WWF Wrestling At The Chase, (St. Louis Market) 4/21/84 I stuggled all day with how to do this entry. I have very little to report or say about this show. I must tell you nothing happened of much merit beyond two really great intense Roddy Piper promo's that bookend the show. WWF had held a card in St.louis the night before this show aired and of course all the promo's were taped weeks in advance. Piper had wrestled Jimmy Snuka to a DQ on that show and it was announced that on the show in May there would be a return bout with special guest referee Lou Thez. Roddy's promos were spectacular as he was energetic but crazed and just seemed nuts!      They had longtime St. Louis Announcer Larry Matysik introduce the show with a green screen backdrop. The WWF had taken over the time slot on KPLR channel 11 late in 1983.Wrestling started airing there in 1959! Vince took a mega loyal high rated fanbase and time slot in a huge market that had been one of the flagship shows of wrest

An AWA Title bout, 4/19/84. Champion Jumbo Tsuruta vs Greg Gagne.      This is as classic a style for a World's Championship as it gets! Lots of great holds counter/ recounters throughout!  The two men shake hands before the bell and the crowd claps. This is why I love Wrestling from Japan, such respect given by everyone.      The crowd is chanting for Tsuruta right from the start. Jumbo hooks Gagne in a standing Surfboard hold early and Greg tries several times to escape. Before finally reversing the maneuver and now applying the hold to Jumbo. Tsuruta makes it to the corner forcing a break.      They do a "test of strength" and as you might expect, Tsuruta goes out on top with a arm wringer and forces Gagne to the mat! Tsuruta works his position into an attempt at his double arm supplex, Gagne manages to block it and again force a rope break.      When they tie up again Greg gets a leg dive in and stretches Jumbo's hip and hamstring then clamps down on an inside

Two AWA house show matches from Winnipeg.      Match #1 Billy Robinson vs Brad Rheingans. Joined in Progress.... The 5:20 clip of this match we get is good, it is all action and Lord knows these two guys can mat wrestle you to a pulp!       As we join it Robinson is working on Rheingans neck snaping it down over the top rope. Rheingans hits a headbutt to Robinson's mid-section and hits a piledriver(the crowd popped big) for a two count! Brad hits a reverse neckbreaker but the old veteran counters a backdrop attempt by pulling up short and hitting a teeth rattling forearm.      This one is back and forth as the Appleton Minn native hits an atomic drop that sends Robinson bounding out of the ring landing at the feet of his manager Bobby Heenan. Billy climbs back in and soon after for no real reason Rheingans grabs Robinson by the hair and fires him over the top rope! Why? ….Your Winner by DQ Billy Robinson!....Solid 5 minutes here but a very odd out of the blue finish!.... https:/

A World Class Championship Wrestling tag bout, from Dallas 4/15/84. Mike and Kevin Von Erich vs Hayes and Gordy. (this was taped for TV in Japan, Obviously)      To begin I gotta say Hayes's trunks are a site to behold! They look like the bottoms of a set of Leopard Pajama's he got at a Spencer's Gifts!....Back to the match, Mike Von Erich is much better now than he was when he debuted, Poor man still has no business in a ring yet, if at all, though make no mistake. The Birds have to get heat on Kevin so Mike can just come into clean up. I felt sorry for the Bad Street boys here because On one hand Mike was super limited. But Kevin(who is outstanding) works stiff as a board. It looks like a legit fight many times with Kevin! Mike does make the tag and hits a very nice, albeit a bit scary looking headscissors on Gordy.      Meanwhile Hayes is in his corner bad mouthing Kevin on the other side of the ring. Kevin Shakes the ropes and Hayes somehow hurts his crotch, (the ca

Mid-South Wrestling TV for the 3rd week of April 1984. We begin with Boyd and Jim at the desk reminding us that this week is the finals of the Mid-South TV Title Tournament. Pitting Krusher Kruschev againist Terry Taylor. The winner recives 10,000 dollas and a medal.We then go to an odd taped segment of Ross in another studio, explaining in more detail how each man got to this point and then showing us those moments! I guess Watts was not happy with the segment during the original taping. This felt strange like it was post produced it obviously  and shoe-horned in. This was the entire first segment.      Both men are in the ring to begin the title match as they return from break. However before introductions ring announcer Reeser Bowden says that theu have a special presentation for Taylor at ringside. A woman is there with a box of roses from a"Little Crippled girl that is Taylor's biggest fan"! Taylor accepts the gift and kisses the young lady very willingly! Butch Ree

All Japan Pro Wrestling TV 4/14/84  Match #1 Bruiser Brody and Stan Hansen vs Ashura Hara and Takashi Ishikawa. This was a stiff looking one-sided ass whopping by the Crazy Texas duo. In 7:45 Stan and Frank sold not one damn thing and safely but still with malice beat the piss out of Hara and Ishikawa At the finish Hansen's "Lariat" nearly ended Hara. While Brody hit his "King Kong knee drop for the pin! I am not breaking new ground here but good Lord, Hansen might be the most fear inducing tag team ever....HUSS.....YOUTH!!! Match #2 Giant Baba and Dory Funk JR vs Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta. I know by 1984 Baba was not in his prime working years, but even with that this is dream contest for an old school purist like me.      This was taped for tv the day before it aired. The next segment begins as we see Hansen/Brody coming back to the ring. In the other three corners are the two teams involved in the upcoming bout plus the team of Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell. Lord

