|
Post by snabbit888 on Nov 28, 2011 16:36:02 GMT -5
Indianapolis! Getting into my real life turf now, son. You're just lucky that in GCW time, I'm not alive yet, or I would shut this show down!
Mr. Saito! 'Bout damn time you got him signed. I know you've been trying for a long ass time, so it's great to see Fuji's other successful teammate make his debut. Interesting first feud with Akbar vs. Pringle, but it will give them a chance to build some positive momentum.
Wow, looks like you're serious about this Chief Jay Strongbow push. Now I don't think he will be a serious threat to the World Title, this angle could be a lot of fun. And sure, it wasn't exactly a clean win over Tommy Rich, but Rich was US champion for over a year - he's got the chops. And Rich losing his US Title shot because of this? Ouch... he's going to do bad things to Atlas. Not the sexy kind either.
East-West beat the New Wave, but they didn't look that impressive in doing so. Did keep Eaton/Sugar from getting their title match against the Flyers though. Interesting that usually wrestling shows feature people earning title shots, but this show featured two cases of losing title shots.
Again, not an entirely clean victory, but definitely close enough to be a huge win for Ole Anderson as he beats Greg Valentine. Valentine's going to need to figure out how to keep Blackwell off his case if he's going to get another World Title shot.
Thunderbolt has a much easier time beating one of the Dirty Cowboys when the other is thrown out of ringside. Didn't stop him from getting a beating though. Wonder who's going to help Thunderbolt out... Ole maybe? Strongbow?
Orndorff doesn't have much trouble with Sawyer, and still seems pretty uninterested in Graham's offer. Orndorff doesn't need to be mentored to be successful. He'll make Graham realize it soon enough.
Great showing for Canadian Air. I thought they had a legitimate shot to take the titles, but wasn't quite meant to be tonight. I'm calling it now though - Poffo & Rougeau will be the team to dethrone the Flyers (unless they don't).
Jack Brisco heel turn almost 100% complete. It's clear that he was trying to make a point that if you can't beat 'em, you join 'em, but it's getting past that point now. And Orndorff made it clear to Graham where he stands. We'll see if Orndorff can deal with Graham's power though.
FIREBALL! Yes! I love fireball angles. It's been a long time since I did one (The Sheik, maybe?) so this is fresh, and classic Lawler. A nice play off of his feeling that Race allowed him to get burned by Akbar's cigar as well. No-DQ match is going to be great.
Damn you with your strong main events... I need to pick my game up.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Nov 28, 2011 21:56:21 GMT -5
I don't think you really need to pick up your game. You're getting the best of what I've got and you still won feud of the year.
The fireball made one appearance early in 1980. It was thrown by Akbar onto Lawler. It was on the show right before the one where he got the cigar put out on his eye. Lawler did have a rough year.
|
|
|
Post by snabbit888 on Nov 28, 2011 22:39:01 GMT -5
Perhaps, but my 1980 feels like it Backlund vs. Snuka and then everything else. But I think we both always hate our own stuff.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Nov 28, 2011 23:35:35 GMT -5
Yeah, there's very little stuff of my own that I'm actually happy with. I'm still surprised the Rich character has received as much love as it has. I guess there are worst things than being your own worst critic.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 2, 2011 11:23:44 GMT -5
Results of NWF - Omaha, NE - 2/14/81:
15-Man Battle Royal: Crusher Blackwell won a 15-man Battle Royal: x Orndorff threw out Ron Bass after a powerslam in 0:00:16 x Orndorff threw out Sawyer in 0:00:51 x Ventura threw out Eaton in 0:02:23 x Blackwell threw out Sugar in 0:02:45 x Raschke threw out Ventura in 0:03:19 x O. Anderson threw out Adonis in 0:03:59 x Valentine threw out O. Anderson in 0:06:41 x Valentine threw out Orton in 0:07:44 x Blackwell threw out Raschke after a double-axhandle to the back in 0:08:46 x Valentine threw out Thunderbolt in 0:09:37 x Orndorff threw out Slater in 0:10:33 x Orndorff threw out Valentine after a clothesline in 0:11:23 x Blackwell threw out Rich in 0:12:10 x Blackwell threw out Orndorff in 0:15:38 Rating: **** ¼
The Valentine’s Day Massacre Battle Royal started the show off tonight where the winner would be awarded a trophy and a check for $15,000.The ring was packed with talent, and it was nearly impossible to pick a favorite. If you went by size then Crusher Blackwell would have to be considered a contender, but there were also several groups of friends and tag teams that would allow the use of allies during the match even though battle royals are every man for themselves. Orndorff was one of the men that were out there by himself and so he tried to start off with a head full of steam. He was successful right off the bat by eliminating Ron Bass. Seconds later Buzz Sawyer joined Bass on the outside as Orndorff took care of him as well. Bass and Sawyer probably needed the time as they were scheduled to team up with Baron Von Raschke later on in the evening to face off against Devastation, Inc.
Orndorff cooled down some after his flurry of offense at the beginning. This allowed several other wrestlers to take center stage, especially the East-West Connection. They’ve recently had their problems with the New Wave, a team that is on the rise here in the NWF, and they were dedicated to make sure that Bobby Eaton and Sweet Brown Sugar didn’t have another feather to put in their cap. Ventura was able to catch Eaton off guard and toss him over the top rope. Adonis and Ventura then teamed up with Crusher Blackwell to send Sugar out as well. While the East-West Connection taunted the New Wave, Baron Von Raschke took the opportunity to dump Ventura over the top rope and to the floor. This led to Eaton and Sugar brawling at ringside with Ventura. This distraction allowed Ole Anderson to come up from behind Adrian Adonis and eliminate him. The East-West Connection continued to brawl around ringside with the New Wave until officials were able to order them to the back on threats of fines and suspensions.
Things calmed down quite a bit after that with Greg Valentine, Paul Orndorff, and Crusher Blackwell seeming to take control of the match while “Wildfire” Tommy Rich did his best to hide out in the corner. Rich apparently did not want to get his hands dirty. Blackwell and Raschke grabbed the crowd’s attention by just how brutally they pounded on one another. Meanwhile, it looked like Ole Anderson was going to get the upper hand on Valentine, but when he charged at Valentine, Greg dropped his shoulder and sent Ole up and over the top rope. Bob Orton Jr. got the same treatment from Valentine just a few seconds later as Valentine clobbered him with a clothesline that sent him to the ring floor.
Both Blackwell and Raschke continued to punish one another, but it was finally Blackwell that was able to send the Baron up and over the top rope. Percy Pringle and Raschke were furious, but they would be able to get their hands on Blackwell a little later on in the evening in the six man tag. Orndorff and Thunderbolt Patterson started to form an alliance as they realized how outnumbered they were at this point. Valentine, Dick Slater, and Rich went after them while Crusher Blackwell tried to catch his breath after being a part of a brutal back and forth with Raschke. The three on two advantage was finally too much for Thunderbolt and Orndorff as Patterson was sent packing from the ring. Thunderbolt was not going to leave Orndorff alone with those four men in the ring, however, as he reentered the ring and nailed Slater with the Thunderbolt Right. Thunderbolt has had his problems with the Dirty Cowboys as of late, and this was one way of returning the favor for the recent beatings he has suffered at their hands. Orndorff had no problems eliminating Slater, but this still left him alone with Tommy Rich, Greg Valentine, and Crusher Blackwell.
Valentine and Rich tried to work over Orndorff, but Valentine should never have taken his eyes off Blackwell. Crusher coldcocked him from behind which led up to his elimination. Valentine was furious as he tried to reenter the ring, but the officials were having none of it. Skandor Akbar, Crusher’s manager, made the mistake of laughing in Valentine’s face. Valentine couldn’t take any more as he chased Akbar around ringside and to the back.
This left Tommy Rich trying to make a deal with Crusher Blackwell. It seemed like they had as they attacked Orndorff, and despite Orndorff’s best efforts he was unable to fight them off. Things looked bleak for Paul Orndorff until Crusher decided he had had enough of Rich trying to give directions. Rich ordered Crusher around one time too many and the end result was Rich flying high into the air and to the outside. Rich could not believe it, but he had been eliminated from the match.
Orndorff had been on the receiving end of a lot of punishment in this match tonight, and there seemed like there was little he would be able to do against such a large man like Crusher Blackwell. Still, Orndorff didn’t give up and looked like he was on the verge of making a comeback. He even had Crusher up against the ropes and possibly ready to be eliminated when “Superstar” Billy Graham made his way to ringside. Graham was giving Orndorff some polite applause for his efforts, but this certainly distracted Orndorff. In fact, Orndorff left Blackwell to start jawing at Graham. This gave Blackwell all of the opening he needed as he grabbed Orndorff and unceremoniously hurled him to the outside. Orndorff was cheated out of this victory and it was all thanks to Billy Graham. Graham told Orndorff what a disappointment he was before drilling him between the ribs with a kick. Graham walked off while Orndorff tried to catch his breath. Orndorff has a match with Graham later on this evening and it’ll be a miracle if he’ll be able to compete, let alone win.
Meanwhile, back in the ring, Crusher Blackwell was handed his trophy and his check for $15,000. Crusher was ecstatic and seemed even more pleased with the trophy than the check. He let it be known that this was the first thing he’d ever received on Valentine’s Day and he was sure it was better than any woman, especially any woman from Nebraska.
Chief Jay Strongbow made Dick Slater submit to the Indian Deathlock in 0:08:07. Rating: ** ¾
You had to feel a little bad for the wrestlers that were both involved in the Valentine’s Day Massacre battle royal and had to wrestle later on in the night. There was no doubt that they’d be tired, and it was shown firsthand here when “Dirty” Dick Slater had to go one on one with Chief Jay Strongbow. Slater seemed like he was suffering a little bit of after effects from the Thunderbolt Right. He was just unable to handle someone with the expertise of Strongbow while trying to deal with not being a full one hundred percent. The Indian Deathlock was more than enough to force him to submit and get this night over with. Strongbow continues on his quest to get a World Title shot while Slater will try and figure out, along with partner Bob Orton Jr., how to deal with Thunderbolt Patterson. They better come up with a plan fast as they will face off with Thunderbolt and a partner of his choosing in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Number-One-Contenders-Match: The Von Erich Brothers (David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich) defeated Canadian Air (Lanny Poffo and Raymond Rougeau) when Kevin Von Erich pinned L. Poffo after a lariat in 0:17:43. Rating: *** ¼
Two tag teams that are huge fan favorites went at it for the rights to face the High Flyers for the World Tag Team Titles in a month’s time. Canadian Air and the Von Erich Brothers both have their history with the High Flyers, but Canadian Air had just recently lost their opportunity at the gold and it looked like it gave them a little more motivation to win this match and get right back into the title hunt. What started out as a friendly affair started to turn a little more violent when Canadian Air kept going for pinfall after pinfall in rapid succession. Kevin and David decided they had enough of that after several close calls and tried to beat the spunkiness directly out of Lanny Poffo and Raymond Rougeau. It didn’t seem to work, however, as Canadian Air refused to stay down. These two teams continued their amazing back and forth war with one another until Kevin was finally able to catch Poffo coming off the top rope with a vicious lariat. Poffo’s head almost landed in the second row which meant he had no shot of escaping the pinfall. Rougeau was caught off guard at the suddenness of the move and was also unable to make the save. The Von Erich’s escaped with the number one contendership by the skin of their teeth while Canadian Air suffered yet another loss by the slimmest of margins. The High Flyers better have been watching closely if they want to hold onto their titles because the Von Erich Brothers are at the top of their game.
