With mere days left before WCCW’s next super show event, Thanksgiving Star Wars, how will tonight shake out when Johnny Mantell & “Gentleman” Chris Adams take on the tag team of Buddy Roberts and “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin in tonight’s main event? Will we finally learn a little more about Garvin’s new valet? Not if Sunshine has anything to say about it! Plus, José Lothario in action, “Iceman” King Parsons, and more!
WCCW TV
Date: 11/19/1983
From: Dallas, Texas
MATCHES
1. David Von Erich vs. Kamala (Taped replay)
2. José Lothario vs. Tonga John
3. Super Destroyer I vs. “Iceman” King Parsons
4. Johnny Mantell & “Gentleman” Chris Adams vs. Buddy Roberts & “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin
BREAKDOWN & REVIEW
- Bill Mercer welcomed us to the show tonight and quickly began running down tonight’s card. Our main event was announced as that big tag team. Our encore match was also up next.
- David Von Erich vs. Kamala: We joined this match as David Von Erich had Kamala in an Iron Claw. Suddenly, from ringside, Friday threw in a white towel in a sign of surrender! The bell rang and both Skandor Akbar and Friday were in the ring immediately. Akbar began whipping Friday, as he apparently disobeyed him by throwing the towel. Akbar then got in Von Erich’s face, even whipping him hard on the back, too! Dave then grabbed Akbar but Kamala was right there to save him from any harm. Kamala got back to work on Von Erich as the bell sounded again! Then, it was Kerry Von Erich who rescued Dave, followed by Mike Von Erich, who was being restrained by more babyfaces. On the outside of the ring, Akbar got in Mike’s face and Mike landed a punch on Akbar! Chaos ensued in and out of the ring as we went to commercial and the tape finished.
- I mean, I shouldn’t even give this one a rating, as we were shown the post-match segment over the match. I’m assuming the match went short, but the angle is hot, so I’m giving it a star on a hunch. Otherwise, I definitely feel we’re supposed to think that Mike Von Erich will be on Thanksgiving Star Wars one way or the other at this point… kind of sudden, if you ask me!
- Back from commercial, Bill Mercer was in the commentary booth to talk about the stipulation of a cage match. We saw some footage of Kerry Von Erich and Ric Flair’s cage match from last year, showing the viciousness of the steel against the human body. Bill Mercer then threw it to Kerry for a pre-taped interview, where he was standing at ringside with a section of the cage propped behind him. Kerry said that this was the cage the world would be watching, this was the cage that was going to keep the rest of The Freebirds out of the ring while he beats up Michael Hayes, and this was the cage that was going to send Michael Hayes back to Georgia! He’s in a lot of trouble and he won’t be walking back to Georgia, they’re going to have to roll him back! Then, more footage was shown from the cage match last year between Kerry and Flair. We then cut to Michael Hayes who was next to share some of his thoughts of the upcoming cage match against Kerry. Hayes was ringside, standing in front of that same piece of cage that Kerry was. Hayes started off with a jab against Fritz, calling him a sorry excuse for an old man, putting him inside a cage like some sort of animal! He isn’t Flair, he’s Michael Hayes, born on Badstreet USA, and in the cage Kerry was going to find out just how bad he really is! If he leaves Texas, it’ll be his choice, not by the hands of anybody else! Again, we cut to the Christmas cage match as Bill Mercer closed out the segment.
- So, let me get this straight… Michael Hayes and Kerry Von Erich are in a Loser Leaves Texas match, that will now be contested inside a steel cage?! Jesus, they’re really stacking the deck on this one! Not sure how they’re going to get around either guy losing this match, so I’m really interested in seeing what they come up with for this one. Solid, fiery little promos from each guy here… appropriate for the timing as Thanksgiving Star Wars is only a few short days away!
