The SmarK Rant for World Championship Wrestling – 11.30.85

The SmarK Rant for World Championship Wrestling – 11.30.85

I really enjoyed taking a look at this show on the WCW Vault last week as a new Saturday thing, so let’s hit it again.

Taped from Atlanta, GA

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone & David Crockett

Meanwhile, at Starrcade…

Mid-Atlantic title: Sam Houston v. Krusher Khruschev

Joined in progress with Houston working a headscissors, but Krusher takes him to the corner to break, so Sam fights back with a dropkick and takes him down with an armbar. So Krusher elevates him into a faceplant to break that up, and slugs him down. Krusher with a bearhug, but Houston fights out and hits the bulldog for the apparent pin, but Khruschev has his foot on the ropes. So Sam celebrates like a geek, and Krusher hits him with the Sickle and pins him to win the title at 4:50 shown here.

Back with the hosts noting that this was an exciting match but they have MORE to show us from Starrcade 85!

National title: Terry Taylor v. Buddy Landel

I always find it interesting how title lineages can go in wrestling. The previous match had the Mid-Atlantic title, which was Crockett’s regional title in the Mid-Atlantic area, and this one features the National title, which was the former Georgia regional title. So the National title ended up the more important belt even after Crockett took over remains of the Georgia territory and integrated the belts, and in fact when all was said and done, the National title got unified into the US title by Nikita Koloff, whereas the Mid-Atlantic title just got dropped sometime in 1986. Anyway, these poor guys have to work with the mat covered in blood from the previous matches on the show. Well 1985 was a simpler time before we knew about bloodborne illnesses. They trade lockups and Terry smacks him down. So Buddy goes for the arm and Taylor escapes that pretty easily and slugs him down again. Buddy retreats to the corner and we take a break. Back with Taylor chopping him in the corner, but Buddy hits him with a lariat for two to take over. Taylor with a small package for two, but Buddy takes him down for a rear chinlock. Taylor makes the comeback, but the ref gets bumped multiple times, and Taylor tries a superplex, resulting in JJ Dillon tripping him and putting Buddy on top for the pin and the title at 6:32 shown here. And then Buddy SHOCKINGLY managed to fuck up the biggest push of his career by showing up high for the next taping and getting fired immediately afterwards. Dusty Rhodes, reluctantly I’m sure, booked himself to “win” the title in a non-existent match to keep the lineage going, lest anyone be too upset at Dusty Rhodes being without a title for more than a month.

The Midnight Express v. Italian Stallion & Rocky King

Back to the studio now, as Cornette challenges King to come after him and then heads over to do commentary instead. Condrey takes him down and works a facelock while Jim notes that the Stallion has been getting a little fat lately. HOW FAT IS HE? He got hit by a car last week because the driver tried to swerve but ran out of gas trying to get around him. That’s pretty fat. King gets a slam on Bobby for two and takes him down with a headscissors while Cornette notes that the Express has a new purpose: Winning the tag team titles. Condrey works the arm on the Stallion and Bobby takes him down with the armbar, but Stallion reverses to his own and then slams Condrey to send him retreating to the corner. Dennis tosses him and it’s back to Bobby, who hits Stallion with an elbow back in the ring before choking him out while Cornette tells him to lay off the spaghetti. Bobby drops knees on him and follows with a back suplex for two while Cornette promises that he’s got the PWI Tag team and Manager of the Year awards wrapped up. Rocky King gets a hot tag and runs wild on Condrey, so Cornette leaves commentary and makes sure Bobby is able to cut him off and drop the flying kneedrop off the top. And then Dennis finishes with the brainbuster at 8:16. Yeah I’d say he’s done.

Billy Jack Haynes joins Tony and he’s again sending out his love to everyone in Oregon and talk about how much he LOVES the NWA and wrestling there. Also he can’t remember Paul Jones’ name and calls him “Tom Jones or whatever his name is.” Clearly the promo of someone of sound mind who is staying long-term.

Meanwhile, back at Starrcade, JJ Dillon and Buddy Landel celebrate the National title win with an interview with Johnny Weaver, where Buddy challenges Ric Flair to a title match.

