Flashback Friday: Inside Wrestling January 1989

3rd February 2023 by J.W. Braun
Rants

Greetings all! Today is the anniversary of the Friday, February 3, 1989 Main Event that aired on national TV featuring the Megapowers breakup. I was there, and when Jesse mentioned “the frozen tundra of Milwaukee, Wisconsin,” he wasn’t kidding. It was about 0 degrees out. And guess what? It’s nearly the same right now here in southeastern Wisconsin! Anyway, this week we look back at an issue of Inside Wrestling that went to press in October of 1988 that sold for $1.95 in the U.S. and $2.50 in Canada. In this issue, Eddie Ellner names the winner of his contest where fans were asked to write essays describing the most historical wrestling moment in history. But first, let’s go straight to the Ratings.

We begin proper with Sincerely Yours, the mailbag column where Amanda from Los Angeles says Inside Wrestling’s Stu Saks was too harsh on Ronnie Garvin. “Saks trashed Garvin’s career solely because of his recent turn against Dusty Rhodes, but I applaud Garvin’s ability to break free of people-users.” Meanwhile, Keith from Charleston has a theory that Austin Idol is one of the hottest stars in wrestling, and he’d like more coverage of the guy. Sandy from Philadelphia says she just loved the baby photo of Hulk Hogan in the October issue and asks for more baby pictures of wrestlers. “Maybe you could even have a special baby picture section.” Then there’s Felecia from Atlanta who says Barry Windham’s defection to the Four Horseman was one of the most tragic incidents in wrestling over the past five years, as Windham had been a beacon of honesty and integrity before being lured away from s righteous path by the promises of riches and fame. “The fact that Windham was able to score a win over his former mentor, Dusty Rhodes, is the biggest tragedy of all, and it proves there is no turning back for Barry.” Meanwhile, Brian from Neenah, Wisconsin says Inside Wrestling has been ignoring Larry Zbyszko and ranking him too low. “I would rank him no lower than fourth in the NWA.” And Lou from Indianapolis says he recently attended an event where Bobby Heenan tried to sell Hercules to the Million Dollar Man as a slave when Hercules rebelled. Later in the taping, Hercules appeared on the Brother Love show and WWF Champion Randy Savage gave Herc a handshake, making him an honorary Megapower! (I’m assuming Elizabeth isn’t included in this deal.) “In offering to befriend the abused Hercules, Savage is opening the door for more rulebreakers to turn good. Once they know they can wipe their slates of evil, I’m more rulebreakers will do so.” Lastly, Mitchell from Berry Hill says he recently attended an interpromotional event where the Samoan Swat Team regained their World Class tag belts from Michael Hayes and Steve Cox and Bad Company defeated the Rock ‘n’ Roll RPMs. “In other words, I got to see some of the biggest names in the business. I can’t wait to see more interfederation cards.”

Next, On the Road with Craig Peters, where Craig tells us Sting is scheduled for a three-week tour in Japan where the youngster hopes to sharpen his skills. “I’m not going over there with unreasonable expectations,” Sting says. “It’s like entering a brand-new federation. I have to establish myself first and climb up that ladder of contention.” What excites Sting is that the East has a different style of wrestling. “There’s a different emphasis in Japan,” he says. “There’s more of a premium placed on aerial skills, on perpetual motion, and multi-faceted wrestling. In the States, it’s more a case of take a style, stick with it, and build on that style. So you have a guy like Flair, a great all-around wrestler, who goes with a very defensive style of wrestling—often aided by outside interference, I might add. But he’s chosen his style, and he’s sticking with it, and it’s been very successful for him. But in picking that style, it forces Flair’s opponents to narrow their own styles. They wind up trying to hammer, hammer, hammer down Flair with their own two or three special moves, Flair improves his defenses, then they try to improve those moves to counter those defenses, and so on through the cycle. It makes sense in a way, but the Japanese have a different philosophy. I think it’s more of a question where, instead of doing one thing to perfection, one tries to do many things very, very well. So you’re not attacking a man with incredible strength and power on just one front, you’re trying to wear him down in two or three or six or seven ways. If aerial doesn’t work, go to the mat with pure science; shift to a brawl if you want to. Diversify the attack.” Craig says this can transform Sting into one of the greatest the sport has ever seen.

