The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 11.02.85

The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 11.02.85

TWO EPISODES IN THE SAME WEEK? I’m on a kick, what can I say?

Taped from Shreveport, LA

Your hosts are Jim Ross & Joel Watts

Last week: The most tragic incident in MID-SOUTH HISTORY occurred, so Cowboy Bill Watts has levied the highest fine in MID-SOUTH HISTORY against Dick Slater. FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. That’s, iike, two days worth of cocaine money for Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer! Dick Slater is claiming that it was accidental, although the footage of last week reminds us that Mad Dog “accidentally” dropped an elbow on Duggan’s girlfriend and that’s a tough case to make as accidental contact.

Meanwhile, Jim Duggan laments his girlfriend getting beat up and elbowdropped, and he always pays his debts.

Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer v. Richard Dye

Boyd Pierce introduces the jobber as “Rick James” although he’s getting murdered anyway. Buzz finishes with the middle rope powerslam at 0:34. 0 for 1.

Ricky Gibson joins Joel in the ring, on his way through the territory and headed to a ski vacation. And yeah, he sounds EXACTLY like Robert Gibson. So Joel plays a Rock N Roll Express hype video from their days in Mid-South, and Joel expresses his regret that they were robbed of the NWA World tag team titles like they were. So Ted Dibiase interrupts this lovefest and buries the RNR, calling them a couple of losers who got beat by the Russians, and this brings out Wendell Cooley & Al Perez to continue being a thorn in Dibiase’s side.

Wendell Cooley & Al Perez v. Ted Dibiase & Steve Williams

Although the match is non-title, the loser has to wear aerobic tights and booties for 30 days, which is a weird progression for a title feud. Perez immediately goes for the german suplex on Doc, but it’s blocked, so Perez gets a bodypress for two instead. Doc tries a slam and Perez reverses for two and takes him down with an armbar, and the champs get a double dropkick. Dibiase comes in with a slam on Cooley and he pounds on him with chops in the corner, but Cooley monkeyflips him for two and they trade near-falls. Cooley comes back with a series of dropkicks to send Dibiase to the floor for a tantrum. Back in, Dibiase yanks Cooley’s hair from the apron to get revenge, and they double-team Wildcat in the corner for two. Doc throws him into the corner and Dibiase gets a backbreaker for two, and then hits another one for two. Doc with the bearhug, but Cooley headbutts out of that and escapes an elbow before making the hot tag to Perez. Perez runs wild and backdrops Dibiase, but Doc and Cooley collide and both land on the floor. Perez tries to suplex Dibiase, but Doc trips him up and Dibiase gets the pin at 6:12. So the tag team champions have to wear humiliating outfits for the next 30 days. Odd booking there, especially considering that the situation didn’t get any better for Cooley and Perez. Tremendous TV match though. 1 for 2.

North American title: Hacksaw Butch Reed v. Dirty Dutch Mantel

Dutch quickly attacks and lays out Reed with the gourdbuster, but the bell hasn’t run so the ref won’t count. Reed makes the comeback so I guess the match is now official, and Reed is throwing SOUP BONES before hitting the flying shoulder at 0:40. 1 for 3.

Dick Slater v. Steve Doll

Doll looks like a young Kerry Von Erich here, but the match is interrupted by Butch Reed, who hits the ring and threatens Dark Journey for “trying to be something she’s not” because he’s proudly black and she’s dating a white guy. “You know that black men don’t treat women like white men do when it’s comes to slappin’ on them!” This is the babyface, I’d like to remind you. And yes, the context of that threat to Dark Journey is exactly how it sounds. Reed offers up a free shot for Slater, who promises that he gave back the money that he took from Ric Flair because he wants no part of Butch Reed and doesn’t care if he wins the World title from Flair or not. So Reed calls him a liar and offers up another free shot if he’s got the guys, but Slater does not have the guts and continues protesting his complete innocence in this situation. Doll tries for a slam but Slater reverses to a samoan drop for the pin at 0:45. 1 for 4.

The Bruise Brothers v. El Corsario & Jerry Gray

Porkchop slugs away on Corsario, and Grey comes in and gets splashed by Boyd at 0:50. 1 for 5.

Meanwhile, we hear from Eddie Gilbert about his portrait contest, which you can still enter, and now Eddie has increased the essay portion to 50 words because the ladies were spending too much time on descriptions of one part of his body in the letters. Also they’re going to start calling him “Homewrecker” Gilbert because all the women are leaving their fat ugly husbands hoping to get a piece of him.

Hot Stuff Eddie Gilbert v. Jimmy Backlund

Gilbert has now changed his hometown from Lexington to “Every Woman’s Dream”. And yet he’s still not the biggest sexual predator in the ring. Gilbert backdrops Backlund and finishes with the hotshot at 1:14.

NEXT WEEK: Ric Flair is here to defend the NWA World title against the North American champion, Butch Reed, as we inch closer to the fateful November 16 episode!