Manny Fernandez v. Tommy Lane

Manny takes him down with an armdrag and threatens him with karate, and then works the headlock. Lane fights out, so Manny takes him down again. Were I to offer some critique here, I’d say he’s established the headlock nicely and maybe it’s time to do something else. Bull with a headscissors on the mat, which I guess is different than a headlock so hurrah. Lane tries a punch, so Manny does a dramatic flip over it to avoid it, and then the Flying Burrito finishes at 7:30.

Afterwards, Bull informs us the RAGE OF THE BULL is the future, which I suppose was true since he turned heel shortly into 1986.

TBS Championship Challenge Series: The Road Warriors v. Thunderfoot & Black Bart

This edit omits the Warrior entrance completely rather than edit over the music, oddly enough. Animal quickly smashes Bart with a shoulderblock and hits Thunderfoot with a press slam to send him running to the floor. Back in the ring, Thunderfoot tags in all legal-like and tries his luck with Hawk, so Hawk puts him down with a big boot and slams everyone. This isn’t for a championship and it’s hardly proving to be a challenge so the concept is kind of out of the window here. Thunderfoot grabs a headlock and Hawk just slams out of it and works the arm, and Animal comes in for more of the same. We take a break from all this action and return with Hawk still working the arm, but he misses a charge and the JJ Jobbers actually take over with a shot from Thunderfoot’s loaded boot. They all brawl while Ivan Koloff joins us on commentary, which prompts Paul Ellering to go have words for him. And of course Nikita attacks from behind and they lay out Ellering, so Animal quickly pins Thunderfoot at 6:00 and the brawl with the Russians and Warriors erupts. But then Animal takes a chain to the throat and he actually SELLS, as the Russians leave him down and out. But then Hawk revives him and they carry Ellering out of the building like a literal bag of trash.

Jim Crockett joins us to announce next week’s Championship Challenge Series match: The Andersons & Tully Blanchard v. Sam Houston, Magnum TA and Billy Jack Haynes.

Ronnie Garvin v. Jim Jeffers

Garvin takes him down and tries for a pin, just kind of holding him down on the mat without doing anything. Jeffers makes the ropes, so Garvin rolls him up for two and makes him work for it again, and Jeffers is again in the ropes. Garvin continues taking him down and twisting him up on the mat before beating him into the corner with headbutts. Jeffers finally fights back, but Garvin gets a sunset flip for two and just unloads on him with chops. Jeffers runs him into the corner to come back again, but he misses whatever and Garvin just smokes him with a PK to the ribs and finishes with HANDS OF STONE at 7:10.

Road Warriors join Tony and Hawk is pretty pissed off about what happened earlier with the Russians. They don’t want friends, but they’re from AMERICA and the Russians are from some other country that’s not America, and that’s not OK with Hawk! He demands that EVERY PROMOTER IN THE WORLD sign that match because they’re now they’re vigilantes and they’re never gonna be happy again unless they can face the Russians! Animal clarifies that Ellering handles their money and thus he’s very important to them. Also they hate Russia.

Arn Anderson joins us as we ponder who the World TV title is going to be. Arn claims to have the best record on TV, whereas Dusty never wrestles on TV, so ipso facto he deserves to be TV champion. Plus he’s got possession of the belt and possession is “99% of the law” so again, he’s the TV champion. So we get a clip from Mid-Atlantic, where Arn tells anyone who wants the belt to COME AND GET IT. So Dusty calmly attacks him from behind with a chair and takes it. Arn points out that his back was turned so THAT DOESN’T COUNT, just like a true heel. That was actually a tremendous bit of business.

Meanwhile, Magnum TA does his victory promo at Starrcade 85 after making Tully quit, and promises to be a fighting champion.

Jim Crockett announces that we’re having a TOURNAMENT for the World TV title in January, with a one night tournament in Greensboro since Dusty is unable to defend it. And yet he WAS able to challenge Ric Flair at the biggest show of the year for the World title, and then beat Buddy Landel for the National title. That’s a very specific leg injury. So we take you back to Great American Bash 85, with Dusty winning the TV title from Tully Blanchard in a cage match, after Baby Doll gave Tully a loaded elbow pad, but Dusty piledrove him for the pin.

And that’s where we wrap things up for the week, as this was feeling like a LOT of filler after Starrcade.