wrestling / Video Reviews
The Name on the Marquee: NWA World Championship Wrestling (10.1.1988)
Loading...-Originally aired October 1, 1988. Happy 26th anniversary, Johnny Carson.
-Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, and David Crockett. They announce that Jimmy Garvin will be returning in two weeks (mmm…no…) and that a new guy named Bam-Bam Bigelow is debuting this week.
-Sting says that Ric Flair is a naughty, naughty boy and he’s pledging support to Lex Luger as a tag team partner.
RON SIMMONS vs. EDDIE SWEAT
-Simmons goes on the offense as JR announces that the Seminoles are retiring his number. Bearhug by Simmons. Sweat hangs on, so Simmons turns it into a spinebuster and stretches him a bit. He whips Sweat into the ropes for Bubba slam to finish it.
-Hot take from Ron Simmons: drugs and child abuse are bad.
IVAN KOLOFF vs. AGENT STEEL
-Koloff grinds Steel’s face into the mat and elbows him. Koloff sends Steel out to the floor and strangles him with the mic cord while the commentators awkwardly try to marvel about the way he’s changed since breaking away from Paul Jones, and they kind of give up on that in mid-choke. Back in the ring, Koloff chokes Steel some more and comes off the second rope with a sickle to finish.
-Post-match, Paul Jones steps in the ring and says he’s up for a fight. Ivan falls for it, and here come the Assassins for an attack. Fans see where this one is going and chant for Nikita until he comes running out there with his uncle’s chain and chases them off.
-Nikita asks the fans to welcome his uncle Ivan, the same way they did for Nikita two years ago. Uncle Ivan says that Paul Jones tried to dominate him like Hitler and compares being managed by Paul Jones to being in a concentration camp as this promo officially goes over a cliff.
TV TITLE: RICK STEINER (Proxy Champion, with Kevin Sullivan & Mike Rotunda) vs. ITALIAN STALLION
-Story here is that Rotunda just wants to take the week off from wrestling, so Steiner has agreed to defend the title for him. Stallion armdrags him while JR says that Rotunda felt sorry for Steiner, saying before the show that he wanted Steiner to experience “being a real star.” Stallion backdrops Steiner and Steiner goes AIRBORNE for that. Stallion dropkicks him to the floor as Rotunda begins freaking out about how this is going so far. Steiner is just getting squashed as the commentators tip off Kevin Sullivan about this being a title match, because Rotunda apparently didn’t tell him, and now Sullivan is blowing out.
-Snapmare by Stallion gets one. Powerslam gets two as Stallion continues having the best week of his life. They collide on shoulderblocks and Steiner recovers first, hitting a hard clothesline to take over. Chinlock by Steiner as we pause for a break. Back to the show, Stallion fights out and throws punches. They trade blows, Stallion fights Steiner off with a belly-to-belly but he gets distracted and forgets to finish. Aw, damn, that’s his finisher. Varsity Club won’t like that. And indeed, they bring him out to the floor and scream at him.
-Steiner heads back in and Stallion just immediately throws him to the floor. I get the story they’re telling, but holy shit, Stallion must have won a poker game or something. Back in, Stallion backdrops Steiner and gives him ten punches on the turnbuckles. Belly-to-belly by Stallion gets two. Stallion tries a corner charge but Steiner hits a clothesline and takes no chances, pinning him right then and there.
SPAM SLAM!
-Doomsday device. It’s not even a different Doomsday device. It’s the same clip every week.
-JR welcomes NWA promoter Tim Willett, who is organizing an NWA tour of the old Mid-South territory.
BAM-BAM BIGELOW (with Oliver Humperdink) vs. TRENT KNIGHT
-Either the Network or TBS edited out Bigelow’s entrance for some reason. Humperdink is back to his old look with the Hawaiian shirt.
