Bithlo Championship Wrestling

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 12

Cobo Hall (Night of Champions)

All three commissioners (BCW Commissioner Chad, AWA Commissioner Will and Future Stars of Wrestling Commissioner T.R.) came to ringside to watch the matches.

Championship Match No. 1 – FSW TV title

Champion Rob James d. Arik Cannon by countout when James gave Cannon a piledriver outside the ring. Cannon was unable to get back to the ring in time. Fans booed the arrogant James.

To begin the BCW U.S. heavyweight title match, Gary Michael Cappetta announced Curt Hennig’s name, but Hennig did not show up at ringside. Finally, “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, set to wrestle in the BCW world heavyweight title match later on the card, came to ringside to announce that someone had knocked out Hennig in the locker room, and Rogers had found him there unconscious. Meanwhile, U.S. champ George Hackenschmidt and Commander Lou Albano had wandered to ringside and began celebrating Hackenschmidt’s “successful defense” of the title. Albano got the microphone and said it was OK because “there are no good American wrestlers anyway.”

Out came AWA wrestler Frank Gotch, a former BCW tag-team champion and Hackenschmidt’s former tag partner. He yelled at Hackenschmidt: “You want a challenge? I’ll give you one.” The referee looked at Commissioner Chad and Commissioner Will, who quickly conferred and then agreed to the match. Hackenschmidt and Albano did not look happy about the decision.

Championship Match No. 2 – BCW U.S. heavyweight title

Champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Frank Gotch using his RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. Gotch controlled most of the match and had Hackenschmidt in his GOTCH TOEHOLD, only to be waylaid by Albano’s interference. Hackenschmidt eventually rallied and used his finisher to retain the title.

Championship Match No. 3 – AWA Great Lakes heavyweight title

Champion the Destroyer d. Don Muraco when Muraco set up for a back-body drop, but the Destroyer executed a sunset flip to get the pin.

Championship Match No. 4 – FSW tag-team championship

Champion the Backseat Boyz d. the Osirian Portal by countout to retain the title when Trent Acid threw Ophidian outside the ring, and Johnny Kashmere gave him a wicked clothesline. Ophidian was not able to make the 10-count to return to the ring.

Championship Match No. 5 – BCW world tag team championship

Champion the Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) when the Kangaroos hit the BOOMERANG on Kip James. The New Age Outlaws had a much better showing against the Kangaroos than their previous match against them, and they nearly pinned Al Costello before interference by Berry derailed the attempt.

Championship Match No. 6 – AWA world tag-team championship

Champion the Ortons d. “Dr. Death” Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase when Cowboy Bob Orton pinned Williams after a SUPERPLEX. The long match was back and forth, with the Ortons in control of it more often than not.

Championship Match No. 7 – FSW world heavyweight championship

Champion “Psycho Shooter” Drake Younger d. Tyler Black when referee Bryce Remsburg DQ’d Black in the wake of Black ramming Younger’s head into a steel post at ringside.

Championship Match No. 8 – BCW world heavyweight championship

Champion Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers in a cage match when he gave Rogers the PILEDRIVER. Race controlled most of the match, while Rogers just could not seem to get untracked.

Championship Match No. 9 – AWA world heavyweight championship

Champion Larry Zbyszko (w/ Sherri Martel) d. the Crusher, pinning him following a knee smash.

The first Night of Champions amazingly ended with all champions retaining their belts.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 13

Hara Arena, Dayton

As the card began, “Wild” Red Berry came to ringside and said that the Fabulous Kangaroos were world tag-team champions who might never be beaten again, but they still needed to keep in shape (then he snickered) for the upcoming Tag-o-Rama PPV, so he called S+S to come out and face the best.

BCW world tag-team champions The Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. S+S in a nontitle match when Roy Heffernan connected on a Kangaroo kick and then pinned Larry Sharpe. Berry interfered during the match even though it wasn’t needed, and the Kangaroos mostly took it easy. The crowd booed their arrogance.

Commissioner Chad came out and told fans to ignore that last match, since it had “no bearing” on the upcoming Tag-o-Rama. He said there were other matches on the card that would help determine the final No. 1 seed and also would help decide which tag teams would wrestle for the final spot at the PPV. With that in mind …

The Oilmen d. the Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) when Bobby Eaton submitted to Danny Hodge’s Boston crab. With the victory, Hodge broke a long streak of disappointing endings for the Oilmen.

U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt came to ringside with Commander Lou Albano. The commander reiterated that there were no longer any decent American wrestlers in the company who could vie for the “international belt,” so he had decided that they would just take on international stars from this point forward. As a result, he was extending the offer of a nontitle match to Jushin Liger, and unlike the Mascaras match, there would be “no strings attached.” Liger headed to ringside to accept the offer, with Giant Baba following to be in Liger’s corner.

U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Jushin Liger (w/ Giant Baba) when Liger succumbed to the RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. Liger was rolling in the first part of the match, but his fortunes turned when Hackenschmidt used his twisting heel hook to bring Liger to the mat.

