World Championship Wrestling
Date: July 2, 1983
Location: WTBS Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentator: Gordon Solie

We’re rolling along with these things for the next few weeks and that has me interested. There are only a few big names around here and it’s fun to see how they interact. The big story continues to be Mr. Wrestling II going after Larry Zbyszko and the National Title, along with Tommy Rich doing whatever he has going on. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Gordon Solie introduces newcomer (or perhaps returning star) Scott Casey, who loves the competition around here and has his eye on Buzz Sawyer. He’s not happy with Dick Murdoch being sent away so he’ll see what he can do.

Solie previews the show and sends us to last week’s main event, which only got started before we ran out of time.

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

Ellering is in street clothes (street unknown) because he knows the Warriors can take care of the three of them on his own. The good guys take turns on the Warriors’ arms to start but Ellering gets in a cheap shot to take over on Anderson. Hawk grabs a chinlock and we’re out of time so we’re cut to Ole Anderson running in to go after Ellering as the match is thrown out. Not enough shown to rate again as we just saw the same stuff from last week and the post match brawl. Apparently Wayne and company won when one of them was thrown over the top.

Ole Anderson talks about the greatness of the United States and not liking Paul Ellering bringing in the Iron Sheik from the evil Iran. Maybe the Road Warriors need to go back to Chicago, or even Iran. Ellering DOES NOT love America so Ole is proud that Arn Anderson has kept the family name.

They have their own young guy of their own and here he is, along with Arn: Man Mountain Darsow! This is of course Barry Darsow (23 at the time and looking even younger as he only debuted earlier in the year) as a lumberjack with an ax, as Ole says the Anderson are back together FOR AMERICA. Well that was insane and about as 80s as you can get.

Larry Zbyszko (once again with the belt) and Tully Blanchard join Solie, with Zbyszko talking about how he got the NWA President to give him the belt back. He’s tired of Mr. Wrestling II and II’s friend Mr. Wrestling I with all of their shenanigans so Zbyszko is putting up $25,000 against II’s mask. It’s going to be an elimination tag match and Zbyszko will be teaming with Blanchard and whomever II can find as his partner.

Larry Zbyszko/Tully Blanchard vs. Mr. Wrestling II/Pez Whatley

I believe this is the match ($25,000 vs. II’s mask), which is under elimination rules and has three rounds lasting six minutes each. Whatley and Zbyszko start things off and of course we hit the stall button, with II coming in to face Blanchard without any contact being made. They lock up and go pretty much nowhere, so it’s back to Whatley for a headlock takeover.

Whatley pulls him down again without much trouble before sunset flipping Zbyszko for two. II comes back in to headlock Blanchard, who backs into the corner to keep things slow. Now Zbyszko comes in for a headlock of his own, only for Whatley to come in for a small and another near fall. Whatley is sent into a knee in the corner though and the round ends (5:55 so close enough this time).

We go to Mr. Wrestling I, who can’t stand Zbyszko. Paul Ellering comes in to say his men will win everything at the Omni.

Buzz Sawyer yells about how he’s going to destroy the cowboy from San Antonio (Scott Casey) but it might be in Cincinnati or Atlanta. Eh dude’s nuts enough that he might do both of them.

We rejoin the tag match for the start of round two, with Zbyszko asking for time but getting whipped into various corners by Whatley. Zbyszko gets a boot up in the corner and Blanchard takes over, allowing Zbyszko to stomp away again. A suplex gets two on Whatley and Blanchard grabs a crossface chickenwing.

Whatley backdrops his way out and dropkicks Blanchard but can’t make the tag. II comes in anyway and everything breaks down, with Whatley throwing Blanchard over the top, drawing the DQ at 3:04 of the round and 12:04 total (counting the stuff between rounds). Zbyszko comes in to slug it out with II and power him into the corner. A rip at the mask has II in more trouble and Zbyszko throws him down to tear some more. II fights him off but gets sent into the corner as the round ends.

Tommy Rich is here and is happy about a fan winning a contest to come to Atlanta and meet him. Solie reads most of the fan’s address, which is quite the weird thing to hear. Buzz Sawyer comes in to scream at Rich, who he doesn’t think much of apparently.

