MIKE RICKARD'S FANTASY WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
ROUND TWO CONTINUES
Catching up? Here is the background info:
Tournament Announcement
Seedings and First Round Pairings
BRACKETS
Updated brackets going into tonight's matches.
[Links to previous matches at the bottom of this post.]
THIS WEEK'S MATCHES: #29 AND #30
(Second Round Matches #13 and #14):
- Texas Outlaws (Rhodes & Murdoch) vs. The Dynamic Duo (Adams/Hernandez)
- Iron Sheik/Volkoff (w/ Blassie) vs. Ricky Steamboat & Jimmy Snuka
The first round saw 16 teams competing to advance to round two with eight teams making it in. Now, these eight teams will battle the 16 top-seeded tag teams that received a first-round bye. As we saw in round one, some wrestlers are willing to bend or break the rules in order to get closer to the $1,000,000 prize so expect the unexpected as round two continues.
Second Round Rules:
Here are the rules for the round two of our tournament. A pool of referees from the NWA, AWA, and WWF have been appointed for the tournament and randomly selected for each match. The second-round matches have a forty-five-minute time limit and are sanctioned under NWA rules (throwing an opponent over the top rope is an automatic disqualification). The matches are one fall with a win obtained by a pinfall, submission, count-out, or disqualification.
The second-round matches are being held over two nights. The first eight matches took place at the Richmond Coliseum on Saturday April 13. The remaining eight matches in round one take place at the Asheville Civic Center on Sunday April 14. Bob Caudle and David Crockett are calling the matches tonight but you never know which announcers from another promotion might show up. Our previous two matches featured the mysterious masked men known as the Oklahoma Cowboys defeating “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Cowboy” Bob Orton as well as a battle of the brothers with Terry and Dory Funk Jr. defeating Mark and Jay Youngblood. As round two continues, bear in mind that these titanic teams are battling for more than just bragging rights—they’re competing for the prestigious Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Trophy and a cool one million dollars.
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Johnny Weaver is backstage with “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Dusty says Johnny Weaver knows all about tag team wrestling so he’s happy “The Dean of Wrestling” is here to see his surprise partner. Dusty says he looked high and low for the perfect partner and he says there were so many great names he had to choose from, but only one man was up to the million-dollar challenge. Dusty says he needed someone wild, someone tough, and someone who’s an outlaw just like him. “The Dream” introduces his partner— “Captain Redneck” Dick Murdoch. Johnny Weaver’s jaw drops as Dusty says, “That’s right Johnny Weaver. I went and got myself my old Texas Outlaw partner, Dick Murdoch.”
Murdoch takes the microphone and proclaims, “Dusty and I go way back so when he called me up and asked me if I wanted to win a million dollars, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. We’re gonna smash through these teams and remind the world that there’s no team as wild as the Texas Outlaws.”
The Texas Outlaws (Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch)
vs. the Dynamic Duo (“Gentleman” Chris Adams and Gino Hernandez)
with “Playboy” Gary Hart
The heels are in the ring when the fans start cheering. Rhodes and Murdoch are each riding horses to the ring! The fans are on their feet as the building seems to be shaking. David Crockett says he can’t believe Dusty chose Dick Murdoch. Who would have ever guessed? Bob Caudle notes that with a million dollars up for the grabbing, Dusty went with a man he knows well. They have their work cut out for them though as the young team of Adams and Hernandez were impressive in round one, Bob notes. David adds the team is downright dangerous with that snake Gary Hart in their corner.
