Tonight, the stars of World Class Championship Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling converge in the heart of Dallas, Texas! In front of over 20,000 fans in Reunion Arena, Kevin Von Erich will challenge for the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship, a score will be settled for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship, and Bruiser Brody will be in action as Kerry Von Erich’s tag team partner! Plus, matches featuring Giant Baba, Harley Race, The Fabulous Freebirds, Ted DiBiase, and more!
WCCW International Star Wars
Date: 06/17/1983
From: Dallas, Texas
MATCH CARD
Singles Match
1. Genichiro Tenryu vs. Johnny Mantell
Singles Match for the Mexican National Women’s Championship
2. Lola González vs. Vicky Carranza
Six-Man Tag Team Match
3. Chavo Guerrero, José Lothario, & “Gentleman” Chris Adams vs. Wild Bill Irwin, Fishman, & The Mongol
Singles Hair-Versus-Hair Match
4. Buddy Roberts vs. “Iceman” King Parsons
Singles Match for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
5. David Von Erich vs. “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin
Singles Match for the NWA United National Championship
6. Ted DiBiase vs. Jumbo Tsuruta
Singles Match for the PWF Heavyweight Championship
7. Giant Baba vs. King Kong Bundy
Three-on-One Handicap Loser Leaves Town Match
8. Kamala vs. Arman Hussein, Mike Bond, & The Great Yatsu
Singles Match for the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship
9. Harley Race vs. Kevin Von Erich
Tag Team Match for the NWA American Tag Team Championship
10. Bruiser Brody & Kerry Von Erich vs. Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy
BREAKDOWN & REVIEW
- We got our classic Star Wars video entrance with Bill Mercer welcoming us to Reunion Arena for World Class Championship. Mercer covered the Hair vs. Hair match, as well as the match for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.
- We then cut to Japanese commentary seemingly sitting at ringside here in Reunion Arena, presented by All Japan Pro Wrestling. In Japanese, they ran down most of the card while a wide shot of the ring and some sweeping shots of downtown Dallas were showed and spoken about. They even mentioned the assassination of JFK taking place nearby.
- Genichiro Tenryu vs. Johnny Mantell: Our opening contest was set for one fall with a fifteen minute time limit. Mantell obtained early control with an armbar, staying in the hold even after being monkey flipped over. Tenryu was able to turn it into a modified cloverleaf type submission, forcing Mantell to fight to keep his shoulders off the mat. A front facelock swung the momentum in Tenryu’s favor, followed by a lifting underhook shoulder breaker for a near fall! After some more struggling, we were back to a stalemate. Tenryu ended up on another little roll of momentum, scoring a backbreaker and back body drop. Mantell would fight back, landing a nice double underhook suplex and regaining arm control in a submission. Momentum swung a few more times and the longer this one went, I felt we were in for a time limit draw. The finish came when Tenryu was able to elbow out of a monkey flip in the corner, stuck Mantell with a standing bodyslam, and hit a nice elbow drop off the top rope for the three count.
- This one really surprised me, as I figured we were going to get somewhat of a squash between these two guys. Instead they put on ten-ish minutes of a tough battle back and forth. This Japanese style is just eons ahead of what is being put out there on American television, quality-wise. This match felt way ahead of 1983, probably thanks to Tenryu, but good on Mantell for keeping up! Two stars from me, a surprisingly hot opener here that got me excited for the rest of the card.
- Lola González vs. Vicky Carranza: This was a singles match, set for one fall to a finish, for the Mexican National Women’s Championship, thirty minutes for a limit. We’ve seen Lola González, the champion, before on a Star Wars card last year. She had a really solid singles match, so I was interested to see what could be done here with the newcomer, Vicky Carranza. González kept control of Carranza in the early goings of here, as Bill Mercer and traditional format resumed for the presentation of this match. Carranza’s knee was taken to task, with elbows and a modified knee bar. Some nice submissions and chain wrestling occured at this point, except the transitions were relatively slow and unpolished. Carranza was sent to the floor, giving her a minute to breathe. Back in the ring, González missed a second rope senton and was nearly pinned by the challenger. A few fast near falls were shared back and forth, as we must have been going into the finish. A shift of weight in one pin attempt awarded Vicky Carranza the match and the championship!