We go back to the third round with II grabbing a front facelock on Zbyszko. Blanchard comes in and gets beaten down just as fast. Zbyszko’s distraction lets Blanchard get in a knee to the back though and the chinlock goes on. Some shots to the ribs have II in more trouble but he manages a suplex on Blanchard. The knee lift hits Zbyszko but the cheap shots cut off the comeback again. Zbyszko goes for the mask again and again it wakes II up. The double teaming is on and Blanchard shoves the referee for the DQ at 3:32 of the round and 21:35 overall (again counting time in between falls).

So we’re down to II vs. Zbyszko with the former in a lot of trouble and Zbyszko going for the mask again. Again that brings him up but Zbyszko sweeps the legs and grabs the rope for the pin at 4:42 of the round (22:35 overall)….and here is Mr. Wrestling I to tell the referee what happened. Somehow THIS IS FINE and the match continues so II rolls Zbyszko up for the final pin at 5:02 of the round and 22:55 overall.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a long match for TV back then and it wound up being kind of awesome, with Wrestling II overcoming the odds and pinning the champion, even if it might not have been fair. Zbyszko is going to get to rant about the stupid official (yep that’s deserved) and odds are it all sets up a big showdown at the Omni. Fun stuff here, and solid wrestling angles all around.

Post match Zbyszko rants about how this isn’t standing so he wants II one more time tomorrow night at the Omni, with I and Tim Brooks there too. And of course II doesn’t get the money!

Wrestling II says this ends at the Omni and he wants the money and the belt, which he won fairly (the money is a stretch but saying he won the belt fairly is nuts even by wrestling good guy standards).

Bill Irwin, another cowboy, says he’s here to be the top dog. Wouldn’t that be the Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer? Might not want to go there with the gimmick infringement.

Bill Irwin vs. ???

Irwin jumps him to start and stomps away without even taking his coat off. More stomping sets up the chinlock, followed by the middle rope elbow to finish for Irwin at 2:09. Total destruction.

Solie announces the winner of the contest, but this time gives his FULL address. Geez privacy means nothing these days. Anyway Irwin comes in to say that he doesn’t want to hear about Tommy Rich being Wrestler Of 1982 because it’s 1983. Irwin wants Rich out here and fires off his whip, but Rich is in the ring.

Tommy Rich vs. Bob Brown

Well hang on as Irwin charges in instead.

Tommy Rich vs. Bill Irwin

Irwin pump kicks him down to start but gets cut off with some right hands as this does seem to be a match. Irwin knocks him down again so Rich elbows him in the head, setting up the abdominal stretch. Cue Buzz Sawyer to jump Rich for the DQ at 2:18, apparently fine with the top dog thing.

Post match Scott Casey runs in for the save.

Casey and Rich go to the podium, with Casey saying he’ll watch Rich’s back and vice versa. Ole Anderson comes in to say they have their own group and they’re chasing the bad guys out of here.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B. Dang this show is a blast, as it feels like it’s flying by and taking place in a tiny venue, which makes it all the more impressive. This show saw new people showing up, big matches being set up for the major Omni show, and one heck of a long TV match with some stakes. What more could you want, and remember that this is about six months before Hulk Hogan even came back to the WWF from the AWA. Not bad, as these studio shows can be awesome.

Results
Mr. Wrestling II/Pez Whatley b. Larry Zbyszko/Tully Blanchard – Rollup to Zbyszko
Bill Irwin b. ??? – Middle rope elbow
Tommy Rich b. Bill Irwin via DQ when Buzz Sawyer interfered

 

 

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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NWA House Show
Date: February 26, 1984
Location: The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia

This is exactly what it sounds like, as we’re going to one of the biggest arenas in the south and probably the most important in all of the NWA. This is a pretty awesome era for wrestling and there is some incredible talent on the show, which means we should be in for a treat. I’ve been looking forward to this so let’s get to it.

Pez Whatley vs. Jesse Barr

Whatley is rather popular and Barr is better known (kind of) as Jimmy Jack Funk. After some extensive referee instructions, we’re ready to go, with an exchange of standing switches. A wrestling exchange on the mat goes nowhere and it’s a standoff. Whatley grabs a quick small package for two and we get a nice shake of the finger. Barr takes him down and puts a knee in the back for the chinlock to slow the pace.

