The SmarK 24/7 Rant for World Championship Wrestling – August 17 1985

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The SmarK 24/7 Rant for World Championship Wrestling – August 17 1985

– Hosted by Tony and David

– The RNR join us to start and let us know that they’re ready for the Rising Sun, even if they don’t know anything about them. Because they love America!

– Terry Taylor v. Tommy Lane. Taylor gets a quick two count off a rollup counter to start, and takes him down with a wristlock as Tony informs us that Denny Brown has LOST the Junior heavyweight title. And I missed it? The new champion is longtime jobber Gary Royal, showing the kind of importance the title holds. Lane tries a headlock and gets nowhere with it, so he switches to the arm and they trade armbars for a while. Lane pounds him in the corner and a slam gets two. We hit the chinlock, but Taylor escapes and backdrops him out of the corner. A bootrake and Taylor is looking heelish, but he gets a clean sunset flip for the pin at 6:12 to redeem himself. Solid little squash. *1/2

– And now, Ric Flair, who once again reminds us that women love him and he doesn’t wear trucker hats. And Magnum TA can’t be World champion with his teeny arms and skinny legs!

– Arn Anderson v. Rocky King. Rocky is still being touted as a young lion and the future of wrestling here. Like ANYONE named Rocky would ever get over. Puh-leeze. Arn takes him down with a headlock and starts working on the arm. Ole yells at him to finish it quick, but Arn chokes him down and stretches things out a bit. Back to the arm, as he wraps around the ropes and pounds it, and takes him down with a toehold on the arm. Rocky fires back, so Arn wrestles him down with a front facelock and finishes with the gourdbuster at 3:43. Usual stuff from AA here. *

– Arn talks us through the attack on Sam Houston, as the Andersons and Tully break his arm in a really nasty looking spot with Ole jumping off the top onto his out-stretched arm.

– Tully Blanchard v. Joel Deaton. Lockup to start and Tully takes him down with an armdrag and does some strutting. Deaton comes back with his own armdrag and works the arm. Tully reverses to a headscissors and does a really mean spot where he scoots backwards on the mat, rubbing the jobber’s face into the canvas as a result. Back to the arm for Tully, as he drops a knee on it and hammerlocks Deaton. Standing armbar as Tony and David speculate on the Andersons working with Tully and possible collusion on their part. I’m intrigued by this idea. Tully uses the hair and then runs away when Deaton confronts him about it, then turns around and complains to the referee about Deaton’s closed fists. And indeed he’s proven right, as Deaton slugs away in the corner until Tully hits him with a cheapshot forearm and finishes with the slingshot suplex at 5:29. Good stuff, as Tully is always up for the mindgames. *1/2

– Dusty Rhodes comes out to reply to Flair’s earlier slanderous comments about him, and also rages about Baby Doll stealing his credit card and flying to Hawaii for $5000 to establish her alibi during the Magnum-Tully US title switch.

– Magnum TA v. The Golden Terror. With a name like that, how can he lose? Oh, with a belly to belly at 0:19, I guess. DUD

– More with and Magnum and Dusty, as they want the Andersons in a Texas Tornado match. Is that where the loser gets hooked on drugs and shoots themselves? What, too soon?

– Barbarian v. Lee Ramsey. Barbarian overpowers the jobber and press-slams him, then bites his face and chokes him out. Legdrop and he tosses Ramsey, where Abdullah the Butcher is lurking for a cheapshot. Back in, a clothesline sets up a chinlock, and he goes back to the choke again. Diving headbutt finishes at 4:21. No offense for the jobber here. 1/2*

– NWA World tag title: The Rock N Roll Express v. The Rising Sun. The challengers are small Japanese-looking guys in Machines masks. Ricky puts Rising in an armbar, but Sun comes in and chases him into the corner, where Ricky emerges with a flying headscissors and goes to the armbar again. Robert comes in with a dropkick for two, and switches off with Ricky as they hold the arm. And that goes on for a long while as I don’t forsee this being particularly competitive. We take a break and return with Rising holding a chinlock and some double-teaming of Robert. Sun holds a headlock and Rising gets a backdrop for one and tosses him. Back in, another chinlock, but Robert kicks away from them and it’s hot tag Ricky. Crossbody on Rising, but Sun gives him a deadly CHOP OF DEATH to the throat behind the ref’s back. Ricky counters another try with a sunset flip to finish at 9:47, however. Kind of nice to get a full formula RNR match on TV this week, even if the result was never in doubt and we never even learned their names. **1/4

