The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 10.16.82
Taped from Charlotte, NC
Your host is Bob Caudle
$100,000 Challenge match: Dory Funk Jr. v. Jay Youngblood
Jay puts him down with chops and goes to work on the arm, as the taped appears to be cutting between film and videotape when they change camera angles. It’s an interesting concept I suppose but it looks really weird and offputting. Youngblood chases him to the floor while Ricky Steamboat watches on, apparently wanting to take the next shot at Dory. Funk takes Jay to the corner and beats on him with forearms, but Youngblood fires back with chops and puts Dory down with that. Funk beats on him with forearms to take over again, but Youngblood gets a sunset flip for two. Jay takes him down with armdrags, but Dory slams out of it and drops a couple of pretty stiff-looking elbows for two. Dory with the spinning toehold, but Jay kicks out of it and chases Funk to the floor again. Back in, Funk takes him down with a back elbow and keeps working the spinning toehold, and finally wears him down enough for the pin at 8:00, while holding the top rope. But then Ricky Steamboat storms in to protest, and Funk goes after him, so he rolls up Dory and pins him! So Steamboat and Youngblood celebrate the moral victory. Good stiff match to open and I really like this challenge idea and I’m intrigued about who can actually win the money. ***
Jos LeDuc v. Ricky Steamboat
Steamboat is still all fired up from beating Dory, but LeDuc grinds in a headlock and then smashes him in the corner to take over. Jos goes back to the headlock, but Steamboat escapes with a backbreaker for two. Steamboat goes to a chinlock and rolls him up for one, but LeDuc runs him into the turnbuckles on the kickout. Steamboat fights back again with chops and tries a slam, but Jos falls on top for two. Jos with the double choke, but Steamboat SWEEPS THE LEG and chops him in the throat, so LeDuc chops him right back in the throat for two. LeDuc with the chinlock and Steamboat fights out, so LeDuc yanks him around by the hair and beats on him on the ropes. So Steamboat rakes the eyes and fights back with chops, but LeDuc runs him into the turnbuckles. He tries it again, but Steamboat rebounds out with a crossbody for two, and Dory Funk runs in and it’s a beatdown for the DQ at 8:20. And Jay Youngblood makes the save and we get a ring-clearing brawl with the babyfaces standing tall. Another really good match before the DQ finish, as they were exchanging some mean chops. ***
Gene Anderson and his new friend Private Jim Nelson join us at the desk, but they’re doing unrelated promos about their individual opponents. Too bad, I was hoping we’d get the debut of Wrecking Slaughter’s Privates.
Mike Rotundo v. Gene Anderson
Funny how Bob keeps calling Gene “half of the Minnesota Wrestling Crew” but won’t mention who the other half is. Obviously that relationship with the former booker did not end well. Rotundo is wearing a neck brace that looks like a giant tampon wrapped around his neck, which apparently stems from something we’ll see later in the show. Rotundo controls the arm, but Gene takes him down and goes to a chinlock on the injured neck. Mike powers him up into the airplane spin, but Gene grabs the top rope to block and bails to the floor. Gene takes him down and works the leg on the mat and that drags things to a halt as they GRAB A HOLD on the mat for like 3 minutes. Rotundo fights back with foreaerms, and gets a slam and legdrop for two. Small package gets two for Anderson, but Mike rolls it over for the pin at 6:30. **
Mike Rotundo joins us at the desk afterwards, as we learn that Mike taking a piledriver from Bad Bad Leroy Brown caused the neck injury. And then Mike throws it to a pre-taped promo from Jimmy Valiant, who promises a surprise for the House of Humperdink next week.
Don Kernodle v. Glenn Lane
Kernodle takes him down and works a facelock, while Sarge reveals on commentary that he voluntarily stepped aside from the scheduled tag match, so that everyone could see what Kernodle can do on his own. Aww, he’s so proud of his Privates and just wants to show them off to everyone! Kernodle with a rollup for two while maintaining the facelock, and he turns it into a neckbreaker for two. Bob notes that Lane still has a lot of spunk in him. Well all his spunk will be spent when Slaughter’s Privates get through with him, I bet. Kernodle finishes with the flying clothesline at 3:10.
Johnny Weaver joins us at the desk and does a rundown of the week’s happenings thus far with Bob.
Johnny Weaver v. Private Jim Nelson
Slaughter’s Privates continue to be pulled further apart! Nelson puts Weaver down with shoulders, but Weaver comes back with an atomic drop. Nelson catches him in the cobra clutch, but Johnny runs him into the turnbuckles to break and rolls him up for the pin at 1:40.
And we finish with Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood announcing their candidacy for the World tag team titles, and then Johnny Weaver serves notice to the House of Humperdink. I’m sure they’re terrified.
Some actual star v. star matches this week make this a good episode!