World Class Championship Wrestling
Date: August 13, 1988
Location: Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Commentator: Marc Lowrance

Eh why not one more World Class show. It’s fun to mix things up a bit and that’s what we’re doing here, even though the promotion is not exactly close to its peak and that means we could be seeing anything. I’ve had some fun with the show before, but at this point in its lifespan, that might be a stretch. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Lowance runs down the card.

Iceman Parsons vs. Jeff Raitz

Skandar Akbar is here with Parsons. The fans don’t buy Parsons’ offer of a handshake to start and Raitz turns him down as well. This goes on for over a minute before Raitz hits a weird looking running crossbody (Parsons was almost spinning as they landed). Parsons sends him into the corner and gets to dance a bit as we slow down. A snap suplex gives Parsons two as Lowrance reads a letter from a fan in Oklahoma regarding a recent fundraiser. Parsons’ clothesline gets two and the running hip attack finishes Raitz at 3:55.

Rating: C. More or less just a squash here with Parsons never feeling like he was in any trouble. Parsons is one of those rather odd stars who would not have been a big deal elsewhere but he was certainly a mainstay here. He’s certainly over the top and that’s enough to get him noticed every time he’s doing anything on this show.

Steve Simpson is ready to beat John Tatum in a strap match. Talking isn’t his strong suit.

Steve Simpson vs. John Tatum

Strap match (four corners variety) and Simpson’s brother Shaun is here to cancel out Jack Victory. They pull at the strap to start with Tatum going down so Steve can get in a few whips. Back up and Tatum manages a slam, only to get pulled off the middle rope. Steve hammers away and whips away even more, followed by some choking.

Tatum fights up but only gets one corner before being cut off. Another attempt gets three corners but Steve cuts him off. Then Tatum cuts off Steve before going after Shaun, allowing Victory to get in a cheap shot. Tatum gets three buckles but Steve gets in a low blow with the strap, allowing Steve to touch the four buckles for the win at 4:38.

Rating: C. That needed to be a strap match? I’m not sure I get the point of having that much going on as they could have done pretty much the same match with a rollup finish and no stipulation. It feels like a feud between people who can’t stand each other, but it’s quite the weird way to go with a stipulation that didn’t need to be there.

Post match Victory and Tatum tie Steve up with the strap and beat him down until Shaun makes the save with a chair.

Skandar Akbar and Iceman Parsons are ready to fight Kerry Von Erich. They’ll bring in Kamala to deal with anyone Kerry has with him.

Eric Embry issues an open challenge to anyone in the world to come take the Light Heavyweight Title from him. It doesn’t matter which promotion they work for, including this one, because he’ll defend it right here and right now. Cue Steve Casey (with a very 80s mustache) to say let’s do it right now.

Light Heavyweight Title: Stephen Casey vs. Eric Embry

Embry is defending and I would love to know the weight limits, as Embry is billed as 235lbs and I have no idea how he is supposed to be two pounds heavier than Casey, who is a bit bigger and in far better shape. Casey chases him out to the floor to start and then Embry bails to the floor again on his own. That’s fine with Casey, who gives chase and hammers away. Back in and Casey grabs a sleeper and Embry staggers around for a good while, with the referee not bothering to check the arm for far too long. Embry finally climbs the rope and drops back onto him for the pin to retain at 3:20.

Rating: C. Another pretty meh match with most of it being spent on Embry being sent outside and then a sleeper before the flat finish. Embry held the title for the better part of ever in the last few years of WCCW and I’m really not sure I get the appeal. He seems fine for a midcard heel but he got a heck of a lot of focus. On the other hand you have Casey, who looked good but that’s about it as far as anything in the ring.

Michael Hayes talks about a woman flirting with him but now people are looking at his new partner, Steve “Do It To It” (yes, Do It To It) Cox. Cue Cox, who is happy to take a walk on the wild side with Hayes around here. They’re ready to fight, with Hayes promising to take out the Samoan Swat Team tonight.

Samoan Swat Team vs. Steve Cox/Michael Hayes

Former Freebird Buddy Roberts is the Swan Team’s (Samu and Fatu, later known as the Headshrinkers, with Fatu being a rather young, and rather slim, Rikishi) manager. Hayes slugs away at Fatu to start before it’s quickly off to Cox vs. Samu. Cox cranks on the arm but Samu backs him into the corner, where Fatu gets hit in the chest by mistake. We settle back down to Cox working on Fatu’s arm before gabbing a sunset flip for two.

Samu makes the save so Hayes knocks him outside, with the fans going rather nuts. Fatu misses an elbow and gets armdragged into an armbar, with Hayes coming in to continue said cranking. Cox comes back in, leaving Hayes to lounge on the top rope, with Roberts losing his mind over the lack of the tags. Back up and Fatu misses a charge into the corner, allowing Cox to armbar him again. The good guys make another change without a tag, with Hayes shaking his head no when asked about the cheating.

We take a break and come back with Hayes in trouble as the Team gets to take turns hammering on him. Hayes gets over for the tag but Fatu trips Cox from the floor to cut off the comeback attempt. A powerslam gives Fatu two and we hit the neck crank. Hayes is drawn in so a low blow can keep Cox in trouble, setting up the nerve hold. That’s broken up and a double clothesline gives us a double knockdown. The big tag brings in Hayes to clean house, including a high crossbody, but Cox is thrown onto the referee. Hayes is thrown over the top and the match is thrown out at 14:08.

Rating: C+. Cox is one of the more infamous names from the dying days of the promotion as he had nothing that made him stand out in the slightest. He’s perfectly fine in the ring and that is about all there is to say with him. They put him with Hayes in the hopes of getting a rub and….yeah it just didn’t work. That was the situation here: the match itself was fine enough, but it was never beyond just ok.

