Posted December 16, 200717 yr comment_5425381 Phil, Kris... I need to know what Memphis you have so I can start preparing a list to send you guys.
December 16, 200717 yr comment_5425384 I have assorted from the early 80's but nothing of a complete chronological order.
December 16, 200717 yr Author comment_5425385 What about the Memphis tape I converted for Tim that has Put me in Jail in the title? I know I got alot of Memphis from Tim early on. You don't have any of that stuff?
December 16, 200717 yr Author comment_5425386 Kris, the early 80s is a weak spot for us... what exactly do you have?
December 16, 200717 yr comment_5425398 What about the Memphis tape I converted for Tim that has Put me in Jail in the title? I know I got alot of Memphis from Tim early on. You don't have any of that stuff? Nope, I have one comp from Tim which I think has Lawler v. Dundee on it, but I am not sure
December 16, 200717 yr comment_5425411 These are from McAdam TAPE #A149: MEMPHIS WRESTLING FROM 1980: TOMMY RICH v DAVID OSWALD- Lawler, recuperating from a broken leg, does commentary. TOMMY RICH v BILL DUNDEE- A babyface match, but Rich turns heel on Dundee, then attacks the injured Lawler. This was a really big deal, as Rich was one of the country's top babyfaces. DUTCH MANTELL & BUZZ SAWYER v WAYNE FERRIS (Honkytonk Man) & LARRY LATHAM JIMMY VALIANT v KEN WAYNE TOMMY & EDDIE GILBERT v THE MANCHURIAN & DAVID OSWALD TOMMY RICH v KOKO WARE TOMMY RICH v DAVE McGEE- Tommy's picking his opponents (all jobbers) names out of a hat. A BATTLE ROYAL, with the winner getting a new TV set. Koko Ware wins, Jimmy Valiant turns heel, and what a surprise, the TV set gets smashed. INTERVIEW WITH PEGGY RICH, Tommy's mom. This is the infamous angle where Valiant and Tojo Yammamoto berate Mrs. Rich. Tommy runs out to defend her, and gets beaten to a pulp. Tommy completes his babyface turn by firing Jimmy Hart. To this day, I remain convinced that had a heel Tommy Rich come to the WWF to challenge Backlund for the title with Grand Wizard as his manager, which was being considered, he would have gotten over BIG as a heel. KOKO WARE v BOBBY EATON- before the match, Koko is given a new TV, but guess what happens to that one...Valiant destroys it. TOMMY RICH & BILL DUNDEE v ROGER KIRBY & GUY MITCHELL HIGHLIGHTS OF JERRY LAWLER vs Harley Race, Nick Bockwinkel, Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr, Jackie Fargo- all done to celebrate Lawler's return to wrestling after a year's absence. BILL DUNDEE v PAUL ELLERING, from 1979. JERRY LAWLER v AUSTIN IDOL, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum. JIMMY VALIANT v HECTOR GUERRERO JIMMY VALIANT v BILL DUNDEE- The Bounty Hunters run in and cut Bill's hair. JERRY LAWLER throws Jimmy Hart's gold record for "Keep on Dancing" into a river! CLIPS of numerous Jerry Lawler v Jimmy Valiant matches. JIMMY VALIANT v HECTOR GUERRERO JERRY LAWLER receives an award from Mexico. It's presented by the masked Black Diamond, who attacks Lawler, and unmasks to reveal Austin Idol! TOMMY RICH & BILL DUNDEE v THE BOUNTY HUNTERS, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum. DUTCH MANTELL v KOKO WARE JACK BRISCO v JERRY LAWLER, jip from MSC. Brisco is a heel managed by Jimmy Hart. TOMMY RICH & BILL DUNDEE v AUSTIN IDOL & DUTCH MANTELL NO DQ MATCH: JERRY LAWLER v TERRY FUNK, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum. LOSER LEAVES TOWN: JERRY LAWLER v GYPSY JOE & THE ANGEL- Lawler wins, and Hart's last wrestlers are driven from Memphis. Hart then tearfully announces his retirement. JERRY LAWLER v JERRY NOVAK- Hart's newest charges, El Toro and The Turk, run in and attack Lawler. This was really a great angle, as Hart's previous interview was so convincing. JERRY LAWLER v DORY FUNK JR, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum. JERRY LAWLER & KEVIN SULLIVAN v EL TORO, THE TURK & JIMMY HART, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum. Sullivan turns on Lawler. JERRY LAWLER v TERRY FUNK in the legendary "Empty Arena Match". KEVIN SULLIVAN v DUTCH MANTELL JERRY LAWLER v DORY FUNK JR, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum. KEVIN SULLIVAN & WAYNE FERRIS v BILL DUNDEE & DREAM MACHINE in a crazy, all over the arena brawl. That was a rarity in 1980. TAPE #A150: TENNESSEE WRESTLING FROM 1979 - 1982: STEVE KEIRN challenges Jimmy Hart's "First Family" to a series of individual matches. He wrestles Speed, The Nightmare, Koko Ware and Kevin Sullivan, all in succession. JERRY LAWLER v KILLER KARL KRUPP-unscheduled brawl. (MSC) JERRY LAWLER & TOJO YAMMAMOTO v THE CUBAN & IRANIAN ASSASSINS JERRY LAWLER v SUPER DESTROYER- if Lawler wins, he gets a match vs Jimmy Hart, but the match is stopped when he's too bloody to continue. Lawler then does an interview apolologizing to the fans for not succeeding, and the reaction he gets is incredible. The fans are literally pleading with him not to be down on himself, it's not his fault, etc. CLIPS OF ANDY KAUFMAN wrestling women. 