8/10/85 - GCW Superstars

8/10/85 - GCW Superstars (TAPED: 7/30/85)
LOCATION: Mid-Hudson Civic Center - Poughkeepsie, NY

THE STATUS OF THE TELEVISION TITLE

The show kicked off with a scene that isn't all that new to GCW in 1985, and that's President Jack Tunney sitting behind his desk to address the status of the Television Title. Tunney said that he had been meeting with members of the Championship Committee all week to figure out what should be done about the TV Title. Tunney has also been speaking to doctors who have determined that reigning champion Wahoo McDaniel's left knee injury is severe enough where he is going to need to take substantial time off from in-ring competition, and thus will be unable to defend the TV Title. Therefore, as of today, August 10, 1985, the TV Title is once again vacant. With this being the second time in the title's short history that it has been vacant, Tunney was hoping the next champion would add some stability to the championship. In one week's time, a battle royal will take place here on Superstars. The final two men will be declared the winners and move on to a match on August 31, also on Superstars, with the winner of that contest being crowned the new champion. Tunney wished good luck to all of the competitors before signing off.

We then cut to the arena where Gorilla Monsoon & Mark Niemiller were standing by to welcome the fans to GCW Superstars! Monsoon kicked off by recapping the huge news of President Tunney, and that once again, the TV Title was vacant! Niemiller commented that the TV Title seems to be cursed, and maybe it would be better off if no one had it! Monsoon said that was ridiculous, and as a championship in GCW, it was highly sought after, and he was sure there would be no shortage of wrestlers lined up to participate in the battle royal next week. But we had a lot of great action to get to this week first! Monsoon ran down the show, which will feature Chavo Guerrero, Ted DiBiase, the debut as a team of Stan Hansen & Sgt. Slaughter, plus Junkyard Dog taking on Bad News Brown in the main event! But first, the debut of the Hart Foundation!

MATCH #1
The Hart Foundation (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. Mario Mancini/Ron Dee

Jimmy Hart hasn't been in GCW long, but he is compiling an effective stable of wrestlers that have him poised to make a huge impact here. Not only does he have Dino Bravo, who was announced to be taking part in the TV Title battle royal next week, but also has a new tag team, Bret "Hitman" Hart, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, the Hart Foundation. We saw a short preview video on this duo last week, but it didn't really do them the justice that seeing them live did. This team appears to be a perfect combination of speed and technical wrestling from the Hitman, and the raw power of the Anvil. They had their way with Mario Mancini & Ron Dee before hitting the Hart Attack to pick up their first win.

The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) defeated Mario Mancini and Ron Dee when B. Hart pinned Mancini after the Hart Attack in 0:04:25.
Rating: 1/4*

Jimmy Hart was jumping around in an excited fashion, screaming the praises of the Hart Foundation into his megaphone for all to hear. Sure, that is obnoxious, but it looks like Hart has a pair of winners on his hands here.

RICKY STEAMBOAT HAS AN INTERESTING CHALLENGE

We cut back to the backstage interview area where Lord Alfred Hayes stood by with the King of the Ring, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Hayes mentioned that the Dragon asked for this time, and gave Steamboat the floor. Steamboat said he has a lot on his plate right now with Stan Hansen & Sgt. Slaughter, and those no-good jerks need to find out that you can't bully people and get away with it. But Steamboat said something has been weighing on his mind since the King of the Ring, and that's Rick Martel. Steamboat made sure to mention that he considers Martel a good friend and he did what he had to do at the King of the Ring to win the tournament, but he knew Martel was severely injured at the hands of King Kong Bundy. Steamboat knew that Martel has healed considerably since then and is doing better, so he wanted to wrestle Martel in a match next week on Superstars. Steamboat said that it is going to bother him not knowing who the better man is when both men are at full strength, and he wanted to give the fans a match they would never forget. After the Dragon left, Lord Alfred told Monsoon & Niemiller he would try to get word with Rick Martel before we went off the air tonight.

MATCH #2
Ted DiBiase vs. Mike Watson

After a break, Ted DiBiase was in the ring for his match this week with Mike Watson. Monsoon mentioned that DiBiase will be taking part in the TV Title battle royal next week as well, and with his recent performances and veteran ring savvy, he has to be considered a favorite to make the final two. Niemiller had to agree, but added a lot depends on the other names that get announced for the battle royal. This was nothing more than a tuneup match for DiBiase, who outclassed Watson before locking him in the Cobra Clutch en route to a win.

Ted DiBiase defeated Mike Watson when Watson passed out in the Cobra Clutch in 0:02:15.
Rating: **

MATCH #3
Chavo Guerrero vs. Steve Lombardi

Chavo Guerrero came out with a little extra chip on his shoulder today. He was wrestling inspired, most likely due to the fact that the Hart Foundation wrestled earlier on the show, and Chavo has no love lost for Jimmy Hart and his new team. Chavo didn't have an easy draw here with Steve Lombardi, who hasn't exactly racked up a big amount of wins, but he is skilled enough where if you take him lightly, he can put your shoulders to the mat. Lombardi got the jump on Chavo early in the contest, but the former Intercontinental champion used that Latino fire to dish it right back on his way to hitting a butt-bump that knocked Lombardi's head back into the canvas to get the 1-2-3.

