Grab a few slices of turkey and all the fixins because it is time for this year’s annual Thanksgiving Star Wars! In a match with huge ramifications, Kerry Von Erich meets Michael Hayes in a cage for tonight’s main event… with the loser having to leave Texas! Plus, the much-anticipated debut of Mike Von Erich arrives as he takes on Skandor Akbar, and be prepared to watch WCCW American Championship history unfold as the champion, “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin finally grants a title shot to “Gentleman” Chris Adams. All that and more!
WCCW Thanksgiving Star Wars
Date: 11/24/1983
From: Dallas, Texas
MATCH CARD
Six-Man Tag Team Match
1. Black Gordman, Boris Zhukov, & Tonga John vs. Johnny Mantell, José Lothario, & Mike Reed
Singles Match
2. The Missing Link vs. Buddy Roberts
(Match cut from taping, no rating available.)
Singles Match
3. Terry Gordy vs. Kevin Von Erich
Singles Match for the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship
4. David Von Erich vs. Kamala
Special Singles Match
5. Mike Von Erich vs. Skandor Akbar
Tag Team Match for the WCCW American Tag Team Championship
6. The Super Destroyers (Super Destroyer I & Super Destroyer II) vs. “Iceman” King Parsons & Junkyard Dog
Singles Match for the WCCW American Heavyweight Championship
7. “Gentleman” Chris Adams vs. “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin
Loser Leaves Texas Steel Cage Match
8. Kerry Von Erich vs. Michael Hayes
BREAKDOWN & REVIEW
- Bill Mercer welcomed us to Reunion Arena for this special holiday Star Wars in front of a sold out attending crowd. We then got a national anthem singing.
- It was cool to see the entire opening ceremony here.
- Black Gordman, Boris Zhukov, & Tonga John vs. Johnny Mantell, José Lothario, & Mike Reed: Our opening bout was scheduled for one fall, fifteen minute time limit. We kicked this one off with Mantell taking on Tonga John. A standing side headlock turned into a headlock takeover, with Mantell getting an early advantage. Reed was then tagged in and he took over where Mantell left off. Zhukov was tagged in next and he landed some big strikes before tagging out quickly to Gordman. A nice clothesline landed for him and Tonga John was then tagged back in! Reed tried to fire up, but he was shut down with a double chop to the chest. Quick tags continued for the heels as Zhukov was back in to continue the punishment on Reed. Finally, Reed was able to hot tag out to Mantell. Mantell hit a series of moves and got a near fall over the Russian before tagging out to the fresh, José Lothario. His rival, Gordman tagged in and these two were off to the races with dropkicks, chops, leapfrogs, and headlock takeovers. Gordman was chopped out to the floor for a breather just while Lothario was beginning to roll. Tonga John tagged back in and went right after Lothario’s ribs and midsection. A nice punch had Tonga John begging off and then it was Gordman in illegally to get some left hands for his trouble! Suddenly, tag format broke down a bit and Tonga John was taken to task by the babyface team. Once order was restored, it was Zhukov and Mantell in the ring, with Zhukov getting the better of Mantell with a foot choke in the corner. A pin attempt was broken up by Lothario and then all six men were in the ring again! In the midst of the melee, Mantell was able to roll up Zhukov for a three count! After the match, Lothario hit another dropkick on Gordman for good measure!
- Pretty chaotic here, with no real rhyme or reason for who was on which team. This was obviously just a match to give these six guys a spot on the card, with maybe a slight focus on the issues between Blackie Gordman and José Lothario. That said, action was kept super basic, with barely any significant grapples thrown in. Plus, a rollup was our finish here. One star from me… and that might be generous.
- The Missing Link vs. Buddy Roberts: No review for this one available. It seems this match had been excluded from the taping, or the footage was lost. I wasn’t able to find it anywhere online, either. It is reported that The Missing Link won this match.
