Tracking the Territories 1984- Volume Three

by Liam Byrne

  The new National Heavyweight Champion enjoys the chance to show off the gold in the next contest as the Spoiler mugs for the cameras before taking on Bob Owens. With Ellering admiring his looks in the reflection of the title, the Spoiler begins his unique rope based offense by wrapping Owens’ arm up twice before hitting a top rope forearm to the top of the head. Owens kicks out at two after a bodyslam and offers some token resistance, only to run into a knee in the corner and get dropped with the claw hold, the Spoiler coming off the top rope for increased impact. Better for not being as overly long as some Spoiler squashes can be.

  It is odd to see Iron Mike Sharpe in a position of relative importance rather than jobber fodder when he takes on Ariel Crumley, one of the odder named talents I’ve come across. Sharpe shrugs off an early eye rake by his opponent, punches him twice and picks him up in loose interpretation of an Argentine backbreaker. Just like that, the match is over. Guess this is at least better than twenty minute draws in Madison Square Gardens.

  We are straight into the next contest as Les Thornton faces off against Dale Veasey, with Thornton taking the match almost instantly to the canvas after blocking an attempted whip to the ropes. Veasey matches him in the first exchanges on the mat, but a trip has Thornton beginning to work the ankle after a lock with a kneedrop for good measure. The match resets again, but a toehold has Veasey back on the canvas where he really doesn’t want to be. The leg is visibly causing Veasey issues whenever he gets back to his feet, which is a rarity. Veasey does impress with a bridge that is then turned into a small package, but Thornton just goes back to the leg.

  A belly to belly suplex into a pin only earns the Brit a one count, as do several attempts to hold Veasey’s arms down. Another throw after a missed Veasey charge gets a one count, yet it does lead to an emphatic backbreaker that does score the victory for Thornton. A match that went a fair bit long than I expected, Thornton’s work just doesn’t equate well to squash matches. For some, it is fun to see someone completely outwork someone else on the match, but it lacks those dynamic spots that make someone memorable.

  Bob Roop is another name who I’ve seen before in other climes, but wasn’t expecting to have him suddenly pop up in Georgia. He is against Bob Brown and after a knee to the stomach rather than breaking clean, a suplex and chinlock have Roop in control from the off. A stiff looking neckbreaker surprisingly isn’t a finish, though moments later Brown is put away with a swinging neckbreaker instead. A decent little squash, with Roop getting in, hitting some good moves, and finishing his opponent.

  This is where the end of the episode would have usually been, but instead I get to plow on with another half hour or so of Georgia. Luckily, that means I get to see Nikolai Volkoff once more as he squashes Jason Walker. A rarity in a Volkoff match, Walker gets some punches on the big Russian, but it just seems to piss off Volkoff who lifts Walker into the air with a choke. Volkoff catches Walker’s attempted crossbody and turns it into a bear hug in an awkward manoeuvre, before the big boot sets up for his always awful looking press slam into a backbreaker.

  In a foray away from the AWA, Crusher Blackwell is in the ring next to take on Mike Starbuck with an early throw out of a side headlock testament to Blackwell’s power. He pulls Starbuck up on a pin following a kneedrop as he decides to work over his opponent with headbutts, knees and kicks instead. After Blackwell plays King of the Mountain by knocking Starbuck out to the floor twice, a huge shoulderblock and punch have Starbuck seeing stars. A decent dropkick for a man Blackwell’s size leads to a sequence that has Blackwell continue to pull Starbuck out of pinfalls after an avalanche, an elbowdrop and a powerslam. With a stern warning from the referee in his ear, Blackwell decides to finish the match with a Samoan drop. It is always hard not to at least be impressed by the way Blackwell moves for a man his size and he absolutely crushes Starbuck.

  As well as double Volkoff, I get double Thornton and double Bob Brown as they are back in the ring for a singles match. A nice belly to belly suplex by Thornton takes them down to the mat and it becomes a grindfest as Brown struggles against the superior wrestling of Thornton. A Northern Lights-style throw shows another wrinkle to Thornton’s offense, with a reverse nelson takedown by Brown showing he has his own wrestling skills. A Brown hammerlock is broken with some unscientific elbows to the face and Thornton grabs a two count with a butterfly suplex.

