Bunkhouse Stampede
01/24/1988
Not content to be the perennial challenger to the NWA World Heavyweight Title, yet rarely the champion, Dusty Rhodes needed a way to consistently keep himself in the spotlight as one of the guys in the promotion. There were short runs as NWA Television and NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, but Rhodes always seemed to feel he was better suited to the chase, rather than leading the pack. However, considering how often he fell short of gold, Rhodes needed something to put himself at least on the level of the champions within the company.
Thus, the Bunkhouse Stampede. Run from 1985 to 1989, it was a collection of battle royals held in a cage, with qualification for a final cage battle royal dependent on accumulating points across the qualifying matches. Wrestlers could be thrown over the top of the cage or through the door, and the wrestlers were dressed in bunkhouse attire – jeans and muscle shirts the way to go it seemed.
The pre-match focus is whether Dusty Rhodes can make it a third win in a row (seemingly neglecting the 85 version, which did have different rules), especially after having to defeat Black Bart, Bobby Eaton, Dick Murdoch and Nikita Koloff on New Year’s Day in the Omni to secure his spot. Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger, Animal, Ivan Koloff, the Warlord, and the Barbarian were the seven wrestlers who stood in Rhodes’ way. Animal was sold as the favourite, having won more Stampedes than anyone during the month; the fans seemed firmly in Lex Luger’s corner.
The contrived nature of the contest is always going to work against a match like this. As all eight walk around and strike each other with impunity, wrestlers wander up near the top of the cage for no real conceivable reason, other than to tease an elimination here or there. That a wrestler can be pitched outside the cage door doesn’t help much either, as it doesn’t feel natural at all.
The first moment to really get the crowd on their feet sees Luger wiping out the members of Jones’ army whilst Rhodes wails away on anyone moving with Blanchard’s belt. Whilst all the men are in the ring, there is a grouping off along rough feud lines; The Horseman attack Luger, the Powers of Pain beat down Animal, whilst Rhodes and Koloff are left to brawl on their own.
It is Koloff who goes first, thrown over the top of the cage by Animal. Just at it seems the Road Warrior is about cement his favourite status by sending the Warlord through the cage door, a Barbarian boot sends Animal out at the same time. Suddenly, the match is down to five. As the Barbarian keeps Rhodes downed by biting him, Blanchard and Anderson come close to sending Luger headfirst through the door. A melee ensues in the corner, with the end result seeing all three men fall out of the cage. In a matter of moments, not only have all but two of the men been eliminated, but arguably all of Rhodes’ main challengers for the victory.
That’s not to say that the Barbarian keels over and lets Rhodes win. A punch with a foreign object given to him by Jones leads to two top rope headbutts and Rhodes almost exiting through the door. It was never likely to be for him, though. Rhodes fights back, both men climb up to the top rope (…as you do) and two Bionic Elbows from Rhodes (with screams included for both) give him the third – or fourth – straight Bunkhouse Stampede victory.
Whilst at the time the allure for a wrestling fan of this match is clear, time has not aged it well. Lazy brawling, contrived rules and blood does not a good contest make. Still, at least Rhodes was able to put himself over once again in lieu of a sustained title reign. He might have struggled to put the big bronze boot he won on his mantelpiece though.
