The SmarK Rant for Memphis Wrestling – 05.25.86

The SmarK Rant for Memphis Wrestling – 05.25.86

Taped from Memphis TN

Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown

Once again thanks to our man KrisPLettuce for providing these to the internet: https://patreon.com/KrisPLettuce?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_fan&utm_content=join_link

BREAKING NEWS: The tag team tournament announced last week was won by Jerry Lawler & Austin Idol, who will journey to Japan for a fake tournament at some time in the indeterminate future, representing Memphis.

MORE BREAKING NEWS: It’s the end of Bill & Budro, as they’re split up!

Jerry Lawler & Giant Hillbilly v. Keith Eric & EZ Rider

So we got exactly one week of “Uncle Elmer” before WWF’s lawyers stepped in. Eric runs away from the Giant as we learn that Rider is replacing the Masked Patriot for some reason, although the announcers don’t know anything about him. Lawler comes in and whips Eric into a shot from Hillbilly, Over to Rider, but Lawler slugs on him in the corner and chases him out of the ring again. Back to Eric and Lawler teases the piledriver and then lets him escape. Rider comes back again and he reminds me of T-Joe Con but he was in Crockett by this point so it’s not him. Lawler clotheslines and follows with a suplex and this guy is AWFUL. He reminds me of watching the Road Warriors. In 1983. Back to Keith but Lawler punches him down again and Hillbilly squishes him in the corner and finishes with the legdrop at 4:45.

Bill Dundee joins us and he doesn’t regret getting rid of the dead weight that is Buddy Landel, because he carried the team, and so Bill will slap him around and chase him out of the territory like he did with Terry Taylor and Steve Keirn. But Bill offers Budro the chance to call into the show and apologize and save himself the embarrassment of losing.

So Lance takes us back to the tag team tournament, with Bill & Budro facing Lawler & Idol in the finals at the Mid-South Coliseum. Joined with Dundee holding a sleeper on Lawler, but Lawler fights out and makes the comeback. And then Dundee comes off the top and hits Landel by mistake, allowing Lawler to get the pin and win the tournament. So Buddy shoves Dundee in frustration, but Bill pulls out a chain and attacks Buddy, busting him open and triggering a brawl as Buddy turns babyface.

Bill Dundee v. David Haskins

Haskins gets some offense and dropkicks Bill, but he misses a second dropkick and Dundee puts him down with an elbow and chokes him out. Back elbow gets two. Dundee tosses him to the floor and back in for an armbar as he ties David up on the mat. Dundee beats on the arm and backdrops him, and then clotheslines and pins at 2:29. But this brings out hot new babyface Buddy Landel, who does a promo on Dundee and vows to beat Dundee’s brains in because he’s a coward. Good promo from Buddy as a babyface but he wasn’t long for the territory.

The Mod Squad & Danny Fargo v. Jim Jamison, Benny Trailer & Mike Murphy

Fargo is the newest member of the Costello crew, and he literally had 2 matches in the territory and then vanished from the business. The backstory is that he’s supposedly an illegitimate child of Jackie Fargo according to JD. Fargo with a splash on Jamison for two. The Mods double-team Jamison and they work him over in the corner with a double suplex. Fargo with an atomic drop to finish at 4:25, and then he never was seen again.

Dutch Mantel joins us and he’s pretty happy to see Bill & Budro split up. But he’s here to talk about Rip Rogers challenging him for the Mid-America title, so Rip comes out and cuts a promo on him. Dutch: “I’ve taken pills bigger than him.” No doubt.

The Hunters v. David Johnson & Henry Rutledge

We now have names: Eagle and Raven. Apparently one of them quickly left the territory and Dale Veasey was just repackaged into a single as The Hunter. The Hunters beat on Rutledge with their generic offense and slams and they keep picking him up at two before pinning him at 3:51.

And then we get PROMO TIME from the Hunters, in case you ever wanted to hear Lt. James Earl Wright yelling at Lance. He’s not a bad promo, actually. And then his partner left and that was the end of the team.

Tony Falk, Abdul Gaddafi, Baron Von Brauner & Pat Rose v. Jeff Jarrett, Billy Travis, Paul Diamond & Pat Tanaka

Tanaka chops Rose down to start and it’s over to young Jeff Jarrett, who controls Falk with armbars and backdrops him out of the corner. Over to Gaddafi, and Diamond goes to work on his arm before the babyfaces run wild and clear the ring. But then Rose comes off the top rope onto Travis and they get DQ’d at 4:30 during a brawl.

And then Dave and Lance wrap it up to end the show!

I’m really digging this era and by the fall it hits another gear.