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Mid-South Wrestling (12.24.1983) Review

September 21, 2020 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
Mid-South Wrestling 12-24-1983 Image Credit: WWE/Peacock
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Mid-South Wrestling (12.24.1983) Review  

-Forgive me for an excessively weighty intro, but the date on this episode fascinates me. By the time we reach the NEXT episode of Mid-South, Vince McMahon will have raided the AWA and done his first batch of St. Louis TV tapings to declare war on the rest of the territories. So consider this episode the last week of “the before time.”

-Originally aired December 24, 1983.

-Your host is Bill Watts, who has switched from his used funeral hearse dealer wardrobe from the past few weeks and is now wearing a more light-hearted tweed jacket and cap ensemble that makes him look like the quintessential guy who starts sentences with “Me and the Missus…” Boyd Pierce is on vacation.

-We go to the equally casual Jim Ross, at the gym to observe the training regimen that Mr. Wrestling II has Magnum TA on. Wrestling II is wearing all white workout gear, which is a TNT-like character touch. II is focusing on strength-building, an area where he thinks TA needs some improvement.

MR. WRESTLING II vs. LARRY HIGGENS

-Jim Ross and Magnum TA are on commentary, and TA is extremely grateful for all of II’s help with training. Boyd Pierce, who is on vacation, is visiting the exotic city of Ringside because he’s doing the ring announcing this week in Reeser’s place.

-II gets Higgens off his feet and applies a toehold. II stays on the leg for a bit before winding up and coldcocking Higgens with the kneelift for the III-count.

HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN vs. KRUSHER DARSOW (with Nikolai Volkoff)

-I expected we’d see this match eventually but I’m kind of surprised to see it right now.

-Duggan storms the ring and knocks Darsow to the floor, and we get wrestling history in this match, as your commentary team, for the first time ever, is comprised of Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler.

-Darsow gets Duggan on the mat and clamped in a chinlock. Tons of tiny American flags in the crowd this week. Darsow outsmarts Duggan, setting up for a backdrop and then backing away when Duggan tries to counter with a kick. Duggan with SPEAR OUTTA NOWHERE, but Darsow falls back and knocks the referee out to the floor. Krusher tumbles outside as Volkoff mounts a sneak attack on Duggan, and Volkoff covers Duggan as the referee revives, and the dazed referee, seeing a bald guy in red tights covering Duggan, counts three.

-But Magnum won’t stand for that, so he hits the ring in his good suit and tattles on the Russians. Another referee runs out and backs up his story, so the decision is reversed and Duggan gets the win by DQ. Brawl breaks out between the Soviets and FREEDOM, but now Butch Reed and Jim Neidhart roll out to make it a 4-on-2 battle, and the babyfaces have had ENOUGH. Mr. Wrestling II, Lanny Poffo, and King Parsons show up and all the heels make their getaway. Fun angle that set up about 18 different combinations for house show rematches.

MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (with Jim Cornette) vs. MIKE JACKSON & COCO WARE

-Cornette drifts over to the commentary table to irritate Jim Ross for the first time ever, so more minor history. Jackson tries a second rope bodypress and Eaton just lifts him off like a child and drops him to the mat. Coco tags in and tries for a corner splash, but he lands balls-first on the second turnbuckle as Cornette tells us that Coco is suing his body for non-support.

-Hot tag to Mike Jackson. He fires some punches into Condrey, but when Condrey hits the mat he trips Jackson and brings him down. You can start to see them turning into THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS this week, as they’re working a lot more smoothly and their tactics are slicker.

-So now it’s hot tag Coco, and it’s hot enough that he noggin-knocks the Express, but he gets overwhelmed quickly and caught in the Midnight Massacre for three.

-Bill Watts tells us about a fantastic young star arriving in Mid-South in 1984, named Terry Taylor. We get a highlight reel of Taylor’s run in Memphis, set to some guitar music that sounds like Conan O’Brien’s “Jar Barf” theme music. Anyway, Taylor’s arrival is the result of Jerry Lawler’s critique about this territory’s lack of blowjobs, so kudos to Bill Watts for taking the criticism to heart and doing something about it.


HACKSAW BUTCH REED & JIM “The Anvil” NEIDHART (Tag Team Champions) vs. LEAPING LANNY POFFO & ICEMAN KING PARSONS

-Poffo manages to get Reed down to the mat. Anvil tags in without Lanny seeing it, but he’s ready for it and Thesz presses Neidhart. Iceman tags in and clears the ring with punches, and we get a rare mid-match commercial break.

-We return with Reed on top of Iceman with a front facelock. Iceman fights to his feet and suplexes him. All four men end up in the ring. Parsons gets knocked out to the floor and Poffo stops everything to check on him. Neidhart, still in the ring, boots Poffo in the head and brings him back inside as Reed sneaks over and rams Parsons into the post, knocking him out.

-Neidhart is wearing out Poffo in the ring as a referee comes out and checks on Parsons, who’s now bleeding. Referee takes the referee to the back for medical attention as Poffo reaches down for something extra and just fights both of his opponents with everything he has. So they unload a nice little story here as Poffo manages to cut off every attempt that Reed makes to tag out, which means that Reed is getting as tired as he is and that might actually work out.

-And then aww crap, Reed makes the tag and Poffo gets a beatdown. JR and the King begin planning Poffo’s funeral and agree that Poffo should just concede because, I mean, he can only take so much. But then Parsons returns to the ring all bandaged up and lends his partner a hand, and the referee calls for the bell and declares it a double disqualification due to reasons.

8.0
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
Well, I certainly had a merry Christmas.
legend

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Mid-South Wrestling, Adam Nedeff