Posted December 30, 200816 yr comment_5436553 “Hollywood” John Tatum & Jack Victory vs. The Missing Link & Jason Sterling (4/22/88) Father and son teaming up here. Tatum is great bumping around for the Link and both heels are solid working over young Sterling. This had a fucking awesome spot where Tatum & Victory had Sterling by the arms and legs and threw him completely over the top rope landing face first on the floor that was nothing but concrete. That was fucking tremendous. Sterling is a great FIP here taking a serious beating trying to get the hot tag and they taunt the Link enough for him to come in running wild with using headbutts. The referee tries to get Link out and as this happens Victory picks up Sterling carrying him to the ropes backwards where Tatum waits on the apron grabbing Sterling by the back of the head and dropping him Hot Shot style for the win. This was a tremendous squash match and we need to put this as an extra just for the Sterling spots. Steve Casey vs. Wayne Marcott (5/13/88) Steve is Scott’s younger brother and this was a squash. Embry comes out during the match and afterwards challenges him leading to an impromptu brawl with Casey getting a pin on Embry. Buddy Roberts vs. Phil Wylie (5/13/88) Squash. Samu vs. Jim Richards (5/13/88) Samu isn’t quite in full gimmick yet as he comes out wearing a sparkly jacket but has the face paint. Roberts & Iceman come down to scout him. No DQ Last Man Standing Match: Iceman King Parsons vs. “Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich (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 later on on this disc though we got the finish as Roberts comes out wanting the lights to be turned out but Hayes runs him out of the area. The bombs would continue to be thrown by both men until Buddy sneaks back in through the fire door as Kerry knocks Iceman over the top. Buddy gives Iceman the black glove and he would knock Kerry down. Bronko Lubich then counts out Kerry giving Iceman the match. Lights Out Match: Michael “PS” Hayes & “Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von erich vs. Iceman King Parsons & Buddy Roberts (6/3/88) Iceman takes a beating early on bumping like crazy for the punches of the faces before tagging in Buddy who takes more of the same. Hayes shows a lot of fire here going after both of the new Birds but would get caught in their corner where the numbers game would catch up to him until Kerry decides to make it a 4-way brawl. Akbar would show up at ringside to distract Kerry as the Birds tried to cripple Hayes laying on a chair. Iceman then comes off the top rope with the cane but hits Roberts instead. Iceman & Akbar would then pound on Kerry on the floor until Hayes breaks that up and the referee calls for the bell for the DQ. Roberts then puts on his glove trying to punch Hayes but he would block it with a chair that Buddy would no-sell. Buddy would then nail Hayes with a heart punch This was fun but too short and not enough for a nomination. Terry Taylor vs. Steve Casey (6/3/88) Taylor is awesome on the mic to start the match leading to Casey attacking him. Casey would get Taylor in an O’Connor Roll but Bronko Lubich wouldn’t make the count because he hadn’t rung the bell yet. Casey really looks like Mini Lex Luger here and would give Taylor a fight but ate a big piledriver by Taylor that almost won him the match but Casey got his foot on the rope. Taylor bumps for Casey as he makes a comeback until Taylor counters a sunset flip by Casey from the apron to the ring using his hands on the ropes to get the win. Nice little match thanks to Taylor. Taylor then is interviewed by Percy Pringle and this is solid. Then we get a Michael Hayes video which was good. The Samoan Swat Team (Fatu & Samu) vs. Bob Bradley & Jeff Raitz (6/3/88) SST look awesome. Buddy Roberts vs. Maniac Matt Borne (6/3/88) Before the match, Borne chills for a second with a blonde at ringside so Buddy decides he wants to do the same thing but she isn’t feeling him so Borne attacks him. Borne would pound on Buddy relentlessly and ties him up in the ropes so he can really take it to him. Borne beats on Roberts like he owed him money until Buddy would put on his glove and would nail Borne with a heart punch in his