Whatley fights up a few times before a pull of the hair drags him back into a regular chinlock. Another comeback is cut off with a snapmare into another chinlock as they’re not exactly burning the mat up here. Back up and Whatley hits a crossbody and small package for two each, followed by a quick belly to back suplex. Barr sends him crashing to the floor though, setting up a running knee (loud one at that) for one on the way back in. Another running knee is blocked though and Whatley hits a running headbutt for the pin at 6:43.

Rating: C-. Not exactly a hot start here as this wasn’t even a long match and a good chunk of it was spent on the chinlocks. The fans did come up for Whatley’s comebacks but there wasn’t much to see here. That being said, this was the kind of match that existed for the sake of having wrestling going on while people were filing in and it served that purpose.

The Spoiler vs. Johnny Rich

Spoiler is a rather large masked man while Rich is a traditional good guys. Rich gets backed into the corner to start and Spoiler slugs away. Some right hands and a bad dropkick get Rich out of trouble so Spoiler powers him into the corner without much trouble. More right hands rock Spoiler and Rich gets two off a slam, with Spoiler already having to use the ropes. From offense that bad looking? Spoiler goes up and walks the ropes (yes, that is where Undertaker got it from) for a shot to the head before knocking Rich out to the floor.

Back in and Spoiler walks the rope for another elbow and Rich is outside again. Rich gets back in and slugs away before slamming Spoiler off the top to break up the third rope walk. Spoiler shrugs it off and grabs the claw before knocking Rich outside for the third time. Rich tries a sunset flip but gets caught in the claw, which is enough to give Spoiler the win at 6:58.

Rating: C. Spoiler seemed to be a solid monster villain and it shouldn’t be a surprise that he wound up being such a success. He had a look and could do some impressive things in the ring, which is more than enough to turn someone into a star. On the other hand you have Rich, who really didn’t show me much here. He seemed fine enough for a regional guy, but Spoiler beat him up pretty easily here, as he should have.

Post match the hold stays on a bit too long before Spoiler lets him go. A bunch of people come out to help Rich to the back but he’s mostly out of it.

Mr. R. vs. Ted DiBiase

This is an idea that you’ve seen a bunch of times, as Mr. R. is Tommy Rich under a mask following a suspension but everyone is in on the joke. R takes him down without much trouble and DiBiase is frustrated early. An armdrag puts R down for a change and DiBiase points to his head, more or less guaranteeing that he’s a villain. A headlock takeover takes DiBiase over with a headlock but he rolls out of it without much trouble.

R is right back with another headlock takeover and grinds away on the headlock as the fans are rather interested. It works so well that R does it a third time, with DiBiase getting frustrated. DiBiase can’t fight out with a top wristlock and the headlocking continues. Back up and DiBiase finally takes him down and starts in on the arm. The cranking continues but the Spoiler and Jesse Barr come in to go after R’s mask, which is enough for the DQ at 6:39.

Rating: C. This felt like more of an angle than a match and I can go with the idea of them just sending in the villains before things got serious. There is something to be said about R doing the obvious joke and it’s working well here. The fans were way more into this than anything else on the show and I’m not overly surprised given who was involved here.

NWA Junior Heavyweight Title: Les Thornton vs. Tommy Rogers

Thornton is defending and is quickly scolded for a shot to the ribs. Rogers grinds away on a headlock and gets rolled up, with Thornton even grabbing some trunks to show what a villain he is. It works so well that they do the same sequence again so Thornton headscissors his way out.

Rogers finally gets up and tries a sunset flip, only to get caught in the headscissors again. That’s finally broken up and Rogers grabs a headlock, which is AGAIN reversed into the headscissors. Back up and Thornton knocks him to the floor as we’re somehow almost ten minutes into this thing with almost nothing happening. A sunset flip gives Rogers two and Thornton’s butterfly suplex gets the same.

