Crockett Cup '87- Night One

Legacy Review- From the Vault

Crockett Cup '87- Night One

April 10, 1987 from the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, MD

 

Commentary: Tony Schiavone

 

The first Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament, Crockett Cup for short, was a resounding success, so Jim Crockett Promotions quickly made it an annual tentpole live event in the days of just one PPV show per year (Starrcade for them), alongside the summertime Great American Bash tour and the end of year Bunkhouse Stampede matches. One difference this year is there would be no cross promotion with UWF (the former Mid-South), so the event was moved from the Superdome in New Orleans to the Baltimore Arena, which will later be the semi-regular home of the GAB when it became a PPV. Ironically, right when this show was taking place JCP was finalizing the deal to purchase the nearly bankrupt UWF, their last major territory acquisition before nearly going belly up themselves. JCP would spend the rest of the year soundly burying almost everything UWF related in a way very similar to the 2001 WCW Invasion in WWF.

 

For tonight, other NWA territories not already bought out by JCP were invited to send wrestlers over, but the cross-promotion aspect isn't played up nearly as much as it was the first year and most everyone in the tournament is JCP connected one way or another. Pretty much everyone brought in was from their longtime partners in Florida, Dusty's old stomping grounds, plus the token Japanese team. They also changed the event schedule. Last year there were afternoon and evening "sessions" on the same day, this time it's a proper two night show. The first and second round will take place tonight on a huge 16 match card, the rest on night two. Each night will also have a major singles match for some variety. Once again it's a strange 24 team bracket, meaning 8 teams will get a first round bye and there will be an equal number of first and second round matches, barring draws or other double eliminations. 

 

Unlike the last Crockett Cup there is commentary being provided by Tony solo, but I'm not sure if he's live in the arena or if it was recorded later. My guess is live because the mix is awful and he gets drowned out a lot. There is also a bit of history for our ring announcer, as future WCW mainstay Gary Michael Capetta is making his first appearance for the company on a big show.

 

First Round: The Thunderfoots def Bobby Jaggers & Rocky King in 6:10- Jaggers normally teamed with Dutch Mantell as the Kansas Jayhawks but Mantell got hurt just before this show. Replacing him is King, a jobber who'd worked his way up the ranks and was generally loved in the locker room. Later in WCW he'd manage the Freebirds for a short time as Little Richard Marley, then work as a referee for most of the '90s. The Thunderfoots sound like they should be a babyface Indian team, but they're in fact a short lived masked heel team. King starts out with let's just call him Thunderfoot 1 since there's no way to tell them apart and honestly neither of them matter much in the long run anyway. King absorbs some early shots to hit a springboard crossbody for 2. TF 2 comes in and takes a dropkick as the heels take a powder. Back in King takes a shoulderblock then maneuvers TF whatever into a hiptoss. Jaggers tags in, looking more like Dusty Rhodes in gear and girth than ever, and continues pounding away on him. Another dropkick from King and the TF does a crazy fall the opposite direction of what physics should say and manages to tag out. The faces quickly get TF other on the ropes too. The heels manages to get Jaggers into their corner and choke him with the tag rope. Double back elbow on Jaggers for 2. Standard tag team heel offense from the generic masked heels follows. Random "this match sucks" observation: the Thunderfoots' gear has "Foot" then a couple of lightning bolts under it. Shouldn't that make them the Foothunders? Footbolts? Jaggers avoids a double team, hits a double clothesline and tags out. TF in the ring does a crazy flop after being run into Jaggers' boot then King hits yet another dropkick. And again after that the TF falls in position to tag out. Not brilliant tag team tactics on display here. A TF kicks King in the head and King flat forgets to sell it, then slowly falls down. That gets HUGE boos from the crowd, even in the kayfabe still alive '80s. They literally repeat the spot and TF indeterminate gets the pin with one simple kick. Woof. Not a great opener even before that disaster of a finish sequence, but we've got a long way to go. 1/4*

 

First Round: Bill Dundee & The Barbarian def Tim Horner & Mike Rotunda in 7:12- Rotunda and his former US Express tag partner/real life brother in law and best friend Barry Windham are both making their major show JCP debuts in the Cup, though via separate paths. Rotunda was on a stopoff back in Florida before signing with JCP full time and is the reigning NWA Florida Heavyweight champion. This is one of those shows where it's "Rotundo" instead of "Rotunda" but I always go with the generally accepted one. Barbarian and Rotunda start out with some lockup gamesmanship. Shoulderblock standoffs, which is a win for Rotunda. He gives Barbarian a couple of uppercuts, then puts him down with a shoulderblock. He then takes advantage of Dundee arguing with ref Earl Hebner to hit a legdrop a bit south of Saskatchewan. Horner tags in and tries to do some arm work. Barbarian laughs, scoops him up like he's a child and slams him. Dundee tags in and walks into a couple of armdrags and a dropkick. They trade arm wringers and Horner does a fancy little flippy bit all around Dundee for another takedown. Dundee keeps backing off, trying to slow Horner down. Barbarian tags in and tries to bait Horner into a test of strength, then says frak it and just pounds on him. Press slam, with Dundee hilariously coaching Barbarian to turn around and drop him in the ring, not on the floor. Horner counters a backdrop attempt and tags out. Rotunda comes in with a dropkick. He tries some arm work on Barbarian and gets a bit further than Horner did. Dundee kicks Rotunda in the back from the apron and Rotunda runs into Barbarian. The heels gets Rotunda isolated in their half. Standing big boot from Barbarian, followed by a clothesline for 2. Powerslam for 2. Rotunda gets tossed to the padless floor and Dundee runs him into the barricade. The is the first JCP show I can remember seeing with a more "modern" style barricade. Another big boot from Barbarian back in for 2. Barbarian puts on a weird chinlock that's almost a smother. Arm drops and Rotunda fights back up. Double clothesline. Barbarian is up first and slams Rotunda, then he goes up top. Rotunda dodges the headbutt! Tag to Horner! He hits a springboard crossbody on Barbarian. It looks like he's got a pin but both Dundee and Rotunda run in, distracting Hebner. Horner gets a sleeper on Barbarian. Dundee whacks him in the head, possibly with a foreign object, and Barbarian covers for the pin. Good stuff all around. Kind of weird seeing Rotunda work such a high energy style considering how he'll get later in his career. ***

 

First Round: Shaska Whatley & Teijho Khan def Lazer Tron & Jimmy Valiant by DQ in 5:56- Khan made his pro debut the previous year and soon joined the Paul Jones Army. He's portraying an Asian despite being white and not having a drop of Asian blood in his body, a not unheard of thing in wrestling history. Basically he's as Asian as Elizabeth Warren is Cherokee. Lazer Tron is Hector Guerrero under a mask with a *very* '80s name. Tron currently holds whatever version of the NWA Junior Heavyweight title is currently in circulation, it's hard to keep track. Incidentally, the device Tron has on his chest is the exact sensor that's used as part of the home Lazer Tag game that was available in toy stores at the time, and fairly hot too. I remember really wanting one as a kid but never got one. Old foes Valiant and Whatley start things off. After putting Whatley down with one punch Valiant takes off his bandanna and chokes him with it. Whatley is run into Tron's raised forearms (did ref Pee Wee Anderson check to see if those were loaded?), does a crazy delayed flop and Valiant covers for 2. Tron dodges Whatley's charge in the corner, resulting in another crazy flop that lets Whatley tag out. Tron literally has to position Khan while trying to whip him out of a headlock, not a good sign. They get a good speed run going and Tron hits a dropkick. That's enough for Khan and he tags back out. The heels get Tron stuck in their corner, until Tron does the telegraphed dodge and Whatley takes Khan out. Double atomic drop on Whatley from the faces. Khan takes one and collides with Whatley again. After a reset Tron ducks and the heels collide again like a couple of goofs. They finally manage a successful double team on Valiant. That gets Valiant in peril with his patented spasm selling. Whatley's strut is a sight to behold too. Valiant dodges an elbow drop and tags out. Tron lasers his way through the heels (sorry, I had to). He rolls past Whatley and hits a flying forearm, but Valiant and Khan start fighting in the ring too. Tron backdrops a charging Whatley over the top rope to the floor right in front of Anderson, and he has no choice but to call for the bell thanks to that stupid over the top DQ rule. Lame finish. But somehow, despite having three eternally useless guys and Hector hampered by the Lazer Tron gimmick, this wasn't nearly as bad as the opener. *

 

First Round: Ron & Jimmy Garvin (w/Precious) def Ricky Lee Jones & The Italian Stallion in 2:22- Jimmy Garvin had just turned face and paired back up with the other Garvin, Ron. They teamed together semi-regularly in multiple territories. On screen they were portrayed as brothers, but in real life Jimmy was Ron's stepson. Jones is actually Ricky Gibson, older brother of Robert Gibson of the Rock N Roll Express. This is technically face vs face but the crowd wants nothing to do with the Stallion/Jones team. Code of Honor handshakes all around because this is face vs face, then Ron starts with Jones. We stay with a very distant hard camera shot for the first part of the match for some reason. Pretty even start as neither team can get an edge. Since they're all good guys neither team will press an advantage when they get their opponents into their corner. I suspect that won't last too long. Ron hits a backdrop on Jones for 2. Stallion gets a dropkick on Jimmy for barely 1. Sunset flip from Jimmy, and that gets a pin! Cagematch lists this match as going over 10 minutes, so I'm not sure if something got seriously clipped here because they're usually pretty reliable. For what was shown there wasn't a lot happening and they didn't have enough time to make anything happen. 1/2*

 

First Round: Denny Brown & Todd Champion def The Mulkey Brothers in 3:21- Champion is another guy that had recently made his pro debut under the JCP banner and would be a semi-regular face in WCW for years. His looking similar to '80s movie star Dolph Lundgren didn't hurt his career any I'm sure. The Mulkeys were a very short lived jobber tag team that as far as I know really were brothers, Randy and Bill. Capetta announces them as MULKEYMANIA and they're super duper over in Baltimore, so they've clearly got a Tomoaki Honma style lovable loser thing going on. Kokeshi make you happy. One Mulkey, I don't know which is which and Tony's sparse commentary isn't helping, starts with Brown and the crazy crowd reactions continue. Cheers for all Mulkey offense, boos every time Brown does anything. Champion hits a slam/legdrop combo to big boos. The Mulkey tries to fight out of a chinlock but much larger Champion gets him back down. Finally Tony tells us this is Randy Mulkey. Thanks for that. Randy gets a flash roll up for 2! Bill tags in for a go with Champion. It doesn't go well for him. Brown continues the punishment. Bill gets a hiptoss and armdrag! Double Mulkey back elbow on Brown for 2. Double backdrop for 2. Bill hits a suplex! Long 2 count! Brown counters with a suplex that Bill almost hits his head coming down on. Oklahoma roll and Brown gets the pin, killing the Mulkeymania dream stone dead in the first round. The crowd doesn't like that at all. I don't think it would have hurt anything to have given them a win in the first round and let them be destroyed in the second. *1/2

 