In a match that had more back-and-forths than a metronome, Buff Bagwell and Ray Stevens d. Steve Corino and “Bloody” Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) when Bagwell pinned Dirge after a double-arm DDT. The match featured eight pin attemps, but was more about each team brutally beating on the other – and the momentum swings that came after each beating. The fans cheered the intensity.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured a very irritated Fritz Von Goering, who wasted no time in going off about how “his” spot in the Foreign Legion had been taken by Mil Mascaras. When Apter pointed out that Von Goering had never joined the Foreign Legion, the wrestler pointed out that it was just a “matter of time,” and that Mascaras had stolen the spot. That brought out Mascaras, who said he didn’t even want to be part of the Foreign Legion, but he had made an agreement and had to stick to it. Von Goering punched Mascaras, then said they should settle it in the ring. An angry Mascaras said, “Let’s go!”

Mil Mascaras d. Fritz Von Goering when he connected on his FLYING BODY PRESS. Von Goering’s error translated into mistakes in the ring, and Mascaras made him pay. Commander Lou Albano came to ringside with Ivan Koloff and Mad Dog Vachon during the match, and when Mascaras celebrated his victory, Albano sent Koloff and Vachon into the ring to beat Mascaras down. He then told a battered Mascaras, “Nice win, but you need to be nicer to your new teammate.” Albano, Koloff, Vachon and Von Goering left ringside as Mascaras tried to recover from the beating.

BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race came to ringside with Bobby Heenan to gloat about his big victory at Night of Champions, where he “squashed” “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers. Race said it should send a message to challenger Johnny Valentine that he had no chance, which was the same chance anyone in BCW had. Race was then interrupted by Bobo Brazil, who reminded Race that he was the first in BCW history to have held all three belts, and that to defend the honor of BCW, he’d face Race – and beat him. Race and Heenan both smirked, but those smiles disappeared when Commissioner Chad came to ringside and made the match for the end of the card.

The Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) d. Mad Dog Vachon and Ivan Koloff (w/ Commander Lou Albano) when Animal pinned Vachon after a DOOMSDAY DEVICE. Koloff and Vachon worked well as a tag team, but the Road Warriors looked determined to inflict some pain, and they did.

In a battle of two former BCW world heavyweight champions, Jimmy Snuka d. Johnny Valentine by DQ after both men were outside the ring and Valentine nailed Snuka with a chair. Valentine then yelled, “That’s how serious I am about taking out Race.” The crowd was seemingly stunned by his intensity at the end of what had been a good matchup.

As the Killer Bees and the New Age Outlaws made their way to ringside for the next match, Commissioner Chad took the microphone and announced that it was a big match for both teams, as the Outlaws, after two losses to the Fabulous Kangaroos, needed to prove they were worthy of a No. 1 seed at Tag-o-Rama, and the Bees needed to prove they were worthy to be in PPV event at all. With that in mind, he said the audience should be in for a well-fought match.

The New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. the Killer Bees when B.G. James pinned B. Brian Blair after a James Gang Pounce. The Outlaws looked to be especially motivated by the commissioner’s words, allowing the Bees little traction during the match.

BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan, NAO) d. Bobo Brazil (w/ Giant Baba, Jushin Liger) in a nontitle match when Race caught Brazil with his PILEDRIVER finisher. Brazil made a great showing in the match, probably his best in a while, and had Race on the ropes when the champion slid to the outside to the ring. While there, the New Age Outlaws jumped Brazil, who was then aided by Baba and Liger, who had come to ringside once the Outlaws showed up with Race.. In the confusion, Race nailed Brazil with a punch, then got him back into the ring and got the finisher. Despite the win, Race seemed to know how close he came to a loss.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 14

Mid-South Coliseum, Nashville

Brad Armstrong d. “Bloody” Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ when Humperdink was caught hitting Armstrong with his cane. The ref had originally been distracted by Dirge, who had thrown Armstrong outside the ring, but saw Humperdink’s extracurricular activity. The move was a bad one by Humperdink, as Dirge had taken control of the match.

Ray Stevens (w/ Buff Bagwell) d. Steve Corino (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by DQ when Corino rammed Stevens’ head into a ringpost outside of the ring, causing the referee to call for the bell. Stevens had dominated the match until Corino got him outside the ring and unleashed his attack. Bagwell went after Corino following the DQ, but Harker Dirge’s arrival got Bagwell and Stevens to back off.

Curt Hennig came to ringside to announce that he had an idea who attacked him at Night of Champions, costing him a shot at the U.S. title. He said it was obvious that the attacker was a member of the Foreign Legion, because they were afraid he’d take the belt from George Hackenschmidt. Hennig said he wanted his title shot on this card, but Commander Lou Albano came out shaking his head “no.” He said Hennig isn’t a foreign wrestler, and they are the only ones worth Hackenschmidt’s time. Albano did say he wanted to offer Hennig something, a rematch with longtime rival Mad Dog Vachon – right now!

Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Curt Hennig when Vachon gave Hennig his PILEDRIVER finisher. Vachon snuck up on Hennig while Albano was talking, but Hennig reacted quickly and gave Vachon a vicious clothesline as the ref arrived to start the match. Hennig went up to the top rope for a leap, but Albano, unseen by the ref, pushed him off, allowing Vachon to regain control and pick up the victory. The pair then put the boots to Hennig until officials arrived to break things up.

