NWA (JCP) at Omni Coliseum (February 1, 1987)

 

Original Airdate: February 1, 1987

From Atlanta, Georgia

Opening Match: Bill Dundee v Dutch Mantell: Posturing to start, dominated by Dutch. Dundee responds by grabbing the bullwhip, but Mantell steals it away, and Bill ends up stalling on the outside. Inside, Bill manages to get Mantell down in a front-facelock, and he shifts to an armbar when Mantell starts to escape. Dundee tries a 2nd rope bodypress, but misses, and Mantell hooks a rollup for two - only for Bill to reverse the cradle, and score the pin with a handful of tights at 5:09. There was nothing going on here. DUD

Jimmy Garvin v Bob Armstrong: Garvin attacks before the bell to kick start the bout, but Bob blocks a suplex, and catches Garvin with a backhand for the quick pin at 0:34. DUD

Arn Anderson v Brad Armstrong: The Armstrong paydays continue! They feel each other out to start, with Brad managing to get the better of a variety of exchanges. Arn dumps him to the outside to shake off an armbar, but an attempt to send Armstrong into the post out there backfires. Brad bashes Arn’s arm into the guardrail before rolling him back in, and going back to the armbar. Arn fights him off in the corner, so Brad tries a monkey flip, but Anderson counters with an inverted atomic drop. Arn adds a bodyslam to set up a kneedrop for two, and a rotating spinebuster is worth two. Arn goes to the middle for an axehandle, but Armstrong throws a punch to the gut to block, and he makes a comeback. A dropkick sends Arn to the outside, so Brad tries to suplex him back in from the apron, but Lex Luger trips him up, and Anderson topples for the pin at 8:02. The timing on the finish was really bad, with Arn toppling him, and the referee taking forever to get in position for the count. ¾*

NWA Television Title Match: Tully Blanchard v Wahoo McDaniel: Blanchard stalls, but gets nailed, and ends up on the outside to distance himself some. Inside, Wahoo unloads with chops, and a cross corner whip sends Blanchard bumping over the top. Cue a distraction from JJ Dillon, but Tully blows the sneak attack, and ends up back on the outside, frustrated. Back in, Wahoo gets a toehold locked, but Blanchard fights free. Blanchard hammers him on the ropes, and a snapmare allows the champion to work a chinlock. Wahoo counters to a cradle for two, so Tully bails to regroup. Blanchard catches him with a cheap shot in the corner to get a two count, and a trio of elbowdrops connect, though a fourth misses. That allows Wahoo to throw the chops in the corner, and a knife-edge gets him two. Lex Luger is still at ringside, and decides to wallop Wahoo with the title belt during the kick out, and Blanchard covers at 5:11. What was up with this promotion? Their TV squash matches drag for seven minutes, but actual star/star matches on the live events all feel like an episode of Attitude Era TV? ¾*

Elimination Match: The Midnight Express v Robert Gibson and Ron Garvin: Garvin is subbing for Ricky Morton here. Bobby Eaton starts with Gibson, and Robert holds a headlock. Eaton tries forcing a criss cross, but gets bodyslammed for his efforts. Bobby manages to grab a headlock of his own as they get back into it, but Robert escapes, and bodyslams him again. Gibson goes back to the headlock, so Dennis Condrey comes in, but he ends up getting slammed. Tag to Ron, and the babyfaces pinball Condrey in their corner. That draws Eaton in, but he eats a punch from Garvin, and Ron drops an elbow on Condrey for two. Ron hooks a somersault cradle for two, but gets nailed with a pair of knees, and dropped into the heel corner for abuse from Bobby and Big Bubba Rogers. That allows Condrey a two count, and the Express go to work on Ron. Ron manages to catch Bobby with a headbutt to allow a hot tag to Robert, and Gibson backdrops him. Sleeper, so Condrey breaks it up, but that draws Ron back in, and Roseanne Barr the door! Gibson looks to put Eaton away with a headscissors takedown, but Jim Cornette bops him with the tennis racket, and Bobby pins him at 7:09. The Express celebrate, but Garvin cuts it off, schoolboying Bobby at 7:36! Condrey comes in with a vengeance, unloading on Ron. A bodyslam sets up a pointed elbowdrop for two, and he holds an armbar into some cradles for a few two counts. Condrey with a punch for two, but a criss cross results in a double knockout spot. Condrey is up first, and tries a vertical suplex, but Garvin reverses - only for Condrey to cover for two! Ron covers for his own two, and both guys stagger up - Condrey managing a snapmare, but missing an elbowdrop. That allows Garvin to blast him with a big punch for two, and he unloads with some ferocious mounted punches. An elbowsmash gets him two, but Condrey counters a piledriver into a backdrop - only for Ron to hang on into a sunset flip for two. Bubba decides to take matters into his own hands, but it backfires, and Garvin covers at 12:10. This was fun. **

Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes v Ivan Koloff and Vladimir Petrov: Big brawl to start, with the heels getting control, and beating on Dusty with the chain. And that’s a DQ at only 0:09. Tommy Young, really making sure people get their money's worth. DUD

NWA World Tag Team Title Match: Rick Rude and Manny Fernandez v The Road Warriors: I never realized that they switched to a different design after going to the blue leather Reggie Parks made tag title belts. They’d go back to that design a short while later, so I have no idea what the deal was there. Hopefully my continual coverage of World Championship Wrestling will shed some light on this when I get closer to this period. Anyway, Rude and Hawk start, and they decide to have a test-of-strength. Hawk gets the better of it, so Marry runs in, but Hawk drills him with an inverted atomic drop. The dust settles on Rude and Animal, and Animal knocks him around with shoulderblocks. Great bumping from Rude on those. Manny comes in again, but gets blasted with a shoulderblock as well, and the Warriors clean house with stereo press-slams. Animal with another press-slam on Manny before tagging Hawk, and he hits Rude with a bodyslam, then dives off the middle with a clothesline for two. The champs manage a cheap shot on Hawk to give Rude a two count, and they hustle to cut the ring in half on him from there. I’m enjoying Manny as a heel much more than as a babyface. I mean, he was an instant channel change guy as a babyface, so really, there was nowhere to go but up. Rude with a 2nd rope fistdrop for two, but a criss cross allows Hawk to grab a bearhug. Manny saves, allowing the champs to keep control, and continue working him over. Interesting moment here, as Rude delivers a piledriver, and Hawk actually doesn’t pop right up. Hot tag to Animal, and Roseanne Barr the door! Animal catches Manny with a powerslam, but Paul Jones comes in to save at two, and draws a DQ at 10:29. ¾*

BUExperience: This version omits a one hour draw between Ric Flair and Barry Windham that was the main event of the show. The rest is… not great. It honestly felt like something Vince Russo booked, with all the quickie matches, and bad finishes.

DUD