World Class Championship Wrestling - May 5, 1984
by Erick Von Erich
We're finally into the month of May 1984. This episode is yet another "special edition". In this case it's a recap show to get us psyched for the upcoming David Von Erich Parade of Champions, which is only a few weeks away. But with so much going on in World Class Championship Wrestling, let's get down to the VIDEO VAULT for...
History of the Von Erichs vs. Freebirds Feud
Well, this is nice and it's quite the collection of incidents. We get footage of:- The one that started it all: Terry Gordy slamming the cage door on the head of Kerry Von Erich in the December 1982 NWA World Heavyweight Championship match.
- A "Country Whuppin' Strap Match" from the Sportatorium, featuring Kerry & Kevin Von Erich vs. Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy.
- Thanksgiving Day 1983 cage match at Reunion Arena, between Kerry & Hayes. I should probably check, but I don't believe this match wasn't shown on these weekly shows, so it gets some extra time. For a basic cage match, it's pretty good. Hayes blades and almost puts Kerry away with a bulldog, suplex and piledriver. Buddy Roberts runs in a climbs up to toss a foreign object in. Terry Gordy also runs in to attack Fritz. In all the chaos, Kerry decks Hayes and scores the 3 count. The stipulation was "Loser Leaves Town" and Hayes took the loss. But ya' just knew that exile wasn't gonna' last.
- Kevin & Mike Von Erich vs. Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts from Christmas Holiday Star Wars. This has the post-match incident that's best summarized with this awesomely accurate sentence: "Michael Hayes, disguised as Santa Claus, beats the poo out of Mike Von Erich".
- Interview with Fritz Von Erich from a Fort Worth taping. He cites the attack on Mike in last week's episode, until Michael Hayes interrupts. Hayes wants to know who the 3rd man on the Von Erichs team will be and has it narrowed down to one of three people: Bruiser Brody (whom the 'Birds claim to have run out of town), Brian Adias ("family flunky") or "that European nephew of yours, Lance". Yes, World Class continuity freaks love that last mention. Fritz says it's not one of those, but "the next man that busts you between the eyes". Fritz clubs Hayes to a big pop and tosses him out of the ring. Fritz confirms with Marc Lowrance that he will be the 3rd man on the team.
- Bill Mercer studio interview with Fritz Von Erich. Fritz blows off the fact that it'll be a "BadStreet match". Fritz has gone to the NWA and got them to agree that, if the Von Erichs win the 6-man Championship, Kerry can step into Fritz's place going forward. Fritz says that the Birds' parents "never worked 'em over, but we'll see if this papa can work 'em over!"
The Fabuous Freebirds Interview from Badstreet
Yup, on location in Badstreet, USA! They invited Bill Mercer to come down, but he was too scared. Hayes is in top form, calling Fritz a "yellow bellied dog" and runs down his wrestling history. Hayes gets in a shot at the other teams calling themselves "Fabulous" and how they're trying to emulate the Freebirds by playing intro music. Roberts jumps in and plays up the nastiness of Badstreet. Roberts pulls his belt off ("cuz it's legal"), studded with 10 nickels (Hayes: "that adds up to 50 cents for those that can't multiply") and he'll use it to pummel the Von Erichs. Hayes then call for "Bam Bam", as Terry Gordy pops his head out of the window, showing off the boot he'll be using to thump people! If you'll recall, Gordy's BOOT had a big part in our April 14 episode! Gordy busts out the rest of the window's glass and faces the camera to continue his threats. "If it wasn't for you, there wouldn't be people like us!" This is an absolute classic promo and something that would lead off any "Best of the Freebirds" compilation. Easy to see why they were one of the hottest things in all of pro wrestling in 1984.
History of Kerry Von Erich vs. Ric Flair
Detailing Kerry's pursuit of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Going all the way back to a 2/3 falls match from August 1982, when referee Alfred Neely was bumped. World Class's own David Manning ran in to continue and awarded the first fall to Kerry after he put down Flair with a sleeper hold. Manning raised Kerry's hand, but Neely waved it off, saying that Kerry was disqualified for intentionally hitting the referee. In the second fall, Kerry pinned a blading Flair with the CLAW. All tied up as we cut to the third fall. Kerry's punching away on Flair with closed fists and Neely gets shoved, and it's a disqualification, again. Flair retains the title on a technicality and I don't think Neely was seen in World Class again. This led to the fan write-in campaign for a new referee for the rematch. Michael Hayes was selected and for how that turned out: see our first topic, above. Basically, the long history of the Von Erichs and Freebirds has Flair as an auxiliary player.
A Special Look at Sunshine
Originally set to the tune of Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money", it's a recap of Sunshine's antics with "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin. She stood by Garvin through thick and thin, but he unfairly dumped her for Precious. We get the clip of Johnny Mantel upsetting Garvin for the Television Championship when Precious's interference backfired...and they blamed Sunshine for it. Next is Sunshine's press conference, where she says she left Garvin and "took everything", including his video tapes! We also get Bill Mercer's attempt at interviewing Garvin and Precious at their home. Of course, the obligatory footage of one of the many Chris Adams vs. Jimmy Garvin bouts, including the Sunshine vs. Precious cat-fights.Bill Mercer signs off, saying that next week we'll not only get the Badstreet match, but the Badstreet music video!
Why'd You Watch This?:
Yes, this is a recap episode, but an essential one. Think of it as the "pre-show" or "free-for-all" for the Parade of Champions. It really gets you pumped up for that event. The interviews from Fritz and the Freebirds are the only "new" footage, exclusive to this show. But like I said, this is an excellent recap job that perfectly nails the landing on its intended purpose.
Boom-da-da-da-boom, da-da-da-boom, da-da-da-boom
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