Next, Behind the Dressing Room Door with David Rosenbaum, where Dave lists things he likes about pro wrestling:

  • The Honky Tonk Man
  • WWF Prime Time Wrestling. Not the wrestling, just Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon.
  • Missy Hyatt
  • Jesse Ventura’s commentary
  • Jim Cornette’s interviews
  • The Survivor Series
  • No more Bunkhouse Stampede finals in New York
  • The WWF’s press luncheons
  • Magnificent Mimi
  • Dusty Rhodes’ Mello Yello commercials
  • King Kong Bundy’s computer commercials
  • Paul E. Dangerously’s interviews. This guy will be a superstar before long.
  • CWA announcer Lance Russell.
  • The crowd reaction at Madison Square Garden when Hogan makes his ring entrance
  • The crowd reaction anywhere when Sting makes his entrance.
  • Watching Flair wrestle
  • The Rougeaus. They’re obnoxious as hell but know how to wrestle.
  • WWF events at Atlantic City
  • The Jerry Lawler/Kerry Von Erich title vs. title series

Next, things Dave doesn’t like:

  • Professional bookies who won’t take action on pro wrestling
  • Hulk Hogan
  • Matches not being stopped when the referee is knocked out
  • Managers at ringside
  • The tragedies: Magnum T.A., Mike Von Erich, Adrian Adonis, Bruiser Brody etc.
  • Brother Love
  • Wrestlers pointing in interviews
  • Wrestlers shouting in interviews
  • Non-title matches. What’s the point?
  • AWA announcer Larry Nelson
  • NWA announcer David Crockett
  • WWF announcer Superstar Billy Graham
  • Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Why do fans love him so much? He beats his opponents over the head with a 2×4.
  • Damien
  • Before-the-bell attacks. Why are they tolerated?
  • The lack of title vs. title matches. A match between Randy Savage and Ric Flair would be the most lucrative in history
  • Ric Flair talking about his female conquests on TV.
  • Scaffold matches. Big buildup, big bore.
  • Nassau Coliseum cards
  • The Ultimate Warrior. No wonder he attacked the Honky Tonk Man before the bell. If the match had lasted more than a minute, Warrior would’ve been exhausted.

Onto Names Makin’ News with Bill Apter, where Bill says the AWA has finally made its big announcement. SuperClash III, a giant card featuring top stars from the AWA, the CWA, and World Class, will be broadcast live via pay-per-view TV on December 13 from the UIC Pavilion (the University of Illinois Chicago’s arena) in Chicago, Illinois. The main event will pit AWA World champion Jerry Lawler against World Class titlist Kerry Von Erich in a title unification match that must end with a decisive winner. In other scheduled matches, Sgt. Slaughter will face Col. DeBeers in a boot camp match, Manny Fernandez will meet Wahoo McDaniel in an Indian strap match, Ronnie Garvin will defend his newly won AWA TV title against former champion Greg Gagne, and Madusa Miceli will defend her Women’s championship. (The latter ended up being part of a mixed tag team match that was simultaneously for the Women’s title and the men’s Tag Team title.) And speaking of supercards, the NWA will precede its annual Starrcade spectacular with a week of special events. “Battle ’88—The Road to Starrcade” will begin November 23 in Baltimore and will feature new NWA tag team champions The Midnight Express defending the titles against the Road Warriors. And speaking of the Midnights, Paul E. Dangerously, manager of the “Original” Midnight Express—Randy Rose and Dennis Condrey—has issued a challenge to new Midnight manager Jim Cornette! “We deserve a shot at the NWA title. I know who the real Express is. Let’s see if Cornette feels the same way.”