First Round: George South & Steve Keirn and Mike Graham & Nelson Royal 20:00 time limit draw- Keirn wrestled the '86 Cup still in the Fabulous Ones team with Stan Lane. With Lane now otherwise engaged (more on that later), he's been teamed up with jobber South here. Apparently it was a pretty last second deal too, with the Fabulous Ones originally being advertised. Pretty Florida feel here, as that was the primary territory for both Keirn and Graham. This is again face vs face with some Code of Honor handshakes to start. Graham and South start with some back and forth. Graham goes a drop toe hold into some leg work. Royal tags in and stays on that target. There's already some "boring" chants floating around the arena. They haven't seemed too pleased about the Fabulous Ones not teaming up. South gets a flash small package on Graham for 2 to end the leg work portion of the program. Keirn gets trapped in the wrong corner but since this is face vs face they let him go. Royal doesn't seem happy about it, pointing at Keirn and yelling something that clearly ends with "motherfucker". After tagging in Royal still seems bent out of shape about something. Trying to get some juice into this thing because it badly needs it. The endless corner stalemates don't help any. Against the ropes Royal gives Keirn a straight Greco Roman knee to the groin! Right in front of Hebner too but he doesn't do anything about it. Royal tries to work on Keirn's leg but Keirn fights out of it. I'm honestly having a hard time telling if this is all planned or if they're having some real life issues in there. Graham tags in and things seem to go smoother as he does start working on Keirn's leg. Keirn counters into some arm work on Graham while jawing at Royal. South holds an armbar for a couple of minutes before Graham slams out, but he's quickly right back into it. At this point the crowd's so dead they don't even have the energy to chant "boring" anymore. Tags and Royal tries to liven things up by heeling away on Keirn again. This time Keirn hits a shot against the ropes to take the edge and pounds away on Royal. Inverted atomic drop. After South tags in Royal backs him into the corner and gives him a knee to the nads. South sunset flip on Graham for 2. Once again Graham goes to the leg work. Fuck, we're only 10 minutes in. It's felt like 30. Keirn tags back in and hits a hot shot on Graham. Press slam from Keirn for 2. Graham takes a crazy bump off a corner whip. Kern gives him a shoulderbreaker and South covers for 2. South is at least trying to sell the leg that was worked on earlier. He hits a diving clothesline on Graham and covers for 2. Kerin hits an atomic drop, and Graham turns around and punches him as he goes down. Keirn shrugs it off and tosses Graham out to the floor. Keirn suplexes him back in as we mercifully get the 5 minutes left call. Kerin hits some shoulderblocks but goes down too in what I guess was supposed to be a 50/50 collision. Tags on both sides. Royal gives South about the worst Thesz press you've ever seen. I guess that's what that was supposed to be. Keirn comes in and cheap shots Royal from behind. That goes absolutely nowhere as the other two keep going like nothing happened. Royal flops over the top to the floor off a corner whip. Everyone in the ring looks like they want this to be done as much as the rest of us do. Graham hits a couple of suplexes on Keirn for 2. Capetta gives the two minutes left call and the crowd POPS for that! Holy crap that's fantastic. Baltimore doing their best Chicago impression during this match. Keirn literally just walks around after hitting Graham with a knee before tossing him out again. Behind Hebner's back he tosses Graham over the top rope and then flops down like he just got hit, but again the setup goes absolutely nowhere. Everyone argues and does some more weak brawling. The crowd counts down with Capetta's final 10 second countdown like it's the Royal Rumble as thank God this is over and both teams are eliminated. I want to say this died a slow death, but it was dead on arrival and for some insane reason kept lurching on for the entire time limit. The crowd didn't care, there was clearly no plan at all, and Keirn in particular looked like he didn't want to be there at all without his regular partner. A slow motion disaster of the worst order. DUD

 

The draw gives the Rock N Roll Express a bye into the quarterfinals. That's one reason this travesty was allowed to go all the way to the time limit, the RNR Express couldn't compete at all because Ricky Morton was injured, but they were trying to keep anyone in the arena from knowing about it until the last possible second. 

 

First Round: The Armstrongs def Ivan Koloff & Vladimir Petrov by DQ in 4:20- The slow dissolution of the old Russian Team continues after Nikita Koloff's seduction by the riches of capitalism (quite rightly). After Starrcade '86 Krusher Kruschev (Barry Darsow) departed for WWF to become Demolition Smash. His first replacement teaming with Ivan was, very strangely, the very southern Dick Murdoch. They held the US tag titles until Murdoch got hurt just before this show and were stripped. Petrov was a not all Russian (though no one in the team really was) former bouncer that had recently been recruited by JCP to train as a wrestler. He didn't last long. On the other side, Brad Armstrong is teaming with his dad "Bullet" Bob, still going strong well into his 50s. Ivan and Brad start. Speed run and Brad gets a monkey flip. Brad shrugs off an elbow to the gut and the Armstrongs do a double arm wringer double chop double team. Bob atomic drop on Ivan. Petrov knees Bob in the back from the apron, then tags in and does what little he can. Double back elbow from the Russians and Ivan hits a legdrop for 2. The Russians hit a weak double slam for 2. Petrov puts on that most reliable of holds for a learning power wrestler, the bear hug. Bob's attempts to get out push them into the Russian corner and Ivan tags back in. Midring collision. Tag to Brad. Backdrop and dropkick on Ivan. Dropkick for Petrov. Crossbody on Ivan. Petrov breaks the pin up as things break down. Petrov uses the chain, but right in front of ref Anderson, drawing an obvious DQ. This is another match that the shown time is much less than the Cagematch listed time. 3/4*

 

First Round: The MOD Squad (w/Bill Dundee) def Baron von Raschke & Wahoo McDaniel in 4:47- A former East German dictator and a no nonsense Indian walk into a bar.... Talk about an odd couple tag team. The MOD Squad were real life brothers that were a pretty regular midcard tag team across the southern territories in the '80s but this is their only semi-major show appearance. Capetta introduces them as the Florida tag team champions. Dundee has his yellow Elvis suit on to transfer from wrestler to manager for this one. He makes the mistake of getting in Wahoo's face and gets chopped down. After the heels confer Spike starts with Wahoo and also gets chopped down. After hitting a shoulderblock Spike runs into another chop. Raschke tags in and looks about 100 years old. He cranks a headlock on Basher. Basher tries to grab some hair to get free but that's not going to work on Raschke. Off a whip Basher pushes Wahoo into Raschke, knocking Raschke off the apron. Wahoo doesn't even notice, then he snap mares Spike so far over Spike is able to tag out to Basher. Again, not great tag tactics at play here. The heels get Wahoo in peril and Dundee gets a cheap eye rake in. Wahoo finally has enough, hitting a very Ric Flair style backwards low blow on Spike and he casually strides over to tag out. Raschke does as much of a hot tag run as he can. He starts goose stepping and slaps the claw on Basher. Dundee gives Spike knucks or something similar, he hits Raschke and the MODs take the win. 1/2*

 

So ends the first round. Honestly, it was kinda crap. But, we haven't seen any of the top teams yet thanks to all the byes so things should start picking up now.

 

Before the opening second round match starts Capetta announces Ric Flair to the ring to cut a short promo for his title defense on night two, and so the night one crowd can see Flair even if only for a moment. 

 

Second Round: NWA World Tag Team Champions Manny Fernandez & "Ravishing" Rick Rude (w/Paul Jones) def The Thunderfoots in 3:24- Fernandez and Rude took advantage of the RNR Express still being beat up from barely surviving the Andersons at Starrcade and upset them for the titles a couple of weeks later. Young Teddy Long is the ref for this match. This is heel vs heel, the first of several of these matchups in the second round. The bell rings and TF initial quickly tries to hide from Fernandez in the corner. Fernandez takes some forearms in the corner, this turns it around and hits a hiptoss. He then cranks away on the TF's arm. Rude continues that program. While holding an ARMBAR he looks into the camera and calls out the Road Warriors. That's never smart. The other TF tags in and thinks getting Fernandez in a headlock is an accomplishment. Fernandez responds by giving him a back elbow. Suplex from Rude for 2. The TF manages to eye rake Fernandez into a slam, then misses an elbow drop. Fernandez gets in the wrong corner for a half second and we go into a full on DONNYBROOK. Rude plants the TF left in the ring with a DDT, which is what the Rude Awakening was at the time, and gets the pin. The finishing move at least got a pop. Acceptable squash over an expendable team to get the champs going, but it probably went on a bit too long for what they were doing. 1/2*

 

Second Round: The Super Powers def Bill Dundee & The Barbarian in 6:07- The Super Powers are Dusty Rhodes teaming up with reformed communist Nikita Koloff, still in tribute to the injured Magnum TA. Nikita is in a neck brace (can't remember the story there but I'm willing to bet it's Horsemen related), but that's not stopping him wrestling. He's still the US champ. Dusty and Barbarian start. After the lockup Dusty starts right up swinging punches and dancing. Dundee tags in for a try and gets spun around into a bionic elbow. After some floor recovery time Dundee walks right into Dusty jabs. Barbarian tags back in and wants Nikita. I have to say, the work they've done on Nikita's face turn has paid off, the reaction he gets when he tags in is insane. He and Barbarian have some power lockup stalemates. Shoulderblocks with no one moving. Nikita flips the script with a quick standing dropkick! Nice. The heels again regroup on the floor. Back in Barbarian goes to the universal equalizer, an eye rake, to get Nikita in the wrong corner where Dundee chokes him. The heels work Hebner to double team and choke some more. Bear hug from Barbarian. Hebner gets worked some more for Dundee to hit a punch off the second rope and Barbarian covers for 2. Dundee tags in and his punches only piss Nikita off. Everyone runs in as things fully break down. Nikita hits Barbarian with the Sickle! Dusty slams Dundee off the top rope. Sickle for Dundee and Nikita covers him for the pin. Decentish. I cannot overstate how bonkers over Nikita is now his face turn has had a few months to settle in. **

 

Second Round: The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) def Shaska Whatley & Teijho Khan in 3:46- The Roadies kick off their defending champion campaign, winning the first Cup last year right at the start of their full time JCP run. They're announced as the "International tag team champions". Sure. Is it from that JCP International branch that later became the WCW International branch that made the WCW International World title? Anyway, the heels jump before the bell, which is not a good move because you're just going make the Roadies even angrier than they normally are. Hawk hits Whatley with a flying tackle. Animal dropkick for Khan. The heels roll out to rethink their choices with some A+ selling from Whatley. Reset with Khan and Hawk. I don't like the kid's chances. Hawk drags him up into a Canadian backbreaker and drops him. Animal barely gets Khan up for a press slam. Khan dodges an elbow drop and tags out. Animal takes a double back elbow and gets (very gently) pounded down in the heel corner until he gets out by shoving both guys across the ring. Khan stays on him with what little he was capable of. Double suplex from the heels. Animal gets his knees up on a Khan big splash and tags out. Dropkick from Hawk. Neckbreaker. Fistdrop. A powerslam gets the pin. Too much heel offense, this should have been a Roadies squash and move on. *1/4

 

