World Class Wrestling Association October 24, 1987

by

Taped from Dallas, TX

Airdate: October 24, 1987 (taped 10/02)

Attendance: unknown

Hosted by Marc Lowrance

There’s Cotton Bowl excitement abound! What happens when Borne collides with Sheik? Can Atlas dethrone Perez for the World title? How will Shaun fare against Embry? Climb aboard for a special treat!

Opening montage.

Match 1 (non-title): WCWA Texas champion Ted Arcidi (w/ Percy Pringle) versus Sweet Brown Sugar
Highlights:

  • Vince Apollo joined the broadcast table for this match but remained silent about his research.
  • When Arcidi clotheslined him, he military-pressed and guillotined SBS with the top rope.
  • The match segued to the floor, and Arcidi rammed SBS face-first into the apron.
  • As they returned to the ring, Arcidi gave SBS a cross corner whip followed by a back drop.
  • SBS blocked a second back drop attempt and headbutted Arcidi.
  • After he followed Arcidi back to the floor, SBS rammed him face-first into Pulley’s table.
  • They overturned Pulley’s wooden table and brawled on the floor.
  • While SBS made Arcidi HIT THE POLE, referee John Keaton called for the bell.
  • Due to a double countout, there was no winner at 1:53.

Rating: NONE
Summary: This must’ve served as an appetizer for an upcoming match series between them, no?

After the match, the brawl continues, and Arcidi rams SBS into the apron again. He picks up the wooden staircase and threatens to maim SBS, but Keaton stops him from committing assault with a deadly weapon. When they have a standoff at ringside with dueling chairs, Pringle escorts his charge back to the locker room.

Match 2 (non-title): WCWA Light Heavyweight champion “Flamboyant” Eric Embry versus Shaun Simpson
Highlights:

  • Following a commercial break, another brawl broke out, and it was PANDEMONIUM.
  • “Gentleman” Chris Adams joined the broadcast table for this match.
  • As Shaun reversed a cross corner whip, he backdropped Embry.
  • Like the first match, the brawl meandered to the floor, and Shaun rammed Embry face-first into Pulley’s table.
  • Embry rebounded with a diving head butt but was unable to piledrive Shaun.
  • When he tossed Shaun to the floor, Embry leaped from the apron and nailed him with a double axe handle.
  • He tried to ram Shaun into the ring post but HIT THE POLE himself.
  • After getting slammed on the floor, Embry exited stage left out to the parking lot.
  • Referee Bronko Lubich called for the bell, and Shaun won by countout at 3:34.

Rating: *
Summary: Another countout? What is this? Herb Abrams’ UWF?

Following the match, Adams leaves the broadcast table after Embry. He returns with Embry over his shoulder and tosses him back into the ring. While Shaun pounds him into ground beef, they brawl on the floor until Embry hightails it again.

SPECIAL REPORT: It’s rankings time again!

World title
Champion: Al Perez

1. Kevin Von Erich
2. Bruiser Brody
3. Mil Mascaras
4. Antonio Inoki
5. Stan “The Lariat” Hansen

Seriously? Mascaras is coming in for a solo shot at the Cotton Bowl, and the ones below him are firmly planted in Japan around this time.

World Light Heavyweight title
Champion: Eric Embry

1. Shaun Simpson
2. Sweet Brown Sugar
3. Tiger Mask
4. Zen Kares
5. Michael St. John

At this point, they’re not even trying. Obviously, Tiger Mask is in Japan while I have NO CLUE who Kares is. St. John’s an announcer for crying out loud.

Brass Knuckles title
Champion: Tony Atlas

1. Abdullah the Butcher
2. Iron Sheik
3. Bruiser Brody
4. Stan Hansen
5. “Maniac” Mark Lewin

Hansen, a well-regarded brawler from Brazos Valley, reappears on this list; however, Lewin hasn’t wrestled in the WCWA for over a year and was basically retired.

