Memphis Wrestling (5.9.1981) Review

-Originally aired May 9, 1981.

-Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown.

-Lance is here with the reigning AWA Southern Tag Team Champions, Superstar Dundee & Dream Machine. Wrestlers and a few promoters, particularly in Florida, have been complaining about “hometown bias” giving them some protection. Therefore, the AWA has agreed to make the champs fly to Florida for several matches this week, and the title match that they were supposed to have in Mid-South Coliseum on Monday night will now happen today in the TV studio. Dream Machine cuts a pretty entertaining promo about hitting the beaches in Florida, while keeping his mask on, of course.

SOUTHERN TAG TEAM TITLE: SUPERSTAR BILL DUNDEE & DREAM MACHINE (Champions) vs. WAYNE FERRIS & KEVIN SULLIVAN (with Jimmy Hart)
-Territory days are neat in hindsight. I would not have thought that the heels ever crossed paths. Sullivan still has his bodybuilder physique at this stage in his career and is almost unrecognizable until you hear the voice.

-Dundee throws right hands, and a dropkick sends Sullivan out to the floor. Ferris tags in and gets tied up in a Boston crab. Ferris gets free but gets elbowed down for two. Sleeper by Dundee, but Jimmy Hart engages in some chicanery and Ferris takes over until Dream Machine can tag in. Ferris dodges a corner charge and Machine does a Heenan bump from that for a two-count. Dundee tags back in and he’s in peril soon enough. Ferris taunts him a bit, probably because of that ridiculous Elvis jumpsuit that Dundee wears to the ring. Sullivan tags back in and applies a bearhug. Dundee gets free but Ferris tags back in, and they just keep trying to wear Dundee out. Ferris’ strategy is to target the lower back, continuing the damage that the bearhug started.

-Double atomic drop by the heels gets two, and Sullivan tries the bearhug again. Dundee gets free but Ferris hurries in and cuts off the hot tag. Dundee gets desperate and tries a slam, but collapses with Ferris on top for two. Sullivan tags back in but nothing they can do is the magic ingredient that will finish him off. Machine comes in, fed up, and just starts beating on Ferris. While the referee is distracted, Dundee tries a desperation move off the ropes, but Jimmy Hart pulls a rope down and Dundee lands on the concrete. He makes it back into the ring, barely, but Sullivan simply rolls him up for a three-count to take the belts. Match was okay but nothing memorable.

BOUNTY HUNTERS (with Jimmy Kent) vs. EDDIE GILBERT & KOKO WARE
-Eddie gets choked out but fights back with a backdrop and a knee. Koko tags in and dazzles the commentators with an absolute perfect-10 of a dropkick. Bounty Hunters fight back with a stomach claw, but Koko resists with the classic strategy of “standing up.” Jimmy Kent takes a cheap shot, but the referee catches it this time and calls for the bell, and Gilbert & Koko get a surprise win.

-Jimmy Hart comes out wearing one of the title belts and gloating about the win. Jimmy Kent suddenly shows up to complain that he never gets mic time, it’s always the other Jimmy. Hart offers Kent some constructive criticism–nobody wants to watch an over-the-hill redneck with a beer belly and a grade school education on TV. Hart brags that he’s moving to Boston because it’s a less pathetic city than Memphis, and Jimmy Kent could stand to learn something from him. And Jimmy Kent rears back and just DECKS him with a right hand that stuns the entire audience and threatens to run him out of the territory.

-Tuesday night in the Louisville Gardens, The Turk, El Toro, & Jimmy Hart vs. The Bounty Hunters & Jimmy Kent in a loser-leaves-town match that was signed as a result of what we just saw. Hot diggity damn, we got to see the angle FIRST!

DUTCH MANTELL vs. DAVID PRICE
-Dutch hammers away and gives Price a back suplex. Elbow gets an easy three.

EXPIRATION OF TIME: MR. ONITA & MASA FUCHI (with Tojo Yamomoto) vs. KOKO WARE & ROY RODGERS
-Koko gets double-duty today due to a jobber no-show.

FALL ONE: Koko works Onita’s arm. Rodgers tags in and gets overwhelmed by chops and eye-gouging. And that’s about all there is to say about the match until Koko gets the hot tag, cleans house, and then just gets taken out by a splash and pinned. Onita and Fuchi get the win, and wouldn’t you know it, TV time is up, no second fall.

6.9

The final score: review Average

The 411

Jimmy Hart is your MVP of the territory.