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A few key things to remember with this, starting with the fact that Fresno is one of my smaller market shows, and I tend to use those as opportunities for the younger guys to learn their craft. The Malenkos are more experienced but are still new to the territory, I was sending them out early to get their names in the minds of the fans as well as get things rocking and rolling with a hot tag team match. The Sabu match goes up a bit higher on the card not so much because of Sabu as Black Tiger, whose Light Heavyweight Title matches have become a big highlight. I confess I know close to nothing as what Sabu was like at this point (the earliest I have seen has been his early 90s work in Japan), I am imagining as a reckless, daredevil high flyer whose Uncle taught him to throw down, a spot monkey with lots of potential in need of some seasoning. On the previous project, somebody criticized when I said young Sabu and Cactus had a "wild brawl", saying that was too far ahead of the time it was supposed to be taking place. I argued pretty much that it should be viewed through an 80s filter not a 90s filter. There are no barbed wire chairs, flaming tables, or exploding anything, but there are bloody, bare knuckle slugfests with all four fistises. The high flying is not high end 90s Lucharesu but still lots of exciting moves in a world that has already seen the Midnight Rockers, the Poffo Brothers, Bobby Eaton, Owen Hart, Jimmy Snuka, Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid. While it is a bit early to have him be a credible title threat, it makes sense to have Sabu get in some matches with Black Tiger, as Tiger has a lot of experience reigning in and getting good matches out of reckless spotty high flyers, having done just that on a regular basis with the likes of Black Tiger and Cobra. It also gives Black Tiger something to do while I gear him up for something special at Phoenix Firestorm, my next big show at the end of August.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from the Selland Arena, Fresno, July 17th Joe & Dean Malenko vs. Chavo & Hector Guerrero The Guerreros gave an determined effort to focus in spite of the defection of their youngest brother, putting up a considerable fight, but the Malenkos still took the match when Joe press slammed Hector into a gutbuster by Dean Dingo Warrior vs. Rick Gantner Dingo and the younger Gantner Brother had an all out slugfest that wound up going to Dingo when he was finally able to put Rick down with a flying shoulder tackle Pacific Light Heavyweight Title Match : Black Tiger © vs. Sabu While Sabu has challenged Black Tiger for the title before, this was his most aggressive challenge yet. The normally poised Tiger seemed at something of a loss as to how contain the newest member of the Wild Things, and the match came to a chaotic end when Sabu crashed into Tiger outside of the ring, leading to a double countout decision. Bret Hart , Owen Hart & Brian Pillman vs. Bob Backlund, Gary Young & Jim Neidhart In another exciting battle between the Harts & Pillman and the Knights Templar where Neidhart caught Owen coming off the ropes and crushed him with a powerslam to get the win for his team. Backlund was quick to congratulate the Anvil, but Young seemed much more reticent to do so. Golden State Tag Team Title Match : Tabarnak De Team (Big Jos Leduc & Pierre Carl Ouellet) © vs. Coast 2 Coast (John Tatum & Jack Victory) Another TDT title defence, another DQ decision, but in a new twist, this time , the axehandles weren't the cause of it. Instead, when Tatum had Ouellet lined up for a Superkick, Jim Neidhart rushed into the ring and took him down with a shoulder tackle. It seemed he misjudged this move, as not only did Tatum and Victory immediately start double teaming him, but TDT, disgruntled that the Anvil had interfered in their match, soon joined in on the beat down. The Fresno fans were agog at the thrashing the hometown native took for a long time until finally Bob Backlund ran out to clear the ring, with Gary Young slowly ambling behind. Backlund helped the battered Neidhart to the back, but Young simply gave a diffident shrug as he watched. Pacific Television Title Match : Tony St. Clair © vs. Doug Furnas St. Clair faced possibly his sternest test yet in the Oklahoma Bronco, Doug Furnas. Although Furnas is fairly new into his career, the Pride member unleashed a mighty power offense on St. Clair that rocked the champ to the core. St. Clair proved that they don't call him "Tough" Tony for nothing as he battled back and, after ducking a big clothesline, came roaring back with the spinning forearm smash to get the pinfall.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from the Cow Palace , San Francisco, on Pacific Super Cards on ESPN / TSN, July 16th Rainbow Warriors (Brian Adams & Vic Steamboat) & US Steel vs. The Midnight Express & Big Bubba Rogers Steel did a determined job of holding off Big Bubba until Adams could hit the spinning backbreaker on Lane for the crowd pleasing win. Fit Finlay, Ron Garvin & John Tenta vs. Buddy Rose, Ed Wiskowski & Cannonball Grizzly Rose directed Wiskowski and Grizzly to focus their attention on Garvin, double teaming him until Grizzly was able to hit the Cannonball Crush (top rope flying splash) to give the decision to the Playboy Club Robbie Brookside vs. Cactus Jack Brookside seemed caught off guard but the insanity of Cactus, but still gave him quite a fight until Cactus hit the Russian Legsweep for the victory Dan Severn & Jeff Jarrett vs. The Bomb Squad (Chris Candido & Al Snow) PCW's Odd Couple continued to show they were back and on track as they pulled off a victory over the always competitive Bomb Squad when Jarrett pinned Candido with a Sunset Flip Pacific Tag Team Title Match : Black Gold (Steve Blackman & Shane Douglas) © vs. Art Barr & Eddie Guerrero So, it's official. Long time enemies Art Barr and Eddie Guerrero are now teaming together. In a related story from the weather bureau, Hell just froze over. Blackman and Douglas seemed reluctant to fight with their former friend Barr, but Barr had no such reservations. Barr and Guerrero worked together like they had done so all their life, which is not surprising given how much time they had spent in the ring with each other. They gave a considerable challenge to the champs before Blackman was able to surprise Eddie coming off the ropes with a spin kick to the jaw. They might not have won the titles, but they left no doubt that the Wild Things are legit. Pacific Heavyweight Title Match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Texas Red With a challenge looming from Billy Jack Haynes, Bock would first have to face Billy Jack's good friend Texas Red. The big Texan really took it to the champ, but when Bockwinkel dodged a clothesline he was able to send Red out of the ring. While Red was trying to get to his feet, he was ambushed by Big Bubba Rogers , who knocked him to the floor with a shoulder tackle. He then hit a big splash on the concrete, and Red was not able to make it back into the ring on time. A countout win for Bockwinkel, but a win all the same.

Pacific Wrestling Showcase from the Oakland Alameda County Arena, Oakland, on ESPN / TSN, July 15th Billy Jack Haynes vs. Gary Young http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/01-42.jpg Billy Jack has had plenty of close matches with Young and the other members of the Knights Templar. But with the possibility of a Pacific Heavyweight Title shot against Nick Bockwinkel on the horizon, Billy Jack was in no mood for a drawn out match. Young is a tough customer, but the super focused Billy Jack was too much to handle. As Sunshine cheered her man on from ringside, Haynes dismantled Young with power moves before locking him in the middle of the ring with the dreaded Full Nelson. With nowhere to run to, Young had no choice but to tap out. Billy Jack clearly won't be satisfied until he gets Bockwinkel in his sights. Leo Burke vs. Akira Maeda Give the devil his due : ever since his shocking arrival in Pacific Coast Wrestling, Akria Maeda has faced some of the toughest men in PCW and has yet to be defeated. Tonight, he faced the veteran leader of the Army Leo Burke and you could tell by the set of Burke's jaw that if Maeda wanted to take this match, he was going to have to give it his all. Burke took some of the most vicious kicks Maeda had to offer and fired back with blistering lefts and rights that sent Maeda reeling. Burke even came close to trapping Maeda in the Sleeper Hold, but the Japanese superstar was able to fight his way out. Maeda was finally able to get Burke to the mat with a single arm takedown. After a lengthy period of working over Burke's arm, Maeda was able to force the tapout with a Wakigatame Armbar. Can anyone stop Maeda at this rate? Coast 2 Coast (John Tatum & Jack Victory) vs. Badd Company http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/pictures/j/johntatum/04.jpg The newly dubbed Coast 2 Coast have become unlikely fan favorites in PCW, and have picked up a fair amount of momentum since leaving the Knights Templar. They were facing the former Golden State Tag Team Champions, and Badd Company gave an incredible challenge to Tatum and Victory, with many near falls for both teams. The end came when Tanaka ducked under a clothesline from Tatum, only to run into a big boot to the face from Victory, with gave the win to Coast 2 Coast. It looks like leaving the influence of Mr. Bob Backlund has proved to be just the motivation that Coast 2 Coast needed. Konnan vs. Sid Vicious When Konnan took the mask from Lord Humongous and revealed him to be Sid Vicious, that would have signaled the end of the feud. Think again, as these two have kept going after each other, costing each other matches and cranking up the hatred. This one fell apart early on, with the two tearing into each other and paying no heed to the ref, who struggled in vain to get some semblance of order in the match. Ultimately, the ref had no choice but to call for a no contest. Even that wasn't enough to put a stop to their brawling, and Maxx Payne and Ron Simmons had to come out to separate their comrades. This is an inferno that is showing no signs of subsiding. Interview : Frank Bonnema stands in the ring Bonnema : Ladies and gentlemen, out of nowhere, my next guest have become one of the most controversial groups in Pacific Coast Wrestling … the Wild Things! The crowd reaction is curiously mixed as Art Barr, Cactus Jack, Eddie Guerrero and Sabu head to the ring. There are a fair number of boos, and some people just don't know what to make of them. But there is a small but vocal contingent of cheers from fans who relate to their rebellious attitude. Bonnema : Art Barr, I don't know which is more shocking, you turning your back on the Army or you teaming up with your sworn enemy, Eddie Guerrero. Barr : The time had come for the Army and I to part ways. I learned a lot but my growth was stifled. It is only now that I have left them that I can become the wrestler I am meant to be. As for Eddie here … well, he and I are a lot alike. Both from wrestling families, both starting out in our careers. A lot of the same moves and attitudes. I'll admit it, I was jealous. I wanted the spotlight all to myself. We kept going after each other, sometimes he would win, sometimes I would win. I was determined to run him out of PCW. When we had the cage match, I finally got the big pinfall with the Frog Splash from the top of the cage. But that was not enough. I was going to destroy him, so I would never have to see his face again. I kept hitting him after the end of the match. But that was never going to do it. I looked in his eyes and I saw he wasn't going to quit. I could pin him, but I was never, ever going to beat him. I realized I didn't want to destroy him anymore, I wanted him on my side. So I talked it over with him a week later and we came to an understanding. We would join together as the Wild Things! Guerrero : That's right! I was always going to be the little brother as long as I kept teaming with my family. They saw me as the baby of the family, someone who had to be coddled and protected. They were keeping me from proving myself. But this man showed me respect. He never held back, never went easy on me. He saw how tough I was and not once did he ever condescend to me. We were hell on wheels when we were opponents, but together, we will be unstoppable! Cactus Jack : Same story with my man Sabu here. He was a part of an organization that had the gall to call themselves the Crazy Gang! He is a hundred times more crazy than they will ever be. He is one of the few people who may even be more insane than I am. You know I have to respect that. The future is here! The future is now! It doesn't belong to a bunch of self righteous prigs like the Army or the Knights Templar. It doesn't belong to some snobbish elitists like the Pride, the Playboy Club, or the British Invasion. It belongs to us. Because Pacific Coast Wrestling … is where the Wild Things are! Steven Regal vs. Ed Gantner http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/pictures/e/edgantner/02.jpg For most of his tenure in PCW, Ed Gantner has stuck to tag teams with his Wild Bulls partner, his younger brother Rick. But with a pinfall to his credit over PCW TV Champ Tony St. Clair, Ed has been focusing lately on singles matches and gunning for a singles title shot. Tonight, he would face St. Clair's British Invasion ally Steven Regal, one half of British Steel. Regal put in a valiant effort, but ultimately, the size and aggression of Gantner was too much, and Ronnie P. Gossett's man was able to pin Regal after hitting the Bull Hammer (running forearm smash to the face). It's only a matter of time before Gantner finds himself back in the ring with St. Clair. Note : Guys, I recently tested positive for COVID and have been extremely low energy, so my writing has been lagging behind a bit. I am still committed to this game, but my output might be a bit staggered.

