Bithlo Championship Wrestling

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 4

Sanford Barn

Ray Stevens (w/ Buff Bagwell) d. Johnny Rodz in Stevens’ return to the ring, finishing Rodz off with a BOMBS AWAY kneedrop. Stevens came out like a crazy man, throwing Rodz into the ring steps before the match began. He dominated most of the action and, after a small rally by Rodz, used his finisher to end the encounter.

“Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers d. Bobo Brazil by DQ when the New Age Outlaws came to ringside to pummel Rogers for the attack on Larry Hennig carried out by Curt Hennig and Rick Rude, while Brazil watched on in confusion. Hennig and Rude raced to ringside to chase the Outlaws away.

The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) d. the Armstrongs in a long, great match when the Express connected on a ROCKET LAUNCHER to pin Bob Armstrong. Given that it might have been one of the final teamings of the Armstrongs, they gave it their all and really stretched the Express, who attacked the Armstrongs before the bell and seemed to still be angry about losing their titles to the Road Warriors.

U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. “Bloody” Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) when Dirge finally succumbed to the RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. The feisty Dirge put up quite a battle before falling to Hackenschmidt.

As Diamond Dallas Page and Steve Corino came to ringside for a match, so did Commissioner Chad, followed by Perfectly Rude. The commissioner said Page still hadn’t fully stepped it up yet and remained mired in tag-team efforts. He also noted that Perfectly Rude had been a disappointment so far – so, their upcoming match would have a special stipulation: the losing tag team would have to break up!

Perfectly Rude d. the Jersey Boys by DQ when Steve Corino blasted Curt Hennig with a chair outside the ring. Corino’s intensity cost him a teammate, but Diamond Dallas Page had already been frustrated by the fact that he connected on a DIAMOND CUTTER on Hennig, only to have Rick Rude break up the pin attempt. Afterward, Page shook Corino’s hand as their partnership ended.

The Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) to recapture the BCW world tag-team titles and continue their dominance over the Warriors. The end was a wild one, as Al Costello clocked Hawk with a boomerang at ringside, then helped trip up Animal, which allowed Roy Heffernan to get the quick pin after a Crocodile Smash. The two then double-teamed Animal while a recovering Hawk was attacked by a still-angry Midnight Express at ringside. Animal was injured, and the Kangaroos had the belts again.

In a “Who Stays, Who Goes” match, the Iron Sheik and the Sandman ended in a double DQ as both men brawled outside the ring to the point the ref had to call the contest. It took a number of officials to break the pair up. Before the DQ, the Sandman had been the one dominating the ring action – which might have added to the Iron Sheik’s frustration.

In a best-of-three-falls championship match, Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) retained the world heavyweight title with a DQ victory against Jushin Liger (w/ Rikidozan). In the first fall, Race connected with a PILEDRIVER, but Liger somehow slipped out ahead of the three-count. Then Race exited to the outside of the ring after a Rolling Koppo Kick by Liger, only to be caught by a nasty clothesline by Rikidozan that went unseen by the ref. Race was unable to make the 10-count to return to the ring. In the second fall, Liger connected with a LIGER BOMB, a BRAINBUSTER and a FISHERMAN’S BUSTER, but was unable to get the pin (especially with one of them being broken up by Heenan’s interference). He went for a jump off the top of the turnbuckle, only to have Heenan push him off early. That set him up for another PILEDRIVER from Race, who got the pin. In the third fall, the action went back and forth. Race went outside the ring, only to be nailed by a flying kick by Liger that caused him to hit the post. The ref called for the DQ for “excessive brutality.” Rikidozan was not happy, Heenan was not happy, and the crowd did not seem pleased. The New Age Outlaws came to ringside to help a stunned Race to the back.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE -- CARD NO. 5

Disney MGM

Commissioner Chad came to ringside and said he had a number of matters to clear up.

First, he said Road Warrior Animal would be out for a while, so there would be no rematch of the Road Warriors and current tag-team champs the Fabulous Kangaroos at Bithlo Bash. Instead, there would be a four-team tournament this card and the next to determine the No. 1 challenger. The teams in the tournament would be the Midnight Express, the New Age Outlaws, the Oilmen and the Killer Bees. In the meantime, he said Road Warrior Hawk would team up with manager Paul Ellering to face the Kangaroos and manager "Wild" Red Berry on this card.

The commissioner said a No. 1 contender was also needed for the world heavyweight championship, so a Four Corners match would be held on the next card, with the participants being Johnny Valentine, Diamond Dallas Page, Jushin Liger and “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers.

Finally, since Bobby Heenan was still upset about the kick Harley Race took from Liger during their championship match on the last card , the commissioner had booked a match for the next card between Race and Liger’s partner, Rikidozan.

“Enough news,” Commissioner Chad said. “It’s time to get down to the business.”

