October 12, 1980 - Providence Civic Center - Providence, RI

Ken Patera defeated Chavo Guerrero when Chavo Guerrero passed out in the Swinging Full Nelson in 0:04:44.
Rating: * 1/2

The woes of the Guerreros continued in Providence. The year started off so promising for Chavo, Hector, & Mando, but it has only went downhill since Chavo's Intercontinental Title win in February. Chavo hasn't been the same since he was injured immediately after winning the title, and the next man to take advantage of it was Ken Patera. Patera is another wrestler who has had an up and down 1980, but his team with Dino Bravo is still formidable if they get a little focus. Tonight was a great start with Patera getting Chavo to pass out in the Swinging Full Nelson.

Don Muraco pinned B. Brian Blair with the Tombstone in 0:12:26.
Rating: *** 1/2
[Freddie Blassie interfered against B. Brian Blair.]

B. Brian Blair has been turning heads in the last couple months, picking up some impressive victories. He had his biggest opportunity to date as he took on Intercontinental champion Don Muraco in a non-title match. Muraco wanted to see what all the hype was about, and he got a firsthand look in Rhode Island. It looked like this wasn't going to be much more than a workout for Muraco, but Blair showed that he is no sparring partner. Muraco chose to toy around with Blair instead of putting him away, and it nearly cost him in a big way. Muraco went for the Tombstone, but Blair reversed it by sliding down Muraco's back. Blair dropkicked Muraco in the back, sending the IC champ crashing into the turnbuckle. Blair rolled Muraco up and got a 2 and 3/4 count, and then got a second one after a flying crossbody press found its mark. Muraco was in serious trouble, and it was his power that ended up saving him. Blair made a mistake by going for a bodyslam, but Muraco blocked it and then hit a big clothesline. Muraco didn't mess around after that and hit the Tombstone, getting a 3 count that was far more difficult to obtain than he anticipated. "Classy" Freddie Blassie didn't like what he saw from Blair, and has asked his charge, Ivan Koloff, to teach Blair a lesson. School's in session on November 16 in Landover, MD.

Interview:
Larry Zbyszko brags about beating two former World champions, but gets backed down by Stan Hansen.

The next segment featured the highly controversial Larry Zbyszko out for an interview. The Cruncher pondered aloud why he's not the #1 contender for the World Title, considering how in the past few months, he had beaten two former World champions in Jumbo Tsuruta & Pedro Morales. Zbyszko continued that he is the top wrestler in GCW and it's about time he be treated as such. This brought out STAN HANSEN, who was scheduled for our next match. Hansen said Zbyszko talks a good game, but he was giving him the chance to prove it now against a FUTURE World champion, the Lariat. Hansen even went as far as to give Zbyszko a free shot, presenting his jaw for Zbyszko to give him a good punch. Zbyszko was about to, but Hansen reminded him that the punch better knock him out, because if not, Hansen was going to tear him apart. The crowd was begging the Cruncher to go for it, but Zbyszko thought better of it and backed off, heading to the back.

Johnny Rodz defeated Stan Hansen by countout in 0:06:18.
Johnny Rodz injured his right knee. He will be out for approximately 4 months.
Rating: **
[Larry Zbyszko interfered against Stan Hansen.]

The confrontation with Zbyszko had Hansen all fired up, and that was not good news for "The Unpredictable" Johnny Rodz. Rodz didn't do anything unpredictable tonight, unless you count not wetting his tights being in the ring with a rowdy Hansen. Hansen looked to be cruising to a victory after he threw Rodz to the outside and slammed his head into the table of brand new ring announcer, Howard Finkel. Hansen tossed Rodz back in the ring, and as referee Willie Webber checked on Rodz to see if he was bleeding, LARRY ZBYSZKO resurfaced and drilled Hansen with a spinebuster slam on the concrete floor! I don't care how tough you are, that's going to put anyone down for awhile as it did here. Hansen was counted out, and as strange as it even is to say, Johnny Rodz now owns a victory over Stan Hansen. No one was more surprised than Rodz, who celebrated like he just won the World Title. In fact, he celebrated so hard that when he jumped in the air, he landed funny and injured his right knee. That's a new one for me. When Hansen regained his bearings, he let out a huge bellow and went stomping to the back looking for Zbyszko.

Jumbo Tsuruta defeated Afa by disqualification in 0:09:05.
Rating: ***
[Lou Albano and Sika interfered against Jumbo Tsuruta.]

