wrestling / Video Reviews
Mid-South Wrestling (12.20.1984) Review
Image Credit: WWE/Peacock
Loading...-Originally aired December 20, 1984.
-Your hosts are Boyd Pierce & Jim Ross.
-We rewatch the legendary Kamala/Kimala introduction video from a few years ago (“Arms and legs as large as trees…”) because it’s so damn great. They revised the look of the character early on and what stands out here is how much more terrifying Kamala looked before they altered his face paint designs. And from that, we go to Kamala’s return to the territory and his recent pancake-splattering of Butch Reed and Magnum TA.
-Also, last week’s show ended in a wild altercation between the Rock & Roll Express and DiBiase/Williams/Hernandez, and the Mid-South fans were so irate that they gamed the system, flooding the Dream Match address with so much mail requesting this specific match that they’re FORCED to honor the demands this week…
ROCK & ROLL EXPRESS vs. TED DIBIASE & SHIEK HERCULES HERNANDEZ (with Skandar Akbar)
-Robert Gibson kicks it off with DiBiase. DiBiase overwhelms him with forearms and chops. Gibson fights back with dropkicks, and the heels call a time-out. Everybody tags and Morton takes care of Hercules with his own dropkicks, and the ring is cleared again.
-Morton hits the ropes and goes for something, but Herc turns it into a stungun and it’s time for Ricky Morton to do what Ricky Morton does best. Fans chant “Go Ricky go!” as Morton hangs on for dear life through everything that DiBiase and Herc have to offer until he can escape for a hot tag. Double dropkick on Hercules would look to finish, but DiBiase puts on the glove while the Express is distracted. Express knows what’s coming, so they ram DiBiase’s gloved hand into the turnbuckle over and over again. Referee gets wiped out while Hercules grabs his keffiyah and chokes out Morton with it, and when the referee comes to, he simply assumes that Morton has passed out in a submission old and drops the arm three times, giving DiBiase and Hernandez the win. DID YOU GET ALL THAT?! Your usual good Rock & Roll match with your usual batshit crazy Mid-South finish.
KIMALA (with Skandar Akbar & Friday) vs. ICEMAN KING PARSONS
-We’ve gone back to the “Kimala” spelling after his run as Kamala with an A in the WWF following his first few years as Kimala with an I. Lay off the Metamucil, dude, that’s enough vowel movements.
-Kimala nurpulizes the Icepecs. Parsons chops, but Kimala is “impervulous,” according to Dusty Ross, and Kimala goes back to his lethal submission hold, the Atomic Awkward Teenager, before switching to a choke. Iceman throws dropkicks and actually takes the big man off his feet, but he gets distracted by Akbar, and a big splash by Kimala finishes seconds later. Kimala tries to dish out more punishment after the match, but Butch Reed storms to the ring with reinforcements, and Kimala’s out of there. There’s this weird trend of WCCW guys showing up for a cameo in Mid-South just to get squashed, and I don’t get what kind of deal these promotions were operating on.
“Dr. Death” STEVE WILLIAMS & BUDDY LANDELL vs. TIM HORNER & TERRY TAYLOR
-Taylor with an atomic drop on Landell right away. Landell gets pinballed by the babyfaces. Williams tags in and Horner surprises him with a bodypress for a one-count. Taylor tags back in and Williams is overwhelmed by the sheer speed of his two opponents, so Landell uses a handful of hair from the apron to stop Taylor in his tracks. Williams misses an elbow and we have HOT TAG TIM HORNER! And he just completely red-shirts, as he charges in to make the save and Doc just catches him and Stampedes him to finish it immediately. This was like one of those Wrestling Challenge squashes in the ’86 shows where they hid a jobber match by putting an extra star in there.
BRAD ARMSTRONG (North American Champion) vs. DALE VEASEY
-Our first really good look at Brad Armstrong with the North American Title belt, which continues to be the worst design idea ever executed, as he has it tucked under his arm for his intro and it’s clear that it would look like a girdle if he actually wore the thing.
-Bodypress and an armdrag by Armstrong. Veasey uses dastardly tactics to fight back. Backdrop by Armstrong, with JR saying that he lifted Veasey so high that Veasey was in another time zone, which is not how time zones work. Sleeper by Armstrong wins.
HACKSAW BUTCH REED & PRIVATE TERRY DANIELS vs. ALAMO BUSTERS
-Reed gets the early offensive and Chavo complains about hair-pulling, which JR says he could have believed a few weeks ago, but Reed has had such a change of heart that he doubts Reed would ever pull hair now. Private Daniels tags in and he’s already assumed his WWF role of “the star’s bitch,” as he just takes a beating to set up getting rescued by Reed later. Steve Williams shows up with his football helmet to try to interfere, but he gets the helmet knocked off and Reed just kicks the shit out of him on the floor while the Guerreros grab some leather straps and whip Daniels repeatedly for the DQ.
-We close things with a Butch Reed music video.