In Puerto Rico, the World Wrestling Council Universal title, left vacant when former champion Hercules Ayala was stripped for hitting the wife of Carlos Colon during an awards banquet, is up for grabs in a tournament that was scheduled to begin October 15. Included in the tournament are Colon, Chris Adams, Abdullah the Butcher, TNT, Ron Garvin, the Iron Sheik, and Eddie Gilbert. Ayala has been banned from the WWC and will not participate. The tournament will conclude in December.

Meanwhile, Bill extends congratulations to Nikita Koloff and his new bride, Mandy, who tied the knot on September 20. In other news, the NWF title was held up following a match between champion D.C. Drake and Jules Strongbow. And Eddie Gilbert, Missy Hyatt, and manager Paul E. Dangerously have left the Continental area following a contractual dispute with CWF officials.

Bill then notes that several wrestlers seem to be trying to reinvent themselves. “Former NWA tag team champions Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson are headed to the WWF and will have a totally new image. They will now be known as the Brain Busters. Bobby Heenan has been mentioned as a probable manager.” Bill also notes that the One Man Gang is now wrestling under the name “Akeem” and Terry Taylor is now being referred to as “the Little Red Rooster.”

In World Class, Fatu and Samu, the Samoan Swat Team, lost the World Class tag team title to Steve Cox and Michael Hayes—only to win the belts back three days later. When Fatu pinned Hayes, Hayes had his foot draped over the ropes but the referee failed to see it.

In other SuperClash III news, Cactus Jack will team up with the Rock to face Los Guerreros. Wait, correction: Cactus Jack will team up with the Rock ‘n’ Roll RPMs to face Hector, Chavo, and Mando Guerrero in a six-man tag team match. And speaking of the Guerreros, Mando and Peter Maivia Jr. won the ACCW tag team championship from the Lords of Discipline. On the same card, Chavo Guerrero won the All-California Championship Wrestling title from “Wildman” Jack Armstrong. (Oo, Chavo!)

In other tag team news, Jerry Stubbs and the Dirty White Boy were awarded the CWF tag team title when Shane Douglas, who held the belts with Humongous, left the federation. And the Terminator, teaming up with former Sheepherder flagbearer (and future WWE head of talent relations) Johnny Ace, won the Florida Championship Wrestling tag team title from Mike Graham and Steve Keirn in Tampa. In Stampede, Chris Benoit and Lance Idol are hot on the heels of Stampede tag team champions The Cuban Commandos. In All-Japan, David Sammartino has been teaming up with The Destroyer.

Lastly, on a sad note, veteran promoter and wrester Leroy McGuirk died September 9 at the age of 78. McGuirk was the world junior heavyweight champion from 1939 to 1950. Blinded after a 1950 auto accident, he continued to promote cards in Oklahoma into the mid-1970s. (Leroy curiously named his daughter “Mike,” who you might remember as the ring announcer for Wrestling Challenge around this time.) And now you’re up to date!

Next, it’s The Insider with Eddie Ellner, who closes out his contest where fans were asked to write essays describing the most historical wrestling moment in history with the winner getting a PWI T-shirt. Before announcing the winner, Eddie runs through some other entries. Dave from Bedford, Ohio says the greatest moment was when the Iron Sheik defeated good ol’ Bob Backland and ended Howdy Doody’s six-year reign of boredom. Joanna of Barbados says the greatest moment was when Kerry Von Erich lifted the Ugandan maniac Kamala over his head and bodyslammed him, earning $10,000 and proving impossible dreams can be realized. Dwayne from Medicine Hat, Alberta spent three pages gushing about Roddy Piper and cited his WrestleMania III match as most important. “Adonis and Piper were fighting for respect. Adonis wanted to regain the respect fans, promoters, colleagues, and the media once had for him. Piper wanted fans to realize he deserved their respect despite his rulebreaking past. Both men succeeded.” The winning entry, however, is from Romeyn from parts unknown. “It’s almost impossible to choose the single greatest moment from a sport that’s had so many. One outstanding event comes to mind. The date was April 30, 1977, and the place was the Baltimore Civic Center. The event, of course, was the championship victory of Superstar Billy Graham over the legendary Bruno Sammartino. This would be the sixth WWF title change, and perhaps the most important.”

