Wizard Cup

[Mongrel]

The AFL Wizard Cup started tonight.

I went to Freo/West Coast, even though I'm a Doggies supporter.

The scoreline did Freo ALOT of justice as they were outclassed totally.

Still to come this week;

Western Bulldogs v. Sydney (Carn you Doggies)

St. Kilda v. Hawthorn

Melbourne v. Brisbane

Carlton v. Essendon

North Melbourne v. Geelong

Adelaide v. Port Adelaide.

I think Collingwood or Geelong will have big chances of winning.

[Underage Politician]

Carlton looked good. Nick Stevens is fucking brilliant. If Whittnal can learn to kick straight he'll be a force again.

[Mongrel]

The Fifteen Most Influential Matches in WCCW History

Posted by Clive Peters on 12.26.07

From Booker's betrayal to Austin-Sting, 411's Clive Peters says that these are the matches that - for better or worse - created WCCW's legacy! Check out the article to see what matches made the list and why!

Following what was a tremendous PPV effort from the National Wrestling Alliance with Starrcade, I thought I would look at some of the matches that defined World Class Championship Wrestling as one of the most important players in the entire NWA. WCCW's emergence from a financial struggler in the late-eighties to a wrestling powerhouse in the late-nineties has been simply amazing, and it has primarily been as a result of some of these huge moments. Not all of them have been positive moments, and some have seen the company receive huge backlash from the paying fans; but these are the fifteen moments that have had the biggest impact on WCCW's legacy in North America today.

XV

Vader Time Arrives

WCCW Heavyweight Championship: 'Superstar' Steve Austin © vs. Justin 'Hawk' Bradshaw

WCCW on PPV: Slim Pickings - February 27, 2000 - Ft. Worth, TX

The pressure had been on WCCW right throughout the 1990s to continually create their own stars as the non-NWA affiliates and Titan Wrestling continued to throw money at some of their biggest stars just as the iron was striking hot. In February 2000, WCCW sought to bring in a star for themselves and got it in the form of Big Van Vader who stunned all by debuting at February 2000's instalment of WCCW on Pay-Per-View. After taking the title from Kurt Angle and defending it against Johnny B. Badd, new crowd hit 'Superstar' Steve Austin was running hot into his next defence against villain Justin Hawk Bradshaw. With referee Charles Robinson down thanks to an errant clothesline from the Hollywood star, Bradshaw took Austin out and began gesticulating for someone backstage to join him in the ring. Ft. Worth sat stunned as Big Van Vader shocked them by storming down the ramp and delivering a brutal Vader Bomb to Austin and following it up by showing his athleticism with a Vadersault. Vader retreated backstage and although Austin managed to kick out before Robinson counted three and retain his title, the impact that the big man had made was undoubted. His arrival opened the gate for more-and-more big name players from other territories to debut in Texas, and also paved the way for a blood feud between Austin and Vader that would continue until Vader took his first WCCW Heavyweight Title in July.

XIV

World Class flounders in Nevada

Viva Rock Vegas Match - Kevin Vegas vs. Big Daddy Bundy

WCCW on PPV: Vegas Invasion - June 26, 1994 - Las Vegas, NV

Looking to expand out of its traditional areas, World Class staged a well-publicised and stacked pay-per-view event from Las Vegas, NV in hope of gaining more support in its surrounding territories. What resulted, though, was an uninspiring performance from main eventers Sid Justice and Butch Reed, and a horrifying match between Kevin Vegas and Big Daddy Bundy. Vegas found himself embroiled in a bitter feud with Bundy as a result of a childhood disagreement that resulted in Bundy being kicked out of Vegas' band (seriously). In a real WrestleCrap moment, the two met in a pre-taped Viva Rock Vegas matchup that took place on a stage in front of a crowd of about thirty. The blow off match involved each competitor having to strike their opponent with each individual instrument before pinning them - a bizzare and unnecessary version of the traditional strap match. With both men level at two guitars, a piano and a cymbal, Vegas put bundy head-first through a drumset and then hit the Big Boot for the win. The crowd were villainous in their response, and both were released from the territory. Vegas would return less than a year later and remain off-and-on for WCCW, whilst Bundy would never return. What was more important was that even with the rise of cable television coverage, WCCW remained distinctly hesitant to stage shows outside of Texas.

