The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 12.11.82

The SmarK Rant for Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling – 12.11.82

Haven’t done one of these for Daryl in a while.

Taped from Charlotte, NC

Your host is Bob Caudle

Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle join us to start, and Sarge is taking Vegas odds that they’ll hurt someone again here on TV. So they once again show the video of injuring Jay Youngblood, because apparently you can never get enough of that. Kernodle in fact personally thanks Slaughter for letting him participate in breaking Jay’s neck with their finisher, which will now be dubbed THE ATOMIC BOMB. Oh man I’m chock full of Oppenheimer references to make now but probably won’t have enough time.

Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle v. Ron Ritchie & Mark Fleming

Sarge tosses Ritchie with a slam and Kernodle comes in and drops a knee on him before going to a facelock. The champions double-team Ritchie in the corner and Sarge drops a knee on him for two. And then they come up with another wacky move, as Slaughter puts Kernodle on his own shoulders and then drops a knee on Ritchie with the added weight. Oh that’s clever. Over to Fleming, and Kernodle works on his arm before hauling him back to the corner for more double-teams. Ritchie actually gets a hot tag and runs wild on Kernodle, but he misses a dropkick and faceplants. And that sets up THE ATOMIC BOMB, which is Slaughter coming off the top rope with a Slaughter Cannon while Kernodle holds the guy in back suplex position, to finish at 6:17. They’re doing an awesome job of building up the Slaughter/Kernodle team as monster heel tag team champions.

Cowboy Bob Orton v. Ken Timbs

Orton takes him down with a rollup for two and Timbs claims that his trunks were pulled while Caudle hypes up the impending debut of George Gray, who is apparently something of a one man gang. Timbs works a headlock, but Orton slugs him down and drops a knee on him for two. Orton goes after the arm and twists it around on the ropes before taking him down with a hammerlock. Timbs makes the ropes to escape from that, but Orton rolls him over for two to keep him on the mat. And he finishes with a samoan drop at 4:40 as I continue to be weirded out by Bob Orton as a babyface.

Jack Brisco joins us, having regained the Mid-Atlantic title from Paul Jones a couple of weeks ago. And then Bob Orton points out that the House of Humperdink have had Roddy Piper barred from the TV studio, but he’s still coming after Humperdink and he likes it rough.

Jack Brisco v. Rick Connor

They trade headlocks and Brisco takes him down and cranks on it, but Connor makes the ropes. Brisco with another one and Caudle suggests that since it’s the holiday season, if you have family members who need a gift and you don’t know what else to give, maybe give wrestling tickets. Wrestling tickets: When you don’t love someone enough for gift cards. Brisco takes Connor down with a backbreaker and goes to work on the leg before finishing with the figure-four at 4:34.

Mike Rotundo is here to challenge Bad Leroy Brown to a match. Again. But Jimmy Valiant bursts in and hypes him up by telling him that he has to learn to be a street fighter before he can beat Leroy.

Bob Orton joins us and he admits that he’s been not so nice of a guy in the past, but ever since his “little boy” was born, he’s mellowed out and tried to be a better person. Hopefully his young son will be inspired by his father and might even become a wrestler too some day! Too bad he didn’t bring his kid out for a cameo appearance.

Paul Jones v. Ken Hall

Hall tries to work the arm, but Jones beats on him with forearms as Bob Caudle relates the story of how Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine will be unable to be on the same show moving forward for the safety of themselves and everyone else. Come on, booking appearances on a TV show around the petty grudges of the stars? What kind of an operation are these punks running? Hall gets a pair of takedowns for two and tries for a cravat on the mat, but Jones kind of smothers him with a claw to escape and drops knees on him. Knees to the upper thigh follow and Jones cranks on the legs and then wraps him up in the Indian deathlock at 5:31.

Ric Flair & Greg Valentine join us, and Flair insults the local sports team and puts over the talent of his friends Sgt. Slaughter & Don Kernodle, whose name is synonymous with pleasing all the women of the south. And even GREG VALENTINE cracks at that line and can’t help himself from laughing. He never even SMILES in 40 years of wrestling and Flair is out there corpsing him.

Roddy Piper joins us via videotape because he’s banned from the studio, and he really only blames himself for getting his face ground into the concrete by Flair & Valentine. Apparently Hammer compared him to the Elephant Man after smashing his face up, but they assumed he would pack his bags and run out of town, but Piper uses some visual aids to explain what happens when you “assume”.

Greg Valentine & Ric Flair v. Mike Davis & Keith Larsen

Davis tries a headlock on Valentine and he escapes with an atomic drop and backbreaker. Over to Flair, who runs Davis into the corner and it’s over to Larsen. Keith takes Flair down with a headlock on the mat and controls with a hiptoss, but Flair puts him down with a knee and brings the Hammer back in. Greg drops an elbow on him and they trade takedowns on the mat before Larsen gets some armdrags. But then Flair comes in for a double-team and drops a knee on Larsen for two. Flair necks him on the top rope and Valentine comes in with a back elbow and gut wrench suplex before going to a chinlock. Larsen manages to make a tag to Davis and he’s a house of fire and backdrops Flair, but then tags Larsen right back in and he runs into an elbow from Flair. And then Flair takes out Davis on the apron for good measure and Valentine drops the Hammer on Larsen and gives him a pretty epic running atomic drop. And then Flair punts him in the head and NOW WE GO TO SCHOOL with the figure-four at 7:33. Must have been like old times for Flair & Valentine out there teaming again.

Greg Valentine rants to Bob about how Piper is an insane maniac and that’s why he’s barred from the building, and he’s got a picture of Piper’s bruised face to prove it. “He say he’s bad to the bone…to the CHEEKBONE, because it’s sticking out there.” And then Flair goes on an epic run about how all the women of the world are after himself and Valentine and all the parties he’s going to attend tonight to wrap it up.

Not much for in-ring this week but the promos were something to behold.