Post match the beatdown is on but Hayes breaks up a top rope splash. The big brawl goes to the floor and they keep brawling to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Maybe it would be better if I had seen the buildup to this show, but as a part of a random sample, it wasn’t the most thrilling sit. The action was ok at best and the main event felt like it was more about getting Cox over as a big deal than having a good match. I wasn’t feeling this one and while the crowds still react, you can tell a lot of the magic is gone.

 

 

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WCCW TV
Date: January 5, 1985
Location: Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas
Commentator: Bill Mercer

I might as well knock out a few more of these fort he sake of mixing things up a bit. This is a special edition as we have the Star Wars special, featuring Ric Flair doing his Ric Flair 80s stuff. I’m not sure what to expect from this one but WCCW is hit or miss every single time. Let’s get to it.

Mercer runs down the card, including Kerry Von Erich getting his shot at Flair for the NWA World Title.

Terry Gordy/Buddy Roberts/Chic Donovan vs. Missing Link/Skandar Akbar/Mr. X

This is a Texas Tornado Loser Leaves Town elimination match (pinfall, submission or over the top for a twist) because they’re starting fast this week. No word on why Michael Hayes isn’t in on this but I’d bet on some weird stipulation earlier. It’s a brawl to start (as it should be) with Link being sent through the ropes, much to Mercer’s confusion. Link comes back in with a middle rope headbutt to Donovan as this is completely nuts so far.

Roberts works on Akbar’s knee in the middle and on the apron and Gordy slams Link. In the mess, Link headbutts Donovan down to give Akbar the elimination. A double clothesline gets rid of Mr. X but Roberts is thrown over the top, leaving Gordy alone against Akbar/Link. Gordy slugs away at both of them until the numbers game catches up with him in the corner. Link gets knocked into the ropes so Gordy whips out his spike for Akbar. That’s broken up as well but Link headbutts Akbar out by mistake, allowing Gordy to toss him for the win at 9:58.

Rating: C+. I liked this one a lot more than I would have bet on as they didn’t waste time, got in and out of there with Gordy (I’m trying to get my head around the Freebirds as faces in Dallas) wrecking the villains like the monster he was. Not a good match, but it was the kind of entertaining chaos that it needed to be. I’d still like to know why Hayes wasn’t in there though, as he would have thrived in this.

Kerry Von Erich is ready to fight his heart out for another taste of the World Title. If he loses, it’s all on him.

NWA World Title: Kerry Von Erich vs. Ric Flair

Flair is defending and his headlock takeover is countered into a headscissors for an early standoff. The fight over a top wristlock goes to Kerry but Flair drives him into the corner without much trouble. Kerry hammerlocks him down and then does it again for a bonus. The push off hits the referee in the head but he’s back up to see Flair not being able to suplex Kerry. The headlock has Flair in trouble again and a flying headscissors takes him back to the mat. Flair reverses into a leglock but gets headscissored all over again.

A roll over to the ropes gets him out of trouble this time and Flair hammers away in the corner, this time being yelled at for attacking in the ropes. See what a good referee can do for a match? Flair drops the knee for two and he sends Kerry outside. Back in and Kerry, who seems to be bleeding from the chest, fights out of the corner with right hands. A sleeper has Flair in trouble for all of five seconds before Kerry grabs the backslide (how he won the title in the first place) for two.

A suplex gives Kerry the pin but Flair’s foot is under the rope. Flair hits a shoulder and throws his feet on the ropes but this time the referee catches it in advance. Some right hands set up the Claw on Flair, who counters with a knee to the ribs. The knee drop is countered with a grab of the leg and Kerry throws on the Figure Four. Flair makes the rope for the break as he’s busted open as well. The Claw goes on again but Flair tosses him over the top for the lame DQ at 18:17.

Rating: B. They were starting to cook near the end but then the DQ cut everything off. What we got worked well though as Kerry was a little more coherent this time. You never know what you might get out of him so this was about as good as you could have expected. Flair can do this kind of thing against anyone so you knew he would be fine, but Kerry’s wild card worked out well enough here.

Post break the NWA representative says that Flair abused the NWA ruling and therefore, there must be a rematch. After basically telling the fans to be quiet, he says it’s going to be Flair vs. Kerry again in Texas, and if Flair gets disqualified, he loses the title.

Jake Roberts/Gino Hernandez vs. Mike Von Erich/Billy Jack Haynes

Haynes and Von Erich have Sunshine with them. Mike continues to look rather pitiful as he just doesn’t look like a bit time wrestler. He slams Jake (in his red karate pants look) down to start but Jake is back up with a clothesline. It’s off to Gino but Haynes is right there to clothesline him down.

Haynes’ middle rope fist drop misses though and he seems to be banged up, meaning it’s back to Roberts to take over. That lasts all of thirty seconds before it’s back to Von Erich as they are flying through this match. Mike misses the dropkick so Jake loads up the DDT, drawing Gino in as everything breaks down. The Claw goes on and Jake is done at 3:35.

Rating: C-. Well that was short and fast, with Mike being more of a sad case than anything else. Unfortunately that would get a lot sadder as time went on, but that was the horrible par for the course for the entire family. The match didn’t have time to do anything but at least they got in and out without doing anything too badly.

Overall Rating: B-. When else are you going to get a full World Title match with Flair on free TV? These shows are in their own world but they still have a lot of energy and some entertaining wrestling. You have to be in a certain mood to watch WCCW and this was one of the better ones that I have seen from them over the years. Granted some of that might be Flair, but take what you can get.

 

 

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