XIII

Gunns and Rockers wrestle up a storm

NWA Texas Tag Team Championship: The Smokin' Gunns vs. The Rockers

Kerry Von Erich Memorial Show - March 14, 1993 - Dallas, TX

The tragic death of Kerry Von Erich in February of 1993 came as a momentous shock to the wrestling world and continued the so-called "Von Erich Curse" that plagued the talented and influential family. Von Erich and Dusty Rhodes had been tag champions for five months before Von Erich took his own life, and the loss left the tag team division in tatters. But what the tournament did see was the emergence of two extremely talented tag teams who would face off at the aptly named Kerry Von Erich Memorial Show in March. The Rockers, a flamboyant tag team made up of the exciting pair Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannety, had advanced to the final of the tournament as they cheated to beat two time tag champs DOOM. But the fan favourites were "The Smokin' Gunns" Mike and Kip Winchester, whose no-nonsense style saw them quickly rise up the tag ranks. The heel team of The Rockers did everything they could to illegally choke, punch and kick their opponents to draw the ire of the crowd, before The Gunns hit back in style with their brutal fisticuffs. It was the aggression of Mike Winchester's powerful punching that opened a gap in the flamboyant Rockers defence as the pair hit the Sidewinder to claim a momentous victory. With an emotional Dusty Rhodes presenting The Smokin' Gunns with their first tag team titles, all semblance of storylines were forgotten as the two teams embraced following a sensational contest and seeing a resurgance in the popularity of tag team wrestling.

XII

Luger brings Texas to Carolina

NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship: 'Mean' Mark Callous © vs. Lex Luger

NWA Anniversary Show, October 14, 1990, Minneapolis, MN

One of the main reasons the WCCW and Ric Flair Promotions rose to prominence throughout the late-1980s and early-1990s was due to a lucrative talent sharing agreement between the two companies which saw a number of high-profile matches between wrestlers in both promotions. But perhaps the biggest moment in the unprecedented working relationship came at the NWA Anniversary Show in October of 1990 as an RFP wrestler claimed one of the biggest titles of WCCW in a huge coup. The near seven foot giant 'Mean' Mark Callous had ended Eric Embry's eight month Texas Heavyweight Championship reign in July, but soon found himself embroiled in a feud against the perfectly sculpted Lex Luger of RFP. When Callous agreed to defend the title in Minneapolis, few suspected that the illustrious championship would change hands in the heartland of RFP. However those people were mistaken as the monster Callous fell victim to a screwjob from young RFP referee Mickie Henson. After the WCCW referee - who was initially refereeing the contest - fell victim to a 'misdirected' splash from Luger, Henson came rushing out to the ring to take over. But when Callous hit the inverted piledriver and covered Luger, Henson refused to make the count. As Callous confronted the heavily biased referee, Luger snuck up from behind and began choking Callous out with a chain - Callous passing out as Luger claimed the title in a massive contest. Just a week later, Callous would regain the title in Texas as he debuted The Leg Drop and got revenge against Henson who attempted to interfere again; but the first match remains one of the biggest andmost unexpected moments in WCCW (and RFP) history.

XI

Embry thwarts Hayes to earn double crown

WCCW Heavyweight Championship: Michael Hayes © vs. Eric Embry

August 24, 1990 - Dallas, TX

Michael Hayes will go down as one of the biggest heels in the world for his work inthe late-1980s and early-1990s following a gripping feud with Sting which lasted the best part of 1988 and 1989. But closer to home in World Class Championship Wrestling is his feud with Eric Embry in 1990 Hayes had blown all his chances at claiming the Texas Heavyweight Championship against Eric Embry, and suffice to say it was a situation that did not please Hayes or his manager Paul E. Dangerously. On June 15, Dangerously and Hayes addressed the Wichita Falls crowd as they announced that the WCCW could not afford to have a superstar like Hayes unable to compete for the biggest prize. So, in an attempt to upstage Embry, Dangerously brought the former NWA World Heavyweight Championship (which Hayes famously refused to return) back into circulation and renamed it the WCCW Heavyweight Championship - awarding it to Michael Hayes. However Hayes would have to defend the title for the first time by order of Dusty Rhodes who deemed it to be more than decoration and more than worthy of being on the line - particularly after Hayes cost Embry the Texas Heavyweight title against Mark Callous. In Dallas, Embry famously became the first of only nine men to hold both the WCCW Heavyweight and WCCW Texas Heavyweight titles as he nailed Hayes with the fisherman suplex to pull off the pinfall - much to the consternation of Paul E. Dangerously! Hayes would reclaim the title from Embry less than a week later as he stacked the odds against Embry in a ring surrounded by hand-picked lumberjacks, but Embry's famous victory saw what is now the top title in World Class come to the fore.