The chinlock goes on, with Thornton pulling him down by the hair to keep him in trouble. Back up and Thornton misses a charge into the corner as something actually happens. A knee drop gives Rogers two and he dropkicks Thornton out to the floor. Rogers belly to back suplexes him back inside but Thornton lands on top of him for two, because this is kind of a mess. Rogers hits a suplex and a top rope sunset flip for two but Thornton rolls him up and grabs the trunks to retain at 14:04.

Rating: C-. They picked things up a bit at times here but egads this was another dull match. It’s one of those matches where they were just sitting around waiting to do something and it made things so dull. The Junior Heavyweight Title has almost always come off as mostly boring stuff, which was the case again here. Just laying on the mat in a hold for long stretches of time isn’t interesting and the crowd was letting them know.

Nikolai Volkoff vs. Wahoo McDaniel

No entrances here for some reason. They circle each other to start and then stare at each other without the circling. Volkoff kicks him down and hits a running boot before going to the choking. McDaniel fights his way out of the corner but Volkoff is right back to hammer away as this is firmly in punch/kick territory.

A backbreaker gives Volkoff two and his pretty awesome gorilla press backbreaker gets the same. The bearhug goes on (you were just waiting on that one) but doesn’t last long, with Volkoff elbowing him in the face for two. McDaniel finally fights up and chops him to the floor, with the fans getting way behind the comeback. Volkoff misses a chair shot and McDaniel fights back but throws the referee down. That’s enough for the referee to call for the DQ at 5:51.

Rating: C+. This was starting to get somewhere and it made for a good enough power brawl. They weren’t exactly doing anything good here but it worked because the two of them were beating on each other like power wrestlers should. Not a great match, but it was entertaining enough.

Post match McDaniel stays on Volkoff, who runs away from the beating.

TV Title: Jake Roberts vs. Ron Garvin

Roberts, Paul Ellering, is defending and this was a huge feud. It’s so weird seeing Roberts in his pre-WWF days as he wrestles in a sleeveless shirt and pants instead of tights. Roberts takes him to the mat to start and grabs an armbar for some rather necessary cranking. The arm cranking ensues but Garvin gets up, sending Roberts backing up into the corner for a breather.

It’s already back to the arm, with Garvin seemingly nervous about throwing a punch (that feels like a plot point). The armbar goes on again, with Roberts grabbing the trunks to send the fans into another frenzy. Roberts uses the trunks again and then gets in a discussion with the referee over touching the rope. Garvin fights up and hammers away in the corner, including knocking Roberts out to the floor. Back in and Roberts is favoring his arm before bailing to the floor from an angry Garvin.

Roberts gets back in again and shoves Garvin down out of the corner. The armbar goes back on, with Roberts switching over to a chinlock. Garvin fights up and the fans are entirely with him but Roberts karate chops him back. The comeback is on though with Garvin firing off the big right hands to the ribs. Roberts’ shirt goes up to reveal a bunch of tape so Garvin hammers away. Roberts gets tied in the ropes so Ellering makes the save, only to get caught with a chair. The referee gets decked and Roberts hits a DDT onto the chair (that looked good), followed by an elbow drop for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: B-. This was a fairly basic match but the crowd was WAY into everything, with Garvin’s comebacks getting quite the reception. The arm/rib injuries were good additions and they made me want to see Garvin use them to get back against the cheating Roberts. You could see that this was part of a bigger story and that explained a lot of the reactions from the crowd. Best match on the shot thus far.

National Tag Team Titles: Road Warriors vs. King Kong Bundy/Stan Hansen

The Warriors, with Paul Ellering, are defending and this could be a mess. Hawk and Hansen lock up to start and neither can get anywhere with the power stuff. Instead, Hansen chops him up against the ropes, which works better than I would have expected. Animal (with a decent amount of hair) comes in but gets dropped by Bundy (no hair) as the fans sound pleased.

We settle down to Hawk coming in to face Bundy and the test of strength ensues. Bundy isn’t having any of this being kicked in the ribs thing and knocks Hawk backwards, setting up the bearhug. Hawk gets out but can’t whip Bundy out of the corner. A scream sets up a charge but Bundy gets the boot up without much trouble. Animal can’t slam Bundy so it’s off to Hansen for a headlock. Hawk comes in and gets hit in the face a few times as the fans approve.