Jack Brisco made Tony Atlas submit to the Figure-Four Leglock in 0:11:23. Rating: ** 3/4 (Jack Brisco won the NWF United States Title.)
This would be Tony Atlas’ first US Title defense since winning the title from “Wildfire” Tommy Rich back in January. He would have his hands full, however, as Jack Brisco has been riding a wave of momentum since his brother was forced out of the NWF at the hands of Billy Graham and the East-West Connection. He has taken a more aggressive approach and thrown the rule book entirely out the window, and he has had quite the success as of late due to this new way of thinking. From the very beginning of the match it looked like Atlas was on a mission to retain his US Title as he tossed Brisco from one side of the ring to the other. Brisco fought back with a technical style that focused in on Atlas’ legs. It was a good strategy because if you can take the legs out from such a strong man like Atlas then you sap him of a lot of his strength. Still, Atlas was able to overcome this and continue to outmuscle Brisco. Jack saw the match slipping away and so he went another route by taking off the turnbuckle pad while referee Barney Sullivan was not watching. Atlas didn’t see the move either and due to this walked right into having his head smashed into the exposed steel. Atlas was almost out on his feet before Brisco dropped him to the mat with a clothesline. Brisco quickly locked on the Figure-Four Leglock, and it was pretty obvious that Atlas was going nowhere. Referee Sullivan never did inspect why Atlas was knocked unconscious, instead focusing on if Atlas would submit or not. It became pretty clear what the ref had to do when Atlas didn’t answer his questions and he had to call for the bell or risk permanent injury to Atlas.
We have a new US Champion! Jack Brisco was handed the title much to the chagrin of the crowd. What a major turnaround Brisco has seen since turning his back on the fans and going at it alone. Brisco left the ring with his newly won title and crossed paths with “Wildfire” Tommy Rich on the way. Brisco waited to see if Rich had a problem with him, but it wasn’t Brisco that Rich wanted to deal with. Rich instead entered the ring where he got in Atlas’ face. Rich berated Atlas for losing the US Title in his first title defense. Rich couldn’t believe that he held that title for over a year and Atlas could barely keep it for a month. Atlas was still groggy, trying to grasp what had just happened. Rich continued to mock Atlas as he brought a chair into the ring. Atlas tried to shake the cobwebs loose, but he didn’t even appear to see the chairshot come. Atlas crashed back down to the mat as Rich stood over him. Rich told Atlas that he had ruined everything he had worked for and now he was going to give him the same treatment. Rich rained down shots with the chair across Tony Atlas’ arm as Atlas screamed out in pain. Atlas tried to roll away from the shots, but it was no use as Rich continued to nail his exposed left arm with shot after shot with the chair. Things looked like it might get worse for Atlas when Rich decided to focus in on the neck and head, but this was too much for Ole Anderson and Chief Jay Strongbow to bear. They ran down the aisle and cleared it of “Wildfire” but not before Rich got one last blow in on Atlas’ left arm.
It was revealed after the show that Tony Atlas had broken his left arm and would need an extended leave of absence. It’s unsure if we will ever see Tony Atlas in a NWF ring again, and it’s all thanks to Tommy Rich. Ole Anderson promised to teach Rich a lesson next month as they will meet up in singles action. But we do have a new US Champion, and the way Jack Brisco has been wrestling, it looks like he might be able to hold onto the strap for some time.
Devastation, Inc. (Mr. Saito, Mr. Fuji and Crusher Blackwell) defeated Baron Von Raschke, Ron Bass and Buzz Sawyer when Saito pinned Sawyer with the Saito Suplex in 0:13:29. Rating: ** ¼
Skandor Akbar and Percy Pringle have gotten into their own war about who is the better manager. Pringle tried to settle this by agreeing to manage the two other men that Akbar had tried to team Mr. Fuji up with. Buzz Sawyer and Ron Bass were not used to listening to orders, however, and this worked against them and their team. Baron Von Raschke and Crusher Blackwell continued their war from the battle royal whenever they were in the ring together, and they both seemed rather exhausted by the end of the match. It would be newcomer Mr. Saito that would score the pinfall for his team when he drilled Sawyer with the Saito Suplex. It was pretty clear via the arguments after the match that Pringle will no longer be managing Bass or Sawyer. On the other hand, Pringle was able to get a match for next month where hopefully this will be settled as Baron Von Raschke will go one on one with Crusher Blackwell. Pringle even tried to get Crusher to put up his Valentine’s Day Massacare trophy, but Blackwell was having none of that. He’s apparently grown rather fond of it as he brought it to the ring with him for this match.
Paul Orndorff pinned Billy Graham after a short clothesline in 0:11:01. Rating: *** ½
Paul Orndorff had his work cut out for him. Not only did he almost win the win battle royal earlier in the evening, but now he had to go one on one with former NWF World Champion “Superstar” Billy Graham. Graham has made it be known that he wanted to take Orndorff under his wing and mentor him, but Orndorff had changed his ways since the time before he entered the NWF. At that point Orndorff was under the tutelage of another member of Billy’s family, and Orndorff was known as one of the deadliest, if not villainous, wrestlers around. Graham thinks that Orndorff is disrespecting the family name, but Orndorff is simply trying to make a name for himself out there on his own. Orndorff had to fight off the extreme exhaustion he was suffering from to face off with Graham, but you wouldn’t have known it from the opening minutes of the bout. Orndorff took it to Graham with a fiery passion that had the crowd cheering loudly. Graham seemed like he was caught off-guard by the flurry of offense by Orndorff, but he soon saw an opening that allowed him to take control. For the rest of the match Billy Graham beat on the younger wrestler, trying to show him the error of his ways for not following Graham. It looked like it was only a matter of time until Graham would be able to put this match away when out of nowhere Orndorff blasted Graham with a short clothesline and scored the surprising three count! Orndorff escaped from the ring in a hurry, not even bothering to get his hand raised, while Graham looked on in shock. Orndorff picked up a huge win here, but this is surely far from over between these two. In fact, Graham will be teaming up with his best friends, the East-West Connection, to do battle with the New Wave and Paul Orndorff in Lincoln, Nebraska, next month.
No-DQ-Match: Jerry Lawler pinned Harley Race with the Piledriver in 0:16:30. Rating: ** 3/4 (Jerry Lawler won the NWF World Title.)
Even if our main event was a regular singles match it guaranteed to be a brutal one. The match, however, was signed as a no disqualification match. There was no way either of these men were leaving the ring the same. Race’s face was still injured from the fireball that Lawler thrown, and yet he demanded that this match take place. Race tore right into Lawler from the beginning, hammering with lefts and rights. Race quickly busted Lawler open above the eye. Lawler isn’t one to just sit there and take punishment, however, as he fired back with his own barrage. Each shot to the burned face of Race had to have caused immense pain for the World Champion , but somehow he fought on. Race found a steel wrench under the ring that he used to bludgeon Lawler’s left leg. Lawler fought back with a wooden spike that he had found, shoving it into Race’s forehead. This caused Race to be busted open as well. With the blood flowing it was only a matter of time before the match would come to an end. Race has been World Champion for over a year now, and he has defended the title no matter what the odds. But tonight he came into the match already injured, and that’s bad news against a guy like Jerry Lawler. Race fought on gallantly, but you could tell he was starting to wear down from the punishment he was taking. Lawler finally was able to catch Race with the Piledriver, but Race somehow kicked out at two. Lawler would not be denied, however, as he picked Race back up and dropped him with two more Piledrivers. This time when he made the cover Race did not kick out. And we had a new World Champion!
Jerry “The King” Lawler, bloody face and all, was handed the World Title after the match. The crowd was in shock that Race had finally lost the World Title, but that didn’t stop them from booing unmercifully. Lawler picked up the fallen Race and threw him between the ropes and to the outside. Lawler apparently did not want Race to interfere with his celebration. Lawler continued to celebrate with the World Title while Race lay beaten and bloodied on the outside.
March 7, 1981 – Lincoln, NE: WORLD TAG TITLES – High Flyers © vs. The Von Erich Brothers Dirty Cowboys vs. Thunderbolt Patterson and a Mystery Partner Ole Anderson vs. Tommy Rich Paul Orndorff and the New Wave vs. The East-West Connection and Billy Graham Crusher Blackwell vs. Baron Von Raschke
|
|
|
Post by snabbit888 on Dec 2, 2011 14:26:11 GMT -5
A fun battle royal to kick off the show. You're really good at battle royal writeups, so it's always a fun read for me. Blackwell winning doesn't bother me at all. The stuff with Orndorff was nice and helped put him over as a top guy even more. New Wave/EW Connection got to brawl which is great to see. And Blackwell's victory speech made me laugh. As a fellow man who is shunned by women, I feel his pain. He should marry the trophy. After Thunderbolt rattled Slater's jaw, it's no surprise Strongbow got the win. Strongbow's wins have a bit of a fluke nature to them, but it's still a good way to build to the fact that he may be able to fluke a World Title win this late in his career. Was rooting for Canadian Air, but not upset that the Von Erichs won. Have you done a High Flyers/Von Erichs match yet? This should be a good match. And even though I called Canadian Air being the next champions, this would not surprise me if we see new tag champs in Lincoln. With the knowledge that Atlas was leaving, I knew he was losing the title tonight, but I was curious to see how you'd do it. I'm glad you didn't use any Rich shenanigans during the match. I think it puts over Brisco more as a dick that cheats to win. I can't believe after almost 20 years of this universe, this is Jack Brisco's first singles reign. Glad Rich was the one to write Atlas out too with the arm injury, though won't it seem weird if Atlas' arm is perfectly healthy if he comes to GCW? Devastation Inc. winning did not surprise me considering Pringle's team was Raschke and a couple of low carders. Pringle needs to get some reinforcements if he's going to truly compete with Akbar. Raschke/Blackwell is a big time match though. Was shocked to see Orndorff get the win considering how much punishment he took in the battle royal. Graham dominated most of the match which I am okay with, and Orndorff continues to climb to the top. Wow. You pulled the trigger on Jerry Lawler as World champion. I support the move - just didn't think you'd do it at this point. Kudos, and even more kudos for doing it with a great angle. I imagine Race takes a little time off to "heal from injuries." A new man to add to the list of World champions. Great show, friend.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 2, 2011 14:56:12 GMT -5
The Von Erich Brothers lost to the High Flyers back in October of 1980 in a tag title defense. This will be their first shot at the Flyers since they ended their feud with the Dirty Cowboys, however. I felt bad that Tony Atlas only got a brief run with the title as I had plans for him, but on the other hand, he left. So F him. I figured it only made sense for Rich to be the one to send him packing. Too bad he didn't break his arm for real. Just as long as you don't debut Atlas with the Lariat as his new finisher to showcase how fine and dandy his arm is. If he ever does make his way to GCW it'll be the first bigger star that NWF "made" that goes to New York. Should be fun. I guess USWA wasn't really a World Title, was it? That's crazy to think that Lawler never held a World Title in real life. The list of World Champions in the Universe isn't large, but I figure Lawler deserves to be there at this point in his career. He's been around a lot longer than you'd think. I think he debuted for GCW back in the early '70s, didn't he?
|
|
|
Post by snabbit888 on Dec 2, 2011 15:09:50 GMT -5
Lawler did have an AWA World Title run in the mid-80s if you want to count that. And yeah, he debuted in 1972. Damn... didn't realize it had been that long.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 2, 2011 20:57:22 GMT -5
There's quite a few guys that I keep thinking are pretty new to the wrestling scene and then I realize they've been around a long time. Raymond Rougeau has only been with the NWF for a year and a half, but he actually started wrestling around 1973. I play him off like a youngster, but he's a little bit older than that.
