The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 06.15.85

The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 06.15.85

Taped from Charlotte, NC.

Your hosts are Johnny Weaver & Bob Caudle.

Paul Jones and the Barbarian have some words for Jimmy Valiant to start. Odd that there would be two different “Barbarian” gimmicks at the same time. The war is far from over! Truer words have never been spoken, since it was still dragging on two years later.

Jimmy Valiant, Magnum TA & Sam Houston v. Ron Rossi, Joel Deaton and some other jobber

Kind of creepy to hear them talking about how Dusty and Magnum are “grooming” Sam Houston in a post-Jeffrey Epstein world. Also what the fuck is with this bizarre six-man team? The babyfaces get various awkward double-teams on Deaton and then Magnum finishes Rossi with the belly to belly at 2:10.

Jim Crockett and the Electrifying Sandy Scott join Caudle to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Jim Crockett Promotions. On July 6, we’re having some kind of celebration at a stadium, but Sandy doesn’t announce the location. But there’s FIREWORKS! And DAVID ALLAN COE! Anyway, apparently this show is gonna be called “The Great American Bash”. Hopefully that’ll catch on.

Buddy Landel v. Ricky Reeves

Buddy gets a cheapshot in the corner, but Reeves fires back, so Buddy stomps him down and tosses him to the floor. JJ gets some shots in out there, and Buddy works the arm back in the ring. And Landel drops the elbow and finishes him off with the figure-four at 3:30, as they build to a Nature Boy v. Nature Boy feud that never paid off in any serious manner as far as I can remember.

Meanwhile, on Worldwide, Ric Flair puts up $25,000 and his World title against JJ Dillon’s money if he’ll put Buddy Landel in the ring with him. So back at the studio this week, Dillon tells the story of how he went to the back to cash in his bonds, and had a bunch of people stop him in the street offering to put up their own money on his behalf because Buddy Landel is easy money against Flair, apparently. And indeed, JJ has a briefcase full of money to put his own $25,000 on the line. I checked out of curiosity, and they had a few house show matches for the NWA World title but I don’t know if it was every really followed up beyond that.

The Barbarian v. Manny Fernandez

Barbarian gets a couple of slams, but Fernandez gets a bodypress for two and threatens him with MEXICAN KUNG FU! Barbarian works a headlock, but runs into a back elbow and bails to think it over. Back in, Bull gets some very questionable kneedrops to the upper thigh region and works the leg on the mat. Bull with an Indian deathlock and he stays on the leg. Barbarian escapes with a headbutt and puts Fernandez down with a knee and then follows with a bearhug. Fernandez manages to escape, so Barbarian goes right back to it again and then goes up for the diving headbutt. That one misses and Manny comes back with a clothesline and elbows Barbarian to the floor. And he follows with a TOPE CON HILO! HOLY SHIT! Paul Jones can’t even deal with this and attacks for the DQ at 9:49. Jimmy Valiant picks his spot and goes after Jones, but Barbarian nails him from behind and they hit a spike piledriver on Valiant and leave him laying. OK, I was not expecting a damn dive from Manny Fernandez. This was a perfectly cromulent match otherwise. ***

Magnum TA knows that everyone wants his US title, including guys like Nikita Koloff, but at the moment he’s helping out young Sam Houston in his quest to not be such a fucking loser. They’re gonna take him to their secret training facility and turn him into a wrestling machine. Good luck with that one.

Kendo Nagasaki v. Gene Ligon

Nagasaki chokes Ligon out on the ropes and goes to an armbar on the mat. Sakurada was wise to go with the shaved head as Dragon Master years later, because his male pattern baldness ninja look is pretty questionable here. Ligon gets a headlock, but Kendo kicks him down and gets the pin at 2:22.

Dusty Rhodes is here, despite Abdullah the Butcher trying to break his ribs because Tully Blanchard isn’t man enough to do his own dirty work. Also he wants Baby Doll put on the line! Is anyone gonna ask Baby Doll about that? I think we know the answer.

Abdullah the Butcher v. some geek

They don’t even mention the jobber’s name but Abby tosses him out and then finishes him off with the elbowdrop at 1:00.

Manny Fernandez is here to once again share his angst after FIGHTING IN VIETNAM, which is totally a thing that happened. Even though he would have been, what, 12 years old? I mean if he was enlisted at the very end of the war he would have been about 20, so MAYBE, but we already know it’s bullshit.

Meanwhile, in the secret RUSSIAN DUNGEON, Ivan Koloff puts Nikita through his paces. David Crockett notes that he’s been there for two hours watching him work out. Um, why? Did he not have anything better to do? Did he show up really early and they just awkwardly let him sit in the corner while Nikita did reps? Ivan thinks that Ric Flair should have showed up for a workout with Nikita, but he’s got other commitments, which greatly upsets the Kremlin. And then Nikita does a pretty terrifying promo on Flair for good measure.

Nikita Koloff v. Stoney Burke

Nikita puts him down with an elbow and a slam for two, but he uses one finger and Burke kicks out. Nikita is DISGUSTED that this man would dare kick out of his slam, so he tosses him into the ropes and the jobber ragdolls to the floor off that. Back in, Nikita necks him and Burke takes a crazy bump off the apron and into the railing to really sell the move. Back in, the Russian Hammer sets up a backbreaker, but Burke makes a comeback, so Nikita shrugs him off and drops an elbow on him. Another one-handed cover and the jobber kicks out again, so Nikita disgustedly tosses him into the corner and works him over, then clotheslines him on the top rope and finishes him off with the Sickle at 4:29. And this time the jobber doesn’t kick out of his one-handed cover. This was a very effective squash for young Nikita.

Tully Blanchard and his entourage join us to wrap things up for the week, as his biorhythms are UP. Abdullah just stands there staring at the camera like a robot while Tully hides behind him and cuts his promo, which is pretty transfixing in its own way. Anyway, Magnum TA and Dusty Rhodes had both better look out, and we wrap it up for the week.