Billy Robinson pinned Don Muraco with the Double-Arm Suplex in 0:15:19.
Rating: *** 1/2
For the first time in GCW history, the Intercontinental Title would be defended not once, but twice in the same night. Bobby Duncum went into MSG as the champion, but he'd have to defend successfully against Dory Funk Jr. & Billy Robinson if he wanted to leave the champion. Funk would get the first shot, but to make it even, Robinson would also have to wrestle a second match, taking on Funk's lackey, Don Muraco. Muraco may know Robinson better than anyone, having trained under the Englishman for some time, and it showed with how well he took it to Robinson. Robinson would ultimately walk away with the win, but it took him a considerable amount of time and he took quite a bit of punishment before hitting the Double-Arm Suplex, surely hurting his chances in match #2.
Dean Ho and Tony Garea defeated The Dirtbags (Dick Murdoch and Stan Hansen) when Garea pinned Hansen with the High Cross Body in 0:05:12.
Rating: *** 1/2
The rivalry between Dean Ho & Tony Garea and the Dirtbags continued to heat up here as they locked horns in tag team action. Stan Hansen is going to be a great one, no doubt about it, but right now his biggest problem is he is too raw, too aggressive. He often goes for his big power moves too soon, and an experienced grappler will take advantage of those kind of mistakes. Case in point, Garea avoided Hansen's early attempts to hit the Lariat and hit his High Cross Body to get the 1-2-3 at around the 5 minute mark.
Bobby Duncum pinned Dory Funk Jr. with the Full Nelson Slam in 0:12:42.
Rating: ****
(Bobby Duncum retained the GCW Intercontinental Title.)
No matter what, it was going to be a long night for Bobby Duncum. He was either going to have to wrestle two matches with his Intercontinental Title on the line, or he was going to lose the strap in the first match, or possibly both. Dory Funk Jr. got the first crack at the title, and like these two have done so many times before, they put on one hell of a match. These two may be enemies, but the familiarity they have established with each other is evident every time they lock up. Funk worked over Duncum's back to try to get him in the Texas Cloverleaf, but Duncum wasn't ready to see his title reign end just yet, managing to stay out of the painful hold en route to hitting the Full Nelson Slam and winning the first match. Duncum was favoring his back after the match, and still had Billy Robinson to contend with later in the night.
The Heenan Family (Blackjack Lanza, Blackjack Mulligan, Hiro Matsuda and Killer Kowalski) defeated Gorilla Monsoon, Sgt. Slaughter, Ernie Ladd and Pedro Morales when Mulligan pinned Monsoon after a kick to the head in 0:08:36.
Rating: ** 1/2
Eight man tag team action was next as Pedro Morales, Ernie Ladd, Gorilla Monsoon, & Sgt. Slaughter teamed up to take on the entire Heenan Family - Killer Kowalski, Hiro Matsuda, and the Blackjacks. You can say what you want about Bobby "the Brain" Heenan - mostly that he's a weasel - but he does run a tight ship and his men are ever dangerous. With a lot of cheating involved, of course, the Heenan Family would walk away with this one after Blackjack Mulligan nearly kicked Monsoon's head off.
Dusty Rhodes pinned Nikolai Volkoff with the Bionic Elbowdrop in 0:11:24.
Rating: * 1/2
[Lou Albano interfered against Dusty Rhodes.]
Another tough match for Dusty Rhodes as he climbs up the ladder, taking on one of Captain Lou Albano's mighty Russians in Nikolai Volkoff. The match itself was bowling shoe ugly, which you'll get from time to time when you have two brawlers like this duking it out. As the match wore on, it became clear that this one would go to whoever could hit something to knock the other loopy enough to get the victory. That distinction would belong to Rhodes, who rocked Volkoff with three big Bionic Elbowdrops to get the pinfall.
I-Quit Match:
Jack Brisco defeated Mr. Wrestling I when Mr. Wrestling I passed out in the Figure-Four Leglock in 0:19:15.
Rating: *** 3/4
This match wasn't about simply winning. For Jack Brisco & Mr. Wrestling I, it was about beating the other so badly that they had to say, "I quit." Both men are known for their submission wrestling, but each pulled out some very clever and unique submissions to try to get the other to say those magic words. Mr. Wrestling almost won the match when in a big slap to Brisco's face, he put him in his own finisher, the Figure-Four Leglock. Brisco held tough though and managed to escape, only to get Wrestling I into a Figure-Four of his own! Mr. Wrestling tried with everything he had to get out of it, but the pain became too great and he passed out, leaving referee Willie Webber with no choice but to call the match. Brisco won, but Mr. Wrestling I has been complaining to anyone who will listen that he never said "I quit" and thus this match shouldn't even count, which has only gone on to anger Brisco more.
[IF GRAHAMS LOSE, THEY MUST SPLIT UP]:
Larry Zbyszko and Dino Bravo defeated The Graham Brothers (Billy Graham and Luke Graham) when Zbyszko pinned B. Graham after hitting him with the title belt in 0:13:03.
Rating: ** 1/2
(Larry Zbyszko and Dino Bravo retained the GCW World Tag Team Titles.)
[The Grand Wizard interfered against Larry Zbyszko.]