In a fantastic matchup, Bobo Brazil d. Ivan Koloff (w/ Commander Lou Albano) when Brazil pinned Koloff after a COCO BUTT. The control of the match changed hands several times, in part due to interference by Albano, but Brazil ultimately prevailed in a match that saw each wrestler have four pin attempts.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured the Road Warriors and Paul Ellering. Ellering said that things hadn’t gone quite their way recently, but they were the defending Tag-o-Rama champions, and they were looking for two in a row. “And if we pick up the BCW tag titles along the way, well, that’s just a bonus,” he added. That brought out “Wild” Red Berry, who said the BCW world tag-team champion Fabulous Kangaroos were done with the Warriors. Ellering challenged Berry to a match at the next card – the two of them, facing off one on one! If he won, the Warriors would get a title shot after Tag-o-Rama, unless they already held the belts by then. If Ellering lost, they would never get a title shot as long as the Kangaroos held the belts. Berry agreed to the match.

BCW world tag-team champions The Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Killer Bees in a nontitle match when Jim Brunzell submitted to Al Costello’s MARBLE BOR LEGLOCK. The Bees, seemingly the favorite whipping boys of the Kangaroos, appeared to have learned from previous losses and gave the Kangaroos all they could handle. Compounding the problem was that Berry was spending time posing and showing off his muscles ahead of his match against Paul Ellering at the next card. At one point, B. Brian Blair caught Al Costello with the BEE STING and nearly got the pin. The Kangaroos eventually took control despite the lack of focus from their manager.

Commander Chad came to ringside to announce that both BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race and U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt would be wrestling on the card. That brought out an angry Race, who said he didn’t feel like wrestling for the people of Nashville tonight. The commissioner said that not only did Race have a nontitle match, it would be a no-DQ match against Larry Sharpe, and it would be next on the card.

BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. Larry Sharpe by countout in a nontitle match when he piledrove Sharpe outside the ring. Earlier in the match, Race piledrove Sharpe inside the ring, but then pulled him up before the ref could count to three in order to abuse him some more. All that came after a lackluster start by an obviously frustrated Race.

The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) d. Jushin Liger and Giant Baba when Bobby Eaton pinned Liger after a Divorce Court. Cornette’s interference was big in changing momentum and helping the Express stave off a recent slump and secure a spot in Tag-o-Rama.

Commander Lou Albano came to ringside with U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt. Albano said that Hackenschmidt was ready for the main event of the card, but he had no opponent. He had already run through all of the “foreign wrestlers” in BCW, and there were no good U.S. wrestlers, no matter what the commissioner said. Out came Jimmy Snuka, who said he would defend the honor of the Fiji Islands by facing Hackenschmidt. Albano started to say he had a deal for Snuka, but Snuka wagged a finger at the commander and said they had been in deals before in BCW, and those had not gone too well, so he’d just take “a nontitle match with no strings attached.” Albano shrugged, then agreed.

U.S heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Jimmy Snuka in a nontitle match when he got Snuka to submit to his RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. Snuka controlled the first part of the match, but Hackenschmidt rallied, then he got Snuka outside the ring, where, unseen by the ref, Albano ran him into a steel post. That pretty much signaled the end for Snuka, as he was soon finished off by Hackenschmidt and suffered his first loss of the year.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 15

Leon County Civic Center, Tallahassee

Delirious (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink), in his return from injury, d. Johnny Rodz when he connected on his CHEMICAL IMBALANCE #2. Delirious was a bit rusty, but he finally got the job done against the veteran Rodz.

Commissioner Chad came to ringside He said Delirious looked good enough in his comeback that he would be put into a three-way match with Brad Armstrong and Jushin Liger for the Hodge Championship Belt at Tag-o-Rama. And speaking of Armstrong, the commissioner said he would face world heavyweight champion Harley Race in a nontitle match later on this card. That brought out Bobby Heenan, complaining that his wrestler shouldn’t have to enter the ring ahead of this Tag-o-Rama title match. The commissioner responded that the champion had to represent! Plus, Armstrong needed the competition. Heenan pointed out that Race’s opponent, Johnny Valentine, wasn’t wrestling on the final card before the PPV, but the commissioner simply shrugged his shoulders and said that was the way scheduling went sometimes. Heenan walked off muttering to himself.

Commissioner Chad also announced that Curt Hennig would get his delayed title shot at U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt at Tag-o-Rama, and added that the Oilmen and the Killer Bees would battle later on this card for the final BCW spot in the tag tournament.

Giant Baba and Jushin Liger d. Ivan Koloff and Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) when Giant Baba pinned Koloff after a Russian leg sweep. The quick pin aroused the ire of the commander, despite the fact that neither team will be wrestling at Tag-o-Rama.

BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. Brad Armstrong in a nontitle match when he delivered a PILEDRIVER to Armstrong. Armstrong had attacked from the beginning of the match and looked good against Race, who glared throughout at Heenan and generally showed his unhappiness at working on the card before the PPV. After the match, Race grabbed the belt and walked off, ignoring a trailing Heenan.