-Bigelow mows down Knight and applies a chinlock. Bigelow keeps hammering and bulldogs Knight. Dropkick off the ropes by Bigelow, followed by an enziguiri. Gourdbuster finishes. It’s funny, Arn’s gone and it’s like everyone had a drawing backstage to divvy up his trademark stuff.
-Oliver challenges the jackals of the NWA, JJ Dillon, Gary Hart, and Jim Cornette, and warns them that no title belts are safe from Bam-Bam.
-Dusty Rhodes has a stream of consciousness about all the babyfaces.
THE FANTASTICS vs. THE MENACE & THE NIGHTMARE
-Fulton armdrags Nightmare. Nightmare fights back with forearms, but the Fantastics overwhelm him with dropkicks and double-teaming until he decides to get the hell out. Menace gets his arm worked over by Tommy Rogers. More double-teaming, and the Fantastics debut a double slingshot suplex, so apparently Tully’s stuff is up for grabs too! And that gets the three-count.
-The Fantastics are ready for competition in the US Tag Team Title tournament, even from “foreign grapplers.” And out comes Foreign Grapplers Butch & Luke, saying they’re tired of the Fantastics bragging about how patriotic they are, something that they have literally never said in any promo ever.
BARRY WINDHAM (US Champion, with JJ Dillon) vs. GEORGE SOUTH
-Windham armdrags South as a “Barry” chant goes up in the studio. Back suplex by Windham. Flying shoulderblock and a one-arm slam by Barry. South finally comes to life with elbows and a slam, but an elbow misses and Barry sends him to the floor. Lariat finishes.
-Four Horsemen graphic update: It’s still there. David Crockett talks to JJ, who announces that he’s coming out of retirement for a steel cage match against Jim Cornette in Philadelphia. Holy crap I wish there was footage of that one. He promises to eat the tennis racquet if he loses.
“Dr. Death” STEVE WILLIAMS vs. JOE CRUZE
-Cruze gets the early advantage as Kevin Sullivan and Mike Rotunda curiously drift out to ringside to watch this one. It’s a short visit, as Doc recovers and puts Cruze away quickly with the Stampede.
-Lex Luger comes out and complains that Flair keeps cheating his way to victory in house show rematches. He welcomes Sting’s offer to help him in future rematches.
STING vs. TERRY JONES
-Press slam by the Stinger. Stinger splash and the scorpion finish it.
-Jim Cornette explains his strategy for the cage match: run around the ring for three minutes until JJ Dillon’s 92-year-old ass falls over dead from a heart attack.
MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (World Tag Team Champions, with Jim Cornette) vs. GARY ROYAL & JERRY PRICE
-Cornette announces on the spot that this is a title match because he’s feeling generous. Royal immediately cradles Bobby and Cornette says “Of course, I don’t have that authority, I don’t want to upset the NWA by overstepping my boundaries.” Royal gets bulldogged and Cornette immediately declares it’s a title match again. Royal gets double-teamed. Price tags in and gets flapjacked for three.
-Ric Flair has a gold belt and Lex Luger doesn’t. And neither does Sting. Wooooo! Also he says “ass.” Ric Flair lives dangerously.
DICK MURDOCH vs. J.C. WILDE
-Murdoch slams Wilde but gets distracted by Kevin Sullivan, who comes to ringside with a notepad…that could very well be the same notepad that produced the mysterious paper that Precious knew the contents of! Maybe this week is the week they’ll pay that off!
-Murdoch goes to the floor and rams Wilde head-first into the post. Back in, the brainbuster gets three.
-Murdoch suspects he’s being recruited for the Varsity Club, but he’s not interested.
AL PEREZ & LARRY ZBYSZKO (with Gary Hart) vs. MIKE JACKSON & KEITH STEINBORN
-Jackson gets double-teamed and tags in Steinborn. Steinborn also gets double-teamed. Larry’s neckbreaker finishes. Al Perez jaws with the referee afterward, to reinforce his heelness.
-Gary Hart’s boys coming after the US Tag Team Title belts!
