December 1, 1976 - Cobo Arena - Detroit, MI

Bobby Duncum pinned Don Muraco with the Full Nelson Slam in 0:14:15.
Rating: *** 1/2

Bobby Duncum wants his shot at regaining the Intercontinental Title from Terry Funk, but Funk has tried to avoid letting this happen at all costs, sending his lackey Don Muraco to wrestle Duncum instead. Duncum was not pleased with this, and in the early going on the match looked to be overlooking Muraco. That was not a good idea, as Muraco has gotten bigger and stronger and has become a real handful to contend with. Duncum put on his game face though, and in a tough seesaw encounter, caught Muraco off guard by the Full Nelson Slam and took the win. Terry Funk won't have any other recourse now - he is being forced to defend the IC Title against Duncum on December 30 at MSG in our year-end show!

Jimmy Snuka defeated Killer Kowalski by countout in 0:09:27.
Rating: * 3/4
[Bobby Heenan interfered against Jimmy Snuka.]

Jimmy Snuka is one show removed from the biggest win of his career, and the news had reached Detroit full throttle. The Superfly was over huge in the Cobo Arena, and that didn't bode well for veteran Killer Kowalski. Snuka is highly fueled by the reaction of the fans, and Snuka wasn't going to be slowed down by anybody. Snuka caught Kowalski with a huge headbutt that knocked him from the ring. Killer was unable to get himself back into the ring, and Snuka was victorious once again.

Mr. Wrestling I pinned Billy Robinson after a headbutt in 0:07:05.
Rating: *** 1/4

Mr. Wrestling I's attitude has gotten out of control, and tonight, he finally got what was coming to him. During his match with Billy Robinson, Wrestling I was ended up using a move to win that we have seen him do before. He slipped a small metal plate inside of his mask and caught Robinson with a vicious headbutt, knocking him out cold to get the 1-2-3. This didn't sit well with a lot of people, most notably JACK BRISCO, who jumped out of the ring and attacked Mr. Wrestling I! During the onslaught, Brisco removed the mask, revealing the steel plate inside. Mr. Wrestling covered up his face and retreated to the back, but he has been had. GCW officials have decided to reinstate Brisco, who had been forced out of GCW thanks to that very steel plate some months ago. Brisco will get his chance for revenge on December 30 at MSG!

Mike Graham pinned Hiro Matsuda after a small package in 0:04:03.
Rating: ** 1/2

Mike Graham showed his continued improvement by getting another win tonight, this time getting the better of Hiro Matsuda. Matsuda underestimated the rookie and found himself caught in a small package to put this one in the books. Based on his recent string of losses, Bobby Heenan has ended his contract with Matsuda, who is now a free agent.

Terry Funk made Tony Garea submit to the Spinning Toe Hold in 0:06:45.
Rating: ***
(Terry Funk retained the GCW Intercontinental Title.)

Terry Funk has a clash with Bobby Duncum on the horizon at the year-end show, but he had to be careful not to overlook Tony Garea, his opponent tonight. Funk was clearly the favorite, but when the Intercontinental Title is on the line, you can never be too careful. Despite a little resistance early on, Funk would get the win to keep the gold.

Stan Hansen pinned Pedro Morales with the Lariat in 0:11:32.
Rating: *** 1/4

Stan Hansen has ditched his tag team partner and is ready to take the singles division by storm, and he made an emphatic statement here in Detroit. Hansen had a huge test in the form of GCW legend, Pedro Morales. Early on, Morales was easily frustrating Hansen, but this very much got the big burly Texan riled up. Even Morales seemed surprised by the return onslaught that followed, but even he didn't expect the brute force behind the Lariat that Hansen drilled him with. Hansen caught him high and Morales spun awkwardly, landing on his head and neck. As Morales lay motionless, Hansen made a quick cover and had pinned the former World champion! But the real news was that Morales wasn't moving. Medical personel hurried down to ringside and put Morales on a stretcher to take to the hospital. We later found out that Morales suffered a broken neck, and may never return to the ring again. We wish Morales a speedy recovery, and hopefully will see him in the ring again one day.

The Blackjacks (Blackjack Lanza and Blackjack Mulligan) defeated Gorilla Monsoon and Sgt. Slaughter when Lanza pinned Monsoon after a lariat in 0:10:40.
Rating: ** 1/4
(The Blackjacks retained the GCW World Tag Team Titles.)