Second Round: The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) def Ron & Jimmy Garvin (w/Precious) by DQ in 6:20- There's been a change on the Midnight Express roster. Dennis Condrey suddenly left JCP in March for reasons still not known today. To replace him JCP turned to Stan Lane, who as I mentioned before had already been part of a successful tag team with Steve Keirn as the Fabulous Ones in Florida. This would be the version of the Midnights that got the most national exposure, staying through the early years of WCW, and in my mind they're pretty underrated too. Once they got in their groove they knocked out an insane run of great matches all over the place, just like the former Eaton/Condrey combo. We join this in progress with all four guys brawling in the ring as the bell rings. Sadly that means we don't get a feel of the crowd reaction for Lane's first intro as a Midnight member, which I was really curious about. The Midnights are whipped into each other and Jimmy gives them a double noggin knocker while Precious chases Cornette around the ring. Eaton drags Cornette into the ring to get him away from Ron! Ron has Cornette's shoe and hits Lane with it! That ricochets Lane into Eaton, who had Cornette's tennis racket and was looking to hit someone with it. The heels finally roll out for a full regroup while the faces brandish the weapons in the ring. Cornette screams and runs away from Precious, trying to hide behind his team while also wielding his other shoe at her. So great. "Bobby, you've got to do something about that because I don't like being embarrassed!'. Restart in the ring with Ron and Eaton. Eaton pounds on Ron in the corner but gets backdropped after a whip reversal. Both sides swap and Jimmy and Lane do a similar sequence, except with Jimmy hitting a back elbow and dropkick. Eaton comes back in for a try. The new Midnights already have good chemistry considering they barely started working together. Lane kicks Jimmy in the back from the apron to finally get the Midnights on top. Lane whips out his patented karate kick. He whips Eaton into back elbowing Jimmy for 2. Jimmy leapfrogs and the Midnights run into each other. Tag to Ron, who comes in and unloads with the Hands of Stone. One of those sends Eaton out to the floor. Ron sets up for a piledriver out there but Cornette hits him with his racket! Jimmy tries to lift Ron back in, but he's not in time and the Garvins are counted out. Cornette's Racket of Death strikes again. Solid match, they did as much as they could in the time allowed. There's definitely a better one in there. **1/2

 

Second Round: Giant Baba & Isao Takagi def Denny Brown & Todd Champion in 6:10- I regret to say extremely washed up Baba is here another year. Last year he teamed with Tiger Mask II (Mitsuharu Misawa), which on paper should have helped but really didn't. This year he's paired up with Takagi (no relation to Shingo Takagi), a former sumo who would have a let's say checkered personal life in later years. No one knows how to pronounce Takagi's name right. Well, Baba probably does but no one gives him a mic. Takagi flips Champion out of a headlock to start, then Champion gets a headlock takedown. Baba and Brown exchange some shots. A Baba overhand chop puts Brown down. Slam from Takagi for 2. He armdrags Brown down into an armbar. Lots of clean corner and rope breaks as this is another respectful face vs face match. I do like how the tournament is not being predictable with nothing but face vs heel matchups, makes it feel more real. The crowd again seems to be getting restless as the lack of quality action. Arm work all around with nothing at all of note happening. Baba works Champion into a kind of Russian leg sweep, then hooks on a front facelock. Champion is then the first guy to not respect a rope break. Baba no sells everything and hits another overhand chop. Swinging neckbreaker from Baba. Champion wins a slugfest with Takagi and gives him some knees in the corner. Takagi reverses a corner whip and actually goes down into a 3 point stance before hitting an avalanche on Champion. Baba gives Champion the Big Boot of Instant Death and it's over. Not pretty. 1/4*

 

Because of Morton's injury the Japanese team will be the beneficiary of a bye to the semifinals. If that's announced on this night it's cut out of the Vault copy, but they won't be able to avoid it anymore the next night if it's not. 

 

Second Round: The Armstrongs def Arn Anderson & Kevin Sullivan in 5:33- Talk about an odd pairing. Earlier in the year the Four Horsemen kicked out Ole Anderson, turning him face. Arn's team with Tully Blanchard wasn't a set in stone thing yet even though they had teamed together at the previous Crockett Cup. Ric Flair was originally planned to be in the tournament teaming with Arn, but they scheduled a title defense on night two for him instead. As a last resort they brought in Sullivan from Florida, also soon before he'd sign with JCP full time. This is the first time he and Arn have ever teamed. We start out with easily the best options in this one, Arn and Brad. They have a very nice back and forth sequence to start. Arn gets caught in a drop toe hold. He eye rakes Brad before he can do too much leg damage and stomps him down on the apron. Tony mentions the announcement about the RNR Express, so I guess their injury forfeit was announced in the arena between matches tonight. Would have been nice if that was kept on this copy. Brad hits a crossbody off the top rope for 2. Fun's over as Sullivan tags in. He and Brad have a stiff chop exchange. Bob tags in and also deals out some chops. Arn hits a slam/kneedrop combo on Brad for 2. Sullivan does some arm work as the heels keep Brad isolated. Brad manages to escape from Arn and tag out. Arn quickly backs off the old man coming after him. He tries to trap Bob in the wrong corner but Bob quickly fights out. Sullivan hits a clothesline on Bob with a mess of a sell. Bob hits the brakes after an Arn leapfrog and unleashes punches. Sullivan trips Bob from the floor. Bob and Sullivan exchange slow strikes. Brad tags in with a flurry on both heels as things break down. Brad gets tossed to the floor. He comes back in with a sunset flip on Sullivan, and that gets the pin! Arn is the greatest tag wrestler ever and carried many guys to tag titles. Even he couldn't carry Sullivan to one win. The Armstrongs are the first team that wrestled in the first round to make it out of the second. All my digs at Sullivan aside, this was a damn good if short match with everyone doing their part. Even Sullivan. The Arn/Brad stuff in particular was by far the best thing so far tonight. ***1/4

 

Second Round: Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger (w/JJ Dillon) def The MOD Squad (w/Bill Dundee) in 6:31- Luger was the big new thing on the block, someone JCP saw huge future things in and right at a time they were desperate for a hot young prospect after Magnum TA's career ending injury. After cutting his teeth in Florida the past couple of years he signed with JCP at the start of the year, turned heel and became Ole Anderson's replacement in the Horsemen. For now. Blanchard is also the reigning TV champion. Another heel vs heel match this round here. Dundee didn't bother changing out of his wrestling gear into his Elvis suit this time. Luger disrobing gets a big high pitched pop. I'd even call it a shriek. Blanchard starts with I think Spike. Quick forehead jab from Spike. Blanchard does a workaround into a hammerlock and Spike quickly goes to the ropes. Luger works on Spike's arm, then hair pulls him back down. Dundee is FURIOUS Luger might be cheating. While he's distracting ref Teddy Long Spike hair pulls Luger down, but Luger quickly counters into a headscissors. We get a shot of Dillon already with his Shoe of Death off threatening Dundee with it. Both sides are definitely having fun with the heel vs heel setup. Basher tags in and quickly takes a Luger armdrag, then complains about a tights pull. Basher's able to get the edge on Blanchard. While Long's distracted Dundee gives Blanchard a long eye/face rake from the floor. Dillon then goes over and holds Spike's legs to try to keep him from getting involved. Luger tags in and hits Spike with a back elbow, then a slam. The Horsemen team keep Spike isolated for a bit. The Squad then get Luger isolated and choke him behind Long's back. I think they're swapping without tags too. Dundee and Dillon are still nearly going at it on the floor. Blanchard works Basher over and he falls all the way to the floor. Blanchard tries to suplex him back in but Basher falls on him! Dundee might have tripped him, we couldn't see. Luger breaks the pin up to trigger the final donnybrook. Blanchard takes Basher down in the corner, drops an elbow off the second rope and gets the pin. Dillon finally pops Dundee as the pin is happening too. Nothing amazing wrestling wise, but they kept the pace up all match and watching the two heel groups constantly try to out cheat each other was amusing. **1/4

 

Steel Cage Match: Ole Anderson def Big Bubba Rogers in 7:00- After all the tournament matches we're getting a singles grudge match to close things out for tonight. Rogers was the bodyguard for Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express, but the story here is the Horsemen hired him to take out Ole so now Ole is looking for revenge. This is more like a Texas Death Match than a regular cage match, to win you have to knock your opponent out so he can't answer the 10 count. As soon as his intro's done Ole jumps Rogers and gives him an early cage shot. Another cage shot. After some weak back and forth slugging Ole uses his shirt to give Rogers another cage shot. Rogers gets desperate and goes to the Greco Roman Nut Punch to turn things around. No DQ. Kneelift from Rogers. Ole takes a cage shot. Rogers continues to pound away and chokes Ole on the ropes. Ole's bleeding, the first guy all show. Unusual blood restraint from JCP tonight. It's not even that much blood either. Ole fires back and hits knees to the gut. Rogers puts Ole down with his own knee shot, then he chokes Ole on the mat. That gives us our first count of the match with Ole up at 8. Ole takes another big cage shot. He barely drags himself up at 9. Rogers gives him the cheese grater spot. Ole fires up after that and puts Rogers down with kicks out of the corner. The back and forth slugging continues. Ole has enough and gives Rogers a kick in the groin, then puts him down with a back fist. Rogers chokes Ole with his suspenders. When Ole goes down Rogers goes up top. Ole dodges a big splash! Piledriver from Ole! Rogers just barely can't get up in time and it's over. Kind of a dull brawl but not horrible. Rogers is still learning. **

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Bit of a slog, this one. Definitely not what you'd expect from peak or just past peak JCP, and it's a LOT of matches to get through in one show even if they are all kept short. Fortunately now all the riff raff is gone night two should be much better.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D+ 

Superstars on the Superstation

Legacy Review- From the Vault

Superstars on the Superstation

February 7, 1986 (taped February 2) from the Omni in Atlanta, GA

 

Commentary: David Crockett and Tony Schiavone

 

Somehow I missed this when I was first marking out full shows in the WWE Vault to review, so I'm going back to do this a bit out of order. Not that it matters to anyone reading this but still. This is very much a forerunner or early test from Jim Crockett Promotions for what would later be Clash of the Champions, a mini PPV level card being broadcast on basic cable TBS. There was also a fan interaction component, as the fans got to vote (phone vote I assume) on what "dream matches" they wanted to see. Both the Omni and being on TBS were recent additions to the JCP portfolio too, they had just reached a deal to buy the old Georgia territory and the accompanying TBS timeslot from WWF in the aftermath of the whole Black Saturday fiasco.

 

Current US champ Magnum TA is the host for tonight. Sadly, that's a role he's soon going to have to get used to. I didn't catch the name of the "lovely lady" next to him and I have no idea who she is. I like the "SuperStation" logo on the ring mat. Presentation wise they've really gone all out for this show considering the time period. Tom Miller has come over from the Greensboro Coliseum to be the ring announcer tonight. Commentary then does their intro and make sure to point out that all matches tonight will be 20 minute time limits due to TV time constraints.