- Definitely not as strong of an outing here for the ladies on this super card. Vicky Carranza’s freshness in the ring definitely showed through, in my opinion. After the knee work and chain wrestling, I felt I could tell they were basically out of material, perhaps working too quickly through what they had discussed for the match. The crowd grew tired of the back and forth pin attempts during the last third of the match, as they began to boo. Dud in my opinion, sorry ladies!
- Chavo Guerrero, & José Lothario, & “Gentleman” Chris Adams vs. Wild Bill Irwin, Fishman, & The Mongol: Our next match, a six-man tag team match set for one fall with thirty minute time limit. Man, it feels like forever since we’ve seen Wild Bill… and hey, apparently, Chris Adams will be replacing Al Madril tonight? No real explanation there. Chavo and Fishman started us off here, classic stalemate. Chavo began getting on a roll, with a pair of dropkicks and flying headscissors. The Mongol and Chris Adams were in against each other next. Strikes flew, as did a nice Super Kick out of nowhere! Fishman was tagged back in to work over Adams with some strikes, but ate his own Super Kick for the trouble. Next, it was Wild Bill taking on José Lothario. A bunch of wild strikes were thrown in and out of the corner between the two. Following this, The Mongol and Chris Adams were able to get hands on each other again, Mongol being back body dropped most notably. Wild Bill stuck Chavo with a huge backbreaker and running knee drop for a near fall, only to be worked over by Lothario once Chavo tagged out. Then, Chavo blind tagged back in while Lothario had The Mongol on his heels and was able to score a three count following a flying crossbody off the top rope!
- That was another good outing here tonight! Nothing has tanked the card yet and according to what we have left, I’m not sure anything really will! These guys all worked well together, each getting a chance to shine with some offense before the finish came. It didn’t drag or have much down time at all, so the action kept a good pace all the way throughout. Plus, a nice finish here with the blind tag into the crossbody off the top. Lothario and Guerrero would make a good, established tag team for World Class (if they wanted to use them more). Not to mention, Fishman might be a nice pickup as a bumper for Devastation, Inc. Two and a half stars, with just a quicker pace and a little more action than the opening contest.
- Prior to our next match, Marc Lowrance was standing by with Buddy Roberts and Michael Hayes in their locker room for an interview. Buddy explained that Parsons has tried to make a name on the backs of The Freebirds, but he has been warned many times to keep his nose out of Freebird business and he hasn’t. The cream they have for the shave tonight isn’t pharmaceutical, it is homemade and when the cream goes on, hair comes off! Lowrance then showed a replay of first “Iceman” getting a lock of his hair cut, then Buddy, much to the protest of Michael Hayes. As The Freebirds started to get fired up, Buddy said that “Iceman” may think he is Mr. T, but after their match tonight, he is going to be known as Mr. B… for BALD! Michael Hayes got the last word in saying that for ending up bald, King Parsons will have nobody to blame but himself.
- I think this is the first interview I’ve seen that Buddy really shined in. Usually, he comes off like the background character of The Freebirds, but this went well for him here, especially because Hayes laid back and let Buddy do his own talking for once!
- Buddy Roberts vs. “Iceman” King Parsons: This next match was going to be contested under hair-versus-hair rules, with loser losing his hair as well. One fall, thirty minutes for a limit. “Iceman” coming out to “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge was sweet to see and hear in the version of the playback. King Parsons is over huge. Buddy jumped Parsons before the bell, using Parsons’ own jacket to choke him in the corner. Buddy followed it up with a big bodyslam and standing elbow for a one count. A running crossbody almost kept Buddy down for a three count! On commentary, Bill Mercer mentioned that a week before tonight’s card, Ric Flair lost the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship to Harley Race, hence why Kevin would be facing him here tonight. Nice to finally get that clarification… In the ring, Parsons continued his assault, with a bodyslam, some headbutts, and a chop that locked Buddy up into the ropes. Punches were traded once both men were back to their feet, with Parsons again getting the better of Buddy in this exchange. Roberts missed three standing elbow drops in a row, but stayed on Parsons. A roll up out of the corner on Roberts was reversed, with Roberts then using the tights of Parsons to get a pin of his own! Once David Manning found out, he took the cream away from Buddy allowing Parsons to recover and hit his running Butt Butt hip attack! The cream was then smeared all over Buddy’s head, much to the delight of the crowd! Hayes ran down furious, tore his shirt off, and began throwing hands with Parsons. Hayes almost got himself creamed, but was able to bail out before King Parsons got ahold of him.