The frustrations of the Grand Wizard about the Grahams inability to regain the World Tag Team Titles led to him agreeing to Billy & Luke Graham splitting up as a team forever. Larry Zbyszko & Dino Bravo jumped at the opportunity, because one way or another, this issue with the Grahams was going to be over once and for all. As has been the story in the previous matches, this was about survival for the champions, having to withstand the onslaught of the Grahams. Zbyszko & Bravo have gelled as a team though, and now when they win, it's no longer viewed as a fluke but a result of being a great tag team. The Grand Wizard was clearly a desperate man, and when referee Danny Bartfield got caught with a stray elbow and knocked out, he put his plan into effect. He instructed Billy Graham to hold Zbyszko while he took one of the World Tag Team Titles. Wizard took an awkward swing, but Zbyszko move and the title belt connected with Graham's jaw instead! Bravo entered the ring and tossed the Grand Wizard to the floor and held Luke Graham at bay for good measure while Zbyszko hit Billy Graham in the head with the title belt! A groggy Bartfield made the 1-2-3, and your winners and STILL tag team champions, Larry Zbyszko & Dino Bravo!
Afterwards, the Grahams didn't take too kindly to the loss, blaming the Grand Wizard's interference for their loss and having to break up as a team. They showed their frustration by firing The Grand Wizard as their manager, and punctuating it with a pair of right hands - one big punch from each Graham brother! It looks like that will be the last we see of The Grand Wizard for some time.
Peter Maivia defeated Ivan Koloff by disqualification in 0:03:10.
Rating: ** 1/4
[Lou Albano interfered against Peter Maivia.]
It looks like the pressure has finally gotten to Ivan Koloff. The Russian Bear has not been shy about letting it be known how much he dislikes Lou Albano, but for whatever reason, he is stuck with him, and tonight he finally had enough. Peter Maivia has been less than sympathetic about Koloff's plight, and tonight Koloff had had enough. In their one-on-one matchup, Koloff didn't take long to get himself disqualified, grabbing his big chain and clocking the High Chief with it, busting the proud Samoan wide open. Nikolai Volkoff joined the fray, and you should have seen the sick smile on Albano's face as it looks like he finally has his Russians on the same page of destruction. Luckily for Maivia, a lot worse beating was prevented when DUSTY RHODES came out swinging a chair to chase them all from the ring. A tag team match has been signed for Baltimore on June 13.
Bobby Duncum pinned Billy Robinson with the Full Nelson Slam in 0:07:48.
Rating: ** 1/2
(Bobby Duncum retained the GCW Intercontinental Title.)
Both Duncum & Robinson were tired and sore from their previous matches in the evening, so their tenacity was going to be tested in a big way here. It was a matter of who wanted it more, and Duncum was not going to be denied, finishing his second title defense of the night in the same way he finished the first - the Full Nelson Slam and a victory. After two grueling title defenses, Duncum just wanted to go rest, but he wouldn't get that chance as TERRY FUNK shot into the ring from the crowd and was all over Duncum! We haven't seen Terry Funk in a GCW ring in over 5 years, and now here he was, unannounced, and brutalizing the Intercontinental champion! Funk scooped Duncum up and hit him with not one, not two, but THREE huge piledrivers before officials came and took him away. Duncum's neck appeared to be seriously hurt and he had to be taken out of the ring on a stretcher. We hope that the injury isn't as serious as it appears, and we're still not sure why Terry Funk was even here in the first place! We hope to get some answers in Baltimore.
Two-out-of-three-Falls Match:
Harley Race beat Jimmy Snuka 2 falls to 0:
x Race beat J. Snuka via the Piledriver in 0:26:43
x Race beat J. Snuka via the Piledriver in 0:34:41
Rating: *** 1/4
(Harley Race retained the GCW World Title.)
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka took a huge risk by breaking up his team with Tony Garea to focus on singles wrestling, but it had the potential to pay off in a big way here as he had a prime opportunity to walk out of New York as the undisputed World Heavyweight champion. He has taken his game to another level and has proven he belongs with the best, and that's who he was facing now as he took on the undefeated and reigning World champion, "Handsome" Harley Race. With each win Race compiles, he's stating his case to be what he already claims he is, and that's the greatest World champion in history. Race finds a way to win, plain and simple, and he's taking everyone's best shot in doing so. Snuka came at him guns blazing, putting as much into every punch, every kick, every bodyslam that he could. Race can take a beating as good as anyone in the business and still have a lot left in the tank - he's a legitimate tough guy. Though Snuka got in a great amount of offense, his pacing was a bit too fast for a best two-of-three falls match and in the end, it cost him. Snuka fell victim to Race's Piledriver for the first fall, and he just wasn't able to recover after that, losing the second fall a few minutes later for Race to keep his gold. A tremendous effort by Snuka, who came so close and proved that he belongs with the big boys.
Card rating: ** 3/4
Match observations:
A lot of big news coming out of this big MSG show, and it will carry us right into June 13 at the Civic Center in Baltimore!
WORLD TITLE - Harley Race (c) vs. Jack Brisco
Dusty Rhodes/Peter Maivia vs. Ivan Koloff/Nikolai Volkoff
Gorilla Monsoon/Sgt. Slaughter vs. The Blackjacks
Plus, we will attempt to get an interview with Terry Funk to explain his actions tonight!
