- Parade of Champions
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The WCCW Parade of Champions was a professional wrestling supercard promoted by Fritz Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling.
Contents
History
Fritz Von Erich came up with the "Parade of Champions" in 1984 as a way to honor his recently deceased son, David. Fritz called the first one the "David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions". At the inaugural event, Kerry Von Erich defeated Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, only to lose it back to Flair 18 days later in Yokohama, Japan. Over the next few years, he altered the names as tragedy repeatedly struck his family. The Parade of Champions is the most recognized event that World Class Championship Wrestling promoted and was an annual event from 1984 through 1988. There was another Parade of Champions supercard held in WCCW (then known as Big Time Wrestling) in 1972 and another in 1982 but it was rarely mentioned in the 1980s.
All Parade of Champions supercards were held at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas.
A wrestling organization out of Texas called NWA Southwest is running an event in late August, 2010, called Parade of Champions, which it claims is the "Longest Running Wrestling Event In Texas History Dating Back To 1972," but there is no true connection between this event and the legendary Parade of Champions cards that WCCW ran, other than the name.
Parade of Champions '72
Information Promotion Big Time Wrestling Date June 24, 1972 Venue Texas Stadium City Irving, Texas - El Santo and Jose Lothario defeated Terry Funk and Mr. Fuji.
- George Scott and Tommy Siegler fought to a time-limit draw.
- Lord Littlebrook (c) defeated Cowboy Lang to retain the NWA Midget Championship.
- Mil Máscaras defeated The Alaskan.
- Bearcat Wright won a 7-man Roulette match.
- Billy Red Lyons defeated The Spoiler (c) for the NWA American Heavyweight Championship.
- Stan Stasiak defeated Red Bastien (c) to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship.
- NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dory Funk, Jr. battled Fritz Von Erich to a 60-minute time-limit draw.
David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions
Information Promotion World Class Championship Wrestling Date May 6, 1984 Attendance 50,123 Venue Texas Stadium City Irving, Texas - Chris Adams and Sunshine defeated Jimmy Garvin and Precious.
- Junkyard Dog defeated The Missing Link by disqualification.
- Kamala (with Skandor Akbar) fought to a draw with Great Kabuki (w/Gary Hart).
- Butch Reed defeated Chick Donovan.
- Buck Zumhofe and Iceman King Parsons defeated NWA American Tag Team Champions The Super Destroyers (Bill & Scott Irwin) (w/Skandor Akbar) to win the titles.
- Kerry Von Erich defeated Ric Flair (c) to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
- Kevin, Mike and Fritz Von Erich defeated the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) for the NWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship.
Parade of Champions 2
Information Promotion World Class Championship Wrestling Date May 5, 1985 Attendance 26,153 Venue Texas Stadium City Irving, Texas - Kerry Von Erich (with Fritz Von Erich) defeated One Man Gang (w/Gary Hart) in a Hair vs. Hair match.
- Per the match stipulations, Hart had his head shaved. Fritz would have had his head shaved had Kerry lost the match.
- The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) defeated The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey) (w/Jim Cornette) by pinfall to win the vacant NWA American Tag Team Championship.
- NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair and Kevin Von Erich fought to a double countout.
- 12-man two-ring tag team match: The Von Erichs (Kerry, Kevin & Mike) & Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) defeated Chris Adams, Gino Hernandez, Rip Oliver, One Man Gang, Kamala and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams (w/Skandor Akbar and Gary Hart).
- Per stipulations, the winning team split $100,000 and the wrestler who eliminated the last wrestler won a brand new Lincoln Continental. Kevin Von Erich won the event with a spectacular dive from one ring over the ropes to another to pin Steve Williams. After the match, Gino Hernandez destroyed the windshield of the Lincoln Continental with a chain, with Chris Adams placing a boot on the destroyed windshield for good measure.
Parade of Champions 3
Information Promotion World Class Wrestling Association Date May 4, 1986 Attendance 24,121 Venue Texas Stadium City Irving, Texas - The Missing Link and King Parsons defeated One Man Gang and Skandor Akbar.
- Great Kabuki (w/Michael Hayes) defeated Mark Youngblood.
- Great Kabuki (with Michael Hayes) defeated Jerry Allen.
- Steve Simpson defeated Great Kabuki (with Michael Hayes).
- Great Kabuki was to have faced four wrestlers in this handicap match, one at a time. The fourth wrestler he was to have faced was Chris Adams. Michael Hayes began berating Adams after Simpson defeated Kabuki, prompting Adams to superkick both Hayes and Kabuki out of the ring.
- Chris Adams and Brickhouse Brown defeated John Tatum and The Grappler (w/Missy Hyatt).
- WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Brian Adias defeated Steve Regal.
- WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Rick Rude (w/Percy Pringle III) defeated Bruiser Brody by disqualification.
- Bruiser Brody defeated Terry Gordy in a barbed wire match.
- Sunshine defeated Missy Hyatt (w/John Tatum) in a mud match.
- Steve Simpson, Kerry Von Erich and Lance Von Erich defeated the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) (c) to win the WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Championship in a lumberjack elimination match.
- Lance won the match by pinning Buddy Roberts with the iron claw.
Parade of Champions 4
Information Promotion World Class Wrestling Association Date May 3, 1987 Attendance 5,900 Venue Texas Stadium City Irving, Texas - Matt Borne and Steve Casey defeated Black Bart and Jack Victory.
- Steve Doll defeated Killer Tim Brooks.
- Cousin Junior defeated The Grappler.
- Red River Jack and Spike Huber defeated Abdullah the Butcher and Eli the Eliminator (w/Gary Hart) to win a match for Jack against Hart.
- Red River Jack defeated Gary Hart by countout.
- Mil Máscaras defeated Al Madril.
- Skip Young defeated Brian Adias in a Lumberjack match.
- Bruiser Brody defeated Jeep Swenson (w/Gary Hart).
- Candi Divine won a six-woman Mud Pit Match.
- WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Kevin Von Erich battled Nord the Barbarian (w/Gary Hart) to a double countout.
- The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton & Tommy Rogers) and Steve Simpson defeated the Rock 'n' Roll RPMs (Mike Davis & Tommy Lane) and Eric Embry in a Scaffold match.
Parade of Champions 5
Information Promotion World Class Wrestling Association Date May 8, 1988 Attendance 7,000 Venue Texas Stadium City Irving, Texas - The Missing Link and Jason Sterling defeated Vince Apollo and The Angel of Death.
- Steve Casey defeated Eric Embry.
- Black Bart defeated Bill Irwin by disqualification.
- WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Terry Taylor defeated Chris Adams.
- "Triple Dome of Terror" Match: Terry Gordy defeated his former Fabulous Freebirds teammate Michael Hayes.
- "Triple Dome Texas Roundup" Match: Jason Sterling, Steve Casey and John Tatum won by defeating Angel of Death, Terry Gordy, Michael Hayes, King Parsons, Buddy Roberts, Jack Victory, Shaun Simpson and six others.
- Bruiser Brody and Kevin Von Erich defeated Buddy Roberts and a masked man (Solomon Grundy).
- WCWA Texas Tag Team Champions John Tatum and Jack Victory defeated Terry Gordy and Steve Simpson by countout to win the vacant Wild West Tag Team Championship.
- Kerry Von Erich defeated Iceman Parsons (c) to win the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship.
External sources
Categories:- World Class Championship Wrestling shows
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