Don't mess with Texas - TEW 13

[BYU 14]

Tuesday Week 1, June 1983
WCCW on Tour
Anaheim, CA
Attendance: 7,785

Pre-Show
We have a pre show meet and greet with the Von Erichs, who sign autographs for the fans, answer questions and probably get a phone number or two. Kevin seemed disinterested (C)

Main Show
In a match that had some good action but not much in the way of heat, Curt Hennig defeated Ron Bass in 11:25 by count out, after he propelled Bass through the ropes escaping a Bulldog and Bass collided with Gary Hart, which resulted in both being knocked out (D+)

Tommy Rich comes to the ring and tells the crowd he is looking forward to his match with Ricky Steamboat, but that he was going to stay true to the goal of running the Von Erich’s out of World Class once he kicked Ricky’s butt. Rich came off well (B-)

In a bout that had solid in-ring action but non-existent crowd heat, King Kong Bundy defeated Spike Huber in 10:46 by pinfall with a Big Splash, dominating most of the way. (D-)

In a bout that had solid in-ring action but non-existent crowd heat, Buddy Roberts defeated Rick McCord in 11:34 after jabbing him in the throat with a spike type device, handed to him by Michael Hayes. (D-)

In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, Mr. Wrestling II defeated The Missing Link in 8:53 by pinfall with a roll up after the Link missed a vicious clothesline that carried him into the ropes, with II catching him on the rebound. (D+) After the match Jimmy Garvin runs in and clobbers Wrestling II, smacking him around before II recovers and sends Garvin scurrying as he sets up his million dollar knee lift. (D-)

In a bout that featured great action and average heat, David Von Erich and Kerry Von Erich defeated Bob Backlund and Eddie Gilbert in 17:57 when Kerry Von Erich defeated Eddie Gilbert by submission with an Iron Claw, as Backlund, frustrated with Gilberts getting himself into that predicament simply left the ring, leaving Gilbert along when he was close enough to tag him. (C)

In a bout that featured great action and a good crowd, Ricky Steamboat defeated Tommy Rich in 23:41 when Tommy Rich was disqualified after Michael Hayes ran in and attacked Ricky Steamboat when it appeared Ricky was seizing the momentum. (B-) Afterwards Hayes and Rich exchange words in the ring and Tommy walks to the back without the leader of the Freebirds. Rich and Hayes improvised well, but Hayes character is getting a bit stale (C)

Final Rating: C+ (No change to popularity in the region, which is good since it is our #2 region behind Mid South)
Another tour event where I look to maximize attendance and use as many salaried wrestlers as possible to decrease show costs, got a good return in this outing, but it will be a long month. Jake Roberts gets into an argument backstage with the Assassin, who is just visiting, I warn Roberts and he ‘gets the message.’ I praise Rich and Steamboat and encourage Kevin Von Erich to engage more with the fans. All are pleased.

[BYU 14]

Thursday Week 1, June 1983
TV Taping – World Class Championship Wrestling
Jackson, MS
Attendance: 6,500 (Sell out)
Ratings: 0.60 on medium syndication I (up .05)

Pre-Show
We run another pre show meet and greet with the Von Erichs, who again sign autographs, take pictures and flirt with girls. Kevin again is underwhelming, but still it is a big hit (B-)

Main Show
In a bout that had solid in-ring action but non-existent crowd heat, Eddie Gilbert defeated Terry Gibbs in 9:19 by pinfall with a Hot Shot. These guys don’t click at all, a terrible opener (E+)

Tommy Rich comes out with Michael Hayes in tow and mentions to Bill Mercer that he got word that David Von Erich has an open contract for the main event tonight, with the Texas Heavyweight strap on the line. “Dang Mercer, y’all know that Wildfire is the man to give Von Erich a good ol’ country, take it so the woodshed, butt whuppin’ so bring on the contract and let’s get it on!” Rich was great and Hayes new gimmick, as the Freebird CEO gets an A* rating (B+) Hayes grabs the microphone and motions to the back. “Let me tell you something, the Von Erichs have screwed the Freebirds over since before the time that Texas didn’t smell like a big, nasty cow pasture and Tommy is right.” Fritz appears with a contract followed by Buddy Roberts. “That belt would look good right above the Freebird fireplace daddy, so tonight my brother Buddy is going to kick that punks ass and bring the belt back to Badstreet!!” Roberts, in fit of glee signs the contract and they all leave…..With Rich left standing there, mouth agape. (B)