Diamond Dallas Page d. Virgil when he hit the DIAMOND CUTTER at the end of a long back-and-forth match in which the veteran Virgil acquitted himself well.

U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. George South in a nontitle match when South fell victim to the RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. Afterward, Albano yelled that another American wrestler had fallen short and added, “This is what will happen to Curt Hennig at Tag-o-Rama!”

Kip James (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. Buddy Rogers when B.G. James snuck to ringside and got in a cheap shot with brass knuckles on Rogers near the corner, making him susceptible to the STANDING LEG DROP finisher of Kip James. Rogers, humiliated by BCW world heavyweight champion Harley Race at Night of Champions and looking for revenge against one of Race’s teammates, had weathered an early attack by Kip James before the bell rang and was a house afire until he got blindsided by B.G. James. The New Age Outlaws left ringside laughing with Heenan, while Rogers remained behind holding his head.

In an amazing match that had more tags than a Sears after-Christmas sale, the Oilmen d. the Killer Bees by countout when Jim Brunzell was unable to make it back to the ring before the 10-count expired. Brunzell had charged at Yukon Eric, only to have him flip Brunzell over the top rope. He landed hard on the floor and couldn’t recover, giving the final Tag-o-Rama spot to the Oilmen. It was a disappointing finish for the slumping Bees, as they gave their all in a long match. Every wrestler had at least one pin attempt against him, but no one had more than two. Mostly, it was back-and-forth match, with little advantage gained by either side.

In a bizarre back-and-forth match, Paul Ellering (w/ Animal, Hawk) d. “Wild” Red Berry (w/ Al Costello, Roy Heffernan), pinning him after a body slam and securing the Road Warriors’ title shot at the card after Tag-o-Rama. Both teams interfered on their managers’ behalf, and it looked like Berry might have the pin after his SMASH WITH A CANE maneuver. But Ellering was able to kick out and hold on until the momentum switched, and then he got the pin. The fans went crazy over what might have been the worst match, wrestling-wise, of the card.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 16

Tag-o-Rama PPV – Daytona Beach Oceanfront Center

Before the event started, Commissioner Chad reminded the crowd that along with winning the prestigious title of Tag-o-Rama champion, the BCW world tag-team titles were up for grabs if anyone could defeat the Fabulous Kangaroos. He said the four No. 1 seeds were the Kangaroos, the BWF tag-team champion Moondogs, the AWA tag-team champion Ortons, and the BCW wildcard No. 1 seed the New Age Outlaws. The remainder of the four brackets were filled out by random draw, with the No. 1 seeds getting the option to choose their first-round opponent.

BRACKET A

The BCW world tag-team champions the Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Oilmen in a long match when the Kangaroos finally caught Danny Hodge with the BOOMERANG. The length of the match was due to the resilience of the Oilmen, the last BCW team to qualify for the tournament. They fought off numerous pin attempts to the point that the frustrated Kangaroos nearly got DQ’d. However, Berry was able to distract the ref enough right after Roy Heffernan ran Hodge’s head into a post at ringside.

The Freak Show (indy team) d. FSW tag-team champions the Backseat Boyz when George “The Animal” Steele nailed Trent Acid with a foreign object and then got the surprise pin. The team of Steele and the French Angel Maurice Tillet was quite bizarre and left fans murmuring.

BRACKET B

The Mongols (w/ Nikita Breznikov) (indy team) d. the BWF tag-team champs the Moondogs by DQ when Moon Dog Rex smashed Bepo Mongol in the head with a bone. The match was bizarre, to say the least, with two physical teams bashing one another ahead of the DQ, and after it, too.

The BWF’s the Megapowers d. the AWA’s Ted DiBiase and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams by DQ when DiBiase cracked Hollywood Hogan in the back with a steel chair outside the ring, apparently in retaliation for some Hogan cheap shots earlier in the match. The fans booed the ref’s ruling, likely because Williams and DiBiase were until recently members of BCW.

BRACKET C

The AWA tag-team champions the Ortons d. FSW’s the Barking Spiders when Cowboy Bob Orton hit his SUPERPLEX on Clutch. The Spiders stretched the match out much further than most pundits predicted, and they were difficult to get into a pinning predicament.

The BWF’s Freebirds d. Ray Stevens and Buff Bagwell by DQ when Stevens gave Michael P.S. Hayes a suplex outside the ring despite the referee warning him to not do it. Before the DQ, the match had been pretty even.

BRACKET D

The New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. the Heavenly Bodies when Dennis Condrey was DQ’d for hitting B.G. James outside the ring with Jim Cornette’s tennis racket. The surprise to begin the match was that Cornette came down with the Heavenly Bodies and managed (interfered for) them in the match. Condrey had nearly been pinned a few times in the match except for Cornette’s interference, then he went to the outside and brought about the DQ.

In a brutal battle between BCW rivals, the Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) d. the Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) when they executed the DOOMSDAY DEVICE on Stan Lane. The Express looked angry coming to the ring, apparently unhappy that Cornette had also been involved in the previous match. Bobby Eaton started the match on fire, but the Road Warriors eventually got the upper hand despite interference from Cornette, who ended up doubly frustrated after the results of a second match went against him.