 

NWA World Tag Team Championship: The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) def The Rock 'N' Roll Express (c) in 16:27- This alone is worth the price of admission. JCP and WCW didn't get nearly enough Midnight/RNR matches onto their major shows, especially the Eaton/Condrey version of the Midnights. The concept of career defining forever rivals is a bit more prevalent in Japan than here (Mutoh/Chono, Liger/Kanemoto, Suzuki/Nagata to name a few), but if there was ever a pair of wrestlers or teams that were the definition of forever rivals in the US it was the Midnights and RNR Express. This is nowhere near the start either, at this point they had wrestled each other across the southern territories, mainly Mid-South, for nearly two years and the rivalry had already reached legendary proportions. Like everywhere else in the newly expanded territory the RNR are BONKERS over in the Omni. The Midnights jump during intros! Gotta get going, a 20 minute time limit is a short match by these teams' standards, they regularly went 30+ with each other. Gibson gets tossed out and Morton is isolated in the ring. After a few shots he's tossed out too, then Gibson is flipped back in to take a beating. They try the same with Morton but Morton uses the top rope to flip both Midnights down to the floor! The RNR take over on offense on the floor and in the ring. Condrey gives Eaton an inadvertent stinkface, then the RNR atomic drop both Midnights into each other. After that we have a reset as the Midnights regroup on the floor, then settle in with Eaton and Gibson. Eaton tries a cheap shot on a corner break and Gibson gives it right back to him. Gibson blocks Eaton hiptoss attempts and hits his own, then a flying headscissors. Morton slows things down a little working on Eaton's leg on the mat. Eaton eye rakes free and tosses Morton out to the floor again. Morton backdrops Eaton on the floor! The still unpadded floor. Back in Eaton fights Morton off and tags Condrey in. Gibson gets a leg takedown and works on Condrey's leg a bit. Morton does a straight up senton onto Condrey's leg. The RNR stay on that as the target. Condrey fights back and tries to give Morton a knee to the gut, but it's with the knee that's been worked on and it hurts him more than Morton. Not A1 strategery there. Gibson goes into a full spinning toe hold on Condrey. Morton then makes his own tactical error, letting Condrey get too into the center of the ring and he's able to scurry over and tag out to Eaton. Eaton POPS Morton with some open hand strikes in the corner. Gibson comes off the ropes and hits a flash suplex on Eaton. Gibson tries a dropkick but Eaton blocks it and slingshots him into a Condrey clothesline! TV goes to commercial, but thanks to the magic of pretaping we come back to the exact same spot we left off at with nothing lost. Eaton holds Gibson against the ropes so Cornette can whip him with his belt! Condrey covers for 2. Eaton snap mares Gibson over and goes up top. Alabama Jam! Though it wasn't called that or a finisher yet. Eaton gets into a slugfest with Morton so Condrey can hit some extra shots, then covers for 2. Gibson and Condrey get into an abdominal stretch fight that Gibson wins. Condrey quickly hiptosses out. Eaton hits a back elbow. Another snap mare and he goes up top again. Kneedrop off the top this time. Condrey pulls Gibson up to hit him with a HUGE clothesline and covers for 2. Wait, is Tony right? That's Pee Wee Anderson reffing this match? I didn't recognize him under the freaking afro. The Midnights work the distraction game again so Cornette can hit some more belt shots. Gibson fights up in a Condrey chinlock into a top wristlock fight. Condrey pulls his hair to get him back down. Morton comes in to protest that, allowing Eaton to hit an elbow off the top on Gibson. Condrey covers for 2. Gibson leaps over a Condrey backdrop attempt and hits a kneelift! But he fell into the wrong corner and still can't tag. Gibson stays isolated and in peril. Swinging neckbreaker from Eaton for 2. Gibson counters a double team attempt with a sunset flip on Eaton. Condrey tries to hold Eaton up but Morton comes in and dropkicks him down! 2 count on Eaton. Condrey then covers Gibson for 2. Backbreaker from Condrey. The Midnights set up for the rocket launcher. Gibson dodges! Tag to Morton! DONNYBROOK! Morton gets a crossbody on Eaton but there's too much chaos for the ref to count. Double dropkick on Eaton! But Anderson was behind Eaton and he tumbles out of the ring! Double dropkick on Condrey that sends him out. Cornette gets on the apron and the RNR flip him in. Morton has the belt and loads up to hit Cornette with it. Condrey sneaks in from behind and WHACKS Morton with Cornette's tennis racket! Cornette drags Eaton on top of Morton, pushes Anderson back in the ring, and the Midnights get the pin to win the titles! Just another night at the office for these teams. ****1/4

 

Magnum is SHOCKED that the Midnights would use such nefarious means to win the match. The lady with him says some stuff about how great the crowd and energy are, clearly clueless and just there for likely some network cross promotion of some kind. 

 

The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) def The Russian Team by DQ in 6:55- The continuation of a months long feud. At this time the Roadies were still with AWA though they had dropped those tag titles, but they would soon be signing full time with JCP. They also got their start in Georgia so they're pretty popular in the Omni too, like everywhere else they ever stopped in. Tommy Young is in to ref this one, with no afro. Nikita and Animal start. Animal no sells everything Nikita throws at him. A boot up from Nikita staggers him a little, but then he catches Nikita coming off the second rope into a bear hug. Nikita eye rakes free and slams him. Animal dodges an elbow drop, hits his own slam but misses a legdrop. Hawk tags in for a go. Lockup stalemates. Nikita gets a punch to Hawk's gut and Ivan hits an ax handle off the top rope to Hawk's back. Ivan tries coming off the top again but Hawk catches him in the gut and hits a shoulderbreaker. Big boot from Hawk. Animal press slam on Ivan. Classic Hawk fistdrop for 2. While the Roadies continue to pound on Ivan commentary notices someone new at ringside. It's Baron von Raschke. He goes into the Russian corner. A German teaming up with the Soviets? I guess the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is active again. Wait, Raschke is supposed to be East German. Makes more sense then. Meanwhile Hawk goes to the running tackle well once too often, as Ivan sidesteps him and pushes him into the brick wall that is Nikita. He tags in and slams Hawk for 2. Ivan uses his chain to choke Hawk in the corner. Ivan hits a legdrop for 2. Swinging neckbreaker for 2. Double back elbow from the Russians. They work Animal to chain choke Hawk in the corner again. Hawk ducks an Ivan clothesline and hits a flying tackle. EVERYONE IN THE POOL! Raschke comes in and puts Hawk down. Ivan covers for 2. Hawk gets back up and slams Ivan. Someone off camera trips Hawk, then Raschke comes in again and attacks Hawk in front of Young for a cheap DQ. The fight continues for a bit until the Roadies take the Russians out with their own chain. The epitome of meh. *1/2

 

Magnum TA is with......BENNY PARSONS?! What? As an old school NASCAR fan this is, frankly, awesome. BP was still an active driver at this point. He's even in his freaking firesuit tonight, I guess that's the only way they thought he'd be recognizable. Ah, BP says he's going to be doing commentary instead of racing at the Richmond race in February, which TBS had coverage of at the time. Network synergy.

 

After commercial we go to tape of Tony interviewing Dusty Rhodes and Willie f'n Nelson. OK, so Nelson was filming a new made for TV western movie called Stagecoach that Dusty a bit part in. Wouldn't be surprised if Turner had a stake in it too. The best part about this is Dusty being chill and talking more as real life Dusty than wrestler Dusty. 

 

NWA National Heavyweight Championship: "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes (c) (w/Baby Doll) and Tully Blanchard (w/JJ Dillon) 20:00 time limit draw- Tully and Dusty had also been feuding off and on for months. First it was over the TV title, now it's over the old Georgia territory title that would soon be phased out. Baby Doll was also involved in all that. Dusty initially "won" her for 30 days at Great American Bash '85, but she's since fully turned face. The on screen reason was Blanchard was being (PG) abusive to her, but the plain fact was there wasn't room for two managers in the Horsemen after they officially formed. After a rope break Dusty does a little strutting. Another commercial break with a probable clip this time, but not too much of one. Blanchard is trying to keep his distance but Dusty gets a leg takedown and starts up with some leg work with lots of posing and stalling. Quick figure four wrapup from Dusty. Blanchard quickly reaches over and gets a rope. Blanchard slowly drags himself off the apron to the floor, making it look like his knee has been completely destroyed. Back in Blanchard tries to beg off while limping around. Dusty grabs him by the bad leg and goes to work on it again. The fans starts chanting "Break it!". Well that's just mean. Like going to a football game hoping to see an injury. Well, if it was Tom Brady that'd probably be OK. Dusty hits a standing elbow off the top rope, but when he lands he aggravates the ankle the not quite yet Horsemen broke in the build to Starrcade! Now Blanchard has his target and goes to work on it. Blanchard hits a kick right on it and goes into some spinning toe holds. Figure four from Blanchard! Dusty slowly fights over and reverses it. Dillon gives Blanchard an assist for a rope break. Blanchard tries a reverse crossbody but Dusty catches him into a backbreaker! Belly to belly suplex from Dusty! Magnum must have taught him that one. He's got the pin but Dillon has Young distracted. Blanchard charges in with a knee that barely catches Dusty in the back and Dusty goes tumbling out to the floor. We get the 5 minutes left call as Dusty gets back in. He starts slugging back with jabs on Blanchard. Blanchard goes to the apron and Dusty suplexes him back in. Young counts 3, but Dillon put Blanchard's foot on the rope just before 3! Dusty goes out and stalks Dillon, giving Blanchard an opening to hit him from behind. The side. Whatever. Back in Blanchard slugs away on Dusty. He tries a snap mare but Dusty blocks it into a backslide. Blanchard's feet fall on the ropes so no count there. Atomic drop from Dusty. 3 minutes left. Dusty goes down into a 3 point stance and clips Blanchard's knee. Cover for 2. 2 minutes left. Bionic elbows and chops from Dusty in the corner. Dusty tosses Young away, allowing Dillon to trip Dusty in the corner. Blanchard falls on top for 2. Dusty goes to the floor after Dillon again at the one minute left call. This time he cuts off Blanchard's ambush attempt. More jabs from Dusty. He gets Blanchard down in a Boston crab. The bell rings for the time limit before Blanchard can submit. After the bell Blanchard lays Dusty out with a piledriver. Blanchard would succeed in taking this title from Dusty in March. Just fine but no more. Blanchard was giving it his all, as he always did in this period before his personal life crash and burn. **1/2

 

After commercial Magnum is with JCP owner Jim Crockett Jr.. After pushing the Bunkhouse Stampede a bit they announce a huge new event they have upcoming: the Crockett Cup, co-promoted with Mid-South and being held in the Superdome. The clip provided by Mid-South with the Superdome owner is hilarious, as the Mid-South interview guy is clearly not even in the same building as the guy he's supposedly interviewing. Thanks to the magic of time travel, or accidentally going out of order, I've already reviewed that one. Quick summary: it's long, but well worth your time. After that we go ringside to Tony, who's with another guest Turner celebrity, Gaylord Perry. He's here to promote the Braves on TBS. They needed all the help they could get too, the mid-late '80s Braves were trash and permanently stuck in the NL basement.