Shouldn't be an issue. I am using Dutch Savage as Commissioner.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from McArthur Court, Eugene, July 10th Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman & Curt Hennig vs. Gary Young, Jim Neidhart & The Bomb Squad (Chris Candido & Al Snow) Curt Hennig teamed up with Pillman and the Harts to take on his nemesis Gary Young and the rest of the Knights Templar. The Harts' former partner and friend Jim Neidhart was on the side of the Knights, leading to a tense and heated fray. When things broke down with all men in the ring, Niedhart wound up being the difference maker as he ambushed Owen with a nasty clip from behind. This left Owen vulnerable to a DDT by Gary Young that gave the win to the Knights. Strangely, Young looked rather annoyed with Neidhart afterwards, but the Knights still stood triumphant. Dan Severn & Jeff Jarrett vs. Badd Company PCW's own Odd Couple are back together and facing the allies of Severn's despised enemy, Akira Maeda. Badd Company certainly gave Severn and Jarrett quite the fight, but Jarrett was able to sent Tanaka spiraling out of the ring with a spectacular flying dropkick. This gave Severn the opening to hit a crushing takeover suplex on Diamond to score the victory. Ron Simmons & Dingo Warrior vs. The Midnight Express The Midnights were facing a team much bigger and more powerful than themselves, and found themselves in the rare position of being at a disadvantage. Perhaps wisely, they went for hit and run tactics, but this only seemed to infuriate Dingo Warrior in particular. When Jim Cornette tried to interfere with his tennis racquet, Dingo went after him. As Dingo chased the terrified Cornette around the ring, the ref counted to 10, which meant that the Midnights won by countout. Another stolen victory for the Midnight Express, and it took some time for Simmons to get Dingo calmed down after the match. Texas Red vs. Rick Gantner Texas Red, currently feuding with Big Bubba Rogers, faces another big man in one half of the Wild Bulls, Rick Gantner. These two powerhouses had a brutal slugfest, with Gantner in particular refusing to go down to some incredible blows from Red. Red was finally able to get Gantner up in the Tombstone Piledriver and cover him for the one two three. Texas Red pulled out the win, but it took a lot to put the Wild Bull down. Golden State Tag Team Title Match : Tabarnak De Team (Big Jos Leduc & Pierre Carl Ouellet) © vs. The Rainbow Warriors (Vic Steamboat & Brian Adams) Although TDT have had a dominant run since winning the Golden State Tag Team Titles, they had to dig in deep to defend against the fast rising team of the Rainbow Warriors. They still came out with their titles intact when things broke down in a four way brawl, leading to the ref declaring a no contest, but you could tell that the Rainbow Warriors were not done with them by a long shot. Pacific Television Title Match : Tony St. Clair © vs. Curtis Hughes Of late, Ronnie P. Gossett's men have been gunning for St. Clair and his title, notably with Ed Gantner scoring a pinfall over "Tough" Tony in a six man tag match. Tonight, it would be the big roughneck Curtis "The Cat" Hughes who would make his challenge, and he proved to be a formidable challenger for the champ. No matter what St. Clair threw at him, Hughes came roaring back and did a lot of damage. St. Clair gutted it out and, little by little, was able to wear down the big man until he finally pinned him with the Floating Butterfly Suplex. A draining match, but one where St. Clair ultimately prevailed.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from the Portland Memorial Coliseum , Portland , on Pacific Super Cards on ESPN / TSN, July 9th Coast 2 Coast (John Tatum & Jack Victory) vs. The Bomb Squad (Chris Candido & Al Snow) Another heated battle between former alliance mates that went to Coast 2 Coast when Jack hit the Victory-Plex on Snow. Ron Garvin vs. Akira Maeda Ever since he debuted in PCW with an ambush of Dan Severn, Maeda has been tearing through the opposition like a one man tornado. If he was expecting Ron Garvin to be another pushover, he was sorely mistaken. Possessed of an iron jaw and hands of stone, Garvin could take the worst that Maeda could dish out and give it back in turn. When Maeda tried to take Garvin down and trap him in a submission hold, he found that Garvin would not be trapped so easily and was able to do a lot of damage to the Japanese star. To his credit, Maeda never let up and was ultimately able to hit a Capture Suplex for the pinfall. Not as one sided as some of Maeda's victories, but an impressive one nonetheless. Fit Finlay & John Tenta vs. Buddy Rose & Cannonball Grizzly Following what went on the night before on TV, a match was quickly signed for Finlay and Tenta to face off with the Playboy and his large protégé. Once again, Rose was not keen to face either of his opponents, but snuck in and got his shots in when it was most opportune. When the ref was distracted with a brawl between Tenta and Grizzly, Rose saw his chance to strike. He reached into his trunks, pulled out a set of brass knucks, and approached Finlay with evil intent. But when he tried to take a swing at him, the Belfast Bruiser caught his wrist and held it in a grip of steel. As Rose's face broke out in a panicked expression, Finlay kicked his feet out from under him and started to put the boots to him. With Grizzly tied up with Tenta, there was no escape for the Playboy until the ref tried to separate the two. Finlay was having none of that, and backhanded the ref to the mat while continuing to stomp Rose. The ref called for the bell, but it took Grizzly and a newly arrived Ed Wiskowski to peel him off Rose. Finlay and Tenta had lost by DQ, but I don't get the feeling that Finlay really cared. Leo Burke & Black Gold (Steve Blackman & Shane Douglas) vs. Cactus Jack, Art Barr & Eddie Guerrero Ever since their defection from the Army, the duo of Cactus Jack and Art Barr have become something of a thorn in the side of their former friends. With the shocking addition of Eddie Guerrero, the group calling themselves the Wild Things have turned into a truly unpredictable element in PCW. This mad for a hotly contested six man match that took a turn for the even more chaotic when the Guerrero Brothers showed up at ringside. While trying to persuade their errant brother to leave with them, they also got into arguments with Leo Burke, who was trying to keep them from interfering in the match. While all this was going on, Blackman had Cactus lined up for the running bicycle kick when someone entered the ring and attacked him from behind. It was …… SABU? The Madman From Bombay took him down with a back heel kick to the back of the head and dove out of the ring again. The ref turned around to see Cactus covering Blackman and made the three count. After the match, Cactus put his arm around Sabu and cackled like a lunatic while the Army and Guerreros looked on in despair at what had become of their former charges. Billy Jack Haynes vs. Gary Young Last week, Billy Jack pulled off a major coup when he pinned Pacific Heavyweight champ Nick Bockwinkel in a tag team match, catapulting him to the list of top contenders. Tonight, he would face California/Submission champ Mr. Bob Backlund's top lieutenant, Gary Young. Ever since his return to PCW at the beginning of the year, Young has proved himself to be a determined competitor, and the battle between them was tightly contested. Ultimately, Billy Jack was able to pull off the win with a massive slingshot clothesline. Nick Bockwinkel had best keep an eye over his shoulder, as the popular Oregon native is gunning for him. 2/3 Falls Pacific Heavyweight Title Match with No Time Limit : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Bob Backlund Speaking of Nick Bockwinkel, two weeks ago, he went to a one hour draw with Bob Backlund, his second such draw in recent memory. Following that, this match was signed to hopefully guarantee a definitive winner. Mr. Bob Backlund came out with the rest of the Knights Templar in tow. The Pacific Heavyweight champion was next and immediately got on the ringside microphone, stating that unless the Knights were gone from ringside, he would leave and the match would be called off. Backlund gave the order and his followers dutifully returned to the locker room. The bell rang and the fans got settled in for what they knew would be a long match. There was a feeling out period between the two followed by an extended matwork section, with each men trying to get the other in a pinning predicament or a submission hold. They then gradually opened up into trying and often hitting bigger and bigger moves. It was deep into the match when Backlund drew first blood, catching Bockwinkel in the Backlund Bridge for the first pinfall. Bockwinkel gave him a nod of respect before getting back to business, battling back until he hit a belly to back suplex to even the match at one fall apiece. The match went into the final stretch with both men worn down but determined to prevail. It was an uncharacteristic lapse in concentration by Backlund that led to Bockwinkel wrapping him up in a rollup out of the corner. Bock pushed back on the corner ropes with his feet to get a leveraged pinfall and win the match. Nearly 90 minutes of action and the Pacific Heavyweight Champion had come out on top. Backlund gave him a begrudging handshake before leaving the ring and the fans, exhausted but exhilarated, went home knowing they had just witnessed an all time classic.