- So, I’m supposing that the official call was a no contest between the two, as despite Manning counting the three, it was overturned due to the use of the tights? Not much clarity we are left with here, but nonetheless, the crowd got what they paid their money to see with this one. In hindsight, Buddy Roberts was perfect for this role with King Parsons, as the older vet was able to make Parsons look even that much better. It was a quick match that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats to see who was going to end up bald. The stipulation did A LOT of heavy lifting for this one, no doubt. I’ll give it a star and a half for the drama and atmosphere it created, but the match wasn’t anything special by any means. The story really came through for them here.
- David Von Erich vs. “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin: This next bout was set for one fall to a finish for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship with a forty-five minute time limit. Hearing the themes here is so odd, but it does add a lot to the presentation. Thank goodness for people preserving such footage. I was expecting a lot out of this one, as Dave and Garvin have been feuding all year up to this point. Garvin ate a dropkick early, but rallied back with a bodyslam and quick set of pin attempts as we started off hot. Some chain wrestling was exchanged, with David ending up in a hammerlock. While still in the hammerlock, Dave was able to bridge up twice to avoid his shoulders being pinned to the mat, which I felt was impressive. With a swing of momentum, Dave worked over Garvin’s knee with a step-through toehold followed by a seated kneebar. Back to their feet, the two exchanged blows. Dave hit a running high knee but Garvin was able to get to the ropes, breaking the pin attempt. Garvin began to beg off as David fired up, but was given a kneelift for his trouble. Dave then locked on the Iron Claw and again Garvin was able to get a rope break. A hot shot over the top rope got Garvin a near fall, but a second pin was attempted and Garvin shockingly got the three count! Lo and behold, Sunshine had held Dave’s feet down under the bottom rope unbeknownst to the referee for a screwed victory!
- Man, that finish really took the wind out of my sails. What a disappointing end to what was otherwise shaping up to be a great match. There was plenty of back-and-forth control, though a few extended holds kind of killed a lot of the pacing. I do feel I was let down here. With this perhaps being World Class’ hottest singles feud, I guess I expected a lot more out of this match, but Garvin comes away as the champion. The right call, in my opinion, as Dave is much better on the chase. Two and a half stars from me, but man, it really could’ve been so much more!
- A quick cut brought us back to the ring, where Jimmy Garvin was required to reappear. Marc Lowrance announced that apparently, many of the NWA officials in attendance tonight saw what really happened in the finish of Garvin’s match. After meeting in the back, they’ve decided that once again, the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship will be vacant. Garvin lost it and argued with Bronko Lubich and Marc Lowrance.
- Boooooo. Just let Garvin be the heel and keep the belt!
- Returning to Japanese commentary, Fritz Von Erich was next in the ring. He was out here to make a special proclamation for this next bout. Tonight’s NWA United National Heavyweight Championship would pit the USA’s Ted DiBiase against Japan’s Jumbo Tsuruta in conjunction with the National Wrestling Alliance and Pacific Wrestling Federation. Fritz then welcomed both to enter this beautiful arena for combat.
- Interesting… this made this next match feel pretty big. We will see how Ted is able to keep up with a primed Jumbo.
