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Memphis Wrestling (12.27.1980) Review

October 21, 2022 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
Memphis Wrestling Jimmy Valiant Image Credit: Memphis Wrestling
5.3
The 411 Rating
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Memphis Wrestling (12.27.1980) Review  

-Originally aired December 27, 1980.

-Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown.

THE ANGEL (with Jimmy Hart) vs. DAVID PRICE

-Angel hammers and kicks at Price, then heaves him out to the floor. He brings Price back in and snapmares him for two. Chinlock is reversed into a hammerlock, and the fans are thrilled that Price was able to do absolutely ANYTHING. Angel shakes it off and applies a claw to get the three-count.

2 OUT OF 3 FALLS: TOMMY RICH & SUPERSTAR BILL DUNDEE vs. GYPSY JOE & DAVID OSWALD
FALL ONE: Shoulderblock and a mare by Dundee get a quick two-count. Joe comes back with a shot to the throat and makes the tag. Oswald is a pretty unexpected choice for a 2-out-of-3 falls match, which makes me think somebody overslept and missed the taping.

-Rich dropkicks Oswald for two. Chinlock by Rich. Everybody tags and Joe throws a nice chop and takes Dundee down with a top wristlock. Dundee counters with headscissors. Joe fights out and Oswald attacks Dundee in the corner while he has an opening. Rich breaks it up and Dundee comes back with a dropkick on two. Even the commentators are noting that Oswald is suddenly much more competent in THIS match than he usually is.

-Oswald tags in proper and backdrops Dundee for a two-count. Joe tags in, and HE ends up being the one who screws it up for his team, going for a backdrop only to get caught in a sunset flip, and Dundee takes the first fall.

-House show promo, with Tommy Rich vowing to get revenge on Jimmy Valiant for something we haven’t seen Valiant do yet. UGH.

FALL TWO: Dundee chops the hell out of Joe. Dundee backdrops Joe and follows with a knee for two. Joe dodges a bodypress and Dundee crashes. Nerve hold by Oswald. Dundee biels him off but Oswald prevents the hot tag and goes back to the nerve hold. Dundee manages to break it again with something like a spinebuster, but again Oswald is having the best week of his life, cutting off the hot tag and trapping him in the heel corner.

-Oswald slams Dundee for two. Joe tags in and locks on his own nerve hold. I get the impression, like last week, that absolutely anybody was allowed to take the holidays off and they’re dragging these matches out to make up for having a light roster. Oswald tags back in and slams Dundee. He goes for another slam, but this time, Dundee holds on through impact and rolls over to make it a cradle for three, so the faces take it in two straight falls. Slow but not bad, and Oswald got a little street cred if they want to use that to build him up in the next few weeks.

TONY CHARLES vs. PAT HUTCHINSON
-Charles applies a side headlock while Bill Dundee & Tommy Rich come out to tell us that at the upcoming house shows this week, the two of them will be signing autographed photos for anybody who makes a donation, and all of the money goes to…Tony Charles. It’s very odd, they don’t even give us any kind of storyline reason Tony might need or appreciate the money, they’re just doing a fundraiser for one of the other wrestlers. I’m guessing Tony lost Jerry Jarrett’s Christmas bonus somewhere in his couch cushions and everyone felt sorry for him.

-Charles goes for a Boston crab, but Hutchinson makes the ropes to prevent it. Charles goes to a backbreaker instead, definitely having a game plan in mind, and once he has Hutchinson in the center of the ring, he goes for the Boston crab one more time. Hutchinson crawls and makes it to the ropes to force the break, and everyone seems stunned that the jobber actually got out of a submission hold.

-Charles takes him down and ties him up on the mat while Lance talks about the generous gesture of Tommy Rich & Bill Dundee, saying “We’re not going to stay on the point about the problem that Tony had.” I kinda wish you would because I’m lost here. Dropkick by Charles gets three.

-We go to Mid-South Coliseum for a look at Dream Machine’s debut in the arena. Easy squash for the Dream Machine, and he gets a submission win with an armbar. Dream Machine refuses to release the hold. Ricky Morton tries to make the save, but Jimmy Hart attacks him with a cane, so Jerry Lawler finally emerges to make the save.

-In the studio, Jimmy and the Machine stroll out to announce that some grave-diggin’ and coffin-buyin’ is happenin’ soon, baby.

-House show promo: Tommy Rich and Jimmy Valiant will start the match with their clothes on, but we’ll see how they end up after that at the Louisville Gardens!

EXPIRATION OF TIME: TOJO YAMAMOTO & HANDSOME JIMMY VALIANT vs. KOKO WARE & TOM MALEE
-FALL ONE: Koko gets a hiptoss right away and Valiant stalls & complains. Tojo tags in and works the arm, with a little help from a handful of hair. Valiant tags back in and gives Koko the best turnbuckle bump ever, with both of Koko’s feet leaving the mat and his body being completely vertical on impact. Big chop by Tojo gets an easy three-count over the reigning TV Champion.

-FALL TWO: Koko makes good use of the rest time and absolutely unloads on both opponents with everything he has as soon as the bell rings for the second fall. Malee tags in and that goes wrong immediately. Elbow to the jaw by Handsome Jimmy gets the three-count.

-And that’s the show. No Tommy Rich/Jimmy Valiant angle.

5.3
The final score: review Not So Good
The 411
A place-holder week, as I'm presuming they thought nobody was watching on Christmas weekend.
legend

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Memphis Wrestling, Adam Nedeff