The great minds overseeing WWE didn’t seem to be paying attention what they were putting on TV in May 2019, so I’m not sure why they’d care about the Hidden Gems, but there were still a few odd ducks that snuck on the Network this month, including the Fabulous Freebirds sporting Confederate facepaint and matches featuring the Von Erich Family and Gino Hernandez around the same time the Dark Side of the Ring documentary series aired and didn’t exactly paint The Business in the best light. It was an interesting mix of stuff, almost nearly all from the 1980s outside of some 1950s and late-70s Texas Rasslin.
Sarge’s Hunt for Gold – Pro Wrestling USA (8/16/85)
I love how a lot of the AWA tape library is packaged, with lead-up TV promos sent with the show itself and tagged on at the beginning or end. I haven’t seen enough, but I imagine this was always the deal when territory TV wrestling involved VHS tapes being literally shipped from the territory to a TV station. Stampede Wrestling does the same thing. So many years later, it adds a context around the match and participants.
This came from the AWA tape library, but it’s technically a Pro Wrestling USA, which was a not shockingly mishandled venture between Verne Gagne’s AWA, Jerry Lawler and Jerry Jarrett’s CWA, and Jim Crockett Promotions in the mid-80s that tried to counter Vince Jr.’s relentless pursuit to push his wrestling to the masses. They used all their top names, among them Flair, Dusty, The Road Warriors, Lawler, and Bockwinkel, to play Vince Jr.’s game and ran shows in what was then his yard of the Northeastern United States. Though they pulled off a few big shows and packed over 20,000 fans into Comiskey Park for SuperClash, everything fizzled when Crockett dropped out, which very quickly made Jerry Blackwell and a bunch of guys who were about to leave for the WWF or retire the company’s top stars.
It was primarily promoted by the AWA, who makes sure you know that as the footage opens with AWA announcer Ken Resnick in front of a big-ass AWA logo, plugging the Sgt. Slaughter vs. Ric Flair feature match as something only one promoter – Verne Gagne – could put together. He also says tickets are still available.
The aforementioned promos are interviews by Resnick with Slaughter, who just got done feuding with Kamala, and The Fabulous Freebirds minus Michael PS Hayes, which might seem like a detriment but watching Buddy Roberts and Terry Gordy take lead on a local promo is pretty magical. Buddy’s raspy voice still surprises me every time I hear it, while Terry Gordy goes off on a tear about this “janky” promotion: “We’re gonna rule the North! They don’t want us to have those Tag Titles ’cause they know nobody can get ’em off of us!”
Only two matches were put up from this show – not uploaded were AWA World Champ Rick Martel vs. Larry Zbyszko, Greg Gagne & Curt Hennig vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens, and other assorted contests featuring Brad Rheingans and Baron Von Raschke.
1. NWA World Heavyweight Title: Ric Flair [c] vs. Sgt. Slaughter: Here’s two guys who were major stars in a similar era that ya’d never think would’ve locked up. At least I never did. It’s pretty good, just LONG. Real long. The poorly attended Meadowlands provides them mostly sustained heat, but there’s a lot of dead spots. It’s a heck of a half-hour match with a lot of 3-5 minute stretches of “fuuuck.”
It does start off perfect. They cut to the arena and the crowd is SO LOUD as Sarge paces in the ring and Flair approaches in his big colorful robe. He stands on the apron, milking the reactions both good and bad, and has a guy hold down the ropes for him so he can enter the ring.
Seeing Sarge doing the “guy out-wrestling Flair” thing is actually pretty cool, but while he’s one of my favorites it’s not like he’s some super-worker that’s going to give you much beyond the usual Ric Flair show. After the early stuff it’s all about holds, holds, holds, holds, holds. A hammerlock. A headlock. A hammerlock. A headlock. Working long-ass holds can be interesting, it’s been done before, but God bless him Sarge ain’t that guy. Flair meanwhile can only flop around so much. There are a lot of solid bits – though he’s no MUGA candidate Sarge does occasionally exude the aura of a guy fighting hard for an opening, while 1985 Ric Flair is 1985 Ric Flair. The eye poke to setup the heat gets the desired reaction, as does Sarge rallying a comeback by catching Flair in a sleeper.
