Jimmy Garvin and the lovely  Precious continued to wreak havoc. Kelly Kiniski, the son of the former NWA World Champion Gene Kiniski, helped fill out the heel roster in the midcard.

World Class ran with a short crew, but it helped spread more of the money amongst fewer people. This as stated in the past was great for morale. The cards were typically shorter in total matches, but the individual matches tended to be lengthy. It was also quite common for wrestlers to work more than once. Occasionally a big name out of town superstar would make an appearance such as Junkyard Dog, Butch Reed, and Andre The Giant. Speaking of Andre, times were changing and the days of Andre traveling around the territories were at an end. In February 1984 Andre teamed with Iceman Parsons against The Super Ds at The Sportatorium. This was not only Andre's final appearance in World Class, but also his final appearance in a promotion other than the WWF until the early 1990s. 

Checking in on The Champions

The title scene was mostly calm during the late winter and early spring of 1984. The Fabulous Freebirds dominated the Six Man Title and fended off the trio of Kevin, Kerry, and Mike Von Erich. The boys from Badstreet also had various combos from Devastation Incorporated to contend with. The American Title was still a hot potato, bouncing between Jimmy Garvin and Chris Adams as their feud continued. Having regained the American Title from Iceman Parsons and Brian Adias, The Super Destroyers solidified their hold on the title. Iceman remained their archenemy and utilized several partners while searching for the right formula to win the belts. The TV Title bounced around from Super Destroyer I to Iceman Parsons to Kelly Kiniski. The Texas Title was vacant due to the sad death of David Von Erich. 

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

The main feuds in World Class continued to rage unabated. The Von Erichs battled with The Freebirds with the Six Man Title as the prize. Mike Von Erich was being rushed ahead of schedule, but he tried his best and was well placed in these tag team matches featuring a lot of tags and brawling. Of course Kerry and Kevin were at their peaks. The Freebirds also were on fire. Michael Hayes used his big mouth to draw more heat than just about any wrestler I've ever seen. Terry Gordy was fantastic in the ring and his battles with Kevin in particular were great. Buddy Roberts did everything necessary to make the match great, be it as an underrated wrestler on offense or as a great bumper and seller for the babyfaces.

Chris Adams and Jimmy Garvin often saw their feud play second fiddle as Sunshine and Precious fought like hellcats at ringside. Garvin's arrogance and foppish behavior made for a perfect contrast to the charm and self effacing demeanor of The Gentleman Chris Adams. Meanwhile every match with these two seemed like a total riot due to the ladies. Iceman Parsons utilized various partners to pursue the American Tag Team Title. World Class fans just couldn't get enough of these feuds. They could hardly be blamed for that. The entire promotion, booked mainly by Ken Mantell, had a unique way of ratcheting up the heat with each match. Instead of blowing off the feuds, the repeated matches were so action packed that fans wanted more. If the action didn't hook people then the personalities did. World Class had such a tremendous knack for getting over the image of the wrestlers. Somehow the wrestlers seemed like living superheroes and the guys next door at the same time. If all this wasn't enough, a new twist kept interest higher and blurred the heel/babyface lines.

When Worlds (and Egos) Collide

The Freebirds and Devastation Inc. had not only coexisted during 1983, but had been close allies. A misunderstanding during a tag team bout involving Michael Hayes and Kamala had thrown that out the window. Now it was time for all out war. This conflict put the fans in an interesting predicament. Who should they favor? The Birds were notoriously hated due to their battles with the Von Erichs. Yet Devastation Inc. was managed by the notoriously American hating, General Skandor Akbar and featured the likes of Kamala and The Missing Link. Thus the Birds became babyfaces in the eyes of the public, at least as far as this feud was concerned.

One bout at The Sportatorium pitted Hayes, Gordy, and Roberts against Kamala, Link, and Super D II. For this bout you'd have thought that the Birds were the Von Erichs themselves, such were the cheers. When Super Destroyer I ran in to aid his stablemates, Kelly Kiniski arrived to help The Freebirds, but Devastation controlled the brawl. The Von Erichs then ran in and saved their archrivals from Akbar's crew. Peace was not at hand however. As soon as Devastation retreated, the Von Erichs and Freebirds turned on one another. Devastation returned and a wild pier six brawl ensued. A wild, three sided feud now raged through the promotion and would continue right on through the year. 

NEXT MONTH: 

It was the biggest day in World Class Championship Wrestling's history with the biggest crowd, the biggest match, and the biggest sense of occasion. Next time the main focus will be May 6, 1984 and the First Annual David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions at Texas Stadium.