[GCW Universe] National Wrestling Federation

[JoshiQ]

Just so you don't miss it, I posted two cards early in the morning. Scroll up for the first.

Results of NWF - Lincolin, NE - 7/23/80:

Tonight there would be a battle royal to determine the man that would face Harley Race for the World Title. Some could say that this would be a huge disadvantage for the challenger later on in the night, having already to compete once against 19 other men before their title shot, but every man in the NWF would do whatever it takes to get a title shot.

Things began on a sour note when Greg Valentine walked out. Valentine said it was ridiculous that there had to be a battle royal to determine who faced Race since it was easy enough to tell that he was the man that should be getting the shot. He was sick and tired of Race ducking him, and he wanted this match called off. He was soon joined by Skandor Akbar with Mr. Fuji and Crusher Blackwell. Akbar said he could respect Valentine’s opinion since he, too, thought Race was ducking challengers. Akbar wanted to know why the biggest man in the NWF, the biggest threat to Race’s title reign, Crusher Blackwell, was not just outright being given the shot. He said this battle royal was a sham. Valentine and Akbar appeared to come to some sort of gentleman’s agreement that Valentine, Blackwell, or Fuji should be the winner of this battle royal. The ring soon filled up with 16 other men that disagreed with them. At the count of 19, everyone began to get a little antsy, but the 20th man did not come down the aisle. Finally, a huge man stepped out and it took a second before everyone realized who it was: ANDRE THE GIANT!!! The crowd blew the roof off as the other 19 men let loose one big gulp. Andre the Giant is in the NWF? Wow!

x Thunderbolt threw out Sawyer in 0:02:26

Immediately, as the bell rang, all 19 other men swarmed around Andre the Giant and tried to get him over the top rope. He somehow was able to push some of them away, and others he nailed with big punches and chops to send them flailing away. Some of the men seemed to think that they were going to have a better shot later, as Andre wore down, so they went to work on other wrestlers. One of these men was Buzz Sawyer as he went after Thunderbolt Patterson. Patterson would have none of it, however, as he grabbed ahold of Sawyer and hurled him over the top rope.

x Ron Bass threw out Orndorff after a bearhug in 0:02:47

With the debut of Andre the Giant, little was made of just how many big names are in this battle royal. Just about any man in there could win this thing and go on to face Harley Race for the World Title. Well, maybe not Jerry Estrada but everybody else! Paul Orndorff was one of those guys, but something seemed off with him tonight. Ron Bass got a little bit of retribution for his loss in the no disqualification match earlier in the month against Orndorff by eliminating him here tonight. Orndorff has been looking for a shot at Race’s title, but he pretty much wasted this opportunity. Things became a little bit more clear after the show when it was revealed that he was fighting back a 102 degree fever and the flu.

x Rich threw out B. Graham in 0:03:34

Tommy Rich and Billy Graham have had their problems as of late. It started with Rich and Atlas feuding with the East-West Connection, but Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis got their friend, Billy Graham, involved. Graham has gotten the better of Rich the first two times they’ve met, but tonight would be Rich’s night as he caught Graham’s attention on Jerry Brisco allowing him to sneak up from behind and toss him. Billy Graham was furious on the outside, and he decided that Rich would pay for his elimination.

x Fuji threw out Rich in 0:03:58

Fuji came up from behind Rich and tried to eliminate him, but it looked like Rich would hold on. That is until Graham grabbed a big handful of Rich’s hair and pulled him over the top and to the outside. Rich and Graham started to punch away at one another which caused officials to storm them to separate them. These two men will meet again later tonight as Rich will defend his US Title against Graham with hopefully a more conclusive finish.

Just like they agreed to before the match started, Valentine, Crusher, and Fuji were grouping up together to really take control of the battle royal. At the moment, they were focusing in on Thunderbolt Patterson. Thunderbolt has had his problems with Valentine and Devastation, Inc., but having to fight off all of them at once was not faring well for him. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ring, Andre the Giant looked like he was having a blast throwing men from one side of the ring to the other. Occasionally he would throw out a boot here and there, and the damage wasn’t pretty.

x Ventura threw out Jack Brisco in 0:05:12

People sometimes forget that, while the Brisco Brothers being a more than formidable tag team, they are also accomplished singles wrestlers. If either man won this battle royal, they easily could become the next World Champion. That wouldn’t be the case for Jack, however, as Ventura and Adonis double teamed him for a lot of the match before Ventura used his amazing strength to throw him over.

Jerry Brisco was unable to help since he had his hands full with Baron Von Raschke. Raschke lost his most recent shot at Race’s title in spectacular fashion, an Iron Man match. You had to know that he was chomping at the bit to get another shot, and he was showing that by dragging Jerry’s face across the top rope. Elsewhere, Jerry Estrada was doing a good job of hiding out, Jerry Lawler ran over to get at Devastation, Inc. and to give Thunderbolt a breather, and Atlas and Ole, friends, were trying to throw one another over the top rope.

x Valentine threw out Thunderbolt after a clothesline in 0:05:39

Lawler fighting it out with Crusher and Fuji did appear to give Thunderbolt a chance to catch his breath, but he was seemingly distracted which allowed Valentine to back up and send Patterson over the top with a clothesline. Thunderbolt was not happy with himself after being eliminated, but he decided he wasn’t done as he slid back into the ring. He tapped Valentine on the shoulder, and when he turned around, he nailed Valentine with the Thunderbolt Right! Valentine was out and that’s a dangerous position to be in during a battle royal. Thunderbolt left the ring, but he might have just gotten a tad bit of revenge for not only being eliminated but from the brutal attack he was on the receiving end on earlier in the month. Meanwhile, while they may have agreed to team together during the battle royal, but Crusher and Fuji didn’t exactly look out for Valentine.

x Andre threw out Ron Bass after an elbowsmash in 0:06:09

Andre got his first elimination when he blasted “Outlaw” Ron Bass with an elbow. Not normally the most devastating of moves, but when it comes from Andre, well, let’s just say it sent Bass flying over the top rope. Things were still pretty hectic around the ring. The East-West Connection was fighting it out with Atlas and Ole, who had decided to take a break from beating on one another. Chief Jay Strongbow tried to go over and help his tag partner later in the night, Jerry Lawler, as he pulled Fuji off. And with pretty much everyone else busy, Jerry Estrada was able to sneak in and out with sucker punches on various wrestlers.

x Raschke threw out Jerry Brisco after the Claw in 0:07:19

Jerry had put up a valiant effort against Raschke and almost had him eliminated when Percy Pringle jumped up on the ring apron to distract Jerry. It did the trick as Jerry went to hit Pringle, but Pringle was able to drop down before, and this gave Raschke the opening to lock the Claw on Jerry! Raschke wasn’t trying to use it to get the submission, however, instead using it as a way to push Jerry up and over the top and to the outside. On the other side of the ring, Valentine had gotten back to his feet and this allowed some triple teaming of Lawler and Strongbow. Tony Atlas decided to break off from fighting Ventura to help them out, but it wasn’t the best idea.

x Blackwell threw out Atlas in 0:07:28

Atlas charged directly at Crusher Blackwell, but Crusher dropped his shoulder and lifted Atlas up and over. An honorable attempt, but it may not have been the smartest decision. At this point, things seemed to break up a bit as Lawler escaped from his corner and attacked Raschke, Strongbow joined Ole in fighting off the East-West Connection, and Andre slowly started making his way to that side of the ring.

x Lawler threw out Raschke in 0:08:29

Lawler appeared to have really caught Raschke off guard as he never really recovered from Lawler’s flurry of offense. Or maybe Raschke was still just worn out from his hour long affair with Race, but nonetheless, Lawler caught him at the right time and was able to eliminate him to put an end to Raschk’'s run in the battle royal. That’s a huge threat eliminated. At this point, we were at the halfway point with some serious muscle in there. Strongbow, Ole Anderson, Valentine, the East-West Connection, Mr. Fuji, Crusher Blackwell, Lawler, Estrada, and Andre the Giant were all still occupying space in the ring.

x Strongbow threw out O. Anderson in 0:08:31

Just seconds after Raschke was eliminated, Ole had Ventura’s arms hooked for Strongbow to take a shot. Strongbow backed up and went for a clothesline, but Adonis pulled Ventura loose and Strongbow blasted Ole! Ole staggered backwards and over the top rope.

x Valentine threw out Strongbow in 0:08:45

Strongbow stood there in shock and seemed almost apologetic to Ole, but that cost him as Valentine grabbed ahold of him and hurled him to the outside to join the man he had just eliminated. The East-West Connection were thrilled that they were free of their two opponents that had been focusing on them, but that did not last as Andre came up, grabbed both of them, and rammed their heads together. Andre pounded on Ventura and Adonis, taking turns, while Fuji, Blackwell, and Valentine were now able to triple team Lawler. Lawler tried his best to fight them off, but once they started focusing in on his injured eye, ripping the eye patch off, Lawler was really starting to hurt.

x Andre threw out Adonis in 0:10:20

You have to give Adonis credit, he didn’t back down from Andre. Neither did his partner, Ventura, but there’s only so much you can do with this giant of a man. And when you make him angry, things don’t usually end well. Adonis poked him in the eye to try something new, but that only seemed to anger the man as he grabbed Adonis and threw him over the top rope with Adonis’ momentum carrying all the way into the guardrail.

x Blackwell threw out Estrada in 0:11:18

Jerry Estrada picked the wrong time to finally take some real action. He ran right at Blackwell and started firing away. Lawler had to be grateful for the break, but it wasn’t long as Crusher hammered Estrada into the mat with a forearm to the back. Estrada slowly got back to his feet but was tossed over, eliminating him. This left Andre, Lawler, Blackwell, Fuji, Valentine, and Ventura.

x Andre threw out Ventura after a backdrop in 0:12:12

Lawler had his hands full with Valentine, Blackwell, and Fuji, and this left Ventura trying to deal with Andre. Ventura surprised a lot of people by nailing Andre with several chops and punches that put Andre up against the ropes. Ventura then flexed his muscles and tried to lift Andre up! He didn’t even got a foot off the ground before Andre simply lifted up in a way that sent Ventura over the top rope in a backdrop. And Andre then started to walk towards Devastation, Inc. Fuji, to his credit, tried to cut Andre off by blowing mist at him! Unfortunately for him, his mist blasted Andre in the chest and nowhere near the eyes. Andre grabbed ahold of Fuji and head-butted him that sent him down to the mat. Lawler was able to move out of the way of an avalanche by Crusher, but he was then immediately grabbed by Valentine who drilled him with a kneelift.

x Andre threw out Fuji after a gutwrench suplex in 0:14:37

Andre showed off some technical wrestling when he brought Fuji over in a gutwrench suplex. This was more than enough to let Andre have an easy time disposing of Fuji. Akbar was throwing a fit on the outside as Andre started walking towards Crusher, Lawler, and Valentine. He was screaming how unfair it was that Andre was in the match, but this just caused the crowd to get on his case even worse. Crusher went to stand toe to toe with Andre, and it was amazing how much Andre seemed to dwarf Crusher. As they stared each other down, Valentine snuck up behind Andre and chop blocked him! Andre actually dropped to a knee as Valentine started drilling big elbows into the top of Andre’s skull. While this was going on, Lawler had regrouped and turned Crusher around. Lawler started to pepper Crusher with rights and lefts that shook the big man. Crusher started backing slowly towards the ropes which sent Lawler flying at him with a clothesline. Crusher went over the top rope, but Lawler somehow got tangled in the mess and went over with him as well! Crusher and Lawler eliminated one another!

x Lawler threw out Blackwell in 0:15:06
x Blackwell threw out Lawler in 0:15:06

This left just Valentine and Andre the Giant in the center of the ring! Valentine still had control of Andre after his hammering blows. Valentine finally got Andre onto his back, and he then had the absurd idea of trying to lock those tree trunk legs into the Figure-Four Leglock. He just was getting ready to lock the second leg in place when Andre sat up, grabbed Valentine by the throat and hammered him with a punch. Andre got to his feet, continuing his grip on Valentine’s throat, nailing him with punch after punch. After nearly six, he grabbed him by the hair and hurled him over the top rope.

x Andre threw out Valentine in 0:16:32

[Winner Faces Harley Race Later in the Night]: 20-Man Battle Royal:
Andre the Giant won a 20-man Battle Royal:
Rating: *** 1/4

Andre the Giant has won the battle royal! He is going to face Harley Race later tonight for the NWF World Heavyweight Championship, and it looks like he might be the guy to finally dethrone the reigning champ.

