Memphis Wrestling (2.7.1981) Review

-Originally aired February 7, 1981.

-Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown.

BOUNTY HUNTERS (with Jimmy Kent) vs. TOM MALEY & DAVID PRICE
-Maley gets David Novak on the mat. David takes over with a front facelock and drives boots into him. Jerry tags in and slams him. David comes in and Maley applies the hammerlock. David turns it into a full nelson, but Maley manages to break the hold, in a rare achievement for a jobber. Hard slam by David, and a shot to the turnbuckle gets one.

-Maley finally tags Price into the ring. Price armdrags David Novak and Jimmy Kent goes right to filing a complaint with the referee about hair-pulling. Bounty Hunters turn up the aggression with a double-team that Dave Brown feels “wasn’t quite necessary.” Backdrop and an elbow by David, hard stomps by Jerry. Body vice/forearm combo by the Bounty Hunters gets the win.

-Tommy Rich & Bill Dundee are facing the Bounty Hunters Tuesday night in the Louisville Gardens, losers get ten lashes. And suddenly-clean-shaven Jimmy Valiant is coming to break Jerry Lawler’s leg AND his neck when he rolls in to defend his Southern Title against the King.

TOMMY RICH vs. GYPSY JOE (with Jimmy Hart)
-If anybody finds this review or others of mine in the future, let the record show that I actually went years not knowing that Joe’s name was considered a slur–like, far into adulthood–and it feels incredibly weird typing his name whenever I have to.

-Tommy gets a takedown and clamps on a hammerlock. Joe tries to mount some offense but gets kicked away. Joe goes to the eyes and rams Rich into the turnbuckle. Joe applies a chinlock and sticks with it for a bit. Rich gets fired up and drives a big elbow into Joe’s forehead. Joe tumbles out to the floor for a break, even hiding under the ring to buy himself some time. Rich is too smart for that, and when Joe pops up on the other side, Rich rams him into the post.

-Back in the ring, Rich drops a fist from the second rope for two. Thesz press by Rich finishes Joe off. Decent action.

-We go to Mid-South Coliseum, where Jerry Lawler is facing Ron Bass, with Lance Russell reading Jimmy Hart’s own scripted introduction for Bass and complaining about how obnoxious and false it is. Bass has the advantage until Lawler pulls the strap down and kicks some ass. Flying headbutt gives Lawler the win….and that’s it. I kind of expected an angle, but nah, Lawler just got the win and called it a night.

EDDIE HOGAN vs. DAVID OSWALD
-For anyone who missed Eddie’s last tour of duty, this is Ed Leslie and his gimmick is that he’s Hulk Hogan’s brother, and people absolutely believed that because by the time I began watching wrestling in ’89 the “fact” that Brutus and Hulk were brothers was the first insider rumor that I ever heard. Quick win for Brutus, with a big bodyslam being enough to put Oswald away.

-Onward, a “special tribute to Austin Idol,” and it appears to be footage from a local talk show. A band sings “Heartthrob,” a parody of “Wild Thing” rattling off all of Idol’s key feuds and how badly Idol beat each opponent. The most interesting thing about the band is the obvious transitional period for pop music happening here, with half the band in disco-dork leisure suits and the other half in glittering shirts and ’80s glam-boy robes.

EXPIRATION OF TIME: RICKY MORTON & EDDIE GILBERT vs. HANDSOME JIMMY VALIANT & THE DREAM MACHINE (with Jimmy Hart)
-Jimmy Hart makes it a point to run down the band before the match starts because he knows rock music and he knows talent.

FALL ONE: Gilbert works the Machine’s arm, Machine slams him to get free. Valiant comes in and drives an elbow into the jaw. Morton tries his luck. Machine heads back in and slams Morton, but an elbow gets only two. Machine is done playing around and connects with a powerful clothesline, and it’s enough for the three-count to take the first fall.

FALL TWO: Morton is rested up but can’t quite get control, so he tags in Eddie. Valiant applies a nerve hold on Eddie. Machine and Valiant give him a beatdown and Machine tries his own nerve hold. Gilbert gets caught in the corner and Morton protests while the heels attack relentlessly.

-Gilbert throws some desperate punches and tries to make a comeback, but Jimmy Hart trips him from the floor and Valiant drops a big elbow for the three-count to win the second fall.

5.0

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

Pretty unremarkable week for angles, but the matches were fine.