Catching Up 

World Class roared out of a hot November with little settled. The Chris Adams vs. Kevin Von Erich feud that had dominated the fall months continued unabated. Terry Gordy’s feud with Devastation Incorporated also continued to rage. With Ric Flair returning for a visit, World Class Championship Wrestling had a busy December ahead of it in 1984. 

Big Name Talent Arrives 

Some big name talent joined World Class Championship Wrestling in December 1984, joining the already impressive roster. The only major departure was that of the PYTs, although with new talent coming in and others still to leave, World Class Championship Wrestling’s talent pool was somewhat in flux at this time, largely to the benefit of the fans. 

On the babyface roster Kerry, Kevin, and Mike Von Erich remained top dogs. The Fantastics also held a big place in the hearts of the fans. Sunshine was getting into the groove of things again and now had Billy Jack on her side. His signing was a major coup for World Class. Legal action from actor Tom Laughlin, who played the character Billy Jack in the movies, forced a change to the name Billy Haynes. The explanation from World Class was that the change was to honor his ill and aged father. As he became widely known soon afterwards as Billy Jack Haynes, we’ll refer to him as such. Terry Gordy, having made peace with the Von Erichs, remained to battle Devastation Incorporated and brought back Buddy Roberts for help. Others on hand included the soon to be departing trio of Iceman Parsons, Chic Donovan, and Buck Zumhofe. Jose Lothario still made the odd appearance. 

Chris Adams continued to reign as the top heel in the area with Gary Hart at his side as always. Gino Hernandez was still on top of the mountain and began teaming with Adams on a frequent basis, something that would have a big effect on future events. Jake Roberts was still on hand as well. Kelly Kiniski was still on the undercard. General Skandor Akbar’s Devastation Incorporated was still on hand with The Missing Link and briefly Killer Khan. New to the scene was Rip Oliver who like Billy Jack Haynes had made his name in the Pacific Northwest. The big hitters were The Midnight Express with Jim Cornette. They had reigned over Mid-South for a year and were clearly among the best tag teams and best managers in the game. Their presence instantly raised standards of World Class Championship Wrestling and provided The Fantastics with a natural foe.  

Tracking The Titles 

In December 1984 the title scene was fairly stable. Kerry Von Erich still reigned as American Champion. Gino Hernandez continued his impressive run with the Texas Title. The Fantastics controlled the American Tag Team Title. In Fort Worth Chris Adams maintained his remarkable hold on the normally tumultuous TV title. The one title that changed hands was the Six Man Title. Kerry, Kevin, and Mike Von Erich reclaimed the title on 12-31-84 in Fort Worth, regaining the title from Chris Adams, Gino Hernandez, and Jake Roberts. 

Feuds 

Chris Adams and Kevin Von Erich were still generating enough heat to burn down arenas. Kevin had responded well to his role as top babyface and Chris fit like a glove as top heel. Both men were really hitting their collective stride. Their bouts tended to start with some brawling, settle into wrestling, and then degenerate into even more brawling towards the conclusion. Speaking of brawls, that pretty much nails Terry Gordy’s feud with Devastation Incorporated. On other fronts Mike Von Erich moved towards a feud with Jake Roberts while the newly arrived Billy Jack Haynes battled Gino Hernandez. Kerry Von Erich didn’t have a natural foe within World Class, but Ric Flair ventured in to do battle with his old enemy. The Fantastics gained new rivals in The Midnight Express as the departed PYTs headed for Florida.   More...