wrestling / Video Reviews
The Name on the Marquee: Mid-South Wrestling (2.27.1982)
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...-Originally aired February 27, 1982.
-Your hosts are Boyd Pierce and Dusty Rhodes! Hope no one’s planning on bringing a bicycle to the ring for this one.
COCO SAMOA vs. LARRY HIGGENS
-Dusty manages to give some importance to this match right away, basically saying Coco has racked up enough wins to make him overconfident, but “Somebody eventually knocked out Muhammad Ali, you know,” and nobody gave that guy a chance. They start in a test of strength and trade kicks. Samoa takes out the legs and then applies an armbar. Higgens slams him down, but Samoa fights back with chops, and a second rope splash gives Samoa the win.
#1 PAUL ORNDORFF vs. FRANK MONTE
-Monte catches Orndorff in a drop toehold and applies a hammerlock while Dusty veers into some story about a truck stop where he had dinner last night. Monte stays on the arm. Orndorff gets aggressive with punches and stomping. Frank Monte gets caught in the ropes but Orndorff’s got his bastard shoes on today so he keeps attacking even though his man is in the ropes. Monte tries for flying headscissors but Orndorff catches him and makes it a backbreaker. Powerslam by Orndorff gets the win. That’s weird, Orndorff was teasing inching toward a face turn a few weeks ago and they totally dropped it.
NORTH AMERICAN TITLE: TED DIBIASE (Champion) vs. THE GRAPPLER
-Grappler is wearing an “orthopedic boot” due to an injury, but Dusty, speaking from experience fighting the man, suspects that Grappler is loading the boot somehow. They criss-cross and Grappler makes DiBiase chase him around the ring, meeting him back inside with a shoulderblock. DiBiase rallies with a forearm and armdrags Grappler into position for a series of kneedrops to the shoulder. DiBiase’s offense just flows so naturally from one move to the next.
-Grappler escapes but he gets caught in a fireman’s carry takedown. DiBiase goes for a Thesz press but Grappler just gives him a shot to the gut on impact. Grappler drills right hands into DiBiase and hangs him in the tree of woe, stomping him with the orthopedic boot. Dusty actually does a GREAT breakdown on commentary about why the tree of woe is an effective move, explaining that it doesn’t take long for a large amount of blood to rush to the head, and whether it’s the referee or the opponent who frees you from it, you’re going to be dizzy for a few seconds once you come down and that gives your opponent an opening to do another move and you won’t be able to defend yourself.
-Bearhug by Grappler. DiBiase slugs out, but Grappler gives him a neckbreaker for two. DiBiase gets a sunset flip out of nowhere for two, then a back suplex, and now both men are hurt and writhing on the mat. Grappler gets up first but misses a series of forearm drops, and now DiBiase comes back with right hands and a backdrop. Grappler loads the boot as Dusty predicted and uses it to take DiBiase’s left leg out, and he just relentlessly attacks the leg. He tries for a spinning toehold, but DiBiase wriggles his way to the ropes and kicks him away before he gets it completely locked on.
-Grappler goes to the top rope instead, but DiBiase meets him up there and superplexes him, but his leg buckles and Grappler lands on top for two. Grappler loads the boot again, but this time DiBiase sweeps the leg and back suplexes the Grappler to get the pin and retain. DiBiase EARNED that one.
BOB ROOP vs. BILL ASH
-Bob Roop walks right past the ring during the introduction and heads to the commentary table. Roop basically says he’s above wrestling jobbers at this point in his career, and yet somehow, he doesn’t have any matches signed against JYD, DiBiase, or Dusty Rhodes. Dusty calls bullshit, saying that Roop got pinned by JYD clean as a sheet a few weeks ago, so fuck him. Roop says there’s no way for Dusty to know about that because he was in California a few weeks ago and Dusty explains that Mid-South airs in San Diego now, so Roop’s embarassed about getting called out now. He demands that Dusty come get him some, and Dusty strolls out from the commentary area and heads to the ring.
-Paul Orndorff charges to the ring and they try to mount a 2-on-1 attack on the floor, but they bungle their move and Dusty just elbows the shit out of Paul until Roop recovers and attacks from behind. Dusty takes the beatdown until Brian Blair and Mr. Olympia make the save. No match, good angle.
MR. OLYMPIA (Mississippi Champion) vs. ED WISKOWSKI
-Arm wringers are exchanged and Olympia connects with forearms. Funny announcement from Boyd Pierce, as Mid-South Wrestling is so strict about the rules that Dusty Rhodes, the man who got attacked 2 on 1 in the previous segment, is getting fined $2500 for the infraction of walking away from the commentary table. He had a commitment to honor, dammit!
-Wiskowski takes over with boots and shoulder rams. Olympia comes back with a few turnbuckle shots, but Wiskowski cradles him for two. Backslide by Wiskowski gets another two. Wiskowski tries a side headlock. Olympia escapes and springs himself over a corner charge, then rolls up Wiskowski for a two-count. Olympia sorta backed into that one.
BRUISER BOB SWEETAN vs. TONY TORRES
-Sweetan just cracks Torres with right hands. Bodyslam by Sweetan. Torres gets a little token offense in, but Sweetan puts a stop to that quickly and drops a knee for three. Pretty much just a squash. They forgot to tell Sweetan Mid-South squashes need to be interesting.
NON-TITLE: SAMOAN WARRIORS (Tag Team Champions, with Skandar Akbar) vs. JUNKYARD DOG & BRIAN BLAIR
-JYD and Sika slug it out. JYD does his rolling headbutts while Sika is still standing, so he’s headbutting Sika in the nuts and causing him to flip over in a great visual. Blair tags in and sunset flips Sika for two. Sika chops the neck to take control and clotheslines him down. Nerve hold is clamped on, and Blair makes it to the ropes to force a break, then crawls through the legs and makes the hot tag. Crazy finish coming as JYD tackles Sika out to the floor and stays in the ring to fight Afa. Sika rams Blair into the post as long as he’s out there, so Blair’s out cold.
-Thump by JYD gets two when Sika comes in to break the pin, and now it’s 2 on 1 on JYD. Hope JYD doesn’t get fined for getting his ass kicked too hard. JYD fights off both men but the referee gets caught in the crossfire and gets knocked out to the floor. Samoans continue murdering JYD until Mr. Olympia shows up to finally provide an equalizer. JYD comes back to life as some jobber just wanders around the ring for no reason, and JYD and Olympia clear the ring, but the referee revives and sees an illegal man in there, so he calls for the bell and gives the Samoans the win by DQ. We close the show with JYD and Olympia still in the ring, demanding the Samoans get in there and get some.