Lawler had a pretty good run in GCW. He was just a few big wins away from a serious main event push, IMO. I think he quit before he got there. Then he went and wrestled in Memphis until he came to NWF. That's my story anyways.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 5, 2011 1:12:07 GMT -5
Results of NWF - Lincoln, NE - 3/7/81:
Randy Savage pinned Jerry Estrada with the Flying Elbowdrop in 0:04:13. Rating: *** ¼
“Macho Man” Randy Savage made his NWF debut here tonight against Jerry Estrada. Reports were that Savage is an amazing wrestler that has an unmatched intensity level. Savage made an impression on the crowd from the beginning as he dominated Estrada from the minute the bell rang. Savage’s offense focused mainly on using jabs and double axehandles to keep Estrada down, but he used the Flying Elbowdrop to try and finish off the match. He apparently wanted to make a statement, however, as he lifted Estrada up at the count of two. Savage went back to the top and drilled Estrada with one more Flying Elbowdrop before deciding that he had delivered enough punishment. If “Macho Man” wanted to prove a point in his debut, he did just that.
Chief Jay Strongbow pinned Buzz Sawyer after a back elbow in 0:08:02. Rating: * ¾
Chief Jay Strongbow has been on a winning streak and he was determined to not let it end it here in Lincoln. Strongbow has brought a new focus to his matches since making the decision to work towards a World Title match against whoever is champion. Strongbow caught Buzz Sawyer charging into the corner with an elbow which knocked “Mad Dog” out just long enough for the Chief to hook the leg and get the three count.
Dirty Cowboys (Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater) defeated Thunderbolt Patterson and Ron Garvin when Orton pinned Thunderbolt after a side suplex in 0:12:17. Rating: ** ¾
Thunderbolt Patterson promised to bring a partner to this tag team battle, and most people, including the Dirty Cowboys, assumed it would be someone off the current roster. That would not be the case, however, as Thunderbolt said he had many great choices, but the man that would be his partner was someone that has proven time and again throughout the wrestling world that he has some of the deadliest hands in the business. Thunderbolt was extremely proud of his Thunderbolt Right, but there was a man that he knew had perhaps a punch stronger than his, Ron Garvin! “Cowboy” Bob Orton Jr. and “Dirty” Dick Slater both tried to protest that Patterson should have had to choose from wrestlers currently on the roster, but referee Isaac Madilla would have none of it as he ordered for the match to begin.
Ron Garvin is not a newcomer to wrestling. In fact, he’s been wrestling since 1962 and has been successful wherever he has gone. It looks like he’ll continue to succeed here in the NWF if tonight’s match says anything about his abilities. Orton and Slater had their hands full with Garvin who kept sending them to the mat with rights and lefts. They wouldn’t have it any easier with Thunderbolt Patterson who also sent them scurrying from the ring with his powerhouse offense. Luckily for the Cowboys, however, they have amazing tag team skills and they were able to sneak out a win when Slater helped Orton deliver a double side suplex while the ref was keeping Garvin from entering the ring. After the match, Patterson and Garvin cleared the ring of the Dirty Cowboys and shook hands. It was announced after the show that Ron Garvin has signed a contract with the NWF and will be competing here for the foreseeable future. In fact, Garvin has signed a match against Bob Orton Jr. for next month.
Jack Brisco defeated Raymond Rougeau by disqualification in 0:04:16. Rating: ** 1/2 (Jack Brisco retained the NWF United States Title.)
Jack Brisco continued to show that he does not care about anyone but himself before his first US Title defense began. Raymond Rougeau and his Canadian Air partner, Lanny Poffo, were discussing possible strategy when Brisco jumped them both. Brisco sent Rougeau to the outside before punching Poffo in the jaw with what appeared to be a foreign object, possibly brass knuckles, which he quickly stuffed back into his tights. Poffo had to be helped to the back while Rougeau demanded the match begin so he could get his hands on Brisco. Once the bell did ring Rougeau was all over Brisco. It was surprising the fire that Rougeau showed as he tore into the ring veteran. It didn’t take Brisco long to realize that he may not be walking out of Lincoln with his US Title if he didn’t do something drastic. Brisco decided to go that route as he pulled the brass knuckles back out of his tights, but had them ripped out of his hand by Rougeau. Rougeau cracked Brisco between the eyes with them, and Brisco fell like a sack of bricks. Unfortunately for Rougeau he did it right in front of the referee. Despite Brisco being the one to introduce the object to the match, the ref had no choice but to disqualify Raymond Rougeau. Rougeau tried to argue with the ref, but the call had already been made. Probably not the way Brisco planned on winning the match with his illegal object, but a victory nonetheless. These two will meet up again with hopefully a more definitive result.
Tommy Rich pinned Ole Anderson after a bulldog in 0:13:22. Rating: ** ½
Tommy Rich showed a new reason for why he is called “Wildfire” last month when he brutally attacked Tony Atlas and sent him to the hospital. Atlas is still recovering from his broken arm and it’s questionable whether he will ever be able to return to the ring. If Rich is capable of doing that to a man he once called his best friend, what else is he capable of? Ole Anderson was out here to try and get some retribution for Atlas, and he took it to Rich for nearly fourteen minutes. Rich has grown into a very formidable opponent, however, and he caught Ole by surprise with a bulldog. Rich planted his feet on the middle ropes for some extra leverage and was able to pick up the three count. Ole was not a happy camper after the match, but Rich simply got one over on him here tonight.
The New Wave (Bobby Eaton and Sweet Brown Sugar) and Paul Orndorff defeated East-West Connection (Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura) and Billy Graham when Sugar pinned Adonis after a reverse neckbreaker in 0:19:46. Rating: *** ½
The New Wave have come on strong here in the NWF, and the same could be said about Paul Orndorff back when he debuted in 1980. That was about the only bond they had together besides their mutual hatred for the East-West Connection and Billy Graham. That would prove to be enough in this six-man tag as they worked like a machine together. The match went back and forth for quite some time until Sweet Brown Sugar caught Adrian Adonis telegraphing a back bodydrop. Sugar dropped him with a reverse neckbreaker. Both Graham and Ventura tried to break it up, but they were held back by Orndorff and Bobby Eaton. Adonis couldn’t believe that he had lost the match to Sweet Brown Sugar and demanded a singles match for next month. Meanwhile, Billy Graham wants to show Orndorff what he’s missing as he’s volunteered to accompany and manage Jesse “The Body” Ventura in a singles match with Paul Orndorff. Both Orndorff and Brown Sugar were quick to accept the challenges.
Crusher Blackwell pinned Baron Von Raschke after hitting him with a chair in 0:09:15. Rating: * ¼
Percy Pringle has promised to showcase that his managerial skills surpass Skandor Akbar’s and there was no better way to do that than to have his man, Baron Von Raschke, defeat Akbar’s star wrestler from Devastation, Inc., Crusher Blackwell. Nobody ever expected these two monsters to be in the ring with one another so it was quite the sight to behold. The crowd was not overly appreciative of either man and let them know it early and often. This did not seem to bother Crusher or the Baron as they’ve heard the boobirds often. Crusher Blackwell, meanwhile, was so proud of his newly won trophy from the Valentine’s Day Massacre Battle Royal that he seemed almost reluctant to hand it over to Akbar for safe keeping. Regardless, the match began and if you wanted to see technical wrestling this was not the match for you. They took turns hammering away at one another until it was a wonder that either man could stand. It did finally look like Baron Von Raschke might be gaining the upper hand which made it questionable why Pringle decided to take it upon himself to interfere at this point. Pringle slid a chair into the ring and then proceeded to distract the referee. Raschke never even saw the chair as Akbar hopped up on the ring apron to get his attention as well. Raschke walked over and decked Akbar, sending him flailing off the apron, but this allowed Crusher to grab the chair and smash it over Raschke’s head. Blackwell tossed the steel chair to the outside before making the cover. Pringle couldn’t believe what had happened, but he was unable to get referee Alfred Neely’s attention to break up the three count. Crusher admired his trophy as he walked to the back while Akbar followed. Things are only going to get tougher for Crusher, however, as he’s going to have to deal with Greg Valentine sooner or later.
After the match, Pringle looked like he was accusing Raschke of embarrassing him. Pringle was reading Raschke the riot act, and it didn’t look like he was enjoying it. Pringle finally snapped as Raschke looked away and slapped him across the face. This was probably not the smartest thing to do as Raschke responded by grabbing Pringle in the Claw! Pringle screamed out in pain as Raschke continued to tighten his grip. Pringle tried to break the Baron’s grip, but soon he fell into unconsciousness. Raschke stormed away from ringside while Pringle had to be helped to the back by our medical staff.
The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) defeated The Von Erich Brothers (David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich) when G. Gagne pinned D. Von Erich after a back suplex in 0:15:39. Rating: ** 3/4 (The High Flyers retained the NWF World Tag Team Titles.)
The Von Erich Brothers earned this title shot by defeating Canadian Air last month, and they were determined to not let it slide by. The High Flyers knew they were in for a long night as soon as the bell rang as the Von Erichs cleared them from the ring several times. That’s when “Jumping” Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne reached way back into their toolbox and started to fly in the air. Both Kevin and David were surprised by Gagne and Brunzell going back to their aerial style since they have avoided using it since turning their backs on the fans. This sudden shift of their wrestling style took David and Kevin some time to get used to, and in the meantime the High Flyers were doing some major damage. David and Kevin finally started to slow things down a bit with a series of armdrags and armbars that wore down the champions. Once the High Flyers saw that the high flying was no longer working they decided to go back to their cheating ways. This once again confused David and Kevin for a little bit before they came back with their brawling skills that have done them so well in the past. It looked like tonight would be the night for the Von Erich Brothers as they had an answer for everything Gagne and Brunzell threw at them, but a miscommunication between the brothers caused them to knock heads with one another and Gagne quickly capitalized by dropping David with a back suplex with a bridge to get a three count out of nowhere. The Von Erichs were obviously disappointed with themselves as they came so close to winning the tag titles here tonight, but it is back to the drawing board for them.
The High Flyers, on the other hand, continue to show why they are the best tag team in the world. The question remains: can anyone defeat these two men? Another interesting tidbit of news came after tonight’s show when it was announced that Verne Gagne will be making a guest appearance on our next show in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Greg Gagne refused to speak on the matter, but the NWF has said that since Verne has retired from wrestling this year that they wanted to award him with a plaque for everything that he has been able to accomplish in wrestling.