Bobo Brazil d. Johnny Rodz by countout when he hit Rodz with a clothesline hard enough to knock Rodz from the ring. Rodz was unable (and perhaps unwilling) to make the 10-count to return. Brazil looked to be fed up with something, as he stomped from the ring once the match was over. The former BCW world heavyweight champion might have been unhappy with not being a part of the Four Corners match for the title.

Perfectly Rude (w/ Ida Mae) d. S+S when Rick Rude gave a RUDE AWAKENING to Larry Sharpe. Sharpe had attacked him before the bell while Rude was doing his “dance,” and what Sharpe got in return was a severe beating, followed by a pin.

Ray Stevens (w/ Buff Bagwell) d. Steve Corino by DQ when Corino picked up Stevens and slammed him onto the concrete floor. That brought Bagwell into the picture, and he and Stevens started pummeling Bagwell’s former tag-team partner. Then Harker Dirge ran to ringside, followed by Sir Oliver Humperdink, to even the odds. Bagwell and Stevens fled, and Corino shook hands with Humperdink and Dirge and left with them.

In an all-out wild brawl, Road Warrior Hawk and Paul Ellering d. BCW world tag-team champs The Fabulous Kangaroos and “Wild” Red Berry in a handicap match when Hawk pinned Roy Heffernan after a running clothesline. Although Berry never tagged in, he provided a lot of interference. Both sides had multiple pin attempts, but what ultimately took down the Kangaroos was the fact that Ellering held his own during his times in the ring while giving Hawk a breather. Afterward, the Kangaroos and Berry fled ringside before an angry Hawk could inflict more damage.

U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Giant Baba in a nontitle match when Baba succumbed to the RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. Baba was a house afire early, connecting on his NECKBREAKER DROP (Albano caused a distraction on the pin count) and generally dominating the match. He eventually chased Albano around outside the ring, giving Hackenschmidt a chance to recover and take control.

The New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. the Killer Bees when Kip and B.G. James caught Jim Brunzell with a spike piledriver, then B.G. James pinned him while Kip James nailed B. Brian Blair with a punch. The victory gave the Outlaws a spot in the No. 1 contender’s match.

Bob Armstrong d. the Sandman by DQ in a “Who Stays, Who Goes” match when Sandman used his Singapore cane on Armstrong while both were outside the ring. The win effectively doomed both men, as the WSWG finale will be a repeat of the next card’s match: Jimmy Snuka vs. the Iron Sheik.

The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) d. the Oilmen when Stan Lane connected on a SUPERKICK to Danny Hodge to get the pin. The Express, aided by the interference of Cornette, were able to keep Hodge from tagging in Yukon Eric, which led to their success. With the victory, the Midnight Express advanced to face the New Age Outlaws in the No. 1 contender’s match.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 6

UCF Arena

The Armstrongs d. Ray Stevens and Buff Bagwell when Bob Armstrong connected on a cross-body block and pinned a woozy Stevens, who had just gotten out of a SLEEPER by Armstrong a moment earlier due to help from Bagwell. In perhaps one of their final team-ups, the Armstrongs did well in shifting the early momentum by Bagwell and Stevens.

U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. the Sandman in a volatile match when Hackenschmidt connected with a cross-body block off the turnbuckle to get the pin. Hackenschmidt controlled most of the match and avoided any dangerous encounters with the Sandman outside the ring.

Mad Dog Vachon came to ringside and announced that he “still had an itch to scratch,” then called out Curt Hennig, telling him to “leave his girlfriend behind” (apparently referring to Hennig’s tag-team partner, Rick Rude). Out came an angry Hennig.

Curt Hennig d. Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) when he pinned Vachon following a rolling neck snap. The pin caught Vachon and Albano by surprise, but then Ivan Koloff and U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt headed to ringside to put a hurt on Hennig, only to have Hennig bail out of the ring and be supported by an arriving Rude. Officials then intervened before any true fighting could break out.

BCW world tag-team champions the Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Oilmen in a nontitle match when Yukon Eric succumbed to Al Costello’s MARBLE BOR LEGLOCK shortly after his rally was derailed by an interfering Berry. The Kangaroos looked to be locked in ahead of their title match at Bithlo Bash.

Jimmy Snuka d. the Iron Sheik (w/ Commander Lou Albano) by DQ in a “Who Stays, Who Goes” match when the Iron Sheik left the ring, then attacked Snuka once he went out to ringside. Albano tried to stop his wrestler, but once the ref called for the DQ, the manager joined the Sheik in pummeling Snuka ahead of the winner-take-all match on the next card. Officials eventually broke it up and had to help a battered Snuka to the back.

The New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. the Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) by DQ in a No. 1 contender’s match when Heenan was able to get the distracted ref to see Cornette blast Kip James with his trusty tennis racket while Stan Lane was getting ready to jump off the top rope. Cornette’s misdeed brought on the DQ finish in what had been a pretty even match up to that point. With the win, the New Age Outlaws gained a chance for revenge against the Fabulous Kangaroos, who derailed them during their title match against the then-champion Road Warriors on Card No. 3.

BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. Rikidozan in a nontitle match when Race performed a second PILEDRIVER on Rikidozan to get the pin. The match was pretty even for the first half until Race took control (through interference by Heenan) and inflicted massive amounts of punishment on Rikidozan before the pair of PILEDRIVERS. Rikidozan’s tag partner, Jushin Liger, was in the back preparing for the next match, so he was unaware of Rikidozan’s fate. After the pin, the New Age Outlaws joined Race at ringside, and they combined with Race to inflict more punishment on Rikidozan, seriously injuring him while apparently sending a message to Liger. Suddenly, Giant Baba appeared at ringside. He backed the King’s Horsemen away, then tended to his former tag partner who became a hated rival. The Horsemen glared at Baba before leaving as officials came to ringside.

Diamond Dallas Page won the Four Corners match and became the No. 1 contender for the BCW world heavyweight title, but it was not without controversy. Johnny Valentine was eliminated first, after Buddy Rogers caught him with a cross-body block coming off the turnbuckle. Rogers later got a seemingly dazed Jushin Liger to succumb to his FIGURE FOUR GRAPEVINE. That left Rogers and Page, who battled inside the ring for a while before both went to the outside. That’s when the New Age Outlaws came to ringside and attacked Page! The referee had no choice but to award the DQ victory to Page, although it quickly became obvious that they attacked Page in order to cost Rogers the title shot. Rogers was furious afterward and pointed menacingly at Bobby “the Brain” Heenan, who was near an entrance to the arena, watching the action.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 7

Melbourne Auditorium

Commissioner Chad came to ringside to announce that U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt would not be defending the belt at Bithlo Bash, as he wanted to be one of the entrants in the 36-man Bithlo Battle Bowl. As a result, the commissioner said he had decided that Hackenschmidt would face the runner-up in the Battle Bowl in a title defense at Card No. 9. (The winner of the Bithlo Battle Bowl will get a shot at the world heavyweight champion at Card No. 16’s Tag-o-Rama PPV.)

He also said that Bob Armstrong had “two final requests” before his apparent departure from BCW. He wanted to team with his son Brad against the Midnight Express one more time, which the commissioner granted for this card. He also asked that son Brad would get a shot at Jushin Liger’s HCB belt, which the commissioner scheduled for Card No. 9 (provided Liger did not finish as the runner-up at the Battle Bowl).

Delirious made his debut in BCW by d. Johnny Rodz via his finisher, the CHEMICAL IMBALANCE # 2. The odd wrestler stopped in the middle to the match to run around the auditorium, much to the confusion of Rodz, but eventually came back into the ring and finished the match. Afterward, Sir Oliver Humperdink came to ringside, and Delirious left with him, babbling incoherently all the while.

Ray Stevens came to ringside w/ Buff Bagwell and called out Steve Corino, saying he had “unfinished business” from a couple of cards ago. Out came Corino, along with Sir Oliver Humperdink, Delirious and Harker Dirge. Stevens called the group a “freak show,” then dropped the mike to get ready for the match.

Steve Corino (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink, Delirious, Harker Dirge) d. Ray Stevens (w/ Buff Bagwell) by DQ when Bagwell gave his former teammate a double-arm DDT when Stevens and Corino were both out of the ring. Stevens and Bagwell fled before the rest of the Humperdink gang could catch up with them. The match had been full of brutality between “old school” Corino and “the Crippler” Stevens.

Ivan Koloff (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Hawk (w/ Paul Ellering) by DQ when Hawk threw Koloff over the barrier at ringside and into the walkway area. Hawk showed a lot of intensity ahead of the Bithlo Battle Bowl, of which he was expected to be a part.

The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) d. the Armstrongs when Brad Armstrong was pinned following the ROCKET LAUNCHER. During the match, the tide turned when Cornette smacked Brad with his tennis racket. Afterward, as Bob Armstrong went to check on his son, Cornette hit him from behind with the racket, too, then bragged to fans at ringside about “a lovely parting gift.” Officials came to the ring to aid the two Armstrongs.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured Diamond Dallas Page, the No. 1 contender for the world heavyweight championship, and Bobby Heenan, manager of BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race. Before they could begin, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers came onto the scene to proclaim how he was robbed of the No. 1 contender’s spot, saying Race was afraid to face him and that’s why the New Age Outlaws attacked Page, whom Rogers called a “lesser opponent.” Heenan denied all that Rogers said, claiming that Race was looking forward to the challenge of Page – and then smiled. Page told Rogers that he would be a “worthy opponent” for Race and that he would give Rogers a title shot after he won the belt. That made Rogers angrier, and he pushed Heenan before leaving. Page finished the interview by telling Apter that he’d be a “big surprise” for many people at the title match at Bithlo Bash.

