WCCW #17 Page #2
Indeed it was Khan who taught Terry Gordy the secret of the finishing maneuver known as the Oriental Spike while enjoying a mentor-student relationship with the youngest Freebird.
It thus came as quite a shock to everyone when Killer Khan defected to Devastation Incorporated. General Skandor Akbar had needed a centerpiece for his stable since the departure of Kamala. Killer Khan fit the bill and Akbar had no qualms about stealing him away from the Birds. In Akbar's world money ruled over all. If adding another weapon to his arsenal and another cash cow to his bank account also happened to hurt his enemies, then so be it. To the Freebirds, Khan's betrayal was the ultimate insult. Terry Gordy was especially hurt and he didn't get mad, he got even.
Gordy
and Khan faced off in numerous bloody brawls. On one occasion their scheduled
main event bout occurred in the middle of the TV show. This was because they
started brawling in the back and left World Class officials to stop the bout in
progress and have Gordy and Khan face off then and there. The more the blood
spilled from these two combatants, the greater their hatred grew. In interviews
Gordy was often barely coherent due to his rage. Many violent encounters led to
a show down match at the Labor Day Star Wars show. Killer Khan gained the win,
but not until after Terry Gordy given every fiber of his soul to the battle.
Mike
Von Erich's Greatest Moment
Mike
Von Erich has been much maligned through the years. Some of the abuse is
deserved. Mike was over pushed and lacked the natural charisma and athletic
ability of his brothers. However there was a period in 1984 when I honestly
believe that Mike was beginning to make the leap towards being a credible
wrestler. He fit in well with the bloodbath brawls pitting him and his brother
against The Freebirds. Then on Friday August 4, 1984 Mike had his shining
moment. Gino Hernandez was supposed to defend the American Title against Kevin,
however Kevin's "flight from Phoenix was delayed". Mike stepped in and
after giving Gino fits, emerged as the new American Champion. This was similar
to the accomplishments of his brothers. Kevin and Kerry had both won the
American Title in their rookie years while David won the Texas Title. It was all
a part of the promotion's move to help them establish credibility from year one.
That may have been a bit of stretch in Mike's case, but it took him a giant step
closer.
Gino
Gets A Big Solution To His Big Problem
You'd
think that Gino Hernandez would have enough problems with just losing his
American Title to Mike Von Erich. Alas that was only a drop in the bucket. A
brassy, lady truck driver named Stella Mae French caused real trouble for the
handsome half-breed. She was his shadow. Where he went, she was sure to follow.
On one occasion Gino actually lost an NWA World Title match to Ric Flair when a
fan that he thought was Stella Mae distracted him. To put this to a stop, Gino
brought in an equalizer in the form of Nicola Roberts who was also occasionally
referred to as Andrea The Lady Giant. Nicola became Gino's bodyguard and cut
quite an imposing pose with her new wave clothing, haircut, and make up. She
stood as tall as Gino and wasn't afraid to go to physical lengths to protect
him. Needless to say she and Stella
Mae developed a bitter rivalry that picked up right where Sunshine and Precious
left off. Stella soon recruited various allies such as Mike Von Erich and Chris
Adams to face Gino and Nicola, but the fight always came down to the ladies in
the end.
One
Last Trip Down Badstreet
The Von Erichs and The Fabulous Freebirds still had plenty of hatred and ill will to settle. Apart from pride and ego, central to the dispute was the Six Man Tag Team Title. This title had been in dispute for months with no end in sight. Repeated efforts to fill the title ended fruitlessly. The teams continuously battled to double disqualifications or saw outside interference from a variety people. At one point Killer Khan was running in to help his Freebird allies. After betraying them, Khan interfered against them with help from his allies from Skandor Akbar's Devastation Incorporated.
The
feud was clearly wearing on the two sides. The Freebirds in particular had to
fight a war on two fronts. The Von Erichs saw themselves distracted from other
goals. Kerry certainly wanted to regain the NWA World Title. Mike wanted to
establish himself as a viable star. Kevin had the American Title on his mind. It
all led to both sides turning up the violence and intensity in the ring to the
point that matches resembled mini riots. The Freebirds, especially Michael
Hayes, consistently baited the Von Erichs in interviews. The Von Erichs never
backed down an inch with Kevin being particularly vocal in his distaste for the
boys from Badstreet USA. The feud built to an exciting climax at Labor Day
Wrestling Star Wars in Fort Worth.
