Total Extreme Wrestling: WCCW 1983

[molson]

WORLD CLASS WRESTLING (TV TAPING)
Tuesday, Week 1, March 1984
Lubbock, TX (Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 5,352; Ticket Prices: +$4 over default
Actual Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Gran Markus Jr. defeats Owen Hart in 5:56 by pinfall after using the ropes for leverage. (D+). The two showed poor chemistry.

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Buddy Jack Roberts defeats Al Perez in 6:38 by pinfall. (C-) Perez was exhausted by the end of the match. After the match, Lance Russell interviewed Buddy Roberts about the "mystery attack" on Mike Von Erich last week. Roberts calls the attack "awful", and he says he can't believe people are blaming him for hit. Roberts calls Mike "a great kid with a great future". (D+)

-Lance Russell interviews Mike Von Erich in the ring as the show opens. Mike says he doesn't know who attacked him last week. He was in the locker room, and the next thing he knows, he's coming to and has a big headache. He says he wasn't seriously injured, and will be back in action tonight. Mike says he doesn't know whether Roberts has been sincere the last few weeks with his apologies, and he doesn't care. He's just focussed on winning matches. (D)

-Mike Von Erich defeats Super Kendo in 4:47 by submission. (D) The two showed poor chemistry.

-The announcers showed highlights of the David/Backlund match at Mexican Invasion, and announced that Backlund is the new world champion. They also showed clips of Adonis' "Bachelor Pad" segment at last night's show, where Backlund refused to hand the belt over to Hayes, going against their agreement (B+)

-The Great Kabuki defeats Frank Dusek in 9:10 by pinfall. (C). The announcers briefly mention that nobody has seen Brusier Brody since Kabuki sprayed him with the green mist at Mexican Invasion.

-Backstage, road agents and paramedics are seen attending to Mike Von Erich, who has apparently been attacked for the second straight week. (D-)

-Back at the announcer's table, Lance Russell conducts a telephone interview with Bobby Eaton. Russell announces that The Sheepherders won the tag team titles at Mexican Invasion. Eaton says he and Koko aren't making any excuses for the loss, but that as a result of the match, and the attacks the week before, both he and Ware have been injured. Eaton says he expects to be back in a couple of weeks, but that Ware may be out longer. Eaton says that as soon as they're back at 100%, they'll get their titles back (C)

-WCCW World Tag Team Championship Match
The Sheepherders defeat Iceman Parsons & Buddy Landell in 9:53 when Miller pinned Parsons. The Sheepherders make their first title defense. (C+). Parsons was off his game.

-Piper's Pit
To start the segment, Piper mocks both Michael Hayes and Bob Backlund. (B-) He then invites both out as his guests on this week's show. Hayes says last night, he promised a lawsuit, but tonight, he wants to make another appeal to Backlund to do the right thing, man to man. Hayes talks about how Backlund has always been a man on integrity, that he held the WWF Title for 5 years with great honor, everyone looked up to him. Here in WCCW, continued Hayes, while Backlund has shown a new intensity, a new focus, he's still an honorable man. And honorable men keep their word. Hayes demands that Backlund "Be a man of his word", and hand over the belt. (C+) Backlund seems personally affected by Hayes' speech. He removes the belt, and stares at it. For a second, the crowd seems to sense that Backlund might strike Hayes with the belt, but instead, he hands it over to Hayes. (C+). Hayes celebrates with the title as if he won it in a match. (B). Piper looks disgusted. Backlund sadly wanders away, while Hayes continues to celebrate - Jimmy Garvin and Precious come out to celebrate with him.

-Villano III, King Kong Bundy, & Brian Adias defeat Tiger Mask, Ricky Morton, & Tommy Rogers in 13:56 when Villano III pinned Tiger Mask. (C+). During the match, Adias attempted his now-standard "brass knuckle" attack on Tiger Mask, but Tiger Mask was able to elude it. After the match, Gary Hart says that he heard Tiger Mask's "foolish" challenge to a mask v. mask match with Villano III. Hart says that Villano III accepts, and that the match will take place soon. (B-)

-David Von Erich defeats Bob Backlund in 12:42 by pinfall. (B+). This match had been scheduled to be a world title match, but Backlund came out without the belt since he handed it over to Hayes earlier in the show. David finally gets a win over Backlund, but loses out on the title shot.

Overall Show Rating: B- (The show can be considered a success, it should have increased our national popularity).

THOUGHTS

-I definitely know how to run a B- show with this group, that's our 4th in a row. That's a good rating for now, that's easily good enough to improve across the country, but eventually, I need to score a consistent B+/A- to get up to national level.

-In probably one of the biggest moments in history of our tv show, Bob Backlund hands over the belt to Michael Hayes on Piper's Pit. Hayes appears to be the new WCCW World Champion, and Backlund hints at a possible face turn. A lot of possible ways to go from here.

-I was really worried about Backlund in tonight's match, considering he was exhausted after going 30 minutes last night, but he and David had a great match - even better than the match last night, or the one at Mexican Invasion.

-I was happy to get C+ ratings in the tag match and six-man tag match. I've gone back and forth on tag team usage. On the one hand, those matches are way more expensive, and they they're ratings aren't as good. On the other hand, it's a good way to increase the popularity and momentum of a bunch of guys all at once. A guy like Adias isn't going to be in a lot of C+ matches on his own, but to be a part of one with other guys can help him just as much.

-I decided Brody's just going to go away - tonight was the last mention of him in WCCW, and it was only in passing. I can't use him on tv anyway, with the injury, and his contract is up soon.

[molson]

NEWS

-Gran Markus is the last guy to complete the loan contracts we made for Mexican Invasion, he's gone.

-Bob Backlund and Buddy Landell are exhausted after the last show.

-The TV show gets a 0.54 rating. That's the same as last week, which was our high rating since getting the national deal. The upward rating trend might create a difficult decision - do I go dark again for a few weeks in April and try to negotiate a better slot somewhere else?

-It's been an eventual few weeks for Bob Backlund. After winning (and then giving away) the WCCW World Title, he has now also defeated David Schultz to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Schultz managed 20 title defenses, and a 3 month reign.

-I sign retired British wrestler JR Foley for 9 months and $1,350/show. I had never heard of this guy, but was in the market for another road agent, and Foley is strong in the stats important for a Road Agent. He's also British, and was an accomplished manager in Calgary Stampede, so he'd be a good fit for our future British stable. He'll share road agent duties with Bronco Lubich (RIP). I'm rejected by a few other guys who I approached for this kind of role: Pat Patterson, Grizzly Smith.

-I'm also rejected by Randy Savage (I just took a random shot), and Kamala, who I would have used to replace Brody in Hart's stable. He says I'm not big enough. So like Dick Murdoch, I guess he's just going to stay happily unemployed until someone reaches national level and can offer them written deals.

-I do sign Jose Lothario, who will basically replace Steve Armstrong as a babyface jobber. Jose hasn't wrestled for anyone since his contract with us expired 8 months ago. He's still a good all-around guy who's in decent physical shape for his age, and he still has decent overness in Texas. So his role will to be to put over our up-and-coming heels, and hopefully teach them something in the process. He's a little more expensive than I'd like ($1,250/show), but that seems to be the going rate now for someone of his talent.

-Georgia Championship Wrestling does some major "spring cleaning", cutting 7 from the roster. Among them is Road Warrior Hawk (but not Animal). I request negotiations with both. I'm not sure how well their act would work in WCCW, but a feud with The Sheepherders could have some potential, as an "old v. new" deal.

-Interesting news to end the week - Terry Gordy is willing to talk again. And early indications are that he'll be a bargain - around $1,400/show, (though he's only willing to sign for 3 months). I try to offer him more months, and he cut off negotiations for the day (but he'll be back tomorrow, after the next show). I'll pay him what he wants, and it appears he'll be back. (The last time Gordy was with us, he had a monster heel run, lost a title unification match with David, turned on Hayes, and then lost a "loser leaves WCCW match" with Hayes, who assumed control of the Freebirds) Michael Hayes' life is about to get even more complicated.

-I negotiate with Dr. Death Steve Williams for a role as a lower card face, but he wants $1,225/show, which is too much for where he is at this point as a wrestler.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 2, March 1984
St. Joseph, MO (Very Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 1,717. Ticket prices: default
Actual Attendance: 1,758

-Pre-Show Dark Segment
Lord Alfred Hayes interviewed Jose Lothario, who is tonight making his return to WCCW. (D+)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Nikita Koloff defeats Jose Lothario in 9:56 by pinfall. (C-)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
King Kong Bundy defeats Tommy Rodgers in 3:50 by pinfall. (C)

-The new WCCW World Heavyweight Champion, Michael Hayes comes to the ring, showing off his new belt to the crowd. He grabs a mic, tells them that success in wrestling isn't all headlocks and body slams - it's intelligence too. And Hayes says that his brain is mostly responsible for his new title. Hayes also says that his intelligence will also help him retain the title. Unlike "moron" champions like David Von Erich, Hayes says he'll only defend the title once every 30 days, the minimum required under WCCW bylaws. Hayes says he's handpicked his first challenger, and he will defend the title tonight - against Owen Hart. (C-). Fritz Von Erich comes to the ring. He says he'll deal with Hayes in a second, but first, he announces a 10-man battle royal to take place tonight. The winner will get a shot at Kevin Von Erich's TV title tomorrow night at the TV Taping. (D+). Fritz then directs his attention towards Hayes. Fritz says that personally, he feels the way Hayes won the title is "crap". Further, Hayes is the first champion in the history of WCCW who didn't earn his title with a pinfall or submission. Fritz says that the WCCW board of directors has called an emergency meeting for tonight, the results of which will be announced at the TV taping tomorrow. But for now, Fritz says he's not allowing any title defenses. Hayes' match with Owen Hart will be non-title. (C+)

-Non-title match
Michael Hayes defeats Owen Hart in 6:39 by pinfall. (C-)

-Kevin, Kerry, and David Von Erich come to the ring to hype their Six-Man Tag Team Title defense tonight against Gary Hart's stable: King Kong Bundy, Brian Adias, and Villano III. They also say that Mike suffered a concussion as a result of the "mystery" attack last week, and he'll be out of action for a few weeks. (C-)

-Iceman Parsons came to the ring and hyped his upcoming match with Ted Dibiase. (C)

-Ted Dibiase defeats Iceman Parsons in 9:42 by pinfall. (C+) After the match, Ted Dibiase cuts a promo, bragging about his dominance thus far in WCCW. Arman Hussein is by his side. (B-)

-10-Man Battle Royal
-Winner gets TV title shot
Jimmy Garvin wins the Battle Royal in 10:31. The last 3 men were Garvin, Ricky Morton, and Buddy Roberts. The 2 members of the Freebirds initially tried to double-team Morton, but an argument between them allowed Morton to eliminate Roberts. Other participants in the match were King Kong Bundy, Super Kendo, Chris Adams, Brian Adias, Buddy Landell, Tommy Rodgers, and Iceman Parsons. (C-). After the match, Jimmy Garvin celebrates in the ring. (D)

-Sunshine comes to the ring with a T-shirt gun, shooting souveinirs into the crowd. (C-)

-Gary Hart's stable comes to the ring for their title shot. Before the match, Gary Hart announces that the contracts have been signed, Villano III will face Tiger Mask in a mask v. mask match at WCCW's Last Man Standing show at the end of the month. (C-)

-WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship
The Von Erichs defeat Brian Adias, King Kong Bundy, and Villano III in 24:54 when David pinned Adias. The Von Erichs make their 2nd defense of their titles. Bundy and Adias were exhausted by the end of the match. (C+)

Overall Show Rating: C

THOUGHTS

-Pretty bad show, but at least we were in the midwest, so our popularity might still have a modest increase there. Nothing really bombed, but we didn't have any really good segments. The highest rated thing on the whole show was Dibiase's promo. But hopefully the show gave our some guys on our roster the chance to increase their overness in the midwest.

-The biggest isssue with the midwest for us is that even though over popularity there is gaining on our Texas popularity, the Von Erichs still aren't really a big deal there (except for David), as evidenced by their C- promo there tonight. And tonight's show was further handicapped by the fact that our most popular guys in the midwest weren't featured (Backlund, Adonis, Eaton, Ware).

-For a brief time, I considered having Hayes defend the title against Hart, and have David actually cost Hayes the title. One angle I've never seen in wrestling is the "out of his league fluke world champion" (I don't count Vince Russo), and aftermath where the entire roster is scrambling for that first title shot. But here, I've gone with a more sensible solution that will be announced at the TV taping.

[molson]

NEWS

-The TV taping tomorrow night will be the 100th show I've booked since the dynasty started. And I'm two game weeks away from completing one year in game time. I'm still into it, and don't see the dynasty ending anytime soon. I'm pretty determined to get into 1985 (when PPVs become available), get to national status, and eventually have an all-out war with the survivor of the "Death of the Territories" era, whether it be the WWF, AWA, Georgia, or Mid-Atlantic.

-King Kong Bundy is exhausted after the last show. The big man doesn't have great stamina anyway, and his work schedule between the 4 companies he works for is ridiculous. He wrestled 18 matches in February, and 6 so far in the first 8 days of Match.

-It's official, Terry Gordy is back in WCCW. He signs for an incredibly reasonable $1,475/show, but only for 3 months. Storyline-wise, he lost a "loser leaves WCCW for 6 months" match 8 months ago, so he can jump right back into the ring. The obvious thing to do is bring him in as a face and have him feud with Hayes. But it's also tempting to finally run a "proper" Von Erichs v. Freebirds storyline (which had previously been cut short).

[Senator]

Baby Huey is BACK!

a "proper" Von Erichs v. Freebirds storyline - that would be cool.

David would have been dead a month now IRL, it is cool seeing would would have been.

[hoosierdude]

Truly enjoying this Molson. Please continue.

Having watched the Von Erichs on TV then thru cable, (sighs.. I hate you WWE) it was fantastic to read this and enjoy.

Also very very close to what I watched those years ago!

THANKS.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS WRESTLING (TV TAPING)
Tuesday, Week 2, March 1984
Austin, TX (Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 5,352; Ticket Prices: +$4 over default
Actual Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT)

-This is the 100th WCCW show since the dynasty started

-Pre Show Dark Match
Tommy Rodgers defeated Al Perez in 5:09 by pinfall. (D+). After the match, Lance Russell interviewed Rodgers about the match, and his future in WCCW. (D-)

-Pre Show Dark Match
Buddy Landell defeats Villano IV in 7:13 by submission. (B-). The two showed great chemistry.

-Fritz Von Erich comes to the ring to a great ovation. The announcers recap the recent WCCW World Championship controversy. Fritz says that the WCCW board of directors met late into the night, and have reached a decision. He says that the WCCW World Heavyweight Championship is relatively new, so they couldn't work from precedent, rather, they had to create precedent. They decided that the WCCW Heavyweight Title will never be a commodity to be bought and sold. Therefore, the championship is hearby declared vacant. Technically, explains Fritz, their decision is retroactive to the moment Backlund surrendered the title - therefore, Hayes will not be recognized as a former world champion. (B)

-An enraged Hayes storms to the ring to confront Fritz, yelling every insult in the book. Finally, he says that while Fritz can do whatever he wants with the "meaningless" WCCW record books, he will NEVER surrender the title belt itself. He then leaves the ring, still retaining possession of the belt. (B)

-Before he can get back to the locker room, a returning Terry Gordy suddenly steps into his path. Hayes looks shocked. Gordy appears to be demanding that Hayes hand the belt over. Instead, a panicked Hayes tries to strike Gordy with the belt. Gordy ducks, and kicks Hayes in the gut. The two are separated by road agents and security before it can get any more physical, but Gordy ends up with the title belt, and Hayes retreats to the locker room. Gordy then goes to the ring, hands Fritz the belt, and leaves the ringside area without another world (B-)

-Fritz grins, but doesn't otherwise acknowledge what he just saw. Then, he announces that the WCCW World Heavyweight Championship will be awarded to the winner of the 2nd annual King of Texas Wrestling Tournament, to be held at the end of next month. He says that the tournament will be even bigger than last years, as it will include 12 competitors, with 4 men receiving first round byes. He says that 3 of the 4 byes will be awarded to the 3 men at the center of the title controversy - Bob Backlund, Michael Hayes, and David Von Erich. He says the 4th bye will be awarded at this month's inaugural Last Man Standing event. More details will be announced shortly. (B+)

-The Sheepherders come to the ring for their match, wearing casts, bandages, and using crutches. They are mocking the injuries of Koko B. Ware and Bobby Eaton. (B-)

-Non-Title Match
The Sheepherders defeat Owen Hart and Jose Lothario in in 6:58 when Miller pinned Hart. (C-)

-The Great Kabuki defeats Brian Adias in 7:48 by pinfall. (C+)

-Lance Russell interviews Terry Gordy backstage, asking him why he's here tonight. Gordy says he has re-signed with WCCW, as the 6-month stipulation from the match with Hayes has ended. He says he hadn't planned on making an apperance tonight, but he was annoyed by Hayes' whining and decided to do something about it. (C+)

-A video is played hyping Nikita Koloff, Boris Malenko, and Malenko's victory cigar shtick. (C)

-Nikita Koloff drew with Ricky Morton in 10:20 by double countout. (B). Malenko never had the chance to light his "victory cigar" during the match.

