Taped from Shreveport, LA
Airdate: April 17, 1982 (taped 04/14)
Attendance: unknown
Hosted by Boyd Pierce & Jim Ross
What happens when Ladd and Assassin square off against the Samoans? Murdoch returns, but how will he fare against Roop as well as Akbar? Can Orndorff vanquish the challenge of Blanchard? And what issue does Watt with Hollywood?
Opening montage.
Earlier today, “Cowboy” Bill Watts rants about the involvement of Andy Kaufman in pro wrestling. Courtesy of ABC Sports, Jerry “The King” Lawler destroys Kaufman with a piledriver. Watts warns Kaufman not to believe his own press clippings.
POINT OF ORDER: Along with Hulk Hogan’s involvement in the Rocky film franchise, Kaufman’s participation against Lawler helped to elevate pro wrestling as legitimate sports entertainment.
Match 1 (handicap): One Man Gang (w/ General Skandor Akbar) versus Terry Gibbs & Tony Torres
Highlights:
- Gibbs attempted a cross body block, but Gang caught and hoisted him atop the top turnbuckle.
- When Gibbs leaped from the second turnbuckle with an axe handle, Gang no-sold it.
- Gibbs dropkicked Gang to ZERO effect.
- As Torres tagged in, Gang pummeled him with a series of elbow smashes.
- Gang placed Torres in a standing choke, but Gibbs inserted himself into harm’s way.
- After Gang thwarted a double back drop attempt, he slammed Torres.
- He trapped Torres in a bear hug much to the dismay of Gibbs.
- While Gang SQUISHED Gibbs in the corner, he slammed Torres again.
- He flattened Torres with a splash and pinned him at 2:59.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Gang.
Match 2 (non-title): Mid-South North American champion Bob Roop versus “Captain Redneck” Dick Murdoch
Highlights:
- Dressed like Killer Karl Kox, Murdoch approached the ring wearing US Marine garb. HA!
- Roop prevented Murdoch from entering the ring unscathed, gave him a cross corner whip, but ate boot on his follow-through.
- As Akbar approached ringside, Murdoch landed an elbow drop.
- Murdoch planted him with an elbow smash, but Roop rebounded by knocking Murdoch between the ropes to the concrete floor.
- When Akbar unceremoniously returned Murdoch to the ring, Roop slammed Murdoch.
- He mounted the second turnbuckle, attempted a pump splash, but ate knees.
- After Murdoch scored with another elbow drop, he pounded Roop into the middle of 1984.
- The match segued to the floor, and Murdoch brandished his Enhanced Combat Helmet and trenching tool.
- While Murdoch blasted Akbar with the tool, the Shreveport faithful LOST THEIR DAMN MINDS!
- Akbar became OUT COLD!
- Upon getting chased by the wild redneck pantomiming a Marine, Roop retreated to the locker room.
- Murdoch won by countout at 2:32.
Rating: **
Summary: More angle than match as Murdoch used Killer Karl Kox’s Marine mentality to get the better of Roop to a great pop.
Match 3: “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff versus Tully Blanchard
Highlights:
- Orndorff reversed a cross corner whip and hip-tossed Blanchard.
- When he pounded Blanchard into hamburger, Orndorff applied a hammerlock.
- Blanchard escaped via chicanery, mounted the second turnbuckle, leaped, and nailed Orndorff with a flying elbow smash.
- As Blanchard attempted to suplex him, Orndorff blocked it and dealt him one of his own.
- He fed Blanchard a knee lift followed by a back elbow.
- After Orndorff applied a Boston crab, Blanchard powered out.
- Blanchard secured a figure-four leg lock, but Orndorff reversed the hold.
- While that transpired, Roop mounted the top turnbuckle, leaped, and hammered Orndorff with a flying knee to the back.
- Referee Jack Howe called for the bell, and Orndorff won by DQ at 4:31.
Rating: ***
Summary: Blanchard gave Orndorff everything he had, but Roop intervened to spoil it.
After the match, Roop kicks Orndorff out of the ring and leaves the ring with his buddy Blanchard.
Match 4: “Iron” Mike Sharpe versus Larry Higgins
Highlights:
- Higgins clotheslined Sharpe but missed an elbow drop.
