Taped from Dallas, TX
Airdate: May 28, 1988 (taped 05/13)
Attendance: unknown
Hosted by Marc Lowrance
You won’t believe what happens when it’s Freebird versus Freebird! What transpires in Fort Worth between Kevin, Kerry, Parsons, and Taylor? Can you believe the stuff that occurs in Mesquite?
Opening montage.
Match 1: Sweet Brown Sugar versus Bob “The Cat” Bradley
Highlights:
- SBS clotheslined Bradley causing him to not only retreat but also wildly stumble to the floor.
- When Lowrance crowed about WCCW’s original presentation of the Triple Dome of Terror, he believed that others would undoubtedly copy it.
- Bradley gave him a cross corner whip, but SBS floated over, scampered to the opposite corner, leaped to the second turnbuckle, and launched a cross body block for 2.
- POINT OF ORDER: Although I normally don’t acknowledge arm drags in matches, SBS implements the Ricky Steamboat style of them—DEEP arm drags!
- Nevertheless, SBS leapfrogged Bradley with ease and ducked a clothesline.
- Lowrance planted the seed of other World champions coming to the WCWA, and someone just might have done that.
- As Bradley botched a leap frog by landing on SBS’ back, he dealt SBS an elbow drop to the back to compensate.
- The match segued to the floor, and Bradley briefly roughed up SBS.
- Back in the ring, Bradley scored with a diving head butt while Lowrance casually mentioned that Jerry “The King” Lawler defeated Curt Hennig for the AWA World title. Never thought WCCW would mention that.
- Due to the diving head butt, Bradley was BUSTED OPEN!
- SBS rebounded with a sunset flip and got 2.
- After Bradley slammed him, he mounted the top turnbuckle, attempted another diving head butt, but there wasn’t any water in the pool.
- With two minutes left, SBS headbutted him so hard that Bradley caromed all the way over the top rope to the floor.
- SBS returned Bradley to the ring the hard way and nailed him in the midsection for 2.
- While one minute remained, Bradley rolled up SBS and got 2.
- SBS hooked an inside cradle for 2.
- Using momentum, Bradley maneuvered atop SBS and got 2.
- SBS implemented the same strategy for 2.
- Upon the completion of a rolling ball of wrestlers, SBS got another 2.
- Bradley secured a somersault rollup and got 2.
- Slamming Bradley, SBS mounted the second turnbuckle but missed a missile dropkick.
- Bradley evaded the dropkick but, in doing so, fell to the floor.
- Meanwhile, the bell rang, and referee Bronko Lubich ruled the bout a time-limit draw at 8:12. Ten-minute time limit indeed.
Rating: **
Summary: Once the result became obvious, the heat took off, and these guys did their best. The blood from Bradley was hardway in case; otherwise, it’d have been unnecessary.
At ringside, Percy Pringle interviews General Skandor Akbar who will bring Kamala back to the WCWA. Methinks with Akbar back, there wasn’t a need for a second heel manager, and Pringle needed a job.
We revisit last week when Embry thought he’d get the better of Steve Casey, yet Casey proved him false. Next, we head to Mesquite where Casey powerslammed Vince Apollo for the victory. Afterward, Embry ambushed him from behind and made him HIT THE POLE. He rammed Casey face-first into the timekeeper’s table and clobbered him with a plastic chair.
In the ring, Embry piledrove Casey. Later, in a match between Embry and Jason Sterling, a bandaged Casey interfered while attacking Embry. When referee Gary Usher restrained Casey, Embry hightailed it back to the locker room.
POINT OF ORDER: It was great to hear Bill Mercer’s call of the Mesquite footage. RIP
At ringside, Pringle interviews Gordy along with Shaun Simpson, and Gordy announces his alignment to the Simpson brothers. While Shaun compares himself to a “smaller version” of Gordy, he cuts a promo on Tatum and Victory.
Match 2: Samu versus Mike Morrow
Highlights:
- If Morrow’s name sounded familiar, he’d regret his participation in a match against the Skyscrapers in WCW on August 5, 1989. This match would mark Morrow’s second pro wrestling match.
- Morrow reversed an Irish whip but missed a clothesline.
- As Samu flattened him with a thrust kick, he demolished Morrow with a sidewalk slam.
- Roberts approached ringside to evaluate Samu.
