New American Force Interview/HAM Responds

 

With Canadian Nick Kiniski on the shelf, Croatian-Canadian Paul Diamond has no choice but to make Shawn Michaels the first actual American member of a team in the "American Force" lineage. Meanwhile, in an empty arena, Al Madril struggles to pronounce "Hern" and gets overly fired up about counting.

 

Joe Lightfoot vs. The Samoan

 

Nothing match. The Samoan looks like Killer Khan with an afro, which should make him awesome, but he's actually kinda shitty.

 

Al Madril vs. Tom Jones

 

Fun while it lasted, but it didn't last long.

 

Joe Lightfoot vs. Carl Clark (JIP)

 

Another cool but short match. Never seen Clark before, but he looked really good. Lightfoot showed a lot more here than he did in the Samoan match. This got kinda chippy at points, and there was a cool spot where Clark was beating on Lightfoot, and Lightfoot managed to land a desperation headbutt, but it knocked him back to the mat and Clark kept coming. First time I recall seeing the invincible head of the negro sub-species used for evil. Not sure why he sold Lightfoot's diving tomahawk chop at the end, and for a guy who uses the Indian deathlock as a finisher, Lightfoot has a shitty Indian deathlock. Still, I dug this while it lasted.

 

Joe Lightfoot/Mike Golden Indian Leg Wrestling Thingamajig

 

Stack and Rapido are in the ring after the match to interview Lightfoot, but Golden hits the ring to talk shit about his use of the Indian Deathlock, and how his figure-four has put three men on the shelf. Lightfoot challenges him to some sort of Indian leg wrestling game where they both lie on their backs and hook legs. After much hemming and occasionally racist hawing, Golden goes through with it, and Lightfoot quickly overpowers him and throws him off. Golden doesn't take kindly to being shown up, and quickly gets back to his feet, jumps him, and locks on the figure-four, but Lightfoot hangs in there and turns it over. The Hoods run in to attack Lightfoot, but American Force New and Old make the save, leading to Lightfoot challenging Golden to a hold vs. hold match. Very well done angle, though probably shy of extra material.

 

One Man Gang Interview

 

The Gang has arrived in Texas All-Star, and I couldn't be happier. Then he calls out Big Bubba, and I am somewhat less happy. He heads out to the ring, apparently ready to get it on right there and then. Sure enough, Bubba hits the ring, but after sizing him up, Gang backs off, saying he just wanted to see how big Bubba really was, but warning him to watch out, because he could be coming for him at any time.

 

Chavo Guerrero vs. The Samoan

 

Good semi-competive squash. Madril runs in to attack Chavo after he gets the win, but Chavo turns the tables and runs him out of the arena. Stacks and Rapido talk to Chavo and show some good clips of their match from Freeman Coliseum to determine who would get to keep the Texas Tag Titles. It ended with no decision, but now they're gonna have a rematch in a cage, so Madril has nowhere to run. Possible extra.

 

Chavo Guerrero & Terry Daniels Interview/Black Gordman & Dale Veasey Respond

 

Terry Daniels is a man who should not wear a belly shirt.

 

New American Force vs. Buck Slaughter & J.R. Hogg

 

Squash.

 

Rick McCord vs. One of the Hoods

 

JIP at the end when one Hood walks out and presumably the other walks back in his place to steal a win.

 

Al Madril Interview

 

Madril - had previously chickened out of a match with Chavo, claiming he had left because he was hungry - now accepts a challenge to a cage match.

 

At this point, there's a trio of short documentary pieces on wrestling from 80's news programs, all of which were interesting and entertaining to one degree or another. Of particular note was an old clip from the first of Pat O'Connor demonstrating his famous roll on Joe Garagiola, and another bit from the first where the commentator muses how he "always wondered what it would be like to get swept up and carried away by a monsoon" before the camera zoomed out to reveal he was being carried away by Gorilla Monsoon. But the real highlight was the second piece, which focused mainly on Eddie Naquin, an elderly Cajun superfan during the glory days of Mid-South. Really came off like the kind of guy that if wrestling fans were more like him, wrestling would suck a lot less.

 

Big Bubba Interview

 

Steve Stacks unveils the trophy that will go to the winner of the Battle of the Alamo Battle Royale winner. Countdown until it gets smashed begins...now!

 

Big Bubba & New American Force Interview

 

They talk up an upcoming six-man tag against HAM.