10-MAN BATTLE ROYAL where the winner receive a gold watch. Of course, The Assassins destroy the watch. BILL DUNDEE v BOBBY EATON JERRY LAWLER AND ANDY KAUFMAN appear on "Late Night with David Letterman"- hilarious! CLIPS OF KAMALA vs Jerry Lawler, Stan Lane, King Cobra. DUTCH MANTELL v KING COBRA, jip from MSC. DENNIS CONDREY & NORVELL AUSTIN v RON BASS & CARL FERGIE STEVE KEIRN & DUTCH MANTELL v BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE STAN LANE/RON BASS v DREAM MACHINE/THE ANGEL KAMALA v BILL DUNDEE, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum. BOBBY EATON v STEVE KEIRN BUZZ SAWYER v DON CARSON, from 1979. BUZZ SAWYER v JIMMY GOLDEN, from 1979. RICKY MORTON v ERIC EMBRY, from 1979. RANDY SAVAGE INTERVIEW- Savage has bleach-blond hair. JERRY LAWLER V PROFESSOR TORU TANAKA, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum, 1979. Austin Idol blinds Lawler with a bottle of ink. BUZZ SAWYER v MONGOLIAN STOMPER, from 1979. KEVIN SULLIVAN v PROFESSOR TORU TANAKA, from 1979. Tanaka attacks Kevin's "60-year old father". TAPE #A205: MEMPHIS WRESTLING from 1981: BILL DUNDEE & DREAM MACHINE v KEVIN SULLIVAN & WAYNE FERRIS (MSC)- a WILD brawl where half the dressing room gets involved that goes all over the building. DUTCH MANTELL v WAYNE FERRIS, jip. LANCE RUSSELL asks all of the wrestlers what their "dream match" would be. Lance asks Jimmy Hart's "First Family" while they're picnicing, and Hart has obviously had a few in him before the cameras started rolling! HILARIOUS! JERRY LAWLER v JIMMY HART, with Wayne Ferris referee (MSC). Hart wins the Southern championship, then does a comical interview with the belt. STEVE KEIRN v CHIC DONOVAN (MSC) JIMMY HART recruits Chick Donovan into his First Family. Hart is a RIOT. LUMBERJACK MATCH: JERRY LAWLER v JIMMY HART (MSC)- Lawler "breaks" Harts leg (!!), but gets DQed. STEVE KEIRN v CHIC DONOVAN (MSC) STEVE KEIRN v KEVIN SULLIVAN- Keirn takes a beating from the entire First Family. JERRY LAWLER, DUTCH MANTELL & DREAM MACHINE v MR. ONITA, MASA FUCHI & TOJO YAMMAMOTO BILL DUNDEE takes a bat to one of Kevin Sullivan's bodybuilding trophies. JIMMY HART v CHIC DONOVAN- Hart, with a broken leg, "defends" the Southern title against the man he manages! Great stuff! DUTCH MANTELL AND DREAM MACHINE get jumped Yammamoto, Onita, and Fuchi. Mantell juices big, and the poor Dream has to sell for Tojo's lame looking chops. HIGHLIGHTS OF MATCHES from the Southern title tournament: Dundee v Onita, Keirn v Fuchi, Lawler v Bass, Dundee v McGraw, Keirn v Bass, and Keirn v McGraw in the finals. JERRY LAWLER starts a great brawl by attacking Jimmy Hart (on crutches), Chic Donovan (on crutches), and the Heartbreakers. Classic Memphis mayhem! JERRY LAWLER v BUDDY WAYNE- Jimmy Hart's entire army jumps Lawler, then Dream Machine makes the save- but the Dream turns on Lawler, and joins Hart's first family. BILL DUNDEE & ROY ROGERS v MR. ONITA & MASA FUCHI A FUNNY ANGLE where Jerry Lawler tar and feathers Jimmy Hart. JERRY LAWLER & BILL DUNDEE v MR. ONITA & MASA FUCHI- Jimmy Hart's men run in and get some revenge on Lawler. The babyfaces run out to help, and it's a wild studio brawl. JERRY LAWLER v NIGHTMARE #1- this time Hart's men try to tar and feather Lawler, but the plan backfires and Dream Machine wears the feathers! BILL DUNDEE & STEVE KEIRN v THE NIGHTMARES KENDO STICK ON A LADDER MATCH: DUTCH MANTELL v TOJO YAMMAMOTO- Onita and Fuchi give Tojo a hand. v MR. ONITA & MASA FUCHI v RICK & ROBERT GIBSON STEVE KEIRN tries to show Jimmy Hart that he can trust him. Funny angle. EDDIE GILBERT & RICKY MORTON v MR. ONITA & MASA FUCHI (MSC) TOJO YAMMAMOTO insults and spits on Eddie Gilbert, and gets beaten to a pulp for his trouble. EDDIE GILBERT gets destroyed by Tojo, Onita, and Fuchi. STEVE KEIRN & DUTCH MANTELL v MR. ONITA & MASA FUCHI (clip)- Tojo blinds Dutch with salt, but Eddie Gilbert runs in and pulverizes Tojo with a kendo stick. THE TUPELO CONCESSION STAND BRAWL: EDDIE GILBERT & RICKY MORTON v MR. ONITA, MASA FUCHI & TOJO YAMMAMOTO- this is totally insane, with every foreign object that you could imagine being found in a kitchen being used! Highlight is when Morton potatoes Onita with a glass mustard jar, causing Onita's ear to just about explode, with blood pouring out all over. Tojo gets into it with the guy who runs the concession stand, and the man's wife, not in on the work, comes to her husbands aid and starts slapping Tojo! This is a must see, 5 *** brawl that is a MUST SEE for video collectors!! JERRY LAWLER v DREAM MACHINE (MSC)- Dream uses a foreign object to KO Lawler. JIMMY HART does a hilarious interview as the new "King of Wrestling", while recruiting Koko Ware and renaming