  A standard suplex gets him another two count as another facet of his squash match offense doesn’t help his case as he goes for too many pinfalls without winning. It fits in with his character, but it is so different to what the fans are seeing in all the matches around Thornton’s. Brown escapes out the back of multiple crucifix attempts for another small burst of offense, only for Thornton to land a move that was similar to a fallaway slam for two once more. The exact same sequence of moves puts away Brown as it did Veasey last week: a missed charge by the jobber into a belly to belly suplex and the pin following a backbreaker. A better match than the one with Veasey, it just looks really out of place compared to the other main guys who blast through wrestlers of Brown’s status.

  Jerry Blackwell joins Solie for some words about Blackwell’s behaviour in his defeat of Starbuck. Blackwell talks about being there for a reason and his treatment of Starbuck is all about getting the matches with people he wants. He enjoys pain and doesn’t mind about the names people call him because he wants people to step into the ring with this ‘big fat man’. By the end of Blackwell’s time with the promotion, he wants people to be talking about him as one of the greatest of all time. Blackwell actually cuts a decent promo for someone who isn’t exactly lauded for his skills on the mic.

  The final match sees me get double Spoiler as he takes on Greg Brown. Somewhat like Volkoff’s squashes, it is rare for an opponent to get anything significant against the Spoiler and he is quick to blast Brown with several punches before getting him wrapped up in the ropes in a choke. Brown does land a few punches, only to charge into a Spoiler knee in the corner which is followed up with a top rope forearm. A kneelift cuts off another Brown attempt to build momentum and the Spoiler drops Brown throat first onto the top rope, only to release Brown mid-pinfall in what looked like a missed kickout. Things go from bad to worse as Brown takes a back bump on what initially seems to be the Spoiler’s attempt to put on the claw. The champion dives on top of Brown and applies it anyway, ending the last match of this Georgia Championship Wrestling run with a submission.

  There is just enough time for Billy Jack to join Solie at the commentary booth, but not enough time for him to say anything other than how Solie is the number one as they both wave goodbye. That is that.

  A strange one due to seeing two shows in a row like that. Two shows with Volkoff, Thornton and the Spoiler as your main guys isn’t going to be anything to write home about and it is the involvement of Dibiase, Roop and Blackwell that make this somewhat watchable. To many people in the territory, it was all eminently more watchable than the stuff that was about this their screens courtesy of Vince McMahon.

  Mid-South Wrestling 13.7.84

  Jim Ross and Bill Watts are at the commentary desk as they are running down what looks like a big show as Magnum TA will defend the North American Heavyweight Title against Ernie Ladd, whilst the main event (due to Ladd’s desire to have the title match first on) will see Sonny King take on Krusher Kruschev. Watts tries to also explain a situation surrounding Steve Williams, but gets tongue tied and ends up throwing it up to the ring for Boyd Pierce to introduce the first match, which isn’t the Ladd versus Magnum match. An awkward start to proceedings this week.

  We do get some understanding of what Watts was on about when talking about Steve Williams as he is surprisingly teaming with Hercules Hernandez to take on Jim Duggan and Terry Taylor, with Jim Cornette making it clear pre-match that this is because he feels Duggan and Taylor don’t deserve to fight the Midnight Express. Duggan levels Hernandez early on with a clothesline as Watts talks about his unhappiness at Williams decision to
align with Cornette this week. Williams fares little better than his partner as Duggan, then Taylor land some offense before a sunset flip gets a two count. A wrenching side headlock and huge shoulderblock finally allows Williams some concerted offense as he grinds Taylor down to the canvas.

  Williams’ success is short lived as a hiptoss allows Taylor to tag out to Duggan, who whips Williams into the turnbuckle before locking on an armbar. Both men continues to work Williams’ arm, but Dr. Death uses his power to muscle Taylor back into the corner for some illegal double teaming behind the referee’s back. Once again, the heels don’t control the match for long as Hernandez misses a charge into the corner and Duggan gets the hot tag. Just as it appears that Duggan is firing up for the finish, Cornette trips him at ringside and the ensuing chase brings the manager into the ring for the disqualification. Williams and Hernandez get in some stomps and punches on Taylor before being run off by Duggan wielding a chair. Whilst the booking of Williams as heel is interesting, both he and Hernandez were made to look weak for the most part during the match.

