River City Wrestling (since 1980)

March 1987
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8th Anniversary Spectacular

March 7, 1987
River City Wrestling #273
Fargo, North Dakota
 
Opening Bout:
Non-title Handicap Match
Steve Disalvo (/w Lisa Caress) defeated Dave Petro & Hawaiian Punch by pinfall when he pinned Petro after a piledriver at 4:14
-squash match
 
Promo;
Marty Goldstein comes out with a huge announcement for next week's St. Patrick's Bash at the Winnipeg Arena (which of course will also be on TV).
In addition to the huge 8-man tag match set up last week, there will be two grudge matches ~ inside a steel cage !!
First off, Vendetta gets a chance to get his hands on the most hated man in RCW, Manny Silva.
Second, Phillip Navarre finally will get a fair title shot at Steve Disalvo, because it like the Vendetta-Silva match, will be inside a steel cage !!
And those matches must be won by pinfall or submission, there is none of that strange cage escape thing.
Goldstein also announces that tonight's main event will feature Manny Silva stepping into the ring against a mystery opponent. All Goldstein will reveal about the opponent is that it is the first time he has been in an RCW ring, and that he may be even more crazy then Silva!
 
Bout #2
Shawn Cummings & Moe Malone defeated Rick Renslow & Dave Wagner by pinfall when Cummings pinned Wagner after a flying dropkick at 7:25
-competitive match, but just filler
 
Promo:
Miami Vice returns this coming Friday night with an all new episode "Red Tape". Tubbs searches desperately for the source of information leaks about future busts. Guest stars include Annette Benning, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Viggo Mortensen.
 
Promo:
WWF's Saturday Night's Main Event next Saturday, March 14th.
 
Bout #3
Owen Hart defeated Richard Charland by pinfall after a brainbuster at 6:30
-excellent first solo match for Owen in RCW. Not only did he defeat Charland but he had to beat both Guay and Rougeau off the ring apron with dropkicks. Charland then tried to catch Owen from behind but he moved and then caught Mr. Perpetual motion with a brainbuster for the win.
 
Interview:
Owen Hart says he is here in RCW to help out his friend Ben Bassarab and he see's why now after what just transpired. When Ron Strong asks Owen about their unwillingness to help out or be helped by Kid Gallahad and J.J. Funk, Owen just shrugs it off saying that's Ben's call, and he's just here to help a friend out.
 
Bout #4
Scott Hogg defeated Chris Markoff by pinfall after a spinebuster slam at 8:13
-hard fought contest with Markoff controlling most of the "action", and keeping the pace slow. Hogg was on the receiving end through most of the match until he finally turned things around at about 7 minutes and used his power to win the match in short order.
 
Interview:
The Longriders are interviewed and we are reminded of the upcoming 8-man tag match next week with the Longriders & England Sisters taking on the Russians. The stipulations of course are that if the Longriders team wins then the England Sisters will get a handi-cap match against Orca with the women's title on the line, but if the Russians win then the 'riders will have to travel to Russia to defend their tag belts against Zhukov & Markoff.
When asked point blank if Wild Bill is dating Tawney England, he just dances around the question which seems to annoy his brother who wants all the sordid details.
 
[end of first hour]
 
Bout #5
J.J. Funk & Kid Gallahad and Armand Rougeau & Neil Guay battled to a double countout at 6:29
-this match never really shook out as fair, with constant double teams and 4 man brawls. Finally it spilled out of the ring and referee Vic Gate seemed more then happy to expediate the 10 count and end this fiasco.
 
Post-Match:
Richard Charland joined Les Quebecois to make it a 3 on 2, and they held the advantage on the beat down for a minute until Owen Hart came in to even the odds, and the fan favorites drove the villians away.
 
Interview:
J.J. Funk and Kid Gallahad appeal to Owen Hart to join them in a 3 on 3 battle against Les Quebecois. Owen hesitates saying he is only here to help out Ben Bassarab. But after some persuading he says he will do it.
This brings out Ben Bassarab. He tells Owen that J.J. and Gallahad can't be trusted, their allegiances sway with the wind, and that's exactly why he called in Owen.
Hart considers this and is stuck in the middle. Finally he tells Bassarab that he is a big boy who can take care of himself and wants to team with Funk and Gallahad. Owen tells Ben he is acting like an idiot. Fine Bassarab says, but he wants in as well then to watch Owen's back.
With that Kid Gallahad challenges Les Quebecois to find themselves a partner and meet them in an 8-man tag match at next week's St. Patricks Bash.
 
