-Originally aired January 9, 1982.
-Your hosts are Gordon Solie & the newly crowned Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Champion, Roddy Piper.
-Masked Superstar interrupts right away to vow that he’s not losing his mask to Tommy Rich in the Omni and that a steel cage doesn’t scare him. But Gordon Solie has a surprise for him. GCW has appointed a special door guard for the cage, just to prevent any funny business: Leroy Brown.
TOMMY RICH vs. MARVIN TURNER
-Rich takes Turner down to the mat with a top wristlock. Superstar returns to hassle Rich from the floor, and Rich invites him into the ring if he really wants to make trouble. Superstar looks like he’s going to take him up on that offer, but suddenly, here’s Leroy Brown to guard the ring, and Superstar is content to just stay where he is and scout Rich.
-Rich continues with “a multi-faceted assault pattern” on Turner. Superstar gives Turner some instructions and suddenly Turner has the advantage with right hands and an Irish whip, but Rich counters a corner charge with a boot. It’s suddenly a much more even fight because of Superstar’s suggestion that Turner should throw a punch, but Rich connects with a Thesz press and that’s enough for the three-count.
-Ole Anderson & Buzz Sawyer, now recognized as the World Tag Team Champions because of Gene Anderson’s injury are here to complain about being forced to wrestle a title match against Big Red and Leroy Brown because they haven’t earned it. Solie says that the NWA was aware that the champs were planning to make such a statement, and warns them that the NWA and GCW will strip them of the belts if they welch on this match.
JIM GARVIN vs. BUTCH BRANIGAN
-Garvin works the leg. Branigan fights out and gets aggressive. Garvin gets aggressive right back, and a forearm by Garvin appears to finish, but the ending of the match is cut off on this tape.
MASKED SUPERSTAR (with Super Destroyer) vs. VINNIE VALENTINO
-The presence of Super Destroyer draws out Tommy Rich, which draws out Buzz Sawyer, etc. etc. until damn near the entire payroll is surrounding the ring and the commentators are anticipating big trouble in the next few minutes.
-Double chop to the throat by Superstar, and he dares Rich to get into the ring while Ole & Buzz make their move toward all the babyfaces on the floor. Cobra hold by Superstar knocks out Valentino, and Rich is ready to step in the ring and throw down now. Bob Armstrong has his back and the heels suddenly begin to rethink this whole thing and skulk back to the dressing room.
-Roddy Piper criticizes Bob Armstrong for using this near-incident to get cheap publicity by making such a big show out of following Rich into the ring just now.
-Ric Flair is here. Custom-made from head to toe, ten pounds of gold, and so forth.
MR. WRESTLING II vs. ED TIMBS
-II works the arm while Piper explains that he COULD kick Bob Armstrong’s ass but he doesn’t want to do something so heinous while Brad is in the building because that would be too much for the family.
-Timbs hammers II, II fights back with rights and knocks him out with the kneelift for three.
-Bob Armstrong is back out here because he heard Piper’s commentary and he’d better shut his mouth!
-Ron Bass is here, and he also is not fond of the Armstrongs, and he wants a shot at the Tag Team Titles, which no clear explanation of how that works.
RON BASS vs. TONY ANTHONY
-Anthony surprises Bass with a pair of armdrags, and Bass seems annoyed by being on the defensive right away like that. Slam and a snapmare takedown into a side headlock by Anthony, having the best week of his life. Bass stops that by ramming him into the turnbuckles repeatedly, and the Stampede gets the win.
-Ole and Buzz are here to reiterate that Big Red and Leroy Brown are TOO FAT to be champions!
-Red and Leroy are here, pledging to give the champs the beating that their daddies didn’t.
OLE ANDERSON & BUZZ SAWYER (World Tag Team Champions) vs. EL GRAN APOLLO & ARCHIE WILLIAMS
-Champs gang up on Williams right away as Gordon speculates that the champs work out “assiduously,” and Piper deadpan answers, “Assiduously, yes indeed, Mr. Solie” like he knows what the hell the word means.
-Apollo tags in and gets the same treatment as Leroy Brown & Big Red suddenly show up at ringside to scout their opponents, which is definitely our theme for this week. Apollo suddenly connects with a running forearm on Sawyer and looks like it’s going to get a miracle, but Sawyer kicks out at two. Powerslam by Sawyer gets the pin.
BOB & BRAD ARMSTRONG (National Tag Team Champions) vs. RICK HARRIS & BUTCH BRANIGAN
-Brad and Harris duel over a wristlock while Piper again tries to start shit about how he respects Brad, but Brad’s career is being sabotaged by his old man, and I really, really wish we got the parallel universe version of this whole angle.
-Harris slams Brad while Piper laments that Daddy coasts on his kid’s reputation, and he encourages us to use a stopwatch while we watch this match and track how long Brad is in the ring and how long Bob is in the ring. Harris & Branigan gang up on Brad and Piper is agog that Daddy won’t even get in the ring for that.
-Brad tags in Bob. Bob throws some punches and then tags Brad right back in, proving Piper’s point about the stopwatch! Piper is so disgusted that he just announces that he’s leaving for coffee, and he makes it a point to get Gordon’s order before he leaves so he can get Gordon some coffee too. I just LOVE the little detail that Piper actually likes Gordon, it’s such a different vibe from the usual heel/face commentator teams.
-Brad and Branigan fight it out on the mat. Brad dodges a clothesline and connects with a bodypress for the three-count.
-Austin Idol reminds us that in the wrestling business, you’ve got it or you don’t.
AUSTIN IDOL vs. ARCHIE WILLIAMS
-Idol uses the hair to take Williams down, keeping him on the mat with headscissors and an armlock. Wristlock into a hammerlock. Williams tries to get something going, but Idol counters the attempted backdrop with a boot, and a big elbow drop gives Idol the win.
-Tommy Rich is ready to fight at the Omni, so Superstar had better be ready!
-Buzz Sawyer & Ole Anderson vow that you’ll never see Big Red or Leroy Brown after the big event in the Omni.
-Jim Garvin is next in the interview line, and he’s ready to take on all comers. Okay, great.
JIM GARVIN vs. SNAKE BROWN
-Garvin wrings the arm right away. He drives a series of knees into the shoulder. Hard forearm by Garvin gets the pin.
-Roddy Piper disputes accusations that Kabuki mounted some sort of surprise attack on Dusty Rhodes at a recent house show. So we watch the footage from the Omni, where Kabuki blinds Dusty with the mist during his entrance, and Roddy’s account of events is that Dusty needlessly attacked a referee.
KEVIN SULLIVAN vs. TOMMY ROGERS
-Sullivan takes down Rogers and hammers him with forearms. Hammerlock by Sullivan, and a knee off the second rope gives Sullivan the win.
-Ric Flair reminds us that he is the best in the world, woo.
TERRY TAYLOR vs. MARVIN TURNER
-Early appearance for Taylor, and he does the abdominal stretch-into-a-rollup for three. A surprisingly short match for a new guy who needs to be showcased.
-Superstar rants and raves about Tommy Rich, and he’s ready for the Omni match.
MASKED SUPERSTAR & SUPER DESTROYER vs. EL GRAN APOLLO & TONY ANTHONY
-Apollo comes out strong with a bodypress and a dropkick that sends Superstar to the floor. Things go not-as-good for Anthony. Double clothesline by the masked men. Bearhug into a belly-to-belly by Destroyer gets the pin.