- José Lothario vs. Tonga John: Our first match from The Sportatorium here tonight was set for one fall, fifteen minutes for a time limit. A lockup and shove-off started us off here for this one. Followed by some basic chain wrestling, as both men traded arm drags, drop downs, and shoulder tackles. Lothario then focused on the arm and wrist of John, though John was able to hit the veteran with a scoop slam. An arm breaker kept John’s momentum in check as Lothario continued his limb targeting. A face rake, neck snap, scoop slam, and a falling elbow only kept Lothario down for a two count! A double palm strike kept José down for another two count. Lothario rallied, coming off the top rope with a double axe handle that kept John down for two. Back on their feet, Lothario hit some big time strikes as the match momentum swung in his favor. John missed a running headbutt in the corner, instead smashing his head into the top pad. Lothario took advantage of this, climbing to the top and coming off the top with a seated senton splash that won him the match!
- I struggled to stay with this one in the beginning as I do feel like the promotion, at this point, has passed guys like José Lothario by. That said, the pace did pick up a bit and some nice moves were mixed in by both men here. This was probably Tonga John’s best showing thus far. Star and a half from me, as the finish was nice, too!
- Super Destroyer I vs. “Iceman” King Parsons: Our next bout, set for one fall, twenty minutes for a limit. Skandor Akbar and Super Destroyer II were ringside to oversee this one. On commentary, apparently the Super D’s are the WCCW American Tag Team Championship holders? Not sure when that happened… anyway, Parsons was out-working Destroyer I quickly here. An arm drag followed by a hammer lock had Parsons in firm control. Some fists in the face of “Iceman” staggered him, with the bigger man starting to swing the momentum in his favor. Clubbing blows continued, but again Parsons’ pace get ahead of Destroyer I. On commentary, Bill Mercer said that Skandor Akbar had formally challenged Mike Von Erich to a match sometime soon. In the ring, a perfect dropkick dropped Destroyer I. Boots were put to Parsons as both men at this point were about fifty-fifty in offense. A double throat thrust kept Parsons down for a two count. So far, I feel like I was more impressed with Super Destroyer I more than II from last week. An overhand chop off the top rope kept Parsons down for another two count. Both men traded standing headbutts, but then it was Parsons who was put back down with a scoop slam and a knee drop. He was really struggling with Destroyer I here! Destroyer I then ran into a clothesline as he tried to come off the second rope and that was all Parsons needed to get back going! He fired up with big slams, strikes, and his running Butt-Butt hip attack! In a reversal of fortune, Super Destroyer I was pulled out of the ring by his partner, Destroyer II, virtually replacing him in the match behind both the referee’s and Parsons’ back! Destroyer II went right to work on the “Iceman”, hitting stikes that rattled Parsons. A small package kept Parsons down for the three count as Destroyer II rolled out and his team celebrated on the outside.
- As overused as that finish is in 2026, I had no problem with it here for this heel team! I actually think the Super Destroyers have some promise as a team and feel as though they have been a great addition to Devastation Incorporated thus far. Both got wins on back-to-back weeks of television, so there is obviously some plans in place for them moving forward. Solid match here that kept me entertained all the way throughout, with back-and-forth action from start to finish. Two and a half stars from me!
- Back from commercial, “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin lead his way down the ring followed by his new valet and Buddy Roberts. At ringside, Bill Mercer was waiting to ask Jimmy Garvin the name of his new valet who has replaced Sunshine. Garvin said that besides things like beautiful, you can call her Sunshine… because the other one is a phony! She’ll never be back and has been fired! Garvin said that other girl, that poor excuse, is on the other side of the tracks and gone.