“Graham’s win was very significant for several reasons. There’s no doubt that Graham’s victory over Sammartino all but ended the career of ‘The Living Legend.’ Through Sammartino challenged Graham to a series of rematches, including a violent encounter in a steel cage, he was unable to win the title back. In addition to heralding the beginning of a new era, Graham’s triumph was important because of the changes the new champion would soon instill in the sport. I have yet to see a pair of arms as powerful as Graham’s were in his prime. An interview session with Graham was a work of art. Additionally, men like Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, Sting, the Ultimate Warrior, and the Road Warriors were inspired by the Superstar. Graham was a great wrestler and remains an inspiration to all who meet him. Don’t ever forget the moment that elevated him to excellence. It marked the end of a legend, but the start of something truly great.” Sadly, however, Romeyn doesn’t get a T-shirt because he forgot to include his address.

Next, it’s On Assignment with Liz Hunter, who recounts one morning when someone was knocking on her door. It was 4:30 a.m. and the knocker was a courier of Jim Cornette’s who gave Liz a letter. It said, “How nice to be with you this morning, if only by mail. Mother and I will be down tonight, and we insist you join us for dinner. A car will pick you up at 7 p.m. Under your name there is a selection of formal gowns in the Chanel section of Saks. Take whatever you’d like. We have lots to talk about. Jim.” Liz, wondering what this was all about, went down to Saks Fifth Avenue and selected four dresses for $14,450. She then went directly to refunds, returned them, and donated the money to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Later that night, she met with Mama Cornette and her boy. “So what’s up?” Liz asked, knowing Jim must have wanted something. “Why the dinner? Why the gowns? What do you need?” Mama Cornette spoke up: “My brilliant son is superstitious.” Then Jim Cornette jumped in. “Tomorrow, my Midnight Express will fight for the NWA World tag team title.” Liz already knew this, but she tried to play along. “So?” she asked. But Jim had his own question: “Do you know what you were doing on February 1, 1986?” Liz thought for a moment. “I was outside looking at my shadow,” she replied. Jim said, “No, you were in Atlanta dining at Bugatti with Mother and myself. The next night my Midnight Express defeated the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express for the NWA World tag team title.” Liz started to understand what this was all about. “But the Express are a different team now than they were in ’86,” she said. “And Blanchard and Anderson have little in common with Morton and Gibson.” Mama Cornette sighed. “Don’t even bother,” she said. “I told him all the good luck in the world won’t pin Blanchard, but he won’t listen to reason.” However, the next night, the Midnight Express defeated Blanchard and Anderson to win all the gold. And the day after, Liz received a bouquet of flowers along with a note: “Dear Liz,” the card read, “thanks so much for joining us for dinner.”

Next, Where Are They Now?

Red Bastien died in 2012. He was 81. Ivan Putski is still alive. He worked as a security guard at a school before retiring in 2007, and he just turned 82. Ron Fuller is also alive and is now 73. Butch Reed died a couple years ago after testing positive for Covid. He was 66.

Next, Capsule Profile with Hercules Hernandez…

Onto News from the Wrestling Capitals…

Next, it’s time for that cranky SOB, Matt Brock in Matt Brock’s Plain Speaking. Matt first reports from Bayamon, Puerto Rico where he’s covering the World Wrestling Council’s 15th anniversary show. He says that as hard he tries, he can’t put the murder of Bruiser Brody out of his mind, and it casts a pall over all the matches. “I watch Ronnie Garvin pin the Iron Sheik, and all I can think about is Brody. I see Carlos Colon make Hercules Ayala submit, and all I can think about is a woman without her husband. I witness Hurricane Castillo Jr. and Miguel Perez Jr. beat Dan Kroffat and Bobby Jaggers, and all I can think about is a child without his father. I wish there was a way we could stop the world for a few minutes to mourn the passing a great man, but it just won’t happen.

