This week Throwback Thursday returns to the “Lone Star State” in the archives of the WWE Network and Peacock to revisit a classic edition of Fritz Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling that aired 41 years ago this month!
Early 1983 was a time a enormous growth for Fritz Von Erich’s World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW).
On the heels of the Christmas Star Wars ’82 event, one of the most successful in promotion history, business is Dallas was about to “pick up”.
Michael Hayes turning on Kerry Von Erich, robbing Kerry of the NWA World Heavyweight title on Christmas Night, was a story for the ages, lighting the fuse on one of wrestling’s all-time great wars: the Freebirds versus the Von Erichs.
Behind the clever booking of Gary Hart, the territory’s top heel manager, and solid work from all involved, WCCW was on the verge of a true explosion in popularity.
As World Class began to pick up steam the word was out, and wrestlers from all over the country, like “Iceman” King Parsons and “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin, were eager to join the roster and be a part of the explosion.
Thanks in part to the “Apter mags”, growing syndication footprint, and the growing reach of Superstation KTVT, WCCW was one of the most watched, most talked about territory’s in the world.
Behind the scenes the sudden spike in popularity of the WCCW product only added fuel to Fritz Von Erich’s mission to become a focal point of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and earn his son, David Von Erich, an NWA World title run.
The future was indeed bright for WCCW as this edition of NWA World Class Championship Wrestling made air. With top talent, compelling stories, and realistic, believable wrestling, WCCW was a step ahead of almost every other promotion of the day.
The top story in World Class the week this edition of NWA WCCW aired was, without question, the red hot war between the Von Erichs and the Fabulous Freebirds. The arrival of “The Man” (Skandor Akbar) was another top story in the territory.
Now let’s head on over to the WWE Network on Peacock, hit ‘play’, and see how well this edition of NWA World Class Championship Wrestling holds up 41 years later!
Edits are not an issue with this edition of NWA WCCW on the WWE Network and Peacock. Context, meanwhile, is solid with nearly every prior edition of NWA WCCW, dating back to January 1982, as well as a few “Hidden Gems” cards, available for you to enjoy right now on the WWE Network and Peacock!
NWA World Class Championship Wrestling #60 (WATCH)
Date: February 26, 1983 (TAPED: Feb. 18, 1982) – Location: Dallas Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: N/A – TV Rating: N/A
Commentator: Bill Mercer – Interviews: Bill Mercer
IN POP CULTURE:
Number One Song: “Baby, Come To Me” (Patti Austin & James Ingram)
Number One Album: Thriller (Michael Jackson)
Number One on Television: Master of the Game: Part III (CBS)(Liane Langland, Harry Hamlin, Ian Charleson, Cliff De Young, Fernando Allende, Liane Langland, Donald Pleasence, & Jean Marsh)
Number One Film in Theaters: Sydney Pollack’s Tootsie (Dustin Hoffman, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, & Charles Durning)
U.S. President & Vice President: Ronald Reagan & George H.W. Bush
CHAMPIONS AT THE TIME:
NWA World Heavyweight Champion: “Nature Boy” Ric Flair (September 17, 1981, Kansas City, Kansas, from “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes; Lou Thesz was guest referee for this bout)
NWA American Heavyweight Champion: Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy (February 5, 1983, NWA World Class Championship Wrestling, taped January 21, 1983, from Kevin Von Erich)
NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion: David Von Erich (September 20, 1982, Fort Worth, Texas, from Wild” Bill Irwin)
NWA American Tag Team Champions: The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael “P.S.” Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy) (November 26, 1982, Dallas, Texas, from King Kong Bundy & “Wild” Bill Irwin)
NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champions (Texas): The Freebirds (Michael “P.S.” Hayes, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy, & Buddy Roberts) (December 25, 1982, NWA WCCW Christmas Star Wars ’82; defeated Tom Steele, “Iron” Mike Sharpe, & Ben Sharpe in “tournament final” to become the inaugural World Six-Man Tag Team Champions; due to a “flight delay” Buddy Roberts was unable to wrestle in the match; David Von Erich wrestled in Buddy Roberts place, immediately relinquishing his portion of the Championship to Buddy after the match)
NWA Brass Knuckles Champion (Texas): The Great Kabuki (January 13, 1983, Marshall, Texas, from Bugsy McGraw)
WCCW Television Champion: Tola Yatsu (February 7, 1983, Fort Worth, Texas, from The Great Kabuki)
Following the standard NWA World Class Championship Wrestling open of the day we head inside the Dallas Sportatorium where Bill Mercer welcomes us to the show.