The camera’s cut backstage and the mysterious masked giant, dressed in black from head to toe is seen making his way towards the arena. Mercer wonders aloud “Who the heck is this man?” (B-) In a match that had some good action and average heat, the masked man, introduced as the Masked Bully, defeated Jim Lancaster in 7:09 by pinfall with a King Kong Knee Drop as the announcers speculate on the obvious after seeing the finish. (C-)

Stan Hansen is shown in a video with a Lawyer on one side and the Masked Assassin on the other. “Jim Duggan just don’t know when to fold the tent and high tail it, so BOY, you get what you want at this month’s WCCW Tag Team cup. And here’s the kicker son, it’s gonna be a back alley street fight match! And Bill Mercer, I think you have an envelope in hand with one more surprise.” (A) As the video fades, Mercer opens the envelope that has just been dropped off and tells the TV audience. “Folks, this is a surprise indeed. The winner of a special bodyguard match between Hulk Hogan and The Assassin earlier in the card will get to be in the corner of their respective charge when Hansen and Duggan meet, with the loser banned from the building!” (C)

In a bout that featured great action and a good crowd, David Von Erich defeated Buddy Roberts in 16:44 when Buddy Roberts was disqualified when The Masked Bully ran in and attacked David Von Erich. David Von Erich makes defense number 3 of his NWA Texas Heavyweight title. (B-) After the bell it becomes a four-on-one, with Buddy Roberts, Michael Hayes and Tommy Rich joining in on the beat down, though Richs seems less than enthused. With the bell ringing like crazy, Kerry Von Erich comes running in and cleans house with the help of a baseball bat. (B)

Final Rating: B- (Solid, popularity improves in all 9 regions!)
A great segment by Stan Hansen and a great main event top off one of the better shows we have had as the boost across the board clearly demonstrates. Hopefully we keep this momentum going into the June event. I also sign Tracy Smothers to a 3 year written contract extension for the bargain price of $1,660 a month. In big news we sign a 6 month non-exclusive PPV deal with Closed Circuit US. We only get 10% of the revenue, but it is a start. Now we can cover the US big events as well!

[BYU 14]

Thursday Week 2, June 1983
TV Taping – World Class Championship Wrestling
Odessa, TX
Attendance: 5000 (Sell out)
Ratings: 0.62 on medium syndication I (up .02, good trend)

Pre-Show
Our pre-show features a fan forum with Ricky Steamboat, who will be wrestling in the TV main event. He spends about 30 minutes interacting with the fans (C+)

Main Show
In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, Bob Backlund defeated Rick McCord in 7:04 by submission with a Cross Face Chicken Wing, doing his usual routine of inflicting as much pain as possible before releasing the hold. (D+) Bob Backlund then calls for a microphone and mocks David Von Erich, calling him delusional and scoffing at the fact that he, Backlund, would need to retain the services of some masked thug because after all. “There are very few, make that no men, whose feats in the ring hold a candle to mine!” (C-) As Backlund rants David Von Erich is seen on camera backstage talking to a security guard, who gives David Von Erich a tape to view from the closed circuit cameras. Von Erich nods, shakes his hand and walks away with a determined look. Von Erich’s new rebel gimmick gets a B+ (B-)

A video recap of the Stan Hansen / Jim Duggan feud plays and hypes up their main event alley fight match at this month’s Tag team cup tournament. (B-)

In a match that had some good action but not much in the way of heat, Kevin Von Erich defeated One Man Gang in 9:25 by pinfall, using the Iron Claw to put him out, actually drawing blood from the big behemoth. Akbar was good at ringside. Ken Mantell thinks both need new gimmicks (C-)

