The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 02.19.83

The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 02.19.83

Originally written 09.29.25

Taped from Shreveport, LA

Your hosts are Boyd Pierce & Bill Watts

Cowboy Bill Watts is joined by a local broadcaster named Buddy Nichols, from a TV station that carries Mid-South, and apparently he’ll be joining us for commentary later in the show. Also, Bill has sent tapes of the vicious attack on Andre the Giant last week to the rules enforcement committee, and fines will be levied!

Meanwhile, Ted Dibiase and Matt Borne celebrate still being champions despite the challenge of Andre the Giant & Tony Atlas. Jim Duggan is like “Yeah but tell me you had nothing to do with Skandor Akbar, right?” Ted: “…what do you mean?” Uh oh. That might be trouble.

Art Crews v. Tom Renesto

Crews takes him down with an armbar and a dropkick and continues working the arm before finishing with a neckbreaker at 3:00. Crews looked like a guy they pulled out of the crowd at a county fair.

Cowboy Bill Watts has some stuff to say about the Freebirds. He doesn’t like them and he doesn’t trust them! And sure enough, Kerry Von Erich challenged Ric Flair in a cage match for the NWA World title on Christmas, and we take a look back courtesy World Class Championship Wrestling, as Kerry has Flair in the claw and about to win the title. But then special ref Michael Hayes says that Flair’s foot is in the ropes and he pulls Kerry off, which draws some HEAT from Texas. And then Flair sends Kerry into the corner as Terry Gordy opens the cage door. But Flair gets in Hayes’ face and Michael punches him out and demands that Kerry pin him right then. Kerry is too noble and refuses, so Gordy slams the cage door on his head and Flair gets two as Hayes has a complete meltdown and tries to count a fast pin. So the Freebirds take their leave and Flair continues beating on Kerry and gets a snapmare for two. Flair runs him into the cage for one, but Kerry makes a comeback and knocks Flair out with the discus punch, but the ref declares that Kerry is concussed and stops the match to award it to Flair. Interesting that most people think of the finish as Gordy slamming the door on Kerry’s head for the finish, but actually the match went on for quite a bit afterwards and it was Kerry selling the concussion from the door shot that led to the finish.

Mr. Wrestling II v. Marty Lunde

Wrestling II now has a reward upped to $1000 for anyone who can tell him the identity of the person stalking him and messing with his masks. II works a headlock while Watts puts over the growing skills of young Marty Lunde, who sadly still has average carpentry skills despite his improvements in the ring. Lunde breaks the headlock and beats on him with forearms, but he goes up and lands on a punch from Wrestling II, setting up the Million Dollar Kneelift at 3:08 to finish.

BREAKING NEWS: Watts has heard of a threat against the JYD, with note saying “Watch the back door when you’re out for your match”.

Junkyard Dog v. Sonny Rogers

So when Dog gets into the ring, someone indeed comes out of the back door, and it’s a guy on a motorcycle and dressed all in black, who parks the bike at ringside and then retrieves a kendo stick and does some exercises with it while a paranoid Dog watches him closely. And then our mysterious motorcycle riding samurai gets back on his bike and rides off, leaving us all confused. So Dog grabs Rogers and Thumps him for the pin at 0:30. Well that was interesting. I’m assuming that was Kendo Nagasaki under the hood? I kind of want to know who that was and where it goes now.

Ted Dibiase & Matt Borne v. Tim Horner & Tony Torres

Torres uses his speed to evade Borne, but he gets stomped down and Dibiase comes in and drops the fist on him. Back to Borne, but Horner & Torres double-team him with an atomic drop before Horner misses an elbow on Dibiase. Back to Torres, but Dibiase powerslams him for the pin at 2:25.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan v. Tiger Conway Jr.

Lots of second generation stars on this episode. Apparently Tiger had to go into semi-retirement a while back, but now he’s back and in the thick of it again. Meanwhile, Duggan is running an extermination company on the side, specifically to exterminate “cockroaches from south of the border” and even more specifically, Chavo Guerrero. They trade hammerlocks while Bill Watts is STILL talking about this stupid Brass Knuckles title tournament that’s supposed to be happening in Houston at some point in the future. OH MY GOD EITHER DO THE TOURNAMENT OR SHUT UP ABOUT IT. Conway with a backdrop for two and the ref is bumped on the kickout, so Duggan backdrops Conway over the top rope with no ref, and the ref is bumped AGAIN, allowing Duggan to get a cheapshot and finish with the running headbutt spear at 3:43. BUT WAIT! It’s actually a DQ because the ref saw Duggan throw him over the top rope. So Duggan throws the ref over the top rope in frustration, and Conway comes back on Duggan and chases him out of the ring. GHETTO STYLE, notes Bill Watts.

Kelly Kiniski v. Joe Stark

Kelly puts him down with a back elbow and hits Stark with a dropkick for two. Kelly with a chinlock and Stark fights out of that, but he misses a blind charge and runs into an elbow. Kelly back to a chinlock and hits a half assed sideslam for two. Kelly with a kneelift for two but time runs out on the show at 3:24.

NEXT WEEK: Ted Dibiase & Matt Borne v. JYD & Mr. Wrestling II in a non-title match! Plus Mr. Olympia returns after his loser leaves town loss two months ago! OK now I remember where we’re going. Hell of a show this week with the footage from the Kerry-Flair match and an intriguing biker ninja.