1985 – THE RUSSIAN ARRIVES
In March of 1985, a young Russian arrived in Southern Championship Wrestling in the midst of the Cold War mania running over the United States. This 19-year old’s name was Vladimir Velikov. Velikov’s barrel-chested physique housed a brutal, powerful style of wrestling that overwhelmed the opponents put before him. Best known for his gravely-voiced interviews, Velikov’s debut came on an episode of SCW Slammers where he met a local talent by the name of Kevin Foster. Foster was beaten badly by Velikov, finished off with a kneedrop off the middle rope. After the match, Velikov used his heavy steel chain to brutalize Foster, choking him and dragging him around the ring until SCW security made the save. The fans’ hatred for Velikov was off the charts and he became an instant superstar.
One month later, Velikov’s string of brutality claimed another victim when he took on fan favorite “Showtime” Michael Mason. Mason, a spunky high-flying underdog, embarrassed Velikov when he scored what was considered an upset, plucking Velikov into a schoolboy rollup off a missed clothesline in the corner. Mason was celebrating his victory when Velikov struck from behind, blasting him with the metal chain. Velikov wrapped the chain around his fist, bloodying Mason in the process before he was finally dragged from the ring. The brutal assault was one of the worst ever seen on SCW television and it had fans whipped into a frenzy looking for a rematch.
Mason didn’t return to television for several weeks, giving Velikov plenty of chances to boast over his handiwork but when Mason did return, it was in shocking fashion. Velikov was scheduled for a showcase match against a masked man known as “Skyfire.” The Russian was in total control of the match when Skyfire released a series of high-flying moves that caught Velikov off-guard – making him easy prey for a top rope cross body press for a three count. Velikov was livid but got even angrier when Skyfire unmasked to reveal Michael Mason. With two victories over Velikov, Mason had put himself into position to challenge for “Mr. Electricity” Shannon Fields for the Southern Championship. The SCW Board of Directors scheduled the match for Memorial Day’s big arena event at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.
The big Memorial Day event was a raging success that saw The Wessler Brothers overcome a three-on-two match with the Dark Shadows and their manager, the mysterious Grand Cobra, to regain the Southern Tag Team Titles while incoming IWA World Champion Morgan Storm battled SCW fan favorite Ronnie Marsh to a bloody thirty minute draw. But when Mason and Fields hit the ring for the Southern Title match, the SCW fans were hotter than ever.
Fields dominated much of the match but Mason just kept fighting back, refusing to stay down. The wily Fields used his crossface chickenwing to great effectiveness, leaving Mason to fight with only one arm throughout much of the match. But Mason’s high-flying tactics knocked Fields off his game with a surprising top rope sunset flip coming very close to crowning a new champion. With Fields stunned, Mason locked in a sleeperhold – although with only one good arm, it wasn’t the best strategy. Fields battled the hold for several moments before he frantically began waving his arms. That brought the arrival of Vladimir Velikov who distracted the official just long enough for Fields to floor Mason with a low blow and pin him with a slingshot suplex. After the match, Velikov joined Fields in the ring and together, they beat down the popular Mason. Using his Russian chain, Velikov bloodied Mason badly once more as Fields continued to drop down punishment of his own. At the end of it all, Fields raised Velikov’s hand and the dastardly duo celebrated together.
In the weeks to come, Fields explained that he had purchased Velikov’s assistance and hired him as his personal bodyguard. Velikov seemed to have no issue with this arrangement even though it would seemingly preclude him from getting a shot at the Southern Championship. The duo worked together in tag team matches throughout June to great effectiveness until Velikov made a grandstand challenge for the 4th of July. The Russian challenged “any American” to come to the ring that night in Dallas, Texas to meet him. Rumors swirled over who would accept the challenge.
On the 4th of July, Fields successfully defended his title over a tough challenge from “Iron” Buck Allen before Velikov took to the ring and re-issued his challenge. It turned out that several competitors wanted to take up the challenge including fan favorites Eli Davis, “Hoppin'” Harry Hines, and even rulebreaker The Red Ninja. None were successful. With Velikov waving the Soviet flag back and forth in the middle of the ring, it appeared that the night was lost for the American people – until the sounds of the Marine Corps anthem filled the air. It was long-time rulebreaker “Bad Boy” Johnny Bass. Bass was carrying the American flag much to the shock of the crowd. Bass hit the ring and hit it hard, clearing out Fields before taking the fight to Velikov. The fight only went a few minutes before Bass hit the Bad Boy Buster (gourdbuster) and chased the Russian from the ring. The American flag flew high on that night but Velikov and Fields swore revenge.
SCW television was a hotbed of action over the coming weeks as Johnny Bass revealed that he had been in the Marine Corps fresh out of high school back in 1971 just narrowly missing being sent to Vietnam. Bass was proud of his military heritage as well as his country and couldn’t let Velikov get away with his actions on the 4th of July. A new hero was born in SCW. The fans fell strongly behind Bass – even moreso when he teamed up with Buck Allen to become the Southern Tag Team Champions on July 25th. Fields immediately issued a challenge to the new champions, claiming he wanted to become the first double champion in SCW history.
