Classic Review: WCCW Christmas Star Wars 1983
David’s mood is right
Kerry’s spirit’s up
Kevin’s here tonight
And that’s enough (wait, Mike)
Simply having a wonderful Christmas Star Wars
Simply having a wonderful Christmas Star Wars
Since we did the ‘83 Thanksgiving Star Wars last month during the big November blowout of Classic Reviews, why not the follow-up Christmas Star Wars a month later?
It’s Christmas Day in Dallas, 1983. Reunion Arena has 19,675 fans packed in. Ric Flair’s in town with the NWA world heavyweight title, which he just won a month prior at Starrcade, and David Von Erich is going after the biggest prize in the game. Kerry is, uh, going to face Kimala. And big brother Kevin will be teaming up with rookie Mike to face the Fabulous Freebirds in a no disqualification, loser leaves town match.
Everyone in World Class is riding high. It’s the hottest territory in the land. And it’s going to be like this forever.
WCCW Christmas Star Wars
December 25, 1983
Reunion Arena - Dallas, TX
Like Thanksgiving, this didn’t air live and wasn’t a single show VHS release or the like, it’s pieced together from various TV ‘sodes. But it’s as complete as you’ll get, 95 minutes of World Class action.
Once again, Ralph Pulley is singing, and this time it’s “God Bless America” instead of the National Anthem. Better song. “America the Beautiful” is better than either. It must not have been a warm Christmas in Dallas in ‘83, because there’s a lot of fans in the crowd, and we’re talking a packed arena, wearing winter coats.
Missing Link vs Johnny Mantel
Once again it’s spelled “Mantell” on the chyron, but the man’s jacket says “Mantel” and the man paid to have that jacket made himself and wears it regular. Missing Link was a magazine and book1 phenomenon to me as a kid more than someone I ever actually saw in action at the time.
Link is a bizarre character of the day, Mantel playing a pretty white bread babyface of the time and place, popular enough, well known, a smart wrestler who has to try to figure out an attack on the Link, about whom nobody knows “anything at all,” according to Bill Mercer. A frustrated Link can’t get hold of Mantel early, so he smashes his own head into the top turnbuckle and snarls right into the camera.
Mantel zooming about, but he gets caught trying a crossbody and slammed down hard, camera right on that to catch the oomph of Mantel hitting the canvas. Link misses a splash. Three older (they are probably actually 32 and I’m miscalculating due to the hairdos of Texan women at the time) women in the front row are just wild for Johnny.
