Taped from Dallas, TX
Airdate: January 9, 1988 (taped 01/02)
Attendance: 4,000 (sold out)
Hosted by Marc Lowrance
Can Adams topple Parsons, or do the Freebirds have something to say about it? What happens when Thing and Link tangle? Who’s the new guy? Who will have the luck of the Irish and win the 1988 Corvette?
Opening montage.
Where did all these people come from?
POINT OF ORDER: Due to New Year’s Day, the Friday night show was moved to Saturday, and look at the results! Of course, they ran their normal Monday night show in Fort Worth and drew flies (350).
Match 1: Cowboy Tony (w/ Percy Pringle) versus Jason Sterling
Highlights:
- For those unaware, Sterling was Missing Link’s son.
- Sterling blocked a hip toss and dealt Tony one of his own.
- When he dropkicked Tony, Sterling leapfrogged him.
- He dropkicked Tony again, and the Dallas faithful chanted “go, Jason, go.”
- As Pringle added his $.02 with a cane shot, Tony connected with a back elbow. SNEAKY!
- He landed a fist drop and got 2.
- After Pringle jumped onto the apron to distract referee John Keaton, Tony cheated like there’s no tomorrow.
- Thanks, Apollo.
- While Tony missed an elbow drop, Sterling leapfrogged Tony again and unleashed a butt butt.
- He slammed Tony and followed with dropkick #3.
- Reversing an Irish whip, he countered a back drop attempt by jumping atop Tony.
- Sterling hooked an inside cradle and pinned Tony at 6:18.
Rating: **
Summary: If I can compare Sterling to anyone, it would be Spike Dudley albeit barefoot.
From my Christmas Star Wars reflection:
Match 2: The Missing Link versus “Playboy” Vince Apollo
Highlights:
- Apollo ambushed Link before the bell, mounted the second turnbuckle, jumped onto his back, and applied a sleeper.
- With Apollo on his back, Link exited the ring and sandwiched him against the ring post.
- He dealt Apollo a running head butt followed by an atomic drop.
- When Link mounted the top turnbuckle, he connected with a flying head butt.
- 1-2-3.
- Link won at 1:17.
Rating: *
Summary: Showcase match for Link.
We return to the Sportatorium…
Prior to the next match, the REAL Thing performs his “war chant.” Methinks the LSD is too strong tonight.
Match 3: The REAL Thing (w/ “Playboy” Vince Apollo & Brian Adias) versus the Missing Link (w/ Sheena)
Highlights:
- For those unaware, Sheena was the real-life wife of the Missing Link.
- Before the bell rang, Adias attacked Link, and Thing joined in double-teaming him.
- Apollo, dressed in street clothes, added to a triple-teaming until…
- Yes, folks, “Wild” Bill Irwin arrived while cracking a whip to chase off the heels.
- No match.
Rating: NONE
For the next match, we return to my Christmas Star Wars reflection.
REAL Match 3 (battle royal):
Participants: Kerry Von Erich, Steve Simpson, “Wild” Bill Irwin, Buddy Roberts, Percy Pringle, Bobby Fulton, “Maniac” Matt Borne, Jack Victory, “Hollywood” John Tatum, Jeff Raitz, Terry Gordy, Brian Adias, “Blackbird” King Parsons, Sweet Brown Sugar, Missing Link, Frankie Lancaster, Shaun Simpson, Solomon Grundy, Cowboy Tony, Tommy Rogers
Highlights:
- Winner of the match gets the keys to a 1988 Chevrolet Corvette.
- When Kerry climbed the pole, someone pulled down his trunks, and a full moon hung over Dallas on Christmas night.
- Despite Parsons’ efforts, Kerry snagged the keys to win the car at 3:13.
Rating: NONE
Summary: Although almost no one knew about it, a one-legged man just climbed a pole and won a car. Amazing!
Following the match, the owner of Friendly Chevrolet congratulates Kerry on his comeback and victory. Kerry advises the Dallas faithful that he’ll be driving his new car home from Reunion Arena.
