Tracking the Territories 1984- Volume Three

by Liam Byrne

  Bey is back in moments later and gets sent to the canvas with a trip by Street, with the resulting attempt to tag back out by Bey seeing some reluctance from Bass. After Valiant has another punching session on the two opponents, the crucifix pin that earns Street the three count is a little awkward and looks like it should be called on a rope break. However, the very popular new team of Valiant and Street have the victory in what amounted to a few minutes of harmless fun.

  We have time for two more interviews as the Assassins – in particular, Assassin #1 and a pair of taped fists – promise to wipe out Valiant, and Kernodle and Koloff talk about their willingness to take on all-comers when it comes to defending their gold.

  A mixed bag, with highs such as the Kernodle/Koloff tag match and the debut of Street and Valiant’s team. However, squashes like the Adias one make Mid-Atlantic a promotion that is as liable to serve up a miss as they are a hit.

  World Class Championship Wrestling 21.7.84

  Bill Mercer is on hand once more to run down the card for today and the main event is a big one – Kevin Von Erich and ‘Gentleman’ Chris Adams versus Terry Gordy and Killer Khan. Apparently, we’ve also been invited poolside to join Gino Hernandez, and we’ll see an unmasked Scott Irwin in the opening match of the evening.

  That opening match sees ‘the best looking man around’, as Irwin claims, taking on Mike Reed. As Mercer debates about whether the ‘Hog’ nickname is pig or bike related, Irwin uses multiple headlocks to control Reed whilst making it clear to the ref that his strikes are legal. This quest for legality continues as Irwin uses a top wristlock and a trip, but Reed does try to fight his way back off the mat with punches after a quick escape. Irwin earns a two count with a stiff big boot off of an Irish whip, following up with another side headlock that brings the match to the canvas. The two men end up battling over a top wristlock which Irwin wins, yet the match goes straight back to Reed being in Irwin’s headlock.

  A missed elbowdrop allows Reed some brief offense with some punches, but Irwin quickly cuts him off, lands a back body drop and a legdrop for two. Once again, Reed lands some punches, only to miss an elbowdrop of his own. Reed continues to try and fight back off of the mat, yet as he fires up, he collides with the turnbuckle on a charge into the corner. This leaves him vulnerable to a ‘super suplex’ as Mercer (and the ring announcer when announcing the finish) calls it, the superplex being enough for the three count. Irwin was fun enough with the mask removed in terms of his character, but any squash match that revolves around a side headlock isn’t going to be particularly exciting.

  Buddy Roberts is going solo this week as he takes on George Weingroff, with Mercer quickly dropping Weingroff’s legal blindness into the commentary before the match even begins, repeating it as the opening exchanges see Roberts get sent to the canvas twice. Some ropey looking hiptosses by Weingroff have Roberts rolling to ringside to regroup. The two exchange arm wringers, with Weingroff using a fireman’s life to take Roberts down to the mat and lock in a short arm scissors. Weingroff has the match under control, rolling through to add extra torque and impact on an armlock. An eye rake by Roberts finally allows the Freebird to stage some offense, sending his opponent into the turnbuckle head first.

  Roberts targets the face an elbow and a rope-assisted rake of the forehead. A second rope elbow to a standing Weingroff gets a two count, as does a suplex. Two missed elbowdrops allows Weingroff to mount a comeback, getting two feet up in the corner to block a charging Roberts and following it up with a back body drop and an atomic drop for two. Weingroff ducks too early on another back body drop attempts and catches a boot in the face to put him on the back foot once again, yet as Roberts tries to finish – coming close with a headlock bulldog – Weingroff slips out the back of a move, turns it into an abdominal stretch and rolls it into a pinfall for three. A huge surprise, though Roberts was always shown to be somewhat of the weaker link of the Freebirds. Decent enough contest.

  Mercer then sends us to footage of what appears to be Kerry Von Erich versus Gino Hernandez for the Texas Heavyweight Title, though we see as the match has already finished and Ric Flair is in the ring to brawl with Kerry. Mercer’s attempts to describe what happened here aren’t exactly helpful, as he has no idea how the decision in the match led to Hernandez winning the belt. Kerry gets the best of Flair with a press slam, only for Hernandez to hit him with the title from outside the ring, a move that serves to annoy Von Erich more than hurt him.

