This show of course was Jim Crockett Promotion's response to the WWF previously counter-programming its pay-per-views. The COTC ran opposite the Wrestlemania IV ppv on TBS. I was watching both promotions back then, but was at a church bowling outing when they were on. I think I heard about Randy Savage winning the WWF title on ESPN that day.
NWA Television championship, Gorgeous Jim Garvin vs. Mike Rotundo (c)- this has three five-minute rounds. Crowd popped at the opening bell, which is awesome. Pins were a one-count, like amateur rules. Garvin unsuccessfully tried to take Rotundo down, and Garvin complained about a trunks-pull. Garvin gets armdrags and as slam, and Rotundo bails. The two men battle back and forth for the remainder of the first period. Rotundo rushed Garvin during the rest period. Garvin slams Rotundo off of the top. He went for a brainbuster, but Kevin Sullivan tried to grab Precious. Rotundo wrapped him up, Garvin got the brainbuster and Precious belted Rick Steiner with a freakin' 2x4! She then choked Sullivan with a coathanger! That was quite the meelay. 6:45, ***
Bob Caudle interviewed Dr. Death Steve Williams, who has been in Japan. Doc wants Sting to win tonight, but he wants to challenge the winner. "I'm as clean as I look," he said. WTF does that mean?! They didn't actually reference him being the last UWF champion here.
U.S. tag team championship, The Midnight Express (c) vs. The Fantastics- I believe this is no disqualification. Bobby Fulton hit Lane with a chair on the outside. Eaton threw a table at him, and all three of the Midnights threw chairs at him. Things briefly got under control, but then everybody battled in the ring. The Midnights hit Tommy Rogers with the Eliminators' Total Elimination. Cornette held the judge's table, and Eaton threw Rogers head-first into it. Eaton hit a flying elbow onto Rogers, but tagged Lane instead of making a cover. More doubleteaming on Rogers, including a Demolition Decapitation. I wonder if they were wrestling at that exact moment? Eaton bulldogged Rogers on the table outside. Finally Fulton got tagged, but the referee didn't see it. Fulton then threw the ref over the top, and the 'Tastics hit the Rocket Launcher and a different referee counts for the win and championship. But wait! The original referee disqualifies the Fans, and award the match to the Midnights. 10:04, ****
Ken Osmond, aka Eddie Haskell from the original and new "Leave it to Beaver" interviews Jim Cornette. They took a lot about Cornette's mom.
Caudle interviews Gary Hart and Al Perez. Hart challenges Dusty Rhodes for the U.S. title. Perez really didn't go anywhere in Crockett, nor in his super-brief run in the WWF.
Frances Crockett announced the top 10 seeds for the upcoming Crockett Cup. They are: 10. Ivan Koloff and Dick Murdoch; 9. Sting and Ron Garvin; 8. Varsity Club; 7. Fantastics; 6. Windham and Luger; 5. Powers of Pain; 4. Midnight Express; 3. Road Warriors; 2. Nikita and Dusty; 1. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. I won't spoil how that went down, in case it's reviewed here.
Unsactioned Six-Man Texas Barbed Wire Chicago Street Fight (I'm not joking), Dusty Rhodes/Road Warriors vs. Powers of Pain/Ivan Koloff- Animal is wearing a hockey mask after had a dumbbell dropped on his face by the Warlord. This is just a huge brawl in the ring. Animal powerslamed Warlord, Barbarian mistakenly landed a flying headbutt on his partner, and the faces win. Then the PoP ripped Animal's mask off, and tried to take out his eye. 3:39, and let's say *1/2.
A newly-hairy Nikita Koloff gives a crazy interview. He shows off some poster saying, "Get high on sports, not drugs." Right, comrade. He's coming for the belt, even if his partner Dusty is champion.
NWA world tag team championship, Tully Blanchard/Arn Anderson (c) vs. Lex Luger/Barry Windham- I remember Luger and Windham had been called the Twin Towers around this time, which is funny because of the other team most associate with that name. Tully and Lex start, and Luger overpowers him. Arn comes in for a double team, but Luger almost clotheslines him out of his pretty striped boots, which Schiavone notes as I type it. Heels take over and work Luger's knee. Hot tag to Windham (already?), who gets two on Tully off of a powerslam. Tully tries to roll out to break a sleeper, but Windham keeps it on him outside. Arn eventually hits a spinebuster for two, and the heels keep Windham in their corner. The roof comes off the Coliseum as Luger finally gets tagged, and he throws clotheslines aplenty. Blanchard stops him with a knee to the back from outside, and it turns into a pier-six brawl. Arn gets thrown into a chair held by J.J. Dillon, and Luger gets the pin to the absolute delight of the crowd. 9:34, ****1/2 This was epic, and one of the reasons this show blew Wrestlemania IV out of the water.
NWA world championship, Ric Flair (c) vs. Sting- Looking at this Sting guy for the first time back then, you could tell there was no way he wouldn't be a Wrestling Observer Hall of Famer, first ballot most likely. Sigh. Dillon was suspended above the ring in a cage. "Wonder Year's" Jason Hervey, B-movie actress Patty Mullen and, um, Eddie Haskell are among the judges at ringside. Flair tries a hammerlock, but Sting powers out. He also wins a test of strength, and no-sells Flair's chops. Hiptoss, and Flair bails. Sting works Flair's arm back in, then gets a military press slam and flying headscissors (!). Headlockery abounds as Dillon screams from above. Another Sting hiptoss, but he misses a dropkick. Sting quickly takes over again on the mat. If this was my first time viewing this, I'd have a pretty good idea where this was going. Bearhug and Flair tries to reach the rope. If this was the UFC I'd expect to see Sting looking up at the clock. Sting missed a Scorpion Splash and hurt his shoulder, and now Flair is stalking him. An atomic drop takes Sting to the mat, like he just took that stupid Rollins turnbuckle powerbomb. Sting gets whipped to the railing outside, and back in Flair works his back. Chops seem to wake up Sting, who punches Flair over the top rope. Sting misses a Stinger Splash and hits the post. Tommy Young shoved Flair down, and he flipped first out onto the judges table, then over the guardrail. As time ticks down Flair throws Sting out, but he pops back in. The do the Tommy Young kicks Flair's hands off the rop spot, then Flair flipping on a buckle and Sting geting a close two after a rollup. Stinger splash and Scorpion leglock, but time runs out. Mullen scored for Flair, Gary Juster for Sting, and Sandy Scott picked a draw. What about the sitcom stars?! This is the match that made the Stinger, as he showed he could hang with the champ on a show many people watched. I'll go ***1/2 as there were boring parts, but I blame that more on it being scheduled to go 45 minutes.
This was a fantastic debut of the COTC, and contains about the hottest hour (up to the main event) you'll find on a wrestling show. And the main event was also a star-making performance for the Stinger, as he hung in there with Flair and was cemented as a singles star. Huge recommendation for this show.
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