X

Angle completes 'boy hood dream'

WCCW Heavyweight Championship: 'The American Hero' Kurt Angle vs. 'Superstar' Steve Austin

WCCW on PPV: American Dreams - July 25, 1999 - San Antonio, TX

A former Olympic gold medallist, Kurt Angle made his first appearance in a WCCW ring in early 1999; professing to be an American hero who valued his 'three I's'. After building an impressive run of wins, the American Hero shockingly turned on 'Superstar' Steve Austin at the Battle of the Alamo; hitting him with an Olympic Slam and giving Dustin Rhodes the title. Two months later, the now vacated title was to be contested in a tournament; the final eventually seeing the two bitter rivals pitted against each other for the gold. Angle did everything he could to prevent Austin from progressing throughout the tournament, but the Hollywood star successfully pinned Sid Justice in the semi finals to get a chance at revenge. In a shocking revelation, it was revealed that Angle had been in cahoots with Charles Robinson and had employed him as personal referee. Robinson was removed as official at American Dreams, but it did not stop Angle from rolling Austin up and grabbing the tights to claim his first gold in World Class. Angle's ascent to the title saw WCCW create their first real contender to the NWA Heavyweight title in year; even if Austin would get his revenge in a cracking Cage Match at Starrcade.

IX

Warrior lights up Fort Worth

NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship: Bob Bradley © vs. The Dingo Warrior

February 2, 1987 - Ft. Worth, TX

After a stagnant first year under Dusty Rhodes, the WCCW needed someone to break through and take the company to the higher echelon. That person came in the form of the outrageous man known as The Dingo Warrior who burst onto the scene with his wild haircut, his insane rantings and ravings, and his electrifying wrestling style. After a dominant start to his WCCW career, The Warrior earned himself a shot at the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Championship in the winter of 1987 against champion Bob Bradley. The crowd favourite staged an impressive performance in Fort Worth to end the short title reign of Bradley and to capture his first gold in the company with a press drop. Whilst The Warrior's only reign as champion would only last five months, they were some of the biggest in the early years of Dusty Rhodes' WCCW and certainly captured the imagination of the southern crowd. Warrior's career could have been so much more in World Class Championship Wrestling had he not jumped ship to the failed World Wrestling Federation as The Ultimate Warrior, but it was a sign of things to come as people became legitimately interested in what Dusty Rhodes was doing in Texas.

VIII

Superstar topples The Giant

NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Paul Wight © vs. 'Superstar' Steve Austin

NWA Starrcade 2K - December 17, 2000 - Kansas City, MO

Big things were expected of Steve Austin as he broke away from Brian Pillman and former NWA World Tag Team Champions The Hollywood Blondes, but they did not come immediately. The abrasive redneck style was hardly foreign to Texas, and he found himself stagnant in the midcard and unable to break through. Needing a change, Austin took to appearing in a number of films - usually as a henchman - and fans began to see a rapid change in his persona. Austin became an arrogant and overconfident movie 'star' who professed to be on the lips of everyone on the silver screen. Whilst it was never the case, Austin's undoubted charisma began to shine through and he went from weasly heel to a legitimately popular babyface thanks to the Texan crowds inexplicably turning him. Such was his rise, Austin finally earned a shot at the NWA World Title in late 2000 with a victory over Jeff Jarrett. Pitted against Paul 'The Great' Wight, Austin produced the biggest victory of his career as he earned a pinfall victory at Starrcade 2K to cement his spot as the biggest wrestler in the world. Tragedy would of course cut his reign short the next year, but Kansas City, MO were witness to a legitimate megastar coming out of his shell on a world stage.