  We are promised some answers next as Hernandez is at poolside with Mercer and two women in bathing suits. Hernandez doesn’t believe there was any controversy, whilst also not giving much of a damn about the Von Erich’s claim that they will regain the title, especially because David used to hold the gold. Hernandez puts out a challenge as the segment ends, saying that he is going after the NWA World Heavyweight Title, whether that means taking on Flair or one of the Von Erich boys.

  Hernandez is up next as he meets Chief Jules Strongbow in a non-title match. Before the contest can begin, Kerry Von Erich comes into the ring to challenge Hernandez, saying that if he wants to fight a Von Erich, he only needs to put his name on the dotted line. Hernandez responds by saying he is the champion and will put his name on the dotted line when he wants to, leading to a brawl that is comprehensively ‘won’ by Kerry. Hernandez launches a chair into the ring from the floor, so we get a brief chair versus belt joust before the champion comes back into the ring and gets hit with a discus punch for good measure.

  Surprisingly, the match between Hernandez and Strongbow still takes place, with ‘The Handsome Halfbreed’ still reeling from the fight with Von Erich. He spends the opening moments of the contest backing away from Strongbow and using the ropes to force distance. When the Chief gets his hands on Hernandez, he wins the trading of strikes before nailing him with a dropkick. Hernandez begs off, but this doesn’t really halt Strongbow, with only a throw to ringside giving Hernandez the respite he needs. A rake of the eyes and a clothesline using the top rope has Hernandez finally on top, yet it doesn’t last for long as Strongbow fights his way back into the contest, landing a kneedrop for a two count.

  Hernandez drives Strongbow back into the corner and lands a shoulder barge and a couple of punches. The fans are really behind Strongbow and he blocks a turnbuckle smash to deliver one of his own before landing a chop across the chest. Strongbow hits another kneedrop, but is too close to the ropes to make the cover. The finish is sudden: a charging Strongbow is side-stepped by Hernandez, sending him into the top rope throat first. This is enough for Hernandez to slap on a small package and pick up the three count. Whilst the match was solid if unspectacular, it was heightened by the Von Erich interaction beforehand and the audience’s belief that Hernandez was there for the beating.

  Now for the main event of the evening as Terry Gordy is with the man he brought into the promotion, Killer Khan, as they take on Kevin Von Erich and Chris Adams. Kevin jumps Khan before the match has even officially begun, leading to Gordy and Khan stalking the ringside area as the referee tries to re-establish some order. Kevin wants Khan, but Gordy chooses to start that match for his team. This doesn’t halt Von Erich as he launches himself into the heel corner, starting another brawl in the process. However, this allows Gordy to take control initially as David Manning sends Adams back into the corner. A brutal spinning neckbreaker dumps Kevin onto the canvas and leads to a tag to Khan.

  The Mongolian grabs a quick two count after a backbreaker and a kneedrop, before missing a charge into the corner. A slam leads to an iron claw tease, but Khan manages to block it. With some confusion about the legality behind a tag, Gordy comes off the top rope and lands an elbow to Kevin’s back, putting the heels back in control. It has been all Kevin until a back body drop and a second rope dropkick finally allow Adams to get the tag. A flip shows off his athleticism; a Gordy boot takes him out moments later. Gordy and Khan work Adams over, but a missed legdrop by Khan allows Adams to hit a superkick and a dropkick. Rather than t
ag, his decision to go for a pin costs him as he receives a thumb to the throat and some more double team offense.

  A second rope move by Gordy is met by a punch to the stomach from Adams and Kevin comes into the ring like a house on fire following a tag, blasting Gordy with punches and a back body drop. However, a clothesline takes Kevin out and possibly in danger of the Asian Spike, yet he blocks Khan’s attempt with the iron claw. Just as it seems Khan and Gordy are in danger, Buddy Roberts hits the ring for the disqualification. This brings out Kerry Von Erich to even up the numbers, with the Von Erichs and Adams standing tall after a triple dropkick to Khan and one for Gordy. A heated main event with a fairly obvious ending.

  A solid show with nothing that was particularly bad, but without too many high points. Hernandez in general is gold, which means his singles match with Strongbow was perhaps the best thing on the show, though the heat for the main event was impressive.