- Terry Gordy vs. Kevin Von Erich: Our next bout was set for one fall to a finish, with a twenty minute time limit. We got full entrances here, including the debut of “Badstreet, USA” theme song for Terry Gordy! Kevin came out to “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent, which was also cool to see. We started this one off with some clean breaks by Kevin as the feeling out process began. Several arm drags in a row had Gordy on his back While Kevin kept tight arm control. Some knees into the shoulder were next, before Kevin got Gordy right back into an arm submission. Godry was able to break free with a big boot, but went to the well too many times as he found himself hung up on the top rope. Kevin kicked him the rest of the way up and over to the floor. Back in the ring, it was time to see a test of strength. Gordy took over early, forcing Kevin almost all the way down to the mat, but the crowd rallied behind Kevin. He worked his way up into a dropkick and another arm drag, once again locking Gordy into an arm submission! Kevin then dropped a knee down on Gordy’s hand, signalling that he was attacking the thumb of Gordy next! Back on their feet, Kevin was going to try to smash the thumb of Gordy in the turnbuckle, but Gordy fought it off and instead got an Iron Claw! It was only on a little while before Gordy broke look, only to be on the receiving end of a running cross body for a near fall. Gordy kept with it and hit a running clothesline, followed by dropping Kevin over the top rope throat-first. A sleeper hold further cooled Kevin off for a few moments. Gordy went for the Oriental Spike, but Kevin was able to escape the attempt and was nearly thrown out over the top rope for it! Frustrated, Gordy went to the top rope to try to hit a knee drop, but again Kevin moved out of the way! Back on their feet, Gordy chased Kevin into the corner and fell victim to Kevin’s flying crossbody off the top rope into a pin to finish the match! As soon as the bell rang, Buddy Roberts rushed the ring, but quickly got an Iron Claw. Gordy and Roberts were able to start working Kevin over, even trying to smash and stomp his hand before David and Kerry Von Erich ran down to the ring to make the save!
- This was a solid bout and it was worked very well by both men here. Each man played his roll perfectly and the false finishes going into the last few moments of the match made for an exciting watch. I do wish Gordy got more of a run at offense here, though. Given that we got a solid bout, it nicely paced, with a clean finish… it all goes a long way for this Freebird / Von Erich clash here. I’m giving this one two and half stars.
- Before our next bout, we threw to a pre-taped interview with Bill Mercer speaking with David Von Erich at ringside about his opponent, Kamala, tonight. Mercer said that he has never seen any other living human being have a leg up over Kamala. Von Erich said that everybody knows that Kamala is a dangerous man, including Bruiser Brody. Despite Skandor Akbar trying to have the Iron Claw banned, it will be here, and be on Kamala’s forehead later tonight… and he can bet his bottom dollar on that! He said that if Akbar sticks his nose into the ring tonight, he’ll bust him wide open with the Claw and stack him right in a little line next to Kamala, flat on the mat.
- To no fault of his own, Dave says some funny things sometimes… the busting Akbar’s head wide open thing cracked me up. His words are so brutal for a babyface wrestler, half the time, his promos sound like heel promos. Nonetheless, I fully expect Dave to walk away from tonight’s match having gotten the better of the Ugandan Giant.
- David Von Erich vs. Kamala: Our next match, set for one fall, twenty minutes. The bell rang and Kamala began slapping his belly. David threatened the Claw which kept Kamala from going right into an attack. Then, we exploded with strikes being traded back and forth. Kamala then grabbed Dave by the throat and hit an overhead chop that rocked Dave. More big chops stumbled Dave around the ring as Kamala slapped his belly in between strikes. A punch and a dropkick brought Kamala to one knee. Dave then followed up with his running high knee, but it had little effect, as Kamala chopped him away again without going down. Kamala bit at David’s forehead, before hitting Dave with a chop that sent him up and over the top rope to the floor. Dave was busted open at this point, which excited Kamala as he paced around in the ring. Back in the ring, Kamala went right to work on Dave’s split forehead with chops. Again, he bit at the wound, picking up the pace. A running splash, Kamala’s typical finish, only kept Dave down for a two cout. Then, it was time for Kamala to feel the wrath of the Iron Claw, which caused the crowd to erupt with excitement! Dave kept it on tight as Kamala dropped to both knees in pain. Friday was able to get Kamala’s leg on the bottom rope to break the hold. So, Dave shifted his focus and got a Claw on Friday! Then Skandor Akbar jumped up to the apron and got a Claw of his own, too! The bell sounded as a disqualification due to outside interference was decided. Kamala then jumped David from behind, but it was Kerry Von Erich who made the save for Dave this time. Kerry slammed Kamla and the crowd went even more nuts. Dave’s arm was raised as the heels, including a bleeding Kamala, headed to the exit. Bill Mercer reminded us that Skandor Akbar had a $10,000 dollar open challenge for any man who was able to slam Kamala and Kerry had done it!
