8/17/85 - GCW Superstars

8/17/85 - GCW Superstars (TAPED: 7/30/85)
LOCATION: Mid-Hudson Civic Center - Poughkeepsie, NY

Gorilla Monsoon & Mark Niemiller were on hand to welcome the fans to GCW Superstars, the last Superstars before we head to Detroit for a huge GCW live event! Today's broadcast would be big, with Ricky Steamboat scheduled to meet Rick Martel, Barry Windham in action, the Fabulous Ones will be here, and a 15-man battle royal to determine the top two contenders for the vacant Television Title! Monsoon was about to throw it to the ring when Niemiller got word in his ear that there was something going on in the back, saying there were cameras there.

AN ALTERCATION IN THE PARKING LOT

By the time the camera arrives on the scene, we see Sgt. Slaughter, Stan Hansen, & King Kong Bundy off in the distance, yelling at someone. When the camera panned back a bit, we saw they were yelling at DUSTY RHODES & RICK MARTEL, both holding chairs to hold the rule breakers at bay. We saw someone was laying on the parking lot asphalt, which was soon revealed as RICKY STEAMBOAT. It became obvious that Steamboat was jumped getting out of his car by Slaughter, Hansen, & Bundy. Luckily for Steamboat, Rhodes & Martel came to his aid before the attack got out of hand, but needless to say, the Steamboat/Martel match scheduled for later today is in jeopardy.

Monsoon was outraged by the actions of Slaughter, Hansen, & Bundy. Monsoon couldn't believe that if these guys were as tough as they claimed, they wouldn't have to be constantly be attacking people from behind. Niemiller begged to differ, saying it was brilliant strategy, always keeping the fan favorites guessing. Monsoon told Niemiller not to be ridiculous and says he can't wait for this Friday when Slaughter, Hansen, & Bundy all get what's coming to them in Detroit.

MATCH #1
15-Man Battle Royal
Participants: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, Jacques Rougeau, Raymond Rougeau, "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, Tully Blanchard, "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson, "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal, Jimmy "Jam" Garvin, Davey Boy Smith, Dynamite Kid, "Canadian Strongmen" Dino Bravo, King Kong Bundy, Ted DiBiase, "The Japanese Assassin" Shiro Koshinaka, Chavo Guerrero

The Championship Committee put a cap on this battle royal at 15 wrestlers, and it was an interesting mix of characters to say the least. This was a huge opportunity bestowed upon these men, a chance to wrestle for the Television Title. The last two men would get that chance on August 31, and the action kicked off in a flurry. In the opening couple of minutes, there wasn't much rhyme or reason to the action - everyone just seemed to be hitting whoever they could find. This ended up costing a couple of the teams entered into the battle royal, who would have been better served working together. One team that was working well together was the Heenan Family, as all four men were entered in the match. They chose a corner to camp out in that was going to be hard to penetrate. They started picking wrestlers off to start the match, leading to the first elimination, Raymond Rougeau.

x Anderson threw out R. Rougeau in 0:01:25

They focused next on the smaller member of the British Bulldogs, hoping to break up another team in this battle royal to help their chances. Dynamite Kid is as surly as they come though, and fought hard against it, but when you get cornered by four of the world's best, there's not a lot you can do. Davey Boy tried to come over to make the save, but Bundy cut him off with a clothesline while Tully Blanchard got Dynamite out of the match.

x Blanchard threw out Dynamite Kid in 0:02:14

The Heenan Family next set their sights on Jim Duggan, thinking they were going to pick the wrestlers apart one by one to win this match. Hacksaw had an entirely different idea though, as he wasn't going to just be another victim. He got some help too from Jacques Rougeau & Davey Boy Smith, who came over and picked off Eddie Gilbert & Tully Blanchard respectively. Duggan still had to contend with Bundy & Anderson though, but he caught a break. Duggan was stuck in the corner as Bundy came in for an avalanche, but Hacksaw had enough wherewithal to move out of the way and pull the Enforcer in the way instead! Bundy crushed Anderson and drove the air out of his lungs. Duggan stunned Bundy with a hard right hand to give himself enough time to dump Anderson out of the ring and make the first major dent in the Heenan Family's chances!

x Duggan threw out Anderson in 0:03:00

One of the teams still in the match was the Electric Dream Machine, and to this point, they managed to stay out of harm's way. In fact, how they went unnoticed this long was a bit of a shock as we were almost 4 minutes in and they were both still wearing their sparkly jackets. Meanwhile, Shiro Koshinaka was working over Chavo Guerrero on the farside of the ring, while Ted DiBiase tussled with Dino Bravo. The strutting of the Electric Dream Machine would soon come to an end when they disrespected Jacques Rougeau & Davey Boy by shoving them out of the way so they could strut more. Jacques & Davey Boy took exception to this and caught Jimmy Jam and Mr. Electricity with dual dropkicks to the back. It got even worse for Regal as when he stood up, he got caught with a clothesline and sent out of the ring!