Tommy Rich comes over to the podium, where Michael Hayes is about to talk to Bill Mercer. He says that he thinks that Hayes has shown favoritism to Buddy Roberts with the incident last week where Roberts got the shot at David Von Erich’s title. He then adds that Hayes needs to think about getting his hands dirty in some tag matches again. Both wrestlers improvise well (B+) Michael Hayes smiles, shakes his head and addresses Rich. “Daddy, you knew when you accepted the privilege, yes, privilege, to join the Freebirds that everything you did from that point on would be what was best for the brotherhood. You also knew, that nobody decides that but me! So Tommy, if you think things are tough being a Freebird, imagine how tough they could be, not being a Freebird.” Hayes again improvises well (B+)

In a bout that featured great action and average heat, Ricky Steamboat defeated Jimmy Garvin in 16:02 when Jimmy Garvin was disqualified when Greg Valentine ran in and attacked Ricky Steamboat, laying him out and then locking on the figure four Leglock as officials and security have to physically force him to release it. Sunshine was good at ringside. (C)

Final Rating: C+ (Popularity bump in 8 regions, loss in 1)
Friction with the Freebirds as Hayes tries to keep Tommy in check in some of the better interviews/angles we have had on the show. These two are great on the stick. Ricky Steamboat just cannot get over the way I would like and his contract is winding down, so I have to make a tough decision. We also get our highest TV rating ever off the strength of last week’s great show.

[BYU 14]

Monday Week 3, June 1983
Event – World Class Tag Team Cup
Dallas, TX
Attendance: 15000 (Sell out)
Pay per view: Buy Rate 0.53

Pre-Show
Hulk Hogan, Jim Duggan and David Von Erich do a meet and greet with the fans and it goes over quite well (B)

Main Show
In a match that had some good action but not much in the way of heat, King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang defeated Spike Huber and Brian Adias in 9:37 when King Kong Bundy defeated Brian Adias by pinfall with a Big Splash as the Tag team cup gets underway, Bundy was solid, Adias was off. (C-)

In a match that had some good action and average heat, The Freebirds defeated Iceman King Parsons and Sweet Brown Sugar in 11:13 when Tommy Rich defeated Sweet Brown Sugar by pinfall while using the ropes for leverage as Hayes distracted the referee, Rich looked good, Parson’s injury held him back. (C+)

In a bout that featured great action and average heat, Kevin & Kerry Von Erich defeated The Long Riders in 11:55 when Kerry Von Erich defeated Bill Irwin by submission with an Iron Claw. During the match we also had Gary Hart attack Kevin Von Erich, but he was promptly sent crashing to the floor. (B)

In a bout that featured great action and average heat, Ricky Steamboat and Curt Hennig defeated Greg Valentine and Eddie Gilbert in 14:19 when Ricky Steamboat defeated Eddie Gilbert by pinfall with a roll up, while Greg Valentine was busy jawing with the crowd and didn’t make the save in time. (C-)

First round of the Tag Team cup is complete

In a bout that featured great action and average heat, Assassin #1 defeated Hulk Hogan in 13:36 by submission with an Assassin Lock after interference from Stan Hansen, earning the right to stay in Hanson’s corner for his match against Jim Duggan, while Hogan is banned from the building. (C+) Stan Hansen grabs a microphone and laughs about how Jim Duggan has an ice cubes chance in hell of beating him now with the Assassin in his corner. Hansen was splendid on the stick. (A)

In a bout that featured great action and average heat, Kevin & Kerry Von Erich defeated King Kong Bundy and One Man Gang in 12:20 when Kerry Von Erich defeated One Man Gang by pinfall with a Discus Punch as the Von Erichs move on to the finals. Akbar was good at ringside. (B-)

In a bout that featured great action and average heat, The Freebirds 4 defeated Ricky Steamboat and Curt Hennig in 16:11 when Tommy Rich defeated Curt Hennig by pinfall with a handful of tights. Michael Hayes distracted Steamboat, who left the apron to chase him just as Hennig stumbled over the tag out, before getting pinned. The Freebirds are also in the finals (C+)

