The SmarK Rant for Memphis Wrestling – 12.17.83

The SmarK Rant for Memphis Wrestling – 12.17.83

Originally written 01.19.26

So for those who haven’t seen, KrisP has put the whole folder of Memphis up for free for anyone who wants to download it. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CkLc-tHkZN-djhBnSlmkmNXR9aTLlbOy

Now, I’m really into 1986 Memphis and we’re eventually gonna get to the peak of the 80s for me with the introduction of Paul E. Dangerously and such. However, there what I think we REALLY all want to see is a couple of years earlier. KrisP is actually missing the key episode, but we’ll start a week later because they’ll probably recap it anyway.

Taped from Memphis, TN

Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown

Bill Dundee immediately interrupts Lance’s introduction, out to complain because he doesn’t have a scheduled match despite being the Junior heavyweight champion of the territory and the World Junior champion coming in to visit. So he wants any opponent and he doesn’t care who.

Bill Dundee v. Robert Reed

Bill again leaves to complain to Lance, this time about the low quality of his opponent here, and he wants a better opponent! Fans are clicking the TV off as we speak! So he pledges to face Jerry Lawler and the Rock N Roll Express in 10 minute matches one after another, line ‘em up. So that brings out Lawler and the Fabulous Ones, and Bill immediately claims that he was just joking about facing everyone. So Lawler checks out the advertised card, and he’s already wrestling one midget, so he doesn’t have time to face another one. Stan and Steve are free, however, so they offer Dundee a chance to get a partner, but Bill tells them to flip a coin and get in the ring with him in a singles match. So that’s Steve Keirn up for the challenge.

Bill Dundee v. Steve Keirn

Dundee attacks Steve and beats him down in the corner after a cheapshot and then goes to a headlock before raking the face and back and beating him down in the corner. Keirn finally has enough and backdrops Bill out of the corner, and then goes to an abdominal stretch. But then a big bearded guy jumps out of the crowd and attacks, saving Dundee for the DQ at 3:05, beating the hell out of Keirn and then Stan Lane as well when he tries to save. The announcers don’t actually know who this big guy is. So as we would eventually learn, the big mountain man biker dude was named Harley Davidson, marking the wrestling debut of the eventual Hillbilly Jim.

The Fabulous Ones join Lance and a bloody Keirn is vowing to end the wrestling career of Bill Dundee after that big goof smashed his face in, and he’s not laughing anymore. Stan Lane is so mad that he’s gonna use KARATE on that Bigfoot-looking goof, even though Eddie Marlin told him not to use it. Lance still doesn’t have a name for the big guy, though.

Jimmy Hart joins us and introduces Bill Dundee and his newest find, Harley Davidson, who still doesn’t have a name.

Meanwhile, we head back to the Mid-South Coliseum last week, as Dennis Condrey has a wild brawl with Dutch Mantel, and back at the studio Norvell Austin complains about a situation with the Grapplers from the Mid-South Coliseum as well.

Also, we get footage of a cage match between Jerry Lawler and the invading MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE from ICW, kicking off an immediate turnaround in business with the outlaw promotion coming to Memphis and looking for blood. Lawler sends Macho to the floor, but Savage uses a foreign object and takes Jerry to the floor to run him into the cage. Back in the ring, Lawler pulls down the strap and makes the comeback, tossing him over the top and into the cage, but Jos Leduc climbs the cage and hits the ring for a DQ, teaming up with Savage for the DQ and they brutalize Lawler, with Savage dropping the big elbow as the babyfaces all try to break into the cage and save him.

Jerry Lawler joins Lance after that footage, and Randy sends Jerry a message. “Jerry Lawler’s dad is dead, man, and he’s freaking out and turning over in his grave, yeah! He’s really embarrassed by it, man, yeah!” Lawler’s coming after the Macho Man for the third time and he’s already a two-time loser. So this week it’s Lawler & Austin Idol facing Randy Savage and his partner Jos Leduc, and he’s gonna prove to Jerry Lawler’s dead dad that his son is a loser. Holy shit if you think Savage’s promos were unhinged in the WWF this is WAY beyond that. Back at the studio, Lawler notes that his father died in the 60s and never got to see him wrestle, and Macho Man saying those things makes him sick to his stomach. So Jerry wants Savage’s dad to be sitting in the arena and watching, because he’s gonna pull every strand of hair out of Savage’s head and make his father proud. SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

Meanwhile, Austin Idol shows off his axe handle, Minerva, which has been used to bust up lots of heads and will be used to crack Savage over the head in the Mid-South Coliseum, and he’s not stopping until he sees Savage’s blood squirting out of his skull and onto the mat. And then we hear from Jos Leduc, also very unhinged, reminding Lawler of the time he cut open his arm with an axe because he’s CRAZY and out for blood.

Jerry Lawler & Cowboy Lang v. Giant Frazier & Little Tokyo

Speaking of future hillbillies, Frazier is the future Uncle Elmer. Tokyo accidentally dropkicks Frazier in the gut while going after Lang, which provides tensions on the heel side. Frazier comes in and throws Lawler around with two-handed chokes, but Lawler punches him in the nose and it’s back to the midgets. Tokyo wraps up Lang on the mat with a leglock, and Frazier gets a shot on Lang from the apron, but Cowboy fights back and slugs it out. Lang takes him down with the rolling cradle and gets the pin at 5:04 to win the first fall.

Second fall sees Jimmy Hart coming to ringside to keep an eye on the match because the heels were cheated in the first fall, and he joins Lance on commentary to voice his concerns. So Frazier goes to a facelock on Lawler, but Lang runs in and jumps over Lawler’s back, and punches Frazier to break it up. So then Lawler does a facelock on Frazier and Tokyo tries jumping up to punch Lawler, but can’t get over Plowboy’s huge ass and falls on his face. OK that was a funny spot. Lawler takes Frazier does with a headlock, completely ignoring the midgets while they run back and forth over top of him, but Giant slams Lawler to take over and drops a leg. But then Lawler drops a fist on him for two and Lang comes in for an atomic drop on Tokyo that bounces Tokyo across the ring. That gets two. Jimmy instructs Frazier to “go get the midget” but the ref prevents that and the time expires as we wrap it up for the week.

OK I’m definitely sticking with this era. Savage was just incredible here and there’s lots more to come.