Matt then reports from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “Little Red Rooster? Akeem? I thought the WWF had gone about as low as it could go when Elizabeth removed her skirt exposing a pretty shapely pair of gams, but this is too much,” he says. “Why is Terry Taylor calling himself Little Red Rooster? How did the One Man Gang become African? Where does Bobby Heenan get off trying to sell Hercules Hernandez as a slave? And who’s the jokester who decided a televised match needed an inset interview with Matilda where all she did was bark? Maybe someone thought it was cute, but if you ask me, the WWF has become a little too cute. Which brings me to the whole point of this little diatribe: the defection of Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson to the WWF. To me, this is worse than Peggy Flemming joining the Ice Capades. How can two serious wrestlers like Blanchard and Anderson do this? To me, Blanchard and Anderson epitomized what the NWA was all about: no-nonsense, exciting, dirt-under-your-fingernails wrestling. What does Vince McMahon Jr. plan to do with these two?

Matt’s next stop is Lakeland, Florida, where he writes about youngster Dustin Rhodes. “If the name sounds familiar, it should. He’s the son of three-time NWA World champion Dusty Rhodes. The younger Rhodes stands 6’5 and weighs 254, but there’s a lot of Dusty in Dustin. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become a top NWA contender within a year or two.”

And lastly, Matt reports from Memphis, Tennessee. “Kerry Von Erich, the World Class champ, and Jerry Lawler, the AWA champ, are planning to square off December 13 in Chicago in another title unification match. This time, however, there must be a winner. That alone makes this card worth watching, but there’s much more. Greg Gagne will try to regain the AWA TV strap from Ronnie Garvin, Wahoo McDaniel will wrestle Manny Fernandez, and there’s even a woman’s battle royal! It’s time to reserve those plane tickets for Chicago.” (Specifically, it’s a Street Fight Lingerie Battle Royal, which would include former GLOW champion and future WWF women’s champion Tina Ferrari/Nina/Ivory.)

We move on to an article about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, with Inside Wrestling demanding they split up or shut up! So to catch you up to speed, the Rock ‘n’ Rolls left the NWA. Then a petition drive encouraged them to come back. Then Robert left for the AWA while Ricky stayed in the NWA. Then Ricky left for the AWA to rejoin Robert. “Perhaps Ricky and Robert simply don’t know what they want,” the magazine says. “But they must make up their minds. Maybe they’re better off together. Maybe they’re better off apart. It’s time to get down to business for the good of everyone.”

Next, an article about the Megabucks and Megapowers and Megaconfusion. Specifically, the magazine looks at the mixed up, muddled up, shook up world where faces become heels and heels become faces. We first get a history lesson. While many fans know Randy Savage was once a hated figure and Andre was once a gentle giant, what the WWF doesn’t want you to know is that Hulk Hogan himself was also once a vile rulebreaker and Ted DiBiase was once a good natured fan favorite. But what about the future? Will we see more twists and turns, breaking up the Megapowers and/or Megabucks alliances? Inside Wrestling analyzes each of these men and makes some prognostications.

We begin with Ted DiBiase. He’s been frustrated by his inability to win the WWF world title. Will he change his ways? Unlikely. He’s been down that route in the UWF and was unsuccessful. Besides, what would he gain? He doesn’t need the fans’ cheers to be great, and it’s not going to get him a title shot.

How about Andre? Now that the fans have abandoned him, he seems like a very unhappy man. Andre has always been known as a man who is willing to fight for what he wants, and he’s been on the dark side for too long. Look for Andre to win back our hearts by WrestleMania V. And there’ll be a smile on his face. Not the devious one he so often displays now, but a real smile.

