21. The Thrilla' in Phila'

Complete story — includes the ending

Topanga asks Cory and Shawn to reflect on their past school year and name their biggest personal achievement for the school yearbook. Recognizing that they have accomplished absolutely nothing during their first year of high school, Cory experiences an identity crisis and yearns to make a name for himself. When a group of varsity athletes forcefully recruits Cory to fill a vacant lightweight slot on the high school wrestling team, Cory eagerly joins to secure a varsity jacket and elevate his social standing. While his father, Alan, is ecstatic over the athletic development, his mother, Amy, fiercely opposes the decision out of fear that Cory will be severely injured.The new trouble student, Griff Hawkins, and his lackeys use their extensive resources to capitalize on Cory's sudden athletic venture, hyping up his debut match into a massive, heavily marketed school spectacle. As the match approaches, a terrified Cory realizes he has nothing to prove and tries to back out, only to find the gym packed with an enormous crowd. Griff's theatrical promotion transforms the event into a professional-style wrestling match, featuring a special guest appearance by singer Robert Goulet to perform the national anthem, alongside a celebrity audience including Yasmine Bleeth and Frankie's real-life professional wrestler father, Vader (Leon White), guest starring as himself. Cory is forced into the ring against Joey, but the match takes a dangerous turn when Frankie is tagged in. Though Cory takes a comedic, painful beating, the event ultimately brings him closer to Topanga. After the match, a tender conversation between the two reveals their mutual romantic interest in each other for the first time in the series. Meanwhile, Eric and his best friend, Jason, audition to become high school cheerleaders solely to get closer to the female squad members, leading to comedic tryouts before they are ultimately rejected. Guest stars: Robert Goulet as himself, Leon Allen White as Vader, Blake Soper as Joey, Yasmine Bleeth as herself, Adam Scott as Griff Hawkins, Ethan Suplee as Frankie, Jared Murphy as Matt, Charles Carpenter as Savage, Kelly Packard as Candy Absent: Lily Nicksay as Morgan Matthews