obscurity pretty soon after the start of the new year.

Rick Rude vs. Wahoo McDaniel

Rude is a newcomer and not very polished in the ring but he would get WAY better. This is an Indian strap match, meaning they’re tied at the wrist and you have to drag your opponent around the ring and touch all four buckles to win. If your opponent breaks your momentum though, you have to start again. Rude spends too much time posing so Wahoo whips him with the strap. Wahoo scares Rude’s manager Paul Jones off and we’re ready to go. This is the third of four Starrcades where a match featured people being tied together. It’s a popular idea for some reason.

Wahoo immediately takes him down by the rope and Rude runs to the floor. That gets him nowhere as Wahoo pulls him right back inside with a casual tug. Rude sends him into the corner and wraps the strap around his fist to pound away on Wahoo. With McDaniel down, Rude ties Wahoo’s hands together with the rope and touches two buckles, only to have Wahoo grab the rope with his feet. Wahoo chokes away in the corner with the strap and now it’s Rude in trouble.

In a smart move, Wahoo grabs both of Rude’s hands and drags him around the ring while touching the buckles with his head. He gets three buckles but Rude kicks him down to break the streak. Rude goes up top for some reason, only to be pulled down with ease by the much stronger Wahoo. McDaniel crawls around and gets to the third buckle, only to have Rude knock him into the fourth for the surprising win.

Rating: D. Nothing to see here at all as is the case with most of the four corners variety of these matches. At the end of the day, the ending is almost always the same with only some mild alterations and this was no different. Wahoo wouldn’t be around much longer while Rude would be in the WWF by July.

Post match Rude and Jones beat Wahoo down until Hector Guerrero and Von Raschke make the save.

Central States Title: Sam Houston vs. Bill Dundee

This is another regional title from Kansas/Missouri with Houston defending. Dundee is from Australia and was a Memphis mainstay for years. Houston only won the belt about two weeks before this, beating Dundee in a tournament final. Again, why not have the tournament final here? Sam takes over with an armbar to start, only to be thrown to the mat by Dundee. They trade headlocks and rollups on the mat with Dundee finally getting control.

Back up and Houston takes him down with a flying headscissors to over on the mat. Now a dropkick puts Dundee down but he comes back with a classic hair pull to take the champion to the mat. Sam grabs a headlock of his own and a rollup out of the corner for two. In a scary sounding spot, Dundee pulls Sam out of the floor and onto the announce table to really take over for a change.

Scratch that again as Dundee goes out to get him, only to be dropped onto the barricade to keep Houston in control. Back in and Sam pounds away but charges into a boot in the corner. A top rope punch to Houston on the mat gets a close two for Bill and it’s off to another chinlock. That gets Dundee nowhere so here’s a Boston Crab instead. A top rope shot to Houston’s head gets two and it’s off to a front facelock.

Sam fights up and elbows Dundee down before dropping a pair of knees. Only the first one hits though so Bill goes after the knee. He puts on a spinning toe hold but Sam kicks out of it, losing his boot in the process. Dundee crashes into the referee and blasts Sam with his own boot, but gets caught and disqualified. For what? The boot is legal on Sam’s foot but not when it’s off of Sam’s foot?

Rating: C-. Not a terrible match or anything here but it never went anywhere. Houston just wasn’t that interesting to watch most of the time, primarily due to being such a small guy. Dundee was much better down in Memphis and never quite clicked on the big stage for some reason. Not a bad match but just kind of there for the most part.

Dundee beats on Houston with the boot post match. He would win the title in early January.

Jimmy Valiant vs. Paul Jones

Remember when these two were fighting at Starrcade 1984? This is a hair vs. hair match with Valiant putting up his female companion (that’s the best way to describe her) Big Mama’s hair against Jones’. This isn’t their first hair match either as I think they wound up having three in total. Jones’ main guy Manny Fernandez is going to be locked in a small cage above the ring to prevent interference. It takes a small army of wrestlers to get Fernandez inside the cage.

Valiant pounds away on a terrified Jones to start and Paul just tries to hide. Jones sticks his chest out to be scratched by Valiant, who is in orange and black striped tights for some reason. Paul pulls out a foreign object to pound away at Valiant for two. Jimmy fights up and kicks Jones in the leg before being knocked back down again. Paul tries the Indian Deathlock but Valiant fights up and pounds Jones down before locking in the sleeper. Jones tries the foreign object again but Valiant takes it away and knocks Jones out for the pin.

Rating: D-. This was pretty terrible and I have no idea why this feud went on for so many years. Valiant was a popular guy but nothing more than a glorified comedy act while Jones might be the most worthless manager of all time. When you have two stipulation matches in three years with no break in the feud, that’s way too much interaction between the same two people.

Post match Valiant cuts the hair but Manny Fernandez gets out of the cage, allowing he and Rick Rude to lay out Valiant. They hit a double DDT onto a chair and leave with their humiliated manager.

Ron Garvin vs. Big Bubba Rogers

Garvin is Mid-Atlantic Champion but this is non-title. It’s also a street fight and Bubba, a 400lb monster who can move very quickly and is dressed as a gangster for lack of a better term, has Jim Cornette as his manager. You can only win by pinfall or knocking someone down for a ten count. Why not just cover them for three instead of waiting the extra seven seconds? Falls count anywhere also. Oh and this is a Louisville (Cornette’s hometown) street fight in Atlanta.