first offensive move of the match. This was fun but very short. Then we get clips of Iceman of beating some jobber in Fort Worth with a steel chair until Kerry makes the save but Taylor would run out for a double team before Kevin would even the odds. Hayes & Kerry then cut a promo on their enemies with Hayes being really spirited about Roberts. Eric Embry vs. Jason Sterling (6/17/88) Sterling was great early on hitting fast dropkicks and almost hitting a fucking Code Red 15 years before it was patented. Sterling would get some good nearfalls early on and got a lot of offense with Embry bumping all over the ring for him. Embry would kill him with a clothesline though to set up his piledriver for the win. Very fun little sprint. Embry would grab the mic after the match promising revenge for Casey blinding him with powder in Fort Worth. Tatum & Victory would then cut a promo on their feud with Gordy & the Simpsons. The Samoan Swat Team (Fatu & Samu) vs. The Missing Link & Jason Sterling (7/8/88) Funny seeing the SST actually sell for Link’s headbutts. Sterling got in and got a little bit of offense before getting the absolute shit beaten out of him by the SST as the Link tries to help but it keeps the referee from seeing the SST double-teams. Link finally has enough and comes in the ring throwing headbutts but the match goes to the floor allowing Sterling to get completely finished by the SST. Another great heel performance against Sterling. Then we get another Tatum/Victory promo. Simpsons then cut a promo in response to Tatum/Victory. Shaun & Steve Simpson vs. John Tatum & Jack Victory (7/8/88) This is Steve’s first match from being blinded at Texas Stadium 2 months earlier. Tatum gets worked over good early selling like a madman trying to get a jumping tag to Victory as Simpson has him in armbar twice so on the 3rd attempt, Simpson swings him right into the corner where he knocks Victory flat to the floor. Victory finally makes it to the ring where he gets his punishment from the Simpsons along with Tatum who wanted some more. The heels would get the advantage though and would give Steve the Jason Sterling treatment as they heaved him by the arms and legs to the floor although he took a safer bump. Tatum & Victory then worked very well as a team on offense and they were a pretty underrated team at this time. Shaun would get the hot tag leading to a 4-way brawl and in the confusion Steve would reverse a Victory cross body block for the pin. Tatum would then nail Steve with his boot after the match. I liked this and I’m throwing it on the block for a low-end nomination. Steve Simpson then cuts a taped promo afterwards promising revenge on Tatum/Victory. Next is a Jimmy Jack Funk video set to Long Haired Country Boy by Charlie Daniels. Akbar & Iceman then cut a promo on Kevin Von Erich. Best of 3 Series for the World Class Lt. Heavyweight Title: Eric Embry © vs. Steve Casey (7/8/88) Casey is leading the series 1-0 so Embry must win this match to keep his title. Casey gets some nearfalls early on but Embry would slow the match down by stalling on the floor. The match would then go back and forth until Embry would get the advantage after a clothesline. Casey would make a comeback though until Embry would sneak in an inside cradle to even the series at 1-1. Fine little match. World Class Heavyweight Title: “Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich © vs. Kamala (7/8/88) This is a rematch from 3 weeks earlier where Kerry lost in a cheap way. Kerry would start hot early and almost knocked Kamala over the top rope after a discus punch. Kamala would slow it down after coming back in the ring but Kerry would maintain his advantage until Kamala went for his nerve holds. Kerry would come back though throwing punches in bunches before going for the iron claw until Akbar jumped on the apron where he would eat an iron claw. Kamala would jump Kerry though and hit a splash before going for another one as TV time runs out. The conclusion would be shown a little later on the disc as Kamala missed the splash. Kerry would get some more punches in before going back to the iron claw until Parsons & Roberts jump him for the DQ. Hayes & Irwin would then even the odds. This was fine but another