World Class Championship Wrestling, October 29, 1983
by Erick Von Erich
Unofficially dubbbed "The History of World Class Championship Wrestling", this episode opens with the usual hype from Michael Hayes and Kevin Von Erich. Kevin keeps kayfabe alive by describing some of today's matches as if they were legitimate figthing contests. Hayes is his usual showman self, but almost beats me to my customary intro recap line with "let's getcha' down to ringside". Bill Mercer and the World Class intro cue up, as he runs down tonight's card, which will feature a special "encore" match from the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth. But with so much going on in World Class Championship Wrestling, let's get down to ringside for...
Match 1: David Von Erich, Chris Adams & "Iceman" King Parson vs. Kimala, Michael Hayes & The Mongol (w/Skandar Akbar and Friday)
As we mentioned, this is from the Will Rogers Coliseum a few weeks earlier, a place which World Class routinely packed during its heyday. Joined slightly-in-progress as the faces are taking turns pounding on Michael Hayes. Hayes tries to tag out to Kimala, but the big man doesn't understand the tagging concept and thinks Hayes has slapped him! Hayes argues with Akbar and Kimala finally gets into the ring. He chops Iceman once...then tags Hayes back in. Pretty cool spot, as Hayes is incredibly frustrated, can't leave the ring and gets a whuppin'.
Hayes finally manages some offense with a side headlock on Iceman. Hayes delivers a kneelift to send Ice outside, where Kimala and the Mongol attack him. David Von Erich enters and brawls with Kimala for a brief instance. Chris Adams enters and unsuccessfully tries to knock Kimala off his feet with two charging shoulderblocks. He tries a flying cross body-press, but Kimala catches and slams him. He sends him to the corner and DVE returns. DVE bounces the ropes, hits Kimala with a charging knee, then applies the CLAW as the place goes apeshit! Kimala is freaked out, escapes and tags an exhauasted Hayes. Kimala sneaks a chop on DVE, then Hayes hits a suplex. Hayes comes off the second turnbuckle with a flyung elbowdrop but only gets 2. They criss-cross (JUMP! JUMP!) and both hit. Tag off to the Mongol and Adams, who go at it for a bit. Adams with a backdrop, superkick and a sleeper on the Mongol. Hayes tries to sneak in, but Iceman dropkicks him. All 6 men briefly enter the ring and in the brouhaha Adams super-kicks the Mongol and gets the pin. Decent tag match with a quick pace. Hayes and Kimala worked well telling a little story, plus the emergence of the DVE-Kimala issue with the CLAW and even a little bit of the waning Adams-MOngol feud. For a random 6-man pairing, this delivered.
Match 2: "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (w/Sunshine & Sunshine 2) vs. The Masked Avenger
The rest of the matches are from the Sportatorium, now. Non-title match, but that doesn't stop Garvin from parading his American Heavyweight Championship belt. The Avenger is in a blue body-suit and appears to be wearing a mask and vest leftover from The Texan (Jake Roberts) a few months ago. The mask even says "TEXAS". Garvin and his entourage poke fun at the Avengers and laugh it up. Bell sounds and the Avengers is a house of fire, with 3 arm drags and 2 bodyslams to rock Garvin. Garvin is whipped to the ropes and the Avenger hits a... super-kick! 3 count and in less than a minute, the Masked Avenger has pinned the champ to a BIG pop! The Avenger is announced as the winner, then takes his mask off to reveal... Chris Adams! Great moment and a definite highlight of the Gentleman's career. I'd say the disguise worked so well that about 90% of the audience didn't know who it was until the big super-kick. Great booking!
After a break, Bill Mercer is in the Sportatorium locker room with Adams. Adams references the time-limit draw he took Garvin to, awhile back. Now that he's proved he can beat him, Garvin will have to give him a title shot. Adams alludes to having a few more tricks up his sleeve.
Match 3: Jose Lothario vs. Michael Hayes
Before the bell, Black Gordman enters the ring and challenges Lothario (all in Spanish). Hayes gets a cheapshot, the bell rings, and the beatings continue. Lothario fights back with some left jabs, but his right arm is injured and he's only at half-strength. Hayes goes kicky/punchy, tosses him outside, then poses to piss off the crowd. Mercer takes this moment to plug the upcoming holiday cards, which will feature a "loser leaves Texas" match between Hayes and Kerry Von Erich. Hayes snapmares Lothario back into the ring, then comes off the top turnbuckle with a flying elbowdrop to get the 3 count. About the closest thing to a squash a World Class heel can get.
Match 4: Kevin Von Erich vs. Terry Gordy
Gordy goes for Kevin's legs, but gets kicked out. Kevin pounds him to the corner, snapmares him, drops a knee and applies a reverse chinlock into his patented body scissors. Kevin works the hold while Gordy sells it very well. Gordy eventually escapes, tries a charge, but keeps bailing because Kevin cocks his legs up to apply the scissors again. Gordy gets a big boot and a spinning neckbreaker for 2. A fistdrop gets another 2, so Gordy goes for the reverse chinlock resthold. Mercer drops some more news: there are NEW American Tag Team Champions-- the Super D's who hail "from the North". Gordy tosses Kevin out and tries applying his new Oriental Spike move with a drop from the apron. Kevin blocks it and they brawl for a bit. Gordy with a suplex attempt, but Kevin hops out the backside, rolls Gordy up from behind and gets a 2 count. Gordy reverses the pinning predicament, grabs a handful of tights and scores the 3 count. But referee Bronk Lubich had been watching the match in the back... so he reverses the decision and awards it to Kevin. Gordy is pissed, but Kevin fends him off with a drop-kick, then tries to break his Oriental Spike-applying thumb in the turnbuckle connectors. Not a good match by any stretch and with a shitty ending... I suppose it just played up the supposed lethality of each guy's finisher.
Mercer concludes the show with a ringside interview from Kevin Von Erich. Kev claims that he would've broken Gordy's thumb, were if not for the referees (yeah, that 96 year old Bronko Lubich sure was a bad-ass). That's all the time we have for this week, but join us next week as Johnny Mantel and Chris Adams will team up against the Freebirds, plus a special women's match between Princess Victoria and Judy Martin.
Why'd You Tape This?: The first two matches are the highlights. Especially the second, which kicks the Garvin-Adams feud into high speed. I've been saying it for awhile, but I think this might be the last World Class appearance of the Mongol. I don't think Black Gordman sticks around much longer (or if we even see him again). Jose Lothario and whatever issues he had seemed to played out on houseshows and other World Class TV shows.
It's also peculiar how the Super D's (Destroyers) are suddenly announced as the new American Tag Champs without ever appearing on TV (sayyyy...remember when Kerry and Bruiser Brody had the belts?). But decisions like that weren't too odd in the regional wrestling days. World Class eventually announced that the Super D's had beaten Roddy Piper and Bulldog Brower in a fictional tournament--- in Indiana of all places! But it really doesn't matter, because the Super Destroyers soon become one of the best true tag teams in World Class's history.
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