The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 09.04.82
Taped from Charlotte, NC
Your host is Bob Caudle, with special guest DAVID CROCKETT.
Mid-Atlantic title: Jack Brisco v. Paul Jones
But before we can start the match, Wahoo and the Brisco brothers stop for a chat with Bob at the desk, and Gerry is quite concerned about the state of Jack’s knee after Paul Jones attacked him in the parking lot last week. Jack signed the contract and he’s determined to honor his commitments to the fans, which is apparently very important to the Choctaw Indian tribe. Good to know. Brisco attacks Jones in the corner and boots him to the floor right away, and then takes him down in the ring and works on the leg to even things up. Jones tries for the ropes, so Jack turns it into an STF and he still does it better than John Cena despite the move technically not being invented yet at that point. Jones escapes from that and charges Brisco, but Jack takes him down with a drop toehold and wraps him up in the leglock again. Jones grabs for the face, but Brisco bridges up and reverses back to his leglock again in a slick transition. This Brisco kid, he’s got potential. Jack really cranks on the knee, but Jones drops a leg on his face to break free and tries some cheapshots. But then Jack drops him with a kneecrusher and viciously goes after the knee on the ropes. Jack slugs away in the corner and then just takes him down again and ties him up with another leglock, and Jones has to get to the ropes again. Jones hits him with a cheap punch out of the corner and tries for his deathlock, but Brisco slugs out of it and reverses a slam attempt for two. And he goes back to the knee, keeping Jones on the mat by working on it in various painful ways, but now Greg Valentine joins us at ringside and he’s probably up to no good. Jack keeps beating on the knee, but Jones gets another cheapshot and then necks Jack on the top rope to put him down. He goes for his deathlock again, but Brisco fights out of that easily because Jones’ knee is wrecked now, and Jack makes the comeback and gets the figure-four. Humperdink distracts him and Jack jumps out of the ring to chase him, and after all that he blows out his knee on a simple jump to the floor. So now Jones goes to work on the bad knee, but Brisco makes another comeback, so Jones hits him in the throat with an ILLEGAL KARATE CHOP and pins Brisco, with a handful of tights, to win the title at 12:31. Hey, I guess that since going after the bad knee wasn’t working, you might at well just cheat. I quite enjoy the pro wrestling stylings of Jack Brisco on these shows. ***1/2
Kelly Kiniski stops by the desk and he’s proud of Jack Brisco even in defeat.
Jos LeDuc v. Kelly Kiniski
So sick of this wanton Canadian-on-Canadian violence. LeDuc slugs Kelly down right away and grabs a headlock, and then beats him down with forearms, but Kelly fights back with chops. Kiniski fights back with knees, but Jos clubbers him down again and beats him down in the corner. LeDuc with a bearhug and he kind of suplexes him backwards and drops him on his face in a unique move, but Humperdink wants more, so LeDuc adds a backbreaker and pins him at 4:13. I would have gone with that bearhug suplex thing myself.
Paul Jones and his fabulous cowboy hat are celebrating his title win, and he’s very proud that he brought Jack Brisco out of the closet. “His girlfriend has gotta be tougher than him!” he notes. And then Jos LeDuc discusses beating people and finding their weakness to take advantage of it. I usually watch for a red flashing spot on their back. Usually if you hit it three times you can take them down.
Greg Valentine joins us, and Humperdink promises that Abdullah the Butcher will also be joining us. And he’s offered Abdullah $5000 to do a job for him. I thought he usually wanted more than that to do jobs? And here’s a surprise: Greg Valentine brings up Wahoo’s broken leg from four years ago again.
Greg Valentine v. Mike Rotundo
Mike grabs a headlock to start, but Greg takes him down and works the leg. Rotundo fights out, but Valentine beats on him with forearms and drops the Hammer on him before going into a facelock on the mat. Mike fights out, so Greg tosses him and then chops him on the apron. Rotundo fights back in with a sunset flip for two, but Greg drops another Hammer on him and then finishes with an elbowdrop at 6:10. Well Mike would get his revenge at Summerslam 91 at least.
Oliver Humperdink continues to monopolize this show lately, as he runs down his current batch of stable members and all the things they’re going to do to the babyfaces in the area.
Roddy Piper & Wahoo McDaniel v. The Gladiator & The Medic
So like, does the Gladiator keep the Medic around for emergency triage if he gets stabbed with a sword? Piper has green and white checkerboard trunks here, which the kind of thing you HAVE to be tough in order to wear. The unlikely babyface duo double-teams Gladiator and puts him down with a double chop, and then Wahoo adds more chops and Piper gets a cheapshot from the apron. Wahoo with a powerslam for one and he goes to a chinlock while Piper demands that the ref ask him if he gives, but he doesn’t, so Piper comes in and beats the hell out of him like a complete heel. Who happens to be cheered wildly. Suplex gets two. The Gladiator tries to drive Piper into the heel corner with forearms, but Piper is having none of that and just pushes him right back, before Wahoo comes in and finishes with the big chop at 5:10. Poor Medic never even got to tag in! Well hopefully he can get Gladiator all healed up after that beating.
Gerry Brisco isn’t making excuses for his brother, despite the crippling knee injury he went into the ring with. Isn’t that kind of an excuse? And Roddy Piper stops by to remind us that you either soar with the eagles or scratch with the chickens, and he hasn’t ever scratched with nobody.
That Brisco v. Jones match is well worth checking out and this was another good episode overall. Ready for Humperdink to move back to Florida or whatever soon, though, because he’s wearing out his welcome with me.