Dirty Cowboys (Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater) defeated The Von Erich Brothers (David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich) when Slater pinned Kevin Von Erich after a swinging neckbreaker in 0:15:54.
Rating: ***

It is still odd to see Bob Orton Jr. and David Von Erich on opposite sides of the ring. They were such great champions and to think that they will never team again is a shame. But if tonight’s match is any indication, it would be an accurate assessment. Earlier this month, their match was a rough one, but this one was even worse. At one point in the match, “Dirty” Dick Slater was brawling around ringside with Kevin Von Erich. Kevin made the mistake of attempting to charge Slater who was propped up against a ringpost. Slater moved out of the way and Kevin smashed his head into the post. It took a couple of seconds, but all of a sudden the blood started to flow. Kevin fought through the blood loss to make the tag to David, but Kevin looked like he was having some problems. David eventually had to tag him back in, and it wasn’t long before Slater dropped him with a swinging neckbreaker to get the three count.

It was no surprise after the match that Orton and Slater wanted to continue the punishment, but David was determined to put up a fight. He held his own, but in trying to protect his brother from any further damage, he opened himself up for attacks from Slater and Orton. Things started to look bleak as the Dirty Cowboys continued to attack the vulnerable Von Erichs. That is until the Brisco Brothers ran down the aisle to clear it of the Dirty Cowboys. Orton and Slater were irate in the back and demanded that the Briscos mind their own business. A match has been signed between the two teams for August, and this did not make the Von Erich Brothers happy who wanted Orton and Slater back in the ring.

Raymond Rougeau pinned Greg Gagne with the Rougeau Bomb in 0:09:48.
Rating: ****

What a match these two had here tonight! Greg Gagne is one half of the World Tag Team Champions, and we all know how capable he is. But it was Raymond Rougeau who really shined in this match. It might have been that he had something to prove or maybe it was his complete hatred for Gagne, but he was on his game tonight. Gagne has picked up a lot of rule breaking ways as of late, but Raymond sent forth such a flurry of offense that he barely even had a chance to hook the tights once or twice. The Rougeau Bomb finished Gagne off, giving Raymond what has to be his biggest win to date. Gagne was joined by Brunzell in the aisle as was Raymond by Lanny Poffo in the ring. The team of Canadian Air had something to say apparently. Raymond said that he and Lanny had a ton of respect for the High Flyers that they watched while training. They knew that they wanted to be just like them when they entered into wrestling, but that version of the High Flyers is no more. Lanny Poffo chimed in that those High Flyers are dead, and now all we have with us is a couple of guys he wouldn’t trust to wash his car. Poffo said the High Flyers keep talking about passing the torch and they weren’t ready to give it up yet, but he reminded them to pass the torch you have to have one in the first place. Raymond said there are far better teams to look up like the Brisco Brothers, guys with real success, than a couple of phonies like Brunzell and Gagne. The High Flyers’ faces slowly were getting redder and redder before they finally charged the ring. They didn’t get to express their anger too much, however, as they were quickly disposed of by a couple of dropkicks. Gagne and Brunzell stormed to the back, but they were heard demanding a match against Canadian Air.

Mr. Fuji and Crusher Blackwell defeated Jerry Lawler and Chief Jay Strongbow when Blackwell pinned Strongbow with the Big Splash in 0:12:49.
Rating: ** ½

Mr. Fuji and Crusher Blackwell make for a pretty good team. Crusher will always focus on singles wrestling, but if things were different, it wouldn’t be surprising if Fuji and Blackwell might have had a few tag team title reigns. Lawler and Strongbow, on the other hand, didn’t quite seem to gel so well. Sure, they were able to keep the fresh man in most of the time, but they just didn’t have that feel of a team. Blackwell would win things for his team by splashing Strongbow. Lawler has yet to defeat Crusher Blackwell and it has to be tearing him up on the inside.

Tommy Rich pinned Billy Graham after an inside cradle in 0:13:48.
Rating: ** 1/4
(Tommy Rich retained the NWF United States Title.)

Tommy Rich has been having some major problems with Billy Graham as of late. He is out there every night trying to prove himself to his fans and the guys in the back. Most people would say that he already has, but Rich is extremely hard on himself. A victory over Graham would go a long ways, but when he faced him earlier in the month, Graham seemed to clearly outmatch him. Tonight things changed quite a bit as Rich was more aggressive, not showing any signs of retreat, and showcasing why people call him “Wildfire.” All that, and he still could not beat Graham. Rich nailed him with everything but the kitchen sink in trying to get the victory, but Graham was able to continue to kick out! It looked like the match would be over when Rich finally was able to spike Graham with the Piledriver. Unfortunately, instead of going for the pin, Rich celebrated a bit too long. When he finally did make the cover, Graham somehow found it within himself to kick out! Rich was in shock, and he even argued with referee Alfred Neely about a slow count, but that wasn’t going to work. At this point, Graham started to make his comeback, and once again looked like he was about to win the US Title. Graham whipped Rich into the corner and went to charge in which Rich moved out of the way of. Graham hit the buckles hard and Rich quickly rolled him up in an inside cradle, hooking the tights in the process. Graham was stunned just long enough for Rich to get the three count. Rich was ecstatic when the ref raised his hand, all the while Graham continued to complain that Rich was holding the tights.

Harley Race defeated Andre the Giant by disqualification in 0:08:20.
Rating: * 1/2
(Harley Race retained the NWF World Title.)

Coming into tonight there was no way Harley Race could have known that he’d be defending his World Title against Andre the Giant. If he did, he probably would have stayed in bed. Andre the Giant would want nothing more than to put the NWF World Title on his trophy case, but he would have to go through the best wrestler in the world today, Harley Race. Race knew he’d have to be fully on his game at all times in this match and that he was. Not for one second did it look like he lost focus. Race used an aspect of his game that he does not use often, his speed, to try and wear Andre down. Race doesn’t have much speed, but whatever he did have he was using to his advantage. Andre, meanwhile, was able to dish out enormous amounts of damage when he grabbed ahold of Race. Race eventually started to work on the legs of Andre to get him down to the mat, but just as the match was starting to warm up, Greg Valentine, chair in hand, entered the ring and blasted Race from behind with the chair! Race collapsed to the mat as Valentine nailed him across the back again. Valentine had a huge smirk on his face as he lifted the chair above his head as the fans booed. Valentine never even saw Andre until he was just a couple of feet from him. Valentine looked like he was about to explain himself when Andre grabbed ahold of him by the hair and drilled him with a headbutt. And another. And another. Andre released his grip to go for something else, but Valentine quickly escaped the ring and headed to the back. He yelled that until he gets another title shot, no one gets a title shot.

Race saw to it as soon as he came to that Valentine would get his shot in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Andre the Giant, meanwhile, is not too happy with Valentine himself. He wants a piece of Valentine, but it looks like first he gets a member of Devastation, Inc. in Mr. Fuji.

August 16, 1980 – Sioux Falls, SD:
WORLD TITLE – Harley Race © vs. Greg Valentine
TAG TEAM TITLES – The High Flyers © vs. Canadian Air
The Brisco Brothers vs. Dirty Cowboys
The Von Erich Brothers vs. East-West Connection
Andre the Giant vs. Mr. Fuji

[snabbit888]

You're right - I do hate you for getting these both done so quickly. Because the next two are mine and I only have the first one simmed, and the Wrigley Field show is big. Grrr.

ANDRE! Game changer right there. I was wondering when one of us would finally pull the trigger on Andre (the other big one is Hogan). Battle royal was a fun way to kick off your show. The sub-storylines were all well done, and really, Andre had to win - it's his specialty. Don't think he's going to beat Race, but that's a great way to start. Let's see what all you do with him.

Kevin's a bit of a weak link for the Von Erichs - it seems he hasn't quite recovered from his injury. Bleeding out probably didn't help matters either. Good to see Briscos get involved too. Makes sense, and really, the tag title issue is with Canadian Air right now, not them.

Speaking of, minor upset with Rougeau pinning Gagne. Old school logic would dictate that the Flyers retain next show, but stranger things have happened. Match should be a good one.

I assumed Strongbow would be a bit of a weak link. Lawler still can't beat Blackwell. Maybe a new partner is in order. Orndorff perhaps?

Another subtle heel move by Rich to hook the tights to win. Full-fledge heel turn is coming, but it's been a well written run. Cheating or not, this is a huge win for the US champion.

Damn you, Valentine! Of course we were getting a DQ, but grr. Hehe. Valentine may be the one to dethrone Race eventually, but I don't think it'll be the next show.

I'm next... twice!

[JoshiQ]

I just hope you realize after you get your two cards done, I have one card, and then you have two cards again. You're going to feel like you never get to stop writing.

[snabbit888]

Looks like I better get to work, eh?

[rey619]

I was sure that Paul Jones' army was heading to the top, but it seems that their success has stagnated somewhat. Interesting feud with Idol and Funk. I hope he doesn't get fired, but he might have quit on you though.

Dusty has come on top of several feuds the last several years, it must only be a matter of time before he makes a run for the world title.

Such coincidence, Woehre always reffing Flair Hope he doesn't get fired or something, GCW needs Flair for the future.

B. Brian Blair of Killer Bees fame? But Brunzell's in an other promotion...

One more title shot for the Wild Samoans? Brutalizing Morales' arm? This must be it for M&M. But I've said so before.

Wow, Slaughter back? Wonder where this is going and why he attacked Hansen. Didn't Slaughter team up with Monsoon way back?

