The Name on the Marquee: Mid-South Wrestling (7.10.1982)

-Originally aired July 10, 1982.

-Your hosts are Boyd Pierce and The Assassin.

SPOTLIGHT
-Paul Ellering is now quoting Superstar Billy Graham verbatim and has a group of kids do chin-ups. The kids and Paul do the chin-ups from an exposed water pipe hanging from the ceiling that bends just a little with every rep. WWE Network dubs what sounds like a straight-up NES 8-bit theme onto the segment.

PRECIOUS PAUL ELLERING vs. BILLY STARR
-Starr attempts a top wristlock and Ellering shoves him right down. Dropkick and an armdrag by Ellering, and a neckbreaker finishes.

TED DIBIASE (North American Champion) vs. JESSE BARR
-DiBiase takes Barr down and rides him. Front facelock by DiBiase and he hangs onto it as Jesse fights it. Jesse manages to get DiBiase into a corner and monkeyflips him, but DiBiase gives him the controversial right hand. Powerslam could finish but DiBiase is feeling extra-heely and goes for the figure four just to make Jesse suffer. There’s still a solid contingent of DiBiase fans in the front row.

NON-TITLE: JUNKYARD DOG & MR. OLYMPIA (Tag Team Champions) vs. THE GRAPPLER & BILLY ASH
-Olympia hiptosses both opponents all over the place and clears the ring. Sleeper applied on Ash, with triggers a brawl with all four men in the ring. Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Skandar Akbar show up to scout some potential opponents; interesting visual as the Irish MacNeil Boys Club, where they did these tapings, is big enough that they have a second ring near the area where the wrestlers make their entrance.

-In the ring, Billy Ash shows signs of life and goes on the offense, but Olympia blocks a move off the second rope by raising his boots. JYD tags in and clotheslines Ash as Grappler loads the boot, but Olympia acts quickly and holds Grappler in a sleeper to prevent him from using it, and the Thump puts away Bill Ash. Good finish.

HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN (with Skandar Akbar) vs. VINNIE ROMEO
-Crossface chicken wing by Duggan to start, but Romeo squirms free. Duggan boots him down and gives him a shoulderbreaker for two. Top wristlock won by Duggan thanks to his “tremendous muscular confirmation” according to Assassin. Romeo tries a bodypress off the second rope but just plain falls off, and Duggan rams him from corner to corner and finishes with a backbreaker.

KILLER KHAN (Louisiana Champion, apparently, with Skandar Akbar) vs. BUDDY LANDELL
-So I guess JYD did surrender the title after all even though they indicated last week that he wasn’t going to, and Khan won the tournament on July 6. Khan pus the boots to Buddy. Knee off the second rope gets three.

ONE MAN GANG (with Skandar Akbar) vs. COCO SAMOA
-Gang pounds Samoa, Samoa lights him up with shots to the chest. Coco goes for a dropkick off the second rope, but Gang “ducks” and Coco wouldn’t have connected anyway. Elbows by Gang get three.

BUCK ROBLEY & ERNIE LADD vs. BOB ROOP & HANGMAN HARRIS
-Ladd rams the heels into each other and sends Roop out to the floor. Robley tags in and gets ganged up on. Hot tag to Ladd, but they tie him in the ropes. Robley takes on both opponents and whips Roop into the still tangled Ladd, who raises a boot that knocks Roop back out to the floor. Backdrop/elbow combo by the faces, and a legdrop by Ladd gets three.

6.8

The final score: review Average

The 411

Not much in the way of stories to tell but at least the matches were good.