Harker Dirge came to ringside and said his match against U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt back at Card No. 4 wasn’t as big of a test as his last match against Bobo Brazil on Card No. 3. Dirge said he wanted to see how much he had actually improved ahead of the Bithlo Battle Bowl, so he was calling out Brazil again! Brazil came to the ring shaking his head.

Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink, Delirious, Steve Corino) d. Bobo Brazil by DQ when Brazil tossed Dirge outside the ring into his companions in apparent frustration for not finishing Dirge off during the match. He was then attacked by Corino and Delirious, and officials had to separate them. Brazil shouted “no more” at Dirge.

U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Danny Hodge in a nontitle match after Hodge submitted to Hackenschmidt’s key lock armbar. Hodge gave a good account of himself, but the match turned when both got outside the ring and Albano distracted Hodge, which allowed Hackenschmidt to ram Hodge’s arm against a steel post. The rest became academic after that.

Commissioner Chad came to ringside and announced he had a request that Giant Baba wanted to face the New Age Outlaws in a handicap match. He called out Giant Baba and asked if that was true. Baba nodded “yes.” The New Age Outlaws and Bobby Heenan headed to the ring as the commissioner made the match.

The New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. Giant Baba and surprise teammate Jushin Liger when B.G. James pinned Liger following his PUMP HANDLE SLAM. Baba was being double-teamed in the match when Liger showed up to watch, then jumped to Baba’s corner. An uncertain Baba eventually decided to tag him in, and Liger went to work on the Outlaws. But when he went for a leap off the turnbuckle, Kip James was able to pull B.G. James away at the last minute, meaning Liger crashed to the canvas. B.G. James then used his finisher on Liger while Kip James launched a quick punch at Baba. Afterward, Baba and Liger shook hands.

Commissioner Chad was back to ringside to announce that in the finale of the ‘Who Stays, Who Goes” tournament, there would be no managers at ringside, since it was a career-deciding match. Commander Lou Albano was seen near the entrance to the Melbourne Auditorium having a fit.

Jimmy Snuka secured his spot in BCW when the Iron Sheik was DQ’d for a second straight match for repeatedly ramming Snuka’s head into a steel post at ringside. Officials came down to restore order in what had been a highly competitive bout until the Sheik lost it. The loss means the Iron’s Sheik’s only chance to remain in BCW would involve winning or finishing as the runner-up in the Bithlo Battle Bowl!

[du5tin]

I've been enjoying BCW. I'll be reading, bro.

[The Creek Rises]

Thanks, Dustin!

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 8

Bithlo Bash PPV – Bithloplex

The BCW world tag-team champion Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) when the Kangaroos double-teamed B.G. James and then pinned him. The Kangaroos controlled most of the match until the Outlaws rallied. Then Al Costello belted Kip James on the apron, causing him to fall back on Heenan at ringside. That allowed him to help Roy Heffernan finish off B.G. James for the pin. Afterward, Berry taunted a dazed Heenan.

Commissioner Chad came out to explain the particulars of Battle Bowl. There would be three Battle Bowl brackets, featuring 12 wrestlers in each. The wrestlers, who were assigned to one of the three Bowls through a random drawing, would be eliminated once they were thrown over the top rope. The final two contestants in each of the three Battle Bowls would move to the final Battle Bowl. The winner of the final would take on the BCW world heavyweight champion at the Tag-o-Rama PPV (Card No. 16), while the runner-up would face U.S. champ George Hackenschmidt at Card No. 9. Finally, the commissioner noted that the third of the three Battle Bowl brackets would feature three guest wrestlers.

First Battle Bowl

(Bracket preview: Two tag teams – the Oilmen and the Killer Bees – were part of this bracket, along with HCB holder Jushin Liger and former BCW world heavyweight champions Johnny Valentine and Bobo Brazil.)

(eliminated/by whom)

Johnny Rodz (by Jim Brunzell)
Yukon Eric (by Ray Stevens – Danny Hodge couldn’t make the save of his tag-team partner in time)
Jushin Liger (by Hodge – Liger tried to knock out his onetime rival with a flying leap, but Hodge, who was battling Stevens at the time, ducked, and Liger went over the top rope instead)
Hodge (by Stevens)
Bobby Eaton (by Bobo Brazil)
Brad Armstrong (by B. Brian Blair)
Stevens (by Johnny Valentine – Stevens was trying to attack Valentine as Valentine was attempting to get Steve Corino over the top rope. Instead, Valentine turned and tossed Stevens)
Corino (by Valentine)
Brazil (by the Killer Bees – Brazil was frustrated afterward at losing his chance to regain the heavyweight title, slamming his hand on the floor)
Jim Brunzell (by Valentine – he picked one of the Bees and tossed them after their successful elimination of Brazil. Blair looked frustrated that both Killer Bees didn’t make it to the next round.)

Winners of first Battle Bowl: Johnny Valentine and B. Brian Blair.