No-show a world title match? Not cool. I agree with Josh that you solved it brilliantly though.

Pearl Harbor job? Very cool metaphor.

I think Snuka might do it this time, actually. Dusty Rhodes need a heel champion to face when he finally (maybe) gets his feud for the world title.

Great show!

[JoshiQ]

I think we've confused poor Rey.

[rey619]

OK, I think I'm in the correct promotion now..

Aurora, 6/11

I like how the Dirty Cowboys vs von Erich feud is shaping up. I know I said that I didn't see Orton jr. as the clear cut heel in the beginning, but it really doesn't matter anymore now. Two cowboy teams feuding is gold.

Not a big fan of pole matches, but I liked how you used the foreign object to create a new twist in the storyline. I think Orndorrf may go far in NWF, and I think he'll come out on top here.

Lawler's path of destruction stops with the mountain known as Crusher Blackwell. I read on wikipedia that Blackwell is only 5'9, but weighs 475 pounds. That's huge!

Oooh! Iron man match!

EW Connection and Graham is a much stronger force than the 3 faces, so it made sense for them to win. I also enjoyed the title change, High Flyers vs Canadian Air is a much more interesting feud. Besides, the Briscos' career are almost at an end now anyways.

Good show, good to see the tag belts in the main event picture.

Omaha, 7/5

Big win for Canadian Air, even with the help from Lawler. I am curious on how you'll use this feud, who will get the win. Crusher might need it if he's going after Race.

Orndorrf wins the feud and is definitely in the world title picture now. Orndorrf-Race? Nah. Maybe von Raschke takes it home?

You might have 2 or 3 big tag team feuds going on, rather impressive I must say
Surely not the last match between these two teams. The "who is legal" issue might lead to a Texas Tornado match, which is totally fitting for this feud.

I'm not sure what to think about the ending to the US Title match. I thought maybe you were doing a fake injury angle or something.

No-show again?? I can't believe you have it at 80. Doesn't that mean that 1 in 80 wrestlers no-show? Well, if you have 20 wrestlers on each show, that basically means you'll have a no-show once every 4 show. I think you're higher than that anyway, but it's a bit much.

Tuning down the high-flying of the heel tag champs is a good idea. Heel spot monkeys rarely work, the crowd is often awed by their acrobatics now matter how evil they are.

A real comeback story for Harley Race, even though he showed some heelish behavior in the end. Pringle may rue the day he asked for an Iron man match. A normal match, or even a 2/3 falls match - and von Raschke would have been champ!

First Iron Man match? Wow. I can't really find an Iron Man match prior to Steamboat vs Rude in 92.

Lincoln 7/23

Andre the Giant ? wtf?? It seems like he was well known to the crowd at this point. That's also kind of interesting, who are the biggest threats to GCW and NWF?

I enjoy the way you do battle royals, but it must take a while to write every elimination. However, you do add a little story to each, background etc., so it's nicely done. I almost wrote that I thought Andre should throw out some more people, but I see now that he was just biding his time. Dominantly executed by Andre. I don't know if he'll be able to defeat Race at the first attempt though.

Good to see the cowboy feud continue. A match with the Briscos will help prolong the feud and give the Dirty Cowboys a good win.

I really dig the feud between the High Flyers and Canadian Air. Great twist on the passing the torch-angle!

I'm not too sure if Lawler'll be able to squeeze past Blackwell. The whole title picture has been changed now with Andre anyway, so I'm not sure who is where right now

Really slow heel turn for RIch? Piper does the same in GCW though, and I'm not sure he's heading towards a switch. The countout scheme from last time adds to my theory though. Don't know if you'll do a double switch or have Rich make the full turn against a face later on.

I like the intereference from Valentine, keeps Andre out of the title picture for a short while anyway while busy with Devastation inc.

I would think writing for Andre is a challenge. He should be in the title picture most of the time. But he is a ready-made star, so it has both pros and cons.

Looking forward to the next show!

[JoshiQ]

Crusher Blackwell is huge, but it's funny seeing him wrestle because he's normally shorter than the guy he's fighting.

I actually have the no-show seed set to 100. So it should be one in every hundred no-shows. TNM must really hate me.

Huh. I thought for sure the Iron Man match debuted in the '80s. I thought Race and Flair fought in a couple, but looking back on it now, I think they just fought in 60 minute 2/3 falls style matches. Well, an iron man match isn't something totally out of the box (like a triple threat match) so I don't feel too bad bringing it into wrestling history this soon.

I think Andre would have been pretty known by 1980 no matter where he went. This is the first HUGE name I'm using (unless you count Race). Who knows how long he's staying, I just hope I don't ruin him.

This battle royal was never meant to go that long. I prefer the one I did with Rich winning the US Title and the one at WrestleMania in my WWF '92. This one seemed to drag for a bit. I had no intentions of writing up each elimination, but it just seemed necessary.

I don't know what Ryan has planned for Piper, but I don't think he's turning heel. Rich, on the other hand, seems to be wavering.

Andre is going to be a challenge, but he was always known as a touring act.

[JoshiQ]

If you want to take a closer look at the High Flyers and the East-West Connection, here is a clip of a match on Youtube. Pretty good match from the parts I saw:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ-Y4WMa2Ds&feature=player_embedded

[JoshiQ]

Results of NWF - Sioux Falls, SD - 8/16/80:

Tony Atlas pinned Jerry Estrada after a powerslam in 0:01:34.
Rating: * 1/4

Tony Atlas started the show off with a bang, beating Jerry Estrada in less than two minutes. Atlas is just one step away from being a top contender in the NWF, and with dominating wins like this, he may be getting closer.

Paul Orndorff pinned Buzz Sawyer with the Piledriver in 0:07:05.
Rating: **

Paul Orndorff is coming off a heated feud with “Outlaw” Ron Bass in which he was victorious. Buzz Sawyer is pretty similar in style to Bass, however, so we saw a match along the same lines. Sawyer tried to put Orndorff away early with some power moves, but when those didn’t work, he looked a little lost. That gave Orndorff the opening he needed to work over Sawyer a bit before planting him with the Piledriver to get three count. Orndorff has yet to suffer a loss since entering the NWF, and from what he has shown, there’s a chance we may not see one for quite some time.

East-West Connection (Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura) defeated The Von Erich Brothers (David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich) when Adonis pinned D. Von Erich after a side suplex in 0:10:07.
Rating: *** ¼

Both of these teams are future World Tag Team Champions, they are just too talented to not be. David Von Erich, in fact, has already held the titles once with former partner Bob Orton Jr. A win against the other would go far in putting them in direct contention of the titles held by the High Flyers. David and Kevin were not too discreet this past month letting it be known that they had wanted a match against the Dirty Cowboys instead of the East-West Connection, and that might have slightly distracted them throughout the match as they seemed slightly off. Jesse Ventura was even able to lock David in the Inverted Body Vice within a few minutes, but Kevin broke that up to save the match. The Von Erichs slowly got themselves back into the match, and we ended up getting a back and forth encounter. The Dirty Cowboys did make an appearance during the match under the guise of getting a better look, but they knew it would distract the Von Erich Brothers, and it most definitely did. David started hollering at Orton and Slater from the ring, but this let Adonis catch him with a knee to the back and a few seconds later he dropped him with a side suplex to get the three count.

The East-West Connection left the ring and high fived the Dirty Cowboys as they passed them, showing some camaraderie. Kevin and David were furious in the ring as the Cowboys were able to get another one over on them.

Thunderbolt Patterson pinned Ron Bass with the Thunderbolt Right in 0:07:15.
Ron Bass tore his right PCL. He will be out for approximately 7 cards.
Rating: **

The past few battles Ron Bass had with Paul Orndorff really took it out of him. You could tell that just by how gingerly he was moving around the ring, but he is one of the toughest men in the NWF as shown by taking a match with Thunderbolt Patterson just a month after his No DQ match with Orndorff. Bass spent most of the match trying to avoid the Thunderbolt Right, but one time when Thunderbolt went for it, Bass took a wild step backwards but tripped and went through the ropes and to the outside. It looked like he landed awkwardly as he had a rough time getting back to his feet. He finally got back into the ring, but once he did, he pretty much walked right into the Thunderbolt Right. He apparently didn’t think Patterson would go for the move again that quickly, but he was wrong and it cost him the match. After the show, Bass went to the hospital to take a look a look at his leg, and it was discovered that he tore his PCL. Bass will not see action inside a NWF ring for at least 6 months. That’s a tough loss, as even though Bass wasn’t one of the most loved competitors, he could always be counted on to put up a tough fight no matter who was in the ring with him.

Before our next match, the challenger for the World Title later tonight, Greg Valentine, came down the aisle. Surprisingly, he was accompanied by Skandor Akbar, Crusher Blackwell, and Mr. Fuji. There were murmurs about just what was going on, but Valentine quickly let everyone know. He said that tonight was the biggest night of his career, but he admitted that he was the underdog. He was the underdog, not because of talent, but because of all the friends Harley Race has in the back. He knew that if Race was even in the slight hint of trouble that one of them would be out there to cost him the match, so he was making a preemptive strike. He announced that for tonight Skandor Akbar would be his manager! And one of the great things about having Akbar for his manager was that he just gained two new best friends in Crusher Blackwell and Mr. Fuji! When it was Akbar’s turn to talk, he said that he had a great deal of respect for Valentine, and he knew that tonight he would be crowned the new World Champion, and Valentine had already promised him that Crusher Blackwell would be first in line for a World Title shot. Akbar told Race to shine up his title because tonight it would have a new owner. What a turn of events this was! While Valentine may not have exactly joined Devastation, Inc., he has come to an arrangement with them that could very likely lead to him being crowned World Champion!

The Brisco Brothers (Jerry Brisco and Jack Brisco) defeated Dirty Cowboys (Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater) when Jack Brisco pinned Orton after a football tackle in 0:12:23.
Rating: ** ¾

The Brisco Brothers have had their fill of the under handed tactics of a lot of the teams in the NWF. They finally won the World Tag Team Titles here only to have them stolen away by the High Flyers. And in their rematch, they got the same treatment. Things weren’t going to get better for them as they went up against the Dirty Cowboys tonight. The Brisco Brothers are experienced enough to know that cheating is part of the business, but they’ve just seemed to be on the receiving end of it a lot lately. They knew they’d have to be focused so the same thing didn’t happen here. Slater and Orton already had a good start to the evening by costing the Von Erichs their match, but a victory over the Briscos would be something to really celebrate. They did a very nice job of showing excellent team work, tagging in and out quickly, and controlling a lot of the match without having to resort to anything that might cause a disqualification. In an interesting turn of events, the Von Erichs came out to watch the match. This threw the Cowboys’ game completely out the window as they became distracted much like earlier in the evening in the roles reversed. Orton had some words for David especially, but when he turned around he had the wind taken out of him by a beautiful football tackle. Orton fell to the mat with Jack directly on top of him. The move happened so quickly that Slater didn’t have a chance to break it up.