him Sweet Brown Sugar. DUTCH MANTELL v TOJO YAMMAMOTO- it doesn't take long for Onita and Fuchi to hit the ring. JIMMY VALIANT v CHIC DONOVAN RICKY MORTON v DREAM MACHINE RICKY GIBSON v THE NIGHTMARES- Robert Gibson is at home attending his ailing mother, so Robert has to defend the tag titles. STEVE KEIRN v DUTCH MANTELL (MSC)- a good, aggressive babyface match. Tempers flare! BILL DUNDEE & ROY ROGERS v MR. ONITA & MASA FACHI, jip. Tojo slaps his charges around after a loss. JIMMY HART brawls with referee Jerry Calhoun. Hart is HILARIOUS. JIMMY HART steals Onita and Fuchi from Tojo Yammamoto. MUST SEE COMEDY! JIMMY VALIANT v DREAM MACHINE (MSC) JERRY LAWLER v CHIC DONOVAN- Lawler now has Jerry Calhoun as his manager. JERRY LAWLER v KOKO WARE- Stan Lane runs in for the DQ. KILLER KARL KRUPP destroys Jerry Lawler with a metal trash can. JERRY LAWLER v SUPER DESTROYER- if Lawler wins, he gets a match vs Jimmy Hart, but the match is stopped when he's too bloody to continue. Lawler then does an interview apolologizing to the fans for not succeeding, and the reaction he gets is incredible. The fans are literally pleading with him not to be down on himself, it's not his fault, etc. DUTCH MANTELL has his back painted yellow by Dream Machine. **All MSC matches are clips or joined in progress from the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. TAPE #A692: MEMPHIS WRESTLING from 1982: TERRY TAYLOR & JAQUES ROUGEAU v THE ANGEL & JESSE OWENS FABULOUS ONES v CARL FERGIE & THE ENFORCER THE SHEEPHERDERS jump Bill Dundee. BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE v JOE STARK & PAT HUTCHINSON DUTCH MANTELL v CRUSHER BROOMFIELD, jip- Broomfield would later be known as One Man Gang. DUTCH MANTELL runs The Sheepherders off with a bullwhip. DUTCH MANTELL v KING COBRA- The Sheepherders get some revenge. JERRY LAWLER explains why he's a heel on WTBS. JESSE BARR v AARON HOLT- Barr is managed by a very young Jim Cornette. THE SHEEPHERDERS v DON DONOVAN & PAT HUTCHINSON JERRY LAWLER & BILL DUNDEE v THE MASKED MARAUDERS FABULOUS ONES v THE ANGEL & JESSE OWENS BOBBY EATON, KOKO WARE & THE NEW YORK DOLLS v TERRY TAYLOR, JAQUES ROUGEAU, BUDDY LANDELL & BOBBY FULTON- funny to see Landell and Fulton before their dye-jobs. JESSE BARR v JOE STARK THE SHEEPHERDERS v TERRY TAYLOR & JAQUES ROUGEAU, from the Mid-South Coliseum. Taylor gets bloodied and pinned after getting hit with the flagpole. THE SHEEPERDERS v KEN RAPER & AARON HOLT- Taylor and Rougeau break some boards over the Sheeps heads. TERRY TAYLOR & JAQUES ROUGEAU v THE MASKED MARAUDERS FABULOUS ONES v NEW YORK DOLLS in an EXCELLENT match- 4 ***. JERRY LAWLER v NICK BOCKWINKEL, jip- Bockwinkel, who holds both the AWA and Southern titles, puts up the Southern title vs Lawler's hair. I guess the result is easy to figure out. THE SHEEPHERDERS v BUDDY LANDELL & DENNIS UPTON THE FABULOUS ONES are supposed to wrestle the Masked Marauders, but the Sheepherders run in and destroy the Marauders before the match can start. THE SHEEPHERDERS challenge Eaton and Ware, but Jimmy Hart says no way. Hart was a riot! THE SHEEPERDERS attack Eddie Marlin. BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE v BILL DUNDEE & DUTCH MANTELL, jip- Good match, Eaton and Ware were a great team. Jesse Barr runs in and piledrives Mantell. BILL DUNDEE & BOBBY FULTON v THE ENFORCER & JESSE OWENS NEW YORK DOLLS (Rick McGraw & Troy Graham) v IRA REESE & KEN RAPER HANDICAP MATCH: JERRY LAWLER v COCOA SAMOA & JIMMY HART, jip- Samoa is called "Sabu", but it's not the ECW Sabu. BILL DUNDEE v THE ENFORCER- The Sheepherders attack Dundee. TERRY TAYLOR v JESSE BARR DUTCH MANTELL v CARL FERGIE- Jesse Barr runs in for the DQ. FABULOUS ONES v BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE ADRIAN STREET v IRA REESE- Street was quite a unique act in the early 80's. FABULOUS ONES v THE ENFORCER & JESSE OWENS THE SHEEPHERDERS v AARON HOLT & DENNIS UPTON COCOA SAMOA v BILL DUNDEE, clips. JERRY LAWLER & BILL DUNDEE v BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE COCOA SAMOA v BOBBY FULTON JAQUES ROUGEAU v THE ANGEL (Frank Morrell) JERRY LAWLER, BILL DUNDEE, TERRY TAYLOR & DUTCH MANTELL v BOBBY EATON, COCOA SAMOA & NEW YORK DOLLS TAPE #A668: MEMPHIS WRESTLING from 1982: BOBBY EATON v STEVE KEIRN, 2 out of 3 falls- Dutch Mantell challenges Eaton before the match, but Keirn objects to Dutch cutting him off from his title match. Excellent match- the rising star Eaton looks great here. BOBBY EATON v BILL DUNDEE- this time Dutch Mantell is at ringside to offset Jimmy Hart, and Dundee wins the Mid- American title. RIC FLAIR v JERRY LAWLER from Memphis, 1982. I think this was Flair's only appearance in the Memphis studio, and it's a great one. Lawler does a great job snowing Flair into defending the NWA title against him on TV. The 10 minute time limit runs out as Flair has Lawler snared in the figure-four. Flair demands that the match continue, but Lawler makes a comeback, and Flair runs for his life. A 3 1/4 *** match, but this is one of the very best angles I've ever seen! DUTCH MANTELL turns heel by cheap shotting Bill Dundee. JIMMY HART does a HILARIOUS interview as Kamala's new manager, talking about how Kamala has not yet even partied with an American woman. JERRY LAWLER v KAMALA- the match does not go long before Bobby Eaton and Koko Ware jump Lalwer. BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE v STEVE KEIRN & TERRY TAYLOR- excellent match! 