The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 01.22.83

The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 01.22.83

Originally written 07.01.25

Some smart-ass writes…

“Just curious. What happened to you’re going to “sync up the review timelines for Mid-Atlantic, Mid-South and Georgia”?

That was back in March & we haven’t seen much headway there. Bring it back, or we riot.”

I don’t really think rioting is on the table, but the problem is that I lost access to the WWE Network at that point and didn’t have an easy way to get back to them. But I can access Peacock now, so let’s get back to Mid-South until I get sick of paying for THAT subscription on top of all the other ones I waste what feels like 65% of my income on.

NO PEACOCK I WILL NOT DISABLE MY AD BLOCKER TO ENJOY THIS CONTENT.

Taped from Shreveport, LA

Your hosts are Boyd Pierce & Paul Boesch

BREAKING NEWS: North American champion Stagger Lee hasn’t yet arrived at the show, which makes his advertised title match against Ted Dibiase tonight a problem.

Meanwhile, Bill Watts talks with Junkyard Dog, who is now coming off his 90 day suspension that was a result of losing a loser-leaves-town match back in October. Bill is pretty sure Stagger Lee will be here and is pretty sure he’s just held up by a late flight.

Junkyard Dog & Ernie Ladd v. The Assassin & Hangman Rick Harris

Yes they’re fighting like cats and dogs! Dog immediately goes for the mask, so Harris comes in and Ladd wallops him for a bit. Dog with a headbutt and he goes to a bearhug, but Assassin loads up his mask and hits Dog from behind to break it up. So Dibiase, scouting at ringside with a “tablet”, which is a clipboard in this context and not an iPad, goes after the Dog. But Dog kicks his ass and then runs Assassin into the corner. And then Dibiase runs in with a chair, and the Grappler, and Dog is fighting them off and finally powerslams the Grappler and pins him at 2:43.

Marty Lunde & Tom Renesto v. Tim Horner & Art Crews

I’m assuming Horner and Crews are the ones going over here. Horner trades armdrags with Lunde, and young Marty bails to think it over and brings Renesto in. Crews slams Renesto and goes to the arm, but Lunde gets a knee from the apron and drops a leg on him for two. Renesto with a clothesline for two, but Crews slugs back on Lunde and makes the tag to Tim Horner, who Paul Boesch calls “electricity personified”, showing why he was quickly becoming a non-factor as a promoter. It’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA and Horner finishes Renesto with a Thesz Press at 3:50. Just a match, but young Marty Lunde continues to look like a worker above his age and station.

Mr. Wrestling II v. Tully Blanchard

From Houston, joined in progress with II working a headlock on Tully, but Tully manages to bump the ref while escaping, and he comes off the top with an elbow to stun Wrestling II and goes for the mask. So Wrestling II goes berserk, slugging away on Tully and tossing the ref down, and this somehow isn’t a DQ yet. Tully tries to run away and Wrestling II pulls him back in and then tosses the ref out of the ring, and then puts Tully on the floor with a kneelift. Finally the ref calls it at 3:08 shown while Tully comes back with a sneak attack, but Wrestling II chases him off. But then Tully unwisely returns for ANOTHER round and Wrestling II beats his ass while Tully bumps off the ropes and then retreats, tossing chairs into the ring on the way out.

Meanwhile, Bill Watts talks with Wrestling II about his temper, and Wrestling II explains that it was Tully’s fault for going after his mask. And now he’s got ANOTHER threatening message from a mystery person, with a note saying “Youre nothing without your knee” and a Wrestling II doll with a bandage on the leg. So Wrestling II is pissed off at this stalker and offers $1000 cash to anyone who will stooge the identity of his stalker. “It’s almost hilarious and funny but it’s actually macabre and sinister” notes Bill. You tell him, Bill.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan v. Buddy Landel

Buddy, who seems angry about something this week, hits an atomic drop on Duggan, but Duggan takes him down and works the arm and follows with a shoulderbreaker while Boesch discusses the World Brass Knuckles Title. I’m assuming they’re building to reviving that belt. Duggan slams Buddy into the turnbuckles and then drops him on the top rope and finishes with the three point stance at 2:08. I believe Buddy was close to moving to Memphis and changing up his whole character.

Meanwhile, Ted Dibiase is pissed off because he lost his shot at the North American title and now he has to do a pointless tag team match instead. Dibiase thinks it’s pretty convenient that Stagger Lee is gone and now JYD is back and no one but him as pieced it together yet.

Kelly Kiniski v. Tony Torres

The announcers note that Kelly is coming out from the shadow of Gene Kiniski, which is a good story but no, sorry, just no. He never did. They trade hiptosses and Kelly dropkicks him down, but Torres goes after the arm, so Kelly hits him with a backbreaker for two. Dropkick gets two and he finishes with a backdrop suplex at 3:00. Kelly was pretty dull as a worker.

Ted Dibiase & Matt Borne v. Don Bass & Joe Stark

So with Stagger Lee officially a no-show, the tag team champions have to work a non-title match instead. Which is kind of bullshit, because they just assume that Lee was held up by circumstances beyond his control and they never question him despite him missing a title defense against the top contender on TV! So Dibiase gets a couple of slams on Stark for two, and it’s over to Bass, who promptly runs into Ted’s knee in the corner. Borne comes in with a slam and drops a knee for two. Dibiase with a backbreaker and Borne comes in with a lariat for two. And then Dibiase finishes him off with the powerslam at 2:44. JUSTICE FOR DIBIASE!

Tony Atlas v Tug Taylor

Taylor attacks during the introductions, but Tony slugs him down and goes to a front facelock, and then dropkicks him down. Atlas wants a hiptoss out of the corner and Taylor won’t go up for him at all, so Tony slams him and tries to shoot hold him down, but only gets two. WTF is going on with this match? Atlas with a sleeper and the ref drops the arm 5 or 6 times and he’s clearly out, but the ref won’t stop it. So finally Tony releases the hold and Tug drops like a stone, at which point the ref calls for the bell at 3:50. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? Did Tony Atlas just shoot on Tug Taylor? Actually I seem to recall that they had another match the month before, and that one also went completely off the rails for some reason.

NEXT WEEK: Ted Dibiase apparently gets another shot at regaining the North American title from Stagger Lee, if he shows up this time!