Titles and Title Holders 

The titles were quite stable in the summer of 1983. David Von Erich had a grip on the Texas Title as strong as his Iron Claw. Kevin was quite solid with the American Title until being upended by Jimmy Garvin on July 17, 1983. Garvin’s win was the beginning of the restoration of the American Title as the premier singles title in World Class after a period of de-emphasize in favor of the Texas Title. The TV Title always had a tendency to be a hot potato. However Chris Adams defeated The Mongol on July 11, 1983 and would go on to a 3 1/2 month long reign as champion. This run with the title helped Chris establish himself as the real deal in the eyes of the fans. The American Tag Team Title was held by Kerry Von Erich and Bruiser Brody, but was defended sparingly due to Brody’s commitments to other promotions. Without any doubt the top title in the promotion was the Six Man Title held with pride and distinction by The Fabulous Freebirds. Battles between members of The Freebirds and the Von Erich family were always intense, but the heat for full six man matches between the teams was simply off the charts. The Von Erichs claimed the Six Man title on July 4, 1983 in Fort Worth, more of which in a while. 

Buddy Concocts a Hair Brained Plan 

Buddy Roberts had lost his hair to Iceman Parsons, but refused to admit the obvious. Buddy immediately began wearing a wig. According to Buddy, his hair had grown back overnight and that he wasn’t really bald. To keep other wrestlers from pulling the wig off of his head, Buddy also began wearing an amateur boxer’s headgear. Of course Buddy insisted that he was wearing the headgear to protect a legitimate injury and even had a very dubious doctor’s note to prove it. Iceman was nonplussed. After all, what was the point making Buddy Roberts bald if you couldn’t then enjoy his public humiliation? Iceman then put a bounty on Buddy’s wig and headgear, promising a hefty fee to anyone who could expose Buddy’s chrome dome. Plenty of wrestlers took shots at the money, but when it came to bounties in pro wrestling, everyone had to line up behind Bruiser Brody. After one particularly wild bout, Bruiser somehow managed to pull off Buddy’s wig while the headgear stayed in place! Being an honorable man, Brody told Iceman that since he only completed 50% of the job, then he only wanted 50% of the money. Buddy may have received some beatings, but he used his snake in the grass tactics to retain his wig and headgear, all the while insisting that he wasn’t bald. 

Honor Among Thieves 

Common enemies and a desire for success caused Devastation Incorporated and The Fabulous Freebirds to forge an alliance. The two forces combined with the goal of wiping out the Von Erichs as well as the likes of Bruiser Brody and Iceman Parsons. They also agreed not fight one another or to step on each other’s toes when it came to pursuing titles and bounties. It was a wise move from Devastation’s point of view. They had just run Arman Hussein out of town and had greater ambitions to pursue. The first order of business was to team up Buddy Roberts and The Mongol. While in some ways they were the junior partners of their respective factions, Buddy and The Mongol formed a solid team that seemed, at least for a time, to be on track for the American Tag Team Title, although they wound up not getting a push to the gold. Apart from this new alliance, The Fabulous Freebirds maintained their friendship with Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin, a frequent tag team partner of the team. 

Valet for a Day 

Speaking of Jimmy Garvin, as stipulated by his loss to David Von Erich on June 17, 1983 at Reunion Arena, Garvin and Sunshine served as David’s valets for a day. In Jimmy’s world serving as a valet meant laying out clothes or serving food. David had different ideas. Soon TV viewers were treated to Jimmy and Sunshine performing such manual labor as cleaning horse stables, building fences, pitching hay, and washing David’s dog. The whining of Jimmy and Sunshine combined with their facial expressions and David’s taunts made this a classic angle of World Class Wrestling. Needless to say Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin was bowed, but not beaten. He and David continued to clash for the Texas Title in a feud that often overshadowed the other feuds in the promotion. Although there were occasions when the title was held up in controversy, Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin was unable to take back the strap from David Von Erich. 

Freebirds vs. Von Erichs 

Let’s face it. This was what it was all about. The action was intense. The fan emotion was incredible. When “Strangle Hold” or “La Grange” or “Tom Sawyer” came over the sound system, the music was barely audible over the roar of the crowd. It was almost like the reactions at a rock concert when the stars first appear and Kerry, Kevin, and David were center stage. It was more than just support from the fans. It was love. They were the heroes in a real life morality play with the hated Freebirds playing the perfect foils. When The Freebirds entered it was something to behold as well. When the guitar intro of Lynard Skynard’s “Freebird” swelled from the sound system it took fans to another level. The entrance with Hayes dancing and prancing, Gordy barking, and Buddy Roberts jawing with the crowd in his gravely voice set arenas alight. The Freebirds never made any secret that they were from Georgia and thought that the Peach Tree State was the best in the Union. On one occasion they even had a Confederate Color Guard dressed in full Civil War regalia present the flags of Georgia and the Confederacy prior to a big match. On the other hand the Von Erichs made protecting the honor of the state of Texas a top priority. The “Hook ‘em Horns” salute, Texas flag, and David’s signature yellow rose and cowboy hat were always prominently displayed. It all became bigger than pro wrestling. Both teams brought the fans into the feud emotionally and made it a matter of good vs. evil and state pride. 