Second Battle Bowl

(Bracket preview: U.S. champ George Hackenschmidt was one of three members of the Foreign Legion in perhaps the toughest of the three brackets. Teammate Iron Sheik and the Sandman, losers in the “Who Stays, Who Goes” matches, both faced the end of their BCW careers if they did not at least advance to the finals. Also in this bracket were five-time U.S. champ Buddy Rogers, former BCW world heavyweight champions Giant Baba and Jimmy Snuka, and Road Warrior Hawk.)

(eliminated/by whom)

The Sandman (Iron Sheik – who was yelling the name of rival Jimmy Snuka, across the ring from the Iron Sheik, even as he ended the Sandman’s career in BCW.)
George South (Ivan Koloff)
Buddy Rogers (Iron Sheik, who apparently was trying to eliminate anyone perceived to be a threat to his goal of remaining in BCW. While Rogers was on the edge of elimination, no one came to help him. Possible help from Rick Rude was lacking, as Rude was tied up with Hawk.)
Stan Lane (Giant Baba)
Snuka (Koloff – Iron Sheik yelled because he hadn’t gotten to Snuka before he was ousted, even though it was a fellow member of the Foreign Legion who eliminated Snuka.)
Rude and Koloff (by Iron Sheik. Rude and Iron Sheik were tangled up when Koloff came to help. In the resulting scrum, Rude and Koloff went over the top rope together, while the Iron Sheik held on. Rude was last year’s winner at Battle Bowl.)
Hawk (George Hackenschmidt)
Iron Sheik (Delirious. Sheik teammate Hackenschmidt was tied up with Giant Baba. Snuka snuck back to ringside and, unseen by the referees, helped pull the Iron Sheik over. The two then brawled until officials broke it up. The Iron Sheik’s BCW career is over.)
Giant Baba (George Hackenschmidt – Baba about had the U.S. champion out of the ring when a wild Delirious plowed into the pair, knocking Baba off-balance and outside the ring. Hackenschmidt managed to keep hold of the top rope and remain in the ring.)

Winners of second Battle Bowl: Delirious and George Hackenschmidt.

Third Battle Bowl

(Bracket preview: The bracket included former BCW world heavyweight champion Don Leo Jonathan, rivals Curt Hennig and Mad Dog Vachon, Bob Armstong, who as a loser in the “Who Stays, Who Goes” competition was wrestling for his BCW career, and guest wrestlers King Kong Bundy, Chris Hero and Angelo Mosca.)

(eliminated/by whom)

Bob Armstrong (by Angelo Mosca, after a long, tough battle. The crowd applauded as Armstrong’s BCW career ended.)
Larry Sharpe (Don Leo Jonathan)
Chris Hero (Fritz Von Goering. Hero jumped into the fray to help Von Goering dump Mosca, but Von Goering thought he was trying to attack and instead tossed Hero over.)
Von Goering (Mosca – the two engaged in a huge battle before Mosca finally got him over.)
Jonathan (Harker Dirge – Jonathan was going after Virgil when Dirge surprised him.)
Mosca (Curt Hennig)
Virgil (Mad Dog Vachon)
King Kong Bundy and Buff Bagwell (Hennig – he ducked out of the way at the last moment, and Bundy plowed into newfound ally Bagwell, sending both over the ropes.)
Vachon (Dirge).

Winners of third Battle Bowl: Curt Hennig and Harker Dirge.

Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) retained his BCW world heavyweight championship by defeating Diamond Dallas Page, 2-0, in a best-of-three-falls match. In the first fall, Page and Race went back and forth for a while before Race finally took control. He went for his swinging neckbreaker, only to have Page hit his DIAMOND CUTTER out of nowhere. Page went for the three-count, only to have Heenan distract the referee. Race recovered, and the two battled again until Race slipped to the outside of the ring to catch his breath. As Page followed, Race was clotheslined by Buddy Rogers, who then sneered at Page and Heenan. Officials escorted Rogers from ringside as the referee gave the first fall to Race via DQ. Each man had two pin attempts during the first fall.

In the second fall, Race came out like a house afire, belting Page, who recovered from the initial attack but seemed to lack the momentum he had during the first fall. A swinging neckbreaker eventually led to a pin by Race. It appeared that Rogers’ actions had more effect on Page than on Race.

The New Age Outlaws, still smarting from their tag loss to the Kangaroos, came to ringside to celebrate with Race after the victory.

Final Battle Bowl

(Preview: Dirge and Delirious appeared to have a slight advantage, being part of Humperdink’s stable. Hackenschmidt was looking to finish at least runner-up so he wouldn’t have to defend his U.S. belt. Valentine was the only former BCW world heavyweight champ in the finals, while Hennig and Blair seemed to be the odd men out.)

Hackenschmidt eliminated Delirious (went after him right away, apparently to avoid suffering the kind of “accidental” bump that eliminated Giant Baba. Dirge couldn’t get there in time to save his teammate.)

Dirge eliminated Hackenschmidt (who appeared worn out after his prolonged tussle with Delirious. The ouster meant Hackenschmidt will have an opponent for the U.S. title at card No. 9.)

