I watched the ten episodes of Mid-South on the WWE Network. I wish there were more.
They are a fun peak into early to mid-80s professional wrestling, with a lot of early stuff from guys that became even bigger names.
Bill Watts is all over these shows, obviously. Bill Watts loves the rules. Bill Watts loves America. Bill Watts has his son make videos. Bill Watts has another son breakdance with Butch Reed. Bill Watts thinks living off your sugar mama makes you a pussy. Bill Watts is the boss you hate but the one you need.
UPDATE: The WWE Network re-uploaded a Mid-South episode from 1/16/82 in March 2017, I believe as part of a Black History Month Collection from February. I talk about it below.
Seeing early Jim Ross is great fun. He does at different times commentary, ring announcing, and interviews. It’s basically Good Ol’ JR dialed up to an 8 and not a 10.
Boyd Pearce is sometimes commentator and mostly ring announcer. His colorful jackets are incredible. There isn’t really a scent of humor to the guy, he’s an old serious wrestling commentator wearing crazy ass jackets. It’s great.
Most of the 40-minute shows have an explanation of the angle going on that takes about 10 minutes, a bunch of squash matches, and a feature match. It’s a typical television wrestling format for the time. It works, especially since a lot of Mid-South was booked logically and treated seriously, despite some of the crazier stuff they’ve done. Imagine watching a wrestling show that makes sense. Imagine it.
You don’t really get a great sense of the Mid-South in-ring style from ten episodes filled mostly with squashes, but it’s a fun snapshot into a bygone era of wrestling and an interesting look at a lot of guys who went on to do even bigger things.
The highlight of the first show is a No DQ Loser Leaves Town Match for the Mid-South Tag Team Title between Junkyard Dog & Mr. Olympia (a masked guy) and Ted DiBiase & Matt Borne (the future Doink). At the start of the show, Bill Watts interviews wrestling promoter Paul Boesch in the crowd and there’s a guy in a gorilla suit in the crowd. You think nothing of it – they’re at a boy’s club and they might have a mascot or something. Later in the show, the guy in the gorilla suit interferes in the tag match and it’s JIM DUGGAN! The tag match is fun too – JYD in the early 80s moves really well and is #OVER. Early Heel DiBiase is a sight to see, and here he references in a promo that now that his team has all the titles, they have all the money, and money means everything. This was five years before the Million Dollar Man.
There’s a lot of Kamala. I love Kamala. Talk about a guy playing a gimmick perfectly. For minute-long matches, there aren’t many better.
“Hacksaw” Butch Reed is a highlight whenever he shows up. He plays heel on a couple shows and face on a couple, and does well either time.
There’s an early Marty Jannetty squash from when he was known as Marty Oates.
Jim Cornette’s few appearances are all tremendous. Epic angle with Bill Watts on the 3/30/84 show.
Early Ted DiBiase, Jim Duggan and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams are all over these shows. It’s all quality stuff, though not their best. Duggan’s a heel briefly but eventually becomes a fired up babyface who’s super over. DiBiase is a phenomenal promo and great heel in the ring, begging off and bumping big for everybody he interacts with. There isn’t some real prime Dr. Death here, as he’s mostly a side character to who they decide to focus on. I wanted more Dr. Death
Terry Taylor is a super solid babyface. He has a legit great match with Kamala at one point, and all the selling is on point.
Given that the episodes uploaded are split across a few months to a year, a lot of random guys show up in only an episode or two but stayed with me. Mr. Wrestling II as your resident Grumpy Old Men was fantastic. As was a young Arn Anderson, then known as Marty Lunde, still looking old.
The coal miner’s glove is all over these shows. Full stories built around a coal miner’s glove. It all makes sense somehow.
The Rock & Roll Express is all over these shows too, mostly in squash matches. Rock & Roll squashes are always fun – it’s not what they’re known for, but they hit their stuff really efficiently and build to the double dropkick which always blows the roof off the place.
Jim Cornette is around for quite a few and is tremendous. Epic promos, big bump for Watts’ slapping him, constantly bragging about his mom taking care of his business. Total dipshit. It’s awesome.
General Skandor Akbar is like the link between everything in the WWE Network Vault – WCCW, GWF, Mid-South. He doesn’t do a ton here, mostly accompanies every guy with a foreign name beating nobodies.
Early Shawn Michaels and early Blade Runners are why this collection exists right now. Early Michaels is impressive, the guy does so many little things with his selling and is just immediately an amazing babyface. He wrestles Ted DiBiase and Jake the Snake, both in solid matches.
