Let's Watch: Mid South Wrestling

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Folks we're back. Its January 23rd 1982, and the new year is already heating up. As always we are joined by Reynolds Wrap Spokesman Boyd Pierce and Bill "Do You Smell That?" Watts.

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Lets get right to the action.
Renesto returns once again, dropping both the "Tommy" gimmick and Jr., and just going with Tom Renesto. Lets see how this new character works out for him against Brian Blair.
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Blair once again beats his man, and once again takes a moment to play with his opponent's asshole. We'll keep an eye on this developing trend, fans
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Next Up:
We're shown the replay of the end of Iron Sheik vs Zach Galafanakis. Sheiky beats the ever loving piss outta Mr. Hangover. He then sits down in a chair for a "strike."
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JYD has had quite enough of this happy horseshit, and comes out to revenge the Iranian hostages, per Watts:
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Your Winner: 'Merica

Continuing:
Our next bout features future WWE HOFamers the Wild Samoans taking on Jesse "Jimmy Jack Funk" Barr and Tommy Wright.
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This one goes as expected. Headbutt, headbutt, choppy, headbutt. Jesse was smart enough to stay in the ring for all of five seconds and let Tommy take the punishment. Samoans take it!

Furthering their blood feud:
Carlos Zappata and Mike "God damned perfect hair" George face off in a brutal battle
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Mike George takes down Zappata with a Russian Leg Sweep, expertly referred to as a European Back Breaker by Watts

Now a title match!
Randy Orton Sr. faces off against Mr. Olympia for the Mississippi HW Title.
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Surprisingly few shenanigans as Olympia becomes the NEW champion via sleeper!

Time for the legends
Bob Roop and Paul Orndorff team up to face Captain Redneck and Ted Dibiawwws. Not a lot to say here other than, THIS is what wrestling is all about. Hot match, great work, and Dick Murdoch is easily one of the most underrated performers of all time
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Murdoch/Dibiase take the win when Dicky pins. . . Bob Orton Jr. who wasn't even in the match.

We wrap up the action:
In a TV time remaining match pitting Billy Ash vs. Frank Monte. If Bill Ash sounds familiar, you may know him as one of the heels in the "Jumping Jeff Farmer" wrestling association


We're left in suspense as the two gladiators battle until time is up!
 

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Mid South is a gold mine of Dick Murdoch wrestling. Its a damn shame he was so loony, he could have been a great NWA champion. Such a great worker, and the crowd was always in his palm.
 
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We're back, fans. Its Jan 30, 1982. Boyd Pierce kicks off the show, wearing more gold glitter than a 7th grader's Trapper Keeper. A week later, Bill Watts has changed neither his expression, nor his outfit! Lets jump right into the action

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Dicky Murdoch kicks us off, squaring off against Tom "Troubling Single Patch of hair between his pecs" Renesto. The Cap'n finishes him off with a brainbuster, patented by Killer Karl Cox per Bill.

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The Samoan Warriors are up next, accompanied by their Manger Big Cat Ernie Ladd, who is wearing 2.5 cows worth of leather. A quick squash is mercifully ended with a flying headbutt from the 2nd rope. Afa was not the legal man for the pin, but the ref wasn't about to argue.
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Buttgrabber Brian Blair fights Zapatta for third time in 4 weeks. Brian ends it with a modified abdominal stretch pin. Zapatta appears to have a wardrobe malfunction in his nether regions during the pin. The winner: Those with bad eyesight.

