World Class: Star Wars 1981 Review

About a month ago I was looking through the Hidden Gems section of the WWE Network and found the Star Wars 1981 World Class Championship Wrestling event.  I was pretty excited to find this because I've never seen it before and I'm a fan of the old World Class wrestling. I was also surprised it wasn't in the World Class section.

WCCW Star Wars 1981

Sunday February 22, 1981

Reunion Arena

Ring Announcer: Bill Mercer

Run Time 81 Minutes

Mil Mascaras vs. "Killer" Tim Brooks

Mil looks pretty good here, of course he is only 39 years old.  At the time of this match if you threw your opponent over the top rope you were disqualified.  The highlight of the match was Brooks throwing himself over the top rope in the corner trying to claim a dq victory.  Mascaras took three bumps in the match and no sold all three.  Finish came with Mascaras coming off the top rope with a flying body press.

No Disqualification
Fritz Von Erich vs. The Great Kabuki with Gary Hart

So this match was terrible. Highlight of the match was when a fan tried to attack Gary Hart and Gary leveled him, it was tremendous!  Fritz was in trouble with Kabuki dominating, so David ran in attacking Kabuki nailing a devastating back body drop and the Fritz got the pin.  Yup.

NWA World Champion: Harley Race vs. Kerry Von Erich

21 year old Kerry Von Erich was green as grass in this title opportunity.  Match was pretty clustery but it was a decent match.  Bronco Lubich was a terrible referee, just terrible.  He was slow, got in the way, just bad.  Harley was great, some classic Harley comedy with him selling the after effects of a sleeper hold and tumbling through the ropes.

Finish came when Harley bodyslammed Kerry on one of the ringside tables and then attempted a falling headbutt, but Kerry moved.  Both men were then counted out of the ring even though Kerry was three quarters of the way back into the ring when the referee finished the count.

WCWA World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
David & Kevin Von Erich vs. Champions: Hercules Ayala & Ali Mustafa
The tag team championship was represented by a single large trophy.  Also Kevin is wearing boots in this match!  This match was a struggle of styles in the worst way.  You had the young Von Erich brothers who wanted to work a fast paced high intensity match that the crowd was very much into, and the big, slow, and plodding Ayala & Ali just slowed it right down.  But not in that good wrestling psychology way of slowing things down to build them back up, they just didn't want to move.
The Von Erich's won the title with a sunset flip.

This was taken right after Kevin & David won the match

Texas Battle Royal

The winner would receive $5000!  It looks like about twelve wrestlers in the match, you could be eliminated by pin fall or being thrown over to top rope to the floor.  Bruiser Brody won a very lackluster Battle Royal.

At the beginning of the matches the fans would gather around the ring for autographs from the baby faces, however when Kevin and David were in there the fans surrounded the ring and climbed up on the ring apron, it was pretty wild! Really showed just how popular they were with the fans.

There was only one camera that was used for the match, the hard camera but it would zoom in and move around following the action.  It came out very well.  I don't know who was calling the action, but it was a one man booth and he felt the need to talk non-stop and at times it was rough to listen too.

According to cagematch.net there was one other match on the card with Chang Chung defeating Bruiser Brody.  If you chose not to watch this then you are missing out on nothing.

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Pete Dunne: The Longest Reigning WWE Champion in 30 Years

At 524 days, as of October 26, 2018, the WWE United Kingdom Champion "Brusierweight" Pete Dunne has become the longest continuous reigning singles champion in over 30 years since Hulk Hogan's first title reign came to end on February 5, 1988.

Dunne represents the WWE's United Kingdom brand but unlike other champions in the WWE, Dunne defends his championship in promotions around the world.  Since winning the championship Dunne has competed in near 200 matches. While not all were title matches compare that to Brock Lesnar who wrestled just 17 matches in his 504 day reign as Universal Champion and Asuka who wrestled 149 matches in her 523 day reign as NXT Women's Champion.

In the near 66 year history of the WWE Pete Dunne ranks sixth on the list of longest single reigning champions.  That is not an accomplishment that you can dismiss as only Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, and Pedro Morales have had a longer continuous single reigns as a champion.

However, Dunne has as long way to go before he breaks into their ranks.  Pedro Morales', number five on the list, 1,027 days as the WWWF Champion is over 500 days longer then Dunne's.  In order to tie Morales, Dunne would need to hold the United Kingdom Championship until Thursday March 12, 2020.

Although I don't see Dunne holding the championship for another seventeen months I do think it would be amazing if he was the champion for over two years.

Here are the 15 longest single reigning champions in WWE History:

2,803 Days Bruno Sammartino WWWF World Heavyweight Champion May 17, 1963 - January 18, 1971

2,135 Days Bob Backlund WWF World HeavyweightChampion February 20, 1978 - December 26, 1983

1,474 Days Hulk Hogan WWF World Heavyweight Champion January 23, 1984 - February 5, 1988

1,237 Days Bruno Sammartino WWF World Heavyweight Champion December 10, 1973 - April 30, 1977

1,027 Days Pedro Morales WWWF World Heavyweight Champion February 20, 1978 - December 1, 1973

524+ Days Pete Dunne WWE United Kingdom Champion May 20, 2017 - current

  as of October 26, 2018

523 Days Lex Luger WCW United States Champion May 22, 1989 - October 27, 1990

523 Days Asuka NXT Women's Champion April 1, 2016 - September 6, 2017

504 Days Brock Lesnar WWE Universal Champion April 2, 2017 - August 19, 2018

502 Days Rockin' Robin WWF Women's Champion October 7, 1988 - February 21, 1990

454 Days Honky Tonk Man WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion June 2, 1987 - August 29, 1988

448 Days Trish Stratus WWF Women's Champion January 9, 2005 - April 2, 2006

448 Days Duane Gill WWF Light Heavyweight Champion November 17, 1998 - February 8, 2000

441 Days Sensational Sherri WWF Women's Champion July 24, 1987 - October 7, 1988

434 Days CM Punk WWE Champion November 20, 2011 -  January 27, 2013

For those wondering I didn't count The Fabulous Moolah's 10,170 days reign as Women's Champion because even though the WWE does officially recognize it, as it was the NWA Women's Championship until May 19, 1984 when it was renamed the WWF Women's Championship.  There is a lot of controversy surrounding the actual length of the reign and the number of times the lost it officially or otherwise until Wendi Richter defeated her for it on July 23, 1984.