- Ummmm, that’s weird. I’m sure the real Sunshine isn’t going to let this fly. On the other hand, if the original Sunshine doesn’t show back up, I won’t like that we were just basically treated with a re-cast. I’m sure that won’t be the case, though…
- Johnny Mantell & “Gentleman” Chris Adams vs. Buddy Roberts & “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin: Our main event was scheduled for one fall to a finish with a thirty minute time limit. We did a lot of stalling before the bell here as this new Sunshine was refusing to leave the ring. The heels grouped up on the outside as Adams pressured one of them to get in the ring. It was Buddy Roberts who was first in for the heels, as some quick chain wrestling kicked things off before Roberts begged off into his corner. The crowd exploded with “We want Sunshine!” chants that stalled the match with how loud it was. In response, the new Sunshine jumped to the apron to pose and the crowd exploded with booing. The match was back on track as Adams got into his familiar grove. Mantell tagged in and he was right after Buddy with a big shoulder block. He then ran into a hell of a kitchen sink and it was Garvin who tagged in next. Garvin was nearly rolled up for a three count here. Garvin was able to get a nice clothesline on Mantell before tagging back out to Roberts. Adams was in again and it seemed the good guys were both targeting Buddy’s left arm and shoulder. The fans were STILL chanting for Sunshine at ringside. Mantell was back in again against Buddy, but was quickly run into the top turnbuckle. Garvin was in next and took advantage of Mantell, working him over in the corner. A scoop slam planted him for a one count. The crowd’s chanting continued as Garvin yelled at them from the ring. Mantell was getting taken to task at this point, with the heels working in frequent tags. Without a tag, Garvin was back in to hit a back bodydrop on Mantell and a standing knee drop for a near fall. We then got a double down situation, as both men crawled to their corners. Adams got the hot tag and finally, Adams was getting his hands on Garvin. A big clothesline and falling headbutt found their mark. Buddy got into the ring and ate a Super Kick for his trouble! Then, the crowd went crazy when Sunshine came down to chase the new Sunshine up into the ring in the midst of the match. She ripped the coat off the lady and sprayed hair spray into Jimmy Garvin’s face! A Super Kick put Garvin down and then Sunshine jumped on him and attempted to get at his eyes, just like she promised last week, as the referee pulled her away and the bell continued to ring. The heels hightailed it to the back and Sunshine was still getting a huge reaction from the crowd as she exited next.
- Bedlam in Dallas tonight! The chaos going into the end of the match was only the cherry on top of this solid tag team match main event! Coming out of this, Sunshine seems to be one of the biggest babyfaces in the entire territory! She is going to draw some good money with Garvin and his new valet, no doubt about it. Otherwise, a good tag team match here worthy of a television main event. three stars from me. These randomly-paired tag team matches have really delivered on television this year!
- Back from commercial, “Gentleman” Chris Adams was standing at ringside with Bill Mercer for a post-match interview after fans had cleared out. Adams said it felt good to get his hands on Jimmy Garvin, but better than that, he has the tapes! He has James Garvin’s total medical history and he has found a weakness. He isn’t going to reveal it, he’s just going to use it… and if Sunshine wants to be in his corner for the match, she is more than welcome.
- Interesting play here, as this seems a little more like a heel tactic. I would’ve have Adams say that though he had found a weakness in those records, he WASN’T going to exploit it. He was going to beat Garvin fair and square, leaving him no reason to cry about his loss later. Good guys usually don’t use medical histories to their advantage…
- As Chris Adams left frame, Bill Mercer brought in David Manning. Manning said that Garvin can say whatever he wants because he would not be this mad if there wasn’t some valuable information hidden in those medical records. Manning also touched on the steel cage match between Michael Hayes and Kerry Von Erich, reiterating the fact that whoever loses will not be able to wrestling in Texas for one year!
- Kind of a filler interview here, with just some exposition given by Manning. Nothing we didn’t already know or hear, pal!
FINAL THOUGHTS
The action only got better as the night progressed! I liked our tag team main event, despite the non-finish due to Sunshine’s interference. In fact, the interference only heightened my interest, much like the crowd tonight. I though “Iceman” and Destroyer I had a solid match tonight and I didn’t even hate the Tonga John and José Lothario bout. We also got the added stipulation announced for the Loser Leaves Texas match, Skandor Akbar reportedly challenging Mike Von Erich for his debut match, and Chris Adams revealing that he had studied the tapes and medical records of Jimmy Garvin as they head into their WCCW American Heavyweight Championship match. Mark your calendars, as this Thanksgiving extravaganza is not one you’re going to want to miss!
See you all then!