crappy DQ finish. Steve Cox vs. Fatu (7/22/88) Cox comes out to Michael Hayes’ theme music and sets it up where Hayes would attack Roberts as Cox hits a diving body press off the top rope until Samu hits the ring. The crowd goes nuts as the babyfaces leave. Roberts cuts an angry promo afterwards. Tatum & Victory then cut a promo about losing to the Simpsons. Best of 3 Series for the World Class Lt. Heavyweight Title – Match 3 – Steel Cage Match: Eric Embry © vs. Steve Casey (7/22/88) Embry gets thrown into the cage early and often with Casey punching at the wounds and keeping up the offensive barrage as Embry bleeds trying to find a way out of the cage. Embry tries to climb out but Casey would end up crotching him on the top rope. Embry would get some offense in before missing a diving headbutt off the top rope allowing Casey to make a comeback throwing Embry back in the cage again a few times. Casey would accidentally hit John Keaton the referee after a leapfrog allowing Embry to get some powder but he missed on the attempt. Casey would hit a bulldog headlock but Keaton was still down allowing Embry to go back in his tights where he would pull out some knux to KO Casey and to keep his title. This was a fun match and another one I’m throwing on the block as a low-end nomination. Wild Bill Irwin vs. Jimmy Jack Funk (7/22/88) Okay match that would of course end in a DQ when Akbar would get involved letting Funk get his cowbell so he could bash Irwin’s head in. Next we get a World Class tribute to the late Bruiser Brody and this could’ve been done way better. The Missing Link vs. Craig Whiteford (7/22/88) Total squash. Roberts then cuts a taped promo about Hayes. Steve Cox & Michael “PS” Hayes vs. The Samoan Swat Team (Fatu & Samu) (7/22/88) Cox gets a lot of offense early as they were showcasing him and then played FIP as the SST put it to him. Cox was in the ring for a very long time as Hayes stood on the apron being great at getting the fans to get behind Cox but he was very green at working FIP and the match didn’t pick up until Hayes made the hot tag. Hayes starts working over the SST and hits a flying double clothesline before tagging Cox back in who would climb up top before Buddy shook the rope forcing him to fall for the DQ. SST would tie up Hayes in the ropes after the match until Irwin would run in to make the save. Not a nomination. Eric Embry & Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Maniac Matt Borne & Steve Casey (7/29/88) This had some good action with everyone looking good but it was fairly short ending as Casey had Embry in a sleeper before Funk coldcocked him and Embry covering for the pin. Borne & Funk continued to brawl after the match. Fun while it lasted. Embry then cut a taped promo about the situation afterwards. Michael “PS” Hayes vs. Samu (7/18/88) This is from Fort Worth and would of course lead to a SST vs. Hayes/Kerry brawl. Hayes then cuts a promo about the SST afterwards bringing Cox along for the ride. Kamala vs. Kerry Von Erich (7/29/88) This is the 3rd match in their recent series but this was supposed to be Brody against Kamala but Kerry was put in his place after his death. This match has a lot of the same psychology as the other two but had some differences like the battling on the floor that was fun with Kerry posting Kamala and hitting Akbar who would hold Kerry’s leg so he couldn’t get in the ring forcing a double countout. Horrible finish. Strap Match: “Hollywood” John Tatum vs. Steve Simpson (7/29/88) Both men’s partners are at ringside for this and the crowd is pretty hot. Tatum tries his best to run out of the ring but Simpson keeps bringing him back in the ring by the strap. Tatum is solid on offense and fights off Simpson every chance he tried to touch the buckles. Tatum would bait Shaun into jumping on the apron so he could double-team with Victory but it would lead to a brawl on the floor as Tatum touches the buckles but misses on the 4th while getting crotched with the strap. Simpson then would touch all four corners to win the match. This was a little on the short side but fun nonetheless. A maybe nomination. Akbar & Iceman then cut a promo on the Von Erichs. Embry then cuts a promo in the ring challenging any light heavyweight