Mid-South Wrestling 07.31.82

Taped from Shreveport, LA

Airdate: July 31, 1982 (taped 07/21)

Attendance: unknown

Hosted by Boyd Pierce & “Cowboy” Bill Watts

Can Sharpe defeat Khan and capture the Louisiana title? How will Robley fare against Assassin? Will DiBiase be involved? Can the summer continue to be hot for the Louisiana promotion?

Opening montage.

For those curious, the July 24 episode apparently no longer exists. I have SCOURED the archives and come up empty. Perhaps we’ll get a look back at some of what happened in this installment.

Prior to the next match, we learn that Watts’ wife is Estonian along with some Estonian/Soviet history. Also, JYD refuses to wrestle until he receives a televised title match against DiBiase.

Match 1 (non-title): Mid-South Mississippi champion Mr. Olympia versus Billy Starr

Highlights:

Olympia hip-tossed Starr and followed with a slam. When Starr gave Olympia a cross corner whip, he came up empty on his follow-through. They played some cat-and-mouse before Olympia leapfrogged and dropkicked Starr. As Starr slammed him, he split Olympia in two with a backbreaker. He mounted the second turnbuckle, leaped, but there wasn’t any water in the pool. After Olympia gave him a cross corner whip, he backdropped Starr. Olympia got reversed on another cross corner whip, floated over Starr, and locked in a sleeper. While Starr lost consciousness, Olympia won at 3:24.

Rating: ½*

Summary: Fast-paced showcase match for Olympia.

Match 2: “Dr. Death” Steve Williams versus Mike Bond

Highlights:

Let’s hope Bond can elevate Williams above green rookie here.

As Williams trapped him in a bear hug, Bond bridged out of a pin attempt. Bond made the ropes to escape, gave Williams a cross corner whip, and followed with a knee to the midsection. When Williams reversed another cross corner whip, he backdropped Bond rather sloppily. He dealt Bond a pair of three-point stance tackles and destroyed him with an Oklahoma Stampede. 1-2-3. Williams won at 3:37.

Rating: -**

Summary: Pitiful showcase for Williams who desperately needs more training and ring time.

Match 3 (handicap): One Man Gang (w/ General Skandor Akbar) versus David Price & Joe Stark

Highlights:

According to Watts, Gang had been “perfecting” the reinstated piledriver thanks to Akbar’s politics and money. Hmmm… Price tagged in, but Gang mauled him. When he planted Price with an elbow smash, Gang caught him in a standing choke. He piledrove and pinned Price at 2:18.

Rating: DUD

Summary: Dominating showcase match for Gang.

We revisit last week when Sharpe held Gang in a bear hug until Gang raked the eyes. While Gang attempted a slam, Sharpe escaped and slammed the 450-pounder. Awesome! Akbar placed Gang’s boot on the bottom rope, so Sharpe chased after him.

After Gang intercepted Sharpe with an elbow smash, he landed an elbow drop. Akbar barked the order to piledrive Sharpe, so Gang tried it. As Sharpe countered with a back drop, he brought Akbar into the ring the hard way. Referee Alfred Neely called for the bell, yet Sharpe conducted a meeting of the minds.

Much to Akbar’s dismay, Sharpe piledrove the BEJEEZUS out of him. Sharpe leaves in victory with Akbar laying OUT COLD on the mat.

Match 4 for the Mid-South Louisiana title: Killer Khan (champion w/ General Skandor Akbar) versus “Iron” Mike Sharpe

Highlights:

Khan gave Sharpe a cross corner whip followed by a knee to the midsection. As he gave Sharpe another cross corner whip, Khan came up empty on his follow-through injuring his knee. Sharpe caught him in a bear hug, but Khan raked the eyes to escape. When he hip-tossed Sharpe, Khan missed an elbow drop. Sharpe gave Khan a cross corner whip but ate a thrust kick on his follow-through.

After he slammed Sharpe, Khan mounted the second turnbuckle. Khan leaped, missed, and further injured his knee. While Sharpe attempted to piledrive Khan, Akbar panicked, invaded the ring, and attacked him. Referee Alfred Neely called for the bell, and Sharpe won by DQ at 5:18.

Rating: **

Summary: Not a great big man match, but will Sharpe ruin another weekend for Akbar?

After the match, Sharpe disposes of Khan by backdropping him over the top rope to the concrete floor. He nailed Akbar in the midsection and annihilated him with a piledriver.

Match 5: “Hangman” Harris versus Rick McCord

Highlights:

Harris slammed McCord and landed a knee drop. When he suplexed McCord, Harris got 2. He placed a knee into McCord’s midsection but fell victim to a cross body block. As McCord got 2, he dropkicked Harris. McCord missed a second dropkick and ate a clothesline. After Harris hooked a hangman’s noose, McCord submitted. Harris won at 2:43.

Rating: DUD

Summary: Brisk showcase match for Harris as he put McCord away rather quickly.

Match 6: Ted DiBiase & “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan versus Jesse Barr & Vinnie Romeo

Highlights:

Barr hooked a German suplex with a bridge to Duggan and got 2. As he dealt Duggan a belly-to-belly suplex, Barr couldn’t earn a count. DiBiase tagged in, but Barr thwarted a sunset flip attempt and got 2. When DiBiase slammed Barr, tags were exchanged on both sides. Duggan slammed Romeo and followed with a knee to the back.

After DiBiase tagged in, he unloaded a back elbow to Romeo. He slammed Romeo and caromed his head off Duggan’s. While DiBiase secured a figure-four leg lock, Romeo submitted. In the meantime, Duggan plowed through Barr like Joey Chestnut to hot dogs on the Fourth of July. DiBiase and Duggan won at 2:46.

Rating: **

Summary: Barr’s wrestling was excellent; however, his forethought to tag in Romeo wasn’t too smart.

For a second time, we revisit last week when DiBiase battled Robley. DiBiase attempted a slam, but Robley escaped and hooked a sleeper. As DiBiase sandwiched him in the corner to escape, Robley reversed a cross corner whip but ate knee on his follow-through. DiBiase loaded the EVIL black glove, but Robley ducked. Instead, he fed DiBiase an atomic drop while the bell sounded due to the lack of TV time.

Match 7: Colonel Buck Robley versus Assassin (w/ Ted DiBiase)

Highlights:

Assassin connected with a spinning back elbow and got 2. When Assassin dealt him a knee lift, Robley got the worst of a headbutt attempt. Assassin split Robley in two with a backbreaker for another 2. As Robley ducked a haymaker, he imprisoned Assassin in a sleeper. Assassin used momentum to send Robley and referee Alfred Neely reeling. As a matter of fact, Neeley fell to the concrete floor.

Robley reapplied the sleeper, but DiBiase interjected by attacking him. Upon loading the depraved black glove, DiBiase wound up but clocked Assassin inadvertently. Robley loaded his brace, so DiBiase used Assassin as a shield. After Robley clobbered him, Assassin flew out of the ring faster than a female concertgoers’ underwear flying at a rock show. Before Robley could administer the same punishment to him, DiBiase hightailed it back to the heel locker room.

Rating: **

Summary: Hot, quick match establishing both DiBiase’s sinister side yet had a happy ending.

Conclusion: Another sizzling episode with DiBiase’s chaos making a throwaway match much more compelling than it had any right to be. Also, Sharpe may not have won the title, but he wowed the crowd by demolishing Akbar. Lastly, Barr looked sharp in his brief stint during the tag match.

Next week, Olympia and Ellering battle Khan and Gang! Quite the motley crew, no?

TV Rating: NONE

Stay tuned for MSW 08-07-82!

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