Delirious p. Brad Armstrong via his CHEMICAL IMBALANCE #2 to win the Hodge (light heavyweight) Championship Belt. Armstrong had kicked belt holder Jushin Liger into a corner, then was waylaid by Delirious, who got the pin after a long bout of back-and-forth action among the three that brought the crowd to their feet numerous times. Liger acted dismayed about losing the belt without being pinned, while Delirious celebrated with manager Sir Oliver Humperdink afterward.

BRACKET A FINAL

The BCW world tag-team champions the Fabulous Kangaroos (W/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Freak Show when the French Angel Maurice Tillet and George “The Animal” Steele were DQ’d for beating up Berry, who had tried choking Steele with his towel earlier and was generally a pest throughout the match. But he needed to be, as Steele nearly had Al Costello pinned, and the BCW champs were scrambling throughout, rarely having the momentum in the match.

BRACKET B FINAL

The Mongols d. Randy Savage and Hollywood Hogan when Savage went berserk and attacked Geeto Mongol outside the ring with a chair. Savage had Bepo Mongol in a pinning predicament earlier but couldn’t get the job done and got frustrated.

BRACKET C FINAL

The AWA champions the Ortons vs. the Freebirds ended in a double DQ as Cowboy Bob Orton and Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin refused to stop fighting outside the ring. The match had been a physical one, and tempers finally flared past the point of return. As a result, the Bracket D champion got an automatic berth in the final!

BRACKET D FINAL

The New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) d. the Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) by DQ when Ellering bashed B.G. James from behind as James was going for his PUMP HANDLE SLAM. The Warriors appeared off their game after their brutal match with the Midnight Express, and along with Heenan’s interference, the Outlaws took advantage of a chance to eliminate last year’s Tag-o-Rama champions and advance straight to the finals.

BCW U.S. heavyweight champion George Hackenschmidt (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Curt Hennig via his RUSSIAN BEAR HUG. Hennig came to the ring waving an American flag, which immediately got the crowd behind him and made Hackenschmidt angry enough to engage in a shoving match before the bell rang. Hackenschmidt controlled most of the match and slowly wore Hennig down, but Hennig did catch Hackenschmidt with his HENNIG PLEX at one point, only to have an interfering Albano cause the pin count to be stopped. Finally, Hackenschmidt locked on his finisher one more time after throwing Hennig into the turnbuckle.

BRACKET SEMIFINALS

BCW world tag-team champions the Fabulous Kangaroos d. the Mongols (w/ Nikita Breznikov) by DQ when Geeto Mongol rammed Roy Heffernan’s head into a ringpost outside the ring. The Kangaroos were once again matched with a physical team, and although they seemed to put the Mongols in a difficult position a number of times, the physicality left a toll on the Kangaroos as well, although they were victorious in a painful way. The win set up an all-BCW final against the New Age Outlaws.

Johnny Valentine d. Harley Race (w/ Bobby Heenan) 2-0 in a best-of-three-falls match to win the BCW world heavyweight championship. In the first fall, the two were so evenly matched that the bout went back and forth for a long time, with neither man getting much of an advantage. As the momentum continually shifted, each wrestler ended up outside the ring at different points. Each man got three pin attempts, but finally Race was DQ’d for slamming Valentine’s head into a ringpost while both were outside the ring. The referee checked Valentine to see if he could continue to complete, and Valentine nodded yes. The ref also gave Valentine some time to recover before the second fall. In the second fall, the match went back and forth again until Valentine was on the outside and Heenan tried to interfere. Valentine grabbed Heenan and tossed him into Race, causing the manager and the world champion to crack heads. Valentine got Race back into the ring and gave him two ATOMIC SKULLCRUSHERS. A dazed Race kicked out of the first pin attempt, but not the second. Valentine became the BCW world heavyweight champion for the first time since Year One. However, as he began to celebrate, the New Age Outlaws came to ringside and beat him down, injuring him. They then helped a groggy Race to the back.

TAG-O-RAMA FINAL

BCW world tag-team champions the Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the New Age Outlaws (w/ Bobby Heenan) by DQ when Heenan took a swing at Berry on the ring apron, missed and hit the referee trying to get them off the apron. Heenan had jumped up there to distract the ref, as Al Costello was about to pin Kip James following a BOOMERANG. Berry came over to push Heenan off, and that’s when the trouble began at the end of a match that had been pretty equally fought until then. While the Kangaroos celebrated winning Tag-o-Rama and keeping their belts, a woozy Harley Race came out from the back and chased Heenan out of the building as fans cheered! Apparently, Heenan’s bad day for the King’s Horsemen also meant his managerial services were no longer required.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 17

Bithloplex

Rick Rude, in his return from injury, d. Johnny Rodz, pinning him after a massive suplex After the match, Rude picked up a ringside microphone and announced that he’d get revenge on Diamond Dallas Page for his injury, but he said he was more disgusted by the display Curt Hennig put on at Tag-o-Rama. “Really, Curt? What was all that patriotic U.S.A. garbage?” Rude asked. “Then you put on a performance like that?”

