Kevin and Kerry Von Erich return to World Class television this week, both facing singles challenges! Kevin locks horns with the feared Magic Dragon and Kerry has his hands full with Arman Hussein. In the main event, Bugsy McGraw finally has a chance to get his hands on The Great Kabuki after weeks on the hunt. Also in action is King Kong Bundy, Al Madril, Wild Bill Irwin, and José Lothario!
WCCW TV*
Date: 09/18/1982
From: Dallas, Texas
MATCHES
1. Al Madril & José Lothario vs. King Kong Bundy & Wild Bill Irwin
2. Kevin Von Erich vs. Magic Dragon
3. Kerry Von Erich vs. Arman Hussein
4. Bugsy McGraw vs. The Great Kabuki
*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 02/13/2024.
BREAKDOWN & REVIEW
- Bill Mercer and Jay Saldi welcomed us to the Sportatorium. They were at the commentary position instead of at ringside tonight, though. They ran down the card, providing a few notes for each. They put over Magic Dragon’s finishing hold, Irwin, and Bundy. The coloring of this tape is definitely seen better days, hence the broadcast note.
- Al Madril & José Lothario vs. King Kong Bundy & Wild Bill Irwin: This opening contest was set for one fall with a twenty minute time limit. It was Irwin and Madril starting things off for this one. Irwin played the coward and bailed to and through the ropes a few times in the beginning. Lothario tagged in to see what he could get out of Irwin next, applying a chinlock. Once Bundy tagged in, his legs were targeted quickly and efficiently by both Lothario and Madril. Irwin was in shortly after and got a near fall over Madril as he was worked over by both heels for a few minutes. The finish came in chaos as all four men filled the ring. Madril first knocked Arman Hussein from the apron and followed him out. Irwin came off the top rope but was nailed with a punch from Lothario. King Kong Bundy took advantage, got Lothario down and splashed him for the three count just as Madril was getting back in the ring for the save. Not a bad start to the show, I am still really impressed with the pairing of Bundy and Irwin. It just feels right. José Lothario was definitely the odd man out here, as his work was much slower and this caused some mistimed moves and blocks. Despite the clunkiness, I would’ve like to have seen this one go a little longer.
- After the match, Arman Hussein came into the ring to square off with Al Madril. The two traded punches into José Lothario got back in to run off the heels to ringside.
- Coming back from commercial, Jay Saldi let us know that Bill Mercer was able to catch up with Kevin Von Erich earlier today for some comments and threw to the pre-taped interview. Bill asked about Magic Dragon’s choke hold and how Kevin planned to counteract the skills of the Dragon. Kevin said he wasn’t going to lose or lay down for anybody. He won’t allow Dragon to apply his hold at all, he’s is the American Heavyweight Champion for a reason! As a backstory, Kevin Von Erich had won the American Heavyweight Championship from King Kong Bundy at a Ft. Worth show on 09/05/82. I had no idea of this, so that threw me off at first. Otherwise, short and sweet here.
- Kevin Von Erich vs. Magic Dragon: This match was set for one fall to a finish, ten minutes as a limit. Kevin was looking shredded tonight, almost more than usual. This one started off lightening quick, both men trying land some wild strikes, before locking up. Things got pretty technical from there, with Kevin using a modified armbar and hammerlock on Magic Dragon. A nerve hold under the arms ala The Great Kabuki was then applied by Magic Dragon. He followed this hold up with chops and strikes before going back to the hold. Kevin rallied back and was able to keep the Dragon down after hitting him with a running splash. This was a solid matchup for these guys! Kevin Von Erich’s stuff always looks so snug and good. Magic Dragon gave him a little fight, too. It was a short match, but one that I think both guys benefitted from. I wouldn’t mind a rematch here!
