wrestling / Video Reviews
Memphis Wrestling (9.4.1982) Review
Image Credit: Memphis Wrestling
Loading...-Finding complete episodes from Memphis can be a bit of a needle/haystick mission sometimes. This one’s pretty complete, so…
-Originally aired September 4, 1982.
-Your hosts are Lance Russell & Dave Brown.
SUPERSTAR BILL DUNDEE vs. THE ANGEL
-This match is missing from the tape, but after a shining wizard and a rapid-fire series of asai moonsaults, Bill Dundee probably gets the win.
-HERE is where the tape picks up. Dundee is catching his breath after the grueling battle and out comes Jim Cornette. Cornette says Jerry Lawler WAS his top choice as a guy to manage, but since Lawler was such an asshole to him last week, he’s crossed off the list, and Cornette is approaching his second choice, Bill Dundee, to make an offer. Dundee shuts him down immediately, completely insulted that he’s Cornette’s SECOND choice and telling Cornette to go back to Lawler and keep begging until he says yes.
-Jerry Lawler comes out, laughing hysterically off at how badly Cornette screwed this up. Cornette is starting to come to life in this role, raising his voice at Lawler and complaining he has no class. Cornette seems to be choking back tears and tries to play the “rich mom” card and that’s not working. “I’M JIM CORNETTE AND I GET WHAT I WANT!” And with that, Cornette pulls out his list, crosses out Dundee’s name, and storms off. This is actually really different from what Cornette’s character became. The wealthy mama’s boy stuff is kind of secondary and the primary focus here is Cornette being a hapless bungler who doesn’t know how to talk to talent.
-Off to the Mid-South Coliseum for highlights of the Southern Tag Team Title bout, with Bobby Eaton & Sweet Brown Sugar defending against Steve Keirn & Terry Taylor with no disqualification. Sugar takes an unprotected table bump and a piledriver, as they’re going all out with the stipulations….except for the guys standing on the apron and waiting to be tagged! GAH! Keirn & Lane work the leg over and eventually all four men and Jimmy Hart get involved in the battle. Later on, Sugar and Eaton are mauling Keirn, knocking Stan Lane off the apron for good measure. Sugar stands on the apron and holds a chair in place while Eaton sets up Keirn to be rammed into it, but Keirn reverses positions so that Eaton gets rammed into the chair while Keirn headbutts Sugar off the apron, and Keirn pins Eaton to take the titles. Great finish!
JERRY “The King” LAWLER (Southern Heavyweight Champion) vs. DREAM MACHINE
-Kind of an unexpected TV match. Dream throws a hard right and another. Biel throw as the commentators note how downright svelte Dream Machine suddenly is, apparently having dropped about 30 pounds since the last time he worked a TV match. Lawler biels him right back and does the babyface spot where he asks the crowd to tell the referee that Lawler cheated, but a nice heel twist, as the fans obviously won’t back him up and he gets all pissy with everyone at ringside.
-Dream applies a standing wristlock and Lawler gives him a right hand to the schnoz to break that one. And Dream Machine is STILL chewing out fans for not backing him up on the biel. Lawler reverses an Irish whip but gets a boot and an elbow. Dream hits Lawler so hard that he falls over the top rope and hits the concrete. Dream rams him into the post as a “Go Lawler Go” chant erupts. Back in, a slam and an elbow by Dream, but he can only get two. A lethal hand clap by the Machine, and honestly, after that spot, the referee really needs to think about stopping this one.
-But suddenly THE STRAP COMES DOWN and Lawler punches Machine repeatedly and slams him to the mat. Jimmy Hart suddenly runs in from out of nowhere, trips Lawler, and hauls ass back to the dressing room. Machine goes for the pin, not seeing that Lawler has a foot on the rope, so Machine gets up to celebrate and Lawler immediately rolls him up for a three-count. Match wasn’t special but it is just a good example of Jerry Lawler being a master of his craft as a babyface.
NON-TITLE, EXPIRATION OF TIME: SPIKE HUBER & STEVE REGAL (WWA Tag Team Champions) vs. BOBBY EATON & SWEET BROWN SUGAR (with Jimmy Hart)
-Regal takes down Eaton, and now Eaton stops everything to complain about hair-pulling and try to rustle up fan support.
-Eaton gets slammed and armdragged and he’s had enough and tags in Sugar. Sugar gets outsmarted by Regal. Everybody tags in as Dave Brown gives us a three-minute warning on TV time. Eaton shoulderblocks Huber from every direction but runs right into a high hiptoss. Sugar tags in, getting flipped and dropkicked by Huber. Everybody tags again, and the heels appear to have the upper hand RIGHT as time expires without a winner in the first fall. But that doesn’t stop Jimmy from demanding the belts from Lance and Dave because they obviously won this non-title match.
