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World Class Championship Wrestling - December 10, 1983

by Erick Von Erich

We're back for the second half of the 1983 Wrestling Star Wars at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. But first, the WWE Classic On Demand studio has Kevin Von Erich and Michael "P.S." Hayes... who is decked out in some VIVID pink-ish striped slacks. But hey, he's as free as a bird and when you're rocking a receeding mullet at his age, the pink stripes ain't gonna' make a difference. Kevin then talks about the name "Star Wars" and how; even though it was Daddy Fritz's idea; he hated the name because of its similarity to the famous movies. But with so much going on in World Class Championship Wrestling, let's get down to ringside for...

Match 1: Kevin Von Erich vs. Terry Gordy

These two faced each other A LOT in 1983. They usually matched up well, so we'll see how this goes. The opening six minutes is slow going, as it features Kevin avoiding Gordy's momentum, then cranking on an arm-strecther. Kevin hooks on the Claw, but Gordy flings him over the top rope. Bill Mercer mentions that this isn't a disqualification, because Kevin had the Claw hooked on Gordy. Had Gordy simply flung him, then it would've been a DQ. Kevin tries to injure Gordy's thumb in the turnbuckles, but Gordy fights him off and delivers a suplex. Gordy threatens the Oriental Spike, but Kevin slips away, drop-kicks him then tries a splash. Gordy gets his knees up to block and works on him some more. Gordy goes all the way up top, but misses a splash. In the end, Kev goes up top for a quick top-rope spin-around crossbody splash to score the 3. Travelling all of maybe 5 feet in the process. A clean decision, but a significant step down from the matches they previously had. The ending picked up, but it was almost a paint-by-numbers affair.

Post-match is when the good stuff happens. Buddy Roberts (in headgear and a nappy-headed wig) runs in to beat on Kevin. They take Roberts' boot and begin thumping away. They lay Kevin out and try to break his Claw hand. Brothers Kerry and David run in to clear the ring. Nice little bit of "Evil Heel Revenge", as they tried to break Kevin's hand in response to the way Gordy's Orinetal Spike thumb was threatened a few weeks ago. Fun note: Kerry is wearing a "Peavey" t-shirt; makers of quality guitars, amplifiers and gear.

Bill Mercer Ringside Interview: David Von Erich

But first, clips of the recent DVE/Kimala match, where the Ugandan Giant was felled by the Iron Claw. Big Dave then cuts a promo against Kimala and Skandar Akbar, specifically the latter's attempt to get the Claw banned. DVE says if Akbar gets involved, he'll find out what the Claw's all about, firsthand. He also mentions Kimala's rep and how everyone from Bruiser Brody on down has been put away by the big guy. One of the more tolerable DVE promos, as he was concise in his points and didn't stumble around his words.

Match 2: David Von Erich vs. Kimala (w/Skandar Akbar and Friday)

This might be a dumb question, but: who was Friday? Everyone knows that his lookalike, Kim Chee, was Steve Lombardi in the WWF days... but I don't think I've ever seen an ID for the masked Friday. David's officially billed as "The Yellow Rose of Texas", which World Class hadn't seen to be doing in past weeks. Anyways, on to the match, as it's basic punchy/kicky. DVE keeps backing Kimala off with the threat of the Claw. Kimala tosses him through the ropes, then DVE blades. Back in, DVE finally hooks on the Claw. The cameras zoom in to see it being applied on Kimala's forehead. As they do, we can see Kimala reach into his mouth, pull something out, and do a blade job on his grill. Really? To me that's just a strange place to store a sharp object. "We'll need you to blade, Sugar Bear. Here's a razor". "Sweet. I'll store that in my frickin' mouth!" Anyways, as DVE works the Claw, they do a tour du ring which allows Friday and Akbar to get involved. Akbar tries whipping DVE, but gets the Claw clamped on. Kimala saves, so Akbar begins choking DVE with his keffiyeh. Chaos ensues, then Kerry Von Erich arrives to make the save. Kerry fights the bad guys off, then SLAMS Kimala, easily. Cool spot, but it kinda' overshadows David's efforts in his entire match. Official decision is finally announced as it's a diqualfication win for David Von Erich.

Bill Mercer Ringside Interview: "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin with Precious

She's now officially "Precious", dropping the short-lived moniker of "New Sunshine" or "Sunshine II". Garvin is his usual cocky self and says tonight he'll skip past Sunshine and that "phony Englishman" Chris Adams. Sorry, but I think Garvin's recurring joke about Adams faking his European heritage is rather hilarious.

Match 3: NWA American Heavyweight Championship:
"Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (w/Precious) (c) vs. "Gentleman" Chris Adams (w/Sunshine)

Sunshine enters last and gets a pretty good pop, as would become customary for her. She actually looks kinda' cute for 1983 standards, in a white fur coat with black pants and boots. Adams debuts some new entrance attire, as well-- a long cape with the Union Jack on the back and American stars on the front. Mercer spends roughly half the match detailing all the circumstances surrounding the feud. During the time, the grappplers trade holds with Garvin getting in some cheap shots. He drags Adams over to the corner to taunt Sunshine. Adams escapes and delivers a superkick, sending Garvin outside. Precious tries getting involved, but Sunshine stalks her on the outside to prevent. Garvin returns, but dodges another Adams superkick. He bounces to the ropes, where Sunshine PULLS HIS HAIR, causing him to drop to the canvas. Adams quickly swoops in to cover for the 3 count and become the NEW American Heavyweight Champion. Okay, I would've rather see the HAIR PULL distract Garvin, then have him turnaround and eat another superkick. Sure, Sunshine's a big part of the angle but it doesn't work to have Garvin job to a HAIR PULL. Afterwards, Adams and Sunshine celebrate in the ring. Adams even gives her a little peck on the cheek. In hindsight, this was a pretty big deal for Adams, as his title win proved that he was here to stay and a big part of World Class. In fact, I believe he was the first non-Von Erich babyface to hold the title since the 70's.

Bill Mercer invites us back for next week, when we'll be at the Sportatrium again. DRUM TIME!

Why'd You Tape This?:
Strangely enough, the Kerry Von Erich vs. Michael Hayes Loser-Leaves-Texas match was not included. I think we eventually see highlights, down the road somewhere. Just seems a little strange that it was omitted, since the weekly shows seemed to show every significant match from previous "Star Wars" cards. The show as a whole was about average. Without the Kerry/Hayes match, it seems like a card to just bridge the gaps and keep things rolling.

You can sense that they're pushing David for the NWA World Title (during the broadcast, Mercer even mentioned that David would be challenging Flair for the title, in Texas, soon), so his bout with the unstoppable Kimala was a big deal. But I question the spot with Kerry running in and easily slamming Kimala. That should've been reserved for David. With the way it turns out, it will end up working for Kerry's eventual NWA title reign. Speaking of which, we're coming up to David's tragic death, soon. I missed those episodes when they aired on ESPN's "Legends of World Class Wrestling" back in 1988-1989, so they'll be fresh meat for me. Last DVE match I remember seeing was a "Falls Count Anywhere" match from the Sportatorium with Kimala. 1984 will be another big year for World Class, with plenty of new arrivals and crazy angles.

Boom-da-da-da-boom, da-da-da-boom, da-da-da-boom

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