The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 08.28.82

The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 08.28.82

For some reason the WWE Network is now missing the navigation bar the top that actually lets you, you know, NAVIGATE the site. So I had to search for “Mid-South” instead and honestly it was way faster than their stupid menu system to find what I was looking for.

Taped from Shreveport, LA

Your hosts are Boyd Pierce & General Skandor Akbar. Boyd reminds him to be a gentleman and not interfere in the matches tonight because otherwise he’s getting FINED.

Last week: Iron Mike Sharpe fights off the interference of Akbar and upsets Killer Khan for the Louisiana title! That was a great finish, as Khan had Sharpe legitimately beat with his flying knee, but Akbar demanded a piledriver and Sharpe was able to get a rollup and pin Khan, thus leaving both guys looking strong.

Back at the desk, Akbar claims that Sharpe was trying to molest him on the apron. #MeToo back in 1982 apparently.

Later on in last week’s show, Akbar takes the place of One Man Gang and tries to take out his frustrations on Buck Robley, but that goes predictably bad for him and it turns into a heel beatdown on Robley. And we get a wild dressing room clearing brawl to end the show.

Louisiana champion Iron Mike Sharpe v. Mike Bond

Sharpe actually leapfrogs Bond and gets a dropkick, but Bond fires back on the ropes. Listening to Akbar on commentary is hilarious because he just sounds like a guy from the south and not any kind of Arabian sheik. Sharpe quickly finishes with the piledriver at 1:25.

Killer Khan v. Coco Samoa

Boyd generously offers to let Akbar go to ringside and manage his man, but Akbar wants to stay and prove that Khan doesn’t need his help to beat this guy. Khan slugs Coco down and finishes with the flying knee at 2:00.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan v. Frank Monte

Duggan actually rides Monte down and cranks on a chinlock while holding a bodyscissors, and then beats on him with forearms in the corner and then drops an elbow on him for two. Boyd notes that Duggan can be a bit “wacky and silly” but then he’ll wallop you. That’s a pretty good description. Backbreaker gets two and Duggan smashes a double axhandle into Monte’s back, and then suplexes him and picks him up at two. Running kneedrop gets two and Duggan picks him up again, but Monte makes a comeback and slugs away in the corner. But then Duggan spears him out of nowhere and Monte sells it like his soul has left his body, and Duggan finishes him with an Oklahoma Stampede into all four corners at 4:04. I love this version of Duggan! He’s filling the exact role that Steve Williams grew into years later.

North American title: Ted Dibiase v. Dick Murdoch

Murdoch slugs away on Dibiase (whom Akbar keeps calling “Debussy”) but Ted takes him down and drops a knee on him to take over. Akbar notes that Murdoch mentored Dibiase years ago when Ted was a rookie. Did he teach him how to con charities too? Murdoch comes back while Jim Duggan hangs out at ringside providing support for his good friend Dibiase, and Murdoch goes to a chinlock and then punches Dibiase in the nose for fun. Ted puts the boots to Murdoch and backdrops him before dropping knees on him for two. Powerslam gets two. Backbreaker gets two. Murdoch takes out the knee and goes to work on that with a deathlock, but he goes for a figure-four and Dibiase kicks him into the turnbuckles. So Murdoch slugs Dibiase to the floor, where Duggan helps him out and distracts Murdoch as a result. So Dibiase nails Murdoch from behind and hits an atomic drop, but Murdoch rolls him up for two. Dibiase shoves him into Duggan while kicking out, and then the ref gets wiped out as well and Murdoch makes the comeback. Murdoch with the brainbuster, but Duggan runs in and spears him on the way down, putting Dibiase on top to retain the title at 9:11. Good finish. I like that it’s not just “no nonsense” all the time. Typically there’s SOME nonsense, but it’s an appropriate amount of it. ***

Mr. Wrestling II v. Billy The Star Child Starr

Wrestling II hits the kneelift immediately out of nowhere and Starr retreats to the floor, so Wrestling hauls him in with a headlock and works on that. Starr fights out of that and hits Wrestling with his OWN kneelift before going to work on the ropes. He misses an elbow, however, and Wrestling II backdrops him out of the corner and finishes with the kneelift at 2:33.

Buck Robley v. Tug Taylor

Robley takes him down with a headscissors and they fight for the lockup before Robley takes him down and works on the arm. Buck with a back elbow and he finishes with the sleeper at 2:30.

The One Man Gang v. Vinnie Romeo

Gang beats on Romeo and chokes him out before dropping the big elbow for the pin at 1:34.

NEXT WEEK: JUNKYARD DOG & MR OLYMPIA DEFEND THE TAG TEAM TITLE AGAINST HACKSAW DUGGAN AND TED DIBIASE AGAIN! With special referee Mr Wrestling II!

Another corker of an episode with a really good North American title match and Jim Duggan somehow being awesome.