-Jimmy Garvin hypes his upcoming TV title shot against Kevin Von Erich - a shot he earned by winning the battle royal last night. He says that the "moron" Von Erichs are paranoid, blaming Buddy Roberts for the recent attacks on Mike Von Erich despite Robert's insistence that he had nothing to do with it. Garvin then claims that he is responsible for taking out Mike, and frankly, is tired of Roberts getting the credit for it. (D+)

-Ted Dibiase defeats Iceman Parsons in in 9:44 by submission. (B+)

-WCCW TV Title Match
-TV Time remaining (not the standard 15:00 time limit)
Kevin Von Erich defeats Jimmy Garvin in 17:14 by submission to make his 5th defense of the TV title. The two showed great chemistry. Kevin showed extra aggressiveness (and recklessness) after Garvin's earlier announcement that he was responsible for the attack on Mike. The announcers speculate that Garvin was perhaps trying to throw off Kevin's concentration.

Overall Show Rating: B- (The show can be considered a success, it should have increased our overall popularity).

THOUGHTS:

-A great beginning and ending to this show, but the middle kept us at a B-. Still, that'll help our popularity.

-So the world title situation is now half Zbysko/Orndorff/Georgia and half Andre/Hogan/Wrestlemania IV. I have no idea who's going to end up the world champion, but I have decided that "Last Man Standing" at the end of the month will be another gimmick event - we're going to rip off the Battle Bowl/Lethal Lottery concept from WCW. In our version, there will be 5 tag team matches, with "random" pairings. The 5 winning teams take part in a 10-man battle royal at the end of the night - the winner will be the "Last Man Standing", and in this case, will get a first round bye in the world title tournament.

-I'm a fan of the theme/gimmick events, since they help to distinguish the big monthly shows. As our first year winds down, we've established 4 annual "tournament titles" - King of Texas Wrestling, Royal Rumble, King of the Texas Deathmatch, and Last Man Standing. The inaugural winners so far are David Von Erich, Manny Fernandez, and Bruiser Brody, respectively.

-Dibaise and Parsons had a great match - best match ever for Parsons.

-I'm not really a huge fan of the Roberts/Mike/Garvin angle, it started months ago and isn't very compelling. There's a good chance it disappears and is somehow merged with whatever happens with Gordy/Hayes and the Von Erichs.

-Koloff has his best-ever match, with Ricky Morton (and the only other time Morton scored a "B" was with Bob Backlund). It's a good sign, since these two are in the start of a feud.

-Buddy Landell and Villano IV really surprised on the pre-show, delivering a "B" match. Villano IV is still only 18 - he might have as bright a future as Villano III.

[molson]

NEWS

-I installed the latest patch before the last show. If anyone else is playing TEW, they hide the new patches in the "Tech Support" forum on the site since they're considered "temporary". They've installed about 5 or 6 versions of the latest temporary patch over the last 3 or 4 months, sill no official release. But apparently, they've tweaked things some things in the AI.

-I had requested negotiations with Jushin Liger for our upcoming cruiserweight division, but he rejects me and signs with All Japan.

-Kerry Von Erich was late for the last show. This is hardly the first offense, so I suspend him for a week.

-The TV show gets a 0.51 rating. That's lower than the last 3 weeks, but still strong.

-The Road Warriors are coming to World Class. Animal signs for $1,300/show, Hawk for $1,025. Both of them are pretty bad wrestlers at this point, but they already have very high "entertainment" ratings. I'll probably start them off in a face run against The Sheepherders.

-One of the biggest stars in the world, Harley Race, suffered a serious arm injury and will be out of action for a year. I just recently imported all of the "default file" injuries into my current game. I don't know if that will have the effect of increasing injuries in the game, but that's what I'm hoping for.

-Ivan Koloff won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Dusty Rhodes. The same night, Jay Youngblood wins the United States Championship from Greg Valentine.

-Superstar Billy Graham failed a steroid test with the WWF.

[molson]

NEWS

-Chris Adams has been a nice project for us at a bargain price of $500/show. His contract is up soon, and I've requested negotiations. Now, he wants $1,900/show. This is an extremely difficult decision. He's not worth that money, but he's still a good, well-rounded worker who has room to improve. And beyond that, he's a core WCCW guy - I do want to keep as much as the original roster that I can. So I bite the bullet, and offer the $1,900, and then he decides he wants even more. I push the offer up to $1,950, still no deal, and Adams cuts of negotiations until tomorrow.

-I also talk with Sunshine, who wants a raise from $900/show to $1,300/show. I decide to just let her contract run out in a cost-cutting move. She'll be around for 2 more weeks. Sunshine in an OK performer outside of the ring, but I haven't had any angles for her since the Adams/Parsons split, and now, she's just hanging around David Von Erich as his valet. In the future, we'll stick to male managers, and perhaps start a women's wrestling division down the road.

-I've set the Road Warriors as midcard babyfaces. Their face rating is abysmal, but with so little in the tag team division, and with the heel Sheepherders already on the roster, it makes sense to start them out as faces, and save the heel turn for down the road.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 3, March 1984
Gainesville, FL (Tiny Venue - Southeast)
Expected Attendance: 791 Ticket prices: $1 less than default
Actual Attendance: 885

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Jose Lothario drew with Doug Somers in 10:00 when the time limit expired. (D+). Somers was limited by his continuing migrane issue. Before the match, lord Alfred Hayes interviewed both Lothario (E+), and Somers (E).

-Pre-Show Dark Segment
Lord Alfred Hayes interviewed Al Perez about his upcoming match on the main show with Terry Gordy. (D+)

-Terry Gordy defeated Al Perez in 6:24 by submission. (C). After the match, Gordy cut a promo about his return to WCCW. He also expresses some disgust about the current state of the Freebirds. He says that if Jimmy Garvin and Buddy Roberts knew what was good for them, they might just leave Michael Hayes and reform the Freebirds with Gordy (C+)

-Ricky Morton hyped his upcoming match with Bob Backlund. (C) Bob Backlund cut a promo as well. He says regrets selling the world title to Hayes, and that when he wins the title again at the King of Texas Wrestling show, no living soul will ever be able to pry it away from him.

-Bob Backlund defeated Ricky Morton in 14:35 by submission. (B-)

-Buddy Roberts comes to the ring for his scheduled match, and again apologizes for the injury that Mike Von Erich suffered a few months back, and also expresses disgust at the recent attacks on Mike. (C)

-Roddy Piper defeats Buddy Roberts in 10:59 by submission. (B+). Roberts was doing his "disingenuous babyface" shtick during the match, but neither Piper nor the fans were buying it. After the match, Bill Mercer comes to the ring to attempt to interview Piper, he also announces that a Piper v. Adonis match has been signed to the Last Man Standing event. (D+). Piper tells Mercer he doesn't need any help with the interview, and kicks him out of the ring. Then he cuts a promo of his own, running down Adonis. (C)

-David & Kevin Von Erich hyped their upcoming tag team match against Bundy & Adias. (D+)

-David & Kevin Von Erich defeat King Kong Bundy & Brian Adias in 9:16 when David pinned Adias. (C+)

-Tiger Mask came to the ring and hyped his main event match tonight, as well as his mask v. mask match at Last Man Standing against Villano III. (C-)

-Tiger Mask defeated Michael Hayes in 14:41 by DQ when Hayes turned Tiger Mask's mask around and hit him with a chair. (B+)

Overall Show Rating: B-

THOUGHTS

-A very solid show in the southeast region. We used more big stars than I wanted to, and the show was a big financial loss, I'm sure, but it'll be another small step forward in Southeast popularity.

-This was Tiger Mask's first ever main event slot for us in the U.S., and he delivers with a B+ in an odd pairing with Michael Hayes.

-It was pretty shocking to see a D+ promo from David and Kevin. David's pretty popular in the southeast now, after I've used him in so many main event matches here, but Kevin is still pretty unknown, so I guess that brought the rating down.

-In Piper's 10th match with us, he reaches B+ for only the second time. The southeast is one of Piper's 3 or 4 top regions (unfortunately, Texas still isn't in that list)

[molson]

NEWS

-The Chris Adams negotiations pick up again. I go all the way up to $2,100/show. Still no deal. So Chris Adams calls off negotiations again, until tomorrow, which will be the last chance. Right now, I'm leaning towards not making any more offers. Adams is also currently wrestling for two other Cult-sized promotions, New Japan and Georgia, so apparently he feels he has leverage.

-I also negotiate with Jim Garvin, who's contract is up in a few months. He wants approximately $1,540/show a raise from $800/show. Garvin's stature has really fallen in the last 6 months or so, so this seems like an easy opportunity to cut back on our roster, which has needed trimming forever. So I call off negotiations, and will let his contract expire in about 2 weeks. This is also bad news for Garvin's valet Precious, who's contract is up in 41 days. I'll let that run out as well.

-I hate to see two core WCCW guys like Adams and Garvin go, but there's a chance that like Gordy, they'll be back some day. So almost 1 year into the dynasty, with those guys on the way out, I'll be down to 13 wrestlers who were with me when the dynasty started (including Lothario and Gordy, who left and then were brought back). Not surprisingly, more than half of those 13 are either Von Erichs or Freebirds.

-The biggest contract negotiation comes after the next show, when I have talks scheduled with David Von Erich, who's deal is up in a few weeks. I'll pay him whatever he wants (though it would be something if Fritz capped out the offer), I'm just dreading what that amount might be. Currently, he's making a ridiculously low $1,000/show - that makes him our 28th highest paid employee (there's only 21 people making less than him).

-Worker cost inflation has gone up a ton in the last year - it'll be interesting to see how that dynamic plays out going forward.

[molson]

NEWS

-One thing I haven't paid attention too much is the ratings that reflect the state of the wrestling business and economy in various regions. So just for reference purposes, here they are as of March, 1984:

-USA
Economy: B (And Falling)
Wrestling Industry: C (And Falling)

-Canada
Economy: E+ (And Rising)
Wrestling Industry: D- (And Falling)

-Mexico
Economy: E (And Falling)
Wrestling Industry: B+ (And Falling)

-UK
Economy: C- (And Falling)
Wrestling Industry: C- (And Falling)

-Japan
Economy: C (And Falling)
Wrestling Industry: C (And Falling)

-Europe
Economy: C- (And Rising)
Wrestling Industry: D (And Rising)

[molson]

WORLD CLASS WRESTLING (TV TAPING)
Tuesday, Week 3, March 1984
Dallas, TX (Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 5,352; Ticket Prices: +$4 over default
Actual Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT)

-Kerry Von Erich is still suspended, and will not take part in this show.

-Pre-Show Dark Match
The Road Warriors defeat Frank Dusek & Doug Sommers in 8:35 when Animal pinned Sommers. (D+). Animal seemed off his game. Sommers was limited by his nagging migraine issue. After the match, Lance Russell interviewed the debuting Road Warriors (D).

-Pre-Show Dark Match
King Kong Bundy defeated Owen Hart in 2:18 by pinfall. (C). The two showed poor chemistry.

-Fritz Von Erich came to the ring. He hypes the Last Man Standing event to take place next week, and says that there may be some wrestlers from "out of town" who will be eligible to be drafted in the "Lethal Lottery". He repeats that the eventual winner of the event will get the coveted 4th 1st-round bye spot in the 12-man King of Texas Tournament to be held in April (for the vacant WCCW World title). He says that since Bob Backlund, David Von Erich, and Michael Hayes already have the other 3 first-round byes, they won't take part in the Lethal Lottery. Instead, they'll face each other in a 3-way match in the main event that night. Fritz says there'll be a lot at stake in that match as well, as the winner will get to choose his quarter-final opponent at Last Man Standing, from the winners of the 1st-round matches that night. (B-)

-Lance Russell interviews Terry Gordy about his match tonight against his former Freebird partner, Jimmy Garvin. Gordy says he hopes Garvin has an open mind, because he may have a business proposition for him. (C)

-Ted Dibiase defeats Tommy Rodgers in 6:31 by pinfall. (C+). After the match, Dibiase cuts a lengthy promo, saying he's beaten everyone WCCW has put in front of him, and he's ready to go to the next level. He says one way or another, he's getting into the King of Texas Wrestling tournament, and he'll be the next world champion. (B)

-Lance Russel interviews Boris Malenko about his client, The Russian Nightmare, Nikita Koloff. Malenko says his man is eying the world title as well, and he's saving a special victory cigar for that night. (C)

-Buddy Roberts come out to the announce table, puts on a headset, and tells Russell and Marc Lowerence that he's put together a video that he wants played. Russell tries to tell Roberts that they have a schedule for the show in front of them, and don't see anything about a video from Roberts. Roberts continues to harass them, and suddenly, the video kicks in. The video shows Roberts performing a series of good deeds around the Dallas community, working at a soup kitchen, helping an old lady cross a street - it appears to be completely staged, and again, the fans and Russell aren't buying the shtick at all. (C)

-Terry Gordy and Jimmy Garvin are announced for their match, and are both in the ring. Gordy says he has a business proposition for Garvin - dump Hayes, and re-form the Freebirds with Gordy. Garvin and Precious both look intrigued, and begin talking amongst themselves. Michael Hayes then runs down the ring, grabs a mic, and tells Gordy that the answer is no, that Garvin wants no part of Gordy. He then yells to the timekeeper to ring the bell, which he does, and the match is on (with no official answer from Garvin). (C+)

-Terry Gordy defeated Jimmy Garvin in 12:41 by pinfall, despite interference from Michael Hayes. (B-)

-A video is played hyping the Tiger Mask/Villano III feud, and their mask v. mask match at Last Man Standing next week. The video shows highlights of their match at Mexican Invasion, Villano's attacks on Tiger Mask, and both of their promos over the last few months. (B-)

-Adrian Adonis & Villano III defeated Roddy Piper & Tiger Mask when Adonis pinned Piper in 20:39 after interference from Skandor Akbar, and while Tiger Mask was occupied outside the ring with Villano III and Gary Hart. (B).

-David Von Erich defeated Michael Hayes in 13:43 by pinfall. (B+)

Overall Show Rating: B- (The show can be considered a success, it should have increased our overall popularity)

THOUGHTS:

-I still can't pull off the elusive "B" rating (23 straight shows without one), but another solid show.

-I hope the the world title/last man standing/king of texas wrestling stuff isn't too complicated. It's just my attempt to have as many matches as possible really "mean something". To recap, 12-man tournament at the King of Texas Wrestling Show for the vacant world title. There will be 4 1st-round byes. Backlund, David, and Hayes get three of the byes. The 4th will go to the winner of Last Man Standing event (which is the Lethal Lottery/Battle Bowl concept - 5 tag team matches, with randomly drawn participants, with the 5 winning teams taking part in a battle royal at the end of the tonight). Hayes/Backlund/David have a 3-way match that night, and the winner will be able to pick his quarter-final opponent at Last Man Standing, from the men who won their first round matches that night. Finally, the remaining 8 contestants in the tournament will be determined in a series of "qualification matches" over the next few weeks. Got all that?

