World Class Championship Wrestling Quiz

Answer: Big Time Wrestling

Looking to update their name and appearance, Big Time Wrestling became World Class Championship Wrestling in 1982. They kicked off the new name with a card at Texas Stadium, only drawing about 6,000 fans.

Answer: King Kong Bundy

When Bundy started his career, he was trained by the legendary Fritz Von Erich and went under the name Big Daddy Bundy. About six months into his career, Bundy turned heel, changed his name to "King Kong", and began a feud with his former mentor. Fritz defeated Bundy at the first World Class Championship Wrestling card held at Texas Stadium, pinning him in the end zone after applying the famous "Iron Claw".

This would be Fritz's retirement match, but he would return in later years to wrestle in tag team matches with his sons.

Answer: The Great Kabuki

An intimidating wrestler with a painted face, Kabuki also performed a pre-match demonstration with his nunchukas. Though he spent the majority of his career as a heel managed by the infamous Gary Hart, he did spend some time as a fan favorite battling his former manager in the mid 1980's.

Answer: Gino Hernandez

"The Handsome Half Breed" Gino Hernandez began his wrestling career at the age of 16. During his time in World Class in the early and mid 1980's, he simultaneously held the American Heavyweight Championship, American Tag Team Championship with Chris Adams, and the Six Man Tag Team Championship with Adams and Jake Roberts.

In 1986, shortly after he began feuding with his one time partner Chris Adams, he was found dead in his apartment of an apparent drug overdose.

Answer: 5

Fritz Von Erich (real name Jack Adkisson) buried five sons before his death on September 10, 1997. Fritz's first son, Jack Jr., was only 7 years old when he was accidentally electrocuted on the family farm in 1959. Twenty-five years later, in 1984, David died while on tour in Japan from what was reported as an intestinal infection.

After a bout with toxic shock syndrome robbed him of his size and strength, Mike committed suicide in 1987. Chris, the smallest and youngest of the Von Erich's, also committed suicide in 1991. Kerry, arguably the most popular of the wrestling family, lost a foot in a motorcycle accident causing him to develop a dependency on painkillers.

In 1993, Kerry committed suicide. Kevin was the only Von Erich son still living at the time of Fritz's death.

Answer: Precious

Precious was initially presented to Sunshine as her assistant. It didn't take long for the jealousy to erupt and Precious was promoted. It wasn't the last fans would see of Sunshine as she became the manager of several stars over the years, including Chris Adams, Hercules Hernandez, Billy Jack Haynes, and The Great Kabuki.

Answer: Bad Street USA

Michael Hayes, leader of "The Fabulous Freebirds", was an innovator of many things seen regularly in pro wrestling years after he did it first. Hayes was the first to use rock music for a ring entrance with Lynard Skynard's "Freebird". Though it is no longer uncommon for wrestlers to have specialized theme music, Hayes did it first with "Bad Street USA".

After going into semi-retirement in the late 1990's, Hayes (real name Michael Seitz) moved on to the World Wrestling Federation as announcer Doc Hendricks.

Answer: Rick Rude

"Ravishing" Rick Rude was the American Heavyweight Champion at the time World Class left the National Wrestling Alliance to go on it's own. Rather than hold a tournament to crown a world champ, the American titles name was changed to the World Class Championship Wrestling Association World Championship. Five months after the new organization started, Rude would lose the title to Chris Adams.

Answer: Montague County

The younger brother of Ken Mantell, Johnny (real name John Lusk) grew up near the small town of Bowie, Texas in Montague County. Described by many as an opportunistic wrestler, he wasn't the biggest or strongest but would make an opponent pay for a mistake.

Although very popular among fans, Johnny never rose above "midcard" status in World Class, mostly due to the fact that there was already an abundance of stars in the area. When World Class brought down its ring for the last time, Johnny moved on to the independent circuits, eventually becoming a heel under the name "Cowboy" John Mantell.

After his retirement, Johnny became a high school wrestling coach in Nocona, Texas, also located in Montague County.

Answer: Ricky Vaughn

After David Von Erich's death and Mike Von Erich's illness due to toxic shock syndrome, Kevin and Kerry were finding it hard to get by with only two brothers carrying the burden of the family name. Lance Von Erich was brought in and promoted as Fritz's nephew, a cousin to Kevin, Kerry, and Mike.

After several months, Lance vanished from the World Class scene. In a segment he taped for one of the weekly television broadcasts, Fritz read a letter from a viewer that asked if it was true that Lance was not really related to the Von Erichs.

In a rare show of frankness for the time, Fritz admitted that Lance Von Erich was not a Von Erich cousin, saying, "I believe his name was William." It was not revealed at the time exactly what problem arose to end the agreement between Vaughn and the Von Erich's, but Kevin would say in interviews years later it had to do with Vaughn's behavior in public contradicting the Von Erich image.

When Vaughn left World Class, he moved on to the Dallas based Wild West Wrestling under the name The Fabulous Lance.