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Memphis Wrestling (9.6.1980) Review

June 28, 2022 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
Memphis Wrestling Jimmy Valiant Image Credit: Memphis Wrestling
6.2
The 411 Rating
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Memphis Wrestling (9.6.1980) Review  

-Jumping ahead seven weeks after our last episode…

-Originally aired September 6, 1980.

-Your hosts are Lance Russell and Dave Brown. We had a Southern Tag Team Title match scheduled for today, but Lance cryptically says that we have some news about that and how plans have been affected. And we’ll be hearing from Jerry Lawler, who’s been MIA for months due to a leg injury, so we’ll finally get an update on that.

KILLER KARL KRUPP (with Jimmy Hart) vs. TONY BOYLES

-Boyles comes out with an early attack, but charges right into a boot to the face, and Krupp takes kontrol. Slam and a boot by Krupp. Krupp moves and looks like he watched two Baron Von Raschke matches and decided “I got this” and that’s the whole story of his career.

-Boyles mounts another offense but gets a knee to the head when he attempts a backdrop, and the claw finishes for the Killer.

-Wrestling is going to be at the Louisville Gardens on MONDAY, not Tuesday this week! Make a note! Billy Robinson defends the CWA Heavyweight Title against LOU THESZ, holy crap, also Handsome Jimmy vs. Tommy Rich, and Jerry Lawler vs. Jimmy Hart in “a match that you’ll understand better after you finish watching the show.” Jerry Lawler, looking very dour, says that we’re about to see him take a slap to the face from Jimmy Hart later in the show, and even though he’s not medically cleared to wrestle a normal wrestler, Jerry knows damn well he can beat Jimmy Hart with a bad leg.

-Back to the studio, Jimmy Hart comes out to say that Jerry Lawler is washed up and finished now that he has a bad leg, so Jimmy’s finished with him and CWA needs to focus on the new stars of the promotion from now on.

RICKY MORTON vs. DR. BILL IRWIN

-The Gilberts are the new Tag Team Champions after scoring a win over the Mongols, and Jimmy Valiant defeated Dr. Bill Irwin for the Southern Heavyweight Title, so we missed quite a bit in those seven weeks.

-To the match, Morton holds his own on the mat, outmatching Irwin with amateur holds. Irwin goes to aggression, striking down Morton down with boots and press slamming him. Morton gets out of the way of a corner charge and Irwin crashes knee-first. Morton immediately locks on the figure four, but Irwin is strong enough and tall enough to make it to the ropes.

-Referee forces the break, but Morton manages to get Irwin back to the center of the ring to apply it again. Irwin rolls over again to break the hold. Morton goes for it a THIRD time, but this time Irwin boots him into the corner and rolls him up with a handful of tights for a tainted three-count. And I mean that quite literally based on the way he was grabbing the tights.

-Jerry Lawler, in a full-blown John Travolta suit, strolls out to a round of applause, and Lawler’s a totally different character now, soft-spoken and friendly and graciously accepting a drawing that a fan mailed in. They show off Jerry’s X-rays from yesterday, and he’s healing nice.

HANDSOME JIMMY VALIANT (Southern Heavyweight Champion) vs. KEN WAYNE

-Wayne has a new look since we last saw him, dressed as something between Buck Zumhofe and Handsome Jimmy himself, and everybody–Jimmy, Lance, and Lawler–all rip on him for how goofy his new look is.

-Valiant goes for a backdrop and Wayne lands on his feet, and Valiant leads the audience in a round of applause for Ken doing something correctly. Hiptosses around the ring by Valiant, and he goes to a wristlock, and Lawler is shocked to see Valiant using an actual hold for once in his life. Valiant hammers on Wayne, and a big elbow gets the win. Valiant is…kind of fun, but I still think he’s the guy you put in the opening match to pop the crowd, and I never got how he lasted so long being pushed at the level to which he was pushed.

-Jimmy Hart and Killer Karl Krupp are out here wondering why Lawler doesn’t just give up and end his wrestling career. He can’t walk, he’ll never be 100% again, he’s never going to sell out a Coliseum again, and now he’s just lingering around the building instead of going away and letting Jimmy Hart’s other guys have the spotlight. Jimmy’s business is booming now that Lawler isn’t a total distraction for him anymore.

-Lawler isn’t looking for trouble so he just sits there and takes all the verbal abuse, and since Lawler’s not fighting back…Jimmy slaps him, then takes off. Your next 4 1/2 years of CWA booking are set.

NON-TITLE MATCH: TOMMY & EDDIE GILBERT (Southern Tag Team Champions) vs. MANCHURIAN #2 & DAVID OSWALD (with Sputnik Monroe)
-Manchurian #1 is in the hospital, so the scheduled title match is off and Sputnik has plugged in a substitute for non-title action.

-Eddie starts with Oswald. They go to the mat and we get a weird screw-up right away where Eddie forgets to kick out and the commentators use a Jedi mind trick to assure us that the referee only counted two, and we just keep going.

-Tommy and the Manchurian go at it. Tommy likewise outmatches the Manchurian with mat wrestling. Eddie tags back in and works the arm. They stick with mat wrestling and even the 1980 crowd could not give two shits, as they ignore the match and just wave at the camera.

-Manchurian tags in and starts pounding on Tommy to try to get some attention. Eddie tags in to help his dad, and he counters a backdrop to sunset flip the Manchurian and get a three-count out of nowhere. Nice ending–Eddie didn’t do the usual version of a sunset flip counter to a backdrop, he actually baseball-slid through the legs and grabbed on to them as he passed through. Neat finish, dishwater-dull match.

EXPIRATION OF TIME: TOJO YAMAMOTO & SUPERSTAR BILL DUNDEE vs. CHUCK MALONE & BIG BUB SMITH
-Tojo and Bub trade chops, and in a battle like that, I have to side with the guy named Tojo. So indeed Bub gets overwhelmed and tags out. Malone plays up being terrified of Tojo, and it’s a hundred times funnier because Malone came into the match with a bandage on the side of his face like a character in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out.

-Dundee tags in and backdrops Chuck right on his ass. Bub tags in and backs Dundee into “Devil’s Den” (the heel corner, a cute term for it from Lance). Dundee has enough life left to slam Bub down and backdrops him for a one-count, and a big chop gets the finish.

-And say it with me, folks…TV time expires before they can start a second fall.

6.2
The final score: review Average
The 411
So-so show, and the house show promos giving away the upcoming segments is getting really tiresome. I'd hate to be a fan in the Louisville TV market. Memphis was getting a better version of the show.
legend

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Memphis Wrestling, Adam Nedeff