-I'm surprised the odd tag match pairing in the semi-main event got such a good rating. It's cool to see Tiger Mask & Villano III develop into reliable U.S. main event-caliber stars.

-Hayes and Gordy are fighting over the Freebird group, but I'm being careful not to have them get too physically involved with each other right now, in case I decide to have them team back up with Roberts and reunite the original group (and have Gordy turn on whatever babyface friends he makes by then, as part of the "plan all along"). Of course, Garvin's now out of the company soon anyway, so he's not really a factor.

-The Dibiase "B" level promo is a great sign that he's a legitimate world title contender. He now has greater overness in Texas than anywhere else.

-I don't know if the Road Warriors are going to be good fit with us - their debut match on the pre-show was awful. I'll give them a chance to build up popularity in our main regions and see how the crowd responds.

[molson]

NEWS

-King Kong Bundy and Roddy Piper are exhausted after the last show.

-Kerry Von Erich's suspension has ended.

-Terry Gordy and Tiger Mask are late for the last show. I believe it's the first time for both guys, so they both get a warning.

-The UWA (out of Mexico) has risen to cult status, becoming the 8th promotion in the world to do so. Both Mexican promotions are now at that level.

-Negotiations with David Von Erich were successful, but have also have added a new challenge to the dynasty. David re-signs at a pretty reasonable $1,925/show for 18 months, but demanded creative control, which I reluctantly gave him. David now has the power to basically stop storylines and booking plans in their tracks - he can veto a booked defeat in any match, up to the minute the match happens (so I won't have any warning). This will create some interesting decisions down the road.

-Ted Dibiase signs with All-Japan, so he's no longer exclusive to us. He still considers us his priority company though.

-The TV show gets a 0.53 rating. That's about our average over the last month.

-In Stampede wrestling, The Rougeau Brothers defeated Bret & Bruce Hart for the tag team championship. If I ever play another game of TEW after this one, I'm playing as Stampede, I love that roster.

-Jerry Lawler, who has been unemployed since his CWA went out of business, is back in the business, signing with Georgia.

-The WWF held their inaugural Wrestlemania event. It's an odd card:

Frankie Williams defeats Salvatore Bellomo
Bob Backlund defeats Samula to retain the IC Championship
JYD & Butch Reed defeat Tony Garea & Eddie Gilbert
SD Jones defeats Superstar Billy Graham
Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson defeat Mr. Fuji & Tiger Chung Lee
Big John Studd & Pedro Morales defeat David Schultz & Michael Hayes
Paul Orndorff & Austin Idol defeat Hulk Hogan & Don Kernodle
The Invaders defeat the Wild Samoans retain the WWF Tag Team Titles
Jose Luis Rivera defeats Charlie Fulton
Scott Irwin defeats Larry Zbyskzo to retain the WWF World Title
Magnum TA & Tito Santana defeat Johnny Rodz & Jules Strongbow

[DeToxRox]

I may be in the same boat with you in my ECW game. I think I am going to not get a new network to show interest and I can't keep do things the way they're going right now. So what is your suggestion? Run two shows a week and travel the areas I wanna get over in?

[molson]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

I may be in the same boat with you in my ECW game. I think I am going to not get a new network to show interest and I can't keep do things the way they're going right now. So what is your suggestion? Run two shows a week and travel the areas I wanna get over in?

I think there's two big things you have to shoot for in this game

1. Accomplish your owner's goals
2. Rise to the next level

In your case, getting to Cult accomplishes both, so that's gotta be the focus. I saw that you're reached 53.1% in New England, does that mean you're reached cult overall (53.1% in two or more regions?). If so, I'd work on getting a buffer there so you don't fall back down.

Then, you have to make a tough decision about the TV situation. It sounds like no network wants to be your 2nd TV show. In order to get a network with more coverage, you might have to wait for a time when new networks start accepting applications, cancel your existing show, then try to get on a network with a broader reach. You'll be off TV for a while, and risk is that you can't find another network in time, keeping you dark for an entire season (3 months). But if it works, you can can improve your popularity in more regions at the same time, which is really the only way to ever get to national status. (For me, a B- show on national TV is huge, because I started at around D- is most regions, so I'm shooting up everywhere. Eventually, I'll have to figure out how to get to B or B+ consistently to get to national status, but for now, I'm making progress every show).

I was able to do that in my dynasty a while ago - I was dark for about 3 weeks, but when I came back to TV, I was national.

The one concern I would have is how many TV networks you have in your mod, and if there was a one that fit where you needed to be. If it doesn't look like there's enough in there, I'd imput the networks from the default file.

[DeToxRox]

Yeah your advice sums up my thoughts. We're at cult, with a good buffer in Tri City but just over the hump in New England. I plan on going to Great Lakes next but I'd love a TV show to keep things rolling. Regardless, we'll get by.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 4, March 1984
Rochester, MN (Very Small Venue - Midwest)
Expected Attendance: 1,717 Ticket prices: $1 more than default
Actual Attendance: 1,511

-It's been a little bit since the last update. The 1-year mark of the dynasty is upon us, and I'm planning a pretty big recap - mostly for my own reference purposes. So I've been putting that off somewhat, but now that DaddyTorgo has killed me off in WW, I hope to get in a few shows this weekend.

-The dynasty is alive and well, and I have quite a few long-term programs in mind.

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Ricky Morton defeats Al Perez in 4:45 by pinfall. (C)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Tommy Rodgers defeats Nikita Koloff in 4:53 by countout. (D+). Koloff was in control of the match, when his manager Boris Malenko lit his "victory cigar". Ricky Morton quickly showed up from the back, and punched Malenko in the head, making him drop the cigar. (C-) Koloff left the ring to check on Malenko, allowing Rodgers to win the match via countout. Morton grabbed a mic away from Lance Russell, who was sitting at ringside, and explained that Rodgers is a friend of his, and he's tired of the "bush league" cigar shtick. He also references his match with Koloff from a few weeks ago. Malenko and Koloff come over to confront him - the three men argue, and Russell does his best to keep them apart. (C-)

-As the main show starts, David, Kerry, and Kevin Von Erich come to the ring to hype their 6-man tag team title defense tonight against Backlund, Hayes, and Garvin. They claim that as brothers, they've never been stronger or closer. They also doubt that Backlund can get along with Hayes, after the events between them the last few weeks. (C)

-Tiger Mask defeats Villano IV in 12:48 by pinfall. (C-)

-Terry Gordy defeats Chris Adams in 20:15 by submission. (C). After the match, Gordy cut a promo, where he said he's the man to beat in this week's "Last Man Standing" Event. He also addresses the current Freebirds - Michael Hayes, Buddy Roberts, and Jimmy Garvin. He says that the group has "sucked" since Gordy left, and again invites Roberts and Garvin to leave Hayes and join Gordy. (C)

-Adrian Adonis defeats Iceman Parsons in 8:37 by pinfall. (B). After the match, Skandor Akbar hands Adonis a pair of scissors. Adonis proceeds to cut a braid of Parson's hair off. (C-). Adonis then cuts a promo hyping his match with Roddy Piper this week at Last Man Standing. Adonis says that his talk show is better than Piper's, that he's better looking, a better wrestler, and has better hair. Once the world realizes this, says Adonis, we'll all be better off. At Last Man Standing, says Adonis, he might just take a souvenir from Piper. (C).

-Micheal Hayes and Jimmy Garvin come out for the main-event six-man title match. Bob Backlund follows them from a distance, and lingers outside the ring as Hayes and Garvin cut a promo inside the ring. Hayes does all the talking - he first says that Garvin and Roberts have no interest in joining Gordy. Hayes says that Buddy Robert's head has been "somewhere else" lately, but he'll back in top form soon. Tonight says Hayes, he and Garvin will control the match, and "unleash" Backlund as necessary to win the titles. Backlund is still on the outside, looking irritated with Hayes. Hayes also hypes the Hayes/Backlund/David Triple Threat match at Last Man Standing. (C+)

-WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship Match
The Von Erichs defeat Michael Hayes, Bob Backlund, and Jimmy Garvin in 14:38 when David made Garvin submit. (B-). The champs make their 3rd defense of their titles. Backlund was a machine during the match, destroying everything in his path, including at one point, Jimmy Garvin. The Von Erichs were able to work much better together, giving them the win. (B-). After the match, Backlund starts to leave the ringside area, as Hayes strikes David with a chair. Hayes and Garvin attack David 2-1, while the other two Von Erichs lie temporarily incapacitated outside the ring. (C+) Backlund is almost at the end of the entrance-area when he turns, looks at the ring, hesitates, and then runs to the ring to make the save for David, striking both Hayes and Garvin with a chair. Backlund then leaves all three men lying in the ring. (C+)

Overall Show Rating: C+

THOUGHTS:

-OK show since we were in the midwest.

-That wasn't quite a full face-turn by Backlund, but at this point, it's clear that he hates Hayes more than David and the Von Erichs. Backlund has always had an air on insanity since he came in to WCCW, now, there's just more violence behind it.

-I was surprised by some the match ratings in this show - particularly Gordy v. Adams getting only a C. It's job city at this point for Adams and Garvin, since they're both on the way out, but neither will be buried too badly.

-Match of the night, surprisingly, was Adonis v. Parsons. And Adonis introduces a new element to the Piper feud - cutting hair.

[molson]

NEWS

-Doug Sommers has finally healed fully from his migrane issue, which has plagued him for months. He'll continue to spend most of his time teaming with Frank Dusek.

-Buddy Roberts arrived late to the last show. I really wish the game would a history of discipline issues. I'm sure it's not Robert's 1st offense though, so he's fined.

-I've loaned in 3 guys from Houston Championship wrestling for a 1-night apperance at Last Man Standing - Gino Hernandez, Jake Roberts, and Jesse Ventura. HCW is a natural trading partner since in a loan trade, the AI promotion requires guys who's overness match up in their home region with the guy they're trading. Obviously, my big stars are big in Texas, so HCW values them.

-I've requested negotiations with Kevin Von Erich, who's contract is up in 2 weeks, and Koko B. Ware/Bobby Eaton, who are up in about a month. I'm not too worried about the Kevin negotiations, but talks with Eaton & Ware should be interesting. They're making $650 and $550/show, respectively, making them the best bargains on my roster. Eaton has been such a success that my booking team thinks he should be a main eventer. If their demands aren't reasonable, and I can't re-sign them, there's a good chance they just "stay injured" from The Sheepherders attack and not come back.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS WRESTLING (TV TAPING)
Tuesday, Week 4, March 1984
Dallas, TX (Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 5,247; Ticket Prices: +$4 over default
Actual Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT)

-This show will air this Sunday, after Saturday's Last Man Standing event. Since the big event isn't for a few days, we don't have to worry too much about fatigue issues coming from tonight's show. Still, a lot of the top stars will have the night off, since a lot of our top storylines will be probably be dramatically alerted by the events of Last Man Standing.

-Pre-Show Dark Match
The Road Warriors defeat Al Perez & Super Kendo in 6:54 when Animal pinned Perez. (D+). After the match, Lance Russell interviewed the Road Warriors about their win. (D+)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Owen Hart defeats Villano V in 3:47 by pinfall. (C-)

-As the show opens, the announcers hype the main event - Kevin Von Erich v. King Kong Bundy for the WCCW TV Title. They note that with the world title vacant until the King of Texas Wrestling Event at the end of next month, Kevin is currently the top singles champion in WCCW. (C+)

-Fritz Von Erich comes to the ring and announces that the opening match on tonight's show will be a first in professional wrestling history. A triple threat tag team ladder match. A briefcase, hanging above the ring, contains a contract for a WCCW World Tag Team Title Match. The winners of the contract will get a shot against The Sheepherders - the catch is, that title match will take place immediately. (D+)

-Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder Match
-Winner gets WCCW World Tag Team Championship Title Shot
Buddy Landell & Iceman Parsons defeat Frank Dusek & Doug Sommers and Villanos IV and V to win the contract. (D)

-WCCW World Tag Team Championship Match
The Sheepherders defeat Buddy Landell & Iceman Parsons in 8:04 when Miller pinned Parsons. (C). The Sheepherders make their 2nd title defense. Landell & Parsons were clearly weakened from the prior match.

-Ricky Morton defeats Brian Adias in 7:56 by pinfall. (B-). After the match. Lance Russell interviews Morton about the win, and his recent altercations with Nikita Koloff and Boris Malenko. Malenko interrupts the interview, and he and Morton argue. Suddenly, Koloff attacks Morton from behind, wrapping a steel chain around Morton's neck, as Malenko kicks Morton in the chest. Malenko and Koloff eventually enter the ring, leaving Morton a bloody, unconscious mess. (C+) Morton is checked on by the referee and Marc Lowrence. Lowrence then makes a request over the house mic for a doctor to come to ringside. (D) Eventually, Morton is stretchered away. (C) Still in the ring, Malenko and Koloff taunt Morton, mocking him as he's stretchered away. (C)

-Kerry Von Erich comes to the ring and cuts a promo, saying that he's going to get into the King of Texas Wrestling tournament next month, and be the next WCCW World Champion. He says that fate may put one of his brothers between him and his goal that night, but he'll do what he has to do. (C)

-Kerry Von Erich defeated Chris Adams in 22:26 by pinfall. (D+). The announcers point out the slump Adams has been in since losing the managerial services of Gary Hart.

-Bill Mercer interviews Kevin Von Erich about his upcoming title defense against King Kong Bundy. (C+)

-WCCW TV Title Match
Kevin Von Erich drew with King Kong Bundy in 10:00 when the time limit expired. (B-). Kevin makes his 6th defense of the TV title.

Overall Show Rating: C (The show can be considered a success, it should have improved our overall popularity).

THOUGHTS:

-This was a pretty crappy show, but good enough to increase our popularity across the country (except for Texas and the midwest)

-Kevin and Bundy really saved us from getting a horrible rating with the decent main event. I've really changed my opinion on Bundy - at one point, I was considering using him as a non-wrestling bodyguard, but now, he's wrestling decent matches.

-I'm pretty shocked by the crapfest that was Kerry and Adams. I've been using JR Foley as my new primary road agent, and I'm wondering if that's having a negative effect on my match ratings. Foley has better "Psychology" ratings than former top agent Bronco Lubich, and has the same rating in Respect. Those are the two relevant road agent ratings, as far as I know. From now on, they'll split duties. But back to Kerry and Adams, that was awful - especially since I gave them over 20 minutes. Kerry really hasn't established himself too well, he's clearly the #3 Von Erich at this point. I'm glad I didn't throw major money at Adams.

-Morton/Koloff are getting a fair amount of time for their feud. Mostly, they're benefiting from the fact that most of my other storylines are awaiting Last Man Standing, so they're getting the chance to shine in the meantime. They've done fine considering where they are on the roster.

-I pretty much have no challengers for The Sheepherders at this point, so the gimmicky ladder match deal was just a chance for them to get an easy title defense. I've actually learned a few things about the wrestling business during this game - for one thing, building a good tag division is extremely difficult. There's a tendency to put anyone that's worth anything in singles matches, leaving mostly guys you have no ideas for in the tag ranks. Plus, in the era of pay-per-show contracts, you have to pay twice as many guys for a tag team match. Plus, you're naturally going to have way fewer tag teams than singles wrestlers, so you're going to burn out our matchups pretty quickly. So for now, The Sheepherders will continue to dominate everyone in their path until either Koko & Eaton come back, The Road Warriors improve, or I bring in another high profile team.

[molson]

NEWS

-Rick Martel won the AWA TV title from Curt Hennig

-I don't know if migraines are contagious, but suddenly Buddy Landell has come down with them as well. Which means he'll be limited for the next several months. Sucks for him, there's going to be room to push new guys with Garvin and Adams on the way out.

-The TV show gets a 0.45 rating. That's our worst rating in 6 weeks - not surprising after that crappy show.

-Andre the Giant, currently working only for New Japan, is suffering from Multiple Concussion Syndrome - he'll be out about a year.

-Our old friend Manny Fernandez won Georgia Championship Wrestling's National Heavyweight Championship defeating The Spoiler. Manny also is still the Central States Heavyweight Champion, a title he's held for almost 20 months now.

-The UWF, a new Japan promotion that opened in the last few months, has crowned it's first champion - Bad News Brown.

