Mid-South Wrestling (6.4.1983) Review

-Originally aired June 4, 1983.

-Your hosts are Boyd Pierce and Ted DiBiase. Boyd passively warns DiBiase to do color commentary this week and not “make the show his sounding board.” And then Pierce really needles him by asking when the plaster cast is coming off and DiBiase is already so annoyed that he vows to bring an x-ray to next week’s TV taping.

-And then, with just a hint of glee, DiBiase asks for a full replay of last week’s King Kong Bundy segment, so we re-watch Bundy squashing a jobber and then answering the surprise challenge of Butch Reed…and beating Reed clean in the middle of the ring, to the bewilderment of everyone in the building. Boyd wraps up by announcing that Butch Reed isn’t even in the building this week, like he was scheduled to be, and DiBiase says he’s too embarassed to show his face.

JOHNNY RICH vs. TONY ZANE
-Johnny, we’re told, is subbing for the MIA Butch Reed. Rich hiptosses and snapmares Zane for a one-count. Rich applies the side headlock. Zane gets things going, working the shoulder and getting a one-count from a hammerlock slam. Rich fights back with forearms. Backdrop and a three-quarter nelson pinning combo finishes.

MR. WRESTLING II vs. MR. OLYMPIA (with Skandar Akbar)
-Wow, a blowoff on free TV!

-Olympia and II trade blows right away. II hiptosses Olympia all over the ring and knees him straight out to the floor as DiBiase complains that Mid-South needs to ban kneelifts. Olympia looks like he’s out on his feet and Akbar has to help him back in. II clamps on a side headlock and holds onto it no matter how Olympia tries to fight out.

-Olympia finally slugs out but II just meets him blow for blow, while DiBiase complains about II throwing punches. II goes to a front facelock. Olympia keeps hammering back to stay in this. Sleeper by Olympia and DiBiase readily calls it right there and he’s all set to move onto the next match and throw it to commercial, but NO! II hangs in there and uses old white butt power to force his way out. Olympia tries to reapply it, but II lunges forward, causing Olympia to ram himself into the turnbuckles.

-II keeps throwing punches and connects with another knee. Akbar gets up to the apron and II is distracted. Olympia sneaks up and rolls him up. II kicks out, causing Olympia to crash into his manager. And another knee wipes out Olympia for good and II pins him after a great back-and-forth match. Olympia’s bump from the kneelift looks fantastic in slow motion too.

BORIS ZURKHOV vs. TOM JONES
-Jones rolls Boris up right away but he’s too close to the ropes. Boris boots him down. Jones fights back, but Boris tosses him to the floor, and Jones does that weird bump where he lands on his feet but then acts like he hurt his head by landing on his feet. Does that honestly look more realistic than just landing on a protective mat?

-Back in, Jones throws punches but Boris catches him mid-charge and hits the WEAKEST stun-gun that the Eastern bloc has to offer. Knee off the second rope gets the win for mother Russia. This should have been Boris’ debut match.

KING KONG BUNDY vs. ART CREWS
-Bundy is all by himself in the ring, and we wait around for Art Crews for a bit before Mr. Wrestling II strolls to the ring and says he bought Crews’ contract and he wants a bit of revenge against Bundy for stuff that went down a few weeks ago.

-II forces Bundy to chase him for a bit, but Bundy finally gets his hands on him and hammers away as DiBiase dismissively says that Bundy defeated a giant deltoid last week, so what trouble would he have with II?

-II punches back, but Bundy Irish whips him. Avalanche misses and II goes after him with knee after knee. Bundy is slumped against the ropes and II charges for another knee, but Bundy backdrops him over the top rope to get himself DQed. And hey, he’s already lost, so Bundy really decides to put a stamp on this one and piledrives II on the bare floor. Crowd is horrified and referees run out to check on II, which leads again to my one big knock against Mid-South. They were just allergic to sticking with anything after the bell sounded. Boyd just pretty much sputters off, “Oh wow, II laid out with that piledriver on the concrete, he wins by DQ though, we’ll be right back,” end of segment. Have DiBiase celebrate what Bundy did for a bit. Show the EMTs hustling out there. Pan the crowd for concerned faces. SOMETHING!

MAGNUM T.A. vs. BLACK NINJA
-Ninjha tries a sneak attack, but TA dropkicks him, steals his kendo stick, and goes Goodfellas on Ninja with it. Ninja retreats to collect himself and recover. More dropkicks by TA, followed by a really clumsy blown backdrop spot, and I can’t figure out what the hell either guy expected to happen here. Slam and a legdrop by TA gets a two-count. Another dropkick by TA, and a backslide gets II.

-Yoshi Yatsu arrives and Magnum just slingshots him into the ring and kicks both of their asses at once. Double-team backfires and Yatsu gets the green mist in his eyes, and an atomic drop by Magnum gets three. Rocket ship push, yo.

HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN vs. SUPER DESTROYER
-Super D immediately gets overwhelmed by punches. Duggan rams him in the corner and backdrops him. Super D keeps throwing punches but Duggan don’t care. Kneedrop misses and NOW Duggan cares. Super D punches and elbows him, but Duggan shrugs it all off and spears him to end it.

GEORGE WEINGROFF vs. RIP ROGERS
-Weingroff is a neat story, the son of long-time NWA manager Saul Weingroff but even more interesting than that, he is legit legally blind.

-Fireman’s carry takedown by Weingroff, and another one. Hammerlock takedown by Rogers, but Weingroff slips through and turns it into a hammerlock. DiBiase actually elaborates on “legally blind” and explains that in his case, it means super-duper-nearsighted, so mat wrestling is pretty advantageous for him. Weingroff applies a side headlock. Rogers fights out, but Weingroff connects with elbows. Rogers tries to hide in the corner, but Weingroff London bridges him as Boyd gives us the two-minute warning for this week.

-Rogers whips Weingroff and biels him into the middle of the ring for a one-count. Dropkick misses and Rogers goes for the slam, but he collapses and Weingroff lands on top for two as TV time runs out…and the bell sounds. So that’s a thing again.