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Memphis Wrestling (4.5.1980) Review

June 10, 2022 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
Memphis Wrestling Bill Dundee Image Credit: Memphis Wrestling/YouTube
7.4
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Memphis Wrestling (4.5.1980) Review  

-Originally aired April 5, 1980.

-Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown.

-Jimmy Hart and Ali Hassan are out here to start. Jimmy Hart is disgusted as he announces that he’s surrendering the Southern Tag Team Title belts on behalf of his team and Lance Russell breaks the news that the reason this is necessary is that the AWA has dictated that one man can not hold two titles simultaneously…and Paul Ellering is now the Southern Heavyweight Champion. Ellering has elected to keep the Heavyweight Title, which forces the promotion to hold a tournament for the Tag Team Title.

-Jimmy Hart argues that it’s not really a rule, the AWA is just making it up to put the screws to Jimmy, but he’s going into business with Sonny King, and he’s going to put King and Hassan together as a tag team to pursue the belts one more time.

SONNY KING & ALI HASSAN (with Jimmy Hart) vs. PAT HUTCHINSON & AARON HOLT

-Hassan and Hutchinson start. Hassan applies a side headlock and brings King in. King barely does anything before Jimmy Hart excitedly declares “Did you see that?!” like we’re seeing the breaking-out of the next big thing in tag team wrestling. Jimmy is clearly extremely comfortable out there now and it’s neat to see him turning into the Jimmy Hart that we know and hate.

-Hassan comes in with a chokehold before we go to a weird ending. Hassan throws one worked punch and just rolls up Holt and cinches it on REALLY tight, and the referee counts three even as Holt is clearly kicking out. I guess Jarrett & Welch regretted signing Aaron Holt to that 20-year multimillion-dollar contract.

-ANOTHER DAMN HOUSE SHOW PROMO where they tip off an angle. The Blonde Bombers and Danny Davis hype their upcoming match in Louisville and discuss what we’re going to see in the next segment.

-We go to video from Tupelo, Mississippi for what Lance Russell warns us is not a proud moment for wrestling. The match is the Gibson Brothers vs. The Blonde Bombers. It’s post-match and the Bombers have already lost. Danny Davis handcuffs Robert to the ropes and then it’s a three-on-one attack on Rick, who’s rendered a bloody mess. Ricky gets a second wind and fights off all three men…

-And minutes later, we have another brawl in the concession stand. I love that they’re just smearing Rick Gibson’s bloody face all over the area where food is prepared, like absolutely nobody from the Board of Health is watching wrestling. Robert somehow gets free from the ropes to help his brother, and Handsome Jimmy shows up and joins the fight too, after realizing he won’t get his usual take-home pay of The Leftover Bags of Popcorn as a result of the fracas, and he fights off the Bombers. Not as famous or as fun as the other Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl. Definitely the Cannonball Run 2 of Tupelo Concession Stand Brawls.

-Robert is distraught in talking to Lance at the studio. All he wants to do is WIN matches, but the Bombers have taken it beyond that and something has to be done. The Bombers and Danny Davis stroll out and dare Robert to do something gutsier than just cutting a promo. Robert won’t take the bait because there’s obviously three of them and his brother is in the hospital, but the Bombers won’t take no for an answer and just attack him anyway until Bill Dundee, Ricky Morton, and Steve Regal come out together to fight the Bombers off. Lance is just disgusted by the whole scene.

-Paul Ellering is here to cut his first promo as Southern Heavyweight Champion, and he and Jimmy Hart come out in matching tuxedos, which is a fantastic promo. Ellering reminds us that months ago, Jerry Jarrett was telling him that he was “pretty good for a rookie,” and now here he is on top of the territory, having defeated Jimmy Valiant, who, by the way, can’t dance.

-We go to the Mid-South Coliseum to watch the big win. The referee gets bumped, and Jimmy Valiant is a bloody mess who can’t see out of his left eye. After a ref bump, a groggy Valiant goes for the pin. Jimmy Hart runs over and bangs his cane on the ring bell, leading Valiant to think he’s won the match. Ellering knocks Valiant out cold as Jimmy Hart revives the referee, and the referee counts three and awards the Southern Heavyweight Title to Paul Ellering. Crowd is pissed, with one particularly livid fan absolutely screaming at the referee trying to tell him what happened.

PAUL ELLERING (Southern Heavyweight Champion, with Jimmy Hart) vs. DENNIS UPTON

-Ellering demands that he be allowed to wrestle with the belt on and it turns into a heated argument with the referee before Ellering finally caves.

-Ellering beltlessly flings Upton across the ring and slams him repeatedly. Ellering does the most leisurely airplane spin I’ve ever seen, but refuses to finish with it. Running powerslam finally gives him the win.

“Dr. D” DAVID SCHULTZ & DENNIS CONDREY vs. STEVE REGAL & JERRY BRYANT

-Bryant manages to hold his own against Condrey. Schultz tags in and tries some mat wrestling, but Bryant does a sit-out to free himself while Lance tells us that the fans “have a mad-on” for Schultz and Condrey.

-Regal tags in and hiptosses the heels around. Bryant, the “Special Delivery Jones’ partner” of this tandem, tags back in and gets his arm worked over. Heels take him over to their corner and attack the ribs. Running powerslam by Condrey, and then he suckers Regal to come into the ring, which leads to an argument with the distracted referee as they double-team Bryant and finish him off for the pin.

BILL DUNDEE & RICK MORTON vs. THE BLOND BOMBERS (with Danny Davis)

-Morton stings Larry Latham with a shoulderblock and a hiptoss. Morton snaps him down into a side headlock. Dundee and Wayne Ferris do battle now. Dundee crashes on an attempted bodypress and Ferris takes control, but Dundee is able to escape and tag Morton back in. Bombers double-team Morton, and Rick Gibson suddenly shows up with a LUGWRENCH, and the Bombers get the hell out of there. Davis isn’t quick enough to get away, and Gibson lays a shot right into his army helmet, with a satisfying WHACK. Even the other babyfaces are concerned about everyone’s safety, and they rush over to wrestle the lugwrench out of Rick’s hand as the Bombers take the win by DQ.

7.4
The final score: review Good
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Memphis Wrestling, Adam Nedeff