Early Blade Runners are just squashes by two guys who were trying to be the Road Warriors and didn’t do very well at it, and then became stars a few years later. Good for them. Nothing great here, but it’s interesting.
There’s a couple “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert cameos, which are always appreciated.
Jake the Snake in his red martial arts pants is neat too.
Mid-South actually sticks to the TV time rule, as two out of the ten episodes end with matches with no finish. It doesn’t help the match, but the attempt at credibility is appreciated.
Mid-South Wrestling (1/16/82)
No real highlights but it’s a wrestling-heavy show, with a lot of quick matches featuring a few fellas you may know. The main angle is “Big Cat” Ernie Ladd now acting as the “financial adviser” of Afa & Sika, the Samoans, and using them to take the pain to Junkyard Dog and anyone who’s friends with JYD. It occurred to me during this episode that commentator Boyd Pearce sounds like Will Forte doing a Southern rasslin impression.
Show opens with Pearce and Bill Watts (who commentates half the show, as he has a flight to catch to Dallas) hard-selling the Dream Tag Match of Ladd and the Samoans against JYD, Dusty Rhodes, and Andre the Giant. A young Brian Blair battles, “From Parts Unknown, the man known only as… The Monk.” It’s mostly takedowns and strikes by Blair who’s wearing powder blue tights, pretty basic stuff highlighted by Watts bragging about his newly pressurized Aerostar van. Nice crucifix cradle for the finish with a real slam on it.
The “Dream Tag Match” isn’t much, mostly Andre taking a beating, though there’s some neat moments. Andre, Dusty and JYD enter to the dubbed over JYD funk theme, which is a real sight to see. Ladd takes a big bump off an Andre chop and a biiig headlock takeover. Andre gets tied up in the corner but a Samoan climbs on his back and he just carries him into the ring. Vince McMahon, Joe Blanchard, Jim Barnett/Paul Jones, the “Baba group” and “Inoki group” are all mentioned as promoters asking Grizzly Smith for details on booking Dusty Rhodes, as Dusty had recently made Mid-South his booking office.
Mr. Olympia squashes Zapata. His name is just Zapata. Olympia had debuted last week – he’s got hops, armdrags, and a heck of a bod. I like how Zapata raises his arms up every time he takes a bump. Watts goes off on a shady businessman he knows because Zapata looks like him. Pearce hilariously says “They all bring a lot of the same holds, but have different variations of them” as Olympia applies an armbar.
Ed Wiskowski, the Polish Prince, squashes Matty Wright in a garbage match. Wiskowski is not very good – a big lumbering fella who stomps the mat with every strike. Weird highlight is he decides to just splash a seated Wright’s head. Dick Murdoch vs. Bob Roop is alright for 5 minutes – side headlocks and right hands, man. They get a lot out of a Roop wristlock, with Murdoch kipping up and teasing a punch, but Roop pulling his hair to bring him down. Paul Orndorff interferes and attacks Murdoch for the DQ, then Ted DiBiase makes the save.
Ladd says he’s bought out the contracts for the next tag match because he’s all pissed off at anybody who’s JYD’s friend, so the Samoans work again and squash Frank Monte and Jesse Barr.
Bob Orton Jr. vs. Mike George (JYD’s other friend!) main events and is like a minute, not-yet-Cowboy Bob hammers on George, George counters a piledriver, Orton misses a swing and gets atomic dropped, then Russian leg sweeped for 3. The Samoans and Ladd attack George until Dusty and JYD make the save – Andre was hopefully eating a sammich and having a beer. Great Dusty promo on being JYD’s friend afterwards. “When we get to barkin’ and bitin’ at your booty, you’re gonna be runnin’ for the Golden Gate Bridge, ya’understand?”
No DQ Loser Leaves Town Match – Mid-South Tag Team Title: Junkyard Dog & Mr. Olympia [c] vs. Ted DiBiase & Matt Borne (Mid-South 10/30/82) – There aren’t a ton of great matches on the Mid-South – you watch for the angles, promos, and early looks at future legends. This is a fun match… great brawling, great punches, deep armdrags. Plus Jim Duggan in a gorilla suit shows up.
Terry Taylor vs. Kamala the Ugandan Giant w/ Skandor Akbar and Friday (Mid-South 3/22/85) – I hope Terry Taylor shows this match weekly at the Performance Center. First of all, ring announcer Boyd Pearce’s jacket on this show is bananas. Second of all, this is amazing work by Taylor… Kamala plays the monster role well, but Taylor’s just tremendous being the white meat babyface confused by the giant but also ready to throw down. Most of this is Kamala working over Terry, who sells huge and has great comebacks. Great performance.