Randy Savage? This past year was a fluke. Don’t be fooled. The Macho Man is a vicious criminal with no regard for human life. Even his supposed love for Elizabeth is a fraud. He keeps her on a chain and won’t let any other man go near her. Did you see the look on his face when Hogan hugged Elizabeth after the SummerSlam main event? Hogan is getting too close to Elizabeth, and Savage is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Soon, you’ll be wondering how you ever cheered this uncontrollable madman.

And Hulk Hogan? Is there anything Hogan could do at this point to make the fans hate him? (He could stick around too long, go to a rival organization, and then out himself as the leader of a renegade faction. But what are the odds of that?) To become a real bad guy, he’d have to hit Elizabeth or attack a young fan. That’s not going to happen. Yes, Hogan was once a hated rulebreaker, but that was before his face was on billboards and advertisements across the country, before people were buying his T-shirts, dolls, and ice cream bars. He’s not going to throw all that away, and he doesn’t have to become a rulebreaker to get a title shot. If he waits long enough, Savage will become a rulebreaker. Look for Savage-Hogan to headline WrestleMania V. And fans will be rooting for Hogan.

Next, Memo to the WWF: Ban the Helmet or Ban Hulk Hogan! So lately, the Hulkster has been wearing a stupid plastic gladiator helmet adorned with a fist and has been using it as a weapon during his matches. Inside Wrestling says it condemns the use of foreign objects, even when a popular wrestler uses them, and the WWF should have the courage to ban the helmet or even suspend Hogan if necessary. “Rarely has a man who breaks the rules so blatantly been so enormously popular. In a recent match against Bad News Brown, for example, the crowd roared its approval as Hogan first knocked out Brown with the helmet, then pinned him. Any wrestler other than Hogan would have been immediately disqualified, but the Hulkster is the exception. There’s every reason to believe that Hogan, knowing the WWF will never punish him, will continue to use the helmet. This creates an unusual situation: a fan favorite who is the most blatant rulebreaker in the sport. The WWF should, at the very least, ban the helmet. But if Hogan continues his tendency toward extreme rulebreaking, a total ban of Hulk Hogan would be the next logical step. The WWF must act now before it’s too late.” (I can just imagine the letters to the editor for this one. “Hogan only uses the helmet for self defense!” and “What about Jimmy Hart’s megaphone and Slickster’s cane?”)

Next, 10 Reasons Why Sting Cannot Defeat Barry Windham. Most fans agree Sting is one of the most exciting new wrestlers of the decade. “A future world champion for sure,” some say. “He’s gonna rule the 1990s,” others proclaim. So when Sting challenged U.S. champion Barry Windham to a series of matches, most people assumed Windham would simply end up as a steppingstone before Sting moved onto bigger and better things, such as another run at Ric Flair’s NWA world title. Yet Sting has been unable to defeat Windham, and Sting remains without a title. Windham, for his part, feels disrespected. “What did he expect, a day at the park? I’m sick and tired of this hype that Sting gets. I’ve held the U.S. title for months, but I’ve never gotten the credit I deserve.” Why is it Windham frustrates Sting on a regular basis? Inside Wrestling has pinpointed ten factors that come into play in their confrontations and illustrate Windham’s advantage.

  1. Experience. Sting continues to improve in scientific knowledge and tactical strategies, but Windham, an eight-year veteran, is already a master of both.
  2. The claw. Windham has once again been using the favorite finishing hold of his father. Learning a counter should be a top priority for the challenger.
  3. Background. Windham has been groomed to become a professional wrestler since elementary school. Frequent conversations with his father help him fine-tune his abilities through the eyes of a far more experienced man. Ironically, the man who Sting used to rely on for advice was Windham himself.
  4. Size. Sting is no small fry. But Windham is 6’5. Sting himself has said sometimes he forgets how big Windham is.
  5. The fans. Sting thrives on hearing the cheers from fans, but Windham uses those same cheers to psyche himself up.
  6. Management. Windham has J.J. Dillon. Sting has no one.
  7. Science. Windham is a master of virtually every hold known to man. Sting is still learning.
  8. Emotion. Whereas Sting is highly susceptible to mood swings, Windham is one the coolest competitors in the game.
  9. Stamina. Sting usually polishes off opponents within minutes. Windham could wrestle for hours if he had to.
  10. The officials. Windham has established himself as one of the best referee-baiters in the sport, working the referees to gain an advantage in any way possible.