-"Dizzy" Ed Hogan (aka Brutus Beefcake) won his first ever singles title, the Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (which is a lower-level title in Mid-Atlantic) from Magic Dragon.

-Bobby Eaton re-signs for a big raise - $1,800/show for 18 months (up from $650/show in his previous contract). Negotiations with Koko B. Ware and Kevin Von Erich don't produce an agreement in day 1, but I'm optimistic I'll sign both shortly after Last Man Standing.

[molson]

WCCW: Last Man Standing
Saturday, Week 4, March 1984
Dallas, TX (Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 5,247 Ticket Prices: $3 over default
Actual Attendance: 4,282

-This is my first show running the latest patch for TEW, which was released 9/10

-This also my final show of the 1st full year of the dynasty.

-Because of the format of the show, we need some extra time, so this will be a 2 1/2 hour show. I think it's only the second time we've run a show this long.

-This will be the last WCCW show for both Jimmy Garvin & Chris Adams (at least for a while).

-Pre-Match Dark Segments
Since everyone can potentially have a match tonight (in kayfabe), there's no pre-show dark matches. Instead, Lance Russell conducts a series of interviews with eligible participants of "Last Man Standing":
-Lance Russell interviews Terry Gordy (B-)
-Lance Russell interviews Kevin Von Erich (C+)
-Lance Russell interviews The Sheepherders (C+)
-Lance Russell interviews Kerry Von Erich (C+)

-As the show starts, Fritz Von Erich comes out to the ring, and recaps the rules for the Land Man Standing event. He says tonight, we'll see Adonis v. Piper, Tiger Mask v. Villano IV (mask v. mask), and Hayes v. Backlund v. David. Everyone else in the company who's present tonight, as well as a few guys not under WCCW contract, are in the back waiting for their name to be drawn for the Last Man Standing event. Fritz says we'll see 5 random pairing tag team matches, with a 10 minute time limit each, with each participant's name drawn immediately before the match. The 5 winning teams will take part in a Battle Royal later tonight (where it will be every man for himself). The winner of that Battle Royal will be the 1984 WCCW "Last Man Standing", and will earn an automatic spot (and first round bye), in the WCCW World Championship Tournament to be held next month. (B)

-Fritz Von Erich goes back down the entrance way towards the locker room, where a rolling drum with ping-pong balls has been set up. One by one, Fritz draws the names of the participants to take place in the first match: Chris Adams & Villano V will take on Butch Miller & The Great Kabuki. (C)

-Butch Miller & The Great Kabuki defeated Chris Adams & Villano V in 3:35 when Kabuki pinned Villano V. (B-) Miller & Kabuki weren't sure of each other at first, but once they turned their attention to their opponents, it was a dominating victory.

-Fritz announced the next match. Mike Von Erich (making a surprise return tonight) and Jake Roberts (from Houston Championship Wrestling) will take on Al Perez & Doug Sommers. (C-).

-Mike Von Erich & Jake Roberts defeated Al Perez & Doug Sommers in 3:42 when Mike made Sommers submit. (D+). Jake was solidly over as a face with the Dallas crowd, and cooperated well with Mike.

-Roddy Piper defeated Adrian Adonis in 15:43 by submission after Gary Hart, trying to spray hair spray into Piper's eyes, missed and sprayed Adonis instead. Piper quickly finished Adonis with a sleeper. (B+). The two showed good chemistry. After the match, Adonis, still groggy and with impaired vision, tried to attack Piper, but was easily repelled. (C-)

-Fritz Von Erich announced the next random tag team match: Villano IV & Gino Hernandez (from Houston Championship Wrestling) v. Jose Lothario & Jimmy Garvin. (C)

-Gino Hernandez & Villano IV defeated Jose Lothario & Jimmy Garvin in 3:43 when Gino made Lothario submit. Gino never tagged Villano IV into the match (C+). Gino was a clear heel with the fans. Lothario & Garvin showed poor chemistry as a team.

-Fritz announces tag team match #4: Kerry Von Erich & Tommy Rodgers v. Kevin Von Erich & Iceman Parsons. (C)

-Kevin Von Erich & Iceman Parsons defeat Kerry Von Erich & Tommy Rodgers in 8:58 when Kevin made Rodgers submit. (C+) Kevin and Kerry seemed to be on good terms until their first physical altercation in the match. After that, Kerry seemed determined to show up Kevin, to the latter's annoyance. After the match, Kerry was enraged, and took out his frustration on partner Tommy Rodgers, throwing him out of the ring. (D+) Kevin came back into the ring to confront Kerry. The two had a heated argument, before coming to blows. The brawl spilled to the outside, where it was broken up by Mike, David, and Fritz. (B-)

-Finally separated, Kevin goes back to the locker room, while Kerry pouts around ringside. Kerry grabs a mic and tells the fans that he's done with Kevin, and done with WCCW. He rambles for a few minutes, and then takes his six-man-tag team title belt, and throws it into a trash can near the ringside table, before storming off. (B-)

-A shaken-up Fritz announces the final tag team match: Owen Hart & Frank Dusek v. Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts. (C-)

-Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts defeat Owen Hart & Frank Dusek. (C). Roberts appears very wary of teaming with Gordy, and spends most of the match outside the ring with a scared look on his face. Gordy is still able to dispatch of Hart & Dusek rather easily. Gordy looked good.

-Villano III came to the ring with Villanos IV and V, and Super Kendo, and promised that he'd win tonight's mask v. mask match with Tiger Mask. He rambled for a while about the importance of the Lucha mask, and the superiority of Lucha to Puroresu. He also mentioned that tonights match will be under Lucha rules, and would be 2 out of 3 falls. (B)

-Mask v. Mask
-Lucha Rules, 2 out of 3 falls.
Tiger Mask defeated Villano III, 2 falls to 1, in 18:35. The first fall was a clean pinfall for Villano III. The second fall was a DQ fall for Tiger Mask, after interference from Super Kendo, and Villanos IV and V. The third fall was a clean pinfall for Tiger Mask. (B+). The match suffered from a lack of selling.

-After the match, Villano IV, V, and Super Kendo hit the ring to attack Tiger Mask. Tiger Mask is ready for them, and is able to repel the attack, sending the 3 outside the ring. Tiger Mask then continues his attack on the fallen Villano III, until he's able to remove his mask. The fans get a pretty good look at Villano III, before his fellow Mexicans can hit the ring again, and help aid his escape, while covering his face. (B). Tiger Mask celebrates his match, briefly going into the crowd. (B). He grabs a mic and tells the fans that even though they got a pretty good look at Villano III tonight, he'll make sure that they get an even better look if Villano ever shows his face at a WCCW event again. (B)

-Last Man Standing; 10-Man Battle Royal
-Participants: The Great Kabuki, Butch Miller, Mike Von Erich, Jake Roberts, Gino Hernandez, Villano IV, Iceman Parsons, Kevin Von Erich, Buddy Roberts, Terry Gordy
-Terry Gordy wins the Battle Royal in 10:31 to become "The Last Man Standing" (C+). The final 5 were Gordy, Mike, Kevin, Roberts, and Gino. Gordy worked well with the Von Erichs to eliminate Roberts and Gino. Mike, Kevin, and Gordy then shook hands before competing themselves - Gordy was able to overpower the two Von Erichs to win the match. The shook hands again afterwards.

-David Von Erich came out to hype his triple threat match with Michael Hayes an Bob Backlund. He put over the importance of the match, that the winner will get his choice of first opponent in the WCCW World Title Tournament next month, and will thus be considered the odds-on favorite. David also brings up the Kevin/Kerry incident from earlier in the show, saying that frankly, he thinks that maybe Kerry needs to take a break from WCCW. (B+)

-Triple Threat Match, elimination rules
-Winner choses first opponent at World Title Tournament.
Michael Hayes defeated Bob Backlund and David Von Erich in 12:43. (A+). During the match, before anyone had been eliminated, the referee was accidentally knocked out. Backlund took the opportunity to throw David outside the ring, and grab a steel chair. Backlund followed David out, looking to strike. Terry Gordy suddenly came out, and stood between Backlund and David, shaking his head. Backlund then turned to put the chair away, when he was viciously attacked by Gordy. Gordy grabbed the chair himself, and struck Backlund twice, before throwing him back into the ring. Hayes, still in the ring, made a quick cover and got a three count from the groggy ref, eliminating Backlund from the match. Gordy then helped David to his feet, explaining to him what happened (by pointing to the chair, and to Backlund). David looked appreciative, and then started to climb back into the ring. Before he got there, however, Gordy struck David with the chair to knock him back down to the arena floor. Gordy struck David with the chair twice more before throwing him back in the ring (the ref still too groggy to see what's going on). Hayes then gets the quick 3-count on David, to win the match.

-Terry Gordy went into the ring and celebrated with Hayes, before grabbing a mic. Gordy says he didn't come back to WCCW with the plan to re-unite with Hayes, but that tonight, after seeing what utter disarray the Von Erich family is in, he decided that tonight was the night to establish Freebird dominance in WCCW. (B-)

-Hayes grabs a mic, as Buddy Roberts joins the duo in the ring. Hayes says that just like old times, they've outsmarted the Von Erichs. Kerry's gone, the Von Erichs are weak, depleted, and old news, and the Freebirds will instead lead WCCW from here on out. Hays says that if "second rate Freebird" Jimmy Garvin is listening, he can consider himself fired, because the originals are back. (C+)

Overall Show Rating: B

THOUGHTS:

-This isn't my highest rated show ever, but I think it's my favorite. Every match meant something, as did every angle. The Von Erich family implodes, and the original Freebirds see an opportunity. Gordy uses the trust of Kevin & Mike to help him win the Battle Royal, and then violently turns on David when that suits his purpose later on. I'm a fan of shows where the big storylines logically progress through a single show, and I think I was able to do that here.

-This obviously will kick off some version of Freebirds v. Von Erich, with Bob Backlund's role currently unknown. The Von Erichs start the feud at a clear disadvantage, since Kerry has had another fit and has apparently quit the company.

-The random pairing tag matches did a lot better, ratings wise, then I thought they would. Miller/Kabuki v. Adams/Villano V was the best of the bunch, and nothing was worse than "C".

-Adonis/Piper and Tiger Mask/Villano III both had very solid "grudge" matches. Adonis/Piper isn't nearly over, while the Tiger Mask/Villano III storyline technically ends tonight.

-With the events of tonight, (and the departure of Garvin, which ends his angle with Kevin/Roberts/Mike), we only have 3 current storylines: The Sheepherders v. Koko & Eaton, Nikita Koloff/Ricky Morton, and Adonis/Piper. Everything else is a clear slate going into year 2.

-The only thing I really screwed up on here was the ticket prices - I set them $3 over default, and ended up getting a crowd well less than capacity.

[molson]

NEWS

-With the first year of the dynasty over, I have achieved Fritz' two goals. Fritz' block (I can't sign any worker with less than C- resilience), remains in effect, but no new goals have been set by the owner, which is surprising.

-Buddy Roberts broke a few ribs during the last show. He'll still be available to wrestle, but will be limited for an unknown amount of time.

-Bob Backlund is exhausted after the last show.

-Georgia Championship wrestling has paired down their roster somewhat, releasing 4 guys, including King Kong Bundy, who now works for just us and Mid-South.

-The way things worked out in the last show, I wasn't able to use Jesse Ventura, who I still have contracted for 1 loan apperance. So he'll get a win this week in a random WCCW event against a lesser guy.

-Kevin Von Erich has been re-signed at $1,525/show, for 9 months. That's about a 50% raise for him, but it's still a reasonable price.

-Koko B. Ware resigns for $1,625/show, for 16 months. That's a huge raise for Koko, who had been making $650/show, but it ensures that our top face tag team will continue their feud with The Sheepherders.

-Gorilla Monsoon has been removed as head booker of WWF, so that job is currently unavailable. I'm not interesting, but it will be interesting to see who they pick up.

-There are rumors that Houston Championship Wrestling will close at the end of this month. If that happens, there will be a lot of guys looking for work in Texas. The most talented among them is Gino Hernandez, who I've been unable to lure from HCW since the dynasty started.

-Central States is also having financial difficulties, but it looks like they have a few more months to turn things around.

-Randy Savage has taken over ownership of ICW from his father, who stays on as a color commentator. ICW seemed to be near bankruptcy a few months ago, but were able to recover. For the time being at least, this means that Savage will remain a big fish in a small pound.

-Billy Graham has left the WWF (not too long after that failed steroid test), and is now currently unemployed. Hulk Hogan has left New Japan, and now works exclusively for the WWF.

[PilotMan]

Freaking Awesome.

[molson]

WCCW - END OF March, 1984 - MONTHLY REVIEW

POPULARITY

-Texas/Midsouth: 65.7% (Same as last month)
-Midwest: 57.8% (Up from 57.4% last month)
-Southeast: 40.0% (up from 37.7% last month)
-Great Lakes: 36.4% (up from 34.8% last month)
-Mid Atlantic: 36.4% (up from 34.8% last month)
-New England: 36.4% (up from 34.8% last month)
-North West: 36.4% (up from 34.8% last month)
-Tri-State: 36.4% (up from 34.8% last month)
-Southwest: 36.3% (up from 34.7% last month)
-Puerto Rico: 35.2% (up from 33.6% last month)
-Northern Mexico: 30.7% (same as last month)

-Any month I can keep Texas popularity steady is a good month. Midwest is up slightly, and the rest of the US sees more significant increases.

-In about a month, the TV stations will be accepting applications for new shows (to start June 1). That'll be a big time for WCCW. Technically under the game rules, since I'm now in 1984, I'm not limited to one TV show. If I can get a second national TV show, my popularity outside of Texas will increase twice as quickly. And if my Cult status limits me to only one show, I'll have to decide whether to cancel it, go dark for a few weeks, and try to come back with a better time slot.

FINANCES

Income (Last month in parenthesis):

Ticket Sales: 562,535 (513,120)
Sponsors: 77,312 (76,601)
Merchandise: 18,000 (20,480)

Expenses:

Worker Costs: 293,314 (306,099)
Show Costs: 113,500 (97,700)
Marketing: 25,000 (25,000)
Merchandise: 42,024 (42,920)
Production: 75,000 (75,000)
Misc: 162,507 (152,624)

Total Profit: $-53,498 ($-89,152)
Cash in Bank: $725,431 (778,929)

-While this is actually my best financial month since December '83 (in terms of money lost), we have to figure out how to turn the losses around - I've lost almost $200k in the last 3 months. At that rate, we'll be out of business in 12 months.

-The good news is, I apparently won't have any new owner goals (financial or otherwise) for a whole other year. I still have the 2-year reliance block, and apparently, new goals aren't set until ALL blocks and goals are "cleared".

-My plans for a "B crew" are on hold for now, at least until I reshape my roster in such a way that I can make a consistent profit.

-This month, I'm going to try an experiment, in light of these financial issues. All 9 shows for the month of April will be held in Texas. I'll also make a concerted effort to cut worker costs even more - hopefully down to at least $250,000 or so. If I can't make a nice profit doing that, then I'll have to make more drastic changes next month. The only other options are cutting some main eventers or increasing the number of shows we run. I guess I could run 3 shows every week, but we already have fatigue issues as is (if I went that way, it would be via a mini-brand split, i.e. a southeast "crew").

[molson]

WCCW CHAMPIONS - End Of March, 1984

-World Heavyweight Champion - 83.6% Prestige (Down from 84.7% Last Month)
Main Event Title
Vacant

-Television Champion - 62.2% Prestige (up from 61.0% last month)
Midcard Title
Kevin Von Erich - 6 Title Defenses, 3-month reign

-World Tag Team Champions - 63.6% Prestige (Up from 63.0% Last Month)
Midcard Title
The Sheepherders - 2 Title Defenses, 1-month reign

-Six-Man Tag Team Champions - 70.0% Prestige (Same as last month)
Midcard Title
David, Kevin, and Kerry Von Erich - 3 title defense, 2 month-reign

-The Six-Man Tag Team Champions are still recognized as the Von Erichs, even though Kerry through his belt in a trash can, and apparently "quit" the company. I would prefer the belts disappear into obscurity at this point, but I'll keep them around just in chase I need them in the new Freebirds v. Von Erichs storyline.