3 3/4 ***. BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE v STEVE KEIRN & TERRY TAYLOR- another terrific match. Eaton and Ware are one of the great, but forgotten tag teams. Keirn's elbow gets "injured" in the fracas. 4 ***. JERRY LAWLER v DREAM MACHINE BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE v STEVE KEIRN & TERRY TAYLOR, jip- the heels work over Keirn's injured arm, and the match has to be stopped. 3 ***. THE SHEEPHERDERS confront Bobby Eaton and Koko Ware, then deck promoter Eddie Marlin. JERRY LAWLER v NICK BOCKWINKEL, jip- Lawler pus up his hair vs Nick's Southern title. The result is so obvious, the crowd doesn't even pop when Lawler gets the pin. FABULOUS ONES (Stan Lane & Steve Keirn) v THE NEW YORK DOLLS (Rick McGraw & Troy Graham), 2 out of 3 falls. JERRY LAWLER & BILL DUNDEE v ADRIAN STREET & THE APOCALYPSE BOBBY EATON AND KOKO WARE have words, and Jimmy Hart slaps Koko in the face! JERRY LAWLER v NICK BOCKWINKEL, jip- GREAT ANGLE as Jimmy Hart, with bandages covering his face, is handcuffed to Bill Dundee. But Jimmy Hart interferes- and when the bandages are removed- IT'S ANDY KAUFFMAN UNDERNEATH!! BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE v BILL DUNDEE & TERRY TAYLOR- what a surprise, a lack of teamwork costs Eaton and Ware the match. Jimmy Hart then dictates that Ware will either shine Jimmy's shoes on TV, or he's out of Hart's First Family. Hmmm...I wonder if he'll do it. JERRY LAWLER v SABU- This Sabu is better known as Cocoa Samoa, not Terry Brunk, the homicidal / suicidal ECW Sabu. Lawler takes a beating from Bobby Eaton and Sabu, and Eddie Marlin gets mauled in the process. The newly turned Koko Ware makes the save. TERRY TAYLOR v JAQUES ROUGEAU- I've always thought that Jaques had a great, quirky heel charisma. Here he uses a chain to bloody up Taylor, but Dutch Mantell distracts him and Taylor gets the pin. THE SHEEPHERDERS v PHILIP ROUGEAU & ROBERT REED THE SHEEPHERDERS attack commentator Steve O. JACKIE FARGO & STAN LANE v THE MOONDOGS- one of the VERY BEST brawls of the early 80's! 4 1/4 ***. TAPE #A151: MEMPHIS WRESTLING FROM 1982: MIDNIGHT EXPRESS v RICKY MORTON & EDDIE GILBERT- this is the Original Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey, Norvell Austin & Randy Rose). The match is stopped when Gilbert is cut too badly to continue. *BILL DUNDEE & STEVE KEIRN v CUBAN & IRANIAN ASSASSINS JIMMY HART v DENNIS UPTON- Great comedy- Hart wins after a ref bump, with help from the Iranian Assassin. **JIMMY HART v BILL DUNDEE- Steve Keirn & the Assassins get involved, and Iranian Ass. throws fire at Keirn. **SUPER DESTROYER v BILL DUNDEE- this match took place right after the Dundee-Hart bout, and Bill is bloodied before the match even starts. BILL DUNDEE & DUTCH MANTELL v NIGHTMARE & SPEED. CUBAN AND IRANIAN ASSASSINS in a squash- out of nowhere, Stan Lane attacks his own manager, Jimmy Hart. Lane produces a ledger showing that Hart has been stealing money from the entire first family. As Hart's other charges come out for a look, Hart tearfully explains that he's been secretly saving money for his wrestlers- funny stuff. NORVELL AUSTIN interview- Austin claims that Steve Keirn's father, who was a real life POW of the Vietnam War, was in reality a traitor and a coward. Steve Keirn goes crazy and attacks Austin. THE FIRST FAMILY, managed by Jimmy Hart, throws a party to celebrate a new member, J.R. Hart. Naturally, Stan Lane sneaks out and puts Hart's face in the cake. **JERRY LAWLER v DUTCH MANTELL- Lawler wins the Southern title in a babyface match, but when the First Family attacks Lawler, Mantell walks away. JIMMY HART'S VIDEO "WE HATE SCHOOL"- this is too much- an MTV-like music video where Hart sings and his charges play the instruments. THIS IS A MUST SEE!! **JERRY LAWLER v DUTCH MANTELL- Dutch regains the Southern Title. **STEVE KEIRN v NORVELL AUSTIN- Keirn destroys Austin until the Midnight Express save him. STEVE KEIRN v NORVELL AUSTIN- Keirn puts up the tag titles in a match where he must pin Austin twice and not break any rules. After pinning Austin once, Norvell spits in Keirn's face. Keirn goes nuts and pops Austin, getting DQed and losing the titles. **JERRY LAWLER v DUTCH MANTELL- they fight all over the building. JERRY LAWLER v DUTCH MANTELL in an unscheduled TV match where the loser must leave town. Dutch stops in the middle of the match and reasons that he and Lawler should be fighting with, not against, one another. As soon as Lawler lets his guard down, Dutch nails him. AWESOME ANGLE! **BOBBY EATON & KOKO WARE v ROBERT & RICK GIBSON- Hart throws ink in Rick's eyes, and Eaton beats on Dundee. