Ol’ School Rasslin. March 31, 2015.
Welcome to this edition of “Ol’ School Rasslin”! We will take a look at NWA stars of the past in this column. I told Jay Cal I was going to do a regular column covering “Classics” and I swear the next day or maybe the day after, the NWA made this announcement about their upcoming Classics service: “Just some of the matches include: RACE vs ANDRE for the NWA Title in 1975! And yes – Harley BODYSLAMS Andre on the floor! The Blackjacks! Von Erichs! Brody – Hansen – Wahoo McDaniel – Gino and Tully – Dusty Rhodes – Jack Brisco – Nick Bockwinkle – Mil Mascaras – Jose Lothario – and much, much more! NWA #waybackwednesday”
Needless to say, I LOVE this idea! Later in the week, they released a full match listing of the first months service. From what I hear it will be a service you can purchase from nwaringside.com AND it will be LESS THAN JUST $9.99! Here is the announcement of the first months classic action! “Tentative first month match listing for “NWA Classics!” And I have close to TEN MONTHS of content ready for downloading / transfer! We are SUPER EXCITED about this project! How about you?
NWA Classics – Month #1
MATCH DATE
1 HARLEY RACE vs ANDRE THE GIANT 1-7-79
2 SUPERSTAR GRAHAM vs TIGER CONWAY JR. 1-7-79
3 GIRLS – FABULOUS MOOLAH vs VICKY WILLIAMS 1-7-79
4 OX BAKER vs GINO HERNANDEZ 1-7-79
5 JOSE LOTHARIO vs BLACK GORDMAN 1-13-84
6 TITO SANTANA vs BUTCH REED 1-13-84
7 JYD / DUGGAN vs VOLKOFF / DARSOW 1-13-84
8 MR. WRESTLING II / MAGNUM TA vs MIDNIGHT EXP 1-27-84
9 ROCK n ROLL EXP vs MASAO ITO / BUDDY LANDELL 5-25-84
10 DR. DEATH STEVE WILLIAMS vs BARRY ORTON 6-8-84
11 HERCULES HERNANDEZ vs RICKY MONTANA 7-20-84
12 HANS SCHROEDER vs BRICKHOUSE BROWN 8-31-84
13 ADRIAN STREET vs RIC McCORD 8-31-84
14 TIM HORNER vs JACK VICTORY 11-23-84
15 BATTLE ROYAL – WINNER BUTCH REED 12-27-84
16 ICEMAN KING PARSONS vs DALE VEASEY 1-18-85
17 KEVIN VON ERICH vs CHRIS ADAMS 1-18-85
18 ROAD WARRIORS vs TERRY TAYLOR / BRAD ARMSTRONG 85
19 SHAWN MICHAELS vs BARBARIAN 3-22-85
20 JAKE “THE SNAKE” ROBERTS vs TERRY DANIELS 3-22-85
21 DIRTY WHITE BOYS vs BROWN / TORRES 5-3-85
22 NWA TITLE – RIC FLAIR vs WAHOO McDANIEL 7-12-85 / 7-26-85
23 DICK MURDOCH vs NIGHTMARE 7-26-85
24 EDDIE GILBERT vs KOKO B. WARE 2-28-86
25 SHEEPHERDERS vs TRACY SMOTHERS / RICK GIBSON 2-28-86″ Bruce Tharpe, great minds think alike. Mr. Tharpe stated on Facebook, March 31, 2015, “NWA Classics 24/7″ will be here June-July 2015. It will change the face of wrestling as we know it today. THE HYPE IS REAL!”
Mr. Tharpe this one is for you! Hiro Matsuda vs The Destroyer! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M4T14M_J6Lo
Next, Vendetta Pro Wrestling reported, “Tatsumi Fujinami.
The first-ever man to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship simultaneously. He also held the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship, WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship, WWF International Heavyweight Championship and WWF International Tag Team Championship (with Kengo Kimura), among many others. It is being reported by numerous websites that “The Dragon” will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Here is Fujinami in action, defending the WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship against Chavo Guerrero Sr.
Chavo competed last year in a Tag Team match at VendettaVersary in Santa Maria, California along with his son, former Vendetta Pro Heavyweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi9dxyKkNQA”
WWE did indeed announce Fujinami’s induction to the Hall of Fame. Here is the WWE’s profile page for him. http://www.wwe.com/superstars/tatsumifujinami
Now, Alliance Wrestling’s own, Jay Cal, interviewed 5 time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, “Scrap Iron” Adam Pearce for socaluncensored.com. Pearce is currently working for the WWE Performance Center. Check out the interview at http://socaluncensored.com/2015/03/06/adam-pearce-interview Tour the Performance Center online at http://www.wwe.com/videos/playlists/wwe-performance-center-tour
Our next piece of news features Ted DiBiase, along with Lex Lugar, Nikita Koloff, Road Warrior Animal, and George South appeared at the Southwestern High School in Somerset, Kentucky, Saturday evening, March 21st, to share “Stories from the Road”, and were available for autograph signing and picture taking. Fans had an opportunity during this program to ask questions of all the wrestlers. I hope to see you there. Many fans were surprised to see Luger in a wheelchair. The former NWA World Tag Team Champion with Jim Crockett Promotions, suffered a spinal stroke in October 2007. It was great to see him moving forward still. Check out milliondollarman.com for future appearances.
