February 6, 1975 - Capital Centre - Landover, MD

Interview:
Harley Race is not happy with Johnny Rodz.

The show kicked off with a very angry World champion standing in the middle of the ring. Harley Race immediately called out Johnny Rodz. Race blamed Rodz for losing the match for the team last show against The Texas Outlaws, and thus ruining Race's chance to be the first man to hold all 3 titles at once. Race continued to brow beat Rodz, insulting him for his less than stellar win-loss record. The insults became worse and worse until finally Rodz had enough, slapping Race across the face (unpredictably, I might add). You have to respect Rodz for standing up for himself, but it got him quite a beating as Race went on the attack by dropping Rodz with the Piledriver. Race then went up top for the diving headbutt, but before he could leap off, THE TEXAS OUTLAWS were in the ring, and Race was in a precarious position on the top rope. Dick Murdoch slammed Race to the mat where Dusty Rhodes followed up with the Bionic Elbowdrop, causing Race to roll himself out of the ring to avoid more punishment.

The Texas Outlaws (Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch) defeated Mr. Fuji and Toru Tanaka when Dusty Rhodes pinned Fuji with the Bionic Elbowdrop in 0:12:48.
Rating: *** 1/4
(The Texas Outlaws retained the GCW World Tag Team Titles.)
[Harley Race interfered against Dusty Rhodes.]

The Texas Outlaws stayed in the ring as they had a World Tag Team Title defense against the always dangerous Mr. Fuji & Professor Toru Tanaka. Fuji & Tanaka are always a threat to take the titles due to their unique Japanese style and ever present willingness to cheat. It just takes one illegal move to potentially put a match away. The thing with the Outlaws though is that they're not exactly known for their clean play, as they will bend the rules too if it means getting a win. Fuji & Tanaka put up a helluva fight, but the title reign of the Outlaws continues with a win here in Landover.

Kintaro Ohki pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna after a headbutt in 0:04:27.
Rating: * 3/4
[Lou Albano interfered against Kintaro Ohki.]

Kintaro Ohki, who is called by many the greatest wrestler to ever come out of South Korea, is doing his first US tour in quite some time, choosing to do so under the GCW umbrella. Ohki made his debut against Baron Mikel Scicluna, a man who was wrestling his last match in GCW for quite some time. Scicluna would have loved to leave GCW on a high note and ruin the debut of Ohki, but it was not meant to be. Ohki was too much for him, ultimately knocking the royal from Malta loopy with a headbutt to get the pinfall. We wish Baron Mikel Scicluna all the best in the future. An impressive debut for Ohki, who is looking to make a big mark in his time here in the States.

Our next match was slated to be Don Muraco taking on Nikolai Volkoff, Volkoff wanting to avenge a loss from a few weeks ago. Volkoff still had possession of the United States Title, a championship that actually belongs to Dory Funk Jr.. Volkoff and Lou Albano had done a makeover on the title, naming it the "USSR Title" instead. This match never got a chance to start as DORY FUNK JR. attacked Volkoff as he came to the ring, trying to get his title back! However a distraction by Albano allowed Volkoff to hit a cheap shot and high tail it to the back, title still illegally in hand. Volkoff will have nowhere to run on March 1 at Madison Square Garden as he will face Funk for the US Title!

The Graham Brothers (Billy Graham and Luke Graham) defeated Gorilla Monsoon and Dino Bravo when L. Graham pinned Monsoon with the Thumb to the Throat in 0:10:57.
Rating: * 1/2

With their recent reunion, there may not be a more dominant force in all the world than "Superstar" Billy Graham & Luke Graham, with the strings being pulled by The Grand Wizard. With these two mammoths on the same page, GCW has been put on notice. Gorilla Monsoon & Dino Bravo were the first to try to slow them down, but the Grahams showed just how tough they are, blitzing through the impressive team and getting a relatively easy victory. The Grahams are not just looking to be good, they are looking to completely DOMINATE Global Championship Wrestling. Ivan Koloff is in a lot of trouble if you ask me.

Ray Stevens pinned Ernie Ladd with the Bombs Away Kneedrop in 0:08:14.
Rating: *** 1/2
[Bobby Heenan interfered against Ernie Ladd.]

"The Crippler" Ray Stevens has made himself a powerful enemy in Jack Brisco, but Stevens is the type of arrogant where he welcomes angering people. Stevens has vowed that he will take Brisco out the same way he did Baron Von Raschke, but first he needed to get by Ernie Ladd. Ladd bounced Stevens around for the opening minutes, but Stevens found his opening and attacked, working over the much larger man's legs. This was the perfect setup for Stevens' Bombs Away Kneedrop, which was more than enough to secure the victory.

Jack Brisco defeated Ox Baker by disqualification in 0:12:03.
Rating: * 1/2
[Bobby Heenan interfered against Jack Brisco.]