Pre-Match:
Boyscout Richard Ryan is high on his success against Dave Petro and Hawaiian Punch the last 2 weeks, and calls out anyone from the dressing room to take him on.
The fans cheer loudly as number one contender Phillip Navarre takes up the challenge with an evil grin on his face.
 
Bout #6
Phillip Navarre defeated Boyscout Richard Ryan by pinfall with the coup de grace at 4:00
-glorified squash match
 
Interview:
Phillip Navarre is being interviewed and is confident that he can take the title from Disalvo. When asked if the steel cage favors a strong brawler like Disalvo, Navarre replies that it favors the challenger because the champion can't rely on help or fleeing. The interview is rudely interrupted by Manny Silva. The two almost come to blows but Navarre finally agrees to let Silva take over the interview as he was going to leave anyway to prepare for his title shot next week (which is salt in the wounds for Silva).
Manny Silva rants about how he is going to finish the job and kill Vendetta next week in a steel cage. He says he's a primitive animal, a mad dog, and fighting in a cage is exactly playing into his hands. He continues to rant but is abruptly cut off to go to commercial.
 
Promo:
Warner Brothers is proud to release to theatres this weekend, the sure fire hit "Lethal Weapon", starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. A veteran detective is partnered with a young detective with a suicidal death wish.
Two Cops. Glover carries a weapon..... Gibson is one. He's the only L.A cop registered as a Lethal Weapon.
 
 
Main Event
Mystery Opponent
Kamala defeated Manny Silva by countout at 6:21
-Silva actually looked frightened when the Ugandan giant came strolling to the ring as the mystery opponent, slapping his belly on the way.
Silva played a bit of hide and seek but to his credit tried his best to take the fight to Kamala. However, after a few minutes of brawling he was getting worn down and Kamala still looked good to go. Bleeding from the forehead and the arm, Manny Silva made a decision to abandon the fight and leave the ring. He was met halfway up the aisle though by Vendetta who slammed him into the guardrail.
 
Post-Match:
Vendetta went to work on Manny Silva, using the guardrail and a steel chair to further bust open the Hawaiian madman. He was a bloody mess by the time Vendetta let him crawl away on all fours.
 
Promo:
The show ends with a two minute promo to "Final Countdown" by Europe with clips of the rivalries involved. Two big 8-man tag matches and two cage matches should make this a great card to see.
 
That's it for another edition of River City Wrestling.
 
See ya next week for the big St. Patricks Bash!!
 

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March 14, 1987
River City Wrestling #274
Winnipeg, Manitoba
 
St. Patrick's Bash
 
Opening music, "The Final Countdown" Europe
There will be only 4 matches tonight, two in the first hour (both 8-man tag matches), and then two in the second hour (both steel cage matches).
 
Pre-Match:
Les Quebecois come to the ring (Richard Charland, Armand Rougeau, and Neil Guay). They reveal their tag team partner, saying he is not from Quebec and is not French, but like the French he comes from a culture of never say die, never retreat, never surrender. From the land of the Kamikaze, the land of the rising sun, Mr. Saito!!
 
Opening Bout:
8-Man Tag Team Match
 
Ben Bassarab, Owen Hart, Kid Gallahad, & JJ Funk
v
Richard Charland, Armand Rougeau, Neil Guay, & Mr. Saito
 
