Pro Wrestling Chronicle

Match #17: The Fabulous Freebirds & Jimmy Garvin vs. The Von Erichs & Iceman King Parsons (Elimination Match) (5/27/83)

In the intro to the Von Erichs for this match announcer Bill Mercer delivers his classic line that was immortalized in the World Class documentary, Heroes of World Class: “And now let’s turn our attention to that sound of up-beat young America.” Need I say more about the awesome era of World Class I am now covering?

I like elimination matches, and this has a strong faction feud to give the stip more weight and purpose. Big brawl at the onset, and it seems like there aren’t any rules to this match. Everyone in the ring at once, Gordy attempts a pile driver on Parsons and Kevin cross bodies him. All the faces pile on Gordy for the three count. The audience explodes at this. Everything is over in this one. Very violent, realistic brawl. The Von Erichs really take it to the Freebirds, but Garvin and the Birds stiff them. Iceman gets dogpiled on, and he’s eliminated. This has the feel of a high-end original ECW brawl, if it stayed in the ring. David Von Erich is sent over the top rope and he’s eliminated. Mercer then explains you can get eliminated over the top, being pinned, or submitting. Garvin taunts his rival David after sending him over the top, and then Kevin kicks Garvin over. So he’s eliminated, and Garvin and David brawl on the outside.

So we’ve got Kerry/Kevin vs Roberts/ Hayes, and Buddy chokes the heck out of Kerry. Kerry comes back with a sleeper. This is really great stuff for this style of match. Kevin gets a nearfall on Roberts, and you get the feeling this could end at any time. They are keeping up a hell of a good pace with stiff work.

Not a lot more to describe, as they brawl around for a while, and there is some logic and skill to it, but it’s generally not technical stuff. A lot of elbows, knees, punches, and kicks. Several Von Erich Iron Claw attempts are made. Kevin goes over the top and holds on, flipping himself back in to hysterical screams of women. Each team uses sleepers effectively to give themselves a break while keeping the fans involved. I must admit I am getting a little bored of the brawl. I need a little more structure to my matches. There is more excitement from me as things start to slow down, and moves seemed time from one part of the ring (Buddy vs Kevin) to the other (Kerry vs Hayes). This thing goes back and forth so many times you don’t know who is going to win, legit. The faces look great, but the heels aren’t backing down. In fact, Kerry misses a a dropkick and Hayes comes off the ropes with an axe handle, then pin. Kerry is eliminated, and the Freebirds gang up on Kevin. Interesting booking. I like it.

The Freebirds beat him down and both pin him at once. Kevin kicks out. Then they throw him over the top rope. He holds on and comes back in. They choke him and he flips them both over the top while holding on, upside down, until the Freebirds hit the floor and Kevin flips back into the ring. Great finish, especially for the time period. Really strong appropriate brawl, given the feud, that spotlighted certain rivalries (Buddy vs Parsons, Hayes vs Kerry, David vs Garvin). I can’t say it was my favorite match on the set, but I do think it’s one of the better ones I’ve seen. I like the more traditional stuff, but this stip worked and essentially the match did too. 3 ¾ and 7.5/10.