Garvin gets in some quick right hands to stagger Bubba so the big man asks for a test of strength. Ron agrees but sucker punches Bubba down in a smart bit. Garvin is in street clothes here which works for a street fight. Back in and Bubba throws Garvin onto the announce table and out to the floor as we pause again. While out there, Garvin picks up a drink and throws it in Bubba’s face to get an advantage. He goes NUTS on Bubba, pounding him out to the floor with rights and lefts.

Back in and Garvin chokes away but Cornette slipped Bubba something and a shot to Ron’s head changes control again. Bubba punches him down a few times for a couple of four counts but Ron comes back with more punches. Garvin pulls out a rope of some kind and ties Bubba’s leg down with it before choking away. Bubba comes back with some right hands of his own and slaps on a bearhug like any good monster would.

Garvin doesn’t appear to be in pain at all and headbutts his way out of the hold. A BIG right hand puts Rogers on the floor and he’s almost out cold. Back in for, of course, more punching from Garvin. Bubba is knocked to the floor where he gains control by the power of fat, but as they go back in Ron slams him down off the top rope.

The referee is crushed (as has happened A LOT tonight) and Ron piledrives Bubba down, only to have Cornette blast him with the tennis racket. The referee gets up and counts both guys out to ten, but there has to be a winner. It’s the first man to his feet gets the win apparently, and with Bubba distracting the referee, Cornette nails Ron in the knee with the racket to give Bubba the easy win.

Rating: D+. This didn’t do it for me. Garvin throws a decent punch, but other than that there was nothing to see here from either guy. It wasn’t terrible or anything but I need more than eleven minutes of punching and a screwy finish with Cornette hitting Ron in the knee with a tennis racket. Not much to see here.

TV Title: Tully Blanchard vs. Dusty Rhodes

This is a first blood match as the gimmicks continue. Tully is challenging and has JJ Dillon with him here. The referee stops JJ from putting either protective gear and Vaseline on Tully’s head. Instead Dusty elbows Dillon in the head to bust him open. That’s quite the message. Tully misses a knee in the corner to start and they circle each other a bit. Both guys go after the others’ head but no contact is actually made.

They circle each other even more until Dusty hits a headbutt to put Tully down. As expected the referee checks both guys because using a headbutt in a first blood match is a stupid idea. Rhodes pounds at the ribs in the corner before hitting the Bionic Elbow to the head. Dusty lays down on the leg, because leaving your head exposed like that could NEVER backfire on him at all. Blanchard rolls to the floor and we stall again.

Back in and Tully drops an elbow and rakes at Dusty’s head only to have Rhodes come back and drop a knee. The referee goes down (AGAIN) and JJ throws in his signature shoe. Rhodes throws it away and elbows Tully in the head. A bunch of right hands bust open Blanchard’s head but there’s no referee. Tully is knocked down, allowing JJ to rub Vaseline on the cut to stop the bleeding. He also hands Dusty a roll of coins to knock Dusty out cold and bust him open for the title.

Rating: D-. This was about seven minutes of stalling and covering heads before the overdone ending. The referee bumps are getting really old at this point as there have been what, five or six so far on this show? Dusty continues to not have much in the ring aside from one good match with Flair last year. This was very little to see due to all of the stalling.

Midnight Express vs. Road Warriors

This is the scaffold match, meaning there’s a scaffold about fifteen feet above the ring and you have to knock your opponents off to win. The Express is Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey and they have Cornette and Bubba with them. On the other hand we have Hawk and Animal, the Road Warriors. These two were BEASTS who were basically indestructable and insanely popular.

Condrey thinks about going up to face the Warriors but climbs back down because he’s not that crazy. Cornette, who is legitimately terrified of heights, goes on a rant about how this isn’t civilized. Dennis and Bobby finally get up top and the punishment begins. The scaffold is maybe three feet wide and there are no railings on it at all so they can barely move up there. There are some railings at either end so at least there’s some safety up there.

The Express throws powder in the Warriors’ eyes to blind them which is pretty terrifying this high up. Hawk’s legs go over the edge but he crawls back up. Animal is laying down with one leg dangling over and Bobby winds up hanging from said leg. He manages to swing back over to the structure and climb back up as this continues. Condrey is cut open and tries to climb down the ladder but he gets rammed into the scaffold for his efforts by Hawk.

Condrey and Hawk get under the scaffold and kick at each other with Condrey trying to monkey bar away. Animal and Bobby join them and a few moments later the Express get kicked down, giving the Road Warriors the win. As someone who is scared of heights, my stomach can now calm down.

Rating: D+. This is a hard one to grade as it’s hard to criticize them for moving around so slowly given the fear of potential death involved. There’s only so much you can do that high in the air with no safety rails and they did as much as they could have. The Road Warriors would move on to feuding with the Horsemen soon after this.

Post match we get the famous part of the match as Cornette goes up top and runs into Animal. Cornette tries to climb down and winds up hanging from the bottom of the scaffold. He drops down…and Bubba isn’t there to catch him. Jim lands on his legs and basically destroys both of them, causing him problems for the rest of his life. Cornette tries to shout to Bubba to carry him to the back because his legs don’t work but his legs are so destroyed that he can’t get his point across. Animal later said in interviews that it was the funniest thing he’s ever seen.