Hennig eliminated Blair (who put up quite a struggle before being eliminated.)

Valentine eliminated Dirge

Johnny Valentine eliminated Curt Hennig to win the Bithlo Battle Bowl and secure a shot at the BCW world heavyweight title at Tag-o-Rama. Hennig got the consolation prize: a U.S. title shot.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 9

Eddie Graham Sports Stadium

Commissioner Chad got into the ring and greeted the crowd. He said the last card was a great one for Johnny Valentine, as he’d get the shot at the world heavyweight title at Tag-o-Rama after winning the Bithlo Battle Bowl. The commissioner was then interrupted by Diamond Dallas Page, who said he was nearly the champ at Bithlo Bash – he even got the Diamond Cutter on Harley Race – but interference by Bobby Heenan and by Buddy Rogers cost him. Rogers then came to ringside and said Page had no excuses – he wasn’t around when Page lost the second fall.

Commissioner Chad then interrupted to say that the Page/Rogers feud was costing a legitimate title effort by both men, so he was booking Rogers and Page in a match at Card No. 10 – a lumberjack match, so that interference by the King’s Horsemen would be prevented. The winner of the match would get Race at Card 12’s Night of Champions – in a cage!

As Page and Rogers departed – eyeing each other warily – the commissioner noted that there were a lot of contenders for the BCW world heavyweight title – and a new one who was also an old familiar face, so to speak, would be in the next match!

Mil Mascaras made a triumphant return to BCW, d. Johnny Rodz by pinning him after a slingshot plancha. Mascaras, absent from BCW since Year Two, looked sharp in his return and likely put himself on the list of legitimate heavyweight title contenders.

The Oilmen d. the New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) by DQ when B.G. and Kip James put a beat-down on Yukon Eric outside the ring, apparently in frustration for their performance at Bithlo Bash, when they were unable to take the belts off the Fabulous Kangaroos. Officials and Eric’s partner, Danny Hodge, finally broke up the melee. Heenan called the Outlaws “hungry” afterward.’’

Sir Oliver Humperdink came to ringside and said he had heard Giant Baba was angry at Delirious due to being eliminated by him at Battle Bowl. Humperdink said that if Baba had an issue, Delirious was willing to get into the ring and settle it. Down to ringside came Giant Baba.

Giant Baba vs. Delirious (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) ended in a double DQ when Steve Corino and Harker Dirge came to ringside to attack Giant Baba, who had been in control of the match. Their appearance brought down Jushin Liger and Bobo Brazil to even the odds. The ref then threw out the match as the two sides began to clash.

Commissioner Chad came out to explain the rules of the upcoming Tag-o-Rama PPV event at Card 16. He said three would be, as in previous years, 16 tag teams – this time six from BCW, three from sister company AWA, two from sister company FSW (Future Stars of Wrestling), three from the BWF (Bootleg Wrestling Federation) and two from the independent circuit. Except for the BWF, the remaining teams would be eligible to win the BCW world tag-team titles if they could defeat the defending champs in the tournament. He added that, as before, there would be four brackets, with No. 1 seeds (who get to pick their first-round opponent) coming from BCW, the AWA and the BWF, and a fourth No. 1 seed being a wildcard one for the most deserving BCW tag team. He then introduced two teams that would be in the running for the wildcard No. 1 seed and had a match next: the Midnight Express, and Ray Stevens and Buff Bagwell.

Buff Bagwell and Ray Stevens d. the Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) by DQ when Bagwell flipped to the outside of the ring from the turnbuckle, and Cornette and Bobby Eaton launched an attack on him while he was down. Officials had to separate the two teams, as the race for the No. 1 seed apparently made for some testy competitors.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured Johnny Valentine, the winner of Battle Bowl at Bithlo Bash. Valentine said he was proud to have won the event and was really looking forward to facing Harley Race, should Race still be the champion at Tag-o-Rama. That brought an angry Race out, saying, “What do you mean, still champion?” Apter tried to interrupt to ask Race a question, and Race pushed him down. Valentine then pushed Race! Race got back to his feet and challenged Valentine to a nontitle match at the next card – and Valentine accepted!

In a rematch from their clash at Battle Bowl, Ivan Koloff (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Rick Rude via his RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. The great back-and-forth match saw Rude gain an advantage when Koloff misjudged a run into the turnbuckle and fell to the outside of the ring. Rude pursued but was distracted by Albano, which set him up for a vicious clothesline by Koloff. The “Russian Bear” then threw Rude back into the ring and executed his finisher.

“Wild” Red Berry came to ringside. He said the “numerous” fans of the world-champion Fabulous Kangaroos wanted to see “their heroes” defend the tag titles ahead of their automatic defense at Night of Champions (Card No. 12), so Berry had “decided” that they would face the Killer Bees. Berry said the Bees “sounded dangerous,” then smirked.

