wrestling / Video Reviews

The Enlightenment: Wrestletapes.net’s The Best Of The Freebirds Vol. 4

May 27, 2005 | Posted by J.D. Dunn

As with all things wrestling, you can head to Wrestletapes.net and pick this up.

Ah yes, the Freebird Hair Cream angle. It doesn’t get quite the mention that other Freebird schemes like the piledriver to Ted Dibiase on the concrete or blinding the JYD. Still, it’s just one more aspect that goes into making a legendary franchise.

  • American Heavyweight Title: Terry Gordy vs. Kevin Von Erich.

    Oddly enough, it’s Kevin who grounds Gordy early on, keeping the match on the mat. Gordy powers out of a bodyscissors Arn Anderson-style. He whips Kevin to the corner, but Kevin catches him coming in with another bodyscissors with a rope assist that is ignored by Bronco Lubbich. As we come back from commercial, Gordy narrowly avoids the Claw and takes over. Kevin surprises him with a sleeper hold that almost gets the win. Gordy reverses to one of his own, and the fans cry out in horror. Kevin just makes the ropes but is so groggy he falls victim to a suplex. Gordy teases the piledriver much like the Pedigree at the end of a Triple H match. Gordy tries a twisting bodypress, which is Kevin’s move. Kevin ducks out of the way and hits a real one for the win and the title at 11:46. Really solid action. ***1/4

  • With a big six-man showdown between the two factions looming, Iceman Parsons asks for the fans to select him as a captain and promises to deliver Buddy Roberts’ hair.
  • Captain’s Match: Iceman Parsons vs. Buddy Roberts.

    This is a result of the Freebirds clipping Parsons’ hair on the last tape. Everyone else is banned from ringside. Iceman goes right after him before the bell rings. Buddy tries to run, but Parsons grabs him by the hair and yanks him back in. The announcer calls Roberts a Neanderthal style wrestler as Buddy jumps on Parsons’ throat. Roberts misses a swing, and Parsons finishes quickly with the Rumperstumper at 2:30. Roberts tries to stab Parsons with the scissors, but the Iceman grabs him and cuts off a chunk of Buddy’s hair. 1/2*

  • And that sets up…
  • Six-Man Tag: Iceman Parsons, Kevin Von Erich & David Von Erich vs. Buddy Roberts, Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy.

    This immediately follows the previous match. Parsons goes right after Roberts again, triggering a big brawl to start the match. The Freebirds stall quite a bit before Hayes steps in with David. David tags Hayes in the face, forcing him out. Kevin and Terry slug it out. Funny spot as Kevin tries to give Gordy a headbutt and hurts himself, so he has Parsons do it. David gets two off a high knee. First Roberts falls victim to the claw, then Gordy. Roberts desperately tosses David to the outside, and the Freebirds finally take over. David plays face-in-peril. Great false tag spot as David is less than an inch away from making the tag, but Hayes comes in to distract the referee as he tags out. Great camerawork there. Roberts and David ram each other, allowing David finally to get the tag to Parsons. Referee David Manning gets distracted by the Von Erich’s kicking the crap out of Hayes, so Buddy sneaks up and cheapshots Parsons as he’s about to roll up Gordy. Gordy falls on top for the win at 13:38. ***3/4

  • Michael Hayes vs. Kerry Von Erich.

    “Tom Sawyer” is such great entrance music. Hayes and Gordy have promised Kerry a match for the American Tag titles, provided he find a partner since the other Von Erichs already have matches. Boy, did he! Kerry dominates Hayes early on with a series of trips and armdrags. Kerry gets two off a flying bodypress, so Hayes retreats to the outside. The announcer calls Kerry a “Modern Day Warrior” about a dozen times, trying to get that over as a nickname. We come back from commercial to Hayes holding a front chancery. Kerry slams him and gets two off a Tenryu back elbow drop. They go after each other’s knees, and Hayes tosses Kerry to the outside. Hayes attacks him as he’s getting on the apron. He tries to suplex him back in, but Kerry shifts his weight and falls on top for the win at 9:04. Gordy attacks Kerry from behind, but Kevin makes the save. **3/4

  • Hayes promises that Kerry won’t find a partner.
  • The Freebirds give a poolside interview. Buddy says there will be no need for scissors. He has a special “Freebird Cream” that will take your hair right off. Talk turns to the American Tag Titles. Gordy says it doesn’t matter who the mystery man is. He says he has to go because Buddy can’t swim. Hayes says that everyone that Kerry has brought in has been injured — even his own father won’t come out of retirement to help him! Typically great interview.
  • A perturbed Michael Hayes interrupts an interview with Skandor Akbar to complain about Kerry’s new partner — BRUISER BRODY!
  • Texas Tornado Over-the-Top Pinfall Elimination: Buddy Roberts, Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Jimmy Garvin vs. David Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich, Kevin Von Erich & Iceman Parsons.