-I'm still planning on debuting a Crusierweight Championship within the next few months, as well as a lower title for "B-crew", the exclusive mini-brand that will run shows out of either the Southeast, or Northern Mexico.

[molson]

WCCW STORYLINES - END OF MARCH, 1984

Storylines with participants and date of origin, in order of current heat:

1. Freebirds v. Von Erichs; recently evolved for the second time, (David, Kerry, Mike, Kevin, Fritz, Gordy, Hayes, Roberts; September)
2. Piper v. Adonis (Adonis, Piper; December)
3. Koloff/Malenko v. Morton (Malenko, Koloff, Morton, Russell; February)
4. Tag Team Title feud; (Koko, Eaton, The Sheepherders; January)

-Lower Midcarders or higher without current storylines: Ted Dibiase, Bob Backlund, Tiger Mask, Villano III, The Great Kabuki, Road Warriors, King Kong Bundy, Buddy Landell, Iceman Parsons, Frank Dusek, Tommy Rodgers, Brian Adias)

-We're down to 4 active storylines, after the events of Last Man Standing. Some storylines ended naturally, (Villano III/Tiger Mask), and at least one other one ended abruptly do to personnel issues (Jimmy Garvin leaving the company meant the end of the long Kevin v. Buddy feud, which has been going on, in some capacity, for 8 months). I'm not sure if there's any penalties when a storyline ends in that matter, as opposed to when to intentionally end it for other reasons.

-So now there's a lot of guys without a storyline, and while I'll address that soon, most guys won't be just coasting, but will be focussed on qualifying and then competing in the World Title Tournament at the end of the month.

WRESTLER CONFLICTS

-The following wrestlers are unavailable on these days, as they consider these companies priorities over WCCW:

-Bob Backlund (WWF; Sun, Thu, 4th Fri)
-Gary Hart (MACW; Wed, Fri, 1st Mon)
-Michael Hayes (WWF; Sun, Thu, 4th Fri)

-Same three guys that had conflicts last month. Gary Hart will be unavailable for our first "On Tour" event this Monday. Our big "King of Texas Wrestling" event will take place the last Saturday of April, so no conflicts there.

EXCLUSIVE WORKERS

-These are the on-screen workers who happen to work for no one else but me. I'll try to give them a heavier workload, as they're the least likely to have fatigue issues. These guys are also relatively safer when it comes to talent cuts:

Al Perez
Bill Mercer
Brian Adias
The Sheepherders
David Manning
David Von Erich
Doug Somers
Frank Dusek
Fritz Von Erich
Iceman Parsons
Jose Lothario
Kerry Von Erich
Kevin Von Erich
Lance Russell
Lord Alfred Hayes
Marc Lowrence
Mike Von Erich
Owen Hart
Precious
Super Kendo
The Great Kabuki
Tommy Rodgers
Villano IV
Villano V

WRESTLER COMPLAINTS

-Bobby Eaton is extremely unhappy about how often he hasn't been used on shows.
-Jesse Ventura is unhappy about how long it's taken us to use him for his loan apperance
-Koko B. Ware is unhappy about how often he hasn't been used on shows.
-Ted Dibiase is unhappy about how often he hasn't been used on shows.

-Pretty good overall morale in the locker room. And Ricky Morton has apparently come to terms with being a midcarder.

-Of course, these are only the guys who's morale has reached the level of "unhappiness", as there are plenty of other guys who think they should be pushed better. Those guys: Buddy Roberts, Bobby Eaton (who's unhappy about both being underpushed and being underused), Butch Miller, Doug Somers, Luke Williams, Michael Hayes, Nikita Koloff, Ricky Morton, Road Warrior Animal, Villano V.

[molson]

WCCW: Year 2 Preview

-After Terry Gordy turned on David at Last Man Standing and then reunited with Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts, the Freebirds v. Von Erich war seems set to explode once again. But this time, The Freebirds look to have a clear advantage. Family turmoil has led Kerry to once again declare his intentions to leave WCCW. Kevin clings to the TV title, but is he too distracted by family issues to hold on to the gold? Mike is back from injury, but is he ready to step up and fill Kerry's shoes? Meanwhile, the Freebirds seem more united than ever, but have they truly overcome their own internal problems of the past?. Which group can settle their own differences, and dominate WCCW?

-Bob Backlund came to WCCW 6 months ago with a wave of momentum and a championship reputation. Since then, he's dominated his competition, and has been a thorn in the side of David Von Erich, who's he's defeated on multiple occasions. However, Backlund's questionable mental stability has seemingly held him back from greater heights. After David defeated Backlund to become the 1st ever WCCW world champion, a frustrated Backlund declared his indifference with championship gold and formed a curious alliance with Michael Hayes. That alliance eventually led to Backlund selling the WCCW world title to Michael Hayes, a transaction Backlund clearly regrets. The alliance with Hayes had already broken apart by the time the Freebirds reunited. Will the Freebirds attempt to reconcile with the proven "Von Erich Killer", or will Backlund turn his rage and array of submission moves on them?

-The WCCW World Heavyweight Championship, held up by the WCCW board of directors after Backlund tried to sell it Hayes, will be decided in the 12-man "King of Texas Wrestling" Tournament at the end of the month. The Freebirds have their eye on the gold, after Terry Gordy qualified for a 1st-round bye at Last Man Standing, and Michael Hayes earned the right to choose his first tournament opponent by winning the Triple Threat Match. David Von Erich and Bob Backlund round out the tournament favorites - the wrestlers with 1st round byes. Will the new World Champion come from this group, or will a surprise star get on a hot streak and take the title out from under them?

-The Yellow Rose of Texas, David Von Erich, has carried the world on this shoulders. But are the stresses of responsibilities of being the "Texas Golden Boy" crashing down on him? Family turmoil is threatening to break the Von Erichs apart. David lost the world title in decisive fashion the man that has David's number - Bob Backlund. The Freebirds seem determined to wrestle control of WCCW itself from the weakened Von Erichs. Can David rise above the chaos, or will the pressure consume him?

-The Japanese sensation, Tiger Mask, has unmasked Villano III. Will Villano III show his face in WCCW again? How can he recover from such an embarrassment? Can either cruiserweight-sized star rise in the ranks in WCCW and have success against bigger competition?

-Adrian Adonis and Roddy Piper disagree on a lot of things - who's the better wrestler, who has the better talk show, and who's WCCW's most charismatic personality. Their in-ring battles have settled little to this point. Is WCCW big enough for both of them?

-The WCCW World Tag Team Champions, The Sheepherders, have faced little competition since earning the gold. Will anyone step up to offer them a serious challenge? Can the former champions, Koko B. Ware and Bobby Eaton recover from their injuries and make a run at the top spot again?

-Boris Malenko's "victory cigar" has irritated many in WCCW, but Ricky Morton was the first to make a stand. For his trouble, Morton suffered a vicious beating at the hands of Malenko, Nikita Koloff, and a Russian chain. We haven't seen Morton since, but he has sworn revenge. Can Morton stand up to the Russian Nightmare, or will the Russian bullies continue their path of destruction?

-Proud manager Gary Hart is down, but is he out? Chris Adams and Bruiser Brody are gone, and the Missing Link now considers Hart an enemy. Hart's stable is left with a recently unmasked Villano III, a talented but young Brian Adias, and the underachieving condominium with legs, King Kong Bundy. Can Hart mold this group into an elite unit, or will he begin recruiting for new talent again?

-New millionaire Ted Dibiase has been impressive in his WCCW tenure thus far, but has seemingly avoided elite competition. Will he and manager Arman Hussein continue to coast by with easy paychecks, or will the talented Dibiase reach for greater heights?

-Which of WCCW's young stars will emerge as a true superstar? The Road Warriors? Buddy Landell? Iceman Parsons? Doug Somers? Tommy Rodgers? Owen Hart?

[molson]

ROSTER: END OF MARCH, 1984: ONE-YEAR REVIEW

-This is a pretty in-depth review, to meet the purpose of checking on the progress of everyone after a full year. The wrestlers are in order from top to bottom on the WCCW Totem Pole. The skill increases shown are from the start of the dynasty, whether or not they were with us at the time (and the lowest skill increase threshold I'm tracking here is 2/3 of a grade, i.e. B- to B+) W/L record is since the start of the dynasty, in WCCW matches only. Once again, it appears skills can always increase with age, but physical condition worsens with age and overuse, which effects performance.

-The game only tracks skills progress over 1 year, so I wanted to track the progress of guys here, to see who's improving. The whole year-end thing is slightly tedious, which is why the dynasty updates have slowed down, but I should get rolling against once I'm through this.

MAIN EVENTERS

1. David Von Erich
25 years old, $1,925/show, 18 months remaining, creative control
WCCW Record: 62-12-8
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Aerial, Flashiness, Basics,
Full Letter Grade: Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: B-
Midwest Popularity: B
Southeast Popularity: B-

-Still not the most talented guy on the roster, but the guy I've decided to build the company around, based a number of secondary factors: loyalty, all-around skill, and of course, desire to see David Von Erich lead WCCW to national promise in a fictional world.

-He's still a decent bargain, though his new contract came at the price of creative control. He hasn't exercised it yet, and I don't expect him to exercise it against anyone who's not a main eventer.

2. Bob Backlund
34 years old, $2,000/show, 11 months remaining
WCCW Record: 19-10-3
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Brawling, Psychology
Full Letter Grade: Mic Skills, Charisma
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Aerial
Tex Popularity: B-
Midwest Popularity: C
Southeast Popularity: C

-It's cool to see Backlund thrive and do something relevant in fictional world during the time where he basically dropped off the wrestling map for 10 years in real life. It's even cooler to see him improve so much in mic skills and charisma - no doubt a product of how I've used him.

-He gets the #2 spot here largely due to his contract, and the fact I have him locked up for another year. He's a huge part of the continuing national expansion, even though he splits his time between us, the WWF, and Maple Leaf Wrestling (with an A+ stamina rating, he can handle the schedule).

3. Terry Gordy
22 years old, $1,475/show, 2 months remaining
WCCW Record: 23-12-7
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Aerial, Basics, Puro, Submissions, Charisma, Stamina
Full Letter Grade: Mic Skills, Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: B-
Midwest Popularity: C
Southeast Popularity: C+

-I'd love to push Gordy as dominant, top heel champion, but like Bruiser Brody, he considers himself a freelancer and won't tie himself down to any one territory. We have him for 2 months at a reasonable rate, but if he wants a huge raise after that, Fritz may cap us out, due to our financial losses as of late. So we'll get the most of him while we have him.

-It's hard to believe he's only 22. He's improved a lot in the last year, and has A level skills in 5 areas: Toughness, Stamina, Basics, Consistency, and Resilience. Even his mic skills and charisma have increased to clearly above-average levels.

4. Michael Hayes
24 years old, $1,500/show, 6 months remaining
WCCW Record: 17-32-7
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Safety, Hardcore, Flashiness, Submissions
Full Letter Grade: Chain Wrestling, Aerial, Mat, Basics, Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Puro
Tex Popularity: B
Midwest Popularity: C-
Southeast Popularity: C+

-Hayes moves up to the Main Event this month and all the way to #4 in the rankings, primarily as a result of the Freebirds heating up again.

-Hayes appears to have the greatest in-ring improvements of all the main eventers (of course, he had the most room for improvement). He's always had off-the-chart entertainment skills, if he can develop into an even decent wrestler, he's be a huge, huge star. (And he's already decent enough to be carried to an A+ triple threat match with Backlund and David, and two others with them that rated A). The biggest issue for Hayes is his stamina - he can't go more than 15 or so minutes without compromising the match quality.

-I was pretty surprised to see how bad his W/L record is, I need to get him some more wins over lesser talent.

5. Roddy Piper
29 years old, $3,375/show, 13 months remaining
WCCW Record: 9-2-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Puro, Aerial, Flashiness, Mat Wrestling
Full Letter Grade: Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Chain Wrestling
Tex Popularity: C
Midwest Popularity: C
Southeast Popularity: B

-I don't know exactly what it is, but the Hot Rod just hasn't been a great fit for WCCW. And with that salary, his run has to be considered a pretty big bust.

-I thought he could be more experienced and polished version of Michael Hayes, but it just hasn't happened. Piper's entertainment skills are off the charts - tops in the wrestling universe in charisma and mic skills. But even though WCCW was somewhat trendy in 1984, Fritz's product type (which I'm not allowed to tweak), just isn't that into the shtick. He hasn't been able to get past C popularity in Texas or the midwest. He'll get through the Adonis feud, but then, I'm leaning towards letting him go.

6. Ted Dibiase
30 years old, $2,825/show, 15 months remaining
WCCW Record: 7-0-2
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Flashiness, Safety, Aerial
Full Letter Grade: Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: B
Midwest Popularity: C+
Southeast Popularity B-

-I think Ted can be a huge star here, he's just still in the middle of his "new guy push" where he hasn't been involved in any big matches or feuds yet. I didn't realize he was still undefeated.

-I haven't made a final decision about who walks away with the world title at the tournament, and Ted is a darkhorse candidate. The only issue for him will be an issue many have had in WCCW - if you're not a Von Erich, or a Freebird, are you relevant? I'll find something for him to do.

[molson]

UPPER MIDCARDERS

7. Adrian Adonis
29 years old, $1,875/show, 7 months remaining
WCCW Record: 25-11-2
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Mic Skills, Basics
Full Letter Grade: Flashiness
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Respect
Tex Popularity: C-
Midwest Popularity: C
Southeast Popularity C-

-Adonis drops down to the Upper Midcard this month, largely to make room for Michael Hayes. He's gone up and down over the year, but has always been a valuable employee.

-Adonis' job right now is simple - make Piper look like as big a star as Piper's paycheck indicates he should be. So far, he's done an OK job. But regardless of how well the Piper experiment goes, Adonis has a long-term job with WCCW.

8. Tiger Mask
26 years old, $1,825/show, 4 months remaining
WCCW Record: 14-5-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Respect
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: B-
Midwest Popularity: D+
Southeast Popularity C-

-Tiger Mask drops down to the Upper Midcard after a short stint as a Main Eventer, again, in what is really just a numbers game.

-Tiger Mask didn't show a whole lot of improvement over the last year (though he has become fluent in English), but he's already one of the world's great talents. He's a guy that in real life, had some limited success with the WWF and other territories, but it's interesting to see him try to reach greater American success in the dynasty. Unlike Roddy Piper, Tiger Mask has been able to come into an area where he wasn't well known (Texas), and increase his regional popularity greatly. The question is whether he can make the leap to true main eventer.

9. Buddy Jack Roberts
32 years old, $1,400/show, 5 months remaining
WCCW Record: 20-29-11
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Flashiness, Submissions, Charisma, Consistency,
Full Letter Grade: Puro, Aerial, Respect,
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Mic Skills,
Tex Popularity: C
Midwest Popularity: C
Southeast Popularity B-

-I've relied on Buddy a lot over the last year, and the skill increases (especially mic skills) reflect that. He's also one of the older guys on the roster, and he's starting to break down - B ratings in Head, Arms, and Legs Condition, and C rating in Body condition. He's also currently working through broken ribs. He'll have another high profile run with the current Freebirds angle, hopefully he'll hold up.

10. Villano III
32 years old, $1,325/show, 2 1/2 months remaining
WCCW Record: 17-5-5
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: None
Full Letter Grade: Flashiness, Aerial
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Respect
Tex Popularity: C+
Midwest Popularity: D-
Southeast Popularity D

-Anyone who reads the dynasty knows my feelings on this guy, he's the needle in a haystack, gem that I found and has given me surprising results, has wrestled great matches with guys up and down the roster. And just because he happened to have suffered a humiliating defeat recently at the hands of Tiger Mask, it doesn't mean he's still not destined for great things in WCCW. Without the mask he'll need a new name, certainly (maybe his real name, Arturo Mendoza). He'll also probably have a meaner attitude. He's not a young guy, his time is now.