World Tag Titles: Arn Anderson/Ole Anderson vs. Rock N Roll Express

The Express is defending and this is inside a cage. You win by pinfall here and have to tag in and out so it’s Robert Gibson vs. Ole to start, but everything breaks down in just a few seconds. Arn winds up in there with Robert and Gibson rams his head into the cage a few times to send Arn over for a tag. Off to Ricky vs. Ole but Ole gets kicked in the face, sending it back to Arn.

Things slow down a bit with Arn being afraid to go after Ricky again. Morton grabs the arm and it’s off to Robert for some arm work. He misses a running knee in the corner though and Arn goes after the leg. Ole comes in to cannonball down onto the leg before it’s back to Arn. Robert kicks him into the cage to counter a figure four, but Ole breaks up the hot tag to Ricky.

Back to Arn again as the leg work continues. It’s odd to see the Andersons working on a leg instead of an arm but it’s a limb nonetheless. Robert FINALLY hits an enziguri for the hot tag off to Morton, but Ole immediately sends him into the cage to stop him cold. Now we get to the arm work and things instantly feel better. Arn comes in to stomp Morton down and it’s back to Ole to whip Ricky shoulder first into the corner.

Off to an armbar as Ricky appears to be busted open. There’s the hammerlock slam from Arn but he makes the eternal mistake of going up top. Much like Flair, Arn has almost never been able to hit his shot off the top and it’s the same here. Morton punches him on the way down but Ole breaks up the tag yet again. A shoulder breaker gets two and Arn wraps the bar arm around the top rope. Ricky comes back with a clothesline and both guys are down.

Ole gets the tag and kicks Ricky in the arm to keep him down as the torment continues. Off to another armbar but Ricky gets in a shot to the ribs and several the head to come back. Arn takes Morton down yet again to prevent a tag before hitting the yet to be named spinebuster for two. Ole comes off the top for a knee into the arm and cranks on another armbar. Ricky is in big trouble here.

Back up and Ole collides with Ricky while running the ropes to put both guys down. Arn breaks up the tag (I’m having deja vu from typing that so many times) but Ricky headbutts him down and…..gets jumped by Ole. Out of nowhere Ricky grabs a small package for two as everything breaks down. Ole picks up Ricky for a slam but Robert dropkicks Ricky’s back and knocks him down onto Ole for the pin to retain out of nowhere.

Rating: B+. I really liked the curve ball they threw us in here by not having the hot tag which the standard tag team formula would suggest there would be. This was Playing Ricky Morton as I mentioned in last year’s show and it was done to perfection. He could take a beating like no one else could and the fans totally bought into it every time. Really good old school tag team match here.

We get a highlight reel of Magnum TA who had to retire at age 27.

NWA World Title: Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff

Koloff is US Champion coming in. The problem here again is that there’s no real reason for these two to be fighting but it’s all the NWA could do given the circumstances. The referee explains the rules to both guys and with a WOO from Flair we’re ready to go. Koloff easily shoves Flair down to start which doesn’t seem to surprise him. Nikita flexes at him and the champion heads to the floor to think this over. Back in and Nikita twists Flair’s hand around, sending Flair into chop move. Nikita just stares at Ric so the champ bails again.

Back in and Ric can’t hiptoss him, but Nikita can throw Flair around with ease. Flair is LAUNCHED across the ring in a few slams and it’s all Nikita so far. Off to a bearhug and Koloff leans forward with it for a few near falls. Flair pokes him in the eye to escape and hits a quick vertical suplex with no effect at all. Ric bails to the floor to think again before walking into a headlock. Flair goes to the eyes again and ducks the Russian Sickle, sending Nikita out to the floor, injuring his knee in the process.

They go back inside and Flair chop blocks the knee out as Ric is in his element. There’s the Figure Four and Flair grabs the rope for good measure. Nikita turns the hold over into the ropes for the break so Flair starts chopping away in the corner. Since Koloff’s upper body looks like he’s carved out of granite, those have almost no effect whatsoever. Flair instead sends him to the floor as the match slows down a bit.

The champion throws him back inside for a belly to back suplex before just pounding away at Nikita’s bald head. All the punches seem to do though is just wake Nikita up and he whips Flair into the corner and out to the floor. Flair is sent into the post and comes up bloody as is his custom. They head back in and Nikita hits a flying shoulder tackle and, say it with me, the referee gets knocked down.

The Russian Sickle hits but there’s no referee. Flair knees Nikita in the back and a second referee comes in for a two count, only to get nailed by the Russian Sickle. Two referee bumps in one match? I think we get the point already people. The first referee comes back in but gets shoved down and that’s finally the DQ.

Rating: B-. Eh that wasn’t bad. Seriously that’s about all there is to say here. Flair did this same match hundreds of times and here it happened to be against Nikita Koloff and end in a disqualification. At the end of the day, there was no feud here and they were doing the best they could. It’s certainly a good match and not at all something you’ll be bored out of your mind watching, but it pretty much comes and goes, like a lot of stuff tonight.

