Tonight, we relive some of the greatest matches from the night Fritz Von Erich retired in Texas Stadium just two short weeks ago. Featured on this episode is the replay of the Bodyslam Battle Royal, Texas Heavyweight Champion Wild Bill Irwin squaring off with Ken Mantell, and David & Kevin Von Erich taking on the feared Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon for the All Asia Tag Team Championship! All so nice, we get to see each twice!
WCCW TV*
Date: 06/12/1982 (originally 06/04/1982)
From: Dallas, Texas (originally Irving, Texas)
MATCHES
1. Wild Bill Irwin vs. Ken Mantell (Taped replay)
2. José Lothario vs. Al Madril vs. Wild Bill Irwin vs. André the Giant vs. Ken Mantell vs. Bugsy McGraw vs. The Spoiler vs. T John Thibodeaux (Taped replay)
3. David Von Erich & Kevin Von Erich vs. The Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon (Taped replay)
*BROADCAST NOTE
This playback copy has been presented in the most complete form possible, due to original production technical difficulties. Reported on Peacock as of 03/27/2023.
BREAKDOWN & REVIEW
- Bill Mercer and Jay Saldi welcomed us to the show tonight. This is the first time I’ve seen either while covering World Class. Both men were dressed in tuxedos at ringside. Saldi seemed the ‘less experienced’ of the two, as he stumbled to get every other word out.
- Wild Bill Irwin vs. Ken Mantell: This match was set to go as a one-fall with a fifteen minute time limit. A few arm drags sent Wild Bill bailing to the floor to regroup early on. Mantell continued being one step ahead in offense for most of the early portion of the match. An arm lock kept Wild Bill Irwin down for a bit. A surprise bicycle kick nailed Ken Mantell for some a much needed momentum swing in his favor. A kitchen sink was dished out, too. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker almost cost Mantell the match, Irwin gaining a near-fall. The momentum swung again as Ken Mantell worked over the Texas Heavyweight Champion’s legs over, leading to Mantell locking on a spinning toe hold. Irwin kicked Mantell off, driving his head into a corner turnbuckle, and rolled him up for a three count! This a was good match between theses guys and getting more time than they would normally on TV really helped flesh this one out. Both men shined nicely, good heel work by Irwin, too!
- José Lothario vs. Al Madril vs. Wild Bill Irwin vs. André the Giant vs. Ken Mantell vs. Bugsy McGraw vs. The Spoiler vs. T John Thibodeaux: This bodyslam challenge battle royal wasted no time getting underway, as André the Giant started things off with Bugsy McGraw before the introductions could even be finished. Quickly, The Spoiler was slammed by André and eliminated. Thibodeaux and Bugsy bailed out to the turf and traded strikes while the action continued in the ring. Lothario was slammed by André and eliminated. Bugsy McGraw and Wild Bill Irwin worked together to slam the huge T John Thibodeaux, removing him from the match. For a moment, André got tied up in the ropes while Al Madril took Bugsy McGraw to task. Ultimately, Al was slammed by Bugsy and eliminated. Wild Bill would fall victim to the Giant and and it would come down to André and Bugsy McGraw. A few failed slam attempts sent Bugsy out. to the turf to get words of encouragement from Arman Hussein. André the Giant eventually slammed Bugsy with ease to win the match, much to the dismay of Hussein, who was also slammed for his complaining! Nothing too special here. It was cool to see André visit the territory, but he was the obvious winner of this $10,000 body slam challenge battle royal.
- Bill Mercer was standing by for a new interview with Al Madril and his partner Kerry Von Erich, the WCCW World Tag Team Champions. Al says they have been all over the world, busy defending the championship. He mentioned all the tough competition in World Class, but made it clear that he and his partner Kerry plan to hold the belts for a long time. Kerry agreed and said that they are World Class, so the belts must be defended all over the world. Al and Kerry have trained together, worked together, even gone to church together and that’s why they’ll hold the belts for a long time. Al Madril has confirmed the sleeper Magic Dragon does is a choke hold, an illegal hold. Kerry agree and said even though they haven’t come up with a counter yet, they are working on one. This was a good interview from both men, especially for Kerry who is usually provides zero in interviews. I dig their team, as they are probably two of the most over faces in the company.
- Bugsy McGraw was next to for a newly aired interview with Bill Mercer, I could only imagine what was going to come out of his mouth this time. The WCCW Brass Knuckles Champion said he wanted to talk about serious business. He has slammed giants with his own hands, he lives his own reality, unlike most people watching at home. They clap and cheer for people who they think represent their ideals, but they are actually just as greedy and vile as he is. He says they can spell relief with B-U-G-S-Y and that is all. Probably one of the most coherent promos that Bugsy has ever delivered, he did seem more serious here. I didn’t mind it, for once!
- David Von Erich & Kevin Von Erich vs. The Great Kabuki & Magic Dragon:This match was for the WCCW All Asia Tag Team Championship, a title held by currently held by the Von Erichs. Kevin and the Great Kabuki started things off hot and heavy, trading a few strikes before Magic Dragon was tagged in. David was tagged next to meet him and delivered a big knee lift. Kevin was back in quick and applied an Iron Claw to the abdomen of Magic Dragon that made him yell out in pain. Kabuki was then tagged in and applied his feared nerve hold on Kevin. Eventually, David would come in to try and stop Kabuki’s momentum, but he would be victim of the nerve hold as well. David was worn down by both heels for a solid few minutes. Kevin got the hot tag and cleared house, hitting Kabuki with a running cross body and latching on an Iron Claw. The ref was bumped out of the ring at this point and David threw Dragon over the top rope (which would regularly be a disqualification). Once the ref recovered, Magic Dragon got pinned with a suplex but the decision was overturned! Great Kabuki and Magic Dragon win on a disqualification. The crowd was all about this match to no surprise. Action was crisp from all parties, Magic Dragon even carried his weight here! A back and forth battle with a smart finish.
- Bill Mercer and Jay Saldi closed us out with a general appreciation for the night of action in Texas Stadium, promising more matchups from the Superbowl of Wrestling event airing next week.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For those who missed the Fritz Von Erich Retirement Show, this was a good catch up of some of the night’s best action. The tag match was some of the best action World Class has produced to date. The bodyslam battle royal was a fun use of André as a special attraction, and Wild Bill squaring off with Ken Mantell was a solid singles bout. Next week we will see more from this show, so be on the lookout for the next spell of Texas Stadium action!
See you all then!