THE TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY OF WCCW
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When did the Duke
Keomuka-Ricki Starr match from Texas Rasslin' take place?
Ves Box, the commentator for Ed McLemore's early 1950s telecasts
from the Sportatorium, states at the beginning of the bout that
Keomuka was to have defended the Texas Heavyweight title against
Starr that evening, but had recently lost the belt. With that
in mind, a quick check of
that title's history tells us that the possibilities are:
September 1951 (as Duke had dropped the belt to Ray Gunkel on 9/4),
or November 1952 (following Cyclone Anaya's title victory over
Keomuka on 11/14). Of course, new results are being researched
and posted online all the time, so it's quite possible that the
exact date will someday be known. Stay tuned.
Why wasn't Kerry Von Erich's NWA title win over
Ric Flair at Texas Stadium included as a bonus feature?
Some websites, prior to the release of Triumph and
Tragedy, reported that the 5/6/84 Parade of Champions main event
would be one of the bouts on disc 2 of the set. Unfortunately,
when the match aired for the first time on WWE 24/7, it was noted by a
number of viewers that the master recording appeared to have suffered
damage, as a dropout line was running through the middle of the picture
during portions of the match. This technical flaw is the most
likely reason for the omission, although it must be stated that the
Kerry-Flair match which is included -- the Christmas 1982 cage
bout at Reunion Arena that ignited the Von Erichs-Freebirds feud -- is
not only far better, but is arguably more historically significant,
being THE match that kicked off WCCW's most successful period.
Despite the outpouring of emotion when Kerry finally pinned the Nature
Boy after being screwed out of the belt for years, the fact that the
Modern Day Warrior would only be given a token three-week reign as
champion greatly diminishes the Texas Stadium match's long-term
importance.
Which WWE DVDs other than
Triumph and Tragedy include Von Erichs/WCCW footage as extras?
Here's the list as of May 2010:
●
The Most Powerful Families in Wrestling
Kevin/David/Kerry vs Wild Bill Irwin/Frank
Dusek/Ten Gu, Christmas Star Wars '81.
● The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
Kerry vs Jerry Lawler, SuperClash III (also included in
The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s, minus the post-match
interviews).
● Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams
Kevin/Kerry vs Michael Hayes/Terry Gordy, country
whipping match from 11/4/83.
● WWE Legends of Wrestling: Jerry "The King"
Lawler/Junkyard Dog
Kerry and Michael Hayes are the heels in a USWA
Memphis tag bout from 1/22/89, squaring off against Lawler and Jimmy
"Boogie Woogie Man" Valiant. This disc was also released as
part of the WWE Legends of Wrestling three-disc box set.
● The Shawn Michaels Story: Heartbreak & Triumph
Michaels vs Billy Jack Haynes, January '85.
● Shawn Michaels: My Journey
Shawn's other squash match from the same early '85
taping, in which he's thoroughly annihilated by the One Man Gang.
●
Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection
Flair vs Kerry, Reunion Arena 8/15/82 (not 8/24 as the DVD says).
Disc 1 of The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection (WWE's first
Flair set) also includes a segment taped by KTVT for Jim Crockett
Promotions, in which David Manning interviews then-NWA World champ
Harley Race regarding his upcoming Starrcade '83 title defense
against Flair (in an amusing flub, commentator Gordon Solie claims
-- as does an onscreen graphic -- that this is airing "via
satellite" from Kansas City, even though Manning clearly states that
it's from Will Rogers Coliseum). To see this interview, go to
the chapter on Race, click on "NWA Press Conference" and fast
forward to about the 4:00 mark. |
