Mid-South Wrestling – October 20th, 1983

October 20, 1983

Your hosts are Boyd Pierce and Bill Watts

This week in action are the midgets, Lanny Poffo, Butch Reed & Jim Neidhart, Magnum TA defends the North American Title against King Kong Bundy, and Junkyard Dog vs. Missing Link

Watts recaps last week’s show and how Reed’s plan to take out Magnum TA for the Tag Title match backfired since he dropped the North American Heavyweight Title as we see the end of NA Title match.

Tom Stanton & Cowboy Lang vs. George Weingeroff & Lone Eagle

Lang and Eagle are the midgets. Eagle runs in to deck Stanton and that allows Weingeroff to get two with a rollup. Eagle keeps messing with Stanton as Watts says that the midgets are still “fully developed” men despite being short. Lang even dope slaps Stanton for being a goof as Watts tells us about someone setting a record with a watermelon that weighs 250 lbs. Stanton runs in an accidentally kicks his partner then does it again. Stanton continues to be made to look like a moron as Eagle runs wild on Lang then Weigneroff stacks for the win (4:24) *.

Thoughts: Stanton was entertaining in his role and honestly it was more entertaining than the typical lower card matches that took place each week.

Art Crews vs. “Leaping” Lanny Poffo

The match starts off on the mat with Poffo using a side headlock to maintain control. Crews now works the arm on the mat but Poffo floats over and gets two with a reverse rollup. Crews come back with a forearm smash then a slam as he shows some aggression. Crews comes off of the top with a double axe handle but Poffo got his knees up. Poffo hits a dropkick then uses a headscissors takedown before finishing Crews off with a moonsault (2:54).

Thoughts: Solid action here. The mat work sequence went better than I expected. Poffo gets another win as they

Nikolai Volkoff vs. Tony Torres

Volkoff beats down Torres as Watts puts over his ability. Watts does not agree with what Volkoff stands for though as Volkoff drops Torres with a lifting chokehold. Watts says he is so pro-American that he comes across as narrow-minded while Volkoff continues his assault. Torres sends Volkoff into the ropes with a dropkick but Volkoff boots him back down. Volkoff then uses a few more lifting chokeholds then uses the overhead backbreaker for the win as Watts says “Dr. Death” Steve Williams hates Russians (2:21).

Thoughts: On commentary they were hinting at a Volkoff/Williams feud. Volkoff continues to dominate in TV squash match wins.

We now see the end of last week’s Tag Title match with Reed & Neidhart winning the belts.

“Hacksaw” Butch Reed & Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart vs. King Cobra & Mike Reid

Cobra and Reed start off the match. They completely fuck up a leapfrog spot and follow with a sloppy sequence on the mat. Neidhart tags in but Cobra works his arm. Neidhart escapes and tags out as Watts plugs the Superdome show. Reed sidesteps a dropkick then beats on Cobra for a bit. Cobra manages to hit a dropkick this time then tags out as Reid almost wins the match with a small package. Reed then beats down Reid and the champs stay in control until Neidhart hits a Samoan Drop for the win (3:22).

Thoughts: The goal here was to put over Reed & Neidhart as a formidable duo. They did not impress in the ring and Cobra was on offense a bit too much at the beginning.

Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title Match: King Kong Bundy vs. Magnum T.A. (c)

Bundy knocks down Magnum to start. Magnum fights back and dropkicks Bundy down twice before Bundy rolls out for a breather. Watts reminds us that the five count rule is in effect for Bundy then Bundy returns to ground Magnum with an armbar as Watts talks about amateur wrestling and whether or not Magnum can hit Bundy with his belly-to-belly suplex. Bundy stays in control and hammers away until he misses a splash. Magnum gets up and fires away. He takes Bundy down with a running forearm smash but ends up getting whipped into the referee. Bundy hits the Atlantic City Avalanche and counts himself as the ref is down. Bundy then yells at the ref but that allows Magnum to dropkick Bundy into the corner then Magnum covers for the win (5:09) *1/4.

Thoughts: Not much of a match. Magnum did not look all that strong in defeat as Bundy had him pinned if not for the referee being knocked down. The crowd was quiet for the match until the end.

Missing Link vs. Junkyard Dog

Link attacks JYD before the bell. Link targets the kidneys as Watts wants to know where Skandor Akbar is right now. Link now uses a reverse chinlock then goes back to attacking the kidney but JYD fights back. JYD now uses a bearhug but Link beats him down. JYD fights back again and uses a surfboard. JYD uses a chinlock after a clothesline but hurts himself during a leg sweep and Link covers for two. Link heads up top for the headbutt but JYD rolls out of the way then fights back until a powerslam gets the win (4:47) 1/4*.

Thoughts: Just an abysmal performance from JYD, who did not appear able to do anything requiring athleticism. He was a total slug. I give credit to Link for trying but his gimmick stinks and this match also was in front of a dead crowd.

Krusher Darsow vs. Mike Bond

Darsow tosses Bond to break up a side headlock. Watts says that Darsow’s only loss was against JYD and that Darsow would not take the payoff from Akbar to injure JYD. Watts says Grizzly Smith is negotiating to get Dusty Rhodes to come back as Darsow stays in control. Darsow then catches Bond with a knee smash as Watts talks about Ted DiBiase in Japan and that he is not through with JYD & Duggan. Bond whips Darsow into the corner but gets run over then Darsow goes back to work. Watts tells us that Steve Williams will be back soon as he is studying for finals at Oklahoma University then Darsow hits a slam before getting the win with a backbreaker submission (3:24).

Thoughts: Most of this match was a backdrop for Watts to talk about what to expect in the future.

Final Thoughts: We had a title match although it was not that impressive while the rest of the show really dragged. The TV crowds have been dead for weeks. The territory is stale but luckily a change would be happening quite soon.

Here is my schedule for the next several days:

Sunday: WWF Prime Time Wrestling 12/16/91

Monday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/21/91

Tuesday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/22/91

Wednesday: WWF Superstars of Wrestling 12/28/91

Thursday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 12/29/91

Friday: WWF Madison Square Garden 12/29/91

Saturday: Mid-South Wrestling 10/27/83