The Last Match: The Tag Teams of Arn Anderson

In this post we look The Last Match of The Tag Teams of Arn Anderson beginning with becoming and Anderson as a member of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew and concluding with his last Tag Team Championship reign with Paul Roma.
 

Ole Anderson
Billed as his nephew Arn took Gene's place as Ole's partner in The Minnesota Wrecking Crew.  The duo captured the NWA National Tag Team Championships and with Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard formed the Four Horseman.  The team broke up when Anderson was kicked out of the Horsemen.  The started teaming again in December 1989 when Arn returned to WCW after his run in the WWE and they would team again for a couple months before Ole retired.

First Match: April 13, 1985 Atlanta, Georgia
defeated Gene Ligon & Rocky King

Last Match: February 24, 1987 Rock Hill, South Carolina
defeated Johnny Ace & Tommy Angel

February 25, 1990 Wrestle War 1990 Baltimore, Maryland
defeated by NWA World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers: Rick & Scott

Tully Blanchard
As memebers of the Four Horsemen they began teaming after Arn's partnership with Ole ended when he was kicked out of the group.  The duo left WCW together joining the WWE where they took on Bobby "The Brain" Heenan as their manager.  Together they won two NWA World Tag Team Championships and one WWE World Tag Team Championships.  The team came to an end when they left the WWE and Anderson resigned with WCW.

First Match: June 28, 1987 NWA Rock Hill, South Carolina
defeated Dexter Wescott & Rikki Nelson

Last Match: November 5, 1989 WWE House Show Waukegan, Illinois
defeated by WWE Tag Team Champions: Demolition: Ax & Smash

"Living Legend" Larry Zbyszko
The veteran duo dubbed themselves The Enforcers and dominated the tag team division winning WCW World Tag Team Championships.  Their partnership was short lived but the made an lasting impact.

First Match: July 9, 1991 Tallahassee, Florida
defeated The Young Pistols: Steve Armstrong & Tracy Smothers

Last Match: December 14, 1991 Dublin, Ireland
defeated by "Natural" Dustin Rhodes & Bill Kazmaier

"Beautiful" Bobby Eaton
Just two weeks after ending his team with Zbyszko Anderson joined the Dangerous Alliance and began teaming with another tag team specialist in "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton.  Just three weeks later they captured the WCW World Tag Team Championships holding them for four months.

First Match: December 25, 1991 The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia
defeated by "Natural" Dustin Rhodes & Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in a two out of three falls match

Last Match: November 18, 1992 Clash of the Champions XXI Macon, Georgia
defeated by Erik Watts & Kensuke Sasaki

Paul Roma
Roma joined the Horsemen at a time when other thought Tully Blanchard would be returning to the group.  His first match in almost two years teaming with Anderson.  Their team was short lived, as was this version of The Horsemen. 

First Match: June 7, 1993 WCW Saturday Night Atlanta, Georgia
defeated Don Brodie & Warren Quinn

Last Match: Octrober 6, 1993 WCW Saturday Night Atlanta, GA
defeated by "Stunning" Steve Austin & Paul Orndorff, this matched aired November 27, 1993

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, read my other posts, and like my blogs Facebook page and while you're at it check out my weekly podcast Podcast of 1,000 Holds on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Later Readers!

Random Wrestling: Minnesota Wrecking Crew

Welcome back to Random Wrestling!  It's been a long time since I have done one of these posts, it's not for the lack of watching wrestling, I've had a lot to watch I just have just enough other stuff to post about is all.

Let's get started!

Ole & Gene Anderson

Steel Cage Match: Gene & Ole Anderson vs. Greg "The Hammer" Valentine & "Nature Boy" Ric Flair
May 8, 1977 Charlotte, North Caroline

This is for the NWA World Tag Team Championship, Mid-Atlantic version.  This is the title that eventually became the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

Wahoo McDaniel is the referee, from 1977 this is a six minute clip filmed on 16mm.

Joined in progress it appears as though the Anderson's are the faces.  Everyone is busted open as Gene takes a beat down until making the hot tag to Ole.  Ole cleans house but then is thrown into Wahoo.  In a very dangerous bump, Flair has Ole up for a standing suplex and trips over Wahoo and I thinks Ole was supposed to fall on Flair but instead fell on his head, but still manged to get the pin.


