wrestling / Video Reviews
Memphis Wrestling (7.19.1981) Review
Image Credit: Memphis Wrestling
Loading...-Originally aired July 19, 1981.
-Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown.
-Jimmy Hart cannot defend the Southern Heavyweight Title because of his broken leg, so the title is VACANT, and a needlessly complicated and lengthy pretend tournament will be held “throughout the south” to determine the new champion.
-Jimmy hobbles out here with the entire First Family, and still in possession of the Southern Heavyweight Title belt. He is NOT surrendering his title. He has 30 days to defend the title from the date of winning the belt or 30 days from the most recent title defense. It hasn’t been 30 days since he won the belt, and he’s signed a title match for TODAY, in the studio, so nobody is taking it from him.
CHICK DONOVAN (with Jimmy Hart) vs. TIM LEONARD
-Leonard came ready to fight and Donovan is thrown off by the rapid offense early on. Donovan works the arm to take control. Really weird attempt at a hammerlock slam, with Leonard sandbagging the shit out of the move, and it only gets two. Corner charge by Donovan misses and he hurts his knee. Monkey flip by Leonard, but Donovan rallies and rakes the eyes to take over again.
-Series of slams by Donovan, and a figure four gets the submission.
-We head to the Mid-South Coliseum, where Ron Bass is defending the Mid-American Title against Steve Keirn. Keirn counters a bulldog with an Irish whip into a German suplex to capture the title.
-Live in the studio, Keirn gives Bass his props for a tough battle.
MASA FUCHI & MR. ONITA (with Tojo Yamomoto) vs. ROY ROGERS & PAT HUTCHINSON
-Roy gets worked over with chops and kicks from both opponents. Japanese team mauls Rogers, which is pretty astonishing considering the build he’s been getting. Onita goes for the kill but misses a diving headbutt. Roy opts not to tag but instead hulks up and we end up with a pier sixer before we know it. The young up-and-comers manage to clear the ring.
-Tojo lets both of his men have it for screwing up this match so badly. They head back inside and Hutchinson finally tags in and takes a proper beating. Double chop to the throat finishes.
-Jimmy and the First Family are here again, with Jimmy on crutches and in a cast, but dressed to wrestle. And his opponent is a legitimate contender, one of the greatest contenders in the world…
SOUTHERN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE: JIMMY HART (Champion, with The First Family) vs. CHICK DONOVAN
-Chick looks shocked and sheds some tears, so genuinely touched at his big opportunity. Referee Jerry Calhoun is so disgusted by the farce that he refuses to call for the bell to start the match. One of the Nightmares goes over to ring the bell himself. Jimmy goes for a bodyslam, but ever so gingerly loses his balance and slowly falls to the mat, with Chick lightly landing on top of him. The other Nightmare counts the pin, and Jimmy declares Chick the new Southern Heavyweight Champion.
-Dutch Mantell & Dream Machine are here rambling about an upcoming match where Dream Machine is putting his mask on the line. But suddenly Tojo Yamomoto and his men are on the scene to cause trouble, and before you know it, there’s a brawl all over the ring. Dutch and Dream fight back, and the brawl goes for several minutes in and out of the ring. 3 vs. 2 eventually becomes too much for our heroes, so Steve Keirn shows up to lend a hand and clear the ring.
EXPIRATION OF TIME: JERRY “The King” LAWLER & SUPERSTAR BILL DUNDEE vs. JIM DALTON & TOM STANTON
FALL ONE: The eventual losers come out with a strong showing on Dundee, working his leg and cutting off tags. Lawler finally makes it in there and finishes in seconds with a fist drop.