Charland begins things against Bassarab, and after a lock-up walks him over to Les Quebecois corner. They try and ambush him but Bassarab throws elbows stunning Rougeau and Guay. Saito however grabs Bassarab around the waist and pulls him hard into the corner, allowing Charland a running boot to the midsection. Tossing him out of the corner Charland goes to work on the TV champ before tagging out to the power man Hangman Neil Guay. Bassarab plays Ricky Morton for a couple minutes, before sliding over and tagging in Owen Hart.
Rougeau tags in Saito, and we have Saito and Hart locking up very cautiously. These two exchange everything but phone numbers with neither gaining a solid advantage and so they both tag out. Gallahad goes to work on Rougeau and then tags in Funk who presses the advantage. Charland has to make a save on a pin attempt and that creates an 8 man brawl.
During that brawl Funk is double teamed and is the legal man so his team immediately is at a disadvantage. Charland tags out to Saito who goes to work with a hammerlock with an armbar, a triangle scissor lock, and then a face first bodyslam which infuriates the fans. He goes for the pin but only gets 2. He looks like he wants to keep working on Funk, but Guay is aggressively calling for the tag so he tags out.
Guay stomps away at Funk, but misses an elbow drop, then goes for another, and once again there is no one home. Funk manages to tag out to Bassarab who goes to work on Guay with a boot to the midsection, a snap suplex, and then after Guay grabs his leg, an enzuigiri. He covers but Charland breaks up the pin attempt at 2.
Both men tag out and the teams spend a couple minutes cycling guys in and out of the ring with both teams making frequent tags that get the fans on the edge of their seat. It breaks down into our second 8 man brawl with the villians once again taking the upper hand. Kid Gallahad played Ricky Morton but Richard Charland, then Armand Rougeau were unable to finish him off. Gallahad made a spirited comeback, but after Rougeau telegraphed a back body drop and Gallahad caught him with a kick to the face, he made the mistake of going to the top instead of making the tag. Mr. Saito was able to shake the ropes enough to delay him, and Rougeau was able to toss Gallahad off the top rope. Rougeau tagged in Saito who nailed Gallahad with a Salto Suplex for the win.
 
Richard Charland, Armand Rougeau, Neil Guay, & Mr. Saito defeated Ben Bassarab, Owen Hart, Kid Gallahad, & J.J. Funk by pinfall when Saito pinned Gallahad after a Salto suplex at 15:36
 
Bout #2
8-Man Tag Match
 
Wild Bill Irwin, Scott Hogg Irwin, Tawney England, & Corrie England
v
Chris Markoff, Boris Zhukov, Yuri Gradienko, & Orca
 
Special stipulations for this match are that if the Longriders team wins then the England Sisters will get a 2 on 1 Handi-cap match against Orca next week with the Women's title on the line. However if the Russians win then the Longriders will have to travel to Russia to defend their tag belts against Markoff & Zhukov.
The main story of this match is that it is basically a 4 on 2, with the Longriders refusing to tag in the England Sisters a move they consider to be valiant, but that obviously is not liked by the Sisters who find ways of becoming involved anyway.
In the meantime the Russians see nothing wrong with tagging in Orca who holds her own against the men, and if anything it is Gradienko who is the weak link on the communist team.
After a while though the tag champs wore down, with Wild Bill inside the ring and Scott Hogg gasping for breath on the ring apron. So Tawney made the blind tag off of Bill's back and entered the ring against Markoff. Bill tried to protest so had to be put out of the ring by Jurgen Hermann the referee. Tawney took advantage of this to nail Markoff with a kick to the groin, followed by a bulldog. Getting back to her feet Corrie warned her just in time as Zhukov tried to nail her with a running clothesline. Tawney though ducked under and Corrie caught Zhukov with a boot as he enteted the corner. Gradienko then entered the ring but Tawney caught him with a flying arm drag, only to be pulverized by Orca.
Gate regained control of the ring and Tawney was in trouble. She almost got to a tag when Markoff did the same, but Orca managed to drag her back to the middle of the ring. She hit a splash on Tawney, went for the pin, 1, 2, pulled her opponent up!!
She went for another splash, but Wild Bill tripped her up coming off the ropes. This touched off an all participant brawl which saw Corrie fly off the top rope and take out Zhukov. Tawney managed a tag out to Wild Bill who caught Orca in a sleeperhold. The behemoth tried to slam Wild Bill backward into the corner, but all 3 of Wild Bill's teammates stood in the corner to soften the blow. Wild Bill then switched his hands and nailed Orca with a bulldog. The Russians tried to break up the pin but were taken out by Wild Bill's teammates.
 
The Longriders & The England Sisters defeated The Russians by pinfall when Wild Bill pinned Orca after a bulldog at 12:02
 
Post-Match:
Tawney and Wild Bill celebrate with a nice clinch and a kiss, which may end any doubts as to the nature of their relationship. Scott Hogg then asks Corrie for a kiss, and she obliges, but only with a peck on the cheek.
 