An armdrag into the armbar (that feels so out of place in this match) has Hawk down again and Bundy drops a bit knee on the arm. The legdrop on the arm has Hawk in more trouble and it’s back to Hansen for some rapid fire elbows on the arm. Hawk actually gets over to the arm so Animal can work on Hansen’s arm for a change. The armbar goes on again and the fans are right there to cheer Hansen to freedom.

Animal splashes the arm to cut that off though and it’s back to Hawk for his standing armbar. The armbar goes to the mat for a good while before it’s back to Animal for the same. Back up and Hansen misses a charge into the corner, allowing Animal to bend the arm around the rope.

Hawk gets to continue the armbarring but Hansen fights up, drawing in Animal to cut him off almost immediately. Hansen fights up and hits a running knee, allowing Bundy to come in and clean house. The splash hits Animal for two as Hawk makes the save. Ellering seems to trip Bundy down and it’s a big four way brawl, with the referee throwing it out at 15:41.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but the weirder thing was seeing the Warriors as unpolished heels. They weren’t doing much of anything that would become their standard, including the rather lengthy armbars. While that part didn’t work so well, there was something to be said about the wild brawl at the end and seeing such a different version of the legendary team. And a hot tag to King Kong Bundy, which is not the most common thing to see.

Post match the brawl stays on and the Warriors bail, with Bundy shouting something into the microphone.

NWA World Title: Ric Flair vs. Brad Armstrong

Flair is defending, not long after winning the title at the first Starrcade. Armstrong’s National Heavyweight Title isn’t on the line here and he can’t be older than 21 or so. We get the old school referee instructions and a handshake gets us going. Flair backs him up to the ropes before wrestling him down but Armstrong reverses into a hammerlock. The standing armbar sends Flair over to the ropes so Armstrong switches to a headlock instead.

Flair fights up so Armstrong cranks on the head even more. Flair finally escapes and goes to a waistlock, only for Armstrong to reverse back into the headlock. This one is broken up much faster and Flair cranks on the arm, setting up the big chops. Armstrong isn’t having that and goes back to the armbar. That’s broken up as well and Flair adds in a handshake. They start running the ropes and Flair gets in a leapfrog, only to walk into a pair of dropkicks.

This time Flair needs a breather on the floor, which is more in his style. Back in and Flair fires off some shoulders in the corner but Armstrong cuts him off again and hammers away. A backdrop sets up another headlock but Flair forearms his way out a good bit faster this time. Not that it matters as Armstrong gets it on again, only for Flair to elbow him in the face. The knee drop connects (or as close as it gets) and it’s back to the corner for some shoulders to Armstrong’s ribs.

Flair gets two off a suplex and chops away in the corner but Armstrong fights out again. This time we get the Flair Flop before Armstrong slaps on a sleeper. Flair has to get his foot on the ropes, so Armstrong gets smart by crashing down onto the leg. Armstrong gets in his own suplex before grabbing the abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well and they’re both down for a needed breather. Flair is up first and misses the big elbow, allowing Armstrong to whip him into the corner.

This time Flair actually gets stuck in something close to the Tree Of Woe, allowing Armstrong to knock him down. A backslide and O’Connor roll give Armstrong two each so Flair goes up top, only to get slammed back down. Right hands in the corner earn Armstrong a bit of a lecture, allowing Flair to chop away. Flair whips him into the corner but falls down on a slam attempt to give Armstrong two more. Back up and Armstrong hits a crossbody, with Flair rolling through and putting his feet on the ropes to retain at 20:49.

Rating: B. This was a good example of storytelling, as Flair was taking Armstrong lightly at first but got in trouble because he couldn’t keep up with him. Flair caught him later on and took over but Armstrong just kept coming at him until Flair had to cheat to win. It’s no masterpiece or anything but you could see Flair bringing him along in a basic but well put together match.

Flair leaves and we’re out pretty fast.

Overall Rating: B-. This show took some getting used to but you could tell the fans were into just about everything. The one thing that takes time to adjust to is how basic a lot of the matches were, as this was much more about simple action between people the fans cared about. It’s very different than what you get today and while it’s not perfect, there is an energy to it that works well. This was a great surprise from the WWE Vault, though it definitely takes some adjustment if you’re used to a modern style.