In a match that had excellent in-ring action and a good crowd, Jim Duggan defeated Stan Hansen in a 1 vs 1 Alley Fight match in 20:04 by pinfall with a Running Clothesline Tackle. The Assassin passed over several attempts to help Hansen, including a half hearted attempt to save him. Jim Duggan wins the NWA American Heavyweight title. Match rating was hurt as it did not exceed previous matches between the two (D+) As Hansen looks at the Assassin in the corner incredulously, a second Assassin stumbles out from the back, holding his head. (C+) Hansen rises in confusion as the Assassin in the ring removes his mask to reveal Dusty Rhodes!!! Hansen goes berserk and attacks Rhodes, and they brawl into the crowd and out an exit door. (B)

In a bout that featured great action and a good crowd, Kevin & Kerry Von Erich defeated The Freebirds in 19:02 when Buddy Roberts was disqualified when Michael Hayes ran in and attacked Kerry Von Erich, just as Tommy Rich hit a Thesz press on Kevin, the legal man in the ring, which looked to set up a pin. (B-) After the match Hayes and Rich get into a heated argument, with Rich pointing his finger in Hayes face, obviously upset about the DQ, before storming off into the back. Both improvised well (B+)

In a bout that featured great action and a good crowd, Bob Backlund defeated David Von Erich in 23:25 by submission with a Cross Face Chicken Wing after interference from the Masked Bully, who power bombed David through a table, before rolling him back into the ring for Backlund to finish. Bob Backlund wins the NWA Texas Heavyweight title. (B-)

Final Rating: B- (Popularity bump in 11 regions thanks to pay per view!)
Our first PPV has to be considered a success as the sheets all heap praise on the show and we have a solid buy rate for a first time PPV (77K in revenue). Hopefully this helps get cash flow moving in the right direction again. I compliment Rich, David Von Erich and Backlund. Rich and David seem pleased, Backlund doesn’t even acknowledge me because he is a dick, who also started a fight with Hogan before the show. I fine him 25% of his salary for that, which pisses him off, but saves me money, hehe. Also One Man Gang and Buddy Roberts were used too much and Kevin Von Erich could use a new gimmick

[BYU 14]

Tuesday Week 3, June 1983
WCCW on tour
Montgomery, AL
Attendance: 8201
Pay per view: Buy Rate 0.47

Pre-Show
Ricky Steamboat signs autographs and talks to the fans about his main event match against the Masked Bully tonight. (B+)

Main Show
In a match that had some good action and average heat, Ron Bass defeated Joey Rossi in 8:03 by pinfall with a Piledriver, getting it done without the ‘help’ of Gary Hart. (C)

In a bout that had solid in-ring action but not much in the way of heat, Spike Huber defeated Tracy Smothers in 9:34 by pinfall with a roll up after Smothers attempted a back drop. (D)

In a match that had some good action and average heat, Jake Roberts defeated Brian Adias in 9:29 by submission, choking Adias out with his Anaconda hold. (C)

In a match that had some good action and average heat, The Long Riders defeated Rick McCord and Jim Lancaster in 7:32 when Scott Irwin defeated Jim Lancaster by pinfall with a Bicycle kick, Bill Irwin had a good match. (C-)

In a bout that featured great action and great heat from the audience, Tommy Rich defeated Curt Hennig in 13:45 by pinfall with a Piledriver following interference from Michael Hayes. (B-) Rich grabbed the house microphone and dressed Hayes down for the interference. “Hayes, dagummit, how ‘bout once you let me handle my own damn business, I do have a little experience whippin’ some ass you know.” Hayes smiles, shakes his head and walks away. (B)

In a bout that featured great action and a good crowd, Kerry Von Erich defeated Buddy Roberts in 17:11 by disqualification. Hayes was spotted near the entry way again, but Rich appeared and another animated conversation started, leaving Roberts without the expected help. (B-)