Next, Hotseat with Arn Anderson, with Bob Smith sitting down for an exclusive interview with AA. First, Bob asks Arn about leaving the NWA, and Arn says he’s peaked there, and the challenges in the NWA have run out, so it’s time to move on. When Bob mentions the tag team title loss to the Midnight Express, Arn says it was referee Tommy Young’s fault because Young lost track of the legal men. “When the double-pin came about, it never occurred to Young that I wasn’t the legal man in the ring at the time. The entire situation was not only dishonest, but it was clear favoritism for those guys.” Asked if the other Horsemen are angry that he and Tully are leaving, Arn says, “No, we haven’t created any animosity that I know of. Ric isn’t happy about it because we’re best friends, but Tully and I are seeking new horizons. You have to broaden your career.” Bob then asks what Arn and Tully expect to happen in the WWF, with so many great tag teams vying for one title. Arn says he and Tully expect to win and work their way up the ladder before toppling Demolition. “The only way to get a title shot is to prove ourselves. We’re prepared for anything we have to do. The cream will always rise to the top.”

Next up, an article about Jerry Lawler and Kerry Von Erich: Tag Team of the Year or Feud of the Year? Jerry and Kerry are teammates. Jerry and Kerry are bitter rivals. Just look at their calendars:

  • July 26: Lawler and Von Erich battle in a belt vs. belt match with no decisive winner.
  • August 20: Lawler and Von Erich team up against Buddy Landell and Tommy Rich.
  • September 9: Lawler shocks fans at the Dallas Sportatorium by sucker-punching and horribly bloodying Von Erich.
  • September 12: Lawler and Von Erich team up in a rematch against Landell and Rich.

What’s going on here? Simple. Both men are wrestling to win, be it together or separately. Yet on September 19, things seemed to reach a breaking point when both men were disqualified in a title for title match that saw them take out the referee before a host of wrestlers stormed the ring to try to keep peace. Now the AWA, CWA, and World Class have announced that Lawler and Von Erich will meat in the main event of SuperClash III December 13 in Chicago where there must be a winner. The loser, however, will lose more than just a belt. He’ll lose one of the best tag team partners he’s ever had.

And now, it’s Sgt. Slaughter and Col. DeBeers talking on the phone in One on One. Col. DeBeers loves South Africa where they have apartheid. Slaughter loves the good ol’ USA. DeBeers points out that even in the states, a Colonel outranks a Sergeant. “And something you wouldn’t know about is the undeniable superiority of the white man. You’ll always be a pawn of the inferior men of this world like Jimmy Snuka. I’ve witnessed the poverty among minorities in my homeland, and I know it’s not due to the so-called racism of my government. It’s due to the minorities’ own stupidity and inability to do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.” Slaughter says, “I pity you, DeBeers. On December 13, I’ll tear your body apart limb from limb.” DeBeers says he pities the entire American nation. “You’re blinded by the ways that subhuman mutants have capitalized on the white man’s guilt and opulence. You’d be a richer nation without any of them. I will beat you if only to prove the inherent superiority of my beliefs over yours.”

Here’s a Blast from the Past…

And finally, it’s TheRoll Call of Champions!

That’s all for this week! Tune in next week, same time, same channel. And if you’re new here, be sure to leave a comment and check out the archive. Also, check out my website to see what books I’ve written!