Brown back in the ring. They lock up and Brown is backed into the corner and Race with punches. Brown goes back out of the ring and Race follows him. Brown rammed Race into a steel guard rail three times and Race is lying on the floor. Brown with three shots to Harley’s stomach with a steel chair. Harley Race managed to get up and on the ring apron where Brown catches him with several slaps to the face and all it seemed to do is offend Harley Race.

Brown is in the corner, and Race with a choke and a punch. Slick has joined Rick Stewart and Kevin Wall.

Slick: “Rick Stewart you know good and well that if Jerry Blackwell couldn’t be here, then Bob Brown should have been declared the winner by default, now you know that.”

Harley with more punches and a sleeper at the five minute mark. Brown gets out of the sleeper with an eyerake and he punches Race. Brown with an Irish Whip that is reversed by Race, Race catches Brown with a clothesline and a elbowdrop and Race gets a  two count. Brown bails out of the ring and Race goes after him. Race rammed Brown headfirst into a wall! Race is carrying Brown back to the ring and Race threw Brown back into the ring. Race back in the ring with a kneedrop to Brown’s head.

Slick: “You can believe that The National Wrestling Alliance will hear from my attorneys on this one.”

Race with a piledriver and he goes for the pin, but Brown gets his foot on the ropes. Brown with a thumb to the eye and a slap. Harley Race with punches and a snap mare. Harley Race climbs to the top rope but Bob Brown gets up and bodyslams Race off  the top rope. Brown to the top rope and he goes for a legdrop but Race got out of the way. Brown kicked Race in the head, an eyerake and then Brown bites Race on the forehead. Brown with a kick and punches. Race responds with a headbutt, punches and chops and a two count. Brown’s kickout sends Race to the floor. Brown rams Race headfirst into the guardrail again. Brown rams Race into The Ring Post. Brown is in the ring with a steel chair. Harley is near the ropes and Brown tries to hit Race. Race ducks and the chair bounces off the ropes and Brown hits himself in the head. Race goes for the pin and he wins the match and the Central States title.

After the match, Rick Stewart interviews Harley Race.

Rick: “Just a couple of minutes ago in what had to be the highlight of his career, Harley Race has stripped Bob Brown of the Central States wrestling championship, Congratulations, champ."

Harley: "Let me tell ya this, Rick. Y’know I don’t want to wish Blackwell or anyone else any ill fate, but to get in the ring with the ‘Dog, the dirty greasy dog and to pound on him and take away from him what he treasures more than anything else in the world is a highlight to anyone, especially me. He cost me the world title. Well, look, look Brown, look...”

At this point we are joined by Bob Geigel.

Rick: “The President of The National Wrestling Alliance, Bob Geigel."

Bob: “Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have to say this, Harley Race did win the match, but Harley Race’s name was not on the contract.”

Harley: “What are you talking about, Bob?”

Bob: “Your name was not on the contract. I have no alternative but to return The Central States Title to “Bulldog” Bob Brown.” 

Harley: “What was all this hem haw about the telegram from Stanley Blackburn and everything else, is this another Brown deal?”

Bob: “No, it’s not another Brown deal. It just goes by The National Wrestling Alliance rules and regulations governing the Central States belt. Your name was not on the contract, so, for that reason, you did not win the belt. Now, I can do this, at this time, while I’m gonna take the belt, I am going to order a match that “Bulldog” Bob Brown puts the title on the line against Harley Race.”

Rick: “It’s been officially designated by The President of The National Wrestling Alliance. There is precedent for this kind of maneuver, it’s happened before in the history of the NWA, but still, it’s got to be from absolute ecstasy to very crushing disappointment for Harley Race.”

Harley: "The disappointment, of course, when you’ve got that in hand it puts you number one in line but the satisfaction I got of beating Bulldog means more to me than that. The opportunity to beat on him, I’ll get it back. Brown I’ll guarantee you I’m gonna stand here and lie to these people, I’m going to take that away from you."

Rick: "A very tough moment, I know, for NWA President Bob Geigel and Harley Race. Something they had to do. The Central States Championship once again belongs to “Bulldog” Bob Brown."

On April 3, 1986, Brown and Race fought to a double disqualification. Meanwhile, Bruiser Brody was also feuding with “Bulldog” Bob Brown. They fought to a draw on January 9, 1986 in Kansas City. Brody beat Brown in a chain match on January 23, 1986 in Kansas City. Brody and Mike George fought Brown and Kevin The Magnificent to a double disqualification on February 20, 1986. Brown beat Brody by DQ on March 6, 1986 in Kansas City. The start of that match was shown on television, but they didn’t show the finish. Brown spent most of the first few minutes afraid to lock up and he was out of the ring for a lot of the beginning of the match as well.