Speaking of upcoming appearances, Herb Simmons, the promoter of SICW stated on Facebook, “On Saturday, May 16th of this year, you can meet Stan “The Lariat” Hansen, when he and Barbara Goodish, widow of Bruiser Brody, attends The Bruiser Brody Memorial and the 56th year celebration for the Wrestling at the Chase. Also joining us, our good friend Mick Karch from the AWA days and our other dear friend Larry Matysik. Thats May 16th, East Carondelet, Illinois at The Community center.” Mr. Simmons is a quality individual and you can read about him and his role in Missouri wrestling at https://missouriwrestlingrevival.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/2012-mwr-lifetime-achievement-award-herb-simmons/ Hanson held the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Ole Anderson in 1982. That team scared me as a child!
Now, for a “Blast From the Past!”, let’s watch some ol’ school rasslin! First, all those Russians that thought they could sing eat your heart out! The greatest wrestling announcer ever, Gordon Solow gets serenaded by Poland’s Ivan Putski on Championship Wrestling from Florida!
Let’s not forget what’s causing all of of this!
Slick Ric!
Next, we have two of the best ever, Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes going at it, again with Mr. Solie and CWF!
And to wrap up this week’s “Blast From the Past!, here is NWA TNA Episode #29, featuring The Rock’n’Roll Express! What?! NWA? TNA!? Ricky and Robert!?! That’s right! All in one place!
On Saturday, March 28th, 2015, in San Jose, California, the WWE inducted The Bushwhackers into the Hall of Fame. Everyone remembers those guys as goofy and kid friendly. I don’t think The Fantastics nor The Fabulous Ones remember it that way. These guys helped the NWA invent extreme! Take a look at them when they were known as The Sheepherders! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5uo_DetCx1A
Time for a shout out from Ted DiBiase “The Million Dollar Man”, who had this to say on Facebook, “Congratulations to Hacksaw Jim Duggan on his induction into the New York State High School Wrestling Hall Of Fame. http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2015-03-23/hacksaw-nys-high-school-wrestling-hall-of-fame-27224403″
CBS Sports did a great feature on Andre the Giant on March 25th, that took an in depth look at what Andre went through battling acromegaly. Go read it, it shows the human side of one of the sports biggest stars.
http://mweb.cbssports.com/general/feature/25122751/being-andre-the-giant
With the mainstream media following Brock Lesnar and his having to choose between UFC and pro wrestling, let’s remember there were a couple guys that travelled that road before him. One was Dan” The Beast” Severn, who was NWA and UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world AT THE SAME TIME! Wrestling Inc did an interview with the original beast covering his WWE days and you can read it here.
http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2015/0325/591733/dan-severn-wwe/
Another fellow that was UFC and NWA World Champion was “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” Ken Shamrock. Jim Ross interviewed him on “The Ross Report” at podcast one.com. Shamrock is a classy guy and they talk about his time in WWE, bare knuckles fighting and Owen Hart. Speaking of podcast one.com, go there and listen to Piper’s Pit with guest, Jake Roberts! This was two of the old school NWA’s best telling it like it is! Beware, though, this interview is not appropriate for children.
Big Time Wrestling reported, “It’s Big Time Wrestling and “The Legends of Wrestling” coming to Citi Field, Sunday, June 7 featuring Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Bill Goldberg, Rob Van Dam, Mr. Anderson, Amy Dumas fka Lita, Scott Steiner, The Nasty Boys, Monstrous BC fka Brodus Clay, Demolition, Harry Smith and much more. Other 30 wrestlers in all!
Photos, autographs and wrestling from 2-5 PM. Main show 5-7 PM. Tickets NOW at www.mets.com/wrestling” I have plans to check out Big Time Wrestling this June in Missoula, Montana featuring Bret Hart, Gangrel and NWA All Action Wrestling Tag Team Champion, Scotty 2 Hotty.
The PWA Show recently did a spotlight on “Hacksaw” Buzz Sawyer. This is the guy that trained Ken Shamrock and his feud with Tommy “Wildfire” Rich is what made me a wrestling fan. Go read about one of the greatest heels ever!
http://www.thepwashow.com/old-school-spotlight-mad-dog-buzz-sawyer/
That’s it for this edition of “Ol’ School Rasslin”. But, before you go, please visit campkita.com. These guys help children who have lost a parent to suicide learn to cope. Click the link and see how you can help. Thanks for for reading! See you in the next edition of “Ol’ School Rasslin”!