Commissioner Chad then showed up at ringside with a microphone. “Do you think you can do a better job against (U.S. champ George) Hackenschmidt, Rude?” he asked. Rude nodded yes. “We’ll see,” said the commissioner as he booked the title match for the next card.

The Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) d. the Killer Bees when Bobby Eaton pinned Jim Brunzell following the ROCKET LAUNCHER. The Midnight Express were brutally efficient, but seemed to have little joy in their victory following the turmoil at Tag-o-Rama.

Brad Armstrong d. Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) using his RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP to catch Vachon (and Albano) off-guard. Armstrong showed few effects of his tough three-way match for the Hodge Championship Belt at Tag-o-Rama.

Ray Stevens (w/ Buff Bagwell) d. George South by countout when South could not answer the 10-count thanks to a swinging neckbreaker by Bagwell. Stevens dominated the first half of the match, but when he tried to bite South in the face, South went crazy and took over the action! Stevens finally tossed him to the outside in desperation, and then engaged the referee while Bagwell unleashed his attack.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt once again, someone Apter called “the most successful wrestler in BCW currently,” along with Commander Lou Albano, who added, “Currently? I think he’s the best of all-time!” Hackenschmidt mostly sneered as Apter asked him about his run with the U.S. title, showing obvious disdain at the use of “U.S.” Commissioner Chad then showed up to reaffirm that he had made the title match for the next card against Rick Rude. Albano brought up the fact that his wrestler wasn’t going to be wasting time with any “inferior U.S. guys.” The commissioner then offered a deal: If Hackenschmidt beat Rude “cleanly,” he could change the title to anything he wanted to call it, and he could wrestle only foreign wrestlers. Before Albano could answer, former world and U.S. champion Don Leo Jonathan stormed to the ring. BCW's longest-reigning U.S. champion said the title shouldn’t be renamed until he got one more shot at it. Albano shook his head “no,” but the commissioner agreed. But he added that to make it fair to Hackenschmidt, the match would be a “fatal four-way” encounter, and the fourth wrestler would be Hackenschmidt’s “teammate,” Mil Mascaras! That made Albano throw his hands into the air as Commissioner Chad smiled and Hackenschmidt kept sneering.

Jimmy Snuka d. Larry Sharpe, pinning him after a flying headbutt. Snuka had little problem in disposing of the veteran Sharpe.

As the New Age Outlaws came to ringside for their match, so did Commissioner Chad. He said, “I wanted to talk to either of your bosses, but apparently Harley Race is not here and Bobby Heenan is really not here. So tell Harley that since you guys injured the NEW (the crowd cheered) world heavyweight champion Johnny Valentine, and since he won’t be back for a few cards, he won’t be defending his title until after Invasion.” As the crowd cheered, the New Age Outlaws looked a little sick.

The New Age Outlaws d. the Oilmen by DQ when Yukon Eric slammed B.G. James’ head into a steel post at ringside. The Outlaws looked a little disorganized in their first match following Bobby Heenan’s departure. Still, B.G. James' continued cheap-shotting of Yukon Eric outside the ring ignited the Alaskan’s anger and caused the DQ.

“Bloody” Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Fritz Von Goering (w/ Commander Lou Albano) in an Invasion qualifying match when he executed a DIRT NAP on Von Goering. The match was back-and forth, with both wrestlers getting pin attempts, but the tide turned when Mil Mascaras came to ringside to “root on” his “teammate.” When both wrestlers ended up outside the ring, Mascaras slyly tripped up Von Goering, allowing Dirge to take advantage and eventually get the pin back in the ring. Dirge qualified for War Games, while Von Goering will wrestler for his BCW career at Invasion.

The Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) in a wild, physical match to retain the BCW world tag-team titles when the Kangaroos caught Animal with the BOOMERANG. All four wrestlers had pin attempts against them, and a DOOMSDAY DEVICE by the Warriors was broken up due to Berry’s interference. Afterward, as Berry carried off the belts, he yelled: “That’s it. No more title shots for the Road Warriors. We ARE the greatest tag team.” Fans booed, while Hawk, Animal and Ellering showed their frustration at not being able to defeat the current tag-team champions.

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD NO. 18

O’Connell Center – Gainesville

Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. George South by countout after using a dropkick outside the ring that sent South into a guardrail, effectively knocking him out of the match. Dirge showed a new, more intense side, apparently in preparations for War Games. He was especially aggressive toward South, even attacking him before the bell rang to start the match.

Delirious (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Virgil when he connected on his CHEMICAL IMBALANCE # 2. Afterward, the HCB belt holder ran around ringside, then bolted to the back.

Curt Hennig d. Larry Sharpe when he used a sunset flip to get the pin. Hennig came out minus his tag-team partner, Rick Rude, and also minus any U.S. flag or patriotic apparel. In fact, he showed disdain for Sharpe and for fans throughout the match.

The Road Warriors (w/ Paul Ellering) d. Buff Bagwell and Ray Stevens, taking out Bagwell with the DOOMSDAY DEVICE. The Warriors apparently had some latent hostility after seeing their latest title shot slip away, and they took it out on Stevens and Bagwell, who were on the defensive for most of the match.