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS attack Dutch Mantell- Lawler saves Dutch, but Mantell refuses to befriend Lawler. INTERVIEW WITH RICK GIBSON, who claims Hart, Eaton and Ware attacked him as he was getting out of his car- then Hart challenges Robert out to a fight. Ass soon as he comes out. Eaton & Ware attack him with a board. **JERRY LAWLER v ANDY KAUFMAN- complete match JERRY LAWLER again saves Mantell from a 3 on 1 attack from the Midnights. Mantell again refuses Lawler, and Lawler says he'll never help Dutch again. THE IRON SHEIK attacks Ron Bass as he tries to swing the Persian clubs. See how old this angle is? **JERRY LAWLER v KENDO NAGASAKI BOBBY EATON v STEVE KEIRN- before the match, Dutch challenges Eaton, but Keirn takes offense, as he wants the match. BOBBY EATON v BILL DUNDEE- Dutch comes out again, but Dundee asks Butch to stay in his corner to counter Hart. Dutch winds up costing Eaton the match and the Mid-America's title. RIC FLAIR makes a rare Memphis TV appearance (his only?)- Before Flair's match, Lawler comes out to "shake Flair's hand". Lawler does a hilarious con-job on Flair, getting him to drop his scheduled opponent and defend the title against Lawler- A CLASSIC, MUST-SEE ANGLE!!! RIC FLAIR v JERRY LAWLER- Flair has the upper hand when the time limit runs out, so he asks for five more minutes- a big mistake, as Lawler soon sends Flair running. JERRY LAWLER v KAMALA from the TV studio. TAPE #A153: MEMPHIS WRESTLING FROM 1982: BOBBY EATON v BILL DUNDEE- Announcer Lance Russell introduces wrestling photographer JIM CORNETTE, who says that he wants to use his mother's money to become a wrestling manager. He says he only wants to manage the best, and wouldn't waste his mother's money on trash like Eaton! Cornette acts like a babyface, but he's such a nerd/geek, that he can't be taken seriously. Eaton v Dundee is a good match, and Eaton shows why he's a future star. JIM CORNETTE ASKS JERRY LAWLER if he can manage him. Lawler laughs it off, and gently teases the 20-year old Cornette about his relationship with his mother. Cornette says he'd pay anything to manage Lawler, but "The King" passes, citing that he'd always had bad luck in the past with managers. Surprising, considering Lawler's "give youth a chance" reputation. JERRY LAWLER v KAMALA- Supposed to be Kamala v Dutch Mantell, but Hart tells the babyface Dutch that Lawler & Dundee's brown-nosing of the promoters keeps Dutch out of main events. Dutch angrily storms off, and Lawler takes his spot. BOBBY EATON & SWEET BROWN SUGAR (Koko Ware) v TERRY TAYLOR & STEVE KEIRN (MSC)- Good, fast paced match with lots of heat. JIM CORNETTE MAKES HIS "FIRST PUBLIC OFFER" to manage a wrestler, extended to Bill Dundee. Bill says he's second to no one, and Cornette had already offered his services to Lawler. "The King" comes out to further tease Cornette about his suit, his shoes, etc.- Cornette is practically in tears. Very funny stuff, both Lawler & Cornette are great. BOBBY EATON & SWEET BROWN SUGAR v TERRY TAYLOR & STEVE KEIRN (No DQ match, MSC)- Taylor and Keirn win the tag titles. BOBBY EATON & SWEET BROWN SUGAR v SPIKE HUBER & STEVE REGAL- This is not the Regal that wrestles in WCW. BOBBY EATON & SWEET BROWN SUGAR v TERRY TAYLOR & STEVE KEIRN in a "Texas Tornado Match"- no guns are involved, this is just a multiple-fall no DQ match. The faces are destroyed by Jimmy Hart's men, including Bill Dundee, who tries to make the save. JIM CORNETTE comes out to say that he's not the object of ridicule that Lawler and Dundee make him out to be. He offers a $5,000 incentive to anyone who ends a match vs Lawler to Corny's satisfaction. Jimmy emerges as a full-fledged heel! BILL DUNDEE does a great, realistic interview vowing revenge to avenge Steve Keirn's injuries suffered at the hands of Hart's men. WHO IS THE FIRST WRESTLER JIM CORNETTE EVER MANAGED? Sensational Sherri Martel, who he introduces in this segment. SHERRI MARTEL v VELVET McINTYRE- Right or wrong, the fans think even less of Cornette for managing a woman. JIMMY HART introduces his new tag team, The New York Dolls (Rick McGraw & Troy Graham). The Dolls are dressed in tuxedoes and bow ties, with bleached blond hair. Jimmy Hart was one of the best wrestling managers of all time, and it shows here. BOBBY EATON v JAQUES ROUGEAU- Before the match, Rougeau is introduced to the Memphis audience- he has to be seen in his cheesy purple leisure suit and