 

NWA World Heavyweight Championship: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (c) def Ron Garvin in 14:33- This is good old "TV time remaining". Garvin's a bit of an odd choice, not an obvious world title contender. Maybe him being from Georgia had something to do with it? And a bit ironic considering Garvin would end up being the unexpected beneficiary of Flair wanting to win the title back at Starrcade '87 instead of retain it again. Flair's still got the 10 Pounds of Gold, this is *just* before the Big Gold Belt was introduced. Like weeks, if that long. Flair's out for his usual slow, feel your way in start but Garvin wants to GO right now. Flair gets him in the corner and hits a chop. Garvin responds with his own. Speed run and Garvin hits another big chop. Flair rolls out to kill the momentum. Back in Garvin grabs a headlock. Flair tries a kneebreaker counter but backs him into the corner instead. More Flair chops. Garvin fires back with punches and hits a headbutt. Flair Flop! More huge Garvin chops. He lived up to his Hands of Stone moniker, that's for sure. He tries a cover but Flair gets out and has about the most pissed off beg off you'll ever see. Garvin cranks a knucklelock but Flair straight grabs his throat in a choke and backs him into the corner. More chops. It's like he's determined to prove he can hit as hard as Garvin. Garvin fires back with his chops. Flair shoves Garvin by the throat as it's breaking down into a fight more than a wrestling match. The intensity meter is pegged for sure. Garvin grabs Flair by the nose! Flair regroups in the corner again. Again we do the chop exchange into a shoving fight. Corner whip and Garvin backdrops Flair. Garvin stomps away on one Flair arm while cranking back on another. Forearm to Flair's chest and Flair flops right out of the ring. Young holds Garvin back and Flair rolls back in. More Garvin chops. Flair's chest is hamburger by now. Off a whip Flair goes shoulder first into the corner and Garvin wraps that arm up on the mat. Flair fights out with a knee, more chops, and tosses Garvin to the floor. Garvin pops right back up into the ring! More stiff strikes exchanged in the corner. A Garvin shot sends Flair over the top rope to the floor! Of course we have to have the whole "momentum" thing mentioned to cover for the stupid over the top DQ rule. My only big issue with JCP/NWA in this period, that stupid rule. Back in Garvin gets a sleeper on! Flair counters with a back suplex to get free. Leaping double stomp to Garvin's midsection! Suplex from Flair for 2. Kneedrop. "WOOOOOO!". Flair mounts Garvin and slaps him to try to humiliate him. Again it devolves into a fight on the mat. Advantage Garvin there. Another stand up slugfest. Down goes Flair! Garvin covers for 2. Flair begs off hard in the corner. Corner whip. Flair Flip! He falls back into the ring. Garvin grabs a front facelock. Flair tries to counter into a suplex but Garvin blocks it. Garvin suplex! That gets a long 2 count. Flair gets a headlock takedown. Garvin counters with a headscissors and we get the bridge up/backslide spot. Garvin gets a crossbody for 2. Not at all his wheelhouse. More chops from Garvin. He bites Flair! Another Flair Flip! He goes over onto the apron, runs across in one smooth motion, hops up top, gets off but right into a Garvin punch! Garvin small package! Flair kicks out! A Flair chop puts Garvin down for 2. Garvin tries a roll up, but Young got knocked out of the ring. Full Hand of Stone punch! Flair's out, but Young is still on the floor. He drags himself up and Garvin checks on him. Flair knee to Garvin's back! Cover and he gets the pin, even though Garvin's foot was on the rope. Where Young was positioned he couldn't see it. Crockett shouts at Young "His foot was on the rope!" and Flair yells at him to shut up. Fantastic. As was the match. You can debate about Garvin being a realistic world champ (a real debate that will be had later), but this match was brilliant as Flair let Garvin take the reins and work his style, and Flair adapted perfectly. Stiff, intense and awesome. ****1/4

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- When two out of four matches are as great as that the other two almost don't matter. This ruled, and is a great forerunner to what the Clash would later be. One negative, if you've never heard David Crockett on commentary before, he is as useless as his reputation suggests. Tony was clearly still learning at this point too.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: A- 

Crockett Cup '86

Legacy Review- From the Vault

Crockett Cup '86

April 19, 1986 from the Superdome in New Orleans, LA

 

The full name for this is the Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament, but that's a hell of a mouthful so everyone just calls it the Crockett Cup instead. Jim Crockett Promotions, now under Jim Crockett Jr. and in the midst of both a creative and commercial hot streak, cooked this up as a way to honor the company's founder. A (completely fictitious) one million dollar prize was promoted for the tournament's winner. They opened up invitations to the remaining NWA affiliated territories, and even made a deal with Bill Watts' newly named UWF (formerly Mid-South) to co-promote the show and hold it in Mid-South's stadium venue, the Superdome. Very ironic, as almost exactly this time the next year JCP will be buying out a bankrupt UWF. Classic black and gold NXT was paying tribute to this very tournament when they created the Dusty Rhodes Classic. 

 

Later Crockett Cups would be held over two nights, but this first one is crammed all into one day. One show in the afternoon, a break and then another show in the evening. A total of 24 teams were invited, making for an odd looking bracket. Eight teams received first round byes, giving us eight matches in both the first and second rounds.

 

Afternoon Session

 

Unfortunately we only have part of this portion, the first five matches are still unavailable. There's no commentary and all the action is shot from a handheld ringside camera, no hard cam. 

 

Results of the first five matches not on the WWE Vault copy, all first round matchups:

 

Mark Youngblood & Wahoo McDaniel (JCP) def Bobby Jaggers & Mike Miller (Pacific Northwest)

Nelson Royal & Sam Houston (JCP) def CSW Tag Team Champions The Batten Twins (Central States)

Jimmy Valiant & Manny Fernandez (JCP) def Baron von Raschke & The Barbarian (JCP)

"Dr. Death" Steve Williams & Terry Taylor (UWF) def Bill Dundee & "Nature Boy" Buddy Landell (Memphis)

The Sheepherders (UWF) def Los Guerreros (Florida)

 

First Round: UWF Tag Team Champions The Fantastics (UWF) def The Fabulous Ones (Florida) in 13:10- Two legendary southern territory teams here, on different ends of their runs. Fantastics early, Fabulous Ones late. The Fantastics had just returned to the UWF territory, and on their first night back less than a month before this show they defeated the Sheepherders for their first UWF tag title win. The Fabulous Ones are announced as just "The Fabs". Weird. This is also a battle of two bowtie wearing teams. The Fantastics offer a handshake and the Fabs (going with that just because it's easier to type) blow it off to clearly establish themselves as the heels for the night. Fulton starts with future Midnight Express member Stan Lane. They try locking up but it quickly degenerates into jawing and shoving. All four guys stand off before order is restored. Speed run with Fulton completely outmaneuvering Lane. The Fantastics do some arm work while we hear someone trying to sell programs in the arena. A flash roll up attempt from Rogers annoys the Fabs and they complain about a supposed tights pull. Right after that Lane, naturally, uses a hair pull to get Rogers down. Steve Keirn (future Skinner) tags in and also hair pulls into some arm work on Rogers. Rogers does a fancy flippy escape and the Fantastics get control back on Keirn. They keep Keirn down a while with arm work and some fancy double teams. Keirn tries a desperation eye rake but still can't get himself free. The Fantastics are having way too much fun, even swapping without tags behind the refs back to annoy the heels even more. Keirn hits a kick to the back of Fulton's head that sends Fulton over the top and out to the floor! That'll change things. Rogers goes out to check on his partner, then rolls him back in. In contrast to the Fantastics' arm work the Fabs start laying into Fulton with high impact moves. Keirn drops him over the top rope with a nice spit sell. Another straight hot shot from Keirn, then he mocks the Fantastics' strutting around. They're not having as much fun now. Fulton fires back with a couple of right hands but Keirn literally pulls his trunks down to keep him from tagging. That's hilariously blurred out on the official WWE copy. Why that and not all the other ass shots we've gotten. If I ever see Shawn Michaels' or Ric Flair's bare ass again in my life it'll be too soon. Lane hits his signature superkick style back kick. The Fabs work the ref to deliberately toss Fulton over the top to the floor, which would be a DQ under traditional NWA rules. Again Rogers provides the assist and tries to fire his teammate back up. Back in Keirn hits a punch combo and covers for 2. Fulton gets a flash sunset flip on Lane for 2. Keirn wraps up Fulton's leg and tries for a stack up pin, with a handful of tights for extra help. The ref catches that. Fulton/Keirn midring collision. Tag to Rogers! Rogers has dropkicks for everyone. Double noggin knocker. The Fantastics get Keirn caught in a roll up for the pin! Very fun match with two teams that were clearly having a blast working with each other. ***1/2

 

First Round: Buzz Sawyer & Rick Steiner (UWF) def Koko B Ware & The Italian Stallion (UWF) in 15:05- Very young just getting started Rick Steiner here. He's wearing plan black trunks and nothing else, very much like a New Japan Young Lion. His boots even match. This is just a few months before Ware became the latest established Mid-South/UWF star to jump to WWF, following Junkyard Dog and Jake Roberts. And there'll be more after him. Ware and Sawyer start with Sawyer hitting the first shots in the corner. Ware reverses and hits a backdrop, then dropkicks Sawyer out to the floor. Steiner tries to register his disapproval but also gets knocked to the floor. Ware works a headlock a while despite Sawyer's best attempts to get free. Sawyer finally hits a back suplex hard enough to get out and tags. Steiner comes in with a diving headbutt that Ware dodges. He's a Steiner, falling on his head won't hurt him any. Stallion knocks Steiner around with some move combos. Ware lays into Sawyer with some jabs. Sawyer shows off some agility dodging around Ware, but turns around into a Ware crossbody for 2. Sawyer continues to get nowhere against either the faces. Oh, I just realized Earl Hebner is reffing this match. Still in his JCP days before jumping to WWF, where his twin brother already was. Sawyer tries to trap Stallion in his corner but Stallion quickly gets free. Ware powerslam on Steiner for 2. And back to a Ware headlock on Sawyer. That's been most of the match so far. Sawyer finally manages to hit a flying forearm that sends Ware out to the floor. Steiner distracts the ref and Sawyer suplexes Ware on the floor! The unpadded floor. We all know from his later turn as WCW's lead exec, Bill Watts doesn't believe in floor mats. Sawyer runs Ware into the guardrail for good measure. Great close up shot of Sawyer on his knees in the ring laughing at Ware. The guy working the only camera shooting this has done a hell of a job the whole show so far considering it's all on him. When Ware gets back on the apron Sawyer suplexes him back in for 2. Steiner comes in with that one hold a still learning power heel can always lean on, the bear hug. But then he turns it into an almost classic Steiner belly to belly suplex for 2. Steiner puts the bear hug on again on the mat. Sawyer continues the focus on Ware's back. He shows his veteran heel wiles by getting extra rope leverage for his bear hug. Hebner eventually catches him. Ware roll up for 2! Steiner hits a side suplex for 2 before putting the bear hug back on. Can't fault the psychology. After arm drops Ware tries to slowly fight back up and bell rings free, but is too damaged to follow up or tag out. Another suplex from Sawyer and he goes up top. Ware dodges a splash! Or headbutt, that was a long way away. Tag to Stallion. Sawyer does a nice catch of Stallion mid-leapfrog, hits a powerslam and gets the pin. Pretty solid. Kinda wish the last match had gotten some of this match's time though. **1/4

 

First Round: Black Bart & "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (w/Precious) (JCP) def Brett Sawyer & Dave Peterson (UWF) in 6:35- Wrapping up the first round. "Dave" is more regularly known as DJ Peterson, mostly in AWA. Bart quickly fires away on Sawyer. He tries to catch a Sawyer crossbody but can't and Sawyer gets a 2 count. Saywer sells Bart uppercuts like he just got hit by Dark Helmet's Schwartz right where Helmet liked to hit people with it. Hiptoss and a couple of flying headscissors from Sawyer. Garvin catches Peterson with a knee in the gut to put him in peril in the wrong corner. Garvin's knee is all wrapped up, he's clearly nursing something. Peterson pretty quickly comes back on Bart and the faces do some arm work on him. A Bart eye rake on Sawyer turns things around again. Sawyer takes a hot shot. Backdrop from Garvin for 2. Clothesline for 2. Bart hits a backbreaker. Sawyer hits a running kneelift on Garvin and both sides tag. Bart takes a Peterson backdrop, but quickly comes back with a slam/legdrop combo. Garvin tags in, plants Peterson with a brain buster, and it's over. Pretty nothing match. 3/4*

 