On April 10, 1986, Harley Race met Bulldog Bob Brown again in a non title lumberjack match. Rick Stewart mentions during this match that Race is the Missouri State champion. The lumberjacks were Bart  Batten, Brad Batten, Tommy Wright, Mike George, Akio Sato, Tarzan Goto, “Diamond” Timothy Flowers and Arthur W. (Art) Crews and Bruiser Brody is the “special lumberjack at ringside”. The fans with a loud chant of “Brody” because they know that Brown was not only feuding with Race, but with Brody as well.

Race and Brown circle each other and they lock up. Brown backs Race into the corner and throws a right hand that is blocked by Race. Race with a punch and an eyerake and he throws Brown out of the ring to Bruiser Brody. Tommy Wright, Mike George and Brody throw Brown back in. They lock up and Brown with chops, punches, an eyerake and then Brown rammed Race headfirst into a turnbuckle. Brown with a slap, punch, a kick, a snap mare and more kicks. Brown drops an elbow on Race’s nose. Brown threw  Race out of the ring to the Dream Team and Sato and Goto. (Back when Sato and Goto were in the Central States area, I always refereed to them as “The Orient Express”. I don’t know why no one thought to call them that). The Batten Twins come around to help throw Harley back in. Harley is on the mat and Brown stomped him. Brown punched Race and Race with a headbutt. Race with punches and he throws Brown out of the ring. Batten, Mike George, Sato, Goto and Brody all throw Brown back in. Harley with a snap mare. Harley with a piledriver for a two count. Harley with several kneedrops to Brown’s head.

Race has Brown in the corner. Race with a punch and an Irish Whip that is reversed by Brown. Race goes over the top turnbuckle to the floor! The Batten Twins, Mike George and Tommy Wright are checking to see if Race is okay and The Dream Team make  their way around as well. They all put Race back in the ring. Brown with kicks, punches and slaps and an eyerake. Race with some punches and he threw Brown out of the ring. Brody throws Brown back in. Race to the top rope, but Brown catches Race with a bodyslam. Brown to the top rope for a kneedrop but Race moved out of the way. Race missed a diving headbutt and Brown went for the pin and got a two count.

Brown kicked Race in the gut and head a few times. Race to the outside and the lumberjacks are there. Race punched Art Crews and Race got back in the ring. Brown rammed Race into the turnbuckle. Brown with punches, a slap and a bite. Race with two headbutts and punches and a vertical suplex and a two count. Brown rolled to the ropes and he wrapped his legs around the ropes. The lumberjacks are able to push Brown away from the ropes. Race with a Gutwrench Salto and he goes for the pin and got a two count from Referee Sonny Myers. Brown tries to roll out of the ring, but Mike George is right there to push Brown back in the ring. Race with a powerslam and another two count. Brown crawled to the ropes and one of the Batten Twins pushed him back in before Brody could get a hold of Brown. Race with punches and Brown responds with several slaps that don’t phase Race. Brown backed into the corner. Race with punches at the ten minute mark. Brown with two punches and Race with a kneelift that sends Brown outside. The Battens and Brody are there and Brown pushed Bruiser Brody. Mike George and The Dream Team comes around to help out. The Dream Team hold Brody as Brown punches him. Tommy Wright is there to help break it up and The Batten Twins push Brown back into the ring. Bruiser Brody is on the ring apron. Sonny Myers is distracted by Brody and Art Crews gets on the ring apron near Harley Race. Race caught Crews with punches and Crews goes back to the floor. Brown catches Race from behind with a double axehandle, so Crews’ distraction helped after all. Brown threw Race over the top rope and Sonny Myers didn’t see it. The Dream Team attack Race. Brody and the other lumberjacks go around to stop it. While everyone else is distracted, Slick hands Brown a pair of brass knuckles. Brody goes into the ring with a chair and he hits Brown in the back while everyone was still distracted. Race goes for the pin and he got the win. Slick got in the ring to try to break up the three count, but he was too late. Brody got into the ring and Slick bailed out in a hurry. Race dropped a knee on Brown’s head. Brown is wearing the brass knuckles that he didn’t get a chance to use and Race found them. Race is now wearing the knucks and The Dream Team and Goto and Sato go back to the dressing room. Brown manages to get out of the ring. Race tosses the brass knuckles to Brody and Race goes out of the ring after Brown. Brown is on the floor with a very angry Harley Race on one side and Bruiser Brody on the other side with a pair of brass knuckles. “Bulldog” Bob Brown very wisely heads back to the dressing room as we run out of TV time.  

Race and Brown weren’t finished with each other after that match. Harley Race defeated Bob Brown on April 21, 1986 in Wichita, Kansas. On May 1, 1986 in Kansas City, Race defeated Brown in a baseball bat match! They fought to a double disqualification on May 8, 1986 in KC. Race must’ve left the Central States area not long after that. Brown was still feuding with Brody in July. On July 3, 1986, Brody defeated Brown in a cage match and the stipulation was that if Brody won, he got to wrestle Slick in the cage. Brody defeated Brown and then he defeated Slick as well.

NEXT MONTH: