WCCW- May 21, 1983
by erick von erich
Once again, WWE 24/7 skipped a week, as we leapfrog the May 14th edition and end up here. This week, Bill Mercer is away to attend his daughter's graduation, so we get Marc Lowrance on the play-by-play. To take Lowrance's place as ring announcer, we have Some Old Dude Whose Name I Couldn't Make Out. But with so much going on in World Class Championship Wrestling, let's get down to ringside for...
Match 1: Tola Yatsu (w/Arman Hussein) vs. Paul "Butcher" Vachon
Vachon's just passing through, as countless others seemed to do in World Class.
Maybe that's whay Yatsu and Hussein actually get a noticeable cheer from the
same crowd that had boo'ed them in pevious weeks. Roughly 80% of the match
is spent on initial stalling and the feeling-out process. Yatsu finally connects with a reverse thrust kick then
whips Vachon to the ropes for a powerslam and the 3 count.
A Very Special Ringside Interview with Tola Yatsu and Arman Hussein
Lowrance interviews the duo, with Hussein obviously handling the promo. Devastation Inc has
challenged them to a handicap match against Kimala...which they enthusiastically accept. Pretty sure
that will be the last World Class appearance for Hussein and Yatsu. Hussein
had a great delivery in his voice and was a serviceable heel manager. Rather perplexing
that he disappeared from the pro wrestling world after this.
Match 2: Chris Adams vs. the Mongol
No Skandar Akbar for Mongol. Mongy sludges around, going all punchy/kicky until
he traps Adams in a front facelock. They criss-cross the roeps (which'll make
ya' JUMP-JUMP) and a shoulderblock sends Adams to the ringside floor. Mongol follows him out, intending
to deliver more punishment, but he gets super-kicked right in the mush from Adams! Adams hops
up and leaps off the ring aprong with a plancha of sorts. They make it back inside, where
Adams delivers another super-kick and works a hammerlock to the mat. Adams misses a charge and
ends up tangled in the ropes. Mongol moves right in a begins choking him on the ropes. Referee Fred Sinclair
counts away, then disqualifies the Mongol for excessing rope-choking. After the decision,
Adams comes to and clears the ring with another kick. Sure, they were trying to lengthen the feud between these
two, but the DQ was a weak ending to what had been a solid match. It would have worked
if Mongol had been doing something more sinister-- like choking Adams on the floor with camera cables, or
bashing him with ringside chairs. But for choking with the ring ropes?
Match 3: Johnny Mantel vs. "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (w/Sunshine)
Garvin grabs the house mic and challenges David Von Erich to a confrontation anytime, anywhere.
First time we've seen Mantel in these episodes. The brother of Ken, he would go on to be
World Class's Jobber-to-the-Stars for the next two years or so. Garvin starts quickly with
a hip-toss, 2 drop-kicks and a flying head scissors to take Mantel to the mat. Mantel kicks out,
then delivers 2 drop-kicks of his own, followed by a nice armdrag. While Mantel works the arm,
Lowarance promotes the upcoming "Star Wars" card, which is slated to include an appearance from
Jumbo Tsurata. Garvin comes out of the armbar with a slam, gets a quick 1 count, then works the
arm into a hammerlock. Mantel reaches under Garvin and turns the hammerlock into his own slam and
an armbar. Garvin tries to counter, so both guys roll and reverse, yet Mantel managers to
keep the hold cinched. Good stuff, there. They break, as Mantel is sent to the ropes and returns
with a shoulderblock. Garvin gets a kneelift and a 2 count, followed by a chinlock. Mantel escapes
with a series of forearm blows, then bounces to the ropes for another shoulderblock. He tries again,
but Garvin leapfrogs. Mantel comes back on the rebound with a flying cross-bodypress attempt, but Garvin
catches him and nails him with a side back-breaker to score the 3. Good crisp wrestling from
both sides. Mantel did well with the World Class "pesky babyface jobber" routine.; the recurring
sequence where the bad guy applies a hold and the gloats, then the good guy comes back with the same moves.
A Very Special Video of Kevin Von Erich
Weird slo-mo video of Kevin's highlights set to creepy disco porn music. It starts off showing a rabid
fan with a hat, beard and a "Pinball Wizard" t-shirt cheering. But then it gets downright bizarre.
Extreme slo-mo close-up shots of Kevin leaping and walking around. Really, if you happen to watch this
segment, make sure nobody else is in your house. If someone walked in on you, they'd
think you were watching gay porn.
Match 4: World Class American Heavyweight Championship:
Kevin Von Erich (c) vs. Terry Gordy
Rematch from a few weeks back, but this time it's all Kevin. Gordy goes for the single leg takedown,
but Kevin kicks out. Gordy tries an armbar, but Kevin rolls out and delivers a drop-kick. They criss-cross
a little (JUMP-JUMP), until Kevin hooks a leg-vise on Gordy...also known as the common MMA submission hold.
Gordy powers out and blasts Kevin into the turnbuckle. Gordy whips him to the opposite corner, but this
time Kevin leaps out with a sunset flip for 2. Kevin works an abdominal stretch, but Gordy powers
out with a hip-toss. Kevin snapmares him over, then threatens the CLAW. Gordy fights back for a wee bit,
but Kevin quickly clamps on a sleeper. Gordy gets to the ropes to break, then tries his own sleeper.
Kevin breaks the hold with the always effective Elbow to the Groin. Gordy thumps back, snaps him on the top rope
and delivers a vertical splex for 2. He tries a piledriver, but Kevin drives him into the corner.
Once more, but now Kevin counters with a backdrop. Gordy is whipped to the corner, climbs to the second turnbuckle,
twists, and tries to deliver a flying bodypress. He misses, allowing Kevin to hop to the top
turnbuckle, twist, and successfully land his patented leap for the 3 count. This was the stereotypical
"fed to the Von Erichs match" that people rag on World Class about. Hard to argue with that, as Gordy
was made to look incredibly weak and was never really in control.
A Very Special Interview with Kevin Von Erich
Quick soundbyte from Kevin as he joins Lowrance at the soundstage. Kevin now his sights on
Ric Flair and the NWA World title. Lowrance quickly plugs next week's show, as we'll have a big six-man
main event: David Von Erich, Kevin Von Erich and "Iceman" King Parsons will be joining forces
against all three Freebirds. The DRUMS hit and we're out!
Why'd You Tape This??
Not an exiciting episode at all. The main event had decent wrestling, but it was frustrating to see
Gordy tossed around so easily. Mongol/Adams had its moments, yet the weak ending ruined it. Yatsu/Vachon
was quick and boring, so that leaves Garvin/Mantel as the only halfway decent match. Note: halfway decent.
Even the WWE 24/7 studio segments with Kevin Von Erich and Michael Hayes were completly banal. Nothing
worth tracking down in this episode.
Boom-da-da-da-boom, da-da-da-boom, da-da-da-boom
Sound Off!Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!