Shoutout to (Not That) Tom Green for his WCW Deep Cut short on the topic
In 1994, having booked Chicago’s 18,000-capacity Rosemont Horizon for Spring Stampede, WCW revived the legendary Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat feud. It was smart business—after all, the two had lit the town up five years earlier at the Chi-Town Rumble.
But even the last-ever Steamboat-Flair pay-per-view match couldn’t fill even half the Horizon. To do that, brother, you’d need a true mega-star. Someone larger than life—immortal, even.
And his name was Danny Bonaduce….
…the Partridge Family actor who helped make the phrase, “former child star” a dirty word (three, technically).
Starting in the mid-80s, Bonaduce kept getting busted for drugs. Then, in 1991, he was arrested for beating up a prostitute.
And finally, in 1994, the lowest of the low: beating up other former child stars. Specifically, Donny Osmond. But no one was arrested for that fight…
…as it was a legitimate-ish boxing match.
Soon, Danny Bonaduce would be back in the squared circle with yet another former celebrity, none other than Peter Brady himself, Christopher Knight.
The place: Chicago’s Rosemont Horizon.
The time: before Spring Stampede went live, thankfully.
No footage of this match was known to exist until, three decades later, a fan recording was uploaded by a YouTube channel whose name escapes me.
Partridge vs. Brady
First came Christopher Knight, whom the crowd booed because he was from out of town. The turquoise bicycle shorts didn’t help, though.
Next came the crowd favorite, local DJ Danny Bonaduce, whose gear was just a bit more over-the-top.
First, he marched out in a horned “Viking” helmet and furs like the world’s littlest John Nord.
Removing that, he revealed a silk robe.
Beneath that, a fake Big Gold Belt. And under that, a personalized shirt and shorts, with tights underneath those. Was he gimmicked up or what?
This wasn’t the only bit of psychological warfare that Danny Bonaduce played on Knight; he also held up a picture of the Brady Bunch actors, presumably from a teen magazine, and ripped it to pieces.
This set Peter Brady right the eff off.
Christopher Knight kicked off the action by slamming Danny Bonaduce hard, then leveraging him to the mat. Could you say, Rookie of the Year?
Overwhelmed by the middle Brady boy, Danny Bonaduce took a powder.
The two 70’s TV stars then locked up again, but it was decidedly less groovy. Christopher attempted to give Danny an Irish whip…
…but they got lost along the way. Knight followed this up with a clothesline that wasn’t so much stiff as it was brittle.
Brady covered Partridge, but Danny kicked out and fled to the outside again. Couldn’t Danny Bonaduce go thirty seconds without taking a powder?
Knight smashed Bonaduce into the turnbuckles…
…but made a grave error attempting to go off the top rope. Christopher tried to make a big splash, but there was no water in the pool…
…echoing the famous Brady Bunch episode where Peter cracked all his ribs belly-flopping into the family’s empty above-ground unit.
The fallen child star then put the boots to the guy on the mat.
Next, Danny faked sportsmanship by offering a hand to Christopher, only to hook a kick to his face.
“Ow my nose!” thought Peter Brady, who must have had flashbacks to when he broke Marcia’s.
Though the ropes were clearly not his friend, Bonaduce nonetheless sent Knight for a ride…
…dropped an elbow, and pinned him 1-2-3.
Not content with the victory, Danny stomped his motionless opponent, who suddenly rose to his feet to cry foul to the referee.
Peter Brady clearly wanted his heat back…
…so he dumped Danny Partridge over the tope rope. These post-match antics didn’t do him any favors with the crowd, who chanted “Peter sucks!”
Finally, just when it looked like the two former actors would patch things up, one man had to ruin the moment. I’m not sure which man, exactly—it looked like Knight maybe tried to put Bonaduce in a headlock but then sold like he’d got his face raked.
Anyway, Danny Bonaduce hit another martial arts kick on Chris, then sort of pie-faced him and left…
…exiting triumphantly past his adoring fans…
…leaving the Brady Bunch star to do a walk of shame back to the locker room while fans told him to go to hell.
Knight never stepped foot in the ring again, but history would repeat for Danny Bonaduce, who in 2009 would wrestle Eric Young on the TNA Lockdown pre-show in exchange for radio promotion.