NWA (JCP) at Greensboro Coliseum (July 26, 1986)

Original Airdate: July 26, 1986

From Greensboro, North Carolina

Opening Match: Steve Regal v Sam Houston: Regal blitzes him at the bell, but Houston reverses a cross corner whip, and throws a series of hot right hands for two. The video quality here is actually surprisingly good. Houston dominates on the mat with a side-headlock, but Regal forces a criss cross, and tags him with a nice elbowsmash. That allows Steve to turnbuckle smash the kid a few times, and he adds a vertical suplex for two. Chinlock, but Houston starts to escape, so Regal puts him back down with a knee, and adds a stomp to the groin for good measure. Backbreaker gets two, and he slaps on another chinlock, but Sam fights free again. Sam manages to force a criss cross, but Regal is ready with a clothesline for two, and he goes back to the chinlock. They're doing a good job of keeping the restholds short, and peppering them with little bits of action to keep things interesting, or bits of cheating from Regal. Steve gets into it with the referee, allowing Houston time to recover, and Sam is able to reverse a vertical suplex. That cues the comeback, and Houston hits a backdrop for two. Regal begs off, but Sam unloads in the corner, and it's time for the bulldog, but Regal sends him into the turnbuckles to block, and a leveraged cradle steals the pin for Steve at 7:55. Nothing wrong with this. Afterwards, Houston complains to the referee that Regal used the ropes, but of course Regal denies it. I always hated it when babyfaces would do that. Like, I get why you're upset, but the referee obviously didn't see it. Are you really expecting the heel to just admit it? And then Houston takes it a step further here, as he decides to restart the match himself, but that doesn't mean shit, and it goes nowhere. What a dumbass. ** ¼

Black Bart and Konga the Barbarian v Denny Brown and Italian Stallion: Bart is the NWA Mid-Atlantic champion, and Brown is the NWA World Junior Heavyweight champion. And Konga is the same Barbarian we'd later know as good ol' Bob Merrion. Bart and Brown start (sounds like a brand of mustard), and Denny gets a few takedowns with headscissors. That leaves Bart dizzy, and the babyfaces pinball him in their corner for a bit, until he flops. Bart regroups, and tries taking a cheap shot during a rope break, but Brown gets the better of a criss cross with a bodyslam. Tag to Stallion to unload on Bart in the corner, and he and Brown take turns working on the arm, but Konga gets the tag, and wrecks Denny to turn the tide. Konga with a press-slam and a big boot, followed by a backbreaker for two. Headbutt connects, and it's back to Bart to help cut the ring in half on his mustard buddy. Bart misses a 2^nd rope legdrop to end the pretty energetic heat segment, and it's hot tag Stallion. He starts passing out dropkicks, but Bart goes to the eyes, and drops him with a suplex. Tag to Konga, and a quick flying headbutt finishes at 8:07. Not especially engaging, but solid enough. *

Loaded Glove on a Pole Match: Manny Fernandez v Baron von Raschke: Oh God, these two again. At least Baron's pants should stay on this time. I hope. Baron pounds on him to start, and manages a pair of elbowdrops to give him a go at the glove, but Manny pulls him down before he can get it. We just came dangerously close to seeing Baron's ass again, and I don't appreciate it. Fernandez with a backelbow, and he goes for the glove, but Baron chases. Manny sees him coming, and dives off the top with a reverse leapfrog to avoid getting forced off, and he drills Baron with a 2^nd rope kneedrop. That allows another climb attempt, but Baron pulls him off this time, and puts the boots to him. Baron with a backbreaker to set up a kneedrop for two, and he ropechokes Manny until the referee can step in. Paul Jones gets his licks in as well, allowing Baron to climb, but Fernandez recovers in time, and slams him off the top. Manny with a jumping backelbow for two, and a cross corner whip follows, but Baron dodges the charge. That allows Baron to slap on the Clawhold to draw blood, but Manny manages to keep his shoulders off of the mat to avoid getting pinned. He's pretty much out though, so Baron lets off to go for the glove to really finish him, and he manages to get hold of it this time. He puts it on, but Fernandez ducks a blow, and rebounds with a bodypress at 8:22 - without anyone ever actually using the glove. Seems like kind of a shitty payoff. The clawhold felt endless, but overall I liked this match better than that Bunkhouse match at the Charlotte stop. ½*

