Mid-South TV Title Tournament – Semifinals: Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer (12/18/85)

 

Buzz trying to bite Jake in the chest early on was great and as soon as Jake got the advantage the Tulsa crowd started chanting DDT loudly. Buzz took an amazing bump to the ringpost that Jake worked on immediately with an armbar off and on for quite a while. Buzz would throw Jake to the floor though where he landed on his arm wrong and Buzz went after him while selling his own arm. Buzz would choke Jake on the bottom rope then suplexed him back in the ring for a nearfall before going to work with a reverse chinlock. Jake would catch Buzz with an atomic drop but Buzz would lock back on the chinlock after Jake missed a diving elbow drop. Jake used his jawbreaker to break out of that then started firing the punches before hitting his high kneelift. Jake went for the DDT but Buzz kept fighting it and threw Jake over the top rope for the DQ finish as he attempted it. This was a fun match but it didn’t feel like a nomination on my end.

 

“Nature Boy” Ric Flair & “Mr. Unpredictable” Dick Slater vs. “Hacksaw” Butch Reed & Jake “The Snake” Roberts (12/18/85)

 

Reed has his neckbrace on but takes it off early in the match before press slamming Flair & Slater. Watts burying the NWA on commentary is great saying that he is independent and wants to run his show. Flair takes a beating from the faces and has to fight for his life to stay out of the DDT. Jake gets a nearfall with a backslide but Flair kicks out and tags in Slater as the match goes to commercial. We come back with Dark Journey slapping Reed as Flair attacks Jake and Slater joins Reed on the floor for a quick scuffle. The heels would work on Reed’s neck and Flair would break out his dirty tricks like a kick to the balls and raking his eyes over the rope. Flair got Reed in the figure-four with Dark Journey giving him more leverage and Reed does a great job selling this. Reed would reverse the hold but Flair would tag in Slater who resumed the attack on the neck with a piledriver but would kick out of the pinfall. Reed then started firing away with the soupbones but ended up in a double collision with Slater. Slater cuts Reed off before he can tag Jake but gets caught with a punch to the gut as he jumped off the top rope and Butch gets his tag to Jake. Flair also tags in and Jake starts firing away hitting the high kneelift but would get jumped by Slater who had dumped Reed to the floor. Jake is being double teamed and as they try for a double clothesline, Reed trips Slater, Jake ducks Flair and rolls him up in a schoolboy for the win. This was a very fun match although we missed some of the middle this feels like a low-end nomination for me.

 

DiBiase & Doc announce their face turn to the fans in Oklahoma City and Ross tells a story how Doc saved a man’s life in a car wreck.

 

North American Heavyweight Title vs. Dark Journey’s services for 30 days: “Hacksaw” Butch Reed © vs. “Mr. Unpredictable” Dick Slater (1/1/86)

 

Reed dominated Slater early with soupbones and his power with Slater selling greatly with his facials. Slater would get the advantage pretty quick though and uses his own punches to take Reed down but as he tries for a figure-four, he ate a soupbone. Reed then hit a diving soupbone from the middle rope and he is feeling it from the crowd so he hits own piledriver. Reed followed it up with more soupbones before they had a double collision. Reed caught Slater with an inside cradle but he would kick out and then Slater followed with a backdrop suplex. Slater then locked in the figure-four that Reed would reverse but Slater got to the ropes. Reed would get Slater in an O’Connor Roll but Slater would reverse it and grabbed the tights for a 3 count but Tommy Gilbert saw the tights and the match kept going, which is great. Reed started laying in the soupbones again but missed a flying spear in the corner. Slater made the cover but Reed threw him on Gilbert and as he got up he put Dark Journey’s boot around his hand and KOed Reed for the 3 count. This was a really solid match and a definite nomination.

 

Mid-South Tag Titles: Ted DiBiase & “Dr. Death” Steve Williams © vs. “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert & The Nightmare (1/19/86)

 

DiBiase & Doc come out in OU jerseys in Tulsa, which is great. Gilbert takes some hellacious bumps against Doc and he tags Nightmare in quickly. Doc & Nightmare try to match power but Doc wins that battle as he presses Nightmare over his head easily. Gilbert’s sell of DiBiase’s diving fist drop was so great and him starting the heel control section with a clothesline on Doc was just as great. DiBiase gets the hot tag pretty quickly and the 4-way brawl is on with DiBiase hitting his powerslam on Nightmare then tried the figure-four but Gilbert knocked him off. DiBiase would get the O’Connor Roll on Nightmare though with Doc cutting off Gilbert to win the match. Fun competitive match with everyone but Nightmare looking great.

 

Slater & Dark Journey are in the ring talking shit until Jake comes out to interrupt him Jake calls her a jezebel and Slater jumps him from the back but Jake would hit him with a high kneelift and DJ sprayed something in Jake’s face. Jake was blinded and he DDTed Dark Journey as the Myriad went absolutely insane. Humongous pop and this is a definite extra.