Chavo Guerrero pinned Steve Lombardi after a butt-bump in 0:05:01.
Rating: * 1/4

CHAVO GUERRERO CHALLENGES THE HART FOUNDATION

Chavo was a bit out of breath after a hard fought, but he still grabbed the microphone because he had something to say. Chavo said that if Jimmy Hart thinks he's going to be intimidated by the Hart Foundation, he doesn't know a thing about Chavo Guerrero. Chavo said that if Bret Hart wanted to get himself a new tag team partner, he was going to get a tag team partner of his own. Chavo challenged the Hart Foundation to a tag team match in Detroit on August 23, saying he and his partner would be ready.

MATCH #4
Sgt. Slaughter/Stan "The Lariat" Hansen vs. Dave Barbie/Matt Sampson

The unholy alliance is here, and officially dangerous. When a team comes together with the sole purpose of eliminating other competitors, you know they are going to bring a certain kind of ruthlessness to the ring. Hansen & Slaughter flat out obliterated Dave Barbie & Matt Sampson today, making them wish they had never signed on for this match in the first place. As Hansen & Slaughter battered their hapless opponents from pillar to post, Niemiller commented that Dusty Rhodes & Ricky Steamboat may be great, but that they have met their match here. Hansen got bored with beating up Sampson and put him out with the Lariat while Slaughter jumped in the ring to nail Barbie with a knee, knocking him off the apron.

Sgt. Slaughter and Stan Hansen defeated Dave Barbie and Matt Sampson when Hansen pinned Sampson with the Lariat in 0:02:26.
Rating: * 1/4

Consider the message sent. Rhodes & Steamboat have their work cut out for them.

LIVE EVENT REPORT WITH GENE OKERLUND

"Mean" Gene Okerlund was decked out in Detroit Tigers on the Live Event Report in preparation for our next big house show at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on August 23. The first thing Okerlund did was throw it to a pre-tape from Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes had a lot to say about the unholy alliance, and he said admittedly, he was worried. "Any man with any sense in his head would be worried about Sgt. Slaughter & Stan Hansen joining forces." But Rhodes said he has had the odds stacked against him in the past, and he has come out smelling like roses. And Rhodes said he couldn't ask for better partners than Ricky Steamboat & Rick Martel to have his back and fight side-by-side with him in Detroit. Rhodes said he promised he would prove that the American Dream is live and well on August 23.

That wasn't the only guest Okerlund would have this week as he was now joined live in the studio by Barry Windham. Okerlund gave Windham his respect for his performance against World champion Bob Backlund in Philadelphia. Windham thanked Okerlund and said it was the biggest match of his career. Not only was he going against the 3-time World champion, but he also proved to himself that he could actually win the gold. Windham wanted one more shot. He knows Backlund will say that the only reason the match was so competitive was that Backlund was unprepared, but Windham reminds Okerlund that he was unprepared too. Windham wanted one more shot at the World Title in Detroit. Windham thanks a lot of people will write him off and think he doesn't have a chance, but he believes in himself and believes he can be the World champion. Okerlund thanked Windham and said he would try to get Backlund on the Live Event Report next week to answer the challenge.

MATCH #5
Junkyard Dog vs. Bad News Brown

You'd have a hard time finding two men who are more different than Junkyard Dog & Bad News Brown. Though they both grew up in poverty, they took two very different routes to get where they are now. Brown grew up scratching and clawing, kicking anybody's ass he had to and not once apologizing for it. JYD took a more positive route, overcoming his obstacles and serving as a role model for children all around the world. JYD was back to his more jovial self as his issues with Tony Atlas seem to be a little more behind him now, and JYD's dancing and playing to the crowd served to anger Bad News in a big way. Once Bad News let JYD know he wasn't in the mood for this dancing nonsense, he made JYD mad. From that point on, this match resembled a car wreck more than a wrestling contest with the fans strongly behind their popular hero. I think Brown underestimated JYD's fighting skills a bit as he found himself on the negative end of a few exchanges. Brown decided it was time for plan B which was pulling a load glove out of his tights. When JYD came in for the kill, Bad News popped him in the jaw with that illegal weapon, knocking JYD out cold long enough to get the pin.

Bad News Brown pinned Junkyard Dog after hitting him with a foreign object in 0:10:21.
Rating: 1/4*

You don't have to like the dubious means in which he did so, but another big win for Bad News Brown, who continues to fight his way up the ladder.

RICK MARTEL HAS AN ANSWER FOR RICKY STEAMBOAT

We didn't have a lot of time left in the program, but Lord Alfred Hayes did catch up with Rick Martel as he promised earlier. Hayes asked Martel about Steamboat's challenge. Martel appreciated Steamboat's offer and admitted that he too had been wondering who would win in a fight when both men were at 100%. Martel said his ribs were good to go, and he would be honored to face Steamboat next week on Superstars. Lord Alfred put over the huge match, and ended the show by telling the fans they would not want to miss this tremendous contest!

Match observations:

Next week on Superstars, Bob Backlund answers the challenge of Barry Windham! And in wrestling action, we will have a battle royal where the final two participants move on to wrestle for the vacant Television Title, and in what might be the best match in the short history of Superstars, Ricky Steamboat meets Rick Martel!

8/23/85 - JOE LOUIS ARENA - Detroit, MI

Dusty Rhodes/Ricky Steamboat/Rick Martel vs. Sgt. Slaughter/Stan Hansen/King Kong Bundy
WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES - The Rock 'N Roll Express (c) vs. The Fabulous Ones
Andre the Giant vs Arn Anderson
Junkyard Dog/Jim Duggan/The Rougeau Brothers vs. Tony Atlas/Shiro Koshinaka/Nikolai Volkoff/The Iron Sheik
Chavo Guerrero/??? vs. The Hart Foundation

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