The SmarK Rant for World Championship Wrestling – 07.02.83

The SmarK Rant for World Championship Wrestling – 07.02.83

I will say that although I’m enjoying these greatly, there’s not a lot of interest on the blog, so it’s probably best they’re just doing a few of them and then stopping.

https://youtu.be/WtaXKcZSCpg?si=TIb1F9ea26IrCzUv

Taped from Atlanta, GA

Your host is Gordon Solie

Scott Casey joins Gordon, and he’s particularly interested in rugged competition with Buzz Sawyer. Whether it’s championship matches or just normal ones!

The Road Warriors & Paul Ellering v. Chief Joe Lightfoot, Brett Wayne & Arn Anderson

So this was from last week when the show ran out of time, so we get the whole thing here. The faces work on Animal’s arm and it’s over to Hawk as they double-team him as well. Ellering tags in, dressed in full tuxedo gear because he’s so confident that his team doesn’t need him, and gets some shots on Arn as the TV show ends at 1:45. But then we get BONUS FOOTAGE, as Ole Anderson hits the ring and brawls with the Warriors to chase them off.

Back at the desk, Ole rages against foreigners like the Iron Sheik and thinks that the Road Warriors should go back to Iran with him. Who ever heard of “Chicago” anyway? Maybe they should go back there! But Ole now has his own backup, MAN MOUNTAIN DARSOW. You know, I was just thinking that wrestling hasn’t had a good MAN MOUNTAIN gimmick in a while. And so young Barry Darsow is the next Minnesota Posse member to debut, dressed like Big Josh and carrying an axe like a lumberjack. He’s OK.

Larry Zbyszko & Tully Blanchard drop by, perhaps the most obnoxious tag team combination possible, and Larry now has his National title belt back due to legal shenanigans. So now Larry has put up $25,000 against Mr. Wrestling II’s mask in their match tonight.

Elimination tag match: Larry Zbyszko & Tully Blanchard v. Pistol Pez Whatley & Mr. Wrestling II

This is actually Tully’s first appearance in the territory as Gordon notes he was in San Antonio before now. Wrestling the First joins us on commentary to keep an eye on things as Larry does the Seven Minute Stall to start. So Tully starts the match and II beats on him before taking him to the corner for a headlock from Pez. Tully takes him down with an armdrag and stops to strut, but then Pez gets his own and Tully claims hairpulling and brings Larry back in. Pez gets a sunset flip for two, but then Larry doesn’t want to confront Wrestling II and tags out again. II takes Tully down with a headlock and Tully runs away from a potential kneelift and bails to the floor. Tully’s cowardly facials and selling were already on point back then. Tully finally tags in Larry but he stalls out again, and that allows Pez to come in and hit him with headbutts and a small package for two. But that’s the end of round one at 5:55. And we take a break.

Between rounds, Gordon talks with OG Wrestling, who stresses that it isn’t actually about the $25,000, it’s about HONOR. And then Paul Ellering stops by to hype up the house show loop, and Buzz Sawyer is SCREAMING about Tommy Rich and Scott Casey. I think he might be on drugs.

Round two and Larry calls for time out already, so Wrestling II tags out and it’s over to Pez. Pez misses a blind charge and Larry hits him with the FULL BODY LIFT AND SLAM and brings in Tully to work on the neck with a kneedrop for two. The heels double-team Whatley and Tully gets a butterfly suplex and drops an elbow for two. Tully cuts off the ring and Larry comes in with a neckbreaker, but can’t get a piledriver. Tully cuts off the tag again, so Pez dropkicks him and makes a comeback on his own. This proves to be a mistake, as the heels double-team him, and Pez gets sloppy and accidentally throws Tully over the top rope to be DQ’d at 3:44. So II fights alone and they go for his mask and beat him down in the corner. Tully is just so smug and unlikeable. Larry pulls at the mask and that gets II all fired up and he makes the comeback, running Tully into the corner as round two expires at 5:15. Not sure about the timekeeping there.

Tommy Rich joins Gordon to announce that lucky fan Shawn Cooper of Dayton OH will be flown to the Omni to meet Tommy, and Gordon actually doxes the kid’s address and zip code! What if some crazed Tommy Rich fan goes to his house and beats him up to take his place? Speaking of crazed, Buzz Sawyer interrupts this promo and claims full credit for running Dick Murdoch out of the territory, and we get a lot of YELLING AND POINTING.

Round three as Wrestling II still has to face both guys alone and Larry beats on him in the corner, but he accidentally punches Tully in the face (who can blame him) and that allows II to make a comeback on Tully. He hits Tully with the kneelift, but goes after Larry and gets caught from behind as a result, allowing Larry to go after the mask again. Tully tries the slingshot suplex, but II reverses to his own suplex for two. Back to Larry and II hits him with the kneelift but only gets two. Tully with the bootlaces to the eyes as Wrestling Uno describes II hitting sacks of potatoes with kneelifts to split them open, and the heels double-team II in the corner until the ref DQs Tully at 3:35. That leaves it with Larry v. Wrestling II and he goes for the mask, but II makes the comeback, so Larry rolls him up and grabs the ropes for the pin at 4:38! The crowd is freaking out, but the ref learns about the cheating and declares the match continues, allowing II to roll up Larry for the pin instead and win the $25,000. I’m kind of amazed this had a real finish.

Back at the desk, Larry promises that TOMORROW NIGHT at the Omni is where the whole thing with Wrestling II ends for good. Spoiler: It did not end it for good.

Wild Bill Irwin v. Terry Ellis

Irwin attacks without even taking off his coat, hitting him with a knee and putting the boots to him. Irwin with a chinlock and finishes with some kind of forearm off the middle rope at 2:28.

Back at the desk, Irwin calls out that pretty boy goof Tommy Rich, and indeed Tommy is in the ring ready to compete. So Irwin interrupts the match introductions and attacks Tommy, beating on him until Rich makes the comeback. Irwin slugs him down again, but Tommy comes back and puts Irwin in an abdominal stretch until Buzz Sawyer runs in and breaks it up for the two on one beatdown. And then Scott Casey hits the ring to make the save, as the babyfaces regroup at the desk and promise to run those bums out of the territory together.

And that’s the show!

Hard to turn down the senses shattering debut of MAN MOUNTAIN DARSOW.