I absolutley loved watching pro wrestling as a kid in the mid 1980's growing up in NJ. I began with watching the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) on channel 9 every Saturday morning when I was 8. In my first episode I was amazed when I watched Andre the Giant easily squash 3 guys in a handicap match.

In early 1984, Pro Wrestling USA debuted on channel 11. It was first time combining talent the two oldest pro wrestling organizations - American Wrestling Association (AWA) and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). I was introduced to a whole new set of great wrestlers like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Nick Bockwinkel, Crusher Blackwell, Superstar Graham, Mr. Saito and Jerry Lawler.

There was a tag team with two absolutley jacked guys with their faces painted, one with a mohawk and the other with a line shaved down the middle of his head. Every week they would come running out to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" and their opponenets looked terrified as the matched usually ended in under 3 minutes. I am talking about Animal and Hawk - the Road Warriors, who would go on to become my all time favorite tag team.

Since I was never much of a Hulk Hogan fan, WWF was never my favorite. While I wacthed a lot of their shows on TV and there were a lot of guys I enjoyed (Junkyard Dog, Andre, most of the managers), I was always more of a fan of the NWA, AWA and World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW).

I am going to focus on sharing some of my favorite events from non WWF/WWE organizations:

• Super Clash + Pro Wrestling USA Star Wars -> AWA + NWA/WCCW/CWA
• Starrcade -> NWA
• Crocket Cup -> NWA
• War Games -> NWA
• Bunkhouse Stampede -> NWA
• Wrestling Star Wars -> WCCW

Super Clash + Pro Wrestling USA Star Wars

SuperClash was a series of professional wrestling events produced by the AWA from 1985 to 1990. The events were often co-promoted with other North American wrestling promotions. This series of events were held by other organizations in attempts to compete with the WWF's super popular Wrestlemania. They started strong fairly strong and weakened significantly as the AWA's talent left.

Pro Wrestling USA Star Wars (February 24, 1985 at Meadowlands - East Rutherford, NJ)

Grade 3 of 10

This was the predecessor of SuperClash 1, and it was the second biggest and most-famous event that Pro Wrestling USA (NWA & AWA) ever held. The low grade is because this only aired on Japanese (WPW) TV and only the final 5 matches were recorded.

SuperClash I (September 28, 1985 at Comiskey Park - Chicago)

Grade 7 of 10

This was first major professional wrestling supercard event promoted by the AWA with co-promotional efforts by the NWA and WCCW. The lineup of matches was pretty stacked, as it included pretty much every major champion in these oraganizations.

Pro Wrestling USA Star Wars II (December 29, 1985 at Meadowlands - East Rutherford, NJ)

Grade 4 of 10

This event came a few months after SuperClash 1, offering both AWA and NWA talent (Gagne and Crockett must have still been on agreeable terms at this point). The NWA offered some compelling grudge matches including Magnum TA vs. Tully, Dusty vs. Flair and Road Warrios vs. Russians.

SuperClash II (May 02, 1987 at Cow Palace - San Francisco)

Grade 2 of 10

Reportedly AWA owner Vern Gagne did not share accurate SuperClash I revenues with NWA management (Jim Crockett Jr.), so the NWA did not participate in this event. The lineup was considerably shorter and the quality of matches was much less compelling.

SuperClash III (December 13, 1988 at UIC Pavilion - Chicago)

Grade 4 of 10

This was the AWA's only pay-per-view (PPV). Texas-based World Class Wrestling Association (WCCW), women wrestling promotion Powerful Women of Wrestling (POWW), and Memphis-based Championship Wrestling Association (CWA) also provided wrestlers for the show.

I consider the last viable AWA event, as there was a more substantial still a few of the stars I wanted to see. Jerry "The King" Lawler and Kerry Von Erich were both huge established stars in their regions and their match was highly anticipated. The rumor is that Vern Gagne did not pay most of the non-AWA promoters or wrestlers for the event.