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Up next, then entrance music hits!
JYD and Mike George in a hot tag match vs Number One Paul Orndorff and Bob Orton Jr. With seemingly ZERO wrestling knowledge, a headbutt by Orton Jr. on JYD backfires, setting up the win for the babyfaces.
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Mr. Olympia (aka Jerry Stubbs) is up next defending his Mississippi HW Title against the Polish Prince (aka Colonel Debeers). Interesting note, Jerry wrestled under the moniker "Mr. Perfct" prior to Hennig. A sleeper puts away the Prince, and secures Mr. Olympia another win
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Up last, Ted Dibiase defends his title against Bob Roop. Orndorff is your special guest referee. I can't imagine anything going wrong here. The heels JUMP DIBIASE! Murdoch rushes in fresh off the set of KILL BILL to make the save. A wild brawl ensues, and thats all the time we have for today fans!
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Fans we've entered February here at Mid South in 1982, and Boyd Pierce finally said "Fuck it, I'm wearing my grandmother's couch as a suit"
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We kicked off today's hot singles action with a match between Bob Orton Jr. and Ken Woodby. I believe Ken "Would Be" in bed by now, but its not a school night.
Orton Jr. finishes the youngster off with a sitting piledriver for the win!
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Next up we have a confrontation between Skandor Akbar and Ernie Ladd. Apparently Akbar has bought the management contracts of the Samoans! They turn on the Big Cat! In a feat of other worldly strength, Ladd grabs the Samoans, ramming their heads into each other, AND THEY GO DOWN!!. Newcomer One Man Gang hits the ring, and the big baddies proceed to whip on the former NFL All Pro. Ernie has no friends left after turning heel earlier, and they leave him laying with two busted knees.
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We proceed to a title defense match between Ted Dibiase and Kenny Powers. Teddy straps on the figure four, and sends Powers packing back to the minors!
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Later, JYD and Mike George defend their Mid South tag titles against the Samoans. Akbar throws in a chair! Stereo typically, Afa hits a "Samoan Drop" onto the chair, and sends Mike George and his two first names packing. The Samoans are your NEW tag champs!
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Bob "Mr. Charisma" Roop wrestles next. The producers had a choice between airing this match, or a 20 minute still shot of paint drying. They couldn't get the rights from Sherwin Williams, so they air the squash between Roop and Jobber v2.3. No picture provided as a courtesy to those with 20/20 vision.


Mr. Olympia defends his Mississippi HW title next against Paul Orndorff. Olympia puts Paul out COLD with a sleeper to retain! Pre-WWE Paul Orndorff is as good as it gets. Great heel, great mic work, immaculate conditioning, and a helluva hand in the ring. Criminally underrated IMHO
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Thats a wrap for this week!
 
Looks like WWE has added more Mid South to the Network, more reviews coming
 
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For our Feb. 20th 1982 episode, Boyd Pierce decides to go with a green shirt and a blood stained coat and tie he borrowed from Jimmy Snuka. Interesting choice. Watts looks rough and ready

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Our first match pits Bill "You know me from the Jumping Jeff Farmer videos" Ash versus Coco "This name wouldnt fly in 2019" Samoa. Apparently no one smartened Coco up to the business, as he is stiff as a board with Mr. Ash. Watts spends the entire match time talking about his son's amateur wrestling career. Much to my surprise, the island boy does chops and headbutts *shock*. Coco finishes him with a splash from the top for the 1-2-3!!!
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Next up, General Skandor Akbar has a special message for all the babyfaces in Mid South. By the way, anyone know where I can buy one of these sweet vests with camels on it? He claims Ted Debussey is in for trouble. He calls out JYD, which is instant heat in Louisiana.
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Later, Brian Blair's singles push is apparently over friends, as he is teamed up with Frank Monte to face Mid South tag champs the Wild Samoans! The best I can say for Monte is that his afro is quite impressive for a white feller. The face's offense consists of punches and drop kicks to the head of the Samoans. Thats just bad scouting. Afa finishes off Monte with a Samoan drop to retain.
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The next match pits the aforementioned Ted Debussey vs Larry "I forgot to quit pulling my pants up" Higgens. Debussey has a beautiful mane of hair, with a part down the middle dug with a ditch witch. Higgens went to slap Teddys chest and caught him in the mouth. The remainder of the match was nothing but receipts. Debussey slaps on the figure four after a quick squash for the submission win
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We've hit the halfway point of this weeks show, as Bob "Mr Charisma" Roop takes on Coach Ed Orgeron, who was going under the name Rick Ferrera at the time. Roop apparently wins, as the referee's 3 count woke me from my slumber.
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We'll be back with more after a commercial break
 
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The second half of our show this week is certainly emotionally charged, as The Grappler and Bruiser Bob Sweetan take on JYD and Mr. Olympia. Both Olympia and Grappler are from Parts Unknown, so they have a real hometown rivalry and score to settle. Grappler loads his boot setting up Olympia! Shenanigans! But Olympia reverses it and Grappler accidentally kicks Sweetan in the gut with loaded boot! JYD has had quit enough of this ballyho and jumps in with a headbutt and powerslam for the 1-2-3!
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As an aside, Dog looks SO good here. He was a god damned tank before he put on his belly weight in the WWF.

