NWA (JCP) World Championship Wrestling (February 15, 1986)

Original Airdate: February 15, 1986 (taped February 9)

From Atlanta, Georgia; Your Host is Tony Schiavone

Jimmy Valiant v Ron Rossi: Off to a good start this week, I see. Gosh, even Valiant’s music annoys me. Jimmy with an elbowdrop at 2:20. DUD

Tully Blanchard and JJ Dillon come out to note that they could have beaten Rossi in under thirty seconds. That’s not really the flex they think it is

NWA World Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette join us to body shame some women

Baron von Raschke v Kent Glover: Did they really need to give Paul Jones the ‘weasel’ nickname? Or, was he first, and Bobby Heenan is the ripoff? Not that it really matters, the WWF had a bigger audience, and therefore they win the argument, regardless. Baron with the clawhold at 3:47. DUD

Paul Jones stops by the desk to introduce his newest acquisition: Teijo Khan. I don’t remember him at all, so I’m guessing it didn’t last long

Barbarian v Paul Garner: I get that people loved this stuff at the time (and that a lot of people still do), but I don’t even see how this show could be considered competition to the WWF at the time. More jobber talk, as Jones feels Garner could beat Ron Bass. Stop trying to make us believe in jobbers, jerk. Barbarian with a flying headbutt drop at 5:56. DUD

Valiant is back to annoy me some more

Tully Blanchard v Ray Traylor: Oh man, Ray has never looked more like Officer Farva. Dear lord, it’s like the personification of a fart. Blanchard with the slingshot suplex at 3:41. ¼*

Jim Crockett comes out to talk about the upcoming Crockett Cup tag team tournament

Ron Garvin v Art Pritts: Tony notes that NWA World Champion Ric Flair has received a brand new title belt, and that it’s supposedly quite a trophy. That would be the first mention of the ‘big gold belt,’ I believe. Ron with a punch to end this dishwater squash at 4:26. Afterwards, Ron stops by the desk to do some high school math problems. The show may suck, but hey, at least you learn something. DUD

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: The Midnight Express v Ron Bass and Don Kernodle: Cornette sits in on commentary for this. Dennis Condrey starts with Ron, and Dennis tries matching power, but that ends badly. Bass with a hiptoss to set up the clawhold, but Condrey slips out of the ring to avoid it. Tag to Bobby Eaton, and he tries a bodyslam, but Ron reverses. Tag to Don for a corner whip, and a cross corner version leads to an atomic drop, but he fails to cut the ring in half, and Condrey tags himself in. Dennis with a backdrop to set up a pointed elbowdrop for two, but another backdrop gets countered with an inside cradle for two. Don tries taking it into the corner, but it’s the wrong corner, and Eaton tags in. No matter, Don nails him with a clothesline to set up a kneedrop, and he passes to Bass. Bass falls prey to another double team to put the champions back in control, and they keep doubling up on him, but Ron is strong enough to fight them off. Ron wins a test-of-strength against Condrey, but Bobby gets a tag, and quickly hits Bass with a flying legdrop for one. Who is he, Scott Norton? Bobby tries a vertical suplex, but Ron reverses, and tags out. Don comes in hot on Dennis, and a pair of fistdrops get him two. Neckbreaker gets another two, so Don works an abdominal stretch, and then passes to Bass to work a backbreaker hold. Condrey goes to the eyes to escape, and quickly passes to Bobby, who ropechokes Ron down. The Express cut the ring in half on Bass, until Bobby misses a flying elbowdrop, and Don gets the tag. He immediately walks into a suplex from Condrey, but manages to tag back out to Bass, and Ron drills Dennis with a backelbow to set up an elbowdrop, but Bobby saves at two, and Roseanne Barr the door! Bass gets Condrey in the claw, but Cornette whacks him with the tennis racket to draw a DQ at 11:45. This was fun tag action. Afterwards, Cornette wants to tee off with the racket, but the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express make the save. ** ¼ 

Dusty Rhodes comes out to present the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express with a shark cage, suggesting they use it to keep Cornette out of their rematch with the Midnights

Another Dusty segment, as he comes out with Baby Doll to let us all know that women are equal to men now, just to be clear. Feels like that’s actually an insult coming from Dusty. No one - man, woman, or otherwise - should feel ‘equal’ to him

The Rock 'n' Roll Express v Bob Owens and Larry Clarke: Apparently you can make ‘reservations’ to come see this show, and tickets are free. Really? They weren’t even charging to fill this tiny studio? The Express with stereo dropkicks at 4:51. DUD

Ivan Koloff and Nikita Koloff join us to grunt at Magnum TA

Magnum TA v Lee Peek: The NWA United States title is not on the line. What, you’re saying the likes of Lee Peek isn’t in contention. Magnum with a belly-to-belly suplex at 0:32. Afterwards, Magnum stops by the desk to respond to Nikita’s grunting. DUD

NWA Television Title Match: Arn Anderson v Sam Houston: Sam’s NWA Mid-Atlantic title is not on the line here. Arn knocks him around in the early going, not taking Sam too seriously. Houston shows him up with a hiptoss to send Anderson to the outside, and Arn stalls out there to break any momentum. Arn railroads him into the corner on the way back in, but Sam turns the tables, and Arn ends up on the outside again. Back in, Anderson hammers him with punches, but Sam dodges a backdrop, and uses a pair of dropkicks. Sam works a side-headlock from there, but Arn fights him off, and starts targeting Houston’s bad wrist. Arn works the part, until Sam finally fights him off, and delivers a monkeyflip. Again, but Arn counters with an inverted atomic drop for two. Houston powers through to get back on the comeback trail, and a backdrop gets the challenger two. Bodypress, but Anderson hits the deck, and Sam wipes out in the ropes. That allows Arn a kneedrop to make sure, and Houston has a problem at 13:32. The middle section with Anderson just holding an armbar for minutes on end really killed this one. ¾*

Cornette comes out to respond to the shark cage, calling Dusty a ‘big, fat, idiot.’ Low hanging fruit there, Jimmy

Nikita Koloff v Josh Stroud: Koloff has vowed that this will be his last match on TV until he’s granted a US title match. Now why can’t Jimmy Valiant make ultimatums like that? Nikita with the Sickle at 2:28. Afterwards, Magnum runs in, but Ivan backs Nikita up, and it’s beatdown time on the US champ. DUD

BUExperience: The tag title match is fun, the rest is a drag. And without Ric Flair to pep things up, it’s a real drag.