Mid-South Wrestling – April 22nd, 1982

April 22, 1982

Your hosts are Boyd Pierce and Jim Ross

This week we will have Wild Samoans & One Man Gang vs. Mr. Olympia & Dick Murdoch & Junkyard Dog and more!

Larry Higgens vs. Paul Orndorff

Higgens stalls for a bit as the announcers talk about Orndorff on a mission to get the North American Heavyweight Title. Orndorff beats down Higgins and hits a dropkick then they blow a powerslam spot as Higgens really fucked that one up then Orndorff hits another powerslam for a win (2:39).

Thoughts: A quick win for Orndorff as they are still pushing his upcoming title shot against Roop.

Ron Cheatham vs. Iron Mike Sharpe

Sharpe places Cheatham on the top rope as Ross thinks Sharpe is really improving. Sharpe works the arm for a while then uses a bodyscissors after a dropkick as he lifts Cheatham up from that position. Cheatham breaks out and lands a few punches but Sharpe fights back and catches him in a bearhug for the win (3:05).

Thoughts: Sharpe actually looked a bit better than he has the past several weeks but still shows nothing as a babyface.

Wendi Richter vs. Velvet McIntyre

These two feel each other out to start. They switch off working the leg as Richter bails for a breather. McIntyre yanks Richter back into the ring but Richter rolls through a leg lock and works a surfboard. They now do a comedy spot where they get the referee tangled up with them on the mat then Richter boots McIntyre down. Richter hits a slam and uses a hair-mare but McIntyre fights back with a dropkick. Richter dodges a second dropkick attempt but McIntyre takes her down with a sunset flip for the win (4:05) *1/2.

Thoughts: Richter looked way better here than she ever did in the WWF and this was a decent match. This was just pushed as a side attraction really as Mid-South did not have a women’s division.

Bob Roop & Tully Blanchard vs. Coco Samoa & Buddy Landel

Landel and Blanchard start things off. Samoa comes in after a tag and puts Roop in a headlock. Samoa lands a few shots then catches Roop with a monkey flip. Blanchard runs in as the match breaks down with all four men squaring off. Things settle down as Samoa gets two with a springboard sunset flip. Samoa nailed Roop in the head on that one. Blanchard is in now and stalls but Samoa takes him down. Landel tags and grabs a headlock as Blanchard makes a blind tag. Landel takes care of Roop then clears the ring as the fans are getting behind him. Samoa tags again but Blanchard is able to take over as he traps him in the corner. Samoa eventually tags out but gets dumped as Landel lands a few shots on Blanchard but Roop makes a blind tag and hits a high knee before putting Landel away with a leg drop (6:06) **1/4.

Thoughts: Solid TV match. It looks like there will be an alliance between Roop and Blanchard, who is now getting pushed up the card.

We get a flashback from last week where The Assassin bailed on Ernie Ladd after Skandor Akbar offered him more money to not be his partner. This led to the Samoans attacking Ladd until Orndorff made the save.

The Assassin vs. Terry Gibbs

The fans chant “traitor” at the Assassin, who works a side headlock on the mat and that lasts for a while. This is just boring as fuck as Ross tries his best to describe why its happening. Gibbs fights out of this but Assassin hits a knee smash and takes him back over with another side headlock. The crowd remains silent as Gibbs fights out of the headlock and takes the Assassin down. He lands a few shots in the corner but is taken down with a knee smash. Assassin then hits a dropkick and finishes him off with a headbutt (4:51) DUD.

Thoughts: Dear lord did this suck. 90% of this match as the Assassin working a side headlock and the crowd was dead as a result.

We get clips from last week’s Bob Roop vs. Dick Murdoch match where Skandor Akbar came out and ended up getting knocked out with Murdoch’s shovel.

One Man Gang & Wild Samoans w/ Skandor Akbar vs. Junkyard Dog & Mr. Olympia & Dick Murdoch

Gang and JYD start things off with a test-of-strength. They are now trading punches as JYD knocks Gang over the top rope as the crowd goes nuts. The match then breaks down as Pierce lets us know there is just one minute left. Murdoch reaches in his bag and whacks Sika with his shovel as Akbar’s men have bailed as the show ends (1:59).

Thoughts: A wild brawl to close out the show. It was a bit disappointing that this did not get a lot of time as it was stuck at the end of the show, almost like it was a standby match.

Final Thoughts: Not that great of a show this week. There was no real angle advancement or standout match here. I suspect bigger things will happen next week but this was a nothing special.

Here is my schedule for the rest of the week:

Sunday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 3/4/89

Monday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 3/5/89

Tuesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 3/11/89

Wednesday: PWG 2016 BOLA, Final Stage 9/4/16

Thursday: Pro Wrestling Diaries Shoot Interview with Nelson Frazier (Viscera)

Friday: WWF Saturday Night’s Main Event 3/11/89

Saturday: Mid-South Wrestling 4/29/82