Taped from Dallas, TX
Airdate: May 2, 1987 (taped 04/17)
Attendance: unknown
Hosted by Bill Mercer
It’s the go-home show for the Parade of Champions! What will happen when Jack and Huber collide with Swenson and Warlock? Can Simpson get the better of the “flamboyant” one? What do both the Fantastics and RPMs have to say about their upcoming scaffold match?
Opening montage.
Match 1: Steve Simpson versus “Flamboyant” Eric Embry
Highlights:
- Simpson backdropped Embry and followed with a dropkick.
- When Simpson reversed a cross corner whip, Embry jumped to the second turnbuckle, leaped, but there wasn’t any water in the pool.
- Embry slammed Simpson but missed an elbow drop.
- As Simpson reversed an Irish whip, Embry leapfrogged and clotheslined him.
- He fed Simpson a knee lift and slammed Simpson again.
- After he mounted the top turnbuckle, Embry missed a diving head butt.
- Simpson dropkicked Embry again, gave him a cross corner whip, and dealt him a monkey flip. Methinks he might need a different strategy atop the scaffold.
- While he gave Embry another cross corner whip, Simpson backdropped him again.
- He mounted the top turnbuckle and launched a cross body block.
- Before referee Bronko Lubich could make a count, the RPMs interfered to make the save.
- Lubich called for the bell, and Simpson won by DQ at 6:01.
Rating: ***
Summary: I see some chemistry here, but will it translate 25 feet up in the air atop a scaffold?
After the match, the RPMs double-backdrop Simpson and follow with a double back elbow. Embry admires his colleagues’ chicanery while the RPMs destroy Simpson with a clothesline. From ringside, Embry grabs his powder puff box, enters the ring, and powders Simpson. Quite humiliating, no?
Atop a scaffold in Fort Worth, the Fantastics cut a promo on the RPMs. To intimidate them, Rogers grabs a watermelon and tosses it down to the concrete floor of Will Rogers Coliseum. As you can probably guess, it disintegrates into a million pieces. The RPMs arrive, and Mike Davis refuses to participate. While Embry joins them, he coaches the RPMs saying it’s his type of match. He threatens to turn the Fantastics into a “vegetable in a wheelchair.”
The RPMs climb the scaffold, and Embry tries to stop Simpson from climbing the other side. As Simpson unceremoniously dumps Embry to the concrete floor, the RPMs climb down to check on their fallen partner.
Video airs featuring Kevin Von Erich.
From the studio, Marc Lowrance interviews Hart alongside Nord the Barbarian and Jeep Swenson. Hart has a plan to get what he wants—the World title. Next, he cuts a promo on Bruiser Brody and Swenson’s desire to eliminate him.
Match 2: Nord the Barbarian (w/ Gary Hart) versus Barry Collier
Highlights:
- Don’t even ask who Collier was.
- As he fed Collier a back elbow, Nord dealt him a backbreaker.
- He delivered a belly-to-back suplex and landed a knee drop.
- When he dropkicked Collier, Nord scored with a pair of diving head butts.
- Collier reversed a cross corner whip but ate boot on his follow-through.
- After he launched a flying leg drop, Nord pinned Collier at 2:49.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for the #1 contender to the World title.
Match 3: The Rock’n’Roll RPMs versus Sweet Brown Sugar & Steve Doll
Highlights:
- SBS leapfrogged Davis twice before monkey-flipping him.
- When Lane tagged in, he hip-tossed SBS but ate a mule kick.
- Davis, from the apron, put a boot into SBS’ back. SNEAKY!
- As Davis tagged in, he fed SBS a back elbow.
- Lane tagged in, and the RPMs dealt SBS a double back elbow for 2.
- After Lane slammed SBS, Davis tagged in and got 2.
- SBS delivered an inverted atomic drop, but Lane tagged in only to get punted.
- Hot tag Doll.
- While Lane guillotined him with the top rope, Davis tagged in and mounted the second turnbuckle.
- The RPMs demolished Doll with a modified Doomsday Device, and Davis pinned him at 3:27.
Rating: **
Summary: Showcase match for the RPMs.
Match 4: Cousin Junior versus Mike Reed
Highlights:
- Junior backdropped Reed and followed with a slam.
- As he hip-tossed Reed, Junior booted him down to the floor.
- He fed Reed an elbow smash followed by a splash for 2.
- When Junior reversed a cross corner whip, he slammed Reed again.
- He mounted the top turnbuckle and launched a flying splash.
- 1-2-3.
- Junior won at 1:56.
Rating: *
Summary: Showcase match for Junior.
At the witching hour, Lowrance interviews Brody who’s “here for Jeep Swenson” and promises some blood.
Match 5: Red River Jack & Spike Huber versus Jeep Swenson & the Warlock (w/ Gary Hart)
Highlights:
- Huber tagged in, rolled up Warlock, and got 2.
- When he ducked a clothesline, Huber attempted a cross body block.
- Warlock evaded him, so Huber sailed between the ropes onto Lowrance’s table.
- As Warlock suplexed Huber back into the ring, he only got 1 thanks to a save by Jack.
- Warlock slammed Huber for 2, and Jack inserted himself into the ring again.
- After Jack distracted referee Bronko Lubich, Warlock tossed Huber over the top rope to the floor. How dastardly!
- Swenson took a swipe at Huber from the apron, so Jack fed him a big boot.
- While Jack tagged in, he dealt Warlock a high knee.
- Swenson tried to interject, but Jack booted him out of the ring.
- Slamming Warlock, Jack tagged and launched Huber from the apron into a springboard splash.
- 1-2-3.
- Huber and Jack won at 4:57.
Rating: **
Summary: Neat finisher by the babyfaces, yet, with Warlock in the match, you knew he’d eat the pin. The rest of the match was merely an appetizer for the upcoming spectacular.
Following the match, Jack tosses Swenson over the top rope to the floor. Swenson returns and hammers Jack, and the brawl was ON like Donkey Kong. Clearing the ring, Jack hurled Swenson over the top rope again.
Conclusion: Are you pumped for the stadium show? The Fantastics and RPMs sold their scaffold match like 2-for-1 burritos during lunch hour. Since Brody’s only “permitted” to wrestle at Texas Stadium, Jack’s picking up the slack against Swenson. In addition, Embry and Simpson offered us a preview of what’s to come at the spectacular.
Lest we forget, both Nord the Barbarian and Cousin Junior won their respective enhancement matches to tune up for the spectacular. Hart believed that Nord will capture the gold by defeating Kevin. Finally, Brody’s ready to tear the mercenary into bloody pieces. His “three hours from now” promo had me chomping at the bit.
Next week, we head to Texas Stadium for matches from the 4th annual David Von Erich Parade of Champions.
TV Rating: NONE
Stay tuned for WCCW 05-09-87!
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