Captain Lou Albano was absolutely livid that The Wild Samoans lost the World Tag Team Titles so soon after winning them, and as a bit of a punishment, he put Afa in a singles matches against Jumbo Tsuruta. Afa hasn't had to wrestle much in the singles division and is used to having Sika to rely on if the going gets tough. That wasn't the case here as Jumbo took the fight straight to Afa and looked to put this one away early. To Afa's credit, he made a good showing for himself, but after hitting a big belly-to-belly suplex, Jumbo had this all but wrapped up. He looked to hit the Jumbo Knee, but he never got the chance as SIKA interfered by attacking him. The Samoans beat Tsuruta down before officials broke it up. Jumbo spoke with President Hisashi Shinma and has requested a tag match against the Samoans, mentioning that he will have a mystery partner on November 16 in Landover. Who does Jumbo have in mind? Only time will tell.

Austin Idol made Tito Santana submit to the Las Vegas Leglock in 0:05:27.
Rating: **

Paul Jones was allegedly furious with Austin Idol for dropping a match to Tito Santana at MSG, but the Universal Heartthrob promised there wouldn't be a repeat performance in Providence. Idol got off to a great start by attacking Santana before the bell, clipping the back of Santana's left knee. Idol's assault on Santana's knee was borderline criminal. He never let off the gas once the attack began. Santana tried to fight back as best he could, but he was more or less fighting with one leg, and we all know how successful a one-legged man is in a butt kicking contest. Santana had one spirited comeback, but one hard kick to the injured knee cut that off as quickly as it started. Idol applied the Las Vegas Leglock, and the pain was simply too much for Santana to bear as he gave up.

Idol took some liberties after the match, refusing to let go of the hold. Santana was in serious trouble of having his leg broken, but received an unexpected assist from MANNY FERNANDEZ! Fernandez hasn't been the most decent of guys since coming to GCW, but he looks to have turned a new leaf by chasing Idol out of the ring. Fernandez helped Santana to his feet, and Santana was understandably tentative about it, but he accepted Fernandez's handshake offer.

Sgt. Slaughter and Roddy Piper battled to a double countout in 0:09:55.
Rating: *** 1/4

Sgt. Slaughter may not have won his feud with Stan Hansen, but he did make a name for himself as one of the toughest men in wrestling today. He would need every ounce of that toughness and then some when he went up against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Piper was in a bit of a mood from a combination of his inability to regain the Intercontinental Title from Don Muraco and Pedro Morales more or less leaving him to fend for himself in a tag match last month. Slaughter never seems to be in a good mood himself, and these two decided the best thing to do was take out their frustrations on each other. Not much of a wrestling contest, but one hell of a brawl that couldn't be contained in the ring. A double countout was the result, but Piper & Slaughter hardly noticed as they were happy as clams beating the tar out of each other. They will get another go at it in Landover, but this time it will be no countout.

The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes and Terry Gordy) defeated The Guerreros (Hector Guerrero and Mando Guerrero) when T. Gordy pinned M. Guerrero after a gutwrench suplex in 0:08:12.
Rating: ** 1/4

Tonight marked the debut of a new tag team to the GCW ranks, The Fabulous Freebirds. The team is comprised of Michael "P.S." Hayes & Terry Gordy, two young but exceptionally talented wrestlers. When you watched Hayes & Gordy in the ring tonight, they wrestled like experienced pros, which makes the fact that they are 21 and 19 years old respectively all the more shocking. They had a tough test in Hector & Mando Guerrero, but they were up to the challenge. The Freebirds showed some innovative tandem offense that allowed them to pick up their first victory in a GCW ring. Hayes & Gordy made a special effort to shake the hands of Hector & Mando and thank them for a good match. This team could be the future of tag team wrestling.

Terry Funk pinned Ric Flair after a bulldog in 0:15:31.
Rating: ** 3/4

Ric Flair figured he was going to be done with Terry Funk after beating him in the Garden, but if we know anything about Terry Funk, it's that he's not one to take a loss lying down. Flair cut every corner imaginable in New York to beat Funk, but the Funker turned the tables on him. Funk somehow managed to cheat even more than Flair did their last match. This led the Nature Boy to ironically whine and complain about all the cheating on Funk's part, cheating that referee Tommy Young conveniently wasn't seeing. This pushed Flair to the point of getting a steel chair from ringside and bringing it in the ring. Young cut him off and got the chair away. While Young was removing the chair, he missed Funk hit Flair with a low blow! Funk followed up with a bulldog which was enough to get the pinfall. Looks like Flair got a taste of his own medicine.