Indian Strap Match: Wahoo McDaniel v Jimmy Garvin: Garvin and Previous doing their stalling and complaining before the bell is actually pretty hilarious tonight. Usually I find it annoying, but it worked this time, especially because Wahoo just kept getting madder and madder. McDaniel destroys him once they get going, and Garvin's attempt to run away are all thwarted by Wahoo anchoring him. They spill to the outside, where Garvin manages to use the strap to pull Wahoo into the post, and McDaniel is busted open as the tide turns. Jimmy sends him into the guardrail out there, and he uses a kneedrop on the way back in. It's draggin' time, and Jimmy manages three corners, before Wahoo hooks onto the bottom rope to prevent a third. McDaniel chops him down, and grinds the strap across Jimmy's forehead to draw blood - and it's a major bladejob again, just like at Charlotte. No wonder all the guys from that era had such nasty scars later in life. McDaniel starts dragging, but Precious trips him up, and he fails to make all four corners. Garvin goes up to the top, but McDaniel uses the strap to slam him off, and he pulls Jimmy to four corners at 7:13. Also not great, but also better than the Charlotte match. ½*

Taped Fist Match: Tully Blanchard v Ron Garvin: Blanchard's NWA National title is not on the line. They're presenting this with rounds (three minutes each), like a boxing match. Just like at the Charlotte show, Tully gets knocked out before the match even starts, leaving JJ Dillon to franticly revive him.
ROUND ONE: Ron destroys a loopy Tully throughout the round, toying with him, and knocking him around until Blanchard is a bloody mess. Tully manages to stay in it enough to survive a few knockdowns, and he tries throwing a few dizzy punches back, but Garvin easily evades. Garvin lands what looks like the knockout blow, but the round is over, and Blanchard is saved by the bell. Tully Blanchard is trash.
ROUND TWO: Round two sees a still battered Blanchard stagger to his feet, and he tries throwing an illegal kick, but Garvin catches the boot anyway, and pounds him down. Garvin with a big roundhouse right, but Blanchard beats the count, so Ron just slugs him down again. Tully is so dazed that he starts swinging at the referee, but Garvin steps in before that goes anywhere, and he gets so worked up that he throws a kick of his own as the round comes to an end.
ROUND THREE: Blanchard begs off as the round starts, and manages to sucker Garvin into a turnbuckle smash, followed by a series of stomps. The referee is able to pull him off, but Tully has gained some traction, and he starts working Garvin over with rights. Tully with a snapmare to set up mounted punches on a now bloody Garvin, and man, if you thought Tommy Young sucked at officiating boxing, he's got nothing on Earl Hebner. They end up spilling to the outside, where Wahoo McDaniel grabs Blanchard for an atomic drop, knocking him right into a big punch from Garvin at the close of the round.
ROUND FOUR: Tully is left scrambling to make it back into the ring as the round begins, and Garvin is there to welcome him with a flurry of fists. Tully is out on his feet as Garvin toys with him, before landing the kill shot. He looks to have it won, but fucking Hebner is distracted by JJ, and doesn't count. That allows Dillon to pass Blanchard a weapon, and Tully KOs Garvin with it at 2:32 in the fourth round (11:32 total). I liked the Charlotte match better, but this was also entertaining. * ¾ (Original rating: DUD)

#1 Contender's Match: The Rock 'n' Roll Express v Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson: Arn holds the NWA Television title here. Robert Gibson starts with Ole, and Anderson tries to muscle him into the heel corner for some abuse, but Robert manages to keep himself out of trouble. Ole tries again, and this time manages to tag Arn, but Gibson slips away before they can double team. Simple by engaging use of tag psychology here. Arn barrels into Robert with a shoulderblock, so Gibson sets into a criss cross, and lands a dropkick. That draws Ole in without a tag, but here comes Ricky Morton cut him off, and the Express clean house. Dust settles on Ricky and Arn, and Morton manages to stick and move his way to a DDT that sends Arn bailing. Ricky follows to plant a right hand right in the kisser, and poor Arn passes to Ole. Looks like Arn actually bladed off the DDT, since this is 1986 JCP, and everything other than gentle caresses draw blood. The Andersons try to corner Morton, but he too is too quick for them, and the Express take Arn to school with tandem moves. Ricky works the leg for a while, until Arn swipes at the face to shake him off, and he manages a tag. Ole rushes in with a turnbuckle smash, but Morton starts violently kicking at the leg to fight off the follow-up, and he tag Robert in to help him cut the ring in half. The Express work Ole's leg now, but Robert fails to cut the ring in half, and Arn tags in. That allows the heels a quick double team on Gibson, but Arn misses a kneedrop, and ends up in a figure four. That draws Ole over, but Morton cuts him off, and we get the stereo figure fours spot. Unfortunately for the Express, Ole is able to take a cheap shot at Robert while the referee restores order, and Gibson eats knee in the corner. That's enough to turn the tide, and the heels go to work on Gibson. He shakes Ole off long enough for a tag to Morton, but Ricky gets quickly overwhelmed in a two-front war, and ends up down on the outside. Back in, the Anderson's cut the ring in half on Morton, but can't put him away as the clock starts to run down. A frustrated Arn dumps him back to the outside, but it backfires when Ricky dives back in with a flying bodypress for two. Ole rushes in to prevent a tag until Arn can recover, but the Enforcer misses a charge in the corner, and both men are left crawling for tags. Both make it, and Roseanne Barr the door! Gibson grabs a sleeper on Arn, and the Enforcer fades, but Ole makes the save - just as the time limit expires at 20:00. This wasn't a crazy hot match with big spots and wild moves, but it was a satisfyingly hearty stew of old school tag goodness here, with engaging psychology, and great pacing. ***