PWI Presentation:
Pro Westling Illustrated Publisher Stuart Saks entered the ring and announced that he was here to honor Harley Race with the Wrestler of the Year Award that is handed out annually by their publication. Harley Race made his way to the ring to an enormous crowd response. He looked like he was still recovering from his recent wars with new NWF World Champion Jerry “The King” Lawler as he gingerly entered the ring. Race shook Saks’ hand and accepted the trophy that was bestowed upon him. Saks left the ring as Race said it was an honor to receive such an award, and it was not something that he takes lightly. He admitted that all he ever wanted was to be called the best at what he does, and this trophy proves that for the year of 1980 he was at the top of his game. Race said the only problem with that is that 1980 is over, and 1981 hasn’t been as kind to him. Race said that he might have been the best wrestler of 1980, but that Jerry Lawler has been the best wrestler of 1981 and that didn’t sit well with him. He didn’t care that he wasn’t one hundred percent when he lost to Lawler last month because the fact was that he lost. But he was not going to go off and lick his wounds. He was not going to rest until he was World Champion again and holding up the PWI Award for Wrestler of the Year of 1981.
Jerry Lawler came out at this time with the NWF World Title around his waist. Lawler told him that his time was over, and he had proven if he had focused on the World Title last year instead of defending Race all of those times that he’d be receiving that honor instead of Race. Race and Lawler exchanged a few more heated words until Race asked for one last shot to show Lawler why he has dominated the wrestling world for these past few years. Lawler was hesitant to accept, but he about went apocalyptic when Race told him it didn’t matter if he accepted or not since he had already talked it over with the NWF Championship Committee and they had signed the match. Lawler warned Race not to show up or he’d put him out of wrestling for good, but Race laughed him off by saying that Lawler wasn’t going to get the broken beaten-down man he got in Omaha when he won the title, he was going to get the Wrestler of the Year that ran rampant all over the NWF last year. Race left the ring while Lawler looked doubtful for the first time.
April 4, 1981 – Oklahoma City, OK:
SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY VERNE GAGNE WORLD TITLE – Jerry Lawler © vs. Harley Race US TITLE – Jack Brisco © vs. Raymond Rougeau BILLY GRAHAM IN VENTURA’S CORNER – Jesse Ventura vs. Paul Orndorff Bob Orton Jr. vs. Ron Garvin Sweet Brown Sugar vs. Adrian Adonis
|
|
|
Post by rey619 on Dec 5, 2011 15:39:46 GMT -5
1/28/81 Mr. Saito seems like the best match for Fuji. A Japanese tandem is a great gimmick in itself. Pringle may have more time to prepare for next match, but I guess they'll going down. I thought for a moment that Rich was in the doghouse and that the PWI predictions I gave was way off. The way you pulled it off didn't hurt Rich, it actually furthered the feud and made Strongbow look extremely good. I'm with Ryan - I don't he'll make it, but it can be an interesting storyline. Wow. You're really pushing Ole Anderson as well. I think Valentine didn't look as good as Rich did, but I reckon Valentine has had his main event feud and is moving down the ranks, much like von Raschke. Easy win for Orndorrf. Still not sure he and Graham will stay enemies. Close call for the High Flyers. I think them coming out on top is a good thing, probably. Still think the von Erich's will be the one to get the belt from The High Flyers. The triangle feud continues to interest me. I'm not sure if Brisco or Graham are still heels, or if maybe Brisco is a tweener, but it intrigues me to see where you're going. Lawler with a real vicious streak there. wonder if the fireball injury can lead to Lawler actually pulling of the big win. Good show, a couple of really interesting feuds and storylines I'll be paying attention to. 2/14/81 Battle Royals can be a cool way to start off a show. Doesn't always have to be title shots in the end of them either. And you managed to insert another piece of the Graham/Orndorrf feud. Wonder how Brisco will fit in at the end. If he'll align himself with someone or just be a loose cannon. Strongbow with another solid win - although not as impressive as beating Rich though. Yep - The von Erich's will be the one to dethrone Canadian Air. I think I picked it a while back though Wow - Atlas didn't hold the belt for long. Impressive of Jack Brisco to pick up a singles championship so quickly after his brother went away. Oh, no tweener status for Brisco though. He's as heel as it gets. Oh, Atlas quit on you. I was looking forward to a renewed feud between himself and Rich. Ha, I can see Crusher carrying with him the (for him, probably) small trophy. He'll crush von Raschke though. I'm pretty sure Orndorrf'll get the best of Graham. Graham's still high enough on the roster to be a real gatekeeper to main event status, but he's not gonna get involved in any title hunts anymore. Lawler picks up the belt after a bloody battle. I kinda thought he would, and that the fireball angle was partly to give Race an "excuse" for losing. To bad TNM didn't like the match so much. It often loves no dq matches though. Hmm. What did you do to anger it? 3/7/81 Macho Man!! Yeah! I think the quality of Strongbow's opponents have gone down, maybe in the wrong direction? Depends on where you want to take the feud, of course. Interesting to see Rougeau get a singles opportunity against Brisco. But all the other tag teams are busy with their own feuds, so it makes sense. Also adds some longevity to Brisco's title reign, we all know that Rougeau's not going to win the US Title. Rich finds so many new ways to cheat, must be real funny and creatively challenging for you. Hmm, I thought maybe Graham could one-up Orndorrf just once in this six-man tag. He might also cause Orndorrf to lose against Ventura though. He needs a shot back at Graham. Yep, Crusher won. I like the Trophy gimmick. I call Valentine stealing it. After all, Valentine's Day is named after him, isn't it? A little surprised to see The High Flyers retain again, but nice teamwork and tactics of the reigning champions. Wonder who'll challenge next. Ha! Really cool that you used the PWI Awards to continue build the feud. A really good start of 1981. I need to reply more often. You're a wrestling card writing machine, you are!
|
|
|
Post by snabbit888 on Dec 5, 2011 19:43:20 GMT -5
And we have Randy Savage's debut into the thick of things. Seems pretty much a sure thing he's going to be huge. With rey on this one. Strongbow keeps winning, but since Rich, the wins haven't meant a ton. He needs to get another signature win if he's going to get his title shot. Hands of Stone! I forgot you had hired Garvin. H's a great partner with Thunderbolt considering how much you've built up the Thunderbolt Right. A team of super hard punchers could be cool for this era especially. That being said, the Dirty Cowboys winning is the right move. They have far more upside. Jack Brisco's heel turn is great. I love the face getting a hold of the object the hell introduced and gets DQ'ed. Such a great move - the face shouldn't be good at cheating. Surprised Rougeau's getting a rematch, truthfully. Ole dominates the match, but Rich gets the win. Ole comes off looking a little weak after that, but not too bad in the long run. Wondering where Rich goes now since the Atlas feud can't really end. Man, how the mighty have fallen. Don't get me wrong because I like the New Wave and Orndorff, but it just seems that Adonis/Ventura/Graham have fallen down the ladder a lot. They're still credible, but I wouldn't really buy either as champions at this point. Adonis should beat Sugar though. Crusher being infatuated with the trophy is a fun gimmick. It has a lot of mileage, especially if someone (i.e. Greg Valentine) steals it from him. I can imagine Crusher defending it like its his child. Crusher wins too. I just don't know what else you can do with Raschke at this point. The High Flyers are so smart. The Von Erichs expected them to come out cheating, the Flyers went to the air. Then once they get a handle on that, back to cheating. Great strategy, and the Flyers continue to be the top team in wrestling. I hate that you did a PWI presentation for 2 reasons. 1) you had the top wrestler, and I didn't, so that makes me angry. 2) I didn't think of doing it. A great segment to end the show and sets the stage for the big rematch. Lawler can beat Race when he's hurt, but how about when he's 100% healthy?
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 9, 2011 20:34:34 GMT -5
Rey: Only reason I was posting so many cards is that Ryan writes even faster than I do. Damn him.
Ryan: The East-West Connection has fallen quite a bit. I don't feel like they are jobbers at all, but they are more of a middle pack team right now. They might be on the receiving end of a push before I'm done, however.
To be completely honest, the East-West Connection would probably be getting the High Flyers push right now if they didn't just completely overwhelm me with how much I liked writing them after their turn. The whole plan was for Ventura and Adonis to win the titles last year from the Briscos, but I just couldn't give the titles to anyone else but Brunzell and Blair.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 12, 2011 6:03:13 GMT -5
Results of NWF - Oklahoma City, OK - 4/4/81:
Adrian Adonis pinned Sweet Brown Sugar after a flying clothesline in 0:06:10. Sweet Brown Sugar suffered an elbow injury. He will be out for approximately 1 card. Rating: *** ½
This would be the first match of the night where tag team specialists were booked into singles competition. For whatever reason, most of the matches signed for tonight’s show were scheduled as singles matches, and this specific one showcased that Adrian Adonis might have a future in singles competition. Sweet Brown Sugar kept Adonis on his toes with the quick pace that he set for the match, but a flying clothesline from Adonis was able to end the match and get the East-West Connection a bit of retribution for their recent losses to the New Wave. The New Wave was scheduled to face the East-West Connection later on this month to determine if the New Wave would be next in line for a World Tag Team Titles shot, but due to an injury to Sugar during this match, it will now be Jesse Ventura facing off against Bobby Eaton in singles competition.
The Von Erich Brothers (David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich) defeated Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito when D. Von Erich defeated Fuji by disqualification in 0:13:05. Rating: ** ¾
Both of these teams have been on a roll as of late. The Von Erich Brothers came close to winning the World Tag Team Titles last month, and Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito have used Fuji’s intelligence and Saito’s strength to stay undefeated since forming their team. Saito has especially been a tough one to handle as no one has been able to withstand his pure brutality. The Von Erich Brothers have been a part of many brawls, however, and so they were right in their element against Fuji and Saito. It looked like they might be able to come out on top of this match when they were able to corner Fuji off from his partner. Fuji refused to let himself take a pinfall loss, however, as he decided to blow red mist into David’s eyes just as David was rearing back to apply the Iron Claw. David fell to the mat in immense pain while Kevin Von Erich tried to get into the ring to avenge his brother. Since Kevin was busy with Fuji, he never saw Saito, who drilled Kevin into the mat with the Saito Suplex. Skandor Akbar may not have been happy with his team’s loss, but he seemed pleased enough that his men left the Von Erich Brothers lying.
Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Baron Von Raschke when Baron Von Raschke passed out in the Indian Deathlock in 0:14:50. Rating: * ¼
Baron Von Raschke has just recently dropped his manager, Percy Pringle, after being under his stead for over a year and a half. A move like this can throw a guy off track, but he figured there would be no better way to continue on his path than to face one of his most hated rivals in Chief Jay Strongbow. Strongbow, on the other hand, is on a quest to earn a World Title shot, and what better way to show that he deserves the shot than to defeat a former number one contender in Baron Von Raschke. With both wrestlers having a strong desire to come out ahead in this match, we ended up getting a hotly contested affair that went back and forth. There wasn’t much in the way of chain wrestlers as Raschke and Strongbow decided the best way to defeat the other was to just pound the hell out of one another with chops, kicks, punches, and the occasional biting maneuver. Strongbow showed just how serious of a threat he is to the World Title when he was able to lock Raschke in the Indian Deathlock. Raschke tried his best to get to the ropes, but he was unsuccessful. Raschke, being the man that he is, refused to submit but he eventually fell unconscious due to the pain that Strongbow was able to inflict with his hold. Due to this win, Chief Jay Strongbow will finally get his wish later on this month as he will be involved in a match to determine the number one contender for the World Title.
