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Mid-South Wrestling (7.6.1985) Review

September 1, 2022 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
Mid-South Wrestling Dr. Death Steve Williams Image Credit: WWE
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Mid-South Wrestling (7.6.1985) Review  

-Originally aired July 6, 1985.

-Your hosts are Jim Ross and Joel Watts.

NORTH AMERICAN TITLE: THE CHAMPION (with Eddie Gilbert) vs. TERRY TAYLOR

-Gilbert interrupts to clarify that when Champion originally defeated Taylor to win the title, the contract guaranteed ONE rematch to the loser. Taylor already got his rematch, so this is non-title. Ted DiBiase unexpectedly shows up and says that Taylor has no room to whine, because DiBiase never got his rematch when Taylor beat HIM for the belt. So DiBiase makes an offer: he offers to wrestle Taylor HIMSELF, and the winner gets a title match against The Champion. Champion and Gilbert agree to that idea and leave, while DiBiase slaps Taylor across the face to make it an official match, I guess.

TERRY TAYLOR vs. TED DIBIASE

-Both guys come out swinging right away, and DiBiase seems a bit worried about how prepared Taylor seems to be for a match that he didn’t sign up for. Taylor blocks a figure four attempt and slams DiBiase, with a follow-up knee getting two. Taylor works the arm until DiBiase backs him into the corner and unloads. Taylor fights back with an armdrag. DiBiase gets aggressive with fists and strangling. Not just strangling, but strangling with the black glove.

-Taylor gets a backslide for two, and DiBiase freaks out and just unloads a flurry of offensive to try to end it right away. Taylor hangs in there, so DiBiase switches tactics to a chinlock. Taylor fights out and DiBiase clotheslines him down for two. DiBiase comes off the second rope and looks like he’s going to connect with the gloved hand, but Taylor meets him with a punch right between the eyes. Clothesline by Taylor, and a big elbow gets two.

-DiBiase comes back with an atomic drop and applies the figure four, and Joel Watts points out that while DiBiase might be a master of the figure four, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to win it here, because Taylor has mastered that hold…and sure enough, that means Taylor has mastered the counter, too. Taylor rolls over, and DiBiase makes the ropes. DiBiase goes into the tights and loads the glove, but when he charges, Taylor ducks and backdrops him. DiBiase gets back to his feet and coldcocks Taylor, and that’s enough for the three-count. DiBiase steals the title shot from Terry Taylor! Interesting…Incredible match, pure drama from bell to bell and probably the best performance of Joel Watts’ commentary career.

TV TITLE: THE SNOWMAN (Champion) vs. DIRTY DUTCH MANTELL
-Dutch comes out on the offensive right away, with a suplex and an elbow for a one-count. Snowman fights back with rights and lefts, and JR must be having an off-week because he just totally forgets to mention that he learned that from his close personal friend Muhammad Ali.

-Fight goes into the corner. Randy Anderson is so desperate to restore order that he climbs onto Snowman’s back, and Snowman dumps him over the top rope and onto the floor. Dutch throws Snowman out to the floor too, and while the referee is out, The Champion rushes to ringside and piledrives Snowman on the concrete, then heads out of there. Randy revives, counts out the unconscious Snowman, and Dutch gets the win…and the TV Title? Wait, what?

KAMALA & KAREEM MUHAMMAD THE ZAMBUI EXPRESS (with Skandar Akbar) vs. DON SANDERS & GLEN HOLBROOK

-Kamala chops away at both opponents as the crowd is just completely burned out from all the drama in the first two matches. Kareem tags in and unleashes a series of…leisurely…forearms. Big splash combo from the Fat Boys gets the three-count.

“Dr. Death” STEVE WILLIAMS vs. WENDELL COOLEY

-Williams does some mat wrestling while Joel Watts laments that his old college buddy has fallen under the influence of Ted DiBiase. You know, it seems to me that somebody who nicknames himself “Dr. Death” probably doesn’t need much outside influence to be an evil bastard, Joel.

-Clothesline and boots by Williams, and a backbreaker gets two. Dr. Death goes for a corner charge but crashes in the corner. Cooley gets a little bit of offense while he has the opening, but he comes off the second rope, gets caught in mid-air, and Williams turns it into a stampede for three.

JAKE “The Snake” ROBERTS & BARBARIAN vs. PRIVATE TERRY DANIELS & FRANKIE LAINE
-Hard slam by Barbarian, short clothesline by Jake, but Jake hasn’t turned that into the set-up yet, so the match just keeps going with a chinlock. Commentary acknowledges that some fans in the crowd are chanting “DDT,” and it’s fascinating how long there were signs that Jake as a babyface would be money, and how long it took for someone to bite the bullet and try it.

-Daniels tags in, and Barbarian just murders him, and the full house is academic. Even though the win is already locked up, Jake DDTs Laine just to give the people what they want and they go crazy for him.

AL PEREZ vs. DR. TOM PRICHARD

-First Mid-South appearance for Mr. What-Can-We-Do-With-This-Guy of the 1980s, Al Perez. Prichard attacks from behind as the bell sounds, and Perez immediately gives him a German suplex and gets the three-count in seconds, so we’re trying the Magnum strategy with him.

-A Fantastics music video. They pop in and out of various states of dress and play tonsil hockey with a couple of ripe tomatoes who keep giggling at them for some reason. Really, the entire story of the music video is tough to follow, as these two women just act like they want nothing to do with the Fantastics, and them BOOM make-out scene, and then they just disappear.

THE FANTASTICS vs. PAUL BROWN & THE RED RAIDER
-Raider takes a hard dropkick right away. Brown gets backdropped while JR proudly boasts that the Fantastics have cancelled all of their Dallas-area commitments because they want the competition in Mid-South. That’s odd, I thought Watts and Fritz had a good-enough relationship. Suplex/legdrop combo gets the win.

8.0
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
Still a great territory, even with questionable top-guy choices at times.
legend

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Mid-South Wrestling, Adam Nedeff