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Mid-South Wrestling (3.16.1985) Review

April 21, 2022 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
Ted DiBiase Image Credit: WWE/Peacock
8.5
The 411 Rating
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Mid-South Wrestling (3.16.1985) Review  

-Originally aired March 16, 1985.

-Your hosts are Boyd Pierce and Bill Watts. Bill Watts reiterates that the footage of Ted DiBiase destroying Duggan’s car will NEVER be rebroadcast, and they’re cooperating with the authorities all the way through this. I feel like there’s some kind of real-life story here because the angle wasn’t particularly violent or excessive, so why does Bill Watts keep giving off legit apology vibes every time he brings it up?

-Case in point, we immediately follow that with last week’s DDT on the folding chair, where Terry Taylor immediately starts gushing blood.

-Terry Taylor is here and he’s so mad about what happened last week that he wants revenge, and he’s offering Jake Roberts a TV Title rematch right here, tonight, just to put him in his place.

-But suddenly Ted DiBiase strolls in and objects to being passed over for a TV Title match. Yes, he’s the reigning North American Champion, but now that Mid-South has expanded to national television coverage, the TV Title holds a lot more prestige, and the reigning North American Champion should have a shot at a championship that represents national television. Terry Taylor blows off that challenge, suggesting there’s no reward in it for him to risk his TV Title against the North American Champion, and DiBiase takes the bait and suggests a title-for-title match. They agree to a title-for-title match verbally, but since they don’t dramatically press their faces against each other in profile, I don’t think it’s a sanctioned title-for-title match.

TITLE VS. TITLE: TED DIBIASE (North American Champion) vs. TERRY TAYLOR (TV Champion)
-And right on schedule, here’s Jake Roberts, with his eyes bulging out of his head because he got wizzed out of a TV Title match again. Taylor literally just offered him a match, no questions asked, five minutes ago, and now suddenly, Jake’s out of the title picture?! He says his piece and walks off in a huff, and I’m sure that’s the last we’ll hear about this.

-They battle for the waistlock while Watts hastily lays out the rules for a match with both of these titles on the line: The time limit is the full TV hour. Both belts are on the line for 15 minutes only, but after the 15-minute mark, only the North American Title is on the line.

-Taylor gets DiBiase in a side headlock. DiBiase gets free and goes for a backdrop, but Taylor turns it into a double underhook for a two-count. DiBiase goes out for a breather, and it’s effective because suddenly DiBiase comes to life in the ring and dishes out punches and elbows for a two-count. Taylor returns the aggression as Jake The Snake returns to ringside. Taylor suplexes DiBiase near the ropes, and Jake pulls DiBiase’s foot onto the ropes to force a two-count.

-They fight for an Irish whip and Jake tries to trip Taylor from the floor, but Taylor reverses the whip, so Jake accidentally trips DiBiase. Jake hurries onto the apron to try to correct the mistake, but Taylor knocks DiBiase into Jake, knocking him to the floor. DiBiase tries loading up the glove, but Taylor ducks and atomic drops him, and a five-arm connects…and Taylor gets the three-count! Taylor now holds both singles titles, and DiBiase and Jake are beside themselves.

KAMALA (with Skandar Akbar & Friday) vs. STEVE MILLER

-Kamala is introduced with native Bongo Bongo music and billed from Uganda, while Steve Miller is Livin’ in the USA. Kamala chops away at Miller and heaves him across the ring by his chest, veritably turning his Heart like a Wheel. Big splash off the ropes looks to finish, but instead, Kamala goes to the top turnbuckle and Flies Like an Eagle onto Miller, getting himself disqualified, but sending a warning message to Butch Reed in the process. Of course, he’s Kamala, so the warning message is just “Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma.”

ICEMAN KING PARSONS vs. THE BARBARIAN (with Skandar Akbar)
-Barbarian takes the early advantage with elbows. Bearhug is locked on. Parsons hangs on and fights back with chops and headbutts. Barbarian boots him down. Parsons rips the emergency cord and tries a hard corner charge, but Barbarian moves out of the way and Parsons appears to injure his shoulder. Barbarian locks on a full nelson, and Parsons passes out from the pain, so the referee stops the match and gives it to Barbarian.

-Barbarian keeps up the beating post-match, so Butch Reed comes down to offer some help.

TOMMY PRITCHARD & BRAD ARMSTRONG vs. SHEIK HERCULES HERNANDEZ & JACK VICTORY
-This is like one of those weird tag matches the WWF had for the first few months of Superstars and Challenge.

-Pritchard and Victory go to the mat. Both men tag and the stars take their turn, with Armstrong handily taking care of Hercules and tagging Pritchard back in. Hercules manages to back Pritchard into the corner and Pritchard is overwhelmed for a bit while Bill Watts touts a crazy experimental match that they’re going to have next week where four tag teams will compete at the same time in an elimination match. Holy damn, it’s a four corners match! Any other territory do it before Mid-South?

-Pritchard bounces off the ropes, and Herc grabs him by the hair and yanks him down, which is effective, Watts explains, because your body tends to go wherever your head goes. Victory capitalizes with a chinlock on the body-attached head of Tom Pritchard. Pritchard fights it and makes the hot tag. All four men end up in the ring and the heels look like they’re going to take this one with some evil shenanigans, but Armstrong dropkicks Herc out to the floor and simply rolls up Victory for the three-count. Good action here, and it made the two jobbers look like they were on the level of the two stars, which was a detail that the WWF missed when they booked matches like this.

NON-TITLE MATCH: GENTLEMAN CHRIS ADAMS (American Champion) vs. TIM HORNER

-Mid-South and WCCW continue their exchange program as Bill Watts lays out Adams’ recent heel turn. They go to the mat and Horner takes control with a hammerlock. Adams fights back with boots and right hands. Adams goes to the chinlock. Adams gets an AMAZING tombstone that nearly puts Horner’s head through the mat, and they should have just finished there, but Adams gets greedy and misses a splash. Horner attempts a comeback, but Adams sweeps the leg and puts his lights out with a superkick for three.

ROCK & ROLL EXPRESS vs. THE GOLDEN TERROR & STEVE BRINSON
-Bill Watts emphasizes that these guys are the ORIGINAL rock & roll tag team, even though other wrestling promotions have introduced imitation tag teams. Express works Brinson’s leg, but Brinson boots Morton away and tags in the Terror. And Terror just immediately walks into a double-dropkick and counts the lights to wrap up the show.

-Bill Watts is wrapping up the show and observes that the Dirty White Boys are suddenly showing up in the ring, and he tries to just blow it off as nothing, but the argument sure seems to be getting heated as we sign off.

8.5
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
Stellar spontaneous main event, and actually pretty good action after that, too.
legend

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Mid-South Wrestling, Adam Nedeff