Odds
and Ends
Apart
from those involved in the main feuds, the other stars of World Class
Championship Wrestling had plenty to concern them as well. Iceman Parsons
continued to pursue his archenemies the Irwin Brothers. Iceman still teamed
often with Buck Zumhofe, but also teamed with the likes of George Weingroff and
Skip Young. The Irwins continued to battle with both the Von Erichs and The
Freebirds on behalf of Devastation Incorporated, as did their stable mate The
Missing Link. Young and Weingroff were often found wrestling Kelly Kiniski in
the openers. Meanwhile Gary Hart continued to hear the fans' cheer and continued
his pursuit for a protégé and seemed to have found a winning candidate at
summer's end in Chris Adams. This would prove to be a very combustible pairing
when all was said and done. In the mean time Chris formed a rivalry with
newcomer Jake Roberts, trading the TV Title with "The Snake".
The
beginning of September brought yet another of World Class Championship
Wrestling's holiday supercards. Egos and titles were on the line as always.
Let's run through the undercard bouts and then look in depth at a few of the top
matches.
George
Weingroff defeated Kelly Kiniski
Chris
Adams defeated Jake Roberts to regain the TV Title
Buck
Zumhofe and Jules Strongbow defeated Scott and Bill Irwin
Michael
Hayes defeated The Missing Link by disqualification
Kerry
Von Erich defeated Butch Reed by dq. in an arm wrestling match
Iceman
Parsons and Skip Young defeated The PYTs by disqualification
This
was another brutal chapter in this war of former friends. To win a combatant had
to put the other man out with the Oriental Spike. With Gordy heading out of the
territory and Killer Khan needing to step up the ladder to fill the gap. Thus
Khan got the win.
Gino,
already the Texas Title holder, once again became the American Champion after
some timely interference from Nicola Roberts. Mike fought valiantly and Stella
Mae tried to help, but it was not enough to stop Gino from once again being able
to declare "I am YOUR champion".
Kevin and Kerry Von Erich defeated The Fabulous Freebirds in a Badstreet Cage Match to win the World Class Six Man Tag Team Title
Nearly two years of violent feuding had come down to this single match. With Hayes, Gordy, and Roberts having given their notice to World Class that they were leaving to move to the WWF, the curtain would be coming down on one of pro wrestling's most exciting and famous feuds. To settle the vacant Six Man Title and the feud, the two sides would square off in an elimination steel cage match with Badstreet rules. Whichever team survived would claim the spoils. Going in the Von Erichs had a problem. Mike had hurt his shoulder en route to losing the American Title to Gino Hernandez. Kerry and Kevin were not allowed to choose a substitute and thus would have to face their enemies at a one-man disadvantage in a most dangerous bout. With both teams wearing street clothes and carrying foreign objects inside a cage, Kerry and Kevin faced their greatest challenge.
The
blood flowed from the outset with both teams using the cage, their boots, their
belts, and their fists to batter one another. When Kerry was eliminated first,
it left Kevin in a most unenviable position. Yet against the odds, Kevin
wouldn't stay down and picked off The Birds one by one. First Michael Hayes was
sent packing, then Buddy Roberts. When Kevin ended the match by pinning Terry
Gordy with the Iron Claw, the Six-Man Tag Team Title came home and the feud, or
at least this chapter of it, was won. What had begun in a cage on December 25,
1982 in Dallas had ended in a cage on September 3, 1984 in Fort Worth. As the
Von Erichs raised the championship trophy aloft, The Fabulous Freebirds made the
exit. This was a major moment for Kevin. He had taken a backseat to Kerry and
David for much of the past two years, but had done so with humility. Now for the
first time in about two years, he was positioned as the lead Von Erich and was
about to embark on one of this promotion's greatest feuds.
One era of World Class Championship Wrestling had ended, but a new era was about to begin. The departure of The Fabulous Freebirds had left a vast gap in the heel roster. That gap would soon be filled and World Class would be off on another roller coaster ride. We'll take a closer look next time.