Hair v Hair Match: Jimmy Valiant v Paul Jones: Baron von Raschke distracts Jimmy to allow Paul to sneak attack, and Jones pounds Valiant down. Cue the seizure selling right away. And blood, since even Paul's loose, poorly worked stomping is above the 'gentle caress' level. Valiant manages to reverse a turnbuckle smash, so Jones pulls out of weapon, and goes to town with that. Figure four, but Valiant blocks, and throws a kneelift. He starts making a comeback, but Jones whacks him with the weapon again. He goes for the kill, but Valiant gets the object away from him, and now Jones is busted open. Valiant is pretty blatantly using the weapon, but the referee doesn't seem to give a shit. Like, at all. Luckily, Baron is there to step in with a distraction, allowing Shaska Whatley to show up with a chair, and Jones steals the pin at 4:27. At least it was short. Valiant, with his head shaved down, looks like Rick Rubin does today. DUD

NWA United States Title Best of Seven Series Match: Nikita Koloff v Magnum TA: This is the fourth match in a best of seven series between the two for the vacant US Title - Koloff up 3-0 heading in. As opposed to today, when the entire roster is constantly engaged in a best of seven series with each other. Not that he's wrong, but I find it off-putting that the ring announcer introduces Magnum as 'the vastly popular Magnum TA.' Criss cross early on goes Magnum's way with a forearm smash, and Koloff ends up on the outside to regroup. Back in, they feel each other out, until Koloff drops Magnum throat-first across the top rope to take control. He whips Magnum into the ropes for a backelbow, and a few turnbuckle smashes leave TA wobbly. Koloff goes for one too many, and gets reversed, but Magnum is too battered to follow up. That allows Koloff to keep control, and a snapmare gets two. Another snapmare sets up a chinlock, and Magnum has got blood all over his arm, but it doesn't look like anyone bladed yet. I guess he just rolled into a pool of blood left over from one of the other matches, in your bit of disgusting 80s wrestling trivia for the day. Magnum manages a bodypress for two, but ends up on the outside when Koloff forcefully kicks out, and a trip into the post busts him open for real. Well, we knew it was just a matter of time before someone got color. And it's a nasty gusher, too. Inside, Koloff hits a side suplex for two, and another snapmare gets two. Back to the chinlock so we can get a nasty close-up of the crimson mask, but Magnum manages to dump him into the corner to escape. Magnum starts making a comeback, but he's loopy from blood loss, and Koloff is able to block a backdrop. Koloff capitalizes with a backbreaker for two, and a bodyslam is worth two. Frustrated, Koloff dumps his bloody ass to the outside to try for the countout, but Magnum fights up to the apron in time. Koloff meets him there with a forearm, however, and he dumps him back to the outside to try his luck again. This time Ivan Koloff takes a cheap shot for good measure, but Magnum still guts it out, and beats the count. Koloff simply dumps him again, easily taking control of the bloody and battered Magnum. Even so, Magnum beats the count, and this time does so with a slingshot sunset flip at 13:31. Nothing special, but solid, and psychologically sound. And, indeed, that decision is vastly popular with this crowd, to say the least. * ½ (Original rating: *)