VII

Husband vs. Wife for Heavyweight Title

WCCW Heavyweight Championship: 'The American Nightmare' Dustin Rhodes vs. Terri Rhodes

Monday Night Ignition - December 13, 2004 - Corpus Christi, TX

VI

Cable Television Ignites

WCCW Heavyweight Championship: Sid Justice © vs. 'Iron' Mike Sharpe

Monday Night Ignition - July 17, 1995 - Dallas, TX

Mike Sharpe was a four-time NWA Texas Heavyweight Champion, and had developed a solid base of support due to his uncompromising style. Nevertheless, it seemed like the WCCW Heavyweight title was a bridge too far for him as he suffered four unsuccessful attempts in two years before finally being granted another chance against Sid Justice on the first television show on cable television. The debut of Ignition on ESPN needed a big moment to consolidate an audience, and a title change was just the remedy as Sharpe hoisted Justice on his shoulders and hit the Sharpe Edge to shake his tag of choker and claim his first title. Since then, almost all of the major NWA territories have themselves a cable television show and the cutting edge move from WCCW paved the way for a dramatic shift in the way wrestling is run and booked in North America.

V

Foley redefines 'high-impact' wrestling

Reverse Cage Match: Cactus Jack Foley vs. 'Mean' Mark Callous

Halloween Havoc - October 26, 1997 - Austin, TX

The idea of a 'sick bump' was not foreign to wrestling, but it had yet to be really seen on a large scale on pay-per-view. The insane and barbaric Cactus Jack Foley sought to change that since moving from Eastern Championship Wrestling in mid 1997; tormenting former champ Mark Callous with a series of mind games and attacks on his family. A bizzare stipulation governed their first meeting at Halloween Havoc as Callous spun the wheel and made the deal with a reverse Cage match; the object being to beat your opponent badly enough outside the ring to be able to climb over the twenty foot structure and inside to win the match. As gimmicky as it sounds, the two made it work in an absolutely bloodthirsty showdown around the ring and in the crowd; but it was Foley who looked like he had the match won as he floored Callous with a two-by-four. Nearly to the top of the cage, Foley looked down to see a bloody Callous climbing after him; the two eventually finding themselves standing on top of the structure and exchanging strikes. The pure striker Callous won out and pushed Foley off of the cage and through the announce table in a true 'holy shit' moment. The iconic picture of a wide-eyed Callous staring down at the broken body of Foley sticks with me, and this bump undoubtedly was the impetus for some of the increasingly insane stunts attempted over the years and the noticeable change in style for WCCW.

IV

The Best in the Business Do Battle

WCCW Heavyweight Championship: 'The Icon' Sting © vs. 'Superstar' Steve Austin

WrestleWar - March 23, 2003 - Houston, TX

Few true dream matches ever occur without the help of the NWA World Heavyweight title, but the long-standing working agreement between WCCW and RFP certainly made one of the biggest happen at WrestleWar '03. In the summer of 2000, one of the most devastating and tragic injuries in the history of WCCW struck as "Superstar" Steve Austin was involved in a horrific head-on car accident which threatened to derail a very promising career. With serious injuries, doctors predicted that Austin would never wrestle again and wrestlers around the world lamented the loss of one of the pre-eminent wrestlers in North America - comparing the loss of Austin to that of Ric Flair in his prime. In the winter of 2002, a storyline began where Ric Flair Promotions "invaded" WCCW and launched an all-out assault against the Texan promotion. To start 2003, one of the biggest shocks in WCCW history occurred at Hog Wild as "The Icon" Sting captured the WCCW Heavyweight Championship as he made Sid Justice pass out in the Scorpion Deathlock. The following months saw RFP wreak havoc as they consistently slipped past security and disrupted WCCW matches. It came to a head at WrestleWar where the card was filled by WCCW/RFP matches; a win for World Class meaning they would regain their title and be rid of RFP wrestlers for good. Sting had been in the dark about his opponent in the weeks leading up to WrestleWar before he finally found out at the March 3 Ignition in grand style as Steve Austin shockingly returned from his near fatal injuries. In a dream contest, it was Austin who sealed the deal for World Class by hitting Sting with the Lights, Camera, Action after Dustin and Dusty Rhodes for once were united in preventing a Ric Flair interference. Whilst the invading storyline never really did what either promotion wanted in terms of taking viewers away from TWE, it produced some encounters we'd never have been treated to and ushered in the special return of Austin.