Flair eventually goes low and flops down in exhaustion and you feel the brilliance of what professional wrestling could get away with in 1985. He takes a corner flip for the ages too. After no commentary for basically the entire match, Larry Nelson’s loud mouth suddenly cuts in at 35 minutes, just in time for Flair to… start working the leg. Sarge mercifully gets the Cobra Clutch on soon after, but BORIS ZHUKOV runs in for the DQ and nearly kills Sarge with one of the most lazily delivered piledrivers I have ever seen in my life. Curt Hennig leads a band of babyfaces to make the save. There was way too much dead space here but it wasn’t a bad way of filling a half-hour plus. It’s also just a cool unique pairing of wrestlers in general. ***3/4
2. The Road Warriors & Paul Ellering vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael PS Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts): This is a, uh, Confederate flag facepaint Fabulous Freebirds match. It is, uh, good. A match of moments. Terry Gordy squaring up with Road Warrior Hawk is amazing, and for a loud-mouthed hillbilly Buddy Roberts plays his role in only a way a man with a high IQ can. He tags in, flexes, bodyslams Hawk, then gets bodyslammed three times and sells huge. Animal also GORILLA PRESS SLAMS Terry Gordy. Buddy gets beat up for a bit, Ellering gets beat up for a bit, hot tag, Gordy takes a huge upside down bump in the corner, and Buddy elbow drops the ref to stop an Animal pin for the DQ. Wild and uh, pretty good. ***1/2
Sarge/Flair is a clock-watcher but ultimately worth it, and the Road Warriors vs. Freebirds match is fun. This is Recommended.
To Tame a Madman – Texas Death Match: Fritz Von Erich w/ Moondog Mayne and Kerry Von Erich vs. The Sheik w/ Gary Hart (Big Time Wrestling 2/28/77)
From the pre-WCCW days of Fritz Von Erich-promoted wrestling comes this match from Fort Worth, TX. It’s a few years before Kerry, who accompanies his dad to the ring, began wrestling (only Kevin had debuted at this point). This was the obvious main event, but the card also featured a young Bruiser Brody, Ivan Putski, Lord Alfred Hayes, and Bob Orton. Jr.
Bill Mercer sets the stage in front of the NWA logo, visibly flustered as he throws to the big match because Ox Baker has caused some ruckus in the studio. I am going to assume that because of that, it’s why he introduces this Texas Death Match with, “We’ve got another bout coming up, a really dandy one now.”
Cut to the ring and these two are lurching and grabbing at each other like the 50-year-old men they are. You can just hear the YaAArgGGHhHhYYEARRhhghgggh. Fritz is, according to Mercer’s commentary, “the master of the claw, [and] Sheik the master of… devilish-ness.” The match ends up being mostly about a long stomach claw, and I’d write it off completely but then they collide in the middle of the ring and neither can answer the 10-count. Sheik, who has fallen outside, is counted after Fritz for some reason, and Gary Hart frantically waving his jacket over his man to wake him up is almost worth the entire time spent watching the application of that stomach claw.
Bronko Lubich steps in says there CANNOT be a draw in a Texas Death Match, for there MUST be a winner. He then throws everybody a curveball when he says that the FIRST GUY TO STAND WINS, which leads to absolute PANDEMONIUM!!! Sheik stirs and the crowd freaks out. Ivan Putski hands a bucket of water to Kerry, who pours it over Fritz and BLASTS Gary Hart over the head with it repeatedly. Putski stands tall over Hart to make sure he doesn’t get involved anymore, and Fritz is able to stumble up. Everybody hugs. The match isn’t much but god DAMN is the “first guy to his feet wins” gimmick gold. **3/4 – not bad but also Not Recommended, a rarity in the Network Reflections world.
Becoming World Class – Texas Championship Wrestling TV (10/27/80)
This is a full episode of TV from the territory that became World Class, and I think it’s technically from Big Time Wrestling though the WWE Network wouldn’t let you know that. Texas Championship Wrestling was the TV show name, if I am not mistaken, and”Southwest Sports Inc,” the parent to Big Time and WCCW, is listed on the title card. Yes, this footage is so raw we get a TITLE CARD.
The intro is super hokey with quick still shots of ACTION! Boyd Pierce substitutes for Steve Harms this week, HOWEVER – “there will be no substitution for great professional wrestling action!” HOW CAN ANYBODY NOT LOVE WRESTLING?
