SCW World Heavyweight Title Tournament – Finals: Adrian Adonis vs. Bob Orton Jr. (5/21/83)

 

This is the finals of their big tourney to crown a “world” champion which they created because of their tiein with USA Network. They also latched on to Lou Thesz using the original world title belt as their belt. Adonis has beaten Bob Sweetan, Wahoo McDaniel, & Scott Casey and Orton has beaten Tiger Conway Jr., Sweet Brown Sugar, & Terry Funk. Adonis isn’t obese yet so he is still a great worker. This started out with some great chain wrestling with both men trading the advantage and the highlight being Adonis breaking out a flying headscissors. Adonis would get a backslide for a nearfall causing Orton to go to the floor to gather himself and Adonis got another nearfall with a small package as his bandage from his previous match comes off. The action would start picking up with Adonis moving around the ring like Rey Misterio Jr. but Orton would ground Adonis using a wristlock before turning it into an armbar. Adonis would catch Orton in a reverse atomic drop coming off the ropes in the first real high spot of the match before trying a diving splash off the middle ropes but Orton would get the knees up. Adonis would get an O’Connor Roll for a nearfall and Orton answered with a right hand to the face that Adonis sold bigtime. Orton continued working on the cut and went for a bulldog but Adonis threw him into the corner and tried to throw him in the corner but Orton reversed and Adonis did the Flair bump back into the ring. Orton would try for the Superplex but Adonis knocked him off the ropes and fell back in the ring. Both men would knock heads on a double collision before Adonis would lock in the sleeper hold but Orton would break the move by running Adonis neckfirst on the top rope. Adonis would try again but Orton reversed into one of his own before going for a small package that Adonis would roll over for his own for the victory. This was an old school tight wrestling match with both men looking great and an ode to the era that Lou Thesz dominated. I loved this and this is a definite nomination.

I imagine this will be an early favorite to be the top-ranked Southwest match on the set. I thought it was great, and definitely worthy of a nomination. Only beef is the same beef all the fans seemed to have with it at the time - it's hard to buy into this as really being for the "Undisputed World's Heavyweight Title". Yes, it's wrestling, and it's fake, and it's their perogative to present the match however they please, but for a match that theoretically should be of Earth-shattering importance, it feels awfully small. I mean, I don't consider the ROH Title to be a real major World Title either, but I've seen ROH Title matches fought in front of smaller crowds that felt bigger than this. Seen ECW Title matches fought in front of smaller crowds that felt bigger than this. Probably didn't help that it was a match between two guys I think of as career heels, although Adonis seemed to be working subtle face in this match. Also, Adonis not having theme music, and Orton having "Abracadabra" by the Steve Miller Band, which might be worse than having no music at all, kind of made the proceedings seem small time in comparison to the Gino/Tully match from the same card. Anyway, I don't want to dwell on the negative too much, because this is a great match and definitely belongs on the set. Adonis was one of the best in the world at this point, and Orton gave him plenty of good-looking offense to do his wild bumps off of. This lacked the emotional heft of your better old-school World Title matches, but it was still quality wrestling through and through.