Bill Apter’s “Hot Seat” featured Giant Baba. Baba, through an interpreter, told Apter he’s enjoyed teaming with Jushin Liger, but added that he had been energized by Johnny Valentine’s win at Tag-o-Rama. He said he’d like to face Valentine for the world heavyweight title, since he is a two-time BCW world heavyweight champion and Valentine was the first to beat him for the title. As Baba was talking, Harley Race came onto the set with a chair and bashed Baba in the back of the head. “There’s only one challenger for the title, and that’s me,” Race said. He then left as Liger raced to ringside to check on the injured Baba.

Buddy Rogers d. Danny Hodge by countout when Rogers tossed Hodge to the outside of the ring and, unseen by the ref, Hodge was nailed from behind by Curt Hennig, who merely nodded at Rogers and then left ringside. Before the attack, it had been a good matchup of two fierce competitors.

“Wild” Red Berry came out announced that since the Road Warriors had been “vanquished,” there were no one left good enough in BCW to face his champion Fabulous Kangaroos. That brought out Jim Cornette, who pointed out that only two teams in BCW history were four-time tag champions – and the Fabulous Kangaroos weren’t one of them. When Berry said that meant the Midnight Express just lost a lot, Cornette came back with, “Are you afraid?” Before Berry could reply, Commissioner Chad came out and said, “Of course not. Let’s have the match now!” While Berry sputtered, the Midnight Express made their way to the ring.

In a stunning upset, the Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) overcame recent turmoil to become BCW’s first five-time tag champions, d. the Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) when Stan Lane caught Roy Heffernan with an atomic drop, then got the pin while Berry was distracted by Cornette. Both teams used their finishers on the other during the match, and both times the pinned wrestler was saved by his manager’s interference. Lane’s maneuver came so swiftly that Berry, distracted by a racket-wielding Cornette, did not notice until it was too late. The crowd reaction definitely favored the Express over the more despised Kangaroos. It was the first loss of the year for the Kangaroos.

The Killer Bees came to ringside for their Invasion/War Games qualifying match, followed by Commissioner Chad. The commissioner noted what a tough year the Bees had record-wise. B. Brian Blair and Jim Brunzell nodded their heads in agreement. Then the commissioner said that because of the record, it was time for a change: If the Bees didn’t win this match, they would be gone from BCW – now! There would be no chance for redemption at Invasion – whatever tag team they would face would get an automatic spot in BCW. As Blair and Brunzell looked stunned, their opponents were announced: Ivan Koloff and Mad Dog Vachon!

Ivan Koloff and Mad Dog Vachon (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. the Killer Bees in a great match that sent Koloff and Vachon on to War Games and the Killer Bees out of BCW. The Bees put forth a great effort before their exit, successfully pulling off the “Masked Confusion” and giving Vachon and Koloff all they could handle before Vachon bit the head of Brunzell, stunning him enough to unleash a vicious clothesline and get the pin. The fans gave a nice send-off to the Killer Bees.

Rick Rude won a “fatal-four way” match to capture the U.S. title. The match started with reigning U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt and former U.S. champ Don Leo Jonathan in the ring. Hackenschmidt got his RUSSIAN BEAR HUG on Jonathan, but Jonathan was eventually able to tag in Mil Mascaras. The two “teammates” then squared off, with Mascaras eventually tagging in Rude, who in turn tagged in Jonathan. Jonathan eventually tagged in Mascaras, with Commander Lou Albano at ringside yelling for the masked wrestler to “take a dive.”

Instead, Mascaras gave Hackenschmidt quite a workout before finally getting caught in the RUSSIAN BEAR HUG and submitting. As Rude prepared to enter the ring, Hackenschmidt tagged in Jonathan. As Jonathan and Rude went at it, Hackenschmidt began talking to Albano, and Rude tagged the distracted wrestler back into the ring. A disgusted Hackenschmidt traded holds with Jonathan for a while, then Jonathan connected on a giant swing and got the pin! Albano was furious at ringside.

A weary Jonathan was no match for a fresh Rude, and Rude eventually pinned him after a top rope sledgehammer. Afterward, Rude posed for the crowd while Ida Mae strapped the U.S. belt around his waist.

[Crimson Cross]

Catching up on the BCW, the recent card was very good and Humperdink's men in Dirge & Delirious winning on the night is awesome...

LOD wiping out Bagwell is bad news for anyone in their way and I'm sure Hawk&Animal will not stop till they get the gold...

Speaking of Gold, nice to see the Midnight Express with their 5th reign as the Champs and I like that event name Tag-O-Rama by the way...

Rick Rude wins the US Strap is cool and it looked like a good battle and Curt Hennig costing Hodge a victory is interesting...

[The Creek Rises]

YEAR FIVE, CARD No. 19

Jacksonville Auditorium

Delirious (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) d. Jimmy Snuka by DQ when Snuka inadvertently threw Delirious into a ringside post. Delirious’ relatively light weight and strange gyrations threw off Snuka, who was trying to get the HCB champion back inside the squared circle. After the referee called for the bell, Delirious got up and ran to the back.

