The Name on the Marquee: NWA World Championship Wrestling (7.19.1986)

-Originally aired July 19, 1986.

-We’re on the road again, this time in Columbia, SC.

-Your hosts are Tony Schiavone & David Crockett.

DON KERNODLE vs GOLDEN TERROR
-Joined in progress for some reason. Terror drops a knee, but can’t capitalize on it and Kernodle rolls him up suddenly for a two-count. Kernodle rams him into the turnbuckle to a big pop. An actual crowd is such a refreshing change of pace after all these months of the studio that they really should have abandoned. I get Turner wanted a wrestling show in a studio, but it’s amazing how exactly the same product can just magically feel like such a better program with 9,000 people in attendance instead of 90.

-Kernodle drops a knee on Terror. Terror gives him a shot to the gut and chokes away, and some fans are all over Tommy Young for not counting fast enough. ”Open y’eyes, Tommah!”

-Kernodle slugs back to big “USA” chant. We don’t know for sure that the Golden Terror is a foreigner, but, I mean, come on, he has “Terror” in his name. Terror goes for a move off the second rope but gets a shot to the gut. These two are alternating moves in almost perfect succession. Kernodle drives knees into Terror before pausing and visibly thinking of the next move to do.

-Kernodle drops Terror throat-first on the top rope. Terror fights back with a headbutt. Kernodle rams him into the turnbuckle, and a back suplex gets two. Forearm gets another two. Terror slugs away and puts him in the chinlock. Kernodle slams him and comes off the top with a clothesline for three to end it. These guys couldn’t find a flow with an economy-size bottle of Drain-o and a maxi pad shortage.

-Bob Caudle welcomes Jim Cornette and Big Bubba, and all three of them are wearing matching cream-colored suits with glasses. It looks like Brother Love’s family reunion. Cornette fires off a bunch of rapid-fire jokes, still trying to make Bubba break on camera and failing once again. Baby Doll is ugly.

THE WARLORD (with Baby Doll) vs VERNON DEATON
-I’m ceaselessly impressed by how the WWE Network team seems to have a canned crowd reaction sound fo EVERY size crowd. Like they had the “8,952 people in attendance” track all cued up before somebody did some fact-checking and they switched to the “9,438 people in attendance” track. I know they’re dubbing Warlord’s entrance here but they’re so smooth you’d almost never know.\

-Inverted atomic drop by Warlord. Big clothesline, and the running powerslam finishes. Warlord and Baby Doll have this weird dynamic. When Baby Doll is just managing one guy, there’s at least this subtle undercurrent that she and Dusty are hooking up, as horrific as that is to think about. And it seems weird that Dusty would be cool with Baby Doll latching onto a rock-solid stud half his age like she really is just managing him. When Warlord is out here, Baby Doll brings nothing out of him and they have no chemistry to speak of. It’s just such a strange pairing.

-Jim Cornette talks to Arn Anderson. The Andersons and the Rock & Roll Express have a match to determine #1 contenders, and Cornette, manager of the champs, says that the Andersons deserve it more.

KHRUSHER KHRUSHCHEV vs TODD CHAMPION
-Lock-up reveals that Khruschchev and the jobber are evenly matched for strength, and Khrusher looks khoncerned. Top wristlock by Khrusher, but Champion switches to a hammerlock. Khrusher locks on an armbar, but Champion reverses and gets him down to the mat. Commentators get a LITTLE generous with their praise, noting that Champion is “about as big as one of the Road Warriors”—uh, no—and that Khrusher probably can’t get the Warriors out of his head when he’s fighting this guy.

-Shoulderblock by Champion, and he goes back to work on the arm. Great bit by Khrusher, as he’s trapped in the hold and keeps his eyes firmly on Tommy Young. The MOMENT Tommy gets up to change position, Khrusher grabs the tights and takes Champion down.

-Back from commercial, Champion is fighting out of a hammerlock. Khrusher boots him out of the ring and then beats away on him on the apron. He drags Champion back in for a bearhug. Champion claps his hands to escape, and that never looks not-stupid. Champion tries to make his big comeback, but misses a dropkick, and Khrushchev finishes with a sickle.

-Dusty and Baby Doll are here. Dusty does a weirdly arrogant promo, telling mayors around the country to stop asking him to make personal appearances, because he’s at the top of the wrestling world right now and he doesn’t need to make personal appearances. This is a FACE cutting a promo. My gut says it’s probably some kind of shot against Hogan for doing personal appearances, but, yeah, look at that loser doing brand reinforcement between all his trips to the bank, what a dick, huh, Dusty? Dusty says his upcoming cage match against Ric Flair will prove which one of them is the best in the world.

NELSON ROYAL vs MITCH SNOW
-Tony has the balls to talk about how evenly matched these guys are when Snow is about a foot taller and literally half Nelson’s age. Nelson shoulderblocks him down. Snow hiptosses him, and the crowd sees hungry young lion vs. old guy and they’re totally in Snow’s corner. They trade holds on the mat for long spell, and the fans start to get restless. Royal gets an inside cradle out of nowhere and gets three, and they shake hands after the bell. Woof.

-Jim Cornette is with Tully Blanchard. “Glass Jaw Garvin” is going to have the worst night ever on the last stop of the Bash, and Dusty Rhodes ain’t gonna get Ric Flair’s belt.

GREAT AMERICAN BASH REPORT
-Magnum TA is down 0-3 in the Best of Seven series. Sounds to me like we’re due for a hilarious backstage skit where Magnum and Nikita argue about who gets to carry the luggage! We get words from the Rock & Roll Express, who are ready to face “The Anderson Brothers, or Cousins, whatever they call themselves.” I’d bust on Robert, but it’s not like anybody else in the company was able to keep that continuity together.