The crowd was a bit somber after what just happened with Pedro Morales, but the show must go on, and we had a World Tag Team Title match with the Blackjacks defending the gold against Gorilla Monsoon & Sgt. Slaughter. Monsoon & Slaughter looked like a mess tonight, their teamwork going ou the window pretty early on in the match. The young Slaughter is desperately trying to get respect wherever he can find it, and it's making him a poor teammate for Monsoon. This left Monsoon prone in the ring who took the brunt of a Blackjack Lanza lariat that finished this match off. One has to wonder how much longer Monsoon is going to put up with this.

Dory Funk Jr. pinned Nikolai Volkoff after a waistlock suplex in 0:12:00.
Rating: ** 1/4

Dory Funk Jr. & Nikolai Volkoff rekindled their rivalry tonight, and the match was as hard-hitting as in the heyday of their battles. He took a lot of punishment from the big Russian, but the wrestling accumen of Dory Jr. allowed him to catch Volkoff with a waistlock suplex and narrowly escape with a victory.

Billy Graham defeated Dino Bravo when Dino Bravo passed out in the Bearhug in 0:09:34.
Rating: *
[Bobby Heenan interfered against Dino Bravo.]

Dino Bravo shouldn't have been wrestling tonight, that much is clear. After the beating he took from Billy Graham last month, the doctors recommended he didn't compet tonight. However, Bravo wanted a shot at redemption and insisted he take on the Superstar here at the Cobo Arena. You have to admire Bravo's heart, but his heart was much bigger than his brains here. Graham had his way with the injured French Canadian, putting him in the Bearhug. Bravo refused to give up, to his credit, but the writing was on the wall. Graham takes a dominant and decisive victory. However, he wanted to send a message to Bravo and refused to release the hold, trying to seriously injure him! It looked dire until JUMBO TSURUTA ran out and broke it up, sending the Superstar sprawling from the ring. Jumbo has demanded that he get his hands on Billy Graham, and we have learned he will get that opportunity at the year-end show!

Interview:
Ivan Koloff proclaims his dominance over Dusty Rhodes, but gets a passionate response.

"The Russian Bear" Ivan Koloff was out to do an interview before our main event, and as you would expect, he had less than friendly remarks about Dusty Rhodes. Koloff said that his pure domination of Rhodes was proof of how superior Russia is to the United States, and just like Dusty Rhodes, Russia will continue to dominate the US. This brought out an enraged Rhodes, who wasn't short on words for Koloff. Rhodes said to insult him was one thing - his win-loss record against the Russian Bear currently gave him the right to do so. But Rhodes said when you drag America into it, you're going too far. Rhodes said that he will not stand for that, and he will beat Koloff if it kills him, saying that he is the American Dream and that will turn into a nightmare for Koloff. Rhodes said he wanted one more match with Koloff at the year-end show, and to show how serious he was, he wanted it to be a Flag Match! Whoever wins the match gets to waive the flag of his country proudly. Koloff gladly accepted for the opportunity to humble Rhodes once and for all.

Harley Race pinned Peter Maivia with the Piledriver in 0:33:07.
Rating: *** 1/2
(Harley Race retained the GCW World Title.)

Many feel that Harley Race crossed the line last month when he got on Peter Maivia about his accidental injuring of Bobo Brazil a few years back which ended the career of the former World champion and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Race thought he was completely in the High Chief's head until Maivia came out for this match… with BOBO BRAZIL! Brazil received a standing ovation from the fans in Detroit as Race looked shocked that Brazil was there to support Maivia in his quest to become the champion of the world. Maivia had everyone on his side to dethrone Race as champion, but though Brazil was there for support, his presence would ultimately cost Maivia the match. After thirty minutes of back and forth action, Race had the advantage and was on the floor. He decided to jawjack with Brazil, but something Brazil said really set him off, and he hauled off and slapped Brazil across the face! Maivia jumped out to Brazil's aid, throwing Race back in the ring and then checking on the former champ. When Maivia got back in the ring, Race caught him with a hard boot to the face and drove him into the canvas with the Piledriver, getting the 1-2-3. Maivia did everything he could, but he came up just short in winning the World Title.

Card rating: ** 1/2

Match observations:

The year-end show is shaping up to be huge, but before that, we will be in Japan at the Tokyo Dome for a gigantic card! The full card hasn't been announced, but we do know the main event will be Harley Race defending the World Title against Antonio Inoki!

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