Mercer runs through the card and hypes the press conference to come with “The Man” (Skandor Akbar) before tossing to our first Peacock ad-break of the show.
Coming out of the break Bill Mercer conducts a ringside interview with King Kong Bundy regarding the whereabouts of “The Man” and if “The Man” will be in Bundy’s corner regularly.
Bundy says “The Man” is “in the building tonight but isn’t needed at ringside given the “caliber” of talent Bundy will be facing. Only when Bundy faces a top talent like a “Von Erich sister” will “The Man” be in Bundy’s corner.
Devastation, Inc., Bundy guarantees, will be the “most prestigious organization” in all of wrestling. Bundy then heads to the ring as Mercer wraps the interview.
As Bundy enters the ring for our opening bout ring announcer Marc Lowrance takes care of the standard promotional housekeeping before introducing the wrestlers in the ring.
—Singles Match (1:33)
“King Kong” Bundy vs. The Magic Dragon w/Arman Hussein
King Kong Bundy controls the early action, using his size and strength to slow the match to a crawl. Dragon, though, manages to use his speed and dexterity to turn the tide, putting Bundy in his back foot.
A kick out of nowhere cuts Dragon’s momentum short as Bundy quickly goes to work. Bundy pounds on and slams Dragon, cinching in a rear chinlock that slows the match to crawl once more.
Bundy continues to dominate the action, cutting of a number of Dragon’s hope spots, until Dragon regroups with Hussein on the floor. Back in the ring Dragon lands a reverse thrust kick to Bundy’s mid-section that turns the tide, for the moment, in Dragon’s favor.
Dragon cinches in a nerve hold and looks to have Bundy on the ropes when Bundy lifts Dragon by the throat for a modified choke slam. Dragon refuses to give in, though, and attempts yet another come back.
Dragon lands a variety of high impact maneuvers until Bundy catches a leaping Dragon out of the air for a back breaker. Just as quickly Bundy hits the ropes and connects with the running splash for the pinfall win at 7:33.
WINNER is “King Kong” Bundy (Pin, 7:33)
After the match Bundy celebrates his victory as we get a replay of some of the action and head to the next Peacock ad-break.
Coming out of the break we head back to ringside where Bill Mercer is set to interview “Iceman” King Parsons, who was making his World Class debut at this February 18, 1983, TV taping.
Mercer begins by asking Parsons about the nickname “Iceman”, with Parsons explaining that to pay his way through college he worked as an ice delivery driver. The ladies, Parsons explains, would complain about is “cold hands” while admiring his “gentle heart”.
When asked what his plans are in the area, Parsons reveals that he’s primarily focuses on Arman Hussein, hinting at past troubles with Hussein in Germany. “Iceman” says he heard that Dallas was the place to come for competition, and that if Hussein is in Dallas than there must be competition here.
Parsons cites the Von Erichs, particularly David Von Erich, as friends before turning back to Hussein. Hussein has money and wrestlers all over the world but, Parsons says, the “Iceman” has heart and “plenty of guts”, which is why they call Parsons the “Iceman”.
Next, as Parsons walk away, Mercer brings in “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin and his manager Sunshine for an interview. This interview marked the debut appearance of Jimmy Garvin and Sunshine on WCCW TV.
Garvin says he’s been all over the world and heard about how great World Class Championship Wrestling is. But it didn’t actually become great, Garvin reminds us, until “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin showed up.
Garvin says he’s looking forward to competing, calling Dallas a “hotbed” of professional wrestling, just the kind of “spot” Garvin is looking to be a part of.
Mercer talks about taping Garvin’s matches to air immediately but Garvin says he refuses to have his matches filmed or broadcast, something Mercer takes great exception to. Nothing will be taped or aired without Garvin’s say-so, Garvin says.
Garvin confirms he has a bout scheduled for tonight and says he looks forward to fans seeing him wrestle on World Class Championship Wrestling.