Don’t miss Wrestling Thunderdome in your area soon! I’m sure you’ll need a topical cream to apply afterward.
Match 4 (non-title): WCWA Texas tag team champions “Hollywood” John Tatum & the “Heartthrob of New Jersey” Jack Victory versus Bob “The Cat” Bradley & Sweet Brown Sugar
Highlights:
- For those unaware, Tony Atlas left the promotion.
- SBS leapfrogged Victory twice and scored with a pair of dropkicks.
- As Tatum inserted himself into the match, he also ate a dropkick from SBS.
- Victory pummeled SBS in the corner and gave him a cross corner whip.
- When SBS scampered to the opposite corner, he leaped to the second turnbuckle and uncorked a cross body block for 2.
- Bradley tagged in, but Tatum low-bridged him down to the floor. How dastardly!
- With Bradley on the apron, Victory suplexed him back into the ring.
- Tatum tagged in and dealt Bradley a gourdbuster for 2.
- After Victory tagged in, the heels double-clotheslined Bradley.
- Speaking of Bradley, he leapfrogged Victory and unloaded a dropkick.
- Tags were exchanged on both sides, and SBS headbutted Tatum.
- While Victory tagged in, SBS nailed him in the midsection.
- Tatum tagged in, headbutted SBS, but suffered the worst from it.
- Despite Lowrance’s dash of racism, SBS headbutted Tatum and followed with a slam for 2. Tsk, tsk, Marc.
- SBS gave him a cross corner whip, but Tatum rebounded with a reverse hip toss for 2.
- Clobbering Tatum, SBS only got 2 thanks to a save by Victory.
- Bradley distracted referee Rick Hazzard, so Victory thwarted an SBS monkey flip by hammering him down to the mat.
- 1-2-3.
- Tatum and Victory won at 6:42.
Rating: ***
Summary: All it took was one minor distraction, and the heels stole the victory.
In the ring, Lowrance interviews Kevin who provides us with:
FRITZ VON ERICH UPDATE: According to Kevin, “the scary part is over.” The paralysis was only temporary, but he’s still in “a lot of pain.” There is no heart condition, and Kevin’s thankful for that. Nevertheless, he’s going to make the perpetrators pay for their chicanery. He warns that he’s “not responsible for what happens from now on.”
Match 5: “Gentleman” Chris Adams (w/ Kevin Von Erich) versus “Iceman” King Parsons (w/ Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy
Highlights:
- Following a commercial break, PANDEMONIUM erupted when Kevin battled Gordy and Adams fought Parsons. Well, Kevin did say he wasn’t responsible for any shenanigans.
- Roberts and the Angel of Death stormed the ring, and the heels pounded Kevin and Adams 4-on-2.
- When the heels dispatched Adams from the ring, Matt Borne, Shaun Simpson, Jeff Raitz, Sterling, Bradley, and countless others arrived to join the melee.
- Following a commercial break, order had been restored after “fifteen minutes” per Lowrance.
- Adams and Parsons brawled their way to the floor, and Adams CROWNED him with a chair.
- As Adams sauntered after Parsons, Gordy blasted him from behind. Nefarious!
- Adams and Parsons continued their war on the floor, yet Gordy and Kevin jumped into the ring for another scrap.
- After the heels controlled Kevin, Adams re-entered the ring with a chair.
- He WHACKED Parsons with it, yet Roberts re-inserted himself into the fray.
- While Parsons pitched Adams over the top rope to the floor, the Freebirds thumped on Kevin some more.
- The credits rolled, but the violence continued to a raucous Dallas faithful.
Rating: NONE
Summary: Wild chaos that resembled what the Von Erich-Freebirds war of ’83-’84 was all about. Without question, the Dallas faithful got their money’s worth on this show.
Conclusion: Compared to most of 1986 and 1987, the booking on this show completely blows it out of the water.
Next week, a pair of matches involving the World champion!
TV Rating: NONE
Stay tuned for WCCW 01-16-88!
Comments? Suggestions? Send them to me at rsg@rockstargary.com and follow me on Twitter (@rockstargary202).