- As he dealt Sharpe a face crusher, Higgins slammed him.
- He landed an elbow drop and got 2.
- When Sharpe rebounded with a bear hug, Higgins submitted.
- Sharpe won at 2:31.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Sharpe who gave Higgins quite a bit before putting him away. Two years from now, Higgins would become NWA Central States champion, so he wasn’t enhancement talent for very long whatsoever.
We revisit last week when Ladd introduced the Assassin as his partner to combat the Wild Samoans albeit in nonverbal fashion.
Prior to the next match, Assassin interrupts ring announcer Reisor Bowden by stating his goal in pro wrestling was making money. According to him, Ladd paid him “extremely well.” On the other hand, he “received a phone call from…Akbar (who)…paid me a lot more (not to take the match).”
Ladd questions him, but Assassin calls him a “big, stupid fool.” As Ladd skedaddles to scrounge up a partner, Ross explains that Assassin’s a bounty hunter rather than a hero. As Ladd returns to the ring, “Canada’s greatest athlete” joins him.
Match 5 (non-title): Mid-South tag team champions The Wild Samoans (w/o General Skandor Akbar) versus Ernie Ladd & the Assassin “Iron” Mike Sharpe
Highlights:
- The Samoans jumped them before the bell, but the war was ON.
- When Ladd slammed Afa, Sharpe gave Sika a cross corner whip followed by a shoulder to the midsection.
- The Assassin returned, grabbed Sharpe by the leg, and yanked him to the concrete floor. SNEAKY!
- As he loaded up the mask, Assassin headbutted Sharpe. How dastardly!
- Expectedly, Sharpe was OUT COLD!
- Assassin rolled into the ring, and he joined the Samoans in triple-teaming Ladd.
- After referee Jack Howe called for the bell, Ladd and Sharpe won by DQ at 0:46.
Rating: NONE
Summary: More angle than match as the Assassin immediately turned on Ladd after helping him last week.
Following the match, Orndorff joins the fray to assist Ladd. Much to the delight of the Shreveport faithful, he and Ladd clear the ring. Howe helps Sharpe to his feet while the heels retreat to the locker room. Solid angle!
Match 6: Harley Race versus Terry Taylor
Highlights:
- This match occurred in Tampa, FL sometime in 1980 when Race held the NWA World title. It’s also joined in progress.
- As Race dealt him a knee drop, he unleashed a gutwrench suplex to Taylor for 2.
- He fed Taylor a double underhook suplex for another 2.
- When Taylor rebounded with a slam, Race headbutted him in the midsection and followed with a knee lift.
- He piledrove Taylor but only got 1 thanks to Taylor’s foot on the bottom rope.
- After Taylor gave him a cross corner whip, he attempted to dropkick Race but WHIFFED.
- Race unloaded another pair of knee drops and flattened Taylor with a vertical suplex.
- Race won at 3:54.
Rating: **
Summary: For what it was, Race was a fantastic technician in the ring schooling the young Taylor along the way. For those curious, Gordon Solie performed the play-by-play; thus, on this particular episode of Mid-South, you get to hear both Ross and Solie.
Match 7: Jesse Barr versus Buddy Landel
Highlights:
- Akbar joined the broadcast table for this match.
- When Landel hooked a gutwrench suplex, he got 2.
- Barr leapfrogged Landel but came up empty on a cross body block.
- As Landel missed an elbow drop, time ran out.
- Referee Alfred Neely ruled the bout a time-limit draw at 3:07.
Rating: *
Summary: Lots of amateur grappling where one wrestler barely had an advantage over the other.
Conclusion: Incredible star power and storytelling make this a MUST-SEE episode. The highlight of the show was Assassin’s stabbing Ladd’s back and joining Akbar’s Army. In addition, the insertion of a Harley Race match despite being a couple of years old helps to solidify the episode with the great technical wrestling.
Lest we forget, Murdoch’s antics against Roop is fluid entertainment and psychology. Add Orndorff’s match with Blanchard held its own until the storyline finish. Finally, if I were Andy Kaufman, I would NOT invade Shreveport anytime soon.
Next week, a wild six-man match along with Wendi Richter!
TV Rating: NONE
Stay tuned for MSW 04-24-82!
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