Baron Von Raschke let it be known after the match that he was through with America and its disgusting ways. He was planning on returning to his home country of Germany to continue his wrestling career where he would be appreciated properly.
Ron Garvin pinned Dick Slater with the Hands of Stone Punch in 0:08:37. Rating: ** 1/4 (Bob Orton Jr. no-showed.)
Ron Garvin was looking forward to getting his hands on Bob Orton Jr. tonight, but Orton had problems arriving in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, so it would be his tag team partner “Dirty” Dick Slater stepping in for him. Slater is known as being one of the toughest men in the sport, but Garvin was looking to showcase just what he can do inside the ring and he did just that by knocking Slater out with his Hands of Stone Punch. There aren’t many men that could knock Slater out with a punch, but Garvin proved he was more than capable. Thunderbolt Patterson and Ron Garvin still have a score to settle with the Dirty Cowboys as a team, and with the Hands of Stone Punch and the Thunderbolt Right on their side, I wouldn’t want to be in the Cowboys’ boots.
Greg Valentine made Buzz Sawyer submit to the Figure-Four Leglock in 0:07:36. Rating: **
It was just several months ago that Greg Valentine was challenging Harley Race for the World Title. He has since become embroiled in a feud with Crusher Blackwell and Skandor Akbar over the fact that neither he nor Blackwell was able to take the title away from Race. Valentine looked like he was out here to prove a point to Blackwell as he defeated “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer in quick fashion by dropping him with a kneelift with the loaded kneepad followed up by locking him in the Figure-Four Leglock. After the match, Valentine told Crusher Blackwell to be watching out for him because he would not be done with him until he was locked in the Figure-Four and begging Valentine to not break his leg.
Paul Orndorff pinned Jesse Ventura with the Piledriver in 0:08:54. Rating: *** ¼
“Superstar” Billy Graham planned on using this match to show Paul Orndorff just what he was missing out on by passing on Graham’s advances to become his mentor/advisor. It looked like Graham had a point as the strategy he gave Jesse Ventura kept him on the offensive side of things. Of course, it didn’t hurt having Graham out there to distract Orndorff whenever he started to gain control of the match. Ventura was on the verge of pulling off the upset victory, but Orndorff caught him showboating a bit too much during the match and was able to use that to his advantage, regaining control, and dropping him with the Piledriver to get the victory. Graham was furious after the match and it looked like he wanted to cheap shot Orndorff. Orndorff saw it coming, however, and sent Graham flying over the top rope with a clothesline. Orndorff is going to hope to put an end to this feud once and for all in Tulsa when he will meet up with Graham in singles action one more time.
Crusher Blackwell pinned Bobby Eaton with the Big Splash in 0:07:12. Rating: ** ¾
“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton has shown himself to be a formidable tag team wrestler with Sweet Brown Sugar in the New Wave, but he was facing a different challenge here tonight. Not only would he be in singles action, but he would be going up against Crusher Blackwell, a monster of a man. Eaton tried his best, but Crusher was just too much for him as he fell victim to the Big Splash like many men before him. After the match Blackwell and Akbar went to retrieve his Valentine’s Day Massacre trophy he won back in February, but to their surprise Greg Valentine was holding it! Blackwell threatened Valentine if he didn’t hand it over, but Valentine looked like he had no intentions of giving it to Crusher. Instead, Valentine looked like he was going to smash it into the ringpost, but he stopped at the last second. Valentine dropped the trophy to the floor and told Blackwell to take better care of his possessions. Crusher retrieved the trophy as Akbar told Valentine he better be watching his back.
The special guest for tonight’s show, Verne Gagne, came down to the ring. Gagne said it was an honor to be invited to this NWF event. He wished that he had gotten the chance to compete here where there was such a high level of competition. He verified that he had retired from wrestling this year, and he was satisfied with what he had accomplished in his long career. He also looked forward to sitting back and watching just what his son would be able to accomplish throughout the rest of his career. He was not happy, however, with how things were currently going. Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell, the High Flyers, came down to the ring at this point as apparently Greg wanted to hear what his father had to say up close. Verne told Greg that he had worked long and hard to establish the Gagne name as something to be proud of, but Greg had tarnished the name as of late. Verne was proud of Greg for becoming a Tag Team Champion, even if it was with someone like Jim Brunzell, but that he needed to stop with the under handed tactics. He did not raise Greg to act this way. Greg responded to Verne by saying that his dad didn’t raise him, that his mom did, and most he knows about him is from what he reads in the newspapers. Verne told Greg he was being unfair and that he was always there for his family. He seemed to think that Brunzell was filling his head with all of these ideas.
Greg and Verne argued with one another until Brunzell had heard his name pop up one too many times. Brunzell grabbed ahold of Verne and threw him to the ground much to the shock of the crowd. Greg Gagne was shocked by Brunzell’s actions as he pushed him aside. Greg quickly helped his father up, and it looked like Verne wanted to tear into Brunzell. Verne even took a step towards Brunzell when Greg clobbered him from behind! Verne collapsed to the mat as Gagne started to stomp away at his father! Brunzell joined in with his tag team partner as Verne tried to cover up from this brutal assault. Greg told his dad that he had wanted to do this for years, and it was great to finally get it off his chest. Greg reached down and slapped his father across the face just as several members of the roster ran down to the ring to break it up. The High Flyers left Verne in the ring to be helped by the medical crew.
Randy Savage pinned Lanny Poffo with the Flying Elbowdrop in 0:10:25. Rating: ** ¼
“Macho Man” Randy Savage made his debut last month in impressive fashion by defeating Jerry Estrada with ease. He faced a stiffer challenge tonight as he went up against one half of Canadian Air, “Leaping” Lanny Poffo. Poffo had Savage on the ropes several times, but if anything it just showed how good of a wrestler Savage is as he was able to keep up with Poffo in the air and on the mat. Poffo came close to winning the match when he went for his Crucifix pinning maneuver, but Savage was able to counter it with a Samoan Drop. Savage finished Poffo with the Flying Elbowdrop which was even more impressive than last time due to the fact that Poffo was nearly halfway across the ring when Savage dove off the top turnbuckle.
Jack Brisco made Raymond Rougeau submit to the Figure-Four Leglock in 0:18:02. Rating: **** (Jack Brisco retained the NWF United States Title.)
This was a rematch from last month where Raymond Rougeau left Jack Brisco lying after he wrestled away Brisco’s brass knuckles and knocked him silly with them. Not a lot of people gave Rougeau much of a chance against Brisco, but he proved that he has come a long way towards becoming one of the top wrestlers here in the NWF. He held his own for over eighteen minutes with a man that has nearly done it all, and came close several times to taking the US Title. Brisco has been resorting to cheating his way to victory as of late, but he seemed determined to win this match straight up. He had a smart plan as he worked over the legs of Rougeau throughout the match to set him up for the Figure-Four Leglock. It worked out in the end as Rougeau went to drill Brisco with the Rougeau Bomb off the top rope, but he had some trouble with the use of his leg to get to the top. The slight delay allowed Brisco to catch his breath, duck the Rougeau Bomb, and lock in the Figure-Four. Rougeau fought with all he had, but Brisco was eventually able to force the submission out of him. Brisco squeaked out the victory here, but he did accomplish his goal of winning the match cleanly. He now has a long list of challengers waiting to take the gold he only just recently won.
Thunderbolt Patterson pinned Tommy Rich with the Thunderbolt Right in 0:11:02. Rating: * ½
“Wildfire” Tommy Rich has been bragging about breaking Tony Atlas’ arm for the past couple of months, and that did not sit well with Thunderbolt Patterson. Patterson requested this match and was granted it despite Rich’s protests. Rich, for as much as he seems to try and avoid tougher challenges, has turned into an amazing competitor, and he showed that here by going toe to toe with Thunderbolt. Rich might have been able to wrestle his way to a win here, but he insisted on turning to any cheap way he could to win the match. This time he tried to pull out a foreign object from his trunks, but Ole Anderson was there to come down to ringside and tell the referee before he could use it. Rich denied the accusation, but it didn’t take long for the ref to find the object. Rich claimed it wasn’t his despite it being in his fist, but it looked like the ref was still going to disqualify him. That was until Thunderbolt clocked Rich with the Thunderbolt Right. Patterson covered Rich and got the three count while Ole left ringside having made sure that Rich wasn’t able to steal another win.
Harley Race pinned Jerry Lawler after a diving headbutt in 0:25:15. Rating: **** (Harley Race won the NWF World Title.)
Our main event of the evening was Jerry “The King” Lawler’s first title defense. He was going up against former champion Harley Race, and this time Race was at a hundred percent. There were some questions about Lawler’s victory over Race back in February in Omaha, if Race would have been defeated had he not been recuperating from the fireball that Lawler threw into his face. This match hoped to settle that issue, and if anything it just proved that both men are on level playing fields. It was incredible just how well these two men matched each other move for move. Lawler showed that his victory over Race was not a fluke, but at the same time it felt like Race was bringing his game up to another level. These two men hit each other with everything they had without showing even the slightest bit of mercy, showing just how much hatred has been born between the two men. Lawler was successful early on by dropping fistdrops off the middle turnbuckle several times, but he went to the well one time too many and Race finally caught him. He slammed him off the turnbuckles, and before Lawler could catch his breath, Race had scaled to the top rope where he flew off with a diving headbutt. It connected perfectly and it was just enough to hold Lawler’s shoulders down for the count of three!
Harley Race had regained the World Heavyweight Title! The crowd went crazy as Race was handed the title, but he wasn’t done as he continued to pound away at Lawler. Lawler was able to slide out through the bottom rope, but he quickly realized he had just lost the World Title. Race celebrated with the belt while Lawler tried to shake the cobwebs loose. Lawler was furious after the show, demanding an immediate rematch, but he was stunned to hear that he would instead be inserted into the number one contenders match in Tulsa against Chief Jay Strongbow. Strongbow has been on an amazing roll, but can he defeat the former World Champion who is determined to win back his title? Race, meanwhile, is extremely proud to once again represent the National Wrestling Federation as their World Champion, but he has vowed that this is not over between himself and Jerry Lawler.
