Terry Gordy promo

 

- Iceman Parsons promo

 

1. Black Bart vs Bill Irwin

 

Irwin's punches look good here.Barts bump from the upper cut was huge. This is a nice little brawl. This is all punches and kicks. I liked this one. The work wasn't complex, but it was effective. I'm not sure it belongs as a nomination. I'll revisit this at another time.

 

 

2. Missing Link vs Iceman Parsons

 

This was a nothing match.

 

- highlights Black Bart vs Bill Irwin - Texas Stadium, 5-8-88

 

- highlights Kerry Von erich vs Iceman Parsons - Texas Stadium, 5-8-88

 

- promo John Tatum + Jack Victory

 

Tatum looks like he stole his coke dealers suit.

 

3. Michael Hayes vs Terry Gordy - Triple Dome of Terror; Texas Stadium, 5-8-88

 

Highlights of the finish.

 

4. John Tatum + Jack Victory vs Terry Gordy + Shaun Simpson - Texas Stadium, 5-8-88

 

Highlights of this one also.

 

- Michael Hayes promo

 

Hayes should do all the Simpson's promos.

 

5. Chris Adams vs Terry Taylor

 

Adams has the Umpires mask. What a goofball gimmick. These wrestlers work real well with one another, and this is no exception. This was good. with the mixing up of wrestling and brawling. The work was good and deserves a nomination. Adams selling when Taylor was getting heat was well done and the crowd got behind him. I hope we have another singles match between the 2 w/o the stupid gimmick.

 

- Buddy Roberts, Iceman Parsons, + Angel of Death promo - Texas Stadium, 5-8-88

 

6. Triple Dome of Terror Texas Roundup match - Texas Stadium, 5-8-88

 

This is all highlights.

 

int: Terry Gordy

 

int: Buddy Roberts

 

7. Kerry Von Erich + Chris Adams vs Terry Taylor + Eric Embry

 

I think their was a few minutes cut out of it. No finish is shown. It was a good southern tag that was going on. Knowing that KVE has a prosthetic foot at this time, and it's noticable in hindsight it's amazing he is able to work at an accepteable rate. In this match he was able to perform an savate kick with one leg was amazing.

 

- Missing Link video

 

int: Buddy Roberts + Iceman Parsons

 

- Terry Taylor/Kevin Von Erich confrontation; Taylor + Iceman Parsons attack Kevin - Ft Worth

 

This was a good angle.

 

8. Michael Hayes vs Buddy Roberts

 

Hayes is over like grover. Roberts bumping all over the place for Hayes was tremendous. Hayes looks like an incredible ass kicker. The reversal of the Hayes bulldog on the floor was awesome. This was so hate filled. I loved this and think it's a big time nomination. It's not long, but it was so hate filled and violent with super bumps and punches. The pacing in this was wild and crazy.

 

 

- Kerry Von erich video

This was great and a possble extra.

 

9. Kerry Von Erich + Shaun Simpson vs Buddy Roberts + Iceman Parsons

 

This is JIP. Not enough shown.

 

int: Michael Hayes

 

10. John Tatum + Jack Victory vs Terry Gordy + Shaun Simpson

 

This is hate filled with a hot crowd. Bam Bam was tremendous kicking ass. Simpson brought the hate with revenge on his mind. The heels bumped around for the faces. This looked promising, but got cut off quickly. Gordy's punches were gold.

 

11. Kerry Von Erich vs Iceman Parsons - no dq, last man standing match

 

KVE is bleeding right off the bat. I was liking this a lot until it went off the air.

 

Kamala video that was neat.

 

- highlights Michael Hayes, Kevin, + Kerry Von Erich vs Buddy Roberts, Iceman Parsons, + Terry Taylor - Ft Worth

 

Again no finish is shown. It seemed like a good solid 6 man

Wild Bill Irwin vs. Black Bart (4/29/88)

 

This is from Wild West Wrestling which was owned by World Class and they taped from the same arenas. Some good brawling here from guys who looked very credible doing this style of match and their shots looked like they hurt. I loved Irwin’s kicks here with Bart’s selling making them look even better. Bart would use the branding iron for the DQ out of desperation then Akbar would join in after the match. Akbar would hit Bart by mistake though before Irwin cleared the ring. Fun stuff but the finish could’ve been better but I understood why it was done since they were building for Texas Stadium. Not a nomination but close.

 

Iceman King Parsons vs. The Missing Link (4/29/88)

 

Iceman came into this trying to get this done quickly and it wasn’t long before he threw him over the top rope for the DQ. Nothing to this.

 

Then we get highlights from various matches at Texas Stadium on 5/8/88.

 

This includes Terry Gordy turning on Angel of Death & Buddy Roberts because he didn’t want to cut Michael Hayes’ hair and cuts Buddy’s instead soon followed up by a Michael Hayes promo. This is a definite extra.