Second Round: NWA World Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) (JCP) def Nelson Royal & Sam Houston (JCP) in 1:50- The second round kicks off with YOUR reigning, defending tag team champions of the world. The Midnights defeated their forever rivals, the Rock N Roll Express, for the titles in February for their first NWA World tag titles win. It's criminal that JCP didn't get more RNR/Midnight matches onto major shows. The Midnights unsurprisingly quickly get beanpole Houston in trouble. Houston manages to catch Condrey with a kneelift and tags out. Old man Royal unloads and we're quickly into a DONNYBROOK. Royal gets Condrey in an abdominal stretch, but Eaton hits him from behind off the top rope and Condrey covers for the quick pin. Good squash to make the champs look good early in the tournament over a perfectly expendable team. 1/2*

 

Second Round: Magnum TA & Ron Garvin (JCP) def Buzz Sawyer & Rick Steiner (UWF) in 5:05- Pretty quick turnaround for Sawyer and Steiner. Magnum is now the NWA US Champ, riding the rocketship JCP strapped him to. Rocketships went a bit slower in the '80s, but he was definitely on one. Garvin and Sawyer start up with some expected rough lockups. Magnum works around Sawyer to keep him in ARMBARs. Garvin does a nice wobble off a Steiner shoulderblock, then puts Steiner down with one hard chop. Magnum comes off the top rope onto Steiner's arm, then fireman carry takedowns him. Steiner uses a hair pull to get Magnum in the wrong corner. Straight bite from Sawyer as he goes completely nuts on Magnum. Sawyer goes wild, Steiner puts on a loose chinlock. Kid's definitely still learning. From the camera angle we can clearly see Magnum calling spots to Steiner while in that. Magnum fights up and runs Steiner into the corner, but gets blocked from tagging out. Suplex from Sawyer for 2. Magnum gets a flash small package for 2. He fights Sawyer into a backslide for 2. Steiner makes another rookie mistake, going for a backdrop that Magnum easily counters, and Magnum tags out. Garvin unloads the Hands of Stone on both heels. Magnum tags in, hits Steiner with a belly to belly suplex, and that gets the win. Just fine for the time they got. **

 

So ends the afternoon portion of the program. Everyone go take a piss, go out and get some fresh air, and come back for part two. Bit of a weird place to stop, having the first two second round matches on the early show, but I guess they were trying to keep the shows roughly even.

 

Evening Session

 

The evening portion opens up with Tony Schiavone in the ring welcoming the crowd to the show and generally hyping things up. He then hands the mic to the voice of Mid-South/UWF, one Jim Ross, making to my memory his first appearance at a JCP show. JR clarifies the rules modifications that have been made for this jointly promoted show. 20 minute time limits in the tournament matches, any draw, double DQ or double countout means a double elimination, teams allowed only "one save" (yeah right), piledrivers or coming off the top rope are "legal moves" (again we know how Watts feels about off the top rope from his stint running WCW), but an intentional over the top rope throw is a DQ (see how long that lasts too). Tony then goes over all the remaining second round matchups, including the two teams that have already advanced. After the National Anthem they turn over to tonight's ring announcer....Bruce f'n Pritchard. Looking about 15 years old. By the way, we do have a hard cam for the evening show so we're not just relying on the one ringside guy. Though, again, he did a hell of a job. Despite Tony and JR being here there's still no commentary.

 

Second Round: The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) (JCP) def Mark Youngblood & Wahoo McDaniel (JCP) in 6:20- The Roadies got their start in Georgia, then moved to the AWA where they won the first of their world tag titles. They'd been making appearances in JCP as AWA tag champs, including at the first Great American Bash in '85, but right before this show they fully signed with JCP to jump ship. After this show they'd catch a redeye flight for their final AWA match literally the next day at the AWA's big WrestleRock show at the Minneapolis BaggieDome. Two different stadiums in two nights. They've definitely hit the big time. The less said about the Roadies' self-sung entrance music the better. I'll pay the money for JCP to license Iron Man. Wahoo is introduced from Midland, TX for this show instead of the usual Oklahoma. Not too far from my neck of the woods. Animal starts with Youngblood and I do NOT like the kid's chances. As expected, Animal manhandles him. Hawk comes in with a top rope fistdrop and kneelift. Wahoo tags in and he and Hawk have some lockup stalemates before getting into a stifffest with chops. Hawk grabs a headlock and Wahoo does a leg takedown out of it that I'm not sure Hawk was expecting. Slightly odd after that. Knucklelock test of strength. Wahoo goes down then fights free. Animal back elbows Wahoo for 2. Wahoo ducks a clothesline and puts Animal down with a huge chop. Then he tags Youngblood in, which seems like a major tactical error. Hawk flying tackle on Youngblood. Youngblood manages to stagger Hawk with a dropkick, but then Hawk casually ducks a flying back elbow attempt. Clothesline off the second rope from Hawk. HAHAHAHA Wahoo gets in and literally stands there and lets Youngblood get pinned! That's so Wahoo. Personification of old style tough love. Everyone my age had at least one sports coach or PE teacher like that. OK little warmup match for the Roadies. *

 

Before the next match Shaska Whatley, along with manager Paul Jones, comes out and brags about cutting Jimmy Valiant's ponytail off. He also calls Valiant "yellow" and "a white Uncle Tom". I need some clarification on that last one. This is all part of the long ongoing Valiant vs Paul Jones feud, and will be revisited again in this summer's Great American Bash shows. We then have an edit and flash to Valiant yelling at Whatley while refs cart him off. Valiant's tights are yellow and black tonight. Whatley was half right.

 

Second Round: The Russian Team (JCP) def Jimmy Valiant & Manny Fernandez (JCP) in 9:00- I'll give it to Ivan Koloff, that cape is pretty freaking cool. For some reason Eddie Gilbert comes out with the Russians and endorses them to win the tournament. OK then. Nikita Koloff, with a small bandage on his head, starts with Fernandez and wants a test of strength. Fernandez is reluctant, having not verified and therefore not trusting. Little Reagan era reference for you there. Eventually he does knucklelock up. Nikita takes the edge on that and Fernandez has to back up to the corner to escape. When he does he drop toe holds Nikita into some leg work. Nikita manages to reach out and get a tag. Fernandez gives Ivan a back elbow and Valiant hits him from the apron. Sunset flip from Fernandez for 2. After a Fernandez double leg takedown Valiant tags in, gets the ref's attention elsewhere, and gives Ivan a Greco Roman Nut Stomp. Pretty yellow move if you ask me. Fernandez then posts Ivan's now very sore crotch. Double back elbow from the faces for 2. Ivan dodges a Fernandez dropkick and tags out. Nikita drops Fernandez on the top rope. Legdrop from Ivan for 2. Russian bear hug time. In Soviet Russia bear hug you. Fernandez gets free relatively easily and hiptosses Ivan, but is cut off from a tag. Nikita tosses him around some more before putting on his own bear hug. After a tag Ivan tries going up top but Fernandez slams him off, then rolls over to get a tag. Wild Valiant punches on everyone. His punches make the Rock's look subtle. He gets the sleeper on Ivan. Nikita breaks it up and we go DONNYBROOK. Nikita gives Valiant a blindside Sickle from the apron, and Ivan covers for the pin. Not all that bad considering Fernandez pretty much had to carry three other guys. Nikita is improving as he gets more experience though. *3/4

 

Next up, Doc Death Steve Williams and Terry Taylor are in the ring to take a forfeit. They were scheduled to face a team from the short lived Montreal promotion named Lutte, consisting of two guys that will soon be familiar to WWF fans: Rick Martel (who had just dropped the AWA World title at the end of '85) and Dino Bravo. The reason given is Bravo had a sudden onset of appendicitis and had to be rushed to the hospital. Whether that's true or not records don't show, but it being wrestling and all that I'm dubious. Bravo had actually already been working for WWF some before this so there might have been some legal sniping.

 

Second Round: The Sheepherders (w/Jack Victory) (UWF) def The Rock 'N' Roll Express (JCP) by DQ in 8:10- Quite the contrast in styles and appearances here. The RNR Express are slightly over. As usual the Herders want everyone to salute the Kiwi flag before the match. The Express respond by getting Old Glory out. Gibson starts out with Luke. He quickly gets trapped in the heel corner and Morton has to come in to help him out. Luke takes a crazy bump off a double team and goes out for a think. Back in the days the Herders could actually bump, which was pretty much gone by their WWF Bushwhackers days. Luke gets a blind tag to Butch, who blindsides Gibson. Then Luke pulls the same trick tagging back in. Dude, you're getting outsmarted by the BUSHWHACKERS. Might need to go home and rethink your life. Gibson gives Luke some buckle shots to come back and tags out. Dropkicks from Morton send both Herders back out to the floor. Back in Morton absorbs some Luke shots before hitting a crossbody for 2. Then Morton does the same thing with Butch, except this time it's a sunset flip. Pretty paint by numbers match so far. Luke dodges in the corner and Gibson posts his shoulder. The Herders immediately go to work on it. Gibson gets tossed to the floor and his shoulder is run into the post again. Slam from Luke back in and he hits a diving....open hand slap something for 2. Gibson manages to leapfrog over Butch, hit a dropkick, roll over and get a tag. Morton takes both Herders out and it's quickly bonzo gonzo. Double dropkick from the RNR. Victory comes into the ring with the flag but Morton cuts him off. He gets the flag and hits Victory with it! Hebner calls for the bell. He DQ'd the RNR! For hitting Victory with the flagpole? He's not even in the match! And he brought it in there in the first place! Pretty poor reffing there, I have to say. WWF might have needed to remedial train him after he jumped. That is NOT a popular decision in the Superdome, with a pretty loud "bullshit" chant. The RNR Express out of the tournament after just one match (they had a bye) is a massive upset. The match was OK enough minus that result, though under 10 minutes is barely enough time for the RNR Express to get loose and really into a groove. **1/2

 

Second Round: The Fantastics (UWF) def Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard (w/JJ Dillon) (JCP) in 11:02- The original version of the Four Horsemen formed just after Starrcade '85 (Flair, Blanchard, Arn & Ole Anderson with JJ Dillon managing), so this is very early days for Arn and Blanchard teaming together, working their way toward the legendary team they'll become. Arn is also in his first of many reigns as NWA TV champ, while Tully is carrying the soon to be defunct NWA National title, the top title of the former Georgia territory JCP had recently bought out. This is another match we join sort of in progress. Before intros, but with the Fantastics on the floor with a chair having some words with Blanchard. The classic silver NWA TV title belt is now here, that thing is so damn sweet looking. Rogers and Blanchard start out and quickly get into a full on slugfest. HUGE right hand from Rogers that wobblelegs Blanchard. Blanchard quickly backs into his corner to regroup. Another slugfest slowly ensues and both guys do some fancy blocks and counters out of atomic drops. Rogers hits a dropkick and Blanchard slides out. Dillon calls for a time out, then Blanchard tries to tag out to Arn from the floor but Hebner is having NONE of it. That's better reffing. Hebner fast counts Blanchard to try to get him back in, then Rogers says never mind that and flips him back in. The Horsemen try to sucker Rogers into their corner, but the Fantastics are one step ahead of them and everyone stands off in the ring. Arn does legally tag in this time. Big shoulderblock from Arn on Rogers. That gets Arn on offense for a bit, until Rogers gives him a hiptoss and a couple of dropkicks. The Fantastics strut around in the ring while Arn regroups on the floor. Fulton tags in for the first time. He and Arn jockey with each other. Fulton quickly reverses an Arn hammerlock. Arn tries to find an escape but can't so he takes a rope break instead. Again the Horsemen look for a double team opportunity but are denied. Blanchard tags in and gets some hard shots in on Fulton. "Arn, give me a knee!". Arn does and Fulton is run into it. While Blanchard antagonizes Rogers Arn tosses Fulton to the floor. Dillon gets a cheap stomp in. Fulton comes back in with a sunset flip for 2. Arn quickly drags him back into the Horsemen corner. Fulton fires some comeback punches on Blanchard so Blanchard tights pulls him out to the floor. Arn comes over and gives him an eye rake with his boot laces. Fulton staggers around half blind on the floor after that. Back in Arn hits the World's Greatest Spinebuster! But as usual he takes slightly too long to cover and Fulton kicks out. More comeback punches from Fulton but Arn grabs a toe hold to keep him from tagging. Big punch from Blanchard and he tries to leverage Fulton down for a 3 count. Again Fulton gets tossed to the floor. Blanchard hooks up for a suplex on the floor but Rogers comes over to make the save. Arn comes over to get Rogers occupied and Blanchard tries again. Fulton slips out of it and pops Blanchard! Back in Blanchard pulls Fulton's trunks down to prevent a tag. No blurring this time. I guess the kids have already gone to bed. Fulton dodges an Arn charge in the corner and makes it to Rogers! Backdrop on Arn. One for Blanchard. Arn counters another backdrop attempt into a front drop suplex! Fulton just saves the pin. Arn lifts Rogers up to slam him. Fulton dropkicks Rogers in the back onto Arn, and Rogers gets the pin! Phenomenal match. The Fantastics have been gold all tournament so far, and you can already see Arn and Blanchard rounding into form as one of the greatest teams of all time. Pretty much everything The Revival/FTR does is an extension of what Arn and Blanchard started. ****1/2