SuperClash IV (April 8, 1990 at Saint Paul Civic Center - St. Paul, MN)

Grade 1 of 10

I am posting this to complete the series, but this was a very poor event. The AWA was pretty close to its end at this point with pretty much all of their interesting talent gone for other organizations.

Starrcade

Starrcade was a recurring professional wrestling event created by head booker Dusty Rhodes. It was originally broadcast via closed-circuit television and eventually broadcast via pay-per-view. Even though it continued on until 2000, this blog will focus on events from 1983 to 1987 run by Jim Crockett Promotions territory under the NWA.

Unfortunately most of the videos of the full events that I watched on youtube have been removed. I have done my best to alternates on other sites so we can all enjoy.

Starrcade '83: A Flare for the Gold (November 24, 1983 – Greensboro Coliseum)

Grade 6 of 10

Shown on closed circuit, this was considered by many to be the first pay per view wrestling event. It featured long time NWA broadcast favorites Gordon Solie & Bob Caudle on commentary.

There were some great grudge matches in the NWA back then. The highlight for me was the dog collar match between Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine.

1. The Assassins (Assassin #1 and Assassin #2) (with Paul Jones) defeated Rufus R. Jones and Bugsy McGraw 8:11
   
2. Kevin Sullivan and Mark Lewin (with Gary Hart) defeated Scott McGhee and Johnny Weaver 6:43
   
3. Abdullah the Butcher defeated Carlos Colon 4:30
   
4. Bob Orton Jr. and Dick Slater defeated Mark Youngblood and Wahoo McDaniel 14:48
   
5. Charlie Brown defeated The Great Kabuki (with Gary Hart) Title vs. Mask match for the NWA Television Championship 10:35
   
6. Roddy Piper defeated Greg Valentine Dog Collar match 16:08
   
7. Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood defeated Jack and Jerry Brisco Tag team match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship with Angelo Mosca as special guest referee 13:24
   
8. Ric Flair defeated Harley Race by pinfall Steel Cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Gene Kiniski as special guest referee 23:49
   
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Starrcade '84: The Million Dollar Challenge(November 22, 1984 – Greensboro Coliseum)

Grade 5 of 10

I think this is a pretty decent lineup with some solid matches. I remember looking forward to the Tuxedo street fight as I couldn't stand Paul Jones.

Part 1:

1. Denny Brown defeated Mike Davis for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship 5:38
2. Brian Adias defeated Mr. Ito 4:00
3. Jesse Barr defeated Mike Graham for the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship 11:43
4. Assassin #1 and Buzz Tyler defeated The Zambuie Express (Elijah Akeem and Kareem Muhammed with Paul Jones) Elimination match 5:26
5. Manny Fernandez defeated Black Bart (with J. J. Dillon) for the NWA Brass Knuckles Championship 7:35
6. Paul Jones defeated Jimmy Valiant in Tuxedo Street Fight Loser-Leaves-Town match 4:35
7. Ron Bass (with J. J. Dillon) defeated Dirty Dick Slater by disqualification Singles match for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship 9:12
8. Ivan Koloff and Nikita Koloff defeated Ole Anderson and Keith Larson (with Don Kernodle) 15:28
9. Tully Blanchard defeated Ricky Steamboat for the NWA World Television Championship 13:17
10. Wahoo McDaniel defeated Superstar Billy Graham for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship 4:18
11. Ric Flair defeated Dusty Rhodes by referee stoppage for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Joe Frazier as special guest referee 12:12

Starrcade '85: The Gathering (November 28, 1985 – Greensboro Coliseum and Omni Coliseum in Atlanta)

Grade 6 of 10

I really liked this card, highlighted by the violent I Quit between Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA. The Atlanta Street fight with Jimmy Valiant and Miss Atlanta Lively (Ron Garvin in a dress and wig) beating up the Midnight Express was also pretty great.

