wrestling / Video Reviews
Mid-South Wrestling (11.19.1983) Review
Image Credit: WWE/Peacock
Loading...-Jim Ross hosts the local station promo before the show. Welcome back, JR!
-They’re still playing with the opening. This week we have the opening theme over highlights of Dr. Death vs. Bobby Duncum in what appears to be Houston. Williams wins with the Stampede.
-Your hosts are Jim Ross and Buddy Nichols.
HACKSAW BUTCH REED & JIM “The Anvil” NEIDHART (Tag Team Champions) vs. TONY TORRES & GEORGE WEINGROFF
-Weingroff hiptosses Reed while the commentators tell us that they’re outmatched in weight, but not heart. Reed tries a backdrop, but gets leapfrogged and dropkicked, and Reed looks puzzled. He tags Anvil in and Anvil goes more aggressive, slamming and stomping Weingroff to take over.
-And since that worked, Reed wants back in, but he gets dropkicked right in the mush and tags in Torres. Reed tags out again and Anvil slams Torres like he’s trying to put a hole in the mat. Samoan drop gets the win for the champions. Good story all through that.
HANDICAP MATCH: NIKOLAI VOLKOFF vs. RANDY BARBER & MIKE JACKSON
-So again, Mr. Volkoff requests that you all rise and respect his playing of the Soviet anthem audio tape. This is an odd rendition of it, as it sounds more like the music that Doc Severinsen and the band would play for, like, Jackie Gleason’s entrance as a guest. It’s just far too happy sounding.
-Jobbers throw all semblance of a “tag” match out the window and just focus on double-teaming. They try piling on him for a pin but Volkoff is strong enough to kick out, launching Barber out to the floor with his boot. He sends Jackson to the floor as Barber makes it back in and keeps stomping a mudhole.
-Volkoff stunguns Barber and press slams Jackson on top, then covers both of them for the three-count. Volkoff made it look easy.
-We take a look at a Hacksaw Duggan highlight reel, showing his greatest moments as a babyface so far. WWE Network picked out some really catchy bluegrass/disco fusion for the soundtrack.
MAGNUM T.A. & MR. WRESTLING II vs. DOUG VINES & JEFF SWORD
-So Magnum noticeably gets a bigger pop than II for the intros and this slow burn is underway.
-Hiptoss and some arm work by II. Magnum tags in and dropkicks Vines. II heads back in and does a slick headscissors/wristlock combo. Sword tags in and tries to make a leaping entrance over the top rope and doesn’t QUITE pull it off. Magnum comes back in and works the arm but Sword is able to tag while caught in the hold. So Magnum just shifts his focus and works Vines’ arm.
-II tags in and Vines has had enough. He tags Sword in but Magnum and II stay focused on the arm for quite a while. II rears back with one leg and is clearly ready to finish any moment, so Sword gets out while he can. II armdrags Vines around and II tries working the arm, but this is kind of Magnum’s Achilles heel, he can’t hold on tight enough to block tags, so Swords makes it back in.
-II is finally fed up, kneelifting Sword out to the floor and leaving Vines alone in the ring. II tries to finish off Vines, but he can’t quite get the job done, so he tags Magnum in and Magnum hits the belly-to-belly for three. Holy damn, that match with a pretty intricate tale to tell. Magnum clearly still has weaknesses to work out, but the finish establishes that he can hang and that he deserves a little more credit than he’s getting.
ART CREWS vs. LARRY HIGGENS
-Backdrop by Crews right away looks to finish, but Higgens slips out to the floor to walk it off. Crews slingshots him back in and goes for the pin again, as JR emphasizes that wrestlers aren’t paid by the hour. Except for WTBS squash matches. That’s my own theory, anyway.
-Chops are traded but Crews applies a tight headlock and this doesn’t feel like a standard jobber/jobber time filler. This feels like a test drive for an Art Crews push. Higgens goes for a slam but loses his grip. Crews backdrops him for two. Crews goes for a sunset flip, but Higgens grabs the ropes and Crews crumples to the mat, and Higgens hurries down with an elbow drop for the three-count. That was weird, the match was pretty much entirely Crews up to the very last spot.
LEAPING LANNY POFFO vs. JOHN KING
-Poffo does some amateur holds that frustrate King. He turns up the aggression with knees and does the over-the-top neck snap, slingshotting himself back in on top of King for the win.
KRUSHER DARSOW vs. PAUL GARNER
-Garner is about 7’9″ and about 115 pounds so every part of this match is a strange visual. Darsow slams him and backdrops him as JR settles on the adjective “rangy” for Garner. Bearhug locked on by Darsow. Garner won’t submit so Darsow rams him into the cornerand switches to a body vice to get the submission.
-JR touts that Dr. Death will be returning to Mid-South TV next week, and next week we’ll also see the debut of a new star named Dennis Condrey. Oh joy!!!!
-We seem to be padding for time as JR welcomes the Road Warriors. They’re the biggest, they’re the baddest, and they’re going to destroy everything in sight. They aren’t afraid of Mr. Wrestling II or Magnum TA. They’ve beaten both guys in past matches, so what’s beating both of them? This is a weird promo, as they’re still workshopping the characters at this point, and they cut promos like normal, cocky fighters, instead of the screaming comic book characters they’d evolve into.
