Incidentally, Gordman and Goliath had a fantastic bout against the Funk Brothers that summer.

1974 saw the formation of perhaps the most popular team to ever hold the titles, Rickey Romero and Dory Funk, Jr. Romero and Junior captured the titles from The Beast and Leo Burke in March. They held the titles through the summer turning back challenges from Karl von Steiger and Sigfreid Stanke, Karl von Steiger and King Curtis, and Gordman and Goliath. Funk and Romero had a particularly great bout with Stanke and von Steiger at the Lubbock Fair Park Coliseum that July. It was stipulation bout, two out of three falls, first fall Texas Death Match, second fall Texas Tornado Match, and coin flip to decide rules of third fall, if necessary. After splitting the first two falls, the Germans won the coin toss and elected Texas Tornado rules. After bringing a chair to the ring, von Steiger had it stripped away by Funk. Funk pounded him with it for the win. Stanke and von Steiger captured the belts in September, but Romero and Funk regained them by year's end.

In 1975, the good doctor Ken Ramey brought the Interns to Amarillo. The hooded duo upended Romero and Funk for the belts to endear themselves to the locals. They then went on an impressive streak through the territory, downing the Funks, Junior and Scott Casey, and Casey and Romero. Ken Ramey cut some great promos along the way. The Interns finally dropped the belts to Junior and Ray Candy.

From 1976 through 1977, the great team of Rip Hawk and Swede Hansen dominated the tag scene.

Hawk and Hansen were billed as the Southern Tag Team Champions upon their arrival. They captured the Western States belts from Abe Jacobs and Pez Whatley in July, 1976. Hawk and Hansen thwarted efforts from every team in he area to gain the belts. Scott Casey and Ricky Romero failed to defeat them. Junior and Larry Lane downed them in Lubbock, but the titles weren't on the line. Thenext week, the titles were at stake, but Hawk and Hansen prevailed. Hawk and Hansen bloodied Junior on TV by pile driving him on a steel chair. The Lawman was also on the receiving end of brutal beating which left him a bloody mess. They lost the straps to Dennis Stamp and Al Perez, but gained them back. The unlikely team of Junior and the Super Destroyer ended their title run in 1977. But, by that time, I believe Hawk and Hansen had solidified themselves as the best tag team to ever hold the belts.

As the decade came to an end other teams like Ted DiBiase and Ervin Smith, Junior and Larry Lane, and Black Jack Mulligan and Dick Murdock held the titles. But the heyday for the title scene and the promotion had passed.

NEXT MONTH:

We'll look back at the Western States singles title.