  Next up is Buddy Landell taking on Steve Brinson, a jobber who Ross compliments on how well put together he is. He does look more impressive than your average jobber and gets in a couple armdrags to start off, but Landell quickly halts his momentum with a hotshot that sees Brinson collide heavily with the top rope. Landell drops three knees to the forehead of Brinson over the course of a period of offense for a two count, following up shortly afterwards with a gutwrench suplex and a reverse chinlock. Landell pulls Brinson up after a one count from a kick to the gut, which Watts and Ross say is clear evidence of his arrogance. A slam and his swinging elbowdrop sees Landell pick up the victory in a match he dominated from start to finish.

  The other half of the terrible twosome is up next as Butch Reed takes on Mike Jackson, with Reed getting told off by the referee early on for refusing to remove his headband. Reed is also full of arrogance as he allows Jackson to grab a side headlock, blocking the resulting takedown with ease. However, Jackson lands on his feet after an attempted belly to back suplex and rocks Reed with a dropkick as he turns around. A leaping side headlock takedown is successful, but Jackson gets absolutely driven into the canvas with a belly to back suplex. Reed hits a clothesline and then pulls up Jackson on the pinfall attempt, choosing instead to hit a body slam and a press slam. The finish is strange as the referee decides to count Jackson down whilst Reed is clearly positioning himself so he can’t see the entranceway. Sonny King enters the ring with a chair, hits Reed and pulls Jackson on top to make the count as the referee waves off the contest and awards the match via disqualification to Reed.

  We get another chance to see the PYT Express this week as they take on Bob Brown and Dale Veasey. Austin and Brown start the match for their respective teams and Austin launches Brown through the air with a hiptoss after initially getting dropped with a shoulderblock. Brown tags out Veasey, only for Austin to hammerlock and trip him, making the tag to Ware to continue the beatdown. Things don’t go for much longer though, as the PYT Express are attacked by The Midnight Express who are armed with belts. Austin and Ware manage to fight off Condrey and Eaton, taking the belts away and using them on the Express. The match didn’t go long enough to be particularly meaningful, but it is a good change to have the Midnights feud with someone other than the Rock and Roll Express.

  With Ernie Ladd versus Magnum TA seemingly moved to the end of the show, we get to see Krusher Kruschev versus Sonny King, a match that was originally dubbed the main event for some reason. King has some early success with some punches and they both trade armlocks as the opening is very tentative. King ends up falling through the middle rope by mistake after a knee to the stomach by Kruschev, but the Russian sympathiser does a good job of covering by stomping several times on King as he was tangled up in the ropes.

  King takes another strange bump on a kick to the gut as he fell forward onto the mat, but the resulting second rope elbow by Kruschev is missed. In a finish that is patently obvious, Reed hits the ring with a chair, leading to a disqualification victory for King. Unlike Reed, King manages to avoid the chairshot, with Reed instead hitting Kruschev’s back. King knocks Reed down and takes the chair off of him, leaving both of the heels to scurry away. Not a bad match for what it was, but it was all too obvious what was going to happen at the end.

  Ernie Ladd versus Magnum TA is up next, but Ladd is apparently refusing to come out now. They re-show the TA ‘Born to be Wild’ music video, with the idea being that if Ladd hasn’t shown up by the time it is finished, they’ll consider the match as being forfeited by the challenger. Ladd doesn’t show up by the end, but as Pierce tries to award the match to Magnum, Landell comes down to ringside in order to challenge the champion. Pierce makes it clear it is a non-title match as Magnum takes the title off and accepts the challenge of Landell. Magnum hits a dropkick and an elbow to the gut, only to be distracted by Ladd arriving at ringside with a Halliburton suitcase. The distraction allows Landell to hit Magnum with a knee to the back, sending him into the ropes and leaving him vulnerable to a suitcase shot to the head from Ladd. It was a ruse all along, showcasing Ladd and Landell at their nefarious best.