Six-Person Tag Team Cage Match: Jim Cornette and The Midnight Express v Baby Doll and The Road Warriors: The Express are the NWA World Tag Team Champions here. Cornette tries taking a swing at Doll right away, but that goes badly. It all ends in Jim hiding at the top of the cage while the Warriors destroy the Express, until the dust settles on Dennis Condrey and Animal. Dennis tries running into him, but that also goes badly, and Animal dominates a criss cross until Dennis gives up and hides in his corner. Over to Hawk for a cross corner whip, and Dennis' attempt to block it ends in him eating a big boot. Hawk adds a press-slam and a fistdrop, and Condrey is very ready to tag out to Bobby Eaton. Hawk knocks him around with shoulderblocks, and a hiptoss leads to a big boot. Back to Animal for a tandem backdrop, and Eaton wants a tag, but neither guy is interested. Especially Cornette, who freaks the fuck out at the mere suggestion, and hides on the top rope. Can't really blame him, though. Eaton gives Animal another go on his own, but gets destroyed, including taking a press-drop onto the top turnbuckle. Dennis finally takes a tag, and manages to rake Animal's eyes on the way in, and he adds a bodyslam. That's enough to get Cornette to tag in, but he promptly misses an elbowdrop, and runs away while Hawk is tagging in. Dust settles on Eaton and Hawk, and Bobby tries closed fists, but Hawk full-on no-sells. The Warriors with a bodyslam/splash combo, but Bobby lifts the knees, and Animal is in trouble. Dennis quickly tags in to cut the ring in half, and the Express go to work. Bobby dives off the top of the cage with a flying kneedrop for two, and Dennis throws a clothesline for two. Eaton goes back to the top with another dive, but this time Animal slugs him out of the air, and there's the hot tag to Hawk. Bobby eats a dropkick and a jumping shoulderblock for two, and Roseanne Barr the door, we've got a kettle on! Doll goes for Cornette in the chaos, managing to pull him down off the top rope, and she delivers a knockout blow at 9:28. This was actually a lot of fun, with the Warriors doing what they do best, and the Express game to let them. ** ½

Main Event: NWA World Title Cage Match: Ric Flair v Dusty Rhodes: Flair tries going right after him, but gets knocked around with elbows, and ends up hiding out in the corner to regroup. Ric tries forcing him to wrestle, but Rhodes wins a wristlock exchange, so Flair tries to send him into the cage instead, but Rhodes blocks. They go to a test-of-strength, but Ric's attempts at a cheap shot end badly, and Dusty controls a wristlock on the mat. Flair forces a criss cross to escape, but gets a hiptoss reversed on him. He tries chops instead, but Rhodes wins that battle, and Flair is left begging off in the corner. Ric manages to get Dusty cornered with more chops, but a cross corner whip is reversed, and Rhodes hits a press-slam. He unloads in the corner, so Flair goes low to shake him off, but gets a whip into the ropes reversed on him, and the challenger grabs a sleeper. Flair fades, but manages to make the ropes on his way down, and the referee forces a break. Flair is still dazed, allowing Rhodes an elbowdrop for two, but a criss cross goes badly for the challenger when Flair takes him down with a punch to the gut. That's enough to allow the champion to toss Dusty into the cage, and you better believe that draws blood. Ric adds a kneedrop for two, and it's cheese grater time to get maximum value out of the bladejob. Ric starts working the leg from there, successfully setting up the Figure Four, but Dusty manages to reverse into the ropes. That breaks the hold, but Flair is still in control, and he goes right back to the leg. Kneedrop gets two, but he takes too long with the follow-up, and Dusty is able to surprise him with a clothesline for two. Rhodes follows up with an elbowsmash, so Flair rushes it up the cage, but Dusty is hot on his tail. Ric eats steel to draw blood, and he gets his own trip to the cheese grater. The champ tries running again, but this time ends up getting crotched on the top rope, and Dusty bashes his head into the cage repeatedly. Flair throws a cheap shot to buy time, and manages to follow up on it with a chop, but a trip to the top rope gets him slammed off. Rhodes capitalizes with his own figure four, but Flair makes the ropes, and he's actively begging off now. Rhodes shows no mercy as he unloads with chops in the corner, until the Nature Boy flops. Backslide gets two, and an elbowdrop is worth two. Flair bails to the top rope with a messy flying bodypress for two, but gets reversed into the cage, and Rhodes cradles for two. Dusty with a backelbow to set up an elbowdrop, but Flair dodges. He tries a bodyslam, but Rhodes is ready with a small package, and we have a new champion at 21:03! The finish felt kind of out of nowhere, and the match was a little too long, but solid in general, and gratifying. ** ¼ (Original rating: * ¼)

BUExperience: A fun and satisfying show – pretty much a pay per view level house show. Actually, if this were the first Bash to air on pay per view, I’m certain it would have been very well received/remembered.

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