World Class Championship Wrestling TV 06/26/1982

Returning to the World-Famous Sportatorium for some World Class Championship Wrestling action does not disappoint when fan-favorite Al Madril takes on Texas Heavyweight Champion Wild Bill Irwin! Plus, Kevin Von Erich steps in the ring with Arman Hussein in an attempt to shut him up once and for all!

WCCW TV

Date: 06/26/1982
From: Dallas, Texas

MATCHES

1. “Captain” Frank Dusek vs. Brian Adidas

2. Magic Dragon vs. Raul Castro

3. Kevin Von Erich vs. Arman Hussein

4. Sal Olivares vs. The Great Kabuki

4. Wild Bill Irwin vs. Al Madril

1

BREAKDOWN & REVIEW

• Bill Mercer and Jay Saldi welcomed us to the show by going over some of the backstory for the card. It is weird not to be opening with Marc Lowrance here.
• “Captain” Frank Dusek vs. Brian Adidas: This opening contest was set for one fall, ten minutes to a finish. Dusek got some well deserved boos to start us out here. Adidas was green here, hence being in here with Dusek. A lot of pacing the ring and not much action going on… Dusek and Adidas battled for control of a hammerlock for a few minutes. A headlock took over for another couple of minutes, Adidas staying in control. They fought to the time limit draw. This was one of the worst matches of WCCW’s 1982. Nothing happened. Dud.
• Magic Dragon vs. Raul Castro: This match was schedule for one fall with a ten minute time limit. Hussein was ringside for Dragon, as he gave him direction for a few minutes before the bell rang. I forgot Castro was a masked luchador. These guys traded strikes to start things off, each kind of no-selling each other’s offense. A backflip off the chest and thrust kick to Castro’s throat in the sent the masked man down. It was a moment later that the rolling sleeper put Raul Castro away. A nice and dominant display for Magic Dragon here. Nothing special, nothing terrible. A run-of-the-mill squash.
• Kevin Von Erich vs. Arman Hussein: This match was also schedule for one fall with a ten minute limit. Hussein did his ritual ceremony to stall the beginning of the match. These guys were really kind of teeing off on each other with their strikes. Not a lot of ‘fancy work’ here. Hussein kept the boots on Kevin, but this only seemed to rile Von Erich up. The Claw was applied and King Kong Bundy made his way to ringside. A dropkick into Arman Hussein sent him crashing into Bundy, allowing Kevin to get the victory. After the bell rang, Hussein and Bundy beat Kevin down. He grabbed a chair to even the odds and the heels fleed. The believability of the Von Erichs whenever they’re on is great. They bring the best out of their opponents, especially Kevin. This one was okay for what it was.
• Next, we had Nill Mercer venturing into the office of H & H Limited. Arman Hussein was sat at his desk doing business. Bill asked about The Superfly, a four-hundred pound wrestler and why Bugsy didn’t agree with it. Bugsy stormed into the shot and demanded to know what The Superfly has done for H & H Limited. Bugsy argued that he is a proven commodity and he didn’t like a new guy coming in and taking away valuable resources from the group. The two bickered as the segment ended. A cool change of pace here for interview segments, being more like a backstage ‘scene’. Definitely more of a modern feel. I’m worried this Superfly guy will drag this team down, though… Just like Bugsy.
• Jay Saldi was at a gym, surrounded by guys working out. He said he was standing by (awkwardly) waiting to speak with the number one contender for the NWA Heavyweight Championship, Kerry Von Erich. Kerry said he has been chasing Ric Flair for a long time. He is training harder now than he has in his whole life and he will be ready for a fight. Brian Adidas was then welcomed to speak who had also been working out as one of Kerry’s training partners. Adidas said he owes his quick success in wrestling to the Von Erichs who have looked after him. His sites are on the Texas Heavyweight Championship! I’m surprised this turned into more of a Brian Adidas billboard than a chance for Kerry to get some verbal momentum in. It seemed as though Kerry was ready to speak again, but the interview cut out without Jay going back to him. I’m not sold on Adidas from the little we’ve seen.
• Sal Olivares vs. The Great Kabuki: This next contest was set for one fall to a finish with a ten minute time limit. Kabuki stayed one step ahead of Olivares with chops and kicks, causing the Mexican star to bail to the floor to regroup for a few seconds. Kabuki came off the middle rope with a throat thrust to pick up a quick three count. Nothing to rate, this match was over before it started. Had to be maybe two minutes of bell time.
• Wild Bill Irwin vs. Al Madril: The main event was surprisingly only scheduled for ten minutes, one fall. Challenger Al Madril was the much preferred wrestler in the ring, according to the crowd. Madril got the better of Wild Bill to start the match off, not being intimidated by the champ. Irwin was bounced head-first from corner to corner and the crowd ate it up. Wild Bill then resorted to some dirty offense to regain control of the match. The work on Madril continued with a big bodyslam and standed elbow drop being landed for a near fall. The crowd was going nuts for this one as the action spilled out to the floor. Back in the ring, Wild Bill hit Madril with a running shoulder block that dropped both men. As they fell, Madil happened to fall on Bill for a three count. After the match, the action was reignited and Madril got the better of Irwin. I could watch these two square off forever. They are made to fued and anytime they are paired up, I am excited. Madril is the perfect foil for Wild Bill and I’d say both are stars for the promotion. A solid main event here, the fans were all over it, so that made the atmosphere even better. Lame finish, unfortunately, keeping this one at just two stars for me.
• Bill Mercer caught Al Madril at ringside. Madril said he has been the Texas Heavyweight Championship four times, he wants it back one more time. He knows that with all the people behind him, he knows he can beat Wild Bill. Bill doesn’t deserve the belt and he wants it for the people. Al Madril is so likeable, and if the Von Erichs left the territory tomorrow, he would be the most over babyface in Texas at this point! Here’s to many more matchups between he and Wild Bill Irwin!
• Bill Mercer and Jay Saldi closed us out. They promised for next week the replay of Fritz Von Erich’s final match against King Kong Bundy at Texas Stadium.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This week had a major lack of action. Tonight, if the match didn’t only go two minutes, it probably felt like it went two hours. I really hope they aren’t going to start pushing this Brian Adidas guy because I really don’t think he’s very good… What tonight lacked in action, WCCW made up for with its noticeably improved production value. Hard camera has definitely seen an upgrade, as well. as the switch from traditional stoic interviews in favor of ones that come across a little more dynamic. Some big bonuses to take away from this week’s episode, for sure. Hopefully, the changes stick through to the next one!

See you all then!