Flair and Valentine then beat down everyone including Wahoo until someone makes the save.  The Anderson's won the titles, but Ole had to be stretchered out after taking a spike piledriver.

Ole & Arn Anderson

Arn & Ole Anderson vs. The Rock & Roll Express: Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson

NWA Worldwide August 2, 1986

Tommy Young is your referee with David Crockett and James E. Cornette calling the action.

Excellent tag team encounter in front of the always hot crowd that Mid Atlantic Wrestling had at that time. Story of the match is very stereotypical but I love it!!  Anderson beat down the Express who fire back time and time again only to be stopped by the Anderson's.  Finally the Express clearly have the upper hand when Arn low bridges Gibson causing him to fall backwards over the top rope drawing the disqualification.  Anderson's then beat down Gibson and Morton on the floor until the faces clear the dressing room to stop them.

Minnesota Wrecking Crew II with Ole Anderson

Minnesota Wrecking Crew II vs. World Tag Team Champions: The Steiner Brothers: Rick & Scott
NWA World Championship Wrestling March 3, 1990

Commentary by Bob Caudle and Teddy Long with Randy Anderson the man in charge in the ring.

I have never heard of the Minnesota Wrestling Crew II, it's two masked guys managed by Ole Anderson.  They have blue pants and matching masks!  Apparently the men under the masks were the team of Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom, a formidable tag team in there own right.

Match wise the Crew II work like the Anderson's working the arm, but they just can't seem to keep the upper hand on the Steiner Brothers until the work Scott's previously injured arm.  Of course they have to beat it against the guard rail a dozen times first. Wrecking Crew pick up the count-out victory after a hammerlock slam on the floor onto Scott.

Lars and Ole Anderson

I couldn't find any matches on You Tube of Lars and Gene Anderson teamed together however I did find this clip from Georgia Championship Wrestling spring 1980 where Ole & Lars posed as the masked Avengers surprising Tag Team Champions: Ivan Koloff & Alexis Smirnoff.  I never knew that Lars and Ole teamed up together so this is quite and exciting discovery for me!  Apparently Lars and Ole are two time NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions!

Ivan Koloff & Alexis Smirnoff vs. The Avengers 

This clip is from Georgia Championship Wrestling July 26, 1980 just a few days after Lars and Ole split.  Lars talks about it post match.

Lars Anderson vs. Bobby Garrett

Rough timeline of the teams

Gene & Lars Anderson 1966 - 1969

Gene & Ole Anderson 1969 - 1981 on and off

Ole & Lars Anderson 1977 - 1980 on and off

Ole & Arn Anderson 1985 - 1987 & 1990 for a few months

Minnesota Wrecking Crew II managed by Ole for a few matches in 1990

In OVW Brock Lesnar & Shelton Benjamin called themselves the Minnesota Stretching Crew and from 2002 - 2008 women wrestlers Lacey & Rain went by the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew.

Later Readers!

Bonus

Bryant Anderson is the son of Ole Anderson, he wrestled for WCW in 1993 and Smoky Mountain Wrestling 1994 - 1995.  This is the only match that I could find on You Tube of Anderson.  It is from WCW Worldwide airing March 19, 1994.  Anderson had a good look and wore the classic Anderson maroon boots with gold stripes.

Johnny B. Badd & Terry Taylor vs. DDP & Bryant Anderson

Brad Anderson is the son of Gene Anderson, he began his career under a mask in 1988 for Jim Crockett Promotions as Agent Steel.  He also competed as Zan Panzer, Viper, and as Brad Anderson.  He worked matches for WWF, WCW, SMW, and other promotions.  His last match to date is actually the only match I have ever seen an Anderson wrestle live in.  NWA Legends Fanfest  August 8, 2009 in Charlotte, NC he defeated "Man Scout" Jake Manning.  I found a few matches from various times in his career on you tube.

WCW Tag Team Champions: The Nasty Boys vs. Pez Whatley & Brad Anderson
from WCW The Main Event January 23, 1994

The Fantastics vs. Agent Steel & Curtis Thompson
from NWA World Championship Wrestling 1988ish

Doug Furnace vs. Zan Panzer
from World Championship Wrestling May 26, 1990

Later!