x D.B. Smith threw out S. Regal in 0:04:53

Duggan continued his impressive showing in the battle royal. We're learning what a tough guy he is because he kept taking it to the toughest men in the ring. Monsoon announced during this stretch that he would be challenging Tony Atlas for the Intercontinental Title next week on Superstars. Hacksaw was tangling with Dino Bravo, exchanging bombs with each other. A funny moment came when Jimmy Garvin came over to interject, and Duggan & Bravo both turned and clocked Jimmy Jam with a double punch. Bravo caught Duggan with a knee to the midsection, but when he charged in for the elimination, Hacksaw lowered his shoulder and sent Canada's Strongest Man to the floor!

x Duggan threw out Bravo in 0:06:49

With only ten men left, it became obvious that there was an elephant in the room, and that elephant was named King Kong Bundy. At over 450 pounds, no one was going to be able to eliminate him by themselves. Plus, he had hardly suffered any damage during the match because he was too busy inflicting it. Enter DiBiase. Bundy had more or less knocked everyone in the ring down (with the exception of partners Eddie Gilbert & Tully Blanchard) when DiBiase got in his face. Bundy laughed it off and took a big swing at DiBiase, but DiBiase ducked and then took out Gilbert & Blanchard with a double clothesline! DiBiase dove at Bundy's legs and tried to lift him, but Bundy laughed at the futile attempt. But that's when Jacques Rougeau came over. Then Jim Duggan. Then Chavo Guerrero. Then Davey Boy Smith. Then even Jimmy Garvin. The six men together had enough to hoist Bundy up and over before Gilbert & Blanchard could stop it, and the biggest threat in the match was gone!

x 6 men threw out Bundy in 0:07:46

Bobby Heenan wasn't allowed at ringside, but you just know he was throwing a fit backstage when he saw his monster was eliminated. This left us with 9 wrestlers, and even with Bundy gone, the Heenan Family still had two remaining, and Gilbert & Blanchard doubled their focus when they went to work on Chavo. Jimmy Garvin tried to buddy up to DiBiase, making sure to let DiBiase know he helped him throw out Bundy. DiBiase shook Garvin's hand, and then hit him with a clothesline which got a nice pop from the crowd. Meanwhile, the Japanese Assassin asserted his will over this battle royal, catching Jacques Rougeau jumping off the second turnbuckle with a thrust chop to the throat before taking him over the top and out of the match.

x Koshinaka threw out J. Rougeau in 0:09:06

Koshinaka's work in this match wasn't over yet though, as the Japanese Assassin rekindled his feud with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Niemiller commented that he wouldn't be surprised if Koshinaka was instructed to soften Duggan up before the title match next week against Tony Atlas. It looked like Duggan was going to fight him off, hitting him with those ham-sized fists. Duggan scooped Koshinaka up and threw him over the top, but he didn't see the Japanese Assassin grab a hold of the ropes. Koshinaka skinned the cat, got back in the ring, and caught Hacksaw in the back of the head with a martial arts kick. Duggan was out of it and a second thrust kick sent Duggan tumbling out of the ring.

x Koshinaka threw out Duggan in 0:11:43

Only 5 more eliminations to go, and wouldn't you know it, Jimmy Garvin was still wearing his sparkly jacket. How he kept it on for 12 minutes is beyond me, but he sure did. His jacket would also lead to him being the next man to go. DiBiase came over to Garvin to engage him, but Jimmy Jam stopped him and challenged him to a strut off. That is one of the more ridiculous things I have ever written, but it was what happened. Garvin insisted he go first, which DiBiase let him do. As Garvin hit his strut, DiBiase came from behind and ripped off the sparkly jacket. Garvin about flipped his lid, yelling at DiBiase as the latter put on the jacket! Jimmy Jam went for a clothesline, but the now-sparkly DiBiase ducked and took Garvin's head off with a lariat. DiBiase brought Garvin to his feet and sent him over the top. DiBiase threw the sparkly jacket out of the ring for good measure.