 

Second Round: Giant Baba & Tiger Mask (All Japan) def Black Bart & "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin (w/Precious) (JCP) in 6:05- This is Tiger Mask II, All Japan legend Mitsuharu Misawa. Baba was a legend in his time but he's getting into Jimmy Valiant levels of past it at this point. Needless to say the deep south crowd isn't much interested in the Japanese team at the start. Probably a lot of WWII vets in the audience. TM starts with Bart. Bart hits a chop on a rope break that TM doesn't appreciate. Someone in the crowd shouts "That was an open hand, referee, nothing wrong with it!". Yeah, but it was on the ropes. When he has the option TM does not take a shot on the ropes. They knucklelock for a test of strength that the larger Bart has the edge on. TM escapes into an arm wringer. Bart reaches back and tags out. Now this is a matchup I'm much more interested in seeing. Garvin and TM trade some arm counters with TM adding a bit of '80s flippydo. Speed run. TM hits a dropkick and Garvin slides out. But unlike everyone else tonight, TM doesn't care and he immediately gives Garvin a baseball slide that sends him into the guardrail! Now the crowd is getting behind TM. TM teases a dive but handsprings back into the ring to another appreciative ovation. Precious is absolutely beside herself that TM went so far to hit Garvin on the floor. Both sides tag and now we have to deal with Baba. I compared him to Valiant, but the more accurate comparison might be Great Khali. That's pretty much Baba's offense. After some chops he gives Bart a Russian leg sweep. The heels get some shots in on Baba but he puts Garvin down with a big overhand chop. Baba hits Garvin with a piledriver. Good thing they were declared legal tonight. But when Garvin falls it's right into his corner and he tags out! Poor ring awareness from Baba there. TM hits Bart with a backdrop. Bart fires back with uppercuts. Suplex on TM from Bart, then Garvin tags in and covers for 2. TM gets stuck in the heel corner and takes some chokes there. Garvin small packages TM for 2. TM fires back with some strikes. Baba tags back in with some shots on Garvin. He barely manages to hit the ropes right then nudges Garvin. Garvin sells it like he got hit by a truck. Baba shoulderblocks wobble Bart. A double hand chop puts him down. TM hits a crossbody off the top rope. Garvin breaks the pin up. Baba "big" boot on Bart and that gets the pin. TM got to hit a few cool moves but there was nothing happening here outside of that. 3/4*

 

That wraps up the second round and we move straight into the quarterfinals. 

 

Quarterfinals: The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) (JCP) def The Midnight Express (w/Jim Cornette) (JCP) by DQ in 10:30- You have to figure this is a preview for an NWA tag title match somewhere down the line. Animal starts off with Condrey. A shoulderblock try doesn't move Animal an inch. More speed and Animal hits a back elbow, then a dropkick. Condrey gets the hell out of town. Hawk tags in and Condrey wants to get in a pose off with him. That's a losing proposition. Hawk fights off both Midnights and gives them a double clothesline. Another roll out to regroup. Back in Condrey eye rakes Hawk and gives him a piledriver. Hawk actually sort of sells it. For a second, then he stalks behind Condrey and headbutts him. Eaton finally tags in for a try. He turns on the jets, sees a Hawk clothesline coming, grabs the ropes and makes a very quick escape. Animal comes from behind and presses him back in, then Hawk runs him over to knock him back out! Condrey gives it another go with Hawk, and pulls off an eye rake into a slam. The Midnights quickly set up for a rocket launcher, but Hawk is already up. He catches Eaton and tosses him away. Shoulderbreaker on Eaton. Fistdrop. The Roadies double backdrop Eaton. The heel go out to regroup for the 5th or 6th time this match. I've lost count. Condrey suckers Hawk in so Eaton can hit Animal from the corner. Again Animal quickly shrugs it off and powerslams Condrey. Cornette gets desperate and trips Animal from the floor! The ref saw it and calls for the bell. The champs are out of the tournament without having to take a real loss. The whole match was the Midnights running away from the Roadies' overwhelming power game and the Roadies no selling what few moves they took. I suspect that was more about setting up a future tag title feud than serving the tournament. *1/2

 

Quarterfinals: The Russian Team (JCP) and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams & Terry Taylor (UWF) 20:00 time limit draw- Eddie Gilbert is with the Russians again. I think there was some angle going on with him but it was outside my usual territory viewing. Taylor and Ivan start. Taylor cranks arm wringers and Ivan pulls hair. Monkey flip from Taylor, followed by a dropkick. Ivan tries to pull Williams' hair but Williams is having none of it. Big delayed press slam from Williams on Ivan with multiple presses. Williams is probably one of the more underrated physical specimens in wrestling history. Dude was a pretty legit freak for the time. The faces continue some basic arm work on Ivan. Ivan tries a charge and posts his shoulder. Nothing going right for him so far. Nikita keeps distracting the ref so Ivan doesn't get pinned. Ivan finally gets a couple of kicks in on Taylor, but misses an elbow drop on the bad arm and Taylor armdrags him back down. The pummeling on Ivan's arm continues. At near the 10 minute call he uses a ref distraction to eye rake Williams and finally tag out. Nikita and Williams pose down. After a long staredown we get some lockup stalemates. Nikita tries to hair pull out of a headlock but can't find an opening. Shoulderblock standoff. Another one. Nikita poses and Williams shotgun dropkicks him out to the floor! Fantastic. When Nikita gets back in he wants a test of strength. Williams slowly locks up into it. Neither guy budges an inch and it ends in another stalemate. Nikita gets Williams in the Russian corner and they both pepper him with clubbing blows. Ivan snap mare/legdrop combo for 2. The Russians quick tag on Williams as we get to 5 minutes left. Williams lifts Ivan up and deposits him on the top rope, then slams him off. Weird bit where both guys swing kicks and both go down. Ivan hits a swinging neckbreaker. The Russians use front facelocks to try to wear Williams down. Williams comes back with a powerslam on Ivan for 2. Tag to Taylor! Ivan weathers the hot tag storm and kicks Taylor down. Slam from Nikita and he tosses Taylor out, all the way into the guardrail. Ivan gives him a guardrail shot. Williams helps Taylor back in. 2 minutes left. Nikita drops Taylor on the top rope. Speed run and Taylor gets a crossbody for 2. Nikita gets the bear hug on. One minute left. Taylor fights over and gets a tag, but the ref didn't see it! Ivan hits an elbow off the top rope for a long 2. 30 seconds. Taylor gets a small package on Ivan for 2. The Russians keep Taylor from tagging, but the bell rings for the time limit. Both teams are eliminated. The fight continues after the bell, with Gilbert and his big Russian heavy I never caught his name helping. Damn fine time limit draw there. You knew Williams and Taylor could bring it, but the Russians kept up with them the whole way. Williams and Nikita in particular had some very fun power vs power stuff going on. ***1/4

 

Quarterfinals: The Fantastics (UWF) and The Sheepherders (w/Jack Victory) (UWF) double DQ in 15:45- The Fantastics have been doing the Randy Savage one night tournament thing of changing into new gear between each match. Once again we get flag shenanigans before the match. The Fantastics go so far as to go out, take Pritchard's mic, and leads the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. Sad to say that'd probably get them massive heel heat in more than a few cities in the modern US. As soon as they're done the jump the Herders in the ring! 2v2 brawl to start and the Fantastics clear the ring, then strut a bit. Reset with Fulton and Luke. The Herders again use trapping holds and quick tags to get Fulton isolated early. It's all high impact early from the Herders, no wear down holds to be seen. Fulton tries a shoulderblock that fails, but then manages to monkey flip Luke and give him a couple of dropkicks. Butch comes in and takes dropkicks as the Herders go to the floor to regroup again. Back in Rogers drop toe holds Luke into a headlock. Speed run and Rogers gets a super flippy sunset flip for 2. Butch tags in, gets knocked around like crazy, and quickly tags back out. Luke then again gets the edge on Fulton. Full on Fulton/Luke slugfest. Fulton ducks a punch and atomic drops Luke into the Herders corner, knocking Butch down too! So far the Fantastics have done a great job of adapting to the Herders more brawling style, working more that kind of match. Butch uses a top wristlock fight to eye rake Fulton and toss him to the floor. Fulton dropkicks Butch on the floor! Full 2v2 brawl on the floor with Fulton taking a post shot and Luke almost knocking the barricade down getting run into it. Luke gives Fulton one more post shot for the road and Fulton is bleeding. First one tonight, that took a while. Fulton wobbles around on the floor for a while, but back in manages to catch Butch with a clothesline. The Herders just barely prevent a tag to keep bloody Fulton in peril. Luke bites on the cut and pounds Fulton back to the floor. Barricade shot for Fulton and he looks just this side of dead. Coming back in Fulton catches Luke with some wild kicks from the mat. He tags out to Rogers, but Butch had the ref distracted and he didn't see it. The Herders try a double team with the flagpole but Fulton runs them into it! Tag to Rogers! He pounds on a now also bleeding Luke. Ax handle off the second rope. Another one. We go full EVERYONE IN THE POOL again. The ref gets knocked out of the ring as the brawl goes on. The whole thing degenerates into a fight, Luke and Rogers in the ring, Butch and Fulton on the floor with Victory also trying to get involved. They get Fulton down, then Butch takes a part of the flagpole off and hits Rogers with it in the ring. The Herders lay into Rogers with it until Fulton makes a save and the Fantastics give the Herders a piece of their own medicine. As that's going on a second ref has come out to try to revive the match's ref. The bell rings and the match is thrown out, too chaotic to be allowed to continue. For the second straight match, both teams are eliminated. No one cares and keeps fighting. Finally the Herders decide they've had enough and leave. Another brilliant Fantastics match. It was going great before the ref bump and degenerating into a bar fight, with a proper finish it'd be even better. ****

 

