Taped from Shreveport, LA
Airdate: April 3, 1982 (taped 03/31)
Attendance: unknown
Hosted by Boyd Pierce & “Cowboy” Bill Watts
How will Roop fare now that he’s the new North American champion? Wait a minute! JYD and Olympia tag up, but who’s this Ferris guy?
Opening montage.
We revisit two weeks ago when Gang cost DiBiase the North American title.
Next, we revisit last week when Orndorff disrupted a Roop enhancement match and wanted a piece of Roop like nobody’s business.
Match 1 (non-title): Mid-South North American champion Bob Roop versus Coco Samoa
Highlights:
- Roop gave him a cross corner whip, but Coco leaped to the second turnbuckle and launched a cross body block for 2.
- When he slammed Roop, Coco landed a knee drop for another 2.
- Roop rebounded with a swinging neckbreaker and followed with a fist drop.
- As Coco countered a back drop attempt with his own swinging neckbreaker, he splashed Roop.
- He chopped Roop down and followed with a leg drop for 2.
- After he whipped Roop into the corner, Coco dealt him a monkey flip.
- Coco gave him a cross corner whip, but Roop thwarted a second monkey flip attempt.
- While Watts couldn’t contain his bigotry with a comment about Coco, Roop gave Coco another cross corner whip.
- Coco leaped to the second turnbuckle again, tried another cross body block, but Roop caught him and countered with a belly-to-belly suplex. Neat!
- 1-2-3.
- Roop won at 4:24.
Rating: **½
Summary: This was no showcase match for the new champion. It was a war of attrition.
Match 2: “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff versus Mike Boyer
Highlights:
- A criss-cross ensued, and Boyer leapfrogged Orndorff.
- As Orndorff dropkicked him, Boyer blocked a hip toss and unfurled one of his own.
- Boyer attempted a splash, but Orndorff evaded him.
- When he clotheslined Boyer, Orndorff planted him with a fist drop for 2.
- He rang Boyer’s bell and polished him off with a powerslam.
- 1-2-3.
- Orndorff won at 2:40.
Rating: ½*
Summary: Showcase match for smiling babyface Orndorff.
In the ring, ring announcer Reisor Bowden interviews Akbar who denies any involvement in Killer Karl Kox’s disappearance albeit terribly. He complains about Kox’s use of an entrenchment shovel in the match against the Wild Samoans yet sets his sights on JYD by calling him a “marked man.”
POINT OF ORDER: According to Cagematch, Kox wrestled one more match in Mid-South and hung up his entrenchment tool.
Match 3 (non-title): Mid-South tag team champions the Wild Samoans (w/ General Skandor Akbar) versus Jesse Barr & Buddy Landel
Highlights:
- At the bell, the Samoans ambushed the unsuspecting youngsters.
- Speaking of Landel and Barr, they performed a do-si-do upon getting whipped toward one another.
- They dropkicked the tag champs, yet referee Alfred Neely adamantly restored order.
- When Afa blocked a back drop attempt by Barr, he missed an elbow drop.
- Landel tagged in, leapfrogged Afa, attempted a splash, but ate knees.
- As Sika tagged in, he clotheslined Landel and followed with a flying chop.
- He slammed and fed Landel a diving headbutt.
- After Afa tagged in, he backdropped Landel but missed a diving head butt.
- Barr tagged in and dropkicked Afa.
- While Sika tagged in, he leveled Barr with an elbow smash and dumped him with a Samoan drop.
- 1-2-3.
- The Wild Samoans won at 3:06.
Rating: *
Summary: Showcase match for the tag champs.
Match 4: One Man Gang (w/ General Skandor Akbar) versus Rick Ferrara
Highlights:
- Gang trapped him in a bear hug, but Ferrara escaped via the eyes.
- As Gang slammed him, he SQUISHED Ferrara with a splash.
- 1-2-3.
- Gang won at 1:45.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Gang.
In the ring, Bowden interviews Ernie Ladd who claims to have a “mystery partner.” He’s ready to return in “two weeks,” called JYD to “bury the hatchet,” but got hung up on. Therefore, he’s got someone else to stop the carnage created by Akbar.
Match 5: Junkyard Dog & Mr. Olympia versus Tully Blanchard & Wayne Ferris
Highlights:
- Holy Honkytonk Man, Batman!
- If you’re expecting a man with copious amounts of Brylcreem in an Elvis Bruno hairstyle, you’d be sadly mistaken. Instead, Ferris had long bleached blond hair like the current NWA World champion Ric Flair.
- JYD tagged in and headbutted Ferris.
- When Olympia tagged in, he landed a fist drop for 2.
- Blanchard tagged in, but Olympia reversed an Irish whip, tripped him, but missed a dropkick.
- As Blanchard scored with an elbow drop, he slammed Olympia.
- Ferris tagged in and suplexed Olympia.
- After he dropkicked Ferris, Olympia evaded an elbow drop from Ferris.
- JYD tagged in, but Blanchard inserted himself into the mix.
- While JYD dealt him an atomic drop, Blanchard sailed over the top rope to the concrete floor.
- Blanchard tripped JYD coming off the ropes, so Ferris planted the fallen mongrel with an elbow drop. Poor doggie.
- With referee Alfred Neely occupied with placing Blanchard back into the heel corner, Olympia mounted the top turnbuckle.
- He launched a missile dropkick sending JYD atop Ferris.
- Despite all four wrestlers being in the ring, JYD decimated Ferris with a powerslam.
- 1-2-3.
- JYD and Olympia won at 3:38.
Rating: **
Summary: Combine JYD’s charisma with Olympia’s high-flying, and there’s no stopping this team.
Match 6: “Iron” Mike Sharpe versus Ron Cheatham
Highlights:
- Cheatham locked him in a full nelson, but Sharpe powered out of it.
- As he gave Cheatham a cross corner whip, Sharpe ate knee on his follow-through.
- He slammed Cheatham and followed with a hip toss.
- When he applied a Canadian backbreaker, Sharpe won by submission at 1:40.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Sharpe.
Conclusion: The Roop-Coco match surprised me as Roop allowed him a lot of leeway before putting him away in clever fashion. Also, the tag match showed that all four wrestlers had what it took to be stars.
Next week, we learn the identity of Ladd’s mystery partner plus JYD versus Ferris!
TV Rating: NONE
Stay tuned for MSW 04-10-82!
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