The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling–02.01.85

The SmarK Rant for Mid-South Wrestling – 02.01.85

Taped from Shreveport, LA

Your hosts are Boyd Pierce & Bill Watts

But first, in the most 80s segment ever, we take a look at Butch Reed learning to BREAKDANCE while working out at the gym. Of note is a young Erik Watts as one of the dancers. I can only imagine what horrifying music choice got muted here and replaced with generic WWE pop. Why did Micah Watts never make a go of it, I wonder? Cold feet seeing what happened to Erik?

Terry Ellis & The Golden Terror v. The Rock N Roll Express

The Express are now tag team champions, rightfully so given their reactions. The Express quickly double-teams the Terror, and part of me hopes that his finisher is the Golden Shower. Not that he’d ever get to use his finisher. Over to Ellis and he gets double-teamed and double-dropkicked at 1:20. The girls were just losing their MINDS for these guys!

Ted Dibiase, classiest man in Mid-South, shows up in a tailor-made tuxedo (with top hat and cane!) and he’s got a MONTAGE to show how much classier than Jim Duggan he is. He even tells us that the music is “Bad Reputation” by Joan Jett, which the Network proceeds to overdub anyway. Well, at least now we can use our imagination. Keeping in mind that Dibiase himself submitted this video, it’s even funnier that it’s comprised almost entirely of him cheating and hitting guys with the loaded glove. So this was all leading up to the most awesomely over the top match in the history of wrestling: Dibiase v. Duggan in a tuxedo, cage, coal miner’s glove match. That one went around compilation tapes for years afterwards. Duggan of course comes out with Terry Taylor and beats up Dibiase and his cronies and steals the top hat. Two weeks from now: A fashion show featuring Dibiase and Duggan!

Jim Duggan & Terry Taylor v. Steve Williams & Ted Dibiase

Buddy Landell was listed as Doc’s partner, but Duggan’s cowardly attack left him unable to compete, so Dibiase steps in like the hero he is. Taylor slugs away in the corner on Dibiase, and Duggan comes in with a clothesline and the babyfaces pinball Dibiase in the corner. Taylor tries a rollup and Williams gets a cheapshot from the apron (after two tries at it) and Terry is your poultry-in-peril. Dibiase drops the fist for two and hits the chinlock, and the heels switch off and keep Taylor in the corner. Taylor comes back with a sunset flip for two, but Dibiase drops the elbow off the middle rope for two. Taylor with a small package for two, but Doc puts him in the bearhug, and Taylor escapes and makes the hot tag to Duggan. Duggan goes CRAZY and unloads on both heels at the same time, but Budro returns and pulls Duggan out of the ring for a beatdown. Well, it kind of serves him right. Dibiase adds a KO punch with the black glove while Taylor valiantly keeps fighting, but Williams finally trips him up and Dibiase hooks the figure-four. Duggan breaks it up with an elbow, and Landell finally runs in and then promptly gets pinned at 7:10 after the three-point stance. Sure, he wasn’t legal, but that’s what happens if you interfere. This was GREAT for a TV tag match, complete chaos with a tremendous little story being told. ***

Hercules Hernandez v. Richard Dye

Bill Watts is immediately dismissive of Dye’s physique and thinks he needs to go to the breakdancing gym. Cobra sleeper finishes at 1:00.

Iceman Parsons v. Kamala

The crowd goes crazy for the generic funk-esque entrance music of the Iceman! Kamala quickly throws chops, but Iceman fires back with a pair of butt butts, so Kamala grabs a vicious boob claw to regain control. Yes, it’s the dreaded PURPLE NURPLE OF DOOM. Iceman makes another comeback with dropkicks and gets two, but the ref is bumped on the kickout. This prompts Friday to run Iceman into the post, and Kamala finishes with the big splash at 3:01. Turns out that Friday is actually Hercules, setting up another feud against Parsons.

Tim Horner & Jason Walker v. Chavo & Hector Guerrero

That’s right, it’s another appearance of the Alamo Busters! I feel like they came along too early and would have ruled in the Attitude Era. Horner controls Chavo with armdrags, but he makes the mistake of tagging out to his geek partner and the rudos quickly double-team him with a variety of entertaining stuff. Hector with a twisting splash and bridged german to finish at 2:10. Apparently the program was with the Rock N Roll Express, and I’d die to watch that one in 1985.

Jake The Snake Roberts v. Shawn Michaels

I feel like this should be featured on a YouTube video about wacky dream matches or something. Shawn gets a pair of armdrags and a rollup for two, and now Jake is PISSED. He slugs Shawn down and counters a hammerlock with a jawbreaker to take over. Watts notes that the main eventers should pay attention to the “preliminary boys” because someday they might be big stars as well. No kidding. Jake with a gutbuster and he works an armbar, but misses a blind charge and Shawn gets two. Short arm clothesline puts the kid down again, however (with a quality 360 sell by Shawn) and the DDT finishes at 4:00. Pretty entertaining squash, and Jake was in THE ZONE for that finishing sequence.

And we finish with a special look at the new team, the Dirty White Boys, set to the tune of a generic rock song that may or not resemble a song from Foreigner.

The Pulse

Obviously this was another one chosen for the early Shawn Michaels appearance, but it was a pretty badass show and well worth checking out.