11. Bobby Eaton
25 years old, $1,800/show, 17 months remaining
WCCW Record: 22-13-4
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: None
Full Letter Grade: Respect, Submissions,
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: B
Midwest Popularity: C
Southeast Popularity B

-Am I holding this guy back? My booking team thinks he should be a main eventer, but I'm not quite ready to break up our best tag team. It's surprising how quickly he's reached B level popularity in Texas. With Bobby of course, the downside is lack of charisma and mic skills, but he's making up for it in the ring. Just like in real life, his potential is maximized by associating him with charismatic partners and managers.

12. Kerry Von Erich
24 years old, $1,800/show, 15 months remaining
WCCW Record: 23-19-6
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Aerial, Psychology, Mic Skills,
Full Letter Grade: Respect,
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: C+
Midwest Popularity: C-
Southeast Popularity C-

-Kerry's been something of a disappointment for me, which is why he's subject to some weird angles (the piledriver injury, and now as the whining Von Erich who has quit the WCCW two separate times). At least I'm keeping him in the spotlight.

-He's had some really bad matches, and has been in some very poorly rated segments. But he's still a Von Erich, which means it still make sense to invest in him.

13. Koko B. Ware
30 years old, $1,675/show, 18 months remaining
WCCW Record: 20-10-4
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Submissions, Puro, Chain Wrestling, Respect,
Full Letter Grade: Mat Wrestling,
More than 1 Full Letter Grade:
Tex Popularity: B-
Midwest Popularity: C+
Southeast Popularity B+

-On the one hand, Koko seems like the Marty Janetty to Bobby Eaton's Shawn Michaels, but on closer look, an argument can be made that Koko will be the breakout star. He's certainly a bigger charismatic figure than Eaton, and he also has better mic skills. He's also, somewhat surprisingly, our #1 most popular wrestler in the southeast.

-But for now, I want to keep them together. They'd get lost in the shuffle in singles competition, but can be at the top of the heap as a tag team.

[molson]

MIDCARDERS

13. Kevin Von Erich
26 years old, $1,525/show, 8 months remaining
WCCW Record: 42-17-14
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Hardcore, Mat Wrestling, Charisma, Basics,
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: C+
Midwest Popularity: D+
Southeast Popularity E+

-Kevin drops down to the midcard this month, mostly because the Von Erichs are about to go into a major slump. Kevin's been and steady and valuable during the dynasty, and I do like him more than Kerry at this point. He has a great W/L record, but his popularity outside Texas is surprisingly low.

-He's the oldest Von Erich, but still really, really young.

14. The Great Kabuki
39 years old, $1,550/show, 3 1/2 months remaining
WCCW Record: 19-21-6
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Flashiness, Puro, Respect
Full Letter Grade: Aerial, Mic Skills
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: B-
Midwest Popularity: D+
Southeast Popularity D+

-Kabuki hasn't done much of note since his face turn, but he's done enough to hold onto a job. I keep looking for a reason to fire our oldest active wrestler, but he always comes up with a surprisingly good match just when I'm ready to let him go. Still, I don't anticipate keeping him past the end of his current contract.

15. Butch Miller
39 years old, $1,350/show, 7 1/2 months remaining
WCCW Record: 22-16-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Aerial, Chain Wrestling
Full Letter Grade: Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: C
Midwest Popularity: C-
Southeast Popularity C-

-The Sheepherders were definitely a disappointment at first, but starting with the Koko/Eaton feud, they seemed to pick up their game a little bit, wrestling respectable matches that reached as high as B+.

16. Luke Williams
37 years old, $1,325/show, 7 1/2 months remaining
WCCW Record: 21-14-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Mat Wrestling, Flashiness, Mic Skills, Charisma
Full Letter Grade: Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: C
Midwest Popularity: D+
Southeast Popularity D+

-Luke's the less-talented and less-popular Sheeherder, but he has shown more improvement than Butch over the last year.

17. Ricky Morton
23 years old, $1,350/show, 3 months remaining
WCCW Record: 11-17-4
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Brawling, Consistency, Respect
Full Letter Grade: Puro
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: C
Midwest Popularity: C
Southeast Popularity C

-The "overall" rankings got a little more difficult here, but Morton gets the nod before others in the midcard with his impressive matches with the likes of Nikita Koloff and Brian Adias. Morton's a strong all-around talent - the question at this point in his career is do I continue him as a midcard singles talent, or team him up with someone else?

18. Nikita Koloff
25 years old, $725/show, 6 months remaining
WCCW Record: 9-4-1
Skill Increases: (Since January '84 wrestling debut)
2/3 Letter Grade: Mic Skills, Respect
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: D+
Midwest Popularity: E+
Southeast Popularity: E+

-Nikita's only been wrestling professionally for a few months, but he's already got a ton of exposure thanks to WCCW. And he's already wrestled in three matches rated at least B-.

19. King Kong Bundy
26 years old, $500/show, 6 months remaining
WCCW Record: 18-27-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Charisma, Psychology, Safety, Consistency, Mat Wrestling Chain Wrestling,
Full Letter Grade: Mic Skills
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Submissions, Puro, Basics, Respect
Tex Popularity: C+
Midwest Popularity: D
Southeast Popularity D

-It looks like Bundy is the most improved guy so far in the countdown, the most important stat increase isn't even listed here - his stamina went from D- to D, which is huge. His max match time increased from a mere 6-7 minutes to somewhere around 11-12.

-Bundy will continue to squash lower-card wrestler and be outclassed by those above him, for now.

/20. Iceman Parsons
27 years old, $875/show, 5 months remaining
WCCW Record: 26-23-9
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Psychology, Puro, Mic Skills
Full Letter Grade: Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: D+
Midwest Popularity: E+
Southeast Popularity E

-Parsons is often hyped on the dirt sheets as being a "rising star", but on my roster, he's practically a veteran. I don't see him getting past the level of "likable midcarder", but I'll give him every chance to. He's wrestled excellent matches this year so far with Ted Dibiase and The Great Kabuki.

21. Buddy Landell
22 years old, $1,475/show, 3 months remaining
WCCW Record: 12-8-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Brawling, Aerial,
Full Letter Grade: Consistency,
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Puro, Respect, Basics,
Tex Popularity: C
Midwest Popularity: E+
Southeast Popularity E+

-Landell's been around for about 6 months, and he hasn't got a sniff of any kind of storyline yet. But I still like him a lot - only 22, very well-rounded, has shown significant improvement in the last year, and has shown the ability to carry lesser talent to strong matches (including a B- rated match with Villano IV). I expect big things from him in the future, but with everything that's going on in WCCW, there's no rush.

22. Road Warrior Animal
24 years old, $1,300/show, 8 months remaining
WCCW Record: 2-0-0
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Basics, Puro, Mat Wrestling, Selling, Respect
Full Letter Grade: Consistency, Psychology
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Aerial, Flashiness, Chain Wrestling
Tex Popularity: D-
Midwest Popularity: D+
Southeast Popularity: D+

-The Road Warriors are a big-time project - they have some major skills, it's just a matter of trying to develop their wrestling ability and regional popularity. Animal has already improved a ton in the last year. And he has some big time ratings in some of the categories you just can't teach or develop: Look, Toughness, Power, and Menace. The goal is to build them up to a feud with The Sheepherders, a feud that could propel them to elite status.

23. Road Warrior Hawk
26 years old, $1,025/show, 8 months remaining
WCCW Record: 2-0-0
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Submissions, Basics, Psychology
Full Letter Grade: Puro, Respect, Mat Wrestling, Chain Wrestling, Selling
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: D-
Midwest Popularity: D
Southeast Popularity D

-It's good to see Hawk's improvement in some of the wrestling skills over the last year - like Animal, he doesn't have much room for improvement in the entertainment skills. If they can become even average wrestlers, they'll be huge, huge stars.

[BYU 14]

Really surprising to see several Wrestlers more Popular than a couple pf the Von Erichs in Texas, any thoughts on why?

[molson]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Really surprising to see several Wrestlers more Popular than a couple pf the Von Erichs in Texas, any thoughts on why?

Popularity's an elusive concept in TEW, but it's some combination of in-ring success, how often one appears in a given region, and quality of the matches & angles they're involved in. The DOTT mod does a great job of assigning initial popularity levels, and the Von Erichs do have some built in popularity there, but after that, the game just considers them ordinary workers like anyone else (except for the fact that they're loyal to Fritz, and thus won't work for anyone else, at least in the beginning).

I've surprised David's only a B- in Texas, and that he's actually more popular in the midwest. If I looked back, I'd guess that most of his high profile losses against Bob Backlund took place in Texas, and that he's practically undefeated in the midwest. Kevin and Kerry have been largely booked as midcarders, so it makes sense that they're a tier lower (but clearly, I need to book Kevin to have some big wins in the midwest and southeast, as his popularity is very low there). It's a complicated equation - how well you book someone effects their popularity, and how popular they are effects how highly rated their matches and segments are.

[molson]

LOWER MIDCARDERS

24. Mike Von Erich
20 years old, $600/show, 5 1/2 months remaining
WCCW Record: 28-37-7
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Acting, Safety, Brawling, Puro, Aerial, Flashiness, Mat Wrestling, Submissions, Psychology, Consistency, Selling
Full Letter Grade: Mic Skills, Charisma, Chain Wrestling
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Respect
Tex Popularity: D+
Midwest Popularity: C-
Southeast Popularity: E

-If there were a WCCW Most Improvement Wrestler award over the last year, this would be the winner. He still has a long way to go, but he's only 20 years old. He's very close to reaching the midcard, and will continue to benefit from the inherent advantages of being a Von Erich - a ton of ring time, the chance to work both with and against more experienced wrestlers on a regular basis, and the chance to take part in big angles.

25. Brian Adias
26 years old, $450/show, 5 months remaining
WCCW Record: 25-32-2
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Submissions, Puro, Hardcore, Chain Wrestling, Mic Skills, Acting, Psychology, Selling
Full Letter Grade: Mic Skills, Charisma
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: Respect
Tex Popularity: C-
Midwest Popularity: D-
Southeast Popularity: E-

-Adias is the heel version of Mike Von Erich - young, green, and pushed a little beyond his ability. And like Mike, he's also improved a lot over the last year. Adias was a central part of the high-profile "Manny Fernandez Bounty" angle, but hasn't done too much since then. He'll continue to get a ton of ring time, and has a chance to be the 1st ever WCCW Cruiserweight Champion, once we introduce that title.

-With an eye towards cutting costs and making a profit in the next few months, guys like Brian and Mike (and their cheap paychecks) will have a huge chance to be more involved with shows.

26. Tommy Rodgers
25 years old, $500/show, 3 months remaining
WCCW Record: 4-24-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Respect
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: D-
Midwest Popularity: D-
Southeast Popularity: D-

-It's quite glaring that Rodgers has improved very little over the last year. As a result, he'll be lucky to stay even this high on the roster. I had thought about teaming him with Ricky Morton, but that wouldn't be fair to Morton. An Owen Hart/Tommy Rodgers team makes more sense.

27. Frank Dusek
37 years old, $575/show, 5 months remaining
WCCW Record: 13-36-8
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Hardcore, Aerial, Flashiness, Puro, Charisma
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: D
Midwest Popularity: D
Southeast Popularity: E-

-With all the changes in WCCW over the last year, it's hard to believe this guy has stuck around. But he's still in decent physical shape, and he might be in line for a (minor) push over the next few months as I try to save money. He's also in a semi-regular team with Doug Somers.

28. Doug Somers
27 years old, $325/show, 6 1/2 months remaining
WCCW Record: 0-6-2
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: None
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: E-
Midwest Popularity: D-
Southeast Popularity: F+

-Doug moves up to the lower midcard this month, even though he hasn't won a match yet. At a mere $325/show, and now that he's healthy, he'll stumble into a few wins in the near future.

-He's improved even less than Tommy Rodgers over the last year, but he's been used a lot less because of his migrane issues, so he has an excuse.

[molson]

OPENERS

29. Villano V
22 years old, $625/show, 7 months remaining
WCCW Record: 9-47-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Brawling, Puro, Submissions, Mic Skills, Safety
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: E+
Midwest Popularity: D-
Southeast Popularity: E-

-With Villano III about to change his identity, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the two younger Villanos. Probably keep them as a lower-level tag team for now.

30. Super Kendo
27 years old, $525/show, 7 months remaining
WCCW Record: 1-30-0
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: None
Full Letter Grade: Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: E+
Midwest Popularity: E-
Southeast Popularity: E-

-It's disappointing to see that Super Kendo has barely improved, despite his heavy workload. (In addition to us, he worked with a Mexican promotion for a time). And it's surprising to see that he's only one 1 single match with WCCW in 10 months with the company. (And that was a 6-man tag match victory with Villanos IV and V against Mike, Tommy Rogers, and Barry Orton).

31. Al Perez
23 years old, $150/show, 3 months remaining
WCCW Record: 1-28-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Puro
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: D-
Midwest Popularity: E
Southeast Popularity: F+

-Another lower-card guy with a bad record and little improvement over the last year. Although, Perez has smaller, 1/3 grade increases in a lot of categories that don't show up in this recap format. He also has better popularity in Texas than a lot of other guys this low on the roster. (And for the record, his only win was against Steve Armstrong)

[molson]

ENHANCEMENT TALENT

32. Villano IV
18 years old, $675/show, 7 months
WCCW Record: 3-46-0
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: Safety, Consistency, Respect, Chain Wrestling, Mic Skills, Basics, Psychology
Full Letter Grade: Brawling, Submissions,
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: D-
Midwest Popularity: E+
Southeast Popularity: F

-The Youngest guy on the roster improved a lot over the last year. The highlight of his career thus far is a B rated match with Manny Fernandez a few months back.

-It's hard to know how to handle the young guys with potential. Realistically, it's going to take him years to become a true superstar (if he ever gets to that level). Do you keep him around as a jobber for that long, or do you let him improve just enough where he might be able to continue his progression as a top star for a lesser company somewhere else? As one of the top companies in the world, I could probably bring him back whenever I wanted. It would be a fun little side goal if I could develop all three Villanos into separate, unique stars.

33. Owen Hart
18 years old, $125/show, 6 months remaining
WCCW Record: 3-16-0
Skill Increases: (Since December '83 wrestling debut)
2/3 Letter Grade: None
Full Letter Grade: Respect
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: E+
Midwest Popularity: F
Southeast Popularity: F

-No big skill increases for Hart, but he's only been wrestling for 4-5 months. One dynamic of the game I'm not sure of is how these young guys are going to improve. I mean nobody else would sign Owen Hart at this point, because he's so green. So will he have a chance to ever improve? It looks like it's possible for guys to improve even if they're not employed, but they really need to get a shot with a company to have any real shot at a wrestling career. Presumably though, old guys are going to retire, and younger guys will have to get a shot sooner or later.

OCCASIONAL WRESTLER

Jose Lothario
46 years old, $1,250/show, 8 months remaining
WCCW Record: 14-9-1
Skill Increases:
2/3 Letter Grade: None
Full Letter Grade: None
More than 1 Full Letter Grade: None
Tex Popularity: C+
Midwest Popularity: E+
Southeast Popularity: D-

-I brought the old man back to put over younger talent and help them improve. He might get a mini-feud with the younger Villanos and Super Kendo. He's still in very good physical condition, and is a decent all-around performer.

[molson]

OTHERS

Boris Malenko, Manager, $2,050/show, 5 months remaining
Skandor Akbar, Manager, $975/show, 4 months remaining
Arman Hussein, Manager, $1,250/show, 5 months remaining
Precious, Manager, $1,250/show, 1 month remaining
Gary Hart, Manager, $925/show, 5 months remaining
Bill Mercer, Announcer, $1,100/show, 2 months remaining
Lance Russell, Announcer, $2,250/show, 6 months remaining
Marc Lowerence, Color Commentator, $1,425/show, 5 months remaining
Lord Alfred Hayes, Color Commentator, $1,825/show, 6 months remaining
David Manning, Referee, $3,000/month (written), 12 months remaining
JR Foley, Road Agent, $1,350/show, 8 months remaining
Bronco Lubich, Road Agent, $875/show, 3 months remaining
Fritz Von Erich, Personality, $7,000/month, (lifetime)

-Boris Malenko is way overpaid, particularly considering he's only managing one guy, but I really think he's helping Koloff out. I might use him in the ring a little bit in tag team matches.