Post match a bunch of guys come out but no one can keep Nikita off Flair. They brawl for a good three minutes until Flair is dragged to the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Well they tried. At the end of the day though there was only one match that mattered on this show and it was ended as soon as Magnum wrapped his car around that tree. There was no way they were going to change the title here, even if it was likely the right move given the circumstances. It’s not the worst show ever, but there’s nothing on here that you might want to see aside from the cage match. Check out last year’s show again instead.

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Today we’re looking at perhaps the greatest #2 of all time: Arn Anderson.

Arn got his start in January of 1982 in the territory system, so here’s a match from his rookie year in December of 1982. I believe this is from Mid-South.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Marty Lunde

That would be Chavo Sr. of course and Marty Lunde is Arn’s real name. Chavo quickly takes him down to the mat to start but Marty just runs him over with a shoulder. An armdrag puts him right back down though as Bill Watts compares Chavo Guerrero to Danny Hodge of all people. Marty knocks him into the ropes for two but misses a middle rope elbow. Guerrero rams into Lunde again to send him outside, setting up a huge plancha. A middle rope dropkick sets up a running flip splash for the pin for Chavo.

Rating: D+. Not a bad match here and it’s bizarre to see Anderson as either a jobber or under his real name. Chavo was a very talented guy in the ring and it’s a shame that most people haven’t seen him other than as Chavo Classic. The match was fine for a TV squash and it’s always interesting to see future stars like this.

On to Memphis for the cup of coffee that was almost required to do anything back in the day. From November 18, 1985, so before the Horsemen officially formed.

Arn Anderson/Ole Anderson/Tully Blanchard vs. Jerry Lawler/Dusty Rhodes/Magnum TA

That’s a HECK of a lineup. This is a Bunkhouse Match, meaning anything goes. It’s a brawl to start with the good guys taking over early on. They all get in the ring with Lawler just unloading on Tully in the corner. Dusty chases Arn to the floor as I can barely keep track of everything here. Magnum dropkicks Ole into the corner and we’ve got belts brought in for some whipping. The Andersons are busted open as Ole knocks Dusty into the corner and the future Horsemen take over. Dusty gets the belt back and starts whipping everyone until Jerry does the same. Rhodes goes up top for a Bionic Elbow to Ole’s head for the pin out of nowhere.

Rating: C. This was WILD and exactly what the match should have been. The people in the match makes this far more interesting than it would have been otherwise as this is an all star match in 1985. You could have easily found another upper midcard face and done an awesome match in Charlotte or Atlanta with this.

Just ten days later, Arn would team up with Ole to defend the National Tag Team Titles at Starrcade 1985.

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.

We’ll skip ahead a year for a World Tag Team Title match with the Anderson challenging the Rock N Roll Express at Starrcade 1986.

World Tag Titles: Arn Anderson/Ole Anderson vs. Rock N Roll Express

 

The Express is defending and this is inside a cage. You win by pinfall here and have to tag in and out so it’s Robert Gibson vs. Ole to start, but everything breaks down in just a few seconds. Arn winds up in there with Robert and Gibson rams his head into the cage a few times to send Arn over for a tag. Off to Ricky vs. Ole but Ole gets kicked in the face, sending it back to Arn.

 

Things slow down a bit with Arn being afraid to go after Ricky again. Morton grabs the arm and it’s off to Robert for some arm work. He misses a running knee in the corner though and Arn goes after the leg. Ole comes in to cannonball down onto the leg before it’s back to Arn. Robert kicks him into the cage to counter a figure four, but Ole breaks up the hot tag to Ricky.

 

Back to Arn again as the leg work continues. It’s odd to see the Andersons working on a leg instead of an arm but it’s a limb nonetheless. Robert FINALLY hits an enziguri for the hot tag off to Morton, but Ole immediately sends him into the cage to stop him cold. Now we get to the arm work and things instantly feel better. Arn comes in to stomp Morton down and it’s back to Ole to whip Ricky shoulder first into the corner.

 

Off to an armbar as Ricky appears to be busted open. There’s the hammerlock slam from Arn but he makes the eternal mistake of going up top. Much like Flair, Arn has almost never been able to hit his shot off the top and it’s the same here. Morton punches him on the way down but Ole breaks up the tag yet again. A shoulder breaker gets two and Arn wraps the bar arm around the top rope. Ricky comes back with a clothesline and both guys are down.

 

Ole gets the tag and kicks Ricky in the arm to keep him down as the torment continues. Off to another armbar but Ricky gets in a shot to the ribs and several the head to come back. Arn takes Morton down yet again to prevent a tag before hitting the yet to be named spinebuster for two. Ole comes off the top for a knee into the arm and cranks on another armbar. Ricky is in big trouble here.

 

Back up and Ole collides with Ricky while running the ropes to put both guys down. Arn breaks up the tag (I’m having deja vu from typing that so many times) but Ricky headbutts him down and…..gets jumped by Ole. Out of nowhere Ricky grabs a small package for two as everything breaks down. Ole picks up Ricky for a slam but Robert dropkicks Ricky’s back and knocks him down onto Ole for the pin to retain out of nowhere.

 

Rating: B+. I really liked the curve ball they threw us in here by not having the hot tag which the standard tag team formula would suggest there would be. This was Playing Ricky Morton as I mentioned in last year’s show and it was done to perfection. He could take a beating like no one else could and the fans totally bought into it every time. Really good old school tag team match here.

The tag team theme continues with Anderson and his new partner Tully Blanchard defending against Lex Luger/Barry Windham at the first Clash of the Champions.

