This does bring back some memories. I wish that Bubba Smith had gotten a bigger push, though. I saw him one time in person: January 1984 at the Newberry (SC) Junior High School Gym.
too bad piper, valentine, and orton left the promotion. it would have been real interesting to be how they would have been worked into the script with flair, blanchard, andersons, dusrty, magnum, road warriors, russians, etc
it was in Charlotte, i believ at the Coliseum, and they beet Valiant and Funk in the finals!!! it was a lot of good teams in that one, the Von Erichs, The Road Warriors, the YoungBloods...i think the Young Bloods entered as the US champs at the time...trying to remember...
@phi1166 Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood had beaten the Briscos for the titles at Starrcade on Thanksgiving night 1983, but on Christmas night 1983 Steamboat announced his retirerment so the belts were declared vacant and a tournament was held to cronw new tag champs and Orton & Kernodle beat Dory Funk Jr. & Jimmy Valiant in the finals on 1-8-84.
Three of the most underrated wrestlers of that era..Slater, Orton and Kernodle. Kernodle was always the glue in tag teams. Orton was great in the early 80s. Slater could do it all.
@forbesmh what the hell happened to Kernodle? After Sgt Slaughter left he just seemed to disappear. I read somewhere that he helped train Nikita Koloff but after the Russians turned on Kernodle he just seemed to fall off the face of the NWA
Its funny listening to hear Flair as a baby face at this point in his career. I also agree that this was a tough crew, but nothing will ever top Flair, Blanchard, and The Minnesota Wrecking Crew. That was as good as it got!!
@djgreg1200 Well, one of the things that I've always said is that a lot of the NWA champions were heels while wrestling in the other territories, but some of them would work as a babyface in their hometowns as Flair did for much of 1984.
@djgreg1200 Flair was not your typical babyface in the mid 80's. He was only cheered when he wrestled hated wrestlers. When he was up against Steamboat or Magnum T.A. he was booed like a heel.
This is a tough crew, but when Flair, Tully, Ole & Arn came together it was absolute magic. And Tony had yet to develop his feathered mullet and moustache combo.
Damm Tony SaaaaaaaaaaaaaVonnnnnnnnieeeeeeeeeeee was young
TheLizardKing1967 4 months ago
Don Ker What El?
masseur10 6 months ago
This does bring back some memories. I wish that Bubba Smith had gotten a bigger push, though. I saw him one time in person: January 1984 at the Newberry (SC) Junior High School Gym.
mkl62 1 year ago
too bad piper, valentine, and orton left the promotion. it would have been real interesting to be how they would have been worked into the script with flair, blanchard, andersons, dusrty, magnum, road warriors, russians, etc
gannable 1 year ago
bubba douglas?
aginghipster 1 year ago
I never knew that Bob Orton, Jr. was an NWA Tag Champ. Cool!
RevDarkehorse 1 year ago
Man, this was so much better than WWF at the time.
phi1166 1 year ago
What tournament? Where was this?
phi1166 1 year ago
@phi1166
it was in Charlotte, i believ at the Coliseum, and they beet Valiant and Funk in the finals!!! it was a lot of good teams in that one, the Von Erichs, The Road Warriors, the YoungBloods...i think the Young Bloods entered as the US champs at the time...trying to remember...
T74G 1 year ago
@T74G Here's a trivia question for you: Did the Von Erichs ever wrestle the Road Warriors?
phi1166 1 year ago
@phi1166 Nope. Daddy Fritz never let it happen.
86lenny 1 year ago
@T74G also, why was there a tournament? Was the title held up?
phi1166 1 year ago
@phi1166 Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood had beaten the Briscos for the titles at Starrcade on Thanksgiving night 1983, but on Christmas night 1983 Steamboat announced his retirerment so the belts were declared vacant and a tournament was held to cronw new tag champs and Orton & Kernodle beat Dory Funk Jr. & Jimmy Valiant in the finals on 1-8-84.
86lenny 1 year ago
How long before Orton left for the WWF?
phi1166 2 years ago
Next to Arn Anderson, Dick Slater was the most under rated wrestler ever. He could talk the talk and walk the walk.
BeckerMaximus 2 years ago
I love to hear Ric talk. :)
Lovelygal71 2 years ago
Three of the most underrated wrestlers of that era..Slater, Orton and Kernodle. Kernodle was always the glue in tag teams. Orton was great in the early 80s. Slater could do it all.
forbesmh 2 years ago
@forbesmh what the hell happened to Kernodle? After Sgt Slaughter left he just seemed to disappear. I read somewhere that he helped train Nikita Koloff but after the Russians turned on Kernodle he just seemed to fall off the face of the NWA
gonzomoya420 2 years ago
I think between the Slaughter and the Koloff run he went to the WWF as a jobber. After the Koloff deal, I think he just did Southern indies.
forbesmh 2 years ago
Those were great belts
OrigLanceR 2 years ago 5
Its funny listening to hear Flair as a baby face at this point in his career. I also agree that this was a tough crew, but nothing will ever top Flair, Blanchard, and The Minnesota Wrecking Crew. That was as good as it got!!
djgreg1200 2 years ago 3
@djgreg1200 Well, one of the things that I've always said is that a lot of the NWA champions were heels while wrestling in the other territories, but some of them would work as a babyface in their hometowns as Flair did for much of 1984.
Sargebri 1 year ago
@djgreg1200 Flair was not your typical babyface in the mid 80's. He was only cheered when he wrestled hated wrestlers. When he was up against Steamboat or Magnum T.A. he was booed like a heel.
donaldc5166 9 months ago
This is a tough crew, but when Flair, Tully, Ole & Arn came together it was absolute magic. And Tony had yet to develop his feathered mullet and moustache combo.
TBirdSCIL 2 years ago
It's a young Tony Schiavone holding the mic. lol
speedbuggy 2 years ago
@speedbuggy I didn't even recognize him until I saw your post!
gonzomoya420 2 years ago