-Jimmy Garvin is gone, so Precious' contract is just going to expire and we'll let her go (apparently, letting a contract expire is better for locker room morale than firing someone)

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 1, April 1984
Dallas, TX (Very Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 2,624. Ticket prices: $3 over default
Actual Attendance: 2,000 SOLD OUT

-Pre-Show Dark Segment
Lord Alfred Hayes interviewed Owen Hart about his upcoming dark match with Villano IV. (D-). He then interviewed Villano IV about the match. (E)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Owen Hart & Villano IV drew in 10:00 when the time limit expired. (D+) The two showed poor chemistry.

-Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts come out to start the show. They say that Michael Hayes is running late, but that Hayes and Gordy will team up to face David and Kevin Von Erich tonight in the show's main event. Gordy and Roberts put over the unity of the Freebirds, and hype that tonight is the beginning of a new era in WCCW. Mike Von Erich comes to the ring to confront the duo. He says that he's back from his injury, and is ready to get some revenge on Buddy Roberts, the guy who put him out initially. Mike is mocked by Gordy and Roberts. (C-)

-The Great Kabuki defeats Super Kendo in 7:47 by pinfall. (C+).

-Fritz Von Erich comes out to the ring to say that Mike Von Erich v. Buddy Roberts is now scheduled for tonight. And further, the winner of that match will get a spot in the WCCW Heavyweight Championship Tournament at the end of the month, joining Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes, David Von Erich, and Bob Backlund. (C)

-Brian Adias defeats Tommy Rodgers in 7:39 by pinfall. (D). The two showed poor chemistry. After the match, Adias cut a promo about his win. (D)

-Lord Alfred Hayes interviews Mike Von Erich about his upcoming match with Buddy Roberts. Mike says he still doesn't now who attacked him in the dressing room last month, but he does know that Buddy Roberts was the one who put him out originally. He's hoping for some revenge tonight, and for a chance to get into the World Title Tournament. (C-)

-WCCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Qualifying Match
Buddy Jack Roberts defeats Mike Von Erich in 7:31 by pinfall to qualify for the tournament. (D+) Roberts was limited by his injury. Mike was tiring towards the end of the match.

-Skandor Akbar comes to the ring with The Sheepherders, and then grabs a mic and hypes their dominance in the WCCW tag team ranks. (C+)

-WCCW World Tag Team Championship Match
The Sheepherders defeat Iceman Parsons & Buddy Landell in 9:54 when Miller pinned Parsons. (C-). The Sheepherders make their 3rd defense of the tag team titles. Buddy Landell was limited by injury.

-David and Kevin Von Erich came to the ring to hype their upcoming main event match. They say they're disappointed with the actions of Kerry at Last Man Standing, and that they haven't seen him since. As big as a distraction as that is for their family, they claim they're ready to take on the Freebirds all the same. (C+)

-Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy defeat David & Kevin Von Erich in 20:52 when Gordy pinned Kevin, after interference from Buddy Roberts. (B-)

Overall Show Rating: C

THOUGHTS:

-Not a good show, but it was pretty cheap, and once again, the goal this month is to turn a profit.

-The show got off to bad start when I accidentally put Mike Von Erich in the opening segment, instead of Michael Hayes. So I improvised, but it surely cost us that first segment rating.

-Nothing else really went very well, though the main event was good enough to salavage the night from being a disaster.

-Buddy Roberts, Buddy Landell, and Ted Dibiase are all working through injuries right now, so I'll try to limit their in-ring time as much as I can.

-This show is the start of the Von Erichs' slump, and Freebirds' hot streak.

[molson]

NEWS

-Butch Miller suffered a cracked sternum in the match last night, as our injury issues pile up. Fortunately, he'll only be out about 2 weeks, so we won't have to vacate the tag team titles.

-The team of Ivan Koloff and Joe Leduc have won Mid-Atlantic's annual "Crockett Cup" tournament. (They're also the NWA World Tag Team Champions)

-Buddy Roberts and Buddy Landell are exhausted after the last show - probably as result of their nagging injuries.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS WRESTLING (TV TAPING)
Tuesday, Week 1, April 1984
Houston, TX (Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 5,247; Ticket Prices: +$4 over default
Actual Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Frank Dusek defeated Owen Hart in 6:41 by pinfall. (D+). After the match, Lord Alfred Hayes interviewed Dusek about his win. (D+)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
The Road Warriors defeated Villanos IV and V in 5:48 when Animal pinned Villano IV. (C)

-A video is played hyping the events of Last Man Standing; Particularly, the Kevin/Kerry fight, Terry Gordy winning the Last Man Standing trophy, and then Gordy turning on David and reuniting the Freebirds. (B-)

-The Freebirds come to the ring as a unit, flanked by a Confederate marching band, etc. There is a long table setup in the ring. Michael Hayes calls to order his "State of the Freebird Nation Address". Hayes hypes that the Freebirds are the undisputed force in WCCW, now that the Von Erichs are fighting amongst themselves. Hayes says it's a glorious time for WCCW and it's fans, and thens lays out the goals of the upcoming "Freebird Administration": 1. Control all the gold in WCCW. Hayes says that will start tonight, as Buddy Roberts challenges Kevin Von Erich for the TV Title. 2. Overthrow Fritz as WCCW commissioner and install the Freebirds in his place. Hayes claims he has "Friends of the Freebirds" on the WCCW board of directors, and they're carefully watching every move Fritz makes, waiting for him to screw up. 3. Reduce the Von Erich brothers to utter irrelevance in WCCW. 4. Expand membership in the "Freebird Nation" to eventually have every single WCCW wrestler on the Freebird payroll. (C)

-WCCW World Championship Tournament - Qualifying Match
Ted Dibiase defeated King Kong Bundy in 11:04 by pinfall with the help of interference from Arman Hussein to qualify for the tournament. (C). This was a heel v. heel match between two wrestlers who were, by bad luck of the draw, not randomly selected to take part in the Last Man Standing event. Ted Dibiase was limited by injury. Bundy was tiring towards the end of the match.

-Jesse Ventura defeated Jose Lothario in 7:54 by pinfall. (C+). Ventura was making a "guest apperance" on loan from Houston Championship Wrestling.

-After the match, Ventura cut a promo, saying that earlier that night, he was walking around the WCCW locker room, when a "punk kid" approached him and mouthed off. Apparently, Ventura says, this punk kid thinks he's some kind of tough guy. Ventura says that wherever he wrestles, he brings his arm-wrestling setup, just for occasions like this. He then challenges Road Warrior Hawk to an arm wrestling match. (C). Hawk comes to the ring, and accepts the challenge, while Ventura's cronies setup the arm wrestling apparatus in the ring. After some bluffing and false starts, the contest begins. Hawk appears on the verge of winning, when Ventura breaks free, and hits Hawk over the head with a stool. (C) Quickly, however, Animal hits the ring, and Road Warriors make quick work of Ventura, subjecting him to their "Doomsday Device" finisher. (D)

-David Von Erich defeats Luke Williams in 11:45 by pinfall. (B)

-Terry Gordy defeats Mike Von Erich in 8:31 by submission. (C+) Mike was tiring towards the end of the match. The two showed good chemistry.

-Lord Alfred Hayes interviews Kevin Von Erich about his upcoming TV title defense against Buddy Roberts. Kevin says he's not going to lie to Hayes or the fans - his mind is all over the place right now, after the actions of his brother Kerry at Last Man Standing. (C+)

-WCCW Television Championship Match
Buddy Roberts defeated Kevin Von Erich in 11:11 by pinfall to win the WCCW TV Title for the 2nd time. Gordy and Hayes interfered during the match on behalf of Roberts. David tried to help nullify the interference, but the Von Erichs were outnumbered. (B). Roberts was limited by injury. After the match, Roberts celebrated in the ring with Hayes and Gordy. (D+)

Overall Show Rating: C+

THOUGHTS:

-OK show, and again we were a little restrained in terms of worker costs.

-The Kevin/Buddy match had everything going against it - especially Buddy's injury and exhaustion from recent overuse. Still, the two had a very solid match. These two guys had 5 1-on-1 matches last year, and this was about their average-ranked match (though not close to the A+ classic they had at Thanksgiving Star Wars, which capped off their big feud last year).

-I didn't quite have room for Ventura at Last Man Standing, so I used his one loan contract match here instead, and then gave him a little angle with the Road Warriors. Despite his off-the-charts entertainment skills, the angles were only OK. This was something of a tryout match for both him, and in a way, Superstar Billy Graham, who I was thinking about bringing in. But it's clear that the WCCW fans aren't really into that shtick.

-I got really specific with the goals for "Freebird Nation" largely because of my annoyance with real life stables who run around but never really seem to accomplish anything specific (i.e. the NWO). The Freebird group itself won't expand beyond the core 3, but they could have many allies throughout WCCW who may be considered a part of the "Freebird Nation".

[molson]

NEWS

-A lot of exhausted wrestlers after the last show: Kevin Von Erich, Buddy Roberts, and Villano IV.

-Through two shows, we're averaging $25,203 in worker's bills. At that pace, we'd have our lowest monthly worker expense cost since September of last year (not including November, where we were off TV for a few weeks and ran fewer show). It's hard to believe that in my first month, I averaged only $14,755/show in worker costs - my highest month since then is $34,000/show.

-Terry Gordy hasn't renewed his contract with All Japan, and he now works exclusively for us. Hopefully that'll improve our chances of keeping him when his contract with us is up in a few months.

-The TV show got a 0.52 rating. That's a .07 increase from last week, and close to our average over the show's run.

-After firing Gorilla Monsoon, there's a new WWF head booker in charge - George Scott. Scott was an old-time wrestler-turned-booker for both the WWF and Mid-Atlantic in real life.

-Chris Adams has signed with the WWF - he's sure to keep busy in his post-WCCW career, and he now works for the WWF, Georgia, and New Japan.

-The Wild Samoans defeated The Invaders to win the WWF Tag Team Champions for the 4th time.

-Just for kicks, I request negotiations with Hulk Hogan, since he's recently left New Japan and now works only for the WWF. He turns me down, due to loyalty to the WWF (so this proves that new loyalties can develop pretty quickly in this game, as Hogan wasn't even with the WWF when the dynasty began).

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 2, April 1984
New Orleans, LA (Very Small Venue/Texas-Midsouth Region)
Expected Attendance: 2,624. Ticket prices: $3 over default
Actual Attendance: 2,000 SOLD OUT

-Pre-Show Dark Segment
Lord Alfred Hayes interviews Al Perez about his upcoming match with Jose Lothario. (D+)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Jose Lothario defeats Al Perez in 6:19 by pinfall. (C+)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Tommy Rodgers drew with Super Kendo in 7:24 by Double Countout. (D+)

-Fritz Von Erich comes out to make two announcements as the show starts. First, he says a lot of people have been asking about the status of the Six-Man Tag Team Championship after Kerry threw his belt in a trash can a few weeks ago at Last Man Standing. Fritz says he's officially stripping Kerry of his title, however, he's not stripping the Von Erichs of the belts as whole. He says that David and Kevin will defend the belts, with Mike as their 3rd partner, against the Freebirds at the TV taping tomorrow. If the Von Erichs can successfully defend the belts, Mike will recognized as 1/3 of the six-man tag team champions. (C) Also Fritz announces that tonight's match between Roddy Piper & Sheepherder Luke Williams will be a WCCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Qualifying Match - the winner will be the 7th man to qualify for the 12-man tournament. (C)

-Piper's Pit
Roddy Piper comes out to his Piper's Pit set. He first hypes his upcoming match with Luke Williams, and he promises that he'll win and qualify for the tournament. Next, he introduces his guest - David Von Erich. Piper asks David the tough questions about his family, particularly, Kerry. David said the whole family is in disarray - they thought they had worked things out with Kerry, and then everything just fell apart at Last Man Standing. David says he has no idea where Kerry is right now, but he's heard rumors that he's gone to Japan or Mexico. David says that all that he, Kevin, and Mike can do is to look forward, and focus on the future. (C+)

-As David leaves the Piper's Pit Stage, Skandor Akbar approaches with his client, Luke Williams. Akbar hypes his client's upcoming match with Piper. (C+).

-WCCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Qualifying Match
Roddy Piper defeats Luke Williams in 11:48 by submission. (C+)

-Kevin Von Erich cut a promo hyping his upcoming match with Terry Gordy. Kevin says its been a tough week for him, with the Kerry situation, and losing the TV Title to Buddy Roberts last week. But Kevin says that things can turn around very quickly with the support of the fans, and a win tonight against Terry Gordy. (B-)

-Terry Gordy defeats Kevin Von Erich in 21:40 by submission. (B+)

-Michael Hayes cut a promo hyping his match with Mike Von Erich. He notes that the Freebirds are 1/3 of the way towards a clean sweep of the Von Erichs tonight. (C)

-Michael Hayes defeats Mike Von Erich in 6:46 by pinfall. (C). Mike was tiring towards the end of the match.

-Buddy Jack Roberts defeats David Von Erich in 13:31 by pinfall in a tainted victory, following interference from Terry Gordy and Michael Hayes. Kevin Von Erich also got involved in the match. (B). Roberts was limited by injury. After the match, the Freebirds celebrated their 3-for-3 night against the Von Erichs. (C+)

-Overall Show Rating: B-

THOUGHTS:

-Good show, even though we sent a lot of Von Erich fanatics home sad.

-I thought that David might use his creative control clause to veto losing to Roberts tonight, but he didn't. I'm not sure exactly what the criteria for use of that clause is, but I'm glad David wasn't too strict with us here. This was the 6th David/Roberts 1-on-1 match, and this was their second-best (they had a B+ TV match in January).

-Mike Von Erich and Michael Hayes had their first ever 1-on-1 match. Von Erich doesn't have the same chemistry with Hayes as he does with Gordy.

-The match of the night though, was Kevin/Gordy. These two feuded over the American Heavyweight Title last year, and this was their 5th match (and their best)

-We're now up to 7 guys in the big tournament: Gordy, Hayes, David, Backlund, Dibiase, Buddy Roberts, Piper. We'll have the whole field of 12 setup by next week.

-Jose Lothario showed his value, carrying Al Perez to a C+ match. Perez has wrestled 30 matches for us, and this was only his 3rd to reach C+. The other two were with David Von Erich, and Manny Fernandez. So that's pretty good company for Lothario.

[molson]

NEWS

-I have some brief buy-out negotiations with Houston Championship Wrestling, who looks like they'll be going under by the end of the month. I offer as much as $200k, but that's still not enough, so I call off talks. ($200k would have put us in a challenging financial situation, but a buy-out would have given us a big prestige boost).

-Kerry, Buddy Roberts, and Buddy Landell are all late for the last show. Kerry's going to be off TV for a while anyway, so I suspend him for a week. Roberts is advertised for a match tomorrow night, and he's obviously a key part of our main angle, so he only gets a fine. Landell is currently limited by a migrane issue (which as I saw with Doug Sommers, can last a while). So I make an example of him, and suspend him for a month.

-Tomorrow night's TV taping is scheduled to be a big night. Kevin/David/Mike defend the Six-Man Tag titles against the Freebirds, Villano III makes his return (sans mask), at least two more spots in the championship tournament will be up for grabs.

[Tellistto]

Great stuff, molson. Still reading along and enjoying the ride.

Tell

[hoopsguy]

Thanks for the long run with this dynasty. It has been a lot of fun to follow, and I'm not even a wrestling fan.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS WRESTLING (TV TAPING)
Tuesday, Week 2, April 1984
Fort Worth, TX (Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 5,247; Ticket Prices: +$4 over default
Actual Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Frank Dusek defeats Jose Lothario in 9:07 by pinfall. (C). After the match, Gary Hart enters the ring with a mic and approaches Dusek. Hart says he's known Dusek for a long time, and that over the last few weeks, he's noticed some extra fire and competitive determination in Dusek that had been absent the last few years. Hart says he's going on record publicly that if Dusek can keep it going for the next few weeks, he'll be offering his services as manager. Dusek looks interested. (C)

-Pre-Show Dark Segment
Lance Russell interviews Tommy Rodgers about his match tonight with the returning (and newly unmasked) Villano III. (D+)

-Pre-Show Dark Segment
Gary Hart returns to the ring, with King Kong Bundy. Hart puts over Bundy and his match tonight with Owen Hart. (C+).