- Again, this one was played perfectly by both men here. Kamala having to work more of a match didn’t hurt him a bit here. Plus, him picking up his pace in a sort of excitement when he realized Dave had been busted open was a nice touch for his character having cannibalistic tendencies. I really enjoyed this match and so far, this was the loudest the crowd has been. Three stars from me, believe it or not!
- We then cut to a pre-taped interview with Mike, Kevin, David, and Kerry Von Erich at ringside. Bill Mercer greeted the boys and looked forward to Mike’s debut, saying that he has had the pleasure of seeing each boy debut in Dallas personally. Kevin said he was the oldest brother and said it was a special deal for him. David said that he followed in his dad’s and Kevin’s footsteps, just like Kerry did, followed by his little brother, Mike! He has been taught by the best. Kerry said Mike is the best amatuer wrestler of then all and didn’t given Akbar too much time tonight at all. Mike finally got the chance to speak and said that he didn’t know if he was the best Von Erich of all, but he was sure going to try! Bill wished him luck as we cut back to Reunion Arena.
- Obviously, all of the boys here were here to try to help Mike get over. Mike has no microphone skills at all and Kevin even teased him here for being shy to speak. I don’t know if Mike is going to cut it as a big-time Von Erich unless he comes out of his shell a little more. Only time will tell!
- Prior to Mike Von Erich’s debut match here, Marc Lowrance introduced Sam Muchnick at ringside, a former president of the NWA. Seated next to him, was Bing Devine who was also formally introduced as the current president and general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.
- Not sure why these guys had to be announced in attendance before the match here…?
- Mike Von Erich vs. Skandor Akbar: This match was set for one fall with a twenty minute time limit. Mike looked absolutely terrified, but he kept stone-faced and focused on Akbar. Akbar paced around the ring before these two locked up. Mike pushed Akbar into the ropes and I could tell the crowd was anxious to see what Mike could actually do. A backslide almost got Akbar but he was able to slip out of the pin at two. Akbar bailed out to the floor for a powder. Back in the ring, Mike worked over the leg and knee of Akbar with dropping elbows. Mike then hit a dropkick but missed a second one as Akbar put the boots to him. A scoop slam put Mike down and he was then passed a whip from ringside by Friday. Before he could use it, Mike rolled him up for a three count! He then got the whip and put it use on Akbar himself! Kevin Von Erich came to ringside to keep Friday from getting involved any further and Akbar bailed to the floor before being whipped any further.
- Well, it was very obvious that Akbar was having to hold Mike’s hand through this one. That said, Mike did show signs of knowing how to keep fans engaged in the action. He will definitely need to work on his in-ring and microphone skills if they plan on featuring Mike in a big way moving forward. Not terrible, but I could tell the fans were probably expecting to see a little more offense from this newly-debuting Von Erich. One star from me.