The main event for this hour-long episode is an 8-man Elimination Match with the rule that the first guy pinned has to leave the state of Texas for six months, except for the Von Erichs because they reside in Texas, so they just won’t be able to WRESTLE in Texas for six months. It’s repeated that the Von Erich family resides in Texas about twelve more times throughout the show. Unfortunately, the intriguing Elimination Match is like 10% of TV time here, as it’s a show very heavily weighted towards the first two matches which are oh-so-very preliminary and boring. When the bell rings for the Elimination Match, there’s 7 and a half minutes left in the clip! How can you tell a story with 8 men in 7 minutes!?
1. Ted Heath vs. Killer Tim Brooks: What a confounding match. It has moments, it absolutely does. I am into Brooks’ cautious locking up. Into seeing him try to work out of an armlock. Into Ted Heath being this short stocky British guy in a white singlet. There is also what might be an all-time great test of strength at one point, would make for a wonderful GIF to represent the struggles we all face every day. Regardless, this sucker goes 15 minutes and they do not have 15 minutes of stuff in them. Killer Brooks eventually hits Ted with his dog collar behind the referee’s back, then Ted slugs him with it back right in front of the referee and Brooks bails, then comes back inside to continue the match and I’m confused. A minute before the 15-minute time limit is up, Brooks puts his knees up on a splash and beats Ted with a legdrop. Absolutely ridiculous. *3/4
2. Brian Blair vs. The Jackal: Bulldog Brower is unable to appear, as he suffered a shoulder separation at the hands of David Von Erich, which gets a big pop from the folks. So here’s his replacement… THE JACKAL! Who is, as it commonly was, just some guy wearing a mask. Who gets put in a lot of headlocks by Brian Blair. And though Blair gets his GO BLAIR GO chants, this is some REAL boring territory TV. Blair, a young wrestling prospect from Oklahoma who who participated in the University of Louisiana football program, has already let the darkness of wrestling consume him as he grabs at Jackal’s mask for a bit to try and escape a chinlock. He eventually wins with a cobra twist cradle. *1/4
After the match, Blair does a hilarious straightforward promo offering advice for all the kids out there. One of his recommends is: no drugs and cigarettes. Boyd Pierce nods in agreement.
3. Bruiser Brody vs. Crusher Stan Stasiak: I dunno what was going on in Texas in 1980. Brody has got his ponytail up, he’s got his dukes up, and he’s working babyface opposite Stan Stasiak, who as always appears to have zero hip mobility. They do a lot of… hitting. And after two prelim matches that went unbelievably long, Stasiak clocks Brody with a loaded fist and BEATS HIM in 4 minutes. WHAT IN THE *3/4
4. Elimination Match: Fritz Von Erich, Kevin Von Erich, David Von Erich & Bruiser Brody vs. Gino Hernandez, Stan Stasiak, Pak Song & Gary Young w/ Gary Hart: Another uncomfortably short match, but this one’s because they continue it into next week, which – my God, we might never see it. There’s a bunch of big mannerisms, Gino is taking bumps, and heel Gary Young is surprisingly compelling. Kevin pretty quickly pins Pak Song with The Claw, so Song leaves the state for 6 months. After that, they cut and promote the conclusion next week. Brody still has his ponytail up and doesn’t appear to have broken a sweat. N/A
Just not a good show, even for curiosity’s sake despite my shock at some of the decisions. Not Recommended
The Battle with Brody – Texas Death Match Steel Cage Match: Bruiser Brody vs. Great Kabuki w/ Gary Hart (If Brody Wins, Fritz Von Erich gets Hart in the Cage) (Big Time Wrestling 6/7/81)
Big Time is moments away from becoming World Class. I think. This is from Wrestling Star Wars 1981, the second edition, and the second match from that show to be a Hidden Gem, as a couple years ago when this whole Hidden Gems business started, Kevin Von Erich defeating Ernie Ladd for the American Heavyweight Title was a featured attraction.
The fans in attendance are here to witness, as Bill Mercer says, “Probably one of the most wild and potentially historical matches in the history of the great sport.” If Brody beats Kabuki, Fritz gets Gary Hart alone in the cage. And Gary is wearing a tuxedo, which seems to be a MAJOR selling point, but if that’s not enough, 3-time Pro Bowler and occasional wrestler Walter Johnson is on-hand to carry him to the ring if he doesn’t want to go.