After the bell rung, the Briscos joined up with the Von Erichs and gave them a high five. It seemed pretty obvious that the two fan favorite teams came to this decision before the match after what happened earlier in the night. Slater and Orton were not happy about it and motioned that they wanted the Briscos and the Von Erichs to get back in the ring for a fight which Jack, Jerry, David, and Kevin were more than happy to do. Dirty Cowboys saw the error of their ways, and quickly got out of there before they got their heads beat in. It was announced after the show that since all four teams want to get involved in each other’s matches that there will be an elimination match with the Briscos teaming with the Von Erichs against the Dirty Cowboys and the East-West Connection! That should be a wild and crazy affair.

Billy Graham made Chief Jay Strongbow submit to the Bearhug in 0:08:55.
Rating: ** ¾

These two men have had battled one another for nearly a decade. They are two of the most experienced wrestlers in the NWF, and have never really got along. Tonight it would be Billy Graham that would rack up a number in the win column with his powerful Bearhug.

Baron Von Raschke defeated Tommy Rich by countout in 0:10:52.
Rating: **
(Tommy Rich retained the NWF United States Title.)

Tommy Rich’s title defenses just keep getting tougher and tougher. Between Billy Graham and Baron Von Raschke, you’d have to say he’s really been given guys that can help prove himself as a top competitor. And much like his matches with Graham, Raschke dominated a lot of the match. Rich tried to avoid a lot of the Baron’s offense, but you can only do that for so long. Speaking of Graham, he made his second appearance of the night pretty early on when he stepped out of the entrance curtain to watch the match. Tommy Rich did a good job of ignoring him and not letting Graham get inside his head, and most of that might have been because he was constantly within seconds of losing his title. Raschke looked close to dethroning Rich of the US Title when he dropped Rich a bodyslam and signaled that he was going to go for the Claw. Rich got back to his feet, took a look at Raschke coming at him, and exited the ring. Rich ran down the aisle and tackled Graham! The two men started brawling on the outside while Percy Pringle and Raschke seemed confused as to what to do. Referee Barney Sullivan knew what HE should do as he continued his count to ten and then awarded the match to Baron Von Raschke via countout. And as we all know, a title cannot change hands by countout.

Graham and Rich continued to exchange fists until officials stormed the area to break it up. Rich may have looked like he didn’t care that Graham was out there, but apparently he did as he would not have cost himself another match. Graham and Rich will get a chance to settle the score in St. Louis in a month as Rich will defend his title against Graham. And to make sure that both men stay in the ring and we have a winner, it will be decided in a steel cage!

The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) defeated Canadian Air (Lanny Poffo and Raymond Rougeau) when G. Gagne pinned L. Poffo after a flying axhandle with the ring bell in 0:13:45.
Rating: *** 1/4
(The High Flyers retained the NWF World Tag Team Titles.)

Canadian Air have wanted nothing more than to get their hands on the High Flyers ever since they turned on them and the fans. They idolized them and patterned their careers after them, but the High Flyers disregarded them like nothing. Lanny Poffo and Raymond Rougeau have lost their star struck ways, however, and have proven to be quite the formidable team. A few minutes into the match it looked like we might have new champions when Poffo caught Jim Brunzell with a flying sunset flip off the top rope, but Gagne just barely got in there to break up the count. Poffo and Rougeau kept going to the air and were hitting everything. Brunzell and Gagne were growing exhausted with how many times they had to save one another from pinfall attempts. It got so bad that referee Isaac Madilla had to threaten the champions with disqualification if they continued to do. This made Poffo bringing Gagne down his Crucifix all the more exciting! He was so close to getting the victory and the titles, but he was just too close to the ropes and Madilla had to stop the count. Later, while standing on the ring apron waiting for a tag, Brunzell realized the titles were slipping away. He jumped off the ring apron and looked like he was going for a chair. Rougeau, the other man on the apron saw it, and went to stop him. This caused Madilla to leave the ring and drag Rougeau back to his corner. Meanwhile, Brunzell grabbed the ring bell and slid it into the ring. Gagne had just dropped Poffo with a vertical suplex, so he quickly grabbed the bell, climbed up to the middle turnbuckle, and just as Poffo got to his feet, Gagne jumped off and nailed him between the eyes with the bell. Gagne tossed the bell out of the ring just as Madilla turned back around after getting Rougeau back to his corner. The three count was academic.

Brunzell grabbed a mic and from ringside said what Gagne just did was real high flying, and they still had more to learn. Gagne commented that they don’t charge much if they ever want a lesson. The High Flyers laughed at their own joke as they headed to the back while Raymond seemed confused as to what just happened to his partner. The High Flyers just keep finding ways to retain their titles.

Crusher Blackwell pinned Ole Anderson with the Big Splash in 0:12:28.
Rating: *

If anyone wanted to see if Ole Anderson was the real deal, he showed it tonight. He took Crusher Blackwell to the limit and even came close to beating the much larger man several times. Skandor Akbar started to see his man in trouble and finally came to his aid by tripping Ole up as he bounced off the ropes. Ole fell face first and appeared to knock himself out, but it wouldn’t have mattered as Crusher flew into the air and hit the Big Splash on the back of Ole. Once Crusher rolled him over, he covered, and got the three count. Ole still has big things ahead of him, but Crusher paired up with Akbar was just too tough a challenge at this time. Akbar didn’t even have to leave ringside as the other member of Devastation, Inc. would be in action next. And apparently that meant that Crusher Blackwell was going to stay as well.

Andre the Giant pinned Mr. Fuji with the Elbowdrop in 0:06:01.
Rating: ** ¼

For most men having to face Mr. Fuji with Skandor Akbar and Crusher Blackwell in his corner would be insurmountable odds. But not every man is Andre the Giant. Andre the Giant got a huge ovation from the fans, and everybody rushed to try and clap his hand as me hade his way to the ring. Fuji did not appear really to know how to wrestle this large of a man. He tried to wrestle him, but Andre simply threw him away. He tried to brawl with him, but Andre ended that attempt with a big headbutt. He went after Andre’s legs, but that only appeared to make him angry as he grabbed Fuji, tossed him into the corner, and nailed him with three or four chops that are still echoing throughout the arena. Fuji is not an easy guy to beat, but after Andre dropped Fuji with a big boot and then nailed him with the Elbowdrop, it almost appeared that way. Andre picked up his first singles victory in the NWF, and the way this match looked, he will probably be getting plenty more.

Skandor Akbar and Crusher Blackwell entered the ring to scrape up Fuji, but in doing so, Crusher and Andre came face to chest. The crowd wanted these two behemoths to go at it, but Akbar knew better and got Crusher to help him get Fuji out of there. Akbar, once again, didn’t even have to leave ringside as he would be managing Greg Valentine in his bid to become World Champion.

Harley Race pinned Greg Valentine with the Piledriver in 0:20:42.
Rating: *** 1/2
(Harley Race retained the NWF World Title.)

You could tell that Greg Valentine was determined to make this the night that he won the World Title. He has had one shot before, but tonight just had that feel to it that he would get the job done. Valentine fought with everything he had, and he refused to stay down. He was even able to kick out of a diving headbutt that has put away many great wrestlers. Valentine also had a bit of help from Akbar at one point when Race spiked Valentine into the mat with the Piledriver, but Skandor was there to put Valentine’s foot on the bottom rope when referee Alfred Neely was not paying attention. Valentine didn’t just take punishment, he also dished it out. He locked on his Figure-Four Leglock for a long period of time, but Race, despite the pain, fought and fought before he was finally able to roll over several times to get to the ropes. Valentine also now wears the kneepad that people think is loaded to the ring. And when he caught Race square in the jaw with it on a kneelift, everybody in the arena thought it was over. When Valentine went to cover Race, however, the ring general that he is, Race was able to put his foot on the bottom rope to break up that attempt. It finally just ended up being that Race was too much, hitting Valentine with the Piledriver in the center of the ring, and retaining his title once again.

After the bell rung, Akbar motioned to the back and out came Crusher Blackwell and Mr. Fuji. They swarmed Race and started to really pound on him. Akbar thinks that Race is dodging Crusher Blackwell, and he was going to let him know that he doesn’t appreciate it. Any thoughts that Valentine might have grown a bit of respect for Race during the match came to an end when he joined in on the attack. The three men, and even Akbar threw a few kicks in, were definitely looking to injure the World Champion, and it looked like they might be able to accomplish their goal. Finally, Jerry “The King” Lawler sprinted down the aisle and tried to intervene. He held his own for a bit, but there’s only so much you can do against the likes of Crusher, Fuji, and Valentine. Fuji and Crusher started to hold Race down while Valentine locked Lawler in the Figure-Four. Akbar pulled out a cigar and lit it, and it became pretty clear what was about to happen. Lawler, who still wears the eyepatch knew it too, since this was what happened to him back in February. Lawler wasn’t the intended target this time, however, it was Race! Just as Akbar looked like he was prepared to do the deed, Andre the Giant entered the ring! Akbar fell on his behind in shock as Crusher and Fuji released Race. Devastation, Inc. and Valentine knew it was time to hit the road as Andre started walking towards them. Andre checked up on Lawler and Race as Akbar made threats towards Andre from aisle.

After the show, Race was furious about the attack he endured, and since Akbar thought he was avoiding Crusher Blackwell, he was going to show that it was false. Race will defend his World Title in St. Louis, MO, but he also made sure that in the contract it states that Andre the Giant will be the special enforcer at ringside! What a match that’s going to be!

September 20, 1980 – St. Louis, MO:
WORLD TITLE, SPECIAL ENFORCER: ANDRE THE GIANT – Harley Race © vs. Crusher Blackwell
US TITLE, CAGE MATCH – Tommy Rich © vs. Billy Graham
#1 CONTENDER TO US TITLE – Baron Von Raschke vs. Tony Atlas
ELIMINATION MATCH – The Brisco Brothers & The Von Erich Brothers vs. The East-West Connection & Dirty Cowboys

[snabbit888]

A card from the mecca of entertainment, North Dakota! Here goes!

Atlas squash. Next.

I really dig the slow build for Orndorff. He's going to be a major star in this universe, no doubt about it. Sawyer could go either way at this point, but Orndorff is a stud. Wonder who his next big feud will be.

I will feedback the two tag team matches at the same time since they're a running angle that just happens to be in two separate matches. The Dirty Cowboys distracting the Von Erichs was a great heel move, and gave Ventura/Adonis a win they desperately needed. I also LOVED the on-the-fly plotting of the Von Erichs and the Briscos to give the Cowboys a taste of their own medicine. That's great booking. Elimination match will be fun. Don't do like me though and accidentally forget to make it an elimination match when you book the card and have to write around your own mistake.

Ugh... that's a big injury for Bass. He's not exactly a threat to the main event right now, but he's been a solid hand in the midcard. Knee injury is never fun either.

Billy Graham beats Strongbow down. That's what Strongbow is here for! Good for him.

