Memphis Wrestling (9.12.1981) Review

-Originally aired September 12, 1981.

-Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown.

-We kick things off with a Jimmy Valiant music video, so that’s fair warning.

TV TITLE TOURNAMENT: BILL DUNDEE vs. ROCKY S. (with Chic Donovan)
-Chic distracts the referee the moment that the bell sounds, so Rocky takes some cheap shots to get an early edge. Dundee fights back and works the arm. Rocky elbows him down, but Dundee rallies and comes off the second rope with a forearm for three to advance in the tournament.

-We head to the Mid-South Coliseum to see Ricky Morton & Eddie Gilbert battling Fuchi & Onita. Chicanery from Yamamoto seems to be the end of it, but Morton dropkicks Eddie on top of Fuchi for a flukey three-count, and the baby babyfaces capture the Southern Tag Team Titles.

-Eddie & Ricky are in the studio to graciously accept the belts. Tojo interrupts to cut a promo, and if you thought Mr. Fuji was a bad promo guy for a manager, wait until you’ve heard Wal-Mart’s Great Value Mr. Fuji working the mic. It’s honestly kind of nice that this territory existed because it was this home to a handful of guys who seemed to have a passion for the business, but whose phones were absolutely never going to ring with another promoter making an offer.

-Tojo’s here to demand a rematch for his boys, but Eddie interrupts with a plot twist–Tojo crossed out the rematch clause in the contract when he signed it because he didn’t think Eddie & Ricky could win. But the crossed-out clause goes both ways, so lol no rematch.

-Tojo spits in Eddie’s face to goad him. Eddie takes the bait and beats the hell out of Tojo, but that leaves Ricky alone to fight Fuchi & Onita. And he actually holds his own until the brawl just kinda fizzles out.

NON-TITLE: RICKY MORTON & EDDIE GILBERT (Tag Team Champions, with Chic Donovan) vs. BUGY MCGRAW & HEARTBREAKER #2
-Odd use of the Heartbreakers on this week’s show. Bugsy wants to start but #2, Joe Cagle, insists on starting. He gets dropkicked down right away, and Gilbert works the arm. Match never really gets going, as the Japanese contingent hits the ring and destroys the champs with a kendo stick. Ricky Morton is left bleeding when the dust settles.

DUTCH MANTELL & STEVE KIERN vs. MASA FUCHI & MR. ONITA (with Tojo Yamomoto)
-Faces get off to a hot start and Kiern nearly finishes early with a backdrop for two. Heels take over, but Dutch comes in and cleans house. Dutch keeps trying to put the match away but the heels keep breaking the pins to stay alive. Mantell clamps on an abdominal stretch, but Tojo hits the ring with the big stick again, and another babyface tag team takes a beating. But here are Gilbert and bandaged-up Morton to save the day. Morton gets his hands on the stick and just beats on Tojo like Tojo owes him money, and the heels get the hell away from the studio.

EXPIRATION OF TIME: GIBSON BROTHERS vs. NIGHTMARE #1 & SPEED (with Chic Donovan)
-So…Nightmare #1 has a new tag team partner who has the same tights and masks, but he has a blonde ponytail sticking out of the mask, so they’re acknowledging straight-up that it’s a different guy from Nightmare #2, but it’s still really weird.

FALL ONE: Gibsons take on Speed and handle him with ease. Speed makes the tag to #1. #1 takes over with a backdrop. Ricky tags in and takes on both masked men. Flying headscissors, and Ricky launches himself so high that he nearly throws himself over the top rope applying the move.

-Speed tags in and hammers on Ricky. Nightmare tries to finish it, but Ricky reverses his pinfall attempt into a sunset flip for three. And that’s the hour.

5.7

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

This was...definitely a Memphis show.