 

“Gentleman” Chris Adams vs. Terry Taylor (4/22/88)

 

Adams is again working this in an umpire’s mask. Taylor’s chickenshit schtick is awesome here and his selling is over the top at times which was fun. Adams just wanted to brawl here as he took the match to the floor but Taylor would hang with him. It would take a shot to the balls for Taylor to gain the advantage and he would really work over Adams. Taylor goes after the injured hand qutie a bit before Adams makes his comeback with Taylor doing Flair type schtick and the crowd going nuts. Adams would hit Taylor with a Superkick in the ribs before going to work on Adams until CHONO! and Mike George run in for the DQ. They pound on Adams until he makes his own save. I really dug this and it should move forward even with the DQ but that was fun stuff.

 

Then we get a promo from the Nise Freebirds about the Gordy turn.

 

Next is highlights of the Triple Dome of Terror from Texas Stadium.

 

Gordy then cuts a promo about Steve Simpson getting Freebird Hair Cream in his eyes when it was supposed to be for him and vows to get revenge. Great promo and extra material.

 

Roberts would then cut a retort.

 

“Gentleman” Chris Adams & “Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich vs. “Flamboyant” Eric Embry & Terry Taylor (5/13/88)

 

Embry is subbing for Iceman Parsons who doesn’t feel like wrestling. The match had cuts throughout but was very fun as everyone looked good. Adams did a great job of being the FIP here and took a pounding but got the hot tag to Kerry who cleaned house to some great crowd heat but we wouldn’t get a finish which sucked because this match was headed for a nomination.

 

Next is a Missing Link video.

 

Percy Pringle interviews Iceman & Roberts for a fun little promo with Buddy introducing his black glove.

 

Then we get clips of Taylor & Iceman attacking Kevin Von Erich in Fort Worth on 5/9/88. Extra material.

 

Buddy Roberts vs. Michael “PS” Hayes (5/13/88)

 

Hayes has tremendous crowd heat going at this time and he really just beats the piss out of Roberts early who is great at taking a beating. Hayes would go for a bulldog headlock on the floor but Buddy throw him into the ringpost giving him the opening to begin his offensive barrage where he would go all out to take out Hayes including choking him with the security rope. Hayes would come back though using a steel chair before we had a ref bump and a low blow by Buddy so he could put on his black glove but Hayes would fight back until Buddy hit him with the glove. Roberts is bleeding hardway from above the eye and gets the pin on Hayes. The crowd loudly chants bullshit and this was fucking awesome. Slam dunk nomination.

 

Then we get clips of Shaun/Kerry vs. Iceman/Buddy from Mesquite on 5/15/88.

 

Next is a video for the Simpsons set to Two of Us by The Beatles. Definite extra.

 

Michael Hayes cuts a promo about the Steve Simpson situation and sends warning to Roberts. Good stuff.

 

Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy & Shaun Simpson vs. “Hollywood” John Tatum & Jack Victory (5/13/88)

 

The crowd is going nuts for this as Gordy & Shaun attack the heels on entry and run them to the floor with Tatum’s facial expreesions being fucking great. This is nothing but an all out brawl to start as Shaun is just throwing bombs as revenge for his brother. Gordy tags in and takes some shots from the heels before getting the tag to Shaun who just keeps on fighting until he gets cut off by the heels and plays FIP. Gordy would get the hot tag and throws bombs on both heels as the fans go nuts and the 4-way brawl is on. Shaun would throw Gordy into Tatum who was in the corner and he would backdrop Gordy over the top to the floor in an insane bump for the DQ. Angel of Death would then show up to attack Gordy with a chair as Simpson gets his ass kicked in the ring until Gordy could come back with a steel chair. Sure we had a DQ finish but this was awesome stuff and a definite nomination.

 

No DQ Last Man Standing Match for the World Class World Heavyweight Title: “Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich © vs. Iceman King Parsons (5/13/88)

 

Iceman jumps Kerry at the bell and busts him open after some headbutts trying to knock him out for the 10 count. Kerry fights back but Iceman jacks his jaw up with a stiff clothesline and it turns into a slugfest as Kerry gets up every time Iceman hammers him. Iceman would miss the Butt Butt though leading to Kerry throwing his bombs. The brawling would continue but the time would run out before a finish. Bullshit.

 

Then we get highlights of a Hayes/Von Erichs vs. Iceman/Buddy/Taylor match from Fort Worth on 5/16/88 which had some great stuff but again we had no finish.

Michael Hayes and the Badstreet Band in concert

 

Culminates in the break-up of the Freebirds. Must have extra.

 

Iceman Parsons promo

 

Iceman waxes funkasophical about Kerry Von Erich whining to his gushy-foot daddy. Possible extra.

 

Black Bart vs Bill Irwin

 

Great match. I'd say it's nomination-worthy, but with two guys against it, I don't really feel strongly enough about it to put it on the block. It was worth consideration, though.