Part 1:

Results from the Greensboro Coliseum

Starrcade '86: Night of the Skywalkers (November 27, 1986 – Greensboro Coliseum and Omni Coliseum in Atlanta)

Grade 6 of 10

I really liked this card, highlighted by the violent I Quit between Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA. The Atlanta Street fight with Jimmy Valiant and Miss Atlanta Lively (Ron Garvin in a dress and wig) beating up the Midnight Express was also pretty great.

1. Tim Horner and Nelson Royal defeated Rocky Kernodle and Don Kernodle 7:30
2. Brad Armstrong vs. Jimmy Garvin (with Precious) ended in a draw 15:00
3. Hector Guerrero and Baron von Raschke defeated Shaska Whatley and The Barbarian 7:25
4. The Russian Team (Krusher Khruschev and Ivan Koloff) defeated The Kansas Jayhawks (Bobby Jaggers and Dutch Mantel) for the NWA United States Tag Team Championship 9:10
5. Wahoo McDaniel defeated Rick Rude (with Paul Jones) in Indian Strap match 9:05
6. Sam Houston defeated Bill Dundee by disqualification for the NWA Central States Heavyweight Championship 10:24
7. Jimmy Valiant (with Big Mama) defeated Paul Jones in Hair vs. Hair match 4:00
8. Big Bubba Rogers (with Jim Cornette) defeated Ron Garvin in Street Fight 11:50
9. Tully Blanchard (with J. J. Dillon) defeated Dusty Rhodes First Blood match for the NWA World Television Championship 7:30
10. The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal with Paul Ellering) defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey with Jim Cornette and Big Bubba Rogers) in Skywalkers match 7:00
    
    click here to see Jim Cornette fall from the scaffold on wwe.com
11. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) defeated The Minnesota Wrecking Crew (Arn Anderson and Ole Anderson) Steel Cage match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship 20:20
12. Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff ended in a double disqualification Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 20:00
    

Starrcade '87: Chi-Town Heat (November 26, 1987 – UIC Pavilion in Chicago)

Grade 5 of 10

Fewer matches, but I think they are higher quality and the four horsemen were featured prominently. The main event was a steel cage match between Ric Flair and Ron Garvin. The Road Warriors and the Midnight Express had a great match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship. The UWF Heavyweight Championship was also on the line in a match between Steve Williams and Barry Windham.

Click here to watch the full event on facebook.

1. Eddie Gilbert, Larry Zbyszko and Rick Steiner (with Baby Doll) vs. Jimmy Garvin, Michael Hayes and Sting (with Precious) ended in a time-limit draw Six-man tag team match 15:00
2. Steve Williams defeated Barry Windham for the UWF Heavyweight Championship 06:50
3. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) (with Big Bubba Rogers and Jim Cornette) in Skywalkers match 10:23
4. Nikita Koloff (NWA TV Champion) defeated Terry Taylor (UWF TV Champion) (with Eddie Gilbert) inUnification match for the NWA and UWF World Television Championships 18:58
5. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard (with J. J. Dillon) defeated The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) (with Paul Ellering) by disqualification for the NWA World Tag Team Championship 13:27
6. Dusty Rhodes defeated Lex Luger (with J. J. Dillon) in Steel Cage match for the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship 16:28
7. Ric Flair (with J. J. Dillon) defeated Ron Garvin in Steel Cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship[1] 17:38

Crocket Cup

The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament (also known simply as the Crockett Cup) was a professional wrestling event produced annually by the professional wrestling promotion, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The event featured a tag team professional wrestling tournament with the Crockett Cup awarded to the winning tag team. While the event has been resurrcted in newer iterations of the NWA, I am focusing on the events from 1986-1988.

Dave Knows Wrestling gives a nice background explanation of the Cup tournament.

Crockett Cup (1986) (April 19, 1986 at Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans, LA)

Grade 8 of 10

The first Crockett Cup is one of my favorite events. There were so many great regional teams and some great match ups throughout each round. The Road Warriors were at the height of their popularity and they were the perfect team to win the inaugural tournament. The event also featured a great match between Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Tournament Bracket:

Crockett Cup (1987) (April 10-11, 1987 at Baltimore Arena - Baltimore, MD)

Grade 6 of 10

The Second Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was held over two nights. The tournament was won by "The Super Powers" (Dusty Rhodes and Nikita Koloff), who defeated Lex Luger and Tully Blanchard in the finals. Their victory was dedicated to Magnum T. A., who was forced to retire due to a near-fatal car accident.

