Mid-South Wrestling (12.3.1983) Review

-Originally aired December 3, 1983.

-Your hosts are Boyd Pierce & Bill Watts, still in their funeral wear.

KRUSHER DARSOW vs. DOUG VINES
-Darsow shoves Vines down as we recap Darsow’s career and again, he’s lost twice: Junkyard Dog and Nikolai Volkoff. Darsow slams Vines down while Watts seems concerned that Darsow spoke positively of Volkoff’s talents recently, even going so far as to say that Russian powerlifters are superior. Body vice by Darsow gets the win.

“Dr. Death” STEVE WILLIAMS vs. NIKOLAI VOLKOFF
-Ring announcer Jim Ross says this match is scheduled for “television time remaining.” Oh my god, make Nikolai Volkoff and green-as-goat-shit Steve Williams go for 53 minutes, Bill Watts. I dare you to do it. Volkoff demands the fans’ respect while the Russian anthem plays. A little girl waves an American flag during the anthem, and in the most American moment possible, a fucking adult in a cowboy hat snatches it out of her hands and waves it himself because he’s pretty sure he can do it better.

-Volkoff unloads on Williams with boots and forearm blows as Darsow returns to ringside to continue his intense study of Nikolai Volkoff’s technique. Williams gets fired up with some really awkward offense until Volkoff finally helps him out by lying down on the mat and Williams goes for a toehold. FYI, Williams is a great American, and you can tell because he loves his parents.

-Volkoff gets Williams on the mat and chokes him out. Williams slips out of the chokehold and turns it into a hammerlock. Volkoff attacks the throat. Williams tackles Volkoff and sprawls him on the mat. Williams does it again but Williams accidentally tackles the referee. Volkoff throws Williams over the top rope while he has the chance, and Darsow heads over and attacks Williams, clamping the body vice on Williams and tossing him back in the ring. Crowd is stunned silent by the turn here, and Volkoff finishes with the press backbreaker once the referee wakes up. Darsow heads in and hugs Volkoff, raising his arm. Good angle!

THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (with Jim Cornette) vs. LEAPING LANNY POFFO & JOSHUA STROUD
-Lanny takes on both opponents with flying headscissors, playing the role he’d do so well in the WWF where he works the match like this and then fucks it up by tagging out. And sure enough in comes Josh Stroud and Condrey gets him on the mat and ties him up a bit. Eaton comes in and kicks him as Eaton and Condrey still feel more like two singles guys thrown together and they don’t really feel like a full-fledged team yet. Good spot with Condrey just standing behind Stroud and holding him by the ankle while Eaton takes a free shot, which is the first really inkling of what they’d become. Bobby connects with an elbow to get the three-count.

MAGNUM T.A. (with Mr. Wrestling II) vs. FRANK LAVERT
-Leaping Lanny sticks around to provide guest commentary. Amateur takedown into an armbar while Lanny acknowledges the allegations from Mr. Wrestling II. Lanny concedes that he was subserviant to his father and older brother and didn’t stand up for himself like he should have, so now he’s in Mid-South trying to make a fresh start as a new man. And he wants Magnum TA to be his tag team partner because it would be a “shortcut” to the Tag Team Titles.

-Dropkick by Magnum as Boyd notices Mr. Wrestling II is taking copious notes at ringside. Cameras miss the finish completely but I’m guessing it’s a belly-to-belly for three.

MR. WRESTLING II vs. MAX THE MISSING LINK
-Side headlock by Link. II breaks free and II wants the kneelift right now, and Link scurries all over the ring to avoid it. II with a headlock as Watts notes that Skandar Akbar has disappeared from Link’s corner because he considers Kamala a higher priority. II keeps rearing back and teasing the kneelift and Link keeps backing off because he knows it’s all II needs to do to win. II gets a hold of Link’s arm and snaps it in a wristlock for a bit. II finally connects with the kneelift, but Link is lucky because it’s close to the ropes and he tumbles out to the floor, where he can’t get pinned.

-II is enough of a sportsman to let him rest out there, so Link goes back in and gives II the atomic drop. Series of knees to the spine by Link. Headbutt by Link, and he heads to the top rope to finish it. Diving headbutt misses, and II connects with another kneelift, this time in the middle of the ring, and II wins it. I’m guessing Link is on his way out. Decent showing before he goes, though.

HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN vs. TOM LENTZ
-Lentz got some mic time last week in advance of his debut, and they’re touting this like Duggan and Lentz are evenly matched. Duggan kicks him down and drives a forearm into his jaw. Lentz fights back, whipping him from corner to corner, but Duggan bounces right off the impact and clotheslines him down. Spear finishes and Lentz’s big debut is ruined. Duggan’s spear looks better than it used to (It doesn’t look like a guy yelling “Boo!” anymore) but the switch to the running clothesline was still a huge improvement.

-Jim Ross heads into the ring for a post-match chat. He can’t understand why an American like Krusher Darsow would want anything to do with a commie, and he wants to personally knock some sense into him.

-Back from commercial, Darsow has demanded “equal time.” Steve Williams is a kid fresh out of school and Mid-South is handing him the world. Meanwhile, Darsow has been busting his ass since he arrived four months ago, and he hasn’t gotten a damn thing! So he’s siding with Volkoff, since Volkoff is at least giving him SOME career help.

TONGA & KING CARL FERGIE vs. MIKE JACKSON & RICK ROOD
-Man, this has “TV time remaining” written all over it. Rood applies a side headlock on Fergie as Watts announces next week’s special guest star, “the man who broke Andy Kaufman’s neck,” Jerry Lawler.

-Dropkick by Rood. Jackson tags in and he goes to the mat with Fergie. Everybody tags in as Watts notices that Rood, who appeared as a jobber earlier in the year, appears to have doubled in size since them and he’s gained a lot more experience. Rood works the arm and tags Jackson back in. Enziguiri by Jackson, but now Tonga overpowers him and splats him on the mat. Fergie tags in and backdrops Jackson into position. Fergie comes off the second turnbuckle with a fist drop for two.

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

The Krusher Darsow saga is a pretty good tale, and so is the absolutely toxic TA/II/Poffo contingent.