Sir Oliver Humperdink remained at ringside and motioned for Harker Dirge to join him. He then took the mike and said, “Since we’re on a roll, that’s have the esteemed Mr. Dirge, in preparation for his participation in War Games, once again test his mettle by facing the icon of BCW – Bobo Brazil. Are you up to the challenge, Mr. Brazil?” The question was answered by Brazil heading to the ring.

Bobo Brazil d. “Bloody” Harker Dirge (w/ Sir Oliver Humperdink) by getting a surprise pin after a big hummer punch. Brazil was proverbially on the ropes for most of the match, as Dirge jumped him before he got into the ring and held the advantage until Brazil got the surprise victory. Humperdink looked upset afterward at the setback for his young wrestler.

Commissioner Chad came out and said that Commander Lou Albano had requested a match between two of the four wrestlers involved in the recent U.S. title match – Don Leo Jonathan versus “his” wrestler, Mil Mascaras. The commissioner agreed that it would make a great addition to the card.

Mil Mascaras (w/ Commander Lou Albano) d. Don Leo Jonathan by DQ when George Hackenschmidt came to ringside and belted Mascaras in the back of the head. Mascaras and Jonathan shook hands before the match to show no hard feelings from the title bout, then went at it hard. But Albano apparently requested the match just to humiliate and attack Mascaras for not being a “team player.” Afterward, he and Hackenschmidt loomed over Mascaras, who was on the ground holding his head in pain.

Diamond Dallas Page came to ringside to announce that he wanted a shot at new U.S. heavyweight champion Rick Rude, but before he could continue, Curt Hennig came out to cut him off. “You’ll have to get through me first, Page, and you can’t do it.” Page motioned for Hennig to get into the ring.

Curt Hennig d. Diamond Dallas Page by countout when Page was attacked by U.S. champion Rick Rude outside the ring. Page and Hennig had gone back and forth in a pretty even matchup until Page ended up outside the ring. That’s when Rude attacked using the RUDE AWAKENING while the ref was distracted with Hennig. However, Hennig looked surprised after Rude’s attack, as if he didn’t expect Rude would be there. Rude merely glared at his supposed tag-team partner, then left. Hennig then turned around only to be hit by a vicious clothesline from former U.S. champion George Hackenschmidt that left Hennig in a crumpled, injured heap.

Danny Hodge came to ringside, where he was met by Commissioner Chad. The commissioner asked if Hodge wanted his namesake belt back, and Hodge nodded “yes.” Then the commissioner said Hodge would have to earn it against other light-heavyweights, starting with … Brad Armstrong!

Danny Hodge d. Brad Armstrong using his OKLAHOMA SIDE ROLL. The long match went back and forth, with neither wrestler getting much momentum until Hodge caught Armstrong with an elbow coming into the corner. He was then able to apply his finisher.

Commander Lou Albano came to ringside and corralled Commissioner Chad. He told the commissioner that George Hackenschmidt was “not quite ready” to regain his title belt, to which the commissioner replied, “Well, he must be tired out with all his extracurricular activities!” Albano ignored the remark about the interfering Hackenschmidt and instead offered another challenger for the “international belt”: Frtiz Von Goering! The commissioner started to shake his head “no,” but Rick Rude appeared and motioned Von Goering to the ring.

U.S. heavyweight champion Rick Rude (w/ Ida Mae) vs. Fritz Von Goering (w/ Commander Lou Albano) ended in a double DQ when both men wouldn’t stop fighting outside the ring. Von Goering was in control of the match early, but Rude took over and administered a RUDE AWAKENING, only to have Albano distract the referee. The two men ended up outside the ring exchanging blows, and after the DQ, Ida Mae smacked Albano with the title belt and helped Rude get away from ringside before the rest of the Foreign Legion (minus Mascaras) could arrive to attack him. Albano failed in his apparent plan to either 1) have Von Goering capture the title and not have to fight for his career at Invasion or 2) have Von Goering batter Rude ahead of any future matchup with Hackenschmidt.

In an Invasion qualifying match, Yukon Eric d. Virgil when he pinned Virgil after a cross-body block off the turnbuckle. With the win, Yukon Eric will go on to War Games, while Virgil will wrestle for his BCW career at Invasion.

The Fabulous Kangaroos (w/ “Wild” Red Berry) d. the Midnight Express (w/ Jim Cornette) to regain the BCW world tag-team titles when Al Costello used an Aussie suplex to pin Stan Lane. Lane was hobbled by actions earlier in the match, and after the pin, Roy Heffernan belted Bobby Eaton with a boomerang, then he and Costello teamed up to work over Lane’s ankle in revenge for losing the titles, seriously injuring Lane. Berry had already stolen Cornette’s racket and belted him with it. The crowd booed the actions of the Kangaroos, who held up the belts and smiled as Lane writhed in pain on the mat and the era of the Midnight Express in BCW appeared to come to an end.

[Crimson Cross]

Very Cool seeing the Kangaroos regain the Tag straps and I like and find interesting that Ida Mae manages Rick Rude and that Double DQ ending with FVG was wild...