Referee Sonny Fargo checks both teams for foreign objects and such as Dusty and Gino go into a collar-and-elbow tie-up. Dusty applies a side headlock on Gino, who manages to slip out and bounce off the ropes, with “The Dream” shoulder-blocking him down to the mat. Hernandez motions that Rhodes grabbed his hair which leads to a befuddled look from the official. Dusty picks up Hernandez and bodyslams him as Chris Adams runs in, only for the British judo expert to catch a Bionic Elbow to the head. Gino gets up and charges Dusty and he too gets an elbow for his efforts. Dick Murdoch doesn’t seem to want to miss out on the fun and he enters the ring, whipping Hernandez into the ropes and elbowing him in the chest. Rhodes and Murdoch then grab Adams and whip him into the ropes, clotheslining him. Gary Hart gets up on the mat apron as Dusty delivers a big elbow to him, knocking Hart off the mat apron.
Dusty tags in Dick Murdoch who punches Hernandez, getting a warning from the referee about the closed fist. Murdoch ignores Fargo and punches “Gorgeous” Gino again, knocking him down. Murdoch plants his boot on Hernandez’s throat as he holds the rope for more leverage, with Sonny Fargo beginning a five-count. David Crockett says Hernandez and Adams weren’t expecting this kind of welcome. Bob Caudle adds that there are some rough-and-tumble teams in the tournament, but few with as much experience as Rhodes and Murdoch. Murdoch lifts Hernandez and tags in Rhodes. The two grab Gino and slingshot “The Handsome Half-breed” into the babyface corner. Dusty snapmares Gino then applies a facelock, putting the pressure on. Gino goes to grab Dusty’s hair, but Rhodes just ups the pressure. Gino finally escapes with a thumb to the eye that somehow the referee doesn’t see. Gino runs to his corner and tags in Adams. The two whip Dusty into the ropes and catch him with a double elbow to the chest. Risking disqualification as the referee orders Gino out, the Dynamic Duo lift Rhodes up for a double suplex. Cover on Dusty but he kicks out at two.
Tag to Chris Adams who hits a legdrop on Stardust as he’s still down on the mat. Gino Hernandez points towards Dick Murdoch and the referee turns around, allowing Adams to get in a judo chop to the throat on Dusty. Adams picks up Dusty and throws him into the ropes, hitting a superkick. Chris Adams doesn’t go for the cover, something David Crockett says he’s surprised by. Another tag out as Gino comes in, whipping Dusty into the ropes and locking on a sleeperhold. Dusty quickly falls to one knee as the fans begin chanting “Dusty! Dusty!” “The American Dream” starts juking and jiving as David Crockett says “Dusty’s fighting! He’s fighting to get out of that sleeper!” Dusty gets to his feet and elbows Hernandez in the gut. Hernandez holds on. Another elbow and Gino’s letting up. Gino grabs Rhodes’ hair and yanks him down to the mat as referee Sonny Fargo warns Hernandez about the hair pull. Gino picks up Dusty and whips him into the heel corner. However, Dusty reverses the Irish whip and Hernandez flies into the corner, knocking Adams off the mat apron. Dusty tags in “Captain Redneck” who comes running in, clotheslining Hernandez. Murdoch lifts up Gino and delivers a brutal brainbuster, covering him for the pin. The referee has already made the three-count by the time Chris Adams gets back in the ring.
Winners: Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch
Tony Schiavone is backstage with the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff along with the team’s manager “Classy” Freddie Blassie. Blassie waves his cane around and calls Schiavone a pencil-neck geek. If he’s seen one, he’s seen them all. Blassie berates Schiavone some more before telling Schiavone his team are the WWF Tag Team Champions and the greatest tag team in the world. He boasts of the Sheik’s Olympic wrestling skills and the undeniable power of Nikolai Volkoff. Nikolai says a few words saying it’s a great opportunity to show how second-rate American wrestlers are and the only other team that are close to him and the Iron Sheik are his comrades the Koloffs. Schiavone asks Nikolai what will happen if he and the Iron Sheik have to battle the Koloffs. Blassie tells Schiavone not to cause trouble and the Iron Sheik takes over, flexing his muscles as he shouts “Cameraman zoom!” The Iron Sheik says Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat are two jabronis and he and Nikolai will destroy them.