III

Battle of the Finest Wrestlers on the Planet

NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle © vs. Brock Lesnar

NWA Supercard - April 15, 2007 - San Antonio, TX

II

Booker T climbs to the top of the heap... and then throws it all away

WCCW Heavyweight & NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship Unification Match: Booker T © vs. 'The American Nightmare' Dustin Rhodes ©

Starrcade 98 - December 27, 1998 - Charlotte, NC

Booker T's rise to the top of WCCW and rapid fall is an interesting story of giving the torch to the wrong guy. The lead up to WCCW's marquee match at Starrcade 98 was one of the more successful and convoluted storylines in its history. Dusty Rhodes was married to Terri Rhodes in a TV wedding in mid 1998, but it later emerged that his son Dustin had wooed Terri on their honeymoon. The two eloped and left Dusty distraught as he was forced to witness his son and wife tear up the marriage certificate and complete the divorce papers in the middle of the ring on national television. The event was all too much for 'The American Dream' who suffered a nervous breakdown and left the company in the hands of the sordid pair who gained a 50 per cent stake thanks to the divorce settlement. Rhodes was intent on making his mark on World Class, and quickly became WCCW Heavyweight Champion by ending the year long reign of Justin Hawk Bradshaw. He wasn't done yet, though, as he set his sights on becoming the holder of both major titles inside Texas; the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title being held by Booker T. Booker, a former NWA World Tag Team Champion, had returned to Texas and had quickly gained favour with the fans as he shot up the card quickly. But the deck was stacked against him, and it was at Starrcade 98 that a heated feud came to the fore after Booker refused to back down from the power-hungry couple. The match would see the two titles unified (in reality the Texas Heavyweight title had been relegated well down the card and needed to go), but it was not Rhodes who managed to feat as Booker T became the first WCCW Unified Heavyweight Champion by nailing Rhodes with a Scissor Kick. The result was a clear indication that Booker was given the spot as top dog in WCCW, but he subsequently jumped ship in March of next year leaving Texas high-and-dry without a unified champion. Booker would come to regret that decision as he would end up taking bookings in Motor City, whilst the vacant title gave the opportunity for a budding young heel Steve Austin to claim his first title. The end of the match also saw Dusty Rhodes return to thwart the interfering efforts of his ex-wife and to nail his son with a well-deserved DDT to lead us into...

I

Blood feud hits boiling point

Texas Death Match: 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes vs. 'The American Nightmare' Dustin Rhodes

Battle at the Alamo - May 16, 1999 - Austin, TX

The Rhodes Saga has perhaps encapsulated everything that is right and everything that is wrong in World Class Championship Wrestling. By eloping with Terri Rhodes, Dustin had finally emerged as a player the fans hated after years of mediocrity as both face and heel. Following Dusty saving Booker from a tainted loss at Starrcade, the two engaged in one of the most bitter and personal feuds in NWA history as they regularly shed each other's blood in the ensuing power struggle. It came to a final conclusion at the aptly named Battle of the Alamo in May 1999 in a Texas Death Match - the most brutal, unforgiving and fitting finish possible. 'The American Nightmare' had been talking up how it would take just one punch for him to keep his father down for the ten count, but was visibly shocked at the fire that burned in his father's eyes as he came out with a barrage of right hands to bust his own son open in the opening exchanges. Eventually, though, age would win out and after both men were busted open and anything they could find at ringside was used as a weapon, Dustin took control and nailed his father with the Nightmare Drop for the pinfall. However, Dusty showed he wasn't done yet as he staggered to his feet before the ten count to enrage his son. But the gesture was just a gesture as, upon instruction of his step-mother-come-wife, Dustin administered a brutal beatdown as he cruelly beat his father to a bloody pulp. With the buxom Terri Rhodes squealing in delight at ringside, 'The American Dream' was unable to rise to his feet before the ten count and Dustin Rhodes had earned his sought-after shot at the WCCW Heavyweight Championship and had won the first battle. The two would feud again regularly (most recently at Starrcade last year), but it was this bloody encounter that not only gave WCCW its reputation as one of the most violent promotions in North America, but also cemented it near the top of the NWA tree.

[Underage Politician]

Haha. True. The Doggies look like they might have got their shit together, interesting to see how they go when the real season begins. Will be travelling down the Gold Coast this weekend to catch the Lions vs Dons game. Should be good fun.