Tournament Bracket:

Crockett Cup (1988) (April 22-23, 1988 at Greensboro Coliseum - Greensboro, NC)

Grade 6 of 10

The Third Annual Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament was held over two nights. The team of Sting and Lex Luger was formed specifically for the 1988 Crockett Cup and ended up winning the tournament by defeating Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in the finals.

Tournament Bracket:

War Games

WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of either four, five, or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not have a roof, depending on which professional wrestling promotion the match is held in. These matches tended to be dramatic and very violent.

Dusty Rhodes shares background on the War Games he invented.

According to Wikipedia, there were 17 War Games matches in the NWA from 1987-1989 - mostly at house shows and mostly featuring the Four Horsemen.

NWA War Games 1: Great American Bash 1987 - The Super Powers vs The Four Horsemen (July 7, 1987 Atlanta, GA)

Grade 9 of 10

This was the first War Games match and it was a classic. The match was won by the team of Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff, The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) and Paul Ellering. They defeated The Four Horsemen - Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Lex Luger, Tully Blanchard, and J. J. Dillon. The match was a brutal and bloody affair and the crowd was really into it. The match was so popular that it was repeated at the next year's Great American Bash.

Bunkhouse Stampede

In 1985, the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions came up with a new match to increase the fans' interest in their product. The Bunkhouse Stampede was a regular battle royal where the wrestlers wore "bunkhouse gear" (blue jeans and cowboy boots, etc.) to the match, similar to 'street fight' matches. Weapons were also allowed. The winner was awarded a large bronze cowboy boot.

The match evolved to having teams of 3 or 4 guys come into the ring with jeans, cowboy boots, T-shirts, and leather belts. It was run as a Texas Tornado match were everyone was in the ring at once, beating each other with weapons. Most of the iterations involved Dusty Rhodes with various babyfaces on his side. I found a few examples:

NWA Bunkhouse Stampede December 12, 1986. Commentary is in Japanese, but this one looks more like a traditional battle royal.

This is a Steel Cage Bunkhouse Stampede Battle Royal from 1988 with lots of big stars - Animal, Dusty Rhodes, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Ivan Koloff, The Barbarian, and The Warlord.

A bloody and brutal Bunkhouse Match where anything goes featuring Jerry "The King" Lawler, Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T.A. versus Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard in Memphis at the Mid-South Coliseum form 1985.

6 man Bunkhouse Stampede from 1986 pitting Rock & Roll Express and Dusty Rhodes vs Midnight Express and Big Bubba.

Another one from the Memphis area from the 1987 Great American Bash tour - Sting, Chris Adams and Dusty Rhodes vs Eddie Gilbert, Rick Steiner and the Angel of Death

Wrestling Star Wars

Wrestling Star Wars, also billed as BTW Star Wars, WCCW Star Wars and WCWA Star Wars was a series of professional wrestling supercard shows promoted by the Dallas, Texas based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) from 1981 until 1988. WCCW held multiple Star Wars shows throughout the year, especially on or close to Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. None of the shows were broadcast live, but were instead taped for WCCW's weekly TV shows where several of the matches would air.

Wrestling Star Wars - February 22, 1981

Grade 3 of 10

Wrestling Star Wars - June 25, 1983

Grade 3 of 10

Wrestling Star Wars - November 24, 1983

Grade 3 of 10

Wrestling Star Wars - December 25, 1983

Grade 3 of 10

Wrestling Star Wars - November 22, 1984

Grade 3 of 10

Wrestling Star Wars - December 25, 1984

Grade 3 of 10

Wrestling Star Wars - December 25, 1985

Grade 3 of 10