Mercer tries top make sense of Garvin’s comments as he wraps the interview and tosses to the next Peacock ad-break with a slow-motion clip of Sunshine filming an unknown bout in the Sportatorium.
Coming out of the break we return to ringside where Bill Mercer is set to interview Arman Hussein ahead of Hussein’s match with the debuting “Iceman” King Parsons.
Mercer asks Hussein about comments that Parsons made about Hussein in the prior segment and Hussein lets loose.
Hussein calls “Iceman” a “possum” and a “dog”. Anyone looking for Parsons, Hussein says, only needs to head to a “graveyard”, which is where all possums live.
Hussein promises to send Parsons back to the graveyard for coming into World Class and calling himself the “all Black hope”. It’s an insult to Hussein’s intelligence, Arman claims, and his pride to bring in “something like this” to face Hussein.
Arman claims it is yet another “act of the Von Erich family” to bring Parsons, a friend of the Von Erichs, in to face Hussein. Any friend of the Von Erichs, Hussein says, is an “enemy” to Hussein.
Mercer asks Hussein about “The Man”, Skandor Akbar. Hussein calls Akbar “boss” and says that when he and Tola Yatsu are done with Akbar and Devastation, Inc., it will be the last we see of either Akbar or Devastation, Inc.
Hussein takes off as Mercer wraps the interview and sends us to the ring for our next contest.
—“Grudge Match” (15:03)
Arman Hussein vs. “Iceman” King Parsons
This marked “Iceman” King Parsons debut match on WCCW TV.
There is a bit of stalling to start this one as Hussein demands to be able to do his “camel walk” before locking up with “Iceman”. Hussein does his “camel walk” on two sides of the ring before Parsons, seeing enough, goes on the attack.
Parsons delivers a few shots to Hussein in the corner before landing a back body drop and a dropkick for the flash three-count at 1:42, winning his debut match on World Class Championship Wrestling.
WINNER is “Iceman” King Parsons (Pin, 1:42)
Following the match “Iceman” celebrates his debut win as Hussein fumes to the referee and we see a replay of the finish. We then head to the next Peacock ad-break with a graphic hyping the debut of “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin.
We return from break (19:26) to see “Gorgeous” Jimmy Garvin & Sunshine making their way to the ring for Garvin’s debut TV match with Al Madril.
But, as ring announcer Marc Lowrance begins to introduce Garvin, Garvin stops him cold, taking exception to the presence of the camera in the ring.
Nobody films Garvin wrestling, Garvin says, and the cameras must be turned off or else Garvin will refuse to wrestle. Marc Lowrance, unaware of the any such clause, confers with referee David Manning as Jimmy Garvin leaves the ring.
After a short conference David Manning agrees to Garvin’s terms and the match will go on “dark”. Bill Mercer, confused by the entire situation, quickly wraps the segment and tosses to the pre-taped press conference involving “The Man” Skandor Akbar.
“The Man”, Skandor Akbar, begins by announcing his arrival to the “World Class area” and demands that people refer to him as “the General”.
Akbar claims that his main interest is oil and that his wealth is “unlimited”. Akbar’s favorite hobby, the General says, is controlling a “small group of elite super heavyweight wrestlers”. But that’s not why “The Man” is in the World Class area.
There are “problems to be solved in the World Class area”, Akbar says, and so long as Akbar is in the area these problems will be solved. The injured Kabuki, we’re told, has been flown home but Kabuki’s return will be “measured on the Richter scale”.
Akbar says that he controls a group of wrestlers that include “King Kong” Bundy, the Great Kabuki, and the yet-to-debut Kimala.
Bundy, Akbar says, has just two demands, a “financial arrangement” and help dealing with Fritz Von Erich and his sons. Fritz Von Erich, Akbar accuses, cost Bundy the NWA Worlds Heavyweight title, but it will be Fritz’s sons who pay the price.
Akbar says he created Devastation, Inc., and says that “King Kong” Bundy has “unlimited potential” and could stay at the top for years. Bundy knows that when you associate with Akbar you stay at the top.
Finally, Akbar addresses the issues with Arman Hussein and Tola Yatsu, telling Bundy “not to worry about it”. As Bundy begins to count his cash ($2,700 total) Akbar says these “little problems” will be solved. Suddenly the assembled “press” begin to shout questions to Akbar.