If anything, this might be worth watching for the glory of the Texas wrestling TV intro in the 1981. Otherwise, there is a lot of kicking. Brawling. Timing. Brody sells a nerve hold like death. He bleeds. Kabuki’s white pants stained in blood make for a great visual. Brody throws a dropkick. He hits a kneedrop. Delivers a couple stiff bodyslams. And finally, he puts Kabuki in a tree of woe that actually does cause legitimate woe for Kabuki as Brody leaves through the cage door.
As promised with a wink, Walter Johnson leads Hart, who is sporting a gross yellow tux, to the ring. Old man Fritz enters the cage with nothing but a towel, trunks, and boots. Hart throws his jacket over the top of the cage and Bill Mercer THROWS IT BACK. He sneak attacks Fritz from behind, then bumps in a satisfying way and gets put in The Claw before Kabuki helps him escape. *** – a fine silly Texas wrestling match, though Not Quite Recommended
To Slam a Giant – $5,000 Bodyslam Challenge Match: Andre the Giant vs. Jerry Blackwell (AWA 11/2/80)
“Alright go ahead, start it” as the tape begins – LOVE the AWA.
Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd at the first WrestleMania in 1985 is still the most famous Bodyslam Match, but as long as there were big fat guys in wrestling there was always going to be a bodyslam match. Five years before that one, as Andre trotted around the world, he stopped in the Midwest to face the Fat Man in Black, Jerry Blackwell, on a card that also featured Dino Bravo vs. Nick Bockwinkel, Bobby Heenan vs. Mad Dog Vachon, and Tito Santana vs. Jesse Ventura.
“Gentleman” Ed Francis is the referee. The time limit is 10 minutes. The man who can slam gets $5,000. And Andre the Giant’s entry into this situation is worth watching the clip alone – the crowd is HYPED as he saunters to the ring, casually climbs over the top rope, and approaches Blackwell who he towers over. Larry Nelson talks up Andre’s TV appearances on BJ & The Bear and The Six Million Dollar Man, then casually admits he can’t understand whatever Blackwell is mumbling on the microphone. Neither can anyone.
Before it settles into some serious laying around, there is some fine wrestling entertainment here. Blackwell sizes Andre up. They do a hammerlock spot where Andre takes over Blackwell while in one and Blackwell’s able to keep it on, to the delight of the crowd. Blackwell selling for Andre’s offense and backing and begging off from him is good, not great but good. After being worked over for a little while, Andre eventually stands up somehow taller than ever all fired up and ready to setup his comeback. It’s incredible. He also takes a BACK BODY DROP at one point. Andre the Giant! Taking a back body drop!! Blackwell eventually tries his luck with a lift but Andre falls on top of him him, then picks him up and slams him for 5 grand.
They do a post-match angle where Blackwell attacks Andre and Andre fights back and throws him over the top, then quickly realizes his mistake and puts his hand on his forehead. He has been DISQUALIFIED! But Larry Nelson says he still gets the $5,000 somehow, so that seems like an OK deal. Nelson’s play-by-play of Andre reacting to throwing Blackwell over the top is classic AWA cheese: “You could see the minute he did it… Andre the Giant grabbed his head and said, oh no, I know I did it wrong!!” Andre tries to explain himself on the microphone and Nelson again says he can’t understand whatever the fuck he is saying. I think the idea is that he thought the match was over when he bodyslammed Blackwell, which is… well, yeah, what WE ALL THOUGHT. The clip ends with Andre walking through the crowd pumping his fist. I dunno, ** but Recommended
Defying the Odds – Handicap Match: Andre the Giant & Hulk Hogan vs. Bobby Heenan, Nick Bockwinkel, Ken Patera & Bobby Duncum (AWA 11/7/82)
This is from a St. Paul Civic Center house show and WHAT A MATCH ON PAPER this thing is. It’s a half-hour clip on the Network with a one-hour time limit, opening with a raucous crowd as HULK GOD DAMN HOGAN and ANDRE THE FUCKING GIANT charge to the ring as Bobby “The Brain” Heenan screams on the microphone, flanked by his Bobby Heenan Family that includes World’s Strongest Man Ken Patera, Big Bad Bobby Duncum, and Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel. WHAT A SET-UP.
The heels all get massive heat for their entrances, and when Andre gets the announcer to announce Heenan as Bobby the Weasel the crowd goes NUTS. Vince McMahon meanwhile I imagine took a bite of a steak wrap or whatever and sat back, focusing his eye on the three men who’d soon carry him to the promised land.