NATIONAL TITLE: TULLY BLANCHARD (Champion, with JJ Dillon) vs SAM HOUSTON
-White-hot start here, as Houston just walks over and rolls up Tully out of nowhere and Tommy Young drops the belt on the mat to run over and make the count of two. Side headlock by Houston as JJ is just going out of his mind over Houston starting the match with such a sneaky move, and Houston instantly has the psychological edge.

-Dropkick by Houston, and a snapmare gets two. They slug it out on the floor and Houston wins that handily. He suplexes Tully back in. Tully starts coming to life with forearms. JJ gets Tommy’s attention for a moment while Tully tosses Houston over the top rope.

-Back from the break, Tully is pounding away at Houston. Stomachbreaker by Tully gets two. Houston charges and gets shoved through the ropes and onto the floor. JJ takes a whack at Houston with the heel of his shoe, Back in, Houston gets a backslide out of nowhere for two. Atomic drop on Tully has the fans going out of their minds expecting a miracle tonight.

– Right hands by Houston. Tully stops the onslaught with an inverted atomic drop, and the slingshot suplex retains the belt.

-Jim Cornette talks to Khrusher. He’s back to 100% and ready for revenge on everybody.

-Ron Garvin assesses the previous match and points out little mistakes that Houston made. He promises not to make the same errors when he faces Tully Blanchard.

-Bob Caudle is with Magnum TA. He’s down 0-3, but he can come back.

ROCK & ROLL EXPRESS vs OLE & ARN ANDERSON
-Watching the Express’ struggle to walk to the ring is amazing, as the teenage girls just will not clear a path for them.

-Robert Gibson locks up with Ole. Quick rights by Gibson. Andersons attempt a double-team move, but Gibson just ducks and walks a lap around the floor, and the fans pop like it’s the most brilliant move they’ve ever seen. Arn tags in. He gets flipped and whipped around. Gibson dropkicks him out to the floor, and Arn looks super-embarrassed.

-Morton tags in, no longer wearing the nose guard, and pointing to his face, daring Arn. He dodges a move from Arn right away and then sweeps his leg drop behind, causing Anderson to land square on his nose, and Arn BOLTS out of the ring to check for a break. That’s fantastic.

-Four-man brawl breaks out, and the Express winds up just kicking the shit out of the Andersons like it ain’t no thing. Gibson tags in. Andersons gang up on him and finally get a firm advantage, throwing him out to the floor. Ole rams him into the barricade before flinging him back inside. Andersons work the arm and David Crockett almost puts his fist through his monitor when he’s told that they HAVE to take a commercial break right now!

-Andersons switch off putting the puts to Gibson and working the arm, while Gibson lies there thinking “This is what Ricky does every night? Wow, this sucks!” And it’s hot tag to Ricky. Dropkicks for everybody. And the Express begins working an Anderson-style match, directly targeting Ole’s left leg with toeholds and scissors. “BREAK IT!’ chant goes up, as the Express stays on the leg, but Arn headbutts Ricky right on the nose to turn the tide. Ricky sells it so well that I swear it looks like Ole is asking him if he’s okay while Arn stomps on him. Morton fights back and gets Arn in a toehold and we take another break.

-Back from commercial, Arn is ruthlessly attacking Morton’s previously injured face. Just utterly lacking in ruth. Ole chokes out Ricky while Arn taunts Robert. Ole tags in and drops elbows. Morton plays straight to the camera and makes it a point to flare his nostrils and squint, so it looks like his nose is swollen. That is COMMITMENT.

-Ole and Ricky slug it out. Ole makes a tag behind his back and Ricky gets thrown to the floor by Arn. Arn pulls him up to the apron. Ricky rams him into the turnbuckle, then heads up to the apron and connects with a bodypress; both guys are so sweaty that Ricky kinda glides over Arn on impact and almost kills himself with it.

-Arn and Ricky trade blows. Time limit is rapidly running out as Arn & Ole go for their finisher, but kind of a smart ending here sees Robert come in without tagging because, screw it, time is about to run out anyway. Express and Andersons slug it out, Tommy Young clears the ring, and Morton has an opening to tag Robert in.

-Gibson suplexes Arn. Ole tags back in and I’m pretty sure we’ve gone beyond the two-minute warning David gave. Sleeper by Gibson and that HAS to be the finish, and sure enough, the bell sounds just as Arn starts to fade. I’d call it a dick move, but they actually rang the bell so quickly into the sleeper hold that the fans instantly get the idea and don’t pop like the Express won. Referee declares it a draw, but the Andersons are both lying on the mat as the Express leaves, so we have a clear moral victory here. Come on, there was NO WAY that was going to be anything but a great match.

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE: MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (Champions, with Jim Cornette & Big Bubba) vs AMERICA’S TEAM (with Baby Doll
-This is clearly going to be the same deal they did last week, because we have four minutes left. Dusty decides on a whim that this should be a six-person tag and brings Baby Doll into the ring, and Baby Doll removes her coat and reveals she’s wearing wrestling gear underneath. Cornette gets in the ring and teases a fistfight, but runs away instead. Baby Doll gives Bobby Eaton a right hand instead, and Bobby sells it like he’s getting a bonus for it. WE’RE OUTTA TIME!

7.2

The final score: review Good

The 411

Well, the first three half was pure dog food but man, those last three matches were solid gold. Watch this show and jump straight to Tully and Sam.