SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 18:53 Min.
Held at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion on December 13, 1988, this World Title unification bout would headline the AWA’s sole Pay-Per-View: the interpromotional SuperClash III. At the time, in addition to starring in his co-owned CWA outfit, Jerry “The King” Lawler doubled as the AWA’s World Heavyweight Champion. Opposing him this night would be WCCW’s multi-time World Champion, “The Modern-Day Warrior” Kerry Von Erich.
To stoke interest, Von Erich had recently lost and then regained his WCCW title from Lawler on their own perspective home turfs. Hence, the winner of their SuperClash III showdown would be declared the AWA’s Unified World Champion – presumably, as a dig upstaging WWF World Champion “Macho Man” Randy Savage and NWA World Champion “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
For this pivotal bout, Von Erich’s second would be WCCW promoter Frank Dusek. The ringside commentators are the AWA’s Lee Marshall and Ray “The Crippler” Stevens.
Along with a Lawler biographical career profile, this match is included on the WWE’s The Greatest Wrestling Stars of The ‘80s DVD set. It also is provided in the WWE’s The Spectacular Legacy of The AWA DVD set.
Note: It’s all about the acronyms. 1. AWA: Verne Gagne’s Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association. 2. CWA: Lawler’s Memphis-based Championship (or Continental) Wrestling Association. 3. WCCW: The Von Erich family’s Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling.
REVIEW:
The Von Erichs’ 22-year-old World Class franchise essentially ended at SuperClash III, if not on paper. However, an ultra-brawny Kerry Von Erich’s one-dimensional performance isn’t to blame. After evidently lacerating his arm with a hidden blade in his ring robe (during the pre-match introductions), Von Erich proceeds with a game effort against Lawler’s opportunistic villain.
While neither champion demonstrates much of a repertoire (i.e. lots of punches, trading single piledrivers, Von Erich’s ‘Iron Claw,’ Lawler’s brass knuckles, etc.), this bout is solidly constructed — up to a point. Hence, neither the WWF nor the NWA would likely lose sleep over this second-tier competition between rival World Champions.
Including repetitive teases, the match’s fateful miscalculation is its gory, cop-out finish. Curiously, the NWA’s Great American Bash ‘88 Pay-Per-View World Title bout between champion Ric Flair and Lex Luger had implemented a similar outcome only five months earlier. Inevitable blowback from NWA fans indicated that Luger’s eye-rolling disqualification (or submission) due to blood loss was a major turn-off. One visible difference is that Luger’s forehead bled minimally, as compared to Von Erich’s grisly head wound. Still, why would SuperClash III foolishly risk this same tainted ending?
One can reason out the tone-deaf justification. First, assuming SuperClash III was even a moderate success, then the show’s promoters cynically figured they would get away with it. Seeing an upset Dusek (along with a bloody Von Erich) protest to the referee during the match and afterwards definitely adds a semblance of real-world credibility. Then, having a straight-faced Lawler concur with the referee’s decision to ‘protect’ Von Erich’s health delivers the cheating winner’s insult after injury.
More so, a blood stoppage might have been the one dubious option that could be agreed upon backstage without anybody losing face. That means the various promotions involved wouldn’t care less, even if fans despised the ending. Regardless of any pride-driven motives, this Lawler/Von Erich title bout is still remarkably good. The drawback is having a satisfying and conclusive finish replaced by some ugly wrestling politics.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
Notes: Ironically, SuperClash III’s fallout surpassed its main event. For starters, the show’s dismal failure was threefold: it flopped both at the box office and on Pay-Per-View. Most significantly, its dire lack of revenue effectively halted future collaborations between Lawler’s group and World Class, among others, with the AWA.
Still, Lawler’s CWA and Von Erich’s World Class merged into what became the USWA (United States Wrestling Association) — an entity which Lawler would privately co-own with Jerry Jarrett. By early 1989, backstage animosity had abruptly stripped Lawler of his AWA World Championship. Even so, his Memphis-based USWA’s regional success continued, including a mid-90’s affiliation with Vince McMahon’s WWF/WWE.
World Class, after merging with and then later separating from the USWA, quietly closed in 1990. The Von Erich brothers, Kerry and Kevin, were reportedly among its last co-owners, along with Jerry Jarrett.
Lastly, Verne Gagne’s long-diminished AWA shut down approximately two years after SuperClash III. Per its bankruptcy, the company officially became defunct by August 1991.