Pacific Wrestling Showcase from the Portland Sports Arena, Portland , on ESPN / TSN, July 8th Barry Windham vs. Cannonball Grizzly Barry Windham has faced a lot of big men in his time in PCW, notably in his ongoing feud with the One Man Gang. The young behemoth Cannonball Grizzly was determined to make sure Windham would take him seriously. Grizzly was looking to prove himself to his leader, Buddy Rose, and was extremely aggressive with the former Pacific Heavyweight Champion. Windham certainly had his hands full with Grizzly, but he had the advantage of experience, and ultimately his patience paid off. Grizzly whipped him into the corner and came in for an Avalanche. But Windham dove out of the way and Grizzly went in hard chest first. As Grizzly staggered out of the corner, Windham nailed him with a quick Bulldog that got the three count. Windham pulled out the victory , but Grizzly had proved that he is not an opponent to take lightly. Konnan vs. Maxx Payne Another feud that keeps rolling on is the one between Konnan and Sid Vicious. Even after Konnan took the mask of the now former Lord Humongous, these two just keep going after each other, no matter what the circumstances. Konnan was doing his best against Payne's huge stable mate Maxx Payne, but the moment Payne was able to knock him out of the ring, the Crazy Gang sprung their sinister trap. Percy Pringle got the attention of the referee, which was the signal for Sid Vicious to sneak out and ambush Konnan with a Power Bomb. By the time the ref turned around, all he could see was Konnan splayed out on the floor, and counted the masked man out. A cheap victory, but they have to know that there is going to be some sort of response to this. US Steel vs. Chavo Guerrero The Guerreros have been at their wits end with the situation with their youngest brother Eddie. First Eddie went missing, then he turned up aligned with the Wild Things of all people. For some reason, they have blamed the Army for this situation, even though Cactus Jack and Art Barr have left the Army. Chavo seemed to be trying to take out his frustrations on the biggest member of the Army, US Steel. He certainly was able to keep up a considerable offense on Steel, but his anger made him reckless, and he ended up running straight into a jarring powerslam. Steel then picked up Chavo and planted him with the Steeldriver (front slam) and that was that. Perhaps the Guerreros would be better off focusing less on the Army and more on bringing their wayward brother back into the fold. Interview : Frank Bonnema stands in the ring Bonnema : Ladies and gentlemen, my next guests once again have something they want to declare to Pacific Coast Wrestling *eye roll* … the Knights Templar! The crowd boos as Bob Backlund comes out with his acolytes : Gary Young, Chris Candido, Al Snow, and apparently the newest member of the Knights, Jim Neidhart. Oddly, apart from Backlund, the rest of the Knights seem to be keeping their distance from Neidhart, but the Anvil is not paying any mind to this, and is as manic as ever. Bonnema : Well, *Mister* Bob Backlund, you seem to be on top of the world, what with pulling a major coup for the newest member of the Knights. (Neidhart cackles) And yet in spite of it all, the Pacific Heavyweight Title remains outside your grasp. You took Nick Bockwinkel to the limit for 60 minutes but were still not able to get the victory. In spite of your best efforts, you are still not the Heavyweight Champion. Backlund : Only for the moment, Bonnema, only for the moment. As both California and Submission Champion, I have sufficient influence to get a rematch. It will be tomorrow at the Portland Memorial Coliseum, it will be two out of three falls … and there will be no time limit! Bockwinkel will not be able to escape me any longer, and the crown jewel of Pacific Coast Wrestling will be mine! Bonnema : Jim Neidhart, we will all shocked when you turned your back on your partner , Bret Hart, and threw your lot in with the Knights Templar. What could have possessed you to betray your best friend like that? Neidhart : Friend? FRIEND? Let me tell you about my so called friend Bret Hart. Not long ago, I went shoulder first into the corner post during a match. The resulting injury put me on the shelf for several weeks. During my recuperation, Bret constantly visited me, telling me to take it easy, take all the time I needed to recover, don't push myself. I wanted to get back to our tag team, but he kept saying there was no rush, that my health was more important. I soon found out why. He started teaming with his baby brother Owen. He didn't need me anymore, he had replaced me! He just tossed me aside like garbage, all while smiling to my face! When I came back to the ring, I had to do it on my own. My confidence was at an all time low. At Seattle Showdown, when Maxx Payne got me in the Payne Killer, I was so worried that I might re-injure my shoulder, I tapped out right away. I was humiliated! Well after that, I knew I was on my own and I swore that I would never let anyone put me in that situation again. I had a match with Mister Bob Backlund and , no matter what the risk to my shoulder, I was never going to give up. I ended up taking him to a time limit draw. After the match , he visited me and opened my eyes to the truth. He gave me the guidance I was never going to get from my now former partner. I realized that couldn't trust anyone, couldn't count on anyone, least of all my supposed friend Bret Hart. The only person I could count on and trust was myself … and Mister Bob Backlund! The Anvil is a Knight Templar for life! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Backlund puts his arm around his newest charge, but the other members of the Knights are giving the Anvil the side eye as we cut to commercial. John Tenta vs. Buddy Rose Last week, Tenta pleased the Canada Day crowds by pinning the Playboy in a six man tag match. This week, Rose was extremely unwilling to get engaged during this singles match. He did his best to stick and move with the former Sumo, but eventually Tenta caught up with him and tossed him around the ring. It looked like more bad news for Rose until Cannonball Grizzly, still battered from his earlier match, came out and attacked Tenta, leading to the DQ. Rose and Grizzly continued the assault on Tenta until Fit Finlay came out and evened the sides. Commissioner Dutch Savage came out and declared that the two sides could settle things in the ring tomorrow in a tag match. Bret Hart, Owen Hart & Brian Pillman vs. The Pride (Joe Malenko, Dean Malenko & Doug Furnas) The Harts and Pillman were clearly shaken by what transpired earlier with their former friend Jim Neidhart, but were determined to do their best against the Pride. The Pride have rapidly become one of the most respected and feared groups in PCW, with a wealth of skill and athletic ability leading to some of the most hotly contested matches in recent memory. The two sides had an incredible match, with both sides pushing each other to their limits and plentiful near falls. The match cumulated in a battle of rollups between Owen and Joe with the older Malenko catching Owen in a waistlock and pinning him with a huge German Suplex. If anyone might have doubted the Pride before, there is certainly no denying them now.

Venomous are my new favorite tag team. Darn that cheating Tommy Rich! Waiting with bated breath for Lawler to recover to get his revenge on Rich and Idol.

Wow, even though it was the manager who was pinned, that is a major victory for the Outlaws.

Original Midnights are amazing. The Rich/Lawler feud keeps rolling on, can't wait until they square off one on one again.

I always hated the result of their real life Wrestlemania 4 match and am glad to see Bam Bam go over OMG. Orton and Slater are a great rough & tumble team, it fits they would get the dirty title win from the Rockers. Huge news in the main event, Landel and Idol have been such a great duo that I am sad to see them go, but can't wait to see what you are going to bring in the second half of 1987. Awesome show!

