WCW Classics:
September 23, 2000
Hosted by Dusty Rhodes

Back in 1982, the National Wrestling Alliance held a really convoluted tournament to crown new tag champs. One of the entries is in our opener.

April 1982:
Wahoo McDaniel & Don Muraco vs. David Patterson & Ken Timbs

McDaniel and Muraco won the Western division of the tournament, and would go on to face the Eastern division winners (that is, if they hadn't broken up and Muraco not jumped to the WWF, thus rendering much of the tournament moot). On the jobbing side, Timbs would go on to some fame wrestling in Georgia and Alabama. As for Patterson, I've got nothing, sorry. This match turns into a dismantling of Timbs' knee by Wahoo and Muraco. Muraco then destroys Timbs' neck, leading to the win with the tombstone piledriver (which wouldn't be called that for years).

Dusty reminisces about the Mulligans/Windhams. Dusty calls Barry Windham the second best second-generation wrestler he had ever seen , after Dustin Rhodes (he better be joking, but he probably isn't).

January 1982:
Blackjack Mulligan & Blackjack Mulligan Jr. (Barry Windham) vs. Jim Nelson & Rick Harris

Two surprising revelations:

1) We have a Hebner refereeing (but it's Dave, not Earl)

2) Rick Harris is "Black Bart," a TBS jobber-to-the-stars sensation from the mid 1980's. Bart also competed in World Class and the Bill Watts UWF (the American UWF that didn't suck). He was also one third of one of WCW's all-time worst gimmicks, the Desperadoes.

As for the match, Mulligan proves to be a no-selling machine, basically ignoring Harris' punches. Windham was really skinny, and while putting on a game effort, can't sell for two people. Harris and Nelson (Who we seem to be getting a lot of on this series) get squashed, with Mulligan pinning Harris with the glove-assisted clawhold.

Classic clips have Ray Stevens daring people to try and take some title belt from him. This leads to our "feature match."

December 1981:
Ole Anderson & Ray Stevens (with Gene Anderson) vs. Paul Jones & Buddy Landell

Arguably, the never-ending tag tournament begins here. The Anderson's are the tag champs, but Gene is injured. Gene announces that Ray Stevens will defend the belts in his place. Whoever's in charge is still deciding whether to allow this. Landell is still not yet blond. Paul Jones was a veteran wrestler (best known for teaming with Rick Steamboat) who would go on to manage all of the crappy wrestlers in WCW during the mid-80's. The match follows a simple pattern. Jones does fine when in the ring, while Landell gets his ass kicked. Gene Anderson occasionally wanders over to the announcers desk to argue with David Crockett and point out how easily Stevens adapts to the Anderson style. Things are going fine for the interim champs until Ole whips Landell into Stevens. Ray doesn't appreciate it and the two partners get into a shoving match. Ole walks off in disgust, but Stevens still pins Landell after a knee lift. But it was apparent that this temporary arrangement was unstable. The belts were held up anyway, with Ole winning them back several months later with new partner Stan Hansen.

And that ends another WCW Classics. Now we can sit back and enjoy that new Turner South show hosted by Grady from "Sanford and Son."