The BCW world tag-team champions the Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Killer Bees in a long, classic tag match when Al Costello pinned Jim Brunzell following a forearm smash. The match started when the sneaky Kangaroos tried to attack the Bees before the bell, only to have Costello slammed into a table at ringside. The match continued to be a back-and-forth one, with Berry sweating more as the bout went on. Finally, Berry got in a cheap shot, and Costello finished the job. Fans cheered for the Bees afterward.

Jushin Liger retained the HCB belt with a victory against Brad Armstrong using his SHOOTING STAR PRESS. Armstrong made a good accounting of himself before falling to Liger, and the two shook hands after the match.

Curt Hennig (w/ Rick Rude) d. U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) by DQ when Albano hit Hennig with a chair while both Hennig and Hackenschmidt were outside the ring. Hennig dominated much of the match, making Albano’s actions appear to be one of desperation. Fans booed the apparent escape.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 10

Jefferson (Ohio) Fairgrounds

The Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) d. S+S in Animal’s return from injury when Hawk pinned George South after a running clothesline. Afterward, Ellering called out that they were looking for the world-champion Fabulous Kangaroos.

Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Virgil when he pinned him following a Mad Dog Pounce. Virgil gave a pretty good showing but couldn’t generate enough offense to stop Vachon.

Ray Stevens and Buff Bagwell d. the Oilmen by DQ when Harker Dirge and Steve Corino came to ringside and started beating down Corino’s former partner, Bagwell. Stevens eventually came to his aid, and officials quickly broke things up. It was especially frustrating for the Oilmen, as Danny Hodge was getting ready to jump from the turnbuckle onto a stunned Stevens when the attack occurred.

The New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. the Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) when Kip James pinned Bobby Eaton after his STANDING LEG DROP. The Express’ slump continued, as Kip and B.G. James withstood early momentum by the duo of Eaton and Stan Lane to forge the victory.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured George Hackenschmidt, the U.S. heavyweight champion, with Commander Lou Albano. Hackenschmidt said he thought the title should be renamed the Russian heavyweight championship or international heavyweight championship, because there were no good U.S. wrestlers who could take it. That brought out Commissioner Chad, who said that not only would the belt not be renamed, but that Hackenschmidt was still lucky to have it after Hennig was attacked while in control of the match at the last card. In fact, the commissioner said he thought the two would be good in a return match at Night of Champions – in a cage! Hackenschmidt looked unhappy, and Commissioner Chad said he’d have to mull that one over a bit more.

The House of Humperdink (as introduced by Gary Michael Cappetta) d. Jushin Liger, Giant Baba and Bobo Brazil when Steve Corino tripped up Liger coming off the ropes, allowing Delirious to pin him. Afterward, Brazil and Baba jumped into the ring and gave Delirious a combined body slam before Corino and Harker Dirge could come to his aid, injuring Delirious. Sir Oliver Humperdink was angry afterward, despite the fact his team had cheated to win the match.

In a nontitle match, BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. Johnny Valentine by DQ when Mil Mascaras came out of the crowd to land a flying bodypress on Race while both the champion and Valentine were out of the ring. Mascaras was apparently signaling his intention to be in the title mix. At a card in which Race was setting the record for longest heavyweight title reign (22 cards, topping 21 by Jimmy Snuka and Ted DiBiase), he was ambushed by Mascaras and was generally seen as losing the match to Valentine at the time of the interference. Mascaras left the scene afterward, as Race yelled at a startled Heenan, “Where’s my enforcer?!”

The BCW world tag-team champion Fabulous Kangaroos came out with “Wild” Red Berry and announced that since they had a title match at the last card, they wouldn’t be putting the belts on the line at this card. Curt Hennig came to ringside and said that was OK – he and Rick Rude would beat them anyway. An angry Roy Heffernan motioned for them to “bring it!”

The BCW tag-team champion Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. Perfectly Rude in a nontitle match when Roy Heffernan pinned Rick Rude after the BOOMERANG. The match was a long, great one, as Perfectly Rude couldn’t generate constant offense, but the Kangaroos couldn’t put them away, despite Berry’s constant interference. His meddling did cause a ringwide brawl when he stopped Curt Hennig’s attempt to pin Al Costello via the HENNIG PLEX. During the melee, Berry got in a cheap shot on Rude using a boomerang, leading to Rude’s eventual downfall.

The lumberjacks came out for the match between Diamond Dallas Page and Buddy Rogers. Page’s lumberjacks were the Killer Bees, the Oilmen and Bobo Brazil. Rogers’ were Perfectly Rude, Ray Stevens and Buff Bagwell, and Fritz Von Goering.