World Tag Team Titles: Arn Anderson/Tully Blanchard vs. Lex Luger/Barry Windham

 

Anderson and Blanchard are defending and Windham and Luger are incredibly popular due to the Horsemen (the champions) kicking him out of the team for reasons explained earlier. Luger starts with Tully and pushes him down with ease. The champions try some double teaming but both get clotheslined followed by a powerslam to Blanchard. Lex puts Tully in his Torture Rack finisher but Anderson kicks Luger in the knee for the save. Arn comes in and goes after the knee before it’s back to Tully for more of the same.

 

Lex sends the Horsemen into each other and Tully can’t stop the hot tag to Windham. Barry cleans house and hits the lariat followed by a powerslam for two on Blanchard. Ross is losing his mind on commentary as only he can. A sleeper nearly puts Blanchard out but Barry lets him fall to the floor for a breather. Back in and Tully goes up but gets slammed down and put in an abdominal stretch. Arn makes the save and Horsemen manager JJ Dillon distracts the referee, allowing Anderson to DDT Windham for a very close two.

 

Anderson tries to hold Windham’s shoulder down for two but jumps in the air, allowing Barry to raise his knees and crotch Arn for a breather. Tully breaks up another tag attempt but gets caught by a cross body for two. They run the ropes a few times and collide, knocking both guys down to the mat. A gutwrench suplex puts Tully down again and it’s back to Anderson who misses a knee drop and gets popped with a right hand. Windham is spent though and collapses before making the tag.

 

Tully comes in again and hits his slingshot suplex finisher for a close two on Barry. Anderson comes in off the tag but Barry goes over to the corner and falls into the tag to Luger. Lex cleans house again and sends the champions into each other but Tully gets in a knee to the back to slow him down. Luger shrugs it off and snaps off the powerslam as everything breaks down. Dillon holds up a chair in the corner but Luger reverses a whip to send Arn head first into the steel for the pin and the titles. The crowd reaction for the pin is other worldly as the Horsemen were despised at this point.

 

Rating: B. This was the kind of match the show needed to make it historic as the Horsemen had held the titles for months on end and Luger was the man that needed to take them away. Barry was making the match work here before Luger came in to clean house at the end. That’s a good formula for someone like Luger and the result worked well.

Near the end of 1988, Arn and Tully would jump to the WWF and become a solid team there as well. This included a match against the reunited Strike Force at Wrestlemania V.

Brain Busters vs. Strike Force

This is the return of Strike Force after Martel had a bad injury. Blanchard and Martel start things off and Rick almost immediately has to punch out of the wrong corner. Off to Anderson who gets rammed face first into the mat before being put in his own test of strength on the mat. Arn catches Martel in a body scissors but Rick turns it over into his signature Boston Crab.

Blanchard makes the save but Tito immediately comes in to put him in the Figure Four. Martel puts one on Anderson as well as things break down. We get some near falls by Tito but he accidentally hits the forearm on Martel to take him out. Rick gets ticked off as Tito is basically in a handicap match. The Busters get to take over on Tito but you know Santana can hang with either guy.

Arn goes up but gets slammed down, allowing Tito to set up a hot tag to….no one. Martel drops down to the floor and walks out on his partner, officially making it a handicap match. The yet to be named spinebuster from Anderson plants Tito and it’s back to Blanchard. Tully blocks a monkey flip and the spike piledriver kills Tito dead for the pin.

Rating: B-. Best match of the night so far as all four guys were moving out there. Tito could go with the best of them and he had some of the best of them to do that with in this one. Martel and Santana would feud on and off for about a year until they just stopped fighting out of nowhere.

It was back to WCW in late 1989. Anderson would actually become a singles wrestler and would challenge TV Champion Great Muta on the January 12, 1990 episode of Power Hour.

TV Title: Arn Anderson vs. Great Muta

This is the main event and Muta is champion. Anderson takes him to the mat to start but it’s nothing major. Muta hooks on a wristlock and sends him to the floor. Dragonmaster and Buzz Sawyer, Muta’s stablemates, come out and Anderson is in trouble. Muta misses a kick so there’s a suplex to take him down. Arn takes him down with a headlock and works over the arm like a good Anderson.

Muta comes back and hits the power drive elbow as we go out to the floor. The fans are totally behind the Horseman here. Back in and a top rope chop kills Anderson. Muta busts out Cattle Mutilation years before Bryan did but Anderson escapes it and pounds away. Anderson comes back with an atomic drop and the hammerlock slam. He grabs an abdominal stretch but Muta backdrops him over the top to the floor. Apparently he fell though so it’s not a DQ. Why did they wait until 2000 to drop that rule?

Spinebuster hits out of nowhere but with Dragonmaster running interference, Sawyer comes off the top to clock Arn but it only gets two. Muta superkicks Anderson down and calls for the moonsault. Anderson gets the knees up though and DDTs Muta into oblivion to win the title and blow the roof off the place.

Rating: B. The match was really good and the reaction from the crowd was great, but it’s not enough to save the show for me. Anderson would hold the title for about eleven months before he lost it to I believe Z-Man of all people. Muta would head back to Japan after this, returning in 1992 as a MUCH bigger deal.