  WWF Championship Wrestling 21.7.84

  We head into the show and it is a surprise duo manning the commentary as Vince McMahon is joined by Tony Garea of all people. After a lacklustre show last week, McMahon runs down a card that will include the team of Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch, Rocky Johnson and the debut of Kamala. As an unashamed Kamala mark, this already sounds like it might be somewhat of an improvement. With Allentown now finished, this is footage from Ontario instead, with a lighter, less cluttered feel to the setup.

  The tag team contest with Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch is a non-title contest as they are going up against S.D. Jones and Nick DeCarlo, not exactly a team who are setting the world alight. The reactions, both positive and negative, are noticeably louder than they usually are on episodes of Championship Wrestling. It is Jones and Murdoch who begin the contest for their respective teams, with Jones outmuscling Murdoch and wisely backing off when Adonis is tagged in on the blindside. Both Adonis and Murdoch are good at stooging and bumping, with Adonis taking a slam from Jones and flying into a punch from DeCarlo, much to the delight of the crowd as Jones shimmies in the center of the ring. As Garea suggests the champions are at least keeping a fresh man in, DeCarlo gets his first legal introduction into the contest and sends both Adonis and Murdoch down to the mat with armdrag style takedowns.

  It is DeCarlo who loses control for the underdogs, eating a Murdoch punch before the champions land a double elbowdrop. Jones enters the ring to break an Adonis abdominal stretch with a headbutt, whilst DeCarlo manages to crawl through Murdoch’s legs shortly afterwards to make a hot tag. An Irish whip sees the champions collide mid-ring, but Adonis takes advantage of Jones focusing on Murdoch by hitting him in the back with a knee. This time, it is Jones who manages to fight back, landing another headbutt on Adonis to allow him to tag in DeCarlo. This sets up the finish though, as a DeCarlo charge into the corner meets a Murdoch knee and the champions finish him off with the back suplex/top rope clothesline combination. A longer match that might have been expected, but Adonis and Murdoch are gold in these situations and this is very watchable.

  Speaking of the champions, the next big show that is being promoted at the Boston Gardens will see Adonis and Murdoch defending the titles against the Wild Samoans with Captain Lou Albano as special referee. This creates an interesting dynamic as Albano and the Samoans are still together, though seemingly on the outs.

  Gene Okerlund may not be on commentary this week, but he is involved in the interview segments still. He introduces a montage of the various interactions between Captain Lou Albano and Cyndi Lauper over the past few weeks, running from Albano’s first claims about his involvement in Lauper’s career to the Fabulous Moolah and Wendi Richter’s training. The match was due to take place in Madison Square Garden two days after the airing of this show.

  The reaction to Kamala is initially silent, before the hostility for a gimmick that is the very epitome of something that is easy to dislike as it is something abnormal or different kicks in. What would become Kimchee is Man Friday, whilst Kamala is also brought to the ring by Freddie Blassie. The suggestion about the Kamala gimmick was that James Harris couldn’t throw a decent worked punch, so the overhand chop was an easy way to get around that, and Rivera is on the receiving end of a number of them. Kamala uses a lifting choke and a double throat thrust before finishing the matches with two splashes to the back of Rivera, rolling him over for the three count. Man Friday has to get in the way of an attempt by Kamala to jump off the top rope, which would eventually be another one of his finishing moves. Dominant debut for the Ugandan Giant.

  WWF Review is up next, which seemingly involves clips from matches played to music. We see a selection of clips from a David Schultz squash (possibly of Billy Travis though the footage clarity could be better) as he finishes his opponent with the second rope diving elbowdrop. The version of the episode I have then heads straight into a montage of clips to ‘Eye of the Tiger’ as Hulk Hogan takes on Jerry Valiant. A slam and a legdrop is enough for an easy Hogan win. It is strange that a change in location for the show seems to have led to a completely different format and style.

  To be fair, it is a better way of celebrating the wrestlers of the promotion than McMahon’s generic WWF Magazine promo which follows. This week, Sergeant Slaughter is the focus of McMahon’s praise, with footage shown of Slaughter in the middle of the ring and ready to take on both Tiger Chung Lee and Mr. Fuji. If you buy the magazine, you can read up about Slaughter’s annual pilgrimage to the capital.