April 22, 1981 – Tulsa, OK: #1 CONTENDERSHIP TO THE WORLD TITLE – Jerry Lawler vs. Chief Jay Strongbow The Von Erich Brothers vs. Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito Billy Graham vs. Paul Orndorff Bobby Eaton vs. Jesse Ventura
|
|
|
Post by snabbit888 on Dec 12, 2011 16:02:14 GMT -5
Looks like this should be a good card. Adonis is the veteran in this situation, so I like him getting the win over the young Sweet Brown Sugar. Sucks that he got injured so the tag match has to wait an extra card, but could have been a lot worse. The mist! Japanese heels spitting mist in the eyes of the faces is always awesome. Sure, Fuji & Saito lose, but who looked like the loser post-match? I like this feud - should lead to some more good matches. And Strongbow sends Raschke packing. That's a legit big win for him, and he did it clean too. Strongbow looks like he belongs in the #1 contenders match next show, which I wouldn't have thought possible this time in 1980. Well done on building him up. I don't see a chance in hell that he wins the title, but you're giving a soon-to-retire veteran a great run before he's done. Ugh... no-shows. At least yours have curbed considerably, so this one is acceptable. Not a smart idea by Orton, but at least Slater was available to get knocked out by Garvin. I kind of have a soft spot for Garvin. Not give-him-a-World-Title soft spot like in real life, but still. Statement win for Valentine. I think he might just break Crusher's leg... or the trophy's leg, anyway. Orndorff gets the better of Ventura in a singles match (you're right - a ton of singles match tonight) and got the better of Billy Graham in the process. I'm thinking the next match is the end of the feud for good before Orndorff moves onto Jack Brisco and the US Title. I love this gimmick of Crusher with the trophy. I think there's a ton of mileage here depending on how weird you wanna get with it. GREAT segment with the Flyers and Verne Gagne. Great use of Verne, and a huge dick move by his son. It might just be the power of how awesome this was, but I can legitimately see Greg Gagne stepping up after this tag team and be a real singles star. You've made him believable in this role. I can totally see it. Oh no! Brothers fighting! Sure, in wrestling they're not acknowledged as brothers or anything, but we know, Josh... we know... right Poffo wins. Got a tougher challenge from Rougeau than I thought, but Brisco retains the US Title as he should, and did it cleanly just to prove a point. He could have a long run. Ole prevents Rich from cheating and Wildfire gets knocked the f out. No complaints on this end. Rich can lose, but as long as it's in these cowardly ways, I'm completely okay with it. It actually pushes his character forward. Wow... Race is World champion again. I penciled Race in for taking the title back, but didn't expect it to be this first time out for Lawler. Either way, a great match, and I think Lawler's not done with Race by a long shot.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 13, 2011 23:25:13 GMT -5
Greg Gagne is one of those guys that I couldn't have cared less about in the early stages of the NWF, but he has quickly grown to be one of my favorite guys to write. We'll see if he ever gets a singles push.
Thanks for the comments, Ryan.
|
|
|
Post by rey619 on Dec 14, 2011 2:37:12 GMT -5
Good call on the tag match, neither team could take a clean loss there I think. And now we have a new big tag feud going. I like Strongbow continues on his path of rampage and sends von Raschke back to Europe. You're making Strongbow look good, that's for sure. Well, it has been some shows since your last no-show, hasn't it? Ha, I love the Trophy-angle you're doing with Crusher and Valentine. You know the trophy will either be stolen, lost or ruined before this angle is over. Wow, Greg goes ballistic on his father. Comeback-time for Verne Gagne? I have big hopes for this angle. From father and son, to brother and brother. I see you're keeping that fact hidden, at least for now. Stunned at Lawler losing the title so soon. And he must go through a top contenders match first as well? Somebody in NWF must have it in for Lawler. I think it's the booker
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 21, 2011 22:20:40 GMT -5
Results of NWF - Tulsa, OK - 4/22/81:
Ole Anderson pinned Ron Bass with the Spinebuster Slam in 0:07:32. Rating: * ¾
Ole Anderson recently got himself involved in a feud with “Wildfire” Tommy Rich. Anderson has vowed to get revenge for Rich putting Tony Atlas on the shelf with a broken arm. Anderson was also not happy that Rich was able to defeat him several weeks ago by underhanded tactics. Anderson got a little more even when he cost Rich a match against Thunderbolt Patterson earlier this month. Anderson was back in action for this show, however, and he would have his hands full with “Outlaw” Ron Bass. Despite Bass being one of the stronger and tougher members of the NWF roster, Ole was able to outwrestle and outfight him to keep control of the match. Right when things were going Ole’s way, Tommy Rich decided to make his way down the aisle. Referee Alfred Neely had just caught a stray punch by Bass and was trying to recover as Rich slid into the ring with a chair. Rich went to nail Ole with the chair, but Anderson had the wherewithal to pull Bass in the way! Rich dented the chair over Bass’ head and was immediately remorseful. He tried to beg Ole, but Anderson would have none of it as he clotheslined him out of the ring. Ole picked Bass up and planted him with the Spinebuster Slam as Neely slowly came to enough to count the three. Rich made his way hurriedly to the back while Ole stared him down.
Canadian Air (Lanny Poffo and Raymond Rougeau) defeated Buzz Sawyer and Jerry Estrada when R. Rougeau pinned Estrada with the Rougeau Bomb in 0:07:11. Rating: *** ½
Canadian Air were back in tag team action after Raymond Rougeau failed in capturing the United States Title from Jack Brisco over the past month or so. Lanny Poffo and Rougeau looked amazing together, so while they may not be ready for singles competition at the highest level, they showed why they are one of the best tag teams here in the NWF. Buzz Sawyer and Jerry Estrada, a makeshift tag team at best, could not overcome the overwhelming speed of Canadian Air and took the loss when Roueau hit his beautiful Rougeau Bomb off the top rope. Canadian Air looked determined to get right back into the tag team title hunt.
Jesse Ventura defeated Bobby Eaton when Bobby Eaton passed out in the Inverted Body Vice in 0:09:55. Rating: *** ½
The New Wave came onto the scene impressively with a non-title win over the High Flyers in their debut. Since then they have had their ups and downs, but have never been granted a title shot. In the process of working their way up to that title shot, they have become entwined in a feud with the East-West Connection. Earlier this month, Adrian Adonis put Sweet Brown Sugar on the shelf for a month with an elbow injury, and it looked like Jesse “The Body” Ventura was going to try and do the same to Bobby Eaton. Ventura focused in on the right arm of Eaton, but he never was able to do enough punishment to it to cause an injury. It did, however, seem to take away some of Eaton’s concentration, however, as he had Ventura set up for the Alabama Jam, but when Eaton got to the top rope he tried to shake some feeling back into his arm. This little hesitation allowed Ventura to move out of the way of Eaton’s devastating top rope maneuver. Ventura quickly locked Eaton in the Inverted Body Vice, and there was nowhere for him to go as he eventually passed out from the pain. The New Wave are going to need to regroup if they want to get past the challenge of the East-West Connection.
Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito defeated The Von Erich Brothers (David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich) when Saito pinned Kevin Von Erich with the Saito Suplex in 0:14:31. Rating: ***
Last year after Toru Tanaka retired from wrestling, it almost felt like Mr. Fuji had lost some of his fire. This seemed to be the case especially when he was on the hunt for a new tag team partner. Now, though, by aligning himself with Mr. Saito, he looks as deadly as ever. The Von Erich Brothers were in a brutal war with Fuji and Saito earlier this month, and it ended when Fuji blew red mist directly into David Von Erich’s eyes. The Von Erich Brothers were on their game, looking for revenge, but after another hard fought battle, Skandor Akbar was able to distract Kevin long enough for Saito to drill him into the mat with the Saito Suplex and get the win. With Fuji’s experience, Saito’s strength, and Akbar’s intellect, the team of Fuji and Saito are going to be a hard team to beat. The Von Erich Brothers have promised that this is not over between the two teams.
Greg Valentine made Randy Savage submit to the Figure-Four Leglock in 0:12:49. Rating: ***
“Macho Man” Randy Savage made his debut in May, and he has been on a roll ever since. He met up with his toughest challenge to date in Greg Valentine tonight, and you could tell that, while a future star, Savage still has a few things to learn. Savage tried to make a name for himself by beating Valentine quickly, right out of the blocks nailing him with several double axehandles and went for the Flying Elbowdrop just a few minutes into the match. Valentine had him well scouted, however, and was able to roll out of the way. Savage tweaked his knee as he crashed to the mat, and Valentine immediately turned his focus to it. After he was able to weaken the knee, Valentine locked Savage in the Figure-Four Leglock. Savage put up a fight, refusing to submit, but eventually the pain was just too much and he quit before risking permanent injury. Valentine was surprisingly cheered after the match. He has been picking up a few fans here and there with his recent war against Devastation, Inc., but the ovation after this match showed that the number of fans he has is growing even larger.
After the bell, Crusher Blackwell stormed into the ring. Skandor Akbar was right behind him and holding his Valentine’s Day trophy. Crusher looked like he was going to try and catch Valentine off guard, but Valentine ducked under Blackwell’s attempt to grab him and slid under the ropes. Valentine went directly after Akbar which caused Skandor to drop the trophy and make a run for it. Valentine grabbed the trophy which sent Crusher into an uproar. Crusher tried his best to go after Valentine quickly, but he got tangled up in the ropes. Valentine laughed it up before tossing the trophy onto the concrete, breaking a couple of pieces off of the award. Valentine left the ring area while Crusher crawled around ringside picking up the few parts that had broken off. Akbar rejoined Crusher, but it didn’t look like Crusher wanted any consoling from Akbar as he pushed him to the side, screaming at him for leaving his trophy unattended. Despite all of this, Crusher Blackwell better get his head on straight because word came down that the Championship Committee has finally granted his request for a World Title shot against Harley Race. Blackwell and Akbar have been on a mission to get this title shot, and they are finally going to get a chance at the gold next month in Norman, Oklahoma.
The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) defeated Ron Garvin and Thunderbolt Patterson when G. Gagne defeated Thunderbolt by countout in 0:05:36. Rating: * 1/4 (The High Flyers retained the NWF World Tag Team Titles.)
With each match they work together Thunderbolt Patterson and Ron Garvin look more and more like a well-oiled machine. They had both Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell bouncing around the ring due to the rights and lefts that were being thrown. The High Flyers realized they were in trouble, but luckily for them the Dirty Cowboys came down the aisle to get a closer look. Both Garvin and Thunderbolt threatened that if they got any closer then there would be hell to pay, but it looked like Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater were happy just watching. That is until Garvin took his attention off of them allowing Orton to drag him off the apron. Slater and Orton brawled with Garvin around ringside which led to Thunderbolt Patterson leaving the ring to join in. For some reason referee Barney Sullivan did not disqualify the High Flyers, instead counting Thunderbolt out. Garvin and Patterson continued to brawl around ringside until several officials came down the aisle to break things up. These two teams will try and settle their score next month.
Meanwhile, the High Flyers escape once again with their titles. They might have been able to find a way to defeat Patterson and Garvin, but it didn’t look like it was going to be easy with the way the match was going. The High Flyers aren’t going to be able to take it easy, however, as they will be defending their tag titles next month against an unknown tag team. Apparently Verne Gagne has something to do with it, but it’s unclear to what extent. It is nice to hear that Verne did not need to spend much time in the hospital after the vicious attack by his son and the other member of the High Flyers, Brunzell, but getting involved in a tag team titles defense by the High Flyers may not be the best idea.
Paul Orndorff pinned Billy Graham with the Piledriver in 0:13:55. Rating: ** ¾
“Superstar” Billy Graham has been one of the most successful wrestlers this past decade, and most wrestlers would kill for the chance to be mentored by someone like him. Paul Orndorff is not one of those wrestlers. He has rebuffed Graham’s advances at every turn and things became violent between the two. Graham showed a high level of aggression towards Orndorff from the minute the bell rang. He wanted to teach Orndorff to respect him, and after the match he gave Orndorff, you have to think that he earned it. For as much as these two wanted to get their hands on one another, the match was surprisingly clean. It felt like both men wanted to show that they could outwrestle the other. Despite Graham pulling out all the stops, Paul Orndorff was one step ahead of him. An example of this would be when Graham climbed to the top rope for some sort of diving shoulderblock, but Orndorff was able to jump out of the way. Graham crashed to the mat, and this eventually led to his downfall via an Orndorff Piledriver. After the match, Graham recovered enough to stand while Orndorff was celebrating. Graham whipped Orndorff around before sticking his hand out. Orndorff seemed reluctant, but he did accept the handshake. The crowd applauded both men as Graham raised Orndorff’s hand. This was a showing of respect that we did not expect to see out of “Superstar” Billy Graham.