Anderson and the Horsemen would get into a feud with World Tag Team Champions Doom later in the year. Arn and Ric Flair would team up to face them at Halloween Havoc 1990.

World Tag Titles: Doom vs. Ric Flair/Arn Anderson

Doom has the titles and are recently turned faces. Anderson and Simmons start things off and AA gets shoved around. Simmons suplexes him down and headbutts him to the floor, making the Horsemen take a time out. Back in and Flair hits a knee to the back, but the suplex Anderson hits is no sold. Simmons comes back with right hands and Reed hits a knee of his own the back of Anderson. Powerslam gets two for Big Ron.

Teddy Long slaps Flair and Dangerously freaks out. Naitch comes in to face Reed and it’s time to strut. Flair goes to the eyes and takes over on a power man like only he can. Reed comes back with punches of his own and Doom hits stereo gorilla press slams to take over again. It gets back to Reed vs. Flair in the corner and the chops just don’t work on him Ric.

Reed sends him into the corner and the Flair Flip lands on a cameraman.

Simmons pounds Flair up the ramp and the chops STILL don’t work. Back to ringside and the Horsemen are in trouble. Anderson comes in to face Reed but it’s quickly off to Simmons. The Horsemen finally realize they can’t overpower Doom so they do what they do best: cheat! Flair comes back in and now his chops work. Anderson’s spinebuster gets two on Ron. Back to Flair and it’s time to go after the knee. There’s the Figure Four (on the correct leg and everything) and they even cheat during that.

Simmons finally makes it to the rope but Anderson is right there to keep Ron in the ring. Ron fights back but his right hands only get him so far. A dropkick misses and they get into a test of strength on the mat, letting Arn do his jump in the air and crotch himself spot. Back to Flair and even with Simmons worn down he can’t drop him with a shoulder. To the floor and Flair gets sent into the barricade to give Simmons a chance.

A sunset flip on Arn doesn’t work as Anderson makes the tag to Flair on the way down. Simmons hits a kind of clothesline (looked more like a jumping fist) but AA stops the tag AGAIN. Simmons is finally like screw this and drills Anderson so he can make the tag to Butch. Everything breaks down and Reed kills Anderson with a top rope shoulder for two. DDT kills Reed but Simmons makes the save. They fight to the floor and it’s a double countout which isn’t that popular of a decision.

Rating: B. I was digging this match until the end, but it was really just a setup for the better street fight at Starrcade. Granted that had Windham and Anderson due to Flair having to do something else that night but it was still the Horsemen. Anyway, good match here but the ending was more or less just a setup for a street fight later on.

About eleven months later it was another new partner for Arn Anderson as he and Larry Zbyszko, collectively known as the Enforcers, entered a tournament for the vacant World Tag Team Titles. They easily made the finals and fought for the gold at Clash of the Champions XVI.

World Tag Team Titles: Enforcers vs. Bill Kazmaier/Rick Steiner

 

The titles are vacant coming in and Kazmaier has very injured ribs. Rick jumps the Enforcers before the bell before taking Arn down with a powerslam. Larry Zbyszko breaks up the cover and cranks on an armbar to officially get things going. The Enforcers make fast tags to keep Rick moving and wear him out in a smart strategy. Rick comes back with a suplex on Larry but Arn gets in a cheap shot from the apron to stop him again.

 

Both Enforcers come in as Bill stays on the apron so Rick hits a Steiner Line on Anderson. Larry gets in a cheap shot to Steiner and Arn hits a middle rope clothesline. Kazmaier tags himself in and destroys the Enforcers while wincing. He tries a gorilla press on Larry but Arn hits him in the ribs and Zbyszko falls on top for the pin and the titles.

 

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but the story made sense. I don’t think anyone believed the makeshift team was going to win and the Enforcers were a fine choice to take the titles. They’re just keeping the belts warm for the Steiners anyway so any good heel team would have done fine here.

1992 would bring the Dangerous Alliance but we’ve covered tag wrestling enough for now. Arn would get I believe his only World Title shot ever on PPV at Slamboree 1993 against NWA World Champion Barry Windham.

NWA World Title: Arn Anderson vs. Barry Windham

Not something I’m used to typing. Seriously, why did Arn NEVER get title shots against face champions? I know Flair was champion most of the time but it’s not like he didn’t lose it on occasion. Arn is from Minnesota. Just Minnesota. No town or anything. Just Minnesota. Larry doesn’t like Arn due to relatively recent stable issues. I love the emphasis Capetta gives to the word WORLD when he’s saying the name of a title. Always have.

Windham used to be a Horseman but then left the team so there’s something resembling a story here. Barry won the title at I think Superbrawl so this is his first defense. Arn gets a quick belly to belly for two. Windham hammers him back into the corner but walks into a backdrop for two. Arn is covering every chance he can. Barry pops him with a right hand There’s a DDT though and it only gets two.

Barry goes to the apron to hide and gets back in before Arn can. Back in and Anderson tries to jump off the middle rope but jumps into a clothesline. Windham gets a DDT and drops an elbow for two. Out to the floor and Barry is still in control. Arn pulls him out to the floor from the apron so they immediately explain the lack of DQ. How did they wait until 1998 to get rid of that stupid rule?