x DiBiase threw out J. Garvin after a lariat in 0:13:40

DiBiase gave a little strut to rub it in as the fans jeered Garvin all the way to the back. Of the final six men in the match, we had a couple of surprises. Chavo Guerrero & Davey Boy Smith had been very effective in this battle royal. Considering Davey Boy's British Bulldog partner was eliminated early in the match, he found a way to keep in the match. Chavo is also a crafty veteran, and has shown in battle royals past that he can hang, and he was doing so again here. Chavo & Davey Boy formed a makeshift alliance in the battle royal, and they next went to take care of the remaining members of the Heenan Family. Blanchard & Gilbert had the distinct advantage as long as they could both remain in the match. Chavo & Davey Boy went after them, and the Heenan Family looked lost. They couldn't believe the aggression Chavo & Smith were bringing at them, and it almost led to both being eliminated with tandem dropkicks. Smith almost had Gilbert over, while the same could be said for Chavo with Blanchard. Gilbert & Blanchard reached into their bag of dirty tricks with eye gouges. To make matters worth, Gilbert & Blanchard hit tandem low blows before Hot Stuff tossed out Davey Boy, followed quickly by Blanchard tossing Guerrero.

x E. Gilbert threw out D.B. Smith in 0:14:55
x Blanchard threw out C. Guerrero in 0:14:59

DiBiase's eyes got wide at this point, as he realized he was in a sticky situation. He had fought hard to get to the final four, but the other three were Eddie Gilbert, Tully Blanchard, & Shiro Koshinaka, and it looked like they were coming to an agreement to work together to get rid of him. DiBiase was on the receiving end of a 3-on-1 beating. He got a stroke of luck to work in his favor though when Blanchard held him open for Koshinaka. The Japanese Assassin went for one of his vicious thrust kicks, but DiBiase got loose and Koshinaka's foot connected with Blanchard's jaw! DiBiase grabbed hold of Koshinaka and propelled him over the top to the outside!

x DiBiase threw out Koshinaka in 0:16:07

Gilbert couldn't believe it, and went after DiBiase. DiBiase blocked his punch and fired back with one of his own. Gilbert tried again with the same result. Hot Stuff went off the far ropes for one final charge, but DiBiase sidestepped and connected with a hiptoss, launching Gilbert to the floor and ending this match!

x DiBiase threw out E. Gilbert after a hiptoss in 0:16:25

Ted DiBiase and Tully Blanchard won a 15-man Battle Royal:
Rating: ***

What a show of courage by Ted DiBiase! Tully Blanchard regained his bearings and got to his feet, realizing what had happened. In two weeks, it will be DiBiase vs. Blanchard for the Television Title!

MATCH #2
Barry Windham vs. Bob Wade

Barry Windham elected to keep himself out of the TV Title battle royal in case Bob Backlund accepted his challenge for Friday night in Detroit, but he did want to get some work in. He took on Bob Wade, and Windham showcased what he could do. We all know he can throw punches and has some power, but we saw here that he has some submission skills as well as he won the match with a figure-four leglock. He didn't technically get the submission, but the pain was so much that it caused Wade to not realize he had his shoulders on the canvas.

Barry Windham pinned Bob Wade a figure-four leglock in 0:02:13.
Rating: **

Windham looks in the zone right now. Monsoon said that Backlund might be wise to consider turning down Windham's challenge because Windham looks as good as anyone right now. Niemiller reminded Monsoon that Backlund is the World champion, and if Backlund is going to turn down the challenge, it will be because Windham isn't in his league.

MATCH #3
The Fabulous Ones vs. Rusty Brooks/Jimmy Jackson

We don't know if we'll have a World Title match in Detroit, but we do know the Joe Louis Arena will see a World Tag Team Title match as the Rock 'N Roll Express defend the titles against the team we would see next, the Fabulous Ones. Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson did an insert promo during the Fabulous Ones' considerably lengthy ring entrance. Morton said that he knows the Rock 'N Rollers haven't had the best luck with the Fabulous Ones yet, losing in the 8-man tag and Gibson getting beaten by Stan Lane, but they don't make excuses - they just learn from their mistakes. Gibson agreed, saying that while the Fabulous Ones are going to be overly confident going into their match, the champs have learned a lot about Lane & Keirn so that when it counts, they will successfully defend their World Tag Team Titles. Lane & Keirn FINALLY got into the ring as the champs were finishing up their interview. The Express may have been right about one thing, and that's how arrogant the Fabulous Ones are. They were carrying themselves like they were already the champions. To their credit, they were highly impressive against Rusty Brooks & Jimmy Jackson in this match, Sweet Stan's Savate Kick putting it away. We'll see if they can back up this performance in Detroit.