- Ted DiBiase vs. Jumbo Tsuruta: This singles match was set for one fall, forty-five minutes for a limit, for the NWA United National Heavyweight Championship. Both men did some quick warming up before shaking hands and the bell sounded. Strong and quick counters kept us at a slippery pace to begin here. Offensive stalemates would end in a hold and then we’d start all over again. Jumbo Tsuruta would begin to get some momentum rolling with strong strikes, a deep side headlock, and a nice running high knee. Tsuruta cranked on another headlock hold and slapped DiBiase hard across the face once he was able to fight up to his feet. This fired Ted up, as he fired off his own receipt. DiBiase then came off the second rope with an elbow that dropped Tsuruta for a two count. A nice stalling piledriver awarded DiBiase another near fall. A suplex and side Russian leg sweep, followed by a Thez press nearly put DiBiase away as the momentum swung again. A nasty back suplex dropped Ted hard, but he was able to drape a foot across the bottom rope. DiBiase tried to work over Jumbo’s knee, but was kicked off and he went up and over the top rope backward out to the floor. No disqualification was called, so the match continued. Back in the ring, DiBiase again began some of the knee work, going for a spinning toe hold, but was pulled into a small package. Off guard and trapped, he was outsmarted and pinned by the champion, Jumbo Tsuruta!
- Wow. So, that actually delivered a lot more than I thought it was going to. I give a young Ted DiBiase credit for hanging in there just fine with Jumbo. Both men put on a strong, tight performance, even winning over the crowd’s attention in the end! This was a nice surprise in the middle of our night in Reunion Arena tonight. An easy three stars and had we had some context, it could’ve scored even higher.
- After the match, Fritz Von Erich again entered for the special presentations as King Kong Bundy made his entrance. Next out was the legendary Giant Baba, the current PWF Heavyweight Champion. Bundy got into Fritz’ face and the crowd roared! Once Marc Lowrance made the introductions, Fritz greeted Baba and shook his hand and the belt was then displayed.
- This shtick is getting a little tiresome there, Fritz…
- Giant Baba vs. King Kong Bundy: This match was scheduled for one fall with a sixty minute time limit and was for the Pacific Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship. Baba got a surprisingly strong babyface reaction, but I suspected it was just because how much this crowd hates King Kong Bundy. Baba started things off with a side headlock, before both men collided in a shoulder block that didn’t budge either giant. Bundy then ran into a big chop that staggered him, before finding himself trapped in a standing armbar. Bundy rallied back with some strikes of his own, until Baba fired back with a two-handed chop that make the crowd audibly wince. I could tell Bundy was trying to be careful with Baba here, with Baba obviously being on the back nine of his career athletically at this point. Bundy missed a running body splash and ate a big boot for an easy three count victory.
- What an interesting spectacle match. Of course, nothing to write home about here, as the match was very quick and very protective of the highly-respected Giant Baba. I felt slightly bad for Bundy being put in this spot here, as he was basically jobbed out to a weak kick… that said, he was the guy that was trusted in this spot. So, maybe kudos to him? I’m not sure. Anyway, dud here.
- Kamala vs. Arman Hussein, Mike Bond, & The Great Yatsu: This handicap bout was going to be one-on-three, one fall to a finish, with a twenty minute time limit. Kamala would have to beat all three men to win here, so I guess it’ll actually be an elimination bout? The three jumped Kamala but Kamala exploded out of the pile and began to go to work on these guys. Two-handed choke slams put Arman and Yatsu down momentarily. Bond was then chopped to oblivion, with throat thrusts coming up next for each man. A running splash put Yatsu away for an easy three count, with no attempt to break up the pin. Arman and Bond jumped Kamala, but Kamala threw both away, with Bond ending up out on the floor. Arman Hussein decided to cut his losses and exit with The Great Yatsu as Kamala continued the punishment on Bond inside the ring. He hit two running splashes to Bond and pulled him out of the pin according to orders from Friday and Skandor Akbar at ringside. A third splash finally put Bond out of his misery and after the three count, Kamala hit a forth for good measure! Bruiser Brody then appeared running down to the ring to even the odds! He laid out Akbar and dropped Kamala with a running double axe handle. The crowd was worked up into a frenzy as officials attempted to keep Kamala and Brody separated! Kamala was finally convinced to exit as Brody carried Mike Bond to the back.