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from the Kelowna Memorial Arena, Kelowna, July 3rd Brian Adams vs. Doug Furnas A quick rivalry has sprung up between the Pride and the Rainbow Warriors. Tonight, Adams would face the big Oklahoman Furnas in a battle of two big men. It was a show of power wrestling that Furnas won when he caught Adams in a side suplex. Dan Severn vs. Rick Gantner Severn was gearing up for another shot at Akira Maeda but had his hands full with one half of the Wild Bulls. He ultimately prevailed by forcing Gantner to tap out to a Boston Crab. British Steel (Steven Regal & Robbie Brookside) vs. Badd Company A thrilling tag team classic that went to British Steel when Brookside pinned Diamond with a crucifix. Leo Burke vs. Ed Gantner The General of the Army gave a valiant effort, but the big Bull was too much to overcome, and Gantner scored the victory with the Bull Hammer (running forearm smash to the face). Curt Hennig vs. Gary Young The hatred between these two was palpable as they took their feud to the ring. No matter what each of them did to the other, it seemed like their hatred was enough to push them through any pinfall attempt. Hennig wound up going for desperation gutter tactics when he blocked a DDT attempt with a low blow knee shot, following up with a Cradle Suplex for the pinfall. Hennig seemed disappointed in himself after the match for having sunk so low. Pacific Television Title Match : Tony St. Clair © vs. Joe Malenko After defeating Big Bubba Rogers to win the TV Title, St. Clair has taken on all comers, but the older Malenko Brother gave him perhaps his greatest challenge yet. With a wealth of technical skill and a seemingly unending reserve of energy, Malenko seemed to have an answer to every problem St. Clair tried to give him. St. Clair was finally able to block and counter an attempted German Suplex with a schoolboy cradle to get a hard fought one-two-three.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver on Pacific Super Cards on ESPN / TSN , July 2nd Fit Finlay & Ron Garvin vs. The Midnight Express This match eventually broke down into chaos when Jim Cornette got up on the ring apron, trying to get his tennis racquet to his men. Garvin intercepted him and grabbed him by the lapel, looking to make him pay for his interference, but Bobby Eaton clipped him from behind and rolled him up for the pinfall. Jeff Jarrett vs. Mando Guerrero These two had a close scientific matchup where Jarrett was able to hit a sunset flip and get the one two three. Barry Windham vs. One Man Gang These two mortal enemies had another hellacious battle where Windham was finally able to put down the big 747 with a running bulldog headlock Pacific Light Heavyweight Title Match : Black Tiger © vs. Dean Malenko Black Tiger was presented with an incredible challenge from the younger of the Malenko Brothers. Dean came very close on a number of occasions to taking the title, but Tiger waited for his opportunity and, when Dean was attempting the Texas Cloverleaf, Tiger caught him in a small package for the win Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Brian Pillman & Jim Neidhart vs. Bob Backlund, Gary Young & The Bomb Squad (Chris Candido & Al Snow) The bubbling feud between the Hart Family and friends and the Knights Templar boiled over in this match. The two sides tore into each other, and the match went long with the momentum shifting back and forth. Backlund and Bret seemed to be targeting each other, with Bret finally getting Backlund down in the Sharpshooter. The Bomb Squad tried to break it up, but Owen and Pillman dropkicked them out of the ring. They then piled on Young to keep him from interfering. It looked like Bret was going to pull off a major upset by submitting the California and Submission Champ. Then Neidhart entered the ring and …. Clotheslined Bret in the back of the head! He followed this act of betrayal by clotheslining Pillman and Owen to the mat before putting the boots to Bret. As the crowd gasped in shock and horror, Backlund rolled Bret up in the Backlund Bridge to get the perfunctory pinfall. But the Anvil was not done, as he put Bret in an excruciating Camel Clutch while Owen and Pillman could do nothing but watch while the rest of the Knights kept them from rescuing their partner. Finally, Billy Jack Haynes, Texas Red, Ron Garvin and Fit Finlay ran out to break through the line and save Bret. The Knights were laughing as they left the ring and Backlund put his arm around Neidhart's shoulders (although the rest of the Knights seemed to be giving him a suspicious side eye). What on earth has possessed the Anvil? Billy Jack Haynes & Texas Red vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Big Bubba Rogers Nick Bockwinkel was coming off two straight one hour time limit draws, one in Japan against Antonio Inoki and one in LA against Bob Backlund, and was understandably showing some signs of wear and tear. Wisely, he used his influence (*cough* money *cough*) to acquire the services of the best friend money can buy, Big Bubba Rogers, to shoulder much of the burden of this match. But against two powerful athletes like Billy Jack and Texas Red, that line of defense could only hold for so long, and Bock had to spend more and more time trying to battle them on his own. It seemed like he just might pull it off when he had Billy Jack set up for a belly to back suplex, but the Oregon powerhouse blocked it and countered with a mighty shoulder breaker. Big Bubba tried to break up the pin, but Texas Red cut him off with a clothesline. One … two … THREE!!!! Billy Jack had just pinned the Pacific Heavyweight Champion! The crowd was jubilant as Texas Red proudly raised his partner's arm in victory. It looks like the Pacific Heavyweight Title now has a new top contender.

Pacific Wrestling Showcase from the Victoria Memorial Arena, Victoria, on ESPN / TSN, July 1st Golden State Tag Team Title Match : Tabarnak De Team (Big Jos Leduc & Pierre Carl Ouellet) vs. Chavo & Hector Guerrero The Victoria fans were out in force for this Canada Day special. Although TDT had turned to the Dark Side by joining up with the Playboy Club, they still had some Canadian fans who cheered them on as they faced the Guerreros. Chavo and Hector still seemed to be concerned as to the status of their missing brother Eddie, as they acted distracted throughout the match. TDT seized the advantage given to them by their opponents and were able to hit the Clear Cut (Leduc put Chavo over his knee while Ouellet came off the top with a flying elbow smash) to successfully defend their titles. Barry Windham, Ron Simmons & Konnan vs. Maxx Payne, Sid Vicious & Sabu In what is becoming a distressing trend in PCW, Sabu failed to come out with his partners in the Crazy Gang. What is it with the youth of today not wanting to show up for work? Nevertheless, Vicious and Payne declared they would do it on their own, refusing to show any weakness to the Brigade. Vicious was particularly focused on attacking Konnan. This tunnel vision proved costly when he failed to notice Konnan make a blind tag out to Ron Simmons. Simmons caught Vicious off guard with a thundering Spear that managed to keep him down for the three count. Payne and Vicious were clearly displeased with the result, but now we can add the disappearance of Sabu to the various mysteries occurring in PCW. Bret & Owen Hart vs. The Bomb Squad (Chris Candido & Al Snow) Seemingly out of nowhere, the Knights Templar have increasingly gotten involved in the business of the Hart Family. Early victories by the Brothers over the Bomb Squad has led to other members of the Knights interfering in their matches. Mr. Bob Backlund was in the corner of his young charges, leading to the Harts keeping a watchful eye on him during the match. But it wasn't Backlund but rather his favorite son, Gary Young, who entered the ring and attacked Owen. As he did so right in front of the ref, this led to the Bomb Squad being disqualified, but that didn't seem to matter to the Knights, who proceeded to gang up on the Brothers. Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart rushed out to even the sides, and the two factions scuffled until PCW officials were able to get them separated. PCW Commissioner Dutch Savage then came out and announce that he was signing an 8 man tag team match for the next night in Vancouver, and the two sides could try and settle their differences then. Vic Steamboat vs. Akira Maeda In his recent reign of terror in PCW, Akira Maeda has mowed down everyone who has gotten in his path. Never one to shy away from a challenge, young Vic Steamboat has stepped into the fray. A noble effort, but nothing he did managed to put any kind of dent in the Japanese Assassin. Maeda tore him apart with brutal kicks, including a low leg kick that seemed to hurt Steamboat's knee. Smelling blood in the water, Maeda took him down with a legsweep and applied a single leg Boston Crab that forced Steamboat to tap out. Maeda kept kicking Steamboat while he was down, until Steamboat's partner Brian Adams ran out and pulled his friend away. Can anything stop Maeda ? Pacific Tag Team Title Match : Black Gold (Steve Blackman & Shane Douglas) © vs. The Wild Things (Cactus Jack & Art Barr) Ever since their departure from the ranks of the Army, the Wild Things have been creating all sorts of havoc, but last week they interfered in a match their former friends had with the Guerrero Brothers. Things escalated and now the former allies would square off in the ring. Blackman and Douglas were reluctant to fight their one time friends, but Cactus and Barr goaded them into engaging. Despite the crazy offense of the Wild Things, Black Gold kept calm and were able to get some sort of control over the match, albeit with a lot of effort. Blackman looked to put it away when he had Barr lined up for the running bicycle kick. But out of nowhere, a masked man showed up at ringside and pulled down the top rope , causing Blackman to tumble out of the ring. The mystery man attacked Blackman and the ref called for the DQ. Douglas came to his partner's aid while the masked man dove into the ring and stood beside Cactus and Barr and pulled off his mask revealing … EDDIE GUERRERO? A gasp came up from the crowd and Chavo, Hector and Mando Guerrero ran out, pleading for their younger brother to come back with him. Barr put his arm around Eddie and grinned as Eddie fixed his brothers with a look of pure hatred. Cactus held up three fingers ... and then changed that to four fingers. What on Earth is going on? Ron Garvin, Leo Burke & John Tenta vs. Buddy Rose, Ed Wiskowski & Cannonball Grizzly Normally, Garvin would team up with his good friend Fit Finlay in his battles with Rose and his cohorts. But tonight, he was reuniting with his old Canadian Connection friend Leo Burke along with BC native John Tenta to form something of a Canadian super team against the Playboy Club. In typical Playboy fashion, Rose didn't want anything to do with the opposition, leaving his men to fight most of his battle for him and only coming in when they had the advantage. But his luck ran out when Garvin knocked Wiskowski into the corner and the Polish Prince accidentally tagged in the Playboy. Garvin dragged Rose into the ring and he and his partners battered the Playboy while keeping Wiskowski and Grizzly from bailing out their leader. Tenta finally put him out of his misery by pinning him with the Big Quake. Garvin, Burke and Tenta stood proud in the ring while "O, Canada" played and the Canadian fans applauded their hometown heroes, capping off a great Canada Day special.