Jack Brisco wanted a piece of Ray Stevens, but instead he got another member of the Heenan Family, the massive Master of the Heart Punch, Ox Baker. This was a complete contrast of styles, and both men showcased their skills effectively in this contest. Brisco looked like he had overcome the odds and had this match secured when he had Baker down and was looking to put on the Figure-Four Leglock, but he was attacked from behind by RAY STEVENS, causing the disqualification. Baker got back to his feet and nailed Brisco with the Heart Punch, wiping him out. The plan was obvious at this point - Stevens was looking to break Brisco's leg the same way he did Baron Von Raschke's - but thankfully ERNIE LADD ran down and made the save, knocking Stevens, Baker, & even Bobby Heenan out of the ring. A tag team match has been signed for Madison Square Garden.

The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy Valiant and Johnny Valiant) defeated Jimmy Snuka and Billy Robinson when Johnny Valiant defeated J. Snuka by countout in 0:09:07.
Rating: ** 1/2
(Tony Garea no-showed.)

Tony Garea was unable to make it to Landover thanks to some travel issues, so Billy Robinson stepped in and took his place to team with Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka to take on the Valiant Brothers. Robinson & Snuka did what they could, but they had many problems with communication that impeded their chances in this match. If you're not on top of your game, Jimmy & Johnny Valiant are going to eat you alive, and that's exactly what happened as they took the win here tonight.

Pedro Morales pinned Mr. Wrestling I after a piledriver in 0:10:48.
Rating: ** 1/2

Mr. Wrestling I continues to flounder since his tag team partner left GCW, but as one of the most technically sound wrestlers in the world, he is always a threat to whomever he is wrestling. That man tonight was Pedro Morales, the former World champion. Morales is quite skilled at adjusting his style to whomever his opponent is, making him a tough man to beat. Morales pulled out a piledriver - a move he doesn't often do - in order to defeat Mr. Wrestling I here in Landover.

Interview:
Ivan Koloff wants Pedro Morales to team up with him.

After the match, IVAN KOLOFF came down and confronted Morales in the ring. Morales was ready to fight, but the Russian Bear assured him this was on the level. Koloff went over his problems with the Graham Brothers and said it pains him to say it, but he couldn't take on both Billy & Luke alone. Koloff needed a partner, and he was asking Morales to be that partner. Koloff told Morales that no one is tougher than him, and he knows that firsthand from all of the battles they've had in the past. Morales didn't answer Koloff and instead walked out of the ring to a chorus of boos. While Koloff watched him go, he didn't notice BILLY & LUKE GRAHAM jump over the guardrail and into the ring! The Grahams were putting the boots to Koloff before Billy put him in the Bearhug. Morales looked back and saw what was happening. He hesitated and then thought about going to the ring, but then kept walking to the back. The crowd booed even louder, but something must have snapped in Morales as he suddenly turned around and rushed back to the ring! Luke Graham tried to clothesline him, but Morales ducked and sent Luke sprawling from the ring with a hard forearm smash. Billy Graham then rushed at him, but Morales sent the Superstar flying out of the ring with a backdrop. Morales & Koloff then made eye contact before Morales left without saying a word. We're not really sure why Morales changed his mind, but it's a good thing for the Russian Bear that he did.

Texas Bullrope Match:
Bobby Duncum defeated Blackjack Lanza in 0:39:05.
Rating: **** 1/4

The main event was a match designed to hopefully end the issues between former teammates, Bobby Duncum & Blackjack Lanza, wrestling in a dangerous match, the Texas Bullrope Match. This match was a WAR, and the early favorite for Match of the Year. This match was so intense that I'm legitimately surprised that referee Dick Kroll didn't stop the match for too much blood. Kudos to him for letting these two settle their dispute once and for all. The ring ended up looking like a Jackson Pollock painting because of all of the blood, but these two bitter enemies kept digging deep to prevent the other from touching all four turnbuckles in a row. Though the bullrope was used as a weapon repeatedly, it would be a different weapon that would prove instrumental in ending this match. Duncum grabbed a boot with a spur attached to it from under the ring that he had stashed there before the match began. Duncum gruesomely carved Lanza's forehead up with the spur, rendering him unconscious from the loss of blood that followed these new cuts. Duncum wrapped the rope around Lanza's neck, dragged him to all four corners, and won this horrifically barbaric affair.

Card rating: ** 3/4

Match observations:

March 1 in Madison Square Garden looks to be a terrific card, featuring the following matches:

NON-TITLE - Harley Race (World champion) vs. Johnny Rodz
UNITED STATES TITLE - Dory Funk Jr. (c) vs. Nikolai Volkoff
Ivan Koloff vs. Luke Graham
Jack Brisco/Ernie Ladd vs. Ray Stevens/Ox Baker
Jimmy Snuka/Tony Garea vs. The Valiant Brothers

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License