Man, another dick heelish move by Rich. Sure, he has a legit beef with Graham and the Superstar being there is distracting, but what a veiled way to keep Raschke from taking his title. I don't know how he's escaping the cage with the gold around his waist.

Another cheating move from the High Flyers to keep their titles. I love this angle with them. It's fun seeing the new way that Gagne and Brunzell are going to cheat each show. It's like an early version of Lie, Cheat, Steal.

Wow... you're really pushing Ole if he needed to be tripped before Blackwell, your soon-to-be #1 contender, could pin him. In my eyes, Anderson is officially top tier. A lot of good Akbar stuff tonight.

Andre! The good thing about Andre is that even when he squashes someone like Fuji, it doesn't hurt Fuji because Andre's supposed to win. I laughed out loud at the "face to chest" line.

Valentine picking up Akbar as a manager for the night is a good move on his part, and it really stacked the deck in his favor. A great match here, and Valentine showed he can hang with Race despite not winning the title. The post-match chaos was great, and the cigar to the eye thing is brutal. It's a great reoccurring angle. ANDRE SAVES. I could imagine marking out pretty hard if I was at this show.

Good show... next one looks great. I just have to get two more written now. Sigh.

[rey619]

Couple of nice openers to push Atlas and Orndorff, followed up by the E-W Connection winning with the subtle and indirect interference, the kind that doesn't really hurt the von Erich's or impede E-W Connection.

Patterson punched a hole in Bass' PCL! I don't think I'll miss Bass much, probably because I know very little of him. Rather him than Thunderbolt anyway.

Oh, brilliant move. Now Valentine has a chance.

Payback from the von Erich's. Eight man tag? Good choice.

There sure are some top contenders for the US Title. Former World Champ AND the previous top contender to the world title. Rich is slowly becoming a cowardly bastard though, but I'm still waiting for the full-fledged turn, which has to be against a face (or a double turn, of course).

Great title match. I think this feud, and the turn of the High Flyers, has been executed perfectly. Possible your best feud in NWF in my opinion.

Blackwell is still a beast in my opinion, but Ole showed great spirit tonight. Mr. Fuji seems to be the fall guy of Devastation Inc., I guess he fits better with a tag team.
Blackwell vs Andre is a given at some point, and Crusher will find out that no matter how big you are, there will be someone bigger and tougher. Well, maybe not if your name is Andre the Giant though.

Bit surprised that Akbar didn't interfere in the match itself, and Valentine should consider the fact that he was being used as bait in order to get a beatdown on Race. Blackwell vs Race in St. Louis should be huge!

[murphy42782]

~Tony Atlas abuses poor Jerry Estrada. Atlas feels like he needs to come out on top of one more good feud to really propel himself into the title picture. A potential feud with his buddy Tommy Rich after he turns heel has me intrigued.

~Paul Orndorff is solidly moving his way up the card can't wait to see who he gets to feud with next.

~The Tag scene seems really strong right now with the EW Connection, Von Erichs, Cowboys, and Briscos. And they arent even feuding over titles. Just pured hatred and thats awesome.

~Thunderbolt picks up a much needed win as he seems to have been slipping of late. Bass gets a pretty serious injury. I never really liked him in real life and he leaves me uninterested in this realm as well no fault of your own, just seems hes a 2nd tier cowboy.

~Greg Valentine teaming with Devastation Inc. is a good move. Im hoping Valentine gets his title run in at some point.

~Billy Graham beats Strongbow in a battle of two guys getting long in the tooth. I hope the Superstar can fade away gracefully and not pull a Hogan. I wouldnt mind seeing him take more of a managerial role soon. Part time wrestler, part time manager of EW or something of that sorts. Strongbow can still be used to put over talent I think. Maybe get in one more tag title run even.

~Speaking of the Superstar I do think having his feud with Tommy Rich end in Rich turning heel and Superstar agreeing to mentor/manage him would be awesome. Rich with Graham behind him feuding with Atlas over the next year or so could be awesome.

~Isnt Percy Pringle and the Baron falling into obscurity? Seems to me that they were once destined for the main event, but are now after thoughts in the 2nd tier.


~The High Flyers heel run is a thing of gold. Im digging Canadian Air too. Poffo/Rougeau seem like they would be a pretty exciting team.

~Crusher defeats Ole Anderson, he had to maintain top level cred. Ole puts up a good fight and Im excited about his future here in NWF.

~Andre the Giant beats up on Fuji and makes it known that he and Crusher will come to a head at some point. Should be a good main event level feud for both men while other people battle over the gold.

~Harley Race defends against Valentine, as expected, but it was all just a ploy for Devastation Inc to get their match. Valentine cant be happy. Valentine feels like a future World Champ. Race has to be winding down his in ring career right? He is the best in the world and has been seemingly forever. Im guessing he has a few more years of top level stuff left tho.

September 20, 1980 – St. Louis, MO:
WORLD TITLE, SPECIAL ENFORCER: ANDRE THE GIANT – Harley Race © vs. Crusher Blackwell
I feel like Andre will be what helps Race maintain his status as champ. Crusher/Andre is inevitable and this could be the catalyst

US TITLE, CAGE MATCH – Tommy Rich © vs. Billy Graham
Rich retains in a tough battle. Graham seems to be to past his prime to keep up with Wildfire

#1 CONTENDER TO US TITLE – Baron Von Raschke vs. Tony Atlas
Atlas gets past the Baron in a bit of a shocker. Leading to Rich/Atlas and the much awaited heel turn by Tommy. Or you could swerve us and turn Tony

ELIMINATION MATCH – The Brisco Brothers & The Von Erich Brothers vs. The East-West Connection & Dirty Cowboys
I think the rule breakers pick up this win mainly because the top of the card feels like it is fan favorite heavy. And I like them better then Briscos/Von Erichs.

[JoshiQ]

I'm glad to see the High Flyers have gotten as over as they have. They were pretty much going nowhere as the mid-card face team, and it's nice to see that they picked up some time going the heel route.

Pringle and Raschke are kind of in limbo land right now. Haven't quite decided what to do with them. I don't know how well he'll fit in as an uppercard heel that isn't going for the World Title.

Race still had a couple of title reigns left in him at this point in his career, his last being in 1984, I think. So I doubt Race gets phased out too quickly.

Thanks for the comments, Ryan, Rey, and Murphy.

[snabbit888]

Race was wrestling with WWF and NWA through 1989 I think, so he's still got some mileage left in that old engine.

Well, if he doesn't burn every bridge in this universe, that is.

[rey619]

Oct 8, 2011 9:48:34 GMT -5 JoshiQ said:

If you want to take a closer look at the High Flyers and the East-West Connection, here is a clip of a match on Youtube. Pretty good match from the parts I saw:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ-Y4WMa2Ds&feature=player_embedded

I always liked the crowds back in the 80s, they were incredible. Not much high-flying done though. At the start of the clip, I actually thought that The High Flyers were heels, because they cheated behind the ref's back and isolated Ventura. But the way the E-W Connection sold was clear hints to them being heels too. I guess it has storyline reasons for why High Flyers cheated (and the crowd loved them for it), but as an isolated match, that was a little weird.

[JoshiQ]

Results of NWF - St. Louis, MO - 9/20/80:

The night started off with what looked like a pleasant coming home interview from the World Champion, Harley Race, saying how great it was to be back in NWF’s home city. He said it has been an honor to be champion of such a great company for the past nine months. Race talked about what a great city St. Louis is and that it has provided some of the best wrestling the world has ever seen in the last year. Race had the crowd solidly behind him, but he was interrupted by Skandor Akbar and his Devastation, Inc. Both Mr. Fuji and Crusher Blackwell stood behind Akbar as their manager told Race that he was surprised he had the guts to show up tonight. Akbar knew that Race was running scared from his match later on tonight with Crusher Blackwell and that Race had been doing everything he could to get out of the match. Race denied the allegations and told Akbar that he would prove it by facing Crusher Blackwell right now. Race and Akbar exchanged heated words, and this caused Race to never even see Greg Valentine hop the guardrail and ambush him from behind. Akbar laughed as Valentine, Crusher, and Fuji laid a vicious beating on the World Champion. Valentine wasn’t satisfied with just a beat down, however, as he wanted to pay him back for beating him last month in the center of the ring. Valentine, wearing that loaded kneepad, climbed to the top rope and came sailing off with a kneedrop right across the forehead of Race. The crowd was in shock as Race was not moving. Akbar said he would accept Race’s request and demanded that the match start right now.

There was some confusion until referee Isaac Madilla ran down the aisle. He was followed closely behind by Andre the Giant, the man that was supposed to be the enforcer for tonight’s World Title match. Akbar looked rather pleased with himself as he waited for Madilla to signal for the bell to start the match, but the referee did nothing of the kind. He checked on Race, and once he saw he was getting no response, he called to the back to get medical help. Akbar was furious with Madilla, demanding that he start the match, but Madilla refused. It looked like things were going to get heated between the two men as Akbar grabbed the ref by his shirt and started to shake him, but that sent Andre the Giant into action. Andre threw Akbar to the ground which started a whole other fiasco. Crusher, Fuji, and Valentine attacked Andre, and for once, it looked like they might get the upper hand. That lasted for only a few seconds, however, until Jerry Lawler sprinted down the aisle! Lawler slid into the ring and helped Andre clear it of Devastation, Inc. and Greg Valentine. Lawler grabbed the fallen microphone and told Crusher Blackwell that he better not get out of his wrestling gear because he’d take Race’s spot in tonight’s main event. Akbar did not look too thrilled with that idea, but appeared to be even more upset with Greg Valentine for knocking Race out of the World Title match. The two men seemed to have some sort of argument as they headed to the back.

Speaking of Race, he was slowly starting to come around, but it was pretty clear that he was confused and dizzy. He tried to stand but collapsed into the corner. Race had to be helped to the back by Lawler and Andre, and he was immediately sent to the hospital to be checked out. It was later revealed that he had suffered a major concussion. Race demanded that he be allowed to go back to the arena, but the doctors refused to release him, practically holding him under lock and key. I would not want to be in either Devastation, Inc.’s or Valentine’s shoes when he is able to get his hands on them.

Elimination Match:
The Brisco Brothers (Jerry Brisco and Jack Brisco) and The Von Erich Brothers (D
avid Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich) beat East-West Connection (Adrian Adonis and
Jesse Ventura) and Dirty Cowboys (Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater) 4 falls to 3:
x Adonis beat Jerry Brisco via the Goodnight Irene in 0:09:16
x Jack Brisco beat Adonis via a superplex in 0:10:39
x D. Von Erich beat Ventura via the Iron Claw in 0:11:45
x Orton beat Jack Brisco via the Superplex in 0:13:53
x Slater beat D. Von Erich via the Piledriver in 0:16:06
x Kevin Von Erich beat Slater via the Iron Claw in 0:18:30
x Kevin Von Erich beat Orton via the Iron Claw in 0:23:20
Survivors: Kevin Von Erich
Rating: *** 3/4

These four teams have been embroiled in some heated battles as of late, and it became even more volatile with them all involved in one match. The Brisco Brothers and the East-West Connection reignited their feud tonight, it would seem, as they tore into one another. Jerry Brisco was on the receiving end of a few cheap shots by Jesse Ventura which really riled him up. So much so, in fact, that once he was able to get the advantage on Ventura he did not tag out. He never even saw Ventura make a blind tag to his partner, Adrian Adonis, as he was bouncing off the ropes, and so he was caught off guard when Adonis locked him in the Goodnight Irene from behind. Jerry tried to escape, but it was no use as he was put under and eliminated. Jack Brisco came in a house of fire almost immediately, blitzing right through Adonis before putting him away with a superplex. Ventura tried to catch him off guard, but Jack was in the zone and was able to manhandle Ventura before making the tag to David Von Erich. David caught Ventura staggering around the ring after Jack’s flurry of offense, and was able to lock him in the Iron Claw. Ventura submitted on the spot to escape the painful hold.