Buddy Rogers d. Diamond Dallas Page in a No. 1 contender’s match for the BCW world heavyweight title when Page was pushed from the top turnbuckle by a sneaky Curt Hennig, banging his knee on the canvas and allowing Rogers to roll him up for the pin. Page hit a DIAMOND CUTTER on Rogers earlier in the match, but did not get all of it, and Rogers kicked out at two. Later, while Rogers was on the outside fighting off Page’s lumberjacks, Rick Rude slipped into the ring and gave Page a swinging neckbreaker, allowing Rogers to regain control of the match. Rude also started a tussle with Page’s lumberjacks near the end of the match, distracting the referee long enough for Hennig to act. Rogers will get the shot at Harley Race for the world title at “Night of Champions,” Card No. 12.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 11

Kent State

Curt Hennig d. Larry Sharpe via the HENNIG PLEX. Hennig actually did not have a good match, as Sharpe dominated the contest, even nearly pinning Hennig at one point. Sharpe eventually went for a leap off the top rope and missed, allowing Hennig to hit his finisher. It was an unimpressive showing for a potential challenger to the U.S. title.

The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) d. the Killer Bees when B. Brian Blair was pinned following a VEG-O-MATIC. The Midnight Express wasted little time in the match, attacking Blair before the bell rang and using Cornette interference to gain an advantage they would not relinquish.

Mil Mascaras came to ringside and announced that it was time to jump-start his title run a little more. He called out U.S. champ George Hackenschmidt, saying the Russian was overrated and had gotten “too big for his belt.” Foreign Legion Commander Lou Albano came out and admitted that it was hard for Hackenschmidt to find talented foreign wrestlers to face while defending the “non-U.S. belt.” Since Mascaras was a “fellow foreigner,” Albano said he was willing to grant him a title shot – on one condition: He had to join the Foreign Legion if he lost. Mascaras looked thoughtful, then agreed to the match at the end of the card.

BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. George South in a nontitle match when he pinned South after a swinging neckbreaker. South tried attacking Race before the bell rang, as Race was distracted by jeering fans. Race quickly ended that nonsense, and although South put up a decent defense, he soon was pinned in a warm-up match for Race ahead of Night of Champions.

Afterward, Race yelled “enforcer” to Heenan and then stalked out of the ring, with his dismayed manager following behind him.

Ray Stevens and Buff Bagwell d. Steve Corino and Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ when Corino cracked Stevens over the head with Humperdink’s cane outside the ring. All four men had pin attempts against them in the wild match, which was held as much outside the ring as in.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured the “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, along with Rick Rude and Curt Hennig. Rogers said that his new “triad” would be the reason he ended up as BCW world heavyweight champion. He added that Hennig would soon be the U.S. champion, and there would be gold coming for Rude, too. Rogers said that since he was once a teammate of Race, he knew him and how to beat him. Plus, he said Race’s team was falling apart – where was his enforcer? At that point, Diamond Dallas Page showed up and said the only reason Rogers won was due to interference by his “dirty little boys.” Rude got into Page’s face and challenged him to a match later in the card. Page accepted. As security arrived, Rogers said that come Night of Champions, he would be holding the world heavyweight belt.

Commissioner Chad came to ringside to confirm the Page-Rude match for later in the card. He also said that despite Curt Hennig’s “very poor” performance at the beginning of the card, he would get a shot at the the U.S. title at Night of Champions. Finally, he called out the New Age Outlaws and the Road Warriors. He said their match next would decide who would face the Fabulous Kangaroos for the world tag titles at Night of Champions. He also said if the Road Warriors won the bout but did not go on to beat the Kangaroos, they would not get another title shot as long as the Kangaroos held the belts in order to keep their rivalry “contained.”

The New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. the Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) when Heenan tripped up Hawk, helping him become the victim of a double team hot shot and a quick pin by Kip James. The victory meant the Outlaws would get the title shot at Night of Champions. A frustrated Hawk pounded the mat over the turn of events.

Diamond Dallas Page d. Rick Rude (w/ Ida Mae Martinez) when he gave Rude the DIAMOND CUTTER out of nowhere, then injured him by propping him up and giving him another one after the pin, despite the screams of “No!” by Ida Mae. Curt Hennig ran to ringside, but Page disappeared through the crowd. The match had been an even one, and Rude was preening after catching Page with a top rope sledgehammer, only to have Page sneak up and make him pay for his interference in the Buddy Rogers match.

The BCW tag-team champions Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Oilmen in a nontitle match when Danny Hodge was pinned by Roy Heffernan following a second BOOMERANG. Berry’s interference also was key to the victory.

BCW U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Mil Mascaras, as Mascaras submitted to Hackenschmidt’s RUSSIAN BEARHUG. Mascaras and Hackenschmidt executed all sorts of holds and maneuvers during the match, and both wrestlers got pin attempts. Mascaras’ downfall came when Hackenschmidt threw Mascaras out of the ring and Mascaras was hit hard in the back by BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race, who apparently was paying Mascaras back for his attack on him at the last card. The attack left Mascaras susceptible to Hackenschmidt’s finisher.

After the match, Commander Lou Albano got on a microphone and announced the “newest member of the Foreign Legion” as Hackenschmidt celebrated and Mascaras held his head down.