Next up is the DWEEM BABY! He's announced as Mr. Stardust! He takes on the Polish Prince in a very competitive match. Big Dust ends it with a 1-2-3 after an elbow drop! Prince is treated to a noseful of Brown Dust during the pin!
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Finishing off the show, my man Paul Orndorff takes on young Tony Torres. Mr. Wonderful is in elite shape as always. Watts takes some time, yet again, to shit on a guy named Cat Zabulas(?), some guy he had bad business dealings with during the match commentary. Young Torres is finished off with a figure four leglock by Orndorff who refuses to let go after the bell! That dirty sumbitch!
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Fans we're outta time for this week, catch more action as we barrel towards March!
 
Over the past week, been binge-watching Mid-South from the first Network episode. Up to August 82, skipping the intros/recaps means episodes are really 35-38 minutes long of original content so it's quick watch. The heel turn of Ted dibiase involving Bob Roop/JYD for the North American title was the best angle so far. Ted had a logical reason to turn heel as he would of left town in storyline if he lost his title match.

Attention to detail and applying logic to weekly story-lines to ensue continuity meant Mid South was the first to adopt the 'Episodic TV' format that we have in modern pro wrestling. JYD was the guy of the promotion, the audience just loves him on every episode.
 
Good deal. Yeah JYD was the absolute KING of Mid South. Dibiase and Orndorff's work both in particular are stellar here in their younger days.

Dibiase's work on the mic as guest commentator is just as good as his in ring work. Super talent
 
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Its the last show of February folks, and we certainly have a treat today as the DWEEM is on commentary. Boyd Pierce is dressed like a bridesmaid and big Dust turns heel encouraging viewers to steal a color TV if they don't have one so they can watch Mid South in living color.

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First up we have a hot match between Cocoa Samoa and Larry Higgens. Dust claims that Cocoa Samoa is the kind of cat that could knock out Joe Frazier or Muhammad Ali either one. Cocoa Samoa takes the victory after 5 minutes of test of strength with a splash. Dream says "He must be twenty feet in the air!" as Cocoa soared. . . from the 2nd rope
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Coming up next we have Frank the Jacked Jobber Monte and Paul Orndorff. Dusty takes a moment to give a shout out to a friend at a truck stop in Turkey Creek. Rhodes claims that Frank is the kind of guy who doesn't take no for an answer and never gives up! Paul Orendoreff (per Dust) takes the win after Monte gives up.
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It's time for a title match fans! Its the Grappler versus the North American HW Champ Ted Dibiase! This Dibiase kid is such a great baby face, I think he'll be a fan favorite for years to come. Dusty claims the orthopedic boot the Grappler wears(and uses for shenanigans) has been approved by a doctor, a senator and an Indian Chief. Dibiase heads to the pay window Jack after a belly to back suplex and bridge into a pin!
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Our third contest pits Bob "Mr. Sports Entertainment" Roop against Bill Ash. Bob spends 10 minutes arguing with Boyd and Dust about the quality of opponents he's been facing lately. He challenges the American Dream to a fight here and now! It was a damn setup all along! Orndorff and Roop jump the Dream and its pandemonium! Dusty is being chokes and is bleeding all over! Cocoa Samoa, Brian Blair and Mr. Olympia finally make the save.
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More action continues after a brief pause, fans!
 
The second half of the show is yet another title Match as the Mississippi HW Champ Mr. Olympia takes on the Polish prince. This match set an all time record for the most small packages and back slides ever attempted in a 5 minute match. Olympia throws the Prince a curve by doing a rollup and gets the pin to retain!
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Bruiser Bob Sweetan takes on young Tony Torres in the next bout. Both guys just made it to the arena on time after going to K-Mart for their fire sale on black singlets and red kneepads. Torres surprises Sweetan with a flurry of Irish Whips, only to be met with swift justice as Sweetan ends Tony's night with a knee drop and pin.
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Eat your heart out WWE Night of Champions! Another title match follows, as the Wild Samoans defend their Mid South Tag Titles against The Big Thumper himself JYD and Brian Blair. Injuries must have become a major problem of late, as JYD has had more partners than Pat Patterson during a weekend excursion to Key West. Blair gets injured on the outside and the Samoans put a world class double ass whippin on the dog. JYD sells like he's dying with every punch, kick and slam. Mr. Olympia has seen enough and jumps in to aid JYD. The ref Alfred Neely finally calls an end to the match after interference from Olympia, Akbar and others. The winner by DQ, and. . .
STILL
your Mid South Tag Champions the Wild Samoans.
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That's a wrap for February 1982 fans!
 