Match 3 for the WCWA World title: Al Perez (champion w/ Gary Hart) versus Tony Atlas
Highlights:

  • At least, Atlas was taking this opportunity seriously and NOT wearing his Superman attire.
  • Perez rolled up Atlas but only got 1.
  • When Atlas reversed a cross corner whip, he gave Perez another cross corner whip before coming up empty on his follow-through.
  • Perez took control, but Atlas began to no-sell.
  • As the Dallas faithful chanted “To-ny,” their hero clotheslined the World champion.
  • He headbutted Perez and hooked a sleeper.
  • After Perez escaped, Atlas backdropped him for 2.
  • He piledrove Perez but couldn’t get more than 1 due to a foot on the bottom rope.
  • While he hip-tossed Perez across the ring, Atlas achieved the same outcome.
  • Atlas reversed another cross corner whip, but Perez leaped to the second turnbuckle.
  • Trying a corkscrew maneuver, Perez leaped, but there wasn’t any water in the pool.
  • Atlas splashed Perez, but Apollo, who’d been patiently waiting at Pulley’s table, distracted referee John Keaton. SNEAKY!
  • Meanwhile, Hart jumped onto the apron and clobbered Atlas. How dastardly!
  • Hart placed Perez atop Atlas and summoned Keaton.
  • 1-2-3.
  • Perez retained at 7:34.

Rating: **
Summary: Thanks to Hart’s chicanery, Perez escapes with his title yet again.

Afterward, Atlas saunters after Hart, notices Apollo, and chairs a meeting of the minds between them.

Now we head to the Cotton Bowl!

Prior to the next match, Sheik sings the Iranian national anthem to a chorus of boos before besmirching the Cotton Bowl faithful. Wearing camouflage and carrying Old Glory, Borne storms the ring, runs down Sheik on the microphone, and prompts a “U-S-A” chant from the Cotton Bowl faithful.

Match 4: The Iron Sheik versus “Maniac” Matt Borne
Highlights:

  • This match occurred at the Cotton Bowl on 10/17. Unlike last year, the weather was much warmer.
  • As Sheik clotheslined Borne, he hooked an abdominal stretch.
  • Borne escaped via hip toss but missed an elbow drop.
  • When Sheik fed Borne a gutwrench suplex, he got 1.
  • Borne blocked a vertical suplex and dealt Sheik one of his own.
  • After he countered a slam with an inside cradle, Borne got 2.
  • He followed with a pair of shots to Sheik before nailing him WAY DOWNTOWN.
  • While Borne gave Sheik a cross corner whip, he followed with a ten-punch count-along.
  • Sheik countered with an inverted atomic drop thereby ruining Borne’s Saturday night plans.
  • Hooking a sunset flip, Borne got 2.
  • A mid-ring collision sent both wrestlers reeling down to the turf.
  • Grabbing a chair, Borne LEVELED Sheik with it twice.
  • Sheik bounced Borne face-first off ring announcer John Roberts’ not-so-wooden table and creamed him with an unfolded plastic chair. OUCH!
  • Referee John Keaton called for the bell, and both wrestlers were counted out at 9:08.

Rating: **
Summary: You’ve got to be kidding me. ANOTHER countout? And this one in the Cotton Bowl?

After the match, Borne gives Sheik a cross corner whip, comes up empty, and HITS THE POLE. Sheik loads up the boot and annihilates Borne much to the dismay of the Cotton Bowl faithful. Taking the Iranian flag, Sheik tries to cover Bourne with it.

On the other hand, Borne awakens and tries to dropkick Sheik. He ducks a haymaker and stymies Sheik with an atomic drop spilling him to the turf. Waving Old Glory, Borne excites the young patriotic Cotton Bowl faithful.

Before the episode ends, Ralph Pulley interviews Steve Corey again who promises a tour of “160 cities over a year and a half.”

Conclusion: In the six-year history of this program, this episode is the absolute WORST of the bunch.

Countouts galore do NOT encourage folks to buy tickets to the show, and having one in the Borne-Sheik match is completely inexcusable. In addition, those rankings were horrid bordering on insulting.

Skip this episode!

Next week, more excitement from the Cotton Bowl! It’s gotta be better than this…

TV Rating: NONE

Stay tuned for WCCW 10-31-87!

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