- The Super Destroyers vs. “Iceman” King Parsons & Junkyard Dog: Our next match was a tag team bout, scheduled for one fall to a finish, forty-five minutes for a limit, for the WCCW American Tag Team Championship. I love the team of Parsons and Dog, I have to saw. They’re a perfect paring. That said, it was JYD who kicked things off with Super Destroyer I. Some lock ups and shove offs got us going, ending with Dog blocking a punch and throwing a nice one of his own. A running forearm sent Destroyer I to tag out to II while Parsons also came in. A standing side headlock tied Destroyer II up for a moment. Some chain wrestling occured, with Parsons coming out ahead in a side headlock takeover. After a dropkick, Dog tagged back in to continue wearing down Destroyer II. A reverse chinlock kept the masked man grounded until JYD’s hair was pulled. Dog was able to get a headbutt on both Super Destroyers in the heel corner! He would pay as for the next few moments the heels tagged in and out and landed heavy strikes on him. Parsons got the hot tag and hit his running Butt Butt, but it was Destroyer II that came in to break up the pin. All four men then went at it, with action spilling out to the floor. Parsons was sent into the corner post, busting him open. Back in the ring, Destroyer II went right to work on the cut with fists. Elbows and punches sent Parsons flying back to his corner to tag in JYD who cleaned house with punches, back body drops, and a scoop slam. Parsons was then taken out by David Manning and other ringside officials, leaving Dog to fight off the champions by himself. Dog stayed alive with punches and headbutts. The numbers game would come into play, leaving Dog in a bad way after a double team move. Then, a taped up King Parsons came running back down to the ring to save JYD and the bell was called for as tag format completely broke down. Both teams were disqualified as the brawl continued, with Parsons cleaning house of the Super Destroyers. JYD was then up to help his partner as Parsons pulled Akbar in the hard way. Then, out of nowhere, a fireball ended up in Parsons’ face as the bell continued to ring!
- Well, this was nuts. Unfortunately, the Super Destroyers retain here, but it was exciting from bell-to-bell. Seeing Junkyard Dog is always a treat and again, I love the teaming of him and “Iceman”. This was a solid bout with momentum swinging back and forth several times, including Parsons being pulled out only to return to the match to make the save. Two stars from me!
- “Gentleman” Chris Adams was then standing by with Bill Mercer for another pre-taped interview conducted at ringside. Mercer mentioned that Sunshine would be in Adams’ corner for this championship match and Adams said that he feels confident going into this one, as he is confident that Sunshine will ensure Precious does not interfere in their match.
- Up next, pre-match comments from “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin were collected, once again at ringside with Bill Mercer. Garvin said that everywhere he goes, thousands and thousands of wrestling fans follow, because he is the champion to watch in World Class Championship Wrestling. He called Sunshine a poor excuse for a woman who didn’t even have a manager’s license and shouldn’t even be in Adams’ corner tonight! Precious grabbed the mic and said that Sunshine better stay away from her tonight, as she hates her guts! Garvin agreed and said that Sunshine has been trying to push he weight around with Precious and tonight it’s all going to come to an end tonight.
- So, her name is Precious we learned here. I was pumped heading into this one, as this has been a big story in the territory the last handful of months here.
- “Gentleman” Chris Adams vs. “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin: Our next match, scheduled for one fall to a finish, forty-five minute time limit, for the WCCW American Heavyweight Championship. The ladies yelled at each other while the introductions were made and David Manning tried to keep control. Some chain wrestling followed by a scoop slam and a arm bar had Garvin on defense big time to start this one. More quick work finished with an arm drag and a submission, again in favor of Adams. A rollup kept Garvin down for a near fall and then it was an arm bar that had him in trouble next. At ringside, Sunshine kept moving closer and closer to Precious, one corner at a time. Action was kept at a quick pace in the ring, as Garvin continually ended up on the receiving end of punishment. Adams ran into a knee in the corner, opening the door for Garvin to slap on a prone front face lock. Garvin then ran Adams’ head into the top turnbuckle a few times to taunt Sunshine at ringside. Adams fired up and returned the favor, smashing Garvin into the corner and sending him up and over with a back body drop. A Super Kick then sent Garvin out over the top rope! Adams then suplexed Garvin back in, but his legs were pulled out from underneath him by Precious from under the bottom rope. Garvin landed on top of him for a near fall. After this, Garvin hit the ropes but Sunshine jumped on the apron and caught him by the hair to scratch at his eyes. This kept Garvin down just long enough for Adams to cover him for a three count! Pandemonium broke out with the fans and in the ring after the bell, as Precious jumped in, only to be tossed around by Sunshine. Precious bailed and then it was Garvin who was getting clawed at again before he bailed. Adams was then awarded the championship as he and Sunshine celebrated!