Pacific Coast Wrestling Show from the UCSB Event Center, Santa Barbara, June 26th Leo Burke vs. Doug Furnas The veteran Burke provided a real trial by fire for young Furnas, countering the Pride member's considerable power with his own well honed skill. He almost had the Sleeper Hold locked on Furnas, but Furnas was able to drive him back first into the corner to break the hold. Furnas then hit a scoop powerslam on Burke to get a hard earned win. Bret & Owen Hart vs. Joe & Dean Malenko These two teams of brothers had an absolute classic, with both teams working in synch like a Swiss watch and plentiful combination moves and double teams. Unfortunately , this was marred when Bret was slugging it out with both Malenkos. While the ref was distracted trying to retain some order, Gary Young, likely acting on orders from Mr. Bob Backlund, snuck into the ring and DDTed Owen Hart before running out of the ring. Joe Malenko turned around and saw Owen flat on the ground. He looked a bit confused but still went for the cover, getting the pinfall while Dean held back Bret. Curt Hennig rushed out to the ring and tried to explain to the ref what happened, but the ref declared that he couldn't call what he didn't see and the decision stood. The Malenko's attitude was that , whatever might have happened, it was nothing to do with them and they still got the pinfall. Regardless, I don't think we have seen the last of this matchup. The Wild Things (Cactus Jack & Art Barr) vs. Mando & Hector Guerrero The Guerreros came out first, bearing worried looks on their faces, likely concerned with their missing younger brother Eddie. Their mood was not helped by Cactus and Barr, who mocked them by wearing t-shirts bearing a picture of Eddie and a caption reading "Have You Seen Me?" This enraged the Guerreros, who furiously attacked the two young upstarts. This might have seemed like a serious tactical error on the part of the Wild Things, but as the match wore on, the cunning of the move revealed itself. The Guerreros were so infuriated that their judgement went out the window, leading to them falling into several traps set by the Wild Things that they normally would have avoided. This culminated in Mando being blindsided by a clothesline from behind by Cactus Jack that set him up for a Frog Splash by Barr, giving the Wild Things a very impressive victory indeed. Dan Severn vs. Akira Maeda Out of nowhere, this has become one of the most brutal feuds in PCW history. As he did in their match in Japan, Severn was wearing a plastic face guard to protect his injured cheekbone , and much like that match, all finesse and technique went out the window early on. These two beat each other bloody in a heated brawl until the referee, sick and tired of being shoved around by the two combatants, declared a no contest. They continued going at it until the Hart Brothers, the Pride and Badd Company all had to come out to separate the two. Curt Hennig vs. Gary Young Ever since Young interfered in Hennig's match with Nick Bockwinkel, Hennig has been looking to get a piece of Mr. Bob Backlund's chief enforcer. Now that they were finally in the ring together, the two had a titanic battle where the momentum swung back and forth throughout. Young had gained the advantage when Owen Hart, still upset over Young's interference in his match, came out to the ring. The ref tried to shoo him away , but Young mocked Owen as he set Hennig up for a DDT. But while the ref was looking the other way, Bret Hart came in from the other side of the ring and shoulder blocked Young with a clip to the leg from behind. Given what Young had done to him before, Hennig was not about to pass up this assistance and the crowd cheered as he pinned Young with a cradle suplex. Young and the Knights Templar had been riding on a wave of dominance up until recently, but now they are starting to discover the cost of making so many enemies. Pacific Tag Team Title Match : Black Gold (Steve Blackman & Shane Douglas) © vs. Badd Company These two teams have had some real barn burner matches, and tonight was no exception. Badd Company came incredibly close to taking the titles on several occasions before Douglas was finally able to catch Tanaka in a belly to belly suplex to put an end, for now, to their challenge. Pacific Light Heavyweight Title Match : Black Tiger © vs. Brian Pillman Black Tiger has had some incredible matches since winning the Light Heavyweight Title, but for the first time, he would be defending the title in the main event. They certainly picked a great challenger for this historic match, as the popular young Cincinnati native Pillman has already had several standout matches against Black Tiger. These two had a sensational match, with plentiful high flying and a breakneck pace that just wouldn't let up. Tiger seemed to have it all in hand when he set up Pillman for the Black Tiger Bomb. Quick as a flash, Pillman countered it with a Sunset Flip. But the always aware Black Tiger reversed that with a double leg cradle that just barely held Pillman's shoulders to the mat for the one two three. After the match, the two men shook hands and the fans gave them a standing ovation, aware that they had just witnessed a classic.

Wow, Wendi Richter's comeback is definitely complete and she is the Triple Crown Queen.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from the LA Sports Arena, Los Angeles, on Pacific Super Cards on ESPN / TSN, June 25th Barry Windham, Ron Simmons & Konnan vs. Maxx Payne, Sid Vicious & Sabu Konnan took the mask of the now former Lord Humongous at Seattle Showdown, but the newly dubbed Sid Vicious got his revenge a couple of weeks later with a brutal sneak attack. This time out, they would be facing each other in six man action, with Konnan bringing in his Brigade Brothers to face the Crazy Gang. Konnan seemed to especially have a lot of support from the LA fans, and although Vicious towered over him, the masked man refused to knuckle under. Once again, Sabu seemed to rankle his teammates by insisting on taking as much time in the ring as possible. This led to him falling prey to an elevated DDT by Konnan , giving a crowd pleasing win to the Brigade. This time, it was all the other members of the Crazy Gang who were on Sabu's case after the match. He seemed to be twitching and shaking even more than usual. It doesn't seem like he is too happy with their complaints. Coast To Coast (John Tatum & Jack Victory) vs. The Bomb Squad (Chris Candido & Al Snow) It didn't take long after their departure from the Knights Templar for Tatum and Victory to find themselves across the ring from their former teammates. "Hollywood" John Tatum's hometown fans seemed to be out in force tonight, not surprising given his earlier passioned defense of California to Mr. Bob Backlund's critiques. The Bomb Squad were intent on punishing Tatum and Victory for their defection, but Coast To Coast were reveling in their new found freedom, and when Tatum nailed Candido with the Superkick, the fans roared in approval as the ref made the three count. Jim Neidhart vs. Paul Diamond The Anvil has been on quite the hot streak in his home state of California. This continued when he forced Diamond to submit to a Camel Clutch Tony St. Clair & British Steel (Steven Regal & Robbie Brookside) vs. Curtis Hughes & The Wild Bulls (Ed & Rick Gantner) The British Invasion have been doing very well of late, but Ronnie P. Gossett's men were determined to put a stop to that. The two teams had a knock down, drag out battle which reached a climax when Ed Gantner caught St. Clair by surprise with the Bull Hammer (running forearm smash to the head) and got the pinfall. The Bullpen were as much overjoyed by this as the rest of the fans were shocked. Gossett is going to be especially insufferable now that his man has pinned the TV champ. The Rainbow Warriors & Texas Red vs. The Midnight Express & Big Bubba Rogers Continuing from their match the week previous, Texas Red and Big Bubba furiously slugged it out with each other every chance they got. As the two monsters fought each other to a stalemate, their teammates continued their ongoing feud, with Adams trapping Lane in a bearhug, but Eaton coming off the top rope with an elbow smash to the back of the head that finally gave the match to Camp Cornette. Pacific Heavyweight Title Match : Nick Bockwinkel © vs. Bob Backlund At last, the long awaited main event pitting the Pacific champion against the holder of the California and Submission titles. True to his word, Backlund came out on his own, leaving the rest of the Knights Templar in the back. Bockwinkel was coming off an hour long draw with Antonio Inoki in Tokyo, and took an extended break in Japan before returning to the US. He certainly didn't seem in any hurry to get the ring, leisurely strolling and smirking at the fans, and continued to stall as he put off locking up with Backlund for as long as possible. But Backlund was patient and tore right into Bock the moment he got into range. The two had a classic match that had the fans spellbound. No matter what each wrestler did to get the other in a compromising spot, Backlund and Bockwinkel would draw on their considerable experience to make their escape. It seemed like Bockwinkel would take the match when he got the Figure Four Leglock on Backlund, but Backlund reversed it into an Indian Leglock. It looked like that would be it for Bockwinkel, but he was able to hold out until the bell rang, signaling another 1 hour time limit draw. Bockwinkel is proving to be the Iron Man of Pacific Coast Wrestling, raising the question : what will it take to beat him for the title?

