wrestling / Video Reviews
Mid-South Wrestling (10.1.1983) Review
Image Credit: WWE/Peacock
Loading...-Originally aired October 1, 1983.
-Your hosts are Boyd Pierce and Jim Ross. Funny intro, as Boyd runs down pretty much the entire card and then says “The man to tell you about it is Jim Ross!” Which leaves Jim with nothing about the card to run down.
-We flash back to JYD vs. OMG, with Akbar orchestrating a 3-on-1 assault on JYD until Krusher Darsow comes to ringside, apparently as a hired gun for Akbar, but Darsow turns on him and helps JYD clear the ring. We hear once again from Krusher Darsow, who pledges his loyalty to JYD and promises to work hard to get to the top in Mid-South.
KRUSHER DARSOW vs. FRANK LAVERT
-Randy Anderson is your referee and you can easily see his two greatest assets as a referee, #1, he was just good at the job, and #2, just by means of comparison, any wrestler in the ring with him seems to double in size.
-Lavert. which is French for “The Vert,” applies a side headlock, but Darsow just lifts him and heaves him across the ring. The Vert tries an elbow while a fan taunts him with the “Alibi” chant. The Vert is so demotivated that he falls victim to a shoulderblock and a backdrop right away, and the body vice gets the submission. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that skimpy denim shorts were once a means of conveying rough & gruff manliness.
JERRY & MARTY OATES vs. DOUG VINES & BOB STANTON
-Former North American champion Jerry Oates has returned to the territory with his “brother” Marty Oates, who became a bigger star under a different name down the road.
-Jerry monkey flips Stanton. Vines tags in and gets armdragged, and Marty “Oates” tags in and gets Vines down to the mat with a fireman’s carry takedown. Jerry Oates tags in and sticks with mat work. Stanton tags in and tries aggressive tactics, but Jerry just pops him right in the mush and tags Marty back in. Vines turns a side headlock into a backbreaker. Marty connects with a high clothesline and makes the hot tag, and the Oates clean house. Double backdrop clears Vines from the ring, and a spinning toehold by Jerry gets the win. You know his little brother better as Marty Janetty of the Rockers. In need of a new tag team partner, Jerry Oates would briefly form a tag team with Scott Hall. Collectively, they were known as The Maneaters.
NIKOLAI VOLKOFF vs. ART CREWS
-It feels weird seeing Nikolai just go straight to the match. They trade blows, with Crews eventually getting overwhelmed. Stomps and a knee by Volkoff, and he lifts Crews in the air for a choke. Backbreaker finishes.
JUNKYARD DOG vs. KING KONG BUNDY
-JYD snapmares Bundy right away, and Bundy’s good and mad already. JYD does it again and clamps on a chinlock. Clothesline by Dog gets two. JYD goes back to the chinlock as Jim Ross just casually mentions, “Oh, by the way, Bundy insists on a five-count in all his matches.”
-Bundy escapes from the chinlock and goes to a hammerlock. Knee to the head by Bundy, and a big splash by Bundy to finish!…But he demands a five-count and JYD kicks out at four! JYD makes a Superman comeback on Bundy, then hoists him up and Thumps him for the win. Well, they had to do that finish at some point with Bundy.
NON-TITLE: HACKSAW BUTCH REED (North American Champion) vs. MAGNUM T.A.
-They trade waistlock attempts, and Reed is surprised at how Magnum is keeping up with him. Magnum armdrags Reed around, so Reed changes up the battle plan, going with forearms and turnbuckle shots instead. He whips Magnum back and forth. He goes for a backdrop, but Magnum boots him away and gives him a good solid right hand for two. Reed hits the ropes and charges, but Magnum turns it into a belly-to-belly! Only two, because Reed is the champion.
-So Reed really turns it up, dropping Magnum throat first over the ropes, and a tackle off the ropes gives Reed the win. The North American Champion got the won, but he had to fight dirty for it.
-So instead of cutting straight to commercial, they keep the cameras on because the commentators notice that Reed isn’t clearing from the ring, and he’s demanding that Hacksaw Jim Duggan come out here for a fight, because he’s still upset about last week. Well, Duggan’s not in the building this week…but Junkyard Dog is! JYD dares him to start something, and Reed gets out of the ring and calls it a night.
JIM “The Anvil” NEIDHART vs. SAM HALL
-Neidhart attacks from behind and flings Hall across the ring. Slam by Neidhart. Fireman’s carry slam finishes for the Anvil.
MAX THE MISSING LINK (with Skandar Akbar) vs. MIKE BOND
-Bond rams Max into the turnbuckle, and Max just likes it and rams his own head into the turnbuckle. He tries a splash off the second rope, but Bond evades it. Bond reverses an Irish whip and snapmares Max. Inside cradle by Bond, but he fights out and the commentators are shocked at how damn good the jobber is doing here. Max slams him down but misses a diving headbutt. Bond throws lefts and snapmares Link for a one-count. Link takes Bond down as Jim Ross gives us the two-minute warning.
-Backdrop by Max. He goes for another one, but Bond kicks him away. He runs into a dropkick, though, and Max headbutts the lower back repeatedly to just barely get a three-count before TV time runs out. This is an area where Mid-South just continues to shine: Bond lost that clean as a sheet, but in a way that actually elevated him. He’s kind-of a star now.
