Shamrock Skirmish (1980)

## Background

**Shamrock Skirmish (1980)** was Wrestle World’s third PPV event and the first in the Shamrock Skirmish chronology.

The Piranha had defeated his nemesis Star Boy to become the Television Champion in January at Super Duper Show, but had not yet defended the title. Memphis Prince became the number one contender for the belt by defeating Buck Bronco and El Presidente on the March 1 edition of Superstar Saturday, and had earned a victory over The Piranha in a tag team match on Weekend Wrasslin’. Their TV Title bout at Shamrock Skirmish would be their first one-on-one encounter.

The Van Winkle 3 (Damon, Devin, and Terry)  had made their debut as a trio a few weeks before Shamrock Skirmish, but Terry suffered an injury during that match that would keep him out of action for at least two months. In the time since, Damon had attempted to earn a Shamrock Skirmish Cruiserweight Championship match, but lost that opportunity to Michael T. Wolf.  Wolf had formerly been the champion before losing the belt to the current claimant, Skullgore. Wolf was thus looking to both reclaim his title and seek a bit of revenge.

The Blade Blasters (Buzzsaw and Lazer) had defended their Tag Team Championship against The American Heroes (Dangerzone and Warhawk) at Valentine’s Day Massacre, but that match ended inconclusively as a double count-out. A no-DQ rematch was announced for Shamrock Skirmish, with the stipulation to be determined by the winner of a singles match between Lazer and Dangerzone. Lazer won that bout, and The Blade Blasters later announced that the bout would be a steel cage match.

The biggest story leading into Shamrock Skirmish was Average Guy’s attempts to earn a match for the World Championship against Jet Set Strutter. Guy and Strutter were long-time rivals even before Wrestle World’s first event. After Strutter became the champion by cheating in a match against Guy and Memphis Prince on January 5, he repeatedly claimed he would never grant Guy a World Title match because he felt Guy was “unworthy.” Guy was scheduled to face Savai’i on January 19 (coincidentally, also at Empire Gardens) to determine the number one contender to Strutter’s title, but Strutter attacked him before the show, injuring his ankle and taking him out of the match. Even after Guy’s injury healed, Strutter refused to grant him a title match, accepting challenges only from other wrestlers. Finally, Average Guy defeated Dr. B at Valentine’s Day Massacre to become the number one contender, which would force Strutter to face him with the title on the line at Shamrock Skirmish.

## Matches

The show opened with fan favorite Memphis Prince challenging the crazed and animalistic Piranha for the Television Championship. Prince was eventually able to hit The Piranha with a piledriver to claim the title, his first championship in Wrestle World.

After that match, the Van Winkle 3 (Damon, Devin, and Terry Van Winkle) appeared to address the crowd. Terry thanked the fans for their continued support while he recovered from his hand injury, and Damon and Devin expressed interest in pursuing the Tag Team Championship. This promo took place near the entrance ramp as the cage was being assembled for the next match.

Up next, The Blade Blasters defended against The American Heroes in a Valentine’s Day Massacre rematch, this time inside a steel cage. The Blade Blasters retained the title when Lazer escaped the cage. Despite the hype leading up to this match, it was the worst received of the night, earning a single star rating.

As the cage was being dismantled, Ladies Champion Aurora gave a dramatic promo where she challenged anybody from the ladies division to try and take her title.

The next match was the villainous Skullgore defending his Cruiserweight Championship against former champion Michael T. Wolf. In a rare display for a babyface (but possibly owing to his unverified werewolf nature), Wolf was disqualified from the match for ignoring the referee and continuing to use illegal tactics against Skullgore.

In an unadvertised semi-main event, wrestling veteran Buck Bronco defeated rival Thumper Moore in a singles match. This bout was the highest-rated of the night at four stars.

In the highly-anticipated main event, Jet Set Strutter finally defended his World Championship against nemesis and fan favorite Average Guy. Strutter attempted several underhanded and illegal tactics throughout the match, but his efforts were thwarted by a determined Guy. With the advantage continually shifting between the two rivals, the match eventually ended when the time limit expired, resulting in a draw and a default title retention for Strutter.