[end of first hour]
 
Video:
A video is played to "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne which alternates between the ring crew errecting the steel cage, and Vendetta, Phillip Navarre, Manny Silva, and Steve Disalvo preparing in the dressing rooms for their matches tonight.
 
Bout #3
Steel Cage Match
 
Vendetta  v  Manny Silva
 
Vendetta goes right at Silva as they enter the cage, attacking him before the bell. You can still see purple bruising around his neck from where Silva choked him between the top and middle ring ropes. The Haitian tosses Silva off the steel cage, then rakes his forehead across it busting Silva open in the second minute of the match.
Not satisfied with this Vendetta nails Silva with a shoulder jawbreaker and as Silva lie on his stomach, head bleeding, he spits out what looks to be a tooth, and some blood from his mouth. Vendetta pulls him up by the hair but the tough Hawaiian sees red and fires back with an elbow to the gut of Vendetta, then a neckbreaker. Both men recover and then go at each other with punches and kicks.
Silva takes control of the match and uses the steel cage to bust Vendetta open. He nails a piledriver and his  pinfall only comes short of victory by a tenth of a second. He argues with Vic Gate over a perceived slow count which allows Vendetta to catch him with a diving clothesline. Vendetta attacks now with knife hand chops to the bloodied forehead, a rope rake, a pumphandle slam, and then a faceslam, rubbing Silva's head on the mat leaving a gruesome blood stain.
Vendetta comes off the top buckle with a flying shoulderblock and gets a 2 count. He goes for it again, but this time Silva moves out of the way, then locks on a crossface chickenwing.
Vendetta manages to get a rope break but Silva is back in control of the match. He nails a reverse russian legsweep, a reverse knee face driver off the 2nd buckle, and a belly to back suplex for a 2 count.
Frustrated Silva goes for another piledriver but this time Vendetta backflips him. Vendetta comes off the ropes with a baseball slide catching Silva in the face. He covers for a 2 count. The Haitian then follows up with a front suplex, holds on, picks Silva up and nails him with a swinging neckbreaker. He covers, 1, 2, foot on the ropes.
Vendetta changes tactics going to submission moves first trying a full nelson, then a cobra clutch but Silva refuses to be beaten. The two men exchange punches and kicks, and when Vendetta goes for another neckbreaker Silva pushes him off into the steel cage and then back drops him. Silva then catches him with a football tackle and follows up with some mounted punches. Vendetta's head bounces off the canvas with every punch. Silva then scoops up Vendetta on his shoulders and runs him head first into the cage wall. He follows up with an airplane spin tossing Vendetta's body off at the end bouncing him off the steel cage once again.
With a look of carnage on his face Silva wrapped the top and middle ropes around Vendetta's neck, trying once again to choke him out with this very dangerous move. Referee Vic Gate would not stand for this and applied a quick count and made Silva break. Silva though was a man who was not going to be denied, applying choke holds until Gate made him break. He then applied a sleeperhold and kept moving the forearm down to choke his opponent. Vendetta was basically out on his feet. Silva nailed a wheelbarrow suplex but didn't go for the pin despite Gate telling him to do so. Silva nailed a second wheelbarrow suplex and then stood over Vendetta who was not moving.
Mad Dog Manny Silva then pulled Vendetta up by the hair and put the sleeperhold on. Gate immediately called for the bell.
 
Manny Silva defeated Vendetta by referee stoppage at 14:40
 
Post-Match:
Vic Gate did his best to shield the unmoving body of Vendetta from further attack by Manny Silva who clearly had lost his mind. Silva continued to try and get at Vednetta until more wrestlers and officials arrived on the scene, and the cage could be opened for their intervention.
Vendetta was removed from the ring in a somber moment on a stretcher, with a paramedic using a towel to clean the face of the fallen man, the white of the towel quickly turning blood red.
 