  There is no Piper’s Pit as such this evening, with Piper instead giving a promo aimed at both Richter and Lauper. Piper believes that Moolah will have no issue with getting the win over Richter, though also warns Lauper of the potential dangers getting involved as it could mean something happens to her throat and ruins her career. No matter who wins, Piper promises to have the WWF Woman’s Champion on the Pit next week. To finish, Piper pulls out a letter from Jimmy Snuka’s ‘child’, yet it is clearly a ruse as it asks for Piper to stop beating on the Superfly as it makes him cry at night.

  In continuing the slightly odd format to the show, we join a match between the Wild Samoans and the team of Mr Fuji and Tiger Chung Lee from the Spectrum as Afa and Sika work over Lee. The suggestion is that Fuji tags into the contest reluctantly, though it does lead to some brief success as Fuji targets Afa with a foreign object. However, the decision to head to the top rope probably isn’t the best idea and Fuji misses a legdrop. After an atomic drop has Fuji wincing in pain, Lee comes in and gets caught on the top himself and thrown off.

  Lee seeks a tag…but Fuji chooses to ignore it! Lee tries once more, but this time sees Fuji avoid it and walk out. A double headbutt by the Samoans end the contest and it looks as if Lee and Fuji are no more, especially as Fuji returns to the ring and chokes Lee with the microphone cable and Lee recovers enough to attempt to swing for the fences with a kendo stick. Whether this leads to a Lee versus Fuji feud, I can only hope not.

  It feels like a strange episode of Championship Wrestling as we saw two matches, several musical interludes and the breaking up of Fuji and Lee. Still, it was a better show than it might read on paper, whilst it is cool to see the WWF occasionally trying something different with their production to make it so that every week isn’t exactly the same. People are habitual creatures, but this was a time when you had to make yourself stand out.

  Mid-South Wrestling 25.7.84

  It is Boyd Pierce and Joel Watts who are fronting the show this week, with Pierce spending some time talking up how good Watts has been since he has joined the commentary booth. Watts instantly throws it over to his father, Bill Watts, who is ringside with Butch Reed, Buddy Landell and a ‘big announcement’.

  Landell and Reed are showing off a secret handshake as Watts complains about the ending of the show the previous week with a selection of weapons dotted on the apron. We get footage of Jim Cornette low-bridging Jim Duggan to give the disqualification victory to Duggan and the Junkyard Dog over Landell and Reed, which sees Sonny King, Hercules Hernandez and th
e Midnight Express get involved. This week, we are actually shown the attack that caused the injury to King, with his attempts to defend Duggan leading to him taking a two-by-four shot to the arm by Hernandez, who proceeds to blast him several more times. The heels land a spike piledriver on Duggan as well, though the Dog finally manages to run them off by grabbing his chain.

  After the footage of King being removed from the ring the previous week is shown, Watts’ words that talked about getting tougher on the use of weapons are still ringing in the ears of the fans as we head back to present interview and the owner makes it clear that any illegal object use will earn the perpetrator a $10,000 fine or, if it is Cornette, a suspension. Landell and Reed approve the decision, with Reed claiming that they have no need to use weapons against anyone before Landell makes it clear that they can’t be blamed for their opponents needing to cheat in their efforts to beat them. Landell and Reed as a heel team are just brilliant; completely delusional.

  Before a Television Title match between Terry Taylor and Krusher Kruschev, Steve Williams is in the ring with Jim Ross to argue that he should be in the title match as possession is nine tenths of the law. Ross reminds Williams that he isn’t recognised as the champion by Mid-South so can’t be involved at all. Begrudgingly, Williams promises to give the medal back to Taylor if he beats Kruschev, but his parting words indicate that he doesn’t think that is going to happen. Ominous words.

  Taylor and Kruschev lock up with neither man taking control until the ‘Russian’ went for a punch to the face and caught one of his own in retaliation. A top wristlock test of strength is won by Kruschev, taking the match down to the mat and keeping it there with the use of a handful of hair. The second time he tries to do this, Kruschev ends up on his stomach in a hammerlock as Taylor slips out the back. This is broken with a Kruschev elbow to the face, but a crossbody coming off of an Irish whip and a leapfrog earns Taylor the first nearfall.