The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff (with Freddie Blassie)
vs. Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Nikolai comes into the ring with a flag from the Soviet Union while the Iron Sheik brings in the Iranian flag. The ring announcer tells the fans that Nikolai Volkoff requests their silence while he sings the Soviet national anthem. The fans begin booing then “The Marines’ Hymn” plays as David Crockett asks “What is that?” Bob Caudle says, “I don’t believe this” as Sgt. Slaughter leads Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat to the ring, with Sarge waving the American flag. The three babyfaces get in the ring and the heels are furious, pointing at Sgt. Slaughter. Freddie Blassie waves referee Dick Woehrle over and says something to him. Woehrle motions for Slaughter to leave the area as Bob Caudle says, “The referee may be telling Sgt. Slaughter to leave because he doesn’t have his manager’s license.” David Crockett says that’s not fair but Slaughter leaves the ring. Caudle says “Slaughter’s appearance really seems to have shaken up the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff.”
Woehrle does the pre-match inspection but as he’s checking Snuka and Steamboat, the heels charge the babyfaces. The Iron Sheik and Volkoff start punching and kicking Snuka and Steamboat, but the babyfaces counter with big chops that send both men back then forces them to bail out of the ring. Steamboat begins clucking like a chicken as Snuka invites the heels to get back in the ring. Volkoff and the Iron Sheik take a page out of the Larry Zbyszko playbook and go for the stall, but the referee begins a ten count, forcing them back into the ring. Snuka locks up with Volkoff who uses his bear-like power to shove Snuka into the corner. Volkoff laughs at “The Superfly” and invites him to a test of strength. Snuka and Volkoff interlock their fingers, with the big man powering Snuka to his knees. However, Snuka is no lightweight and begins to get to his feet. It looks like Snuka is getting the advantage when Volkoff kicks him in the gut.
Volkoff drops a forearm across Snuka’s back, dropping him to the mat. The big Russian kicks Snuka in the back then bodyslams him down hard to the mat. Tag to the Iron Sheik who lifts Snuka up, delivering a salto to the “Superfly.” Cover on Snuka, but he kicks out at two. Sheiky-baby stomps Snuka in the back as Ricky Steamboat is leading the fans in cheering Snuka on.
More punishment for Snuka as the Iron Sheik bounces off the ropes and drops an elbow on Snuka. David Crockett says Snuka is in trouble and needs to tag. Bob Caudle notes that Snuka can change that if he can tag in a fresh man. Snuka is whipped into the ropes by the Iron Sheik who delivers a big back body-drop to the Fiji Island’s favorite son. The Iron Sheik then goes to apply an abdominal stretch, but Bob Caudle notes the Sheik hasn’t locked it in all the way. David Crockett cheers on “The Superfly” as Snuka manages to hip-toss the Iron Sheik, escaping the hold. Snuka is down on his hands and knees as the Iron Sheik gets up and comes after him with a double axe-handle. Snuka gets to his knees and headbutts the Sheik in the breadbasket, stunning him. Snuka gets up and delivers a knife-edge chop, sending the Iron Sheik back some more. The Iron Sheik charges at Snuka, only to get caught with a headbutt. Snuka then tumbles to his corner and makes the hot tag.
Steamboat comes in and chops his opponent, then whips him into the ropes where he delivers another chop. Steamboat bounces off the ropes and drops a knee across the Iron Sheik’s head. Steamboat picks up the Iron Sheik and bodyslams him in a neutral corner. Bob Caudle points out that Steamboat is dazzling the Iron Sheik with his stupendous speed. Steamboat climbs to the second rope and delivers a flying chop to the Iron Sheik as he’s getting to his feet. Cover on the Iron Sheik, but Volkoff comes in and kicks Steamboat in the back of the head, breaking up the pin. Steamboat goes after Volkoff, chopping him and sending him back to the heel corner. Steamboat rams Volkoff’s head into the turnbuckle and as he does, the Iron Sheik starts stomping on his boot. David Crockett says that the Iron Sheik is loading up his boot. Crockett says it’s the same thing that wrestler named Hussein the Arab used to do. Bob Caudle reminds David that Hussein the Arab is the Iron Sheik as David yells “Watch out!” Steamboat turns around as the Iron Sheik goes to kick him in the gut. Steamboat spins the Sheik around and delivers an atomic drop on the Iron Sheik then whips him into the ropes. Ricky goes for a back body-drop only to catch the loaded boot to the head and he goes down like the proverbial sack of potatoes. Cover by the Iron Sheik. Jimmy Snuka should be making the save, but he’s chasing Freddie Blassie who just hit him in the leg with the cane. By the time “The Superfly” sees what’s going on in the ring, it’s all over.