Ivan Koloff pinned Pedro Morales with the Russian Sickle in 0:06:31.
Rating: ** 1/2

Seeing Pedro Morales tonight was just sad. This once proud athlete, the most decorated wrestler in GCW history, has been reduced to a man devoid of motivation and a man just going through the motions. Not a mindset you want to be in when wrestling against Ivan Koloff. The Russian Bear couldn't have cared less that Morales was feeling down on himself. He was here to fight no matter what the circumstances. Morales got in some token offense, but it was not spirited in the least. The Russian Sickle mercilessly put this one in the books. Freddie Blassie approved of this greatly, so much that he has agreed to have Don Muraco defend the Intercontinental Title against Pedro Morales in Landover so he can "embarrass him more." He better hope that Morales doesn't find his mojo again before November 16.

Interview:
Arnold Skaaland calls out Bob Backlund.

Before we got to the main event, the manager of the World champion came out for an interview. Arnold Skaaland put over the World champion, Jimmy Snuka, as the best wrestler in the world. Skaaland then showed an unexpected bravado and called out Bob Backlund to join him in the ring. Backlund came out and he was cautious to say the least, but he was curious to what Skaaland had to say. Skaaland told him that he wanted to say this to Backlund's face. He knew that Backlund was so anxious to get his hands on Snuka that he would sign any contract put in front of him. "And guess what, Bob Backlund? Your title rematch in Madison Square Garden is the ONLY title shot you're going to get!" Skaaland had put a clause in the contract saying that match would be Backlund's only title shot as long as the Superfly was champion. Backlund looked like he was going to blow a gasket, and he should be commended for not punching Skaaland's lights out on the spot. Backlund instead had an idea. He wanted a match with Skaaland in Landover. Skaaland laughed it off and said no way, but Backlund sweetened the pot. He said that if he won, Backlund would get a title shot at the year-end show against Snuka in Madison Square Garden. But if Skaaland managed to win, Backlund would retire from GCW! Skaaland said he'd do it, but only if the match was no disqualification. Backlund accepted, and the match is on for Landover!

Paul Jones' Army (Paul Jones and The Masked Superstar) defeated Dusty Rhodes and Ivan Putski when P. Jones made I. Putski submit to the Indian Deathlock in 0:30:25.
Rating: ** 3/4
(Paul Jones' Army won the GCW World Tag Team Titles.)

Dusty Rhodes & Ivan Putski shocked the world by winning the World Tag Team Titles from The Wild Samoans in September. This fact angered Paul Jones to the point of near insanity. Jones felt that The Masked Superstar & he should be the champions, and watching Rhodes & Putski parade around with the titles infuriated him. They got the first title shot at the new champs, and what a fantastic main event it made for. You don't get the feeling that Rhodes & Putski are going to be a permanent team, but their performance in the early moments of this match showed that they were trying as hard as possible to keep the titles as long as they possibly can. But you have to face the facts: Jones & Superstar are a far more experienced team. The natural charisma and heart of Rhodes & Putski kept this as a neck-and-neck match for over 30 minutes. The difference in the match would take place around 20 minutes in when Putski landed awkwardly and tweaked his knee. Jones & Superstar worked over Putski's knee, and though the Polish Power fought back with all his heart, he could never tag the American Dream back in. He got locked in Jones' Indian Deathlock, and he couldn't get out of the hold. Putski had no other recourse but to submit. Jones & Superstar are finally the World Tag Team champions. Rhodes chased the new champs out of the ring so they couldn't inflict anymore damage. Now that the Army have the tag titles, things just got interesting in GCW.

Card rating: ** 1/2

Match observations:

Our show on November 16 is definitely power packed as we come to you from Landover, MD!

WORLD TITLE - Jimmy Snuka (c) vs. Terry Funk
INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE - Don Muraco (c) vs. Pedro Morales
TITLE SHOT VS. CAREER - NO DISQUALIFICATION - Bob Backlund vs. Arnold Skaaland
Stan Hansen vs. Larry Zbyszko
Jumbo Tsuruta/??? vs. The Wild Samoans
Dusty Rhodes/Ivan Putski/Tito Santana/Manny Fernandez vs. Paul Jones/The Masked Superstar/Austin Idol/Ric Flair
NO COUNTOUT - Roddy Piper vs. Sgt. Slaughter
B. Brian Blair vs. Ivan Koloff
The Fabulous Freebirds vs. The Can-Am Strongmen

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