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Mid-South Wrestling (8.20.1983) Review

June 29, 2020 | Posted by Adam Nedeff
Mid-South Wrestling 8-20-1983 Image Credit: WWE/Peacock
8.2
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Mid-South Wrestling (8.20.1983) Review  

-Originally aired August 20, 1983.

-Your hosts are Boyd Pierce and the returning Jim Ross! So is JR here to stay now?

-So we lead off with the announcement that Grizzly Smith closed the deal this week and we’re going to see a “Battle of the Hacksaws,” with Jim Duggan getting five minutes alone with Skandar Akbar if he wins.

-Jim Ross, having not gotten the memo, sends us to pre-recorded comments from Bruce Reed. Skandar Akbar sneers at “The Hippie” Duggan because Duggan will never get Akbar in the ring. Akbar hasn’t even bothered bringing his wrestling gear because he has that much faith in Butch Reed.

-Breaking: Boyd Pierce announces that they’ve actually learned a name for the Missing Link!

MAGNUM T.A. & “Dr. Death” STEVE WILLIAMS vs. BORIS ZURKHOV & RIP ROGERS
-The babyface team confused me so I went ahead and checked, and yes, Magnum and Duggan are still Tag Team Champions at this point. But we only have a one-hour show and two babyfaces to mega-push, so what are you gonna do?

-Well, you’re not gonna do a drop toehold because that goes just biblically wrong when Magnum attempts it on Rogers. He tags in Williams and JR notes that Williams is entertaining an offer to play football for the Oklahoma Outlaws next season. Boris tags in and gets rolled out quickly. Magnum clamsp on a side headlock, but a brawl breaks out and all four men end up in the ring. Belly-to-belly by Magnum in the midst of the chaos, and that gets the three-count.

NON-TITLE “BATTLE OF THE HACKSAWS”: HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN vs. HACKSAW BUTCH REED (North American Champion, with Skandar Akbar)

-Duggan storms in the ring and attacks during the intro. Duggan just pounds away at Reed while JR seems really unwilling to call him Butch. He calls him Bruce, then says “they call him Butch,” then just calls him Hacksaw Reed.

-So Duggan is just straight beating up Reed, there’s no other way to describe it. Well, until he applies a chinlock. You can describe that, I guess. Reed fights out and throws punches. Reed chokes Duggan out. Duggan fights his way back to his feet. Reed reverses a whip into the corner to stop the comeback and gets a two-count, and Akbar is freaking out because Reed won’t just hurry up and win the match already.

-Reed keeps punching, but Duggan keeps punching back. Referee gets bumped out to the floor as Duggan connects with the spear. Akbar blows a whistle, which brings Kimala out fora surprise attack as the referee revives. Kimala splashs Duggan repeatedly while Reed and Akbar hold him down, but everyone high-tails it out when Magnum TA, Mr. Wrestling II, and JYD charge out. So Duggan wins the match by DQ, which means he now gets a match against Skandar Akbar…but uh-oh, Duggan’s in no condition to wrestle.

-So we’re back from commercial, and Akbar demands to know where that “souped-up hippie” went. Duggan is severely injured, and while Akbar gloats about the situation, a referee and four other wrestlers hits the ring, and Reeser Bowden just shrugs and announces that the five minutes will probably happen at a future TV taping.

MR. WRESTLING II & TIM HORNER vs. TED DIBIASE & KING KONG BUNDY

-Faces work Bundy’s arm and that works until Bundy throws a punch and dazes Horner. DiBiase trips him from outside, and II is so pissed off that he comes in and just knees the shit out of Bundy to make it fair. Bundy is seeing stars, but DiBiase loads up the glove and pops Horner right in the face with it, and Bundy splashes him for five.

-Skandar Akbar reveals that the Missing Link’s first time is Max and coyly hints that he went insane in prison.

MAX THE MISSING LINK vs. JOHNNY RICH

-Rich throws dropkicks at Link and it’s effective, but Link drags him outside the ring and chokes him to take control. Rich fights back with a bodypress and an atomic drop. Dropkick by Rich, but a second one misses the mark and Link headbutts him in the lower back. Link comes off the second rope with another headbutt to the back, and that gets the win. Link attacks after the bell, and dammit, Mid-South has RULES, so that means Rich gets the win by DQ.

JUNKYARD DOG vs. MIKE MCGHEE

-JYD clotheslines McGhee and applies a chinlock. Thump finishes, no sweat.

KRUSHER DARSOW vs. ART CREWS

-Debut for Darsow, who’s doing a lumberjack gimmick and wrestles in cut-off short shorts. So more accurately, his gimmick is that he’s a lumberjack and he’s okay. Darsow holds Crews upside-down and rams him from corner to corner, and the body vice finishes instantly.

-We still have 11 minutes in the show!

-So to fill some time, Jim Ross asks the truck to cue up the tape of one of the most exciting matches in the history of Mid-South TV, Andre the Giant & Tony Atlas vs. the Rat Pack. Kimala attacks and leaves Andre a bloody mess.

MIKE JACKSON & JOSHUA STROUD vs. DOUG VINES & RANDY BARBER
-Holy crap it’s weird seeing Mike Jackson clean-shaven. Stroud has a GREAT look but never went further than freelance jobbing. Jackson takes it to the mat, then bodypresses Barber for a two-count. Vines tags in and elbows Jackson down for one. Jackson surprises Vines with a cradle. Vines kicks out and Stroud finally gets a shot. Stroud press slams Vines and immediately gets out. He had a little trouble doing it and I think he panicked there.

-So Jackson and Vines duke it out. Barber tags in and Jackson throws an enziguiri! Stroud tags in and finishes with a powerslam, with Jackson coming in and raising his partner’s arm.

8.2
The final score: review Very Good
The 411
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Mid-South Wrestling, Adam Nedeff