Independence Day Star Wars, Monday July 4, 1983 - Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX 

World Class held the latest of its Star Wars events on Independence Day in front of a sellout crowd of 12,000 at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth. Here are some results of the top matches. 

Iceman Parsons defeated Michael Hayes in a lights out match.  

It is a testament to how much World Class was pushing Iceman Parsons in 1983 that he pinned Michael Hayes, the premier member of The Freebirds. Typically Hayes was only pinned by the Von Erichs. This bout came about as a combination of Hayes trying to save Buddy from his haircut and Hayes being angry with Iceman for aiding the Von Erichs. Iceman’s win further cemented his place as the top non Von Erich, excepting the occasional appearances of Bruiser Brody. 

Bruiser Brody fought Kamala to a double DQ. 

Needless to say, this match was utter mayhem. Kamala and Brody fought one of those old fashioned, blood spilling wars that had always been a part of Texas wrestling. They hit each other with anything that wasn’t nailed down and then some. No winner emerged, setting up rematches and unscheduled brawls for weeks. 

David Von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin to retain the Texas Title 

This bout was the capstone on the David vs. Garvin feud that had raged for months on end. The Yellow Rose of Texas made his pretty boy foe submit to the Iron Claw and secured the Texas Title once and for all.  After this beating, Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin wanted no further part of David Von Erich. 

Kevin, David, and Kerry Von Erich defeated The Fabulous Freebirds to win the Six Man Tag Team Title 

This title change was more than half a year in the making. For six months Hayes, Gordy, and Roberts had used everything legal and illegal to hang on to the belts. On this night the Von Erichs finally claimed the title. The crowd exploded in a wave of emotion. The Freebirds had been vanquished, or so it seemed. The party stopped on Friday August 12, 1983 at The Sportatorium in Dallas when The Freebirds reclaimed the title. Honestly it was smart booking. The feud worked much better with Hayes, Gordy, and Roberts holding the title and fighting off the Von Erichs as challengers. It made the Von Erichs seem like underdogs and enhanced their fan appeal. 

Labor Day Star Wars, Monday September 5, 1983 - Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX 

To cap off the Summer World Class held another big Star Wars card in Fort Worth in front of another sellout crowd of over 12,000 at the Tarrant County Convention Center. Here are the results of some of the top matches. 

Iceman Parsons defeated Buddy Roberts 

This was a continuation of their long running feud and Iceman’s desire to remove Buddy’s hair and headgear. 

Bruiser Brody defeated Kamala by disqualification in a lumberjack match 

This feud had raged violently all summer long. It was routine for Brody and Kamala to end up on the floor or in the crowd. To remedy these matters, the promotion ordered a lumberjack match. Inevitably the battle still raged out of control and Kamala was disqualified as the lumberjacks battled on the floor. 

Kerry Von Erich defeated Michael Hayes in a country-whipping match

An attack by Hayes on Kerry with a belt led to this encounter. For much of the year, singles bouts between Kerry and Hayes had been rare. Now at last they were meeting one on one regularly and this bout was just the beginning of a very personal war that would climax later in the year. 

Kevin Von Erich defeated Jimmy Garvin by disqualification, with Garvin retaining the American Title 

Having lost his grip on the Texas Title, Jimmy Garvin was determined to hang on to the American Title at all costs. Kevin was equally determined to regain the title that he had held on and off for the past six years. Garvin had to resort to the tactic of getting himself disqualified to keep the belt. 

David Von Erich defeated Terry Gordy 2 falls to 1 to retain the Texas Title 

This offshoot of the Von Erichs vs. Freebirds war pitted two legit tough guys against one another. Gordy and David were also the two best wrestlers in their respective families making for an outstanding match. 

The Fabulous Freebirds defeated Kevin, David, and Kerry Von Erich to retain the Six Man Title 

Yet another of the typically violent and exciting bouts between these two teams. It’s been said before, but it’s worth saying again. These two teams complimented each other almost perfectly. For the Von Erichs, Kevin was the knowing older brother, David was the tough guy, and Kerry was the matinee idol that could get it done in the ring. On the Freebird side, Hayes was the brash leader, Gordy the bully, and Roberts the sneaky sidekick. The more the fans loved the Von Erichs, the more they hated the Freebirds. After nine months the feud was nowhere close to being done. The fans just couldn’t get enough of it and they were about to get much, much more. 

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