 
Main Event
RCW Heavyweight Title Match
Steel Cage Match
 
"Strangler" Steve Disalvo (/w Lisa Caress) (champion)
v
Phillipe Navarre
 
Navarre started strong with some offense, but by the third minute of the match he was getting physically beat down by the bigger, meaner champion. A series of axhandles to the back, followed by a reverse chinlock, then a neckbreaker had the champ in control.
Disalvo kept pressing his advantage but didn't get Navarre to the state of being beaten, with the determined Frenchman doing enough to keep it going. The first big turning point in the match occured during a referee knockdown, with Buddy Lane down on the mat, Lisa Caress tried to distract Navarre. When Disalvo charged though the challenger moved out of the way, and Disalvo went head first into the cage wall. When he got up Disalvo was busted wide open.
Navarre went to work on Disalvo, driving his knee into the shoulder repeatedly, before putting him in an armbar, wrenching the arm away from the shoulder. He tried for a shoulderbreaker but couldn't control the big Disalvo and both men went down in a heap.
The challenger then went after the knee with a crucifix kneebar, and then a pair of kneebreakers. He came off the ropes and nailed the hobbling champ with a clothesline. He tried for a second one but this time the champ extended his elbow and caught the challenger in the face.
Disalvo spent his advantage recovering instead of pressing, and the two locked up in the middle of the ring. Navarre went with a duck around, ducked a couple of elbows, but when he tried for a belly to back, the champ used his leg to block it, then gave the challenger a quick and undetected mule kick to the groin. He then tried for a DDT but Navarre pushed him off, right into Buddy Lane who went down for the second time in the match.
The fans jeered as Mad Dog Manny Silva came down to the ringside area with a fire extinguisher. He pushed Lisa Caress to the ground, walked to the announce table and took the RCW heavyweight title belt. Throwing the belt to the ground he smashed at it with the edge of the extinguisher. By now both Navarre and Disalvo were distracted standing at the edge of the cage yelling at Silva.
Manny turned to them and turned the fire extinguisher on them, spraying a cloud of chemical fog into the ring! You could barely make out as the two competitors bumped into each other, and then you could see Disalvo nail Navarre with a DDT. By now referee Buddy Lane had stirred, and from a few feet away counted a slow, 1, 2, 3 !!!
 
Steve Disalvo defeated Phillip Navarre by pinfall after a DDT at 13:35
[Steve Disalvo retained the RCW Heavyweight Title]
 
Post-Match:
Even though he won, Steve Disalvo looked mad enough to have been a beaten man. He helped his valet off the ground, then retrieved his damaged title belt. Silva had taken off by now and Disalvo was enraged.
 
That's it for this special edition of River City Wrestling.
 
See ya next week!!

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March 21, 1987
River City Wrestling #275
Brandon, Manitoba
 
Opening Bout:
Shawn Cummings defeated Jeff Gillies by pinfall after a flying dropkick at 4:41
-squash match
 
Promo:
Marty Goldstein comes out to give us a few updates from last week's card, and he doesn't look happy.
First of all he says that Vendetta is injured. He suffered a concussion at some point in the match and wrestled with that condition, a very serious and unfortunate occurence which can result in brain damage. There is no time frame available right now as to when he will return.
In regards to that he would love to suspend Manny Silva both for his actions against Vendetta, as well as interrupting and corrupting the title match, but also for his vandalism of the RCW Heavyweight title belt that not only belongs to Steve Disalvo, but really belongs to all the fans and wrestlers in River City Wrestling. However, the fans themselves, as well as Phillip Navarre and Steve Disalvo have come forward and demanded that Silva pay for his transgressions the River City way ~ in the ring. So it shall be. It was a hard decision whether to put Silva in a ring tonight against Disalvo or Navarre. However, he does not want to reward Silva for his actions, and Navarre did lose last week, no matter how tainted. So the decision is that in tonight's main event there will be an "Anything Goes Match" between Phillip Navarre and Manny Silva, with the winner to become the #1 contender for Disalvo's Heavyweight Title. Finally Goldstein warns Disalvo to stay out of this match or he will be stripped of his title.
 
Bout #2
Boris Zhukov defeated Moe Malone by pinfall after a headbutt at 6:08
-pretty competitive match, and its not often that Zhukov is out muscled as was the case in this one. However, Zhukov used that freakish big, hard head of his to be the deciding factor in the match.
 
Interview:
In his best broken English Boris Zhukov explains that Chris Markoff has been sent back to the satellite Yugoslavia where he belongs, and that he was not really a Russian, which is why they lost last week. Zhukov says he will be better off on his own and still has the support of his homeland, the Kremlin, and the KGB.
 
