Taped from Dallas, TX
Airdate: November 14, 1987 (taped 10/30)
Attendance: unknown
Hosted by Marc Lowrance
Is this hockey or wrestling? Why, you ask? Because there’s a PENALTY BOX match in the main event! Also, Bourne and Spoiler square off against Sheik and Thing! In case that’s not enough for you, the World champion is in action! Let’s scrum!
Opening montage.
Match 1 (non-title): WCWA World champion Al Perez (w/ Gary Hart) versus Rick Hazzard
Highlights:
- Perez fed him a shot to the midsection, but Hazzard reversed a cross corner whip.
- When Hazzard ate knee on his follow-through, Perez connected with a lariat.
- 1-2-3.
- Perez won at 1:32.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Breezy showcase match for Perez.
Prior to the next match, Sheik requests to sing the Iranian national anthem, but you know how that goes.
Match 2: “Maniac” Matt Borne & the Spoiler versus the Iron Sheik & the Thing (w/ “Killer” Tim Brooks, Gary Hart, & Vince Apollo)
Highlights:
- “Gentleman” Chris Adams joined the broadcast table for this match.
- As the babyfaces attacked Sheik mid-anthem, the Dallas faithful chanted “U-S-A” to support them.
- Spoiler tagged in, mounted the top turnbuckle, and clobbered Thing with an axe handle.
- When he gave Thing a cross corner whip, Spoiler ate boot on his follow-through.
- Another “U-S-A” chant erupted, yet Thing landed a leg drop, brother.
- After Sheik tagged in, Apollo jumped onto the apron to distract referee John Keaton.
- That allowed Brooks to join a triple-team on Spoiler in the heel corner. SNEAKY!
- While Spoiler conducted a meeting of the minds to escape, Borne tagged in, reversed a cross corner whip only to eat a boot to the midsection.
- Sheik tagged in and leapfrogged Borne.
- Hooking a sunset flip, Borne got 2.
- Tags were exchanged on both sides, yet Borne distracted Keaton again.
- Assisting the heels, Brooks jumped onto the apron again to triple-team Spoiler. How dastardly!
- The heels dealt Spoiler a double back elbow, and Sheik tagged in.
- Trapped in an abdominal stretch, Spoiler escaped via hip toss but missed an elbow drop.
- Sheik attempted a vertical suplex although they botched a block rather poorly.
- Upon successfully suplexing Sheik, Spoiler got 2.
- Thing tagged in and clotheslined Spoiler.
- Tagging in, Borne chopped Thing julienne-style.
- He planted an elbow smash and attempted a vertical suplex.
- Blocking it, Thing unleashed a snap suplex.
- Borne rebounded with a belly-to-belly suplex and tagged out. It’s SUPLEX CITY, folks!
- With all four wrestlers in the ring, Keaton was distracted yet again permitting Brooks to interfere once more. Nefarious!
- Sheik kicked Spoiler in the midsection with the loaded boot but somehow only got 2.
- Landing a knee drop off the ropes, Spoiler could have gotten 3, but a foot on the bottom rope courtesy of Hart thwarted that. Crafty!
- An enraged Adams left the broadcast table to protest all the outside interference.
- Connecting with an elbow smash, Spoiler got another 2.
- Brooks snuck into the ring, so Adams joined the melee to pound on Thing.
- It’s PANDEMONIUM!
- Although Adams got his licks in, the heels cleared the ring.
- Keaton called for the bell and threw the match out at 9:44.
Rating: ***½
Summary: Absolutely wild tag match with chaos run amok. It’s been ages since WCCW had such a wild match, and it’s great to witness.
After the match, Sheik runs down the Dallas faithful, hails his comrades, and insults America with a…
OK, maybe not QUITE like that.
THE HART ATTACK: In a chic corner office, Apollo shows Hart some photos, but Hart clamors about the Thing. When Apollo asks if Thing can “get rid of the Von Erichs,” Hart believes Thing can do so “singlehandedly.” Like a large coffee, that’s a tall order, my friend. Nevertheless, Hart discusses giving Brooks a job in exchange for Thing.
From my Cotton Bowl review:
Match 1: Mil Mascaras, Al Madril, & Manuel Villalobos versus “Playboy” Vince Apollo, “Thumper” Frankie Lancaster, & Cowboy Tony
Highlights:
- Mascaras flipped out of a double wrist lock and took down both Tony and Apollo.
- When he took them down again, Mascaras incorporated a head lock/flying headscissors combo.
- Lancaster tagged in but succumbed to a headscissors.
- As Madril tagged in, he baited Apollo into the ring thus distracting referee Bronko Lubich.
- That enabled Madril to pop Lancaster. Had the match happened during the summer, I’m certain Lancaster would have disintegrated into a giant amount of popcorn.
