Memphis Wrestling (2.18.1980) Review

-Originally aired February 18, 1980.

-Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown.

MIKE ROBERTS & TONY EATON vs. JERRY BRYANT & DAVID OSWALD
-Four jobbers, but Roberts & Eaton suddenly have matching frilly pink robes, so it looks like the start of an attempted push for them.

-Bryant armdrags Roberts hard. Bryant and Oswald work the arm together. Eaton, a big mofo, tags in but gets caught in a side headlock by Oswald. Bryant tags in and takes over the side headlock. Eaton makes a tag behind his back but Bryant adapts quickly and just puts a side headlock on him. Roberts comes back with a headbutt. Bryant gets aggressive right back, with a big right hand for a one-count.

-Eaton tags in and takes over by gouging the eyes. Roberts comes back in with a slam for one. Right hands are enough to drop Eaton, who, again, is a big guy, but they’re not treating him like a big guy. He just happens to be large. Roberts tags back in and blocks an attempted splash by Oswald. Eaton and Roberts unleash a beating to finally take control of this match for good, and a big fat elbow by Eaton gets the three-count. This just kind of laid there, and the new team didn’t come off as anything different or charismatic or even better than their opponents. They’re just the team that won the match.

-Generalissimo Billy Robinson is still injured.

-Jimmy Valiant comes in and rambles about his turn at guest-hosting Saturday Night Live last week with musical guest Joe Cocker. Not even Dusty Rhodes ever attempted THAT level of bullshit.

THE ASSASSINS vs. SLIM “The Hillbilly” JOHNSON & PAUL ELLERING
-Heels vs. Heels for some reason, with Slim being an odd choice of tag team partner for Ellering.

-#1 starts with Ellering. They slug it out and it appears that the fans are going to side with Ellering if they have to side with somebody in this match. #2 goes for a toehold, but Ellering kicks him away. #1 tags in but falls into a toehold right away. #2 tags in and the Assassins just can’t get anything going. Assassins attempt a switch behind the referee’s back, but the referee spots it and makes them switch back.

-#1 comes in legally but gets whipped into the corner. Slim, a humorously-misnomered fat guy, tags in and gets shoulderblocked down, and he falls like this is a new experience for him. Series of elbows by the Assassins. -#2 hoists Slim up for a powerslam. #1 heads back in and drops a big leg. Assassin goes for a torture rack but it becomes pretty evident that he’s not going to be able to hold on, so he just makes it a Samoan drop, and then a standard Samoan drop finishes. Odd, as Ellering hasn’t turned back face, it’s like he just stopped being a heel.

KEN LUCAS & STEVE REGAL vs. JERRY RALPH & BILL SMITHSON
-We’re at the halfway mark and this has not been one of the more electrifying weeks of this territory.

-Regal and Lucas take turns slamming Ralph. Dropkick by Regal gets one. Chinlock clamped on by Regal. Smithson tags in and gets caught in the side headlock. Lucas tags in and unloads right hands on Great Value David Schultz. Regal comes back in and goes back to the side headlock. Regal works the arm for a bit just to change things up. God, please, SOMETHING happen this week.

-Lucas drives knees into Smithson for a one-count. Elbow by Regal gets two as Smithson is starting to wear down. Regal comes to life and gets a backdrop for one. Knee by Smithson gets another one. Regal makes a tag behind the referee’s back and Lucas sneaks in and applies a sleeper to put Smithson to sleep. Well, why should Smithson be any different this week?

SUPERSTAR BILL DUNDEE vs. HARRY DAMATO
-Dundee starts with a waistlock takedown. Boston crab is locked on, but for no reason, Dundee just releases and gives him a backbreaker. Slam by Dundee gets one. And then something kind of interesting happens as Damato appears to try to shoot on Dundee, cradling him, with Dundee clearly pulling back and fighting the cradle. Dundee finally gives up and lets Damato do it, but he rolls straight through to reverse it, and Dundee very clearly cinches the hold VERY tightly. He gets the three-count, and then drives a knee right into Damato’s skull.

JERRY “The King” LAWLER & HANDSOME JIMMY VALIANT (with Jimmy Hart) vs. RICK MORTON & LARRY HARDIN
-Lawler is just wearing the lower half of his tights and no singlet, so he’s expecting an easy match this week.

-Lawler and Morton start. Lawler ties him up in a front facelock and biels him. Morton biels him back. Lawler is caught by surprise and retreats for a bit. Morton drops him with a right hand and goes for a pin. Valiant tries to break it but Morton moves and Valiant stomps Lawler’s chest. Hardin tags in and demands a test of strength, and since he’s smart, he steps back when Lawler tries to boot him in the stomach, and then because Lawler has left himself open, Hardin boots him in the stomach.

-Morton tags back in and Lawler is frustrated now. Hard boot to the face by the King, and he tags Valiant in. Valiant rams Morton into the turnbuckle, then into Lawler’s boot. He slams Morton into place for a fist drop from Lawler. Hot tag to Hardin, who’s a house of fire and Valiant is overwhelmed. Lawler’s finally had enough of this and just resorts to loading his elbow pad to knock Hardin out and get the three-count.

EXPIRATION OF TIME: RICKY & ROBERT GIBSON vs. DICK GREB & CHUCK KELLY
-Five minutes left in the show, so I’m thinking we have one fall in us.

FALL ONE: Kelly gets a waistlock on Robert. Robert sits out and turns it into headscissors, and Kelly makes the ropes. Kelly tries the waistlock again, but Robert tags Rick while still caught in the hold, and Rick slingshots himself in and sunset flips Kelly for an instant three-count.

3.0

The final score: review Bad

The 411

So...that was the whole show...