Memphis Wrestling (8.15.1981) Review

-Originally aired August 15, 1981.

-Your hosts are Lance and Dave.

-The TV Title tournament starts today…apparently, for some reason.

-Okay, so thankfully, Lance Russell is a mind reader, so he just stops everything to explain, “Yeah, we’re having a TV Title tournament.” So Kevin Sullivan kept ducking Dutch Mantell, and kept ducking him and kept ducking him and kept ducking him, and in fact ducked so many attempted rematches with Dutch Mantell that the company finally got fed up with Sullivan not honoring his commitments and stripped him of the title.

NON-TITLE: MASA FUCHI & MR. ONITA (Southern Tag Team Champions, with Tojo Yamomoto) vs. KOKO WARE & ROY ROGERS
-Rogers armdrags Onita right away. They do some nice work on the mat before Koko comes in and goes to work on the arm. Fuchi tags in and gets slammed down. Koko bonks the champs’ heads together and then tags Rogers back in. Heels use evil martial arts to take the edge. Onita applies the fat grab to try to finish, but Roy Rogers knows the only counter to the abdominal claw, Doing Literally Anything, and manages to break the hold.

-Hot tag Koko, and you get a dropkick! You get a dropkick! Everybody gets a dropkick! But it turns into a pier sixer, referee gets distracted, salt in the face, champs get the tainted win.

-We get a bananas promo for the Back Alley Brawl coming up Tuesday night in Louisville, and Back Alley Brawl basically means “tuxedo match,” so here’s Plowboy Frazier to explain that he doesn’t even take off all of his clothes for bathing, so it’s going to take a lot of work to get him undressed. No, stop, don’t everyone rush to the box office all at once.

TV TITLE TOURNAMENT, ROUND ONE: RICK GIBSON vs. DAVID PRICE
-Little brother Robert sits in on commentary.

-Rick slams Price and puts the boots to him as Lance notes that Rick and Robert are both in the tournament, and they’ve agreed that if the brackets end up in a brother vs. brother match, they’ll both give it all they’ve got. Cradle by Rick gets the easy win. Memphis is not a territory designed for a 16-man tournament.

TV TITLE TOURNAMENT, ROUND ONE: JERRY “The King” LAWLER vs. NIGHTMARE #1
-Lawler gets the early advantage. Nightmare surprises him with a Thesz press and goes for the pin right away, but Lawler gives him a Moe poke to the eyes to break the pin.

-Nightmare tries a bulldog but Lawler just shoves him into the corner and follows with a back suplex. Nightmare throws punches and takes over, but a neckbreaker only gets one. Blown finish sees Lawler cradle Nightmare for one, and then two…and then a pause…and then the referee realizes that somebody is missing their cue, and then he just says the hell with it and counts three, and as soon as he counts three, THEN the First Family shows up to attack Lawler. Babyface locker room empties out to come to the King’s aid. Faces chase the First Family off, except for Dream Machine, who’s left dazed and lying in the ring. Jimmy Hart is so quick to leave during the retreat that he leaves behind a box that he brought out with him. Lawler curiously checks the box and finds molasses and a pillow in there, so he and Bill Dundee tar & feather Dream Machine before they take off. Eddie Marlin comes out and announces that he’s fining Lawler & Dundee $500 each for doing that, but he’s ALSO fining Jimmy Hart and the First Family members, too, because they brought the stuff out and that’s a clear sign of intent.

-We go to the Mid-South Coliseum to see Steve Keirn & Bill Dundee vs. The Nightmares. Chic Donovan tries to interfere from the floor, so the faces drag him into the ring and rip his clothes off. Bugsy McGraw comes out to rescue Donovan, but then that brings out the Gibson brothers for the rescue.

SUPERSTAR BILL DUNDEE & STEVE KIERN vs. THE HEARTBREAKERS (with First Family Vice President Chic Donovan)
-Debut of a new tag team, and checking on their identities on Cagematch, all I can say is don’t blink. They are Joseph Cagle and Rocky Sortar. Cagle’s career at least lasted for several years as a jobber in various areas after this run, but Rocky Sortar’s career apparently spans a grand total of 12 matches, all in 1981. And basically they’re two bleach blondes who enter the ring in Gorgeous George robes.

-Keirn starts with Rocky and they jockey for position. Rocky throws a forearm and tags in Cagle. Heartbreakers attempt a double-team maneuver and Dundee tricks them into colliding. Keirn tags in and avoids a corner charge by Rocky. Sloppy, awkward finish has Chic Donovan taking a cheap shot at Dundee and the bell is just abruptly called for the DQ. I mean, yeah, that’s the rule, but the finish just sort of HAPPENS and there was no build or really any call for Chic to interfere at the moment that he did.

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

This was fine.