 

Michael Hayes promo

 

Quality promo. Should be an extra.

 

Chris Adams vs Terry Taylor

 

I wanted to like this, but really, another match with a bunch of foreign object shots (and not just the mask, but a chair and a microphone used by Taylor) that happen in full view of the ref, but not only is it ignored, the match still ends in a DQ anyway? And Taylor's selling was terrible. He looked like he was having a seizure whenever Adams hit him, just shaking and spinning and hopping around. It was weird and distracting and made Adams' typically crisp offense look weak. Not an issue of it being over the top, but an issue of it being inept. I really can't back this one.

 

Buddy Roberts, Iceman Parsons, + Angel of Death promo - Texas Stadium, 5-8-88

 

Iceman King Parsons had that turkey down for a six-count!

 

int: Terry Gordy

int: Buddy Roberts

 

I think there's a case for both of these as extras, and if one goes on, I think the other needs to as well. World Class crowds are a really depressing looking bunch at this point, but the heat that Roberts is generating at this late date is incredible.

 

Missing Link video

 

Do we need two Missing Link videos set to the same song as extras? Yes. Yes we do.

 

int: Buddy Roberts + Iceman Parsons

 

Iceman never seemed to get a lot of mic time as a face, and it seems like a shame, because he is really awesome working promos as a heel.

 

Terry Taylor/Kevin Von Erich confrontation; Taylor + Iceman Parsons attack Kevin - Ft Worth

 

Great angle, makes a worthy extra.

 

Michael Hayes vs Buddy Roberts

 

So was the use of foreign objects outside the ring just something was considered kosher in late 80's World Class? Anyway, I'm not going to bitch about it this time, because this match was way too good to let stuff like that get in the way. Just a great brawl between two top-notch brawlers. As great of a heel as he was, great to see Hayes as an uber-babyface again, and Budro may have been at the peak of his powers here. World Class crowds in '88 were pretty bleak, but they were totally freaking out over this match, and I dare say the crowd heat alone would have been enough to get this one consideration. It's an easy nomination, no two ways about it.

 

Kerry Von erich video

 

"Here I Go Again"...kinda sums up Kerry's career in a nutshell, doesn't it? Watching it kinda got me to thinking which Von Erich was the most tragic. They all have pretty good cases, and this video kinda puts an interestingly hopeful spin on Kerry's case, one that's even more poignant now knowing that he was an amputee. Definite extra.

 

Lots of people fighting Music Video ("War")

 

Another good extra. It is weird. If these music videos are any indication, death-bed WCCW was surprisingly self-aware. The videos, aside from being chock full of great clips of dudes kicking ass, seem a lot more poignant in terms of their choice of music than we're used to seeing. Again, looking back at how things turned out for so many people who came through World Class - especially since the video ends with Fritz being loaded into an ambulance after his ailment that was in no way whatsoever supposed to be a heart attack (we swear!) - one certainly does look back at these wars and wonder what they were good for. Extra.

 

Simpson Brothers Music Video ("Two of Us")

 

And here's another one in the same vein. Not as tragic in hindsight (I don't think...don't know a lot about the Simpsons' post World Class careers), but still more touching and poignant than your average wrestling music video. I am a pretty huge Beatlemaniac, and I have long thought that "Two of Us" is one of their more underrated songs. Song about a long-term friendship with a cheerful tune and lyrics, but at the same time, it's also really the epitaph for John Lennon and Paul McCartney's friendship, so it's really more about the dissolution of a long-term friendship and fondly looking back at what made that friendship worthwhile while it lasted. It's a song that can be very happy or very sad or almost anything in between depending on the context, and this video finds something in the middle. The Simpsons are still brothers who love each other very much, but with Steve's blinding, their professional partnership may be at an end. It's a perfect song to communicate the gravity of the situation, and I think this and the above two videos would make a great trifecta of extras.

 

int: Michael Hayes

 

I'm a sucker for Michael Hayes promos, and I'm a sucker for promos where freshly-turned faces cop to previous wrongdoings and vow to atone for their sins. I don't know if it's intentional, or if it's just because of the selection of clips, but the tone of death-bed WCCW definitely seems much darker than it once was. There is a real sense of everything falling apart, and it's something the wrestlers seem to be aware of. The question is, do you soldier on in the face of impossible odds, or do you continue to tear it apart in a short-sighted attempt to achieve personal gain now? Hayes knows where he stands. This promo feels like a great example of this new theme, and it may belong as an extra.

 

John Tatum + Jack Victory vs Terry Gordy + Shaun Simpson

 

"You better run," alright, because Gordy is an absolute beast here. Tatum and Victory aren't quite as stoogy as usual, but they still deliver the goods, and Simpson, whom I am usually pretty indifferent about, does a great job as angry brother out for blood. It's an easy nomination, abrupt finish aside.

 

Kamala video

 

Cool video. Could be an extra.