The SmarK Rant for Memphis Wrestling – 06.14.86

The SmarK Rant for Memphis Wrestling – 06.14.86

Taped from Memphis, TN

Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown

Memphis Vice v. The Beach Boys

Amazingly, the Beach Boys get a second week in Memphis after their horrible debut last week. The Beach Boys are Johnny Stewart and Van Van Horne, and I thought that Horne was Sonny Rogers under another name, but apparently Van Horne is a different guy who got replaced by Rogers soon after this. The Vice double-team Van Van in the corner, but he hits them with a double dropkick to fight them off. Backdrop puts Lou Winston on the floor as the top rope snaps and Dave is like “Well I think the top rope snapped” and Lance is like “Yup” and they just keep doing their thing. Memphis Vice double-teams Van Van Van in the corner, but he sends the Vice into each other and dropkicks them to the floor to break it up. Bryant hits Van^2 with a spinebuster type thing and then Winston drops an elbow on him. Bryant with a nice powerslam and Winston drops a knee on Vanny Vanny Van Van and the Vice double-team in the corner some more, but John Stewart gets the hot tag and uses his Green Lantern powers to run wild with a backdrop on Bryant for two. It’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA and everyone slugs it out, resulting in the ref getting bumped and calling for the DQ at 5:00, so the Beach Boys get the win after getting their ass kicked for the entire match. It was a pretty good match, actually, so I can’t hate it too much.

Paul Diamond joins Lance and he’s got a message for Jos Leduc after getting betrayed and having his head forcibly shaved last week. And that message is that he’s not scared of Jos, even though he makes scary faces at everyone.

Giant Hillbilly & Diesel Dan Styles v. Abdul Gaddafi & Keith Eric

Diesel Dan is doing a trucker gimmick and from what I can tell this is his only match in the business. Styles beats on Gaddafi and hits him with a variety of bodyslams, and it’s over to Eric, but Hillbilly hits him with the legdrop and pins him at 3:14. This was terrible. Diesel Dan looks a little bit like Big Josh but I don’t recognize him otherwise.

Jos Leduc joins Lance, proud of the haircut he delivered to Diamond last week. Now he looks like a real man! He was a long haired hippie before, I guess. So now they’re gonna have a lumberjack strap match at the request of Diamond. Leduc: “You think I’m crazy?” Lance: “…”. Leduc: “I’m not crazy, I’m INSANE!” Duly noted.

Jos Leduc v. Jim Jamison & Mike Murphy

This is supposed to be one at a time, but Leduc just beats them both up anyway and tosses Jamison to the floor. He smashes Murphy with a chop so hard that the crowd shrieks and then hauls Jamison back into the ring and stiffs him with a clothesline. He hits Murphy with a clothesline and Murphy does a 180 sell, and then Leduc stacks them up like cordwood and pins them at 1:20. But then Paul Diamond hits the ring and attacks with a trash can until the Mod Squad saves and the beatdown is on until some babyfaces chase them off. Leduc stops by the desk to do a quick threat to Paul Diamond, and Lance quips “One of the weird people” like it’s nothing. He’s pulled weirder stuff out of his cereal over his career, I’m sure.

Bill Dundee & Rip Rogers v. David Haskins & Tracy Smothers

Rip works on Tracy’s arm while Lance continues to put Smothers over as a rising talent in preparation for a push, but he lets Haskins come in and Dundee immediately kicks his ass. Back to Tracy, but Bill takes him down with a spinning toehold. Rip comes in and beats on Tracy and Dundee chops him in the corner and hits him with a vicious clothesline. Rip with a suplex and he chokes away, but Tracy makes the comeback and it’s back to Haskins. He actually runs wild for a bit, but the heels double-team him with a clothesline and follow with a stuff piledriver to finish him at 3:22. They gave the babyfaces a lot of offense here. Budro and Dutch hit the ring to save from any further beatings.

Buddy Landel & Dutch Mantel join Lance in advance of Budro facing Dundee in a Coward Waves the Flag match at the Mid-South Coliseum after Buddy won the Southern title from Bill. But now the belt is held up.

The Nightmares join us, back in the territory after a long while. Ken Wayne notes some advice from his father: Never hit a man when he’s down. Kick him, because it’s easier. Hopefully someone is now kicking him repeatedly in prison.

The Nightmares v. Benny Trailer & Jerry Garmin

So unfortunately you can add Wayne to the list of people in wrestling who were convicted of bad stuff that you can Google for yourself if you want to. I’d rather not give him any more attention than he warrants, so I’ll just note that the Nightmares squash these guys and we’ll move on.

The Mod Squad & Fire And Flame v. Jeff Jarrett, Tracy Smothers, Pat Tanaka & Tojo Yamamoto

So Fire and Flame are the ever changing gimmick of Don Bass and Roger Smith, who worked under a million different tag team gimmicks in Memphis and elsewhere. The babyfaces work on Spike in their corner, but Tanaka gets caught in the heel corner and gets the heat. JD Costello has an entertaining rant on commentary, as he gets better and more comfortable by the week. I didn’t like him to start but he’s really grown on me. The heels beat on Tanaka with generic stuff, but Smothers gets a hot tag and runs wild. And then Fire throws fire at him, which is a bit on the nose if we’re being honest, and they stop the match at 5:00. They took FOREVER setting that up. You’re in MEMPHIS and you can’t throw a decent fireball? Eddie Gilbert is rolling over in his grave.

And Lance and Dave wrap it up for the week, as Lance is IRRITATED, gosh darnit!

God I love this show. 86 is awesome and only getting better with some big debuts coming up soon.