- After Lancaster attempted to mount the top turnbuckle, Madril crotched him with the top rope.
- Following a clip, Villalobos hooked a sunset flip on Tony and got 2.
- At the ten-minute mark, a mid-ring collision occurred.
- Tags were exchanged on both sides, and Mascaras conducted a meeting of the minds between Lancaster and Tony.
- While all six wrestlers were in the ring, Mascaras reversed a cross corner whip and backdropped Lancaster.
- He mounted the top turnbuckle and scored with a cross body block.
- 1-2-3.
- Mascaras, Madril, and Villalobos won at 3:43 shown.
Rating: **
Summary: I’m betting the eleven-minute match was better than what was broadcast, but I’ll take what I can get.
Match 4 for the WCWA World tag team titles (penalty box): Brian Adias & the “Thumper” Frankie Lancaster (champions w/ Vince Apollo) versus Kevin Von Erich & Shaun Simpson (w/ the “Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich)
Highlights:
- Back on 10/12 in Fort Worth, Adias and Lancaster defeated Shaun and Sweet Brown Sugar who was substituting for the injured Steve.
- Lowrance graciously pointed out that when the show aired on ESPN some announced dates that were beyond the airing date. In other words, we fucked up.
- As Kevin dropkicked Lancaster, Shaun tagged in and dealt Lancaster a shot to the midsection.
- Adias tagged in, but Shaun unloaded a series of dropkicks.
- When Adias got too close to the babyface corner, Kevin slugged him.
- That put Kevin in the penalty box for a minute.
- After Lancaster tagged in, Shaun reversed a cross corner whip and backdropped him.
- He fed Lancaster a knee lift but fell victim to an inverted atomic drop thus nullifying his Friday late night escapades.
- While Adias tagged in, he clotheslined Shaun for 2.
- Kevin got released from the penalty box, and tags were exchanged on both sides.
- Mounting the top turnbuckle, Kevin unloaded a flying elbow smash to Lancaster.
- Kevin tossed him between the ropes to the floor, but Lancaster tagged out upon his return.
- With the Dallas faithful chanting “go Kevin, go,” Apollo confronted Kerry on the floor only to eat a discus punch.
- The Dallas faithful LOST THEIR DAMN MINDS!
- Meanwhile, Kevin escaped a headscissors and dropkicked Adias twice.
- Lancaster nailed Kevin coming off the ropes and was sentenced to the penalty box.
- Tagging in, Shaun dropkicked Adias for 2.
- Lancaster was released from the penalty box, tagged in, and backdropped Shaun.
- Evading a diving head butt, Shaun got 2.
- Lancaster missed a dropkick enabling Shaun to tag out.
- Although Lancaster ducked the first attempt, he fell prey to an Iron claw by Kevin.
- Adias mounted the top turnbuckle and CLOCKED Kevin with a double axe handle.
- Foul!
- Send him to the penalty box!
- Kevin slammed Lancaster, mounted the top turnbuckle, and uncorked a flying splash for 2.
- In the meantime, Kerry stole the key to the penalty box to get his mitts on Adias.
- Kerry unlocked the door and creamed Adias into a puddle of sausage gravy.
- Upon tossing Lancaster over the top rope to the floor, Kevin blasted Apollo.
- The bell rang, and the match was thrown out at 9:43.
Rating: ***
Summary: Another WILD match as the Dallas faithful was 100% plugged into Kerry’s return.
After the match, Kevin slams Apollo on the floor while Shaun puts the boots to him. Kerry locks himself in the cage with the beaten Adias while Kevin and Shaun eject Lancaster from the building. The Kerry-Adias brawl spills out of the cage and into the ring where Kerry explodes with a discus punch to Adias. To the extreme delight of the Dallas faithful, Kerry and Kevin celebrate alongside Shaun.
VON ERICHS OVER AMERICA TOUR: Lowrance speaks with Steve Corey about the upcoming show next Saturday in Florida. At least this time, Corey’s not bullshitting.
- 11/14: Houston, TX
- 11/18: Lawton, OK
- 11/19: Oklahoma City, OK
- 11/21: Hollywood, FL
- 11/24: El Paso, TX
- 11/25: Shreveport, LA
- 11/26: Reunion Arena
- 11/27: Wichita Falls, TX
- 12/12: Pittsburgh, PA
Conclusion: This was a complete 180° from the crappy episodes from the previous taping. It harkens me back to the wild days of Von Erichs-Freebirds or Von Erichs-Dynamic Duo at the very least. The ESPN influence must’ve encouraged them to assemble a better booked show. I pray it will continue.
Next week, Perez battles Madril in one match and Kevin in another! That’ll require a lot of stamina.
TV Rating: NONE
Stay tuned for WCCW 11-21-87!
Comments? Suggestions? Send them to me at rsg@rockstargary.com and follow me on Twitter (@rockstargary202).