shag hairdo. Hart, Eaton and Sugar come out to cause trouble (hilarious scene as Eaton calls him Jaques Cousteau, and Rougeau stupidly smiles and corrects him). The match lasts about 10 seconds as Sugar runs in. JIM CORNETTE comes out in a ridiculous yachting cap and announces his signing of Dirty Dutch Mantell- what a pairing. NEW YORK DOLLS v STAN LANE & TERRY TAYLOR. Good match, all four work hard. JIM CORNETTE presents a photo portrait of himself and Dutch Mantell to the Dutchman. Mantell quizzes young Jimmy about his conservative lifestyle, which contrasts to the hard drinking, barroom brawling Dutchman. Hilarious moment when Dutch asks Jim if he gets up early to watch cartoons, and Jim says no, he likes to watch Richard Simmons in the morning! Mantell rips up the contract and breaks the portrait over Jimmy's head. Poor Jimmy again almost in tears! INTERVIEW WITH JACKIE FARGO- One of my favorite things in wrestling are those moments- interviews, matches, angles- that are so utterly inept, so poorly executed, that they become hilarious, precious moments (i.e. the Shockmaster's WCW entrance). This may be the best / worst of them all, and is easily the worst interview of all time. Fargo rambles on for seven minutes about how upset he is that Jimmy Hart "stole" his gimmick wearing tuxedoes and bow ties, and used it for the N.Y. Dolls. He grumbles about how they wear $25 tuxedos, and says "my socks cost that much, pallie" (Take one look at Fargo and you'll get that joke). He then venomously snarls to Hart "You little stink, you stink, you little stinky stink!" I'm not making this up. Fargo then says he'll bring in his own team to run off the Dolls- The Fabulous Ones. JERRY LAWLER v NICK BOCKWINKLE (MSC)- Lawler does a rare job on his home turf. THE FABULOUS ONES (Stan Lane & Steve Keirn) v CARL FERGIE & THE ENFORCER. It's amazing how over the Fabs were in Memphis from the moment they entered the TV studio. Funny thing is, both Lane and Keirn had been mid-card mainstays in Memphis, but slap some tuxedoes and top hats on them, and the fans treat it like the second coming of Elvis- no wonder Fargo was so mad! JIM CORNETTE INTRODUCES his two latest charges in separate interviews: Crusher Broomfield and Jesse Barr. DUTCH MANTELL v KING COBRA- The Sheepherders run in and strangle Dutch with his own whip- Dundee makes the save. THE SHEEPHERDERS v TERRY TAYLOR & JAQUES ROUGEAU- Some pretty good action here. THE SHEEPHERDERS in a squash. Taylor and Rougeau run in and clobber the Sheeps with wooden planks. FABULOUS ONES v N.Y. DOLLS- A good brawl. After this feud, the Fabs were supposed to turn heel. But to the promotion's surprise, they became the most popular tag team ever in Memphis. JERRY LAWLER & BILL DUNDEE v BOBBY EATON & SWEET BROWN SUGAR- another good match with lots of heat. FABULOUS ONES VIDEO- unintentionally funny, as they're shown lounging in a haystack together, bathing and dressing in the same hotel suite...some real Blueboy material. I guess the fans never figured out that they were supposed to start disliking the pretty boy Fabs. JERRY LAWLER & BILL DUNDEE v ADRIAN STREET & THE APOCALYPSE- Cornette's latest signees take on the home team. FUNNY MOMENT AS THE FABS come out to their music "Everybody Wants You"- played at 33rpm, instead of the correct 45 rpm. JERRY LAWLER AND LANCE RUSSELL show a video retrospective of the legendary Lawler v Jimmy Hart feud. JERRY LAWLER v JIMMY HART in a Loser Leaves Town Cage Match (MSC)- Lawler destroys Hart and sends him packing. JERRY LAWLER v NICK BOCKWINKEL- Lawler cleanly pins Bockwinkel and wins back the Southern title. This was done to prove that Lawler could indeed beat AWA champ Bockwinkel in a title match. Nick and Jerry do great interviews. BILL DUNDEE v THE APOCALYPSE- Jim Cornette, Adrian Street and Miss Linda all attack Dundee. TAPE #A742: MEMPHIS WRESTLING from 1983: TOM PRICHARD v FRANKIE LAINE- pretty good. THE WFIA CONVENTION announces that the absent Fabulous Ones have been voted as "1983's Tag Team of the Year" Funny how the WFIA "votes" always went to wrestlers in the area where the WFIA was having their convention. The Grapplers steal the trophies. ROCK & ROLL EXPRESS v THE GRAPPLERS ANDY KAUFMAN appears at the TV studio, runs down the local fans, and brawls with Jimmy Hart, which is nothing short of HILARIOUS. Kaufman, who was a national celebrity (a BRILLIANT comedian who was way ahead of his time) was a great heel here. JERRY LAWLER v ANDY KAUFMAN & JIMMY HART (clips)- the Kaufman / Hart partnership falls apart at the Mid-South Coliseum. CAGE MATCH: AUSTIN IDOL & FABULOUS ONES v BOBBY EATON & THE MOONDOGS, clips from MSC. The Dogs turn on and destroy Eaton after the match. GIANT REBEL v KEN RAPER- Rebel is another of Stan Frazier's embarrassing gimmicks. Jimmy Hart cracks me up. JERRY LAWLER & ANDY KAUFMAN v THE