This edition of NWA Hollywood aired Sunday morning at 1 A.M on KDOC TV in Southern California.
Willie Mack and Scorpio Sky head to the ring in what is supposed to be a tag team match.
Sky asks for a microphone and informs us that he injured his knee while deadlifting. He reminds Mack that he has a history of knee problems, and he can’t tag with Willie tonight. He won’t leave Mac “high and dry without Sky.” I popped for this line.
Big Duke, Sky’s trainer, will be Mack’s partner instead.
1. Willie Mack and Big Duke vs. Cedric the Hitman and Eric Watts
Duke and Hitman start off just as we go to break.
Back from break and Mack powerslams Watts. Mack and Duke double-team the Family Stone, thus hinting that they may have some semblance of tag team continuity after all. Duke hits a sidewalk slam for two.
The heels get their heat back by utilizing their strength advantage. Hitman works over Mack’s knee. Hitman and Watts isolate Mack, preventing him from getting the hot tag to Duke. Hitman puts Mack in a submission to continually work over the knee until Mack makes it to the ropes. Mack goes to tag Duke but the heels bring him back.
Sky jumps up on the apron and lands on his bad leg. Duke runs to check on Sky, just as Mack makes it to the tag rope. With nobody there to tag, Mack takes a big boot for three.
Winner: Cedric the Hitman and Eric Watts
Back from commercial and the commentators put over Sky’s title defense against Johnny Yuma next week.
2. Disco Machine vs. Hector Canales
Disco heads out and has fun with the crowd before Canales’s entrance.
Disco Machine tries to go for a couple quick covers. The story is that he wants to get a win after his current drought. Disco hits a DDT for a nearfall. Canales goes for three suplexes but changes the third one into a Rocker Dropper for three.
This match was basically used as a backdrop to talk about Canales stealing the Mirror Image title from Ricky Mandel.
Canales does an interview where he says that everybody says things are looking “pretty good” for Canales. The interview didn’t make much sense despite being short.
3. Joey Ryan with Lucky Oshea vs. Brandon Parker with Todd Chandler
Parker hits a sick spin kick, goes high risk, and hits a double-stomp to Ryan. He levels Ryan with a European uppercut. Ryan takes out the knee and starts to slow the pace of the match. The commentators make some sort of joke about baby oil that went right over my head.
Ryan works over the leg for a bit before Parker mounts a small flurry. Ryan goes for the Mustache Ride but Parker turns it into a DDT instead. Ryan works over the knee some more. Parker spears, suplexes, and then sunset flips Ryan for two in an excellently executed sequence. Ryan hits an undetected low blow before picking up the submission choke victory.
Winner: Joey Ryan
Johnny Yuma does an interview saying he’s excited because he knows how to win singles matches now. He talks about staying competitive with the best including Adam Pearce. He puts over his television title match next week.
Next segment is a contract signing between Peter Avalon and Ryan Taylor in a steel cage match.
They bring up Taylor and Avalon’s history together, including Taylor having Avalon cut off his hair. Taylor puts over the prestige of the NWA, but how Avalon ruined it. Taylor says he doesn’t want prestige now, he just wants to fight Avalon. Taylor signs the contract.
Avalon says he won’t be in a cage match because he’s not an animal. He refuses to sign the contract. Ray Rosas hits the ring and attacks Taylor from behind. They put Taylor through the table. Avalon yells more about not being an animal.
Marquez and other officials come out to check up on Taylor. Marquez says he will put Avalon in an Anything Goes match with Ray Rosas handcuffed to the special enforcer of Taylor’s choice next week. What a stip!
4. NWA Heritage Tag Title Match.
The Tribe with Olivia C. vs. Los Banditos with Sylvia
Navajo Warrior hits a slam and follows it up with a quick elbow. Dynamite tags in Escondito. Hawaiian Lion dominate Los Banditos for the first bit of the match.
Sylvia and Escondito double-team Lion to gain the advantage. Escondito slows down the pace and hits crossfaces to Lion.
Both men tag out. Warrior and Escondito go at it. A russian legsweep and a DDT from Warrior and Lion. All four men end up brawling in the ring and the referee administers the five-count. The match is thrown out.
The fans chant “let them fight” after the bell. The Tribe are announced as still being the champions.
This is the first time in all my years of watching wrestling that I saw a match end on this specific technicality.
Winner: No contest. The Tribe are still champions.
My only qualm with this show is the lack of depth that most guys’ promos had. Every do understand the extenuating circumstances–lack of time–but most of the roster’s work on the stick leaves a little something to be desired. I won’t harp on that shortcoming too much, however. It’s better to have wrestlers cut short, lackluster promos than to keep them off the microphone entirely. At least this way guys eventually develop their craft.
I’ll be back with you next week to run down the TV title match and the rest of the show.