The East-West Connection was not happy as they grouped up on the outside while the match continued on. Jack Brisco was tagged back into the ring to work over Bob Orton Jr., and things were not looking good for the Dirty Cowboys as they were facing a two-on-three situation. Luckily for them the East-West Connection was there to help even it out. Jack, for some odd reason, decided to stray from his normal playbook and went to the top rope. With Adonis distracting the referee, Ventura was able to make Jack lose his balance and crotch himself on the top turnbuckle. Orton capitalized on the opportunity by bringing Jack back down to the mat with the Superplex. Jack was down long enough for Orton to eliminate him from the match. Jack Brisco was rolled to the outside and into the East-West Connection’s grasp. Ventura and Adonis started to stomp away at Jack, but the Von Erich Brothers were going to have none of that. They both tried to break it up, but this just let Dick Slater and Orton attack them from behind. Jerry Brisco finally made an appearance to turn back the assault by Ventura and Adonis, eventually leading to both teams being escorted to the back. This did allow the Von Erich Brothers to return their focus on the match. Unfortunately for them, they had already been beaten quite badly and it wasn’t long before David Von Erich was pinned due to a Slater Piledriver.

Things looked pretty bleak for Kevin Von Erich, but while Slater and Orton were celebrating prematurely, this allowed David to recover and clobber Slater from behind. Slater’s momentum caused him to crash head first into the top turnbuckle causing him to be knocked a little loopy. Kevin didn’t let the opening slide by as he locked Slater in the Iron Claw while the ref forced Orton from the ring. The ref turned around to hear Slater’s submission and leading the match to be down to a one-on-one with Kevin versus Orton. Both David Von Erich and Dick Slater decided to stay at ringside as their partners continued the battle, but this time it would be Kevin Von Erich that would get the upper hand, blocking the Superplex, pushing Orton off the top rope, and finishing him off with the Iron Claw. The Dirty Cowboys and the Von Erich Brothers are far from finished with one another, but for now the Von Erich Brothers have bigger fish to fry as this win grants them a Tag Team Title shot in Kansas City against the High Flyers!

Paul Orndorff pinned Mr. Fuji after a gutwrench suplex in 0:10:16.
Rating: ** ¾

Mr. Fuji is one of those guys that will always be a threat no matter how old he gets. He keeps finding ways to change up his game to try and notch up victories. Paul Orndorff saw this firsthand as Fuji showed a ferocious side of himself as he pounded Orndorff into the mat. It took Orndorff storming back with a flurry of offense to put Fuji down, ending the match with a gutwrench suplex. Orndorff has been pretty spectacular since debuting here in the NWF, but he had his hands full tonight. Skandor Akbar did not seem overly concerned with Fuji’s loss, apparently focusing more on the main event where Crusher Blackwell will once again be doing battle with Jerry Lawler.

Greg Valentine made Lanny Poffo submit to the Figure-Four Leglock in 0:11:26.
Rating: **** ¼

Greg Valentine was not accompanied by Skandor Akbar for his match, but he had never actually joined Devastation, Inc. so this was not unexpected. What was a little surprising was how completely and utterly Valentine focused in on Lanny Poffo’s leg during the bout. Valentine has let his frustration show this past month after losing his World Title match to Harley Race, and not only did it rear its ugly head earlier in the night when he nearly crushed Race’s skull, it also showed in how he dismantled Poffo. Poffo has really grown as a wrestler as of late, especially with Canadian Air’s recent feud with the High Flyers, but singles wrestling is an entirely different beast. Valentine slowly grounded Poffo before locking him in the Figure-Four Leglock to get the submission victory. Valentine has had quite the successful night, not only injuring the World Champion but also picking up a W. Even if Skandor Akbar is not happy with Valentine costing his man a World Title shot, Valentine seemed rather pleased with himself as he stormed to the back.

Chief Jay Strongbow made Jerry Estrada submit to the Indian Deathlock in 0:05:44.
Rating: ** 1/4

Chief Jay Strongbow’s glory days may be behind him, but he can still wrestle with the best of them. Not that Jerry Estrada would be considered one of the best, but he has shown improvement. It would not be enough against the ring veteran, however, as Strongbow put him away with the Indian Deathlock. Strongbow and Estrada shook hands afterwards in a showing of respect. It was nice to see since these two men have teamed together on occasion.

Number-One-Contendership:
Tony Atlas made Baron Von Raschke submit to the Bearhug in 0:12:34.
Rating: 1/4*

Tony Atlas has had some tough encounters since joining the NWF, but none could be considered as tough as going up against Baron Von Raschke. Raschke came within seconds of defeating Tommy Rich for the United States Title just last month and Percy Pringle was adamant that he deserved a rematch. The only problem was that Tony Atlas has been on such a tear as of late that the championship committee decided to book a number one contenders match instead. Pringle made sure that the committee knew they were taking part in this match under protest, but he seemed to realize how foolish it would be to not compete as it would guarantee Raschke wouldn’t get his shot. Pringle was in a sour mood for most of the match, disputing most of referee Barney Sullivan’s calls. He might have thought he was helping, but it seemed to throw Raschke off his game a bit as he never got into the flow of his usual match. The match was something to see as both men threw bombs at one another, trying to knock one another unconscious long enough to get a three count. Near the end of the match Raschke drilled Atlas into the mat with a powerslam but was only able to secure a two count. This sent Pringle into another outrage as he complained about the slow count. This distracted not only the ref but also Baron Von Raschke. When Raschke finally turned back around he walked right into the Bearhug! Atlas was able to hook his hands together, and with the strength that Atlas possesses, there was little Raschke could do but give the match up, a rare occurrence indeed. Atlas was ecstatic with his victory knowing that he would finally be getting a shot at an NWF Title while Pringle continued to berate the referee.

Ole Anderson pinned Buzz Sawyer with the Spinebuster Slam in 0:09:47.
Rating: *

Ole Anderson has really started to prove himself as of late, and even in the matches that he hasn’t won, he has held his own. Buzz Sawyer has been swimming upstream as of late, trying desperately to get that big win, but so far he has been unable to do so. Ole was in no mood to be anyone’s stepping stone tonight, however, finishing Sawyer off with a Spinebuster Slam after a back and forth encounter. Ole mentioned after the match that he picked up the Spinebuster Slam during his travels, and he feels like it is one of the deadliest moves in the sport. Ole thought with that move in his back pocket he would accomplish his goal of becoming NWF World Champion one day. With the impact he was able to deliver it with, one would have a hard time disputing the claim.

Cage Match:
Tommy Rich defeated Billy Graham by escaping the cage in 0:20:04.
Rating: ** 3/4
(Tommy Rich retained the NWF United States Title.)

“Superstar” Billy Graham has insisted that “Wildfire” Tommy Rich is a sham champion that does not deserve the title he is wearing. Rich, on the other hand, has been doing everything he can the past 9-10 months to prove that he is a capable competitor. He seems to have proven it to everyone but Graham and himself at this point. Graham surely doesn’t doubt it anymore, however, as Rich and Graham had a classic bloodbath this evening. Rich has been “skirting” some challenges lately, but tonight he knew he had no choice but to stand up to Graham and beat him one on one. Graham’s experience really helped him out in the match as he let Rich explode early on, but he was able to prevent Rich from escaping the cage. Rich finally wore himself down allowing Graham to take over control. Graham used the cage with all the skill that one would expect from a veteran like himself, busting Rich wide open after repeatedly raking his face across the steel. Things began to look bleak for the champion when Graham locked Rich in the Bearhug, but this match could not end via submission. So while it was accomplishing its goal of wearing Rich down, it could not end the match. Rich finally escaped the hold by nearly taking a chunk of skin off of Graham’s nose by biting it. Rich proceeded to pay Graham back for his earlier actions by raking Graham’s face across the steel until both men were fully covered in their crimson masks. Despite putting up one heck of a fight, it still looked like Graham would be the victor when he dropped Rich with a powerslam. Rich had the wind completely knocked out of him which allowed Graham to climb the cage, get over the top, and start to come down on the other side. Rich, though, had other plans as he had gone under the ring and pulled out something he had apparently planted before the match, a pair of handcuffs! Rich climbed up to where Graham was climbing down to win the match, reached through the cage, and cuffed Graham to the middle of the cage! Graham tried to drop down, but his feet were still a few feet from the floor! Graham hollered in pain as the cuff tore into his wrist, but there was nothing that could be done. Meanwhile, Rich scaled to the top of the cage on the other side, climbed down, and hopped the final few feet to win the match! Rich was handed his US Title as Graham continued to try and pull the cuff free from its grip on the steel.

Tommy Rich had defended his US Title against his toughest challenger to date, but now the question is what will happen when Rich has to defend his title against his best friend, Tony Atlas, in Kansas City?

Thunderbolt Patterson pinned Greg Gagne with the Thunderbolt Right in 0:09:14.
Rating: ** ½

Jim Brunzell may have had the night off, but his tag team partner sure didn’t. Greg Gagne was inserted into a match against Thunderbolt Patterson which is never an easy task. It looked like Gagne had a pretty good game plan when he was accompanied to the ring by Brunzell, but that changed quickly when Brunzell tried to trip up Thunderbolt from the outside. Referee Isaac Madilla was having none of that as he ejected Brunzell from ringside. Brunzell and Gagne tried to argue, but Madilla threatened to disqualify Gagne if Brunzell didn’t leave ringside immediately. This left Gagne alone with Thunderbolt. Gagne’s new way of wrestling has been quite impressive as of late, winning the tag titles, and defending them often, but it’s a little bit different when you have a partner there to help you cheat. Gagne tried his best to use those tactics here, even pulling the tights during a small package that almost pinned Patterson, but it only seemed to anger Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt Right was enough to finish off ½ of the World Tag Team Champions.

Match with Special Enforcer Andre the Giant:
Crusher Blackwell pinned Jerry Lawler with the Big Splash in 0:14:39.
Rating: ** 3/4
(Harley Race no-showed.)

