Kevin Squeezes the Sass Out of Gino Hernandez

The interference of Stella Mae French at the end of the match denies me the clean finish I hoped for and thus robs us all of what might have been a flawless WCCW fight between two perfectly matched competitors in age, size, hotness, and heart: Kevin Von Erich, 6'3", 235#, and Gino Hernandez, 6'3", 240#. But the full two-minute bodyscissors that is the centerpiece of this 1984 contest (from EdgeNycTex's YouTube channel) stands as a testament to what I love about the glory days of WCCW, those twilight years before Gino's untimely death and the promotion's exit from the NWA--under the looming shadow of the WWF (later WWE).

Gino does everything he can to elude and hold off barefoot Kev, but when the Golden Warrior finally snatches him up between his powerful thighs, he won't let go, clutching and grinding the Handsome Halfbreed, making him pay for every bit of lip he had for years given to Kev and the entire Von Erich clan. It's the sort of extended mat work I am constantly pining for and base a good 80 percent of my fantasy life upon. Nobody worked his opponents quite as splendidly and satisfyingly as Kevin, and Gino sells every squeeze, twist, and spine-jangling stretch of the torment. In an act of desperation, Gino escapes by (foot fetishists, take a breath) biting Kevin's toes. But you can bet that noble Kev makes him pay--and pay hard--for that act of craven savagery.