     Championship Wrestling from Florida, the weekend of 4/7/84. "The Dean"of wrestling announcers Gordon Solie welcomes us desk side with Buudy Colt, Barbara Clary and special guest Mike Rotunda. The big story in this hour, so big they showed it twice in fact is the on going and escalating feud between The "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and as Dusty often said "The Devil Himself" Kevin Sullivan! Dusty is over to talk to Gordon at the desk. Solie informs him that the NWA has sent legal word that this issue between Dusty and Sullivan must stop with all this mayhem must calm down or both will face possible suspention! That not only applies to Rhodes but his good friend "The Midnight Rider" as well. Dusty says they wanna talk about suspending him after what Sulivan had done recently....      We go to arena footage of Dusty and Adrian Street vs Sullivan and Buzz Sawyer. (In case you dont know this blood fued began months back when they brought Dust

A World Class Championship Wrestling tag team bout, 4/6/84 Andre The Giant and "Iceman" King Parsons vs The Super Destroyers.      The video is overdubbed is Japanesse(rather badly, because you can still clearly hear Bill Mercer's voice.) Andre right away climbs in the ring and traps both Super D's in the corner and gives them three massive shoulder blocks. The get knocked down and take a powder on the floor. This match has all the classic "Andre spots" in it, like the heels running into his massive backside coming of the ropes! Then the Giant takes the counter boot on a backdrop attempt! he sells and the Super D's get heat on him for a very short time then he no sells and makes his own comeback. Hits a couple headbutts and tags in Parsons.      Two shots to the gut and a shot to the throat and the heels turn the tide on "Iceman". The Super D's zero in on Parsons neck/throat every blow they land is in that area! Parsons has to fight up ou

Memphis Tenn, 3/2/84 Jimmy Valiant vs The Assassin. Hair vs Mask With Paul Jones(The Assassin's manager handcuffed to Jerry "the King" Lawler at ringside. This was part of Valiant's "Boogie Jam 84" tour! Handsome Jimmy brought is long standing bitter rivalry with Jones and the Assassins to Memphis! Valiant worked on and off in the territory from about 75 until at least 1991! He was beloved in Memphis "Woo Mercy"!! ....The match was every Valiant match I have ever seen, and this crowd ate up every second of it!       Jimmy went wild early taking it to the floor and choking the masked man with the rope barricade around the ring and slamming him head first into a table at ringside. ...Meanwhile on the floor Every time Paul Jones rose up to pound the canvas Lawler would yank him back down in his seat. The heat came from Jimmy simply missing an elbow drop. The Assassin also loaded his mask and nailed Jimmy!      The Assassin hooked in a bear hug for

NWA Mid-Atlantic World TV Tittle Bout. Champion Mark Youngblood vs Tully Blanchard with his manager Paul Jones..... These two had about the best under 7 minute match possible. For the opening three minutes Blanchard saw no daylight at all as Youngblood sent him to the floor after a flurry of offense 3 separate times. After the third time Blanchard got up on the apron behind the ringpost and as Youngblood climbed the turnbuckles on the inside to reach out and grab him. Tully hit him hard across the chest and Mark fell back getting his leg twisted and hung in the turnbuckles! This was very well executed! Blanchard put the boots to him while Mark was upside down and the tide of the match turned. Tully hits a front suplex. Mark makes his comeback by doing his "War Dance" and hitting chops. Blanchard begs off in the corner until Youngblood gets close enough that Tully grabs him by the front of his trunks and rams his face into the middle turnbuckle. Blanchard goes for a suplex, Ma

AWA World Heavyweight Title Bout. Champion Jumbo Tsuruta defends against former Champion Nick Bockweinkel! Tokyo 3/24/84 For me this was easily the best match of the three I have seen these men in while doing this blog! There was a "Fuck" finish but this time it made more sense!....It began slow has most great title matches should. With both men exchanging grinding side headlocks. Bockweinkel was the 1st to take real charge with a nice drop toe hold into grapevining one of Tsuruta's legs. This starts the match long focus of Bockweinkel working on Tsuruta's legs. Jumbo manages to grab Nick's head and work his way out of the hold into a side headlock. Bockweinkel fights to his feet and hits what I always think of as "The Flair knee or shin breaker" and slaps on another leg scissors. Keeping control of the younger mans legs(Tsuruta was 2 days away from he 33rd birthday here, Bockweinkel is a incredible 49 years old here! Let that sink in when you make noise

Author's Note: I decided to put the 3/17 and 3/24 episodes of Central States Wrestling TV together in this blog post due to the fact that while trying to keep everything from the same date in the same post, I felt that the 3/17 blog would be to long if I added another show. So I chose to include it in this one! Central States Wrestling TV 3/17/84 The highlight of this show was a very good tag match. The Grapplers vs Ted Oates and Ron Richie. Richie and the Grapplers have had issues and several clashes of the past few weeks! Ted Oates was a long time KC wresting veteran. He started wrestling in 1970 and hit most major territories around the country. So these KC knew him well and loved him very quickly! He got the crowd fired up! He and Richie should have been dubbed "The Spinning Toe Hold Connection" That was the finisher used by both men! The Grapplers were a great team they were big territory stars in many places, Memphis, Portland, and Southwest(San Antonio) come to m