Quarterfinals: Magnum TA & Ron Garvin (JCP) def Giant Baba & Tiger Mask (All Japan) in 13:12- With the double double elimination the semifinal round will now be bypassed entirely and the winners of this match will face the Road Warriors in the finals. Or if we get yet another double elimination the Roadies automatically win the whole thing. Hell of a one night tournament time saver. Garvin starts off with TM. Quite the contrast in styles here. They spend a bit trading off hammerlocks and arm wringers. Garvin gets a leg takedown and puts on a half crab. TM takes a rope break. Magnum runs over TM with a shoulderblock and works headlocks. Garvin tries a flash roll up for 2. TM takes another rope break and has been surprisingly thoroughly outwrestled so far. He gets some elbow shots in on Garvin and tags Baba in. Someone in the crowd shouts something about "slow motion" and yup, that's Baba. Honorable Baba won't hit Garvin while TM is holding him so TM just lets him go. Baba does some arm work on Garvin. He actually manages an armdrag. Garvin reverses on the mat and pulls Baba's tights to get him into his corner. Heeling it up a little. Baba puts Mangum down with a chop. TM dropkick on Magnum. Slam/elbow drop combo for 2. Magnum blocks a suplex and hits his own. Baba grinds Magnum down with a front facelock. Another TM dropkick for 2 as it really feels like Misawa is dogging it. To that point he sticks with a grounded chinlock and front facelock. Magnum shows off some impressive strength by using that to lift TM up almost all the way into a suplex, but he settles for an almost inverted atomic drop instead. Sunset flip from Magnum for 2. Baba tries a roll up into leverage pin attempts. Then he seemingly almost lets Magnum back him into his corner to tag out to Garvin. Very, very bad night for Baba as far as tag team tactics go. Garvin comes in with Hands of Stone chops that Baba barely sells. He gives Garvin some overhand chops. This time he'll hit Garvin as TM holds him. That brings Magnum in for a DONNYBROOK. The Japanese team are whipped into each other. TM goes down, Baba doesn't. Magunm dropkicks Baba over Garvin and Magnum covers for 2. TM hits a crossbody on Garvin for 2. TM finally starts breaking out the good stuff, cartwheeling over Magnum off the ropes and hitting a dropkick. Senton from TM for 2. He goes up top and tries a crossbody, but Magnum catches him into the belly to belly suplex for the pin! Great finish to a pretty terrible match. It was a bit of a mess as neither team seemed sure who was supposed to be the faces or the heels and kept trying to split the middle. Plus the continued presence of washed up Baba, who gets an earful from the crowd on the way out. *1/4

 

While the teams in the finals get ready, we've got two singles title matches on the docket to give this show a little more pizazz. And not just any titles, the top UWF title and the biggest one of them all.

 

UWF North American Heavyweight Championship: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan (c) def Dick Slater in 10:07- The North American title had been the top territory title when Mid-South was still Mid-South. This is in a weird gap where the company name had been changed to UWF, but the title hadn't morphed into the UWF Heavyweight title just yet. JR takes over as ring announcer for this match. And puts a bit of wellie into it. Duggan hits the first shot on a corner break and gets told off by Hebner. More corner shots from Duggan and a clothesline. Slater pulls hair out of a top wristlock fight but misses an elbow drop. He's breathing so damn hard they can hear him in Baton Rouge. Duggan counters a backdrop attempt with an elbow to the back of the head. He gets Slater draped over the corner and hits another couple of elbows. Slater tosses Duggan out to the floor. He backs Duggan into the guardrail and that section collapses! Good thing the seats are a bit further back. Back in Slater continues to wear down Duggan. Duggan fires back with punches that send Slater out. Duggan chases him around and Slater catches him coming back into the ring. He grabs the mic and hits Duggan with it, as far as the cord will stretch. Swinging neckbreaker for 2. Duggan fades down off a chinlock and we go to arm drops. Slater lets go and hits a Harley Race style diving headbutt. He tries coming off the top rope but Duggan catches him. Duggan starts firing back with jabs. Slam/kneedrop combo for 2. Slater dodges an atomic drop and hits a running elbow for 2. Duggan's kickout sent Slater on top of Hebner, then he knees Hebner in the back for good measure. Slater dodges a Duggan charge in the corner and tries up top again. A diving elbow hits. He drags Hebner over, but Duggan kicks out. Duggan backdrops out of a piledriver attempt. Slater ties Duggan up in the ropes. Hebner backs him up. Duggan gets free, hits the 3 point stance tackle, and it's over. It got OK by the end but both guys were phoning it in pretty bad for most of it. **

 

NWA World Heavyweight Championship: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair (c) def "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes (w/Baby Doll) by DQ in 22:15- A major change came to the NWA World title in early '86. Out was the 10 Pounds of Gold, in was the brand new Big Gold Belt. This is its first appearance at a really major show. Dusty thought he had the title won at Starrcade, but the decision was later reversed due to Dusty knocking the ref down during the match. JR announces legendary Houston promoter Paul Bosch, who'll be the ring announcer this match. Baby Doll recently turned face after being "abused" by her former wrestler Tully Blanchard. Truth is there was no room for two managers in the Horsemen, much less a female one. Lots of jockeying on a corner break and Tommy Young yells "All right, all right, all right!" at them. I thought it was funny. These are the kinds of things that no commentary/only ringside mics shows can catch. Flair tries his hammerlock workaround but Dusty was ready for it and cranks Flair's arm. Top wristlock fight with Baby Doll shouting "PUSH! PUSH HIM!" at the top of her lungs. Flair backs Dusty into the corner, tries some shoulderblocks (too much padding there) and hits the first chops. Dusty reverses for his own chops. Flair walks into jabs and goes down. We get a little flip, flop and fly and Flair goes out for a think. Back in Dusty hits a shoulderblock, then suckers Flair into an elbow. Flair literally stops selling to get up and shout "SHUT UP!" at Baby Doll. Probably what a lot of people were thinking. Flair sells Dusty cranking a knucklelock to the cheap seats. Flair starts getting some offensive momentum and hits the snap mare/kneedrop combo with Baby Doll shouting at Dusty to move out of the way. That's very helpful, thanks. "WOOOOOO!" and another kneedrop. Flair tosses Dusty out to the floor. Dusty's bleeding. Off the kneedrops? Seems excessive. Looks like it might be the same area cut around the eye that forced their Starrcade '84 match to be stopped. Dusty hulks up off punches back in. More Flair chops and another snap mare. This time Dusty dodges the kneedrop. He drags Fair across the ring and posts his crotch. Flair begs off. In the corner Flair tries the double leg takedown leverage pin but Young catches him. Another elbow from Dusty. He starts working on Flair's knee. Flair eye rakes to get free. Flair gets a sleeper on! Arm drops and Dusty fights back up. He runs Flair into the corner. Flair Flop! Flair finally targets the ankle that he and the not quite yet Horsemen broke the previous fall before Starrcade. Figure four! Dusty fights and reverses it. Dusty tries for Flair's legs but Flair pulls himself out to the floor with the ropes. Post shot for Flair! His turn to bleed. Flair sunset flips back in but Dusty blocks it. Mounted punches from Dusty. Flair Flip! He falls into the tree of woe! Young pushes him free. Flair runs into a clothesline for 2. Dusty gets a sleeper on. Flair tries for a rope but can't get a full grip on one. He goes down and Dusty covers. Flair just barely gets a foot on the rope before 3. Flair gets on the apron and Dusty suplexes him back in for 2. Another clothesline from Dusty. Dusty figure four! He gets a couple of near falls off of it. Flair gets a second wind and manages a rope break. "AH GOD!" and Flair begs off again. Dusty stays on the leg. Flair hits a gut punch and elbow to put Dusty back down. Flair goes up top. That never works. And, of course, Dusty slams him back down. Big tackle from Dusty and Flair backs into Young, sending him FLYING out of the ring! Dusty gets a small package but there's no ref. Baby Doll tries to revive Young. Flair takes Dusty's boot off and hits him with it. He drags Young back in. Dusty kicks out! Baby Doll gets on the apron. Flair RUNS over and accosts her! I can't tell if they're fighting or if Flair's trying to kiss her. Or both. Dusty gets his boot and hits Flair with it, drawing the obvious DQ. Sucker. Then he hits Young with the boot for DQ'ing him. Perfectly standard Flair/Dusty match. Good but not top shelf stuff. ***1/2

 

Crockett Cup Finals: The Road Warriors (w/Paul Ellering) (JCP) def Magnum TA & Ron Garvin (JCP) in 9:18- Tony takes over as ring announcer for the main event. We get a shot of the trophy at ringside, and it's actually pretty damn nice. Hopefully not about to get wrecked as usual in wrestling tradition. Animal and Magnum start. Long speed run. Animal hits a hiptoss, Magnum responds with an armdrag and dropkick, stalemate. Both teams do some back and forth stuff and tag with neither having a clear advantage. Garvin tries a chop on Hawk. I think Hawk liked it. He and Minoru Suzuki, that kind of stuff just turns them on. Hawk lays in shots on Garvin in the corner. Press slam from Hawk. Garvin dodges a fistdrop off the second rope and wraps up a small package for 2. More Hand of Stone chops. Garvin bites Hawk! Both teams heeling it up a little in this face vs face matchup to show how much they want to win. Magnum hits a dropkick on Hawk for 2. He hooks on a front facelock. Hawk casually scoops Magnum up and deposits him in the Roadies' corner. Animal lays in hard shots to Magnum's back. Probably feeling like he was in a car wreck. Too soon? Bear hug from Animal. Hawk hits a gutwrench suplex for 2. Another gutwrench lift into a Canadian backbreaker, then Hawk just drops Magnum on his shoulder. That gets a pretty big reaction from the crowd. Cover for 2. Big boot from Hawk. Magnum tries to fight out of a chinlock but Animal hair pulls him back down. Magnum tries a sunset flip on Hawk but Hawk's having none of it. Headbutt from Hawk, followed by a fistdrop. Powerslam from Animal for 2. He continues pounding on Magnum's back. Magnum hits the belly to belly suplex outta nowhere! Hawk just barely breaks the pin up! Both sides tag. Hard headed Hawk and Garvin trade headbutts. Garvin tries for an abdominal stretch but Hawk fights it off. Hand of Stone punch! But Garvin hurt his own hand on Hawk's rock hard cranium! It's so bad Magnum runs in to check on him. While Hebner's getting him out Animal clotheslines Garvin! Cover and Animal gets the pin to win the match and the tournament! After the bell Garvin is still nursing is hurt hand. Perfectly solid final for a one night tournament. ***

 

The trophy, thankfully, does not get busted up. It'd turn out they'd need it for future years. Mrs. Jim Crockett Sr., as well as Jim Crockett Jr. and Bill Watts, join us for the official trophy presentation. Mrs. Crockett congratulates the winning team, the "Road Runners". HAHAHAHA. Poor woman had no idea what was happening. Hawk shows off the one million dollar check that is completely and totally legitimate take it to the bank tomorrow.

 

Meep meep. 

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- First things first, at 4 hours long it's definitely a beast. That aside, the whole thing hangs together really well and is a fun watch. I absolutely recommend having something alongside to help explain the background of each team and bigger picture in the absence of commentary if you're not already familiar with this period. Of course I took care of that for you right here, but if you choose another source so be it. I'm not bitter, lots of good ones out there. It's a great showcase of the tag team style so popular in the south in the '80s, and you can almost never go wrong with any peak era JCP. It's also an opportunity to see why the largely forgotten Fantastics were a legitimately all time great team. Now get ready for next year's Crockett Cup, which is even longer.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: B