 

Nick Kiniski vs. Kevin Collins

 

Kiniski is billed from Blaine, Washington, but it sounded to me like "Bland, Washington", which seems more appropriate.

 

Nick Kiniski Interview

 

Kiniski is still favoring his leg, but when it's all healed up, he's coming for Golden.

 

Joe Lightfoot vs. Dennis Stamp

 

So let me get this straight...Dennis Stamp was the worker of Texas All-Star? Because that's the impression I'm coming away with at this point. This wasn't quite as good as Stamp/Chavo - and consequently is not a nomination - but it isn't too far behind. Lightfoot has some nice explosive offense, great armdrags, dropkicks, and chops that really blast Stamp. He blew whatever top rope move he set up the finish with, and while this Indian Deathlock looked better, it still didn't look great, but he accquitted himself well overall. Still, this was all about Stamp, who found about a million different ways to bend the rules to take and keep control of the match. Also head a great-looking kneedrop that he got to bust out a million times. Awesome old-school heel shit. I'm really hoping there's something of his that I can actually nominate.

 

Mike Golden/Skandor Akbar Interview

 

Golden is unimpressed by the way every other wrestler has handed in their $4,000 checks to enter the Battle of the Alamo, so he shows us how to do it with class. Cut to earlier that day, where he summoned Steve Stacks and a camera crew to his home so he could give Stacks his check poolside while Fantasy rubbed him down with oil. We also get a clip of Akbar warning everyone that Kamala would win the Battle Royal no matter who got in his way.

 

Close-Up with Pepe Gonzalez & Little Tokyo

 

This isn't a great interview. In fact, Pepe Gonzalez is one of the shittiest micworkers I've ever seen. But it's still absolutely fascinating. All throughout this project, we have seen certain stereotypes and preconcieved notions that people - including myself at one point - have had about midget wrestling in America get toppled. And in some ways, this is the crowning achievement of that - Stacks and Rapido sit on the ring apron and talk to a pair of midgets about their personal lives, and it's the same sort of conversation they had in previous "Close-Up" segments with Michaels and Golden. Gonzalez and Tokyo are treated like normal folks, just the same as any other wrestler, no attempts at comedy are forced in, hell, the fact that their midgets doesn't even really get brought up. This is how boundries are broken, people. You treat people who may seem different with the same decency you would treat anybody else with, and sure enough, we learn that we're not so different after all. Anyway, Tokyo feels ignored when they try to talk to Gonzalez (as well he should, 'cause Gonzalez has literally nothing to say), so they end up taking it to the ring, where Gonzalez eventually drives Tokyo off.

 

HAM Interview

 

Madril further works his way into my heart as he outs himself as a Little Tokyo fan.

 

Rick McCord & Tom Jones vs. Dale Veasey & J.R. Hogg

 

Good little match. Veasey has some explosive offense and McCord had sort of a weird athletic delivery. Jones busted out a big running, jumping headbutt to the back of Hogg's head near the end that looked great.

 

Big Bubba vs. One Man Gang

 

This one doesn't last long, as Gang almost immediately attacks Bubba with the chain and punches out the ref. They have a big pull-apart that clears the locker room, but it's not really that interesting, as Bubba doesn't have anything to offer.

 

Big Bubba Interview

 

Bubba stands in the wreckage of the studio after it's been cleared out and calls out Gang for a match at the Battle of the Alamo.

 

Chavo Guerrero & New American Force Interview

 

Chavo - who now has both halves of the Texas Tag Team Titles - can't really commit to a full time tag team, so he decides to give the belts to the New American Force.

 

Big Bubba & New American Force Interview/HAM & Little Tokyo Respond

 

They hype up their upcoming six-man some more. Tokyo is hanging with HAM and has a few choice words in his native tongue for the faces.

 

Dale Veasey vs. Al Gaffigan

 

Good competitive squash in the old Southwest tradition. I am starting to dig Dale Veasey. Chavo Guerrero sits in on commentary for this, and there's an interesting moment when they're talking about the midgets, and Chavo mentions that they should be called "little people". So whereas Southwest was the most Latino-friendly American promotion ever, I guess TASW is the most little people-friendly American promotion ever.

 

One Man Gang Interview

 

This is 1985, and he's the #1 punkslapper in the world.

Dennis Stamp is a Sal Bellemo/Bobby Bass type where he is consistently fun, interesting, different in every match, but because of the booking finding a match that fits on a set like this is tough.