from around the world to take a shot at him. Steve Casey of course comes out wanting a shot and Embry obliges. World Class Lt. Heavyweight Title: Eric Embry © vs. Steve Casey (7/29/88) They just had a 3 match series for the title end the week before so this is the defacto 4th match with Casey bringing the offense early and often including a sleeper hold that he had never used before. Casey would hold this for a long time before Embry would spring off the ropes forcing them to the mat where Casey’s shoulders were counted out for the pin. Embry escapes with the title in a cool finish. Hayes then cuts a great promo with Cox again about their situation with the SST. Steve Cox & Michael “PS” Hayes vs. The Samoan Swat Team (7/29/88) The fans are very hot for the faces and Hayes is tremendous at getting them riled up. Hayes starts the match on fire throwing bombs on Fatu before tagging in Cox and I hope he doesn’t stay in the whole match again. Cox works over Fatu and when Samu tries to come in to interfere Hayes would kick the rope thus crotching him sending him to the floor making the crowd crazy. Cox & Hayes would do the switcharoo a few times angering Roberts and making the crowd go even more crazy until Samu finally gets the advantage on Hayes. Hayes would eventually get the tag on Cox who would have the advantage until Fatu would interfere from the apron allowing them to work over Cox. Fatu hits an awesome powerslam for a nearfall. Hayes would get the hot tag and the 4-way brawl was on with Hayes hitting a cross body block on Fatu but Samu would throw Steve Cox on referee John Keaton as he was making the count then threw Hayes over the top rope for the DQ. The four men would continue to brawl after the match in wild fashion as it goes to the floor as the cameras go off. Crappy finish but this was some great stuff and a nomination. Akbar then cuts a promo about Kamala and they show a highlight package of him against Kerry. Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Dan Fowler (8/12/88) Complete squash. Boni Blackstone shows up as she & Pedicino were at the tapings and interviews the Von Erichs about the Kamala/Iceman situation.
December 22, 200915 yr comment_5446623 Disc 1: “Hollywood” John Tatum & Jack Victory vs. The Missing Link & Jason Sterling (4/22/88) Phil wants as much Tatum as possible, I want as much Link as possible...sure, let's call this an extra. Samu vs. Jim Richards (5/13/88) Oh, god damn, Samu just wastes this guy. This might be an extra. int: Skandor Akbar Did you say "HELP"? I say it might be an extra. No DQ Last Man Standing Match: Iceman King Parsons vs. “Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich (5/13/88) Holy fuck, what a brawl. While I've generally enjoyed heel Iceman, I had noticed that he didn't work as stiff as he did when he was a face, which struck me as odd. Not the case here. He just wrecks Kerry, and Kerry isn't afraid to give it right back to him. The finish is confusing. This is pretty clearly a No DQ match, with foreign object shots being used in full view of the ref. Not sure why the black glove would need to be hidden. But this is still awesome. Match is shown in two parts. They should be put together for a nomination. int: Kerry & Hayes Hayes waxes poetic about the "odd couple of wrestling" until Akbar comes out to threaten them with the impending return of Kamala. They sock him one good, and Hayes wishes him a happy Memorial Day. Extra. int: Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler "Take My Breath Away" music video The King approacheth! "You're the kind of guy who would stab his friend in the back and then get him charged with carrying a concealed weapon" is something that could work it's way into my own stock insults. The video rules, too. Slam dunk extras. Lights Out Match: Michael “PS” Hayes & “Modern Day Warrior” Kerry Von erich vs. Iceman King Parsons & Buddy Roberts (6/3/88) Pretty much a squash, which was odd, but at least it was a fun squash. Terry Taylor vs. Steve Casey (6/3/88) Great match. Taylor was awesome, but I do want to give Casey some credit. He was pretty fired up for this, and the match felt like less of a carryjob than his matches with Embry. Despite that, I think it falls short of a