Pacific Wrestling Showcase from the Olympic Auditorium , Los Angeles , on ESPN / TSN, June 24th Bret Hart vs. Al Snow With all of the drama surrounding the Knights Templar, one aspect that has been slowly gaining attention has been their gradually growing feud with the Hart Family. Bret and Owen has gotten a number of wins over the Bomb Squad, along with brother in law Jim Neidhart's matches with Bob Backlund and Chris Candido. Backlund was in Snow's corner for this match, observing the action with his usual baleful look. Young Snow proved to be quite a handful for the more experienced Hart, even coming close to hitting the Wheelbarrow Suplex. Hart was able to counter it with a modified Victory Roll and keep Snow's shoulders to the mat for the one two three. Once again, Backlund could be seen intensely conversing with Snow as they left the ring together. Leo Burke, US Steel, Steve Blackman & Shane Douglas vs. Chavo, Mando, Hector & Eddie Guerrero Well, that is what the match was supposed to be. The Army came out and were ready to go. But it was when the Guerrero's came out that the confusion started. There was a long pause and Chavo, Mando and Hector came out, but there was no sign of Eddie. The other brothers had a great look of consternation on their faces as they explained to the referee that their youngest brother was missing and they had no idea where he could be. Leo Burke agreed to sit out the match so that the sides would be even. The match was fairly fast paced, with the Guerreros doing everything they could to keep the much bigger US Steel out of the ring. But the match took a turn for the even stranger when the Wild Things , recently outcast from the Army, came to ringside. When Mando was whipped into the ropes by Douglas, Art Barr pulled down the top rope, causing Mando to hurtle out of the ring. Cactus then clotheslined Mando, causing the Guerrero Brother to be counted out of the ring. In spite of the win, the Army were incredibly upset with the unasked for interference and started to argue with the Wild Things. The Guerreros were angry with both groups, and a three way shoving match erupted that was only stopped by the intervention of PCW security. John Tatum & Jack Victory vs. Brian Corridan & Brandon Bellinger Another pair of wrestlers recently exiled from their faction are the team of Tatum and Victory. Their rough and rowdy personalities always seemed to clash with the much more sober disposition of the Knights Templar, but it seems to have found favor with the fans. Tatum and Victory didn't seem to know how to react to the fans' approval, but simply got on with the dismantling of Corridan and Bellinger. It didn't take long for them to get the win, with Tatum Superkicking Corridan out of the ring while Victory hit the Victory-Plex on Bellinger. This is clearly a duo that is breathing a bit easier now that they are away from Mr. Bob Backlund's influence. Barry Windham vs. Sabu There seems to be a bit of a plague of disciplinary issues in the various factions in PCW. Percy Pringle and the rest of the Crazy Gang have been showing irritation at the increasingly reckless tactics of young Sabu. Tonight, he was facing the newly resurgent Barry Windham, coming back from his loss to Nick Bockwinkel at Seattle Showdown. Despite the exhortations of Pringle, Sabu kept going at his usual Go For Broke pace. While this kept Windham on his toes for much of the match, eventually Sabu's luck ran out as he careened full speed into a Western Lariat from the former Pacific Champion. Windham followed up with a Bulldog Headlock that put Sabu down for the count. Pringle kept lecturing Sabu as they returned to the locker room, but the Madman from Bombay didn't seem to be paying attention. Is Sabu turning out to be too crazy for the Crazy Gang? Golden Sate Tag Team Title Match : Tabarnak De Team (Big Jos Leduc & Pierre Carl Ouellet) © vs. British Steel (Steven Regal & Robbie Brookside) TDT seemed unstoppable before, but after betraying Fit Finlay and joining the Playboy Club, they have become even more ruthless. Tonight they would be defending their titles against Regal and Brookside, former Pacific Tag Champs. After months of strife that looked like they might just split the team for good, British Steel have confirmed their partnership and are back on track in their pursuit of gold. TDT certainly put them through the wringer, with the rough and tumble French Canadians showing no concern for the rules as they brawled with the young Englishmen. But the past few months have forged British Steel into an unbreakable duo who refused to knuckle under to the champions. No matter what TDT threw at them, Regal and Brookside fired back with equal drive and vigor. Once again, TDT resorted to using their axe handles, which got them disqualified but they still retained their belts. British Steel were battered but unbowed, and I don't think the French Canadian team have seen the last of them.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from the Selland Arena, Fresno, June 19th Jim Neidhart vs. Chris Candido Neidhart had just come off an intense and draining challenge of Bob Backlund a couple of nights before, but the Fresno native was once again not wanting to disappoint his hometown fans. Backlund was in Candido's corner for this match, and had an even deeper scowl than usual on his face as he watched the match with intense concentration. Candido threw everything he could at the Anvil, but Neidhart was able to bowl him off his feet with several big shoulder tackles before trapping him in the Anvilizer (swinging Cobra Clutch). He kept Candido in the hold a bit longer than necessary after the match before letting him drop to the mat. Backlund had a protective arm around Candido as he helped him back to the locker room. British Steel (Steven Regal & Robbie Brookside) vs. The Midnight Express The newly resurgent British Steel pulled off a major upset as Brookside pinned Lane with a backslide. US Steel vs. Mando Guerrero More Steel victory, as US Steel hit the Steel Driver (front slam) for the win Jeff Jarrett vs. Akira Maeda Jarrett was out to avenge his good friend Dan Severn and gave a determined fight to Maeda before the Japanese Assassin forced him to tap out to the Half Nelson Choke John Tenta vs. Buddy Rose The Playboy really didn't want to engage with the former Sumo star, but still managed to stay in the ring with Tenta and keep competitive with his devious bag of tricks and short cuts. His luck ran out when he tried to duck out of the ring, only for Fit Finlay and Ron Garvin to show up and shove him back in the ring. Tenta then drove him to the mat with a side suplex and crushed him with the Big Quake for the win. Golden State Tag Team Title Match : Tabarnak De Team (Big Jos Leduc & Pierre Carl Ouellet) © vs. Fit Finlay & Ron Garvin The newest members of the Playboy Club were looking to get some payback for their leader against Finlay and Garvin. The result was a wild, chaotic brawl that completely broke down when TDT brought in their axe handles , and Finlay and Garvin retaliated with steel chairs, with the ref ultimately declaring a double DQ. Pacific Television Title Match : Tony St. Clair © vs. Ed Wiskowski "Tough" Tony had a titanic battle with Buddy Rose's top lieutenant for the TV Title. The Polish Prince really put the champ through the ringer, and it looked like a close thing if St. Clair was going to hold onto the title at all. But "Tough" Tony lived up to his name and weathered out the storm before battling back and eventually hitting the spinning forearm smash on Easy Ed to pull out the hard fought victory.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from the Cow Palace , San Francisco, on Pacific Super Cards on ESPN / TSN, June 18th Mando Guerrero vs. Ed Gantner With his brother teaming with Curtis Hughes the night before, Ed Gantner stepped out in solo action against the veteran Mando Guerrero. Mando gave a good accounting of himself but the sheer power and aggression of the Bull was too much as Gantner hit the Bull Hammer (running forearm smash to the face) for the win. The Rainbow Warriors (Vic Steamboat & Brian Adams) vs. Maxx Payne & Sabu It what is looking like a bit of a trend in PCW, Sabu was very focused on getting in the match as much as he could, in spite of his partner Maxx Payne and his manager Percy Pringle trying to get him to tag out. He recklessness caught up with him when he ran right into a Spinning Backbreaker from Adams that gave the decision to the Rainbow Warriors. Leo Burke vs. Cannonball Grizzly Burke wore down Grizzly with his hard fists and veteran instincts, but the big rookie managed to plant him with a belly to belly suplex before executing the Cannonball Crush (top rope splash) to get an impressive win. Texas Red vs. Big Bubba Rogers These two big behemoths went at it fist and fire until it broke down into an uncontrollable brawl that the ref had to ultimately declare a no contest. Bret Hart, Owen Hart & Brian Pillman vs. Bob Backlund & The Bomb Squad (Chris Candido & Al Snow) Although he came out of the previous night with both his titles in his possession, Backlund was still clearly smarting from the defection of John Tatum and Jack Victory from the Knights Templar, as well as unhappy with the Hart Brothers' victory over the Bomb Squad last week. He was very aggressive in this match, focusing a lot of attention on Bret Hart, the most experience member of the other team. The two sides had a tense and exciting match, and despite the best efforts of the Knights, Owen was still able to keep Snow's shoulders to the mat with a Victory Roll for the three count. Backlund was profoundly displeased with this result, and was in intense conversation with his men as they left the ring. Pacific Tag Team Title Match : Black Gold (Steve Blackman & Shane Douglas) © vs. Badd Company Black Gold have really gotten the fans behind them after their triumph over the Midnight Express at Seattle Showdown. The new Pacific Tag Champs had a tag team classic against the former Golden Tag Team Title holders with plentiful combination moves and near falls. It came down to a martial arts duel between Blackman and Tanaka where Blackman knocked him out with a roundhouse kick to successfully defend the titles.

