If you haven’t seen it, you need to before it goes away. and hopefully do a rant on it. I won’t spoil why but it’s good.
We shall see.
The SmarK 24/7 Rant for World Championship Wrestling – April 12 1986
– Your host is Tony Schiavone.
– And of course we start with Dusty Rhodes and Baby Doll.
– Hector Guerrero & Manny Fernandez v. George South & Tony Zane. South tries a headlock on Manny to start, but gets dropkicked and armdragged as a result. Hector comes in to help out on the arm and follows with a suplex, so South tags out to Tony Zane. The Bull is on his arm right away, dodging a charge and holding an armbar, and it’s back to Hector for more of that. They keep switching off, keeping it interesting, but Zane slugs free and brings South back in. South pounds away on Manny, but walks into an elbow and goes down. Back to Guerrero with a backdrop suplex and a butterfly suplex for two. Zane comes in and misses an elbow, and Hector suplexes him and it’s back over to Manny for the double-team elbow. Zane quickly tags out to South again, and Manny puts him out with a back elbow, into a flying bodypress from Hector to finish at 5:03. That’s a pretty good team, actually, and this was a good squash.
– Black Bart v. Gene Ligon. Ligon makes his usual shot at offense with a bodypress for two, but Bart pounds him down and rakes the eyes. Bart works on the arm in the corner and legdrops it, then goes to a standing armbar. He sends Ligon into the corner and goes back to the arm. Ligon fights back, but Bart slams him and finishes with the flying legdrop at 3:42. Bart’s habit of working the arm for the whole match and then ending with a legdrop has long bugged me.
– So Tully Blanchard joins us to complain about Ron Garvin’s constant whining about his broken hand. He suggests a gimmicked glove like Dusty’s old boot, because he’s a big cheater too.
– World Six-Man titles: The Russians & Baron Von Raschke v. Italian Stallion, Denny Brown & Nelson Royal. The Russians have been forced to defend within 30 days, thus breaking Nikita’s boycott of TV matches. Denny works on Ivan’s arm to start and the ancient Royal comes in and walks into a boot out of the corner. He goes right back to the arm, however, and it’s over to the Stallion, who pounds away in the corner but misses a dropkick. Denny comes in, but gets destroyed by the Baron and Koloff slams him a few times. Brown fights back on Ivan with a hiptoss, but Koloff cuts off the tag again and gets a neckbreaker for two. The Stallion gets the tepid tag and immediately gets muscled down by Nikita, and Baron follows with a facelock. Nelson Royal comes in and gets a headlock on Ivan, but that’s reversed to a suplex. Ivan elbows him down and it’s back to Nikita for a facelock and then the Baron, which allows Stallion to tag in again and get some token offense. He dropkicks Nikita into the corner, but Koloff is like "Bitch please" and finishes with a Sickle at 7:07 because he’s awesome.
– Ron Garvin compares Tully & Arn to terrorists, which would make him Jack Bauer I guess.
– The Road Warriors are pissed off at the Russians and the Midnight Express, in that order.
– Wahoo McDaniel v. Ron Rossi. Wahoo rides Rossi to the mat, but he makes the ropes. So Wahoo takes him down again, into a chinlock. He chops Rossi down and tosses him, then back in for the big chop to finish at 2:52.
– Magnum TA is all about the Russian chain match, baby. Want to maim him? Take a number, jack.
– Jimmy Garvin v. Rocky Kernodle. Garvin gets caught up in an armbar to start, but reverses and we get some mat wrestling that leads to Rocky with a hammerlock. Garvin reverses to an armbar and starts the running commentary, but Rocky cradles for two. Kernodle goes back to the arm and Garvin reverses again, but Rocky gets a bodypress for two and goes back to the armbar. Rocky works the arm and Garvin assures Precious that he’s doing fine, then shows it by reversing to a toehold to take over. And we take a break and return with him holding the move. They trade armbars again, and Garvin stops to primp and that allows Kernodle to gain the upper hand. They fight for the wristlock and Garvin of course pulls the hair to win and it’s back to the arm. And we do it again as Garvin has the routine down really slickly. Rocky escapes with a headscissors and slugs away in the corner, then elbows Garvin down and follows with a charge…which misses. Brainbuster ends his night at 7:00. Pretty good squashes tonight.
– Ric Flair is styling and profiling, as per usual, and he’s already passing out the victory invitations for the post-Cup party after he beats Dusty. Now, onto Ricky Morton and his teeny-bopper fans: Yeah, he’s in trouble.