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Its March, 1982 and Boyd Pierce is trying his best to blend into the set. He and Watts give updates on Dusty Rhodes' injury from the week prior. Apparently Dusty was find $25,000(!!) by Mid South for leaving the commentary desk as a guest and approaching the ring.
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Apparently $25,000 buys you an ass whooping and gets you choked out in Mid South
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The first match up is a review of a local show in Louisiana featuring the Samoans defending their Tag Titles against Dusyy and Dick! Skandor Akbar interferes as both Orndorff and One Man Gang attack the faces, with Gang splashing onto Murdoch from the top rope as Afa held him down. Watts claims One Man Gang is 700 Pounds if hes an ounce. Spoiler: he's not an ounce. The Winner: Lucky fans in attendance to see a whole bevy of legends.
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Ernie Ladd is next, being interviewed about his recent injury. They are trying to turn Big Cat back into face after he was attacked by his own team, the Wild Samoans, after they signed with Akbar. Great promo work as always from Cat:
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JYD and Brian Blair take on the Samoans next for the Mid South tag titles. Skandor Akbar pulls his typical bullshit, so Mr. Olympia runs in for the save. A giant brawl ensues. The best part of this match: at one point a male fan started to rush the ring, only to be stared down and back into his seat by the Samoans. Kinda wish he woulda gotten in :). Double DQ
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More action after a word from our sponsors. . . (special guest appearance by none other than Killer Karl Kox! and an AMAZING win by a famous 1980s jobber)
 

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We're back, fans! April 1982 is upon us. Bill Watts finally opens up a bit on the mic, enough to get a grin from Boyd. Let jump into the action!

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First up, we have a recap of a action from February. Ernie Ladd (heel at the time) was the manager/contract owner for the Wild Samoans. Skandar Akbar bought out the Samoans, brought in One Man Gang, and they all proceeded to beat the stuffing out of the Big Cat!
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Another recap details the fight between the team of the King of Mid South JYD and his partner Mike George and their rivals, the Wild Samoans. General Ackbar interfers in the match and tries the ole' Memphis fireball on the Dog! Dogs block it with a chair! Watts exclaims "Thats why we only use fire retardant chairs!". Kayfabe - then, now forever
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The One Man Gang is next up, in action against Mike Boyer. The best thing you can say about Mike, other than his brave choice of outfit: he has one of the finest afros on a white man we've ever seen. Gang takes it with a running splash and the pin!
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The first half of our shows ends with a tag team title match between (C) Wild Samoans and future world famous jobber Iron Mike Sharpe with his partner, the pre-Nature Boy, Buddy Landell! The faces get in a surprising amount of offense! Buddy is already showing good in ring work as he works over one of the Samoans. Eventually the Samoans Power Meter fills to full, and they both execute their Limit Break Specials. Your winner by pinfall, Roman Reigns' Dad and Uncle.
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We'll be back after a word from our sponsors. . .
 

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The second half of our show starts off with a hot match between an up and coming Tully "The Cocaine Horseman" Blanchard and Dave Chapell's favorite wrestler, Cocoa Samoa. Cocoa gasses out the first minute after an initial test of strength, and proceeds to work their arm for 5 minutes. Tully bounces like a pro for Cocoa, before taking over. Tully takes it with a standing sooplay and the 123! Bill Watts commented more than once how Samoa moved around the ring like a crazy monkey.
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Well look who it is! The greatest WWF intercontinental champion of all time, Wayne Ferris! Honky plays the chickensh!t heel for most of the match, getting a lot of heat, keeping the crowd in it. JYD proves too much for him, and ends Tonk's night with a power slam.
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Next up is Bob Roop! Here is a picture of someone twiddling their thumbs, which is slightly more exciting than Roop's matches:
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We finish the show this week with Ron "Wario" Cheatham vs the Mississippi HW Title holder Mr. Olympia. Not sure who in the bluest of hells Cheatham beat to get a title shot, but here we go! Cheatham's main moveset seems to be:
1. Arguing with the ref about the face pulling his hair
2. Rolling under the bottom rope to the outside to catch a breath
3. Adjusting his trunks.

Your winner by Sleeper hold, and. . . . . STILL Champion, Mr. Olympia
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Thats all she wrote for this week folks!
 
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