The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) defeated Rusty Brooks and Jimmy Jackson when S. Lane pinned Brooks with the Savate Kick in 0:03:29.
Rating: 3/4*

LIVE EVENT REPORT WITH GENE OKERLUND

Before "Mean" Gene Okerlund brought in his guest for this week's Live Event Report, he ran down what the current card is for this Friday's event in Detroit at the Joe Louis Arena. The main event may be in jeopardy depending on the condition of Ricky Steamboat, but as it stands right now it will be Steamboat, and his partners, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes & Rick Martel, going up against Sgt. Slaughter, Stan "The Lariat" Hansen, & King Kong Bundy. The rulebreakers drew blood earlier in the program when they attacked the Dragon, and they still don't have word on whether Steamboat will be good to go for Detroit. Also on this big card as mentioned earlier, the Rock 'N Roll Express will defend the World Tag Team Titles against the Fabulous Ones. Arn Anderson will try his luck at slowing down Andre the Giant in a singles match, the Hart Foundation will meet Chavo Guerrero & a mystery partner, and in an 8-man tag team affair, Junkyard Dog, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, & the Fabulous Rougeaus will take on all four members of the Foreign Legion.

The guest for the show was in the studio next as World champion BOB BACKLUND joined "Mean" Gene. Okerlund said that Backlund had a week to think about it, but now it was time to give his answer: would he defend the title against Barry Windham in Detroit? Backlund had to hand it to Windham. He said the youngster had a lot of guts, but he didn't know what he was doing. He told Windham he'd be better served going back to doing everything Ted DiBiase told him to do. That being said, Backlund saw this as an opportunity to teach Windham a lesson. He said that Windham was getting a little too big for his britches, and he was outraged that Windham thought he had a shot at beating the World champion. So Backlund said he would accept the challenge of Windham and put the World Title on the line, but under one condition - the match would be best 2 out of 3 falls. Backlund said that when he beat Windham two falls in a row and embarrassed him in front of a sold out Joe Louis Arena, Windham would finally realize that he isn't nearly ready for the big time.

A FIRED UP RICK MARTEL HAS A PROPOSITION

Before our main event for the day, Rick Martel came out and grabbed the microphone. Martel was all fired up, saying that because of the cowardly actions of Slaughter, Hansen, & Bundy, Steamboat wouldn't be able to compete. But Martel had his gear on, and he was ready for a fight. So he said he didn't care if it was Sgt. Slaughter, Stan Hansen, or King Kong Bundy, he wanted one of them in the ring RIGHT NOW. After a moment, BOBBY HEENAN came out, and not far behind him was KING KONG BUNDY. The Brain grabbed another microphone from ringside and asked Martel if he had a death wish. Heenan said that Martel might be going around claiming not to be hurt, but he knows how badly Bundy hurt those ribs, and Bundy was about to do it again.

MATCH #4
Rick Martel vs. King Kong Bundy (w/ Bobby "The Brain" Heenan)

No one doubts Martel's guts, but getting in the ring with Bundy again so soon after Bundy injured him is a risky endeavor to say the least. Martel tried to get the jump on Bundy as soon as he came threw the ropes, peppering him with punches. Bundy shoved him off, but Martel was right back on him. Bundy shoved him away again, but again, Martel was all over him. Instead of shoving Martel away this time, he turned and smashed Martel into the turnbuckles. Bundy was just furious at this point and laid in some heavy shots on Martel's ribs. Martel tried to fight from underneath, but he was in trouble. That is, until Bundy went for the Big Splash. Martel just barely got out of the way, causing Bundy to knock the wind out of himself. Martel had the crowd going crazy as he got up and signaled he was going to go for the Boston Crab, but that's when SGT. SLAUGHTER & STAN HANSEN attacked, putting an abrupt end to this match.

Rick Martel defeated King Kong Bundy by disqualification in 0:06:43.
Rating: *
(Ricky Steamboat no-showed.)
[Sgt. Slaughter and Stan Hansen interfered against Rick Martel.]

Slaughter & Hansen put the boots to Martel, and then it was a 3-on-1 when Bundy got back to his feet and joined in. The crowd absolutely erupted when DUSTY RHODES sprinted to the ring, firing away on Hansen, Slaughter, & Bundy with Bionic elbows all over the place. But soon the numbers game became too much for him and he was on the receiving end of a beating. When it looked like all hope was loss, RICKY STEAMBOAT shocked everyone by coming out, bandage on his head and chair in his hand! The numbers were still against him, but when Slaughter, Hansen, & Bundy saw the crazed look in the Dragon's eyes, Bobby Heenan quickly convinced them that retreat would be the best course of action. The broadcast went off the air with Steamboat calling for the rulebreakers come back, waving the chair over his head the whole time.

Match observations:

Next week on Superstars, we will have all the fallout from Joe Louis Arena! The Electric Dream Machine will be competing, as will the Eighth Wonder of the World Andre the Giant! The Rougeaus will take on Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik, and we will have a title match as "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan tries to wrest the Intercontinental Title away from Tony Atlas!

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

WORLD TITLE 2/3 FALLS MATCH - Bob Backlund (c) vs. Barry Windham
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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