Winners: The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff
After the match, Snuka checks on Steamboat while the Iron Sheik grabs the microphone and says “Iran, number one! Russia, number one! Look at USA now!” David Crockett says it’s a dark day for America after the Sheik and Volkoff stole that win.
Join us next time as round two of the tournament continues as The Fantastics battle the Fabulous Ones while The Fabulous Freebirds take on The Sheepherders. Which teams will prevail as round two continues and the remaining teams’ quest for tag team immortality and some serious cash continues?
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PREVIOUS POSTS IN THIS FANTASY SERIES
Tournament Announcement
Seedings and First Round Pairings Announced
SECOND ROUND
Second Round: Matches 1 & 2 (Tournament 17 & 18)
Mulligan/McDaniel vs. The Russians
Rock & Roll Express vs. Maharishi/Nagasaki
Second Round: Matches 3 & 4 (Tournament 19 & 20)
Brown/Jannetty vs. Inoki & Sakaguchi
Ole & Arn Anderson vs. Windham/Rotunda)
Second Round: Matches 5 & 6 (Tournament 21 & 22)
Midnight Express vs. Hart Foundation
PYT Express vs. High Flyers
Second Round: Matches 7 & 8 (Tournament 23 & 24)
Rude/Barr (with Percy Pringle III) vs. Kevin and Mike Von Erich
Fujinami/Kimura vs. British Bulldogs
Second Round: Matches 9 & 10 (Tournament 25 & 26)
Brody/Hansen vs. Williams/DiBiase
Road Warriros vs. Lawler/Dundee
Second Round: Matches 11 & 12 (Tournament 27 & 28)
Piper & Orton vs. The Oklahoma Cowboys
The Funk Brothers vs. The Younglood Brothers
Second Round: Matches 13 & 14 (Tournament 29 & 30)
Rhodes/Murdoch vs. Adams/Hernandez
Sheik/Volkoff vs. Steamboat/Snuka
FIRST ROUND
First Round: Matches 1 & 2
Hennig/Blackwell vs. Mulligan/McDaniel
Tyler/Whatley vs. Maharishi/Nagasaki
First Round: Matches 3 & 4
Windham/Rotunda vs. Bockwinkel/Saito
Rougeaus vs. Inoki/Sakaguchi
First Round: Matches 5 &6
Barbarian/Graham vs. Hart Foundation (Hart/Neidhart)
High Flyers (Brunzell/Gagne) vs. Savage/Poffo
First Round: Matches 7 & 8:
The Von Erich vs. Blanchard/Abdullah the Butcher
Tenryu/Tsuruta vs. The British Bulldogs
First Round: Matches 9 & 10:
Graham/Blair vs. DiBiase/Williams
Valiant/McGraw vs. Lawler/Dundee
First Round: Matches 11 & 12:
Piper/Orton vs. Patterson/Fernandez
Rock & Roll RPMs vs. Youngblood Brothers
First Round: Matches 13 and 14:
Dynamic Duo (Gino & Chris) vs. American Starship
Sawyer Bros. vs. Steamboat/Snuka
First Round: Matches 15 and 16
Batten Twins vs. Fabulous Ones
Weaver/Houston vs. Sheepherders