The big babyface ass-kicking early is awesome. This is pre-WWF Hogan and he’s just a little more excited and “yeah baby!” after every move he does. Andre shoots Bockwinkel off the ropes and Bockwinkel runs into Andre’s big ass and any doubter in the crowd becomes convinced their decision to purchase a ticket was the right one. There is an INCREDIBLE example of heels Staying On a Face here too, which should be viewed to appreciate but I will try to convey it: Patera tries to slam Andre and fails, so Patera kicks him and Bockwinkel immediately starts choking him as Patera drops a bunch of elbows and tags in Bockwinkel who puts the boots to Andre and then all four heels just start hammering away at Andre and it RULES.
What also rules is Heenan bumping for Andre. And Andre being on the apron as Hogan takes heat, all huge and shit. And Hogan firing up out of a Duncum armbar and doing armdrags before a hot tag to ANDRE THE GIANT, which results in a very cool ass-kicking before the match loses a little steam when there seems to be some miscommunication on who should be big booting who, and Andre slams Hogan on Duncum, and the ref doesn’t quite count, and Hulk is like “hey count,” and he counts and it’s a 1-2-3. Huh.
Andre just slugs Heenan and the baddies get run off and the big strong good boys shake hands all intense-like and the fans love it, as is said by commentary but also clear by their genuine reaction. Andre and Hogan raise each other’s hands before they h fight through hordes of adoring fans to head to the back and it is POWERFUL. ***1/4 and Recommended
The Battle of the Giants – Andre the Giant vs. Big John Studd (WWF 7/20/84)
The WrestleMania Bodyslam Match with Heenan in Studd’s corner and money on the line would take place eight months later, but Andre and Studd were always natural opponents and had a handful of matches on house shows throughout 1984. The last time these two faced off at the Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis, Andre defeated Studd by an unsatisfying countout. Thus, this is, in the voice of The Fink, “A return bout, one fall, with a one-hour time limit. … From Grenoble, in the French Alps, weighing 492 pounds, ladies and gentleman, the 8th Wonder of the World, Andre the Giant!” Classic.
Studd follows that up by coming out in his robe and yelling stuff like a dick: “There’s only one giant! There’s only one giant! And it’s MEEEE!” Andre chokes him with his robe and the crowd hoots and hollers, and I’ll tell you what there are a some shots of some middle-aged men during this match having just the best time. These giant matches kind of had a blueprint: Studd stalls, Andre chokes, Studd stalls, Studd chokes, Andre gets caught in the ropes, ref bump, Studd chokes, Andre chops his way to comeback. Studd eventually gets assaulted by Andre’s ass in the corner but manages to reverse an Irish whip, which doesn’t matter because he runs into a boot and gets hit with a pretty amazing headbutt. Andre whips Studd into the ropes, hits another boot, and drops an ass for 3 as the crowd rejoices.
Honestly? 30x better than the Mania match. ***, Recommended
Wildfire and the Nature Boy – Georgia Championship Wrestling at The Omni (12/4/83)
Wildfire Tommy Rich vs. Nature Boy Ric Flair at The Omni is the draw here and, it’s an intriguing match on paper: Flair in the middle of his legendary championship run vs. Tommy Rich in 1983 Georgia, which is seeing a guy at the peak of his popularity, building up a legend that ultimately didn’t sustain. But it kind of stinks.
Besides the Sawyer Brothers, this whole show kind of stinks. Sorry to let the cat out of the bag so upfront like that.
Its’ charm peaks as the match card is ran down on the scoreboard, which is brought to you by Eastern Airlines, Canon, Spreen, and Coca Cola. NWA World Champ Ric Flair gets STARS around his name! Despite the in-ring quality the crowd is hyped, which is good because there’s no commentary.