Promo:
Last week Warner Brothers took the #1 spot at the box office with the buddy cop film "Lethal Weapon". Will that hold the top spot for a second week or can Warner Brothers take the top spot for the second straight week with a new movie.
"Burglar" starring Whoopi Goldberg & Bob Goldthwait. A first rate comedy about a second story woman.
 
Bout #3
Richard Charland & Armand Rougeau defeated Brent Heeter & Dean Dobbin by pinfall when Charland pinned Heeter after a piledriver at 5:50
-squash match, first time on TV for the local Manitoba boys Heeter from Roblin Manitoba, and Dobbin the real local boy from Brandon.
 
Interview:
Les Quebecois Charland and Rougeau are joined by their third member Neil Guay. They say they are still going after Bassarab's TV title but they also have a new goal, the tag titles held by the Longriders.
 
Bout #4
Kid Gallahad & J.J. Funk defeated Yuri Gordienko & Ivan Gorky by pinfall when Gallahad pinned Gorky after a Gallahad Lance at 7:03
-competive match, but the Russians just were no where near the athletes of their opponents, especially Gallahad.
 
Interview:
Gallahad & Funk also throw their names in the hat to be considered as top contenders for the tag belts held by the Longriders.
 
Promo:
On Tonight's Evening News:
- Jimmy Carter's controversial visit to Syria, and his criticism of President Reagan's middle East policy
- Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger's claim that early deployment is feasible despite previous indications to the contrary; the Star Wars program
-Controversies surrounding Governor Evan Mecham (Arizona) since he took office in January reviewed; cancelling Martin Luther King Junior holiday, soliciting lists of homosexuals in state government in order to fire them
-Contribution to evangelist Oral Roberts following his threat to die unless funds were raised
 
[end of first hour]
 
Bout #5
North American Women's Title Match
Handi-Cap Match
 
Orca defeated Tawney & Corrie England by disqualification at 7:16
[Orca retained the North American Women's Title]
-it's a good thing there were two of them, as even then the match was pretty even throughout, although as predictable the champ began to wear down. However the behemoth Orca was too much and took over the match against Tawney England. She hit her with a splash, and would have got the pinfall but Corrie entered the ring to break it up. She hit another splash, another break up. A third splash, and this time as soon as she stepped foot into the ring, referee Jurgen Hermann had seen enough and called for the bell disqualifying the England Sisters.
 
Interview:
TV champion Ben Bassarab is interviewed. His new attitude, with more of an edge continues. He admits disapointment that Kid Gallahad was pinned to lose the 8-man tag match last week, but that's why he likes single wrestling better, he only has to rely on himself. In light of those comments, Ron Strong asks about his involvement with Owen Hart and whether that will continue. Bassarab gets agitated, saying that he hears that the next match in the program will be a #1 contender match for a shot at his TV title, and that the competitors will be Mr. Saito and Owen Hart. He says it doesn't matter who wins it, friend or foe, no one is taking this TV title from him.
 
Promo:
WWF presents WrestleMania 3 from Pontiac, Michigan. Be part of history as the WWF sets a new indoor attendence record, and champion Hulk Hogan meets his biggest, greatest, and most personal challenge yet in the 8th Wonder of the World, Andre the Giant!!
 
Bout #6
#1 challenger match for TV title
Mr. Saito defeated Owen Hart by pinfall after a Salto suplex at 8:23
-very good match, lots of back and forth and Hart surprised the fans as he didn't seem to mind initiating brawls both inside the ring and outside. One has to wonder though if this did not feed right into the hands of Saito who won the match with his finisher.
 
Video:
Highlites of the Longriders, The England Sisters, Ben Bassarab, and Kid Gallahad are shown to the song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship.
 
Interview:
RCW Heavyweight champion Steve Disalvo is so upset, that he can't even string together a complete sentence. After several failed attempts he lets his valet Lisa Caress speak instead. Lisa shows the camera the damage that was done to the RCW heavyweight title belt by Manny Silva, as well she says she has a bruised butt but won't show the fans that.
Disalvo finally able to compose himself enough to speak properly says he is mad that it is Navarre, the French loser, who gets his hands on the Hawaiian Punch Drunk Silva first. Disalvo says he calls himself Mad Dog, but he's going to take him to the pound, neuter him, and turn him into a wimpering poodle. Lisa gives him a hug to make him feel better.
 