Arn busts him open with a shot to the railing. Apparently that’s a DQ in WCW but not in the NWA. Seriously just let the old guys be put to rest already to get rid of these stupid explanations. Oh man he’s cut bad. Small package gets two for Arn. Off to the chinlock and there’s a knee to the head. Arn goes up and Barry knocks him to the floor. Suplex on the floor has Anderson in trouble. He may have a bad knee also.

Barry goes up to Arn and apparently gets popped in the head which he sells like he got shot in the chest. A slam results in Barry falling backwards for two. Spinebuster hits and Barry is in trouble. He manages to get to the floor though and tries to walk out with the belt. Back in the ring now and Arn shoves the referee, allowing Barry to pop him with the belt for the pin.

Rating: B. Solid old school style fight here which is something both guys are great at. Again though, how weird is it to see Anderson getting a title shot? Anyway this was solid stuff and Barry was still good here. Flair took the title from him the next month and it would become the Big Gold Belt soon after that.

That’s enough singles wrestling for now so it’s back to tag teaming with another new partner in the new Horsemen. From Clash of the Champions XXIV.

Unified Tag Team Titles: Steve Austin/Steven Regal vs. Arn Anderson/Paul Roma

 

Anderson and Roma are challenging. Austin and Anderson get things going and shove each other to a stand still. Austin takes over with a clothesline and some knees to the back but Arn trips the leg and hammers away with left hands to the head. A catapult sends Austin over the top but Austin skins the cat to get back inside. Instead Anderson backdrops him over the top to the floor which should have been a DQ.

 

Off to Regal vs. Roma with Paul coming in off the top to work on the shoulder. Regal knocks him over with a shoulder but Roma comes right back with a dropkick. Austin rips Paul up from the apron and the champions take over. Pillman gets in some choking from the floor like a good villain should. Back in and Regal breaks up a sunset flip and hits a running forward roll splash for two. Austin gets the tag and Roma hammers away but gets sent into the corner to stop a comeback attempt.

 

Regal drives some knees into the ribs and throws some left hands in the corner. Austin comes in again and hits some forearms to the back of Roma’s head but gets caught in his own Stun Gun. Regal comes in for the save and the referee puts him out, meaning he misses the hot tag to Anderson. Regal catches Roma’s kick but Paul jumps up for a dropkick in a nice looking move. Now the hot tag brings in Anderson to clean house and the butler Sir William accidentally hits Austin with his umbrella, giving the Horsemen the belts.

 

Rating: C-. This was already better than any match on the previous Clash. There wasn’t much to see here though as the match wasn’t really in doubt given the substitute partner. Roma wasn’t exactly great in the ring though and it was Arn doing most of the heavy lifting out there.

1994 saw Arn in a lame group called the Stud Stable so we’ll jump ahead to early 1995. Arn would pick up the TV Title again in 1995 and defend it at Clash of the Champions XXX against a fan picked opponent.

TV Title: Arn Anderson vs. Johnny B. Badd

 

Badd is challenging after winning a fan vote. Anderson had defeated him for the title about two and a half weeks before this. Arn makes the mistake of trying to trade fists to start and is knocked into the corner as a result. Some forearms put Badd down but he sends Arn to the floor and catches both the champion and Colonel Parker with a nice flip dive. Back in and Johnny hooks a pair of armdrags into an armbar. Anderson fights up and sends him throat first into the ropes to take over.

 

Parker gets in a few cheap shots before Anderson nails him in the ribs with a left hand. A chinlock doesn’t last long on Badd and a knee to his ribs gets two. Anderson drops an elbow but Badd fights up and backdrops him with ease. Things speed up a bit as Badd makes a comeback and nails his big left hook to knock Anderson out to the floor. Parker has to pour ice water on Anderson to wake him up so Johnny chases the Colonel, only to run back into the ring to get caught by a DDT to retain Arn’s title.

 

Rating: D. The wrestlers didn’t see to care about the match at all and it wasn’t entertaining as a result. Anderson looked like he was sleepwalking through the match and Badd was only able to do so much. It wasn’t exactly an interesting idea in the first place and there’s a limit to what can be done in that circumstance.

Later that year the Horsemen started to have issues due to Ric Flair putting way too much responsibility on Arn, leading to perhaps the only time this match ever took place, at Fall Brawl 1995.

Ric Flair vs. Arn Anderson

Ok, now this is actually cool. Arn always dominated the lower card to midcard while Flair was always world champion. Why did Arn never get a shot? Something interesting to note is a Flair 3:16 sign in the crowd a full 9 months before Austin gave him famous speech. A bunch of wrestlers are here to watch this. For old school fans, this is a very odd match indeed. It’s scary how much darker Anderson is than Flair.

Heenan says Flair has been a jerk. Now that’s not something you’ll hear often. Anderson goes to the arm which is his normal thing. And let’s blame Hogan for this to make sure he’s mentioned in most of if not all of the segments. This is a very slow start but that’s all fine and good I think. This is a huge match that can do what it wants.

They get a lot of counters and technical stuff in there as the announcers ask why Arn never got a shot. Oh and they try to make it sound like WCW was the company that went worldwide first. I’ll let them have that because even they can’t believe that one. They simply can’t. Arn gets a weak sleeper as the fans don’t know who to cheer for here. It never ceases to amaze me how simple things like arm work can do so much for a match.