1. Bob Roop vs. Mike Jackson: Roop and Jackson are a pair of Atlanta classics, both infamous in wrestling lore yet kind of forgotten at the same time. They shake hands to start, have a little exchange, and Bob Roop don’t wanna shake hands no more. Jackson shows the babyface fire he should be way more famous for before Roop quietly – and I mean quietly – puts him down with a shoulderblock. *
2. Chick Donovan vs. Johnny Rich: The Flair-imitating Donovan vs. a guy with the last name Rich as the second match on this card headlined by Flair vs. Rich is an interesting decision. Chick tests all the ropes then withdraws to the floor. Once that settles down, these boys do what you’d call takin’ it slow. The 5 and 10 minute announcements are jarring. After a whole lot of nothing, a Johnny Rich crossbody pops the crowd, as does the inside cradle he does on Chick for the 3-count. They scrap after the match but it doesn’t do Chick any good either. *1/2
3. Ronnie Garvin vs. Cy Jernigan: Ronnie’s sporting an absolute MOP of hair, doing a bunch of crap grappling with this Cy Jernigan character before a right hook and elbow ends it pretty quickly, as it should. DUD
4. NWA National Television Title: Jake Roberts [c] w/ Paul Ellering vs. Pez Whatley: What an insane thing this is – it starts off well enough, with Pez warning Ellering to not get involved (“PAUL ELLERING! HEY! I’M TALKIN TO YOU BOY!”), and it has the expected awesome little touches and big movements from Jake. The catch is, it’s a 30-minute draw, which turns well enough into a waste of time. Pez brings the likability, but not quite enough the feeling where you think he’ll actually kick Jake’s ass. Everything here is so deliberate, not out of a mastery of crowd work but out of killing an unreasonable amount of time. Some guy appears to be screaming and swearing on the floor at one point, which could be either frustration with Ellering or a spontaneous realization that pro wrestling sucks. A countdown towards what might be Pez’ eligibility to actually win the TV Title begins, and with 45 seconds left Pez hits a flying forearm and covers Jake. Ellering pulls his foot away, and Pez chases him until the clock runs out.
After that, I swear to you Jake and Pez weren’t informed they had to kill another 15 minutes because after a great Jake sell of a Pez headbutt, Pez works the absolute death out of a chinlock. The action stops making any logical sense, before they grapple about and stumble to the actual time limit draw. Weird, boring, a mess. 1/2*
5. Buzz Sawyer vs. Ted DiBiase: Buzz Sawyer is an absolute freak here – he swaggers to the ring and paces in place before going face-to-face with DiBiase, which results in a slap and a lost bandana. The way he just stands there, no-selling the loss of his headpiece, is special stuff brother. DiBiase is the NWA National Champ, but the title is not on the line. Buzz keeps out-doing him until he bails and Buzz stares him down from all fours. I guess one thing I should mention is how good DiBiase is at bailing – I guess the boys would call it taking a powder. He does a few here that the crowd just flips out for. Buzz is bleeding less than five minutes in and while the crowd stays into the festivities they slow it to a crawl a few times before they pick it up with a brawl outside that leaves to a double countout. Buzz grabs a chair that he sits on and waits for DiBiase to re-enter after the match, which DiBiase agrees to until he bails again to a big pop. Classic stuff from a pair of greats, just a lot of dowwntime. ***1/4
5. NWA National Tag Team Title: The Road Warriors [c] w/ Paul Ellering vs. Brett Sawyer & Mystery Partner (Buzz Saywer): I’m not 100% on what’s going on here, but according to things on the Internet this Sawyer Brothers tag took place right before Sawyer/DiBiase match, which leaves me just as confused as if it took place right after Buzz bled all over the place. Regardless, poor little Brett takes an ass-whipping from the Warriors until brother Buzz runs in for the save, and the Road Warriors really were pretty underrated bumpers when they were in a position where it made sense to do it. I’m not sure opposite a cast-wearing Brett Sawyer was that position, but man did they fly all over the place here. Hawk takes a flat-back off a Buzz-assisted right hand from Brett that is just incredible. Things slow for a bit after the Warriors go after Brett’s cast, until Buzz is tagged in for an ass-kicking that results in him dropping Brett on Animal with a gorilla press slam for 3, as if Hawk and Animal were some enhancement team. Pretty good match, fascinating scenario. ***
NWA World Heavyweight Title: Ric Flair [c] vs. Tommy Rich: Side headlocks and Ric Flair selling for a half an hour is a tale as old as time, but tonight at The Omni opposite Tom Rich it was kind of shit. Just a boring match. Honestly, that’s all I have to say about it. Rich is over, but they pace it in a way that doesn’t really take advantage of that. He’s just any other guy holding Flair in holds forever. Flair bleeds with like a minute remaining, which just seems unnecessary. The finish is OK, but comes off just as lame as the match itself: Flair swings his title at Rich but Rich ducks and does a reverse cradle that knocks the ref out of the ring for a visual 3-count, only for Flair to hit him with the title as the ref slid back in fr the actual 3-count. Very much **
Anything Buzz Sawyer does might be worth checking out, but there’s too much downtime here: Not Recommended
The Legend of the Sheik – The Sheik vs. Juan Humberto (Texas Rasslin’ Sportatorium 12/14/54)
These Texas Rasslin matches are rarely “good” but sparingly watched they’re pretty fascinating. In a world where wrestling has become synonymous with over-the-top, the simplicity is beautiful: The Sheik, shrouded in dark gear, is announced: “From Arabia…… The Sheik.” Boooo. These guys are going full vaudeville, as the referee tries to read off the instructions, but gets peeved when Sheik seems to say he doesn’t understand and shoos him away. After this, Sheik prepares to carefully fold his headgear and put it in the corner.