On August 13th, the tag match went down – Shannon Fields and Vladimir Velikov challenging Buck Allen and Johnny Bass for the Southern Tag Titles. The Charlotte, North Carolina crowd was crazed that night as these two teams threw the rules out the window, brawling all over the building. Eventually, the match was declared a double countout when the referee couldn’t get the squads back into the ring but the fans’ appetite for a rematch was strong. The Board Of Directors called for another match on Labor Day Weekend – this one conducted under Texas Tornado Rules.
The Texas Tornado match went along the same lines, brawling all over ringside and all over the building. But when a sneaky Fields managed to steal handcuffs from a security guard, he cuffed Bass to the ringpost while a double-teamed Allen fell to the rulebreaking duo. Fields and Velikov were the new Southern Tag Team Champions and the celebration was on.
The next episode of All Star Wrestling saw Fields and Velikov in a “victory parade” through downtown Atlanta. Fans lining the streets booed, jeered, and threw garbage at the duo en route to the television studios. Once there, Fields declared that they were the greatest tag champions ever… a claim that didn’t go over well with the duo known as the Rockin’ Rebels. The Rebels, seven-time Southern Tag Team Champions were returning from a two-year hiatus from SCW and had their eyes set on regaining the gold. However, the former champions, Allen and Bass, were looking for a rematch as well. The BoD called for a #1 contender tag team match for September 19th in New Orleans.
The tag match was a well-fought showdown that the fans were truly enjoying. Bass seemed ready to defeat “Dixie” Dale Sage with the Bass Breaker when Velikov appeared, jumping up on the apron. This sparked a brawl between Allen and Velikov at ringside that distracted Bass just long enough to get rolled up for a three count. The Rebels had won and were ready for their title shot.
That title shot took place on October 1st in Oklahoma City. The Rebels were on their game that night, showing exactly why they were widely considered one of the best tag teams in the world. Fields and Velikov were constantly on defense and were having trouble getting on track when a low blow from Fields turned the tide. Velikov tagged in and used his massive power edge to throw both Rebels around the ring with ease. Velikov powerslammed Sage down to the mat, ready for the middle rope kneedrop when a charging Bass arrived, grabbing Velikov’s foot. The interference gave just enough time for Sage to connect with a dropkick on the trapped Velikov, rolling him off the ropes into a cradle for a three count. The Rockin’ Rebels were eight-time Southern Tag Team Champions and the Russian was madder than ever at Johnny Bass.
With the tag titles out of the way, Bass and Velikov traded wins throughout the month of October all over the South but on November 3rd, Velikov used his steel chain to bloody Bass. Fields joined in on the attack and it seemed to be big trouble for Bass until Michael Mason charged in from the crowd, clearing the ring with a flurry of offense. Mason helped Bass to his feet and in a great moment for fans who witnessed Bass and Mason feud violently in 1983, shook his hand. Mason and Bass immediately formed a partnership and promised to put an end to Fields and Velikov on Thanksgiving night – SCW’s biggest night of the year – once and for all.
Come Thanksgiving night in the Omni, we had a double Main Event set. Shannon Fields defending the Southern Title against Michael Mason and Johnny Bass against Vladimir Velikov in the dreaded Russian Chain Match. In a controversial decision, the BoD put the Chain Match on last, going against years of tradition. It was an angry Fields the fans saw that night as he punished and tortured Michael Mason, using his vast array of submission holds to injure Mason. But when Fields went to procure the crossface chickenwing, Mason kicked off the buckles, rolling Fields up for a three count to become the new Southern Champion!
The Main Event was everything that fans thought it would be – a brutal, bloody war that left both men lying in pools of blood throughout the match. In the end though, Vladimir Velikov made a mistake, missing the middle rope kneedrop which allowed Bass to score with the Bass Breaker onto a pile of steel chain for a three count. A bloodied and beaten Bass celebrated in front of the roaring crowd, waving the American flag with one hand and holding the crimson-covered chain high in the air with the other. The two fan favorites were successful in their quest to defeat Fields and Velikov on Thanksgiving Night and went on to defeat the duo again in tag team action on Christmas Night.
A BATTLE WITH THE OUTLAW
On New Year’s Day 1995, Watkins made an immediate impact on the SCW by winning the Southern Title from the big Russian Vladimir Velikov in an impromptu match. This one win set off a bloody war between Velikov and Watkins that thrilled fans all over the South. SCW gained more and more ground on ICW by presenting a stronger overall product and on the 4th of July, ICW closed their doors – clearing the path for many of SCW’s former talent and staff to return to the SCW as well. The same night, Watkins lost a heartbreaking Russian Chain match to Velikov that forced him to leave SCW for six months. But just days later, SCW saw a new wrestler arrive on the scene… The Masked Outlaw – a character that would go on to be used elsewhere in the United States by other promotions as well. The Masked Outlaw would battle Velikov for the remainder of 1995, their matches getting more and more violent, until a steel cage match on Christmas night that saw the Outlaw reign supreme. And much like before, the Masked Outlaw disappeared days later… just as Watkins returned to SCW.