Getting Started

There was a lot of unfinished business left over from the spring and early summer of 1984. The Von Erichs and Freebirds remained at war. Iceman still pursued the Irwin Brothers, his main rivals. Gino Hernandez dominated the singles wrestling scene and faced his main enemy in the form of the lady truck driver Stella Mae French. A lot was happening so let's take a look at the remainder of the summer of 1984.

We Are The Champions

No one dominated the title scene like Gino Hernandez. The handsome half-breed from Highland Park controlled the American and Texas Titles apart from Mike Von Erich taking a brief turn with the American belt. The American Tag Team Title remained with Iceman Parsons and Buck Zumhofe and although they defended the belts against the Irwin brothers on an occasional basis, the championship was de-emphasized during this period of time. Chris Adams held the TV Title for a spell and then lost it to Jake "The Snake" Roberts who had just arrived in the promotion. The Six-Man Title remained in a state of flux as The Von Erichs and The Fabulous Freebirds battled for the held up title.  

Big Changes On The Talent Roster

In the late summer of 1984 World Class began to see some real changes in the talent lineup. Let's look at the heels first. Change was afoot with the impending departure of The Fabulous Freebirds. The big arrival was Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Jake was coming off a hot run in Georgia and had broken out as a major heel in 1984. Also arriving to bolster the tag team ranks were the PYTs, the team of Norvell Austin and Koko Ware. Besides these men, The Birds still stayed on through the Labor Day Star Wars. Also still on hand were Gino Hernandez and his bodyguard Nicola Roberts. Skandor Akbar and his stable of Killer Khan, The Missing Link, and Scott and Bill Irwin were prominently featured. Kelly Kiniski added depth.

On the babyface side of the fence, Kerry, Kevin, and Mike Von Erich of course received the most attention. Iceman Parsons remained a prominent figure, as did Chris Adams although it is fair to say that Chris had lost some momentum. Needless to say, that would change very soon. Gary Hart was also still aligned with the fan favorites. Stella Mae French continued to torment Gino at every opportunity. Others included Buck Zumhofe who still teamed with Iceman, but was now slipping down the card as a single, "Sweet Brown Sugar" Skip Young who was back in Texas after an absence of many years, and George Weingroff who helped fill out the lower reaches of the card. Jules Strongbow was still around as well. Jose Lothario also still wrestled on an infrequent basis. More babyface reinforcements would arrive in the fall.  

From Close Friend to Devastating Enemy

In Killer Khan The Fabulous Freebirds possessed a very powerful ally. The mysterious man from Mongolia may have been the most vicious competitor in World Class Championship Wrestling. Khan never failed to backup the boys from Badstreet when they needed an ally against the likes of the Von Erichs and Devastation Incorporated.  More...