- Hmmm, interesting. Well, this was a classic monster heel squash, with Kamala looking as unstoppable as ever… despite maybe his splashing looking like utter dog feces. A Bruiser Brody and Kamala face-off would be interesting though, as I’d assume Kamala would have to fall in that case. The crowd definitely wanted to see it tonight. Otherwise, this wasn’t anything overly special, but it was entertaining for what it was, one star from me.
- In a pre-taped interview, Marc Lowrance was standing by with Bruiser Brody backstage in the locker room. Brody said that he’s been away from Dallas for a long time, but in any business you make a few good friends. When Kerry Von Erich called him in Japan for help with some business with The Freebirds, he couldn’t help but to take the call. The Freebirds may have accused Bruiser Brody for not being a man of his word, but when Kerry called him for help, there was never a doubt in his mind that he’d be in the middle of Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas fighting The Freebirds for the NWA American Tag Team Championship. Never a doubt in his mind, Kerry Von Erich’s mind, or any wrestling fan’s mind across the country!
- Brody actually cuts a better promo than I thought, as I can’t think of any other promos off the top of my head. As I have mentioned before, I only know Brody for his Japan work with AJPW and NJPW. This is one of the reasons I was so excited to cover World Class in long-form, as I knew I’d be able to experience Brody for the first time, in full form, stateside.
- Harley Race vs. Kevin Von Erich: Our semi-main event was set for one fall, sixty minutes, for the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship. Lowrance announced that going over the top rope wouldn’t result in a disqualification and if Race was disqualified, he would lose the championship! So, they’re sticking with the stipulations that Flair had agreed to before losing the belt to Race, that’s interesting… the crowd was buzzing for Kevin as Race stalled off into one corner. As we got started Race ran into a dropkick and then hit his awesome turning cross body off the top rope for a two count! After nearly winning the match within a minute, Race bailed to the floor to regroup. Back in the ring, Kevin slipped out of a suplex and slapped on a sleeper hold. After Race used Kevin’s hair to break the hold, Kevin sent Harley up and over the top rope for a measure of revenge. Race was back in, laying in some closed fists in the corner, but then his shoulder was sent into the ringpost by Kevin.I was surprised to see how much punishment Race was taking here. An Iron Claw was slapped onto Race’s forehead in the center of the ring. To break the hold, Race dumped Kevin out to the floor through the ropes. With Kevin back in, Race got in some nice headbutts. Kevin’s shoulder began to bother him after falling out onto the timekeeper’s table, to which Race took full advantage of. Kevin threw strikes with one arm, but Race picked him up and stuck him with a hard shoulder breaker. David Manning threatened to stop the match, as Kevin protested. Race dropped a few standing elbows into Kevin’s shoulder and then came off the second rope with a double axe handle onto the shoulder. Race went up to the second rope for a repeat, but was caught in an Iron Claw! Out of desperation, Race again sent Kevin out through the middle rope down into a cameraman at ringside. At this point, David Von Erich ran down to ringside to try and convince Kevin to give it up this time to fight another day. While Dave helped Kevin up, Race threw a boot down on them and David snapped. He jumped into the ring, put hands on Race, and hit a running high knee on Race! The official called for the bell as Kevin and David were disqualified for the interference. Dave had to be pulled off Race as he snatched the World’s Championship away from the official to taunt Race. He shouted at Race that he was next in line and he didn’t care if it was Race or Flair and if he couldn’t beat them, he’d quit wrestling! Then Dave almost decked Harley with the title, but instead threw it down on him to console Kevin in the corner.
- For a lot of reasons, the way that match was structured, Kevin should’ve won the championship here. Instead, once again, a Von Erich loses a NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship on a Star Wars card… Dave was almost showing some heelish tendencies after the bell here, birating Race and nearly hitting him the title while he was down. Kevin put up a good battle and the shoulder angle worked well with the ruthless style of Harley Race. Given the non-finish and the slight lack of consistent action that Kevin normally delivers, I’m giving this match two stars.
- Next, in another pre-taped interview, Marc Lowrance was joined by Michael Hayes backstage in the locker room. Michael still couldn’t believe that Bruiser Brody showed up and said that there was some conspiracy in Dallas and everytime he has to wrestle in Texas, it really makes him mad. That said, he’s just glad that he, Buddy, and Terry have never had to ask anybody for anything, that’s why they’re the champions. It is no problem to beat up on Kerry Von Erich, but fighting Brody is a whole other thing. Brody is an animal, he’s wild. Brody might be big, but he’s got a brother that’ll be right there with him. The fact is, they aren’t scare of anything and though he may have at one time respected Brody, he found out he was a Texan and doesn’t anymore! Brody is no good, just like the rest of them. With that, Hayes stormed away.
- This was a solid promo here from Hayes, but it was weird Terry Gordy was nowhere to be found? Hayes did a good job of helping further setup Brody as a walking wrecking machine. I’m looking forward to our last bout of the evening!
- Once down to the ring, Michael Hayes grabbed the house mic and said that nobody does what “Iceman” King Parsons did to The Fabulous Freebirds by taking his brother’s hair. He laid out an official challenge for anywhere, anytime against the “Iceman”. He wanted it to be a lights-out match and if he lost, Parsons could cut his hair!
- If King Parsons accepts the challenge and beats Hayes in that match, he’ll be the most over guy in the territory.
- Bruiser Brody & Kerry Von Erich vs. Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy: Our featured main event was scheduled for one fall to a finish, forty-five minute time limit, for the NWA American Tag Team Championship. You want to know what awesome is? Seeing Kerry Von Erich and Bruiser Brody march down to the ring to the Star Wars opening crawl theme in the middle of Reunion Arena in 1983. Kerry and Gordy started things off, with Kerry getting the better of him with some punches. A quick tag out to Hayes gave him a chance to hit a nice running back elbow. The Freebirds cut off the ring well, keeping Kerry away from Brody with frequent tags in and out. Kerry was able to make the hot tag and cleaned house with dropkicks, bodyslams, and wild punches. Both Freebirds ended up on the floor outside as Brody came off like an unstoppable force of nature. The Freebirds eventually got back in this one, with Hayes landing two running elbows to Brody on the mat. Kerry tagged back in and hit a flying dropkick as Brody took care of Terry Gordy on the apron. With Gordy on ice on the outside, Brody picked up Kerry on an Irish whip and threw him like a battering ram onto Hayes who crumbled and was pinned for a surprise three count! The crowd exploded and Brody and Kerry were awarded the NWA American Tag Team Championship.
- As hyped as I was to see Brody in action, I do think The Freebirds were beaten a little too easily here for the tag titles. I figured with Buddy losing his hair earlier, Terry and Michael were a shoe-in for some sort of victory here in the main event. Then again, it was against Bruiser Brody. As important as The Freebirds are, there was no way Brody was appearing to lose alongside Kerry. The fans were sent home happy and we have new champions to cap off one hell of a packed show. Can’t really complain, even if the match was far too quick and far too one-sided. Star and a half for me.
FINAL THOUGHTS
What an exhausting show. Tonight was basically three hours of unique, nonstop, in-ring action with matches scheduled nearly back-to-back. I will say, some of the more heavily promoted matches kind of landed flat, whereas the non-promoted bouts overly delivered. Jumbo Tsuruta and Ted DiBiase ran away with the best action-based match on the card, followed closely by the less important six-man tag team match at the beginning of the night. Unexpected to say the very least. I wanted much more out of the hair-versus-hair and NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship matches, as the lead-in storylines attached to those were some of the strongest on weekly television. Coming out of this super card, we got to see plenty of solid All Japan talent, a new challenge from Hayes to Parsons, and a possible NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship match in David Von Erich’s future. Plus, the business between the Von Erichs and The Fabulous Freebirds seems to be far from over! How will these stories continue to unfold? Hopefully, we got some of those answers next week…
See you all then!