Okay, here you are boys and girls. Due to time constraints and the fact that I have a meeting with the Dean of the law school in half an hour that I have to leave for, the tail end of the card does not have as many backstage skits or promos as the front end.
Enjoy.
BRWL
Born to be WildShow starts up with a STACKED lineup, as I decided to play out many of the dream matches right up front, instead of doing a slow build with them on an individual basis. We'll see where things go from here.
Bob Orton Jr. and Don Muraco vs. Greg Valentine and Brutus BeefcakeBob Orton Jr. and Don Muraco defeated Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake when Beefcake missed a blind charge and ended up hanging himself on the turnbuckle. Orton immediately capitalized on the opportunity and hit a SUPERPLEX to secure the victory in the opening bout.
-after the match-
Brutus Beefcake does highly exaggerated hand movements to express his disappointment, while Greg Valentine insists that the Dream Team is not complete without Luscious Johnny Valiant in their corner. However, we then get word from the front office that Valiant will not be in their corner in their next match.. rather, he'll be in the opposite corner as an opponent teaming with his brother Jimmy Valiant!
The Midnight Express vs. The Flying RedheadsThe Midnight Express dominated the Flying Redheads in about ten seconds, when Bobby Eaton countered Billy Red Lyons and hit the VEG-O-MATIC with Stan Lane.
-before the match-
We get backstage interviews from both competitors, WWF style from the 80s and early 90s. Dick Hutton whines about how he don’t get no respect, as even though he was a former NWA champion and LOU THESZ'S HAND-PICKED SUCCESSOR!, he often gets overlooked in the title matches. Danny Hodge says that he is the greatest light heavyweight champion of all time, but all people think of when they mention light heavyweights are the flippity floppity nonsense that in his mind does NOT constitute wrestling. Both men have their issues to settle in this match.
Danny Hodge vs. Dick HuttonDanny Hodge pinned Dick Hutton in a very competitive match. Although Hodge was giving up some weight and strength advantage, his quickness and ability kept him one step ahead of Hutton for much of the match. Hutton tried to utilize his size and strength advantage to the best of his ability, but was unable to inflict any lasting damage on his opponent. Hodge picked up the victory after his third OKLAHOMA SIDE ROLL of the match.
-post match shenanigans-
Dick Hutton lays the boots to Danny Hodge, as the crowd boos him heavily. Hutton pulls out a case, which he opens out and displays his NWA world championship belt. He vows to tear Danny Hodge from each limb to prove that he deserves every bit the reputation that he received when Thesz originally retired from the ring. Ed "Strangler" Lewis comes down to the ring and has some things to say:
ESL: You say you’re the hand-picked successor to Lou Thesz. One could then conceivably say that Lou Thesz made you.
DH: I wasn’t made by nobody!
ESL: Well, Lou Thesz was also once my hand-chosen successor. So I made Lou Thesz. Which means.. I made you!
DH: Somebody get this joker out of here!
ESL: I made you. I made you out of my own image, and here you are sucking in the ring. What kind of legacy do you have?
DH: What’s your bottom line here?
ESL: I make champion. I break champion.
Danny Hodge clobbers Dick Hutton from behind, as officials enter the foray and separate all of the people involved.
The Road Warriors vs. The Fabulous KangaroosThe Road Warriors and the Fabulous Kangaroos lived up to every bit of the hype that preceded it. All four men fought a grueling contest full of tons of high impact moves, manager interference, and other shenanigans.
At the end of the match, Wild Red Berry and Paul Ellering start brawling on the floor. Berry gets the advantage by shellacking Ellering over the head with a boomerang. The Roadies come out, but at this point, the Kangaroos have already gone in retreat mode. Hit the music to Iron Man..
Jimmy Snuka vs. Diamond Dallas PageJimmy Snuka pinned Diamond Dallas Page with a powerslam out of nowhere, after Page unsuccessfully tried to use the DIAMOND CUTTER. Fans were disappointed that they didn’t get to see the SUPERFLY LEAP, though Snuka teased it on several occasions. However, this will be far from the first match between these two competitors.
Bruiser Brody vs. The SheikIn an absolutely stellar brawl, the Sheik was disqualified for attempting to use a fireball against Bruiser Brody. Both men really laid the boots to the other, and at times it seemed that only Sheik’s resilience (and PIN rating of 1) kept him alive. Both men bled, and brawled in the crowd often, but the referee caught the Sheik pulling out the lighter and disqualified him. However, it did not stop Sheik from blinding Brody and laying out the big man in front of an intensely hot crowd.
-pre-match interview with Buddy Rogers-
Buddy Rogers insists that he has the advantage tonight over the legend of the teens and twenties, Ed "Strangler" Lewis. He acknowledges the fact that in Lewis’ hey-day, the media covered professional wrestling as a legitimate sport, and that thousands flocked to watch him take on the likes of Joe Stecher, Wayne Munn, and Stanislaus Zbyszko, while he would go and get drunk with Babe Ruth after his matches. However, those were different times when they competed against different rules. And in tonight’s match, the Strangler will have to compete under the modern rules. Which, in Rogers’ mind, gives him the edge.
Ed "Strangler" Lewis vs. Buddy RogersBuddy Rogers took Round One against Ed "Strangler" Lewis after repeatedly escaping the STRANGLER HEADLOCK from an extremely defensive Lewis. Lewis had no idea how to handle Buddy Rogers' moves off the top rope, and was often warned by the referee for things that he could not do.
-post-match interview-
In the post-match interviews, Ed "Strangler" Lewis would claim that he was having trouble adjusting to the GARBAGE RULES that Buddy Rogers and the rest of the wrestlers past the 20s era wanted to compete in, and that they would have all been destroyed had they competed in 20s era rules.. just ask Jack Dempsey.
Giant Baba vs. Antonio InokiGiant Baba and Antonio Inoki had an epic clash that was concluded when Giant Baba pulled a NECKBREAKER DROP out of nowhere that ended the match in about eight minutes. Fans had expected a much longer, paced match from these two, but Giant Baba reminded everyone in the arena that he WAS in fact BRWL’s very first Grand Champion after winning a 76-man tournament that I completed while I was living in Beijing three and a half years ago.
George Hackenschmidt vs. Frank GotchFrank Gotch picked up a submission on George Hackenschmidt in another high profile match of the evening. Under BRWL rules, competitors must compete under modern wrestling rules, which included the use of body oil as a permissible substance. Gotch used plenty of this oil, just to rub it in Hackenschmidt's face that though Hackenschmidt blamed his first loss to Gotch on this substance, Gotch would be using this substance blatantly and officially. The match itself was nothing to write home about, as Gotch’s agility (and oil) allowed him to slip out of Hack's clutches, and Gotch applied the GOTCH TOEHOLD early. When Hackenschmidt refused to submit, Gotch applied more pressure in order to pick up the victory.
BRWL Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel vs. Harley RaceIn the main event, BRWL champion Nick Bockwinkel wrestled Harley Race to a disqualification, when the champion decided that saving his title was more important than defeating an established challenger.
