Where Wrestling's Regional History Lives!
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Where Wrestling's Regional History Lives! |
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June - August 1982 - Max Levy World Class Championship Wrestling headed
out of the Fritz Von Erich Retirement Spectacular with momentum in hand.
The next big super card would be on August 15, 1982. World Class would
have two full months to build to the big show and had already planted
the seeds for several intense matches and feuds. Let’s look at these
summer months to get a hold of the feuds, stars and everything else that
was happening in the promotion as World Class Championship Wrestling
raced towards its Summer Wrestling Star Wars. A
Look at the Championship Scene The manner in which different promotions
treated titles was very different. In the WWWF and AWA titles were few
and tended to stay with the champions for extended periods of time. On
the other hand many Southern promotions had multiple titles that were
often pushed or buried in a similar manner to wrestlers. World Class
definitely fell into the latter category. During the summer of 1982,
World Class Championship Wrestling recognized the American Heavyweight
Title, the Texas Heavyweight Title, the Texas Brass Knuckles Title, the
American Tag Team Title, the All-Asian Tag Team Title, and the World Tag
Team Title. Here is a quick
look at those titles and their holders and aspirants and the feuds
surrounding the titles. With Fritz Von Erich winning the American
Title at the Texas Stadium show and then retiring, a new champ was
needed. In lieu of holding a tournament, the promotion awarded the title
to King Kong Bundy on the basis that he was the most recent former champ
and therefore the number one contender. This decision seems a bit fishy,
then and in retrospect. Certainly the promotion could have taken the
talent on hand along with a couple of out of town stars and held one
heck of a tournament. Nevertheless that was decision and Bundy was the
champ. Kevin Von Erich immediately emerged as Bundy’s primary
challenger. On paper it seems like a mismatch due to the tremendous size
difference. World Class turned that negative into a positive by
emphasizing the contrast between Bundy’s hugeness and strength and
Kevin’s speed and aerial ability. Kevin did not claim the title during
the summer, but a win in a non-title, hair vs. hair match in Fort Worth
saw Bundy lose his mane and get the chrome dome look that would become
his trademark. Speaking of trademarks, during this feud Kevin stopped
wearing wrestling boots and turned to competing barefoot. Kevin would
not wear boots again during the remainder of his career and his bare
feet would help make him one of pro wrestling’s most unique and
recognizable performers.
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