- Kerry Von Erich vs. Arman Hussein: This match was a one fall contest with a fifteen minute time limit. Hussein demanded Kerry leave the ring for his ritualistic Camel Walk. As Kerry turned to leave, Hussein jumped him from behind and puts the boots to him. A few minutes passed and Kerry worked up to throw his signature discus punch. This dropped Hussein and allowed Kerry to get a quick pin! This one was over in just two or three minutes. Nothing much to rate here. I am glad they didn’t give Kerry a competitive contest with Arman Hussein, as it seems he has pretty much fully transitioned into a managerial role at this point.
- A pre-taped interview was given at ringside, this time Bill Mercer was speaking with Wild Bill Irwin, King Kong Bundy, and Arman Hussein. Wild Bill started off by saying that José Lothario and Al Madril were no challenge. When you want to beat somebody, the first thing you do is you go after their strengths. He meets people head on, and when it comes to Kong, there is no such thing as defeat. They will be tag team champions until they die! Kong was up next to speak, saying that before having a real championship partner like Wild Bill, he had the idiot Bugsy McGraw tagging with him. He blamed Bugsy for both their title losses. Arman agreed and chimed in that H&H Associates Limited is a very financial association. They were glad and very proud to have Wild Bill Irwin associated with H&H. Bill went back to Wild Bill, as he was set to face Kevin Von Erich next week. Irwin said he was doing what he said in the very beginning; he is going to beat Von Erich at his strengths. Kong was next again to speak, being set to face Bugsy McGraw next week. Kong reiterated the fact that he blamed Bugsy for major championship losses in his career and that he was going to pay for them all next week in the center of the ring. Whew. This was a long winded segment here, we probably didn’t need the second round of questions, but nonetheless, I definitely have noticed a much more confident King Kong Bundy when it comes to his mic work. Still loving this tag team!
- Bugsy McGraw vs. The Great Kabuki: This main event was set for one fall with a twenty minute time limit. Bugsy McGraw played to the crowd all around ringside, per usual. Kabuki stayed still and focused on his opponent, a nice contrast. Kabuki ran to Bugsy and both men crashed to the mat and traded punches. More strike exchanges came when these two got their feet. A Bearhug isolated Kabuki from his offense. It was mentioned on commentary the Checkmate was coming soon, someone Gary Hart planned on introducing to World Class. At one point, Kabuki had Bugsy by the eye, causing Bugsy to scream out in pain. A nerve hold on the back of Bugsy’s neck kept him on ice for a few moments. The Great Kabuki came off the second rope with a chop that helped swing the momentum in his favor further. A ref bump opened the window for Gary Hart to push Bugsy off the top rope. A heart punch on the downed Bugsy McGraw won the match for The Great Kabuki. I can’t stand the Three Stooges act from Bugsy McGraw. He worked so much better as a heel earlier this year. Nothing too special here and I was surprised there wasn’t some sort of no contest or double-disqualification finish…
- After the match, Bill Mercer and Jay Saldi met Bugsy McGraw at ringside for an interview. Bugsy said everybody on national television saw he had Kabuki beat until Gary Hart got involved. One way or another, he wants Gary Hart handcuffed to the top rope during a rematch with Kabuki for two reasons: so he can really get his hands on The Great Kabuki AND so he can reach over at any time and slap Gary Hart silly. He said they were far from finished, AMEN. Bugsy was passionate and serious for this promo, thank god. This is when he is at his best.
- Jay Saldi and Bill Mercer wrapped up the show after Bugsy McGraw exited. Next week, we will get Kerry Von Erich versus The Great Kabuki, Kevin Von Erich challenging Wild Bill Irwin, David Von Erich taking on Magic Dragon, and King Kong Bundy facing former partner Bugsy McGraw! Holy shit! Talk about a STACKED card…
FINAL THOUGHTS
We started off with some solid action for the first half of the card and kind of took a downturn after that. I also noticed the coloring issues throughout this version of the tape. Also worth noting that, for some reason, the attendance for this episode was DRASTICALLY low. I could visibly see empty rows of benches only a few rows up from the front. Pretty unusual for World Class at this time from what I’ve watched, there had to be some sort of weather or other event going on. Regardless, we received a nice lead in this week for what is stacking up to be an awesome show next week. I am looking forward to it.
See you all then!