Once the bell rings, there’s nothing of any particular quality to be found, but young Sheik is interesting. He has this stance to him that stands out in the mid-50s, and aggressively works leglocks and grabs hair as poor referee Roy Carter tries to keep up. Commentary points out some shades of grey: “They’re not particuarly fond of Humberto because he’s been known in the past to resort to just about everything in order to win a match. But the Sheik is the worst of the two!” Humberto eventually concedes to defeat to a “leg torture hold, also a form of a leg strangle” from The Sheik of Arabia. *1/4 but Kind of Recommended
The Bull is Loose – 2/3 Falls: Wild Bill Curry vs. Danny Savich (Texas Rasslin’ Sportatorium 2/22/55)
This particular footage is more blurry than usual. Savich has been featured on a Hidden Gem in the pastt, battling Rito Romero in a 2/3 Falls match at the Sportatorium in 1952. This match is here because of Wild Bill Curry though, who has one of the all-time great wrestling looks with his monstrous unibrow that screams at you through the screen even with blurry black-and-white footage. Savich is pretty hairy himself and with his mostly bald head resembles a scuzzier Lou Thesz. He is managed by Texas mainstay Duke Keomuka, who has a second’s license and is dressed in a karate gi and interferes any chance he gets, usually from juuuust off-camera.
This is another one more about The Experience. Sometimes I wonder how much old timey wrestling feels more realistic and like a struggle because that’s what they’re actually going for and how much of it is just them trying stuff and messing up. As commentary notes while Savich appears to setup a slingshot crossbody that Curry is too far away for, “Savich is poised and would like to catapult himself into Curry, but Curry will not offer him a solid target!” The commentary here in general is exactly as you’d expect wrestling commentary from the 1950s would sound. “When you’re in that ring, you always have to remember that the other fella has just as many fists as you have! And that… is what’s happening to Mr. Savich.” The first fall is won when Savich just slaps and slaps away at Curry’s chest until Curry falls for the first fall. Curry knocks Keomuka off the apron and STOMPS Savich for the second fall, but a flurry of fists gets Savich the ultimate win soon after.
The second fall features an awesome bit where Curry just wildly swings Savich into the ropes and Savich bumps right onto the top turnbuckle to gasps from the crowd. They then repeat it and go for what they might’ve been going for before, where Savich goes fully over to the outside. These crazy young kids need to grab a chinlock!!
Curry’s manager rushes in to protest post-match because, as commentary explains, Curry’s left arm was useless to him because of Keomuka’s attacks. Referee Tommy Phelps tries to call Keomuka back to review, but it’s just too late, see, as the Duke and Savich have left the ring. *3/4 and Not Quite Recommended
Becoming a Mad Dog – “Mad” Maurice Vachon vs. The Amazing Zuma (Texas Rasslin’ Sportatorium 3/19/57)
OK this was legitimately good. First of all, Rocky Columbo is the referee and might have the best wrestling name of all the great wrestling names from the 1950s. Zuma is a pretty basic athletic babyface but that works perfect with whatever early Maurice Vachon was trying to do, which here included some interesting bumps and eye gouges and a general demeanor that brought some chaos to this stiff wrestling program. He swings at Columbo mid-match and takes a massive bump for him when he swings back. Plus in his late-20s he somehow looks like an old Verne Gagne. Zuma has his own charm – early on he keeps growling while taking Vachon over in headlocks and the crowd digs it. “He makes noise as he works,” remarks commentary. He does a few neat counters and of course does not just a cartwheel, but GROWLS after it which results in Vachon bailing out of the ring. A backflip followed by a dropkick – “Look at that little rooster take it to the air!” and THREE FLYING HEADSCISSORS IN A ROW win it for The Amazing Zuma, resulting in an amazing tantrum from Mad Maurice. ***1/4 and Recommended