Number-One-Contenders-Match: Jerry Lawler pinned Chief Jay Strongbow via pinfall in 0:15:22. Rating: **** ¼
Chief Jay Strongbow has said that the goal he has set for himself is to win the World Title, something he has yet to do no matter what region he has been in. He has shown that he still has the capabilities to perform at a high level, and tonight was his golden opportunity to finally get that shot at the World Title. Jerry “The King” Lawler, on the other hand, won the World Title from Harley Race only to drop it back to him earlier on this month. Lawler was determined to get back in the ring with Race, and we found out just how far he would go. The crowd was solidly behind Strongbow as he went move for move with Lawler. Strongbow has quite a few years on Lawler, but you couldn’t tell by how focused he was on coming out of this match as the victor. It felt like everything was going his way and it was only a matter of time before he would have his hand raised. Things took a drastic turn, however, when referee Isaac Madilla was hit by a clothesline by Lawler due to Strongbow moving out of the way. Madilla went down hard, and thus missed Strongbow dropping Lawler with a Tomahawk Chop off the middle turnbuckle. Strongbow covered Lawler, but there was no one there to count the pinfall. Strongbow went to wake up the official as Lawler slid to the outside and grabbed a steel folding chair. Lawler crashed the chair across the back of the unsuspecting Strongbow. Strongbow fell to one knee before Lawler smashed the chair on top of the Chief’s head. Strongbow collapsed to the mat, but Lawler was not done as he sent several more chair shots down across Strongbow’s body. The chair finally got to the point that it was almost unusable as referee Madilla starting coming to. Lawler tossed the chair out of the ring and covered Strongbow just as Madilla crawled over. The count was extremely slow and the crowd held out hope that Chief Jay Strongbow would be able to kick out, but it was not meant to be as Lawler became the number one contender.
As soon as the match was over, Harley Race, Paul Orndorff, Thunderbolt Patterson, and Ron Garvin ran down to the ring to try and attack Jerry Lawler, but Lawler was able to escape without harm. Strongbow’s dream was shattered at the hands of Lawler, and not only that, but Lawler may have ended his career. Race shouted threats at Lawler as “the King” made his way to the back barely able to control his laughter. Race has said he wants Lawler’s head on a platter, and even offered to face both Blackwell and Lawler on the same night, but that will not happen. Race will still face Blackwell on May 20th and the winner of that match will go one on one with Jerry Lawler on June 13th. Meanwhile, reports on Chief Jay Strongbow are conflicting. There was apparently damage to his knees, back, and neck in the assault by Lawler. The hope for a speedy recovery is one felt by most of the National Wrestling Federation.
May 20, 1981 – Norman, OK: WORLD TITLE – Harley Race © vs. Crusher Blackwell TAG TEAM TITLES – The High Flyers © vs. Unknown Tag Team Dirty Cowboys vs. Thunderbolt Patterson and Ron Garvin
|
|
|
Post by snabbit888 on Dec 22, 2011 2:14:26 GMT -5
Another good win for Ole. Not that Ron Bass wins a lot of matches or anything, but Ole continues to look good as we get closer to his confrontation with Tommy Rich. Wonder if Bass is going to be another enemy after Rich. Nothing special about the Canadian Air win. Just another win to get them back on track. They'll be champs sooner or later. Eaton isn't the same without Sugar at this point in his career, and it cost him against Ventura. We'll see if it's a different story when Koko Sugar's elbow heals. Happy to see Fuji/Saito becoming a dominant team. Beating the Von Erichs clean (more or less) is no small feat. Valentine vs. Savage is a match that I think will be a big one in 5 years, but still a nice piece in the evolution of Valentine becoming a face. Blackwell's love affair with the trophy continues to be a highlight. I think Valentine finishes it off in Norman though. Weird that the ref didn't call a DQ in the tag title match indeed, but eh, these things happen. Still not completely sold on the Garvin/Thunderbolt team. They didn't deserve to end the Flyer's awesomeness! As for Verne's mystery team for the Flyers, I have no idea who it could be. It's either going to be a completely brand new team, or as a darkhorse pick, the New Wave? With everything that's gone on between Graham and Orndorff, the last thing I expected was a handshake at the end. Looks like Mr. Wonderful has finally won the Superstar's respect. Something tells me this isn't over yet. Awww... looks like the feel good story of Strongbow is over. Lawler is such a dick. That was a pretty damn vicious assault with that chair. If Lawler brings that to his rematch, I predict a 2-time champion.
|
|
|
Post by rey619 on Dec 22, 2011 7:06:34 GMT -5
Starting five sentences in a row with "Anderson" isn't perfect, but the match itself was fun. Love that Ole isn't your standard goody two-shoes, and had no qualms having Bass eat the chairshot.
I'm not sure yet if you're looking to use EW Connection to build up The New Wave, or if EW Connection's still has a run for the titles in them yet. I like the feud, and I'm looking forward to see where it goes.
This is actually a pretty big win for the eastern duo. Mr. Fuji has been in jobberville as of late, and Mr. Saito is quite new to NWF. Hope the von Erich's bounces back though, I hope they manage to hold the belts at least once before tragedy starts to befall them.
Even though I've loved the GCW Universe from its start, I think I'm gonna like it even more now that people like Flair, Steamboat and Savage are showing up. I should think booking these three future legends in their youth is a fair challenge. You know how good they will be, but you have to restrain yourself from doing it too soon. A good showing by Savage tonight, but Valentine needs the win for his feud with Blackwell. LOve the trophy angle as well. I almost felt a little sorry for Crusher. Almost.
I wonder if ref Sullivan is crooked. Either way, the High Flyers would have retained. Oh, I had almost forgotten about Greg. Wonder who he'll bring in.
Hah, a great angle with Graham and orndorrf there. In refusing Graham's advances, and the matches and feud they have been through, Orndorrf has actually let Graham help him indirectly. Very nice.
Brilliant main event. With Strongbow's victories as of late, he deserved a top contender spot. Lawler ruining his chances, and possibly his career, was also a move fitting for an evil genius like Lawler.
The next show is at my 1st birthday actually, and I expect to see Harley Race retain as my birthday gift!
|
|
|
Post by vertigo on Dec 22, 2011 21:37:46 GMT -5
I've read the first year, and most of the last year so I'll need to go back and get a history lesson in NWF in the coming days.
The Lawler stuff you're doing is a great read! I'm honestly not surprised that Lawler lost the belt in his first defense against Race because Race is certainly the better wrestler, no doubt. But the fact that Lawler threw fire just goes to show that he'll do anything to get an edge. He reiterated that with that assault on Strongbow. That was a heated main event. The build for Strongbow had me rooting for him even though I knew he Lawler would pull out the win somehow.
I'm also digging asshole Greg Gagne. I was thinking Verne may bring in the Road Warriors but I don't think they came around until '82 or '83. But Verne's always had an eye for talent so whoever he brings in is going to be impressive.
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 23, 2011 15:17:51 GMT -5
Ryan: Gotta get that Mr. Wonderful nickname in before too long. Keep reminding me. Rey: Eesh. I can't believe I started five sentences with Anderson's name. It hurts my eyes to look at it now. I like to make sure my writing is easy to read, and that is nothing of the sort. I'm up in the air on if the '80s wrestlers will make it more or less entertaining. It was fun using guys I'd never used before. Now we are close to entering territory of guys I have used plenty in circuits. Vertigo: It's a little bit of catching up to do. I don't know how closely you follow GCW, but we alternate cards for the most part. It might be a nice way to break things up if you read one of GCW and then one of the NWF. If you start back in the middle of '79 then you could see how one guy might leave GCW and come to the NWF and vice-versa. Lawler is turning into one of my favorite guys to write. Same can be said with the High Flyers. Never would have thought that Greg Gagne would be as over as he is with the readers, especially since I had nothing for him in the beginning, and had thought about letting them go. Thanks for the comments, guys.
|
|
|
Post by murphy42782 on Dec 28, 2011 12:54:08 GMT -5
Ole Anderson picks up a win thanks to his nemesis, Tommy Rich. Ole might win out in this feud, might not but he looks to be heading to bigger things, which is good.
Bass was cannon fodder much like Sawyer and Estrada. Canadian Air pick up a much needed win.
EW and New Wave are far from done I feel. I like a feud here it helps get over the new team and re establish the Connection.
Fuji And Saito are vicious and on the rise. The Von Erichs seem on a downward spiral. Hopefully they bounce back.
Randy Savage obviously was eating a pin, but the real story is Valentine versus Crusher. Crusher almost seems the face here. Turning him into a bumbling oaf with a fondness to a material object is like Al Snow 15 years early.
High Flyers and Lawler are dicks. Hopefully they get theirs. Interested to see who Verne gets.
Orndorff and Graham as a face team vs EW Connection who feel their buddy is getting soft maybe?
|
|
|
Post by JoshiQ on Dec 29, 2011 17:44:19 GMT -5
Results of NWF - Norman, OK - 5/20/81:
The New Wave (Bobby Eaton and Sweet Brown Sugar) and Greg Valentine defeated East-West Connection (Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura) and Billy Graham when Valentine pinned Adonis after a kneelift in 0:19:59. Rating: *** ¾
The New Wave needed to find a partner to go up against the East-West Connection and Billy Graham and find one they did! Greg Valentine surprised a lot of people by agreeing to partner with Bobby Eaton and Sweet brown Sugar, but he was able to form quite the team with the two rookies. Brown Sugar is coming off that elbow injury, but he put any doubts to his health to bed when halfway through the match he drilled Adrian Adonis with a back elbow off the middle turnbuckle. Graham, Adonis, and Jesse Ventura didn’t seem to be on the same game plan as there were a few miscommunications that kept handing over the control of the match to the fan favorites. One of these times had Graham missing Valentine with a clothesline and instead nailing Adonis. Valentine capitalized by putting his loaded kneepad to use, hitting Adonis with a kneelift that could have dislocated his jaw. Eaton and Sugar held off Graham and Ventura while Valentine picked up the win for his team.
It’s amazing how the fans in Norman, Oklahoma, accepted and even cheered the use of the kneepad as it was just a few months ago that many fans were petitioning that Valentine be banned from using it in his matches against Harley Race. Anyways, Graham, Adonis, and Ventura did not appear too pleased with one another after the bell. Eaton and Sugar, on the other hand, celebrated with the fans after their hard fought victory. Valentine simply headed to the back as he didn’t look too thrilled at the idea of joining Eaton and Sugar in the crowd.
Ole Anderson defeated Tommy Rich by disqualification in 0:11:28. Rating: *
Ole Anderson has wanted to get his hands on “Wildfire” Tommy Rich, and he was granted that opportunity here tonight. You could tell from the beginning that Rich wanted nothing to do with Ole as he tried to avoid him for the duration of the match. This would go on for some time until Ole lost his cool and chased Rich around the ring. Ole eventually got his hands on the former US Champion and battered him from pillar to post. It looked like Ole was going to put Rich away and finally get revenge for his friend Tony Atlas as he locked Rich in a figure-four leglock. As Ole applied pressure by lying back, Randy Savage came from out of nowhere from the top rope and blasted Anderson with the Flying Elbowdrop! Referee Barney Sullivan immediately called for the disqualification, but Savage and Rich didn’t appear too concerned. In fact, most of their attention was on kicking the fallen Anderson. Once they felt Anderson had been properly subdued, Rich shook hands with “the Macho Man.”