Akbar takes two questions but refuses to answer them as he puts his hand over the microphones and shakes his head, ending the press conference. We head to the next Peacock ad-break with a graphic hyping the Von Erich brothers in action next.
—“Non-Title Six-Man Tag Team Lumberjack Grudge Match” (25:22)
NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Freebirds (Buddy Roberts, Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy, & Michael “P.S.” Hayes) vs. The Von Erichs (Kevin, Kerry, & David)
This was the first six-man tag team Freebird/Von Erich match to happen, to this point, on WCCW TV.
The fans are all over the Freebirds from the start, chanting “go home Freebirds”. Kerry starts with Gordy before the Freebirds take over on Kerry. In a flash, though, Kerry comes storming back and the match becomes a short six-man brawl.
When the match settles down the Von Erichs are in control, with David and Kevin having their way with the Freebirds. That is until a blind tag gives Buddy Roberts the opening to deliver a running knee to the back of Kevin Von Erich.
The Freebirds remain in control of a game Kevin Von Erich, using quick tags, double- and triple-team maneuvers, and time tested dirty tricks, until Kevin avoids a hard-charging Terry Gordy and makes the hot tag to brother Kerry.
Kerry comes in a ball of fire until the Freebirds trap Kerry in the corner where Buddy Roberts takes over, giving the Freebirds the edge once more. The Freebirds batter Kerry, in and out of the ring, until Kerry somehow makes the hot tag to David.
It’s David’s turn to come in hot, trapping Gordy in a sleeper, before Buddy breaks the hold from behind. All hell breaks loose then, with all six men in the ring at once!
Kerry and Buddy go over the top together as Kevin pairs off with Hayes and David goes at it with Gordy. With the referee distracted with the Kerry/Buddy brawl on the floor David cinches in the Iron Claw on Gordy!
Out of nowhere, though, Hayes shoves referee David Manning over the top rope and into the throng of talent on the far side of the ring.
Hayes breaks the Iron Claw with a double axe handle from the top rope as the lumberjacks struggle to get the entwined Kerry and Buddy back into the ring.
Gordy lifts David for a piledriver As the referee comes to. Just then Kevin comes off the top with a double axe handle that floors Gordy. Kevin then drags David atop Gordy as the referee, sailing into position, counts the 1-2-3 at 11:41.
WINNERS are The Von Erichs (Kevin, Kerry, & David) (Pin, 11:41)
After the match, as the Von Erichs deliver a parting shot to Hayes, the Freebirds stand in disbelief in the ring. We then see a replay of the finish before heading to our final Peacock ad-break of the hour.
Following the break Bill Mercer is joined by the victorious Von Erichs at ringside.
Kerry says they’re looking to win the World Six-Man titles next as David thanks the Dallas faithful for breaking the attendance record at the Sportatorium, saying the Six-Man titles will be theirs.
Kevin jumps in and says that all of Texas is behind them and the win is not just a win for the Von Erichs but all of Texas. “Today it’s Texas,” Kerry interjects, “tomorrow the world, baby!” Kevin jumps back in to say that nothing is going to stop the Von Erichs from winning the World Six-Man trophy.
A happy Bill Mercer wraps the interview and puts over the Von Erichs before hyping next week’s card and signing off to bring another exciting edition of NWA WCCW to a close!
Final Thoughts
As we’ve come to expect from this era of WCCW, this is another exciting, fast-paced edition of NWA World Class Championship Wrestling!
Though this show is heavy with interviews they all deliver. The Akbar press conference and Jimmy Garvin’s refusal to wrestle on camera are the highlights for sure.
The action is great, too, with the main event six-man “lumberjack” match stealing the show, though all of the action was great.
So, if you’re in the mood for some old-school rasslin’ with hard-hitting action and top-notch storytelling, this is the show for you!
Whether you’ve seen this edition of NWA WCCW before or not, this is a show well worth the time to seek out. Who knows, you may end up liking it, and that’s never a bad thing!
Already subscribed to the WWE Network on Peacock? Then you can relive this classic edition of NWA World Class Championship Wrestling right now or experience it for the very first time! As always, let us know what you think in the comments section below!
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