– World TV title: Arn Anderson v. Sam Houston. Ric Flair is on commentary, probably adding ** to the rating just by being at ringside. They fight for the lockup to start and Arn powers him down, then slugs him before tossing him. Sam catches himself and fights back, sending Arn out of the ring instead. Ah, irony. Back in, Houston gets the hiptoss and dropkick and Arn runs away again. Back in, Houston tries the bulldog and gets sent into the corner, but counters that with a bodypress for two. Arn quickly comes back and slams him, then calmly drops the knee for two while Flair comments on Arn’s manly thighs. No, really, it’s right there on tape. Arn chokes him out on the ropes and follows with the spinebuster, and that gets two. Arn tells Ric that he’s ready to end it, but Houston rolls him up for two and makes his comeback. Arn grabs the rope to evade a dropkick, however, and finishes with the gourdbuster at 5:13. Easy night for AA. **
– Arn informs us that Ole Anderson will be back. Period.
– The Rock N Roll Express thinks that Flair can’t beat either one of them. I beg to differ.
– Shaska Whatley & The Barbarian v. Vern Deaton & Randy Mulkey. Barbie slams Mulkey to start and drops elbows, then follows with the big boot and a backbreaker. Shaska comes in and gives Mulkey a SICK slam to the floor, and then back in where he headbutts him down. Over to Barbarian for some headbutts to the back and then more headbutts in general. He follows with a dropkick and it’s over to Deaton, who gets beat down by Shaska. Barbarian boots him down and follows with a press slam, and it’s over to Shaska to finish with the flying headbutt at 5:16. If you love headbutts, this was your squash.
– The Russians are also all about Russian chain matches, much like Magnum.
– The Rock N Roll Express v. Carl Styles & Ray Traylor. Ha, the Rock N Roll would become well-acquainted with Traylor later on. Flair joins us again and he wants Morton RIGHT NOW, so they clear out the jobbers and it’s on. Oh SNAP, no way!
– Ric Flair v. Ricky Morton. Morton smacks Flair around in the corner to start, and takes him down for a spinning toehold before getting a sunset flip for two. Backslide gets two. Dropkick misses and Flair misses an elbow, so Morton starts working on a headlock. Flair tries a hiptoss and Morton counters smoothly into the abdominal stretch, which is a counter I’ve never seen before. Flair escapes with that hiptoss, but Morton keeps coming. Flair goes to the eyes and throws the chop, but Morton slugs back and hiptosses him, before taking him down with a flying headsicssors. Into the rana for two and Flair is OUTTA THERE as the crowd is going nuts. Flair tries it again and wrestles Ricky down, but Morton reverses into the facelock, forcing Flair to take him into the corner. Morton slugs him down and goes to the headlock, but we have to take a break as Morton misses a bodypress and clotheslines himself on the top rope. Back with Flair now working the headlock and he chops away in the corner, but Morton gets a crossbody out of the corner for two. Flair slugs him down again and adds a suplex, which gets two. They slug it out and Morton wins that one, then backdrops him out of the corner and goes up with a missile dropkick! This is pretty hot shit for 1986, folks. Morton with the neckbreaker as Flair tries to reverse to a backslide, but can’t. He reverses to a suplex instead, but Morton reverses THAT and gets his own. The pre-teen girls are just losing their shit, standing on the seats and SCREAMING for Morton. That’s awesome. Morton with the Thesz Press for two, but Flair chops him in the corner and Morton returns fire. Backslide , but Flair powers out, so Morton punches him down. Flair goes low and tries a backdrop suplex, but Morton rolls him up…and the ref is bumped. Flair goes low again and tosses him over the top, but Ricky sends him into the post in retribution. Back in, Morton slugs away in the corner, but Flair counters with atomic drop, which Morton counters into a small package with no ref. Flair Flip into the flying bodypress, but Morton rolls through and Robert Gibson counts the pin at 10:00. Unbelievable, I had no idea this was coming. This was OFF THE HOOK stuff. **** Would have been more with an actual finish and another 5 – 90 minutes.
– Ricky cuts his victory promo and of course Dusty stops by and puts himself over first.
– Jim Cornette is incognito today (by wearing sunglasses) but still introduces…
– The Midnight Express v. Paul Garner & Bob Owens. The Express quickly chokes Garner down and Bobby gets the flying kneedrop, and it’s over to Owens, who falls victim to the DOUBLE GOOZLE~! And it’s over just like that. Must be running long.
– Paul Jones and his army close out the show. Shaska’s heel act is pretty entertaining, actually.