Pacific Wrestling Showcase from the Oakland Alameda County Arena, Oakland, on ESPN / TSN, June 17th The Wild Things (Cactus Jack & Art Barr) vs. Jim Lynch & Blake Towsley Last week, Cactus Jack and Art Barr made their split from the Army and set out on their own. They made their first appearance under the name of the Wild Things at the co-promotional show in Japan , but this would be their North American re-debut. Lynch and Towsley were probably wishing that they had done so on another show, as the Wild Things were merciless as they bounced them all over the ring. Clearly looking to prove that they were heading in a different direction than the Army, they were downright cruel as they tormented the two rookies. It may have seemed like a relief for Lynch when Barr went up top and hit the Frog Splash for the win. But the Wild Things hadn't had enough fun yet, as Cactus clothesline Towsley out of the ring after the match, then followed up with a running elbow drop from the apron to the concrete floor. You've got to believe that some people in PCW are more than a bit nervous now that Cactus and Barr have been unleashed from Leo Burke's calming influence. The Pride (Joe Malenko, Dean Malenko & Doug Furnas) vs. Chavo, Hector & Eddie Guerrero Last week, The Pride scored an impressive victory over the Guerrero Brothers. A major factor in that match was the fact that Eddie was hot on the heels of a brutal and draining cage match against Art Barr. His brothers did their best to protect him in the six man match, but Eddie insisted in putting himself in the middle of the fray, leading to him being submitted by Dean Malenko. Still keen to prove himself, it was Eddie who insisted on this rematch. His brothers were still trying to keep him from being injured again, and no matter how much he called to them from the ring apron, they refused to tag them in. Once again, it led to them effectively giving up a 3 to 2 advantage, never a wise plan , especially against three stud athletes the caliber of Furnas and the Malenkos. Finally, in desperation, Chavo and Hector went to the corner … but Eddie was no longer there. They looked and saw him walking back to the locker room with a dejected look. They called to him , but he was clearly ignoring them and vanished through the curtain. The Pride took advantage of this distraction, and Joe hit a German Suplex on Chavo while Dean and Furnas dropkicked Hector out of the ring. As much as the loss must hurt, Hector and Chavo were clearly more concerned with what was going on with their youngest brother. Lord Humongous vs. Bobby John Drinkard Before the match started, Percy Pringle came out that Lord Humongous was no more. After losing his mask in a match with Konnan, he was no long going to settle for merely ruling the wastelands. He was now the man who rules the world … SID VICIOUS! The newly dubbed Sid Vicious lived up to his name as he administered an hellacious drubbing on poor Drinkard. He whipped the unfortunate rookie from pillar to post and slammed him repeatedly to the mat before planting him with a Power Bomb. Not satisfied with one, he administered 2 more before planting his foot on Drinkard's chest to finally put an end to this massacre. Drinkard was taken away from the ring on a stretcher, from which Vicious callously tossed him on his way back to the locker room. If Vicious is going to rule the world, he is certainly off to a convincing start. Interview : Frank Bonnema stands in the ring Bonnema : Ladies and gentlemen, my next guests didn't take long to become one of the most dominant groups in Pacific Coast Wrestling … the Knights Templar! The crowd boos as Bob Backlund, Gary Young, Chris Candido, Al Snow, Jack Victory and John Tatum all troop out to the ring. Contrary to their more recent appearances, this time Tatum and Victory look just as disgruntled as the rest of the Knights. Bonnema : Bob … errr, Mr. Bob Backlund, it looks like everything is coming up roses for you and your men, with you holding both the California and the Submission titles. But word is that not all is well in the ranks of the Knights Templar. Care to comment? Backlund : Yes, but not to the likes of you, Bonnema. You have no place in our business. Hand over that microphone and get out. (Bonnema shrugs and does just that.) Tatum! (John Tatum pouts even more, if that is possible) We brought you into the Knights Templar based on the recommendation of Jack Victory. We all had such high hopes for you. But I am starting to feel like you are not truly Knights Templar material. Frankly, you have become an attitude and disciplinary problem. I am doubting your commitment to clean living. Worse, your presence is having a negative effect on Jack Victory. But worst of all, last week, I gave you a direct order to take care of Billy Jack Haynes, and you refused! What do you have to say for yourself? Tatum : When my good friend Jack called me up and told me about your so-called Knights, it sounded like the roughest, toughest bunch of scrappers in wrestling. I jumped at the chance to join in! But then I find they're a bunch of milk-drinking mama's boys! (The rest of the Knights are clearly annoyed by this) This is the least amount of fun I've ever had. I didn't sign up to hear no sermon. You're the California Champ, but you keep running down California, saying it is corrupt and evil. I love California! (A cheer from the California fans) I'm "Hollywood" John Tatum, this is my home state. I don't want to hear that garbage about it. And then you keep making with the orders. Orders, orders, orders … always orders! And you order me to attack Billy Jack Haynes. He's one of the toughest SOBs I've ever faced, he's earned my respect. We settled our differences in the ring like men and I don't have a beef with him anymore. I'm not going to stab him in the back just because of your orders! Backlund : I see . I think it is safe to say that your time in the Knights Templar is at a close. The question is, are you the only one to leave? Jack, what are your thoughts on this? Do you stand with him … or do you stand with us? Victory : Well, Mr. Bob Backlund, John was definitely right in one respect … I did tell him how great the Knights Templar were. I've seen what a leader you are close up. I've seen the incredible things you could do. Gary Young … in one of the most shameful things I've done, I helped kick you out of what was the Hollywood Knights. (Young glares) We left you laying in the ring. Then you came back and Mr. Backlund helped you become one of the most feared competitors in PCW. You got a TV title shot against Tony St. Clair and proved to everyone you are the real deal. And Chris, Al … (Candido and Snow give him a wary look) the Bomb Squad were a promising but very inexperienced team. Mr. Backlund worked his magic and you are rocketing up the tag team rankings. You are tournament finalists and even got a shot at the Pacific Tag Titles. But here's the thing …. I was getting wins *before* Mr. Bob Backlund came on the scene. I was knocking off opponents left and right , and after the Knights Templar formed, I kept on doing it. So where's my title shot, huh? All the praise, all the glory, went to your boys here, while I got the results but none of the praise. In fact, the only one I see here with any actual title belts … is you! (Backlund's face starts to turn red with anger.) You've got two titles, and you expect us to put our effort into helping you get a third to add to your collection. Frankly, *Bob* , (Backlund is getting more furious) it seems like this group has always been all about you. I'm never going to be one of your pet projects, I'm never going to be one of your personal favorites, so what's the point? John is my best friend, he's always had my back, he's never made me feel second class … I'm sticking with him! Backlund : (just barely getting himself under control) Very well. If that's how you feel, I won't stop you. Just be aware that, if you walk out the door and leave the Knights Templar, it will lock behind you and never open up again. Victory : Maybe so, but we are going to walk out with our heads held high! Been real, *Bob*! Tatum and Victory leave the ring. The rest of the Knights look like they are going to go after them, but Backlund gives them the signal to stand down. Regardless, Backlund looks incredibly disappointed. Ron Simmons & Dingo Warrior vs. Curtis Hughes & Rick Gantner The focused Simmons and the over the top Warrior may have made for an unusual friendship, but they have become an effective team lately. At Seattle Showdown, Simmons and Hughes fought each other to a standstill. Tonight, Hughes would bring in one half of the Wild Bulls as his partner, and Ronnie P. Gossett's men gave a ferocious battle to the two powerhouses. Hughes and Simmons went at it fist and fire, and Gantner showed no fear in slugging it out with Dingo before finally going down to a powerslam. A hard fought victory, but Hughes is going to want another crack at Simmons sooner or later. California & Submission Title Match : Bob Backlund © vs. Jim Neidhart After what transpired earlier in the evening, Bob Backlund was clearly displeased and looking for someone on whom to take out his displeasure. Enter the Anvil. After quickly tapping out to Maxx Payne at Seattle Showdown, Neidhart has been anxious to prove himself and erase all memory of that from the minds of the fans. Being both a California native and a former Oakland Raider, he also didn't want to let down his hometown crowd. Backlund was very aggressive with Neidhart from the start of the match, but seemed caught off guard by Neidhart matching his aggression, shot for shot and move for move. Neidhart was able to knock Backlund off his feet with a running tackle, then tried to apply the Camel Clutch. Backlund has especially bad memories of that particular move and fought his way out of it. Neidhart then tried to trap him in the Anvilizer (swinging Cobra Clutch), but Backlund also had a lot of experience with the Camel Clutch through past battles with Sgt. Slaughter, and was able to counter with an armdrag. Backlund went all out on Neidhart, working over his shoulder and looking to capitalize on the past injury. He finally caught Neidhart in the Cross Face Chicken Wing and it seemed like that was it for the Anvil. Neidhart was clearly in agony but kept fighting. He kept pushing back with his powerful legs until he was able to get to the ropes, forcing the break. Backlund looked both surprised and impressed. Strangely, for the rest of the match, Backlund seemed to be deliberately avoiding Neidhart's vulnerable shoulder, instead trying to catch him in a pinning situation. Neidhart still had enough left in the tank to keep powering out, and was exchanging mighty forearm shots with Backlund when the bell rang to declare a 15 minute TV time limit draw. After the match, Backlund shook Neidhart's hand in a show of respect, something he was not prone for showing to anyone outside the Knights Templar.

(No idea why, but my post has an extra picture of Kobayashi at the bottom of it. Please ignore it, it has no particular significance . )

