The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 04.10.82
Taped from Shreveport, LA
Your hosts are Boyd Pierce & Cowboy Bill Watts
Meanwhile, back in February, Ernie Ladd finds himself betrayed by Afa and Sika, as Skandor Akbar debuts the One Man Gang and they put a whuppin’ on Ernie and write him off TV for a while. Then, later in the show, the Samoans beat JYD and Mike George and win the Mid-South tag team titles with help from new manager Akbar. But now with Ladd back, he’s facing the Samoans in a tag team match next week, and he’s got a mystery partner!
One Man Gang v. Mike Boyer
I should note that Gang is still wearing his old “CB” tights, from when he was Crusher Broomfield. Gang bounces the jobber for a bit and gives him the two handed choke before beating him down with clubbing forearms. Big splash finishes at 1:31. 0 for 1.
The Samoans v. Iron Mike Sharpe & Buddy Landell
Akbar DEMANDS to know who Ladd’s mystery partner is going to be, but he gets no satisfaction from ring announcer Reecer Bowden. I mean, did he think that the guy knew? Watts goes over the suspects for the mystery man, although he notes we know it’s not JYD. The Samoans are unable to overpower Sharpe, and Mike takes Afa down and works on the arm, and Buddy comes in and continues on that as the camera is unusually pulled out for this one. Sharpe runs Afa into the corner and continues cranking on the arm. Sika comes in and they keep beating on his arm, but Sika hits Buddy in the throat with SAMOAN KARATE and Buddy has to run back to the corner and bring in Iron Mike. He runs the Samoans together, but misses a blind charge on the second try, which prompts Cowboy to give my advice: NEVER REPEAT THE SPOT. Buddy gets another tag and runs wild for a bit, but he runs into a clothesline from Afa on the apron, and Sika finishes with the samoan drop at 5:50. Just a solid little tag match. 1 for 2.
Ernie Ladd joins us, and he’s still not telling who the mystery partner is, but it’s time to start beating on some heads, starting with Akbar, who tries to interrupt the interview and gets walloped. The Samoans come in for the sneak attack, but Ladd cleans house on them with the help of the Assassin, who makes his return and is presumably the mystery partner. Afterwards, Ladd reveals that he laid a trap for the Akbar stable and there will be no more shenanigans! Well let’s not say anything we can’t take back.
Coco Samoa v. Tully Blanchard
Bill Watts notes that “the good book” says that you reap what you sow, and Akbar is learning that lesson. Did Lou Thesz write about that in “Hooker”? That was a pretty good book. Coco takes Tully down with an armbar and works on that while Watts notes that JYD ran the Freebirds RIGHT OUT of Mid-South. Hopefully they can regroup wherever they wind up. Tully reverses to a headlock and then drops a knee on Coco to take over before putting him down with a back elbow and backbreaker for two. Tully with a chinlock, but Coco fights out with elbows and Tully begs off and then suckers him in before throwing him out to the floor. Coco comes FLYING in with a springboard sunset flip, but that only gets two, and Tully drops him with a stungun and then suplexes him to finish at 5:07. That was an AWESOME finishing sequence. 2 for 3. This was the first time that Tully really got to shine on TV and started to look like a star.
Junkyard Dog v. Wayne Ferris
Sadly this is the end of Ferris in Mid-South, as he left for bigger and better things right after. It’s crazy that Ferris made such a drastic transformation, because he was looking like the Boogie Woogie Man at this point with his long bleached blond hair. Ferris dramatically claims hair pulls and hides in the ropes while Watts talks about how Dog grew up in the ghetto, where you had to fight for your milk money. Yeah, “milk” money. That’s the ticket. Ferris catches Dog with a cheapshot in the corner for two, but Dog makes the comeback and finishes with the Thump at 3:05. And that was his Mid-South career, as he left for Alabama and became the Honky Tonk Man by the end of the year. 3 for 4.
Bob Roop v. Jesse Barr
Barr takes Roop down with a single leg into a takedown, and then catches Roop in a roll and wraps him up on the mat until Bob makes the ropes. Roop tries to monkey flip him, but Barr counters him into a cradle on the mat and nearly gets the flash pin off that. So Roop slugs him down and follows with a backbreaker before going to an abdominal stretch. But Barr reverses that, so Roop runs him into the corner and gets two. But then Barr gets a bridging german suplex for two and Roop has to hide behind the ref this time, then gets another cheapshot to lay him out and hits a legdrop to finish at 4:21. This was a very simple story with Barr wanting to work a scientific style until Roop got frustrated and cheated to win. 4 for 5. Of note: Bill Watts talks about how amateur wrestlers like the Schultz brothers are wanting to “mix it up” and get into pro wrestling, and apparently there’s a kid at Oklahoma State named Steve “Dr. Death” Williams who is especially wanting to give it a try. Maybe we’ll see him soon, too!
Mr. Olympia v. Ron Cheatham
Watts continues putting over this Dr. Death kid, who he’s been scouting personally, although he’s still got another year of football eligibility. Olympia works a facelock, but Cheatham goes for the mask, which gets Olympia all fired up. So he hits Cheatham with an atomic drop and finishes him with a sleeper as we’re desperately out of time! 4 for 6.
Next week: Ernie Ladd and the Assassin face the Samoans! Having no idea where the storyline is going, I’m going to wager a guess that this is going to backfire on old Ernie.
Another fascinating show from one of my favorite territories.