The Masked Bully is in the ring waiting for Ricky Steamboat, who emerges only to get jumped by Greg Valentine, who had been lying in wait. The ambush leaves Ricky Steamboat groggy, but he continues to the ring. (B) In a superb bout that had great wrestling and a sizzling crowd, The Masked Bully defeated Ricky Steamboat in 18:38 by pinfall, after hammering him with a loaded elbow pad. Steamboat fought hard, but never recovered from the attack by Valentine. (B)

Final Rating: B- (Popularity bump in 11 regions as we get a bonus closed circuit feed)
Our tour is carried via closed circuit throughout our territories as a bonus and gets a great buy rate for what is basically a house show. It is confirmed that this will continue on our twice monthly tour stops, which is huge. Rich, Steamboat and Bully all get compliments in my post show speech, all are pleased and the show itself draws heavy praise from the sheets. The big buzz is the tension between Hayes and Rich, which continues to grow at an alarming rate.

[BYU 14]

Thursday Week 3, June 1983
TV - World Class Championship Wrestling
San Antonio, TX
Attendance: 5000 (Sell out)
Ratings: 0.67 on medium syndication I (up .02, things looking up)

Pre-Show
Ricky Steamboat is signing autographs before the show, when Greg Valentine comes out and shoves him over a table, which starts a wild brawl. Kerry Von Erich and Eddie Gilbert finally manage to pull them apart. (C+)

Main Show
In a match that had some good action and average heat, Stan Hansen defeated Rick McCord in 7:28 by pinfall with a Western Lariat to open the show. Hansen looked good, McCord was off. (C) Stan Hansen joins Mercer and is in rare form. “Dusty Rhodes, you take out a dear friend of mine, come out dressed like him and then cost me my dang title!?!?!” Hansen spits “You sonofabitch, if you had any guts at all you’d face me man to man and get the whippin you deserve and Duggan, I ain’t forgot about you boy…..I know you get a shot at the TV title tonight, but you got enough belts, so all you get is pain!!” Hansen improvised well (B+)

Bob Backlund is out next and proceeds to arrogantly espouse his skills, letting everyone know that he is the undisputed king of WCCW, now that he has dealt with David Von Erich (C-) Von Erich comes out and snatches the mic away from Backlund. “Don’t think for a minute I’m done with you Backlund, but I got a Texas size bigger fish to fry right now. Masked Bully, come on, you and I both know that it’s you under that mask Brody. We also both know that you are banned from WCCW, so I’ll make it simple. I’ll pretend I don’t know who you the Masked Bully is and you get down here for Red, White and Bruised next month. Then, after I kick your tail, I’ll rip that mask off your head, expose you, and send you down the highway……For good!!!” (B)

In a match that had some good action but not much in the way of heat, Tommy Rich defeated Terry Gibbs in 8:06 by pinfall with a Piledriver, with no help from Hayes this time. Rich looked good and these two have good chemistry. (C+) Michael Hayes joins Rich in the ring and doesn’t look happy. “Are you happy now Tommy, you got to show the world just how good you are and how you don’t need the rest of the Freebirds. You’ve made your point and now it’s time to focus on getting the tag belts back and one more thing. Remember, a bird that flies alone, is never truly free!” (B) Rich nods, turns to go and gets clobbered by Hayes from behind. Buddy Roberts joins Hayes and they put the boots to Rich until Tommy is not moving. “Looks like the band is breaking up” chimes Mercer (C+)

In a bout that featured great action and average heat, Jim Duggan defeated Jake Roberts in 16:55 when Jake Roberts was disqualified after Stan Hansen ran in and plastered Duggan with a lariat, spitting tobacco juice on Duggan’s American Heavyweight and NWA Brass Knuckles belts as he leaves ringside. (C)

Final Rating: B- (Popularity bump in 8 regions, slipped here in the mid-south a bit)
Good show, but unfortunately we dropped a bit in the home region, though TV ratings continue to climb. Rich’s face turn was a complete success, but the Freebirds are now down a wing.