ASSASSIN & JIMMY HART (clips)- Kaufman turns on Lawler, and the Assassins collect the bounty Kaufman has on Lawler. KAUFMAN IS A RIOT HERE! JERRY LAWLER does a GREAT interview vowing to get back at Kaufman and Hart. THE ASSASSINS in a squash. Andy Kaufman is seated at ringside, and Lawler burns him with a fireball. BOBBY EATON v THE MOONDOGS in singles matches, and if Bobby can beat them both, he gets a match vs Jimmy Hart. Eaton pins Rex, and as he's about to pin Spot, Rex and Hart run in and bloody Eaton with a dog bone. ANDY KAUFMAN sends in a painfully funny interview. Andy, God bless you...but what's up with that hair? And that 70's disco shirt? Or was this all a product of Kaufman's legendary comedic talents? STAN HANSEN raises hell at the WMC-TV studio- great! STAN HANSEN v TOM PRICHARD- Hansen wins the TV title. JERRY LAWLER & AUSTIN IDOL v THE ASSASSINS, clips. JIM CORNETTE is hired by Jimmy Hart as his assistant. In my opinion, these are the two greatest managers in the history of the biz. ANDY KAUFMAN does an interview providing some hygeine tips. If you liked this from "I'm from Hollywood", you'll love the complete version. JIMMY HART offers Lawler and Idol a match vs The Assassins, with GREAT, GREAT STIPS- if Lawler and Idol lose, Lawler has to dye his hair blond, and Idol has to dye his hair black! A FEATURE on the Fabulous Ones. ANDY KAUFMAN provides the locals with another hygiene tip. Again, funny and complete- not the "I'm from Hollywood" version. BOBBY EATON, TERRY TAYLOR & KOKO WARE v THE REBEL, PATHUTCHINSON & JESSE OWENS JERRY LAWLER v KEN PATERA- OK, let's face it. As much as we all love Memphis wrestling, it was never a haven for the top superstars in the game. Having said that, I have no idea what guys like Patera and Stan Hansen (at the time they were two of the ten best wrestlers in the world) were doing here. JERRY LAWLER & AUSTIN IDOL v THE ASSASSINS, clips- Idol takes a fan's cane, and finds creative use for it. Great action! Ken Patera interferes,and Idol gets pinned. ANDY KAUFMAN provides more hygiene tips. Kaufman is hysterical here, but Andy...as someone who supposedly understands the TV genre...shouldn't we be performing wardrobe changes for these skits, since they were aired over a period of several weeks? TOMMY ROGERS v PAT HUTCHINSON- Hart and Cornette are very funny auditioning Hutchinson. BUDDY LANDELL & DENNIS CONDREY v TOM PRICHARD & JIM JAMESON A FUNNY SKIT where Jimmy Hart has Jerry Lawler stripped of the Southern title. Again, Hart was GREAT here. POLE MATCH: THE MOONDOGS v BOBBY EATON & TERRY TAYLOR, jip from the Mid-South Coliseum. TAPE #A474: MEMPHIS WRESTLING FROM 1985: 1984 YEAR IN REVIEW VIDEO- some good stuff! *JERRY LAWLER v RANDY SAVAGE- Savage piledrives Lawler onto a metal plate, and smashes his head with the championship belt. Lance Russell tells us that "Lawler would be dead" if it weren't for his conditioning. Lawler's stretchered and taken out in an ambulance. Lanny Poffo, dressed in a suit of armor, reads a poem describing Lawler's demise. KOKO WARE & NORVELL AUSTIN v BRAD & BART BATTEN RANDY SAVAGE beats up photographer Jimmy Suzuki. THE FABULOUS ONES get jumped by Ware & Austin. The Fabs are doing fine until Savage and Poffo make it a 4-on-2. THE FABULOUS ONES v EDDIE GILBERT & LANNY POFFO RANDY SAVAGE singlehandedly destroys both Batten twins. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LAWLER v SAVAGE FEUD- Savage is nuts!! For a long time, Savage was a major talent, but was blacklisted by the major promotions (WWF, NWA, AWA) for working Poffo's IWA. It was their loss, as Randy was an awesome wrestler, great inerview, and loaded with charisma. LUMBERJACK MATCH: RANDY SAVAGE & LANNY POFFO v FABULOUS ONES- The PYT's (Ware & Austin) run in, and soon the ring is filled with brawling wrestlers. THE PYTs v BRAD & BART BATTEN- Ware & Austin destroy the Battens, whipping them with leather belts. FABULOUS ONES v PYT's- Austin takes a bump on his head and neck that I swore would kill him. Great action and brawling- 4 *** match! JERRY LAWLER piledrives Tux Newman (Savage's manager), putting him in a neckbrace. *JERRY LAWLER v RANDY SAVAGE- "Dr. D" David Shults runs in and Savage is DQed. Shults is an uncontrollable madman, and even Memphis couldn't handle him. BRUISER BRODY CLIPS- and speaking of uncontrollable...Tux is bringing Brody in to get revenge on Lawler, but Shults screws it up for Newman, and Brody sides with Lawler. RANDY SAVAGE v JERRY OSKE- Savage is pinned by Oske, and loses the Southern title. BRUISER BRODY TURNS ON LAWLER after the Savage & Shults match. This was a great, wild brawl, classic Brody. Brody then does a terrific interview. JERRY LAWLER announces he's bringing in Bill Dundee, his toughest opponent ever, to help him vs Brody & Kareem Muhammad. Can you imagine Dundee v Brody? *JERRY JARRETT & TOJO YAMMAMOTO v THE PYT's- Jarrett and Tojo, Memphis legends, attempt a comeback after their retirements. The promotion handles this well. The PYT's whip Jarrett with a belt, leaving nasty welts on his back. BRUISER BRODY does some more great promos, after stealing Lawler's crown. JERRY LAWLER & BILL DUNDEE v BRUISER BRODY & KAREEM MUHAMMAD- Dundee looks like a child next to Bruiser. Brody goes nuts and beats up the referee for the DQ. TAPE #A476: MEMPHIS WRESTLING FROM 1985 - 1986: BILL DUNDEE gives promoter Eddie Marlin a beating. Marlin then orders Dundee to wrestle him blindfolded, with one arm tied behind his back. *BILL DUNDEE v KOKO WARE- Dutch Mantell and The Maharishi help Dundee beat up Koko. SHERRI MARTEL repackages Tom Prichard and Pat Rose as...THE HEAVENLY BODIES!! THE FANTASTICS v DUTCH MANTELL & TONY FALK- how can the Fantastics wrestle in the same territory as the Fabulous Ones, both as babyface teams? RIC FLAIR v KOKO WARE- same as A475, but this is the entire match. THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS (Sting & Warrior) turn heel, running down Lawler and Hickerson. Phil correctly points out that they can't wrestle, all they do is shoot steroids. PHIL HICKERSON v JIM HELLWIG (Warrior)- Steve Borden (Sting) runs in for the DQ. CLIPS OF STING & WARRIOR "breaking" Phil Hickerson's arm with the ring bell. DUTCH MANTELL v RICK CASEY- Casey was better known as Wendell Cooley. Bill Dundee runs in and hangs Casey from the ropes with Mantell's bullwhip! TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS, Bill Dundee rolls pennies to the crowd at the TV studio. Koko Ware objects, so Dundee slams the bag of pennies across his head! MIDNIGHT EXPRESS v FABULOUS ONES- funny to see Lane vs Cornette's Midnights! LANCE RUSSELL AND DAVE BROWN are interviewed on the "Jerry Lawler Show". STING & WARRIOR debut their "Blade Runners" gimmick, looking like punk rock bodybuilders. *JERRY LAWLER v BILL DUNDEE- Lawler agrees to leave Memphis if he loses, and Dundee puts up his and his wife's hair. The then-unthinkable happens, as Lawler loses. 4 1/4 ***. BILL DUNDEE and all the heels have a party celebrating Lawler's exit from Memphis. WMC TV ANNOUNCES their "Dream Date with the Fantastics" contest. Buddy Landell objects, and demands that he be honored with a dream date contest. Great, of course. *THE FANTASTICS v THE SHEEPHERDERS- Tommy & Bobby win the tag titles. J.D. COSTELLO intros The Mod Squad. J.D. is funny, but very much a Cornette impersonator. JERRY JARRETT announces his retirement, citing an eye injury and his advanced age. BUDDY LANDELL costs Dutch Mantell a match and Mantell is hot! Landell is recociliatory toward Dutch to his face, but Buddy cocks his fists when Mantell's back is turned! BUDDY LANDELL asks Bill Dundee to disassociate himself from that "drunk, tobacco spittin' redneck", Mantell. That is, until Dutch shows up- then it's "Hey, Dutch, you're my pal, I love ya"!! Lance Russell rats Buddy out, and it ends up in a brawl, with Dundee siding with Budro, and Dutch getting a beating. Landell is an incredible instigator here- GREAT ANGLE! GREAT INTERVIEW with Dutch Mantell, explaining his side of the feud. Dutch is fantastic here. BILL DUNDEE AND BUDDY LANDELL win a squash. They continue to pound their opponents, but also the referee- a skinny kid, fresh out of high school named Jeff Jarrett. Jerry Jarrett then runs in- Bill and Buddy start gouging his bad eye! EDDIE MARLIN, outraged over what just happened, announces that he's lifting Lawler's suspension, and that Lawler will return to team with Dutch vs Buddy and Bill. LANCE RUSSELL then refuses to interview Dundee, who do a great CRAZY promo. *JERRY LAWLER & DUTCH MANTELL v BILL DUNDEE & BUDDY LANDELL- Lawler and Dutch pound away at Dundee's eye- next week on television, it's swollen shut (not shown). JEFF JARRETT does an interview, announcing his intentions to become a wrestler. Jeff reads a poem- not a good babyface move- but does a hell of a promo, considering his age and experience. *JERRY LAWLER & DUTCH MANTELL v BILL DUNDEE & BUDDY LANDELL- Jeff Jarrett i the ref, and Dundee punches him out. Jackie Fargo then runs in and pops Dundee. BILL DUNDEE SLAPS LANCE RUSSELL IN THE FACE DURING AN INTERVIEW!!! *TEXAS DEATH MATCH: JERRY LAWLER & DUTCH MANTELL v BILL DUNDEE & BUDDY LANDELL- highlights of a one-hour, 26 fall, classic, 5 *** match. BILL DUNDEE AND BUDDY LANDELL take over the WMC studio, renaming the wrestling hour "The Bill and Buddy Show". I'm out of expletives, so I'll describe this as phenomenal. Bill and Buddy run the show and do commentary for about 15 minutes, until Lawler and Mantell destroy the set with chairs, and the four engage in a wild brawl. A MUST, MUST SEE!
December 16, 200717 yr comment_5425413 And these from Friedlander 4/17 - 5/26/84 10/6 - 11/24/84 6/22 - 6/23/85