Other former championships I didn't include because they were only recognized occasionally were the WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship (1963 - 1976),  WWF International Championship (1959 - 1984), WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship (1965 - 1985), WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship (1978 - 1989) and all WCW & ECW Championships.

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 The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

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35th Anniversary of The Last Battle of Atlanta

I found this entire card in the Hidden Gems section of the WWE Network.

Georgia Championship Wrestling

The Last Battle of Atlanta

October 23, 1983

The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia

Over a year ago the WWE uploaded just the main event of this card on the network.  They just recently put the entire card up just in time for the 35th Anniversary of the event.  There are no commentators for this event and it is shot with just one camera.

The camera appears to be very high up and zooms in and follows the action.  Occasionally fans will block the camera, especially when the action spills to the floor.  It was a hot crowd most of the night, especially for the main event. 

Les Thornton vs. Chief Joe Lightfoot

Lightfoot worked a cravat or head chancery for the majority of the match.  I've never seen this before and it was tremendous!  He'd work the hold and Thornton would try to reverse it numerous was and Lightfoot would just reverse it right into a snapmare and into the cravat.

Finish came when they Joe tried to reverse out of a full nelson and Thornton sat down on him for the pin, similar to when Owen beat Bret Hart at WrestleMania X.

Bruno Sammartino Jr. vs Pat Rose

Short match, Bruno Jr or David took control early working the arm, then it became a lot of punches and kicks.  Finish came when Sammartino caught Rose coming off the ropes into a powerslam for the three count.

Mask vs. Mask
Mr. Wrestling vs. Mr. Wrestling II

Mr. Wrestling was ordered not to wrestle by his doctor, he was replaced by Bob Roop and if Roop lost then Mr. Wrestling would lose his mask.  The fans were not happy about this.
Mr. Wrestling II held control and whenever Roop tried to reverse it he would fail.  The fans were into everything Wrestling II did.

Roop finally took control jabbing Wrestling  II in the stomach with Wrestling I's crutch while the ref was distracted.  Roop held control until Wrestling II reversed a fireman's carry into a roll up for the pin to a huge ovation.
Mr. Wrestling tried to get to the back but the ref cut him off in the aisle.  Wrestling II then ripped his mask off quite easily and Wrestling I pulled his shirt up over his head. 

National Heavyweight Champion: Brett Wayne vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts

I'm not familiar with Brett Wayne but he appeared to be a foot shorter than Roberts and it looked odd. Robert worked the left knee for the majority of the match and seemed more interested in punishing Wayne than getting the win.  Wayne was busted open at some point. 

Brett Wayne aka Brett Sawyer

Ole Anderson came out, he appeared to be trying to talk Wayne into giving up.  Anderson threw into the towel and the referee called for the bell.  The ring announcer then declared that the title can only change hands by pinfall or submission so even though Jake won the match Wayne retained the championship.

Ole and Mr. Wrestling II carried Wayne to the back.  All in all it was a decent match that started out very slow.  Post match it Buzz Sawyer and Roberts had an intense stare down in the aisle until Roberts walked away.

NWA World Television Champion: The Great Kabuki with Gary Hart vs. Ronnie Garvin

Hart was talking trash to Garvin before the bell when Garvin leveled Hart with a big right hand, much to the delight of the crowd.  Very slow match, Kabuki must have worked the dreaded trapezius hold for five minutes.  Kabuki got the pin after a distraction fro Gary Hart.  This match wasn't very good at all and at over 15 minutes was way too long.

The Road Warriors: Hawk & Animal vs. "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant & "Pistol" Pez Whatley

This match never got started really and was a wild brawl right from the get go.  All four guys fought in and out of the ring and I can't recall the Warriors taking such a beating from anyone.  The referee disqualified the Warriors even though both teams should have been disqualified.

Steel Cage
Tommy Rich defeated Buzz Sawyer with Paul Ellering

The cage wasn't very tall and was unique because it had a roof on it and the wrestlers could grab the roof if they wanted too.  Paul Ellering was suspended in a cage over the ring to prevent him from interfering. This was a wild and bloody brawl and there was no referee in the ring.  The ring announcer would deliver the count verbally.  Rich got the win pinning the exhausted Sawyer.

Steel Cage
Ole Anderson defeated Paul Ellering

Because Rich won Anderson got his hands on Ellering in the ring.  Ellering was busted open every early one.  For most of the match Anderson just beat the dog piss out of Ellering.  Ellering did get some offense in after an inverted atomic drop that took Anderson out of it.

This was a card that was definitely built around that Sawyer vs. Rich cage match and the crowd couldn't have been more into it.  Except for Kabuki vs. Garvin the card aged well with the matches still being enjoyable.  I'm an old school fan and I enjoy some blood and guts in my matches. 

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 The Wrestling Insomniac on the Nerdy Legion Podcast Network. 

Later Readers!