This may not have been the planned match, but you wouldn’t know it with how well Jerry Lawler seemed to be prepared for it. Crusher Blackwell and Skandor Akbar, on the other hand, did not appear too thrilled with their circumstances. Going into the night it looked like Crusher was going to be getting a World Title shot, but thanks to an overzealous Greg Valentine, Crusher would be wrestling longtime rival, Jerry “The King” Lawler. Lawler and Blackwell haven’t met up in singles competition since June, but Lawler was still wearing the eyepatch to cover his injured eye that Blackwell helped in causing. Lawler has also been unsuccessful in both singles matches these two have had, always on the receiving end of Akbar’s cheating ways or the weight of Blackwell. Lawler looked like he had a different game plan this time, however, as he stuck to his infamous punches that he throws to keep Crusher at bay while still doing damage. Andre the Giant, meanwhile, was at ringside to guarantee that Akbar did not get himself involved. He tried several times, but Andre would always be there to pull Akbar off the apron and chastise him. It looked like Lawler would finally have his revenge on Blackwell when he dropped him with a lariat. Lawler dropped the strap on his singlet to show that he was ready to finish him off when Mr. Fuji ran down the aisle. Andre the Giant saw him coming and was able to cut him off in the aisle. However, when Andre went to grab Fuji, Fuji blew a blue mist directly into Andre’s eyes! Andre dropped to a knee as he clawed at his eyes. Referee Alfred Neely saw this all take place and he immediately went to order Fuji to the back. This allowed the opening for Greg Valentine to jump the guardrail and deliver a high knee with his loaded kneepad to the back of Lawler. Lawler’s momentum caused him to ram into the turnbuckles head first. Lawler dropped to the mat and Crusher was quick to get to his feet and nail him with the Big Splash. Akbar was thrilled on the outside as referee Neely reentered the ring and delivered the three count.

Akbar and Valentine shook hands on the outside, obviously getting over their differences, while Blackwell got back to his feet to deliver another Big Splash to Lawler. Fuji joined his stablemate, Crusher, and Akbar and Valentine in the ring to deliver even more punishment to Lawler. Things were looking bad for “The King,” but Andre the Giant had had enough. He made his way to the ring, but unfortunately for him, he was still slightly blinded from Fuji’s mist. He made several attempts to grab ahold of the members of Devastation, Inc. or Valentine, but they were able to avoid his advances. This allowed Valentine to come up from behind and chop block Andre. Andre dropped to one knee which was in perfect position for Fuji to deliver a beautiful thrust kick. As Andre collapsed to the mat, Crusher climbed up onto the bottom turnbuckle and came sailing off with the Big Splash! The ring nearly collapsed under the weight, and the crowd was in awe at the brutal beating Andre was receiving. Skandor Akbar raised his men’s hands as Valentine dropped his loaded kneepad across the midsection of Andre the Giant. Fuji started to claw at Lawler’s injured eye when several officials, Thunderbolt Patterson, the Brisco Brothers, Tony Atlas, and Ole Anderson all ran down the aisle to clear the ring.

What a night it turned out to be for Skandor Akbar! Things might not turn out so well next month in Kansas City, however, when Harley Race is back in action as he will be teaming up with Jerry Lawler and Andre the Giant to face Devastation, Inc. and Greg Valentine. All three men want retribution for the attacks they’ve suffered on the orders from Skandor Akbar, and they will finally get a chance to have it on October 15th.

October 15, 1980 – Kansas City, MO:
US TITLE – Tommy Rich © vs. Tony Atlas
WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES – The High Flyers © vs. The Von Erich Brothers
Harley Race, Jerry Lawler, and Andre the Giant vs. Crusher Blackwell, Greg Valentine, and Mr. Fuji
The Brisco Brothers vs. The East-West Connection

[snabbit888]

NWF's back! Woohoo!

When I read the opening segment, I knew you had been bitten with the no-show bug once more. That being said, that may have been the best opening to any show in this universe. I can imagine how hot that crowd would have been as the hometown hero was brutalized in such a manner. You did that all about as well as you could have. I tip my cap.

Elimination matches are really hard to book. If you have 4 on 4, 4 men have to eat falls at the very least. It's difficult not to make somebody look weak. For the most part, you did a good job of avoiding that. I guess the EW Connection looked a little weak, but there's been worse. Von Erichs get the title shot next show, but I don't think it ends well for them. Still too much unresolved hostility with the Dirty Cowboys.

Good win by Orndorff. I hope Fuji gets a partner soon. He's a good hand, but he's just not a singles guy in my eyes. He needs a partner to be relevant.

Poor Strongbow. But even poorer Estrada.

Atlas gets a huge win by submission. I hate to say it, but this kind of kills Raschke for awhile. He's still solid, but he'll need some build if he's to be a threat again. But now it looks like we're going to have Rich vs. Atlas. The great heel turn is almost complete!

Like Ole getting a new finisher, and the Spinebuster is quite appropriate. The Anderson Spinebuster is one of my favorite moves ever (especially how Arn did it) so I'm happy to see this, and happy to see his push continue.

Very clever finish to the cage match. It gets Rich a big win, it doesn't hurt Graham much, and it works well with Rich's new cutting corners attitude (not that it's that bad to cut corners in a cage match - the rules sort of encourage it).

Thunderbolt gets back on the winning track, and the Flyers still looked good in the match. You expect a singles wrestler to beat a good tag wrestler, and Gagne still got to cheat a lot.

Aww man, Lawler was so close! Once he finally pins Blackwell, it's going to be a great moment. Akbar may live to regret what they did to Andre though. He's not someone you want to piss off, that's for sure.

[JoshiQ]

Harley Race no-showing in St. Louis is just bad form on his part. If it wasn't Race there might have been some consequences.

Thanks a lot for the compliment, although I could probably look back through a few GCW cards to find several that surpass this one as opening segments go. Still, I'll take the compliment and run with it.

After I booked the elimination match I realized that I had kind of put myself in a corner. I didn't want any of the four teams to lose momentum, but you're right that a lot of people need to be pinned for it to work.

I'll freely admit to being a little confused as to what to do with Baron Von Raschke at this point. He fit the monster heel going for the World Title, but now that he's out of the title picture it's a little hard for me to book him. I'll see what I can do. I like the guy, but I don't know if I have the ability to write him at this point.

Thanks for the comments, Ryan! Take your time with the next show because I have the next two.

[snabbit888]

Unfortunately for you, I'm 3 segments away from being done.

[rey619]

Race no-showed again? Seriously? Jeez. Cool segment to explain it though.

Excellently booked elimination match! The right team won, but I think the Dirty Cowboys will have a hand in costing the von Erich's the tag team titles. I love your tag team scene btw.

Couple of nice wins for guys you obviously want to push, before we see the Chief defeat Estrada. Even though both have (un)officially taken on the role as JTTS (as Ryan puts it), I can see why you needed this match to put Strongbow just a tad above Estrada, so that a win over Strongbow would mean so much more than a win over Estrada. Nice work.

Not a pretty top contender match, but a great win from Atlas. A face challenger is what Rich needs for his full heel turn. Turning a wrestler heel during a championship is quite rare, so kudos for attempting (and obviously succeeding) it.

The Anderson Spinebuster, huh? Arn is still a couple of years away from debuting

That's a devious way for Rich to retain. Even though Graham is heel, I would suspect Rich gets a lot of boos already.

Great main event replacement as well, Devastation Inc may have bitten over more than they can chew. André and Race teaming up? Epic.

Terrific show.

[murphy42782]

Really digging your half of the universe now that some wrestlers have a history. Race no showing is terrible but it led to a pretty awesome segment, match, and 6 man for next week so all good.

I really enjoy your tag division as well. I hope the High Flyers retain next month.

Im really despising your whole heel roster in general. Valentine, akbar, the flyers and cowboys. Good stuff.

[JoshiQ]

Rey:

This is only Race's second no-show in about 15 months. Not great, but not horrible.

The tag team scene is something I'm slightly surprised by because I've never considered myself very decent at booking teams. Glad it's getting over.

I'm trying to remember the last time I turned a champion in the middle of his run, and I can't think of one. Not to say Rich is definitely turning, but good to see it's succeeding.

Arn is 1982, I believe. I could see Ryan and I trying to sign him after each card and him refusing both of our advances.


Murphy:

Yeah, going up against Ryan (snabbit888) is not the easiest thing in the world, especially considering the amazing history he has built. It's taken me awhile, but I feel like there is some backstory to most the wrestlers now.

Glad to see you like the tag scene as well.

As long as it's a "good" hatred towards the heels. They probably haven't been going over as often as they should, but at least they are keeping their heat.

Thanks for the comments, Murphy and Rey!

[JoshiQ]

Results of NWF - Kansas City, MO - 10/15/80:

Dirty Cowboys (Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater) defeated Canadian Air (Lanny Poffo and Raymond Rougeau) when Orton pinned L. Poffo with the Superplex in 0:10:58.
Rating: *** 1/2

The Dirty Cowboys were not happy when it was revealed last month that the Von Erich Brothers would be getting a World Tag Team Titles shot due to their victory in the elimination match. That anger showed its head in their match against Canadian Air. Lanny Poffo and Raymond Rougeau have grown as a team and as competitors here in the NWF, but Dick Slater and Bob Orton Jr. were just too much to handle, especially with the foul mood they were in. So, while Canadian Air is desperate to pick up some victories and get themselves a title match against their rivals, the High Flyers, tonight was not their night. Canadian Air’s aerial warfare kept them in the match, but it eventually led to their downfall when Orton caught Poffo going to the top rope, crotched him, and sent him crashing to the mat with the Superplex. Slater was able to hold off the rambunctious Rougeau, and the Dirty Cowboys picked up an important win.

Baron Von Raschke made Chief Jay Strongbow submit to the Claw in 0:11:02.
Rating: **

These two men have had their troubles with one another before, and even though they haven’t gotten in each other’s way as of late, there is still no love lost between these two. Percy Pringle has been trying to get Baron Von Raschke back on track since his loss to Harley Race in their World Championship bout, but he hasn’t had much luck. Things might be turning around for him and the Baron, however, as he was able to come out of tonight’s match with a victory after applying the Claw to get the submission.

Thunderbolt Patterson pinned Buzz Sawyer with the Thunderbolt Right in 0:09:20.
Rating: **

Thunderbolt Patterson continues to show that he’s one of the toughest competitors here in the NWF. He hasn’t been granted a lot of opportunities as of late, but his win-loss record has been impressive. “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer didn’t give him an easy time of it, but the Thunderbolt Right was more than enough to put him down for the three count. If Patterson keeps this up, it’ll only be so long before he is challenging for some gold.

The Brisco Brothers’ match was up next, but before their opponents, the East-West Connection, could be introduced, Jack Brisco grabbed a microphone. Jack said he was sick and tired of all the underhanded tactics being used nowadays. He claimed that he and his brother should still be World Tag Team Champions, but thanks to the High Flyers cheating, they were screwed out of their titles. Jack let it be known that the team that was the worst at this was the East-West Connection. He reminded everyone that since the first day of the NWF Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis had been find cheap ways to stay at the top of the card and win their matches. He promised that he and his brother would clean up the NWF and get it back to the way it should be.