Ok again Tony says that Flair is Arn’s cousin. This is a common thing to be said and for the maybe 3 people that don’t know otherwise, it’s true. Flair is Anderson’s cousin by way of their aunt Clotilda. Not true but I wanted to work the name Clotilda into a review for various psychotic reasons. Flair was often billed as a cousin to the Andersons back in the old days as a way to validate them being partners. That’s where that comes from.

It really is cool to see two guys that know each other this well FINALLY have a match. Flair goes up and actually gets his shot. That’s amazing to say the least. Heenan gets on too much of a rant and says that if Flair gets the figure four on then the referee will have to stop it and if Arn DDTs Flair….well that’s another story but neither guy will give up. That got a laugh out of me.

The knee drop completely misses but is sold anyway. Arn just goes off on Flair in the corner and it’s awesome. I love how sometimes Bobby gets on a roll and Tony has to just ignore him due to how out of left field some of the stuff is. Flair takes over for awhile with his usual stuff. There’s a feeling to this match that you just don’t get that often. Flair gets stuck in the Tree of Woe and Arn chokes away.

It’s hard to tell if Arn is being evil or if he hates Flair. DDT is blocked. Arn calls a spot to Flair on a two count. Figure Four is almost on but Arn blocks the leg. Never mind it didn’t work. Flair spits at him and Arn is FIRED UP. Crowd is WAY into this.

With Arn holding his knee, Brian Pillman of all people gets up on the apron and they trade punches. Pillman kicks him in the back of the head and Flair staggers into the DDT for the pin. This would be explained in solid detail, especially at Halloween Havoc so I’ll spare you the spoilers.

Rating: A-. Just a great match that felt like a bit match. Did you really expect this match to not rock? It was as great as you would expect it to be as Arn got to show that he could have a great match against a guy like Flair and beat him. That’s something he never really got to do and it needed to happen. Great match.

We’ll wrap it up with two matches people probably forget about on back to back weeks. From February 12, 1996 on Nitro.

Hulk Hogan vs. Arn Anderson

According to Bischoff, Anderson is tough but Hogan is REALLY tough. Let the Hogan worship begin! He still has a bad eye too. Anderson gets a shot to the head but can’t do much other than that as here comes Hogan. Hogan no sells a clothesline and gets a pair of his own. Out to the floor and Arn backpedals. He tries a Piledriver out ther ebut Hogan counters into a slingshot into the post. Hogan takes the eyepatch off and rams Anderson’s arm into the post.

Almost all Hulk so far here. Steinbrenner seems to like this. Arn gets a back elbow which puts Hogan down. And so much for that as Arn gets crotched on the top rope. Apparently he has balls of steel as he fights back and here are Liz and Flair. Spinebuster gets two as Hogan does the super kickout. Here’s the usual but Hogan struts and puts the Figure Four on. Flair comes in and while Anderson is in the Figure Four Hogan rolls up Flair at the same time. Woman throws powder in Hogan’s face and Flair slips Arn Liz’s high heel which goes into the eye of baldie for the pin.

Rating: C. This was just to give Anderson the fluke win because what happens next is another eye rolling moment regarding Hogan vs. Flair and company. The match itself was just ok as Hogan dominated and then Arn got in like two moves. If Hogan hadn’t been an idiot (I know just go with it) then he would have won in a squash, which says a lot.

From the following week.

Arn Anderson vs. Hulk Hogan

Anderson tries to jump Hogan pre match and gets drilled for his efforts. It doesn’t help that he’s all tied up in his ring jacket. Hogan’s eye is bandaged here but it’s not bad. Clothesline puts Anderson down as Hogan keeps his dominance going. Arn goes to the eye to take over and scratch that as Hogan takes him down with a single shot again. Bischoff plugs the WCW guys on Baywatch and takes a shot at Vader, mentioning the fight with Orndorff in the back.

Hogan continues his dominance which has been almost the same throughout the match. Out to the floor with Hogan hammering away. Back in as we talk about Uncensored. Oh dear we did have to get to that eventually didn’t we? Arn has had maybe 2 punches in almost 5 minutes of the match now. FINALLY Anderson takes him to the mat and never mind again as Hogan grabs the foot to send him to the floor.

Hogan gets a possible low blow outside and we go back into the ring one more time. Arn gets a shot to the rib and that’s his offense for now. DDT attempt and Hogan just doesn’t fall when Arn does. Are you kidding me? Big boot puts Arn down and Hogan puts on a figure four. Kevin Sullivan runs out and does nothing so Savage comes out to beat up Sullivan, which somehow gives Anderson the win via DQ. Uh….sure.

Rating: D. Boring match here with an ending that made no sense. In about seven minutes Anderson literally wasn’t on offense for 30 seconds. I get that Hogan is a far bigger star, but Anderson can’t get in even a minute or so of control just to add some drama? The ending doesn’t help either.

It’s back to back wins over Hulk Hogan. I think we can wrap it up now.

Arn Anderson is a guy that was never the top star but he was a solid B+ player. He dominated the TV Title like no one else, holding it for over two years combined. Couple that with five Tag Team Titles with with four different partners and the guy is just freaking talented. He also performed well in singles matches with a combined record of 4-1 against Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. How many people can say that? No seriously, I can’t think of anyone with those kind of results. We’re not even touching on Arn being probably one of the five best talkers of all time either. The guy was just flat out good all around.

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