nomination, although it wouldn't be unthinkable. int: Terry Taylor God, evil yuppie Terry Taylor is so much better than Mid-South technical babyface Taylor. Disc 2: Michael Hayes "When Love Comes Down" music video Good video. Doesn't jump out as an extra like some of the others. The Samoan Swat Team (Fatu & Samu) vs. Bob Bradley & Jeff Raitz (6/3/88) This is the SST's debut as a team and Fatu's debut, period. They look good, but fuck is Jeff Raitz ever terrible. That ridiculous backflip off of the double headbutt looked like something Shawn Michaels would do to upstage Hogan. Buddy Roberts vs. Maniac Matt Borne (6/3/88) Good while it lasted. int: Kerry & Hayes Roberts is claiming that he wrote the songs on Hayes' new album, and Michael is not pleased. Eric Embry vs. Jason Sterling (6/17/88) I just did a podcast with Bix where I told him that Sterling hadn't really left an impression on me outside of being tiny and having leopard-print tights. Well, he certainly left an impression on me here. That was an amazing performance. Embry squeaks out a win and then challenges Casey to the best-of-3 title vs. $5,000 series, and altogether this segment is an extra. int: Tatum & Victory Dudes, seriously, Tatum's face. Jerry Lawler vs. Terry Taylor Lawler makes his World Class debut. Before the match can get underway, Kerry comes out to challenge him to a title vs. title match, and that by itself would make this an extra even if we don't have the match in full. Hopefully we do, because the match itself was rockin' until it got suddenly cut off for.... The Samoan Swat Team (Fatu & Samu) vs. The Missing Link & Jason Sterling (7/8/88) Another really fun Sterling squash. int: Tatum & Victory Victory cuts a great promo, and then Tatum takes that and cranks it up to eleven. "You made me miss Wimbeldon!" Extra. int: The Simpsons The brothers are re-united and out for revenge. int: Buddy Roberts Buddy asks Michael Hayes to come to the ring so he could sincerely apologize to him for the way he had been acting and make a plea to reunite the Freebirds...which is of course a pretext for the SST to jump Hayes from behind so the three of them could gang up on him. Extra. int: Akbar & Iceman "IT'S ALL PANCAKES!" Extra. Shaun & Steve Simpson vs. John Tatum & Jack Victory (7/8/88) This was another great outing from two teams who really worked well together. I co-sign the nomination. Kevin Von Erich is supposed to challenge Terry Taylor for the Texas Title next, but Terry is injured and unable to compete, thus Kevin is awarded the belt in a bit of poetic justice since he lost the World Title the same way. int: Steve Simpson There's a fine obscure wrestling joke to be made about the South African guy saying he's "not going to listen to The Commission", but I don't think I actually need to make it. Steve Cox vs. Fatu (7/22/88) No match, as Cox creates a distraction so Hayes can jump Roberts from behind as payback for the previous attack on Hayes. Extra. Disc 3: int: Buddy Roberts You know what? The Samoans are a great race of people. Seriously, they're Samoans. What's not to love? Eric Embry & Jimmy Jack Funk vs. Maniac Matt Borne & Steve Casey (7/29/88) Casey looked better here than he usually does. Good match, but kinda short with an abrupt finish. int: Eric Embry The phrase "whole wide world" shows up a lot. int: Akbar & Parsons Iceman has a big old "KP" ring, and that is kinda awesome. int: Skandor Akbar Segues into highlights from the Kerry/Kamala feud. int: Kerry & Kevin Von Erich Hey, it's Bonnie Blackstone! I am a sucker for promos where the Von Erichs talk about how important their brothers are to them, and this is a fine example of that, with Kerry talking about how Kevin being the Texas champion was as important to him as any belt he himself could have, and how he felt guilty for costing Kevin that title. Kevin takes full responsibility since it was his title to defend, and they both assure the folks at home that Kev is getting the belt back. Samoan Swat Team vs Kerry + Kevin Von Erich Holy fuck, was this ever a fight. It moves forward, no question.
December 22, 200915 yr comment_5446627 I think there's a very slightly more complete Lawler-Taylor on another disc, but the show ends with the match in progess.