-As the show opens highlights are shown of the Roddy Piper/Adrian Adonis feud, focusing on Piper's victory at Last Man Standing, as well as Adonis cutting a piece of Iceman Parsons' hair several weeks ago. (D+)

-As the video ends, Adonis is standing on the set of his "Bachelor Pad" talk show, with Skandor Akbar by his side an irritated look on his face. Adonis says as embarrassing as his "fluke" loss to Piper was, it was nothing compared to the humiliation Piper will face if he accepts Adonis' challenge - a hair v. hair match (loser shaved bald). (C). Adonis then introduces his guests on the Bachelor Pad - The Freebirds. Adonis greets the Freebirds warmly, saying that Destruction, Inc. supports the "platform" the Freebirds laid out for domination of WCCW, pointing out that Akbar has had a financial relationship with the Freebirds in the past, and they hope to do business together in the future. Michael Hayes that the gears are turning behind the scene, and the the landscape of professional wrestling will be changed in ways the fans can't even comprehend. But tonight, says Hayes, is the next step, when the Freebirds defeat the Von Erichs for the 6-man tag team championship. (B-)

-King Kong Bundy defeats Owen Hart in 1:49 by pinfall in a dominating victory . (C-). The two showed poor chemistry. King Kong Bundy demanded that the referee make a 5-count on the pinfall. (C+)

-Lance Russell hyped the upcoming match between Tiger Mask and Bob Backlund, who hasn't been seen since the main event of Last Man Standing (when Terry Gordy cost him the triple threat match). Russell tries to interview Backlund, saying the people are waiting to hear from him - what does Backlund have to say about the Freebirds, the Von Erichs, and the World Title Tournament. Backlund just tells Russell he has a match to wrestle, and leaves for the ring. (C+)

-Bob Backlund drew with Tiger Mask in 20:00 when the time limit expired. (B+). The match suffered from a lack of selling. After the evenly contested match, Tiger Mask offered a handshake to Bob Backlund, who hesitated, but then shook the hand of Tiger Mask. (B)

-Villano III comes out for his match with Tommy Rodgers, with Gary Hart by his side. The announcers hype that this will be a World Title Tournament Qualifying Match. Villano III is still wearing his mask. Just as the referee is about to call for the bell to start the match, Tiger Mask comes back to the ring and starts arguing with Villano III. Tiger Mask then grabs a mic and says that he defeated Villano III in the mask v. mask match at Last Man Standing, which means Villano III has to go without the mask - permanently. Tiger Mask points out that Villano III spent so much time blabbering about the great tradition of Lucha, and now he's blatantly disrespecting Lucha by not honoring the stipulation. Gary Hart cuts Tiger Mask off, tells him the mask is staying on, and then calls for the match to start. (B-). However, Fritz Von Erich quickly comes down to ringside. He says the contract was clear - Villano III lost the match, so he can no longer wear his mask. Fritz says Villano III has two choices - take off the mask right now, or be banned from WCCW. After much hesitation, Villano III removes his mask for the first time in front of a TV audience. (C).

-WCCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Qualifying Match
Villano III defeated Tommy Rodgers in 11:55 by pinfall to earn spot #7 in the 12-man tournament. (B-) The two showed good chemistry.

-WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship Match
-Elimination Rules
The Freebirds defeated David, Kevin, and Mike Von Erich to win the WCCW Six-Man Tag Team Championship for the third time. (Kerry was stripped of his third of the title last week by Fritz, and the Von Erichs were allowed to defend this week with Mike as partner #3) (C+). Mike was eliminated first. Kevin was eliminated 2nd, via DQ, after losing his temper and throwing Buddy Roberts over the top rope. That left David against all 3 Freebirds. David was able to eliminate Roberts, and then Hayes, but had nothing left for Terry Gordy, who pinned David to win the belts for the Freebirds. Roberts was limited by injury, Mike and Hayes were exhausted by the end of the match. Gordy looked off his game. After the match, The Freebirds celebrated their win with their now 4 title belts (the six-man titles, and Roberts' TV title).

Overall Show Rating: C

THOUGHTS:

-Disappointing rating, considering the last 3 matches all did better than a C. We were hurt by the opening lengthy video segment on Piper/Adonis, which got a D+ for some reason.

-Main event was OK, but I screwed up a little there too by not using the road agent note to "protect" Mike Von Erich and Michael Hayes (who both have low stamina) - they thus both ended up exhausted, which hurt the match. But it did progress the Freebird v. Von Erich storyline. The #1 issue on the shows right now is the Freebird's sudden dominance over the Von Erichs.

-This is probably the last show Villano III will be known as Villano III, now that the mask is off for good. He celebrated the occasion by having a very good match with Tommy Rogers. For Rodgers, it was equaled only by a match with Terry Funk in January, and topped only by another match with Villano III in December.

-So there's 7 guys in the tournament so far - David and 6 heels.

-Backlund getting 20 minutes with Tiger Mask was guaranteed to deliver a good rating, the post-match handshake also hinted at a Backlund face turn. Backlund is definitely on the fence right now - he just got screwed over by the Freebirds after aligning himself with Hayes for so long, and he's had too many heated battles with David to suddenly befriend him. So there's a little suspense right now about who's side he'll take, if any.

-Gary Hart's really scraping the bottom of barrel right now, scouting Frank Dusek. But I want to save some money, Dusek ain't going anywhere, and he can wrestle decent matches. So if Hart's going to be overshadowed for now by the Freebirds, and even Destruction, Inc, he'll at least have numbers.

[molson]

NEWS

-Buddy Roberts is again exhausted after the last show. I've been working this guy to death, and on top of this, he's working through an injury. Now that he owns both the TV title and 1/3 of the 6-man titles, hopefully I can give him a little breather.

-The TV show gets a 0.53 rating. That's up 0.01 from last week.

-Buddy Roberts won his 3rd championship of the month - the Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship in Portland Wrestling, with partner "Dirty" Dutch Mantel.

[molson]

THE STARS OF WORLD CLASS ON TOUR
Monday, Week 3, April 1984
Dallas, TX (Very Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 2,624. Ticket prices: $3 over default
Actual Attendance: 2,000 SOLD OUT

-Pre-Show Dark Segment
Lord Alfred Hayes interviews Al Perez about his upcoming match with Mike Von Erich. Perez says that with the current state of the Von Erichs, Mike should be a "piece of cake" for him tonight. (D)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Mike Von Erich defeats Al Perez in 8:17 by submission. (D+). Mike was visibly tiring towards the end of the match. After the match, Lord Alfred Hayes interviewed Mike about his win. Mike said that the Von Erichs may be down, but they'll never be out. (C)

-The Great Kabuki comes to the ring for his match to start the show, and he performs his mysterious green misting ritual. (He reaches a clawed hand into the air, and then shoots a blast of mist onto it from his mouth). (B-)

-WCCW World Championship Tournament - Qualifying Match
The Great Kabuki defeats Doug Sommers in 10:46 by pinfall to earn spot #8 in the tournament. (C). Kabuki seemed off his game.

-Nikita Koloff defeated Jose Lothario in 6:41 by pinfall. (C). After the match, Ricky Morton appeared out of nowhere and attacked Koloff and Boris Malenko from behind. Koloff and Malenko quickly went running from the ring, looking shocked that Morton has returned only 3 weeks after their brutal attack. (C-). Morton grabs a mic and challenges the fleeing Koloff to a match. Koloff retreats to the dressing room without an answer. (C).

-Lord Alfred Hayes interviews Iceman Parsons about his upcoming tournament qualifying match with Luke Williams. Parsons brings up how he and Buddy Landell have battled unsuccessfully with the Sheeptherders for the tag titles, but tonight, it's 1-on-1 - and he's won singles gold in his career, while Luke Williams hasn't. (C-)

-WCCW World Heavyweight Championship Tournament - Qualifying Match.
Iceman Parsons defeated Sheepherder Luke Williams in 8:31 by pinfall to earn spot #9 in the tournament. (B)

-Roddy Piper defeated Super Kendo in 9:35 by submission. (C-). The two showed poor chemistry.

-After the match, Piper grabs a mic and addresses the hair v. hair challenge made by Adrian Adonis for the King of Texas Wrestling Show at the end of the month. Piper says he's rejecting the challenge, only because he still has plans on getting into the World Title Tournament that night, and doesn't want to be tied up with Adonis, a man he's already decisively defeated. (C+). Fritz Von Erich then comes to the ring, and shakes Piper's hand. Fritz says that the hair v. hair match is a match that fans want to see. Still, Fritz says he won't force Piper into the match, because he knows that Piper has championship aspirations and would rather be involved in the tournament that night. So, Fritz says, if Piper accepts the challenge for a hair v. hair match with Adrian Adonis at the King of Texas Wrestling Show, he'll make that match a #1 contender match - the winner not only gets to shave his opponent bald, but he'll get the first shot the the world champion, whoever it may be. (C). Piper says that's good enough for him, and accepts the challenge of Adonis - the hair v. hair match is on (C+)

-David Von Erich comes to the ring to hype tonight's main event match - a 4 corners match featuring the 4 men who have 1st round byes in the world championship tournament in two weeks: himself, Gordy, Hayes, and Backlund. David gives an emotional promo, asking the fans to stick with the Von Erichs in this difficult time, when they're dealing with Kerry leaving WCCW, an in-ring slump, and the emergence of the Freebirds. (B-)

-Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy interrupt David to cut a promo of their own. They ask the fans to ignore the "irrelevant" Von Erichs and "join the Freebird Nation". They also hype the 4-way main event tonight, saying that they'll work together, to ensure that the Freebirds, as a group, win the match. (B)

-4-Corners Match
-One Fall to a Finish.
Bob Backlund defeats Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and David Von Erich in 15:09 when he pinned Michael Hayes. (B-). Gordy & Hayes worked together, but Backlund was simply dominant here. After the match, Backlund takes his trademark towel that he wears around his neck to the ring, wipes his face with it, and then tosses it on the fallen Michael Hayes, before leaving the ring (B-).

Overall Show Rating: C+

THOUGHTS

-OK show, but I really liked the ending. Everything's building up to Freebirds v. Von Erichs, and Bob Backlund goes in and destroys everyone to get the win. I wanted to keep his momentum rating high, since even though he's not officially a part of any of our storylines right now, he's still very relevant, and is a dangerous contender for the world title at the tournament in 2 weeks.

-So the King of Texas Wrestling event in two weeks will consist of the 12-man team tournament, and Piper v. Adonis, hair v. hair, and for the #1 contender spot for the world title. That match will occur roughly 3 years before their equivalent real-life hair v. hair match at Wrestlemania 3. This one feels a little bit rushed, but they have been feuding here for several months now.

-The match of the night, amazingly, was Iceman Parsons v. Luke Williams. Parsons has definitely showed an ability to have good matches with quality opponents, but I didn't see this one coming. Parsons has had an OK year with us - he's mostly been treated like a midcarder, but he did get that fairly high-profile angle with Chris Adams. In real life, of course, he was probably the most popular non-Von Erich in the history of WCCW (until his heel turn). So I'd love to build him up in this dynasty.

-Ricky Morton returned pretty quickly from his "injury", but I realized that between him, Koko, Eaton, Mike, and Kerry, I had a lot of guys sitting on the sidelines for storyline reasons. That's something that doesn't make people happy, because they ain't getting paid. So Morton had a quick recovery, so he can resume his feud with Koloff. Eaton & Koko, who have been gone for several months now, will be making an apperance very shortly as well.

[molson]

NEWS

-I mentioned momentum in the "thoughts" of the last show - momentum is a very elusive rating in TEW - no one really has a clue what exactly it means, but it's clearly primarily a kayfabe rating - did you win, and who did you beat? So, for shits and giggles, here's the current WCCW top 10 in terms of "momentum"

1. Roddy Piper
2. Michael Hayes
3. Buddy Roberts
4. Bob Backlund
5. Tiger Mask
6. Villano III
7. Iceman Parsons
8. David Von Erich
9. Kerry Von Erich
10. Adrian Adonis

-That list looks pretty accurate to me, except that I think Terry Gordy should be in there somewhere. (He's won his first 9 matches since his return, until the 4-way at the last show).

-Butch Miller is back from his injury - perhaps this is just the moment Koko & Eaton have been waiting for to get their revenge.

[molson]

WORLD CLASS WRESTLING (TV TAPING)
Tuesday, Week 3, April 1984
Dallas, TX (Small Venue)
Expected Attendance: 5,247; Ticket Prices: +$4 over default
Actual Attendance: 5,000 (SOLD OUT)

-Pre-Show Dark Match
Iceman Parsons defeated Villano V in 7:33 by pinfall. (C).

-Pre-Show Dark Match
A lengthy video is showed recapping the events in the Adonis/Piper feud. (D+)

-Non-Title Match
The Sheepheders (w/ Skandor Akbar) defeat Mike Von Erich & Tommy Rodgers in 4:47 when Williams pinned Rodgers. (C). Miller looked good.

-After the match, a returning Koko B. Ware and Bobby Eaton appeared out of nowhere and attacked The Sheepherders, who were caught completely off guard. They briefly tried to repel the attack, but were overwhelmed, and fled from the ringside area with Skandor Abkar. (C+)

-Koko & Eaton then grabbed mics and addressed the crowd, saying they're finally back at 100% after the Sheepherders put them out of action at Mexican Invasion 2 months ago. They thank the fans for their cards and letters, and say they're now gunning to get their tag titles back. (B-)

-Fritz Von Erich comes out to address the duo. Fritz says he has one more open spot in a World Championship Tournament Qualifying match tonight against Brian Adias. He said that he didn't expect Koko and Eaton to be back so quickly, but if that they can decide amongst themselves who gets the shot, they can have it tonight. (B-)

-Adrian Adonis (w/ Skandor Akbar) defeated Owen Hart in 4:34 by submission. (C-). After the match, Adonis cut much of Hart's hair off, as a statement to Roddy Piper. (D)

-Eaton & Ware come back to the ring. They say they've decided to take the World Title Tournament Qualifying Match opportunity, and they'll decide who gets the spot via a coin flip. Koko flips the coin, Eaton calls heads, and heads it is. Koko wishes Eaton luck, and leaves the ring. (B-)

-WCCW World Heavyweight Championship - Qualifying Match
Bobby Eaton defeated Brian Adias (w/ Gary Hart) in 8:17 by pinfall to earn spot #10 in the tournament. (C)

-Kevin Von Erich cut a promo hyping his upcoming qualifying match. He says with 2 Von Erichs in the tournament, it's a great opportunity for them to end their recent slump. (C-)

-WCCW World Heavyweight Championship - Qualifying Match
Frank Dusek defeated Kevin Von Erich in 8:55 by countout after Kevin got distracted by all three Freebirds out at ringside. (C+) Dusek earns spot #11 in the tournament. After the match, The Freebirds through Kevin back to the ring and began a 3-1 attack. Mike ran to the ring to help out (C), but Freebirds' numbers advantage allowed them to take control again. (David was not in the building tonight) They left Mike & Kevin laying in the ring. (C-) Mike performed poorly in the segment.

-Tiger Mask defeated Arturo Mendoza (the former Villano III) in 26:45 by countout, after Tiger Mask hit Mendoza with a shooting star plancha from the top rope to the outside of the ring. (A)

Overall Show Rating: B-

THOUGHTS:

-The Mendoza/Tiger Mask feud is going to keep going for a while, and why not - they delivery an incredible main event match kicking of their second official storyline together. This was the best match ever for both guys.

-Frank Dusek pulls off the shocking upset over Kevin Von Erich (with an assist from the Freebirds). That mean there will only be one Von Erich in the world title tournament, and 3 Freebirds. 11 of 12 spots have been determined, the final spot will be decided between Tiger Mask and Nikita Koloff next week.

-Eaton & Koko's return should give us a boost. I have to decide what to do with the tag titles though. The Freebirds want all the belts, including the tag titles, currently held by the heel Sheepherders. They also have a business relationship of some sort with the Sheepherder's manager, Skandor Akbar. And obviously, Koko/Eaton are right in the mix for the tag title now too