The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 10.23.82

The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 10.23.82

Doing this one from bed while fighting off a cold.

Taped from Shreveport, LA

Your hosts are Boyd Pierce & Bob Roop

Mr. Wrestling II v. Hangman Harris

Surprised that Harris is still hanging around at this point. He’s just kind of back to generic tights again and no manager, clearly on the way out. Wrestling II works the arm while Roop claims that although he took the knee from Wrestling II, it didn’t knock him out like everyone else did. Harris beats on him in the corner and goes to a headlock before dropping a fist for two. Wrestling II fights back while Roop complains that fans cheering for the babyface is “prejudicial” and should be banned. Wrestling II finishes with the Million Dollar Knee and a german suplex at 4:22.

Last week: Hacksaw Duggan wins the Louisiana title from Iron Mike Sharpe in a minor upset, quickly becoming one of my favorites in the territory. Roop notes that it’s a big deal because “a hundred million people or so” are watching the show every week. I think “or so” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

North American champion Ted Dibase & Louisiana champion Hacksaw Duggan v. Ted Allen & Marty Lunde

Dibiase gets some slams on Allen to start, and Duggan beats on Allen in the corner and follows with a shoulderbreaker. To the chinlock, but Allen makes a brief comeback and misses an elbow. Over to young (???) Marty Lunde while Roop lays out the stakes for the tag title match next week and points out that if Dibiase or Duggan loses the fall and has to leave for 60 days, then they also have to forfeit their title because of the 30 day rule. Can you imagine a wrestling promotion where the champion doesn’t defend every 30 days! It would be anarchy! Dibiase and Duggan double-team Lunde and Dibiase puts him down with a back elbow, but Allen comes in and bails out his young partner, but then makes the mistake of tagging Lunde in again. Dibiase puts Marty down with a clothesline and Duggan finishes him with the running headbutt at 4:00. Hang in there, Marty Lunde!

Kamala v. Bob Stabler

The match is announced as “one fall or remaining TV time” despite only being 15 minutes into the show. Guess Kamala is doing a broadway. Roop carries on his run of epic bullshittery, claiming that Houston crowds have “doubled or tripled” since Mid-South started running there. Big crowds! Beautiful crowds! Big strong men coming up to him with tears in their eyes and filling arenas like no one has ever seen! Kamala squashes the geek with three splashes and pins him at 1:18. Pretty sure there’s still TV time remaining.

Mid-South tag team champions Junkyard Dog & Mr. Olympia v. The Grapplers

The champs quickly double-team #2 and Dog goes to a neck vice. Olympia grabs a headlock and then does the classic double headscissors takedown on the Grapplers out of that. Back to the Dog, and he headbutts #1 in the back of the head and then chases #2 out of the ring with another headbutt. Olympia comes in and #1 runs him shoulder-first into the turnbuckle to take over and #2 works the arm. He misses an elbow and Dog gets the hot tag and cleans house with more headbutts and finishes #2 with the Thump at 4:13. Dog was an incredible hot tag guy at this point.

Vladic Smirnoff v. Tim Horner

Horner with dropkicks to start, but Smirnoff backdrops him out of the corner and goes to work on the back. He misses a blind charge, literaly flailing his arms on the way into the corner, but then no-sells Horner’s comeback and awkwardly tries to hang Tim in the Tree of Woe before settling for a slam instead. Smirnoff with a bearhug, but Horner elbows out of that, and Smirnoff goes back to it again. I’ve pulled better Russian heels out of the lint trap in my dryer. Smirnoff with a backdrop and a backbreaker and that finishes at 4:08, as he kind of falls on top of Horner and the ref is like “screw it, time to go home” and counts the pin. This guy is SO BAD.

Iron Mike Sharpe v. Vinnie Romeo

They do a criss-cross and Romeo gets a rollup for two off a slam attempt. Sharpe goes to a hammerlock as Roop thinks Sharpe should have asked for a match with “Andre the Giant or Godzilla” to make a point after losing the title last week. Godzilla was a hell of a worker for his time, I heard. Really did some stuff that most giant radioactive lizard monsters weren’t doing in 1982. Sharpe catches Romeo with a lariat and pins him at 2:15.

Kelly Kiniski v. Jesse Barr

Kelly’s been kind of doing nothing since debuting so maybe this is a start of a push for him. Kelly rides Barr on the mat and they trade elbows on the ropes before Barr takes him down with an armbar and works on that. Barr with a small package for two and he takes Kiniski down with a nice monkey flip and goes to a wristlock on the mat, keeping him controlled there while Roop notes that Jesse’s father Sandy Barr has a new career “raising chihuahuas”. I’m not so sure about that one. Kiniski takes over with a back elbow, but Barr dropkicks him and goes back to the armbar on the mat. But then Kelly tries a belly to belly suplex and Barr just kind of falls facefirst on the mat instead of going over for it, and Kelly gets the pin at 5:40. Just kind of a match.

Jim Duggan & Ted Dibiase join us and promise that next week is when they get the tag team title that’s been coming to them for months. Also Dibiase has a sweet beard growing in. He should stick with it.

NEXT WEEK: JYD & Mr. Olympia defend the tag team titles against Ted Dibiase & Hacksaw Duggan, no disqualification, there must be a winner, loser of the fall leaves town for 60 days! And yes, it lives up to every bit of the hype.