Main Event
#1 Contenders Match
Anything Goes Match
 
Phillip Navarre  v  Manny Silva
 
Silva tries to attack Navarre as he enters the ring but the Frenchman is ready for it, tripping Silva and pulling him out of the ring. Outside they brawl, and Navarre throws Silva into the guardrail. They continue to brawl outside the ring, all around the announce table.
Finally when the match goes back inside Navarre pushes his advantage with a series of running clotheslines, then an elbowdrop from the second rope. After he only gets a two count, he leaves the ring and comes back with the ring bell. He climbs to the second rope again coming off, but Silva puts a boot up and drives the ring bell right back into the face of Navarre, who is momentarily knocked out.
Silva manages to get to his feet first and jams the ring bell into the gut of Navarre and then clocks him with a sweeping motion in the side of the head. The force of that blow knocks Navarre out, and he falls over the second rope.
Silva then takes the top and middle strand and goes for his dangerous and patented choke with the ropes. Even though it is anything goes referee Vic Gate steps in and stops Silva from doing this. This gets Silva extremely mad, but when he pushes Gate, the ref pushes back and warns him he'll throw the match out.
By now Navarre is recovering and the two men brawl again, first inside the ring, then outside, then into the crowd, then into the aisle way. They brawl all the way to the back, where they disappear from the view of the crowd and cameras for about 15 seconds.
When they come back Navarre has Silva in a fireman's carry and the Mad Dog's head is busted wide open!! Navarre carries Silva to the ring and rolls him back in. He goes for the pin and gets 1, 2 Kickout!!  Navarre whips Silva to the buckle, nails a backbody drop, gets another 2 count. He then goes for the coup de grace but Silva blocks it sending Navarre to the buckle. The two men collide and go down hard. Silva is up first and catches his opponent with a running kneelift. Next he nails a German suplex, then his wheelbarrow suplex finisher. Vic Gate counts 1, 2 Kickout!!! Silva complains about a slow count, and he may have a point as it was a bit slow and Gate appears to have taken an unprofessional disliking to the Hawaiian. Navarre battles back with punches but Silva catches him with precision in the throat, then works the kidneys, before dropping Navarre to his knees with a kick to the back of the leg, and then gives him a bulldog the rest of the way down.
He follows up with a hotshot, and then applies a triangle choke. Navarre manages to reach the ropes but Silva refuses to break the hold. Finally he breaks under threat of the match being thrown out.
Silva then bodyslams Navarre to the mat. He gets the ringbell again, climbs to the top rope, his face a crimson mask, and comes off driving the ring bell into the throat of Navarre.
He covers, but there is no ref to count!!
Vic Gate has slid out of the ring, throwing his arms up in disgrace, and walks out!!
Manny Silva is stunned, and doesn't know what to do.
 
No contest ??? 13 minutes or so???
 
Silva lets his guard down, and pays for it as Steve Disalvo comes from the audience into the ring and nails Silva with a running clothesline from behind. He follows up with a second running clothesline, and then a piledriver for good measure. He calls for his title belt which Lisa Caress passes to him, and then he drives it into the head of Silva.
The champ stands there with a mixture of cheers and jeers, damaged title belt held high, and his top two challengers both laid out and bleeding.
 
That's it for another edition of River City Wrestling.
 
See ya next week!!!

orangedivider.gif

March 28, 1987
River City Wrestling #276
Lethbridge, Alberta
 
Opening Bout:
Non-title Match
The Longriders defeated Tony Leone & Jack Kruger by pinfall when Wild Bill pinned Kruger after a superplex at 5:20
-squash match
 
Promo:
Marty Goldstein apologizes to fans for what happened at the end of last week, with the referee Vic Gate walking out of the match and refusing to count the pin for Manny Silva.
Despite Silva's actions which have been terrible, he deserved to have won that match, and so Goldstein is making him the #1 contender. He will get his title shot against Steve Disalvo in tonight's main event.
Furthermore, all attempts to contact Gate have been unsuccessful so he is officially fired, which brings RCW back to two officials, Buddy Lane and Jurgen Hermann.
 