- Wow, the fans went crazy for this one from start to finish. Any time Sunshine moved at ringside, they erupted. I think the payoff of Sunshine finally getting some revenge on Garvin and Precious was well delivered here. Plus, Adams was due for a big win, as he has been consistently one of the best in-ring performers the promotion has had this year. The matches continue to deliver tonight and this one was no different. Garvin and Adams worked at a fast pace and got as much out of this one as they could with the time they were given. Three and a half stars from me, I just wish we would’ve saw a Super Kick properly finish this one. Maybe when Garvin got his eyes scratched, he could’ve turned around into a Super Kick? That would’ve given this one a slight bump up, in my opinion. Either way, this was a fun match and the right results came through in the end.
- Kerry Von Erich vs. Michael Hayes: We then cut to this match a minute or two in progress as Hayes fired away with punches on Kerry in the corner. Kerry then reversed and set Hayes up for a Claw in the corner, but Hayes was able to fight it off. Hayes then sent Kerry into the cage not once, but twice! Then, Hayes unwrapped his knee and began choking Kerry with the wrapping. Hayes covered Kerry for a near fall. Back on their feet, Kerry blocked a smash into the corner and used that same wrapping around Hayes’ neck to send him into the cage! Hayes was busted open as Kerry began to fire away with big punches and a standing knee drop. Suddenly, Kerry ran into a sleeper hold. Hayes squeezed as Kerry dropped to the mat. Kerry stayed in the fight and worked his way back up to his feet with the crowd behind him. Then, it was time for Hayes to be put in a sleeper hold. This wouldn’t last long, though, as Hayes would ram Kerry into the cage back-first. A running bulldog out of the corner put Kerry down hard, putting Hayes back in control. He strutted around as Kerry struggled to get back to his feet. A nice suplex kept Kerry down for a two count. A piledriver then put Kerry down with Kerry only breaking the pin by getting a foot on the bottom rope. Kerry was able to reverse a suplex into one of his own for a near fall. Then, Terry Gordy appeared at ringside and on the opposite side, Buddy Roberts climbed up the side of the cage and threw something in to Hayes. Hayes tried to punch Kerry with it, who ducked it twice. On the outside of the cage, Gordy was put down by Fritz Von Erich while the action continued. A discus punch put Hayes down and then Kerry used whatever Hayes was trying to use on him! In a last-ditch effort, Buddy Roberts again scaled the cage and positioned himself to jump off, but he lost his footing and instead went groin-first onto the cage wall before falling down into the ring in pain. Kerry dove on Hayes to get the three count, just as Fritz was opening the cage door to help stop anymore interference. Gordy punched Fritz which sent him stumbling away and it was Gordy instead who made his way through the door up into the cage. Kerry met him at the door and set him up to be smashed with the door by Fritz at ringside! A callback to the Christmas cage match from last year. Kerry was helped out of the cage door by Fritz as The Fabulous Freebirds were left laying inside the cage, with Hayes having to leave the territory for one year according to the stipulation.
- Two things with this one I didn’t like… one being treated to a incomplete version of this match and the second being all the damn interference. Isn’t that what a cage match is supposed to prevent? I expected some kind of shenanigans, but this was borderline too much. Roberts doing the near-comedy spot of falling off the cage, and Kerry only winning after using whatever weapon was thrown in was kind of lame. The callback and revenge on Gordy getting slammed with the cage door was a nice touch, though. That said, this was not the best match on the card and I feel confident in saying so. Two and a half stars from me.
- Following our main event, Bill Mercer closed out the show from ringside. He mentioned the successful debut of Mike Von Erich, the American Heavyweight Championship change hands, and a huge victory for Kerry Von Erich.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All things considered, our card did deliver tonight from top to nearly bottom. I feel we got a lot of storyline payoffs here, so I’m not too sure what direction we’ll be going into for Christmas Star Wars just a month away. Michael Hayes seemingly being banned from WCCW for the next year will be an interesting development moving forward… I wonder how they’re going to work around that stipulation, as there’s no way the Freebirds and Von Erichs are done with each other. Special shoutout goes to Jimmy Garvin and Chris Adams, as they had the match of the night, paying things off very nicely for the ladies, as well. All things considered, we got several finishes we desperately needed and I didn’t feel cheated by seeing another Von Erich loss to the NWA World’s Heavyweight Championship holder. So, win-win! Here’s to some interesting times heading into the end of the year, starting with next week.
See you all then!