- When he hoisted Morrow atop the top turnbuckle, Samu joined and extinguished Morrow with a belly-to-back superplex. Impressive!
- He mounted the second turnbuckle and planted Morrow with a DDT.
- 1-2-3.
- Samu won at 2:10.
Rating: *
Summary: The superplex earns the star in this magnificent squash.
After the match, Roberts pats him on the back, and Samu is both surprised and confused.
At ringside, Pringle interviews Kerry who cuts a promo on “Iceman” King Parsons.
Video airs featuring the Missing Link.
Following a commercial break, a video airs featuring the Triple Dome of Terror. This would have been helpful BEFORE the Texas Stadium spectacular to increase ticket sales.
At ringside, Pringle interviews Roberts and Parsons. Roberts runs down Michael Hayes while Parsons coins the glove on Roberts’ right hand–“black beauty whoops plenty of booty.” HA! Nonetheless, he calls Hayes a “rudy poot” and finishes with “have mercy.”
We head to Fort Worth where Terry Taylor, in street clothes, interrupts the introduction of a match between Kevin and Parsons. As Taylor tries to rearrange the card to suit his needs, he suggests that Parsons wrestles Kerry while he squares off against Kevin. Speaking of Kevin, he tells Taylor that he wants the Texas title and is happy to go one-on-one.
Suddenly, Parsons distracts Kevin, so Taylor attacks Kevin from behind. SNEAKY! They double-team Kevin as Taylor blasts Kevin with the belt. How dastardly! The destruction continues as babyfaces storm the ring one-by-one but get decimated. Ultimately, Kerry joins the fray to even the odds, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Afterward, Angel of Death, Jack Victory, and the Hood infiltrate the ring, and chaos ensues. Taylor hasn’t had enough, and he scuffles with Kerry prior to order being restored. Grabbing the microphone, Kevin challenges Taylor RIGHT NOW.
Match 3: Solomon Grundy versus Jim Richardson
Highlights:
- Grundy reversed an Irish whip and scored with a lariat.
- When he landed a pair of elbow drops, Grundy splashed Richardson.
- GET OUT THE SPATULA!
- 1-2-3.
- Grundy won at 1:13.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Grundy.
Match 4: Michael “P.S.” Hayes versus Buddy “Jack” Roberts
Highlights:
- Hayes headbutted Roberts and stomped a mudhole on him.
- As he guillotined Roberts with the top rope, Hayes pounded him to the floor.
- The Dallas faithful LOST THEIR DAMN MINDS!
- When the match segued to the floor, Hayes attempted to ram him into the ring post, but Roberts instead made him HIT THE POLE.
- Roberts rammed him face-first into Pulley’s table, but Hayes returned the favor.
- After Hayes creamed him with a steel chair, Roberts was BUSTED OPEN!
- They returned to the ring, Roberts reversed an Irish whip, but Hayes whiffed on a cross body block.
- While they inadvertently knocked down referee Rick Hazzard, Roberts nailed Hayes WAY DOWNTOWN.
- He placed Black Beauty on his hand but missed a haymaker.
- Following a couple of rights by Hayes, Roberts bounced off the ropes and obliterated him with Black Beauty. Nefarious!
- 1-2-3.
- Roberts won at 5:54.
Rating: **
Summary: With the Dallas faithful at a fever pitch, Roberts used chicanery to defeat Hayes.
To end the show, the Dallas faithful yells…
Conclusion: Watching at home, Roberts gives away the outcome of the main event during his “pre-match” promo. Crappy editing aside, with Lowrance handling the play-by-play and Pringle performing interview duty, WCCW’s programming remains steady.
As far as the action goes, Roberts gets one over on Hayes leading to a series of matches around the horn where Hayes gets comeuppance. With the Hennig loss to Lawler, its significance looms larger for the WCWA. As Hennig migrates to the WWF, Taylor will soon follow suit.
What does that mean for WCCW? It means that Taylor must do the honors near the top of the card beforehand. That’s why Taylor snuck his nose into Von Erich business.
Lastly, the Embry-Casey feud helps to make Casey more of a star.
Next week, Kerry battles Parsons in a no-DQ lights-out match!
TV Rating: NONE
Stay tuned for WCCW 06-06-88!
Comments? Suggestions? Send them to me at rsg@rockstargary.com and follow me on Twitter (@rockstargary202).