Bout #2
Premiere of Bobby Bold Eagle & Sunny War Cloud
Bobby Bold Eagle & Sunny War Cloud defeated Dave Wagner & Rick Renslow by pinfall when War Cloud pinned Renslow after a double tomahawk at 7:11
-Eagle & War Cloud are the stereotypical native pro wrestlers including coming to the ring with a headress of feathers and doing the little rain dance before the match. Wagner and Renslow gave them all they could handle in a very competitive match.
 
Bout #3
Moe Malone defeated  Sonny Rodgers by submission to the bear hug at 4:45
-squash match
 
Bout #4
Boris Zhukov defeated Shawn Cummings by pinfall after a headbutt at 6:40
-Cummings had his moments but he is still a step below the level of a Zhukov.
 
[end of first hour]
 
Pre-Match:
Ron Strong is joined by Owen Hart. Hart has a plaque that he wants to present to his good friend TV champion Ben Bassarab. The TV champ comes out to accept. Hart says the occassion is that Bassarab has hit the one year mark as TV champ. The two shake hands and Bassarab thanks Owen for the "recognition". He also reminds Owen, and the fans, that he is the only 3 time TV champion. His lack of humility doesn't really go over well with the fans.
Mr. Saito comes out with Hangman Neil Guay. Mr. Saito is the #1 contender for the TV title having beaten Owen Hart last week for that honor. Guay and Saito generally menace the duo, until an impromptu tag match is created.
 
Bout #5
Ben Bassarab & Owen Hart defeated Neil Guay & Mr. Saito by pinfall when Owen pinned Guay after a necksnap from the top rope at 10:20
-Mr. Saito had more the dismeanor of a guy wanting to scout out and dissect the TV champ Bassarab then someone who wanted the duke. Guay worked the majority of the match and wore down quick against the two dynamic opponents.
 
Bout #6
#1 contenders match
Armand Rougeau & Richard Charland defeated Kid Gallahad & J.J. Funk by pinfall when Charland pinned Gallahad after a piledriver at 11:16
-excellent, high octane match, with plenty of quick tags and a fast tempo for all 11 minutes plus. In the end a bit of double teaming helped Les Quebecois overcome their worthy opponents to take the title shot
 
Interview:
Les Quebecois, Charland, Rougeau, & Guay of course promise to take the titles from the Longriders, who they say are the protected golden boys of pro wrestling, just like the English speaking politicians of Alberta.
 
Main Event
RCW Heavyweight Title Match
Steve Disalvo (champion) (/w Lisa Caress)
v
Mad Dog Manny Silva
 
Not surprisingly this match started with a torrid pace of punching and kicking. Disalvo got the better of the challenger and went to work with knee lifts, more punches, kicks, a bodyslam, a backbreaker, and an elbowdrop from the 2nd buckle for a 2 count. He thern put Silva in a painful standing surfboard, before trying to finish him off with a DDT. But Silva was able to grab the top rope to avoid the DDT. Silva fired back now with punches, kicks, a bodyslam, a brief armbar, then more punches and kicks. He nailed the wheelbarrow suplex but Disavlo was a bit too big to hit it cleanly, and so it didn't have full impact, and the champ kicked out after a 2 count. Disalvo then took over repeating much of the offense he already displayed. This time he went for a piledriver finisher only to have Silva counter with a backbody drop. Silva then repeated most of he offense he had already shown.
This time as Silva was pressing a masked man wearing black jeans and a white sweater came down to ringside. This distracted referee Buddy Lane, then Manny Silva. After a couple minutes of this distraction Silva finally left the ring to confront the masked man who looked like a pretty big hombre on his own, a bit taller then Silva and about the same weight. After the masked man stared him down and refused to leave Silva began throwing punches. But the mysterious man fired right back with punches, and an elbowsmash right between the eyes, followed by an atomic drop, then a clothesline. By this time Lane had called for the bell.
 
No Contest at 10:18
[Steve Disalvo retains the RCW Heavyweight Title]
 
Post-Match:
Looking like his work was done the masked man began walking away. Steve Disalvo let his guard down, taking the title belt and arrogantly displaying it to the crowd. The masked man quickly returned, entering the ring, and sucker punched Disalvo from behind. He laid in a couple more punches, then nailed the champ with a piledriver.  The mask stayed on as the show ended.
 
That's it for another edition of River City Wrestling.
 
See ya next week!!!