New Japan Pro Wrestling / Pacific Coast Wrestling Co-Promotional Show, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan, June 14th Leo Burke vs. Super Strong Machine Pacific Coast Wrestling pulled off a major coup by working out an agreement with New Japan to hold the first ever international co-promotional show, taking place in the storied Korakuen Hall. For one night only, stars from PCW and NJPW would square off against each other in what was sure to be a classic night of wrestling. The show kicked off with the Canadian veteran Leo Burke facing Super Strong Machine. Machine had worked previously in PCW and there was clear respect between the two. They had a close technical match that ended with Machine pinning Burke with the Devil Windmill Suplex (bridging underhook suplex). After the match, the two men bowed to each other as the fans applauded a great opener. Brian Pillman vs. Osamu Kido During his year and a half so far in PCW, Flyin' Brian earned a reputation for both his high flying and his tag team skills. But of late, with his war with Gary Young, Pillman has gotten to be known for his toughness and determination. This match would prove to be a stand out example of his toughness. His opponent was a former partner of new PCW star Akria Maeda, and he didn't hold anything back against the former Cincinnati Bengal, with brutal kicks and weardown holds. Pillman showed his grit by weathering out this storm with his own stiff chops and lightning quick dropkicks before pulling out the win with the Air Pillman. The Japanese fans were buzzing with talk of this young superstar in their midst. The Pride (Joe Malenko, Dean Malenko & Doug Furnas) vs. Kengo Kimura, Kuniyaki Kobayashi & Kantaro Hoshino The Pride definitely got some notice right out of the gates with their trademark Lion emblems, evoking the Lion symbol of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The focus was soon on the wealth of skill and technical ability they brought to the ring. The Malenko Brothers had plenty of experience wrestling in Japan, and they and Furnas more than held their own against some of the top Japanese stars, with Joe pinning Hoshino with a German Suplex. Another victory to add to the Pride's increasing credentials. The Wild Things (Art Barr & Cactus Jack) vs. Badd Company This would be a showcase for the PCW tag team roster. The Japanese fans were not sure what to make of the Wild Things , the duo of Barr and Cactus who had just broken away from the Army. They certainly lived up to their name, with their unconventional personalities and reckless style. They certainly proved a handful for Badd Company, with the former Golden State Tag Team Champs throwing everything they could at the Wild Things to try to keep them at bay. Diamond wound up hitting the reverse cross body press on Catus to give the win to Badd Company. In spite of the loss, the Wild Things had certainly served notice that they were their own men and not to be taken lightly. Barry Windham & Curt Hennig vs. Seiji Sakaguchi & Kazuo Yamazaki Windham and Hennig have just gotten back into action after a pair of tough losses at Seattle Showdown, and definitely were not in for a pushover match, facing Japanese veteran Sakaguchi and relative youngster Yamazaki. The two second generation stars didn't take long to get in rhythm show the crowd why they were two of the top stars in PCW. Windham was able to score the victory for his team with a lariat on Yamazaki. They may have taken some knocks lately, but the Brigade are back on track. Buddy Rose vs. Tatsumi Fujinami Some snickering was heard from the crowd as Buddy Rose made his the way to the ring, which grew into barely suppressed laughter when he took off his robe. The Playboy certainly didn't seem to fit their image of a top level wrestler, and he didn't help his image with his extreme reluctance by his reluctance to lock up with the great Japanese star. But as the match went on, Rose came to show why he was a multiple time champion in PCW. No matter what compromising position Fujinami tried to get him in, Rose would figure out an escape, by hook or by crook. He proceeded to frustrate Fujinami throughout the match, taking some damage but being able to bounce back and score some impactful moves of his own. He gave a credible showing until Fujinami was finally able to hit the enzuigiri in the middle of the ring to put down the Playboy for good. After the match, Fujinami bowed in respect to Rose, a gesture the Playboy begrudgingly returned. Pacific Light Heavyweight Title Match : Black Tiger © vs. Nobuhiko Takada Black Tiger had already been a champion in Japan before , but came in as the reigning Pacific Light Heavyweight Champion. He was facing incredibly fierce competition in former IWGP Light Heavyweight Champion Nobuhiko Takada. Takada is a former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title holder and one of the most highly regarded competitors in Japan. Black Tiger has faced many competitors in his time as champion, but has never faced anyone quite like Takada. Takada was immediately on him with hard kicks that staggered the masked man. He swiftly was on him with wear down holds, trying to lock in for a submission. It was all Tiger could do to manage an escape every time he could. But he wasn't the PCW Light Heavyweight champion for no reason, and battled his way back, ultimately hitting a tombstone piledriver for the incredibly hard fought win. Dan Severn vs. Akira Maeda Severn was making his return after Maeda's craven attack on him, and was wearing a plastic face protector to cover his damaged cheekbone. He was clearly out for revenge and didn't even wait for the bell to ring before he went after Maeda. Both men are highly skilled competitors, but that seemed to go out the window as this broke down fairly quickly into an out and out fight. Severn's face mask was a ready target for Maeda, who took every chance he could to remove it, but when he got it off, that simply drove Severn to attack even more fiercely. The match fully boiled over when Maeda hit a wheel kick on Severn in the corner that ended up opening a nasty gash on Severn's forehead. For many, that would be enough to throw in the towel, but for Severn it was more like waving a red flag to a bull. With blood streaming down his face, Severn unleashed all of his aggression on Maeda's face, busting him open in turn. The two kept on tearing into each other until the ref had enough, calling for a no contest. It took a full complement of New Japan and Pacific Coast wrestlers to separate the two, and one could tell this feud would carry on in PCW. IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match : Shiro Koshinaka © vs. Owen Hart Koshinaka has won the title twice in the past year and a half, and has faced the top competition in all of New Japan. Tonight, he would face one of the rising stars of PCW, the youngest son of the legendary Hart family and a former Golden State Tag Team and California champion. Owen is one of the most athletically gifted wrestlers in PCW, and he presented a considerable challenge to Koshinaka's title. The two had a thrilling match with Owen coming close on several occasions to getting the three count. Koshinaka was still able to execute the Samurai Driver to get the three count, but Owen had definitely made a good impression on the Japanese fans. Riki Choshu & Yoshiaki Fujiwara vs. Bob Backlund & Gary Young Ever since his return to Pacific Coast Wrestling, Gary Young has been Mr. Bob Backlund's most dedicated acolyte. He would do anything to impress his mentor, and this match was proof of that. He was facing two of the toughest men in New Japan, and arguable in all of wrestling. Choshu and Fujiwara really put Young through the wringer, including a number of excruciating arm and leglocks, but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of giving in, fighting like the devil to get to the ropes to escape. He made them pay some dues before tagging out to Backlund. The former World Champion and current California and Submission champion was certainly well known in Japan, and showed why he had run roughshod over PCW before pinning Fujiwara with the Backlund Bridge. As they left the ring, Backlund was helping the battered Young back to the locker room, a proud look on his face. Antonio Inoki vs. Nick Bockwinkel The evening had finally come to the main event, with two top champions of New Japan and PCW facing off in the ring. Inoki had been crowned IWGP Heavyweight Champion two days before with a victory over Masa Saito in the tournament finals of the Champion Series, while Bockwinkel had defeated Barry Windham for the Pacific Heavyweight Title at Seattle Showdown a couple of weeks before. Neither title would be on the line tonight. They would be fighting for pride, prestige, and the reputation of their respective promotions. The match started slowly, with the two men feeling each other out, trying to find a weakness. There was an extended period of matwork that went to a stalemate before they returned to their feet and continued their battle. Inoki, a legend in Japan as well as around the world, was relentless in his pursuit of Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel in turned showed why he is a multiple time world champion and the top man in PCW, withstanding the worst of Inoki's attacks as well as dishing out plenty of punishment on his own. He even managed to get Inoki in the Figure Four leglock and held it for quite some time before Inoki was able to reverse it, forcing Bock to grab the ropes and force the release. Bockwinkel was even able to duck out of the way of an enzuigiri from Inoki, showing his well honed veteran instincts. Inoki was finally able to get Bockwinkel down in a crossbow submission, but Bockwinkel was able to hold out long enough for the bell to ring, signalling a 60 minute time limit draw. The two men bowed and shook hands afterwards, and the fans applauded, having seen both an epic match and a great night of wrestling.

Pacific Coast Wrestling show from McArthur Court, Eugene, June 12th The Rainbow Warriors (Vic Steamboat & Brian Adams) vs. Badd Company The popular Rainbow Warriors and the former Golden State Tag Champs had an intense tag team match that ended when the Warriors hit the Refraction (vertical suplex by Adams into a flying cross body press by Steamboat) on Tanaka Leo Burke vs. Big Bubba Rogers A knock down drag out fight between the General of the Army and Jim Cornette's bodyguard that went to Rogers with the Big Bubba Slam. US Steel vs. Gary Young Steel had a considerable weight and power advantage over Mr. Bob Backlund's favorite son, but Young refused to be intimidated, and the two had a ferocious battle. Part way through the match, Curt Hennig came down to ringside and proceeded to stare daggers at Young. While he didn't interfere in the match, Hennig proved to be quite a distraction, and when Young stopped one too many times to jaw with him, US Steel was able to catch him with the Steel Driver (front slam) to get the victory. Sabu vs. Doug Furnas Furnas was not sure what to make of the Wild Man of the Crazy Gang, who went all out against the Oklahoma powerhouse. Furnas kept his cool and was able to catch Sabu coming off the ropes with a power slam, then followed up with the Volunteer Slam (running Canadian backbreaker into the corner) to finally put him down. Pacific Light Heavyweight Title Match : Black Tiger © vs. Jeff Jarrett Since his return after being hurt by Mr. Bob Backlund, Jarrett was looking to come back to his team with his good friend Dan Severn. But with Severn being ambushed Akira Maeda, Jarrett has had to focus more on singles match. He put his all into challenging Black Tiger for the Light Heavyweight title, and the result was what many present called Jarrett's best singles match so far. He came very close to pinning the champ on a number of occasions, and both men were going strong when the bell rang to signal a 20 minute time limit draw. Both men shook hands in respect after the match, and the fans applauded them for a top flight match. Pacific Television Title Match : Tony St. Clair © vs. Cannonball Grizzly Cannonball Grizzly was certainly an imposing challenger for St. Clair, and got some crushing slams and power moves on him. But "Tough" Tony weathered out the storm, and little by little, was able to chip away at the big man. He was eventually able to hit the spinning forearm smash, which would usually signal the end of the match. But while this staggered Grizzly, somehow he stayed on his feet. A startled St. Clair hit the spinning forearm smash again, but once again, Grizzly was stunned but still standing. St. Clair came off the ropes for a third spinning forearm smash, and this was finally enough to knock Grizzly to the mat. Figuring he might need more to keep him down, St. Clair went to the second turnbuckle and hit a flying kneedrop on Grizzly's sternum before going for the pin. The ref counted one two three, and St. Clair had survived his biggest challenge yet, if just barely.