– Tully Blanchard has more words for Dusty, as he wants to add the TV title to his US title, and thus have two belts over his shoulders when he hits the town. Chicks dig that.

– Pez Whatley & The Italian Stallion v. Ivan Koloff & Khrusher Khruschev. Pez starts with Comrade Smash and quickly stomps the head and dropkicks him, then grabs an armbar. Stallion comes in with an armbar, as I have to wonder what the Russians would have thought of the Repo Man, since the whole capitalist philosophy disgusted them so much and caused them to attack Dusty Rhodes whenever possible. In fact, Darsow’s later pro golfer would probably also alienate him from the team, as well, since pro athletics goes against the communist view as well. Of course, being a pro wrestler would seem to contradict that idea, but it’s not a perfect theory anyway. Ivan comes in and the jobbers trade off on his arm, but Pez mysteriously winds up on the floor and Nikita pounds on him. Back in, they make the mistake of headbutting Pez, and that allows him to tag Stallion. Oh, I bet they’re trembling now. Small package gets two on Krusher, but the Russians regroup with a double clothesline to finish him at 5:50. Dull stuff. *1/4

– So next week, the evil Russians will defend their six-man titles against Ron Bass, Jimmy Valiant and American Starship Eagle (Danny Spivey).

– Starship Eagle v. Gerald Finley. That name sounds like a hippie baby name. Spivey slams Finley to start and gets a powerslam, then finishes with a legdrop at 1:07. Everyone was looking for the next Hulk Hogan at this point, and Spivey was merely the latest. DUD

– Back to Ric Flair, who reminds us that the marquee on the building says wrestling, even if he doesn’t like Nikita or Magnum. But he especially doesn’t like Dusty Rhodes.

– The Russians have words for Ric Flair, building up to the big cage match between Nikita and Flair that would change everything.

– The Midnight Express v. Mack & Jim Jeffers. The MX quickly switches off on Jim and works the arm to start. Bobby takes him down with a hammerlock, but Jim escapes and brings in Mack. Bobby quickly takes him out with a flying kneedrop and they switch off with double-teams, including Eaton coming off the top with a forearm while Condrey holds Jeffers in a fireman’s carry. Rocket Launcher finishes at 4:31, although they don’t have a name for it yet. *1/2

– The Sawyers join us to whine abut the Midnight Express, and we get house show footage of the Express cheating to win against them. Apparently getting hit with a tennis racket upsets them. Bitch, bitch, bitch.

– Buddy Landell v. Ron Rossie. Buddy tosses Rossie and dropkicks him on the floor, and JJ tosses him back in. Buddy stomps away and hits the chinlock. Corkscrew elbow and figure-four end it at 2:56. Not quite as boring as most Landell matches, at least. *

– Black Bart v. Sam Houston. Terry Taylor is doing color to build up the feud against Bart. Bart gets a quick slam to start, but Houston rolls through for two. Houston gets a sunset flip for two. Bart pounds him down, but Houston gets a small package for two. Cross body gets two. Bart finally uses a cheapshot to take over. Bart pounds him and rams him in the turnbuckles, and a fistdrop gets two. Houston slugs back, but Bart suplexes him for two. We hit the chinlock and Sam powers up, but Bart throws forearms on the ropes. Blind charge misses and Houston makes the comeback with a bulldog for two. Bart goes back to the headlock and the ref is bumped, as Houston gets a pair of dropkicks, but no ref. Terry Taylor assists the ref, which allows Bart to load up his elbowpad, and whammo, Bart finishes at 6:35. Good little main event. **

And we’ll see you next time!