  Hans Schroeder and Pat Rose are the opponents for the Fantastics in our first stand by match – it is notable that the response for Rogers and Fulton isn’t as vociferous as the one the PYT Express received. Rogers and Rose start the contest with some grappling on the mat with neither man really coming out on top, before two Rose shoulderblocks are followed up by a Rogers dropkick and armdrag. Fulton is in next with Schroeder, with similar equality shown through a Schroeder back body drop and Fulton using his legs to kick his opponent away whilst laying on the canvas. In a rare miscalculation, the show runs out of time with no decision; not the best way to showcase the Fantastics, who haven’t had the best start to their life in Mid-South.

  A show that was interesting enough from a storyline perspective, but didn’t really deliver in the ring. That wasn’t helped by the amount of schmozz finishes or running out of time with a match still underway in the ring. I expect much better from Mid-South.

  AWA All Star Wrestling 14.7.84

  A shorter (just under thirty minutes) episode of AWA starts – or at least the footage I have does – with a repeat of a Ken Resnick promo that took place after Jerry Blackwell was brutally attacked by King Kong Brody and Abdullah the Butcher. Blackwell is laid out on a bed of some sort whilst Resnick talks about Blackwell winning the big battle royal that night, only for Brody and Butcher to turn on him, a culmination of the tension that has built up within Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie’s stable. Blackwell is in no condition to talk to Resnick as they wait for an ambulance.

  Ben Patrick and Roger Kirby (apparently a world champion in the leg press if Resnick’s introduction is anything to go by) are in the ring first to take on the Fabulous Ones in a two out of three falls contest. The Fabs are, as per usual, well received by the fans and Lane quickly takes control of the contest with a drop toehold on Kirby. Keirn brings the athleticism early with a dropdown, leapfrog and monkey flip that sends Kirby flying across the ring. Kirby goes to the midsection and manages to bring Keirn into the heel corner for some double teaming. Keirn unsuccessfully attempts several times to fight his way out of the corner and make the tag, though a mid-ring collision with Kirby finally allows him to get to Lane. Several strikes and a big kick to the back of the head later, Lane picks up the first fall on Patrick.

  Patrick and Lane begin the second fall, with the Fabs beginning to work on Patrick’s arm and utilise quick tags to keep the fresh man in the ring. This time, Lane is the member of the Fabs who gets caught in the heel corner after Kirby hits a knee from the apron behind the referee’s back. This doesn’t last for long though, as Lane suddenly decides enough is enough and runs over to tag Keirn. Pretty much reminiscent of the first fall, Keirn finishes off the fall – a hotshot dropping Patrick throat first on the top rope for the win. An oddly structured match as the heel hea
t segments were just blown off, especially in the second fall. Whilst there was never a chance that the heels were going to win, it didn’t really build any sense of tension whatsoever.

  After Ken Resnick talks about the situation with the NWA World Heavyweight Title, with Kerry Von Erich winning it in Texas and Ric Flair regaining it in Japan, the Fabulous Ones join him to challenge the current AWA World Tag Team Champions, Baron Von Raschke and The Crusher, or whoever might have the titles by the time they get their shot. They also take some shots at The Road Warriors saying that they’d be happy to meet them in the ring as well.

  The next match comes from a recent show as King Kong Brody meets Steve Olsonoski and it is Brody who is in control from the start after Sheik Adnan Al-Kaissie distracts Olsonoski. The crowd pop as Olsonoski reverses an Irish whip into the corner, only to charge straight into a Brody boot. For some reason, the referee doesn’t disqualify Brody for using a chair at ringside, choosing instead to verbally reprimand him instead. Olsonoski offers some token punches, but Brody telegraphs a back body drop attempt and boots him to halt the comeback. Every time Olsonoski does attempt to fight back, Brody shrugs off his offense, with another flurry of punches followed by a missed dropkick. Brody drops Olsonoski throat first onto the top rope, slams him and hits the running knee drop for the three count. Complete domination for Brody which continues to put over how dangerous he is.

  Resnick then throws to an interview he had with Brody recently, covering the attacks on Greg Gagne, Jim Brunzell and Jerry Blackwell in recent weeks. Brody throws Resnick off by offering him a handshake to start, whilst also reminding him straight away that he does what the Sheik wants. Brody has a go at Resnick, complaining that he is telling the fans false information, especially as all of the attacks happened when the men were in the ring, rather than someplace else like the mall. Resnick reminds Brody that Brunzell was attacked during a match that wasn’t with Brody, leading to Brody warning everyone to never lay a hand on the Sheik.