    Got all that? Garvin was not yet a real Freebird, but he was feuding with David at the time. Gordy picks up Parsons for a piledriver early on, but Kevin knocks them over with a crossbody and the Von Erichs pile on to eliminate him about a minute into the match. The two teams pair off and go at it. Hayes misses a swing at Parsons and gets hit with the Rumperstumper. Parsons covers, but Roberts makes the save. Parsons winds up underneath a pile and gets pinned about three minutes in. Garvin tosses David to eliminate him, but he spends too much time jawing with him. Kevin sneaks up and eliminates Garvin with a dropkick over the top. That leaves Kerry, Kevin, Hayes and Roberts. The Freebirds get caught in double sleepers but manage to weasel out. They formulate a strategy of tossing on Von Erich and doubleteaming the other. Roberts accidentally tags Hayes. Hayes grabs Kerry in a sleeper while Roberts tosses Kevin over the top. Kevin skins-the-cat back in but winds up in a chinlock. Kerry reverses to his own sleeper. The Von Erichs change it up, grabbing dual Claw holds on the Freebirds. They whip the Freebirds into one another and deliver stereo dropkicks. Kevin misses a splash on Buddy as Hayes delivers the bulldog to Kerry. It only gets two. Buddy gets two off a neckbreaker. The Von Erichs come back and send Hayes out with a double dropkick. They try the same thing with Roberts, but Hayes reaches in and saves him from the outside. Hayes sneaks up to the top and drops an elbow to eliminate Kerry. Ah, Kevin is screwed. The Freebirds team up for a doubleteam backbreaker, but Kevin kicks out from underneath both men. They throw him over the top, but he skins-the-cat again. They try to double chokeslam him out, but as he falls back they fall over with him and hit first! Kevin reverse skins-the-cat back in, victorious at 14:16. It felt a lot like Wargames without a cage. ****1/4

  • Iceman Parsons & Johnny Mantell vs. The Mongol & Buddy Roberts.

    This is an odd pairing as the Mongol belongs to Devastation Inc., but there were some ‘back room’ shenanigans. Mantell is an okay wrestler, but doesn’t look like anything special. The faces doubleteam the heels all over the ring and chase them to the outside. The Mongol finally starts out with Parsons, but the fans want Roberts to get what’s coming to him. Johnny Mantell eventually gets caught in the wrong corner but comes back with a flying crossbody. Parsons gets the hot tag and gets his hands on Roberts. They collide mid-ring, triggering a big four man brawl. In all the chaos, the Mongol hits Mantell with a running powerslam for the win at 10:43. Typical R&R vs. Midnights formula, but with half the talent and energy. **

  • NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Title: Terry Gordy (w/Michael Hayes) vs. Kerry Von Erich (w/David Von Erich).

    They slug it out right off the bell. Gordy tosses Kerry over the top while the ref isn’t looking. Not sure if that even matters in a Brass Knuckles match. Not a whole lot of wrestling for the first five minutes, as you might expect. Lots of kneedrops, punches and kicks to be had. Kerry makes the big surge with a dropkick and the Claw. Hayes jumps on the apron, drawing Kevin into the ring. When Referee David Manning puts Kevin out, that leaves Kerry open to be hit by Hayes. Kerry goes after Hayes, and Gordy knees him in the ribs. After an ill-timed commercial break, Gordy gets the pin at 8:26. Lots of swinging here. Not much else. Kevin’s cutoffs were especially disturbing. 3/4*

  • Michael Hayes says that the Freebirds are giving the Von Erich’s everything they can handle in their own backyard. He wonders what would happen if the Von Erich’s had to come to Atlanta or Memphis. Roberts talks about the mysterious Freebird Hair Cream.
  • Hair vs. Hair: Iceman Parsons vs. Buddy Roberts.

    This is the match to which the whole tape has been building. Roberts jumps Parsons as he’s taking his warm-ups off. Parsons comes back with a flying crossbody for two. Buddy gets tied up in the ropes, and Parsons just pastes him with chops. Roberts misses a trio of elbowdrops. Parsons shoves him into the turnbuckle and rolls him up, but Roberts rolls through with a handful of tights for the pinfall win at 5:39. Not exactly the epic match you were probably hoping for. David Manning tries to get the Freebird Hair Cream away from Roberts to sort things out. In the chaos, Parsons hits the Rumperstumper on Roberts and COVERS HIS HEAD IN THE CREAM! Michael Hayes comes down and pulls Buddy out. Not a great match, but a great moment for those who wanted to see Parsons get some revenge. *1/4

    Final Thoughts: Well, we don’t actually get to see a bald Buddy Roberts, but the build is the thing. WCCW was the top money making territory in the business at this point, and it’s easy to see why. The crowd calls for the Freebirds’ head in every match. This is easily the best tape of the set for wrestling with the Texas Tornado and Six-man matches being particularly good.

    High recommendation for “Best of the Freebirds Vol. 4”

    J.D. Dunn

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    J.D. Dunn

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