Backstage, Savage was questioned about his actions, and it came out that it was Tommy Rich who had been able to get Randy Savage hired in the NWF. Savage was simply paying back favors. Ole was not a happy man in the back, but he was able to get a little bit of retribution later on in the evening.
Mr. Saito pinned Kevin Von Erich with the Saito Suplex in 0:07:50. Rating: ** ¼
Mr. Saito and Kevin Von Erich are both known for their abilities in the tag team division, but they were paired up here in singles action due to the recent bad blood between the two men and their partners, Mr. Fuji and David Von Erich. Nobody has really been able to find a way to combat Saito’s immense strength, and Kevin, by himself, was no different. Instead, Kevin tried to focus on keeping Saito on the mat with some technical wrestling. As with many matches involving Devastation, Inc., however, it was Skandor Akbar that was the deciding factor. Akbar got up on the ring apron which distracted Kevin. This allowed Saito to grab him from behind and drop him with the Saito Suplex. Kevin was disappointed with himself after the match, but there is only so much you can do against the combined threat of Saito and Akbar.
Jack Brisco pinned David Von Erich after a double underhook suplex in 0:10:51. Rating: *** 1/2 (Jack Brisco retained the NWF United States Title.)
Kevin’s brother, David Von Erich, was up next, but he was in for as tough of a challenge as they come in Jack Brisco. Brisco and David used to consider each other friends, but things have changed in the past few months as was shown by them tearing into one another from the minute the bell rang. Brisco has decided that he no longer needs friends in this business and will no longer follow the rules that the NWF has in place. It has worked for him and did again here tonight when he caught David with a kick to the groin when the referee was not watching. A double underhook suplex was enough to finish off David and put an end to the match.
After the match, Jack Brisco claimed that he was at the peak of his career. Since he no longer had to worry about saving ungrateful friends and could retaliate against the scumbags in the NWF without caring about the fans’ approval, he was and will be unstoppable. He issued out an open challenge for anyone to try and take his US Title from him, but he couldn’t have expected PAUL ORNDORFF to step into the ring. Orndorff told him that they had unfinished business from when Brisco nailed him with a chair a few months back, and he was going to take care of it by taking Brisco’s US Title. Brisco agreed to set a match for June 13th in St. Louis, MO, for the US Title. Both men exchanged a few words, but it looked like calmer heads would prevail. However, when Orndorff went to leave the ring Brisco tried to ambush him, but Orndorff was able to fight him off and clothesline him out of the ring. Brisco grabbed his title and scattered away from ringside while Orndorff rallied the crowd behind him.
Ron Garvin and Thunderbolt Patterson defeated Dirty Cowboys (Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater) when R. Garvin pinned Orton with the Hands of Stone Punch in 0:12:27. Rating: ** ¼
The feud between Thunderbolt Patterson and Ron Garvin with the Dirty Cowboys has finally come to an end. Garvin and Thunderbolt are two of the hardest hitting men in the wrestling world, and there was only so much that Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater could take. They tied their best to avoid the powerful blows by Garvin and Thunderbolt, and in doing so controlled most of the match. Orton and Slater tried to keep Thunderbolt cornered off, but he eventually was able to make the hot tag to Garvin, who came in a house of fire. Slater was able to avoid the Hands of Stone Punch, but Orton was not as he drilled right on the chin. Thunderbolt kept Slater busy as Garvin got the three count. Garvin and Thunderbolt could have a future in the tag team division, but they have also discussed getting back into their specialty, singles wrestling. The Dirty Cowboys, on the other hand, will have to go back to the drawing board if they want to be in the Tag Team Titles picture.
Randy Savage pinned Buzz Sawyer with the Flying Elbowdrop in 0:05:16. Rating: ** ¾
“Macho Man” Randy Savage was not a happy camper when he took his first loss to Greg Valentine last month. He was out to prove something in his match against “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer, and he did just that by blitzing right by him. Sawyer never knew what hit him as Savage drilled him with a high knee to the back as he was being patted down by referee Isaac Madilla. Savage didn’t let up as he dropped him with several double axehandles. A bodyslam was followed by the Flying Elbowdrop, and there isn’t anyone getting up from that. Savage went to the top rope to celebrate his victory, and so he didn’t’ see Ole Anderson slide into the ring. Ole ripped Savage off the top turnbuckle and plastered him with several rights and lefts. The Spinebuster Slam soon followed and that was enough to knock the wind right out of “the Macho Man.” Tommy Rich made an appearance, but he seemed to think better of getting involved. Instead, he shouted insults at Ole as Anderson stood over Savage. Ole Anderson will meet up with Randy Savage in St. Louis, but word has come down that “Wildfire” Tommy Rich will be in Savage’s corner to make sure that Ole doesn’t try anything sneaky. Yeah, right.
The High Flyers came down for their tag title defense, but before their surprise opponents were to be announced, out came Verne Gagne! Verne received a nice ovation from the crowd. He looked fully healed from the attack at the hands of his son, Greg Gagne, and Jim Brunzell. Greg threated his dad to stay out of the ring, but Verne simply told his kid to be quiet before he put him over his knee for what he had done to him in Oklahoma City. Greg seethed while Verne said he had talked to the Championship Committee and they had given him the right to decide who would be challenging the High Flyers for the World Tag Team Titles tonight. He was proud to introduce the team he knew could get the job done, Canadian Air! The High Flyers found this hysterical as they reminded Verne that they had beaten them time and again over the past year and had done so as recently as January. Verne said this time he would guarantee that Canadian Air would get a fair shot, and there was no way the High Flyers could beat Canadian Air when they were forced to abide by the rules.
Canadian Air (Lanny Poffo and Raymond Rougeau) defeated The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) when L. Poffo pinned Brunzell with the Crucifix in 0:14:16. Rating: *** 1/2 (Canadian Air won the NWF World Tag Team Titles.)
Canadian Air and the High Flyers have a storied past with one another. In fact, some people would say that it was Canadian Air that caused the High Flyers to go down their current path. Canadian Air had looked up the High Flyers for a long time, but the High Flyers felt like they were being pushed to the side for the newer and younger team. The High Flyers found great success in changing their ways, but Canadian Air never did get over having their mentors beat them down in the center of the ring. They had been unsuccessful several times in trying to dethrone the Flyers, and it was always because Brunzell or Gagne were able to use some dirty deed to get the win. Verne Gagne promised that it would not be the case tonight, and he was right. As the match wore on, Verne continued to announce to referee Alfred Neely any time Brunzell or Greg would try something against the rules. This went on for quite some time until Neely was knocked down by an errant dropkick by Lanny Poffo. Greg saw an opportunity as he came in illegally and pulled something out of his tights. He tightened his fist around it, but just before he was going to punch Poffo in the jaw with it, Verne was there! Verne whipped his son around and blasted him with several European Uppercuts! Greg stumbled back against the ropes and then sailed over them with one last blow. Brunzell tried to get his hands on Verne, but Poffo wrapped him up in the Crucifix! Neely came to and counted to three as Verne exited the ring.
The crowd couldn’t believe it as Raymond Rougeau springboard himself into the ring. The referee handed Poffo and Rougeau the tag team titles as the crowd cheered on loudly. Greg was beside himself on the outside, but he was soon joined by his partner, Jim Brunzell. They looked like they wanted to get into the ring and attack Canadian Air, but Verne Gagne was standing right there, helping the youngsters put the belts around their waists. After almost a year, the High Flyers’ title reign has come to an end, and we have new Tag Team Champions!
Harley Race pinned Crusher Blackwell after an inside cradle in 0:14:06. Rating: * 1/2 (Harley Race retained the NWF World Title.)
Harley Race only just recently won back the World Title from Jerry “The King” Lawler, but he was already being put against one of the toughest men to beat in the NWF, Crusher Blackwell. Crusher and his manager, Skandor Akbar, had campaigned long and hard to get him a match back during Race’s first title reign, but it never occurred which led to Akbar managing Greg Valentine for a brief time in his attempts at the title. But these two men finally were able to meet up, both knowing that the winner would go on to face Jerry Lawler in St. Louis. Race was in trouble for most of the match as Crusher used his clubbing blows to keep him down on the mat. He was just trying to get him in a spot where he could nail his Big Splash without him moving out of the way. Race wouldn’t go down easily, however, as he fired back with everything he had to keep Blackwell off balance. It didn’t look like it would be enough when Blackwell caught Race coming off the ropes and dropped him with a powerslam. Blackwell prepared himself to launch at Race with the Big Splash when Greg Valentine ran down the aisle and ripped the Valentine’s Day trophy out of Akbar’s grasp! Akbar was stunned as was Blackwell. Both men demanded that Valentine let it go, but Valentine had already started to make his way to the back. Blackwell continued to scream at Valentine, but was rolled up out of nowhere by Race in an inside cradle! Race was somehow able to hold Blackwell’s massive body down long enough to get the three count.
Blackwell did not appear to even care that he had lost his World Title match as he ran as fast he could, which was not very, to the back. Skandor Akbar was stuck at ringside, holding his head in his hands. Race, meanwhile, held the title over his head after a hard fought victory. He has Lawler coming up in St. Louis, and “the King” has promised that Race will not walk out with the title, and this time Lawler does not plan on letting Race get it back.
June 13, 1981 – St. Louis, MO: WORLD TITLE – Harley Race © vs. Jerry Lawler US TITLE – Jack Brisco © vs. Paul Orndorff Ole Anderson vs. Randy Savage
|
|
|
Post by murphy42782 on Dec 30, 2011 10:45:30 GMT -5
New Wave teaming with Valentine was a bit of a surprise, but getting Valentine on the card is a good call. Hes one of the brightest stars in the GCW Universe. I still feel like Valentine is the heel in the feud with Crusher Blackwell, but stepping up to bat here in this match does give him more of a tweener feel. I figured there was gonna be dissention amongst EW and Graham after Graham shook Orndorff's hand.
Ole picks up a DQ win over Rich due to Savage? I was wondering what direction you were gonna take the Macho Man character and Im glad its the heel route. Im a little saddened that Ole/Rich is seemingly morphing into Ole/Savage. I wanted Ole to go over Rich cleanly to really help bump him up the card. As of now, it looks like you are using Ole as a stepping stone for Randy. Rich seems to be getting lost in the shuffle here.
The feud between Fuji/Saito and the Von Erichs is turning into a good one. Saito is coming off tremendously strong.
Jack Brisco successfully defends the title again and we finally get a confrontation between him and the next champion, Paul Orndorff. I can't wait for Orndorff/Brisco championship series.
I was never big on Garvin/Thunderbolt, but it is always good to see the Dirty Cowboys get what is coming to them. I hope Ron Garvin and Thunderbolt move back into the singles ranks successfully.
Verne Gagne helps dethrone his sons team is always a nice touch. Glad to see Canadian Air get thier token title run. I dont feel they will hold the titles more then a few months.
Race retains as expected, and it furthers Blackwell/Valentine and Lawler is up next.
Good show, surprises galore, I liked it. Savage is heel Im totally digging it. Flyers drop the titles to long time nemesis Canadian Air w Verne
|
|