Adrian Adonis seemed to take umbrage with Jack Brisco’s accusations as he came to the ring. Noticeably absent was Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Adonis told Jack that the East-West Connection have been nothing but upstanding gentlemen since entering the National Wrestling Federation, and he wasn’t going to just stand in the back and let him besmirch his name. Adonis said Ventura would be standing right beside him if it hadn’t been for some travel issues he was having, and so Adonis was more than happy to introduce his tag partner for the evening, “Superstar” Billy Graham. The Brisco Brothers went into an uproar as Graham joined Adonis in the ring. Jack Brisco told referee Isaac Madilla that this was exactly the type of shenanigans that he was sick of dealing with. Madilla could do nothing about it, however, as the crowd was promised a match. Jack and Jerry both decided to relent, realizing that at least they’d still be able to get their hands on Adonis.

Billy Graham and Adrian Adonis defeated The Brisco Brothers (Jerry Brisco and Jack Brisco) when Adonis pinned Jerry Brisco after a powerslam in 0:11:07.
Rating: ** 1/2
(Jesse Ventura no-showed.)

If the Brisco Brothers weren’t happy before their match then there wasn’t much chance of them being so after. That is when they wake up. Jack and Jerry Brisco used their experience as a team to keep Adonis and Graham guessing for most of the match. Jack showed some extra intensity when he got into the ring with Adonis, and it didn’t look like the makeshift team of Graham and Adonis would be able to do much against the former World Tag Team Champions. Graham may be a former World’s Champion and Adonis is formidable tag team wrestler, but they just didn’t have the teamwork that the Brisco’s have learned over their many years teaming together. Everything changed, however, when Jesse Ventura slowly made his way down the aisle with a chair in hand. It was obvious that Adonis had lied about Ventura being unable to arrive at the arena. Ventura got there just as Jerry Brisco bounced off the ropes, and Ventura smashed the chair across the back of Jerry’s head. Jerry staggered forward into a powerslam by Graham. Referee Madilla did not witness the attack, and so he made the three count none the wiser.

Jerry Brisco laid there unconscious as Jack Brisco went to check on his fallen brother. He soon realized the error of his ways when Graham and the East-West Connection surrounded him like a pack of hyenas. Jack Brisco tried to fight them off, but there was little he could do against three men. Jack Brisco soon joined his brother, Jerry, lying on the mat. Jesse Ventura started to yell at the Brisco Brothers for insulting them earlier and that they didn’t need to cheat to beat the likes of them, conveniently forgetting what just happened in the match. It looked like they were intent on sending Jack and Jerry to the hospital when Paul Orndorff charged down to the ring. Graham specifically seemed confused as to why Orndorff was out there, but he quickly realized that he wasn’t a friend when Orndorff blasted him with a knee to the midsection. Orndorff hurled Graham over the top and to the outside while Ventura and Adonis scattered from the ring. Orndorff grabbed a microphone and told them that he’d seen enough destruction at the hands of the Graham family, and he wasn’t going to stand by and watch another beatdown at their hands. Billy Graham and the East-West Connection shouted some threats towards Orndorff, but they did not attempt to get back into the ring with him. Orndorff checked up on Jack and Jerry Brisco while Graham and the East-West Connection slowly walked to the back.

The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne) defeated The Von Erich Brothers (David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich) when Brunzell pinned Kevin Von Erich with the Brain Buster in 0:15:10.
Rating: *** 1/4
(The High Flyers retained the NWF World Tag Team Titles.)

The Von Erich Brothers were coming into this match with a huge head of steam. Kevin Von Erich was the sole survivor in last month’s elimination match to earn them this title shot, and they were determined to not let the opportunity go to waste. Both Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne had to have their running shoes on as there were numerous close calls where they almost lost the tag titles, but they were able to break up the count. And it looked like we would have a title change when during a melee in the ring Kevin Von Erich locked Gagne in the Iron Claw at the same time as David locked Brunzell in his own Iron Claw. The only problem was that Brunzell and Kevin were the legal men in the ring and so the referee could not count either submission by the High Flyers. The Von Erich Brothers thought they had won the titles when the ref pulled them off, but they quickly realized that was not the case. As the ref pushed David to the ring apron, Gagne took the opportunity to chop block the leg of Kevin. Brunzell and Gagne saw their chance as they used their last bit of energy to lift Kevin up and deliver a double Brain Buster. The ref turned around as Gagne was leaving the ring and Brunzell was making the cover. Kevin was unable to kickout, and the High Flyers had once again successfully defended the Tag Team Titles.

After the match, it was announced that due to their victory earlier in the night that the Dirty Cowboys would be next in line for a tag team title shot. Both Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater have promised to show the Von Erich Brothers how to get the job done in Wichita, KS.

The Mighty Igor pinned Jerry Estrada with the Sitdown Splash in 0:05:26.
Rating: * ½

The Mighty Igor made his debut here in the NWF tonight, and he has already picked up quite the fan following. Igor is a Polish man, and while he may not be the smartest cookie in the jar, he has been known in several places as the “World’s Strongest Wrestler.” He showed a little bit of that tonight as he tossed Jerry Estrada around the ring before nailing him with a series of headbutts leading up to the Sitdown Splash. After the match, Igor shook hands with the referee and even helped Estrada to his feet before shaking the wounded man’s hand. Igor left the ring, shaking hands with the fans, and even hopping over the guardrail to give a few high fives to the people in the second and third rows.

Greg Valentine, Crusher Blackwell and Mr. Fuji defeated Andre the Giant, Harley Race and Jerry Lawler when Valentine pinned Race after a kneelift in 0:19:59.
Rating: *** ½

Next up was your typical brawl involving hated rivals. Each man has a reason for hating one of the men on the opposing side, and it showed here. Jerry Lawler really wanted to get his hands on Crusher Blackwell, and the same could be said for Harley Race with Greg Valentine. Andre the Giant wasn’t too fond of Fuji blowing mist in his eyes last month either. But there were other scores to settle here as Lawler and Valentine have a heated history with one another, Blackwell has felt Race has been dodging him, and Andre and Crusher Blackwell have come to blows on several occasions. And there is always the fact that Lawler and Race have both been sent to the hospital at the hands of Skandor Akbar and his crew. So what we ended up getting was a brawl inside the ring, outside the ring, and even into the crowd. Crusher and Lawler ended up fighting all the way to the locker room and were not seen again. The last we saw of them Crusher was trying to ram some sort of stick into Lawler’s eye patch that he wears. Andre was able to neutralize Fuji with several overhand chops and sent him scurrying from the ring. Andre went out after him, leaving Race and Valentine in the ring. Luckily, they were the two legal men. However, due to a distraction from Akbar, Valentine was able to catch Race off-guard with a kneelift, his loaded kneepad equipped. Race was already suffering from some side effects from his concussion last month, and this couldn’t have done him any favors. Valentine covered him to get the surprising three count.

While Race slowly tried to crawl towards the corner, Valentine got on the microphone and told him to be ready because he knew he had the equalizer in his knee and he would hammer Race with it until he dropped the gold to him. Akbar raised Valentine’s hand until Andre the Giant reentered the ring. Akbar and Valentine left, but the World Champion had already been hurt. Race and Valentine will meet once again in the ring at Wichita, KS, but there seems to be little chance that Race will be at a full one hundred percent by then. Also signed was one last match between Crusher Blackwell and Jerry Lawler. Skandor Akbar said he was doing Lawler a favor by giving him this match, but no more after this. He said that Crusher Blackwell was growing bored with destroying Lawler every night.

Tommy Rich defeated Tony Atlas via pinfall in 0:13:15.
Rating: *
(Tommy Rich retained the NWF United States Title.)

Our main event was not the match that we expected to have. Instead of a clean and hard fought battle, Tommy Rich used a lot of the match to avoid Tony Atlas. Atlas and Rich shook hands to begin the match, but after that Atlas wanted to get down to business. Rich, on the other hand, kept away from Atlas. Atlas started to grow frustrated with Rich, saying “Come on, Tommy!” loudly to try and get Rich to wrestle him, but “Wildfire” just didn’t show that he wanted to be there. Every time Atlas would get Rich into trouble, Rich would dive for the ropes to break it up. Atlas eventually caught Rich coming off the top rope with a crossbody, set him down, and locked him in the Bearhug! Rich had nowhere to go, and it looked like we might see a title change hands here in Kansas City, but Rich had one last move in his playbook. Rich poked Atlas right in the eye! Atlas released the hold, allowing Rich to quickly roll him up. Rich grabbed a hold of the ropes for leverage while Atlas desperately tried to kick out. It wasn’t to be, however, as Rich held on with all of his strength to get the three count.

After the match, Atlas jumped to his feet and gave Rich a powerful shove. Rich staggered backwards, fell through the ropes, and to the outside. Rich didn’t even look back at Atlas as he grabbed his US Title and headed to the back. Atlas continued to be furious in the ring, but the result was announced over the loud speaker, and there was nothing that could be done. Atlas has demanded answers from Tommy Rich and “Wildfire” has promised to give them next month in Wichita.

November 1, 1980 – Wichita, KS:
WORLD TITLE – Harley Race © vs. Greg Valentine
TAG TEAM TITLES – The High Flyers © vs. Dirty Cowboys
Jerry Lawler vs. Crusher Blackwell
Billy Graham & The East-West Connection vs. The Brisco Brothers & Paul Orndorff

[snabbit888]

Yes! I missed some NWF action. Here... we... go!

Dirty Cowboys get a nice win to kick off the show. Canadian Air is a solid "stepping stone" kind of team. You've built them enough where a win over them is a good win.

Raschke gets a token win until you find something else to do with him. Trust me, I know how hard he is to book. I had trouble with him as well.

Not a surprise that Thunderbolt wins. He's much like Raschke in that he's stuck in a bit of a holding pattern. Maybe a feud between the two?

Another no-show... yeah, change your no-show seed, dude. Did another good job of writing around it though. With the Graham/Ventura/Adonis alliance, it's at least easy to find a partner to throw in during situations like this. Even more surprising that Graham & Adonis won though. Sure, it was cheap, but with all this cheating that is going on, the Briscos may snap.

Liked the Orndorff save, and I like the small touch that Billy Graham might think Orndorff was there to help him given Mr. Wonderful's past alliance with brother Luke. Looking forward to the 6-man.

Man, I love the High Flyers so much in NWF. They escape AGAIN. Von Erichs wrestled a great match, and just a slight miscue at the end cost it for them. I don't see the Dirty Cowboys having any better luck winning the titles, but I am interested to see how the Flyers do against another team willing to cheat as much as they do.

Ha ha... Mighty Igor is silly. Nice debut. I think you can have fun with his halfwit-esque nature.

I'm surprised the 6-man wasn't the main event. The match sounds like it would have been a fun one to watch. Valentine's loaded kneepad strikes again. I could totally see the Hammer coming away with the title in Wichita. With Race having head issues, I wouldn't be shocked.