 

No DQ Dog Collar Match: “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer vs. “Hacksaw” Butch Reed (12/31/85)

 

This is from Tulsa and it is something that is missing in wrestling as these matches are always fun and wild with lots of blood and this one is no different. Buzz blades early in the match and Reed works on it something fierce with the soupbones and the chain. Buzz on offense is awesome as this is his match and he knows how to use the chain to his favor IE whipping Reed and wrapping it around his fists on punches. Reed gets back on offense and starts using Buzz’s tricks against him. Buzz tying Reed around the ring rope was fucking awesome as was the finish with Buzz running Reed to the other side of the ring cranking his neck back. Slater comes in after the match and it ends up being a wild brawl with Duggan involved also. This was a great bloody brawl and a definite DVD pick.

 

Tarras Bulba vs. Perry Jackson (2/2/86)

 

Bulba just demolishes Jackson with a ganso piledriver then along with Gilbert turns on Humperdink and then he eats a nise pedigree as well. This was awesome especially with Gilbert explaining that it was payback for him getting fired 8 months ago.

 

“Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer vs. Al Perez (2/2/86)

 

Perez has “airline problems” so they get a replacement in Duggan who has returned from his tour of New Japan. Sawyer walks out.

 

Ted DiBiase, Hacksaw Duggan, & “Dr. Death” Steve Williams vs. Masked Superstar, Dick Murdoch, & Rob Rechsteiner (2/2/86)

 

Sawyer comes out before the match taunting Duggan but they send him to the floor. Duggan then high fives DiBiase & Doc and Buzz has officially joined the match taking Steiner’s place. Tulsa is going apeshit as Sawyer takes a quick beating from Duggan then tags out to Murdoch. Murdoch wants to shake Duggan’s hand but that fails. DiBiase tags in as TV time runs out.

 

Eddie Gilbert retires from pro wrestling to concentrate on managing Tarras Bulba and others he would be bringing in.

 

Mid-South Tag Titles: Ted DiBiase & “Dr. Death” Steve Williams © vs. Masked Superstar & “Capt. Redneck” Dick Murdoch (2/11/86)

 

Gotta love Murdoch doing the Hook Em Horns in OKC. Superstar in the past two matches looks like Kelly Kiniski in the gimmick, not completely sure though. There was some great bumping going on here by the heels especially during the football blocking section. Superstar trying to out football Dr. Death was great and Murdoch baiting Doc into trying the same thing but hitting him with a back elbow was tremendous. The heels do a number on Doc but he gets a quick hot tag and DiBiase starts firing punches on Murdoch before hitting the powerslam following up with the figure-four. Doc hits the spear on Superstar but the REAL Superstar hits the ring for the DQ. Murdoch and the Superstars destroy Doc & DiBiase with the real Superstar’s loaded mask. Doc juices and they get thrown to the floor.

 

The Rock n Roll Express (Robert Gibson & Ricky Morton) vs. The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn & Stan Lane) (2/11/86)

 

Now this is a rare matchup. RnR coming out to Bob Seger was fuckin great and they get a conquering heroes coming home type of reaction. Great action as it seemed like these teams went into this trying to prove something to each other. Morton nearly taking Lane’s arm off on an armdrag was great as Joel Watts tried to call it a Russian takedown. Keirn tries for a handshake with Gibson but that ain’t happening although it led to a great spot where they had a test of strength and Morton sliding between Gibson’s legs to punch Keirn in the gut. Fabs switching in and out due to them looking alike was great. RnR then got the advantage and they would start tagging in and out as the credits start rolling and I get no finish.

 

The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) vs. The Bruise Brothers (Mad Dog Boyd & Porkchop Cash) (2/11/86)

 

This is just an assbeating by the Sheeps as the Bruisers are on their way out of the territory.

 

“Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer vs. Al Perez (2/11/86)

 

Buzz had been talking shit on Perez for a few weeks now and Perez has had enough. Perez hangs in there with Buzz even hitting his German Suplex for a nearfall. Buzz would recover though and started pounding on Perez but missed a diving elbow drop off the second rope. Perez started working on Buzz but when he went for a reverse 180 splash off the middle, he was caught in a mega powerslam. Fun match.

 

Tarras Bulba vs. Tracy Smothers (2/11/86)

 

Destruction.

“Nature Boy” Ric Flair & “Mr. Unpredictable” Dick Slater vs. “Hacksaw” Butch Reed & Jake “The Snake” Roberts (12/18/85)

 

Flair was fun in this, and I got no really complaints about the match, still the commercial break hurts it a bit, and when it comes right down to it, this just doesn't stand out enough to make a Mid-South set.

 

 

North American Heavyweight Title vs. Dark Journey’s services for 30 days: “Hacksaw” Butch Reed © vs. “Mr. Unpredictable” Dick Slater (1/1/86)

 

I know we have this match up a billion times, but this was such a great balls to the wall sprint that it just has to go on. These two have just great chemistry and watching this it is a bummer that both of these guys weren't in the UWF mix later in the year

The Slater-Reed feud was ok but the smoking feud was Slater-Jake... THAT was great chemistry.