 

 

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

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Classic All Star Wrestling
Date: October 23, 2022
Host: Adam Parsons

We’re back with another week of random classic matches which in some cases are more old than classic. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of this as I don’t know what’s coming and that’s a great feeling to have. If nothing else, it’s cool to try to figure out what I’m seeing most weeks, which is quite the mystery to solve in some cases. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Adam Parsons runs down the card.

We’re starting with a bit of a confusing one, as Parsons says this is from Southwest Championship Wrestling (San Antonio). Now this is billed as being from San Antonio, but the ring is rather Memphis, the commentary is rather Memphis, the referee is from Memphis and the only record I can see of these two having a match is in Memphis on January 4, 1986, so I’m thinking Parsons slipped up with the announcement.

Rick Casey vs. Benny Trailer

Casey (better known as Wendell Cooley) works on the arm to start and grabs a quick suplex. Arm cranking ensues and the bulldog finishes Trailer at 3:04.

Rating: D+. The match was nothing more than a squash but I was having fun trying to figure out where this took place. All signs point to Memphis and I’m all but certain it was just a quick mistake from commentary. That’s the fun part of this show and they made it work again here, even if it was a pretty lame match.

Next up is from International Championship Wrestling, likely from the early 1980s.

Tojo Yamamoto vs. Kenny Harris

Yamamoto was a longtime star in Memphis so this is a rare excursion for him. The graphic says Harris but commentary (which sounds like Lanny Poffo) says Hall. A chop has Yamamoto in trouble so he goes into his tights for what is likely a phantom foreign object. Yamamoto gets his arm cranked so it’s a pull of the hair to get himself out of trouble.

Another shot sends Yamamoto into the corner and we pause again as he keeps trying to find something in his tights. Back up and Yamamoto goes to the eyes to take over and some chops in the corner keep him in trouble. Some chops put Harris down and the stomach claw is enough for the submission at 5:20.

Rating: D+. You know, if you want to have Yamamoto go with the foreign object deal, he might want to actually find one (even if it doesn’t exist) at some point. I’m not sure what else you could expect here, but they were doing quite a bit of stalling for a payoff that didn’t really come. That being said, you don’t get to see much Yamamoto but he knew how to do the villainy things. There are better examples than this though as it wasn’t the most interesting deal.

I’m assuming we’re staying in in International Championship Wrestling, as I can’t imagine anywhere else going here, from Frankfort, Kentucky, again in the early 1980s.

Pez Whatley vs. Walter Johnson

We’re joined in progress and Johnson, a former NFL player, misses a headbutt as the referee is down. Whatley dives into a bearhug as Rip Rogers comes in to throw powder in Johnson’s eyes to give Whatley the pin at 1:00 shown. Just the finish instead of the match here.

Post match, Whatley yells about Ronnie Garvin and yes this is ICW.

Finally, from Southwest Championship Wrestling in San Antonio, likely on July 1, 1984.

Parsons gives us the preview for next week and signs off before the main event. Ok then.

Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher

We’re joined in progress again with the two fighting on the floor. Back in and Butcher kicks him low so Butcher beats up the referee (in case you thought the referee mattered here). The brawling continues as we get a second referee, who is shoved down almost immediately. They fight to the floor again and then into the crowd where they find a piece of wood. A bunch of fans run off as they fight to a high rise area and choke/rake eyes. Brody grabs a chair and Butcher wanders off at 4:58 shown.

Rating: C. I have no idea how much of that was part of the actual match as it was just a big brawl rather than anything resembling a match. Brody and Butcher were there to do this kind of thing over and over and that is why they would always be able to find work around the country and world. It’s a total freak show, but dang they could make it feel exciting.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t one of their better shows, but what matters is still the fun from just seeing what we might get that week. It’s the point of a show like this and it worked very well again here. Getting to go around the wrestling world and get away from the WWF or Crockett is great for a change as there is so much talent that you just won’t see most of the time. Not a great edition, but dang this is a fun concept.

 

 

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