CWA TV 2/1/1986

Written by: Bob Colling

CWA TV
Date: 2/1/1986
From: Memphis, TN

Lance Russell and Dave Brown open the show promoting what we’ll see on the program this week.

Tony Falk goes to the announcers table to tell everyone that he’s going to win his match tonight. He’s not going to underestimate his opponents and he knows what the Fantastics do wrong. Russell lets Falk know that Falk is 0-37 thus far in CWA. Falk is now mad and says he’s uncontrollable.

Opening Contest: AWA Southern Tag Team Champions The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) vs. Tony Falk & Keith Eric: Fulton and Falk started the match but Fulton bails to the floor to taunt Falk by slapping hands with fans. Rogers jumps over Fulton and splashes onto Falk to keep control of the match. Rogers follows up with a standing dropkick and keeps Falk on the mat to allow Fulton to splash down onto Tony’s left arm. Falk gets a few strikes in on Fulton, but that doesn’t last long at all. Eric gets tagged in but can’t get any momentum on Fulton. Eric gets double teamed by the Fantastics before tagging in Falk. Fulton dropkicks Falk to the floor and Eric is sent into a dropkick from Fulton. All four men are brawling in the ring with Fulton backdropping Falk sending him to the floor. Rogers takes Eric over with a butterfly suplex for a near fall. Eric eye rakes Fulton and tags in Falk to keep working over Fulton. Falk misses a splash in the corner. Rogers gets tagged in and backdrops Falk before decking Eric off the apron. All four men are in the ring again and the Fantastics send their opponents into each other. That soon leads to a double pin. (1/2*. Just the usual work with the Fantastics, which was fine.)

AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Bill Dundee and AWA International Champion Dutch Mantell cut a promo with Dundee noting that he’s gotten rid of Jerry Lawler and Steve Keirn. He doesn’t believe that Austin Idol has what it takes to beat him. Dutch will be wrestling Dirty Rhodes and is going to show what happens when people get in his business.

Highlights from a recent tag match where Koko Ware competed in a tag match with Rick Casey and cleaning house against the Sheepherders. Bill Dundee came out to wiggle the ropes and that led to a massive brawl with Dirty Rhodes, Buddy Landell and Dutch Mantell coming out. Mantell choked Casey with a rope and hung him over the ropes. Dirty Rhodes was busted wide open during the attack. Landell did most of the damage on Rhodes. The Fantastics, Billy Travis, Phil Hickerson and the Spoiler ended up coming out to make the save.

Second Contest: Rick Casey & Dirty Rhodes vs. The Invaders: The announcers don’t recall if the Invaders won their match from a few weeks ago. Casey and Rhodes dominate the match keeping control of the masked Invaders. Casey wins the match with a running bulldog. (1/4*. A mostly lifeless squash match for the duo of Rhodes and Casey.)

Lance Russell and Dave Brown talk about Bill Dundee getting an injunction regarding Jerry Lawler’s VHS tape not being sold on CWA television. That leads to a video where Bill Dundee’s injunction was denied. Dundee had numerous outbursts and we hear from lawyers who say that they are happy about the result and make sure to note that the video is for sale. Dundee’s lawyer, Dennis Carrluzzo, says that Dundee is the new king and that this isn’t over with. They are putting a lot effort into this Lawler VHS release.

We see footage of Koko Ware wanting to fight Ric Flair and had a match with Bill Dundee. This happened last year, it looks like. Dundee got yanked off the top by Jerry Jarrett and Koko pulled off the victory to pin Dundee. Ware than wrestled Ric Flair and Dundee got involved. Flair won the match by delivering a knee lift from behind and pinned Ware. Ware then brawled with Dundee in the ring with a few wrestlers coming out to break them apart. Dundee had a bag of gold coins and rolled them on the floor. It’s actually just pennies, and then attacked Koko with the bag of coins. Koko would have a match with Landell, but Dundee came out and attacked Koko to screw him over and Buddy got the victory to become the new Mid-American Champion.

Third Contest: Koko Ware vs. The Masked Patriot: Ware is showing some intensity this week delivering a vicious looking clothesline. Ware pummels Patriot with several kicks to the back and jumps on Patriot’s back. Ware spikes Patriot with a brainbuster for the win. (*1/2. I really enjoyed this mean streak by Ware and intensity. I could really buy into this version of Koko.)

Footage again of Bill Dundee costing Koko Ware the Mid-American Championship is shown.

A music video promoting Bill Dundee is shown to the “Bad To The Bone” theme.

Main Event: Dutch Mantell & AWA Mid-American Champion Buddy Landell vs. Billy Travis & Tracy Smothers: Mantell and Smothers kick off the main event with Smothers taking Dutch down to the mat with an arm drag. Travis gets tagged in and controls Dutch with a headlock for a moment. Travis delivers a shoulder block and a takedown to the mat briefly. Travis comes off the ropes with a shoulder block and hip tosses Landell to the mat. Smothers gets tagged in and decks Buddy with a forearm sending the champion to the corner. Mantell gets tagged in and beats on Travis with strikes. Landell hammers away on Travis in the corner followed by a standing dropkick. Dutch comes back in and works over Travis with a few strikes. Travis kicks Dutch to avoid a backdrop and gets kneed by Landell from the apron. Dutch drops Travis over the top rope throat first for a three count. Apparently, there will be more than one fall for the match.

We hear from Rick Casey and Dirty Rhodes regarding their match against Buddy Landell and Dutch Mantell. Dirty Rhodes says they aren’t misinformed and says they have to play blood for blood. Casey says that things are going to get serious and they gotta pay.

Austin Idol cut a promo and says he doesn’t do many things that he doesn’t get paid for. Idol says that it is D-Day for Dundee. He’s going to collect for Jerry Lawler, who can’t wrestle. Idol is pissed that he doesn’t have one-half of the AWA Southern Tag Team Championships. Idol promises to kick Dundee’s butt all over the arena.

Back to the main event tag match for the second fall. Travis and Mantell trade strikes in the corner with Travis getting the better of the exchange. Travis hits a crossbody coming off the ropes for a two count. Buddy works over Travis with strikes in the corner and Smothers gets tagged in. Landell goes to the ropes when Smothers gets a hammerlock on him. Smothers gets worked over by Dutch and Buddy but almost pins Dutch with a sunset flip. Dutch pulled Tracy’s hair and is prevented from continuing his attack by the referee. Landell keeps Tracy on the mat with an STF submission but can’t get the submission. Dutch misses a dropkick and Travis gets tagged in delivering right hands and a scoop slam on Dutch. Travis misses a knee drop and Dutch focuses his attack on the injured knee. Dutch chokes Travis over the top rope while Smothers was distracting the referee. Buddy beats on the left knee with a few strikes.

Dutch gets a two count on Travis with an elbow drop. Dutch misses a splash in the corner but nails Travis with a forearm strike. Travis continues to be worked over in the corner but is stopped by Dutch on the apron. Travis nearly pins Dutch with an inside cradle. Travis tags in Smothers and Smothers cleans house with right hands. Buddy slams Smothers followed by an elbow drop. Landell locks in the figure four in the middle of the ring and Smothers submits. (*1/2. I had no idea this was going to be a best two out of three falls match. Anyway, I thought the action was okay, but there wasn’t ever any kind of doubt that Buddy and Dutch were going to come out on top.)

Final Thoughts:
A solid show this week as the feud between Dundee and Lawler continues as well as promotion for Idol’s shot at Dundee. I really liked the Ware segment where he showed more intensity. I’m liking the direction that TV has been going.

Thanks for reading.